Dark Specter

**Dark Specter** appeared in 1998 TV series called *Power Rangers in Space*. Dark Specter, also known throughout the universe as the *Grand Monarch of Evil*, was the head of the United Alliance of Evil and one of the main antagonists in Power Rangers in Space.

Little is known about Dark Specter or how he came to become the Grand Monarch of Evil. What is known is that he was responsible for the attack on Eltar and the capture of Zordon. Zordon is one of his foremost aggravating enemies. According to Andros, Dark Specter was also behind the attack on KO-35. Dark Specter brought forth a union of villains known as the United Alliance of Evil, including Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd, the Machine Empire, Divatox, and Astronema. Selecting Astronema to battle the Space Rangers, Dark Specter made sure they never rescue Zordon from his clutches. He was usually a background character during *Power Rangers in Space*, leaving it to his underlings - namely Astronema - to crush the rangers.

The only time Dark Specter personally confronted the rangers was during one of their later attempts to rescue Zordon. A reformed Astronema led her brother and his teammates to Zordon's alleged prison, only for it to be revealed that Dark Specter was posing as Zordon. After taunting Andros and reaffirming his faith in Astronema's evil, he teleported away, leaving Astronema and Darkonda to deal with the captive rangers. However, Astronema freed the rangers and they escaped, with the help of Ecliptor. Refusing to let Astronema leave the side of evil so easily, Dark Specter temporarily handed control of the Dark Fortress to Darkonda and commissioned him to reprogram Ecliptor. He then sent an asteroid on a collision course with Earth, which lured Karone into a trap. She was then tragically reprogrammed by Darkonda with cybernetic implants, suppressing her emotions and making her pure evil.

Darkonda's technology worked a little too well, however, turning Astronema so evil that she desired to overthrow Dark Specter. She created the Psycho Rangers, whose power was channeled directly from Dark Specter. Dark Specter's energy drained with each fight by the Psychos, and he called on Astronema to find the cause, much to her pleasure. Eventually, the Rangers would destroy the Psychos, and Dark Specter would recover. He never discovered the true cause of his energy drain, believing Astronema to be loyal to him.

In *Countdown to Destruction*, Dark Specter finally initiated his master plan and launched an all-out invasion of the entire universe, assaulting the worlds of Earth, Gratha, the Vica Galaxy, KO-35, and the homeworld of the Phantom Ranger, in an attempt to destroy the forces of good. Though the attack was going well, Dark Specter was assaulted by Darkonda, who tried to slay Dark Specter with a planet-destroying missile. Though the attack was enough to destroy Dark Specter, the Grand Monarch was able to hang on long enough to swallow Darkonda's fighter jet whole, destroying the traitorous bounty hunter with him.

Dark Specter is nearly identical in appearance to the lava demon Maligore (even Divatox acknowledged the resemblance), and is capable of spitting fireballs. The true extent to Dark Specter's power is unknown, but he is probably more powerful than any of the villains, since they all listen to him. His status before forming his alliance is unclear, since there was never any mention of him from Rita, Zedd, or the Royal House of Gadgetry. He is usually depicted as giant sized, though is able to change his size from normal shaped to planet sized. Dark Specter never fought the Rangers personally.

Destructive, brutal, cruel, arrogant, and sadistic, Dark Specter is a vicious tyrant and a power-mad monster all rolled into one. He desires control, and displays intimidation, violence, and dominance onto his own minions. He despises humanity and compassion, and routinely threatens and abuses Astronema/Karone whenever she strays from her path of evil. Despite this, he seems to value her over his other allies, to which made him responsible for his own downfall, because he sends the alien sadist Darkonda to kidnap Karone to transform her in Astronema to reign on the universe, but he neglects often Darkonda and prefers his protégé more, who ironically neglects his kidnapper too. Envious, Darkonda was driven by vengeance and hatred for them as a result. At the final, Andros will be reunited with his sister and Dark Specter and Darkonda both destroyed themselves in the latter's assassination attempt. Even more ironic was when Dark Specter brainwashed Karone into Astronema again it still seemed to be his own downfall as Astronema still tried to overthrow him by draining his power into creating the Psycho Rangers, and then using them against him. Apparently, he can be gullible due to his arrogance, so he was victim to manipulations by both Darkonda and Astronema herself.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Teleportation** (Can appear from blue lightning bolts/Can vanish).
* Capable of blowing fireballs from his mouth.
* Capable of making his face appear in a sky (i.e. *The Delta Discovery* and *Astronema Thinks Twice*).
* **Shape-shifting**

## See Also

* Evil Electro-King Javious I
* Star King Bazeu
* Maligore