Billy was my favorite Power Ranger and I love that they chose him to be on the autism spectrum in this movie.

By Brent Anderson

Go, Go, Power Rangers! I saw the Power Rangers movie last weekend and I loved it. I have been a Power Rangers fan since it came out in 1993. Growing up, I watched the show on a regular basis, owned all of the Zord toys, and even dressed up as the Black Ranger for Halloween in 3rd grade.

Although the TV show went through some changes through the years, I remained a fan. I was very excited that they were releasing a new movie. One of the things I really loved about this movie is the fact that Billy, the Blue Ranger, is on the autism spectrum. I read about the fact that Billy is autistic before I saw the movie, but I didn’t really know what to expect. His behavior in the movie is exactly like me!! He doesn’t understand humor and sarcasm, he lines up his colored pencils in a particular order (like I did with my markers at school), and he remembers everything. They also show Billy being bullied and teased in school, which is also something I experienced.

When I was younger, Billy was my favorite Power Ranger and I love that they chose him to be on the autism spectrum in this movie. I am very pleased that the movie introduces characters who are all struggling to fit in. Acceptance of people regardless of race, religion, disability, and sexuality is very important in today’s society. I hope that this movie will improve understanding and acceptance of people’s differences.
Here is a link to the article I read about Billy.

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This was previously posted on Brent Anderson’s blog here.

Brent Anderson is an entrepreneur with autism, humor aficionado, and inspirational speaker who has inspired the book series Unintentional Humor.