See Bloodshot played by a Power Ranger in Valiant’s long delayed, live action web series

Vin Diesel may be the first face that comes to mind when you think about Bloodshot in live action, and for good reason: Sony Pictures’ big-screen movie of the same name, which saw a brief release in theaters earlier this month before the coronavirus epidemic accelerated a move over to video on demand, is still fresh on our minds.

But to the surprise of many fans who’re just getting their first introduction to Valiant Comics’ ex-marine super-soldier, another live-action version of Bloodshot already was dealing damage on the small screen. It’s just that no one, until now, had ever gotten the chance to see him in action. He was played by none other than ex-Power Ranger (the green one!) Jason David Frank, and was part of the deliciously agonizing setup for Ninjak vs The Valiant Universe — a Valiant web series filmed in 2016, but never released due to legal hurdles.

Check it out:

Finally in the clear to debut the series, Valiant compiled the first six episodes into a single, 70-minute-long mini-movie, releasing the entire thing in one sweet chunk to YouTube just a few days ago. Ninjak (The Arrowverse’s Michael Rowe) finds out in the most brutal way possible that he must turn against his former allies and carry out an MI6 heist for Roku (Chantelle Barry), his former flame and MI6 associate.

Of course, that means pitting Ninjak against Bloodshot and other heroes he’d rather not be fighting in a series of heart-pounding action set pieces that haven’t aged a day, despite the series’ delayed release. “Now, on the run, he must face off against the most powerful heroes known to man for a high-octane, take-no-prisoners trial by fire more perilous and more unpredictable than any he’s faced before,” teases Valiant — and it’s a promise the series makes good on with tons of delightfully up-close fight sequences that, to our amateur eye, dances at the gory boundary between PG-13 and R-rated violence.

Directed by Aaron Schoenke, Ninjak vs The Valiant Universe features Rowe, Frank, Barry, and Derek Theler as X-O Manowar; John Morrison as Eternal Warrior; Ciera Foster as Livewire; and Alex Meglei and Kevin Porter as Archer & Armstrong — and it’s available to stream for free right now at YouTube.