Adi Shankar Won’t Stop Making Power Rangers Violent

Captain Laserhawk Niji 6

Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix is many things. It’s a story of betrayal, a parody of just about every Ubisoft franchise you could think of, and an absolutely mind-bending work of chaotic art. It’s a passion project of Adi Shankar, famous for his Bootleg Universe series – a series of unauthorized fan films that satirize and subvert the properties they’re based on – except this time it’s got the official stamp of approval.

Created in conjunction with Ubisoft Film & Television, Captain Laserhawk features dozens of characters based on popular Ubisoft franchises. You’ve got Marcus Holloway from Watch Dogs 2, Sarah and Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell, Alex Taylor from The Crew, and Bullfrog, a frog in an Assassin’s Creed getup, among many others.

Watching these characters be turned on their head, saying things and doing things they’d never get to do in their own games, is a trip. From the very first episode, you’re left wondering “how did Ubisoft ever sign off on this?” But it doesn’t matter how, it just is.

GLHF recently had the opportunity to interview Adi Shankar to get a glimpse behind the scenes of this incredible and ridiculous new series. For Shankar, doing ridiculous things with known entities isn’t just a stylistic choice, it’s at the very core of his creative process.

It doesn’t matter if it’s an unauthorized fan film or an official product in collaboration with a giant corporation — Shankar can’t help but push boundaries.

“Even with an official stamp of approval, that rebellious, 'naughty kid getting away with it' energy remains indispensable,” Shankar tells us, “It's the lifeblood of my creative process. This undercurrent of subversion and playfulness, even when sanctioned, is what breathes life and uniqueness into my projects. It's more than just a stylistic choice; it's a philosophy. The essence of challenging norms and pushing boundaries is central to my process.”

It’s hard to deny that Shankar pushes boundaries in Captain Laserhawk. Any series that has Rayman doing lines and eating sushi off the nude body of a cow-human hybrid is not just pushing boundaries, but decisively shattering them.

For Shankar though, it’s just part of a day’s work. Captain Laserhawk also gave Shankar the opportunity to return to a franchise he adores: Power Rangers.

Bootleg Universe has touched on a host of different series, from The Punisher to Pokemon and even Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, but the one that really captured the public’s attention was Power/Rangers. A dark and gritty reimagining of the classic series that mashed together tokusatsu footage from Japan with terrible American acting, Power/Rangers took everything we knew and loved about the Power Rangers and flipped it upside down.

Shankar revisits this thread in Captain Laserhawk with a team of suited-up “superheroes” called the Niji 6. They’re based on operators from Rainbow Six, but from the moment they appear on screen you can see there’s just as much Power Rangers in them as there is Rainbow Six.

“My deep affection for the Power Rangers is well-documented, and my enthusiasm for parodying them remains as strong today as it was when I created Power/Rangers in 2015,” Shankar, who also voices Red, the leader of the Niji 6, tells us, “The notion of taking the stoic Rainbow 6 and reimagining them as intense and unhinged Power Rangers enforcing the whims of a fascist regime was a concept I found compelling on multiple levels.

“We're spoofing the bright, heroic iconography of Power Rangers, juxtaposing it with the intense militarism of Rainbow 6, while also highlighting how fascist regimes often co-opt popular symbols for their agendas. It's undeniably a meta-joke on top of a meta-joke on top of another meta-joke, but I think it's hilarious.”

Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix is available to stream now exclusively on Netflix.