He-Man and The Masters Of The Universe was one of the most popular animated series of the 1980s. It was developed from a range of action figures from toy manufacturer Mattel and ran for two seasons, racking up 130 episodes. The success of the show led to multiple comic books, a rebooted series in 2002 and a glorious 1987 movie starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man. In 2021, He-Man will return in a Netflix series called Masters Of The Universe: Revelation. This new show is being overseen by Kevin Smith and is a sequel to the original ‘80s cartoon. Here’s what we know so far…
Masters Of The Universe: Revelation Synopsis
In the original series, the action takes place on the planet of Eternia, mainly focussing on the tussle between the hero character, He-Man, and his rival, the super-villain Skeletor, who craves power and wants to rule the universe.
Revelation will be a continuation, and here is the official synopsis…
A radical return to Eternia, Revelation is a direct sequel series to the classic era of Masters of the Universe. Featuring fan-favorites He-Man, Orko, Cringer and Man-At-Arms, the story pits our heroic warriors and guardians of Castle Grayskull against Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, Beast Man and the vile legions of snake mountain!
But after a ferocious final battle forever fractures Eternia, it’s up to Teela to solve the mystery of the missing Sword of Power in a race against time to prevent the end of the Universe! Her journey will uncover the secrets of Grayskull at last. This is the epic He-Man and the Masters of the Universe saga fans have waited 35 years to see!
Two things stand out here. Firstly, it seems as if He-Man has somehow lost the iconic Sword Of Power. Without the sword, Adam will presumably be unable to transform into He-Man, in effect making him powerless. Secondly, it looks as if Teela may be taking centre-stage in the quest to retrieve it.
Kevin Smith has said that the show will recreate the original look for the characters, albeit with an updated animation style.
Masters Of The Universe: Revelation Characters
For those whose memory might be a bit hazy or for those new to the world of He-Man, here’s a brief overview of the main characters.
He-Man/Prince Adam – The young prince of Eternia, son of King Randor and Queen Marlena (who is from Earth) and quite a simple guy. When trouble stirs he raises the Sword of Power and declares “By the power of Grayskull…I have the power!” and transforms into He-Man. Unlike most superhero characters he makes little effort to differentiate his appearance, other than a change of outfit. It’s ok though, no-one seems to notice. He has a green and yellow pet tiger called Cringer, who as the name suggests is a bit of a wimp. When Adam transforms, so does Cringer, who becomes the armoured-up Battle Cat.
Teela – Adam’s friend and bodyguard, she is Captain of the Royal Guard and adopted daughter of Man-At-Arms. A tough warrior, she is often frustrated by what she sees as Adam’s cowardice and laziness.
Man-At-Arms – He is also known as Duncan but more often goes by the title Man-At-Arms. He is Eternia’s tech guru, often seen fiddling with gadgets and weapons. He is one of the few characters who knows He-Mans true identity.
The Sorceress – The guardian of the secrets of Castle Grayskull, which is where she dwells. She has vast knowledge and other characters seek her guidance. Her powers weaken when she leaves the Castle so she transforms into a falcon called Zoar. She has a telepathic relationship with Adam/He-Man, is able to change her appearance and has telekinetic abilities.
Orko – A Trollan, from the planet Trolla. Orko has magical abilities and moves by levitating rather than walking. In the original show, he was given the title Royal Buffoon, similar to a Jester. He frequently struggles to work his magic as intended, leading to comedy calamity. A close friend of the prince, he is the other main character aware of Adam’s alter-ego.
Skeletor – He-Man’s main foe and ruler of Snake Mountain. He is desperate to discover the secrets and power of Castle Grayskull so that he can rule Eternia himself. Like all good sorcerer’s he wields a powerful staff. Has a purple pet panther called Panthor.
Evil-Lyn – Number 2 to Skeletor, she is a witch with vast powers of her own. She displays higher intelligence than most villains and admits to one day wanting to dethrone Skeletor and rule Eternia herself.
Beast Man – Skeletor’s main henchman, who despite being very strong is something of a bumbling fool.
Masters Of The Universe: Revelation Cast
Kevin Smith and the team have assembled a crack squad of talent to voice these iconic characters. Chris Wood (Supergirl) will be He-Man/Adam. Diedrich Bader will voice Adam’s father, King Randor. He has an impressive cv of voice-over work, including Batman/Bruce Wayne in Batman: The Brave and The Bold. Adam’s mother, Marlena, will be played by the former Batgirl Alicia Silverstone. Liam Cunningham (Game Of Thrones’ Ser Davos Seaworth) seems to be a perfect choice as Man-At-Arms and Sarah Michelle Geller will be Teela. You may remember her from such shows as Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
The line-up of villain voices is just impressive. Skeletor will be voiced by Mark Hamill; you know him right? Perhaps less well known is the actor who played Luke Skywalker has an impressive portfolio of voice work, including as the Joker. For Evil-Lyn, Lena Headey has the nod. All the cunning and ambition she displayed as Cersei Lannister in Game Of Thrones will fit beautifully with this character. Another man with Batman connections, Kevin Michael Richardson, will portray Beast Man. His previous credits include Joker in The Batman.
In what seems like a lovely touch, 90-year-old Alan Oppenheimer, the original voice of Skeletor has a role as Moss-Man.
Masters Of The Universe: Revelation Release
Masters Of The Universe: Revelation will be released on Netflix on 23 July. Whilst we don’t yet know the number or the length of the episodes, we do know it is a limited series and it seems the show has been split up. The trailer bills ‘Part 1’ as coming on 23 July, with no word yet on part 2.
Masters Of The Universe: Revelation Trailer
The score for the show is being composed by Bear McCreary. His credits include Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead and Agents Of Shield. Before the trailer, there is this video of Kevin Smith reacting to his first listen to the music…
And here is the first trailer for the series, which shows the characters looking very true to the original cartoon and plenty of action!
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