He-Man

• 1. Introduction

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  He-Man, the muscle-bound hero of the Masters of the Universe franchise, changes from a prince into a champion with one spoken oath. Prince Adam raises his Power Sword and declares, "By the power of Grayskull..." Then comes the second half of the line: "...I have the power!" The words launched a toy line, several animated series, comic books and two feature films. They also set the hero against his uncle and archenemy, the sorcerer Skeletor. How did a toy company searching for a hit come up with a barbarian in a fur harness? Why has the hero been rebuilt again and again, each time with a different past? And why did an audience far beyond the children who owned the toys decide that he belonged to them?

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• 2. A Toy Maker's Gamble

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  In 1976, Mattel's chief executive Ray Wagner turned down a deal to make action figures from Star Wars, because the license demanded $750,000 up front. The original Star Wars trilogy and its merchandise then became a huge commercial success. Mattel answered with one new toy line after another, and none of them captured the public's imagination or made a real dent in the market.

  Roger Sweet, lead designer of Mattel's Preliminary Design Department, decided that simplicity was the key to a hit. In his 2005 book, Mastering the Universe: He-Man and the Rise and Fall of a Billion-Dollar Idea, he explained that the real hurdle was convincing the marketing department that a toy would sell.

  In late 1980, Sweet brought Wagner three prototypes. He made them by gluing a Big Jim figure, from another Mattel toy line, into a battle pose, packing clay onto its body and having plaster casts made. Sweet argued that a generically named hero called He-Man could fit into any setting. The three versions were a soldier, a spaceman and a barbarian, and Mattel chose the barbarian.

  Mark Taylor, a designer, had created the character from his own childhood drawings, and one of his designs fed into Sweet's pitch. Sweet picked the name "He-Man" and proposed a twist-action waist. After the pitch, Sweet was taken off the project, and Taylor was assigned the principal design duties. The barbarian they had settled on soon needed a world to live in, and the first illustrated books supplied one.

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• 3. Barbarian of Eternia

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  In the illustrated books packed with the first toys, He-Man is a barbarian from a tribe on the planet Eternia. His world is still recovering from the Great Wars, which wrecked the civilizations that once ruled supreme. Those wars left behind advanced machinery and weapons that only a select few understood.

  The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull handed some of these weapons to He-Man, and he set out to protect the castle's secrets from Skeletor. The Power Sword was split in two. He-Man held one half and Skeletor held the other, which he used as his main weapon. Joined together, the halves form the key to Castle Grayskull. In one early illustrated story, the two enemies combined their halves into the true Power Sword and used it to defeat Trap Jaw.

  In June 2012, DC Comics began a six-issue limited series called He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. It ran alongside a weekly digital-first series titled Masters of the Universe. In the story He-Man: The Eternity War, the hero is married to Teela, a relationship far removed from the one the cartoon had given her.

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• 4. Prince Adam's Secret

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  In some comic books and the animated series, He-Man is secretly Prince Adam, son of King Randor and Queen Marlena, who is an earthling. Marlena gave birth to twins, Adam and Princess Adora. Adora was abducted by the Evil Horde, led by Hordak. Adam grew up in the Kingdom of Eternia, which shares its name with the planet.

  The gap between Adam and his alter ego was deliberately small. He-Man had a slightly deeper voice, a different wardrobe, and slightly darker skin and hair.

  Adam's pet was Cringer, a cowardly green tiger. When Adam became He-Man, he could turn Cringer into Battle Cat, a brave armored tiger, by pointing the sword at him. Adam discovered this by accident. Cringer cowered at the sight of what Adam had become, and while Adam reassured him, a bolt of energy leapt from the sword and transformed the animal. Battle Cat then served as He-Man's steed and fighting companion. In a couple of versions, the sword can also change He-Man himself for different battles or empower friends and allies.

  Teela was Captain of the Guard and charged with protecting Adam. She believed he was lazy and cowardly, an act he kept up to guard his secret. Unknown to her, she was the daughter of the Sorceress, and she had been adopted by Adam's mentor Duncan, also called Man-At-Arms. Man-At-Arms was He-Man's closest companion and the royal family's inventor of technology and weapons. He often unveiled new devices to help the hero. Only Orko, Man-At-Arms, Cringer and the Sorceress knew the truth. The Sorceress lived in Castle Grayskull, the source of He-Man's powers, and spoke with Adam telepathically.

  Skeletor was a blue-skinned sorcerer with a yellow skull for a head. He was skilled in black magic and in every form of combat, and he was cunning and intelligent. A group of henchmen helped carry out his schemes. Yet the most important new arrival in the cartoon's world was a sister Adam had never met.

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• 5. The Cartoon Phenomenon

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  Nine million viewers in the United States watched the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon during its first year, and it was broadcast in at least 37 countries. The series rapidly increased sales of Mattel's toys and became a huge success in the 1980s.

  That success led to a feature-length film in 1985, He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword, made by the same production team. A sister series, She-Ra: Princess of Power, shared its continuity. There was also a primetime, hour-long special, He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special.

  The spin-off series revealed that Adam had a twin sister. Princess Adora led the Great Rebellion against Hordak on the planet Etheria. Like her brother, she received the power of Grayskull, and she used her own sword to become She-Ra, Princess of Power. He-Man made several appearances in her series. When the original toy line eventually ended, Mattel went looking for a way to revive interest in its hero.

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• 6. Reinvented Heroes

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  In 1990, Mattel launched a new toy line simply called He-Man. The mini-comics packed with the figures sent the hero away from Eternia in pursuit of Skeletor, who wanted to conquer the distant planet Primus, a world rich in advanced technological resources. This He-Man abandoned his identity as Prince Adam, settled on Primus and led defenders known as the Galactic Guardians. He wore a space helmet and golden armor, and his sword was redesigned to match.

  Jetlag Productions made a cartoon to go with the line, The New Adventures of He-Man. It mostly followed the mini-comics but kept the double identity. On Primus, Adam posed as a traveling merchant and the nephew of Master Serbian. His oath changed slightly to "By the power of Eternia..."

  In 2002-03, Mike Young Productions made a new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon to accompany a fresh line of figures based on the original toys. Its second season carried the marketing subtitle "vs. the Snake Men". The series retold the story from the beginning, opening with a 90-minute premiere in which the Sorceress summoned 16-year-old Prince Adam to Castle Grayskull. This Adam was brasher and more energetic than his 1980s counterpart, like a teenage boy burdened with defending a planet. The design of the character was changed so that his secret identity was more believable.

  A decade after the Filmation cartoon was cancelled, Lou Scheimer pitched Mattel a sequel in 1995, He-Ro: Son of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. In it, He-Man was King of Eternia and married to Teela. Their son Dare inherited the Sword of Power and became the title hero, leading his comrades against a returned Skeletor. The show was never picked up. Fans have nonetheless embraced its premise as official canon, and it influenced the character biographies in the Masters of the Universe Classics line.

  The Masters of the Universe Classics action figures of 2008 merged elements from across the franchise into one storyline, told through biographies on the packaging. Those biographies suggested that several different He-Men had existed. One was Vikor, based on an early concept design for the vintage figure. Another was Oo-Larr, based on the jungle He-Man of the first mini-comic.

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• 7. Screen Faces and Voices

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  Dolph Lundgren played He-Man in the 1987 live-action film Masters of the Universe. That same year, Jack Wadsworth played the hero in the Masters of the Universe Power Tour.

  On television, John Erwin voiced the character in the 1980s series, in The Secret of the Sword, in She-Ra: Princess of Power and in the Christmas special. Garry Chalk voiced He-Man in The New Adventures of He-Man, with Doug Parker as Prince Adam. Cam Clarke took over for the 2002 series, and David A. Kaye voiced the young Prince Adam. Chris Wood voiced the hero in Masters of the Universe: Revelation from 2021 to 2024, and Yuri Lowenthal voiced him in the 2021 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

  Netflix announced in December 2019 that it was developing a CGI Masters of the Universe series. Rob David developed it and produced alongside Adam Bonnett, Christopher Keenan, Jeff Matsuda and Susan Corbin. Bryan Q. Miller served as story editor. Animation was provided by House of Cool and CGCG Inc.

  He-Man and Skeletor both make cameo appearances in the 2022 film Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, where Alan Oppenheimer voices He-Man. The hero has also been parodied. Macaulay Culkin played Prince Adam in Robot Chicken in 2005, and Seth Green, Adam Talbott and Patrick Pinney have also appeared there. Chris Pratt took on the role on Saturday Night Live in 2014.

  On the 29th of April 2019, actor Noah Centineo told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that he would play He-Man in a reboot film. Production was due to begin in July 2019 for a 2020 release. Two years later, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he pulled out. In January 2022, Kyle Allen was cast, with filming to begin that summer. Netflix then canceled the movie and Amazon MGM acquired it. In May 2024, Nicholas Galitzine was cast, and the film is credited for 2026.

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• 8. Subtext and Icon

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  David Chlopecki argues that Prince Adam's pink spandex clothing fits gay stereotypes. NPR said the character's look adds to the show's gay subtext, because He-Man's outfit, including a bondage harness, resembles leather subculture and was read as homoerotic in the 1980s. Comic Book Resources writer Anthony Gramuglia called the hero's sword phallic. Attention has also fallen on the "fabulous powers" that one origin story says Adam gains.

  The double life itself draws queer readings. According to Battis, Adam's need to hide his true identity is one of the show's key queer aspects. Britain's The Daily Telegraph noted fan interpretations that Adam is closeted while He-Man is "out-and-proud", representing a man's struggle to accept his sexuality. Matt Johnson, writing for The Johns Hopkins News-Letter, called the series a "thinly veiled treatise on the state of gay male sexuality in the eighties".

  Adam B. Vary said the cartoon contains gay subtext that the 1987 film almost turns into explicit text. He described a tragic unrequited romance between He-Man and Skeletor, pointing to Skeletor's warped obsession and to He-Man never showing interest in women. A re-cut trailer on YouTube titled "Brokeback Snake Mountain" highlighted the homoeroticism of He-Man's bond with Man-At-Arms.

  These perceived subtexts drew a gay audience when the cartoon first aired, and the character is now widely viewed as a gay icon. Men's Health reported that gay men were one of three core groups collecting He-Man toys at conventions, alongside bodybuilders and law-enforcement officers. ND Stevenson, creator and showrunner of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018-2020), has said He-Man and She-Ra are gay icons. The character's LGBT fanbase has been credited with helping support openly gay characters in that reboot.

  Out magazine called the original series one of the gayest cartoons of all time. It said the 1987 film turned a generation of boys at least a little gay. Instinct magazine's Gerald Biggerstaff said many gay men who grew up in the 1980s and 90s felt their awakening through He-Man. In 2003, HX Magazine's editors listed must-see series with attractive male leads, and He-Man, in his 2002 incarnation, was the only animated character on it. Gay Times put him at the top of its list of cartoon crushes, noting Dolph Lundgren's film portrayal. In the same publication, actor Andrew Hayden-Smith said that in 2016 he realized he was gay while playing with a He-Man figure, drawn to the character's physique.

  Mark Morse, Mattel's director of global marketing from 2008 to 2017, said that by 2018, when a "Laughing Prince Adam" figure was released, nobody had discussed whether a future installment should make He-Man openly gay. Rob David, an executive producer of Revelation and Mattel's Vice President of Creative Content, told Queerty that Mattel is "very comfortable" with the gay audience and the icon status. Whether any future installment will go further remains an open question.

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