Masters of the Universe

The first action figures, mini-comics and commercials (1981–1982)

The Masters of the Universe franchise debuted with the Masters of the Universe toy line that was produced by Mattel in 1981, and was first released to stores in the spring of 1982 as 5½-inch action figures (as opposed to the 3¾-inch size used by other action figure lines at the time).^{[note 11][6]} As a major part of the 1980s action-figure boom, Masters of the Universe proved to be very popular, with millions of toys produced and marketed all over the world, and generating over $2 billion in retail sales during its' original run.^{[note 12][98][99][100]}

Waves of action figures, creatures, vehicles, and playsets were released every year from 1982 until 1987, with the final overseas releases from the original toy line coming from Europe in 1988.^{[note 13][101]} Each figure would be given a tagline for marketing and packaging on their distinctive blister cards with artwork featuring exploding red rocks with a blue 'Masters of the Universe' logo.^{[note 14][79]}

The main hero of the line, the "Most powerful man in the universe" He-Man, and his evil arch-enemy the "Lord of destruction" Skeletor, were the first released in action figure form along with He-Man's main ally, the "Master of weapons" Man-At-Arms, and Skeletor's "Savage henchman" Beast Man.^{[102][103][104][105]} The first creature in the line, He-Man's green "Fighting tiger" Battle Cat was also among the initial releases.^{[note 15][106]}

The second half of the first wave of action figures in 1982 would include the heroic "warrior goddess" Teela,^{[note 16][20]} the heroic "winged warrior" Stratos, the evil "ocean warlord" Mer-Man and the ambiguously aligned "cosmic enforcer" Zodac.^{[note 17][107][108][109]} The original action figures all had six points of articulation, with reuse of existing figure molds (primarily arms, legs and torsos) quite common throughout the duration of the line.^[110] Each of the initial eight figures were given an action-feature, in which the waist of the figure could be twisted to release a spring-loaded 'power punch'.^{[note 18]} Figures were also packaged with unique plastic weapons and armour accessories; with the original He-Man and Skeletor each given one half of the Sword of Power, which could be fit together to form a "key" to open the jawbridge of Castle Grayskull.^{[note 19][111]}

Alongside the first wave of figures were the Battle Ram and Wind Raider vehicles and the aforementioned "Fortress of power and mystery" Castle Grayskull playset, the biggest and most expensive item in the early years of the toy line.^{[note 20][88][112][11]} These first larger boxed items featured packaging art by Rudy Obrero.^{[note 21][113][114]}

The lore of Masters of the Universe was first explored through the mini-comics that accompanied the action figures.^[115] The original four mini-comics, "He-Man and the Power Sword", "The King of Castle Grayskull", "Battle in the Clouds", and "The Vengeance of Skeletor" were created by Mattel in 1981 (written by Donald F. Glut, with artwork by Alfredo Alcala), and featured a story-book style and continuity distinct from the rest of the series.^[116] New mini-comics would continue to accompany subsequent figures throughout the duration of the line, with 49 distinct comics issued from 1981 until 1987.^[115]

In the first mini-comic, "He-man and the Power Sword", He-Man is introduced as a wandering barbarian, who leaves behind his jungle tribe on Eternia and is given special armour and weapons by the Sorceress.^{[note 22][16][25][117]} The world of Eternia is initially depicted as dealing with the aftermath of a great war, the events of which have opened a rift between dimensions, allowing the evil warlord Skeletor to travel to Eternia. This inaugural incarnation of Skeletor sets his sights on obtaining both halves of the Power Sword (originally split in two in these early mini-comics), in order to gain entry into Castle Grayskull (which is inhabited by the ghostly Spirit of Castle Grayskull).^[25]

He-Man (not yet with the dual identity of Prince Adam) is supported in these initial mini-comic stories by his heroic allies: Battle Cat (without the dual form of Cringer), Man-At-Arms (depicted as clean-shaven, like his original action figure), Teela (with either blonde or red hair, and often accompanied by a unicorn charger), and Stratos (who is erroneously shown on the side of evil in the first mini-comic).^[8] To battle He-Man and his heroic warriors, Skeletor, in turn enlists the help of the Beast Man (with all red fur, rather than the later orange colouring) and Mer-Man (looking decidedly different than his action figure in head sculpt and in some of his attire).^{[note 23][118][119][28]}

Television commercials for the Masters of the Universe collection also began airing in 1982, often featuring children playing with the action figures and Castle Grayskull playset in-front of an adult father. One early commercial featured a distinct animated segment by Filmation, prior to the release of the cartoon series in 1983, with many of the later series' voice cast present.^[120]

DC Comics – 1980s series (1982–1983)

To support the new toy line, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe would make an early appearance in the July, 1982 issue of DC Comics Presents #47, in the story "From Eternia With Death", followed by a special insert comic, titled "Fate is the Killer", in many of DC's titles with a cover date of November 1982.^{[note 24][121][122]} In these first two DC MOTU stories, Superman ends up on Eternia, teaming up with He-Man to combat Skeletor and his minions.^[118] He-Man's original DC comic run finished up with a three-issue miniseries, dated from December 1982 to February 1983 (the miniseries and the two preceding stories were all written by Paul Kupperberg).^{[note 25][123]}

These issues introduce the Eternian Royal Family, most notably Prince Adam, and his transformation into He-Man to the series. This version of Adam was depicted wearing a blue vest and portrayed as a carefree philanderer, rather than his later more wholesome and clumsy pink-vest-wearing character.^[118] Unique to these issues, Adam transforms inside the "Cavern of Power" (instead of raising his sword in-front of the more familiar Castle Grayskull), and the Sorceress (still depicted wearing the snake armor from the Teela action figure) is often referred to as "The Goddess" throughout the series. Man-E-Faces and the falcon Zoar are also introduced in the miniseries, though Zoar is not yet an alternate form of the Sorceress.^[124] Other entries into the Masters of the Universe mythos introduced in these early DC comics are Cringer as the alter ego of Battle Cat, Stratos as the leader of the Bird-people of Avion, Zodac as a neutral overseer, riding through the cosmos on his flying chair, and Adam's mother, Queen Marlena, as an astronaut hailing from Earth.^{[18][109][125]}

Second wave of action figures and mini-comics (1983)

By 1983 the popularity of the franchise was growing, with new characters introduced in the second wave of Mattel's Masters of the Universe toy line. Many of these new figures had more emphasis on unique and more elaborate action features than the first wave.^[79] These would include He-Man's allies, the "Heroic human battering ram" Ram Man, with spring-loaded legs, and Man-E-Faces with three "Human...robot...monster" faces, changed by rotating a dial on the figure's head.^[23][24]

Skeletor's Evil Warriors would also gain reinforcements with Tri-Klops, a swordsman with a three-eyed rotating visor, who was described on his packaging as "Evil & sees everything", and Trap Jaw, "Evil & armed for combat" with alternate weapons to place in his arm socket and a movable serrated jaw.^[30][29] Later in the second wave they would be joined by the "Evil warrior goddess" Evil-Lyn, and Faker, the "Evil robot of Skeletor", who was a blue-skinned clone of He-Man (re-using the same mold).^{[note 26][126][31]} The packaging of the action figures would now feature card-backs with captions and illustrated scenes by artist Errol McCarthy unique to each character, as well as details on each figure's action feature and up to twelve additional cross-sell action figures displayed. This format would become the standard until the end of the toy line.^[79]

In addition, three 'creatures' also joined the toy line in 1983, with the "Fighting falcon" Zoar and Skeletor's "Barbarian bird" Screeech, a purple recast of Zoar.^{[note 27][17][127]} Notably Skeletor would also gain his feline mount with Panthor the "Savage cat", an adaptation of Battle Cat's toy mold with flocked purple fur.^{[note 28][128][129][130]} Also released in this second wave were the Attak-Trak motorized "Battle machine" vehicle, and the Point Dread & Talon Fighter playset, which included both the Talon Fighter vehicle and the small Point Dread "frontier outpost" playset, part of which could be attached to Castle Grayskull.^{[note 29][131][132][133]}

Seven new mini-comics were produced by DC Comics for the second wave of MOTU figures, which were written by Gary Cohn, with artwork by Mark Texeira, and presented in true comic book style, rather than the story-book format of the previous mini-comics.^{[note 30][91]} This new batch would continue some of the same continuity that was set in the first four mini-comics, and provide introductions to the new action figure characters such as Ram-Man, Tri-Klops, Man-E-Faces, Trap Jaw and Zoar (though their looks were in line with earlier design concepts and differed from their final production figures and the later Filmation look of the characters).^[91] King Randor and Queen Marlena would appear in these pre-Filmation stories, but they still did not feature the prominent characters of Prince Adam, Cringer, Orko, and Evil-Lyn.^{[note 31][13][91]} However, the concept of Teela as the secret daughter of the Sorceress, and adopted daughter of Man-At-Arms was first introduced at this time in the mini-comic "The Tale of Teela".^{[note 32][40][134][20]}

It has also been discovered that a "Special Edition" He-Man action figure was offered through a "buy-3-get-one-free" mail offer in limited quantities in 1983.^{[note 33][135]} The figure was a repaint of the original He-Man figure with brown hair, darker tights, black boots and belt, with or without a seemingly random assortment of maroon-coloured weapons.^{[note 34][24][136]} Also known as "Savage He-Man" and erroneously as "Wonder Bread He-Man", the origins of the figure have long been subject to debate.^{[note 35][136]}

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – Filmation animated series (1983–1984)

Created by Filmation under the direction of executive producer Lou Scheimer (along with Hal Sutherland), the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe made its television debut on September 5, 1983, with the episode "The Diamond Ray of Disappearance". He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was one of the first animated series produced directly for weekday syndication, as opposed to reruns primarily based on Saturday mornings. The series was a resounding success, one of the most popular children's cartoons of the 1980s, drawing as much as 10 million viewers per episode in the United States, with an addition 7 million in the United Kingdom.^[137] He-Man and the Masters of the Universe would run two seasons, totalling 130 episodes, from September 1983 to December 1984, airing in 37 countries worldwide.^{[note 36][20][7][138]}

The series is set on Eternia, which is ruled by King Randor, (voiced by Lou Schiemer) from the Royal Palace in the capital city of Eternos, with his wife Queen Marlena (astronaut Marlena Glenn from Earth) and their son, Prince Adam (voiced, along with He-Man, by John Erwin). Prince Adam (now depicted in his familiar pink vest), attempts to disguise his secret identity as He-Man, by pretending to be somewhat lazy and irresponsible.^[12] As he narrates the introductory title sequence, Adam is shown transforming into He-Man by holding aloft his magic sword and saying the words, "By the power of Grayskull... I have the power!!!" for the first time; as well as transforming his cowardly pet tiger Cringer into the mighty Battle Cat (as voiced by Allen Oppenheimer).^[139][18]

In the same introductory sequence, it is revealed that He-Man's secret is known only by three others: the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull (voiced by Linda Gary), now adorned in the more familiar birdlike costume, and taking the form of Zoar the falcon when outside the castle^[16]; Man-At-Arms (voiced by Allen Oppenheimer and now sporting a moustache), is portrayed as a scientific inventor, veteran warrior and mentor to Adam^[19]; and Orko (voiced by Lou Scheimer), making his debut as a mainstay in the franchise, is presented as a floating childlike Trollan magician, who is often used for comic relief and as a point-of-view character for children.^[21]

Rounding out the main cast of heroes is Teela, the Captain of the Royal Guard, the adopted daughter of Man-At-Arms, and unbeknownst to her, the secret child of the Sorceress. Teela (voiced by Linda Gary) is not privy to He-Man's true identity and serves as a competitive and semi-antagonistic potential love interest of Adam/He-Man.^{[note 37][20]} Other heroic allies featured with some frequency are Stratos (the flying leader of the Bird-people of Avion) and Ram-Man (portrayed by John Erwin as a dim-witted, but likable stout bouncing warrior).

He-Man's arch-nemesis, the evil wizard Skeletor (in his most iconic portrayal as a shrill, cackling and more comedic villain by voice actor Alan Oppenheimer), continues in his quest to conquer Castle Grayskull, learn of its secrets, and his desire to take over and rule all of Eternia. Skeletor often hosts his rogues gallery inside his headquarters, Snake Mountain, gathered around his throne of bones and peering through a magic crystal orb to spy on He-Man and his allies. Skeletor's malevolent plots to conquer Eternia or enter Grayskull often include summoning the help of monstrous beasts and obtaining powerful magic artifacts.^[7] Skeletor's main henchmen often consist of the dangerous magic-user Evil-Lyn (voiced by Linda Gary), making her entrance into the MOTU mythos as Skeletor's most capable counterpart; the bumbling Beast Man (voiced by John Erwin), who possesses the ability to control various creatures through telepathy; and the equally inept Trap Jaw (voiced by Lou Scheimer), who retains his arsenal of weapons that fit into his arm-socket.^[31][27][29] Skeletor's other original minions in the cartoon also include Mer-Man (with a distinctive gurgling voice portrayal by Alan Oppenheimer), Tri-Klops (with a robotic voice provided by Lou Scheimer), and Skeletor's purple pet feline Panthor.^{[note 38][28][30][128][126][140][125]}

Joining Skeletor's Evil Warriors and making several appearances later in the series are the cunning and crab-like Clawful, the reptilian Whiplash, the spider-like Webstor, and the Snakeman Kobra Khan.^{[note 39][51][52][141][142]} Closer to the end of the second season, Skeletor would add additional villains to his ranks, such as Two-Bad, with his two often arguing heads, the dimwitted Spikor, and the scientist Modulok.^{[note 40][143][144][145][7]} Other villains not allied with Skeletor would appear throughout the series as well, such as the powerful wizard Count Marzo, the plant-demon Evilseed, the clever Batros, the turban-wearing Kothos, the haunting Shokoti, and the rabbit-like space pirate Plundor.^{[note 41][125]}

Many of He-Man's recurring allies would be featured as well, such as Zodac, Man-E-Faces, Delora, Lizard-Man, the Trollans Dree-Elle and Uncle Montork, Squinch and the Widgets, and the wise and ancient dragon Granamyr.^{[note 42][7]} Season two would see more of Mattel's action figures making their animated debuts on the side of He-Man, such as Buzz-Off, Roboto, Fisto, Mekaneck, Moss Man, and Sy-Klone.^{[note 43][125][50][146][147][49][148][149]} Throughout the series a multitude of minor characters, beasts and magical items would also appear, often only for a single episode.^{[note 44][7]} Several prominent locations around Eternia like the Mystic Mountains and the Sands of Time would appear frequently, as would vehicles such as the Wind Raider, Sky Sled, Attak-Trak and Skeletor's Collector.^{[note 45][125]}

With the FCC's loosening of regulations in 1981, the Filmation series pushed the boundaries for the narrative scope of children's TV programming in the time period.^[94] Groups like Action for Children's Television lobbied against cartoons featuring muscular superheroes who engaged in on-screen combat. Though in most instances with He-Man, simply outwitting one's opponent, or wrestling-style moves and throws were utilized instead of direct violence.^[150] There was also longstanding criticism of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and similar cartoons advertising and directly marketing a line of toys to children. In opposition to the negative controversy, Filmation executives made sure that a "life lesson" or "moral of the story" was played at the end of each episode, which was tied to the central theme of the story in question.^{[note 46][151][152][153]} Tasked by Lou Scheimer with making the series much more than just advertising for the toy line, prominent writers on the show included Larry DiTillio, David Wise, Robby London, Michael Reaves, J. Brynne Stephens, and many others, including an episode by D.C. Fontana, and early script work from J. Michael Straczynski and Paul Dini.^{[note 47][154]} Unlike many studios at the time, Filmation did not outsource its' animation department, hiring local artists for the duration of the series.^{[note 48][7]}

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, though still very popular, would air the series' final episode, "The Cold Zone", on December 8th, 1984, and was not renewed for a third season in 1985. Instead Filmation's focus was placed on the spinoff series She-Ra: Princess of Power, which was set in the same universe and followed the same continuity.^[155] She-Ra began with the animated movie He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword, released theatrically in the spring of 1985 and featuring many of the main characters from both Filmation series. Multiple He-Man and the Masters of the Universe characters continued to appear in guest roles throughout the She-Ra: Princess of Power series, as well as the He-Man & She-Ra Christmas Special. The very last appearance of Filmation's He-Man and Skeletor is in one of the final She-Ra episodes, titled "Assault on the Hive", airing December 13, 1986.^[7][156] With no true conclusion to the Filmation He-Man series produced, the 110th episode "The Problem With Power", though it aired a month prior to the final episode in 1984, is often cited as the best episode of series and a more fitting finale, with He-Man carrying Teela off into the sunset.^[7]

Filmation-era MOTU action figures and mini comics (1984–1985)

Sales of the toy line continued to increase with the exposure of the animated series, and new waves of figures and vehicles, as seen in the Filmation cartoon, were produced during this peak of Masters of the Universe's popularity.^[6] The third wave of the original Masters of the Universe toy line in 1984 would introduce the first new versions of the two main characters, as "Battle Armor" He-Man and "Battle Armor" Skeletor, who could be "damaged" when the mechanism on the figure's chest was tapped.^{[note 49][157][158]}

Making their toy-line debuts in 1984 were He-Man's allies the "heroic spy in the sky" Buzz-Off, a bee-like insectoid warrior with wings, the "heroic hand-to-hand fighter" Fisto, with an oversized spring-loaded fist, and the "heroic human periscope" Mekaneck, with an extendable bionic neck.^{[note 50][50][147][49][159]} The first action figures for the "heroic secret identity of He-Man" Prince Adam, and the "heroic court magician" Orko (utilizing a pull-cord feature that would make the figure spin around), were also produced in this third wave.^[12][21]

Skeletor's evil warriors received new recruits as well in 1984, in the crab-like form of Clawful, the "warrior with the grip of evil" with his oversized pincer for a hand, the "evil master of martial arts" Jitsu, with a gold chopping hand action feature, the "evil master of snakes" Kobra Khan, who could be filled with water to spray "poison" mist on his enemies, the "evil master of escape" Webstor, with a working grappling hook and pulley system, and lastly, the "evil tail-thrashing warrior" Whiplash, a reptilian with a rubber tail.^{[note 51][51][140][142][141][52][160]}

Vehicles produced in the third wave include the Dragon Walker, Road Ripper, Roton and the hybrid vehicle/creature Stridor.^{[note 52][161][162]} A "Weapons Pak" was also released, containing extra "arms & armor" in alternate colour schemes, as were two collectors cases to store and carry the action figures.^{[note 53][163][164]} The major playset for 1984 was Skeletor's evil stronghold, Snake Mountain (looking quite unlike the Filmation version, with a giant ghoulish face molded into the plastic and a voice-distorting wolf-headed microphone).^[165][166]

During this Filmation-era, the characters in series three of Mattel's MOTU mini-comics would begin to resemble their cartoon counterparts (like the Sorceress) more closely, and contained many stories loosely adapted from episodes of the animated series' first-season such as "The Dragon's Gift", "Masks of Power" and others.^{[note 54][167][168][91]} The mini-comics were mostly written by series bible author Michael Halperin and edited under the supervision of Lee Nordling. Alfred Alcala would return to provide art for several of the comics, and artist Larry Houston would also begin his run on the series. While most of the new figures from the toy line would appear in the 1984 mini-comics, they were not given introductions or as much focus as in the previous wave. Original mini-comic characters (without action figures) were often featured instead, such as Prince Dakon and the evil Geldor in "The Secret Liquid of Life", as well as Princess Rana and the Kobold-master Lodar in "Slave City".^{[note 55][169][170]}

By the end of 1984 Masters of the Universe was said to have conquered the toy market, and 1985 would prove to be one of the peak years of the franchise, with the toy line bringing in hundreds million dollars worldwide.^[171] The fourth wave would debut 13 new action figures, and again include new versions of He-Man and Skeletor with deluxe action features: "Thunder Punch" He-Man (whose backpack could be loaded with plastic cap discs to create a loud "bang" when turning He-Man's waist) and "Dragon Blaster" Skeletor (which included a "dreadful" water-squirting dragon chained to the armor of the "evil leader").^{[note 56][172][173]}

Heroic warriors included in this wave were the "heroic spy and master of camouflage", Moss Man, a green-flocked and pine-scented reuse of the Beast Man mold, Roboto, the "heroic mechanical warrior", with visible moving gears and multiple weapons that could be inserted into his arm socket, and Sy-Klone, the "heroic fist-flinging tornado", whose torso would spin around 360 degrees when turning the dial on his waist.^{[148][146][149]} Evil warriors in 1985 consisted of Spikor, the "untouchable master of evil combat", who was covered in purple rubber spikes with a trident for an arm, the "double-headed evil strategist" Two-Bad, whose spring-action arms allowed the figure to punch himself in either of his two heads, and Stinkor, the "evil master of odors"; a foul-smelling redeco of the Mer-Man mold.^{[note 57][144][143][174]}

Vehicles and creatures produced in this fourth wave were the "heroic combat vehicle" Bashasaurus, with a large club-like battering arm, Land Shark, an "evil monster/vehicle" with a chomping shark mouth, Night Stalker the "evil armored battle steed", Skeletor's giant mechanical spider, the "evil stalker" Spydor, and Battle Bones, a "collector's carry case" and dinosaur skeleton-creature hybrid.^{[note 58][175][176][177][178][179][180]}

The largest addition to the 1985 Masters of the Universe toy line came in the form of the Evil Horde, a new faction in opposition to both He-Man and Skeletor, who were set to debut in the animated He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword motion picture. Though they would be positioned as the primary adversaries of She-Ra, all but one of initial Evil Horde figures were produced for the Masters of Universe line, instead of the new Princess of Power toy line.^{[note 59][125]} The new main villain and "ruthless leader of the Evil Horde" Hordak would make his action figure debut in this wave, followed by his underlings, Mantenna the "evil spy with the pop-out eyes", the "evil master of power suction" Leech, with suction-cup hands and mouth, and Grizzlor, the "hairy henchman of the Evil Horde", with actual faux fur.^{[33][181][182][183]} Also released as part of the Evil Horde was Modulok, the "evil beast with a thousand bodies", a unique two-headed figure with 22 segmented body parts that could be taken apart and reassembled into more than 1,000 different combinations.^{[note 60][145]} Hordak's lair, the Fright Zone, was released as a playset as part of this wave in 1985, though this "trap-filled stronghold of terror" would bare no resemblance to the mechanical/industrial-looking Fright Zone as seen in the animated She-Ra series.^{[note 61][184][185][186]}

Series four of the mini-comics in 1985 were no longer based on the animated episodes and began to depart from some aspects of Filmation's continuity.^{[note 62]} Unlike the previous wave, many new figures and vehicles would prominently feature in their accompanying mini-comics, with each member of the Evil Horde appearing in their own titular comic.^{[note 63]} These stories would shift focus to the Horde's attempts to attack He-Man and invade Eternia, rather than anything related to the soon to debut She-Ra: Princess of Power animated series.^{[note 64][33][91][187]}

The introduction of She-Ra and The Secret of the Sword animated feature (1985)

In 1984, Mattel and Filmation decided to diversify the Masters of the Universe line beyond its traditional realm of "male action", in the hopes of bringing in a young female audience as well.^[138] Thus, She-Ra, a feminine warrior-woman heroine, in the same vein as He-Man, was proposed with an all new line of dolls/action figures for girls.^[6] In conjunction with the toy line, Filmation would begin work on a new animated series titled She-Ra: Princess of Power, as a spinoff of the prior He-man and the Masters of the Universe series. She-Ra would be revealed as Princess Adora, the long-lost twin sister of Prince Adam/He-Man, living on Eternia's sister planet of Etheria, ruled by Hordak, the main antagonist of the new series and the tyrannical leader of the Evil Horde.^[33] She-Ra would first be introduced in the animated feature He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword, released in theaters on March 22, 1985.^[188] The film would feature most major characters from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and introduce many of the new characters and concepts behind the new series (with the backstory developed by Filmation writers Larry DiTillio and J. Michael Straczynski).^[189]

She-Ra: Princess of Power – Filmation animated series (1985–1987)

Filmation's She-Ra: Princess of Power first aired "The Sword of She-Ra Part 1: Into Etheria" on September 9, 1985. The Secret of the Sword animated movie from earlier that spring was essentially a compilation of what would become the first five episodes of the She-Ra cartoon series. The series would run for two seasons, 93 episodes, from 1985 to 1987. She-Ra: Princess of Power was produced in lieu of continuing He-Man and the Masters of the Universe for a third year; however, He-Man often appeared in episodes of She-Ra to aid his sister, and several other characters from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, both heroic and evil, also appeared in multiple crossovers.^[76][34]

She-Ra was born as Princess Adora on Eternia, Prince Adam/He-Man's twin sister and daughter of King Randor and Queen Marlena. As an infant, Adora is kidnapped by Hordak (vampire/demon-faced sorcerer with a cowl of bones, who can transform his body into various mechanical devices) and Skeletor (Hordak's apprentice at the time) and taken to the world of Etheria (a planet ruled by the Horde, and the main setting of the She-Ra series).^[33][190] Adora is raised and brainwashed by Hordak and his confidant Shadow Weaver (a red-robed witch with a hidden face, powerful in dark magic), to eventually become Force Captain of the Horde.^[32][38] After encountering her brother He-Man (who is on a mission from the Sorceress to find her on Etheria), she eventually acquires the Sword of Protection and seeks to learn the true evil of the Horde. After first transforming into She-Ra and seeing the error of her ways, she becomes a member of the Great Rebellion; a secret small band of rebels, living in the Whispering Woods and fighting to free Etheria from the tyrannical rule of Hordak.^[7][32] Just as Prince Adam transforms into He-Man with the use of his Sword of Power, Adora transforms into She-Ra via her Sword of Protection, a replica of He-Man's sword featuring a smooth blue gem in its hilt. Unlike He-Man's sword, She-Ra's possesses the ability to transform into different weapons and accessories, such as a lasso, a shield, or a flaming blade.^[76] Like her brother Adam, however, Adora's transformation into She-Ra is similarly triggered by holding her sword over her head, but with her own unique invocation: "For the honor of Grayskull...I am She-Ra!" Also similar to He-Man and Cringer/Battle Cat, She-Ra transforms her horse Spirit into the flying unicorn Swift Wind.^[35] Though strong like He-Man, She-Ra is shown to have additional powers as well, such as the ability to heal with her touch and communicate with animals via telepathy.^[191]

The premise of the She-Ra TV series was the reverse of the He-Man cartoon, where the heroes are actually rebels countering an evil establishment (rather than Skeletor trying to conquer Eternia).^[192] The Great Rebellion is originally led by Queen Angela (winged queen of Bright Moon, freed by She-Ra from the clutches of Hunga the Harpy)^[193] and her daughter Glimmer (pink-haired magic user with the ability to manipulate light),^[36] with the main cast of the Princess of Power cartoon also including the skilled archer Bow (the main male heroic character of the series),^[37] Bow's timid companion Kowl (a flying owl-/koala-like creature with large rainbow-colored ears),^[194] and the absent-minded magician Madame Razz and her wise-cracking sidekick, Broom.^[195][196] Also appearing in many episodes are the small imp-like forest-dwelling Twiggits (mainly Sprockett, Spritina, and Spragg)^[197] and the mystical Light Hope, who serves as a "Sorceress of Grayskull–type" guide to She-Ra, residing high atop Mount Skydancer in the Crystal Castle.^[198] Throughout the series, recurring characters and members/allies of the Rebellion included Adora's swashbuckling love interest Sea-Hawk, the flirtatious ice queen Frosta, powerful sorcerer queen Castaspella, the mermaid princess Mermista, flower-loving Perfuma, net-tossing Netossa, far-seeing Peekablue, butterfly-like Flutterina, and the intergalactic scout Sweet Bee. With the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon no longer in production, MOTU toy-line characters also appeared in the She-Ra series, such as the elephant warrior Snout Spout (referred to as "Hose Nose"), and the Comet Warriors Rokkon and Stonedar.^[125] A special character, Loo-Kee, was also introduced, hiding somewhere in the background of nearly every episode of the series; emerging at the end of the episode, revealing to viewers where he had been hiding and relating the moral of the story.^[199]

The ruling antagonist faction of the series, the Evil Horde (whose members are often depicted with a bat-like insignia), is led on Etheria by Hordak (as voiced by George DiCenzo, portrayed with a snorting laugh and temperament slightly more fearsome than Skeletor's),^[33] who rules Etheria from the industrial-/technological-looking monstrosity known as the Fright Zone.^[184] The Horde enslaves the people of Etheria through Hordak's legions of armored robot-like Horde Troopers, mechanized vehicles, and his special task force of henchman known as the Force Squad.^[200] The Force Squad, lead originally by Adora and now by Catra (raven-haired villainess with a magic mask, giving her the ability to turn into a vicious panther),^[39] consists of the bug-eyed Mantenna (whom Hordak loves to torment, often dropping him through trapdoors),^[181] the fearsome Beast Island operator Grizzlor,^[183] the hulking life-force-draining amphibian-like Leech,^[182] the whiny shape-shifting Imp,^[201] and the pincer-clawed scorpion woman, Scorpia.^[202] The Horde was later joined by others, including Skeletor's former scientist henchman Modulok,^[145] his robotic creation Multi-Bot,^[203] the future Snake Men Tung-Lashor and Rattlor,^[204][205] Entrapta the evil inventor with deadly braids, the octopus woman Octavia, the Horde zookeeper Vultak, and the robot Horde Trooper commander Dylamug.^[125] The overarching interplanetary supreme leader of the Horde, Horde Prime, who held leadership over both Hordak and Skeletor, was also introduced during the She-Ra Filmation series.^[206] Some of the other popular one-off heroes and villains were Spinnerella, Huntara, General Sunder, False-Face, Colonel Blast, the Red Knight, Granita the comet warrior, Sorrowful the Dragon, the Meteorbs, and the Star Sisters.^[125]

She-Ra and Adora were voiced in the series by Melendy Britt (who also voiced Catra, Castaspella, Mermista, and Octavia); George DiCenzo was the voice of Hordak, Bow, Sea-Hawk, Tung-Lashor, and a few others; and Diane Pershing provided the voice for Netossa and Spinnerella. Alan Oppenheimer and John Erwin would reprise their roles from the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, as would Linda Gary with Teela and the Sorceress, while providing additional voice work for Glimmer, Madame Razz, Sweet Bee, Shadow Weaver, Scorpia, and Entrapta. Credited as "Erik Gunden", Lou Scheimer returned as well to provide voices for a plethora of characters, including Swift Wind, Kowl, Light Hope, Broom, Mantenna, Leech, Grizzlor, Modulok, Horde Prime, Multi-Bot, Rattlor, Orko, the Horde Troopers, and many of the Twiggits; while his daughter, Erika Scheimer, took a more prominent role in this series, providing the voices for Loo-Kee, Queen Angella, Frosta, Imp, and several of She-Ra's female associates.^[7] She-Ra: Princess of Power would air its final episode, "Swifty's Baby", on December 12, 1987, with no real finale for either the She-Ra or He-Man Filmation series.^[156]

Princess of Power toy line (1985–1987)

Released in 1985, Mattel's toy line Princess of Power (sometimes abbreviated as POP) featured almost exclusively female characters, all of whom featured an emphasis on hair and clothing, with "real" hair and partially soft-goods costumes. Described as "fashion action dolls", essentially the line attempted to fuse the appeal of Masters of the Universe with Mattel's successful line of fashion dolls, Barbie, and added many "Fantastic Fashions" clothing accessories packs to complement the female action figures.^[207]

The 1985 line of Princess of Power figures included She-Ra (without a separate action figure for Princess Adora), Bow (the only male figure in the POP line, without his moustache, as seen in the cartoon series), Glimmer ("the guide who lights the way"), Kowl ("the know-it owl"), Angella ("angelic winged guide"), Frosta ("ice empress of Etheria"), Castaspella ("enchantress who hypnotizes"), Catra ("jealous beauty" and the main female antagonist), and Double Trouble ("glamorous double agent"; created only for the toy line and mini comics, never appearing in the Filmation cartoon series). She-Ra's main playset was Crystal Castle, a "shimmering castle of fantasy and fun for She-Ra and her friends!" Enchanta, a large swan creature/vehicle, was also produced in the first wave of toys, as were several horses to accompany the figures: Swift Wind for She-Ra, Arrow for Bow, and Storm for Catra.^[208]

The Princess of Power toy line ran from 1985 to 1987, for which Mattel would release a total of 22 action figure/dolls (with 12 creatures, two playsets, and 16 clothing accessories). Apart from the main Princess of Power line, the preeminent villains of the She-Ra series, Hordak and the Evil Horde (originally created by Filmation in collaboration with Mattel), were released by Mattel under the Masters of the Universe branding. The character Catra was the only villain to be released in the first wave of the Princess of Power figures, with Mattel downplaying her connection to the Evil Horde in the toy line. In 1986, a new "Scratchin' Sound" version of Catra was joined by her feline pet Clawdeen and fellow Horde-Villainess Entrapta. She-Ra (with a new "Starburst" version) was accompanied in the second wave by her allies Flutterina, Mermista, Peekablue, Perfuma, and Sweet Bee. "Crystal" translucent plastic versions of Swift Wind and the horses Sun Dancer and Moonbeam were also released in wave two, along with the Butterflyer and Sea Harp creature/vehicles and the Crystal Falls playset.^[208]

The third and final wave saw diminished sales and production in 1987, with the releases of Netossa, Spinnerella, and Loo-Kee; along with "Bubble Power" She-Ra, "Royal" Swift Wind, "Silver" Storm, and "Shower Power" Catra.^[208] Several recurring characters from the She-Ra cartoon did not receive action figures in either the original POP or MOTU toy lines—such as Madame Razz (or her Broom), Light Hope, the Twiggits, Sea-Hawk, Shadow Weaver, Scorpia, Imp, Octavia, or Hunga the Harpy, though nearly all of these omitted (from the original toy-lines)characters would receive action figures in the 2008–2016 produced Masters of The Universe Classics revival line for collectors. She-Ra would also feature in 13 of her own mini comics (packaged with the figures), along with several children's books, comic magazines, and read-along record/cassette-tape books.

Masters of the Universe live-action film (1987)

In 1987, a live-action He-Man film was made by Cannon Films titled Masters of the Universe, released in the United States on August 7, 1987. The film was directed by Gary Goddard and starred Dolph Lundgren in the title role of He-Man, Frank Langella as Skeletor, with Courteney Cox, Robert Duncan McNeill, and James Tolkan in supporting roles (as Julie Winston, Kevin Corrigan, and Detective Lubic, respectively). The other characters from the original cartoon to appear in the film are Evil-Lyn (Meg Foster), Man-At-Arms (Jon Cypher), Teela (Chelsea Field), Beast Man (Tony Carroll), and the Sorceress (Christina Pickles). A new character, Gwildor (Billy Barty), is included in place of Orko, as the special effects of the time were deemed insufficient and too costly. Skeletor's henchmen Blade (Anthony De Longis), Saurod (Pons Maar), and Karg (Robert Towers) were also introduced, in place of other more familiar villains from the established continuity, such as Tri-Klops, Mer-Man, and Trap Jaw.^[89]

In the film, Skeletor has finally conquered Eternia after stealing the Cosmic Key from the locksmith Gwildor, allowing him to gain entry into Castle Grayskull and imprison the Sorceress. The heroes He-Man, Man-At-Arms, and Teela are joined by Gwildor and escape to the planet Earth using Gwildor's prototype Cosmic Key. Stranded on Earth, they are faced with the task of retrieving their Cosmic Key (which has fallen into the hands of the unwitting humans Julie Winston and Kevin Corrigan) and returning to Eternia, before Skeletor can gain the full power of Castle Grayskull. Skeletor sends his minions to Earth with the mission of recovering the Cosmic Key prototype, as the war between good and evil is transferred to Earth, before returning to Eternia for a final battle between He-Man and a golden-clad godlike Skeletor in the film's climax.

Numerous parts of the previously accepted history of the series are omitted in the film, including all references to Prince Adam, Battle Cat, Orko, King Randor, and Queen Marlena. Many reviews of the motion picture criticized its departures from the cartoon, although the movie was produced as an adaptation of the toys only, with Filmation having no involvement in the film.^[89] It is also implied that Castle Grayskull itself is the ruling point of Eternia rather than any royal city. The story concentrates more on the science-fiction elements of the franchise rather than the fantasy and the majority of the story takes place on Earth rather than on the world of Eternia. Also departing from all other depictions, He-Man uses a gun in some scenes, instead of his Power Sword, and he is rarely shown displaying his superhuman strength in the film. Although He-Man twice utters his catchphrase "I have the power!" while holding the sword aloft in the iconic manner, he does omit the prefacing clause "By the power of Grayskull".^[89]

The film was a critical and commercial failure, and received generally negative reviews from critics.^[209][210]

Although Mattel had hoped that the movie would boost sales of the toy line, it instead had little effect on the line's falling sales, and the MOTU toy line was finally discontinued in early 1988 under mounting financial difficulties. A sequel to the film was written, but by 1989 Cannon Films was in such severe financial troubles that it could no longer afford to pay the license fees to Mattel. Due to film's poor reception, thus the script was transformed into the action film Cyborg, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.^[211][212]

Final years of the original Masters of the Universe toy line (1986–1988)

The final series of action figures and mini comics, in 1986 and 1987, would continue on the adventures past the animated series and its sequel in the She-Ra line, introducing new characters not seen in the cartoon series such as the heroic warriors: Rio Blast ("transforming gunslinger"), Clamp Champ ("master of capture"), and Extendar ("master of extension"); the evil warriors: Blast-Attak ("blast-apart robotic warrior"), Ninjor ("evil ninja warrior"), and Scare-Glow ("evil ghost of Skeletor"); the Snake Men: King Hiss ("dreadful disguised leader of the Snake Men"), Sssqueeze ("evil long-armed viper"), and Snake-Face ("most gruesome of the Snake Men"); the Hordesmen: Dragstor ("transforming warrior/vehicle") and Mosquitor ("energy-draining insectoid"); and the spinning-top-like Energy Zoids: Rotar and Twistoid.^[166]

Aside from these new characters, longtime MOTU staple characters King Randor ("heroic ruler of Eternia") and the Sorceress ("heroic guardian of Castle Grayskull") were finally represented in action-figure form.^[13][16] Other later MOTU characters that had only appeared in the She-Ra: Princess of Power animated series also saw release in the form of the elephant-headed Snout Spout ("heroic water-blasting firefighter");^[213] the rock warriors: Rokkon ("young heroic comet warrior") and Stonedar ("heroic rock people leader");^[214] the Snake Men: Tung Lashor ("evil tongue-shooting Snake Men creature") and Rattlor ("evil Snake Men creature with the quick-strike head");^[204][205] and the Horde members: Multi-Bot ("evil robot of a thousand bodies", similar to the prior interchangeable body-segment Modulok figure) and the Horde Trooper ("evil collapsing robot" and the only generic troop/soldier figures of the toy line). New versions of the lead characters were also produced, with "Flying Fists" He-Man, "Terror Claws" Skeletor, and Hordak in two new forms ("Hurricane" Hordak and "Buzz-Saw" Hordak).^[166]

The Evil Horde obtained their first vehicle/creatures in the toy line with Mantisaur ("the evil insectoid steed") and Monstroid ("the ultimate battling monster", that had an entirely different depiction in the animated series); while the Horde's Slime Pit playset (a dinosaur-skull-headed torture device) proved to be quite popular in 1986, coming complete with canisters of green ooze to pour over the action figures, while held in place with a giant claw.^[215] Also that same year, "the land and sky disc launcher", Blaster Hawk, and "the road rocket", Laser Bolt, were produced for He-Man's heroic warriors; while Skeletor gained the "dragonfly attack vehicle", known as the Fright Fighter. At a less expensive price point, several accessory packs of smaller vehicle/weapons included the Megalaser, Jet Sled, and Stilt Stalkers in 1986; and the Scubattack, Tower Tools, Cliff Climber, Beam Blaster, and Artilleray set and several small transforming egg-shaped creatures, known as Meteorbs, late into the line in 1987.^[166]

Also late into the line in 1987 were three original characters from the live-action movie: Blade ("evil masters of swords"), Saurod ("evil spark-shooting reptile"), and Gwildor ("heroic creator of the Cosmic Key"), with their entry into the MOTU mythos explained in one of the last original mini comics, The Cosmic Key.^{[216][217][218]} No other movie-related figures were produced; however, in 1988, the final action figures of the original toy line, the "Laser Power" versions of He-Man and Skeletor, did bear some resemblance to their live-action movie counterparts and were released only to European markets.^[219]

One of the main storylines of the later mini comics, released with these later waves of action figures, was the introduction of a new major villain faction known as the Snake Men, first appearing in the mini comic King of the Snake Men. Kobra Khan, Tung-Lashor, and Rattlor (who previously appeared in the He-Man and She-Ra cartoon series with Skeletor, and/or as members of the Horde),^{[142][204][205]} were now under the leadership of the ancient Eternian King Hiss, whose Snake Men army rose from Eternia's past, joining forces with Skeletor to once again rule Eternia (additional Snake Men were later added to the roster in the form of the long-armed Sssqueeze and the medusa-like Snake Face in the mini comic Revenge of the Snake Men).^[44][220] Another major mini comic storyline of this period included the introduction of the three-towered fortress of Eternia in The Ultimate Battleground, which was a massive final playset for MOTU, one of the biggest of all 1980s toy lines, complete with a motorized monorail circling the towers.

The Powers of Grayskull (1987-1988)

The proposed exploration of the distant past of Eternia, dubbed "Preternia",^[221] forms the basis of what was originally to be the next incarnation of the toy line, titled "The Powers of Grayskull". However the toy line was canceled very early on, with only a few toys released (like the dinosaur-themed creatures Turbodactyl, Bionatops, Tyrantisaurus Rex, and the rare Italian-only-released giant figures Tytus and Megator). The main story information originates from the final mini comic The Powers of Grayskull—The Legend Begins!, which was intended as the first of a three-part series; however, only this issue appeared.^[222]

The proposed storyline was to focus on Ancient Eternia, which was populated by many creatures, including the aforementioned cybernetic dinosaurs and giants. When the Sorceress and He-Man arrive, followed by Skeletor, they find King Hiss leading an attack on a village in the hope of drawing out "The Elders", using some of the cybernetic dinosaurs to their advantage. Hiss serves an "unnamed one" and agrees to unite with Skeletor on the basis that he might be an emissary. Seeing Skeletor's interference, the Sorceress allows He-Man to enter the battle but, "for reasons that will be made clear to you in the future," he had to be disguised. He finds himself overwhelmed, but then a shadowy figure appears who turns the odds with a powerful wand. The stranger then sends the Snake Men back to their base and all the time travelers home. The Sorceress describes the intervener as "the Greatest Sorcerer of all" and He-Man is left asking, "But who is he?" No further story information is given and it remains unclear how the giants mentioned and released as toys would fit into the story. However, some marketing press releases and prototypes have shed further information on this.

The wizard was to be He-Ro, an ancestor of He-Man. Raised by his mentor Eldor and discovering special powers in a cave, He-Ro would have led the fight against the Snake Men. According to the mini comics' writers, it was intended that the central antagonist would be Keldor, a character revealed similarly late in the line to have been He-Man's uncle and also strongly hinted to have been the former identity of Skeletor. Whether or not Keldor was also supposed to be the "Unnamed One" Hiss served is not clear, although in an interview writer Steven Grant vaguely recalls that the intention was that the Unnamed One would be a greater evil who, as the Emperor was to Darth Vader, was intended to be the one who caused Keldor to become Skeletor.^[223]

Marvel comics, daily newspaper strips, and fan-club magazines (1985–1988)

In the years after the animated series ended, generally going along with the established Filmation continuity, Marvel Comics would release a younger-skewing Star Comics Masters of the Universe series that ran from 1986 to 1988 bimonthly and produced 13 issues; featuring many of the later characters introduced in the toy line, as well as new ones such as Lieutenant Andra.^[224]

Apart from the standard comic-book format, there was a He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Magazine, a U.S.-based fan-club magazine featuring puzzles, fan letters, feature stories, and comic strips (running 16 issues, 1985–88; She-Ra also with a similar magazine, running six issues).^[225] This magazine series featured well-rendered covers and posters by artist Earl Norem and a character design contest, with the winner, Nathan Bitner, revealed in the spring 1986 issue. Bitner's creation, Fearless Photog, was never realized in the 1980s and an action figure was not produced until the Masters of the Universe Classics collector's toy line in 2012.^[226][227]

Daily Masters of the Universe comic strips were also in newspaper syndication from 1985 until 1989. The strips were primarily written by Chris Weber and edited by Karen Willson, with distribution in the U.S. and worldwide in countries such as Brazil, India, Greece, and the former Yugoslavia. The newspaper strips were generally lesser known to the wider fan base until 1,639 of the 1,674 daily strips were finally collected in hardcover format with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Newspaper Comic Strips, released by Dark Horse Books in 2017.^[228]

International publications (1983–1990)

Various comics and magazines containing Masters of the Universe–related content were also released outside the United States, in the United Kingdom, Germany, France (as Musclor et les Maîtres de l'univers), Finland, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Italy, and several other countries in the late 1980s.^[229] One of the most notable was produced by Egmont's London Editions in the United Kingdom, which published 72 issues biweekly of their By The Power Of Grayskull...Masters Of The Universe comic magazine headed by Brian Clarke from 1986 to 1988.^[230]

Original comic-book content was created in Germany as well, first by Interpart/Condor for 18 issues from 1984 to 1987, then in Egmont's Ehapa Masters of the Universe comics for 21 issues from 1987 to 1989, with promotional content also appearing in several German Micky Maus comics from the time period.^[231][232] Both the German and British comics were often translated to provide content for other countries (although Italy's Più and Magic Boy magazines provided some original material, as did various South American publishers, notably Estrela and Editora Abril in Brazil).^{[233][234][235][236]} In addition, a few promotional comics and mini comics were also produced by Mattel for various European department stores, often featuring reworked versions of existing comic stories, with few exceptions.^[237][238]

Children's books (1983–1990)

Masters of the Universe and the Princess of Power featured in many children's books from the 1980s, with one of the main producers of these titles, Golden Books, publishing several series of hard and softcover children's books from 1983 to 1986. The first few releases of the Golden books material is more in line with the early Mattel mini comics, with the later books following the Filmation cartoon series. New elements were also introduced by Golden Books, notably the character of Goat-Man in the book Secret of the Dragon's Egg in 1985.^[239] World I.P. also produced annual Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power storybooks in the UK from 1984 until the New Adventures line in 1990. Most World I.P. storybooks would loosely follow the established Filmation continuity, although the 1984 annual edition was written in a pre-Filmation style, naming prominent characters Orko and King Randor as "Gorpo" and "King Miro", respectively.^[240] Euredif France produced several Maîtres de l'Univers volumes as well, almost all of them directly based on various episodes of Filmation's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series.^[241] Also notable in the 1980s were the various combination book, record, and cassette tape read-along adventure stories. These included many small hardcover book and cassette tapes produced by Ladybird Books out of the UK, several record and tape read-along book sets from Kid Stuff Records in the U.S., and two book and audio adventures by Mattel, packed in with a rare action-figure two-pack and with the Point Dread and Talon Fighter playset.^{[242][243][244]}

Games, audio plays, Power Tour, and other media (1983–1987)

Several video game adaptations of the franchise were released from 1983 through to 1987. Masters of the Universe: The Power of He-Man was released by Intellivision for Atari 2600 and Intellivision in 1983. Two games, Masters of the Universe: The Arcade Game and Masters of the Universe: The Super Adventure, were developed by Adventure Soft and released by U.S. Gold for Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum in 1987, although the Commodore 64 version of Masters of the Universe: The Arcade Game was retitled Masters of the Universe: The Ilearth Stone. A video game based on the 1987 live-action movie, Masters of the Universe: The Movie, was released by Gremlin Graphics for Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, MSX, and ZX Spectrum also in 1987.^[245] Additionally, various Masters of the Universe board games were released throughout the 1980s, and role-playing game publisher FASA produced The Masters of the Universe Role Playing Game in 1985 with sets of die-cast miniatures created by Grenadier Models.^[246]

Throughout the 1980s, a wide array of He-Man merchandise was released, including coloring books, activity books, Panini Sticker books, toothbrush holders, costumes, bed sheets, and many other items.^[247] Several read-along audio plays were created by Kid Stuff and by Pickwick/Ladybird in the United Kingdom.^[248] Notably, a complete Masters of the Universe audio-play adventure LP record was released by Kid Stuff Records in 1983, written and produced by John Braden, with a new He-Man theme song and original voice acting.^[249] Also notable were a series of audio cassettes, released in Germany by Europa, consisting of 37 episodes of more than 40 minutes in length, with an additional 10 Princess of Power tapes, and six specials. These cassettes would continue to add to the expanding Masters of the Universe mythos, introducing the world of Anti-Eternia, with an evil alternate universe version of He-Man.^[250][251]

Home video releases of Filmation's animated series were produced by RCA/Columbia on VHS and Betamax for 11 volumes with red framed box art, before switching to their Magic Window brand with The Secret of the Sword movie in 1985, for 14 additional He-Man and the Masters of the Universe volumes, 12 She-Ra: Princess of Power VHS releases and 2 LaserDiscs.^[252][253] Two of these tapes were turned into feature-length compilations of episodes titled "The Greatest Adventure of All", and "Skeletor's Revenge", with new animated segments featuring the Sorceress and Skeletor respectively joining the episodes together.^[254] Golden Books, Germany's Ocean and Select, and various others also released Masters of the Universe video content in the 1980s.^[255][256]

A Masters of the Universe "Power Tour" live stage show toured across the United States and Canada in 1987, with 19 consecutive performances at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Directed by Tony Christopher, husband-and-wife team Jack and Leslie Wadsworth portrayed He-Man and She-Ra, while Khalos Planchart and Eric Van Baars played lead villains Hordak and Skeletor, respectively. The production also featured lesser used characters such as Rio-Blast, Clamp-Champ, Snout-Spout, Rokkon, Ninjor, Blast-Attak, and songs by an original character, Songster (performed by Doug Howard).^[257]

The New Adventures of He-Man animated series (1990–1991)

In 1990, a couple of years after the ending of the original Masters of the Universe product line, a second He-Man animated series titled The New Adventures of He-Man was created by Jetlag Productions to promote Mattel's short-lived attempt to revive the MOTU brand with a new toy line, simply titled He-Man. The new series is radically different from the original fantasy-oriented milieu, shifting to an almost purely science-fiction setting that sees He-Man transported to the futuristic planet of Primus. He-Man (with a new, more slender appearance and sporting a ponytail; voiced by Doug Parker) leads the heroic Galactic Guardians; while Skeletor (also with a completely new look; voiced by Campbell Lane), bases himself on the mutant world of Denebria, forming an alliance with Flogg and his band of Evil Mutants, who are hellbent on conquering Primus for themselves. The series contains continuity links to the original Masters of the Universe and was intended as a continuation of the existing mythology, although some fans see it as a separate canon from the original series due to the differences in style and character portrayal.^[258]

Other than He-Man and Skeletor, the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull is the only character from the original series to make regular appearances in the new series, acting as a spiritual guide to He-Man from afar. Other established characters featured in the pilot episode, "A New Beginning", include King Randor and Queen Marlena, who finally learn of the dual identity of Prince Adam and He-Man. Teela also makes a later appearance in the series in the episode "Once Upon a Time", although she bears little resemblance to her former Filmation counterpart.^[259][260]

Main characters introduced in this series are He-Man's new allies: the wise sage Master Sebrian, his assistant Mara, and the lead Galactic Guardians Captain Hydron and Flipshot. Other frequently appearing heroic characters include the young shepherd girl Drissi, her little brother Caz, the scientists (Alcon, Gepple, Krex, and Meldoc), the robots Gleep and UR, Grot the gardener, councilman Werban, the cyclops Meliac, and the remaining Galactic Guardians: Sagitar, Tuskador, Spinwit, and Artilla; with the final members Kayo, Vizor, and Nocturna rarely featuring in the show (although they did appear in the comics and series intro). Skeletor's allies in Flogg's band of Evil Mutants consist mainly of Flogg's incompetent second-in-command Slush-Head, Skeletor's new love interest Crita, and other mutants such as Quakke, Staghorn, B.H., Hoove, Karatti, Optik, and Lizorr.

The New Adventures of He-Man cartoon series first aired September 17, 1990, lasting 65 episodes, until the episode "The Final Invasion", which aired on December 14, 1990, and, unlike Filmation, did provide some closure to the series. The majority of the cartoon episodes were written by Jack Olesker, resulting in a somewhat tighter continuity than the prior series.

He-Man toy line (1989–1992)

The He-Man toy line, debuting in 1989, a year earlier than the animated series, featured four waves of action figures (produced in slightly smaller scale to the previous line); totaling 28 distinct figures in all, with seven vehicles, two playsets, and two accessory items. Neither The New Adventures animated series or toy line proved nearly as popular as the originals, and the line ended with little fanfare in 1992.^{[260][261][262]}

He-Man series was also featured in its own series of four mini comics and in a monthly comic magazine titled He-Man Adventure, which ran for about six issues, before returning to adventures on Eternia and was published by Egmont's London Editions Magazines in the UK; World I.P. also produced a New Adventures–themed annual in 1990. These publications differed somewhat from the animated series with the addition of the character Darius (who did not appear in the cartoon series) in a major role as leader of the Galactic Council; the transition of the "Power of Castle Grayskull" into the Starship Eternia; and several of the figures sporting alternate names in some media and toy-line releases, such as Flipshot as Icarius, Flogg as Brakk, and Slush-Head as Kalamarr.^{[263][264][265]}

Masters of the Universe 200X toy lines (2002–2007)

In 2002, Mattel relaunched Masters of the Universe with a new toy line featuring sculpts designed by Four Horsemen Studios, to be followed by a new animated series (both later referred to as Masters of the Universe '200X').^[271] The new toy line was made surprisingly faithful to the original line, with the characters gently "reimagined" and updated in terms of sculpting detail rather than radically reinterpreted.^[272] Sixty action figures were released in all, with 10 creature figures, seven vehicles, and three playsets (eight smaller-scale figures were also produced in a McDonald's Happy Meal promotion).^[273]

One point of contention for many fans of the original Masters toy line was the redesign of He-Man's Power Sword. According to Four Horsemen, this was due to their original re-sculpts being intended for a continuation of the original storyline in which Skeletor had obtained both halves of the Power Sword (hence the new Skeletor figure's dual blades with clear "good" and "evil" hilt designs), necessitating a new sword to be built by Man-At-Arms and endowed with the properties of the original by the Sorceress. However, Mattel decided to reboot the continuity for a new generation of children, and thus the "new" Power Sword design became the "original" version for the new continuity.^[274] Another issue was the overreliance on releasing alternate versions of He-Man (13 in total), Skeletor (10), Man-At-Arms (5), and a few other main characters, rather than further classic, reimagined, and original characters from the accompanying animated series (such as Randor, The Sorceress, Clawful, or Chief Carnivus, to name a few); making many of the non-He-Man or Skeletor figures hard to come by for both collectors and children. These factors likely contributed to the cancelation of the line in 2004 and ultimately not achieving the success of its 1980s counterpart.^[275]

The line's faithfulness to the original series made it very popular with collectors, however, suggesting it would have been better served as a collector-based line, akin to DC Direct. This theory was borne out in the wake of the discontinuation of the mass-market toy line, with NECA taking the rather unprecedented step of continuing the toy line through action-figure-size mini-statues scaled and sculpted to be aesthetically compatible for display alongside the Mattel toys. NECA would produce 22 "staction figures" in total, allowing fans to fill in their collections with other Four Horsemen redesigned characters that had yet to be produced as figures when the toy line was canceled. According to a December 8, 2005, interview with a Mattel representative on he-man.org, NECA offered to produce fully articulated action figures for Mattel without taking any credit, but permission was denied. Instead, NECA was only permitted to produce non-articulated statues, which they did from 2005 to 2007.^[276]

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – 2002 animated series (2002–2004)

A new animated series was produced to accompany the toy line, made by Mike Young Productions and lasting for 39 episodes, with the series making its premiere on Cartoon Network's Toonami on August 16, 2002, and airing its final episode on January 10, 2004.^[277] This series involved much tighter continuity and a somewhat greater depth of characterization than its Filmation predecessor.^[278] A similar but slightly modified premise to the original Filmation series, this version of He-Man (voiced by Cam Clarke, with Prince Adam portrayed as physically younger and smaller than He-Man) was part of an ensemble of Eternian heroes/protectors known officially as "The Masters of the Universe". Under the leadership of Man-At-Arms (voiced by Garry Chalk), this team originally consisted of He-Man/Adam (with his pet Cringer/Battle Cat, no longer able to speak), Teela, Orko, Stratos, Ram-Man, Mekaneck, and Man-E-Faces, and later joined by Buzz-Off, Roboto, and Sy-Klone. King Randor was now a general (rather than king, from an Eternian royal lineage), pronounced ruler of Eternia by the Elders of the Hall of Wisdom, which have gone into hiding inside the depths of Castle Grayskull. Skeletor (voiced by Brian Dobson), now confirmed as Randor's brother Keldor, finally breaks through the great barrier wall (after decades of trying) and attacks The Masters with his evil forces, mainly consisting of Evil-Lynn, Beast-Man, Mer-Man, Trap-Jaw (now a cybernetically repaired henchman, formerly known as Kronis), Tri-Klops (now an inventor/scientist, somewhat akin to an evil Man-At-Arms), Claw-ful (now a very large and extremely dim-witted thug), and Whiplash (now also of larger size and of the subterranean Caligar race). Backstories of occasional characters such as Fisto, Moss-Man, Webstor, Zodak (regarded a different character as opposed to the earlier Zodac), Two-Bad (portrayed as two bounty hunters known as Tuvar and Baddhra, magically combined into one being by Skeletor's magic), and Stinkor (finally making an appearance in cartoon continuity as the mutated form of Odiphus) are all expanded upon. On-and-off villains Count Marzo and Evilseed return, while new characters such as Dekker, Carnivus, Ceratus, Lord Dactys, Prahvus, the Faceless One, and the giants Chadzar, Belzar, and Azdar are also introduced in this series.

The series was originally title He-Man and the Masters of the Universe like the original 1983 series, being retitled Masters of the Universe vs. the Snake-Men towards the end of the first season, in addition sidelining Skeletor as chief villain in favor of King Hiss, leader of the reptilian Snake Men (Kobra-Kahn, General Rattlor, Tung-Lashor, Snake-Face, and Sssqueeze), with He-Man and many of the characters now bearing a new "Snake-Armor" look. He-Man's ancestor King Grayskull and his Sorceress wife Veena also debuted in this season against his nemesis Hordak (now an ancient sorcerer). Hordak and the Evil Horde were to be the main antagonists for the third season if the show had continued, but it was not renewed. The 40th and final episode was produced as a comic-book "special feature" on the last DVD set of the series, which was part of a three-volume release, originally by BCI Eclipse in 2008 (and later in a collected release by Mill Creek Entertainment in 2009 and 2012).^[279]

Masters of the Universe 200X comics (2002–2005)

From 2002 to 2005, Image Comics and MVCreations published several series of comics and one-shots that mirrored tales of Masters of the Universe; the comic series elaborated and added to the mythos by introducing characters that never appeared in the 39 episodes of the television series. The first issues were seen in the summer of 2002 in the form of special promotional/preview issues, with three miniseries continuing on after: "The Shards of Darkness" in fall 2002, followed by "Dark Reflections" and "Rise of the Snake Men" in 2003. After delving into the backstories of Skeletor's henchmen Beast-Man, Mer-Man, Trap-Jaw, and Tri-Klops in a four-issue "Icons of Evil" series, a short-lived ongoing series, solely produced by MVC, continued on for eight issues in 2004. Along with these, a handful of special or "pack-in" one-shots and trade paperback collected volumes were also produced.

MOTU 200X video games (2002–2005)

A video game based on the '200X' Masters of the Universe series, titled He-Man: Power of Grayskull, was developed by Taniko and published by TDK Mediactive in October 2002 for the Game Boy Advance, which also featured an introductory mini comic. A follow-up developed by Savage Entertainment and published by Midas Interactive Entertainment, He-Man: Defender of Grayskull, was released for PlayStation 2 in February 2005.

Masters of the Universe Classics toy line (2008–2016)

In 2007, a new incarnation of Masters of the Universe was announced, with the first action figure, King Grayskull, released at San Diego Comic-Con in 2008. Originally conceived as an extension of the 200X toy line, this new Classics line was aimed primarily at the adult toy collector market with a 7″ scale, and were often available only through subscriptions (from MattyCollector).

Updated versions of previous figures were sculpted by the Four Horsemen, as well as characters that had never before appeared in action figure form, such as Filmation's Queen Marlena, Fang-Man, Lizard-Man, Count Marzo, Granamyr, and She-Ra: Princess of Power's Adora, Madame Razz, Scorpia, Shadow Weaver and Sea Hawk. The New Adventures of He-Man' and the Mike Young Productions 200X series also received previously un-produced figures such as Mara, Crita, Chief Carnivus, Keldor and Dekker.

As the line progressed, characters from all versions of MOTU lore were included, from prototypes, concept and box art such as He-Ro, Eldor, Demo-Man, Gygor and Sky High to characters from books, comics, and magazines like Despara, Strobo, Goat-Man, Geldor and the long-awaited Fearless Photog. There were also newly created characters, exclusive to the Classics toy line, such as Draego-Man, Cy-Chop, Castle Grayskullman, Sir Laser-Lot and the Mighty Spector. Figures were also released in two-packs with corresponding Superheroes and villains from the DC Comics Universe.^[280]

Masters of the Universe Classics surpassed the original 1980s toy line in terms of length, running continuously for seven years with more than 150 different figures produced. In 2016, Mattel ended production on the MOTU Classics and MattyCollector's Club Grayskull series, with the production company Super7 taking over the Masters of the Universe license and the remainder of the Classics series.

MOTU Classics mini-comics (2012–2015)

Starting in 2012, Dark Horse Comics produced three mini-comics included in Mattel's Masters of the Universe Classics line of toys. The Dark Horse mini-comics begin a new story set in the "Classics" timeline, but based on the "The Powers of Grayskull The Legend Begins" mini-comic from the 1980s, re-telling and completing the previously unfinished three part saga. Writer Tim Seeley stated that these comics were intended to blend the different He-Man continuities and select the best stories and ideas from MOTU history.^[281]

DC Comics took over the Masters of the Universe Classics mini-comics from Dark Horse in 2013, publishing five more mini comics, with stories from Scott Neitlich (artwork by Wellinton Alves and Axel Giménez). These mini-comics provide a sequel to the 1986 mini-comic, "The Search for Keldor", proceed to join into the New Adventures of He-Man continuity, and bring in Dare (aka He-Ro II), from the proposed, but unmade "Son of He-Man" concept from the 1990s.^[91][266]

Super7 toy line continuation (2016–2020)

Super7 produced several 3¾" figures (in the style of the classic Kenner Star Wars action figures) and figures in the style of the M.U.S.C.L.E./Kinkeshi figures. Super7's releases included figures from their animation special The Curse of the Three Terrors, followed by the 7"-scale Masters of the Universe "Ultimates" line (while also providing a continuation of the prior Classics and Club Grayskull toy lines). Super7 also produced retro figures in the very similar form to the original 1980s toy line in 5½-inch scale; which included many 'Filmation' styled versions of the vintage figures (along with unreleased figures such as He-Ro and Eldor).^[282] Super7's final addition to the MOTU Classics toyline was a 'made to order' exclusive Snake Mountain playset in 2020.^[283]

Return to DC Comics (2012–2020)

A Masters of the Universe comic book series was relaunched by DC Comics in 2012, aimed at an older more mature audience than prior iterations of the franchise.^[284] First appearing as a series of digital comics, followed by a six-issue mini-series, as well as one-shot origin issues for He-Man, Skeletor and Hordak.^[285] After a crossover mini-series with superheroes from the DC Comics universe in 2013, an ongoing series ran for 19 issues through 2014, before being replaced by the "He-Man: The Eternity War" 15-issue series in 2015/2016. These issues brought forth a new backstory for She-Ra (as Despara), delved deeper into Skeletor's past and moved the storyline further along than previous entries, with Adam/He-Man succeeding his father on the Eternian throne, and Teela as the new guardian of Castle Grayskull.^[286]

DC and Mattel later produced He-Man/ThunderCats, a crossover with another heroic 1980s action figure line, ThunderCats, for six issues in 2016–2017, which also included crossover action-figures within the Masters of the Universe Origins line.^[287] A six-part crossover series with DC Comics' Injustice was released in 2018, with the final MOTU DC property, "He-Man and the Masters of the Multiverse" from November 2019 until May 2020, both written by Tim Seeley.^[288] This final series used elements from multiple sources in MOTU lore, including more obscure references such as the Tappers of Grayskull game app and Anti-Eternia He-Man from the German Europa audio cassettes from the 1980s.^[289]

Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Revolution (2021–2024)

In August 2019, Kevin Smith announced at the 2019 Power Con that he and Netflix were developing a new series titled Masters of the Universe: Revelation that was proposed to be a direct sequel to the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series.^[298]

On February 14, 2020, the full voice cast was confirmed, which included Mark Hamill providing the voice for Skeletor, Chris Wood voicing Prince Adam and He-Man, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Teela, and Lena Headey as Evil-Lyn.^[299] The series features many characters never before seen in animated form, such as Scareglow, Blast-Attak, Andra and He-Ro; incorporating a wide range of Masters of the Universe lore over its long history and varied incarnations.^[300]

The first 5 episodes made its debut on Netflix on July 23, 2021, with the remaining 5 releasing on November 23, 2021.^[62][301] A third season titled Masters of the Universe: Revolution premiered on Netflix in January 2024, concluding the series after 5 additional episodes.^[63]

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – 2021 CGI revival

In December 2019, it was announced that Netflix would be developing a new Masters of the Universe series using CGI animation. Rob David developed the series, producing it alongside Adam Bonnett, Christopher Keenan, Jeff Matsuda and Susan Corbin, while Bryan Q. Miller served as the story editor on the series. Animation services were provided by House of Cool and CGCG Inc.^[60]

Aimed at a younger audience, the series featured an updated storyline and a new stylized take on the characters and the world of Eternia. It ran for three seasons with 26 episodes from September 2021 to August 2022, and was accompanied by a toyline from Mattel.^{[302][60][61]}

Masters of the Universe 2026 film

A second live-action film based on the Masters of the Universe franchise was released on June 5, 2026 and directed by Travis Knight for Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Films.^[303] The film depicts a ten-year-old Prince Adam sent to his mother's home planet of Earth and separated from his Power Sword. Once the sword is retrieved, Adam returns to Eternia two decades later to become He-Man, and team-up with his friends and allies against the evil forces of Skeletor.^[304]

Nicholas Galitzine stars as He-Man, Camila Mendes as Teela, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms, and Jared Leto as Skeletor.^{[note 65][305][306][307][308][309][310]} Though praised by many fans and critics, the box office for the theatrical release proved to be disappointing, however the film reached the top spot globally on the Amazon Prime streaming service shortly after its' release to the platform on July 22nd, 2026.^[311]

Masters of the Universe: Tales From Eternia – 2026 web series

On June 19, 2026, the 2D animated web series Masters of the Universe: Tales From Eternia was released on YouTube. The series of 20 short four minute episodes was produced by Mattel Studios in partnership with Snipple Animation.^[345]

Proposed live-action She-Ra television series

On September 13, 2021, Amazon announced that a live-action She-Ra series is in development with DreamWorks Animation serving as an executive producer. The series will be a new, standalone story with no connections with Netflix's original animated series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.^[346] It was announced that Nicole Kassell will direct the series and Heidi Schreck will serve as both a writer and executive producer.^[347][348]

Masters of the Universe Chronicles and Core series (2026–present)

In conjunction with the 2026 live action movie, Mattel began producing action figures, vehicles and playsets in various scales for the film: Masters of the Universe Chronicles in a larger 1/12 6.5" scale, and the "Core" series in the 5.5" scale and aimed at a younger demographic.^[349][350]

Masters of the Universe Masterverse (2021–present)

Serving as a successor to the Masters of the Universe Classics line in the 7" scale, and in conjunction with the Masters of the Universe Revelation Netflix series, this line of premium Masters of the Universe Masterverse action figures debuted in 2021 and continues to be produced by Mattel, showcasing various incarnations of the series as well as a New Eternia line.^[351][352]

Masters of the Universe Origins (2019–present)

Mattel began producing Masters of the Universe action figures once again, debuting the Origins line at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019 with a Prince Adam and He-Man two-pack. The figures in the vintage 5.5" scale, but with more articulation, were designed to aspire to both adult collectors and children, with a retail release across the globe in 2020. The look of the playsets, vehicles and figures, along with the packaging is presented in the style of the original line from the 1980s and include all new mini-comics. The main line of Origins include 1980s Filmation cartoon inspired action figures, figures from the 200X animated series, the 2026 live-action movie, as well as figures based on concept art and entirely new creations.^[353][354] Mattel has also released an action figure crossover line combining Origins with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, titled Turtles of Grayskull, as well as crossovers with ThunderCats, Transformers, WWE, Stranger Things and Rulers of the Sun.^[355][356]

Masters of the Universe Minis and other modern toylines (2013–present)

Along with the MOTU Classics series, MOTU Minis and Giants figures were produced from 2013 to 2015.^[357] Mattel would bring back the Minis line in 2020 with several waves of figures, multipacks and vehicles.^[358] Mega Construx would release Masters of the Universe themed building block figures and toys, beginning in 2017, including a Castle Grayskull set.^[359] Funko Pop has also produced Masters of the Universe themed characters since 2018, and highly detailed 1/6 and 1/12 scale figures have been released by Mondo since 2019.^[360][361] A Barbie Signature series of Masters of the Universe dolls was released by Mattel in conjunction with the 2026 live action movie.^[362]

Dark Horse comics (2021–present)

Dark Horse Comics released a prequel comic series to the Masters of the Universe Revelation animated series on Netflix, in 2021, as well as a follow-up miniseries for the animated sequel Masters of the Universe Revolution in 2024.^[363][364] Dark Horse continues to produce Masters of the Universe comics with an ongoing series,^[365] a tie-in mini-series related to the 2026 movie^[366] and a crossover with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, titled 'Turtles of Grayskull'.^[65]

Books and magazines (2015–present)

Dark Horse Books continues to produce various hardcover anthology books with collaborative efforts from Val Staples, James Eatock, Josh de Lioncourt, Danielle Gelehrter, Eric Marshall, Jukka Issakainen, David Clark, Aidan Cross, Leanne Hannah and others. Volumes include the "Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe," "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Minicomic Collection," "He-Man and She-Ra: A Complete Guide to the Classic Animated Adventures," "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Newspaper Comic Strips", "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: A Character Guide and World Compendium." and "The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe". Hardcover books featuring more recent Masters of the Universe properties have also been produced for the Masterverse and Origins toylines, as well the Revelation and 2021 animated series.^[367] Since 2019, Golden Books has also produced He-Man, She-Ra and Skeletor themed children's books in their Little Golden Books series.^[368]

Video games (2012–present)

Throughout the 2010s and 2020s, several new video games based on the franchise were released. An Android and iOS game, He-Man: The Most Powerful Game in the Universe, was developed by GlitchSoft and published by Chillingo and Mattel in late 2012;^[369][370] later followed by 2016's He-Man Tappers of Grayskull by Animoca Brands for the same platforms (which also includes an updated She-Ra's Adventure version).^[371][372] That same year, Mattel published a Frima Studio developed game for its View-Master virtual reality headset for mobile devices.^[373] In 2025, two mobile games inspired by Revelation soft-launched: Gambit Games' card battler Battle for Eternia and Antler Interactive's horde survivor Guardians of Grayskull.^[374][375] On June 2, 2026, Mattel and Amber debuted the endless runner Skeletor: Until Next Time.^[376] Inspired by the new film, Amazon Game Studios and Bandit Island Games released the Legends Unite deck-building game for Amazon Luna on June 9, 2026.^[377]

On April 26, 2022, Mattel and Gamefam released a Roblox game titled He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: You have the Power (later renamed Combat Simulator) to promote the then ongoing Netflix series.^[378] Mattel and Loot Foundry similarly debuted the He-Man Heroes game through Fortnite Creative in August 2025.^[379] The franchise has had official collaborative appearances in Bloons Tower Defense 6, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Fortnite, Funko Fusion, Hot Wheels Unleashed, Jetpack Joyride, Raid: Shadow Legends, Stumble Guys and Toy Soldiers: War Chest.^{[380][381][382][383][384][385][386][387]}

On August 19, 2025 Limited Run Games and Bitmap Bureau announced the side-scrolling beat 'em up He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and Windows.^[388] The game is set for release during the summer of 2026.^[389]

Other MOTU media (2017–present)

Masters of the Universe was featured in the third episode of the first season of the Netflix series The Toys That Made Us in 2017 and in 2018 with the release of the Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe documentary, also on Netflix.^[390][391]