Growing up in the 1980s, there were three cartoons that defined my childhood: Transformers, G.I. Joe, and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. All of them the perfect synergy of mass media and consumerism. Hasbro and Mattel wanted to sell toys, so they came up with the ultimate marketing strategy by way of cartoons, and comic books, and movies. Remember that the toys came first, and then the stories. And it worked beautifully. I watched the cartoons. I fell in love with these characters. And lo and behold, there were all these wonderful toys that let me continue their adventures for long after the episodes ended on television.
It’s easy to be cynical about the capitalist roots of these cartoons, but the reality is that they had an incredible impact on the collective imaginations of an entire generation. The unintended consequence of having such great toy boxes being that they fueled our creativity unlike anything else.
Now I mention all of this for good reason. Over the years there have been many reboots and reimaginings of childhood staples from the 1980s and 1990s. A few of them have been truly great (Duck Tales, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic), some others have been fine (Voltron: Legendary Defender, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Thundercats), but most of them completely and utterly forgettable (Beast Machines. Anyone? Bueller?). Masters of the Universe: Revelation, however, is the first one that feels like it was made by a group of people who spent their childhood playing with those toys, and making up stories, and taking these characters on fascinating new journeys. This series, like She-Ra before it, doesn’t just come from having a deep abiding love for these characters, but also an incredible understanding of what makes them tick.
When We Last Left Our Heroes…
The 130 episodes of He Man and the Masters of the Universe were, like a lot of kids TV at the time, standalone affairs. Every episode would see the evil Skeletor and his minions coming up with one nefarious plot after another in order to conquer the mysterious Castle Grayskull, only to be thwarted at every turn by He-Man and his heroic pals. Masters of the Universe: Revelation wisely ignores both 1990’s The New Adventures of He-Man, and the 2002 reboot, and is instead a direct sequel to that original series, with the story picking up where we left our heroes all those years ago.
When we meet He-Man, Man-At-Arms, Teela, Orko, Battle Cat, and the Sorceress, they’ve already been on all of those adventures, they’ve already fought Skeletor, and Evil-Lyn, and Beast Man, over and over again. They’re a formidable fighting force. They’re best of friends. And they’re about to face a challenge unlike any they’ve encountered before.
In the first episode of this series, a climactic battle leaves Eternia in trouble and it’s up to our heroes to restore order and save the universe. That is all you need to know going into this. To tell you any more would be to rob you of the pleasure of everything that happens after.
If you’ve seen even one episode of the original series and were left wondering why Skeletor is obsessed with Castle Grayskull, or why Teela remains the only one of the squad unaware of Prince Adam’s secret, or why Orko is called Orko, then this is the series for you. What’s more, Masters of the Universe: Revelation doesn’t just answer those lingering questions, it goes deeper still, deconstructing these characters and their motivations in order to create real tension, conflict, and drama. This is no longer just good versus evil for the sake of it. This is a glorious exercise in mythmaking and worldbuilding.
Who Has the Power?
Showrunner Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma) has approached the series with both reverence and respect. He delves into the inner lives of these characters in a way we’ve never seen before, layering a complex story of trust, love, acceptance, and loss over the already rich history and mythology of the franchise.
Despite it’s on the nose title, He-Man was always a series that empowered and uplifted its female characters. Be it Teela or Queen Marlena, the Sorceress or She-Ra, these were characters that were smart and funny, flirty and sexy, who were both strong and vulnerable in equal measure. Masters of the Universe: Revelation further builds on this, further developing its female characters by elevating them beyond the role of sidekick and giving them real motivations and even more agency.
Everything about this series just sings. From the stunning voice cast (Mark Hamill, Lena Headey, Chris Wood, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Liam Cunningham, Stephen Root, Diedrich Bader, Henry Rollins, Alan Oppenheimer, Alicia Silverstone, Justin Long, Jason Mewes, Phil LaMarr, and Kevin Conroy), to the flawless animation, to the music. Good God, the music! That moment, when Adam draws his sword, proclaims the magic words, and transforms into He-Man will give you goosebumps. The driving drums. The electric guitar. It’ll make you want to grab your cat and go fight some bad guys.
The Enduring Appeal of He-Man
For me, the appeal of He-Man has always been in the way the series brings together elements of science fiction and heroic fantasy. Lasers and swords. Science and magic. There was so much about this mythology that felt exactly like how we’d play as children, allowing our imaginations to run wild, and paying absolutely no notice to genre. Wizards and robots fighting one another? Why not? An armored tiger taking on an Attak Trak. Flying machines and magical orbs. Havoc staffs and freeze rays. It was fun. And what’s more, it seemed to work.
And all of that is right here in Masters of the Universe: Revelation. All of that chaos and childlike wonder. Mer-Man, and Clawful, and Stinkor. All of that insane imagination. It’s all here in this magnificent sequel, that’s beautifully drawn, and performed, and written, with just the right amount of fanwank. You don’t have to have seen a single episode of any of the He-Man cartoons to appreciate just how good Revelation is, but for those who have, for anyone who is even remotely a fan, this one will fill you with joy and make you feel young again.
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