Jeffrey is a freelance features writer at Collider. He is an MPA-accredited entertainment journalist and a Tomatometer-approved critic based in the LA area. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Radio, TV, & Film and a Bachelor of Arts in Theater.
Masters of the Universe and its iconic hero, He-Man, return to the big screen later this summer with a new big-budget, live-action movie. Amazon MGM Studios recently dropped the first trailer for the highly anticipated blockbuster, and it’s been trending across the globe, receiving even more views than the teasers for Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday. All signs point to the movie being what Masters of the Universe fans have been waiting to see for decades. However, with a new movie on the horizon, prospective new or lapsed fans of the franchise might have questions about where they should start to freshen up their Eternian lore. Ideally, the best place to start before diving deeper into the franchise is with the 2002 animated franchise reboot, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. This is the singular best animated adaptation of Mattel’s popular toy franchise so far, and fans should check it out on streaming before the new movie debuts.
The 2002 Animated Series Exceptionally Revamps the Mythology
The 2002 animated series, which originally aired on Cartoon Network, exceptionally revamps the lore and mythology for Masters of the Universe. Although the rebooted series, produced by Mike Young Productions, was still primarily aimed at children, series creator Michael Halperin and director Gary Hartle wisely aged up the show’s content, making it more mature, serious, and more intense than the previous 1980s syndicated animated series produced by Filmation. The rebooted series referenced and utilized existing parts of the MOTU mythology, from the classic mini-comics that were packaged with the original 1980s action figures, the Filmation series, while also expanding lore, creating a cohesive universe to encompass He-Man, the Masters of the Universe, Skeletor and his Evil Warriors, the Snake Men, and the Horde, led by Hordak.
The series presented a fantastic jumping-off point for new viewers, while also providing an enriched version of the MOTU saga for longtime fans, tying in the backstories of He-Man/Prince Adam (Cam Clarke); Hordak (Michael Donovan); Skeletor (Brian Dobson); King Hiss (Dobson); and He-Man’s ancestor, King Grayskull (Clarke). The series presented a fascinating new backstory for Skeletor, revealing him to be a devious usurper, originally named Keldor, whose face is grievously wounded and melted by acid in a battle with Prince Adam’s father, Randor (Donovan). Skeletor’s backstory is adapted from an obscure mini-comic, “The Search for Keldor,” which discloses the identity of King Randor’s long-lost brother, Keldor. The general idea is that Skeletor’s definitive origin would eventually reveal the villain’s identity as Keldor, making him the uncle of his greatest enemy, He-Man/Adam. Although the animated series did not get deep enough to reveal the characters’ blood ties, the writers’ intent to flesh out the connection between He-Man and Skeletor was there.
The Animated Series Favored Longer Form Storytelling
Another great aspect of the 2002 reboot concerns its preference for longer-form serialized storytelling. The Filmation He-Man animated series is classic and iconic, yet it’s very much a product of its time. By today’s standards, it comes off as very sanitized and juvenile, and the animation looks similarly dated and primitive. Also, as a syndicated series, the episodes were mostly single, standalone, or one-off storylines, so events rarely carried over from one episode to the next. The 1980s animated series was intended to be watched by kids one episode at a time, so they could easily pick up the story and understand the narrative.
The 2002 production upped the ante with its impressive production values and storytelling, bringing the franchise into the 21st century with high-quality animation and a longer-form, more serialized narrative. This meant multipart storylines, ongoing story arcs, and frequently fleshing out character backstories. For example, the first season would gradually introduce new characters, such as Kobra Kahn (Scott McNeil), heralding the eventual arrival of the Snake Men, who became the ongoing villains in Season 2. Basically, the series achieved for Masters of the Universe what the 1990s X-Men: Animated Series accomplished for Marvel’s Merry Band of Mutants.
The Series Was Unfortunately Cancelled Ahead of Epic Plans for Season 3
Ultimately, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ended its run at two seasons and 39 episodes, concluding with He-Man and his allies defeating King Hiss and the Snake Men’s ancient malevolent deity, the Eldritch abomination, Serpos, the true form of Skeletor’s Snake Mountain fortress. The introduction of Hordak was meant to set up an epic storyline involving Hordak breaking free of his interdimensional prison in Despondos and taking over Eternia in Season 3, making He-Man and the Masters fugitives in their own land. Sadly, the show was cancelled due to declining ratings and toy sales before it could get to that point.
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At the very least, the show did not end on a major cliffhanger and concluded on a positive note, with He-Man and the Masters saving the day. Nevertheless, episodes like “The Power of Grayskull” represent the show’s exceptional quality and offer a hint of the unfolding epic saga if it had continued. Additionally, the 2002 reboot eventually sparked the development of the new live-action movie later that decade. After over two decades of development, multiple studios, directors, and screenplay drafts, a new live-action movie will finally arrive later this summer. The good news is that the complete 2002 animated series is available to stream now on Prime Video, and it’s the perfect MOTU series to binge before the new movie hits theaters on June 5.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe TV-Y7 Animation Action Adventure Fantasy Release Date 2002 – 2004-00-00 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming BUY
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