He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Who will play He-Man in the 2026 Masters of the Universe live-action film?
Who created He-Man?
How has He-Man been perceived in terms of LGBTQ+ representation?
Who is He-Manâs alter ego?
Why was Mattel sued over He-Manâs character?
What was the role of mini comics in the He-Man toy line?
The protagonist of Mattel, Inc.âs Masters of the Universe (MOTU) franchise, He-Man is a fictional superhero originally created as an action figure line and expanded to comic books, TV series, video games, and movies. He-Man is typically shown to be the alter ego of Prince Adam of the planet Eternia, who defends the secrets of Castle Grayskull, as well as the rest of Eternia, from the forces of the antagonist Skeletor. The toy line launched in 1982, and it became so popular in its first few years that it briefly surpassed the sales of BarbieâMattelâs most successful toyâin the mid-1980s, reaching $400 million in sales in its peak year.
Origin
In 1976 Mattel passed up the opportunity to become the exclusive producer of Star Wars toys, which went on to become multimillion-dollar bestsellers. Mattel already had Barbie but wanted to enter the action figure market for boys. After a proposed collaboration with Conan Properties, Inc., to create an action figure tied to the release of the film Conan the Barbarian (1982) failed to materialize, Mattel decided to produce its own male action figure toy line for children.
The creators of Conan the Barbarian (1982), with whom Mattel had a contract to create a Conan toy line before the toy company backed out, sued Mattel in 1984. According to Conan Properties, He-Man was simply Conan in a blond wig. The case, however, was dismissed. The court was of the opinion that all masculine action heroes, be it Tarzan, Beowulf, or Hercules, are essentially the same: They are all âhunksâ with typical features, such as broad shoulders, and there can be no copyright over the concept of a hunk.
The original idea of the character that Roger Sweet, a creative lead at Mattel, had for the action figure was inspired by the muscular artwork of Frank Frazetta. Sweet decided to give the character a generic nameâHe-Manâso as not to limit marketing opportunities. He tested and developed costumes for three prototypes: a soldier, a âbarbarian,â and a space hero. For the design of the barbarian figure, Sweet reached out to Mark Taylor, an artist and designer at Mattel. The finalized character was based on Taylorâs sketches, but the question of whether Sweet or Taylor created the first He-Man figure is contested: Sweet claimed that he kept some of the features from Taylorâs sketches but also made many changes to the prototype. The action figure was inspired by many popular characters and works of the time, including those featuring Cro-Magnon men and Vikings, and by Frazettaâs art.
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Toy lines
Mattel launched the He-Man toy line in 1982, along with a few other characters such as Skeletor, Man-at-Arms, Teela, Stratos, Zodac, Beast Man, and Mer-Man. Subsequent toy lines added more sci-fi elements and introduced Evil-Lyn, Teelaâs counterpart; Faker, He-Manâs villainous clone; and Tri-Klops and Trap-Jaw, Skeletorâs assistants, among others. This was followed by new He-Man and Skeletor figures, along with a number of newer characters and accessories. The characters of Prince Adam, He-Manâs alter ego, dressed in a pink vest and seen by some fans as an icon for the LGBTQ+ community, and Orko, a blundering extraterrestrial wizard who helps the prince, were introduced as action figures in 1984.
Launched in 1982 alongside mini comics, the first toy line included:
- He-Man: A warrior from planet Eternia who defends the secrets of Castle Grayskull from Skeletor, his main enemy
- Skeletor: He-Manâs archrival, who wants to unravel the secrets of Castle Grayskull
- Man-at-Arms (also known as Duncan): A heroic character who is responsible for providing advanced weapons to the soldiers of Eternia
- Teela: Warrior goddess who is the adopted daughter of Man-at-Arms; later becomes the captain of the royal guard
- Zodac: A neutral cosmic enforcer, also spelled Zodak at times, later modeled as a Black man to add more diversity
- Beast Man and Mer-Man: Skeletorâs henchmen
- Battle Cat: He-Manâs fearless pet tiger, later revealed to have a not-so-brave alter ego, Cringer; Battle Cat was introduced separately
Mini comics and the original TV animation series
The He-Man and the Masters of the Universe toy line was cleverly packaged with mini comics that gave each character a rich backstory. These storylines encouraged young buyers to acquire more toys and play sets. In the initial mini comics, He-Man is from a jungle tribe in Eternia. His planet has dealt with great wars that have devastated civilization and left advanced weaponry accessible to very few people. The sorceress of Castle Grayskull grants He-Man and his allies these weapons so that they can defend Grayskull and Eternia from the evil forces of Skeletor. Some of the comic series were produced by DC Comics and, for a short while, by Marvel Comics. In fact, DC Comics introduced the Prince Adam alter ego of He-Man.
In 2013 Mattel went to court against Donald Glut, who had authored some of the early MOTU mini comics, to challenge his claim that he was the creator of MOTU characters and thus had copyright ownership of the product line. Mattel argued that Glutâs work fell under the work-for-hire doctrine and won the case.
Mattel collaborated with the studio Filmation to produce a 65-episode season of the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, which began airing in 1983. Actor and voice artist John Erwin provided the voice for He-Man. In the show Prince Adam is the son of Eterniaâs rulers, King Randor and Queen Marlena. No one but a few friends know about Prince Adamâs powerful alter ego, He-Man. The sorceress of Castle Grayskull gives Prince Adam his powers, which he draws upon after transforming into He-Man by raising his power sword and exclaiming:
âBy the power of Grayskull, I have the power!â
He-Man has superhuman speed and strength and is invulnerable to most damage. If he has used up too much power, he turns back into Prince Adam. He is also shown using telepathy to communicate with the sorceress. His primary weapon is his indestructible sword, and he is supported by close allies in his battle against Skeletor, the evil warlord who wants to learn the secrets of the Castle Grayskull so that he can become the Master of the Universe.
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The TV show ran for 130 episodes over two seasons, with each episode lasting 23 minutes. It aired on more than 160 television stations in the United States, gaining an audience there of about 9 million viewers, and was also broadcast in more than 30 other countries.
Film and TV adaptations
In March 1985 He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword, an animated film, was released. This film was created from the first five episodes of She-Ra: Princess of Power, a TV series that aired later that same year. This series focuses on She-Ra, the alter ego of Prince Adamâs twin sister, Princess Adora, who leads a rebellion against an evil intergalactic horde.
Masters of the Universe, a live-action film starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor, was released in 1987 along with an expanded toy line; it turned out to be a commercial failure but became a cult classic. A new toy line debuted in the late 1980s and early â90s, accompanied by a TV series called The New Adventures of He-Man (1990â91), set on a different planet with new characters. Neither the toy line nor the series was successful. After a gap of more than a decade, yet another series called He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was released in 2002; it was seen as offering stronger storylines that expanded on the charactersâ histories, and lasted two seasons, with 26 and 13 episodes, respectively.
The toy line stagnated, save for the vintage collector market, and Mattel shifted its focus to making toys for partners such as Universal Pictures and DC Comics. In the late 2010s Mattel gave MOTU toy production rights to a company named Super7, which would go on to produce MOTU collectibles and an animated short in the original Filmation style and expand the toy line. With the announcement of this partnership, Mattel also noted that it would close MattyCollector.com, Mattelâs online store for toy collectors, by the end of 2016. Super7 created new figures, including a limited-edition toy called Laughing Prince Adam, which shows the character in his pink attire and comes with a pink sword and holographic packaging. It became a bestseller and a limited-edition collectorâs item. Mattel has since taken the license back.
A 2017 documentary, Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, covers the creation of the He-Man universe and its success and pop culture appeal. In 2021 an animated sequel series to the original 1980s series, with Mark Hamill voicing Skeletor, was released on Netflix. Produced by Kevin Smith and titled Masters of the Universe: Revelation, it was followed by a second series, Masters of the Universe: Revolution (2024). Although Revelation and Revolution received 95 percent and 100 percent âFreshâ scores, respectively, on the film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first series received negative feedback from many fans, likely because it focuses more on Teela than on He-Man. Netflix also released a He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series for younger audiences in 2021.
Masters of the Universe, a live-action film by Mattel Studios and Amazon MGM Studios, is set to be released in June 2026. With Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man (Prince Adam), Jared Leto as Skeletor, Camila Mendes as Teela, and Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms (Duncan), the film was directed by Travis Knight. To accompany the film, Mattel announced a new, cross-category toy line that will include MOTU action figures, battle-themed Barbies, MOTU-inspired Hot Wheels models, and an UNO card game with rules that reflect MOTU elements. The company also announced a He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction video game, also expected in 2026, with game publisher Limited Run Games.
