He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was marketed directly at me. I was the target demographic, and I gladly ate it up and asked for more. Christmas of ’85 was the year I got Castle Grayskull and started to push my focus away from Star Wars.
I was a sucker for the gimmicks. It was like ’80s wrestling. You could instantly look at the character and tell if they were a good guy or a bad guy, and in most cases, tell what their “specialty” was. Stinkor looked like a skunk (and smelled like one, too). Good guys don’t smell bad, so he’s obviously a bad guy. MekaNeck had cool sunglasses and could look over walls. Definitely a good guy.
He-Man figures were so much fun to play with. I would run a line of kite string from the upstairs to the downstairs and send Trap-Jaw down the makeshift zip line using the hoop on his helmet. I ruined Grizzlor’s furry exterior by locking him in the Slime Pit and drenching him in the green, smelly ooze. By the time he finally dried ou,t he looked more akin to roadkill than a plaything. RIP, you fuzzy freak.
My love of Masters of the Universe ran all the way up until the 1987 movie was released. I remember watching it and wondering where all the cool characters were. It was the first time I can remember feeling like screaming, “That’s not MY He-Man,” but the internet hadn’t been invented yet, so I simply stopped playing with my He-Man figures.
I’ve come to appreciate the movie for what it is. Frank Langella’s Skeletor was perfect. Dolph Lundgren did exactly what he could with the script he was provided. If it weren’t a He-Man and the Masters of the Universe movie, it would probably be looked at in higher regard as a solid 80s Sci-Fi Fantasy, but comparison is the thief of joy, and Gwildor ain’t as good as Orko, y’all.
I was pleasantly surprised this week when we got our first look at the upcoming Masters of the Universe movie set to debut June 6, 2026.
The trailer sets the stage by letting us know that Prince Adam was exiled to what appears to be our current day earth to live in the only place He-Man can be safe: a world accepting of pronouns! Adam longs to go back to his home of Eternia, and fortunately for us, it looks like he’ll do just that. Along the way, he’s reuniting with the Masters of the Universe: Man at Arms, Teela, Roboto, Fisto and of course, his faithful steed/companion Battle Cat!
But how good can the good guys be without some super baddies to do battle with? The trailer teases us with glimpses of Trap-Jaw, Beast Man, Spikor, Evil Lynn and Jared Leto’s Skeletor. I know a lot of people were nervous when they heard Jared Leto was playing Skeletor, but I don’t see Jared Leto in any of these images. THAT’S SKELETOR. If we do happen to get a Jared Leto appearance as Keldor, rest at ease knowing that you’ll get to see his face melted off in due time.
This movie appears to be everything I wanted to see from a MOTU movie in 1987. It doesn’t feel like there’s much to look forward to these days, but this movie might be something special in a world desperately in need of heroes.
We also got a look at some figures to accompany the movie’s release. Masters of the Universe: Chronicles have been making the rounds at the German toy shows, and also got some high-res images via Entertainment Weekly. This line of figures is 6 inches as opposed to the current Masterverse line of 7-inch figures. I can’t wait to get a He-Man and Battle Cat team up with Ka-Zar and Zabu from Marvel Legends. Look for these figures to start hitting shelves on April 25, 2026.
