He-Man
He-Man, a fictional character, is the hero of the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. The syndicated series premiered in 1983 and ran until 1985, for a run of 130 episodes. In the series, He-Man and his friends defend Eternia and the secrets of Castle Greyskull from the evil forces of Skeletor.Eternia is ruled by King Randor and Queen Marlena. Their son is Prince Adam, a cowardly blond muscleman dressed in a Cote d'Azur chemise. However, Prince Adam possesses a magic sword, and when he holds it aloft and says the magic words "By the Power of Grayskull! I have the Power!" he is transformed into He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe. He-Man is a brave blond muscleman in a skimpy baldric and shaggy loincloth.
Prince Adam's pet is a cowardly green tiger named Cringer. When Prince Adam changes to He-Man, Cringer becomes a giant (and brave) armored green tiger named Battle-Cat, who serves as He-Man's steed.
Castle Grayskull, which resembles a gigantic skull, is the source of the Power of Greyskull. Inside the Castle lives the Sorceress. Part bird and part woman, she possesses the magical ability to change herself into a falcon. The Sorceress is among the most powerful magic-wielders on Eternia, and she also has limited use of the power held within Castle Grayskull, but only for the purpose of its protection. She also communicates telepathically with He-Man, and was the person responsible for introducing Prince Adam to the power of changing into He-Man.
He-Man has other allies, many of whom are in the King's service.
- Teela is Captain of the Royal Guard and often assists He-Man in his battles. She is the daughter of the Sorceress, though she does not know this.
- Her foster father Duncan is known simply by his title Man-At-Arms. He designs and builds weapons and other technology for the King.
- Orko is an inept magician from the parallel dimensional world of Trolla. He moves around by levitating.
- Ram-Man is a sturdy warrior who runs down most of his obstacles.
- Stratos has wings and can fly
He-Man's chief adversary is Skeletor, a blue-skinned muscleman with a skull for a head, wearing a cowl. He is skilled in dark magic as well as all forms of combat. Skeletor's weapon of choice is his Havok Staff, a ram's skull atop a large rod which serves to channel his magic and amplify his powers. Though his origin is mysterious, a tie-in comic inferred that Skeletor was Keldor, King Randor's younger brother.
Skeletor's base of operations is Snake Mountain, a carven fortress made of polished black basalt, which has a giant stone snake coiled around it. Snake Mountain is located on the Dark Hemisphere of Eternia.
Skeletor's allies include:
- Beast-Man, who can control nonsentient lifeforms.
- Evil-Lyn, a powerful witch with the usual complement of malevolent powers.
- Whiplash, whose tail is a formidable weapon.
- Mer-Man, a fishman who controls sealife.
- Tri-Klops, a 3-eyed mechanic and inventor.
- Clawful, a giant anthropomorphic crab.
- Trap-Jaw, a weapons expert with a metal jaw which can bite through anything.
- Stinkor, an anthropomorphic skunk with magical control over his own stench (he only appeared in the written comics and 2002 animated version, never the original series).
Despite the limited animation techniques that were used to produce the series, the cartoon was remarkable for breaking the boundaries of censorship that had severely restricted the narrative scope of children's TV programming in the 1970s. It was noteworthy to at last see a cartoon with a muscular superhero who was actually allowed to hit people, though he still couldn't use his sword often. The cartoon was controversial in that it was produced in connection with marketing a line of toys; advertising to children was itself controversial during this period. In Britain advertising regulations forbade commercials for He-Man toys to accompany the program itself. The action figures themselves were often repaints and head-swaps of existing characters, outfitted with different equipment; for example, Stinkor was originally a colour- and gear-swap of Mer-Man.
In 1987 a live action He-Man film was made, under the title "Masters of the Universe", with Dolph Lundgren in the title role, Frank Langella as Skeletor, and Courteney Cox in an early supporting role.
In 2002, a new version of the series is being produced and aired by Cartoon Network. This series ended after 39 episodes and is noteworthy for cementing the fact that Keldor and Skeletor are the same person (though making no connection between Keldor and Randor), showing Skeletor without his cowl, the first animated appearance of Stinkor, and an overabundance of spinning weapons and hyper-exaggerated leaps. It has also been revealed that Teela is unknowingly the Sorceress's daughter and possibly destined to be her heir, and that Evil-Lyn's father is a powerful sorcerer known as The Faceless One. The action figures are noteworthy, having been sculpted by the Four Horsemen.