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He-Man

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Template:Infobox He-Man/She-Ra Character

File:He-man.jpg
He-Man as seen in a DC comic from December, 1982, one of his earliest appearances and preceding the debut of his animated series.
He Man redirects here. For the Yellow Turban commander, see He Man (Three Kingdoms).

He-Man ("The Most Powerful Man in the Universe") is a heroic fictional character in the toy series Masters of the Universe ("MOTU") and the various spin-off products and media related to it. The most prominent is the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, produced by Filmation Studios. 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 Grayskull from the evil forces of Skeletor.

Overview

Character biography

As with many parts of the Masters of the Universe story, He-Man's background and origins were somewhat revised in successive versions of the story and it is sometimes difficult to reconcile the various versions.

In the earliest series of minicomics released with the original toys, He-Man is a wandering barbarian on the world of Eternia, which is dealing with the aftermath of a Great War that has devastated the civilizations that once ruled supreme over all lesser beings. The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, called "The Goddess" in early appearances, gives He-Man special powers and weapons, and he sets out to defend the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil villain Skeletor.

Starting with the third series of mini-comics, the scenario was somewhat revised: He-Man's true identity is Prince Adam, the son of King Randor and Queen Marlena, the rulers of the planet Eternia. Marlena is from the planet Earth, making He-Man only half-Eternian.

In the new version of events, The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull endowed Prince Adam with the power to transform into He-Man by holding aloft his magic sword and proclaiming, "By the power of Grayskull...I have the power!". This was carried over into the 2002 series.

Prince Adam's pet is a cowardly green tiger named Cringer. When Adam changes to He-Man, Cringer becomes a giant (and brave) armored green tiger named Battle Cat, who serves as He-Man's steed. Adam is friendly with the beautiful and strong-willed Teela, the female Captain of the Royal Guard and adoptive daughter of his mentor Duncan alias Man-At-Arms; Teela has a crush on He-Man.

Castle Grayskull, which resembles a gigantic skull, is the source of the Power of Grayskull. Inside the Castle lives the Sorceress, who communicates telepathically with He-Man, and granted Prince Adam his transformative abilities.

To protect his family, He-Man keeps his double identity secret, sharing the knowledge only with Man-At-Arms, Orko, Cringer/Battle Cat, and the Sorceress. The original cartoon series also indicated the dragon Granamyr and the cosmic enforcer Zodak also knew his secret. He-Man was usually accompanied by an assortment of allies in his battles, such as Ram-Man, Stratos and Man-E-Faces.

Adam has a younger twin sister named Adora, theoretically the Princess of Eternia, but in fact a leader in the Great Rebellion against Hordak on the planet Etheria. Adora, like Adam, has been given the gift of the power of Grayskull and has her own sword which she uses to transform into She-Ra, Princess of Power. He-Man made a number of appearances in the She-Ra: Princess of Power television series.

He-Man's chief adversary is Skeletor, a blue-skinned sorcerer with a skull for a head, wearing a cowl. He is skilled in black 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, and the cartoon described him only as a "demon from another dimension," a tie-in comic implied that Skeletor's true identity was Prince Keldor, younger brother of King Randor, thus making him He-Man's uncle.

Skeletor's base of operations is Snake Mountain, a 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 leads a motley crew of henchmen against He-Man and his associates; the most popular are the sorceress Evil-Lyn, the bumbling Beast Man, the bionic Trap-Jaw, and Tri-Klops.

In the 1980s series, He-Man/Adam was voiced by John Erwin, for many the definitive He-man, a congenial hero with an endless supply of one liners. In the 1987 feature film, he was played by Dolph Lundgren. Gary Chalk provided the voice of He-Man for the 1989 series The New Adventures of He-Man (and later the voice of Man-At-Arms for the 2002 series). In the 2002 series, He-Man was voiced by Cam Clarke (who voiced Leonardo on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series).

He-Man and Conan connection

According to various sources, Masters of the Universe was originally intended to be a Conan toyline, until Mattel saw the adult content of the Conan property, including the huge amounts of sex, nudity, blood, and violence. They decided therefore to devise a different toy line based around a similar concept, but more suitable for a younger audience, and the Masters of the Universe line was gradually born. It has often been speculated, although never confirmed, that the character of Skeletor was based on the villain Thulsa Doom from the Conan comics.

However, Roger Sweet, who claims to be the designer of the original He-Man action figure, denies this direct connection, claiming that in fact, He-Man was created as an attempt by Mattel to get on to the action figure market. Three prototypes were built on an over-muscled version of Mattel's previous and failed male action hero Big Jim: a spaceman, a military hero, and a barbarian.

Mattel's president hand-picked the barbarian in a business meeting, saying "these have the power", thus unknowingly coming up with He-Man's catchphrase. The line was green-lighted and writers were hired to create a story based on the character. So, creators claim that while Conan was certainly an inspiration, He-Man is not a direct rip-off.

History of the He-Man action figure

File:Smeraldo.cc heman01.jpg
He-Man & Battle Cat (1982)
File:Smeraldo.cc heman02.jpg
Thunder Punch He-Man (1985)

Original toy line

The first He-Man action figure was released by Mattel in 1981, and had a twist waist and power punch action. The figure came with the power sword, a battle axe and a shield, together with a removable harness. In 1982 the figure was re-released in a set with either Battle Cat or the Wind Raider vehicle. The He-Man figure was released again in 1983 together with Teela and Ram-Man. The He-Man figure was released in 1986 together with the Jet Sled vehicle.

An alternate version entitled Battle Armor He-Man was released in 1984. The chest had three "damage indicators" which rotated round. As before, the power sword and battle axe were included. The figure was also re-released the same year, packaged with the Road Ripper vehicle. In 1986, the figure was released again, together with Battle Armor Skeletor and Orko.

Another alternate version was released in 1985, with the name Thunder Punch He-Man. The toy was powered with caps to make a bang when he threw a punch. The power sword (colored gold with this version of the character) and shield were released with the figure, together with some red caps. The same year, Battle Armor He-Man was re-released with Battle Cat, and again in a collector's pack with Man-at-Arms and Man-E-Faces.

1986 saw the release of another version, named Flying Fists He-Man. The figure's arms moved as his waist rotated. The figure included a spinning trident mace and a rotating shield. A double-pack was later released containing both Flying Fists He-Man and Terror Claws Skeletor.

In 1988, a final version was released for the original toy line, entitled Laser Power He-Man. The figure was limited to releases in Italy and Spain, although it also appeared in some major department stores in London, England.

New Adventures toy line

The new toy line started in 1989, and He-Man was released as his new space personality, complete with power sword, shield and helmet. The figure also included two-piece snap-on space armor. He was also released in double-packs with any of Skeletor, Flogg and Slush Head.

In 1990 an alternate version was released, named Battle Punching He-Man. The figure had some different joints to allow more points of articulation, and included the power sword and shield.

In 1992 a final figure, again titled Thunder Punch He-Man (not to be confused with the original 'Masters Of The Universe' toy of the same name), was released with a twisting punch action.

Masters of the Universe Live-action film

In 1987, Cannon Films produced a Live-action film Masters of the Universe which featured Dolph Lundgren in the role of He-Man. Although the film was not recieved well upon its release, it has developed a strong cult following over recent years. Despite accusations that Lundgren was "embarrassed" about the movie, he has repeatedly stated his pride in his work in the movie.

Trivia

  • He-Man was supposed to be based on Robert E. Howard's version of Conan the Barbarian as well as the movie, but when Mattel saw the adult content of Conan—from the movie to the comics—they decided that it was not appropriate for minors; for example, they wouldn't create a Tree of Woe playset or an action figure of Conan slashing an opponent or even Thulsa Doom eviscerating a harlot. As a result, Conan was given blonde hair and was renamed "He-Man".
  • Conan's lifelong opponent, a skull-faced sorcerer named Thulsa Doom, was likewise the inspiration for Skeletor and King Hiss (a later villain) was modeled after Thoth-Amon, Conan's other life-long opponent.
  • A He-Man parody, He-Bro, appeared in 2006 on the TV show Wonder Showzen which portrays He-Man as a Jewish black man who can stretch his muscles like Plastic Man. The feature stays true to the actual Filmation style.
  • He-Man was briefly spoofed in the fifth season Simpsons episode 'The Front'. An animation awards ceremony included a clip of 'Strong-Dar: Master of Akom: The Wedding Episode'. Strong-Dar was clearly based on Filmation's model of He-Man.
  • He-Man was parodied in an episode of Round The Bend (a childrens TV show shown on ITV in the UK), as Wee-Man and The Masters of The Loo-nyverse.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Latchem, John (2006). "Filmation Nation". Agent DVD Online. Retrieved from http://www.agentdvdonline.com/agentdvd/v42/index.cvn?ID=10015 on July 30, 2006. Interview with Lou Scheimer. Excerpt from Scheimer: "[The dual identity for He-Man] was really inspired by Billy Batson and Captain Marvel, from the 1970s “Shazam” show. It was this kid who became a superhero. His background is really more interesting than Superman’s. One of the reasons I like Captain Marvel is it really empowered kids. So on He-Man, we’re going from an 18-year-old kid to He-Man."
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