Warning: contains spoilers for Masters of the Universe: Mastersverse #4!He-Man just exposed the mega-villain at the heart of the multiverse, and while fans were expecting longtime foe Skeletor, the franchise opted to make a different foe way more terrifying. Skeletor is He-Man’s primary antagonist, and evil incarnate. Skeletor is also one of the most powerful beings on Eternia, and in the entire universe, so it's natural to assume he'd be the big bad on a multiversal level, but in Masters of the Universe: Mastersverse #4, something darker is afoot.

Mastersverse has taken readers on a thrill ride through the multiverse, meeting an exciting variety of He-Man variants - as well as riffs on existing villains. In the story “The Megabeast Matrix,” by Tim Seeley and Fico Ossio, a group of He-Man variants have gathered to take on a group of invaders who are laying siege to the Eternal Grayskull. These invaders resemble friends and foes, but they have clearly been corrupted by an outside force - a force that is revealed to be Modulok, formerly of the Evil Horde. Modulok was once a normal person, who began tampering with first their body and then their brain. Modulok developed multiple brains over the years, but was no longer content with them and began reaching out through the multiverse, effectively assimilating all life he came into contact with. Modulok forged alliances with both Skeletor and Hordak, but he was merely using them for their resources. Eventually, the real Modulok left to pursue the secrets of the universe, leaving a giant Megabeast behind made up of his combined victims.

Modulok Preys on Masters of the Universe's Multiverse

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The Masters of the Universe franchise has entertained fans for over 40 years, with multiple toy lines and various adaptations across a variety of media. At its core, Masters of the Universe is about He-Man’s struggle with the evil Skeletor. Skeletor seeks the Power of Grayskull for himself, seeking to conquer the universe. But Skeletor is far from the franchise’s only villain; Hordak and the Evil Horde have made life miserable for He-Man as well. The Evil Horde were largely seen as Hordak’s lackeys, but, as seen in this issue, Modulok has stepped up to the plate, receiving a massive upgrade that would frighten both Skeletor and Hordak.

Modulok's Potential Is Finally Realized

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Introduced later in Masters of the Universe’s run, Modulok was unlike any other action figure seen before - unique in that he consisted of 22 different parts that could be put together in a seemingly infinite number of combinations. This "modular" approach to the character is also where he derives his name. Modulok would appear multiple times throughout both the original Masters cartoon and its spin-off: She-Ra, Princess of Power. Modulok ranked as one of He-Man’s weirdest villains, but in the cartoon never achieved the levels of success of his contemporaries. There was a lot of potential in Modulok, and the cartoons failed to capitalize on it. Now, the Masterverse has made him bigger than ever before.

Modulok is He-Man's Version of the Borg

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Here, Modulok is reborn as a villain whose reach can span the entire multiverse. Modulok was able to infect entire universes with himself, assimilating all life, like the Borg from Star Trek. Skeletor, and Hordak both dream of such power. For all of their considerable abilities, their schemes are largely limited to one universe. Modulok, on the other hand, saw possibilities in the multiverse, and became so powerful he could operate on the same level as Zodac and the Sorceress. Using his unique nature, Modulok made creation into himself, rehashing it in his twisted image. The final image of Modulok’s Megabeast is terrifying, and tests the He-Man variants to their limits in a battle for every world in the Masterverse.

Masters of the Universe: Mastersverse #4 is on sale now from Dark Horse Comics!