With Masters Of The Universe: Revelation suffering a huge divide between critics and longtime fans, the future of the franchise looks to be in serious doubt. This has led many fans to reject the series outright and go back to the classic 1980s cartoon series, which is fondly remembered to this day. Of particular note are the villains in the classic series, many of which are underrated compared to main antagonist Skeletor and his crafty henchmen.
In fact, He-Man and the Masters have squared off against some particularly terrifying foes, even for a children's cartoon. The 1980s was no stranger to flirting with scary imagery and supernatural elements, which is probably how many of these evil baddies got green-lit in the first place. Though they were all defeated, they all left a permanent mark on the He-Man mythos.
Dragoon
At first glance, Dragoon is a frightening foe resembling a dragon and demon, but there's more to him than the surface would suggest. Skeletor enlisted Dragoon's help to infiltrate Trolla and steal the life energy of its inhabitants, which prompted Orko to get involved and try to stop him.
Though Dragoon seemed particularly cruel and evil, he had a change of heart when the tables were turned, and he was left helpless. As one of the smartest heroes in the Masters of the Universe franchise, He-Man saved his life, then convinced him of the benefits of kindness, and saving others. Amazingly, Dragoon thanked him for teaching him a valuable lesson and vowed to pursue a path of goodness in the future.
Shadow Wing
Shadow Wing as the ideological antithesis of the kind and benevolent dragon known as Granamyr, one of the most ancient beings in Eternia. He possessed a deep loathing of the other Darksmoke dragons, to the point where he plotted their absolute eradication.
Fearsome to behold, Shadow Wing backed it up with a particularly malevolent personality. Upon being freed from his slumber by the wizard Zem, he threatened to kill him immediately. When Zem offered to help him destroy the dragons of Darksmoke, he enjoyed the idea, then turned him into a toad simply for the sake of it.
The She-Demon Of Phantos
Queen Elmora was a beautiful and kind ruler of the moon world known as Phantos, which existed in Eternia's galaxy. The strength of her Photanium-based weapons was without equal, and the Eternian government enjoyed a prosperous trade deal with Elmora as a result. Unfortunately, Elmora was secretly under the power of Skeletor, who had other plans.
When she showed open defiance against him, Skeletor used his sinister magics to transform Elmora into a terrifying, gnarled witch called the She-Demon of Phantos. Under his control, Skeletor was able to manipulate her immense powers against He-Man and his team, but his sheer strength and might won out.
Daimar The Demon
Daimar started out as a cute little guy, but he soon became a nightmarish entity that threatened the very existence of Eternia. It all started when Orko tried to summon a friend to play with, inadvertently pulling the impish little Daimar from the Dark Dimension. Things seemed to go well until it was revealed that Daimar's innocence would give way to something far worse.
After spinning a cocoon, Daimar emerged as a horrifying demon intent on opening a rift to the dark dimension, allowing the demonic hordes to pour through into Eternia. In the end, Orko was able to get through to Daimar and convince him to renounce his evil ways in favor of goodness and friendship, which he agreed to.
Hordak
Skeletor had his frightening moments, but he was mostly there to entertain audiences as one part menace, one part comic relief. When the accompanying She-Ra spinoff series was announced, Skeletor took a backseat to Hordak, the leader of the Evil Horde who operated out of Etheria.
The two would cross paths several times throughout both series, and Hordak would prove to be a consistent and terrifying challenge. His magical abilities are far beyond Skeletor's, and he's far more vicious and cruel. Plus, his mug is a sight far worse than a purple-hooded sorcerer with a skull for a face.
Webstor
Like many Masters of the Universe characters, Webstor has a ridiculous name, and that detracts slightly from his overall menace. Yet, as horror films featuring insects, spiders and other creepy crawlies prove, they do make for great villains. Webstor isn't just a deadly bad guy; he's also a cunning strategist.
Webstor worked independently of Skeletor most of the time, preferring to team up with Kobra Khan. He was a cut above the rest of the villains in terms of intellect, though his terrifying physical traits wouldn't be fully capitalized on until the 2002 animated reboot series.
The Harpy Sorceress
When the monstrous tentacled entity known as Sh'Gora attacked Castle Grayskull, he was able to easily pull down the jawbridge and enter, which is an impossible feat for most supervillains. Even Skeletor was in awe of the creature's power, particularly when it turned the beloved Sorceress into a cackling nightmare.
Using his transformative powers, Sh'Gora twisted the Sorceress' form into that of a vicious harpy who attacked He-Man and his team. Eventually, Evil-Lyn was able to counteract the spell, but the lingering horror of seeing such a beautiful character twisted into a malevolent creature took a while to dissipate.
Darkdream
This magical phantom-like being bears an unnerving resemblance to the infamous Shadow Weaver from the classic animated She-Ra series, and he's more than capable of living up to his name. This being thrives on darkness and night, which increases his already significant powers.
Darkdream is capable of conjuring nightmares in his victims, whether they're asleep or not. During the episode "Eternal Darkness," Darkdream manages to inflict a nightmare on Teela while she's riding her Sky Sled, effectively knocking her unconscious. If left unchecked, his powers would have made him Eternia's most frightening villain.
Molkrom
Some villain designs are far more outlandish and off the rails than others, and Molkrom is a prime example. This centaur-like being had magical powers that rivaled even that of the Sorceress, making him a huge threat against Castle Grayskull, not to mention Eternia as a whole.
Molkrom was characterized by two large tendrils for arms, a flowing mane of blond hair, and a disfigured horse's face. He was nicknamed the "Prince of Destruction" by the ancient Eternian race known as the Torgs, and his magical powers focused largely on conjuration and transmutation, which he used to great effect.
Kraal
Demonic fascination was big in the 80s, as evidenced by the films of the time period, and those who had come before. It extended to TV, as well. Kraal was the closest to the living embodiment of Satan that the cartoon series ever got, and it was enough to strike fear into the kids. This being was obviously a creature of evil, ruling over the Demon Zone, and his manipulative and evil personality is evident in the way he deals with his subordinates.
He attempted to manipulate He-Man into opening an ancient door that separated the Demon Zone from Eternia, but the plan was foiled with a little quick thinking. Kraal would appear in only one episode, but he remains one of the most frightening villains in the He-Man cartoon series.