Though Masters of the Universe: Revelation created controversy with its multiple character deaths, the show wasn’t necessarily wrong with its approach to the classic cast. A large number of fans have expressed dissatisfaction with the direction taken by the first batch of episodes from the new Netflix series.
Created by Kevin Smith as a continuation of the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon from the 1980s, Masters of the Universe: Revelation wasted no time in changing the status quo for the series. Before the end of the first episode, it was made clear why “He-Man” was no longer a part of the title. The main protagonist of the original show made the ultimate sacrifice to save Eternia at the end of the series premiere, allowing focus to shift toward Teela. Plus, He-Man wasn’t the show’s only notable causality. Several classic characters lost their lives over the course of just five episodes, and based on how things have progressed, they may not be the last. As the story progresses, there’s a chance more fan-favorites will meet untimely ends.
Unsurprisingly, the character deaths in Revelation haven’t received altogether positive reactions from the fanbase. Since He-Man is a beloved cartoon icon, not everyone has welcomed the decision to kill him off and let Teela take the spotlight. While this position is understandable, how Revelation is moving forward shows that the show was actually right to kill off so many heroes and villains.
Revelation’s Deaths Are Reinventing Masters of the Universe
The deaths featured in Masters of Universe: Revelation have reinvented the characters and stories from the original in meaningful ways. First of all, it’s worth noting that while Revelation isn’t trying to deliver R-rated material, it is trying to be a more mature He-Man cartoon. Allowing the series to grow up is a good thing, considering that part of the point is to appeal to the show’s original viewers from the 1980s. To that end, it’s important that He-Man matures with the audience. Masters of Universe: Revelation achieved that not only through tragic deaths, but also with who it chose to kill off. In the original cartoon as well as the remakes, Orko’s purpose was to provide comedy relief, with much of the humor he created being directed at children. As the silliest aspect of the franchise, Orko doesn’t really have a place in the bigger picture of Revelation, which is why it seems fitting that he was among the casualties. His death helps the show move forward.
Revelation’s Deaths Allow For New & Reimagined Characters
The tragedies experienced by Revelation’s protagonists have paved the way for exciting new heroes and reimagined versions of existing characters. Discovering that Prince Adam and He-Man are one and same in the character’s final moments crushed Teela. Understanding that she was the only important person in his life who didn’t know his secret set her up as Revelation’s main character as well as her own personal arc in the story. These changes she went through made it possible for Revelation to offer a new and more nuanced take on Teela.
Teela wasn’t the only He-Man character impacted by the show’s deaths. No longer the fearful sidekick of the hero, Cringer gained an unlikely role as a voice of reason for Teela. Man-At-Arms stands out as another example of a major He-Man character rebooted by the series’ biggest death. Man-At-Arms being cast out for lying to the king about Prince Adam’s identity following He-Man’s death added a tragic element to his character once he returned to the series. There’s also the matter of Evil-Lynn and Beast Man. The fall of Skeletor led the two villains to an interesting, albeit brief team-up with the heroes.
Teela’s journey in the aftermath of He-Man’s demise has introduced a new protagonist in the form of Andra, who wasn’t in the 1983 cartoon. As an updated version of a comic character with no history in the shows, Andra provides a fun window into Teela’s adventures for newer viewers and breathes some degree of levity into what would otherwise be an incredibly dark atmosphere. It may be that as more episodes are released, Revelation will bring in more new characters capable of imparting something unique onto the show.
Masters of the Universe Isn’t Abandoning He-Man & Skeletor
While it’s true that the show is certainly taking risks, it hasn’t gone too far. Masters of the Universe: Revelation episode 5 served as an indication that it’s not abandoning its two biggest characters. Skeletor is back via a huge twist involving Evil-Lynn’s scepter, and Prince Adam was brought out of Preternia. Though Prince Adam getting stabbed at the end hinted at a second death for He-Man, it may not have been fatal. He-Man dying a meaningless death after giving up a peaceful existence in the afterlife would be dark for sure, but that may not be the direction Revelation is taking the characters.
Remarks from Kevin Smith and He-Man voice actor Kevin Wood suggest that the show isn’t done with the original show’s main hero. Smith commented on the ridiculousness of the notion that Mattel (the owner of the rights to He-Man) would let him kill off Adam. Also, Wood pointed out that episode 5 ends with Prince Adam simply being “wounded”, and not dead. Furthermore, Smith has teased a major He-Man-Skeletor showdown in the episodes to come. He could always be talking about a flashback, but in light of these statements and the popularity of He-Man, it feels more likely that He-Man isn’t going anywhere. But that’s not a problem either, because it doesn’t erase the journeys other characters have experienced in his absence, nor does it change the fact that his secret is out for good. His return wouldn’t undo the importance of his sacrifice because it already transformed the series into a show that’s not reliant on He-Man. Revelation just has to ensure that it maintains this approach.
Ultimately, it appears that what Revelation has done is kill off some big names while simultaneously finding ways to keep its two central characters. In other words, Masters of the Universe: Revelation didn’t make the mistake of killing off the wrong heroes or villains. The deaths of Moss-Man, Orko, and Roboto won’t ruin the show. And as for He-Man and Skeletor, they haven’t been abandoned. Their bitter rivalry is likely to remain integral to their world.