Masters of the Universe: Revelation introduced several past Champions of Eternia - and here's all you need to know about them. Kevin Smith's Masters of the Universe: Revelation may be controversial, but it was without doubt made by one of the franchise's most eager fans. The showrunner clearly views his series as something of a love letter to all things He-Man, drawing deep of the Masters of the Universe lore.
This was particularly visible when Teela's quest to restore the Sword of Power forced her to visit Eternia's Heaven and Hell. The Hell dimension was cleverly handled, hinting at Skeletor's origin story as a demon who found his way into the land of the living, and facing Teela and her friends against the Masters of the Universe equivalent of the Devil himself. But Heaven was even more remarkable: Preternia, the eternal reward of all Eternia's Champions. There, Teela was reunited with her friend Prince Adam, and discovered some of the past Champions of Eternia as well.
Smith used this as an opportunity to dive deep into He-Man lore; all the Champions of Eternia seen in this afterlife are established figures in the franchise, although Smith has switched up a few details where he felt that was necessary. Here's all you need to know about the Champions who have protected Eternia in times gone by.
King Grayskull was the First Champion of Eternia
King Grayskull was the first Champion of Eternia, the one who forged the Sword of Power itself. His story is told in the Masters of the Universe: Revelation prequel comic by Kevin Smith, Rob David, Tim Sheridan, and Mindy Lee, which revealed that in his time, Eternia was threatened by the Snake Men. They unleashed a creature called the Orlax upon Grayskull's son, forcing him to go to desperate lengths to create a weapon that could kill the extradimensional entity - the Sword of Power. In earlier versions, King D'Vann Grayskull was described as an ancestor of Prince Adam who fought against both the Snake Men and Hordak's Evil Horde, and who ultimately sacrificed his life to save Eternia. According to an action figure released in 2002, the Sword of Power was intended to summon his power - explaining He-Man's battle-cry - and his spirit dwells deep beneath Castle Grayskull. Kevin Smith has clearly taken a different approach with Grayskull, and he's also made He-Man's predecessor Black, a nice way of incorporating some elements of diversity into Masters of the Universe lore. The skin color may have changed, but the costume is very much reminiscent of the Grayskull action figure from 2002.
He-Ro
According to the tie-in comic, Ro was the second son of Grayskull, and the crown passed to him after his elder brother was killed by the Orlax. Ironically, he was inspired by the heroics of a time-traveling He-Man, and thus claimed the Sword of Power to succeed Grayskull as Eternia's Champion. Smith has adapted this character from one Mattell created in 1987 as the centerpiece of a spin-off line of action figures that would have been set in Eternia's prehistoric past; there, He-Ro was a wizard who protected Eternia from the forces of evil. That line was canceled, but Mattell brought this version of He-Ro back in 2009, with a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive figure; they revealed he was a contemporary of King Grayskull who married his daughter and thus became an ancestor of He-Man and She-Ra. Amusingly, there is actually another version of He-Ro in Masters of the Universe lore - the future son of He-Man and Teela in one timeline.
Vikor
Vikor Vikorra was a prehistoric version of He-Man introduced as part of the Classics range of toys released in 2011, based on concept art for the original series. According to the character profile on his box, Vikor was chosen by the Goddess to help protect the Sword of Power while all Eternia waited for the next Champion to be born. He was a short-lived hero, but he became a legend for his battles against the Snake Men, the Fighting Foe Man, and Tyrantula and her remnant of Arachna warriors. Vikor's story has obviously been switched up a little in Masters of the Universe: Revelation, given He-Ro claimed the Sword of Power immediately after Grayskull in this story.
Wun-Dar
In 1981, Mattel released a promotional variant He-Man figure that sported a different color scheme and was intended to be a savage who had earned the trust of the Goddess in Eternia's past, being blessed with her power and weapons as a result. The variant became famous when copies went up for sale on eBay in the late '90s, and in 2010 Hasbro released a new copy of the figure. This revealed the savage Champion was called Wun-Dar, and he lived 100 years before Prince Adam. Curiously, Wun-Dar came with a pair of swords that could be clipped together, a concept Kevin Smith would incorporate into Masters of the Universe: Revelation as the origin of the Sword of Power.
Kuduk Ungol
Masters of the Universe: Revelation viewers can be forgiven for being surprised to see one person in Preternia who is clearly not a Champion - Kudul Ungol, the Sorceress' predecessor. She was introduced in the classic He-Man & the Masters of the Universe episode "Origin of the Sorceress," one of the most important episodes in He-Man lore because it established many elements that would be important for the She-Ra spinoff TV series - including the Sword of Protection, twin of the Sword of Power and She-Ra's weapon. According to the original series, she was sworn into serving as Castle Grayskull's protector, and remained there for untold years until she sensed her time of death was close. Fortunately, a woman named Teela Na arrived at Grayskull seeking the power to ward off an evil sorcerer, and Kudul Ungol offered Teela both her powers and her responsibilities. Presumably, Kudul Ungol's heroism led to her being granted a place in Preternia as well, the only non-Champion seen there. Her knowledge of the mystic arts may make her an important presence in Preternia, because it's possible she will know secrets that lead the Champions to help in the battle against Skeletor.