He-Man: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:He-man 06.jpg|thumb|He-Man as he appeared in the 2002 series]] |
[[Image:He-man 06.jpg|thumb|He-Man as he appeared in the 2002 series]] |
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[[Image:He-Man and masters of universe2002.jpg|thumb|He-Man VS. Skeletor 2002]] |
[[Image:He-Man and masters of universe2002.jpg|thumb|He-Man VS. Skeletor 2002]] |
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As with many parts of the '' |
As with many parts of the ''Gay Man 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. |
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In the earliest series of [[minicomic]]s 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]] gives He-Man special powers and weapons, and he sets out to defend the secrets of [[Castle Grayskull]] from the evil villain [[Skeletor]]. |
In the earliest series of [[minicomic]]s 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]] gives He-Man special powers and weapons, and he sets out to defend the secrets of [[Castle Grayskull]] from the evil villain [[Skeletor]]. |
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Revision as of 19:14, 14 April 2006
He-Man ("The Most Powerful Man in the Universe") is the fictional heroic lead 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.
He was voiced by John Erwin in the original Masters cartoon.
Overview
As with many parts of the Gay Man 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 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 Battlecat, who serves as He-Man's steed. Adam is friendly with Teela, the female Captain of the Royal Guard, who 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. Part falcon and part woman, she possesses the magical ability to fully change herself into a falcon. The Sorceress is among the most powerful magic-wielders on Eternia. She can only utilize the power within Castle Grayskull for its protection. She also 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 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 several 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 was 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. 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).
Powers and abilities
He-Man is the "most powerful man in the universe." However, since he is half earthling, half Eternian, it is ambiguous whether his physical abilities limit that of humans or Eternians. Because Eternians seem to have an over-all better physical condition than humans (as evidenced by other Eternians in the He-man cartoons) it may be assumed that He-man is the strongest Eternian man in the universe.
In any event He-Man is strong enough to overpower nearly all of his adversaries. He has lifted and hurled mountains in several of the Filmation episodes, and in one instance lifted Castle Grayskull. However he rarely just beats someone up, but instead will try to outwit his opponent—due mostly to the censors of the time. Because of his extreme physical strength, He-man has high stamina and does not easily tire. Despite his bulging muscles, he is quite athletic and agile. He can jump immensely high and is a fast sprinter. In the 1983 cartoon, He-Man was occasionally displayed as having the ability to fill his lungs with air and release it with such force that he can actually knock enemies off their feet, not unlike Superman's super breath. The cartoon also indicated that He-man could spin his sword fast enough to create tornadoes, and in various older episodes he could summon a vehicle to his side simply by whistling.
He-man is also known for hiding small helpful gadgets under his vest such as flash-bombs, scanners and others. His lack of clothing however often caused problems for animators when explaining where He-Man carried anything, the episode "The Search for the VHO" is particularly famous for containing a sequence where He-Man sticks the VHO (a sonic device roughly the size and shape of a standard flashlight) down his pants. He-Man's sword (the Power Sword) is displayed as being able to deflect anything from laser-beams to various magical projectiles and even (in the case of dragons) fire. This ability was used quite often as running joke in the original series. He also wears a special harness made of a rare mineral called Korodite which helps add to his physical strength.
History of the He-Man action figure
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.
In 1984, an alternate version entitled Battle Armor He-Man was released. 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.
In 1985 another alternate version was released, 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 yet 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.
Designer Roger Sweet claims to be the chief creator of He-Man and MOTU, although this is not officially acknowledged by Mattel.
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, was released with a twisting punch action.
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 wasn't something for minors to handle like they couldn't create a tree of woe playset. 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) from Thoth-Amon, Conan's other life-long opponent.
See also
- List of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe episodes (1983 series)
- He-Man character guide
- He-Man vehicle guide
External links
- He-Man.org - The most comprehensive He-Man site
- Masters Cast First He-Man and She-Ra Podcast
- CastleGrayskull.org
- He-man's Biography
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe at IMDb (1983–1985 series)
- Masters of the Universe at IMDb (1987 live action film)
- The New Adventures of He-Man at IMDb (1990–1991 series)
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe at IMDb (2002 series)