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He-Man (Filmation)

This article is about the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe character. You may be looking for the original character.

He-Man is the alter ego of Prince Adam and also the twin brother of She-Ra. He-Man and his friends defend Eternia and the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil forces of Skeletor.

History

By the time the Filmation series was being developed, He-Man's origins had been revised as follows: his true identity is Prince Adam of Eternia, son of King Randor and Queen Marlena who live in the palace of Eternos along with Adam and the rest of their inner circle. The Queen, originally Captain Marlena Glenn, was a lost astronaut from the planet Earth. The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull endows Prince Adam with the power to transform into He-Man, which Adam does by holding aloft his Power Sword and proclaiming: "By the power of Grayskull..."

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Prince Adam's pet is a faint-hearted green tiger named Cringer. Whenever Adam becomes He-Man, he similarly transforms Cringer (in the latter's presence) into a lion-hearted armored green tiger named Battle Cat. Battle Cat serves as He-Man's "steed" and fierce fighting companion; like He-Man, he was created prior to his alter ego.

Adam is sociable with the ravishing and strong-willed Teela, the adoptive daughter of his mentor, Man-At-Arms/Duncan. Adam and Teela grew up together and now, as Captain of the Eternian Royal Guard, Teela is entrusted to defend the prince. She often sees Adam as work-shy and faint-hearted because she is unaware of his alternate identity as He-Man. Teela is revealed to be the only daughter of the Sorceress and the future inheritor of Grayskull; the Sorceress chose adoption for Teela after her father passed away, when she was just an infant.

Duncan, also known as Man-At-Arms, is He-Man's closest companion and the Eternian royal family's innovator of technology and weapons. In many episodes, Man-At-Arms unveils new and fantastic weapons or devices that assist He-Man and his allies.

Castle Grayskull is the source of He-Man's powers. Inside the Castle lives the Sorceress, who grants Prince Adam his transformative abilities, and communicates telepathically with He-Man. The episode Evil-Lyn's Plot reveals (in dialogue He-Man delivers) that she also created He-Man's harness from a rare Eternian mineral called coridite, which adds to his physical strength.

To guard his family, He-Man keeps his double identity secret, sharing the knowledge only with Man-At-Arms, Orko, Cringer/Battle Cat, and the Sorceress; with the advent of the She-Ra: Princess of Power series, this list is expanded to also include Adora/She-Ra, Spirit/Swift Wind, Light Hope, Loo-Kee, Madame Razz and Kowl. The original cartoon series also includes the dragon Ganamyr and the cosmic enforcer Zodac being in on He-Man's secret. The episode The Rainbow Warrior also strongly hints that Queen Marlena has worked out He-Man's secret but will not confess. He-Man is typically accompanied by an assortment of allies in his battles, such as Ram Man and Stratos.

The spin-off cartoon series She-Ra: Princess of Power later revealed that Adam has a twin sister, the Princess Adora, a former force captain of the Horde turned leader in the Great Rebellion against Hordak on the planet Etheria. Adora, like Adam, is 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 makes a number of appearances in She-Ra: Princess of Power.

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. Though his origin is enigmatic, and the cartoon describes him only as a "demon from another dimension". It’s revealed in the animated motion picture He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword that Skeletor was Hordak's right-hand man up until his capture, and supposed release. Skeletor is accompanied by a group of henchmen who aid with his wicked schemes.[1]

According to Lou Scheimer, executive producer of the Filmation animated series, the idea of He-Man having a teenage alter-ego was derived by from the Fawcett/DC Comics character Captain Marvel, about whom Filmation had already produced two TV series: Shazam! and The Kid Superpower Hour with Shazam!. He-Man's twin sister She-Ra was created as a female spin-off, as Captain Marvel's twin sister Mary Marvel would have been.[2]

Appearances

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983)

Season One (1983)

Season Two (1984-1985)

Movie/TV Special

She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985)

Season One (1985)

Season Two (1986)

References

  1. ↑ http://www.he-man.org/cartoon/exclusivefeatures/exclusive-he-man-seriesguide-3.shtml
  2. ↑ Latchem, John (2006). "Filmation Nation". Agent DVD Online. Retrieved from http://agentdvdonline.com/agentdvd/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=439045 on July 30, 2006. Interview with Lou Scheimer. Excerpt from Scheimer: "[The dual identity for He-Man] was really inspired by Billy Batson and Captain Marvel, from the 1970s “Shazam” show. It was this kid who became a superhero. His background is really more interesting than Superman’s. One of the reasons I like Captain Marvel is it really empowered kids. So on He-Man, we’re going from an 18-year-old kid to He-Man."

External links