Warning: Spoilers for Masters of the Universe: Revolution part 1
A major character addition in Masters of the Universe: Revolution builds a bridge between the classic show and the live-action movie. Two years after the conclusion of Fillmmation’s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon in 1985, Dolph Lundgren starred as He-Man in a live-action adaptation that pitted him against Frank Langella’s Skeletor. Directed by Gary Goddard, the 1987 movie is remembered as a massive box office failure. Despite the popularity of the Mattel action figures and the shows focused on them, the film remains Hollywood’s first and last interpretation of He-Man’s story.
Goddard’s Masters of the Universe movie took on a daunting task by trying to bring Eternia to the big screen. But rather than just give life to He-Man’s sword-and-sorcery fantasy world, Masters of the Universe made the surprising move of incorporating modern-day Earth into the narrative. Masters of the Universe was essentially a story about what happens when worlds collide, as it saw a trio of characters from California meet Dolph Lundgren’s He-Man. While this seemingly created a massive gap between it and all other He-Man material, Netflix’s new show has chosen to embrace it.
Gwildor’s Connection To The 1987 He-Man Movie Explained
Among the most surprising characters roped into Masters of the Universe: Revolution’s story is Gwildor, a character recognized for his long ears, furry appearance, and dwarf-like stature. Unlike most of the show’s cast, Gwildor was never in the Fillmmation series; instead, he originated in the 1987 film. Played by Billy Barty, Gwildor was a Therunian inventor whose creation, the Cosmic Key, was stolen on Skeletor’s behalf by Evil-Lyn. Its theft is ultimately what kicked off the main story, as it resulted in He-Man, Teela, and Man-At-Arms’ quest to stop the villain.
The Cosmic Key’s teleportation powers are the reason why He-Man, Man-At-Arms, and Teela wound up in California sharing an adventure with the movie’s three Earth-born characters, Julie, Kevin, and Lubic. With Gwildor playing a central role in their efforts, the group was able to defeat Skeletor and set things back to normal. Aside from comics and toys, Gwildor wasn’t utilized again – until Masters of the Universe: Revolution episode 3, which brought him back into focus after a 37-year absence from the franchise.
Gwildor’s Revolution Role Strongly Hints The Movie Is Masters Of The Universe Canon
Because Gwildor is original to the Masters of the Universe movie and wasn’t in any other He-Man cartoon, his role in Masters of the Universe: Revolution calls into question the possibility that the events of the film occurred in the continuity of it and the original series. Revolution and Masters of the Universe: Revelation are meant to serve as sequels to the 1980s Fillmmation classic, but the movie has always stood on its own. The presence of Gwildor in Revolution, at the very least, narrows the distance between them. His dialogue in the show only deepens the 1987 movie’s connections to the shows.
When Gwildor is found by Orko and Man-At-Arms in Masters of the Universe: Revolution, Gwildor hesitates to open the door when told about Skeletor’s plot, claiming, “Skeletor means another adventure!” Clearly, Gwildor is suggesting that he’s already been a part of one battle to stop Skeletor. That would be true, of course, if the 1987 movie is canon. Gwildor was heavily involved in that story, which forced him to leave his home and help He-Man and his allies beat Skeletor’s forces on Earth.
How Did Masters Of The Universe: Revolution Use THAT Character?
The final scene of Masters of the Universe: Revolution episode 5 teaches a shocking new character addition, one that supposedly couldn’t appear.
Both in the show and the movie, Gwildor was quick to express his reluctance to help. In the 1987 movie, he famously said, “I don’t like adventures.” It was easy to see Masters of the Universe: Revolution’s Gwildor as the exact same version of the character when he dropped the line, “And how many times do I have to say it? I don’t like adventures!” Not only that, but it should be noted that He-Man, Teela, and Man-At-Arms didn’t treat Gwildor as a stranger. All things considered, it looks like their quest from Masters of the Universe did indeed happen in the canon of the shows.
Masters Of The Universe Being Canon With The Cartoon Makes Sense
While He-Man going to Earth remains hard to imagine, it’s worth noting that there’s no real barrier that stands in the way of a link between the cartoons and the Masters of the Universe movie. All the classic characters that appeared in the film – He-Man, Skeletor, Teela, Man-At-Arms, Sorceress, and Beast Man – survived the ending. The only major causality, Karg, was an original character, and thus unimportant to the wider narrative. Skeletor was presumed dead, but the final scene confirmed he was still alive.
Everyone else went back to their proper places in the Masters of the Universe world and it can be assumed that in time, Skeletor too came back and renewed his conflict with He-Man. What all this means is that the status quo wasn’t altered for any of the core He-Man heroes or villains. In other words, it’s not impossible that Masters of the Universe’s story was an adventure that took place between the Filmmation cartoon and Revelation.
Why Revolution’s Movie Connection Means For Masters Of The Universe Lore
Gwildor’s official introduction into Masters of the Universe canon, and his remarks in episode 3, change what was previously understood about the lore of the franchise. The movie’s exploration of modern-day Earth is what made it an outlier, and now it’s been strongly inferred that people from Eternia (including He-Man) have actually been there in the history of the show as well. Admittedly, this connection is unlikely to hold any long-term implications, though that scenario shouldn’t be ruled out altogether.
If Gwildor makes more appearances going forward in Masters of the Universe: Revolution and the installments that follow, the Cosmic Keys could yield all sorts of exciting stories. Another adventure to a place as disconnected from fantasy as Earth feels far-fetched to say the least, but Gwildor’s technology being used to facilitate adventures into new locations isn’t unfeasible. It’s also possible it could take its Easter eggs to the 1987 film to the next level by including a cameo or a reference to Lubic, the detective from Earth who settled down to make a life for himself in Eternia when Masters of the Universe ended.
