Warning: Spoilers for the first five episodes of Masters of the Universe: Revolution
Ending on an intense showdown between He-Man and Skeletor, Masters of the Universe: Revolution part 1 shook up the status quo for several of the franchise’s flagship characters. Picking up sometime after the ending of Kevin Smith’s Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Netflix’s new animated series continued the storied rivalry of He-Man and Skeletor, with both new and familiar enemies thrown into the mix. With aid from Hordak and Motherboard, Skeletor successfully pulled a ruse on the people of Eternia by posing as the late King Randor’s exiled half-brother, Keldor.
Revolution’s story took a turn as it became evident that, unknowingly, Skeletor really was Keldor. The discovery helped motivate Skeletor into betraying his allies, once again making him the true antagonist of He-Man’s new adventure. The conflict culminated in He-Man and Skeletor coming to blows, just as Teela and Lyn’s quest to restore Preternia came to a climax as well. The convergence of the two arcs and how they played out laid the groundwork for new challenges for the heroes to face, presumably in Masters of the Universe: Revolution’s second half.
He-Man & Teela Unlock New Upgrades
Masters of the Universe: Revolution episode 5, titled “The Scepter and the Sword,” started out with massive changes to He-Man and Teela’s new designs. Both characters received power-ups when Orko and Gwildor arrived on the scene. Their storyline, featured in previous episodes, saw the two work on modifications to He-Man’s famous sword. Once reunited with it in episode 5, Prince Adam unlocked its new power and instead of using it to turn Cringer into Battle Cat, shared it with Teela. The nature of their new looks was reflected by comments by Skeletor, who observed both them and his own “Skeletor 2.0″ upgrade as a “nexus between magic and technology.“
Their new transformations have led to a new sort of partnership for He-Man and Teela. The two, who finally become romantic upon unlocking their transformations, have essentially become equals. It seems He-Man and Teela will be fighting as a couple from now on, both boasting the same power levels. That naturally creates an uncertain future for Cringer. He didn’t transform, which is an indication that his days of being Battle Cat have come to an end now that Teela is He-Man’s new partner.
The Resurrection Of Preternia Leads To He-Man’s Victory
Even with his new power, He-Man still struggled to contend with Skeletor, and the tide only turned in his favor when the spirit of King Randor appeared. Teela, having acquired power from all three gods after getting the staff of Havoc, was able to finish restoring Preternia. This allowed Randor and many of the other heroes who died – both in Revolution and Revelation – to take part in the big fight. Moss Man, The Sorceress, Fisto, He-Ro, and first Eternia champion Wun-Dar were all spotted among the massive cast of dead Masters of the Universe heroes granted places in Preternia, meaning that each character’s sad death has been rectified with a happy ending.
This included Granamyr, the red dragon and classic Masters of the Universe villain who decided to give Teela the power of Ka. After choosing to help Teela and do some good in his final stage of life, Granamyr secured himself a place in Preternia, as demonstrated by the scene that showed him standing amidst the other fallen characters. Through his heroic act, Granamyr too earned a happy ending.
Skeletor Is Restored To His Original Form
After getting stabbed by He-Man’s sword, Skeltor was reverted to his original appearance, before his evolution into the iconic, skull-faced villain he’s recognized as today. He’s back to being Keldor, the character voiced by William Shatner. Masters of the Universe: Revolution ended with him imprisoned by his enemies, but the shot of Keldor seeing the reflection of Skeletor staring back at him when looking at his crown is a subtle hint of what his future could be. It’s possible that the battles to come will give Keldor an opportunity to become Skeletor again and renew his conflict with He-Man.
Eternia Becomes A Democracy
In the aftermath of his win, He-Man made a game-changing decision for Eternia by formally declaring an end to its current power structure. After getting tricked by Randor nearly led to its downfall, He-Man decided that no individual should be solely responsible for Eternia’s future. To fix this, He-Man decided that “the people” would rule Eternia. In other words, Eternia has gone from a kingdom to a democracy with elected leaders. Due to this change, He-Man won’t become king, nor will he continue to be “Prince Adam” now that the monarchy has been absolved.
Not only that, but it’s made apparent that He-Man won’t take an interest in running for election either. Realizing earlier in Revolution that it would be wrong for him to try to rule while being He-Man at the same time, Adam accepted that he had to choose between them and subsequently picked his role as He-Man as his top priority. As for who might lead with Adam taking a backseat, Andra was teased as a potential candidate, with both He-Man and Teela expressing their support for her if she were to run for office.
Evil-Lyn Completes Her Redemption Story, Joins The Cosmic Enforcers
On top of the new futures teased for He-Man, Skeletor, Teela, and Andra, Masters of the Universe: Revolution gave a new job to Lyn, who has officially dropped “Evil” from her title. Shortly before his death, Granamyr called Lyn “Good-Lyn,” which signaled the completion of Lynn’s redemption arc. It was followed up with a scene that saw Lyn accept membership in the Cosmic Enforcers, a lesser-known organization in He-Man’s universe with very little established history.
In the classic cartoon, they were called the Council of Elders, though “Cosmic Enforcer” is a title that’s been associated with them in the past. Primarily, they were a group dedicated to preserving “balance” in the universe, which means they aren’t considered truly good or evil. Their goal of fighting for “balance” was noted in episode 5 by a character recognized as Zodac, the leader of the Council of Elders and a returning character from the original series.
Is She-Ra The Villain Of Masters Of The Universe: Revolution Part 2?
The last scene of Masters of the Universe: Revolution episode 5 set up the villains for the latter half of the season. A mysterious female character was shown speaking to an unconscious Hordak, who apparently survived his battle with Skeletor. She told him that once “Horde Prime” heals him, the two will return to Eternia to defeat Skeletor and He-Man. The credits identify this person as Despara, a name once taken by She-Ra, He-Man’s sister and the protagonist of her own franchise. “Despara” is the name of her evil alter ego in He-Man’s comics.
Interestingly, Kevin Smith previously stated that rights issues with DreamWorks (which own She-Ra) prevented her from appearing in the revival [via Den of Geek]. This may have been resolved though, as it looks like she and Hordak will be the villains of Masters of the Universe: Revolution part 2, along with Horde-Prime, an evil cosmic being of great power. This alliance between She-Ra and Hordak makes sense, especially when keeping in mind that the lost daughter of Randor was raised by Hordak in the original canon. It remains to be seen if their impending team-up will pave the way for Despera to go from villain to hero and officially become She-Ra.
Masters of the Universe: Revolution
- Release Date
- January 25, 2024
- Cast
- Mark Hamill , chris wood , William Shatner , Melissa Benoist
- Seasons
- 1
