Although it may seem hard to believe, Masters of the Universe‘s He-Man only exists because of Skeletor‘s heroism. In 2013, writer Keith Giffen and artist Pop Mhan gave the franchise a shot in the arm with the comic series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, fleshing out the character’s backstories. In issue two, they reveal that Skeletor, before he became evil, saved the life of He-Man’s father King Randor when he was an infant.
The Masters of the Universe toy-line is one of the most successful in history, selling millions of units worldwide, and it continues to find fans even today. First launched in the 1980s, the successful toy-line was bolstered by a popular cartoon. At its core, Masters of the Universe was a basic story of good versus evil where, every episode, He-Man and his allies would turn back Skeletor and his forces. The original cartoon was light on backstory, but subsequent incarnations of the franchise have fleshed out the characters, including Skeletor. In the 2002 reboot, Skeletor was revealed to have once been called Keldor – and he was not always evil. Instead, Keldor was a hero who sought out power, ultimately being corrupted and joining forces with the evil warlock Hordak. Indeed, Skeletor was formerly human – as Keldor, he staged a raid on Castle Grayskull and during the melee, acid was thrown on his face, turning him into Skeletor.
In He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #2, by Giffen and Mhan, as Hordak lays waste to Eternia, King Randor reveals to his son Prince Adam that the evil sorcerer has sought revenge against King Grayskull’s bloodline for centuries, swearing to corrupt it. He even attempted to abduct Randor when he was an infant, and was only thwarted by Keldor. While the hero would later be turned into Prince Adam’s greatest nemesis, it’s shockingly confirmed that without him, He-Man wouldn’t have been born.
Skeletor Used to Be a Hero
Much like Prince Adam, long-time Masters of the Universe fans may be shocked that Skeletor was responsible, albeit indirectly, for creating He-Man – his future nemesis. Once upon a time, Skeletor was not the evil, hate-filled villain he would become, but instead a good person, whose ambition and hubris unfortunately outstripped him and led him down a dark path. Although he did not realize it at the time, by saving the infant Randor’s life, Skeltor not only ensured his own eventual downfall, but that Eternia would have a champion and the Grayskull bloodline would not fall under Hordak’s influence. Of course, a generation later, Keldor, seeking power, himself fell under Hordak’s sway. As Skeletor, he attempted to help Hordak fulfill his grand plan to corrupt the Grayskull bloodline by abducting Randor’s children, the twins Adam and Adora, but Skeletor was only successful in kidnapping Adora.
Knowing that Skeletor was once a good and noble person makes him a tragic figure. His ambition led him to betray his former friends and making a deal with the devil. Skeletor’s legacy of evil is a big one, but fortunately Eternia’s heroes have been around to keep him in check. Unbeknownst to Skeletor, however, is that He-Man and the Masters of the Universe are only able to defeat him because of his own heroic past.
