He-man
Encyclopedia : H : HE : HEM : He-man
- ''He Man redirects here. For the Yellow Turban commander, see He Man (Three Kingdoms)
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Overview
As with many parts of the Masters 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, called "The Goddess" in early appearances, 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 Battle Cat, who serves as He-Man's steed. Adam is friendly with the beautiful and strongwilled Teela, the female Captain of the Royal Guard and adoptive daughter of his mentor Duncan alias Man-At-Arms; Teela 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. She's also the true mother of Teela, but had to give her up to Duncan soon after her birth.
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 younger 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 a number of appearances in the 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's true identity was Prince 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).
He-Man and Conan Connection
He-Man was supposedly a Conan toyline, that is until Mattel saw the adult content of so much of the Conan media whether comics or television (including the huge amounts of sex, nudity, blood, not to mention cannibalism done by the cult members). Instead they decided to remake Conan (who was in no way a role model for youngsters due to his barbaric attitude), and He-Man was born.
He-Man was intended to be a Hyborian hero, like Conan but set in Eternia, fighting against the evil necromancer Skeletor (based on Thulsa Doom from the Conan comics) with a magic sword as well as agaisnt some snakemen.
However they changed him into a "king in making" as a prince instead, rather than a barbarian with a kind and caring character emerge into a king (which was later adopted in the children's version of Conan in Conan the Adventurer).
However, Roger Sweet (designer of the original He-Man action figure) denies this direct connection, claiming that in fact, He-Man was created as an attempt by Mattel to get on to the action figure market. Three protoyypes were built on an overmuscled version of Mattel's previous and failed male action hero Big Jim: a spaceman, a military hero, and a barbarian.
Mattel's president hand-picked the barbarian in a business meeting, saying "these have the power", thus unknowingly coming up with He-Man's catchphrase. The line was green-lighted and writers were hired to create a story based on the character. So, creators claim that while Conan was certainly an inspiration, He-Man is not a direct rip-off.
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.
He-Man: The Motion Picture
In 1987, Cannon Films produced "Masters of the Universe: The Motion Picture" which featured Dolph Lundgren in the role of He-Man. Although the film was a flop amongst fans and critics, it has developed a strong cult following over recent years. Despite criticism of poor acting and limited dialogue, many fans claim Lundgren to be the definitive 'live' He-Man (similar to Christopher Reeve's defining portrayal of Superman), due to his blonde hair, muscular physique and meek personality.
Lundgren portrayed He-Man as a down to earth, laid back man of good, with a strong sense of humor.
Despite accusations that Lundgren was "embarrassed" about the movie, he has repeatedly stated his pride in his work in the movie, and notes that He-Man is a "good, old fashioned hero", the likes of which need to be restored in modern society.
Lundgren Quotes on He-Man (from the MOTU Press Guide):
"He-Man is a nobleman, a leader and the quickest of the warriors."
"He is an old-fashioned hero of great strength, sensitivity and good humor. He-Man is truly a Renaissance man, and this makes him a tremendous role model for children in these confusing and changing times."
"Playing He-Man was even more physically demanding than being Drago. Not only was there a tremendous amount of action, but it was very difficult to keep the energy level up and maintain muscular definition over 45 consecutive days of shooting."
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 (not to be confused with the original 'Masters Of The Universe' toy of the same name), 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 was not appropriate for minors; for example, they wouldn't create a Tree of Woe playset or an action figure of Conan slashing an opponent or even Thulsa Doom eviscerating a harlot. 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) was modeled after Thoth-Amon, Conan's other life-long opponent.
- A He-Man parody, He-Bro, appeared in 2006 on the TV show Wonder Showzen which portrays He-Man as a jewish black man who can stretch his muscles like Plastic Man. The feature stays true to the actual Filmation style.
- In the web comic Penny Arcade, the December 16, 2005 issue is a cartoon showing Skeletor vandalizing this article on Wikipedia.
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]
- (1983–1985 series)
- (1987 live action film)
- (1990–1991 series)
- (2002 series)
- [He-ManTales.com - a savage celebration of the Original He-Man]
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