It’s ironic that Masters of the Universe fans seem to have gotten angrier about the show that made minor changes to the mythology (Masters of the Universe: Revelation) than the one that does a more major remix. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe — the third show to bear that name — changes many aspects of the story. Yet it’s clearly done by fans with deep knowledge of the material, who simply went with a new take. In the new He-Man season 2 trailer, we can see that at work. Particularly in the nerd-level debate at the end over whether the good guys should be called “Masters of the Universe” (per the 2002 cartoon) or “heroic warriors” (as the toy line had it).
In Skeletor’s search for the Sigil of Hiss, we see the likely debut of the Snake Men. Other familiar characters debuting with a new spin include an older Man-E-Faces, a black Stratos similar to the MCU’s Falcon, and gender-flipped Mosquitara. Vehicles take a turn toward the familiar with the appearance of Rotons. And while not everyone likes the Power Rangers-style powering up of good guys and bad guys, it looks like He-Man will get all the strength in at least one key battle. Check out the trailer below:
RELATED: New He-Man Creators Explain Skeletor’s Updated Origin Story
Typically in Masters lore, the Snake Men, led by King Hiss (or Hsss) are the founders of Snake Mountain, and conquerors of Eternia generations before Skeletor. Hiss looks human, but tears his skin off to reveal a mass of snakes. Filmation’s Lou Scheimer found that concept inappropriate for children, so he simply repurposed the snake characters Tung Lashor and Rattlor as members of Hordak’s Horde in the ’80s She-Ra cartoon. The recent She-Ra and the Princesses of Power used Tung Lashor similarly. Only the 2002 cartoon depicted King Hiss on TV. Mini-comics that came with the Classics action figures later revealed the Snake Men as the creation of the Unnamed One, an evil member of Orko’s race of Trollans.
The new cartoon will undoubtedly change parts of that mythology. We’ll find out on March 3.
What do you think of the new He-Man animated series? Let us know in comments.
Recommended Reading: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Minicomic Collection
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This is also a sentence. And so is this. How many will be enough?
