Soon we will all have the power. Netflix and Mattel are bringing back He-Man and the rest of the gang in their upcoming animated series, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, and they’ve just dropped their first look at the new series, revealing a new animation style that looks like a cross between an anime and an ’80s cartoon. The showrunner for the series is Kevin Smith, and Mattel is looking to relaunch the Master of the Universe toyline alongside the show, so prepare for a lot more children yelling, “I have the power!”
Kevin Smith provided the following statement:
I watched all of the TV series growing up, it was everywhere in the ‘80s. These characters started off as toys and ended up becoming part of the global pop culture fabric. So much of this show has been possible because of the love and affection for this world at every level of production and the fandom surrounding this franchise. A big reason we got such top-tier voice talent is because people genuinely want to be a part of this world. So many of us were touched by these stories and these characters early in our lives and were so happy to come back to Eternia. But even if you’ve never watched a single episode of the show or don’t know this universe at all, you can jump right into the story. It’s a really classic, universal action-adventure epic about growth, discovery, magic, and power. This series explores destiny in a fresh way. There’s a lot of reconciling with secrets, betrayal, trust, acceptance, love, and ultimately, loss.
Masters of the Universe: Revelation is not a total reboot, picking up where the insanely popular ’80s cartoon left off but expanding a bit on its episodic nature. The official plotline reads, “After a cataclysmic battle between He-Man and Skeletor, Eternia is fractured and the Guardians of Grayskull are scattered. And after decades of secrets tore them apart, it’s up to Teela to reunite the broken band of heroes, and solve the mystery of the missing Sword of Power in a race against time to restore Eternia and prevent the end of the universe.”
This series promises to dig a bit deeper into the characters and unanswered storylines, delivering an updated version of the cartoon more in line with contemporary animated series that actually progress characters instead of just selling the next toy. They’re also pulling in an all-star cast to give the series a bit more cache. Lena Headey as Evil-Lyn, Chris Wood as Prince Adam / He-Man, and Sarah Michelle Gellar as Teela will join original cast member Alan Oppenheimer as Moss Man. Oppenheimer originally voiced Skeletor in the ’80s cartoon, but he’s been replaced by the only person who is acceptable: Mark Hamill.
This isn’t Netflix’s first time dabbling in the Masters of the Universe… universe. The streamer already successfully rebooted She-Ra, delivering five seasons of popular and critically lauded cartoons.
The first part of Masters of the Universe: Revelation premieres on July 29 and will consist of five 30-minute episodes.
