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He-Man

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"He Man" redirects here. For the Yellow Turban commander, see He Man (Three Kingdoms).

Template:Infobox He-Man/She-Ra Character

File:He-man.jpg
He-Man as seen in a DC comic from December, 1982, one of his earliest appearances and preceding the debut of his animated series.

He-Man ("The Most Powerful Man in the Universe") is a heroic fictional character in the toy series Masters of the Universe ("MOTU") and the various spin-off products and media related to it. The most prominent is the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, produced by Filmation Studios. The syndicated series premiered in 1983 and ran until 1985, for a run of 130 episodes. In the series, He-Man and his friends defend Eternia and the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil forces of Skeletor. This was followed in 1990 by The New Adventures of He-Man which has He-Man summoned to the future world of Primus. In 2002, a remake was shown on Cartoon Network. The character's name is presumably based on an old expression in which a "he man" is any macho male, an expression often used in an ironic way.

Overview

Fictional character biography

As with many parts of the Masters of the Universe story, He-Man's background and origins are somewhat retconned 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, but has left behind advanced machinery and weaponry. The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, called "The Goddess" in some 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 is somewhat revised: He-Man's true identity is Prince Adam, the son of King Randor (called King Miro in early literature, a name that would later be given to Adam's grandfather) and Queen Marlena, the rulers of the planet Eternia, who live in the Kingdom of Eternos. Marlena is later stated in the Filmation cartoon series to be from the planet Earth, making He-Man only half-Eternian.

In the new version of events, The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull endows Prince Adam with the power to transform into He-Man by holding aloft his magic sword (called the "Sword of Power", or the "Power Sword") and proclaiming, "By the power of Grayskull...I have the power!". In these early revised versions, the Sword of Power has been split into two halves, with one half entrusted to He-Man, and Skeletor searching for, or occasionally possessing the other half, desperate to possess both halves as it will give him the power to conquer Castle Grayskull. As events were revised further, the concept of the two halves of the Sword of Power was dropped, although it lingered on in some media, with the Sword of Power being one. 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, brave armored green tiger named Battle Cat when filled with the magical power cast from He-Man's sword. Battle Cat, like He-Man, had existed prior to his alter ego, also serves as He-Man's steed and fierce fighting companion.

Adam is friendly with the beautiful and strong-willed Teela, the female Captain of the Royal Guard and adoptive daughter of his mentor Duncan. Adam and Teela grew up together, and now as the Captain of the Guard, Teela is entrusted to protect the Prince, something that she does loyally, although she often sees Adam as lazy and cowardly, not aware of his dual identity as He-Man. Teela is revealed to be the only daughter of The Sorceress, and the future inheritor of Grayskull - however, The Sorceress gave her up for adoption when she was just a baby after her father died.

Duncan - also known as Man-At-Arms - is the Eternian royal family's innovator of technology and weapons. In many episodes, Man-At-Arms unveils new and fantastic weapons that help He-Man and his friends.

Castle Grayskull, which resembles a gigantic skull, is the source of He-Man's powers. Inside the Castle lives the Sorceress, who grant Prince Adam his transformative abilities, and communicates telepathically with He-Man. She also created He-Man's harness from a rare Eternian mineral called Korodite, which adds to his physical strength.

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; with the advent of the She-Ra: Princess of Power series, this list is expanded to also include Adora/She-Ra, Spirit/Swift Wind, Light Hope, Loo-Kee, Madame Razz, and Kowl. The original cartoon series also includes the dragon Granamyr, the cosmic enforcer Zodak and at the end of a later episode, "The Rainbow Warrior" it is lightly hinted, although never confirmed or played on, that Queen Marlena may possibly also know his secret. He-Man is usually accompanied by an assortment of allies in his battles, such as Ram-Man and Stratos.

Later, it is revealed that Adam has a twin 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 makes a number of appearances in the She-Ra: Princess of Power 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 Havoc Staff, a ram's skull atop a large rod, which serves to channel his magic and amplify his powers. The Havok Staff also allows Skeletor to engage in the remote viewing of events on and around Eternia. Though his origin is mysterious, and the cartoon describes him only as a "demon from another dimension," a tie-in comic implies that Skeletor's true identity is Prince Keldor, younger brother of King Randor, thus making him He-Man's uncle. It is revealed in the He-Man motion picture He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword that Skeletor was Hordak's right-hand man up until his capture, and supposed release.

Skeletor's base of operations is Snake Mountain, a fortress made of polished black basalt,[citation needed] 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 lord of the animal world Beast Man, the bionic Trap-Jaw, multi-sighted Tri-Klops, and fish lord Mer-Man.

In the 1980s series, He-Man/Adam is voiced by John Erwin, for many the definitive He-man, a congenial hero with an endless supply of one liners. In the 1987 live-action feature film, he is played by Dolph Lundgren. Gary Chalk provides 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. He does not provide the voice of Prince Adam; Adam is instead voiced by Doug Parker, unlike the 1983 and 2002 series, where Adam and He-Man were voiced by the same actor. In the 2002 series, He-Man is voiced by Cam Clarke.

He-Man and Conan connection

In 1980, Ray Wagner, Mattel President US, requested that Mattel's preliminary designers come up with a proprietary male action line for the company. The reason for doing so was that Mattel would not have to pay royalties to an outside source. Also, Wagner wanted a strong line to compete with the currently popular Star Wars, a license that he had earlier rejected for Mattel. In an attempt to fulfill Wagner's request, the He-Man concept came into existence as initially embodied in the "He-Man Trio", originated, designed and constructed by Roger Sweet. These were three 9½ inch tall prototype figures, each a different version of He-Man. One was of a barbarian fantasy theme. Another was of a military enhanced, G.I. Joe theme. And, the third was of a futuristic military enhanced, Star Wars theme, complete with jet-pack. The three He-Man figure models were casts ultimately taken from an original massively clayed up, beefed up sculpture that Sweet had done over a Big Jim figure.[citation needed]

Near the end of the Mattel product conference where the He-Man Trio was first shown by Sweet alone, Ray Wagner pointed to the three He-Man figures and said, "Those have the power".[citation needed] He-Man's catchphrase on the animated television show may have evolved from that utterance.[citation needed] After that meeting, several months of development work occurred at Mattel before the new Masters Of The Universe line began to hit the market in late 1981. Filmation writers and many other varied personnel joined in to contribute greatly to the success of the line.

History of the He-Man action figure

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He-Man & Battle Cat (1982)

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 also 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; and the figure was also released in 1986 together with the Jet Sled vehicle.

Starting with the third wave of figures in 1984, a different He-Man variant, and corresponding Skeletor variant, was released with each new wave. The first alternate version was entitled Battle Armor He-Man. The chest contained a springloaded rotating drum bearing three "damage indicators". As before, the power sword and battle axe were included. The figure was also re-released the same year, in a two-pack with Battle Armor Skeletor, and the figure was also available packaged with the Road Ripper vehicle. In 1986, the figure was released again, together with Battle Armor Skeletor and Orko.

Another alternate version was released in 1985, 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 mustard 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 the release of 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, which lit up He-Man's Power Sword powered by batteries inserted into the back of the figure. The figure was limited to releases in Italy and Spain, although it also appeared in some major department stores in London, England, and is one of the rarest and most highly sought after figures of the toy-line due to its limited release. This figure is also notable in that, whereas previous alternate versions had stuck to the basic original He-Man head, this new version had a completely new head sculpt, inspired in part by He-Man's appearance in the 1987 movie.

It should also be noted that He-Man, along with all of the early figures, was originally released with a hollow rubber 'squeezable' head. In the later days of the line, the He-Man figure, as with a number of the early figures, was altered to have a solid head. The soft head version is the far more common of the two, with the hard head version being relatively scarce. Thunder Punch He-Man and Flying Fists He-Man were released with hard heads; Battle Armor He-Man, like the original version, was originally released with a soft head, but later also appeared with a hard head. Not all countries of production adopted the later hard head alteration.

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.[citation needed] The figure also included two-piece snap-on space armor. He was also released in double-packs with either 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, was released with a twisting punch action.

2002 toy line

The newest series of Mattel toys designed by the Four Horsemen was produced in tandem with the new cartoon that was aired by Cartoon Network. The new toyline was made surprisingly faithful to the original line, with the characters gently "re-imagined" and updated in terms of sculpting detail rather than radically reinterpreted. Some characters were marginally more redesigned than others with merely more detailed and "mature" sculpts. Most redesigns simply involved making certain elements slightly more hyperbolic. The new He-Man figure was generally faithfull to the original version, although some long-term collectors felt that his muscles had been toned down too much and he now looked "gangly". The strongest point of criticism from many fans was the radical redesign of the Power Sword, which went from its originally slender appearance to what many saw as now being "ugly".

The toyline was ultimately short-lived, lasting less than three years. Many fans and market commentators believe that the line's failure was twofold: an excessive focus on attempting to mass-market the line to a new generation of children rather than focusing on a safer collector-based approach and instead of consistently releasing new characters Mattel massively over-produced gratuitous recolours and variants, sometimes quite minor, of already-released figures. Some fans also feel that the new line was too compromised - while being fairly faithful to the original, at the same time shoe-horning in heavy Manga / Anime and other current trend influences, losing some of the original line's distinctive appeal in the process.

Since the discontinuation of the toyline, NECA toys has taken the unprecedented step of continuing the toyline through the use of action figure sized mini-statues scaled and sculpted to be aesthetically compatible for display alongside the Mattel toys, thus allowing fans to fill out their collections with other Four Horsemen redesigned characters that had yet to be produced as figures when the toyline was cancelled. According to a December 8, 2005 interview with a Mattel representative on he-man.org, NECA offered to produce fully-articulated action figures for Mattel without taking any credit, but permission was denied nevertheless. Instead, NECA was only permitted to produce nonarticulated statues.[1]

He-Man in live action

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Dolph Lundgren as He-Man

In 1987, Cannon Films produced a Live-action film Masters of the Universe which features Dolph Lundgren in the role of He-Man. Although the film was not received well upon its release, it has developed a strong cult following over recent years. Despite accusations that Lundgren was "embarrassed" about the movie, he has repeatedly stated his pride in his work in the movie.[citation needed]

Although generally portrayed in much the same manner as other media, there were several notable differences in the character of He-Man within the movie. His use of a gun in several scenes, rather than his characteristic sword, caused controversy among fans. Also, there was no mention of his secret identity of Prince Adam within the film, implying the makers envisioned him as having only one permanent identity, as is the case in the early mini-comics. There was not even any direct indication that his powers came from Castle Grayskull; nor that he possessed any superhuman abilities, save for a few depictions of enormous strength; such as overpowering Beast Man in a fight and pushing over a giant statue. He is portrayed generally as a standard hero, although widely recognized and regarded as a great leader and Eternia's best hope of survival. However, at the climax of the story he does retrieve his sword from Skeletor and cries "I have the power!", seemingly replenishing his strength. It has also been suggested by fans that, as the movie starts partway into the story, with Skeletor already having captured the Sorceress and taken control of Castle Grayskull, that Prince Adam could have transformed into He-Man prior to the events we see on-screen, and simply did not transform back into Adam during the story due to the critical nature of the situation.

Powers and abilities

He-Man is characterized by his immense strength. In the intro sequence of the 1980s cartoon series he claims to be "The Most Powerful Man in the Universe". Similar wording is also used in early packaging of He-Man toys. He-Man's strength is an issue rarely tackled and seems to vary depending on the adaptation. Typical of most adaptations is that He-Man is often shown successfully attempting feats deemed impossible by other characters. Episodes of the original cartoon also depict him as being able to swim at a far faster rate than is humanly possible.

His physical prowess is not limited to strength, however, and he is also depicted as being extremely fast and acrobatic. These traits do not show themselves in He-Man's movie appearance, but this may had been due to budgetary reasons, as well as the fact that Dolph Lundgren, in the absence of a fitting stunt double, was forced to perform all his own stunts.

On the other hand, He-Man as a character is largely non-violent and usually only resorts to combat as a last resort, usually prefering to outsmart his adversaries, his most violent actions usually consist of picking up an enemy and tossing him away like a rag doll, though the 1987 film and 2002 series show him fighting more aggressively. He-Man is also depicted as a leader, most noticeably in the movie adaptation where he is referred to as the leader of the resistance. Sometimes He-Man's intellect appears to cross a point not within his character, but this usually happened in the original 80s cartoon.

He-Man's primary weapon is his sword, but he also uses other weapons, such as a laser-gun in the film, and equipment while battling his foes. His sword is able to deflect bolts of energy both magical and laser. Originally He-Man's primary weapon was an axe.

Due to his costume he can rarely carry large items with him. The 1980s cartoon depicts He-Man sometimes carrying items in his chest-plate and in some cases in his belt. This has caused some irritation with fans who consider the latter cases as embarrassing to the character. The He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon by Filmation also gives He-Man a number of powers many fans considered silly or over-cartoonish and which in result have not appeared in other versions. Such powers include:

  • He-Man being able to blow, using the full-capacity of his lungs, a gust of wind powerful enough to knock over most opponents (similar to Superman's "super-breath").
  • Able to transform himself into a human tornado (sometimes with the aid of spinning his sword) to divert objects, or even fly short distances on rare occasions ("Evilseed" and "The Shadow of Skeletor" being two such examples).
  • Able to run at high speed, creating a vacuum ("The Once and Future Duke")
  • Able to rub his hands together fast enough to turn sand into glass (as seen in "Temple of the Sun")

There are also dubious feats specific to plot, such as an inexplicable ability to fix a broken chain by merely connecting its both ends ("Evil-Lyn's Plot"), and to adjust the course of one of Eternia's moons by flying a Wind Raider to it and pushing it ("Eternal Darkness").

Other Media

He-Man appeared in the Robot Chicken episode "Toy Meets Girl" voiced by Adam Talbot. In the "Where Are They Now" segment, He-Man is shown as a security guard.

Trivia

  • 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.
  • He-Man was briefly spoofed in the fifth season The Simpsons episode "The Front". An animation awards ceremony included a clip of 'Strong-Dar: Master of Akom: The Wedding Episode'. There were physical similarities between the two characters, primarily being blond and muscular.
  • He-Man was parodied in an episode of Round The Bend (a children's TV show shown on ITV in the UK), as Wee-Man and The Masters of The Loo-nyverse.
  • He-Man was briefly seen in the 4th season of Family Guy episode "Brian the Bachelor" jumping on a donkey as Prince Adam, then changing into He-Man, complete with the appropriate music and sound effects.
  • Ludacris recently did a track on the Pre-Release Therapy: The Truth Shall Set U Free Mixtape called 'He-Man' making references to the original cartoon series. The He-Man theme song is sampled within the track.
  • He-Man was parodied in an Adult Swim show, Robot Chicken. In a "where are they now" style sketch, he is portrayed as an overzealous mall security guard. In another episode where Lindsay Lohan is in a Highlander parody, she holds up her sword as lightning courses through her after decapitating Amanda Bynes, shouting 'I have the power'. She points her sword at a nearby cat and fires energy at it, similar to how He-Man transformed Cringer into Battle Cat. However, the cat simply disintegrates.
  • In the Real Ghostbusters episode "Station Identification", numerous TV show parodies are run, including "Power Guy", a He-Man jab who protected the planet Petunia. Power Guy was portrayed as overly-muscled, stupid and mean, and was arguably one of many insults the cartoon took at competing cartoons. Of note, however, is that Filmation, the studio that animated He-Man, also owned the "Ghost Busters" franchise which, while Columbia was able to secure the name for the movie, Filmation would not allow for the cartoon. Filmation chose instead to revive their own series with a "Ghost Busters" cartoon at the same time and as such, the Power Guy spoof may have been a direct insult. Though in an ironic twist, DiC (the studio animating RGB) would later animate the New Adventures of He-Man series.
  • Spanish rapper Tote King makes a reference to He-Man in the song "Uno contra 20 MCs" from his album Música para enfermos: he visto a He-Man de gimnasio, llorar como una nena cuando el jefe despidió sin compasión sus servicios, which translates as "I've seen He-Man on the gym, crying like a girl when his boss got rid of his services mercilessly."
  • There is a reference to He-Man in Simon Pegg's movie 'Hot Fuzz', both Nick Frost and Pegg use the line 'By the Power of Grayskull!' when confronted with an awe-inspiring scene.
  • The cross symbol on He-Man's harnass buckle--technically a cross pattée--is best known for its use in the German military decoration, the Iron Cross. It is omitted from the 1987 movie and 2002 revamp, although very early figures did have it.
  • Cam Clarke, who voiced He-Man and Prince Adam in the 2002 version, also voiced the superhero Thor in the videogame Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. It is notable that one of Thor's battlecries is "By the Power of Asgard!"

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "News archive Oct-December 2005". He-Man.org. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
  2. ^ Latchem, John (2006). "Filmation Nation". Agent DVD Online. Retrieved from http://www.agentdvdonline.com/agentdvd/v42/index.cvn?ID=10015 on July 30, 2006. Interview with Lou Scheimer. Excerpt from Scheimer: "[The dual identity for He-Man] was really inspired by Billy Batson and Captain Marvel, from the 1970s “Shazam” show. It was this kid who became a superhero. His background is really more interesting than Superman’s. One of the reasons I like Captain Marvel is it really empowered kids. So on He-Man, we’re going from an 18-year-old kid to He-Man."
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