# Masters of the Universe: Revelation is Entertaining World Building

- Link: https://www.nyrdcast.com/masters-of-the-universe-revelation-is-entertaining-world-building/
- Published: 2021-07-27T14:05:00-05:00
- Author: Eugene Tierney

Last week, Netflix released the first 5 episodes _Masters of the Universe: Revelation_
last week; judging by the internet’s reaction, you would think that the Kevin Smith
led show was responsible for the release of Covid. A large segment of fans complained
that the show shit on their childhood, it pushed a female agenda over nostalgia,
and that Kevin Smith wanted to give the middle finger to fans.

[[

If you go in without a bias of the characters, this is a show of character building
and creating a bigger world for a property that was only made to sell action figured.
I watched the series when I was a kid and still have my action figures; I’ve recently
re-watched a few episodes and, much like other ’80s cartoons, they didn’t hold up.
The characters had no depth and the stories were pretty much the same from episode
to episode.

The series starts with Skeletor (Mark Hamill) in disguise, getting the jump on the
Sorceress (Susan Eisenberg) at Castle Grayskull. It leads to a giant battle where
He-Man (Chris Wood) sacrifices himself to save the day and Eternia. Skeletor is 
also gone as well. The remaining heroes return to King Randor (Diedrich Bader) and
Queen Marlena (Alicia Silverstone), where they announce He-Man is dead. The Queen
reveals she knew Adam was He-Man, which crushed both the King and Teela (Sarah Michelle
Gellar). Teela quits her newly appointed position of Man At Arms because everyone
has been keeping this secret from her.

Fast forward and Teela is a mercenary. She, along with her partner Andra (Tiffany
Smith), are being tasked with finding artifacts for an old lady that is revealed
to be Evil-Lyn (Lena Headey). Teela and Andra eventually run into her father Man-
At-Arms (Liam Cunningham) and discover that Orko (Griffin Newman) is dying because
magic disappeared with He-Man and Skeletor. To save Eternia, Tela, Andra, Orko, 
Roboto (Justin Long), Evil-Lyn, and Beast Man (Kevin Michael Richardson) go on a
quest to remake the Sword of Power. They find Adam in Preternia, a version of Vahalla
for Eternia. Roboto is able to remake the sword by sacrificing himself, and Orko
sacrifices himself to allow the team to return to Eternia and restore Castle Grayskull
and Magic. Adam decides to return with the team, and as he lifts the sword to restore
the magic, Skeletor is released from a magic relic that Evil-Lyn was carrying to
kill He-Man and take the Sword of Power.

Yes, He-Man dies twice; but each death is well done and advances the storyline. 
The more impressive death is that of Orko; he starts the series as the Orko from
the old show, but he makes major leaps as a character with the help of Evil-Lyn.
In fact, the Orko/Evil-Lyn scenes are probably the high point of the series.

Here’s the main thing – Teela is the star of the show. She goes from a supporting
character to one that can carry the series; she is very smart and strong in this
series and we see her evolve from replacement supporting character to the savior
of the realm. And maybe that is why those fans are butthurt…He-Man wasn’t the main
character of the series; if he were, they’d probably have called it He-Man and the
Masters of the Universe.

It brings us back to the age old issue of fandom: when we are fans of stuff from
our childhood, we put it on a pedestal. When _Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace_
came out, fans shit all over it because of the acting, writing, and characters. 
If you take an objective look at the original, the acting is pretty bad, the writing
is cliche, and some of the characters (specifically the Ewoks) are as annoying as
Jar Jar Binks. This cycle repeated itself with _Star Wars Episode VII: The Force
Awakens_. People shit on it for the story. While I wasn’t a complete fan of the 
sequels, I enjoyed them for what they were…more Star Wars. Fans should be happy 
that there is more MOTU and that it’s introducing the characters to a new generation
of fans.

And for those complaining about killing the main character, remember that Tranformers
did that way before the _Revelation_ crew did it with Prince Adam; the death of 
Optimus Prime helped push the story forward there and introduced the next generation
of characters. That’s what He-Man’s death did here (at least as far as story goes).
Plus, when has a death like this really stuck? Prime was back within a season of
the show and Kevin Smith has pretty much said Adam will be coming back.

**Rating:** This was a great addition to the MOTU franchise and it did more for 
the story then the original series ever did. I’m looking forward to the second part.**
4.25 out of 5.**

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