The History of He-Man

He-Man is a character many know and love. Many can remember a time when they were sitting in their room on a Sunday afternoon and reading a comic book about this amazing superhero as he defended the realm of Eternia and the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil hands of Skeltor. Let’s get to know more about how this blonde and muscular man with superhuman strength came to be.

History

He-Man was created by Mark Taylor, a toy designer from Mattel. And he said his inspiration on the original design of He-Man was inspired by Cro-Magnon men and Vikings. But originally, the idea of He-Man was pitched to Mattel executives into three-dimensional prototypes that are depicting He-Man as a soldier, spaceman, and a barbarian. And out of those three concepts, the majority of the people in the boardroom agreed that the barbarian version should be the basis for the toyline.

Mattel wanted to expand further on He-Man’s barbarian theme that’s why they decided to hire comic-book writers to create more characters, back stories, package in-lays, posters, and mini-comics for the toy’s distribution.

In the comics that were released with the first series of toys, He-Man is a barbarian from the Eternian tribe. And his planet and its inhabitants were dealing with the repercussion of the Great Wars which ended to the devastation of civilizations that once ruled the lesser beings. One of the war’s remnants was the advanced machinery and weaponry that was only known to select people and an early incarnation of the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull gave He-Man these weapons to defend the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil hands of Skeltor.

But when the animated series was developed, He-Man’s history had been revised. His true character became Prince Adam of Eternia who is the son of King Randor and Queen Marlena which ruled the kingdom of Eternia. But he also got his powers from the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull in which he transforms from Prince Adam into He-Man by raising his Power Sword.

He-Man’s Super Powers and Skills

The strength of He-Man’s power is unknown but we know that he has the power of super speed, has indestructible skin, and superhuman strength. He can lift icebergs and mountains and throw it to his enemies. In the series and movies, He-Man can remain as He-Man and possess superpowers for as long as he wants but if he has been hurt badly or used too much raw force, he will turn back to being Prince Adam. He-Man also has telepathic powers as well, because, in several episodes of the original TV series, He-Man was able to communicate and sense the presence of the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull by telepathy. He can also communicate with his sister She-Ra even if they are across great distances.  He also has an ability to blow a gust of wind that is powerful enough to knock down his enemies.

He-Man ‘s primary weapon is his sword but in the TV series and movies, he was also seen using other weapons such as laser guns, a battle ax, and a shield. His sword is indestructible and it can refract bolts of energy. He also uses it to transform Cringer into Battle Cat.

He-Man is absolutely an icon of the 80s and he served as a good role model to the children to do what’s right and fight for what’s right.

The Untold Truth of He-Man

Kids who grew up during the 1980s truly love the story of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Well, who would not love a protagonist who is gifted with a magic sword that gives him “immense power” to defend his home planet from evil forces? But shockingly, this is only a part of the full story of the He-Man franchise so here are some of the untold truth about He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

He-Man is a Star Wars-inspired character

Believe it or not, there was rise of action figures such as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader during the 1980s. This was inspired because of the “Star Wars” film franchise, which were all manufactured by a company named Kenner Toys. A little backstory, Mattel Inc. declined the offer of producing the “Star Wars” action figures which is why they hoped to create another hit action figure to catch-up for their loss.

Based on the book “Mastering the Universe: He-Man and the Rise and Fall of a Billion-Dollar Idea”, a designer from Mattel Inc. decided to build the toy line for He-Man where a team of designers were given the opportunity to use their creative minds to imagine the story world. 

He-Man could have possibly worn a Mandalorian helmet

Whenever we hear the name “He-Man”, we would not separate it with the established image of a blonde barbarian with a lot of muscles. But actually, when the team from Mattel Inc. started to develop the concept for He-Man, the toy line had various of possibilities – a barbarian, a soldier, a sci-fi hero. Among the three prototypes, the sci-fi hero had a weird look wearing a Mandalorian helmet which is seen in The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars films. That is why He-Man got lucky because he is known to have a distinctive pageboy haircut and tanned face to the world.

He-Man came from a lot of origins

Originally, He-Man was a barbarian who wished to save Castle Grayskull from his enemy. When Mattel Inc. made some partnership to develop the character of He-Man, some tweaking of his origin happened. He became Prince Adam of Eternia, who can transform into He-Man using the power of the sword. He-Man was also summoned into the future to defend mankind. Truly, there is always a room for improvement that is why this animated series continued to put its watchers in awe.

He-Man solves problem in a different way

Unlike the image portrayed by He-Man as a warrior who can lift mountains and pushes the moon out of the orbit, he would usually talk his enemies to change their ways and does not resort to violence. No wonder it became a hit, since the cartoon teaches the kids of good values just like asking for help and telling the truth.

He-Man became an inspiration for major Marvel and DC characters

The team behind the animated series “He-Man” had a silly plot that a lot of kids that time could reminisce up until now. But little do we know that a lot of the people behind this hit cartoon series had major careers in the making of Marvel and DC Comics. No wonder they had a crossover in “DC Comics Presents” #47, where Superman got transported to Eternia and met with He-Man. Ideally, He-Man paved the way for the success of the modern age of superhero animated shows. 

Conclusion

Up to this day, the classic cartoons “He-Man” is known and loved by many. After all, many considered him as their “first love” before Marvel and DC characters were born. Truly, this blonde man with immense strength became an icon during the 1980s.

 

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