Warning: contains spoilers forMasters of the Universe: Revolution#4!
Masters of the Universehas streamlined Skeletor’s origin, and in the process making He-Man’s biggest villain even more tragic. Dark Horse’sMasters of the Universe: Revolutionminiseries has retold Skeletor’s origin, stressing his connection to Hordak as well. In issue four, the conclusion,Skeletor gets a new backstory, one that not only makes him a tragic figure but consolidates elements of his various origins the franchise has given.
Skeletor has been voiced by several different actors, including Alan Oppenheimer and Mark Hamill.
Masters of the Universe: Revolution#4 is written by Tim Sheridan, Rob David and Ted Biaselli and drawn by Daniel HDR. Hordak, who has been manipulating Keldor (the future Skeletor) throughout the miniseries, has hooked him to a machine that will “scrape” his memories.Hordak intends to breakKeldor and mold him to his desires. While in the machine, Keldor has a vision of a race of skeleton people being attacked.
Hordak continues Keldor’s torture, ultimately turning him into Skeletor, with no memory of his past life.
Skeletor’s Origin Was a Long-StandingMasters of the UniverseMystery
The OriginalMasters of the UniverseToy Line Only Hinted At Skeletor’s Origin.
Skeletor is one of the primary antagonists of theMasters of the Universefranchise. His striking appearance captured the imagination of fans, but unfortunately, his origin was never depicted in the original cartoon produced by Filmation. However, the first wave of mini-comics bundled with the toysdid give Skeletor a backstory: during an event known as “the Great War,” a dimensional rift opened, bringing Skeletor to Eternia. Seeing it as ripe for conquest, he sought the Power of Grayskull, which would reopen the rift and bring his people through to help him.
A few years into the toy line’s first run, the mini-comics, now under new creative direction, began hinting at an origin for Skeletor, one that stressed a familial connection to He-Man.
A few years into the toy line’s first run, the mini-comics, now under new creative direction, began hinting at an origin for Skeletor, one that stressed a familial connection to He-Man. Although the toy line was canceled before the story could play out, it was implied that Skeletor was, in fact, He-Man’s uncle. Skeletor was believed to be King Randor’s brother, who disappeared while studying magic. Something happened to him that turned him into Skeletor, but it was never revealed. TheNew Adventures of He-Mancartoon, debuting in 1989, did not pick up this plot point.
Skeletor Did Not Get An Origin Until the Early 2000s
Hordak’s Role in Creating Him Cannot Be Overstated
The 2002Masters of the Universereboot picked up this thread, and laid Skeletor’s origin out in detail. Seizing on the idea that Skeletor was related to He-Man, the cartoon confirmed he was indeed Prince Adam’s uncle. Burning with a desire for power and control, Keldor led a rebellion against the Elders. During the fight, acid spilled on his face, melting it off and giving him his distinctive appearance. Hordak, who was present in every origin of Skeletor, was his mentor. The revival made a connection only hinted at in the original series canon.
Masters of the Universe: Revolutionis a direct sequel to the original cartoon, and it has also adopted the Keldor/Skeletor story, but given it a twist of its own. The creative teamkept the Skeletor-Hordak connectionand strengthened it further. Hordak took an interest in Keldor from an early age, and successfully manipulated him into joining the Horde. Yet Hordak saw much more in Keldor than his other henchmen, and cooked up grand plans for him. The originalMasterscartoon stated Hordak trained Skeletor, andRevolutionshows just how brutal and disturbing it was.
The Limitations of 1980s Cartoons Kept Him From Getting a Backstory
Skeletor’s new origin, depicted inMasters of the Universe: Revolution#4, also brings in another, lost element: that he was an alien from another dimension, and there were others just like him, and just as evil. While under the influence of Hordak’s memory machine, Keldor sees skeleton-like people. While this is just a hallucination on Keldor’s part, it is also a very subtle shout-out to Skeletor’s first origin as depicted in the initial wave of mini-comics. Bringing Skeletor’s “people” into the new origin story is an Easter Egg for fans.
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Beyond being fan service, it also consolidates and streamlines Skeletor’s origin. During the original run ofMasters of the Universe, hardly any characters, even He-Man, did not get on-screen, canonical backstories. At this point in children’s television history, these cartoons were essentially 30-minute toy commercials, with little emphasis on storytelling and characterization. Skeletor, with his terrifying and distinctive appearance, practically begged for one, but the cartoon did not provide details. The show’s writer’s bible gave a few origins, but since they were never shown, their canonicity is debatable. As a result, multiple, contradictory origins co-existed.
Skeletor’s Streamlined Origin Makes Him A Tragic Figure
Skeletor is Beyond Redemption–And It is Hordak’s Fault
The streamlining of Skeletor’s origin also makes him the most tragic character in theMasters of the Universefranchise. As seen in the issue’s opening pages, Keldor was a sweet and loving boy, but subjected to prejudice that made him easy pickings for Hordak later in life. Hordak manipulated Keldor even before the torture that turned him into Skeletor. Yet what Hordak failed to realize was that he was about to create a monster not even he could control. Hordak converted a good man to evil, creating a legacy of terror in the process.
Masters of the Universe: Revolution#4 is on sale now from Dark Horse Comics!
