He Has the Power! He-Man Explained
Since the 80s He-Man has been the master of the universe. But how did he come to be the strongest man in the universe and then a meme?
Last week we talked about the the Princess of Power, She-Ra. But She-Ra was itself a spin-off of another equally quintessential Saturday Morning Cartoon, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Since it’s original run, He-Man has also seen a few come-backs and re-makes. But Prince Adam may just be most well known for his meme. So who is He-Man? How does he relate to She-Ra? And what makes him so memeable?
He-Man
Designed by Mark Taylor, He-Man was originally based on childhood drawings. This ultimate strong action man was pitched to Mattel for a new action figure line by Roger Sweet, and by 1982 He-Man as we know him was born as a twist-action waist barbarian toy. Shortly before his toy release the 1981 comic He-Man and the Power Sword introduced the character to potential toy buyers. But what really got kids into stores to buy little plastic He-Men was the 1983 animated TV series, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
He-Man, also known as Prince Adam, was the son of King Randor and Queen Marlena of Eternia. When Prince Adam held up his power sword and said, “By the power of Grayskul…. I have the power!” he would transform into He-Man, a slightly different, but more battle-ready version of himself. In the spin-off series, She-Ra, it was revealed that Adam had a twin sister, Adora, who was kidnapped as a baby and raised by the evil Hoard. She, in a very similar fashion to her brother, would transform into the heroine She-Ra.
“I have the power!”
– He-Man
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ran for two seasons and 130 episodes plus a a theatrical movie and a shared Christmas special with She-Ra. But the characters and stories have been back a number of times since then as reboots, including a few recent He-Man returns in 2021.
READ MORE: She-Ra: Princess of Power from Saturday Morning Cartoons to Streaming Favorite
Powers and Abilities
As Prince Adam, he is a fairly normal person, though he has a reputation for being lazy and cowardly. This is by and large an act to keep people from discovering his secret identity.
However, as He-Man, he possesses heightened speed, agility, strength, stamina, and endurance. He-Man is so strong he has been seen picking up his entire castle and throwing it through an interdimensional portal. He has welded a chain back together with his bare hands, and we also see him using acrobatics, outrunning explosions, and counteracting the winds of a tornado with nothing but his arms.
When He-Man takes too much damage or uses too much of his energy, he will revert back into Adam, so his power is not infinite. But it is also replenishable, as after enough rest he is able to turn back into He-Man and get back into the fight.
Adam also has a pet cowardly green tiger named Cringer. When he turns into He-Man, Cringer sometimes transforms into a brave, armored green tiger called Battle Cat. Battle Cat works as He-Man’s companion and partner in fights, and his friend and pet in his normal form as Cringer.
He-Man Shows and Apperances
The Masters of the Universe comics have been in production on-and-off since December 1982. Publishing has switched a few times from DC Comics to Marvel, to London Edition Magazines, to Image Comics and finally to Dark Horse in 2021.
As for television shows, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe came out in 1983 and ran for two seasons with 1985’s He-Man and She-Ra: The Christmas Special.
Mattel attempted to revive the toy line with 1990’s The New Adventures of He-Man. This show has one 65-episode long season.
The whole series was rebooted in 2002 with a new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. This Cartoon Network show lasted two seasons and 39 episodes.
2021 saw two different He-Man projects with Masters of the Universe: Revelation and a CGI He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Both were Netflix productions.
In featured films, He-Man appears in 1985’s He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword and 1987’s Masters of the Universe. He also made a cameo apperance with Skeletor in the 2022 Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers film.
The Meme
C’mon. You know the one.
Delightful.
Is Skeletor He-Man’s Brother?
No, He-Man’s sibling is Adora or She-Ra.
But it has been hinted at a few times since the comics, and solidified in Masters of the Universe: Revelation, that Skeletor is He-Man’s father’s brother, or He-Man’s uncle.
How Does Nobody Recognize That He-Man is Prince Adam?
As He-Man, he is much taller (somewhere in the area of 6’7″) and much more muscular. Despite having very similar faces, his physique changes so much in transformation that most would never assume they were the same person. As a cartoon-viewer though, it is a little like Superman or Sailor Moon where they look effectively identical as citizens and superheroes, yet nobody seems to put the pieces together.
Is He-Man one of the Masters of the Universe?
He’s more like the master of the universe. He becomes the strongest person in existence and as the main protagonist and hero of the show, the title is almost definitely for him.
Happy adventuring!
