He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002 TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = He-Man and the Masters of the Universe


caption = He-Man in his 2002 incarnation
genre = Animated television series
creator =Mattel
Donald F. Glut
developer = Mattel
Roger Sweet
voices = Cam Clarke
Kathleen Barr
Lisa Ann Beley
Gary Chalk
Brian Dobson
Paul Dobson
Michael Donovan
Scott McNeil
country = United States
language = English
num_seasons = 2
num_episodes = 39
list_episodes = #Episodes
executive_producer = Bill Schultz
producer = Ian Ritcher
runtime =30 minutes
network = Cartoon Network
first_aired = August 1, 2002
last_aired = October 18, 2003
related = "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe"
imdb_id = 0331744
tv_com_id = 12541

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is a modern remake of the 1980s series of the same name, animated by Mike Young Productions, produced to coincide with Mattel's revival of the Masters of the Universe franchise eleven years after its previous attempt. It originally aired on the Cartoon Network from August 1, 2002 to October 18, 2003.

Unlike the previous He-Man series, set on the futuristic planet of Primus, this version sought to return to the roots of the storyline and provide broader explorations never reached in the first series, including origins for each character, and some first time animated debuts of familiar toyline faces. The series also brought back several writers from the original series, such as Larry DiTillio.

While the remake is mostly different from the original, it does have a few similarities. For example, Prince Adam transforms into He-Man when he says "By the power of Grayskull" followed by "I have the power!" (later episodes feature a chorus singing He-Man's name during the scene change). It also features "scene change" sequences, but only the one involving the Sword of Power was taken from the Filmation series; all the others were created just for this series, plus the sequences occur less frequently than on the previous series.

eries Overview

eason 1

Eternia has seen the end of tyranny and evil. Its community lives in peace, safe in the knowledge that its greatest threats are trapped behind the great barrier in the badlands near Snake Mountain. But little do they suspect of the danger to awaken, for Skeletor has broken through the barrier at last, and hopes to spread his bane once more, beginning with the capture of King Randor. Their liberation is detected within Castle Grayskull by The Sorceress, who informs Man-At-Arms, captain of the guards within Randor's kingdom and a trustworthy ally, that the time has come for destiny to be fulfilled.

Prince Adam, a spoiled, almost carefree future heir to the throne of his father Randor, is trained daily by the unrelenting Teela, his best friend. Adam is approached by Teela's father, Man-At-Arms, who takes Adam to Castle Grayskull. There, Adam learns from the Sorceress of an approaching evil and his role in defending the kingdom as the warrior He-Man. Adam, of course, instantly rebuffs the responsibility and returns to the palace, where he finds that Skeletor's forces have captured his father.

Adam, Man-At-Arms, and Teela pursue Randor's kidnappers into the forests, where they are ambushed. Adam is covered by Man-At-Arms as he returns to Grayskull, followed by his pet tiger Cringer, and the court magician Orko. His flight through the forest infuriates Teela, who only sees a coward leaving the scene of battle. Adam accepts his destiny, and is granted the Sword of Power, which he uses to become He-Man. With Cringer transforming into Battle Cat, a strong and brave method of transport and assistance, He-Man returns to the scene of battle and rescues his father from Skeletor, drawing "first blood."

Over the course of the first season, Randor's armies of defence expand, some convinced to fight through encounters with He-Man. The Sorceress stands revealed as the mother of Teela. Teela's ultimate destiny as the successor to the mantle of The Sorceress manifests in small doses physically and mentally, often causing her pain or general befuddlement at what these abilities are and what they mean for the future. Skeletor becomes aware of Grayskull's power when he attacks it, prompting him to spend much of the season attempting to enter it. Hints are made as to the fate of Skeletor's mentor, Hordak, and the future main adversaries of the second season, The Snake Men.

Much like the original series, selling toys was a key goal of this series, and He-Man and Skeletor would don variations of their costumes or different ones entirely whenever they were briefly "empowered" with an ancient relic or new technology. The first season ends on a cliffhanger in which Skeletor unites several of the other adversaries fought by the Masters into a grand council of evil. He captures most of the Masters, forcing He-Man and Teela to enter Snake Mountain. Adam becomes separated from his sword, and is soon forced to protect Castle Grayskull from Skeletor without it.

eason 2

After the resolution of the season one cliffhanger (Orko returning the sword to Adam, the Masters rescued), the Snake Men, (who were included in the original toyline, but most of them never made an animated appearance), took center stage as the main adversaries, having been hinted at in the first season as being trapped beneath Snake Mountain (the place being their former stronghold, hence the name and reason for its existence) inside a void. They are finally being liberated by allies existing outside of the void, as well as a treacherous Evil-Lyn. Adam is informed of their rising by The Sorceress, and finds his He-Man armour completely different upon transformation, designed to fight the Snake Men, led by King Hiss. Skeletor would still appear from time to time, but would be gradually phased out, although had the series continued, he would have returned to his status as a major player.

This season was shorter than the first, and as a result, more serialized, with certain episodes following on from one another, characters were strongly developed, and old characters reintroduced, including Fisto, now a disgraced soldier of the court who went AWOL during the last great war, and Man-At-Arms' brother. The third episode of this season "Out of the Past", also told the tale of how the Sorceress, on a granted leave from her duties, nursed an amnesia-stricken soldier back to health and fell in love with him. The soldier left mysteriously before she gave birth, and therefore his identity remains a mystery, and it is debated whether or not Man-At-Arms or Fisto were the ones involved, or somebody else entirely. The secret origins of Evil Lyn, Skeletor, and Castle Grayskull's power source itself, were also revealed.

Unfinished Third Season

In a Q&A session with the members of He-Man.Org, Ian Richter of Mattel, who was behind many of the storylines of the cartoon, revealed some details on what had been planned for the show. Had the series continued, the second half of season 2 was planned to have featured King Hiss being regenerated after his capture by the Masters, and a final showdown between himself and Skeletor, of which Skeletor would have emerged the victor. Skeletor was then to have used his creation, Faker to trick the Eternians into thinking He-Man had turned against them, thus enabling him to overthrow Randor and conquer the kingdom for himself. The third season would have involved the takeover of Eternia by Hordak and the Evil Horde, who would have been released from their prison by Evil-Lyn and overthrown Skeletor, thus spreading mayhem across Eternia, effectively making He-Man and the Masters wanted fugitives. [ [http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/showthread.php?t=118744] ]

Apparently the intention was for Skeletor, who owed his very life to Hordak, to have finally gained the power to overcome his mentor by the end of the season. At some point, Man-At-Arms was to have been captured and turned temporarily into a Snake Man (how long this change would have lasted has never been confirmed), Teela would have learned of her heritage, and She-Ra would have been introduced, according to Ian Richter, 'when the time was right'. [ [http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/showthread.php?t=118744] ]

Cancellation

After the second season wrapped up, the series was terminated by Cartoon Network, and the toyline itself was swiftly ended by Mattel. The reason being that the show had not received strong ratings, and the toyline failed to appeal to the main demographics. Fans insist the series' failure was due to the lack of hype, promo time, and a decent time slot on the networks' part (even though Cartoon Network at one point scheduled He-Man right after Teen Titans, the highest rated show on the network at the time), whereas Mattel simply failed to promote the toyline themselves, concentrating mostly on their female products like Barbie.

The line suffered from poor distribution of the action figures within the toyline (i.e. three Skeletors to every one Evil-Lyn) as well as spotty shipments to retailers. Most collectors found it nearly impossible to collect every figure as the only ones to be found were the primary characters, which led to toy stores becoming frustrated with merchandise that would not sell, which in turn meant less restocking.

During the time it was on the air, the series had a promotional tie-in with fast food restaurant McDonald's. Action figures of characters were featured as toys in the restaurant's Happy Meal offerings.

Comic Book

To coincide with the release of the series, a He-Man comic was created by MV Creations. Three separate ongoing series, one mini-series and a handful of one-shots were published. The tone and maturity of the comic was slightly different from the cartoon, as the writers hoped to appeal to the older demographic purchasing the comic. The comic ultimately came to a close when Mattel began to end the licensing program for the Masters of the Universe relaunch.

Episodes

eason One: 2002

*The Beginning Part 1 "Written by Dean Stefan"Keldor attacks the Hall of Wisdom and Captain Randor heads forces to stop him. Years later Skeletor emerges to attack Eternia.

*The Beginning Part 2 "Written by Dean Stefan"Prince Adam must visit Castle Grayskull and seek the Sorceress' help to save his captured father.

*The Beginning Part 3 "Written by Dean Stefan"He-Man emerges to protect Eternia from the evil forces of Skeletor.

*The Courage of Adam "Written by Dean Stefan"Prince Adam realizes that as long as evil exists on Eternia, he will be called to defend his home as He-Man.

*Skywar "Written by Michael Reaves"Skeletor secretly instigates a war between races in a plot to defeat He-Man.

*The Deep End "Written by Brooks Wachtel"He-Man must save Man-At-Arms from the belly of a sea beast threatening Castle Grayskull.

*Lessons "Written by Larry DiTillio"When Skeletor acquires the Ram Stone, Orko must save the day.

*The Siren's Song "Written by William Cluverius"Ram-Man is hypnotized by a beautiful Siren who plots to destroy the Masters.

*The Ties That Bind "Written by Dean Stefan"Teela becomes curious about her past when she develops temporary telepathic powers.

*Dragon's Brood "Written by Mark and Michael Edens"Massive fire-breathing dragons threaten Eternia and Castle Grayskull.

*Turnabout "Written by Len Uhley"Skeletor is punished by a magical belt that prevents him from being evil.

*Mekaneck's Lament "Written Erik & Lara Runnels"While trying to acquire better powers, Mekanek unwittingly sets a dangerous villain free.

*Night of the Shadow Beasts "Written by Michael Reaves"Skeletor unleashes fierce nocturnal creatures to destroy Castle Grayskull.

*Underworld "Written by Steve Melching"In Subternia (Eternia's underground), He-Man and King Randor must prevent Skeletor from attacking Castle Grayskull from below.

*The Mystery of Anwat Gar "Written by Kevin D. Campbell"He-Man and Man-At-Arms journey to a mysterious island to prevent Skeletor from getting his hands on powerful ancient stones.

*The Monster Within "Written by Larry DiTillio"He-Man and Man-E-Faces battle dangerous bounty hunters in the Tar Swamp.

*Roboto's Gambit "Written by Michael Reaves"A simple chess-playing robot helps the Masters battle an evil army of skeletons.

*Trust "Written by William Cluverius"Stratos must form an uneasy alliance with Trap-Jaw to survive the perilous Ice Mountains.

*Orko's Garden "Written by Len Uhley"Orko unwittingly helps the villainous plant-like Evilseed take all of the Masters hostage.

*Buzz-Off's Pride "Written by Christy Marx and Randall Littlejohn"Buzz-Off must battle vicious giants in order to defend both a peaceful village and his pride.

*Snake Pit "Written by Steve Melching"The Masters enlist the help of the mysterious Zodak to prevent the Snake Men from escaping their ancient prison.

*The Island "Written by Dean Stefan"While visiting his mentor on a remote island, Man-At-Arms is captured by evil crab-like creatures.

*The Sweet Smell of Victory "Written by Kevin D. Campbell"When a low-level crook tries to join Skeletor, an accident mutates him into a new super-villain intent on destroying the Masters.

*Separation "Written by Larry DiTillio"He-Man must return three mystical objects to the far corners of Eternia to prevent the destruction of the entire planet.

*Council of Evil, Part 1 "Written by Dean Stefan"The members of Skeletor's newly formed Council of Evil are capturing the Masters one by one.

*Council of Evil, Part 2 "Written by Dean Stefan"It's up to Adam to stop the forces of evil that plague Eternia without his Power Sword.

eason Two: 2003

*The Last Stand "Written by Dean Stefan"He-Man has to battle Skeletor, the Council of Evil, and the Evil Warriors to protect Castle Grayskull.

*To Walk With Dragons "Written by Dean Stefan"The Masters of the Universe must thwart Skeletor's attacking serpinataurs with the help of some very special dragons.

*Out of the Past "Written by Dean Stefan"Teela is drawn to a small village where she gets further clues about her past.

*Rise of the Snakemen, Part 1 "Written by Steve Melching" (series becomes "Masters of the Universe Vs the Snake-Men") The Masters have to battle Skeletor's forces while trying to prevent the dreaded Snake Men from getting free from their ancient prison.

*Rise of the Snakemen, Part 2 "Written by Steve Melching"Zodak joins forces with the Masters of the Universe to prevent the freed Snake Men from taking over Eternia.

*The Price of Deceit "Written by Larry DiTillio"Skeletor seeks to punish Evil-Lyn for betraying him.

*Of Machines and Men "Written by Michael Halperin"A mysterious force disables all technological power in Eternia.

*Second Skin "Written by Steve Melching"It's up to the Masters of the Universe to stop King Hiss from using a devastatingly powerful ancient artifact.

*The Power of Grayskull "Written by Dean Stefan"The Sorceress tells Prince Adam of the great history behind the power of Grayskull.

*Web of Evil "Written by Kevin D. Campbell"Webstor builds a spider army that threatens to take over Eternia.

*Rattle of the Snake "Written by Steve Melching"The Masters of the Universe track King Hiss through Subternia (Eternia's underground) to a long-lost Snake Temple, which holds the key to releasing a terrible power.

*History Written "by Larry DiTillio"He-Man tries to stop King Hiss from reaching the Well of Darkness, unaware that Evil-Lyn is planning something catastrophic.

*Awaken the Serpent "Written by Dean Stefan"King Hiss uses the Medallion of Serpos to release the ancient snake god.

Cast

*Cam Clarke - Prince Adam/He-Man
*Kathleen Barr - Evil-Lyn
*Lisa Ann Beley - Teela
*Gary Chalk - Duncan/Man-At-Arms, Whiplash
*Brian Dobson - Skeletor/Keldor, Buzz-Off, Webstor, King Hiss, Sssqueeze, Ceratus
*Paul Dobson - Man-E-Faces, Snake Face, Trap-Jaw, Tri-Klops, Lord Carnivus
*Michael Donovan - King Randor, Count Marzo, Roboto, Tung Lashor
*Gabe Khouth - Mekaneck, Orko
*Scott McNeil - Beast-Man, Clawful, Mer-Man, Ram-Man, Stratos, Kobra Khan
*Nicole Oliver - Queen Marlena, The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull
*Mark Acheson - Fisto, Chadzar
*Don Brown - Evilseed
*Brian Drummond - Odiphus/Stinkor, Tuvar (Two of Two-Bad), Belzar
*Mark Gibbon - Baddhra (Badd of Two-Bad)
*Christopher Judge - Zodak
*Campbell Lane - Kulatuk Priest
*Colin Murdock - Hordak
*Richard Newman - General Rattlor, Lord Dactys, The Faceless One, Azdar
*John Payne (II) - Sy-Klone, Moss Man

Trivia

* Gary Chalk, the voice of Man-At-Arms, voiced He-Man in "The New Adventures of He-Man" series.
* Michael Halperin, developer of the original He-Man series bible, wrote "Of Machines and Men" for the second season.
* Despite the original form for He-Man only appearing for three more episodes in the second season, a new, longer transformation sequence was created for Adam calling on the power of Grayskull.
* As an homage and in joke towards the original series, the opening sequence seems similar to the original where Prince Adam gives the classic monologue: "I am Adam, Prince of Eternia, Defender of the secrets of Castle Greyskull. This is Cringer, my fearless friend. Fabulous secret powers were...". The monologue is abruptly cut off at this point by a fierce fight sequence which composes the rest of the opening sequence.
* In the first season episode Sky War, Skeletor gets his hands on the Ambrosia, a miracle food which bestows great power upon those who consume it. The effects transform Skeletor into a version of himself not unlike the one seen in the live action movie, a possible homage to the 1987 film. Later, when the Ambrosia's effects finally wear off, Skeletor elicits the same anguished cry that he voiced when losing his god-like power in the movie.
* Cringer/Battle Cat does not talk in this version since Mike Young Productions didn't want that. Also, they banned the use of Granymyr when it came to the episode "Separation."
* As an in-joke, the prologue of one episode sees Skeletor attempt to acquire the Diamond Ray of Disappearance, the first mystical weapon he uses against He-Man and Castle Grayskull in the first chronological episode of the original series (it was not the first produced nor was it the first broadcast).
* The series marked the first time that the character Stinkor ever appeared in any animated form. The character was first introduced in the original Masters of the Universe toy-line in 1985, and was originally meant to be a part of the TV series as a member of the Evil Horde. But, he was considered to be too silly of a character. Considering the fact that was basically a humanoid skunk character, who's only power was that of releasing a horrible stench from his body. He was never used in the "She-Ra" series, nor did he appear in the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series. The character was finally introduced in this series and was even given a back story as to why he retains his terrible smell. A chemical accident mutated him from a small petty thief known as Odiphus, into the vile Stinkor.
*The series actually had "moral of the story" segments (as did the original Filmation series). However, these were not seen in the U.S. broadcasts. The segments were later included in the DVD release.
*In flashbacks during season 1, Man-At-Arms is seen with no mustache. This is a possible joke or reference to the original Man-At-Arms figure, which had no mustache. The mustache was added to the cartoon version because they thought he looked too young.

DVD releases

The series was released on DVD by BCI Eclipse in three sets (each containing 13 episodes). The first volume was released on February 12, 2008 in Best Buy stores with an exclusive slipcover that will also accommodate volumes 2 and 3 as released. There is also the possibility of a Blu-ray Disc release as well. [ [http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/He-Man-Masters-Universe-2002-Series-DVD-Plans/8153] ] [ [http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/He-Man-Masters-Universe-BCI-Statement/8518] ] Additionally, while the single volumes themselves will not be a part of the "mural" comprised of the box art from previous releases, the aforementioned slipcover will be part of the mural.

References