Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Masters of the Universe: Revelation
Masters of the Universe: Revelation needs to recapture the optimistic spirit of the original series. He-Man & the Masters of the Universe began as a series of action figures, but the franchise was really transformed into a worldwide phenomenon by a Filmation animated series that launched in 1983 and ran through to 1985, with reruns airing until 1990. The original series may be a little dated, but it's almost impossible to overestimate its influence.
Kevin Smith has brought the champions of Eternia back in Masters of the Universe: Revelation, and - although he initially believed he was making an adult animation - Smith doesn't intend to reinvent He-Man. "Our manifest was to be fanservicey," he observed in one interview. "I would not be the guy you’d tap to reinvent something. But if you want to keep it going lovingly, true to the franchise and just growing up the characters a little bit so their conversations are a little more adult-oriented?"
The first five episodes of Masters of the Universe: Revelation are certainly "fanservicey," but the uncomfortable truth is that they don't really do justice to the franchise. At heart, the original He-Man & the Masters of the Universe animated series was a show that was relentlessly positive, a world in which viewers could always be confident good would triumph over evil. The moral lessons at the end of each episode are easily mocked, but there was something earnest about them, as though the scriptwriters genuinely believed their young audience would want to be like He-Man and his friends. The problem is that, while the relaunch picks up the characters and concepts, it doesn't seem to have captured that spirit at all. The show opens with the shocking death of He-Man, and the first five episodes released on Netflix end with Skeletor finally claiming the Power of Grayskull. Although He-Man returns, it is only to die again - and this time there will be no afterlife for him. It is hard to imagine a bleaker plot.
The story is really only halfway through, so it's too soon to judge Smith's series as a whole. Still, the plot is clearly centered upon Teela's character arc; the Masters of the Universe: Revelation title refers to Teela's learning the truth about He-Man, in the most tragic way. It's reasonable to assume the next few episodes will see Teela step forward to become Grayskull's new Champion, claiming the Sword of Power and standing against Skeletor and his forces. But in order to pull this off, Smith won't simply need to give Teela a power-up; he'll also need to ensure viewers care about it, that they feel she is a worthy successor to Prince Adam in heart as well as in power.
Kevin Smith clearly loves He-Man; his dedication to the franchise shines through in countless Easter eggs and in-jokes. But unfortunately, in his attempt to transform He-Man & the Masters of the Universe into something a little more adult and contemporary, he's missed the childish, optimistic heart of it. That will need to be regained if Masters of the Universe: Revelation is to be considered a success.
Masters Of The Universe: Revelation Season 1 Ending Explained
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July 28, 2021 at 12:21AM
