For children growing up in the early 1980s, a barely clad man in booty shorts with a blonde bob was quite literally the coolest being in this galaxy or any other. The Filmation cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, paired with its highly popular Mattel toy line, was a massive hit when it debuted in 1983. Alongside Transformers and Ghostbusters, it remains one of those nostalgic properties that endures in collective memory. Though there have been multiple He-Man cartoon reboots—including Kevin Smith’s critically praised follow-up series Masters of the Universe: Revelations (2021) and Masters of the Universe: Revolution (2024)—the wielder of the power sword hasn’t been depicted in live-action since Dolph Lundgren took on the role in 1987.
That is, until now. A new live-action film is set to arrive shortly. And based on the first full-length trailer, the franchise is embracing its interplanetary sci-fi roots.
To date, there are two trailers for Masters of the Universe. The first centered on ’80s nostalgia, featuring scenes from the iconic opening of the original animated series. But the newly released second trailer amplifies the sci-fi elements. Here, we follow Adam Glenn (Nicholas Galitzine), a geeky Earth resident, as he searches for a lost sword he believes belongs to him. Before long, the action shifts to the planet Eternia, where Adam embraces his new destiny, battling Skeletor (Jared Leto) and his minions.
Is the idea of Adam/He-Man as a Clark Kent-like figure—intentionally sent to Earth, away from his home planet—a departure from the cartoon’s original swords-and-sorcery origins? Strangely, no! Such sci-fi elements have been integral to He-Man since the beginning.
In the 1983 Masters of the Universe episode “Teela’s Quest,” it was revealed that Adam’s mother, Queen Marlena, was actually an Earth astronaut who crash-landed on Eternia and later married King Randor, Adam’s father. In the new trailer, Adam’s mother—portrayed by Charlotte Riley—explains why she sent him to Earth as a young child. This appears to invert the classic origin story, though it’s possible the new version of Marlena also hails from Earth.
“Teela’s Quest” was written by veteran genre writer Paul Dini, who later contributed to Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: Beyond, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and other shows.
But the original Masters of the Universe’s sci-fi lineage extends beyond a single episode. Several sci-fi luminaries—including Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski, writer David Wise, and scribe Dorothy Fontana—authored stories for the original series.
To be sure, you might vaguely recall that magic and fantasy tropes dominated classic He-Man, and that’s accurate. Yet the show was equally fixated on interdimensional portals, time travel, and, as the trailer makes clear, space travel. Even the 1987 film adaptation revolved around a planet-hopping plot, with He-Man and his allies using a “Cosmic Key” to reach Earth.
So, while the new Masters of the Universe may appear to be a familiar fantasy blend, the core of Castle Grayskull is rooted in classic science fiction and fantasy.