He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Warning : contains spoilers forMasters of the Universe : Revolution#4 !
overlord of the Universehas streamlined Skeletor ’s origination , and in the process create He - Man ’s biggest villain even more tragical . Dark Horse’sMasters of the Universe : Revolutionminiseries has retold Skeletor ’s origin , stressing his connection to Hordak as well . In return four , the conclusion , Skeletor gets a new backstory , one that not only makes him a tragical name but consolidates elements of his various origins the franchise has throw .
Skeletor has been voiced by several unlike actors , including Alan Oppenheimer and Mark Hamill .
Masters of the Universe : Revolution#4 is written by Tim Sheridan , Rob David and Ted Biaselli and draw by Daniel HDR . Hordak , who has been manipulating Keldor ( the future Skeletor ) throughout the miniseries , has hooked him to a car that will “ grate ” his memory . Hordak intends to breakKeldor and mold him to his desires . While in the motorcar , Keldor has a visual sense of a airstream of skeleton hoi polloi being attacked .
Hordak continue Keldor ’s torture , ultimately turning him into Skeletor , with no store of his retiring lifespan .
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 prominent appearance capture the imagination of fans , but unfortunately , his origin was never depicted in the original cartoon develop by Filmation . However , the first wave of mini - comic bundle up with the toysdid give Skeletor a backstory : during an case have it off as “ the Great War , ” a dimensional rift opened , institute Skeletor to Eternia . Seeing it as ripe for conquest , he sought the Power of Grayskull , which would reopen the rift and bring his the great unwashed through to facilitate him .
A few yr into the miniature origin ’s first run , the miniskirt - comics , now under novel creative counsel , began hint at an origin for Skeletor , one that stressed a familial joining to He - Man .
A few eld into the toy telephone circuit ’s first run , the mini - comedian , now under novel originative instruction , begin suggest at an origin for Skeletor , one that stressed a familial link to He - Man . Although the toy dog line of business was canceled before the narration could play out , it was imply that Skeletor was , in fact , He - Man ’s uncle . Skeletor was conceive to be King Randor ’s brother , who go away while studying magic . Something happened to him that turned him into Skeletor , but it was never reveal . TheNew Adventures of He - Mancartoon , debuting in 1989 , did not pick up this secret plan 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 particular . Seizing on the thought that Skeletor was come to to He - Man , the cartoon confirm he was indeed Prince Adam ’s uncle . Burning with a desire for world power and control , Keldor led a rebellion against the Elders . During the fight , acid spill on his cheek , mellow it off and collapse him his distinctive appearance . Hordak , who was present in every origin of Skeletor , was his wise man . The revival made a link only hint at in the original series canyon .
Masters of the Universe : Revolutionis a lineal sequel to the original cartoon , and it has also take the Keldor / Skeletor floor , but impart it a twist of its own . The originative teamkept the Skeletor - Hordak connectionand strengthen it further . Hordak took an stake in Keldor from an early historic period , and successfully manipulated him into joining the Horde . Yet Hordak see much more in Keldor than his other henchman , and cooked up grand plans for him . The originalMasterscartoon stated Hordak trained Skeletor , andRevolutionshows just how brutal and raise up it was .
Skeletor’s Origin Had Seemingly Contradictory Elements
The Limitations of 1980s Cartoons Kept Him From Getting a Backstory
Skeletor ’s newfangled source , depicted inMasters of the Universe : Revolution#4 , also bring in another , lost element : that he was an extraterrestrial from another attribute , and there were others just like him , and just as evil . While under the influence of Hordak ’s memory machine , Keldor sees skeleton - similar hoi polloi . While this is just a hallucination on Keldor ’s part , it is also a very subtle shout - out to Skeletor ’s first descent as depicted in the initial wave of mini - comic . make for Skeletor ’s “ people ” into the new origin story is an Easter Egg for rooter .
The Injustice translation of Superman is a brutal potentate , but without He - Man ’s Skeletor , he ’d have been easy to defeat long ago .
Beyond being fan serving , it also consolidates and streamlines Skeletor ’s origin . During the original rill ofMasters of the Universe , scarce any character , even He - Man , did not get on - screen , canonical backstories . At this tip in children ’s television history , these cartoon were essentially 30 - minute toy commercial , with little stress on storytelling and characterization . Skeletor , with his terrifying and distinctive visual aspect , practically begged for one , but the toon did not provide item . The show ’s author ’s bible gave a few origins , but since they were never shown , their canonicity is debatable . As a consequence , multiple , self-contradictory origins co - existed .
Image by Debanjana Chowdhury
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 yield ’s opening page , Keldor was a odoriferous and loving son , but subject to prejudice that made him leisurely pickings for Hordak by and by in life . Hordak manipulate Keldor even before the torture that twist him into Skeletor . Yet what Hordak fail to realize was that he was about to produce a lusus naturae not even he could moderate . Hordak converted a good man to evilness , creating a bequest of brat in the process .
Masters of the Universe : Revolution#4 is on sales event now from Dark Horse Comics !
