Though most of the plot details of Masters Of The Universe: Revelation are being kept under wraps, we now have two trailers, several photos, and some statements from series creator Kevin Smith to piece together some loose theories.
Based on the mega-selling 1980s toy brand by Mattel and the top-rated cartoon by Filmation, Masters Of The Universe: Revelation is a modern update with an adult edge.
One of the main characters in every iteration of Masters of the Universe has always been Teela, the Captain of the Royal Guard, Prince Adam’s bodyguard, Man-At-Arms’ adopted daughter, and the actual daughter of The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull.
Yet, the opening title sequence of every episode of the vintage cartoon quite clearly pointed out that only three beings knew that Prince Adam was actually Eternia’s greatest defender, He-Man– Man-At-Arms, Orko, and The Sorceress. Not Teela, and that seems to be one of the main plot points of Revelation.
My guess is that the footage in the trailers showing the characters, including Teela, dressed in the outfits they wore on the original cartoon are from perhaps the first episode. Smith has stated that Revelation takes place shortly after the end of the Filmation program. But as has been previously revealed, much of the show takes place a few years later.
The early footage depicts an all-out war between Skeletor’s evil army from Snake Mountain and He-Man and the champions of Castle Grayskull. That should delight adults who grew up watching the Filmation series and playing with the toys but now have more sophisticated interests.
But in the aftermath of this war, something pushes Teela over the edge and she rips off her tiara and throws it to the ground. We later see her with a different outfit and an edgier hairstyle with half her head shaved.
My guess: she finds out Adam and He-Man are one and the same and that her father and others knew and kept that information from her. She turns her back on her traditional role and strikes out on her own. She also seems to denounce magic, something that seems a bit tricky considering that she is the daughter of The Sorceress and is destined to take over that role in the future.
It turns out the early reports that this show might actually be more about Teela than He-Man might be true after all!
Watch the second trailer below:
“Eternia is fractured and the Guardians of Grayskull are scattered… And after decades of secrets tore them apart, it’s up to Teela to reunite the broken band of heroes, and solve the mystery of the missing Sword of Power in a race against time to restore Eternia and prevent the end of the universe.”
Masters of the Universe: Revelation boasts an all-star cast with Chris Wood as Prince Adam/ He-Man, Mark Hamill as Skeletor, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Teela, Liam Cunningham as Man-At-Arms, Lena Headey as Evil-Lyn, Diedrich Bader as King Randor and Trap Jaw, Alicia Silverstone as Queen Marlena, Stephen Root as Cringer, Griffin Newman as Orko, Susan Eisenberg as Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, Kevin Michael Richardson as Beast Man, Kevin Conroy as Mer-Man, Henry Rollins as Tri-Klops, Jason Mewes as Stinkor, Alan Oppenheimer (the original Skeletor) as Moss-Man, Justin Long as Roboto, Tony Todd as Scare Glow, Phil LaMarr as He-Ro, Cree Summer as Priestess, Harley Quinn Smith as Illena, Tiffany Smith as Andra, Dennis Haysbert as King Grayskull, Adam Gifford as Vikor, and Jay Tavare as Wun-dar.
Netflix is so invested in Masters of the Universe: Revelation that it will also offer an after-show to accompany it, featuring Smith and members of the cast. The first five episodes of Masters of the Universe: Revelation and the after-show will be released on Netflix on Friday, July 23. Part two is expected later this year.
