Who Plays The King In The Masters Of The Universe Movie

Director Travis Knight's "Masters of the Universe" may be 2026's least surprising box office flop, but the people who have seen it have enjoyed it. As Looper's review of "Masters of the Universe" pointed out, the movie is a somewhat middling mixed bag, but it definitely gets one thing right. For a film based on a 1980s toy line of extremely pumped-up characters, it gets the way "Masters of the Universe" characters should really look surprisingly correct, while doing some interesting things with the way they're portrayed.

One of the characters the movie reimagines pretty heavily is Prince Adam's (Nicholas Galitzine) father, King Randor. In the Filmation cartoon, Randor is a stereotypical "good king" figure who loves his son but is occasionally frustrated by Adam's perceived lackadaisical attitude. In the 2026 movie, he's played by the versatile James Purefoy. This version of Randor is actively trying to "man up" and humiliate young Adam, creating a rift that he's only able to apologize for many years later.

Purefoy addressed Randor's relationship with Adam and their different takes on masculinity in a red carpet interview with the HeyUGuys YouTube channel. "King Randor comes from a very different generation and expects his son to behave in a way that perhaps he comes to regret," Purefoy said. "But maybe he realizes that there are other ways to show strength. It's not all about muscle."

James Purefoy is an excellent choice to play an old school king in "Masters of the Universe," given his history of playing authority figures and commanding characters. His arguably most famous role, after all, is general and politician Marc Anthony in HBO's historical drama "Rome." He's also familiar from Netflix's cyberpunk show "Altered Carbon," where he played the domineering multibillionaire Laurens Bancroft — as well as Fox's "The Following," on which he portrayed the dangerous cult leader and serial killer Joe Carroll. Purefoy also plays the duplicitous Nilfgaardian spymaster Stefan Skellen on Netflix's "The Witcher."

His major movies include Ben Wheatley's 2015 sci-fi thriller "High-Rise," Jonathan Teplizky's 2017 Winston Churchill drama "Churchill," and the cult beloved historical drama "A Knight's Tale," where he played the joust-seeking undercover prince, Edward.

Purefoy's career hasn't always been smooth sailing. He was fired and replaced during the filming of director James McTeague's comic book adaptation "V for Vendetta," with Hugo Weaving ultimately taking on the role of the masked protagonist V. However, his decades of work have proved many times over that he's a capable performer who can handle a great variety of roles — and his turn as Eternia's King Randor is proof of this.