He-Man Allies We Want In Masters Of The Universe: Revelation Part 2
He-Man, Teela, Orko, Man-At-Arms, Roboto — those are pretty much the main classic heroes in Netflix's "Masters of the Universe: Revelation" Part 1 who also appeared in the original cartoon. While the nostalgia-fueled opening credits of "Revelation" teased us with glimpses of the Mattel action figure artwork of so many beloved characters from 1983's "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe," by the time "Revelation" Part 1 came to its cliffhanging close, you were probably scratching your head and wondering why Eternia was so devoid of its normally bustling number of champions. Despite a brief appearance by Moss Man and a non-speaking cameo by Fisto, some fans were left questioning why so many classic good guys were missing in action.
Perhaps Kevin Smith and the creative team behind the show just didn't want to overstuff the first half of the season with a bunch of glorified cameos. Or maybe they are simply just saving some surprises for the second half of their planned story (which Smith hinted at during his recent exclusive interview with Looper). Which characters appear in the epic conclusion of "Masters of the Universe: Revelation" remains to be seen, but throughout the course of the original show as well as 2002's "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe," the most powerful man in the universe was often accompanied by some mighty allies.
With He-Man seemingly down for the count, Eternia's remaining warriors are going to have to call upon their former comrades if they intend to stand a chance against SkeleGod and his evil forces. Who should answer Teela's inevitable call to arms? Since "Revelation" is considered to be a direct continuation of the 1983 Filmation series, we decided to take a look at some of He-Man's most noteworthy comrades from the original cartoon. These are the Eternian heroes we'd love to see reintroduced in "Revelation" Part 2.
Buzz-Off
Birthed as part of the Mattel action figure line in 1984, Buzz-Off was an Eternian heroic warrior from a bee-like species known as Adreenids. While he only appeared in four episodes, he was a memorable protagonist mainly due to his insect-vision spy abilities and his buzzy shrill voice provided by Alan Oppenheimer, who also voiced the original Skeletor.
Buzz-Off appeared in several of the mini-comics that accompanied Mattel's original line of action figures and went on to appear as a regular ally in Cartoon Network's 2002 reboot "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe," where his original humanoid features were scrapped in favor of a more insectoid appearance. He also took on a short-tempered personality, versus his earlier calm and cool demeanor. Armed with an axe that shoots energy beams, he's a formidable fighter, in land or air.
Mekaneck
Much like Buzz-Off, Mekaneck was one of the other spies of Eternia's warriors who often aided He-Man with his ability to extend his mechanical neck and scope for danger. This new bionic feature came courtesy of Man-At-Arms, who essentially upgraded Mekaneck with new superhuman abilities after he suffered a severe neck injury. Think of him as a bionic-human periscope. Due to his late introduction in the toy line, Mekaneck only appeared in three episodes during the second and final season of "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe."
In the 2002 iteration of the show, Mekaneck's powers were vastly upgraded to something more in the vein of DC Comics' Plastic Man or Marvel's Mr. Fantastic, with a neck that seemed to stretch and twist to more outrageous lengths. Mekaneck appeared in 30 of the 2002 show's 39 episodes — that's a considerable jump in screen time compared to his three measly appearances in the '80s version.
Sy-Klone
It was 1985 by the time Sky-Klone's action figure hit toy store shelves. "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" was nearing the finish line, so he was basically shoehorned into the final season for two blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameos. It's a shame, too, because he arguably has some of the coolest powers — he can fly by spinning certain body parts and conjure up devastating cyclones at will. Sy-Klone's backstory is also drastically different depending on where you look.
While purists consider his true origin the one that takes place in the 1985 Golden Book titled "I Have the Power," it was the 2002 animated series that showed him the most love. Formerly depicted as an acrobat (known as "The Human Tornado") who got turned into a cyborg by Skeletor, Sy-Klone became a more mystical being from an ancient civilization known as Anwat Gar, which seems to be heavily influenced by Japanese culture. In fact, Sy-Klone took on a more samurai warrior appearance in 2002, although his overall design remained faithful to the 1985 counterpart. Needless to say, the guy is screaming for an update and reintroduction in "Revelation" Part 2.
Zodac
If there's anyone in Eternia capable of matching the powers of the Sorceress, it's probably the mysterious Zodac, otherwise known as the Cosmic Enforcer — and he has an interesting yet confusing origin story to say the least. Back when Mattel's action figures went into production in 1982, Zodac was originally conceived as a villain. Even the original toy packaging described him as an "Evil Cosmic Warrior." But when DC Comics got their hands on the character in late 1982, they rewrote him as neutral observer, which ultimately paved the way for his animated appearance in the 1983 series as the peacekeeping enforcer who also happened to be on Eternia's "Council of Elders."
In the 2002 reboot, Zodac's spelling was changed to "Zodak," and he was redesigned as a Black man. If you count the Masters of the Universe Classics action figure line as canon, it's revealed that Zodak was named after his mentor, the original Zodac from the 1983 series, thus making them two entirely unique characters. But either way, both immortal Cosmic Enforcers would make formidable allies for Teela.
Granamyr
While he certainly isn't one of He-Man's most readily available sidekicks, Granamyr is definitely a benevelent force to be reckoned with. The self-proclaimed oldest and wisest of dragons made his debut in a beloved episode of the 1983 series, titled "The Dragon's Gift." At first, Granamyr is a neutral player who cares not about the misfortunes of men. In fact, he sneers at the very thought of aiding a human when he first meets He-Man, who pleas with him to save Man-At-Arms from an ancient magical curse.
Granamyr decides to help He-Man on one condition — he has to chop down Skytree, the oldest living thing on Eternia. But when He-Man discovers that Skytree is more than a just tree, but a sentient being, he refuses to complete the task and returns to Granamyr empty-handed. Granamyr is so impressed by He-Man's display of compassion that he regains his faith in humanity and rewards He-Man anyway by curing Man-At-Arms. Granamyr would go on to appear in several more episodes (including an episode of "She-Ra: Princess of Power") with He-Man further proving to be a worthy ally of the Dragons of Darksmoke. During the conclusion of "Masters of the Universe: Revelation" Part 1, the seemingly grim fate of Prince Adam is left unknown. Perhaps Granamyr will once again reward his champion when word about Adam's dire condition (and secret identity) reaches his ears.
Man-E-Faces
He's a man of many faces, hence his name, Man-E-Faces. Well, only three faces, to be exact: one of a man, another that of a robot, and the third a green-faced monster. In the original 1983 series, Man-E-Faces was introduced as a lone drifter who was caught terrorizing the village of the Widgets, a race of Eternian dwarves. At first, Skeletor attempts to recruit him, but it's revealed that he's not really evil at all. He's just a disgruntled actor and outcast who developed a resentment for all people after years of being rejected and feared because his strange face-shifting ability.
When Beast Man discovers that he has mind control over Man-E-Face's monster personality, Skeletor cooks up a plan to trick him into fighting He-Man. But both the Sorceress and He-Man sense his reluctance to fight, and they manage to release him from Beast Man's hold. He eventually returns to the palace with He-Man and decides to put his face-changing talents to use as an actor of the royal court. In the 2002 series, he's a regular heroic warrior with further fleshed out abilities. For example, all three of his faces provide their own unique talents. When he's using his monster face, he becomes a fearless brute with superhuman strength. When he's in robot mode, he's more intellectual and has the ability to scan areas and objects much like the Terminator or RoboCop. So basically, you get three heroic warriors for the price of one, which makes him a valuable asset.
Dree Elle
Much like Orko, Dree Elle was another floating mage from the magical planet of Trolla. She too donned a red robe and had pointy blue ears protruding from her mysterious shrouded face — the latter being a Trollan trademark. And yes, she was Orko's one and only. In Trollan tradition, showing your face is the equivalent of engagement, which the two do offscreen after Orko saves her from a spell cast by the villainous Dragoon. Although she remained in Trolla throughout the entire series, Dree Elle occasionally visited her betrothed on Eternia, appearing in a total of four episodes as well as a single episode of "She-Ra: Princess of Power" and a brief cameo in 1985's "He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special."
During the events of the "Masters of the Universe: Revelation" episode titled "Land of the Dead," Orko faces off against the terror-inducing Scare Glow and seemingly sacrifices himself to allow his companions to escape Subternia. Since his suggested death is clouded by a magical explosion, his fate remains unknown. While the state of Dree Elle and Orko's relationship during the events of "Revelation" hasn't been addressed, one could assume that she might not be too thrilled to hear that her prince has fallen, making her a possible magical ally to recruit for the fight ahead.
Ram Man
One of He-Man's most loyal sidekicks next to Orko and Cringer would probably be Ram Man, the dim-witted but lovable "human battering ram" who's more brawn than brains. In the 1983 series, he's depicted as a dwarfish man whose head and shoulder armor allows him to ram things with the assistance of his spring-action legs. How he gained his abilities is never explained, but in the 2002 version, he was reimagined with a more towering stature, but without any coiled-leg enhancements. His signature mental slowness was also taken down a notch. In fact, the 2002 animated version is much closer in line with the comics that accompanied Mattel's 1982 action figures.
Since "Masters of the Universe: Revelation" follows the canon of the original series, perhaps Kevin Smith and his team of designers can merge both versions and reintroduce the pint-sized pouncer, but older and wiser, and maybe even a little larger in stature due to a few cybernetic upgrades — courtesy of Man-At-Arms, of course.
Stratos
Much like Ram Man, Stratos is one of He-Man's loyal allies seen mostly in the earlier half of the 1983 series. Stratos hails from a race of bird-like humanoids who come from an Eternian kingdom in the Mystic Mountains known as Avion. His gifts are quite simple: Obviously, he has the ability of flight (which he enhances with a jetpack), but he also possesses great agility, can shoot energy blasts, and has hawk-like vision. He's basically Eternia's winged warrior and watcher of the skies.
Not much changed when he made an appearance in the 2002 reboot. The most notable updates included some additional tech attached to his body, and he's depicted as one of the most seasoned and wisest members of the Masters of the Universe. Recognized as one of the earliest good guys in Eternia — one who stems from the first wave of the comics, action figures, and episodes of the original series — Stratos would be a more than welcome friendly face to the roster of good guys that closes out the first season of "Masters of the Universe: Revelation."