The Biggest Moments In Masters Of The Universe: Revelation, Part 2
For longtime and casual "He-Man" fans alike, "Masters of the Universe: Revelation" has been full of jaw-dropping moments from the get-go. Major and minor characters have died or switched allegiances, characters who've only appeared in comics and as toys have finally made their animated debuts (including Lieutenant Andra and King Grayskull, the man whom Eternia's most famous castle is named after), and Part 1 ends with a doozy of a cliffhanger as Skeletor becomes the new Master of the Universe.
Part 2 has taken the bar from Part 1 and raised it even higher, doubling down on stunning twists, deaths, and returns that have surely put a smile on the faces of "Masters of the Universe" fans of all persuasions. Whether you've seen Part 2 and are looking for a handy recap, or haven't and don't mind spoilers, here are the moments that most stood out ... and maybe got a few fans trying to call upon the power of Grayskull themselves.
Skeletor kills the Sorceress
Though she's lost most of her magical might thanks to Skeletor, the Sorceress still manages to summon enough power to break free from her imprisonment to defend Teela, Andra, Cringer and a badly wounded Prince Adam from their skull-faced foe. While she is only able to slow Skeletor down rather than stop him outright, the distraction gives the Sorceress time to teleport her four allies to safety. Sadly, however, her attempt to teleport Man-At-Arms with them is stopped by Evil-Lyn and Skeletor, and the latter exacts his revenge by stabbing the Sorceress through the abdomen. Man-At-Arms races to his former lover, holding her in his arms as she succumbs to her wound.
The Sorceress' demise is the biggest permanent death in the series: while He-Man and Skeletor are killed off in earlier episodes, they both return later on. As later episodes reveal, however, being killed off doesn't necessarily mean her story's over.
Teela heals Prince Adam with magic
Impalement quickly becomes one of Skeletor's famous forms of inflicting pain once he wields the Power Sword, as seen when he runs the blade through Prince Adam and the Sorceress. While the latter perishes from Skeletor's attack, Adam survives, but soon risks sharing the Sorceress' fate when his wound goes untreated. While Teela frantically tries devising a way to help him, a magical projection of the Sorceress (wearing the clothes she'd worn back when she was merely Teela-Na) appears and takes Teela's hands, resting them on Prince Adam's chest. Teela then closes her eyes and clear blue markings like the ones painted on her as a child appear on her forehead: when they vanish, mystical energy begins radiating from her hands, closing Adam's wound and healing him completely. The Teela-Na projection then disappears, and the Sorceress' body, still held by Man-At-Arms while clinging to life, goes limp and transforms into mist.
It's Teela's first major use of magic in Part 2, as well as the Sorceress' final act as a living being, beginning the passing of the torch between the two characters.
Evil-Lyn becomes the new Sorceress
With Teela-Na gone (and her daughter, Teela, still not having taken her place), the position of Sorceress becomes vacant — something Skeletor "remedies" immediately by having Evil-Lyn fill the role. Bestowed with a new uniform and incredible might from the Sword of Power, Evil-Lyn becomes Skeletor's most powerful ally ... even more than she at first realizes. Unfortunately, her "upgrade" does nothing to change Skeletor's poor physical and emotional treatment of her, which little by little starts destroying their longtime allegiance (not to mention their supposed "romance").
In a way, becoming Sorceress is really a stepping stone towards the greater power Evil-Lyn acquires later on. Yet it's important nonetheless, as the position eventually allows her to acquire the knowledge she needs to take all of Skeletor's stolen power from him, rather than settle for the smaller (but not unimpressive) amount he chooses to share.
Prince Adam becomes Savage He-Man
Reveling in his power to banish the souls of his enemies to wherever he pleases, Skeletor gloats he can erase Prince Adam from existence merely by willing it so. Yet rather than make good on his threat, Skeletor decides to have a little fun, offering the seemingly powerless Adam the chance to hit the so-called "Skelegod." While cackling, Skeletor is bemused when Adam joins in on the laughter. Explaining that a "spark" of his old power exists within him, Adam performs the shocking feat of transforming without the Sword of Power. Rather than becoming the He-Man everyone knows, however, Adam becomes a more primal version of his alter ego — full of strength, but completely devoid of reason or nobility. Though he fails to defeat Skeletor in battle, "Savage He-Man" puts up a strong fight ... but loses his ability to tell friend from foe until he reunites with his father, King Randor.
Savage He-Man is a particularly deep cut for He-Man fans. According to Kevin Smith on the FatMan Beyond podcast (via Comicbook), the more prehistoric, Hulk-like version of the character comes from He-Man's original design by Mark Taylor, back when, as "The Art of He-Man" reveals, the character was a being called Vikor. It's the second homage to that design in "Revelation," as Vikor is actually introduced as one of the warriors residing in Preternia in the Part 1 episode "The Forge at the Forest of Forever."
Skeletor shows Evil-Lyn the true nature of the universe ... and his master plan
Aside from hunting down Prince Adam and his allies, Skeletor's other big pastime upon becoming Master of the Universe is to gaze into the "Star Chamber" he has created. Though critical of the latter activity at first, Evil-Lyn finally gets to see what has Skeletor so captivated when he shows her himself. Taking her to the Celestial Apex, Skeletor lays out his master plan to absorb the Apex's energy once the planets align (with Eternia at their center) and remake existence. As Skeletor shows her all existence from a "god's" point of view, Evil-Lyn can't help but feel morose at its apparent emptiness, noting no greater structure or design at work. Concerned by Evil-Lyn's reaction, Skeletor pushes her out of the chamber, but he's too late to stop the seeds of dissent from sprouting ... as seen when she openly mocks him for wanting to use the Celestial Apex's power to destroy He-Man, rather than something grander that's not already within his power.
The revelation deeply impacts Evil-Lyn's world view, shattering her preconceptions about the nature of her reality. Yet it also inspires her to claim the Celestial Apex's might for her own, finding Skeletor's plans for it far too unambitious. This is the first time she openly objects to him, not even fearing reprisal.
Evil-Lyn recounts her past
Evil-Lyn finds an unlikely confidante in Beast Man, who continually tries convincing her to overthrow Skeletor so she can be free of his cruelty. At first Evil-Lyn is disgusted by Beast Man's traitorous suggestions, but after Skeletor shows her the Celestial Apex, she finally opens up, telling Beast Man she remains loyal to Skeletor because he saved her from harm when she was a thief in her mid-twenties.
Evil-Lyn's story, told through flashback, humanizes the character, depicting her as much a victim of circumstance as she is a villain. It's hard not to sympathize with her, especially when it's revealed she became a thief for two decades because she ran away from her impoverished and undernourished parents, who tried to eat Evil-Lyn when she was five years old. The scene also marks a turning point between her and Beast Man, as Evil-Lyn reveals to him that she does indeed plan on betraying Skeletor.
Evil-Lyn steals the Sword of Power
Frustrated by Skeletor's repeated abuse and armed with knowledge from Man-At-Arms that it's the Sorceress who gives her champion (He-Man, Skeletor, or otherwise) their power, Evil-Lyn hatches a plan to rob the Sword of Power. Appealing to Skeletor's baser instincts, Evil-Lyn seduces him by promising physical intimacy, convincing him to power down from his "Skelegod" form so he doesn't kill Evil-Lyn during lovemaking. Completely fooled by the ruse, Skeletor lets go of the Sword of Power, allowing Evil-Lyn to take it from him and take his place as Master of the Universe.
It's one of the biggest twists in "Revelation," taking the many earlier moments hinting at Evil-Lyn's reform and turning them on their head. While her arc ultimately does turn out to be a redemptive one, it goes through one major detour first ... in which Evil-Lyn becomes the season's most powerful villain.
Preternia is destroyed
In Part 1 of "Masters of the Universe: Revelation," Teela and her companions find Prince Adam in the heavenly realm of Preternia, where they also meet other great heroes of Eternia lore like King Grayskull, He-Ro, Vikor, Wundar, Kuduk, and Moss Man. Grayskull helps Teela's party return to the land of the living with Adam and the reunified Sword of Power, but warns that the young prince will not be able to return to Preternia afterward.
Grayskull's warning turns out to be even truer than he could have predicted, but not in the way he likely expected. Shortly after she becomes the new Master of the Universe, Evil-Lyn uses her vast power to appear before the citizens of Eternia, announcing her intentions to bring "cosmic balance" to the universe and "free" Eternians from striving to one day be accepted into Preternia for their heroic deeds ... by destroying Preternia entirely. Nothing and no one in the paradise for heroes, including King Grayskull and Moss Man, survive as Preternia is consumed by explosions of magical energy.
In no time at all, Evil-Lyn ups the stakes dramatically, robbing Eternians of a pleasant afterlife while proving she won't be as passive a "god" as Skeletor.
Skeletor joins forces with He-Man
Though he's completely caught off guard by Evil-Lyn's treachery, Skeletor still manages to overcome his surprise in time to make his getaway. Though Evil-Lyn notices, she doesn't bother to stop him, allowing Skeletor the opportunity to swallow his pride and approach the one person he thinks can help stop her: his old nemesis. Adam is naturally stunned to see Skeletor, both because they're usually enemies and because he'd believed Evil-Lyn had somehow killed her old overlord to gain her newfound power. Yet Adam and his friends accept Skeletor as an ally anyway.
While this certainly doesn't mark the beginning of a redemption for Skeletor, it's still a major moment in the story, especially considering how he's already killed Adam once in the series and nearly did so a second time to steal the Sword of Power. Though the alliance does work out fairly well — at least at first — Adam may want to be a little careful when he says things like "At this point, I think we welcome any help we can get. From anyone."
Orko returns
In Part 1 of "Master of the Universe: Revelation," it's revealed that the disappearance of magic from the universe has heavily affected Orko's health. Despite his illness, Orko joins Teela and her allies in recovering the half of the Sword of Power that has ended up in Subternia, the "Masters of the Universe" universe's spiritual underworld. During their quest, Orko makes an unexpected new friend in Evil-Lyn, but sacrifices his life so the others can recover the sword's other fragment in Preternia.
When Evil-Lyn becomes "Dark Lyn," however, she unwittingly gives the wizard another chance at life when she summons Subternia's forces to the living world. As their leader, Scare Glow, is about to slay Randor outside Castle Grayskull, a long ribbon wraps around his axe handle and pulls it from the luminous demon's grasp. Another ribbon then starts materializing in front of Evil-Lyn within the castle, finally taking the form of Orko, who's sporting new white and red robes and clearly filled with more mystical strength than ever before. Orko then uses his powers to fight Scare Glow outside the castle and Evil-Lyn within it simultaneously, defeating Scare Glow and removing the Sword of Power from Evil-Lyn's grasp.
Orko's full potential, hinted at earlier in the series, is finally reached in a stunning payoff. Better yet, the character still acts like the Orko fans have always known, proving you don't have to make a comic relief character grim and gritty to bring out their greatness.
He-Man finally gets his power back
While Teela goes with Andra on her quest to become the new Sorceress, Prince Adam and Skeletor buy her time by confronting Evil-Lyn directly with Cringer and Panthor. Rather than fight her right off the bat (and thus risk being destroyed instantaneously by Evil-Lyn's godlike might), the two try wooing her with politeness, knowing full well they'll end up fighting Evil-Lyn regardless. Their prediction proves right, and while Adam and Skeletor make a good team, it's clear Evil-Lyn is toying with them. Moreover, they lose poor Panthor when Lyn turns him into stone and smashes him to pieces. The tide changes, however, with the surprise return of Orko, who takes the Sword of Power from Evil-Lyn and tosses it to Prince Adam, who uses it to finally become He-Man once again. Not only does Adam share part of his power with Cringer, turning him into the mighty Battle Cat as usual, but he also uses some of it to restore some of Skeletor's might, explaining he's done so "Because I want you to know what saving the universe feels like." None of this seems to affect Evil-Lyn's power at all; as she later reveals, she no longer needs it to channel the universe's magic.
While Adam has been a major player in "Revelation" part 2, this is actually only the second time he's become He-Man in the series, as circumstances have repeatedly kept him from transforming into the legendary hero.
Teela becomes the new Sorceress
Beneath Castle Grayskull, Teela finds the Tide of Transformation, where she's reunited with the spirit of her mother Teela-Na, aka the classic Sorceress from the original "He-Man" series. While Teela is fairly set on becoming the next Sorceress immediately so she can stop Evil-Lyn and save the universe, Teela-Na warns her daughter that she can only do so by leaving her identity and personal bonds with the very people she's trying to save behind. As the tide fills Teela's mind with visions, including images of her infancy with her parents Teela-Na and Duncan, Teela pulls away. Her mother then appears before her once more, and while Teela agrees to continue with the transformation, she succeeds without putting her old life behind her. She then appears before Evil-Lyn, dressed in the Sorceress costume at last.
Teela's choice also allows her to leave Castle Grayskull without having to adopt a non-human form — something her mother and even Evil-Lyn were incapable of doing when they were the Sorceress. Thus Teela's change becomes a true upgrade, rather than a trade-off: She can still do everything she could do as a mortal, along with everything her mother could do as a powerful mystic.
Evil-Lyn reforms
Despite once again wielding the Power of Grayskull, He-Man, Skeletor, and Battle Cat are unable to prevent Evil-Lyn from absorbing the Celestial Apex and gaining ultimate power. Teela's arrival as the new Sorceress evens the odds, although at first, Evil-Lyn doesn't take her transformation seriously, believing all she has to do to avoid the nascent Sorceress is exit Castle Grayskull. Teela quickly proves her wrong, beginning their battle by punching Evil-Lyn while they're hovering above the castle. As they fight, Evil-Lyn vents her frustrations to Teela, explaining she plans to wipe everything from existence so no one has to deal with the disappointment she felt when discovering the universe is completely devoid of direction. Teela, however, uses her power to show Evil-Lyn that existence is far from the vast emptiness she believes it to be. As life begins growing all around them, Evil-Lyn realizes that all the good and hopeful things in the universe are a form of magic and she at last relinquishes her vast power, also freeing herself of its corrupting influence on her mind. Teela then takes Evil-Lyn back to Eternia, and joins He-Man in sending Scare Glow's minions back to Subternia.
While a great scene for everyone involved, it's perhaps Evil-Lyn's moment more than anyone else's, as she finally reaches the end of the trajectory toward reform she's been on almost since the beginning of "Revelation." She even saves Orko from being pulled back into Subternia, proving their friendship from earlier episodes had not been so fleeting after all, and discards her old wand from the original "He-Man" series.
Andra becomes the new Man-At-Arms
The similarities between Andra and Man-At-Arms are difficult to deny, given their shared proficiency at making weapons and other high-tech items. This becomes even more evident when Duncan lends Andra his arm-blaster while he races off to help King Randor in battle. Andra later uses the blaster to narrowly save Randor from several Subternian demons, causing the king, who had accepted her into his guard as a lieutenant some time earlier, to remark, "She was a good hire."
Man-At-Arms handing off his blaster to Teela goes from a symbolic passing of the torch to a much more literal one when Lieutenant Andra is named the new Man-At-Arms after Evil-Lyn is defeated. It's a well-earned title for the character, who's proven herself a brave and capable warrior over and over in "Revelation," as Teela's companion as well as Randor's lieutenant. Whether she's taking Duncan's role or sharing it with him will likely be explored in later seasons, should "Revelation" be renewed.
Motherboard starts converting Skeletor
While Evil-Lyn chooses to surrender, having seen the error of her ways, Skeletor doesn't share her epiphany, leading He-Man to knock him into the distance. He later resurfaces in his old lair Snake Mountain, which a number of ex-minions (including Tri-Klops, Trap Jaw, Blast Attak, and Whiplash) have converted into a shrine for Motherboard, a computer shaped like Skeletor's old falcon, Screeech. No one in Motherboard's techno-cult seems able to contend with the enraged Skeletor, who appears poised to reclaim his old base of operations and destroy the robot "god" ... until Motherboard easily repels an attack from Skeletor's staff and changes into a more humanoid form. While Tri-Klops and Traj Jaw hold their former leader in place, Motherboard impales Skeletor's body with several cables and begins transforming him into a techno-organic being. While Skeletor screams in horror, a small compartment in Motherboard's forehead opens and emits an all-too familiar holographic image: the symbol of the Horde.
For He-Man fans in the know, the message is clear: Hordak, Skeletor's old mentor, is coming. Aside from positioning Motherboard and Hordak as the chief villains of the potential second season, it may even also suggest the appearance of She-Ra, Hordak's arch-nemesis and defender of Etheria ... not to mention He-Man's twin sister. When it comes to leaving fans begging for more, the finale of "Masters of the Universe: Revelation" Season 1 does not disappoint.