Netflix’s CGI-animated He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series finally premiered today. And as with Masters of the Universe: Revelation, fans seem to be split right down the middle. A major point of contention with viewers deals with how the new series handles Skeletor’s origin story. But despite the backlash, the show’s producers aren’t second-guessing their creative choices.
Showrunners Rob David and Jeff Matsuda recently discussed their work on the series in a new interview with ComicBook.com. Specifically, they defended their decision to make Skeletor the uncle of Prince Adam/He-Man. But they still have the utmost respect for the original story.
“When the character of Skeletor was first created in 1982, his origin was told in several mini-comics, where the franchise said that he was a demon from another dimension, from a dimension filled with skull-faced people who look just like him,” said David. “It’s fun and great!”
David also recalled that other He-Man media has explored the idea of Adam and Skeletor being blood relatives. And according to Matsuda, this adds some extra nuance to their famous rivalry.
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“There was a mini-comic in 1987 where they hinted that Skeletor might be Randor’s brother,” added David. “But they never directly said it. In 2002, when they had the next He-Man show, they noted that Skeletor was Keldor, but the link between him and Adam wasn’t totally made explicit. They never really got to explore that familial relationship.”
“[We had an opportunity to] really dive into that relationship and make the drama personal with stakes,” added Matsuda. “We had the perfect opportunity to bring this all together and show the comparisons and contrasts between these two characters. They’re both heirs of Grayskull, but the fact that Adam doesn’t covet the power makes him the right choice to wield it.”
All 10 episodes of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’s first season are now streaming on Netflix.
How do you feel about this new version of Skeletor? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
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