He-Man is back in an original Netflix series after nearly two decades — thanks to the power of Grayskull, of course — and we now have our first look at it. Following the success of Netflix’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, which takes on a vastly different tone than previous incarnations of the Princess of Power, fans of “The Most Powerful Man in the Universe” were unsure what to expect from the film, which was announced by none other than Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma, Chasing Amy) back in 2019.
However, our first look at Kevin Smith’s Masters of the Universe: Revelations reveals that the show is sticking to tradition, with a look that is strongly influenced by the original 1980s cartoon series and a storyline that picks up right where the original left off.
“Narratively our show is set up as the next episode in the legacy ‘80s animated series that aired from 1983-1985. This is a continuation of that story. We’re playing with the original mythology and characters, and revisiting and digging deeper into some of the unresolved storylines,” Smith said of the show. “Visually we also made the conscious decision to lean into the Master of the Universe line of toys for inspiration as well.”
Powerhouse Animation is responsible for the show’s new look, having previously collaborated with Netflix on the iconic Castlevania and Blood of Zeus episodes, as well as with Smith on Clerks: The Lost Scene. Along with Powerhouse and Smith, the upcoming show features Chris Wood as Prince Adam/He-Man, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Teela, Lena Headey as Evil-Lyn, Alicia Silverstone as Queen Marlena, Steven Root as Battle Cat, Griffin Newman as Orko, and Mark Hamill as He-main Man’s villain Skeletor.
The show is something of a passion project for Smith, who notes that “I watched all of the TV series growing up, it was everywhere in the ‘80s. These characters started off as toys and ended up becoming part of the global pop culture fabric.” He went on to add that “so much of this show has been possible because of the love and affection for this world at every level of production and the fandom surrounding this franchise. A big reason we got such top-tier voice talent is because people genuinely want to be a part of this world. So many of us were touched by these stories and these characters early in our lives and were so happy to come back to Eternia.”
