Review: Masters of the Universe: Revolution (2024) – A Netflix series

Streaming on Netflix from today is the animated series, Masters of the Universe: Revolution. The series – a sequel to Masters of the Universe: Revelation – is set shortly after the events of its predecessor, and features the voice talents of Chris Wood, Melissa Benoist, Lena Headey, Meg Foster, Keith David, William Shatner, and Mark Hamill. 

In the series, King Randor is dying, leaving Prince Adam in a difficult situation. Not only does he face the reality of losing his father, but he also has to decide the fate of He-Man too.

As Randor’s son, Adam is heir to the throne and will be required to wear the crown. But his people need a king who is focused, and not one who is always off saving the day as He-Man.

In order for Adam to take the throne, he will have to give up being Eternia’s champion. That is unless another successor steps forward.

But while Adam contemplates his future, Teela is working hard to restore Preternia, so that Eternian souls (including Randor’s) have a place to go in the afterlife. In order to restore Preternia, Teela needs to unite three power sources, including one which belongs to Skeletor.

Meanwhile, since the events of Revelation, Skeletor has received a technological upgrade from Motherboard, and is currently working for Hordak. Together, all three have a hatched a scheme to seize the throne from Prince Adam, putting the lives of everyone on Eternia in danger.

Those who watched Masters of the Universe: Revelation back in 2021, will know it was an epic ten-part series filled with action, adventure, and plenty of nods to the Masters mythology. The series acted as a continuation of the 1983 cartoon, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and was loaded with many fist-pumping moments to excite long-term fans.

I’m pleased to say, Masters of the Universe: Revolution offers more of the same. It continues the story, builds out the mythology, and is packed with little details, references, and in-jokes which Mastersaficionados will love.

But more important of all, Masters of the Universe: Revolution tells a compelling tale about ascension. He-Man, Teela, Skeletor, and the entire Kingdom of Eternia are all on a journey of evolution, and it’s fun to watch.

Is the story as strong as the one presented in Revelation? Not quite as strong, no; but it is enjoyable nonetheless. And thanks to some very well-placed cliffhangers at the end of each episode, the series keeps you invested and is easy to binge-watch in one sitting.

In terms of the animation, the series remains top notch. The character designs continue to impress, with He-Man in particular getting a fabulous new makeover towards the back-end of the series.

Skeletor’s upgrade is enjoyable too, as is Teela’s. This is a series which is beautiful to look at, with money well spent on getting the visuals done right.

The voice cast is also superb, with a number of well-known actors knocking it out of the park in their roles. Chief amongst these is William Shatner, who puts in a stellar turn across the series.

I won’t reveal who Shatner voices, as this would run into spoiler territory, but it’s a character which should please the fanbase. The 92-year-old Shatner is perfect in the part, he nails every line, and his vocal work is a fine accompaniment to the work of another actor (again, spoiler territory).

The same can be said for Keith David who pops up as Hordak, and Meg Foster as Motherboard. Both actors play the right shade of evil, creating menacing foes, without turning their characters into pantomime villains, and both are perfectly cast.

As for the rest of the voice cast, Chris Wood continues to be excellent as Prince Adam/He-Man; Mark Hamill is superb as Skeletor; and Melissa Benoist does a decent job in the role of Teela, replacing Sarah Michelle Gellar who voiced the character in the previous series. Lena Headey is also brilliant as Evil-Lyn, even if she gets a lot less to do this time around.

My only grumble with Masters of the Universe: Revolution is that this series is just five episodes long, which feels a bit too short. As you may recall, Revelation was ten episodes long, and split into two halves (Part One and Part Two) with a big cliffhanger in between, but Revolution doesn’t follow the same format.

Instead of two halves, Revolution is wrapped up within the five episodes available from today. As such, it does come across as a little rushed, which is a shame.

The premise for this series, which is presented in episode one, has the scope for more than five episodes, so it does feel like a missed opportunity not to go bigger. With He-Man, Skeletor, and Teela getting redesigns, and new foes such as Hordak and the Horde thrown into the mix, this series could have easily been expanded further.

Perhaps budgets were a factor, or maybe five episodes is all Netflix were after. Either way, I would have liked more and I genuinely believe the potential for more is there.

The good thing is, it appears another series could be on the horizon. Nothing has been confirmed by Netflix just yet, but the final moments of Revolution suggest something else will follow.

Masters of the Universe: Revolution maintains the same high quality as its predecessor and it continues to bring the fun. Sure, it doesn’t quite hit the same heights as before, but this is still stellar stuff.

As with Revelation, Revolution places its emphasis on action and storytelling and this should work well for viewers of all ages. This is a modern He-Man for a modern audience, but one which hasn’t lost sight of the past. 

Those who grew up on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe will find plenty to keep them happy, while a new generation of fans will find this all very accessible and enjoyable. Revolution is solid stuff and hopefully it won’t be too long before the next series arrives.

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Editor/writer/master of the multiverse

Alex Wiggan

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