If you think Masters of the Universe is just a show/comic/movie/game about He-Man and Skeletor then think again. As any fan of MOTU will tell you, when it comes to this long-running fantasy property there is so much more to offer.
In fact, He-Man and Skeletor are merely two players in an ever-expanding world of colourful characters. Outside of He-Guy and Skeleton-Face, Masters of the Universe has a wealth of heroes and villains, many of which are legends in their own right.
In this post, I am taking a look at 20 of the best MOTU characters who are absolute icons. These guys and gals stand out from the crowd and deserve just as much recognition as anyone else.
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She-Ra
First on the list is the one and only She-Ra! For those who have been asleep for the past 40+ years, She-Ra is He-Man’s twin sister, Princess Adora.
Back when Prince Adam and Princess Adora were mere babies, Adora was kidnapped by Hordak (more about him shortly) and taken away to Etheria. Here she was initially brainwashed into evil, before she switched sides and claimed her destiny as the mighty and heroic She-Ra. What a gal!
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Orko
Next up is pint-sized hero, Orko. What Orko lacks in height, and fashion sense, he more than makes up for in heart.
Orko is a Trollan magician from the world of Trolla. He is an ally to He-Man, and in the original Masters of the Universe cartoon he is one of only three friends to know that Prince Adam and his faithful pal, Cringer, are secretly He-Man and Battle Cat.
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Scare Glow
Onto Scare Glow now, an evil ghost who can evoke terror in his enemies. Scare Glow is also a cool-looking skeleton dude with a flashy cape and a Scythe of Doom!
What’s great about Scare Glow, other than his somewhat creepy appearance, is that his original action figure glowed in the dark. Masters of the Universe toys were known for their quirky features and details, and this one allowed for plenty of late-night play after mom told you to go to bed!
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Faker
And speaking of cool action figures, this next villain had one of the best looking figures of the 1980s. Why? Because this evil duplicate of He-Man looked just like the muscle-clad hero, except he had blue skin and orange hair!
Not only did Faker stand out on the shelves of Toys ‘R’ Us, but he had one of the worst disguises of all-time. And this in turn made him kind of cool and legendary.
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Sorceress
Back to heroes for this next one, and it is of course the powerful Sorceress of Castle Grayskull. Proficient in magic, and mother to He-Man’s pal, Teela, the Sorceress is one tough cookie and no mistake!
Plus, she can transform into a bird called Zoar. What’s not to love about that?!
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Hordak
If you think Skeletor is a bad guy then you have clearly forgotten about Hordak. Leader of the Evil Hoarde, and former mentor to Skeletor, Hordak is one of the most ruthless villains in Masters of the Universe history.
Plus, he kidnapped Princess Adora when she was a baby, thus taking her away from her loving family, before indoctrinating her into his army. The cad!
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King Hssss
Another wrong-doer here in the form of the deadly King Hssss. This chap is not only leader of the villainous Snake Men, he is also hiding a secret.
If you had the action figure for King Hssss you’ll know that his general appearance was that of a man. Yet pull apart the figure and underneath his mean exterior was a collection of serpents. Nasty. Pure nasty.
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Man-E-Faces
Hands up now, who wanted to own the Man-E-Faces action figure but sadly didn’t get him? Be honest – it’s a lot of you, right?
Man-E-Faces was a heroic warrior and friend to He-Man, who was initially conceived as an actor with three different personalities. What made his action figure a ‘must own’, was that his faces could be rotated at will to change his appearance, essentially giving kids three figures in one!
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Beast Man
OK, onto three stone-cold classic villains now, beginning with the ultimate fuzz-ball, Beast Man. This hairy son of a gun, and tamer of beasts, is one of Skeletor’s most loyal minions.
Perhaps more importantly, when it came time to make a live-action movie of Masters of the Universe back in 1987, Beast Man made the transition from toy shelves to film star. Not bad when you consider only a limited number of villains made the cut, and this hairy bugger was one of ’em!
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Evil-Lyn
And this moves us seamlessly onto Evil-Lyn – another one of Skeletor’s right-hand minions, as well as another movie star. Lyn appeared in the 1987 MOTU movie (alongside Beast Man) and has been an important part of Masters of the Universe since its inception.
Evil-Lyn also played a key role in the 2021 animated series, Masters of the Universe: Revelation. Here she gained phenomenal power and even resurrected Orko from the dead! Which is a pretty decent thing to do for a bad girl.
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Mer-Man
Onto another classic Skeletor minion, the fish-like Mer-Man. This guy is one of Skeletor’s oldest henchmen, who also happens to be an ocean warlord.
Mer-Man has telepathic abillites which allow him to speak to and control sea creatures. Plus, he’s a strong swimmer and can do the breast stroke and butterfly in his sleep (probably).
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Fisto
Back to the good guys for this next iconic hero, who really needs little introduction or explanation. Don’t laugh at his name, Fisto is a warrior who is good at… erm… well.. using his fist.
Stop laughing at the back. Fisto is a strong and loyal ally, who just happens to have a large metal fist on his right hand. What he chooses to do with that hand is his own business.
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Buzz-Off
And if you think Fisto’s name is a bit on the nose then let me introduce you to Bizz-Off. This guy is a humanoid bee who comes from a race of Bee People.
Once again, Buzz-Off was a damn cool action figure back in the ’80s as he sported wings. OK, so the figure couldn’t actually fly, and chucking him around the living room was likely to result in a broken vase or two, but he sure looked good going into battle against Beast Man.
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Blade
This next villain made his debut in the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie, and outside of Skeletor was easily the coolest baddy around. Why? Because Blade was a master swordsman who was more than willing to engage with He-Man in combat.
Blade has received limited appearances since the movie, but he is a super-star for fans of the film.
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Saurod
And remaining with the ’87 Masters movie for this next villain – Saurod! Now, sadly Saurod didn’t get a great deal of screen time, largely due to Skeletor bumping him off, but when he did pop up on screen he looked very slick.
Saurod was a reptilian mercenary, who worked alongside Blade. Meanwhile, his action figure included a feature which allowed him to fire sparks from his mouth.
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Shadow Weaver
Into the final five now, and up next is Shadow Weaver! A powerful sorceress and a member of the Hoarde, Shadow Weaver is second-in-command to Hordak, and is a mean customer in her own right.
Oh, Hordak might have kidnapped Adora, but it was Shadow Weaver who cast a spell over the Princess to drag her into the Hoarde. What a Grade-A bitch.
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Snout Spout
One more good guy for this list, and the space is reserved for the brilliantly named Snout Spout! This guy is a cyborg with a human body, who just happens to have a metal elephant head!
Why? Who cares – this is what heroic dreams are made of.
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Webstor
Back to villains for the final three on this list, and first up it’s Webstor. This guy is another one of Skeletor’s minions and is essentially a cross between a man and a spider.
Not a bad combination really, as men and spiders can be very scary. Oh, and he’s also a master of escape.
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Mosquitor
If you thought Webstor sounded creepy, then get a load of Mosquitor – a cyborg who is designed to look like a mosquito. Stuff of nightmares really.
Mosquitor is an absolute icon largely because his original action figure included blood-pumping action. It’s what all ’80s kids wanted.
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Stinkor
And finally, the last spot is reserved for another one of Skeletor’s henchmen and another character with a distinct feature – he stinks!
And I’m not even joking. The original action figure for Stinkor had a distinct aroma which allowed him to stand out from his peers while making your eyes water.
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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about Masters of the Universe. For more posts be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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