In 1987, Cannon Films released the live-action fantasy film, Masters of the Universe. The movie – starring Dolph Lundgren – followed the story of He-Man and his friends, Man-At-Arms, Teela, and Gwildor as they travelled from their home planet of Eternia to Earth in search of a device known as the Cosmic Key.
The Key was also being sought by He-Man’s nemesis, the evil Skeletor. What followed was a race to find the Key, with He-Man and his companions doing their best to keep it out of Skeletor’s hands.
Inspired by a popular ‘80s cartoon, as well as Mattel’s successful toy-line of the same name, there was a great deal of interest and anticipation in Masters of the Universe. The fan base was primed and ready for the new picture, it just needed to live up to expectations.
Unfortunately, when Masters of the Universe made its debut in late summer of ‘87 it was largely met with disappointment. The general consensus at the time was that Masters of the Universe wasn’t particularly faithful to the cartoon or toys that spawned it, and it failed to win people over.
In the decades since its release, Masters of the Universe has fared better and is now considered a cult favourite. However, even with a die-hard fanbase now in place, most Masters fans will still admit it’s a shame the film didn’t land as initially hoped.
So, when 2026’s Masters of the Universe headed into cinemas as a reboot of the franchise, there was some hesitation from fans. Would history repeat itself almost 40 years later with another adaptation that falls short?
Well, the good news is Masters of the Universe 2026 is not the same as what came before. In fact, director Travis Knight has corrected the mistakes of the past – and here’s how.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***SPOILERS AHEAD***SPOILERS AHEAD***
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Eternia
First up, one of the big sticking points with 1987’s Masters of the Universe was the setting. Due to budget restrictions (the ’87 movie had limited funds) the majority of the story took place on Earth rather than He-Man’s home planet of Eternia.
Creating a fantasy planet costs a lot of cash. Shooting a film on generic streets in the real world is far cheaper.
Problem is, fans really wanted to see the weird and wonderful flora and fauna of Eternia. They also wanted to see plenty of Castle Grayskull, a bit of Snake Mountain, and anything else that basically wasn’t the real world.
Travis Knight’s Masters of the Universe corrects this problem by placing the majority of the action on Eternia. The opening prologue which introduces Prince Adam takes place on his home world, and about 80% of the rest of the movie is set on Eternia too.
The only sections of 2026’s Masters of the Universe which don’t take place on Eternia involve a handful of scenes (as well as an out of body sequence) which focus on Adam’s time on Earth. But these scenes are fairly brief, and help to advance the story.
So, formerly disappointed fans can rejoice. Masters 2026 delivers Eternia, Castle Grayskull, Snake Mountain and much more.
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Prince Adam
And speaking of Prince Adam, a significant big bug bear of the original live-action movie was that He-Man’s alter-ego, Prince Adam was nowhere to be seen. The film focused on He-Man, and He-Man alone, with no reference to Adam whatsoever.
Masters of the Universe 2026 not only brings Adam into the movie from the get-go, but manages to keep him at the forefront of the action – and not to the detriment of He-Man. In fact, Masters 2026 balances Adam and He-Man perfectly well, to ensure there is room for both characters in the movie.
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Cringer/Battle Cat
So, Masters 2026 delivers Eternia and Prince Adam, but what about Adam’s faithful feline friend, Cringer? The green and orange tiger was absent from the ’87 movie due to that pesky budget problem, but how do things stack up in ’26?
Well, Cringer not only appears in Masters of the Universe, but so does his alter-ego, Battle Cat. Sure, he doesn’t get lots of screen time (largely due to the sheer amount of characters in the film), but Cringer AND Battle Cat appear on screen, thus fixing another criticism of the ’80s flick.
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Heroes and villains
Now, one of the things that fans did like about the ’87 Masters of the Universe movie was the film’s collection of heroes and villains. Everyone loved Frank Langella’s Skeletor; there was a fair bit of love for new bad guys Blade, Saurod, and Karg; and it was nice to see Man-At-Arms, Teela, Beast Man, and Evil-Lyn on screen.
However, the cast of heroes and villains in the ’80s film was still relatively small. There also wasn’t a lot of room for fan-favourite characters from the toy line or cartoon.
Masters 2026 corrects this by including as many iconic allies and foes as possible. Ram Man, Fisto, Roboto, Trap Jaw, Tri-Klops, and one or two others pop up on screen alongside the likes of He-Man and Skeletor.
Not only does this tick the box for bringing a few fan-favourites to life on screen, but also makes Eternia feel like a rich and varied world. There’s also plenty of room for more characters in the future.
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Orko
A fan-favourite character that was notably absent from the ’87 film was Prince Adam’s magical pal, Orko. The character was ditched from the movie for being too expensive and too complicated to appear on screen, and was instead replaced by new ally, Gwildor.
Master’s 2026 fixes this problem by bringing Orko into the movie. OK, so he only appears during a brief credit scene, but he makes it into the picture, much to fans’ delight.
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She-Ra
Another character who didn’t appear in the ’87 film and wasn’t even mentioned (again, to a great deal of fan annoyance) was Prince Adam’s twin sister, Adora, aka She-Ra. The character was nowhere to be seen and there was certainly no hint that she had ever been considered for inclusion in the picture – especially since Prince Adam didn’t appear either.
Once again, Masters 2026 corrects this by including She-Ra in a mid-credit scene. Sure, it’s more of a tease for a future adventure than a significant role in the film, but a brief inclusion of She-Ra is better than no She-Ra at all.
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The fun factor
And finally, perhaps the most notable course correction made by Masters ’26 is the overall tone of the picture. Director Travis Knight understands that Masters of the Universe is a bit weird, a bit whacky, a little campy in places, and a property that shouldn’t be taken too seriously.
Yes, fans can and should champion Masters of the Universe whenever possible, and are perfectly right to dive deep into the wonderful mythology, but essentially this is an IP which revolves around a guy with a magic sword, who is friends with a talking tiger, and spends most of his days fighting a blue man with a skull for a face. This isn’t meant to be dead serious stuff – it’s supposed to be imaginative, inspiring escapism.
The ’87 movie went dark and took itself a bit too seriously. And while that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing – and it did work for the story being told – it failed to capture the charm and fun of He-Man, Eternia, and all of the other aspects of this magical realm.
Masters ’26 leans into the absurdity and runs with it. The result is pure entertainment through and through.
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