Is He Still Master Of The Universe? Inside The World Of He-Man

Last week, Roger Sweet, credited with being the creator of the iconic He-Man action figure, passed away at the age of 91. The timing is bittersweet, as the new He-Man movie, Masters of the Universe, is scheduled for release in theaters worldwide on June 5, 2026.

Sweet was a lead designer in Mattel’s Preliminary Design Department during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1976, Mattel had infamously rejected an opportunity to design and produce toys for Star Wars, a blunder in hindsight as the toys were made by another company which became a hit after the 1977 Star Wars movie. Six years later, Sweet came up with an idea- during an experiment, he placed a Big Jim action figure in a fighting pose, making it look stronger by adding clay- this was later developed into becoming the He-Man figure. He spoke with Ray Wagner, Mattel CEO, convincing him to produce toys based on the figure- In 1982, He-Man was released, and the rest, as they say, is history. Mattel then collaborated with Filmation to introduce the cartoon: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in 1983, which spanned 130 episodes, and subsequently they also had a comics line. Even today, the cartoon’s theme song is unbeatable, featuring the evil Skeletor’s cackle. "As a lifelong fan, I expect the new movie to honour the 90s nostalgia while introducing modern, high-stakes storytelling. Seeing Eternia with today’s visual effects is thrilling, but the heart must remain Prince Adam’s journey of courage. I hope it respects the original legacy while proving that He-Man’s heroic spirit is still relevant today," says 38-year-old Deiip Baasu, Creative Head, Post Men Roll Camera Action.

With the new He-Man movie releasing next month, what most people of the current generation, and even mine, for that matter, forget is about the first He-Man movie, also titled Masters of the Universe which released in 1987. And who played He-Man? Dolph Lundren, the muscular giant who had entered our collective consciousness as the Russian Ivan Drago, beating Sylvester Stallone to a pulp in Rocky 4 (1985). Interestingly, it also featured Courteney Cox of ‘Friends’ fame. The film was a ‘commercial failure’, which is exactly why i always tell people not to judge a movie by its ‘review’. Even today that film is a fascinating watch, especially with the overboard VFX effects which current fantasy films use. Skeletor, his henchmen, the sets- check it out for yourself. I actually feel a mix of anger, sadness and amusement when reading about how the film did not do well. In fact, i was shocked when i found out that even Dolph didn’t like the film!

Intriguing to note is what happened after the film. A sequel was announced, Masters of the Universe 2, at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival. Dolph’s replacement was Laird Hamilton, a surfer, however, due to several issues the movie never got made. But so that the sets and costumes of the film would not go to waste, Mattel used them for a low budget sci-fi action movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, called Cyborg (1989). Throughout the last three decades, talks of another sequel kept doing the rounds, but never worked out.

But is Gen Z aware of the He-Man phenomenon? "Honestly, I didn’t grow up with He-Man, but the trailer for the new movie looks totally fire! The visuals are insane, and the vibe is so powerful. Even without knowing the 90s backstory, I’m hyped to see this world. It looks like a great mix of fantasy and action that I’d definitely watch!" says 25-year-old Sakshi Lakhani, freelance assistant director.

In the last few years, Netflix brought us two He-Man cartoon series (2021-2024), which, although no match for the original ofcourse, were an intriguing watch because of some of the modern takes on the tale. The new movie stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, Jared Leto as Skeletor, and Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms- and you can bring as many Avengers as you want to Hollywood, but there will always be only one individual who could send that feeling of excitement through us when he raised his sword and said, “By the Power of Grayskull! I have the power!”- thus becoming the strongest warrior in the galaxy.