8 Things The Masters Of The Universe Movie Needs To Get Right About He-Man After Years In Development

As exciting as Amazon’s Master of the Universe The adaptation may be, there are a lot of things that need to be done right to be a worthy adaptation of He-Man’s adventures. We actually live in a time where everything old is young again. Mattels Master of the Universe The franchise is set to return to the big screen in a film planned for Amazon/MGM June 5, 2026. It’s the first time He-Man has been released in theaters since a 1987 film starring Dolf Lundgren, one of the most notorious box office bombs in Hollywood history.

Nicholas Galitzine (Chambers, Cinderella, Mary and George) was cast as Prince Adam/He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe; He is accompanied by Camila Mendes (Dangerous lies, Fairfax, Riverdale) as Teela, Captain of the Guard and possible love interest. Netflix is ​​controversial Masters of the Universe: Revelation attempted to reboot the franchise, but this is undoubtedly He-Man’s biggest chance to finally break into Hollywood. All of this means that a lot rides on the film’s success – and here are some of the key things to consider.

8 Focus on He-Man front and center

Kevin Smiths Masters of the Universe: Revelation It improved over time, but was never able to completely shake off its early mistakes and missteps. Part of the problem was that the trailers emphasized He-Man’s return, but the first season’s plot was essentially He-Man-lite. It’s telling that He-Man wasn’t even mentioned in the title, and the “reveal” really felt like Teela’s discovering He-Man’s true identity under tragic circumstances.

Amazon’s Master of the Universe The film also doesn’t mention He-Man in the title. But it’s important that the film avoids the same mistake of not making him a star; It needs to focus on He-Man’s character and powerswhich shows why he really is the most powerful man in the universe. He-Man returns to the big screen and must be at the forefront of his fight against Skeletor and the forces of evil.

7 Prince Adam’s secret identity has to make sense

He-Man may live in a fantasy world, but at heart he is Eternia’s main superhero and leader of the planet’s version of the Avengers. Traditionally, he even has a secret identity that he guards with the utmost care; Few know that the cowardly Prince Adam is actually He-Man. Secret identities were an important part of superhero fiction in the ’80s, but they’ve fallen somewhat out of fashion since 2008 Iron Manwhich explains why Smith’s Masters of the Universe: Revelation began by revealing He-Man’s true identity.

This revelation inevitably changes all the relationships that viewers are dying to see.

The problem, however, is that this revelation inevitably changes all of the relationships that viewers are dying to see – especially the relationship between Prince Adam and Teela. There are now signs that fashion is changing again Spider-Man: No Way Home Wrestling with Peter Parker’s secret identity and Daredevil: Reborn I’ll certainly follow suit with Matt Murdock. It’s Vital from Amazon Master of the Universe is currently playing.

6 Nicholas Galitzine needs to be a believable He-Man and Prince Adam

This means that Nicholas Galitzine has a big role in the lead role. He essentially has to play two different characters; the seemingly cowardly Prince Adam, who runs away from danger at the first sight of trouble, and He-Man himself. Galitzine is a talented actor, but this will test him, especially in the moments of overlap – when Adam steels himself, draws his magical sword and lets out the spectacular battle cry that transforms him.

Again, Galitzine would do well to take a tip from some of the classic superhero actors – most notably the late Christopher Reeve. Reeve’s iconic appearance brought both Clark Kent and Superman to life, and he subtly adjusted his entire body language to make it believable that Clark would not be recognized. Galitzine has to create something similar to make his prince Adam feel completely different from He-Man.

He-Man comics have long recognized the similarities between He-Man and Superman, with many overlaps and team-ups.

5 Teela needs to be more than just a love interest

A focus on He-Man means this Master of the Universe The film will certainly be tempted to make Teela, Eternia’s Captain of the Guard, the main love interest. The relationship between He-Man and Teela – He-Man – has always had a romantic undercurrent Is After all, for many boys it is a wish fulfilled – but it is important that this remains just an undercurrent. Teela is not a damsel in distress, but a master of the universe herself.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation attempted to do justice to Teela by focusing on her heavily implied relationship with the sorceress and revealing that she had inherited her mother’s powers. It was a smart approach, but again it fundamentally changed Teela’s character. The live-action adaptation is the first chance to see He-Man and Teela on the big screen since 1987, which means it really has to be the original Teela.

4 Eternia must be a rich and vibrant world

He-Man made his debut on the fantastical planet Eternia and the classic animated series spent a lot of time exploring this new world. For Mattel, of course, it was an opportunity to create new action figures; winged characters for the mountains, aquatic ones for the seas, and variations of He-Man and his fellow masters in different outfits for the different environments. 1990s The New Adventures of He-Man walked away from Eternia, which was a mistake. Other shows promptly returned to He-Man’s home world.

The New Adventures of He-Man was truly a misstep as it forgot the franchise’s fantastical roots. He-Man is a sword-and-sorcery adventure; Although Man-At-Arms has advanced technology, it is more steampunk in style, and going completely into science fiction was a bad idea. Amazon’s Master of the Universe There is no need to be ashamed of He-Man’s fantasy roots, especially in a time when game of Thrones, Lord of the ringsAnd The Wheel of Time have proven that fantasy can be a hit.

3 Skeleton must be a really scary villain

Master of the Universe is truly the story of Skeletor, as each hero is truly measured by the power of his nemesis. The 1987 Master of the Universe The film just didn’t quite convince Skeletor; He felt like a pretty standard fantasy villain rather than a real threat to the universe should he unlock the power of Grayskull. If Amazon Master of the Universe so it should be a hit Skeletor must be really scary.

It is true that it is a children’s franchise, so the film cannot go too far. Still, Disney has long proven that villains can be incredibly scary and still be popular; That makes it all the more satisfying when they lose. Amazon will be tempted to downplay Skeletor’s villainy, meaning he has less influence. This temptation must be resisted.

2 The tone and style have to be right

There have been so many different incarnations of Master of the Universe over the decades, and so it’s easy to come to the conclusion that there is no real “tone” that the franchise should adopt. This couldn’t be further from the truth; The tone of the franchise was set back in the classic 1983 seriesand it is a joyful innocence. Unfortunately, this was another area where Masters of the Universe: Revelation fought; fought; It tried to appeal to 1980s audiences, and as a result it wasn’t always well received.

Master of the Universe may be fantasy, but it’s not game of Thrones. The franchise has a childlike innocence that allows parents to share it with their children. While the original series’ moral messages would be more frightening than Battle-Cat’s alter ego, these often hilarious speeches give a sense of the franchise’s worldview. He-Man’s world consists of black and white, good and evil and is intended to fill the viewer with joy. A repeat is non-negotiable.

1 Masters Of The Universe needs to introduce He-Man to a new generation of viewers

Basically: Masters of the Universe: Revelation made the simple mistake of indulging too much in nostalgia. It was aimed at an audience who had loved the television series of the 1980s and wanted to see the franchise grow up with them. Nostalgia has been a powerful force in modern Hollywood for years, but in some ways the nostalgia game increasingly seems to be facing diminishing returns. Amazon’s Master of the Universe The relaunch must avoid this and aim to attract new viewers.

The goal shouldn’t be to attract nostalgic 80s kids

Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be an origin story; but it definitely means Master of the Universe must present a fully fleshed out world as if it were the first time a viewer had ever heard of He-Man. The goal shouldn’t be to bring in nostalgic 80s kids, but rather to see how 80s kids share He-Man with them her children and grandchildren. If Amazon can pull this off, He-Man will finally not only star in a blockbuster again, but he will be successful.