Webtoon Review: Masters of the Universe: Revelation
Eternia is a planet that is near to and sometimes literally at the center of the universe. Within Castle Greyskull on that planet lies a secret power that supposedly would make one a Master of the Universe. The villainous Skeletor has long coveted that power, and from Snake Mountain leads his minions in efforts to seize it. His primary opposition is He-Man, who is secretly Prince Adam of the kingdom nearest Greyskull. He and his friends, many of whom do not know his secret, fight tirelessly to protect Eternia. But now things have come to a head.
I was already an adult and getting into anime when the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series began airing. So I was never really invested as a fan of the show. But I did see enough episodes and tie-ins to get the gist of the plotline and characterization, so I was by no means lost when watching this continuation. There are some backstory and character design alterations, which seem trivial to me but apparently did not sit well with traditionalists.
One of Skeletor’s plans is finally successful enough for him to get inside Castle Greyskull. In the ensuing combat, both Skeletor and He-Man are apparently destroyed, and the Sword of Power that He-Man wielded is broken. Both Teela, He-Man’s one female companion (and who had feelings for Prince Adam) and King Randor (Adam’s father) are angered to learn that they had had secrets kept from them. Teela quits, while those who knew He-Man’s true identity, Man-at-Arms (Teela’s father), Cringer (aka Battlecat) and inept mage Orko, are banished from the kingdom.
Some time later, Teela has become a mercenary with her new tech-savvy friend Andra. They run into a cult run by former minions of Skeletor and are surprisingly aided by Evil-Lyn and Beast Man, also former minions. It turns out the Sword of Power was an artifact that allowed magic to flow from elsewhere into Eternia, and with it broken, magic and eventually Eternia are dying. And if Eternia dies, you can kiss off the rest of the universe.
Teela must now lead the remaining heroes and some former enemies on a quest to restore the Sword of Power. But just when that plotline seems resolved, there is a new twist!
Taking Skeletor and He-Man off the screen for a while allows focus to be placed on other characters for a change. Teela, Orko and Evil-lyn all get much-needed development. Hints about Man-at-Arms and the Sorceress of Greyskull Castle from the original series are finally followed up on. But later on, Prince Adam also gets a chance to grow as a character…and it’s a known character flaw that Skeletor rejects any chance to change his ways.
This is primarily meant for older fans, and has more consequences for violence, and more violence in general, than the original series. I’d rate it as late teens on up. Also of note on the content front is that Skeletor is emotionally and physically abusive towards Evil-Lyn (which is not as it turns out her birth name.) Their relationship is toxic at best.
Overall, recommended to people who enjoyed the old Masters of the Universe cartoons and aren’t too attached to a specific interpretation or status quo.
