After nearly 20 years — and by the power of Grayskull, of course — He-Man is back in an original Netflix series, and we now have a first look at it. Announced by none other than Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma, Chasing Amy) back 2019, fans of “The Most Powerful Man in the Universe” were not sure what to expect from the show following the success Netflix’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, which takes on a drastically different tone than previous incarnations of the Princess of Power. However, our first look at Kevin Smith’s Masters of the Universe: Revelations reveal the show is embracing tradition, with a look heavily inspired by the original 80s cartoon series and a plot the picks up right where it left off.
“Narratively our show is set up as the next episode in the legacy ‘80s animated series that aired from 1983-1985. This is a continuation of that story. We’re playing with the original mythology and characters, and revisiting and digging deeper into some of the unresolved storylines,” Smith said of the show. “Visually we also made the conscious decision to lean into the Master of the Universe line of toys for inspiration as well.”
Behind the show’s new look is Powerhouse Animation, which has worked with Netflix on its popular Castlevania and Blood of Zeus series, as well as with Smith himself on Clerks: The Lost Scene. In addition to Powerhouse and Smith, the upcoming show boasts an incredible line-up, with Chris Wood as Prince Adam/He-Man, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Teela, Lena Headey as Evil-Lyn, Alicia Silverstone as Queen Marlena, Steven Root as Battle Cat, Griffin Newman as Orko, and the legendary Mark Hamill voicing He-Man’s main villain Skeletor.
The show is something of a passion project for Smith, who notes that “I watched all of the TV series growing up, it was everywhere in the ‘80s. These characters started off as toys and ended up becoming part of the global pop culture fabric.” He went on to add that “so much of this show has been possible because of the love and affection for this world at every level of production and the fandom surrounding this franchise. A big reason we got such top-tier voice talent is because people genuinely want to be a part of this world. So many of us were touched by these stories and these characters early in our lives and were so happy to come back to Eternia.”
Masters of the Universe: Revelations will premiere July 23 on Netflix. For a first look at the show, check out the images below:
