He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Series, 1983, The '80s toy era, Set in Eternia
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is #4 of 28 in release order and #4 of 28 in chronological order in the Saturday Morning Cartoons.
The story
When Adam, Prince of the planet Eternia, raises his magic sword he transforms into He-Man (the most powerful man in the universe). With his allies and friends, he battles the evil Skeletor and his minions to protect the secrets of Castle Grayskull.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe recap
On the planet Eternia, Prince Adam, son of King Randor and Queen Marlena, holds up the Sword of Power, says "By the power of Grayskull!" and becomes He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe, while his cowardly pet tiger Cringer becomes the armoured Battle Cat. Only the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, the inventor Man-At-Arms and the bumbling magician Orko know his secret; Teela, the captain of the guard, does not. Their enemy is Skeletor, a skull-faced sorcerer who wants to take Castle Grayskull and its secrets, leading a gang of henchmen from Snake Mountain, including Evil-Lyn, Beast Man, Trap Jaw and Mer-Man. He-Man rarely hits anyone: he lifts, throws and smashes things instead, and most stories are solved with brains as much as strength. Each episode ends with a character speaking to the audience about the lesson of the story. Filmation made the show to promote Mattel's Masters of the Universe toys, and it ran in daily syndication from 1983 to 1985, for 130 episodes over two seasons.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ending explained
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ended without a finale. The last regular episode, "The Cold Zone" (1984), has Kobra Khan ask He-Man for help when his people's underground kingdom starts to freeze. The film The Secret of the Sword (1985) introduced Adam's twin sister, who led the spin-off She-Ra: Princess of Power, and He-Man returned in The New Adventures of He-Man (1990), a 2002 series, Netflix's Revelation (2021) and Revolution (2024), and Amazon MGM's live-action film Masters of the Universe (2026).
Where to watch He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is streaming on Prime Video and Tubi in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.6/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Smurfs, before The Transformers.
- Chronological order: after The Smurfs, before The Transformers.
Cast
- John Erwin as He-Man / Prince Adam / Ram Man / Beast Man / Whiplash / Webstor / Faker / Granamyr (voice)
- Alan Oppenheimer as Skeletor / Battle Cat / Cringer / Man-at-Arms / Mer-Man / Buzz-Off (voice)
- Linda Gary as Teela / Evil-Lyn / Queen Marlena / Sorceress of Castle Greyskull (voice)
- Lou Scheimer as Orko / King Randor / Stratos / Mekaneck / Man-E-Faces (voice)
- Erika Scheimer as Arcadian women (voice)
- George DiCenzo
Created by Roger Sweet.