History Of He-Man

He-Man is a well-known fictional heroic character from an American animated television series. The character of He-Man is based upon Mattel Inc.’s famous toy line, Masters of the Universe. Debuting in 1983, the show ran till 1985, divided into two seasons of 65 episodes each. The show revolves around a prince of a fictional planet trying to safeguard his planet from evil forces. The series was unique in its own way, as it was the first cartoon series that portrayed a muscular superhero who actually hit people. The show was very popular among children in the 1990s and still continues to retain a heavy fan following. Read through the following lines to know more about the history, origin and background of He-Man.

 

Interesting & Amazing Information On Origin & Background Of He-Man 

He-Man is a fictional character based on an illustrated book drawn by Mark Texeira, which was later on launched as toys in the market by Mattel Inc., under Masters of the Universe. The entire concept is based on the fictional planet of Eternia, a planet of magic, myth and fantasy. The lead character is Prince Adam, who is the younger son of Eternia’s rulers, King Randor and Queen Marlena. He-Man is the alter ego of the Prince, when he uses the sword power and transforms into the most powerful man in the universe. The character uses the powers to defend Eternia from the evil forces of Skeletor, along with his close allies, Battle Cat, Teela, Man-At-Arms and Orko.

 

Skeletor is on the mission of conquering the mysterious fortress of Castle Grayskull that helps He-Man in drawing his powers. On attaining success, Skeletor will not only rule Eternia, but the entire universe. This was the first time, in years, that a cartoon series featured a muscular superhero, who actually hit people. The success of the series lead to a spin-off series titled ‘She-Ra: Princess of Power’. The series showcased Prince Adam’s twin sister, Princess Adora. Just like Adam, Adora too is gifted with the power of Grayskull and has her sword, which she uses to transform herself into She-Ra, Princess of Power. This series saw a number of appearances by He-Man.

 

In 1987, a live action movie film ‘Masters of the Universe’ was produced by Cannon Films. The role of He-Man was portrayed by Dolph Lundgren. However, the movie failed to recreate the magic of the cartoon series and commercially failed at the box-office. After Masters of the Universe, Mattel Inc. tried to revive interest in He-Man by producing a new toy line titled ‘He-Man’. The character was given a new look with a space helmet and golden armor for a more futuristic appearance. Also, his sword was completely redesigned. To accompany the toy line, Jetlag Productions produced a cartoon series titled ‘The New Adventures of He-Man’ in the early 1990s, where the lead character was voiced by Gary Chalk.

 

In 2002, Mike Young Productions produced yet another He-Man cartoon series titled ‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’. This series included the entire story of He-Man from the very beginning. Cam Clarke gave his voice to He-Man. In 2005, all 130 episodes of ‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’ were released on a DVD by BCI Eclipse LLC in 4 volumes. Each volume includes an extensive array of special features like documentaries, character profiles, commentaries, DVD-ROM features, trivia, photo galleries and more. In 2009, He-Man ranked as the 58^th greatest animated show of all time in the Top 100 by IGN.