By Chris Snellgrove | Published
First of all Masters of the Universe trailer just dropped, giving fans a chance to see He-Man and his friends in all their live-action glory. So far, most reactions have discussed the strong effects, inspired casting (Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms!), and cool designs (surprisingly, Skeletor actually resembles his cartoon counterpart). Fans also noted that the upcoming movie is inspired by superhero movies like this one Thor: Ragnarok again Superman (2026).
But as a child born in the ’80s with a He-Man themed home office, I wanted to focus on something different: Easter eggs! For fans with long memories, this trailer is full of nods to the original toys and He-Man’s tangled story. If you’d like to “have the power” to appreciate all the silly heads and heroic respect, read on for some cool Easter eggs in Masters of the Universe!
The Witch is Hiding in Ebala
At the beginning of the trailer, we see a colorful bird flying over the fantasy world of Eternia. He reappears later, towering over everything and everyone. Considering how much of this trailer focuses on swords and sorcery, you might be wondering why the heck this bird (and not, like, a robot bird) is featured so prominently.
The answer is that this is not just any bird: that is a Witch, that (at least, at first. Masters of the Universe cartoon) is the mysterious guardian of Castle Grayskull and can transform into a whale at will. She is a major part of franchise lore and, in an earlier cartoon, Teela’s secret mother. When not in bird form, the Sourceress is played by Morena Baccarin, who (after acting in both. Deadpool again Gotham) is no stranger to colorful storytelling.
A Story of Shared Origins
Another important aspect is changing Masters of the Universe trailer that makes He-Man a native Eternian, Superman-style, sent to Earth to protect himself. This did not happen in the first cartoon, although that show he did reveals that He-Man’s mother was originally from Earth. If the movie doesn’t change this fact, then it makes sense that she would send her son to a familiar place where he can get some serious email work instead of fighting for his life in a brutal palace attack.
Speaking of which, the trailer pretty much implies that the violent attack against the royal family that we see in the flashback is what made Marlena send her son to Earth. We don’t see who is leading this attack, but it is most likely Skeletor; in the 2002 animated revival, He-Man and the Masters of the Worldwe see that Skeletor was once a normal (or blue) man named Keldor who attacked the palace and tried to throw acid on Captain Randor. The future king diverted the attack, and the acid badly damaged Keldor, turning him into a monstrous skeletal man.
That’s probably why they cast Jared Leto as this villain: to show him as a good Keldor before he’s turned into a boring monster. My theory is that he leads the attack on the trailer that causes Marlena to banish Adam to Earth and that he will be corrupted (like in the cartoon) during the attack. In this way, the film will connect the origins of He-Man and Skeletor in a way that the franchise has never done before.
Big Story About Big Jim
One interesting detail we learn about He-Man’s time on Earth is that he becomes a true genius who specializes in swords and sorcery. Maybe that’s why he ends up in a toy store, pulling a sword wielded by a barbarian figure. While that image is a cool Easter egg in itself (more on that in a minute), there’s something innocent lurking behind it: Big Jim’s toy box.
Big Jim is important to He-Man’s history because Mattel ended up reworking some of these old toy designs for their Masters of the Universe figures. The most famous example of this is that Battle Cat (He-Man’s faithful green tiger) was originally created from the skin of Big Jim tiger. By inserting this box after the important scene, i Masters of the Universe the movie pays homage to the original Mattel toys that helped bring He-Man to life.
He-Man Meets His Toy
The best time to Masters of the Universe trailer is where He-Man tries to wrest his own Power Sword from the hands of a lifeless barbarian statue. Most casual viewers of this trailer immediately think that this must be a statue of Conan the Barbarian. However, this is actually a portrait of Vikor, a different character created by original He-Man designer Mark Taylor.
When Taylor first got the design for He-Man, he created the character as part of his concept art. Apparently, Mattel went with one of Taylor’s other ideas for their final design of He-Man, but they ended up changing the earlier design to a character named Vikor, who was reimagined as the former Power Sword wielder. After all, the final design of He-Man was based on Taylor’s concept of a human named Torak; look closely and you can see the word “Torak” hidden in the toy store area of the trailer!
Very Special Release Date
The last Easter egg in the Masters of the Universe the trailer is hidden in the last place you think to look: the release date. The film will premiere on June 5, which seems set for an unlikely summer blockbuster. Therefore, ordinary followers had no real reason to believe that this day had any special significance.
However, June 5 also happens to be the birthday of Mark Taylor, the aforementioned designer who created He-Man’s iconic look. Taylor had no way of knowing it at the time, but his brilliant design ended up changing the landscape of pop culture and toy history. He sadly passed away in 2021, but the upcoming Masters of the Universe film will mark what would have been his 85th birthday, helping to honor the legacy of He-Man’s most important creator.
