He-Man's Power Of Grayskull Is Dark & Terrifying - But Most Fans Don't Know Why

On the surface, "Masters of the Universe" is about a fairly classic, if extremely well-muscled, fight between good and evil. The series protagonist, He-Man, also seems like a pretty basic power fantasy; after all, he's secretly the meek and weak Prince Adam who gets turned into an all-powerful hero by the power of Grayskull. However, there's actually far more to the "Masters of the Universe" lore than many fans might realize. For instance, some of it dictates that the particular type of power He-Man wields isn't a force of good at all. In fact, it's barely neutral and can just as easily be used for evil.

In an interview with the "He-Man and the Eternity War" blog, Rob David of Mattel explained that there's just one type of magic in Eternia, and there's no reason why this raw power can't be used for villainy. "What King Grayskull did was build a fortress around the planet's singular access point to Eternia's magic," David explained. "He did so to protect it from those who would use that magic for evil. But bad guys don't see themselves as bad guys. In many ways, Hssss and Hordak have just as much claim to the power inside Castle Grayskull as Grayskull did. It's their birthright as well. Culturally. Historically. It's all of our birthrights, really. Skeletor certainly feels that way."

That Skeletor line, as it happens, is especially telling. Several continuities — including the recently ended "Masters of the Universe: Revolution" — reveal the villain as Prince Adam's corrupt uncle Keldor. The idea that the magic Skeletor wields is the same stuff that's powering He-Man is a concerning thought. After all, exactly how much can you trust something that can be used for nefarious purposes just as easily as heroic?

In the interview, Rob David also explained precisely why Eternia, the planet WHERE the events of "Masters of the Universe" take place on, is so important. "It's located at the center of the universe — Ground Zero of the Big Bang," he said. "It's the first planet of creation. At its core is the magic that created the stars, the planets, all of us. Everything. Eternia would therefore be uniquely important — to everybody."

In other words, Eternia is the most central location you can imagine, both literally and figuratively. Prince Adam's ancestor, King D'Vann Greyskull, built Castle Greyskull to control all the magic on the planet, so it has a pretty good claim of being the single most important place on the most important planet in existence. Since He-Man is powered by this magic, he's not exaggerating when he calls himself the most powerful man in the universe.

The truth is, the He-Man franchise features many origin stories, and in some continuities, he's fought Superman on more or less equal footing. This feat alone goes a long way toward explaining why the "Masters of the Universe" villains are keen to gain access to the magical source that powers the hero. It's also all the more reason for He-Man and his allies to constantly work to stop them from doing so. We'll never know if one of the many failed "Masters of the Universe" reboot movies would have explored the more worrying aspects of Eternia's magic, but it's clear that the concept provides plenty of opportunity for horror if future adaptations, like the film starring Nicholas Galitzine, decide to tap into it.