Netflix is fast becoming the hub for He-Man content, first with the adult-themed animation Masters of the Universe: Revelation and then the CGI reboot of the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series. The trend looks to be continuing with a live-action Masters of the Universe film, with West Side Story star Kyle Allen tapped to play Prince Adam. And while both He-Man series differ in terms of tone and target audience, they both decide to explore the nature of power, specifically in how Prince Adam and his arch-nemesis, Skeletor, use it.

Revelation starts off by fundamentally upending the Masters of the Universe mythos in its premiere; a climactic battle between He-Man (Chris Wood) and Skeletor (Mark Hamill) leads to their apparent deaths and the destruction of magic in Eternia. The first half of the series features an unlikely alliance between characters including Teela (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Evil-Lyn (Lena Headey), travel throughout Eternia’s different realms - including Preternia and Subternia, its versions of Heaven and Hell respectively - to reforge He-Man’s Sword of Power. The quest ends with Adam’s resurrection - but also leads to Skeletor wounding Adam and taking the sword for himself.

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The second half of the series then illustrates why the Power of Grayskull is not simply something anyone can wield, especially with how Skeletor utilizes it. He transforms the inhabitants of Eternia into a living army of the dead, uses his power to send the souls of Adam’s companions to Subternia, and becomes a massive godlike being. To combat his archenemy, Adam calls on the Power of Greyskull without the sword - and becomes a savage version of He-Man, driven entirely by rage.

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Image Via Netflix

The battle between Savage He-Man and Skelegod reveals far more about both Adam and Skeletor than the previous 130 episodes of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ever did. Adam, after transforming back into his regular self, is horrified and vows never to turn into He-Man without the sword because he almost killed his father, Randor. But Skeletor sees Savage He-Man as merely an obstacle to surpass and grows obsessed with trying to do the same; he even interrogates Man-At-Arms (Liam Cunningham) about how Adam manipulated the Power, to which Man-At-Arms offers a scathing rebuke:

“You want to know why we followed Adam? Because he had all the power of the universe at his fingertips but he only chose to call it down when someone else needed it! He gave it away! That’s what made him a hero!”

Skeletor soon learns how fragile his own grasp on his newfound power is when Evil-Lyn takes the Sword of Power from him and ascends to godhood. This comes after dealing with years of abuse from Skeletor, both physical (he nearly chokes her to death after his battle with Savage He-Man) and psychological (he makes her the new Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, but leaves her forever bound to the mystic fortress); the tipping point comes when she witnesses the birth of the universe and develops a nihilistic worldview. Lyn attempts to use her newfound power to wipe out all life from the universe, believing that a return to chaos will end the struggle the universe was born into. It takes all of Eternia, including He-Man (and Skeletor, with who Adam enters into an uneasy alliance) to stop her.

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Image Via Netflix

Finally, the series tackles Teela’s discovery of her own hidden power, as she finally learns that the Sorceress of Castle Greyskull is her mother. When preparing to take up the mantle of the Sorceress, Teela is told by her mother that she has to forgo all attachment to her previous life. Yet she says that her connection to her friends is her true power-and she’s going to use it to save the universe from Evil-Lyn’s apocalypse. Not only does Teela become able to leave Castle Greyskull, but she’s also able to defeat Evil-Lyn and show her that life is truly worth living despite the hardships one may face.

The first season of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’s reboot also tackles the nature of power; specifically, the different kinds of power that both He-Man (Yuri Lowenthal) and Skeletor (Ben Diskin) wield. When Adam gains the power of Greyskull, he decides to share it with his allies, empowering them to become Masters of the Universe. Each Master of the Universe, including Battle Cat (David Kaye), Teela/Sorceress (Kimberly Brooks), Ram Ma’am (Judy Alice Lee) and Man-at-Arms (Anthony del Rio), is able to tap into the power of their own free will, but they work best as a team. Even when it seems like they’ve lost their powers after a battle with Skeletor and his minions, it’s due to working together that they’re able to retap into Greyskull’s power.

Skeletor, on the other hand, sees his Power of Havoc as a tool to control others. Though Evil-Lyn (Grey Griffin), Trap-Jaw (Troy Baker), and Beast-Man (Trevor Devall) have the ability to transform into more powerful versions of themselves, Skeletor controls when they transform - a fact they learn rather painfully when they attempt to betray him. And Skeletor’s control over Havoc even extends to the kingdom of Eternos, ending the first season on a dark note as he takes the throne for his own.