Cartoon
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2021 TV series)
The story
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated superhero television series developed by Rob David and is a reimagining of the 1983 animated series of the same name. The series premiered on Netflix on September 16, 2021. A second season was released on March 3, 2022. The third and final season was released on August 18, 2022.
Plot
On the planet Eternia, an amnesiac Prince Adam has been separated from his father King Randor during the treachery of his uncle Keldor. Upon being part of a Tiger Tribe with his best friend Krass'tine, Prince Adam later finds a Power Sword that transforms him into He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe.
With Cringer, Krass'tine, and their new allies Teela and Duncan, known as Man-At-Arms, they work to fight the forces of Keldor upon his transformation into the evil Skeletor, and his minions Evil-Lyn, Beast Man, and Trap Jaw.
Main
Yuri Lowenthal as Prince Adam / He-Man
Max Stubington as young Prince Adam
Kimberly Brooks as Teela / Sorceress
Judy Alice Lee as Krass'tine / Ram-Ma'am / Rampage
David Kaye as Cringer / Battle Cat
Antony Del Rio as Duncan / Man-at-Arms
Villains
Benjamin Diskin as Keldor / Skeletor
Roger Craig Smith as Kronis / Trap Jaw
Grey Griffin as Evelyn / Evil-Lyn
Trevor Devall as R'Qazz / Beast Man / Skele-Beast
Kevin Conroy as Hordak
Supporting
Fred Tatasciore as King Randor and Baddrah
Tom Kenny as Ork-0 and various RK drones
Zeno Robinson as King Stratos
Stephen Fry as Man-E-Faces
Bobcat Goldthwait as Gary the Dragonfly
Dee Bradley Baker as Webstor
Kevin Smith as Tri-Klops
Stephanie Sheh as Justine, Tri-Klops' host
Minor
Yuri Lowenthal as Tuvar
Kimberly Brooks as Teela-Na / Eldress
Alan Oppenheimer as King Grayskull
George Takei as Mer-Man
Wallace Shawn as Orko the Great
Roger Craig Smith as General Dolos
Grey Griffin as Mo'squita-ra
Max Mitchell as Kitty
Production
On December 18, 2019, Netflix announced two new Masters of the Universe projects to be in development: an adult-oriented anime series described as a direct sequel to the 1983 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe titled Revelation, and a CGI series aimed at children. Pre-production was handled by House of Cool in Canada while animation services was done by CGCG Inc. in Taiwan.
Release
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was released on September 16, 2021, on Netflix. A trailer was released on August 19. The second season was released on March 3, 2022. The third season was released on August 18, 2022. The entire series was released on DVD on October 10, 2023, from Mill Creek Entertainment.
Reception
The show received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes it has an 83% approval based on reviews from 6 critics, with an average rating of 6.8/10, based on 5 critic reviews.
Joel Keller of Decider.com gave it a positive review and wrote: "What this version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe lacks in nostalgia it more than makes up for with smart dialogue, good CGI, and its ability to start building the world of Eternia from scratch with a compelling story."