He-Man facts for kids
Quick facts for kids He-Man |
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| Masters of the Universe character | |
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He-Man
Art by Alex Ross |
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| First appearance | 1982 (toys and comics) 1983 (television series) |
| Created by | Roger Sweet, Mattel designer; He-Man name and "space and military" prototypes by Roger Sweet, commissioned by Ray Wagner; Tony Guerrero would later re-sculpt the He-Man prototype to resemble the final figure seen in stores. |
| Portrayed by | Dolph Lundgren |
| Voiced by |
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| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | The Most Powerful Man in the Universe |
| Aliases | Adam |
| Species | Eternian/Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Prince |
| Family |
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He-Man is a famous superhero from the Masters of the Universe world. He is known for his amazing strength. He-Man is usually the secret identity of Prince Adam. He and his friends work to protect their home, Eternia. They also guard the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil Skeletor. In some countries, like France, He-Man is called Musclor.
Contents
How He-Man Was Created
In 1976, a toy company called Mattel had a chance to make toys for the Star Wars movies. But they said no because it cost too much money. After Star Wars toys became very popular, Mattel wanted to create their own hit toy line.
Toy designer Mark Taylor said that He-Man's first look was inspired by ancient Cro-Magnon people and Vikings. Another designer, Roger Sweet, thought that simple ideas were best for new toys. He wanted to make something easy to sell.
Roger Sweet created the first He-Man models in late 1980. He used parts from another toy figure and added clay to make them strong. These models helped bring He-Man to life.
He-Man in Comics
In the early comic books that came with the toys, He-Man was a barbarian from Eternia. His world had been through big wars. These wars left behind advanced machines and weapons. Only a few people knew about them.
The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull gave He-Man some of these special weapons. He then set out to protect Castle Grayskull from Skeletor. He-Man had one half of the Power Sword. Skeletor had the other half. When the two halves were put together, they could open Castle Grayskull.
He-Man in TV Shows
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983)
When the first TV show was made, He-Man's story changed. His real name became Prince Adam of Eternia. He was the son of King Randor and Queen Marlena. The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull gave Prince Adam the power to become He-Man.
To change, Adam would hold up his Power Sword and say, "By the power of Grayskull... I have the power!" To change back, he would say, "Let the power return." As He-Man, he had a deeper voice and wore different armor.
Prince Adam had a pet tiger named Cringer. Cringer was very scared. When Adam became He-Man, he would point his sword at Cringer. This turned Cringer into a brave, armored tiger named Battle Cat. Battle Cat became He-Man's loyal companion.
Adam was friends with Teela, who was strong and brave. She was the Captain of the Royal Guard. She was also the daughter of the Sorceress, but she didn't know it. Teela thought Prince Adam was lazy. He acted this way to keep his secret identity safe.
Man-At-Arms was He-Man's close friend and a brilliant inventor. He often created new gadgets to help He-Man. Castle Grayskull was where He-Man got his powers. The Sorceress lived there and helped Adam. Only a few people knew He-Man's secret: Orko, Man-At-Arms, Cringer/Battle Cat, and the Sorceress.
Later, a show called She-Ra: Princess of Power showed that Adam had a twin sister. Her name was Princess Adora. She also had a special sword and could transform into She-Ra. He-Man sometimes appeared in her show.
He-Man's main enemy was Skeletor. Skeletor was a blue-skinned sorcerer with a skull for a head. He was very smart and skilled in magic. Skeletor had a group of helpers for his evil plans.
The New Adventures of He-Man (1990)
In this series, He-Man left Eternia to chase Skeletor into space. He-Man's look changed to be more futuristic. He wore a space helmet and golden armor. His sword was also redesigned.
In this show, Prince Adam pretended to be a traveling merchant on the planet Primus. He still kept his secret identity as He-Man. His transformation words changed slightly to "By the power of Eternia...".
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)
This series retold the original story. Prince Adam was 16 years old. He was called to Castle Grayskull by the Sorceress. There, he learned he was meant to become He-Man. He would defend Eternia.
In this version, Prince Adam was more energetic and like a teenager. The show also revealed that Adam was a descendant of King Grayskull. King Grayskull was an ancient hero who first used the Sword of Power.
He-Man in Movies
Masters of the Universe (1987 Film)
In 1987, a live-action movie called Masters of the Universe was made. Dolph Lundgren played He-Man. In this movie, Prince Adam was not shown. He-Man was more aggressive, using lasers and his sword to fight. The film ended with a big fight between He-Man and Skeletor.
Upcoming Film
Actor Noah Centineo confirmed in 2019 that he would play He-Man in a new Masters of the Universe live-action movie.
He-Man in Toys
The New Adventures of He-Man (1990) Toys
After the first toy line ended, Mattel tried to make He-Man popular again. They made new toys called He-Man. The story with these toys said that He-Man had left Eternia. He followed Skeletor into space. Skeletor wanted to conquer a planet called Primus. He-Man became the leader of the Galactic Guardians there.
Masters of the Universe Classics (2008)
This toy line combined different parts of He-Man's story. The toy packaging had biographies. These stories suggested that other "He-Men" existed before Prince Adam. But Prince Adam was the only one who truly wielded the Power Sword and became the real He-Man.
Actors Who Played He-Man
In the 1980s TV shows, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and She-Ra: Princess of Power, John Erwin voiced both He-Man and Prince Adam. He made He-Man's voice sound deeper.
Dolph Lundgren played He-Man in the 1987 live-action movie. He did his own stunts. He-Man did not change into Prince Adam in this film.
Garry Chalk voiced He-Man in The New Adventures of He-Man (1990). Doug Parker voiced Prince Adam in that series.
In the 2002 series, Cam Clarke voiced both He-Man and Prince Adam.
Noah Centineo is set to play He-Man in the upcoming live-action movie.
He-Man's Powers and Abilities
He-Man has incredible powers. He has super speed, very tough skin, and amazing strength. No one knows his exact strength. He once lifted Castle Grayskull and threw it through a special doorway! He can also lift mountains and icebergs. He even fixed a broken metal chain just by pushing the links together.
He-Man is said to be "the most powerful man in the universe." His strength comes from the magic inside Castle Grayskull. He once pushed a moon of Eternia into a new orbit. Then he pushed it back to its original spot.
He-Man can stay in his powerful form for a long time. But if he gets hurt too much or uses too much power, he changes back into Prince Adam. In the 2002 series, he survived big explosions. But he turned back into Adam after them. This shows that even He-Man has limits.
He-Man is also very fast and agile. He can run fast enough to escape huge explosions. He can move his arms so quickly that he can stop a tornado's winds. He can also jump very high.
Sometimes, He-Man seems to have telepathic powers. He could talk to the Sorceress with his mind. He could also communicate with his sister, She-Ra, from far away.
He-Man usually tries to avoid fighting. He prefers to outsmart his enemies. He only fights when he has no other choice. In the old cartoon, he couldn't use his sword to hurt people. He could only destroy robots. But in the 1987 movie and 2002 series, he fought more aggressively.
He-Man's main weapon is his sword. It is very strong and can block energy blasts. The sword also lets him change from Prince Adam to He-Man. He uses it to turn Cringer into Battle Cat too. He also uses other weapons like a battle axe or a shield. His chest armor is made of a special metal called corodite. This metal helps make him even stronger.
See also
In Spanish: He-Man (personaje) para niños
