Skeletor facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Skeletor
Masters of the Universe character
Art by Alex Ross
Created by	Mattel
Portrayed by	Frank Langella
Voiced by	Alan Oppenheimer (1983–1987) Keith Scott (Streets commercials) Campbell Lane (1990) Brian Dobson (2002–2004) Mark Hamill (2020)
Information
Aliases	Keldor
Species	Gar/Demon
Gender	Male
Title	Lord of Destruction Overlord of Evil
Family	King Randor (half-brother)
Relatives	Prince Adam/He-Man (nephew) Princess Adora/She-Ra (niece) Queen Marlena (sister-in-law) King Miro (father) Saryn (mother)

Skeletor is a famous supervillain and the main bad guy in the Masters of the Universe stories. He was created by Mattel and is the biggest enemy of He-Man, who is also his nephew!

Skeletor usually looks like a blue-skinned person with a bare skull for a head, wearing a purple hood. His main goal is to get the amazing powers of Castle Grayskull so he can rule the whole universe. However, his plans often fail because his helpers aren't very good at their jobs!

Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Who is Skeletor?

Skeletor has appeared in many different cartoons, comics, and movies over the years. His story and how he looks have changed a bit in each version.

Early Comics: Savage Eternia

The very first comics that came with the Masters of the Universe toys in the early 1980s told a different story. In these comics, Skeletor was from another dimension. During a big war, a hole opened up, and he was thrown into Eternia.

In this early version, Skeletor wanted to open that hole again. He hoped to bring his own people to Eternia to help him conquer it. This was his reason for wanting the powers of Castle Grayskull. This story was short-lived, so many questions about his past were never answered.

Filmation Cartoon (1983)

Alan Oppenheimer was the first voice for Skeletor.

Skeletor in the Filmation cartoon.

In the popular 1980s cartoon series, Skeletor was once a student of Hordak, a very evil leader. Hordak attacked Eternia and kidnapped one of the King and Queen's twin babies. Skeletor was caught and forced to tell where Hordak was hiding. Hordak escaped through a portal, taking the baby Princess Adora with him.

Skeletor stayed on Eternia and built his own army of bad guys at Snake Mountain. His main goal became taking over Castle Grayskull, because that's where He-Man gets his power. If Skeletor could control Grayskull, he believed he could conquer Eternia and the entire universe! He also wanted revenge on Hordak.

Skeletor appeared in many episodes of the He-Man cartoon and some of the She-Ra spin-off. Sometimes he seemed a bit silly, and his plans were often ruined by his own clumsy helpers. But He-Man always took Skeletor's threats seriously, knowing how dangerous he could be.

Later Comics: The Keldor Mystery

After the Filmation cartoon, some comics hinted that Skeletor was actually Keldor, King Randor's long-lost brother. This was a new idea that went against earlier stories.

In a 1986 comic called "The Search for Keldor," Prince Adam and King Randor looked for Keldor. When Skeletor found out, he worried, saying they "must never discover the secret of Keldor." King Randor said Keldor disappeared years ago while trying to master magic. He was lost in "a dimension beyond time!"

Skeletor tried hard to stop them from finding out more. This made many fans think that Keldor and Skeletor were the same person. The story was never fully finished in the original toy line.

In the 2002 animated series, it was confirmed that Skeletor's original name was Keldor. He was also Randor's half-brother, meaning they had different mothers.

Masters of the Universe Film (1987)

Frank Langella as Skeletor in the 1987 movie.

In the 1987 live-action movie, Frank Langella played Skeletor. This version of Skeletor was much darker and scarier than the cartoon one. He was a very strong and dangerous enemy.

In the movie, Skeletor captures Castle Grayskull. He even absorbs a powerful energy, turning into a golden, god-like being. But He-Man eventually defeats him. At the end of the movie, Skeletor says, "I'll be back," hinting he survived. Frank Langella's acting as Skeletor is still loved by many fans.

The New Adventures of He-Man (1990)

Skeletor in his "Disks of Doom" form.

In The New Adventures of He-Man series, Skeletor has a new look with armor and cybernetic parts. He tricks some space heroes into thinking he's good, but then reveals his evil nature. He and He-Man are both taken to a futuristic planet called Primus.

Skeletor makes a deal with the Mutant leader, Flogg: he'll help Flogg conquer Primus if Flogg helps him destroy He-Man. Skeletor is very clever and often controls Flogg from behind the scenes. He also finds a powerful crystal that makes him even stronger and changes his appearance.

This Skeletor is different from the Filmation version. He often jokes and laughs, even when his plans fail. He's also shown to be more competent and dangerous, even with his funny lines.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)

Skeletor in the 2002 animated series.

The 2002 TV series shows Skeletor's origin story. He was once a warlord named Keldor who studied dark magic. Keldor summoned Hordak, who was trapped in another dimension, to teach him.

Keldor fought King Randor, and during the fight, acid splashed onto Keldor's face. To save his life, Keldor asked Hordak for help. Hordak transformed him, removing the damaged skin from his skull and calling him Skeletor. Keldor's head became a floating skull, and he laughed wildly, perhaps losing his sanity.

In this series, Skeletor is very mean to his followers, often punishing them for their mistakes. He rules through fear and doesn't care much about his own team. He also hates King Randor for what happened to his face. While he is evil, he sometimes acts scared when his life is in danger, but this is usually a trick.

Skeletor's look in this series is based on new toys. He often wears a large cape, especially when using powerful magic. His eyes sometimes glow red when he's angry or using his powers.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2012 Comics)

In the comics published by DC Comics, Skeletor tries to stop Adam from remembering that he is He-Man. He sends his allies to attack Adam, but they keep failing.

Skeletor realizes that the sword is just a tool for He-Man's power, not the source itself. He captures the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull and tries to force her to tell him how to get the castle's power. When she tries to trick him, he gets angry and seemingly kills her.

Skeletor prepares for He-Man's attack on Castle Grayskull. He is very confident. After a big battle, He-Man thinks Skeletor is dead, but Skeletor survives with a cracked skull. It's then revealed that another unknown enemy has been controlling Skeletor all along.

Powers and Abilities

Skeletor is a very powerful sorcerer. He can do many dark magic tricks, like:

Teleporting himself and others.
Sending messages to his helpers with his mind.
Making plants grow.
Hypnotizing people.
Creating illusions.
Shooting freezing rays.
Opening doors to other dimensions.

He is also very smart and good at creating machines. In the 2002 series, he is shown to be a skilled swordsman, fighting with two swords at once.

His main weapon is the Havoc Staff. This is a long staff with a ram's skull on top, sometimes with a crystal ball. He can shoot magic bolts from it or use it to do stronger magic, like stealing dreams. Skeletor can also shoot energy from his hands or fingertips.

In the early comics, he sometimes had half of the Power Sword, which also let him use magic. He can also see things far away using a crystal ball. Skeletor is very cunning and intelligent. He is strong, but not as strong as He-Man. His main weaknesses are his anger and sometimes being too confident.

Animal Companions

Even though Skeletor is usually mean to his helpers, he seems to like animals.

Panthor

Panthor in the Filmation cartoon.

Panthor is Skeletor's evil pet, a giant purple panther. He is like an evil version of Battle Cat, He-Man's companion. Panthor is often seen next to Skeletor's throne. He doesn't appear in as many stories as Battle Cat, but he is more important in the episodes where he does show up in the 2002 series.

Other Animals

In He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special, Skeletor shows kindness to a robot dog named Relay. Even though he acts annoyed, he carries the dog when it's hurt and won't let anyone else carry it.

In The New Adventures of He-Man, Skeletor becomes friends with a small mutant creature named Grr. He likes Grr because the creature is as fierce as he is.

Advertising

Skeletor has appeared in commercials for Honda, with his voice done by Jeff Bennett.
In March 2017, Skeletor was seen dancing in TV ads for Moneysupermarket.com.