I recently saw the film Masters of the Universe which is based loosely in the He-Man toy franchise. Fortunately for everyone, it has almost nothing to do with the awful cartoon show (sorry, Gen-X, that show rots). I gotta say, my expectations were low, but I found myself actually enjoying it quite a lot. Was it well written? Meh, so-so. But was it well acted? Also no, but somehow it managed to capture this spirit of fun and wonder that made 80’s sci-fi/fantasy great. It wasn’t Shakespeare, but it wasn’t trying to be. I think with all superhero films, once you stop trying to take it seriously, then you can really enjoy it.
Anyway, as I usually do after I see a movie, I spent several days contemplating what I had just seen, and I noticed some interesting parallels between the plot of Masters of the Universe and the story of the Gospels in the Holy Bible. That you could probably tell from the title of this blog post. I jokingly wrote in one of my numerous group chats “Masters of the Universe is a Christian allegory. I will take no further questions”. But there were further questions, of course, and one of the people in the chat encouraged me to do a video essay on it. But who’s got time for that?
So here goes…
Spoilers ahead!
Our story begins with Skeletor, a clear stand-in for the personification of Death. Skeletor’s only goal is power, and there is no greater power in all the universe than what lies within Castle Grayskull; the very center of reality. If he were to gain possession of Grayskull, Skeletor could declare himself Master of the Universe.
The only thing that stands between Skeletor and universal dictatorship is He-Man. He-Man is the personification of all that is masculine; physical strength, vitality, energy, virtue. He is the Christ figure of his home world, Eternia.
But Skeletor seems to have gained the upper hand. Having kidnapped Gwildor the locksmith (a dwarf-like creature) Skeletor has convinced him to build a device known as the cosmic key, which can transport him anywhere he chooses - including Castle Grayskull itself. Within Grayskull is the Sorceress, the guardian of the Castle’s power. Skeletor imprisons the Sorceress of Grayskull within a forcefield, which slowly drains her of her powers.
He-Man and his companions, Man-At-Arms and Teela, rescue Gwildor from Skeletor’s troopers. Gwildor, unbeknownst to Skeletor, has a second cosmic key, which He-Man and his companions use to travel within the walls of Grayskull in an attempt to rescue the Sorceress. But Skeletor is ready for them.
Unfortunately, they are outnumbered and outgunned. The companions are forced to make a hasty retreat with the cosmic key to the planet Earth. Unfortunately, in their rough landing, they have lost track of the key. It is discovered by two American teenagers, Julia Winston and her boyfriend, Kevin Corrigan. Julie was orphaned shortly before this adventure, when her parents died in a plane crash.
Kevin, an aspiring musician, mistakes the cosmic key for a Japanese synthesizer; the cosmic key, you see, emits musical tones. As Gwildor explains, all of reality is music. By playing the proper tones, one can travel through space-time. As science is discovering, this is not far from the truth, but I digress.
Kevin attempts to play the key, accidentally sending a homing beacon back to Grayskull, inviting evil into the world. Skeletor’s right hand woman, Evil-Lyn, sends a group of mercenaries to retrieve the key, however, they are no match for the awesome might of He-Man.
In an epic battle, He-Man rescues Julie, but not without causing a lot of chaos and property damage. This arouses the suspicion of Detective Lubic, who attempts to hold Kevin for questioning. Kevin and Julie, you see, were not together at this time, and Kevin still has the key.
Angered by their failure to obtain the key, Skeletor sends a larger force, led by Evil-Lyn, to obtain the key. Lubic, meanwhile, takes Kevin to Julie’s house, to search for her, grilling Kevin on the origin of the cosmic key (which he mistakenly believes Kevin has stolen). Lubic confiscates the key, and departs to verify Kevin’s story. Suddenly, Julie’s house is overrun by Skeletor’s men. Evil-Lyn places Kevin in a mind-control collar and interrogates him as to the location of the key. This is analogous to humanity’s enslavement to sin and death.
Evil-Lyn and co. track Lubic and the cosmic key to a music store. Meanwhile, He-Man and his companions rescue Kevin from the collar. They then follow after Lubic, and a battle between He-Man and his companions and Skeletor’s forces ensues. In the heat of battle, Julie is tempted by the illusion of her mother, who convinces her to hand over the cosmic key. It turns out to be Evil-Lyn. This is how the Devil works; he offers you exactly what you want in exchange for your soul.
Evil-Lyn summons Skeletor, who mortally wounds Julie and erases the memory storage of the key. In an act of sacrificial love, He-Man hands himself over to Skeletor in order to save his friends. Skeletor takes He-Man back to Grayskull, leaving Man-At-Arms, Teela, and Gwildor stranded with a useless cosmic key, and Julie dying.
Skeletor seems to have won. He has captured his ultimate adversary and taken the mighty Sword of Eternia, which he will use to become Master of the Universe. The time is approaching; the moon is rising over Grayskull. Skeletor has He-Man tortured to try and break him, but He-Man will not yield. He uses his new powers to try and make him bow, but He-Man is too strong.
Meanwhile, Julie is fading fast. Without the right tones, they cannot make it to Eternia. Kevin, however, has an excellent memory for music. He recalls the proper notes, which Gwildor then plays, opening a portal to Eternia. The companions release He-Man, who retrieves his sword and battles Skeletor. He offers Skeletor one last chance to repent, which he refuses. He-Man thrusts his foe into the pit below, restoring order to the universe.
Julie is restored to health, and she and Keven are sent back to earth. The next scene finds Julie awaking the morning of her parents’ departure aboard the fated flight. They’re alive! A eucatastrophe! She convinces them not to go, and she and Kevin are united once again.
So it’s not a perfect allegory, but there are some parallels if you look for them. You can see the same parallels in a huge number of popular films; maybe intentional, maybe not. I believe these themes are just inherent within the human spirit, but that’s just my thoughts.
If you enjoyed this, you might be interested in the epic fantasy series I wrote, chronicling the heroic adventures of King Emrys and his bard, Taliesin. Click or tap the image below to order them now.