By Gwildor's beard, the first images for Kevin Smith's Masters of the Universe: Revelation have debuted online, and they really do have the power!
Smith's upcoming animated series comes after Netflix ended its five-season run for She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. This time around the nostalgia bend, fans of the '80s cartoon series will see their favorite heroes and villains revived with wicked redesigns and a new attitude. Revelation is split into two parts, with five episodes planned for Part 1, premiering on July 23. The show features an incredible cast of greats including Chris Wood (Supergirl) as He-Man, Star Wars alum Mark Hamill as Skeletor, Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Sarah Michelle Gellar as Teela, Game of Thrones' Lena Headey as Evil-Lyn, Batman Forever's Alicia Silverstone as Queen Marlena, and voice acting legend Kevin Conroy as Mer-Man, and the original voice of Skeletor, Alan Oppenheimer, now in the role of Moss Man.
Other cast members include Liam Cunningham as Man-At-Arms, Griffin Newman as Orco, Stephen Root as Cringer, Diedrich Bader as King Randor and Trap Jaw, Tiffany Smith as Andra, Henry Rollins as Tri-Klops, Susan Eisenberg as Sorceress, Jason Mewes as Stinkor, Phil LaMarr as He-Ro, Tony Todd as Scare Glow, Cree Summer as Priestess, and Kevin Michael Richardson as Beast Man.
Smith serves as showrunner on the series, and executive produces alongside Frederic Soulie (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe), Adam Bonnett (Descendants), Christopher Keenan (Justice League, Batman Beyond), and Rob David (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe), with Susan Corbin (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe) producing. Acting as writers for the series is Marc Bernadin (Castle Rock), Eric Carrasco (Supergirl), Diya Mishra (Magic the Gathering), and Tim Sheridan (Reign of the Superman). Lastly, Bear McCreary (Godzilla: King of the Monsters, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Snowpiercer) is in charge of composing the animation's epic score. Powerhouse Animation Studios, the team behind Netflix's Castlevania, is in charge of the show's look and animation.
Here's the official synopsis for Masters of the Universe: Revelation:
The war for Eternia culminates in MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: REVELATION, an innovative and action-packed animated series that picks up where the iconic characters left off decades ago. After a cataclysmic battle between He-Man and Skeletor, Eternia is fractured and the Guardians of Grayskull are scattered. And after decades of secrets tore them apart, it’s up to Teela to reunite the broken band of heroes, and solve the mystery of the missing Sword of Power in a race against time to restore Eternia and prevent the end of the universe.
I hope you're ready to see some of your favorite Masters of the Universe characters redesigned and looking incredible because Entertainment Weekly recently debuted a series of first-look images from the new series. You can check them out in all their glory below:
In addition to sharing the above images, EW also spoke with Smith about how his new series honors the legacy of the '80s animated series while also bringing something new to the franchise.
Narratively our show is set up as the next episode in the legacy ‘80s animated series that aired from 1983-1985. This is a continuation of that story. We're playing with the original mythology and characters, and revisiting and digging deeper into some of the unresolved storylines. Visually we also made the conscious decision to lean into the MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE line of toys for inspiration as well. Mattel owns this entire vast library of that artwork, so right away we wanted the show to open with classic pieces of that artwork. Mattel has been committed to this look since they first started as a toy line in the '80s, and now we’re leaning into it and honoring it.
What do you make of this bold new direction for He-Man and his pals? Will you be tuning in when Smith's new series holds its sword aloft on Netflix?