Inconsistent, experimental, downright ludicrous… “Masters of the Universe” has a line-up of heroes and villains unlike any other in sci-fi or fantasy.
Thanks to the franchise’s unique origin story, the hit ’80s cartoon series was effectively a commercial for Mattel’s extremely lucrative toy range. The show’s writers subsequently did their best to accommodate the strange whims of action figure designers on the hunt for more and more playable designs. What other mythology would even try to accommodate extending necks, water squirters, and intentionally unpleasant aromas?
So, as the new He-Man movie prepares to transport us back to Eternia, we take a look at 12 of the weirdest characters from the “Masters of the Universe” back catalogue.
1. Mekaneck
A great guy to have on your team, but only if you need someone to peer over a reasonably high fence. Mekaneck is the Inspector Gadget of He-Man’s gang, capable of periscoping his mechanical neck to implausible lengths and, er, not much else.
Later iterations of “Masters of the Universe” saw him contemplating the pointlessness of his powers, but he was still considered worthy of a place in the new movie.
2. Buzz-Off
Ever wondered what you’d get if you fused the DNA of a flying insect with that of a human male?
“Masters of the Universe”‘s answer to the question was rather different from David Cronenberg’s in “The Fly”, as Buzz-Off — who pulled off the double-whammy of being both a Heroic Warrior and an instruction — was a muscular bee fella with wings, a stripy sweater, and a buzz-like speech impediment.
3. Clawful
The toy designers at Mattel always loved a pun, but this may be the most shameless of them all. Human lobster Clawful was nominative determinism in action, being both an awful guy (he was one of Skeletor’s hired goons) and the owner of a giant claw.
In the Filmation cartoon — which gave the character a more reptilian appearance — he fancied his chances of getting his filthy claws on Skeletor’s throne.
4. Whiplash
Most of ‘Masters of the Universe”s heroes and villains were one-offs, but some were extremely derivative of other franchises.
The reptilian Whiplash (whose name came from his ability to whack stuff with his tail) was essentially an Eternian version of veteran Spider-Man adversary the Lizard. His colleague Webstor, meanwhile, borrowed heavily from the Wallcrawler’s own skillset.
5. Moss Man
Probably the only “Masters of the Universe” action figures you could use as air fresheners in your car, Moss Man toys came with a pleasant pine scent.
In the original cartoon, this eco-friendly hero was a master of disguise and a cunning spy who utilized the fact that he was a walking plant to help him blend into the background. He could also control foliage, making him Eternia’s answer to Swamp Thing.
6. Two-Bad
Are two heads really better than one? You’d really have to ask Two-Bad, though it’s unlikely both of his noggins would agree on the answer.
This member of Skeletor’s entourage was effectively “The Odd Couple” fused together in one body, as his constant bickering with himself ensured he rarely lived up to his boss’s minimal expectations.
7. Sy-Klone
The most striking thing about Sy-Klone — aside from that bold blue-and-yellow color scheme — was how much he copied He-Man’s style.
Rather than being the long-lost brother of the most powerful guy in the universe, however, this one-man ode to terrible spelling was actually a cyborg who could spin his body very, very fast to create mighty winds.
8. Stinkor
This guy stank the place out — literally. Human/skunk hybrid Stinkor could compete with Mekanek in the useless power stakes, though at least his godawful stench (so bad even he had to wear a protective mask) worked over slightly longer distances.
The toy was infamous for its (intentional) pong, but Filmation vetoed his appearance in the cartoon after the show’s writers found it impossible to take him seriously. Stinkor did, however, find his way into later shows — including Kevin Smith’s 2021 follow-up “Revelation”, where he was voiced by Silent Bob’s sidekick, Jay (Jason Mewes).
9. Snout Spout
The embodiment of Mattel’s “toy first, worry about the backstory later” policy, Snout Spout (also known as Hose Nose), used his robotic elephant head to squirt water.
Although he was created for the “Masters of the Universe” toyline, Eternia’s firefighter in chief arrived too late for the original Filmation cartoon, so he made his cartoon debut in the spin-off show “She-Ra: Princess of Power”.
10. Clamp Champ
It’s not clear which ruling body granted this He-Man disciple the status of champion of the clamp, but the “Heroic Master of Capture”‘s pincer action — in toy form, at least — put Clawful’s to shame.
When the action figure launched in 1986, he was, shockingly, the first Black character in the MOTU line. He had to wait until “Revelation” for his TV debut.
11. The Rock People
By the mid-’80s, “MOTU”‘s only real rival for the title of ” world’s most popular toyline” was “Transformers”.
The Rock People were a feeble attempt to cash in on the shapeshifting craze, as Stonedar, Rokkon, and Granita (the latter never immortalized as an action figure) could turn themselves into… er, meteors. Like Snout Spout, the residents of Geolon were created too late for the original He-Man cartoon, but did cross paths with She-Ra.
12. King Hiss
Beneath his human exterior, King Hiss (later King Hssss) was an ophidiophobe’s worst nightmare. Because, under that carefully crafted mask, this reptilian ruler was actually a writhing bundle of snakes inexplicably working together as one.
It remains a mystery how anyone at Mattel would think ’80s kids might get a kick out of a few snakes emerging from a set of human legs. They tried it anyway.
The new ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie is in theaters from June 5, 2026. You can watch the original “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” on Amazon Prime Video.