WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Masters of the Universe: Revelation, now available on Netflix.
Masters of the Universe: Revelation certainly lives up to its promise of killing major character. However, fans didn’t expect so much death in the premiere episode as Kevin Smith and Co. instantly raise the stakes for Teela and her team to begin their quest to rediscover magic and heal the cosmos. Shockingly enough, in “The Power of Grayskull,” the show’s most gruesome death also turns out to be its funniest.
It occurs when Skeletor breaches the Heart of Grayskull and accesses the Hall of Wisdom. He’s plotting to use a mystical orb to make himself a god. In the fight that breaks out, Skeletor tries to grab He-Man’s Sword of Power.
Luckily, in the Sorceress’ garden, Moss Man is hiding out, akin to DC’s Swamp Thing, and uses his vines and shrubbery to restrain Skeletor. But the tyrant, as conniving as ever, has his Havoc Staff spit out fire. The mystically powered flames incinerate Moss Man, turning him to ash and mulch. Hearing his screams is truly chilling, especially as it’s voiced by actor Alan Oppenheimer, who voiced Skeletor and Man-at-Arms in the original series.
The fatality leaves He-Man petrified. However, it also allows Skeletor’s Mark Hamill to place his own Joker spin on things. Of course, Hamill — apart from being famous for playing Luke Skywalker — is revered for his Joker voice-work across a plethora of video games, cartoons and animated movies. As such, he brings that creepy yet comical aura to the Masters of the Universe: Revelation sequence.
In the aftermath, Skeletor dips his fingers into Moss Man’s remains and spices things up by remarking, “Smells like pine!” He’s basking in the kill and compounds it by adding, “You can’t tend the garden without pulling a few weeds.” It’s a sick burn, no pun intended, and for those with a dark sense of humor, it’s hard to find it not funny. Sure, it’s tragic a major hero in the franchise dies so quickly and easily, but it shows collateral damage is a real thing. More so, it sticks to Hamill’s iconic delivery and allows him to place his own signature on Skeletor, crafting an intimidating, brutal and unforgiving killer along the way.
It properly differentiates him from the old versions of Skeletor, who cracked lame, cheesy jokes. While sticking to the essence of the past, this Skeletor has his own way of getting under He-Man’s skin. As expected, Grayskull’s champion doesn’t take kindly to the jabs and immediately impales Skeletor. However, as audiences soon learn, this joke was meant to rile him into murder for a much more nefarious endgame.
The first five episodes of Masters of the Universe: Revelation are now available on Netflix for those looking to witness Skeletor’s sick one-liners.
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