By George & Josh Bate
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Masters of the Universe
He-Man returns to the big screen this week and brings with him tons of cheesy, 80s style fun destined to delight fans of the iconic animated series.
As fans of the original Mattel toy line and subsequent animated series will know, Masters of the Universe is far grander than He-Man, something director Travis Knight teases in three additional scenes after the credits roll. Keep reading for descriptions and explanations of all three scenes.
Mid-Credits Scene 1
The first mid-credits scene begins almost immediately after the credits begin to roll. As a peaceful Eternia basks in the absence of Skeletor and He-Man journeys to his next mission, the fan-favorite character Orko makes an appearance.
Orko, the bumbling and magical Trollan wizard, often appeared in the original series as comic relief but was always a loyal ally to Prince Adam. In the new film, Orko breaks the fourth wall by speaking directly to the audience about the new state of Eternia and Prince Adam’s newfound role in the magical kingdom.
Interestingly, Orko didn’t break the fourth wall in the animated series. Instead, any fourth wall breaking was typically left to He-Man himself, who tended to conclude each episode by speaking directly to the audience.
Mid-Credits Scene 2
The second mid-credit scene is the best of the three scenes that feature after the credits start to roll.
While the first mid-credits scene serves as a humorous nod to the original animated series, the second mid-credits scene features another fan-favorite character – She-Ra.
Played and voiced by an unknown actress (likely a stand-in for whoever the creative team decides to eventually cast in the role), She-Ra is seen standing atop a cliff as a soldier approaches her to inform her of an impending threat. She-Ra is holding a second Sword of Power as she looks out at the horizon before her and commits to joining the battle.
For those unfamiliar, She-Ra was the protagonist of the 1985 animated series She-Ra: Princess of Power and was revealed to the long lost twin sister of He-Man. She-Ra (also known as Adora) went on to appear in a number of comic books, toy lines, and animated series, including the 2024 Netflix release Masters of the Universe: Revolution.
If Masters of the Universe proves to be a hit at the box-office, we suspect that a sequel featuring She-Ra will be fast-tracked,, after which a She-Ra solo movie may be on the cards.
Post-Credits Scene
At the very end of the credits, director Travis Knight treats the audience with a post-credits scene teasing the return of Jared Leto’s Skeletor.
In the film, Adam uses the power given to him by the Sorceress to repair the Sword of Power and defeat Skeletor, smashing his skeleton into pieces across the floor of Castle Grayskull.
The post-credits scene picks up in the same room and follows Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie) as she sneaks back in and picks up Skeletor’s skull from the floor. As Evil-Lyn makes her exit, the screen cuts to black and Jared Leto’s maniacal Skeletor laugh can be heard.
Of course, Masters of the Universe was never truly going to dispose of He-Man’s primary antagonist after just a single film. Throughout the various Masters of the Universe series, Skeletor is repeatedly defeated and revived/reborn. If you want to get really nerdy with how this is possible, the original animated series explained that Skeletor’s soul is connected to the dark dimension of Despondos and the Havoc Staff, making him extraordinarily difficult to permentantly kill and always affording the villain with an opportunity to return.