WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Masters of the Universe: Revelation #1 by Kevin Smith, Rob David, Tim Sheridan, Mindy Lee, Rico Renzi, Kathleen Barnett, and Deron Bennett, on sale now.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe are back in a new comic book prequel to Netflix's upcoming Masters of the Universe: Revelation series. The Dark Horse comic of the same name has already set the tone for things to come by making the shocking official introduction of He-Ro, a long-lost character who was once set to take over as the franchise's lead in an unmade Masters of the Universe spin-0ff.
And after years as an occasional action figure, He-Ro finally has a place in the world of He-Man's narrative.
Years before Eternia was protected by He-Man, King Grayskull acted as both benevolent ruler and fierce champion of the land. Tragedy fell on his family when the hordes of King Hiss attacked and sent the king's eldest son Prince D'Are into the clutches of the interdimensional Orlax. After making a desperate deal with both his gods and the devil, King Grayskull finally found the power to strike back, though it would not save his son.
D'Are wasn't the only one in need of saving that day, however, and in the same moment that the royal family grieved they were saved by a time-traveling He-Man. This encounter inspired the young Prince Ro to become a champion himself. It's a heartwarming scene on the surface considering Ro's own insecurities about his potential as a warrior compared to his belated brother. Digging a little deeper, though, unveils it as one of the most anticipated moments in the entire franchise's history. As He-Man watches the past catch up to his present on his journey back through time, he witnesses Prince Ro grow from a meek young royal into a champion not unlike himself or King Grayskull. In fact, Ro grows up to be the long-lost hero of the Masters of the Universe franchise, He-Ro.
Back in 1987, Mattel planned to release a follow-up to their already popular franchise in the form of The Powers of Grayskull, a journey into the bygone era of Eternia's past. He-Ro would have been front and center of the champion of Preternia. The toy line that he would have been part of was never released in its own time, with only a few prototype figures ever seeing the light of day. Though He-Ro's figure would eventually be released in 2009, a lack of time in the spotlight meant that He-Ro's history was never really expanded on.
But now, fans finally get to witness He-Ro's journey from prince to warrior with the Sword of Power in his hands. While it's not clear how much, if any, bearing He-Ro's story will have on the actual Netflix show, he still has a place in Masters of the Universe lore. And regardless of his future, He-Ro's future opens up an avenue of the franchise that seemed closed forever that could take the world of He-Man into new territory.