WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Masters of the Universe: Revelation, now streaming on Netflix.
Masters of the Universe: Revelation is posited as a straight-up sequel to the classic 1980s cartoon, notably in a flashback in Revelation's Episode 3, “The Most Dangerous Man in Eternia.” It depicts Duncan, Man-At-Arms, in his prime, and is set during the older show and lets Man-at-Arms serve as the hero as he comes to He-Man and Teela’s rescue. Its placement at the beginning of the episode is no mistake, and in fact it makes a stunning admission: although he wields the Power of Grayskull, He-Man is not the most powerful man in all Eternia. Duncan is.
Revelation takes care to preserve the sunny optimism and childlike wonder of Eternia’s past in contrast to its more compromised present, and both Duncan and the reveal is a big part of that. The reveal constitutes a sea change in Man-At-Arms’ status in Eternia, not only in the new show, but in the former one as well. But rather than disrupting Eternia’s mythology, it provides a stronger reason why Man-at-Arms was always by He-Man’s side.
Duncan’s relationship to He-Man in the '80s series was a combination of mentor and sidekick. He exhibited quiet competence – a scientist and engineer who helped design the heroes' weapons -- and was trusted with He-Man’s secret, but the show didn’t require deeper character analysis beyond that. Revelation changes the equation, not only by revealing larger complexities between the two, but by doing so in a way that enhances rather than detracts from their earlier appearances. In the case of Duncan, it provides a more thorough analysis of his abilities, as well as an exploration of what “Man-at-Arms” really means, and how much more useful it can be than even the Power of Grayskull.
“The Most Dangerous Man in Eternia” starts with Evil-Lyn’s curt appraisal of who the true power in Eternia is: "He-Man was a glorified goody-goody. Now Man-At-Arms, he was always the real threat. I told every Snake Mountaineer time and again that he was the most dangerous man in all of Eternia." The subsequent appearance of Roboto, who Duncan built himself to be his perfect duplicate, confirms her statement, as does the episode’s climax, when he comes to rescue Teela and her crew from Mer-Man. The fight lets Duncan display the full range of his suit’s abilities, which would rival Tony Stark’s for their variety and lethality.
His abilities are untouchable, as are the effects. Not only does he dispatch Mer-Man’s forces with ease, but he defends Castle Grayskull against Tri-Klops’ forces single-handedly in Season 1, Episode 5, “The Forge at the Forest of Forever.” The mystic power that He-Man relied upon is gone, but Duncan’s abilities remain because they don’t rely on anything mystic or supernatural. He’s a military genius, a master tactician and a clever engineer, allowing him to build and use all kinds of amazing devices. None of that faded with Eternia’s magic, and while He-Man may be gone, Duncan’s powers have hardly missed a beat.
That in turn puts his previous relationship with He-Man in an entirely different light. It makes him far more of a teacher and a guide than a sidekick. In fact, it suggests that He-Man relied on him precisely because he could bring so much to the table that Grayskull's Champion couldn’t, and that if he should fail, Duncan was the one to truly serve as Eternia’s last hope. It dovetails nicely into Teela’s former position of Man-At-Arms, which she inherited from Duncan and – as Cringer explains to her – meant that He-Man trusted her to make things right if he was gone. It’s a reflection of how much respect he holds for her predecessor, as well as how much confidence he has in her ability to live up to the title.
Power is a relative thing, of course, and Duncan will never have the superhuman abilities that He-Man possesses. But, at the end of the day, the way he applies his own abilities is not only comparable, but superior in enough ways to overcome He-Man’s brute strength. That’s in keeping with Revelation’s ongoing themes of magic vs. technology, and given the way the first half of the season ends, it may play a big part in whatever comes next. Duncan may get to prove his might yet again.
Executive produced by Kevin Smith, the first five episodes of Masters of the Universe: Revelation are available on Netflix.