Kevin Smith has stated that Masters of the Universe: Revelation was always intended to be for an adult audience, especially those who grew up on the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Filmation cartoon that debuted in 1983.
For those who loved and grew up on the original cartoon, watching the Netflix "spiritual sequel" was often a source of joy. But the show also included multiple scenes that tempted even the worst of Snake Mountain's crew members to shed a few tears.
10 Orko Revealing His Parents' Disappointment In Him
For many children, Orko was a childhood favorite. The friendly court jester was one of Prince Adam's best friends and served as a stand-in for the audience members who could never dream of holding their own in a battle that featured He-Man, yet dreamed of being there anyway. Orko spent much of his on-screen time in the Filmation cartoon making mistakes, but his friends loved him regardless.
In Revelation, Orko is trying to help an Eternia that is dying. Eternia is not even Orko's home planet, yet he feels obligated to try to help. When he makes yet another mistake, he ends up telling Evil-Lyn that even his own parents had been disappointed in Orko's failure to be a great magic user. The moment is made all the sadder by the fact that Evil-Lyn shows Orko more sympathy than his own parents had demonstrated.
9 The Sorceress Telling Teela She Wanted To See Her One Last Time
Fans of the original Filmation cartoon know a secret that Teela does not: she is the daughter of the Sorceress of Grayskull. Although this secret is hinted at several times throughout Revelation, it is never revealed in its entirety and serves as an Easter egg to those who do know.
But the knowledge of Teela's heritage played an important role in one of the saddest moments in Revelation. When Skeletor was able to trick He-Man into stabbing him and unleashing magic that would ultimately destroy the universe, Teela demanded to know what the point of summoning them there was if everyone was going to die. The Sorceress' reply was that she simply wanted to see Teela one last time. The moment is devastating because the audience knows her reason, but Teela does not.
8 Orko Revealing That He'd Been Kicked Out Of The Palace
In the original Filmation cartoon, Orko had been responsible for saving Prince Adam's life when the prince was a child. For his efforts, he had been rewarded with a medal that had the word "hero" written on it. In Revelation, the audience sees that medal, so it is implied that history is still in place. The audience even sees some of the familial affection that the King and Queen have towards Orko at the beginning of Revelation, when everyone is celebrating Teela's promotion.
Yet, when Orko is seen in the episode, "The Most Dangerous Man in Eternia," he reveals that the Royal couple kicked him out of the palace following the revelation that Prince Adam was He-Man. The heartbreaking reveal that he'd been rejected by the Royal family he'd been so devoted to is made worse by the fact that Orko is dying. Not only had Orko been rejected by King Randor and Queen Marlena, but he'd been rejected while on his deathbed.
7 Randor's Expressing His Disappointment With Prince Adam
King Randor has never been in the running for any greatest father awards. At best, his attitude towards his son has been dismissive. While Queen Marlena was able to figure out her son's secret in the Filmation cartoon, King Randor spent his entire time expressing how much of a disappointment Adam was instead.
The characterization of King Randor continued in Revelation. After Adam commented about Duncan's pride in Teela's promotion, Randor felt the urge to snidely say, "That's parental pride, Adam - something I hope I can feel one day, as your father." The next shot allows the audience to see how much pain such a cruel comment inflicted on Adam. The comment is made even sadder by the fact that it is one of the last things King Randor says to his son before Adam's death.
6 Queen Marlena Reacting To Her Son's Death
Although Queen Marlena was never one of the characters who were directly told Prince Adam's secret, the Filmation cartoon made it clear that she had figured it out for herself. She also made it very clear that she was proud of her son's accomplishments as He-Man.
The knowledge that she knew is made explicit in Revelation. First, she whispers the hope that Adam will be careful when he is going to help the Sorceress. Then when Duncan reveals He-Man has been lost in battle, she blurts out, "Randor, we've lost our son!" For Queen Marlena to lose all decorum and be so emotional is completely new for her, and the moment expressed exactly how devastated she was at the loss of her son.
5 Skeletor Stabbing Prince Adam
For his good deeds and sacrifice as He-Man, Prince Adam had been granted a lifetime in Preternia, Eternia's version of heaven. He could have decided to spend forever there, and the other former heroes of Eternia encouraged him to do just that. But Adam showed the audience just how heroic he was when he turned his back on forever in paradise in order to go back to Eternia and fight alongside his friends once again.
But his efforts to help are cut tragically short when Skeletor stabs him in the middle of Prince Adam's transformation into He-Man. The second stabbing focuses on both Skeletor's transformation and Teela's devastation that her best friend has possibly been taken from her a second time. It is an incredibly emotionally provoking moment to leave as the cliffhanger of the first half of Revelation.
4 Roboto Sacrificing Himself & Finding Humanity
The non-human character struggling to find humanity is a well-loved trope in fantasy and sci-fi. In Revelation, the character of Roboto was a robotic son created by Duncan and gifted with Duncan's abilities. It is clear that Duncan viewed Roboto and Orko as part of his family in exile. Roboto even calls Teela "sister."
But Roboto is needed to help forge the Sword of Power back together. The forging of the sword requires an overwhelming amount of power, and it ultimately kills him. The death of Roboto allows him to realize that he had been more human than he'd ever realized, and the agony of that knowledge comes late enough to make the heroes' victory feel slightly less triumphant.
3 Evil-Lyn Betraying The Masters & Siding With Skeletor
Most of the target audience watching the show have seen Evil-Lyn turn to the side of good when it was necessary. Both the Filmation cartoon and the 2002 reboot of He-Man allowed Evil-Lyn to side with the heroes momentarily in order to save Eternia. That she was able to do so in Revelation was not a surprise. But during the course of the first half, the audience was able to see a much more likable and kind Evil-Lyn than any of the other cartoons had given. Siding with the heroes seemed believable and sincere.
Ultimately, Evil-Lyn betrays both the audience's feelings and the team she'd been working with to save Eternia. She returns to Skeletor's side, but for a brief moment, she looks regretful. The flash of regret only makes the sorrowful moment worse.
2 Adam Dying To Save Eternia
While Revelation focused on multiple characters and their journeys, the story at the heart of the show was about Prince Adam. In Revelation, the audience is able to see how kind and heroic he is, even when it causes him great emotional or physical pain. One of his most heroic moments occurs towards the middle of the first episode of Revelation. The Sorceress and Teela warn him that his plan to save Eternia will kill him, to which he responds simply, "If I don't do this, everyone dies."
The moment of his death is sad not only because Adam dies, but because viewers also see the immense effect his death had on Teela. The full knowledge of a secret her best friend had kept from her is forced upon her at the same time as she has to watch him die. This sad moment sets up the reasons for Teela's understandable levels of rage for the rest of the show.
1 Orko Dying To Save His Friends & The Mission
Orko was very sick when Teela came to get Roboto for the mission to go to Preternia and Subternia. Despite this, he begged to go, and he swore that he wouldn't let them down this time. It was a promise he went above and beyond to keep, as he ultimately sacrificed his life to save both his friends and the mission to restore magic to Eternia.
All of his teammates were affected, even Evil-Lyn. She sits with Teela and Prince Adam after they erect a tombstone for Orko on Preternia. Adam and Teela's statements correctly say of Orko, "You were loyal" and "You were kind." It is those traits that make the loss of Orko the saddest moment in Revelation.