Of all the villains to face He-Man and the various Masters of the Universe, there's none deadlier or more dastardly than Skeletor. The evil warlord has besieged Eternia time and time again, vexing He-Man and his allies even amid his many failures. His bony name derives from his face, which for various reasons across the franchise's continuity is the very visage of a skull.
Despite Skeletor's bare-bones facial features, the rest of his body is as muscular and buff as the many other fibrous characters fighting against or alongside He-Man. Here's a look at why Skeletor was originally envisioned in this muscular manner and how the shows have handled this design aesthetic.
Why Skeletor's Toy Is So Buff?
The Masters of the Universe franchise first began with the toyline, which was envisioned as a boy-oriented equivalent to Mattel's massively popular Barbie toyline. Ironically, He-Man and company eventually far outsold the Barbie line, and it may have been due to a similar thought process behind the figure's designs.
Whereas Barbie toys were known for their slim and slender physique, Masters of the Universe action figures were almost all cartoonishly buff. This was because they were constructed to have interchangeable parts, keeping the basic molds and simply changing their skin tones, clothes and head designs. This meant that He-Man and Skeletor actually shared a mold design, with the main difference being their heads and limbs. Thus, despite his bony face, Skeletor's actual frame was the same as his rival's.
Why Skeletor Is Muscular in the Cartoons?
The reason for Skeletor's contradictory anatomy in the official fiction depends on which story one consults, with most of his origins explaining his appearance as the result of a freak accident. The original animated series and subsequent variations of this continuity suggested if not outright stated that Skeletor was once Keldor, an Eternian who was also the future King Randor's brother. Due to dabbling in the dark arts, his appearance changed, giving him his grievous new form. This initial status as He-Man's biological uncle is a pretty good explanation as to why the guy was so swole. One version of this had him fused with the robust Demo-Man, explaining how, despite his macabre face, Skeletor was still physically refined.
The 2000s cartoon also had him as Keldor originally, though he wasn't Randor's brother. His original form was a polished, blue-skinned warrior whose face was horribly disfigured by acid. Hordak saved him from death, but the skin and organs in his head were gone for good. This left Keldor as Skeletor, though he was still the same from the neck down. Likewise, years of fighting He-Man and the other defenders of Eternia is no easy task, and it's surely more than enough to keep Skeletor's body in tip-top shape. There's also the fact that he's a proficient magic user, which could be a huge factor in how he maintains his form. After all, it was Hordak's magic that helped him to overcome the pain of his acidic rebirth. Thus, despite how withered away his cranium may be, Skeletor still maintains his rock-hard abs, pulsating arms and in general a body that most would kill for.