If you are of a certain vintage, you may have at some point raised a cricket bat, a racket or a piece of wood over your head and bellowed, “By the power of Gray Skull!” Those magical words would have rung out in blistering echoes, punctuated with thunder and lighting and the peculiar roar of a beast. “I have the power…er…er…,” you would have added, and the world would have briefly become a better place.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe started with an identity crisis, both in the series and in real life. Originally meant to be a toy and a tribute to Conan the Barbarian, the muscular guy with the Sphinx hair-cut became a superhero in his own right by fluke. In the series that was created by Filmation Studios in 1983, he is Prince Adam’s alter ego, a more determined, intelligent and powerful warrior than the laid-back and sloppy heir to the throne. The battle was to save the kingdom of Eternia and the mysterious Castle of Gray Skull from the evil designs of Skeletor and his army of vile characters. There was plenty of sorcery, spells, and fire and brimstone along with futuristic weapons and warfare. And then there was the hummable signature tune.
Unlike his younger and more urbane peers, He-Man did not really have any particular superpower. He was just, well, a big guy with a lot of muscle power. And he had that sword that was curiously never used to attack. He-Man’s weapon was used mostly to repel, deflect, cut through meteorites and other flying objects. He also preferred hand-to-hand combat and very often simply flung his adversaries away instead of decimating them. He is more Hulk Hogan than the Incredible Hulk.
Since it was one of the early American action series meant for children, He-Man could not really show blood and gore. So the weapons used both by the Masters of the Universe and the evil guys generally made a lot of noise and created quakes, mirages, power fields, smoke screens and the like. And yet, the show was criticised for violence and surrogate advertising of the Mattel toy line. For average Indian kids, though, He-Man was that tenuous and magnificent link to their American peers.
He-Man was as important a part of the 1980s childhood as the sight and sound of the orange fuzzy drink Rasna being poured out of a family-sized pitcher and the dizzyingly popular Spider-man animated series. It was one of the flagship cartoon shows on the state-run channel that had somehow decided that the average Indian child was mature enough to handle the set of freakish hybrids, mutants and curvaceous women in skimpy clothes.
The series was rebooted in the 2000s. A comparison of the two versions is unfair, but the reboot does reveal that the original story had enough potential for a funkier, edgier and perhaps a tinge more sinister retelling.
Thankfully, some things have not changed. Among them is the cowardly green tiger who transforms from Cringer to Battle Cat and the court jester Orko, who shows up in crucial scenes just like cops and sidekicks in retro Hindi films.