2026’s Masters of the Universe has enjoyed an impressive turnaround in its fortunes. When it hit cinemas in the early part of the summer movie season, it unfortunately bombed at the box office, earning just $114 million worldwide. On streaming, however, it has been a different story. Whether because of its family-friendly appeal, or because its campy, self-aware tone struck a chord with social media users, the MOTU movie has been a massive hit for Amazon Prime, opening at number one on Nielsen’s streaming charts and earning over 1 billion minutes viewed.
So, although it at first seemed like a sequel was out of the question, Masters of the Universe‘s streaming success suggests it might just get a follow-up, after all, even if it would probably face a scaled-down budget or streaming-only release. Whatever forms it takes, fans will no doubt take it, as there is so much else to explore in He-Man’s world. The film’s post-credits scenes introduced audiences to iconic characters like Orko and She-Ra, but there are plenty more where those two came from.
10
Man-E-Faces Has a Lot of Sides to Show In Live Action
What so many responded to about the Masters of the Universe movie was how much it lovingly embraced the inherent goofiness of the He-Man franchise. If a sequel did happen, it’s safe to assume this would be continued going forward. And if that is the case, Man-E-Faces would be a natural fit for Part 2.
As his name suggests, Man-E-Faces’ shtick is that he switches between his multiple heads and personalities — a good-natured human, a savage monster, and a logical robot. An actor by profession, he uses his three faces to disappear into his roles. Man-E-Faces is often there for comic relief, so a performer who is willing to go fully over-the-top could have a lot of fun with the part. Stephen Fry voiced him in Netflix’s CG animated series, so another British actor who could bring out the character’s theatricality would be perfect. Matt Berry, perhaps.
9
Stratos Can Fly the Franchise to New Heights
At the end of Masters of the Universe, He-Man and his friends are called back into action by a distress call from an “Avion village” that is in need of aid. Those in the know took this reference to mean only one thing: if a sequel happens, Stratos will be in it.
In the wider MOTU mythology, Avion is another Eternian kingdom separate from Eternos that resides high in the Mystical Mountains. The native Avionians are bird people, and they are ruled over by their own king, Stratos. Recognizable for his feathered wings, red helmet, and aviator goggles, Stratos is a fan favorite among the Heroic Warriors, as he tends to be portrayed in a more serious, less comedic way than many of his comrades. Introducing Avion and a rival kingdom in a follow-up film could do a lot to expand and color in other parts of the planet of Eternia.
8
Panthor Is Skeletor’s Evil Steed
Although Cringer and his alter ego, Battle-Cat, were present and correct in Masters of the Universe, one surprising omission from the movie was Panthor. In the film’s final fight, Beast-Man was pitched as Battle-Cat’s rival, but this isn’t how it usually goes. Typically, the dark counterpart to Cringer is Panthor, Skeletor’s own feline steed.
As the Lord of Snake Mountain’s faithful yet ferocious pet, Panthor is a fixture in most iterations of the franchise (excepting the 1987 He-Man movie, of course, which did not have the means to realize any of MOTU‘s giant animal characters in live-action). His absence in the 2026 version was notable, then, but at least there’s an easy way to introduce him in a sequel. It’s not hard to imagine Skeletor adopting Panthor in between films so that he can also ride into a battle on a big cat, just like his nemesis.
7
Mer-Man Deserves to Swim Into the Sequel
In addition to bird people, Eternia also has fish people. Mer-Man is typically depicted as the warlike ruler of Eternia’s seas and, due to being one of the earliest action figures developed for the toyline, he stands among the most iconic Masters of the Universe characters. In the original 1980s cartoon, he was one of Skeletor’s primary henchmen, but for reasons unknown, he was swapped out for the 2026 movie.
A sequel, though, would be the perfect place for Mer-Man to show up. As with Avion, another MOTU movie could explore the other parts of Eternia, including the aquatic species that live in its seas. In Netflix’s Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Mer-Man was not a loyal acolyte of Skeletor but more like a situational ally who disliked him almost as much as he did He-Man. This rivalry between the pair would be a neat idea to carry over into live-action.
6
King Grayskull Is the First Hero of Eternia
As well as exploring Eternia’s geography, a Masters of the Universe sequel could also explore its history. In He-Man lore, King Grayskull was the original champion of Eternia and Prince Adam’s ancestor. Although not often seen on screen in the franchise, Castle Grayskull is named after him, and he is referenced anytime He-Man yells “By the Power of Grayskull!”
To date, King Grayskull’s two most prominent roles come in the seriously underrated 2002 animated series and Netflix’s Revelation. In the former, it is revealed that he died in battle against Hordak millennia ago, and he channeled his powers into He-Man’s sword at the point of his death. In Revelation, meanwhile, Adam is able to meet his ancestor when he travels to Preternia, basically the Eternian version of heaven. In other words, Grayskull could appear in a sequel via either flashbacks or some kind of near-death experience situation.
5
Zodac Is One of the Most Powerful Masters of the Universe Characters
Zodac is one of the most fascinating and confusing characters in Masters of the Universe lore, as the franchise can never decide exactly who or what he is, or even how to spell his name. Also known as Zodak, Zodac was originally portrayed as a good guy in the cartoon but a villain in the toyline. In modern interpretations, however, he is depicted as an all-powerful neutral figure, one of the Cosmic Enforcers whose job it is to maintain balance in the universe.
No version of Zodac digs deep into his origins, but in every iteration he is extremely wise, long-lived, and considered to be a governing intelligence of the universe. The Masters of the Universe movie even slipped in a subtle reference to him when Teela used his name as an exclamation (as someone from Earth might say “God!”). This was a clever way of introducing Zodac as an ancient and all-knowing entity and sets him up perfectly for a role in the sequel.
4
Shadow Weaver Is a Mystical Manipulator
Whatever form a Masters of the Universe sequel takes, clearly it will dive into the She-Ra side of things. As anyone who watched Netflix’s She-Ra and the Princess of Power will know, there is a plethora of brilliant characters, both good and bad, for the movies to choose from. One of those who would be most fascinating to see tackled in live-action is Shadow Weaver.
Like Evil-Lyn, Shadow Weaver is another sorceress who serves as the right-hand woman to an arch-foe of the Power Twins. Unlike Evil-Lyn, however, her loyalties are much more complex, making her arguably a more interesting character. Shadow Weaver has no fealty to anyone but herself, and her end goal is always her own personal power and survival. As the woman who raised Adora, she is also a kind of abusive adoptive mother figure to She-Ra. Honestly, there might not be room to explore all that nuance in a MOTU sequel, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t try.
3
Catra Is She-Ra’s Most Famous Foe
Even more so than Shadow Weaver, another She-Ra character who needs to appear in a sequel is Catra. In the original She-Ra cartoon, Catra was a classic femme fatale who spoke in a purring accent à la Catwoman and could even shapeshift into a feline form. For Netflix’s She-Ra reboot, however, the character was reimagined to be much more textured and complicated, and was all the better for it.
In the reboot, Catra is almost an anti-villain as she does various terrible things across the show, but she remains a highly sympathetic character due to all the trauma and abandonment issues it becomes clear that she carries around. This iteration of the character caused her popularity to balloon, so if another Masters of the Universe movie doesn’t include Catra, it will come as a massive blow to fans of the Netflix version.
2
Keldor Is Who Skeletor Used to Be
Going into Masters of the Universe, fans were fascinated to see if the film would dig into Skeletor’s origins. After all, Jared Leto’s casting suggested the actor’s recognizable face might actually be seen. As it happened, Skeletor remained skeletal throughout, but this does leave the door open for the villain’s backstory to be explored in a follow-up.
In most versions of MOTU lore, Skeletor is really Prince Keldor, the half-brother of Adam’s father, King Randor, and a member of the blue-skinned Gar tribe. In the grand tradition of Scar and Loki, he desperately coveted his brother’s throne and sought out the Havoc Staff to give himself the power to do it. However, the staff burned away the skin and muscles of his face, causing him to rename himself Skeletor.
As Skeletor has to be resurrected in the sequel, it would make sense to establish his past before he is reborn. The only hitch is that it doesn’t seem like the filmmakers intend this Skeletor to be Adam’s uncle. Don’t forget, he makes several suggestive comments to He-Man during the movie, which would mean that he was flirting with his nephew.
1
Hordak Is the Emperor to Skeletor’s Vader
Skeletor would presumably return for a Masters of the Universe sequel, but the film would have to up the ante somewhat by introducing an even bigger bad, as well. Luckily, He-Man lore has the perfect candidate, a character whose arrival has already been implied by She-Ra’s post-credits debut. Namely, Hordak, leader of the Evil Horde, nemesis to He-Man’s twin sister, and mentor to Skeletor.
In all versions of She-Ra, Hordak stole Adora from Eternia as a baby and raised her as a Horde soldier on Eternia’s twin planet of Etheria. He is also the reason for Keldor’s corruption into Skeletor, as he taught the power-hungry prince dark magic and convinced him to claim the Havoc Staff. Sometimes, Hordak answers to his own boss, Horde Prime, but usually it is Hordak who is the ultimate evil of the He-Man universe, making him the Emperor Palpatine to Skeletor’s Darth Vader.
Like Skeletor, Hordak would likely be a fully CG character, so an actor with a commanding voice would have to be cast. Colman Domingo would be an excellent choice, especially considering he’s already voiced one 1980s cartoon ubervillain thanks to his turn as Unicron in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. The future of MOTU might be up in the air, but characters like Hordak prove that, by the power of Grayskull, He-Man has the power to launch a franchise.
- Release Date
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June 3, 2026
- Runtime
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141 minutes
- Director
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Travis Knight
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Nicholas Galitzine
Adam Glenn / He-Man
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Idris Elba
Duncan / Man-At-Arms
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