Masters Of The Universe Is Borrowing The Failed 1987 Movie's Biggest He-Man Change

Masters of the Universe has made the interesting move of borrowing from one of the most controversial decisions made by the franchise's first live-action adaptation. In 1987, Rocky IV actor and future action star Dolph Lundgren played the starring role of He-Man in Masters of the Universe, which memorably brought the fantasy world of Eternia to life on the big screen.

Unfortunately, the Dolph Lundgren film proved to be an across-the-board failure, bombing at the box office and getting panned by critics. Masters of the Universe's poor reputation is reflected today by its dismal 21% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

On one hand, it would make sense to assume any second stab at a live-action He-Man story would steer clear of the direction it took, in order to avoid sharing its infamy. Instead, the 2026 Masters of the Universe looks prepared to take that risk.

Both Masters Of The Universe Movies Combined Eternia With The Real World

The Masters of the Universe trailer reveals that a significant portion of the film will be based in the real world, with Eternia presumably being a separate reality or universe. Apparently, He-Man has been trapped on Earth in the life of an ordinary man, and must rediscover his identity and get back to Eternia.

This plotline bears some striking similarities to the 1987 version, which also created a bridge between modern-day Earth and Eternia, whereas most He-Man stories are strictly fantasy adventures that ignore the real world. In the film, He-Man crossed over to Earth, where he shared interactions with normal people, including Courtney Cox's Julie Winston.

The Masters of the Universe remake walking the same path as the consistently ridiculed 1987 film could be perceived as a mistake, but there's logic in the decision. In the case of both movies, a real-world setting - complete with real-world characters - can make it easier for the viewer to invest in the story.

Plus, giving He-Man these experiences in a modern-day city could make him more relatable than introducing him as a member of royalty.

Despite Its Similarities To The Original, The Remake Has A Much Better Chance Of Succeeding

Although it's following in the footsteps of its predecessor in terms of its decision to implement a real-world setting, this take on the story holds much greater potential. The current state of visual effects gives it the means to create characters and action sequences that pay homage Mattel's beautiful fantasy world in ways the 1987 film couldn't.

And based on what was seen in the trailer, Masters of the Universe is on track to do just that, with Battlecat, Skeletor, He-Man's final design, and more looking remarkably like the toys they're based on.

What's more, Masters of the Universe may be bettering the story the original offered, as one key difference here is how He-Man fits into the picture. Here, He-Man is Adam, a person living an ordinary life who realizes that he's from another world, whereas the original movie's He-Man was simply a visitor from a distant world, and not really a fleshed-out character.

When it comes to coming across as someone the audience can root for, the incarnation of He-Man in this Masters of the Universe adaptation is in a much stronger position.