Skeletor (Masters of the Universe) (2024)

Keldor, better known as Skeletor, is the main antagonist of the Masters of The Universe franchise.

He is a skeletal sorcerer, often referred to as the "Evil Lord of Destruction", who seeks to conquer the planet Eternia and the entire universe. To accomplish this goal, he frequently schemes to break into Castle Grayskull and acquire its magic, and to destroy his archenemy, He-Man. In some continuities, he is depicted as being Keldor, the brother of King Randor and uncle of Prince Adam/He-Man. He is Hordak's former pupil, the master of the Evil Warriors, and the archenemy of He-Man and the Heroic Warriors.

Portrayals[]

• In He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra: Princess of Power, and Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, he was voiced by Alan Oppenheimer, who also voiced Man-At-Arms, Cringer/Battle Cat, and numerous other characters in the series, and portrayed Gmork in The Neverending Story, Breakdown in Transformers G1, Prime Evil and Fangster in Filmation's Ghostbusters, Chameleon in James Bond Jr., Aldrin Klordane in Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, Alistair Crane in Passions and Ming the Merciless on the 1979 version of Flash Gordon.
• In The New Adventures of He-Man, he was voiced by the late Campbell Lane, who also voiced Rampage in Transformers: Beast Wars.
• In Masters of the Universe: Revelation, he was voiced by Mark Hamill, who also portrayed The Joker, Ferris Boyle, The Trickster, and Solomon Grundy in the DC Animated Universe, the Skeleton King in Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go!, the Hobgoblin in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Maximus in the Fantastic Four animated series, Stickybeard in Codename: Kids Next Door, General Vostok in The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, Flint in Disney's Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Niju in Balto II: Wolf Quest, John Curtis in Criminal Minds, Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Trickster in The Flash, Dictatious Maximus Galadrigal in Trollhunters, John Smith in Totally Spies!, Adrian Ripburger in Full Throttle, Flint in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Py-Ro in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Cock Knocker in Jaty and Silent Bob Strike Back, ShiverJack in Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Undergrowth in Danny Phantom, Agent Goodman in Recess: School's Out, Kavaxas in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012), Popsicles in the 2016 reiteration of The Powerpuff Girls, Alvin the Treacherous in the How to Train Your Dragon series, Vuli in Elena of Avalor, and Chucky in the 2019 remake of Child's Play. In his human form of Keldor, he was voiced by William Shatner, who also played
• In the Masters of the Universe film, he was portrayed by Frank Langella, who also portrayed Bob Alexander in Dave, Clare Quilty in Lolita, Boris Balkan in The Ninth Gate, Rodney Cole in Unknown, Dawg Brown in Cutthroat Island, Jaro Essa in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Pasha in The Prophet.

Biography[]

Comics[]

Skeletor has appeared in many He-Man comic book series usually as the main antagonist.

Filmation series (1983-1987)[]

Main article: Skeletor (Filmation series)

In the Filmation version, Skeletor is the main antagonist in the 1983 show He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and he was voiced by Alan Oppenheimer.

1987 live-action film[]

Skeletor also appeared in the 1987 live-action film Masters Of The Universe. He was portrayed by Frank Langella, who later played Bob Alexander in Dave, Dawg Brown in Cutthroat Island, Boris Balkan in The Ninth Gate and Rodney Cole in Unknown. Set sometime after the events of the 1983 TV series, Skeletor and his forces have won the war and took over Castle Grayskull, imprisoning the Sorceress at the same time. To declare his victory public, he tells Evil-Lyn to ready the hologram as everyone, including He-Man, get his message. He was obsessed with becoming a god via stealing the Key of the Universe - however his plans were opposed by He-Man and his group, who went as far as opening a portal to Earth in order to evade him.

Eventually, he wouldn't have to wait long to find the Key's location, when a couple of teenagers found it, thinking its a musical instrument and activating its current position. Skeletor sent several henchmen to get the Key, including Blade, Beast-Man, Saurod, and Karg). When his servants failed him, Skeletor kills Saurod and Beast-Man begs for forgiveness but he shoves him away and plans to arrive on Earth himself via a huge floating throne, accompanied by an entire army. After surrounding Man-At-Arms, Teela, Gwildor, and earthlings Julie and Kevin, he forced He-Man into becoming his slave with the threat of killing his friends should he resist.

Skeletor then took the Key Of The Universe and with it became a god, transforming into a golden vaguely Aztec-inspired super-being as a result. Evil-Lyn, though initially on the same side as Skeletor, wanted to share the universe with him, but he arrogantly refused. However He-Man's friends managed to come to his aid and when Skeletor ordered his men to kill them, He-Man became enraged and the two enemies engaged in a climactic battle, after outdoing Blade and most of Skeletor's forces.

He-Man challenged Skeletor to a fight for the Universe and despite Skeletor using his lightning strikes on his nemesis to prevent him from grabbing his sword, He-Man grabbed it out of the anvil. Although he put up a good fight Skeletor wasn't a match for He-Man, and ultimately lost the battle, with his powerful staff shattered in half and transforming back to his basic form after his godlike energy was dispersed.

He-Man attempted to show mercy to his old foe by informing him that the battle was over, but Skeletor replied with a taunting "yes... for you!" before attempting to kill He-Man again with a hidden sword. He whacks his sword out of his hand by surprise and almost about to fall down. He is able to force He-Man to the ledge and try to make him fall into the dangerous liquid pit. However, the tables turned for Skeletor, as He-Man used his sword to plunge him to his death down a pit.

However, in a post-credits scene, Skeletor survives his fall, and his head rises from the hot-red liquid saying "I'll be back!"

The New Adventures of He-Man (1990)[]

When two warriors, Hydron and Flipshot, traveled back in time from the futuristic planet Primus to seek He-Man's help against the Evil Mutants that were attacking, Skeletor decided to take advantage of the situation to travel back to the future with them so he could harness Primus's future technology for his own ends and defeat He-Man.

After his henchman Andros captured the two and locked them up in a cell, Skeletor let them out and, pretending to apologize, claimed to be a "good guy" and offered to help them with their problem in the future. As the two brought Skeletor back to their ship, however, He-Man suddenly appeared and revealed the truth, that Skeletor was evil and was only fooling them. However, Skeletor retorted that He-Man was the one who was evil and that he was trying to trick them. Unsure of who to believe, Hydron and Flipshot decided to bring both to the future.

Upon arriving on Primus, however, Skeletor revealed his true colors to the warriors and left to go ally with the invading Evil Mutants. Offering his services to the Mutants' leader Flogg, Skeletor stated he would help them conquer Primus in exchange for their assistance in defeating He-Man, noting they would have to deal with him eventually if they wanted to conquer the planet. Flogg agreed and allowed Skeletor to join his crew, unaware that Skeletor was only manipulating him and the mutants for his own ends.

Over the course of the series, Skeletor would hatch many plans to defeat He-Man and take over Primus. In one episode, Skeletor discovered a powerful crystal below the surface of the moon of Nordor and, after testing its power on Quakke, used it to assume a more powerful form which he kept for the entire series. Skeletor would also draw the advances of the mutant Crita, who was attracted to him and his power. Though wooing her, Skeletor was not above sacrificing her if it furthered his own goals.

At the end of the series, after the Mutants' final attack on Primus was thwarted and they surrendered, Skeletor was banished into space along with Crita by He-Man, all while vowing he would return.

Alternate Universes[]

He-Man (2002)[]

Main article: Skeletor (2002)

Based on his Filmation incarnation, Skeletor appeared in the reboot once again as the main antagonist, but with an updated design and origin story.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation[]

In Revelation, Skeletor decides to launch a final invasion of Castle Grayskull by first disguising himself as one of his minions alongside Evil-Lyn to gain entry within. He then openly reveals himself and launches a full-scale attack on the castle with his entire forces as he knows Castle Grayskull's secret - it is the transmogrification of the original Hall of Wisdom built by the Elders. He then heads to the source of the power, the Orb of Power hidden beneath the castle and encounters resistance from He-Man and Teela, though is assisted by Evil-Lyn. The Lord of Destruction battles He-Man by conjuring flames and utilizing portals as well as a powerful magical blast, though He-Man is knocked down briefly. Skeletor then kills Moss-Man by burning him with his Havoc Staff and maneuvers himself to be stabbed by He-Man through the Power vault, which reveals the Orb of Power. The Lord of Destruction then destroys the Orb by smashing it with his Havoc Staff, releasing all magic in Eternia, and ending existence. With her remaining power, the Sorceress and He-Man absorb the explosion power, but are unable to stop magic from being lost, and the explosion kills both He-Man and Skeletor, leaving all but the head of the Havoc Staff, which is taken by Evil-Lyn.

When all magic is restored by Prince Adam, Skeletor emerges and stabs the young man with his Havoc Staff and reveals that he protected his essence by hiding within Evil-Lyn's magic wand. Claiming the Sword of Power for himself, Skeletor uses the Power of Grayskull and is empowered, becoming Skelegod. He soon conquers all of Eternia and Eternos while residing within the Castle Grayskull and imprisoning Duncan. However, he begins to lose Evil-Lyn's favor, who, after seeing the power and believing emptiness, decides to seize the power in order to end all creation. During this time, Adam is healed, and he fights Skeletor using the raw Power by becoming Savage He-Man. Though He-Man and the party nearly bests Skeletor, he retaliates by launching a massive blast from which they flee. Enraged, he storms Grayskull and demands an explanation for Adam's power by Evil-Lyn, who has no idea about it. Unaware to him, Evil-Lyn is becoming annoyed by Skeletor and his obsession with He-Man. She seduces Skeletor long enough for him to de-power, and then seizes the Sword of Power and gains the Power. Skeletor quickly flees Grayskull and is in hiding until he notices Evil-Lyn destroying Preternia, as she believes there is no goal of the universe.

Skeletor later re-emerges from hiding and meets a resurrected Prince Adam at Point Dread, where they forge an alliance to stop Evil-Lyn from causing further damage. After a ferocious battle, they successfully defeat her and allow the power to return, but she ended up summoning Scare-Glow and his undead hordes to battle them. Adam grants the Power to Skeletor as well, as they begin defeating Scare-Glow's armies, but the Lord of Destruction turns on He-Man as he believes that the universe is about their eternal battle. He-Man sends Skeletor back to Snake Mountain with a powerful blast that depowers him. Enraged that he lost the Power since he had no support, he angrily attacks the Motherboard Cultists occupying his fortress and tries to destroy their idol, only for the magical blast to be repelled. The idol takes the form of Motherboard, who infects Skeletor with the Techno-Virus as it is revealed that she is an agent of the Horde Empire and Hordak.

Masters of the Universe: Revolution[]

Skeletor, now going by the name Skeletek captures and infects Two-Bad with the techno-virus, as he speaks about his loyalty to Motherboard and her faction.

With the Horde Empire having set their sights on Eternia, Motherboard and Skeletek, on Hordak's orders orchestrate an elaborate scheme to rule Eternia from the shadows. Skeletor disguises himself as Keldor, Randor's long-lost brother and interrupts Adam's coronation ceremony by claiming that he was snatched of his birthright. He explains to Adam about Keldor's past, and aids the Heroic Warriors in defeating the Motherboard Cult led by a disguised Motherboard as Skeletek. As a result, he is crowned the king of Eternia, and meets with the Motherboard Cult of their success. Skeletor later interrupts a meeting between Motherboard and Hordak, until the Horde Overlord reveals that Keldor did exist, and that he was banished by the royals. After being dismissed, Motherboard angrily grabs Skeletek's skull and punishes him for having embarrassed her in front of Hordak, causing repressed memories to reappear alongside a hallucination of Keldor.

Keldor explains that he and Skeletor are one and the same, and served Hordak after the destruction of Anwat Gar. Under Hordak's tutelage, Keldor took the Havoc Staff and burned his face, leaving only a skull, and a new name of Skeletor, and that they had attempted to kidnap the royal family's children, but failed. Hordak abandoned Skeletor, who in turn betrayed the Horde overlord and began his conquest for Eternia.

"Keldor" later welcomes the Horde Empire and Hordak at Castle Grayskull, which is now transformed into a technological fortress by Motherboard, as Adam is captured. He is annoyed at Hordak ignoring his attempts to please him, but reveals himself to Adam and sends him to the prison. He visits the Prince in his cell, as he states that he will take everything from him to see him in the depths of despair and brings Queen Marlena to the cell and leaves. As he strolls through the palace, Keldor's hallucination teleports him to Castle Grayskull, where they discuss about how Hordak betrayed his loyalty and made Motherboard his right hand. Keldor's hallucination convinces Skeletor to kill Motherboard off-screen and they pack her head in a gift box intending to give the overlord a present.

Meeting with Hordak, he gives the gift to the annoyed overlord who notices him still wielding the Havoc Staff. Skeletor then reveals that he has regained his memories as Keldor, and intends to battle and defeat Hordak to reclaim his legacy. Surprised, Hordak prepares for battle, and the two begin fighting, destroying a large portion of the Royal Palace in the process. During the fight, Skeletor gains a memory of him being transformed from his former self into his current form, and he lands at Castle Grayskull, processing it. After processing it, he states that had Hordak given him the crown, he would have ensured that the Horde would leave a mark on Eternia, the centre of the universe, but was enraged at how he had to settle for nothing. An invisible Hordak tries to attack Skeletor, only for him to block the attck and grab him by the Havoc Staff-fused arm. He then grabs him by using magic and stabs Hordak with his sword, as he chooses his legacy as the Lord of Destruction permanently.

Lyn, now having planned to redeem herself reaches Skeletor, who is surprised, and slices his arm to gain the Havoc Staff. She grabs it and escapes. Skeletor laughs as he states that he doesn't need that talisman anymore and begins reshaping his body with magical powers. He reshapes his body into a fusion of magical powers and advanced technology, and calls himself Skeletor 2.0. He-Man soon arrives to end Skeletor's reign, and the Lord of Destruction isn't pleased by this - he proceeds to take control of the Horde fleet, summon all the buried Techno-Titans and attack Teela, the new Sorceress who is in the process of restoring Preternia, only for her to be aided by Lyn, Orko and the entire Eternian forces, who start retaliating against the Techno-Titans. When Preternia is restored and the legendary warriors arrive to decimate the entirety of the Techno-titans and leave alongside King Randor, Skeletor grabs hold of Randor's spirit, intending to allow his spirit to fade over time and prevent him from reaching Preternia as vengeance for stealing his crown, but He-Man attacks Skeletor and pushes him, freeing Randor, who reunites with the other warriors in Preternia.

Skeletor decides to launch a final strike against He-Man and flies towards him, but leaving himself open. This allows He-Man to strike him using the newly reformatted Sword of Power, which causes Skeletor's magic and the Havoc magic to be absorbed and purged from his soul, reverting him back to his original self of Keldor. Since he willingly performed all crimes against Eternia, he is cornered and arrested by the Masters. Imprisoned, Keldor looks over the last remnant of Eternian monarchy, the crown of Eternia, as he sees the reflection of Skeletor, hoping to return as the all-powerful Lord of Destruction. Back on Despondos, seat of the Horde Empire, Despara swears vengeance against He-Man and Skeletor for mortally wounding Hordak.

2021 animated series[]

Main article: Skeletor (2021)

2022 live-action film[]

Skeletor will be the main antagonist of the 2021 reboot of Masters of the Universe but with a completely different origin. Keldor is the son of King Randor and Prince Adam's older brother before a tragedy turns him into Skeletor.

Other Media[]

Fall Guys[]

Skeletor appears as one of the five Masters of the Universe-themed costumes (alongside He-Man, Battle Cat, Teela, and Orko) in Fall Guys, with these costumes first being revealed through physical toys. His havoc staff was also usable in a unique set of challenges, with players using them to fight against other players wielding He-Man's sword.

Trivia[]

• Skeletor seems to be inspired by the Kull and Conan villain Thulsa Doom.
  • He was also said to have gotten some influence from Golden Bat,^[1] and in fact, Skeletor shares more similarities with one of the former's archnemesis' Dr. Death since both are tyrannical figures with skeletal heads, have blue muscular bodies and carry staffs.
• Frank Langella considers his role as Skeletor in the 1987 film to be one of his favorite in his entire career. To prepare for the role, he consulted his children about the character and watched the cartoon series.

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