6 Characters Missing From Masters Of The Universe We Need To See In The Sequel - MCE Notices | California State Portal

Warning: Spoilers for Masters of the Universe

As great as its selection of characters was, there were still some notable omissions in Masters of the Universe that a sequel hopefully won’t repeat. Unfortunately, a continuation to Masters of the Universe feels far from guaranteed, considering that its box office revenue (this far) has been less than impressive. However, there’s still cause to think it could happen.

Amazon has been markedly more positive in its assessments of Masters of the Universe’s performance, which indicates there are other factors at play when it comes to evaluating its success. If that’s the case, a sequel may still very well be on the table. If it happens, He-Man may soon find himself in a rematch with Skeletor, whose resurrection at the hands of Evil-Lynn was teased in one of the three post-credits scenes in Masters of the Universe.

It stands to reason that a follow-up to He-Man and Skeletor’s battle would feature many of the same characters on both sides of the conflict. But like most sequels, there will surely be at least a few fresh faces as well. After all, there are several members of the Heroic Warriors that Masters of the Universe evidently didn’t have room for. Likewise, the movie only showcased a small fraction of Skeletor’s henchmen.

Of course, there’s so many heroes and villains in the Masters of the Universe franchise that even after a sequel, there will still be some characters without live-action counterparts. The biggest absences in the movie, though, deserve to be remedied.

Panthor

Given the popularity of Jared Leto’s Skeletor performance, not to mention the character’s importance to the franchise, another He-Man vs. Skeletor fight happening in a possible sequel feels like a no-brainer. But having the two fight against each other gain would come with certain challenges, namely the need to make the fight feel different from their previous showdowns. One way in which it can sidestep this issue is by formally introducing Panthor.

Panthor is an immensely powerful, giant purple cat and a constant companion to Skeletor. He’s effectively the villain counterpart to Battle Cat, as he provides Skeletor with a mount of his own to ride when he battles He-Man and the Heroic Warriors. Cringer only came into play as a fighter toward the end of the story. so it’s not necessarily surprising that Panthor didn’t show up. But now that Cringer has adopted his cartoon role as He-Man’s sidekick, a two-on-two battle where Skeletor and Panthor face off against He-Man and Battle Cat is a realistic option for Masters of the Universe 2’s final fight.

Mer-Man

In the post-credits scene that formally introduced Orko into the world of the live-action film, the movie snuck in a fun homage to another iconic hero. Spotted in the background was a creature who looks suspiciously like Mer-Man, an original member of the Evil Warriors and one of Skeletor’s most prominent allies. Chances are, this wasn’t him, per se, but a member of his species. Mer-Man himself would likely not appear as a background character in a scene focused on a different character’s reveal.

Why Mer-Man wasn’t in Masters of the Universe has already been explained. According to director Travis Knight, there simply wasn’t a place for him in the story due to how many characters were already on hand. Knight claimed he wanted Mer-Man in the movie, but he “couldn’t make it work.” If Knight returns to direct the sequel, Mer-Man will have better odds of appearing this time, especially with Skeletor possibly needing new henchmen after his recent defeat.

Stratos

Masters of the Universe featured most of the mainstays of the Heroic Warriors that traditionally join He-Man in combat against Skeletor and his minions, but left a few out. One in particular that didn’t appear was Stratos, a hero best known for his flight capabilities. The king of a race called the Bird People of Avion, Stratos joined He-Man on a number of adventures in several different iterations of the story, including the 1983 and 2002 cartoon series.

Although Stratos is a regular in He-Man stories, his absence does make sense, particularly if Masters of the Universe doesn’t want to pack too much of the lore into one film. It may instead grow its universe gradually, introducing the other races in the franchise in sequels. The Bird People being next does seem feasible, as Masters of the Universe’s ending does drop a reference to the Avion civilization.

Clawful

Mer-Man isn’t the only missing Skeletor minion deserving of a role in a potential Masters of the Universe sequel. Another prominent character associated with the Evil Warriors is Clawful, a villain recognized by his crab-like pincers in the place of his hands. His claws used primarily for ensnaring opponents. Over the years, Clawful has demonstrated himself to be one of Skeletor’s most powerful henchmen, making him a possible replacement for Trap Jaw if the story continues.

Kobra Khan

Like Clawful and Mer-Man, Kobra Khan is a frequent player in Skeletor’s schemes against He-Man and Castle Grayskull. But what would make Kobra Khan unique from the other Evil Warriors is the fact that he represents two very different villainous factions in He-Man’s world. Kobra Khan is one of the Snake People, a seperate group of Masters of the Universe villains led by King Hiss. King Hiss operates as a rival of sorts to Skeletor, in that they are both enemies of He-Man but have also been at odds with each other in the past.

If Masters of the Universe 2 opts to add a third party to the battle between the Heroic Warriors and the Evil Warriors, King Hiss and the Snake Men would be amongst the strongest candidates for such a role. Kobra Khan could act as a bridge for a story where Skeletor tries to align with King Hiss, or perhaps he could be a mole for the Snake Men within the ranks of the Evil Warriors.

Zodac

Similar to Kobra Khan, Zodac is a character who wouldn’t necessarily be representative of either of the two main factions in He-Man’s world. Characterizations of Zodac vary depending on the material, but traditionally, Zodac is depicted as a cosmic being who tries to maintain a degree of balance in the universe. Sometimes that involves advising or guiding He-Man, but he’s still widely regarded as a character with no true allegiances.

As is often the case with sequels, Masters of the Universe may heighten the stakes for a sequel, which could be where Zodac enters the picture. If there’s more at risk than the throne of Eternia in the next movie, Zodac may reveal himself to the main characters and offer a possible solution to their problems.