List of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe characters
The Masters of the Universe franchise, created in 1982 as a toyline by American company Mattel, contained many characters in its various incarnations as a toyline, the television series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, a German series of audioplays, The New Adventures of He-Man, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Masters of the Universe: Revelation and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and the films The Secret of the Sword, He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special, and Masters of the Universe.
Overview
Heroic Warriors
Vintage toyline characters (1982–1988)
All of these characters were released in the vintage Mattel toyline.Battle Cat / Cringer
Battle Cat is He-Man's faithful feline companion, an armored green tiger who carries him into battle. When He-Man is in the form of Prince Adam, Battle Cat is Cringer, the royal pet. Both Cringer and Battle Cat are green with orange stripes, but Battle Cat is much larger and more muscular. In the original 1980s series, Cringer speaks and is afraid of just about everything, hence the name.In The Toys That Made Us, then-marketing VP of Mattel Paul Cleveland recounts the story that while the decision was made for He-Man to have some sort of vehicle, they no longer had the budget to be able to produce one; the decision was then made to repurpose a tiger from the Big Jim toy line. The tiger was, however, not the same scale as the He-Man figure, and compared to He-Man, was about the size of a horse. Cleveland, however, insisted it to be used, even after artist Tony Guerrero made a green version in an attempt to discourage Cleveland, who instead approved of the color change and suggested putting a saddle on it, which resulted in Battle Cat's final design.
In the 2002 series, Cringer occasionally meows like a kitten, but also shows bravery from time to time, including rescuing Prince Adam from falling to his death in Snake Mountain. Battle Cat's rescue of Queen Marlena, based on knowledge only Cringer would have, causes Marlena to wonder about Battle Cat's identity.
The Masters of the Universe Classics toyline stated that Cringer was part of the Green Tiger Tribe who was saved from a Para-Nekk by a younger Prince Adam and became his devoted lifetime companion.
Battle Cat also appears in the tower defense game Bloons TD 6 as a power which can only be obtained in a bundle or in a quest by the name of "By the Power of Battle Cat!".
Cringer and Battle Cat are voiced by Alan Oppenheimer in the 1980s series, Stephen Root in Masters of the Universe: Revelation, and David Kaye in the 2021 series.
Buzz-Off
Buzz-Off is a humanoid bee, established in the Filmation series as the leader of a tribe of Bee People. The 2002 series develops this further, giving Buzz-Off's people a name – the Andreenids – and establishing Buzz-Off as the captain of the defense force of their kingdom of Andreenos, in the Mystic Mountains. He is considered a newcomer to the Masters of the Universe by Ram Man and, while loyal to the defenders of Eternia, is equally loyal to his Queen, at times using his free time to fetch honey berries for her. Buzz-Off has a distrustful nature and tends to hold grudges, but his camaraderie with Stratos paved the way for peace between the peoples of Andreenos and Avion.Buzz-Off is voiced by Alan Oppenheimer in the 1980s series and Brian Dobson in the 2002 series.
Buzz-Off was voted 1st out of 7 in the 7 Stupidest He-Man Characters by Total Film.
Clamp Champ
Clamp Champ is a Heroic Warrior who wields a large handheld grabbing device as his primary weapon. He was the only black character to have an action figure in the vintage toy line. Several black characters have since been released in the 200X and Classics toy lines.The character was planned for usage in the 2002 series as a replacement for Man-At-Arms who is turned into a Snake-Man, but the cartoon was cancelled before he could be featured in it.
Clamp-Champ made his TV debut in Masters of the Universe: Revelation.
In the Masters of the Universe Classics toyline, Clamp Champ's real name is Raenius. He started out as King Randor's bodyguard before becoming the new Man-At-Arms after Duncan was turned into a Snake Man.
Clamp-Champ is voiced by Method Man in Masters of the Universe: Revelation.
Extendar
Extendar is a mechanized being and Master of Extension. He did not have an animated form because his figure was made after the end of the Filmation cartoon, but was featured in the Masters of the Universe comics instead. Extendar was an Eternian who was captured and turned into a cyborg against his will by Hordak, only to escape before he could be brainwashed into serving his captor. He vowed to free his friend from Hordak's mind control. The figure came with a red trapezoidal-shaped shield which unfolded, doubling in size.The Masters of the Universe Classics toyline introduced Extendar as a knight who was captured by Hordak and thrown into the experimental matrix which grafted cybernetic parts to him.
Fisto
Fisto is an extra-strong warrior with a metal right hand. In the original series, he was the caretaker of a forest and was hesitant to join in the conflict against Skeletor. He was later appraised by both his fellow Eternians and an alien race as second in strength only to He-Man.In the 2002 series, he is the last to join the Masters of the Universe and is revealed to be Man-At-Arms' older brother, to Teela's surprise. The brothers became estranged during the Great Unrest, when Fisto allegedly deserted Randor's forces. Fisto came to the aid of He-Man and the Masters, using his giant fist to free them from the rocks that had entrapped them in a cave-in. This act shattered his hand, which Man-At-Arms replaced with a larger, metallic hand. The 2002 figure was packaged as "Battle Fist" due to a conflict of copyrighted name with another toy line, but the character was still called Fisto in the animated series. Fisto did not have the classic action figure's purple sword in the cartoon or the new toyline.
The Masters of the Universe Classics toyline still listed Fisto as Man-At-Arms' older brother who was rendered amnesiac when helping King Miro during the Great Unrest. Having shattered his right hand saving the Masters of the Universe from a trap set by the Snake Men, Man-At-Arms replaced that hand with a robotic hand.
Fisto is voiced by Lou Scheimer in the 1980s series, Mark Acheson in the 2002 series, and by Ralph Garman in Masters of the Universe: Revelation. Fisto will be portray by Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson in the live action 2026 reboot.
Stridor
Stridor is Fisto's heroic armored war horse and faithful companion. He made one appearance in the Filmation cartoon series in the episode "Origin of the Sorceress", in which he was a mechanical war horse built by Man-At-Arms who later developed consciousness and an animal nature, leading Man-At-Arms to release him into the wild. Stridor's toy was available packaged with Fisto, as well as separately, and much of Mattel's box art depicted the character of Fisto riding atop Stridor.Gwildor
Gwildor is a dwarf-like Thenurian and inventor of the Cosmic Key. He debuted in the Masters of the Universe movie where Evil-Lyn tricked him into giving her the Cosmic Key so that Skeletor can invade Castle Grayskull.In the Masters of the Universe Classics toyline, Gwildor's kind was called the Vejulian Gwitthrol Trolls that come from Tundaria. He attended Grimhammer University in Eternos and studied under many of Eternia's great inventors, archaeologists, and magicians. It was in a small village in Pelleezeea where Gwildor invented the Cosmic Key.
Gwildor is portrayed by Billy Barty in the 1980s live-action movie and voiced by Ted Biaselli in Masters of the Universe: Revolution.
He-Man / Prince Adam
He-Man is "the most powerful man in the universe" and in most media he is the alter-ego of Prince Adam. He is armed with a power harness that enhances his strength, the Sword of Power, a battle axe, and a shield. Early media, such as the minicomics packaged with the original run of action figures, also depicts him carrying a knife. He-Man possesses superhuman strength and is capable of performing incredible feats, such as lifting heavy objects such as boulders and buildings, breaking solid rock with his fists, as well as having the advantage over just about any opponent. He is a formidable warrior, although he usually prefers to avoid conflict. He-Man is a strong upholder of moral justice and is regarded by the people of Eternia as their greatest hero. In the original minicomics, He-Man was a wandering barbarian hailing from a jungle tribe. However, both the DC comics and the cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe portrayed him as the alter ego of the young Prince Adam, heir-apparent to the throne of Eternia, and most media since have followed suit. Prince Adam is the son of King Randor and Queen Marlena of Eternia, and is viewed by many as fun-loving, lazy, and cowardly. This is merely an act to keep people from suspecting that he is also He-Man. The 2002 cartoon revealed that Adam was carefree and reckless in his younger days, before he accepted his destiny. Prince Adam was given the Sword of Power by The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, and when he lifts the sword and says "By the Power of Grayskull... I Have the Power!" he is magically transformed into He-Man, defender of Eternia. Man-At-Arms, Orko, and the Sorceress are the only characters who share in the knowledge of Adam's secret, although it was heavily implied in the episode,The Rainbow Warrior that Queen Marlena knew as well. In the He-Man and She-Ra The Secret of the Sword movie Prince Adam/He-Man discovers that he has a long lost twin sister, Princess Adora, who was abducted from Eternia as an infant by the evil warlock/warlord Hordak and his then apprentice Skeletor. After He-Man rescues Adora from brainwashed service to the Evil Horde, she receives her own magical sword and becomes She-Ra.Depending on his transformation to He-Man, at times he is also armed with plate armor, a battle axe, a shield, or deadly snake pinchers. In the 1980s series, Prince Adam and He-Man are almost identically drawn, the difference being that Adam has lighter blonde hair and paler skin, while He-Man has bronzed skin and more golden hair.
In Masters of the Universe vs. The Snakemen, which features a teenaged Adam, he is much shorter and slender than his alter-ego, with blonde eyebrows and pants. He speaks with a higher tone of voice and often comes across as a clueless adolescent. He-Man, however, has black eyebrows, is much taller, and is far more muscular, as his transformation to He-Man later in the series shows. His voice is deeper, he is wise, and his age in indeterminate.
Prince Adam and He-Man are voiced by John Erwin in the 1980s series, Cam Clarke in the 2002 series, Chris Wood in Masters of the Universe: Revelation with Dee Bradley Baker providing the voice of his savage appearance, and Yuri Lowenthal in the 2021 series. In the 1990s series, Prince Adam was voiced by Doug Parker while He-Man is voiced by Garry Chalk. In the 1980s live-action movie, He-Man was portrayed by Dolph Lundgren.