Highlights
- The Mattel Films and Amazon MGM Studios’ Masters of the Universe film has found their Sorceress and Fisto actors in Morena Baccarin and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, respectively.
- They join a rapidly growing cast, including Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, Jared Leto as Skeletor and Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn.
- The film is the first live-action adaptation of the franchise since the 1987 Dolph Lundgren-anchored motion picture of the same name.
Masters of the Universe
The Masters of the Universe franchise is built around the secret identity of Prince Adam of Eternia, a pampered yet remarkably muscular young man who spends his days with a cowardly talking green companion tiger named Cringer. When his world is attacked by Skeletor, a being with mystical powers and a legion of monstrous minions, Adam transforms into He-Man, a magically jacked strong man, and Cringer finds his courage as the masked and deep-voiced Battle Cat.
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Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson and Morena Baccarin’s casting as Fisto and The Sorceress, respectively, fuels speculation on where the highly-guarded plot might lean into in franchise canon. Baccarin’s Sorceress is a major character in all adaptations of the He-Man mythology. She guards the magic of Castle Grayskull from which He-Man’s Sword of Power draws its transformative abilities.
However, in the O.G. animated series, Fisto/Malcolm appeared in only four episodes. In the 2002 animated series, he also only appeared in four episodes, but it is implied he may be Teela’s (Camila Mendes) biological father. This theory is not a fan-approved genealogy, as most would prefer Teela’s foster father, Fisto’s brother Man-at-Arms/Duncan (Idris Elba), to be her biological father as well.
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Morena Baccarin
Baccarin has certainly cast a spell over many fandoms throughout her career. On television, she is known for her roles on Firefly, Gotham, The Endgame, V and The Mentalist. In the movies, she broke into the MCU through the backdoor as Vanessa Carlysle, Wade Wilson/Deadpool’s (Ryan Reynolds) life partner. Before that, she lit up the silver screen in films like Serenity, and more recently, she’s starred in Elevation, Millers in Marriage and Last Looks.
As The Sorceress, she’ll wield immense powers but only within the confines of Castle Grayskull. Outside the castle, she takes the form of Zoar, a telepathic falcon. Whether we’ll see her nest where Man-at-Arms finds Baby Teela is anyone’s guess. (I only find the nest thing interesting because it implies that Teela hatched out of an egg.)
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Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson
From Vikings: Valhalla to Succession, Jóhannesson draws the eye whenever he enters a scene. As Fisto/Malcolm, he’ll sport a large right … well, fist. There’s flexibility in canon as to whether it’s biological or mechanical, but it’ll definitely be attention-getting. As mentioned above, his inclusion in the cast hints at familial shenanigans.
We’ll see him next in Captain America: Brave New World as another obscure character, Copperhead. If you’re looking to binge some Jóhannesson, check out his work on Game of Thrones, Those About to Die and Stella Blómkvist, as well as the aforementioned Vikings: Valhalla and Succession.
Mattel Films and Amazon MGM Studios’s Masters of the Universe arrives in theaters on June 5, 2026.
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