It’s time to return to Eternia. Or at least to Hall H. At SDCC 2022, Kevin Smith helped celebrate 40 years of Masters of the Universe. The franchise that helped bring tons of kids into the fantasy world has really stood the test of time. The panel dove into toys, film, TV series and even publishing. Smith has a lot of love for the franchise and worked with Netflix to bring it into a new generation with Masters of the Universe: Revelation and his upcoming animated series Masters of the Universe: Revolution.

But he isn’t the only one with a lot of love. Smith was joined on stage by He-Man and the Masters of the Universe showrunner and executive producer Rob David, the Vice President of action figure design Derek Hauntly, YouTube creator PixelDan, Tales of Eternia writer Gregory Mone, Revelation actress Tiffany Smith, 1987’s live-action He-Man Dolph Lundgren and Revelation‘s Battlecat voice actor Stephen Root. Honestly, they picked some pretty epic people for a panel that is all about celebrating the franchise.

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Smith kicked off the Masters of the Universe panel by sharing his personal connections with the franchise. “It’s all about Prince Adam. Prince Adam knows he’s the most powerful person in the universe. For someone who grew up fat, that meant something. It meant you weren’t relegated to a position where you’re less than you are because people don’t see your light. And that’s why Revelations was a very Adam-forward story. At the end of the day, Adam was my hero.” Smith isn’t the only one to find a connection to the iconic hero, which only goes to prove the longevity of this franchise.

Teela. Orko, Evil-Lyn, Andra, King Randor, He-Man and Battle Cat standing together after the battle at Grayskull.

Image courtesy of Netflix 2021.

The Masters of the Universe panel continued as each panelist shared their personal connections to the franchise. PixelDan shared about his book, The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and an emotional story about how his mom helped get him into collecting action figures. Hauntly followed up with announcements for new action figures that will be released, including ones that tie into the new animated series. But that isn’t all. We will also be getting a massive Eternia playset sometime this fall. With the 40th anniversary celebration, this is the perfect time to take our collections to the next level.

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The Masters of the Universe panel shifted back to the tv series with a new trailer for the third season of David’s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. It focuses on Adam and the others facing off against an army of zombie Snakemen, plus so much more. The animated series, alongside Smith’s Revelation, breathed life into the franchise through Netflix. For us, they were an excellent way for older fans to introduce a younger generation to the world of Eternia. The trailer looks terrific, and the new season is set to kick off this August.

Skeletor standing with his staff.

Masters of the Universe

One of our favorite moments during the panel was Mone’s announcement for an upcoming Tales of Eternia novel titled I, Skeletor. That’s right. An entire story about Skeletor told from his perspective and written entirely in the first person. We can’t wait to see what he has to say about some of the most iconic events in He-Man history and how he would describe his role in this epic stand-off. Mone shared, “We even did the acknowledgments in his voice. He’s very bitter about having to write them.” We can’t wait for this novel to hit shelves and would love to get an audiobook narrated by Mark Hamill.

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Smith continued the panel by chatting with Smith, Lundgren and Root about their roles in the franchise and their connections to Masters of the Universe. It’s wonderful to see how so many different people are not only fans of the franchise but are a part of it too. Each had their own remarkable story to tell about their connections to it and why they will always feel like they are a part of the Eternia family.

In true SDCC fashion, the panelists turn the tables on Smith and put him in the hot seat about his upcoming Revolution series for Netflix. And in a big surprise, William Shatner pops up on stage to share that he is joining the cast but won’t share who. Smith did mention that this new season would be pulling even more characters, so there is a long list of who he could be playing. Seeing Smith geek out over being able to witness Shatner’s performance and being involved in it makes all our geek hearts happy. We are excited to see who he will be portraying when we get more info on Revolution.

The Masters of the Universe panel draws to a close with one of the most epic moments ever – Lundgren lifting the Power Sword above his head and reciting the words, “By the power of Grayskull – I have the power!”

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