BANDWIDTH has covered He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and She-Ra: Princess of Power. You would think BANDWIDTH was done with the Masters of the Universe sagas, but if you did, you thought wrong. In my research for the monthly archives, I came across some very interesting information. Whether it is all true or not remains to be seen. Copies of documents exist on the web and if it is true, the return of He-Man may not be too far behind. Fans, for you, BANDWIDTH proudly presents the He-Man mans series continuations that never came to be.
The first show slated to continue the Masters of the Universe saga, He-Ro: Son of He-Man was supposed to be created for DIC Entertainment was turned down for some reason. The show's purpose was to bring back heroes of the past, and give He-Man a new role in life and a son was to be made. He-Ro took place the world of Eternia and brought it to a new millennium. The show, based on the premise of Tarzan, has Adam take over as King of Eternia with his Queen Teela. Adam's father and mother have retired as peace settles into the land. He-Man has sent Skeletor into exile along with his minions, which gives Adam the chance to settle down with Teela, his one true love. While this is going on, a child without parents runs wild in the forests of Eternia; is spotted by the Sorceress, who senses something magical about him.
The Sorceress lets Adam know that the time has come to pass on the magical sword and its' powers. She sets him on the path of the young boy who is chosen to take his place. Adam wants to continue being He-Man, but understands why he must give up the second job and take on the responsibilities of ruling Eternia. Unbeknownst to Adam, Skeletor has freed himself and minions. Skeletor is also on the hunt for the young boy and once both adversaries find him, Skeletor attempts to turn the boy against He-Man.
Of course, in the end, the young boy goes with Adam and is named Dare, for his bravery. He is trained by Man-At-Arms' niece Kay-La and is given the sword, enabling him to become He-Ro, the son of He-Man. He now gains the role of protector of Eternia against the evil Skeletor, Beast Man, Evil-Lynn, Trap-Jaw and some new bad guys. He even has some sort of pet bird that transforms into a sidekick. Gringer is with him as well and becomes Battle Cat when needed. In addition to this, Adam can still become He-Man when he is needed, adding new twists to the mix. Even better is the fact that both men can hold the same sword at once and become their alter-egos, making for twice the beatings.
He-Ro sounds like a really cool idea for a follow-up to the popular series. He-Man could use the update and there are far more themes that can be addressed in the new millennium. Adding a young character like Dare adds the angst of youth to the mix. How does he handle his new home, life amongst humans, his new sense of responsibility and more? How does Adam deal with the change of roles in his life, his new relationship with Teela, his newfound parenting responsibilities and the fact that he is no longer the hero he once was?
Sounds like a great idea for a new series, but only three shows were discussed on this website and the site also said the idea was not picked up. For more information Check out this really cool website http://www.btinternet.com/~jamric/.
The second series discussed was an effort to bring together both the He-Man and She-Ra series. The new series was made up of six chapters that play out like movies. Each chapter brings the fully together and could lead to a possible series. At this time, the show cannot be as the creator; Edwin Lagrimas Vasquez has not been able to obtain the copyrights from Hallmark Entertainment. You can't have the He-Man name without it. Still, this didn't stop Vasquez from creating Masters of the Universe: The Magic of Greyskull. From looking at the full summary of each episode, I sure hope he does obtain the rights to the characters so we can witness this new adventure see the light of day.
I don't want to go into full detail, but I will summarize what the show is about. This is a He-Man that is still for our generation. As we have grown, so has the series. Ever look back at an old show you loved and not understand why you loved it. Well, the immaturity of it all set in and it is no longer fun for you. With this latest adventure, Vasquez matures the characters. They can still be comedic, but the show will take on a darker tone, becoming more dramatic. The heroes will soon realize that being all that good can sometimes impede the struggle against evil. Romantic sub-plots will be fully discovered and most importantly, the fact that Adam always disappears before He-Man arrives, will be addressed. Yes, King Randor becomes upset with his son and banishes him until he can prove his worth to Eternia. She-Ra and He-Man are on the same side. Teela is training to become the next Sorceress, and the bad guys have been fractured into several groups, containing Skeletor's army, Hordak's Horde, and King Hiss and his Snake Men. Catra will play a big role in the movie as will Evil-Lynn. The bad guys will be examined a little more thoroughly. Pretty damn cool if you ask me.
Unfortunately, the movie will not be animated. Vasquez's script calls for live-action actors, but he states that he refuses to allow the movie to go through unless it is done in his vision, without a low budget and cheesy characters. Now, once again, I am assuming this is real and not some joke created by some website looking to make a name for itself.
You can go to: http://www.geocities.com/frosta_lookee/TMOG.html and http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Crater/5874/vasquez.html and see for yourself. There, you can read the whole summary to the chapters, an interview with Vasquez and more.
As far as I am concerned, He-Man is making a comeback. Many of the toys are starting to be re-released in catalogs and on the Internet. Rumblings about a Hallmark Entertainment Cable Channel are making their way to US shores and these new shows that never saw the light of day are being fully examined. Walk into any Hot Topic store and you will see that everything old is new again. He-Man and She-Ra were heroes to us all and they can be again. By the Power of Greyskull, the masses have the power, and they want to bear witness to the return of He-Man, She-Ra and the Masters of the Universe. So it is said, and so it shall be done.
Send your comments and or comments about this article to JMinners@ybfree.com.