King Grayskull
Encyclopedia
King Grayskull is a fictional character
from the 2002 version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
.
of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, it is revealed that Castle Grayskull
was once home to King Grayskull, an ancestor of Prince Adam. He appears in the episode, "The Power of Grayskull", waging battle and ultimately defeating the Snake Men led by King Hiss but lost his sword in battle. He hoped it to be sign that it signified true peace for Eternia. However, Hiss' rival Hordak
, who had defeated the Snake Men, was planning on conquering Eternia. Therefore, Grayskull went on a quest to find the power he needed to defend his kingdom. At the top of a mountain, he met the oracle who guided him on his quest, showing him his lost sword and explaining that his entire quest was to show his inner strength. Before leaving however, the Oracle informed him that he would not survive the battle. Despite knowing this, King Grayskull vowed to do whatever it took to save Eternia. He then returned to face Hordak. Though outnumbered, Grayskull managed to channel his mystical energies through his sword, turning Hordak's spell on himself and his army, sending them to the dark dimension called Despondos. Despite this victory however, the Oracle's prophecy came to pass, for Hordak, whose spirit was ripped from his body, managed to mortally wound Grayskull. As he lay dying, he proclaimed that his successor will wield his sword to defend Eternia. During his lifetime, King Grayskull ruled with wisdom and compassion.
Upon his death, King Grayskull transferred his mystical energies into his Power Sword
which now forms the basis of He-Man's power, thus the transformation cry "By the power of Grayskull!", (at least in this version) refers to the king, not the castle. His wife, Queen Veena, became the first Sorceress
and his advisers became the Council of Elders
, who were empowered by his sword. The Sorceress first introduced the story to Prince Adam by showing him a previously unrevealed statue of his titanic ancestor inside the bowels of Castle Grayskull
.
King Grayskull's character design was originally an early prototype for He-Man himself. His appearance is largely the same as He-Man's but with much more exaggerated muscular body proportions resulting in an enormous stature, with long hair gathered into loose ponytails framing his face, and wearing a long brown cape with fur-topped shoulders. The producers liked it enough that they decided to use it for King Grayskull. Whereas He-Man rides the green tiger Battle Cat, King Grayskull rode an even larger giant green lion, and during his war with the Snake Men he was shown also wearing the same "Snake Armour" He-Man used in the second season. King Grayskull was voiced by Cam Clarke
, He-Man's voice actor for the 2002 series.
The packaging for the King Grayskull action figure included a short character biography that largely recounted the aforementioned story from the 2002 series, but also included the additional information that Grayskull had fought alongside He-Ro (implicitly the Preternia version), a fact - and character - unmentioned in the cartoon. This information, as well as the inclusion of classic rather than 2002-style accessories, seemed to indicate that the toy of King Greyskull represents a hiterto nonexistent
version of the character situated in the classic 1980's continuity as opposed to the 2002 remake
.
This would prove to be partly true, as the character bios on subsequent releases in the MOTU Classics line indicate that the new figure line is using a new continuity
which melds story elements from various different incarnations of the franchise, including the 2002 series' backstory.
King Grayskull's bio read as follows *NOTE: His story is the beginning of new Classic's storyline that is being told through the bios on card backs of the exclusively on-line series of figures*
Long before Prince Adam held the Sword of Power to become He-Man, his ancestor, King Grayskull defended Eternia from evil. Heroically mastering the secret power of his sword, Grayskull fought side-by-side with the cosmic warrior He-Ro against both the evil Hordak and King Hssss.
Although Grayskull eventually fell before Hordak’s magic, he was able to preserve his powers inside the sword, so that one day his descendants could reclaim the power and call upon Grayskull's name whenever evil threatens the peace of Eternia. To this day, Grayskull’s spirit remains hidden away deep inside the castle which will forever bear his name.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the 2002 version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series. Developed for television by Michael Halperin, who created the original series, it was animated by Mike Young Productions...
.
Fictional character biography
In the 2002 remakeHe-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series. Developed for television by Michael Halperin, who created the original series, it was animated by Mike Young Productions...
of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, it is revealed that Castle Grayskull
Castle Grayskull
Castle Grayskull is a fortress located on the fictional planet Eternia. It forms a central location in the Masters of the Universe toy/comic/animation universe, and also appears in the 1987 live action adaptation....
was once home to King Grayskull, an ancestor of Prince Adam. He appears in the episode, "The Power of Grayskull", waging battle and ultimately defeating the Snake Men led by King Hiss but lost his sword in battle. He hoped it to be sign that it signified true peace for Eternia. However, Hiss' rival Hordak
Hordak
Hordak is a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise, as a villain who opposes She-Ra, He-Man, and villain Skeletor. In the She-Ra cartoon, he is the leader of the segment of the fictional Evil Horde on the planet Etheria, an army of savage warriors, most of whom wear a red...
, who had defeated the Snake Men, was planning on conquering Eternia. Therefore, Grayskull went on a quest to find the power he needed to defend his kingdom. At the top of a mountain, he met the oracle who guided him on his quest, showing him his lost sword and explaining that his entire quest was to show his inner strength. Before leaving however, the Oracle informed him that he would not survive the battle. Despite knowing this, King Grayskull vowed to do whatever it took to save Eternia. He then returned to face Hordak. Though outnumbered, Grayskull managed to channel his mystical energies through his sword, turning Hordak's spell on himself and his army, sending them to the dark dimension called Despondos. Despite this victory however, the Oracle's prophecy came to pass, for Hordak, whose spirit was ripped from his body, managed to mortally wound Grayskull. As he lay dying, he proclaimed that his successor will wield his sword to defend Eternia. During his lifetime, King Grayskull ruled with wisdom and compassion.
Upon his death, King Grayskull transferred his mystical energies into his Power Sword
The Power Sword
The Power Sword is a fictional sword from the Masters of the Universe toyline, sometimes also referred to as the Sword of Power and the Sword of Grayskull...
which now forms the basis of He-Man's power, thus the transformation cry "By the power of Grayskull!", (at least in this version) refers to the king, not the castle. His wife, Queen Veena, became the first Sorceress
Sorceress of Castle Grayskull
The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, also known as The Goddess and Teela Na, is a fictional character from the Masters of the Universe franchise.-Original MOTU mini-comics:...
and his advisers became the Council of Elders
Council of Elders
Council of Elders may refer to:In politics:* Global Elders, a humanitarian group referred to in media as the Council of Elders.* Council of Elders of the Bundestag , a joint deliberative body...
, who were empowered by his sword. The Sorceress first introduced the story to Prince Adam by showing him a previously unrevealed statue of his titanic ancestor inside the bowels of Castle Grayskull
Castle Grayskull
Castle Grayskull is a fortress located on the fictional planet Eternia. It forms a central location in the Masters of the Universe toy/comic/animation universe, and also appears in the 1987 live action adaptation....
.
King Grayskull's character design was originally an early prototype for He-Man himself. His appearance is largely the same as He-Man's but with much more exaggerated muscular body proportions resulting in an enormous stature, with long hair gathered into loose ponytails framing his face, and wearing a long brown cape with fur-topped shoulders. The producers liked it enough that they decided to use it for King Grayskull. Whereas He-Man rides the green tiger Battle Cat, King Grayskull rode an even larger giant green lion, and during his war with the Snake Men he was shown also wearing the same "Snake Armour" He-Man used in the second season. King Grayskull was voiced by Cam Clarke
Cam Clarke
Cameron Arthur "Cam" Clarke is a prolific American voice actor and singer, well known for his work in animation and video games. Clarke is well known for providing the voices of Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Shotaro Kaneda in the 1989 original English-dub of Akira. He often voices...
, He-Man's voice actor for the 2002 series.
The packaging for the King Grayskull action figure included a short character biography that largely recounted the aforementioned story from the 2002 series, but also included the additional information that Grayskull had fought alongside He-Ro (implicitly the Preternia version), a fact - and character - unmentioned in the cartoon. This information, as well as the inclusion of classic rather than 2002-style accessories, seemed to indicate that the toy of King Greyskull represents a hiterto nonexistent
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
version of the character situated in the classic 1980's continuity as opposed to the 2002 remake
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series. Developed for television by Michael Halperin, who created the original series, it was animated by Mike Young Productions...
.
This would prove to be partly true, as the character bios on subsequent releases in the MOTU Classics line indicate that the new figure line is using a new continuity
Continuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
which melds story elements from various different incarnations of the franchise, including the 2002 series' backstory.
King Grayskull's bio read as follows *NOTE: His story is the beginning of new Classic's storyline that is being told through the bios on card backs of the exclusively on-line series of figures*
Long before Prince Adam held the Sword of Power to become He-Man, his ancestor, King Grayskull defended Eternia from evil. Heroically mastering the secret power of his sword, Grayskull fought side-by-side with the cosmic warrior He-Ro against both the evil Hordak and King Hssss.
Although Grayskull eventually fell before Hordak’s magic, he was able to preserve his powers inside the sword, so that one day his descendants could reclaim the power and call upon Grayskull's name whenever evil threatens the peace of Eternia. To this day, Grayskull’s spirit remains hidden away deep inside the castle which will forever bear his name.