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Skeletor



 
 
Skeletor (IPA
International Phonetic Alphabet

The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic....
: ) is a fictional character
Fictional character

A character is any person, persona, identity, or entity that exists in a The arts. The process of conveying information about characters in fiction is called characterisation....
 in the Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe

Masters of the Universe is a media franchise created by Mattel. Among List of Masters of the Universe characters, it features the fictional characters of He-Man and Skeletor on planet Eternia....
 franchise, the arch-enemy and main antagonist of He-Man
He-Man

He-Man is a heroic fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise. He is the alter ego of Prince Adam and also the twin brother of She-Ra....
. Tagged "The Evil Lord of Destruction", he is the greatest threat to present-day Eternia
Eternia

Eternia is the name of the Planets in science fiction that serves as a setting for the Masters of the Universe toy collection and animated series....
. Depicted as a muscular bluish humanoid with a purple hood over his yellowish bare-bone skull, Skeletor seeks to conquer 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 comic/animation universe, and also appears in the 1987 Masters of the Universe ....
 so he can learn its ancient secrets, which would make him unstoppable and enable him to conquer and rule all of Eternia.






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Encyclopedia


Skeletor (IPA
International Phonetic Alphabet

The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic....
: ) is a fictional character
Fictional character

A character is any person, persona, identity, or entity that exists in a The arts. The process of conveying information about characters in fiction is called characterisation....
 in the Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe

Masters of the Universe is a media franchise created by Mattel. Among List of Masters of the Universe characters, it features the fictional characters of He-Man and Skeletor on planet Eternia....
 franchise, the arch-enemy and main antagonist of He-Man
He-Man

He-Man is a heroic fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise. He is the alter ego of Prince Adam and also the twin brother of She-Ra....
. Tagged "The Evil Lord of Destruction", he is the greatest threat to present-day Eternia
Eternia

Eternia is the name of the Planets in science fiction that serves as a setting for the Masters of the Universe toy collection and animated series....
. Depicted as a muscular bluish humanoid with a purple hood over his yellowish bare-bone skull, Skeletor seeks to conquer 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 comic/animation universe, and also appears in the 1987 Masters of the Universe ....
 so he can learn its ancient secrets, which would make him unstoppable and enable him to conquer and rule all of Eternia. In the original minicomics and in the Filmation series, Skeletor is said to be an evil demon-like being from Eternia's sister planet Infinita. A later Mattel minicomic implies that he was once Keldor, brother of King Randor
King Randor

King Randor is a fictional character who appears in the popular 1980s Masters of the Universe franchise. In early material, the character is called King Miro, this was later given in the Filmation cartoon series as King Randor's long-lost father's name....
 (therefore, uncle of Prince Adam/He-Man). The Mike Young Productions series confirms that Skeletor was once a man named Keldor, though no familial connection to Randor is ever openly established. Nevertheless in the audio commentary on the first volume it said that Keldor/Skeletor is indeed Randor's half-brother.

Mini-comics


Pre-Filmation series minicomics

The first minicomic
Minicomic

A minicomic is a small, creator-published comic book, often photocopying and stapled or with a handmade binding. These are a common inexpensive way for those who want to make their own comics on a very small budget, with mostly informal means of distribution ....
s that accompanied the 1981–1983 line of Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe

Masters of the Universe is a media franchise created by Mattel. Among List of Masters of the Universe characters, it features the fictional characters of He-Man and Skeletor on planet Eternia....
 toys present the earliest version of continuity and are fascinating for their many differences from the more widely-known continuity of the later Filmation
Filmation

Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animated television series for television during the later half of the 20th century....
 cartoon and the later minicomics which complement it. For example, there is no royal court of Eternia
Eternia

Eternia is the name of the Planets in science fiction that serves as a setting for the Masters of the Universe toy collection and animated series....
, King Randor
King Randor

King Randor is a fictional character who appears in the popular 1980s Masters of the Universe franchise. In early material, the character is called King Miro, this was later given in the Filmation cartoon series as King Randor's long-lost father's name....
, Queen Marlena
Queen Marlena

Queen Marlena is a fictional character from the Masters of the Universe franchise. She first appears in the toys' minicomics as a typical mediaeval-style Queen....
, or Prince Adam
Prince Adam

Prince Adam is a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise and twin brother of Princess Adora. His alter ego is He-Man, the main character in the franchise....
. Instead, He-Man is depicted as the scarcely-superhuman champion of a tribe of stone-age jungle-dwellers.

These very first minicomics, which are actually more like storybooks, with a single image per page footed by prose, state that Skeletor was originally an inhabitant of another dimension, populated with others of "his kind". During "The Great Wars", an ambiguous and intriguing concept which is largely ignored in later continuities, a hole was opened in the dimensional wall and Skeletor was thrown from his world into Eternia
Eternia

Eternia is the name of the Planets in science fiction that serves as a setting for the Masters of the Universe toy collection and animated series....
. Significantly different from the lonelier and entirely self-serving Skeletor of later depictions, the villain's key motivation in this first story is to reopen the rift between his world and Eternia, thus allowing Skeletor's race to invade and conquer Eternia alongside him. This was the initially-stated reason behind Skeletor's desire to obtain the powers of Castle Grayskull, not merely seeking power for its own sake as is generally the case in later depictions.

However, as this first incarnation of the franchise's continuity was particularly short-lived, many questions about this version of Skeletor's origin are left unanswered, particularly as this original story remain vague about Skeletor's people. What was Skeletor's status amongst his own kind? Did they all look like him or was he the only one with a skull face? Were they all sorcerers? Did they all share his evil dreams of conquest? A panel from the first minicomic hints that they are just like Skeletor, but unfortunately does not show their faces. Of course this particular origin of Skeletor occurs in a different continuity from that of the better known animated series, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

Post-Filmation series minicomics

In the minicomics that followed the cancellation of the Filmation animated series, which can be seen as following on from the same continuity as the Filmation series, although there are still various contradictions, it is hinted that Skeletor is in fact Keldor, King Randor
King Randor

King Randor is a fictional character who appears in the popular 1980s Masters of the Universe franchise. In early material, the character is called King Miro, this was later given in the Filmation cartoon series as King Randor's long-lost father's name....
's long lost brother.

This inference occurs specifically in the 1986 minicomic entitled "The Search for Keldor
The Search for Keldor

The Search for Keldor is a Masters of the Universe minicomic. It was packaged with Blast-Attak, Faker, King Randor, Scare Glow, Ninjor, Clamp Champ, and the Sorceress' action figures....
," a story that involves Prince Adam
Prince Adam

Prince Adam is a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise and twin brother of Princess Adora. His alter ego is He-Man, the main character in the franchise....
 and Randor searching for Randor's lost brother Keldor. When Skeletor learns of their quest, he muses that "they must never discover the secret of Keldor," as the truth will lead to his destruction.

In this story King Randor
King Randor

King Randor is a fictional character who appears in the popular 1980s Masters of the Universe franchise. In early material, the character is called King Miro, this was later given in the Filmation cartoon series as King Randor's long-lost father's name....
 announces that Keldor disappeared years ago. "He thought to master magic; when his experiments went wrong and he was lost in a dimension beyond time!" One of the few elements of Skeletor's back story that remains consistent throughout the various continuities is that he had come to Eternia from another dimension.

It is likely that Randor's statement about Keldor disappearing to another dimension is an attempt to reconcile Skeletor being He-Man's uncle with his Extra-Eternian origins. To find out what happened to Keldor, Randor and the Sorceress attempt to peer through the dimensional veil.

Randor announces "I think I see Keldor… Or is it…" Before he can see anything else, Skeletor appears, determined to stop them from finding out any more. Although Skeletor is defeated, he is able to prevent Randor from discovering Keldor's fate

Skeletor's frantic effort to cover up what happened to Keldor, combined with the fact that Keldor vanished to another dimension when attempting to become a master sorcerer, is taken as heavy inference that the two characters are indeed one and the same. Unfortunately, because the original MOTU toyline came to an end before the story could be resolved, it is never fully disclosed if this was officially intended to be the case.

Steven Grant
Steven Grant

Steven Grant is an United States comic-book writer best known for his 1985-1986 Marvel Comics limited series Punisher, with artist Mike Zeck ....
, the writer-for-hire of the minicomic in question, stated in a he-man.org interview that "As far as I remember, Keldor was Skeletor ... But, I don't think that was ever going to be revealed ... I seem to remember it as one of those things Mattel came up with out of the blue ... Slur Keldor and you end up with Skeletor ... His back-story wasn't really worked out. Some sort of evil cosmic energies altered him. I think they were going for a Darth Vader
Darth Vader

Darth Vader is the central antagonist in George Lucas's first three Star Wars original trilogy films and Revenge of the Sith, voiced by James Earl Jones and portrayed physically by David Prowse in the Original trilogy and by Canadian actor Hayden Christensen in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith....
 thing, but it was a tack-on... The main idea was that if they found out Skeletor was Keldor, they'd be able to find out what had changed him and might find some way to reverse it."

In the new continuity of the 2002 animated series, Skeletor's original name is definitely Keldor, his appearance as such is shown and his exploits partially depicted. However it seems unlikely that he is related to Randor in this continuity, as he has Skeletor's blue skin and some other slightly nonhuman features whilst still Keldor. In a he-man.org interview with one of producers of the 2002 series, it is revealed that Keldor is the half brother of Randor; they have different mothers.

Masters of the Universe film

In 1987, Cannon Films released a feature film version of Masters of the Universe. The role of Skeletor was played by acclaimed actor Frank Langella
Frank Langella

'Frank A. Langella, Jr.' is an Academy Award-nominated, Tony Award-winning United States Stage and film actor. His Tonys include two for Best Featured Actor in a Play for Edward Albee's Seascape , and Ivan Turgenev's Fortune's Fool , and for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his performance as Richard Nixon in Peter Morgan's Frost/N...
, beating out famous voice artist and writer Bryan Pyle. Pyle eventually was cast to do sound effects and lesser voices on the show.

Due to the film's PG rating, this Skeletor was given license to be much darker than his cartoon counterpart ever could. At one point he casually incinerates one of his henchmen as punishment for failing him. The film abandons the campy connotations of Skeletor and gives him some measure of depth, which had been absent before. A glimpse of this occurs when the villain tortures a captive He-Man. Leaning in close to the hero, he inquires "Tell me about the loneliness of Good, He-Man... Is it equal to the loneliness of Evil?"

Langella's Skeletor is clad in more regal attire than is traditionally seen. Rather than dark purple, he wears all black, and his costume is less scant, covering his entire body with a robe and a flowing cape.

This version of Skeletor is also able to achieve what his previous incarnations could not. He unlocks the powers of Grayskull and becomes a living god. As he receives ultimate power Skeletor makes a dramatic speech worthy of the culmination of his life's evil dreams.

Imbued with cosmic power, Skeletor transforms himself into his own concept of a god. He is clad in radiant, golden armour and crowned with an opulent, horned head piece, which partially resembles the brief glimpse given of the exterior of the cinematic version of Castle Grayskull. He discharges beams of pure energy from his eyes. The movie contains a hidden ending, in a post end credits sequence Skeletor resurfaces from the water and announces "I'll be back". Despite this a sequel to the movie has never been made. However this secret ending to the film may explain the cybernetic additions to Skeletor's body in the New Adventures series, as it was never explained in the show why he had gotten these enhancements, nor why his skull was at first grey, before turning to its classic yellow from the Filmation series.

The New Adventures of He-Man

The New Adventures
The New Adventures of He-Man

The New Adventures of He-Man is an animation series which ran in syndication in the fall of 1990 while Mattel released the toy line He-Man, an update of their successful Masters of the Universe line....
 series sees Skeletor with a new costume, chest armour, cybernetic implants and a pink cape. Skeletor fools the Galactic Guardians, Hydron and Flipshot
Flipshot

Flipshot, AKA Icarius is an action figure from the Mattel Masters of the Universe toy line and a character from the 1990 animated series The New Adventures of He-Man....
, into thinking he is the force of good they need to save their home planet, Primus, when in fact they came looking for He-Man. Unable to decide who is good and who is evil, Skeletor and He-Man are both transported to the futuristic planet Primus, where Skeletor reveals his true evil nature to the Primans as the Mutants attack. Skeletor and the Mutant leader, Flogg
Flogg

Flogg, aka Brakk is a fictional character in the animated television series The New Adventures of He-Man. He is the leader of the Evil Mutants from the planet Denebria....
, come to an agreement: Skeletor will help Flogg conquer Primus in return for Flogg's help in destroying He-Man. One of Flogg's terms is that he will remain in charge of the Mutants. Skeletor agrees, and is able to manipulate and control Flogg from behind the scenes, while making himself a force to be reckoned with among Primans and Mutants alike.

In the episode "Sword and Staff", Skeletor finds a powerful crystal on Moon Nordor and absorbs its power, making him more powerful and evil than ever before, and changing his appearance drastically, including a yellow face with red eyes, and different armour and helmet, based on the "Disks of Doom Skeletor" toy. Throughout the series, Skeletor concocts various schemes to destroy He-Man and conquer Primus. When Teela arrives in the future, she tells Skeletor Eternia has been peaceful since he left. Skeletor actually succeeds in conquering Primus after a clever scheme fooling Primus and its ruler, Master Sebrian, into thinking the Mutants want peace. Flogg is able to proclaim himself King of Primus and the Mutants seize control of the planet, with Skeletor in pursuit of He-Man and the growing rebellion against the Mutant invaders. The Mutants remain in control of the planet for some time; as Mara states in the episode "Skeletor's Victory", that she and He-Man have been in the wilderness for days. The Mutant invaders are eventually forced to flee Primus when the entire planet rises up against them and their Mothership is forcibly removed from the planet. Skeletor and Flogg's dominance over Primus and victory over the Primans lasts for a total of five episodes including "The Gift", "Skeletor's Victory", "He-Man in Exile", "The Seeds of Resistance" and "The Battle of Levitan".

Skeletor also has an admirer among the Mutants named Crita, an attractive and ruthlessly evil female who works aboard the Mothership. She and Skeletor become closer throughout the series, leading Skeletor to show flirtatious behaviour toward her, even dancing with her. His advances are often interrupted by Flogg, who tends to become jealous because he is not being paid more attention. However, Skeletor shows in "Escape the Galolotia" that he would be perfectly willing to destroy her if it suited him. Despite the events of that episode, Crita apparently forgives Skeletor, who arranges for her to be sent to Nekron to assist the evil Gleanon warriors in their war against the peaceful Mytes.

At the end of the series, Skeletor and the Mutants take part in the Galactic Games, where they fight the Galactic Guardians and He-Man. The Guardians win the games, but the organisers of the games capture them. During their imprisonment, Flogg finally decides to attack Primus with everything he has, including having the Gleanons, under Crita's leadership, assist them. Skeletor intends to have his final battle with He-Man, and sets up an ambush. The Mutants are able to conquer Primus once again, with the Galactic Guardians and He-Man absent, but the Guardians escape their captivity and return in the Starship Eternia. The Primans are once again able to defeat the Mutants, and Flogg, realising he has finally lost, agrees to surrender all his forces. Skeletor flies into a rage, finally expressing his true opinion of Flogg. Flogg attempts to shoot Skeletor, but is stopped by Crita at the last moment. Skeletor then transports himself, Crita, He-Man and Mara to the ancient ruins of the Oasis on Primus and challenges He-Man to their final battle. Skeletor is caught off guard and Mara throws Crita into him, knocking the two off a cliff ledge and into a shuttle pod. He-Man is able to take Skeletor's staff after their battle and uses his power sword to trap Skeletor and Crita within the shuttle pod and exile them into space. Skeletor promises Crita he will return to destroy He-Man.

The second season of the series would have featured Skeletor returning to Eternia, where Man-At-Arms would have turned evil and set himself up as dictator in He-Man's absence. Skeletor would be seen manipulating both He-Man and Man-At-Arms, and the series would have ended with the two friends reconciling and Man-At-Arms returning to his former good ways, as they journeyed to Primus to help their friends. Skeletor would have taken advantage of the opportunity, and conquered Eternia while they were gone. But the New Adventures line was ultimately short lived, and the second series was never produced.

Although The New Adventures series follows the continuity of the Filmation cartoon, Skeletor is quite a different character. He is a far more maniacal and insane character; he possesses a sarcastic sense of humor and often jokes and laughs, taking his own failures much better than in the previous series. He has a genuine friendship with Crita, and works well with Flogg, Slush Head and the other Mutants as part of their team as well as having a pet named Gur. Though often showing a more relaxed attitude he shows that, when angered, he simply becomes a maniac and lashes out in anger at anyone around him. He is able to instill fear into Flogg, despite being perfectly willing to take his orders when it suits his own purposes. Overall, the Skeletor in this series is portrayed as a far more competent and threatening character, despite his often comedic lines. In an interview, Campbell Lane, the voice actor for Skeletor, claimed he based his portrayal of Skeletor around The Joker
Joker (comics)

The Joker is a Character , a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics and appearing as an enemy of Batman. Created by Jerry Robinson, Bill Finger and Bob Kane, the character first appeared in Batman #1 ....
 from Batman
Batman

Batman is a Character , a comic book superhero co-created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger , appearing in publications by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939....
.

According to the episode Adam's Adventure, Skeletor is allergic to flowers.

Mike Young Productions animated series

Mypcartoonskeletorcape
Skeletor was formerly a warlord known as Keldor who trained under Hordak
Hordak

Hordak is a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise. He is the leader of the Evil Horde, an army of savage warriors, most of whom wear a red bat symbol on their chests to convey their allegiance....
. He gathered a small band of warriors to attack the Hall of Wisdom. They encountered resistance from Captain Randor and his officers; Keldor fought Randor personally, wielding two swords with astounding proficiency, but when Randor disarmed him, Keldor threw a vial of acid at him. Randor deflected it with his shield, and the acid splashed on Keldor's face.

Kronis called the retreat, and Evil-Lyn took Keldor to Hordak's sanctuary, where Keldor summoned Hordak to save his life. Keldor agreed to pay whatever price Hordak wished for his life, and Hordak transformed him, stripping the damaged tissues from his skull and dubbing him Skeletor; Keldor's head had been completely stripped of soft tissues, leaving only a floating skull. When Keldor saw his new appearance, he laughed maniacally; the incident perhaps shattering whatever sanity he had left.

Trapped in the Dark Hemisphere by the Mystic Wall, Skeletor designed a machine that would smash it, but it needed the Corodite Crystal as a power source. When Mer-Man retrieved it, Skeletor destroyed the Mystic Wall, and returned to menacing Eternia.

Unlike this previous portrayals, Skeletor is not concerned with Castle Grayskull right away, until a giant fish-monster heads toward it and the Eternian warriors led by Man-At-Arms and He-Man stop it, forcing Skeletor to ponder what could be in that ancient pile of stones worth dying for. At the time, the Heroic Warriors seem ready and willing to let Grayskull fall, and would likely have done so, if not for the urgings of Man-At-Arms, who had been swallowed whole by the monster. Skeletor directly attacks it with his Council of Evil: himself, Count Marzo
Count Marzo

Count Marzo is the name of a character from the Masters of the Universe franchise....
, Evilseed
Evilseed

Evilseed is the name of an evil character from the Masters of the Universe series....
, the three evil Giants and Webstor
Webstor

Webstor is a fictional character in the popular Masters of the Universe toy line and accompanying cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe....
. When King Hiss
King Hiss

King Hiss is a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise. He is the villainous king of the Snake Men. Although he never appears in the original animated series by Filmation, which had ceased production by the time the figure was released....
 and the Snake Men
Snake Men

The Snake Men are a fictional race of evil humanoid snakes in Mattel's Masters of the Universe franchise....
 are freed from the Void, Hiss imprisons Skeletor, having him devoured by a giant snake, but Skeletor escapes after the Masters defeat Hiss.

Despite owing his life to Hordak, Skeletor destroys Hordak's sanctuary to prevent him from returning. At the end of the Second Season, King Hiss revives Serpos, the Serpent God, who had been transformed into Snake Mountain by the Elders; Skeletor and his minions were inside the mountain at that time. Although Serpos is defeated and restored to its Snake Mountain form. If season three of the series been produced, it would have seen Skeletor and He Man dealing with the Horde invasion and the powerful Hordak, who it was said Skeletor would eventually have defeated.

Some fans believe that the 2002 version of the character is the most competent version of Skeletor to date, although as before, he still never accomplishes any real victory; thus far, only the New Adventures version of Skeletor has been able to do that. While he is given many comedic moments, they seem merely to add to his air of villainy, instead of detracting from it. For instance, when he has a belt attached to him that weakens him when he has evil thoughts, it seems funny to see him act in a pleasant fashion, but eventually it drives home his more homicidal tendencies, which become apparent at the end of the episode when he has the evil warriors strung up, telling them he is going to make them suffer for enjoying his "condition". When Evil-Lyn pleads for mercy he merely turns and says, "I... think not", before dunking them in lava.

In the cancelled 2002 show, Skeletor is again portrayed a bully towards his minions but with an even more malicious edge, using his powerful abilities to threaten his followers or to silence them. He also constantly blames his followers for their defeats at the hands of the Masters, and rules through a policy of fear, which makes him somewhat different compared to King Hiss
King Hiss

King Hiss is a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise. He is the villainous king of the Snake Men. Although he never appears in the original animated series by Filmation, which had ceased production by the time the figure was released....
. Also like previous versions, he is shown to possess almost no loyalty towards his followers as demonstrated in the last episodes of the first season, where he sends his own Evil Warriors into a trap to get captured just to lull the Masters into a false sense of security. He even goes as far as replacing them with his 'Council of Evil'. Despite this, he is shown to be power mad and unwilling to share the spoils of war; as demonstrated when he tells Count Marzo, when questioned if they will gain anything from Castle Grayskull, that he will give them a reward if he feels like doing so. In the beginning of the first season he demonstrates a deep rooted hatred towards King Randor
King Randor

King Randor is a fictional character who appears in the popular 1980s Masters of the Universe franchise. In early material, the character is called King Miro, this was later given in the Filmation cartoon series as King Randor's long-lost father's name....
 for his part in destroying his face and making him what he is now; though he also attributes that to Evil-Lyn for saving him. This gradually shifts towards a hatred against He-Man for standing in his way constantly. Furthermore, his maniacal laughter can perhaps indicate that he might have become insane by the loss of his face, something that is mentioned in the Icons of Evil comics when Kronis, who later becomes the villain Trap-Jaw
Trap-Jaw

Trap Jaw is a fictional character from the popular Masters of the Universe toy line and accompanying cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe....
, mentions that Skeletor is no longer the leader he once followed. Finally, despite his evil, Skeletor has been known to grovel when his life is in jeopardy, though this is usually an attempt to get the upper hand before betraying his savior, which is seen on a few occasions to trick He-Man into dropping his guard before attacking and escaping.

As with all the Mike Young Productions series' characters, Skeletor's appearance is based on his figure from the Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen Studios

Four Horsemen Studios is a group of four action figure sculptors who formerly worked for McFarlane Toys, and whose work has included the new 2002 line of Masters of the Universe toys and the current DCSH and DC Universe Classics lines....
-designed toyline for which the cartoon was produced to promote. Skeletor is the character that received perhaps the least-extensive redesign from his original toy/cartoon version. However, when this new design was then translated into animated form, MYP's artists usually gave him a voluminous cape; something which neither the new toy, nor the original incarnation of the character ever wore. The cape is typically adorned in situations where Skeletor chose to employ powerful magical feats, and may have been influenced by Skeletor's costume in the 1987 Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe (film)

Masters of the Universe is a 1987 in film science fiction/fantasy film based on the Masters of the Universe. The movie stars Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor....
 film. Skeletor is still commonly seen without his cape in the 2002 series while at rest or in combat situations not requiring extensive use of magic. When a later convention-exclusive figure of Keldor was made using the existing Skeletor body, a removable cloth cape was included. As the figure came with three swappable heads including his Keldor face; his burning, acid-splashed visage; and his final Skeletor head, this figure could thus be configured into a "show-accurate" caped Skeletor.

2008 Masters of the Universe Classics toyline

Although the MOTU Classics toyline that debuted in 2008 has, as yet, no supporting fiction, the toys' packaging do include short character biographies that merge elements from various different incarnations of the franchise as well as some newly-developed information to form a new, distinct "Classics" continuity
Continuity (fiction)

In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot , objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer. It is of relevance to several mass media....
. Skeletor's bio identifies him as being King Randor
King Randor

King Randor is a fictional character who appears in the popular 1980s Masters of the Universe franchise. In early material, the character is called King Miro, this was later given in the Filmation cartoon series as King Randor's long-lost father's name....
's half-brother (from the later minicomics) named Keldor, who was mortally wounded in a battle with then-Captain Randor and was saved by his mentor Hordak
Hordak

Hordak is a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise. He is the leader of the Evil Horde, an army of savage warriors, most of whom wear a red bat symbol on their chests to convey their allegiance....
 (2002 cartoon), who merged "Keldor with the extra-dimentional being Demo-Man from Despondos", changing him into Skeletor (contrary to the 2002 continuity, referencing the earliest minicomics which portrayed Skeletor as creature from another dimension).

The question of Skeletor's head

The Hordak scene described above is the only depiction to date of a completely hoodless "classic"-style Skeletor. Thus, the MYP series' clarification of the nature of Skeletor's head as a magically floating skull with no visible connecting tissue, or even any exposed spinal column for that matter, is the first such explanation of how Skeletor's fleshy body actually connects to his skull. However, this "magical floating skull" version is not necessarily what was intended for previous depictions of the character, who may have had neck tissues which reached to the base of his skull before giving way to exposed bone in either a withered or grisly manner, which could explain the wearing of a concealing hood on an otherwise scantily-clad body.

In one episode of Filmation
Filmation

Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animated television series for television during the later half of the 20th century....
's series, titled "The Greatest Show on Eternia", Skeletor is seen unhooded in one scene in which he is shot into the air clinging to a giant firework , his hood being pushed back by air pressure exposing his skull. However, the hood is not pulled far back enough to reveal Skeletor's neck, or lack of one. Interestingly the toy version of Skeletor in New Adventures, which was intended to be a continuation of the original 1980s toyline/Filmation
Filmation

Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animated television series for television during the later half of the 20th century....
 cartoon continuity, does have visible flesh on his neck which even reaches up to cover the back of his head almost to the crown, as if having regrown. However, since the original Skeletor is rarely shown without his hood it is conceivable that this flesh had always been present and merely hidden. In the New Adventures cartoon however, Skeletor has a neck made from flesh, but his head is simply a skull, in later episodes his helmet is destroyed, revealing a bald skull with ragged hair emerging from it. The only apparent contradiction to this appears in the storybook-comic The Power of Point Dread/Danger at Castle Grayskull in which Skeletor's hood falls back but it still rests only just past his crown and thus is relatively inconclusive about the status of his neck. The two first "New Adventures" minicomics, The New Adventure
The New Adventure (He-Man Minicomic)

The New Adventure is the title of the He-Man minicomic which sets the character in the setting of The New Adventures of He-Man....
 and Skeletor's Journey
Skeletor's Journey

Skeletor's Journey is the title of the He-Man minicomic which continues from "The New Adventure " and sets the characters in the setting of The New Adventures of He-Man....
 briefly show the injured Skeletor without his cowl, the second showing him even with ears.

It is also noteworthy that although the Filmation, MYP cartoons, and all comic books have depicted Skeletor's visible skull as a uniform color of yellow or bone-white, both of the original 1980s and the initial 2002 toys of Skeletor actually feature a skull that is only yellow in the centre of the face. These toys (which are, after all, what the surrounding media are all based upon) actually show the head colored green around the edges of the face, perhaps suggesting that the rest of the hooded skull might be green. Interestingly however, the New Adventures Skeletor's aforementioned flesh on the back of his head does not directly give way to the yellow bone, but rather has an intermediary area of green colour. This could explain the green edges to the classic Skeletor toy's face and is entirely consistent with the above theory that he may have always had only his face devoid of flesh rather than his entire head, although it is unknown whether this was the original intent.

It has never been clarified as to what extent any version of Skeletor is supposed to have remaining fleshy matter in his head, and thus to what extent Skeletor retains normal biological functions, if any. All versions of Skeletor, apart from the 1987 film and the "New Adventures", depict him as having clearly empty eye sockets, sometimes with either permanently or intermittently visible glowing points of scarlet energy instead of actual biological eyes (his eyes in the New Adventures cartoon were of an ambiguous nature, initially white but becoming red for the majority of the series, in both cases with pupils). While it is obvious that he can see somehow, in the MYP episode 'Rise of the Snakemen' that Snakeface's ability won't work on him because his "eyes are closed". However it has never been clarified whether he has a tongue and thus if he talks by magical means, because while it is possible to speak without lips, one still requires a tongue, or whether he needs to eat or drink. The last pilot episode of the MYP series does however depict Skeletor enjoying some manner of warm drink. Although Skeletor can clearly hear, he has (virtually) never been depicted as having ears. He does seem to have a sense of smell though, as he is shown in the 2002 MYP series attempting to block his nose when Stinkor
Stinkor

Stinkor is a fictional character, a villain from the Masters of the Universe franchise. Labeled the "Evil Master of Odors," Stinkor is essentially a humanoid skunk whose special attack is the ability to release a toxic odor from his body that renders foes immobile....
 appears before him to beg a boon, which has some logic as his skull would still have nasal passages permitting him to breathe, if he in fact still needs to. Ironically, when shown as Keldor in flashbacks from the 2002 cartoon, the character's distinctive nasal voice (a sound-alike of Alan Oppenheimer
Alan Oppenheimer

Alan Oppenheimer is an United States voice actor who has had an active career in cartoons since the 1970s....
's original portrayal) is markedly less nasal than as Skeletor, despite actually having a nose.

Powers and abilities

Skeletor possesses an array of mystic powers that seem to vary depending on the whims of the particular writer using him at the time, however all portray him as an extremely powerful sorcerer with control over a vast range of dark magical powers. He also possesses considerable scientific skill, and is shown to have skill in creating various machines and devices in the Filmation and New Adventures animated series.

He is usually armed with a magical weapon called the Havoc Staff; a long pole crowned with a ram's skull (and in some depictions, a crystal ball embedded within). He can discharge bolts of mystic force from the head of the staff, or use it as a focus for more powerful forms of magic. Skeletor has also displayed the ability to discharge energy from his own body, as is seen in the 1987 film where he casts lightning from his hands, and in the original animated series where he projects energy from his fingertips and even his eye sockets. In the 2002 series, his innate powers seem much more limited; though his abilities, when in conjunction with his Havoc Staff seem nearly unmitigated in scope and highly potent in raw power.

In the early mini-comics, Skeletor sometimes possesses one half of the power sword. From this weapon he could also project magical energies. He also displays many other skills, such as the ability to teleport himself and others over vast distances, send telepathic commands to his minions, open gateways between dimensions or perform remote viewing
Remote viewing

Remote Viewing , refers to the attempt to gather information about a distant or unseen target using paranormal means or extra-sensory perception....
. He has also shown himself to be a gifted swordsman. As a master of the occult arts he is also privy to much secret knowledge about the universe.

Despite his occasional bungling actions and personality, all versions portray Skeletor as being extremely cunning and intelligent but with a sense of hubris that invariably leads to his downfall.

Also, some toy versions of Skeletor have been featured in media:
  • Dragon Blaster Skeletor: Featured in the 1984 minicomic "Skeletor's Dragon
    Skeletor's Dragon

    Skeletor's Dragon is the title of a Masters of the Universe minicomic. It was packaged with Stinkor's action figure. The comic was written by Christy Marx....
    ". In addition to Skeletor's powers depicted above, he has some energy-draining chains and is aided by a little dragon who can spray a sleeping mist from its mouth.
  • Terror Claws Skeletor: This version of Skeletor has claw gloves known as the terror claws. Strangely, Skeletor wears his "original" costume in all the minicomics which use the terror claws, including the Terror Claws Skeletor minicomic "The Terror Claws Strike!
    The Terror Claws Strike!

    The Terror Claws Strike! is the title of the Masters of the Universe minicomic. It was packaged with Terror Claws Skeletor. The story was written by Tim Kilpin and the artwork was drawn by Bruce Timm....
    ". In the only minicomic that shows him wearing the "terror claws" costume, "The Cosmic Key
    The Cosmic Key

    The Cosmic Key is also the title of a Masters of the Universe minicomic, featuring the device known as the Cosmic Key, and introduces the new movie characters into the franchise....
    ", he does not use the terror claws.
  • "New Adventures" Skeletor: The Skeletor figure featured in "The New Adventures of He-Man". In the minicomics, Skeletor uses that costume after becoming a cyborg
    Cyborg

    A cyborg is a cybernetic organism . The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space....
    . In the TV version, he is only wearing a different costume than the "original".
  • Disk of Doom Skeletor: The second "New Adventures" Skeletor version. This version first appears in the episode "The Sword and the Staff" and becomes the regular version of Skeletor in the series until the last episode. This Skeletor version wears skull-shaped chest armour and a white helmet. The figure came with a disk launcher, but in the series Skeletor continued using the Havoc Staff.
  • Battle Sounds Skeletor: This figure was made as a "talking" Skeletor figure for the 2002 toyline. In the TV episode "Sky War", Skeletor transforms into his "Battle Sounds" version after eating Ambrosia, a miraculous food made by the Andreenids, Buzz-Off
    Buzz-Off

    Buzz-Off is a fictional character from the popular Masters of the Universe franchise. He is a humanoid bee, and comes from a race of Bee People based in the Mystic Mountains....
    's people. As Battle Sounds Skeletor, he is stronger and more powerful.
  • Samurai Skeletor: With the power of the Legacy Stones, Skeletor transforms into his samurai version in the episode "The Mystery of Anwat Gar". This Skeletor wears samurai armour, is stronger and, fittingly, has samurai weapons.
  • Battle Armor Skeletor: Skeletor dons battle armour. In the episode "Of Machines and Men", a being called Sortech sends the battle armour to Skeletor. This is the 2003 Battle Armour Skeletor figure, and must not be confused with a 1983 Skeletor figure with the same name, that is not featured in any media.


Panthor

Panthor is Skeletor's evil
Evil

Evil, in many cultures, is a broad term used to describe intentional negative moral acts or thoughts that are cruel, unjust or selfish. Evil is usually good and evil, which describes acts that are kind, just or unselfish....
 feline
Felidae

Felidae is the family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the most strictly Carnivore of the sixteen mammal families in the order Carnivora....
 companion, a giant purple
Purple

Purple is a general term for the range of shades of color occurring between red and blue. It occurs by mixing the primary colors red and blue in varying proportions, with possibly a very small quantity of the third primary color ....
 panther who serves as an evil counterpart to Battle Cat
Battle Cat

Battle Cat/Cringer is a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise. He is a large green tiger, with yellow stripes that He-Man fights alongside....
. Panthor is portrayed as Skeletor's pet
PET

The term pet typically refers to a pet.PET may also refer to:...
, being at the right of his throne
Throne

A throne is the official chair or seat upon which a monarch is seated on state or ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monarchy or the Crown itself, an instance of metonymy, and is also used in many terms such as "power behind the throne"....
.

Other media

  • Skeletor appears in episodes of the Cartoon Network program Robot Chicken
    Robot Chicken

    Robot Chicken is an Emmy Award-winning United States stop motion list of animated television series created and Executive producer by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich....
     voiced by Dan Milano
    Dan Milano

    Dan Milano is an American voice actor and director. He was one of the creators of the Fox sitcom Greg the Bunny and provided Greg's voice as well as the voice of Warren the Ape....
     and by Seth Green
    Seth Green

    Seth Benjamin Gesshel Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is best known for his role as Oz in Buffy the Vampire Slayer , as well as Doctor Evil's son Scott Evil in the Austin Powers series series of comedy films and List of recurring characters of That '70s Show in That '70s Show....
     in one episode. In "Toyz in the Hood," he was seen with Lex Luthor
    Lex Luthor

    Lex Luthor is a Character , a supervillain that appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character First appearance in Action Comics #23 , and was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster....
    , Cobra Commander
    Cobra Commander

    Cobra Commander is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe Media franchise. He appears in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, animated series , comic books, video games, and G.I....
    , and Mumm-Ra in a carpool
    Carpool

    Carpooling , is the shared use of a Automobile by the driver and one or more passengers, usually for commuting. Carpooling arrangements and schemes involve varying degrees of formality and regularity....
     in a traffic jam. Skeletor is driving the car and late in the sketch he passes gas, much to the chagrin of his supervillain carpool mates. In "Toy Meets Girl," he commits suicide, which is followed by a documentary on the current condition of other toys of the 80s by Michael Moore
    Michael Moore

    Michael Francis Moore is an Academy Award-winning United States filmmaker, author and Modern liberalism in the United States political commentator....
    . In the episode "1987," he is approached by Eternian dentist Mo-Larr who says that he has an impacted wisdom tooth that must be removed. After tying Beast Man up with dental floss
    Dental floss

    Dental floss is either a bundle of thin nylon filaments or a plastic ribbon used to remove food and dental plaque from teeth. The floss is gently inserted between the teeth and scraped along the teeth sides, especially close to the Gingiva....
    , and stabbing Grizzlor
    Grizzlor

    Grizzlor is a fictional character from the popular toy line Masters of the Universe by Mattel.A member of the Evil Horde, Grizzlor is a hairy man-beast creature from the wild, covered in thick brown fur and sharp claws, who attacks his opponents with the power of brute strength....
     in the eye with a dentist's drill, he enters Skeletor's castle, tackles him to the ground, and pulls out the impacted wisdom tooth, much to Skeletor's chagrin. In the episode "Shoe," Skeletor's plot to harness the powers of Eternia's oldest tree goes horribly awry when He-Man arrives and Beast Man accidentally killed He-Man. In the episode "I'm Trapped," Skeletor uses Faker to infiltrate King Randor's birthday party in an attempt to take over Castle Grayskull. It doesn't go well as Faker is mistakened as the real He-Man and parties with everyone. When Skeletor barges in and berets him for his actions, Faker stabs Skeletor in the head with his sword and Skeletor is later shown beheaded.
  • Skeletor is one of the characters in the song Skeletor Vs Beastman, he is played by Brandon DiCamillo
    Brandon DiCamillo

    Brandon Ralph DiCamillo is an American actor, stuntman and screenwriter. He was a founding member of the CKY Crew and rose to fame through appearances in the CKY and MTV's Jackass , Viva La Bam and Bam's Unholy Union....
    . The song was made by Gnarkill
    Gnarkill

    Gnarkill is an American parody/alternative metal band that formed in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania in 2002 and comprises vocalist Brandon DiCamillo , guitarist Rich Vose, keyboardist Bam Margera , drummer Jess Margera and mixer Matt Cole ....
  • A reference to Skeletor appears in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
    World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade

    World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade is the first expansion pack for the Massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft....
    ; the Horde's Arathi Basin battle master in Shattrah City has the name , is undead with blue skin and wears an outfit similar to the one of Skeletor. The Season Two Gladiator Arena set for Rogues also has a very similar helm to Skeletor's original costume with a Skull emanating from a Hood, His enemy is also spoofed as the Alliance Battle Master, with his pet, Battle Cat.
  • Skeletor appears in one strip of the popular webcomic, Penny Arcade, where he is actually vandalizing the entry for He-Man on Wikipedia.
  • In the 8th season of American Big Brother, Daniele Donato is frequently referred to by fans and Houseguests as Skeletor due to her body size.
  • Skeletor appears in the Drawn Together episode "Charlotte's Web of Lies." He is seen in an anger management meeting with Ling-Ling, Hulk
    Hulk (comics)

    The Hulk, often called "The Incredible Hulk", is a fictional character , a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics....
    , Yosemite Sam
    Yosemite Sam

    Yosemite Sam is an animation fictional character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. Animation....
    , and Marvin the Martian
    Marvin the Martian

    Marvin the Martian is a fictional character appearing in the Looney Tunes cartoons. Despite appearing in only five of the original shorts, Marvin has developed a cult following....
    .
  • In the Lost episode, Tricia Tanaka is Dead
    Tricia Tanaka Is Dead

    "Tricia Tanaka Is Dead" is the tenth episode of the third season of Lost . It was first aired on February 28, 2007, making it the 57th episode of the series....
    , Sawyer dubs Roger Linus's remains Skeletor.
  • Skeletor appears in the first issue of the French comic book of Maliki in a cameo.
  • In an episode of The Simpsons
    The Simpsons

    The Simpsons is an Television in the United States animated cartoon Situation comedy created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company....
    , The Blunder Years
    The Blunder Years

    "The Blunder Years" is the fifth episode from The Simpsons The Simpsons ....
     (written by Ian Maxtone-Graham
    Ian Maxtone-Graham

    Ian Maxtone-Graham is an United States television writer and Television producer. He has written for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons , and has also served as a co-executive producer and consulting producer for The Simpsons....
    ), Mesmerino refers to Montgomery Burns
    Montgomery Burns

    Charles Montgomery "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, is a recurring fictional character and antagonist in the List of animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer and previously Christopher Collins....
     as Skeletor, prompting Homer
    Homer Simpson

    Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and father of the Simpson family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show The Simpsons shorts "Good Night " on April 19, 1987....
     to say, "Zing!" and then ask Lisa
    Lisa Simpson

    Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child, and eldest daughter, of the Simpson family....
     "What's a Skeletor?"


See also

  • Szkieletor
    Szkieletor

    Szkieletor is the unofficial name of a 94 metre skyscraper in Krak?w, Poland, originally intended to become the headquarters of the Main Technical Organization ....
    , an incomplete structure in Kraków, Poland, nicknamed after Skeletor


External links