Kevin Smith’s second series in the He-Man Universe, Masters of the Universe: Revolution, premiered on Netflix on Thursday, earning high praise from critics. However, fans are still grappling with the aftermath of the controversial first series, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, where the central character, He-Man, was missing for most of its run. Despite the backlash, Smith continues to stand by his decision to place Teela at the heart of the story.
Smith’s version of the animated superhero series serves as a sequel to the original 1983 version by Filmation. However, the Clerks director chose to ignore Mattel’s 1990 sequel, The New Adventures of He-Man. The character also received a live-action adaptation in 1987 starring Dolph Lundgren.
Kevin Smith Defends His Controversial Decision In Masters Of The Universe: Revelation
As Kevin Smith‘s second series in Masters of the Universe hits Netflix, many fans are curious to know if he regrets his controversial decision in the first series. The first series, titled Revelation, debuted in 2021 with one critical aspect missing from the majority of its 10-episode run. The central character, Prince Adam/He-Man was sidelined in favor of telling Teela’s journey in the series.
Fans were largely disappointed in not seeing the muscleman in action, despite the series promising a great sequel to the 1980s version. When Smith appeared for an interview with SFX Magazine to promote the new series, titled Revolution, he shared that he has no regrets about his storytelling in Revelation. He clarified that it was not his intention to prioritize Teela over He-Man. Smith believed that it was a cool aspect to remove the central character for a few episodes and then bring him back.
The Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back director pushed back on the negative comments, stating that he did not undertake the franchise with the intention of destroying it. He added, in a tone of sarcasm, that it wasn’t as if Netflix or Mattel specifically chose him to drive the franchise to the ground. Smith further shared that everything that happened in He-Man’s absence in Revelation was still crucial to the narrative. Smith shared with SFX Magazine:
“That wasn’t me going, ‘Let’s break this franchise!’ by any stretch of the imagination. People who wanted to attack the show were like, ‘They killed He-Man’, but it wasn’t as if Mattel or Netflix were saying, ‘Here man, go kill a franchise for us. That’s why we brought you here!’ Everything we did in He-Man’s absence and when we brought him back still tied in heavily with the lore.”
Executive producer Ted Biaselli shared that Revolution will explore He-Man’s new responsibility as a king. Biaselli promised that there would be more of He-Man in the series, stating that Eternia’s hero will appear in three-and-a-half or four out of the five episodes in the first part of the series.
Kevin Smith’s Masters Of The Universe: Revolution Receives Positive Reviews
Critics found the new outing from Kevin Smith, Masters of the Universe: Revolution, endearing as the Tomatometer score stands at a perfect cent for the series. Out of the 8 critical reviews, all of them gave a fresh rating for the series. However, some fans of the original He-Man series may disagree, as they were not impressed by Smith’s storytelling direction.
Despite an initially divided audience reception, the show’s audience score has seen improvement with more viewers tuning in. The score currently stands at 84% for the five released episodes. Interestingly, Masters of the Universe: Revelation received a Tomatometer score of 94% and an audience score of 38%. It appears that the universe struggles to cater to the hardcore fans of the original IP.
The live-action reboot of Masters of the Universe appears to be stuck in development hell. As of the last known update, the film was picked up by MGM, which is now under Amazon.
