The first part of Kevin Smith’s ’80s nostalgia opus began and ended with a lot of controversy. With He-Man being seen almost entirely in flashbacks, part one focused on a jaded Teela and her new companion, Andra, guiding us through a new Eternia without He-Man, Prince Adam, Skeletor, or magic. This didn’t sit well with many fans of the original whose reasons ranged from claims of bait-and-switch to “anti-wokeness” to anger at Smith for denying the narrative path when asked. The ending, which saw a noble Prince Adam leave heaven to return and fight the good fight only to be skewered by his arch nemesis (double extra killed off), sure didn’t help matters.
The subtitle of “Revelations” is appropriate for the first part, given the dual definition of secrets uncovered and an apocalypse. Perhaps fans and showrunners alike could see part two as having a more appropriate moniker in “redemption.” The premise is still good warriors battling to save the day from evil. The story is about the responsibilities and dynamics of power, including trust, duty, and restraint. The “special message” isn’t at the end. It’s woven into the ten episodes and it has grown up (at least) as much as we have.
Spoiler alert: Prince Adam doesn’t die. He gets saved by Teela’s burgeoning magic as she begins to grow into her destined role as the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull. Unfortunately, with Skeletor returned and in possession of the Powersword, that title is bestowed unto Evil-Lyn… after The Sorceress is murdered in front of Man-at-Arms’ eyes.
If part one was “all about Teela,” then part two is Evil-Lyn’s story. With outright exposition and nuance, we see the complicated relationships between Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, and Beast Man in all its Game of Thrones glory. If there’s any complaint about the impressive voice acting performances, it could be that Mark Hamill’s Skeletor is very reminiscent of his legendary role as The Joker. But playing another chaos engine who abuses his female partner while obsessing over the protagonist may have locked him into that space.
But (in a more organic and satisfying way) Evil-Lyn does what Harley Quinn is shown doing in recent media: she throws off the yoke and picks up the Powersword. Mega-Lyn picks up Skeletor’s obsessions, not with He-Man but with the power of the universe aligning to give her access to godhood.
This leads to a climactic battle of all of Eternia versus Evil-Lyn. It’s everything you could ask for or expect. It’s got fragile alliances between strange bedfellows, rallying of the common folk to take up arms against an army of the dead, one heck of a Deus ex Magi rescue, and that moment so many fans had been waiting for since the project was announced.
Once the primary conflict is resolved, we get a few more questions answered. Eternia is reunited, as a power, a people, a kingdom. Castle Grayskull still has a champion. An age-old cartoon trope based on hair color remains intact. But it isn’t over yet. There’s a horde of other snakes in the grass in the MotU mythos and it looks like we’ll see He-Man and the Sorceress take them on in due time.
