The Orlax unintentionally triggered the cataclysmic events in ”Masters of the Universe: Revelation”

You remember the Orlax, right? The Orlax of Primeria was the pink, purplish tentacled, one-eyed creature that was imprisoned with the retired Man-At-Arms (Duncan) in the bowels of Castle Grayskull in Part Two of “Masters of the Universe: Revelation”.

While seemingly first appearing as a threat, audiences soon felt sympathy for the scared & tortured creature, rooting for it when both the Orlax and Duncan *sort of* worked together to make their escape (while dispatching some henchmen on the way.)

But what many viewers do not realize is, the Orlax was the cause of the cataclysmic events in Revelation, the very events it was trying to prevent!

In the “Masters of the Universe: Revelation” four-issue Prequel Comic Series published by Dark Horse Comics, the main thread of that story surrounded the Orlax of Primeria, a being that can exist in multiple dimensions at once. The Orlax had the power to look into the future as well, and saw a horror destined to befall upon its race (and upon all living creatures for that matter.)

This scary premonition showed the Orlax that the destruction of his race would come from the hands of God-Lyn on Eternia, and if not stopped, could mean the end of all things.

So on a hero’s mission, the Orlax came to Eternia to prevent the end of the universe. It arrived during the days of King Grayskull and General Hiss.

The Orlax happened to encounter the army of General Hiss first, and those results turned out to be deadly.

Of course, the Orlax of Primeria didn’t mean any harm. Its intentions were innocent. The Orlax only came to communicate with Eternians, not hurt them. It only wanted to warn them and stop the impending doom.

But unfortunately, the unique way the Orlax communicated with others was through a massive psychic connection – too strong for normal beings. So while its intentions were pure, the Orlax’s attempts to actually communicate with creatures not among his own race proved fatal.

General Hiss saw the amount of death in its wake and captured the Orlax to exploit it as a weapon.

Fighting an interdimensional creature was no easy task, so King Grayskull and the Elders had to create a weapon to counter it. They created the Sword of Power (the very weapon that would later be essential for God-Lyn to potentially destroy the universe.)

When the dust settled, the Orlax was maimed by the Sword of Power, but not killed, and retreated to rest and re-grow some of its limbs. (The sword was also weilded by a time-travelling He-Man, but you’ll have to read the comics for the full story).

The Orlax wasn’t seen until many years later when it was discovered by Skeletor, hibernating in the Mystic Mountains.

Using his evil powers, Skeletor was able to magically bend the Orlax’s mind to his will, then proceeded to use the Orlax as a weapon just like General Hiss, this time to attack the Palace and King Randor.

But through the melding of minds between the wise Orlax and the devious Skeletor, the Lord of Destruction was able to also learn the true secrets of Castle Grayskull!

The creation of the Sword of Power. Skeletor learning the secret of the Crystal Orb. Skeletor gaining the knowledge that Castle Grayskull is actually the Hall of Wisdom. This all happened thanks to the Orlax. Yes, in a great mind-bending ironic twist (something fans of 1984’s “The Terminator” would very much appreciate), the Orlax’s mission to save the universe was actually the catalyst that allowed God-Lyn the eventual ability to destroy it.

About the tragedy of the Orlax:

Ironically the Orlax was ultimately the spark that set in motion the very events it was trying to prevent. But it dare not speak about it. At that point, it could only hope that someone else could stop what it started… and prevent the end of all things.