Skeletor is not Keldor, but a Demon from another Dimension in ”Masters of the Universe: Revelation” (at least for now)

“Skeletor is a Demon from another Dimension!” “No, Skeletor is Keldor, Prince Adam’s Uncle!”

The origin of Skeletor has been the object of many debates ever since the 2002 reboot series “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” aired on Cartoon Network and established an alternate origin for the villian, where Skeletor was depicted as the evil blue-skinned Keldor disfigured by a vial of acid.

Even though Keldor’s family relation to Randor and Adam was never actually depicted in that series (more on that later), some fans liked the idea of Skeletor being Adam’s Uncle and King Randor’s half-brother, and enjoyed the whole tragic family dynamic. Other fans found it to be cliché having both hero and villian in the same family (especially after introducing She-Ra as a surprise twin), and criticized it for shrinking the universe.

Whichever origin one might prefer, what was the nature of Skeletor’s origin in “Masters of the Universe: Revelation” you ask? Read on!

In the historic beginnings of “Masters of the Universe”, Skeletor was birthed upon the world and into childhood imaginations as a demonic wizard from another dimension. Referred to as the “Lord of Destruction”, this blue skinned, yellow skulled wizard with beastly feet established himself as the most threatening villian to He-Man and the citizens of Eternia.

As depicted in his very first 1982 mini-comic (copyrighted in 1981) which came included with the very first Masters of the Universe action figures, Skeletor was revealed to be a being from “another dimension”, where he lived with others of his kind.

This origin of Skeletor from the mini-comics was mostly carried over to the character’s television series debut in the 1983 Filmation classic show “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe”.

In the series bible written by Michael Halperin on December 1st, 1982 (which was an internal guide used by episode writers to keep their stories consistent), Skeletor was described as a demon from the dimension named “Infinita”.

Then in 1983, Filmation premiered a one hour special titled “The Greatest Adventurers of All” which introduced audiences to the world of Eternia, the heroics of He-Man and the villiany of Skeletor. And in that first airing, the Sorceress explained to the world that Skeletor was “a demon from another dimension”.

Skeletor was also referred to as a “demon” by other characters throughout the 130 episodes of “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe”, like when Man-at-Arms called Skeletor a demon in “The Time Corridor”:

Even Queen Marlena recognized Skeletor as a “demon” in the episode titled, “The Rainbow Warrior”:

Viewers were even lucky to receive a glimpse of Skeletor’s probable home in the episode “The Taking of Grayskull”, where Skeletor was able to steal Castle Grayskull and transport it to his own dimension! Check it out:

In the episode, Skeletor’s dimension appeared wonderfully odd and colorful outside of the stolen Castle Grayskull, but it was never actually given the name “Infinita” like it was indicated in the series bible. So it remained a nameless dimension.

So what about Skeletor in “Masters of the Universe: Revelation”? Is he a demon from another dimension in that series too? The answer is yes.

Since the 1983 Filmation Series “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” spiritually shares its continuity with the 2021 Netflix Series “Masters of the Universe: Revelation” (CLICK HERE for more details on both show’s canonical connection confirmed by the creators), it makes sense that the Revelation Skeletor is also a demon from another dimension. This is why in the Netflix intro for the series, Skeletor is referred to as a “demon”.

Skeletor Skelegod, while fighting Savage He-Man, also refers to himself as an “interdimensional demon” when he remarks that “Grayskull’s store of secrets is even more vast than this interdimensional demon can dream!” (Editor Note, while it sounds like Skeletor says ‘dare dream’ to us, the official closed-caption subtitles states ‘can dream’. )

Just looking at the feet of Skeletor in “Masters of the Universe: Revelation” is a clear indicator that Skeletor is not human.

And in the second issue of the official “Masters of the Universe: Revelation” prequel comic series released by Dark Horse Comics (story by Kevin Smith & Rob David and scripts by Tim Sheridan – all writers from the show), we get to see the Demon Skeletor’s home dimension and Skeletor even having a family! But instead of the dimension remaining nameless, it’s referred to as “The Realm of Apollyos”.

And it is Hordak that enlightens Skeletor that are so many more dimensions and worlds other than his own.

When Evil-Lyn questions his honesty while Skeletor recounts these events, Skeletor later reveals an amulet from that history, revealing its apparent truth.

So that’s it! Now you know that Skeletor is a demon from another dimension in “Masters of the Universe: Revelation!

Postscript 1 of 2: Keldor

If you’re curious about the true genesis behind the Keldor / Skeletor origin, it spawned from one of the last mini comics ever to be released with the vintage ‘Masters of the Universe’ figures.

Titled “The Search for Keldor”, this 1987 mini comic (copyright 1986) was released after the Filmation series was completed which teased an an unclear connection between Skeletor and Keldor, King Randor’s missing brother.

Check it out:

The story was never continued, and the connection between Skeletor and Keldor was vague, but the fan theories and possibilities were endless.

At the most, perhaps Skeletor and Keldor could be the same person. At the very least, Skeletor knows what happened to Keldor and might be even directly involved with his disappearance. Perhaps Keldor is imprisoned somewhere, offered by Skeletor in some sort of deal with another entity that would be disastrous if broken. Or perhaps Keldor was transformed into one of the monstrous henchmen that serve him. Or maybe just maybe, Keldor simply figured out Skeletor’s kryptonite so to speak, the way to defeat Skeletor once and for all, so he banished him to another dimension before it could be revealed. But if Keldor ever figured out the way to return, it would be Skeletor’s undoing.

Later, He-Man.org (in an interview no longer available online) caught up with the mini-comic’s writer Steven Grant and asked about Mattel’s intent with Keldor. Grant revealed that even though the thought was Skeletor and Keldor were indeed the same person and Mattel was going after that Darth Vader type narrative, it was the writer’s belief it would never actually be revealed.

STEVEN GRANT: “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 backstory wasn’t really worked out. Some sort of evil cosmic energies altered him. I think they were going for a Darth Vader thing, but it was a tack-on.”

The Mike Young 2002 reboot series took this “tack-on” idea though and ran with it, but ironically, the series was cancelled before reveals were made yet again. Yes, the series never indicated that Keldor / Skeletor was actually half-brother to King Randor. It was only mentioned later in a home video biography supplemental.

Postcript 2 of 2: Anything Can Happen

With a followup sequel now in the works titled “Masters of the Universe: Revolution” it’s always important to caveat and remember that with any given continued narrative, it is what it is, until it isn’t… meaning it is always good to have an acceptance of the current reality with the understanding that things can be subject to change at any time.

For instance, He-Man… at one point of time… did not have a twin sister sibling names She-Ra (until one day, he did.)

Why we are caveating this is, years ago, the Classics toyline came up with the idea of blending both the Demon and Keldor origins of Skeletor. The story is that Hordak had merged a Demon name Demo-Man and Keldor together, with the end result becoming the Skeletor we know and love (in that Classics continuity.)

Could follow-up stories in the Revelation/Revolution continuity also attempt the same type of Demon/Keldor merging in a future flashback tale? We don’t know, but anything is possible.

We’ll see you next time!