News He-Man anime series from Kevin Smith coming to Netflix

Watching it right NOW!
(liking it!)

 

Just finished the first episode and I've absolutely LOVED IT.

By the way, help me remember: why He-Man in the old series had a secret identity, and why a buffoon like Orco was trusted with the secret and not a trustworthy person like Teela?

Because

Spoiler: mild spoiler?

In the episode there is a good bashing of the concept of "secret identity". Let's say it isn't a trope which flies well in modern fiction by now.

 

By the way, I took a look at Masters Of The Universe's Reddit to see what TOS fans think of the new series.

Do not make the same mistake. The most rabid DSC haters seem reasonable and well educated people in comparison.

They call the new show "She-Man"....

 

Then they aren't fans of anything. I haven't watched yet, but from the clips it looks like a pretty perfect sequel to 1985, complete with cheesy puns.

 

Orko seems to vary from one episode to another, depending on the writer. Some episodes portray him as more child-like, others more competent. For example, "Pawns of the Games Master" @16:55

 

I enjoyed the episode, too. For like 90% it was exactly your 80’s He-Man episode.

Spoiler: Another mild spoiler?

except for the ending, of course. Total game changer.
I was intrigued by the revelation of Castle Greyskull’s true nature.
Very evocative of She-Ra - Princesses of Power lore.

 

Oh yes, absolutely!

 

(Mild spoiler).
Still, as Teela rightly noted, people which she loved and cared were lying to her, without any plausible justification.

 

Holy cow, this Masters of the Universe has a body count!

Didn't Orko accidentally stumble across the who secret identity stuff?

 

Still everyone lied to Teela. Even her father. Exactly, why?

 

Because she was the designated Lois Lane. Secret identities were just an accepted superhero trope back then, whether it made sense or not. The tension of the hero having to keep his identity secret from his friends was a recurring source of stakes and tension, especially in something like He-Man or Silver Age DC Comics when the stories weren't allowed to have life-and-death stakes.

It got much worse in Japanese shows like Kamen Rider in the '70s or Ultraman in general. In those, you have a hero who works directly with an organization fighting the villains/monsters, playing the same role in both his civilian and hero identities, and the villains/monsters always know his secret identity, yet he hides it from his own allies and teammates, for no reason that's ever explained.

Which is basically the same thing the original She-Ra did, except for the part about her enemies knowing her secret. I always wondered why the Rebellion accepted Adora as its leader when she always disappeared in favor of She-Ra when the action started. Or why Adora hid the truth when both her identities were under just as much threat from the Horde.

 

Because He-Man told her to.

 

But still, (even if it didn't make any sense), Superman had some kind of reason for not telling to Lois. "It is for her own good" "I have too much responsibilities" "She could let slip my secret". But here, what was (even if tenuous) the in-universe justification? He could trust Orko but not Teela?

 

That's my point -- not every superhero story bothered with an excuse for the secret identity, because it was such a routine trope that it was just taken for granted.

I suppose I can see some reason why it might be considered inappropriate or dangerous for the prince of the realm to go out and fight villains, so maybe Adam wouldn't be allowed to be He-Man if his parents found out, and Teela was his guardian who was responsible for his safety and obligated to report to the king and queen. Although there's certainly no shortage of princes in history who've been warriors, so I'm not sure how well that works.

 

Well, in the new show

Spoiler

Teela is definitely NOT amused

 

He does in the 2002 series. But is then sworn to secrecy by Man-At-Arms.

 

Not onscreen, but that was his backstory in the series bible, when he was going to be called Gorpo. "Because he's always popping up at odd place [sic], Gorpo discovers Adam's other persona and is sworn to secrecy by the Sorceress."

 

Understatement!

 

I read the comics as a kid and maybe my memory is off but i remember a similar reveal about

Spoiler

Castle Greyskull and what lies under it

in one issue back at the end of the 80s/early 90s, when they were released in Germany.