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

[Guy Gardener]

She will become a sorceress one day, or the same Sorceress one day?

Oroborus?

Is Teela her own mommy?

Duncan might be her biological father ( and boyfriend) too?

80s Puritan Christian mainlining...

Unwed mothers.

 

[Skipper]

And since Teela is a soldier who battles Snake-Mountaneers almost on daily basis anyway, the safety argument is a bit wonky as well.

And the same goes for not knowing He-Man's secret identity. There may be good reasons not to tell her, but "It's for her own good" should NOT be one of them.

 

[Mach5]

And the same goes for not knowing He-Man's secret identity. There may be good reasons not to tell her, but "It's for her own good" should NOT be one of them.

I hope the show addresses this issue again in part 2. It would be disappointing if Teela just let it go because the writers couldn't come up with anything satisfying.

 

[Skipper]

I hope the show addresses this issue again in part 2. It would be disappointing if Teela just let it go because the writers couldn't come up with anything satisfying.

Well, the better excuse that Man-At-Arms had to offers to Adam's parents was "The Prince ordered us to keep his secret". Considering that he lied to his King and Queen, his justification seems a little flimsy.

But the problem remains the same. Today we can only try to rationalize why Adam wanted to hide his secret from the people closest to him, but at the time the "secret identity" trope was so ingrained in popular culture (i.e. Superman-Lois Lane, Zorro-his father and so on) that people didn't even question it. But if one thinks about it for a moment, the lengths heroes'd go to hide their identity didn't make any sense. I mean, I'm quite sure that Silver Age Superman spent half of his time in finding new ways to hide his secret from Lois. Time that he could have used to, well, help people?

 

[Pauln6]

In the 2002 show Man at Arms basically calls the Sorceress out for being a bad mother. Getting her out of Grayskull for her safety is one thing, but being completely absent from her life is another thing entirely. And since Teela is a soldier who battles Snake-Mountaneers almost on daily basis anyway, the safety argument is a bit wonky as well.

At the end of Episode 10 Teela finally learns about her parentage, boards a space ship and leaves Eternia for good.

People who keep complaining about Teela behaving like an entitled egomaniac (and that's a lot of people) can't seem to get it. Her whole reality shattered when she found out that the people closest to her have been playing her for a fool her whole life.

At the same time as losing her best friend AND the man she idolises.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Lets talk about sex.

(Early) Lois wants to bang Superman.

Superman wants Lois to want to bang Clark.

(Early) Lois thinks Clark is a nerd and would't kiss him if it cured her dad's cancer.

Tracking...

Teela wants to bang He-Man.

Adam, who is also He-Man, wants Teela to want to bang Adam, and only Adam, because she should bang him for who he is on the inside.

Teela thinks Adam is effeminate, seriously that's a lot of pink, and a child, and the son of a set of Royals who can command her execution at a whim if their relationship goes badly, or she can't produce children fast enough, but mostly that he's 15.

If Adam/He-Man really is 15, then he certainly shouldn't be so caught up in what body he uses to make sweaty mclovin to a built stacked super cool goddess, because 15 year old boys are toxic one dimensional, superficial mouth breathers, but it seems like he does. He's more worried about his pent teen angst than his knob. Unrealistic writing.

...

I remember in the 1988ish Shazam comic book miniseries Billy, inside Captain Marvel's body thinking to himself "I wonder if the wisdom of Solomon can generate a line to impress this lady??" because he, a 10 year old boy, didn't know what to do when a fully grown woman, was flirting with him.

 

[Christopher]

It's a good guess. I wish they had said that explicitly in the show as well, instead of using the word "destiny" as an excuse. It seems to me that "destiny" is the favorite word of writers when they have to justify incomprehensible behavior on the part of the characters. "I'm so sorry to be forced to do this, but it's your destiny!"

They probably wanted to keep it vague so they wouldn't limit the options for any future writer that decided to pick up on that story hook.

I mean, I'm quite sure that Silver Age Superman spent half of his time in finding new ways to hide his secret from Lois. Time that he could have used to, well, help people?

There's a fan theory that the reason Silver Age Superman had so much time for that kind of frivolity was that he'd already successfully cleaned up Metropolis so there wasn't that much major crime or peril to deal with anymore.

 

[Pauln6]

Lets talk about sex.

(Early) Lois wants to bang Superman.

Superman wants Lois to want to bang Clark.

(Early) Lois thinks Clark is a nerd and would't kiss him if it cured her dad's cancer.

Tracking...

Teela wants to bang He-Man.

Adam, who is also He-Man, wants Teela to want to bang Adam, and only Adam, because she should bang him for who he is on the inside.

Teela thinks Adam is effeminate, seriously that's a lot of pink, and a child, and the son of a set of Royals who can command her execution at a whim if their relationship goes badly, or she can't produce children fast enough, but mostly that he's 15.

If Adam/He-Man really is 15, then he certainly shouldn't be so caught up in what body he uses to make sweaty mclovin to a built stacked super cool goddess, because 15 year old boys are toxic one dimensional, superficial mouth breathers, but it seems like he does. He's more worried about his pent teen angst than his knob. Unrealistic writing.

...

I remember in the 1988ish Shazam comic book miniseries Billy, inside Captain Marvel's body thinking to himself "I wonder if the wisdom of Solomon can generate a line to impress this lady??" because he, a 10 year old boy, didn't know what to do when a fully grown woman, was flirting with him.

I definitely don't think Adam is meant to be 15! He started out as 16 in the 2002 version. But maybe Teela does think he's gay. He doesn't date women after all. His issue is that he long ago realised Adam wasn't going to impress her so he started a double life, furring up and bronzing to impress her. It is sort of super hero catfishing.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I definitely don't think Adam is meant to be 15! He started out as 16 in the 2002 version. But maybe Teela does think he's gay. He doesn't date women after all. His issue is that he long ago realised Adam wasn't going to impress her so he started a double life, furring up and bronzing to impress her. It is sort of super hero catfishing.

In the previous versions, Teela and Adam were almost the same age.

Kevin has said in his podcast that Adam is comparable to Billy Batson.

If he's still a teenager when he died, maybe a decade after he started transforming into He-Man, then Adam was 9 or younger when he first became He-Man.

There'a word that begins with R to describe and fully grown man with the intellect and emotional responses of a 9 year old.

Why would Teela find that attractive?

 

[Mach5]

There's a fan theory that the reason Silver Age Superman had so much time for that kind of frivolity was that he'd already successfully cleaned up Metropolis so there wasn't that much major crime or peril to deal with anymore.

Imagine if a godlike alien creature showed up in your town and started fighting criminals. I'd think twice before committing a crime.

In the previous versions, Teela and Adam were almost the same age.

Pretty sure they still are. In this continuity Adam has been He-Man for years. How old do you think he was when he first picked up the power sword, five?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Imagine if a godlike alien creature showed up in your town and started fighting criminals. I'd think twice before committing a crime.


Pretty sure they still are. In this continuity Adam has been He-Man for years. How old do you think he was when he first picked up the power sword, five?

How old does Queen Marlena look?

A mortal human Astronaut from America.

Unless magic water is making Marlena immortal, she does not look old enough to have a 30 year old son who has been dead for 6 years.

 

[Skipper]

If anyone is interested, this is the best article that I've found about how they came up with the "Prince Adam" persona.

Prince Adam: Heroic “Secret Identity” of He-Man (1984)

 

[Pauln6]

How old does Queen Marlena look?

A mortal human Astronaut from America.

Unless magic water is making Marlena immortal, she does not look old enough to have a 30 year old son who has been dead for 6 years.

Marlena has never looked her age, and neither has Evil Lynn for that matter. And Man at Arms is as ripped as ever with no hint of middle aged spread. In the 2002 version, King Randor hasn't really aged after 17+ years from episode one.

If I was to guesstimate then 5-6 years as He-Man, based on the 2002 version, this would make Adam 21-22 at time of death, still plenty young enough for our purposes, while Teela, likely an adult in episode one, since she is an experienced guardsman, would be 23-24 at the time of Adam's death and 29-30 by episode 2, which is plenty old enough to be mentoring a sidekick.

 

[Guy Gardener]

What's the difference between mentoring a sidekick and grooming a girlfriend?

 

[Mach5]

What's the difference between mentoring a sidekick and grooming a girlfriend?

You're supposed to mentor a sidekick. Grooming a partner would make you a shitty partner. Unless the partner needs grooming, in which case you were never out for an equal relationship, you just wanted a bloody pet to mold to your liking.

 

[Christopher]

If anyone is interested, this is the best article that I've found about how they came up with the "Prince Adam" persona.

Prince Adam: Heroic “Secret Identity” of He-Man (1984)

Interesting. So does that mean Paul Kupperberg (whom I've met at conventions a few times) was partially the creator of Adam and Cringer?

I was a bit surprised by this paragraph from the article:

On the other hand, it’s hard to root for Prince Adam. He’s the spoiled and wealthy heir to the throne of a vast kingdom. It’s like trying to root for the the popular jock who already has everything and gets the girl in the end. If there had to be an alter ego for He-Man, I would think that an underdog type character would have been more effective, and easier for fans to relate to than a prince.

After all, Adam is just following the same template of foppish secret identities that goes back to the original dual-identity hero, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and that was also used by Zorro, the Shadow, and Batman. Sir Percy, Don Diego, Lamont Cranston, Bruce Wayne, and other such figures all present themselves as lazy, self-indulgent layabouts, but the audience understands it's just an act. The idea is that these are people born to privilege and excess, but unlike most of their peers, they use it as a cover for a more selfless, generous calling.

Then again, I suppose you could question the extent to which Adam and He-Man have the same personality. I've always assumed they did, but I just realized that Cringer is sincerely cowardly, not just putting on an act of cowardice like Don Diego or Clark Kent, whereas Battle Cat is aggressive and fearless. So there's a dual-personality thing going on there rather than just a disguise. Which seems like a more radical personality shift than we get with Adam/He-Man or Adora/She-Ra. Why is that? Is it just that Cringer feels less afraid when he's in the nigh-invulnerable form of Battle Cat?

 

[Guy Gardener]

You're supposed to mentor a sidekick. Grooming a partner would make you a shitty partner. Unless the partner needs grooming, in which case you were never out for an equal relationship, you just wanted a bloody pet to mold to your liking.

Equal?

Teela is the Boss.

Andra is her engineer.

I assume money changes hands.

They are both adults.

The possibility of a romantic entanglement is high?

 

[Mach5]

Sounds like a domination / submission dynamic. They're both consenting adults, why should we care.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Sounds like a domination / submission dynamic. They're both consenting adults, why should we care.

Because if Teela is gay, was she ever into He-Man at all?

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

Just to be clear about the grooming thing, we are not talking about hair styling here, right?