Masters of the Universe: Revelation is headed to Netflix next month, and He-Man fans couldn’t be more excited for this much-anticipated relaunch of the iconic animated franchise. With Kevin Smith at the helm and a voice cast that’s to die for, it promises to be both a loving homage to the beloved original cartoon and a more mature reimagining that will bring new texture and depth to the land of Eternia and its inhabitants.
For one thing, Smith has revealed that every episode of Masters of the Universe will be inspired by a different iconic 80s movie. Five installments will be released in July and the EP confirmed the legendary films that were an influence on each of these. And one of them is pretty surprising, as you can see below.
In honor of the era in which @MastersOfficial began, each of the 5 eps in Part 1 of our series homages a different 80’s flick!
Ep 1 – Superman II (80)
Ep 2 – Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (84)
Ep 3 – Batman (89)
Ep 4 – Hellraiser (87)
Ep 5 – Masters of the Universe (87) https://t.co/eeZsMUNXKP— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) June 13, 2021
It’s easy to imagine how Superman and to a lesser extent Batman could inspire the show, given He-Man’s superheroic nature. Likewise, an episode built around an Indiana Jones-esque treasure hunt sounds plausible. And obviously the idea of tipping his hat to the cult favorite live-action Masters of the Universe film must’ve been irresistible for Smith. The biggest surprise on the list, though, is Hellraiser. After all, we weren’t expecting Revelation to have any kind of horror edge, so this is extremely intriguing.
It’s currently unclear whether Smith means that each episode will be a full-on homage to these films or if their influence will be limited and more of an Easter Egg for fans. It’s probable that it’ll be a mix of the two, but either way, this is just another reason to be hyped for Masters of the Universe: Revelation. Starring Chris Wood, Mark Hamill, Lena Headey and many more, it debuts July 23rd on Netflix.