WARNING: The following includes major spoilers for Masters of the Universe: Revelation, now streaming on Netflix.
There are a lot of contenders for the title of silliest He-Man toy, from Stinkor, which barely retained its smell, to the Transformers rip-off Astro Lion. However, Scare Glow has to rank toward the top. Among the last of Mattel's original line of Masters of the Universe action figures, the skeletal villain banked on the late-1980s popularity of glow-in-the-dark toys. Labeled as "the evil ghost of Skeletor," it wasn't clear whether Scare Glow was the ghost of a dead Skeletor, or a specter commanded by him.
But while Netflix's Masters of the Universe: Revelation does little to clarify Scare Glow's origin, it goes a long way to move the character from little more than a franchise footnote to one of its most formidable figures.
Executive produced by Kevin Smith, the series serves as a direct sequel to 1983's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe that, in its premiere, depicts the destruction of the Sword of Power and, with it, He-Man (Chris Wood) and Skeletor (Mark Hamill). With the remaining heroes fractured, and magic fading in Eternia, Teela (Sarah Michelle Gellar) must lead a ragtag group to find, and then reforge, the two halves of the weapon before time runs out for their planet and the universe.
That quest brings them first to Subternia, a cavernous realm from the 2002 remake populated by the bat-like Speleans and the reptilian Caligars. In Masters of the Universe: Revelation, however, Subternia is re-envisioned as Eternia's Land of the Dead, where visitors' greatest fears are given form, and those who linger too long risk becoming trapped. Its ruler is none other than Scare Glow, voiced by Candyman actor Tony Todd.
No sooner do Teela and her allies enter Subternia than they're separated: Evil-Lyn (Leana Headey) and Orko (Griffin Newman) in a facsimile of the imp's home dimension, Trolla; Andra (Tiffany Smith), Roboto (Justin Long) and Beast Man (Kevin Michael Richardson) in a wasteland overrun by an array of monsters; and Teela by herself, face-to-face with the lord of the realm.
In the shadows and green mist, Teela initially mistakes Scare Glow for Skeletor. "Not quite," his disembodied voice replies, "but I remember that name." Questioned about his identity, he reveals himself, but answers only, "The shadow of a ruler, now ruler of shadows, and this humble domain."
Mattel's new Scare Glow action figure, released in conjunction with Masters of the Universe: Revelation, doesn't cast any additional light on his nature. In fact, it only further obscures his origin, describing him as "the skeletal ghost warrior whose loyalties are to the evil Skeletor." In his scant earlier appearances, Scare Glow has been depicted as an evil being summoned by Skeletor from across time and space, and a being created from pure light by the Lord of Destruction, in his own image. On the packaging for the Masters of the Universe Classics toyline, Scare Glow is described as bounty hunter cursed in death and banished to another dimension, only to be summoned back to Eternia by Skeletor.
None of those lines up with his characterization in Revelation. However, the first of Dark Horse's tie-in comic, based on a story by Kevin Smith and series writers Rob David and Tim Sheridan, features a cameo by Scare Glow that might provide a little more insight: He's portrayed as a "devil" who, in ancient times, provided King Grayskull with an ore to temper the Sword of Power.
That may very well provide a clue as to why one-half of the sword returned to Subternia, where it was forged, and why the weapon is now Scare Glow's to bestow upon Teela, for a price. All he requires is for the former commander of the Royal Guard to show him her fear. It's what nourishes this ruler of shadows, who attempts to wring every last drop out of Teela and her companions. He pits Evil-Lyn and Orko against spectral Trollans, who merge into a gargantuan Shadow Beast, and Andra, Beast Man and Roboto against an endless array of monstrous attackers. But for Teela, he summons a sinister He-Man to not only duel, to try to bring her buried fear, and self-doubt, to the surface.
Teela ultimately sees through Scare Glow's ploy, denies him the fear he craves, and claims the sword the seeks. It nevertheless comes with a price: Just as Evil-Lyn opens a portal out of Subternia, Scare Glow demonstrates that his power isn't entirely illusory. Commanding the rock beneath their feet to hold them in place, the lord of the Land of the Dead launches an all-out mystical assault that's turned back only by the sacrifice of one of Teela's allies.
Whatever Scare Glow's origin, Masters of the Universe: Revelation transforms him into the franchise's most effective villain, in the span of a single episode. Although the sequel goes a long way in elevating Skeletor a genuine threat, the Lord of Destruction has nothing on the Ruler of Shadows when it comes to sheer menace.
Executive produced by Kevin Smith, the first five episodes of Masters of the Universe: Revelation are available on Netflix.
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