He-Man and the Masters of the Universe has been a pivotal cartoon in many people's childhoods since it debuted in 1983. Even today the series continues to inspire devotion, due to both its original incarnation and the multiple spinoffs, reboots, and comic book continuations. Fans of the series love the world of He-Man, Prince Adam, and the royal family of Eternia. Yet, despite the loyalty the show inspires, there are some aspects that simply don't make sense.
He-Man and his friends live on Eternia, a fictional land sometimes influenced by medieval Europe and other times influenced by advanced technology. To add to the chaos, the secrets of Grayskull are a plot device both the heroes and villains revolve around. As a result, certain parts of Eternia simply do not make sense.
10 Teela's Disrespect Towards The Prince Of Eternia
Regardless of the incarnation of Masters of the Universe, Teela is a complex and headstrong character. Although she's one of the most recognizable and beloved characters that hold the title of Master of the Universe, her relationship with and attitude towards Prince Adam is puzzling.
Prince Adam is the only heir to the throne for the duration of He-Man's original show. Even after his twin sister Adora is revealed, he's still the heir presumptive considering Adora chooses to live on Etheria. Yet, Teela constantly yells at Adam, chastises him for being lazy or cowardly, and does not have any respect for his position as a royal prince of Eternia. The 2002 reboot of He-Man depicts a Teela whose contempt is even stronger. And while the two are friends, the fact that the captain of the royal guard is often disrespectful towards the future ruler of Eternia makes no sense.
9 The Sorceress Claiming She Had No Power Outside Of Castle Grayskull
The Sorceress of Grayskull is one of the most powerful beings on Eternia. She holds the secrets of Grayskull that Skeletor so desperately seeks. And she not only understands the past of the castle, she understands much of the potential future it holds too.
Yet, in the She-Ra: Princess of Power episode, "Into Etheria," the Sorceress sends Adam to Etheria and makes the bold statement: "I would go myself, but as you know, I have no power outside this castle." Why does this limitation to her power exist? Her power is tied to the castle, as are the Swords of Power and Protection. If those conduits of Grayskull's power exist outside of the castle, so should the Sorceress' power.
8 Skeletor Being A Victim Of Discrimination Because He Is Half-Gar
In 2012, DC Comics published a storyline that depicted Skeletor as Prince Keldor, Randor's brother. In addition, they portrayed Keldor as a victim of discrimination and hatred by both the people of Eternia and his own father because of Keldor's half-Gar heritage. The Gar were a blue-skinned species on Eternia who were ultimately responsible for killing King Grayskull, which is why the people of Eternia continued to hate the Gar centuries later.
This origin story for Skeletor makes very little sense. Firstly, the prince of Eternia is also the result of a mixed-species love affair and is widely accepted regardless. And secondly, characters such as Sy Klone are also Gar and don't experience the discrimination that Keldor supposedly did. Both 2021's He-Man Netflix reboots have ignored the half-Gar discrimination plotline, which only strengthened their stories.
7 Hordak Knowing The Twins Were Destined For Something Special
When Princess Adora meets the Sorceress of Grayskull for the first time in She-Ra: Princess of Power, the Sorceress reveals how the Evil Horde has been on Eternia since the twins were babies. The Sorceress also reveals that the Horde were on the brink of losing when Hordak decided to hatch his revenge. According to the Sorceress, that revenge included kidnapping Adam and Adora because, "He knew you were both destined for something special, though he did not know exactly what."
But why did he know they were meant for something special? If he did know that, then why doesn't he figure out that He-Man and She-Ra are Adam and Adora? The idea that Hordak knew the babies were special is a plotline that makes no sense.
6 Teela Being Expected To Take Over As Sorceress Without Any Training
A major plot point in Masters of the Universe: Revelation is the knowledge that Teela is the daughter of the Sorceress. The show also hints that Teela is expected to become a Sorceress herself one day. But Revelation is not the first show to depict these plot points. Both the original 1983 cartoon and its 2002 reboot depicted Teela as the Sorceress' daughter and future replacement.
But Teela becoming the future Sorceress when all her training is in hand-to-hand combat makes no sense. Why isn't she being raised at Grayskull, where she can fully learn to channel her magical abilities and discover the secrets of the castle? Although the Sorceress might have sent Teela away for her own protection at one point, by the time she's captain of the royal guard, she can protect herself well enough to begin training. The fact that Teela isn't allowed to receive the training she needs to be the very best Sorceress is a plot point fumble.
5 Randor Expecting The Heir To The Throne To Rush Into Battle
One of the cruelest parts of Revelation occurs when Randor turns to his son and says that he hopes he'll be able to feel paternal pride "someday." The implication is that Randor currently has no reason to feel pride in his son. Revelation continues a long tradition of Randor being disappointed in the son that he has. And all the cartoons and comics depict Randor being furious that his son isn't rushing into battle.
Yet, from a storytelling perspective, the desire to see Adam rush headlong into battle seems ridiculous. First, Adam is the heir to the throne. If he dies in battle, there is an immediate succession crisis. Secondly, in the continuities that feature Adora, the royal family have lost a child already, so why are they so ready to potentially sacrifice another one? Randor wanting his son to be a warrior makes him look callous at best and nonsensical at worst.
4 The Sorceress Wiping Everyone's Memory Of Adora's Existence
In She-Ra: Princess of Power, the Sorceress reveals that she wiped the memory of Adora from all of Eternia. The Sorceress notes that she did it to spare Adam the pain of Adora's loss.
Unfortunately, the idea that the Sorceress could do such a powerful spell brings up a lot of unanswered questions. If the Sorceress is this powerful, why doesn't she use this power on Skeletor regularly? If she's this powerful, why is Adam's secret identity so carefully guarded that not even Teela is permitted to know it? If she has the ability to erase people's minds, that implies a level of power that should make He-Man's feats seem almost unnecessary. This display of power is not shown in the cartoons beyond this one scene, making the Sorceress' power levels seem inconsistent.
3 Teela Was Originally Found In A Bird's Nest
In the episode "Teela's Quest" from the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, it is revealed that Duncan found Teela as a baby after the Sorceress came to him in falcon form and led him to her nest. At the time, baby Teela was in danger due to the fact she was in the middle of nowhere while, outside of Grayskull, the Sorceress remained powerless in her bird form.
The Sorceress clearly had an idea about the kind of person Duncan was, and likely knew that he was the one she wanted to raise Teela. So, why does she take the child to the middle of nowhere and expose her to unnecessary dangers? Duncan goes on to be a trusted confidant who knows Adam's secret, and the two of them fight side by side against the Horde. So, the idea that the Sorceress would invite him to a nest instead of Castle Grayskull is nonsensical.
2 Queen Marlena's Origin As An Astronaut From Earth
In the episode, "The Rainbow Warrior" from the original He-Man, it is revealed that Queen Marlena was an accomplished astronaut from Earth. She crash-landed on the planet after a malfunction, fell in love with the king, and had two children. And nobody on Eternia seemed to mind.
This apathetic reaction to the ruler of Eternia's kingdom marrying an alien woman and making all their future heirs half-alien is strange. On Earth, there are succession crises if the ruler of a kingdom marries someone from the wrong country. The fact that nobody on Eternia raised any concerns about Adam (and Adora's) legitimacy as heirs doesn't make any sense.
1 Teela Not Being Allowed To Know Adam's Secret
Some fans of the original He-Man had difficulty understanding Teela's rage in Revelation. But her anger upon discovering Adam's secret identity is easy to comprehend because Teela not being allowed to know doesn't make sense.
Teela is the captain of the royal guard. She is expected to keep Adam safe. She is expected to keep the entire family and kingdom safe – and she's trusted to do so. She is Adam's best friend and confidante. Yet, despite the immense trust and loyalty she has earned, her mother, father and best friend think Adam's identity should be kept from her. Teela's anger at this slight makes sense, and the fact she wasn't trusted to keep Adam's secret to begin with will never make sense.
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