A prince far from his homeworld, with a few faces from the past to bring him back. In Masters of the Universe, Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) grows up on Earth, having been sent there from Eternia for his own safety. As he grows to adulthood, familiar friends call upon him to wield the Sword of Power, and claim his destiny as He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe. Meet the heroes of Eternia who fight alongside He-Man against the evil forces of Skeletor (Jared Leto).
Camila Mendes stars as Teela in Masters of the Universe
One of the first people to call on him was Teela (Camila Mendes), a former student turned warrior goddess with special insights into the power of Grayskull. Along with her father, Man-At-Arms, they’ve been a force to be reckoned with back in Eternia, ruled by the tyrant Skeletor. “Teela is independent and self-sufficient. She had to grow up fast after her father sort of gave up on life a little bit,” Mendes says. “She had to toughen up and look after herself, in addition to looking after her father. I think she’s been hardened by that experience. But deep down, she has this inner sensitivity and really deep empathy.”
Idris Elba stars as Man-At-Arms in Masters of the Universe
Teela’s father, Duncan, a.k.a. Man-At-Arms, is also an important figure in Adam’s past. The powerful warrior served under Adam’s father, King Randor, and currently leads the fight against Skeletor. Idris Elba, who plays Man-At-Arms, has been a longtime fan of Masters of the Universe, and is hoping to pass the magic on to the new generation. “Everyone wanted to be He-Man,” he recalls. “It’s a massive slice of nostalgia and just being a part of it as an actor feels like an honor. I’ve got my son who’s young and into it as well. So passing that on, and being in a film that he might want to see feels good.”
He-Man’s other allies are veteran warriors that have existed as memories from his childhood. One of them is the headstrong Ram Man, played by Jon Xue Zhang. “Ram Man is often described as the human battering ram,” Zhang says. “He’s got springs for legs. He’s very strong and he has a propensity for using his head to resolve problems. It may not be in the most intelligent way, but it’s certainly the most direct way.”
Mekaneck, played by James Wilkinson, lengthens his already towering height by his odd, extendable neck. “He had this crazy-bad injury with his neck,” Wilkinson explains. “Man-At-Arms did a bunch of work on him and he then got this superpower of an extendable neck. Now he uses it to protect other people. So he had this tragic accident and then decided to help people.”
Fisto is not actually named that, but young Adam bestowed the nickname upon Malcom due to his prosthetic iron hand. “Fisto and Man-At-Arms, they’re brothers. And my character saved his life in battle, but lost an arm in the process. So, Man-At-Arms builds him this fist,” explains Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, who plays Fisto.
Watch these heroes fight against the ultimate evil as Masters of the Universe arrives in Philippine cinemas on June 3.
