Skeletor

Skeletor is a villainous sorcerer and power-mad tyrant from He-Man & The Masters of the Universe. A being of great power and utmost evil, his sole purpose is to conquer Eternia and obtain the awesome power hidden within Castle Grayskull. His conquest has always been thwarted by his arch-nemesis He-Man.

Overview

Skeletor is the self-styled Master of Evil and one of the most foul villains in the entire universe. While there have been many incarnations of the character with different origins, his raison d'être has always been the same: to destroy He-Man and to conquer Eternia. Desiring power above all else, Skeletor has practiced the arts of both magic and science, crafting many spells and devices to use against the people of Eternia.

Regularly, Skeletor has sought out the ancient Power of Eternia, supposedly locked away within the walls of Castle Grayskull. Time and again, he has hatched many schemes to breach the old fortress and uncover its secrets, only to be thwarted by He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. But no matter how many times he is defeated or how thoroughly humiliated, Skeletor refuses to give up. He always has another plan ready and will resort to any and every dirty tactic necessary in his endless pursuit of absolute power.

Notable Incarnations

Masters of the Universe minicomics

In the minicomics accompanying the original Masters of the Universe toyline, Skeletor was a demon sorcerer who arrived on Eternia from another dimension. During a period known as the Great Wars, he emerged from his own dimension quite by accident. Since then, he has planned to re-open the dimensional rift and bring forth his demonic army to conquer Eternia. He has also taken a liking to the warrior maiden Teela and has sought to make her his bride.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Filmation)

Skeletor was the primary antagonist of the 1983 He-Man animated series. His background is never alluded to, but he did once work as a soldier for the Evil Horde and was an apprentice of Hordak. Skeletor has assembled a group of some of the most nefarious villains on Eternia to help him destroy He-Man and acquire the secrets of Castle Grayskull. Residing within Snake Mountain, he constantly plots and schemes his way to power. His plans often involve threatening the citizens of Eternia, bullying them into giving him resources he needs for his schemes, or hatching elaborate tricks to use against He-Man and his allies.

Rarely do Skeletor's plans ever work out. Often, his schemes are foiled because He-Man possesses abilities that the Lord of Destruction is unaware of and cannot prepare for; other times he is undone by the incompetence of his own Evil Warriors, whom he is quick to lash out at when things do not go his way.

Masters of the Universe (film)

This live-action version of Skeletor was portrayed by Frank Langella. His design incorporated a dark robe adorned with silver accessories and a white-skinned, skeletal-looking face to give the actor more freedom of expression whilst retaining the appearance of a skull. In the film, Skeletor succeeded in conquering Eternia and taking Castle Grayskull. Obtaining the Great Eye of the Galaxy, he absorbed the Power of Grayskull into himself, transforming into a god-like being. He fought against He-Man using this immense power, but He-Man outwitted him once again and destroyed his Havoc Staff, returning the villain to his original form. Skeletor then lunged at He-Man, but the hero threw him into a deep pit where he supposedly perished. In a post-credits scene, it is revealed that Skeletor survived his fall.

The New Adventures of He-Man

In this animated series, Skeletor travelled to the planet Primus in the far future after being mistaken for a legendary hero by two of Primus' defenders. He-Man, the true hero of legend, would follow Skeletor to Primus and expose him, but the Overlord of Evil would soon ally himself with the evil Space Mutants. Manipulating the Mutant commander Flogg, Skeletor would soon take charge of the Mutant forces and lead them in their efforts to conquer Primus and the Tri-Solar System.

Not long after his arrival in the future, Skeletor would discover a magical crystal on the moon of Nordor. Tapping into its power, he become endowed with even greater power and strength, taking on a new appearance as well as he was enhanced with bionic armour.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Mike Young Productions)

In this 2002 animated series, Skeletor was once known by the name Keldor, a member of a blue-skinned humanoid race known as the Gar. Seeking to master the arts of alchemy and sorcery, his experiments led to his discovery of dark forces that existed beyond his own dimension. He encountered the monstrous Hordak who taught him many forbidden magical and scientific secrets, and soon Keldor hungered for even greater power, the power to control the universe itself.

Amassing an army of loyal followers, Keldor sought to conquer Eternia and gain the ancient powers of the Elders. He was defeated in combat by King Randor and left horribly scarred, retreating to his domain within the Dark Hemisphere where he sought the aid of Hordak. Hordak agreed to save Keldor's life, but at a price; Keldor was willing to pay whatever price Hordak demanded, and so the arch-villain used his immense magic to strip away the damaged tissues of Keldor's face, leaving him with a bare skull that appeared to hover in place above his shoulders. With this transformation, Keldor became known from then onward as Skeletor.

Ever since his transformation, Skeletor has hatched countless plots to conquer Eternia and uncover the secret power hidden within Castle Grayskull. Though cunning and powerful, he has been defeated time and again by He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Unwilling to accept defeat and completely unrepentant, Skeletor refuses to give up his mad quest for power and will never stop until the entire universe is under his control.

Personality

Skeletor is known for being a cruel and sadistic bully; he frequently torments those unfortunate enough to reside within his territory, including his immediate henchmen. He always blames his defeats on his Evil Warriors and punishes them by lashing out with magical attacks. He is driven by an unquenchable thirst for power and his hatred of the heroic He-Man whom he has sworn to destroy.

Powers and Abilities

• Sorcery - Skeletor is an accomplished sorcerer, capable of many magical feats. The most common use of his magic comes in the form of energy blasts fired from his Havoc Staff, though he has also been known to conjure magical constructs, teleport, freeze people and objects in place and even transmute objects.
• Science and Alchemy - Skeletor has been known to create various scientific and alchemical devices to aid in his schemes.
• Martial Arts - Skeletor is also an accomplished swordsman and hand-to-hand fighter. Aside from his Havoc Staff, he also wields a sword that can be split into two swords.

Wiki Classification

Skeletor falls under multiple monster categories; in many of his incarnations, he is described as being a Gar, a blue-skinned humanoid people common among the many sentient races of Eternia. However, he has also been described by some as a demon due to his great power and evil persona. It is also reasonable to assume that Skeletor may be undead seeing as how his head is merely a hollow skull and his life is sustained through magic. These traits can place Skeletor under the categories of Lich and/or Revenant.