He-Man and the Masters of the Universe season 3 review: It is old wine in a new bottle

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe manages to do nothing new in season three, other than answer a few questions. The eight-episode show, created by Robert David, dropped on Netflix on August 18, 2022.

The third season is a computer-generated revival of the original American series from 1980s. It mainly focuses on Adam aka He-Man and his friends’ efforts to regain Krass aka Ram Ball/Rampage from the clutches of Skeletor aka Keldor.

Of the primary characters, Yuri Lowenthal voices Adam/He-Man, Kimberly Brooks has voiced Teela/Teela Na/Eldress while Judy Alice has voiced Krass/Ram Ball/Rampage. Other characters for season three of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe include:

• David Kaye as Cringer/Battle Cat
• Antony Del Rio as Man-At-Arms/Duncan
• Benjamin Disikon as Keldor/Skeletor
• Roger Craig Smith as Kronis/Trap Jaw/General Dolos
• Grey Griffin as Evelyn/Evil-Lyn
• Trevor Devall as R’Qazz/Beast Man
• Fred Tatasciore as King Randor
• Tom Kenny as Ork-O

Netflix’s official synopsis for season 3 of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe reads:

Everything has led to this- the final war as He-Man and the other masters must stop Skeletor from spreading havoc and save the cosmos!

Read on to find out more about season 3 of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

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No significant developments in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, but answers questions

Season three of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe stands true to its nature in an epic conclusion, and comes off as a manual answering questions once planted in previous seasons.

However, it does nothing more than that. The first episode takes off right where it left off in the second season, with Krass by Skeletor's side Meanwhile, the Serpos of the Hiss Army tears the people and land of Eternia after the villain unleashes on them through the Snake sigil.

He-Man believes he can bring back his friend through logical reasoning. He arrives at Grayskull Castle to do the same. However, he is interrupted by Teela who informs him of the snake attacks across Eternia.

The scene then jumps to Eternos, where Adam, Teela, Duncan, Cringer, and King Randor tick-off all the kingdoms that were declared snake-free. Later, they are informed of a snake-attack in Leviathae – the kingdom of the Mer-folk.

From this point onwards, Adam, along with Cringer and King Randor leaves to find out more about the stone on Krass’ helmet, hoping to find out how to disconnecther from Skeletor. Duncan and Teela, on the other hand, are sent to Leviathae to attend to the “distress call”.

The teams set off on their own paths but have an unsaid promise to converge.

The next four (and-a-half, to be precise) episodes document these two journeys. They also look at Skeletor's expansion through Krass as a conduit, and Evelyn, Kronis and R'Qazza's combined efforts at creating their own source of power, their own Havoc.

Secrets are revealed and moralities are questioned, but never drastic enough to lead to a potential change-of-heart. There’s clear distinction between good and evil, with Krass as the only exception.

Yet, because good has to defeat evil - and Krass has to regain her senses because how can she not? - it is the characters' journey that makes all the difference.

In He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, it is only Krass’ journey that makes the difference. She is the only gray zone in the show. Fans of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe might be bummed about her betrayal of Adam and her conscious choice to push him away despite his efforts. However, the sentiment of commiseration overpowers that of anger and frustration.

Krass’ aid to Skeletor is not without her vested interests. As someone who felt left out of a family, Krass’ deal with Skeletor was that he would resurrect her parents in exchange for her corporeal help.

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What changes from Episode 5 in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe?

Cringer and He-Man in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Image via IMDb)

The fourth episode ends with He-Man consuming the Havoc inadvertently and transforming into an arrogant, loud, hyper-active, and show-off of superheroes with dark circles and green stripes exuding from his body.

The new He-Man, however short-lived, is a breath of fresh air to the undauntingly moral He-Man.

He shrugs off his father’s hand when the latter remarks that his son has changed. The new He-Man also destroys things for the fun of it, and says, “Not my problem.”

The fifth episode of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe also had multiple jumps from one plotline to another, at times raising the question of relevance.

For instance, the flying robot Ork-O, who believes that he is the magician Orko the Great from the Grayskull king’s reign, makes a comeback in the third season. Ork-O’s re-entry feels sudden and tokenistic. It begins with establishing Ork-O’s belief in himself as well as a magician after first trying his hand at it, in season one.

However, he only returns to save Duncan and Teela towards the end, and to extract a spell from another dimension to help He-Man get rid of the Havoc. Although these do read like important events, it makes one wonder if there was any other way to achieve them.

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He-Man and the Masters of the Multiverse does have some redeeming qualities, though

That's not to say that He-Man and the Masters of the Universe hardly has anything to watch out for. It is a faithful remake of the American series, and has some upgrades from previous seasons.

For instance, the creatures of technology such as Monstroids (built after an Octopus) and Stridors are not rendered with just the technicalities of being machines. Interestingly enough, they retain certain character traits of the animals that they are modeled after.

So, it’s not mindless clashing of metals anymore when Duncan rides on a Stridor (a machine for a horse) to protect his friends, because the Stridor shakes him off of its back, hides behind a rock, and neighs.

Creators of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe have also amped up the comic sense in the third season, especially through moments of bonding between Krass and Skeletor.

In a scene where Skeletor is riding behind Krass, he tries to cover her eyes with his translucent hands. In another scene, when Krass tries to opine on something, Skeletor accuses her of “Ramsplaining.”

Hilarious moments like these are pocked throughout the show, but can only do so much to help the story from sounding linear.

One thing that He-Man and the Masters of the Universe manages to do is focus on is character development. The concept of finding one’s true self remains consistent, and only strengthens as the story progresses.

While certain characters like Duncan and Cringer have hasty developments, others are given their own breathing space. Yet to what extent can characters develop when they are destined to choose moral righteousness, owing to their pre-decided origins?

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ends with several such questions.

Nevertheless, it is a typical (re)adaptation of a comic series that has created the childhood for millions of kids, worldwide. Thus, there are certain parallels that one could draw between He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and other superhero/fantasy universes.

For instance, Skeletor pulls-off a “Dormamu moment” from Doctor Strange (2016) while trying to destroy the universe. After a change of events that led him to acquire more power than he could handle, Skeletor gave out a threat to Eternia. This is quite similar to Voldemort after Snape’s death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II (2011).

He-Man is, and has been, a figure to look up to for generations, and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe does its best to stay true to its origins. Nothing more.