Is Mattel Quietly Ending The MOTU Origins Powers of Grayskull Subline With Eldor?

I don’t typically pay much attention to marketing emails. Usually they’re reminders about something we’ve already covered or another opportunity to shop. But buried in Mattel’s latest email promoting the upcoming Masters of the Universe Origins Eldor figure was an announcement I certainly wasn’t expecting and that’s Mattel appears to be bringing the Powers of Grayskull subline to an end.

Here’s what Mattel said:

Eldor, the mysterious and powerful wizard of Preternia, is coming to Masters of the Universe Origins soon, and he’s bringing the “Book of Living Spells” with him! Join Club Grayskull to shop early for this last figure in the Powers of Grayskull line.

And it all comes down to nine words: “this last figure in the Powers of Grayskull line.”

We’re hoping this is simply a typo or an unfortunate choice of words in Mattel’s marketing email. But if it isn’t, the message seems pretty clear: Eldor is the last figure in the Powers of Grayskull subline. And if that’s the case, what does that mean for Tytus and Megator?

Now, I don’t want to sound alarmist because I know people will interpret this however they want. Mattel hasn’t said MOTU Origins itself is ending, and it hasn’t specifically ruled out releasing Tytus and Megator somewhere else in the line. But calling Eldor the last Powers of Grayskull figure certainly sounds like Mattel is closing the book on this particular subline.

Let’s Talk About What Mattel Got Right

Before we get into the figures we’re still missing, Mattel deserves credit for revisiting Powers of Grayskull at all. So much of that late-vintage chapter never made it to retail.

And it started with Eternia! Mattel recreated the enormous vintage playset for Origins, complete with three towers and its monorail system. Anyone who has tried to find display space for Eternia knows this wasn’t a modest release.

Then we got Sharella, the Great Black Wizard, Red Shadow, and the chonky beast of a figure Tauraton. Mattel reached beyond the familiar vintage figure assortment for characters tied to other corners of MOTU history, rather than stopping at the toys we had as kids.

And we can’t overlook He-Ro and his alter ego, Gray. He-Ro was intended to be a central part of the original Powers of Grayskull concept, a chapter of MOTU that never had the chance to develop into the toy line Mattel envisioned. Getting both He-Ro and Gray in Origins is another reason I’m glad Mattel revisited this part of MOTU history.

And now there’s Eldor. He was planned for the original Powers of Grayskull era but never received a vintage release. Nearly four decades later, Mattel is finally bringing Eldor to MOTU Origins.

But What About Tytus and Megator?

Unlike Eldor, Tytus and Megator actually made it into the vintage toy line. The oversized giants were released near the end of the original run, and neither has received an Origins counterpart.

And collectors certainly haven’t forgotten about them. When we surveyed Toy Habits readers about bringing Tytus and Megator to MOTU Origins, we received 824 responses, with 92.2% wanting both giants released. That’s 760 collectors who voted for the pair. The survey represents our participating readers rather than the entire MOTU collector community, but it’s a pretty strong response.

Mattel has also teased both giants in Origins packaging illustrations, including the Camo Khan artwork. So it’s not as though they’ve been completely absent from the conversation.

I understand that they’re not standard-sized figures. New tooling, larger packaging, and a higher retail price are real considerations. And recreating Eternia doesn’t automatically mean the economics of two oversized figures would work. Still, Mattel brought back Eternia. I’d hoped we’d eventually see Tytus and Megator standing alongside the rest of the Origins collection and they would especially look amazing standing next to the Eternia playset.

Of course, this doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last opportunity for Tytus and Megator. Mattel could still release them through a future crowdfunding campaign or another Origins subline. But given their history with the original Powers of Grayskull lineup, I can’t think of a more appropriate home for the two giants than the Powers of Grayskull branding.

And What About Strobo and Plasmar?

The giants aren’t the only unfinished business from this era. Mattel has already brought Lord Gr’asp and Terroar into Origins, along with Slamurai and the Snake Troopers. Those are characters collectors once knew mainly from plans that never became part of the original vintage retail assortment.

Then there are Strobo and Plasmar. Both have been teased in Origins cardback illustrations, and we’ve written about the possibility of seeing them in Origins before but neither figure has been announced for release.

What makes their absence frustrating is that Mattel already has the tooling to work with. We’ve seen Origins revisit other characters built around existing parts, including Lord Gr’asp and Terroar. I’d hoped Strobo and Plasmar would get the same treatment, especially with Mattel digging this deep into Powers of Grayskull history.

Remember When Mattel Said the Vintage Origins Line Was Complete?

We’ve been here before. Mattel previously claimed that the vintage MOTU Origins lineup was complete, even though figures such as Rotar, Twistoid, Blade, Saurod, Gwildor, Tytus, Megator, and the Meteorbs were still missing. That discussion wasn’t about whether Mattel would stop making Origins figures altogether. It was about the vintage characters that hadn’t received Origins versions. And with Eldor now being called the last Powers of Grayskull figure, we’re back to wondering about two of the biggest omissions. Literally.

Is This Really the End of Powers of Grayskull?

So, are we reading too much into a marketing email? I certainly hope so. Maybe Tytus and Megator will turn up as Mattel Creations exclusives or through a future crowdfund. And we still need clarity on Strobo and Plasmar. The email doesn’t settle any of that and I don’t want any of this to overshadow Eldor. For decades, he was one of those unreleased MOTU figures collectors knew from the original plans, and now he’s finally being made. Mattel also deserves credit for bringing back Eternia and digging into characters and concepts that never got their chance in the vintage line. If Eldor really is the last figure under the Powers of Grayskull name, I’m glad Mattel took a chance on this part of MOTU history.

I’m just not quite ready to say goodbye to it. There are still two giants I’d like to see.