Draego-Man and Dragon Lord Teased on Great Red Shadow MOTU Origins Box Art

With the reveal of the Red Shadow MOTU Origins Club Grayskull exclusive figure, Mattel Creations quietly dropped a treasure trove of details that had me grinning from ear to ear as I pored over the images on their site. Not only did we get our first clean look at the production figure in all of its vivid, sinister glory, but the box art itself delivered the kind of deep-cut teases that make my collector brain light up like Castle Grayskull at full power. Right there on the panel art, Mattel slipped in hints at some seriously obscure MOTU lore, including a nod to an unproduced Alan Tyler concept from the 1980s. If you have a copy of the Power and Honor Foundation book like we do, you will immediately clock as one of those lost-era gems that rarely resurface. Seeing something that rare referenced on modern Origins packaging feels like unearthing a secret whispered through the decades, and I love when MOTU leans into its archival lore like this.

Dragon Lord

Dragon Lord shows up here in all his unproduced MOTU concept glory, sporting that fierce dragon-themed helmet, layered gold armor, and a staff topped with a blazing dragon motif while he steps forward with clenched fists and a flowing red cape that adds some extra motion to the scene.

According to the Power and Honor Foundation book, “Illustrated by Alan Tyler, and dated 13th September 1985, the interestingly-named Dragon Lord concept would have had a unique action feature. When activated, the figure’s face, chest and arms would have disappeared. How this would have been achieved will always remain a mystery, but it is clearly a concept that Tyler was interested in using.”

Draego-Man

Draego-Man is seen here unleashing a stream of fire from his mouth, showing off his red scaled body, segmented tail, and sharp armored details across his chest and limbs, and I’ve got to say, seeing him pop up in this artwork really makes me hope he finds his way into the MOTU Origins line after his memorable release in MOTU Classics.

During the Great Wars, the Dragons of Darksmoke engaged in numerous epic battles against King Grayskull and the Snake Men. Draego-Man, a magical being created by the Great Black Wizard, was a half-human, half-dragon entity. Rejected by Granamyr, he chose to ally with the Free People of Eternia. However, after the truce of the Three Towers, Draego-Man grew disillusioned with humanity and withdrew from society, choosing to live as an outcast in the Caverns of Rakash.

His bio reads, “During the Great Wars, the Dragoons of Darksmoke fought in many epic battles against King Grayskull and the Snake Men. A magical half human/half dragon creation of the Great Black Wizard, Draego-Man was shunned by Granamyr and allied himself instead with the Free People of Eternia. After the truce of the Three Towers, Draego-Man became so disgusted with the humans that he isolated himself from all civilization, living as an outcast in the Caverns of Rakash. After several millennia of bitter retreat, Draego-Man discovered Skeletor’s plans to enslave his dragon kin and use them as weapons against the Royal Palace. He returned from hiding to join Skeletor’s Evil Warriors seeking revenge against all who betrayed him. Draego-Man uses his flame breath and ability to manipulate fire to battle for the side of evil!”

Although this custom concept, by Tnemmokon, uses a Chap Mei figure, the overall look and feel of the MOTU Classics Draegio-Man is captured in MOTU Origins concept form. With Mattel making several winged figures, including Vultak from the Cartoon Collection, Ninjor and Hordak from the Turtles of Grayskull line, and New Eternia Hordak in the Masterverse line, we hope that these figures will pave the way for more winged figures in the future.