It’s that time of year again, and SDCC season is barreling down on us like a fright train and we can’t be more excited! But you know what that means, new MOTU Origins reveals! For this article, we will explore MOTU Origins, what we know so far and what we might see at SDCC 2024! We have put out many articles with information regarding potential upcoming figures. In some cases we have anonymous sources reporting solid information as to what might be coming to the MOTU Origins lines. In other cases, we take a look at package art teases and what that might mean coming down the pipeline. So let’s explore what we know so far and what we might see at SDCC 2024!

2024 SDCC Exclusive Tuvar & Baddrah (Two-Bad) 2-Pack

As predicted, Mattel revealed their San Diego Comic Con 2024 exclusive Two Bad MOTU Origins Cartoon Collection multipack! Back in February 2024, we got wind that a SDCC 2024 exclusive Two-Bad 2-pack was in the works that would finally give collector’s a chance to own both Tuvar and Baddrah, which is a first in the line. Back in April 2024, as we were reviewing some of the official reveals from March 2024, one image stood out, which gives away which version of Two-Bad that will be coming first in the Cartoon Collection. In fact, we headged our bets correctly as the SDCC 2024 was just revealed and he goes up for sale on July 25, 2024 at 9am PT on Mattel Creations.

360 Degree Box Art Video

manuel_eduardo_caritas also released the 360 view of the Tuvar and Baddrah box, which looks outstanding!

Roy announced, “Masters of the Universe SDCC 2024 Cartoon Collection Tuvar & Baddrah (they combine into Cartoon Collection Two Bad). Launches July 25th 2024 9 AM PST at MattelCreations.com $50”

It’s amazing to see the actual production figures and this 2-pack looks outstanding!

The construction of the box features a very cool way to display the figures! With the box closed, you can still see the figures!

Taking a look at the back of the box, you can see the amazing art where Skeletor is using his Havoc Staff to transform the pair into Two-Bad

Official Images and Details

Ready for a real double header? Finally, the Two Bad figure collectors have always craved is here! Create Tuvar and Baddrah separately, or double down on evildoing by combining Skeletor’s fighting sidekicks into the epic figure Two Bad. Swap heads, torsos, arms, and legs to create arguably – literally and figuratively – the coolest character(s) in MOTU history. (See what we did there?)

• Masters of the Universe® Origins Two Bad™: The Merger of Tuvar & Baddrah Multipack 
• Origins scale figures are 5.5″ inch tall with 16 points of articulation 
• Extra torso allows you to assemble them as two characters  
• Comes with Mirror of Avathar accessory 
• Included comic book tells the story of this fan-favorite evildoer 
• Removable slipcover and split-open revealed box  
• Pack-out poses pay homage to the vintage figure’s action feature  

The figure looks amazing and it’s awesome that the figure comes with an extra body buck so you can combine Tuvar and Baddrah into their Two-Bad form! As shown below, the set comes with the Mirror of Avathar accessory, which appeared in the The Ancient Mirror of Avathar, the 127th episode of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Filmation cartoon.

The packaging looks amazing as it shows Two-Bad on the slip cover with the quote, “I’m the BRAINS behind the Brawn.”

As the slip cover is removed, we can see more amazing art as Two-Bad is featured in the gold picture frame and in a cool Eternian scene with two planets behind them!

Cartoon Collection Two-Bad Prediction

As we’ve been coming across changes and updates from the first images that were first released from the MOTU March Madness 2024 reveals, we’ve been noticing a pattern. When Mattel reveals a figure on a white background, it’s the prototype of the figure, which means the actual figure that gets produced might change. We’ve noticed this with the official image reveals for Cartoon Collection Spikor, Turtles of Grayskull Stealth Ninja He-Man, and ToG Leatherhead, to name a few. As we were reviewing some of the official reveals from March 2024, one image stood out, which gives away which version of Two-Bad will be coming first in the Cartoon Collection.

2-Bobsteady Cartoon Collection Buck

This is probably not the news you wanted to hear but it appears that Two-Bad will be coming to the Cartoon Collection before his vintage MOTU Origins figure. Up until this point, the Turtles of Grayskull line has been using a mix of parts, both old and new, from MOTU Origins figures. When we got word that a Bebop and Rocksteady, now officially called 2-Bobsteady, mashup was in the works, we thought that the MOTU team would be using a vintage MOTU Origins Two-Bad buck for the TMNT villains. As it turns out, the buck must be being used to fund a future vintage style MOTU Origins Two-Bad that will be released on Mattel Creations. The devil is in the details (or lack thereof in the Cartoon Collection), so let’s dissect the 2-Bobsteady figure to find some much needed clues. In the official image for 2-Bobsteady, we can see the Filmation style Two-Bad boots being used. The paint lines for both figures meet right in the middle and the shoulders

200x, Vintage, and Filmation Mashup

We also got word that the design of the Cartoon Collection version of two-Bad is pulling from the MOTU 200x, vintage, and how he appeared in the Filmation series so we are not exactly sure what this version could like it.

We were hoping that the Cartoon Collection version of Two-Bad would look something like the digital render that Eternal Customs created.

Two Bad 2 Pack Modular figure concept

We previously reported that an anonymous source had reported that this year’s MOTU Origins 2024 SDCC Exclusive was going to be a Tuvar & Baddrah (Two-Bad) 2-Pack. It’s funny that we discussed this on our YouTube live stream a while back, and our very own Michael, brilliant as he is, came up with a theory that the 2024 SDCC exclusive Two Bad would be a 2 pack made up of Tuvar and Badrah that you mash together to make a Two Bad figure, well he was spot on! How freakin’ exciting is that, way to go Michael!

We have been waiting so long for Two-Bad to be released in the MOTU Origins line, and what a brilliant idea then to release him as a Tuvar & Baddrah (Two-Bad) 2-Pack to make up the Two Bad figure! As seen in these concept sketches below by the talented Joey Cruel, Two-Bad is a two-headed Evil Warrior who is basically two different beings sharing the same body. In some ways he is like Siamese twins, although both halves of his body are very different-looking creatures who appear to be from entirely different species. His right half is a blue creature, while his left half is a purple, scaly creature with an eyebrow-like yellow band on his forehead. His two heads have the habit of continuously arguing with one another.

Making this a two back with interchangeable parts is genesis as it lends itself perfectly to the swapability and modular nature of the MOTU Origins figures! You can have one figure of Tuvar and one of Baddrah, then basically a torso piece that combines the two with the two necks, and then take the heads off each figure on that torso. Then you would take the right arm off Tuvar, the left arm from Baddrah and then a left leg from Baddrah and a combined extra leg piece and the waist piece from Baddrah and that will give you a Two-Bad action figure as shown in the illustration below.

Two Bad Through the Years

We would love to know your favorite version of Two-Bad is! You can find a poll at the bottom of all of the Two-Bad figures and their history and cast your vote!

1985 Masters of the Universe Vintage

Two-Bad is introduced into the Masters of the Universe toy line in 1985. Originally marketed as the “double-headed evil strategist” it is implied he is a master of strategy due to being two warriors in one, but his main trait in all story media is that his two heads have a habit of endlessly arguing with each other, meaning he has always generally been used for comic relief.

MOTU 200x

Tuvar (blue) and Baddrah (purple), were bounty hunters hired by Skeletor to destroy He-Man, but were highly reluctant to work together given their long-standing rivalry. While Tuvar was more intelligent and cunning, Baddrah was more reckless and fearsome, and the two clashed over how to combine their efforts. After they failed in their attempt to work together, leading to He-Man’s escape, Skeletor punished them by actually binding them together into one body with his magic. The two hated their new form and immediately began arguing with one another and blaming each other for their current predicament. Later, Two-Bad attempted to search of the lost spell of separation, hoping to divide themselves back into two separate beings. When the spell backfired and began to cause destruction across Eternia, Two-Bad abandoned the scheme and fled.

In 2002, Mattel released a new line of Masters of the Universe toys. Sculpted by the Four Horsemen, the new figures were both more detailed and more stylised than previous lines. The toyline was relatively short-lived, with some ascribing its failure to distribution and shortpacking problems. Two-Bad was released as part of Wave 6 in the Fall of 2003.

Two-Bad was also released as a chase figure in the 200x line, that gave him a silver shield and silver armor

MOTU Classics Two-Bad

Below are some close ups of the MOTU Classics version. Two Bad was released in January 2014, kicking off the Masters of the Universe Classics line’s sixth year. He was only available on Mattycollector.com, which gave an updated look to Skeletor’s two-headed strategist that came with an all new torso fusing the bodies of Tuvar and Badra.

New Eternia Two-Bad

Two-Bad sports his classic look with his signature orange armor and a very cool spiked right shoulder armor. Baddrah’s side is a an amazingly sculpted piece showing off the detailed scaled arms and legs with ridges running down the sides.  Tuvar is a bit simpler, and, like Baddrah, has a great head sculpt as well.  His boot and glove are also very interesting pieces that have an armor-plated look with lots of rivets to hold them together.  The rest of his arms and legs, are also all brand new sculpts and unlike any of the other Masterverse figures that have come before them. I am super impressed by Two-Bad and is the best bad guy to date for the Masterverse line!

Previouly Revealed Fall Catalog Figures

We also had a few figures that were previously revealed as part of the Masters of the Universe Full Fall 2024 Catalog Reveal, but we have yet to see their official images or get preorder information yet.

Geldor

Geldor will be joining the Masters of the Universe Origins line! The Mattel team showed a very cool schematic which showed off the various details in the figure.

They also had a produced version of Geldor and he comes armed to the teeth! This was a figure that was produced for the Masters of the Universe Classics line and he is making his debut in Origins! The ruler of Foodar in the Dark Hemisphere, Geldor became obsessed with finding a way to extend his life after his wife was killed by a dragon attack. He began laying siege to other kingdoms in his ongoing search. One such attack led Geldor to kidnap Torgul, Grand Vizier of Vaderia in order to locate the mythical Secret Liquid of Life. Vaderia’s heroic Prince Dakon sought the help of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Together, they confronted Geldor in a stronghold in Ogre Mountain. During the battle, the liquid was spilled and a great Life Tree rose up, apparently swallowing Geldor in the process. Months later, Geldor returned, merged with the magic of the tree and now more powerful than ever. Geldor brings terror to all who get in the way of his quest for eternal life!

Demo-Man

The team also had a produced figure for Demo-Man! He first made his appearance in the MOTU Classics line and we are also getting him in Origins! According to his MOTU Classics bio, “Realizing his pupil Keldor had no intention of releasing him from Despondos, Hordak merged him with an extra-dimensional being called Demo-Man. While this saved Keldor’s life, it also drove him temporarily insane and convinced him to open a portal to Despondos and lead what he thought were “his people” into Eternia. Hordak intended to use this ruse as a means to escape once the portal was opened, but the new merged being “Skeletor” was quickly defeated by Oo-Larr, the Jungle He-Man, and Hordak remained trapped. Soon after, with the help of Evil-Lyn, Skeletor gained control of the powerful spirit inside him, increasing his abilities ten-fold. He was now the true Overlord of Evil and one of the most dangerous men on Eternia!”

She-Ra Princess of Power Filmation Cartoon Series

Filmation She-Ra

She-Ra is a fictional character who originated from the animated television series titled “She-Ra: Princess of Power,” which was produced by Filmation and aired from 1985 to 1986. The character was created as a counterpart and sister to He-Man, who originated from the companion series “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.” Both shows were based on Mattel’s toy line.

Card Art Teases

Appearing on the 2020 Power Con exclusive She-Ra card art, you can see She-Ra and Bow prominently featured in standing directly in front of the Crystal Castle! Along with She-Ra and Bow, we also had Frosta, Glimmer, Lookee and Kowl! Hopefully there might be hints of more Pop characters coming to the line!

Below we have an incredible custom MOTU Origins Bow Action figure that was done by Hunter Knight Customs, so we can get an idea of what a Filmation style Cartoon Collection Bow might look like!

Card Art Teases

Appearing on the 2020 Power Con exclusive She-Ra card art, you can see She-Ra and Bow prominently featured in standing directly in front of the Crystal Castle! Along with She-Ra and Bow, we also had Frosta, Glimmer, Lookee and Kowl! Hopefully there might be hints of more Pop characters coming to the line!

Evil Horde Coming To MOTU Origins Cartoon Collection

Mantenna, evil spy with the pop out eyes, and Hordak, ruthless leader of the Evil Horde, are both coming to the MOTU Origins Cartoon Collection! Mantenna, the nervous, stuttering henchmen from the Evil Horde, appeared in 39 episodes of the She-Ra Princess of Power Filmation cartoon. Hordak, appeared in a whomping 72 She-Ra Princess of Power Filmation episodes, and 2 movie TV Specials! According to an anonymous source, Mantenna and Hordak will be coming to the Cartoon Collection later in 2024. We will also take a look at the character’s history both on the Cartoon Series and in toy form. So let’s take a look at Mantenna and Hordak who are coming to the MOTU Origins Cartoon Collection, what they might look like.

Mantenna -Filmation style

When the Horde appear in the She-Ra: Princess of Power series, Mantenna retains his “spy sight” from the minicomics, and can fire energy beams of different varieties from his eyes, such as stun beams, gravity distortion beams, and freeze rays. Mantenna is a nervous stuttering imbecile and is mainly used for comic relief, with a running gag that Hordak frequently sends him down a trap door in front of his throne for any number of reasons.

Mantenna in She-Ra Princess of Power Cartoon

Mantenna’s Filmation Appearances

Mantenna appeared in a whomping 39 episodes of the She-Ra Princess of Power Filmation Cartoon Series. His appearances included:

Mantenna Action figure

Mantenna was first released in the vintage MOTU toy line back in 1985. His classic version included pop out eyes and had a set of 2 stuck together legs and very little resembled his cartoon version, but was a classic figure that remains a fan favorite today.

Mantenna was released in the MOTU Origins line in his classic vintage style. But we did see Mantenna released in his Filmation cartoon style for the MOTU Classic Club Grayskull Mantenna. A Cartoon Collection version of him might look like this.

Mantenna Cartoon Collection

Thanks again to the talented Eternal Customs on Facebook, we can see what a Cartoon Collection Mantenna might look like!

Hordak- Filmation

Hordak was the ruthless leader of the Evil Horde and appeared in 72 episodes of the She-Ra, Princess of Power FIlmation cartoon series. He appeared with blue skin and did not resemble his vintage action figure, which had grey skin.

Hordak Action Figure

Hordak was released in the Mattel Masters of the Universe line in several versions. He first came out in 1985. He had grey skin with black chest armor, and did not resemble the blue skinned version that appeared in the She-Ra Princess of Power Filmation cartoon series.

Mattel then later released a Hurrican Hordak version in 1985. And then followed by a “Buzz Saw” version in 1987.

The MOTU Classics versions then followed. First in 2009, he was released in a much more detailed grey version. But in 2017, Super7 released him as part of the Club Grayskull line and he finally resembled his blue skinned Filmation look!

Finally we got several versions of Hordak in the MOTU Origins line and the Masterverse line! Hordak was released in his blue color as part of the 2021 Power Con Exclusive 4 pack. Then Masterverse released Hordak under the Princess of Power line.

Hordak Cartoon Collection

Below is an incredible custom digital render of a Filmation Style 5.5″ Hordak by Eternal Customs on Facebook. This looks the closet to what we would get in the Cartoon Collection.

Another view of the whole Evil Horde by Eternal Customs on Facebook

Ram Man and Man-E-Faces Coming To MOTU Origins Cartoon Collection

Ram Man, the heroic human battering ram and Man E Faces, heroic human, robot….monster, are both coming to the MOTU Origins Cartoon Collection! Ram Man, the dim-witted friend to He-Man, appeared in 22 episodes of the Filmation cartoon and a cameo on the TV Special. Man E Faces, only appeared in 3 Filmation episodes, but has always been a fan favorite character! According to an anonymous source, Ram Man & Man E Faces will be coming to the Cartoon Collection later in 2024. We will also take a look at the character’s history both on the Cartoon Series and in toy form. So let’s take a look at Ram Man and Man E Faces who are coming to the MOTU Origins Cartoon Collection, what they might look like!

Filmation Ram Man

According to Ram Man | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom

Although Ram Man had been depicted as large and aggressive in his mini-comic appearance, the 1980s cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Filmation depicts him as a small, dwarfish figure, which is closer in appearance to his action figure with it’s legs retracted. In order to make the character more child-friendly for the sake of the show’s intended audience, Ram Man’s aggressiveness is toned down for the series. He is portrayed generally as a comical character, slow and dim-witted with an almost childlike mentality, but also strong-hearted and easily likeable. He often appears alongside Stratos in early episodes, and later episodes flesh out his character more, particularly the season 2 episode Not So Blind, which shows a degree of humanity in his mostly slapstick personality. In this episode he admits to being slow on the uptake but not necessarily “Dumb”. Another notable moment for Ram Man is the episode House of Shokoti Part I, in which he gives a memorable moral at the end of the episode, telling kids not to hit things with their head like he does in case they hurt themselves. Also in this episode, Ram Man irritates Shokoti by constantly mispronouncing her name, calling her “Shipoopi” among other things. This Ram Man also often has other cartoonish features such as his legs actually uncoiling like springs on occasion and making “boing” sounds when he used his abilities.

Ram Man | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom

Ram Man was also teased on the Cartoon Collection Man-At-Arms card art! Getting up close and personal with the card art, Roy and team did an amazing job illustrating this whole scene and the best part is that Ram Man was teased on the card art!

Ram Man as he appeared in the Filmation Cartoon Series.

He always looked bewildered and dim witted.

below we can see early concept sketches of Ram Man, including one by the late great Mark Taylor.

Ram Man’s Filmation Appearance

Ram Man appeared in a whopping 22 episodes of the Filmation cartoon series and a cameo on the TV Movie special! He was mostly a sidekick character to He-Man and often played the comedic relief! The episodes that Ram Man appeared on included:

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

Season One (1983)

• Diamond Ray of Disappearance
• The Curse of the Spellstone
• The Dragon Invasion
• Colossor Awakes
• Reign of the Monster
• Quest for He-Man
• The Royal Cousin
• Wizard of Stone Mountain
• Evilseed
• The Taking of Grayskull
• House of Shokoti Part 1
• House of Shokoti Part 2
• The Mystery of Man-E-Faces (cameo)
• Game Plan
• Quest for the Sword
• Pawns of the Game Master

Season Two (1984-1985)

• The Shadow of Skeletor
• The Arena
• Attack from Below
• Battlecat
• Not so Blind
• The Toy Maker

Movie/TV Special

• He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special (cameo)

Given that Ram Man has appeared in so many episodes, in this case we belive it will be too difficult to narrow down the episode specific accessory he might come with.

Ram Man Action Figure History

Ram Man Filmation Figure

Here is an incredible custom Attak Trak with FIlmation Ram Man set amongst some other Club Grayskull figures. How cool would it be to get a version of the Attak Trak like this as well!

We also got a cool custom below from Eternal Customs on Facebook

Filmation Man E Faces

According to Man-E-Faces | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom:

In He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Filmation, the portrayal of Man-E-Faces is somewhat changed. Rather than being cursed with a split personality, he is an actor who uses his alternate faces primarily for the purpose of playing roles on stage. He is also able to change to numerous other faces alongside his robot and monster faces. This change to his character is probably made in order to make his character less dark and therefore more suitable for the younger audience the show was aimed at.

He is given an origin episode early in the series, in the episode The Mystery of Man-E-Faces. This episode reveals that he was originally a villain who terrorized others with his faces, but not so much out of evil desires as personal insecurity and basic survival needs. He was an outcast feared by virtually everyone for his ability to change his face, which in turn made him “cold and cruel” and so he began to abuse others out of resentment for mistreating him and to compensate for his personal crisis. He was captured by Skeletor, who intended to recruit him as a henchman, but as he was not really evil he had no desire to join Skeletor and was forced into fighting He-Man against his will when his monster face was controlled by Beast Man’s power. He-Man believed that Man-E-Faces was not a villain, and the Sorceress agreed, so with urging from He-Man, the Sorceress used her magic to help Man-E-Faces overcome Skeletor’s influence. Grateful for their help, he returned the favor by helping to thwart Skeletor’s attack on Castle Grayskull and, after telling them his story, feeling he had at last found the friendship and kindness he needed, he joined the Royal court as an actor.

The cartoon’s version of the character seems to use his faces more for the purpose of acting rather than anything significant to battles. He is only used in one subsequent episode, The Shadow of Skeletor, in which he uses his acting abilities to impersonate Beast Man, going undercover in a “Beast Man” disguise to spy on the Evil Warriors. Although initially conceived as one of the main characters of the franchise, his appearances are sparse in all media given that he proved a difficult character to integrate into story-lines no matter what purposes his faces were used for.

The original script for the 1980s episode Into the Abyss was to feature a third appearance in the show by Man-E-Faces, rehearsing for a play in an scene in which Ram Man is made to read out the part of Man-E-Faces’ love interest. But this scene was cut from the script to avoid ruining the atmosphere of a generally dark episode.

Man-E-Faces | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom

Man E Faces as he appeared in the Filmation Cartoon.

Man E Faces Filmation Appearance

Man E Faces appeared in only 3 episodes of the Filmation cartoon series, once of which was just a cameo appearance. He was a featured character in his first appearance “The Mystery of Man-E-Faces“. The episodes that Man E Faces appeared in included:

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

• The Mystery of Man-E-Faces
• The Shadow of Skeletor
• He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special (cameo)

Man E Faces Action Figure History

Turtles of Grayskull MOTU TMNT Crossover Wave 5

As preorders are starting to show up for the Turtles of Grayskull 3 and 4 figures, we received some amazing news from an anonymous source. It looks like the Turtles of Grayskull MOTU Origins crossover line will be continuing past wave 4. When the Turtles of Grayskull line was officially announced, a graphic showing the lineup of figures was released and all of the character names are present and accounted for! The Turtles of Grayskull Wave 5 figure assortment looks like it’s going to a fun one, bringing some fun figures to the line and introducing a new faction.

Since the line was revealed, we’ve seen some amazing characters and sculpts which have made this line so fun to collect.

Turtles of Grayskull Wave 5

The figure assortment for Wave 5 will bring two variants of figures we’ve seen before plus two new figures!

Donatello

In true TMNT fashion, we’ll see another variant of Donatello joining the line in Wave 5. We don’t know any further details other than the name so we will have to wait and see which variant gets created! Will it be another Stealth variant like Leonardo?

Donatello Official Images

The purples, yellows, and greens go very well with the figure and it’s great to see a Turtle clad in all that armor!

His turtle shell armor can hold the large mace/staff and his chest armor harkens back to Man-At-Arms concept in MOTU with the furry parts going around his arms, which matches the color of his turtleshell.

Raphael

Given that Leonardo received figure variant so early in the line, it’s not surprising that Raphael made the list. He was first released in the Wave 2 figure assortment and are unsure what the exact variant will be, I wonder if he’ll be given a Stealth Ninja variant, like Leonardo in Wave 4. Here are the official images of Raphael, who is dubbed the “Hard-Headed Sai Specialist,” and he looks so cool packed with his armor on and all geared up! Raphael comes with two oversized Sai’s for weapons, that stows neatly on his turtleshell!

Geared up or geared down, Raphael looks like an amazing mashup.

It seems like they mashed up Ram Man and Raphael as he comes with a removable helmet and he also has an oversized wrist bracer!

Mekaneck

Mattel has been true to form when it comes to the design for Mekaneck! He is sporting his vintage inspired look with his classic red Mekaneck armor, blue outfit and large yellow club! As mentioned during the Mattel SDCC reveal panel for the Rise of the Snake Men, just like on Rattlor, we suspected that the action featuring extending neck on Mekaneck, and indeed it is a neck extension piece, rather than the vintage style neck that pops out of the torso, in order to retain his parts swapping ability like that the rest of the Origins characters. With Mekaneck’s extension piece on, he looks great, and we are sure the Ground Ripper will be a tactical advantage for him! The neck piece is cast in a matte gray plastic and the mechanical and circuit detail on it.

Unlike the vintage Mekaneck figure where you twisted his waist and his neck would pop up, this version of Mekaneck has a neck extension piece. This is similar the neck extension piece that also comes with Rattlor. It works well and is articulated; it also allows his head to remain articulated as well. But the vintage pop-up neck was sure fun, so a bit of a bummer that he doesnt retain his action feature.

Rattlor

It looks like the Snake Men are joining the Turtles of Grayskull line and it will be very interesting to see how Rattlor’s figure will turn out. Will his figure be a mutated form or will he retain his classic design? It could be a mix of both as you never know what the line has in store. The MOTU characters that have been given muted forms, like Ram Man and He-Man, are amazing figures that are super fun to look at!

Rattlor MOTU Origins Figure

Being a completely amazing homage to the vintage figure, Mattel really hit a grand slam with this figure. Rattlor has all new sculpting and a really fun action feature that he actually rattles! Although Mattel choose to go with a neck extension, rather than the vintage signature pop up feature, this Origins of Rattlor is incredible! With all the incredible snake scales sculpted on his body, Mattel left no body part of uncovered, he is truly a Snake Man among Snake Men!

Here we can see Rattlor’s head, which has spectacular detail and looks just like the vintage with some slight updates in true Origins style! He has some great snake scale details on both the front of his face and the back of his head. He also has a red snake tongue sculpted in his mouth with pink mouth accents. With those piercing yellow eyes and white fangs, he is still a fan favorite!

MOTU Origins Vintage Classics

We also have several more figures we might see from the MOTU Origins line from the original remaining vintage figures yet to be made. Let’s take a look at a few that might be revealed at SDCC 2024.

Dragstor

Dragstor is one of the last few remaining original vintage figures that need to be made. He was teased on the Mattel Creations Exclusive Extendar Card back. With the card back, we can see a cool scene with Extendar fighting off the Evil Horde! Dragstor is finally teased as well as the Fright Zone so we can’t wait for more MOTU!

This is our second tease of Dragtor as he first appeared in the massive battle scene on the Mattel Creations Eternia playset. According to the Wiki Grayskull, Dragstor was Etherian peasant who was captured by Hordak and transformed into an evil cyborg. Due to Hordak’s modifications, he became one of the fastest beings on Etheria, with a wheel embedded into his chest and an engine on his back. Dragstor later displayed a rebellious attitude, exposed in his rivalry with the newest Horde warrior, Mosquitor. When He-Man asked him “Who’s your new friend?”, Dragstor replied “Mosquitor… and he’s no friend of mine!”

Modulok

Modulok is yet another vintage figure that has been teased several times in the recent few releases. Most recently, we saw him teased on Eternia Box Art, but we also we also saw him extensively featured in the mini comic that came packed with Extendar, The Terror of the Techomancer.

Terror of the Technomancer mini comic

In the vintage mini comics, Extendar was a friend of Prince Adam and was an ordinary knight, but yearned for special powers of his own after witnessing the skills of the Horde warrior Dragstor. Hordak subsequently granted his wish and subjected him to scientific experiments, which transformed him into a mechanical cyborg warrior with the power of extension. Invincible at full height, he was set upon He-Man, but managed to throw off Hordak’s control and ultimately joined the Heroic Warriors, becoming one of the most powerful members of their ranks. This looks like it is a continuation of Extendar’s tale!

Extendar, being the kind hearted soul he is, responded to a cry for help on the outskirts of King Randor’s castle. He heeds the call and follows the cry deep into the forest. As Extendar tries to come to the maiden’s aid, the maiden and swamp creature disappear to reveal some Horde Troopers, who drag Extendar to the Fright Zone! captured and in front of Hordak, Extendar is reminded who transformed him in the first place, as told in the vintage mini comic, The Warrior Machine!

Hordak has Extendar on the examination table once again and vows to fulfill his promise to transfer total power to another worthier dark knight. It is here, while Extendar is on the table, Modulok, with syringe in hand, looks on!

Cracking Extendar’s chest open to reveal the Eternium Ore matrix (which looks a lot like Optimus Prime’s from the Transformers), the source of Extendar’s powers, is revealed. Suddenly, Extendar breaks free and grabs Hordak’s face while kicking Leech back! Extendar goes back through the portal and find He-Man where he tells him that he has regrets for succumbing to Hordak’s offer many years ago. Extrendar says, “Never again will I look to others with jealously for their success, but admiration instead,” and strives to be the best version of himself. Hordak let him go and did not pursue him as Hordak’s end game is to give Extendar’s power to a new dark warrior born of pure evil.

Modulok Teases

Modulok is pictured behind the Manitsaur as we have all Horde Hands on deck on the box for Eternia!

Previous Modulok Card and Box Art Teases

As we covered in our Masters of the Universe Origins Teased Figures From Card Art article, Modulok has already appeared on several card back artwork. A gaggle of evil Horde henchman appear on the Sorceress’ card art as well as Hordak’s, including Mantenna, Modulok, Leech, and Grizzlor, make up the bulk of this section. Since we have now seen Modulok on 2 card back artworks and the trademark has recently been renewed, we can probably make this one a given to come to the Origins line in the near future!

Modulok MOTU Origins Tease and Trademark Renewal

Modulok is another very gimmicky MOTU Character. To sweeten the possibility, we discovered that his trademark was renewed on 03/25/2021. Shortly after his figure was release in 1985, Modulok appears on the toy line’s accompanying cartoon series, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Filmation. Consisting of 22 Body parts and a 2-part laser gun, Modulok was the first of its kind for the MOTU line! Coined ” Evil Beast of a thousand Bodies”, this Ultimate Transforming Creature was a member of the Evil Horde. Although the Evil Horde are used as the main villains Filmation’s spin-off series, She-Ra Princess of Power, rather than He-Man, Modulok is given the unique honor of making his debut on He-Man instead. Halfway through the first season of, She-Ra: Modulok is incorporated into the She-Ra series, the only character from either show to be transferred permanently from one to the other. This occurs in the episode “Gateway to Trouble” in which Modulok builds a device for Skeletor which can open a portal to Etheria to transport his whole army to the planet. This character is interesting because we recently got the reveal for a 4 legged Mantenna, and that new 4 legged sculpt has set the stage for perhaps how they can also pull off Modulok in the Origins style.

Stonedar

You would have missed it, if you didn’t look carefully enough, but there a tease for Stonedar on the back of the card back art! In fact, we did miss it and thanks to Chris M., a MOTU fan and collector from Germany, for emailing us and alerting to this tease that paid homage to a historic version of Stonedar.

Looking very similar to Rokkon, Roy did include a figure tease to Stonedar on the card back, paying homage to the original artwork by Earl Norem shown below.

Stonedar is the leader of the Rock People. The character appeared late in the 1980s Masters of the Universe toy line, and as such appears in relatively few stories, with little consistency. He is often accompanied by his young friend Rokkon. The pair were like transforming MOTU figures but instead turning into something cool, they turned into rocks, which reminds me of that part in the movie Big where a toy company produces a Transformer that turns into a building!

Rio Blast

This is the first time we are seeing Rio Blast teased and we are sure collector’s will be going gaga over this! Rio Blast is another character that has his trademark renewed not too long ago on 5/20/2021. Released by Mattel in 1986, Rio Blast is a futuristic cowboy who has hidden blasters all over his body. With pop out laser cannons from his chest and legs six shooters at his wrists and shoulder cannons, Rio Blast was yet another one Mattel’s gimmick heavy figures that was common in the later releases of MOTU figures. A cowboy seems a bit out of place in the planet of Eternia, but this techno-heavy Cowboy sure packs a lot of techno fire power and that technology part is what makes him make sense in the line.

This amazing scene has Sssqueeze tangling (pun intended) with some very cool MOTU characters that collector’s have been clamoring for: Rio Blast and Extendar!

We can also see that Rio-Blast Trademark was renewed on 05/20/2021!

In terms of his backstory, Rio Blast is described as a nomad from the Galactic Wild West who possesses incredible shooting skills and high-tech enhancements. He aids He-Man and the other heroes in their battles against Skeletor and his minions.

Rio Blast was introduced to the line in 1986 and is depicted as a cybernetic cowboy, wearing a western-style outfit. His chest and thighs are equipped with mechanical parts and weaponry.

Every now and then we write up editorial pieces to share our thoughts, hopes, and dreams for the toy lines we love. Since 2019, what started as a toy line to bring the nostalgia from the 1980’s back into our lives, Masters of the Universe Origins has has blossomed into a flourishing line it has captured collector’s hearts and blended the right nostalgia hooks with updated figure designs with articulation. As the vintage MOTU Origins lines winds down with the final set figures to be made, we see no signs of the line slowing down anytime soon. In this article, we break down theories over a few topics, including (1) the importance of Mattel successfully introducing MOTU Origins crossovers as part of their master (pun intended) business plan, the runway for (2) brand new characters to further extend the Masters of the Universe line, (3) some evidence that Mattel is using the Turtles of Grayskull line to produce tooling for the Cartoon Collection figures. We’ll leave you with image of Vypor’s card art that was teased yesterday, to ponder the possibilities and we’ll circle back this later in the article.

New Characters Coming MOTU Origins

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist or an evil Horde scientist like Modulok to know that Mattel will be trying to squeeze every dollar out of the body parts and weapons they are designing. As we know, the tooling for the final figures in the Masters of the Universe Origins line is very expensive and we expect Mattel to be making multiple figures out of them.

New Snake Men Teased

The Vypor Cardback art illustration created by the talented Roy Juarez and team recently released an illustration of the MOTU Origins Vypor cardback, , which shows the full sketch! In addition to seeing Eldor, Eldor on his knees in front of Vypor, we also get a better look at the other new Snake Men in the scene, along with Lady Slither and her throne. Up close, we can see the amazing colors of Cham-Or and these figures and concepts will definitely bring some color into your Snake Men display.

New Characters Teased from Kings of Snake Men Book

If you have been following along with the narrative and can read between the lines, the MOTU Origins will be continuing to infuse new characters as they are winding down the “vintage” MOTU Origins line on Mattel Creations. Here is what we know so far:

• Cham-Or
• Dark Horde Extendar
• Purple Cyclops
• Red Snake Man
• Toxoid

For this article, we will focus on Cham-Or and Dark Horde Extendar.

Cham-Or Tease

Cham-Or is a new Snake Men character and will reuse parts from Tung Lashor, Mosquitor, Skeletor, Rattlor, Keldor, Castle Grayskull Space Suit, and Frog Monger!

Axel himself responded to our Instagram post and highlighted two very cool details about Cham-Or!

Seen on the cover of Axel Gimenez and Leonardo Vega’s new book: KINGS OF THE SNAKE MEN , two new MOTU Origins Figures are being teased! There are two figures teased on the cover of the new book, they are High Priest Pythonus, yet to be named Red Snake men character with the lower body of Lady Slither, and Toxoid! These figures have a long history of being teased on the back of Kol-Dar’s card art and on the back of the MOTU Origins Moss Man package art! So let’s take a look at what’s in this magnificent masterpiece and the teases they hold within!

According to mmtoydesign on instagram:

We know you are waiting for it. But to make our KINGS OF THE SNAKE MEN book even better than we originally planned, (which is of course an almost impossible task) we decided to add some more information, photos, and art to the book. It continues to grow and improve – so the final presale date will shift to January/February 2024, followed by the fast delivery of a great book to you. Stay tuned!

mmtoydesign

Seen below is the new Kings of the Snake Men Book that teases two new MOTU Origins figures!

One of the images, which we presume is from the inside of the book or the back cover clearly show that unnamed Red Snake men Character in MOTU Origins form as you can see below! He is using the Camo Khan hooded head, Cobra Khan body and lady slither tail! Also, you will notice what looks like the prototype for Tung Lashor to the right of Fang-Or but that figure is actually a new character called Toxoid.

Evil Villian Version of Extendar

Further evidence of this comes from the Extendar Mini Comic, where, at the end, we see one of Hordak’s evil creations come to life, which will set the stage for an evil version of Extendar, which will reuse many of the parts from the Mattel Creations exclusive. As we see in the mini comic, cracking Extendar’s chest open to reveal the Eternium Ore matrix (which looks a lot like Optimus Prime’s from the Transformers), the source of Extendar’s powers, is revealed. Suddenly, Extendar breaks free and grabs Hordak’s face while kicking Leech back! Extendar goes back through the portal and find He-Man where he tells him that he has regrets for succumbing to Hordak’s offer many years ago. Extrendar says, “Never again will I look to others with jealously for their success, but admiration instead,” and strives to be the best version of himself. Hordak let him go and did not pursue him as Hordak’s end game is to give Extendar’s power to a new dark warrior born of pure evil.

Snake Lair MOTU Origins SDCC 2024 Crowdfund

Back on October 12, 2023, the Snake Lair was declared the winner of the next crowdfunding project from Mattel for the MOTU Origins line. According to our unofficial Toy Habits poll, the Snake Lair was the front runner by a large margin. Now that San Diego Comic Con 2024 is upon us, we expect the Snake Lair playset to be on full display in the Mattel booth! Like the Eternia crowdfund that graced Mattel’s booth at SDCC 2022, the Snake Lair will make an amazing centerpiece. As we think about the Snake Lair and how crowd funding works, we are turning our attention as we “speculate” on the unlocks and potential price of this exciting playset. We usually have a pulse on what is coming out in the future but call these details based on some intel plus some highly educated guesses.

Tier Unlock Speculation and Price

Given that this is a crowdfunding project, it stands to reason that there will be several tiers to unlock, like in the previous Eternia crowdfund. Although Eternia only saw one tier unlock with the Moat Monster and Keclar and the promise that everyone would receive a King Grayskull at 10K backers was not enough to sweeten the deal to break 10K. Given that Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain were sub $100 US dollars, we feel that this crowdfund could run as high as $200+. We never like to overpay for playsets (or anything for that matter, but we feel this crowdfund could run in the territory of $200 to $250. With sweet unlocks, this playset could be worth that price so so have some ideas that would make this playset worth the price of admission.

Tier 1: High Priest Pythonus

The High Priest would make a logical choice as an unlock for the Snake Lair as he’s been pictured alongside Lady Slither in her card art. He’s also been teased on previous card art but wouldn’t it be amazing to complete the scene we saw on the back of Lady Slither’s box! Like the Baroness and Destro are part of Cobra Commander’s high command in GI Joe, it appears that they are positioning the High Priest (and the red Snake Man) as part of Lady Slither’s high command.

Since Axel Gimenez and Leonardo Vega designed and illustrated a plethora of Snake Men for Lady Slither to command, the concepts never made into plastic form and while most of them remain un-produced to this day, the deep cut Snake Men are slowly making their way to the MOTU Origins line. Since the High Priest has been teased on two official MOTU Origins packaging, we are sure that one is in the works. Until that day when the High Priest is officially announced, we are featuring the amazing work of Mega Customx, who has created the most STUNNING High Priest Pythonus figure in MOTU Origins form! This figure captures the essence of what Axel Gimenez intended for the concept and Mega Customx delivered with his detailed texturing, paint app, weapons, and accessories for this killer concept.

This figure is amazing from head to toe! First, the headwear mirrors the more recent card art teases and Mega Customx nailed the exact color orange we would expect from the concept illustrations. Around the back of the piece, there is a red and blue paint app that looks meticulously applied! The blue snake collar, also referenced in the concept art and illustrations, is spot on!

In this photo, we can see the up close and personal attention to detail Mega Customx poured into this figure! The snake texturing on the face is sculpted to perfection and the blending of darker green to light green ads depth and dimension to the face sculpt. The black outline on the lips compliments the appearance of real snake skin with his closed mouse sculpt. The bone scepter came out amazing and the way it was painted looks like it was created from an actual living being! The color of the scepter is also the exact color of bone, adding to the realism of the figure.

The loin cloth is also highly detailed and resembles the illustrations from the most recent card art teases. The figure looks amazing clutching the bone scepter and the snake staff. The additional spell casting hand adds so much displayability to the figure and you can change up the look for your shelf!

About Mega Customx

There are plenty of ways to keep up with the lastest customs from Mega Customx:

• Patreon
• Cults3D
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Website

High Priest Pythonus Teases

High Priest Pythonus has beened teased twice on MOTU Origins card art. The first tease was on the Moss Man deluxe box. The rear of the packaging of the MOTU Origins Deluxe Moss Man is a stunning full color illustration of the entire rear of the package with Moss Man poking out of a ferny bush, fully armored up, mace in hand! He is looking over two new foes. There os a beautiful redish orange Eternian sunset sky in the background. Standing in the distance is the High Priest Pythonus!

Here is a closer look at the High Priest along side the red Snake Man who reuses Lady Slither’s tail.

The second tease as on Lady Slither’s box and here we can see Lady Slither on her throne with the two snakemen High Priest Pythonus and the unnamed Red Snake creature standing by her side. 

Tier 2: Lady Slither’s Throne

The amazing yerco_ub stunned collector’s has he revealed his Lady Slither’s Throne MOTU Origins Concept! He recently released the digital blueprints for a Masterverse version of Hordak’s Throne and and he’s also created the blueprints for the Filmation Attak Trak (v1 and v2), the Small Trak, Horde Command Crawler, Doom Tower,  Eternos Palace, Gigantisaur, Gwildor’s Forge, and Sharella’s weapon set. The inspiration for his latest creation, Lady Slither’s Throne, was taken from the Vypor Cardback art illustration. Roy released another update to the MOTU Origins Vypor illustration, which shows the full sketch! We can clearly see Eldor on his knees in front of Vypor. We also get a better look at the other new Snake Men in the scene, along with Lady Slither and her throne.

Lady Slither’s Throne

The Throne features an amazing snake motif, complete with snake fountains! As yerco, explains, “One of the most beautiful things in life is giving life. Some have children; others, ideas. Ideas that transcend mere memories to become feelings that surpass the mere notion of a concept, turning into events and disruptions that impact many. The Snakemen had a peculiar reputation: each time they appeared, the MotU lines would perish, as if foretelling an end. However, today is different; today, almost all have been reborn and more will soon emerge, along with many new stories and the lair they so richly deserve. For me, Lady Slither was that dragonfly in the sea, a tiny living creature amidst vastness, which marked the beginning of ongoing growth.Thank you very much, @axel.gimenez , for these new figures.”

The Throne is made up of several pieces you can 3D print and put together. This will make an amazing companion peice to the Snake Lair Crowdfund, which we expect to see at Comic Con 2024.

Looking at this from an angle, you can see the details of the snake fountains as they pour out snake venom from their mouths.

Yerco also photos of the 3D printed throne at it looks outstanding! The throne looks like it is an ancient piece that Lady Slither commissioned as the paint app and washing look like real stone.

Since this is a 3D custom print, you are free to choose how you paint and decorate it to fit in with how you view the world of the Snake Men.

And what does Lady Slither have in her hand? It is none other than the Medallion of Serpos, another one of Yerco’s creations and nods to the Masters of the Universe. Originally specked out as an accessory for the MOTU Classics Vypor figure, the Medallion of Serpos is powerful a Snake Men artifact. It take’s it’s name from the ancient snake god Serpos. In the Leviathan’s War mini comic, Lord Gr’Asp uses the Medallion of Serpos, from atop Snake Mountain, to open a portal so that Lady Slither’s fleet can invade Eternia. But after the betrayal of Reptilax, Snake Armor Skeletor steals the medallion and uses it to destroy the fleet. Terroar appears to destroy the medallion with his sonic blast.

The Origins of Lady Slither

Axel Gimenez shared the inspiration for not only Lady Slither, but the Snake Lair itself! Lady Slither! Axel said on his Instagram post, “Ten years ago, while I was working on the art of the minicomic #5 of the Classics line, the first idea for the Snake Lair was to reuse the concept from the vintage line of the unproduced Treehouse playset, but I quickly discarded that option to make the design more related to the Snake Men. That is why the main aspect is the adaptation of that faction’s logo to the facade of the fortress.?”

Tier 3: Sharella

We don’t have any intel or info for a Tier 3 unlock but we feel that Sharella would make an amazing unlock! Since Sharella has been teased multiple times on Masters of the Universe Origins box art and card art, we do believe that she will be making an appearance in line! In fact, she is one of the original teases on Megator’s box art from the cancelled Powers of Grayskull line so it’s been a long time coming for her to make it figure form! Since Sharella has been teased on multiple box and card arts from the MOTU Origins line, including her latest appearances on the Eternia Box Art and Terroar’s MOTU Origins card art, we are hoping this seals the deal for Sharella to make it in the MOTU Origins line.

Sharella was originally conceived to part a heroic character in the mostly unproduced Powers of Grayskull line of 1987. She was seen on the box art for the Megator package running in the background. She was thought to have come with a Sword, bow, and quiver with arrows. Unfortunately for all of us, she was never produced as a figure in the 1987 Powers of Grayskull line but her illustration from the talented Axel Gimenez lives on as a concept that was meant for the Masters of the Universe Classics line!

Hot off the heels of the Lord Gr’asp official card art reveal comes Terroar’s turn! The Shapeshifter with a Sinister Shriek is in the spotlight today as Roy Juarez and team revealed the official digital high rez images for Terroar! There are two teases that are front and center, which include Sharella and Turbodactyl, who have been previously teased on card art before. With the recent confirmation that Strobo and Plasmar will be joining the MOTU Origins line, the Powers of Grayskull figure lineup is looking mighty impressive! As a reminder, Terroar and Lord Gr’asp will be going up for preorder during the Walmart Collector Con March 2024 edition so don’t miss out!

Roy Juarez and team are on ?, with an announcement on Instrgram that reads: “Terroar, the shapeshifter with a sinister shriek! The Snake Men’s alien ally renders his enemies helpless with a deafening sonic roar.”

The usual suspects for Origins:
Packaging Design & Art Direction @manuel_eduardo_caritas
Artwork @axel.gimenez@david_de_la_cal_alonso
Toy Design @katanarama333
Packaging Engineer @lpukhrambam
Story @joshuaskywriter
Copywriter @yesreallyrob

The shriek is nicely illustrated as Terroar sends a soundwave to Sharella as she sets an arrow in her bow. Terroa’s card back art features him battling against Sharella riding Turbodactyl, with a very different Castle Grayskull in the background. It could be that this is taking place in pre-Eternia and the Castle was much newer and less battle worn back in those days. These teases of Sharella and Turbodactyl will be covered below.

You can see all of the details that were poured into Terror as well as Sharella and Turbodactyl!

Sharella has appeared several times on packages, card backs and mini comics. Here on Terroar’s card back she is riding on Turbodactyl ready to go to battle with Terroar! This is yet another tease for her figure!

We previously just saw Sharella spotted on the top of central tower on the Eternia Playset box. She can be seen with her bow and arrow pointed at poor Grizzlor who is climbing the ladder up the Central Tower.

Sharella is actually the Goddess. According to MOTU Lore and as written on the character bio for MOTU Classics, the Goddess’s real name is Sharella. But who really is Sharella and where did she come from?

According to the MOTU Classics Goddess Bio:

After the death of King Grayskull, the Power of the Universe was transferred from the Sword of He to the Council of Elders who hid it deep within his castle. Knowing the full sword was the key to channeling the power, they split it in two to prevent it from falling into the hands of evil. For five centuries they waited for a worthy heir to be born. During this time their spirit guide, the creature known as “The Goddess” of Etheria, trained secret heroic guardian to keep the two halves of the sword separated. Many of these brave warriors took the name “He-Man” in honor of the sword they protected giving birth to many different legends of the protector of Eternia.

According WikiGrayskull:

The Masters of the Universe Classics toy line has combined elements from all previous continuities, and as such has restored the Goddess to a position of importance in Eternian history. According to the biographies printed on the toys, the Goddess is Sharella, a spirit guide who consulted the Council of Elders between the death of King Grayskull and the lifetime of Prince Adam some 500 years later. During this time the Goddess trained “secret heroic guardians” such as Vikor, Wun-Dar, and Oo-Larr to protect the two halves of Grayskull’s “Sword of He” until a worthy heir emerged. The Classics storyline has yet to present any information about her activities during the present day, or her relationship (if any) with the Sorceress, Teela, and Prince Adam.

Goddess | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom

Sharella was originally conceived to part a heroic character in the mostly unproduced Powers of Grayskull line of 1987. She was seen on the box art for the Megator package running in the background. She was thought to have come with a Sword, bow, and quiver with arrows. Unfortunately for all of us, she was never produced as a figure in the 1987 Powers of Grayskull line.

Unfortunately, Sharella has never been an officially produced action figure, but if the Origins line makes a figure of her, they are going way deep into MOTU lore, and that is super exciting! Here we can see a custom by Hunter Knight. Created by using a Battleground Teela figure with a sculpted top and also re-sculpted lower arms. Her quiver was donated from a Young Justice Artemis action figure with new sculpted details and her bow is a cast from a Legolas figure with additional details, HKC did a magnificent job! So, this give you a little bit of an idea of what Sharella might look like in action figure form! So you could imagine Mattel using a Teela Origins buck as a basis for this figure.

Starring on the Wun-Dar comic card back art and in the packed in mini comic “Lost Legend”. In the mini comic, Wun-Dar also refers to Sharella as “The Goddess”. Sharella seems to be a pivitol character in the story. On the Comic Cardback art, we can see Sharella whelding a bow and arrow coming to Wun-Dar’s rescue, as he battles a storm of evil glowing skeleton warriors.

Snake Lair MOTU Origins Concept

We have no idea what the outside or inside of the Snake Lair looks like but m.t.dioart from Germany created a Snake Lair concept we can use for inspiration before the playset gets revealed at SDCC 2024. The Snake Lair, an un-produced concept from from the MOTU Classics era and is bringing it to life! While he features MOTU Classicis figures in his design, this playset would scale nicely for MOTU Origins and Masterverse (if we get any Snake Men created for that line). Taking the blueprint from the MOTU Classics Lady Slither’s Lair, which was just an image, m.t.dioart uses a combination of MDF, wood, and foam Styrodur to achieve his intended result. He was posted several work in progress images so be sure to check back here for updates as I am sure you are as eager to see the end result as we are!

September 30, 2023 UPDATE: Exclusive Images – Snake Lair Complete

m.t.dioart has finished his Snake Lair masterpiece and shared exclusive images with us! The Snake Lair looks absolutely stunning and it’s amazing to see the final concept come to life! He was also placed MOTU Origins Snake Men in and around the Lair so we can see the scale compared to the figures.

Getting a full view into the inside of the Lair, you can see all of the fin detail m.t.dioart pours into his work! The dungeon came out great and we love the skeleton on the wall!

October 12, 2023: Snake Lair Declared the Winner!

Turns out our unofficial Fan Vote predicted the winner as the Mattel team just announced the winner and it’s the Snake Lair. Coming Spring 2024 as the next Crowdfund project, Lady Slither and her crew will have a place to do their dirty deeds! No other mentions were made as to who took second place but stay tuned for more info!

Here is the announcement from Mattel:

October 11, 2023 UPDATE: Toy Habits Unofficial Fan Vote Results

Thank you to the nearly 3500 fans who voted in our Toy Habits Unofficial Fan Vote! If you still want to participate in our unofficial poll, or read more about it, you can go here: Masters of the Universe Eternia’s Choice Fan Vote Crowdfund.

Based on the nearly 3500 votes, we are calling the Attak Trak and Snake Lair the unofficial winners of Mattel’s Eternia’s Fan Vote!

Snake Lair Playset

First up is the Snake Lair Playset or Lady’s Slither’s Lair as we like to call it. Recently teased on Fang-Or’s card art below, we discussed this one recently as a distinct possibility as it made the most sense as a new playset to be released since Mattel was going heavy on the Rise of the Snakemen this year!

Lady Slither’s Lair was teased recently on Fang-Or’s card back art. Along with the announcement of the Fang-Or, Mattel provide some very juicy details for us to chew and stew on. As Mattel (we think this might be Roy Juarez speaking) was describing the packaging and art direction for for Fang-Or, and said “When it’s revealed, you will see a direct connection to Preternia. We’ll focus on a lush swamp background, and in the middle of it you’ll be able to see Lady Slither’s Snake Lair…The artwork teases potential upcoming figure reveals and a very cool easter-egg I had to include in the card back artwork.” Fans will notice that the Snake Lair is surrounded by a moat and a creature. The moat pays homage to The Castle Moat playmate that Mark Taylor originally envisioned, and the sea creature is one of the creatures illustrated in The Castle Moat. This concept was held over from the MOTU Classics line but would make an amazing MOTU Origins playset!

So of course when we did get Fang-Or’s card art, the back of the card featured an amazing scene with Fang-Or pouncing on an unsuspecting He-Ro with Lady Slither (and her Lair) in the background! It’s amazing to think we could get a He-Ro figure for MOTU Origins and a scaled down Lady Slither’s Lair, which are teased quite prominently by the card art.

Looking at the art close up, Roy brings out so much emotion and action in this illustration! The fiery oranges and greens play nicely off each to create an epic scene.

Below is a close up of Lady Slither’s Lair on the card back and a concept that was done for the MOTU Classics line.

New Masterverse Figures

We’ve heard from an anonymous source that Evil-Lyn, Flying Fist He-Man, and Fisto Coming to the New Eternia Masterverse subline. With the release of New Eternia Thunder Punch He-Man and the reveal of New Eternia Battle Armor Skeletor, it appears that Mattel is positioning the New Eternia subline as an updated Masters of the Universe Classics line. There is also a mystery army builder that could be making it into the line so we also speculate as to who this might be. We are not sure how these figures fit into the line but with the Masterverse Wave 14 assortment revealed, Evil-Lyn, Flying Fists He-Man, & Fisto could be the next figure assortment for Masterverse wave 15.

Flying Fists He-Man

Flying Fist He-Man is a natural progression for the next Masterverse version of He-Man after Thunder Punch He-Man we got in Wave 13. The MOTU Classics Flying Fist He-Man that came out in the line in 2015 packed with Terror Claws Skeletor would be the closest version to what we might see in the Masterverse line.

Flying Fist He-Man was first released by Mattel in 1986. It was released on a large deluxe style card back. He had a flying fist action feature that was activated by rotating his waist and it caused his arms to move up and down which in turn made his 3 headed spinning mace go wildly spinning with an awesome Flying Fist move! He came with shiny vac metal chest armor that was part of his entire torso sculpt. This in turn made it that his neck then needed to be painted flesh colored. He-Man had a large red “H” on his chest and gold trim at his shoulders and waist. He had red wrists bracers and a red belt, with brown loin cloth and white topped brown boots. Pictured below is a carded Flying Fist He-Man, and the Toy Sorceress’s loose Flying Fist He-Man from her personal collection.

Skeletor gets angry and blasts them with magical energy, then decides that rather than wait for He-Man, he will blast the jawbridge himself. While doing this, he forgets about Adam, who transforms into He-Man, still manacled, but then uses the flying fists to break the manacles. When Skeletor sees He-Man, he tries to blast him, but He-Man uses his spinning shield to reflect the blast against Skeletor, who escapes promising he will return with his own new power to oppose the Flying Fists.

When the Heroic Warriors ask what happened to Adam, He-Man tells he freed him. They apologize for not fighting back Skeletor because he had Adam, but He-Man reassures them that they did the right thing.

The Flying Fists of Power! | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom

His next release came in the MOTU Classics line in 2015. He came packed in a two pack with Terror Claws Skeletor. This used the basic He-Man design, and he came with a painted silver chest armor, which was a disappointment because they did not make it vac metal like the vintage figure. Also, he did not have any flying fist action feature. This version would be the closest version to what we might see in the Masterverse line.

And finally, the latest released of Flying Fist He-Man came in 2022, in the MOTU Origins line. This version was an absolutely stunning homage to the original 1985 vintage figure, complete with his shiny vac-metal armor, He-man swings with awesome might! You can check out the full figure review at Master of the Universe Origins Flying Fist He-Man Hands On Review.

Fisto

Fisto was depicted as a powerful warrior and ally of He-Man. He was known for his immense strength and his unique cybernetic right hand, which had a large metal fist. Fisto was often portrayed as courageous, noble, and fiercely loyal to the cause of defending Eternia against the forces of evil. Fisto possessed incredible physical strength, which he utilized in battles against Skeletor and his minions. His cybernetic fist provided him with enhanced punching power, allowing him to deliver devastating blows. Fisto’s strength also extended to his non-cybernetic arm, making him a formidable hand-to-hand combatant.

In the Masters of the Universe Classics line, Fisto was given a larger than life sword that paid homage to his large fist. He also came with his classic sword that was a repaint of the sword that came with Tri-Klops. in the MOTU Classics lore, his bio reads, “The older brother of Duncan, Randor’s first Man-At-Arms, Malcom served under King Miro during the Great Unrest, but was wounded in battle and stricken with magical amnesia. Wandering through Eternia, he settled in the Mystic Mountains in a mining settlement unable to piece together how he lost his battalion. His life changed when the Snake Men attacked his town and he helped save the Masters of the Universe from their trap. But in doing so, Malcom shattered his right hand. In gratitude, Duncan replaced it with a robotic strong arm. Now known as Fisto, he has made up with his brother and fights as a heroic member of the Masters of the Universe, smashing evil with his giant knuckles!”

Evil-Lyn

This would make the fourth Evil-Lyn in the Masterverse line and we are guessing that this New Eternia version is figure everyone has been waiting for. Although her Masters of the Universe Revelation figure had some promise at showing us a classic Lyn, the figure design was based too much on her cartoon appearance. The next two Evil-Lyn figure were also from the Masters of the Universe Revelation line so it’s exciting to see a proper Evil-Lyn that pays homage to her classic. Speaking of which, it appears that the Masterverse line is also including teases of future figures and this illustration on the side of the Skeletor and Bone Throne set shows Evil-Lyn with Screeech on a perch.

It would be amazing if Evil-Lyn came packed with Screeech as it would pay homage to how she was packed in the MOTU Classics line!

Here is an image of Evil-Lyn and Screeech and if they were released as a two-pack, it would make the first figure/creature set in the Masterverse line.

Raised alone by her father in the ruins of Zalesia, Evelyn left her home in a fit of teenage rebellion. Taking the name Evil-Lyn, she travelled Eternia learning from many of its great masters the ways of magic and the dark arts. While searching for new ways to increase her power, she met and fell in love with an ambitious alchemist named Keldor, and agreed to join his cause. After Keldor was transformed into Skeletor, he lost all emotional attachments to Evil-Lyn, and she began to scheme against him. In a series of miscalculations, she helped release both King Hssss and Hordak from their inter-dimensional prisons. Evil-Lyn uses her crystal ball to foresee the evil future!

Mystery Army Builder Speculation

1987 Movie Dark Trooper

There are not many army builders to choose from in the Masters of the Universe but we can draw some inspiration from the latest tease from the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie Beast Man box art. In addition to Blade being teased, you can also see one of Skeletor’s dark troopers lurking in the background. With movie Evil-Lyn and Beast Man making it into the Masterverse line,. it’s not far fetched that a Dark Trooper army builder would be coming as well!

In addition, the rear box art of Evil-Lyn’s movie figure shows Skeletor’s Dark Trooper army with Skeletor looking on!

A closer look at the art shows the stunning detail that was poured into the art, which creates a beautiful cosmic battle scene.

New Eternia Masterverse Horde Trooper

The one and only Roy Juarez posted official images of the Mattel Creations Exclusive Masterverse New Eternia Horde Trooper, and he looks incredible! During Mattel’s Mattel Revealed event live stream, they highlighted 3 new figures that are coming to the Masterverse and MOTU Origins lines! The figures included Geldor and Demo-Man for the MOTU Origins line and a larger than life Masterverse New Eternia Horde Trooper! Now we have the Masterverse New Eternia Horde Trooper Official Package Reveal, so let’s check it out!

From the package art, we see the New Eternia Horde Trooper drawing from the concept art! The Horde Troopers are foot soldiers of the Horde Empire. The front of the artwork features an army of Palace Guards going up against an army of Horde Troopers. We can see both Wind Raiders and Sky Sleds going against some sort of Horde flying vehicles in the air! Although each trooper is individually unremarkable, in large numbers they are used to great effect in the occupation of Etheria by Hordak. In the rear artwork, we are finally putting a “face” to the name as it looks like the Horde Trooper will be getting an alien-type head.

Masterverse New Eternia Horde Trooper Reveal

We knew this figure was coming but did not except to be revealed but we are so thrilled he made an appearance! Like Geldor, they showed off a slide that outlines the concept and what parts are removable.

They also showed some of the box art, which was very cool to see!

Vast armies of Horde Troopers were also used during the Horde’s failed invasion of Eternia. The early Horde Trooper concepts look nothing like the vintage toy. As the Battle Ram Blog states, “As Mattel and Filmation worked very closely on the She-Ra series and its characters and concepts, the Horde Trooper concept is a no-brainer. An army for the main villain in the series, as well as a collect-your-own-army idea from toy marketing POV. In the script and concept, as well as the storyboard for Into Etheria, we get a look at an early design, which gives the characters a heavily-armored and barbaric look. It’s clear that these troopers (or Hordesmen) are organic beings. One is human with a scar on his face, another is reptilian, and the third is a hawk hordesman.”

The Masterverse Horde Trooper is one beefy boy! He’s just the right girth and will make a huge presence on your shelf!