MOTUC Bio Discussion #53 > Icarius

March 22, 2012 | Poe

Inspired by He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, welcome to PGPoA’s latest MOTUC Bio Discussion!

Icarius Bio

Real Name: TC Icarius Kaz

A great pilot from the cloud city of Levitan on planet Primus, Icarius is equipped and ready to “flip” into battle at a moment’s notice. After his 18th birthday, he left home to join the Galactic Protectors. Rising to the rank of Lieutenant, Icarius traveled with Captain Hydron on his quest to find the legendary twin warriors prophesied to defeat the Horde Empire. Arriving on the distant planet Eternia shortly after the end of the Second Ultimate Battleground, they recruited not only He-Man and She-Ra, but several other Masters of the Universe who were eager to pursue Skeletor to the stars. Nicknamed “Flipshot,” Icarius utilizes a battle helmet, back mounted jet pack and concussion grenade wrist rockets in battle against Skeletor and his new Space Mutant army.

At least this bio does give us a little background on Icarius himself (the “TC” in his name is a tribute to former MOTUC project manager TC Chen, who worked on both the 1980s Icarius/Flipshot and the MOTUC version). Not a lot of background, but we know he’s a pilot, that he’s from Levitan on Primus, that he’s a lieutenant and that he’s nicknamed “Flipshot” (a reference to his 1980s American toy name; the toy was called Icarius on international packaging because “Flipshot” was too difficult to translate effectively).

Of all the various MOTU iterations awkwardly jammed into the MOTUC storyline, none seem quite as contrived to me as the New Adventures stuff. As I recall, Skeletor defeats Hordak and immediately takes off into space to take over the Horde Empire and conquer the galaxy. Enter the Galactic Protectors, who recruit He-Man, She-Ra and other Heroic Warriors to fight the Skeletor-led Horde. If you’re trying to figure out how the MOTUC timeline works out, this thread on He-Man.org does the job as thoroughly as possible right now.

I wonder if Icarius ever sailed the seas of cheese.

MOTUC Bio Discussion #52 > Hurricane Hordak

March 20, 2012 | Poe

Inspired by He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, welcome to PGPoA’s latest MOTUC Bio Discussion!

Hurricane Hordak Bio
Real Name: Hec-Tor Kurâ„¢

After being released from exile in Despondosâ„¢ by Evil-Lyn, Hordak returned to Eternia with his ageless army to once again claim its hidden magical properties for his own. Finding his former pupil Skeletor on the throne following the apparent “death” of King Randorâ„¢, Hordak upgraded his armor with a Hurricane Blaster which he used to challenge the Evil Lord of Destructionâ„¢ and drive the Snake Menâ„¢ back into hibernation. After ripping through the walls of Snake Mountainâ„¢, Hurricane Hordak casts off his battle shield and advances on Skeletor whirling his thunderball mace!

This bio spends more time moving the story along than explaining the figure itself. That’s not as big a deal in this case, since the figure’s just an alternate guise of Hordak.

I’m a bit confused, though; Hordak returns from Despondos to find Randor gone and Skeletor on the throne of Eternia, so he upgrades his armor and challenges Skeletor while “driving the Snake Men back into hibernation.” How do the Snake Men figure into this? Has Skeletor defeated King Hssss and is ruling the Snake Men at this point?

If I had written this bio, I would have tried to give a little back story to the Hurricane Blaster. How did he make it? Where did it come from? Did he sacrifice anything for it? As it stands now, all we know is he “upgraded” is armor – which I do all the time in Mass Effect 3 by pressing “A.” So maybe that’s how he did it.

MOTUC Bio Discussion #51 > Leech

March 8, 2012 | Poe

Inspired by He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, welcome to PGPoA’s latest MOTUC Bio Discussion!

Leech

Real Name: K’ull’leusshhhh

A Slebetor Slug-man from deep in the Lake of Gnarl, Leech was called from the depths by a magic spell of Hordak to bolster his forces against King Grayskull and the Snake Men during the Great Wars. Mindwiped by Hordak’s lead witch, Leech became a loyal member of his Horde Army, using his magically enhanced energy-draining powers to suck enemies of their strength. He later played a key role in the Horde’s fight against the Great Rebellion after Hordak claimed Etheria as a new homeworld during their banishment in Despondos. When called upon in battle, Leech sucks the power from his enemies!

For the most part, this is a fairly standard bio. Yes, the real name is ridiculous as usual, and I was unable to find an earlier source for “Slebetor,” so that may be new. The rest of the story (Despondos, the Rebellion, etc.) has already been pretty well established as MOTUC history.

The only serious point of contention here is why in Nyarlathotep’s name they felt the need to “mindwipe” Leech (or for that matter, summon him from the depths via a magic spell instead of just recruiting him). This is the second time we’ve seen this, the first being Grizzlor (and Adora may have been at least partly brainwashed, although I’m not sure if it’s been explicitly stated in MOTUC canon). Is Hordak so uncharismatic a leader that his every follower has to be either brainwashed or is actively plotting against him?

More importantly, why was it even necessary to use this hoary plot device again at all? Now we have to wonder if Leech is a relatively peaceful fellow who’s been pressed into service against his will. Like Grizzlor and Adora (and perhaps Keldor), Leech is now arguably a victim as much as he’s a villain. Skeletor doesn’t seem to have this problem – his followers may be ambitious (Evil-lyn), argumentative (Tri-Klops), or dumb as rocks (pretty much everyone else), but they’re genuine bad guys.

I want to think the odd fact of both Grizzlor and Leech being brainwashed will play into the plot later on – e.g., the brainwashing is somehow reversed and the two turn on Hordak – but I’m afraid I doubt we’ll get a payoff like that.

Enhanced by Zemanta

MOTUC Bio Discussion #50 > Megator

March 6, 2012 | Poe

Inspired by He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, welcome to PGPoA’s latest MOTUC Bio Discussion!

Megator

Real Name: Moleb the Demolisher

An Eternian giant in service to Hordak, Megator led Hordak’s troops in battle during the Great Wars. He was recruited to help booster the Horde’s ranks after Tytus and several other giants from the Mountains of Perpetua allied themselves with King Grayskull. Megator was killed during the First Ultimate Battleground, caught in the iron jaws of Central Tower when the Three Towers were enchanted to sink into Sub-Ternia. His remains were discovered millennia later by King Hssss who magically reanimated him into a mindless zombie. He served King Hssss and fought against Hordak and the Masters of the Universe in the Second Ultimate Battleground – once again dying on the battlefield.

Not a whole lot to comment on here. We don’t really get a lot of back story to Megator, other than he was an “Eternian giant in service to Hordak.” The story of his reanimation explains the extra zombie head that came with the Megator toy, and allows Megator to exist in the “current” time period of He-Man.

I would have liked more on Megator’s origin, and perhaps his powers or abilities (if he has any other than “giant-strength”), but apparently it was more important to tell the MOTUC story.

I find it interesting when they give characters whose names are already fairly normal-sounding a “real name.” It’s not like he had a codename, like Buzz-Off or Trap Jaw. “Megator” doesn’t mean anything. And “Moleb the Demolisher” sounds like a wrestler with some sort of Old Testament gimmick.

MOTUC Bio Discussion #45 > The Faceless One

February 1, 2012 | Poe

Inspired by He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, welcome to PGPoA’s latest MOTUC Bio Discussion!

The Faceless One Bio

Real Name: Nikolas Powers

As the ruler of Zalesia, Nikolas Powers was entrusted by King Grayskull to guard the city’s great magical objects – the Havoc Staff and the mystical Ram Stone. Powers was a core member of Grayskull’s Council Of Elders, great mages from across Eternia who had the wisdom to tap into the planet’s hidden magical secrets. But by marrying and having a daughter, he broke the Elder’s treaty with King Hssss to not produce any heirs. Powers was stripped of his humanity, condemned to never leave Zalesia and forced to watch his beloved city destroyed by Serpos. Now called “The Faceless One,” he asked the wizard-warrior He-Ro to use the power of Central Tower to send his daughter Evelyn into the future. There, with his immortality, he hoped to raise her away from the terror of the Great Wars.

In this one biographical sketch, we get far, far more than we ever got about the character from the cartoon. In fact, it strips him entirely of his mystery, even giving him a first and last name (“Nikolas” is most likely a reference to Nicolas Flamel, reputed researcher of the Philosopher’s stone who became much better known thanks to Harry Potter–the Philosopher’s Stone being analogous to the Ram Stone).

I find this bio more interesting for what it leaves out. We were at one point promised an origin for the Havoc Staff–a mystery I wouldn’t mind being explained–but this isn’t it; the Havoc Staff and Ram Stone evidently predate the Faceless One. All the stuff about King Hsss and Powers being a member of the Council of Elders comes from the third volume of the MV Creations Millennium-era comics (which, sadly, I’ve never read, and have never been collected).

Ultimately this bio doesn’t make me any more excited for what was possibly my least favorite MOTUC figure of 2011. I really wish he’d been somehow involved in the creation of the Havoc Staff–it would have added a lot of value to the character for me.

MOTUC Bio Discussion #44 > Catra

October 28, 2011 | Poe

Inspired by He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, welcome to PGPoA’s latest MOTUC Bio Discussion!

Catra

Real Name: C’yra of D’riluth III

A disputed monarch from the Tri Solar System, C’yra joined the Horde Empire and was given a magical mask which granted her secret powers such as the ability to transform into a panther. She traveled with Horde Commander Kur to Eternia on his mission to ensure He-Ro was destroyed. There, along with the rest of the Horde army, she was caught up in the Great Wars and eventually banished to Despondos by King Grayskull. She remained with her leader throughout their banishment and was eventually promoted to Force Captain after Hordak’s step-daughter betrayed the Horde to the Etherian Rebellion. Catra’s jealousy of She-Ra has become her greatest weakness.

Portrait art source: Original toy packaging

I’m the first to admit I’m very unfamiliar with most of the Princess of Power characters. Even when I became obsessed with MOTU during the 200X era, I never dug too deep into the POP fiction. So I actually had to visit Catra’s Wiki Grayskull page to find out what in this bio has any relation to her cartoon depiction.

Turns out it’s pretty close. In fact, her bio arguably fits with both her Filmation portrayal and the 200X depiction of the Horde (i.e., getting sucked into Despondos), which is a nice touch.

There’s nothing new here and not much to comment on, except the usual bizarre real name. This one reads like it’s from a 1930s Buck Rogers story, with apostrophes to make it exotic.