After 44 Years, We Finally Know Why He-Man Has “The Power of Grayskull”

Like so many children of the ’80s, I grew up with a deep and abiding love for Masters of the Universe. It’s always amusing to remember that this epic sword-and-sorcery franchise turned into a TV series largely as an extended advert for the toy line, but the original show ran for two years and released a staggering 130 episodes. There was an undeniable sense of wish-fulfillment around the idea the weak and reserved Prince Adam could raise a sword, utter a single sentence, and transform into the most powerful man in the universe.

In-universe, He-Man is famous for a single phrase; “By the power of Grayskull!” He was the champion of Castle Grayskull, a vast reservoir of mystical power that he defended against the forces of Skeletor, Hordak, King Hiss, and so many others. But in the back of my mind, I’ve always wondered one thing about He-Man’s powers and the history of Grayskull; why is it called “Grayskull” in the first place?

The True Origin of Grayskull Has Finally Been Revealed

Tim Seeley, Andrew Dalhouse, and Freddie E. Williams II’s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Sword of Flaws #3 explores the secret history of He-Man. A mysterious new Power Sword has been discovered in the Cairn of Pantheons mountain range, and He-Man and Skeletor are racing to get to it first. Meanwhile, the Sorceress and Orko are carrying out a mission of their own, traveling back to the ancient history of Eternia to try to figure out where this Power Sword has come from. Their journey takes them back to a vision of the founding of Grayskull itself.

This is the best look we’ve ever had of “Preternia,” Eternia’s ancient past, a time when the world’s leaders – known as the Quadrant of Powers – would gather to conduct their affairs. Faced with concerns that technology would replace magic, the sorcerers of that time came up with a proposal. Eldor, keeper of the Book of Living Spells and practitioner of the Magic of Light, commissioned an early scientist and engineer named Gray to commission the creation of a keep. “An impenetrable fortress to contain all the great magical knowledge of our ancestors inside its rather handsome skull,” Eldor explained to the Quadrant of Powers.

The four powers of Preternia all supported this proposal, and so Castle Grayskull was constructed. But all Gray’s plans changed because of the betrayal of the Snake Men, who recognized that they could claim all the power of Gray’s Skull as their own. We already know the result, the “Great Wars” between the forces of Gray’s Skull and the Snake Men, leading to the destruction of most historical records. Gray himself looks remarkably like He-Ro, the first to wield the power of Gray’s Skull, who vanquished the Snake Men.

The Sword of Flaws Was a Failsafe for the Power of Gray’s Skull

The purple Sword, known as the Sword of Flaws, was essentially designed as a failsafe for the power of Gray’s Skull. Gray understood that magic is always more powerful than science, and he feared the potential for doom if all the power of magic was concentrated in a single location. “The power of all magical knowledge in history is immense,” he explained. “Used kindly, it can help all life in the universe to flourish. Used cruelly — it can dominate.” The Sword of Flaws, whose powers are still yet to be revealed, was his solution to the threat Gray’s Skull poses.

There is an intense irony, then, in the fact the purple Power Sword is associated primarily with Skeletor. He is the one who has consistently sought to capture the power of Gray’s Skull and use it for evil ends, and he is using a weapon that was literally created to stop someone like him achieving his goals. Whatever the powers of the Sword of Flaws may be, they are powers he should have no claim to. He has taken the failsafe to Gray’s Skull, twisting it into a terrifying weapon against the Masters of the Universe.

It will be fascinating to see how The Sword of Flaws plays out. One thing is certain, though; already smart writing has finally given an answer to a question that’s hovered over the franchise since my childhood. We finally know why He-Man wields the power of Grayskull – because it is literally the power of Gray’s Skull, the skull-building constructed by a man named Gray, one of the first engineers and scientists in Preternia.

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