Masters of the Universe has brought its epic fantasy universe to the big screen once more, and the film fully embraces the fantastical aspects of the franchise. The film’s characters feel like they stepped out of the cartoon, and there is no shortage of easter eggs and homages throughout as well. The film also finally fixes a 40-year-old injustice that fans couldn’t forgive the first time around, and this time they knocked it out of the park.
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If you stuck around for the first of three post-credits scenes, you were greeted by the Masters of the Universe favorite Orko, and he looked fantastic. Like so many of the other characters in the film, Orko feels as if he jumped right out of the animated series, and not only was the design perfect, but so was his overall demeanor and tone. This is a far cry from what happened in the last Masters of the Universe movie, which replaced Orko with a new character named Gwildor. Suffice it to say that Gwildor didn’t go over nearly as well as Orko, but Orko has finally gotten his overdue spotlight.
Why Didn’t Orko Make It Into The First Masters of the Universe Movie?
Orko is finally on the big screen, and though it’s just a cameo appearance, it’s still a huge win for fans of the character. Orko has been a fan favorite through every iteration of the franchise over the years, so you can imagine that it was incredibly disappointing to find out that Orko wouldn’t be featured in the 1987 film.
As for the reason why, it came down to issues in getting Orko’s design to work in live action. Orko was initially planned for the 1987 film, but the design carried too many complications for the studio to make it work on the film’s smaller budget, which was around $22 million. The new film went all CG for the Orko design, which is likely the best way to make him work onscreen, but that wasn’t really in the cards for the previous film.
Instead, the film created an original character to fill the comic relief aspect of the film, and that character was named Gwildor. Gwildor was played by Billy Barty, and though he accidentally causes chaos thanks to being tricked by Skeletor and Evil-Lyn, he is a good-natured character who helps He-Man and the other heroes set things right and defeat Skeletor’s forces. Gwildor is in charge of the Cosmic Key, and after the film was released, he would make his debut in the toyline as well.
Gwildor would also make a return to the franchise in Masters of the Universe: Revolution, but Orko was also present for the series, and he’s continued to be the more popular sidekick character for He-Man’s team of heroes. Now he’s finally getting his time on the big screen, and if a sequel does happen down the road, he will likely get an even more prominent role.
Masters of the Universe is in theaters now.
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