The new Masters of the Universe movie marks the arrival of something that Hollywood has been trying to make happen for decades: a proper reboot of the iconic ’80s property. In the time since the 1987 adaptation of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, the series has gone through ebbs and flows of reboots on television, but almost every attempt to revive it for the big screen has gone nowhere until now. Travis Knight’s revival of Masters of the Universe has finally arrived, with an adaptation that brings some of the classic characters to life after years of trying, and with it a surprise cameo. Spoilers follow.
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In an age of superhero movies and reboots, it’s become incredibly common for multiple actors to play the same characters. Batman, for example, has been played by four different actors in movies since 2005 (Bale, Affleck, Keaton, and Pattinson). But He-Man has only ever been one actor to date, with Dolph Lundgren taking on the title role for the 1987 film. As a result, the new He-Man, Nicholas Galitzine, joins a very exclusive club in Hollywood, and the Masters of the Universe movie takes this moment very seriously, with Dolph appearing in the film.
Masters of the Universe’s Dolph Lundgren Cameo Is More Than Fan Service
Central to the plot of the new Masters of the Universe is that Nicholas Galitzine’s Adam has been stranded on Earth for fifteen years, having been sent there and losing the Power Sword along the way. As a result, he gets trapped in the mundanity of regular human life, like working a day job and going to the gym. This is where one of the best moments in the movie occurs, with Galitzine’s Adam picking up some free weights, only for a character credited only as “Macho-Man” to tell him that he’s in his spot.
Macho-Man is, of course, played by Dolph Lundgren, and his line is a meta-reference to the fact that for decades he has been He-Man in the minds of many, and now, Galitzine is “in his spot.” The scene carries on from there, with Galitzine asking him if he “has any advice for the new guy,” referring in context to being a newcomer to the gym, but which carries the double meaning of being the new He-Man as well. Lundgren’s Macho-Man then gives him some sound advice, not only practically for life, but for an actor becoming an iconic character, telling him not to worry about what’s out front, but to focus on himself and those around him.
As Lundgren’s Macho-Man gives him a nod and prepares to exit the scene, he offers him a two-word farewell, “Good journey.” Fans of the 1987 movie will immediately recognize this from that film, which Teela and Duncan note as being an old Eternian saying. The impact of Lundgren’s cameo isn’t just in that sequence, though, coming back in a major way later in the film. After being thrown into a jail with his fellow Eternians (and major Masters of the Universe characters), Adam recalls the advice he got at the gym, finding the will inside to back himself and those around him and using it as a pep-talk for his allies to break out of their jail and fight back against Skeletor.
What makes Lundgren’s cameo in Masters of the Universe so distinct is not only the homage paid to the original movie, but the meta awareness of a proper “passing of the torch” to the new star. In truth, these kinds of moments are very rare on the big screen. Actors like Henry Cavill don’t pass the Superman cape over to David Corenswet, but there have been a few.
With Masters of the Universe, though, Lundgren’s appearance works even if you don’t know about his history with the character. The dialogue contributes to the story and Galitzine’s version of Adam in a way that tracks narratively, but also pays tribute to the previous performance of the character. Is it fan service? A little bit, but it also actually has some weight to it and allows for a full narrative loop in the movie itself. By that notion, it’s one of the best choices in the entire film, and a cameo that has more to it than just a wink to the audience.
