Masters of the Universe’s Post-Credit Scenes Confirm Major Sequel Plans

Travis Knight’s Masters of the Universe is now in theaters, ending the 40-year barren period since He-Man was last on the big screen. The movie – released by Amazon Studios and Mattel – is sitting respectably above 70% on RottenTomatoes, and will probably require that positivity to carry through in word of mouth from audiences to help it recoup its significant budget. Whether it deserves a good reception is not up for debate: it’s a very entertaining fantasy epic that feels like a love letter to the original toys and animated series, with an unwavering commitment to satisfying the fans who grew up with the IP. It also changes enough to remain fresh, and has the confidence to set up a sequel in not one but two credits scenes. Warning: From here on, this article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Masters of the Universe.

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The first notable scene isn’t actually a credits scene as much as an immediate stinger after the main story. In it, Orko, the iconic floating magician who was so criminally left out of Dolph Lundgren’s 1987 live-action adaptation, appears, retelling the story of how Prince Adam returned to Eternia. Inevitably, he’s rendered in CG, but his design is basically a perfect live-action version of the original animated version. It’s honestly a bit of a shame that he’s not more heavily involved in the rest of the movie, but there’s already one magical character – Sorceress, and Orko may have been too distracting. Still, it’s a nice bit of fan service. Now, on to Masters of the Universe‘s mid-credits and post-credits scenes.

Masters of the Universe’s Mid-Credits Scene Reveals She-Ra

She may not be part of the main cast – which makes sense, given this is Adam’s story – but She-Ra, the Princess of Power, appears in the mid-credits scene. Her mother, Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley), sets up the scene, saying to Man-at-Arms “I’d given up hope… Perhaps one day she’ll come back to us too,” before the scene cuts to the surface of Etheria, Eternia’s sister-planet. A magnificent city is shown in the background, in what appears to be the planet’s Fright Zone, and the camera tightens to She-Ra, as she’s approached by a male warrior. He says, “Force Captain Adora?” and she replies, “No, not anymore.” The next sequence shows She-Ra’s sword – the Sword of Protection glowing fiercely.

In Masters of the Universe lore, Force Captain is a high rank in the Evil Horde, the evil occupiers of Etheria, led by Hordak, who kidnapped Adora (She-Ra’s birth name) and raised her to become a Force Captain. He-Man was eventually sent to free her, with the help of her sword and the Sorceress, but here the suggestion is that Adora has already discovered the truth of her past, rejected the Horde, and set out on the path to become She-Ra herself. The sequel – if it happens – will no doubt follow She-Ra reconnecting with her birth family, while Hordak appearing as the main villain, to reclaim her and brainwash her again is logical to assume.

While we don’t see She-Ra from the front, she’s wearing the immediately recognizable white and gold warrior dress most associated with her. Her face is barely visible in profile, but it’s been confirmed that she is played by British actor Lauren Saliu, who prematurely shared the news on social media. In a now-deleted post on Instagram, the actor shared some behind-the-scenes shots of her in costume on set (as well as a phone recording of the post-credits scene, unfortunately).

Masters of the Universe’s Post-Credits Scene Sets up Skeletor’s Return

At the end of Masters of the Universe, Jared Leto’s excellent Skeletor is killed when Adam shows off the true extent of his powers and reforms the Sword of Power before basically disintegrating his nemesis. Skeletor’s lifeless skull drops to the floor, and he is, seemingly, no more. But in the Masters of the Universe post-credits scene, Evil-Lyn (Kristen Wiig) returns to the scene of her master’s death (having fled as the tide of the battle turned against him) and retrieves the skull. Almost mockingly, she says to the skull, “I must say, you’ve looked better” before the scene cuts to black, and Skeletor’s maniacal laugh plays over the darkness. They don’t go as far as saying “Skeletor will return,” but the implication is certainly that the Evil-Lyn will find a way to restore him to life.

The only precedent for Skeletor being killed might hold the answer for how Evil-Lyn resurrects him. He was never killed off in the original animated series, instead being repeatedly vanquished and sent back to Snake Mountain each time, but in Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Adam killed him (and himself) when he absorbed all of Eternia’s magic and obliterated the pair by accident. Skeletor didn’t fully die, though, and a tiny slither of his essence survived, hidden in Evil-Lyn’s wand staff. Eventually, Adam returned from the dead when Adam himself left Preternia (MoTU’s equivalent of the heroic afterlife) and restored magic to Eternia. Perhaps that slither of soul could be the key to Evil-Lyn restoring her master?

If you want to see these scenes lead to anything, spread the word of how good Masters of the Universe is. Word of mouth is the key. Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!