The latest Masters of the Universe trailer is packed with new details, chief among them a first listen at Jared Leto’s take on villain Skeletor.
The trailer, below, revolves around He-Man, as it should, but we also get to hear Skeletor’s evil laugh, which isn't quite as over the top as the outlandish cackle made famous by the much-loved cartoon. We also hear Skeletor trash talk for the first time. “The universe shall quake in my shadow,” Skeletor declares in a rather understated, almost hushed tone. “You may have the power,” he tells He-Man, “but you’re too scared to use it.” Anyone else getting Tom Hardy Bane vibes?
So, what is Leto going for here? Last month, Masters of the Universe director Travis Knight told Empire that Skeletor is “the embodiment of toxic masculinity,” adding that he'd worked with Leto, famous for playing Joker in Suicide Squad, Niander Wallace in Blade Runner 2049, and Morbius in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, to bring the infamous cackling sorcerer to life without sacrificing the qualities that helped him stand the test of time.
“Skeletor was a really interesting villain,” the director said when describing the original Masters of the Universe cartoon. “He looked cool. He was scary. He was funny. He was insecure. And then of course he had this distinctive voice.”
“I wanted someone to craft their own version of that,” he said.
Leto seemed like the perfect fit, with Knight saying the Tron: Ares star approached the Masters of the Universe movie team first “because he loves Skeletor and has his own history with the character.”
“He wanted to swing for the fences,” Knight added. “And ultimately we landed on something that I’m really happy with. Skeletor’s kind of the embodiment of toxic masculinity.”
And don’t expect to see Leto’s actual face in the movie, either. “I said, ‘F**k that shit. Skeletor has a skull face,’” Knight said, when referring to a previous design with a golden skull mask. “That’s just the way it is. It’s a living, talking, emoting skull, and that’s that.”
The trailer sets up He-Man’s return to Eternia, having been stranded on earth for years. We also see the effects of Skeletor’s rise to power, having wrestled control from He-Man’s family. The world is in ruins, the trailer reveals, and He-Man sets out to reclaim his home, blaming himself for what has happened. He leads an uprising which, I’m sure, will end up with a showdown between He-Man and Skeletor.
He-Man’s effort to get the gang back together will include Idris Elba’s Man-At-Arms, who also gets a decent amount of screentime in the trailer. Masters of the Universe hits theaters June 5.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
