Masters of the Universe (2026 film)

This page is about the 2026 live-action film. For the 1980s film, see Masters of the Universe (1987). thumb Masters of the Universe is a 2026 sword and sorcery film based on the toy line of the same name. It follows Prince Adam as he returns to his home planet, Eternia, to take his destiny as He-Man, and save his home from the evil forces of Skeletor. Directed by Travis Knight. Written by Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee and David Callaham. Legends aren't born, they're forged. Taglines Adam Glenn / He-Man By the power of Grayskull, I HAVE THE POWER!! Where do I start? Well, I guess what I really want to say is, everything I am is because of where I come from. [scene of a planet] Eternia, a world of endless beauty. [scene zooms into planet's ground environment] All that stuff that exists only in legends and bedtime stories... On Eternia, that stuff is real. Griffins, dragons, talking tigers, enchanted forests, burning deserts, islands in the sky. You name it. I... I swear I'm not high. And then we got Cast Grayskull. My father once told me that Eternia is the beating heart of the cosmos. And Grayskull is the heart of that heart. So, I... I guess the, uh... the heart of the heart of, uh, the heart is the Power of Grayskull. [cosmo clouds becomes a blacksmith god ] They say it can make a man as mighty as a God. To keep it safe, [blacksmith smashes a cloud] the Power was bound within a vessel. [blacksmith smashes a blackhole] An ancient sword the called the Sword of Power [it appears] Yeah, I know but that's what they went with. [a figure embraces the sword] Legend said that when Eternia was in its greatest need, a hero would step forth and wield the Sword, and, you know, use it... [figure slays cloud monsters] Until that day, it was locked away within the castle under the watchful eye of the Sorceress, who was wise, and ancient, and a little scary to be honest. But she's cool. She's... she's cool. For hundreds of years, Grayskull has remained under the protection of my ancestors. See, where I come from a pretty impressive lineage of mighty heroes. Noble, strong, fearless. [child self] But, Mom, I don't want to fight. I know it sounds crazy, but that sword is gonna show me the way home. The time for talk is over. I am He-Man. Skeletor [walking up to King Randor, Queen Marlena and Adam surrounded] The reign of Randor comes to an end tonight. You believed yourself so strong, [walks between two foot soldiers] you stopped fearing what lurked in the shadows. It was me. I lurked. In the deepest and darkest corners of the universe, I lurked. But now I step into the light... [gestures upwards] ...so you can look upon your downfall. The universe shall quake in my shadow! I am the villain. And mmm, does it feel good! Do not test me, woman! They call me a devil, but I mean to be a god! You may have the power, but you're too scared to use it. Now let me show you what a real man does with power. [reaches for staff] [fighting He-Man] Stand still, you muscle-bound oaf! I’m trying to annihilate you! [disintegrates Sword of Power and picks up handle] Well, would you look at that? It seems your sword is worthless. Nothing more than a cheap toy to play with. [He-Man claims "it’s not possible"] I’m curious. Without this, what are you? Who are you? Let’s have a look. [places hand on He-Man's head and sends him into a time warp into the gym, appears on a weightlifting bench] Could I level with you, Adam? I was never really buying that whole beefcake barbarian thing. I don’t think you ever were the tough guy. I suspect you were the runt. And those that didn’t bully you, well, they felt sorry for you. Catch! [throws barbell into He-Man who goes flying back to Grayskull castle where he claims "It wasn’t like that"] No? [slams He-Man's head into ground which sends him to a restaurant table with date Julia asking him what his home planet was like with He-Man claiming "it was beautiful" then Julia becomes Skeletor who drags He-Man] Ah, now this place, this is more your thing. A world of grays and beiges and a constant humiliating failure! [slams He-Man into ground who wakes up at office desk] [appears in Suzie's office] While I conquered an entire planet, you were here, uh... uh... What even is this? [Adam responds "it’s human resources"] Human resources? Oh, Adam, you naughty boy. [grabs He-Man by throat and lifts him up] Oh, you can pretend to be the hero with your giant muscles, that big long sword dangling between your glorious thighs. But you’ll always be a failure. Eternia isn’t your home. It’s a dream of something you’re not. [clicks teeth and scene becomes Grayskull castle] And that dream... is over. [plunges sword handle into Adam's abdomen and sends him to his Earth bedroom] Duncan / Man-At-Arms [to Adam knocked down in training] You got to get back up and stand tall. [to Trap Jaw charging him] That's far enough! [to guards after breaking out of dungeon] All right, you filthy skull polishers! Where do you keep the ships? [beating Trap Jaw in his vehicle] Remember me?! You remember who I used to be?! Commander of the Royal Guard! King's Man-At-Arms. [opens Trap Jaw's mouth] But today... [inserts grenade and closes Trap Jaw mouth] ...I'm a new man! [jumps out onto bridge and Trap Jaw's vehicle implodes] Orko [appears in front of Eternia castle gates] In today's story, we saw that muscles don't necessarily make a man, and that having a skull for a face pretty much guarantees you're the bad guy! Until next time! [raises hands and sends forth a magical portal rings] Fisto Give them head, Ram Man! Let's fist some bad guys! [Fisto punches through a robot soldier] Give 'em head, Ram Man! [Ram Man turns around and looks at Fisto] I'm sorry. Teela [repeated line] Get up, squink. Roboto [walks up to Eternia warriors with transparent chest plating] This is a little revealing. [all Eternia warriors burst laughing] Dialogue Duncan / Man-At-Arms: [fighing Trap Jaw] How dare you come into my city?! Don't you know who you're messing with?! Trap Jaw: Why don't you tell me? Duncan / Man-At-Arms: I am Duncan... [strikes Trap Jaw] ...commander of the Royal Guard! [strikes Trap Jaw] The King's goddamn Man-At-Arms. [impales Trap Jaw] And today... [brings up Trap Jaw] Trap Jaw: And today... [places blaster cannon at Duncan / Man-At-Arms's chest] ... you failed. [fires cannon sending Duncan / Man-At-Arms flying down hallway] Teela: [kneels down] Dad, Dad. Okay, come on. On your feet. Get up. Come one. Please. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Teela. I failed. Teela: [leading away with him leaning on her] Come on. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Hold on. [picks her up and jumps out window to an implosion] King Randor: [subdued before Skeletor] What will you do to me, you fiend?! Skeletor: I'm only going to cut off your head. [uses staff to blast colossal statue's head sending it crashing down] King Randor: No matter my fate, Eternos will never be yours. Skeletor: [leans down to King Randor] Your palace is nothing but brick and glass. Your crown, a costume. [takes King Randor's crown] Mm? No, I want the power behind it. Evil-Lyn? Evil-Lyn: [walks up] Well said, Lord Skeletor. Poetry. Skeletor: [motions to foot soldiers] Take him away. His day is done. [King Randor is taken away] With a new dawn, Eternia... [brings up a fist] ...shall witness my rise! [cackles then realizes awkward silence] That's it. I finished. Evil-Lyn: Of course, my Lord. Skeletor: When I raised my fist like that, I'm done! Evil-Lyn: Yes. Skeletor: That is the crescendo! Evil-Lyn: Noted for the future, my lord. Adam: [running with Queen Marlena to the chamber of the Sword of Power] They're coming! Grayskull will fall! The Sorceress: [appears] No, it will endure. Bring the sword to me, child. [Adam walks over and picks up the Sword of Power] You must take the sword somewhere safe. Somewhere far away from here. Queen Marlena: [to The Sorceress] Then let it be a place they will never find him. My home. [The Sorceress creates a portal and Marlena leans into Adam] Adam, you be safe and never forget where you came from. Skeletor: [walking up] That sword is mine. Be a good lad and bring it to me. Queen Marlena: Don't you DARE take one step closer! [Skeletor blasts her with staff] Adam: Mom! The Sorceress: [leans into Adam] Do not lose the Sword. It's your only way home. [walks to Skeletor with both arms outwards] You carry the hope of Eternia! Now go! [Skeletor blasts at her with her creating a shield and morphing into a falcon flying upwards] Go! [Adam leaps into portal but loses the sword] Adam: [child self lands in a lake after falling through portal] Anyway, that's how I ended up in... [scene shifts to adult self in a restaurant] ...Oklahoma City. What about you, Julie? Is your family from around here? Julie: I'm sorry, did you say "Skeletor"? Adam: Yeah. Yeah, I did. Julie: Yeah. Okay, um, [referring to phone] I have to take this. Adam: Your ph- it didn't ring. Julie: No, I have to take it and leave. Adam: Oh, okay, Julie, I'm... I'm sorry. I know it sounds crazy. Was it the sword thing? The Sword is actually just a vessel to hold the Power. Like, uh, [picks up a coke bottle and glass] it could be this cup, for example, you know? [starts pouring coke into the glass] So now your cup is holding the Power of Grayskull, except it's not your cup, it was my sword, and, I lost it that night. You know, I'm not proud of that. But I lost it and... I'm going to find it. And when I do, it's going to show me the way home. [looks up and realizes Julie's absence] Adam: By the Power of Grayskull! I have the power! Skeletor: Oh, balls! He-Man: Do you remember when you used to tell me when... I'd get my ass beat as a kid? Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Yeah, I used to say, "Drop and give me 20." He-Man: No. You used to say... "You got to get back up... and stand tall." Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Maybe we should both try together. What do you say? He-Man: I'd like that. [Duncan joins hands with He-Man and helps him up] Teela: I brought someone here to see you. He-Man: Cringer? Cringer: [seeing Adam again] Is it okay if I lick you now? He-Man: Uh, yeah, sure. [nuzzling Cringer's face] Oh, wow. I missed you, buddy. I can't believe you're here. He-Man: I can't believe we're all here. All the Heroes of Eternia. Teela: Are you okay? He-Man: Yeah, I think I am. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: [to dungeon prisoners] Gather round! Come on! Gather round for the war room! He-Man: Not a war room, just a seminar. Seminar. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Okay! Gather in for the war seminar! Come on! He-Man: If I could just have your attention, please! I... I’d just like to take a moment to ideate on an escape strategy. [dungeon prisoners murmurs] Fisto: A, what? Dian: Is this supposed to be a battle speech? He-Man: Team building. Yeah. Team building. Man: Who is this guy? Mekaneck: Yeah. Who are you? He-Man: I’m Adam, Prince of Eternia. Mekaneck: Uh, excuse me. Hi. Yeah, I thought Adam was dead. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Hey. Put your neck away. Man: Let him talk. He-Man: Uh, no. Not dead. [chuckles] As you can see, very much alive. Man: What did he say? Dian: Speak up. We can’t hear you. He-Man: Okay. Sorry. So when… when I was on Earth, I learned that success in the workplace doesn’t come down to one man, [gestures] or woman, [gestures to reptilian humanoid] or whatever that is. Person. You know? It comes down to many people working together. Mekaneck: Workplace? Dian: We’re in a dungeon. He-Man: No, I know that. Um... [sigs] Look, I know most of you don’t know me. [softly scoffs] But I know all of you. [points] Mekaneck. Heroic human periscope. [chuckles and gestures] And Ram Man. You ram! And you’re a man. Ram Man: Hell yeah, I do! [laughs] He-Man: And you, Fisto! You fist people! Fisto: Yes, I do! He-Man: And Dian. You pushed me into the lockers when I was a kid, so... Dian: Hell yeah, I did. He-Man: I know all of you. [places hand on heart] I kept you close to my heart. Eternia. It’s a part of me, it’s my home, and I’m going to fight for it. But I can’t do it alone. I need your help. Working alone, I mean, it... it brought me here. It brought us all here. Right? But if we work together, we can change that. [prisoners murmur in agreement] See, we got to get behind ourselves. Not in front. In front is, it’s just a facade. But we back ourselves? There’s nothing we can’t achieve. Together. Man: Yeah. [nods in agreement] He-Man: So we’re going to take back our home. Together. [prisoners cheer] Mekaneck: Here’s to Alan! Fisto: [raises fist] To Alan! He-Man: It’s Adam, dude. Fisto: Adam. Ram Man: But what can we do in here? These bars are photanium. There’s no breaking them. He-Man: [points upwards] These walls are rock. [points] Fisto. Ram Man. All you guys. [chuckles and raises a finger upwards] I got one question. '[points at Fisto] How much do you bench? Fisto: What is “bench”? He-Man: Oh, God. [softly sighs and covers face]He-Man: [to Duncan referring to Roboto] So can you fix her? Make her battle ready again? Duncan / Man-At-Arms: I... Last time she was operational, she tried to kill me. Roboto: Accident. It was an accident. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: She always says that. He-Man: Well, I trust her, so... Duncan / Man-At-Arms: I.... yeah, okay, alright. He-Man: All right. [walks past]Duncan / Man-At-Arms: All right. [to Roboto] Do not assassinate me, okay? [holds up programming plug]Roboto: Wait, you were carrying that around this whole time? Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Uh-huh. [inserts Roboto with programming plug] Now, as we agreed, no killing me. Roboto: I made no promises. [arm becomes a heavy gun]Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Wow. Ah, that's good. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Roboto and I will hold them off while you guys do your thing. Teela: Dad. [walks up] Are you sure you can handle this? Duncan / Man-At-Arms: No, I am not sure, but I am going to give it my best shot. Teela: I know you will. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: You're so strong. Stronger than I ever was. You're the man I wished I could be. Teela: Um, thanks? Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Yeah, come here. [hugs her]He-Man: [joins in hug] I love you guys. Teela: Oh. He-Man: Uh... that was really beautiful. Teela: Adam, we're kind of having a moment here. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: So, uh... [pats He-Man] Yeah. Just... You want to get of here? He-Man: Okay. All right. [lets go]Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Okay. Thank you. Teela: All right. He-Man: That was nice. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: No.[puts out fist and pulls down]He-Man: Nice moment... [attempts to honor fist bump and pulls back awkwardly] ...with the three of us. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: No problem. Okay. He-Man: Okay. Yeah, we'll... [turns to walk]Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Go, go. Teela: Great. Cringer: [approaching Grayskull castle] Is it too late to back out of this? Shouldn't I be wearing armor or something? This seems dangerous. Teela: Pussy. He-Man: Teela! Really? Teela: [mouths] What? He-Man: [leans into Cringer] He's not a pussycat. He's a Battle Cat. Cringer: No, I'm not. He-Man: Yeah, you are. Cringer: I'm not that. [Teela shrugs] Okay. Just this once. Get on. Next time I'm definitely wearing armor. Teela: Defend yourself, witch! Evil-Lyn: How about this? You and I sneak out of here, let them slug it out? Teela: Nice try. [engages in sword fight]Evil-Lyn: [uses magic to hold Teela's sword, chuckles derisively] You are your father's daughter. Teela: Hell yeah, I am. [deflects upwards and drop kicks Evil-Lyn]Roboto: [to Duncan] Hey, let's crash their party! Duncan / Man-At-Arms: I got my invitation right here! Roboto: Well, no, if you have an invitation, you're not really... Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Oh! Roboto: [shoots Skeletor's soldiers] I'm about to RSVP these assholes! You're really making a mess of this party metaphor! Duncan / Man-At-Arms: [hides behind boulder] Don't this feel great? Right? [peers over boulder and gets shot in helmet] Oof! They are not going to get to that castle. Not as long as I'm standing. Roboto: You've been barely been upright since I met you. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: You got any missiles left? Roboto: Yeah, one. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: That's all we need. [Roboto fires at statue sending it crashing into bridge]Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Hey. Roboto: [Distorted] Hey, Duncan? Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Roboto! [picks up Roboto's head] Don’t you go powering down on me! Roboto: It-It-It doesn’t matter. Existence is a series of absurdities leading to infinite nothingness. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: [exhales and pats head] That’s my girl. Hussein: [to He-Man lying on bedroom floor] Hey, Adam, are you okay? He-Man: Yeah. I... I just think I might have died. Hussein: Damn. Uh, that’s heavy, brother. Well, you let me know if you need anything. [picks up paper] Uh, I think you might have dropped one. So... [places paper on He-Man's chest] there you go. He-Man: All right. Hussein: Kind of convenient to die right before the rent is due. He-Man: No, I... I’ll... I’ll handle it. [glances at paper to see drawing of The Sorceress]The Sorceress as a bird: Get up. He-Man: It... It’s a talking bird. The Sorceress as a bird: Yes. He-Man: That’s weird. Sorceress as a bird: Uh, you had a talking cat. He-Man: [sighs] That’s a fair point. So this is it, huh? I’m dead? The Sorceress as a bird: Perhaps. Get up! [flies over and roosts on chair]He-Man: How can I get up if I’m dead, huh? Sorceress as a bird: You have the Power. He-Man: No. Not anymore. The Sword’s broken. The Sorceress as a bird: What sword? He-Man: The Sword... of Power. The Sorceress as a bird: Oh, that. What about it? He-Man: [laughs] It’s... Well... It’s... It’s the Sword of Power. “Whosoever wields the Sword “shall hold the Power.” The Sorceress as a bird: Adam, when you hold aloft your magic sword, what words do you say? He-Man: By the Power of Grayskull… The Sorceress as a bird: Yes, go on. He-Man: [sighs] I have the Power. The Sorceress as a bird: That’s right. You have the Power. Not the Sword. [echoes] You. I chose you. [He-Man places hand on glowing chest and The Sorceress becomes human form] In the hands of past champions, the Power has been brute strength. But in yours, it becomes so much more. It is understanding, it is empathy. It is humanity. That is why I chose you as the vessel, Adam. He-Man: I am the vessel. The Sorceress: Now you’re ready. [He-Man glowing chest consumes him and he becomes at the Grayskull castle, pulls the sword out of his chest which completely repairs with all shards intact]He-Man: By the Power of Grayskull, I have the Power! [holds up sword with lightning crackling]Skeletor: Oh, balls. Fisto: [Eternia warriors sees blue power beam shooting up from Grayskull castle and cheers] Yeah! He-ManSkeletor, I have a proposition for you. Why don’t we... [sheaths sword behind him and walks up to Skeletor] ...end this cycle of violence and talk? Just talk. You destroyed my world. You have caused so much pain and suffering. And maybe that’s because you couldn’t be king. Maybe it’s because you weren’t loved enough as a child. Doesn’t matter to me who you are. What matters is what you do. So do something right. Skeletor: Hmm. [guffaws] Oh, you... you boob. You muscle-bound milquetoast. There is no right that will be done here. There is no good in me that you might uncover. There is nothing you can say that will change my nature, for I... I am... a villain. And... [grunts] does it feel good. [chuckles and fights He-Man pinning him against a column] Look at you. A feeble, worthless child. Oh, yes, you may have the Power, but you’re too scared to use it. And you don’t even know how! He-Man: I know how to use it. I just prefer not to. [pummels Skeletor]Skeletor: Huh? Is that... Is that all you’ve got? He-Man: I was pulling my punches. Skeletor: [grunts] Do you want to talk? Okay. What do you want to talk about? He-Man: The time for talk is over. [grabs Skeletor's staff imploding it and disintegrating Skeletor]Duncan / Man-At-Arms: How’s it going with your, uh... [breathes deeply] your feelings and such? He-Man: Good. Good. Yeah. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: I want you to know, if you ever want to talk, I’m here. He-Man: Great. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Or if you want to arm wrestle. [chuckles] Or you want me to beat you with a stick, I’m also here. All right? He-Man: Oh. [chuckles] Likewise. Teela: [approaches with both hands on He-Man's and Duncan's shoulders] Eternia’s finest. Look at them. All the heroes you drew from your childhood. Ram Man, Fisto, and what did you call that guy again? He-Man: Oh, it’s Mekaneck. Teela: Right. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Annoying. Teela: Yeah. Did you ever have a name for me? He-Man: [smacks lips and chuckles] Uh, Warrior Goddess. Teela: Oh. He-Man: Because... Well, because I was just a kid, so... Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Yeah, like, it’s strong. Teela: Wow. That’s... That’s great. He-Man: I wouldn’t look too much into it. I... Teela: You had a name for yourself, too, didn’t you? He-Man: No. [chuckles] No. Teela: Yeah, you did. Come on. Tell us. He-Man: You’re going to laugh. Roboto: Probably, but tell us. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: What is it? He-Man: He-Man. Teela: What? He-Man: He-Man. Roboto: That’s worse than I thought it was going to be. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Isn’t that redundant? Teela: What does it mean? He-Man: It’s like a... like a strong man. Like a... Like a masculine fellow. Yeah. What? It’s too macho? No. No. Duncan and Teela: No, no. Roboto: Wow, that’s very manly. And you are very manly. [He-Man sighs]Teela: It’s clever. He-Man: [To Hussein] Yo, what do you think? Hussein: Uh, yeah. Yeah, man, this is... cool. Like, it’s cool to see that it was all real and I wasn’t a crazy person. Yeah, you know, now I’m standing next to a green tiger. It’s like who would have thought. But, hey, thank you for coming to get me to prove it was all real. Roboto: Oh, my red light’s blinking. I’m getting a distress signal from an Avion village. Teela: Sounds like a job for He-Man. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: He-Man. He-Man: Yes, I am going to go and do that thing. See... Over there. So... [looks back] Cringer. Cringer: [groans and scoffs] Do we have to? [He-Man and Cringer run down bridge]Fisto: Is he running off to change in secret again? Duncan / Man-At-Arms: Yep. Fisto: Does he think we all forgot? Pretty much everyone knows. Ram Man: I mean, we could just look the other direction, if that’s easier? Duncan / Man-At-Arms: [chuckles] Nah, let him do his thing. Duncan / Man-At-Arms: I had given up hope. Of both of them. Queen Marlena: Well, perhaps one day she’ll come back to us, too. ... Man: [appearing behind Adora with her holding a Sword of Power in front of a resource extraction city resembling an upturned dead spider in the dark foreboding Fright Zone on the planet of Etheria]'' Force Captain Adora? Adora: No. Not anymore. Skeletor: It is I, Skeletor. And you, are but worms beneath my feet. Man-At-Arms: Butt Worms. He just called us, butt worms. He-Man: Face me like a man! Skeletor: A, I don't have a face, and B, I don't want to! Taglines Legends aren't born, they're forged. Witness how he became He-Man. Main cast Nicholas Galitzine - Adam Glenn / He-Man Artie Wilkinson-Hunt (young) Camila Mendes - Teela Eire Farrell (young) Idris Elba - Duncan / Man-At-Arms Jared Leto - Keldor / Skeletor Alison Brie - Evil-Lyn James Purefoy - King Randor Charlotte Riley - Queen Marlena Glenn Morena Baccarin - Sorceress of Castle Grayskull Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson - Malcolm / Fisto Jon Xue Zhang - Ram-Man Sam C. Wilson - Kronis / Trap Jaw Christian Vunipola - Hussein Christiaan Bettridge - Dian James Wilkinson - Mekaneck Kojo Attah - Tri-Klops Hung Dante Dong - Karg James Apps - Spikor Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson - Goat Man Stephen Adentan - Moss Man Arun Bassi - Pigboy Voices Kristen Wiig - Roboto Piotr Michael - Eternian ship Christopher Ragland - Orko Gary Martin - Beast Man Tom Wilton - Cringer / Battle Cat Fletcher Glenn (young) External links Masters of the Universe (2026 film) 0427340 Masters of the Universe Category:2026 American films Category:2026 English-language films Category:American drama films Category:American action films Category:American science fiction films Category:Space adventure films Category:Superhero films Category:Films based on toys Category:Live-action films based on animated series Category:Films about orphans Category:Reboot films Category:Films about witchcraft Category:Films set on fictional planets Category:Films directed by Travis Knight