The first trailer for Masters of the Universe debuted yesterday, and it took no time at all for people to find something, anything, to get upset about.
In the teaser, Adam Glenn is stuck in a dead-end job in corporate America and desperate to return to Eternia, a world he remembers from his childhood. On his desk is a name placard that includes Adam's pronouns, "He/Him."
While those are often used by companies in the real world, the gag here is meant to be that "He/Him" = "He-Man." It's a clever play on words, but as we first reported on Toonado.com, not everyone feels the same way. In fact, they're convinced that Prince Adam has gone woke!
"Now they’re making a Masters of the Universe and giving He-Man pronouns. These people won’t stop until they ruin everything," one X user wrote, while another declared, "New Masters of the Universe movie is going to be woke garbage."
One even shared their belief that this is an example of "forced diversity," making it clear there's "no chance" they'll be "wasting [their] money on this pathetic c**p," because, "Go wike go broke" (we're assuming they meant "woke").
So, has He-Man been ruined by the "radical left"? Well, there may be any number of reasons for longtime fans of Masters of the Universe to pick fault with this big screen adaptation, but a blink-and-you'd-miss-it gag about He-Man's name being pronouns isn't likely to derail this upcoming blockbuster.
The much bigger risk for Amazon MGM Studios is making a Masters of the Universe in 2026. The studio is relying on older fans showing up, along with younger audience members who will be introduced to He-Man and Eternia for the first time.
Here's a screenshot of that "controversial" scene...
In Masters of the Universe, Director Travis Knight brings the legendary franchise back to the big screen in this epic live-action adventure. After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia, where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto).
To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.
Written by Chris Butler and Aaron Nee & Adam Nee & Dave Callaham, and directed by Travis Knight, Masters of the Universe stars Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Charlotte Riley, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto, and Idris Elba.
Masters of the Universe opens in theaters on June 5, later this year.