Skeletor is the primary antagonist in the 1987 Masters of the Universe (1987 film). A ruthless, tryannical despot and the Lord of Snake Mountain, Skeletor sought to obtain the secrets of Castle Grayskull, destroy his hated nemesis, He-Man and use the power of Grayskull to become a living God and rule both Eternia and the entire universe.
Skeletor used a device known as the Cosmic Key to open a portal inside of Castle Grayskull and marched his armies inside; taking the Eternia defenders completely by surprise and achieving what he had long sought; the capture of Castle Grayskull and the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull. Skeletor quickly imprisoned The Sorceress within an energy field linked to his own powers, and as she withered and died, Skeletor's own powers were increased.
Setting himself and his army up in Grayskull, Skeletor issues an ultimatum to the people of Eternia, decreeing that all who failed to pledge themselves to his rule would be destroyed. Despite his victory, Skeletor was frustrated that his hated enemy, He-Man, still remained at large.
Skeletor, after taking Grayskull.
He-Man, accompanied by Teela, Man-At-Arms and the creator of the Cosmic Key, Gwildor, eventually used a duplicate Key to break into Grayskull in an attempt to rescue The Sorceress. Skeletor and his troopers confronted He-Man, but Gwildor was able to open a portal to another world and allow the group to escape. Furious, Skeletor ordered his second in command, Evil-Lyn, to track them down and bring them back to Eternia.
The Hunt for He-Man[]
Evil-Lyn eventually tracked He-Man and the others to the planet Earth and assembled the mercenaries; a collection of Skeletor's finest warriors including Beast Man, Karg, Blade and Saurod. Skeletor briefed the mercenaries on their mission, instructing them to travel to Earth, reclaim Gwildor's Cosmic Key and bring He-Man back alive, making it very clear to the group that he would not tolerate failure.
"Monitor the frequencies!"
Skeletor's mercenaries soon returned to Castle Grayskull, licking their wounds after a battle with He-Man. Skeletor, enraged, decided to make an example of Saurod, obliterating the serpentine creature with a blast of energy from his fingertips. The other mercenaries begged for forgiveness, with Skeletor having to throw a cowering Beast Man from his feet. Evil Lyn, speaking on the henchmen's behalf, suggested to Skeletor that it would be a pity to waste their talents. Increasingly frustrated, Skeletor turned on Evil-Lyn and ordered her to return with the mercenaries and supervise the next operation herself.
The Final Battle[]
Evil-Lyn was successful in her mission, eventually managing to track down He-Man and summon Skeletor, who arrived on Earth himself with a large contingent of his soldiers to personally bring He-Man back to Eternia in chains. Seizing the Power Sword, Skeletor had He-Man placed in chains and shackled to the floor before his throne at Grayskull, before having Blade use an energy whip to torture him, trying to force He-Man to kneel before him. He-Man refused, much to Skeletor's chagrin.
Standing before the great eye of the galaxy, Skeletor next announced to the people of Eternia that he had been chosen by destiny to receive the power of Grayskull, and was now the master of the universe. As the moon rose to its apex, the great eye opened, and the Skeletor began to absorb the power of Grayskull for himself. As the power filled his body, Skeletor declared victory at last, claiming that Eternia and its people were nothing to him now, and that He-Man was no longer his equal. His armour was transformed from black to pure gold, and his hood replaced with a tall helmet resembling Grayskull itself. His eyes glowing with power, Skeletor then fired energy blasts at He-Man, screaming at him to kneel.
"I am a God!"
The sudden return of He-Man's allies to Grayskull momentarily distracted Skeletor, who ordered his minions to kill them all. He-Man used the oppurtunity to break free and reclaim the sword of Grayskull from the throne, before challenging Skeletor to a final battle, which Skeletor gladly accepted. A fierce duel ensued between the two old enemies, which ended when He-Man shattered Skeletor's staff, causing him to revert back to his original form and lose the power he had gained. Not willing to accept defeat, Skeletor produced a hidden sword and lunged at He-Man, but was instead knocked back into one of the deep pits in the throne, apparently falling to his death.
As Eternia celebrated, Skeletor was revealed to be alive, and rose from within a bubbling pool of liquid, declaring he would be back.
Behind The Scenes[]
Concept art of Skeletor by William Stout.
Frank Langella stated that Skeletor is one of his favourite roles, and that one of the motivating factors in him playing the role was due to his children being a fan of the animated series, saying "They always say, ‘Did you feel like you were slumming?’ And I say, absolutely not. My son was four years old. And I wanted him to see his father as Skeletor. And I loved playing it. It’s really one of my favorite parts, still." [1]
Director Gary Goddard chose Langella as to "anchor" the live action movie, due to Dolph Lungdren not being an experienced leading man. Goddard stated that "Frank and I were having a great time because we'd find quotes from Shakespeare and quotes from Moliere and James Campbell. We looked for lines that would play out in a dramatic way."[2]
The line "Tell me about the loneliness of good, He-Man. Is it equal to the loneliness of evil?" was written by Frank Langella himself. [3]
Early make up tests for Skeletor by make up artist Michael Westmore featured him with a prosthetic skull that was closer to Skeletor's traditional design. The make up was changed to allow more of Langella's performance to show on the screen. The original Skeletor mask would later be used in Star Trek, on which Westmore worked, designing many of the series' aliens. [4]
