To Tempt the Gods!

To Tempt the Gods! is the first issue in a 3 part mini-series published by DC Comics in December 1982. It follows the preview comic From Eternia -- With Death! and the one-shot Fate is the Killer.

Synopsis

A celebration is being held at the Royal Palace in Eternia to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the day Earth astronaut Marlena crashlanded on Eternia and met her husband to be. When Prince Adam retreats to his bedchamber, he finds himself attacked by various demons and monsters. Together with Cringer he hu (DC Comics)|rries to the Cavern of Power, where they transform into He-Man and Battle Cat.

He-Man discovers that Skeletor has captured the Goddess after battling her for the other half of the Power Sword. During this fight, the Goddess displaced both halves of the sword into unknown dimensions. Now Skeletor hold her ransom in exchange for The Talismans Three that could locate the two halves of the Sword of Power. Skeletor has come to the conclusion that he will never be able to take the two halves of the Power Sword for himself, as that can only be done by the future king or one who is pure of soul. Therefore, he wants He-Man to act as his champion.

Elsewhere, Zodac senses that important events are unfolding, but knowns he cannot yet intervene. He-Man seeks the first amulet at the Royal Palace, as it's owned by Tarrak, the royal wizard. He is allowede entrance to the palace thanks to Teela, and after He-Man is formally presented to the King and Queen for the first time, they reach Tarrak's chambers where they find the wizard being attacked by demons. He-Man, Teela and Battle Cat help Tarrak, but they are outnumbered until the timely arrival of Man-At-Arms. However, the demons flee with the talisman. He-Man realizes that yet another party is searching for the Talismans, and that it has to be someone else than Skeletor.

Meanwhile, Stratos returns to Avion and his wife after a hunting trip. Suddenly, Avion is attacked by dragon riding Beastmen seeking Stratos, who then flees Avion to draw the Beastmen away from his people. As expected, the Beastmen follow Stratos. When He-Man sees Stratos coming, Tarrak uses a spell to make Stratos invisible to the Beastmen, who then leave. When Stratos reaches his friends, He-Man notices he carries the second of the three amulets.

Characters

Heroic Warriors

• Cringer/Battle Cat
• Prince Adam/He-Man
• Man-At-Arms
• Stratos (first full appearance)
• Teela

Allies

• Goddess
• King
• Queen Marlena (first identified as Marlena)
• Royal Guards
• Stratos' wife
• Tarrak (first and only appearance)
• Zodac

Evil Warriors

• Beast-Man
• Skeletor

Locations

• Eternia
  • Avion
  • Castle Grayskull
  • Royal Palace
  • Cavern of Power

• Earth (mentioned only)

Races

• Beastmen
• Bird-People
• Demons

Creatures

• Winged Dragons

Artifacts

• Power Sword
• The Talismans Three

Vehicles

• Wind Raider (appears on cover and splash page only)

Behind the Scenes

• The costume Teela wears in this issue was the inspiration for the "Battleground Teela" figure released in the MOTU Classics line on October 15th, 2008.
• An action figure representing Prince Adam as he appeared in Fate is the Killer & To Tempt the Gods! was released in released by Super7 in a Made-to-order 3-pack in 2017 together with figures based on the Minicomics versions of Stratos and Trap Jaw. Another version was avalable in an exclusive 2-pack with a He-Man figure at San Diego Comic Con 2019.
• The idea of Adam and He-Man looking identical save for their clothes is addressed when He-Man worries that his parents could recognize him. However, he does not seem to be worried to be recognized by Teela or Man-At-Arms, who already know him in both identities.

Notes

• Man-At-Arms is riding Battle Cat on the cover, and Mer-Man is flying a Wind Raider, similar to the cover of Fate is the Killer.
• Man-At-Arms' arm and hand are flesh colored in panel 3 of page 2, and then correctly colored green in the next panel.
• The arrival of Earth astronaut Marlena on Eternia is shown as a flashback for the first time, after being alluded to in one of Adam's thought bubbles in From Eternia -- With Death!.
• Skeletor is waiting for He-Man in the Cavern of Power, yet he seems not to have noticed the transformation of Adam and Cringer into He-Man and Battle Cat.
• When Skeltor adresses He-Man in the Cavern of Power, he is carrying the Havoc Staff. This is it's only appearance in the original 5 DC stories, although it is is also seen on the cover to the next issue.
• The Eternian Royal Guard are depicted as medieval knight rather than the armor similar to that of Man-At-Arms they were seen wearing in From Eternia -- With Death! & Fate is the Killer.
• The characters use various colorful expressions, such as:
  • "By the Gods" (King)
  • "By the Dark Gods!" (Ada
  • "Thank the fates" (Adam)
  • "By the stars" (He-Man)
  • "By the moons!" (Teela)
  • "Blast the fates!" (He-Man)
  • "Deedra's Chain!" (Teela)
  • "By the Feathered Gods" (Stratos)

External Link

• Comic Vine
• DC Database
• Vaults of Grayskull

Previous Issue		Based on		Next Issue
Fate is the Killer		Release Date		The Key to Castle Grayskull