Skeletor

Skeletor is a monomaniacal schemer as well as a formidable necromancer and sorcerer. In the fabled land of Eternia, no being strikes terror into the hearts of the people more – he is sharp of tongue, renowned for his maniacal cackle, and is hellbent on acquiring absolute power and subjugating all to his will. Above all else he seeks the ‘fabulous secret powers' of Castle Grayskull, and to do that he must wrest the legendary Power Sword from He-Man – the most powerful man in the universe. At Skeletor's command are a menagerie of monstrous minions, all malicious and greedy. Beasts and sorceresses, metal-men and mutants, all make up his dark forces. This legion of evil is matched by an equally vast arsenal of dark artifacts, prized from the dungeons and hell-libraries of the world. Skeletor's most prized weapon is the Havoc Staff, a scepter coursing with evil magic and topped with a grinning ram skull. Despite his seemingly unstoppable fervor for evil, the mighty Skeletor is a laughing stock, a hapless fool; a punching bag for the great hero children all love: He-Man. In every story told of him, he is soundly defeated and flees the scene, escaping his true punishment with his trademark cackle. All of Skeletor's wicked artifacts prove useless. His nefarious schemes all fail. His followers are shown to be incompetent, time and time again, and he heaps all blame for defeat upon them. Skeletor's impotent rages are the stuff of legend. Often he bewails his incompetent lackeys with an array of colorful insults, calling them ‘pitiful pinheads', ‘metal-munching morons' or ‘tin-tongued dolts' as he experiences the bitter sting of humiliating defeat yet again. Such creative harangues have entered the Telerian lexicon, with people of all kinds jokingly aiming them at friends, family, and colleagues. If Skeletor existed, he would be apoplectic that his savage insults are used as mere jests, and that only makes using them funnier to Telerians. Though for the common people they are mere entertainment, the stories of Skeletor and He-Man are seen by the powers that be, especially the Sacred Order, as having a vital moral component. Darkness is depicted as weak and laughable, and sorcery as dangerous and foolish. He-Man's endless chain of victories and Skeletor's ignominious defeats prove the value of hard-work, decency, and integrity. While depictions of the Undead and the Demonic are normally met with fury by Lumayan Church priests and warriors of the Order, those of Skeletor are allowed. By permitting him – and his defeats – to be put on show, the confidence of the masses in facing the ever-present threat of Darkness is buoyed. Nonetheless, Skeletor is so tamed by the stories he has become loved in his own way. Telerians delight in his overweening pride and futile quest for power, and love to see his plans collapse around him. Those few who proclaim that Skeletor and He-Man were once real are dismissed as being on the fringes of society, reveling in childish things. They wonder if the name of Snake Mountain alludes to the Dragonkin Empire's once-occupation of lands now dominated by the Undead, attempting to draw some connection between modern Lizardmen and necromancy. They have discovered pits full of various bones indicative of some death-obsessed culture, but they are scattered all over the world. A handful of Knights Revenant necromancers have even attempted to bring the soul of Skeletor back into the mortal world, fruitlessly sacrificing hundreds of people. Theories abound, each lambasted as absurd. Some observers point out that, in a way, this is Skeletor's final victory. Though he never defeats He-Man in the stories, he remains elusive enough to forever torment and taunt his greatest enemy, just as his mystery ever-confounds its would-be solvers. These observers can't help picturing Skeletor cackling maniacally at the whole enterprise. <b><size=15>Masters of the Universe™ and associated trademarks and trade dress are owned by, and used under license from, Mattel. © 2024 Mattel. All Rights Reserved. Under License to Classic Media.</size></b>