During an interview Friday<\/a> with Empire, Knight explained how he worked with actor Jared Leto, who plays Skeletor in the film, to craft their own iteration of the villain.<\/p>\n “Jared approached us<\/a> because he loves Skeletor and has his own history with the character. He wanted to swing for the fences. And, ultimately, we landed on something that I\u2019m really happy with,” he told Empire.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Skeletor\u2019s kind of the embodiment of toxic masculinity.”<\/p>\n ‘HE-MAN’ REBOOT TRAILER DIVIDES FANS AS ICONIC CHARACTER’S ALTER EGO DEPICTED AS OFFICE DRONE<\/a><\/p>\n A bust of Skeletor from “Masters of the Universe” during 2022 Comic-Con International July 24, 2022, in San Diego. (Daniel Knighton\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Skeletor was first introduced as part of Mattel’s “He-Man” and “Masters of the Universe” toy line in the early \u201880s and quickly became one of the decade\u2019s most iconic cartoon villains.<\/p>\n The first iterations of the ghastly villain were recognized by his signature golden skull, purple garb and his high-pitched, maniacal laughter. Skeletor was portrayed as a cruel, arrogant leader who would boss around his minions while on his quest to destroy He-Man and rule over Eternia.<\/p>\n Knight told Empire that while the original cartoon incarnation of Skeletor “was a really interesting villain,” he wanted to craft a unique vision of the character for his film.<\/p>\n MARVEL REVEALS ‘AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY’ CAST, INCLUDING NEW STARS AND ORIGINAL X-MEN<\/a><\/p>\n “[Skeletor] looked cool. He was scary. He was funny. He was insecure. And then, of course, he had this distinctive voice,” he said of the villain’s original iteration, adding that he “wanted someone to craft their own version of that.”<\/p>\n “Masters of the Universe” director Travis Knight said Skeletor is the “embodiment of toxic masculinity.”\u00a0 (John Lamparski\/WireImage)<\/p>\n Empire noted that this version of Skeletor “wasn\u2019t always going to be this way,” considering a “Masters Of The Universe” reboot has been in the running for years with previous iterations of the screenplay featuring the villain’s visage as a golden skull mask.<\/p>\n “I said, \u2018F— that s—. Skeletor has a skull face,\u2019” Knight told the outlet. “That\u2019s just the way it is. It\u2019s a living, talking, emoting skull, and that\u2019s that.”<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE<\/a><\/p>\n Knight’s rendition of “Masters of the Universe” premieres in theaters worldwide June 5 and is the first film from the franchise since 1987.<\/p>\n The 2026 reboot garnered attention with its first trailer. In it, the reboot introduces He-Man\u2019s origin story before quickly cutting to the character sitting in a cubicle at a corporate office. His desk features a nameplate that says “Adam Glenn,” the character\u2019s alter ego, along with a pronoun display reading “He\/Him.”<\/p>\n The character\u2019s boss then chides him, saying, “This obsession with nerd stuff and sword things, it’s not a good look for human resources.” In the trailer, he is reunited with the iconic Power Sword and returns to Eternia, eventually doing battle with chief series antagonist Skeletor.<\/p>\n The series’ previous movie is widely revered as a cult classic featuring Hollywood icon Dolph Lundgren<\/a> as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor.<\/p>\n Frank Langella as Skeletor in the 1987 “Masters of the Universe” movie. (Warner Brothers\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Skeletor\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/skeletor-toxic-masculinity.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Travis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/travis-knight-skeletor.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Frank](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/frank-langella-skeletor.jpg\")
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