Maggie Lovitt is the Deputy News Editor at Collider. In addition to reporting on the latest entertainment news, she is also an actor and member of the Screen Actors Guild based out of the Mid-Atlantic Region. Lovitt is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Critics Choice Association and National Press Club. While she spends her time writing and editing articles about the entertainment industry, Maggie’s background is actually in history and anthropology. She loves it whenever she can bring those two facets of her life together, such as with reviews for series like We Were the Lucky Ones and The New Look, and engaging interviews with talent like Ben Mendelsohn, Liev Schreiber, or Jonas Nay.
The following article contains spoilers for Masters of the Universe.
For the first time in nearly four decades, Masters of the Universe is officially back on the big screen, and if early audience reactions are any indication, the long wait may have been worth it. Travis Knight’s ambitious reboot has reignited excitement for the franchise, bringing life-long He-Man fans back into the fold as a new generation is introduced to the colorful world of Eternia.
That renewed enthusiasm has only been amplified by the franchise’s biggest surprise yet. While Netflix’s acclaimed She-Ra and the Princesses of Power helped keep the wider mythology alive in recent years, introducing countless new fans to Princess Adora’s story, many viewers never expected the character to make her presence felt so quickly in the new cinematic universe. Now, thanks to Masters of the Universe’s jaw-dropping post-credits scene, the future of the franchise suddenly looks much bigger than anyone imagined.
Following the premiere of Masters of the Universe, Collider had the opportunity to chat with the film’s star, Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitizine), and Travis Knight about She-Ra’s appearance in one of the film’s post-credit scenes. While Knight was particularly tight-lipped about who they had portraying She-Ra, we did manage to eke out a few details about what the intention was behind revealing her outside of the main film.
“One of the craziest experiences for me was when we had a pre-shoot day with camera tests, where everyone came out, all the actors came out in their costumes, and it was amazing to see these incredible actors wearing these amazing costumes and props. It was actually quite a moving experience for me,” Knight went on to say. “So, to see her on set, it was a similar kind of thing. I just never thought I would see her on the big screen, and she looks amazing. She-Ra’s always been a big part of Masters of the Universe and the lore. She's special to me, she's special to people that I care about, and I would love to see her story on the big screen.” He added:
“In the end, none of these things are up to me. I approach these things as if we get one chance to make these movies, to tell these stories, and we left everything on the field. We gave it everything we had. If that's the only chance we get to tell these stories, then I'm proud of what we did. But if people demand more, I would love for us to be able to tell more, and she would be a huge part of that.”
Galitizine was similarly tight-lipped about the post-credits scene, though he did reveal that he was keen to be on set the day the mysterious actress who portrayed She-Ra filmed the sequence. “I heard it was going down on set. I was in my trailer, and I said, ‘I need to come and see this.’ It's very exciting, obviously. There are so many wonderful characters, but obviously the He-Man/She-Ra relationship is a very exciting prospect, so we will see what happens.”
The Future of She-Ra Depends on a Strong Box Office
At the time this article is being penned, it’s unclear how strong of an opening Masters of the Universe will have this weekend. Early projections have had the film pinned to a $25-$35 million domestic opening, which gives the film ample room to defy expectations. It has already made waves by scoring an IMAX release, knocking The Mandalorian and Grogu out of theaters after Star Wars’ long-awaited cinematic return failed to maintain its audience week-over-week. The history between the two franchises runs deep, as He-Man solely exists because Mattel passed on licensing rights to manufacture Star Wars toys in 1980 and wanted their own sci-fi-infused toy line. The fact that the two franchises will be going toe-to-toe this weekend would be too on-the-nose to pitch for a screenplay.
That said, Masters of the Universe will need to make an impressive show this weekend, not just domestically, but globally, to inspire a follow-up to all of those post-credit teases, including She-Ra. As Knight noted, the future of the franchise is ultimately up to the audience’s demands and their turnout at theaters around the world.
Masters of the Universe is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our full conversations with Knight and the cast.