The Polls are closed and the votes are counted. The Masters of the Universe Classics fans have been heard.
128 separate characters (or distinct versions of characters) received votes in the poll, including 87 that received multiple votes and 38 that received 10 or more votes. That all adds up to mean there is still plenty of fertile ground for Mattel to till with their MOTUC line.
#10. DRAGSTOR/NINJOR/PEEKABLUE
That’s right people — a 3-way tie for the 10th spot making this list actually a top 12. There are just too many great characters to be contained in a top 10.
DRAGSTOR
This Horde minion is ready to rumble. Dragstor, according to the mini-comics, was a simple Etherian peasant captured by Hordak and transformed into a cyborg warrior with a wheel built into his chest and an engine on his back. Dragstor’s unique design enables him to transport himself along the ground at super-speed, like a vehicle. This power renders him the fastest member of the Evil Horde and a highly feared opponent. Some portrayals also suggest the fumes from his engine to be noxious and poisonous. Members of the Horde always seem to be welcome additions and any figure from the vintage line not yet recreated in Classics is coveted. Anticipation for this figure in MOTUC form may also have been helped by a kick ass custom job by Master English to show how well it could be done.
NINJOR
When Skeletor’s normal group of Evil Warriors proves insufficient, Skeletor opens a portal to summon the most evil villains from across space time and out of that portal steps Ninjor a master of stealth attack. Ninjor was part of Mattel’s effort to leave no popular action genre untouched by the world of Eternia — with karate and martial arts seeing a surge of popularity in the mid-’80s, MOTU needed a ninja. Ninjor was a vintage figure released later in the toy line and never made any appearance in the Filmation cartoon. Ninjor’s unique look and status as a vintage figure without a Classics update has made him highly anticipated for MOTUC.
PEEKABLUE
Princess of Power fans turned out in force for this online poll and the first evidence of this fact is the appearance of Peekablue tied for the 10th spot with two vintage villain stalwarts. Peekablue was never one of the central members of the Great Rebellion, and her non-physical power — the ability to see all things over great distances with the use of her tail — didn’t exactly lend itself to a proper fight. Still, the character clearly has its fans. She was one of the 13 original Princess of Power Great Rebellion dolls and her striking green hair and multicolored tail fan make for intriguing eye-candy. Clearly her lack of fighting skills and timid nature aren’t enough to keep her from being one of Etheria’s most-wanted. As far as how she’ll look in Classics form, thus far the 4 Horsemen have seemed to cleave to the early Filmation Style Guide as their inspiration, favoring the cartoon looks somewhat over the vintage doll looks. It is likely that they will do the same going forward — though Peekablue’s figure is not drastically different from the Filmation style guide look.
#9. RIO BLAST
Another example of Mattel’s desire to have Masters of the Universe be an all encompassing boy’s toy line covering all action genres at once, Rio Blast is the requisite cowboy for the line. Not just any cowboy, however. Rio Blast was the laser-blastin’-est space cowboy that ever was. Rio Blast was never featured in the He-Man cartoon and so what is known about him comes from his early mini-comic appearance as an old friend of He-Man’s with lots of lasers for shooting. Not only is he equipped with back-pack-mounted laser cannons and dual laser pistols, but he also has more laser blasters that pop out of cavities in his thighs and chest. The character was reimagined for the 200x staction line as more of a cyborg, with one of his arms being entirely a sizable laser cannon. It’s likely that any classics version will hew more closely to the vintage design with the longer hair and bitchin’ porn stache. Obviously the western front in the MOTUC display has gone unpatrolled for too long, and we need the ranger named Rio Blast.
#8. ENTRAPTA
Continuing to ride the wave of popularity for Princess of Power present throughout this poll, coming in at number 8 is the villainous Entrapta. Possessing the power to ensnare her enemies with her long prehensile hair (reminiscent of Marvel Comics’ Medusa), Entrapta is one of only two villainous Horde women included in the vintage PoP toy line. The figure design differs significantly from the Filmation appearance, and thus far the 4 Horsemen and Mattel have seemed to favor the cartoon look over that of the toy for their PoP females. In this case, however, it would probably be nice to get the two-toned look of the toy tresses and the shiny gold outfit rather than the rather plain reddish hair color and muted pink and purple costume of the ‘toon. Still, there seems to be an insatiable appetite for Horde females and the fans are eager to add Entrapta to the ranks.
#7. MODULOK
Speaking of members of the Horde, there continues to be much love for this part-swapping freakish Horde villain. Another mainstay of the Filmation PoP cartoon, as well as a vintage figure and member of the Evil Horde, there is much to Modulok to recommend for inclusion in the MOTUC collection. Considering the unique nature of his construction, he clearly does not lend himself well to the standard MOTUC execution. The incomparable Emiliano Santalucia rendered a very elegant design for the construction of a modular buildable Modulok figure that was warmly received by fans. Such a complex execution seems highly unlikely for a standard MOTUC monthly slot and may well have to be reserved for a special “Deluxe” figure space in the subscription or else as an eventual SDCC exclusive. Nonetheless, fans want their Horde Monsters and with Mosquitor in hand and Mantenna on the way — Modulok is next in line.
#6. HORDE TROOPER
This list has begun to look like total Horde Domination, just as Hordak had planned. When building an army, eventually you need “army builders,” and while the Horde featured some of the most unique and monstrous character designs, it would have been overwhelming for animators and would-be toy generals to render armies made up entirely of unique troops. To that end, the Horde Trooper was created. These robotic soldiers were the cannon fodder and infantry for Hordak’s invasion. They loyally served Hordak in his occupation of Etheria and the attempted invasion of Eternia. The vintage toy design is perhaps one of the best-rendered figures in the entire line with great details and an imposing visage. Every time a two-pack price-point slot is announced for the MOTUC subscription people immediately clamor for it to be an army builder pack of Horde Troopers. And make no mistake — when these bad boys do finally get their day in the Classics sun, collectors will be lining up to buy extras to swell their Horde ranks.
#5. TUNG LASHOR
And the love for all things Horde-related keeps on rolling… sort of. The character at number five on our poll actually serves double duty as one of the last remaining Snake Men to be delivered in Classics, but also as a member of the Evil Horde. While the vintage Tung Lashor figure was clearly a Snake Man through and through, because of the timing of the figure’s creation he was actually put into the She-Ra cartoon as a member of the Evil Horde. The mini-comic released with the figure makes reference to his time with the Horde but makes clear his allegiance to King Hsss and the Snake Men. Tung Lashor is one of only two (He-Man being the other) characters to be featured in the Vintage He-Man mini-comics, the She-Ra Cartoon, the MYP/200x Cartoon, and the Dare/Son of He-Man story treatment — serving Hordak, King Hsss, and Skeletor in turn, making him one of the most versatile villains in the MOTU mythos. Tung Lashor’s garish colors and imposing build make him a highly desired figure to add to the ranks of the Snake Men… or Evil Horde… or Evil Warriors.
#4. ANGELLA
Rightful Queen of Etheria and leader of the Great Rebellion from her seat in Castle Brightmoon, Angella is one of the central characters in the She-Ra mythos. Angella is quite formidable wielding impressive powers and magical abilities. Her defining characteristic is her white wings that enable her to fly. Angella is also the mother of Glimmer, the field leader for the Rebellion forces. Angella’s placement in the poll has much to do with her position within the rebellion, but even more, I suspect, to do with the design that will feature a set of white wings that would be closer to DCUC Hawkgirl than MOTUC Sorceress in execution. But with so much of Great Rebellion still to come in the MOTUC collection, they will clearly need their queen well-entrenched to give them leadership and purpose. The marriage of important character in the storyline with impressive figure design have the fans clamoring for this angelic monarch, and the overall momentum for all things PoP didn’t hurt either.
#3. MERMISTA
Have we mentioned yet how strong the turnout for Princess of Power-based characters was in this MOTUC Poll? As further evidence of the influence the ladies of the Great Rebellion consider to exert on the polls is in at #3: Mermista. Mermista is arguably one of the most powerful members of the Rebellion and certainly one of the most eye-catching character designs. Mermista is the princess of the race of Mer people living under the sea on Etheria. Though her father the king remains neutral in the war for Etheria, Mermista can’t sit idly by and lends her great powers to the cause of the Great Rebellion. She is granted numerous abilities by the Power Pearl, including the ability to control and manipulate water, the power to communicate with all aquatic life forms, the power to transform her mermaid tail for legs, as well as a vast memory and understanding of all things that occurred in the seas. From a design perspective, Mermista clearly stands out in her primary form as her lower half is that of a sea creature with a sleek blue tail and green fins. Considering she has the ability to transform her tail into legs, it would be desirable for the figure to feature a swappable lower half with the option for display with the tail or standing on two legs, a feature similar to what was done with the upper half of King Hssss. It is possible, however, they will choose to do the tail effect with a rubber overlay, more closely in line with the design of the vintage figure that had a cloth fish tail that fit over the standard doll legs. Regardless of how they choose to do her, it is abundantly clear that Mermista is much-needed and highly desired for the Classics collection.
#2. GLIMMER
Having noted a strong thematic element throughout the poll results, you might have guessed that the top two would have to contain the heroic leader of the Great Rebellion herself, the Princess of Brightmoon Castle, the daughter of Queen Angella, and the best friend of She-Ra — Glimmer. While perhaps not the most dynamic character design to choose from with the various PoP princesses, Glimmer is certainly the most important character from the Great Rebellion after She-Ra/Adora. Glimmer is a powerful entity exhibiting any number of powers and abilities including energy bolts, light displays, invisibility, flight, and even teleportation. Glimmer is another PoP character where the look differed fairly significantly between the vintage toy and the Filmation cartoon design. The ‘toon Glimmer has the fairly ubiquitous muted pinks and purples that much of the PoP designs share. The toy design is somewhat more eye-catching with the motif of hot pink and shiny silver. While the MOTUC trend has been to favor the cartoon color schemes, it might be worthwhile for a character named Glimmer to… I don’t know, actually glimmer — and a metallic silver sheen might help in that regard. It would be a shame for such an important character with such a vibrant name to blend into the background with a relatively nondescript pastel purple/pink ensemble. Still, Glimmer’s overall importance to Etheria and the Great Rebellion, coupled with the desperate thirst of the fandom for more, more , more from the PoP corner of the Classics Universe, pushed her almost to the very top of the poll, finishing only a couple of votes out of the top spot.
#1. TWO-BAD
Breaking the stranglehold that the Princess of Power and Horde combination had on most of this top 10 list, the overall winner and most-desired Classics figure is actually two, two, two characters in one. A popular figure from the vintage toy line that received some exposure in the Filmation cartoon and then was developed more fully in the MYP 200x cartoon, Two Bad has a unique design and compelling character with two heads whose distinct personalities bicker constantly. As has been the standard for the Classics line, the origin is likely to draw heavily on the story developed in the 2002 cartoon with rival bounty hunters Tuvar and Baddrah being combined into a single entity as punishment by a peevish Skeletor. There are those that would even advocate for the need for three separate figures: Tuvar, Baddrah, and the combined Two-Bad. Given the unique requirements for the construction of this character, it seems a bit far-fetched to imagine Two-Bad being delivered as a single figure in the subscription and seems more likely destined for a more expensive “deluxe” slot similar to Ram Man. However Matty eventually chooses to deliver him, one thing is clear: Two Bad’s status as the last Evil Warrior from the vintage figure line that also appeared in the Filmation cartoon yet to be included in the Classics figure line is the driving force behind his rise to the top of the most-wanted figure poll. Two Bad is number one.
So, there you have it. The top 10… err 12 characters demanded for the MOTU Classics figure line.
Considering the vast array of characters and source material to choose from, I suppose it is not too surprising that the list would be dominated by Vintage MOTU and PoP characters. Alas, no character from New Adventures or 200x came close to cracking the top 10. Heck, not even unmade members of He-Man’s Heroic Masters such as Extendar could squeeze into the top 10 (the heroic knight finished 14th). In fact, only two characters outside of Vintage MOTU/PoP even cracked the top 20 with Flogg and Hydron finishing as part of a three-way tie for 18th. The highest placement for any 200x character was for the MYP version of Evil Seed finishing at 22. Eldor had the strongest performance of any concept character landing at #24. Not a single mini-comics character even cracked the top 35. So, while those of us that are fans of some of the less explored corners of the MOTU mythos may be disappointed, it does appear that Mattel has the pulse of the fan base by deciding to concentrate on the vintage Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power characters.
Some additional thoughts: Evilseed finished 22 in the MOTUC vote and also finished 10th in the Filmation vote with the votes split fairly equally between 200x and Filmation versions. If all the votes for Evilseed had been combined, it would have been enough for him to finish in 7th in the MOTUC poll or 4th in the Filmation poll. So clearly there is a demand for the character — though it’s split 50/50 on which version people want.
Also, the announcement of Rokkon and Stonedar as SDCC exclusives came after approximately 2/3 of the vote had been cast. Stonedar finished tied for 25th place in the poll and Rokkon tied for 31st. It would be interesting to see if the votes cast for those two had been distributed elsewhere if it would have changed the final tally in any significant way.