He-man: Masters of The Universe (2026) As A Trans Allegory

WARNING: This post contains spoilers for Masters of The Universe (2026).

This is a mirror blog originally posted on my SpaceHey account! :) I'm hoping to move some of my blogs from there onto here!

I loved the new Masters of The Universe movie. It's so silly and unserious in every way and it really leans into the absurdity of 80s cartoons (although I've only watched the 1985 spin-off, She-ra: Princess of Power). The way every character speaks makes it sound like the script was written by a little boy playing with action figures and it's more of a unique charm than it is a flaw much like how Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) has the whole cast sound like a buncha roleplaying losers (affectionate use of loser).

What I didn't expect was that I would feel such a strong connection between Adam (He-man) and my trans identity.

Okay so Adam's story goes something like this:

Adam was born as the Prince of Eternia, but he was unlike those that came before him. As a kid, he was weak, small and different from boys his age. And he was well aware that he was different from the other kids, but at such a young age, he couldn't care less. But his father cared a lot, pushing him to become someone he was not. 

Then, everything changed. He was thrust out of his planet. For the next 15 years, he was trapped in a place he didn't belong. He grew up outcasted from human society simply because he was too different. He clung onto his childhood memories because it was the only way he had a sense of self that wasn't so deeply affected by prejudice. 

Then, he finds The Sword of Power. Capable of bringing him back home and turning him into the man he's always wanted to be. But when he gets back home, it isn't everything he hoped it would be. He was born on Eternia, but he grew up on Earth and it was glaringly obvious that he didn't belong anywhere. He was too much of an Eternian to be a Human, and too much of a Human to be an Eternian. It's only when he holds up The Sword of Power and becomes He-man that he's accepted by the people around him. Adam believes that it's the sword that makes him a man. But it's all a performance. 

When he's He-man, he upholds this macho bravado that Adam never had, all in the name of being a real man. But despite all his best efforts to be the man that he isn't, the sword is taken from him and broken into a million pieces. He realizes that it was never the sword that made him a real man. His empathy, kindness and humanity is what makes him He-man.

Now let's look at the story again from another angle.

Adam was born as the Prince of Eternia, but he was unlike those that came before him. As a kid, he was weak, small and different from boys his age. And he was well aware that he was different from the other kids, but at such a young age, he couldn't care less. But his father cared a lot, pushing him to become someone he was not. 

You were born as a daughter to your family, but you're unlike those that came before you. As a kid, you were different from other kids your age. You felt in yourself that you were different, but at such a young age, who cares? Your parents probably did, hoping you'd become something you were not, a woman.

Then, everything changed. He was thrust out of his planet. For the next 15 years, he was trapped in a place he didn't belong. He grew up outcasted from human society simply because he was too different. He clung onto his childhood memories because it was the only way he had a sense of self that wasn't so deeply affected by prejudice. 

Then, everything changed. Puberty. You were thrust out of the body you've always known. For the next few decades, you were trapped in a body that was now a stranger to you. A body that didn't belong to you. You grew up outcasted, simply because you were too different. Rejecting your current reality, you cling onto your childhood memories, because it was the only way you could look at yourself without being reminded of the prejudice you've experienced.

Then, he finds The Sword of Power. Capable of bringing him back home and turning him into the man he's always wanted to be. But when he gets back home, it isn't everything he hoped it would be. He was born on Eternia, but he grew up on Earth and it was glaringly obvious that he didn't belong anywhere. He was too much of an Eternian to be a Human, and too much of a Human to be an Eternian. It's only when he holds up The Sword of Power and becomes He-man that he's accepted by the people around him. Adam believes that it's the sword that makes him a man. But it's all a performance. 

Then, you find the courage to transition. Maybe socially. Or maybe even medically, too. You hope it'll turn you into the man you've always wanted to be. But when you get there, it isn't everything you hoped it would be. You were born feeling like a man, but you still grew up as a woman. You're too much of a man to be a woman, but too much of a woman to be a man. It's only when you perform masculinity to an extreme degree that people regard you as a man, leaving behind an integral part of your identity. You start believing that your masculinity is what makes you a man. But it's all a performance.

When he's He-man, he upholds this macho bravado that Adam never had, all in the name of being a real man. But despite all his best efforts to be a man he isn't, the sword is taken from him and broken into a million pieces. He realizes that it was never the sword that made him a real man. His empathy, kindness and humanity is what makes him He-man.

When you're presenting as a man, you uphold this macho bravado that you've never once had, all in the name of being a real man. But despite all your best efforts to be a man that you aren't, it's taken away from you. People discriminate against you, they point out that you'll never be a real man, other men don't respect you like they do each other, etc. etc.... Then you realize it was never your masculinity that made you a real man. Your empathy, kindness and humanity is what makes you a real man. All traits that were cultivated when you grew up as a woman.

So, was Masters of The Universe written to be trans allegory? No. Most probably not ;-)

But it really spoke to me as a trans man and my own experiences. Maybe, even as a trans man, none of this applies to you and that's fine. However, after feeling so stuck in my own body for almost two decades now, He-man inspired me to be the best man I can be right now, no matter if I have "the sword of power" or not.

And other than being a trans allegory, the movie itself is just hella good. It's so refreshing to see a colorful and silly live action. Not to mention Skeletor is HOT!!!!!!

Anyway that's all!!!!! Thanks for reading this far :-) If you see any typos or grammatical errors... No you didn't...