The Once and Future Duke

The Once and Future Duke is the 58th episode of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, written by Phyllis and Robert White and directed by Lou Zukor. Prince Adam and Teela are surprised to find their childhood friend David, the would-be Duke of Abra, is once again an eight-year-old boy thanks to the magic of his uncle Count Marzo.

Moral
He-Man: "Swimming is fun and good for you, but going in the water can be very dangerous... on your planet as well as mine! But there's no chance that you'll lose your memory as Orko did, but the threat of drowning is very real. That's why it's important to be aware of the rules of water safety. Don't play jokes in the water. Always be sure to swim in an area where an adult is watching you. And never swim alone. Go with a friend. Keep your swimming safe... and live to swim another day!"

Heroic Warriors

 * Prince Adam/He-Man
 * Cringer/Battle Cat
 * Orko
 * Teela
 * Man-At-Arms

Allies

 * David of Abra
 * Queen Marlena
 * King Randor
 * Sorceress

Villains

 * Chimera
 * Count Marzo

Locations

 * Abra - Well of Forgetfulness
 * Eternos - Royal Palace
 * Crystal Mountains - Lake of the Lost
 * Vine Jungle

Vehicles

 * Marzo's Doom Buster
 * Wind Raider (mentioned)

Creatures

 * Hunger Lily
 * Pterror-dactyl

Artifacts

 * Ring of Remembrance

Technology

 * Eternoscope

Weaponry

 * Power Sword
 * Vaporizer

Cast

 * John Erwin as He-Man/Prince Adam and Count Marzo
 * Alan Oppenheimer as Man-At-Arms, Battle Cat/Cringer anc Chimera
 * Linda Gary as Teela, the Sorceress and Queen Marlena
 * Lou Scheimer (credited as Erik Gunden) as Orko, King Randor and adult David of Abra
 * Erika Scheimer (uncredited) as young David of Abra

Behind the Scenes

 * Script was approved June 3, 1983 and final script revision was completed June 30, 1983. The character models were finalized on August 3, 1983.
 * Count Marzo is one of the rare Filmation based villains who makes more than one appearance. He returns in The Eternia Flower and Search for a Son and so does his henchman Chimera, although he was redesigned. Marzo also uses Pterror-dactyls again in his third appearance, this time colored blue rather than brown.
 * The script identifies Marzo's vehicle as a 'Doom Buster' even though a different design was later used for the vehicle of the same name used by Skeletor.
 * The Vaporizer weapon that Marzo uses to make Man-At-Arms develop amnesia was released as a toy in 2018 as part of Super7's line of action figures. It was included with several others that came with a Filmation style action figure of Man-E-Faces.

Continuity

 * Count Marzo uses the Well of Forgetfulness again in Search for a Son, although it's location on Eternia has changed.
 * The animation of He-Man blowing away the freezing fog would be used again in The Rarest Gift of All, Betrayal of Stratos, A Trip to Morainia, Just a Little Lie, The Greatest Show on Eternia and Happy Birthday Roboto.
 * The background plates used for Marzo's Castle were originally used as Queen Elmora's throne room in She-Demon of Phantos and would appear again in The Witch and the Warrior as the interior of Kothos' stronghold.
 * The character model of the adult David was reused as an extra on a balcony in the She-Ra: Princess of Power episode The Red Knight.
 * The sequence of Count Marzo raising both his hands and firing blasts at He-Man is reused in The Eternia Flower.

Errors

 * When He-Man blows away the fog, the background is not Count Marzo's castle but the Evergreen Forest with the Royal Palace visible on the far left.

The He-Man and She-Ra Blog

 * A brief review #058 - "The Once and Future Duke"
 * The first Chimera.