Spikor (Filmation)

Spikor is a fictional character in the cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

History
Spikor was introduced into the cartoon series by Filmation shortly after his figure was released. While it is standard for Skeletor's henchmen to be portrayed as dim-witted and bumbling, Spikor is portrayed as undoubtedly the most stupid and useless of them all. He is given a stilted, almost robotic voice - frequently altering in tone and emphasizing every second syllable as if singing - and an somewhat childlike personality. It is quite probable that this was intentional on Filmation's part, in order to make his character more suitable for a children's audience given his potentially frightening design. Appearing in three episodes, The Gambler, Visitors from Earth and The Games, never once does he actually use his spikes. The only episode to give him a main role is "The Games" in which he is infused with the villainous energy of all of Skeletor's minions so that he can be chosen to represent the side of evil in a series of games set by aliens, but he is clearly a bizarre choice for the role given that he is shown to foul up repeatedly and is used as mere comic relief through the whole episode.

However, despite the heavily toned-down portrayal of his character, he comes across significantly differently in the episode Visitors from Earth. Although he only appears briefly, in this episode he comes across as a silent, menacing, zombie-like character in complete contrast to his other appearances. At one point, the screen fades to black as Skeletor sets him towards a captive, hinting at some kind of horrific use of his spikes; the only point at which Filmation acknowledged the character's potentially deadly abilities which were too extreme for them to show. Another notable point of this episode is that it is the only episode in which he has the trident arm of the toy; in other episodes, the trident is excluded in favor of a normal hand so he could appear symmetrical, thus allowing the animators to flip over the character cels.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

 * The Gambler
 * Visitors from Earth
 * ''The Games

She-Ra: Princess of Power
Movie/TV Special
 * Of Shadows and Skulls (cameo)
 * He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special