Princess Adora

Princess Adora is a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise. She is the twin sister of Prince Adam and the alter ego of She-Ra. Shortly after the twins' birth, Hordak planned to kidnap them. When Man-At-Arms found Hordak in the process of taking the children, Hordak fled with the young Adora through a space corridor to Etheria. She was then raised by Shadow Weaver and became a Force Captain in the Evil Horde. Later, Adora's true destiny and birthright were revealed to her. Embracing her true destiny, Adora left the Horde and joined the Great Rebellion to fight against those she had once supported.

Filmation series
King Randor and Queen Marlena of Eternia had been blessed with twins, a girl named Adora, and a boy named Adam. The twins were born during an ongoing invasion by the Evil Horde, were unable to stand against the Royal Guard or the magic of Castle Grayskull. Their leader, Hordak, along with his pupil Skeletor, plotted to kidnap the twins because of "something" the twins were destined for (though Hordak did not know exactly what). Hordak was able to successfully kidnap Adora, but they were confronted by Man-At-Arms before her brother could be taken. Hordak escaped, leaving Skeletor behind. As payback, Skeletor revealed to Man-At-Arms that the Horde were based at Snake Mountain, and Man-At-Arms went with the Sorceress to retrieve Adora. When confronted, Hordak ran through a portal into another dimension, which closed before they could follow.

A great sadness fell upon the Kingdom of Eternia at the loss of the princess. The Sorceress used the magic of Grayskull to remove the memories of the princess from the minds of all Eternians, including the infant Adam. Only Randor, Marlena, Man-At-Arms, and the Sorceress herself retained their memories.

Adora was raised under the care of a Horde servant called Shakra, who was able to provide Adora with some goodness during her early life. They developed a strong relationship during Adora's life with the Horde. The strength of their relationship is evidenced in by Shakra's decision to also leave the Horde and join the Great Rebellion.

When Adora was old enough to begin to serve the Horde, Hordak had Shadow Weaver put Adora under a spell so that she would follow the Horde and not question their ruling methods. He saw great potential in Adora, and promoted her to Force Captain.

Destiny and birthright revealed
The Sorceress begins having strange dreams, reminding her of the time when Adora was taken from the royal nursery. She awakes to find a sword floating above her bed. She sees that the Sword is similar to Prince Adam's sword that she had given to him not long ago. The sword seems to beckon the Sorceress, so she rises from her slumber and follows the sword through the passages of Castle Grayskull. The sword stops before a door which opens to reveal a previously sealed portal. The Sorceress knows the time has come to share the truth, and summons Adam and Cringer to the Castle. When Adam arrives at the Castle she explains that the sword which had led her to the portal is ready to be claimed by its rightful owner, and sends Adam and Cringer through the portal into a lush green forest.

The planet they travel to is called Etheria. Adam and Cringer travel to the village of Thaymor, stopping at the Laughing Swan Inn for lunch, only to be interrupted by the intrusion of Horde Troopers. Adam confronts them when they try to start trouble, and a young man named Bow joins him. Together they defeat the Troopers. Adam and Bow return to The Whispering Woods, and Bow says that Adam is an ally to the Great Rebellion. Later, when Adam tells the Rebellion that they should fight the Horde, they head off to Bright Moon. The rebels begin their fight with the Horde, and appear to be near to defeat, until He-Man arrives. Adora flees and He-Man follows her. He corners her, confronting her with the sword the Sorceress gave him. The sword begins to glow, and He-Man realizes that the sword is meant for her. He is then knocked out by a Horde laser. Adora picks up the sword and He-Man is taken to the Horde prison on Beast Island.

Adora visits He-Man in his prison cell and tells him that she feels drawn to the sword, as if it were made especially for her. He-Man confirms this, but tells her it is for a person who fights on the side of good. Adora responds by telling him that she serves the Horde, the lawful rulers of Etheria. He tells her she is wrong and to go and discover for herself the evil acts that are being carried out against the innocent people of Etheria. She tells him he is mistaken and she leaves the island with her horse Spirit to prove him wrong. While riding through the villages of Etheria, Adora discovers that He-Man is correct and that the Horde rules with brutal tyranny. Meanwhile, Kowl comes to rescue He-Man from his cell. Adora rides back to the Fright Zone, where she challenges Hordak and Shadow Weaver with the truth. She tells them she has seen for herself that the Horde are cruel and despotic, and will no longer serve them. Shadow Weaver discovers that the sword Adora is carrying is somehow weakening her own magic. She puts Adora into a magic-induced stupor and takes the sword.

Adora awakens from her slumber without the memories of the previous day's events. Later that day, she and the Horde capture rebels, placing them in a glass chamber which will drain their energy in order to power Hordak's new invention. He-Man sneaks into the Fright Zone disguised as a Horde Trooper, finding Adora. When he asks her if she now knew the truth about the Horde she arrests him, and Hordak takes him to drain his energy. Adora expresses her discomfort with this, but Shadow Weaver uses her magic once again. Later that night an echoing voice wakes Adora, and she silently walks into the room where He-Man is being drained of his energy. She is drawn to the sword again. The face of a woman appears in the jewel embedded in the sword. The woman explains to Adora that she was kidnapped by the Horde as an infant, and that she had a twin brother. When it is revealed that He-Man is her twin brother, Adora is amazed. The woman tells her "For the honor of Grayskull", then her image vanishes from the stone. Adora picks up the sword. She realizes He-Man--her brother--is in trouble, and her newfound love for him is powerful enough to break Shadow Weaver's spell for good. Adora raises the sword, repeats the Sorceress's parting words, and in a swirl of lights and magic she is transformed into She-Ra. She releases He-Man from his chains and gives his sword back to him, restoring his energy with its magic. While He-Man battles encroaching Troopers, She-Ra jumps from a window and crashes into the Horde stables, landing on her beloved horse, Spirit. The magic that transformed Adora envelops him, changing Spirit into Swift Wind, a winged talking unicorn. They fly ahead to warn the Rebellion. He-Man fights Hordak, and She-Ra returns to help. Once safe, She-Ra tells a stunned He-Man that she is his sister.

Royal family reunited
He-Man is amazed that he has a sister. She-Ra tells him about the woman she saw in the sword. He-Man realizes she means the Sorceress and uses She-Ra's sword to summon her. She appears to them and explains everything. She-Ra cries when she finds out what happened when she was taken from her true family, and she and He-Man hug. Adora and Adam return to the rebel camp and Bow thinks that Adam had captured the Horde captain. Adam informs him that Adora is his sister and she was being controlled by Shadow Weaver's evil spells. Adora announces that she broke free from the spell and explains that she would like to join the rebels in their fight against the Horde. Glimmer tells them about her mother being held at Talon Mountain. Adam and Adora set off to free the Queen. When hidden from view they become He-Man and She-Ra. They liberate the Queen and return to the camp. With the Queen safe, Adora feels she can now leave them and return to Eternia. She, Adam and Cringer pass through the portal back to Eternia. Hordak sees them and follows. Adora and Adam arrive in Castle Grayskull and the Sorceress takes them to the Royal Palace. King Randor and Queen Marlena are delighted at the return of their daughter.

Return to Etheria
While the Royal family rejoice that their family is finally together again, Hordak and Skeletor attack and take Adora prisoner again. She tricks Beast Man and taking her sword transforms into She-Ra. She battles Webstor and defeats Skeletor. Later at the palace Adora tells her parents she must return to Etheria so that she can help free the planet from Horde oppression. They are saddened by this decision but understand that this is what Adora must do, with this the Sorceress transports Adora and Spirit back to Etheria. He-Man and She-Ra battle the Horde at Bright Moon, once beaten back She-Ra understands that this is her true destiny. He-Man and She-Ra part ways, He-Man tells her, "Farewell, She-Ra, Princess Of Power." This is the first time anyone ever refers to She-Ra as "The 'Princess Of Power.'" Swift Wind also referred to her by that title in Duel at Devlan.

Physical appearance
Adora is a striking young woman with long, wavy blonde hair that falls just past her shoulders. She has bright blue eyes, fair skin, and red lips. She wears a red leotard (which suggests a 1-piece bathing suit) with raised shoulder pads and golden brown panels, a long-sleeved white shirt, cone-shaped red bracers, a black belt (with a gold buckle), and red high-heeled boots.

Personality
In the Horde, Force Captain Adora was merciless, conniving, and dedicated to Hordak's cause. She lacked empathy, distrusted her fellow Hordesmen, and pulled rank to her own advantage. Though corrupted by Shadow Weaver's magical interference, Adora fully believed in her own morals, even when others disagreed. Having never seen Etheria the way many people had, she was blind to the Horde’s ruling methods, which were harsh, abusive, and cruel. As Shadow Weaver's influence waned and she saw the horrors inflicted by the Horde, Adora was overcome with compassion, adamantly protesting the mistreatment of Etherians.

Even after she joined the Great Rebellion and became its leader, Adora’s lack of fear played a key role in her cause; she thought nothing of putting herself in danger for others, even as a diversion. Like her alter ego, she has a strong sense of loyalty, and deep sympathy for the injured and oppressed. She has no qualms about confronting poor behavior from anyone, regardless of their status or abilities, even her friends Glimmer, Bow and Kowl.

Masters of the Universe Classics
A line of toys that were debuted in 2008 to be sold exclusively on Mattel's collector website. Sculpted by the Four Horsemen, these toys are updated versions of numerous characters from the franchise. In January 2010, Princess Adora was released as Matty Collector's figure for the month on Mattel's website. Labeled simply "Adora," this was her first (and so far, only) toy. Of course, there are also several other versions of her available as She-Ra.

Behind the Scenes

 * The character model for Adora was designed by artist Diane Keener, based on many different concepts provided by the design department of both Filmation and Mattel.

Appearances

 * Filmation
 * Into Etheria
 * Beast Island
 * She-Ra Unchained
 * Reunions
 * Battle for Bright Moon
 * Duel at Devlan
 * The Sea Hawk
 * The Red Knight
 * The Missing Ax
 * The Prisoners of Beast Island
 * The Peril of Whispering Woods
 * The Laughing Dragon
 * King Miro's Journey
 * Friendship
 * He Ain't Heavy
 * Return of the Sea Hawk
 * A Loss for Words
 * Horde Prime Takes a Holiday
 * Enchanted Castle
 * Three Courageous Hearts
 * The Stone in the Sword
 * The Crystal Castle
 * The Crown of Knowledge
 * The Mines of Mondor
 * Small Problems
 * Book Burning
 * The Eldritch Mist
 * Bow's Farewell
 * Play It Again, Bow
 * The Reluctant Wizard
 * Friends Are Where You Find Them
 * A Talent for Trouble
 * Troll's Dream
 * Gateway to Trouble
 * The Unicorn King
 * The Anxious Apprentice
 * Zoo Story
 * Into the Dark Dimension
 * Treasure of the First Ones
 * Glimmer's Story
 * Enemy with My Face
 * Welcome Back, Kowl
 * The Rock People
 * Huntara
 * Micah of Bright Moon
 * The Price of Power
 * Birds of a Feather
 * Just Like Me
 * My Friend, My Enemy
 * The Wizard
 * Unexpected Ally
 * The Light of the Crystal
 * Loo-Kee Lends a Hand
 * Of Shadows and Skulls
 * Jungle Fever
 * Anchors Aloft, Part 1
 * Anchors Aloft, Part 2
 * Darksmoke and Fire
 * Magicats
 * Flowers for Hordak
 * Wild Child
 * The Greatest Magic
 * He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special
 * One to Count On
 * Return of the General
 * Out of the Cocoon
 * A Lesson in Love
 * Something Old, Something New
 * Loo-Kee's Sweety
 * The Pearl
 * The Time Transformer
 * Above It All
 * Day of the Flowers
 * Brigis
 * The Caregiver
 * When Whispering Woods Last Bloomed
 * Romeo and Glimmer
 * The Perils of Peekablue
 * Just the Way You Are
 * The Locket
 * Shera Makes a Promise
 * Bow's Magical Gift
 * Sweet Bee's Home
 * Glimmer Come Home
 * The Inspector
 * Portrait of Doom
 * Hordak's Power Play
 * Assault on the Hive
 * The Bibbet Story