He-Man (DC Comics)

He-Man as he appears throughout DC storylines and mini-series.

Pre-Crisis
From Eternia -- With Death! was the first Masters of the Universe story published by DC Comics. It is the lead feature in DC Comics Presents #47 (July 1982). Superman, the regular lead character in the DC Comics Presents series, is thrust into the world of Eternia in a crossover with the Masters of the Universe characters. This version of He-Man has an much more eloquent, almost Shakespearian way of speaking.

This continuity features the first appearance of the Prince Adam identity; before it, He-Man was depicted as being a hero full time. It bridges the gap between the original four minicomics written by Donald F. Glut, which cast He-Man as a simple jungle savage, and the Masters of the Universe Bible that refines the concepts seen in the animated series.

Adam had already been given the powers of Grayskull by the Goddess before the start of the first DC adventures. However, the story of his first transformation is briefly adressed in a flashback in The Key to Castle Grayskull. In a time before he knew Cringer, Adam found Ceril and his tribe enslaved by the sorcerer Damon. When Adam tried to help the people, Zoar, the Goddess' messenger, approached him and he became He-Man for the first time to defeat Damon.

After this, Adam would enter the Cavern of Power, where the Goddess resided, to transform into He-Man. During the perioud these stories are set, he would always be joined by Cringer who would tranform into Battle Cat.

He-Man and Battle Cat met Superman on two occasions. Both times the Kryptonian hero had been inexplicably transported from Earth to Eternia. He-Man was already aware of Superman thanks to stories to to him by his mother, who was born on Earth. During their second encoutner, He-Man mentions to himself that his Power-Vest creates a Force-Field that both protects him and grants him strength, which is consistent with their depiction in the earliest Minicomics. Skeletor tried to pit the two heroes against each other, but failed in his quest to obtain the two halves of the Power Sword and unlock the secrets of Castle Grayskull.

When He-Man first met the King and Queen face to face, he was afraid they might recognize him as their son, as only his clothes differentiated the two identies from each other. While the Queen did notice a resemblance between He-Man and Adam, the King did not, and lamented the fact that he did not have as strong and powerfull an heir as He-Man.

During a skirmish with Skeletor, the Goddess used her magic to send both halves of the Power Sword into unknown dimensions. Skeletor then took the Goddes hostage and forced He-Man to seek out The Talismans Three, so he could use them to locate the swords again.

Appearances

 * From Eternia -- With Death!
 * Fate is the Killer
 * To Tempt the Gods!
 * The Key to Castle Grayskull
 * Within these Walls.. Armageddon

Appearances

 * Main article: He-Man (New 52)

Injustice

 * Main article: He-Man (Injustice)