When we talk about the good old 1980s, we usually think of a lot of things. To begin with, the youngsters of the 1980s were definitely endowed with a plethora of high-spirited cartoons; ones that were full of energy, optimism, exciting adventures, and, let us not forget, some very likable heroes.
Many of these children grew up to be better adults as a result of the character’s honesty and heroism. Of course, you can not claim to be an authentic 80s kid unless you grew up watching “He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe” and “ThunderCats.” These mind-bending cartoons must be at the top of your list. DC Comics ultimately came up with an epic crossover between He-Man and the ThunderCats thanks to their lucrative toy lines and a little bit of thinking outside the box.
It was a conflict that promised to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for every 80s cartoon lover. After all, seeing the Master of the Universe go toe-to-toe with Lion-O of Third Earth is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
The comic book crossover with a mind-blowing six-part epic features a creative team of writers including Lloyd Goldfine and Rob David, as well as illustrator Freddie Williams II and coloring Jeremy Colwell. It is a blast from the past that is absolutely worth your time. It not only transports you back to your childhood, but it also has a twist that reveals that this is not the same animation you watched as a youngster — it is even better!
Mumm-Ra, the ancient evil sorcerer, is scheming yet another conspiracy to eliminate the ThunderCats, but this time he is looking for a weapon capable of defeating the renowned Sword of Omens. He is on the lookout for He-Man’s Sword of Power, therefore no points for guessing. The mini-series starts with a solid idea and builds a gripping plot layer by layer with engrossing images and engaging conversation.
So get ready for today’s video, where we will go through each of the six topics in-depth!
He-Man/ThunderCats Issue #1
Post facing a rather humiliating defeat at the hands of his most loathed enemy, Mumm-Ra makes his way back to the Black Pyramid to heal himself. In the meantime, Mumm-Ra’s masters, The Ancient Spirits Of Evil, having grown tired of his failures, already planned his next maneuver. They have finally found a weapon that could defeat the Thundercats once and for all – He-Man’s Sword of Power. Meanwhile, in Eternia, Prince Adam awakes with a jolt and literally races to a ceremony that is specifically being held in his honor.
Upon reaching, he not only finds everyone gathered there but also the fact they, along with his father, King Randor, have been waiting for him for quite a long time. The King berates him and tells him how he wanted Adam to have the Eternian Harness of Honor, that was passed on to the King by his father. Judging by the insincerity of the Prince, the King tells him that the prince is evidently not ready for the responsibility of taking on royal duties. All of a sudden, an earthquake shakes the entire city up.
Everyone looks up to see Third Earth, the home of the Thundercats tearing through space right above Eternia. It’s a similar situation on Third Earth as well; the Thundercats are equally startled by the earthquake and the sudden appearance of Eternia in their skies. Jaga makes an appearance and tells them about the mystical world of Eternia and the fact that he actually fears that both the worlds will either live or die together. Lion-O picks up the Sword of Omens to grant himself the sight beyond sight to see what they’re getting themselves into.
The presence of Third Earth on Eternia has brought about some Herculean earthquakes; so much so that the heroes of Eternia had to rush to protect the people against the calamity. Then comes a colossal tidal wave, one that floods the entire city and hurls King Randor, Prince Adam, and his pet tiger, Cringer, over the balcony straight into the deep waters. The prince manages to save the unconscious king and takes him to higher ground along with Cringer. Just as he is about to raise his sword and become He-Man, Prince Adam is stopped by the Sorceress of Grayskull, who tells him about an evil force who has come for the sword.
The sorceress adds that she will secure the sword within the vaults of Castle Grayskull. The prince hands over the sword to the sorceress only to get stabbed in the chest by her. She later discloses herself to be Mumm-Ra in disguise. As for the Thundercats back on Third Earth, they gear themselves up to head over to Eternia post-Lion-O’s vision. As the young king opens up about his fears regarding the journey ahead to Panthro, the latter assures him saying no matter what, the Thundercats will always stay by his side. The Thundercats head to the ship to travel to Eternia. Back on Eternia, Prince Adam after having the sword blade plunged into his chest, barely manages to turn to the Power of Grayskull and transforms into He-Man.
The duo briefly fights before Mumm-Ra simply disappears with the sword. He reappears in some dark corridor and ends up snooping in on the Ancient Spirits of Evil. Mumm-Ra hears the spirits telling a particular someone that ‘he’ can do whatever he wishes to do with not only the sword but also Mumm-Ra, as long as he keeps up his end of the bargain. And, before Mumm-Ra can even react, he is blasted to dust and Skeletor is seen reaching down for the sword and telling the Spirits that they have a deal.
He-Man/ThunderCats Issue #2
Skeletor comes back to his lab, with Mumm-Ra’s helmet filled with his ashes. He begins working and is quite amused to find Mumm-Ra alive despite his condition. That’s when Skeletor tells him that he found out about the Ancient Spirits of Evil via the Golden Disks of Knowledge and eventually struck a deal with them. Wondering what the deal was? Well, it was exactly what Mumm-Ra was never able to achieve – the Power Sword and Mumm-Ra in exchange for their freedom from the Black Pyramid.
Meanwhile, King Randor regains consciousness and asks about his son. He-Man assures him that he is safe and is also equally worried about him. Their brief conversation is put to a pause on account of a sudden ambush by the combined forces of the mutants of the Third Earth and minions of Skeletor. The battle is pretty intense; He-Man gets attacked from all sides and the joined forces mock him stating how he isn’t strong without his sword. He-Man proves them all wrong; in fact, it’s a piece of cake for him to get the better of Evil Lynn and the mutants. Together with the aid of King Randor, he manages to overcome them.
But back at the den in Snake Mountain, Skeletor enlightens Mumm-Ra that he could never really have the Power of Grayskull without it devouring him. So, he concocts a potion by blending Mumm-Ra’s ashes and linking the sorcerer’s ‘ever-living’ power with him so that he can make use of the Power Sword. In spite of Mumm-Ra’s protests, Skeletor gulps down the whole drink and summons the Power of Grayskull, adding He-Man’s very own strength to his own in the process.
As for He-Man, who had just tasted victory back, there is transformed back to Prince Adam, much to the horror of King Randor, and collapses right into his father’s arms with the fatal wound on his chest. Meanwhile, Skeletor, reveling in his newfound power has no plans of liberating the Ancient Spirits of Evil from the Pyramid despite accepting the fact that he never could have possibly laid his hands on the blade without their help. As he gloats about the fact that there’s no one who can stop him anymore, the Snake Mountain starts shaking and a wall explodes right in front of Skeletor, revealing the entire team of Thundercats, led by Lion-O.
He-Man/ThunderCats Issue #3
All of the Thundercats take turns in attacking Skeletor, while the latter simply laughs at their feeble attempts. Skeletor begins mocking them and telling them that they did not even have the slightest idea about what they are going up against. Lion-O attacks him and briefly manages to wound Skeletor but not before the Supreme Dark Mage of Eternia slashes Lion-O’s eye with the Power Sword.
It would not be wrong to address Skeletor as the ultimate lord of destruction, he is literally unstoppable everywhere. Even with the Thundercats joining forces and trying their very best to defeat Skeletor, they are unable to do so. It looks like a triumphant situation for Skeletor, and just when he tries to assert dominance, Mumm-Ra in his ash form linked to Skeletor intervenes. Skeletor tells Mumm-Ra that he is in the middle of a battle against the Thundercats. Looking at this, Lion-O realizes that the duo has bonded and seizes the opportunity, using Mumm-Ra’s weakness, his own reflection to drive away Skeletor and recover the Power Sword at last.
Skeletor somehow teleports away trying to regain his control from Mumm-Ra and in due course, they end up fighting an internal battle against each other. Although Mumm-Ra manages to repossess his original form and take control, in doing so, he loses Skeletor and the power that he received from the sword. Both of them eventually comprehend that not only are they ‘too evenly matched’ but also bonded thanks to the potion! That is when Skeletor offers him a partnership; to work together and capture the ultimate Power of Grayskull – the most powerful force in the universe. He further advises Mumm-Ra that with that kind of power, he could not only eradicate the Thundercats but also take the Eye of Thundera. But most importantly, it’s the only way that the duo would be able to separate themselves from each other. Of course, Mumm-Ra agrees!
Meanwhile, Lion-O and the Thundercats arrive at the damaged Eternos to find all the heroes mourning the death of Prince Adam. Upset and utterly shocked that he was unable to return the Power Sword to its rightful owner, Lion-O speaks with King Randor in private. While he tells the King what a great hero his son was, King Randor expresses how he just didn’t know that it was Adam who doubled as He-Man. He repents how he was too blind to see him for what he truly was. Lion-O pacifies the King and tells him that despite not knowing, he was sure that Adam felt loved by his father. Randor thanks Lion-O and in return asks him not to stress about living up to anyone’s expectations and standards, but to rule from his own heart.
Suddenly, another massive earthquake rocks the city and everyone looks up to find four colossal giants attacking the city. We find that Mumm-Ra and Skeletor have used their collective power and knowledge to release the Ancient Spirits of Evil, taken control of them and set them free to strike Eternia to usurp the powers of Castle Grayskull.
He-Man/ThunderCats Issue #4
Lion-O pledges to aid King Randor fight off the giants, as the two different groups banter. The Mutant leader Slithe post being brought in following his defeat at the hands of He-Man, lays his eyes on Lion-O and taunts him saying that he had still not learnt anything. He informs Lion-O that no matter what they do, he will always come back – restored, resurrected, ever-living. It was precisely Slithe’s mocking that gave Lion-O one of the craziest ideas ever. He commands the Thundercats to help the King and the heroes of Eternia to defend Grayskull, while he takes the body of Prince Adam and flies back to Third Earth along with Cringer, who refused to leave Adam’s side.
They arrive at Mumm-Ra’s Black Pyramid and the duo manage to put Adam’s body and the Sword of Power into Mumm-Ra’s sarcophagus, hoping that it will bring Adam back just the way it restores Mumm-Ra every single time. While they are at it, they also discover some of the evil mutant warriors who had attacked He-Man before, looting the treasures of the Black Pyramid in Mumm-Ra’s absence.
Lion-O tells Cringer to keep a tab on the villains and uses the Sword of Omens to transform Cringer into his Battle Cat version. To see Cringer adorned in red armour and the ThunderCats logo on his chest, irrefutably happens to be one of the epic highlights of the crossover.
As for Lion-O, his ultimate plan of reviving Prince Adam in Mumm-Ra’s sarcophagus did the trick and the fallen hero resurrected. To be honest, the whole experience also kind of drove He-man completely crazy. The sarcophagus bursts and a fuming He-Man comes out only to attack Lion-O. Upon comprehending that the combination of power not only healed He-Man but had also driven him mad, Lion-O defends himself with the Sword of Omens against the mighty power of Grayskull. And although, he is successful in separating He-Man from the Power Sword, He-Man is way too strong.
The crazed and merciless He-Man almost drowns Lion-O in Mumm-Ra’s mystic pool. Understanding that there’s no other way for the both to survive a prolonged battle like this, Lion-O calls on the Sword of Omens to give him Power Beyond Power. Lion-O is engulfed by red lightning, his eyes glowing red with electricity. He was now more matched in strength and manages to fight He-Man from behind while placing the Sword of Omens right in front of him, giving He-Man Sight beyond Sight.
Seeing a horrifyingly disturbing vision of the future especially one, of a universe ruled by Skeletor and Mumm-Ra, He-man snaps out of his madness and the two finally introduce themselves. The duo eventually finds Cringer, transformed back to his normal form, happily licking his paw over the defeated villains. Upon seeing He-Man, Cringer dives straight into his arms, overjoyed to see his best friend alive. The trio then rush back to the ship, desperate to get back to Eternia before it is too late!
He-Man/ThunderCats Issue #5
With the four Ancient Spirits of Evil arriving at the doorsteps of Castle Grayskull, King Randor assembles an army accompanied by the Thundercats and the combined forces of the heroes attack the giants. Tygra, Panthro and Man-At-Arms gather a cannon of combined Eternian and Thunderian tech to charge the Spirits while the others buy them some time. Inside the Castle, the Lady Sorceress summons the Castle’s defenses to stand guard. The spirit form of Jaga appears and tells the Sorceress that he believes that there is an artifact that can obliterate the Spirits. However, the answer lies on Thundercat’s destroyed home; world of Thundera. The Sorceress opens a gateway in space and time for Jaga and her to enter and retrieve the artifact.
Meanwhile outside, in spite of the best efforts put together by the heroes, the Spirits tend to edge closer towards Castle Grayskull. Even with Tygra, Man-At-Arms and Panthro firing the cannon at one of the Spirit’s head, it isn’t as effective and they seem unstoppable. The Spirits end up laughing and turn to attack the castle. It is then that Tygra makes use of his powers and creates an illusion where the castle simply vanishes, much to the confusion of the Spirits and the frustration of Skeletor and Mumm-Ra.
Jaga and the Sorceress make an entrance before the heroes, informing them that Jaga knew of a Golden Disk of Knowledge amidst the treasures of Thundera. The duo makes use of the retrieved Disk to expose how Skeletor and Mumm-Ra used Skeletor’s Disks of Knowledge to bring back the Spirits in their physical forms. They also state that each of the four Spirits have a Disk on their chest and if the heroes are able to demolish the Disks, the Spirits will be defeated.
Teela and Cheetara take a flyer and charge at one of the Spirits; Cheetara’s sixth sense saves them from getting hit by an energy blast. Teela then sets the flyer to crash into the disk and they both escape; the first Spirit is destroyed. Orko also manages to inadvertently enlarge Snarf, who hits the Disk on the second Spirit, destroying it. As for Wilikit and Wilicat, they join Buzz-Off and Stratos to attack the third Spirit and in the process break the Disk and finish off the third Spirit.
But Tygra collapses, not being able to hold the illusion much longer. Castle Grayskull is disclosed to be right in front of the fourth Spirit. The final Spirit attacks the Castle but the Sorceress manages to hold up a protective shield to keep the Castle safe. Panthro along with Man-At-Arms aim the cannon and fire at the Spirit, knocking it backwards. Before the duo can aim and fire again, the Spirit grabs Man-At-Arms and Panthro jumps to free him. With the Spirit getting sidetracked by the duo, Tygra manages to aim the cannon at the Disk and fires, terminating the last Spirit in the process. As the heroes celebrate, Skeletor and Mumm-Ra reveal their actual plan. The duo absorbs the power of the Spirits blending them together, as they begin to disappear. They use this power to merge themselves into a single being, addressing themselves as the ‘Mummator’.
He-Man/ThunderCats Issue #6
The super-charged ‘Mummator’ attacks the already weakened heroes as per their original plan. He-Man alongside Lion-O and Cringer, now transformed in his Battle Cat version arrive at the battle but they are a little too late. They discover all of them defeated and injured and Grayskull’s lift bridge left flat open. He-Man tells Battle Cat to take care of their friends while he and Lion-O rush inside the castle. He-Man pilots Lion-O through the maze of Castle Grayskull explaining that it is a liaison of worlds and reality through space and time.
It was crucial that they find the Sorceress before it’s too late. Soon, they arrive at a shattered door that shocks He-Man as he says that no intruder has ever gotten this far into the Castle. Both heroes charge forward and find the ‘Mummator’ with an imprisoned Sorceress, holding the orb, the core of the Castle and the key to all the powers that Grayskull possess. Mummator says that he has already won and only requires He-Man’s Sword of Power to unlock the orb and gain control over reality throughout the Multiverse. He-Man and Lion-O attack and grasp the fact that they need to get both the orb and the sword away from Mummator. Lion-O says that since the Castle is the node of realities, they can actually use it to get Mummator away from the orb.
Together the heroes drive Mummator off an edge and the three plummet downwards, only to land in an Eternia that is ruled by Mummator. Taking advantage of Mummator’s confusion, He-Man grabs the orb and along with Lion-O, uses the orb’s connection to Grayskull to teleport away. They appear in what looks like a newsroom and witness themselves in a reality where He-Man is based on Earth, much like a Superman version. With Mummator reappearing, the duo grasps the orb together to use their combine will to get back to the Castle. But instead, they find themselves in a reality where He-Man and Lion-O’s buddies have merged.
Mummator takes advantage of their surprise and manages to get hold of He-Man’s Sword before Lion-O uses the orb to teleport them away again. As they arrive in yet another reality, they realize that Mummator will follow them everywhere while in possession of the Sword. Lion-O looks down and sees that they have arrived on Thundera before it exploded. He observes his father, King Claudius staying behind as the child Lion-O, Jaga, and the other Thundercats flee the planet. Shaken and taken aback by surprise, Lion-O is attacked by Mummator, and as the trio wrestle, they arrive back inside Grayskull and Mummator manages to get the orb from Lion-O.
Owning both the Sword and the orb, Mummator activates the orb and summons all his minions to attack He-Man and Lion-O. Unbeknownst to him, the Sorceress had already managed to free herself while they traveled realities, and had summoned the recovered heroes to support Lion-O and He-Man.
As the Power of Grayskull begins to flow through Mummator, He-Man starts feeling weak. Although, Lion-O manages to slash Mummator’s wrist and get the Power Sword back, it is too late to stop the orb from unlocking. Realizing that they have this one last chance, He-Man and Lion-O risk merging the remaining power of Grayskull in He-Man and the Power Sword along with the Sword of Omens even though the duo realize that it could actually kill them both.
He-Man fires his power into the Sword of Omens and together with Lion-O, summon the Power Beyond Power at Mummator. The consequential blast of energy overpowers Mummator and rips him apart into Skeletor and Mumm-Ra before disintegrating both the beings. The resulting blast also changes He-Man back into Adam and caps the orb, and both the Sorceress and Jaga claim victory for the heroes.
Lion-O looks away to find a doorway leading back to Thundera. He is more than desperate to go back and save his father and the world, saying he will never run away again. Adam gently holds Lion-O back saying that he could go back and save his father but doing so would change everything, especially the ‘here and now’. He further tells him that his true destiny lies in the future and not in the past. Lion-O reluctantly agrees and King Randor watches them from a distance with pride.
Later on, the heroes exchange thanks and gifts, load the Mutants onto the Thundercats ship and the evil warriors of Skeletor inside a prison ship. Lion-O says he is sorry to leave but they must return before Third Earth snaps back to where it belongs. Adam, now returned to his He-Man form thanks his new friend, saying it will be weird now that his father and everyone else knew about his secret.
Lion-O advises that it is best that fathers and sons have no secrets between them, so that Randor can know Adam as the hero he has always been. When He-Man exclaims that Lion-O is too wise for his age, Lion-O embarrassingly tells He-Man that he is only twelve years old mentally, living in an adult body. Of course, He-man is surprised; so much so that he tells Lion-O that if he is this matured as a boy then he will conclusively be even greater as a man later in life. With the Thundercat ship taking off, both He-Man and Lion-O shout each other’s battle cry, bidding bittersweet farewell.