He-Man fans are usually too preoccupied with Skeletor’s antics to worry about the other villains. While there have been many others that have kept the heroes on their toes, Hordak has to be one of the most notable. He is, in reality, Skeletor’s previous mentor, and this demonic warlord commands a vicious army. Hordak has had several story arcs, but the majority of them claim that he was betrayed by Skeletor and was confined in another dimension. He had his own intentions to rule Eternia, but Skeletor did not want any rivals, and his aspirations drove him to betray his mentor.
Hordak has been a fascinating villain in the franchise due to his tremendous abilities. There are several origin stories surrounding this powerful foe, which we shall examine in detail in this video. This demonic warlord was always seen as She-Ra’s archnemesis although he did have his share of battles with He-Man as well!
Masters Of The Universe: Origin Of Hordak
One of his best origin stories has been captured in the comic strip titled Origin of Hordak. First things first, it is clear from the comics that Hordak is an ancient entity. He prevailed a thousand years before Prince Adam and was a noted sorcerer. In many ways, he has shaped Eternia’s past. He created the central tower of The Three Towers of Eternia. In the comics, he is shown to have returned after being betrayed by Skeletor. He is fiercely vengeful and managed to break free from the dimension that held him, prisoner, for such a long time.
She-Ra: Princess of Power
Most fans of the franchise have known Hordak as the primary villain in “She-Ra: Princess of Power”. He is shown as the ruler of a Horde of warriors and resided in the Fright Zone. From there, he had control over Etheria. One of the special qualities about Hordak was that he fashioned a nice balance between magic and technology. In fact, there were times when he used technology more, which helped him in combat situations. He could transform his body into various weapons, and his tyrannical rule was the law of the land.
The only one he was answerable to was his own brother, Horde Prime. The Great Rebellion opposed his unquestionable rule over Etheria. Skeletor, his trusted accomplice, deceived him and ruined his ambitions. Hordak had teamed up with his favorite student to kidnap baby Adora. However, Skeletor was captured, and he turned against Hordak for personal gains. He revealed Hordak’s location to Man-At-Arms and Hordak somehow managed to flee to Etheria with Adora. She grew up to be a capable Force Captain in the Horde.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)
According to this version, Hordak was an evil warlord from ancient Eternia. He opposed the ruler of Castle Grayskull, King Grayskull, and challenged him with a massive army. Hordak also had some sorcerers who followed his command and wanted to use their spells to draw Castle Grayskull into the dimension of Despondos. King Grayskull intervened and his might ensured that Hordak and his evil army were banished into the dark dimension. While he was trapped in Despondos, the dark dimension, he saved Keldor’s life. Keldor had tried to take the lives of the Eternian Elders, and Captain Randor fought him bravely. In this duel, some acid was accidentally splashed onto Keldor’s face which severely damaged his skin.
Hordak used his magic to remove the damaged skin and flesh, and only a skull remained. However, saving Keldor’s life was conditional. Sometime later, he would have to repay the favor. Keldor was now renamed as Skeletor, and soon enough, Hordak called upon him to free him from this dimension. Initially, he seemed powerless to refute the orders of Hordak, but soon, he destroyed Hordak’s sanctuary, much to the shock of Evil-Lyn and He-Man. He hoped that his efforts would be able to seal his former master away for good.
Later, Evil-Lyn tried to free Hordak, and Count Marzo helped these efforts. When He-Man destroyed the Well of Darkness, Marzo fled using the power of his amulet. We would have had a lot more storylines surrounding Hordak, and the creators have revealed that there were plans to use him as the main villain in Season three. He would have conquered Eternia, and until the time Skeletor overpowered him, he would have remained the primary antagonist. Unfortunately, the show was canceled after the second season, and we never got to see the true potential of this storyline.
She-Ra and the Princess of Power (2018)
Hordak is portrayed as one of the main villains in this series, but his appearances are limited in the first season. In Season Two, he is shown to be a ruthless leader, who punishes his minions when they fail him. Season three reveals much of his true origin, and we get to know that he is a clone of the Horde Prime. Horde Prime is the emperor of the Horde Army. Hordak has some defects that led him to be banished. He constantly attempts to conquer Etheria, with the Horde Army at his command and wishes to earn back his place in the Galactic Horde Army.
He comes across as a heartless leader, who wasn’t bothered in the slightest when Adora defected. He replaced her with Catra as the Force Commander without any emotions. He comes down strongly against any form of insubordination. Hordak was sent on a suicide mission and somehow fell through a portal to end up in Etheria. He tried to create his own empire to impress the Horde Prime, but Etheria was cut off from the rest of the universe. Slowly, his followers increased, and he tried to make his success stand out for the Horde Prime to accept him back into the folds.
The Powers of Hordak
Hordak holds a variety of powers up his sleeve and is easily one of the strongest characters in the series. As we have discussed before, he combined technology with magic and this allowed him to come up with some incredibly innovative weapons. In many cases, we see that the source of his powers are science and not magic. He could transform himself in various ways. His arms could turn into energy cannons to blast off the enemy. It could also release fire at will as well as transform into a deadly tank. There were times when Hordak simply transformed into a rocket and flew off great distances easily.
The comic versions show him using magic more often. There, we witness his powerful dark magic. It is equal or even greater than that of Skeletor, and he wielded a strong command over his forces. Hordak had a rather intimidating presence and was designed to look like a bat or a vampire. He had fangs, a bat-like nose, and even bat-like ears. His black uniform had a red Horde symbol and most of his skin was of a strange blue-gray color.
He might have been banished by the Horde Prime, but his loyalty was clear from his actions. Even after being sent on a suicide mission, he constantly tried to conquer Eternia to prove his worth to Horde Prime. Despite having his memories wiped out, we saw him staying true to his loyalties. Overall, Hordak has been quite an interesting character, and it would have been great to have more of his evil demeanor. His presence in a proper He-Man story-arc has the potential to be a hit amongst the fans, and would certainly be a fitting contest!