Possible Skeletor Redemption Arc
This is just my opinion on the Netflix series not on the fan reaction. I’ve had enough of the fans’ negative attitudes and I’m done listening to them.
I have seen the Netflix He-Man Masters of the Universe from beginning to end so far, and because it is child friendly yet at the same time, progressive and deep in all the right ways, it is clear to me that the writers are considering redeeming Skeletor.
My only question is why didn’t they think of doing this sooner?
Keep in mind, Skeletor’s origin story has been written, retconned and rewritten multiple times before finding the winning formula because originally, He-Man was toyline not a storyline. Now, the definitive version of Skeletor paints him as being more complex than just a power hungry villain. His origin story which was decided on once and for all goes as follows;
Skeletor’s true name isn’t “Skeletor” it is Keldor and the big controversial secret behind him is that he is not only the half brother of King Randor (Prince Adam’s dad), he is the older brother and should have been next in line for the throne, but his father, the king at the time, was dirt bag who didn’t want an heir who was half Gar and visibly looked it to ascend to the throne, so he abandoned Keldor and his mother. For some context, the Gar are a fictional race of honourable warriors, spiritualists and artists unique to the lore of He-Man. They look human save for the fact that they are slightly more beautiful and have blue skin. So in short, the King at the time thought Keldor’s mother was not too blue to bed, but too blue to wed and the son they had together was a defective child he refused to raise or include in his family.
What Keldor, who would become Skeletor, went through was tragic and his dad was a pompous and racist dead beat. His origin is not a far cry from what way too many kids even today go through especially when it was the mother who was the coloured one. While it doesn’t dismiss his crimes or make anything bad he did ok, it does explain why he succumbed to the dark side. Imagine what it feels like growing up knowing your dad abandoned you to a life of poverty because he considered you as an “ugly mutt” and disgraced your mother as being only good for pleasuring men because her colour devalues her. This is wrong on so many levels and for the record, Keldor’s half brother Randor AGREES and is ashamed of their dad for what he did. This backstory is absolutely heartbreaking and nobody deserves to go through this. All children regardless of colour or whether they came in or out of wedlock deserve to be loved and have a chance at a decent life. In a way, his story has BLM undertones by today’s standards which isn’t a bad thing. Lots of people make bad decisions because they had bad lives, but then, see the light and become better people.
In my opinion, the potential for Skeletor to be redeemed is there. Yes, he should still be held accountable for his sins and atone for them during his redemption arc, but I say he deserves one. Yes, I admit that in the current Netlfix series, Keldor looked completely human and white, but three things…
1- They never said Keldor was the younger brother. People are just assuming it.
2- They never said Keldor and Randor had the same mother. It’s not uncommon for half brothers who grew up together to call each other “brother” and for all we know, Randor himself doesn’t know Keldor and him are actually half brothers.
3- Keldor is gifted in magic and has used it to enhance appearance. In other words, Keldor’s face is an illusion. Who is to say that his real face would reveal him to not only be older than Randor, but also half-Gar? In fact, that is my new fan theory; Keldor uses magic to make himself look human so society will accept him. Plus, even without the confirmation of my theory, Keldor and Randor do NOT look related which also hints that either the two of them are not really brother or are just half brothers.
Back to the point, the definitive version of Skeletor is that he was the victim of parental abandonment out of racism and went on a dark path because of it. Characters like this are complex and should be given redemption arcs or at the very least, the attempt at one. If Skeletor does get one, I think it would be great.
I say if the writers decide to go for it, let’s sit back and enjoy the show.
PS: After analyzing my own analysis further, I am even more convinced that Skeletor’s origin story was a reference to racist deadbeat dads because Skeletor’s skull and bone motif is not a far cry from Mexican lore. In fact, even back when he was Keldor, his facial features and hair are very Latino and I mean that in a respectful way. If anything, this makes me even more convinced that the writers will definitely go with a redemption arc and I’m rooting for it now.
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