How ‘Masters of the Universe’ emerged from the biggest IP blunder in movie history

He-Man has been battling Skeletor and defending Castle Grayskull for 45 years, and the new live-action ‘Masters of the Universe’ is a reminder of everything Mattel has done right with the franchise. I can recall feeling a little betrayed when I learned the backstory of my favorite cartoon. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe didn’t get its start as the brainchild of a television writer or a comic book artist. No, the muscle-bound toy came first—which meant my preferred entertainment was essentially a 30-minute commercial for action figures. (Battle Cat sold separately.)