He-Man and the Masters of the Universe may have seemed like your typical 'good vs. evil' cartoon, but that's only if you don't look at the situation closely enough. The 'evil' was almost exclusively attributed to Skeletor. Did he deserve the title? Was Skeletor really evil? That's what we're here to debate.

Firstly, it's important to understand that Skeletor was guilty mainly because he was going after Castle Greyskull. Hey, expansion is what it's all about. Skeletor was simply trying to make things better for his merry band of miscrients. Think Castle Greyskull & Eternia as a whole were eager to have the unpleasant aesthetics of Beast-Man and Mer-Man added to their citizens roster? I think not. Skeletor was a hero to the oppressed.

Secondly - Skeletor has, you guessed it, a skeleton head. A symbol of evil. But what about what we were taught? Don't judge a book by it's cover. We see this guy with a raspy voice and a skull for a face, and immediately we assume he's up to no good. There's been plenty of times where Skeletor's been completely innocent of any chicanery, yet somehow he was blamed and maimed for being 'bad'.

Skeletor even began believing in the bad press He-Man and friends spread about him, as was evident by his famous like in the He-Man Christmas Special: 'I am not good...I am evil.' Bear in mind he saved the lives of two little kids in that episode! How can a guy so moved by the spirit of the holidays possibly be evil?

There were a lot of politics involved. The strong financial backing of the Sorceress allowed He-Man to furnish lies about his nemesis, basically giving his side of the story without ever giving Skeletor the chance to explain his side of the spectrum. Skeletor was more of a tragic hero than a villain, and was by no means the mercenary monster the 'good guys' made him out to be.

Let's face it. The cards were not in Skeletor's favor. The only comrades he could really depend on were the goofy Beast Man and the useless Claw Jaw. Wildcards like Mer-Man and Stinkor almost never showed to support the cause, in fear that they too would be wrongly accused of 'evil'. Skeletor fought this battle on his own, on his own terms. Fighting the unfair politics of Eternia was no easy task, and it probably lent a good explanation as to why poor Skeletor always looked so pissy.

Skeletor was a true victim of circumstance. A modern day Robin Hood or sorts, who only looked to fight for the outcasted members of society labelled as 'freaks'. Besides, Skeletor wore purple. That's the color of justice.

The next time you watch Masters of the Universe, remember what I've said. Look at Skeletor with an unbiased mind. You'll soon find that the only true evil in Eternia resides within the chilly walls of Castle Greyskull. As for Skeletor, we here at X-E give him our official salute. He's a stand-up guy with an unfortunate facial structure. But we love him anyway.

All hail the skull captain!

-- Matt
matt@x-entertainment.com
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