Skeletor’s Reveal in ‘Masters of the Universe’ Trailer Has Fans All Saying the Same Thing About Jared Leto
Masters of the Universe has landed a huge win with the release of its first trailer, racking up over 14 million views on Amazon MGM Studios’ official YouTube channel alone, and getting plenty of 40-something adults regressing to 7-year-old children again. There is obviously one aspect of the trailer that has been getting a lot of attention. That is the reveal of Jared Leto’s Skeletor, with the character being missing from all previous marketing – and fans are all saying the same thing.
The journey for the Masters of the Universe reboot has been a long one. Originally being pitched around two decades ago, the duty of bringing He-Man, Skeletor, and their battle for Eternia back to the big screen for the first time in almost 40 years has fallen to Bumblebee helmer Travis Knight, and just like his Transformers movie, he seems to have fully read the assignment and delivered.
When it comes to the movie’s lead villain, though, fans have been impressed with the look of Skeletor, the first cartoon-accurate depiction of the character to have appeared on screen. Previously played by Frank Langella in 1987’s Masters of the Universe, that iteration of the franchise was well-documented for not having the ability to use pretty much anything from the animated series and toy line, instead turning it into some strange Star Wars rip-off. This time around, Skeletor is being realized in his full blue-skinned glory, and fans are all here for it.
“Damn, they cooked,” said one X user on the back of the trailer’s release, while another added, “Skeletor looks badass.” Another followed this up by saying, “My eight-year-old self has been waiting more than 40 years for this Skeletor.”
While Frank Langella’s version has a special place in the hearts of many, there is something about seeing the character designs that first debuted in the Filmation series that served as a huge advertisement for Mattel’s toy line that really hits the spot…even if it is Jared Leto behind the character.
‘Masters of the Universe’ Has Mostly Avoided Its Jared Leto Problem
Amazon MGM Studios
Due to the production of Masters of the Universe including very few references to Leto and his role of Skeletor, it has been hard to work out how involved in the movie the divisive Morbius actor was. Did he provide motion capture for Skeletor? Or was his role voice-over only? No doubt these questions will be answered as the movie’s release approaches, but for now, the film has avoided one big problem for many fans by having a completely CGI Skeletor face that mostly removes the appearance of Leto even being in the film.
Fan opinions on the subject have been clear to see, with one comment reading, “Pros – bro looks awesome. Cons – Jared Leto.” Another added “Not seeing his face is a huge win,” and a third said, “Thank God we won’t see the franchise killer in the film.” Whether that remains true is yet to be seen. In Masters of the Universe’s comic history, Skeletor was formerly Keldor, the uncle of Prince Adam, who is transformed into Skeletor via a dark magic. If the movie leans into this version of Skeletor’s origin, then there could be a place for Leto to appear in a flashback sequence, especially as scenes showing a young Prince Adam are included in the trailer.
Leto has gained a reputation in Hollywood for his eccentric method acting techniques, complaints linked to on-set behavior, and for starring in several huge box office bombs such as Morbius and, last year, Tron: Legacy. While it seems that Masters of the Universe could be the movie to break his box office curse, it seems that his lack of physical presence in the film could be the main reason for that.
Release Date
June 5, 2026
Director
Travis Knight
Writers
Chris Butler
