Skeletor’s Reveal in ‘Masters of the Universe’ Trailer Has Fans All Saying the Same Thing About Jared Leto

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The first trailer for the new film has been a massive success, gaining over 14 million views on the Amazon MGM Studios YouTube channel and exciting many adults who grew up with the original. A major highlight of the trailer is the reveal of Skeletor, a character who hadn’t been featured in any previous promotional materials, and fans are overwhelmingly responding with the same enthusiastic reaction.

Bringing back the Masters of the Universe to the big screen after nearly 40 years has been a decades-long process. Now, Travis Knight, the director of Bumblebee, is taking on the challenge, and early signs suggest he’s understood the source material and delivered a faithful adaptation, much like he did with the Transformers franchise.

Fans are particularly excited about the new look of the movie’s villain, Skeletor. This is the first time the character has been accurately portrayed as he appears in the original cartoon and toy line. The previous live-action version, played by Frank Langella in the 1987 film Masters of the Universe, strayed significantly from the source material, resembling a Star Wars imitation instead. This new Skeletor, with his classic blue skin, is a welcome change and fans are loving it.

After the trailer dropped, fans immediately reacted with excitement. One X user exclaimed, “They really nailed it!,” while another praised Skeletor’s appearance, calling him “badass.” Many long-time fans shared similar enthusiasm, with one saying they’d been waiting over 40 years to see this version of Skeletor.

Look, I loved Frank Langella as Dracula, and he’ll always be special to me. But honestly? Seeing Dracula look like he did in the old Filmation cartoon just works. It’s probably because that design is what got so many of us hooked on the character and all the cool Mattel toys back then! Even with Jared Leto playing the role, that classic look really makes it for me.

‘Masters of the Universe’ Has Mostly Avoided Its Jared Leto Problem


Amazon MGM Studios

It’s been difficult to determine Jared Leto’s involvement in the Masters of the Universe movie because the promotional materials haven’t shown much of his work. Fans have been wondering if he did motion capture for Skeletor or just provided the voice. While these questions will likely be answered closer to the film’s release, one potential issue has been avoided: Skeletor’s face is entirely computer-generated, minimizing Leto’s on-screen appearance and potentially addressing concerns some fans had about his casting.

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Online reactions to the new Skeletor casting have been mixed, with many fans jokingly criticizing Jared Leto’s involvement despite not even seeing his face. Some are relieved he won’t be prominently featured, even calling previous portrayals a detriment to the franchise. It remains to be seen if these concerns are valid. Historically, Skeletor was once Keldor, Prince Adam’s uncle, who became Skeletor through dark magic. Given this backstory, and the inclusion of young Prince Adam in the trailer, Leto could potentially appear in flashback scenes to establish Skeletor’s origins.

Jared Leto is known in Hollywood for his unusual acting methods, which have sometimes led to complaints about his behavior on set. He’s also been in a few major films that didn’t do well at the box office, like Morbius and Tron: Legacy. While Masters of the Universe might finally be a box office success for him, it appears his limited screen time could be the key factor.

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2026-01-23 15:32