Masters of the Universe Cutting He-Man’s Iconic Furry Pants Officially Explained

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As a lifelong movie fan – and a bit of a toy collector, I admit – I’m really excited to see He-Man back on the big screen next month with the new Masters of the Universe film. It’s been almost forty years since the original Cannon Films version, which, let’s be honest, wasn’t great at first, but somehow became a fun, guilty pleasure for a lot of us. We’ve gotten a good look at Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man thanks to all the promotion, and one thing they made clear early on – and it upset a lot of people, for reasons I don’t fully get – is that he won’t be sporting those iconic, furry shorts in this new take.

Richard Sale, the costume designer for the new Masters of the Universe series, explained that their main aim was to stay true to the original while also updating the look. This meant some classic elements, like He-Man’s furry briefs, didn’t make the cut. However, this wasn’t a casual decision. According to Sale, the team had extensive discussions about even minor details – like whether or not to show He-Man’s nipples – and ultimately decided to move away from the original, iconic costume. ComicBook’s Chris Killian spoke with Sale on set in London and learned about this careful process.

We explored many different costume options. For example, we went through around eighty versions of Adam’s pants alone, considering things like whether he should wear trousers or armor. We kept refining the look, trying to avoid anything that felt too much like He-Man. The idea of fur was quickly abandoned – furry pants would have been too complicated. We even jokingly told Nick he’d be wearing them for a while! We also considered a very tight-fitting outfit with furry pants, teasing him about it, but ultimately decided against it. Instead, Adam ended up wearing a leather gladiator skirt, and thankfully, there are no revealing shots from below in the movie.

Why Masters of the Universe Changed Skeletor’s Look

Sale explained that when designing Skeletor, he deliberately left out the crossed straps on his chest to differentiate him from He-Man. He felt the straps made Skeletor look like a dark reflection of his rival. He wanted to move away from a purely bone-based aesthetic, leaning instead into a more snake-like design, fitting for Skeletor’s home in Snake Mountain. While they still incorporated skeletal elements, they did so subtly, referencing bones through details like Skeletor’s belt, which featured a snake-like intertwined pattern.

Does this mean we’ll never see those famous outfits brought to life on screen? Not necessarily. Sale suggests that more accurate costumes are still possible in a potential sequel if one is approved.

These costumes aren’t necessarily final. If we make another film, the characters’ outfits could change and evolve. They all have existing histories, and will continue to have them beyond our movie, allowing for development. For example, as a character like He-Man grows more powerful, their costume could be updated in a sequel, which also opens up possibilities for new toys.

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2026-05-18 19:11