Man-E-Faces
Masters of the Universe character
First appearanceThe Ordeal of Man-E-Faces (1982)
Created byGary Cohn (writer)
Voiced byLou Scheimer (1985)
Paul Dobson (2002)
Stephen Fry (2022)
In-universe information
GenderMale

Man-E-Faces is a fictional character from the Masters of the Universe franchise.[1][2] He is a member of the Heroic Warriors, notable by his distinctive appearance, with his large, blue metal head on which his faces appear in its screen-like opening. His ability is to change his face from that of a man to that of a robot and a monster.

The purposes for which he uses his faces have varied throughout different media. Initially conceived as someone cursed with a split personality, in the two cartoon series he uses his faces for the purpose of playing different roles as well as accessing additional powers. The original figure's tagline was "Heroic Human... Robot... Monster".

Character history

Original character

The character was showcased in the mini-comic "The Ordeal of Man-E-Faces".[3][4] In this story, he is an actor who is captured by Skeletor and made to drink a potion which changes him into a vicious monster which attacks everyone it sees. The Sorceress involves herself and changes Man-E-Faces back to a man, but Skeletor asserts his dominance and turns Man-E back into the monster. The struggle creates a third persona, a super-intelligent robot which is neither good nor evil. Although He-Man manages to free Man-E-Faces from Skeletor's spell, the robot and monster remain permanent parts of his character. He-Man vows to fight until Man-E is free from the curse. This version of the character also appears in the DC Comics miniseries, and the early UK annuals also present him in such way.

2002 series

Man-E-Faces is featured in the 2002 relaunch of the Masters of the Universe toy line, and its accompanying cartoon series. His character was substantially developed from the old version; he is depicted as part of the regular team of warriors who aid He-Man, and his appearances are significantly more frequent.[5]

Reception

Man-E-Faces has had a mostly mixed reception from critics. io9 voted Man-E-Faces the 3rd Least Masterful Masters of the Universe toy.[6] Gizmodo ranked Man-E-Faces 7th best toy in Masters of the Universe.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Man of a Thousand (or Three) Faces: MOTUC Man-E-Faces Review". MTV.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  2. ↑ Owen, Rob (August 16, 2002). "On the Tube: Cartoon Network brings He-Man, the Masters back for 20th anniversary". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  3. ↑ Staples, Val; Eatock, James; DeLioncourt, Josh; Gelehrter, Danielle (September 23, 2017). He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Dark Horse Comics. ISBN 9781506701424 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Baer, Brian C. (March 6, 2017). How He-Man Mastered the Universe: Toy to Television to the Big Screen. McFarland. ISBN 9781476665900 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ "On the Tube: Cartoon Network brings He-Man, the Masters back for 20th anniversary". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  6. ↑ "The 14 Least Masterful Masters of the Universe". io9. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  7. ↑ Bricken, Rob (May 8, 2015). "Every Masters of the Universe Action Figure, Ranked". io9.
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