MOTU Origins 200X Cartoon Figures

I had zero initial interest in the MOTU Origins 200X Cartoon Collection, but one or two or three of these tempted me before I ended up putting the rest of them in my cart. I never really watched the 200X animated show, but I appreciate the fandom for it and the updated characters.

I hadn't intended to pick up this 200X He-Man but am glad I did.

Mattel got it right and gave us the properly oriented wrist hinge on his sword hand.

Below, 200X He-Man with my MOTU Origins He-Man (updated head sculpt),

and my 2026 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Movie He-Man...

...200X He-Man with my 1982 Vintage Battle Ram ...

200X He-Man and Prince Adam...

Below my 200X Prince Adam and MOTU Origins Prince Adam...

Like He-Man, the 200X Skeletor wasn't on my list, 

but I felt he was a must-have while getting the former...

Below, 200X Skeletor atop my MOTU Origins Deluxe Flocked Panthor...

Below, 200X Skeletor with my MOTU Origins Stranger Things Skeletor 

and Revenge of Skeletor figure...

Teela and Sorceress were a big draw to these 200X figures for me, 

with their great color and sculpts...

Below, 200X Teela with my MOTU Origins Teela and Boss Fight Studio Red Sonja...

I'll admit, I love a winged figure, and I love the Egyptian inspired 200X Sorceress.

Below, 200X Sorceress with my MOTU Origins Wave Seven and Temple of Darkness Sorceress...

The 200X Orko doesn't have the deluxe base that the MOTU Origins Orko has, but he did get magic accessories to put his hands into...

And last but not least, my favorite of these 200X figures, Man-E-Faces- a larger deluxe figure in the line that's just an all-around good Man-E-Faces, no matter what 5.5" figures he stands next to.

Below, 200X Man-E-Faces with my MOTU Origins Man-E-Faces...

While I don't plan on going too much deeper into the 200X line, I do enjoy these figures. In October of 2020, I had no idea how far Mattel would go with their Origins line, nor how deep I'd go with them. It has consistently been my favorite line of the last six years, and I still have a couple big boxes of them to share here on the Super-DuperToyBox!

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MOTU 2026 Basic & Origins Movie Figures, Revenge of Skeletor Figure

I enjoyed the new Masters of the Universe film well enough but had little interest in collecting all the figures until I saw a few out on the pegs I liked. I rarely pick up an of the basic line movie figures from any movie franchise, but Teela and Man-At-Arms looked good and worth a try. Though they have no ankle articulation, the hinge swivel knees help with their balance and they are quite posable. Mattel has released a Battle for Eternia playset for the basic movie figures, a pretty cool 2-in 1 combination of Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain, but these figures fit well enough in my MOTU Origins Vintage Edition Castle Grayskull.

Man-At-Arms has the added bonus of being able to stow his side arm on his thigh armor.

Below, movie Man-At-Arms with the MOTU Origins Man-At-Arms...

 

Below, movie Teela with the MOTU Origins Teela that came packed with Zoar...

I like the metallic sheen of this Father/Daughter pair- quite striking!

There are at least three concurrently running figure lines for the new movie, the one most interesting me being the Origins figures that fit in with my large collection of that 5.5" line I've been amassing since 2020. Naturally, this He-Man was what interested me most and he is fantastic! Mattel even gave him a vertical hinge joint on his wrist to properly raise his sword- I Have The POWER!

Below movie He-Man on my MOTU Origins Battle Cat...

Below, movie He-Man with some of my other favorite MOTU Origins figures: 

Wave 1 He-Man (w/alt. head), Stranger Things He-Man, and Sketchbook Series He-Man...

I'm calling this the Revenge of Skeletor figure due to the title on the card back featuring some fantastic art, reminiscent of the old mini comics. He has a build more like the basic figures in the 2026 movie line. but I'm unsure of which mini comic Mattel used as inspiration for this gold Skeletor, but he certainly is unique!

Below, Revenge of Skeletor figure atop my flocked MOTU Origins Panthor ...!

Below, Revenge of Skeletor with MOTU Origins Stranger Things Skeletor...

I'm not sure I'll venture too much further into these movie lines, but I did enjoy these figures. More Origins-styled 5.5" figures could sway me, but I'm not sure Mattel will devote too many more movie-inspired characters to that format.

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Mattel 80th Anniversary Power Punch He-Man & Skeletor (Target, 2025)

 

Originally solicited at a $49.95 retail price, my desire for this retro Power Punch He-Man/Skeletor 2-pk shot up significantly when discovering it on sale for ten bucks less around Thanksgiving, an additional two dollars off at the register for using my Target debit card. If the beautiful collector-friendly packaging, action feature, and retro squishy rubber heads weren't enough, the 28% discount sealed the deal. I've really enjoyed the artwork for the MOTU Origins line, and the art for this release perhaps leans even heavier into the original '80s line. particularly the work of Errol McCarthy.

Included with these figures were really nice reprints of The Vengeance of Skeletor and Battle in the Clouds mini comics from 1982, with genuine linen thread saddle stitching. The artwork by Alfredo Alcala was permanently burned into my mind the Christmas of that year, experiencing the debut of Masters of the Universe for the first time. Realize that this was well before the Filmation animated TV show, when the imagination of children filled in the spots between these mini comics and the toys. Also not to be forgotten was the popular animated fantasy/sci-fi mashup of Thundarr the Barbarian in 1980 that had us primed for something like Masters of the Universe, mixing sword and sorcery fantasy with futuristic science fiction. 

These aren't a 1:1 replica of the original figures, but man are they cool- the capture the spirit of 1982 close enough for this kid. They fit well with my Mattel Origins Castle Grayskull, and mount my Origins Battle Cat and Panthor figures naturally...

I lost track of my 1982 He-Man long ago, but the 80th Anniversary is quite a bit beefier than my 2020 Origins He-Man, the latter first issued with a newer sculpt that rankled fans and prompted Mattel to issue later figures with this more retro styled portrait. While I didn't hate the reimagined portrait, I display my Origins He-Man with this retro head. From memory, the 80th Anniversary has a portrait closer to the 1982 He-Man than the Origins head, but there were subtle changes to the armor and accessories. Hardcore MOTU fans may take issue with certain aspects of this special edition reissue, but I'm pleased with him- it scratches that itch for the original figure. 

Below, this new retro Power-Punch Skeletor haunts Snake Mountain with my Origins Skeletor- a figure that really got me back into MOTU five years ago. I have a different head released with a later Origins Skeletor that was supposed to have more closely resembled the original sculpt, but the closed mouth appears to be the only common trait. I actually prefer the initial release sculpt with the open mouth.

This was a nice set well worth the retail price but getting it on sale really made it a fantastic value. I wouldn't mind seeing a few more sets of these- maybe Stratos and Zodac, Beastman and Mer-Man, Teela and Man-At-Arms? Who would you pick for your favorite two-pack? Be sure to visit the Battle Ram Blog to read their post on this set!

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