He-Man’s Masculinity

Abstract

Debates about toxic masculinity often become trapped within a false dichotomy where masculinity is either under attack or inherently harmful. This article challenges that binary by reflecting on one of popular culture’s most exaggerated masculine icons, He-Man. Across toys, cartoons, and later sequel series, Masters of the Universe repeatedly offers masculinity as a spectrum, staging a connection between strength and emotional vulnerability. Reading the franchise through its commercial origins, moral lessons, father-son relationships, and images of uncontrolled male rage, I argue that He-Man offers an unexpectedly useful model for thinking about masculinity. “He who holds the power is the master of the universe.” The central question concerns how that power is defined and exercised: through brute strength, or through empathy and understanding. The franchise’s significance lies in demonstrating how children’s media teaches boys to claim agency and exercise authority responsibly.