Mer-Man Ocean Warlord! Masters of the Universe Origins Basic Figure Item No.: Asst. HYD16 No. HYD29 Manufacturer: Mattel Includes: Sword of Rakash, Dimensional Doom mini-comic Action Feature: n/a Retail: $14.99-$17.99 Availability: ca. 2020 with a "Fan Favorite" reissue in 2023 Other: Man from the Sea!
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I was late to Masters of the Universe Origins, because I had another scale already. Eventually I started picking up odds and ends cheap, like this Mer-Man based on the original toy. There's also one based on the original concept prototype, the original cardback cross-sell artowrk, the original cartoon, the original eel-mutant hybrid, and so on. You've got a lot of options - perhaps too many, which eventually makes something like a remake of the original toy with added joints a little less enticing.

The two big obstacles for modern toy collector lines are probably getting new fans on board 40-50-year-old properties, and then trying to find new ways to get those old collectors to part with their money. Do you need another Mer-Man? Probably not - but this is the original, and it might be more than good enough for your needs on Snake Mountain or in the Land Shark. It's very good, I'm thrilled they reissued it to keep costs down. Mattel has been surprisingly good keeping characters in some degree of circulation - albeit some in different forms - so have to tip my hate to their stewardship of a once-ignored property. Is it better than the Classics one? No - but it's a heck of a lot cheaper to collect this scale instead.

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This version has the "toy head" which also got redecorated as Stinkor in the original (and the new) line. You can see why - the big ears look more like a land-dwelling creature despite a finny appearance, and the shell-like orange mask around the eyes is open to interpretation. The body is pretty much the standard buck with parts reused for other figures, and he has a unique fin-covered shell-like armor. Thanks to the sea-like colors and what feels like mid-century comic art "under the sea" appearance, you can totally see why this is their Mer-Man and also that could be hiding somewhere in the original Disneyland lagoons. I think it does a great job recreating the original action figure, but the other versions improve on it - so your interest may be linked to what pushes your nostalgia buttons.

The sword is shared with the Lords of Power releases, but in slightly different colors. I've heard some people say it looks like a corn cob, but it almost looks like a long bone with teeth crudely fused to it to my eyes. The pommel has a bone shape, and it retains the extra element around the side to keep it on the figure's hand. It's a good accessory, to be sure, but I prefer the trident. (Again, the 2002 figure had a trident.) The 2026 Masterverse version has a trident and a sword, and the 2026 Cartoon Collection version - the 200X look - does as well. Maybe I'll pick one up if I see it, but my shelves are telling me I shouldn't buy any more Eternian figures unless there's a vehicle or a playset needing people to fill it.

If you had a toy of Mer-Man as a kid and want a modern update, this is very much it.

I admire Mattel for really working hard to come up with multiple ways to sell its arguably small roster of 1980s toy characters. Back in the 1980s, other than He-Man, Skeletor, and Hordak, very few characters received multiple different action figures. When I heard Origins was a real think happening, I assumed it would be dead in 3 years just because they would have covered the original line - and yet here we are in 2026. It's still going, we're only just now getting "toy" Two-Bad and I'm probably going to skip him only because the Filmation version scratched my itch first. Mer-Man may be in the same position for you - you might be happy with the one you have.

The big-eye Lords of Power Mer-Man [FOTD #2,694] (this is the mass release, slightly different from the Power-Con exclusive) was arguably more than good enough but for some reason I had to get both. I have no real good way to display the multiple variants, each of which brings something pretty good to the table. Will I keep them all? Probably not. Cartoon Collection Mer-Man [FOTD #2,3713] was the one I have on display, mostly because as a kid I watched the TV sh ow and had none of the toys. The Lords of Power version matches the card art, which matches the 2002 cartoon, which was the first toy of Mer-Man I ever got - so I have a soft spot for that version. I might not hang on to this Fan Favorite toy version forever, only because I'm having a hard time finding a good place to show him off in my house.

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