Movie He-Man Most Powerful Man in the Universe! Masters of the Universe Origins Basic Figure Item No.: Asst. JKJ35 No. JKJ36 Manufacturer: Mattel Includes: Sword of Power, removable vestments and shorts Action Feature: n/a Retail: $21.99 $6.60 Availability: Spring 2026 Other: Furry shorts included, hidden
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I planned to cool it with Masters of the Universe Origins after I set up the cartoon figures on their various playsets. But can I resist a clearance figure at 70% off? No. Movie He-Man was seemingly exclusive to Target (along with Skeletor, Tri-Clops, a Moss Man & Ram-Man set, and Spikor among other things) and he just sat. They had endcaps of him and Spikor alongside the movie kid line (excellent all, $10) and the new bigger figures too. It was a trove of riches, and competing formats can sometimes cost you at the cash register. When no one format has the clear edge as the definitive format for collecting, it suffers. The 5 1/2-inch guys seemed to have the least new figures going for them, so I didn't really even try them out since I was happy with the Origins guys I have. And as you can see each Monday, I may have too many of them. In October of 2026 Target started slashing prices, and I said "Sure, I'll take some."

As an adult with too many toys in the world of rampant inflation, purchases like this are surprisingly satisfying. I have no intention to collect the entire line, and I feel zero remorse for spending $10 or less on an action figure. Given that this line started sixish years ago at $15 and He-Man had more gear and a comic you can really feel the squeeze on this figure's relative sense of value - all you get here is a sword and shorts to go over the furry shorts, with most of the same body parts from before. But the outfit parts are new, the head is new, the sword is new, and the sword storage is some of the best I've seen on an Origins toy.

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The 5 1/2-inch 2026 movie He-Man exists in a weird spot because if there's one character I don't need, it's another He-Man. In terms of engineering there's not much new here, but it is worth noting he has a better right wrist joint for holding up or pointing his sword. The new boots are given typical range, meaning there's a boot swivel and rocker ankles. They're good, and he's easy to keep standing. The elbows have a cut that digs a little in to the wrist armor, but it still looks OK. The shoulders pop out and can be swapped with other figures, and of course you can separate him at the waist. If you remove his skirt piece, you can see the traditional, classic furry shorts. Most surprisingly, they have a silver painted belt. Everything more or less works as well as the other figures you've bought in this style.

Sculpting is on par, the details aren't as deep as 1980s figures. The cuts and lines are a little more shallow. There are more technical-looking details on his arm and leg bits, and the new armor seems a little more durable with a bigger plate on his chest. The red cross mimics the new movie line's logo coloring, and it gives him a little more coverage. The sword storage on back works better than the old loop. This one seems a bit more generous, having a bit more "give" to it and you don't have to force anything. It works really well with this new, shiny plastic Sword of Power. It's a nice departure from previous He-Man figures as it's something a little more different, while not seeming out of character.

He-Man's head sculpt more closely matches the Nicholas Galitzine look. The face is a bit closer to his and a bit less like an ogre, and the hair is neither rumbled nor Prince Valliant-esque. The separately molded wig looks good, while the eyes and brows seem a lot like a 1980s toy. There are no painted teeth on this one, which probably did wonders on getting the actor likeness to work as a more retro-looking design. The hair sculpting seems a little soft, but maybe the intent was to make it look like a classic hollow squishy head. At a distance it looks great with a lot of unique strands, but when you get close you can see each layer looks a little smooth. It definitely feels like a toy, and I very much appreciate that the wig is yellow plastic and you can't scrape it up to make it look worn. It's a nice design decision.

I couldn't bring myself to spend $22 on yet another He-Man figure, but $7 I could swing. I don't know that I need it but it's a nice reinterpretation and a fun mixing of eras. Who would expect a 2020 figure to be redesigned in 2026 after riffing on a revision of a 1982 toy? It works. There's no shield, and there's no axe, and there are no action features, but it looks pretty cool and has some nice joints. It's not a bad $22 figure, but it's amazing for under $10. If you need another He-Man. Which is the rub these days, there are a lot of amazing reinterpretations of things we have in abundance and we don't always need replacements. And we've got Sketch Book He-Man, Toy He-Man, Cartoon He-Man, a couple of TMNT He-Man figures, and so on and so forth . If you liked the movie and have an Origins collection, this is a worthwhile He-Man for your stash.

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