Evil-Lyn
Encyclopedia
Evil-Lyn is a fictional character
in the popular Masters of the Universe
toy line and the accompanying cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
.
The only female member of the Evil Warriors, she is an evil witch who aids Skeletor
as his second-in-command with her powers of darkness. She is vastly more intelligent than Skeletor's other minions, and while she admits that she is not as powerful as Skeletor, she readily confesses that she hopes to seize her master's powers and lord it over Eternia
herself one day. Thus, she has worked completely independent of Skeletor on multiple occasions. Her trademark is the magic wand crowned with a crystal orb, but Evil-Lyn typically generates magic
without the assistance of any instruments.
, Evil-Lyn's action figure
is identical to Teela's except in color scheme, head mold and accessories. The original figure has bright yellow skin.
clearly could not hope for a more capable ally than Evil-Lyn, who is often left in charge when he is away from Snake Mountain
. Voice actress Linda Gary
imbued Evil-Lyn with the qualities of perniciousness and refinement simultaneously, and indeed, whatever the character did, she did it with style, unlike the vast majority of the other villains. Although the toy line may have designed her as an evil counterpart to Teela
, in the cartoon she was really more of an evil counterpart to the Sorceress
, rather than Teela, seeing as how she possessed no warrior skills whatsoever, but more than compensated for this by her expertise in magic and witchcraft
.
She would use all manner of magic spells in combat against the Heroic Warriors, and duped many people with her magical disguises in episodes such as The Shaping Staff, The Curse of the Spellstone, Evil-Lyn's Plot and The Royal Cousin. Although occasionally using such artifacts as the legendary Shaping Staff and the Spellstone to supplement her powers, she was by no means reliant on external objects to perform her spells and enchantments. More often than not, her powers emanated from within her.
She frequently branched out from Skeletor's service and conducted her own schemes, as portrayed in episodes such as Ordeal in the Darklands. Journey to Stone City and No Job Too Small also depict her working away from Skeletor. Additionally, Evil-Lyn renders her services to aid other super villains, such as Gorgon
in The Defection, and Dark-Dream in Eternal Darkness, hence affirming time and again that she is by no means devoted to Skeletor.
This is brought to the forefront in the episode The Witch and the Warrior, perhaps the most in-depth character study of Evil-Lyn in the series, in which she is forced into making an uneasy alliance with Teela when the two of them are stranded in the desert together. Having always held Teela in total contempt, and never having regarded her as a formidable adversary (unlike He-Man
and the Sorceress), Evil-Lyn acquires a degree of respect for Teela's skills and intelligence, going so far as to say that she and Teela could "make a great team" after all. She also declares to Teela in this episode that she has "no loyalty to Skeletor", and that she only works for him because she eventually hopes to acquire his superior powers. At the end of the episode, Evil-Lyn evinces shades of goodness as she thanks Malek the Wizard of Stone Mountain for saving her life and healing her injuries. As a token of her heartfelt gratitude, she refuses to steal that which Skeletor sent her to obtain, and proves that she is not subservient like the other Evil Warriors, stating that Skeletor can "come get" what he wanted "himself".
Although her background is never mentioned in the series, the series bible explains she was once a scientist from Earth called Evelyn Powers, who was on board Marlena Glenn's space craft before it crash-landed on Eternia. Evelyn had been insanely jealous of Marlena for being chosen over her to pilot the shuttle. When the ship crashed as the result of an explosion from Skeletor's homeworld of Infinita, Evelyn wound up on Infinita, where the evil powers of that world turned her knowledge of science into sorcery to aid Skeletor. This origin is used in a storybook entitled New Champions of Eternia but was unpopular with the show's writers and therefore never alluded to in the cartoon.
. Played by Meg Foster
, she is shown as Skeletor's main sidekick
as in the cartoon, although the film adds an extra dimension to her relationship with Skeletor by indicating some amount of romance between the two. In one scene, Skeletor indicates that he depends upon Evil-Lyn to portray the image of him as ruler to the people of Eternia as he pets on her face and shoulder. While sharing the desire for power between them, Evil-Lyn's calm and seductive approach is shown to soothe Skeletor's wrath and mania in his moments of hysteria. In that same scene, they were about to kiss, when Beast man and the other warriors walked in and interrupted them.
Any attempt Evil-Lyn makes to stand closer or equal to Skeletor is quickly deflected in the film. After Skeletor punishes his minions for failure, Evil-Lyn attempts to speak on their behalf. This stance prompts Skeletor to force her into control of his troops on their second mission to Earth
to track down the heroes. She succeeds in capturing the Cosmic Key, but Skeletor again disregards her when she reports that she has failed to deal with He-Man.
In the final stages of the film, she deserts Skeletor after he absorbs the power of the universe without sharing it with her. This remains consistent with the various portrayals of the character as scheming and willing to turn on Skeletor from the mini-comics, Filmation
series, and 2002 series. Evil-Lyn is not depicted as a powerful magic-wielder in the film (although it is not stated that she does not have such powers either) and does not carry her distinctive orb-staff. In the film, she rarely uses magic, although in one scene she casts an illusion to make herself appear to be the dead mother of Julie and also uses her powers to keep the door of the music store closed while Julie brings her the Cosmic Key.
.
The show's second season expands considerably on the theme of her disloyalty to Skeletor, as well as showcasing her origins. Unbeknownst to Skeletor, Evil-Lyn forms a secret alliance with Kobra Khan to free King Hiss and the Snake Men
, whom she believes will grant her greater power than Skeletor. After the release of the Snake Men, Skeletor seeks to punish her by banishing her to the Forsaken Realm in the episode "The Price of Deceit". This episode features a flashback to the time she first met Skeletor, when he was still in the form of Keldor. The young Evil-Lyn had managed to impress Keldor with her great knowledge and power, had fallen in love with him and played a part in saving his life. After his injury at the hands of King Randor
, she had taken him to the altar of Hordak
, who gave him new life by turning him into Skeletor. After the transformation, Skeletor became more and more twisted and evil, ceasing the love between him and Evil-Lyn and inspiring Evil-Lyn to overcome him rather than work alongside him. This episode also indicates there are sparks of good left within her as she considers defecting to the side of good after He-Man saves her life following a call for help from her father.
Later, in the episode "The Power of Grayskull", Evil-Lyn learns that Skeletor promised to free Hordak from the dimension of Despondos in return for having his life saved, but chose instead to destroy his sanctuary, knowing that Hordak could easily destroy him. She therefore chooses to free Hordak by herself in order to gain the power that she needs, and once again concocts a scheme behind Skeletor's back, allying with Count Marzo in the episode "History" to free Hordak from Despondos. Failing in her scheme, she vows to continue until she has freed Hordak. This plot was going to be expanded upon in the show's third season, but the cartoon was cancelled before any further episodes could be produced.
in San Diego, Four Horsemen Studios
offered an exclusive mini statue
of Evil-Lyn, as part of the line that serves as a continuation of the discontinued 2002 Mattel action figures. The mini statue was painted in the traditional blue and yellow colors. The statue was also released in Series 5 of the ministatue line in 2007, in the new purple color scheme.
episode "Badunkadunk". On the Eternia News Network, she is set to appear alongside Teela in the upcoming series Country Folks 'R' Morons. Rachael Leigh Cook
voices Evil-Lyn in the episode "Shoe". Evil-Lyn is with Skeletor when He-Man is accidentally killed by Beast Man
. When the three of them are hiding in the Snake Mountain
bathroom, she tells Skeletor that she is changing her ways and becoming "Good-Lyn". Skeletor then reveals that he had thought that Evil-Lyn's name was Evelyn all that time. In the episode "I'm Trapped", Evil-Lyn goes along with Skeletor's plot to use Faker to infiltrate King Randor's birthday party. It does not go well since the partygoers mistake Faker for the real He-Man. After Skeletor is killed by Faker after berating him for his actions, Evil-Lyn is shown in the stockades
with her rear being assaulted by some of the party attendees.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the popular Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe is a media franchise created by Mattel....
toy line and the accompanying cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's successful toy line Masters of the Universe...
.
The only female member of the Evil Warriors, she is an evil witch who aids Skeletor
Skeletor
Skeletor is a featured villain in the Masters of the Universe franchise and the arch-enemy and main antagonist of He-Man. Depicted as a muscular blue humanoid with a purple hood over his yellowing bare-bone skull, Skeletor seeks to conquer Castle Grayskull so he can learn its ancient secrets,...
as his second-in-command with her powers of darkness. She is vastly more intelligent than Skeletor's other minions, and while she admits that she is not as powerful as Skeletor, she readily confesses that she hopes to seize her master's powers and lord it over Eternia
Eternia
Eternia is the name of the fictional planet that serves as a setting for the Masters of the Universe toy collection and animated series.-Origins:...
herself one day. Thus, she has worked completely independent of Skeletor on multiple occasions. Her trademark is the magic wand crowned with a crystal orb, but Evil-Lyn typically generates magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
without the assistance of any instruments.
Action figure
For gender diversity, Evil-Lyn was introduced into the Masters of the Universe toy line in 1983 in order to add a female to the Evil Warriors. Initially envisioned as an evil warrior-goddess and counterpart to TeelaTeela
Teela "Warrior Goddess!" is a fictional character from the Masters of the Universe franchise. She is the Captain of the Royal Guard at the palace of Eternos and thus responsible for training and protecting Prince Adam of Eternia. While Adam is He-Man, Teela often assists him in his battles, but...
, Evil-Lyn's action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
is identical to Teela's except in color scheme, head mold and accessories. The original figure has bright yellow skin.
1980s Filmation Cartoon
With her intelligence, fearlessness and her incredible magic skills, SkeletorSkeletor
Skeletor is a featured villain in the Masters of the Universe franchise and the arch-enemy and main antagonist of He-Man. Depicted as a muscular blue humanoid with a purple hood over his yellowing bare-bone skull, Skeletor seeks to conquer Castle Grayskull so he can learn its ancient secrets,...
clearly could not hope for a more capable ally than Evil-Lyn, who is often left in charge when he is away from Snake Mountain
Snake Mountain
Snake Mountain may refer to:In geography:* Snake Mountain , USA* Snake Mountain , USA* Snake Mountains of Nevada, USA...
. Voice actress Linda Gary
Linda Gary
Linda Gary was an American voice actor and voice-over artist, who has worked on multiple animated projects.-Personal life:Linda Gary Dewoskin was born in California on November 4, 1944....
imbued Evil-Lyn with the qualities of perniciousness and refinement simultaneously, and indeed, whatever the character did, she did it with style, unlike the vast majority of the other villains. Although the toy line may have designed her as an evil counterpart to Teela
Teela
Teela "Warrior Goddess!" is a fictional character from the Masters of the Universe franchise. She is the Captain of the Royal Guard at the palace of Eternos and thus responsible for training and protecting Prince Adam of Eternia. While Adam is He-Man, Teela often assists him in his battles, but...
, in the cartoon she was really more of an evil counterpart to the Sorceress
Sorceress
Sorceress may refer to:*Sorcerer*Witch*Magician *Sorceress , a character from the Spyro the Dragon series*Sorceress, a class in The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind*Sorceress, a character class from Diablo II...
, rather than Teela, seeing as how she possessed no warrior skills whatsoever, but more than compensated for this by her expertise in magic and witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
.
She would use all manner of magic spells in combat against the Heroic Warriors, and duped many people with her magical disguises in episodes such as The Shaping Staff, The Curse of the Spellstone, Evil-Lyn's Plot and The Royal Cousin. Although occasionally using such artifacts as the legendary Shaping Staff and the Spellstone to supplement her powers, she was by no means reliant on external objects to perform her spells and enchantments. More often than not, her powers emanated from within her.
She frequently branched out from Skeletor's service and conducted her own schemes, as portrayed in episodes such as Ordeal in the Darklands. Journey to Stone City and No Job Too Small also depict her working away from Skeletor. Additionally, Evil-Lyn renders her services to aid other super villains, such as Gorgon
Gorgon
In Greek mythology, the Gorgon was a terrifying female creature. The name derives from the Greek word gorgós, which means "dreadful." While descriptions of Gorgons vary across Greek literature, the term commonly refers to any of three sisters who had hair of living, venomous snakes, and a...
in The Defection, and Dark-Dream in Eternal Darkness, hence affirming time and again that she is by no means devoted to Skeletor.
This is brought to the forefront in the episode The Witch and the Warrior, perhaps the most in-depth character study of Evil-Lyn in the series, in which she is forced into making an uneasy alliance with Teela when the two of them are stranded in the desert together. Having always held Teela in total contempt, and never having regarded her as a formidable adversary (unlike He-Man
He-Man
He-Man is a fictional heroic character featured in the Masters of the Universe media franchise. In most variations, he is the alter ego of Prince Adam...
and the Sorceress), Evil-Lyn acquires a degree of respect for Teela's skills and intelligence, going so far as to say that she and Teela could "make a great team" after all. She also declares to Teela in this episode that she has "no loyalty to Skeletor", and that she only works for him because she eventually hopes to acquire his superior powers. At the end of the episode, Evil-Lyn evinces shades of goodness as she thanks Malek the Wizard of Stone Mountain for saving her life and healing her injuries. As a token of her heartfelt gratitude, she refuses to steal that which Skeletor sent her to obtain, and proves that she is not subservient like the other Evil Warriors, stating that Skeletor can "come get" what he wanted "himself".
Although her background is never mentioned in the series, the series bible explains she was once a scientist from Earth called Evelyn Powers, who was on board Marlena Glenn's space craft before it crash-landed on Eternia. Evelyn had been insanely jealous of Marlena for being chosen over her to pilot the shuttle. When the ship crashed as the result of an explosion from Skeletor's homeworld of Infinita, Evelyn wound up on Infinita, where the evil powers of that world turned her knowledge of science into sorcery to aid Skeletor. This origin is used in a storybook entitled New Champions of Eternia but was unpopular with the show's writers and therefore never alluded to in the cartoon.
The film
Evil-Lyn features in the 1987 live action feature film Masters of the UniverseMasters of the Universe (film)
Masters of the Universe is a 1987 science-fiction fantasy film based on the toy line by the same name. The movie stars Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor...
. Played by Meg Foster
Meg Foster
Megan "Meg" Foster is an American actress best known for her roles in the TV miniseries version of The Scarlet Letter, Ticket to Heaven, The Osterman Weekend, and They Live .-Life and career:...
, she is shown as Skeletor's main sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
as in the cartoon, although the film adds an extra dimension to her relationship with Skeletor by indicating some amount of romance between the two. In one scene, Skeletor indicates that he depends upon Evil-Lyn to portray the image of him as ruler to the people of Eternia as he pets on her face and shoulder. While sharing the desire for power between them, Evil-Lyn's calm and seductive approach is shown to soothe Skeletor's wrath and mania in his moments of hysteria. In that same scene, they were about to kiss, when Beast man and the other warriors walked in and interrupted them.
Any attempt Evil-Lyn makes to stand closer or equal to Skeletor is quickly deflected in the film. After Skeletor punishes his minions for failure, Evil-Lyn attempts to speak on their behalf. This stance prompts Skeletor to force her into control of his troops on their second mission to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
to track down the heroes. She succeeds in capturing the Cosmic Key, but Skeletor again disregards her when she reports that she has failed to deal with He-Man.
In the final stages of the film, she deserts Skeletor after he absorbs the power of the universe without sharing it with her. This remains consistent with the various portrayals of the character as scheming and willing to turn on Skeletor from the mini-comics, Filmation
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
series, and 2002 series. Evil-Lyn is not depicted as a powerful magic-wielder in the film (although it is not stated that she does not have such powers either) and does not carry her distinctive orb-staff. In the film, she rarely uses magic, although in one scene she casts an illusion to make herself appear to be the dead mother of Julie and also uses her powers to keep the door of the music store closed while Julie brings her the Cosmic Key.
2002 series
Evil-Lyn returns for the 2002 relaunch of the Masters of the Universe toy line and cartoon series. While her portrayal in the new show is very much in-keeping with the original series, her background is expanded upon in the new series. She is revealed to be the daughter of a mysterious sorcerer known only as The Faceless One, who lives in isolation amongst the ruins of Zalesia and is the guardian of a precious object called the Ram Stone. The Faceless One disapproves of his daughter's servitude of the evil forces and hopes that someday she will learn the error of her ways. The episode "Lessons" indicates that she still feels a familial bond with her father when she returns the Ram Stone to him after it was used by Skeletor in an attempt to breach Castle GrayskullCastle Grayskull
Castle Grayskull is a fortress located on the fictional planet Eternia. It forms a central location in the Masters of the Universe toy/comic/animation universe, and also appears in the 1987 live action adaptation....
.
The show's second season expands considerably on the theme of her disloyalty to Skeletor, as well as showcasing her origins. Unbeknownst to Skeletor, Evil-Lyn forms a secret alliance with Kobra Khan to free King Hiss and the Snake Men
Snake Men
The Snake Men are a fictional race of evil humanoid snakes in Mattel's Masters of the Universe franchise.-History:Released later in the original franchise's run, there was considerable retconning to work the Snake Men into the existing Masters of the Universe mythos.In the distant past the Snake...
, whom she believes will grant her greater power than Skeletor. After the release of the Snake Men, Skeletor seeks to punish her by banishing her to the Forsaken Realm in the episode "The Price of Deceit". This episode features a flashback to the time she first met Skeletor, when he was still in the form of Keldor. The young Evil-Lyn had managed to impress Keldor with her great knowledge and power, had fallen in love with him and played a part in saving his life. After his injury at the hands of King Randor
King Randor
King Randor is a fictional character who appears in the popular 1980s Masters of the Universe franchise. In early material, the character is called King Miro, this was later given in the Filmation cartoon series as King Randor's long-lost father's name....
, she had taken him to the altar of Hordak
Hordak
Hordak is a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise, as a villain who opposes She-Ra, He-Man, and villain Skeletor. In the She-Ra cartoon, he is the leader of the segment of the fictional Evil Horde on the planet Etheria, an army of savage warriors, most of whom wear a red...
, who gave him new life by turning him into Skeletor. After the transformation, Skeletor became more and more twisted and evil, ceasing the love between him and Evil-Lyn and inspiring Evil-Lyn to overcome him rather than work alongside him. This episode also indicates there are sparks of good left within her as she considers defecting to the side of good after He-Man saves her life following a call for help from her father.
Later, in the episode "The Power of Grayskull", Evil-Lyn learns that Skeletor promised to free Hordak from the dimension of Despondos in return for having his life saved, but chose instead to destroy his sanctuary, knowing that Hordak could easily destroy him. She therefore chooses to free Hordak by herself in order to gain the power that she needs, and once again concocts a scheme behind Skeletor's back, allying with Count Marzo in the episode "History" to free Hordak from Despondos. Failing in her scheme, she vows to continue until she has freed Hordak. This plot was going to be expanded upon in the show's third season, but the cartoon was cancelled before any further episodes could be produced.
Four Horsemen Studios
At the 2006 Comic-Con InternationalComic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego , and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans...
in San Diego, Four Horsemen Studios
Four Horsemen Studios
Four Horsemen Studios is a group of four action figure sculptors who formerly worked for McFarlane Toys, and whose work has included the modern and classics line of Masters of the Universe toys and the current DCSH and DC Universe Classics lines....
offered an exclusive mini statue
Figurine
A figurine is a statuette that represents a human, deity or animal. Figurines may be realistic or iconic, depending on the skill and intention of the creator. The earliest were made of stone or clay...
of Evil-Lyn, as part of the line that serves as a continuation of the discontinued 2002 Mattel action figures. The mini statue was painted in the traditional blue and yellow colors. The statue was also released in Series 5 of the ministatue line in 2007, in the new purple color scheme.
Other media
Evil-Lyn appears in the Robot ChickenRobot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
episode "Badunkadunk". On the Eternia News Network, she is set to appear alongside Teela in the upcoming series Country Folks 'R' Morons. Rachael Leigh Cook
Rachael Leigh Cook
Rachael Leigh Cook is an American actress, known for her role in the romantic comedy She's All That and her This is Your Brain on Drugs public service announcement.-Early life:...
voices Evil-Lyn in the episode "Shoe". Evil-Lyn is with Skeletor when He-Man is accidentally killed by Beast Man
Beast Man
Beast Man is a fictional character in the popular toy line and cartoon series Masters of the Universe; the savage right-hand man of Skeletor, he has control over many wild creatures and has brute strength.-Figure:...
. When the three of them are hiding in the Snake Mountain
Snake Mountain
Snake Mountain may refer to:In geography:* Snake Mountain , USA* Snake Mountain , USA* Snake Mountains of Nevada, USA...
bathroom, she tells Skeletor that she is changing her ways and becoming "Good-Lyn". Skeletor then reveals that he had thought that Evil-Lyn's name was Evelyn all that time. In the episode "I'm Trapped", Evil-Lyn goes along with Skeletor's plot to use Faker to infiltrate King Randor's birthday party. It does not go well since the partygoers mistake Faker for the real He-Man. After Skeletor is killed by Faker after berating him for his actions, Evil-Lyn is shown in the stockades
Pillory
The pillory was a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse, sometimes lethal...
with her rear being assaulted by some of the party attendees.