King Randor
Encyclopedia
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.
of Eternia
, and the father
of the series' hero
He-Man
, or rather his alter ego, Prince Adam, and (introduced later) Princess Adora, a.k.a. She-Ra
. He is often annoyed and disappointed by Adam's seeming laziness and reluctance to take any real responsibility. Not realizing his son's dual identity, he is still very proud of his honest and kind-hearted son. Sometimes he is shown trying to teach his son lessons, as presumably Adam will become King one day. Although Skeletor
, the line's main villain, is initially said to be "from another dimension", late on in the original line it is heavily implied, but never officially confirmed, that Randor's long-lost brother Keldor became Skeletor. However, the writer of "The Search for Keldor", the minicomic
in question, has since confirmed that this was the intent. In the 2002 series, Keldor also becomes Skeletor, although through different circumstances, and there is no acknowledgement that Keldor is Randor's brother.
Randor appears regularly in the original series, but it is uncommon for him to be directly involved in the action. However, he features heavily in the storyline of the episode "Prince Adam No More", in which he displays both his love for his son and his prowess at battling Skeletor's robots. The rest of the 1980s incarnation of the franchise mostly sticks with Filmation's version of a bold, middle-aged, brown-haired king, but some of the franchise's other material presents him as a much older, white haired, almost wizened ruler.
in the first episode of the New Adventures of He-Man series. Before Adam leaves to travel to the future, he visits his parents and tells them of his mission. Randor watches in amazement as Adam transforms into He-Man before his eyes, and tells his son he is very proud of him. Randor is one of the few characters to appear in both the original series and the New Adventures, and his costume and voice are very accurate to his original portrayal.
. Apparently, after King Grayskull
s' death, the Council of Elders was formed to rule Eternia. But after Keldors' transformation into Skeletor they made Randor king as they became one with Castle Grayskull
.
He is also tied more closely to the origin of Skeletor, having battled Skeletor when he was still Keldor during a war the Eternians call The Great Unrest. That war ended when Keldor and his forces attacked the Hall of Wisdom, home of the Elders, and Keldor and Randor engaged in a deadly duel that ended with Keldor hurling acid at Randor, only to have Randor deflect the acid with his shield, splashing the acid back at Keldor and burning his face, which led to his transformation into Skeletor. It is revealed by a writer that in this continuity Keldor and Randor are half-brothers, but it is never revealed if either knew that.
After the Council of Evil incident, King Randor established an Eternian Council consisting of himself; Chief Carnivus of the Qadians; Lord Dactys of the Speleans; the Kulatak Elder of the Kulataks; Queen Andreeno of the Andreenids; King Taurius of the Mintaurans; Hawk, representing the Avions, and some other unnamed council members. Although in the 2002 edition, he is not aware of his son being He-Man, it may be explained that Adam inherited the inherent skills to become He-Man through the inward bravery of Captain Randor.
The 2002 revamped line was discontinued before a new King Randor figure could be produced; however there was a NECA
-produced statue
, an action figure-sized piece with no movable joints. His wife Queen Marlena, never had an action figure version released in either the original or revamped line.
In December 2009, a King Randor figure, mostly inspired by the original 1980s figure, was released as part of the Masters of the Universe Classics line.
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...
who appears in the popular 1980s Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe is a media franchise created by Mattel....
franchise. In early material, the character is called King Miro, this was later given in the 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...
cartoon series as King Randor's long-lost father's name.
Filmation animated series/Original Toy Line
Randor is the good and noble KingMonarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
of 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:...
, and the father
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
of the series' hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
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...
, or rather his alter ego, Prince Adam, and (introduced later) Princess Adora, a.k.a. She-Ra
She-Ra
She-Ra is a fictional character and the heroine in the Filmation cartoon and series of toys produced by Mattel called She-Ra: Princess of Power. She is the alter ego of Princess Adora and the twin sister of He-Man. She-Ra was intended to appeal to young girls in the same way that He-Man appealed to...
. He is often annoyed and disappointed by Adam's seeming laziness and reluctance to take any real responsibility. Not realizing his son's dual identity, he is still very proud of his honest and kind-hearted son. Sometimes he is shown trying to teach his son lessons, as presumably Adam will become King one day. Although 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,...
, the line's main villain, is initially said to be "from another dimension", late on in the original line it is heavily implied, but never officially confirmed, that Randor's long-lost brother Keldor became Skeletor. However, the writer of "The Search for Keldor", the minicomic
Minicomic
A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term "small press comic" is equivalent with minicomic reserved for those publications measuring A6 or less...
in question, has since confirmed that this was the intent. In the 2002 series, Keldor also becomes Skeletor, although through different circumstances, and there is no acknowledgement that Keldor is Randor's brother.
Randor appears regularly in the original series, but it is uncommon for him to be directly involved in the action. However, he features heavily in the storyline of the episode "Prince Adam No More", in which he displays both his love for his son and his prowess at battling Skeletor's robots. The rest of the 1980s incarnation of the franchise mostly sticks with Filmation's version of a bold, middle-aged, brown-haired king, but some of the franchise's other material presents him as a much older, white haired, almost wizened ruler.
The New Adventures of He-Man
King Randor appears alongside Queen MarlenaQueen Marlena
Queen Marlena is a fictional character from the Masters of the Universe franchise. She first appears in the toys' minicomics as a typical medieval-style queen. Later, the Filmation cartoon series states that she is actually a space pilot from Earth who had crash-landed on Eternia some years before...
in the first episode of the New Adventures of He-Man series. Before Adam leaves to travel to the future, he visits his parents and tells them of his mission. Randor watches in amazement as Adam transforms into He-Man before his eyes, and tells his son he is very proud of him. Randor is one of the few characters to appear in both the original series and the New Adventures, and his costume and voice are very accurate to his original portrayal.
Mike Young Productions animated series
In the 2002 Mike Young Productions remake it is made apparent that in his youth, Randor was known as Captain Randor, a brave and steadfast warrior before being crowned King of Eternia by the Elders, although in the 1983 series, he is portrayed as having taken over the throne after his father, King Miro, disappeared. He even aids the Masters in a couple of episodes in their battles against Skeletor and his Evil Warriors and even the Snake MenSnake 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...
. Apparently, after King Grayskull
King Grayskull
King Grayskull is a fictional character from the 2002 version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. -Fictional character biography:...
s' death, the Council of Elders was formed to rule Eternia. But after Keldors' transformation into Skeletor they made Randor king as they became one with Castle Grayskull
Castle 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....
.
He is also tied more closely to the origin of Skeletor, having battled Skeletor when he was still Keldor during a war the Eternians call The Great Unrest. That war ended when Keldor and his forces attacked the Hall of Wisdom, home of the Elders, and Keldor and Randor engaged in a deadly duel that ended with Keldor hurling acid at Randor, only to have Randor deflect the acid with his shield, splashing the acid back at Keldor and burning his face, which led to his transformation into Skeletor. It is revealed by a writer that in this continuity Keldor and Randor are half-brothers, but it is never revealed if either knew that.
After the Council of Evil incident, King Randor established an Eternian Council consisting of himself; Chief Carnivus of the Qadians; Lord Dactys of the Speleans; the Kulatak Elder of the Kulataks; Queen Andreeno of the Andreenids; King Taurius of the Mintaurans; Hawk, representing the Avions, and some other unnamed council members. Although in the 2002 edition, he is not aware of his son being He-Man, it may be explained that Adam inherited the inherent skills to become He-Man through the inward bravery of Captain Randor.
Toyline
In the original toy-line, despite featuring very much throughout the franchise's run, there was no King Randor figure until a surprise sudden release as part of the final wave. As the final wave was generally produced in less quantity due to sales gradually dipping, the figure is one of the much rarer and more hunted of the original line.The 2002 revamped line was discontinued before a new King Randor figure could be produced; however there was a NECA
National Entertainment Collectibles Association
The National Entertainment Collectibles Association or NECA is an American manufacturer of collectibles typically licensed from films, video-games, sports, music, and television based in New Jersey...
-produced statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
, an action figure-sized piece with no movable joints. His wife Queen Marlena, never had an action figure version released in either the original or revamped line.
In December 2009, a King Randor figure, mostly inspired by the original 1980s figure, was released as part of the Masters of the Universe Classics line.
Other media
- In the Masters of the Universe text adventure gameInteractive fictionInteractive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
that appeared on many home computers in the mid-1980s, King Randor is mis-spelt as 'King Radnor' throughout the game on many platforms. - King Randor appears in the Robot ChickenRobot ChickenRobot 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 "I'm Trapped" voiced by Adam ReedAdam ReedAdam Brooks Reed is an American voice actor, writer, director and producer. He is most often associated with Adult Swim and 70/30 Productions....
. He is shown having a birthday party at Castle Grayskull when Faker comes in and everyone mistakens him as He-Man. When the real He-Man shows up, King Randor helps by having everyone present at the party decide who is the real He-Man. Breckin MeyerBreckin Meyer-Early life:Meyer was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Dorothy Ann , a travel agent and former microbiologist, and Christopher William Meyer, a management consultant. As a child of divorced parents, he lived in California, Texas, West Virginia and New Jersey. He has an older brother,...
voices King Randor in the episode "Terms of Endaredevil". King Randor stays over at Castle Grayskull, much to his son's dismay, and Adam sends his father to the Eternian nursing home.