Masters of the Universe Trailer: Jared Leto's Skeletor Revealed As 'He/Him' Joke Divides Fans

The long-awaited live-action return of He-Man has been met with both nostalgia and controversy, as a blink-and-you-will-miss-it gag involving Prince Adam's desk placard ignites a social media storm.

The production features a star-studded ensemble led by Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam and Jared Leto as the skull-faced antagonist Skeletor.

Directed by Travis Knight, the film also stars Camila Mendes as Teela, Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, and Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn. The supporting cast includes Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress, James Purefoy as King Randor, and Charlotte Riley as Queen Marlena.

Amazon MGM Studios released the first official teaser trailer, showcasing a 'grounded' reimagining where a young Adam is hidden on Earth for 20 years before reclaiming his birthright. However, a scene showing Adam working a mundane office job features a desk nameplate reading 'Adam Glenn (He/Him).'

While many viewers interpreted this as a playful, pun-heavy nod to his heroic alter-ego, 'He-Man,' the inclusion of gender pronouns has triggered a 'woke' backlash from certain corners of the internet.

The teaser debuted on Thursday, 22 January 2026, at 6 a.m. PT / 9 a.m. ET, following years of development hell. The trailer was released globally across digital platforms, ahead of the film's scheduled theatrical release in the United Kingdom and the United States on 5 June 2026, with Sony Pictures handling international distribution.

The 'He/Him' gag has become a lightning rod for debate, effectively splitting the fanbase into two camps. On the one hand, critics have branded the moment 'performative indoctrination,' arguing that the iconic 1980s warrior should remain untouched by contemporary social markers.

Conversely, supporters of the creative choice have pointed out the linguistic irony: He-Man is, quite literally, a character whose primary pronoun is in his name.

The 'He/Man' pun is viewed by many as a clever bit of wordplay that fits the film's apparent fish-out-of-water comedy tone and echoes the tongue-in-cheek humour found in Travis Knight's previous work on Bumblebee.

Leto's Sinister Skeletor Debut

Beyond the social media skirmish, the trailer provided a significant first look at Jared Leto's transformation into Skeletor. Avoiding the campier portrayals of the past, Leto's version appears to be a more 'feral and haunting' interpretation, featuring a mix of practical prosthetics and digital enhancement.

The actor, known for his transformative roles in Suicide Squad and House of Gucci, delivers a raspy, theatrical performance that reportedly utilised motion-capture technology to capture the villain's necrotic movements.

The footage confirms that the film will lean heavily into the 'science-fantasy' aesthetic of the original Mattel toy line. Scenes of Eternia being 'shattered' under Skeletor's rule suggest a high-stakes, large-scale epic, with a budget estimated to be between $170 million and $200 million.

The trailer also provided a first glimpse of Fisto (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) and Trap Jaw (Sam C. Wilson), confirming that the film will feature a broad roster of the 'Good Warriors' and 'Evil Warriors.'

A Departure from Tradition

While the visual style pays homage to the 1980s, the plot introduces a significant departure from the classic lore.

By starting the story on Earth, where Adam has grown up as 'Adam Glenn' with no memory of his heritage, the film adopts a 'superhero origin' structure. This shift has concerned some traditionalists who prefer the purely fantastical setting of the original animated series, though the trailer's inclusion of Battle Cat (voiced by Stephen Root) and Castle Grayskull suggests the second half of the film remains firmly in the realm of Eternian magic.

The addition of Kristen Wiig as the voice of a 'quirky, scene-stealing' version of Roboto further indicates that Travis Knight is willing to take risks with the source material. Whether the 'He/Him' joke will be a minor footnote or a lasting controversy remains to be seen, but the trailer has successfully ensured that Masters of the Universe is the most discussed blockbuster on the 2026 horizon.