A reboot of a cult favorite 1980s property isn’t typically the sort of thing that generates a wave of online backlash, but people clearly hold Masters of the Universe and its mythology close to their hearts looking at how Kevin Smith’s Netflix series Revelation has been splitting opinion right down the middle, with longtime He-Man enthusiasts tearing it down while critics and those unfamiliar with the lore praise the five-episode Part 1.
The biggest bone of contention comes with the decision to kill off Prince Adam at the end of the very first episode, which was an admittedly bold move. Looking at how often the diehards rebel when significant changes are made to any big name property with a built-in audience, Smith surely would have known that a few feathers would be ruffled.
A number of scathing reviews have been left on the internet by the disgruntled factions, and the wildly differing viewpoints on the merits of the show are evidenced by the fact Revelation‘s 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes is in complete opposition to the 32% rating bestowed upon it by audiences. As you can see from the reactions below, Masters of the Universe has been stirring up no shortage of discussion and debate online.
You can understand both viewpoints, with a lot of folks feeling misled after He-Man was all over the marketing only to be swiftly dispatched in the premiere, turning the entire notion of what Masters of the Universe: Revelation would be upside down in their heads. On the other side of the coin, it’s a bold reinvention of the premise, and it’s not as though Netflix and Smith would come right out and say they were killing him off at the very beginning.