The mini comic The Powers Of Grayskull (POG) The Legend Begins was the first in a three part saga that came packaged with BIONATOPS , TURBODACTYl and TYRANTISAURUS REX REX toys in 1987. "They were going to introduce a new toyline, a spin-off from Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power ... a whole new universe." (1) The mini comics purpose was to bridge MOTU to the new powers of grayskull (POG) toyline. Unfortunately it never made it past part one and we have been left with questions ever sense. I hope this page will help to clear up some misconceptions and be a complete source for all that is known about POG.



WHAT WAS PRODUCED?

The three dinosaurs BIONATOPS , TURBODACTYL and TYRANTISAURUS REX along with the giants TYTUS and MEGATOR who only saw production in Europe. The giants never where marked as a part of POG, but the box art clearly shows that they where intended for the line. Its also important to note the main character from the new spin off was to be he-ro, who appeared on the packaging of TURBODACTYL along with the giants.


Thanks to he-man.org forum member pH6 we also know this sticker was produced. The image comes directly from Mattel, it was included in a style guide that was sent to companies who created licensed products.

WHAT DO WE KNOW?

The basic premise was outlined on the back of the dinosaurs packaging, an edited version appeared on the giants.

The "ancient wizards" must be a reference to the council of elders.
Not much was ever addressed on the cartoon about the elders, what we do know is scattered throughout books and mini comics.

We know from the golden book, I Have The Power that they once ruled the land and all evil resided on the dark hemisphere, held back by the mystic wall. Eternia's rich life spoiled the people, and the Sorceress told them that the people needed to live on their own again. They created Grayskull to house their secrets and power. It was prophesied that a champion would one day use its power to battle evil. The Sorceress was originally a member of the council of elders. That info comes from the licensing information accompanying the image of the sticker.

They also created the talon fighter as told by Zodac in the power of point dread record/book that came packaged with the talon fighter toy. Besides that they sank the three towers and banished king hiss and his army as seen in the mini comics king of the snake men and ultimate battel ground.

The series bible gives a lot more insight into the elders, but it has been contradicted so many times in the cartoons and comics that its hard to include information from the series bible in to any canon at all.

That brings us to He-Ro, the most
powerful wizard in the universe, the guy on the box art and the same "greatest sorcerer of all" that the Sorceress made mention of.
Well, thanks to the Internet we know a lot about this guy. We know he made it to the prototype stage of production on his action figure, along with ELDOR, keeper of the book of living spells. We also have a bio directly from Mattel that was included in the same style guide as the sticker above, unfortunately it never saw print.

Name: Gray
Identity: Secret (ancestor of He-Man and She-Ra)
Real Name: Hero, alter ego of Gray
Role: First recipient of the Powers of Grayskull and original leader of the heroic forces in prehistoric Eternia against the evil Dino Reptilian Kingdom
Power: As well as possessing the fabulous strength of He-Man, He-Ro has another power uniquely his own. It is the power of natural magic: an ability to magically influence elements of nature. He-Ro draws his power from the Book of Transformation.
Character Profile: Reared under the tuteledge of his mentor, ELDOR, and the tribal chieftess, Sharella, Gray was one day mysteriously drawn to a nearby cave. There, in darkness and in light, he was invested with the newly evolved powers that would change his his life and alter the course of history in Eternia. The exact details of what transpired in that cave have remained secret, but Eldor has made cryptic allusions…references to the boy's mysterious past, to an amazing legacy… and an awesome task which Gray accomplished that day in the cave. By placing one hand on his heart, flexing the other arm into a muscle and incanting, "Magic and strength…tempered by heart!" Gray causes an amazing transformation to occur, becoming the He-Ro of Grayskull and announcing, "I stand for Peace!"
Weapons: He-Ro channels his energy through a marvelous staff which can direct a magic ray to specific parts of the environment, causing the likes of inanimate rocks, rivers, and trees to respond to his commands.
Note: With powers of this scope, it might seem ludicrous to suggest any way in which He-Ro could be less powerful than He-Man. But He-Man does have one power He-Ro lacks: the power of wisdom and maturity. He-Ro is younger and still learning to use his powers.

King Hiss also plays a very important role, as the main conflict seams to be from his army. king hiss originally appeared in the mini comic The King Of The Snake Men.
click to view
Once thought of as myth by modern Eternian men and woman, in ancient times King Hiss "ruled several planets in this universe" and when his lust for power brought him to Eternia he took snake mountain as his throne. His forces swept across the land, destroying all, until the concentrated forces of the council of elders banished them into a timeless dimension. Apparently the events of POG happen before the elders banished king hiss from Eternia. Its important to note that the climactic battel happened at the palace of Eternia, as it doesn't exist in the point in time he-man and the sorceress travel back to in the POG mini comic, though that may just be a slip up from the writers. Its also important to note that the Hordak and the evil horde existed back then, and that not all the snake men where banished by the elders as Rattlor and Tung Lashor joined The Horde. One more important fact is about the power sword, king hiss knew about it and its power...




"The 'Nameless One' had something to do with Keldor becoming Skeletor. I think he was their version of Emperor Palpatine, the great evil behind everything else. As with everyone else, there was no more backstory." (2) the plan was that keldor was to be the central antagonist (1)




That brings us to The Search For Keldor Mini Comic. The long lost brother of king Randor, Kedlor vanished when he practiced magic years ago. Skeletor made it quite clear that he didn't want Randor and the heroic warriors to find out what happened to Keldor "for that knowledge would destroy me" skeletor said.

"Keldor and Skeletor were the same person, hence the similar spelling of the names."(1)
"The main idea was that if they found out Skeletor was Keldor, they'd be able to find out what had changed him and might find some way to reverse it." (2)

"As far as I remember, Keldor was Skeletor ... But, I don't think that was ever going to be revealed ... I seem to remember it as one of those things Mattel came up with out of the blue ... Slur Keldor and you end up with Skeletor ... His backstory wasn't really worked out. Some sort of evil cosmic energies altered him. I think they were going for a Darth Vader thing, but it was a tack-on." (2)

The three towers/ Eternia toy is one of the most pivotal parts of POG.
"we where putting a lot of emphasis on the eternia toy, because it was so expensive and elaborate" said mini comic writer Phil White, in an interview on he-man.org

The Sorceress tells he-man the tale in the ultimate battel ground mini comic;
"eons ago, before castle grayslull, there stood Grayskull tower...A symbol of Goodness
there stood also Viper tower, A symbol of all that is evil. Between the two, yet ever connected, stood central tower. central tower held power both good and evil drawn from the other two towers. This was the ultimate power!

The ancients where afraid it would fall into hands of their greatest enemy...king hiss.
They banded together and cast a great spell, sinking the towers far beneath the earth, to hide them form the vile reptile king! later they where able to banish king hiss as well"

The "mystic machines" channels good and evil power and channel it into who ever enters the cental tower. In the Enter Buzz Saw Hordak mini comic, we learned Hordak gained new abilities when he trespassed and before that, the defenses where turning Hordak good.
Hordak also told the heroes that "only the rightful king of Eternia can pass central towers guardian unharmed" and that the central tower holds the secret of time travel.

But most importantly Hordak mentions that he aided in the construction of central tower before his banishment to Etheria, but makes no mention or hardly acknowledge the other two towers. In SOTS he never recognized the swords, so he must have been banished before they where created, but after the time king hiss arrived on Eternia. "it was never explained what Hordak was doing on Eternia" (2) during that time.


Beyond what side they fight for nothing is known about the giants TYTUS and MEGATOR
and "apparently no story had been developed for why the dinosaurs where part mechanical" (1)

QUESTIONS WE ARE LEFT WITH

1) King Hiss believed that Skeletor might be an emissary From the "UNNAMED ONE" that he said that they served. That leaves the lingering question who this unnamed leader is, as this is the first we have herd of him?

2) King Hiss conjured up PTERODACTYL, a blue, non mechanic version of TURBODACTYl, was this a planed toy or just creative licensing from the writers?

3) In a time before his birth...who would recognize he-man? Why did the sorceress have to disguise him? she said "for reasons that will be made clear to you in the future" to he-man when he asked.


4) The power sword existed back in the time of Preternia, so its save to assume that the sword of protection did to. How where they used and who used them?

5) How does hordak fit in? when was he banished to Etheria?

SOURCES

(1)
writer Phil White


(2)

writer Steven Grant




SUGGESTED READING

mini comics

king of the snake men
the ultimate battel ground
enter buzz saw hordak
search for Keldor
power of grayskull the legend begins