One of the frequent questions Masters of the Universe fans have long had about the upcoming film is whether or not He-Man’s twin sister, She-Ra, would be part of the movie’s lore. As far as we know, there is no She-Ra in Travis Knight’s upcoming film, but in a recent interview with SFX Magazine, via Total Film, Knight mentioned that in his mind, She-Ra is indeed a part of the mythology of the live-action film’s universe. Even if she doesn’t actually appear in the movie that’s coming up in June. Here’s what Travis Knight had to say about the Princess of Power:
I can say very little about She-Ra. For me, She-Ra has always been a big part of the Masters world, and a big part of Adam’s story. In the fullness of time, if we’re lucky to tell more stories in this universe, She-Ra will play a huge part.
In the MOTU lore, Adora was Prince Adam’s twin sister, who the evil Hordak kidnapped and took to another dimension as an infant. She grew up on the planet Etheria, under the thrall of Hordak, before eventually breaking free. She then led the Great Rebellion against his Evil Horde. Adora wielded her own magic sword, transforming her into She-Ra. The whole “powerful twins separated at birth” angle clearly drew inspiration from Star Wars’ Luke and Leia. She-Ra had her own successful cartoon and toy line, She-Ra: Princess of Power. It ran adjacent to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe for several years.
However, when Filmation Studios dissolved, the cartoon and film rights to She-Ra separated from those of MOTU. (Mattel still owns both toy properties.) Which is why the Netflix She-Ra and the Princesses of Power cartoon couldn’t mention her famous twin. But Travis Knight’s comments suggest those rights issues are something that can be overcome, should MOTU become a hit. There were reports of a She-Ra live-action series coming to Prime Video last year. And that puts the property under the same umbrella as the MOTU live-action movie. All of this, of course, depends on MOTU being a hit. But if it is, we may see Adora fight side-by-side with her brother Adam in the not-too-distant future.