Beyond Good and Evil: Power, Identity and Otherness in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
| Author |
| Buchi Mayanglambam |
| Date of Publication: June, 2026 |
| Volume: XXVI, No.- XXIX |
| DOI:10.65734/tgi.ssei.avp.ijcsss.ti.26.29.9 |
| Abstract |
| He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated series often remembered as a simple morality tale of good triumphing over evil. However a closer analysis shows that it functions as a cultural text embedding complex ideologies. Drawing on the theories of Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Antonio Gramsci, and others, the paper explores how the series operates as an ideological apparatus, naturalizing hierarchical binaries of power, gender, and morality. Gender representations, including characters such as Teela, the Sorceress, and She-Ra, illustrate both the assertion of female agency and the reinforcement of patriarchal norms through sexualisation and containment. Similarly, racial and colonial undertones are evident in the depiction of Eternia’s white rulers versus monstrous or hybridized “Others,” reflecting Eurocentric hierarchies and the normalization of settler dominance. The central binary of He-Man and Skeletor exemplifies structuralist myth making, where good and evil are mutually constitutive, sustaining social and cultural hierarchies. Finally, the paper examines the nostalgic and postmodern afterlife of the series, highlighting its continued relevance in shaping cultural memory, global fandom, and consumerist practices. He-Man thus serves as both a nostalgic icon and a site for interrogating ideology, power, and representation in popular culture of the 1980s gained widespread popularity in India during the 1990s. |
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