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Where to Watch Every Single Version of 'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'

By Ryan Britt Men's Journal

Updated June 1, 2026 2:32 PM

The power of Grayskull has returned. With the debut of Masters of the Universeon June 5, 2026, the over-the-top sword and sorcery franchise that began in the 1980s is making a surprising comeback. Just when you might have heard nostalgia is dead, He-Man comes back swinging!

But how much do you really know about He-Man? Would you believe there have actually been no fewer than five TV versions of Masters of the Universe prior to the new live-action film? Here's where to watch every version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe right now, along with the good news that nearly every He-Man is streaming for free at the moment.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983-1985)

Brace yourselves, fellow elder millennials: The original He-Man cartoon only ran for two seasons. And, technically, it ended in 1984. We're listing 1985 as its endpoint here because two special standalone movies featuring He-Man aired in 1985: He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword, and He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special. But the core series, which ran for 130 episodes total (65 episodes each season!), began on September 30, 1983, and ran until December 7, 1984.

While there are several DVD and Blu-ray box sets, you can currently stream Masters of the Universe in several places. Here are your best bets:

Prime Video has both seasons, complete.
Tubi has both seasons, complete.
YouTube: There's an official Masters of the Universe YouTube channel, which has several full episodes as well as various episode compilations.

As of this writing, He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword is only available on YouTube.

Masters of the Universe (1987 film)

Although it could be argued that He-Man was already past his prime in 1987, the feature film starring Dolph Lundgren has become a cult classic. While the 1987 movie reimagined several aspects of the He-Man mythos for live-action, the movie was still charming and old-fashioned, even for its time. That said, the new Masters of the Universe film, with its incredible color palette, will likely scan as a more upbeat, less muted He-Man, at least when compared side-by-side.

The 1987 Masters of the Universe is streaming on Tubi, Pluto, and YouTube.

The New Adventures of He-Man (1990)

This is the He-Man that time forgot! After the heyday of He-Man in the 19890s, and three years after the live-action feature film, Mattel attempted to reboot He-Man entirely by sending him into the distant future. While technically set in the same continuity of the first animated series, The New Adventures of He-Man had a bit more of a Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon flair, combined with a strange early 90s sensibility for action heroes. In other words, this is the one where He-Man has a ponytail.

You can watch several episodes of The New Adventures of He-Manon YouTube for free, and others are available for rental on that platform, Prime Video and Fandango at Home.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)

This series was a full-on reboot, which ran on Cartoon Network/Toonami from 2002 to 2004. This series took a slightly more serious tone than previous versions, though it did bring back a few key writers from the original series. The most notable thing about this take on He-Man is that we get a more detailed backstory of Skeletor from this series, in which we learn he was once a person named "Keldor." There's a lot to love about this version of Masters of the Universe, and it might be the most underrated version in the bunch.

The 2002-2004 Masters of the Universe streams for free on Plex.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2021–2022)

Strangely enough, starting in 2021, there were two He-Man animated TV series airing at the same time. The first was this, an oddly lesser-known show, which is a family-friendly remake of Masters of the Universe, rendered in a modern 3D animated style. If you're looking for something that feels new, strictly for the kids, this He-Man checks that box.

The 2021 version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe streams on Netflix.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation (2021–2024)

Produced by Kevin Smith, Masters of the Universe: Revelation approached the original Filmation cartoon as direct source material and then attempted to craft a serious fantasy narrative on that foundation. The results are, arguably, the best He-Man series to date, with an amazing cast (Mark Hamill as Skeletor! Sarah Michelle Gellar as Teela!) and a blend of newer animation and older styles. The first two parts of this Netflix series are called Revelation, and initially, deal with He-Man's disappearance. The final part of the series is called Masters of the Universe: Revolution. But, to be clear, these are all part of the same series.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation/Revolution streams on Netflix.

The new He-Man movie, Masters of the Universe, starring Nicholas Galitzine as the man with the sword, hits theaters on June 5, 2026.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 1:24 PM.