Although it may seem hard to believe, Skeletor, before he became evil, saved the life of He-Man’s father King Randor when he was an infant.
The Masters of the Universe toy-line is one of the most successful in history, selling millions of units worldwide, and it continues to find fans even today. First launched in the 1980s, the successful toy-line was bolstered by a popular cartoon. At its core, Masters of the Universe was a basic story of good versus evil where, every episode, He-Man and his allies would turn back Skeletor and his forces. The original cartoon was light on backstory, but subsequent incarnations of the franchise have fleshed out the characters, including Skeletor. In the 2002 reboot, Skeletor was revealed to have once been called Keldor - and he was not always evil. Instead, Keldor was a hero who sought out power, ultimately being corrupted and ing forces with the evil warlock Hordak. Indeed, Skeletor was formerly human - as Keldor, he staged a raid on Castle Grayskull and during the melee, acid was thrown on his face, turning him into Skeletor.
In He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #2, by Giffen and Mhan, as Hordak lays waste to Eternia, King Randor reveals to his son Prince Adam that the evil sorcerer has sought revenge against King Grayskull’s bloodline for centuries, swearing to corrupt it. He even attempted to abduct Randor when he was an infant, and was only thwarted by Keldor. While the hero would later be turned into Prince Adam's greatest nemesis, it's shockingly confirmed that without him, He-Man wouldn't have been born.
Skeletor Used to Be a Hero
Much like Prince Adam, long-time Masters of the Universe fans may be shocked that Skeletor was responsible, albeit Skeletor was only successful in kidnapping Adora.
Knowing that Skeletor was once a good and noble person makes him a tragic figure. His ambition led him to betray his former friends and making a deal with the devil. Skeletor’s legacy of evil is a big one, but fortunately Eternia's heroes have been around to keep him in check. Unbeknownst to Skeletor, however, is that He-Man and the Masters of the Universe are only able to defeat him because of his own heroic past.
