Warning: SPOILERS for Masters of the Universe: Revelation's season 1 finale.
Skeletor's ultimate plan in Masters of the Universe: Revelation seemed horribly out of character and here's why. The sinister sorcerer was seemingly dead throughout most of the series, but was resurrected in the eleventh hour as part of what he claimed was his plan all along. This seems unlikely, however, as Skeletor has always been presented as being impatient and overconfident, never making contingencies based on the chances of his plans going awry.
Masters of the Universe: Revelation remained true to the history of Eternia as laid out in the 1983 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series and its version of Skeletor. The first episode, "The Power of Grayskull," played out like an episode of the classic series, with Skeletor infiltrating Castle Grayskull and smashing open the Orb of Power that was the source of all the magic in the universe. This impetuous act set up the main crisis of the series, as Skeletor's hasty actions destroyed the source of all Eternia's magic rather than allowing him to claim it. He-Man was able to contain the universe-shattering blast, but only by sacrificing his Sword of Power and revealing his secret identity of Prince Adam of Eternia in the process. Both He-Man and Skeletor were seemingly destroyed as the power of the Orb was released, leaving their companions to undertake the quest to restore the lost magic of Eternia and the Sword of Power.
Masters of the Universe: Revelation season 1's finale, "The Forge at the Forest of Forever," found Skeletor revealing himself, materializing from Evil-Lyn's magic wand and reforming his Havoc Staff in time to prevent Prince Adam from changing into He-Man, after he used the renewed Sword of Power to save Eternia and the universe. Skeletor explained that he had put his essence into Evil Lyn's wand after his physical form was destroyed, like a Dungeons and Dragons' lich and their phylactery. From there it was just a matter of waiting for an opportune moment to reveal himself and claim the Sword of Power. This all seemed wildly out of character for Skeletor, as it indicated that he had considered the possibility of failure and come up with a way to save himself should things not go according to his plan. However, while Skeletor acted like this was all part of his plan all along, it seems likely that he was bluffing. He never showed this kind of foresight in the original series and was too proud to it the possibility of failure, despite his plans always being thwarted by He-Man and his allies.
Skeletor has been the primary antagonist of the Masters of the Universe series since its earliest days as an action figure line in 1981. While different incarnations of the series have given him conflicting origins as a refugee from another dimension, a pupil of the warlord Hordak (who became the chief villain of She-Ra: Princess of Power), and the treacherous brother of King Randor of Eternos, Skeletor has remained a constant source of evil in the world of Eternia. Despite his many backgrounds, Skeletor's goals have always remained the same: learn the secrets of Castle Grayskull and acquire the power to become Master of the Universe. Skeletor has also been consistently portrayed as cunning, but also brash and unable to control his temper, often thwarting his own plans accidentally.
For all his cleverness, the Skeletor of the original Masters of the Universe was usually direct in his dealings and it beggars belief be would intentionally destroy the source of all magic in the universe to set up a long con. It also seems unlikely that Skeletor would trust that his followers, even Evil-Lyn, would be able to restore the cosmic balance in his absence. However, Masters of the Universe: Revelation also implies that Skeletor may have played the proud buffoon role to make his enemies underestimate him. If that's the case, then Skeletor could be more dangerous than ever in Masters of the Universe: Revelation season 2, even without the power of Grayskull at his command.