Warning: Spoilers for Masters of the Universe: Revolution episode 5

Summary

• The final scene of Masters of the Universe: Revolution part 1 hints at She-Ra's arrival, ending the separation between her and He-Man on TV.
• The new villain in Revolution, voiced by Grey DeLisle, is confirmed to be She-Ra, using the alter ego "Despara" from previous continuities.
• She-Ra's appearance sets up a two-on-two battle in part 2, with He-Man and Skeletor teaming up against She-Ra and Hordak, potentially leading to She-Ra taking on the mantle herself.

The final scene of the Masters of the Universe: Revolution part 1 finale seemingly revealed the arrival of She-Ra, a character once thought to be unfeasible for He-Man's show. Known as the Princess of Power, She-Ra a.k.a. Adora is the sister of He-Man and a competent hero in her own right. Despite being introduced as an extension of He-Man's universe, She-Ra occupies her own animated franchise.

After appearing alongside He-Man in the 1985 animated movie He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword, She-Ra became the protagonist of her own show. Years after headlining She-Ra: The Princess of Power in the 1980s, Adora returned to lead Netflix's reboot series, He-Man from She-Ra from sharing the same screen [via Den of Geek].

Masters Of The Universe: Revolution's Mystery Character Is Definitely She-Ra

Masters of the Universe: Revolution part 1's ending signals that the days of She-Ra and He-Man not interacting on TV are about to end. The final scene shows a masked female character promising a severely wounded Hordak that he will recover, and after that happens, they'll be launching an attack on Eternia so that they can defeat Skeletor and He-Man. The credits confirm that the character, voiced by Grey DeLisle, goes by the name "Despara." The "Despara" title confirms the new villain to be a version of She-Ra, given that she used this evil alter ego in various continuities.

Even without the confirmation from the credits, there was already strong evidence in the story itself that the new villain is She-Ra. In the original cartoons, it was established that Masters of the Universe's Hordak raised and trained Adora, which makes sense of why she'd be helping him in Masters of the Universe: Revolution. Rather than growing up with her biological family, Adora learned the ways of Hordak and was put under a spell that made her serve him and his Evil Horde army. Despara rescuing him in Revolution is an acknowledgment of their relationship in the classic She-Ra series.

The first hint at She-Ra's ing Revelation, though, preceded the game-changing Despara twist. In episode 3, Hordak was shown holding what looked to be a baby when leaving King Randor's house. He was standing outside a nursery where Queen Marlena was seen with an infant Prince Adam in her arms. This flashback served as a secret origin story for She-Ra ahead of the big reveal in that it showed how Hordak wound up with Princess Adora in his care. Why her existence hasn't been discussed by any of He-Man's family, on the other hand, remains unclear.

How Can Masters Of The Universe: Revolution Use She-Ra?

Since there's no mistaking the connection between Masters of the Universe: Revolution's new character and She-Ra, it's worth wondering what facilitated her unexpected entry into the series. As Kevin Smith has explained in the past when discussing why she couldn't be in Masters of the Universe: Revolution, He-Man and his cast of ing characters are owned by Mattel while DreamWorks holds the rights to his sister. For that reason, Smith was unable to make use of She-Ra in the show, but was hopeful that they'd be able to use the character at a later date.

The Despara cameo in the Masters of the Universe: Revolution part 1 finale may mean that the rights issues were resolved behind the scenes, which could allow She-Ra to appear in He-Man's shows now, and perhaps vice versa. An alternative possibility is that it's the "She-Ra" character specifically that the show can't use, meaning that her "Despara" identity may act as a loophole of sorts. It could be that Revolution can indeed use the Princess Adora character, provided that she stays Despara and never officially becomes She-Ra.

What She-Ra/Despara Means For Masters Of The Universe: Revolution Season 2

Regardless of what made She-Ra's appearance in Masters of the Universe: Revolution episode 5 possible, it's clear that she is an intrinsic part of the show's future. After all, the only setup for He-Man's next battle is found in Despara's scene. With Motherboard dead, Evil-Lyn fully earning her redemption, and Skeletor temporarily off the table, He-Man has no foes left standing. Based on that notion as well as the closing tease, it appears Despara will be at the center of He-Man and Teela's next challenge.

That said, She-Ra (or Despara) won't be alone when she opposes the main characters in the next Masters of the Universe installment. Hordak's inclusion in the scene goes to show that while he was defeated by Skeletor, the series isn't done with him yet. From the looks of things, the two will be a duo when the series returns with its back half. But, neither may be the true ringleader; She-Ra mentioned that Hordak would be healed by "Horde Prime." Introduced in the original She-Ra cartoon, Horde Prime is an evil being on a cosmic level that Hordak and Skeletor have been subservient to in the past.

If this line is any indication, Horde Prime will be the true villain of the next Masters of the Universe season, with Hordak and Despara serving as the mastermind's pawns. As for what they'll be up to, She-Ra said that she and Hordak will "destroy Skeletor. And this He-Man." This quote infers that beating He-Man is a secondary goal and that taking down Skeletor is their main focus. Why she would hate Skeletor wasn't explained, but his decision to betray Hordak may be the reason.

Either way, her debut sets up a two-on-two battle that sees He-Man and Skeletor form another reluctant alliance, this time against She-Ra and Hordak. Similar to what occurred in their original meeting, there's a chance that She-Ra is on Hordak's side as a result of his mind control. If that's the case, the story can culminate in her being freed from his influence. If that were to happen, the series may be able to end on the promise of Depsara one day donning the She-Ra mantle. Theoretically, it could happen within the season itself, but it's hard to say if the series will take that route.

Masters of the Universe: Revolution is available to stream on Netflix.