Evil Horde
Encyclopedia
The Evil Horde, more frequently referred to as the Horde, is a group of fictional character
s featured in She-Ra: Princess of Power
and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
cartoons, comics and toys. The Horde was introduced to the Masters of the Universe toyline in 1985, but since Filmation
was moving on to She-Ra's series, it was decided to make the Horde the lead villains in the new series.
is subordinate to the mysterious Horde Prime, the Evil Horde was initially presented as a seemingly small group of formidable creatures of whom Hordak was clearly implied to be the supreme leader. Far less explicitly technological, the initial toys and minicomics depicting the Horde indicated a more mystical background, similar to Skeletor
and his Evil Warriors. Indeed, the later cartoon's version of Hordak as Skeletor's former mentor in spite of an apparently inferior command of magic (generally delegating mystical tasks to Shadow Weaver, although it should be said that Hordak's own "technological" abilities were quite likely magical in origin) makes much more sense in this original minicomic's equivalent of the same mentorship. Here, Hordak is shown to be a sorcerer of equal or greater power than Skeletor, who is just as interested in plundering the mystical treasures of Castle Greyskull as his former pupil.
As originally depicted (and manufactured as a playset), the Horde's base of operations the Fright Zone was an ancient cave-like fort rather than a sprawling tecnolopolis. Technological elements only began to appear in later waves of Horde toys, and their accompanying minicomics depicted further discontinuities with the animated series, such as showing the legions of Horde Trooper robots as a new invention (manufactured on Eternia
, no less, unlike the cartoon versions which invaded Eternia two decades ago), as well as the introduction of later cybernetic characters such as Dragstor, Mosquitor
and Mantisaur. Nevertheless, Hordak's primary interest remained in magic and his place as supreme leader of the Horde remained unaltered even in the last minicomics which involved the return of the ancient structure known as The Three Towers of Eternia, something he indicated having helped to build, suggesting either time travel or near immortality on Hordak's part.
by Morgoth, a giant wizard once imprisoned by the Ancients. The Horde sent a scout ship to Eternia and its crew aided Morgoth in taking control of a few towns and villages. One of these was the home of Teela'Na. To defeat the Horde, Teela'Na was told by an old man about Castle Grayskull
. Teela'Na sought Castle Grayskull and became the new Sorceress
in order to defeat Morgoth and the Horde. She managed to do so, but was trapped in her position for the rest of her life (At this point, the members of the Horde are unnamed, but their distinctive bat insignia clearly designates them as such).
The Horde scout ship apparently managed to send a message to the Evil Horde's ultimate leader, Horde Prime, because soon, the vile Hordak
and his Horde Troopers arrived in full force. While Hordak waged his war against Eternia and the city of Eternos, he took Skeletor
under his wing, teaching him what he knew of dark magic. In time, the Royal Soldiers of Eternos and the magic of Castle Grayskull defeated Hordak. However, learning that King Randor
and Queen Marlena
's twin children both have a special destiny, Hordak and Skeletor kidnapped them. A young Man-At-Arms
and Queen Marlena were able to halt the kidnapping of Prince Adam, but Princess Adora was captured. Skeletor, however, was captured by the guards. He then revealed the secret location of the Horde's lair: Snake Mountain
.
Man-At-Arms and the Sorceress went to Snake Mountain, but were too late. Hordak had escaped with Princess Adora. Both were then seen on the planet of Etheria
. Hordak and his minions captured many kingdoms, the last of which to fall was the kingdom of Bright Moon.
The She-Ra series is largely dedicated to the struggle of the Etherian rebels against the occupying force of the Horde. In each episode, Hordak has a new dastardly scheme to either destroy The Great Rebellion or make life worse for Etherians.
Each scheme meets its demise at She-Ra's hand. The comics largely follow this overall story as well, though where the cartoon Hordak has abandoned plans to invade Eternia, save for a few occasions, in the comics he still tries. Sometimes he works with, and sometimes against, Skeletor.
The Horde has bases planet-wide though its main headquarters is Doom Tower located at the centre of the Fright Zone. The Horde possesses vast resources and has a great deal of highly sophisticated technology.
cartoon has much more mysterious characters. The Horde had been a menace on Eternia long before the modern day. Hordak had been the nemesis of King Grayskull
. He was also an enemy of King Hiss and defeated his army of Snake Men
before putting his sight back on destroying King Grayskull. Upon its final defeat the Horde was sentenced to exile in the timeless dimension of Despondos. While imprisoned, Hordak became more demonic and his power and advice could be channeled through sorcery. By invoking Hordak, Skeletor is able to cast a spell to replace his head with the familiar floating skull. When Skeletor betrays Hordak years later by refusing to release him, Evil-Lyn
and Count Marzo step up to the task. However, just as Hordak is about to emerge from Despondos, He-Man
stops the spell.
his uncle. This suggests that Horde Prime may have once looked like Hordak before his transformation. He is voiced in the series by Lou Scheimer
.
The main reason for this comes from the episode "The Peril of Whispering Woods", the first She-Ra episode to allude to Horde Prime. In this episode we see Horde Prime's son, Prince Zed, who addresses Hordak as 'uncle'. This could suggest that Prime is Hordak's brother, but it is also possible that Zed only called him 'uncle' as a friendly term, or he is on Zed's mother's side. However a letter from this episode said "your nephew" stating that Hordak is his uncle but we don't know on which side. How Prince Zed is Horde Prime's son still remains to be seen.
Two UK She-Ra annuals in the mid-1980s state that Hordak is Prime's brother, but these operate within a canon
independent of the cartoon and also got Horde Prime's name wrong, referring to him as 'Prime Horde'. The UK He-Man comics state explicitly in one issue that Horde Prime is not Hordak's brother, but again these operate within an independent canon and drew Prime with a completely different appearance from the cartoon.
It has not yet been confirmed whether or not Filmation's writers conceived Prime as Hordak's brother. However, he is referred to as such in the Character Profiles in Disc 6 of the She-Ra Season One DVD set.
Masters of the Universe Classics Hordak's bio describes Hordak as the "second heir of the Horde Empire." this may be referring to Horde Prime. In the MOTUC He-ro bio a possible new name for Horde Prime is Horde Supreme.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
s featured in She-Ra: Princess of Power
She-Ra: Princess of Power
She-Ra: Princess of Power is an American animated television series produced in 1985 by Filmation. It is a spinoff of Filmation's highly successful He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, aimed primarily at a young girls' audience to counter-balance the latter show's popularity with boys...
and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's successful toy line Masters of the Universe...
cartoons, comics and toys. The Horde was introduced to the Masters of the Universe toyline in 1985, but since Filmation
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
was moving on to She-Ra's series, it was decided to make the Horde the lead villains in the new series.
Original minicomics
Unlike the cartoon's portrayal of a galactic empire in which HordakHordak
Hordak is a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise, as a villain who opposes She-Ra, He-Man, and villain Skeletor. In the She-Ra cartoon, he is the leader of the segment of the fictional Evil Horde on the planet Etheria, an army of savage warriors, most of whom wear a red...
is subordinate to the mysterious Horde Prime, the Evil Horde was initially presented as a seemingly small group of formidable creatures of whom Hordak was clearly implied to be the supreme leader. Far less explicitly technological, the initial toys and minicomics depicting the Horde indicated a more mystical background, similar to Skeletor
Skeletor
Skeletor is a featured villain in the Masters of the Universe franchise and the arch-enemy and main antagonist of He-Man. Depicted as a muscular blue humanoid with a purple hood over his yellowing bare-bone skull, Skeletor seeks to conquer Castle Grayskull so he can learn its ancient secrets,...
and his Evil Warriors. Indeed, the later cartoon's version of Hordak as Skeletor's former mentor in spite of an apparently inferior command of magic (generally delegating mystical tasks to Shadow Weaver, although it should be said that Hordak's own "technological" abilities were quite likely magical in origin) makes much more sense in this original minicomic's equivalent of the same mentorship. Here, Hordak is shown to be a sorcerer of equal or greater power than Skeletor, who is just as interested in plundering the mystical treasures of Castle Greyskull as his former pupil.
As originally depicted (and manufactured as a playset), the Horde's base of operations the Fright Zone was an ancient cave-like fort rather than a sprawling tecnolopolis. Technological elements only began to appear in later waves of Horde toys, and their accompanying minicomics depicted further discontinuities with the animated series, such as showing the legions of Horde Trooper robots as a new invention (manufactured on Eternia
Eternia
Eternia is the name of the fictional planet that serves as a setting for the Masters of the Universe toy collection and animated series.-Origins:...
, no less, unlike the cartoon versions which invaded Eternia two decades ago), as well as the introduction of later cybernetic characters such as Dragstor, Mosquitor
Mosquitor
Mosquitor is a fictional character in Mattel's Masters of the Universe toyline, one of the best-selling toylines of the 1980s.-Character profile:...
and Mantisaur. Nevertheless, Hordak's primary interest remained in magic and his place as supreme leader of the Horde remained unaltered even in the last minicomics which involved the return of the ancient structure known as The Three Towers of Eternia, something he indicated having helped to build, suggesting either time travel or near immortality on Hordak's part.
1980s cartoon Horde
In the cartoons, the Evil Horde is a vast, interstellar empire bent on the domination of various worlds across the universe. The centre of the empire is called Hordeworld. The Horde was summoned to EterniaEternia
Eternia is the name of the fictional planet that serves as a setting for the Masters of the Universe toy collection and animated series.-Origins:...
by Morgoth, a giant wizard once imprisoned by the Ancients. The Horde sent a scout ship to Eternia and its crew aided Morgoth in taking control of a few towns and villages. One of these was the home of Teela'Na. To defeat the Horde, Teela'Na was told by an old man about Castle Grayskull
Castle Grayskull
Castle Grayskull is a fortress located on the fictional planet Eternia. It forms a central location in the Masters of the Universe toy/comic/animation universe, and also appears in the 1987 live action adaptation....
. Teela'Na sought Castle Grayskull and became the new Sorceress
Sorceress of Castle Grayskull
The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, also known as The Goddess and Teela Na, is a fictional character from the Masters of the Universe franchise.-Original MOTU mini-comics:...
in order to defeat Morgoth and the Horde. She managed to do so, but was trapped in her position for the rest of her life (At this point, the members of the Horde are unnamed, but their distinctive bat insignia clearly designates them as such).
The Horde scout ship apparently managed to send a message to the Evil Horde's ultimate leader, Horde Prime, because soon, the vile Hordak
Hordak
Hordak is a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise, as a villain who opposes She-Ra, He-Man, and villain Skeletor. In the She-Ra cartoon, he is the leader of the segment of the fictional Evil Horde on the planet Etheria, an army of savage warriors, most of whom wear a red...
and his Horde Troopers arrived in full force. While Hordak waged his war against Eternia and the city of Eternos, he took Skeletor
Skeletor
Skeletor is a featured villain in the Masters of the Universe franchise and the arch-enemy and main antagonist of He-Man. Depicted as a muscular blue humanoid with a purple hood over his yellowing bare-bone skull, Skeletor seeks to conquer Castle Grayskull so he can learn its ancient secrets,...
under his wing, teaching him what he knew of dark magic. In time, the Royal Soldiers of Eternos and the magic of Castle Grayskull defeated Hordak. However, learning that King Randor
King Randor
King Randor is a fictional character who appears in the popular 1980s Masters of the Universe franchise. In early material, the character is called King Miro, this was later given in the Filmation cartoon series as King Randor's long-lost father's name....
and Queen Marlena
Queen Marlena
Queen Marlena is a fictional character from the Masters of the Universe franchise. She first appears in the toys' minicomics as a typical medieval-style queen. Later, the Filmation cartoon series states that she is actually a space pilot from Earth who had crash-landed on Eternia some years before...
's twin children both have a special destiny, Hordak and Skeletor kidnapped them. A young Man-At-Arms
Man-At-Arms
Man-At-Arms is the primary title of Duncan, a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise. The figure's tag-line is "Heroic Master of Weapons".-He-Man and the Masters of the Universe :...
and Queen Marlena were able to halt the kidnapping of Prince Adam, but Princess Adora was captured. Skeletor, however, was captured by the guards. He then revealed the secret location of the Horde's lair: Snake Mountain
Snake Mountain
Snake Mountain may refer to:In geography:* Snake Mountain , USA* Snake Mountain , USA* Snake Mountains of Nevada, USA...
.
Man-At-Arms and the Sorceress went to Snake Mountain, but were too late. Hordak had escaped with Princess Adora. Both were then seen on the planet of Etheria
Etheria (She-Ra)
Etheria is a fictional planet introduced in the animated film The Secret of the Sword. It is the main setting of the She-Ra: Princess of Power animated series.-History:Etheria was founded by a group of beings known only as The First Ones...
. Hordak and his minions captured many kingdoms, the last of which to fall was the kingdom of Bright Moon.
The She-Ra series is largely dedicated to the struggle of the Etherian rebels against the occupying force of the Horde. In each episode, Hordak has a new dastardly scheme to either destroy The Great Rebellion or make life worse for Etherians.
Each scheme meets its demise at She-Ra's hand. The comics largely follow this overall story as well, though where the cartoon Hordak has abandoned plans to invade Eternia, save for a few occasions, in the comics he still tries. Sometimes he works with, and sometimes against, Skeletor.
The Horde has bases planet-wide though its main headquarters is Doom Tower located at the centre of the Fright Zone. The Horde possesses vast resources and has a great deal of highly sophisticated technology.
21st century cartoon Horde
The Horde portrayed in the MYP He-Man and the Masters of the UniverseHe-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series. Developed for television by Michael Halperin, who created the original series, it was animated by Mike Young Productions...
cartoon has much more mysterious characters. The Horde had been a menace on Eternia long before the modern day. Hordak had been the nemesis of King Grayskull
King Grayskull
King Grayskull is a fictional character from the 2002 version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. -Fictional character biography:...
. He was also an enemy of King Hiss and defeated his army of Snake Men
Snake Men
The Snake Men are a fictional race of evil humanoid snakes in Mattel's Masters of the Universe franchise.-History:Released later in the original franchise's run, there was considerable retconning to work the Snake Men into the existing Masters of the Universe mythos.In the distant past the Snake...
before putting his sight back on destroying King Grayskull. Upon its final defeat the Horde was sentenced to exile in the timeless dimension of Despondos. While imprisoned, Hordak became more demonic and his power and advice could be channeled through sorcery. By invoking Hordak, Skeletor is able to cast a spell to replace his head with the familiar floating skull. When Skeletor betrays Hordak years later by refusing to release him, Evil-Lyn
Evil-Lyn
Evil-Lyn is a fictional character in the popular Masters of the Universe toy line and the accompanying cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe....
and Count Marzo step up to the task. However, just as Hordak is about to emerge from Despondos, He-Man
He-Man
He-Man is a fictional heroic character featured in the Masters of the Universe media franchise. In most variations, he is the alter ego of Prince Adam...
stops the spell.
Horde Prime
Horde Prime is the ruler of the intergalactic Evil Horde. He is only seen surrounded by green smoke. His true form has never been seen. A metallic arm comes out of the cloud of smoke when he is outraged or angered. Horde Prime has a son named Prince Zed who calls HordakHordak
Hordak is a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise, as a villain who opposes She-Ra, He-Man, and villain Skeletor. In the She-Ra cartoon, he is the leader of the segment of the fictional Evil Horde on the planet Etheria, an army of savage warriors, most of whom wear a red...
his uncle. This suggests that Horde Prime may have once looked like Hordak before his transformation. He is voiced in the series by Lou Scheimer
Lou Scheimer
Louis Scheimer is an Emmy and Grammy Award–winning American producer, one of the original founders of Filmation, an animation company, and also an executive producer of many of its cartoons .-Career:Early in Filmation's history, Scheimer also contributed...
.
The relationship between Horde Prime and Hordak
In the mythology of She-Ra, Horde Prime is the only being with authority over Hordak as well as his Horde inspectors, for he is the intergalactic ruler of the Horde Empire, with control over all Horde regimes. He apparently hails from a world known as Horde World although his exact background has never been revealed. All that has ever been seen of Horde Prime is a gigantic skeletal robotic arm, which suggests he may be some sort of cyborg. He is also said to have two heads. He travels the universe in his ship, the Velvet Glove, keeping watch over the Horde's universal activities. It has been speculated, but never confirmed, that Horde Prime may be Hordak's brother.The main reason for this comes from the episode "The Peril of Whispering Woods", the first She-Ra episode to allude to Horde Prime. In this episode we see Horde Prime's son, Prince Zed, who addresses Hordak as 'uncle'. This could suggest that Prime is Hordak's brother, but it is also possible that Zed only called him 'uncle' as a friendly term, or he is on Zed's mother's side. However a letter from this episode said "your nephew" stating that Hordak is his uncle but we don't know on which side. How Prince Zed is Horde Prime's son still remains to be seen.
Two UK She-Ra annuals in the mid-1980s state that Hordak is Prime's brother, but these operate within a canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
independent of the cartoon and also got Horde Prime's name wrong, referring to him as 'Prime Horde'. The UK He-Man comics state explicitly in one issue that Horde Prime is not Hordak's brother, but again these operate within an independent canon and drew Prime with a completely different appearance from the cartoon.
It has not yet been confirmed whether or not Filmation's writers conceived Prime as Hordak's brother. However, he is referred to as such in the Character Profiles in Disc 6 of the She-Ra Season One DVD set.
Masters of the Universe Classics Hordak's bio describes Hordak as the "second heir of the Horde Empire." this may be referring to Horde Prime. In the MOTUC He-ro bio a possible new name for Horde Prime is Horde Supreme.