Teela
Encyclopedia
Teela "Warrior Goddess!" (icon) is a fictional character
from the Masters of the Universe
franchise. She is the Captain of the Royal Guard at the palace of Eternos and thus responsible for training and protecting Prince Adam of Eternia
. While Adam is He-Man
, Teela often assists him in his battles, but she is unaware of his alternate identity. Teela is one of the first characters developed for Masters of the Universe, although her figure was released in the second half of the first wave. Writer Donald F. Glut
named her after Gunga Ram's elephant from the
Andy's Gang television show.
. In a fashion typical of 1980's cartoons, she was portrayed in a leotard. The second-wave minicomic The Tale of Teela explains that, twenty years earlier, Skeletor
captured the Goddess (a.k.a. Sorceress, also named "Teela") and made a clone of her using an ancient artifact. His plan was to raise the child as an evil version of the Goddess. However, the clone was rescued by Man-At-Arms
and grew up to become the warrior Teela. (Note: the character Goddess was later referred to as "Sorceress" only, and her appearance was altered for television, with the cobra-themed costume being replaced with a falcon-themed one. In the show, Teela was the biological daughter of the Sorceress rather than a clone.)
, Teela is the biological daughter of the Sorceress. Man-At-Arms discovers that the Sorceress, in the form of the falcon Zoar, has been caring for the infant Teela in a large bird's nest on the side of a cliff. After a failed kidnap attempt by Mer-Man, the Sorceress willingly gives Teela to Man-At-Arms to be raised as his own daughter. In Teela's Quest, Teela discovers the truth about her mother from Eternia's Oracle of the Crystal Sea, but an emotionally distraught Sorceress erases the revelation from Teela's memory for her own protection, even though the Sorceress desperately wishes she could tell Teela the truth. Teela's biological father is never revealed; Man-At-Arms says he was one of Eternia's greatest men. However, the Oracle, the Sorceress, and Man-At-Arms all agree that he died in battle. Teela's ties to Grayskull are revisited in the episode Teela's Triumph when Skeletor sends the Sorceress to another dimension, leaving Teela to take the Sorceress' place as guardian of Grayskull.
Despite her excellent fighting skills and generally being sensible and level-headed, Teela has a reckless streak like that of a wild tomboy
, a far cry from her mother's soft-spoken temperament. In the Filmation series, Teela's recklessness and quick temper in situations that she does not agree with often lead to poor judgment, which results in dangerous situations. Unaware of Adam's dual-identity and duties that go with it, Teela often reprimands him for being lazy, cowardly and inattentive to his training.
, she is portrayed by Solid Gold
dancer-turned-actress Chelsea Field as a mostly-serious fighter who rarely allows her dark sense of humor to show through. Nothing is said of her being the daughter of the Sorceress (who is portrayed here by Christina Pickles
of St. Elsewhere
fame). Teela's costume in the film is quite different from its animated depictions. It covers more of her body, including her arms and legs, and is colored gray. Field portrays Teela as having a curly brown mane rather than her usual red/auburn hair. The movie also hints that Teela is vegetarian, given her reaction in a scene where she and Man-At-Arms are eating barbecued ribs.
, which ran from 1990-1991, Teela makes one appearance in the episode Once Upon a Time, a rare reference to the vintage Filmation series. However, she bears no resemblance to her Filmation counterpart, being portrayed with long blond hair instead of red hair. This was how she was featured in the very first mini-comic, though some fans have theorized she was redesigned to reseble She-Ra
. She wears a pink leotard
, rather than the usual white one. She is voiced by Cathy Weseluck
.
The basic outline of her character remains the same in the 2002 series, but is taken to a greater extreme due to a difference in censors and restrictions. She still teases or reprimands Adam for his apparent lack of courage and gumption while harboring an unspoken and unconsummated crush on his alter-ego, He-Man, and is still a very durable fighter in her own right. However, Teela appears to be much younger and leaner in the 2002 series than she is in the 1980s series. She also wears her hair in a long ponytail
, as opposed to the 1980s figure and cartoon character who is represented with her hair up. Although the Filmation version of Teela has a short temper, the new version of Teela is portrayed as brasher and slightly more aggressive.
In the episode Out of the Past, Teela says that she is 16 years old; her age in the original series is never specified, although in the second season episode, "The Great Books Mystery", Adam celebrates his 19th birthday, and it is generally indicated throughout the series that he and Teela are approximately the same age and grew up together. She also briefly displays limited telepathic powers after a blood transfusion from her mother the Sorceress; the power fades as the Sorceress's blood fades away within Teela's blood. As with the previous versions of the story, Teela was adopted by Man-At-Arms, or rather was entrusted to him by her mother the Sorceress, because her birth father, an amnesiac Eternian soldier whom the Sorceress had nursed back to health, had disappeared, having presumably died in battle. There are hints in both the episode "Out of the Past" as well as the 3rd season episode guide of the series DVD, that Man-At-Arms is actually her biological father as well. Another possibility could be Fisto as he was the person who was with the Sorceress at the time Teela's father went missing. It was intended that Teela would learn the truth of her heritage in the third season, but the series was canceled before it could be resolved. Despite her young age, Teela is the Captain of the Palace Guard as in the original series and seen in several episodes commanding the palace soldiers.
In the MOTU comic produced at the same time, a greater emphasis is placed on Teela and Adam's friendship. Teela admits in the original mini-series that she would rather play with him, as they did as children within the palace walls, than be a soldier trained to expect war. Adam reassures her that what she does will bring that day closer, holding her hand. In the regular comic series, she becomes jealous of the attention Adam lavishes on a weak, critically injured Evil-Lyn. This version of the character was voiced by Lisa Ann Beley
.
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...
from the Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe is a media franchise created by Mattel....
franchise. She is the Captain of the Royal Guard at the palace of Eternos and thus responsible for training and protecting Prince Adam of 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:...
. While Adam is 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...
, Teela often assists him in his battles, but she is unaware of his alternate identity. Teela is one of the first characters developed for Masters of the Universe, although her figure was released in the second half of the first wave. Writer Donald F. Glut
Donald F. Glut
Donald F. Glut is an American writer, motion picture director, screenwriter, amateur paleontologist, musician and actor....
named her after Gunga Ram's elephant from the
Andy's Gang television show.
Minicomics
Teela is presented in the earliest media as a heroic "warrior goddess," a capable female fighter—one imbued with the spirits of great warriors of the past—who roams the deserted landscapes of Eternia atop a unicornUnicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
. In a fashion typical of 1980's cartoons, she was portrayed in a leotard. The second-wave minicomic The Tale of Teela explains that, twenty years earlier, 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,...
captured the Goddess (a.k.a. Sorceress, also named "Teela") and made a clone of her using an ancient artifact. His plan was to raise the child as an evil version of the Goddess. However, the clone was rescued by 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 grew up to become the warrior Teela. (Note: the character Goddess was later referred to as "Sorceress" only, and her appearance was altered for television, with the cobra-themed costume being replaced with a falcon-themed one. In the show, Teela was the biological daughter of the Sorceress rather than a clone.)
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983 series)
In the Filmation animated series He-Man and the Masters of the UniverseHe-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...
, Teela is the biological daughter of the Sorceress. Man-At-Arms discovers that the Sorceress, in the form of the falcon Zoar, has been caring for the infant Teela in a large bird's nest on the side of a cliff. After a failed kidnap attempt by Mer-Man, the Sorceress willingly gives Teela to Man-At-Arms to be raised as his own daughter. In Teela's Quest, Teela discovers the truth about her mother from Eternia's Oracle of the Crystal Sea, but an emotionally distraught Sorceress erases the revelation from Teela's memory for her own protection, even though the Sorceress desperately wishes she could tell Teela the truth. Teela's biological father is never revealed; Man-At-Arms says he was one of Eternia's greatest men. However, the Oracle, the Sorceress, and Man-At-Arms all agree that he died in battle. Teela's ties to Grayskull are revisited in the episode Teela's Triumph when Skeletor sends the Sorceress to another dimension, leaving Teela to take the Sorceress' place as guardian of Grayskull.
Despite her excellent fighting skills and generally being sensible and level-headed, Teela has a reckless streak like that of a wild tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
, a far cry from her mother's soft-spoken temperament. In the Filmation series, Teela's recklessness and quick temper in situations that she does not agree with often lead to poor judgment, which results in dangerous situations. Unaware of Adam's dual-identity and duties that go with it, Teela often reprimands him for being lazy, cowardly and inattentive to his training.
Masters of the Universe (1987)
In the 1987 film Masters of the UniverseMasters of the Universe (film)
Masters of the Universe is a 1987 science-fiction fantasy film based on the toy line by the same name. The movie stars Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor...
, she is portrayed by Solid Gold
Solid Gold (TV series)
Solid Gold is an American syndicated music television series that debuted on September 13, 1980. Like many other shows of its genre, such as American Bandstand, Solid Gold featured musical performances and various other elements such as music videos...
dancer-turned-actress Chelsea Field as a mostly-serious fighter who rarely allows her dark sense of humor to show through. Nothing is said of her being the daughter of the Sorceress (who is portrayed here by Christina Pickles
Christina Pickles
Christina Pickles is an English actress, best known for her long-running role of Nurse Helen Rosenthal in the hospital drama St. Elsewhere, for which she was nominated for four Emmys.-Life and career:...
of St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at fictional St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood...
fame). Teela's costume in the film is quite different from its animated depictions. It covers more of her body, including her arms and legs, and is colored gray. Field portrays Teela as having a curly brown mane rather than her usual red/auburn hair. The movie also hints that Teela is vegetarian, given her reaction in a scene where she and Man-At-Arms are eating barbecued ribs.
The New Adventures of He-Man (1990)
In the series The New Adventures of He-ManThe New Adventures of He-Man
The New Adventures of He-Man is an animated series which ran in syndication in the fall of 1990 while Mattel released the toy line He-Man, an update of their successful Masters of the Universe line...
, which ran from 1990-1991, Teela makes one appearance in the episode Once Upon a Time, a rare reference to the vintage Filmation series. However, she bears no resemblance to her Filmation counterpart, being portrayed with long blond hair instead of red hair. This was how she was featured in the very first mini-comic, though some fans have theorized she was redesigned to reseble She-Ra
She-Ra
She-Ra is a fictional character and the heroine in the Filmation cartoon and series of toys produced by Mattel called She-Ra: Princess of Power. She is the alter ego of Princess Adora and the twin sister of He-Man. She-Ra was intended to appeal to young girls in the same way that He-Man appealed to...
. She wears a pink leotard
Leotard
A leotard is a skin-tight one-piece garment that covers the torso but leaves the legs free. It was made famous by the French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard ....
, rather than the usual white one. She is voiced by Cathy Weseluck
Cathy Weseluck
Cathy Weseluck is a Canadian voice actress who frequently works with Ocean Productions in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is known with providing the voice for characters in various anime series such as Mirai Yashima , Dorothy Catalonia and Catherine Bloom , Near , Shampoo , Kagome's mother , Misa...
.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002 series)
Ponytail
A ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the undocked tail of a...
, as opposed to the 1980s figure and cartoon character who is represented with her hair up. Although the Filmation version of Teela has a short temper, the new version of Teela is portrayed as brasher and slightly more aggressive.
In the episode Out of the Past, Teela says that she is 16 years old; her age in the original series is never specified, although in the second season episode, "The Great Books Mystery", Adam celebrates his 19th birthday, and it is generally indicated throughout the series that he and Teela are approximately the same age and grew up together. She also briefly displays limited telepathic powers after a blood transfusion from her mother the Sorceress; the power fades as the Sorceress's blood fades away within Teela's blood. As with the previous versions of the story, Teela was adopted by Man-At-Arms, or rather was entrusted to him by her mother the Sorceress, because her birth father, an amnesiac Eternian soldier whom the Sorceress had nursed back to health, had disappeared, having presumably died in battle. There are hints in both the episode "Out of the Past" as well as the 3rd season episode guide of the series DVD, that Man-At-Arms is actually her biological father as well. Another possibility could be Fisto as he was the person who was with the Sorceress at the time Teela's father went missing. It was intended that Teela would learn the truth of her heritage in the third season, but the series was canceled before it could be resolved. Despite her young age, Teela is the Captain of the Palace Guard as in the original series and seen in several episodes commanding the palace soldiers.
In the MOTU comic produced at the same time, a greater emphasis is placed on Teela and Adam's friendship. Teela admits in the original mini-series that she would rather play with him, as they did as children within the palace walls, than be a soldier trained to expect war. Adam reassures her that what she does will bring that day closer, holding her hand. In the regular comic series, she becomes jealous of the attention Adam lavishes on a weak, critically injured Evil-Lyn. This version of the character was voiced by Lisa Ann Beley
Lisa Ann Beley
Lisa Ann Beley is a Canadian voice actor, who has voiced various characters from anime. She grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, before moving to Vancouver, where she studied in the University of British Columbia's acting program.-Anime:...
.