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Mattel- Masters of the Universe Origins: Mer-Man
I never thought that Mer-Man was utilized very well in the original series. Granted, none of the henchmen were utilized all that well, but the fact remains that a water based villain that could control the seas would be a great asset against the Masters of the Universe. I mean, Eterna is a thriving kingdom that would no doubt need access to overseas trade right? What would they do if Mer-Man and his sea buddies stopped those shipments? And sure, He-Man could stop a few, but he cant be everywhere at once and there are literally 1000’s of creatures in the sea. The best answer would be to find another sea based Master of the Universe (his Aquaman to their Black Manta if you will), but as far as I know that never materialized in the series.
That said, this is supposing that Mer-Man was the leader of his fish people. Yes it has been established in the new Revelations series that he holds some power, but in the original series there is a good chance that he was a banished idiot who holds no power in the sea hence why he was forced to work for Skeletor. Kind of like a Jarjar Binks of the He-Man universe.
Pros: There isn’t too much delineation between these MOTU origins figures in as far as their pros and cons. The sculpts are similar but perfect for what they are, the articulation is awesome and checks all my boxes and I appreciate the character specific accessories. Couple those points with an attractive price point and you have a winner of a toy line.
Cons: My only issue is that Mer-Man was re-released with a different sculpt that was based on the original comic which I think I like better. I suppose I could get another, but I really don’t want another Mer-Man.
