2026’s Masters of the Universe proved that nostalgia is alive and well, and that well-executed reboots can reignite the passion of even a long-dormant fandom. The live-action resurrection of He-Man and his supporting characters has already proved hugely popular with fans, who appreciated Travis Knight’s efforts to bring the franchise back into the limelight in the modern era. The comedic revival put a fresh modern spin on the iconic story of He-Man, updating the look, humor, and tone of the evergreen Masters of the Universe franchise. The movie pleased fans in many ways, delivering excellent representations of several beloved characters. However, one particularly well-loved figure is now revealed to have almost looked very different.
In a piece of concept art posted to Instagram, one unused design for Orko reveals that the iconic character nearly looked almost unrecognizable. Though Orko only appears briefly in one of Masters of the Universe‘s post-credits scenes, the character’s inclusion was popular with fans, as many cite Orko as their favorite character in the entire franchise. The unused design would have seen Orko be much leaner, with his face actually showing rather than being obscured by shadow. The concept makes the character look more like a lemur than a magical being, which undoubtedly would have been unpopular with fans of the Trollan.
Orko’s Unused Design Would Have Upset Countless Fans
Admittedly, Orko’s role in the movie is incredibly limited. However, it teased a more substantial appearance in a Masters of the Universe sequel, which already seems likely despite the film’s relatively disappointing box office. Outside of the franchise’s main protagonist and his archnemesis, Orko is perhaps one of Masters of the Universe‘s most iconic characters, with his role in the 1980s Funimation animated series cementing his place as one of the most beloved figures in the franchise. Understandably, such a major change to his appearance would not have gone down well with many fans.
By leaning into the notion of basing Orko’s look on that of a lemur, the concept design made him longer in the body and more lithe than previous iterations. However, by far the design’s worst crime is the way it reveals Orko’s face, which, as many commenters on the post pointed out, looks a lot like one of Avatar‘s Pandorans. As a major part of Orko’s charm has always been in his more mysterious magical aspects, the design would have wasted one of his most iconic attributes.
While Orko’s incredibly limited role might not make him seem vital to Masters of the Universe‘s success, that isn’t entirely the case. Considering just how many fans champion Orko as their all-time favorite character, the lemur-like unused design could have been disastrous. While it might have been changed for any prospective follow-up featuring the character more heavily, starting a franchise by upsetting long-standing fans with an unnecessary redesign that misunderstands a beloved character would have been a massive misstep. Thankfully, the movie made use of a much better and more accurate Orko design, because as interesting as the original concept was, it would have been all wrong for Orko.
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