Kobra Khan action figure from the Masters of the Universe Classics line.

Figure Sculpt

Bio

A descendent of the ancient Snake Men, Khan became fascinated with the many legends of their victories in the Great Wars. Breaking into the archives of Eternos Palace, he learned that the great King Hssss had been locked in the Void at the end of the war. In a ruse to free his King, Khan joined forces with Skeletor and, with the help of Evil-Lyn, they acquired Zodak’s staff, the key to freeing his Snake Men brethren. Together he and Evil-Lyn opened the Snake Pit portal releasing Hssss and his ageless army, returning their terror to Eternia. Khan went on to loyally serve Hssss, controlling his prey with his evil hypnotic mist!

Kobra Khan’s MOTU Classics Canon

Adding new details, the Classics canon blended earlier depictions of Kobra Khan into a cohesive narrative. A member of an unknown reptilian race, Khan traced his ancestry to the clan Kobra of King Hssss’s Snake Men. The legends of the Snake Men’s victories during the Great Wars fascinated Khan. He began to steal archives and relics pertaining to the history of the Snake Men. His research revealed that King Hssss and his army were locked in the Void. Joining the Evil Warriors, Khan sought the Snake Pit, through which the Snake Men could return. He and Evil-Lyn stole Zodak’s staff and released the Snake Men. After Skeletor seized the throne of Eternia, Khan recruited a small cabal of Snake Men in the wake of King Hssss’s decapitation at Zodak’s hand. Naming his group the Diabolical Snakes, Khan offered their services as mercenaries to Skeletor, who dispatched Khan to seek out magical artifacts that could help him breach Castle Grayskull’s defenses. To better equip him for the task, Skeletor bestowed Khan with magical powers, including the power of camouflage, a more potent form of hypnotic mist, and the mystical Golden Claws of Crushing. After obeying Skeletor, Khan revealed his treachery when he stole the Havoc Staff and gave it to his true master, King Hssss, who was recuperating in the underground Temple of Serpos. The powers Skeletor had granted Khan were only temporary, and he eventually reverted to his original form. Though he had gained favor with King Hssss over older Snake Men, he perished with his brethren when Orko cast the Spell of Separation during the Second Ultimate Battleground.

The Masters of the Universe Classics line, launched in 2008, is a new line of action figures based on the classic characters from all aspects of the Masters of the Universe franchise. Available solely from Mattel’s website and aimed purely at collectors, the line also includes biographical descriptions of the characters designed to tie the diverging aspects of the mythos together.

Based on the look of the original 1980s MOTU toys, this new toy line was aimed primarily at the adult toy collector market, often available only through subscriptions (from MattyCollector). Sculpted by the Four Horsemen, these toys were updated versions of previous figures as well as characters that never before had an action figure made of them; such as Filmation’s Queen Marlena, Fang-Man, Lizard-Man, Count Marzo, Granamyr, and many others. The toy line featured many redesigned and updated action figures from the original action-figure line from the 1980s, but it also included characters from She-Ra: Princess of Power (Adora, Madame Razz, Scorpia, Shadow Weaver, and others), The New Adventures of He-Man (Mara, Crita, and more), and the Mike Young Productions series from 2002 (Faceless One, Chief Carnivus, King Chooblah, Ceratus, and others). As the line progressed, characters from all versions of MOTU lore were included, from such things such as prototypes and concept art (He-Ro, Eldor, Demo-Man, Gygor, Vykor, and others), box art from vehicles and model kits (Sky High and the Fighting Foe Men), mini comics (the Goddess, Geldor, and Procrustus), and other books, comics, and media (Despara, Strobo, Goat-Man, and more). There were also newly created figures, exclusive to the Classics toy line, such as Draego-Man, Cy-Chop, Castle Grayskullman, and others. In February 2010, the figures of He-Man and Skeletor were available as Toys “R” Us exclusives packed in two-packs with Superman and Lex Luthor, respectively, from Mattel’s DC Universe Classics action figure line; with this dual line expanded to include two-packs featuring Aquaman/Mer-Man, Hawkman/Stratos, Bizarro/Faker, Supergirl/She-Ra, and Green Lantern/Zodac.

Masters of the Universe Classics surpassed the original 1980s toy line in terms of length, running continuously for seven years with more than 150 different figures produced since its launch in August 2008. Along with the Classics series, MOTU Minis and Giants figures were also released in 2014 and 2015. In 2016, Mattel ended production on the MOTU Classics and MattyCollector.com’s Club Grayskull series, with the production company Super7 now taking over the Masters of the Universe license.