Way back in 2018, the news broke that Batman Begins and Man of Steel writer David S. Goyer had walked away from Sony Pictures' Masters of the Universe movie. It went through multiple creative teams after that, until Travis Knight helmed the version we saw this summer.
As the trades reported at the time, "Goyer turned in a draft of 'Masters of the Universe' last fall that excited the studio so much that they hoped to convince him to slide behind the camera." However, he ultimately chose to focus on Foundation, an Apple TV series which ran between 2021 and 2025.
Now, concept artist Constantine Sekeris, who also worked on Knight's take on He-Man, has revealed some of the designs he did for Goyer's Masters of the Universe.
Clearly much darker in tone than the campy version that's received such widespread acclaim from fans of the franchise, but some of the designs did sneak into the 2026 movie. Trap Jaw, for example, looks very similar to the live-action version we saw back in June. Skeletor, however, is far more horror-themed, as is Evil-Lyn.
Based on Sekeris's posts below, some of these designs may have been for later iterations of Masters of the Universe (Aaron and Adam Nee developed a version, and even cast Kyle Allen as He-Man). Regardless of where they're from, it's always fun to see what might have been.
Interestingly, we also see designs for Mer-Man, with a design that would fit in well in a Guillermo del Toro-helmed movie. He was only included in this year's movie as an Easter Egg, and wasn't among He-Man's Heroic Warriors.
Check out these unused Masters of the Universe designs in the Instagram galleries below.
In Masters of the Universe, director Travis Knight brings the legendary franchise back to the big screen in this epic live-action adventure. After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia, where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto).
To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.
The supporting cast includes Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress, James Purefoy as King Randor, Charlotte Riley as Queen Marlena, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Fisto, Kojo Attah as Tri-Klops, Sam C. Wilson as Trap Jaw, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Goat Man, Jon Xue Zhang as Ram-Man, Stephen Adentan as Moss Man, James Wilkinson as Mekaneck, and Kristen Wiig as Roboto.
Masters of the Universe is now playing in theaters.