The amazing legacy of Chadwick Boseman and what it means to black Americans in the USA and the worldBy: Mike Givens*/TRT Assistant Editor— For me, growing up as a gay Black boy in Virginia, He-Man epitomized heroism.
Superhuman strength, a massive sword, impenetrable skin, superior combat skills, and a cutting-edge intellect circumscribed the Prince of Eternia, who always seemed to be defending his planet and the Castle Grayskull from Skeletor and other villains obsessed with the idea of becoming Masters of the Universe.
I also had the action figures. In the mid-1980s, I had the complete (plastic) Castle Grayskull, both the He-Man and Skeletor figurines, and even a nifty plastic sword that locked into He-Man’s hand as he did battle with his.