Prince Adam is a character in the Masters of the Universefranchise and twin brother of Princess Adora. His alter ego is He-Man the main character in the franchise. Adam is a seemingly careless and worry free prince in the eyes of the Eternian court. Most notably his father, King Randor, and Teela, the captain of the Royal Guard, perceive him as a coward. This common misperception of Prince Adam is because whenever trouble arises on Eternia, Prince Adam makes a timely exit so that he can secretly become He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe. After Prince Adam becomes He-Man, he then has the power to defeat whatever enemy is threatening the Eternian throne orCastle Grayskull.  Adam is heir to the planetary throne and leadership of the government of Eternia.  He is descended fromKing Grayskull, and through King Grayskull also descended from the earlier King Jarod.

Prince Adam is half-Eternian and half-Terran. According to the episode "Teela's Quest", Adam's mother Queen Marlena was an Terran astronaut. Her ship crashed on Eternia where she eventually met and married the Eternian King Randor. Their child Adam grew up to be "smarter, more agile, stronger, and more muscular than any Eternian".[1]According to the series bible, Prince Adam experienced a pivotal change in his life one day while he was walking through Eternia's Wind Forest. He noticed a falcon flying overhead that was screeching at him as if it wanted him to follow it. Adam followed the bird through an adventurous path leading him to a clearing. When Adam looked up, he saw the legendary Castle Grayskull. The falcon shapeshifted|transformed into The Sorceress who explained to him that his birth had been foretold in ancient legends and that the spirits had chosen him to share in Grayskull's secrets. Although the Jaw Bridge of Castle Grayskull had not been opened for centuries The Sorceress opened it with a magical gesture. After walking inside of the castle, Prince Adam was given thePower Sword and he was told to strike the sword against stone and to speak the phrase "By the power of Grayskull!" When he did this, he was transformed into He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe. Adam committed himself to use his newly found power for the good of others and to oppose Skeletor and his evil Masters of the Universe, and confided his alter ego in Man-At-Arms and Orko.[1] The secret is also known byZodac, the cosmic enforcer, and some TV episodes imply that Adam's mother, Queen Marlena, suspects it. In the episode "Prince Adam No More", it is explained that He-Man's true identity must be kept secret because if Skeletor or other evil forces knew, then that knowledge would endanger all of those whom he loves.

New Adventures series

After being informed by the Sorceress of Grayskull that he must travel into the future to defend the planet Primus from invaders, Adam goes before his parents, King Randor and Queen Marlena, and finally reveals to them that he is He-Man, transforming right in front of them, and that he must travel into the future to defend the planet of Primus. Once on Primus, Adam confides his identity in Master Sebrian, who takes Adam in and they formulate a plan wherein Adam will pose as Sebrian's nephew, a merchant.

Unlike the original series, Adam looks very different from He-Man, being noticeably shorter and

younger than his alter ego, thus making any connection between the two less likely.

2002 series

Prince Adam in 2002 series.A teenaged Adam is brought to Castle Grayskull by Man-At-Arms on his birthday, where the Sorceress tells him of the prophecy that foretold his becoming He-Man to defend Eternia, which Adam initially scoffs at. After events come to pass, Adam realizes that the prophecy is true and returns to accept the power and duty when Skeletor attacks his people and kidnaps his father.

After this time, Adam regularly has the freedom to temporarily become He-Man whenever trouble

arises. When he changes into He-Man, he also points the Sword of Power at his reluctant large

green cat named Cringer, who subsequently becomes He-Man's sidekickBattle Cat. Besides

Cringer, there are only three others who know the true identity of He-Man: Man-At-Arms,Orko,

and the Sorceress.

Like the New Adventures series of the early 1990s, Adam is portrayed as being far younger and

skinnier than his He-Man persona, again, making any association between the two less likely.

Personality

Prince Adam is portrayed as a, "happy-go-lucky" future heir to Eternia's throne.[2] He has a strong

human physique, and loves to wear shades of pink and purple. He has passion for freedom, and

a love for adventure.[1] He is a free spirit whose escapades are known throughout Eternia. In The

New Adventures of He-Man, Adam is portrayed as an easy going young man rather than a

wimpy, fun loving prince. In fact, Adam is shown behaving more like his alter ego He-Man,

without much concern of people linking his behavior with He-Man. This could be representative of

the idea of Adam as the true persona, or simply that Adam believes that since he and He-Man do

not look alike, the people of Primus probably would not suspect them of being the same person.

In the 2002 series, the earlier "happy-go-lucky" prince image is brought back; he goes so far as to

show that initially Adam is a spoiled/carefree prince who does not think anything bad could

possibly happen to him or his world. He carelessly scoffs at the Sorceress when she informs him

of his destiny to become He-Man. When the reality of danger finally confronts him and endangers

his father's life, Adam takes the necessary step to become He-Man. The act seems to have a

maturing effect on him. Though he still retains some of his youthful naivety and continues to

behave as a shallow fun lover so as not to be suspected of being He-Man (who behaves in a

more mature and responsible manner than Adam), He-Man still displays Adam's sense of humor.

It is shown early in the first episode following the initial pilot, The Courage of Adam, that Adam

resents having to maintain a weak persona as himself. He feels that it damages his relationships

with his father King Randor and with his lifelong friend Teela, and wishes to prove his worth

beyond He-Man. In the end, he is forced to accept that he must maintain the facade for their

safety.

Duties

Prince Adam's duties seem to be somewhat limited. He frequently practices his combat skills with

Teela, who will often berate him for his carefree attitude. He is often seen loitering in the Royal

Palace, with no pressing concerns. Adam often speaks with Man-At-Arms and Orko, but rarely

does he have any duties outside of an occasional escort.

Notes Originally in the Masters of the Universe franchise there was no concept of a Prince Adam.

This is evidenced in some of the earliest, original four mini-comics and that of the second

wave. However, in the series of comics published by DC the concept of Prince Adam is

debuted, and is subsequently used inFilmation's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

Ever since then, the concept of Prince Adam has been retained in the various Masters of

the Universe media, the only exception being the Masters of the Universe film (although

some fans have argued that he may simply not have become Prince Adam during any

point of the film due to the danger of the situation).

Unlike in the Filmation cartoon, there are several minicomics that only feature He-Man and

not Prince Adam (only one Filmation episode, "Reign of the Monster", features He-Man

and not Prince Adam). Adam's minicomic appearances are-