Faker
(He-Man and the Masters of the Universe)
Context
Faker was He-man’s evil duplicate in the 1983-1984 He-man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon series.
The header photo depicts a much more recent — 2019 — version of the figure. It’s from Toy Ark News .
For full context, y’all can also check:
- Our article about the Masters of the Universe setting.
- Our character profile for He-Man.
Blue and bizarre
In Faker’s original design, he was blue-skinned and wore armor like Skeletor’s. His back-story was that he was a robot built by Skeletor.
Yet, when Faker appeared in the series, the ever-financially conscious Filmation changed the design. He would be an exact replica of He-man with glowing eyes and a hollow voice. In this way, they could use existing He-man character slides instead of creating new ones.
His action figure, on the other hand, caused confusion. It kept the original blue-skin, orange hair, and purple armor.
He-man staff writer Paul Kini stated Faker was to be He-man’s Bizarro.
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Background
- Real Name: Faker.
- Group Affiliation: Skeletor’s Warriors.
- Base of Operations: Mobile.
- Height: 6’2″ (1.88m). Weight: 240 lbs. (109 Kg.).
- Eyes: White. Hair: Blond.
Powers & Abilities
A near-exact copy of He-man, Faker claimed to have power equal to He-man’s. And when they clashed, he did prove that his strength was a match.
He even used similar moves and fighting techniques.
At a distance and low lighting, Faker can act well enough to fool even He-man’s close friends.
History
Skeletor’s magic created the being Faker from nothing. He followed Skeletor’s commands and pretended he was He-man.
Faker lured the Sorceress of Grayskull out in the open. Evil-Lyn then ambushed her, using the Shaping Staff to transform her into a tree.
He-man telepathically conferred with the Sorceress. His words gave her the confidence she needed. The Sorceress fought back and freed herself of the Shaping Staff’s spell.
She then released He-man from the staff’s power, as he had been transmuted into gold.
He-man vs Faker
He-man and Faker grappled briefly before Faker tossed He-man aside. He-man responded by throwing a boulder. Faker punched it into rubble, mid-flight.
He-man charged and was duped into falling into the bottomless abyss. However, he caught the ledge. Faker glared down at him.
He-man reached up and grabbed Faker’s leg, tossing him aside and making space. Then he climbed up.
Faker lunged at He-man. But a quick move sent the impostor into the Bottomless Gorge.
Skeletor mentioned he could bring Faker back using the Shaping Staff. However, the staff was broken. Faker was therefore never seen again.
Description
Faker looks just like He-Man – a doppelgängerEerily exact double of a person. Often supernatural and evil.. He doesn’t have the Power Sword or its scabbard. His eyes have a slight white glow around them betraying his true identity.
Faker’s voice sounds almost mechanical but still like He-Man’s. Perhaps a nod back to his planned origin as a robot.
Personality
Faker fell right into his role as minion. He took Skeletor’s orders well and did his best to defeat He-man.
His short screen-time revealed little in the way of Faker’s personality.
Quotes
Skeletor: “I will make another He-Man, an evil one called “Faker” !” (laughter as his creation appears out of thin air) “I have done it ! A perfect likeness of He-man, sometimes my power even amazes me.”
“Yes, master.”
Faker: “You forget, He-man. I have your power too.”
He-man: “Let’s see how well you can use that power.” (Tosses a boulder at Faker. Faker smashes it with a single punch.)
Faker: “How do you like that, hero ?”
He-man: “I don’t like it Faker, and I like you even less.”
Video
For those who like the character, here is a well-made fan-made movie called “Return of Faker”. It seems to be a work in progress that may never be allowed to be completed. Produced by James Eatock (Dusan Mitrovic).
DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Faker
An 882 points Character.
| Dex: 07 | Str: 23 | Bod: 10 |
| Int: 05 | Wil: 03 | Min: 03 |
| Inf: 02 | Aur: 02 | Spi: 02 |
| Init: 016 | HP: 015 |
Skills:
Artist (Actor): 05, Martial Artist (With Techniques): 04, Weaponry (Lasso, Melee, Missile): 09
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Artist (Actor) may only be used to copy He-man (-1 FC)
- Artist (Actor) has a -1 C.S. penalty if Faker’s eyes can be seen.
Advantages:
None demonstrated.
Connections:
Skeletor (Low)
Drawbacks:
None demonstrated.
Motivation:
The Will of Skeletor.
Occupation:
Evil Doppelgänger.
Wealth:
000
Design Notes
Faker likely has similar powers to He-man. But with his short appearance, it’s unknown. He only appeared for the last 5 minutes of the episode “The Shaping Staff”.
I had Faker’s Artist AP level at 03 APs but decided to add some detail with a limitation about his eyes. The Sorceress couldn’t see Faker very well. Skeletor mentioned the shadows would help in his fooling her.
So, I raised his Artist skill equal to He-man’s but gave him the -1 CS if an opponent is looking at his glowing eyes.
Action Figure
Faker’s action figure came with orange armor like Skeletor’s. And an orange Power Sword.
Fake Power Sword [BODY 25, Enhance (EV): 02 (cap is 05), Gliding: 02, Reflection/Deflection: 12, Descriptor: Slashing and Piercing, R#0, Bonuses and Limitations: Gliding allows Faker to throw his sword so that it will return like a boomerang (+/- 0)].
Faker’s prototype action figure had red eyes but when released they were black.
The Indian Leo Toys variant had very different eyes and also came with an orange Havok staff. Really, I can only guess at why Skeletor would give Faker a fake Havok Staff.
- Perhaps its a backup? Not likely, the Havok Staff is a potent artifact and would be difficult to duplicate. Still, it could be a backup staff with limited powers.
- Another thought is it’s simply a club that looks like the Havok Staff, made with strong material.
Source of Character: The 1983/1984 animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Season One Volume One. Voiced by John Erwin.
Helper(s): PixelDan’s YouTube channel .
Writeup completed on the 22th of July, 2020.