Mer-Man
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Mer-Man is an evil amphibious humanoid, from the Mattel toyline/ Filmation animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
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[edit] Physical appearance
Mer-Man’s basic physical type can be described as humanoid, however he has aqua-marine coloured skin, that in some renditions appears to be of a scaly texture like a fish and yet on other occasions is depicted as being more smooth like that of a frog or salamander. He has webbed feet and hands and two fins on either side of his head that appear to be his species' equivalent of ears. He has large bulbous eyes like a fish and a wide, fang-filled mouth. He has no apparent nose, however in some representations he has nostrils. The area around his eyes and upper lip is covered in a layer of rough orange scales (in the animated series the orange scales only surround his eyes not his lip). He wears yellow chest armour that seems either to be made of fish hide or at least designed to look like it is. He also wears what can best be described as orange fish scale trunks. In the animated series he wears yellow gloves and boots, the original Mer-Man toy lacks this and instead goes barefoot and barehanded (in the early mini-comics he is shown wearing yellow anklets). Mer-Man has a muscular build and is at least as tall as an average human male. He is armed with a yellow sword that looks as if it is made out of coral or part of the armoured hide of some large fish.
[edit] Character history
The Mer-Man toy was amongst the first line of Masters of the Universe action figures that Mattel released in 1981-1982. The character was conceived to be Skeletor’s most prominent henchmen after Beast-Man. Mer-Man, as the Lord of the Seas, was likely meant to be the opposition to the heroic character Stratos, Lord of the Skies. At least this is what seems to be inferred by the early mini-comic “Battle in the Clouds”, a story where Mer-Man serves as He-Man’s chief antagonist and Stratos fills the role of He-Man’s primary ally.
Mer-Man has been featured as a major character in almost all the various Master of the Universe continuities since the toyline’s inception. This includes the original mini-comics that accompanied the action figures, the Filmation animated series, both the DC Comics and Marvel Comics versions and the more recent animated series produced by Mike Young Productions. He is not present in the 1987 film version of Master’s of the Universe. It is possible, however, that the villainous, reptilian humanoid character Saurod, is meant to be a sort of substitute Mer-Man, for the big screen.
In all these different interpretations of the Master’s of the Universe mythology the major aspects of Mer-Man’s character have remained relatively unchanged. Mer-Man is apparently the king of a species of amphibious humanoid creatures who inhabit at least some part of the oceans of the planet Eternia. Sometimes it has also been stated that Mer-Man is not just the ruler of his own race but also the ruler of all that lies beneath the sea. Though a king in his own right Mer-Man is a thrall to Skeletor, the Lord of Destruction and ruler of Snake Mountain. Mer-Man’s service of Skeletor means he is constantly at odds with He-Man and the other heroic champions of Eternia. In this respect Mer-Man is fighting a losing battle. When engaging the heroic Master’s of the Universe, Mer-Man is most frequently teamed up with Beast-Man.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Mer-Man possess a number of extra-human powers and abilities. It is unclear how many of these abilities are physiological traits possessed by his species and how many (if any at all) are skills unique to Mer-Man himself. Mer-Man is amphibious, being just as comfortable walking about on land, as he is swimming at the bottom of the ocean. Though he nowhere near approaches the strength level of He-Man, Mer-Man seems to possess a physical might that is greater than that of the average human. How he ranks when compared with others of his own race is unclear. What is clear however, is that his strength is much greater underwater than on land. Mer-Man has also displayed the ability to control a number of aquatic life forms through a primitive form of telepathy (Similar to the D.C superhero Aquaman). It has been stated in at least some stories that this power works only on cold blooded sea creatures, having no effect on sea mammals. From time to time Mer-Man’s sword has also displayed special properties. He has on some occasion caused it to discharge a sort of freeze ray affect, encasing his targets in ice. It is unclear if the sword is a product of magic or a product of advanced Eternian technology. A trident spear or lance has also been shown as his weapon at times.
[edit] Actors' portrayals
In the Filmation series Mer-Man’s distinctive gargling voice was provided by Alan Oppenheimer. In Mike Young Production’s version of Masters of the Universe Mer-Man spoke in a somewhat different voice which was provided by Scott McNeil.
[edit] Additional information
The mould of the Mer-Man toy was later reused by Mattel in 1986 to create Stinkor, another villain in the Masters of the Universe line. The only differences between Mer-Man and Stinkor were that Stinkor was painted black and white, wore different chest armour than Mer-Man (Stinkor's armour was actually recycled from the Mekaneck figure) and was chemically treated to smell musky.
