Saurod
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Saurod is a character from the popular toy line Masters of the Universe, who was introduced into the toy line and mythology after appearing in the 1987 live action movie based on the toy line.
Saurod is a reptilian villain, a lizard-like creature wearing a metal mask and helmet, his torso covered by dark armor.
[edit] Character history
Saurod was introduced into the MOTU mythology with his appearance in the 1987 live action movie starring Dolph Lundgren. Played by Pons Maar, he was one of Skeletor's bounty hunters, a reptile marksman armed with a laser gun and a set of retractable razor-sharp claws. He was sent with Blade, Karg, and The Beastman to obtain the Cosmic Key from Earth. He was mute throughout his scenes and only expressed himself through hissing. His role in the movie was fairly brief, as he was killed off early into the film after failing Skeletor in a mission to Earth. Paying the price for the failure of all the small mercenary band, he was incinerated alive by a burning energy bolt from Skeletor's hand.
In the comic book adaptation of the film, Saurod is oddly depicted without a tail. He also talks in several scenes, and is described as an expert tracker, something shown in a scene (not found in the film) where he sniffs out Julie hiding in the school library and demands to know the location of the Cosmic Key. Possibly the largest difference between the film and the comic is that Saurod is never killed. The scene where the mercenaries return to Eternia is not present, and Saurod appears a few more times elsewhere in the comic, including the scene of the villains ransacking Julie's house and interrogating Kevin (however, his appearances in those later scenes looked more like cameos).
After the release of the movie, Saurod was incorporated into the MOTU toy line by Mattel. His action figure had the special feature of shooting sparks from its mouth, though the character had never displayed such an ability in the movie. He displayed this power – as well as the power of speech – in the figure's accompanying mini-comic "The Cosmic Key" in which he was brought to Eternia together with Blade to serve Skeletor. In the minicomic and most media, Saurod's spark power from the toy was depicted as a laser, but issue 10 of the Marvel MOTU comics depicted his power as sparks that induce sleep.
[edit] Trivia
- In early drafts of the movie script, Saurod did not wear the mask and armor. Early concept designs for the character bear a resemblance to the character of Mer-Man from the Masters of the Universe toy line. This gives credence to some fans' speculations that the character was conceived as a replacement for Mer-Man. The most likely reason for the alteration of his design is that the studio was unable to produce a convincing reptilian appearance for the character with the film's limited budget.
- In the movie, his name is pronounced "Saraad".
