Whiplash (Masters of the Universe)
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Whiplash is a character in the popular toy line and cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
A member of the evil warriors, Whiplash is a reptilian creature who is a cross between a human and a lizard. His main asset for battle is his long, bulky tail, which can injure or knock over his opponent by delivering a heavy blow, as well as being able to smash through solid rock.
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[edit] Character history
[edit] Toys/Mini-comics
Whiplash was introduced into the Masters of the Universe toy line in 1984. The gimmick of his action figure was to thrash its tail when the spring-action waist was turned. His first appearance in any medium was in the Mattel mini-comic "The Clash of Arms" in which he was presented as Skeletor's prime brute minion. He was unleashed upon Fisto as the final and deadliest opponent in a hand-to-hand arena fight, and was seen to immediately overpower Fisto, causing him serious damage until He-Man came along. Seemingly a feral, savage killing machine with tremendous strength, this comic was a powerful introduction to his character, implying that only He-Man could beat him.
[edit] Cartoon
Whiplash was introduced into the toy line's accompanying cartoon series by Filmation at the same time his action figure was released. Whereas most characters from his wave of toys appeared rather sparsely in the cartoon, Whiplash proved an immediate favorite with the show's writers and seemed to become a series regular immediately after his introduction. His portrayal was different from how he had appeared in the mini-comic, but was equally effective and memorable, if not more so. Although initially appearing as another of Skeletor's bumbling henchmen, he was quickly shown to be smarter than he looked- a lively and exuberant, and also cunning and conniving villain, often coming up with crafty schemes of his own and even branching out for himself as lead villain of the episode on two occasions ("Trouble in Trolla" and "Betrayal of Stratos").
"Betrayal of Stratos" established Whiplash as a strong and independent villain, as well as creating a world of his own around him. This episode revealed that his home was in the Demon Zone, a dark underworld beneath Eternia populated by countless gruesome creatures under Whiplash's control, in which he served Kraal, the devil-like ruler of the Demon Zone. Although an intriguing background for the character, it lacked consistency with the rest of the series in that Whiplash seemed to regard Kraal as his true master rather than Skeletor, and it also stated that the barrier between the Demon Zone and Eternia could only be opened twice a year, which conflicted with the fact that Whiplash made frequent appearances in other episodes. Meanwhile, "Trouble in Trolla" (apparently the first of his episodes to be screened) featured him attempting to dominate Orko's homeworld of Trolla by learning the magic of the Trollans. Although he was a more than formidable villain in the episode, this episode also seemed slightly inconsistent with his other appearances in that it failed to explain his sudden interest in magic, as well as how he came to be on Trolla in the first place. However, no continuity discrepancies within these episodes undermined the generally strong and memorable portrayal of Whiplash. Another high point for the character was in "To Save Skeletor" in which he was seen to fight his way past the King's palace guards- not for the sake of attacking the kingdom but to seek the heroic warriors' help and offer a temporary truce after suffering a severe injury under the evil demon Sh'Gora, threatening Eternia for its own will.
[edit] 2002 series
Whiplash was featured in the 2002 revival of the MOTU toy line and cartoon. The new series offered a new background to his character, but - unlike most of the other villains, whose roles and characters were expanded upon - his portrayal was significantly weaker than his 1980s counterpart. In this incarnation, Whiplash was generally consigned to background appearances, with little dialogue and little personality, seeming to be little more than a generic thuggish villain. The only episode to offer him a spotlight role was "Underworld" in which his background was revealed. In this episode, we saw that he was from a race of underground-dwelling reptile creatures called the Caligars, who inhabit Subternia and are caught in permanent dispute with their Subternian neighbours, the bat-like Speleans. The Caligars were shown to be a generally peaceful race, who regarded Whiplash as a traitor since he joined Skeletor's forces. However, even in this episode Whiplash received little dialogue and served little importance to the overall story. Another notable episode for the character was "The Monster Within" in which he was shown to suck up to Skeletor, feigning sycophantic loyalty to impress his master, but this was as far as his development went, and he quickly faded out of the series, consigned completely to the background by the time of season 2. He is generally considered by fans to be one of the weakest villains of the modern series.
[edit] Trivia
It is possible that Whiplash may have been developed from the initial concept of the character Lizard Man, who appeared in two early first season episodes of the original series ("She-Demon of Phantos" and "Song of Celice") to promote a possible upcoming figure, but whose toy was never made in the end. Indeed, very early promotional material for Whiplash is said to bill him as a heroic warrior.
