Man-At-Arms

Man-At-Arms
Masters of the Universe character
Man-At-Arms as he appears in the 1983 series
Created by	Mattel
Portrayed by	Alan Oppenheimer - 1983 Jon Cypher - (Live action film) 1987 & Garry Chalk - 2002
Information
Aliases	Duncan
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Title	Master of Weapons
Children	Teela (foster daughter)[1]
Relatives	Fisto (Brother)
Nationality	Eternian

Man-At-Arms is the primary title of Duncan,^[2] a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise.^[3] The figure's tag-line is "Heroic Master of Weapons".

Character history

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983)

In Filmation's animated series, Man-At-Arms - given the "real name" of Duncan - despite being a soldier and a master of weapons is primarily peaceful and prefers alternatives to fighting. Though his stature suggests a warrior his character is primarily patterned after skilled mechanics and he likes to pass the time working on all the kingdom's vehicles. He is also Teela's foster father (something already mentioned in a couple of pre-Filmation stories), as well as mentor to Prince Adam. The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull asked Man-At-Arms to adopt Teela because she felt that she could not raise her daughter and protect Castle Grayskull at the same time, and believing that if others knew of Teela's true destiny, it would make her daughter a target.^[4]

Man-At-Arms wears armor which is slightly different from that of the standard uniform of the royal guards. His moustache was not present on the original figure, having been added by Filmation to make him look older, wiser and more fatherly - although original prototype sketches for the Man-At-Arms figure gave him a goatee beard. He is often pestered by court jester Orko, as Orko's magic tricks often backfire directly at him. Duncan is also one of the three people who know He-Man's secret identity, as explained in the introductory sequence of the original cartoon.^[5]

Along with Adam / He-Man and Teela, Duncan is one of the cartoon series' most central and most often seen characters.

Masters of the Universe (1987 film)

In the 1987 live action film Masters of the Universe, Man-At-Arms is portrayed by Jon Cypher. The character is shown as a veteran soldier who is still father of Teela.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)

The 2002 cartoon portrays Duncan as a much more serious character and more of a warrior, with a deeper connection to the Sorceress than was previously shown. As in the Filmation series, Man-At-Arms is Teela's adoptive father (and is implied to be her biological father as well). Man-At-Arms has a close mentor/student relationship with Adam in addition to aiding He-Man and leading the Masters (as the Heroic Warriors are called in the 2002 version), and is close friends with Adam's father King Randor. It is also revealed that Fisto is his brother. Duncan's mentor, Dekker, also appears in the series. Man-At-Arms was voiced by Garry Chalk, who also voiced He-Man in The New Adventures of He-Man.

Toys

Original figure

Man-At-Arms was one of the very first figures created for Mattel's Masters of the Universe line in 1981, the others being He-Man, Skeletor and Beast Man.^[6]

The figure uses the same basic body as He-Man, with a different head sculpt, and orange chest armor, left arm and leg armor, and mace.

The earliest mini-comics establish Man-At-Arms as one of He-Man's original and most trusted companions.

Unlike some other earlier figures, which were dropped in successive releases as new characters came along, Man-At-Arms figures were produced prominently throughout the line's run.

Masters of the Universe Classics toy line

A new version of Man-At-Arms was released in 2009 as part of Mattel's on-line Masters of the Universe Classics collectors toyline. As with other releases in the series, this figure was heavily influenced by the original 1980s line. The look of the character was based upon his vintage toy packaging artwork. This new version of Man-At-Arms came with interchangeable heads (with and without moustache), as well as additional weapons - a sword and small laser pistol, similar in design to those which came with the original 1980s Castle Grayskull playset.

Several other versions of Man-At-Arms have since been released in MOTU Classics. These include Snake Man-At-Arms (based on his appearance in the 200X cartoon episode "Second Skin"), and a Battle Ram version (which includes his 200X helmetless head).

References