Live-action Masters of the Universe movie director Travis Knight has teased that Jared Leto’s Skeletor is “the embodiment of toxic masculinity.”
The filmmaker behind the live-action adaptation opened up about how he and the cast are reimagining He-Man and other ‘80s icons during a recent interview with Empire. Knight says he worked with the controversial actor to bring the infamous cackling sorcerer to life without sacrificing the qualities that helped him stand the test of time.
“Skeletor was a really interesting villain,” the director said when describing the original Masters of the Universe cartoon. “He looked cool. He was scary. He was funny. He was insecure. And then of course he had this distinctive voice.”
“I wanted someone to craft their own version of that,” he added.
Leto seemed like the perfect fit, with Knight saying the Tron: Ares and Morbius actor approached the Masters of the Universe movie team first “because he loves Skeletor and has his own history with the character.” With the film’s only full trailer largely keeping the muscly blue villain out of the spotlight, it’s unclear exactly what his version of Skeletor walks, talks, and acts like, but the director offered a few teasers.
“He wanted to swing for the fences,” Knight said of Leto. “And ultimately we landed on something that I’m really happy with. Skeletor’s kind of the embodiment of toxic masculinity.”
Outside of Masters of the Universe, the actor has remained a divisive figure in the entertainment world for years. While moviegoers were left split regarding his portrayal of characters like The Joker and Michael Morbius, curiosity became concern when it was revealed that he once sent his Suicide Squad castmates items that ranged from questionable to grotesque.
The 30 Seconds to Mars vocalist then became embroiled in controversy in June 2025 after nine women came forward to accuse him of sexual impropriety, with some being minors when they met him. Leto denied their claims and led Disney’s Tron: Ares just five months later.
For now, it’s unclear how much of the actor’s face will appear in Masters of the Universe, with the trailer showing a Skeletor that adopts the skull head from his most iconic incarnations. His voice remains a mystery, too, though it sounds like Knight has at least done his best to steer away from something too radically different in the past.
“I said, ‘F**k that shit. Skeletor has a skull face,’” Knight told Empire when referring to a previous design with a golden skull mask. “That’s just the way it is. It’s a living, talking, emoting skull, and that’s that.”
Masters of the Universe stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man and is set to come to theaters June 5, 2026. For more, you can check out the Vintage Castle Grayskull playset that launched just last month.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
