He-Man...

...and the Masters of the Universe is probably remembered by most of my generation as being much more awesome than it actually was. 

Don't get me wrong, I have great memories of the series, and I loved the toys. And that was the point, the series was invented to sell the toys. 

With any fictional work, especially one of fantasy, there is the "willing suspension of disbelief" in the person viewing or reading the work. I'm willing to accept that Peter Parker wears a costume so that Spider-Man's enemies don't go after Peter's family. In the Matrix, I can accept that most of the movie takes place inside a computer program. I'm even willing to believe that Harry Potter goes to a school that regular humans won't even be able to see, even if they manage to walk up to the front gates.

The He-Man/Prince Adam secret identity doesn't make any sense to me, no matter how much I try to make it work. In the original cartoon they didn't look all that different? Don't believe me? Check this out:

One of these things is barely not like the other. He has a tan.

In the 2002 reboot they at least tried to make the two look different:

They have the same hairdo. That's it. Otherwise very much distinct.

From what I've been able to find, and from what I remember, Prince Adam keeps his He-Man identity secret to protect those around him. Really? He's the son of the King and Queen of Eternia. Skeletor wants to take over Eternia. Skeletor is going to attack the king and queen to accomplish this goal. The fact that He-Man is their son might actually be a deterrent. Especially if he doesn't have to take the time to make an excuse to disappear and summon his alter-ego. And while he looks pretty bad-ass sitting atop Battle Cat and riding into a fight, how does no one notice that Battle Cat is a talking tiger, just like Cringer, and that he even has the same coloring? 

She-Ra has a similar problem. There was a big opportunity missed there. In her secret identity as Adora, she could be an undercover member of the Horde while leading the Rebellion as She-Ra. That would work fairly well, right? As well as creating more dramatic tension with Adora wondering when she will be discovered. 

I have some ideas for a re-imagining of the He-Man mythos. I'm working on developing them a little. I may actually post some here.

Suffice to say that He-Man, as the character has previously been presented, is kind of weak, especially for someone touted as "the most powerful man in the universe."