Highlights
- Dolph Lundgren passed the Power Sword to new He-Man Nicholas Galitzine at the TCL Chinese Theatre premiere
- Lundgren confirmed a secret cameo in the 2026 film, playing a mentor to Galitzine’s He-Man
- The viral photo was captioned “So much Power in one photo” by the official MOTU Instagram
Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre transformed into Castle Grayskull on Monday night (May 18, 2026) — and the most powerful men in the universe showed up to prove it.
Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel took over the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre on May 18, 2026, for the highly anticipated world premiere of Masters of the Universe. And while the star-studded cast brought plenty of heat to the red carpet, the night’s most talked-about moment had nothing to do with Skeletor.
It had everything to do with two He-Men, one sword, and a whole lot of internet-breaking nostalgia.
The Masters of the Universe premiere in Los Angeles brought together He-Men old and new, as Dolph Lundgren — who starred in the 1987 telling — was on hand to support newcomer Nicholas Galitzine.
The moment everyone is buzzing about? Both live-action He-Man actors were captured in a photograph that’s going viral on the internet. It shows Lundgren handing over the Power Sword to the young actor.
The official Masters of the Universe Instagram account shared the image of the two together, captioned: “So much Power in one photo.”
Fans absolutely lost it. “This pic is full of win!” one person wrote. “One for the ages! What a photo!” another commented. “Great photo… Nicholas feels like the perfect pick,” another read.
Hard to argue with any of that.
Now here’s where things get even more interesting. Lundgren didn’t just show up to wave from the sidelines — during the Masters of the Universe red carpet premiere, Lundgren confirmed to Variety in a now-deleted video: “I’m in it. I have a small role. At some point in the movie, when he needs some crucial advice, I show up, and I give it to him when he needs it the most.”
And the surreal factor? “It was surreal working on it because… it was like talking to a younger version of myself,” Lundgren added.
The OG He-Man had been cagey about his involvement for months. In an interview with Men’s Journal last year, Lundgren said, “I think they’re doing a great job. It’s a bit of a secret, but I can’t say much. But yeah, maybe I’ll get involved somehow. We’ll see.”
Well, now we all see — and it’s everything.
Original He-Man Dolph Lundgren passes the sword to Nicholas Galitzine at the #MastersoftheUniverse premiere pic.twitter.com/QrzO5WSqxc
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 19, 2026As for Galitzine, the Red, White & Royal Blue star has made no secret of just how much this role demanded from him. He trained for months to build muscles fit for the most powerful man in the universe.
And the role came with some unexpected creative challenges beyond just hitting the gym. Galitzine said “it was like playing two characters because you’re playing the archetypal stoic hero in one sense, but you’re also playing this guy who literally shrivels into himself.”
Even wielding that iconic sword was its own workout. “You want to seem like you are the strongest man in the universe so it’s like what forearm exercises do I have to do so that it doesn’t read as heavy?” he joked.
As for the rest of the red carpet? Cast members in attendance included Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, Alison Brie, Morena Baccarin, Sasheer Zamata, and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, as well as director Travis Knight.
He-Man and the rest of the Masters of the Universe gang originated as a Mattel toy line in the ’80s, which later became an animated series followed by Lundgren’s live-action movie. For the past nearly 20 years, Mattel has been working to bring a new version to life, which has finally arrived courtesy of Galitzine and director Travis Knight.
Nearly 40 years between He-Mans, and the franchise still knows how to make an entrance.
Masters of the Universe is scheduled to be released in the United States on June 5, 2026, by Amazon MGM Studios.
