Mattel · collector line
MOTU Chronicles
Mattel’s modern collector line, launched with the 2026 film and now the company’s flagship. Here is the scale, the wave formula, every figure announced so far, and a straight answer on what has happened to Masterverse.
Updated August 6, 2026
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What Chronicles is
Chronicles launched in 2026 as the collector-facing line for the live-action film: roughly 6.5-inch scale, 30-plus points of articulation, priced above the mass-market Core figures. What changed at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2026 is that Mattel stopped treating it as a film tie-in and started treating it as the permanent home for collector MOTU.
That reframing is the single most important thing to understand about the line. Chronicles is no longer bounded by the movie. Mattel has described it as a platform for new interpretations, alternate designs and original takes on classic heroes and villains, which is exactly the brief Masterverse used to hold.
So is Masterverse dead?
No, and Mattel went out of its way to say so. At the SDCC panel, Damon Nee said Masterverse is not being replaced by Chronicles, that the team still has plans for the 7-inch scale, and that he does not feel the line should end yet. He also confirmed Origins: Cartoon Collection, both the Filmation and 200X releases, remains active.
The honest reading: paused, not cancelled. There were no new Masterverse announcements at SDCC, and the entire 2027 collector slate is Chronicles and Origins. Mattel has said the same thing twice now, at a February 2026 event and again at Comic-Con, which suggests they know collectors are worried and have not yet got anything concrete to show.
Worth noting for display purposes: Masterverse is 7-inch and Chronicles is 6.5-inch, so the two lines do not shelf together cleanly. That scale break is part of why the transition has unsettled people.
The 2026 film figures
| Wave | Figures |
|---|---|
| Wave 1 | He-Man, Man-At-Arms, Tri-Klops |
| Wave 2 | Skeletor, Trap Jaw |
| Wave 3 | Teela, Ram Man |
| Wave 4 | Evil-Lyn, Beast Man |
| Amazon exclusive | Ram Man and Fisto two-pack |
| Mattel Creations | King Grayskull, Orko, He-Man and Skeletor two-pack |
| Walmart exclusive | Scare Glow |
Vehicles announced alongside the line include Battle Cat, the Sky Sled and the Ground Ripper.
The line so far
The two Skeletors everyone is talking about
Both come out of the film’s mind-invasion sequence, and both are the clearest sign that Mattel intends Chronicles to have a sense of humour.
Dream Date Skeletor sold out on his first pass and is open for pre-order again at Big Bad Toy Store: 59.99 dollars, estimated to arrive December 2026, limited to six per customer. The Substandard packaging option is still gone. Pre-order Dream Date Skeletor at Big Bad Toy Store.
The 2027 assortments and the wave formula
This is the structural news from Comic-Con. Every future Chronicles wave pairs one live-action movie figure with two original non-movie reimaginings of classic characters. It is a deliberate hedge: collectors who do not care about the film still get two figures per wave, and the movie designs stay in production.
| Assortment | Movie figure | Reimagined classics |
|---|---|---|
| Assortment 1 | Mekaneck | He-Man (armoured), Clawful |
| Assortment 2 | Fisto v2 | Armoured Teela, Mer-Man |
| Assortment 3 | Spikor | Man-At-Arms (armoured), Buzz-Off |
The armoured Man-At-Arms in Assortment 3 is the one collectors reacted to hardest: a battle-worn Duncan in ornate orange-patterned plating with a crested blue helmet and a spherical mace, in a style widely described as drawing on comic artist Bart Sears, who has since confirmed he is designing Chronicles figures for Mattel. Buzz-Off was shown as early concept work with multiple heads, interchangeable armour and large translucent wings.
Outside the waves
| Item | What we know |
|---|---|
| Panthor | Oversized, soft goods, articulated teeth and an armoured saddle. Target exclusive, Spring 2027. |
| Sorceress with Zoar | Soft-goods cape with sculpted ribbing, removable wings, Zoar included. 2027, no retailer or price announced. |
| Celebration four-pack | Prince Adam, Teela, Man-At-Arms and what Mattel called their most screen-accurate Roboto yet. No price or retailer announced. |
| Beast Man (movie) | Shown as a digital sculpt at the panel. No wave placement. |
| Goat Man (movie) | A finished figure was on the booth floor. No wave placement. |
| Gym Bro Skeletor | SDCC 2026 exclusive, 50 dollars, dropped July 23. Skeletor mid-workout, from the film’s mind-invasion sequence. |
| Dream Date Skeletor | Wide retail, 59.99 dollars. Pre-orders reopened at Big Bad Toy Store, estimated to arrive December 2026. Purple suit, ram-skull cane, Panthor as a house cat. |
Prices and dates are thin on the 2027 slate by design: Mattel showed the roadmap without committing to street dates for most of it. Panthor is the exception, pegged to Spring 2027 as a Target exclusive.
Frequently asked
What is MOTU Chronicles?
Chronicles is Mattel’s premium Masters of the Universe collector line, launched in 2026 alongside the live-action film. Figures are 6.5-inch scale with 30-plus points of articulation. It is now Mattel’s primary modern collector line.
Has Chronicles replaced Masterverse?
No. Mattel was explicit about this at SDCC 2026. Damon Nee, Senior Director of Action Figure Design, said Masterverse is not being replaced and the team still has plans for the 7-inch scale, while acknowledging there were no new Masterverse announcements to make. The line is best described as paused rather than cancelled.
What scale is MOTU Chronicles?
Roughly 6.5 inches. Masterverse, by contrast, is 7-inch, which is why the two lines do not display together cleanly.
How are Chronicles waves structured?
From 2027 the line follows a fixed formula: each wave pairs one figure based on the live-action film with two original reimaginings of classic characters. Mattel confirmed this at SDCC 2026.
Is Chronicles only movie figures?
No, and that is the point of the 2027 slate. Mattel has positioned Chronicles as a platform for new interpretations and original designs of classic characters, not a film tie-in line that ends when the film does.
Chronicles in the archive
MOTU Chronicles releases
Chronicles items catalogued so far. The line is still rolling out, so this shelf grows as figures ship.
Sources
- Toy Habits, SDCC 2026 MOTU panel
- Toy Habits, future Chronicles wave assortments
- He-Man.org, Bart Sears designing Chronicles figures
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