Masters Mondays MOTUC bio reveals: March 27, 2023 - Koth the Horror Bat

[Snake_Man]

From the character guide (awesome book, by the way): "The daughter of He-Ro's son and King Grayskull's daughter, and ancestor to the twins of power..."

That book DOES contain more actual information on He-Ra than is included in today's Bio (specifics, mainly). As I was not expecting Serpentine King Hssss to receive a Bio, I was (again, mistakenly) operating under the impression that He-Ra must've had her own Bio lying in state. Now I'm not sure WHAT to believe... :^)

[Thrillhouse]

So, what does King Hssss's human form look like in Classics?
Prior to the void (King Grayskull era) was his vintage toy look and after the void (He-Man era) was his Battle Armor/200X look? Or the other way around?
Was he human originally and the whole demigod thing is what gave him his transformation ability?

And why did He-Ra avoid battle? Maybe I'm reading too much into this but that seems to be quite a specific bit of detail.

[Sir Reilly]

Wow, I really really like that Hssss bio! Damn good idea to explain his different looks without overcomplicating!

[Snake_Man]

So, what does King Hssss's human form look like in Classics?
Prior to the void (King Grayskull era) was his vintage toy look and after the void (He-Man era) was his Battle Armor/200X look? Or the other way around?
Was he human originally and the whole demigod thing is what gave him his transformation ability?

I think that they are saying that, in Classics canon:

Prior to the Void, PREternian times= 200X King Hssss look.
Under the influence of the Staff of Ka, IN the Void= Serpentine King Hssss look.
After the Staff of Ka, into present day Eternia = Original Classics/Vintage Toy look King Hiss/Hssss. This would be as "human" as he gets, I think.

He was always able to transform from humanOID form (Two arms, one head :^D) to horrific mass of snakes above the waist form. But after losing the Staff of Ka, it appears that his snake form look was compromised, going from the "Serpentine" snarl to the look of the somewhat less malevolent (but still, really, *Yikes!*) Snake Torso that came with the first Classics Hiss/Hssss. This keeps ALL versions of King Hssss in canon, while explaining the notable differences in his appearances over time. Pretty slick! [^D

And why did He-Ra avoid battle? Maybe I'm reading too much into this but that seems to be quite a specific bit of detail.

I'm just guessing here, but even as capable as He-Ra obviously is, she would be no match in battle against a Staff of Ka-powered King Hssss and his entire imprisoned army! Alone, and facing impossible odds, she did the smart thing, and managed to "talk her way out of it". While we don't know in what capacity He-Ra was known to Hssss during their encounter ("Hi, I'm the granddaughter of your two greatest enemies..." ??), it would seem most likely that she left him hating the bloodlines of He-Ro and King Grayskull even more than when he still ruled PREternia! That's my take on it...

[Bug-Eye]

But after losing the Staff of Ka, it appears that his snake form look was compromised, going from the "Serpentine" snarl to the look of the somewhat less malevolent (but still, really, *Yikes!*) Snake Torso that came with the first Classics Hiss/Hssss.

yes, great idea, now i appreciate more Classics Snake Torso!

[baronterror]

Weird to get a bio for one we already got. Weird but cool.

I guess I am remembering it wrong but I have my bios in order in my collection and Serpentine did not come after Masque did he? Or did he "come out" where I put his original bio in my collection but we did not receive him until much later?

About He-Ra: NICE! Can we all just agree, right this minute, that it is pronounced "Hair -Ra" like the original suggested name for She-Ra? Hera. He-Ra. Not "Hee-Ra" like I am sure we all kinda read it like.

Anyway I do like it. I guess I'll print it, cut it out, and put it with his cardback back in 2015.

- - - Updated - - -

Prior to the Void, PREternian times= 200X King Hssss look.
Under the influence of the Staff of Ka, IN the Void= Serpentine King Hssss look.
After the Staff of Ka, into present day Eternia = Original Classics/Vintage Toy look King Hiss/Hssss. This would be as "human" as he gets, I think.

I like your timeline but I believe you missed a step.

200x = original snakeman form
serpentine = void, staff of ka
vintage = post void staff of ka
and then
200x again = resurrected form.

I prefer the idea that his original look was the more monster-y 200x look and that it was later that he was more humanized. Then after he died and was resurrected, of course his resurrection would return him to his original 200x form. This is the one that fights Snake Armour He-Man. This makes the changes in form work for me. So you add the 2 pack bio with this bio and it all comes together.

I'm just guessing here, but even as capable as He-Ra obviously is, she would be no match in battle against a Staff of Ka-powered King Hssss and his entire imprisoned army! Alone, and facing impossible odds, she did the smart thing, and managed to "talk her way out of it". While we don't know in what capacity He-Ra was known to Hssss during their encounter ("Hi, I'm the granddaughter of your two greatest enemies..." ??), it would seem most likely that she left him hating the bloodlines of He-Ro and King Grayskull even more than when he still ruled PREternia! That's my take on it...

Yes, that is I think that is the intended read. I like it.

[Durendal]

Now that she's officially canon, we need that sexy He-ra figure.

[Penny Dreadful]

LoL Shows what _I_ know.
Serpentine King Hssss already has a Bio on his cardback, but the new OFFICIAL info on He-Ra is most welcome! [^)

Weird to get a bio for one we already got. Weird but cool.

Mattel re-used the original King Hssss bio on the Serpentine Hssss package. As you can see below, it's the exact same one (except "centuries" was changed to "millennia" since the timeframe had been retconned by TG along the way):




As I recall, Legal was taking awhile to approve the 2016 bios which were all submitted after the 2016 lineup was well into production. By the time they did approve the 2016 bios, a few of the figures had already been released, so the plan was to release the earlier 2016 ones on MattyCollector with the later ones going on the packages. Then, Super7 plans started to happen behind the scenes, and the bios fell through in the cracks until Roton & Skelcon, which were slightly shortened versions of our original bios. There was a lot going on behind the scenes at that time, and the bios were surely not at the top of the priority list. Since these were approved by Mattel awhile ago, summaries of most of these bios made it into the Character Guide & World Compendium.

Anyway, this one is our official bio for Serpentine King Hssss which, as Val says, serves as an addition to the original Hssss and 200x Hssss figure bios.

Granddaughter of both He-Ro & King Grayskull... now how does that work?

Did you not have two grandfathers?

From the character guide (awesome book, by the way): "The daughter of He-Ro's son and King Grayskull's daughter, and ancestor to the twins of power..."

There are two reasons I'm glad this one finally got released.

1. It establishes that He-Ro is indeed STILL the ancestor of He-Man and She-Ra in Classics, along with King Grayskull and Veena.

2. We got He-Ra into the official mythology as a protector of the Sword of Power and as the first full-blooded descendant of Grayskull & Veena and He-Ro & Madame Razz! j/k

Originally, Veena and He-Ra’s other grandmother were also included as were references to He-Ra’s parents, but a more limited word count was a big challenge with these earlier ones. Luckily, there's a chance we might address those family members in a later bio.

Another thing you might notice with all bios is that we can’t have “first-use possessive form” for any TM'd name. So, for example, the first time we use Skeletor’s name in a particular bio, we’d have to say: “the Havoc Staff of Skeletor” instead of “Skeletor’s Havoc Staff.” This is only for first use because of the TM, then we can use possessive form after that.

I like your timeline but I believe you missed a step.
200x = original snakeman form
serpentine = void, staff of ka
vintage = post void staff of ka
and then
200x again = resurrected form.
I prefer the idea that his original look was the more monster-y 200x look and that it was later that he was more humanized. Then after he died and was resurrected, of course his resurrection would return him to his original 200x form. This is the one that fights Snake Armour He-Man. This makes the changes in form work for me. So you add the 2 pack bio with this bio and it all comes together.

Correctamundo! That was the idea.

However, there is a bit of conflict in that the vintage-style King Hiss appears in the Preternia portion of the first Classics minicomic. To justify it, I'm thinking he's the 200x version, but wearing the vintage outfit in that comic.

Now bring on that He-Ra figure!

[zodak74]

For some reason I'm mis-remembering He-Ro as the offspring of Grayskull... hence my confusion!

[Penny Dreadful]

For some reason I'm mis-remembering He-Ro as the offspring of Grayskull... hence my confusion!

Ah, gotcha! Yep, he was King Grayskull’s son in the 2012-era New52 DC comics.

[mikerobertschamp]

I love the fact that He-ra is now officially in the whole story line, mythos giving her flesh so to speak. We have an art design for her some story in the compendium and now part of her role in the scheme of things. The bonus is the telling of King Hssss' different appearances which helps a whole lot, thank you Gbagok, as well as Penny and Val.

[JVS3]

thank you Gbagok, as well as Penny and Val.

I appreciate the thanks, but the bios are the hard work of gbagok and Penny Dreadful. I just handle the paperwork and business side of things, as does Super7.


I wanted to write some bios. But for some reason, no one was on board with my "...and He-Man was smelly so he took a shower. Then Skeletor turned off the hot water and made He-Man mad!" story approach. Not sure why. I thought that was top-notch writing on my part!

[Thrillhouse]

I think that they are saying that, in Classics canon:
Prior to the Void, PREternian times= 200X King Hssss look.
Under the influence of the Staff of Ka, IN the Void= Serpentine King Hssss look.
After the Staff of Ka, into present day Eternia = Original Classics/Vintage Toy look King Hiss/Hssss. This would be as "human" as he gets, I think.

He was always able to transform from humanOID form (Two arms, one head :^D) to horrific mass of snakes above the waist form. But after losing the Staff of Ka, it appears that his snake form look was compromised, going from the "Serpentine" snarl to the look of the somewhat less malevolent (but still, really, *Yikes!*) Snake Torso that came with the first Classics Hiss/Hssss. This keeps ALL versions of King Hssss in canon, while explaining the notable differences in his appearances over time. Pretty slick! [^D

I like your timeline but I believe you missed a step.

200x = original snakeman form
serpentine = void, staff of ka
vintage = post void staff of ka
and then
200x again = resurrected form.

I prefer the idea that his original look was the more monster-y 200x look and that it was later that he was more humanized. Then after he died and was resurrected, of course his resurrection would return him to his original 200x form. This is the one that fights Snake Armour He-Man. This makes the changes in form work for me. So you add the 2 pack bio with this bio and it all comes together.

Nice work guys. This sits well with me. Although I enjoyed the 200X cartoon and Hssss's look I'm a vintage fan and reading the original mini-comics over and over as a kid, to me, He-Man battled the original vintage/toy King Hiss.

Correctamundo! That was the idea.

Great to get some official confirmation on this!

Now bring on that He-Ra figure!

YES!!! You better not be holding out on us. I've already reserved a space for her in my eventual MOTUC diorama shelf. It's gonna be epic... as soon as I figure out how to get the ideas out of my head and into reality.

I wanted to write some bios. But for some reason, no one was on board with my "...and He-Man was smelly so he took a shower. Then Skeletor turned off the hot water and made He-Man mad!" story approach. Not sure why. I thought that was top-notch writing on my part!

WHAT?!?! That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!!!
Note to self: Steal idea for He-Man/Skeletor styled Odd Couple sitcom.

[Penny Dreadful]

"...and He-Man was smelly so he took a shower. Then Skeletor turned off the hot water and made He-Man mad!"

Why'd you have to go and spoil the plot of the upcoming MOTU movie? Don't you remember the NDA we signed?! Now we're all screwed!

[JVS3]

Why'd you have to go and spoil the plot of the upcoming MOTU movie? Don't you remember the NDA we signed?! Now we're all screwed!

Eh. *shrugs* I was gonna get us kicked off the project anyway when they found out I was selling all the movie secrets to TMZ.

[Kevin87]

He-Ra sounds cool. Why are we getting older, more obscure figures like Lodar, instead of newer, more visually interesting canon-related characters like He-Ra? Can we vote this one in a poll, Brian?

[Durendal]

He-Ra sounds cool. Why are we getting older, more obscure figures like Lodar, instead of newer, more visually interesting canon-related characters like He-Ra? Can we vote this one in a poll, Brian?

As cool as He-Ra is, I would argue that Lodar is significantly more "canon-related" than she is, having been the star of a legendary vintage mini comic.

[JVS3]

As cool as He-Ra is, I would argue that Lodar is significantly more "canon-related" than she is, having been the star of a legendary vintage mini comic.

Agreed.
Plus, He-Ra was in the last character poll.


that said, I'd like to see He-Ra in the MOTUC line eventually! Without a doubt!!

[mikerobertschamp]

I appreciate the thanks, but the bios are the hard work of gbagok and Penny Dreadful. I just handle the paperwork and business side of things, as does Super7.


I wanted to write some bios. But for some reason, no one was on board with my "...and He-Man was smelly so he took a shower. Then Skeletor turned off the hot water and made He-Man mad!" story approach. Not sure why. I thought that was top-notch writing on my part!

Val you have done a lot for us all, so just accept it. You're valued as well.

[facet]

So penny , will somewhere down the road some bio or mini comic explain to us who Hero's wife is as well as grayskulls daughter and Hero's son ( or vice versa) or shall that remain a mystery. Do you guys have these characters already created?( like 87 movie art shera or something)

[Penny Dreadful]

So penny , will somewhere down the road some bio or mini comic explain to us who Hero's wife is as well as grayskulls daughter and Hero's son ( or vice versa) or shall that remain a mystery. Do you guys have these characters already created?( like 87 movie art shera or something)

Without spoiling anything, there’s a good chance they might show up in a future bio.

[bcrduke]

I'm going to guess that He-Ra's other grandmother is Sharella...



Annnnd, I LOVE this bio and need a Power Con Exclusive He-Ra figure. Now!

[Yukkers]

Interesting. I never saw King Hsss as having human DNA or being human at all. I always thought his snake form was his real form, and the human look was just a disguise.

[facet]

I'm going to guess that He-Ra's other grandmother is Sharella...



Annnnd, I LOVE this bio and need a Power Con Exclusive He-Ra figure. Now!

That was always I guess as well

- - - Updated - - -

Without spoiling anything, there’s a good chance they might show up in a future bio.

That is the best answer I could have expected, thanks for that!

[Snake_Man]

Interesting. I never saw King Hsss as having human DNA or being human at all. I always thought his snake form was his real form, and the human look was just a disguise.

We have been told that the Snake Men were comprised of the DNA of "several reptilian species" (The Unnamed One's Bio), Saurod's (and possibly Lizard Man's?) race(s) amongst them. This would NOT, however, account for things like Lord Gr'Asp's crustacean right hand (or the claws that Kobra Khan would manifest in his "Camo" power upgrade!), or the apparent amphibian nature of Tung Lashor. Who KNOWS what all else The Unnamed One may have thrown into the mix??

I wonder if, by being labelled "The Snake MEN", there was a notion of some shred of humanity implied? I'm at a loss, too! :^)