He-Man's Pronouns Spark Backlash: Masters of the Universe He-Man Pronouns Controversy

His name is literally 'He-Man,' but five small letters just set the internet on fire. Amazon MGM Studios released the first trailer for Masters of the Universe on January 23, 2026, and a brief visual gag involving gender pronouns has already split the fandom in two.

Breaking Down the Masters of the Universe He-Man Pronouns Controversy

The uproar centers on a scene where Prince Adam (played by Nicholas Galitzine) works an undercover office job under the alias 'Adam Glenn.' A nameplate on his desk clearly displays 'He/Him' underneath his name. While some viewers laughed at the redundancy of giving a character named 'He-Man' male pronouns, others saw it as a deliberate political statement.

According to reports from Entertainment Weekly, conservative author Jon Del Arroz led the charge on X, claiming the inclusion was part of an agenda to "normalize" pronouns in media. "These people won't stop until they ruin everything," he wrote. Skeptical fans joined in, calling the movie "woke" and vowing to skip the June 5 theatrical release.

A Meta Joke or Cultural Statement?

Supporters of the film argue that the outrage misses the point of the joke. They suggest the film is leaning into the 'himbo' archetype—a lovable, muscular, but perhaps dim-witted hero—and using the nameplate as a meta-commentary on the character's aggressively masculine name. "He is literally a sword-wielding pronoun," one user noted, highlighting the inherent humor in the situation.

Directed by Travis Knight (Bumblebee), the film boasts an A-list cast including Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms, Jared Leto as Skeletor, and Camila Mendes as Teela. Whether this early controversy will hurt or help the box office remains to be seen.