Panthor is Skeletor's evil feline companion, a giant purple panther who serves as an evil counterpart to Battle Cat. Panthor is portrayed as Skeletor's pet and loyal steed. However, unlike He-Man's Battle Cat, Panthor lacks the ability to speak.
Character history[]
Toy[]
Panthor was released in wave 3 (1984) of the classic toyline. Panthor was identical to the Battle Cat mold (a recast of the Tarzan panther and Big Jim tiger toys), and included Battle Cat's saddle, ableit in very dark green, but not the helmet. The toy was covered with flocking to give it a soft "fur" texture.
The 2002 Panthor was released in wave 1. He was the same mold as Battle Cat with a unique head. He featured similar articulation and had the same button to make him strike. 2002 Panthor had his own unique armor with mounted missile launchers. Like his 1984 counterpart, Panthor was again flocked.
The 2011 Panthor used same mold as Battle Cat with a unique head. Unlike previous editions, 2011 Panthor was not flocked. The 2011 Panthor also included an all new helmet, The look for Panthor's new helmet was inspired by Skeletor's Havok Staff.
In 2021, the Origins line released him to coincide with Battle Cat, once again reusing the same mold in a purple color. The common release was not flocked, but a "Collector's Edition" flocked variant was released as an exclusive to Walmart. The price was severely raised from $25 to $40 USD, however.
Filmation series[]
- Main article: Panthor (Filmation)
Panthor in the Filmation series.
Panthor was the loyal pet of Skeletor, frequently seated beside his throne, and was one of the few creature's to whom the lord of destruction showed any affection.
Skeletor would ride Panthor into battle, and also used his ferocious roar to instil fear into others (particularly his own warriors). Panthor showed a dislike for most of the evil warriors, and would only allow Skeletor and Evil-Lyn to pet him.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)[]
- Main article: Panthor (2002)
Panthor in the Mike Young Productions animated series.
Panthor was a ferocious purple panther who was kept as a pet by Skeletor. He usually remained at the foot of Skeletor's throne at Snake Mountain, growling at the Evil Warriors who disturbed, and even taking swipes at the occasional Doomseeker if they got too close.
Skeletor occasionally rode Panthor into battle, and he once engaged in a vicious battle with Battle-Cat while He-Man duelled Skeletor[1].
Masters of the Universe: Revelation (2021)[]
- Main article: Panthor (Revelation)
Skeletor and Panthor confront God-Lyn at Grayskull.
When Skeletor returned after his supposed death, he reclaimed Panthor. After forging an alliance with Prince Adam to defeat God-Lyn, who had claimed the power of Grayskull for herself, Skeletor took Panthor with him to Grayskull in an attempt to soften God-Lyn's mood, but the plan failed, and she claimed to be "more of a dog person".
Panthor fought alongside Skeletor in the ensuing battle against God-Lyn, furiously leaping to Skeletor's defence after he was injured. Unfortunately, he proved no match for God-Lyn, who turned him to stone mid-air. Panthor fell to the floor and shattered into pieces as Skeletor looked on in horror, vowing he would kill God-Lyn in retribution for Panthor's death[2].