Modulok is a fictional character in the toy line Masters of the Universe by Mattel.
Traditionally depicted as a member of the Evil Horde, Modulok was unique in that his action figure was made up of 22 different pieces which could be locked together to form different shapes. The character was conceived as a multi-bodied monster who can reform himself into thousands of different forms to confuse his enemies.
Character history[]
Mini-comics[]
Modulok was a former slave of Skeletor who escaped his master's clutches and offered his services to the Evil Horde, knowing of Hordak's personal hatred of Skeletor. Together with Hordak, he devised a scheme involving his body parts being sent, one by one, to the Royal Palace of Eternia, in separate cardboard boxes, labelled as presents to the members of the Heroic Warriors.
Confused by the numerous body parts being delivered to the palace, Man-At-Arms suspected the forces of evil may be behind it and sent Prince Adam and Teela to Castle Grayskull with the body parts to ask The Sorceress about the creature. Once inside Grayskull, Modulok reformed himself and used his shape-changing abilities to steal a forbidden weapon from the Castle. A battle then ensued involving a clash between He-Man, Skeletor and Hordak, in which Modulok showcased his shape-changing abilities, including his ability to split into two separate beings[1].
Later, Modulok used his scientific abilities to create the mechanical Multi-Bot in his own image, programming it to destroy both the heroic warriors, as well as Hordak himself, though the scheme ultimately failed[2].
Filmation series[]
The man who would become Modulok was once a human scientist known as Galen Nycroft. At some point, Nycroft was imprisoned by the Eternian royal guard for attempting to use his science to control all of Eternia with a mind ray. While languishing in the royal dungeon, Nycroft was unfazed by the prison guards' mockery of him and vowed to escape and prove himself.
Nycroft summoned a bat-like aid to his side with a component needed to teleport his final invention to the prison cell. Teleporting the large machine to the cell, he stepped inside, and an explosion comes from within. He stepped out in the mutated form of Modulok, and used his greatly bolstered strength to break free from the prison cell. Once free, Modulok contacted Skeletor and offers him his services, but Skeletor was not impressed, dimissing him as a "wimp scientist". Skeletor vowed to only accept Modulok into his evil warroprs once he had proven himself. Modulok therefore set out to prove himself by capturing He-Man, though he failed in this scheme[3].
Later, working alone, Modulok appeared to have become the sworn enemy of Man-At-Arms. He captured the heroic warrior Roboto and reprogrammed him to carry out his own evil deeds. He then attempted to experiment on Man-At-Arms, intending to transfer his brain power into his second, cybernetic, head so that he could possess Man-At-Arms' scientific knowledge for himself[4]. Modulok was later seen amongst Skeletor's minions at Snake Mountain, indicating that he had somehow managed to gain acceptance into Skeletor's forces[5].
Modulok went on to construct a device for Skeletor which could open a gateway to Etheria to transport his whole army to the planet. However, Modulok was subjected to nothing but abuse and scrutiny by Skeletor, who still disrespected his skills. Tired of the constant abuse, Modulok chose to defect to Hordak and the Horde. Hordak, himself a scientist, is more appreciative of Modulok's abilities and accepts his services, recruiting him as Horde scientist and using the machine in an attempt to invade Eternia. After the scheme fails, Hordak demoted Modulok to Horde cook as punishment, though he would later regain Hordak's favour[6].
Modulok later led an attack on Frosta's kingdom in order to stir up war between two tribes of the icy regions of Etheria, alongside his robotic assistant, Multi-Bot. He also displayed the ability to transform his arms into different weapons[7]. He also assisted Hordak in a scheme to kidnap two Earth children and bring an end to the spirit of Christmas[8].
London Editions Magazines[]
Originally a scientist known as Galen "Nycoff", Modulok came from a far-off planet where he comitted petty crimes. With a timid and less-than-intimidating appearance, he shocked his victims by unleashing all manner of deadly weapons on them to steal their valuables.
After being imprisoned for his crimes on Prison Star, he escaped from his cell and broke into the prison's laboratory to formulate a potion to grant him extra physical strength. However, he was caught in the act by the Prison Star wardens, and the potion went wrong, transforming him instead into the multi-bodied Modulok. Modulok escaped in a shuttle pod with the wardens in hot pursuit, and was rescued from them by Hordak, who promised him acceptance into the Horde if he could impress him with his new powers.
Masters of the Universe Revelation (2021)[]
- Main Article: Modulok (Revelation)
Modulok briefly appeared in flashback sequences in the Dark Horse Comics comic book series that serves as a prequel to Masters of the Universe: Revelation.
Behind the scenes[]
- Modulok was not included in the 2002 revival of the MOTU toy line and series, because the line was cancelled before the Horde could be fully introduced. Ian Richter of Mattel, who co-developed many of the storylines for the cartoon series, stated in a Q&A session with fans that Modulok would have been brought back "in a cool, updated, much more threatening fashion", and that he would probably have worked mainly as a solo villain rather than with the Horde.
- His debut episode was scripted by J. Michael Straczynski, who liked the character and went on to write most of his major episodes. A hardcore Star Trek fan, Straczynski based the character's personality loosely around Mr. Spock, feeling Modulok's pointy ears gave him a slight resemblance to the character. "Mistaken Identity" showcases him as the main villain. Modulok is unique among all characters in the He-Man and She-Ra cartoon series, for having his own individual storyline throughout the episodes as well as being portrayed with more character depth than many other villains, rendering him one of the more memorable of all the less frequently-featured characters of the shows.
- Several adjustments were made to Modulok's character by Filmation's writers and animators. Given Filmation's limited budget, Modulok would be a serious challenge for them to animate, given that his constant shape-changing would require the production of an exorbitant number of cel sheets for the character and therefore prove extremely costly. The decision was made, therefore, to simplify Modulok's design and give him one single shape to be used throughout the series.
Appearances[]
Minicomics[]
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Filmation)[]
She-Ra, Princess of Power[]
- Gateway to Trouble
- Enemy with My Face
- Just Like Me
- Black Snow
- Darksmoke and Fire
- He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special