Modulok

Modulok is a fictional character in the toy line Masters of the Universe by Mattel, one of the best-selling lines of the 1980s.
Packaged as the 'evil beast of a thousand bodies', upon his release Modulok was unique in form among the action figures. He is made up of 22 different pieces which can be locked together to form different shapes, in a Lego-like fashion. The character was conceived as a multi-bodied monster who can reform himself into thousands of different shapes to confuse his enemies. He is a member of the Evil Horde, though in some cartoon appearances is seen to work for himself. He is also known for creating Multi-Bot. He is one of the few Horde figures to not wear a Horde bat emblem.
Conception
Modulok was introduced into the Masters of the Universe toyline in 1985, a little after the first wave of Evil Horde figures. He is introduced as a former slave of Skeletor who escape Skeletor's clutches and offers his services to the Evil Horde, knowing of Hordak's personal hatred of Skeletor. Together with Hordak, he proceeds to concoct 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 suspects the forces of evil may be behind it and sends Prince Adam and Teela to Castle Grayskull with the body parts to ask The Sorceress about the creature. As they speak to The Sorceress, she informs them of the identity of Modulok, Modulok reforms himself and uses his shape-changing abilities to steal a forbidden weapon from the Castle. A battle then ensues involving a clash between He-Man, Skeletor and Hordak, in which Modulok showcases his shape-changing abilities, including his ability to split into two separate beings. A later appearance in the mini-comic "The Menace of Multi-Bot" showcases Modulok as a scientist, tying in with his role in the cartoon series.
Animated series
Shortly after his figure was released, Modulok appears on the toy line's accompanying cartoon series, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Filmation. Although the Evil Horde are used as the main villains in the spin-off series She-Ra, rather than He-Man, Modulok is given the unique honor of making his debut on He-Man instead. He is introduced late in the show's second season. 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. Although initially described in the scripts as appearing two-headed and multi-bodied like the toy, he appears in the cartoon with only one shape, his body appearing to be an organic whole rather than separate pieces locked together. He is also given only one head even though all of Mattel's promotional material depicts him with two (although his second head can briefly been seen in one episode). Possibly this may have been done to avoid confusion with Two-Bad, another two-headed character who debuted in the toy line and series at the same time. Another reason may have been for the purpose of making the character's design symmetrical so that cell sheets could be flipped over without altering the character's appearance, used to cut both animation costs and production time.
Introduced in the episode "Mistaken Identity", Modulok's character is also adjusted from Mattel's concept. The UK comics published by London Editions feature him regularly, in-keeping with the cartoon by presenting him as more intelligent than the other Horde members, although his scientific abilities are rarely showcased in this medium. The comics also feature a significantly different account of his origin. While starting off, like in the cartoon, as the human "Galen Nycoff" in this version he comes from a far-off planet and is a petty criminal rather than a scientist. With a timid and less-than-intimidating appearance he shocks his victims by unleashing all manner of deadly weapons on them to steal their valuables, and after being imprisoned for his crimes on Prison Star, he escapes from his cell and breaks into the prison's laboratory to formulate a potion to grant him extra physical strength. However, he is caught in the act by the Prison Star wardens, and the potion goes wrong, transforming him instead into the multi-bodied Modulok. He escapes in a shuttle pod with the wardens in hot pursuit and is rescued from them by Hordak, who promises him acceptance into the Horde if he can impress him with his powers. He also appears in the MOTU Marvel comics in the US, but his portrayal in these is very different from any other media. Whereas he had always been seen to possess only one mind, despite his two heads, this comic series portrays him with two minds, similar to Two Bad, and much like the latter character, his heads would frequently argue with one another.
Reception
Modulok was voted No.5 of 8 Crazy Masters of the Universe Figures Comic Book Resources listed the character as He-Man: Eternia’s 15 Mightiest Villains.

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See Also

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