I’ve had to make peace with many things in life. My own mortality, my mediocre physical and mental health, and that Orko almost certainly won’t be in the new Masters of the Universe movie. Yeah, I know, I know, “maybe they’re hiding him in all the trailers.” Fat chance, I’m afraid. The best I can hope for is an end credit stinger cameo or whatever, and even that is unlikely.

Orko was one of the only major characters created specifically for the original Filmation cartoon, rather than being inspired directly by a toy (he would get his own action figure after the show’s extreme popularity, of course). He’s a “Trollan,” one of many such mystical beings found on his home world of Trolla (which is in a completely different dimension from Eternia). Orko’s age is kept vague–Filmation co-founder Lou Scheimer always viewed him as “a kid”–but I’ve always thought of him as more of a childlike adult, similar to SpongeBob. And a large reason for this is that in the episode Daimar the Demon, Orko becomes more or less…well, engaged.

Yes, Orko got his very own love interest with the introduction of “Dree Elle”–who he rescues from the clutches of the titular Daimar the Demon. Long story short, Daimar was abducting members of Orko’s species and draining them of their magic using that one machine the Skeksis used in The Dark Crystal. You know the one. But I’m becoming sidetracked. The important thing is that at the end of the story, Orko does something he’s never done before: reveal his face to someone else. As He-Man explains to Battle Cat, it is custom among Orko’s race to “only show your face to someone you love. Really, in a way, it’s like being engaged.” So once the danger is over, Orko and Dree Elle decide to reveal themselves to each other (I worded that in a way that sounded way dirtier than it is), in what is actually a very sweet and touching scene (also, for what it’s worth, Daimar turns nice after He-Man saves him from falling into “The Bottomless Pit of Trolla”).

But originally, the audience was going to see Orko’s face. This caused a dispute among the staff of Filmation, with some advocating for the big reveal and others feeling strongly it should remain a secret to the viewer. Once you show the world what Orko looks like, it’s like pulling the curtain from behind the Wizard of Oz. Part of the magic is gone, or so they argued. In the end, Team “Keep Orko Hidden” won out.

And so, Orko’s true appearance was kept from the public eye until the publication of The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in 2015. Sadly, the book is out of print now, but you can still see Orko in all of his full-color glory if you know where to look online (and by that I mean Googling “Orko’s face”). This illustration was based closely off of an original storyboard done for the episode, and kept with the animation style of the show.

And now…brace yourselves…if you’ve never seen this before, the way you look at Orko is about to be shattered. I’m not sure if you’re ready for this! There’s still time to turn back if you don’t want your life to be changed forever. This is your final warning. Get ready. Here…it…comes!

Huh.

Have the power tonight, y’all!