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Masters of the Universe fans have taken to social media to express displeasure with how Leto sounds as Skeletor. The biggest complaint seems to be that Leto’s voice is too different from previous portrayals of Skeletor in Masters of the Universe media. Some wondered why the filmmakers didn’t cast Mark Hamill, who voiced Skeletor on animated programs Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Masters of the Universe: Revolution. Not all reactions to Leto are negative, but as you can see in the sampling below, this is a hurdle Masters of the Universe needs to clear.
Will Jared Leto’s Skeletor Voice Derail Masters of the Universe?
Some Masters of the Universe fans were taken aback by Jared Leto’s Skeletor voice, and it’s easy to understand why. The character traditionally has had a much more high-pitched voice, an approach popularized by Alan Oppenheimer during his work on the original 1980s cartoon. In contrast, Leto’s voice takes on a deeper tone; it seems like the actor is trying to lean more into menace and intimidation. Skeletor has always tried to be frightening, of course, but what makes his typical voice distinct is its ability to blend that with a more comedic edge. Leto’s voice sounds too much like a generic “bad guy” voice that misses what makes Skeletor so special.
Mixed reception to Leto’s Skeletor voice probably isn’t what Amazon MGM wanted in the immediate aftermath of the trailer release. Riding high off of Project Hail Mary‘s record-breaking box office performance, the studio is hoping Masters of the Universe can be the start of a new fantasy franchise. Amazon invested a lot of resources into the making of the film (the production budget is reportedly somewhere between $170-200 million), so the concern is that any backlash during the marketing campaign could have a negative impact on the film’s box office prospects. It’s still too early for Masters of the Universe projections to be available.
