NOTICE: This is a Recap page, so all spoilers will be left unmarked, per wiki policy. Read ahead only with caution! You Have Been Warned.
Ah, the glorious 80s, that odd era of big hair, keytars and goofy, muscular heroes of questionable sexual preference. Such as He-Man, Master of the Universe, and Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats.
Death Battle starts off its second season with two protagonists of 80's merchandise-driven cartoon shows geared towards boys. Both of them wield powerful swords and defend their respective peoples from mystical forces of evil. Wiz and Boomstick will be evaluating their weapons, armor and skill to see who would win a Death Battle.
Prince Adam of the Kingdom of Eternia was particularly clumsy. One day, he was visited by Teela'Na, the Sorceress of the Castle Grayskull, who gave him the magic of her castle's secrets. At that point, whenever Prince Adam raises his sword and says, "By the Power of Grayskull!, I have the power!", he transforms into the more powerful He-Man.
In contrast to his clumsy counterpart, He-Man has herculean strength as well as the ability to let out a whirlwind breath. His main weapon to fend off Skeletor and his minions is the Power Sword, which is indestructible and also capable of feats such as binding objects, magnetizing metals, being tossed like a boomerang and deflecting lasers. Aside from his sword, he also carries around an assortment of gear, including grappling hooks and bolas. He also sports a coridite battle harness, which further amplifies his already-impressive strength. He has a cat companion, who he had rescued as a cub, named Cringer, so named because he was cowardly. To go with He-Man's transformation, Cringer (reluctantly) becomes Battle Cat, a ferocious half-dragon, half-tiger beast just as strong as He-Man and implied to go on an unstoppable rampage when not turned back into Cringer.
He-Man has accomplished a number of ridiculous feats, having moved mountains, reversed tornadoes, ran around in circles fast enough to form a vacuum and dug to the center of the earth using only a simple stalactite. While friends had doubted that he can break through photanium, Eternia's toughest metal, he demonstrated on several occasions that he can break free from bonds made of said material. He also appeared in a crossover in which he fought Superman, and although he wasn't as strong he had on two occasions pushed an entire moon away from the surface. However, he abhors violence, preferring to outsmart his enemies, and a hard enough physical blow can revert him back to his clumsy self. Even with all this (and 80's writing— don't ask about the broken chain), He-Man is still a powerful force to be reckoned with, and can come to blows when it has to come to that.
- He-Man: Next time, you might try knocking first!Chorus: HE-MAN!
As a child, Lion-O barely escaped the destruction of his home planet Thundera alongside four other nobles at the behest of his father. While en-route to Third Earth, Lion-O's cryogenic capsule had some sort of malfunction where he mentally didn't age, but his body grew for the ten year trip. He was crowned as Lord of the ThunderCats and assumed control of all of catkind.
Regularly facing off against Mumm-Ra and his minions, Lion-O became a quick learner as he matures on the battlefield. He has superhuman traits as well as catlike senses, which enables him to hear his surroundings better. His main weapon is the Sword of Omens, a dagger which can extend into a double edged blade that can cut through metal and rock with ease, form forcefields and shoot various types of energy bolts and beams. The source of the sword's power is the Eye of Thundera, a gem built into the sword with limitless magical power, and it can enable the sword to be called back to its wielder from even inside a black hole. It is the lifeblood of the Thunderans' survival, and can be used to spy on enemies and amplify attacks. He also sports a durable claw shield which not only can effortlessly punch trees and absorb blows from a blade, but is used as a sheath for the Sword of Omens; he also carries a variety of tools such as smokescreen and grappling claws.
While Lion-O is strong and athletic, he is hotheaded and immature, and as much of an asset the Eye of Thundera is in battle, it is frequently exposed and when it gets destroyed, it will destroy all Thunderan life, Lion-O included. In spite of all this, he is still the strongest ThunderCat, strong enough to pull down an aircraft heading at escape velocity and fast enough to beat Cheetara in a five-mile race. Like He-Man above, he also traded blows with Superman, and beyond that has survived conditions of extreme temperatures and the vacuum of space.
- Lion-O: Sword of Omens, give me power beyond power! HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Everything's been accounted for, so after an ad from Netflix, IT'S TIME FOR A DEATH BATTLE!
In a light forest, Prince Adam is transforming into He-Man once again alongside the ever-so-reluctant Cringer, who he once again transforms into Battle Cat. Lion-O senses trouble, using the Sword of Omens to spy on the source of the commotion before confronting He-Man. The Lord of ThunderCats successfully coaxes Battle Cat to buck He-Man away, but the Master of the Universe quickly figures it out and sends Battle Cat out of sight with a powerful uppercut. Lion-O chides He-Man for what he sees as animal cruelty, only for the latter to draw the Power Sword and tell the former to back off. Lion-O extends the Sword of Omens, resulting in He-Man's suggestively impressed response.
FIGHT!
Lion-O casts a beam of energy at He-Man, who deflects the strike and throws a rock at his foe, who slices through it. The two clash and exchange blows with swords before Lion-O is disarmed, driving him to use a smokescreen to disorient He-Man for a moment. By the time the Eternian prince blows the smoke away, his foe is out of sight, hiding behind a tree. Hearing Lion-O call his sword back from behind a tree, He-Man runs up and punches the tree to shavings, but by that time the Thunderan prince is gone. Lion-O then shoots bolts and beams from his sword, all blocked by He-Man, who then throws the Power Sword only for it to be yanked to the ground with Lion-O's tractor beam. Lion-O then binds He-Man up with his grappling hook ropes, which are promptly and effortlessly broken out of. The Prince of Eternia dodges more beams from the Sword of Omens, then creates a tornado to throw Lion-O off-guard so he can retrieve the Power Sword. Shortly after he does, Lion-O slashes at his opponent and draws blood, then sends him far away with a strong beam.
Lion-O is about to muster the finishing blow, only He-Man is nowhere to be found, so he uses the Sword of Omens to seek his opponent's whereabouts. Initially confused that his vision is merely a mountain, he learns in shock that the vision is actually the Prince of Eternia lifting it in its entirety, then throwing it his way. Lion-O has the Sword of Omens generate a powerful blast to obliterate it, only to get tackled by He-Man, who then breaks through the forcefield Lion-O sets up with just a few blows, and although sustaining yet another stab wound from the Sword of Omens, he shatters it into many pieces then takes down the Lord of ThunderCats, content to let him be.
While the Sword of Omens is shattered, the Eye of Thundera isn't willing to let He-Man get away that easily, attempting to kill him off with a huge burst of Magic and drawing him in. Left with little choice, He-Man grabs the gem and shatters it after a struggle. That does in Lion-O, and by extension the remainder of his race, and just in time for Battle Cat to land right back on the ground.
K.O.!
He-Man celebrates his victory in song while Battle Cat devours what remains of Lion-O. He-Man is clearly out of Lion-O's league, with the Eye of Thundera really being the only thing in Lion-O's arsenal that could possibly kill him. He-Man is capable of blocking whatever his opponent can throw at him, and given that He-Man has pushed moons, making him 10 quadrillion times stronger than any human, there is little doubt that he is strong enough to break the Sword of Omens, which has been effortlessly broken in two by a powerful enemy at one point in canon.
He-Man vs. Lion-O contains examples of:
- Ambiguously Gay: The beginning of the episode describes He-Man and Lion-O as having "questionable sexual preference". In the battle itself, Lion-O calls He-Man a "muscular fiend" while He-Man lets out a suggestive "Ooooh" when Lion-O prepares the Sword of Omens.
- And Knowing Is Half the Battle: He-Man ends the episode by giving a PSA about neutering your pets, revealing that Cringer, and by extension Battle Cat, underwent such treatment.
- Beyond the Impossible: He-Man can move mountains and dig to the center of the planet with nothing but a broken stalactite while Lion-O can survive the vacuum of space and call the Sword of Omens from a black hole. In the fight proper, He-Man and Battlecat are getting ready to "do something normally perceived as impossible" when Lion-O interrupts.
- Bond One-Liner: After destroying the Eye of Thundera and putting down Lion-O for good, He-Man has one last pun to share.He-Man: Well, looks like curiosity killed this cat.
- Brick Joke: At the start of the fight, He-Man throws Battle Cat into the air to stop Lion-O from controlling him. At the end of the fight, Battle Cat finally lands.
- Foreshadowing: In a clip just before the fight, He-Man was seen crushing a reality-warping jewel with his bare hands. Guess what happens to the Eye of Thundera!
- Good Versus Good: He-Man and Lion-O are heroic and noble warriors who only come to blows over a misunderstanding.
- Hurricane of Puns: He-Man and Lion-O trade puns as readily as they trade blows in this fight.Lion-O: (After ensnaring He-Man) Had enough? You look a little tied up at the moment.
He-Man: You won't string me along that easily. - Mundane Utility: When the topic of the Sword of Omens's tractor beam comes up, Boomstick suggests using it to fetch snacks while chilling on the couch.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Lion-O attacked He-Man because he saw He-Man subjugating Battle Cat (who was forcefully made into Battle Cat by He-Man). Not only does Lion-O die in the end, but his corpse is also eaten by the very cat he was trying to help.
- Oh, No... Not Again!: Said verbatim by Cringer when Adam decides it's time to practice as He-Man and Battle Cat.
- Super-Strength: He-Man's raw power is on full display, from lifting and throwing an entire mountain to crushing the Eye of Thundera in his bare hands.
- Warrior Prince: He-Man, prince of Eternia, vs Lion-O, prince of Thundera.
