Skeletor

Masters of the Universe (1987) Skeletor Scenes

Director Gary Goddard clarified in a letter to John Byrne's "Next Men #26" that Byrne was correct in his comparison of the film to Jack Kirby's New Gods stories 

and characters for DC Comics, but the film was also an homage to all of Kirby's Marvel Comics work as well.

Goddard had tried to hire Kirby as a conceptual artist, 

and had also planned to dedicate the film in the closing credits to him, 

but the studio, Cannon Films, objected to both ideas.

Despite one of the studio's other licensed properties in development at the time being Spider-Man,

Goddard's vision of a 

"motion picture comic book" 

take on the film was met with the studio stance that 

"comics are just for kids".