Scare Glow

Scare Glow is a character in the popular toy line Masters of the Universe by Mattel.

He is a skeletal ghost warrior, who seems to have a solid but translucent body, and whose bones emit a strong glow which can cause even the bravest opponents to be overcome with fear. He wears a long purple cape, and there is a small crack on the forehead of his cranium. He carries a scythe which is often referred to as the 'Scythe of Doom'. Although generally one of the MOTU franchise's lesser-known characters, Scare Glow is particularly notable for his strong cult following among the fans.

Character History
Scare Glow was introduced into the Masters of the Universe toy line in 1987. His action figure was notable for its 'glow-in-the-dark' special feature, the 'bones' glowing when positioned in a dark space.

Labelled as the 'Evil ghost of Skeletor' (a tag which was to lead to much debate among the line's fans), Scare Glow was packaged with the mini-comic "The Search for Keldor". In this comic he was summoned to Eternia by Skeletor using a magic spell to call forth the most evil beings of space and time, although it was never stated which time period or dimension Scare Glow originated from. He was sent out with Ninjor on a mission to attack the heroic warriors with the power of his glow. He used the glow to overpower Prince Adam, evoking in him so much fear that he was even too scared to change to He-Man. However, he was ousted from Adam's path by Clamp Champ, giving Adam the time to change into He-Man and subsequently beat him.

Given that he was one of the last figures to be released in Mattel's toy line, Scare Glow never appeared in the accompanying cartoon series, which had been discontinued by this time, and his appearances throughout all mediums were minimal. Another significant story to feature him was "Enter the Ninjor" in issue #12 of the UK Adventure Magazine, which gave him an origin as a being of pure light energy, created by Skeletor in his own image. Invisible in the light, but not in the dark, he was sent out with Ninjor to mount a series of silent, unseen attacks on He-Man and Fisto as they explored Viper Tower. His origin as a magical creation of Skeletor was taken from a promotional card provided by Mattel to the publishers of various story mediums.

Although he was not featured in the 2002 relaunch of the Masters of the Universe franchise, Scare Glow was used in the cartoon's accompanying comic series, written by fans of the show, to capitalise on his cult following among fans. He featured in a special Halloween comic "The Power of Fear" which gave him a different background as the tyrannical ruler of a far-off dimension who was summoned by Skeletor to use his powers against the Masters.

The Fans' Debate
Scare Glow's prime significance to the MOTU franchise is his enormous cult status within the fan community, far greater than that of any character as minor as himself. This cult status emerged largely from the controversy which surrounded his marketing tag of 'Evil ghost of Skeletor'. Ever since the establishment of the online MOTU fan community through the website www.he-man.org, fans have been led into intense debate over whether or not this tag was intended to indicate that Mattel intended him to actually be Skeletor's ghost from the future.

Many speculations have arisen from this, including the suggestion that he may have travelled back in time to warn Skeletor of the fate that would befall him if he continued on his current path. It has also been suggested that when Skeletor summoned him in his mini-comic appearance, calling forth "the most evil beings of time and space", he may have been brought from the future, while Ninjor may have been from the past given his resemblance to an ancient Japanese warrior. So much speculation has arisen from the character's marketing tag that it has been confused with official fact by many fans as well as outsiders, and led to his infamy among the fan community.

However, while no official statement has ever been issued by Mattel to prove he was not intended as Skeletor's ghost, a quick study of the facts would suggest this is unlikely, the 'ghost of Skeletor' tag more likely to indicate purely a ghost in service to Skeletor. (A similar tag had earlier been used for the character Faker, as 'evil robot of Skeletor'- signifying a robot who helped Skeletor rather than a robot version of Skeletor.) A mere look at his mini-comic appearance would instantly render this theory rather far-fetched, for not only does he address Skeletor as 'skull-face' as if oblivious to his own appearance, but he is portrayed as little more than another bumbling henchman who quickly fails in his mission. It is unlikely that the writers would have handled him this way were he intended to play as major a role as fans have speculated. Likewise, the aforementioned promotional card issued by Mattel to publishers, and its conflicting origin, despite contradicting the mini-comics would suggest Mattel did not envision him as a character of prime importance.

In an interview with the website He-Man.org, Steven Grant, the writer of “The Search for Keldor”, said the following regarding the Scare Glow question:

“Mattel came up with these characters when they wanted to put out new toys ... Mattel wasn't very concerned with the backstories, except on the main characters. These lesser characters were thrown in there and often not expected to be seen again.”

Therefore, it would seem almost certain that the idea of Scare Glow as Skeletor's ghost is pure speculation, although it is undoubtable that this character is a crucial element of the MOTU mythology given the debate and interest he stirs among its fans.