Scare Glow

Scare Glow is a fictional 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 intimidate even the bravest opponents. 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 called the 'Scythe of Doom'.

Character history
Scare Glow was introduced into the toy line in 1987. His action figure is 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', he refers to himself as the Ghost of Skeletor in the mini comic, Scare Glow was packaged with the mini-comic "The Search for Keldor". In this comic he is summoned to Eternia by Skeletor using a magic spell to call forth the most evil beings of space and time, although it is never stated which time period or dimension Scare Glow originates from. He is sent out with Ninjor on a mission to attack the Heroic Warriors with the power of his glow. He uses the glow to overpower Prince Adam, evoking in him so much fear that he is even too scared to change into He-Man. However, he is ousted from Adam's path by Clamp Champ, giving Adam the time to change into He-Man and subsequently defeat him.

Due to the fact that Scare Glow was never featured in the original Filmation cartoon, the action figure was released in the last series of the original toy line in 1987. As a result, due in part to the figures mysterious orgin, it has become one of the most sought after and hard to find figures by fans. On such auction sites such as eBay, loose figures have been sold for as much as $100 and the mint condition never opened package (also known as MOC) Scare Glow have been sold as high as $1,200 USD. The last version issued with the glow in the dark Halbred is the most rare and hard to find version of this figure.

Because he is 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 media are minimal. Another story that majorly features him is "Enter the Ninjor" in issue #11 of the UK Adventure Magazine, which gives 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 is sent out with Ninjor to mount a series of silent, unseen attacks on He-Man and Fisto as they explore Viper Tower. His origin as a magical creation of Skeletor is taken from a promotional card provided by Mattel to the publishers of various story media.

Although he is not featured in the 2002 relaunch of the Masters of the Universe franchise, Scare Glow is used in the comic series from MV Creations. He is featured in a special Halloween comic "The Power of Fear" that was given away free at the 2003 Children Affected by AIDS Foundation (CAAF) fundraiser, and sold in comic shops to raise additional donations to the CAAF. The story features Scare Glow as a character from another dimension who is summoned by Skeletor to use his powers against the Masters.

The fans' debate
Scare Glow's prime significance to the MOTU franchise is his cult status within the fan community, far greater than that of any other minor character. This cult status emerged from the controversy which surrounded his marketing tag of 'Evil Ghost of Skeletor'. Since the establishment of the online MOTU fan community through the website www.he-man.org, fans have debated whether this tag indicated that Mattel intended him to be Skeletor's ghost from the future.

Much speculation has 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 has led to his notoriety 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.) His mini-comic appearance also reveals the ghost 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.