Masters of the Universe star Nicholas Galitzine finally recreates an iconic 21-year-old Prince Adam meme.
The star of the upcoming live-action adaptation has created his own version of a decades-old meme ahead of the movie adaptation’s release. The story of Masters of the Universe sees Galitzine as Prince Adam, a young man from the world of Eternia who was sent to Earth as a child for protection against the villainous conqueror Skeletor. Returning home, he embarks upon a quest for the Sword of Power to become He-Man and liberate his home planet. The popularity of the original 1980s animated series has led to a number of memes associated with the franchise.
Now, on The Tonight Show, Galitzine recreated an iconic meme that became popular in 2010, where Prince Adam from the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated show is edited to look like he’s singing a techno cover of “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes. The meme, whose full title is “HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA” based on the chorus of the song, is perfectly recreated by Galitzine, who wears a short wig and sings into the microphone as its iconic sparkly rainbow background appears behind him.
Check out the full meme below:
While the meme itself gained notoriety in 2010, the clip of He-Man singing “What’s Up?” originates from the 2005 parody music video “Fabulous Secret Powers” by SLACKCiRCUS, who covered the song with the techno version seen in the meme. The video gained popularity after the iconic “HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA” part was cut into a smaller video by YouTuber user “ProtoOfSnagem.” That smaller portion is what Galitzine covers in his short video. The video itself, both the long and short versions of it, are iconic Masters of the Universe memes utilizing the original series as its basis.
Galitzine’s recreation of the meme comes just days before the Masters of the Universe movie arrives in theaters, with the film set to release on June 5, 2026. The movie is promising an action-heavy story about a revolution against Skeletor on Eternia, with Adam leading the charge against him. This includes him using the Sword of Power to transform into He-Man and face down his most formidable enemy, doing so in the name of saving the home planet he was forced to leave behind.
As of writing, Masters of the Universe reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, with the film scoring a Certified Fresh 75% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes based on 92 reviews. Because of just how positive reception to the movie has been, it makes it noteworthy that Galitzine is embracing some of the more memetic parts of the film’s decades-long franchise history. It’s a refreshing take on the meme that shows just how much love the star has for the culture surrounding the franchise.
With the movie out in theaters in just a few days, audiences will soon see just how accurate Masters of the Universe is to the original source material. If anything, Galitzine’s passion for the project shows just how much faith he has in it, something that can hopefully be reflected in its upcoming theatrical run.
- Release Date
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June 5, 2026
- Director
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Travis Knight
- Writers
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Chris Butler
- Producers
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Jason Blumenthal, Robbie Brenner, Steve Tisch, Todd Black
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Nicholas Galitzine
Adam / He-Man
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