Horde Prime

— Horde Prime to Glimmer and Catra

**Horde Prime**, also known as "**Prime**", is the main antagonist of *She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.* He was the progenitor, creator and absolute ruler of the Horde, as well as Hordak's genetic template, and emperor of the known universe.

In the series finale, he is destroyed by She-Ra after she frees the magic stored by the Heart of Etheria.

## Personality

Horde Prime is a cold, self-centered, controlling megalomaniac. His main motivation is to "bring light" to the universe by bringing it under his control, and he has no problem gloating about it. He is much less temperamental than his clone Hordak. However, he still has a temper. Hordak was "reconditioned" after Horde Prime rebuked him for his belief that the two could stand as equals. He is also enthusiastic about becoming more powerful, as seen when Catra told him that the entire planet of Etheria was a weapon.

His first major appearance paints him as a narcissistic and egotist, with a genuinely sincere messianic complex. He demonstrates this by telling Glimmer that "all creatures, no matter how small, have a place in service of Horde Prime," a way of saying they matter, but are less than him. Later, he says that he does not enjoy destruction, but that 'weeds must be burned for new life to flourish' as if his actions are helping the universe. He does, though, show a form of politeness, as he addresses Glimmer as royalty, and politely bows before her. However, in no way does he do anything to mask his cruelty, parading a brainwashed Catra before Adora, calling the young girl his "child", but mere minutes later showing no hesitating to have her commit suicide. He cares about his image, calling Hordak's efforts to make an empire in his name a "botched conquest," and saying that word must not spread of it. To start with that, he implies that he would kill Glimmer, but is stopped by Catra telling him of Etheria's true nature. Despite this outwardly gentlemanly nature, he has a noted habit of placing his hand on Glimmer's shoulder and pushing her around.

Horde Prime seems to be a sadist and possesses a sense of superiority grandeur over others. When he invites Catra and Glimmer to dine with him, he boasts about how the dish is a delicacy from a planet many light years away... which he destroyed. He also seems to show a great deal of pleasure in showing Glimmer images of her friends struggling in battle, and later reveals to Catra that her plan to uphold her usefulness was an utter waste. Further, when Adora and co. apprehend a Horde Clone, it goes off on a tangent about how great Prime is by listing off many increasingly grand titles. Finally, Prime likes to keep trophies of the planets he's conquered.

Horde Prime has something of a god complex claiming, "Prime sees all, Prime knows all." He has declared this on many occasions.

## Appearance

Like his clone and Hordak, Horde Prime has blue-gray skin, long bat-like ears, and a white face resembling a skull. Unlike Hordak, however, his body appears healthier and well-built, with no evidence of dark scarring or deterioration, with a well-toned muscular form. He has white hair and four fluorescent neon green eyes: one on either side of his nose where most people would expect them, and two smaller ones above and below his primary right eye. The interior of his mouth is noticeably green, with his teeth being neon-green, unlike Hordak's red teeth (prior to his "reconditioning"). Unlike Hordak and the other clones, among his hair, he has metallic tendrils in a dreadlock hairstyle. Those are prehensile and can be used as tools. In terms of wardrobe, Horde Prime wears a white-and-gray sleeveless robe with an exposed chest, dark gray narrow pants, and shoes with metal soles and toe caps. He has articulated metal claws on each index finger that can show computer images. The dark gray pattern around his chest resembles the center of the Horde symbol.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

* **Hive Mind**
	+ **Mind Reading and Control:** He was able to tap into Hordak's mind. It is revealed he can read and control the mind of anyone connected to his hive mind, whether one of his clones or someone that has a Horde Chip implanted on their necks.
	+ **Consciousness Transference:** He can transfer his consciousness to another body. This is how he has survived for centuries.

* **Prehensile Hair:** Horde Prime's metallic tendrils in his hair are prehensile, and can be used to "recondition" clones.
	+ **Technopathy:** Prime's hair-like tendrils also let him connect to and control his machines.

### Abilities

* **Galactic Dominion:** As emperor of the Horde, he has complete authority of the galactic empire.
* **Manipulation:** This ability stems largely from Horde Prime's skill of intimidation. He uses others' fear of him to control them, a possible reason as to why he has reigned for so long.
* **Analysis**
* **Intimidation:** Being an old, experienced ruler of a galactic dominion, intimidation of people below him comes easily. He seems to rather enjoy this ability, and constantly exploits it to manipulate anyone who dares go against him.

## Weaknesses

* **Magic:** When Adora and her friends visited the planet Krytis they discover that Horde Prime is vulnerable to magic; in keeping with this, it is the power of She-Ra, "A being of pure magic", that leads to his destruction.
* **Arrogance:** Horde Prime's confidence in his abilities and experience ultimately becomes his downfall.

## Relationships

### Hordak

— Horde Prime before he erases Hordak's mind

    Hordak is one of his many clones and, at one time, his greatest general, but he was "defective," so he sent him to a suicide mission and cast him aside. Hordak yearned to please Prime and prove his worth, so he spent years trying to conquer Etheria to show Horde Prime what he is capable of, that he was not a defect. After briefly opening a portal, Hordak was able to successfully send a distress signal to the emperor of the Horde. When Prime arrived in Etheria, he transported Hordak to his ship and then peered into his mind. Then Prime showed disgust towards his "little brother" for giving himself a name and thinking he could stand by Prime's side; he then wiped Hordak's mind clean and had some of his other clones take him away to be "reconditioned." However, Hordak slowly regained his memories and when he was ordered to eliminate Entrapta. Hordak broke free of his programming; realizing he became his own person and rebelled against Prime.

### Glimmer

— Horde Prime with Glimmer at dinner

When he first met Queen Glimmer, he apologized for Hordak's actions calling them an embarrassment, but he wanted to make sure that this "mess" would be wiped away; however, he spared her when he learned from Catra that she was a part of the Heart of Etheria. Prime then thanked Glimmer for her "allegiance," implying she has no choice in the matter.

### Catra

— Horde Prime after chipping Catra

     Catra is the one who convinced Horde Prime not to destroy Etheria by telling him about the ancient super weapon at the planet's core. To that end, Horde Prime accepts Catra's offer to serve him for that purpose. She stays on the flagship and talks to Glimmer while she's imprisoned there. When she betrayed Prime and helped Glimmer escape his ship, he decided to "bring her into the light" by implanting a special chip into her nervous system, connecting her to his hive mind, and then make her attack Adora after she came to save her.

During the final battle, he said it was a shame to kill his "little sister" and that he had high hopes for her.

### Adora

— Horde Prime bids Adora farewell

   Horde Prime only spared Adora because Glimmer told him about She-Ra's connection to the Heart of Etheria. When they met for the first time, he saw through her bluff about using the Heart because she would not risk Catra's life and when she claimed he did not know her, he revealed that he knew much about her including that her ancestors were the First Ones as well as reveal that they were once his greatest enemies. Prime then revealed that he turned Catra into his puppet and used her as a bargaining chip to bring out She-Ra and then made Catra fight her. When Adora was finally able to transform into She-Ra, she saved Catra, damaged his ship, and managed to escape Prime's clutches. An enraged Horde Prime enslaved the minds of countless Etherians with his horde chips, including many of her friends and allies, as an act of revenge. When the Horde began losing its grip on other worlds because of She-Ra's influence, Prime had to look for an alternative way to activate the Heart. When he met her in the Fright Zone, Horde Prime could not help but boast that thanks to Hordak's research, he no longer needed She-Ra to activate the super weapon he sought, so nothing was keeping him from killing Adora while saying that her need to save her friends made her weak. During the final battle, he hacked into the very planet and attacked her with an ancient security system left behind by her people, infecting her with his virus to prevent her from transforming. However, Adora and Catra's love for each other proved to be more powerful than his hatred and megalomania as Adora was able to transform She-Ra and use the fail-safe to free the magic inside the Heart of Etheria. When Horde Prime vowed, he would "rise again," Adora corrected him by destroying him, putting an end to his evil reign once and for all.

## Plot

### Past

Many centuries ago, Horde Prime created an army of clones of himself and used them to conquer vast quantities of the known universe, and founded an empire built on his likeness. He has survived by moving his consciousness from one clone body to another, so his reign lasted for centuries. At some point, he encountered the First Ones and destroyed their empire. One of his clones would later become known as Hordak. At some point, Hordak was his greatest general, but he cast Hordak aside due to him being deemed defective by Horde Prime. After this happened, Hordak fell through a portal and landed on Etheria, where he starts building an empire to prove his worth to Horde Prime.

Horde Prime also attacked the planet Krytis, destroying much on it, but the magic was too wild for him to use or defend against, so he left and tried erasing his failure.

### Season Three

Contacting Horde Prime was the primary aim of Lord Hordak's efforts, to create a portal into the rest of the universe so that Horde Prime's armies can enter Etheria and finish conquering it. This forms the basis of the conflict in Season Three, as Adora attempts to prevent this from happening while Catra attempts to hasten it. Catra does successfully open a portal using Adora's Sword of Protection as a key. Still, it warps reality and forces Adora to resolve the instabilities to preserve the universe and stabilize the portal.

Once stabilized, the portal was open only for a short time until Adora closed it, but it was long enough for Hordak to send out a distress signal to Horde Prime. In a massive command center, Horde Prime became aware of Hordak's position.

### Season Four

Horde Prime's fleet arrived on Etheria, and Hordak, Glimmer, and Catra are teleported to his ship. He was amused to see his "brother" who he thought had perished long ago and then began talking about mysterious readings emitting from the planet below them. After he read his mind, Hordak was subdued and taken away to be "reconditioned" because Horde Prime saw his clone as an "abomination". At the same time, Catra convinced Horde Prime to spare Etheria by presenting it as a super weapon. He then welcomed Glimmer saying that her home world would become the "jewel" of his empire.

### Season Five

     He imprisoned Queen Glimmer in a comfortable holding cell while letting Catra wander about the space station under close surveillance. During the start of his invasion of Etheria one of his robots caught footage of Adora and the Emperor of the Horde took an interest in the young lady. After going over Hordak's memories Prime asked Catra to pledge loyalty to him, which she did. He later hosted a dinner with the two and discussed his plans to conquer Etheria, while showing images of his attack on the planet. He agreed to spare Adora's life when Glimmer pointed out that he needed all the Princesses, including She-Ra, to activate the Heart of Etheria. After dinner he noted Catra's distress and pointed that out to her, saying that Etherians are weak because of their close connection to each other.

— Horde Prime, in his broadcast to Etheria

     A Horde Prime hologram addressed all the people of Etheria, demanding that they turn She-Ra over to him or suffer the consequences. On Horde Prime's space station Catra was caught near Glimmer's cell by a clone who chastised her. Horde Prime sensed this and possessed the clone, using his body to remind Catra that he was in charge. Once un-possessed, the clone opened Glimmer's cell and escorted the Queen to Prime's trophy room. There, he bragged about destroying countless worlds to create his twisted sense of order. Glimmer desperately explains that activating the Heart of Etheria would destroy "everything." But Prime is pleased by this; he liked the idea of destroying the universe to eliminate pain and war so that there could be a new beginning for the universe. He offered to spare Micah if Glimmer would deliver She-Ra to him. Glimmer rejected his offer emphatically, smashing one of his prized trophies. He then sent reinforcements to Etheria.

— Horde Prime after "reconditioning" Hordak

Horde Prime summoned his then lackey Catra to his throne room to ask her about an ancient ship that he discovered leaving Etheria. He tasked Catra with questioning Glimmer about the ship and reporting back to him the information. When she said that was impossible, Prime called Hordak forward and demonstrated the reconditioning ceremony on him. He then told Catra to get the information from Glimmer. Prime used the information Catra gave him to locate Mara's ship and Adora and after this, he praises her, telling Catra she will be exulted above the percieved lesser beings of her world, which, when Catra fails to answer, he asks is still what she wants. Though Catra claims he is correct, she then freed Glimmer, despite knowing she was probably risking death by doing so, wanting to do one good act with her life. Despite the interference of several clones, who eventually subdue her, Catra is able to send Glimmer to safety. Prime had Catra bound and brought before him, where he accused her of treason, pointing out to her that, in the wake of Glimmer's escape, the enemy vessel he had detected had changed its course. Nevertheless, Prime is determined to capture She-Ra and Glimmer and proclaims that She-Ra won't be able to hide from him forever. He then expresses disappointment towards Catra for her betrayal. Catra responds by mockingly her previous master, repeating his previous statement about how she's emotional and confidently states that it doesn't matter what Prime does to her since Adora and Glimmer are now forever out of his reach. Undeterred, Horde Prime tells Catra that she is wrong and ominously states that he still has a use for her.

When the captured Adora entered Prime's throne room, he revealed that he implanted a Horde Chip into Catra and enslaved her mind through the same ritual he had sentenced Hordak to. He left the two women, and they began to fight, during which Prime repeatedly taunted Adora through Catra, using her as his mouthpiece and suggesting he use her as his next host. Prime's connection to Catra was severed during the fight, but not before he made her fall off the platform she was on. Surrounded by clones, Adora summoned her true She-Ra form and defeated them all with ease. Seeing this from a video feed, Horde Prime became angered by the turn of events. She-Ra scooped up her friend and found her way to the others with Catra still unconscious. They boarded Darla and escaped.

After that incident, he decided to make Adora hurt and began chipping as many Etherians as possible. Catra learned of his plan from a vision she had trough her chip before Entrapta removed it. It was not long before most of the rebellion was chipped and under his control, including some of their most powerful members; Spinnerella, Mermista, Scorpia, and King Micah.

Horde Prime also set up a blockade around Etheria, but Melog's invisibility enabled Adora and the others to get through on Darla.

     When a dozen planets occupied by the Horde were revolting, "In the name of She-Ra," he became more determined than ever to use the power of the Heart to bring "peace" to all the universe. He realized that he heard the name Etheria once long ago, so he accessed the memories of a previous vessel, but found that the First Ones took their secrets with them when they were wiped out, so he had to look for other ways to access the super weapon.

     Eventually, Horde Prime appeared before Adora again in the Fright Zone, where he revealed he had viewed Hordak's research and found a way to activate the Heart of Etheria without She-Ra. He told Scorpia to kill Adora and Perfuma, but she was able to resist and intentionally miss them before Glimmer teleported them away. Prime was confused when Scorpia didn't make what he told her.

Horde Prime began the process of awakening the Heart of Etheria, beaming Entrapta to his ship just as she was about to deactivate his chips. When She-Ra was on her way to the Heart of Etheria to destroy it, Horde Prime sent a monster created by the First Ones for security reasons after her, forcing Shadow Weaver to self destruct to destroy it.

    Bow was able to deactivate Horde Prime's chips with Entrapta's program, releasing everyone from his control, then used his holograms to tell everyone to fight against him. Horde Prime ordered Hordak to kill Entrapta, but Hordak resisted Prime's control through his friendship and love for Entrapta and sent Prime falling into a pit. Prime survived by possessing Hordak immediately after and intended to unleash the Heart's full power even if it meant destroying himself as well. As the Heart of Etheria awakened, She-Ra was able to destroy it, absorbing its power, which she used to defeat the Horde. Even with his army defeated, Horde Prime said he would return, but She-Ra exorcised him from Hordak and destroyed him for good, ending his once-mighty evil empire forever and restoring peace to the universe.

## Quotes

"You miscalculated. I see all. I know all. You thought yourself worthy to challenge me, but you are nothing but a false hero, the last of the First Ones to fall at my hands"- to Adora, Save the Cat

"Rejoice, Etheria, for Prime has come to you."- Launch

"There is no darkness that my light cannot pierce, no distance that my hand cannot reach." - Corridors

"I am old, far older than you can imagine. My brothers lend me their life force, and when one vessel fails me, I simply elect another. Thus, Prime has reigned eternal through the centuries."-Save the Cat

## Trivia

* While Prime was present in the original 1985 TV series, neither his face nor his true appearance was never shown, just his voice and a large metallic hand while the rest was hidden in eerie black smoke with green spots glowing from it. This marks the first time Horde Prime's face makes an appearance in all related animated media.
* The fact that any Etherian can even breathe on Horde Prime's ship is a plot hole, as Hordak specifically had difficulties with Etheria's atmosphere, and Catra had difficulty breathing in a room where the atmosphere was adjusted to Hordak's. Perhaps that's Hordak's defection that made him unstenable to breath on Etheria.
* "Horde Prime has no space in his empire for individuality; everything needs to be a reflection of his own ego. Characters like Glimmer and Catra, who have been striving for self-individuation this whole time, to be told that 'you're both cogs in this machine and will be used to flatten the universe and make everything uniform,' I think that's the most horrifying thing they've been confronted with." quote from ND Stevenson.
* Horde Prime's personal flagship is called "The Velvet Glove" but is never called by name in the series, as told by Stevenson.
* Horde Prime's character is similar to that of *Frieza* from the *Dragonball* franchise as both are galactic tyrants who wiped out the vast majority of the protagonist's people and was ultimately defeated by a survivor. They also have similar voices and personalities and both suffer a villainous breakdown near the end of their arcs. The scene where Adora transforms into her new She-Ra form after Prime nearly kills Catra is reminiscent of the scene where Goku first goes Super Saiyan after Freiza kills his friend Krillin.
* Horde Prime is at least partially inspired by ND Stevenson's "religious trauma" he had when growing up. His cult is a twisted version of Christianity that "baptizes" its members into obedient tools and seeks to burn the entire universe with searing light.
* Horde Prime's clones call him Big Brother. Big Brother is also the name of a fictional character in the 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four who is the leader of a totalitarian state. In the novel, Big Brother is described to be always watching you, which is similar to Horde Prime, who keeps on saying he can see everything.
* He is also similar to Emperor Zarkon from *Voltron: Legendary Defender*, as both have succeeded in conquering their own universes, wiping out an alien race thought to be dead. Both killed by family members, Hordak and Lotor. However the two diverge in the fact that Horde Prime survived Hordak's attempt to kill him, whereas Zarkon did not survive being killed by Lotor.
* He also has similarities with several antagonists from the Star Trek franchise. His appearance (his exposed chest and hairstyle) resemble Khan Noonien Singh from Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, his voice being a bit similar to that of Ricardo Montalban. His cult leader persona and belief that he is somehow helping the universe is similar to Gul Dukat from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Lastly, his role as leader of a hive mind bears similarity to the Borg Queen from Star Trek: First Contact.
* A list of War Crimes committed by Horde Prime can be found here
* Horde Prime has the highest body count out of all the villains in the series, numbering in the billions.