Trap Jaw



Trap Jaw is a character from the popular Masters of the Universe toy line and accompanying cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. A member of the Evil Warriors, he is a cyborg with a mechanical, sharp-toothed jaw with a deadly bite, and a robotic arm onto which he can slot a wide range of different weapons. He also has a loop in his helmet, which he can use to slide down wires. Contents [show]Character historyEditToy line/Mini-comicsEditAfter the initial seven figures of the Masters of the Universe line, Trap Jaw was one of the first characters to be added to the line. According to the line's creator Roger Sweet he was inspired by the character Jaws from the film Moonraker, although many also speculate his design stems from the character of Iron Jaw from Mattel's earlier toy line Big Jim, to whom Trap Jaw bears more than a passing resemblance. The first story to feature him is the mini-comic "The Menace of Trap Jaw", packaged with his action figure, which portrays him as a psychotic criminal from another dimension, notably seen here with a green body instead of his regular blue, whom Skeletor accidentally brings back with him on a return journey from the alien dimension. Trap Jaw lands inside Castle Grayskull and manages to harness the castle's power, almost enabling him to defeat He-Man. He-Man and Skeletor make an unprecedented effort to combine their powers, joining each half of the Sword of Power, yet holding on together. After the power is swiped back, Skeletor takes the injured Trap Jaw with him as a new servant. Despite being a semi-regular on the cartoon, Trap-Jaw only had one more major role in a mini-comic (The Tale of Teela) and two minor appearances (Masks of Power and Double-Edged Sword). The cartoonEditTrap Jaw is introduced into the toy line's accompanying cartoon series by Filmation, in the show's pilot episode "Diamond Ray of Disappearance" in which Skeletor describes him as a 'wizard of weapons'. He goes on to become one of the most frequently used villains of the series, usually paired alongside Beast-Man. His Added by Blackpillcharacter portrayal is significantly toned down from the psychotic mass murderer of the mini-comics to render him more suitable for a younger audience. He is therefore portrayed generally as bold but coarse, bumbling, and incompetent, one of the least intelligent of Skeletor's warriors, played mostly for laughs. However, he still has his moments in the spotlight, most notably in the episode "Double-Edged Sword", in which he goes after the mineral Eternium, Eternia's most powerful mineral which powers the Royal Kingdom, and eats it, giving him power equal to that of He-Man. He also occasionally shows mechanical expertise. Trap Jaw is one of the few characters who was not designed by Filmation to appear symmetrical, allowing the animation cells to be flipped over when needed, saving animation costs. Given this, it is maybe surprising that he appears as often as he does. However, very occasionally, his mechanical arm can be seen on the wrong side of his body.[1] In the series bible, Trap-Jaw was a criminal, who became stranded on Infinita, and fell under the command of Skeletor.[1] He and Beast-Man were originally intended to appear in the episode "Capture the Comet Keeper" working for Skeletor but they were replaced with Two-Bad since Mattel wanted to put an emphasis on the newer characters. 2002 seriesEdit Added by Kup-is-dionTrap JawTrap-JawAdded by YoukoTaichou KronisAdded by YoukoTaichou is used in the 2002 relaunch of the Masters of the Universe toy line and cartoon series. His appearance is slightly modified to appear more menacing, although strangely in the cartoon his metal jaw is not actually part of his body, but is being worn over a normal jaw. Although his appearance may have been more intimidating, his character portrayal is generally in-keeping with his 1980s counterpart and the cartoon portrays him mostly as another of Skeletor's bumbling assistants. His biggest role is in the episode "Trust", which makes links with the classic episode "Double-Edged Sword", featuring Trap Jaw again heading after the mineral Eternium to gain invincibility. The cartoon's accompanying comic series features a background story for Trap Jaw, revealing him to have once been a blue-skinned criminal named Kronis who was injured in the fight against the Council of Elders. His damaged body was repaired by Skeletor and Tri-Klops who turned him into the being he is today, and after the damage he suffered at Skeletor's hands he has remained loyal to him ever since. The cartoon shows him in his original form of Kronis twice: first at the beginning of the show's pilot episode, then in flashback in the episode "The Price of Deceit". The new toyline also features a repaint of Trap Jaw, with a green torso and a silvery mechanical arm. This look may well have been inspired by Trap Jaw's almost identical appearance in the original line's mini comic "The Menace Of Trap Jaw". Masters of the Universe ClassicsEditA line of toys that were debuted in 2008 to be sold exclusively on Mattel's collector website. Sculpted by the 4 Trap jaw by Dave RapozaAdded by BlackpillHorsemen these toys are updated versions of everyone's favorite Masters characters. In February 2010, Trap Jaw will be released as Matty Collectors figure for the month on Mattel's website. He will be an updated version of his '80's counter part but will include a bonus "Kronis" head & arm inspired by the 200x origin story.PortrayalEditIn the original TV series, Trap Jaw is portrayed by producer and voice actor Lou Scheimer, who also voiced many other important characters in the series. In the 2002 relaunch, Trap Jaw's voice was provided by veteran voice actor Paul Dobson. Trap Jaw does not appear in the Masters of the Universe film. However, there is another cyborg, Saurod, who might be inspired by Trap Jaw. It has also been speculated that the character of Karg may have replaced Trap-Jaw in the script due to his hooked hand.