The history of Horde Prime from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.
Past[]
Many centuries ago, Horde Prime sought to conquer the universe and bring it into his "eternal light", justifying his actions with the claim that it was the only way to achieve ultimate peace. To this end, he created a massive clone army using his genetic material. To ensure his clones were obedient, Prime implanted all of them with cybernetics that connected them into a hive mind under his control, permitting . Through the hive mind, Prime essentially became immortal, as he would easily transfer his consciousness into a fresh clone body anytime his current body broke down or aged.
Horde Prime embarked upon a mass conquest of the universe. After conquering his first planet, Prime took the planet's prized treasure, a glass orb, as a souvenir. He would later consider the orb to be his favorite trophy amongst his collection of artifacts and objects taken from conquests. Eventually, Prime had the entire world's population killed before continuing on his conquest.
From then on, Horde Prime would go on to successfully conquer countless worlds and eventually entire galaxies with his vast army. During this period, one of his clones gained enough of his favor to become Prime's top general. This unnamed clone was later be known as Hordak and Prime gave him the nickname "little brother".
About a thousand years prior to the series, Horde Prime came into conflict with a rival race of conquerors known as the First Ones. They fought each other in a devastating war, which Prime ultimately won. He then dismantled the First Ones' empire and wiped out most of their race.
During his war with the First Ones, Horde Prime invaded Krytis, a planet with powerful magic that the First Ones were attempting to harness. Prime defeated to colony stationed there, but was unable to conquer Krytis, as he had no method of countering the planet's wild magic. He soon gave up and left, but not before having nearly every living being on Krytis killed. A magical creature named Melog was the only survivor of Horde Prime's massacre, claiming to have driven the galactic emperor off.
Decades prior to the series, Horde Prime had Hordak demoted and cast out. Hordak believed that he was punished due to his genetic defects. In reality, Hordak had developed free will and became independent of the clone hive mind. Unwilling to allow his clones to possess free will, Prime sent Hordak on a suicide mission to the front lines. After Hordak disappeared into a mysterious portal during the middle of a battle, Horde Prime assumed the defective clone had perished and continued to rule his empire for decades.
At an unknown point in time, Horde Prime ravaged and destroyed the Star Siblings' planet, forcing them to flee. He also attacked a crystal planet that had served as a refugee center for those fleeing from him.
Season 3[]
Horde Prime is first mentioned in the episode "Huntara", where his silhouette is seen as part of Hordak's flashback. It's revealed that Hordak's true goal was to use a portal machine to contact Horde Prime and summon reinforcements to crush the Rebellion.
Horde Prime makes his first cameo appearance at the end of the season finale "Portal". His left hand is shown as he receives Hordak's transmission in his throne room. It's then shown that Horde Prime was aboard his flagship, the Velvet Glove, with his armada having just finished shattering a planet into fragments.
Season 4[]
Horde Prime is mentioned throughout the fourth season as Hordak and Catra prepare for his arrival attempting to destroy the Rebellion.
He's mentioned in the episode "The Coronation". Hordak was initially uninterested in continuing the Horde's war against the Rebellion since Horde Prime had already received his transmission. At the end of the episode, Catra convinces Hordak to launch a new offensive against the Rebellion by pointing out that Horde Prime would not tolerate Hordak's current failure to conquer Etheria.
Horde Prime makes a cameo at the end of "Mer-Mysteries". The lower half of his face is shown as his armada gathers around the Velvet Glove.
Despite receiving Hordak's transmission, Horde Prime was unable to find the planet where the message came from.
Horde Prime on his throne.
He makes his first full appearance in the Season 4 finale "Destiny Part 2". After Light Hope activates the Heart of Etheria and transports Etheria out of Despondos, Etheria's magic is detected by the Horde armada. Investigating the anomaly, Horde Prime discovers the planet Etheria. Having finally tracked down Hordak, Prime teleports Hordak into his throne room while deploying his fleet to secure the planet.
Upon reuniting with Hordak, he attempts to read the clone's mind and discovers that Hordak had not only built his own empire but at one point wished Prime would never find him. Enraged by this discovery, Horde Prime wipes Hordak's mind and orders his guards to have him "reconditioned". After dealing with Hordak, he introduces himself to Queen Glimmer, who had inadvertently been teleported alongside Hordak. He falsely assures Glimmer that he is only interested in peace before revealing that he intends to cover up Hordak's embarrassing failure by destroying Etheria.
Horde Prime quickly changes his mind after being told by Catra (who had also been teleported with Hordak and Glimmer, yet remained hidden until then) that the planet Etheria was, in reality, an ancient superweapon. Impressed by the Heart of Etheria's power, he declares his intention to use the weapon to spread his rule across the entire universe and welcomes Glimmer and Catra as servants to his empire.
Season 5[]
Following the previous season, Horde Prime imprisoned Glimmer in a cell aboard the Velvet Glove and gave Catra access to most of his ship, albeit under constant surveillance, making her his unofficial right-hand cat-woman. He conquered Etheria with relative ease and made his existence known to the planet's inhabitants. His armies forced the Rebellion to abandon Bright Moon and hide in the Whispering Woods under a magic cloaking spell. During Prime's invasion, his fleet landed large spires on Etheria's surface, which acted as communication hubs and military bases for the Galactic Horde's armies.
Holding Glimmer and Catra Prisoner[]
In his titular episode, "Horde Prime", he is shown in his throne room viewing footage of the Princesses destroying his robotic soldiers. Upon seeing an image of Adora, he wonders who she is. Later, he summons Catra to his throne room, but when she enters his throne room, he is busy reviewing Hordak's memories and returns to his sentences just as Catra is scrutinising him. Knowing of Catra's previous betrayals and deceptions from Hordak's memories, Prime ponders what he should do with her, rising to his feet and approaching Catra, who nervously backs away. Catra attempts to prevent Prime from killing her by claiming that she alone knows how to operate the Heart of Etheria. Horde Prime then questions with a smile if Catra is willing to pledge her loyalty to him, placing a hand on her should and tightening it briefly as he questions her. Catra responds by affirming her loyalty to Prime.
During the Horde's attack on the rebel camp, Prime summons Glimmer and Catra to have dinner with them. Arriving seconds later, Prime expressed his hope Glimmer was feeling comfortable, declaring that he ensured his "guests" were well treated and telling the disheveled queen he believed the two could learn much from the other. As they eat, Prime informs Glimmer that the dish she's being served as the first course is considered a rare delicacy. He explains that this is because he destroyed the distant planet (which he claimed was greatly like Etheria) where the dish was originally served, much to Glimmer's horror, before inquiring if Glimmer wished for seconds, though she declined. He then uses the dining room's giant monitor screen to show Glimmer footage from his army's attack on the Rebellion's base in an alleged wish to show Glimmer her home. He draws attention to Adora and the other Princesses and threatens to kill them unless Glimmer gives him the information he wants, declaring that Adora was the rally point for rebellion. Glimmer gives in to his threats just as the death blow is about to be given and convinces Prime to spare Adora by explaining that She-Ra is the only one capable of controlling the Heart of Etheria. Pleased, Horde Prime orders his soldiers to stand down, giving the Princesses the opportunity to regroup and flee. Prime thanks Glimmer for her cooperation and tells her to enjoy her dinner.
After Glimmer is escorted out of the dining room, Catra compliments Horde Prime for his ruthlessness and mocks the Princesses for being predictable due to their emotions. Prime responds coldly by pointing out that Catra had a similar emotional response to the image of Adora, who she inevitably showed her concern for. He talks about how Catra's emotional connections make her weak, despite Catra's objections that her once best friend meant nothing to her anymore. When Catra asks what is going to happen to her, Horde Prime notes that Catra is no longer of use to him since he now knows how to activate the Heart of Etheria. Prime reveals that he already knew Catra was lying when she claimed to have knowledge of the Heart. Despite this, he assures Catra that he still has a use for her, calling her his "little sister".
At the beginning of the episode "Launch", Horde Prime uses his spires to project gigantic holograms of himself. Through his holograms, he gives a speech in which he demands to be givens She-Ra. Prime's transmission is seen by people all across the planet, including the Whispering Woods, Salineas, Elberon, the Crimson Waste, and Seaworthy.
When one of Prime's clones discovers Catra is talking to Glimmer against his order, the clone begins to insult Catra, only to be interrupted by Prime possessing his body. Through his clone's body, Prime warns Catra not to disobey him and reminds her that "Prime sees all" and encouraging her to run along. He then leaves the clone's body and has the clone remove Glimmer from her prison cell, while Catra looked on disconcerted.
Horde Prime has Glimmer brought to his trophy room, where he shows off souvenirs from his previous conquests. He is accused of being a destroyer by Glimmer, to which he responds by calling it a necessary evil, comparing the process of destroying worlds to burning away weeds. He then shows Glimmer the crown jewel of his collection: a large glass orb taken from the very first world that he conquered and destroyed. Prime tries to convince Glimmer to help him find She-Ra by claiming that he only wants to use the Heart of Etheria to create peace. Glimmer tries to change Prime's mind by explaining how activating the Heart could potentially wipe out all life in the universe. However, he reveals that he is fully aware of the Heart's true nature and intends to use it to cleanse the universe so he can rebuild it in his image.
Prime points out that his goal is no different from Glimmer's own attempt to use the Heart. To coerce Glimmer, he shows her footage of her father Micah, much to Glimmer's shock as she had believed her father was dead. He offers to reunite Glimmer with her long-lost father in exchange for her help. Glimmer responds by destroying Prime's favorite trophy and declares that she will never help him, nor will Prime ever win. He has his clones escort her back to her cell.
In the episode "Corridors", Horde Prime is having several of his clones survey their "little sister" under the pretense of the clones being stationed to provide Catra - Prime's "honored guest" - with whatever comfort she needed. Later, he has Catra and Hordak brought to his ship's cloning facility, where a large group of his clones has gathered. There, he explains to Catra that he detected a First Ones' starship leaving Etheria, but was unable to track it due to the ship's ancient design. He questions Catra as to how She-Ra could have gained access to a starship. Catra feigns ignorance and states that she is not friends with Adora, thus not being privy to her plans. Prime, however, notes that Catra has been trying to protect Adora and points out how she had been speaking with Glimmer behind his back. Taking advantage of Catra's newfound and growing friendship with Glimmer, he orders her to manipulate Glimmer into revealing any information she may know about She-Ra's starship. Catra protests that Glimmer doesn't trust her enough to reveal any vital information, which Horde Prime doubts. Catra further insists that Adora is her enemy and that if she could help Prime defeat Adora she would have already done so. However, Horde Prime sees the inner turmoil that Catra is going through thanks to her past with Adora and pities her emotional instability provoked by Adora, Scorpia and all those she cared for deserting her.
He offers to show Catra a way to be free of her emotional pain and uses Hordak as a demonstration. He orders Hordak to step forward and notes that Catra has spoken with Hordak earlier that day. He asks Hordak what Catra had said to him. Hordak responds by admitting that Catra had given him a name and begs Prime to rid him of his "affliction". Horde Prime and his clones then engage in a ritual, during which Hordak is submerged in a pool and shocked with electricity. This process wipes Hordak's mind and after Hordak reemerges from the pool, Prime declares him to be the purest amongst his clones, to the fanatic approval of his other clones. Horde Prime then repeats his previous order to Catra with the implication that he will subject Catra to a similar punishment should she refuse.
After Catra helps Glimmer escape, Horde Prime has her dragged into his throne room. He notes that following Glimmer's escape, She-Ra's ship has changed course. Nevertheless, Prime is determined to capture She-Ra 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 repeating her former master's 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.
Brainwashing Catra and Meeting Adora[]
Following this, Horde Prime had Catra subjected to the same ritual that he put Hordak through and implanted a control chip to the back of her neck. This gave Prime full access to Catra's memories and put her under control of his hive mind.
He is mentioned in the episode "Stranded". When Adora and her friends are forced to land on a desolate planet in search of fuel crystals for their ship, they discover that the planet had been decimated by Horde Prime's forces in the distant past. They also encounter the Star Siblings who explain how Prime had destroyed their world.
In the episode "Save the Cat", Horde Prime finally meets Adora face-to-face. As part of her plan to rescue Catra, Adora piloted her ship into the Velvet Gloves hanger and seemingly surrendered herself. This was meant to serve as a distraction while Bow, Entrapta, and Glimmer infiltrated Prime's ship to find Catra and disable the ship's server room. However, Prime was fully aware of their plan and had Adora brought to his throne room.
As Adora entered his throne room, Prime was hooked up to various tubes that rejuvenated his body. Excusing himself for the unseemingly state of his body, Prime explains to Adora that the procedure is necessary to preserve his current vessel. Adora then makes her demands: release Catra or she will use the Heart of Etheria to destroy him and his empire. Prime is able to tell that Adora is bluffing and laughs off her empty threat, pointing out that if she had access to the Heart's power, she would have already used it. Additionally, he points out that even if Adora did have control over the Heart, she would never risk harming Catra. Adora warns him that he has no idea what she is capable of. Prime responds that contrary to what she thinks, he knows everything about her. He then reveals to her that he fought the First Ones in the distant past and brags about how he defeated their once-mighty empire.
At this point, Prime jams all communications between Adora and her friends, preventing her from calling for help. As he walks past a stunned Adora, Prime expresses mild surprise that a faction of the First Ones had somehow escaped his genocide. He wonders why Adora would serve the FIrst Ones, pointing out that they abandoned her in Despondos and made her into a living weapon. Adora asserts that she only fights for her home and her friends, rather than for the First Ones. When Adora demands to know where Catra is, Horde Prime mockingly explains that he figured Adora wouldn't abandon Catra and that all he needed to do was wait for Adora to try rescuing her. Calling Adora "predictable", he beckons for a brainwashed Catra to come forth and reveals her state as an emotionless drone to Adora's horror.
When Adora demands to know what Prime had done to Catra, he explains that he removed all of Catra's emotional pain, thus bringing her to his "light". As Catra professes her loyalty to Horde Prime, Prime offers to make a deal with Adora: Give him She-Ra's power and he will release Catra from his control. Adora adamantly refuses, leading Prime to cause Adora and her friends' earpieces to emit a painful screech. He then has his clones sent after Bow, Entrapta, and Glimmer. As he stands above Adora, Prime tells her that she miscalculated and gloats that she never stood a chance of beating him. He goads Adora to transform into She-Ra and strike him down. Glancing at Catra, he instead decides to force Adora to fight her former best friend and leaves the throne room to give Adora and Catra time to "catch up" with each other.
During Adora and Catra's brawl, Prime takes control of Catra's body and questions how much longer Adora will resist. Dangling Adora over a pit, he further mocks her by musing whether he should make Catra into his newest vessel. He then allows a still brainwashed Catra to take back control of her body and continue fighting Adora. Prime is suddenly cut off from his hive mind when Glimmer destroys the main server room of the Velvet Glove. This briefly frees Catra from Prime's control and she shares a moment with Adora where Catra's best friend vows to take her home. However, Prime quickly regains control and he decides to make Adora suffer even further by forcing Catra to topple off the throne platform to her death. As Prime forces Catra to slowly walk towards the edge of the platform, he subjects her to painful electric shocks caused by her control chip. Despite Catra's attempt to resist, Horde Prime once again gains control over her body. Declaring Catra to be a disappointment, he shocks Catra's body with enough electricity that she faints and falls off the platform, causing Adora to jump in after her.
Following this, Horde Prime possesses a clone and leads a squad of clones to search for Adora. He and his clones find Adora and Catra at the bottom of his throne room's pit and surround them. As he watches an injured Adora crying over the cradled form of Catra's unconscious body, Prime tells her that it didn't have to come to this and asks her again to cooperate. At that point, Adora regains access to She-Ra's powers and transforms, much to the shock of Horde Prime and his clones. Horde Prime's clones prove to be no match for She-Ra and are quickly defeated. As Horde Prime briefly possesses the body of one of his defeated clones, he glares at She-Ra who tells him that he miscalculated, repeating his earlier words to her. At that point, Prime loses his connection to the clone's body and watches from a secure room as the room's monitor shuts down.
Gaining Control over the Heart of Etheria[]
His final appearance is in the series finale "Heart Part 2". After Bow uploads Entrapta's computer virus into Prime's control chip network, everyone previously under Horde Prime's control is freed. This angers Horde Prime, who orders all of his clone battalions to be deployed. He then watches Bow's transmission to all of Etheria rallying the entire planet to unite against the Galactic Horde. This further enrages Prime, who orders his forces to wipe out every rebel.
After Catra temporarily stuns the guardian of the Heart of Etheria, Horde Prime's hive mind is shown hacking into the surrounding area. A hologram of Horde Prime blocks Catra from following Adora and taunts her. This distracts Catra long enough for the guardian to recover and attack her once again. As the guardian prepares to kill Catra, Horde Prime's hologram mocks Catra's sacrifice, gloating that the Heart of Etheria is almost under his control and that Adora will die. As he watches the guardian about to eat Catra, they are interrupted by Shadow Weaver, who blasts the guardian away with her dark magic. Horde Prime's hologram then vanishes as Shadow Weaver continues to keep the guardian at bay. Back in his throne room, Horde Prime is shocked as he receives reports of his forces being overrun all across Etheria.
When Adora and Catra finally reach the Heart of Etheria, Horde Prime's hive mind is seen spreading to the Heart. Due to an injury inflicted by the guardian, Adora is unable to transform into She-Ra, preventing her from destroying the Heart and allowing for Prime's hive mind to hack into the Heart of Etheria. Upon gaining control of the Heart, Horde Prime proclaims his victory. He is begged by Entrapta not to use the Heart and told that activating it would wipe out both him and the entire universe. Prime callously disregards Entrapta's warnings and orders Hordak to kill her.
However, Hordak hesitates due to his love for Entrapta. Annoyed at Hordak's hesitation, Prime repeats his order, only for Hordak to turn his energy cannon upon Prime instead. Horde Prime is then shot by Hordak's arm cannon, which knocks him through his throne room's giant monitor display. He is lifted from his neck by Hordak, who declares his independence from Prime and rejects Prime as his master. Horde Prime is then dropped by Hordak into a pit and falls to his apparent demise.
However, this was not the end of Horde Prime. Despite the destruction of his physical form, Prime's consciousness was still connected to his hive mind. Thus, he then possesses Hordak's body through the clone's connection to his hive mind. After possessing Hordak's body, Horde Prime is driven insane and decides to use the Heart of Etheria to destroy all of existence, including himself.
Defeat and Death[]
Horde Prime grabs Entrapta by her hair and teleports to Etheria's surface on a cliff overlooking the battle between his clones and the Princesses. As he activates the Heart of Etheria, Prime proclaims the death of all his enemies and declares that once the universe is wiped out, there will be peace. As he watches the ground be consumed by the Heart's energy, Horde Prime gloats his victory. However, the Heart of Etheria suddenly shuts down, thanks to Adora and Catra. As the Heart's magic is freed, Prime watches as the magic from the Heart restores life to the ground and causes greenery to grow everywhere. He watches as She-Ra uses the magic from the Heart to transform the Velvet Glove into a giant tree. As life continues to spread across the planet, Horde Prime is confronted by Adora. Horde Prime proclaims his invincibility and promises to rise again, only for Adora to prove him wrong by using her magic to destroy Prime's soul, freeing Hordak from Prime's control and killing Horde Prime once and for all.