If you grew up in the eighties, you remember the hair. You remember the neon. But if you’re trying to remember the catra she ra original version from the 1985 Filmation series, your brain might be playing tricks on you. People talk about Catra like she's this deep, tortured soul because of the Netflix reboot. She wasn't. Honestly, the original Catra was basically a mean girl with a magic mask and a really cool transformation sequence. She wasn't Adora’s tragic best friend. She was just a villain who wanted to be the boss.
The 1980s were a weird time for Saturday morning cartoons. Everything was a toy commercial. She-Ra: Princess of Power was a spin-off of He-Man, and Catra was designed by Mattel to be the "evil" counterpart to the dolls. While the modern version of the character is a masterclass in psychological trauma, the original was a jealous monarch. That’s it.
The Catra She Ra Original Design Was Actually Kind of Genius
Let’s talk about the mask. In the 80s, Catra’s power came from a magical mask she stole from the Queen of the Magicats. It gave her the ability to transform into a purple panther. It’s funny because, in the original show, she didn't have cat ears or a tail in her human form. She was just a woman in a red cape and a silver mask that looked a bit like a feline face. When she pulled that mask down over her eyes, she became a beast.
It was simple. Effective.
Mattel wanted to sell toys, so they gave her a "scratching" action feature. The catra she ra original figure even had real rooted hair, which was a big deal for action figures at the time. Most of the boys' toys had molded plastic hair, but Catra had this long, flowing black mane you could actually brush. It created this weird crossover appeal between the "doll" market and the "action figure" market.
Melendy Britt voiced her. She gave Catra this purring, aristocratic snarl that made her sound more like a disgruntled duchess than a soldier. She wasn't a "Force Captain" in the way we think of it now. She was more like a high-ranking member of the Evil Horde who spent most of her time trying to outmaneuver Shadow Weaver or Hordak himself.
She Wasn't Adora's Best Friend (Seriously)
This is the biggest misconception. If you only know the 2018 DreamWorks version, you probably think Catra and Adora grew up together in a desperate, abusive cycle.
Nope.
In the 1985 series, they barely had a relationship. Catra was just another baddie. When Adora defected to join the Great Rebellion, Catra didn't feel betrayed. She felt an opportunity. She wanted Adora’s job. She wanted the power. There was no "Promise" or childhood trauma. It was just professional rivalry mixed with a bit of genuine malice.
The catra she ra original version was actually the "Captain of the Force" before Adora in some lore bits, but mostly she was just a recurring antagonist who failed every week. She had a group of lackeys like Entrapta (who was a villain back then!) and Clawdeen. And no, Clawdeen wasn't a person. Clawdeen was a pink lion. Because why not? It was the 80s.
The Magicat Backstory You Probably Missed
While the show didn't do much with her past, the Masters of the Universe lore went a bit deeper. Catra wasn't just a random human. She was the "Queen of the Magicats." According to the episode "Magicats," she gained her powers by betraying her own people. She stole the mask from Queen La-See.
This makes her way more of a traditional fantasy villain. She’s a usurper. A thief.
She wasn't looking for redemption. Catra loved being evil. She enjoyed the Horde’s power. There’s something refreshing about that simplicity, even if it lacks the emotional weight we expect from modern storytelling. She was a woman who saw a magical artifact, took it, and used it to turn into a giant purple cat so she could scratch She-Ra’s face off. It’s straightforward.
Comparing the 1985 Catra to Modern Interpretations
If you look at the catra she ra original through a 2026 lens, she feels like a caricature. But in 1985, she was one of the few female villains who felt truly independent. Unlike Evil-Lyn over in He-Man, who was often just Skeletor’s second-in-command, Catra often ran her own schemes. She had her own castle! It was called Cat's Lair. (Originality wasn't exactly the goal here).
The original Catra also had a weirdly specific weakness. If you took her mask, she lost her powers. She was basically just a lady in a swimsuit without it. This led to a lot of "damsel in distress" moments that modern fans find annoying, but it was a staple of the era's writing.
- 1985 Catra: Royal, jealous, magic-based, owns a pink lion.
- 2018 Catra: Soldier, traumatized, biological cat-features, deeply codependent.
The shift from "magic mask" to "half-humanoid cat" is the most striking visual change. In the original, she was 100% human-looking until she transformed. The reboot made her a different species entirely.
Why We Still Talk About the Original Version
Honestly? It's the aesthetic.
The catra she ra original design has this iconic 80s "Sectaurs" and "Thundercats" vibe. It’s campy. It’s over-the-top. Collectors still pay hundreds of dollars for a mint-in-box 1985 Catra figure. They aren't doing it because they love her character arc. They’re doing it because that silver mask and red cape look incredible on a shelf.
There’s also the nostalgia factor for the "Style Guide" art. The illustrations used for lunchboxes and coloring books in the 80s gave Catra this fierce, predatory look that the limited animation of the TV show couldn't always capture. She looked dangerous.
What Most People Get Wrong About Her Rank
People call her "Force Captain Catra" because of the new show. In the original series, that title wasn't really used the same way. Hordak had plenty of minions, and while Catra was high up, she was often depicted as a leader of her own faction that just happened to work with the Horde.
She was more of a "Mercenary Queen" than a "Force Captain."
The dynamics of the Horde were way more fluid. One week she’d be taking orders from Hordak, the next she’d be trying to overthrow him with the help of a giant spider-woman (Entrapta). It was chaotic.
How to Experience the Original Today
If you want to see the catra she ra original in action, you can’t just go in expecting Game of Thrones. You have to embrace the cheese. The episodes are mostly standalone. There is no overarching plot about her relationship with Adora.
Instead, look for the episodes where she interacts with the other members of the "Evil Horde." You’ll see a version of Catra who is confident, arrogant, and genuinely funny in her failures.
Actionable Insights for Collectors and Fans
If you're looking to dive into the world of the 1985 original, here’s how to do it without getting overwhelmed by the 40 years of lore:
- Watch the "Magicats" Episode First: This is the only real "origin" story she gets. It explains the mask and her connection to the feline world. It's the closest thing to character development the original writers ever gave her.
- Focus on the Toy Variants: If you're collecting, know that there are different versions of the Catra figure. The "Scratchin' Sound" Catra and the "Shower Power" Catra are the big ones. The "Shower Power" version is actually harder to find in good condition because... well, kids put it in water.
- Read the Mini-Comics: Every original toy came with a small comic book. These often had better writing than the TV show. They portrayed Catra as a much more serious threat and gave more context to her rivalry with the other princesses of Etheria.
- Check Out the UK Magazines: In the 80s, the UK had a She-Ra magazine that ran original stories. These stories were often darker and gave Catra a bit more edge than the US cartoon permitted.
The original Catra might not have the emotional complexity of her successor, but she paved the way. She was a woman who didn't need a redemption arc. She was happy with her mask, her pink lion, and her quest for power. Sometimes, that's enough for a great villain.
To truly understand the history, find a copy of the 1984 Mattel Style Guide. It contains the original concept art that defined the look of Etheria before the animators got their hands on it. Seeing the raw sketches of Catra reveals a character that was meant to be much more feral than the polished version we eventually saw on screen. Search for archived PDF versions on fan sites like He-Man.org to see the notes from the designers. That’s where the real history of the character lives.