Buzz-Off

Buzz-Off
Buzz-Off as depicted in the 1980s series
Portrayed by	Alan Oppenheimer - 1983 & Brian Dobson - 2002
Information
Alignment	Good
Affiliations	He-Man
Powers/skills	His insect visor enables him to see his environment as an insect would Flight
Weapons	Axe

Buzz-Off is a fictional character from the popular Masters of the Universe franchise. He is a humanoid bee, and comes from a race of Bee People based in the Mystic Mountains. In the 2002 series the Bee People are given the name Andreenids.

He was originally tagged by Mattel as "Heroic Spy in the Sky", he serves He-Man and the Heroic Warriors primarily as a spy. He occasionally wears a pair of insect visors which give him insect vision as opposed to human.

Character history

1980s

Buzz-Off was introduced into the Masters of the Universe toy line in 1984. He appears in four episodes of the cartoon series by Filmation.

2002 series

Buzz-Off features in the 2002 relaunch of the Masters of the Universe toy line, and its accompanying cartoon series. His personality is developed significantly in this contemporary incarnation, and his image is also redesigned to appear more insect-like.

The leader of the Andreenids, Buzz-Off is presented as a sullen, independent and distrustful character, easily suspicious of others. He and his people are introduced in the episode "Sky War" in which he initially refuses to ally with the Masters, feeling his people are too strong and independent to need allies. His people produce a powerful substance called Ambrosia, which is stolen by Skeletor to enhance his power. After being manipulated by Skeletor into entering a war with Stratos and his Bird People, Buzz-Off is finally convinced of the danger Skeletor poses to Eternia and agrees to join the Masters.

Buzz-Off's most significant appearances includes "Siren's Song", in which tensions fly between him and Ram-Man as the Masters attempt to identify a traitor within their ranks. Ram-Man is suspicious of Buzz-Off due to Buzz-Off's distrustful nature and his refusal to swear an oath to protect Castle Grayskull.

Another major appearance for Buzz-Off is "Buzz-Off's Pride" in which he suffers a humiliating defeat at the hands of three giants on his journey to a village for a gift for his queen. Returning to protect the village from the giants, Buzz-Off initially refuses to call upon the help of his heroic allies due to fear that his defeat would hurt his pride.

His race also comes under attack in season 2's "Web of Evil" in which their Ambrosia is stolen, first by Webstor, and subsequently the Snake Men. Presented as a headstrong and independent character whose main weakness is his ego and suspicious nature, Buzz-Off receives a substantial development from his one-dimensional portrayal of the 1980s.

Other significant members of Buzz-Off's race from the 2002 series include his General, Stingrad, and the Andreenid Queen.

References