Article contributed by Isabella Haberstock
After five successful seasons of the popular cartoon show Steven Universe, the creators of the show have decided to release a movie this fall. More and more information has been released about this upcoming movie in the past couple weeks, including posters, trailers, and lots of information from the cast and creators of the show. The released information is limited, but that hasn’t stopped fans of the show from coming up with tons of theories about the movie. The general plot of the movie still remains a mystery because this will be the beginning of a brand new storyline, including new characters and a new villain in a world where the Diamonds are finally on Steven’s side. Even if these theories just remain theories, this movie will still be Cartoon Network’s most ambitious project to date and it will not disappoint. The cast of the show has been fairly tight-lipped so far, but here are the main Steven Universe: The Movie theories and assumptions that the internet has compiled over the past couple weeks.
Steven’s New Powers
The Steven Universe movie takes place two years after the events of season 5, so Steven will be 16 years old. With this age change also came a change in Steven’s appearance. He physically looks older and taller, which has never happened before in the show. Fans have speculated that because Steven has changed, his powers could evolve or get stronger. So far in the series, we have discovered that Steven can summon a shield as a weapon, has healing powers, can float, form bubbles, and connect to other people telepathically. It is unclear how these existing powers will strengthen, and there is not much of a display of Steven’s powers in the trailer. However, this hasn’t stopped the internet from speculating about what Steven’s new powers are. The main theory is that now that Steven has come to terms with his identity as Pink Diamond, he will channel more of her powers. This could include being involved in the creation of gems, leading a colony of the newly healed corrupted gems, and changing form in a similar way to Rose Quartz. While this all would be very exciting to see on screen, none of these possible new powers have been confirmed.
The New Villain
The main villain of the Steven Universe movie has been revealed in the trailer and poster, but so much about her is still a mystery. We don’t know her name, but we can see that she has a pink gem, connecting her to Pink Diamond. Turning the Diamonds on his side was the end of a huge chapter of Steven’s life and the storyline of the show, so this villain will be completely new. It was speculated that her main motivation may be to create another Pink Diamond that will be better than Steven and the previous Pink Diamond. This Gem may not agree with the changes that were made to the Diamonds’ regime after Steven left Homeworld, and she could be trying to restore the Diamond authority. This theory is further explained by this Gem’s use of an injector. We have seen injectors before in places like the Kindergarten, where Gems are incubated in the ground so they can grow. The injectors at the Kindergarten, however, are much smaller in size compared to the injector seen in the movie trailer. This new injector was also filled with pink fluid, which suggests a pink Gem will be created. In the eyes of many Homeworld Gems, Pink Diamond was not a strong enough ruler to live up to her Diamond status, so the creation of a stronger Pink Diamond could revert Homeworld back to its old ways.
No Redemption Arc
Up until this point in Steven Universe, every villain has had some sort of redemption arc, but there is reason to believe that this new villain will not. With this theory, it is important to remember that previous villains have had some connection to Steven or Rose Quartz, making their conflicts more personal. This new villain has no known connection to Steven and seems to be a Homeworld extremist. After having redemption arcs for all of the Diamonds, it would not make sense for this unknown Gem to have the same storyline. It is pretty clear from the trailer that this Gem wants only destruction, so there will be no getting through to her. The main evidence for her lack of emotional connection comes from her gem. The gem itself is an upside-down heart, and its placement is right where her heart should be. The placement of a gem on the Gem’s body can tell you a lot about the Gem’s general personality, and this villain’s gem is clearly meant to signify a complete lack of emotion.
Destruction of Beach City
In the trailer, the villain’s pink injector is planted right in the middle of Beach City. If this Gem succeeds in using the injector to plant a new Gem in the ground, this will mean the permanent destruction of Beach City. In previous episodes that have taken place at the Kindergarten, it is said many times that new life will never grow there. Creating a Gem will take life and resources out of the host planet, which effectively prevents new life even thousands of years in the future. In the trailer, the damage caused by the injector already looks severe enough to destroy Beach City, probably with no way to repair it. This has been Steven’s home for the entire show and it is very familiar to the audience, but this whole movie is unfamiliar territory. Because of this, it wouldn’t be a total shock if Beach City was destroyed.
The New Crystal Gems
After the events of “Change Your Mind”, all of the corrupted Gems in earth were restored with the help of all of the Diamonds. Many of these Gems were former Crystal Gems and Homeworld soldiers who have been unaware of the past few thousand years of human and Gem history. Over the two years between the fifth season and the movie many of these Gems may have joined the Crystal Gems or returned to Homeworld, so it is safe to assume that Steven will have many new allies. We don’t know what their powers are or what role they will play in the storyline of the movie, but it will be exciting to see the expansion of the Crystal Gems.
New Fusions
Gem fusion has been a recurring theme in the show as it is supposed to represent the relationships that Gems form with each other. So far in the series, we have seen both healthy and unhealthy fusions, but most of the existing fusions were only introduced in “Change Your Mind”. In Steven Universe, new fusions are only introduced once or twice per season, but for a movie with tons of new characters, fans of the show are expecting to see lots of new fusions. The character that fans are most excited to see in a fusion is Peridot, who has never fused with any Gem and is scared of the idea of fusion. Because Steven is able to fuse with Connie, he may also fuse with Greg in the new movie. Greg has never really showed interest in fusions, however, so this theory is unlikely. In “Change Your Mind”, we saw Steven fuse with Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, but fans are anticipating fusions between the Crystal Gems and Stevonnie. None of the other Gems have ever fused with a human before, and it is now possible because of Steven.
Steven Universe: The Movie premieres September 2nd.
Whoa, you were way off on all theories.
However, your theories would have been much better than the actual movie.