Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe shocked folks Wednesday night when one of the main characters proposed to another.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Warning: Major spoilers for Steven Universe follow.
Specifically, Ruby proposed to Sapphire after a Western-style trek to find herself. As fans know, Ruby and Sapphire are the two Gems that fuse to become Garnet, and are rarely separated. That all changed follow the events of episodes that aired in May.
After “Can’t Go Back” and “A Single Pale Rose” revealed that Pink Diamond hadn’t actually been shattered, but instead morphed into Rose Quartz, leader of the Crystal Gems, Garnet unfused into her two component Gems. The revelation that they had been lied to for ages was too much, and both halves needed time to wrestle with it.
In the video above, which was part of Wednesday’s episode, “The Question”, Ruby finally comes to terms with the fact that she wasn’t just told she should be with Sapphire — she wants to be with Sapphire. With a little help from Steven, Ruby ends up proposing on the beach, and Sapphire accepts.
“I wanted to really create an image of a queer couple that makes sense together,” show creator Rebecca Sugar told Variety of the pairing. “Usually the couple is a man and a woman. But you don’t show that love can exist between two men or two women. I wanted to create equal-opportunity love stories for children.”
The current arc, “The Heart of the Crystal Gems”, is airing this week until Friday. It’s unclear when the series will return next, but a DVD of this arc specifically will go on sale August 14th.
