Steven Universe: Arkham Edition - EXTRAS

Why I love Spinel as a Villain

Spoilers to Steven Universe: Arkham Edition, Steven Universe: The Animated Series & Steven Universe AU 3 by Samuel152

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This one is kinda a mix between Arkham Edition and Steven Universe: The Animated Series, and Steven Universe AU 3 by Samuel152.

A theme I really wanted to do in Arkham Edition was make Spinel a permanent villain that would always try to kill Steven - even though it's actually not possible. What I'm talking about is what if the Valentine's Day arc ended differently?

What if Spinel didn't die and she never made up with Steven during their last fight?

What would happen if Steven just apprehended her and delivered her to the penitentiary like he does for everyone else?

I know one thing: it would further cause her to hate Steven for locking her away in a cell as punishment for threatening the Earth. 

What I told you that I would like the dynamic between Steven and Spinel as a hero/villain type of thing?

Well, you're about to find out why I do.

I'm going to be honest with you, when I watched the movie for the first time, I made lots of theories before the story debunked them for me.

Before the concept of rejuvenation was explained to me, I thought that Spinel was a rare gem that had a split personality disorder that would switch from a happy side to an evil side every time she was poofed (don't asked me why I thought of that, I was stupid). 

Another theory is that I thought Spinel was gonna be the Joker of the Steven Universe series - as in, she would basically be that one villain whose evil for the sake of being evil and laughs while she does it.

The type of character who would want to see the world burn for a punchline.

Obviously, we didn't get that. Instead, we got a compelling backstory that made us sympathize with her (and brought in countless fans that didn't even watch the original show prior to the movie). But that doesn't quite mean we can't write fanfiction for that, right?

I never, ever saw a single story about Steven and Spinel sharing the hero/villain dynamics and it kinda upsets me. They have SO MUCH potential of being in a hero/villain relationship that it's almost insane that not one person ever wrote something about it.

I don't mean I want Steven and Spinel to be like Megamind and Metroman where they argued about extended warranties (though, it'd be fun to see). 

I want a fanfic where Steven is just trying to establish peace and Spinel just wants to ruin his life - no matter what the cost. Because it gives off this bittersweet but also miserable life for the both of them.

It's miserable for Steven to constantly be fighting for his life and everyone else's when Spinel decides to cause trouble. And it's bittersweet for Spinel to know that nothing would ever change and that this is her life now, being a foil to Steven Universe and always given many chances since he won't shatter her. 

And it'll just be this constantly cycle between Steven and Spinel going at each other until one of them dies.

And that's where I met it halfway in Arkham Edition. 

In Arkham, Steven already established a hero status when he went through his first night on Homeworld. But Spinel wasn't really established as a villain.

There's a fine line between villain and antagonist - and Spinel was an antagonist rather than a villain.

You see, a villain is someone who is genuinely evil and wants to do things with malicious intent. An antagonist is much more than a villain, because an antagonist is a character who drives conflict in the story and to the protagonist.

Spinel in Arkham and Canon was an antagonist - not a villain.  

Granted, Spinel did have some moments where she does - indeed - become villainous. But in spite of it all, she was never a villainess. 

And the other bit I met with in Arkham Edition is the fact that Spinel dies at the end.

You see, I have a sorta epilogue to a story that's basically a love letter to Steven and Spinel's relationship as a hero/villainess that was surreptitiously used in Arkham. 

Imagine in a Steven Universe AU that Steven and Spinel have been at each other's throats for years - Spinel constantly targeting Steven's loved ones and hurting them just for the sake of hitting him where it hurts and then does whatever she can to kill him. But Steven always thwarts her and never ends her life - letting Spinel get more chances to plot her revenge on him.

This is basically Rose and Huge Gigantacus' relationship in AU3 - except it was never fun for the pink duo to begin with. 

And then, there comes a point where Spinel goes too far and now realizes that she's going to die. So she tries to squander her way out of it, because death never concerned her when Steven was involved. And then, depending on the situation, Steven saves her life and this gets through to her - not another opportunity for her to kill him - and she finally drops her villain act.

That's the kind of redemption arc I always loved the most: the one where two sworn enemies who have a long history of rivalry are finally put to rest and replaced with gratitude and curiosity. 

That's what I got with Moonlight and Steven, except replace the curiosity with Yandere.

I really like the 'Enemies to Friends' & 'Enemies to Lovers' tropes in storytelling - whether it's fanfiction or some other form of media - I can't quite explain it very well, it just tugs my heartstrings in the right way. 

I think the reason why people don't write Steven and Spinel as the hero/villainess dynamic is because of the fact half of the fandom pushes for them to be siblings and the other half with shipping.

The closest we'll ever get to a Steven Universe fanfic of Steven and Spinel having the hero/villainess dynamic is Steven Universe: The Animated Series.

And there, Spinel is a villain but her origin story is different (it isn't revealed yet, so I won't be discussing it here). I'm going to try to savor the hero/villain dynamic while I can on there.

Because sooner or later, I am going to write a Steven and Spinel story about a hero/villainess relationship.

But other than that, that's all I got for today. Please leave your thoughts in the comments below, I would like to hear your thoughts about Spinel being a villain and if you wished she got more screentime as a villain - I know I did.

May 24th, 2023. 1:38 AM.