Species Gem–human hybrid Nationality American | Gender Male First appearance "Pilot" | |
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Family Greg Universe (father)Rose Quartz (mother)Greg's Aunt & Uncle (great-aunt & great-uncle)Aunt Deb (great-aunt)Andy DeMayo (1st cousin once removed) Similar | ||
Steven Quartz Universe is a fictional character and titular protagonist of the animated series Steven Universe, created by Rebecca Sugar. Steven is a hybrid between a "Gem", a fictional alien being that exists as a magical gemstone projecting a body of light, and a normal human being. Voiced by Zach Callison, he made his debut in the pilot episode, Gem Glow.
Contents
The character has received mostly positive reviews.
Creation
Steven was created by Rebecca Sugar. In terms of appearance and name, Steven is based on Rebecca Sugar's brother, Steven Sugar, who works as a background artist for the show. While Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl underwent almost total redesigns from the unaired pilot to the series, the only significant change to Steven's design was the removal of a gold ring around his gem.
Character
The 14-year-old youngest member of the Crystal Gems, Steven is an entirely unique being. The product of the union between Rose Quartz, the Crystal Gems' original leader, and Greg Universe, a car wash owner formerly a musician, Steven is the first and only known Gem-Human hybrid. Due to her desire to give him this nature and bridge the divide between humans and Gems, Rose "gave up her physical form" to birth Steven, in the process having to give him her gem, a pink, pentagonal-faceted rose quartz located where his navel should be. With this gem, Steven develops a wide variety of magical abilities. So far he has been able to summon a shield belonging to his mother, create a force field in variations of a spherical shape, heal and create & control sentient plant life using his saliva, change his shape in limited ways such as manipulating his own apparent aging process, and use empathic telepathy, astral projection, and levitation.
Optimistic, kind and always willing to see the best in people, Steven is beloved by the Gems and the people of Beach City. Steven is said to take after Rose in terms of personality, empathetic and all-loving, but is noted to look like both Greg and Rose. Over the course of the series, Steven matures greatly, garnering a new respect for his position as a protector of Earth and becoming more aware of the dangers of being a Crystal Gem. Steven is shown almost exclusively to wear a salmon-pink t-shirt with a yellow star, blue jeans and pink sandals.
Reception
Steven has received mainly positive reception. Steven is commonly praised for his portrayal of masculinity and subversion of gender roles. Susana Polo of Polygon praises Steven for being the "toxic masculinity antidote" in that his dominant traits of empathy and kindness are what make him such a vital member of the Crystal Gems. Polo also commends Steven's subversion of gender definitions, him being a young boy in a feminine role with defensive abilities that manifest in shades of pink. Similarly, in a post on Bitch Flicks, Ashley Gallagher also praises Steven's rejection of typical masculinity and his stereotypically defensive and feminine powers such as his shield and his healing while also expressing approval of his relationship with Connie.
