| Glimmer | |
|---|---|
| Masters of the Universe character | |
.png) Glimmer as she first appears in the series pilot, "The Sword Part 1". | |
| First appearance | The Secret of the Sword (1985) |
| Created by | Larry DiTillio Bob Forward |
| Voiced by | Linda Gary (1985–87 series) Karen Fukuhara (2018–20 series) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Etherian |
| Gender | Female |
| Title | Princess |
| Occupation | Great Rebellion leader |
| Family | King Micah (father) Queen Angella (mother) |
| Significantother | Bow (boyfriend, 2018 series) |
Glimmer is a fictional character in theShe-Ra animated television series, part of theMasters of the Universe franchise. Introduced inShe-Ra: Princess of Power (1985–1987), she helps leadThe Great Rebellion's efforts against the Horde. The daughter ofKing Micah andQueen Angella, Glimmer holds the title of Princess of Bright Moon in the series. In the originalPrincess of Power series, she is voiced byLinda Gary.
She later appears in the reboot series onNetflix,She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018–2020), voiced byKaren Fukuhara. Like in the original, Glimmer is the Princess of Bright Moon, which serves as the capital of her home planet, Etheria. In thefourth season of the reboot series, she ascends to become the Queen of Bright Moon.
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Glimmer is voiced byLinda Gary andKaren Fukuhara in the original and reboot series, respectively.[1][2]
Her powers in the original series included teleportation, levitation, and invisibility.[3] She was also able to turn night into day for brief periods.[3] In thePrincesses of Power, her connection to the Moonstone is inherited from her mother, while her more magical abilities are inherited from her father.[4] She is able to emit energy blasts.[5] Like in the original series, she is able to teleport, albeit in a limited capacity.[6]ND Stevenson, creator ofPrincesses of Power, commented that theirDungeons & Dragons (D&D) character helped inspire the concept of Glimmer's limited teleportation.[6] Stevenson also likened Glimmer toD&D'sSorcerer character class.[6]
Glimmer was designed with a stocky build at the beginning ofPrincesses of Power.[7] Fukuhara commented on Glimmer's appearance in the reboot compared to the original series, stating:
Glimmer in the old series has this perfect body and she looks beautiful and in our version she is beautiful and she is strong. It's definitely different from what we normally know as a princess, which I love and I also love that in our show we don't mention that. Because that is not the focus of the show, the focus is how powerful she can be, no matter what you look like.[6]
There is a noticeable time skip that takes place between seasons three and four of the reboot series, which can be seen in Glimmer's "pronounced change in appearance".[8] This included a change in her wardrobe, which features elements reminiscent of her mother's design.[9][10] Discussing the change in Glimmer's appearance, showrunnerND Stevenson stated: "Glimmer was a character who read as the youngest in the first season, and that was her character arc [...] she was this rebellious princess who was sort of infantilized by her own mother, by the other members of the Rebellion, nobody really took her seriously." Stevenson elaborated that as part of Glimmer's arc for the fourth season, she would be placed in an uncomfortable and unexpected position of "trying to fill her mother's shoes".[10]
Glimmer was as "a stubborn and headstrong leader" byDen of Geek when the reboot first aired.[6] At the beginning of the series, Glimmer struggles with maintaining independence from her mother.[11] In the second season, Glimmer "struggles with being confined and constricted at times, within the Princess Alliance."[11] Ahead of the fourth season's premiere, Stevenson stated that "Glimmer thinks that she can be this perfect queen who leads everybody in the right direction and protects everybody. We explore that."[12]
Tracy Brown of theLos Angeles Times wrote that "For Glimmer, her struggle has always been with empathy. She's always been a little bit self-centered. She tends to focus on herself and her own goals and her own interiority, first and foremost, and is not always as sensitive to others' needs."[13]
Dubbed the "Guide Who Lights the Way", Glimmer first appeared in theFilmation-produced animated television series,She-Ra: Princess of Power.[3] The daughter of King Micah and Queen Angella of Bright Moon, she hold the title of Princess of Bright Moon in the series.[3] She would lose her father to the Horde and her mother to Hunga the Harpy. Growing up without her parents, she became the leader of the Great Rebellion as a teenager.[3]She-Ra (the alter ego ofAdora), sister ofHe-Man, joined the Rebellion. At one point inPrincess of Power, Glimmer became frustrated with Adora and unsuccessfully attempted to lead her own Rebel army.[3] She was also noted to have strong feelings forBow and an attraction for He-Man's alter ego,Prince Adam.[3]
Glimmer again appears inShe-Ra and the Princesses of Power, aDreamWorks-produced reboot distributed byNetflix. Like the original series, she is the Princess of Bright Moon,[14] which serves as the homebase of the Rebellion and capital of Etheria.[15] She and her mother are connected to the Moonstone, the runestone in Bright Moon.[16]
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Compared to her "[naïve] and innocent" depiction in the original series, Glimmer is more "headstrong and feisty".[14] Glimmer debuts in the reboot's two-part pilot, where she and Bow capture Adora,[17] and subsequently show initial difficulty trusting her.[18] Serving as Commander of the Rebellion,[19] she confronts Adora's notion of the Horde, criticizing her role in their destruction of Etheria.[17] Ultimately, the trio initiate a "Princess Alliance" and recruit Etheria's other princesses into the Rebellion against the Horde.[20] During the series' third season, Adora is captured byCatra andScorpia, and taken to the Fright Zone. Wanting to strengthen her powers so she can save Adora, Glimmer seeks outShadow Weaver's help.[16] Queen Angella sacrifices herself in the process, a traumatic event in Glimmer's character arc.[21]
Later, in the fourth season ofPrincesses of Power, Glimmer ascends to throne and becomes the Queen of Bright Moon.[22][23] As such, she assumes position as the leader of the Rebellion.[22] Having to oversee Bright Moon directly, she struggles with having to stay behind while Adora and Bow go out on missions.[8] Having her frustrations boil over in arguments with the two, a rift between Glimmer and her friends arises.[8] Scorpia defects from the Horde and arrives in Bright Moon requesting help in savingEntrapta from Beast Island. Glimmer shut down the idea of a rescue mission, ordering Adora and Bow to stay in Bright Moon.[16] The two go against her wishes and sneak out en route to Beast Island. Enraged with their decision, Glimmer seeks out Light Hope and inquires about the Heart of Etheria, a weapon that can only be activated if all princesses are connected to their runestones.[16] Glimmer then teleports with Scorpia to the Fright Zone to help her connect to her runestone.[16] While the Heart of Etheria is activated online, Adora destroys its ability to fire. Glimmer, along with Catra andHordak are then captured byHorde Prime's fleet.[16]
Held prisoner of Horde Prime, Glimmer reluctantly reveals to him the secret of the Heart of Etheria to prevent Adora from being overwhelmed and killed by Horde forces, but she refuses to give Prime She-Ra. During which, Glimmer forms a tentative bond with the doubt-ridden Catra, while expressing regret over her poor decisions and interactions with her friends. This is enough to redeem Catra, who helps Glimmer escape via a teleporter, and reunite with Adora and Bow, with whom she reconciles. Eventually, Glimmer follows Adora and the others in a missing to rescue Catra. Glimmer and Bow watch amazed as Adora resurfaces back as She-Ra, and a rescued Catra is healed.
AsMattel has distributed variousMasters of the Universe toy lines, they have released several Glimmer figures since her introduction inShe-Ra.[24] Part of the 2014Masters of the Universe Classics line, her figure included her staff and moonstone from the original series.[24]
Glimmer has also appeared in mini comics, books, audio plays, and magazines.[3] In a 1986 British comic magazine series, Glimmer's powers are channeled through her Staff of Light.[3]
Rebekah Krum ofCBR commented that Glimmer "makes an endearing princess and an impressive queen."[4] Also writing forCBR, Angie Dahl praised Glimmer's "realistic body type", relatable emotional struggles, and the imagery of her powers.[25] On the latter, Dahl wrote that Glimmer is "adorable and fierce", showing that "girls and boys need not be limited to one type of strength."[25] Conversely,CBR's John Witiw was critical of Glimmer, writing that "while she can be bold, she could also be too impulsive and incompetent with her powers."[26] Witiw also criticized her dynamic with Bow, citing Glimmer's possessiveness as making their relationship "painful to watch at times."[26]
Kelcie Mattson ofCollider praised Glimmer's character development, stating she had "one heck of a satisfying character arc", but acknowledged that Glimmer's "actions in the latter seasons ofShe-Ra and the Princesses of Power earned her a bad rap among the fanbase."[21]
Commenting on Glimmer's visual redesign, Megan Kirby ofThe A.V. Club wrote: "Princess Glimmer started with a stocky, wide-hipped build—and some fans were upset when traumas (and a character redesign) slimmed her down."[7]
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