10 TV Characters Who Changed In Unexpected Ways

We tend not to think about what kid characters in children's shows go through, don't we? Sure, Aang - for example - may have defeated the Fire Lord and saved the world but he's still the sole remaining victim of genocide and has nearly died more times in a single year than most people do their whole lives. That can't be healthy for anyone, especially not a kid.

According to the story of Steven Universe, no. It's really, REALLY not.

The latest episodes of Steven Universe Future re-contextualize Steven's entire journey, taking it from a fun science fantasy epic about a kid and his space moms defending the Earth, and turning it into a tragedy about a young boy robbed of his childhood and irreparably scarred. The poor boy has spent practically his entire life in a way between two planets, and anyone who has seen the show will tell you the dark sh*t he's seen during that time. It shouldn't surprise us as much as it does when Future comes along to lay out the scars those experiences have given him, but it does.

The topics covered in Steven Universe Future not only reframe everything that's come before, but they explore what they do with a depth, nuance, and maturity no show before or since has quite done.

The show isn't over quite yet, but pretty much everyone watching it knows in the back of their minds that Steven will come out alright. But if there's anything to take from the changes Steven has been going through throughout this show, it's that there's a world of difference between "alright" and "okay".