Garnet

Garnet is a character from the Steven Universe animated series. She is the leader of her team, the Crystal Gems, and is clearly its strongest and wisest member and while her skin color actually matches her name, there is no doubt this is a Black Superhero. Garnet is actually a fusion of two separate extraterrestrial beings, Ruby and Sapphire, who loved each other so deeply they merged to become the singular being that is Garnet. That fusion is frowned upon and possibly illegal in the planetary system they are from.

Garnet has multiple talents some of which are due to her alien heritage and others are due to that of the beings who she is formed from and the unique fusion of those two characters. Some of her abilities include shape-shifting, fusion, regeneration, agelessness, superhuman strength and durability. Garnet, being a fused being, can also fuse further with others of her race and become an entirely new being with additional specialties. She is already a skilled fighter and also has the additional powers of shock wave emission, photokinesis, future vision, and resizable rocket gauntlets among others. One of her most notable physical characteristics are her three eyes which are often hidden behind her visor.

I first became interested in her from seeing a YouTube video (below), an excerpt from the show where she is singing and fighting. In that video, Stronger Than You, she is voiced by Estelle and the whole thing spoke to me so I set out to take a closer look at the Steven Universe series and was pleasantly surprised. The show is clearly designed for younger audiences and is safe for all viewers but it also has a surprising depth that made it quickly became one of my guilty pleasures.

Garnet is an original character, a strong Black woman, loving, trusting and wise that kicks much butt. No need to take my word for it alone. Take a look for yourself.

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