Glimmer (She-Ra)

Dubbed the "Guide Who Lights the Way", Glimmer first appeared in the Filmation-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 of Adora), sister of He-Man, joined the Rebellion. At one point in Princess 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 for Bow and an attraction for He-Man's alter ego, Prince Adam.^[3]

Glimmer again appears in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, a DreamWorks-produced reboot distributed by Netflix. 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]

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 by Catra and Scorpia, and taken to the Fright Zone. Wanting to strengthen her powers so she can save Adora, Glimmer seeks out Shadow 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 of Princesses 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 saving Entrapta 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 and Hordak are then captured by Horde 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.

As Mattel has distributed various Masters of the Universe toy lines, they have released several Glimmer figures since her introduction in She-Ra.^[24] Part of the 2014 Masters 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 of CBR commented that Glimmer "makes an endearing princess and an impressive queen."^[4] Also writing for CBR, 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 of Collider 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 of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power earned her a bad rap among the fanbase."^[21]

Commenting on Glimmer's visual redesign, Megan Kirby of The 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]

Sources

• Perlmutter, David (May 4, 2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538103746. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
• Stanley, Jessica (2023). "Big Sword-in-the-Stone Energy: Queering the Arthurian Romance Pattern in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power". In Fugelso, Karl (ed.). Studies in Medievalism XXXII: Medievalism in Play. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer. pp. 115–130. ISBN 978-1-84384-648-2. ISSN 0738-7164. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
• Staples, Val; Eardley, Dan (February 3, 2021). Tucker, Ian (ed.). The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Milwaukie, Oregon: Dark Horse Books. ISBN 9781506720470. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
• Staples, Val; Eatock, James; de Lioncourt, Josh; Gelehrter, Danielle (May 23, 2017). Chabon, Daniel (ed.). He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: A Character Guide and World Compendium. Milwaukie, Oregon: Dark Horse Books. ISBN 9781506701424. Retrieved February 10, 2023.