“Sky Witch” still happened, though, and featured even more subtext, from PB’s side this time around. I’m happy that Sugar got to create her own show and push for even more queer representation, but it’s also sad that she never got to write more for the ship she pioneered. CN got so afraid of the potential backlash that they waited two years to have a new episode featuring the pair, “Sky Witch” (July 2013), by which point Sugar had left AT to work on her own show, Steven Universe. Each character went through wonderful development in the meantime, as did the show itself, but there’s a certain sense of bitterness to what came to be known as the Great Bubbline Drought. “What Was Missing” s subtle by today’s standards but it was enough to keep Marceline and Bubblegum apart for two years on-screen. So, the ship has sailed but controversy looms over it. The popularity of the ship soared but the execs were not taking to queer implications kindly. Audiences picked up on the subtext and Cartoon Network was not having it. Autostraddle’s article from back when covers what is now known as the Mathematical controversy. The AT crew were supportive of the idea and sneaked in plenty of queer subtext, but this is where I have to point out that 2011 was a very different time and it’s thanks, in part, to Bubbline that things have changed. “What Was Missing” was hugely important in how it hinted at a complex relationship through character interactions, Marceline’s song, and the last scene twist with PB’s shirt. It was Sugar who wrote the now beyond iconic “I’m Just Your Problem” based on personal experiences and suggested that Marcy and Bonnie be queer characters with a complicated romantic past. Sugar was responsible for much of the character depth added to Marceline and later even played, quite aptly, her mother in the Stakes miniseries. The episode was written and storyboarded by Rebecca Sugar andĮventual showrunner Adam Muto. “What Was Missing” and the Mathematical ControversyĪ potential preexisting relationship between the two was further explored in “What Was Missing” (September 2011) just a season later.
Instead, this first Bonnie and Marcy interaction established that the two already know each other and there’s some bitterness in that past. So while Finn’s crush on PB continues, the notion that Marceline would be part of a love triangle is dismissed. As Marcy helps - and sabotages - Finn in asking Bonnie out, she also becomes a potential love interest for him but she shuts him down immediately. This didn’t quite end up being the case but remnants of this concept are seen in “Go With Me” (March, 2011), the episode with the first on-screen Bubbline interaction. The short version is that these two were created to be opposites and with a Betty and Veronica type dynamic in mind where they would both be love interest to the protagonist, Finn. explores this and other production tidbits in depth in his book so I do recommend checking that out. Initial ConceptsĪs is the case with much of Adventure Time, the initial concept of who the characters of Bonnibel and Marceline were going to be is very different than what we ended up getting. Bubbline is a pioneer ship in many ways but it doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves. I realize not everyone cares about these kinds of things but I think it’s important to know how hard Adventure Time’s creators had to fight. I say it’s a definitive history but it isn’t an exhaustive one, so do check out the links included to learn more about how we got here. This is less of an analysis and more of an overview with links to more information on specific incidents to keep it (relatively) brief. For this post, I wanted to highlight how far this pairing has come and what Bubbline means to queer representation in children’s cartoons. For a list of Bubbline episodes, check out my Bubbline Guide (and part two) - which I need to update, I know I know.
And by that I mean the tumultuous road that led us to “Obsidian” from a production and fandom point of view. With “Obsidian” coming out in two days, it really is time for a definitive history of Marceline and Bubblegum’s relationship.
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