Star vs. the Forces of Evil
Alternative Character Interpretation in this series.- Various scenes throughout the series have lead some to believe
Marco is experiencing gender dysphoria and is a closet trans girl. He's generally In Touch with His Feminine Side, spends a dramatic episode in a princess prison and a dress without having the disguise questioned or joked about, is described by the Naysaya as being "ashamed of his own body", and openly states he'd "love to be queen."- During his nightmare in ''Red Belt'', he sees his apparently lifeless body in a locker / coffin, and is more horrified at the fact that he's buried in a suit than the fact that he's, well, dead.
- Star and Marco's Guide to Mastering Every Dimension has a part◊ where Marco remarks further on the St. Olga's episode, noting he'd "make a good princess" and finds the dress "kinda liberating".
- As of "Heinous", it was revealed that Marco has kept up the Princess Marco persona in secret and accepts it enough to support its use as both a revolutionary and merchandising icon. Marco shows no objections to Ms. Heinous's use of she/her pronouns, either, and willingly refers to himself as a girl when forced to film counter-revolutionary propaganda. Monetary benefits to the former and life threats with the latter may excuse or follow on from such.
- "Running with Scissors" has divisive readings after Hekapoo's dimension temporarily aged up Marco over sixteen years over eight minutes. Some say the theory was Jossed after the hyper-masculine adult Marco showed no dysphoria or body image issues. If anything, he was saddened he lost his ripped self when he came back. Then again, that might've had more to do with Marco preferring a body in peak physical condition than with gender.note
- In "Blood Moon Ball", did Tom ask Star to the Blood Moon Ball just so they could be bonded under the light of the blood moon? Or did he genuinely want to spend time with Star? And if it's the former, did he expect the blood moon to brainwash Star into loving him (if the blood moon even works like that at all) or was he just hoping the moon would validate his feelings for her by choosing them as a couple?
- Has Tom actually changed, or has he just gotten a little better at faking it to trick Star into liking him again? Consider: in "Demoncism" he supposedly didn't want Star to know that he was subjecting himself to the titular procedure, yet he tells Pony Head. The reason he supposedly didn't want Star to know is because she'd worry about him, yet when actually being subjected to the demoncism he scoffs at it like it's just a meaningless ritual (until being unpleasantly surprised by how grueling and painful it is). He also impresses Star being claiming that her efforts to be the best princess she can be have inspired him, and says "It's time for me to be a better prince." But once they get back together, he shows no interest whatsoever in helping out with Star's efforts to end the Fantastic Racism against monsters despite having been personally exposed to it in "Starfari" when a shopkeeper mistakes him for a monster (before profusely apologizing when realizing Tom is actually a demon). In "Monster Bash" he tries to get Star to blow off her duties as host and just find a closet to cuddle with him in, and gets angry when she won't do that. When Marco tries to explain why this is so important to Star, Tom cuts him off and says "I'm not into politics." So much for his alleged desire to be a better prince.
- To be fair, he does try to help Star when she is trying to convince the monsters to stay by explaining his own experiences having a monstrous appearance in Mewni.
- The true nature of the Blood Moon Ball: is it a true bond of love among kindred souls or is it in reality a curse that doomed two souls to be together forever independently to what they feel to each other? Does it force a connection on its chosen couple, or is its choice of a couple simply an acknowledgement of what's already there?
- "Deep Dive" seems to hint that it creates some kind of empathic link between two souls. Even Marco felt the effect when he picked up Star's wand.
- The Season 4 episode "Curse of the Blood Moon" addresses this, as it regards the moon as a curse and the plot involves Star and Marco trying to undo it.
- The playful way Janna teases Marco has led some to believe she has a crush on him. It is revealed in "Gift of the Card" that she has copies of all his personal information, including his Social Security and credit card numbers.
- In "Sleepover", is Star really unaware of her crush on Marco or is she trying to hide or suppress her feelings for him because she knows Marco likes Jackie? The context and moral of the episode lean more on the former interpretation, but that's not to say that the latter doesn't become a possibility later on. In the second half of the season, the latter becomes true.
- On a related note, the fact that Janna's claim to have a crush on 18th-century poet John Keats turns out to be true does not exclude the possibility that she likes Marco as well.
- Some theorize Star to be autistic for reasons including but not limited to: her Literal-Minded nature, her tendency to chew on her wand and to bounce up and down ("stimming"), and her total inability to understand metaphors or tone of speech (which extends to scenes with Glossaryck and her parents, who are also from Mewni, so it can't be 100% written off as culture shock). There are so many examples of it in the show that a Tumblr blog noted 91 separate instances of Star displaying autistic traits in Season 1 alone.
- Queen Eclipsa. Given that Mewni has a strong prejudice against non-Mewmans as shown in "Mewnipendence Day", where it's shown that Mewmans invaded the monsters home and built the kingdom of Mewni after killing any monster that stood in their way, her portrait in "Into The Wand" can be seen as the Mewmans viewing her as a villain for running away with a monster. However, a lot can change in future episodes. Her portrait makes it completely ambiguous if she's as evil as the portrait shows or she developed compassion and tolerance for the monsters (like Star) and the Mewmans refused to accept the idea of monsters being victims of prejudice and attacking the Mewmans or stealing from the Mewmans for the sake of survival. Also, it say a lot that Glossaryck remembers her in a good light. Since Glossaryck's mind is damaged, he can't properly vouch for her.
- Her current appearances in the show don't help; is she just a victim due to her taste in husbands and her dabbling in dark arts, and in reality a kind (if slightly eccentric) woman? Or is she an Affably Evil Manipulative Bitch who's using Star towards her own ends and deserved everything she got? She's currently being shown as the latter, but the former could be true. She does, however admit she's selfish.
- As of "Conquer", it seems that the former portrayal is true; Eclipsa seemed to genuinely care for Star and was saddened when she revealed Star was not really her descendant. She also doesn't seem to bear any ill-will towards the current Butterfly Family or any desire to return to the throne; she even says as much to Meteora and stops her rampage even though it clearly hurts her to have to attack her own child.
- Further complicated by the reveal that Miss Heinous is actually her long-lost half-monster daughter, Meteora. Did Eclipsa give birth to Meteora in secret and run away from Mewni to protect her? If so, did Meteora end up at Saint Olga's by accident or did Eclipsa brainwash her own child to protect her?
- As it turns out, neither: Shastacan pawned her off on St. Olga as part of his plan to hide her existence and Meteora was then subjected to years of brainwashing and psychologically abuse by St. Olga
- "Butterfly Trap" makes things even more complicated. The episode definitely paints Eclipsa in a more sympathetic light, but she's still guilty of abandoning her kingdom, cheating on her (admittedly Jerkass) husband, psychologically hurting people and developing spells that she admits are even worse than the ones found in the dark chapter of the magic instruction book. "Total Eclipsa the Moon" also shows that she has no qualms using ethically questionable memory-wiping spells, being implied to have done it several times in the past. While none of this proves that she's actually evil, she does have many signs of being The Sociopath.
- Her current appearances in the show don't help; is she just a victim due to her taste in husbands and her dabbling in dark arts, and in reality a kind (if slightly eccentric) woman? Or is she an Affably Evil Manipulative Bitch who's using Star towards her own ends and deserved everything she got? She's currently being shown as the latter, but the former could be true. She does, however admit she's selfish.
- Did Star really befriend Janna? Janna is a Nightmare Fetishist and Star is from another dimension and has a habit of attracting monsters and unintentionally causing destruction through spells. Is Janna using Star to fulfill her nightmare fetishism or using her for excitement and teasing?
- After Junkin Janna, the former seems more likely.
Janna: We all have our purpose, Tom. - After Junkin Janna
- Star's crying at the end of "Bon Bon the Birthday Clown". Is she crying for the loss of Glossaryck and her spell book at hands of Ludo? Is she crying because she thinks that she "lost" Marco for Jackie? — her line, I've lost Glossaryck! sounds more like I've lost you, Marco — Is she crying for both things?
- The mention that Tom had a Friendless Background puts his fixation on Star and desperate attempt to get Marco to hang out with him more near the end of "Friendenemies" in another light. Could he wanted to get back together Star because she was one of the few people who wasn't afraid of him? Did he get angry at Marco because he failed the test or was it because he thought that Marco cared more about the movie marathon than hanging out with him? While it's speculated that Tom lied about most of what he said during the episode, what little we've seen of the underworld is that the only demons who don't disrespect or outwardly dislike Tom (despite him being the literal prince of their domain) are his servants, who follow orders but otherwise don't make any effort to interact with him, somewhat lending to the idea that Tom really doesn't have any friends.
- A lot of what Glossaryck says and does can be interpreted multiple ways, because it’s so hard to tell when he’s being earnest, when he’s being a Trickster Mentor, and when he’s being a Troll. For example:
- Does he really believe that friendship is an overly "simple concept" as he says to Star when she's trying to rescue him from Ludo, or does he just say that as a way to Shoo the Dog, because he knows she's not ready to fight Toffee yet?
- Glossaryck admits that he foresaw that his taunting of Ludo would lead to the little guy killing him, which serves Toffee's plans. Yet he still did this enigmatic act. Was that because Glossaryck believes he has to be a Trickster Mentor to the end? Was he pulling a Suicide by Cop after spending thousands of years training the Butterflies? Or was he simply too much of a fatalist to think his death could have been avoided?
- Considering that Glossaryck affirmed he has no feelings and he doesn't have a side, was his grief over the death of Moon's mother genuine, or it was another of his tricks to make himself look unavailable and force Moon to seek help with Eclipsa?
- Is he genuinely insane/regressed after his return, or is it a ruse to some yet unknown end. Or is he just screwing with Star? Wouldn't be beneath him.
- "Conquer" appears to confirm that Glossy's behavior was a ruse, however, there are some who think that Eclipsa obtaining the wand back may have been the actual reason he returned to his old self.
- "Cleaved" leaves the viewer to wonder whether he was a Death Seeker who wanted to see Mewni free of the magic and himself free of his unending job, or whether he just stoically accepted that Star's plan was the only way out of the mess that Mewni had gotten into.
- Toffee starts ranting as part of a Villainous Breakdown before he dies, saying "You think you've won? HA! You don't make the plans, I do! Me! Only I know how this all turns out!" While he's clearly lost it, is his rant delusional, or is he somehow aware of the contract between Moon and Eclipsa and knows that if he can't fulfill his revenge on the Butterflies, then Eclipsa will?
- As of "Cleaved", there appears to be an even more likely possibility: that Toffee, through his Mysterious Past connection with a time-traveling Glossaryck, foresaw the future where magic was destroyed and Mewni changed forever as a result, and so all of his meticulous plans were so that he could make that future happen. His dying rant is thus fueled by his disbelief that the inevitable future he saw (and that "only he" knows since as far as he knows, Glossaryck is still dead) is not going to be brought about by him, but by Star.
- "Ponymonium" brings an interesting case in regards to Pony Head and her sisters: that is, whether Pony's obnoxious, narcissistic personality is the result or the source of the animosity between them. In one hand, you have a princess with 12 younger siblings that are constantly trying to usurp her, meaning that Pony had to live her entire life surrounded by people she could never trust except for herself, which could easily explain why she's so arrogant and self-absorbed (because she's always trusting her own judgment above anyone else's). In the other hand, you have a Spoiled Brat whose toxic personality inadvertently led to her siblings developing complexes of their own and snapping against their eldest sister, as they claim in the aforementioned episode (although this could have been just a lie to manipulate Star into opposing Pony Head).
- The Magic High Commission. A group of Pragmatic Heroes who reluctantly orchestrated the whole Meteora/Festivia switcheroo conspiracy in order to maintain peace in a kingdom suffering of Fantastic Racism and appease King Shastacan? Or just a bunch of tyrannical Boomerang Bigots who were also disgusted by the idea of a half-monster ruler, being more than happy to help Shastacan in having a pure Mewman take the throne?
- How much were Glossaryck and/or Lekmet involved in this scandal?
- Rhombulus confessing about the conspiracy. Did he do it out of guilt for lying to Star as he claims, or did he do it out of fear of being killed by the Truth Box, using guilt as a false justification?
- How much was the Commission's decision based on Meteora being half-monster, and how much was it based on her father being Globgor, a known war criminal who was despised by all of the Butterfly family’s allies?
- The reason Rasticore rejected Meteora in "Skooled". Was it because he was Married to the Job as he claimed? Or was he just afraid of Meteora herself?
- "Booth Buddies" is quite the controversial episode, no thanks to all sorts of interpretations that can be taken from its most infamous moment:
- The kiss itself. Was it a natural occurrence or did the Blood Moon somehow influence Marco and Star to kiss each other against their will?
- Marco. Did he kiss Star more out of passion or more out of duty to free her from the photo booth?
- After the kiss, when Star states "I have a boyfriend. His name is Tom", was she berating Marco for kissing her or trying to reassure herself about who she should have feelings for?
- And before that, Star brings up the fact that Marco is her squire. Does she value that "professional" relationship more than her actual romantic relationship with Tom? Was she even thinking about Tom until that point?
- And while at it, what does Star actually feel in regards to Tom? Does she truly love the demon? Or is she just using him as a way to forget about Marco, whom she still has a crush on?
- Ben Fotino, the booth repairman. A well-intentioned matchmaker who was just trying to fix a deteriorating relationship or a creepy voyeur who takes too much interest on the love lives of random teenagers?
- Furthermore, the whole Starco love story gets differently interpretated, based on the people that have been hurt (Jackie-Lynn) and that might get hurt by them (Kelly and Tom). Are they two Star-Crossed Lovers that should be together and just keep making mistakes around each other, or are they being selfish and alienating, misleading and hurting those whom they have given a chance at love? Or even, is there a very Fridge Horror angle in that are they two teens pushed into these actions by a curse of the Blood Moon and wouldn't have acted that way if not for its interference?
- Was Tom really okay with Marco's confession to having kissed Star, did he not have time to process it as Marco confessed while Meteora was attacking them or did he just think that stopping Meteora was a higher priority? Or, was he just tired?
- Season 4 has Tom confirm that he knew wasn't Marco's fault because some creepy goblin forced them to do it.
- In "Conquer", Tom makes a Rousing Speech puts a lot of emphasis on how Marco's plans are terrible, and ends with saying how Marco is dumb enough to never give up. Was Tom complimenting Marco on his determination? Or does he consider Marco's determination to be foolish and suicidal, much like how in "Mr. Candle Cares", where Marco refused to resign to his fate when Tom decided Marco knew too much and fighting for his life was next to impossible?
- Also, Hekapoo in "Divide" working with Marco again and her reason why she is helping him: Does she actually forgive Marco after the events of "The Butterfly Trap" of being called out on and being kicked out by Star during a meeting or is it more of a case of Teeth-Clenched Teamwork due to seeing that their fight to Meteora is more important than her grudges?
- It may be more out of respect. No doubt she doesn't like Marco after being lied to in "Night Life", but it doesn't change the fact that he has earned her respect especially after spending those thirty years during "Running With Scissors", and very likely he still has her respect.
- The fact that Jackie never got even a little upset over Star confessing her crush on Marco, Marco's pining for Star afterwards and having absolutely no hard feelings even when Marco realized he was a bad boyfriend gives the impression that Jackie's I Want My Beloved to Be Happy was less her being selfless and more an Extreme Doormat.
- Or, is it because she's gay? Maybe the reason Jackie was more forgiving and affable in their break-up was because, deep down, the love she felt for Marco wasn't romantic like she thought? In Brittas Tacos, she returns with her implied girlfriend Chloe, says that she learned a lot about herself in France, and admits that they "weren't the best match". Did she mean that in a sense that their personalities clashed, or because of her Incompatible Orientation?
- By the end of season 4, is Star supposed to still be seen as entirely good, or are we intended to see the moral failings in her behavior? Is she supposed to be seen as the breaking of the chain, so to speak, in Mewni's complicated history, or is she deliberately being written as someone who has become yet another driven but deeply flawed morally myopic Butterfly royal taking unjust liberties with her power over others, whose handling of contemporary conflicts will become yet another controversial legacy for the next generation?
- After the series' finale, some have gone so far as to suggest that Star is a Villain Protagonist who, due to her self-centered perspective blinding her to the magnitude, implications, or hypocrisy of her actions, is actually Obliviously Evil.
- Sean. Is he an incompetent fool whose only trying to do his job, and is really as oblivious as he seems. Or is he just a troll who likes to wind people up?
- In "Page Turner" was there realy a "No Magic" rule and was he too dumb to notice a wizard clearly using magic in front of him, or did he make up the rule and ignore the wizard just to annoy Glossaryck?note
- In "Junkin' Janna" he offered Eclipsa donuts which she ate so as not to hurt his feelings, despite them clearly making her sick to the point where she was in tears. But was Sean really oblivious to the fact that his donuts were making Eclipsa ill, or was he just pretending to be in order to torment her?
- On top of that. Was Sean's donuts being awful just an honest mistake, or did he make them taste horrible on purpose so he could give them to his unsuspcting victim?
- In the last episode. After Star destroys magic, we see Sean having a pizza party with the remains of the dead members of the Magic High Commission. Did he really not realise they were dead, or was he just mocking them?
