Summary
- Marceline and Bubblegum rule the Candy Kingdom as Co-Queens under a new vampire aesthetic.
- The makeover confirms their destiny as an LGBTQ+ power couple with enthusiastic support.
- Their reign could harbor dark secrets, raising questions about citizen compliance.
The long-awaited marriage between Adventure Time‘s Princess Bubblegum and Marceline actually turned the Bubblegum Kingdom into a dark new empire. Marceline and Princess Bubblegum have always been a fan-favorite couple for the Adventure Time fandom. However, their pairing actually led to a pretty dark future for the Candy Kingdom, as revealed in the tie-in comics.
In Adventure Time #33 by Ryan North, Shelli Paroline, and Braden Lamb, an adult Finn is shown the future of Ooo by Marceline and Bubblegum after having his memories stolen from him. When he’s taken to the Candy Kingdom, though, it’s a far different place than how fans remember it.
Marceline and Bubblegum are officially ruling over the domain as Co-Queens, turning the land into the Vampire/Candy Kingdom, which leads to a complete overhaul of the original sweet design in favor of a spooky aesthetic. It’s an incredibly creepy new look for the kingdom — but also adorable at the same time, since the kingdom seems to maintain its wholesome dynamic based on the Gumball Guardians loving their new vampire looks.
Related
Adventure Time’s Distant Lands: Obsidian Fixed A Huge Problem
Adventure Time uses its Distant Lands: Obsidian special to finally provide the explicit representation the show avoided in its initial run.
The New Candy and Vampire Empire Proves Marceline and Bubblegum Are a Power Couple
Adventure Time #33 by Ryan North, Shelli Paroline, Braden Lamb, and Steve Wands
What’s remarkable about this new makeover for the Candy Kingdom is how much it ultimately confirms that Marceline and Bubblegum were made for each other. By taking over as Co-Queens, the two settled pretty easily on their land’s new aesthetic with Marceline’s vampire aesthetic clearly being the basis of the redesign. The two characters are perfect for each other, leading to a pretty well-maintained new era for the Candy Kingdom that even the Gumball Guardians can get behind.
Marceline and Bubblegum’s fate was always destined to lead them to one another, making them one of the best modern LGBTQ+ couples.
The best part, though, is that this confirmed for years that Marceline and Bubblegum would always be an item. Adventure Time #33 originally debuted in 2014, four years before the series’ hour-long finale “Come Along With Me,” when the two finally kissed on-air for the first time. Showing their future as two queens ruling together under one roof is a perfect way to showcase that the two would eventually reunite as a romantic couple. Their fate was always destined to lead them to one another, making them one of the best modern LGBTQ+ couples.
The Candy/Vampire Kingdom Could Harbor Dark Secrets
Did Every Candy Citizen Get On Board with the Rebrand?
While the kingdom seems to be harmonious, it leads one to wonder if there was any pushback. After all, it’s highly unlikely that every candy citizen got on board with Marceline being a Co-Queen, given how some would occasionally retaliate against Bubblegum when she was still a princess. The sad truth is, if there was any retaliation to the Candy Kingdom changing, Bubblegum could have dealt with them from the shadows. She’s been shown to not have the kindest personality. She has ordered the death of some of her former protectors and has sent citizens like James to their doom, knowing she can just clone them anyway.
Adventure Time is known for having dark secrets under its deceptively fun exterior, so it wouldn’t be all too surprising if the vampire “rebrand” of the Candy Kingdom had pushback. Still, it’s a fascinating new look for the kingdom. With a cool new exterior and some new looks for the Gumball Guardians, it’s a fascinating new era for Princess Bubblegum and Marceline as they rule over their new Adventure Time empire.
Adventure Time #33 is available now from BOOM! Studios.
Adventure Time
Adventure Time is a science fiction/fantasy animation from Cartoon Network. Adventure Time follows Finn (Jeremy Shada) and his dog Jake (John DiMaggio) as they go on adventures in the near future. The series was created by Pendleton Ward and ran for a total of 10 seasons on the network. Adventure Time was critically acclaimed while it was on the air and managed to pull in younger audiences, as well as adults.
- Cast
- Tom Kenny , Hynden Walch , Jeremy Shada , John DiMaggio , Niki Yang
- Release Date
- May 10, 2010
- Seasons
- 10
- Network
- Cartoon Network
- Franchise(s)
- Adventure Time
- Writers
- Pendleton Ward
- Directors
- Pendleton Ward
- Showrunner
- Pendleton Ward
