She-Ra & the Princesses of Power season 5 has finally made the queer romance between Adora and Catra canon. There have always been queer undertones in the She-Ra franchise, but they've become increasingly visible in Noelle Stevenson's relaunch. The series featured a lesbian relationship between the princesses Netossa and Spinnerella, and the nonbinary character Double Trouble.
Attention has always been focused on the dynamic between Adora and Catra, however. Although the two have spent most of the first four seasons as adversaries, there has always been a sense of romance to the dynamic. Catra's reaction to Adora's betrayal was akin to that of a jilted lover, and the sparks were still evident on occasion - particularly in the "Princess Prom" episode, where the two danced together. The only question was whether or not She-Ra & the Princesses of Power would ever abandon queer undertones, and make the attraction between Catra and Adora an actual plot point.
She-Ra & the Princesses of Power season 5 was the end of Noelle Stevenson's run, and she decided to end the story by making the love between Adora and Catra central to her tale. Adora and Catra journeyed to the Heart of Etheria in order to free the wild magic lying at the core of the planet, but unfortunately at the same time Horde Prime had introduced a virus into the First One systems. This even infected Adora, preventing her from transforming into She-Ra, and ultimately leaving her collapsing, near-dead. In that moment, Catra finally confessed her love for Adora - and to her surprise that gave Adora the strength of will she needed. Adora admitted the feelings were returned, and they shared a kiss, before Adora transformed into She-Ra once more.
Adora has never really understood the secret of She-Ra's power. Where the other Princesses are elementals, the She-Ra is driven by the greatest force in the universe - love. This was the reason Adora had been unable to sustain her transformation in She-Ra & the Princesses of Power season 5; because her feelings had been confused. With that confusion resolved, Adora's love for Catra allowed her to turn into She-Ra and save the universe itself. Noelle Stevenson hadn't just turned the queer love between Catra and Adora into a plot point; she'd made it central.
As Stevenson explained in an interview with Digital Spy, this was a controversial decision, and it was one she had to fight for. "But when we reached that final season," she explained, "I showed my cards to the people who had the right of refusal for that, and it was like, 'Look, this is what we've been building to this whole time. This needs to happen for both of these characters'. I wanted to make it so integral to the story in a way that - one, they wouldn't be able to take it out, and two, to give it a moment... It's the climax. It needs to be there. It needs to happen the way it does." Even more pleasing, however, is the fact She-Ra & the Princesses of Power season 5 chooses to leave both Adora and Catra alive - neatly avoiding the "Bury Your Gays" trope that has been seen on shows like The 100 and The Walking Dead.
Noelle Stevenson's approach is a bold one, and it has transformed She-Ra & the Princesses of Power into a flagship show for queer representation. There's never been anything quite like it before; a series in which the love between two women literally saves the universe, and they get to live a happily ever after. That shouldn't be so unusual in the 21st century, but sadly it is, and hopefully She-Ra will become a trend-setter.