Diaspro Deserved Better

INTRO:

I don’t think it’s controversial to say that I am sick of Diaspro. Or rather, I’m sick of how the show treats her. Ever since season 5, we’ve continually expunged her criminal record for the sake of dragging her back into the plot and generating needless drama between Bloom and Sky. It might seem like the obvious choice from a superficial glance, but if you go back to the first three seasons, you’ll find that Diaspro actually isn’t villainous. Rather, she’s an interesting character who’s objectively a victim in the first two seasons, and then has her desperation preyed upon by Valtor in season 3.

There’s so much more to Diaspro than meets the eye, and so much potential nuance to work with. Her story could’ve deconstructed so many narrative tropes that pit women against each other over a boring man, but instead, it became nothing more than nonsensical chaos. Rosie Vision has a great video about the darkest moments in Winx Club, during which she mentions all this nonsense with Diaspro, and I highly suggest you check it out. But today, we’re specifically gonna talk about Diaspro’s story, and why she deserved better.

DIASPRO’S STORY (Seasons 1 - 3):

Diaspro is a princess from the planet Eraklyon. This is a bit confusing, given the other worlds of the Magical Universe have one monarchy each, while Eraklyon appears to have at least two. In any case, she was born to high status parents, apparently brought up with her main goal being to marry a prince. This isn’t too shocking, given it’s a similar experience we’ve seen of other princesses in the show like Stella, and especially Aisha on the note of the arranged marriage.

The main difference here, though, is that Diaspro actually seems to love Sky. Or at the very least, she’s become infatuated with him, and considers themselves to be friends. We don’t know much about their history or dynamic outside of the attraction being one-sided on Diaspro’s part, which is a bit odd, given it’s usually the other way around when it comes to arranged marriages historically. Women largely were seen as the property of the men who married them; an arrangement considered more a business transaction than an affirmation of true love.

Sky’s identity as Prince of Eraklyon had been hidden, given he was the target of Yoshinoya, a major crime boss who’d routinely tried to abduct him since he was a child. He switched identities with his squire Brandon, which likely means that Sky and Diaspro’s engagement was also hidden. That not only kept Bloom from learning about this engagement (and kept Stella from asking questions of why her fake prince had a fiance), but it likely also added a romantic seclusion to the relationship in Diaspro’s mind.

On the Day of the Royals (yes we’re calling that), Bloom sneaks into Redfountain to try and talk to Sky, who’d been ghosting her since their mission to Cloudtower. Sky debates whether to come clean to Bloom about his true identity as a prince, and his engagement to Diaspro, but before he can, Bloom encounters Diaspro speaking to Sky over the phone. Given the Trix’s previous schemes in manipulating her and deceiving her, Bloom assumes the three witches must somehow be behind this.

It is understandable given Bloom at this point has had her ability to trust thoroughly eroded, and there is a precedent to believe the Trix would do something like this, but it still doesn’t change the fact that she lures Diaspro away and - instead of investigating the situation to determine if this really is a trick - she knocks her guard unconscious and attacks her unprompted. Diaspro only transforms and fights back out of self-defense, while Bloom continues attacking. Diaspro’s first spell is even a method to restrain Bloom to keep her from attacking.

When the fight is dragged outside, Diaspro runs to Sky for protection, which then leads to the public revelation of Sky and Brandon’s identity swap, and the engagement between Sky and Diaspro. Everyone is thrown for a loop, but the story is so focused on the aftermath for Bloom and the Winx, that we never focus on the perspective of the victim of all this: Diaspro.

Diaspro didn’t do anything wrong. She was just out enjoying the festivities before she was led away and assaulted, then had her engagement to the man she loved dissolved so he could be with the woman who trapped and attacked her. And then, when Redfountain finds itself under siege by the Army of Decay, Diaspro tries to save Sky, saying that his kingdom needs her. There’s definitely an air of classism here, saying that fighting on the ground should be left to the commoners rather than a noble like Sky, but there is also a genuine concern for Sky’s safety. So when Sky refuses, it’s kinda understandable why Diaspro’s not pleased with his decision.

We then see Diaspro again in season 2, where she’s been kidnapped by the Patchamen - techno-ninja activists who’ve been deceived by Yoshinoya into allowing him to ransom the Eraklyon monarchy. Sky’s parents hope this mission to rescue Diaspro will make the two rekindle their engagement, but it’s clear Sky’s focus is on Diaspro’s safety as an old friend and a genuine innocent in danger. Bloom’s a bit uncomfortable, but she does put herself in danger in order to get Diaspro out of harm’s way. There’s no apology or direct conversation between the two, but we do get some background on why Diaspro is still bitter about the failed engagement that we’ll touch on later. But I will say that Flora and Diaspro - in my diseased headcanon - are absolutely BFFs, and if the Winx were caught by the guards in season 3, Diaspro absolutely would’ve given Flora a pardon.

Diaspro appears again in season 3 as her maid prepares her dress for the upcoming millennial celebration on Eraklyon. Diaspro isn’t keen on going, given she’s not looking forward to seeing her ex showing off his new girlfriend - again, her assailant - to the whole world, while she’d be expected to feign happiness and keep up appearances given her title. Give the people what they want to see, then go home and cry in your room alone later. I feel you, Diaspro. But Valtor, master manipulator, takes advantage of Diaspro’s jealousy and unresolved heartache. He offers her a way to go back to how things used to be, when everything in her life made sense. All so he can indirectly destroy one of Bloom’s pillars of support.

At the party, Diaspro approaches Sky, who’s a bit uncomfortable to see her given their history. Diaspro insists they share a toast to each other’s happiness, presenting Sky with the drink Valtor gave her. The drink is a potion, however. It puts Sky under Valtor’s spell, making him fall madly in love with Diaspro and do whatever she says. When the Winx approach, Diaspro tells Sky that they’re witches sent by Valtor, and Dark Sky then declares the Winx public enemy number one, sicking the entire royal guard on them. Odd Erendor and Samara just went alone with this, but they apparently never liked Bloom anyway, so… who knows?

After the spell on Sky is broken, Diaspro is banished offscreen from Eraklyon for her actions. This shot of her on the balcony, telling Bloom that Sky will be hers, is the last we see of her until season 5. We have no idea what became of her following these events; whether she got the help she needed, or she simply spiraled further, driven mad by her woes. And I say that because as we all know, the main, true canon, ends with season 4, and everything from season 5 onward is awful corporate fanfiction that retcons itself every six episodes. Speaking of which…

DIASPRO’S SLANDER (Seasons 5 - 8):

After her absence from season 4, Diaspro returns in season 5. Given Sky’s dumb fall in the Magic Archive of Alfea gave him amnesia - just go with it for the sake of our sanity - Krystal decides that Sky needs an old friend to remind him of the past. And so, she invites Princess Diaspro to speak with him. There’s no mention of Diaspro’s past crimes, her banishment from Eraklyon, or her alliance with Valtor. Instead, everyone acts like this is perfectly normal, and Bloom is worried this means Diaspro will be able to steal Sky away given their history together. Luckily for her, they both make fun of Diaspro later and say she just talks about herself, because if one thing is certain, the show hates Diaspro with its entire being because it views her solely as an obstacle between Bloom and Sky that makes for cheap and easy drama no one actually likes.

Diaspro then returns in the back half of season 5, following Sky’s memories being restored because of a stupid necklace. For whatever reason, Diaspro’s banishment has not only been undone and forgotten, but she’s also become a royal advisor? She speaks with Queen Samara on scheduling her lunches, which… you’re gonna trust her with your food and beverage after she drugged your son? Wow, Sky’s parents are negligent trash, no wonder he turned out the way he did.

Erendor, fed up with Sky wanting to be a specialist - and also changing between King of Eraklyon, prince, and crown prince constantly - names Diaspro royal liaison, giving her the power to forcibly bring Sky back to the palace and keep him there. Weirdly Samara seems to catch onto Diaspro’s continued fixation on Sky, which seems to make Diaspro reflect for a moment. This one shot holds more character nuance than the entirety of seasons five through eight, so I’m gonna just hold onto this for dear life.

This continues for the rest of season 5, with Diaspro interrupting Bloom and Sky’s dates and conversations, intercepting Bloom’s phone calls, and doing all she can to turn Bloom and Sky against each other. It’s only when Diaspro says that Sky shouldn’t have to concern himself with saving Paradise Bay on Earth from Tritannus that Erendor revokes her status in front of all the royals of the Magical Universe. Diaspro then blames Bloom for everything wrong in her life, before she falls into the central pool because Diaspro deserves to drown apparently.

Diaspro returns shortly thereafter in season 6. For whatever reason, she’s at the Eraklyon Institute. Is she a student there? Why? How old is she at this point? No one knows, and honestly, the writers don’t care. It’s just so that she can encounter the Trix when they attack, and so Diaspro can team up with them to kill Bloom because drama. Somehow, Diaspro has been invited to Daphne’s coronation on Domino. They never say who invited her or why, but again, the writers don’t give a single fuck.

She then goes to Domino, walking around pointlessly and doing nothing, inciting several bad pixie jokes while the Winx are seemingly unaware of Diaspro’s presence. It isn’t until the Fire Eaters attack that Diaspro tricks Thoren - Sky’s cousin who just materialized this season - into bringing Bloom to the Vortex of Flames and tells him to yeet her in head first.

After Diaspro leaves Bloom to die in the literal hell pit, Daphne attacks her, refusing to save her own sister. Diapro mysteriously disappears, and we’re never shown what happens to her. Daphne simply asks, “Where did she go?”, and that’s it! Diaspro isn’t seen for the rest of season 6, nor does anyone mention her or her fate, and she’s also not in season 7. And given season 8 is a soft reboot that wants to riff off nostalgia bait while ignoring any and all consequences of the previous seasons, I assume Daphne’s power was so strong, it completely destroyed Diaspro, leaving no trace of her behind.

Speaking of season 8, it’s… more of the same. Diaspro’s previous crimes and murder attempt are ignored, and she continually stalks Sky, blowing up his phone to get his attention and interrupt his date with Bloom. She then uses Sky’s tension with his father over, you guessed it, being a specialist, to try and get close to Sky to win him over. She leads Sky on a pointless mission across multiple worlds, both forcing the two of them to spend time together while keeping Sky from contacting Bloom. Of course, this fails, and nothing worth meriting happens.

Season 9 is yet another reboot of sorts, but I’m willing to bet that the writers will learn nothing from the last few seasons’ reception, and Diaspro will again be used as a drama tool for Bloom and Sky’s relationship.

SHE’S NOT THE BAD GUY:

Diaspro is often seen by the writing - and likely by many viewers - as a villain, or at least an antagonist. But she’s not. Again, she starts off a victim in the first season, and only acts as an antagonist in the third season when Valtor preys upon her desperation. But the show seems to view her more of an obstacle between Bloom and Sky than anything else; even the first three seasons, which are the best written of the franchise and rightfully considered the golden era, unfortunately dismiss Diaspro’s story in this regard.

While Diaspro is with Flora and Chatta in season 2, we learn that she’s been raised from birth to marry Sky - that’s all a princess is good for, according to what she’s been taught. And this is in line from what we’ve seen of other princesses, especially Aisha being betrothed to a man she’d never even met once she came of age. Diaspro, meanwhile, has likely been engaged to Sky for a long time, which could explain why she’s so infatuated with him. It’s essentially a sunk cost fallacy, along with the fact Sky does seem to care about her on some level.

Admittedly, because we don’t know a lot about Diaspro’s past, or even Sky’s, this is mostly headcanon. I personally believe that Sky is one of the few people - if not, the only person - who treated Diaspro like a person rather than an object, leading to her falling in love with him, which is also why she’s so defensive of her relationship with him. It’s genuinely the only thing in her life that feels real, and it also carries the pressure of being her one and only goal bestowed upon her by her parents and society. The engagement ending leaves her feeling not only alone and hurt, but also purposeless and ashamed. I doubt her parents were very happy with her after this.

And as much as I’ve come to appreciate the 4Kids dub, a lot of the jokes they use for her in season 2 specifically don’t help with the fandom perception of Diaspro. It’s a lot of, “Hey, it’s not my fault my subjects are so poor I had to imprison them for their fashion crimes.” Funny? Yes. But it doesn’t exactly make her sympathetic. Granted, she doesn’t need to be. She can be both a victim of her privilege and a perpetrator of an oppressive system. I suppose it’s more a personal qualm of mine than anything else, and sometimes, shit ain’t that deep.

But need I remind y’all that, again, Bloom and Sky were both shitty to Diaspro back in season 1. Sky had essentially let Diaspro believe their engagement was more than a business transaction or loveless custom, and then emotionally cheated by getting involved with Bloom, only to reveal by the end of season 1 that he apparently could’ve ended the engagement himself the whole time. There was no need to drag this out the whole time.

Bloom, meanwhile, was in a bad mindset where it makes sense she’d assume it’d be another of the Trix’s schemes. However, she gave into her impulse - as usual - and didn’t bother to make sure this was indeed a Trix plot before attacking Diaspro. Diaspro was just being randomly assaulted and trying to defend herself, only to find her assailant stealing the one man she actually gives a shit about. Wouldn’t you be grouchy in that situation?

It also feels like Sky is the actual bad guy here. Again, he didn’t need to drag out this engagement when he could’ve owned up to the fact he doesn’t love Diaspro the way she loves him, ended their relationship, and then dated Bloom without being a cheater. I’ve recently been getting into The 100, and the dynamics between Clarke, Raven, and Finn really remind me of Bloom, Sky, and Diaspro, except in this case, the show feels nuanced enough to not paint anybody as fully the bad guy. Though for the record, I stan both Clarke and Raven, and Finn can choke. No women being pitted against each other for a man - I vote instead for the women aligning themselves to kill the shitty man.

But basically, yeah, this is why I took the route I did in my season 5 rewrite. For those unaware, long ago in the far away year of 2020, I wrote and narrated a grand fanfiction of Winx season 5, trying to continue where season 4 left off both story and tone-wise. The Winx were allowed to continue growing up, and the story was allowed to get darker and more mature, while still honoring the roots of what made people love Winx to begin with.

Diaspro was rehabilitated in Lightrock Monastery, and actually came to terms with what happened with Sky, and was even able to reflect on why she was so attached to him to begin with. And in my upcoming season 6 rewrite which is set to be released in 2052, Diaspro will continue that journey of recovery, though possibly backsliding a bit. I don’t know, we’ll see I guess. But the point is that Diaspro deserved better. There will be no homicide attempts, at least committed to try and win the heart of the most boring blonde alive.

CONCLUSION & OUTRO:

In short, Diaspro could’ve been a really interesting character if the writers bothered looking at her as a character rather than an obstacle and source of pointless drama. Instead, the writers seem to reset her story every now and then for the sake of cheap conflict, and it seems that either they’re aware of what they’re doing and don’t care, or these are new writers who just aren’t familiar with the material. Either way, I think we’re all tired of the same old story of Diaspro trying to steal Bloom’s man. Something new, please. Justice for Diaspro, bitches.

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I’m the Unicorn of War, and Diaspro’s life post-season 5 is a shit show.