Corrupted Gems (Canon)

“	All those monsters we fight used to be just like us!	”
—Amethyst, "Ocean Gem"

"Corrupted Gems" are Gems who have become corrupted. One of the main missions of the Crystal Gems pertaining to their protection of humanity is to defeat and contain corrupted Gem monsters, and eventually cure them.

Most corrupted Gems are hostile and dangerous. However, much like normal Gems, when their bodies are badly damaged, they explode into smoke, or "poof", leaving their gemstone behind. The gemstone can then be safely contained in a Gem bubble, preventing it from regenerating. Some corrupted Gems are imprisoned in objects (such as the Pyramid Temple's gemstone), which also prevents them from regenerating.

Known Corrupted Gems

Show

• Centipeetle Mother

Worm Monster

• Pyramid Temple Gem
• Worm Monster

Earth Beetle

Heaven Beetle

• Desert Glass
• Big Bird
• Heaven Beetle
• Earth Beetle
• Gem Cave Creature
• Watermelon Tourmaline
• Ice Monster
• Invisible Gem Monster

• Lighthouse Gem Monster
• Water Bear
• The Slinker
• Crab Gem Monster
• Unknown Giant Gem Monster

  

  Centipeetle Mother.

Comicbook

• Obelisk (comics)
• Rainbow Cloud Monster
• Old Book Gem
• Snowbeast
• Slug Monster
• Plant Monster
• Manta Ray

The Slinker

• Clock Tower
• Unknown Giant Bird
• The Perils of Pweepwee

Trivia

• Pearl states in "Ocean Gem" that all the creatures they have battled/fought prior to Lapis Lazuli are corrupted Gems.
  • This confirms that the form the Centipeetle Mother takes upon its release from the bubble is its human shape.
    • This also explains why these creatures have a gemstone, and have the ability to regenerate.
• It is currently unknown what causes Gems to turn into corrupted creatures, or how many there are currently on Earth.
• Desert Glass and the Pyramid Temple Gem are the only confirmed corrupted Gems to not take on a monstrous form, but instead create a building.
• Corrupted Gems can be compared to the E.V.O.S. from the Cartoon Network show Generator Rex.
  • E.V.O.S. and corrupted Gems were originally a normal species but become mutated, turning them into mindless monsters, and both need to be cured.
• It's unknown how many of the corrupted Gems are former Homeworld Gems and how many are former Crystal Gems.
• Some corrupted Gems, such as the Worm Monster and the Centipeetle Mother have the urge to eat food. The reasons for this are unknown, but it is possible that they do not gain sustenance from their gemstones like most other Gems do.
• Unreleased Corrupted Gems can be seen on Guy Davis' Tumblr, such as the Stinger, the Fist Chest, and the Shell Back.

  References