In Encanto, Mirabel is the lone Madrigal who isn’t magical. It leaves her feeling like an outcast and unwanted, especially when people like her Abuela or her sister, Isabela, essentially tell her to stop helping the family and go away. One of the peak moments of sadness for Mirabel is when her younger cousin gets his gift, and the whole family celebrates -- without her. But according to one fan, Mirabel was actually granted a gift soon after this moment.
In fan a theory on Twitter, Amber Coates suggests that when Mirabel sings "Waiting on a Miracle" to the Casita, it responds by showing her the cracks forming in the house. At that moment, Coates says that the house saw this opportunity to get the help it needed and blessed Mirabel with a different sort of gift. This gift allows her to see what the rest of her family was blind to -- the Miracle is in danger. It also lets her see what’s broken in the family itself. It’s an interesting theory that may reflect the nature of the family quite well, especially considering Abuela doesn’t technically have a gift either.
"Waiting on a Miracle" is a heartwrenching song about how Mirabel wants a gift so badly to fit in and to be seen as a person with value. The theory brings up how it’s in that moment when Mirabel sees the cracks in the house. It proposes that the magic chooses that moment to allow her to see what’s broken, and Mirabel does. Not only does Mirabel see the cracks, but she also sees how miserable Isabela is, how stressed Luisa is and how demanding and cold her Abuela is. It’s not explicitly shown that this understanding is Mirabel’s gift or that it wasn’t given to her right away. Still, the fan theory fits the overall themes in Encanto well.
A few commenters also agreed and expanded on the theory. One suggests that Mirabel doesn’t get a magical gift, but is chosen to be the new caretaker of the Candle and the Casita. It states she’ll act as the new Abuela when her grandma eventually passes. The magic knew how Abuela Madrigal was steering her family and chose Mirabel to step in because it also knew she could turn the situation around.
Another fan agreed and pointed out that Abuela Madrigal doesn’t have a gift per se, and guardianship is their gift. Those comments align with Encanto quite a bit. Mirabel would be an excellent new matriarch for the family when the time comes because she can see the inner value beyond just what their magic allows them to do. She sees them, and in the end, she sees herself too.
What’s more, Mirabel has always had a unique connection to the Casita. It helped her to find out about Bruno’s prophecy even though everyone in the family says, "We Don’t Talk About Bruno." The Casita knew that Mirabel was going to bring the family together again after years of slowly drifting apart. She changed their fate. As it turns out, Mirabel is the Miracle, just as her name suggests.