WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the Steven Universe Future episode "Growing Pains," which aired on Cartoon Network.
Steven Universe has had to deal with a lot of trauma in his short life, contending with various monsters, mutants and aliens before he even became a teenager. While he's always had his half-Gem biology and powers to help him contend with whatever threats come his way, it doesn't mean he hasn't been almost killed multiple times.
While it always seemed like these wounds didn't take much of an effect on the boy, there now appears to be a very specific reason Steven can take so much punishment. Steven has just discovered that one of his powers is essentially a healing factor, much like Wolverine from Marvel Comics.
Steven's Check-Up
Previously, Steven's specific powers seemed to include enhanced endurance and strength, the ability to float, healing saliva and create protective bubbles and shields for himself and others. That endurance and strength has usually been held up as the reason why Steven can take so much punishment. But it turns out that's not the only attribute that Steven has that protects him from harm. In the episode "Growing Pains", Steven finally sees a doctor -- Connie's mother Dr. Maheswaran -- for the first time in his life.
Upon initial inspection, his body appears to be in perfect condition. Dr. Maheswaran suggests that he's bounced back from all the physical trauma he's dealt with over the years thanks to a previously unknown healing factor that Steven possesses. This means that almost any injury he suffers is restored almost instantly. But there are still lingering signs of it, as proven by an X-Ray taken by Dr. Maheswaran. It appears that Steven's bones have all been reset at various points, but they still show signs of fractures. This means that while his body may have healed up after he was hurt, his bones still signs of the damage they've suffered over the years. Still, this means that Steven is far tougher than even he ever really expected.
Steven the Eternal
This gives Steven a surprisingly similar power with a number of superheroes, notably Wolverine. His healing factor is one of the defining aspects of the X-Men character and has allowed him to live an extraordinarily long life. Steven's body may process aging in a similar way, slowing it down to a crawl. Helping matters is his body's ability to only age if he himself feels that particular change in personality. This was why Steven didn't appear to age until he reached a new level of emotional maturity, which is when his body transitioned from youth into that of a young man.
Coupled with his healing factor, Steven could theoretically be alive for an eternity. Certain Gems are known to easily last for thousands of years unless they have their Gems shattered, with their typical lifespan greatly exceeding that of the normal human. It's possible that Steven could age realistically and eventually pass away from old age if he ever reached that emotional level of letting go, but it's also possible for Steven to continue living on even after the rest of the humans in his life like Greg and Connie are long since gone.
This might not be the best revelation for Steven right now though, as he's still dealing with the mental trauma of all the things that happened to him over the years and fears that he's losing the people in his life. That has also seemingly thrown his powers out of whack and could end up complicating matters going forward mentally for the young hero. Still, it's neat to know that Steven and Wolverine have at least one thing in common.
New episodes of Steven Universe Future air Fridays at 7 PM EST on Cartoon Network. The hour-long series finale will air on March 27.