Mal and Evie were not always close. Their relationship had a rocky start, with Mal being bitter for ten years that Evie did not invite her to her sixth birthday party. Mal almost tricks Evie into touching Maleficent's sceptre, which would've cursed her to sleep for 1000 years, but Evie reveals that she had wanted to invite Mal to her party, but hadn't been allowed to due to the tensions between the Evil Queen and Maleficent. Mal feels guilty and, at the last moment, grabs the sceptre herself, finding out later that she is immune to the curse. From that day onwards, they, along with Jay and Carlos, became firm friends.
At the beginning of Descendants, Mal is under pressure from her mother to follow in her footsteps and be evil liker her, whereas Evie believes her only worth is in her looks, and feels under pressure from her mother to find a prince to marry. Mal and Evie are shown constantly reassuring each other they not only live up to their parent's expectations, but are worth more and can do more than that. Mal frequently compliments Evie's sewing skills, calling her talented, and academic ability, of which Evie's mother did not see as important. Mal believes she is truly evil and unlovable, but Evie goes out of her way to show Mal she isn't, helping her prepare for her date with Ben and making her dresses for formal events later on.
In Descendants 2, Mal returns to the Isle of the Lost, as she is under too much pressure from Auradon and feels she cannot live up to their expectations. When Evie finds her gone, she, Ben, Jay, and Carlos go on a mission to find her. They eventually track her down, but Ben is captured by Mal's enemy, Uma. While planning how to rescue Ben, Mal and Evie return to their old hideout. Mal reveals to Evie that the reason she didn't tell her she was so unhappy in Auradon was because she didn't want to disappoint Evie, as Mal could see how much Evie loved living there. Evie tells Mal how she won't stop her from following her heart and staying behind, even though she'll miss her. They sing a duet called Space Between, reflecting on how even if Mal chooses to stay behind, the two of them will still be connected by their hearts. Eventually, Mal decides to return to Auradon after all.
Mal and Evie are frequently shown to be much closer with each other than they are with their other friends, even Jay and Carlos. Both Mal and Evie refer to the other as their best friend, and have both said "I love you" to the other. They are shown complementing each other's looks multiple times, and are often very close physically, either holding hands or hugging. Mal calls Evie 'E' and Evie calls Mal 'M', with no other characters having similar pairs of nicknames for each other, signifying their closeness. Mal depends heavily on Evie, who is often the first person she goes too when she's in need, such as when Ben asked her out on a date. At one point, Jay expresses his upset that Mal and Evie always go off together and have "girl talk" whenever there is a problem, meaning the closeness of Mal and Evie is obvious, even to other's.
In Descendants 3, it was revealed that Evie was the only person Mal told about the identity of her father, showing she trusts Evie deeply. When Mal revealed she had lied about opening the barrier around the Isle of the Lost, Evie was deeply affected, feeling as if Mal had betrayed her, not only by lying but also by stopping her dream of allowing VKs to come to Auradon. This showed the immense trust the two have in each other, as Evie likely wouldn't have been so affected if Mal lying to her was a common occurrence. At the end of the movie, Mal apologises to her friends and removes the barrier, creating a bridge that allows the two societies to merge.
the duet that Mal and Evie sing in Descendants 2, where they say how the distance between them doesn't matter, because they'll always be in each other's hearts
One Kiss | Sofia Carson, Dove Cameron and China Anne McClain
the song Evie sings before breaking the sleeping spell Doug is under with true love's kiss. this song has often been repurposed as a Malvie song due to it's romantic nature[1][2]
My Once Upon A Time | Dove Cameron
the song Mal sings in Descendants 3 after her friends have been turned to stone. Whilst singing, she touches Evie's face and looks at her longingly
Fanon[]
Since Descendants first aired, fans remarked on the chemistry between Mal and Evie and expressed they saw potential for a romantic relationship, with some even thinking they were being queerbaited. Their duet in Descendants 2 contributed to the shipping a lot, with many fans likening it to a romantic duet and even pointing out moments where it looked as if Mal and Evie were about to kiss. The fact that Mal had a heartfelt duet with Evie, her best friend, but not with Ben, her boyfriend, made some fans speculate that Malvie would eventually become canon.
Mal is often viewed as bisexual and Evie as a lesbian, her romance with Doug being interpreted as compulsory heterosexuality. However, their ship name is widely disagreed upon, with Mevie being popular at first, but Malvie having a more widespread use later on. Before the release of Descendants 2 and 3, fans would speculate that Mal and Evie were going to get together, although many doubted the ship would actually become canon due to Disney's lack of LGBTQ+ representation.
On AO3, Mal/Evie is the second most written for relationship in the Descendants fandom, a very close second to the main canon ship, Mal/Ben. It is often written with Jaylos (Jay/Carlos) as a side pairing.
Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson (who portray Mal and Evie respectively) have been supportive of both the ship and the possibility of Mal and Evie being attracted to women.
@DoveCameron on Twitter on July 22nd, 2017.
On July 21st, 2017, the day Descendants 2 aired, Sofia Carson tweeted a screenshot of messages between her and Dove Cameron, where she said "#mevie [...] Ps. I'm gonna be a wreck during space between" (the duet between Mal and Evie).[3]
A day later, Cameron quote tweeted a tweet which read "space between: crank up the queer". Her caption read "!!!!!!!!!!!! saving this forever wow always relevant".[4][5]
Cameron also quote tweeted many tweets that alluded to Mal being pansexual, including those theorizing that Mal had dated both Harry Hook and Uma.[6] Cameron herself is bisexual.[7]
Carson also liked a tweet which described Evie as "the queen of lesbians".[8]
On January 12th, 2019, Cameron quote tweeted a tweet which said "Ben and Doug who????" to which Cameron responded with "honestly".[9][10] Ben and Doug are Mal's and Evie's love interests respectively.
During her June 22nd, 2022 interview with the online magazine them, Cameron said that Mal "for sure" was "madly in love with Evie".[11]
Cameron and Carson both retweeted a tweet saying Mal and Evie should sleep together.
In her "Ask Me Anything" interview with ELLE on November 29th, 2023, Cameron confirmed her belief that "Space Between" was "a love song between Evie and Mal".[12]
@disneydescendants on Instagram on October 20th, 2016.
On October 20th, 2016, the official Descendants Instagram posted a picture of Mal with the caption "Today we celebrate @GLAAD #SpiritDay! Join us in supporting all LGBTQ youth by wearing purple. #ChooseKindness 💜💜💜".[13] Some thought this may have confirmed Mal as LGBTQ, while others believed that wasn't their intention but still liked the idea.[14]
In 2020, the Netflix original series Julie and the Phantoms was released, which Kenny Ortega, the director of the Descendants trilogy, directed and executive produced. The show featured a gay main character and a gay romance that was essential to the plot. This led many fans to speculate that some Descendants characters, including Mal and Evie, may have been queer coded, but couldn't be confirmed as queer in canon due to the stronger restrictions Disney places on its shows compared to Netflix.
Three actors who appeared in the Descendants trilogy, Booboo Stewart (Jay), Jadah Marie (Celia Facilier), and Cheyenne Jackson (Hades), also had roles in Julie and the Phantoms, playing Willie, Flynn, and Caleb Covington respectively.[16]
Gallery[]
"I look..." "Say it." "Not hideous." "Not even close."
"No matter where you go, we can meet in the space between."
"Even if we're worlds apart / You're still in my heart / It will always be / You and me."
Mal and Evie often seem to brighten each other's mood.
Videos[]
Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson - Space Between (from Descendants 2) (Official Video)
Descendants 2 - Space Between (Extended Version)
Mal & Evie (Their Friendship) Descendants 1-3 (Space Between)
33 reasons to ship MEVIE - Descendants 1-3
Descendants 3 - Mal Lies To Evie - Clip -9
Descendants 3 - Mal Explains Why She Lied - Clip -27
Descendants Wicked World - Steal Away ✨ - Disney Channel UK
Evil Among Us - Episode 26 - Descendants- Wicked World
Mal and Evie Scenes 1080p
Mal and evie -- their story -+ Descendants 2-
Mal's Best Moments! 💜 - Compilation - Descendants
Evie's Best Moments! 💙- Compilation - Descendants
Variations[]
Dofia refers to the ship between their actresses; Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson.
Maldrevie refers to the ship between Mal, Evie and Audrey
Umalvie refers to the ship between Uma, Mal and Evie
VKs refers to the ship/friendship between Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos
