Item from Miraculous Ladybug by Thomas Astruc / ZAG
A brooch with the power to create champions — designed to empower heroes, corrupted by Gabriel Agreste into a tool for creating supervillains out of people's worst moments.
The Butterfly Miraculous was designed to create champions — to empower ordinary people with abilities to fight for good. In the right hands, it would create heroes. In Gabriel's hands, it creates monsters. Gabriel uses it to sense negative emotions across Paris, then sends akumas — dark butterflies — to corrupt vulnerable people into supervillains. The akumatized person gains powers related to their emotional state and is commanded to retrieve the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous. When the akuma is purified by Ladybug, the victim returns to normal with no memory of their actions. The Miraculous was lost centuries ago when Master Fu, as a young Guardian, made a catastrophic mistake that destroyed the Order of the Guardians. Gabriel found it. The fact that one of the most powerful magical artifacts in existence fell into the hands of a grief-stricken fashion mogul is the show's foundational tragedy.
A brooch in the shape of a butterfly. When dormant: silver-grey, understated. When activated by Gabriel: dark purple, glowing with an ominous light. He wears it at his collar, hidden beneath his tie. The transformation into Hawk Moth turns the brooch into a darker, more angular butterfly shape.
Also known as: The Brooch, Moth Miraculous, Papillon Miraculous