The Glare in Minecraft: The Mob That Almost Was

Two glowing eyes peeking out from a hovering clump of leaves. That is the glare, one of the strangest creatures Minecraft never officially added. It lost the 2021 mob vote and faded into trivia, though with the recent arrival of the copper golem, fans are starting to wonder whether its turn could finally be coming.

So, What Exactly Is the Glare?

Picture a small floating shrub with two enormous eyes hiding inside. That is the glare. Mojang pitched it as a helper mob whose only job was to flag low light areas where hostile mobs could spawn. The mechanic was straightforward: if the light level dropped low enough, the glare would essentially throw a little tantrum until you fixed the problem.

A popular rumor at the time also suggested it would light up those dark spots itself, but Mojang never confirmed that. It was meant to be a warning system, not a portable lantern.

How the 2021 Mob Vote Went

The 2021 mob vote is still remembered as one of the tightest contests in Minecraft history, mostly because it included two very strong candidates. The allay took the crown with 51% of the vote. The copper golem trailed close behind at 37.8%, and the glare came in last with only 11.2%.

That result was not really a verdict on the design itself. Plenty of players liked the idea of a leafy creature that judges your interior decorating. The issue was practical. Next to a mob that collects dropped items and another that interacts with redstone, a passive warning indicator felt thin. In a different lineup, the glare almost certainly would have done much better.

Could the Glare Still Arrive in Minecraft?

Now that the copper golem has shown up in a recent Minecraft Preview, every losing mob vote candidate is technically back on the table. Some players have already combed through the official copper announcement video frame by frame, hunting for hidden glare cameos. Whether anything is actually there is anyone's guess.

If the glare ever does get added, it would almost certainly be reworked, the same way the copper golem was. The most popular fan theory is that it could place torches on its own to light dark areas, which would turn it into a genuinely useful early game companion. Another idea: since the glare is essentially a bush, it could pair with fireflies and emit a soft temporary glow.

For now, it remains a fan favorite curiosity. Maybe one day this grumpy little shrub will get its moment in the canopy.