Because nothing says "great leader"...

[dragovianknight]

...like physically altering people by force and against their will.






Mostly, I wonder if tumblr fandom would be as uncritically "awww yis, Megatron is an awesome badass leader" if instead of curing alcoholism he was enforcing celibacy. "No more impure thoughts for you! *smack*"

Edit: *sobs* This is the most recent not on this particular photoset: "Aaaall of this. In the brief glimpses we’ve seen of Megatron on the Lost Light so far, he’s already looking like a far better captain than Rodimus ever was. Then again, Megatron is a seasoned leader— whereas Rodimus is still very naive and inexperienced in many ways."

Tumblr fandom...and possibly other parts of fandom, IDK...genuinely sees this as GOOD LEADERSHIP on Megatron's part. I can't even.

Edit: Found a spoilery review of the issue in question. Still not feeling the "Megatron is a great leader" vibe.

Comments

[dragovianknight]

The comic is bad enough; the people applauding how Megatron is an AWESOME leader are making me twitch violently.

[zero_pixel_count]

Oh, fuck, no, that level of control goes a loooooong way beyond 'leader'

[dragovianknight]

Yeah. I have no problem with people liking villains - many of my most beloved characters are at the very least on the dark side of grey - but the portion of fandom recasting the Decepticons as a bunch of great guys is downright disturbing. (See my comment above about how the Cons are the good guys, really.)

[recessional]

This is the thing! Love villains all you like! JUST STOP TRYING TO INSIST THEY'RE ACTUALLY GOOD GUYS.

[dragovianknight]

"You know what? MTMTE Megatron is THE Megatron; the only one that makes sense. Whoever invented that bad fanfic shit of Megatron being a molester, a rapist and a random killer is just insane to me and I’m so happy canon finally sets that right in all clarity.

Megatron’s never been a ‘bad guy’, he’s just went down a really questionable road which is the whole and only tragedy about this character and what makes it all so great.

To his own faction he’s a hero and with effing good reason."

"THIS!!

I’ve been saying it all along—the Decepticons are the GOOD guys. They just look evil because they’ll do ANYTHING to achieve their goal."

I could not MAKE these reactions up if I TRIED.

[recessional]

I know. I'm in MCU, remember? Ask me about woobie!Loki (anf the complete inability to understand moral agency). MONKEYS.

[dragovianknight]

Oh, god, LOKI. You DO know the pain.

[recessional]

Yea. And just when I thought his brainless fen couldn't make my eyes roll out of my skull any worse, they are now butthurt that "those haters" are all "excusing" things the Winter Soldier (you know, the mindcontrolled, brainwashed slave) does while still being "mean" and "not understanding about" Loki.

So I feel you, sro. I feel you.

[dragovianknight]

*headdesks until the desk shatters*

[recessional]

It is so hard not to run an all-caps, profanity filled seminar on moral agency and ethical responsibility. I mean, its also pointless to do so because tumblr fandom, but ffs: NOBODY MADE LOKI A GENOCIDE. HE COULD HAVE GONE HOME TO LOVE AND HONOUR ANY TIME HE WANTED. HE THREW A TANTRUM INSTEAD.

(Which: I know Loki-fans who are absolutely intelligent people and love him in his full mentally-unstable, vicious glory and that's cool. It's the "It's not his fault because his brother was more popular than he was!" that sends M's into OH MY GOD AUUUUURGH flail.)

[dragovianknight]

It's the "It's not his fault because his brother was more popular than he was!" that sends M's into OH MY GOD AUUUUURGH flail.

Yes, THAT. MCU, the worst we can say about Loki's life is that Odin is a bit of a dick and Thor was more popular and rather shallow. WOE, POOR LOKI.

[recessional]

SERIOUSLY.

But I can totally see where a similar thing could easily run with Metatron. *shares beverage most appealing to you* WTF guys. LOVE VILLAINS. LOVE THEIR VILLAINY. You know who I love? Muppet Treasure Island's Long John Silver. He's FANTASTIC. And an evil SOB. IT'S GREAT.

[dragovianknight]

With Megatron, I just can't get over the whole, "But look, the Decepticons were rebelling against an unjust system! They have a good goal! Their intentions are good, they're just a little misguided!" Because a) that doesn't justify the path they've taken and b) I see no clue that Megatron's pasted-on backstory has informed his present-day characterization at all.

Muppet Treasure Island is a brilliant movie. I need to watch it again.

[recessional]

Stalin was rebelling against an unjust system, too. :P