In defense of Genn Greymane
He gets a lot of shit from fandom for various reasons. But I do hate seeing him painted as evil or just a jerk. He’s much more than that and I find his journey over the years very interesting.
He’s a complex character and I love that shit okay.
Like I don’t blame people for not liking him because sure, he’s a jerk a lot of the time (especially on a surface level) but to dismiss him as a badly written character or whatever? That irritates me.
Genn Greymane is an ass. He’s gruff, emotionally repressed, stubborn, impulsive, harsh, and just generally snide.
He’s also a dedicated husband, father, friend and king, this is where people are going to get iffy but I believe it.
He makes mistakes. Many. (What character hasn’t?) but he’s also a character who has learned from those mistakes in most cases and improved himself. He admits he was wrong in many cases and tries to sway others from making those same mistakes. That? I respect.
Him insisting Kul’tirans not to isolate themselves because he knows how that ends and it ended badly for his people. They paid the price for his mistake. He knows now they need to work together and he does.
He loves his family even if he’s not outwardly a soft and cuddly guy. That can’t even be disputed. He loves them. He would die for them and has been willing to do so before.
He had a strained relationship with his son? Okay? That happens. He’s not a perfect parent but neither is Varian or any other parent in WoW. (I would hardly call Varian emotionally available lmao)
It’s difficult, especially when two people have different ways of expressing affeftion. Genn is not good at showing it and sadly that’s what Liam needed from him.
As I said he’s been a huge jerk before and that much is obvious but he knows that and that counts for something to me? That he tries to do better counts for something to me.
Regardless I do believe without a doubt he loved his son and his son loved him. (His son died saving him for god’s sake)
He cares for his people. Genuinely. He’s said he feels guilty for their plight (rightfully so in some cases) and wants nothing more than to fix it for them.
“My people have suffered so much..if only I could shoulder more of their burden.”
His advice to Anduin is also very telling. He thinks Anduin needs to see battle. He needs to be there seeing the sacrifices his men make in his name. He needs to see and his soldiers need to know their king is with them.
This is harsh but it’s /true/.
Anduin is a naturally compassionate person so he’s not apt to see people as mere numbers or toy soldiers but it would be easy for him to slip into doing so if he had a completely hands off approach.
It builds empathy and compassion for his soldiers which, with a blatant hands off approach, could diminish even in someone like Anduin.
He needs to see the weight that his decisions have and the gravity of the situation. These are lives in his hands. Anduin admits he needed to see it as well. Now look? He’s on the battlefield beside his soldiers more often than not.
Also Genn’s people love him. Despite his mistakes. They are fiercely loyal to him and that says volumes.
I wouldn’t say he’s a bad man either. Just a deeply flawed one just like everyone else. He tries to help others now. He fights for causes he believes are just.
His loyalty is something I deeply admire. His refusal to abandon the night elves and leave them to fight on their own..was a huge character moment. He defied his king (Anduin didn’t really mind but that’s besides the point) and fought by their side.
Because he’s been there and the night elves are the people who took them in when their home fell, they’re the people who helped them learn to control the curse.
As for Sylvanas? He has every reason to hate her as viciously as he does. She destroyed his kingdom. She killed his son. Now she’s committed genocide against his allies. How can anyone blame him for this?
One of the books had a brief moment of him acknowledging the humanity within the forsaken (who are not Sylvanas) and that also says volumes about how far he’s come. It’s a moment of genuine empathy.
What about his loyalty to Varian? They were genuinely good friends.
Composed, emotionally repressed, gruff Genn Greymane screamed out in grief when Varian Wrynn fell.
The guilt he felt for it was also very telling about how he feels about both Varian and the situation.
The fact that he tries to guide Anduin and look out for him says volumes.
Reaching out to Jaina’s mother and encouraging her to make up with her daughter before it’s too late says volumes.
His fierce desire to avenge his son, Varian and his people says volumes.
He made some very shitty choices especially regarding isolationg Gilneas. But damn the man has already been punished enough for it hasn’t he?
And it’s not quite as black and white as people think. He’s a king. It’s his duty to protect his people over anything else. In his impulsive and selfish decision he was trying to protect his people. But only /his/ people.
Was that right? Leaving the other kingdoms to essentially die? No. And he’s paid for it. He explicitly acknowledges that he was wrong and tries to do better.
The release the worgen decision? Was stupid. But it was not out of malice. He did not release them to infect his people. He made an impulsive and bad choice. The same could be said for any character at some point.
This is a deeply flawed man but he is not an intrinsically bad one. In fact I would say he’s a good one if only because he tries to do better. (He doesn’t always succeed but he tries)
He’s gone from a selfish man who refuses to help anyone but his own to a man willing to risk his own life and the lives of his people to defend allies. That’s character development, baby.
You don’t have to like him. He’s not the most likable character on a surface level. But he’s no monster and painting him one is doing him an enormous disservice.
He’s just a man like anyone else.
jacobvanloon
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