Okay my last character analysis on Fundy growing up got more notes than the rest of my original posts combined, so here's another:
He started out just wanting to have fun, mess around with some drugs and build a nation. You know, your typical weekend plans. It'd be something fun he could create with some of his friends. The moment Dream opposed his idea was when he started going downhill, because now it was real, L'Manburg had become something he had to fight for. Plus somewhere in that time, Fundy was born, adding to Wilbur's responsibilities. He couldn't give his full attention to both, so he chose L'Manburg - a fact that becomes relevant later.
Wilbur now had a war to fight. He was responsible for his country, his son, his chaotic younger brothers, and a grand total of One other person who was actively building the nation. Meanwhile on the other side, everyone was basically already stacked and planning ahead. It's been stressful from the beginning.
Erets betrayal was a harsh blow, not only because everyone trusted them but also because Eret was doing so much for L'Manburg that without him, victory didn't seem likely. All four of them, but seemingly Wilbur in particular, learnt to not trust anyone easily. And then their home gets blown up, and Wilbur starts desperately thinking of a way to negotiate surrender but still keep their home. But before he could come up with an answer, Tommy risks their entire nation on a duel against Dream himself. And loses.
Tommy trades his discs, they get L'Manburg back, all is well, but the damage is still done. Wilbur watches his son start a couple wars (as you do), but he doesn't interject much because Fundy had been doing fine so far without his help, so Wilbur kept his attention on L'Manburg.
The war starts to drag Wilbur down. He feels like he didn't achieve his presidency morally so he holds an election, but he knows he won't handle not being president, so he planned to only let himself run with Tommy as his vice president. He didn't want to use the phrasing "rigging the election" because that made him feel like a bad president, but he couldn't be, he'd done so well, right?
His plan doesn't go well, Schlatt and Quackity win the election. Immediately a feeling of betrayal similar to with Eret. Quackity had been their friend, Wilbur had trusted him, and Schlatt was supposed to endorse them. Plus his own son running against him would've hurt. Sure he didn't really believe Fundy would win, but he could see that he was losing loyalty to Wilbur. Had he failed at being a good dad? He had to focus on L'Manburg, but Fundy understood, right?
They lose the election. Wilbur and Tommy are thrown out of their home, reduced to a hole they dug into a hill. Wilbur's trust has been shattered countless times and so has his hope. He's angry, not just at Schlatt and Quackity and George and Dream and Eret and Fundy and everyone else, but he's mad at himself, too. He'd fallen short. He needed a solution.
Boom, Technoblade. He starts to believe that they can take back L'Manburg, but something's off. He's tired of it, he fought so hard and lost so much for what? L'Manburg had evolved since he'd started it. He knew it wouldn't be the same even if they got it back. He missed when it was simpler, but he can't bring that back. So why were they trying so hard to fight for it? The simple answer was just don't fight. But he couldn't give Schlatt the satisfaction of ruling L'Manburg, so, as the quote goes: "if we can't have L'Manburg, no one can have L'Manburg". He'd found his solution: blow the motherfucker up.
It was an irrational thought. Even if he did blow it up, L'Manburg's people are persistent. They would rebuild it, just like they'd done before. It'd be a difficult task but there's no way in hell they'd drop L'Manburg. But Wilbur was past the point of rational thought. As soon as he vocalized his idea of blowing the place up, the pressure began to build. It kept building until it was no longer about whatever reason he'd given at the beginning, now it was about getting rid of it. He was tired of L'Manburg, but he couldn't just fade away. He was supposed to lead the revolution - again. But the first revolution had taken so much from him. He just wanted to get rid of it.
Fast forward to the festival, where Techno betrayed them all but Wilbur was too fascinated in watching everything crumble around him to care. Instead he encouraged the violence, making a pit for his brothers to fight in.
The pressure built up. Everyone was telling him not to press the button. Why not? It would stop the pressure. The voices in his head would stop yelling at him to do it. He would be able to rest. But everyone kept stopping him.
To the old Wilbur, the one that had lead a revolution from a drug van, the result of the war would have been perfect. Schlatt dead, someone else president, and all his friends and family together. He didn't have anything to worry about - but this Wilbur did. This Wilbur had the knowledge that under his feet were 11 stacks of TNT with the button a short walk away, and thousands of voices screaming DO IT. So he did.
Wilbur had filled the button room with TNT when he made it not just for effect, but because he'd hoped it'd kill him. Tommy took all the TNT out, and I guess Wilbur thought the 11 stacks would be enough. When it didn't kill him he turned to Phil, then finally he was at peace for the first time since the revolution for L'Manburg's independence.
