Controversial opinion: a lot of the current discourse about whether Ben is portrayed as “too soft” and “not strong enough” is not a failure on the filmmakers’ part to create a worthy, compelling dual protagonist / antihero, but rather selective information processing in the fandom which has prevented many of us from discussing / reflecting on the character in all his nuances and complexity.
I’m going to be frank: I think much of the misunderstanding stems from the fact that the fandom has historically disliked discussion of Ben’s rawer, stronger, and darker side– the side that knows what he wants and seizes it when the time is right. I can attest to this personally – I have several within-fandom backlashes under my belt to prove that many (not all, but many) Reylos don’t love talking about this aspect of his character.
But it’s always been there. And talking to casual fans outside of the SW fandom has made me realize just how insulated we are. The simple fact of the matter is that casual Star Wars fans find Ben much stronger and darker than online fans, who often think of Ben Solo as the fluffiest and floofiest of fluffy villainkins (😂).
Yes, some idiot fans complain about Emo Crylo Ren, but that’s certainly not the only take on Ben. For instance, antis are opposed to Reylo precisely because they find Ben genuinely powerful and threatening (because they are myopic idiots who only frame his potential in conjunction with his Dark side abilities).
What’s the reason for this disconnect?
Again, I’m going to go out on a limb here and express my opinion as a meta writer. The issue, in my opinion, is that we’ve often been afraid to talk about the ways in which Ben is truly raw, strong, and untamed, because these qualities of his have been explicated (thus far) via his use of the Dark side of the Force.
Reylos’ reluctance to discuss Ben’s power in all its raw, unbridled fury comes from an understandable place– attempting to protect ourselves from anti criticism– but the inevitable consequence of dictating / policing the “appropriate” way to discuss / portray Ben is that he is often woobified in fanon. He really has never been as soft, fluffy, or “weak” as many (not all, but many) in the Reylo fandom make him out to be.
Yes, Soft! Ben is absolutely one side of him, but it’s not the only side. The TLJ novel was unequivocal in this– the man has darkness, and it’s a source of power and strength for him. And it shapes his motivations in the narrative thus far.
Ben is domineering, dismissive, arrogant, and full of rage. He uses these things to fuel him. Yet he is also deeply conflicted, wounded, vulnerable, and compassionate. Fanon often prefers a discussion of the latter side of Ben and ignores the former. This isn’t true of everyone. But it’s true for many.
I think the debate going on about Ben right now is fascinating and informative. And I do think it’s worth pointing out that this is a Heroine’s Journey for Rey- female empowerment is a key point, so yes, the narrative does ask us to cheer for Rey’s victories a bit more than anyone else’s (including Ben’s).
But Ben was never meant to be weak or pathetic or “subby.” He’s meant to be complicated, powerful, conflicted, and deeply wounded, lonely, and empathetic.
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