Why I Dislike The Comparison Between Daenerys Targaryen and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo
I do not hate Ben Solo, and I know I can’t dictate how everyone sees characters, but - I don’t think that Daenerys and Ben Solo/Kylo Ren can truly be compared.
I see many people talking about the similarities of Emilia and Adam defending their characters. This is what bugs me.
Both actors believe that their character did nothing wrong. Fans praise them for sticking by their character, and they frequently say both of them deserved better.
Ben was not innocent. He did not deserve better, he got what he deserved.
Kylo Ren was framed as a villain for most of the sequel trilogy. He was the main villain in TFA, and for the second half of TLJ and first ¾ of TROS. He killed an old man and ordered the execution of an innocent village in the first 10 minutes of TFA. He tortured and kidnapped Poe and Rey, killed his father, and fought Rey and Finn, injuring and potentially killing the latter. This is not the behaviour of a misunderstood, afraid young man. He was a villain, you can’t deny it.
TLJ began to sow the seeds of redemption. He gained a generally sympathetic backstory, and killed the main villain of TLJ (Snoke) but then he threw it away by wanting to rule the galaxy himself. He attacks the Rebels and intends to kill Luke, unaware he was just a projection. When the First Order gets into the Rebel Base on Crait, he orders there be no prisoners - he was willing to kill anyone they found. However TLJ did show he could be redeemed. And I was not against his redemption, I thought he should be redeemed.
TROS - Was an antagonist for most of the movie, stopping the protagonists from their goals. It was only near the end that he changes his mind, and turns to the ‘good’ side.
Lots of fans wanted him to live, and not die. But, I don’t think that would be true. Like I said, he got what he deserved - he was able to redeem himself, and do good. Now, this isn’t saying that he deserved to die, I’m more saying that he didn’t deserve more. He had killed innocent people, tortured Poe, attacked Finn, killed many Resistance members - how would they react seeing him turn up at the end? “He’s fine guys, he helped kill Palpatine, I know he tried to kill you multiple times, and has yet to actually voice remorse for what he’s done, instead of making excuses, but you’ll just have to suck it up.”
Many fans also regard Ben as a young man/teenager, struggling with self identity and wanting love and affection. But they forget - Ben Solo is 29-30 years old in the sequel trilogy. The destruction of his Jedi Temple happened 6 years prior to TFA, making him 23 when he killed his peers and destroyed the Temple. This makes it wrong to to brand him as more sinned against than sinning.
This is vastly different from Daenerys. In my opinion, Daenerys did deserve better - much better. Because unlike Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, she was not framed as a villain from the beginning, she was the opposite. Daenerys tried to save women from rape, freed slaves and put aside her goals to help those freed slaves. She was written as compassionate and heroic right up until Season 8, Episode 5.
And this is where the 'deserve’ part differs again. Many Ben fans felt their vision of deserving better was Ben being resurrected or not dying on the first place, and usually getting a happy life with Rey. Daenerys fans have different views regarding Dany’s death - some think she had to die after she set like, a ¼ of King’s Landing on fire (that’s foreshadowing for something I would like to do next), and others think she shouldn’t have died at all. Daenerys’ victims (excluding King’s Landing) have been all guilty of some crime - betrayal, trying to kill her, SLAVERY, unlike Kylo’s victims who have been generally innocent. But generally every Dany fan thinks that deserving better means erasing the King’s Landing vibe check altogether. Daenerys deserved better writing, the sequel writing (while up for debate) did not turn against Ben Solo. It followed an arc that could be improved, but ultimately ended where it had began - and also echoed Darth Vader’s death, if I really wanted to be nit picky.
Of course, there is the point that Ben Solo was manipulated by Snoke. I do not dispute this. But I also do not think that that absolves Ben of any guilt. It allows him sympathy and the opportunity for a redemption arc, but we also see that after Snoke’s death Ben still follows down the path he began. There is something to be said about abuse and the effects it can have on a person, but I am not well versed enough on the subject to tackle it, and instead leave for a more experienced person to discuss. But again, it does not render Ben Solo totally innocent, and he is in no way a man who has been nothing but good and kind and sweet and you get the picture.
What I am trying to say, in a very long winded and slightly unnecessary way (sorry), is that Daenerys and Ben Solo are not on the same level in terms of character 'assassination’. It’s wrong to compare them as they are vastly different characters of different backgrounds. Daenerys did a 180 in terms of character development and Ben Solo managed to gain redemption in the eyes of Rey, and presumably she would spread word of his sacrifice.
You are more than welcome to provide respectful criticism or add onto this post with further insight!
I love both Daenerys and Ben Solo. I was mad and disappointed about how their stories ended. I don't think they are similar characters at all. They have nothing in common except a shitty and bad written ending. You don't think Ben Solo deserved a better ending? fine, but why are you so offended? why do you feel compelled to tell Ben Solo stans that they have no right to be as mad/disappointed as you are for Dany's end? I'm sorry to tell you but you're behaving like Dany's antis. There was no character developement for Daenerys to go mad, and there were hints for Ben Solo's redemption all over the triology, Reylo signs, and a lot of canon material outside the movies that painted Ben as a victim of Snoke/Palpatine (he actually didn't kill his fellow jedis, it's in his comic) so yeah, we had reasons to expect a better ending for Ben solo. We have reasons to be mad. Both deserved better in their fans opinion. And every opinion is subjective.
