since Natalie and Marinette are refusing to confirm that Gabriel was the worst dad ever (because they're trying to stop Adrien from figuring out that he was Monarch), I hope Adrien is talking to Nino about it, because you know Nino is happy to set the record straight
[ ID: A digital illustration of Adrien from Miraculous and Hunter from The Owl House. The two are sitting on chairs, with adrien on the left and hunter on the right, both looking at the camera with awkward smiles on their faces, thumbs up. The banner above them reads (as in referring to the two), “traumatized blonde teenage white boys who aren’t quite human and were instead created by their evil shithead father figures using magic who they used to look up to until they learned who they really were and they had masked alter egos that gave them more confidence but were also just tools to cover up their true selves and who are in love with a blue haired asian girl who could kick their ass and who have little flying animal confidantes who give them powers and were one of their first friends and who at one point wore very silly costumes and at another point were a villain and are probably bi and trans and-”. End ID.]
Here you go! Tbh I haven’t been able to catch up on miraculous in a long time so when I heard these two finally got together it was like. Woah. Good for them ig
ANALYSIS OF THE AKUMA BATTLE IN "MISTER AGRESTE" (S6, ep 9):
~A Representation Of The 'Agreste Arc'~
I'm glad Adrien is realizing and admitting out loud all the abuse Gabriel put him through until now!
"Mister Agreste" is an amazing episode and the battle is way more meaningful than I initially believed.. I thought it was already awersome before realizing what actually happened!! I rewatched the episode and I noticed something that MIGHT make you enjoy this akuma fight more than you expect.
This particular fight, with this interpretation, definitely elevates this scene and makes it a very unique and meaningful one!
Rather than just another random sad guy being akumatized, it's actually a full on recap/representation of the entire 'Agreste Arc' until now:
___
Adrien had to fight his 'father' alone at the start of the battle. As Adrien he cannot do much, he's frozen and stuck in fear.. until Nathalie pushed him out of the way and took the hit for him (she convinces Gabriel to let him go to school). Adrien sees her in danger as she gets buried by the ruins of his room. This snaps him out of his frozen state & runs to the bathroom to transform (Adrien renounces his dream of going to school by running to help Master Fu, but he becomes a Hero). ['Origins' p1 & 2, s1]
Now as ChatNoir (his "free form"), he fights Mister Agreste. He shouts and hits him over and over with no result, he even accidentally cataclysms his arm ['Destruction' s5].
Understanding that the giant figure is just an outer shell, he tries to go through his heart but Gabriel is empty, there's no heart to hit (failed attempts to reason with his father).
By doing this, Adrien only hurts himself (emotionally) more and more; he even gets thrown onto a building and falls in the middle of the empty square ['Chat Blanc' s3]. He calls for help, but he's completely alone. (Being sheltered, he was never able to be himself and make friends)
Mister Agreste considers him ungrateful and a disappointment. He gets hit and buried under the heavy falling debris 'Gabriel' threw at him (buried by the weight of all the things Gabe forced him to do in his life). While he's stuck under the ruins, Adrien's Miraculous (just like his amok object, which both happen to be rings) gets taken away from him.
Finally, Ladybug shows up (Marinette arrives in his life), she helps him stand up by joining the fight and gives him time and a way to escape his father (activities and friends as a reason to go outside and live). She battles him too, but Gabriel doesn't directly take any damage when you simply destroy his limbs (Akumatized villains), he only gets more smug and mighty.
Also, Mr.Agreste has been (carelessly) throwing away parts of himself while fighting (clayballs: his health, sanity and reason). After a few, futile attempts at fighting back, Ladybug gets caught and is now stuck in Gabriel's grasp. [s5 Finale]
No matter how tiny and insignificant he might think he is, compared to his 'great' father, Adrien, to save his Lady and make things right, comes back and grabs a metal pole (which is like his weapon as Chat), charging straight at the giant figure.
He begins shouting at the statue, asking questions to try understand the reason behind his father's actions, which shocks the akumatized person. By suggestion of Ladybug (Marinette), he picks up the lucky charm (strenght, confidence, love) she left on the ground for him, so he gains a voice, a louder and clearer one. [s4 Finale- s5 'Evolution']
With the simple power of words and truth, he gets to fight back and voice his thoughts and opinions on his own, going against his father's wills. Shouting to the world about his anger and pain.. as 100% Himself, no masks, no tricks, just Adrien, just TRUTH!
The clay statue dries out, cracks and falls on it's knees. It collapses, powerless.
This way he defeats and destroys the "perfect image" of his disgusting father.
In the end, Ladybug (Marinette) is freed from the grasp, she purifies the akuma and gives the ring to Plagg, so he can send it back to ChatNoir (she gives Adrien his freedom back, his amok rings). [s5 Finale]
Then she walks up to him and shows she is there for him. With a simple, but loving look in her eyes, she praises him for his immense courage, for being able to speak up, for being so strong, for how important he is to her and the world, for being himself. She couldn't have have made it without him.
They're stronger together, even when they're apart... Pound It!
Maybe this scene also shows (foreshadows) how the "Agreste Arc" is going to be solved. Despite Gabriel's death, this part of the story is clearly not over yet.
Adrien is the one who will end it. He's the one who will remove his father's 'Power' over himself and his loved ones, he's the only one who can do it, he's the one who can crack the cycle of control. He will somehow put an end to his father's reign of terror one day. And he won't be alone, as his loved ones will always be there for him.
We'll wait and see! I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of this akuma battle!
Thanks for reading, I hope you all have a great night/day❤️
So you know how Adrien was originally supposed to walk with a crutch but it got ditched?
Well, sudden medical emergencies can happen out of the blue at literally any time. It’s not too late for them to add it in by having him go through some sudden emergency like a major injury or underlying condition suddenly coming up. And it’d made for a great story arc too, exploring how difficult it can be to adjust to life becoming disabled out of nowhere. And as Cat Noir too. He’d not only have to learn to walk with crutches, cope with the sudden change and learn to manage his symptoms, but he’d have to face the potential of giving up being Cat and finding a way to continue despite his new disability.
Basically, I think they should re-introduce the idea of disabled Adrien by a sudden medical issue or accident coming up and exploring how he’d cope with it.
