I always find it so fascinating how Marinette treats her hero life as more of a job vs Adrien who treats it as a completely different life. Let me break it down for you:
Marinette
Marinette didn’t want to be Ladybug in the first place, because she didn’t believe a clumsy girl like her could save Paris. And sadly, she still lacks that faith in herself especially with the new heavy responsibility of being guardian that was placed on her.
Also notice in how much she’s overworking herself, especially in the beginning of season 4. Her pushing her friends away to focus on being Ladybug reminds me of someone who has a poor work-life balance. She couldn’t properly balance between talking and spending time with friends. Similar to as if she was turning into a workaholic.
Additionally, Ladybug doesn’t like the spotlight that is shined on her and Cat Noir. Parisians try to treat them as if they’re celebrities as well as heroes. But, Ladybug sees this as her job - she doesn’t care about being a celebrity. She really got riled up about all this in Prime Queen and Glaciator 2. She had no interest in doing the interview, and hated that her and Cat Noir were voted “Couple of the Year.”
Also notice how she didn’t make a conscious effort in Copy Cat to actually remember to go to the debut of the hero statue. I know it’s in her nature to be a bit forgetful, but she wasn’t really all that enthused to go.
It wasn’t until Dark Owl, we actually see Ladybug and Cat Noir spending some quality time together, just talking as friends. And, fast forward to the beginning of season 4, Cat Noir makes an effort to talk to her and take her to the movies, which she actually agrees to. Then, they also go swimming (her suggestion). It may have been moreso to distract her from the stress she was dealing with, but it’s her finally embracing Ladybug as her 2nd life and not just her job.
Part of why she also denies having feelings for Cat Noir because she doesn’t necessarily want to be in love with someone who’s her partner in her job, and it’d be giving the people what they want to see. She doesn’t want being Ladybug to be her second life, yet it kinda became that as she started having some feelings for Cat Noir and she was forced into being the guardian. It’s a lot of work and drama that keeps affecting her civilian life.
She doesn’t like having to lie to her own friends and family about what she does, because she feels it shouldn’t have to be lied about, but this notion has been pushed by Master Fu that it’s the only option. She wants peace in her civilian life, but she has to keep thinking of ridiculous lies simply to hide the fact that she’s Ladybug. And because she was told she can’t, she’s a stickler about this with Cat Noir as well, similar to a boss who’s very strict when it comes to work policies.
Overall, she takes her job seriously and doesn’t want any shenanigans. It’s her job, she didn’t want it in the first place, but she wants to get it done and she feels good once she accomplished what she needed to.
Adrien
Adrien was so quick to jump into his role as Cat Noir because it’d be an escape from his terrible home life - Plagg flat out told him that, too. He likes being seen as this different person and having the freedom to do what he wants, considering his “normal” life is him being neglected, stuck at home, and forced into being a model. It’s a perfect example of escapism - the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities.
I’m glad Cat Noir learned how bad Ladybug was struggling, but she has yet to learn that this position is Cat Noir’s escape. He yearns to feel important and wanted for that very reason, not entirely because he’s in love with her like Kuro Neko tried to tell us.
The biggest thing is how different he acts as Cat Noir. It’s a part of him he doesn’t get to show in his everyday life. As Cat Noir, they don’t know he’s Adrien Agreste, so he can have as much fun and freedom as he wants, being this totally different character.
Take notice to how different his costume makes him look in comparison to Ladybug’s. He changed his eyes and hairstyle, and his mask makes his nose look a bit more pointed. Vs Ladybug whose design is much simpler - she looks much more similar to her civilian self. Adrien wanted to really hide who he is, even physically.
Additionally, Adrien does not like the insane fans and spotlight he has as a model. However, as Cat Noir, it’s a different. He likes the thrill of getting to be a different person when the mask is on. He’s respected a lot as Cat Noir and has some fans here and there, but it’s completely different than the crowd he has to deal with as Adrien. He’s the faithful partner of Ladybug, and although he’s just as important for their missions, there’s a bit more spotlight on Ladybug than there is on him. Notice how in Strikeback, the Parisians keep chanting “Ladybug!” but not “Ladybug and Cat Noir!!” or “Our heroes!”
Also keep in mind, the attention Cat Noir does get as a “celebrity” is the kind of attention he wants. Him and Ladybug’s hot gossip is that they’re a couple, which obviously isn’t true, but Cat Noir is in love with her and he likes that a lot of other people see the chemistry they have. I mean, for Christ’s sake, both the Parisians and us as an audience see all these kisses between them (I know Adrien salters give him a hard time but c’mon now. He’s constantly teased just as much as we are.) Overall, his time as Cat Noir is also time well spent with Ladybug.
Like I had mentioned in the section about Marinette, he also tries to get her to hang out with him as a friend. He wants Ladybug to be more relaxed instead of so uptight. He also hopes their friendship develops more, which then will blossom into a romance between them.
As a whole, Cat Noir takes his position as his Cat Noir seriously, but not for the same reason Ladybug does. For him, it’s an escape into a different life and much less of a job. He provides Ladybug with a lot of support and comic relief, and he has a wonderful time doing that. Anytime she pushes him away, it destroys what he feels is his purpose.
You can give Cat Noir crap for taking it seriously in that sense, and respect Ladybug for being more serious, but Ladybug and Cat Noir need each other to balance out how they handle their own roles.
Juleka has been akumatized 5 times - which is more than anyone else in the series (other than mr.pigeon ig) but always as reflekta and it pisses me off because I think she has potential for absolutely epic supervillain looks but it’s always the same thing.
