Watching AFG3S3 and I realised something
Gen 1 was about people being monsters.
Gen 2 was Lovecraftian horrors being the enemy.
Gen 3 is about Lovecraftian horrors being the protagonist.
Drako was a guy who couldn't stop caring even when he wanted to.
He gathered a following because he was a hero and was cool.
Drako hated the attention but liked the fans themselves as people.
Drako had to put on an "i don't care" face for tactical reasons though.
Versus is a very different beast.
He loves being the center of attention.
He couldn't give a damn about his fans on a personal level.
Versus isn't putting on an "i don't care" face.
Versus just genuinely finds his fanbase kind of annoying.
Drako's spiritual journey was learning to care less or look like it.
Versus might have the exact opposite adventure.
Versus might be forced to feel things against his will.
He's not a kind and caring person but he has friends for a reason.
He's constantly solving problems himself.
He doesn't like working in teams in general.
You could argue he's a self-made man.
I argue that he takes on everything as his own burden to bare.
The way he cares about others is more subtle.
He constantly puts himself in danger to fight villains.
Yes he likes to be their sole focus and be the one to fight them.
I think though subtly he's painting a target on himself.
He's not the kind to act defensively.
He just attacks the enemy to solve the problem.
He says he doesn't care about the victims of the villains.
He chooses to resurrect them as badass fighting robots.
He's weirdly a tell-don't-show champion.
He doesn't show any signs of a noble character.
Everyone keeps weighing up his actions and seeing it though.
Can you quantify a hero's actions without feeling them?
Surely that makes sense right?
You save the day, you're the hero by default.
Nobody is praising Versus for his actions.
I don't think Versus wants to be praised.
He's an indifferent force for good.
An inevitable unstoppable force.
Imagine Saitama in the dream sequence fighting The Subterraneans.
Versus has a vague understanding he's helping.
That's not why he does it.
There's a vague do-good side in there.
The average person in civilisation means well.
He's not going out of his way to better the world.
He just wants to fight stuff and be admired for it.
He doesn't want to be a symbol for others to follow.
I don't think he's going to get that choice here.
People will idolise him no matter what.
Versus' dilemma is having to cope with having a public presence.
People are squishy.
If people try to follow his example, they'll get hurt.
Versus can undo the damage but that's not the point.
Versus might berate others for endangering themselves.
The average human being is somewhat apathetic to idiocy.
The average person doesn't want to be responsible for pain.
He's not exactly upset at strangers being hurt.
He's not worried about personal consequences of his actions.
He doesn't want to be the cause of a negative influence.
He doesn't want others to hurt themselves trying to follow him.
They will though, even if he tells them not to.
He can't help being a symbol, just by the nature of saving others.
Those who walk in his footprints will inevitably fail.
Versus' lesson is learning why Drako did what he did.
Versus will have to become that which he hates.
Versus is a literal war machine learning to human.
Ironically it's his human nature that prevents it.
The true nature of humanity clashes with its cultural representation.
We long to be ideal humans but we can only be realistic humans.
Versus will have to become a caricature of himself in the public eye.
It's the only way to keep the public safe.
The narrative becomes the only feasible reality.
The irony he leaped out of fiction for this outcome.
