I have to admit, I’ve never understood or liked the whole “Wards are child soldiers” statement that floats around the Worm fandom. Like…even putting aside how often it’s repeated both in and out of universe that the Brockton Bay Wards are the exception and most Wards don’t see nearly as much action… they’re still not child soldiers???
Teenage cops, sure. I wouldn’t personally agree (because the Wards have more oversight and accountability than your average American cops do) but it’s not an entirely inaccurate comparison. They are essentially hybrid cops/firefighters.
Child soldiers, meanwhile…no. For one, Wards aren’t forcibly conscripted into service. It’s a choice they make- not a completely free one, but a choice nonetheless. They get paid, they get healthcare, they even get to choose if they’ll attend certain fights! It just makes no goddamn sense that people keep saying this when on every level that comparison is just not true.
The Wards program tends to get a lot of flak (well the PRT/Protectorate does in general but that’s a separate convo) in the fandom- and it’s an odd mix of people saying either the Wards program is terrible because it forces kids to fight people (it really doesn’t) or because it doesn’t let the kids fight more people with less oversight and restraints on acceptable levels of force.
It’s weird!