I think it’s a mix of me sounding like a broken record and the way I play my game, but I really do feel like Fenris is awfully reasonable towards the mages and gives mage Hawke a lot of goodwill by not killing them or shutting them down outright. Because what are we to him if not a slightly more able albeit even more dangerous hired sword? If he was as bitter and angry and broody as is the belief, he could’ve left on his own long ago. He has the freedom and the means to not stick to Hawke but instead he chose to stay and even offered his services and stuck with this band of miscreants under the guise of repaying them. He also immediately apologized for showing his displeasure with mages in front of Hawke but his gratitude is still genuine. I really respect the way he is conducting himself and not indiscriminately piles up all “mages” on the same pyre.
YES!!
One of the popular misreadings I dislike most regarding Fenris. He's not some completely unreasonable asshole about them (unless it's about Merrill sometimes, I have to be fr there 😭 but her being a blood mage still partialy makes me understand his spikiness).
One other would be that he's this emotionally unintelligent, constantly angry guy that shifts blame on Hawke or others for the way that he's feeling and what's happening to him. Ugh.
Admittedly, I think he can lean on that a lot when in rivalry, but only because Hawke on that path can have many responses that are putting a lot of blame on him too.
He's SO introspective, actually. And apologetic and fairly quick to accept that he may not be right about some stuff. Including mages. He doesn't really pretend he has ALL the answers. He'll tell you when he sees he's been wrong about something
Also if your Hawke is a mage (quite popular ig) you'll never see it in the same run, but he really likes Bethany. Clearly in a way that favours her over Carver (sorry Carver 😭).
The third misreading would be that he has no sense of humour. Doesn't laugh. Doesn't understand any kind of joke. To that I say - HUH?? False. Just... false. Please bring this man out with your other companions more often, people. 🤣