Batmanโs compassion for criminals and murderers is fascinating when put up against his anger and distrust and sometimes contempt for Jason and Helena, again and again the one thing he truly canโt stand is murder in the name of some greater good
he understands and forgives greed and anger and fear and desperation as a reason for killing but the second you try to smear a bit of righteousness over that death he is disgusted, he is actively less empathetic, he wants nothing to do with you personally
I think one of the key things here is also that Jason and Helena operate in Gotham and Bruce is driven enough by favouritism and territoriality that this contempt gets driven to the forefront and he feels he has more say in what goes on in his city
Stolas and His "๐๐ธ๐ธ๐ต๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐ช๐ท๐ฝ๐ช๐ผ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ผ"
An analysis of why Stolas uses of fiction and escapist fantasy, and what it actually means.
Back with more character analysis/semi-fan theory! This 'little' 3.8k word essay is a combination of details I've noticed and previous discussions from mutuals on here. As usual, I try to present things based on evidence but will have parts colored by my opinions/experience/theories.
If you are a Stolas Anti/HB Critical, this is probably not a post for you.
It's pretty obvious from my blog that I love him. Just like with Stella's analysis, if you are looking for content to insult or bash Stolas rather than examine his PoV, this will be a long, very disappointing read.
TW: talk of abuse/violence.
You can't really escape it with Stolas meta.
Let's go! ๐ชถ
----
The Basics: Stolas' References to Fiction
One of Stolas' most obvious character traits is his tendency to compare/view his life through the lens of fictional stories: specifically dramatic romances and action fantasy. This has been present since at least S1E2 and has continued with regular consistency. Stolas often references tropes or characters from his world's fictional media: knights in armor, Gabriella's dramatic love life on Hella Novella, Harriet not getting on the train. He compares himself, others, and his own desires to them. The frequent references have received mixed reactions from viewers. Some people feel it's relatable, some find it an entertaining quirk, and many feel it's a sign that Stolas has unrealistic expectations and refuses to have grounded, real relationships: especially when it comes to love and romance.
In this post, I'm breaking down why Stolas makes so many of these references, whether or not these references are realistic, and what he actually means by all of it.
Why Stolas Relies on Fiction
Stolas and Real World Relationships
Stolas has almost zero experience with healthy, real-world relationships besides the one he kept with Via (flawed as it was). He barely knew his father, and it's likely he never or barely knew his mother. He never experienced traditional friendships, dating, or any sense of community. His wife was selected for him in childhood, and his culture was one that kept emotional relationships at a distance. While 'normal' children were playing with friends and dreaming of their futures, he grew up alone, his path determined by adults who couldn't even remember his name.
Strong emotional relationships simply didn't exist around him besides the one he formed raising Via. But Stolas was an emotional individual: he felt deeply, despite his self-expression being discouraged since childhood. The way he was raised, and the society he entered in adulthood, did not give him any tools to understand himself or form genuine connections. So he sought that comfort in the only place a lone introvert often can: reading and media. Fiction was a precious resource for Stolas, both to see how others interpreted their lives and to find comfort in stories that were similar to his own.
Goetian Culture & Their Unreliable Social Niceties
Stolas may have lived an isolated life, but he wasn't completely in a bubble. His behavior was influenced greatly by how he was raised. The Goetia by and large conceal many genuine, positive emotions and lean towards condescension and rehearsed politeness. The politeness is often hiding more selfish or malicious intent, too. Stolas' personality did not fit into this, which placed him as a target among his own kind instead of a welcome participant. Stolas spent much of his life expecting 'normal' conversations to be a trap, with a metaphorical (or literal) dagger behind the other person's back. He was not raised to expect honesty from others unless it was used to be scornful or insulting.
Direct Communication Doesn't Work
There is a little-explored, yet important reason why Stolas often references fiction/fantasy to explain his viewpoint. When his speech/behavior is more 'normal,' he's frequently punished for it.
There is a major drawback to Stolas being a Goetia, where kindness or politeness is often a condescending facade, and classism is normalized: Stolas' sincerity is not taken at face value. This can be reflected in how Stolas interacts with most characters from imp to Sin.
Because of his race, status, and upbringing, Stolas is often assumed to be as backhanded and selfish as the rest of his kind. Growing up in Goetian society, without outside influence, meant he doesn't recognize when his behavior is condescending or that his speech is littered with accidental microaggressions. Neither of these help his cause. This combo leads to his intentions being very, very frequently taken the wrong way, even when he's being as literal and direct as possible. Stolas is actually a very honest character in dialogue. However, that honesty is often mistaken for having a hidden negative meaning.
A few episodes depicting this: A genuine invitation is just another bodyguard request in The Harvest Moon, honest support is sarcasm in The Circus, having feelings means looking for an artificial love potion in Oops!, and expressing feelings to Blitz is a roleplay designed to fuck with him in The Full Moon
And if Stolas' honesty is understood, it often leads nowhere. His thoughts or wants are quickly refused or turned into a problem. His world doesn't value it. in fact, from Stolas' viewpoint, trying for honest communication is a weakness that gets him immediately shut down, invalidated, or insulted. And this isn't just a Stolitz issue - it's a lifelong experience. It's one of the reasons he tries to form conclusions on his own or dance around topics. People don't want to talk things out with him. Honesty is a vulnerability that allows him to be dismissed or become a target.
Some examples: His caretaker's response to his excitement/Paimon's response to his crying in The Circus, Stella berating him for singing about his feelings in The Circus, Ozzie easily turning down his request in Oops, Blitz refusing to believe that Stolas was being honest and insulting Stolas' feelings in Apology Tour
When Stolas drops his metaphors and flowery wording, people tend to not believe what he's saying or flat out deny/insult him. There's no discussion to be had. Honest communication results in dead ends where he gets ignored at best or berated/harassed/abused at worst. Trying to have direct conversations only highlights how much he 'doesn't fit in' and brings punishment or further exclusion.
As a result of this, he's learned to dance around conversations as soon as he is turned down or not taken seriously. His most common technique is fawning or acquiescing, focusing on the other person's thoughts to prevent or solve conflict. He does this with Via at the end of Loo Loo Land, during the disastrous 'date' at Ozzie's, with Blitz as a child and an adult in The Circus, and many more examples. He's also prone to jumping to his own conclusions and making decisions 'for the better' that accidentally end in disaster.
But when he doesn't feel like completely giving up yet, Stolas tries another route on his way to being understood: referencing a story to explain himself.
Fiction as Communication
A few times in the show, Stolas makes references to fantasy or overtly dramatic fiction stories. Some of the most obvious examples are calling Blitz his 'knight in shining armor' when he's supposed to be bodyguarding; agreeing with Gabriella's, "Why won't you love me?" in Hella Novella; and referencing the rom-com of Harriet getting on the train. When he does this in conversation, it makes him more easily understood. If Stolas is talking to another character, they tend to immediately understand what he's saying or at least 'get' the reference. There's less risk of misconstruing his words. In fact, it's effective enough that we, the audience, can grasp it as well. For a character who is frequently misunderstood, having these comparisons makes him feel more represented and better able to communicate. He has never been 'backed up' by someone in a conversation, so his beloved stories are the closest thing he has.
Reverting to stories often gets him an explanation, rather than an outright insult or denial. These stories are how Stolas helps make sense of his rather fucked up life and a world that doesn't function the same way as him. It's one of the only bridges he has between the feelings he's trying to convey and what other people might understand or believe.
Fiction Deflects Conflict
This is another little-explored concept that deserves attention. Stolas' fictional comparisons provide an emotional shield.
Turning the conversation to a common story trope creates a small piece of distance for himself. Once the focus is on the fictional comparison, it's no longer only about Stolas, who is easily insulted or refused. It's now about a larger picture - the metaphorical situation at hand. He is, for a moment, not referring to himself, but something that represents him. Stolas can gauge people's responses to the fictional context, rather than making himself an immediate target. For a character who has survived verbal and physical abuse for a long time, this is crucial. He can step out of the spotlight and not be directly attacked.
But Why Use Unrealistic Story Tropes?
If Stolas relies on fiction as a safe fallback, why pick the non-realistic fairy tales/romances? Why melodramatic, over-the-top scenarios and not something more grounded? Why not create realistic comparisons that don't blow his expectations out of proportion?
The simple answer is that Stolas can't relate to grounded, realistic stories. The over-the-top, dramatic ones are the only ones that remind him of himself... or have given him any hope over the years.
Picking Familiar Stories
The complaint that Stolas should have normal expectations with his life/relationships has one big flaw; "normal" can only be based on his own reality, and Stolas' life has not been typical by any stretch. He's had very few experiences in common with the average denizens of Hell and also never fell into the Goetian society's culture of scorn and superiority. So, if Stolas never saw himself in others, and he never saw himself in 'realistic' fiction, where would he find familiarity?
Historic fantasy, soap operas, action/romance, and fairy tales.
Stolas' life has had more in common with soap opera characters or fairy tale princesses than with an everyday working person. His life has very much resembled the love interest in a classic fairy tale/adventure fantasy:
Royalty
Physical privilege coupled with neglect and isolation (the "princess locked in the tower" trope)
An unwanted arranged marriage
Limited real-world experience
Magic powers and spells
A future 'destined by the stars'
Technically royalty, yet not an active part of royal society
Romantically attached to someone from a different social status
Under the control of a violent/abusive character
Lack of social contacts outside his antagonists' influence
Unwilling pawn in political schemes
Surrounded by antagonists trying to use his title for their benefit
Emotionally isolated by his antagonists as a means of control
Repeatedly captured/forced into a damsel-in-distress situation
Unable to escape his antagonists without outside influence
If Stolas compared himself to a damsel in distress, or to a tragically trapped romantic lead, it wasn't because he was setting standards that were unrealistic to his life. It was based on his genuine experience.
Chances are he started seeing himself in these stories quite early on. Without a way out of his arranged marriage, teenage Stolas might have fantasized about being 'saved' from it as the date edged nearer and nearer. But that obviously never happened, and "joining" the Goetia family didn't help his isolation, either. Instead of expanding his social circle, it only reinforced that he was an outcast. He couldn't make friends, he never had a chance to date, and he couldn't be treated like any normal denizen of Hell. His home life was abusive, and his wife and brother-in-law did everything to ensure he stayed as helpless and demotivated as possible. Stolas carried the privilege of royalty but was metaphorically a prisoner, trapped without a support net. And an individual penned in that badly might not be capable of escaping their abuse on their own.
By the time Octavia was out of a crib, Stolas had completely given up on having individual goals and lacked any outside influence or resources to change his life for the better. The concept of a 'knight in shining' armor might have been a fantasy. But that was because 'reality' held no future for him. The fantasy was an expression of his need for someone beyond the people who controlled his life, something that might give his existence any value. In fantasy adventure stories, a character stuck under such control often has their lives interrupted by the proactive, ambitious protagonist -Exactly as Blitz did with Stolas, even if Blitz didn't realize he was doing that.
Violence That Reinforced Tropes
Stolas' stifling lifestyle became more and more apparent to viewers during the first two seasons of the show. Not only were his home and social life volatile and dangerous ... but based on his lack of reaction in Loo Loo Land, he expected the same in the outside world, as well. (Honestly, I feel like not enough people talk about this.)
Via, I understand you had a right to be angry in this ep, and Stolas could technically get himself out of this, but viewers should recognize that this was what happened when Stolas attempted a fun day out.
Via thought needing a bodyguard was ridiculous, but, Stolas - and specifically JUST Stolas until the last few minutes - WAS attacked. Sure, Stolas could technically handle the attacking imps at Loo Loo Land with magic if he wanted, but that wasn't a situation he should have had to deal with. And note that Via was largely left alone, enough to wander off without him uninterrupted. And as much as Via had a right to be angry/upset during that trip, she had almost no reaction to her own father being tied up etc. Maybe Stolas didn't 'need' a bodyguard for survival, but his thought that this outing could bring violence against him was 100% correct.
And Stolas was turned into a target in public in the majority of his outside experiences in-show.
Of the times Stolas was in a social or public situation in Seasons 1-2, not in a private conversation:
Loo Loo Land: repeatedly assaulted or tied up.
The Harvest Moon: a place he considered safe and predictable, not needing guarding - he later found out he was nearly assassinated.
Truth Seekers: a rare reversal, where he was needed to swoop in to help protect Blitz and I.M.P. from harm.
Ozzies: publicly humiliated by someone of the highest rank in their society, on said someone's property.
The Circus: humiliated and demeaned by Stella at a party in his own palace. Managed to semi-turn it on her head by sleeping with Blitz/demanding the divorce, but later Andrealphus managed to skew this into Stolas acting strange for a Goetia and being emotionally fragile/easy to manipulate.
Seeing Stars: another rare incident where he was not a direct target, instead tagging along while Blitz was shoved into his mistaken identity.
Western Energy: Met in a public space and was ambushed and almost murdered at Stella's behest. Saved from further mutilation by M&M but would have likely been murdered had Stella not called it off. Ended the episode alone in the hospital, ghosted by Blitz and hearing from no one else (did Via ever find out this happened to him, or did he hide it because it involved her mother and he didn't want her to have to process that?).
Apology Tour: Mostly drinks in a corner on his own. Pressured into singing about his feelings on stage (singing being one of his favorite forms of expression but also something he's been shamed for by characters like Stella). Drinks alone again, is followed by Blitz who apologizes but seems to be reiterating that he's not the right choice for a relationship and doesn't understand why Stolas would want one with him. Stolas finally breaks down with the feeling that he'll never actually feel wanted in any significant way. Ends up drunk dancing/making out with BTBG.
Mastermind: saved Blitz's life by making up a story and allowing himself to become the reviled villain everyone easily wanted to treat him as. Made the violence/dislike of him even more publicly acceptable and encouraged.
Sinsmas: Spent the montage either being hated or messing up in public. Taunted and nearly murdered by his ex-brother-in-law for trying to see his daughter.
At the majority of those incidents, public humiliation or violence/physical assault were aimed directly at him. In short, Stolas was accustomed to being the target of hate or violence both in his home and out. And, before the end of Mastermind, he was always left to process it alone. This was a recurring theme that only intensified as the show progressed. He couldn't go experience normal life because life made it clear that he wasn't wanted.
The symbolism in this scene was massive. Stolas had just been massively injured, a rarity for a Goetia. He was instantly sent a bunch of flowers, likely a socially required gesture from other upperclass. Yet no one actually came to see him, and the only communication he received was one text from Blitz before being left on read. Stolas was once again left to manage the aftermath of his abuse by himself.
Possible Past History with More Outside Violence?
Some of this is fan theory pretty much, based on context clues. Previous violence in the 'outside world' was potentially hinted at in Harvest Moon. Stolas said he felt "quite safe" at the harvest festival due to its predictability. This could have just been a simple reference to Loo Loo Land in response to Blitz, but it could have also been a hint that Loo Loo Land episode was not the first time he had been aware of a physical threat during an outing. And in his personal life, it was shown more than once that Stella is physically violent when angry. Stolas also had a rather downplayed response to finding out his ex-circus clown friend now murders people for a living. Basically, context clues showed us that Stolas has been accustomed to violence against himself until he more or less expected to be treated with aggression, and for the rest of the world to look away while it happened. His worldview was skewed.
Expecting to lose his head in Mastermind definitely showed his lack of awareness RE his privilege. But this behavior came from a character who spent 2 seasons coming to the conclusion that enough people around him did, in fact, want him very dead - and those who didn't seemed mostly indifferent about whether or not he was.
What Does This History Mean for His Fantasies?
Stolas' relationship with reality was skewed from the start, because he has almost never had a 'normal' day in his life. His fallbacks to melodrama were a reflection of his own experience. Interacting with the world in a 'realistic' and 'normal' manner was literally less attainable for Stolas than hoping for a fairy tale. If he seemed to compare himself to a tellanovella or a fantasy, it was because he'd been forced to live through tropes reflected in them constantly with no escape. Being an average person was a foreign concept he couldn't relate to.
Stolas' fantasy comparisons did, indeed, set absurd and impossible standards, but his reality was an absurd one that was impossible to navigate.
The Meaning Behind His Fantasies
So, if Stolas set these fantastical expectations out of his own experience and desperation, what did he want out of them?
We finally got a breakdown to the root of Stolas' fantasies in Apology Tour. After believing that Blitz has never/would never have feelings for him, getting very drunk, and generally giving up, Stolas believed he had nothing left to lose by being honest one more time. He inserted the Harriet on the Train comparison, but it devolved into real, actual talk. And by the end of it, we understood that Stolas' melodramatic visions stemmed from a desire to:
Be someone's significant other
Feel wanted
Feel like his presence carried emotional weight to someone else
To have someone to find him worthy of physical and emotional intimacy
These were the root of most of Stolas' metaphors and book/TV references. The "foolish fantasy" of his boiled down to his need to feel loved and special to someone but living surrounded by people who wanted to dismiss or hurt him.
While his behavior was indeed self-destructive and chaotic, it was less so from his viewpoint at the time. His fantasies were the result of a profoundly lonely individual, forced to live through many of the most painful fantasy/adventure tropes, trying desperately to find connection with a world that acted as if those tropes couldn't exist and he shouldn't exist.
Stolas failed to make grounded decisions because he had never had experience with that concept. It wasn't that he refused reality - it was that he'd never been allowed to live in reality in the first place.
Is Stolas Alone in Using Fiction as an Emotional Escape?
In the show, no, he's canonically not.
Just like Stolas, we've been shown one other character who has processed life by inserting himself, people around him, and familiar traits into fictional characters:
One who's had a bad habit of seeking out escapist fantasy as a coping method for his worst emotional states:
So, why did things go differently for Blitz these two times?
He actually had a support system, even if he didn't realize it. Loona carried his drunken self to the van/home before he could fall more into a self-destructive loop in Queen Bee. In Ghostfuckers, Millie helped him realize that he had more value than the Bethany character he was desperately trying to emulate. Blitz has had characters willing to call him out or pull him from his self-destructive behaviors. Stolas' only healthy relationship has been with Via, who he over-sheltered but also deliberately prevented from being both a dependent child and his personal safety net. That was not her job to have to do.
Blitz had a 'normal' reality to ground himself around and go back to. Stolas' reality was the skewed, suffocating one that reinforced his kinship with fantasies in the first place.
Stolas and "Facing Reality"
The support system and grounded reality are things Stolas is now plunging headfirst into post-Mastermind and post-Sinsmas; he just hasn't fully processed it yet. And despite the taste he's getting of it, I think the plot's still going to try to remind him from time to time that he's not supposed to belong there - he'll just actually have other characters that say different this time, which is something he's never experienced before.
Final Words
IDK if I think of a better way to sum this up, I'll edit the post, but this has been sitting in drafts for a long while. The concept of Stolas' life basically being one big collection of fantasy/melodrama tropes is something I've always thought of when people discuss his constant references to fiction or disconnect from normal life. It's a trait that's well-tied into his personal experiences as well as his personality. It undoubtedly been destructive for him over the course of the show, but its reasoning is well-woven into him as an individual.
This got a little awkward and rambling but I appreciate everyone reading. <3
Ozzie's is so funny from Stolas's perspective,cause imagine you were just watching TV and eating cereal,but suddenly u get a call from your fuck buddy asking you out on a date out of the blue
You get dressed up and the moment you arrive you they say you're overdressed
Then you get inside sit by a table, just for your lover to pull out binoculars to spy on thier employees
Then a local celebrity appears and your date wants to not bring attention to your table, just for them to suddenly get up and start defending an employee they were spying on, driving all attention on themselves
Now they basically get roasted by Beetlejuice,Sabrina Carpenter and the embodiment of Lust
And not a moment later YOU get roasted by the embodiment of lust, basically throwing all the dirty laundry out for the world to see
Your date gives you a ride home,gets sad, saying how it's just sex as if they didn't JUST invite on a date, drives off.
The way I got into Helluva boss is by seeing a lot of pictures of cute baby Stolas and I was like- who is that owl i keep seeing,so i watched newly released Circus episode and absolutely loved it
Tim:If I had a nickel for every time I went to Haly's circus just for a sudden murder to happen in there I'd have 2 nickels.... which isn't a lot,but it's weird that it happened twice...
Sometimes i forget people don't hyperfixate on characters so much they start gathering all information they can on them within weeks of knowing this character,like I got into batfam in June though fucking Minecraft videos that voice Tumblr posts with that annoying ass AI
And then I started reading fics that TikTok recommended,and Damian became my favourite bcs moments with him from that Harley Quinn show were funny,but he wasn't actually like that so Jason became my fav for a little while,then Dick,then i went back to Damian
In fact i remember that one of the fics i was reading made Tim Drake be a total asshole and was like-"Okay,I don't give a fuck about this guy anyway",funny in retrospective lmao
And after sometime I fell in love with Tim for some reason , and then i read Wikipedia page about him,and then I started reading Tumblr posts from people that ACTUALLY read comics,then i began searching for Tim's Robin reading guide,and then I started reading Tim's comics
Like- some of my first Tim Drake centric fics were about his missing spleen guys ๐ญ And now I'm constantly searching for more canon compliant fics
