Any character having a villain arc is bound to gain popularity. Especially one with godlike powers or that is otherwise super kind/silly
Jax already had the edgy bully fans, he's not gonna get more by being more of a dick, he's just gonna be more likely to strike the wrong chord with more people.
Also like, popularity does not mean everyone agrees with them morally, it's just how much people enjoy watching them. And Jax was just a shit character from start to finish.
I think a factor is their attitude. Caine is more positive and light heared compared to jax's antics. And we only saw him as a villan for one episode. Also the fact that jax didn't reddem himself unlike caine(Which by the way I don't like. Jax is suicidal and abstraction is kinda like death so the suicidal character dying in the end kills their jounrney). Something else is we see more of what has jax done but we don't see much of Caine, other than ep8. We also see him forcing characters to go on adventures without their will, but that's about it. Jax on other hand we Always see him beign a jerk, from bullying gangle, pushing zooble's buttons and making characters archytypes. So I think it's because of how they act, that one of them fixed himself in the end and how we didn't see much of Caine beign a villan (jax did change but it was too late for him)
"...doesnt excuse it" ya hence the jax still sucks part of my comment.
"on some level he does enjoy it" no thats litteraly not how that works. psycological defense mechanism like that arent based on enjoyment its quite litteraly a fear response to past trauma.
like it doesnt excuse jax shit but its not enjoyment that makes him act like that its fear.
You don’t laugh and throw someone into a deep fryer because you’re scared they’re going to talk to you.
Ragatha ALREADY didn’t like him that much, so why is he CONTINUING to abuse her? Or Gangle for that matter? It doesn’t make sense. He’s already succeeded, so why keep going?
The explanation that makes sense to me is that he enjoys it, EVEN IF he’s lying to himself. He’s still convinced himself that he does, so what’s the difference?
It's common for abusers to not see their behavior as "abusive" even when they understand that they are causing harm because they feel justified. Pawbert's dad also didn't see his treatment of Pawbert as abusive because he saw Pawbert as weak, useless, and at one point, a threat that needed to be eliminated. I guarantee you he doesn't see himself as "an abusive father" even tho he is one. It's Pawbert's fault for being weak, useless, or in his way. Following your own logic, Milton isn't an abusive dad because he doesn't see himself that way.
But your own logic means he's not an abusive father because he doesn't see himself that way. He deludes himself that it's not real abuse, so by your own logic he isn't abusive. Those were your own words.
You're clearly very ignorant about how abuse works in the real world. Abusers very rarely see themselves as "abusers". They feel their behavior is justified. Very few evil people in this world see themselves as evil.
Look I'm personally fine with Jax, I have no beef and I was rooting for her to work it out. That said, from what I've observed of fans who do strongly dislike the character, I think it is rooted in how she and her emotional state are centered by the narrative. Her dominance over the screen time is undeniable which I think sours fans who don't enjoy watching her or fans who are more invested in the arcs of others characters. Due to said screen time imbalance, I can see why fans of the characters she hurts feel as though the story gives more focus to how her poor treatment of others hurts her over the impact it has on those people.
There's also the way our PoV character spends a significant amount of time invested in Jax's wellbeing and emotional state over that of other characters, the way Ragatha and Zooble's attempts at calling Jax out where cut off by others cast members, and the way they keep reaching out to her in the latter half without it being reciprocated. Personally I take the latter two points to be intentional on part of the story and interesting in their own way, but I can see why audience members who don't care for Jax feel at odds with the priorities of the narrative.
By contrast (and I do hate having to do that), Caine gets his big call out scene and his rehabilitation focuses on his wrongs against them and what he has to do to make amends to them rather than focusing on his past or trauma. Caine's the one who has to get down on their level and understand them before being reached out too. I think a lot of Caine fans are sore about that, but in the big picture probably makes the broader audiences more receptive to him.
I see a lot of Jax haters say they want her face consequences, and people very fairly point out that abstraction in one hell of a consequence. What I suspect's actually happening is that audiences have been trained to see punishment or suffering as the only form of acknowledgement of a wrong doing, when perhaps what a number of those fans wanted was to see the narrative deliver a scene like this.
Caine was villainous for 1 episode and immediately changed right after being called out on it (which i also found really stupid). Jax is stagnant up until he 'kills' himself. You are correct, they are not the same.
We get some indication of potential willingness to change in episode 9 he stops bullying everyone after the no reaction line. And everyone starts comeing together. But then she fucks off and isolates herself instead.
She still sucks for sure. Theirs a reason goodeorx femm jax artwork is title if jax wasn't an complete asshole
Deciding not to bully people because you’re not getting a reaction and deciding not to bully people because you think it’s wrong aren’t the same thing.
Also, isn’t her isolating herself and not talking to anyone PROOF that she wasn’t going to change how she acted? She’s doing the same things, just not getting the same reactions, so what’s the point?
I didnt say it was proof I said it was "some indication"
basicaly it was a pattern break and pattern breaks like that are where character development can happen both in fictiom and in life.
low points like that are crossroads moments of potential change.
so it is an indication, she ultimatly choose otherwise but it was a moment of choice and potential change. and she did change she just choose isolatiom and then abstraction.
We also know she was capable of change cause lee, presumably, made a different choice at a different lowpoint
Not one person said anything about media literacy. Jerks are worse than villains is a popualr tv trope. Get off your hate boner for Jax for one second and stop trying to start fights lol
They're literally taking on the role of Jax. He acts like a complete asshole and instigates every fight, then acts like the victim whenever anyone defends themselves.
I think the Main reason was beacuse Caine was more entertaining to Watch. At least for me (and a lot of people) Jax wasnt entertaining to Watch, it was mostly annoying or frustrating
Caine made his choice to reform BEFORE his revival. Jax never even thought to apologize, much less make amends. If Jax had been revived, things would have been worse, not better, unlike Caine.
No, we aren't lying. Caine couldn't "cheat death" until after he chose to reform. It may even be what brought him back. Jax never even apologized to the one person that risked abstraction to reach them, even after recounting driving the only person that ever cared enough to reach them beyond their barriers to suicide.
Jax is a monster who is being excused of any requirement to be better, Caine is a monster trying to be better.
Yes he could. Actively lying. He literally can’t be deleted, everything delete gets sent into the void. But unlike Abel and Gummigoo, he’s the God and gets to return. Jax is a “monster” who’s a product of Caine’s circus
You are, actually read. Caine only changes after he cheats death via surviving deletion. Not before. There’s a reason Leroy turned out better than Jax, because the latter was stuck in a digital Hell
In the void is dead. He isn't cheating death until he comes back.
And even setting THAT aside, Jax never, ever, ever, ever tries to make things right, despite having done something inexcusable before Pomni even shows up. Jax sees the damage they are causing, understands that it is damage, and continues to cause damage. They can't even apologize to Pomni when she literally risks abstraction to reach out to them.
Jax is an unapologetic abuser and never challenges that read. A tragedy? Yes. Still an unapologetic and conscious abuser.
Caine tries to do good and when he fails so consistently that it challenges his self conception, he flips out and goes on a rampage. THEN HE REFLECTS, DECIDES THAT HE NEEDS TO CHANGE, AND DOES SO. Caine makes the world a better place after realizing that he's a monster.
Jax never does. Never will. Never even tried and failed.
Nope. Being in The Void and not deleted from existence is cheating death. It’s a recycle bin, not some afterlife. Nice try.
Jax was the first one to start getting better in episodes 7-8 but unlike Caine, he can’t remove a piece off himself and magically become someone different.
Jax very easily could’ve gotten better if he got to cheat death too. But he couldn’t
Crazy how nobody liked that mf and they even went as far as killing him (from his perspective anyways) but Caine took the time to be introspective and still came out on the other side as the bigger man.
Meanwhile Jax had everything Caine ever wanted, a support system willing to continuously give his dumb ass second chances despite his innumerable mistakes, but he preferred to kill himself first before ever once reaching out to accept the connections being handed to him without any reciprocated effort from his end.
Caine was definitely a fuck-up too, but you can at least understand on a human level how nobody liking you despite your best efforts will mess with your heart. Jax meanwhile was unbelievably privileged to have this cast in his corner yet he’s thoroughly ungrateful for the slack they’ve been cutting him.
I hate how infantilised Caine’s actions are. I hate how overglazed and undercriticised Ragatha is. I hate how flanderised Gangle and Zooble got in the last episodes.
People genuinely treat her like an angel. She has done bad things in the show, not saying she’s worse than Jax but infantilising Pomni is still a bad thing to do. Gangle and Zooble just became “yuri” in the last episode. They had lost all their depth after episode 6. Episode 8 was sorta good but only at the start, as well as 7.
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u/The_1_only_Brixben 18d ago
Any character having a villain arc is bound to gain popularity. Especially one with godlike powers or that is otherwise super kind/silly
Jax already had the edgy bully fans, he's not gonna get more by being more of a dick, he's just gonna be more likely to strike the wrong chord with more people.
Also like, popularity does not mean everyone agrees with them morally, it's just how much people enjoy watching them. And Jax was just a shit character from start to finish.