I think Wylan is very mischaracterized in fandom spaces.
I’ve often seen Wylan being portrayed as incapable, weak, submissive, and with the “helpless baby” kind of trope.
Wylan is canonically seen being stubborn, sassy and he is incredibly proficient. Not to mention the amount of resilience Wylan has—he navigated the barrel completely alone for months with a lack of money while processing an incredibly traumatic experience.
I do want to say I think this portrayal of Wylan comes from harmful stereotypes about learning disabilities and queer people. People tend to see that a character is gay, quiet, sheltered and artistic and go on to say they are submissive and need care and protection from their lover. It’s an unfortunate trope that occurs in likely every fandom. People see Wylan as dyslexic and then they tend to erase the fact that he is very intelligent. He is very good at chemistry, math, music, art, and has very good memory and problem solving.
Then, I’ve also seen him being portrayed as someone who loves bombs, fire, and even to the point of seeing him being called an arsonist. Yes, Wylan makes bombs. That doesn’t mean he’s an arsonist.
Wylan has canonically said that he doesn’t like chemistry and making bombs. He tells Jesper “I don't like the idea of killing people, either. I don't even like chemistry.” I don’t like the trope of Wylan loving to cause chaos and mayhem, because it just isn’t Wylan. He is skilled in his demolitions work, but that does not mean he is compulsively making these bombs for his own pleasure. It’s his job.
