TLDR: Sensei Garmadon isn't perfect and is used to remove the blame from Garmadon in many aus while disregarding the importance of other variants of his character (i.e. S1/2 and oni trilogy) in a way that refuses to acknowledge the importance of this new arc regarding his autonomy and his death.
This was originally a reblog, but it got a little long. And no, this isn't intended to be hate towards anyone who loves sensei G, especially those aus where he returns at any point in time. I just have a frustration to air out that targets people who use those aus to replace Garmadon as he is now entirely. Please don't feel threatened or offended by my take, especially if you disagree or have your own take!
To add my two pence to the whole "Forgiving Garmadon too quickly" never being a point of problem from the community makes a point of the fandom preferring sensei G over resurrected G alot (and other Garmadons)
With Misako and Wu, they claim to want accountability, but Garmadon gets a free pass because hes "human" now? It's fine in the original seasons, but when you implement it into the later show (s8 onwards), it can become really unsatisfying and boring.
This is what makes resurrected Garmadon's story so special: Lloyd hasn't forgiven him, and it's satisfying. Yes, he loves his dad. He'll save his dad, but he'll punish him too. He'll be angry at him, distrusting even, and he'll even scold him. There is no forgiveness yet. There is, instead, the complicated nature of a struggling bond between a father and son. And that's awesome to see.
To add to this thought, this is why I am not fond of "Sensei Garmadon returns" aus people make post merge, post s10, and post oni trilogy in general (ignoring the ones where he is ressurected instead but those feel pointless anyways, not to offend.)
And i don't say this to offend or upset, even if it will inadvertently do so: people can make what they want how they want. But i find that it strips Garmadon of his responsibility and makes his actions and character in the oni trilogy onwards completely inadequate. Like he isn't Garmadon at all, and thus doesn't matter.
And that seems boring and lazy. Not to mention contradictory to what they show in s9/10, where he struggles both with his repressed feelings and issues with personhood. Why have that if it's not the same man without his memories of himself, of his guilt.
My point is: Sensei Garmadon is a "get out of jail free card" and completely ruins every other version of his character by being the fandoms favourite. Wasn't Classic s1/2 lord Garmadon just as much as a father to Lloyd as sensei Garmadon? Did that man not rush into a volcano to save his son? Did he not fight the devil himself from his mind to try and save his son? Why is sensei Garmadon regarded as the true Garmadon but not him? The one who did EVERYTHING in his newfound power to stop and delay the battle, which only drew it closer.
He is not separate from Garmadon. There is no "oni side" and "human side" to Garmadon. There is Garmadon. He thinks he has two sides of good human and evil oni, but that's not true. He was never human beyond appearance. There is no evil oni side that straps him of humanity and means he's can't do any wrong because he can. He holds himself to that, so why can't we.
We can like sensei Garmadon, but it's an issue when he's used to remove the nuance to his later character and demonise a character written to be so imperfect and cruel before learning compassion and care again, gradually becoming himself again when his identity was stripped from him.
Returning him to the identity of sensei Garmadon just doesn't work and takes away his autonomy, something he's not really had since his youth and his death/sacrifice were his final way of reclaiming that Undoing it was deliberate point of his new story and that character he was once is over.
Some people will say, "Resurrecting him was useless and a waste of time. He was perfect!" Yes, but have you considered that was the point? Harumi did that on purpose, as did the writers. They could have taken the easy way out and made sensei Garmadon return after s9 or 10 through some stupid means, but they didn't because that's worthless to his new story. This is the same character with a new arc. It happens to all of the Ninja all of the time. Just they typically aren't ever truly killed off for longer than a season finale.
Okay, bye. Thanks for reading.
