I know this isn’t a recent thing, but I still think about it often. When I first read it I immediately thought of Petra, but I’m also very biased because I’ve believed in rivetra since the beginning. So I started to wonder if maybe he’s referring to someone else. The only other person I could really think of was Isabel obviously. We all know she was like a little sister to him, and so it is possible…. But I just don’t think so.
One thing that’s important to remember is that Annie is considered to be one of Zeke’s Warriors. Since she was responsible for murdering Petra, Levi would hold Zeke responsible for that as well. So when the comment is made that Levi isn’t popular with women, his first thought would have been remembering Zeke’s role in the death of his only female subordinate. One who happened to be extremely devoted to him.
Even if you don’t think Levi returned Petra’s feelings, there’s no denying that she was very fond of him. He never seemed to be bothered by the level of comfort she had around him and so we can only assume that he was fond of her as well. Whatever you think their relationship might have been, Levi was very obviously affected by her death.
“There was a time when I was popular…” seems like an incomplete thought, hence the use of ellipsis. It’s a bit of a stretch, but when I read it my mind automatically wants to finish with “…until you killed her” or “…until one of your soldiers killed her.” Something along those lines.
Levi is a man of few words. Especially when he’s talking to an enemy. So if he says something, there’s usually a reason for it.
I’ve seen a few people mention Nifa, and here’s why I left her out. Yes, they had a few interactions but none of them were anything that stood out to me. Nifa had an outgoing personality to begin with, so I don’t think it’s strange she’d talk to Levi when they’re on a mission together. But she wasn’t apart of his squad and so realistically I don’t think he paid much attention to her. He was pissed that Kenny killed her in such a brutal way but there’s not much else there.
As far as him referring to women in general…. come on. Levi has never been one to acknowledge female or male attention. Of course he’s aware of it, but knowing his personality I doubt he actually appreciates it. He’s not a known flirt, he hates physical contact, and he’s still a popular guy. So why would he refer to it in a past tense. If he meant women in general, he would have said “I am popular.” Because he’s still attractive and there are still females present around him. Like I said before, he’s talking to an enemy, not a friend. So the fact he responded at all to such a comment should be surprising to any of his fans. I would have expected him to simply tell Zeke to fuck off.
