roo

pluto wants nothing more than to be taken seriously, but he never seems to be able to. he’s a sensitive person; he cares deeply about his friends, he’s easily driven by his emotions, and he can also be scared easily. however, he comes from a home where being sensitive isn’t allowed. his father berates him for being “dramatic”, as seen when he cuts pluto’s eye and tells him to “be a feckin’ man.” this stigma around being sensitive causes pluto to mask his emotions with anger often. for example, when duke is finally saved from being walled up, pluto doesn’t directly acknowledge just how much he missed him. instead, he says, “i’m mad at you.” he thinks that if he shows any vulnerability, he’ll be laughed at and left alone. however, his father also expects him to obey when he asks for something, like money for alcohol. this causes pluto to be not as outgoing or confident, especially in the beginning of the story, where he follows others around instead of finding his own group. in short, pluto wants to be understood and validated, but his emotional walls get in the way of this.

duke, on the other hand, wants to be someone others can rely on without them worrying about him. so he constantly jokes around, opting to make light of every situation instead of being vulnerable. he’s used to performing for others, even when he’s in danger. that way, he’ll be able to help without being a burden. however, this method of avoiding vulnerability means duke makes light of his friends’ issues sometimes as well. playful banter is his go-to when he needs to lighten the mood. and who in the misfits is the easiest target to pick on? pluto, of course, with his tsundere-like attitude and childish fears. duke thinks that, by teasing pluto, he’s keeping things unserious and fun, so everyone can have a good time. but pluto only wants to be taken seriously. getting teased only reinforces his idea that he can’t show emotions, causing him to drift further and further from duke. until eventually, we get to where we are now.

these panels emphasize pluto’s perception of duke. he thinks duke genuinely thinks lesser of him and is scared to be vulnerable to him in particular. their emotional walls literally counter each other, causing plenty of miscommunication and tension between them, even though they both deeply care about each other.

of course, there are other factors contributing to why pluto snapped at duke, but i’d just like to focus on this aspect of it. it hurts really bad, especially considering that neither of them are bad people. as someone who is very sensitive to teasing, their dynamic is one of my favorites (or least favorites) in the whole series. it’s so well thought out, and it’s been killing me for so long that i just had to get it out here.