#nerdbynecessity

He has his own agenda and ideas, and life. And for a guy who’s very calculating in many regards, we see that Lotor, overwhelmingly, doesn’t like to use the massive asset of the imperial fleet. He would much rather rely on not just his own generals, but his own technology.

This is completely not conducive to how both Zarkon and Haggar have been showcased to be incredibly possessive people. Haggar’s attitude, as seen with regards to Shiro in s1e11, is if she takes interest in someone, if she decides to make a personal project of them, they owe her, she is entitled to them- and it really doesn’t matter how they feel or how much she might have hurt them in the process of what she sees as improvement.

Haggar’s not ignorant, but there’s definitely a level where she plain does not process resentment, even from someone like Shiro who she literally tortured.

And this is a point of significant similarity between her and Zarkon. Because Zarkon has that exact refusal to ‘get’ the idea that someone could resent him- because he’s the empire, because he’s entitled to that servitude. Because the Black Lion has to yield to him. He owns it!

Again, this is completely irreconcilable with Lotor. Because Lotor, quite frankly, is not a Zuko. Lotor’s not gritting his teeth through all this and accepting it because he thinks he deserves it.

Lotor’s outrage at Haggar is the righteous indignation of someone who knows that fundamentally he’s being maltreated. His boundaries are not respected. His protestations, even if he makes them louder and harsher than he is ever normally inclined to being, fall on deaf ears.

In some regards, it is quite possible he has been a prisoner of his parents for much of his life. Because it really doesn’t matter what Lotor feels, or what Lotor wants, Haggar and Zarkon invested in him for a purpose, and they don’t want him to do anything else. That Lotor has his own feelings is something Haggar sort of backhandedly acknowledges, and then immediately follows up with, basically, “your feelings don’t matter. That isn’t what you’re here to accomplish.”

Does this sound familiar? Because it’s one of the classic elements of Lotor’s relationship with Zarkon.

And in this same line in DotU, Zarkon actually tells Lotor he’s a tool, and I don’t mean slang for “uncool”.

Because if you think about it- if Lotor is a “brat” by Throk’s measurement, that means Lotor’s entire lifespan is within Throk’s memory, and Lotor has not been around the way his parents are. And fittingly, he’s nowhere to be seen in the flashback, 

We only see him later, in the context of the empire. After Zarkon and Haggar are both immortals who don’t actually need a royal heir. They plan on living forever.

This all boils down to: Lotor was never even a son in their eyes. He was a resource.

Even Throk expected Lotor to have some personal, familial relationship with Zarkon- “Why is he not at his father’s bedside?” to which Haggar snaps angrily that Zarkon doesn’t need anyone at his bedside- horrifically hypocritical of her, given that’s exactly where we see her for most of the time since s2e13.

Haggar has a close emotional relationship with Zarkon- they’re husband and wife and they seem to have held onto that, Haggar’s amnesia notwithstanding. But she actively sneers at the idea of Lotor having that kind of closeness with his father.

And Lotor has nothing but scorn for his parents. Which is significant- because Lotor is pretty clearly someone who thrives on emotional connection with the few people he trusts.

Lotor enjoys being merciful. He likes talking to people, he thrives on public attention even when he doesn’t trust someone.

So frankly, even outside of the exile, there’s a very powerful feeling here that there’s a massive rift in trust between Lotor and his parents.

Something happened, and I’m willing to bet, not all at once, but over a long time.

And our obvious aftermaths?

Haggar doesn’t trust Lotor to be alone. She talks about how she knew there would be “risks” calling Lotor back, and sends people to follow him.

The exile itself-

and the fact that Lotor is a massive raw nerve when it comes to his parents’ attention being on him. 

My two cents on the whole exile is, I’d guess Lotor experienced something to the tune of lifelong, definitely emotional if not also physical abuse- and there was a point where he became confident enough in his own power that he started biting back, arguing, retaliating.

I’d guess something in particular had to be the catalyst, some event- and that’s the specifics we’re still vague on- but whatever it was, Lotor argued with Zarkon and Haggar, and refused to back down.