Saw a post arguing that Rhysand couldn’t possibly be evil/the villain of the series because if Feyre had died in ACOSF, he would’ve died too, leaving behind his court and family. And sure, the point is that he’d do anything for his court, his family, his mate—we all get that.
But here’s the thing: if Rhysand is a morally grey character, this needs to be made clearer in the narrative. The issue isn’t that he loves deeply or that he makes tough decisions—it’s that the text often frames him as purely Good, even when his actions fall into morally questionable territory.
You either accept that Rhys will do wrong for what he loves, or you stick with the idea that he’s a shining beacon of Goodness™. But if it’s the latter, the story needs to grapple more openly with the consequences of his choices instead of brushing them aside.
It’s not about framing him as a villain; it’s about allowing him to be complicated. Morally grey. Messy. That’s what makes these types of characters interesting in the first place.
