Having just been rewatching a bit of Volume 6, I thought Iād discuss a character I havenāt seen get talked about much, but who I believe becomes quite a bit more interesting in hindsight, given everything that happened in Volumes 7 and 8.
I am of course talking about Caroline Cordovin, and to a lesser extent the Atlisian presence in Argus. Particularly in comparison, and also contrast, to the Atlas military as a whole.
Back in Volume 6, Cordo and the Atlas garrison in Argus was our first proper reintroduction to the Atlisian military after Volume 3, as well as the first time we were really seeing them outside of āPR Modeā. In other words, this was the point we started getting the really big red-flags that Atlas werenāt really the noble, do-gooder peacekeepers they tried so hard to present themselves as back during Volumes 2 and 3. Sure, itās not like we hadnāt gotten any warning signs about Atlas previously, but this was when things like the nationalism and imperialism started getting a LOT more overt.
But the funny thing is, Volume 6 also presented the Argus garrison and Cordovin in particular as being rather fringe elements of the Atlas military. Especially given Maria teasing Cordo about her assignment to Argus being more because Ironwood actually wanted her OUT of Atlas proper, in a āReassigned to Antarcticaā-type situation. It all frames Cordovin and her troops as more āextremistsā who donāt necessarily reflect what the rest of the Atlas military is like. And in turn leaves the characters, and the audience, probably thinking that Ironwood and the Atlas military proper will be much easier to deal with.
Of course, just a volume later weād be learning thatā¦ wasnāt really the case.
I mean, REALLY wasnāt the case.*
Which all brings us back to Volume 6 and Caroline Cordovin. And how I think it is very interesting to look back at her in hindsight.
For example; Maria insinuates that Cordo was assigned to Argus because she was such an over-the-top, fanatical loyalist to Atlas. But then of course we see in Volumes 7 and 8 that fanatical, unquestioning loyalty is precisely what Atlas, and Ironwood in particular, WANTS in his soldiers. So what if Maria was actually off base here?
Consider for a moment just what kind of person, and officer, Caroline Cordovin must be: For one, not only is she clearly a career soldier, sheās an old career soldier. Which in turn means that sheās been in the military for a VERY long time. Namely, a fair bit longer than Ironwood has. Heck, she may well have joined before Ironwood was even BORN.
And on top of this, consider just what Cordo seems to be truly loyal to; sheās loyal to Atlas. The nation, the people, the idea of what Atlas supposedly stands for. Her loyalty seems much more tied to Atlas as a whole, rather than to any one person. Oh, sheās in no way disloyal to Ironwood, but given how much Cordo talks up Atlas as a whole while really only bringing up Ironwood once or twice, I get the sense that her loyalty to Ironwood is more out of simple obligation and a sense of duty. Cordo is loyal to Ironwood simply because heās the one currently in charge, just as sheās been loyal to those who previously held his position. Not really due to anything particular about Ironwood personally.
And this distinction gets especially interesting when we consider in Volume 7 just how paranoid Ironwood has gotten, and how heās worked to surround himself with people who are loyal to HIM, personally. People like Winter, Clover and the other Ace-Ops.
So I have to wonder: Was Cordo getting assigned to Argus really because she was some over-the-top fanatic? Or because Ironwood didnāt consider her loyal enough to him specifically?
Because thereās another funny thing about Cordo that actually separates her pretty significantly from Ironwood and many of the people he tries to surround himself with:
Really think about it; underneath all the jingoism and nationalistic posturing and chest-thumping, Cordo clearly still has a genuine conviction to her ideals and to protect the people under her charge. As she declares at the end of Volume 6, she was āsworn to protect the people!ā, all as she charges into battle against a Leviathan in her half-wrecked mech-suit. Itās clear that her encounter with Ruby reminded her of the ideals she once believed in, and still believes in. While Ironwood and the Atlas Military as a whole mostly just plays lip-service to being noble heroes and protectors for the sake of good PR, when push came to shove, Cordo actually stepped up to BE a hero and protector to those under her charge.
With that in mind, Iād say itās all too fitting that a cynical, so-called āpragmatistā like Ironwood DIDNāT want Cordovin around. He likely considered her too āemotionalā and āunpredictableā, which of course translates to ānot loyal enough to MEā.
Which brings us to the most interesting question of this whole analysis: If Cordovin was in Atlas at the end of Volume 7 or arrived during Volume 8, would she have fallen in line with Ironwood, OR would she have turned on him to side with Team RWBY and co?
And given what weāve seen, I think itās actually more likely that Cordo may well have done the latter. Or at the very least would have been the easiest for Ruby and co. to convince to join them.
Again, Cordo seems the type whose loyalty is to Atlas as a whole, which likely even includes Mantle, far more than to any one leader in particular. Therefore, if Cordo believed that Ironwood was betraying Atlas, itās people and the ideals it stands for, she seems far more likely decide that Ironwoodās actions simply make him unfit to lead, and must be removed from power.
We can even see this distinction in the narrative of the story: Both Cordo and Ironwood are faced with their own critical āmake or breakā moments at the end of Volumes 6 and 7 respectively. Moments where they were faced with overwhelming odds and given the chance to truly stand up for what they claimed to believe in. Both involving instances of defending civilians from a Grimm attack. Argus for Cordo and Mantle for Ironwood.
Cordo rose to the occasionā¦
ā¦while Ironwood broke and chose to run away and ABANDON those under his charge.
With the remnants of the Atlas military having joined up with the rest of the heroes in Vacuo, I have to imagine weāll be seeing Cordovin again in Volume 10, and I think itās going to be interesting to see what kind of role she ends up playing.
*As a side-note, Iād say this was VERY much a deliberate bit of misdirection on CRWBYās part. In the same way they deviously pitted Ironwood against Jacques so as to basically get the audience to think āThe enemy of my enemy MUST be my friend, right?ā only to subvert the HELL out of that idea by the end of Volume 7.
