Primals - A Discussion on Ethics & Philosophy (ARR & HW Spoilers)

[Theodric]

Thordan received a pretty raw deal. In his own way, he was a hero simply seeking to do what he thought was best to ensure that his people survived. He also had twelve knights following him, each with their own distinct personalities and differing degrees of honour, as confirmed by their biographies within the lore book. Even Zephirin who is the one to put a certain someone to death is described as an honourable figure yet is unfairly criticised by many simply he happened to kill a fan favourite who would no doubt have tried to kill or at least harm the Archbishop himself if given the opportunity.

It wasn't as if the Archbishop took pleasure in killing in the name of his goals. He simply wished to put an end to a bitter war that had waged for a thousand years with no end in sight. Much like the Warrior of Light, he sought to use divine power to achieve that goal. Something that Ysayle herself did, yet received very little criticism for. Let's not forget that she also cheered as the barrier protecting Ishgard fell and the Dravanians flocking to her side assaulted the Ishgardians within - non-combatants included. She may have expressed her regret at a later date but that was someone literally blessed by Hydaelyn.

If she hadn't died in Azyz Lla, she no doubt would have been forgiven by the protagonists. The Archbishop, meanwhile, would receive no such mercy I suspect. He would be forced to step down, perhaps confess his 'sins' and be imprisoned. As is often the case, the protagonists are quite simply hypocrites refusing to see the bigger picture and understand the motives of those they clash with, often writing them off as 'necessary sacrifices' despite giving their own allies a free pass for the same 'sins'.

At any rate, 4.0 handled the antagonists far better. It helps that they received a greater amount of time on screen this time around and the protagonists are at least attempting to understand their point of view. It remains to be seen what becomes of those particular plot points, though.