#I doubt he’d even crave that responsibility after losing 600 men

[junkdrawerfan]

I haven’t read the odyssey in a long time but from what I remember Epic!Odysseus is far more tragic than the original. By the end, Odysseus is a monster and a far cry from the man who struggled over killing a baby. Poseidon wins. He is ruthlessness. His mercy “drowned.” He has no guilt over the slaughter of 108 young men and is exactly like the Cyclopes he spared all those years ago.

And so little of it is his own fault.

In fact, you could argue that Epic!Odysseus’s hero flaw is his mercy, unlike the OG!Odysseus’s flaw of arrogance and pride.

He should have killed the cyclops. He should have killed his men to keep the wind bag closed. He should have left his men behind at Circe’s since they’ll betray him anyway. He was right to sacrifice six to Scylla. He was right to chose himself over his men. He was right to fight Poseidon. He was right to kill the suitors who threatened the fate of his family.

It’s a tragedy because we watch a good man lose his humanity to survive and ultimately be rewarded for it.

How much kinder would the world have been to EPIC!Odysseus if he’d just been cruel first?

Which is why I’m glad we don’t get the reconciliation between Athena and Odysseus in EPIC like we do in the Odyssey. Athena became more human as Odysseus lost his humanity. They are no longer able to walk together to a better tomorrow because Odysseus can no longer picture a kinder world.

I can easily picture the retuned King of Ithaca a hard and punishing ruler. His orders must be taken without question unlike before where he allowed discussion — before the betrayal of Eurylochus. He does not tolerate rumors. Punishments are swift. He will not allow others to try and trick him with their words. He’s a liar and a trickster and a thief and a murderer and stronger for it.

I still believe Ithaca will flourish under his rule. The power hungry are crushed. The King of Ithaca will trust no one except his wife and son.

I can also see Odysseus and Telemachus clashing often. Telemachus grows into the man Odysseus was. He is allowed to stay youthful and gentle under the tutelage of a kinder Athena and has always strove to craft himself to be like the man in his mother’s stories. Maybe over time, he’ll learn to be harder from the father who returned but never as cruel. The world simply hasn’t made him abandon his mercy.