#he feels like a seventh wheel without a ‘thing’ in Escape From Beta Traz and then it’s solved with 1 shitty compliment

[aro-paladin-pidge]

I feel like most of my problems with the characters of Lance and Hunk is that Lance got a lot of a little, and Hunk got a little of a lot.

[blonde-batgirl]

Shiro Will Pilot a Lion Again

Right now, the fandom seems to be split between those who believe that he will and those who believe that his stint as a lion pilot is over. Both theories are perfectly valid. Personally, I think that Shiro will fly again. Here’s why.

Shiro’s Insecurities

Lance’s insecurities have been the subject of much fan speculation – it makes sense, Lance is a popular character and everyone can relate to being insecure – but Shiro’s have gone largely ignored. Shiro sees himself as a “broken soldier.” (Crystal Venom) Although he yells the words at Sendak, it is made clear that he is fact talking about himself when Sendak’s voice begins to echo around him. He refers to Shiro as “broken” and asks him, “Do you really think a monster like you could be a Voltron paladin?” But Sendak is frozen. A close-up of his lips reveals that he is not talking. The words are coming from Shiro’s own mind. This is Shiro’s own opinion of himself. The idea that Shiro sees himself as somehow unworthy of being a paladin is shown over and over again through his willingness to concede his position to others.

When Keith succeeds in piloting the Black Lion, Shiro immediately starts trying to prepare him for leadership, despite Keith making his own opinions on the matter quite clear. (Across the Universe)

When he finds out that Zarkon was the previous black paladin, Allura tells him, “You are the Black Paladin now, not Zarkon.” Shiro is not comforted. He believes that, “The Black Lion may have a different take on the matter.” (Shiro’s Escape) This attitude remains for the whole of season two. Even after the Black Lion chose him over Zarkon in Space Mall he still refers to the black bayard as “Zarkon’s bayard,” showing that he does not consider himself to be the true black paladin. (Blackout)

This is a position that Shiro is willing to fight for (Space Mall), and yet he believes that others are worthier (Keith) or that his lion perceives them as worthier (Zarkon, of all people). For Shiro not to return as a paladin would be confirming what he already believes. That he’s not good enough. That his past experiences somehow make him unworthy of holding such a position.

Shiro as the Black Paladin

A large part of season two is dedicated to the relationship between Shiro and the Black Lion. Shiro’s confidence in his status as a paladin is shaken after Zarkon was able to pull his lion out from under him in the finale of season one, and the problem persists throughout season two. In Space Mall, Shiro’s plotline sees him come to a new understanding with his lion. When he realises that “No one commands the Black Lion,” it comes to his aid against Zarkon. In the season finale, he finally takes back the black bayard from Zarkon. Arguably, the relationship between Shiro and Black has received more screentime than that of any other paladin/lion pair. That’s a lot of development to just throw away.

The Framing of the Lion-Swap

Throughout The Red Paladin, it is made abundantly clear that nobody is happy with the changes.

Keith does not want to take up Shiro’s position. He does not believe that he can lead. His reaction when the Black Lion responds to him is, “Please, no.” This is not something he wants to do. It’s something he has to do because Shiro asked him to, and Black wants him to, and he’s the only one the lion responded to so he’ll just have to suck it up and fly it.

Lance’s lion-mandated switch to Red has a clear effect on his self-esteem. We know that Lance sees himself as the “Seventh wheel” (Escape from Beta Traz). You would think being chosen by Red would give it a boost, but, even as he leaves Blue’s hangar, he’s looking back at her. In Tailing a Comet, he offers to step down after Shiro returns because he sees Allura as a better blue paladin than he ever was. It’s her rejection that he takes from the lion-swap, not Red’s acceptance. It’s the idea that Blue saw her chance at someone better than him, and she took it.

Keith and Lance are both shown to struggle with flying their new lions. Black doesn’t move fast enough for Keith, whilst Lance complains that Red doesn’t seem to have any brakes. They struggle to even fly their lions, unlike when they first got into Red and Blue. It’s also notable that there’s no bonding in season three. Keith and Lance don’t seem to talk to the Black and Red Lions. They don’t even receive any upgrades from them. They just fly them. Last season, there was an entire episode dedicated to Shiro bonding with Black (Space Mall), whilst the Red Lion regularly flew to Keith’s recue (The Blade of Marmora, Best Laid Plans), and Lance unlocked a new upgrade for Blue(The Depths).

As for Allura, she didn’t even want to fly Blue. She wanted to fly the Red Lion. Her father’s lion. When she tries to become its pilot, she pleads with it, “Please, I must do this. Others are risking their lives in this fight, and I can’t continue to –” This shows us that she feels that she isn’t contributing anything. That she is letting the paladins risk their lives whilst she sits safely in the castle. In this speech, she massively devalues her role so far – opening wormholes, healing the Balmera, fighting Haggar, etc. – and the sacrifices that she has made.

Although all three of them will grow into their new positions, the lion-swap has clearly exposed their insecurities. It would not be going backwards to have them swap back. In fact, swapping back would show Allura that she has value to the team whether she’s a paladin or not, swapping back would show Lance that he is not permanently replaceable, swapping back would allow Keith to use his leadership experience to act as a better second-in-command.

Bayards and the Blazing Sword

It has been demonstrated that when a bayard is used to summon a weapon for Voltron, the weapon is connected to the paladin rather than the bayard. Without Keith, Voltron would have no sword. Without Hunk, Voltron would have no laser blaster. Etc. In Blackout, Shiro and Keith’s bayards are shown to create a flaming sword when used together. I saw several posts at the time identifying this as Voltron’s iconic Blazing Sword, and the guidebook later confirmed this. It is possible that the weapon was formed as a one-off nod to the original, but I think this is unlikely. For it to be seen again, Shiro would have to pilot a lion.

But Shiro was Rejected by the Black Lion

When Shiro gets rejected by the Black Lion, he tells Keith, “The Black Lion isn’t responding to me, it looks like you’re its true paladin now.” But that’s not how it works. There’s no such thing as a one true paladin, and we know this because Shiro could fly Black despite its enduring connection with Zarkon. Hell, once Keith had flown Black at the beginning of season two, it technically had three paladins. The lions don’t seem to be limited in terms of how many pilots they can have at once. Not to mention that if Black liked Keith more than it liked Shiro, it would surely have rejected Shiro back in season two. The logical conclusion is one that many people came to whilst watching Tailing a Comet – this man is not Shiro. There is more proof for this than merely the rejection of the Black Lion. The advice that Shiro gives Keith also feels a little off. Would Shiro really tell them that they’d have to “accept the consequences” of being shot? This is the man who chose saving Pidge over information on the Holts (Return of the Gladiator), the man who was furious when the Yellow Lion was knocked out of the sky (Stayin’ Alive), the man who was clearly concerned when Keith insisted on going on a suicide mission (Best Laid Plans). Shiro being a backseat driver, I can believe, but Shiro ordering his team to take a hit? Shiro being willing to sit back and watch them take it? No. There’s no way that’s really Shiro, which means that Shiro has not, in fact, been rejected.

Other Options

Of course, there’s no reason why there can’t be six paladins. There’s no reason why they can’t rotate based on whose skills are best for the mission, injury, or capture. With six paladins, Shiro, Keith, Lance, or Allura could vanish at any time and they would still be able to form Voltron. There is also the White Lion theory, based on the wall carvings visible in Changing of the Guard which appear to show six lions rather than five. Bringing in another lion for Shiro or Allura to fly would be another viable option.

To Conclude

Season two was spent building up Shiro’s bond with the Black Lion, something which would likely not have happened if the writers were planning to permanently replace him. Keith and Lance have both been shown to be somewhat uncomfortable with their new lions and unsure of their positions on the team. All three of them are insecure: Shiro does not see himself as worthy to be a paladin, Keith has serious doubts about his leadership skills, and Lance clearly took Blue’s rejection to heart. With the narrative we have so far, it doesn’t make sense for the lion-swap to be permanent at this point in the show.

[dent-de-leon]

lance’s character development in season 2: 

why it does exist and what it means for him going into season 3 

talking mainly about lance’s insecurity issues, his lion, his rivalry with keith, and what shiro’s disappearance means for him in the future 

It really feels like Lance is excluded from the group in season 2. Sometimes, this is his own doing—like when they all visit Ulaz’s base, and Lance volunteers to stay behind. The first time I saw that scene, it was weird. He’s notably absent. Later in Escape from Beta Traz he again removes himself from the rest of the team—not so much physically as metaphorically, but he does talk about everyone else in glowing terms before admitting he sees himself as Voltron’s “seventh wheel.”

Other times, circumstances are out of Lance’s control. In Across the Universe, Shiro and Keith’s lions crash together, and the episode ends up being a team bonding kind of thing. Lance and Hunk however deal with the opposite—In the Depths isn’t about them working together so much as how Lance operates without him. And we know that Lance is completely thrown when the mer people declare he’s their savior, doesn’t really think he’s a worthy leader. He wants to be, though. That’s why he insists on going to the Marmora HQ with Shiro, why he starts looking for opportunities to step up and do more. And when Shiro chooses keith instead? You can tell that rejection hurts. He wants his team to trust him, to be more inclusive of him. And even before that, when Allura and Keith take off together? Lance takes that as a personal offense. Again, he’s being left behind. Obviously, neither of these instances are meant to hurt Lance, but he takes them both personally nonetheless. Throughout season 2, you definitely get the impression that Lance is unconsciously distancing himself from the rest of the group. Even if they all agree he’s part of the team, Lance’s own insecurities keep him from seeing that. But more on that later.

For now, let’s talk about Blue lion a bit. Because if Keith’s mother was the blue paladin, that opens things up for lots of character development between the two. Keith squinting at all of Lance’s little habits and mannerisms, trying to see in him what Blue saw in his mom. Lance in turn trying to be more open, cooling off a little and learning to build a bridge. And of course, if Keith’s mom does have something to do with blue, we also get this lovely quote from Allura—that she wanted to “shield” shiro “from the paladins’ dark past.” Paladins here is plural. If Lance does end up uncovering more info on the last blue paladin, it might not exactly be what Keith wants to hear. Just sticking with the lion itself though, the fact that it’s found on earth says something about Lance. We know that he’s the most homesick of course. 

Another thing. Keith sensed blue lion a full year before its own paladin did, even though it wasn’t too far from Garrison grounds. Why? Honestly, I think that’s his alien parentage at work. Some people have speculated that Keith is also partially Altean, and can sense the lions via druid abilities like Haggar and allura. It could also just be the fact that he’s more hypersensitive as a galra—we know that black lion was built on a galran home planet. Or, returning to my first point, it could be Keith’s mom was the previous pilot. Either way, the fact that Keith even brings this question up, combined with blue lion’s questionable arrival on Earth and the notable absence of any information on how it chooses its pilot, I definitely think it all points to blue lion’s origins being explored a lot in season 3. And with that, a lot more focus on Lance too.

And if Keith does take black for season 3, will they do a complete throwback and have Lance take red while giving Allura blue? To be honest, I think that’s really unlikely. Lance is very attached to blue, which we see when he tells Keith just how “very happy” he and blue lion are together. We also see just how in tuned to his element he is during In the Depths. Like Pidge, he gets a whole episode devoted to his affinity for his lion's element. It renders the backdrop of that episode pointless if you say “Well actually, forget that, Fire is his thing now.”

In fact, everyone but Keith has actually demonstrated a bond with their lion’s element in VLD—Shiro projecting to the astral plane, Pidge in Greening the Cube, Lance throughout In the Depths—and I don’t think it’s pure coincidence ground guardian Hunk had a whole story arc dedicated to a golem like species that live beneath (and in harmony with) the Balmera’s lower crust. Hunk does describe Shay as a “rock” after all. Bottom line, Lance has shown a significant bond with both his lion and its element. And he really doesn’t want to give her up. Original red paladin or not, I don’t think he’s leaving blue anytime soon.

Now, another big thing for lance is his rivalry with keith. But this season, keith seems pretty mellow about it. He’s really not confrontational at all. When Lance snaps at him for talking about blue lion, you can see keith looks visibly concerned and tries his best to explain. Lance cuts him off. When Lance gets in shiro’s face about taking keith to the Marmora base, you’d think he would say something. Season 1 keith would say something. But he keeps quiet and just gets this kinda sad and accepting look on his face like “Yeah, you’re right.” The only time Lance baits him and he pushes back is when theyre trapped in the elevator. but even then, he’s not as irritated as lance, still tries to play mediator by telling him its okay and they’ll just sit on opposite ends of the pool, whatever.

They have more of a playful rivalry thing going in season 1, exchanging barbs back and forth. But Keith never really snaps back in season 2. More than that, he never instigates. He does hit him with the space spore like a snowball, but that was all the paladins playing a game, not a direct attack on Lance’s character like when Lance calls him out for how hotheaded he is. So why isn’t he as focused on their “rivalry”? Honestly, I think he’s too tired. Exhausted. Keith has other shit on his mind, stuff like, Wait I’m Galra?? and Shiro Wants me To Lead and he Might Die and Leave Me All Alone Again, F u  c    K. He doesn’t even entertain the rivalry thing because he’s got enough problems to deal with. But more than that, he knows Shiro won’t be there forever, so he takes up the initiative and starts to damage control by mediating on his own. I also think he’s starting to acknowledge that Lance makes good points about how impulsive he is. So instead of snapping back, he’s trying to work on that.

But Lance is still picking fights. Going back to how Shiro turns down Lance for the Marmora mission, I do think part of his resentment has to do with Keith and Shiro. Shiro spends all of Season 2 preparing Keith to be leader, but Lance—hell, no one else—on team Voltron knew this. To Lance, it just looks like Shiro plays favorites. And we see that he really values Shiro’s opinion of him. I mean, he spends a whole episode wallowing in self pity but it takes literally one compliment from Shiro to boost his confidence. He wants Shiro to see him as being part of the team, wants Shiro to trust him to take charge and do more. And we know that Lance sees Shiro as his hero, sees him as a brave pilot despite his critical mission failure—can you imagine? People at the garrison talking about Kerberos like it’s the greatest tragedy in the modern age of space exploration, saying the name in hushed whispers as a cautionary tale. 

The person who crashed, got his whole team killed, bright eyes and a warm smile beaming next to the scrawling phrase Pilot Error. Shiro should be Infamous. But Lance, a determined pilot who struggles with Fighter Class himself, points at him and proudly says, “That’s my hero.” Did he not believe the garrison reports? Did he believe them but still believe in Shiro’s integrity more? Kinda makes you wonder. Especially given his actual intro to shiro. Shiro thanks him, then goes in for a handshake—with his galra hand. Lance freezes. You see his hand literally stop and flinch back. He gives shiro this sad look, like he’s coming to terms with all the hell this guy must have been through. Then he smiles. Maybe because he never thought he’d be thanked by the garrison prodigy, or maybe it was just for shiro’s sake, to try and put him at ease. but you can tell in that scene that earning Shiro’s trust and respect means something. Literally all it takes is one compliment from shiro to pull him out of his melancholy in Beta Traz, to make him feel like the team Needs him.

Still, regardless of what he thinks, both Shiro and the plot sideline him a lot. He literally has no idea that Shiro often pulls Keith aside just to have these talks about Voltron’s future and his possible replacement. When Shiro disappeared? Keith knew. Hated it, but knew. Had a whole season to prepare and brace himself for it.

Takashi “that guy’s my hero” Shirogane didn’t think that critical information was worth sharing with everyone else—with his team.

So Lance never saw it coming.

And you just know Keith going “Yeah, Shiro and I talked about this a lot—in case something happens, I’m supposed to lead Voltron. We didn’t think to mention it to any of you guys though,” won’t go over well with Lance and everyone else. He’s going to be feeling a lot of things season three. Upset over the loss of Shiro, obviously. But also very hurt. Betrayed. Because why would Shiro trust Keith and not him? What makes Keith a better leader than him anyway? Why was Keith always getting ahead? Why didn’t Shiro ever think he could keep up? Why didn’t Shiro ever tell them if he was so sure he wouldn’t make it? He’s gonna be the one to really challenge Keith’s leadership.

Last note: sorry, I realize i didn’t really put in anything for Hunk and Pidge, but I’m thinking ill make the garrison trio a separate post. Lance and Pidge especially have lots of good bonding moments season 2

@aethergeologist thanks for the input! I hope this was what you were looking for