#woy analysis

[watchdogfanclub]

@cozmiczzz

(Original post, flashing gifs in the link.) OH MY GOD IM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HATES THE WHOLE 'PERFECT IMMORTAL SPACE JESUS' THING #ALL OF THIS #wander had plenty of depth in season 1

Man I could write an entire essay about how making him a Christ allegory who can do no wrong* retroactively ruined him.

*Until a quick apology with little fanfare after Sylvia got an arc about following Wander without question.

Season 1 Wander is a nice guy. He just comes on pretty strong and is in deep, deep denial about the concept of anyone not liking him. Season 2 Wander is a manipulative bastard.

One who purposely violates villains’ boundaries until they give up on conquering. It’s a strategy that he's used on countless villains in the past. Which makes his relationship with Hater pretty hollow/unsettling. Hater’s just a neat little checkbox on his list.

Not only that, but Wander and Sylvia’s relationship was getting toxic. Wander demanded unconditional faith and guilted Sylvia whenever she objected to what he was doing. Instead of, y'know, explaining what he was doing and why while being willing to back down.

Poor Sylvia was beaten down again and again by both Wander and the narrative. She thought it was rude to laugh at people for looking like butts. Turns out they love it. She thought helping Hater bug Dominator instead of treating her like a serious threat was stupid. She was...

I dunno. They were pretty inconsistent with that. As I mentioned before: He was right until he admitted that he was wrong himself. But until then Sylvia’s objections were treated as her being an unsupportive friend.

[ariel-s-awesome]

'Lil Bits could of been such a good parallel for Peepers. He hates being cute, so he compensates for it with sheer brutality.

Then here's this kid that not only weaponizes her cuteness, but weaponizes being the most pathetic looking thing in the galaxy. What a joke!

Her cute eyes would have the opposite effect on him and send him into rage. Because how dare she make a mockery of villainy!

[wanderloveshater]

Two smart guys with 80’s tech can only do so much. It took them years to make the portal, one that breaks down everytime it activates.

For Commander Peepers? He can make a portal in a quarter of that time that’s stable.

It wouldn’t break down and would be able to control the excess energy that emits from it.

Peepers is the perfect pawn for Bill. Socially outcast with a crippling insecurity about his height, the desire to be praised and hold power over others, painfully lonely with a brilliant mind- he mirrors Ford in this way. I believe one of the WOY crew members emphasized him being different from the watchdogs.

It’s so easy for Bill; what do we have here? A smart guy who builds evil planet-destroying devices? Handling complex machinery?

He’s got a high IQ- misguided by his adoration for his stupid leader. The need for approval is crippling. So what can we do? Our little song and dance-

Bill’s experience speaks for itself. It would take very little effort, no questioning or anything- kind of boring, really.

Oh and Peepers has just been WAITING for someone to realize his true potential!

It’s all the same with Ford. He wants to feel special. The way Peepers would cling, claw, ride the high of the teensy bit of praise Hater gave him months ago…it makes Bill laugh. Such a sucker. A mathematically talented genius with more weaknesses than anyone can count.

So here we are, Peepers wants power. He wants respect. He wants to be seen. Bill promises Peepers a sense of social validation- to be adored- and eventually feared by his peers, and in extension, the galaxy. In return, Bill wants a portal- instead of spinning it as a “gateway for infinite knowledge of the universe” he can actually be a little more truthful. He’ll tell Peepers it can be used as an unstoppable weapon of destruction, better than what Major Threat had, better than what Lord Dominator had. The Peepers empire- I mean- The Hater empire would conquer the galaxy. Bill can come into this plane and they’ll rule everyone, side by side, Muse by Painter.

It’s a win win! Come on Peepers! Take the deal! When was the last time you played chess with someone that was actually smart enough to compete against you?

Infatuation: We saw how easy it was for Ford to be a Cipherholic. For many others to be. Peepers would unfortunately fall for his flattery. Under the assumption that Peepers is in love with Hater- (idolization if you wish) this prevents him from fully going evil, betraying everyone at once, I think.

But Peepers does get a little tired here and there putting up with Hater’s stupidity. Everyone’s stupidity, actually.

But Bill?

Bill has a lot of knowledge of the universe and intelligence.

Peepers would feel so intellectually stimulated by their conversations- likely about quantum theories, astrophysics, how stupid everyone is. There’s one thing Peepers has going on instead of Ford. Ford isn’t directly malicious or evil (besides the revenge fantasies), but Peepers is. He’d find Bill’s sadistic humor to be funnier than Ford ever did. Bill likes that.

Planting these seeds in Peeper’s brain- like the portal- Peepers would reach worship levels faster than Ford.

“I want to feel tall.”

“I’ll make you feel tall.”

Possession: This one is funny to think about, Bill’s unhinged behavior is exponential. He uses his charisma to gain social approval with the watchdogs and Hater’s favor in Peepers’ body. He probably wouldn’t have to complete all the calculations that Ford needed help with- really the possession is just so Peepers is more likable.

Bill’s feelings: Peepers was the easiest pawn to entrance. Bill finds this rather boring. There’s nothing to sink his teeth into- nothing to tear. Just a hollow puppet. He isn’t weird enough for Bill to enjoy, he seems rather logical and put together. Sure he’s shorter than everyone but was he born with any extra features that makes him an anomaly? But he’s certainly the most efficient puppet, so he’s gotta keep that going.

Peepers would also catch Fiddleford and Ford’s mistakes with the portal’s code.

Sort of like, “Oh haha, whoever did this code is so stupid, have they considered their calculations would blow up the entire room?!”

Bill being Bill, filled with bitterness, would agree in tandem at first. “Haha YEAH my last guy wasn’t up to par!”

Before uh, Peepers gets carried away and Bill’s own complicated feelings about Ford arise.

“Seriously, have you seen this derivative answer?! A traffic cone could have done better-”

“That’s enough”

Ford: I don’t have a set story/timeline for these two in mind, but I would like to imagine Ford’s reaction. Being unable to stop the vicious cycle repeat chokes him. Warning Peepers and all, oh don’t fall for it, he’ll betray you, promise you a galaxy, yadda yadda…

But Peepers only hears that last part.

“My own galaxy…?”

“Yes, he’ll make you ‘one of them’ and promise ultimate power with no law or restrictions- everything you could dream of- but DO NOT fall for it!”

Peepers falls for it. Or rather embarasses himself- Bill does not care for Peepers in this way. He’d never offer this unless it was for gain, so what does Peepers do? Throw himself to Bill and the Henchmaniacs- pleading to be a part of them. All that results from that is being laughed out of the room. Doesn’t help that he's the shortest.

Peepers doesn’t fit in with the watchdogs, or even the crazy weirdos/freaks.

He is truly alone.

[emryste]

l'amour et la morte

[sunandmoonseisai]

"Yeah. And 𝘐'𝘮 real!"

I think about this episode a lot because it really encapsulate wander's core flaw. Wander is a very obsessive person. He has a very tunnel vision and when he has an idea in his head, it overshadow everything else. In this episode, wander is so engrossed in his own imagination that it's like everything around him dissappear, including Sylvia.

He even goes so far as turning Sylvia into a literal puppet in his head.

This finally hit a breaking point for Sylvia who call him out for being so self-centered. Now, I need to point that we don't know if wander had any partners before Sylvia. What I mean is that wander isn't intentionally selfish. He's just not used to consider how his actions affect others. But now, he has Sylvia. And his actions affect her because they're life-partners.

If it wasn't for Sylvia, wander would probably spend eternity in this endless void, losing his sanity and sense of reality in the process. Instead, he chooses Sylvia over his thirst for discovery, allowing them to escape.

There's another example of wander disregarding Sylvia for the sake of his obsession. In "the tourist", wander become so hyperfixated on one-upping another traveler that he drag poor Sylvia all accross the galaxy. Sylvia eventually had enough but wander still end up going back to her, once again choosing her over his obsession.

I think this is an example of Sylvia positively influencing wander. Now, I don't need to explain how wander is a good influence for Sylvia because it's so obvious. Just by looking at them, you know that he bring out her more caring and sensitive side. But Sylvia's influence on wander is more subtle. Just by existing in his life, she keeps him aware of his surroundings. She keeps him aware of his own well-being because what affect him affect her as well. She's the one thing that can bring him out of his tunnel vision. In other words, 𝘚𝘺𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺.

And I don't know how to end this aside that there's a distinctive lack of wander/Sylvia meta so I'm here to fix that. These two bring the best out of each other, they're so different but complete each other so well and their relationship is much deeper and more interesting than the fandom give them credit for. I had troubles organizing my thoughts so I hope it makes sense. I hope this post will generate some discussion.

[frogkicks]

WELL,,, i learned from my last post fans of post-redemption deathstar fluff exist!!! im back, here's more:

you guys ever think about how Dominator is one of the few characters with ears,,,

OPINION: From my limited exposure, it seems Deathstar often portrays Dominator as super confidently flirtatious, and Wander as a bumbling, blushy guy.

I personally don't like it? Here's my thoughts:

Dominator used seduction insincerely to mess with Hater. That's kinda it. I think without her villainous power tripping as a barrier, expressing or receiving genuine love confuses her. Sylvia calling her a friend gave her pause, and she mentally lagged after Wander saved her life and hugged her.

It's so obvious Wander has the charm advantage. The guy is immune to embarrassment, and has all of the experience articulating love, because he wasn't a sadistic galaxy destroyer. It's second nature for him, casual.

I like Dominator having a confident, charismatic approach for everything, but my silly headcanon is that Wander's doting throws her off sometimes. She's never been receptive to affection until virtually 5 minutes ago. I think it's logical for her to be like a fish out of water, at least for a while.

[fanfic-inator795]

hey everyone, I finally finished compiling all my thoughts from my WoY rewatch into one place! 30,000+ words and 69 (nice) pages all about what is still one of my favorite cartoons of all time!

Really wish I could make a full review-and-rank vid with this script, buuuut since I don’t have any video making knowledge whatsoever, I hope you guys enjoy reading all my thoughts - and feel free to leave a comment or two if you feel like it!

[ariel-s-awesome]

It really does. Maybe everyone else sucks just as much and Andy's just more annoying/blatant about it?

Either that or if Peepers was being completely rational about it he'd put Andy in charge of the ship's intercoms and have him do announcements or something.

But Peepers is a spiteful creature. Why should he reward that jerk by giving him a job he actually likes? Andy can rot there forever!

He'd justify it with something like, "well I don't want other watchdogs to think that if they do the job they want instead of what they have, they'll be rewarded for it in the end!"

Probably a bit of both knowing Peepers and the watchdogs.

Andy VS Peepers

I think Peepers spends all his time not being Commander or nagging Lord Hater yelling at Andy. I mean, he seems to be constantly following him around just to tell him to stay away from Hater. I don’t think any of us are surprised Peepers screens all calls to Lord Hater, but I love how he just seems inordinately angry at Andy for no reason, far more than any of the other Watchdogs. I just want to point out that Andy is the only Watchdog around that seems to be obsessed with Hater besides Commander  Peepers. Just saying, he spends a LOT of time just yelling at Andy to stay away from Hater.

Also, my previous headcanon of ‘the second highest cause of Watchdog injury/death after ‘ridiculous accident’ is Peepers in a (probably jealous) rage’ is now canon. Seriously, an angry Peepers is more deadly to a Watchdog than Captain Tim could ever be.

[koichi-nomura]

You mentioned absolutely adoring "Ask Her A Question" from My Fair Hatey for a lot of reasons. Was that partially exaggeration, or do you actually have an analysis to dish out?

Much love!

Yeah definitely some exaggeration lol and it’s basically just the sound of it, I adore all the songs on there but judging purely by how they sound, (not the narrative purpose) of all of them that one’ my favorite.

Voice acting is incredibly important to me, across all my favorite shows that’s the first thing I think about, I’m obsessed with line delivery and with identifying voices (I pride myself in being the best out of my siblings at identifying who’s voice it is first lol), so the main thing for me really is that Wander has my favorite voice in the series, his singing is so nice and it’s interesting how (for this song at least) he doesn’t do it with a lot of volume or anything, it’s relatively calm for him. He’s half-singing half-talking too and his line delivery is amazing. You can hear the giddiness in his voice at some parts, he does it so well lol. And his accent and the inflections he puts on certain words I love it. Namely his “ab-out:”

I can’t explain why I’m so interested in voices (probably just autism again) but along with comedy, art, and animation it’s one of my favorite things.

I’ don’t know a ton about music other than “this sounds good to me, this doesn’t” but I’m still very opinionated on it, my enjoyment of music tends to be more based on unique singing voices and variability in the music. Some cartoons have very lazy, uninteresting soundtracks and Wander is definitely not one of them, even if you’re talking about just the normal soundtracks, not the songs. it’s great how each if the main characters have their own background themes and even some sung theme songs lol. I can’t tell you what I like about specifically the music of “Ask Her a Question” I just know that I really like it.

In a narrative sense it’s obviously fun seeing Wander’s philosophy on romance and watching Hater go along with it lol. For the story overall I think it’s meant to be pretty significant that Hater would be interested in someone else enough to ask about their opinions, we saw how terrible he was on “The Date”.

The animation is visually interesting as usually with a lot of great stretching from Wander.

This is also my favorite kind of musical; “everyone knows they’re signing” instead of “nobody’s actually singing, they’re just conveying the emotions and storytelling through song for the audience’s eyes only.”

Woy in general is just exemplifies all the ways I would love to do things if I could create a cartoon;

The music is spectacular, so is the voice acting, the voice actors can sing instead of needing stand-in singers, the character designs are so recognizable, I love everyone’s names (‘Major Threat’ is such stupid and funny wordplay lol), the characterization is so good and interesting for everyone (infinitely kind characters are my favorite tho) the comedy is great and I like a lot of the gags but what’s especially great is the character-driven comedy; jokes that are funny just because the characters have funny personalities and interactions. The animation is spectacular too, I’m usually not at all a fan of flash animation but they utilize it in such a way that I didn’t used to know it was flash, the squash and stretch they do with the characters is so fun and interesting without looking grotesque or unappealing, they just look silly (there’s so many moments where it’s too fast to really get a grasp on what’s happening and if you look at it frame by frame it’s super impressive).

Sorry for rambling, this is what happens when I get questions and no character limit, much love back!! :]

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

I promised SeraPent art in that one weird analysis I did awhile ago, but I couldn't think of any poses I liked enough to make full pieces of, so all you're getting are these random ass, kinda crappy doodles I did awhile ago lol

I made a couple more but don't like them enough to post-

Also yes the 3rd one is a WOY reference I'm going INSANE-

[ultravioart]

The dominion au was for me to have some kind of wrap up story for dominator working off of canon bc frankly I wanted to see what the main plot was supposed to be. Maybe... there wasn't one. Oof. In kid cosmic we got kind of what I wanted to learn. Definitely got the messages they were trying to get at in WoY, or at least I think so. Fantos' lines in the finale really read as Dominator to me. Erodios felt like Hater's story in some sense. And Kid also had a story I think Hater's character embodied in some respects. A heavy past, dealing with loss, wanting to be a hero and make believe because it's easier that way. Chuck is very much peepers vibes and Papa G is very much Wander vibes. Perhaps Jo could even have some sense of the pressures Sylvia would face trying to lead a group of rag tag heroes. With that said, I have a system I use when dealing with media. 1: media is moral, I can enjoy and endorse it. (<Very rarely happens) I strictly adhere to canon for any fan content I make, as if trying to write for the series itself. 2: media is flawed but not extremely egregious, I can still enjoy it publicly and enjoy analysis. I adhere to canon for any fan content I make, but with additional edits or fan head canons added. Very much "fanfiction" area canon. 3: creators of media or the media itself is not moral, so I lean on fandom and fan canon. in essence: It's MY story now. lol. headcanons galore, I am not writing as if I were writing for the series at all. 4: Too mucked up, both creators and final product are immoral, I drop it. WoY I think for me has moved from 2 to 3. I guess I can rewrite s2 plot for the au lmao here we goooo

[ariel-s-awesome]

Hater's attitude towards Sylvia is interesting. By all rights he should be more concerned about her. Maybe even impressed.

Yet Hater sees Sylvia as just an extension of Wander. She's his steed. His protector. His buddy. His fellow nuisance. And when he captures Wander and Sylvia, she's an afterthought.

Does he even say her name on it's own? Or is it just Wander and Sylvia?

[emryste]

i know it was between u and a friend but if ur want to i would love to hear wackass character analysis…i love woy and i love hearing peoples thoughts on it on a deeper level!!

ghhhhghfghfhg thank you for asking, it was mostly just me overanalyzing behaviours in some episodes as we did our rewatch. if you're interested, i can gather what little bits i talked about under the cut! as a warning though, theres a lot of words, not all coherent, and most of it is me reading too much into things as well as a lot of personal opinion and bias.

the fremergency fronfract and the boy wander

to start, jay (my friend) mentioned something about seeing a theory relating to the boy wander episode, and how there's something about screwball that makes wander completely shut off to the point of putting on a whole different personality (if anyone thinks they know the post they were talking about, please link it to me! i'd love to read it). all the info we have is screwball is a villain 'from wanders past', and that for whatever reason, he clearly feels like stopping him is more important than befriending him. it's a complete departure from usual wander, and it's part of the reason why i find it so interesting having it follow the fremergency fronfract. in that episode, he is the shining example of what he dislikes screwball for — forcing someone to be happy. he says 'i only present the positive path, i dont force you to follow it' meanwhile in the previous episode took advantage of hater's state and quite literally suggested the dentist should zap hater so hard he would stay good forever.

i dont think this is out of character. at this point in the show, wander is personally attached to hater, cares about him, and is very invested in his happiness. s1 wander, back when they had more of an antagonistic relationship, most likely wouldnt have been selfish in this way. not because he didnt care, because obviously he cares about everyone, but he didnt have that incentive of his own personal feelings. thats why he acted in a way that under normal circumstances, he would think is super dangerous. not to mention, another reason he could be so averse to screwball's ideology is because he sees sometimes sees the same qualities in himself, but they're parts he actively doesnt like and tries not to encourage.

to me, i like the idea that after the fremergency fronfract, wander was feeling guilty about how he acted and his frenzy to keep lord hater as he was. that contributed to why he was so desperate about stopping screwball in that episode, being confronted by someone who is a living specimen of something you feel guilty about would definitely rattle you. as my friend said, it's like karma came back to bite him.

the toddler

a fun little thing i think about during the toddler episode is how wander and sylvia's parenting styles could be indicative of their own childhoods. sylvia makes sense considering what we see of her mum in her family episode and what her environment was like growing up, however with wander it's a bit trickier. my first instinct was either wander had no parents/family of his own so he doesnt fully understand the dynamic, or they were terrible/negligent. perhaps both. this idea mostly comes from wander not really grasping what looking after a child is like apart from his surface level view of what he thinks would work. sylvia's approach isn't as effective but is more indicative of how a lot of parents raise their kids and says a lot about how she was raised, in comparison to wander's which is idealistic and purely thinking about what the toddler wants to a detrimental degree. that, to me, sounds like someone who either has no idea how kids are actually raised, or who is trying desperately to give a toddler what they didnt have. but in the end, potentially all of that could just be considered moot since wander is an normally idealistic guy, and maybe it doesnt say anything about his childhood at all. fun to think about though!

the wanders

for the episode 'the wanders', i talked about how i feel like the wander who always does what you tell him not to (pathological demand avoidance wander as my friend called him lol) could also be the one responsible for his need for freedom and not staying in one place for too long. my reasoning here was the link between not wanting to be told what to do (valuing your free will and autonomy) and how that relates to wander's inclination for being nomadic. i could definitely go deeper into this but you get the picture.

also during 'the wanders', me and jay obviously spoke a little about the 'most important part' wander. they mentioned how whilst he did look tiny he still had the hat, so it's still technically current wander. but rather, it's a part of him that sees himself as helpless, and is a physical manifestion of that by being small and vulnerable. what i always found interesting was how wanders physical form came back before that part was added, whilst the other parts of him all needed to be there for his form to be actualized.

i dont know if the reasoning for this has been answered by one of the crew before, but my reading into it was just that it could be because of a variety of reasons. like maybe that part of him isn't part of his personality but rather something else, like a memory. or maybe, since when sylvia was putting him together and one of the other wanders said something like "if you dont accept all of us, you accept none of us" (relating to make wander whole again), it was something that those aspects of wander didnt want to be part of him even though actual wander saw it as an important part. whatever the reason is, it's always been something that itched at my brain after that episode.

lord hater's and cpeeps' motives

also, i very lightly touched on the topic of lord hater's whole character motivation boiling down to him wanting admiration, to be taken seriously and for people to love/care about him. meanwhile, whilst peepers also wants to be taken seriously, it feels less from a need for love but instead a compulsion to prove himself. to prove he can do things and be powerful despite his shortcomings (literally), which also leans into why we can see peepers' being more evil/ruthless than hater at times. he wants to be admired, but in a different way, to seen as competent.

and thats all the theorizing i did during that rewatch. i could talk about little intricacies and headcanons on how i view the characters for a billion years, but that would definitely make this too long LOL for the rest of the rewatch we just enjoyed the show and had a silly little time. for your enjoyment and as a thanks for reading, heres some highlights of (mainly) my friend whilst we watched:

[sunandmoonseisai]

I know it's only my second post on this blog but I felt the need to ramble about wander over yonder.

Specifically, about the relationship between wander and Sylvia.

I don't usually use words such as "queerplatonic" but I think wander and Sylvia embody this concept really well.

What I mean is that they're not lovers but you can hardly write off their relationship as "just friends". I find it fascinating the way their relationship constantly stretch out the limits of what is conventionally acceptable for platonic friends.

They share drinks

They sleep close together

They casually go to a romantic restaurant together (granted, maybe wander was just here to stalk hater lol)

Most blatantly, their relationship awake the romantic jealousy of a crazy planet.

A lot of their moments are very intimate sweet. They also say "I love you" to each other multiple times.

What's more, they constantly put each other first, they're very touchy with each other, I could go on.

A lot of their moments can be traditionally interpreted as romantic. Does that make them lovers? Of course not. Love is often understanding as a binary between "friends" and "lovers" but wander and Sylvia goes way beyond that. There's nothing to understand other that they love each other and are very comfortable with expressing it regardless of the limits of "Platonic display of affection".

Wander over yonder portray platonic love as it own form, as powerful as romantic love. And I think it's both refreshing and important.

[clover-the-awesomest]

THIS.

This is EVERYTHING to me.

Please give this analysis a read and reblog because it is one of the best I've seen, especially for how short it is! I know nobody's a fan of really really reeeeeeeeally long text analysis stuff like what I usually reblog, so take this as a nice little refresher.

Besides we all love WOY angst don't we fellas?

So I was rewatching WOY again, and I realized something during The Ball episode (S1 Ep13b).

There’s probably a post somewhere years ago pointing this out, but idc—I want to, "put that passion on the paper!"

Spoilers btw!

We all know why Wander helps, “The helper seeks to help because he knows what it is like to be helpless” (The Wanders, S2 Ep4a). He went through something so life-changing—most likely traumatic—that it ironically helped him become the Wander we know and love.

Now during The Ball episode (S1 Ep13b) after Beeza explains how this doomsday is basically routine at this point and before they all board the ship, Wander gives a speech:

“Y'all have put so much work into this pretty little planet. Don't you want to try and save it? I know you're scared of Buster, but if you keep running, that's all you're ever gonna be doing! You have a chance to change that. You just have to turn and face your problems head-on!”

“…but if you keep running, that's all you're ever gonna be doing! You have a chance to change that.”

He says that while looking at his hat longingly as if this situation reminded him of a bad memory.

I genuinely believe Wander started out as fearful.

I believe he ran away and hid at the first sign of danger when he was much younger, immature and inexperienced because he didn’t have a chance to save or defend what he had. He lost something very dear and precious to him—whether that be his family or his home-planet (or both), we may never know.

However, how he reacted to those bouncing phantom mimes in The Heebie Jeebies episode (S2 Ep19b) proves my point. Wander’s first instinct when encountering danger or something scary is to scream, run away and/or hide—and at times freeze in place.

Usually he’s able to override that stress response throughout the show if there’s someone needing help, “When I see someone who’s a-needin’, I just gotta help!” (The Fugitives, S1 Ep2b). Take the episode The Pet (S1 Ep4) as an example of this.

Wander nervously searches the ship for anyone alive only to encounter an arachnomorph he lovingly christened Captain Tim. His first reaction is to scream, and it doesn’t sound like an excited scream either.

Only after he gets tackled does he collect himself and switches gears from being afraid to being ready to help because he changed how he looked at the creature.

At first, he saw Captain Time as this terrifying monster (he even admits to Sylvia that he knew Captain Tim is dangerous later in the episode, twice) before almost immediately doing a 180 degree and choosing to see Captain Tim as an abandoned pet that needs tender love and care.

It's not just this episode either. The Greatest (S1 Ep1a) shows how scared he is of Lord Hater when they first officially meet until he chooses to—not only help the planet's residences—but to also learn more about Hater so he can help him later down the line.

The Search for Captain Tim (S2 Ep19a) is another example when he shows up with a wanted flyer knowing full well that the creature is carnivorous and remembering what Captain Tim tried to do to him.

He's able to get through his fear if it means helping someone in the process.

We also know that Wander seems obsessed with the idea of helping others to an alarming and unhealthy degree. Being unable to not help someone in need gives him anxiety that builds up over a short amount of time until he can’t take it anymore and gives into his immense desire to help (The Fugitives, S1 Ep2b).

Even when he was sick during The Sick Day (S2 Ep20a), he still tries to help when it impedes on his own health and well-being.

Since he’s over 1000 years old, he most likely lost that chance to rewrite or make amends with what he originally went through that made him feel helpless in the first place—and I wouldn’t doubt it if he regrets it deep down or thinks bringing up his past is unimportant since nothing can be done anymore.

Heck, Sylvia calls him, “a man of mystery,” in The Waste of Time (S2 Ep17b) which later when they both successfully end the time loop it erases that interaction from existence. Wander doesn't disclose what exactly happened to him to be helpless in The Wanders (S2 Ep4a).

He chooses not to go into detail about his past.

Going back to The Ball (S1 13b) episode, he doesn’t just give a speech and tries to help because that's the right thing to do. He tries to help because he sees how the Ballzarians were choosing to lose their chance by willfully fleeing from their home-planets because of Buster, and Wander could not accept that.

"Whew! I wouldn't want someone else to go through what I went through" (The Wanders, S2 Ep4a).

He needed to help them because he himself was not helped.

Having to watch someone else go through the same experience was devastating for him. That's why he took control of the ship and crashed landed it on Buster.

Unlike the Ballzarians, I believe he did not have anyone in his life to help him when he was helpless, nor provide the opportunity to make a change in his circumstances.

He had to become his own helper.

In The Wanders episode (S2 Ep4a) when Sylvia finds the last Wander to complete himself again, the little Wander is terrified and cowering in the corner. He doesn't trust her until she reassures him, "It's okay, I won't hurt you." Wander was used to not receiving help. Sylvia was the first person who—not only reciprocated that same love and care he tends to show towards everyone—but also the first person to stay by his side afterwards. She became his new home.

With all this said, I believe he started out as a coward, then became a stereotypical hero, until finally being transformed into the wandering helpy helperson we know and love today.

Or I'm reading waaaaaaay too much into a silly little cartoon about helping others and self-improvement from a decade ago idk tHat’S jUst a tHeoRY lmao

Anyways, thank y’all for coming to my TedTalk—expect more WOY art in the near future! 👋🧡

[cloudydayjoy]