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This is the inherent problem with making them canon. Cus why would two people who are aggressively fighting bigotry be closeted?

Now Charles is a liar, we all know that. I love him but yeah. So you have some wiggle room there. But Erik? The man missing the part of the brain that tells us to fit in? The dude who is 110% himself at all times, who always says exactly what he means no matter what? In what world would he be closeted? Who is gonna call that 6ft+ muscled behemoth a f****t?

But what if his dramatic ass already thinks he's out?

Cus he's been saying loudly for years that he loves Charles. Will wax poetic about it if you give him the chance. He doesn't mince words or shit, either. He says "love" without hesitation. What if he's being totally frank about Charles being his ex and everyone thinks he means friendship love? And as Erik is so direct, it never occurs to him that people are assuming his straight?

And why didn't he date another man? Are you saying you have a man better than Charles for him to pursue? No? Then he should settle? Does he ever settle? To suggest he accept anything but what he wants: an insult.

So there's Erik, being extremely frank about how much he loves his ex and is always trying to get him back and everyone thinks he's just trying to get his friend and ally back. While Charles is just... wishing he'd be quiet. Cus he can't have an ex who's a fucking terrorist and do his politcal shit, Erik!

i wonder if, hypothetically, cherik were to become canon

where would it happen?

the movies or the comics?

cause like i’m kinda expecting marvel to bring in more mutants to the mcu and possibly after this multiversal saga we’ll having something related to mutants? who knows

but would the writers be like “hey lets not be cowards this time and make the old men kiss!” or just focus more on the actual mutant existence (no clue what marvel has planned honestly)

OR they would somehow make it happen in the comics

fyi, i’m not up to date with the comics and i only have a brief knowledge of them but how would they do it?

would they try and mention a past relationship that was never mentioned until now or would they just have one of them go “i always had feelings for this guy but never acted on them”??

honestly no idea

but it would be cool nonetheless cus cherik canon

me thinking of the possibilities ^^^

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I have a story rolling around in my head where they encounter an alternate Tony where they DID make up after Civil War and they did curb stomp Thanos the first time around. Because yeah they do indicate that's the reason they lost.

The basic set up is that at the end of CW Tony has broken up with both Pepper and Steve and later we see he got back together with Pepper in the main universe. In the alternate universe Tony made up with Steve instead so he didn't get married but instead dived deeper into a unified Avengers team. Which then Thanos caught the business end of.

I lied. Put your clothes back on. We're gonna talk about how it is heavily implied that the avengers could have won if they had been together in infinity war and how that implies that Thanos would have lost if Tony decided to seduce Steve Rogers instead of divorcing him.

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Wanted to share this long haired Magneto by Álvaro Martínez Bueno

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I don't know what he was doing in canon, but I can easily imagine Charles projecting himself to Erik when he thought the world was ending during the incursion mess.

He pops in, timer in his palm, clearly showing 42 minutes and counting, and tells Erik what's happening because of course Erik would want to know (and not at all because he just wanted to die with him).

Then Erik, ever the tactical thinker at speed, considers the timer and asks Charles how "real" this projection they're in is. Queue the kissing, confessions, and smut followed by a very awkward moment when the world, in fact, does not end as scheduled.

I would love for Cherik to have a "wedding" like Will and Elisabeth in The Pirates of Carriben.

Like they are fighting against senitels or another mutual enemy, and Kurt is their official, and Erik is forming two rings out of bullets flying at them.

Even better if they only just declared their love for each other, because they thought they wouldn't make it, and then they realised the other loved them too, and they decided to just marry each other, because what's there to lose if they die today?

But then they survive and just look at each other and are like.

Charles: So, we didn't die...

Erik: Nope...

Charles: and are married.

Erik: Jup.

Charles: What now?

Erik: Honeymoon?

Charles: ...

Charles: I'd really like that, actually.

Erik: Thought you would, husband.

And then they just start to giggle, like the lovesick puppies they are.

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As the damage was done,

Chunks of my life torn away,

Pieces of me came off as well,

And now I am nothing,

But bare sticks.

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something that absolutley enrages me abt some of the ways you lot write xavier is ignoring how despite being priveleged he is STILL A VICTIM OF HOW SOCIETY TREATS MUTANTS??? "imagine erik dragging charles to a protest where he sees how its really like" charles KNOWS how its really like, he sees it every second of his life, hes constantly forced to hear and see the worst thoughts people think. yes charles is rich but that doesnt magically mean he doesnt know what its like to be OPRESSED??? the need for a "perfect victim" on here is fucking horrendous.

erik has lived through it, charles has felt through it. theres a reason theyre parallels of each other and you guys fucking suck at media literacy

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This. Pure heartbreaking longing. And imagine him delivering this the original way, dying in Charles' arms?

“All those years wasted fighting each other, Charles … to have a precious few of them back …” is one of THE most romantic lines in movie history and I don’t get how anybody can possibly be blind to their being in love when these are canonical words, spoken in the most passionate and profound delivery by Sir Ian McKellen (the LONGING in his voice, you guys), followed by Sir Patrick Stewart managing to convey a million different emotions without moving a single facial muscle in the reaction shots, and then a closeup of their hands perfectly fitting together like puzzle pieces. This is some Wuthering Heights-level yearning; it ain’t subtle. I’ve heard some people say this doesn’t really count as an apology, and those people have zero media literacy; this is an even MORE powerful statement than either “I’m sorry” or “I love you” could ever be. It’s the echo of the theme of “Time in a Bottle,” which not so coincidentally earlier played in the scene where the two of them are saved from a brutal death by their son in the past. It’s a perfect summary of the entire tragedy and beauty of their relationship.

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“We are here, and this is now.” Constable Visit, a strict believer in the Omnian religion, occasionally quoted that from their holy book. Vimes understood it to mean, in less exalted copper speak, that you have to do the job that is in front of you.

--Terry Pratchett, Night Watch

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Everything And Nothing You Wanted

I have a story roaming around my head about this and it being why Erik quit being Magneto between dofp and xma. Cus something had to have happened right? For him to walk away? What was his post-divorce rock bottom that made him just say fuck it? Cus it wasn't prison. That dramatic bastard walked out of prison and promptly dropped a stadium around the White House. So what did it?

Let's say Mystique runs into him post dofp. And she's pissed cus he tried to kill her. After everything. After all their time working together and history. But she also still wants him and she's frustrated at not getting what she wants. Ever! And why shouldn't she get him? She's looking for a fuck, not true love.

So she comes on to him in some safe house and "No, Raven. Honestly, you're still on about this? No."

And she's had enough about being told no so she slides the metaphorical knife in. She shifts into Charles as he looked in XMFC, soft and clean and perfect, and smirks at him. "Maybe you'd prefer something a little different?" Cus she has eyes. She saw how Erik looked at Charles.

Erik goes rigid at the sight of "him" and snarls at her to take that form off but she's unimpressed. She knows what he wants and why shouldn't he indulge, she asks. Of course Charles knew he wanted him. Erik knows that, right? Little wonder he hates Charles so much after being denied again and again, deemed not good enough for even a quick screw.

Erik grits his teeth. "Let it go, Raven. Fine! I wanted him. Congratulations! But he owes me nothing simply because I wanted him. And why would I fucking hate Charles for being straight?" he snaps at her, turning to leave (cus he can't take her doing this while looking/sounding like Charles) but she/he laughs caustically at that.

"You think Charles is straight?" And Erik is frozen in his tracks, hand on the door knob as she/he continues. "Oh God no. I saw him bring home so many men and women when he was in college. Charming Charles cut a wide swath."

"He's a telepath, Erik. He doesn't care about the 'wrapping', just the contents. If someone's mind, someone's soul was good enough he'd haul them home in an instant. No questions asked."

"Charles" goes on, twisting the blade. "But you? Making eyes at him over that damn chessboard every night? He knew you were on offer and he just wasn't buying. But I guess that's understandable given all your ugly bits? Can't imagine saint Charles would want a killer. The thought probably made his skin crawl."

And here Erik snaps: rage, self-hatred, and heartbreak tangling up and exploding. Grabbing him/her and throwing him/her against the wall, he shoves a thigh between his legs and has his mouth in a punishing kiss.

And it's everything he wanted, and it's nothing he wanted, because this isn't how it was supposed to be. It was supposed to be soft and loving in Charles' quiet home, not this tearing rageful thing, all teeth and nails and bruises.

He takes him hard against the wall and on the shitty bed. And it isn't Charles. No bit of this feels like Charles. His silk-soft thoughts don't brush Erik's mind, he can't feel the unintentional sparks of emotion Charles would always emit when he got too excited about something. There's no laughter. No light. But he'd have never had him anyway. Charles was right to refuse him, despite his lies about him being worth more than violence. Clearly they were lies.

He'd have never wanted his bloodied hands on him. 'There's so much more to you...' but not enough more to me, right, Charles? Not enough.

Afterwards Erik grabs his clothes, cursing her for goading him, exposing him, and tries not to vomit till he's out of her earshot.

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I couldn't comment and I don't have any recs atm (besides the little wips I have rolling around), but wanted to agree with this so hard. His hair also bothers me because in the comics that's his mutation, not age or an accident and I hate people changing characters to make them more "normal"/able/human-passing to make them more "attractive".

I want to see Charles as himself, a powerful, active wheelchair user. No clunky, big chairs like you get in a hospital. Not being PUSHED! I want to see him using something you'd actually see an irl person with his disability using (with some added comic coolness but still nimble). I grew up with the og yellow hoverchair but let's face it, that thing is ridiculously cumbersome. No actual chair user would want that thing.

Best chair usage I saw in the movies was in XMA when he was rolling backwards while chatting with Hank, looking natural and active, very much the same engaged guy we saw in FC. Not a living paperweight.

I think one of the reasons why first-class era cherik irritates me (aside from being an old man fucker in a drought) is that it feels kinda like another excuse not to depict a disabled person in a fulfilling, sexual romance with an abled person. not saying that's the goal or that every fc cherik shipper is ableist but cherik fanworks apparently just consist of FC-era cherik or krakoa era where charles always has use of his legs, aside from about two fics i found which are both aus lol. anyways if anybody has any recs for cherik fics where he's disabled lmk

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I have a story roaming around my head about this and it being why Erik quit being Magneto between dofp and xma. Cus something had to have happened right? For him to walk away? What was his post-divorce rock bottom that made him just say fuck it? Cus it wasn't prison. That dramatic bastard walked out of prison and promptly dropped a stadium around the White House. So what did it?

Let's say Mystique runs into him post dofp. And she's pissed cus he tried to kill her. After everything. After all their time working together and history. But she also still wants him and she's frustrated at not getting what she wants. Ever! And why shouldn't she get him? She's looking for a fuck, not true love.

So she comes on to him in some safe house and "No, Raven. Honestly, you're still on about this? No."

And she's had enough about being told no so she slides the metaphorical knife in. She shifts into Charles as he looked in XMFC, soft and clean and perfect, and smirks at him. "Maybe you'd prefer something a little different?" Cus she has eyes. She saw how Erik looked at Charles.

Erik goes rigid at the sight of "him" and snarls at her to take that form off but she's unimpressed. She knows what he wants and why shouldn't he indulge, she asks. Of course Charles knew he wanted him. Erik knows that, right? Little wonder he hates Charles so much after being denied again and again, deemed not good enough for even a quick screw.

Erik grits his teeth. "Let it go, Raven. Fine! I wanted him. Congratulations! But he owes me nothing simply because I wanted him. And why would I fucking hate Charles for being straight?" he snaps at her, turning to leave (cus he can't take her doing this while looking/sounding like Charles) but she/he laughs caustically at that.

"You think Charles is straight?" And Erik is frozen in his tracks, hand on the door knob as she/he continues. "Oh God no. I saw him bring home so many men and women when he was in college. Charming Charles cut a wide swath."

"He's a telepath, Erik. He doesn't care about the 'wrapping', just the contents. If someone's mind, someone's soul was good enough he'd haul them home in an instant. No questions asked."

"Charles" goes on, twisting the blade. "But you? Making eyes at him over that damn chessboard every night? He knew you were on offer and he just wasn't buying. But I guess that's understandable given all your ugly bits? Can't imagine saint Charles would want a killer. The thought probably made his skin crawl."

And here Erik snaps: rage, self-hatred, and heartbreak tangling up and exploding. Grabbing him/her and throwing him/her against the wall, he shoves a thigh between his legs and has his mouth in a punishing kiss.

And it's everything he wanted, and it's nothing he wanted, because this isn't how it was supposed to be. It was supposed to be soft and loving in Charles' quiet home, not this tearing rageful thing, all teeth and nails and bruises.

He takes him hard against the wall and on the shitty bed. And it isn't Charles. No bit of this feels like Charles. His silk-soft thoughts don't brush Erik's mind, he can't feel the unintentional sparks of emotion Charles would always emit when he got too excited about something. There's no laughter. No light. But he'd have never had him anyway. Charles was right to refuse him, despite his lies about him being worth more than violence. (How could he lie to him like that?!)

He'd have never wanted his bloodied hands on him. 'There's so much more to you...' but not enough more to me, right, Charles? Not enough.

Afterwards Erik grabs his clothes, cursing her for goading him, exposing him, and tries not to vomit till he's out of her earshot.

Was watching X-Men with my friend and girly says, straight faced, "do you think Magneto ever asks Mystique to turn into Prof. X so they can fuck?".....I just stared at her

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#nailed it

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Logan should have been the key to healing Charles' broken heart in dofp.

(In a non-ship way)

While it gave us the great scene of Charles talking to himself, I hate that that was the answer in dofp. I argue that Logan actually was the "right guy" to help Charles right then.

Charles was broken in dofp because of heart break. At the core of the X-Men Charles is offering love, family, and home to people in need of it. And in dofp his first two attempts at that have failed spectacularly.

With Raven he felt he had a sister, fully and without qualification. They were siblings and he loved her and the mansion was their home. But she leaves and casually informs him it was never her home and he was so very easy for her to leave behind. She was his sister since he was 12 and in the 20 years between First Class and Dark Phoenix he sees her twice.

With Erik the cut was even deeper. As with her, he found someone wounded and immediately bonded to him. Here was someone who had been abused horrifically, was elbow deep in blood, seeing only rage and pain in himself, surviving but not living. And Charles saw his heart and offered him love and a home. As with Raven, he said "You're wonderful. I'll love you and we'll be family and this will be your home."

And Erik threw him away.

Charles can't hope anymore. His heartbreak is a devastating blow to a telepath.

Now we have Logan. Logan originally came to Charles a wounded man. Abused, elbow deep in blood, seeing only rage and pain in himself, surviving but not living, but with a good heart. He's the perfect mirror to Erik but when Charles offered him home and family, Logan stayed. And stayed and stayed.

As cherik shippers we focus on Erik being at Charles' side in the dark future, but so is Logan. At the end Charles is flanked by them both. One in front and one behind. Charles doesn't leave the plane till Storm and Logan have stepped out first. They're being hunted by machines and Charles is a telepath in a wheelchair. He is utterly vulnerable and helpless against this foe. Logan is there in the position of a bodyguard. In the movie "Logan" they expand even further into this dynamic and as someone who's been there, I cannot fully express the depth of love and devotion that would be necessary to do what Logan does for Charles in that movie. Caring for a loved one with dementia and mobility issues is hard. And ugly. But Logan is still holding on to Charles. This is his family and he's not letting go.

Erik and Raven threw Charles away, and we know from DP that Hank does as well in this timeline. But in Logan all Charles' love is reciprocated. And through Logan's memories Charles could see the school he builds. All his X-Men. His family.

Without his powers Charles has no idea of any of this. Logan is just some dude who showed up and said "I'm from the future. Grab your coat, we gotta break your ex out of prison and save the world." When Logan offers up his mind to him is when Charles could finally see that the future he's building will be good. His love WILL be reciprocated. His future self just telling him "You'll suffer and that's good because you can use it to help people" isn't enough. That's the opposite of hope, that's literally radical acceptance: a coping mechanism for when there is zero hope.

But! If you change that scene just a bit. Now Logan is certain that he's the problem. He readily admits to Charles that he's not the guy. He's totally wrong. It was meant to be Charles that went back, but they're stuck with him. Logan intends to send Charles to himself but Charles' powers are barely firing. He stumbles on to Logan's pain and recoils. Logan encourages him again and now he's looking forward but instead of jumping right to the target, he's wary after the hit of pain. He has to make his way there gradually. He sees his school. He sees his found family. It's all through Logan's perception so he feels how Logan came there, sees the clear mirroring to Erik, sees that this time his faith was rewarded, feels Logan's trust and love. Sees that when it all falls apart Logan is still there as are so many of his X-Men, that their family bonds are ironclad.

Then, and only then, he meets his older self. And yes, his powers hurt. Yes he will naturally draw to him the most wounded of people. But (and this is an important but) the payoff is that these people are wonderful and they love him. It's not all pain for the sake of others, he also gets happiness. He gets a home full of family and children and hope. His empty mansion that once held only pain and abuse and loneliness is now a true home.

All his older self offered to him was a future of self sacrifice. Logan could have offered him a future of family. Logan was the key to healing Charles' broken heart.

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erik is always like "oh you could make me do whatever you want" because he finds the telepathy hot but also he's so used to people with more power than him abusing him with it and is trying to goad charles into doing the same because he doesn't want to believe there's an exception to this life-long rule of his. but charles just keeps refusing to prove him right because his strength of faith in the goodness of others overwhelms this supposed need to take control of people like puppets. the only time i remember him fucking with a human/mutant's head was dark phoenix and jean grey + moira and the beach but those were both to help rather than be malicious. it's like jean said, "i know you only did what you did out of love."

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The Wellness-Check

So after being drug into this ship entirely against my will, I've finally wrote something after 2 years. I guess it's working out for me, then. So here's a ficlet or a vignette or a wip, I dunno. There is a longer story attached to this in this in my head, but I thought this scene would make a good stand alone. (There's no AO3 entry for this.)

This fic pretends that TDP didn't happen cus that's the world I choose to live in. So the timeline is still progressing to the future we saw in DoFP.

-

“Professor?” Jubilee called as she knocked on his door.

“I don’t think we should bothering him. Either of them,” Kurt put in from the back of the small group in the hallway. “Dr. McCoy said not to-”

“We’re not kids anymore Kurt,” Scott cut in. “Hank might think we are but we’re instructors now. Someone should check on the Professor. Someone other than Magneto. Who might be injured too, right? After that, whatever. That was serious.”

“And the Professor has me completely blocked from his rooms,” Jean added in. “He’s never been so firm about his shields with me.”

“Professor?” Jubilee called again and a projection of the Professor appeared standing beside the door.

“Thank you, Ms Lee. I heard you the first time and I assure you all I am fine, as is Mr. Lehnsherr. You should be focusing on your own classes right now. After last night’s unpleasantness, normalcy will be good for the children. Only my own classes need canceled.”

“If you're fine then why cancel at all? And why not actually come to the door?” Scott asked and turned to glare at the door, as if daring it to open.

“Because I am occupied at the moment and there is no need for me to come to the door,” he replied simply and made to wave them off. “I made my announcement about my classes and I’m telling you now. I’m fine. Go about your day. Thank you for your concern.”

“If you’re hurt from that-”

“I am not, Ms. Gray.”

“It’s just that you’re being really cagey and-” Jubilee started but stopped as footsteps could be heard approaching the other side of the door.

“Well, this is one way to solve the problem…” Charles mumbled, looking exasperated.

The self-appointed wellness-check team stepped back as the door swung open to show... Magneto. In his boxer briefs and nothing else. He positioned himself firmly in the doorway, leaning against it casually. In one motion he effectively blocked them and laid claim to the rooms within and their contents. “How many times does it need to be stated? He’s occupied. And I intend for him to be so for the foreseeable future. Or until we’re both hungry,” he added with a shark's grin. 

“As I said,” Xavier repeated before letting his projection blink out. “Everything is fine.”

“Fine? Just fine?” Magneto asked slyly over his shoulder as he closed the door. “Not the word I’d use,” he growled playfully.

“Erik!” they distantly heard the Professor laughingly admonish through the door as Magneto’s footsteps stalked away back into the rooms.

The small cluster at the door stood there a moment. And a moment more. Before Kurt said weakly. “Oh mein Gott…”

“Well!” Jubilee added with an evil, joyous grin.

“...That would explain the shielding against me.” Jean said as they finally started back down the hallway.

“Hey, Scott. Remember way back when we were all so surprised that the Professor welcomed Magneto to stay at the school for a bit right after that crap with Nurr?” Jubilee chirped.

“Please don’t…”

“And we did not understand why he was so pleased to have him stay here for the Genosha talks?” Kurt tossed in.

Scott groaned.

“And then when he showed up to stay and help with the school and the Professor let him have free reign and we thought that was a stretch given the whole ‘dropped a stadium around the white house’ incident? But her just never left and the Professor was so happy to have him around?” Jean added, knocking in that last nail.

“I think we know why now.” Jubilee said in a sing-song voice, absolutely giddy with this new gossip.

Scott “we’re not kids anymore” Summers just covered his head, making the noise of a dying animal.

“And did you see him?!” she continued, ignoring her suffering teammate. “He’s like fifty, right?”

“I didn’t know a fifty year old guy could look like that. That was…” Jean agreed.

“Totally.”

“Oh come on!” Scott chimed in, breaking free of his torment in the face of this injustice. “He wasn’t that- I mean, he’s old.”

“And tight.” Jubilee couldn’t be deterred. “No wonder all those international incidents could be so easily forgiven. Well done, Professor. That’s a score.”

“This was such a mistake. Why do I ever listen to you all?” Kurt said as they stepped into the kitchen. “We’re back Dr. McCoy and-”

“Oh my God, McCoy! You would not believe what… we just…” even Jubilee’s happy announcement of juicy gossip dwindled out to nothing as they entered the room. At the island Dr. McCoy was quite focused on pouring himself a very tall glass of gin. At 10 am. 

“Um…” 

He said nothing nor acknowledged them as he screwed the cap on and set the bottle down. He then grabbed his glass and turned to leave with it but appeared to think better before turning back to snatch the bottle as well. Both in hand, he walked out without a word.

Jubilee leaned towards the others and loudly “whispered” to the others, “I think he knows.”

“Knows what?” Peter asked zipping in to the fridge and then popping back into vision here and there as he assembled a few sandwiches. 

“The Professor is getting it with Magneto!” Jubilee announced, all her enthusiasm returned.

Shockingly, Peter actually stood still for two whole seconds at that news before shaking his head. “Nope. That’s enough of that conversation.” And then he was gone with his sandwiches, though the bread and everything else was abandoned in his wake.

“Oh not cool… What, is it our job to clean this up? Jerk.”

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The robins’ arrested development is fascinating to me on a meta level.

The first child sidekick of the golden age of comics, never meant to be a man, a child for forty years who fought and demanded the right to grow up.

The second robin is slain in his career’s infancy. An unaging symbol of lost innocence because innocence itself was no longer required. Who burst back out of his grave unwillingly, in a man’s body, dragged into adulthood all at once. A child killed twice over.

The third robin, who was comfortable in his place as a child as a sidekick, evicted because someone else needed that spot, only to be wedged back into the box. Not quite a man, but he can’t go back to being a boy either, stuck in the in between.

And the fifth robin, still a child. Destined to grow into an adult role that will never be vacated, and so cannot grow up.

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The only thing I lik about the Court of Owls is their whole look and the name, cus that name is awesome. 10/10 No notes!

why do you hate the court of owls??

i answered that here, but the short of it is that even if we ignore the anti-semitic tropes snyder accidentally engages with, the court of owls existing as a concept is the anti-thesis to the core ideal of bruce's crusade - that anyone can experience loss, regardless of status, and that harm can be entirely random and caused by systemic problems of a failing society. fundamentally, batman and robin aren't made cooler because their parents were murdered by the evil bird brigade.

bruce wayne sees dick grayson experience the same grief he had, and makes a change. thomas and martha wayne and mary and john grayson are killed because of social inequality, a lack of upward social mobility, collapsing social support structures, and a deep corruption within the systems that are supposed to help vulnerable people. it's a very deliberate commentary that court of owls weakens. batman and robin aren't preordained, destined, or meant to save gotham through the machiavellian plottings of a bunch of people in a sewer. they save gotham because they decide to do good.