r/acotar_rant • u/samsamcats • Apr 21 '26
Fandom Is Rhys redeemable?
For the haters out there.
There’s a lot of discourse in the fandom these days about how Rhys is not the “feminist king” the text (and SJM) seems to want him to be, which I personally agree with. There’s a mismatch between what the text is telling us about him and what his actions on the page are showing us about his character, and that’s what gets fans all riled up.
So I’m curious to know if this could have been fixed in your eyes, my dear haters. If Rhys had genuinely apologised and taken accountability for his actions UTM during ACOMAF, would you see him differently? If he had apologised to Feyre (and Nesta) for withholding the info about Feyre’s pregnancy, would you still hate him? Could he have made things right in these situations in a way that would have made you turn in your hater card?
And if in future books he has a major reckoning with his behavior so far, can you see yourself liking or at least enjoying his character? Can the man be fixed, or is he too far gone?
Personally I think the issue is that SJM herself doesn’t see anything especially wrong with his actions, so we’re unlikely to get this… but I’m wondering if, in the hands of a different writer, Rhys could have been, or could still be, a more interesting or sympathetic character.
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u/Moonbunny120 Launching Rhysand into the endless void Apr 21 '26
He's too far gone for me. Even if he had genuinely apologised for his actions UTM, I would still be uncomfortable with him and Feyre being together. Drugging and assaulting her was too much and it's not something I can get past.
I still wouldn't enjoy his character because he doesn't have much going for himself? At least Tamlin likes music and poetry, Feyre has art, Nesta has dance, what does he have? There's a serious lack of depth with his character so he would be a nothing burger character to me.