Thread by @Astro_Latte

In honor of Joaquim Dos Santos’ ridiculous BLM tweets and even worse non-apology, I’d like to explain to the internet how Allura did not just die at the end of Voltron Legendary Defender, but was fridged.

Come along with me!

Let’s start by explaining the term “fridged” and the trope. For those not engaged with America superhero comics, it’s whereby female characters are injured, raped, killed, or depowered to move a male character’s story arc forward.

It’s colloquially known as “fridging.”

TW: Violence against women

It refers to an incident in Green Lantern where he comes home to find that his girlfriend, Alexandra DeWitt, had been killed and stuffed into a refrigerator.

This came out in 1994.

The term "Women in Refrigerators" was coined by Gail Simone where she and others created a long list of ladies who had been killed maimed or depowered in ways that treated the female character merely as a device for a male characters story rather than a fully developed character.

As a fan of comics and "feminist", Lauren Montgomery should’ve known better, so just know she’s also wrong in this, not just our buddy JDS. He was just dumb enough to tweet.

Ironically, Allura is introduced to the audience by falling OUT of what is basically a cold icebox.

Of course when this trope came up people yelled “Uh duh, male characters die too y’know!” So John Bartol argued that when MALE heroes are killed or altered they can return to their status quo. While ladies stay dead or never get a chance to return to their original heroic states.

This is called "Dead Men Defrosting" and will become very important later.

Hint. Hint.

Now that we understand the trope, let’s talk about our girl!

Allura is defined by loss. The audience is introduced to her through the death of her father, the destruction of her plane, and the annihilation of her people. From the jump, she doesn’t really have a lot to work with.

As well as her loss, she’s defined by her ability to persevere. She can take charge and has some ~ magical connection ~ to the lions of Voltron. She has a war to fight, and as the audience, we are invested in her winning.

Not only that, but we also learn that her Castle is the team's space ship, and she is the captain. Note Allura’s location on the bridge - she’s even higher than that of Shiro, the Black Paladin, aka “The Leader.”

She runs this shit.

Even at times when characters try to sideline her, she refuses. In the build-up of the first season, we watch Allura gain power and relevance.

Allura’s magic is defined in season one. We see her heal an entire planet and that she can shapeshift.

Allura's "power" always shown in 3 key places:

- Her captaining the Castleship
- Her magic
- Her Altean royalty

These are things the paladins CANNOT do. They need HER.

Everything Allura does is on HER terms. Even when she is captured by saving Shiro (and by extension Voltron) and she is proud of her decision. It’s a decision made by her own agency and NOT to advance Shiro's story.

Allura cares about Voltron and that's why she saves him.

Going back to her power, Allura's absence as the captain of the Castleship throws the paladins into chaos because they NEED her, literally, to captain the ship. Nobody else can wormhole.

Allura also has her own story that is not dependant on that of any of the paladins.

Zarkon and Honerva are HER villains. Defeating them is her growth. That is her story.

And, that's all Allura gets before she begins to be depowered!

Yes, it started that quickly.

The first thing to go was her being the Captain of the Castleship. There’s A LOT of things wrong with the “Good Galra/Bad Galra” narrative for her, but let’s just focus on the ship.

The first is her allowing Galra onto her ship, even though she doesn't want to do it. But she does it for Shiro's story (and then Keith's). She loses control over who gets to come/go of her ship, and as captain, that's a big slap in the face. Even if it's for the "greater good."

At one point, she actually LEAVES her own ship to be a supporting character in Keith's arc about being part-Galra. They make her his heel. Funny enough even Keith is like, “Uh, aren’t you important to captain the ship?”

Obviously not as important as you, Keith!

The kiss of death comes when Allura becomes a paladin.

It's framed that her inability to pilot the Red Lion is a failure on her. As if being the captain isn't enough, that she should do more - even though she's shown NO interest is being a paladin before this moment.

To make matters worse, this scene is written off as her wanting to do it because it's Alfor's lion - even though a major part of Allura's development as a captain/leader was her letting Alfor go back in the first season. The whole paladin thing is completely dependent on Alfor!

Then begins her slow descent into being pulled into Lance's arc of self-worth by inventing this "Right Hand of Voltron" thing that never existed before this moment. Somehow Lance being like her father is important. Even though he later becomes her romantic interest. It's a mess.

*points to this situation*

I'll get to YOU later!

Allura's dependence on Alfor's legacy is an anchor chained to her leg for the rest of the series. It doesn't empower her "royalty" as it's always about Alfor's actions as a PALADIN, but never him as a King or leader.

It's just more signs of Allura being sacrificed for Man Pain.

For reasons also never explained for her own benefit, Allura becomes the Blue Paladin and gives up her role as captain entirely to Coran.

And just in case you think she may be able to captain the ship again Shiro returns, they literally blow up the whole Castleship.

And although the ATLAS is powered by the crystal from Allura's fallen castle, it is not SHE who gets to become its captain, but rather Shiro.

This leads us to Shiro's "Dead Men Defrosting."

Shiro dies TWICE in the show. Once during the fight with Zarkon and then again when Allura put his consciousness in the body of his clone. After both deaths, he gets to be Black Paladin again and then Captain of the ATLAS.

Shiro gets to return a status quo, Allura does not.

Going back to the things only Allura can do and why the paladins need her in the team, we're now down to 2/3 of her powers.

X Her captaining the Castleship
- Her magic
- Her Altean royalty

Next up is Allura's magic.

Allura's Altean magic can be a deus machina, like when they needed to bring Shiro back to life in S6, but overall it's central to her character, as none of the paladins can do magic.

Allura's "monster self" is Honerva. Both of them have this power. Honerva bad, Allura good.

Allura gains confidence and strength around her use of magic, outside of that of even Alfor's power. This is something that she chooses for herself, and brings her closer to Lotor (Honerva's own son).

Her quest brings her all the way to Oriande, where she unlocks the power of the White Lion. She does this through her own decisions and strength. Lotor doesn't even pass the test himself.

Unlike the other characters in Allura's orbit, Lotor isn't a character she is doing things FOR. Lotor doing things WITH Allura, through support. He allows her to call the shots and respects all of her decisions.

This becomes important later.

Honerva also unlocks the power of the white lion.

She is Allura's monster self, in that Allura risks becoming like Honerva if she goes down a path of "evil."

They're equal in magical might, until they're not.

After the reveal of Lotor's Altean moon colony that gets absolutely no resolution or explanation, Allura doubts every decision she's made about her magic.

Lance supports her by invalidating all her decisions cause she "didn't know any better."

Then she blasts Lotor to death.

Thus kicking off two entire seasons of Allura's magic being taken for every man to use, doubted by Lance, and invalidated by even Alfor.

Every single man in Allura's life doubts her and her skill until the end of the show. Except for Lotor's ghost. But even then he's framed as a manipulative villain.

Even though the show ALSO shows that he was a misunderstood victim of abuse who wanted peace? It's a mess.

In the end, she gives up whatever magic she has left to Save The Universe For Plot and in connection, gives up her life. Because apparently her having magic was bad, but also good for the universe, and she and Honerva were both bad or good? It's never explained. Allura just dies.

We're now at the last point, her Altean royalty.

X Her captaining the Castleship
X Her magic
- Her Altean royalty

Even though Allura literally dies from losing her magic, her losing her royal status is really what puts her in the refrigerator.

Allura being the Princess of Altea is central to her character as it shows where her sense of purpose comes from. She has to protect her people, whether it's in their memory or in keeping their magic alive.

Her name is literally Princess Allura.

Asides from becoming a paladin and losing her castle, her royal status begins to disintegrate as early as season 3 where they meet the "Alternate Alteans" where her alter-ego mind chips her subjects to control them.

They want the trans reality comet, but Allura doesn't give it.

This plot point makes even less sense when you take into account that not only are these Alteans "wrong" for being back and white, but so was Lotor for being "gray."

Allura can't seem to catch a break any time and she becomes more and more isolated from her culture and people.

She doesn't even get to be a Princess in the Voltron show! They make her be Keith! Lance and Shiro also step on her during the ice show, which bothers me personally.

You don't step on a princess!!!

In season five, Lotor joins their side. He is a Prince, a man worthy of her royal statue because - again - Allura is an Altean Princess. Lotor is also half-Altean. He literally a half-Altean prince.

She watches him light the Kral Zera, he becomes Emperor.

He is so royal that he has royal banners to display when she and the paladins visit his base because Allura is royalty.

It took five seasons, but there was a character who acknowledged that Allura had a duty to her people due to her status. A burden Lotor sympathized with.

A royal partner who understood how heavy it was to wear the crown, who cared about her well-being but trusted her decisions and she was excited to work alongside.

A royal partner who she chooses for herself.

Then, of course, she's wrong. Again.

And bad at her job because apparently there ARE Alteans somewhere she didn't know about - but were also being protected by Lotor from Zarkon? Again, the plot gets lost and because Allura's arc is so connected to the plot she suffers the most.

This ultimately leads Allura to lose her royal status amongst her Alteans, and nothing is more evident of that than....

The reason why this does such a disservice to Allura is that this relationship isn't possible without Allura losing all of her "power."

She no longer has her castleship.
She no longer has her magic.
She no longer has her title.

Allura needed to be broken down TO LANCE'S LEVEL.

A character who she shows no interest in, and is kind of a jerk to her? It's possessive and gross.

He also never seems to have a moment of clarity of treating Allura like anything other a prize for himself. He doesn't see her as a person. This doesn't really change all series?

Lance's arc is about his confidence and being less selfish. He has these big moments with another character - even in the final season when he's dating Allura. Huh! Weird!

Lance doesn't do anything to support Allura's story.

In season seven Allura gives up her crown to save Shiro, the last symbol of being a princess. In that same episode, they show her suddenly becoming interested in Lance.

There's no part of Allura's story that would bring her here, but it's for Lance's benefit. She's an accessory.

Lance never stops talking about Allura like she belongs to him. Even when asking her out to dinner, Allura says no at first and is pressured into saying yes.

Even when Lance, again, doesn't take no for an answer, he pushes on with Romelle.

Not to mention there's an entire season where Coran also acts as if he owns her...even though, she's his Princess and she outranks him.

It's completely infantilizing.

Allura's loneliness also somehow ends up being about Lance's own self-worth. Her feelings of guilt and loneliness are completely disregarded for what is Lance's romantic interests. Not to mention, she doesn't seem super jazzed about being with him. It's like she's been coerced.

Their entire relationship goes on like that, with Lance doubting all Allura's decisions and never really understanding her feelings.

One is that she's lost her people to Honerva.

She literally tells Lance that he doesn't understand what it's like to be rejected by his own people (something Lotor understood when he was Emperor of the Galra).

He can't even offer her anything other than, "I wish I could make it better." Somehow he still makes it about HIM!

In the end, Allura dies to save her people even though they reject her. Even in her last moments, she can't even have a second of respect and gives the last remaining parts of her royal heritage to Lance in those Altean marks.

Why does he get HER symbol? HER status? HER MARKS?

Lance has done nothing to earn those. He isn't royalty, he isn't Altean, he isn't Allura. Why does he get to walk around with those? What has he done to deserve her Marks Of The Chosen?

Nothing but be a male main character.

Of course, this wouldn't be a true fridging without the Man Pain.

Not only does Allura not get to see her home planet, but her death is also SO sad that Lance is forever ~ changed ~ by it. He grows junniberries on his farm to, idk, remember how little he had in common with her?

In the end, not only is Allura killed to push the story of every single male character, but she's killed off after seasons and season of being depowered.

The face she makes when she dies is not the same, certain, grin she has in season one. It's lonely. It's empty.

It's sad.

Allura was fridged long before Joaquim dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery wrote her walking into the light.

She was fridged from the moment she showed the potential to be a character that was bigger than the boys.

The fact that she was a black princess makes it worse.

I'll end this thread with a quote from Gail Simone, "If you demolish most of the characters girls like, then girls won't read comics. That's it!"

If little black girls watch Voltron only to see Princess Allura die, why would they ever want to be part of animation at all?

If you enjoyed this thread/found it insightful and have a few coins to spare, please consider donating to causes that support black women and girls - especially our black trans sisters who need our help the most.

Do it for Allura, and fuck TERFS!
gofundme.com/f/homeless-bla…

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