Read on Twitter
A Personal Analysis on the Character of Thomas Wagner:
A VERY INSIGHTFUL THREAD:
A VERY INSIGHTFUL THREAD:
Thomas Wagner is one of the most pivotal and underrated characters in Attach on Titan. His surname ‘Wagner’ – derived from the Germanic name ‘Waganari’, meaning “wagonmaker” or “wagon driver” clearly alludes to how much he drives the wagon (plot) of the story forward.
We first meet see Thomas during Rite of Passage scene, he is seen standing defiantly in the face of Keith’s intimidation. This immediately gives us the impression that Thomas is a brave and determined individual. Later that day, Thomas questions Eren on +
his circumstances relating to the attack on Shiganshina and seemed very intrigued by the Colossus Titan. This reveals to us that Thomas is an incredibly curious individual and that he shows great concern for other people around him – regardless of whether or not he knows them.
The next time we see Thomas it is when the cadets are going through the omni-directional mobility gear aptitude test, it is at this moment that we see just how important Thomas was to the overall story of Attack on Titan. When Eren struggles to maintain balance and falls over, +
Keith asks Thomas to switch harnesses with Eren. Eren then tries the aptitude test again and succeeds. At first this may seem like trivial moment, but let’s think about the grander implications of this. Had Thomas not been as obedient and generous as to swap his harness Eren +
would have failed again and been sent home. If this happened who knows when Eren would have discovered his titan powers; his friends would have all been eaten during the Battle of Trost and broken gate would remain unsealed. Thus humanity would have been doomed.
Therefore it is sensible to say that Thomas’ kind and generous nature is the reason why the story could keep moving forward.
Soon afterwards Thomas is placed in charge of a group of cadets during a wilderness training hunt. When the training exercise turns south Thomas uses his+
Soon afterwards Thomas is placed in charge of a group of cadets during a wilderness training hunt. When the training exercise turns south Thomas uses his+
brilliant intellect and calm demeanour to help manage the situation. He comes up with the brilliant idea to return to the training grounds and alert Keith Shadis, before agreeing to Reiner’s plan to speed up the mission to alert Marco’s group of the incoming threat.
This situation clearly highlighted Thomas’ excellent teamwork skills and tactical genius.
After graduation Thomas argues that it is pointless to fight the titans as humanity stands no chance. This bleak outlook on the situation suggests that he has a pessimistic worldview which+
After graduation Thomas argues that it is pointless to fight the titans as humanity stands no chance. This bleak outlook on the situation suggests that he has a pessimistic worldview which+
makes one wonder what sort of experiences Thomas had during his childhood. His disheartening words however only provide fuel to the fire inside Eren’s heart which leads to him to make an inspirational speech that motivates everyone.
. Again we can see the monumental impact on Eren that Thomas had here.
The next, and unfortunately the last time we see Thomas is during the attack on Trost. He is assigned to the middle guard in Eren’s squad. Thomas goes on to suggest that they have a competition to see who can
The next, and unfortunately the last time we see Thomas is during the attack on Trost. He is assigned to the middle guard in Eren’s squad. Thomas goes on to suggest that they have a competition to see who can
kill the most titan’s. The prospect of treating a life or death situation like a game would seem vacuous to most, but Thomas isn’t like the others. Thomas is special. Thomas is intelligent, daring, brave, kind, skilled and powerful.
The squad advance on the incoming titans but tragically; due to an immense stroke of bad luck, Thomas is snatched out of the air by an abnormal titan. This leaves Eren and the rest of his squad in utter shock as they witness their friend get swallowed alive. Eren then proceeded
to chase the titan in a blind rage; his stupidity utterly fucking over him and his squad in the process. From this event we can see that the main reason Eren discovered he had titan powers was indirectly because of Thomas. Had Thomas not been generous enough to accept his death +
when he did, Eren would have either gotten through that battle with just a few scratches, or he would have been fucking chomped in half somewhere down the line.
To conclude, Thomas is a brilliant and underrated character. His admirable personal qualities and irresistible aura allowed the main characters of Attack on Titan to serve their purpose in life.
Were it not for his courageous heroics, our main cast of characters certainly wouldn’t be who they are today. In fact, Thomas had such an impact on Eren, that he remembered him during the Uprsing arc whilst lamenting on the indirect consequences of Grisha Yeager’s actions.
End of thread
Hope you now understand the complexity of Thomas Wagner :)
Hope you now understand the complexity of Thomas Wagner :)
