Is Ugin Trustworthy?
Lore forum
Posted on Feb. 9, 2019, 1:35 a.m. by DemonDragonJ
Ugin may initially seem to be a heroic character, because he opposes Nicol Bolas and has assisted the heroes, but a closer inspection of his actions reveals that he does have some less savory aspects to his character, such as wishing to imprison the eldrazi, rather than destroying them, or conspiring with Azor to create the Immortal Sun, which can imprison planeswalkers.
Ugin is ostensibly an ally against Bolas, but I cannot help but wonder if he has his own hidden agenda, that he wishes to eliminate a potential rival for dominance of the multiverse. He is very reminiscent of Kisuke Urahara from Bleach, who, for much of the series, was a shady character whose true motives were unknown (ultimately, Urahara was a good person, but most readers would not have been surprised if he had been revealed to be evil).
What does everyone else say about this? Is Ugin a trustworthy character?
The reason he wanted to imprison the Eldrazi, rather than destroy them, was because he understood they were (and possibly always have been) apart of the multiverse, so wiping them out could have had unpredictable consequences.
February 9, 2019 6:49 a.m.
ZendikariWol says... #4
Ugin, to me, is a very white character. How so? Well,
White's goal is to establish order, and by its nature, a white character thinks that he is the one best equipped to do so.
A white character doesn't much heed what other people think they want, because a white character believes he knows what's best for them and will do what it takes - usually within reason, lest we venture into white/black territory - to ensure they succeed in their mission.
TL;DR, I think that Ugin thinks he knows what is best for everyone, and will pursue what he thinks is best for the most people when in reality he may or may not actually know or care what's really best.
February 9, 2019 10:05 a.m.
I think he is inherently evil as what’s slightly less worse then someone who is power hungry? Someone who who feels the ends justify the means. He strikes me as cold and authoritarian taking his strategies strait from the pages of The Prince. He watched several planes burn just to establish his end game. So contrary to what ZendikariWol this would cast him as blue. As for the matter of his trust worth, I feel he has been misleading and manipulative. He sent a Punk Rocker, a book worm, a cop and someone who just wanted to be left alone on a suicide mission. Now this may have a less sinister motive but from what we know now it’s not a good look.
February 9, 2019 10:29 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #6
Actually, M_Malcom, I think this cements Ugin's identity as , though there's certainly some blue there, too. He wants what's best for everyone, yes, he just thinks what's best for everyone is to bow. How does this interact with the two colors?
Well, to say that this action is blue would make some sense but is still a little fishy (as blue tends to be). Jokes aside, it seems like someone who's blue would try to make it so that the people govern one another, setting up for the future after he dies. Dragons are immortal, yes, but not invincible, and Ugin has many powerful enemies. He would need things to run when he was gone or dead. This lack of foresight is uncharacteristic of blue. However, this choice coincides perfectly with 's thirst for power. Black/White desires power, as a means and an end. It appreciates power for power's sake, but desires also to use it for the good of others.
February 9, 2019 11:32 p.m.
If you can actually get Ugin to explain himself, you can trust he'll tell you the truth. But, he often would rather not say anything, or speak very vaguely, and you may not like his honest perspective. His intentions are good by the standards of a "superior morality". Meaning, as has been said, he is technically right, but ignores the laws and ethics of beings he sees as beneath him. He's not selfish, per se, but... ignorant in the same way that he is intelligent.
dbpunk says... #2
I think the issue isn't that Ugin's not trustworthy, more that he places his personal ethics over the good of others or their own ethics.
The idea is that you can trust that he'll try to do the right thing, but he's so blinded by his own thinking that he knows he doing the right thing that he'll ruin the lives of everyone around him.
February 9, 2019 3:13 a.m.