Lara and I completely missed an important part of the movie… Sivanna is told that he isn’t worthy and he actually seemed like a really good kid. I think it was the act of telling him that he wasn’t good enough that put him on the path of being a villain. His family had a lot to with that, and maybe that’s really what did it, since so many other people had the same experience with the wizard but didn’t become a villain or become obsessed with finding him again. But in the episode, we didn’t contrast Sivana’s experience with Billy’s. I don’t think Billy was more worthy than any other kid. The wizard was out of time and took a gamble on Billy because he didn’t have any other option. So Billy became a hero because someone told him they believed in him. Someone trusted him.
I was gonna post here just to say that. I don’t think the movie was successful at making that point in the movie to the point where I wonder if it was intentional. But I loved the idea of this wizard choosing someone who abused the privilege of that power and then feeling like he has to put everyone on a pedestal. The truth is that I think that if the seven deadly sins were there to tempt Billy there’s a good chance he would’ve fallen for it to especially how he was in the beginning of the movie. But it ultimately turns into a conversation of what happens when you put your faith in someone that lacks faith in themselves.
Using that same narrative in a foster kid completely gives another dimension to everything. Ive often heard people say they would never adopt kids because “foster kids are problematic” or “Adopted kids will always have issues” or “U never know what things they picked up from their previous households”. And I get those fears, but ultimately they contribute to a culture that doesn’t really encourage adoption or giving homeless kids a chance. I think that was the most impactful thing in this movie personally. The idea that you can have that impact on someone by placing your faith in them and empowering them. Something that Billy later extends to his fam.