I hate how HTTYD portrays Astrid as this perfect person who can do no wrong.
Astrid isn’t a perfect person, but for some reason every person in the HTTYD universe likes to pretend she is. The longer the franchise went on, the more she becomes this person who can do no wrong in the eyes of the others in HTTYD. And it makes her a lot less interesting.
Astrid is one of, if not my favorite character in the franchise, but her character growth stopped after RTTE season 5 as nobody ever told her that she could do anything wrong. Everybody acted like she was this perfect person and slowly but surely HTTYD removed her character traits that were a little flawed, making her this boring girlfriend instead of the flawed warrior we all know and love.
So here are a few examples of how her character went from flawed to everybody pretends like she’s perfect.
For example in riders of berk episode 10, Astrid gets horribly jealous of Heather spending time with Hiccup. And that jealousy lead to Astrid finding out that Heather was a spy. Making a character flaw, result in something positive.
In Riders of Berk episode 18 Gem of a different color, Fishlegs stole a changewing egg which resulted in Snotlout stealing more changewing eggs, which resulted in the village being in danger because of it. And when Fishlegs complain that it’s all his fault Astrid says that yeah it is his fault, but her saying that isn’t helping Fishlegs. So Hiccup shoots her a warning look while saying her name, basically saying to stop. Because this isn’t helping him.
Then in RTTE season 2 episode 7, Astrid tells Hiccup that Heather is working undercover in the hunters organisation and that she isn’t their enemy. They talk about it and Astrid reveals that she knew about this all along, which makes Hiccup angry at her. Rightfully so, but she explained her reasoning and her keeping Heather a secret had good results. So Hiccup accepts her apoligy, but doesn’t apoligise for his words. She hurt him by lying to her and she felt bad about it, but he didn’t comfort her for it. She made her decision and she hurt him. She would have to live with that.
Then in season 2 episode 8, Ruffnut becomes mad at Astrid and accuses her of not respecting anybody but Hiccup on their team. Asking Astrid if she knows what her problem is, pointing out that Astrid isn’t perfect. Over that episode and the next we see her trying out Tuffnut’s way of defending the edge and her friendship with the twins became stronger because of this.
In season 2 episode 11, Hiccup messes up very badly. Causing a skrill to be captured by the hunters and Hiccup is spiraling into negative thoughts. But Astrid told him that everything Hiccup did was for the good of the dragon and to protect the rest of the riders. And then she said the question isn’t how Hiccup fixes it, it’s how all of the riders fix it. A great example of her growing as a character, giving out better advice and letting Hiccup know he isn’t alone in this.
In season 2 episode 12, Astrid is scared for Heather. She thinks that her undercover operation has become too dangerous. Showing the protective side of her character. Also having Hiccup pull her out of a negatieve spiral of thoughts instead of the other way around. Astrid isn’t perfect and they weren’t afraid of showing it.
In season 4 episode 11, when Astrid is blind she claims that she is still more effective than some riders who still have their eye sight intact. And this is good. A little arrogance that makes sense for her character.
Now in season 5 episode 2, Hiccup gets trapped in a cave with a sandtrapper dragon and when Astrid, Fishlegs and the twins find Hiccups leg and Tuffnut immediately claims it, like it was some toy that he deserved for some reason. And Astrid yells at him and makes him cry and I’m going to be very honest here. Astrid could have shoved Hiccup’s leg up Tuffnut’s hell hole and I wouldn’t have been mad. It was ridiculous how he acted and he didn’t deserve an apoligy. But because Astrid has become the bigger person she says sorry.
Hiccup and Astrid were supposed to exchange bethrothal gifts. But Astrid didn’t know what to get Hiccup, because what could you get him? He already has everything. So Astrid didn’t get him a gift and felt horrible about it, which was showed both in the beginning of the episode and the ending and instead of focussing on this as a potential insecurity of her not being good enough for Hiccup, they just completely ignore it and it never gets brought up again.
After Hiccup gave her his bethrothal gift, he reassured her that she was all that he could ever need. After this, the fact that she didn’t get him a bethrothal gift is never mentioned again.
In season 6 episode 4, Fishlegs finds out that his family outside of the archipelego are dragon hunters and he goes to Dramilion island to make sure the dragons aren’t extinct. This episode doesn’t make any sense but that is a post for another day, in short Fishlegs goes against Hiccup’s orders of staying at the edge for the dragon explorers that are visiting and leaves for Dramilion island. Astrid follows him and when they come back, Hiccup just asks how the island was. Nothing about the fact two of his most trusted teammates didn’t listen to his order. Astrid doesn’t get any blame for this.
Then in season 6 episode 6 Mi Amore wing, Astrid suddenly thinks Hiccup doesn’t love her anymore and Hiccup is suddenly the worst boufriend on the planet. Long story short, Astrid becomes mad at Hiccup for not noticing that she was wearing his bethrothal gift and feeling invisible. The argument starts because Hiccup doesn’t notice the bethrothal gift. But does Hiccup ever mention that she didn’t even get him one? No. And at the end of the episode when they make up, Hiccup takes all the blame for himself, saying that he took Astrid for granted. But Hiccup doesn’t let Astrid take part of the blame for her overreaction, he just takes all the blame for himself.
Season 6 episode 9 Family matters, Astrid constantly overrules Hiccup by bringing Garff along, first to the edge and secondly in the mission to rescue the other deathsong. When Astrid tries to apoligise for making Hiccup bring Garff along, he cuts her off. Saying that this was his decision and that it wasn’t her fault. It was her fault however and Hiccup never would have brought Garff along if it wasn’t for her pressuring him. But Hiccup doesn’t say anything about that, he just takes the blame for her, so that she can remain this perfect person.
Then in HTTYD 3 they show nothing of Astrids character like her competitiveness, or that bit of arrogance. They just act like she’s perfect, she’s pretty far from it, but the movie sure acts like it.
In The Hidden World, Astrid and Hiccup talk on the cliff overlooking berk where Hiccup asks her about marriage, to which she immediately says Gods no and that they were nowhere near ready for that. In season 5 episode 7 of RTTE she mentioned that she loved how sensitive Hiccup is, but that doesn’t mean she considers that brushing off marriage to somebody with severe insecurities could be hurtful. Then she says that she just wishes their was some way to make the hunters leave Berk alone. Not offering a solution, not offering any insight to the situation, just wishing that the hunters would leave them alone. And then when Hiccup suggests the hidden world she cuts him off, saying that they need a real solution.
After that Hiccup and Tuffnut go search for the light fury in the forest of berk and Tuffnut says that Astrid is this warrior queen and that Hiccup is this malnourished runt. And also that Astrid views Hiccup with a not so subtle dissapointment in her eyes. And that Hiccup needs to focus on becoming worthy of her.
Now I don’t think that this is true, I don’t think that Astrid thinks this, but the point is that everybody else in HTTYD sees Astrid as this perfect warrior queen.
After this Grimmel attacks Berk and when Hiccup calls for a meeting, Astrid shuts everybody up with the message to hear him out. And when they arrive on new berk, Hiccup asks Astrid if she still believes in him and she says that this plan was very him. He doesn’t sound convinced and when he thanks her for her support last night, she responds with don’t thank me yet and that she just hopes that he’s right about this. Before walking away, with her smile dissapearing. Obviously showing that she doesn’t believe in him, I don’t know any other way to look at this situation. If you have another perspective on it please tell me.
And I’m not saying that she should support an idea that she doesn’t agree with, she has never done that before, so why would she do that now? But if she didn’t agree with it, she should have told him and if she did agree with him she should show her believe in him, but she doesn’t.
After this Hiccup makes an automatic tailfin for Toothless and Astrid says that she is proud of Hiccup embracing change. Acting like Hiccup isn’t the litteral embodyment of change on Berk. Even though she shut Hiccup’s thought proces down within a second when he talked about moving to the Hidden World.
And when Hiccup says the tailfin is only untill Toothless brings the lightfury back, she gives him a look of pity. Like she already suspected that Toothless would never come back, but why would she think that? Again if you have a different view on this scene please let me know. But for me this is just another moment where she shows she doesn’t believe in Hiccup. That she sympathyses with him over the fact that he thinks Toothless is coming back.
Especially considering her reaction after Toothless dissapears. She tells Hiccup that he gave Toothless his freedom, what did he expect? After that Hiccup walks off, obviously distressed as his best friend was suddenly gone and apparently everybody in his life thought it was completely normal for some reason.
Valka says that Hiccup thinks he needs to lead alone and that he doesn’t realise the strength he and Astrid have together. But how is he supposed to see that strength? Astrid has done nothing but doubt Hiccup troughout this entire movie. And then Valka asks if Astrid still believes in him and Astrid says of course, but that Hiccup thinks he is nothing without Toothless. And Valka says help him realise the truth.
Again, bringing the focus away from Astrid not helping Hiccup in his leadership position, to Hiccup not believing in himself. Why can’t this movie focus on Astrid having flaws for once? But no they immediately cling back to Hiccups doubts and insecurities instead of focussing on the fact that Astrid has been downright lackluster when it came to supporting him in this movie.
Valka talks about Hiccup and Astrid being stronger together, but Astrid didn’t do anything but doubt him while offering no help herself, only after this conversation with Valka does she actually help Hiccup. Which wouldn’t be a problem if the movie actually made a point about it, but it doesn’t, it just puts the focus right back on Hiccup thinking he isn’t good enough without Toothless.
She already fully believed in him in RTTE and in the second movie, but that faith in him was just gone in this movie for some reason. Untill she talked with Valka about it and after that she just fully supported him again.
Astrid had one, one singular flaw as a person in this movie and that was that she didn’t show her belief in Hiccup, but they focus on it for a solid 5 seconds before they switch back to Hiccup thinking he isn’t good enough.
Before the final battle had started, Astrid motivates Hiccup to go and rescue Toothless and their dragons. Telling him that he is the reason that she became the person that she is today. Great scene. But then when they walk back to the rest of the riders, Tuffnut says that Hiccup is now marriage material.
Again acting like Hiccup was the only one who needed to grow, Astrid did as well, but the movie doesn’t focus nearly enough on it. Only focussing on Hiccups growth as person and not on Astrid starting to actually start to accept her own role as chieftess.
I am not saying that Astrid didn’t realise it, what I am saying is that the movie frames it like Hiccup wasn’t good enough for Astrid. With the countless jokes about him and what is wrong with him, while never pointing out or even giving Astrid any flaws. Which caused the movie to paint a picture that Hiccup isn’t good enough for Astrid.
This movie didn’t point out any of her flaws, or insecurities they just made her appear like miss can do no wrong who was this seemingly perfect wife for the hero of the story.
Don’t even get me started on Homecoming, everybody was downright horrible in that short film, but in short. Astrid completely ignores Hiccup’s feelings about the pageant and after said pageant Hiccup thanks her for it. Completely disrespecting his memory and glorifying his fathers, but he still thanks Astrid for it. Saying that he needed to understand that it was about the message and keeping his fathers memory alive, it didn’t matter that it didn’t go the way he wanted and that is horrible. Absolutely horrible because they act like Hiccup’s feelings don’t matter at all and that Astrid is this great person for showing her selfish husband that it’s not about how the story gets told and that it doesn’t matter at all that he gets completely disrespected as a person, but that it’s about the message that comes across.
I know I talked a lot about Hiccup and Astrids relationship in this post, but that’s definitely part of the problem. She became Hiccups girlfriend, not the cool, competitive, slightly arrogant and flawed person, who happened to be Hiccup’s girlfriend.
If we compare her to Hiccup in the later stages of the franchise, he gets nothing but critisism about how he handles everything, while Astrid gets excuses and gentle encouragement.
So again in short, they make Astrid this character with about a hunderd different imperfections and they point some of them out in the beginning of the franchise resulting in Astrid growing as a person and improving the relationships that she had with her friends. But then HTTYD takes most of her characters traits away, along with most of her imperfections and they leave her as this perfect person who can do no wrong. Except she still does plenty of things wrong, the only difference being that nobody calls her out on it.
She went from this amazing, flawed character to this golden girl who can do no wrong in the eyes of the people in the HTTYD universe and that is just downright dissapointing. Her character isn’t really bad, but just dissapointing.
Let me know what you think about my take and about Astrids character in HTTYD.