Finn is literally the most overt fuck you to toxic masculinity.
Like, here’s a soldier who’s literally known nothing else but his warrior training his whole life, who’s identity has been consumed to the point where he literally has a number instead of a name, seeing what’s expected of him and rejecting it utterly. He’s obviously physically strong and capable, but he finds his humanity in NOT using his strength, and his heroism in finding a reason to use his strength.
He’s afraid for most of the movie, conflicted and hesitant and still able to be brave and strong. In fact, his truest moments of bravery are also the ones where he is the most afraid and uncertain. And his fear is never shamed or set up as a weakness, but rather as a huge part of what makes him both human and heroic.
It’s so important to me to see men allowed to feel a full range of emotions including fear and doubt and sadness and still be seen as strong and valuable.
(I think there is an extra layer to this given that Finn is also a black man, but I’m going to stay in my lane and let PoC tackle that.)
as a POC lemme say that finn is extra wonderful because even when he’s fighting, he never looks scary. there’s always this theme that shows strong black men as intimidating and capable of harm but finn is the opposite of intimidating and from the very start you see that he doesnt want to hurt anyone and his strength is not associated with violence but with the ability to help others and he’s sweet and funny and real and no one would ever be afraid of him and both of the poc male leads are shown as caring and using their strength to protect and you’d never be afraid of either of them and there is no macho bullshit at all and it makes me so happy