Merlin: One Action That Could’ve Changed Everything, According To Reddit
Although it's been ten years since Merlin ended, the fanbase is still as strong as ever (especially on Reddit). Whether it's because the last few years have seen an increase in the number of Arthurian Legends movies and shows (including Cursed and The Green Knight), some have renewed their interest in Merlin to see how their characters and storylines differ in comparison.
However, out of all the comparisons and differences they found, one thing that stuck out to many Redditors is that many movies and programs show that magic is legal and thriving in Camelot. Since it wasn't in Merlin due to the Great Purge, many fans have begun to wonder if he could've changed that if he made a couple of different decisions along the way.
When it comes to Morgana's character arc, many fans have always wondered what could have been if Merlin had told the High Priestess that he had magic in the beginning. For u/Notcodysomeoneelse, they believe that this reveal would have changed everything for the better as his influence "would have made her less likely to work with Morgause."
Many fans would agree with this Reddit user, as one of the major reasons why Morgana had been led down a dark path was because she felt like an outsider. Since Uhtred and Arthur believed magic was the root of all evil, Morgana had felt like she was backed into a corner. If Morgana had discovered Merlin's powers much earlier, she might have helped him in his quest to bring magic back and become a strong ally.
Although Merlin tried to keep everyone's best interests at heart, sometimes he failed to see how his rash decisions could have major consequences. This was certainly something u/icephoenix90 and DekeCobretti felt about him hatching Aithusa. They believed he shouldn't have done it since he "doesn't interact [...and] just releases it to the world with no supervision."
While some fans may excuse Merlin for not interacting with the Aithusa initially because he believed the dragon was training with Kilgharrah, there was no justification in why he didn't interact with it after it had been imprisoned in Sarrum's pit for two years with Morgana. Not only did the creature suffer some major injuries as a result, but Merlin failed to realize Aithusa was missing. If he would have paid more attention and given it more affection, maybe Aithusa would have shown more loyalty to his Dragonlord and not participated in Arthur's downfall.
One of the biggest reasons why Merlin had failed to achieve his destiny was because he was always indecisive on what to do about the "Mordred" part of the prophecy. As u/icephoenix90 believed, Merlin might have prevented Arthur's death if had tried to befriend Mordred since the young knight "admired [him] and was already on his side against Morgana."
When it came to Mordred's arc, a lot of fans now believe that he deserved a lot better since Merlin had spent way too much focus on the prophecies and doing nothing to try and change them. Since Mordred had already proven at the beginning of season 5 that he could be trusted after he betrayed Morgana and kept Merlin's secret, the sorcerer could have easily told him the truth about the prophecy and taken him under his wing as an apprentice. If only Merlin could have seen that it wasn't too late to save him.
After Arthur became king in season 4, the viewers saw him and Merlin grow closer. Although Arthur had several advisors, it was Merlin's insight that he trusted the most, as the sorcerer had shown that he was a loyal and true friend who had his best interests at heart. However, by also having his ear, Merlin could have also tried to improve conditions for magical users too.
That's why it's easy to understand how u/Notcodysomeoneelse got frustrated at Merlin for not "telling Arthur that magic and the old religion [wasn't] evil" because him shunning it during "The Disir" was a "real make or break point." Keeping in mind that Arthur had mainly seen magic being used for evil, it was quite interesting to see him contemplate how he could be wrong in his judgments and reconsider making it legal. Unfortunately, with Merlin agreeing with him, he inadvertently caused the deaths of several innocents who only wanted to practice magic and celebrate their identities.
It might have been because he was in shock, but for u/DinnerWatermelon, they didn't understand why Merlin didn't tell Arthur that "it was [Morgana's] charm that killed Uther, [and] not Dragoon" since the king blamed magic and himself for his father's death.
While it might not have changed the plot in a major way, it could have certainly lessened Arthur's hatred towards all magic users if he knew that Morgana was responsible. He had already seen that his sister was capable of some truly awful things and would have done anything to see Uther dead, so it wouldn't have shocked him at all if he found out she was the culprit. If anything, it would have made him more determined to defeat her.
While there are plenty of great characters on Merlin, one that fans have come to despise is Kilgharrah, as he proved to be quite manipulative and biased. This was also something u/Shot-Community6119 pointed out as they believed Merlin "should have been more critical of Kilgharrah" since the dragon was using him for "his own agenda."
Although Kilgharrah certainly had a right to be angry since Uther had imprisoned him in a cave for 20 years, this Reddit user does have a point about Merlin not questioning him enough. Kilgharrah had proven that he couldn't be relied upon, especially after he attacked Camelot when he promised not to, so who was to say that his advice could be genuine. If Merlin had completely ignored him and just done what he wanted, who knows what could have happened. At least the characters would then have agency over their lives.
Although Merlin tried to keep everyone's best interests in mind, there was one deed he did that fans are still frustrated about to this day (and that was poisoning Morgana). For u/CommandUltra2, they believe everything could have been different if he would have "briefly explained to her that she would need to briefly die [...to save everyone because] Morgana was still good back then."
This is an extremely valid point, as Morgana was still toying the line between good and evil when this incident occurred. She had no idea she was the host to the sleeping spell and she certainly wouldn't have agreed to Morgause's plan if she knew it would put her friends and the lives of many innocents in danger. By not telling her any of this, Merlin did one of the worst things to Morgana by trying to kill her, as it just pushed her further under Morgause's control.
Since Morgana had spent most of season 3 determined to get the throne and kill Uther, it became clear that she was going to be Merlin's next powerful villain. However, there was one episode in season 3 that could've saved everyone from her torment for good. In "The Crystal Cave," Morgana found herself on her death bed after she fell down the stairs and fractured her skull. Fortunately for her, Merlin decided to heal her.
This was something that particularly confused u/chimpmunk78, who believes that Merlin "could have save[d] Arthur's life and hundreds in battle" if he had just left her to die. He knew that she was too far gone at this point as she had already tried to kill Uther before and bring about Camelot's doom. It was likely that she would continue to do so until she succeeded so it would have been better in the long run if she would have died then.