Catra's Character

Catra's character. Wow, where do I even start. From the beginning, first of all.
Catra grew up in the Horde. The Horde is a place where she was clearly deceived and manipulated in countless significant ways.
She was aware of this, as she said, "Manipulation and messing with our heads has been what they do since we were little. You JUST realize that?" This gives a sense that she knew what they were doing... yet somehow it affected her anyway. I mean, how could it not? Ab*se from an adult to a young child is so powerful, she didn't stand a chance. And even afterwards, it left a scar on her, a load of self-ab*se. But that still doesn't change the fact that Catra is one person--I don't think it's possible to like only one half of her or something. So we can break it down instead into parts instead, parts of the same character.
Catra knew what they were doing, she had a detailed understanding of what it was. But why didn't she try to escape the Horde? How come she just went with everything they said, even after she found what they were really doing? She always said that she hated the Horde especially for Shadow Weaver telling her she's weak and all.
Could she have escaped? If the answer is no, why didn't she at least try? Of course, that should have been easy for so-called confident Catra, right?
She was afraid. She didn't want to seem scared. Besides, The Horde is terrible, but it could be better than an unknown. Catra wasn't willing to take the risk. Catra didn't leave the Horde, didn't change as a charcter (at least not until Season 5, and I barely understand what happened since that was so rushed).
Was it simply because she was afraid of change? And now she expects Adora to just come back, despite the fact that it's wrong. Also because of jealousy. She looks at the ground and falters for a minute, before reconsidering. "You've known these people for what, an hour? And now you're going to throw everything away for THEM?" Of course Adora changed her plan. But one thing she didn't change was the most important part: Catra. Catra was still going to be an amazing part of it! Why weren't she have been more aware of that instead?
She kept lying to herself, trying to convince herself that going against the Horde was running away from fear and she didn't want to seem weak, seem afraid. The more she lied to herself, the less she really knew, until she didn't know anything anymore.
The worst part wasn't her excuses, it was the fact that she blamed Adora. Adora had been damaged by the Horde's treatment too. But far less significantly than Catra was. Everyone always loved her. This part is true. Why? In the Horde, it was because she was a strong fighter and impressive. But in the real world, it was because Adora was kind, and true, and loyal, and caring. Catra, thanks to the Horde, never came to understand that.
This lead to why she wanted to prove herself. She was willing to do whatever it takes to prove herself. Even if that meant to use, and hurt deeply, everyone close to her, even Adora. "but, ruling the world? is that what you really want?" If you look closely, Adora NEVER actually wanted what Catra wanted, they weren't talking about the same thing, because she didn't know what Catra really meant when she said it.
Adora promised to take care of Catra, not to dominate the world with her. If Catra had paid more attention to who Adora really was, maybe she'd have known that. She hadn't seen enough of the world to know.
Another big factor was the pressure from Shadow Weaver. "I'm never going to apologize to anyone!" and yet "Sorry, Shadow Weaver." Shadow Weaver was the one person who was different. No matter how much she tried to run, Shadow Weaver always scared her and this haunted her even as she got older. She made it her mission to prove to Shadow Weaver that she was worth it, that she could be powerful. But when she was more powerful then Shadow Weaver... things changed. What she didn't realize was that, even then, Shadow Weaver's entire mindset changed. Shadow Weaver, like Catra, is prone to change. She didn't handle it the way Catra thought she would, the way the Shadow Weaver she grew up with would have handled it. This Shadow Weaver was old and weary and didn't want to fight a war anymore, she just wanted to live. Her old self didn't revive until she actually went back to Bright Moon. So during that time she was in jail... who really was she? This made Catra really confused. Seeing Shadow Weaver in chains was one of the key reasons she wanted to BE Shadow Weaver. Even if Hordak didn't trust her with secrets, it was still worth it just to see Shadow Weaver in chains. So when Shadow Weaver left... it made her confused more. "Because, if I don't bring you back, Shadow Weaver's going to have my head!" Is what Shadow Weaver thinks of her, that important? Is she willing to do it, even if it meant fighting the one person who genuinely cared about her in the Horde regardless of power? Yes, apparently.
Even if that meant to kill many innocent people. In the Horde, this earns lots of attention and respect. She's finally getting it, now that Adora is not there to sop her from wanting it. Adora always tried, but in the end it was sheer jealousy that Catra was driven by. This jealousy was strong enough to make her fierce, and ruthless, and powerful. In the near-end, even after she had almost everything she thought she had wanted, she still wasn't happy.
And Double Trouble explained why. Double Trouble left her, hurt her, before she had a chance to hurt Double Trouble. Everyone left her, what could they do, for she was so vigilant and distrustful?
Scorpia's actions were very similar to Adora's. If you watch "Roll With It", you can see that, when Adora is serious, Scorpia is serious. When Adora does the "worst thing that could happen" thing, Scorpia goes "doom doom doom." I think they did that on purpose, to point out that she as a character is supposed to be like Adora 2.0. And she, like Adora, had to eventually leave.
Catra thought that by doing hurting others for power, she could get what she wanted. In "White Out", she says "This is the greatest thing that's ever happened!" at the sight of Adora hurting her own friends. "It won't be over until Bright Moon is destroyed and the rebellion falls. It won't be OVER until darkness covers Etheria forever. And it won't be over until I see the looks on your friends' faces when they find out you failed. That you were too WEAK to save them!"-The Battle of Bright Moon (episode). This shows that she didn't just want to hurt her as a war enemy, she wanted to PERSONALLY hurt Adora.
But now, she has no Scorpia, no Entrapta, and no Double Trouble. Double Trouble knew that Catra, mentally unstable with no friends, would be weak and eventually fail. That's why she betrayed her. Entrapta was always nice to her no matter what she did. Entrapta tried to save everyone and told her the portal was not ready. After all they've been through together, Catra sent her to Beast Island, where a normal person would likely have perished.
Scorpia was only ever taught to be loyal. She reminds me of Peril from the Wings of Fire series. She would serve Catra no matter what she was doing. But even Scorpia, who had also a whacked-up judgement (and not her fault at all, plus she's improving, thanks to Perfuma), left her with those few words. Scorpia is a very chatty character.
But she was so struck she only said the few words, "you're a bad friend". Catra just yelled at her some more, every time she did help. She thought she liked Scorpia and Entrapta because they were useful to her. But really, it was because they were her friends. So now, she has no friends, but lots of power. This was everything she wanted! So why is Catra weak now? It was never what she really wanted. What she really needed was love.
Adora was never happy because of her strength. Catra thought that she deserved better than Adora, if not, at least as much. But what Adora did to earn all that wasn't her strength, or how smart she was. It was about her as a person. Catra was jealous of Adora's love.
Now, the final question would be, what does Catra even deserve, after all she's done? Of course she can change. Of course she can help. But it won't ever be enough to compensate for her actions.
Catra's actions. Catra's arrogant actions. Catra could have chosen to change a long, long time ago. The more she ran way from the change, the truth, the further away she would be if she turned back. Why is she so afraid of the truth, if it's the only safe ground she will ever stand upon? Why didn't she want to change?
From the very first episode of She-Ra, when Adora got promoted to Force Captain, Catra saw her badge. She said it was AWESOME. Then, the look on her face change. That moment was when she realized it was Adora who got promoted, not her, meaning Adora was more valued than her, as always. But it changed back to happy again when she believed they were going to conquer the world. Together. That was her dream. To put her and Adora above everyone else, even if it meant doing awful things to others.
A selfish dream. When she heard that she couldn't even come, she got upset. Not because she was left out, but because, to her, that decision meant she wasn't good enough. She wasn't even happy for Adora after she heard that. I think it meant... part of the reason she was so happy in the first place was because SHE could conquer the world. Adora must have been a small part of it, for her to think that.
If you recall, from the very first episode of She-Ra, there's that famous scene where Catra shows up late to training and makes the others do the hard parts. After Adora falls down a pit dangling over the edge, Catra says, "Awww. You know nothing's too low for me." That's true. That time, she reached out and helped Adora up.
But, there was also a scene in Princess Prom where Catra almost fell off the cliff, and Adora caught her. But Catra was ready to fall. Catra was ready to let go of Adora. I know it's just a scene. But what if it had symbolism?
I'm saying this because... if you recall, Adora also fell off a cliff once. But she hung onto the precipice that was connected to Catra. And it was Catra who cut Adora off. In the same episode, Adora also slipped once. And it was Catra who pulled her up. That was before she saw Adora make the promise, before seeing all those memories.
"Insolent child. I've come to expect such disgraceful behavior from you. But I will not allow you to drag Adora down as well." Shadow Weaver blamed Catra for EVERYTHING, and Catra must have thought that she would get more respect if she was like Adora. Her perception of Adora, at least. The best fighter of the Horde.
Did Adora try to help? Yes she did. But how could Catra expect Adora, a little child, to save her from an abusive parental figure? How could she blame Adora?
"[pleading] Shadow Weaver, it wasn't her fault, it was my idea, too!"
Shadow Weaver didn't care. She just wanted an excuse to be hateful. Next she says, "[hatefully, still talking to Catra] You have never been anything more than a nuisance to me! I've kept you around this long because Adora was fond of you, but if you ever do anything to jeopardize her future, I will dispose of you myself. [slowly, enunciating] Do you understand?"
That, right there, is a direct DEATH THREAT from the person who raised Catra.
"[placidly, attempting to soothe] Adora, you must do a better job of keeping her under control. [Shadow Weaver finally lets Young Catra out of the paralyzing magic and Young Catra grunts as she falls to the ground] Do not let something like this happen again. [she pats Young Adora's head as Young Catra looks on]"
It must have absolutely destroyed Catra, to see Adora so loved, getting more than she deserved, and to see herself with a DEATH THREAT instead, being told that the sole reason for her existence was Adora, and other than to be a friend to Adora, she was nothing.
As a little kid, she had no idea what to do. Shadow Weaver's remark and the horrible nature that came with it, really destroyed Catra's view of the world. When she could finally open her eyes again, she blamed the first person she saw, the one who was always right beside her. She was unfair and blamed Adora.
Why did Catra not let Adora's memories get erased? Also, because she wanted Adora to have those memories. Those memories gave Adora a better understanding of who Catra was. Then, she did care. But after remembering how she was paralyzed by fear from Shadow Weaver? After that, she likely would have WANTED Adora's memories erased, WANTED herself not to be seen as weak and the good memories wouldn't matter.
To be honest, what Catra did was never about the war. It was always about Adora. In fact, if you recall, even before Adora left her, Catra did some things that I would definitely headcanon as ab*sive. Even without the war, I think Catradora was ab*sive, which is why it would still be toxic after the war. The war definitely caused a lot of ab*se, but I think it was only adding to all of the things that Catra had already done to Adora. If it was toxic before the war, my argument is that it would be even more toxic after the war ends. Catra and Adora's relationship, with or without the story's plot, is toxic.
We know that Catra's actions were on account of her being mentally ill. Why would we want to ship someone who was mentally ill with the victim of their actions?
Adora DID help Catra. But Catra didn't help Adora in a way that compensated for all the hurt she caused; and that is why I think it's not two-sided enough.
Catradora. The entire plot pivots and turns against this one ship, encapsulating every articulation, every finest detail, to expand an idea to a story. It's horrible representation for the LGBT+ community. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that it's gay. But... shipping it for the sole reason that it's gay, while it's also toxic? To me, that's... questionable. To me, a bland straight ship would still be better than a toxic gay ship.
I don’t support the ship itself because the way Catra manipulated Adora after her genuine guilt turned into mad fear, eventually leading her to be mentally unbalanced, the way she kept lying to everyone, lying to herself, lying to Adora, who was a part of herself. She damaged by the times when she had no friends to emotionally support her, (not that I blame them for leaving.
Scorpia basically tried to make the Best Friends Squad Horde Version, aka Super Pal Trio, but in the end she couldn't, and only because of Catra)... I just don’t think it’s healthy for Catra, who was once in a traumatic state like that, to be shipped with Adora like that even after she hurt her. Hurtful actions.
Catra's guilt-tripping actions. Catra blamed Adora for so much, like even the portal. But Catra CHOSE to do those bad things, and they both knew. All of those bad things were by choice, even if they were influenced by someone else. Catra CHOSE to use others and then abuse them just because she's never happy no matter what they do.
Catra CHOSE to try to commit genocide within Etheria. Does the "why" really even matter at this point? One person, killing so many innocent people? "And YOU get to be the good guy?" Well, what did you expect? You were handed so many opportunities yet all your actions were by choice.
When Catra opened the portal... the final things she said to Adora was blaming her for something that she was completely responsible for. Catra said, "we are opening that portal. I don't care what it takes." She KNEW what she was doing, and she didn't CARE how wrong it was. Adora... Adora's so fervent and hardworking, all to protect others, to protect those she cares about. Basically her entire life that's what she wanted to do. In the Horde, it's what they made her believe she was doing. In the Rebellion, that's why she joined the Rebellion. So, to hear Catra, the Catra she used to know, say that this whole thing, ending in Angella's sacrifice, everyone getting hurt, say that it was HER fault all of this happened... wow it must have done some damage. Adora was incredibly strong to be able to go against that.
Catra used to flicker back and forth, very subjectable to change. Looking in the very first episode, Catra's mood changed instantly back and forth upon hearing the different details of Adora's promotion to Force Captain. And also, when she saw the memory of Adora making "the promise" in Promise, she handled the same situation differently as I previously mentioned. It's like she's two different people, but really she isn't, and sometimes she's both.
Of course Adora couldn't figure her out. She could hardly figure herself out. She could never explain anything to anyone, because she couldn't even explain it to herself.
When Catra changed and fought with the Rebellion? Don't get me wrong, I hated it too and thought it was an awful part of the plot. But, forget her as a character, let's look at her as a person. For her as a person, it made sense. While Catra began to lose more and more of the self of genuine care and positivity, her emotional status really deteriorated, and this was a key part of her regression. Adora always hung on to her, never relinquished the toxicity, never completely admit to change the way she did.
But... even though it was a rushed part of the plot, for Catra, it did make sense. Someone who could change to the bad side that quickly, could also change to the good side just as quickly. Still, the way they immediately trusted her? Sheer toxicity.
I think that even though her actions might have made sense, those of the others were not. Especially Glimmer. I mean, Catra basically indirectly killed Glimmer's mom, and she was clearly upset. Upset to the point where she blamed Adora for things ("Your best isn't enough. If it was, my mother would still be here"), making Adora so desperate to prove Glimmer wrong. Upset to the point where she unleashed the heart of Etheria magic, despite all the danger that came with it. Yet, she was so able to easily trust Catra, both as a queen and as a person.
She literally encouraged Adora to go back for her. That was a bit much, for me. And Entrapta? Even after she was sent to Beast Island for telling Catra the truth? Even after she thought she could be friends with Catra, but in the end was manipulated to use as a weapon (not by Hordak, not by Scorpia, but SPECIFICALLY Catra who convinced her that her friends left her on purpose), not to mention thrown away when they didn't need her anymore?
Something that hit me really hard was why Adora still went back for her, still cared about her, even after all she had done. Perhaps even while she was doing it. Is it because she believes that Catra is a victim, as she was so close to Catra that she saw her be abused by Shadow Weaver? Or is it because she believes Catra will change and have better beliefs? Is it because she feels guilty for not defending Catra when she had to take all the blame for things that Adora did? Why?
hen she wanted Shadow Weaver to stay, was it for selfish reason that that was caused by her desire to impress and thus earn the respect of her? Or was it to use Shadow Weaver for what she knew about the Horde?
"It's never BEEN a game to me." She has always wanted to earn the respect of Shadow Weaver by becoming a wonder like Adora,, not just "a nuisance". That's why she takes everything way too seriously. But when she finally does what Shadow Weaver would have wanted, the old Shadow Weaver she grow up knowing who wanted only sheer power, Shadow Weaver changes her mind???
Shadow Weaver never hated Catra because she wasn't as powerful as Adora; it was because she was angry about things from her own life which she thought was unfair, which really weren't, and she saw herself in Catra, saw her mistakes, saw where she was wrong and how it's about whether you use your power for right or wrong and not the power itself. She kind of spun all the blame on Catra for that, even though she shouldn't have, and it grew to Catra's childhood of abuse. It might not seem like it, but antagonists are typically more fragile than any other character. Their lack of understanding makes them delicate and therefore weak.
So, Catra gets jealous and assumes that Adora is intentionally not helping her so she can seem better. What she forgot to consider was, Adora was still a little kid! She didn't take things seriously, didn't know that Shadow Weaver's actions were abuse... growing up in the Horde, she was taught all the wrong things and not important things. Adora DID ALWAYS try to support Catra (which Catra eventually thought was just to make herself look good and that she never cared about Catra in the first place), but she was a little kid!
Little kids just have fun, do what adults tell them to, and enjoy their upbringing. Adora did care. She genuinely care about Catra and was always there. She didn't do much because she COULDN'T. She did TRY everything within her power, but she couldn't change Shadow Weaver's views. That's not her fault. Even if she's a miracle in Shadow Weaver's eyes, she was still just a child. A child like Catra. With someone as complex as Shadow Weaver, even if there was a way to do it, I doubt a child like her would have been able to figure it out. Catra shouldn't have blamed Adora.
Even afterwards, Adora never stopped looking out for Catra, until what she did was wrong. Adora TRIED to support Catra, OFFERED to have her join the Rebellion. It was Catra who CHOSE not to, in the end, and guilt-tripped Adora about her own choice. "As much as I wish things could be simple as they were, it's not real." It was Catra who CHOSE to try to deny this.
Why did Catra give back the sword? I feel like... that was her, letting go of Adora. If she hadn't, Adora would have stayed with the Horde, and they wouldn't have been enemies. Wasn't that what she wanted? No. It was more difficult to prove that she was better than Adora, had they been on the same side. And she wanted to prove she was better, she wanted it more than anything, even Adora.
Giving back the sword was showing that she accepted the fact they were enemies. Saying, "all of this happened, because of you". Pinning the blame on Adora. The blame of actions by CHOICE. That must have been too hurtful to bear. Opening the portal? She looked at Adora and smiled. Smiled at the fact that Adora was weak, and desperate, and begging. Just like she always wanted.
"How are we going to fight our own friends?"
"It didn't stop you before."
Like it stopped YOU, either, Catra. You're seriously comparing your decisions, made by choice, with the decisions of incapacitated people?? Besides, actually, for Adora, it did stop her. If you watch carefully at the scenes, you can see that Adora has NEVER attacked specifically Catra. She did it a few times to defend herself, but she’s never gone directly to the face of Catra.
Except when she opened the Portal, that is. That was the first time someone had to sacrifice themself shown in the series. Angella. Another character who only ever wanted what was best for others. And it took something as big as that, for Adora to finally punch Catra in the face, for the very first time. As an enemy. Not playing. As an enemy.
She could have done more damage, could have gone further. But she never did. See, Catra’s smart and can be manipulative. She was one of the main reasons the Horde was so successful in the first place. If they hurt the powerful leader of the Horde, the Horde would surely somewhat fall, at least a bit. Maybe be a distraction, to buy them some time. In war, ruthless, perpetual, war, it makes sense to do that, right...? No, it wasn't. And Adora knew that, which is why she didn't. She never tried to personally hurt Catra, the way Catra hurt her.
“You NEVER gave up... not even on me!”- Catra
Adora could have chosen to give up on Catra and admit to the fact that Catra was evil and could no longer change. But she didn’t.
My main problem isn't that, it's the fact that everything happened without making any sense, except Catra herself, during the "peak" of her redemption arc.
Her redemption arc was seriously rushed. I mean, ab*se and intentionally wanting to personally hurt someone, that is going to take a while to forgive. The fact that it was so rushed, that's probably the main reason I think it's toxic.
Not to mention, she didn't even bother to acknowledge the fact that she basically indirectly killed Angella with the portal, and Glimmer trusts her RIGHT AWAY. Yes, Catra saved Glimmer, but Glimmer might not have even been there, had it not been for Catra's work with the Horde.
They focused on the C*tradora kiss, with C*tra, who had arrived for like two seconds instead of having Glimmer and Bow by Adora's side in the important part. Bow and Glimmer have actually been here the entire time; Bow to support her emotionally, Glimmer ready to kick sparkles. But... C*tra? Really? A guilt-tripping ab*ser who she just learned to let go of?
Season 5 was honestly the worst one for me--not every morally grey or complex character, like C*tra, needs a redemption arc. But they just had to give her one, for the sake of having a central protag-turned-antag, even if it's super toxic. All the villains with actual depth switched sides; they were replace by Horde Prime, a super flat cliche "take over the universe" maniac with no real excuse or explanation for his motive.
At the beginning, maybe she did care, but that doesn't change what she did. Yes, her past explains her actions, but it doesn't compensate for them. Her intent does not change the morality of what she did, because they were out of choice.
In my opinion, in the end, her entire "redemption arc" only made her look too much like a victim and not enough on the actual "redemption" part, there were a bunch of things that just felt excessive and didn't make sense, and other important elements were missing from it. I didn't see a redemption arc. I saw an awful lot of guilt-trip while switching sides out of the arbitrary. The time might have made sense because it was at the peak of the plot, but other than that, Catra literally did not even have a motive. It's supposed to be Adora. If it's Adora... why did she wait until now? Adora has always been there. Catra got worse and worse and worse and then literally had one moment of seeping through all that, doing a 180. A very wise person named Hero346 once said, "motive is everything in a character" Catra's supposed change had no reason, no motive. Sure, Catra is susceptible to change, but it was always with a reason. There was nothing particular about this time, Adora was always there, Catra always remembered her time in the Horde . So why at that time? It was completely out of the arbitrary and at the peak of the plot. For the story of would have made sense for Catra to change, but ONLY if she had a valid reason. When she did join the Rebellion, she fled selfishly countless times, they focused on her being a victim to the point where it was almost guilt trip, and even Glimmer forgave her immediately. Yes she was a victim, but that isn't the point of a redemption arc, and her being a victim has already been highlighted a lot. So.. Where is the actual 'redemption' part?
Here's two cents from Sams0nite4:
Mental illness and abuse screws up your perception of the world. When you’re hurting it’s SO EASY to take it out both yourself and other people. Honestly, you can sometimes get so caught up in your own issues that it’s hard to see the pain you’re causing to those around you. Catra has got some trust issues too because Adora was the best, most positive relationship she ever had in her life and then they ended up on different sides. Catra felt abandoned.
I could go into all the mental agony Catra was in and how those caused her to make some very poor decisions, but I’ll spare you. The gist is she has trust issues, trauma, and fear of abandonment. She has been abused. She refuses admit her mistakes and is manipulative. Also she didn’t really have people to look up to. She was acting how everyone around her was and acting and like the person she was expected to be: a seemingly fearless leader.
These things would all cause you to push people away and they’re really hard to overcome. The important thing about healing is that you have to work on your relationships again and show you’re a trustworthy person. Also that you recognize your actions were wrong.
So yes. She did some terrible things but a lot of terrible things were going on for her too. We can’t just excuse her actions, but rather try to understand them and recognize that it’s because she was in pain. That doesn’t mean we have to forgive her, however, but she’s not a bad person. You’re entitled to your own opinions but I don’t see her as such. I wish Catra’s redemption arc was longer or that we could’ve seen her build her relationship with Adora back up from the ground. They could’ve done a lot of good with it but it fell flat.
Yeah it’s different in fiction when someone condones things like, ya know, blowing up a planet, but my point still stands.
I don't think she stayed with the Horde for payback. It could've been because it felt easier, she felt like she was expected to be this leader especially since Adora left and she was sort of next in line. Finally she felt useful in some way and respected, especially since for so much of her life she was overlooked.
》》The Horde part? I definitely agree. Catra has literally only ever thought about herself and, only sometimes, both to make herself look good and being genuine, one other person: Adora.
Abuse is trauma. Leads to lots of other messed up stuff happening in your life. I think Catra is an important character in that sense and an accurate depiction of the impact of trauma.
It might be hard to understand if you haven't gone through something like this, and then again in reality people who are abused don't stay with an evil, oppressive, destructive army. Because this is fiction and it's exaggerated. However, I think her decisions still make sense. In my opinion, her actions don't need justification. I think what they do need is understanding.. I also think that Catra doesn't need a relationship because first she needs to help herself. I used to ship Catradora but at this point I'm kind of over it. I'm happy for the representation and loved the angst but they could've gone about it better.
The parts I put in bold are probably the most important things, getting the idea of the concept of Catra's regression in a succint phrase. In my opinion, Catra was a bad person because she did too many bad things, important things. But, though her actions may not be justified, they certainly are explained. What she did was awful, no matter why, and that was her fault. But, the personality and motives she gathered from a young age, was that her fault? Being ab*sed to isn't a valid reason to ab*se. But, there are plenty of other arguable spots about her. I didn't write this entire blog post to say Catra iS a PoOr LiTtLe CuTe KiTtY cAt WhO dEsErVeS iMmEdiAtE fOrGiVeNeSs (if at all, even), I wrote it to explain my thoughts on why I think Catra did what she did. I wrote this to analyze and explain my interpretation of Catra. I did not write this to gather sympathy for Catra. Understanding Catra, not defending Catra, is what I'm implying. Catra is a good villain, not a good person, I think. I'm never going to understand her enough to be able to like her as a person. But this is about as far as I'd get.
Catra manipulated. Catra was manipulated.
Catra did so many awful things. So many awful things were done to her. She's such a complex character, as a villain. What do you think?