On the fandom parentification of Martin Kratt

Disclaimer: This is just my opinion and I'm talking abt the cartoon character, not the real guy.

I've recently fallen headfirst back into my Wild Kratts phase for the first time since childhood, and this is my first time interacting with the fandom in an online space. And it's just so weird? At least on tumblr, the bros have been cast in a protector/protectee dynamic that's so different than canon and almost mimics a parent/child dynamic. Chris is helpless in most situations and Martin is constantly pushing himself past his limits to protect him.

Which, on one hand, I get. I am the world's #1 wump fan and this includes Wild Kratts. I love torturing my favs and it gives me endless glee. Put those boys in more situations! Give them trauma and scars!

But on the other hand, it's so strange. Martin has become responsible for Chris' emotional and physical wellbeing. A brother, no matter how much older or how emotionally close they are, should not be responsible for those things. He has become a parent. He fusses over Chris when he's sick, doesn't sleep when his in trouble, and will always put Chris first. There's also a popular trope that Martin, either at a parent's request or his own volition, has decided to protect Chris even if it means neglecting himself in the process. The eternal older sibling curse. Parentification.

Now, I love this trope when it's done right. It can be a good point of angst and add nuance to the bro's dynamic or other family dynamics. The fic This is About Trust does a really good job of this. I'm not saying it's wrong. But Chris is also a grown man who can make his own choices and doesn't need his hand held every time the wind blows. I've literally seen fanart of adult Martin kissing adult Chris' minor injury better like he was a toddler. I think it's when Chris becomes incompetent that this trope rubs me the wrong way. He has assumed the role of the "child" in this dynamic, so the fandom treats him like a child. Idk, I just don't like that.

Especially when in canon, the bros exhibit brotherly/sibling behavior. I saw a whole discussion with multiple people contributing of how Martin roughhousing with Chris in the cartoon was "abuse" and "the reason Chris has anxiety." People were legitimately writing multi paragraph essays about how Martin shoving Chris was telling of severe psychological problems and how Martin needs to get his act together and why he was toxic for Chris. Some people even went as far as to drag the irl Kratt brothers into it saying, "If this is how Martin treats Chris in real life, we should cancel him." Setting aside that this is a cartoon and it was done for laughs, it's also what brothers do? They wrestle and punch each other and play fight. If this was a frequent thing that went too far then yes that would be a problem, but someone pointed out that this only happens four times over 200 episodes. Martin is a very loving and conscientious brother. But the people writing these essays were treating him like a parent. A parent pushing their kid is a very different thing than a brother. You can make whatever headcanons and fanon dynamics you want but in canon and especially real-life, Martin is not Chris' parent and should not be judged on those morals.

I'm not sure why this characterization of Martin as a parent is so popular. Like I said, I just joined this fandom again. If you know pls tell me bc I'm curious.

That being said, I do feel like the characterization of Martin as a parentified older sibling is really interesting if done right and, if the fandom really wants to cast the bros in that dynamic, I'm going to add my two cents. The meta is over now and I'm going to start talking abt how to make this dynamic a bit more balanced/realistic.

I am an older brother. I have a younger sister who's five years younger than me and we're super close just like the Kratt bros (who are four years apart for reference). She is 100% the Chris to my Martin. But I also act as her parent. I help her with her homework even though I don't live at home anymore, make sure she's eating enough and all that parental fussing, and have done all the hard/emotional lifting that our parents didn't do. I even took the brunt of verbal abuse for years so she wouldn't have to go through it. I understand, relate to, and love fanon Martin's need to protect his younger brother both emotionally and physically. But I also understand that my sister is smart and mature and talk to her like an equal. We collaborate and build off each other's ideas and create things together. She is my best friend, and I treat her like that, not like someone who is fragile or can't handle serious conversations. Idk, mainly the fandom, and by extension fanon Martin, needs to stop treating Chris like a naive child.

Here are some parentified older brother Martin prompts I think it would be really cool for the fandom to explore:

Idk I feel like this dynamic is super interesting and has a lot of potential if people would just not treat adult Chris like a child