Fandral has been demonized for most of WoW’s history, but let’s think about what he actually did.
Vanilla-Wrath: Keeps Malfurion (impotent, self-loathing pacifist character, determined to leave his people weak and isolated within the forests so he can frolick with faerie dragons in the Dream) asleep through the use of morrowgrain, uses his position as an archdruid of the Cenarion Circle to advance kaldorei interests and ensure his people’s prosperity and security from their enemies
Cataclysm: Upon Malfurion’s unfortunate awakening, Fandral falsely swears loyalty to Ragnaros in order to secure enough power to restore his position in night elven society. He sees and understands that Malfurion’s and Tyrande’s narrow, short-sighted approach will lead the night elves to stagnation and ruin, and the powers bestowed by Ragnaros could be used to reclaim the world for the kaldorei from lesser civilizations.
Is what Fandral did wrong? Everything he did was to improve the position of his people in the world. Planting Teldrassil in an effort to restore their immortality, his rejection by the Aspects and most of the Cenarion Circle, they are clearly deeds of a misunderstood and demonized HERO.
If Fandral had been in power after usurping the power of Ragnaros and killing him, Teldrassil would never have burned. Indeed, the night elves could have become a nation built around the union of fire and nature magic, and been made completely secure from outside forces.
Instead, worship of the unhelpful and impotent Elune kept us from reaching our true potential. We should have taken the flames of the Firelands for ourselves and wielded true power to reclaim the world.
Kalimdor for the Kaldorei! Fandral did nothing wrong!
Are you wrong for trying to save your people by destroying the world? I think not. Fandral owed these lesser civilizations nothing, his love was for his people alone.
yes, everyone that stood against the restoration of the kaldorei people would be burned away, even wayward kaldorei who so loathed their race that they would rather be destroyed by outside forces or stagnation than to defend themselves
you know, as an orc you should be in defense of garrosh the same as any proud elf should defend fandral. would you let your people starve and die to appease some foreign powers? why should the elves do the same?
Look, what Fandral should have done was get the Adventurers on his side. Open up a Druid of the Flame school and teach us how to be on fire and awesome.
Then challenge Malfurion for primacy over the Night Elf people by leading his Druids of the Flame against Deathwing’s minions. Boom, instant popularity and promotion, and snoozy Malfy is tossed back in a cave for another 10,000 year nap, because what the people want is to look awesome.
Just saying… Druid of the Flame Night Elf + Fel-fire Demon Hunter epicness would be a really cool looking combination.
Honestly, I want to see Fandral with his son in Ardenweald. I hope he winds up there. A lot of what he did was out of love for his son and a belief that he was doing things for the greater good. Yes, there were a lot of bad consequences due to his actions and not realizing that sinister forces were using him as a puppet (see Xavius), but overall it seemed to me like his heart was in the right place.