On what, exactly, is up with Verloren
So last month's chapter was amazing and actually gave us some very, very highly anticipated backstory as to Verloren and the Ghosts. It came in the form of a sort of flashback that lasted oh, seven pages or so, but wow was that short sequence packed with information and implications.
To start with, what we now know happened: Verloren had (has?) some kind of interest in the daughter of the Chief of Heaven. She dies for reasons/causes yet to be revealed, and the Chief accuses Verloren of killing her. Verloren is either sent or flees to earth, searching for something. Apparently he can't find it, because he curses the Chief over the task and begins slaughtering humans/taking their souls instead. Cue the Ghosts showing up to stop him, declaring that the Chief of Heaven has ordered Verloren's execution. The Ghosts are apparently created from fragments of Verloren, a fact which causes him to flip out on them, and the rest is history.
Now... this really tells us so, so much about Verloren and just who he is and how he thinks. First of all, Verloren is and apparently was originally from the start capable of love. What initiates the whole flashback sequence in the first place is Lab prophesying that even if he were to get his body back, he still wouldn't obtain what he truly desires. This apparently calls to mind an image of the daughter of the Chief of Heaven, suggesting that Verloren had some sort of feelings towards her, and apparently still does.
He's also very, very proud. I mean, this much is obvious, but this chapter really showed us to what extent. When he's down on earth searching for this thing, whatever it is, he's clearly indignant, and his going on a rampage comes across as something analogous to a child's temper tantrum- Verloren wasn't really acting to hurt people so much as breaking what he perceived as the Chief's belongings in order to get back at him. Verloren is angry at being punished, so he tries to get revenge against the one punishing him, like a kid smashing a toy against the wall in a temper tantrum.
And again on Verloren's childishness, he seems to have a very poor concept of himself. We see him arrogantly use the phrase "God's greatest masterpiece" to describe himself (a term Ayanami has used in previous chapters, as well), but this seems to be more a term someone else created and applied to him that Verloren latched on to as being the definition of what he is, rather than something he himself came up with. This is especially seen when he's confronted with the Ghosts: he's angered not by the fact that they've come to carry out their execution, but the fact that the Chief made them from fragments of him and in his image. Verloren is unique, the one and only masterpiece, the existence of such copies threatens that status. And given how Verloren reacts to that threat, it seems like he honestly believes that "God's masterpiece" is the definition of himself and his existence, such that the Ghosts effectively threaten his very being as he has no significant sense of himself or identity outside of that definition.
Then there is simply the effect all of this has on him. As incredibly arrogant though he is, Verloren still is, or at least was, capable of having feelings for others, and really, feelings in general. Though the biggest blow was simply to his pride, obviously everything else affected him as well: the death of the Chief's daughter (whether he was actually responsible or not), being blamed for said that (again, regardless of whether he was responsible), first going to earth with a hopeless task, then having the Chief order his execution and send copies of him to carry out those orders. Verloren dealt with these blows by responding with anger and hate, dealing out pain and suffering in exchange for what he felt was inflicted on him. Which of course resulted in more punishment, thus leading to more anger and resentment, and so on.
So basically, Verloren is an extremely proud and powerful individual with the basic emotional maturity of a petulant child. Our canon's antagonist, ladies and gentlemen.
To start with, what we now know happened: Verloren had (has?) some kind of interest in the daughter of the Chief of Heaven. She dies for reasons/causes yet to be revealed, and the Chief accuses Verloren of killing her. Verloren is either sent or flees to earth, searching for something. Apparently he can't find it, because he curses the Chief over the task and begins slaughtering humans/taking their souls instead. Cue the Ghosts showing up to stop him, declaring that the Chief of Heaven has ordered Verloren's execution. The Ghosts are apparently created from fragments of Verloren, a fact which causes him to flip out on them, and the rest is history.
Now... this really tells us so, so much about Verloren and just who he is and how he thinks. First of all, Verloren is and apparently was originally from the start capable of love. What initiates the whole flashback sequence in the first place is Lab prophesying that even if he were to get his body back, he still wouldn't obtain what he truly desires. This apparently calls to mind an image of the daughter of the Chief of Heaven, suggesting that Verloren had some sort of feelings towards her, and apparently still does.
He's also very, very proud. I mean, this much is obvious, but this chapter really showed us to what extent. When he's down on earth searching for this thing, whatever it is, he's clearly indignant, and his going on a rampage comes across as something analogous to a child's temper tantrum- Verloren wasn't really acting to hurt people so much as breaking what he perceived as the Chief's belongings in order to get back at him. Verloren is angry at being punished, so he tries to get revenge against the one punishing him, like a kid smashing a toy against the wall in a temper tantrum.
And again on Verloren's childishness, he seems to have a very poor concept of himself. We see him arrogantly use the phrase "God's greatest masterpiece" to describe himself (a term Ayanami has used in previous chapters, as well), but this seems to be more a term someone else created and applied to him that Verloren latched on to as being the definition of what he is, rather than something he himself came up with. This is especially seen when he's confronted with the Ghosts: he's angered not by the fact that they've come to carry out their execution, but the fact that the Chief made them from fragments of him and in his image. Verloren is unique, the one and only masterpiece, the existence of such copies threatens that status. And given how Verloren reacts to that threat, it seems like he honestly believes that "God's masterpiece" is the definition of himself and his existence, such that the Ghosts effectively threaten his very being as he has no significant sense of himself or identity outside of that definition.
Then there is simply the effect all of this has on him. As incredibly arrogant though he is, Verloren still is, or at least was, capable of having feelings for others, and really, feelings in general. Though the biggest blow was simply to his pride, obviously everything else affected him as well: the death of the Chief's daughter (whether he was actually responsible or not), being blamed for said that (again, regardless of whether he was responsible), first going to earth with a hopeless task, then having the Chief order his execution and send copies of him to carry out those orders. Verloren dealt with these blows by responding with anger and hate, dealing out pain and suffering in exchange for what he felt was inflicted on him. Which of course resulted in more punishment, thus leading to more anger and resentment, and so on.
So basically, Verloren is an extremely proud and powerful individual with the basic emotional maturity of a petulant child. Our canon's antagonist, ladies and gentlemen.