Board Thread:Theories/@comment-34796618-20180223214838/@comment-1037137-20180224035509

Where on earth did you hear he wants a "happy" ending?

It was known early on that he had to reconsider the considerably darker ending he first had in mind when the anime and manga started really taking off. The "Kill Em All" ending still isn't quite off the table completely though.

The circumstances of where the manga currently stands sure doesn't lend itself to an especially great ending, Eren and Armin are not to live beyond their possession of their Titans. Even if they do succeed in stopping the Marley. The cast is constantly dwindling in actual named characters of any significance and never given room to grow beyond the former Top Ten or the minds driving the Corps, i.e. Hanji and Levi. And regardless of what a certain few have insisted to me earlier this week, I'd say more are about ready to lose their plot armor soon.

I did once read an article that implied that Isayama was considering a Guardians of the Galaxy-style ending (The article's words, NOT mine) instead of what he had at the start of his writing. Make of that babble what you will, that movie may have had a mostly uplifting ending but the circumstances don't really offer something that much better than a bittersweet ending at the current stage. With Isayama, never take anything as a guarantee.