Board Thread:Theories/@comment-34796618-20180223214838/@comment-1327106-20180225181943

Eradicate Us wrote:

He has since largely abandoned this mindset due to the series' popularity and just maturing all-around in general, as well as maybe even getting attached himself, and he now says he wants his story to have a better and more peaceful ending more similar to "Guardians Of The Galaxy".

A pointless bad ending would lack value in the long run anyways, especially once the desired angry reactions largely die down, people stop investing in the franchise in general, potential would-be newcomers refuse to even start getting into it, and it basically gets left behind (especially in favor of other works).

While I think that Isayama is leaning towards a less "kill them all" ending, I dislike the suggestion that it is because he's maturing. Maturing as a writer has nothing to do with it.

Stephen King was 33 and had been publishing for 12 years when he wrote "The Mist" and it's an incredibly enduring story. The fact people can name drop it in casual conversation shows its cultural impact and staying power. If AoT similarly has a downer ending and is still talked about almost forty years later I think it will have done well for itself.

Having a downer ending doesn't necessarily turn people off, other than people who don't like downer endings. People who don't care or like downer endings, on the other hand, would still be perfectly fine reading the series.