I really don't care if Valentino has merch, he's a prominent character to Angel's conflict and as a villain in season 2 it makes sense why would they want to promote his presence. But it goes to show how Viv and her team lacks the sense to understand why would anyone feel compelled to "like" someone like Valentino, using the example of the Joker in his many iterations he's always functions as the perfect antithesis to Batman, the stone cold and serious man of law and order, as a trickster that spreads chaos most of times, for his own amusement. He's a bastard, he knows he's a bastard and that's why people love him; he's the bad guy and sometimes being the bad guy can be fun.
Valentino
could function like this, if he was written as the perfect antithesis to the Hotel's idea: someone that has done horrible things to a lot of people, doesn't feel bad for it, keeps doing them, and doesn't
want redemption. Worst of all, he also instills these ideas to the other sinners under his control, specially Angel Dust constantly reminding him of all the crimes he committed in his past life, how he's not better that him, why he thinks he deserves the opportunity of redemption over others and even weaponizing his friendship with Charlie teasing him for failing to meet her expectations, sneaking behind her back, lying to her, etc. This could throw Charlie for a loop, what would she do with those that don't want to be save? What she must do with those same that actively undermine her dream project? A perfect conflic with Val as one of the center pieces fulfilling a porpuse in the narrative. He becomes fun because he's a bastard and he knows it.
But Viv's fujo brain only understands appeal in terms of sex and since she also subcribes to the tumblr's motto of "you are what you consume" if she likes Valentino now he's must be a soft gay bullie that's not that
bad, just a little missguided heavely downplaying his role as a villain. She essencialy ignores one of Moebiu's
tips for aspiring artists:
“When you draw, you must first cleanse yourself of deep feelings, like hate, happiness, ambition, etc.”
She can't separate her own feelings from the story she's trying to tell, most the time indulging on her paraphernalias regarless if it makes sense to the overall world the characters inhabit.
TL;DR: The writting sucks, everythign else will suffer as a consequence of it.
