The After franchise thrives on chaos. It was built on toxicity disguised as devotion, heartbreak marketed as romance, and a male lead who made audiences scream, swoon, and question their own standards. But no plot twist from the movies has caused as much damage as Hero Fiennes-Tiffin’s own words about Hardin Scott.
During a 2023 Deauville Film Festival Q&A, Fiennes-Tiffin delivered a line that was meant to be cinematic character commentary, but detonated like a bomb in the fandom:
“Some roles are lovers. Some are lessons. Hardin was a relationship villain you’re tricked into rooting for.”
The clip resurfaced again in 2025, and this time, it didn’t spark conversation — it sparked outrage, think pieces, fandom meltdowns, and a thousand emotionally unhinged fan edits.
The Aftermath: How One Sentence Divided Millions
This wasn’t the first time Hero acknowledged the darker nature of Hardin. Over the years, he has repeatedly emphasized that Hardin’s appeal lies in complexity, not morality. But fandom culture evolves. And in 2025, nuance is dead, headlines are king, and fans are armed.
The fandom quickly split into three violent camps:
Team “Hero Betrayed Hardin”
They argue that Hero spent five movies romanticizing a character only to publicly shame him at the finish line. Their claim? He wanted to escape the franchise narrative and leave Hardin behind in the rubble.
Comments from this side include:
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“You can’t sell us a monster as a soulmate and then call him trash.”
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“Hardin made him famous, and this is the thanks?”
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“He pulled a Marvel move without the paycheck.”
Team “Hero Was Right All Along”
These fans feel vindicated. They believe Hero finally exposed the truth that the franchise refused to say out loud. Their rallying cry is simple:
“Hardin was never the hero. Hero was the hero for saying it.”
Team “This Was Method Acting”
This group insists Hero’s comment wasn’t shade — it was character deconstruction delivered with actor self-awareness. They argue he was speaking like a film critic, not a cast member.
But Here’s the Real Twist
The internet didn’t stop at interpretation. It escalated. Suddenly, articles and threads began claiming he said:
“Hardin is toxic and so was working on After.”
He never said that.
But the internet quoted it anyway. Suddenly, Hero became the poster boy for franchise resentment, despite being the most loyal promoter of the saga since day one.
The Bigger Question: Does This Ruin Hardin? Or Reinvent Him?
Fans are now calling for:
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A rewritten narrative that frames Hardin as the villain origin story, not the romantic endgame
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A director’s cut where his redemption arc is earned, not gifted
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A documentary titled “After Hardin: The Man We Should’ve Never Shipped”
Hero may have been calm in delivery, but the impact is clear:
Hardin Scott is now the most debated romantic character of the decade, and Hero Fiennes-Tiffin is the accidental villain of his own press tour.
