Board Thread:Episode Discussion/@comment-4141313-20181229081856/@comment-4136655-20190104183934

SomeoneYouUsedToKnow wrote: 1) This isn't Avatar.

2) That's the thing. If he can just take other people's Semblances, and not merely prevent them from using them considering that he can give them back said Semblance, then he by all means should be able to use them.

"Took it away" and "get it back" implies the Semblances are really stolen, and if they are stolen they should be able to be used by him if he still has them, assuming they don't have some weird restriction that he's lacking like requiring hands when he has none. It's simply logical.

Because again: Stealing an apple and preventing others from taking said apple are different things.

The only explanation I can find is that the writers screwed up again with the phrasing and the semantics, like when they said the Dragon was frozen (it was petrified, very different) and when Salem said Cinder was weak to SEW because she became the Maiden (which made a lot of people think Maidens in general were weak to Silver Eyes). 1) Firstly, I could say the same for your comparison to My Hero Academia, I mean RWBY came out well before My Hero Academia was even published in Japan anyway. Secondly, much like you I was using Avatar as a comparison. As energybending is able to take away someone's bending permanently, and known to restore bending in a person whose lost, without giving the user something in return.

2) You didn't try addressing this point, which was why is Merc still alive if Marcus should and could have other's Semblances at his disposal. So, again I ask, how is it that Merc alive if Marcus can use his victim's Semblances?