Let's talk about Caine Wise and his relationship with Jupiter.
Alright guys, Caine Wise is awesome. Why? He’s a badass soldier wearing eyeliner and leather but also so supportive of Jupiter it makes my teeth hurt. The traditional dynamics of dominant male and submissive female are completely inverted in Jupiter Ascending. Caine is shown to be gentle, awkward, unsure of himself and deals with a lot of internalized feelings about his own worthlessness. He helps Jupiter navigate her new world but also acknowledges her decisions and is submissive to her. Right from the start of their relationship, Caine shows care for Jupiter and her feelings. After Jupiter wakes up, he mentions giving her the gun because he thought it “would make you more comfortable.” He gives her a sense of control after her world went haywire. Then he goes a step further and tells her how to use the gun and doesn’t freak out when she actually takes the safety off; he lets her become comfortable and trusts her not to shoot him. How many gruff action dudes ever do that? When Jupiter points out the weirdness of him dressing her, he mentions that she was still in the paper gown and looks vaguely uncomfortable; like he wasn’t even thinking it was weird and was only thinking of getting her in good clothes. He’s also adorably awkward when he tries to explain to Jupiter that her world is not what she thought (“Okay, there was a protocol for this….”) and then shows her all of his cool technological toys. Most male characters would not be written this way, especially former soldier hunter characters. They would be gruff, cool and completely in control of their emotions until it was time for their character building angst fit. Caine fits this character type but subverts this cliche. How? He respects Jupiter as a person.
Throughout the movie, he constantly checks in with Jupiter and acknowledges that her decisions are hers. “Your Majesty’s world will change, if Your Majesty wants it to.” Everyone else she meets (Kalique, the Aegis, Stinger, Titus, etc.) assumes she will automatically ascend to her title and be Space Queen because who wouldn’t (insert greater discussion here on the assumption that her previous low-class existence is worse than her new high-class one because she has money). But Caine understands that she had a whole other life on Earth and knows she might not be comfortable in the role she’s thrust into. He asks her permission to kill Titus and respects her decision when she states she wants to go home (and Titus is arrested, not killed). Even when he tells Balem’s flunky that Jupiter won’t go to Balem (because it’s a trap and they’re hurting Jupiter and he doesn’t want her to go through all this pain) he immediately backs the hell off when Jupiter vehemently tells him “It’s not your decision to make.” There’s no dramatic argument where he states thinks he can protect her best, he respects that decision from her. He is shown to constantly be her support and recognize that her decisions are hers.
Once he realizes she’s a royal, he’s guarded because 1. He might hurt her (because he’s been told he’s genetically predisposed to hurt royals which I think is a falsehood or at least not as cut-and-dry as it seems) and 2. She is so far above him in his society it is insane. He immediately (painfully) places her above him. Note that I don’t think Caine placing Jupiter above him in his world view negates the care and respect he shows her as a person (or makes his submissive nature necessarily false). However, this is a facet of his personality that I feel informs his interactions with her to a degree. The idea that Caine has internalized that he is worth less than those around him is a major aspect of his character and one we hardly ever see in a male character in a movie; that kind of self-doubt is usually reserved for the female character (again with the inversion of standard movie gender roles!). Nothing in his experience has challenged this view that he is a relatively worthless person (he was bought and sold as a baby and created as a specific tool) except for Jupiter herself. And he has no idea how to deal with that so he lies about how he feels to Jupiter because he cannot handle someone telling him they are worthwhile so it must be a lie or they don’t understand how low he truly is (“I’m a splice, you have no idea what that means…I have more in common with a dog than you.”). Jupiter keeps telling him that he’s special to her because of who he is, not just his role in her life. And he gradually comes to believe that as well, going to her rescue because he cares about her as a person (not just her role), respecting her wishes but still providing protection when he can, and finally going on a date with her. I know a lot of people chortle at the last scene of the movie but I think it’s a realistic next step for Caine and Jupiter’s relationship. They’re still getting to know each other as people without all the power dynamics in play (though those will likely always be on Caine’s mind and he and Jupiter will have to navigate those waters; cue all the fanfic about power and respecting boundaries and having a healthy relationship even if one is submissive and the other dominant). It makes sense that they would need to explore their relationship slowly, instead of dramatic declarations of love against a dying star. The movie is not making that point regarding love and relationships. You can be a badass legendary soldier and still love and respect the person you are in a relationship with. You can have self-doubt and emotions and be unsure of yourself and still be loved. You can be a regular flawed human being and still be loved.
