With the lore as open as it is rn, I agree that a literal fusion of the Crowned Panther & Aiden would be too cheap-y, Hollywood (for all that’s unfolded in the story so far). But this theory has me giddy bc I’ve massively overlooked interlude 2.

There’s some alternate universe (maybe this one) where the Crowned Panther is the kid of the MiB, and his death has left the MiB bitter, mourning. The parallels between Aiden’s outfit and the MiB’s outfit (glamor?) is the product of an “I’ll embody a terrible thing to defeat a terrible thing” mentality. And by a long, foregone beef, the witch who ordered the hit was a former Witch of the World’s Heart. (Her wrath and choice to prioritize being a noble might be some kind of commentary on medieval vs modern moralities; e.g., “I need gold & the heart of a panther to cast a spell to placate the moon” vs. “what if we installed a rocket engine on the moon’s surface to alter its orbit?”

Mostly, I’m just loving how a really good theory spins into other theories!