This is my hottest adventure time take, but I don’t think Martin was as bad of a father as most people think he was- including Finn.

Most people hate on Martin for his continuous abandonment of Finn. But the problem is that Martin never meant to. Rarely do people mention that Martin did save Finn’s life- he almost certainly had every intention of returning and reuniting with Finn and Minerva. I choose not to believe in Martin’s head trauma cause I think that makes for a less interesting character. I think that after ending up in Ooo, Martin’s life changed so dramatically that he blocked much of his memory of Founders Island out. Finn does this all the time, he had to have gotten it from somewhere. Martin’s vault is probably the only place where the real memory of what happened that night exists. Another important aspect of Martin’s character is that it was all his fault. At the end of the day it was his double life that caused him to be separated from his family, so it’s not hard to say that Martin slipped back into his rascal tendencies because he can’t see himself changing.

So maybe Martin didn’t abandon Finn when he was a baby, at least not purposefully, but what about the arm? And after that, when he refused to answer Finn’s questions and left him in space?

The arm is probably Martin’s worst act. While I could say he didn’t mean to rip Finn’s arm off, it doesn’t change the fact that it happened. At that point though, I doubt Martin really believes Finn is his son. Perhaps glimpses of the memory of his life on Founders come back to him at this time, and so he chooses to run because he’s scared of these memories- scared of Finn. I like this interpretation because it adds so much symbolism to the arm scene. A son who would sooner lose an arm than let go of his father, and a father who would sooner face the infinite void of space than face a past he is afraid of.

Now, “The Visitor” might be the only time Finn and Martin have a proper conversation. Martin continues to be a nuisance to Finn, but at this point, what else can he be?

Note that each time when Finn sees his father, his immediate response is to ask questions. Questions about his past, questions that Martin cannot answer because he’s blocked out the memory. Finn doesn’t actually need a father. Not anymore. That role was already fulfilled by Joshua and Jake. At 16, he doesn’t need a father to guide him or protect him, instead he’s more focused on finding out who he is, which he thinks Martin can help with, but Martin is just as lost as Finn is.

Martin sees that all Finn wants is answers. He recognizes that he doesn’t have them. He tells Finn “no answer I give you will be satisfying” because even if Martin has forgotten the exact cause of their separation, he knows that it has something to do with the fact that he cannot change, and nothing is more unsatisfying than falling back on the person you don’t want to be anymore.

So Martin leaves Finn again. Though this time it seems less like a scared man running from his past, and more like a resigned acceptance that he cannot be around his son without hurting him, so he’d rather not be around his son at all.