Driven by a jaded worldview borne of the troubled childhood he endured, Zeke Yeager's plan to solve what perceived as the "Eldian problem," was quite grim at face value. In effect, Zeke proposed a measure that would prevent Subjects of Ymir from reproducing, condemning them to an agonizingly slow path of extinction. The activation of a partial Rumbling alongside this would have acted as a deterrent against any invasion of Paradis, allowing the remaining Eldians to live out their lives. On one hand, Zeke's lack of sympathy for his fellow Eldians residing in Paradis and throughout the rest of the world could stem from his upbringing in Marley, as well as the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, Grisha Yeager, who was a staunch Eldian loyalist, desperately seeking to restore his race to their former glory. However, when comparing Zeke's plan to the course taken by Eren in the climax of Attack on Titan, it is not difficult to see that the former trajectory would have been the lesser of two evils.
Unfortunately, the most important linchpin in his plan was his half-brother, Eren, the holder of the Founding Titan. Since Eren was unable to use the Founder's power by virtue of not being a descendant of royal blood, Zeke's involvement was also necessary, as a Titan shifter and the son of Dina Fritz, a member of the Eldian ruling family who remained on the continental mainland after Karl Fritz's retreat to Paradis Island. By coming into contact with Eren, Zeke sought to trigger the power of the Founder, which would allow him to modify the physiological makeup of Subjects of Ymir. He became aware of this ability after hearing of an Eldian king who had altered the bodies of all Eldians to become immune to a plague which had ravaged the populace a few centuries prior to the start of Attack on Titan. While he was ultimately unsuccessful in his efforts, it is worth examining the merits of his plan to determine whether there were any grounds for the desolate fate he wished for his fellow Eldians — even when he himself viewed it as an act of mercy.
Why Did Zeke Come Up With The Euthanasia Plan?
Zeke held an extremely nihilistic view of the plight of those on Paradis Island, who had unwittingly been cast as the villains for the crimes of their ancestors by the rest of the world. While the Eldians living inside the Walls had little to no knowledge of this prior to the basement reveal, Eren's actions in Liberio during and after Willy Tybur's speech only served to accentuate the hatred the world felt for the Eldian race and their use of the Power of the Titans. Although Zeke did hold some degree of pity for the residents of Paradis, it came from a place of condescension rather than actual sympathy, where he believed it would have been better if Subjects of Ymir had never been born into this world. Much of this could be attributed to the trauma he endured during his childhood, where he was neglected by his parents. In a bid to achieve their goals as Eldian Restorationists, Zeke's parents forced him to partake in the grueling Warrior training program in the hope that he would one day inherit the Power of the Titans. As a result, Zeke grew to hate his parents and their devotion to Eldian supremacy, viewing it as a pointless ambition, and even reported them to the authorities once their activities got out of hand.
He also saw the very existence of the Paradis Islanders as tragic and meaningless, as they were forced to live after having their memories taken away, helplessly lying in wait for the world to exact vengeance upon them for the crimes of the Eldian Empire. Despite the pretentious sentiments that his plan was founded upon, Zeke's main objective was to bring an end to the world's fear of Titans through the extermination of the only race who could transform into them. His plan would effectively have caused the Subjects of Ymir to die out in around a century, a fate that he regarded as freedom from the suffering they had endured. In a way, his plan does align with the ideology of Karl Fritz, who took a vow of pacifism and isolated the Subjects of Ymir inside the Walls of Paradis after becoming disgusted by the actions of his predecessors.
Would It Have Worked Better Than Eren's Plan?
Compared to Eren's act of commencing the Rumbling and wiping out a significant portion of the world's population, Zeke's plan seems far more reasonable and benevolent, especially when considering the fact that Paradis was bombed and reduced to ruin decades after the Battle of Heaven and Earth in the closing panels of Attack on Titan. There would have been far less loss of life or property, and the rest of the world might have stopped seeing the Eldian race as a threat. Sadly, on the other side, the Eldians inside the Walls would have to witness their race slowly fade away, and those outside would have endured the same persecution as before, with little left to fight for.
In a situation where the only option was picking one over the other, Eren chose his friends, compatriots, and his homeland over the rest of the world, choosing to wipe out all life beyond the Walls. Zeke did the opposite and chose the rest of the world over his own race, prioritizing the lives of the many over the lives of the few. This move would have also rid the world of the Power of Titans, which had been the cause of immeasurable pain and tragedy over the course of centuries. In this light, while Zeke's plan was better for the rest of the world, Eren's actions did safeguard his people to a greater extent, but the cost of the latter's action was far too much to justify them. Both paths held grim fates for Eldians, and in the end, it is up for fans to decide which one of them was the better course in the end.