I don't really agree with Petlin or Werbell.
Werbell actually does legitimately good things in his better paths and if we list him we can list ANYONE with a bad path like "pre-rework Sablin" but whom can also be really wholesome.
Petlin is a legitimate redemption option. He was literally picked as a redemption option for Magadan because he is a literal blank slate, we do not know anything about him or his personality except "he was in the RFP and worked as a filmmaker", so there is more viability for a redemption route because you aren't whitewashing anyone with a record of lying or atrocities under their belt. Also it is hypocritical how Petlin is here because of his OTL "sins" that we don't even know of because he left literally no historical record but not Yeltsin since you can easily make the same argument that "TNO whitewashes Yeltsin" given that he did infinitely worse--brazenly subverted democratic means, destroyed his own country and paved the way for Putin.
I can see the argument for Butler, Gao and to some extent Batov, even through we have to acknowledge that Batov stanning is tied in many ways to backlash against "Yeltsin whitewashing" . The only ones that are really "completely miss the point by stanning them" are Yazov, De Gaulle, Lacerda, Kirkpatrick, and Bunychenko. I've pointed out that no one remotely stans Speer in any capacity outside appreciating him as a villain so he shouldn't even be here. Neither should Ciano because this is based on old lore, I bet if PW actually drops opinions will sour.
Speer shouldn't even be here at all. No one actually whitewashes Speer except
maybe the very ancient devs that have long left, and I do feel Lonely Knightess(Panzer) was actually far more opening to correcting her view on that. Its' usually Dengist memes made with the full awareness he is a villain. Neither should Ciano because this is based on old lore, I bet if PW actually drops opinions will sour.
Zhdanov should be here, sure we can get Kardashev, but at what cost? So should Gumilev and Morita.
It's insane that Petlin is there. Petlin is genuinely up there with Sablin with how much bullshit he gets away with.
Petlin pisses off literally everyone important at super regional. The corporations Matkovsky set up a whole board for in the government just gracefully accept them losing their power. The army just allows itself to be purged of Matkovsky loyalists and the most prominent opposition in the army (general Alexander Pavlov) just fuckin' gives up and goes home. The Labourists and Old Guard don't kick off a fuss when they're kicked off the government (though to be fair, this one can be explained by Petlin having majority reformists in the government).
And when Petlin sets up a democracy, does his own personal bias effect the process? He was an ex member of the RFP after all but nope he's perfectly fine with letting communists run for government after a grand total of 1 event. This need to make Petlin omega wholesome also character assassinated Matkovsky with the worst event in TNO currently with the radio free Magadan ending that favours him.
Also missing Bukharina, Sony and the Modernists.
The issue with Petlin is that he is literally a figure we know jackshit about, which makes the sincerity of his reforms a easier pill to swallow.