User blog comment:IamJakuhoRaikoben/Chapter 487: The Third Seal, Review./@comment-130.105.215.179-20160531081845/@comment-25111584-20160601164709

I'd say Rai is pretty spot on about being in the majority here. Zeref leaves a lot to be desired as a final villain. His goals, while ambitious, are boring from an out-of-universe perspective, methods bland and stupid, and reasons... unreasonable, even if I count in the Curse of Contradiction.

Honestly, I'll always be disappointed with Mashima for not making Ultear an overarching villain, and maybe even the final one. Charismatic personality, OP abilities, massive intellect, great backstory, political influence... And, most importantly, one of the most interesting objectives. She wanted to reset the world, not destroy it. Just think about what she could offer characters like Gray and Erza. She obviously retains her current memories, which means she could prevent the tragedies which happen in their lives. Heck, she could even have them join FT later, which means they gain everything and lose nothing, considering she has no reason to betray them. The story would have actually been interesting instead of the drab beat-'em-up affair it currently is. *sighs*