But perhaps the most important element of the film is its additional focus on Gendo. As the main villain of the original, he was rather one-note in his motivations. Thrice Upon a Time makes great strides in expanding and developing his character. Not only do we get a deeper look at his motivations, we learn why he is the way he is: what kind of life and personality are needed to make him do all the horrible things he's done. And even if you still hate Gendo by the end of this exploration, it's hard not to empathize with him.
The film also does a great job of playing on viewer expectations. Because the Rebuild films are based on the original TV show and follow the same characters, it's natural to assume that things revealed in one remain true in the other. However, as one big twist in the film reveals to great success, this is not necessarily the case.