Foreshadowed =/= believably- or well-executed. People sympathized with Ironwood not because "WOW SO MANLY", but because he was the ONLY PERSON with any kind of plan, while all the protagonists were just complaing about how "enacting martial law" in a city ACTIVELY UNDER SIEGE BY EVIL MONSTERS was being mean. It's as if Londoners were complaining about war bonds during the Blitz. And then Ruby, rather than try and argue or compromise with him, actively antagonizes him and makes herself and her whole team enemies just to satisfy her own ego, leading to all the problems that make up Season 8.
Okay, let say this this straight out: Ironwood's fall was foreshadowed believably, and in a well executed manner. I was there in volume 2 when everyone's first reaction to him was "Future villain here, for sure." I was there in Volume 7, when the sentiment throughout the entire season was "Ironwood's definitely gonna be a villain, but I hope the heroes can stop that. The show's surprised us before". I was there when people were pointing out his character flaws and how they would lead to him going bad after every episode he appeared in. I was there when people were posting about his behavior in previous volumes, and the ways that his flaws were obscured by being to the heroes benefit in those moments.
Ironwood didn't have a plan. He had idea in the midst of a mental breakdown and refused to consider any options other than that one.
And no, the protagonists were not complaining about him "enacting martial law", they took issue with him abandoning his duty and leaving numerous people to die.
Here's a better analogy for the situation: This situation would be like if the Queen ordered all the lights in poor people's houses to be left on during the blitz so that the bombs would be dropped on them instead of her. A callous, and entirely unnecessary sacrifice of human life.
And don't even try to feed me this bullshit about them antagonizing him. He's the guy who antagonized them. He's the guy who responded to "We're still with you" by getting mad at them. He's the guy who was acting like a paranoid lunatic before he knew that Salem was coming there personally.
Ruby did try to argue with him, she did try to convince him not to abandon his duty to protect Mantle. He refused to budge. Oh, and let's not forget that when Ruby got a call in the middle of that conversation, and reached for her phone to answer it, his response was to reach for his gun.
All the stuff involving her interactions with Penny, insisting on aiding terrorist militias who wanted to move people from their homes to a refugee camp, trying to continue the Amity Plan instead of turn back on the power in Mantle (directly leading to the rest of Penny's issues that season), hiding in a mansion drinking tea while Atlas was under attack, and then having the entire plot collapse around her to justify all her actions and beliefs as the right ones.
1. Yes, because insisting that your friend not kill herself is such a terrible thing to do.
2. What fucking terrorist militias? Are you talking about Robyn, the person who was trying to stop Ironwood from illegally stealing supplies to funnel into a side project? Oh and don't think I didn't notice you complaining about the Happy Huntresses leading people to the warmest place in a tundra black out right before placing the blame on said blackout on the protagonists.
3. Yes, the Heroes focused on doing what they were capable of doing to help the situation, instead of doing something they were completely incapable of doing. But, do you know who could have turned the heat back on in Mantle in no time at all, for no cost that he wasn't already paying? Ironwood. He could have had Watts in a second. And instead of doing that, what Ironwood did was have an agent of the enemy he's fighting take control over the person he has every reason in the world to want to keep out of the enemy's hands.
4. They hiding because one of their team mates was in critical condition and needed medical aid. And also because they have every reason to believe that trying to help fight the grim will just result in Ironwood ordering his men to arrest them because they disagreed with him.
We both know that's not true. Why do you seem to think you're the only person who watched the show?
Because all Greener is doing is parroting the same talking points as a dozen other online dipshits who make a career out of creating clickbait videos bitching about RWBY.
For the entire time Ironwood has been on the show, I watched it as it came out. I saw everything Ironwood did, and I saw the audience reaction to him as the episodes came out. I saw people peg him as a villain the moment they saw him. I saw their surprise when he turned out to be on the heroes side. And I saw everyone realize the ways he was flawed as a person and how they would be really bad if he ever turned against the protags.
