Why Darrow is so refreshing comparing to other Sci-Fi/Fantasy protagonists

Please don’t spoil anything beyond Iron Gold. I’ve only started reading Dark Age. Just wanted to share my thoughts.

Like most protagonists, he is an optimist, but he is not naive, at least not anymore. After getting getting betrayed a few times, his naïveté is gone and he doesn’t leave things to trust, even among his closest friends. When he tries to change Cassius’ mind in MS, he bring him to his quarters but he makes sure that he’s still in chains. When he gives Orion command of the storm gods in the beginning of DA, he still makes sure he has a switch that will turn them off if she ever went rogue. He doesn’t clue in one of his closest friends, Roque because of how secretive his plan is on Europa and the Iron Rain on Mars in GS. When he chooses to reveal his true identity to Mustang in GS, he makes sure Ragnar tracks her if she chose to betray turn on him. When Dancer earnestly asks him if he was hiding something from him, he doesn’t tell him about the envoys for the society in IG. Even though he really wants to, he doesn’t tell Sevro his true identity until Secro basically gives him irrefutable proof he’s with the sons. He doesn’t blindly trust Lorn, and fully planned for the reality where Lorn betrays him to the society. He doesn’t take chances and installs a bomb inside Apple’s head. He does not trust Romulus’ honor pact and position his ships in a way that doesn’t allow Raa to attack him in the battle of Ilium.

He’s also morally gray and doesn’t shy away from making hard choices, no matter how much they hurt him. He gives up the sons of ares in the rim to secure an alliance with the rim and destroys their dockyards killing millions of lowcolors to ensure they don’t attack him. He rescues abhorrent monsters like Apollonius if he sees an advantage in it and forsakes the lives of hundreds off thousands of obsidians in the hopes of ending the war quicker.

He’s very refreshing in that way. He is gray where other protagonists are white in the moral spectrum, and he is incredibly competent.

I can’t speak on the crest of Dark Age and Lightbringer however I haven’t read them.