>>3377088I think Murdoc probably developed feelings for 2D before 2D did for Murdoc. Murdoc spent his whole life being treated as a worthless lowlife, laughed and jeered at on stage, used by his father, underestimated by his peers. When 2D began inexplicably began hero-worshipping him it probably filled an emotional hole he'd been harboring since childhood and sparked those feelings of dependency. The violence and anger in the early phases were learned coping mechanisms he had developed from his terrible upbringing, ways to distance himself and self-sabotage relationships before becoming vulnerable to emotional pain. But he also showed clear signs of jealousy towards 2D's girlfriends and acted generally in a possessive way. In P2, when 2D became more confident and less susceptible to his bullying, they seemed to bond even more since they could treat each other as equals. Then in P3 Murdoc had a complete psychotic break, and in his desperation to keep the band together forced 2D, his perceived savior, to stay with him by any means necessary. His actions read as those of a man who knew he fucked up, didn't know how to fix it, and was unable to stop himself from making it worse. But it's clear he felt he needed 2D, and even after recording the album he refused to let him go. It's hard to say how his feelings have changed since P3, since Cass stopped writing him and he's lost a lot of consistency.
Meanwhile, 2D may have started with a schoolkid crush on the strange, incredible man who crashed into his life and bestowed fame and greatness upon him, but he didn't really understand Murdoc until he started becoming less afraid of him. By the time they were on PB 2D saw Murdoc for what he really was: a sad, broken man who was stuck in a loop of endlessly waging war on the demons he created. Angry as he was at being kept captive, seeing him in that vulnerable state must have inspired compassion as well. Nothing else could really explain his actions in P5.
