I think it is fair to start with a premise, namely, that my personal opinion is that Lestat, somehow, especially in the last trilogy, has been elevated by Anne to the universally most beloved character of any vampire, regardless. Probably because Lestat has always been her favorite character, and also because it is through his voice, more so, that Anne has told the vampire chronicles. I think Lestat is somehow the platonic love of all the other vampires, because for Anne, they all had to love him immensely. And I would like to point out another thing as well, love, at least for me, in the chronicles is an immense term. It is not simple romantic love, or simple ship, or sexual attraction. What I see now often in fandom is this, and personally I find it mortifying and reductive. I find all this animosity aimed at showing how one character loves this character or this character more absurd. It is childish and not appropriate behavior in a lore like the vampire chronicles. The love in the chronicles, I repeat, is immense, and it embraces an infinite if not all types of love that human beings experience in their lives.
From romantic love, to brotherly love, to friendship love, or love that can be turned to a father figure or mentor, etc., and in addition, the love of these characters changes, expands, evolves, transforms, and never stays still. It is constantly changing, sometimes it detaches, although it remains strong and alive in the hearts of the characters, sometimes it remains and is experienced with more or less intensity, but it remains. Love in the chronicles always remains in the hearts of the characters even when it changes. Having said that, I think they are two extremely different relationships between Marius and Lestat and Marius and Armand. The first thing that comes to my mind is that I personally believe that Marius sees a lot of his younger self in Lestat. Marius and Lestat have always had a very similar view of the world, about humans and their relationship with them, about posing positively toward the world and life, they are kindred minds. I could even be presumptuous and say that Lestat is a little bit of a young Marius, we know that as a human Marius was prone to adventure, to searching, his was a wandering heart, full of questions and constantly searching for answers. Just like Lestat.
With the only big difference being that Marius has always been his own teacher, open and critical always willing to confront and question thinking. And I think here is one of the important points. Lestat seeks Marius because he wants answers, we could say that he seeks him fervently, almost maniacally, with determination and innocence at the same time. Lestat sees in Marius something to aspire to, something he can "lean on," something in which he can find peace in his wandering. As I said, it is a strong and love-filled relationship, Lestat loves Marius unconditionally, but their love is that of a son choosing a father, and of a father who is alone and defeated, and is moved by the ardor of this young vampire. And I would also like to point out, it is not exactly true that Marius is always ready to help or choose Lestat, in "The tale of the Body Thief" Marius decides not to help Lestat, he tries to make Lestat realize that he has gone too far, that he has pulled too far.
I would also like to say that in my opinion Lestat and Marius also share, unfortunately, the trauma that Akasha generated in both of them. They are traumas of different nature, but Akasha, she has somehow traumatized both of them. Akasha, she has always been evil, she is a villain, she is cruel and ruthless, and both Marius and Lestat have been confronted with Akasha's evilness. It's another commonality that somehow like an invisible thread, binds them, and brings them closer together.
On the other side Armand, it is a different story. Meanwhile, I think it is fundamental that Armand is the choosen fledgling of Marius. The one and only one that, Marius ever chose, the only one that he desired and for whom he fought himself, because he did not want to deprive him of his mortal life, because Akasha did not want Armand around, because Marius did not want to turn him so young, the thousand why all indiscriminately killed by an immense and indestructible love, on both sides precise, just for clarity.
I don't think any other relationship in the chronicles has the intense and burning passion the religious ardor of adoration and need for belonging that there is between Marius and Armand. I don't have any other way to talk about the two of them, they belong to each other, they both carried the ghost of the other inside for centuries, and they accepted that ghost as long as they didn't give up their love. Armand has a way of confronting Marius that no one else possesses. Armand knows very well Marius' limits, and Marius knows very well Armand's need to challenge him, in various ways, and with various results…which in the end are always pleasant I might add ;). Marius is everything to Armand, father, master, lover, creator, savior, guide, Marius is the reason why Armand accepts and wants immortality. And Armand is everything to Marius, son, disciple, lover, the one who was chosen, the precious love who saw him and longed for him and loved him with a human heart, and who saw the immortal creature and did not take a step back, on the contrary offered himself with even more love to him. I don't think Marius disrespects Armand, on the contrary, it is precisely because Marius appreciates and esteems Armand's mind and heart that he pushes him to study to understand to ask questions.Pushes him to confrontation, to growth through confrontation.
And finally, no, I don't think Marius loves Lestat more than Armand, I think he loves him differently, I think each of them loves the others differently, and I don't think there is a more or less. But instead, I think it is perhaps much more intense and in some ways even funny, how both Lestat and Armand love Marius in such a deep and dedicated way. And I find it beautiful that in the last trilogy Armand compares Lestat on this. It's a crossroads between the two of them this love that they have for Marius. It was one of the most beautiful things to see how Armand is jealous of Marius and that generates this strange love/hate relationship with Lestat.
In the end as I said at the beginning, love, whatever kind it is, is one of the wonderful constants in the chronicles. It is a little like watching a wave, the love in the chronicles comes and goes, but the sand remains wet from that wave, as the soul of these characters from love, and as that wet sand waits for the wave to return, so is love for Anne Rice vampires.
