Hideaki Anno initially did not want to redo the ending but felt forced to by the fan base. In doing so, he included many subtle stabs at Eva fans and is able to metaphorically represent the complaining viewers.
Some ways Anno is able to do this includes:
- Including the death threats he received in the film
- Shinji being exceptionally resistant to piloting the Eva while being forced to by everyone around him (perhaps representing everyone wanting Anno to redo the ending?)
- The more confusing and symbolic ending could be an attempt to give the viewers too much of what they wanted.
- YouTubers DouchebagChocolat and ReVolutionofEVa both cover some of the themes and symbolism included by Anno that could represent his hostility to redo te ending – cbazil9 years ago
Another note is to include some details about how an audience can be powerful enough to persuade an author to redo a part of their work. For example, the death threats I mentioned before count as one of the ways viewers pushed Anno to redo the ending. – cbazil9 years ago