“Poe Dameron knew Kylo Ren as a child, hence why he refused to be terrified by him in their encounters” is honestly one of the most fascinating subtexts of that movie.

mysharona1987:

At first, you just think Poe is being snarky and posturing because “HE’S THE COOLEST PILOT IN THE GALAXY AND IT’S HOLLYWOOD MOVIE RULES! YOU CAN’T BACK DOWN FROM THE VILLAIN!”

You watch their scenes again, though: Poe is clearly bemused by Kylo and what he’s become. He’s seen behind that mask.

He’s still scared, obviously. But he seems to know, for a fact, he’s not quite dealing with a monster here. Because he knew him before.