You X would make a better Black Paladin than Y!

Me Okay but consider this -- there is no new Black Paladin. This would make for a more interesting narrative because 1) they can no longer form Voltron to face the new threat from Lotor, and 2) all of them will have opportunities to show leadership depending on each situation. Their teamwork will strengthen in the absence of Shiro because the paladins were relying on him too much. Now they can flourish as individuals and they'll have to work together without Shiro telling them to, and Allura can still be the team leader, laser the shit out of things with the Castle, and make wormholes because those are kind of important. The paladins would probably look to her for more guidance than they did before, then they slowly learn to be more responsible so she's not overworking herself. There is a lot of Team Bonding and Friendship. At some point Shiro comes back after his mental health vacation and he's very proud of everyone for their character growth and because now they can all support each other better. You don't need to pilot a lion to develop leadership skills. Dreamworks please hire me.