...or that he's never going to marry them. Further indication that they weren't fully aware of what they were getting in to in the first place.

I couldn't say if that's on him ... is he lying to them or stringing them along or if it's on them ... they're not listening to what he is and isn't saying / still stuck in Disney Princess delusion, or both if it's just a more general clusterfuck.

I don't have a problem per se with age gap relationships. I do have a problem with people being dishonest about their intent, playing with and manipulating people's emotions, etc., and age gaps are one avenue to achieve that nefarious goal, if one is so inclined.

And someone is always inclined.

So I'm glad these discussions are taking place. The fewer people who fall for those traps, the better. And for those who are not using age gap as a weapon, they can gain skills to better communicate their honest intent and have a baseboard with which to self reflect (make sure they are not lying to themselves as well) before making such a relationship permanent.