The whole ethos of cryptocurrencies is the immutability of the blockchain. Vitalik and Co. violated that with the hard fork. Many true believers in crypto are supporting ETC. Its not inconceivable that it comes out on top. Stranger things have happened. I wrote about it yesterday.
https://steemit.com/etc/@wpalczynski/eth-vs-etc-ethereum-classic-prevailing-would-be-a-positive-event-for-cryptocurrencies-and-blockchain-technology