Sounds like an edge case scenario (eg not normal).
If the project had a demonstrable history of merging things though, then it sounds like the person wanting the gatekeepers to accept the not-up-to-standard code first was just being egotistical. :/
I've hit similar issues with new engineers in my closed-source product.
It's more than an egotistical thing; some engineers just don't understand how to write good code. The engineers who treat code review feedback as optional don't last very long.
A code review for a newcomer is not a formality; it is often rather burdensome for all parties until the newcomer is familiar with less obvious parts of the code.
If the project had a demonstrable history of merging things though, then it sounds like the person wanting the gatekeepers to accept the not-up-to-standard code first was just being egotistical. :/