Should this show have a more prominent male in the line up?

[Azureth 686]

I understand this is primarily a girl's show and I have no issue with that. In fact I find it to be a great change, nor am I saying he would have to show up every episode or even all THAT often, but do you think this should would benefit if it had a male, or possibly even several males that are far for prominent than what we generally see? We have snips and snails but they don't really count as they are usually buffoons. I am thinking more along the lines of male characters that are strong, intelligent and can really add to the story.

[Megas 27,192]

We already have one, and his name is Spike

[sweetolebob18 724]

I wouldn't exactly call Spike "prominent".  He is like Twilight's little brother.  Beloved, but a pain.  Sometimes he has been useful to them, but he is like Xander in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"  (Or whatever his name was.  Been awhile & I can't recall)

 

My advice is "The show is working.  It ain't broke, don't fix it." 

[Twilight The Creator 298]

I think we're forgetting about that little green-purple dragon that pops up a lot?

[Banul 3,831]

Spike, Big Mac, Shinning Armor, Discord

 

We have some male characters. They aren't exactly prominent, but I think its enough for this show.

[Leavinh 313]

I would say yes only if they actually add something to show. If you're adding more male characters just to reach a broader demographic, then no. I don't really care what gender the characters are, they just have to be good characters.

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

I bet 100 bits OP is Flash Sentry

[cuteycindyhoney 13,285]

The show is a huge success as it is. Why mess with the dynamic that works so well in the show? 

[Gernia 690]

Not really when you consider the show's main target demographic. And what the above poster said.

[Shanks 10,811]

We have Spike though he really hasn't been getting the respect he deserves as a character by the writers with him nearly always being a joke character. I am find with his doofus side coming out but it seems like that is all has been lately. Already existing male characters like Big Mac and Shining Armor could be expanded upon, especially Big Mac with his tendency to be a bit more quiet and reserved in an otherwise outspoken family. There apparently was an idea for a Big Mac episode that Hasbro said no to which is a real shame.

[Yoshi89 5,291]

I'd love to see a Big Mac-centered episode. Many of the later episodes involving Applejack involve the rest of her family and Big Mac is just there.

[Tao 6,817]

I'd love to see a Big Mac-centered episode. Many of the later episodes involving Applejack involve the rest of her family and Big Mac is just there.

 

I agree and push for this!  I think Big Mac has a good a nuff fan base for a ep about him and him alone! Personally I think

hes one of the most under rated cannons on the show..

[Roughshod 719]

I laugh at all of these people who say "don't fix what isn't broken". It's like you're all terrified of change. Sure some changes in the past haven't been super successful but if the show never grew it would become stagnant and dull. I think the show could benefit from more prominent male characters and a more even gender ratio. Just because the show is targeted mainly towards girls doesn't give the producers and writers the right to be lazy when it comes to diversifying the cast. Perhaps that's a tall order for a children's television show but I don't think it deserves to just be shot down immediately for the sake of personal comfort.

 

As far as I can see, right now MLP and the world of Equestria seems pretty discriminatory against males. There are almost no prominent male leaders or role models, all the decent ones get hardly any lines, screen time or development and most of the other male characters are either villains or idiots. Discord is a big exception to this, but he's not featured enough to be considered a regular member. Just an awesome guest.

[Zoraxe 546]

I would have liked more prominent male characters. Here most characters and side characters are female, the mane six and alicorns are girls only clubs, its a bit much. But at this point it is a bit too late in this show to radicaly alter this. Maybe the next MLP show can have a better gender ratio. There can be more male side characters in FIM though, or at least give the characters who arn't Spike some screentime and room to do things.

 

Its like the only thing that I can think of right now that MLP tales did better than FIM, MLP Tales had male main characters that were just as much main characters as the mares were.

 

G3 was probobly the worst, there are no male ponies.

[Conred 274]

Well we get Spike focused episodes in every season that should be relatable to younger boys.

We also have Discord who is getting a lot of development and screentime, he could possibly tackle the grown up man related issues. Shining Armor could relate to married couples or "soon to be a father" type of people.

Then theres also Big Mac, Cheese Sandwich and Soarin but i really don't think they will get any development in the near future. Even if Big Mac is often present on screen, his trope of saying 2 words really killed him off as a character. There isn't a single writer that would want to write him since he is just too boring for them. Only Katie Cook gave him some personality in the comics.

[Jack Dirt 81]

I think Fancy Pants would be good for this. If they expanded upon him and made slightly more predominant, I think it would work well. I mean, his reaction to everyday Rarity did in that one episode wasn't snobby or stuck up. He was actually a gentlemen and admired that he she tried to look after her friends.

[Venomous 18,820]

I wouldn't mind seeing a male role with a big part.

[wunar_eclipse 1]

I understand this is primarily a girl's show and I have no issue with that. In fact I find it to be a great change, nor am I saying he would have to show up every episode or even all THAT often, but do you think this should would benefit if it had a male, or possibly even several males that are far for prominent than what we generally see? We have snips and snails but they don't really count as they are usually buffoons. I am thinking more along the lines of male characters that are strong, intelligent and can really add to the story.

 

my mare in the show is currently dating ships and snails lol

 

shes always following them around

 

and on occasion has seen blushing when one of them are looking at her

 

but yeah need more males in it

[Wind Chaser 4,767]

I don't think we should have a male main character as it would ruin the show's dynamic, but I would love to see more supporting roles for male characters and for it to treat its existing male characters with more tact and respect.

 

Season 4 made some progress with characters like Cheese Sandwich and Silver Shill, but unfortunately regressed on that by abusing Spike, denying him character development despite his story potential, and marginalizing the others.

 

If this show was so egalitarian as some say it is, this wouldn't be an issue, but when the most prominent male representation consists of negative stereotypes like Snips and Snails, narrative punching bags like Spike, and silent, marginalized, and forgotten characters like Big Mac and Shining Armor that outnumber the positive portrayals, you know there's a problem here.

[AlbaTross 1,581]

The show works fine as is with the characters it has. Anyone looking for a show with strong male role models may be best off looking elsewhere, because there are plenty of series out there to choose from. Spike is more or less a mane character, though maybe not quite as prominent as the mane six. However, there are plenty of male side characters that the cast interacts with, sometimes on a regular basis. There's Big Max, Discord, even Shining Armor. Also, there have been slightly more male antagonists in the series than female ones. Actually, I think that ratio may be more or less even now, but we still got some good male villains over the first four seasons of the show.

 

I'm not personally bothered by the lack of male characters, because I think there have been plenty throughout the episodes. Sure, Spike may be the only truly main male character, and he is kind of treated like a comic relief character, but I think the show has been fairly good at representing males overall. Besides, the mane cast is fine as it is. The general consensus is that fans don't even want another mare to balance out the unicorn/pegasus/earth pony ratio, and adding a stallion to the group would be even odder.

[Silver Letter 1,830]

The idea of more male characters might seem like a good idea but that isn't what this show is going for. There isn't anything wrong with a female dominated show. There are certain films or shows with a male dominated cast but that normally goes unnoticed. Perhaps if a new show post-Friendship is Magic appears then it can have a changed dynamic with a new Cutie Mark Crusaders to introduce such concepts. On another point, I don't see Discord as a definite "male" character. I see him as more ambiguous with such things. Such as when he said that he should have been an alicorn princess.

[Conred 274]

The idea of more male characters might seem like a good idea but that isn't what this show is going for. There isn't anything wrong with a female dominated show. There are certain films or shows with a male dominated cast but that normally goes unnoticed. Perhaps if a new show post-Friendship is Magic appears then it can have a changed dynamic with a new Cutie Mark Crusaders to introduce such concepts. On another point, I don't see Discord as a definite "male" character. I see him as more ambiguous with such things. Such as when he said that he should have been an alicorn princess.

Just because he doesn't act like a male macho stereotype, doesn't mean he is not a male character

He might be metrosexual and way far from Iron Will type of guy but he still keep his identity as male Q

[ShadowPirateX 600]

Can't there be some shows where the most prominent roles are females?

[Roughshod 719]

Can't there be some shows where the most prominent roles are females?

One of the concerns people have been raising is that many television shows that target themselves towards male viewers only incorporate prominent male characters. Even in so called 'gender neutral' shows the cast is often slanted towards the male spectrum because masculine targeting is considered to have a wider appeal than feminine. Reversing this situation with an overwhelmingly female cast does not resolve the issue but simply reinforces the 'pink and blue' status quo.

 

The creators and fans of MLP:FIM often pride themselves on the show's history of challenging stereotypes and changing perceptions. Yet it still follows many of the same tropes and patterns of thinking that it likes to criticize. Even though the primary demographic is young girls that shouldn't necessitate that other characters who aren't female should be given such little attention simply on the basis that members of the main audience don't share their gender. This isn't even considering the fact that the show makes virtually no attempt to introduce characters that maybe don't fall on one side or the other of the gender spectrum, such as those that might identify with the LGBTQ community.

 

I like MLP for lots of reasons, but the fact that most of the cast is female is not one of them. Although it's not such a big issue that it prevents me from enjoying the show or any other aspects of the franchise or fandom. However when I see that male characters are often only included so they can be used as little more than comic relief, bland villains or one dimensional love interests it really makes me wish they tried a little harder and broadened their horizons. This great show really shouldn't be restricted like that.

[chirox the pony 1,334]

Currently no, I don't think there is any need to add another main character and it would be pointless to add a male character just for the sake of being gender neutral. However though if a G5 show comes along I wouldn't mind a more gender balanced cast of characters.