Could MLP Eventually Become Dark

[Jammo 986]

After this show has been on for a while I wouldn't be against more adventure themed episodes than slice of life. There's a ton of great villain stories to tell... MLP is so creatively charged I always feel that despite delivering so much quality, they are always holding back. Sure makes new seasons exciting though.

[Guest90210 3,568]

There isn't a chance, in my opinion. With the brand that My Little Pony has built over the years, it would practically be impossible to branch out into exceedingly "darker" territory. It would likely have to be rebranded completely for any chance of succeeding commercially.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Rivendare

[Shenron00 366]

I'm sorry, but no. Tirek isn't even close to being dark, he's a DBZ villain, which is all show and flashy lights.

Hmm? I'm not sure I get what you're trying to say...

I wish I had never made this thread because your all right.

 

Sorry

Meh, stuff happens. Ha, can't really say I haven't done stupider things.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Shenron00

[Zhortac 1,474]

Hmm? I'm not sure I get what you're trying to say...

 

That DBZ villains aren't dark.A few movie ones could barely come close, but it's hard to be "dark" when you fire beams and balls, that light up a couple of miles around you.

[Oblivion 20,268]

I think the shows just about as dark as it is is going to get, I mean already we have the two sisters backstory, Sombra getting killed, and a few mental breakdowns as well.

 

With that being said, YES, it would be pretty awesome to see a dark more adult version of MLP, maybe it could kinda have the same feel to it as a few darker animes and the like.

[FlutterAether 421]

I don't personally see MLP becoming darker unless Hasbro decides to sell the franchise to a comic book company such as Marvel or DC, MLP has interesting and unique characters which CAN be explained more in depth specifically the villains. If Marvel or DC were to buy the rights (hypothetically speaking) then boy would it be the biggest news ever since Spiderman, Batman or Avengers. Take the current characters of MLP and throw them into the real world and give them a more realistic feel then you have a hit franchise. 

 

But I doubt that will ever happen in our lifetime MLP is such a successful franchise but with the right studios it could become a global phenomenon, not just a girls cartoon show.

[DubWolf 17,313]

I doubt it; making MLP "darker" would mean Hasbro is changing their target audience.... Or they simply don't care about their audience and want "shit to get REEL!"

[Xeltor23 704]

That DBZ villains aren't dark.A few movie ones could barely come close, but it's hard to be "dark" when you fire beams and balls, that light up a couple of miles around you.

 

Well, a genocidal monster can be considered a dark figure, no?

[FirstPonySpectre 176]

TL;DR - So long as Hasbro is smart, it won't happen. 

 

I HIGHLY doubt it. If they change the whole show from an innocent kids show into a dark and brooding adult show it'll just be weird and unusual. The transition just can't be done well. This goes for many things that have attempted this. At least in my opinion.

 

For example, Harry Potter. My god Harry Potter. This went from a rather innocent series about a boy with magical powers who went to a school for wizards into "everybody is dying" kind of show. It was so sudden and it just seemed off. I know it tried to keep up with the audience but that would be assuming that kids only like happy things and adults only like dark things. Which just isn't the case. -_- That's just my opinion though. 

 

But yeah, if MLP becomes super dark I'll probs just stop watching tbh. Unless it's somehow still able to keep it's innocent charm whilst being a dark show. But I just don't see it happening. 

 

I mean, c'mon. How can a show about bright and colorful ponies turn into a show with a dark theme like Batman the Animated Series? It just won't work. Haha. 

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

Well, a genocidal monster can be considered a dark figure, no?

 

That would depend on the execution of said concept. As dangerous and threatening as Tirek was, he kinda felt a little cartoony in his personality and his usage of powers. I'd argue that both Sombra & Chrysalis were much darker villains; even if they are likely weaker than Tirek.

[Coco before Pommel 679]

imagine if Heath Ledger voiced Discord in a dark MLP reboot. In my opinion it would COMPLETELY work.

...nope, I'm out. It's gotta be De Lancie, he's the one who makes Discord for me and I hadn't even heard of him before I started watching MLP. More relevantly though, I feel like there are already way too many chaotic ~dark~ villains trying to be TDK!Joker and the use of humour/personality in Discord's character is a big part of what makes him unique, which is maybe partly because they obviously can't take his darker side too far, what with it being a kids' show and all (though the potential is certainly there)? So they focus more on his personality and humour rather than the terribleness of his actions, and (IMO) we end up with a more interesting and better-developed character. I think this applies to Discord pretty much all the villains you mentioned, actually - that the constraints of the genre (kids' TV) actually really work in the writer's favour in creating entertaining, compelling, scary-but-not-TOO-scary villains out of characters who could easily have turned out as bland archetypes. A character like Discord in most adult shows trying to be dark, for example, I could easily see trying way too hard to be ~shocking and edgy and an excuse for OTT violence/torture porn with his powers. And can you imagine the Dazzlings in any other (non-kids') show? *shudders* I'm pretty confident that they would get zero character development/exploration other than wearing very little and having sex with all the other characters. I mean, they don't get a ton of it as it is, but at least the fact that the writers can't make them explicitly sexual (though again, their characters can easily be interpreted/taken in that direction by an older audience) means they get to have at least some personality and hints of intriguing backstory/motivation.

 

Personally, while I can see and appreciate the potential for darker/more adult themes in the MLP universe and enjoy them in the fandom, I wouldn't ever want to see the show or franchise take a ~darker and edgier direction. The brand has such a history and is so well-established as being for kids, it's not the same as something like Batman - some incarnations may be "darker" than others, but I think the overall optimism, happy tone and positive themes is a constant, and for me it's a massive part of G4's appeal - so many shows for adults are already grimdark and death and despair and misery all the time, it's nice to see the characters I love actually be happy for once! I think there's nothing wrong with playing with darker/more serious themes once in a while, and maybe pushing the boundaries a little for what a kid's show can get away with (some in recent years, for example Avatar The Last Airbender, have done this successfully and not everything has to be dumbed down and simplistic for children to enjoy it, which I think is also one of the strengths of FiM), but My Little Pony has, and IMO should always be *for everyone* and enjoyed by kids and adults alike. Making the show consciously "dark" and aimed towards adults, potentially excluding the original audience in the process, I think would just go against everything the MLP brand has done and still stands for, while it maybe could hypothetically be done. I think there are still plenty of interesting stories to tell with the characters and the world they've created, without going too "dark" and remaining true to the family-friendly audience and values it's always had. The fandom is doing a fine job of exploring the darker/more adult side, for those who are interested in that sort of thing, but as far as the show itself goes, I wouldn't ever want MLP to become "dark", even if it could happen (and I don't think it's ever likely to, for reasons others have pointed out), because that's just not the show I fell in love with.

 

(...That got long, sorry )

[Xeltor23 704]

That would depend on the execution of said concept. As dangerous and threatening as Tirek was, he kinda felt a little cartoony in his personality and his usage of powers. I'd argue that both Sombra & Chrysalis were much darker villains; even if they are likely weaker than Tirek.

Well, Sombra can be a very dark villain, however, I'm not really sure for Chrysalis, we can feel in the comics that she isn't very dark.

[Fractured 2,684]

At least 4 or 5 counts of attempted genocide, kidnappings, slavery, murder...

G1 was dark as all hell, the idea that MLP can't be is a tad confusing, I guess "shouldn't be" is what you guys are going for. I guess Hasbro doesn't want to step on toes, and it'd be a little harder to cover that up now, but it still wouldn't be too difficult to bring this to Avatar levels of greatness. It's not impossible to have adorable characters based around a dark plot.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Shimmer5000

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

Well, Sombra can be a very dark villain, however, I'm not really sure for Chrysalis, we can feel in the comics that she isn't very dark.

 

That actually surprises me. I thought she was MUCH darker in the comics; but that may just be my own perspective.

[Zhortac 1,474]

Well, a genocidal monster can be considered a dark figure, no?

 

Doing so from the shadows, in people's minds, or in a way that makes people feel trapped and isolated, that's dark. Firing a beam of death from your finger that can be seen from fifty miles away, is not really dark. One of the key aspects of a dark theme is, you never see it coming. You know its coming, you can feel it coming, but you never see it or know, until BAM its over, and even then it might not just be over, over.

 

That's why I still think Sombra is the closest thing to dark this show has, since they knew he was out there, but had no idea when or how he would strike. 

[A goat 323]

There is a slight chance of that happening, I certainly hope it does though.

[Xeltor23 704]

There is a slight chance of that happening, I certainly hope it does though.

I hope too

 

Doing so from the shadows, in people's minds, or in a way that makes people feel trapped and isolated, that's dark. Firing a beam of death from your finger that can be seen from fifty miles away, is not really dark. One of the key aspects of a dark theme is, you never see it coming. You know its coming, you can feel it coming, but you never see it or know, until BAM its over, and even then it might not just be over, over.

 

That's why I still think Sombra is the closest thing to dark this show has, since they knew he was out there, but had no idea when or how he would strike. 

I see your point, even if I don't fully agree with it. However, I agree that Sombra can be a very good villain.

[speedyblupi 76]

But it didn't start that way.

And the first MLP TV series started with G1 Tirek threatening to decapitate dragons, then being killed by a rainbow.

 

 

 

With that being said, YES, it would be pretty awesome to see a dark more adult version of MLP, maybe it could kinda have the same feel to it as a few darker animes and the like.

 

Well... A film of "Rainbow Factory" is being made (and there are other projects like "Midnight Mares", where it's a bit ambiguous as to whether or not they're actually going to get made), so we're going to be able to see a darker version of MLP.