Will Spike Ever Grow (Up)?

[xlwpos 12]

Kinda of a Brony Nube here so be gentle. 

 

But Spike has been around since Gen 1 (84) and is still basically the same (maybe not hence this post). Will he age even a little? The kids at SouthPark have moved up 2 grades since 97. Bart and Lisa have matured a little since the late 80's (OK Maggie is still a baby).

 

I know its a magical poniverse and I know dragons probably age slowly but shouldn't Spike be like a sub-adult by now? Maybe in season 5 he can at least be Bar Mitzvahed or something? Would it not be cool  and true to the friendship is magic, friendship for everyone, etc. theme if a big traditional dragon ala Game of Thones or Reign of Fire inhabited a corner of Equestria? Is not a dragon, even a baby one, out of place in EQUESTria? There have been other non-cute characters in MLP history. 

 

Maybe far fetched but just throwing it out there. But should not all juvenile characters (baby ponies too) grow up a little?    

[DragonFlyer 328]

Spike in the previous generations isn't exactly the same Spike we have in FiM, even though the name is the same. G1 Spike had a different story altogether and honestly I never watched much of the generations inbetween but I'm sure they were different too. I wouldn't mind seeing current Spike grow up a little. Same goes for the CMC, it'd be interesting to see them finally get their cutie marks. For the record I still think G1 Spike had the cutest voice!

PS: I love your icon! Uni from Fantasy Forest right? That was my favorite board game as a kid.

[xlwpos 12]

Actually it is Uni but from Dungeons & Dragons The Series. In my mind he is kinda the proto pony for MLP. Lots of Gen 1 in D&D and 2 voice actors too. Would love to see Sandy Duncan come back. TY! 

[Sunny Shimmer 259]

I don't know if he can grow up without having to stop caring about his friends like that one episode.

[GenderIsAnIllusion 2,177]

He's actually very mentally mature in some aspects already.... He's learned to deal with childish greed, deal with disappointment, be a good friend, and even deal with a unrequited love...... So I think he's already grew up than most adults have.

[DragonFlyer 328]

Actually it is Uni but from Dungeons & Dragons The Series. In my mind he is kinda the proto pony for MLP. Lots of Gen 1 in D&D and 2 voice actors too. Would love to see Sandy Duncan come back. TY! 

Yep, I remember the D&D cartoon show too! Presto, Sheila, Hank and Uni all appeared in the board game as hero cards and figurines. Here's Uni's figurine:

 

 

 

I don't know if he can grow up without having to stop caring about his friends like that one episode.

In "Secret of My Excess" Spike's growth was brought about by his greed, I don't think growing up naturally would make him stop caring about his friends.

[Sunny Shimmer 259]

That is true. Then again Spike is the only really nice and small dragon on the show so it is hard to compare.

[sweetolebob18 724]

I had a post on this in Head Canons.  I'd link it but IDK how.  Basically, being raised by ponies means Spike is learning to be a pony & NOT a real dragon.  For ponies, greed is bad but for dragons, having a hoard is apparently as essential as eating properly.  Spike hasn't grown because he is being starved.  IMO, he is like a human child w rickets & will never grow. (Secret of My Excess)

 

T isn't doing this from meanness, but because she doesn't know any better.  I don't blame her, I blame Celestia for not ensuring Spike got proper care.

[Buzz 1,769]

Spike as been with twilight scince his birth which was at the time twilight earnt her cutie mark. By now twilight has gone through many years of studies and is at the age where she is able to like and take care of herself, however spike is still refered to as a "baby dragon." I'm not 100% convinced with this theory but could it be that dragons naturaly age slower than ponies (unless their forced to grow by hording)?

[Wind Chaser 4,767]

We don't know for sure, and likely will never know how or if Spike will grow. Even more unfortunate is how the future of the rest of the Mane 6 is pretty much set while no one in-universe or on the show staff seems to know or care where Spike goes in the future.

 

Really, all we know is that dragons grow by greed. We don't know if they can grow by other natural means, and all headcanons are mere speculation as neither Spike himself nor the dragon culture has been developed further than "Secret of My Excess" and "Dragon Quest". I accept that the "Dragon Code" from "Spike at Your Service" was made up and had no basis, as there is no way a creature whose defining characteristics are greed, hoarding, and intimidation can have a moral code.

 

I really think it's something that will unfortunately be left unexplored in the show. The way Spike has been written lately seems to suggest that the writers don't care for him, and that it sucks to be a dragon in Equestria.

[Sunny Fox 5,929]

G1 Spike is not G4 Spike... we literally saw him being hatched in Season 1. Unless you're arguing dragons are either reincarnated or can otherwise return to an egg-state. Secondly, dragons can grow by means other than greed, otherwise how would G4 Spike have grown from a baby to the juvenile dragon he is today? Although growing further may require hoarding of things.

[Ziltoid the Omniscient 286]

His growth is stunted. He wont become a full-sized dragon unless he furthers his progression in the ways of dragons. Such as hoarding gems and other items. (Secret of my Excess) He isnt being raised by dragons, but by ponies. So he's being influenced and raised to be like a pony, not a dragon. Mentally however, he is very mature for his age because of all he's learned.

[Cleverclover 1,525]

 The way Spike has been written lately seems to suggest that the writers don't care for him, and that it sucks to be a dragon in Equestria.

 

"Lately"? It's more or less been this way since the start of the show. Most of the writers simply either don't understand him or don't care to. McCarthy herself is one of the few exceptions. 

 

In fact, Natasha Levinger most likely downright hate him, what with how she treated him in It Ain't Easy Being Breezies (making him be the cause of the problem, and then dragging him to tears and making him believe that the mane six were all blaming him for what happened. I almost cried I felt so sorry for him.) 

[Jangocoolguy 433]

He DID grow in "Secret to My Excess". (It even felt like he was a rebellious teenager!).

 

Though the real thing is that like most cartoon characters, he's just stuck in that same age forever.

[MsMegan91 117]

I like him as he is, I don't want him to grow up. Even though that's completely unrealistic for the ponies to age and not Spike...

[Wind Chaser 4,767]

"Lately"? It's more or less been this way since the start of the show. Most of the writers simply either don't understand him or don't care to. McCarthy herself is one of the few exceptions.

 

Yes, I am aware that it's been going on for a while (even "Hurricane Fluttershy" had him not knowing when to shut up), but Season 4 seemed to be even harder on him. It's really made more apparent by how bad some of the episodes were and how hypocritical it was that the writers were going back to trashing him after throwing him one bone in "Power Ponies" and another in "Equestria Games".

 

Silver Quill even once said that the writers had stated in a panel that they found it better to use Spike as comic relief because he was "different" and "didn't belong". If that is not one of the worst messages this show has ever sent to its audience, I don't know what is.

 

If McCarthy is the only one that doesn't approve of Spike being treated this way, the least she could do as story editor is take charge and have the other writers make Spike a better character and not allow them to continue devolving him while giving the other characters positive reinforcement.

[Revy ~ Two Hands 862]

For the character dynamic they will never grow spike up. If you think that Twilight is mature and he spike can't be because if balancing

[Cleverclover 1,525]

Yes, I am aware that it's been going on for a while (even "Hurricane Fluttershy" had him not knowing when to shut up), but Season 4 seemed to be even harder on him. It's really made more apparent by how bad some of the episodes were and how hypocritical it was that the writers were going back to trashing him after throwing him one bone in "Power Ponies" and another in "Equestria Games".

 

Silver Quill even once said that the writers had stated in a panel that they found it better to use Spike as comic relief because he was "different" and "didn't belong". If that is not one of the worst messages this show has ever sent to its audience, I don't know what is.

 

If McCarthy is the only one that doesn't approve of Spike being treated this way, the least she could do as story editor is take charge and have the other writers make Spike a better character and not allow them to continue devolving him while giving the other characters positive reinforcement.

 

On the plus side, he was a bit more involved in season 4 than he was in previous seasons, and he'll likely be more involved in season 5 as well (since he has his own throne in the circle). 

 

Also, I take their definition of "different" to mean "male". I myself have always thought that Spike's biggest problem is that he's a man living in a woman's world. Kinda makes it seem like the show has some misandric undertones.  :okiedokielokie:

[Wind Chaser 4,767]

Also, I take their definition of "different" to mean "male". I myself have always thought that Spike's biggest problem is that he's a man living in a woman's world. Kinda makes it seem like the show has some misandric undertones.  :okiedokielokie:

There's that and the fact that he's a dragon. Non-ponies in Equestria seem to be second-class citizens, while ponies have all the power and the privilege. That's why you rarely even see them. The meta reason, of course, is because Hasbro's only in this to sell pony merch and little else.

 

I don't think the writers intend for the show to be sexist. It really is that the lack of care the writers have shown when it comes to writing male characters makes the dots very easy to connect and brings up this negative subtext. They just need to start treating their existing male characters like full characters and stop writing them as comedic props and side gags.

[Cleverclover 1,525]

I don't think the writers intend for the show to be sexist. It really is that the lack of care the writers have shown when it comes to writing male characters makes the dots very easy to connect and brings up this negative subtext. They just need to start treating their existing male characters like full characters and stop writing them as comedic props and side gags.

 

Well, it's not like there are really that many existing male characters to begin with. But I would definitely love for them to stop running Spike into the ground, because he doesn't deserve it simply on the basis that he's a male non-pony.

 

What I hate most about it is when Twilight contributes to or does nothing about his abuse, since I kinda view her as the last line of defense for his character. Yet in that scene I mentioned from IAEBB, she doesn't say a damn thing to console him. Moments like that make me feel like there is no hope for Spike's character, because if she doesn't defend him, who will? Hell, I already find it ridiculous that Twilight and Spike haven't had another episode focusing on their relationship since Owl's Well that Ends Well (which was a shitty episode, IMO). Seriously, why the hell not? If they're supposedly "best friends", why is it never actually shown? 

[Pastel 7,627]

I think it's never going to happen. Just like in many cartoons, the characters of MLP:FiM don't age.

Plus we've already seen an adult Spike in Secret of my Excess.

[Nature's Spell 526]

Although the writers have moments of great cleverness (stoping short of saying brilliance) when they go off the rails, they really go off the rails. Spike and Pinky are often flanderized and are so inconsistent that I honestly think the writers don't know how to write them well. Also many of the characters, Celestia for one, exist to move the plot along, but don't have their own storylines. They play their part and that's it. Spike seems to be like that.

Edited January 5, 2015 by Nature's Spell

[AlbaTross 1,581]

Spike's age and appearance is part of who he is IMHO. I don't think he should be aged any more than I think any of the other characters should be. Besides, it would be difficult to do without contradicting Secret of My Excess, which introduces the plot point that aging for a dragon requires giving in to materialistic urges. That doesn't mean character development isn't possible though.

[Will Guide 21,325]

It mostly depends on the writer. I prefer Megan when it comes to Spike like his support of Twilight in Lesson Zero, Equestria Girls, and The Crystal Empire. 

 

In Canon, I doubt it would happen permanently. Personally, I believe there could have been more than one way for a dragon to grow without succumbing to greed.

 

As long as Spike stays friends with and supportive of our Mane 6, that's okay with me.

[Ianpiersonjdavis 512]

The growth spurt from "Secret of My Excess" seems to imply that dragons can't physically age without being greedy jerks, so growing up in that regard seems unlikely in the show's run, until maybe the very end.

 

Though, that's par for the course in children's cartoons.

 

As a character he has shown great moments of maturity in certain episodes, however.