Did you ever like Discord as a villain? I didn't.

[TheMarkz0ne 962]

This isn't a thread bashing on Discord. When I first started watching FiM and hearing the hype behind him, I was curious. After the season 2 opener, I didn't see why people thought he was amazing. I found him funny, obnoxious and merely a trouble maker. I just never saw evil in him. I thought making Discord a good guy was a proper way to explore his character and maybe in the future his origins. He has gotten better in future episodes.

 

He is just not a good villain and here's why. You have this being who can do almost anything he wants, he is not a god, and I doubt he is the end all in Equestria. He's like the genie from Aladdin but with a love for chaos. I mean look at Chrysalis and Sombra, they aren't nearly as powerful and they accomplished more. Discord allowed the Elements to turn him to stone. 

 

Chrysalis succeeded in taking Canterlot, she defeated Celestia and she even defeated Twilight. Imagine Twilight's fury, her brother under mind control, Cadence nearly killed in the caves, Celestia taken down and Chrysalis just brings her in and basically says " you lose, na nana na na."

 

Sombra got owned by a purple dragon, but he at least gave our mare some trouble.

 

So explain if you like him as a villain, or if you don't like me. 

[Castle Bleck 19,453]

Having Discord debut as a villain was the best way to introduce him, but having him become "good"/neutral after that was the best way to keep him around without having him get stale, IMO.

 

P.S.: Don't forget, Sombra also managed to cast a reality-warping curse on a whole kingdom for 1,000 years, not to mention his ability to negate others' magic if he could get them with his crystals, so he wasn't too far behind Discord in the power department.

Edited December 14, 2015 by A.V.

[PacificGreen 1,163]

I agree with A.V. His development from chaotic god-being to something of a friend to the mane 6 was actually quite nice.

[Silver Stream. 708]

While you do make fair points, I'll have to disagree with Discord being a bad villain. I personally find him.more appealing as a reformed trickster but that does not mean he was ever bad a villain.

 

His pros outweigh the cons....because he was able to accomplish something no other villain within the s ties has done: break up the mane six and render the elements useless. In a way, he's like Sombra when it comes to cunning....able to take extra precautions to make sure a plan fails. Remember, Discord caused the everfree forest to go nuts because he knew he'd be defeated and made sure to cause trouble in the future. Its only small details they fail.to consider which leads to their epic failure such as Sombra not counting Spike and Discord not counting the tree of harmony's strength during the time he planted those seeds.

 

 

Discord managed to emotionally BREAK the mane six which is more evil.in itself. Some would agree that's worse than physical pain or world domination. He succeeds in a way....his only downfall is the fact he celebrates victory too soon or procrastinates with completing his evil deeds.

 

Also, without Discord, Tirek never would have managed to grow so powerful, it was with his help Tirek gained so much power so quickly

[Dark Qiviut 22,606]

He wasn't just a good villain. He was a great villain. Outside of Starlight, he was the only villain with a very clear-cut character that wasn't cookie-cutter or clichéd. But there are other reasons:

1. He has no set goal. What he wants to do is replace Equestria's topography to his own logic-breaking fantasy. But what does he do if he gets bored? Snaps the fingers. New, fresh chaos. He changes it at anytime, anyplace.
2. He's not a villain who wants to kill. One big cliché in villains is to itch to kill the protagonist. Throwing even a punch violates his morals. He went to attack you psychologically and emotionally. Break down Twilight's psyche at the expense of his work.

[Sidral Mundet 1,666]

While I do like him as a (sort of anti-) hero, I really liked him as a villain as well, for one reason. He is the only villain to ever attack/go after the Mane 6 on a personal level.  All the other villains just sort of lump the Mane 6 together and never interact with them outside of Twilight. Discord recognized the value and importance of each of them and is the only villain to do so thus far and without the friendships reports Celestia sent last minute, he would have won too! 

[Jangocoolguy 433]

Not really.

 

Turning Equestria into Wackyland doesn't really rank very high on the Evil Meter to me.

[sweetolebob18 728]

IMO, the big problem w Discord s he is too powerful.  In his book The Rivan Codex author David Eddings talks about writing fantasy.  He says something to the effect that it is important to limit magic users.  Too powerful & they are like God.  They can obliterate enemies with a thought.  Who is going to get into the ring & go 15 rounds with them?  It's pretty much the same problem ordinary crooks have w Super Man.  Discord is like Superman without Kryptonite only more so. 

 

If Discord had been limited by being unable to harm the Mane 6 (because  of their connection w the Elements of Harmony (they'd be sort of like a genie's bottle -able to control him)) or affect them without their consent, it would have been MUCH better (It still could have worked.  When they went into the maze, they consented to the contest.  He didn't harm them, just put them in touch w their Inner Brat. Everyone knows Enlightenment Is Good, right?)

 

This would have brought him down to the level of Him in Power Puff Girls.  To me, a much better plan.  They missed their last chance in Keep Calm and Flutter On.  They could have gotten him to agree to be reduced in power in order to be set free.  Now that he is reformed, he could have solved the problems in half the episodes in 10 seconds flat.  WAY over powered.

 

That being said, I liked him in Return Of Harmony.  He & Starlight are the only 2 villains w 3 digit IQs. He was only beaten because of overconfidence

[Castle Bleck 19,453]

IMO, the big problem w Discord s he is too powerful.  In his book The Rivan Codex author David Eddings talks about writing fantasy.  He says something to the effect that it is important to limit magic users.  Too powerful & they are like God.  They can obliterate enemies with a thought.  Who is going to get into the ring & go 15 rounds with them?  It's pretty much the same problem ordinary crooks have w Super Man.  Discord is like Superman without Kryptonite only more so. 

 

If Discord had been limited by being unable to harm the Mane 6 (because  of their connection w the Elements of Harmony (they'd be sort of like a genie's bottle -able to control him)) or affect them without their consent, it would have been MUCH better (It still could have worked.  When they went into the maze, they consented to the contest.  He didn't harm them, just put them in touch w their Inner Brat. Everyone knows Enlightenment Is Good, right?)

 

This would have brought him down to the level of Him in Power Puff Girls.  To me, a much better plan.  They missed their last chance in Keep Calm and Flutter On.  They could have gotten him to agree to be reduced in power in order to be set free.  Now that he is reformed, he could have solved the problems in half the episodes in 10 seconds flat.  WAY over powered.

 

That being said, I liked him in Return Of Harmony.  He & Starlight are the only 2 villains w 3 digit IQs. He was only beaten because of overconfidence

 

Twilight was able to break herself and her friends out of his brainwashing and use a reality-"unwarping" bubble near the end of The Return Of Harmony, Celestia was able to enchant the Elements against him stealing them again in Keep Calm And Flutter On, the Tatzlwurm was able to make him sick in Three's A Crowd, Tirek was able to drain him in Twilight's Kingdom, Zecora was able to brew a potion that could break one of his (presumed) spells in What About Discord?, etc. And in the comics, he revealed he can't alter history in IDW #24, and Luna was revealed to have an advantage over him in the Dreamscape in Friends Forever #20.

 

P.S.: Sombra had "a 3-digit IQ" as well, given how far he planned ahead in hiding the Heart, not to mention the comics revealing he actually preplanned the Empire's curse as an in-case-of-defeat contingency.

Edited December 14, 2015 by A.V.