Why I Hated Flutterhulk

[Lyra's Pants 154]

         For years, I've had an issue with one particular scene in "Friendship Is Magic" that burrowed inside my mind, occupying my brain to the point of obsession. This is a topic that has dominated my train of thought whenever I want to simply stray away from it. For years, my thoughts have led to a dead end, filling me with depression and keeping me away from my favorite interests. For months, I've tempered my obsession by focusing on other subjects such as school, video games, exercise, and the news. I knew the one way to make myself feel better was to ignore my problem, but now, it's come back to me. This may be embarrassing to admit, but I know exactly what I'm obsessed about: Flutterhulk from "Power Ponies."

         My first impressions were pure shock. I mean, Fluttershy becoming The Hulk? How could My Little Pony endorse a scene where this shrinking violet of a pony becomes unbelievably angry and transforms into this grotesque monster of freakish proportions over the abuse of a firefly? I seriously had to convince myself to believed that that scene actually happened.

         But immediately after, I felt simply outraged. Why would the writers condense Fluttershy's personality into something that wasn't representative of her personality? While I accept that Fluttershy's had some serious anger issues over the course of the series, basing a rage based power on Fluttershy's personality felt just excessive. Flutterrage felt like a crutch for clueless writers unsure of how to make Fluttershy stand out, the equivalent of a wrestler praising or criticizing a town he's currently in in a desperate attempt to fire up the hometown crowd, if you will. It didn't help that the other ponies seemed to gain powers based on their usual temperament (such as Pinkie Pie's Super-Speed or Rarity's Green Lantern powers). I would've expected Fluttershy to imitate Aquaman.

        Additionally, I never was bothered by Flutterhulk's design at first, but as time went on and grotesque imagery flooded my computer after I was in the middle of a creepypasta binge, a certain subset of bronies who were disturbed by Flutterhulk entered my mind, and I was instantly able to make a comparison between Flutterhulk and other nightmarish stuff such as Rap Rat or Candle Cove. I remembered among the praise Flutterhulk got were feelings of horror, disgust, and uneasiness, mainly due to her design. Flutterhulk looked more freakish than even Bulk Biceps with his uneven proportions and unrecognizable form. I've heard such comments as:

     "Powered-up Saddle Rager is the first thing I've seen on the show that I would describe as downright... ugly."

    "She's misshapen in ways that make me think of the .MOV series."

    "I could see it getting tagged grotesque by some sensitive f***ots if it were fanmade."

       Just how could Fluttershy in any single conceivable way be described as ugly, let alone not being cute? So Flutterhulk's physical appearance as well as her demeanor were hideous? What a great team up! Yes, Fluttershy could have an ugly personality in such episodes as "Putting Your Hoof Down," but this took it to a whole new level. I felt Flutterhulk was a complete perversion of everything that was beautiful about Fluttershy. Not even that shy, awkward hoof tapping at the end could salvage anything.

        But the biggest reason why Flutterhulk felt me with such despair was far more deep rooted into my psychology rather than ugliness or rage possibly can. It goes all the way back when I discovered this show on May 2011. When I laid my eyes upon Fluttershy, she defined the word beauty as far as cartoon horses go. Her long, silky pink mane coupled with her distinct drooping eyes and yellow coat was pleasing to the eye and made for an appropriate color palette. Additionally, her timid but with an iron core personality and desire to love and protect her furry woodland creatures were downright inspiring. Fluttershy was a breath of fresh air after I witnessed mean-spirited cartoon characters abuse each other in comical ways. I also saw myself in Fluttershy, being a socially-awkward introvert with a love for animals (particularly dogs) and occasional explosive outbursts. That means, whenever I saw Fluttershy on my screen, I vividly imagined myself being in her situations, such as being bullied as a child.

        On the other hand, Fluttershy faced some steep competition with another pegasus pony with a conflicting personality: Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash was the opposite of Fluttershy: bold, daring, loyal, but also brash, arrogant, and insensitive. I could imagine a bully I've experienced in my lifetime trash talking me as Rainbow Dash, insulting my intelligence and calling me malicious names. Now, I don't imagine Rainbow Dash being particularly cruel, but there were moments, particularly in Season 1 and 2, where Rainbow Dash could outright treat her friends harshly, especially Fluttershy. At first, I didn't really mind, but when I was reading a story about a wrestler named Randy Orton berating fellow wrestler Kofi Kingston, calling him, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" after a botched sequence of moves, I realized that immediately after that scenario, Randy Orton ascended to the top of the WWE while Kofi Kingston toiled away in mid-level obscurity. Soon after reading about that story, I imagined Rainbow Dash saying, "NOT YOUR FAULT," while fixing a dirty look at Fluttershy in "Dragonshy" or Rainbow Dash taking her aggression out at Fluttershy for her feeble cheering in "Sonic Rainboom." I wondered if Rainbow's unfriendly treatment of Fluttershy in such moments would affect Rainbow's popularity positively and Fluttershy's negatively, like in that situation with Randy and Kofi.

       Speaking of popularity, Fluttershy seemed to be Rainbow Dash's #1 competition in terms of popularity polls. For years, I would obsess over the popularity polls in hopes that Fluttershy would lead a crushing victory over Rainbow Dash. Although Fluttershy won or tied a fair number of polls, Rainbow would dominate her in others. I would obsess over this information to the point of losing my original interests. The reason why I was preoccupied with the polls was the desire of being accepted within the brony community. Rainbow Dash was seemingly ubiquitous in My Little Pony culture, being the center of the most popular fan content. Therefore, I believed not picking Rainbow Dash as my favorite character would be a sign that I was a freak. I was tired of "not being normal," yet I loved My Little Pony mainly for Fluttershy. I also imagined the fanbase taking Rainbow Dash as their own personal pet, showering her with love, affection, and presents, while Fluttershy was left to rot inside a filthy cupboard, fed nothing but scraps and toilet water due to not being the "favorite pony." A ridiculous thought, I know, but Fluttershy felt so much like me that this issue really affected me on a personal level. I was confused as to why a pony with the ego on level with characters such as Trixie would be so universally beloved.

        Fortunately, at Comic-Con 2013, there came a glimmer of hope that would finally keep me in peace. They were organizing an official fan-favorite poll, and the winner would receive a marathon dedicated to episodes starring that particular character. Coincidentally, around the beginning of the poll, some sneak previews of Season 4 episodes were shown to the Comic-Con attendants. One such preview featured the ponies as superheros. I remember Fluttershy being called "Saddle Ranger." I never suspected anything else. When Fluttershy finally overtook Rarity in the official pony poll (admittedly, some people may have spam voted Rarity, making the poll somewhat corrupt), the time had finally come that the kindest, most beautiful pony to ever grace this show was the most beloved of the mane 6, a well-deserved outcome. Until December 14th when they showed who truly "Saddle Ranger" was in another Power Ponies preview, I was finally able to get on with my life. No more popularity poll obsessions. No more negative thoughts of Rainbow Dash. Beauty ponified had finally claimed victory once and for all, and justice may had well been served.

 

         Until the airing of Power Ponies, I was the happiest I had ever been. But when I saw Fluttershy Hulk Out, I was able to tie what I saw in the Comic-Com preview with Flutterhulk. "Saddle Ranger" was supposed to be "Saddle Rager," meaning Flutterhulk had already been confirmed months ago and no one ever realized it. Honestly, if they showed Flutterhulk instead of the introduction of the Power Ponies, it wouldn't make much of a difference to me. I desperately wanted Fluttershy to win because not only because I saw myself in her, but she was as beautiful as beauty could be. But when My Little Pony basically told us that they would subvert her beauty, both physically and mentally, in the complete antithesis of what I liked in Fluttershy, if only for a minute, then that devastated me for years. Eventually, I decided obsessing over such a seemingly inconsequential moment was a threat to my social life and education, so I turned to other interests because if I were to watch My Little Pony again, the faintest thoughts about Flutterhulk would arise in my mind, shifting me into the topic I so desperately needed to escape.

 

         So here I am now, finally getting something off my chest that disturbed me for years. The truth of the matter is, Flutterhulk didn't devastate me simply because she used physical force as opposed to "The Stare" and her words, she channeled some seriously extreme anger that I hated about Fluttershy's writing, or she was ugly. If Flutterbat was the one form people would be repulsed by, I wouldn't mind half as much about Fluttershy possibly being ugly. It was just that perfect storm of physical and psychologically ugliness that was hinted at the most seemingly inappropriate time. If Flutterhulk had aired over a year or so later, I probably wouldn't mind her as much as I did. I always love Fluttershy, and I was able to understand why Flutterhulk made sense as time went on, but I still can't believe to this day My Little Pony was able to air a pretty little pegasus morphing into a giant monster before smashing a hair dryer.

[1111 1,284]

It seems pretty tame for even a kids show of what she turned into and destroying a object is pretty pg, to be honest you care way too much.

[Lyra's Pants 154]

Admittedly, it was the timing that got me riled up, not simply because Fluttershy was ugly or violent or anything. That's why I wanted to stray away from My Little Pony for a bit. I just get so obsessive over things that may not even matter to others.

It seems pretty tame for even a kids show of what she turned into and destroying a object is pretty pg, to be honest you care way too much.

[Malinter 3,064]

There are several episodes of the show where fluttershy has not stood up for herself because she feels weak or afraid. Basically "Flutterhulk" is just the "New Fluttershy" personality from the episode "Putting Your Hoof Down", only taken to its extreme outcome through the medium of the comic book world.

 

(Personally I found her transformation to Flutterhulk the greatest thing i'd ever seen in the show. I litterally cried laughing at the awesome absurdity of it XD)

Edited December 23, 2015 by Malinter

[Lyra's Pants 154]

According to the context of this episode, Flutterhulk felt more like "Stare Master" or "Dragonshy" than "Putting Your Hoof Down." Think about it, in "Power Ponies," Flutterhulk came about from the abuse of a firefly. Fluttershy typically channels her protective instinctive by using words and staring, as opposed to sheer unbridled rage, which comes about from other means (not being loved, assertiveness training). I get that Fluttershy becomes angry when others are harmed, but I know she shows a certain level of restraint when dealing with bullies, as opposed to using physical violence. That was part of that "perfect storm" I was talking about in my post.

There are several episodes of the show where fluttershy has not stood up for herself because she feels weak or afraid. Basically "Flutterhulk" is just the "New Fluttershy" personality from the episode "Putting Your Hoof Down", only taken to its extreme outcome through the medium of the comic book world.

[AbeLinkedIn 69]

The way I see it, FlutterHulk fits Fluttershy like a glove, or whatever the pony equivalent is. Look at Bruce Banner: He too is mild mannered and shy, but turns into the Hulk when angered. What's more is that Banner usually has regret for the damage he causes as Hulk, to the point of sequestering himself away to Africa because of the damage he and the Hulkbuster caused in Age of Ultron. Fluttershy would most certainly regret what she did too, even locking herself away in Putting your Hoof Down because she felt dirty for basically bullying anyone who got in her way. 

 

If nothing else, it's more for comedy, how the most timid and, some would argue, cowardly member of the mane 6 would have a destructive temper. It's been around for a while, since MLP is not the first show to do this (Anyone remember Ned Flanders' freak out in The Simpsons when Springfield tries to rebuild his home after a hurricane but they proved their incompetence?)

 

Of course this is just my personal take on this. Make of it what you will, but again, just how I see things. 

[Lyra's Pants 154]

I truly understand why Flutterhulk makes perfect sense, and your analysis helped further increase my understand on Fluttershy's character. Flutterhulk is a surprisingly good fit for the character. I just wish Power Ponies had been non-canon or if they aired the episode at a different time. Maybe even modify the design to make it a little less exaggerated or more Fluttershy-like. It wasn't merely just Fluttershy's rage or physical unattractiveness that got me upset. It was just that "perfect storm" I talked about earlier.

The way I see it, FlutterHulk fits Fluttershy like a glove, or whatever the pony equivalent is. Look at Bruce Banner: He too is mild mannered and shy, but turns into the Hulk when angered. What's more is that Banner usually has regret for the damage he causes as Hulk, to the point of sequestering himself away to Africa because of the damage he and the Hulkbuster caused in Age of Ultron. Fluttershy would most certainly regret what she did too, even locking herself away in Putting your Hoof Down because she felt dirty for basically bullying anyone who got in her way. 

 

If nothing else, it's more for comedy, how the most timid and, some would argue, cowardly member of the mane 6 would have a destructive temper. It's been around for a while, since MLP is not the first show to do this (Anyone remember Ned Flanders' freak out in The Simpsons when Springfield tries to rebuild his home after a hurricane but they proved their incompetence?)

 

Of course this is just my personal take on this. Make of it what you will, but again, just how I see things. 

[AbeLinkedIn 69]

I don't really see it at canonical, in a sense. I consider it a filler episode honestly, since the only thing that came out of it was Spike feeling less useless like Hum Drum. Of course me being a huge comic nerd, I could hand-wave some of the more questionable parts of the episode like this. All the same, I still just consider it a filler episode, not really one that advances the season-wide plot, since the only portion alluding to it was Twilight and company fixing the castle in the beginning while Spike read his comic book. 

[Megas 27,786]

lol I loved Flutterhulk. It looks so ridiculous and even somewhat out of place but damn did give me a good laugh, especially when she still followed it up her signature Fluttershy moment

 

 

Honestly it's a side of Fluttershy I enjoy seeing, snapping when something bad happens with her friends and animals

Edited December 24, 2015 by Santa Megas

[cider float 2,538]

Yeah I didn't like her design as Flutterhulk as well. I expected her power to be using some kind of petrifying eye laser attack since she has the Stare which strangely hasn't come back since that encounter with Discord. But her being Flutterhulk is to be expected as a secondary choice as she seems to have a sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde scenario going about her from time to time and she does gain a sudden increase in physical strength when she did get mad in Putting Your Hoof Down like hurling a stallion several miles away or bucking trash on top of two ponies. Flutterhulk's design was nasty and I was getting tired of Fluttershy using her "rage out" as a means to sell her character, I mean it was amusing and one of the reasons I liked the character in the first place but they were on that too often that I wished Fluttershy could show other sides of her like her timid antics which were in fact some of her funniest scenes. I found her shyness a lot more funny to watch than Pinkie Pie. :S

Edited December 24, 2015 by cider float

[Lyra's Pants 154]

When I saw Flutterhulk for the first time, I was worried that the writers had forgotten about what made Fluttershy so wonderful in the first place. It wasn't Fluttershy's explosive character that made her Fluttershy in the first place; it was her humble kindness and gentle demeanor that attracted me to her. I thought the writers found such aspects of her character boring and instead forced situations where she would be extremely timid one moment, the other truly furious. Fortunately, Fluttershy hadn't raged out since Power Ponies, so I guess they understand Lauren Faust's true intentions of writing Fluttershy. I just wish Flutterhulk occurred a season later. It had only been over a year since Fluttershy lashed out at her friends in "Putting Your Hoof Down" and Fluttershy stomped on Rainbow Dash in "Dragon Quest."

lol I loved Flutterhulk. It looks so ridiculous and even somewhat out of place but damn did give me a good laugh, especially when she still followed it up her signature Fluttershy moment

 

 

Honestly it's a side of Fluttershy I enjoy seeing, snapping when something bad happens with her friends and animals

Yeah I didn't like her design as Flutterhulk as well. I expected her power to be using some kind of petrifying eye laser attack since she has the Stare which strangely hasn't come back since that encounter with Discord. But her being Flutterhulk is to be expected as a secondary choice as she seems to have a sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde scenario going about her from time to time and she does gain a sudden increase in physical strength when she did get mad in Putting Your Hoof Down like hurling a stallion several miles away or bucking trash on top of two ponies. Flutterhulk's design was nasty and I was getting tired of Fluttershy using her "rage out" as a means to sell her character, I mean it was amusing and one of the reasons I liked the character in the first place but they were on that too often that I wished Fluttershy could show other sides of her like her timid antics which were in fact some of her funniest scenes. I found her shyness a lot more funny to watch than Pinkie Pie. :S

I kinda got used to her design over the years. Sure, Flutterhulk isn't exactly what I would call "pretty," but at least I can stomach her design for the most part. It's just what people were saying about her that kinda mad me sad.

[cider float 2,538]

Bulk Bicep is more or less a visual gag but him and Flutterhulk are kind of overdone by the standards of MLP. They actually do look like they came out of a disgusting fan parody like Pony.mov which I usually don't like talking about. 

[Lyra's Pants 154]

I remember Meghan McCarthy hyping it up on Twitter, saying, "Smashing. Simply smashing, I tell ya!" Yeah, I admit, the firefly seemed a bit too contrived for it to really work. Perhaps I'm nitpicking, but maybe Flutterhulk may had worked better if Fluttershy got mad about Spike or her friends being abused. It just didn't seem like My Little Pony for Fluttershy to transform into this giant monster and smash a hair dryer. It felt more like something out of .Mov, to be honest. I probably never wouldn't had found it funny no matter how many people keep praising it.

I disliked FlutterHulk simply because the writers tried really hard to make it funny.

It just... wasn't funny.

Edited December 24, 2015 by Lyra's Pants

[EmeraldSkies 93]

I haven't seen the full episode again since it first aired, so my judgement may not be perfectly fit. That out of the way, I don't really mind Flutterhulk. It got a laugh out of me when it happened, and that's all I can say.

 

EDIT: I just watched it again, it seems very forced that she would become that angry at a small bug. Flutterhulk reflecting the hit still gets a giggle, but the rest is forced. 

[Lyra's Pants 154]

Yep. Just simply forced. It felt the writers had to shoehorn Flutterrage so much that it kinda detracted from her character. Fluttershy's not some pony with a hair-trigger temper, but one who's defined by kindness and humility. If Fluttershy beat the everloving crap out of the dragon in "Dragonshy," then portraying the message of "Don't lose your faith in your friends" like that would be overkill.

I haven't seen the full episode again since it first aired, so my judgement may not be perfectly fit. That out of the way, I don't really mind Flutterhulk. It got a laugh out of me when it happened, and that's all I can say.

 

EDIT: I just watched it again, it seems very forced that she would become that angry at a small bug. Flutterhulk reflecting the hit still gets a giggle, but the rest is forced. 

[EmeraldSkies 93]

Fluttershy's not some pony with a hair-trigger temper, but one who's defined by kindness and humility.

 

I agree. When Fluttershy is angry, it's because so many things have happened and she's at her breaking point, and / or she realizes that she's the one that needs to protect her friends. They could have changed Flutterhulk to fit these (quite easily actually) but instead they made it so it seemed she was only angry at the Mane-iac for hurting the fly, and not for hurting her friends.

Edited December 24, 2015 by EmeraldSkies

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

Well, that's just like your opinion man

 

I liked flutterhulk myself, though I would prefer she get a more animal tamer type power if she ever had another random power episode.

[LHfunk 422]

TL;DR

 

I got the gist of it though, and it seems to me that you are just mad at the fact that when they made the ponies have powers parodying superheroes, the one that rarely gets angry and is normally a nice, average person gets to parody Bruce Banner and the Hulk. Bruce is a nice, average person that doesn't get angry often. But when he does, it's bad. That's Fluttershy in a nutshell (without a lot of focus on her nice side, which is more prominent). There really isn't another superhero parallel for her that would be good. Your suggestion of Aquaman wouldn't really make sense. Aquaman fits Fluttershy in only one aspect, while Hulk fits multiple. Really it's just you getting worked up over the most fitting superhero parallel to your favorite character because you don't like it.

 

Edit: Also, a point that people seem to be making is that it doesn't make sense that she got that angry. But it's the Hulk she's parodying, and any anger makes that happen. Even if it's just some stupid little thing, if it angers them, they hulk out. It's not a matter of anger level, it's a matter of whether they are angry at all.

Edited December 24, 2015 by LHfunk

[Lyra's Pants 154]

TL;DR

 

I got the gist of it though, and it seems to me that you are just mad at the fact that when they made the ponies have powers parodying superheroes, the one that rarely gets angry and is normally a nice, average person gets to parody Bruce Banner and the Hulk. Bruce is a nice, average person that doesn't get angry often. But when he does, it's bad. That's Fluttershy in a nutshell (without a lot of focus on her nice side, which is more prominent). There really isn't another superhero parallel for her that would be good. Your suggestion of Aquaman wouldn't really make sense. Aquaman fits Fluttershy in only one aspect, while Hulk fits multiple. Really it's just you getting worked up over the most fitting superhero parallel to your favorite character because you don't like it.

 

Edit: Also, a point that people seem to be making is that it doesn't make sense that she got that angry. But it's the Hulk she's parodying, and any anger makes that happen. Even if it's just some stupid little thing, if it angers them, they hulk out. It's not a matter of anger level, it's a matter of whether they are angry at all.

Admittedly, I totally understand why they made Fluttershy the Hulk. It's just that I expect Fluttershy to be beautiful, both physically and thematically, and taking away her beauty felt like an insult to her character. Hinting that Fluttershy would become The Hulk around the time of the fan favorite poll felt like a total d**k move for me. If they had simply aired the episode a few season later, I wouldn't be half as worked up as I was about Flutterhulk. Besides, having Flutterhulk occur only a year after Putting Your Hoof Down felt a little excessive.

Well, that's just like your opinion man

 

I liked flutterhulk myself, though I would prefer she get a more animal tamer type power if she ever had another random power episode.

Right now, I guess I'm fine with Flutterhulk. Maybe if they modified the design a little bit and make it more appealing to the eye, I'd be even happier with it.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

Maybe if they modified the design a little bit and make it more appealing to the eye, I'd be even happier with it.

 

On this I will agree. I do wish they'd made flutterhulk a bit more eyepleasing, that's my only real gripe really.

[Lyra's Pants 154]

Disclaimer: For the record, I do see why the writers chose the Hulk as Fluttershy's superhero counterpart. Bruce Banner, like Fluttershy, is shy and social-withdrawn with a hidden monstrous side that he's reluctant to carry around. Aquaman would've also been an appropriate fit, but likely wouldn't have drawn as many laughs as Flutterhulk. As I said before, it was the timing that threw me off. I just wish they aired the episode a year later because not only is airing Power Ponies a year after Putting Your Hoof Down a little excessive, but the sneak peak of Power Ponies coincided with the Fan Favorite Poll.

[SilverStarApple 849]

Yeah, Flutterhulk is ugly, and an oversimplification of her character. But I suppose its symbolic of how humanity (Or in this case, ponies) have the potential to become monsters. ...Even though the actual hulk already did that and did it better. Still, this reaction seems a little extreme.

[cider float 2,538]

Well, that's just like your opinion man

 

I liked flutterhulk myself, though I would prefer she get a more animal tamer type power if she ever had another random power episode.

Would of made way more sense for Flutterhulk to smash Discord who's like MLP's Loki.

[Steve Piranha 29,443]

The absurdity of the scene was funny, but I agree on something: I don't wanna see Flutterhulk again ever. Cutest poneh becoming THAT? funny: yes, pleasant in the eyes: NOPE

[Makazi 317]

I think you're potentially aggrandizing the situation.