Sombra is THE BOSSEST villain!

[ManaMinori 4,143]

Pretty much all of the time, from what I've seen, when people bring up Sombra, there's this really negative stigma that he's boring, too bland, too edgeLord OC-like, not enough dialogue, ect ect. But is this really true? I think that the staff created him to have plenty of character; and just about made him the most intimidating and BOSSEST G4 villain to date.

The very first thing we learn about him is that he strikes FEAR in the heart of PRINCESS CELESTIA! Not only that, but it’s obvious that unlike Nightmare Moon, Discord, and Tirek- this ruler of Equestria with prophetic dreams and foresight had no frikin’ clue that Sombra was returning until he already had, and by that point, Shining and Cadance had sent a messenger to notify her to sent backup.

 

Next thing we learn- thanks to some exposition from Luna- is that this guy caused an entire empire to fall. And not just for a few centuries. Oh no, no, no. He completely wiped it off the map for 1000 years. That’s nearly Discord level shenanigans, right there.

 

 

The severity of this situation is off the scales! Instead of Celestia and Luna going to protect the empire, Sunbutt decides to leave it all up to Twilight and her friends. 6 ponies who know NOTHING about the gravity of the stakes, the villain, the kindgom, its citizens, or anything else, for that matter, yet they’re charged with not only protecting, but revitalizing an entire empire that few ponies know nothing about; up against a unicorn who knows dark magic, is strong enough to wipe locations and an entire species of pony off the map, his mere shadow instills fear into the heart of ALL the empire’s citizens, to prevent uprising, and was a constant, looming threat…... Sombra is clearly no joke.

 

This is why everyone's so anxious the entire time they're searching for the Crystal Heart. He doesn't even have to physically be there. Just mentioning his name, just his shadow makes ponies pee themselves. His only flaw is that he didn’t see anyone beyond the empire (save for maybe Sunbutt and Luna, who didn’t come for him, like they did in the past) trying to stop him; least of all the Mane 6. There’s no way he would’ve seen them coming, since 1: he was gone for 1000 years and had no knowledge of the element bearers within the past few years (the last experience he had wit the elements at all was 1000 years ago, when C&E used them against him, so he wouldn’t even know the elements had new bearers), and when he did come back with the Crystal Empire, he was camping right outside of it, trying to get in. Shining Armor, on the other hoof, did know the Mane 6 were coming. When he left the city, Sombra would have seen him first. Being a unicorn himself, he would know that Shining Armor must be the one keeping him out, since the Crystal Ponies don’t have the magic necessary to protect themselves without the Crystal Heart. All of this makes me think that Sombra was there to attack and disable Shining Armor, who as far as he knew, was the only one stopping him from reclaiming the Crystal Empire. It’s made clear early on that Sombra is, in fact, a reasoning, imposing, strong, strategic, and calculating villain, moreso than can be claimed for any of the other foes the Mane 6 have faced. His plan is not only clever, but it works. At least, it would have if Shining Armor were the only unicorn protecting the Empire. So that runs counter to the claim that “he doesn’t do anything in the episode”.

 

The thing about Sombra is that most of his villainy and planning was set up before the episode even begins. He removed the relevant page from the only book mentioning the Crystal Heart. Then he HID the heart itself, which he knew was required to defeat him. On top of that, he erased all the Crystal Ponies' knowledge of it ever having existed at all. The fact that Sombra put the Crystal heart in his castle, because he was "the dreaded", meaning the crystal ponies would be too terrified of him to even TRY looking for it, let alone in his castle, was also ingenious. The entrance to where he kept the Crystal Heart under the floor of the throne room was hidden and only someone with dark magic could open it. Dark magic that- presumably- a truly incorruptible hero would be unable or unwilling to use. None of the crystal ponies have horns, and presumably they have no magic of their own to use against him without the Crystal Heart.

 

The next trap, a door leading to the victims worst nightmare is more fiendish still, because it's triggered by using Dark Magic, which the victim would already have been primed to use because it got them results a little bit earlier, if they had found the staircase in the throne room. It's also an insurance policy against a pony having dark magic skills to begin with. The only way to escape it is to have someone else come and snap you out of it. Meaning that if Spike hadn't gone with Twilight, she would've been frozen by Sombra's illusion, and Sombra would've won, then and there.

Furthermore, Sombra also created a delaying staircase that Twilight just happened to have a spell to deal with, which she had never demonstrated before this episode. Then at the end of that, he had an alarm set up around the Crystal Heart to let him know someone (if, by some miracle, they were able to have even gotten that far) had found it. It's not an automated trap, though. When Twilight triggers it, we are given a brief glimpse of Sombra reacting and then casting the spell to trap Twilight and separating her from the Heart, making her unable to use it, even after she happens to find it. So, again, Sombra is acting and doing things in the episode. This also hints that he might have even stronger magical power that Twilight does. He's savvy enough not only to consider the possibility of her teleporting, but also has the power to override her when she tries it. 

So Sombra plans intelligently and craftily, destroys information vital to his enemies, is strong enough to negate the magical ability of both Shining Armor and Twilight (two quite insanely powerful ponies, mind you), actively targets those who stand in his way, and only comes within a hair's breadth of succeeding without barely even having to lift a hoof, were it not for a victory snatched from him due to sheer, stupid luck on the part of the Mane 6.

 

(oh, and as for the comics, let's not forget that he was able to completely annihilate a the original Princess of the empire, by turning her to stone, and blowing her to pieces all over Equestria!)

 

If that's not expert cunning, foresight, and strategy, I seriously don't know what people are expecting out of an MLP villain's (or characters in general). Because that is some serious characterization, if you ask me. The lack of a discernible personality at first glance can easily distract from the fact that Sombra was quite effective, if not THE BEST at being villainous. 

[Jeric 46,834]

I know a certain Admin who will agree with you on his general coolness.

 

I like him just fine. The comics may be a mixed bad, but his Fiendship is Magic one-shot was phenomenal. For me at least, it helped add some depth to what was a narrative blank slate.

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

And his Cutie Re-Mark timeline was the best, IMO.

[weesh 690]

nice breakdown.  wish i had read this several years ago.

 

i didn't really like him until his comics gave him a bit more depth.  they are highly recommended.

Edited February 26, 2017 by weesh

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

nice breakdown.  wish i had read this several years ago.

 

i didn't really like until his comics gave him a bit more depth.  they are highly recommended.

 

Regarding Siege Of The Crystal Empire, the only thing I really agree with the haters on is the choices of secondary antagonists (IMO, Hope only needed the Changelings).

[cmarston1 5,951]

While he isn't my favorite FIM villain, I have to give him credit for being one of if not the most competent villains the show has had so far.

[ManaMinori 4,143]

I know a certain Admin who will agree with you on his general coolness.

 

I like him just fine. The comics may be a mixed bad, but his Fiendship is Magic one-shot was phenomenal. For me at least, it helped add some depth to what was a narrative blank slate.

comics have always been a mixed bag. But they still showed off his Bossestness (I don't care if that's not a word). He still blew Princess Amore to the farthest ends of the earth. Know how long it'll take to find all her ittly bitty little stone pieces and try to rebuild her, turning her back? Nearly another 1000 years, if that! 

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,151]

You, my friend, have in great detail explained what makes Sombra not only one of Equestria's fiercest and most dangerous foes, but why he remains my favorite villain AND overall favorite character in the FiM legacy. You've mentioned is cunning & foresight, the fear that his very name strikes, the stress that the main characters were feeling, his actual power; among other things.

 

I would also like to bring attention to other facets of his: patience and lack of apparent ego.

 

1. As you note we see him camping outside of the force-field that is protecting the empire. What is good to note is that he isn't actively bashing it like the Changeling's were during the invasion of Canterlot. He is biding his time; waiting for the right moment. Not only that but when an opening does occur he doesn't just rush in. He knows well and good that Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, and the Mane 6 are unknowns to him. In his mind I feel that he doesn't take chances and, as such, would rather wait for victory than rush to failure.

 

2. Unlike Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis, and Tirek, Sombra took his opponents seriously. While I am sure he enjoyed doing what he did, he rarely showed it. He never laughed in the face of the heroes, nor pronounced his victory when all looked assured. Heck; when Spike had the Crystal Heart he took it upon himself to get it back, only losing by the smallest of margins. As much as I love Chrysalis, she was WAY too confident for her own good.

 

But yeah; thanks for posting this. Can always appreciate more Sombra love!

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

He never laughed in the face of the heroes, nor pronounced his victory when all looked assured.

 

At worst, he just briefly chuckled at them, most likely to demoralize them during the wait:

 

 

And IMO, his smoke form didn't seem to affect his actual intelligence; just his mannerisms and speech.

[ManaMinori 4,143]

And his Cutie Re-Mark timeline was the best, IMO.

I have to wonder if it really happened, though. I know shenanigans went down that's to Gutter fudging up the timelines, but it was fixed in the end, so it never happened (unless it created a completely separate AU, as every action taken/ not taken in sci-fi does, and multiverses are confirmed canon) but let's not go down that rabbit hole. 

he kinda did have the best one, tbh. Got all of Equestria involved in the war,, and everypony filled with despair and hopelessness, rather than hope and love, and Sunbutt on the front lines. (the sissy slap fighting wasn't cool, but hey, "kids show")

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

I have to wonder if it really happened, though. I know shenanigans went down that's to Gutter fudging up the timelines, but it was fixed in the end, so it never happened (unless it created a completely separate AU, as every action taken/ not taken in sci-fi does, and multiverses are confirmed canon) but let's not go down that rabbit hole. 

he kinda did have the best one, tbh. Got all of Equestria involved in the war,, and everypony filled with despair and hopelessness, rather than hope and love, and Sunbutt on the front lines. (the sissy slap fighting wasn't cool, but hey, "kids show")

 

Granted, real-life horses do fight like that; of course, these aren't real-life horses, but rather anthro people with drastically different mindsets, physics, etc.

 

And at least Sombra, Celestia, Dash, Maud, and Pinkie still fought with dignity, IMO.

Edited February 26, 2017 by A.V.

[ManaMinori 4,143]

nice breakdown.  wish i had read this several years ago.

 

i didn't really like him until his comics gave him a bit more depth.  they are highly recommended.

it's not like his character was any less evident  when he first showed up on the scene. Your loss for drawing the wrong conclusions about him and only seeing what was on the surface back then, like so many others. The comics are fine. The show defines him plenty enough, though. 

[weesh 690]

Your loss for drawing the wrong conclusions about him and only seeing what was on the surface back then...

 

That was precisely my point.

 

I pity myself.

Edited February 26, 2017 by weesh

[FlareGun45 2,221]

You know who's the REAL bossest villain?

 

Jacksepticeye! :3

[ManaMinori 4,143]

While he isn't my favorite FIM villain, I have to give him credit for being one of if not the most competent villains the show has had so far.

wish he could be revived in some way that doesn't cheapen his comic arc. Like an anomaly timeline that wasn't fixed (what with all the timeline shenanigans over the years), having an effect on the existing timeline, and not being able to be fixed with a reverse time spell or something. No doubt it could happen. 

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

Eh... I'm not a huge fan of sombra, but I respect and enjoy him from the comics, and I like his S5 version. Sombra never came across as being a threat "by himself" given how celestia and luna stomped him in the flashback, and Celestia used him as a FREAKING TEST, so I could never take him seriously as a World destroying threat on his own.

 

I enjoy the idea of him being dangerous due to having an army at his command compared to someone like discord or Tirek who are dangerous OF THEMSELVES, and I think him brainwashing everyone to work for him fits nicely with his Comic self-- In the comics, he, deep down, was essentially just wanting acceptance, so his timeline being him forcing everyone to unquestionably love him actually works well.

 

Him being a darth vader figure, being manipulated by a more evil villain but still functioning as a heavy works well IMO.

 

wish he could be revived in some way that doesn't cheapen his comic arc. Like an anomaly timeline that wasn't fixed (what with all the timeline shenanigans over the years), having an effect on the existing timeline, and not being able to be fixed with a reverse time spell or something. No doubt it could happen. 

Alternate timeline sombra.
Realities were erased from existence by the Events of the S5 finale, and chunks of "His" world get deposited in the prime reality.

[ManaMinori 4,143]

You, my friend, have in great detail explained what makes Sombra not only one of Equestria's fiercest and most dangerous foes, but why he remains my favorite villain AND overall favorite character in the FiM legacy. You've mentioned is cunning & foresight, the fear that his very name strikes, the stress that the main characters were feeling, his actual power; among other things.

 

I would also like to bring attention to other facets of his: patience and lack of apparent ego.

 

1. As you note we see him camping outside of the force-field that is protecting the empire. What is good to note is that he isn't actively bashing it like the Changeling's were during the invasion of Canterlot. He is biding his time; waiting for the right moment. Not only that but when an opening does occur he doesn't just rush in. He knows well and good that Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, and the Mane 6 are unknowns to him. In his mind I feel that he doesn't take chances and, as such, would rather wait for victory than rush to failure.

 

2. Unlike Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis, and Tirek, Sombra took his opponents seriously. While I am sure he enjoyed doing what he did, he rarely showed it. He never laughed in the face of the heroes, nor pronounced his victory when all looked assured. Heck; when Spike had the Crystal Heart he took it upon himself to get it back, only losing by the smallest of margins. As much as I love Chrysalis, she was WAY too confident for her own good.

 

But yeah; thanks for posting this. Can always appreciate more Sombra love!

you bring up good points. I like that he didn't have an ego, like so many of Equestria's other villains. Discord, NMM, Chrysalis...

 

I would love to see him return somehow, and succeed this time. He was so close before. And it's not unusual for a villain with such immense powers to totally defeat the heroes - at least for a while, like Discord did. 

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

Eh... I'm not a huge fan of sombra, but I respect and enjoy him from the comics, and I like his S5 version. Sombra never came across as being a threat "by himself" given how celestia and luna stomped him in the flashback, and Celestia used him as a FREAKING TEST, so I could never take him seriously as a World destroying threat on his own.

 

I enjoy the idea of him being dangerous due to having an army at his command compared to someone like discord or Tirek who are dangerous OF THEMSELVES, and I think him brainwashing everyone to work for him fits nicely with his Comic self-- In the comics, he, deep down, was essentially just wanting acceptance, so his timeline being him forcing everyone to unquestionably love him actually works well.

 

Him being a darth vader figure, being manipulated by a more evil villain but still functioning as a heavy works well IMO.

 

Alternate timeline sombra.

Realities were erased from existence by the Events of the S5 finale, and chunks of "His" world get deposited in the prime reality.

 

I'm pretty sure he was indeed dangerous by himself.

 

In that flashback, Celestia and Luna were clearly combining their power (and/or maybe using the Elements (it's still open to interpretation)) just to set him back (and even then, he was able to space-time-displace the whole Empire with his own power).

 

And in those same comics, he eventually returned and Medusa'd them, you know.

 

Furthermore, his Cutie Re-Mark army seemed more out of pragmatism (i.e., 'Why not just use minions to save myself time and energy?') than necessity (especially since he was still able to conjure a glorified Great Wall Of China of crystals against a group of Royal Guards charging him), IMO.

[TBD 17,228]

I have to agree you on that, King Sombra is no doubt one of the baddest and the smartest villain  of mlp. Although I wished they would bring him back just as in the comic, because him being defeated like that seem a bit lazy for someone who is like him. The comic knew what's up.

 

 

Although, I hate to say that the comic made a HUGE mistake by having King Somba reformed. Just like the changeling, it's has ruin one of mlp most iconic villain.

 

[ManaMinori 4,143]

I have to agree you on that, King Sombra is no doubt one of the baddest and the smartest villain  of mlp. Although I wished they would bring him back just as in the comic, because him being defeated like that seem a bit lazy for someone who is like him. The comic knew what's up.

 

 

Although, I hate to say that the comic made a HUGE mistake by having King Somba reformed. Just like the changeling, it's has ruin one of mlp most iconic villain.

 

I agree. the comic ruined him. But as I said in previous posts, there's always a workaround to that, without retconning it completely. Namely, timeline shenanegans, (much as I hate to use that as a plot device)

[TBD 17,228]

I agree. the comic ruined him. But as I said in previous posts, there's always a workaround to that, without retconning it completely. Namely, timeline shenanegans, (much as I hate to use that as a plot device)

As long the comic is nowhere near the series canon than it will be fine. but the good things about comics, is timelines never stay consistent. because different writers. so one of these days, we might have a writer to redeem king sombra.

[Goat-kun 2,496]

Sombra and Chrysalis were the only villains having trouble with pony resistance inside alternate realities. I am not impressed.

 

You wanna know how expert cunning, foresight, and strategy look like? Recognizing the greatest threat and destroying ToH, Castle, EoH, and Heart while having enough brains and brawn to survive the "worldwake" which would follow their demise.

 

This is why no one takes FIM villains seriously. They are a bunch of brainless sissies who don't know how to stick it to the mare, too cowardly to destroy the things that forcefully hold the strands of fate in place, too lame to be remembered by creatures who do not lick the hooves upon the royal throne, and too weak for lesser evils to rally under their banner.

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

@@Goat-kun,

 

Yes, Sombra should've just destroyed something (1) he implicitly wanted to convert from "hope and love" to "hatred and fear" and (2) needed in order to blizzard-proof the Empire.

Edited March 24, 2017 by A.V.

[Goat-kun 2,496]

Yes, Sombra should've just destroyed something (1) he implicitly wanted to convert from "hope and love" to "hatred and fear" and (2) needed in order to blizzard-proof the Empire.

Hatred? Fear? Destruction? Eeehhhhh?

 

Destroying the Heart would unleash the cold, dead fingers of the Frozen North to strangle the Crystal Empire once and for all and make it impossible for those Equestrian fools to stick their muzzles further than the Crystal Mountains.

 

Crystal ponies are a hassle to maintain anyway. Let them go. Once the Heart is destroyed and the winds of hatred start to howl, he would be free to raise a true dark armada. One that needs no food, no warmth, no rest, no love. But I guess our bossest dark lord was just too afraid of a little breeze.

[heavens-champion 1,893]

At worst, he just briefly chuckled at them, most likely to demoralize them during the wait:

 

 

And IMO, his smoke form didn't seem to affect his actual intelligence; just his mannerisms and speech.

Yeah, but it's not like he was in the mood for conversation, anyway.