Did Spike get any development during the series run?

[CastletonSnob 3,026]

Did Spike get any development over the course of the show? Because it doesn't feel like it.

[Tom Gallagher 33,522]

Dude, I get the feeling you don’t like Spike. 

[Splashee 28,537]

@CastletonSnob
Altered this thread’s title to give better context.

 

 

Yes, Spike did in fact get wings (a thing that gave Twilight "princess" status). And he did also kinda grew up during some dragon related episodes. He kinda "grew up" in the last episode as well, being all serious.

[CypherHoof 26,479]

2 minutes ago, Splashee said:

Yes, Spike did in fact get wings (a thing that gave Twilight "princess" status). And he did also kinda grew up during some dragon related episodes. He kinda "grew up" in the last episode as well, being all serious.

Well, towards the end of the show, he

• got wings
• got past his Rarity obscession and started spending time with Gabby
• collaborated with Luna to win the "supreme sibling" crown off of both Shiny AND Twi
• reached his adolescent form (which interestingly enough, seems to be the same as he imagined in the diamond dogs episode)

he has also formed strong ties with both the changeling and dragon kingdoms, became the hero of the crystal empire, and was the voice of reason for Starlight.

[Splashee 28,537]

7 minutes ago, CypherHoof said:

got past his Rarity obsession and started spending time with Gabby

That felt very forced and restricted to a single episode. I know it was 2 episodes, but it felt very forced. 

At that time, Spike even had that entire Christmas Special all dedicated to show his love for Rarity. The communication between writers of the show must have been very limited for them to not set a proper goal for Spike's love interest (Why should he even be in love to begin with? Was that a gag?)

[CypherHoof 26,479]

1 minute ago, Splashee said:

That felt very forced and restricted to a single episode. I know it was 2 episodes, but it felt very forced. 

Reminds me of S3 - I suspect that they had just one season to wrap up storylines that they could have spun out over several more.

 

1 minute ago, Splashee said:

At that time, Spike even had that entire Christmas Special all dedicated to show his love for Rarity. The communication between writers of the show must have been very limited for them to not set a proper goal for Spike's love interest (Why should he even be in love to begin with? Was that a gag?)

Rarity is a precious jewel, its not surprising she is attractive to dragons

[Flying Pencil 3,023]

At least Spike got wings at the end. 

[Dark Qiviut 22,177]

Plenty.

1. After shutting out the Dragon Lands and his identity as a dragon, he befriended Dragon Lord Ember, used their combined strengths to win the trial, and he passed the scepter to her. Their friendship established relations between Equestria and the Dragon Lands, and Spike remained an important figure in their alliance for the rest of the show.
2. Befriended Thorax the Changeling and defended him in front of Twilight and the others. His decision to risk his fame in the Crystal Empire resulted in permanent trust between Spike and Thorax and foreshadowed the hive's eventual reformation.
3. Despite a rough beginning, he got both the Changeling Kingdom and Dragon Lands to form an alliance in Triple Threat.
4. Formed a brother-sister-esque friendship with Smolder, who became very important in Molt Down, Father Knows Beast, and Sweet & Smoky.
5. Speaking of S&S, Spike was the first to realize that the baby dragons weren't hatching because they were freezing in their shells, triggering the events that saved their lives.
6. Physically grew a new pair of wings.
7. Settled the Sibling Supreme debate through one of the cleverest plans in all of FIM.
8. By befriending Gabby, no longer allowed his crush to Rarity to hold himself back anymore.
9. More importantly, he became Princess Twilight's Royal Advisor (aka, Twi's second-in-command) and Friendship Ambassador. Outside of her, he has the most important role in all of Equestria: establish relations and maintain peace between all the countries.

Edited May 5, 2021 by Dark Qiviut

[EpicEnergy 22,191]

I think that just the one event of him getting wings is enough to suggest that a good amount of development has been given to Spike.

[Thrond 3,257]

By the end of the series he still hadn't set out on his own, but it seems to me that he grew more and more independent and confident as the series went on. In season 1, he was entirely subordinate to Twilight, whereas by season 7 we have seen him going on his own adventures and befriending foreign leaders. And we see several steps of that process: in several season 4 episodes, he questions his own worth compared to his world-saving friends, and then in season 6 we see him making tough decisions independent of the ponies around him. His character development was still ongoing and relatively consistent in the later seasons, which is not always true for other characters. 

Honestly, I feel people unfairly dismiss Spike, and I'm not sure why.