How would you have fixed Spike?

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

I've noticed that quite a few fans are either neutral on Spike, or don't like him, saying the show wasted his potential.

How would you have fixed it so Spike would be more popular? Maybe reveal his parents? Or is Spike fine the way he is?

[JMTV99 1,348]

He's fine the way he was. Just give him a backstory about his parents. That's all.

[Astralshy 23,624]

53 minutes ago, JMTV99 said:

He's fine the way he was.

I agree. I never understood why so few people like him anyway. Nothing is perfect, but as @JMTV99 said he's fine. He has advantages and disadvantages, moments where he shines bright and other where he doesn't like any other character on the show. In my opinion Spike is fine the way he is.

[Fhaolan 4,468]

Spike is my wife's favorite character, so I'm not sure this premise is quite right. However....

There were a couple of things that bothered me about Spike, but they may not have been things that bothered other people.

1) The inconsistent levels of competency: While he was a 'baby dragon', and therefore shouldn't be competent at all things, he was regularly shown as taking care of Twilight: cooking, cleaning, organizing, etc. And yet whenever he would do these exact same things for others, he was completely incompetent and destructive. Childish, sure. Lack of foresight, definitely. But incapable of handling flour and eggs for the Apples when he was a considered a cordon bleu chef at other times? No, that's changing the fundamentals of the character to force a conflict in a story.

2) I honestly think there was unexplored potential in his backstory. We didn't need to 'see' his parents per se, but it would have been nice to find out more about Celestia's School's entrance exam. Did all the applicants have to try to hatch that egg? Did anyone other than Twilight succeed? (Assuming this was a standard 'show how you approach' test rather than a 'do you succeed' test.) How long had that been going on? How did they get the egg in the first place? What test do they do now, or have they gotten ahold of another egg? Now that there are cordial relations with dragons, what do *they* think of this whole arrangement?

[Goat-kun 2,500]

You're fighting so you can watch everypony around you die. Think Spike! You'll outlast every fragile, insignificant being in this princessdom. You'll live to see this realm crumble to dust and blow away. Everypony and everything you know will be gone.

[Props Valroa 26,053]

I'd have his parents explained and fix the writer's errors and inconsistencies. 

[Thrond 3,257]

I don't really mind Spike. His characterization strikes me as relatively consistent, and he achieved most of his goals. I'm not as big a fan of some of the episodes where he just acts selfishly and has to learn not to be selfish, but I feel like most of the main characters have had a few episodes like that. I guess the two big changes I would make are: 1. deal with his crush on Rarity a lot earlier, and 2. explore his backstory in a bit more detail. I don't need his entire life story, but his relationship with Twilight is kinda confusing. 

Edited May 11, 2021 by AlexanderThrond

[Tao 6,739]

• Why did Princess Sunbutt use his egg as a test for Twilight?
• What is his parents backstory and how did Princess Sunbutt get his egg?
• Make less of a yes man at times more and lets keep him growing his backbone a bit.
• Should have stropped the rarity crush thing like around season 3ish.
• Have him get his wings around when Twilight got hers and have flying lessons shared.
• Oddly more time with Ember and learning about dragons a bit more,  like folklore and etc.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

Spike is good as he is. I just feel that the writers didn't work hard enough to give him solid episodes. Equestria Games was pretty good. Secret of my Excess was the best and so was Gauntlet of Fire. The worst: Easy, Spike at Your Service. The lesson in this episode was really blurry and clouded by the shenanigans. 

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

How would you have fixed Spike?

 

Taken him to the vet and had him neutered?

 

[Cash In 21,543]

Honestly, Spike was perfectly fine as a character. It was more so the episodes themselves that people generally had a problem with. If I could add anything, I would explain his parents and origin, since that was a question a lot of us had since the very beginning.

[JMTV99 1,348]

3 hours ago, Cash_In said:

Honestly, Spike was perfectly fine as a character. It was more so the episodes themselves that people generally had a problem with. If I could add anything, I would explain his parents and origin, since that was a question a lot of us had since the very beginning.

My thoughts exactly.

[EpicEnergy 22,105]

I'm not going to attempt to fix something that isn't broken. Spike, in my opinion, is fine just the way he is.

[Misty Shadow 7,093]

7 hours ago, EpicEnergy said:

I'm not going to attempt to fix something that isn't broken. Spike, in my opinion, is fine just the way he is.

My thoughts exactly. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." is a saying for a reason and I couldn't care less if something made well isn't good enough for someone else.

[Sonic Shimmer 4,116]

Spike rocks, he doesn't need to be changed.

[Will Guide 21,325]

On 2021-05-10 at 8:13 PM, Tao said:

• Why did Princess Sunbutt use his egg as a test for Twilight?
• What is his parents backstory and how did Princess Sunbutt get his egg?

I literally thought about writing a time travel story that happened alongside Twilight and Spike having to deal with Starlight's revenge on at the end of season 5. It involves a pony making sure that Spike's egg would be safely delivered from his doomed parents to Celestia as part of the parents' last request.

Although it's incredibly obvious that hatching a dragon egg is actually not a regular part of any and all entrance exam. If it was true then there would be a lot more dragons in Canterlot other than Spike. I'm pretty sure that the ponies who are grading filly Twilight were told that hatching a dragon egg is impossible for an ordinary pony and that she would be graded on how she responds to her failure.

But if she was someone really special to Celestia she would end up doing the impossible and end up hatching the egg. That is why not only did Celestia allow Twilight admittance into her school but she becomes her personal student.

[Will Guide 21,325]

@Cash_In @Fhaolanmy previous post answers to your post as well

[FlareGun45 2,221]

Well, there's ONE problem I wish they'd talk about with him.

He's too attached to Twilight for his own good. He's been a kid throughout the show so that's understandable.

But he's growing up, and I'd like to think he became ambassador cause He's tired of being beside Twilight all the time, taking notes and holding books. He'd rather help in a different way.

He left his friends in Ponyville for her. With all the times Twilight has been achieving her destiny, has she ever asked him how he felt or what he wanted to do? Spike makes too many decisions based on Twilight's choices - he's not thinking about what he wants enough. He's too nice like that. What's his destiny? What's his purpose as a main character? Does he wanna be an errand boy forever? Does he even realize his own potential, or is he too insecure and afraid to look after himself?

Oh yeah, and explanation on his connection with the Tree of Harmony. Remember, he was part of the final climax in the finale - but how?

Edited June 1, 2021 by FlareGun45

[Venomous 18,813]

On 2021-05-10 at 10:23 AM, JMTV99 said:

He's fine the way he was. Just give him a backstory about his parents. That's all.

Agreed, it’s not what what the writers did but rather what they didn’t do. Spike should have gotten a legitimate background story and having his parents introduced even if it was just in a flashback. They made a mistake with the episode Father Knows Beast. It was a wasted opportunity.

[JMTV99 1,348]

14 minutes ago, The Wife of Hawks said:

Agreed, it’s not what what the writers did but rather what they didn’t do. Spike should have gotten a legitimate background story and having his parents introduced even if it was just in a flashback. They made a mistake with the episode Father Knows Beast. It was a wasted opportunity.

I agree.

[Rainy Daze 1,700]

Have him actually grow up? 

You just need to show that he's matured over time and gotten over a lot of his childish tendencies. Show him taking up more serious responsibilities or getting over his crush on Rarity. 

He only gets a lot of criticism because he's not handled in the best way. At one point he can be quite childish and infantile but whenever the show needs it he's capable of looking after himself or hangs out with adult characters like their his equal. (I mean Smolder is meant to be way older than him but the dynamic just doesn't work that way) That would work if the growth from that first point to the other was shown I think. 

Either way I like Spike, I think he deserved better; keep him as a simple kid with a schoolboy crush who just wants to hang out with the grown ups or show him mature to actually reaching the same status as them.

[Splashee 28,537]

4 hours ago, Rainy Day said:

Have him actually grow up? 

Well, spoilers but he did grow up in the very last episode. And... Yea.

I didn't like the wasted time Twilight and Spike shared during Season 9. It was more of a "let's prepare Twilight to become a real princess" rather than giving Spike the opportunity to grow out of being a side show.

I would have started Spike's quest in Season 2, and maybe finish his development around Season 6, choosing to be with Starlight instead of Twilight, just for a good plot twist. And no stupid love stuff with Rarity or that other one I forgot how to spell.

[dead account 2,703]

He doesn't need to be fixed in my opinion. I always liked him and enjoyed his presence.

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

I would've had someone tell him to move on from Rarity or for his more mature self (so somewhere in the later seasons) to come to terms with moving on himself. It breaks my heart that he didn't see that he was just being used for Rarity's personal gain after a while. In the beginning, she at least did favors in return but it later became a "Spike is my little servant" deal.

If Spike had broken free from this, he would have focused more on himself and his destiny.

[Props Valroa 26,053]

Simple. I would have had him not exist. Or at least, have him be a completely different character. I would have had him to become a real dragon, a bad ass dragon! Not a baby wimp, lol.