*Spoiler* Why the hay does every pony hate on Sombra!

[SongBrony 419]

I've been browsing the forums and have noticed something. Every pony here seems to hate Sombra! I thought he was a great villain. He wasn't the typical villain that we see. The blank back story left a huge opening for fan fiction writers to mess around with. His dark demeanor and mysterious character was very appealing to me. And about the whole he looked like a badly drawn OC character, I have to disagree. He looked the best out of all the villains color wise. Now don't get me wrong, I loved loved discord and chrysalis, who is a big part in my story, and loved their character design and back story. But Sombra brought something new to the table. He had no reason that we know of to be evil, which could be said later at the season finale or next season. And remember, the episode wasn't meant to have much to do with him. It was meant to show Twi's progression to, what I believe, Princess. Am I the only one who thought Sombra was a good villain for his episode?

[Fridge 382]

I don't hate him, I do think he was underused, but I suspect he'll be returning in a later episode or series.

 

I can understand others dislike for him though, he was a little of a anticlimax when compared to Discord or Chysilis..

Edited December 3, 2012 by Fridge

[CloudFyre 848]

It's not that he was a bad character, but these are the issues that most commonly come up:

• He had no real motive for taking over the Crystal Empire. (Was he hurt and needed energy? Was he looking for fame? Glory? Power? Slaves, like before? What did he want?)
• He had no real lines.
• He could have actually had his face removed, and the story would probably the same. Seriously, you'd simply be left with a semi-conscious thunderstorm that would have been equally as threatening as Sombre himself. The only thing that makes him different is a face/voice, and a background.

That probably sums it all up.
 

[XUNUSEDXXX 3,459]

He had so much potential as a villain, many of us greatly looked forward to seeing him. However, Hasbro screwed up and gave him very little lines throughout the premiere. We didn't get to know much about him other than the fact that he wanted to cruelly rule the Crystal Empire (my crystal slaaaaavesss...).

 

If he had gotten more lines and more interaction, you wouldn't be seeing as much disappointment (not hate) as you currently see.

[Fluffy Pinkie 417]

I don't hate him, i just wish they would have had him explained more and actually gave him time to really do something besides mostly being some smoky darkness I would have loved to see him duel with somepony.

[pinkiefan1287 610]

I don't hate Sombra. If anything he was a pretty cool looking villain. He looked powerful, in slaved ponies, and the best part was he was a unicorn. For once the 6 have to fight someone who is of their own species.

 

The problem was that he did not do much compared to other villains. If he had better specking roles and did more then become a giant cloud, I say he would have become the best villain of the show. He could have just done more.

[NavelColt 22,877]

It's not that he was a bad character, but these are the issues that most commonly come up:

• He had no real motive for taking over the Crystal Empire. (Was he hurt and needed energy? Was he looking for fame? Glory? Power? Slaves, like before? What did he want?)
• He had no real lines.
• He could have actually had his face removed, and the story would probably the same. Seriously, you'd simply be left with a semi-conscious thunderstorm that would have been equally as threatening as Sombre himself. The only thing that makes him different is a face/voice, and a background.

 

That probably sums it all up.

 

I've seen plenty of people who say his lack of a motive makes him more 'truly evil', which they say is a pro, not a con. Just saying :3

 

He was a Sauron-esque villain who people felt let them down after we've been exposed to outgoing and charismatic villains like Chrysalis and Discord. He's not a bad character or a bad villain, he's my second favorite, in fact. Some people simply want more. It's worth mentioning his amount of hate has decreased a lot though, compared to the first week after the episodes came out. Partially thanks to EQD's analyses.

Edited December 3, 2012 by ~Chaotic Discord~

[Arcanel 3,041]

I actually loved Sombra. Sure, he isn't as flashy as Discord for example and I still prefer him, but Sombra represented a danger, and also, was the more evil out of all villains so far even if he did less. That enough warrants likeability from me.

[Just some guy 1,070]

We were spoiled by NMM, Discord, and Chyrisalis, honestly.

 

Sombra is not a bad villian at all.  In fact, I daresay Sombra is easily the most dangerous (and dead) villian in MLP, ruling the Crystal Empire with an iron hoof.  However, he didn't have much of a personality compared to the other villians, but that's fine because the episode was more about Twilight and less about the danger Sombra presented.

Edited December 3, 2012 by CaptainBlue808

[Lost Profile 644]

Where did this come from?

 

"You really need to get out more"

 

I liked him... His style was AWESOME

And his way of evil was evil! I liked it!

 

My only complaint is that he could have had a bigger role... But what can you do?

 

It's a darn shame that he isn't the best pony villain... We all know I'm the best pony "villan97" XD

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

I would say that people kind of expected more honestly. Nightmare Moon had an important backstory that helped establish her character, Discord had many incredible interactions with the mane 6 and Chrysalis just came out of nowhere, with an epic entrance and an even more epic villain song. Sombra doesn't have any of those things, but I'm not going to criticize him for it. He served his purpose within the episode well, like Chaotic Discord said there were some similarities to Sauron (points in my book), and I thought he had a pretty cool design. He's probably my least favorite major villain but I'd never call him a bad one, the others were just even better

Edited December 4, 2012 by DashForever

[AegisReflector 886]

He just wasn't a character who was developed enough in order to have a memorable personality and impression on the fanbase.

 

If the writers extend Sombra to do something other than go BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! then I can see him becoming one of the more memorable villains, what with his mysterious background and kickass appearance.

[Creamy Arty 6,251]

As plenty have pointed out, Sombra wasn't the focus of this episode. It was the Crystal Ponies and the influence their empire had over the rest of Equestria, and Twilight's "test." If it wasn't so they could have substituted Sombra for any calamity. Even so, I don't think he was a bad villain despite not doing anything. I think he was a good villain for being able to inspire so much horror without doing anything. Discord and Chrysalis were causing bodily harm (or sought to) whereas Sombra crushed only their spirits; that's a far more devastating angle of attack and is more difficult to mend.

 

I've seen plenty of people who say his lack of a motive makes him more 'truly evil', which they say is a pro, not a con. Just saying :3

Right on. See also Kefka and Heath Ledger's Joker, both lauded as two of fictions greatest villains for that very reason.

Edited December 4, 2012 by Artemis

[Zygen 6,065]

I don't hate him, I actually like him quite a bit. However I do agree that his character wasn't as developed as a villain like Discord, plus he didn't really get much of any lines or screentime, I understand it was hard with the time they had, but still it is kinda true.

 

However he is the most evil feeling villain we've had so far on the show, he has all that dark misty aura stuff, and he blew up when he was beat, and he wasn't beat by the Element of harmony(I dunno I don't hate the Elements of harmony, I just like variety).

Not to mention he pretty much enslaved all the pony's And dark magic is pretty awesome and evil looking, he seemed alot more threatening overall then the other villains. But he still has his flaws.

 

I hope we get to see him again sometime maybe. Even if not for a little bit or something.

[Spring Storm 276]

I definitely don't hate Sombra, and in fact I thought he was pretty threatening and had an awesome design. But, usually when a villain is introduced in MLP, the villain's charisma makes the whole conflict a lot more fun for the audience. While Sombra was a good villain, and I do like that we got a villain who actually didn't say much and just went about his evils, his lack of character development and lines of dialogue made him less-liked by the community than the others who had much more screen time.

[One 498]

He seemed a little underdeveloped, no backstory, no real motive for his actions, no lines (he had some but they where really short).

 

I don't hate him, but I do see why others would not like him.

[Celtore 2,769]

I liked sombra, but he really wasn't used to his potential.

 

He was built up to be this tyranical emperor kind of figure, a pony that is just downright evil and cruel. He didn't really have much time to develop his character once he returned though, and swiftly became generic villain number 893.

 

One thing he did do was create a looming dark presence quite comparable to the Eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings or the moon from Majora's Mask. I really hope he comes back as it's a shame he didn't really have much time to shine.

Edited December 4, 2012 by Celtore

[RagingTwilight 101]

This is a personal opinion, but if I had to pinpoint one possible reason why Sombra is disliked is due to his lack of personality. Every other villain in the series has/had an established personality, complete with character flaws. (You can skip over this paragraph if you like, some posters have pointed this part out already.) Discord is a trickster who loves to troll make trouble and create chaos. Chrysalis is sinister, yet overconfident and quite vocal. Nightmare Moon's personality is a bit harder to describe, but we were provided with a backstory to work with. Other minor antagonists had noticeable personalities as well. Iron Will is a typical boorish workout guru doubling as a salesman. The teenage dragons spike pal'd around with for awhile were, well...teenagers. Trixie is a showboat and boastful. There's a couple more in there, but...you get the point.

 

Now, to Sombra. We are provided a backstory on him. However, it isn't as extensive as Nightmare Moons (we know who she used to be, and that she got jealous of her sister for example.) King Sombra's story is vague, providing little information on his personality. Where does he come from? Why is he so obsessed with crystals? So, a vague backstory combined with few spoken dialogue leaves very little left that we can relate to. If you were asked to describe King Sombra without using his name, appearance, events in the episode, etc. how would you describe him? The only encapsulating word that comes to mind for me is: Evil. And I think that's all King Sombra was supposed to be; he's not a sophisticated character and should not be in my opinion. A Sauron-esque villain as several have already pointed out. And for the record, I think he served this role adequately.

 

Perhaps expectations were too high for poor King Sombra. Unrealistic expectations are a common reason it seems for disliking things, and I think this is the case for Sombra.

 

http://template93.deviantart.com/art/Old-villains-Dislike-King-Sombra-338335178

 

Yep. Poor King Sombra.

Edited December 4, 2012 by RagingTwilight

[BronyFTW 19]

I just don't like the generic, cheap "Raaah I'll kill you because....well, you know... I'm evil! Rawr!"

 

They could have done so much more...

 

Far too generic.

[Auryn 95]

I have a feeling the writers aren't done with Sombra yet. I liked what I saw, but the lack of a back story and character development left me hungry for more. I don't feel this is a bad thing at all. The season premier had so much else to fit into those two episodes that the story focused on the main characters and the plight of the Crystal Ponies. Sombra will have his time to prove himself to those who aren't yet his fans.

 

EDIT: Two episodes. One hour. Oops.

Edited December 4, 2012 by Auryn

[angels_gal 204]

I don't hate King Sombra either I found him threatening and evil, and somewhat scary too.  I think he was a great villain!  I hope he comes back.

[Batbrony 15,994]

Oh I don't hate him in the slightest.  While I certainly think that he was underused and would've liked to see more of him, I thought that the role he played in "The Crystal Empire: Part 1 and 2's" execution was perfect, and made perfect sense given the direction that the plot of both episodes took.

[Genepool 224]

There are a couple of reasons many fans point to the character as being hated.

 

1. Quick Character - Some believe Sombra was a rush job character with little to no thinking behind his motives.  With Nightmare Moon we get a sublime backstory of how she was originally Princess Luna that felt jealousy towards her sister, Princess Celestia.  Discord has a unique role where he's a chaos bound spirit, wanting to rule Equestria.  Queen Chrysalis, while somewhat drab, is a unique entity that desires nothing more than to feed her starving populous. 

 

Dealing with Sombra, many felt he was a simplistic character that didn't have any real depth to him.  He's in, out, and over with inside of two episodes with little chance for return.  Though we see his horn flying away, potentially signifying a return, its potential has only a few points for debate.

 

2. Character Design - As mentioned by the OP, this is another primary reason people don't like him.  He seems very fan OCish due to the red eyes.  I don't think there's been any pony character created thus far that has red eyes due to how "cliche" it is in created stories.  Discord is the only character that comes to mind who has red eyes, but it works uniquely with the character while Sombra just seems to have the cliche "red eyes" of a villain. "Ooo he has red/crimson eyes, he must be a villain," is the line of thinking with some people.  Sadly, I have to admit my own guilt here as a character I created for an OC story has red eyes that "pierce the darkness," which is pretty dang bad. 

 

Hopefully we'll get a more interesting back story if the character does indeed come back.  One thing I would want to see is King Sombra being the actual father of Cadence and he was a loyal friend of Celestia and Luna.  However, the lure of dark magic slowly tainted him to the point it corrupted him completely.  It caused him to even turn on his own daughter who was basically frozen in time. 

[Sunbro 4 Lyfe 938]

i dont hate him i just find him too generic and bad as a villan. his backstory was generic, ha had no lines, his intentions were generic. and thats why hes hated.

[Magpie 621]

I don't hate Sombra, it was rather that he didn't do anything. He just appeared, looked menacing, then went away. He was stairs, and that's not that threatening.