I just can't believe he's gone (Half rant/Half topic)

[Mzukiller 233]

Before I start, I just want to say: I barely come here so if this has been done to death, forgive me.

 

I just can't believe he's gone, King Sombra I mean. I know that I'm practically the only brony in the world that truly loved him as a villain, but good lord man it hurts. I thought Crystal Empire was fine, I thought he was imposing, I thought he could go places. Heck, I'd even go so far to say that Sombra was my favorite villain. *Insert string of exagerrated gasp here* Yeah, yeah I know "Why not Discord Mzu!" Because I don't consider him a villain anymore, technically the only REAL villain is Sombra since Chrysalis was just trying to feed her kids. Discord's....an errand boy. Nightmare Moon is a close second though, she was pretty cool. But moving on....

 

He died, the first death in the series...besides that other guy. And recently I figure they practically confirmed that he's not coming back. They said "We tried to make him cool and we basically failed" I'm paraphrasing like hell of course.

 

Well, in closing: Life is cruel. How did/does everyone else feel about the loss of the king and due to popular demand: Let's talk about Discord's fall from villainhood too.

 

Did it work for you? Would you have done the episode differently? Are you as shellshocked as I am?

 

So yeah, I'll levae you too it.

[100 beasts kaidou 321]

I liked him aswell, he was badass. the only reaso people dont like him because there used to Pussy villains who dont take things seriously, Sombra is great and is like Tired or Grogar from G1. I hope they change their minds and make him return

[SongBrony 419]

I loved Sombra. He wasn't your regular villain who was evil because of something. Sombra was evil for the sake of villainy. He's my second, only to Discord because I always get a kick from his first appearance. But I agree, Sombra could have expanded and returned in a future episode. I mean, when I saw his horn go flying off, I thought that, "Hey, maybe that'll be found later and somepony will use it for evil purposes. Or maybe Sombra will just regenerate from it." Hell he's powerful enough for it when he's not a shadow. The only reason he was defeated was because the Crystal ponies got the crystal heart and used it. And only because Shining Armor through his wife off of a balcony! So, I loved Sombra and would love to see him return.

[Sky Warden 2,243]

I did see the potential of King Sombra as a villain. I mean, a King. Seriously? Why not trying this as a new conflict arc? It can be...there are so many possible interesting things can be done with Sombra as a King. His reign of the Crystal Empire sounds interesting as well. I really want to know his past.

 

Personally, I think 'killing' him is a bad idea. Not just because 'killing' isn't so good for a pony show, it's also because he had so many potency, why not using them? A conflict between Sombra and Luna maybe? That sounds very interesting. Why did the Princesses seemed afraid of Sombra, and sent the Mane Six instead. It seemed like they have lost something precious so they couldn't defeat Sombra without the new Elements of Harmony to me.

 

Well, I think we can make a great fanfic to respect him as a King. Just a suggestion.

Edited March 12, 2013 by Sky Warden

[Bucky McGillyCuddy 956]

I did like him. Discord always just seemed like someone who wasn't trying to be evil he just didn't know any better and now he's just Fluttershy's pet she had to give obedience training. Like you said about Chrysalis, she had to attack Canterlot otherwise her species would have died out and that's not exactly wrong on her end. Sombra and Nightmare Moon are really the only one's who i'd give the title of villain to. 

Edited March 12, 2013 by Bucky_McGillycuddy

[Treble Bolt 1,122]

It seems like a lot of people go at the Crystal Empire episode with Sombra being a poor villian because he wasn't fleshed out like others were....but many don't realize that Sombra WASN'T the problem in the opener, he was just the spark of the problem (not the plot but the cause of the plot). 

The main plot of the Crystal Empire is the Mane 6 helping the crystal ponies find themselves again so they can defeat Sombra.  Unlike with Discord, Nightmare Moon, and the other villians, the episodes did not focus on the Mane 6 defeating Sombra, but the Mane 6 helping the Crystal Ponies (to defeat Sombra).  And thus his character did not need to be fleshed out, because he wasn't the plot!

If you think about it, he was probably one of the best villains they have made to date....

King Sombra was so evil;

-he destroyed. took over, and ruled an entire EMPIRE,

-made it disappear off the face of the earth,

-was so strong that Celestia (and Luna if she wasn't yet banished) couldn't do anything about it,

-made an entire EMPIRE forget anything they ever knew was good

-made an entire EMPIRE his slaves

-would do anything feasible to get his power and control back (even though he was banished).

 

Only Queen Chrysalis could be on the guys level of evil, but at least she had some "rational" reason why she tried to do what she did (because her kind fed on love, and she was going to utterly destroy Equestria instead of rule over it with an iron fist like Sombra did with the Crystal Empire).  Sombra did it out of just pure evil, his own desires, his and his alone.

Edited March 12, 2013 by Treble Bolt

[pinkiefan1287 610]

I liked King Sombra a lot and it's a sham that he won't be back. The top reason why I liked Sombra so much was that he was a unicorn. This would be the first time that the villain would be the same species as the other ponies. So fare it has been the changelings, Discord, and even Nightmare Moon who was an alicorn. I would like to see him come back and try to make Twilight evil, but I guesses it won't happen.

 

As for Discord right now, I can't see him as a villain any more. Mostly due to the fact that he didn't do anything evil like Sombra or Chrysalis did. So I kinda like him being good. 

[An Old Head 4,815]

I think the reason King Sombra is such a great villain is because he was the biggest threat. Nightmare Moon was an alicorn and would bring eternal night; Discord can snap his fingers and bend the fabric of space; the Changelings can leech love out of people. That's all child's play compared to enslaving an enormous empire for one thousand years, turning the citizens' lives to crap for that amount of time, and the fact that it didn't need just the Mane 6 with their Elements but it also needed Spike, Shining and Cadence to defeat him.

 

He was sheer and brutal dark magic - he meant business. He didn't jump right in front of the ponies to laugh at them or taunt them like the other three did (which made their demises much quicker), he kept his distance like a tactical villain should. His obstructions weren't to humiliate the crew, they were solely to stop them. Throughout the pilot, you got the idea that he was keeping his head down and focusing with all his might that the Crystal Heart wasn't retrieved. The desperation was felt when Twilight was fighting his dark magic on the spire, something I've not felt in any other face-off in the show.

 

And to top it all off, his character design is just SCREAMING bad-ass evil villain. Eyes of glowing green, a blood-red horn in the shape of a scythe, with ironclad gear and sinister aura.

 

I think he might actually be my favourite of the four villains. He might even knock Flim & Flam off of my personal throne...

Edited March 12, 2013 by Flipturn ツ

[Dr. Love 88]

King Sombra was the most clever out of all the villains, when he was banished for 1000 years he made sure the Crystal Empire went down with him.

I don't think he's dead however, when he was defeated his horn survived, i think he'll make a return in season 4 

[FoxyCryptid 4,328]

I think despite people disagree with me, he's one of the most terrifying villains in the show. Unlike the other villains we had, that had some sympathetic qualities and motivations for what they did, he was pure evil to the core. The fact we had no way of sympathizing, or identifying with him made him all the more terrifying.

 

He was the personification of fear of the unknown monster lurking in the dark. We knew nothing other then he was powerful and evil. He wanted nothing more then to destroy and kill for nothing other then it bringing him sick and twisted pleasure. He may actually be the most evil villain we've ever had on the show. He was pretty much the devil incarnate. 

Edited March 13, 2013 by Shoboni

[Splodge Inks 15]

He was a pretty awesome villain. I'd love it for him to come back, but people told me that at Unicon, he was said to be dead and wouldn't make a come back... But I really hope he will! 

[SonOfTheNorthe 412]

Not all hope is lost, dear brethren. Our beloved king still lives. I even made this image and submitted it on Derpibooru for His glory.

 

Edited March 12, 2013 by SonOfTheNorthe

[Mutemutt 772]

 

technically the only REAL villain is Sombra since Chrysalis was just trying to feed her kids

 

Hey villains can have good reasons for being evil. Magneto is an amazing villain and he's just fighting for the rights of his people (in a more extreme way than Prof. X). He's got plenty of back story, characterization and there is plenty of info on his motivations; that's what makes him an interesting villain.

 

In fact, villains that are "pure evil" are flat characters pretty much by definition and flat characters aren't very interesting. It's especially bad when this character is someone who is supposed to be very important to the story such as Sombra who is the antagonist of that arc. There's no doubt that he has done some really evil things in the past but we still don't really know that much about Sombra himself. Right now all I can say about him is that he enslaved a kingdom for a long time, uses some kind of dark magic and has an odd fascination with crystals. 

 

The only thing I would miss about Sombra is the chance to expand his character  . I don't hate him or anything like that; he just is just a lame villain so far in my eyes.

[IceStorm 7]

Before I start, I just want to say: I barely come here so if this has been done to death, forgive me.

 

I just can't believe he's gone, King Sombra I mean. I know that I'm practically the only brony in the world that truly loved him as a villain, but good lord man it hurts. I thought Crystal Empire was fine, I thought he was imposing, I thought he could go places. Heck, I'd even go so far to say that Sombra was my favorite villain. *Insert string of exagerrated gasp here* Yeah, yeah I know "Why not Discord Mzu!" Because I don't consider him a villain anymore, technically the only REAL villain is Sombra since Chrysalis was just trying to feed her kids. Discord's....an errand boy. Nightmare Moon is a close second though, she was pretty cool. But moving on....

 

He died, the first death in the series...besides that other guy. And recently I figure they practically confirmed that he's not coming back. They said "We tried to make him cool and we basically failed" I'm paraphrasing like hell of course.

 

Well, in closing: Life is cruel. How did/does everyone else feel about the loss of the king and due to popular demand: Let's talk about Discord's fall from villainhood too.

 

Did it work for you? Would you have done the episode differently? Are you as shellshocked as I am?

 

So yeah, I'll levae you too it.

 

i like how he is killed of while nightmare moon is restored to her unevil form, a little family bias view point me thinks

 

of course he isnt really dead, he is just trapped in another dimension because if he was then the show would go down the pan

 

ofc twilightsparkle was made royalty so the shows already heading towards the door 

 

lets just hope they let the series end after this before they start flogging a dead horse, thats how they ruined most tv shows by turning it into a cash cow, thank god the producers have some sense after all, unlike fucking pokemon who sacked all the staff and put in loads of hippys in

 

lets hope they dont screw this show up like Pokemon or sonic but let the show die like spyro, ofc spyro is the best game ever and is still going strong into its 50th birthday

 

but then it wasnt called spyro back then but it still featured a purple dragon or some type of dragon though the game

[Phoenix237 353]

This character had all much potentials

First I I loved his design.

It really speaks out evil and villainous.

 

The problem is that not many people understood how he was a villain

Most people like villains that are in your face, but the truth is some of the most terrifying villains are those who don't make snazzy catchphrases, or tell there plans.

There is always hope and we can always hope to change the writters minds.

[~Scootaloo 438]

I could care less if King Sombra doesn't come back. All he did was make scary faces in the Crystal Ponies episode. He's just like the other "villans" eventually the ponies will make friends with him, because maybe he is lonely or some other garbage excuse. Stay or go I really don't mind if he does or not.

[thor9356 540]

To me, Sombra was completely under-developed. There was no reason for actions other than he seemed like the traditional villian who wanted power and would do anything to ensure he kept it. I think he would be my fav villian if there was a little more background on him or more specific reason why he had oppressed the crystal ponies to begin with. I don't know I guess i'm just being picky but if they do anything that's related to sombra I could see it having something to do with his horn.

[SailorCardKnight 84]

I think the reason King Sombra is such a great villain is because he was the biggest threat. Nightmare Moon was an alicorn and would bring eternal night; Discord can snap his fingers and bend the fabric of space; the Changelings can leech love out of people. That's all child's play compared to enslaving an enormous empire for one thousand years, turning the citizens' lives to crap for that amount of time, and the fact that it didn't need just the Mane 6 with their Elements but it also needed Spike, Shining and Cadence to defeat him.

 

He was sheer and brutal dark magic - he meant business. He didn't jump right in front of the ponies to laugh at them or taunt them like the other three did (which made their demises much quicker), he kept his distance like a tactical villain should. His obstructions weren't to humiliate the crew, they were solely to stop them. Throughout the pilot, you got the idea that he was keeping his head down and focusing with all his might that the Crystal Heart wasn't retrieved. The desperation was felt when Twilight was fighting his dark magic on the spire, something I've not felt in any other face-off in the show.

 

And to top it all off, his character design is just SCREAMING bad-ass evil villain. Eyes of glowing green, a blood-red horn in the shape of a scythe, with ironclad gear and sinister aura.

 

I think he might actually be my favourite of the four villains. He might even knock Flim & Flam off of my personal throne...

 

 

I think despite people disagree with me, he's one of the most terrifying villains in the show. Unlike the other villains we had some sympathetic qualities and motivations for what they did, he was pure evil to the core. The fact we had no way of sympathizing, or identifying with him made him all the more terrifying.

 

He was the personification of fear of the unknown monster lurking in the dark. We knew nothing other then he was powerful and evil. He wanted nothing more then to destroy and kill for nothing other then it bringing him sick and twisted pleasure. He may actually be the most evil villain we've ever had on the show. He was pretty much the devil incarnate. 

 

This, and this.

 

When I first saw the S3 premiere, I was unimpressed by him, but after reading some people's in-depth analysis, i've grown to love the guy. Hes the Sauron of MLP. A dark, powerful, ever-watchful and cunning evil. You don't always need alot of dialogue or screentime to be a great villain.

 

I really think the writers should bring him back, his horn seemed to survive the blast and all. Maybe have some storyline where he decides to get revenge against those who took the Crystal Empire away from him (and nearly succeed), but the powers of love and friendship save the day of course.

 

... want to see a fanfic of that now.

Edited March 13, 2013 by SailorCardKnight

[Veylon 255]

If there was a theme for the Crystal Empire it was wasted potential. Sombra is kind of the poster child for that. He was poorly set up, barely got any screen time, was given terrible lines, keep helplessly at arm's length nearly the entire opener, and still managed to come across as the darkest, most dangerous villain thus far.

 

Let's compare and contrast with Discord. Discord gets treated great; he's built up as a threat both through his action and a speech by Celestia. He gets to be mysterious; his in-the-flesh true form isn't revealed for quite some time. He gets the upper hand almost immediately and keeps it nearly to the end. If Sombra had had this kind of editorial PR he would've been bloody terrifying. It's too bad he never got the chance.

[Mzukiller 233]

If there was a theme for the Crystal Empire it was wasted potential. Sombra is kind of the poster child for that. He was poorly set up, barely got any screen time, was given terrible lines, keep helplessly at arm's length nearly the entire opener, and still managed to come across as the darkest, most dangerous villain thus far.

 

Let's compare and contrast with Discord. Discord gets treated great; he's built up as a threat both through his action and a speech by Celestia. He gets to be mysterious; his in-the-flesh true form isn't revealed for quite some time. He gets the upper hand almost immediately and keeps it nearly to the end. If Sombra had had this kind of editorial PR he would've been bloody terrifying. It's too bad he never got the chance.

Oh I completely agree, even freaking Chrysalis got better build up. The only explanations that I'm willing to accept is that

1. King Sombra was thrown in last minute, so they had no idea how to make him work

2. EVerything they could do with him was a little too dark for a kids show, so to tone him down without completely removing him they reduced his lines, screentime, everything.

 

Honestly, I just want to know what went wrong in relation to like....Discord. Could they not get a good VA? Was teh episode too full of new stuff as is? What happened man?

[Rainbow Dash Loyalty 1,274]

He looked like he had so much potential to become one of the greatest villains ever, I mean seriously, he was a King. I think he would of been a lot harder to kill, or at least restrain him. I do hope they bring him back and make a really good story for him.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,694]

I didn't think much of Sombra. He had presence and everything, but damn, he waited a thousand years to get beaten like that? (Same as Nightmare Moon, the villains in MLP don't accomplish enough.)

 

But looking back, I will say that a Sombra return arc with Trixie as his semi-evil sidekick in the finale would have been much, MUCH more interesting than what we did get.

[Unicycolt 0]

Sombra definitely has potential for a return. There a many things about him we never learned, aside from motives. I'm more interested in how he got so powerful. He seemed to be as powerful, if not more than Celestia, plus we saw dark magic for the first time in this episode. Sombra's motives seem obvious to me. I think he's like Napolean of Caesar and just wants wealth and power. I think more about his abilities. What exactly are the properties of dark magic? What makes it different than normal magic? How did Sombra become such a master of it? That's what I want to know.

[Twinhead B 482]

Sombra was never meant to be anything more than an ominous force that drove Twilight and her friends to restore the Crystal Heart. He has very little backstory, and absolutely no development. Hell, he didn't even have any personality traits outside of "bad".

 

I feel they could've done something with him, but he left as quick as he came, and so I can't help but not care.

[Acoustic Cloud 2,202]

*AHEM*
Actually, was it just me who saw his horn fly off in the distance???
I really don't think he's dead >.> Just wait, he'll be back, just like every villain has been.