How does the fandom feel about a male character as an addition to the main cast?

[Thrashy 2,800]

I'd be all for giving the males already in the show a bit more focus (especially Big Mac), and I don't think that such a thing, if done well, would take anything away from the "status quo" whatsoever. But to introduce another "main" character, stallion or mare, would kind of upset the equilibrium a bit. IMO, if new main characters are to be added to a series, they should be added incrementally, season after season. The best time to have introduced a new main character in FiM would've been at the start of se02. But now that we're on the 4th season, implementing such an idea would get a lot more tricky and, frankly, a lot more risky.

 

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<- Courage and wit have served thee well. Thou hast been promoted to the next level.

 

Thy power increases by 5.

 

Thy Response Speed increases by 2.

 

Thy Maximum Hit Points increase by 20.

 

Thy Maximum Magic Points increase by 18.

 

Thou hast learned a new spell.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Lord Thrashicane

[Skylar 1,641]

I think it would be great to see Stallions getting more attention in the show,  it would be great to have one in the mane 6, though technically that would make it the mane 7  

[Serbon div 386]

I don't know really. Don't fix what ain't broke.

[~StatesTheOblivious~ 1,795]

I just feel as if he's less of a male perspective and more of a child's.

 

Hmm...

 

Okay, now you could start and ask if it's not still a male perspective because it's simply the only one we have in the main cast; And if a child's perspective can be seen as independent from the sex/gender of said child. I have to say that I see Spike as someway between being a child and a teenager / close-to-adult character. But that's probably just me.

 

And then there's still what others in this thread also said. Is it necessary, or would it support the show, to add a male main character? Isn't one of the reasons why the show is that successful that many people might see characters which have a certain gender, but are not too (stereotypically) gender specific in their behavior?

Edited December 22, 2013 by Tender Voice

[Nomadic 210]

I can't really see adding another Male as a main character being all that terribly, well for lack of a better word, good. That being said I think they could easily add a well-written Secondary male character with too much difficulty, and probably a lot less negative feedback from the fans too. 

[GoldenCal 52]

It wouldn't surprise me if an extra member was added to the team as Twilight's ascension to an alicorn has meant that the distribution of races is unbalanced. So a unicorn such as Starswirl would be an intresting addition a head cannon that I'm writing about has Starswirl retrieve from time by the mane 6. Although the whole pony of shadows business could bring about his return sooner than I expected. 

 

Problem is the mane 6 personalities are so diverse there isn't really a male personality not covered yet

[Wild Star 141]

i dont think the show needs more main characters, but more supporting characters that are male would be better. like, 75 percent of the characters are girls. not a bad thing, but still, there needs to be more stallions.

 

if the mane six had coltfriends, that wouldn't be a bad thing, as long as they weren't taken too far or too seriously.

Edited December 23, 2013 by WildStar

[Dr. Mechano 630]

I feel Spike already fills this role perfectly, and that no more additions to the main cast are necessary. I honestly feel like any additional characters to the core cast (male or female) would throw off the great chemistry and balance the show has achieved with everyone.

 

I essentially consider Spike the honorary seventh member of the mane six anyway.

Edited December 23, 2013 by Dr. Mechano

[Princess Lona 382]

One thing that always bothered me about the shows I watched as a kid was that in any team situation there was always a token female character. Sometimes two, but never more. The G.I. Joes had Scarlet, Transformers had that pink curvy one, the live action TMNT had that Japanese girl turtle, the Smurfs have Smurfette, and more recently we have Black Widow in the Avengers. The reason I hate this is that the token female is always there just to be a girl. She is only there so that people won't get mad that there are no female characters on the show and as a result, she ends up being an underdeveloped and forgettable character. In that case, I would much rather watch a show with no female main characters at all.

 

And this works for token male characters as well. Adding a shoehorned, male character would just be an insult to the male viewers in my opinion. It could have been cool if a few of the mane six had been stallions from the start, but Hasbro thought the show was going to be watched only by young girls so they designed the characters to be as relatable as possible to that demographic. It's too late to change it now.

[Zekromic 1,054]

what about the Cutie Mark Crusaders having a male member? either the main branch or Babsy's

Edited December 24, 2013 by Zekromic

[Static Electricity 729]

if the mane six had coltfriends, that wouldn't be a bad thing, as long as they weren't taken too far or too seriously.

I have one question only: Why?

[Princess Lona 382]

what about the Cutie Mark Crusaders having a male member? either the main branch or Babsy's

That's a place where a new character could be introduced right now and it could work. I don't think I'd like to see a fourth CMC added until after they get their marks (which I suspect will happen this season) because that whole storyline has been about these three ponies forming bonds which will be forever sealed when they all get their marks. Adding a fourth into the mix at this stage would take away from it. But adding a colt to Babs' branch would work nicely. It would also be nice to show the best friends dynamic between a male and female character without romance interfering as it often does in that situation in works of fiction. Or, after the mane CMC get their marks, they could carry on the club name and devote their time to helping other young ponies get their marks. Enter our new colt character.

[Dr. Zerkagon 92]

I thought of a filler episode which has a male lead role and it's about him being discriminated as a filly as most males in the show are guards.

[Envy 6,206]

I feel like I've seen this same topic with like, the exact same title before...

 

Anyway, NO. Friendship is Magic was made (as said by Faust) to show girls that there are many different right ways to be a girl. The mane 6 all being female is a part of that.

 

If you want great male characters you have...a ton of other places to find that. One of the great things about this show is that it has a great variety of female characters that are actually likable, Even I usually can't relate to female characters in shows. But here, it's different. Why take that away?

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

I'm fine with the way things are, personally. I mean, I already get my fix from many other works of media from all the well-developed male characters they have there. It's just nice to see the girls be the majority for once, rather than the guys. Besides, Spike offers a good enough male perspective anyway.

 

However, I wouldn't be adverse to expanding Big Mac and Shining Armor's roles as secondary characters and giving them more attention and maybe even an episode for each of them. More secondary male characters who actually do something would be fun to watch, whilst not taking away the attention from the females.

[Wild Star 141]

I have one question only: Why?

it could work cleverly into the plot, but true, why. i would just like it if there were more colts in the cast. i know its supposed to be a show for little girls (supposedly) but this is just silly.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

One of the signs of a shows imminent death is adding new characters to the main cast in a later season.

 

Why? The show is great as it is. How would this make it any better?

Exactly. Also, at this point it would feel like a tacked-on concession to the show's male viewers, and it just isn't needed. We were drawn to the show because it is the way it is. Why make any drastic changes? (The Twilicorn decision was enough to absorb, and while it hasn't done any real damage to the show or the dynamics of the Mane 6, it still feels unnecessary to me.)

[Sugar Cube 4,843]

I think we already have the perfect male lead character with Spike. Sure he's younger than the Mane Six and he's not a pony, but he's still very much an important central character and one that I feel is overlooked far too often. As stated before, adding a male character to the Mane Six would upset the equilibrium and he'd essentially be a token. I don't think a male pony would really have anything to offer that the Mane Six and Spike don't already offer except for more serious potential romance storylines but that has never been a focal point for MLP and I hope it stays that way. Plus, I for one love the girl power dynamic.

Edited December 24, 2013 by Sugar Cube

[Adrien Brony 21]

We already have Spike, like some people said.

[windy_prance 114]

If they added a male pony, it would mean the staff will be forced to do romance elements between him and one of the Mane Six.

 

I think that will hurt the franchise honestly because fans will cry "GARY STU RUINED MLP!"

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

Maybe a boyfriend or something... Just an idea...? Heh heh...? Guess not.

Ha ha FUCK NO. This is exactly why I despise Flash Sentry, actually.

[FNGRpony 658]

One of the signs of a shows imminent death is adding new characters to the main cast in a later season.

 

Why? The show is great as it is. How would this make it any better?

 

*sets response to maxuim snark*

Hay guys i had this amazing dream of season's 3 and 4 after cadience and shinning armor showed up.

 

Me and my goofy imagination, we had major characters introduced into the show, clearly the show must died

after twilights having a brother pulled out of thin air and a alicorn princess.

Ha ha FUCK NO. This is exactly why I despise Flash Sentry, actually.

it's exacty why i don't despise flash sentry.

 

cause i find the whole fan pony wiafu thing, not loathsome, not goofy, teduis.  Yes tedius is the right word.  I would like to see it die.

hell even if flash showed up and got put in the friend zone,

 

just so i could hear all the teeth grinding until that happened.

[PureIntegrity 4]

I think it would be a great idea for a male character to be on the show. That way it seems more gender friendly.

[hawkflame 3,310]

*sets response to maxuim snark*

Hay guys i had this amazing dream of season's 3 and 4 after cadience and shinning armor showed up.

Me and my goofy imagination, we had major characters introduced into the show, clearly the show must died

after twilights having a brother pulled out of thin air and a alicorn princess.

 

Actually, yeah, it *must* have been just your imagination, coupled with an inability to read my post properly.  Because it's just in your imagination that Shining Armor is a *main* character (which is what I was talking about- *main* characters, as in one of the Mane Six, Spike, or the CMC).  Hell, I'd even argue that he's not a "major" character.  He's a *recurring* character. 

[Scootaloodle 1,623]

I wouldn’t want any new character male or female added to the cast of the mane 6: I like it how it is.

 

We already have Spike as mentioned: and he’s pretty much a main character and has had some good (impo) episodes focused on him once in a while, so I do think we get some guys perspective in some way there.

 

Aside from that, I think it’s nice to have a show that guys like, but one that has female hero’s or heroines in it as it were.