#watchpony | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

marvelandponder · 7 years

Photo

I Feel Partially Responsible

One of the most satisfying moments of season 6 was when Queen Chrysalis bitch-slapped Starlight Glimmer’s offer of redemption. We would’ve accepted it, I guess, but we’ve had… a number of reformed villains. A very large number.

And admittedly, I’ve talked about this a lot (I’m surprised people aren’t sick of me yet), and I’m definitely not the only one, but the reason we’ve had so many redemptions and the reason I won’t shut up about it are one in the same.

This fandom loves us some reformed, tragic characters.

Go back about 5 years, and Luna was worshiped. Well, Woona was. Or the socially awkward, gamer Luna that became a thing after Luna Eclipsed.

And Luna’s far from the only character who got a boost in popularity once they joined the light side. Some of the characters we’ve responded to the most happen to be reformed characters—and you can argue the amount of reformed villains skews whatever that statistic is, but that’s my point.

It might not just be that we have a lot of reformed characters because the show staff likes reforming them, but maybe, at least in part, because we’ve responded so well to the characters who have been reformed. Well, I mean, for the most part.

But this the best of the best. Or, I guess, the best of the worst, you could say.

Important Note: I didn’t do this on purpose, but after starting my list, I remembered our good friends at WatchPony. And lo and behold, one quick search on their channel brought me to their Top 10 Reformed Villains in MLP. Damn my unoriginality!

But I still had enough to say about my choices, so I did my best to limit the overlap between these their list and my list (although there are two choices that are the same number). I thought it’d be best to warn you ahead of time: WatchPony did it first and you should absolutely support them.

In fact, maybe this’ll make it more interesting.

If you want, you can watch their list or read mine, and then watch/read the other. Comparing the order and the reasons behind them could be fun, I hope!

Or not. Just so long as you know I’m at least trying to differentiate and add some value to an idea that’s already been done (and done well).

Honourable Mentions

Wow, that pout

Nightmare Rarity

The Flim-Flam Brothers

Scorpan

Iron Will

Gloriosa Daisy

#10. Gilda

Here’s someone the fandom never thought they’d like! And for that, she gets extra points. It’s one thing to go from a decent baddie to a paragon of goodness, but to go from making Fluttershy cry and anatoginizng Pinkie Pie to decently decent? That’s impressive.

She also was the first to give us a sympathetic look into griffin culture—how they’ve been defined by their greed and scrupulousness because of the depression they’re in. Gilda herself has to work to leave the place, which makes it all the more heart warming to see her instead work to slowly make Griffinstone a friendlier place. Now that’s character progression!

#9. King Sombra (Comics)

Yeah… as with anything in the comics, you can debate if it’s canon all you want, but the golden rule for B-Canon is that it’s canon until proven otherwise, so, heck, I’m counting it!

This one’s especially awesome because you get not one but two of the more poignant redemptions! The Reflections arc Sombra and the main universe Siege of the Crystal Empire Sombra! That first one might seem like a load of bullcocky, but in the eyes of audience members, the first story is one of redemption, because to us his character goes from bad to good (to bad again).

The Good Sombra himself never changed from bad to good, I know, so it’s a technicality, but that’s why it’s low on the list. It’s a heartbreaking arc because we’re so new to this good version of Sombra, but I digress, that’s not the reason Comics! Sombra is on the list.

I actually think you couldn’t have the second Sombra redemption arc without the first—since they imply that there’s a sort of balance that needs to be struck with this parallel universe. Meaning, because the Good Sombra went bad at the end of the Reflections arc, the Sombra in the main universe had to go good to compensate.

So, yeah, it’s all relevant. Not just talking about it because I’m a sucker for that arc.

The actual redemption arc comes in the form of the story that continues from the Sombra Fiendship is Magic issue to the Siege of the Crystal Empire arc. The story overall may be a bit cluttered here and there, but in addition to giving us the scariest looking monsters they could have in a kids comic (with the silliest sounding name to offset it: Umbrum), it presented another genuinely likeable love story to seal the redemptive deal.

Each of Sombra’s better moments are times when he’s in love. Which, in hindsight, seems rather fitting, given that his origins are in the Crystal Empire, the empire of the Princess of Love.

So, here’s to the sweet-hearted Sombra: may his love always surpass his fear.

#8. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon

Double-whammy, you say? Cheating, you say? All of the above!

Technically putting two separate characters in one spot is unfair, but you can’t really talk about Silver Spoon’s redemption without Diamond Tiara’s. And if I were to separate them, Silver Spoon honestly wouldn’t make the list, so I thought it’d be more fun this way.

With that said, Silver Spoon has by far the funniest redemption on this list. She doesn’t go through some life-changing journey, or has any real foundation-shifting epiphany. Just a sassy, satisfying comeback that shows that she’s not just Diamond Tiara’s loyal follower no matter what. Just funny.

And then there’s Diamond Tiara herself. Loads of people have talked about her redemption before by this point, and in particular how it was generally likeable but would’ve been even more believable and interesting had we seen any flickers of doubt or moments of pause with her mom in prior episodes.

But, what can I say? If it’s done well enough, I’m a sucker for a good musical, and not only did the songs and scenes in between sell the emotions behind her turn-around, it honestly made me root for her. She should still make up for her past, but I can’t deny that it was the perfect bookend to that chapter of her and the CMCs’ lives. Way to go, DT. You made me cry (in a good way).

#7. Thorax and the Changelings

Now, okay, I get the reservation. We never saw Thorax himself be particularly evil, but he did grow up in a society that championed the stuff. He was taught certain values by the culture around him, and was even indoctrinated one way or another as a changeling soldier.

So his choice to find actual honest-to-goodness friendship counts as redemption to me. He’s rejecting evil when he can see that his doubts weren’t unfounded, that there should be another way for him, and ultimately, another way for his people.

He and Gabby both realized what they lacked in their culture through seeing Equestrians and their love, but with Thorax, he had to outright renounce the traditions and ideology of his culture. And he was so cute while doing it!

The changelings following suit shows us Thorax was likely far from the only one who ever had hesitation feeding the way they did. When the opportunity came about to survive and be morally upright, it seems like almost all of the changelings took it. Perhaps a fraction followed Chrysalis off-screen, I wouldn’t oppose a ret-con like that, but the point is, the chose to change under the guidance of a truly worthy King.

Hail to thee, King Thorax. Long may you reign!

#6. Sci-Twi/Equestria Girls Twilight

In true Jekyll and Hyde fashion, the pursuit of knowledge is not always the loftiest ideal, proved by this pick: Mightnight Sparkle.

There’s an argument to be made that because Twilight never intended harm to come to anyone until she got sucked into that glowing light, she was never really “evil,” per se. More a victim of circumstance.

But I don’t know. Her device grew more dangerous as time went on, but she didn’t care. And the less she cared (which in this movie meant the less was cared about), the more dangerous it got, until she couldn’t control it.

I mentioned Jekyll and Hyde not because of the Sci-Twi/Midnight comparison, but because the theme of that tragedy was, as the old saying goes, ‘the path to hell is paved with good intentions.’ Dr. Jekyll’s original intention with the potion was to rid himself of all his bad qualities, but as the story goes on, in the pursuit of science, he loses control more and more until the unthinkable. Just watch Ink Potts’ fantastic animatic of Pinkie in that story if you need a refresher. It was a choice to pursue that knowledge further and further, and that’s what doomed both the titular Mr. Hyde and our very own Sci-Twi.

Since losing that control and accepting Sunset Shimmer’s offer of actual love and friendship, the lonely Sci-Twi has gone on to still try to tackle problems on her own, even her P.T.S.D.

It’s why Twilight gets her big ‘Friendship is magic!’ realization at the end of the fourth movie. Isolation and the resulting obsessions are what made Twilight a villain, and it’s the acceptance that those things don’t have to be real anymore that lead her to make the right choices.

But hey, we already knew Twilight was better with her friendships, didn’t we?

#5. Starlight Glimmer

You knew we’d get to her eventually! As someone who likes Starlight and her delightfully questionable morals, I’ve very much enjoyed her character, both as a villain, and as struggling friendship student.

Although, I do get why there’s such a divide. I don’t pretend to know all the reasons, but I think the main reason—even more than ‘she was instantly forgiven at the end of season 5′ (because most of these redemptions weren’t earned until after the fact) or ‘she’s an actual sociopath/seems disingenuous— is that infamous backstory scene.

Even as someone who can forgive it, I understand. The execution made it seem like that small, if hurtful event was what made her into a full blown villain. When it feels like a character’s main motivation is a gross overreaction, it can be hard to relate to them. You start asking questions like ‘Why didn’t you just ___?!’ or ‘Seriously? That’s so irrational!’

Believe it or not, it’s not a fundamentally broken idea, just one that wasn’t executed well. I mean, yeah, there are logical inconsistencies with her backstory—she could’ve reached out to Sunburst. But I can think of another character who let a tiny event shape their entire world, and who subsequently let their emotions blind them to logical solutions to their problems.

Moon Dancer.

Moon Dancer swore off friendship entirely after Twilight didn’t show up at her party. And I think there are a few reasons why that one worked for so many more people than Starlight’s story did.

Yet both Moon Dancer and Starlight had somewhat of a breakdown to express that their decision was primarily based on emotions, not logic. Moon Dancer’s problems would’ve been solved as easily as Starlight’s, too—if she had gotten in contact with Twilight, somehow, they could’ve cleared things up. But why don’t we question that?

The big differences are how recent these events are, and the severity of their reaction.

Time-Order Moon Dancer: this small event was implied to be the last straw for her, after years of not having very many friends aside from Twilight Starlight: this event was the first straw, if you will, but we didn’t get to see the years in between or how things developed over time, gradually— hence, it feels like an instant overreaction, as if she went from 0 to 100

Severity Moon Dancer: Doesn’t want to be hurt again, becomes a complete shut-in, only ends up hurting herself Starlight: Doesn’t want to be hurt again, _________, cutie marks are to blame/mindset develops, is able justify to herself some messed up stuff

So this is where season 6 comes in, and why there’s still such a divide on this one issue (among others, I’m sure).

For a number of people, Starlight’s character lost a lot of believability because all of this seemed like such a huge overreaction. After losing that trust in her, it’s gotta be hard to give her a chance, even if you wanted to stay open-minded.

Whereas people who could overlook that momentarily, understand enough to shrug it off, or just empathize with her might’ve been able to see the things that season 6 helped contextualize.

Like, the season 6 premiere shows us the anxiety she had reuniting with Sunburst, especially since the whole, you know, dictator thing. That anxiety that she’d be rejected again seems to me to be part of the reason she isolated herself for a long time after losing Sunburst to his school.

And the whole Starlight relies on magic arc (especially in Every Little Thing She Does) shows us she doesn’t just have a fear of rejection, but a fear of failure. She copes by relying on something that came naturally to her, and overcomes that fear along with the fear of rejection once again, in the season 6 finale.

Having that outlined in such great detail throughout the season helps me fill in the blanks between the time Starlight was a child and lost her best friend, to the Starlight we met in the beginning of season 5.

I do wish her backstory was executed better to show that even though that one event was the catalyst, it’s in fact Starlight’s own actions that isolated her.

Really, the order seems to go like this after Sunburst leaves:

Starlight: Doesn’t want to be hurt again, becomes too afraid he’ll reject her to reach out to him and isolates herself, relies on her magic to gain approval, is still alone, becomes good at justifying things/blames cutie marks instead of Sunburst or herself, slowly develops an ideology so she won’t be alone anymore, goes too far because she’s really good at justifying things to herself, etc. etc.

That’s why I’ve really enjoyed Starlight’s redemption. Even though some parts of her development really could’ve been executed better, there’s enough there for me to see that she’s a surprisingly interesting and 3-dimensional character.

Plus, I just enjoy her snarky personality (she will always be Snarklight to me). Not gonna lie, that’s just fun.

Over the course of this past season, I grew to like the reformed Starlight more and more because her redemption has certainly been the most interesting. I think we can agree on that, no matter what tone of voice you use to say it: her redemption has been interesting.

#4. The Great and Powerful Trixie

And here we have a truly flawed character, whose short-comings are what make her so irresistibly adorable: The Great and Powerful The Humble and Penitent Trixie!

Right from the start, the self-proclaimed Great and Powerful Trixie constantly boasts that she’s the best around, but because the world around her seems to inevitably prove her wrong, or at the very least roll its eyes, her lack of self-awareness is… well, kinda endearing.

Her ego-driven claims aren’t taken seriously enough to be annoying—everyone seems to just shake their head at her—so that her continual drive to entertain and prove her over-evaluated self-worth is just fun to watch. There’s something adorably pathetic about that.

Which is why I think there’s a little bit of a lovable loser vibe to Trixie. Just a bit. Something about how she lives in her wagon, trips running away at the end of Magic Duel, or continually finds herself second to Twilight—I don’t know. I think there’s something about the fact that she’s so self-absorbed and not really aware of it that seems immature, but in a cute way. Kinda like a pouty, spoiled child, without ever crossing into irritating brat territory.

Not to say she’s too immature or incapable of growth. In fact, that’s when she gets even cuter! The line “Let’s be great and powerful together” is so ridiculously cute that I still don’t know what to do with myself. Even more than Twilight’s reluctant, but still warm accepting of Trixie’s apology (I always love how Twilight legitimately looks like she wants to tell Trixie no for a second), this was her big moment of character growth: realizing how much Starlight meant to her.

She gone from a pitiable character who seemed like they were too narcissistic to ever change, to someone who would go to the ends of Equestria and back to support a friend. Now that’s a redemption!

#3. Discord

Speaking of, ‘beyond hope.’ Here’s a villain no one particularly expected to turn good. This was before most of these baddies got a second chance, too, so a redemption for a villain this beloved was a pretty big deal.

Especially because Discord was such a delightfully evil villain. He had so much fun with it and appreciated his own chaos so deeply that it was hard not to love to hate the guy. Or just love to love him!

So, like a lot of the contenders on this list, Discord’s redemption felt a bit rushed. The dude was so into causing disharmony and so infinitely powerful that he can snap most any problem away, not to mention being thousands of years old—seems like you could expand on his redemption for a whole season, if this were a serial show.

But all the things that made the initial moment of redemption feel rushed later were addressed in Discord’s backslide into being evil, which where his redemption really shows it’s value.

That whispered line delivery when Discord realizes he actually trusted Tirek to be his friend is so wonderful. And that moment (and his whole story in that two-parter) compliments another from the Luna and Discord Friends Forever comic. I bring this up too much, I think, but only because it’s one of the greatest moments of character development and commentary the comics have to offer, in my mind:

Discord feeling as though it’s inevitable that he’ll hurt the ones he cares about is a bit heart-wrenching. Until, of course, you realize Luna’s right: there’s more to what happened with Triek than just a backslide.

It’s a bit ironic. Here Discord’s afraid that there’s no stopping himself from eventually returning to his evil ways, but in fact, we saw that once he started caring about Fluttershy and the rest, he inevitably looked for friendship. Even if it was in the wrong place at the time.

Discord’s learning to let himself care about ponies. He can never fully change his chaotic, trouble-making nature, but he’s so extremely new to relationships. It really is like teaching a sociopath how to love, except less grim, because Discord is actually capable of learning. Slowly, and with baby-steps.

And learn he does. By the time we get to the season six finale, he will tear apart the fabric of reality (or in this case, go on an adventure where he can’t use magic) to make sure Fluttershy’s safe.

Reformed Discord has been a round longer than the evil Discord was in terms of screen-time, but his has always been an arc centered on trust. Fluttershy trusting him when he didn’t deserve it. Twilight and the girls constantly being skeptical, and Discord constantly giving them reasons to be skeptical. Even Discord struggling to trust himself, if this comic is to be believed.

But in fact, the point has never been to change Discord completely. After all, we as an audience fell in love with his mischievous nature, and delight whenever we get to see it pop up in fun ways. So, while he hasn’t changed in terms of his chaos, we can trust that he’s changed where it counts.

#2. Sunset Shimmer

Oh, pardon me. My bias is showing. I really love Sunset. For some reason, over the past year I became especially attached to her and now she tops my favourites list. It’s a problem (for my poor followers).

But, lucky for me, the fandom as a whole loves Sunset, too, so I can at least say there’s actual reasons to praise her redemption arc, instead of just shoving who I like at the top.

In the interest of keeping my bias to a minimum here, we’ll start by admitting that in the first Equestria Girls movie, Sunset was a really flat character. Pretty stereotypical, outside of an intriguing backstory that was unfortunately relegated to just brief exposition at the time.

Her turn-around seemed quite sudden, and everyone around her was pretty willing to forgive her, it seemed. So, not many people were huge Sunset fans after the first one, but it’s downright shocking how well the writers developed a stereotype of a villain in hindsight!

What I love most about Sunset’s arc is how it builds and builds. Each movie builds off the last, to the point that it feels like there’s a natural flow to her development.

Like, Rainbow Rocks is all about her guilt and the continuing distance between her and her new friends (and the school at large, of course). You can tell she’s really been humbled, which is both endearing and a great story-beat towards the end, where she finally realizes she has to speak up even though she’s not experienced in friendship.

Then there’s Friendship Games, where Sunset’s noticeably closer to the girls and is even the one they look to for advice. Now that’s she’s grown closer to them, though, she’s more protective, and we get to see that her anger problems didn’t just vanish when she was reformed. She’s also instrumental in giving Sci-Twi another chance because of how she’s grown since she was given her second chance.

And in Legend of Everfree, she not only takes on the mentor role, but demonstrates that she learned not to let her protectiveness blind her to people’s feelings. Plus, she’s just a bit goofier, and I think that just goes to show that she’s happier and more secure in her friendships. A healthier person overall.

Sunset’s not perfect even though she’s continually driven to improve herself, and I think more than anything, that’s what makes her such a fan-favourite. Her on-going struggles to be better.

#1. Princess Luna

Well, I think we all saw this one coming, but what can I say? She’s earned it.

The story of Nightmare Moon is like a classical tragedy, in a number of ways. The story of a hero whose hubris leads them to their own, often ironic, downfall. In Luna’s case, a deep, unrelenting loneliness spawned a jealousy and pride that would lead her to becoming Nightmare Moon—which isolated her on the moon for a 1000 years.

From that simple, yet powerful starting point, we start our series and our first ever redemption. It really did set the tone for the reformations to come, didn’t it? At the time, it was easy to accept that rainbow lasers had the power to instantly make a character good and that everyone around said character could forgive them on the spot.

Nightmare Moon and Luna were different entities, but it still didn’t change the fact that it was her fault.

But, like a lot of the redemptions to follow, Luna truly earned that forgiveness later.

By teaching and supporting others through her dream-walking, by adjusting to a time-period 1000 years ahead of the one she came from and learning to have fun with her subjects, and by letting go of her guilt and pain before it caused her to make the same mistake again, with the Tantabus.

By the very nature of being the less beloved, depressed, nocturnal sibling, she was bound to get some love (everyone loves an underdog, right?), but Princess Luna’s growth set the standard for what can be done with a redemption arc. And after all the stories we’ve gotten since, I for one am glad she got a second chance.

Want some MLP editorials? I’ve got the full list over here, and links to the most recent three right here for you:

IDW Comics, Top 10 Cutest Families, and Derpy Editorial

Year of the Pony

Header Image Only Possible Because of…

Nightmare Moon’s Castle by Drakizora Starlight Glimmer by DerAtrox Trixie by Reginault Gilda by AwesomeLuna Sunset by 8-Notes Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon by DashieSparkle Thorax by DashieSparkle Discord by DashieSparkle Princess Luna by DashieSparkle

A whole flock of talented vector artists! Go love them all, they all deserve it! And another special shout out to WatchPony and their awesome videos. They’re the real kings and queens of top 10s for MLP!

I Wanna Get Better

43 notes · View notes