Top Ten Villains of FiM, Version 9 · 10:14pm Jul 3rd, 2019
I held off on doing this list until now because I thought "Rainbow Roadtrip" at least was going to debut a new antagonist, but it didn't (which is not necessarily a bad thing, you can have a compelling story without needing an antagonist) and the new villains in "Sunset's Backstage Pass" were so forgettable even by twist villain standards, so there was no point in adding them to the list. So we're back to villains that have already existed or been established, no newcomers. And considering "Frenemies", there was no way the list could remain the same, it needed to be updated. Here's the previous version, from just after the start of Season 9, time to see who moved up and who moved down. As always, this list is purely the result of my personal opinion.
10. Tempest Shadow a.k.a Fizzlepop Berrytwist (Movies appeared in: My Little Pony, The Movie (2017))
Why she moved down to the bottom: Poor Tempest, stuck playing second fiddle to a villain that was clearly meant to be the bigger threat, and straddled with a comedic sidekick that undercut any tension she was meant to have. Emily Blunt voiced her well, there's no denying that. But the only comics that have dwelled on Tempest as a villain were the movie prequel comics, and then there's a book entitled "The Stormy Road to Canterlot" which details Tempest's attack on the hippogriff kingdom. But that material is secondary canon at best, and it doesn't seem like it shows anything we didn't already see for ourselves in the movie (Tempest was the Storm King's enforcer, and she pretty much did his dirty work for him). And of course, her backstory being slightly better than Starlight Glimmer's is no longer much of a plus now that Starlight has actually managed to turn the page on her past and move on. Since the show obviously can't get Emily Blunt to reprise (unless she wants to accept a significantly reduced paycheck), the best that could be hoped for is a non-speaking cameo like we saw with Capper in "Between Dark and Dawn".
9. The Storm King (Movies appeared in: My Little Pony, The Movie (2017))
Why he moved down: I don't mind having simple, comedic villains. Villains who are evil just for the sake of it, and love doing it. Disney villains like Captain Hook and Hades are perfect testaments to that, heck even Jafar is a good hammy villain. But what makes them work is that they have an actual presence, not an implied one. We know what makes them tick. We actually get to see why they're so fearsome, so underhanded. And most importantly, we have them actually interact with the heroes, which is something any good villain needs (if the heroes and villains don't meet, the villains usually don't feel connected to the story). The Storm King doesn't get that. We're never even told why everyone is supposed to be afraid of him, or if Tempest really believed he could restore her horn (they don't even ellaborate if he could do so and simply chose not to, or if he really couldn't and was just stringing her along). It seems that possible stinger during the credits is indeed just that, a stinger. I have to wonder if "Rainbow Roadtrip" as a sequel to the movie would've revealed him to have survived or been resurrected somehow, and that he would be behind the draining of color?
8. King Sombra (Episodes appeared in: The Crystal Empire Parts 1 and 2, The Cutie Re-Mark Part 1, The Beginning of the End Parts 1 and 2)
Why he moved down: It seems like they opted to play up how much of a threat Grogar was by completely nerfing Sombra, turning him into a cliche villain that he was originally supposed to be a departure from. He makes all the mistakes that other villains in the show have made, such as monologuing, not killing when he had the chance, and dismissing the very thing that would destroy him. At least the good news is that in bringing him back the show has completely erased that awful redemption arc he got in the IDW comics, which completely ruined all the good things his "Fiendship is Magic" issue had. If not for how effective he was in "The Crystal Empire" his return in "The Beginning of the End" might have caused him to drop off the list entirely. It's really a shame they didn't bring him back again, why go through all that bother of giving him a new voice (and making him talk all the time) if he wasn't going to stick around?
7. Queen Chrysalis (Episodes appeared in: A Canterlot Wedding Parts 1 and 2, The Cutie Re-Mark Part 2, To Where and Back Again Parts 1 and 2, The Mean 6, The Beginning of the End Parts 1 and 2, Frenemies)
Why she moved up: After hitting villain decay badly in Season 8, "Frenemies" was the return to form that Queen Chrysalis desperately needed to stay relevant and credible as a threat. Her being the one to realize friendship and also being the one to be distrustful of Grogar makes sense. She has never trusted anyone, her entire role as a villain has relied on the use of deception. And her shape shifting abilities are back in top form, she apparently can transform into almost anything and never truly be hindered. Of course, her weak appearances from before do hold her back some.
6. Lord Tirek (Episodes appeared in: Twilight's Kingdom Parts 1 and 2, The Cutie Re-Mark Part 2, School Raze Parts 1 and 2, The Beginning of the End Parts 1 and 2, Frenemies)
Why he moved up: "Frenemies" was a pretty good mix of the two sides of Tirek we saw in "Twilight's Kingdom". The scheming Tirek who was a master manipulator, able to persuade Discord to side with him against Equestria. And the hulking brute Tirek who basically blunt forced his way through every obstacle. I particularly enjoy his interactions with Cozy Glow, and how he can see right through her. I can easily see him making the argument "That's exactly what I would do in your situation if the roles were reversed", which explains why he completely resisted Cozy's efforts to befriend him while they were in Tartarus. It's a much needed shot in the arm, especially since his inclusion in "School Raze" just made the whole thing feel unfocused.
5. Nightmare Moon (Episodes appeared in: Friendship is Magic Parts 1 and 2, Princess Twilight Sparkle Parts 1 and 2, The Cutie Re-Mark Part 2, A Royal Problem, The Beginning of the End Part 1)
Why she moved down: I still like the idea that Nightmare Moon wasn't just an evil and corrupted Luna, that she was her own entity with her own desires and ambitions. And her first appearance definitely conveyed that with the way Tabitha St. Germain voiced her, providing a stark contrast to her Luna voice by providing a more chilled, low voice. Whereas for subsequent appearances she has opted to play it up as a more hammy version of her Luna voice. Her return in "The Beginning of the End" alongside Daybreaker was a surprise, and that was what briefly bumped her up since it led to some interesting speculation (was Daybreaker a fear Twilight had, or was it one Starlight had and then passed on to Twilight?). But it seems likely that will be the last of Nightmare Moon in any kind of appearance, a very brief cameo. And with some other villains giving us more to talk about, she had to move down to make room.
4. The Dazzlings: Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk (Episodes appeared in: Shadow Play Part 2. Movies appeared in: Rainbow Rocks. Specials appeared in: Sunset's Backstage Pass)
Why they moved up: "Sunset's Backstage Pass" didn't do too much with them, but I kind of like that they're still unreformed and still unhappy about being stuck in the human world. I like the idea that they're still resentful towards Sunset Shimmer and still despise humans, but they've come to realize that they can't go back to Equestria so they might as well suck it up and try to make the most of a bad situation. Their voices seemed kind of off though, which I blame probably on the fact that it had been a while since we'd seen them and their VAs were probably a bit rusty (Kazumi Evans in particular hasn't gotten much to do recently, but this season she did get a Rarity song and a chance to voice Moondancer again). It would've really benefited the special to have them be the villains, or if they really wanted to go for a twist villain they could've at least had Sunset team up with them to find the culprit (the Dazzlings would obviously want to use the situation to get the artifact and obtain Equestrian magic, but Sunset would find a way to outfox them in the end).
3. The Pony of Shadows (Episodes appeared in: Shadow Play Parts 1 and 2)
Why he stayed the same: There's really nothing left to say that hasn't already been said, especially since we're not delving into comics here (though his inclusion in "Nightmare Knights" was surprising). It still isn't known whether his planned appearance in Season 4's finale (before being replaced by Tirek to celebrate MLP's 30th anniversary) was the same as he ultimately ended up being. And we may never know one way or the other. Everything I've said about him before still holds up, there's just nothing left to say.
2. Grogar (Episodes appeared in: The Beginning of the End Parts 1 and 2, Frenemies)
Why he moved up: "Frenemies" did a great deal to flesh out Grogar in so little an amount of time. Now we know why he has only just now come back, and why the other villains should listen to him. He's pretty much a mix between Lex Luthor and Darkseid (a popular foe of the Justice League due to his powers that can rival even Superman), and if we're to take him at his word he's more powerful than all three members of his legion of doom together, and he's not even at full power yet. The fact that he's so powerful even without his bewitching bell really makes you wonder how beyond terrifying he might be if he obtains it, especially since Gusty the Great couldn't defeat him head on, and the bell couldn't be destroyed (though perhaps the Elements of Harmony will have the power to do so). I imagine it's probably just his viewpoint, but it would be interesting if indeed Gusty the Great was self righteous and only cared about stopping Grogar because she didn't like him (as opposed to allowing ponies to repel him and take control of the land). Some are even speculating he may have created Discord, owing to the fact that he is said to be the father of monsters. If we got to see him interact with the mane six or even the princesses, he'd be number one. I have a feeling they've got something big planned for him in the season and series finale, and he could take the top spot next time around if that's the case. But for now, he just barely misses the top.
1. Gladmane (Episodes appeared in: Via Las Pegasus)
Why he stayed on the top: Gladmane remains probably the best one-off antagonist in the slice of life episodes of the show, taking what Flim and Flam did and doing it better. And as I've said before, to me he feels like the villain who comes the closest to not seeing himself as one and having a perfectly good reason to think so. Of course, he willing admits to being mean and says that it works, even delighting in admitting to what he's done and how he can't be outsmarted. Jim Byrnes did a fantastic job of voicing Gladmane, especially since he could've easily just opted for a lazy Elvis impression. For now at least, Gladmane still holds the top spot because he was so effective at what he was, and what he came so close to being.
And there you have it. I probably won't update the Top Ten Worst Villains or Top Ten Worst Characters list, simply because Post Crush left no impression at all as antagonists or characters, it's almost like they were made to be forgotten. And the jury's still out on Cozy Glow and what (if anything) she contributes to the gathering of villains.
Here's my personal ranking:
1. Season 5 Starlight
2. Tempest Shadow
3. Cozy Glow
4. Grogar
5. Capper (i'm counting him since he WAS briefly an antagonist)
6. The Mean Six
7. The Storm King
8. Chrysalis
9. Tirek
10. The Pony of Shadows
5083845 If I didn't count reformed villains, "Cutie Map" Starlight would definitely be on the list.
5083911
I kind of have to, since I don't really love any of the other antagonists/villains enough to put them in a top ten.