Ranking the Reformations of FiM, From Worst to Best (Version 6) · 1:35am Jul 3rd, 2019
There aren't any newcomers this time around, everyone who's on here has already appeared on a previous list. But now we've got some things to consider, mostly show stuff but also a little bit of Equestria Girls and some of the comics. Here's the previous version, from just after Season 8, like before I'm not counting the reformations/redemptions of any comics exclusive villains and as always this list is purely the result of my personal opinion so please respect it.
18. Vignette Valencia (Redemption Arc: Rollercoaster of Friendship)
Why she stayed on the bottom: I'm not including Post Crush on this list since they became villains for an even more petty reason than Vignette, though at least unlike her they didn't get what they wanted in the end (well technically they did, Sunset put a stop to it from always happening). This redemption was the straw that broke the camel's back for me and caused "Rollercoaster of Friendship" to sink all the way to the bottom of Equestria Girls films and specials, the fact that since this special the franchise has mostly just tredded water since then seems to indicate that this is a low they may never truly come back from. Yeah, I still don't have much of anything to say about this redemption, it didn't need to exist.
17. King Sombra (Redemption Arc: IDW Main Series #34-#37)
Why he stayed the same: Thankfully this arc is now officially not canon because of what happened in "The Beginning of the End", no mention of the umbrum and he is now officially killed off for good. Sadly, the IDW comics have in fact managed to do worse in the main series since they reformed him, and we'll get to that soon enough.
16. Juniper Montage (Redemption Arc: Movie Magic, Mirror Magic)
Why she stayed in the bottom three: Still nothing new to say about this redemption, it's kind of a shame they didn't at least try to integrate her into the cast like they did with Starlight. But all things considered she was never a threat of any sort, so stopping Juniper Montage didn't warrant any sort of fanfare. She was just a throwaway villain done solely to try and tie the three specials of 2017 together.
15. Chancellor Neighsay (Redemption Arc: School Raze Part 2)
Why he moved down: It looks like we're gonna just pretend Neighsay doesn't exist anymore, which is fine by me. He should be fired after the kind of stunts he pulled while head of the EEA. Whatever their intentions were with him, they completely messed up, turning him into an unprentant bigot who only had a change of heart after he was deposed and chained up by a threat he all but willingly worked with. Heck, I'm surprised he's not attending the School of Friendship, he could learn a thing or two about it. And it might help to get him off the princesses backs while they're no doubt hard at work cleaning up the damage he caused to the EEA's reputation.
14. The Shadowbolts of Crystal Prep (Redemption Arc: Dance Magic)
Why they moved down: It's a shame we haven't seen them pop up in any of the shorts for the Equestria Girls franchise, they were the first villains not to be interested in Equestrian magic at all. They were only interested in defeating Canterlot High. And I feel like they could've turned them into at the least occasional guest stars. Plus, we'd get to see how Indigo Zapp is doing since she was inexplicably absent from "Dance Magic". They seem slightly better off under Dean Cadence, but that also means that them willingly committing plagerism on their own destroys any chance they could claim to have just been following orders under Cinch.
13. Discord (Redemption Arc: Keep Calm and Flutter On, Twilight's Kingdom Parts 1 and 2, Discord and the Ponyville Players Dramarama, Make New Friends, But Keep Discord, What About Discord?, IDW Friends Forever #2 and #20, To Where And Back Again Parts 1 and 2, Discordant Harmony, IDW Main Series #57, A Matter of Principals, Best Gift Ever, The Beginning of the End Parts 1 and 2, IDW Main Series #75-#78)
Why he moved up: Well, so far Season 9 seems to have dialed back on Discord's antics and seems to have avoided making any major screw-ups with him. I think he was used effectively, though I do have to wonder why he backed out on facing Sombra the first time around, as far as I know Discord and Sombra never knew about each other. Him faking his injuries wasn't too big of a surprise, it would've been more of one if Sombra had actually managed to hurt him in any meaningful way. Some are saying the image he showed of Twilight sitting on her throne and looking evil is foreshadowing the season and series finale, but I hope not, making Twilight evil and power drunk would be a horrible cop out. However, the more pressing concern is the recently wrapped up Cosmos arc, which saw Discord meet up with his crazy ex-girlfriend. But that arc, among its many problems, took a lot of creative liberties with Discord's backstory. They suggested that Discord was always good, it was Cosmos who did all the bad stuff (including creating the Everfree Forest), which flies completely in the face of Discord as he was in his debut. A guy who gladly messed with others physically and mentally, and showed little (if any) remorse for doing so. Even if the unreliable narrator trope is in effect and Discord is exaggerating, I still find it hard to believe he would want to keep all knowledge of his past with Cosmos a secret. Especially since Cosmos herself is the ultimate villain-sue, she gets everything handed to her, and when she actually has to fight for something she is quickly taken down with such ease that you have to wonder why anyone ever feared her in the first place. We'll have to see what the second half holds for Discord (if anything) but I hope we've seen the last of "Discord is an a-hole" plots.
12. Gilda (Redemption Arc: The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone, IDW Friends Forever #24, The Hearth's Warming Club)
Why she moved way down: It's sad that Gilda was but one of many minor antagonists who after being reformed got tossed aside. She became the ghost, mentioned but never seen. First it was Gabby who took her place for a CMC focused episode, and then it was Gallus who pretty much confirmed that Gilda and Gabby haven't made much (if any) progress in reforming Griffonstone and making it a nice place to live. I know it's not going to be an overnight thing, but you'd expect results when you've got not one but two griffons who are interested in spreading the values of their pony friends. But maybe with Gallus as the next Element of Friendship that will change? He's the only student six member whose home life isn't ideal, the only ally of Equestria that remains unchanged (even the yaks at least are more open to visitors).
11. Tempest Shadow a.k.a Fizzlepop Berrytwist (Redemption Arc: School Daze Part 1, IDW Main Series #67-#68, IDW Nightmare Knights #2-#5)
Why she moved up: It's not much, but getting to see her in "Nightmare Knights" was enough to lift her up a bit. She seems to have made amends with Raindrops and now works alongside her. But of all the Nightmare Knights, she was the one who contributed the least. She was quickly taken out by Daybreaker and captured, and learning in the end that Daybreaker was merely pretending to be nice in order to depose Eris means that Tempest didn't really make a connection with her. The nightmare Eris subjected her to was interesting, and it was also surprising that she popped up in Capper's dream (which means she was indeed the Storm King's enforcer). It's kind of a shame that "Nightmare Knights" is another short lived comic series that's not getting fleshed out as its own series, with it wrapped up we may have seen the last of Tempest in any kind of media (let's face it, the show isn't going to be able to budget to get Emily Blunt back, and there's no way they're gonna find someone in the DHX talent pool who can mimic Emily Blunt well enough).
10. Babs Seed (Redemption Arc: One Bad Apple, Apple Family Reunion, IDW Main Series #21-#22, Friends Forever #13, Bloom and Gloom, Friends Forever #36, The Last Crusade)
Why she moved down: While we did see a cameo of Babs Seed in "The Last Crusade" that was really it, nothing else changed for her character. And the animators apparently weren't paying attention, because there were scenes where they didn't give her her cutie mark that she wrote to the CMC as obtaining at the start of "Bloom and Gloom".
9. Wallflower Blush (Redemption Arc: Forgotten Friendship)
Why she moved down: We did see her in the background at the beginning of "Sunset's Backstage Pass" but that was it as far as appearances. Just a glorified cameo. There isn't much I can say that wasn't already said, and I feel like tossing her aside was a waste because the whole point of her character was how much she resented being invisible. How she wanted to stand out and be noticed, but unintentionally contributed to making herself further and further unknown.
8. Stygian (Redemption Arc: Shadow Play Part 2, A Rockhoof and a Hard Place, IDW Nightmare Knights #1-#5)
Why he moved up: In case you're wondering why Capper isn't on this list despite now having appeared in the IDW comics, it's because he was never anywhere close to an antagonist in the movie. Yes, he was willing to sell the ponies into slavery to settle an unspecified debt, but he wasn't working for the Storm King and in no other way was directly trying to oppose the ponies. Anyway, back to the character of focus, Stygian got a great deal of time devoted to him in "Nightmare Knights" since he and Luna were there from the start (the entire first issue was them running into Eris, and the entire second issue was spent on them recruiting ponies for their secret task force). This gave him a chance to use his talents for the benefit of everyone, once again serving as the brains of the group. And even when he was isolated and alone, he refused Eris' offer to serve her even though the alternative was to be trapped in a nightmare, reliving his worst moment (being cast out by the pillars for appearing to betray them). You really get the sense that he and Luna are kindred souls, united by a common past filled with regret. Speaking of Luna...
7. Princess Luna (Redemption Arc: Friendship is Magic Part 2 (Mare In The Moon), Luna Eclipsed, IDW Main Series #5-#8, Friends Forever #7, Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?, Nightmare Knights #1-#5)
Why she moved up: "Nightmare Knights" really got surprising towards the end with Daybreaker, giving Luna a parallel similar to what her sister went through when Luna became Nightmare Moon and had to be banished. Interestingly, at the start of "Nightmare Knights #3" Luna briefly has doubts about including others in the attempt to retrieve her magic. And unlike "Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep" her doubts felt genuine, and the speech given to help her overcome them felt genuine. It's kind of saying something that she's been doing better in the comics with other ponies and creatures, than she has in the show with her sister.
6. Equestria Girls Trixie (Redemption Arc: Forgotten Friendship, Spring Breakdown)
Why she moved down: Seeing human Trixie in "Spring Breakdown" was a surprise, but she was really just there. She didn't do anything for the entire length of the special aside from one humorous moment. It's not bad, but considering some recent developments for her pony counterpart, she now has to move down and make some room. And while we're on the subject of pony Trixie...
5. Pony Trixie a.k.a The Great and Powerful Trixie (Redemption Arc: Magic Duel, Friends Forever #6, IDW Main Series #21-#22, No Second Prances, To Where and Back Again Parts 1 and 2, Friends Forever #36, All Bottled Up, To Change a Changeling, Uncommon Bond, Road to Friendship, Nightmare Knights #1-#5, Student Counsel)
Why she stayed the same: She would be higher if not for how badly Season 7 mistreated her character, and how it has taken over a season for her to get better in a noticeable way. Now she actually makes a commitment to things and tries to be reliable, something that would've been alien to her in episodes like "All Bottled Up" and "To Change a Changeling". People harp on her for her behavior in "Student Counsel" but personally it's a far cry from how she was in the episodes mentioned above. Starlight didn't have to listen to Trixie, and for what it's worth Trixie did join the search party to look for Silverstream, not to mention she tried to use a smoke bomb to repel the cockatrices surrounding her and Terramar. However, in "Nightmare Knights" she nearly blew the group's cover right from the get go because she got distracted, and then she chose to abandon the group and pursue her own ego in a battle against a parallel universe version of Twilight that was basically copying Trixie.
4. Sci-Twi (Redemption Arc: Legend of Everfree, Forgotten Friendship, Equestria Girls Series)
Why she moved down: Alas, with the Equestria Girls specials continuing to flounder, Sci-Twi hasn't gotten much of anything devoted to her. She's mostly just there to empathize with Sunset Shimmer, spout techno babble, and serve as an example of what the Rainbooms could be if the writers were willing to actually flesh them out instead of leaving them stuck as basic versions of their pony counterparts. Not much to say, because she hasn't really done much of anything.
3. Starlight Glimmer (Redemption Arc: The Cutie Re-Mark Part 2, The Crystalling Parts 1 and 2, No Second Prances, Every Little Thing She Does, To Where And Back Again Parts 1 and 2, Celestial Advice, Rock Solid Friendship, Shadow Play Parts 1 and 2, School Daze Parts 1 and 2, Marks for Effort, A Matter of Principals, Road to Friendship, The Beginning of the End Part 1, Student Counsel)
Why she moved way up: It's funny how now, in the final season as she's being de-emphasized, that Starlight really seems to have turned the corner and managed to prove that she has indeed changed for the better. She's growing into a capable leader again, but she's also willing to empathize with others and offer them support. She still has a tendency to personalize things that go wrong even if they're not her fault, but thankfully she has learned not to depend solely on her magic all the time anymore. Heck, she handled the whole situation with Silverstream in "Student Counsel" pretty well, she was reasonable in her arguments but also was willing to drop everything and go search for her when she went missing. It's kind of a shame that they're doing so little with her, but if "Student Counsel" is the last major milestone for her character then I think she couldn't have asked for a better send-off.
2. Diamond Tiara (Redemption Arc: Crusaders of the Lost Mark, Ponyville Mysteries: Schoolhouse of Secrets and Tale of the Timberwolf, IDW Ponyville Mysteries #3, Spirit of the Forest #1-#3, The Last Crusade)
Why she moved up: Her cameo in "The Last Crusade" was nice, even if I wish they could've given her a speaking role (at least this cameo felt like she was being acknowledged instead of just being in the background). However, what has elevated her is a very surprising thing, the three part mini-series "Spirit of the Forest" from IDW Comics has decided to make Diamond Tiara a central figure. Granted, they're doing so by making Filthy Rich the antagonist who wants to cut down the Whitetail Woods for reasons that still don't make sense (could they really not use Spoiled Rich, a pony we're supposed to hate?). But just the fact that they're including Diamond Tiara again and giving her an actual role to play is incredible. It may very well be the last hurrah for her before the show wraps up. Time will tell how much of a role she has in the conclusion of "Spirit of the Forest", because I wouldn't put it past IDW to tease us with Diamond taking the lead, only to pull the rug out from under us and make her role ultimately just be fan service.
1. Sunset Shimmer (Redemption Arc: Rainbow Rocks, Friendship Games, Legend of Everfree, Forgotten Friendship, Equestria Girls Series)
Why she stayed on the top: "Sunset's Backstage Pass" actually showed some clever thinking on Sunset's part. When Post Crush mentions the delivery guy is different from yesterday, she deduces that they're the ones involved in the time loop and tricks them into shaking hands with her so she can read their memories. However, I feel like she became a little bit too grouchy since she was the only one who knew the time loop was happening for the first couple of instances. But the whole "You're the one who needs to change" was not only done first in "Forgotten Friendship" but done better, showing that Sunset has come a long way but there are still things she can strive to work on. It really is saying something where she remains more or less the gold standard by which all other redemptions and reformations are judged. And I don't think that will change before the show and Equestria Girls wrap up. But who knows, I didn't think Pinkie Pie would ever truly be dethroned from the mane six/seven/eight rankings and Season 8 marked the first time that she was not in the top spot, so anything is possible.
And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we'll update the Top Ten Villains list.
For me, the top 3 are still:
Diamond Tiara
Starlight Glimmer
Tempest Shadow