King Sombra
| Friendship is Magic • Mirror universe • Sombraverse |
Sombra was the illegitimate king of the Crystal Empire, and a bitter and harsh ruler, so cruel that his subjects shivered at remembering his name. Described as "a unicorn with a heart as black as night", he possessed powerful dark magic.
| Sombra | |||
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| Friendship is Magic character | |||
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| Biographical information | |||
| Species | Pony • Unicorn | ||
| Gender | Male | ||
| Occupation | King | ||
| Home | Crystal Empire, Northern Equestria | ||
| Real world | |||
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"Long live the king." |
History
Dark ruler
King Sombra's origins are a mystery, with all that is known being that he seized control of the Crystal Empire some time before the fateful day. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna moved to oppose him, and transformed Sombra into shadow before casting him into the depths of the Frozen North. For unknown reasons, the Empire disappeared around the same time, and would not be seen again for roughly 1000 years.
After Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor became the new monarchs of the returned Empire, Sombra once again returned to wreak havoc on his peoples. This time, by engulfing them in the smoke of his presence, though each time he was repelled by Cadance's magic. The legacy of Sombra's rule, even when he was kept at bay, was a very noticeable one, as his former subjects were weary, haggard and dreary and only grew worse when reminded of Sombra and his reign. Eventually, Cadance ran out of magic to hold off his power and soon Sombra nearly took back his city. Through the unlikely team-up, Spike and Cadance were able to retrieve the Crystal Heart and destroy Sombra, restoring their land.
Conquest of Canterlot and death
King Sombra later returned to life through the power of Grogar, who brought Sombra to his lair along with Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. Having witnessed their defeats at the hooves of Twilight and her friends, Grogar sought to form them into an alliance that would at least achieve domination of Equestria. However, Sombra refused to share power, declaring that he could retake the Crystal Empire by himself; Grogar agreed to let him try, in exchange for his agreement to serve Grogar were he defeated. Grogar then sent Sombra back to the Crystal Empire, where he swiftly enslaved the inhabitants, reclaimed the Crystal Heart, and captured Flurry Heart, forcing her parents to surrender.
Wielding the Elements of Harmony, Twilight and her friends arrived and broke Sombra's power over the Empire, seemingly killing him once again. However, this proved to be a ruse, as King Sombra followed the heroes secretly and then used his magic to shatter both the Elements and Tree of Harmony. Leaving the six of them free to suffer as he took everything they loved, Sombra set out to lay claim to all of Equestria. He soon enslaved Ponyville and Canterlot's inhabitants, with the exception of Celestia and Luna who came to the aid of Twilight and the others.
Twilight and her friends managed to penetrate Canterlot, and were joined by Discord who reluctantly agreed to help them. Challenging Sombra in the castle throne room, Discord easily dispelled his attacks, until Sombra took a shot at Fluttershy that Discord intercepted. Enraged by their friend's apparent injury, Twilight and the others rallied and were able to summon the magic of friendship despite the Elements' loss. A horror-struck Sombra was then hit full force by their attack, which brought a final end to him. However, Grogar would use his failure as an example to the other villains, while the ponies of Equestria and their allies were slow to forget Sombra's assault.
Later, the other members of the legion betrayed Grogar and stole his magic using the Bewitching Bell, revealing that Discord had been impersonating him all along. He was forced to admit this to Twilight and the others, along with the fact that he had been responsible for Sombra's return.
Personality
Sombra's personality was not well-shown during his attacks on the Crystal Empire, though he was shown to be tyranical, wicked and cruel. His reign seemed to diminish the individuality of his subjects and caused much strain on their own personalities. Much more of his interaction was seen during his interactions with the Legion of Doom, displaying a more standoffish and arrogant side to his personality. His intelligence and cunning nature was also seen more during his period of his life where shown more clearly.
In other media
IDW comics
Sombra's history and personality were completely altered in his IDW storylines, giving him a far more sympathetic background and a good heart buried in distrust and self-loathing. The comics feature much heavily in Sombra's background and his relationship with Radiant Hope.
Behind the scenes
Casting
In his debut, Sombra was depicted by Big Jim Miller. Many fans were disassified by his original voice, believing it was "generic" and unoriginal. In his return appearance in "The Beginning of the End", he was instead portrayed by Alvin Lee Sanders, the voice actor for "Flutterguy". Fans are divided on Sander's take on the character, with some thinking his Sombra was far superior, giving him a deeper range of personality. Other fans find that his portrayal clashes with his earlier depictions while also making him seem like more of a stereotypical villain.
The Lord of the Rings connection
Several fans and J.R.R Tolkien fan sites have noted the similarities between Sombra and Sauron and other of the villains from J.R.R Tolkien's Middle-earth legends. Typically, comparisons revolve around his role as more of a presence then a fully defined villain and his assault on the Crystal Empire resembling that of the depiction of Isengard in the Peter Jackson films.
Notes regarding other appearances
Sombra is the only major villain in Friendship is Magic, not counting those introduced much later in the shows run, to not have an Equestria Girls form. Discord has appeared as a plush toy on a few occasions, Queen Chrysalis has a toy of her and Tirek is a popular video game character. Arguably Nightmare Moon falls into this camp too, but as revealed in Equestria Girls: Legend of Everfree, there is some slight animosity towards Celestia and Luna over their preference in day vs night, hinting that Nightmare Moon may have existed in an extremely downplayed example.