King Sombra

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
Friendship is Magic character
Biographical information
Species	Umbrum (formerly) Unicorn
Gender	Male
Age	Adult
Occupation	King
Nationality	Equestrian
Education	Crystal Heart Foal Center
Relationships
Affiliation	Crystal Empire
Real world
Voice	Jim Miller Alvin Lee Sanders
First "The Crystal Empire" Last "The Beginning of the End"

"Long live the king." — Sombra

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.

Sombra was a strong believer in destiny. According to some accounts he was never evil at heart, but believed it was his destiny to be the "King of All Monsters" and bitterly followed that dream.

In other realities

An alternate version of King Sombra was seen among the patrons of the Chaos Roadhouse in Eris' dimension when the Nightmare Knights arrived looking to recover Princess Luna's magic.

Behind the scenes

Portrayal

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, while 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 among the few major Friendship is Magic villains to not appear in Equestria Girls in any compacity, a distinction he shares with Nightmare Moon, and Cozy Glow. ic To clarify, Queen Chrysalis exists as a toy, Discord is an in-universe toy, and Tirek is apart of a video game series.

Sexuality

Mike Vogel, a show writer and former VP of Hasbro's development, joked that Sombra was gay on Twitter. This is contradicted by Sombra having a romantic partner in the form of Radiant Hope, a mare. While it is possible for Sombra to be bisexual or pansexual, the fact that the comment was made based off stereotypes rather then anything meaningful, this is unlikely. Insider rated Sombra in a list of LGBTQA+ cartoon characters.

Appearances

Cartoon

• "The Crystal Empire"
• "The Beginning of the End"

Comics

• Fiendship is Magic #1
• Siege of the Crystal Empire

References

Excerpts

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