The Storm King

The Storm King is a male creature of unknown origin who appears as the main antagonist in My Little Pony The Movie.

Development and design
The Storm King resembles 'Snowbutt McTwinkles'.

In original concepts as shown in The Art of My Little Pony: The Movie, the Storm King was originally designed as "more elemental, like an actual storm" and later reworked to have a four-legged wolf-like form. His final design was decided upon when the art department wanted him to be bipedal.

Depiction in film
The Storm King sends his army of monstrous storm creatures, commanded by the broken-horned unicorn Tempest Shadow to invade Equestria, and use magical obsidian orbs to petrify the princesses in order for him to activate his mystical staff with their magic, promising to restore her horn in exchange. He first appears contacting Tempest through a spell potion, upset at her for still not fulfilling her promise of giving him magic to control the weather through his Staff of Sacanas, and reminding her not to fail him.

When Twilight Sparkle and her friends, who escaped the attack on Canterlot, find the hidden kingdom of Seaquestria, Princess Skystar reveals to them that she, her mother Queen Novo, and their subjects used to be hippogriffs that inhabited Mount Aris, and were forced to used a magic pearl to transform into seaponies and flee when the Storm King invaded their home.

After Tempest manages to capture Twilight, the Storm King makes his appearance in the Canterlot throne room. Displeased at the fact that Twilight is not petrified, Storm King performs the magic ritual to charge his staff. He begins to ecstatically abuse his newly-gained power, playing with the day and night cycles and unleashes a tornado on the city when Twilight's friends, aided by their newfound allies, arrive to fight his army. Tempest insists to him to fulfill his end of their agreement, and promises to use her restored magic to serve him. The Storm King cruelly mocks her, revealing he was just using Tempest, and attempts to use his staff to destroy her and Twilight when they are suddenly saved by Twilight's friends shooting themselves out of a cannon to land in the castle balcony. In the ensuing struggle, the Storm King loses his staff and its power begins to grow out of control. Twilight and her friends form a chain link to grab the staff before the Storm King does but he and Twilight are both seemingly sucked into the storm. Twilight manages to take the staff and disperse the storm, and warmly reconciles with her friends as Canterlot's skies clear up. The Storm King, having survived the earlier ordeal, climbs the castle balcony and hurls an obsidian orb at the seven in a final effort to reclaim the staff, but Tempest, whom Twilight had saved earlier from being dragged by the tornado, jumps in his way, petrifying them both. The Storm King's body falls and shatters to pieces. Twilight uses the staff to restore Tempest and the other princesses, and repairs the damage to Canterlot. In the ends credits, the Storm King's shattered body appears in the Friendship Festival celebrations, his eyes still moving despite being petrified, clumsily put back together by one of his storm creatures.

IDW comics
The Storm King's past serves as the basis of My Little Pony: The Movie Prequel Issue #1. In the issue, he and his second-in-command Strife invade the Abyssinian capital of Panthera, plundering all the palace treasure and setting fire to the rest of the city. However, Strife later betrays the Storm King and allies with Captain Celaeno and her crew of parrot pirates. The Storm King, enraged by this betrayal, appoints Grubber as his new second-in-command.

In Issue #2, the Storm King catches up with Celaeno's ship, tosses Strife overboard for his betrayal, and forces Celaeno and her crew to work for him as cargo haulers.

In Issue #4, the Storm King tracks down Tempest Shadow, who has been in possession of the Misfortune Malachite while fleeing from his Storm Creatures. The two then form an alliance, with Tempest agreeing to become the Storm King's new lieutenant in his search for magical power in exchange for the Storm King healing her broken horn.

Storybooks
Friends and Foes.

Chapter books
In The Stormy Road to Canterlot, the Storm King meets a broken-horned Unicorn who stole the Misfortune Malachite from his possession. He offers to fix her horn if she can retrieve a pearl from the kingdom of Hippogriffia. After the Unicorn, now going by Tempest Shadow, fails in this task, she suggests stealing the magic from the three Alicorn princesses of Canterlot, to make him more powerful.

Illustrated picture books
The Storm King appears in The Great Princess Caper, which retells the events of the film from Grubber's perspective.

Hasbro.com description
''The Storm King is the evil and iron-fisted ruler of all the lands south of Equestria. He spent the past several years expanding his empire and now wants to take over Equestria! Loud, angry, and a little bit crazy, he has defeated all potential threats to his kingdom with his vast army of fearsome Storm Creatures.''

My Little Pony Friendship Club description
''The Storm King is the evil and iron-fisted ruler of all the lands south of Equestria. He spent the past several years expanding his empire and now he has his sights set north on the homeland of our little ponies. Loud, angry, and a little bit crazy, he has defeated all potential threats to his kingdom with his vast army of fearsome Storm Creatures.''

The Art of My Little Pony The Movie description
''THE STORM KING is the evil and iron-fisted ruler of all the lands south of Equestria. He spent the past several years expanding his empire, and now he has his sights set north, on Equestria. Loud, angry, and a little bit crazy, he has defeated all potential threats to his kingdom with his vast army of fearsome Storm Creatures.''

My Little Pony (mobile game)
The Storm King is a character in Gameloft's mobile game.

Merchandise
Toys.

Stick It to the Storm King!

Quotes
"Yeah, yeah! Friendship, and flowers, and ponies, and bleh!"

- My Little Pony The Movie

"I'm so totally over the cute pony thing."

- My Little Pony The Movie

"Let's get this storm started! Ooh, hey, that's good. I should trademark that."

- My Little Pony The Movie

"Remember, Tempest. Only I have the power to make you whole. Make this twig work, and you'll get your reward. Fail me, and your horn won't be the only thing that's broken."

- My Little Pony The Movie

"This place, it seems a little too—oh, I don't know—cute!"

- My Little Pony The Movie

"Whoa, hey! Seems kinda unfair to have someone else telling my story! If we're going to have a whole issue about me, then I'm gonna tell it!"

- My Little Pony: The Movie Prequel Issue #1

"After the invasion, I should do something for the soldiers. You know, like a pizza party! Or a funny hat day! Something to show I appreciate all their hard work pillaging and ''looting!"

- My Little Pony: The Movie Prequel Issue #1

"Power. Control. These are the only things worth seeking in this world."

- My Little Pony: The Movie Prequel Issue #4