the SMG3 in past vs the SMG3 in now

You either die a villain, or you live long enough to see yourself wanting boom boom

Past Smg3: Me want pause pause! Now Smg3: Me want boom boom!

Hard to believe this guy was actually a threat once

This guy was the best as he was supposed to be, smart, manipulative and evil. Now he’s someone who loses easily to a character

I like how SMG3 finally went through a redemption arc

In his defence he was brainwashed by the simulation, he still participated in mass deforestation in recent videos

I loved him when he was evil, and I loved it even more when he turned into a better person. My favourite SMG4 character by far.

give the man his boom boom

He’s the Shadow of Smg4 Both are redeemed villains Both are edgy Both have anger control issue.

Dude went from being a villain to wanting his Dynamite and saying it in a cute / funny way

For me, the growth doesn't feel forced. I've been here since the beginning, so I've seen every single one of his phases, from "evil doppelganger," to Bowser's partner, to his truly evil phase leading up to the 2020 wotfi. His epiphany in "It's gotta be perfect" was a slow burn from him constantly wanting approval, which was showed as early as 2012, and he didnt come out of the depression by the "power of friendship," but rather finding his purpose as the graveyard guardian. As for the friendships, one can only save the universe with their nemesis so many times before starting to get close to them.

Man, I really miss SMG3 when he was a villain, he made the Youtube arc the best one so far in my opinion.

I don't really mind the change, it's so funny 🤣 Even tho I liked his evil side

Bro went from a villian to gay to demoman💀

For all the classic SMG4 fans, he didn't turn into a antagonist in the youtube arc. Sure, he wasn't a next level threat like the flipping teletubbies. But he was still an antagonist in early videos. Hell, he was the main one in certain videos beforehand. Despite everything though, he really is a fine character.

Guy went from a threatening, deceivable, chaotic mastermind to a character so likely not to cause harm their lucky to have had screen time in "Western Spaghetti."

Now, to be fair in this scenario he was brainwashed by One Shot Wren and so his love of explosions here was artificial since he was in a simulation. I quite like the fact that SMG3 went through his redemption arc in 2021 as he finally knew his place as a meme guardian and his more snarky personality still contrasts well with SMG4. Personally I quite like that change even though he was pretty great as a villain mostly in the Youtube arc

bro went from a true villain to some 5 year old wanting candy

Imo it's very nice to see changed villains soften up as a story progresses. SMG3's been through a lot. He's hardened in the old environment due to his tendencies and his story, but now that it's all over and the time period of major chaos is done he's found a new purpose, a new role to play as the dead meme guardian. As the story progressed it was only natural for him to eventually fail at his evil plans and get defeated. The team-up episodes where he and SMG4's crew bond together was also heartwarming to me. It was a very classic but fun trope, spanning from kids-cartoons to modern day media. To see SMG3 as a villain is interesting, but nobody remains as a permanent hero or villain. Everyone has weak spots they need to tackle and new identities to find despite it being for good or evil. SMG3's old self was for evil, but as the story progressed he began to warm up to SMG4's crew as he slowly became connected and now empathizes with them in one way or another because of their shared experiences of fights, battles, arguments, and plenty of other shenanigans. To be honest, it was nice to see him enjoying this role and having fun in his newfound sense of self, which is a beautiful form of character development. I loved the old, villain-esque SMG3, but a man without change is a boring one. Nothing could ever stay the same, not even video game characters or imaginary ones. Still, it is also very entertaining for the audience to slowly grow along with them as they eventually develop to the paced plot. Along with the audience the character turns into someone who is more bold, or energetic, or more open. SMG3's transformation wasn't a loss. It was just natural character arcs forming together to sew a whole. I personally loved his newly-developed mood and his silliness. Previously he wasn't allowed by his situation to show such emotions in order to remain as a villain one could see as an actual threat. However as he warmed up around SMG4's crew he realized that it's not only the seriousness and bloodshed he does that defines him or anyone he knows. Just because someone had a bad past doesn't necessarily mean they're currently hurt, or they need comfort 24/7. SMG3 explored a lot of his dimensions of self as he continued on his path of growth, discovering how relaxed he feels around his friends and how good it is to open up and accept the cringey, whiney, quirky, and dorky parts of himself the old him would've been too ashamed to reveal or accept completely. Despite all of that I still love every single identity SMG3 is presented in. Whether it's the playful, whiney yet colorful and accepting version of him or the brutal, un-intentionally humorous and supervillain side of him. No matter which way you put it in the end he's still got a charm on him that might've been transformed over time into something for fitting for the future and current arcs. What defined him was a villain--Lots of people were pissed and believe SMG3's lost his identity because he lost his persona as a villain. I see it as putting down his villain arc and embracing a new self, a goofy and unhinged meme guardian from his retired supervillain who was one step away from ruling the world. Many people don't like this style anymore and it's completely fine too. There would be many more villains to come and many more heroes in the story to perhaps fall into their grip and transform both their friends and our expectations for what their old identity used to be. Change is painful because it brings nostalgia of a previous time, but nostalgia cannot exist without change over time. Nostalgia hurts good too in a way as you gaze back upon the characters you've seen for so long and how far they've come. Then you look at yourself and see how far you've come. SMG3's changed because after all of what he and every else's been through they all deserve a time of peace and harmony where they can just have fun without worrying about the entire universe collapsing or being nuked on. SMG3 deserved all of this peace and the change, the freedom of express his whiny and more sassy self because he's changed for the better of the cinematic universe. All in all their adventures of war ends there, but new eras of battles introducing new villains would start as the story continues on. If I would be able to write something to the readers who care and SMG3, it'd go something like this: You've made it this far. Despite everything, you're still here moving on. You're less hard than before. You're less strict, less spiteful, less hatred-fueled. Love softens one and it's fine, because you deserve love. You just haven't noticed it back then in fear of it backfiring and hurting you when you're defenseless. It's a double-edged blade. Seal yourself off for too long and nobody can hurt you but all that surrounds you is darkness. Become derived of any friends and perform everything solo and when you're in trouble you'll realize you have no pillar to lean on. It's about finding an equilibrium between being too hard and too soft as you navigate and try to find new dimensions of yourself. SMG4's story is rolling on along with new shows such as The Amazing Digital Circus and Murder Drones!! They've still got it going on well and strong!! I'm proud of them, and I'm proud of you too, for making it this far with them and with me. In conclusion SMG3 and SMG4 are in love

A character when it's a villain: 0:53 A character when it's unlocked as a playable character: 1:06