Cynder (Skylanders)

Cynder is a violet dragon who is one of the playable Skylanders in the Skylanders series, first appearing in Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. Her Series 3 counterpart is called Phantom Cynder.
As an egg, Cynder was stolen from her motherSkylanders Universe: Molten Hot Dog's Quiz Quest, page 16 and corrupted by the Undead Dragon King Malefor, who gifted her with sinister abilities powered by the Undead element. She used these unnatural powers to terrorize Skylands until she was bested by Spyro. Freed from the influence of evil, Cynder joined the Skylanders to make amends for her past by using her Undead powers for good.
==Character Development==
During the development of the Skylanders universe, it was important for Toys For Bob to establish a brand new universe that could introduce a league of new heroes, but to also honor the history of Spyro and Cynder. The end of The Legend of Spyro series left both Spyro and Cynder in a place that was open to interpretation and purposely left mysterious. This allowed the team the freedom to reintroduce these characters in a way that was very fitting for the world of Skylands – while also leaving it to longtime Spyro the Dragon fans to use their own imaginations to fill in the blanks. Spyro's world has always been a world full of imagination – and ultimately the developers decided that imagination was the most important aspect to carry forward into Skylanders. For many fans, Skylanders represents a fresh start for both Spyro and Cynder. But there are enough nods to previous games to allow longtime fans the freedom to imagine their own connections with the past.Spyro and Cynder Development in Skylanders. (Date Posted - Fed. 10, 2017). Skylanders Fan Forum.
From Paul Reiche III's own perspective, Cynder was an opportunity to show an inverted image of Spyro – different gender, different original 'alignment' and very different approach to solving problems. While Spyro is a natural hero upon whom fortune has smiled most of his life, Cynder comes from a more troubled origin and has had to earn every ounce of her heroism the hard way. This contrast not only gives greater breadth to the role of dragons in the Skylanders universe, but it also makes the friendship between Spyro and Cynder more interesting.
When Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure was in development, Alex Ness, former Toys For Bob producer and chief-of-staff, revealed that the villain Vathek was originally planned to be the Undead dragon Skylander of the game, but the role was already taken by Cynder..Dragon's Peak Villain originally planned as a Skylander.
Early_Skylanders_Concept_Ignitor_SlamBam_SunDragon_Cynder_PrismBreak_Zap.jpg|Early conceptual Skylanders designs by Roland Mechael that include an early version of Cynder and Vathek
==Background==
===Personality===
Stolen as an egg, Cynder was brainwashed and trained in the ways of evil and darkness. She was a sinister dragon; a harbinger of despair and misery taught to strike fear into the hearts of Malefor's subjects and spread terror far and wide. However a speck of goodness burned somewhere in her black heart, which made her internally aware of the evil she was committing unwillingly. After being freed from Malefor's spell, Cynder desires to make amends by battling evildoers with her dark powers, but she still struggles with her past.
As a result of being corrupted under the Undead element, Cynder retains a wicked side and can occasionally be menacing, but she is trying hard to control her dark impulses from time to time. This ominous trait causes most of the Skylanders to try and keep a safe distance from Cynder just in case her inner darkness takes over. While she is loyal to the Skylanders, she is snarky, spiky when riled, witty, fierce and can be a terrifying force for good in the battle against the Darkness. Cynder also possesses a liking towards dark and brooding places, a trait shared by all Undead Skylanders. However she doesn't enjoy pranks or jokes of any kind.Skylanders Universe: Chronicles, page 81 Despite this, Cynder herself is shown to be mischievous at times.Skylanders: Cynder Confronts the Weather Wizard, page 16
===Biography===
While just an egg, Cynder was stolen by the henchmen of an evil dragon named Malefor and raised to do his bidding. For years, she spread fear throughout the land until she was defeated by Spyro the Dragon and freed from the grip of Malefor. But dark powers still flow through her, and despite her desire to make amends for her past, most Skylanders try to keep a safe distance...just in case.
==Story==
===History===
Before being recruited by Master Eon into the ranks of the Skylanders, Cynder was feared in almost every corner of the world of Skylands. Kidnapped as an egg by the Undead Dragon King, Malefor, Cynder was raised to serve the forces of evil. As she grew, the dark power of the Undead granted her incredible abilities, which she used to terrorize innocent people. Whole villages fell beneath her mystical lightning attacks, and even the bravest warriors would turn and flee when they saw her swooping down from the clouds with her talons outstretched. Twisted and corrupted by evil, Cynder was Malefor's black-hearted harbringer of misery and despair. But Spyro believed there was good in her, deep down.
When he confronted her, a ferocious battle ensued. Despite Cynder's dark powers, Spyro was able to defeat her. When he did, Malefor's control over her was broken. No longer was she the puppet of the Undead Dragon King, and she was determined to make amends for all the suffering she had caused while under his control. Realizing how much she had changed, Master Eon recruited her into the Skylanders. Although she now fights for good, she still struggles with her dark side from time to time, and most of her fellow Skylanders try to keep out of her way - just in case her inner darkness takes over once more.Skylanders Universe: Life & Undead - Book of Elements, Hugo's Notes: The Dark Dragoness, page 70-71
===Skylanders: Spyro versus The Mega Monsters===
Cynder was mentioned by Jet-Vac as one of the two Skylanders (the other being Hex) who was assigned by Master Eon to investigate a mega-sized cockroach that was terrorizing Lucky Lagoon. However Kaos, who had claimed to be turning over a new leaf by battling evildoers, dealt with the problem long before the two Undead Skylanders arrived on the scene.
===Skylanders: Cynder Confronts the Weather Wizard===
Cynder and Zook were relaxing in the sunrays at the Cloudless Desert, but the dragon felt that they were wasting time when they should looking for the next fragment to the Mask of Power. Soon, Hex arrived via portal to inform Cynder and Zook that Master Eon has requested their presence, but were forced into action when a freak rainstorm caused the sand dunes of the desert to start pulling the surrounding Mabu beachgoers underground like quicksand. After saving the inhabitants, the trio of Skylanders return to Eon's citadel where they learned that there have been numerous unusual weather strikes on numerous parts of Skylands. Master Eon then assigned Cynder, Zook, and Hex to venture to the Isle of the Dead, where they believe they'll find the cause of the storms, the Undead fragment to the Mask of Power, and answer the call for help by the undead inhabitants.
After being attacked by a Gargantula and a swarm of Spiderlings, the Skylanders were saved by a ghoul named Flunky and his pet Stump Demon, Dogwood. They were escorted to Ghost Town where they learn from the Night Mayor, Morbo, of the unusual sunny weather conditions surrounding the area. The source of the weather is caused by a powerful wizard named Hurrikazam, who suddenly arrived in town and demanded tributes in the form the villagers giving Batterson's pies to him all the while whisking away the villagers offering the pies. In spite of Cynder trying to rescue the undead villagers, Hurrikazam retreated, promising that if the inhabitants don't tend to his demands for pies and if Skylanders angered him further, the weather wizard would bring endless sunshine which would destroy the undead crops.
Morbo soon revealed what happened to the villagers Hurrikazam had taken along with the pies: they have been turned back into living, breathing creatures, the opposite of undead. Wondering how Hurrikazam possessed such a power to bring the undead back to life, the Skylanders allowed themselves to be taken by Morbo's Gargantulas to the weather wizard's Cloud Citadel, where they fought against Brock and his group of Drow upon being discovered. The Skylanders soon realized that Hurrikazam is innocent and was forcefully doing his evil deeds by none other than Kaos. The evil Portal Master gloated that he was draining the undead villagers of their undeadliness to store it up in a tank of Undead energy to shower every island of Skylands with undead rain to turn the living into undead and destroy the other elements.
thumb|268px|Cynder attempts to reason with Hex after the sorceress imprisons her and Zook.
When Hurrikazam refused to drain the Skylanders of their elements, Kaos clipped the wizard's precious flower for defying him and tried to proceed with the draining process anyway, but accidentally released the Skylanders from their hold. Just as the Skylanders had Kaos cornered, Hex suddenly trapped Cynder and Zook in her bone fortresses. The elf sorceress revealed that she has switched sides, now serving Kaos but was concerned if the Undead Energy Extractor was still functional. When it still was, Hex allowed herself to provide Kaos with her powerful Undead energy, claiming that she was tired of being feared and longed to be normal again. Kaos eagerly began the procedure; however, the machine was overloading due to the massive amount of Hex's power, which the elf sorceress had planned all along and never actually defected to Kaos.
The machine soon exploded, and after a brief moment of seeing Hex's true form, the Skylanders return their attention to Kaos. While Cynder was busy repelling the evil Portal Master's pottery spells, she tricked Kaos into going near a soon-to-be revived Dogwood, who seized Kaos and Glumshanks upon being revived. With Kaos driven away, the Skylanders celebrated their victory back in Ghost Town, where the undead returned to their normal states and Hurrikazam apologized for his actions and announced to redeem himself by bringing storm clouds suitable for the Undead. As a token of his gratitude, the weather wizard handed Cynder an Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible, Surprising, Unfathomable, All-Coloured Rose seed, the Undead segment to the Mask of Power. 
Upon returning to the Eternal Archive, Cynder, Zook and Hex were given the horrible news by Spyro that Squirmgrub had kidnapped Master Eon and took five of the pieces to the Mask of Power with him.
===Skylanders: Trigger Happy Targets the Evil Kaos===
Cynder was one of the Skylanders who assembled to stop Kaos from reforming the Mask of Power. Despite getting through Kaos' defenses in his castle, the Skylanders were unable to stop Kaos from putting on the Mask of Power, which allowed him to steal the powers of the Skylanders, including that of Cynder, rendering them defenseless.
Cynder and the other Skylanders were teleported back to Eon's Citadel by Master Eon before they can be finished off. Without her ghost powers, she worked with the Skylanders in creating a makeshift tower to protect the Core of Light from Kaos. Despite their efforts, Kaos once again overwhelmed the heroes by using their powers against them. Trigger Happy, along with Cynder and the other Skylanders, tricked Kaos into using all of their powers at the same time, causing him to lose control. At that moment of weakness, the Mask of Power was yanked off Kaos's face by Trigger Happy, allowing the Skylanders to recover their abilities and use them to fully destroy the Mask of Power once and for all.
===Skylanders: Return of the Dragon King===
Cynder was putting on a exhibition show at the Rumbletown Arena by taking on many challengers, including Enfuego Chompies and a Crystal Golem. After the battle, the dragon goes to meet and greet her eager fans, one of them being a sprite named Calliope. The two shook hands, and while Cynder suddenly felt weak, the sensation went away almost instantly. As she and Calliope parted ways, Cynder was unaware that the fairy had unwillingly stolen an essence from her under orders of a returning enemy.
After feeling weak from shaking hands with Calliope, Cynder began tracking down the fairy with a charm she bought from Auric. However while following the trail at the Cadaverous Crypts, she lost the charm during a battle with a group of Rotting Robbies and Bone Chompies, who weren't affected by her weakened Spectral Lightning attacks and pursued Cynder. Luckily, Cynder was saved by Wallop, Hex and Spyro, who had also been following the trail of Calliope. Realizing that she, Hex and Spyro were the only ones targeted by the fairy, Cynder joined her fellow Skylanders to the caves and followed Calliope to its depths.
While navigating through the tunnels, Cynder noted that she had a feeling she had been there before. She and the other Skylanders soon spotted Calliope and quickly gave chase. Unfortunately, they arrived too late to stop Calliope from releasing their powers to a hidden shadow who absorbed the magic and became revived. Upon discovering the mastermind behind Calliope's actions, Cynder, Hex, Spyro, and Wallop were then easily overwhelmed by the renewed fire power of the Undead Dragon King Malefor.
Upon awakening, Cynder found herself imprisoned in the Crypts along with Spyro, Hex and Wallop. She expressed animosity towards Calliope for allowing Malefor to return at full strength and insisted that the fairy must pay for what she had done. When it was revealed that Malefor was going after the Skylanders Academy to make her, Spyro and Hex suffer for the trouble they caused him, Cynder struggled in vain to get free to stop Malefor. In a fit of fustration, she lashed out at Spyro then Calliope before the purple dragon stopped her remarks.
With some encouragement from Spyro, Cynder shared her experiences as Malefor's minion and how Spyro and Master Eon gave her a second chance despite her previous actions. She, along with the group, tried to convince Calliope that she could make up for what she had done. However, the fairy ran away, ashamed of what she had done and refused their help, leaving Flynn and Mags to find the Skylanders and rescue them. They immediately set off to stop Malefor, arriving at the demolished Skylanders Academy in time to challenge the evil dragon to a fight.
With Spyro, Hex and Wallop by her side, Cynder began distracting Malefor in order to lead him away from the school and its students. They used Mags to trap Malefor using chewing gum and redirected the Dread-Yacht into crashing into the evil dragon. However the collision only slightly damaged his armor, further angering Malefor who directs his fury to Spyro, angrily swearing that the young dragon would fall no matter how many times Spyro had stopped the evil dragon. This confused the four Skylanders as Hex was the who defeated Malefor. Unable to do any further damage, they were starting to lose the fight again until Calliope and Persephone intervened, and directed Spyro to attack Malefor's chestplate to reveal the crystal he used to drain the Skylanders' powers.
To destroy the chestplate, Hex used a spell on Spyro that would redirect his speed into a stronger impact with an orb. Cynder assisted Spyro by increasing his speed fast enough to smash Malefor's chestplate. Once it was out of the way, Spyro destroyed the crystal inside and released the powers of all defeated Skylanders. As Cynder spoke true about Malefor's persistent nature, the Undead Dragon King attempted to keep attacking despite now facing against a large number of rejuvenated Skylanders. At full power, the Skylanders quickly tied Malefor's tail to the Dread-Yacht's anchor and Malefor was dragged towards the endless abyss when Wallop knocked the Dread-Yacht over the island's edge. Despite his pleas of help to Calliope, she and the others only watched as Malefor fell to the lower parts of Skylands. The fairy regretted having started the trouble to begin with, but Master Eon assured that the Academy would be rebuilt and the Skylanders and their allies would help her regardless.
===Skylanders: Imaginators===
Cynder first appeared in the Dragon Temple with a non-speaking role, helping the other dragons undo Brain's mind control over Skylands. She later appeared in the Cursed Tiki Temple as the chapter's Storyteller, assisting the player in restoring the stolen Skull Tiki to his rightful place in the temple.
==Relationships==
===Spyro the Dragon===
When Spyro defeated Cynder, he gave her a second chance despite the evil deeds she had done in the past, and they have been friends ever since. It is mentioned that after a dangerous quest with Spyro, Cynder came out smiling, presumably for the first time.
===Wrecking Ball===
While most Skylanders try to keep a distance from Cynder to be on the safe side, Wrecking Ball once thought it would be funny to trip up Cynder with his long tongue. However Cynder didn't find that funny, and she zapped Wrecking Ball's tongue with her Spectral Lightning, leaving the grub worm to not eat properly for a fortnight.Skylanders: Book of Elements - Life & Undead, page 53 It is unknown if Cynder still holds some animosity towards Wrecking Ball after that.
===Hex===
Cynder sympathizes with Hex as she too knew what it was like to be feared.
===Zook===
The dragon is sometimes irritated by Zook's laidback personality but tolerates him.
===Calliope===
At first, Cynder was happy to meet Calliope, who was another fan of hers. When Cynder discovered that the fairy was responsible for stealing her powers and allowing Malefor to return, the dragon was hostile towards Calliope, proclaiming that the fairy must face the consequences for her actions. Spyro soon reminded Cynder that the one to blame for their predicament is Malefor, and Cynder apologized to Calliope for her behavior.
===Malefor===
Cynder expresses animosity towards Malefor as he was the cause of her dark past. She is fully aware what the evil dragon is capable of and was willing to try and stop Malefor from harming everyone she cares about.
==Abilities==
Due to her exposure to the darkness of Malefor's corruption, Cynder gained powers of the Undead element, such as breathing dark electricity and temporarily turning into a shadowy apparition to dash past enemies, leaving behind a trail of ghostly allies that can attack opponents. Being a dragon, Cynder has the ability to fly using her wings. Her Series 2 Wow Pow allows her to summon a spectral thunderbolt from above, and her Series 3 Wow Pow allows her to transform into a giant exploding skull.
Choosing the Nether Wielder path improves the power of Cynder's Spectral Lightning attack. This includes an increased range and duration of usage, as well as being able to cause any ghosts created by the Shadow Dash attack to explode when hit by Spectral Lightning. This upgrade path is best suited to a more aggressive style, allowing Cynder to deal damage to enemies repeatedly and also take out swarms of smaller enemies - like Chompies - with ease. This upgrade path is well suited to Series 2 Cynder with the Lightning Rain Wow Pow.
Choosing the Shadowdancer path improves the power of Cynder's Shadow Dash and ghost attacks. This includes longer lasting ghosts with greater attack range and being able to damage enemies with the Shadow Dash when she dashes through them. The ghosts can also be upgraded to slow enemies down when they attack. This upgrade path is best suited to crippling enemies and then pouncing on them, by charging through enemies and slowing them down in the process. This upgrade path is well suited to Phantom Cynder with the Skull-Splosion! Wow Pow.
===Stats===
===Powers and Upgrades===
==Quotes==
==Character Trailers==
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure - Cynder Preview Trailer (Volts and Lightning)
Meet the Skylanders Cynder (extended)
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure - Cynder Trailer (Volts and Lightning)
Skylanders Giants - Meet the Skylanders - Series 2 Cynder (Volts and Lightning)
Skylanders Swap Force -Meet the Skylanders - Phantom Cynder (Volts and Lightning)
==See also==
*/Skeletal Cynder/
==Gallery==
::Main article: Cynder (Skylanders)/Gallery
==Trivia==
*Cynder is one of the four characters, besides Spyro and Sparx, Dark Spyro, and Malefor, from The Legend of Spyro series to appear in the Skylanders franchise. Altogether, they are currently few characters to come from previous games.
*Despite being purple in color, Cynder is actually a violet dragon (the color violet being more vibrant than purple).
*In the Nintendo 3DS versions of Skylanders, Cynder doesn't have spikes on her bracelets, while in the console versions, she does.
*As seen in media and in the game, Cynder occasionally looks at her claws, much like a lady checking her fingernails.
*It is mentioned by Quigley in Spyro's Adventure that he heard that Cynder came back from the dead.
*Cynder has a few story elements that are based on her Legend of Spyro counterpart: both were taken and raised under the influence of their universe's Malefor, defeated by their universe's Spyro, and both desire to redeem themselves for all the evil things they have done while under their former masters' control.
**In addition to this difference, as opposed to her other counterpart, Cynder was born in Skylands, taken from her unidentified mother as an egg, has no romantic relationship with Spyro's Skylanders counterpart, and was given Undead abilities that included electrical attacks.
*In the gameplay of Spyro's Adventure and Skylanders: Giants, Cynder had pink markings beside her eyes, which are absent in her promotional art. They were removed afterwards when Cynder's game model was updated for Swap Force.
*Both Cynder and Hex share a few story qualities in their backstories: both have encountered the Undead Dragon King Malefor, and both world inhabitants and the Skylanders are still wary of them due to their dark powers.
*Cynder as a Skylander was initially fan speculation among the Spyro fanbase a while after Spyro's Adventure was announced. Her sudden appearance in the Spyro's Adventure's character poster confirmed that she was indeed a playable Skylander, catching the fanbase completely by surprise.
*Cynder didn't say her official catchphrase until Skylanders: Giants.
*The symbol on Cynder's forehead is the Brand of the Undead, which unleashes ghostly allies from beyond the grave.Skylanders Official Sticker Book: Meet the Skylanders, page 81
*Cynder's spiked collar and bracelets are part of the Undead punk fashion.
*Despite Cynder's biography mentioning that the other Skylanders keep a safe distance from Cynder due to her dark past and sinister powers, in the Tall Tales trailer, the Skylanders present are calm around Cynder, implying that they trust her.
*In The Beginning trailer, Cynder is not present. However, she is present in The Director's Cut version flying alongside Spyro and Gill Grunt at the beginning of the battle and carrying away a recolored, enemy version of Cali that was about to harm Gill Grunt.
*In Spyro's Adventure, Cynder cannot be harmed while she's using the Shadow Dash. In the later installments of Skylanders however, she is now vulnerable to attacks while in Shadow form, plus the dash instantly ends.
*Cynder is the only Skylander whose amounts of power stats remain the same even though she has a Series 2 figure.
*In Spyro's Adventure, Cynder is the only Undead Skylander who does not have an evil counterpart in the boss battles.
*Cynder is the only starter pack Skylander in Giants who doesn't have an additional counterpart.
*In a Spyro's Adventure triple pack and a Giants Starter pack, Cynder comes with an Air Skylander (Lightning Rod and Jet-Vac) and a Life Skylander (Zook and Tree Rex).
*In Spyro's Adventure and Giants, Cynder has visible pink markings behind her eyes while in her toy figure she doesn't have them. These markings also bear a slight resemblance to that of Camo.
*Despite her chest being red on her figure and art, her chest color is pink in-game.
*In the Darklight Crypt, there are head statues that resemble Cynder at the entrance to the maze.
**Beta footage of Spyro's Adventure also shows The Necropolis listed as "Cynder's Expansion - Battle Land".spyro. (Date Posted - May 23, 2013). Vimeo.
*Cynder was planned to have a Series 4 figure for Skylanders: Trap Team, featuring her wearing silver armor on her wings and back, and sharing the same red bases as the other Skylanders made and reposed for the game. For unknown reasons, she was scrapped from the final toy lineup.Toy Fair 2017 Ultimate Source Interview. (Date Posted - Mar 6, 2017). Youtube.
==References==
ru:Cynder (Skylanders)
Category:Female Characters
Category:Dragons
Category:Skylanders (characters)
Category:Playable Characters
Category:Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
Category:Undead Skylanders
Category:Skylanders
Category:Series 2 Skylanders
Category:Skylanders: Cynder Confronts the Weather Wizard
Category:Characters (Skylanders: Cynder Confronts the Weather Wizard)
Category:Skylanders: Trigger Happy Targets the Evil Kaos
Category:Characters (Skylanders: Trigger Happy Targets the Evil Kaos)