Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-43756665-20200208204457/@comment-43757330-20200215095953

I agree with everything you said, but let me add this. Cinder also doesn't work as a villain because she's weak to Ruby. It's supposed to be the opposite. Great villains always possess the kryptonite that threatens the hero, not the other way around. Lex Luthor works as Superman's nemesis precisely because of this. He's the only person on Earth who possesses that which can kill him.

With Cinder, we have an existential problem. Ruby can kill Cinder effortlessly, and in the blink of an eye. So Cinder's only option is clear: she has to kill Ruby. But we, the audience, know damn well that this is not going to happen. Ruby is the main character. Cinder is not going to kill her, and we all know it. So there's no suspense. We all know how it's going to resolve. Cinder will try and try and try to kill Ruby, and she'll fail every time, until eventually Ruby manages to fry her to a crisp.

Cinder's a garbage villain for all the reasons outlined above, but also because she's not a credible threat to the protagonist. Neo would work better as the secondary antagonist because she has no weakness Ruby can exploit. She's a challenge. With Neo comes an evolution of what Cinder provided. Whereas Cinder damaged the heroes and caused them grief, Neo can use her semblance to rub salt in the wound. She has terrifying potential, especially as a maiden.