📜 Post with us on Reddit
📝 Create a new article
🏭 Create a company page
🇬🇧 - in English
🇫🇷 - en Français (FR)
🇵🇹 - em Português (PT)
🇩🇪 - auf Deutsch (DE)
🇯🇵 - 日本語で (JA)
Sponsored articles

You can edit almost every page by Creating an account and confirming your email.

William Afton

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki


  • Comment: Article still shows no indication of stand-alone notability, or proper addressing of issues raised by previous AfC attempts. Kung Fu Man (talk) 13:25, 19 July 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: Two of those sources are from WP:VALNET, which cannot establish notability in 99% of cases. They're also not that in-depth anyways. What makes a character notable is proof that they warrant a standalone page with enough to say outside of just being part of the series. What's here is not substantial and not an improvement from previous AfDs. There is no significant coverage of Afton himself. I'd reject, but I also nominated it to AfD before (and I will probably do it again because it is not an improvement from those previous AfDs in almost any regard). It doesn't meet the standards of video game character articles. λ NegativeMP1 03:10, 19 July 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: To my eyes, this meets independent notability due to articles such as [[1]] [[2]] and [[3]]. However considering the previous AfDs, I would like to get some consensus. @RedShellMomentum: what are your thoughts after reviewing those three sources? Any other reviewers please chime in as well. Sulfurboy (talk) 03:02, 19 July 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: Still not seeing how this character is notable. See the previous deletion discussions that NegativeMP1 linked. RedShellMomentum 04:02, 23 March 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: Any future reviewer should be aware that this subject was deleted at AfD multiple times (1 2 3). Current consensus is that the character is not independently notable from the franchise, and fails video game character article standards especially. λ NegativeMP1 20:28, 9 February 2026 (UTC)


William Afton
Five Nights at Freddy's character
File:Abstract William Afton face.png
Close-up of the face sprite of William Afton from Five Nights at Freddy's 2
First appearanceFive Nights at Freddy's 2 (2014)
Created byScott Cawthon
Portrayed byMatthew Lillard
Voiced byPJ Heywood (games)
Matthew Lillard (Dead by Daylight)
Information
AliasSpringtrap
Dave Miller (The Silver Eyes)
Steve Raglan (film)
OccupationBusinessman
Engineer
FamilyMichael Afton (games; films)
Elizabeth Afton (games; novels)
Crying Child (games)
Vanessa Shelly (films)

Search William Afton on Amazon.

William Afton, nicknamed the Purple Guy by fans and also known as Springtrap, is a fictional character and the overarching antagonist of the Five Nights at Freddy's horror media franchise created by Scott Cawthon. The co-founder of the fictional entertainment restaurant chain Freddy Fazbear's Pizza and genius designer of its animatronic mascots, he is a serial killer who targets children that attend his restaurants and hides their corpses in the animatronic suits to experiment on their spiritual essence.

First introduced in minigames accessed after receiving a game over in Five Nights at Freddy's 2, he has since become an iconic character due to only having scarce information and the franchises' cryptic transmedia storytelling allowing for mass theorizing about his backstory, personality and motives. Afton is voiced by PJ Heywood in the games and played by Matthew Lillard in the film series.

Concept and design

William Afton first appeared in Five Nights at Freddy's 2 as a purple figure appearing in backstory minigames, causing him to be dubbed "Purple Guy",[1] also appearing in Five Nights at Freddy's 3 as the main antagonist in the form of an undead corpse called Springtrap. He would later appear in Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location, Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator (nicknamed Scraptrap), and possibly Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted and Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach.

During the production of Sister Location in 2016, Australian voice actor PJ Heywood was chosen by Cawthon to voice Afton,[2][3] who was described in the casting call as a "snake oil salesman." Heywood took inspiration from Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of Hannibal Lecter for Afton's voice, giving him a Received Pronunciation British accent. Heywood also voiced Afton's son Michael.[4]

Afton is the main antagonist of the Five Nights at Freddy's novel series, as well as the film adaptation (2023), in which he is portrayed by Matthew Lillard.[5][6][7] Lillard was chosen by Cawthon for the role because Cawthon was a fan of Scream (1996), a film Lillard starred in as serial killer Stu Macher, and had heard that Lillard stayed late at a fan convention. Director Emma Tammi told Lillard that Afton was "essentially the Voldemort of the Five Nights at Freddy's universe." Lillard's children, who were fans of the series, also encouraged him to get the role.[8][9][10]

Lillard reprised his role as Afton in Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (2025) and will return for the third film.[11][12][13]

Appearances

Games

File:Cosplay of Springtrap from Five Nights at Freddy's at Japan Expo 2022, Day 4 (52442519953).jpg
Cosplay of Springtrap from 2022 pictured

Afton was a successful businessman and engineer. He teamed up with Henry Emily to create Fredbear's Family Diner, which was represented by two mascots, Fredbear and Spring Bonnie.[14] Afton would murder Henry's daughter Charlie. His youngest son would also die to Fredbear in a freak accident caused by his eldest son, Michael.[15] Afton and Henry also founded Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Afton murdered five children dressed in the Spring Bonnie suit. He stuffed their corpses into the restaurant's animatronic entertainers—Freddy, Foxy, Bonnie, Chica, and Golden Freddy.[16][17]

He founded Afton Robotics, providing animatronics for a restaurant called Circus Baby's Pizza World, with the animatronics being secretly designed to abduct children. His daughter, Elizabeth Afton, ignored his warnings and got too close to the titular animatronic, which killed her. Elizabeth would go on to possess Circus Baby. Some time after, Afton instructs Michael to go to the underground Circus Baby facility and find Elizabeth.

After witnessing the spirits of the children he murdered appear before him after destroying the animatronic robots, Afton donned the Spring Bonnie suit to scare them, but was crushed to death from the suit's faulty springlock mechanics. Years later, Afton returned as an undead corpse called Springtrap.[18][6][19][20] The suit and his body were damaged in a fire and became a disfigured form called Scraptrap, where he was burned again in a fire created by Henry.[21] In the following games, a character known as Glitchtrap serves as a recurring antagonist, but it is debated if he is Afton's soul or an artificial intelligence copying his actions.[22] In Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach, an animatronic similar to Springtrap, called Burntrap, appears in one of the endings.[19][23] However, the game's Ruin DLC make its canonicity unclear.

It's implied Afton is eternally tormented by the vengeful spirit of one of the children he killed. The vengeful spirit keeps Afton alive, torturing him with a recurring cycle in which he is continuously destroyed by his own creations (Ultimate Custom Night).[24][21]

In August 2024, a crossover between Five Nights at Freddy's and Dead by Daylight was announced.[25] On May 27, 2025, Springtrap was announced as a killer in the game's new chapter, which released on June 17.[26] PJ Heywood and Matthew Lillard reprised their roles, voicing their respective versions of Afton.[27]

Novels

Afton is the main antagonist of the Five Nights at Freddy's novel series. There are several differences in the novels, including that he only has one child, Elizabeth.

In The Silver Eyes, Afton works as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza under the alias "Dave Miller," showing Charlie and her friends around. In the end, he is defeated by Charlie when she triggers the spring lock mechanisms in his suit, as he is dragged away by the animatronics. In The Twisted Ones, Afton is resurrected and calls himself "Springtrap," controlling the Twisted animatronics and targeting Charlie. In The Fourth Closet, Afton works with Circus Baby to achieve immortality by transferring his soul into an animatronic, and is killed by the spirits of the children, freeing their souls.[28]

Films

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

Matthew Lillard (pictured in 2023), plays William Afton in the film series

In the 2023 film adaption, Afton is portrayed by actor Matthew Lillard.[29][30] Afton is the co-founder of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Donning a springbuck suit designed as a golden rabbit, Afton murdered five children, and stuffed their bodies into the animatronics, leading their spirits to possess them. Some time later, Afton would kidnap and murder a boy named Garrett. He also shown to have a daughter named Vanessa who works for the police and is aware of his crimes, begrudgingly helping him to hide the truth from security guards.

Some time after, Afton would pose as a career counselor under the alias "Steve Raglan" for the shutdown pizzeria, hiring security guards there. Aware of the animatronics' true nature, Afton, whom the kids still saw as their friend, would trick the kids into attacking the guards. He appears early on as Raglan, where he meets Mike Schmidt, a former mall security guard. Though Afton initially refuses to help him, he eventually realizes Mike is Garrett's brother. He offers him the job, which Mike later accepts.

After Mike saves his sister Abby from the animatronics, Afton arrives in the Yellow Rabbit suit and overpowers him, intending to kill him like his brother. However, Vanessa, who has grown to care for Mike and Abby, holds her father at gunpoint, only for him to overpower and stab her. During this, Abby posts a picture of the Yellow Rabbit killing the kids, causing the animatronics to realize that Afton killed them. Chica's cupcake jumps at Afton's suit, causing the springlock mechanisms to malfunction and crush him. Afton proclaims that he always comes back before he is dragged away by the animatronics.[31]

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (2025)

In 1982, Afton kidnaps a little boy in the Yellow Rabbit costume. When Charlotte Emily, Vanessa's friend, goes to save the boy, Afton fatally stabs her; she goes on to possess the Marionette animatronic. In 2002, two years after the first film's events, Vanessa still struggles from the abuse and trauma caused by her father, seeing constant hallucinations of him. In Vanessa's dream, she is chased down by Afton, who tells her "you will always be mine." In the film's post-credits scene, the Yellow Rabbit suit containing Afton's body is found, teasing Springtrap for the third film.[32]

Reception

William Afton's role in the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise has been compared to that of Jigsaw in the Saw franchise; Slash Film described them each as the "puppet master behind all of the carnage" in their franchises.[33] Afton has been described as "the only character throughout the series that doesn’t have any redeeming qualities" by Pocket Tactics.[19] Tom Doyle of The Fielder said that Afton was "by far one of the most interesting and story-driven video game villains," saying "he’s as sadistic as he is cold and calculating, always planning and thinking knowing exactly what he’s doing and always covering his tracks so he never faces repercussions for his crimes."[34] TheGamer called Springtrap one of the best villains in horror games.[35]

Despite the negative critical reception the films have received,[36] Matthew Lillard's performance as Afton has been widely praised, though there has been criticism for his limited screentime.[37][38][10][39][40][41] Angela Amador of Malevolent Dark said "Lillard was just made for the [horror] genre; he knows his lane, he knows his fan base, and he delivers every time."[42]

In other media

Video games

Novels

Films

References

  1. ↑ Writer, Nadia Oxford Staff; USgamer (2018-06-29). "Murder, Dysfunctional Families, and Purple Guys: The Larger Story Behind the Five Nights at Freddy's Games [Updated for Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator and UCN]". VG247. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  2. ↑ Eclarinal, Aeron Mer (2023-10-31). "FNAF Movie Makes 4 Key Changes to William Afton from the Game". The Direct. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  3. ↑ "Springtrap". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  4. ↑ Dawko (2018-03-03). The FNaF Show - Episode 6 ft. PJ Heywood (William & Michael Afton). Retrieved 2026-07-18 – via YouTube.
  5. ↑ Squires, Bethy (2023-05-17). "Vanessa: Blumhouse Is Making a Five Nights at Freddy's Movie". Vulture. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Pomales-Diaz, Luis (2023-09-27). "HORROR 101: Five Nights at Freddy's and The Story of William Afton Explained". horrorpress.com. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  7. ↑ Sandwell, Ian (October 27, 2023). "Five Nights at Freddy's ending explained: Who is William Afton?". Digital Spy.
  8. ↑ "Matthew Lillard got the seal of approval from the best person for Five Nights at Freddy's". GamesRadar+. 2023-11-13. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  9. ↑ "How Matthew Lillard's Kids Convinced Him to Play the "Voldemort" of Five Nights at Freddy's". NBC. 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "FNaF movie director reveals why horror legend had to be William Afton". The Digital Fix. 2023-10-28. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  11. ↑ Watel, Stephanie (2023-02-04). "Matthew Lillard Confirms He Signed a Three-Film Deal for Five Nights at Freddy's". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  12. ↑ Garner, Glenn (2025-12-07). "Matthew Lillard Admits He Doesn't Have "Huge Part" In 'FNAF 2', Teases Potential Trilogy Showdown: "That's Our Hope"". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  13. ↑ Konopka, Matt (2025-12-08). "'Five Nights at Freddy's 3': Star Matthew Lillard Says Third Film Has "Always been the plan"". Dread Central. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  14. ↑ Writer, Dion Dassanayake Contributing Guides (2025-06-11). "How to play the FNAF games in chronological order". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  15. ↑ "Complete FNAF Timeline Explained (1983–2025): Lore & Events". www.gsnsp.com. 2026-02-22. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  16. ↑ Vincent, Hadley (2025-05-11). "Five Nights at Freddy's Lore and Timeline, Explained". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  17. ↑ Winkie, Luke (2023-10-27). "Falling Down the Five Nights at Freddy's Rabbit Hole". Vulture. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  18. ↑ Eclarinal, Aeron Mer (2023-10-31). "FNAF Movie Confirms What We All Suspected About Springtrap's Origin". The Direct. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 "FNAF William Afton – lore, personality, and appearances". Pocket Tactics. 2023-10-26. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  20. ↑ Colangelo, B. J. (2023-10-27). "That Five Nights At Freddy's Credits Scene Needs An Explainer". /Film. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Cayanan, Casey. "Unmasking the Twisted Lore Behind Five Nights at Freddy's". pulpmagazine.com. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  22. ↑ Ji, Yujie; Zhao, Yixuan (2022-06-01). "Follow the Purple Bunny: A Brief Analysis of Five Nights at Freddy's Narrative". Proceedings of the 2022 8th International Conference on Humanities and Social Science Research (ICHSSR 2022). 664. Atlantis Press. pp. 153–158. doi:10.2991/assehr.k.220504.028. ISBN 978-94-6239-580-0. Search this book on
  23. ↑ "True Ending - Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach Guide". IGN. 2021-12-27. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  24. ↑ Industries, APTEK (2019-04-26). "The lore of UCN - FNaFLore.com". FNaFLore.com - A working timeline of the FNaF franchise. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  25. ↑ "Dead By Daylight And Five Nights At Freddy's Are Finally Crossing Over". GameSpot. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  26. ↑ Cripe, Michael (2025-05-27). "Exclusive: Dead by Daylight Devs Detail Authentic Five Nights at Freddy's Gameplay Included in New Chapter". IGN. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  27. ↑ "Why Matthew Lillard Turned Down Springtrap Role in Dead By Daylight Ahead of Five Nights at Freddy's 2". SYFY. 2025-09-23. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  28. ↑ Dutta, Debopriyaa (2023-09-24). "Will The Five Nights At Freddy's Movie Pay Homage To The Fourth Closet Graphic Novel?". SlashFilm. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  29. ↑ "Blumhouse casts Matthew Lillard and Josh Hutcherson in Five Nights at Freddy's movie". GamesRadar+. 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  30. ↑ "Revisiting Matthew Lillard's 5 Best Genre Roles in Honor Of Five Nights at Freddy's". NBC. 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  31. ↑ "'Five Nights At Freddy's' Ending Explained: Why We Think Matthew Lillard May Return for a 'FNAF' Movie Sequel | Decider". 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  32. ↑ Earl, William (2025-12-08). "'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' Director Breaks Down Those Post-Credit Scenes, [Spoiler]'s Death and What Fans Can Expect From a Third Movie". Variety. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  33. ↑ Colangelo, B. J. (2023-09-13). "Why The Five Nights At Freddy's Films Should Treat William Afton Like Jigsaw". /Film. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  34. ↑ "Who's the evilest video game villain?". The Fielder. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  35. ↑ Molloy, P. J. (2023-04-05). "Best Villains In Horror Games". TheGamer. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  36. ↑ Henderson, Luke W. (2023-10-31). "The Five Nights At Freddy's Film is Disappointing and Here's Why". Medium. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  37. ↑ Loayza, Beatrice (2025-12-04). "'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' Review: The Robots Are Malfunctioning (Again)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  38. ↑ "FNaF movie: Reviews for long-awaited adaptation arrive". 2023-10-25. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  39. ↑ "Five Nights at Freddy's 2 EXCLUSIVE: Matthew Lillard dishes on playing villain and taking criticism from fans". PINKVILLA. 2025-12-04. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  40. ↑ "Matthew Lillard Returns To Five Nights At Freddy 2: 'Playing Villain Is Fun'". News18. Archived from the original on 2026-01-03. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  41. ↑ Morrow, Brendan. "Horror icons Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich's friendship runs 'deep'". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  42. ↑ "Top 10 Modern Horror Scream Kings". 2026-05-18. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
  43. ↑ Hernandez, Patricia (2015-07-27). "10 Secrets Hidden Inside of Five Nights at Freddy's 4". Kotaku. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  44. ↑ Cunliffe, Thomas (2024-08-12). "All easter eggs and secrets in FNAF Into the Pit". Prima Games. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  45. ↑ Williams, Callum; Sanchez, Miranda (2025-06-27). "William Afton's Role in Secret of the Mimic - FNAF: Secret of the Mimic Guide". IGN. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  46. ↑ "Springtrap Is Here: From Five Nights At Freddy's to Dead by Daylight's New Killer". Dead by Daylight. 2025-05-27. Retrieved 2026-07-19.

Category:Draft articles about fictional characters


This article "William Afton" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:William Afton. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.


Retrieved from "https://en.everybodywiki.com/index.php?title=William_Afton&oldid=6628242"
License CC BY-SA 3.0
Powered by MediaWiki