User blog comment:Misry6/Pure Evil Removal Proposal: Frozen II's Villain/@comment-24834541-20200114075901

Keep. I find it even more fascinating how adamant a few people have been about denying the extent of his actions.

The movie goes out of its way to show the Northuldrans as an agricultural society, who depend on nature to survive. Hence, weakening their lands and damaging the forest is detrimental. It's clear Runeard didn't want to just "inconvenience" them, but leave them with no choice; there's a reason the leader so desperately pleads with him. Therefore, using the word starve is hardly that much of an aggrandization.

"We bring Arendelle's full guard," and "Then we will know their size and strength," both obviously refer to the prospect of a military attack -- Runeard says the last line with hushed excitement, and would have no reason to say it just to demonstrate how weak they are, as you claim, because if that were the case, he wouldn't even be plotting to consturct the dam. Much more damningly, when he killed the leader and waged war on the rest of the people, how could it have ended differently had he not died and the spirits interfered? There's no Fridge Horror in this, whether or not you believed he was plotting it from the beginning, in the end he's intent on assailing the people after starting the battle himself.

It's like the fact that no one ever says he "kills" the Northuldran leader, but you see him very obviously about to cleave into him from behind, and older audiences pick up on it, unlike the kids, whom the twist is already jarringly dark for as is.