King Runeard

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Evil-doer
Full Name	Runeard
Alias	King Runeard Father (by Agnarr) Grandfather (by Elsa and Anna)
Origin	Frozen II
Occupation	Founder of Arendelle First King of Arendelle
Powers / Skills	Charisma Manipulation High intelligence Swordsmanship Cunning
Hobby	Plotting against the Northuldran people.
Goals	Subjugate or destroy the Northuldran people (failed).
Crimes	Parental negligence Murder Abuse of power Treason Systematic starvation Attempted genocide
Type of Villain	Genocidal Monarch

“	Magic makes people feel too powerful... too entitled. It makes them think they can defy the will of a king!	„
	~ King Runeard revealing his true nature while expressing his reason for distrusting the Northuldran people.

“	They will come in celebration, and then, we will know their size and strength.	„
	~ King Ruenard preparing his genocide against the Northuldrans.

King Runeard is the posthumous main antagonist of Disney's 58th full-length animated feature film Frozen II. He was the founder and first King of Arendelle, the husband of Queen Rita, the father of King Agnarr, the father-in-law of Queen Iduna, and the paternal grandfather of Queen Elsa and Princess (later Queen) Anna. As opposed to his aforementioned family who are benevolent rulers, Runeard was a ruthless tyrant who plotted to exterminate Northuldran people out of fear of their association with magic.

He was voiced by Jeremy Sisto, who also played Talon in Batman vs. Robin.

Personality

As first, Runeard was seemingly presented out as a benevolent and peaceful ruler as he welcomed the Northuldrans and built up a dam to act as a bridge of peace between both Northuldra and Arendelle; even his son Agnarr and his granddaughters Elsa and Anna revered and idolized him as the great founder of Arendelle.

However, this was all a facade that Runeard made up to hide his true nature as a sadistic, arrogant, manipulative, racist and selfish tyrant who is determined to expand his power by all means necessary. It also turns out that Runeard hated the Northuldrans due to their connection in magic, as he believes that magic makes people too powerful that would threaten his legacy as a king. It also turns out that he only built the dam in order to weaken Northuldra's resources so that he could starve and force the Northuldrans into his rule; this was evident of when he murdered the Northuldran tribe leader for developing suspicions over the dam before sparking a war against the Northuldrans to cover his tracks. It also apparent that Runeard was quite neglectful towards his family as he showed no concern or consideration over the well-being of his young son who was present in the camps during the battle against the Northuldrans, and that Agnarr would've been killed if Iduna hadn't saved him from the crossfire.

Eerily, Runeard seemed to harbor a resentment for the Northuldrans much deeper than that of sensible worry, as he saw fit to deceive his own men, possibly believing they would never tolerate or advocate with the full extent of his intentions. He let only his second-in-command know of the dam's real oppressive function, and after murdering the Northuldrans' unarmed leader, he manipulated his entire army into believing the Northuldrans had attacked him, ordering an unwarranted offensive on the people and causing casualties on both factions. It's likely that Runeard realized he could not ensnare the Northuldrans in his lies forever, and thus moved his plans to the next, more extreme and genocidal step.

However, Runeard's arrogance and prejudice proved to be his downfall as the war he instigated against the Northuldrans led to him falling to his death on a cliff and causing the angered spirits to cast a curse on the Enchanted Forest for decades. Upon learning the truth, Elsa and Anna were left heartbroken and appalled by their grandfather's heinous crimes, furiously abandoning all respect they had for him by destroying the dam to end the curse and bring true peace to both Arendelle and Northuldra.

History

Past

“	As you have welcomed us, we welcome you: our neighbours... our friends.	„
	~ King Runeard feigning kindness to the Northuldrans during the "celebratory ceremony".

Years prior to the events of the film, Runeard created the Kingdom of Arendelle and became its first King. At some point, he married a woman named Rita, who became Arendelle's first Queen. Together, they gave birth to their son Prince Agnarr. It's unknown what happened later to Rita, but it seems that she passed away, possibly when giving birth to Agnarr. According to the tie-in novel Frozen: Forest of Shadows, Runeard oversaw the construction of the modern Arendelle Castle when Agnarr was just a boy. 

When Agnarr was 14 years old, the tribe of Northuldra, who lived in the Enchanted Forest north of Arendelle in harmony with the elemental spirits who also resided there, made peace with Runeard and his kingdom, with Runeard and his men frequently meeting with them because of this. He also gets his men to build up a dam in the Enchanted Forest, supposedly designed to help the Northuldran people and bring prosperity to their land.

Betrayal and Death

“	You see, the dam will weaken their lands, so they will have to turn to me. They will come in celebration, and then, we will know their size and strength.	„
	~ King Runeard revealing his true plan to his second-in-command of forcing the Northuldran people to his rule through genocide.

However, in truth, Runeard actually feared and despised the Northuldrans, believing that their association with magic made them too entitled and that they could potentially threaten his power as king. It also turns out that the dam was only created to weaken Northuldra's resources in order to starve the Northuldrans so that Runeard could subjugate them to his rule through genocide. This was shown when he ordered his second-in-command to bring in Arendelle's grand army to speed things up and prepare for an imminent attack; even when his second-in-command wisely pointed out that the Northuldrans aren't distrustful in nature, Runeard arrogantly refuses to heed his second-in-command's advice as he still despises magic.

When the Northuldran leader saw that the dam is weakening the land's resources instead of strengthening them, he confronted Runeard, who declared that they would discuss this in private and find a solution while having tea, a proposal that the Northuldran leader agreed upon. However, this was just a ruse to let the Northuldran leader's guard down as Runeard wields his sword and kills the Northuldran leader from behind. To cover his tracks, Runeard claimed to his army that the Northuldrans attacked him, and a battle broke out between the Arendellian soldiers and the Northuldran people, resulting a number of casualties between both sides. Eventually, during the fight, Runeard was driven to a cliff and fell to his death. The spirits of the Enchanted Forest, enraged by the fighting, cursed the forest by enveloping it in a mist that would keep anyone from leaving or entering, trapping the Northuldran people and Arendellian soldiers inside. Prince Agnarr managed to escape the mist with the help of a Northuldran girl named Iduna, whom he would later marry upon inheriting the throne of Arendelle, thus becoming the new King and Queen.

In the following years, Runeard posthumously became a grandfather after Agnarr and Iduna gave birth to Elsa and Anna. Due to Iduna's selfless act during Runeard's attack, the elemental spirits rewarded Elsa with ice powers. Years later, King Agnarr would tell Elsa and Anna about the story of the Enchanted Forest, unaware that his father had actually started the conflict that sealed it off from the world in the first place. Upon learning about Elsa's powers, King Agnarr and Queen Iduna sailed off to find a mystical river called the Ahtohallan that holds all explanations of the past in hopes seeking answers to Elsa's powers. However, both Agnarr and Iduna perished to their deaths in a shipwreck caused by a violent storm, leaving a distraught Elsa to take over as the new Queen of Arendelle.

Legacy

“	That is NOT what magic does! That's just your fear! Fear is what can't be trusted!	„
	~ Elsa furiously denouncing Runeard for his true nature.

“	That's my grandfather attacking the Northuldran leader, who wields no weapon. The dam wasn't a gift of peace.... it was a trick!	„
	~ Anna being horrified to learn about Runeard's true nature.

Three years following Elsa's coronation and winter curse, the stakes change when she, upon hearing the call of a mysterious voice and accidentally awakening the elemental spirits, travels to the Enchanted Forest alongside her sister Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven. There, they met the trapped Northuldran people and Arendellian soldiers, learning of her mother's heritage and encountering the different elemental spirits in the process. While travelling towards the Ahtohallan, Elsa, Anna and Olaf discover Agnarr and Iduna's shipwreck, realizing that they had perished trying to reach the Ahtohallan themselves and find answers about Elsa's powers. Believing that her powers are the reason why both Agnarr and Iduna died, a guilty Elsa forces Anna and Olaf away and seeks out the river by herself. Upon reaching it, Elsa finds out about the true origin of her powers. Gazing at moments of the past, Elsa finds one that reveals Runeard was responsible for the forest's curse by creating the dam, killing the Northuldran leader, and instigating the war against the Northuldrans, all due to his fear and hatred of magic. Outraged to discover her late grandfather was really a ruthless tyrant who allowed his own fear and hatred to cloud his judgement over trusting others, Elsa furiously denounces Runeard for his actions and sends the information to Anna before freezing as a result of venturing into the most dangerous part of Ahtohallan.

While trying to find a way out of the cave she and Olaf had become trapped in, Anna receives Elsa's message in the form of an ice sculpture of Runeard about to murder the unarmed Northuldran leader. Realizing the atrocious scoundrel their grandfather truly was and seeing that Olaf is fading away due to Elsa's fate, Anna concludes that the dam must be destroyed to end the curse and the war. Upon escaping the caves, Anna provokes the Earth Spirits into chasing her to the dam and explains the truth that Runeard caused the disaster on the Enchanted Forest in the first place to the Arendellian soldiers and Northuldran people to get their help, thus getting the Earth Spirits to destroy the dam with boulders. Though the destruction of the dam lifts the mist from the Forest and saves both Elsa and Olaf for good, it also resulted a giant flood that will sink down Arendelle, much to everyone's distraught. Fortunately, Elsa uses her powers to divert the flood, saving Arendelle in the process.

With the curse finally lifted, Elsa decides to remain in the Enchanted Forest as its new protector while abdicating the throne to Anna, thus bringing true peace to both Arendalle and Northuldra and ending Runeard's dreadful legacy for good.

Gallery

Portrait of Runeard from The Art of Frozen 2.

Wistful concept art of Runeard.

Runeard concept art by Jim Kim.

Runeard fencing against the Northuldrans after killing their leader.

Trivia

• King Runeard is one of the rare sequel villains to actually appear in the Disney Animated Canon, the others are Percival C. McLeach from The Rescuers Down Under, Firebird from Fantasia 2000 and Arthur from Ralph Breaks the Internet.
  • He is also one of the few Disney villains to be biologically related to the heroes (as he is the paternal grandfather of Elsa and Anna); the others are Scar being Mufasa's brother and Simba's uncle, and Hades being Zeus' brother and Hercules' uncle.
• Despite being the successor in the second film of the series and already being dead by the time the story takes place, King Runeard is more evil than Prince Hans, the main antagonist of the first film. This is because while Hans posed a genuine threat towards Anna and Elsa, he did so because of his tragic past of being tormented by his abusive father and his sadistic brothers, whereas King Runeard betrayed and tried to exterminate the Northuldrans solely out of spite and fear that they could threaten his power. Even Elsa and Anna showed nothing but sheer disgust towards Runeard after learning the truth about his notorious actions, finding their grandfather to be more despicable than Hans.
  • Ironically, the scene in which the snowy manifestation of King Runeard killing the leader of the Northuldrans with his sword bears a resemblance to the scene from the first film where Hans tried to kill Elsa in the same manner. Coincidentally, both did so out of fear and despise against their victims. The difference is that while Hans failed to carry on Elsa's murder, Runeard did succeed in killing the Northuldran leader. Thus, Runeard may serve as a more darker example of what Hans could have easily become if he had succeeded in killing both sisters and been crowned King of Arendelle in the first film.
• King Runeard is the Greater-Scope Villain of the Frozen franchise as his heinous actions against the Northuldran people not only led to the main events of Frozen 2, but also to the events of the first film. Given Iduna's selfless act of saving Agnarr from the battle which Runeard started, the elemental spirits gave Elsa her ice powers, which caused her to accidentally unleash them and allowed both Prince Hans and the Duke of Weselton to turn Arendelle against her in the original film; while the construction of the dam caused the Northuldrans to resent the Arendellians until Anna and Elsa managed to destroy the dam so they could be released from their imprisonment in the forest. 
• King Runeard is the first main antagonist of a Disney animated film to be a completely posthumous character, since he had been long dead by the time the film's events take place while his actions plague the protagonists in the present.
• King Runeard's appearance and mannerisms are based on real-life dictator Adolf Hitler, given that Runeard's plot of subjugating the Northuldran population is similar to Hitler's infamous propaganda of subjugating the Jewish population of Europe.
• King Runeard is the only Frozen character with a body count.
• King Runeard was entirely omitted from pre-release merchandise, here under the official storybook versions of the movie (all of which ended with the vague explanation that Elsa "found the truth" and nothing more), to shroud anything to do with his true role in the story to the theorizers. When Jeremy Sisto attended the premiere, many knew nothing of the character he was voicing.

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Villains

Arendelle King Runeard Southern Isles Prince Hans Westergaard (Once Upon a Time, Sköll & Conceal, Don't Feel) | King Westergaard | Prince Caleb Westergaard | Prince Rudi Westergaard | Prince Runo Westergaard Weselton Duke of Weselton (Once Upon a Time & Conceal, Don't Feel) | Erik & Francis Others Lars | Larxene | Ingrid the Snow Queen | King Nicholas