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| NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of William Afton from the novel trilogy. The mainstream version can be found here. |
| “ | I helped him create. We both wanted to love. Your father loved. And now I have loved. | „ |
| ~ William Afton delusionally attempting to justifying his crimes when he’s being interrogated by Charlie and her friends. |
| “ | I’ve been a master of all these creatures... All the animatronics are linked together; it was a system designed to control the choreography for the shows. Now I control the system. I control the choreography. All of this is mine. | „ |
| ~ William Afton as Springtrap. |
| “ | Jessica: Everyone is afraid to die. And you should be more afraid than anyone else, because if there's a Hell, there's a hole at the bottom of it reserved for you. William: In time, I'm sure that's where I will find myself. But the devil has knocked on my door before, and I've turned him away. |
„ |
| ~ William Afton in response to Jessica telling him that Hell has a special space reserved for him. |
William Afton is the main antagonist of the Five Nights at Freddy's Novel Trilogy.
He is the father of Elizabeth Afton and the co-owner of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza and Fredbear's Family Diner, establishments he managed and helped open with his business partner and best friend Henry Emily. However, William’s anger, misery and resentment would soon cause him to become a serial killer, ultimately murdering both Henry's daughter Charlotte and later five innocent kids at Freddy's. Ten years after the murders, Afton assumed the false identity of Dave Miller and worked as a security guard at the abandoned mall built over the old pizzeria.
A confrontation with an animatronic replica of Charlie ended with his painful demise, as she triggered a springlock failure while wearing his Spring Bonnie suit. But in death, this allowed him to become the undead Springtrap, using his newfound connection to the performance system he commanded his creations to hunt down and murder Charlie. Springtrap was stopped, but escaped before he could be defeated.
Six months later, he surgically removed much of the Spring Bonnie suit but began to slowly die as a result. With the assistance of his daughter, Afton opened a new restaurant to kidnap more children and replicate how his victims possessed the animatronics, hoping to find the secrets of immortality. However, thanks to the efforts of Carlton, the souls of his victims turned on Afton and dragged him into a furnace, burning him alive and thus and ending his reign of terror.
Appearance[]
Young[]
Originally in the 1980s, William described as being robust and lively. Being shown to be quite overweight with ruddy skin. He had dark brown hair in the neat style of a combover, pale silver eyes which were described as being “dead” "dull" and "flat", a rather toothy large smile and sharp facial features. For his attire he wore a white dress shirt with a yellow bow tie but it’s unknown what he wore for his bottom apparel.
"Dave Miller"[]
Later on when he used the alias Dave Miller he was described as being a poor facsimile of himself. He had lost weight and was shown to be tall, skinny, with a long neck (much like his main series counterpart in the SAVETHEM minigame). His hair was much longer and unkempt, his face was poorly shaven, his skin was pale and sickly, his expressions were unpleasant and his eyes were tired, baggy unfocused and sunken. His teeth were also crooked, yellowing and had a chip in them. For his attire he wore a raggedy security guard uniform consisting of a white opened collared dress with various tears on it, black shoulder pads, a loosely worn black tie, and a name tag on his right peck that spelled “Dave”. He also had black dress pants and matching shoes as well as a utility belt with keys and a pouch.
Spring Bonnie[]
While wearing the Spring Bonnie suit, Afton appeared as a bright yellow rabbit with a boxy head and muzzle, a large black nose, buck teeth, segmented ears, and hands that had five fingers each (as opposed to the animatronics that only had four). Its ears as well as the stomach had a peach-tan coloring and Spring Bonnie also sported a red bow tie with two black buttons. Through the eyeholes of the suit one could see Afton’s own eyes creepily glaring. After being out of use for ten years the suit was in slightly worn condition. There were scratches and dirt marks all over the suit, exposed wiring and the edges of the mouth were peeling.
Springtrap[]
As Springtrap, William’s body was trapped inside the Spring Bonnie suit following his lethal spring-lock failure in the first book. The suit became withered, dirty and stained in Afton’s blood, having several holes and scratches all over it, with the right rabbit ear on the suit having rotted away. Unlike his game counterpart, the Springtrap suit retained its yellow coloring (as the suit only decayed for one year rather than 30). Inside the suit was William’s corpse, although it was intact, it was ravaged, twisted and scarred by the spring-locks. William also lost several of his teeth and his bloodshot gray eyes could be seen through the eyeholes of the suit.
Disfigured[]
After removing the Spring Bonnie suit, William was left in critical condition. He was painfully thin, so thin that when he smiled, his tendons could be seen moving like snakes under his skin. His head was bald and covered in pink ridged scars, and where there were no scars ,were strange metal pallets fused to his head. his scalp was torn off, leaving all but a small patch of hair which still grew. One of his eyes was missing, which was shot through with a thin steel rod. In the middle of his torso was a mass of twisted flesh that was diagonally sewn together with black stitching thread. The new scars from the latest spring-lock incident were angry-red in color. He wore silky pajamas with a robe and a pair of slippers.
Personality[]
| “ | It had occurred to Carlton years before that there were two types of nasty people: There were the obvious ones, like his sixth-grade English teacher who yelled and threw erasers, or the kid in fifth grade who picked fights with smaller children after school. That type was easy, their offenses public, brutal, and undeniable. But then there was the other kind of petty tyrant, those who grew spiteful with their small scraps of power, feeling more and more abused by the year—by family who did not appreciate them, by neighbors who slighted them in imperceptible ways, by a world that left them, somehow, lacking something essential. Before him stood someone who had spent so much of his life fighting like a cornered rat that he had taken on the mantle of bitter sadism as an integral part of himself. He would strike out against others and revel in their pain, feeling righteously that the world owed him his cruel pleasures. The guard's face, with its malevolent delight in Carlton's pain and fear, was one of the most terrifying things he had ever seen. | „ |
| ~ Carlton's description of Afton and his malevolent nature. |
William Afton is an evil, selfish, ruthless, petty and sadistic murderer. He murders innocent people for just the sick thrill of it and revels in their suffering with a face of terrifying malevolent delight. Afton is also known to enjoy emotionally hurting people as well. He killed his best friend Henry’s daughter Charlotte and essentially ruined his life for what’s implied to be out of petty jealousy. He even went out of his way to destroy his reputation and pervert his beloved creations an act which led to him committing suicide. His nature is even reflected through his eyes as they are described as being "dead" "dull" and "flat" like whatever was behind them died a long time ago. This proves he had not a hint of humanity within him. Whenever Afton commits his cruel acts he does not act unhinged or openly maniacal. He tends to keep a cool head and a calm almost pleasant tone of voice, essentially treating his barbaric crimes casually.
He is also known to be highly intelligent and articulate being able to strategically manipulate people and hide his true nature. Before the events of the trilogy William was described as being robust, affable and lively indicating he pretended to be kind to people so no one would suspect him for what he truly was. It’s for this reason he was not initially a suspect for the murders. He also famously wore the Fredbear and Spring Bonnie suit to gain the trust of and murder five innocent children at Freddy's by pretending to be a benevolent mascot. He even lied to a little girl named Susie that her dead dog was actually alive to lure her to her death. He was even clever enough to hide the bodies of his victims inside the animatronics so the authorities would not be able to charge him with his crimes. When he was "Dave Miller" he pretended to be grumpy yet affable security guard to gain the trust of Charlie's friends to have them killed.
Despite his intelligence and calculating nature it's suggested that Afton may have been very mentally ill with John believing he was completely insane. He had a serious jealously and obsession with Henry having wrote various passages about him in his journals. It can be presumed that he was envious of his best friend for his loving family, brilliance and success showing that he's insecure, spiteful and may have an inferiority complex. He also had an obsession with his Spring Bonnie suit as it made him feel more powerful, confident and alive to placate his insecurities. This is shown when he uses it to happily kill Officer Dunn and take Charlie hostage. He's so obsessed with it there are times he can't function without it as he went into a catatonic state until Charlie placed the costume’s mask on his head. He also had a serious delusional that killing the five children and turning them into animatronics made them "family" and he thought he was one of them via his Spring Bonnie suit. He even calls the pizzeria their home and their "Happiest Day" even though this was in fact the opposite as the poor little souls were imprisoned in the animatronics and condemned to become vengeful monsters who had lost control of themselves and their identities. His arrogance, lust for blood and mental instability also proved to be his undoing in several ways. He allowed Charlie and her friends to enter the abandoned mall, having planned to orchestrate their deaths. However this one act led to them not only exposing his crimes but causing his own death (and the conflict of the entire trilogy in general). He did not account for the fact that the Golden Freddy (who is haunted by Charlie’s old friend Michael) would spare his old friends. He also foolishly choose to take Charlie hostage even though the group was going to leave the building and him alone. This resulted in Charlie triggering the springlocks in his suit and killing him.
Following his lethal springlock failure and transformation into "Springtrap", William lost himself to his bloodlust and insanity. He became openly unhinged and erratic, manically laughing and snarling like an animal. He admitted that he liked his newfound self and the power it provided him claiming that he was far more than Afton ever was and far more than Henry (the man he hated the most). He also reveled in his strength and control over the Twisted animatronics boasting that they belonged to him and only followed his commands. He even arrogantly said that his robots were better built than Henry's and insulted his late partner's life's work. He even mocked Charlie for her delusion that he killed her brother Sammy (as it was actually her who died).
Six months later after removing the Spring Bonnie suit from his tattered body William changed significantly. Gone was the insane, maniacal, unhinged man he once was as he became much more pragmatic, mature, serious, grounded and calm. He overall became more self aware and acknowledged the flaws of his previous personas. He admitted his time as Springtrap wad due to being on a power trip and called his persona as "Dave Miller" a simple charade and was embarrassed at the fact he pretended to be a "idiot night guard". He even suggested that this change in demeanor was due to the pain he inflicted upon himself due to his recklessness and the time he had to think about that notion. However his pained and decrepit state and his slow march towards death made him rather miserable, commanding and impatient. He became desperate to unlock the secrets of Remnant to transfer his soul into an animatronic to prevent himself from dying to the point he developed into somewhat of a mad scientist kidnapping various children and even torturing the souls of his victims to further his experiments. He was even shown to be fascinated with the potential of Remnant and he even wanted to learn the secrets of Agony by studying Charlie (as she is powered by agony rather than a soul). Despite his more serious mindset he still remained theatrical and eccentric as he happily bragged about his plans to Jessica as well as his genius and accomplishments and even explained the power of Remnant to Carlton for the same reason. Despite his arrogance it's revealed that Afton is a massive coward as he has an immense fear of death with Jessica pointing out he fears going to hell for his unspeakable atrocities. He even outright claims he would rather stay in his painful state for all of eternity than pass on. He also tries to rationalize his actions by claiming that his experiments are for “the honor of science” but this is rendered moot in the end when he feels as though his time is running short as he chooses to kill Jacob as apart of a experiment. He went on to note that even if it does not work he will at least enjoy killing him just as he did the five children and Charlie all those years ago. Ultimately no matter how much William changes in demeanor he truly only cares about satiating his own lust for blood.
It’s surmised by both Carlton and Charlie that Afton may have lived a very miserable and meaningless existence in the past one that left him lacking something essential in life and feeling hatred for the world around him. For this reason he lashed out at the world and all of his atrocities were committed just for the sake of spreading his own misery onto others to feel a fleeting sense of power and control. William may have even believed that life owed him for his sadistic behavior and the person he ultimately became. However, this in no way makes him tragic nor serves as an excuse for his crimes but instead shows him to be a petty, vindictive excuse for a man who blames everybody and everything but himself for his own actions and failures. To drive this point home although Afton claimed that he wanted to love like Henry and have a family he treated his own daughter Elizabeth like garbage by physically and emotionally abusing her even after she became Circus Baby and served him loyally. Thus this makes Afton little more than an irredeemable monster.
Relationships[]
Allies[]
- Henry Emily (best friend/business partner: formerly)
- Twisted Freddy (creation)
- Twisted Bonnie (creation)
- Twisted Foxy (creation)
- Twisted Wolf (creation)
- Elizabeth Afton/Circus Baby (daughter)
- Funtime Freddy (creation)
- Mangle (creation)
- Baby Crawlers (creation)
Enemies[]
- Henry Emily
- Jen Emily
- Charlotte Emily (arch-nemesis)
- John
- Jessica
- Gabriel/Freddy Fazbear (victim)
- Cassidy/Bonnie (victim)
- Susie/Chica (victim)
- Fritz/Foxy (victim)
- Michael Brooks/Golden Freddy (victim)
- Carlton Burke
- Clay Burke
- Officer Dunn (victim)
- Lamar
- Marla
- Jason
- Alanna
- Ron
- Lisa
- Jacob
List of Victims[]
Directly[]
- Charlotte Emily: Henry's daughter and Sammy's twin sister. Killed at Fredbear's Family Diner by while she and Sammy were hiding in one of the closets playing with costumes.
- Gabriel: Lured to the backroom of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza and murdered by Afton. Later he haunts Freddy Fazbear.
- Cassidy: Lured to the backroom of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza and murdered by Afton. Later haunts Bonnie the Bunny.
- Susie: Lured to the backroom of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza and murdered by Afton. Later haunts Chica the Chicken.
- Fritz: Lured to the backroom of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza and murdered by Afton. Later haunts Foxy the Pirate.
- Michael Brooks: Lured to the backroom of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza and murdered by Afton. Later haunts Golden Freddy.
- Officer Dunn: stabbed to death when he was trying to find Carlton.
Indirectly[]
- Elizabeth Afton: Due to re-programming Circus Baby to kill children, Elizabeth was consequently killed by her. Although Afton showed no care or grief over his daughter's death.
- An unnamed man (by proxy): Killed by his creations, the twisted animatronics, before his body was left in an open field.
- Tracy Horton (by proxy): Killed by his creations, the twisted animatronics, before her body was left in an open field.
Quotes[]
The Silver Eyes
| “ | I had a feeling you wouldn’t leave it alone. I could have you arrested for trespassing. Saw you here last night, but I couldn’t see where you got to; I guess now I know. What were you all doing back here, anyway? You kids partying? Drugs? I could have you arrested right now, you know. | „ |
| ~ Afton as "Dave Miller" confronting Charlie and her friends for trespassing into the abandoned mall. |
| “ | Charlie: Why don’t you come with us? We just want to explore a little bit more, then we’ll leave. You know your way around better than any of us. Carlton: And then we’ ll never come back again. "Dave": Sure. Only because I’ve always wanted to take a walk in there myself. I’m not an idiot, I’ve been working here for years, walked this building inside and out every night. You think I don’t know what’s back there? Name’s Dave. |
„ |
| ~ William allowing Charlie and her friends into the resuarant and introducing himself as Dave. |
| “ | Lamar: What happened to the restaurant? Why is it boarded up? And why is the mall abandoned, anyway? "Dave": You don’t know? This town needs money, jobs, revenue, things like that, and one thing we’ve got a lot of is space. So they decided to build a big mall, try and attract businesses, maybe even tourists. They built up around where Freddy Fazbear’s was, but when it came to it, no one would lease the restaurant, you know, because of what happened. So someone had the bright idea of sealing the whole place up, intact; someone who had a sentimental attachment to it, perhaps. I don’t think they even tried to clear it out. But it wasn’t enough. Something about that place spilled over into the rest of the building, maybe right down into the soil. No one wanted to bring their business here. Sometimes business owners, franchisers from outside the town would come and look at the place, but they never signed the papers. Said it just didn’t feel right. I think it’s got an aura, a mystical energy maybe, if you believe in that sort of thing. Lamar: I don't believe in that sort of thing. "Dave": To each their own. All I know is, they abandoned the construction before it was even finished. Now nobody comes here... except kids wanting to screw around. And me... |
„ |
| ~ "Dave" explaining why the mall was abandoned |
| “ | Um. Could I try? | „ |
| ~ "Dave "graciously" offering to operate the animatronic show. |
| “ | Charlie: How did you do that? "Dave": Beginner’s luck. I just pressed some buttons. |
„ |
| ~ "Dave" lying about how he started the animatronic show. |
| “ | For special occasions, you can request a dance. | „ |
| ~ "Dave" creepily offering to dance with Jessica. |
| “ | Nervous little fella, aren't you? | „ |
| ~ William taunting Bonnie. |
| “ | Carlton: I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Never trust a rabbit, I say. William: Don’t speak. Carlton: What kind name for a serial killer is "Dave"? William: I told you not to move, Carlton, It's not an order. It's a friendly reminder. Do you know what I've put you inside? Carlton: Your girlfriend? William: You're amusing. But no. You're not wearing a costume Carlton, not precisely. These suits were designed for two purposes. To be worn by men like me... and to be used as working animatronics, like the ones you can see onstage. Do you understand? |
„ |
| ~ William explaining the functionality of springlock suits |
| “ | William: You see, all of the animatronic parts in that suit are still in it; they are simply held back by spring locks, like this. You can trip these spring locks very, very easily, it takes almost no movement at all. That's a very old costume, one of the first ones Henry made. Carlton: Who's Henry? William: Henry your friend Charlie's father. Did you not know that he made this place? |
„ |
| ~ William showing Carlton the workings of the springlock mechanism and revealing the identity of Henry. |
| “ | And, if you accidentally trigger those spring locks, two things will happen: First, all the locks will snap right into you, making deep cuts all over your body, and a split second later all the animatronic parts they've been holding back, all that sharp steel and hard plastic, will instantly be driven into your body. You will die, but it will be slow. You'll feel your organs punctured, the suit will grow wet with your blood, and you will know you're dying for long, long minutes. You'll try to scream, but you will be unable to. Your vocal cords will be severed, and your lungs will fill with your own blood until you drown in it... | „ |
| ~ William sadistically explaining the excruciating pain of a springlock failure. |
| “ | DON'T MOVE! | „ |
| ~ William telling Carlton not to move lest he trigger the springlock and die a painful death |
| “ | Now you've done it. | „ |
| ~ William confronting Charlie before being knocked out. |
| “ | Carlton: You killed. You're a sick bastard and you’ve created monsters. The kids you killed are still here. You’ve imprisoned them! William: No. They are home with me. Their Happiest Day. |
„ |
| ~ Afton expressing his delusional belief that what he did to the kids was a good thing. |
| “ | Charlie: How do we get out? William: There isn't a way out anymore. All that's left is family. |
„ |
| ~ Afton telling Charlie and her friends they can't escape the animatronics wrath. |
| “ | Oh, you're something beautiful, aren't you? | „ |
| ~ Afton’s odd remark to Charlie. |
| “ | John: Well, then you're trapped too, and you're not going to be hurting anyone else. William: I don't have to. When it gets dark, they will awaken; the children's spirits will rise. They will kill you. I'll just walk out in the morning, stepping over your corpses, one by one. |
„ |
| ~ William taunting Charlie and her friends. |
| “ | Jessica: They'll kill you, too. William: No, I am quite confident that I will survive. John: Really? I’m pretty sure they're the spirits of the kids you killed, Why would they hurt us? It's you they're after. William: They don't remember; they've forgotten. The dead do forget. All they know is that you are here, trying to take away their happiest day. You are intruders. You are grown-ups. Jessica: Were not... William: You're close enough. Especially to a vengeful, confused, and frightened child. None of you will survive the night. John: And what makes you think they won't kill you? William: Because I am one of them. |
„ |
| ~ Afton stating his confidence at the possibility of surviving the night because of his Spring Bonnie suit. |
| “ | You are staying; I will kill this one right here, while you watch, unless you do as I say. | „ |
| ~ Afton threatening to kill Charlie; also his final words. |
The Twisted Ones
| “ | They don't care about you. I'm the one who brought you here. You have something that belongs to me. | „ |
| ~ William reavealing himself |
| “ | I've accepted the new life that you gave me. You've made me one with my creation. My name is Springtrap! I'm far more than Afton ever was and far more than Henry. | „ |
| ~ William proclaiming himself to be Springtrap. |
| “ | I wont hurt your friends, But there's something I need from you. | „ |
| ~ Springtrap attempting to manipulate Charlie. |
| “ | Did you think my robots would be as poorly designed as your fathers? | „ |
| ~ Springtrap insulting Henry. |
| “ | Here we are again, Charlie. Just as I had you once before... | „ |
| ~ Springtrap putting Charlie in a chokehold just like at the end of The Silver Eyes |
| “ | Charlie: Tell me my you took him! Why did you choose him! Why did you take Sammy?! Springtrap: I didn't choose him. I didn't take him. I took you. |
„ |
| ~ Springtrap hinting about the fact he killed Charlie all those years and not Sammy. |
The Fourth Closet
| “ | Baby: It's moving. William: Of course it is. Of course they are. Raise it two more degrees. Baby: It looks like it's... In pain. William: I don't care. Do it. Baby: They're afraid. You're at risk of destroying them. William: No they remember me as I used to be. And they can't be destroyed! They can only serve a greater purpose. They'll become more like you did. Go! I have no more use for you now. |
„ |
| ~ William experimenting on the Amalgamation. |
| “ | And as for you.. the Police Chief kept the animatronics hidden in his basement for quite some time. Perhaps he hid out the final component there. | „ |
| ~ Afton ordering Baby to find Charile |
| “ | Anyone can discover a fire already burning. As we have here. But Henry found a unique spark, created something truly different, something he didn't intend or deserve to stumble upon. | „ |
| ~ William questioning how Henry managed to re-create Charlie without the need for a soul. |
| “ | William: Enough theatrics. Jessica: Wait, I know that voice. William Afton. William: Very good. Did you like the dance? I thought you might like to see me as I was. A familiar face. So we meet again, in yet another form. You remember Dave the security guard, a simple charade to move about without notice. And of course you've met Springtrap. The thrilling fusion of man and technology. I confess he made me ecstatic with power, delirious over my newfound strength. But pain changes all things, as does time. Scalp torn from my head, scraps of metal interwoven throughout my whole body, not to mention your friend Charlie’s additions. |
„ |
| ~ William revealing his decrepit state to Jessica. |
| “ | Fake blood? I'm afraid I've spilled plenty of real blood. I had no need to fake it. Whatever "fake blood" your police friend found, it was someone else's. But let's put the past behind us, hm? There's exciting work to be done. | „ |
| ~ William on the discovery of fake blood found at Freddy's. |
| “ | Jessica: Who'd you murder now? William: No one new. Jessica: That was a little kid... You're the one kidnapping them... William: HA HA HA, Jessica, please look at me. I can't kidnap anyone like this. Those days are behind me but... I do have Circus Baby's Pizza attracting huge crowds of people. Trusting children complacent parents. Isn't that right Baby? |
„ |
| ~ William revaling what he's been up to as of lately. |
| “ | William: What you see before you is a combination of all sorts of machinations and magic. Some of my work. Some of Henry's. Who knew not to re-create the illusion of of life when your mind can do it for us. Jessica: She's more than illusion though. William: Quite right, but that's why were here to discover the secret of that last ingredient, the spark of life. Sometimes great things come at a great cost. We are here to re-create the accident, to replicate older experiments, inching ever closer to immortality. |
„ |
| ~ William announcing his goals to become immortal. |
| “ | Yes. Heat. Heat is the key to all of this. Makes it malleable, moldable, and one might even say contagious. Best to put it something you control to some extent. Of course you can make something you control completely with no will of it's own. A car. A gun. A dancing robot. Boring. But one drop of "pixie dust". | „ |
| ~ William explaining the power of Remnant. |
| “ | Afraid of them, now? ...Don’t fear them. Fear me... I'm the only thing in this room you should be afraid of... I'm just as dangerous as I always have been. | „ |
| ~ William intimidating Jacob. |
| “ | My time is running short. Unfortunate I hoped to learn something. But maybe that's not the problem. Maybe we just need some new life in this mass of metal. You'll have to forgive me, though as I'm not quite sure how to do that either. I can think of a few things to try. At the very least, it will be fun, like old times. | „ |
| ~ William preparing to kill Jacob for his own sick pleasure. |
| “ | No! Stop it. Cooperate. | „ |
| ~ William trying to kill Jacob. |
| “ | What-is this!? Noooo!!! | „ |
| ~ William Afton's last words before he's dragged into the furnace by the Amalgamation. |
Referring to William[]
| “ | Charlie: Do you remember anything? What the person looked like? John: Yes. The eyes. They were all I could see, but I still see them sometimes like they’re right there in front of me. They were dead. Charlie: What? John: They were dead, just dull and flat. Like they still moved, and blinked, and saw, but whatever was behind them had died a long time ago. |
„ |
| ~ John describing Afton's eyes, reflecting his inhuman nature. |
| “ | There was something almost immediately off-putting about the man. He was tall and slightly too thin for his uniform, which bagged at the shoulders and waist, as if he had once been a more robust man but had lost his form somehow to illness or tragedy; his name tag, reading DAVE, hung askew on his chest. His skin was sallow, and his eyes were undercut by heavy lines, adding to the impression of longstanding ill health. | „ |
| ~ The Silver Eyes description of William as "Dave Miller". |
| “ | Charlie looked at the man, considering him; the ill-fitting uniform, his peaky, almost exhausted-looking features. He really could kick them off the property or even have them arrested for trespassing, but still, she could not really fear him. His inadequacy shone through him like a kind of negative charisma. He would always be shoved to the back of a crowd; always shouted down in an argument; always picked last, forgotten, ignored in favor of those who were simply more vital, more vigorously attached to life. Charlie frowned at herself. It was an unusual train of thought for her— she did not usually assume she could read the lives of strangers through the lines on their faces. But it gave her an idea. | „ |
| ~ Charlie's brief observation of William's life judging by his appearance and demeanor. |
| “ | We did arrest someone. I did, in fact, and I am as sure now that he was guilty as I was then. | „ |
| ~ Clay Burke talking about Afton's arrest following the murders. |
| “ | Charlie: But kidnapping. They disappeared! How can this man be walking around somewhere? What if he does it again? Clay: Charlie, justice penalizes the guilty, but it must also protect the innocent. It means that sometimes the guilty get away with terrible things, but it is the price we pay. |
„ |
| ~ Clay and Charile discussing the injustice of Afton getting away with his crimes. |
| “ | Seeing John’s face, Charlie was suddenly struck with the weight of memory. Michael, who had been a cheerful, careless little boy, Michael who had drawn portraits of them all, passing them around with a solemn pride. Michael who had been killed, whose final moments must have been all pain and terror. Michael, who had been killed by the man before them. She looked to the others, and on each of their faces she saw the same, single thought: this was the man who killed Michael. | „ |
| ~ Charlie and her friends realizing that Afton was the one who killed the five children. |
| “ | There was nothing to find, really. They knew who did it. At first he had suspected Henry, just like so many others around town. It was a terrible thought, but it was a terrible crime; there was no solution that would not be shocking. He had not been the one to question Charlie’s father, but he had read the transcript. The man had been almost incoherent, so shaken that he could not give straight answers. He sounded as if he were lying, and to most people that was proof enough. But Clay had resisted, had delayed having him arrested, and sure enough they came to William Afton, Henry’s partner. | „ |
| ~ Clay reffering to when Afton was suspected of the murders. As well moment William Afton's name was revealed in the franchise. |
| “ | William Afton was the one who made Freddy’s a business, as he had the previous restaurant. Afton was as robust and lively as Henry was withdrawn and shadowy. He was a hefty man who had the ruddy geniality of a financially shrewd Santa Claus. And he had killed the children. Clay knew it; the whole department knew it. | „ |
| ~ Clay Burke recalling William from back in the 1980s. |
| “ | He had been present for each abduction, and he had mysteriously and briefly vanished at the same time as each child went missing. A search of his house had found a room crammed with boxes of mechanical parts and a musty yellow rabbit suit as well as stacks of journals full of raving paranoia, passages about Henry that ranged from wild jealousy to near worship. But there had been no evidence, there had been no bodies, and so there could be no charge. William Afton had left town, and there was nothing to stop him. They did not even know where he had gone. | „ |
| ~ Clay recollecting the investigation on William and how he left town. |
| “ | The background check application was labeled “Dave Miller,” but it was unmistakably William Afton. Afton had been fat and affable; the man in the picture was sallow and thin, his skin sagging and his expression unpleasant, as if he had forgotten how to smile. He looked like a poor facsimile of himself. Or maybe, Clay thought, he looked like he had dropped his disguise. | „ |
| ~ Clay realizing that Dave Miller is actually William Afton. |
| “ | It was you. You killed Michael. You killed Sammy. You took them from me. | „ |
| ~ Charlie showing contempt and disgust towards William's actions. |
Trivia[]
- Just like his mainstream counterpart, his reasons for killing children and becoming a serial killer is unknown, and since the novel trilogy has ended, it's possible that his motives and backstory will remain as such.
- Even though The Fourth Closet shows he's trying to become immortal through the use of remnant from his victims, it's only because of his weakened state from being in the Spring Bonnie suit.
- However in The Silver Eyes, Carlton and Charlie both surmise that William may have had a miserable past and he felt as though life owed him for his sadistic behavior so he lashed out at others to spread his own pain and misery. There is even evidence throughout the book to support these claims such as his hatred and jealousy of Henry and his overall miserable and grumpy demeanor when he’s not wearing the Spring Bonnie suit. With that being said. this version of Afton is the only one to have been given a mostly clear motive for his actions.
- The novel version of Afton is widely attributed to being the blueprint behind his character in franchise from 2016 onward. Originally in the first four games, William was known to be a vague, one dimensional and mysterious figure dubbed as the Purple Guy. However, The Silver Eyes fleshed out William as a character (and even revealed his name). Ultimately the novel version of Afton influenced his game counterpart and every version of him thereafter.
- In the The Fourth Closet, William seems to think very lowly of his “Dave Miller” persona, claiming it was only a disguise to fool others and nothing more. He also seems to have a low opinion of security guards in general, saying "It doesn't take a thespian to play an idiot night guard".
- William’s Spring Bonnie suit appears slightly different from the games with it bearing more resemblance to the Scraptrap suit from Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator. Additionally his purple bowtie was changed to red.
- While a man speculated to be Afton is featured in the cutscenes of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator, the graphic novel version of The Silver Eyes marks the first time in the franchise that his appearance has been confirmed. However, since this is an alternate timeline, his video game counterpart might look different.
- Some believe that William’s design in the novels could also apply to his game counterpart. The reasoning is that Afton’s appearance in the graphic novel takes many elements from his game counterpart previous appearances.
- He has Afton's tall skinny frame, long neck, large sadistic smile and sharp jawline from the SAVETHEM minigame in FNAF 2.
- He has pale gray eyes which William had as Springtrap and Scraptrap and in the Fruity Maze minigame.
- He also appears to bear a striking resemblance to his son in the games, Michael Afton, possibly because it’s established that they look quite similar.
- Additionally the appearance of the Afton in the graphic novel ended up applying to both his film counterpart and Fazbear Frights counterpart.
- Susie, one of the victims of the Missing Children Incident, talks about how "Spring Bonnie" found her dead dog and promised to give it back to her, until William revealed himself and killed her. This is referenced in the Fruity Maze minigame in Freddy Fazbear's Pizza Simulator, where the face of a girl resembling Susie's description can be seen, but the minigame takes a darker turn as the fruits are replaced with dead dogs and Spring Bonnie can be seen beside the girl. The minigame is believed to be an allegory for Susie's murder in both the novels and the games.
- According to Baby's flashback in The Fourth Closet, it's shown that William used to be abusive towards his own daughter, Elizabeth, where he pushed her to the ground and stomped on her graded work from school, which she showed to impress him, and even hit her when she tried to retrieve it, sending her running away in tears. As a final attempt to gain her father's approval, she merged herself with his favorite creation Circus Baby, who feels jealous towards Charlotte Emily for having a better life than she did when she was alive. Had William not abused Elizabeth, she wouldn't have become Baby, nor would she have been corrupted into the envious and resentful killer that she became.
- The original Afton warned Elizabeth never to approach Baby (since he programmed the machine to kill children) and sent Michael down to the facility to free Elizabeth after she died, hinting that he may have cared for her (although it's later revealed that his love was superficial). Here, Afton never showed any consideration towards Elizabeth, and outright had no care for her whatsoever.
- Even though Afton’s daughter Elizabeth exists in the novels, it’s unknown if his sons Michael Afton and the Crying Child did. Although it’s highly unlikely to be the case, as they was never any indications or allusions to their presence.
- In The Fourth Closet's graphic novel adaptation, William's wears a purple robe instead of black one like he was described as wearing in the original book. This is most likely a reference to William’s Purple Guy alias in the games. However his robe often repeatedly switches from white to purple. this is most likely a coloring mistake on Scholastic’s part.
- In The Silver Eyes, Afton is shown to appear rather pale, thin and sickly in comparison to his more lively appearance in the 1980s. Charlie theorizes that he may have suffered from a long standing illness or a "tragedy". It also could be due to general stress and a poor lifestyle as Afton was implied to have lived in the abandoned mall in isolation.
- In the graphic novel adaptations, William is one of the only characters drawn with fully detailed colored eyes whereas everyone else (even the animatronics) have simple black dots. This was most likely to fit the novels unique description of William's eyes which were stated to be "dead", "dull" and "flat".
- It's unknown why Afton chose to remove the Spring Bonnie suit in The Fourth Closet, as this caused more harm than good and resulted in him beginning to die from his injuries. It's possible he grew tired of the suit and his facade as Springtrap, or he wanted a better method of immortality.
- Unlike in most continuities, William did not use the Spring Bonnie suit to lure the children away, as John claims, he explicitly remembers him using the Fredbear suit. Oddly enough however there a few things that contradict this. In The Fourth Closet, the spirits of the children remember Afton as Spring Bonnie and in The Silver Eyes, Jason spots a drawing depicting Spring Bonnie kidnapping one of the children. It’s likely this is a writing error.
- A major plot hole in the second novel, The Twisted Ones is who activated the Twisted animatronics to begin with. Although, William claims that the animatronics solely follow his commands their murder spree started before he re-emerged as Springtrap. It’s possible he had reprogrammed them before his death or he was telpathically controlling them.
- Considering Afton was able to purchase a movie theater in the third book and open a rather large attraction like Circus Baby Pizza, it can be assumed that he is fairly wealthy. This is odd considering in the first book his ragged and dirty appearance implied he lived a poor lifestyle and he had lost his main source of income when Freddy’s closed down.
- It's also unknown who managed the restaurant as William could not be seen by the public eye due to his crimes. It likely he paid someone else to run the business without revealing his true identity.
- In The Silver Eyes when William locks himself in the office, he is confronted by Bonnie but he evidently isn't killed as he is able to reappear later to take Charlie hostage. It's likely because he was wearing the Spring Bonnie head at the time and thus he managed trick the animatronics into thinking he was one of them like he said earlier. This could be a reference to one of the gameplay mechanics in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 where Jeremy Fitzgerald tried the same trick with a spare Freddy head to camouflage himself from the animatronics.
- In The Silver Eyes when the animatronics go haywire the stage lights flash with colors of bright gold, sickly green and a bruised viscous purple. This is likely in reference to Afton's forms of Spring Bonnie, Springtrap and Purple Guy respectively.
- William embodies the Seven Deadly Sins.
- Pride: He is extremely arrogant, egotistical and theatrical when it comes to his crimes and takes immense enjoyment out of them. The second even book shows him bragging that his robots are far better built than Henry's.
- Greed: In the third book during his campaign for immortality he kidnaps several children to experiment on and discover the secrets of Remnant. Although he did so mainly out of self preservation he took immense pleasure in doing so and admitted it was partially to fuel his sick curiosity. He even demands that Baby find Charlie so he can study her even though doing so won't help his cause.
- Wrath: Although he rarely shows it William has a nasty temper and a lot of built up hatred. He physically abused Elizabeth for merely disturbing him and pretty much all his crimes were committed just for the sake of taking out his own anger and insecurities.
- Envy: He was extremely jealous of Henry and had an immense hatred for him. He envied his loving family and brilliance to the point he wrote several journals detailing his feelings about the matter. Even years later he still tries to insist he is better than him and shows anger when he is reminded of Henry's triumphs.
- Lust: He has an endless lust for blood one that almost entirely dictates his actions and blinds him to reason at times. He also lusts after immortality in the third book and shows an immense amount of intrigue with his unethical experiments. Additionally, in The Silver Eyes he also made a rather disturbing advance towards Jessica asking if she wanted to dance creepily.
- Gluttony: He's completely obsessed with killing people to the point he can't help but satiate it even when it causes his trouble. It was also stated that ten years prior to the events of the trilogy he was rather fat and robust which could imply he ate unhealthy and or excessively.
- Sloth: Rather than murdering Charlie and her friends himself he tried to orchestrate their deaths at the hands of the animatronics and watch with sadistic glee. In the second book he forces the Twisted animatronics to hunt down and kill Charlie even though he could have just done so himself.
- William acts as a reflection/foil of many other characters in the books.
- Henry: They were both talented mecanical engineers who suffered from tragedy and lived very miserable and unpleasent lives. They decided to placate this by creating their own family out of machines rather than humans disregarding the family they already had (Elizabeth for William and Sammy for Henry). However the difference is that Henry was still a good person at heart and never became a monster, whereas William completely fell victim to his demons and choose to harm people to make up for his failures in life. Had Henry chose to take out his greif and agony onto innocent people he would have ended up just like William.
- Circus Baby/Elizabeth: William and Baby both lived miserable lives and felt pushed to the side and forgotten by those around them. This resulted in them becoming vengeful and spiteful towards the world and gaining jealousy towards the people they thought had it better than them (Henry for William and Charlie for Baby). The difference is that while Baby was truly a sympathetic character and was capable of love and honor William only cared about himself and his past is just a petty excuse for his crimes.
- Charlie: Both had severe struggles when it came to letting go of their past and disregarded what they had in the present. William could not let go of his resentment and hatred for Henry and the world in general and Charlie could not let go of the loss of her family and childhood. Had Charlie choose to not to let go and move on she would have ended up like William.
External Links[]
- William Afton on the Pure Evil Wiki
- William Afton on the Five Nights at Freddy's Wiki
