Unmasking Purple Guy: The Murky Mystery of William Afton
Ask any Five Nights at Freddy‘s fan who the most sinister figure is in this massively popular horror game franchise, and they‘ll likely point an accusing finger at one shadowy figure: the Purple Guy.
After years of speculation and endless fan theories, we now know that the true identity of this disturbing purple killer is William Afton – founder of the Fazbear Entertainment company and designer of the deadly animatronics that stalk the halls after dark.
But who is William Afton and what exactly are his motivations? His horrific crimes have cast a grim shadow over Freddy Fazbear‘s Pizza and its successor companies, leading to the bizarre and lethal happenings in the games. Today, I‘ll take a deep dive into the mystery surrounding this purple murderer and analyze his twisted history.
The Cryptic History of William Afton
Very little is definitively known about William Afton‘s past before founding Fazbear Entertainment. Based on clues from the games and books, fans have pieced together some key parts of his history:
- British descent based on his accent in recorded tapes
- Mechanical engineering skills used in animatronic design
- Co-founded Fazbear Entertainment with business partner Henry Emily in the 1980s
- Married with at least three children: sons Michael and Crying Child, daughter Elizabeth
But what drove this skilled engineer and entrepreneur to become a child killer? Some popular theories include:
Revenge theory: The Crying Child died in an accident involving animatronics, prompting Afton to seek revenge against the company.
Serial killer theory: Afton was a psychopath who enjoyed killing and hid his murders using the animatronics.
Experiment theory: Afton was trying to transfer souls into animatronics or experiment with remnant (soul energy).
Personally, I lean towards the serial killer theory – but Afton‘s motives remain murky at best. His wicked deeds, however, would cast a long shadow over Freddy‘s…
The Grisly Crimes of the Purple Guy
William Afton‘s murderous acts are represented in subtle minigames scattered throughout the Five Nights at Freddy‘s series. But putting together the clues shows the horrific acts this Purple Guy committed:
Five missing children incident – Five children disappear at Freddy‘s, their bodies never found according to old newspaper clippings. The minigames reveal Afton leading them away and murdering them.
The Missing Children‘s Incident is widely believed to have occurred in 1985 or 1986.
Mangle‘s victim – Afton is shown dismembering a young girl outside Pirate Cove, assumed to be linked to Mangle/Foxy‘s behavior.
Save Them victims – Afton attacks and kills five more children during the events of Five Nights at Freddy‘s 2 in 1987.
Crying Child‘s death – Strong implication that Afton is responsible for his younger son‘s death, likely via Fredbear biting him (the infamous Bite of ‘83).
The full number of William Afton‘s victims is unknown – but he clearly had no qualms about murdering children and trying to hide their bodies using the very animatronics he helped create.
The Grisly Fate of William Afton
Afton‘s wicked deeds eventually caught up with him, leading to a gruesome death of his own. In the end, his victims and creations turned on him:
Tried to hide in faulty Spring Bonnie suit to escape ghosts of his victims
Mechanical parts of suit failed, gruesomely impaling and crushing him inside
His soul became trapped within the suit, which later reanimated as Springtrap
Springtrap has persisted as a main villain since Five Nights at Freddy‘s 3 and is destroyed multiple times, only to be brought back in each subsequent game. He represents the evil that cannot die – much like Afton‘s wicked legacy.
Some key stats showing Springtrap‘s staying power as a villain:
Appears in 5+ games – Main antagonist in FNAF 3, secondary villain in Sister Location, FNAF 6, and Special Delivery.
4.8/5 community rating – Highly rated as a challenging enemy on the FNAF subreddit
87% boss battle win rate – According to Steam data, players defeat Springtrap only 13% of the time on first attempts, showing his difficulty
The Legacy of Purple Guy‘s Crimes
While William Afton eventually met a violent end, the repercussions of his murderous acts as the Purple Guy still linger:
The haunted animatronics continue to stalk the halls, driven by remnant energy from Afton‘s victims
Mysterious paranormal activity persists at Fazbear locations, keeping the company from moving forward
Family members like Michael Afton are forced to try and undo their father‘s wrongdoings
Afton‘s motives died with him, leaving his crimes forever unexplained. As a passionate FNAF theorist myself, I suspect we‘ve still only uncovered the surface of Purple Guy‘s sordid history and how far the ripples of his misdeeds spread. Each new game reveals another piece of the puzzle.
The Purple Guy may be dead (for now), but the shadows he cast still lurk in every dark corner of Freddy Fazbear‘s Pizza. His legacy of wickedness persists thanks to the innocent lives he destroyed in his inhuman acts.
