Flynn Rider

**Eugene Fitzherbert** (better known as **Flynn Rider**) is the deuteragonist of Disney's 2010 animated feature film, *Tangled*. A swashbuckler known for his charm and quick-wit, Flynn made a name for himself as a notorious thief alongside his partner, Lance Strongbow. In a turn of events following years of travel and plunder, however, he experienced a change of heart upon falling in love with Rapunzel, the lost princess of Corona.

## Background

Eugene Fitzherbert was born to King Edmund and his wife, rulers of the Dark Kingdom. During Eugene's infancy, the kingdom was corrupted by a powerful opal that threatened to destroy the land. King Edmund ordered for a kingdom-wide evacuation to protect his subjects from the opal's destructive power—including Eugene, who was escorted out of the kingdom by a servant woman and later placed in an orphanage. Eugene never knew the truth of his lineage. He grew up believing that his parents were fearless adventurers traveling the world to make names for themselves. Eugene remained hopeful that once they did, they would return to the orphanage and take him back. In the meantime, Eugene spent all his days with his fellow orphans. His only companion at the time was his lifelong friend, Arnwaldo Schnitz. Every night, Eugene would read "The Tales of Flynnigan Rider", stories of a rich and dashing swashbuckler who had an abundance of thrilling adventures wherever he went. The more Eugene read it, the more he dreamed of a more audacious lifestyle and decided to break out of his orphan upbringing. Eugene eventually ventured out with Arnwaldo—now known as Lance Strongbow—and grew up into a dashing swashbuckler and gifted horseman under an alias taken from his childhood hero: Flynn Rider. With Lance by his side, Flynn became one of the most infamous thieves in all of Corona, making enemies at nearly every port. He would also plunder regions well beyond Corona, such as Italy, where he learned to speak Italian. Being drawn in more and more by his new ambition and becoming more and more aloof from the people around him, Flynn sought a solitary life of money and freedom, far away. Apart from Lance (with whom he eventually lost contact), Flynn formed partnerships with other criminals, one of which being a ruthless kingpin known as "the Baron." During their alliance, Flynn developed a relationship with the Baron's daughter, Stalyan. The two were eventually engaged, but Flynn created a bitter enemy in his employer when he left Stalyan at the altar.

Everything Flynn ever wanted, however, quickly lost its appeal in the days he met Rapunzel. When Flynn met the lonesome girl in a remote tower, he was quite irritated to be coerced into taking her to see the Festival of Lights at the kingdom so that he could get back a valuable stolen tiara she had hidden from him. As he spent time with her, he gained a respect for the headstrong young lady that became strong affection and caring. As Flynn cast aside his cares for treasure and solitude he realized his old dream had been replaced by a new one. Flynn fell completely in love with the lost princess and helped her reunite with her parents and reclaim her throne.

Eugene went back to his birth name, stopped thieving, and married Rapunzel a few years later. The two are currently living happily ever after.

### Official Description

*The ultra-confident Flynn Rider is his own biggest fan, and he has long relied on his wit, charm and good looks to get out of even the stickiest situation – and Flynn's life just happens to be full of sticky situations. Flynn is a thief looking for the one last, big score that will allow him to finally live the life he's always dreamed of. He's never been closer to having it all when he meets Rapunzel, an odd girl with ridiculously long hair. Rapunzel seems to be the only girl in the world immune to Flynn's moves, and for the first time ever he seems to have met his match. An unlikely alliance with this girl from the tower sends Flynn on the adventure of a lifetime, and helps him realize that sometimes you don't know what you want... until it hits you over the head... literally.*
### Development

During the movie's production, Eugene was almost an actual Prince, like his fairy tale counterpart. He was originally intended to be a wayward prince hanging out with a group of bandits. Soon after he was designed to be a sort of "bandit prince" and was the leader of a group of rogues (the rogues themselves eventually became the Snuggly Duckling thugs). Soon he was conceived as a British farmer named Bastian, who was orphaned at a young age and forced into a life of thievery to survive, though he hated it. Disney almost went with using the design of Bastian until his voice actor, Zachary Levi was finally cast. Directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard agreed fairly early on that Rapunzel's love interest would not be a prince, but rather a thief; this would add a comedic edge to the character.

The original concept of him being a prince was later used in *Tangled: The Series* making him the prince of an abandoned kingdom.

The character design of Flynn came from the process called the "hot man meeting" by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, during which they set up a meeting with all of the female employees of the studio in one room and asked them for their opinions of what made a man good-looking, in order to create Flynn's character design with features such as eye color, hair color and style, and body type. Video footage showed concept art and photos of various male celebrities, including Johnny Depp, Hugh Jackman, Brad Pitt, David Beckham, and Gene Kelly, on the walls of the room. Other inspiration came in the form of such personalities as David Beckham and Clark Gable.

"*...all the ladies of the studio came into the 'Hot Man Meeting,' where we gathered pictures of their favorite handsome men—we collected pictures from the Internet and from books and from women's wallets. They were very specific about what they liked and what they didn't like*."
The process ultimately led to the final design of Flynn Rider.

### Personality

When first introduced, Flynn is presented as arrogant, backstabbing, and trouble-making. He unabashedly committed acts of thievery on the royal family of Corona, all to achieve a selfish lifelong goal of becoming as wealthy as humanly possible. Despite these antagonistic traits, Flynn viewed such acts as mere means to boost his ego which, at the start of the film, was comedically inflated, to the point where he would rely on his supposed charisma to sneak his way out of a potentially dangerous situation.

As mentioned above, Flynn is also rather comedic, whether it's intentional or not. He has a peculiar relationship with the palace horse, Maximus, who he constantly finds himself at odds with throughout the film, being that they were highly different on the moral spectrum at the start of the film. Even so, they managed to form a meaningful partnership, and eventual friendship; initially for the sake of Rapunzel, though they were shown to have become fond of one another over time. Despite viewing himself as charming, a recurring situation involving Flynn includes the thief being looked down upon by other characters (such as the Pub Thugs or the palace guards) who would often perform acts that would purposely result in Rider's humiliation, such as having the portraits of his "Wanted" poster be depicted with cartoonishly large or unattractive noses, much to his annoyance.

Despite all of this, Flynn's arrogance is revealed to provide a false sense of optimism as the thief is highly vulnerable and capable of showing and feeling legitimate emotion. This is seen after he meets and forms a relationship with Rapunzel. The princess' refusal to be fooled by Flynn's charisma, and genuine interest in his life and struggles, would be the first motivators to dropping the "Flynn Rider" persona and accepting who he alluded to being in the orphanage, which was caring, starry-eyed, and selfless.

Once his facade is dropped, and Eugene truly opens up to both Rapunzel, and himself, he is portrayed as a loving, loyal, and protective companion. For Rapunzel, he was willing to give up his life of thievery to remain by her side, in hopes of starting a new life for both himself and the princess, believing they've both deserved second chances after facing experiences less than pleasant over the years. Unlike Gothel, Eugene viewed Rapunzel as a person, caring for her feelings, rather than her magical hair. In spite of being greedy at the start of the film, Rapunzel's magic was never a concern to him, nor did he once ponder on the thought of using her for her powers to obtain wealth. When those who attempt to do so came about, such as Gothel, Eugene takes action and becomes a fierce protector, willing to go against foes twice his size, if necessary. He also proved himself to be selfless in this instant, risking his life for Rapunzel's safety, despite being given the chance to leave a situation safely.

### Physical appearance

Flynn is of average height and build with fair skin, short dark brown hair, a scruffy goatee, and light brown eyes.

As far as attire goes, Flynn regularly dons a turquoise vest with a white long-sleeved shirt underneath, coupled with dark cream pants and brown bucket-top boots. He also wears a belt with a similar color scheme around his waist; connected to it is a miniature satchel.

## Appearances

### *Tangled*

Flynn serves as the opening narrator for the story, where he initially jokes, "This is a story of how I died", before giving a brief recount of the circumstances surrounding Rapunzel's birth to the kingdom's King and Queen, and Rapunzel's subsequent kidnapping by Mother Gothel. Years later, Flynn Rider is on a mission with his partners, the Stabbington Brothers, to infiltrate the palace and steal the crown of the lost princess. They successfully do so, but Flynn's wise-cracks alert the guards, resulting in a chase. In the forest, the thieves reach a dead-end, though Flynn successfully manages to escape, with the crown, leaving the Stabbingtons behind to be arrested. The guards continue to pursue Rider, but most of them are evaded, while the captain of the guards, accompanied by his loyal horse Maximus, continue on, with Flynn eventually knocking out the captain and temporarily seizing control of Maximus' saddle. This is short-lived, as Maximus is just as dedicated to arresting Flynn, and the two rivals engage in a scuffle that results in both them and the satchel holding the crown, falling over a cliff. Flynn escapes Maximus with the satchel in hand and fearfully searches for a place of refuge. With time, he stumbles upon a hidden valley, housing a mysterious tower, and quickly climbs into the household at its peak.

Unbeknown to Flynn, the tower is the home of Rapunzel, oblivious of her royal status, fearful of the outside world, and equipped with an excessive amount of hair, as well as a frying pan for a weapon, which she uses to knock Flynn unconscious. When he awakens, thanks to Pascal sticking his long tongue into his ear, he finds himself tangled within the lost princess' hair and apparently held captive. Rapunzel makes an attempt to present herself as a fearsome figure, though when she reveals herself, Flynn is taken by her beauty, and makes an attempt to charm her, though this fails instantly. Dropping his act, Flynn explains his reasoning behind his presence within the tower, though he quickly panics upon realizing his satchel is missing. When he guesses that his satchel is in a nearby pot, Rapunzel responds by once again, knocking him out with the frying pan she used the first time. When he wakes up, he discovers to his annoyance, Pascal sticking his long tongue in his ear again in an attempt to wake him up. Rapunzel confesses to has hidden it and makes a deal with Flynn: should he escort her to the kingdom to see the "floating lights" that light the night sky on her birthday, and return her to the tower safely, she will return his satchel. Flynn refuses, being that he's a fugitive, but Rapunzel's firmness gets the better of him, eventually forcing him to agree with her terms.

The pair leave the tower and enter the outside world, where Flynn remains stoic during Rapunzel's exuberant reaction to experiencing life outside of her tower for the first time. This excitement is coupled with obvious ambivalence, which Flynn tries to take advantage of in hopes of ending the deal and regaining his satchel without hassle. Rapunzel, however, stands her ground and demands to be taken to the lanterns, though her forceful act is interrupted by the rustling of bushes that throw her into a panic. The threat reveals to be a harmless rabbit, but the brief moment gives Flynn another idea. He takes Rapunzel to a local pub filled with a group of seemingly vicious and hostile thugs. This frightens Rapunzel, according to plan, and Flynn "offers" to return her home, claiming the rest of the world to be as frightful as the pub, and is no place for someone unable to handle said establishment. Unfortunately for Flynn, the thugs recognize the former from his "Wanted" posters and begin a fight over who gets to turn him in for the monetary reward. Rapunzel is able to tame the thugs, as she explains Flynn is a key factor in her experiencing a lifelong dream, to which they sympathize with, revealing to have dreams of their own. The confessions gradually form into a joyous party celebrating dreams, though this is cut short once the guards arrive, along with the apprehended Stabbington Brothers, much to Flynn's shock.

Flynn and Rapunzel are able to escape through a tunnel and share a brief conversation in which he refuses to give her any of his "backstory" but asks a little bit about hers. The conversation is cut short when they discover that the guards have pursued them into the passage. The pair flees but are cornered atop a cliff in a canyon made from a dammed river, hotly pursued by Flynn's two enemies: the guards and the Stabbington brothers. Flynn is able to fight off the guards by using Rapunzel's frying pan, but is bested in a sword duel with Maximus the horse. Rapunzel uses her hair to help him escape the cliff and the horse, but when Maximus damages the dam in order to reach them, the two are trapped in a cave, which begins filling rapidly with water. Panicking, Flynn tries desperately to find an escape under the water, cutting his hand in the process. However, unable to see anything in the darkness, he admits defeat and the two huddle together in the rising water, believing that they are about to die. As Rapunzel weeps, he tries to cheer her up a little by revealing his real name, Eugene Fitzherbert, believing someone might as well know before he meets his end. Smiling, Rapunzel returns the favor by confessing she has "magic hair that glows when she sings", confusing Eugene, until she sings her incantation and lights the darkness of the cave with her hair, allowing Eugene to find a weak spot to dig their way out.

When the two emerge onto the banks of a river in the forest, Eugene is clearly unsettled and even alarmed by Rapunzel's glowing hair. Later that night, when the two are sitting beside their campfire, Rapunzel uses her hair to heal Eugene's injured hand. Eugene is evidently frightened by the magic, to the point of near-hysteria, but he quickly calms himself down when Rapunzel begs him to not "freak out." He learns Rapunzel's history, and the nature of her magical gift, which is lost if the hair is cut. Eugene begins to understand her feelings and begins to show more compassion and affection towards her as a result. He, at last, reveals some of his "backstory" by confessing that he is an orphan, and as a poor child he was inspired by the main character of a book, who was a rich, free-spirited, "swashbuckling rogue" named Flynnigan Rider, which has prompted his life of crime in order to become rich and adventurous too. Slightly embarrassed, he asks Rapunzel not to tell anyone because it could ruin his reputation, and jokes that "a fake reputation is all a man has."

In spite of this, Rapunzel notes her fondness over Eugene's true name—openly preferring it over his roughish alias. Her words evidently flatter Eugene, who thanks Rapunzel before leaving for firewood. During his absence, Mother Gothel reveals herself to Rapunzel and quickly learns the young girl is not only reluctant to return to the tower but is beginning to harbor feelings for Eugene. In an attempt to turn the princess against the thief, Gothel questions Eugene's loyalty by advising Rapunzel to use the crown (which she managed to find, and hands over to the princess) to test his true motives, claiming he'll abandon Rapunzel the moment the crown is returned. Gothel departs with these words, and once Eugene returns, he finds Rapunzel in an uncomfortable state. The princess claims all is well, and with that, the night continues, with the satchel holding the crown remaining hidden.

The following morning, Eugene is nearly captured again by Maximus, but Rapunzel—with the help of Pascal—is able to befriend the horse and convinces the two forge a reluctant alliance for the next twenty-four hours, during which Maximus will not get Eugene arrested. Now accompanied by Maximus, the group arrive at Corona for the festival. Eugene accompanies Rapunzel as she delightedly explores the kingdom, enjoying various activities with her, such as reading at the library, eating, and even dancing (at Maximus's prompting). In during which, the two bond and form a closer connection, with a romance blossoming on the horizon. That night, Eugene takes Rapunzel out on the water in a rowboat to see the lights, wanting her to have the best view for her special day. While they wait for the lights, Rapunzel expresses her apprehension about finally living her dream, and Eugene reassures her and encourages her to find a new dream afterward. During the lantern festival, Rapunzel returns his satchel, but he pushes it aside, openly revealing that he has found something more important than his old dream, and the couple releases their own two lanterns. Eugene and Rapunzel finally realize their love for one another and nearly kiss.

A moment before kissing Rapunzel, Eugene is distracted by the sight of the Stabbington Brothers on the shore, and appears to come to a conclusion about his satchel. He brings the boat to shore and assures Rapunzel that he will return momentarily. After attempting to abandon his life of thievery in hopes of starting a new life with Rapunzel, the brothers reveal that they know about Rapunzel and her hair, and express their desire to use her for wealth. Eugene is knocked unconscious and tied to a boat, which is set to sail toward the kingdom. When Rapunzel sees his silhouette steering the boat away from her, she is tricked into believing Eugene abandoned her and returns with Mother Gothel to the tower out of despair. Later, Eugene's boat crashes into the guard tower near the jail, jolting him back to consciousness, but as he realizes that Rapunzel is in trouble and calls out for her, he is captured by the guards. The next day, as he is taken to be hanged, he notices the Stabbington Brothers in their own cell. Breaking free from the guards momentarily, he confronts them, forcing them to reveal that Mother Gothel was the one who told them about Rapunzel and her hair. Realizing Gothel's villainy, Eugene tries to escape as the guards forcefully carry him off. Fortunately, the Pub Thugs and Maximus arrive and help Eugene escape the prison, and he and Maximus rush off to save Rapunzel.

After arriving at the tower, he becomes worried when Rapunzel does not answer his calls, but her hair soon comes down to let him climb up. However, when he climbs jubilantly through the tower window, he finds Rapunzel gagged and chained to the wall. He pauses for a second, evidently confused and shocked, and is then mortally stabbed by Mother Gothel. Mother Gothel attempts to flee with the captive Rapunzel, leaving him there to die. Rapunzel resists her and refuses to go willingly, but then promises to submit to Mother Gothel if she will only let her heal Eugene. Mother Gothel agrees and chains the wounded Eugene instead. Rapunzel rushes to his side, but Eugene pleads with her not go through with it, preferring to die rather than let Rapunzel submit to Mother Gothel. When his attempts to dissuade her fail, he uses a shard of a shattered mirror to cut Rapunzel's hair, which causes it to lose its power and turn brown. Mother Gothel rapidly ages and dies without the magic from Rapunzel's hair. Rapunzel tries desperately to save the dying Eugene by singing the healing incantation. Eugene stops her and, with his last breaths, tells Rapunzel that she was his new dream, to which she tells him, in reply, that he had been hers. Eugene smiles and dies, leaving a heartbroken Rapunzel to hopelessly finish the healing incantation. She begins to sob, letting a single tear fall onto his cheek.

The tear, which is the original drop of sunshine which created the magic flower that healed her mother, shines as it dissolves into the skin and heals Eugene's stab wound, reviving him. He regains consciousness, and jokingly asks Rapunzel, "Did I ever tell you I have a thing for brunettes?" An overjoyed Rapunzel then embraces him jubilantly, and the two share their first kiss at last. Eugene accompanies Rapunzel during her return to the Kingdom, as she has discovered that she has been its lost princess, and witnesses her reunion with her parents. He appears to have been graciously accepted by the King and Queen for returning the princess to them. During his closing narration, Eugene implies that Rapunzel eventually ruled the Kingdom. As the kingdom celebrates the return of the lost princess, the two are shown together, both wearing nicer clothing and clearly still in love. After explaining that he has readopted his original name and stopped thieving, Eugene then claims that he accepted Rapunzel's proposal of marriage after years and years of asking, only to be corrected by her. He then amends by admitting that he asked her, to which she states in support that the two are living happily ever after, which presumes that they have wed.

### *Tangled Ever After*

Eugene, along with Rapunzel, appears in this short sequel to the film, in which the two are preparing themselves for their Royal wedding. As the short opens, Flynn starts off the story by joking "This is the story of the day my life ended" as a nod to the original film's opening. Rapunzel corrects him, and he reaffirms that it is the happiest day of both their lives. He agrees with her that everything is perfect except for the fact that his nose is still incorrectly drawn.

Eugene is first shown standing at the altar of the wedding hall, awaiting his bride. He is awestruck at the sight of Rapunzel in her wedding attire as her father, the King, walks her down the center aisle. She joins Eugene at the altar as the bishop begins the ceremony, but Maximus sneezes and accidentally loses their wedding rings. Eugene and Rapunzel appear in a fantasy of Maximus and Pascal where everyone in attendance becomes upset at the loss of the rings. Eugene took notice of the two's distress but they quickly put on a happy face and pretended that nothing was wrong, so he returned his attention to the wedding ceremony.

Eugene and Rapunzel are shown later after Maximus and Pascal manage to get the rings back, but the couple (and everyone else) are shocked at the grotesque-looking Maximus and Pascal, both covered with tar, who offer the rings. Nevertheless, Eugene nervously takes the rings and gives one to his bride. The two then exchange their rings as the bishop pronounces the couple husband and wife. Eugene and Rapunzel kiss, and everyone in attendance rejoices. The short closes with Eugene proclaiming, "So, who wants a piece of cake?" as the cart carrying the wedding cake, accidentally bumped by an exhausted Maximus, rolls out the door.

### *Tangled: Before Ever After*

Taking place a few months after *Tangled* and before their marriage in *Tangled: Ever After*, Eugene has found a home in Corona Castle, living alongside Rapunzel and her parents. While Rapunzel has apprehensions toward her new life as a princess, Eugene couldn't be more ecstatic with his newfound life. During "Life After Happily Ever After", he reveals to Maximus and the Pub Thugs that he plans to propose to Rapunzel during her coronation weekend, having already practiced his speech and purchased a ring. Once he finally proposes, however, Rapunzel rejects Eugene and storms out the room. Eugene is left confused and tries to talk things over with Rapunzel, but when he visits her bedroom to apologize, he instead finds Pascal covering for the princess, who secretly left the castle with her handmaiden (and Eugene's rival) Cassandra. Knowing Rapunzel's father will blow a fuse should he learn of Rapunzel's actions, Eugene teams up with Pascal to distract the king until Rapunzel returns. The following morning, Eugene finds that Rapunzel's magic hair has mysteriously returned, but she refuses to tell him how this came to be. Though he reassures Rapunzel that she can trust him with anything, Eugene helps her and Cassandra cover up the return of the hair from the king and queen.

As Rapunzel spends the day with her parents, Eugene tries to get answers from Cassandra, who berates Eugene for only focusing on what he wants out of life and ignoring Rapunzel's own personal struggles. Later on, the day of the coronation finally arrives. At the ceremony, the royal family are attacked by a band of pirates out for King Frederic's head. Eugene joins Rapunzel and Cassandra as they successfully fight off the villains, but the truth behind Rapunzel's hair is voluntarily revealed to the king and queen in during which. Fearful that the return of Rapunzel's magic hair will attract danger similar to Mother Gothel, King Frederic forbids his daughter from leaving the walls of the kingdom without his consent. Rapunzel mourns the loss of her freedom in her bedroom, though she is soon visited by Eugene who apologizes for pressuring Rapunzel with the surprise proposal, who in return apologizes for her poor reaction. He confesses that he is unsure as to why she would reject his proposal, but assures that he is willing to stand by her side to help understand her struggles as best as he can and take their romance slow. He also promises to be patient with her at Rapunzel's request, strengthening their relationship significantly.

### *Tangled: The Series*

#### Season one

Eugene appears as a major character in the animated series, which begins one week after the events of *Tangled: Before Ever After*. In "What the Hair?!", Rapunzel has still yet to tell Eugene the truth about how her hair returned, claiming she simply "woke up with it" one morning. Seeing this as an obvious lie, Eugene starts to question his relationship with Rapunzel, due to her refusal to trust him. By the end, Rapunzel finally confesses the truth of how the hair returned, including the fact that Cassandra was the one that helped her escape Corona. Eugene initially plots to turn Cassandra in, but decides not to after realizing how important she is to Rapunzel. He nevertheless shows gratitude in Rapunzel's honesty. Afterward, Eugene and Rapunzel continue to hold a healthy relationship. His rivalry with Cassandra persists, however, which culminates in "Cassandra v. Eugene". In the episode, Rapunzel forces Eugene and Cassandra to work together to escape a prison cell. Following the escapade, they reach somewhat of a common ground, though they are still prone to bickering.

Outside of his relationships with Rapunzel and Cassandra, Eugene struggles with a number of other issues. In "Fitzherbert P.I.", he tries to find a talent beyond thieving. Eugene succeeds in doing so by using his expertise to instruct the guards on how to properly capture a thief. In "In Like Flynn" and "The Way of the Willow", Eugene tries to strengthen the relationship between himself and his future in-laws—most notably, the hardened King Frederic. Some of Eugene's backstory is also explored. In "The Return of Strongbow", Lance Strongbow returns to Corona in hopes of enlisting Eugene to assist the former in a heist, though in a turn of events, Eugene and Rapunzel get Lance to reform. This would allow Eugene and Lance to continue their longtime friendship, at adulthood. Together, they partake in a number of misadventures, one of the most significant being in "Big Brothers of Corona", in which Eugene and Lance are tasked to reform two juvenile thieves that had been plundering Corona. Though he only accepts the assignment as a means to get Lance a job, Eugene comes to genuinely care for Angry and Red, and tries to pull them out of their thieving ways for the sake of a better future. Though he fails, Eugene gifts Angry with the first item he ever stole as a keepsake, and sees them off.

#### Season two

Following the events of "Secret of the Sun Drop", Rapunzel decides to leave Corona to follow a path created by the black rocks, in hopes of uncovering the mystery behind her connection to them. Eugene joins Rapunzel on her journey, as does Cassandra, Lance, Maximus, Pascal, Hook Foot and Shorty. In "Beyond the Corona Walls", Eugene gathers the courage to propose to Rapunzel again, though Lance and Hook Foot believe doing so in that moment is a bad idea. Eugene disregards their caution and practices to himself. Unbeknown to Eugene, Rapunzel had been eavesdropping and accidentally exposes herself. The two awkwardly try to both address and avoid the situation, leaving Rapunzel anxious and Eugene downhearted. Later on, however, Eugene encounters his ex-fiancée, Stalyan, who wishes to marry him. Her father, the Baron, threatens Eugene by poisoning Lance, claiming that he'll only provide the antidote once the wedding has commenced.

During the Baron's formal announcement of the union, Rapunzel is present and tries to talk to Eugene. Realizing marriage is his only hope of saving Lance, Eugene leaves Rapunzel for Stalyan. Fortunately, Rapunzel refuses to give up and crashes the wedding. The Baron is defeated, Lance is cured, and Rapunzel and Eugene are reunited. After almost losing Eugene, Rapunzel comes to realize how much she cares for him, and nearly proposes on the spot. Eugene, however, requests that she waits until she's ready to settle down, not wanting to take away her freedom. Though Rapunzel accepts, she shows signs of disappointment in Eugene's decision to wait.

Throughout the journey to the Dark Kingdom while facing a series of strange events and encounters with old and new enemies, Eugene and the others gather the remaining pieces of an ancient scroll that details Rapunzel's connection to the black rocks. Guided by a woman named Adira, Rapunzel's group is led to the Dark Kingdom, where the source of the black rocks dwells: the moonstone opal. According to Adira, Rapunzel—being the Sun Drop—must connect with the Moonstone to restore balance to all things.

However, as the journey to the Dark Kingdom is nearing its end, Eugene receives a final warning from the ancient scientist and sorcerer, Lord Demanitus that a member of the group will turn against Rapunzel. Eugene becomes worried about the prophecy and when the group finally arrive at the Dark Kingdom, he finds himself separated from Rapunzel and makes a shocking discovery that he is the long-lost son of King Edmund, ruler of the Dark Kingdom. Edmund explains the series of events that led to Eugene's departure from the kingdom, including the death of his mother. Edmund warns Eugene that Rapunzel must stay away from the opal, fearing that the moonstone's power will kill her as it did his wife. Eugene agrees and tries to steer Rapunzel away from the opal, but is left with great guilt and conflict over his actions. Eugene quickly begins to doubt himself, believing he doesn't know who is anymore after uncovering the truth about his family, past and lineage. After a talk with Pascal, however, he comes to his senses, believing he unwittingly fulfilled the prophecy and fully devotes himself to helping Rapunzel fulfill her destiny. Edmund tries to stop them, regardless, but has a change of heart when Eugene expresses his everlasting faith in Rapunzel. Edmund not only accepts Rapunzel's destiny, but also aids her and Eugene in approaching the stone. Before their mission can be completed, however, Rapunzel and Eugene are betrayed by Cassandra, fulfilling Demanitus's prophecy as she steals and fuses herself together with the Moonstone

### Other appearances

On the *Tangled* DVD, Flynn appeared in a collection of animated, stylized shorts that chronicled his former days as a thief in the kingdom of Corona, titled *Flynn's Tangled Tales*.

Eugene makes a cameo appearance with Rapunzel in *Frozen*. They are seen entering the castle of Arendelle for Elsa's coronation and pass by Anna, who is singing "For the First Time in Forever".

An emoticon version of Flynn appeared in the *Tangled* entry of the *As Told by Emoji* short series.

## Live-action appearances

### *Once Upon a Time*

In *Once Upon a Time*, Eugene's role as Rapunzel's prince is taken by Prince Charming, who is Snow White's prince, in the 14th episode of Season 3 titled "The Tower".

During a night's sleep in the palace, Prince Charming dreams of being in the old castle he and Snow White lived in. Hearing a baby's cries, he wanders into an undamaged nursery, where everything from the crib to the toys, appear exactly as how it once was prior to the curse. A grown Emma, dressed prettily in a blue gown, persuades him into a dance as practice for her first ball. Prince Charming is ecstatic, as this is the life he wanted for her, but she abruptly remarks that it is a shame it never happened since he failed her as a father. In an instant, the dream becomes a nightmare, with Emma being sucked into the wardrobe, as he is forced to let her go as she warns him not to "fail the next one". After waking up, Prince Charming receives news from Snow White that they are expecting another child, which shocks him, but he hides his true feelings from her. Unable to shake a foreboding fear, he attempts to calm himself by drinking. A sympathetic Robin Hood suggests that he seek out a plant called night root, which grows at the edge of Sherwood Forest, that can help overcome his fear. On arrival to the location, Prince Charming digs up night root but climbs up a tower when he hears a woman's plea for help. Inside, a princess, Rapunzel, relates how she became trapped after being chased up the tower by a cloaked witch. She, like him, sought out the night root to conquer her fear, but it hasn't worked. He tries to free her, but the cloaked witch intervenes and is unmasked as a manifestation of Rapunzel herself due to the princess consuming the night root. As the witch uses the princess' lengthy hair as a rope to climb up, Prince Charming encourages Rapunzel to fight back, to which she cuts off the tresses and destroys her false twin. They journey to the palace, where Rapunzel reunites with her parents, and Prince Charming admits his worries to Snow White, who reassures him they will face the unknown together.

In the second iteration, his role is given to Marcus Tremaine, being the husband of Rapunzel. However, during the time when Mother Gothel disguised herself as Rapunzel, Captain Hook fills the more traditional role of Flynn, attempting to rescue "Rapunzel" from the tower.

## Trivia

* Zachary Levi auditioned for the role and got it with a British accent. Later, this idea was dropped and Levi read for the role with his own American accent instead.
* Dan Fogler was the original choice to voice Flynn Rider. Clay Aiken was also considered for the role at one time.
* With the reveal that King Edmund is Eugene's father in "Destinies Collide", it is confirmed that Eugene is 25-years-old during the series, and 23-years-old during the movie. This aligns with what the Nathan Greno and Bryan Howard had stated that they personally saw Eugene's age.
	+ Nathan Greno admitted that he personally sees him as being about 24 years old, whereas the story writers see him as being younger than that. Byron Howard also stated that Eugene is about 24 years old.[3] Nathan stated that early twenties is what they all agreed upon being his age[4].
* Eugene doesn't know his actual birthday. Rapunzel decided to grant him a birthday in "Lost and Found".
* As a running gag, every time a wanted poster of Flynn is shown in the movie, his nose is drawn differently.
* Eugene is the exact opposite of Mother Gothel. Unlike Gothel, he truly cares for Rapunzel and loves her whereas Gothel only loves Rapunzel for her hair, due to it being able to heal anything or anyone. Eugene's love for Rapunzel was declared when he sacrificed himself and freed her from Gothel's cruel and wicked ways.
* One of Flynn Rider's original designs (seen in concept art), was used to help form Kristoff's appearance in *Frozen*.
* Even though his real name is Eugene Fitzherbert, credits for other films and books keep his nickname Flynn Rider.
	+ According to a scratch reel, Eugene mentions that he was named after his father Eugene Fitzherbert Sr.[5]
* During renovations of the Walt Disney Animation Studios building, beginning in 2014, Flynn was one of the character silhouettes featured on the wall mural.
* In "What the Hair?!", it is shown that Eugene prefers to be called by his actual name and not the "Flynn Rider" alias, as he corrected Varian (in a rather annoyed tone) when he referred to him as the latter.
	+ As seen in "Fitzherbert P.I.", the Captain of the Guards still refers to Eugene as "Rider", as do the Stabbington Brothers (as seen in "Cassandra v. Eugene"). This goes for anyone he's ever encountered in the past.
* Rapunzel has considered giving Eugene a nickname like Fitz or Bert since she loves his nickname for her (Blondie), but she decided to keep calling him Eugene since people have called him Flynn Rider in his whole life.[6]
* Eugene notes in "Fitzherbert P.I." that he only attended school for three days.
* In "Fitzherbert P.I.", Eugene notes that he traversed the world as a thief in the past; in during which, he outsmarted guards in numerous regions and became fluent in some foreign languages, such as Italian.
* Captain Quaid of Vardaros was the first man to ever arrest Flynn and Lance.
* Eugene is referenced in the *Sofia the First* special "The Curse of Princess Ivy". He is mentioned by Rapunzel when Amber tells her how she was cursed by stealing Sofia's amulet for a selfish want. Rapunzel tells Amber that she must prove that her love for her sister is worth more than anything just as Eugene did.
* In the original fairy tale from which *Tangled* is based, Rapunzel's love interest is a nameless prince. The witch finds out about him when she innocently says that her dress is growing tighter around her waist (hinting pregnancy). When the prince calls that night, the witch lets Rapunzel's severed hair down to haul him up. To his horror, he finds himself meeting the witch instead of Rapunzel, who is nowhere to be found. After she tells him in a jealous rage that he will never see Rapunzel again, the witch shoves him from the tower, sending him falling into a thorn bush, which blinds him. For months, he wanders through the wastelands of the country and eventually comes to the wilderness where Rapunzel now lives with the twins she has given birth to, a boy and a girl. One day, as she sings, he hears her voice again, and they are reunited. When they fall into each other's arms, her tears immediately restore his sight. He leads her and their twins to his kingdom, where they live happily ever after.