Trundle

**Trundle**, also known by his title the **Mountain King**, is the overarching antagonist of *Hilda* franchise by Luke Pearson, serving as the main antagonist of sixth graphic novel *Hilda and the Mountain King*, and the Netflix 2021 movie adaption of same name.

He's the dreaded king of Trolls, obssessed with awakening his mother, Amma, from her slumber underneath Trolberg, but got defeated by pacified Trolls, led by his own brother. Many years later, he encountered Hilda, who became a Troll, and manipulated her into freeing him, before attempting to destroy Trolberg once more.

In movie he was voiced by Dino Kelly.

## What Makes Him Magnificent?

* He has a genuine and sympathetic freudian excuse of getting seperated from his own mother, with humans (albeit unknowingly) driving him and his fellow Trolls away from her, with time Trolls even forgot what is driving them to the city.
* He's the only known king of Troll race, by successfully gathering the majority of Trolls to together launch attack on Trolberg. While he was defeated by his brother and the more peaceful Trolls, Trundle waited patiently for an opportunity to escape.
* Despite Hilda being highly strategic and intelligent (at least animated series version only), Trundle successfully tricked her into freeing him and returning his eye, by lying he can turn her into human again and making a promise not to tell everyone about their alliance. During which, he also convinced Hilda to return to Trylla, by saying the latter has no harm for her and mother's love should not be taken for granted, even if for pragmatic reason. He also prefered to leave Hilda alone and not to attack or capture her, once she served her purpose to him.
* He chose to destroy belltower's of Trolberg first and when his brother tried to stop him again, Trundle had his followers restrain him, during which he also said that “I didn't come here to fight anyone", just showing how pragmatic he was.
* He performed a great Thanatos Gambit, by baiting on Erik Ahlberg's arrogance and ego to have Erik kill him, knowing that this would provoke Amma into rising up from the Trolberg, nearly succeeding in his goals at cost of his own life, and even then he wasn't afraid of dying but instead smiled in triumph. Even Hilda stopped his plan by last second.
* While he's the most heinous character in both novels and animated series, this is only because his populicide attempt is the most heinous act in franchise's low heinous standards. Not to mention his crimes are lack of any vicial cruelty.

## What Makes Him Baddie?

* He declared war on citizens of Trolberg and tried to ignite full on war between humans and Trolls, with ultimate outcome of his mother Amma rising from city, destroying it, with Trundle being aware that thousands would perish, but didn't care.
* Tricked Hilda into removing bells from his prison-cave and reclaiming his eye from his castle.
* Launched attack on Trolberg, during which he destroyed belltowers, which presumably killed some Safety Patrol rangers, and nearly killed Hilda's friends. He later allowed himself to be killed, nearly causing Amma to rise up to defend her kind and destroy city in process.

## Trivia

* He's so far, the only *Hilda* character to be MB in both novels and animated series.