William Afton is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the video game series Five Nights at Freddy’s. He has several aliases, such as the Purple Guy, Springtrap, and Scraptrap. The following is a detailed description of his background, personality, and role in the series:

Background: William Afton was the co-founder and owner of Fazbear Entertainment and Afton Robotics, LLC, two companies that created and operated animatronic characters for children’s entertainment. He was also a serial killer who murdered several children and stuffed their bodies into the animatronics, causing them to become haunted by the restless spirits of the victims. He was also the father of three children: Elizabeth, Michael, and the Crying Child, who all suffered tragic fates due to his actions.

Personality: William Afton is the textbook definition of evil. He is a sadistic, ruthless, and cunning man who enjoys killing children and experimenting with animatronics. He has no remorse or empathy for his victims, and even taunts them in his various forms. He is also obsessed with immortality and escaping death, as he constantly tries to transfer his soul into different animatronic bodies or digital realms. He is also very arrogant and overconfident, as he often underestimates his enemies and makes fatal mistakes.

Role in the series: William Afton’s role in the series is pivotal, as he is directly or indirectly responsible for most of the incidents and tragedies that occur throughout the games. He first appears in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, where he is seen in the minigames as the Purple Guy, dismantling the animatronics and killing the children. He also appears in Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, where he is revealed to have been trapped inside a springlock suit called Springtrap, after being lured by the ghosts of the children into a secret room and springlocked by the faulty mechanism. He then tries to kill the night guard at Fazbear’s Fright, a horror attraction based on the legend of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, but is ultimately burned in a fire that destroys the place.

He returns in Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location, where he is heard as the voice of the HandUnit, a device that guides the player through the underground facility of Circus Baby’s Entertainment and Rental, where his daughter Elizabeth was killed by one of his creations, Circus Baby. He also appears in the minigames as the Purple Guy, where he sends his son Michael to the facility to free his sister’s soul. However, Michael is tricked by Ennard, an amalgamation of the animatronics, who scoops out his organs and uses his body as a disguise to escape. Michael eventually vomits out Ennard and is revived by his father, who tells him to find him.

He appears again in Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator, where he is now in a new animatronic body called Scraptrap, after escaping the fire at Fazbear’s Fright. He is one of the salvageable animatronics that the player can choose to accept or reject for their pizzeria. If accepted, he will try to kill the player during the night shift, along with the other animatronics. He also reveals his true identity and motives to the player, claiming that he always comes back. However, he is finally killed in a fire that is set by Henry, his former business partner and the co-founder of Fazbear Entertainment, who lures him and the other animatronics into a trap and burns them all, ending his reign of terror.

He makes a cameo appearance in Ultimate Custom Night, where he is one of the many animatronics that torment the player in a purgatory-like nightmare, presumably created by the vengeful spirit of the Crying Child, his youngest son who was killed by his older brother Michael and his friends in a prank gone wrong.

He also appears in Five Nights at Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted, where he is the main antagonist of the game. He is revealed to have uploaded his consciousness into a digital form called Glitchtrap, after his death in the fire. He then tries to manipulate and possess the player, who is a beta tester for a virtual reality game based on the events of the series. He can either be trapped in a plushie form by collecting tapes and coins, or escape by swapping bodies with the player, depending on the player’s choices.

He is also mentioned in Five Nights at Freddy’s AR: Special Delivery, where he is the founder and CEO of Fazbear Entertainment, who has gone missing after a scandal involving the disappearance of several employees. He is also the creator of the animatronics that are sent to the player’s house via a delivery service, which are infected by a virus that makes them hostile and glitchy.

He is also the main antagonist of the Five Nights at Freddy’s novel series, where he has a similar role and backstory as in the games, but with some differences. He is also the main antagonist of the Five Nights at Freddy’s film, where he is portrayed by Nicolas Cage. He is also the main antagonist of the Five Nights at Freddy’s fan game series, where he has various roles and forms depending on the game.

1. ↑  "FNAF William Afton – lore, personality, and appearances". *Pocket Tactics*. 2023-12-21. Retrieved 2023-12-30.