FNAF's William Afton is notorious, being among the most sinister villains to appear in any horror game series - we're not kidding; we'd honestly rather take our chances in Raccoon City than be stuck with Afton. In this guide, we're here to tell you all about his lore, relationships, and appearances to better help you understand his significance to this world and its events.
Our insight and knowledge about this series doesn't stop with its big bad, as we can tell you plenty about the other FNAF characters, including FNAF's Freddy, FNAF's Chica, FNAF's Springtrap, FNAF's Roxy, FNAF's Puppet, FNAF's Monty, and FNAF's Foxy.
Who is FNAF's William Afton?
William Afton is one of the two original founders of Fazbear Entertainment, creating the company in the 1970s with his business partner, Henry Emily, though little is known about the company before the 1980s. The business was ill-fated, with Afton murdering his partner's daughter in 1983 just before the Bite of '83 (also known as the Big Bite). Unsurprisingly, the business soon dissolved.
Five years later, we arrive at the event that leads into the plot of Five Nights at Freddy's. Not content with murdering Emily's daughter, Afton goes on to kill five children while dressed up as Spring Bonnie. Unfortunately, he's a crafty killer, managing to conceal evidence, forcing the police to let him go. Ironically, it's those poor children who end up imprisoned, as their souls inhabit Freddy, Golden Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, leaving all of them longing for the day that they can exact revenge against Afton.
We'd love to tell you that Afton's depravity stops there, but the evil man embarks on a new venture, opening Circus Baby's Pizza World, though, as you might guess, the restaurant is a sham - its sole purpose is to allow Afton to kill more children. While there's absolutely nothing that makes his horrific acts okay, he thinks it is because all of this death is in the pursuit of Remnant, a superpowered substance that allows spirits to enter the animatronics. This is important to Afton for his own selfish reason: immortality. He believes he can live forever, and that substance is the key.
If all of this enrages you and you're crying out for justice, we have some good news for you. If there's one thing that's true of horror stories like this, the villain always gets their comeuppance. Those poor kids he killed come after him after he returns to his condemned pizzeria. Afton might have disregard for others, but he values his own life, leading him to hide in the Spring Bonnie suit to avoid his pursuers. In a well-deserved twist of fate, his hiding place becomes his tomb, as it were, as rain trickling in through the ceiling lands on the animatronic, both activating and combining it with Afton's body.
All seems right in the world again, right? Well, it is, for thirty years. After that time gap, Afton's spirit revives in the Spring Bonnie suit, officially turning him into Springtrap. Springtrap serves as the main antagonist of FNAF 3, though it takes a while before you realize that it's William Afton inside the costume. While you ultimately survive your encounter and escape the now-burning attraction you were guarding, so does Springtrap, despite all of the fire damage he receives.
In Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator, Henry Emily and Afton's son Michael come together to try and put a stop to Springtrap/Afton once and for all by burning him alive, also freeing the souls of Circus Baby and Puppet. Unfortunately, despite everyone else losing their lives to the fire, Afton survives once more, this time thanks to FNAF's Vanny, who uses the Glamrock animatronics of Security Breach to salvage Springtrap's body while Afton remains in digital stasis as Glitchtrap.
The final part of Afton's story at the time of writing comes in the true ending to FNAF: Security Breach. FNAF's Gregory turns on Henry Emily's incinerators before escaping alongside Glam Rock Freddy and leaving Afton to burn. Afton attempts to escape, but the Blob pulls him back into the establishment to melt into the ground. Still, we've seen Afton escape before, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him return again.
What is FNAF's William Afton's personality?
There's simply one word to describe William Afton's personality: evil. Afton is the only character throughout the series who doesn't have any redeeming qualities. As a well-practiced killer, Afton is cold-blooded and uncaring, with seemingly no remorse for his actions across a lifetime of inflicting pain and suffering.
Unlike other characters in the series, FNAF's William Afton has no redeeming features. He's essentially the epitome of evil, driven to more horrid actions as the years go on. What fuels Afton to commit such heinous acts isn't clear, but even if it were, it wouldn't excuse the awfulness he's brought to the world of Five Nights at Freddy's.
Who is William Afton's daughter in FNAF?
William Afton's daughter, at least in the games, is Elizabeth Afton, whose spirit resides within Circus Baby. While she was once a loving and energetic girl, her death at the hands of Circus Baby turns her, like the lost children before her, into something much more malicious. Eventually, in Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator, Michael Afton puts an end to his sister's torment by burning Circus Baby and the few remaining animatronics to death.
In the film, a major plot point is Vanessa Shelly revealing herself to be Vanessa Afton, William Afton's daughter. This is a little different from the games, where we still don't have a definitive answer as to whether Vanessa is Afton's child. There are some who believe this is the case, mainly due to hidden lore in FNAF Security Breach, but this is a topic the community often debates, with no clear answer.
Who is William Afton's wife in FNAF?
All we truly know about William Afton's wife, Mrs. Afton, is that she isn't in the picture anymore. She's the member of the Afton family we know the least about, which, of course, means her lore is the topic of much debate within the community.
Some believe her name is, or was, Clara, and that she died in the late 1970s, but this is all based on speculation or interpretation of the lore. Hopefully, we might find out more about Mrs. Afton and the even more mysterious third Afton child in future series installments.
FNAF's William Afton game appearances
The FNAF games are full of appearances from William Afton, which isn't surprising considering he's the overarching antagonist. We've listed all the games you can find him in below.
- Five Nights at Freddy's 2
- Five Nights at Freddy's 3
- Five Nights at Freddy's 4
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location
- Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted
- Five Nights at Freddy's AR: Special Delivery
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach
- Ultimate Custom Night
Not only is Afton a mainstay of the FNAF series, but he also appears in Dead by Daylight, or at least Springtrap does. His appearance in the game doesn't give away any more lore details, but it's a lot of fun taking on the role of the killer when you know just what Afton is capable of.
Is William Afton in the FNAF movie?
As you might expect, William Afton plays a pretty major role in the FNAF movie. We don't want to ruin the surprise for you if you haven't seen it yet, but just remember, Afton is a scarred individual in the games, and it's a similar story on the big screen.
With that, you should be an expert on everything there is to know about FNAF's William Afton. While you're here, be sure to find some more spooky series with our guides to the best horror games and the best Roblox horror games.