FNAF’s William Afton might be the most mysterious character in Scott Cawthon’s smash-hit horror series, but he’s also one of the most important. With that in mind, we’ve put together this guide detailing everything you need to know about the head honcho at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. There are a ton of spoilers for the series ahead, so if you want to go in fresh, perhaps bookmark this page and come back later.
For more from this frightening series, check out our FNAF characters guide, or see our independent biographies on 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 founded the in-game Freddy’s franchise, forming the company with business partner Henry Emily in the early 1980s. Things went wrong quite quickly, though, with Afton murdering Emily’s daughter around the time of the Bite of 83, forcing the establishment to close.
Skip to five years later and you have the event that sets up the plot of Five Nights At Freddy’s. Afton kills five children while dressed as Spring Bonnie, but the police release him seemingly due to a lack of evidence. The spirits of the five kids go into Freddy, Foxy, Bonnie, Chica, and Golden Freddy, where they spend the rest of their days waiting to take revenge on the evil man that put them there.
Following the killing, Afton opens a new venture in Circus Baby’s Pizza World. However, the restaurant is a ruse, as Circus Baby is a creation of Afton made only to kill more children. There is a reason for this cruelty, Afton is trying to get his hands on Remnant, the superpowered substance that allows spirits to inhabit the animatronics, which he hopes he can use to make himself immortal.
As is the case with any good story, Afton’s shady ways catch up with him eventually. On a return trip to the condemned pizzeria that holds the five animatronics imbued with the spirits of the killed children, the five try to hunt down Afton, forcing him to try and hide inside a Spring Bonnie costume. Things go from bad to worse as the rain leaks from the roof down Afton’s costume, causing the animatronic to activate and combine with the man’s body.
Following a nearly thirty-year time gap, the spirit of Afton revives inside of the Spring Bonnie costume, taking on the name Springtrap. You take on Springtrap in FNAF 3, slowly learning that it’s Afton inside the terrifying costume. Eventually, the attraction you’re guarding burns down, but Springtrap manages to escape, despite plenty of fire damage to the costume.
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 Circuis 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 that doesn’t have any redeeming qualities. As a well-practised killer, Afton is cold-blooded and uncaring, with seemingly no remorse for his actions across a lifetime of inflicting pain and suffering.
Unlike other antagonists in the series, there’s no redemptive factor in Afton’s personality or actions, with his own children dying as a result of his experiments. In terms of drive, Afton seems only to care about killing others and himself living forever, with the minigames throughout the series detailing his descent into evil by his gradual turning purple.
FNAF’s William Afton game appearances
William Afton is in nearly all the FNAF games, except for the first, where you find just a few cryptic clues to what he might be up to. It’s no surprise he’s such a mainstay, given he’s the primary antagonist of the series, but you can find out exactly which games he appears 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
Is William Afton in the FNAF movie?
Yes, William Afton is in the FNAF movie. However, the reveal of the former owner of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Place is a major plot point in the film, so we’re not going to spoil too much here. But if you do want a bit of a hint, keep in mind that Afton is what you might call a scarred individual.
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.