Flynn Rider

"How ya doin'? The name's Flynn Rider."

- Flynn introducing himself to Rapunzel

Eugene Fitzherbert (better known as Flynn Rider) is the deuteragonist of Disney's 2010 animated feature film, Tangled. He is a former thief and the love interest of Rapunzel.

Background
Eugene Fitzherbert seemingly never knew his parents and spent all of his time with his fellow orphans in the orphanage. The orphan children looked up to him greatly and he was something of an older brother to them. Every night, Eugene would read them "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 on his own and grew up into a dashing swashbuckler and gifted horseman and took the name of his childhood hero, going by the alias Flynn Rider. Flynn became one of the most infamous thieves in all of Corona despite the fact that the original Flynn Rider was not a thief. 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. He eventually became close to having everything he ever wanted, despite being on the run from almost every person in the valley.

Everything he 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 As Flynn cast aside his cares for treasure and solitude he realized his old dream had been replaced by a new one.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.

Development
Before he was the dashing Flynn Rider, the role of Rapunzel's love interest came in the form of Bastian, a large, handsome, and charming blonde man with a physique rather similar to that of the Stabbington Brothers (though less angular), who later inspired Kristoff.

With time, however, the designs were changed and the directors of the film (Nathan Greno and Byron Howard) wanted to design the character as strikingly attractive. To accomplish this, the two organized what would infamously be known as the "Hot Man" meeting, where about 30 female employees were asked to imagine the most attractive male they could think of, with many results coming 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 humanely 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, brown bucket-top boots. He also wears a belt with a similar color scheme around his waist; connected to it is a miniature satchel.

Stealing the Crown
"Gentlemen, this is a very big day!"

- Flynn to the Stabbingtons

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 have 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.

Journeying with Rapunzel
"Fine! I'll take you to see the lanterns..."

- Flynn to Rapunzel

The pair leaves 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 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, injuring 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.

The Story of Eugene
"I'll spare you the sob story of poor little orphan Eugene. It's a... It's a little bit of a downer."

- Flynn to Rapunzel

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.

Finding a New Dream
"Well that's the good part, I guess. You get to find a new dream."

- Flynn to Rapunzel; referencing what comes after experiencing a dream

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.

The Stabbington Brothers
"No, you don't understand, she's in trouble!"

- A distressed Flynn to the guards; referring to Rapunzel

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. He attempts to make peace with the Stabbington Brothers by giving them the satchel and the crown inside and tries to leave, abandoning his life of thievery in hopes of starting a new life with Rapunzel. However, the brothers reveal that they know about Rapunzel and her hair, and express their desire to use her for wealth. He 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.

Flynn to the Rescue/Death
"You were my new dream."

- Eugene's last words to 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.

Revival
"Did I ever tell you I've got a thing for brunettes?"

- Flynn's first words to Rapunzel, upon his revival

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 chest 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.

Sofia the First
He doesn't appear, but is referenced to in the special Sofia the First: 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 her that Amber must prove that her love for her sister is worth more and anything just as Eugene did.

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's proposal 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 and Pascal hear commotion coming from Rapunzel's bedroom and storm in to help. Eugene finds that Rapunzel's magic hair has mysteriously returned, and what's worse, 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 Rapunzel's parents. Rapunzel eventually gets the idea to hide it, which proves to be successful. 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 her daughter from leaving the walls of the kingdom without her 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
As seen in the episode "What the Hair?!" (one week after Tangled: Before Ever After), Rapunzel has still yet to tell Eugene the truth about how her hair returned, claiming she simply "woke up with it" one morning. Because of this, Eugene starts to question his relationship with Rapunzel, though she eventually refuses to keep secrets from Eugene any longer and fully 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.

In "Fitzherbert P.I.", Eugene is motivated by Cassandra to find a job, though his laziness and dislike towards authority ruins every chance he receives. After stopping a robbery, however, Eugene comes to realize that he can pinpoint a thief's every move, being a former thief himself—something the guards are unable to do. He then decides to become a guard himself, though the Captain is less than thrilled. He puts Eugene on dungeon duty and, once again, Euegene fails due to his own arrogance, accidentally allowing the one inmate to escape. He is fired from the guard, but comes to notice a castle painting to be a counterfeit. He alerts the Captain, who refuses to believe Eugene. Cassandra, however, does, having warmed up to Eugene during his training to join the force. Together, alongside Maximus and Shorty, they head out to stop the disguised thief and do so successfully. The Captain admits that he may have acted harshly when he fired Eugene, but hotly refuses to reenlist him, instead creating a new training program in which Eugene teaches the guards the ways of a thief, to better deduce their tactics and bring them to justice more efficiently.

In "Cassandra v. Eugene", Rapunzel tires of Eugene and Cassandra's bickering and devises a plan to end it. She tricks both Eugene and Cassandra into one of the palace's dungeon cells and locks them inside, having the only key. Rapunzel then explains that she left clues within the cell, and only by working together can they uncover each one and free themselves. During their time in the cell, Eugene and Cassandra slowly begin to open up to one another, and eventually team up to uncover Rapunzel's clues. Said clues lead to a device capable of breaking them out, but they lose it before they can do so. It falls into the cell of the Stabbington Brothers just below, who use it to break free to exact revenge on Eugene. The guards are hot on their trail however, so Eugene and Cassandra are used as 'human shields" as the brothers make their escape. Once clear of the guards, the Stabbingtons prepare to kill Eugene, but are foiled by his and Cassandra's quick-thinking. The brothers are apprehended, while Eugene and Cassandra are freed. The next day, Eugene prepares to face King Frederic after previously breaking a one-of-its-kind vase belonging to the latter. However, it was replaced by Cassandra, thus saving Eugene from punishment. This warm moment is short-lived, however, as the two begin to argue once more over who misplaced Cassandra's halberd (though it was actually Rapunzel).

In "The Return of Strongbow", Eugene gets a surprise visit from his childhood friend, Lance Strongbow, who needs Eugene's help with a job. Lance claims that his old cellmate left a stash of treasure hidden away and offered it to Lance as a gift, but he apparently can't retrieve it without assistance. Eugene tries to explain that his days as a thief are over, but reluctantly agrees out of empathy for his friend. However, it turns out that Lance was lying, as the stash truly belonged to the Baron, whom had betrayed Eugene and Lance eight years prior. Eugene starts to confront Lance on this, but the Baron's goons arrive, forcing them to flee. They end up in the woods, where Eugene reprimands Lance over the manipulation and lies, stressing that he has changed. Just then, Rapunzel and Cassandra arrive and question the two, though Lance claims they were searching for a ring left to them by their mother figure, and hands it to Rapunzel as a gift from Eugene. Eugene later realizes that the ring belonged to Queen Arianna, which he stole the day the Baron betrayed him and Lance. Eugene and Lance forcibly team up to steal it back, but are caught by Rapunzel and Cassandra. Eugene apologizes for his acts, while Lance genuinely takes the blame and admits that he lied, while Eugene was merely trying to help an old friend. Rapunzel, though at first furious, forgives Eugene and offers to lie to her mother to keep Eugene from possible banishment. Eugene, no longer wanting to live a life of lies, willingly chooses to tell Arianna the truth. Fortunately, knowing Eugene has changed since then, Arianna, though at first reluctant due to the trauma from the robbery, decides to forgive him and covers for him, claiming to King Fredric when he saw the ring on her hand that Eugene found the ring in the morning. Meanwhile, Eugene and Rapunzel reconcile, in during which the former learns that Lance (under his real name) donated the Baron's stolen goods to the kingdom's orphanage.

In "In Like Flynn", King Frederic recruits Eugene in the former's mission to prank the King of the neighboring kingdom, Equis: King Trevor. Eugene gleefully agrees, seeing it as an opportunity to earn Frederic's approval. Throughout the mission, Eugene learns that Frederic has respected him a great deal already, ever since he returned Rapunzel to Corona.

Cameos and 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.

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.

Disneyland
In Disneyland, he is found in Fantasyland often. He usually appears with his wife Rapunzel in the stage show at Fantasy Faire as well for meet and greets.

Flynn also appears in Mickey and the Magical Map in the Fantasyland Theater. He also appears in Mickey's Soundsational Parade.

In World of Color, Flynn makes a cameo during the "So Close" segment of the show with Rapunzel. In the winter rendition Winter Dreams, he and Rapunzel are also featured just before a cover of "I See the Light" is performed.

Walt Disney World Resort
Before the film's release, Flynn and Rapunzel began making meet and greet appearances in Florida, though he has since retired from the resort as far as full-time meet-and-greets go.

In the Magic Kingdom, Flynn has a spell card known as "Flynn Rider's Flying Frying Pan" in the Walt Disney World attraction Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. He also appears in Celebrate the Magic as well as and the Festival of Fantasy Parade.

Tokyo Disney Resort
Flynn and Rapunzel appear in the second segment of Once Upon a Time at Tokyo Disneyland, where they perform "I See the Light". They can also be seen in the nighttime parade, Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: DreamLights.

Disneyland Paris
In France, Flynn and Rapunzel lead the romance scene in Disneyland Paris' nighttime show Disney Dreams!. Flynn can also be seen with Rapunzel in Disney Magic on Parade.

Shanghai Disneyland
In the park, Flynn appears alongside Rapunzel on the Tangled-themed float of Mickey's Storybook Express parade. His likeness also appears in Voyage to the Crystal Grotto, and upon the Tangled mosaic mural in Enchanted Storybook Castle.

Disney Cruise Line
Flynn can be found in The Golden Mickeys and in Wishes on board the Disney Cruise Line.

Trivia

 * Zachary Levi, the voice of Flynn Rider, 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.
 * was the original choice to voice Flynn Rider. Clay Aiken was also considered for the role at one time.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * In the episode "The Return of Strongbow" it's implied by Lance and Eugene that Eugene had a menage a trois with twin daughters of a warlord.
 * 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.