Hans


 * This article is about the character from Frozen. For the author, please see Hans Christian Andersen. For the character who appears in The Little Mermaid TV series, please see Hans Christian Andersen (character).

"I've been searching my whole life to find my own place"

- Hans

Prince Hans of the Southern Isles is the main antagonist of the 2013 Disney animated feature film, Frozen.

Background
Hans is a prince from the Kingdom of the Southern Isles, a trade partner of Arendelle. Not much is known about the prince's past; however, he is the youngest of the thirteen royal siblings, and felt somewhat neglected amongst his brothers. Knowing he would never rule the throne of the Southern Isles, Hans concocted a scheme to marry into monarchy elsewhere, eventually setting his sights on the kingdom of Arendelle. Hans' plans changed after realizing how reserved the queen-to-be was towards socialization, prompting the prince to instead target her lonely, less mature younger sister Anna, planning to murder Queen Elsa after their marriage, which would result in him becoming king.

Official Description

 * Hans is a handsome royal from a neighboring kingdom who comes to Arendelle for Elsa's coronation. With 12 older brothers, Hans grew up feeling practically invisible—and Anna can relate. Hans is smart, observant and chivalrous. Unlike Elsa, Hans promises he'll never shut Anna out; he just might be the connection she's been waiting for all these years.

Personality
"He's a chameleon who adapts to any environment to make the other characters comfortable."

- Animator Lino DiSalvo describing Hans' character in The Art of Frozen

Cold, calculating and cruel, Hans is a proud, extremely ambitious prince with a hunger for admiration, power and chivalric honor. Being the youngest sibling of thirteen princes, Hans spent a large portion of his life being ignored and abused at the hands of his older siblings, something he reveals to Anna during their encounter at the coronation banquet. The constant belittling, bullying and neglect from his family and peers eventually proved to be the breaking point for Hans and led to his villainous transformation over time. There has been some speculation over whether or not he exaggerated the hardships of his childhood in order to appeal to Anna, but the published excerpt of the upcoming book A Frozen Heart not only confirms his domestic situation as abusive, but reveals it as much worse than described by Hans; he severely understated the way he's treated and seems to think abuse is normal ("That's what brothers do").

Though he appears to be noble to the fullest extent, Hans is actually a master manipulator. Through his charm and charisma, he is able to win over first Anna and then Elsa, as well as the entire kingdom of Arendelle and its visiting ambassadors, providing excellent proof of his dangerous psychology. Like many villains, Hans is power-hungry, visiting Arendelle in order to rule the kingdom by any means, revealing that his only desire is to become king, prepared to rid anyone necessary in any way he can for his quest for power. He is arrogant, bragging about his plans to Anna when he realizes it's pointless to try to help her as she'll die anyway, and threatening the Duke of Weselton with being charged with treason while acting as Regent - although it should be noted that the Duke was actively spreading dissent amongst the populace at the time by hinting that both the Queen and the Princess are conspiring to kill them all, which is a treasonous act.

He is also good at seeing other people's weak spots, as is displayed by the way he hurts Anna and Elsa with precise and cutting words after his dark side is revealed. With Anna, he seems to use his words just for the sake of humiliating her, whereas with Elsa, his words serve a purpose. On the fjord during the confrontation with Elsa, Hans aims to shock Elsa into submission so that she can be killed, and succeeds by laying on the guilt. Contrast this with the Ice Palace scene, where his words once again find their mark and snap Elsa out of her bloodlust, preventing her from becoming a killer. His eloquence and sharp wit is thus one of his notable weapons.

It is unclear as to his precise motivation, if it is simple power lust, or if he genuinely craves respect and recognition, which he professes to being denied as a child under the burden of his dozen siblings. In any case, this ambiguity makes him one of the most complex Disney villains, in sharp contrast with the "usual" cackling, one-dimensional evil most often displayed by Disney antagonists.

Hans' most powerful trait is quite possibly his vast intelligence and incredible ability to lie, dissemble and manipulate. He's proven to be quick thinking, resourceful and extremely diligent, being able to fool the entire kingdom without fail, even the Duke of Weselton, whom Hans holds a disliking to that only seemed to increase throughout the film. However, unlike many Disney villains, Hans constantly has to change his plot accordingly with the shifting events that take place in the film, without letting loose his villainous nature. An interesting challenge for a Disney villain to tackle, thus adding to his apparent level of intelligence, as he comes dangerously close to achieving his goal, in spite of unstable circumstances.

Physical appearance
Hans is of moderate stature and generally good looking. Whilst he is well built, he is not as broad-shouldered or as muscular as Kristoff. Though the two are never seen close enough together to properly compare, it is fair to say Hans would probably look relatively slimmer next to Kristoff, though he is definitely physically accomplished, as he was able to defeat the hulking Marshmallow in single combat. He is well versed in horsemanship, and has tremendous sword fighting skills. It is also shown that he is skilled in using crossbows, or at least in capably diverting their fire when needed.

Hans has fair skin and a light dusting of freckles across his nose, auburn hair and sideburns, and "dreamy" green eyes. Throughout the film, he wears navy blue trousers, black boots, a magenta cravat, blue shirt, indigo vest, black epaulettes, gold aiguillette, and a light gray-and-black blazer with patterns. This is reminiscent of a naval uniform, and would be traditionally in keeping with royal siblings of lower birth entering military service.

During the day and night of the coronation, Hans dons a lighter version of his formal wear. It is a cream blazer with a yellow shirt underneath and red sash, with black boots, white stockings, red and golden designs and patterns, gold and red colored epaulettes with golden fringe, and a matching cream ascot. This lighter-colored suit reflects Anna's warmer-colored clothing in turn. It is also worth noting that Hans is seen wearing this lighter-colored suit for a longer time period than his traditional suit, mainly due to him wearing it for the entirety of the coronation day and night, which features him most prominently in the movie.

While he is in control of the kingdom, to protect himself from the harsh winter, Hans dons a cloak resembling the castle guards' uniforms. However, as the patterning differs from the decorations on the Arendelle guardsmens' cloaks and instead resembles the decorations on Hans' own gray tailcoat, and the Arendelle crocus emblem isn't seen anywhere on it, it's likely it's his own coat he brought with him from the Southern Isles. It's a dull, gray cloak with wavy patterns and a purple interior. In Elsa's palace, however, it appeared to have more of a green shade.

Meeting with Royalty
Once the Southern Isles is given word of Queen Elsa's coronation, Hans is the royal representative that attends in honor of his kingdom. Along with the other invited royalty, Hans arrives on the day of the event, and is first seen arriving in Arendelle on his horse Sitron, accidentally running into Princess Anna. Using grace and charm, Hans immediately woos the lovesick princess, with Anna almost immediately falling for him due to his wondrous looks and undeniable charisma. Their little flirtation is cut to a close, however, when the bells for the queen's coronation are rung. As Anna runs off, Hans realizes he's found the perfect tool for his plot to domination. Moments later, Hans attends Queen Elsa's crowning, waving to Anna as he watches alongside the other visiting royals and dignitaries. Later on that night, a ball is held in honor of the new queen, and Hans appears at the celebration party, soon finding and inviting Anna for a romantic waltz after "coincidentally" bumping into her once again.

Wooing Princess Anna/Elsa's curse
The romantic dance eventually leads to an entire date, with the entire night of the young couple being spent bonding. During their time together, Hans learns of Anna's longing of having someone special in her life, with her sister apparently developing a dislike of her, to which Hans openly relates to, only furthering Anna's connection with him. And with this, Hans promises to never shut Anna out, unlike Elsa, much to the princess's absolute joy. By the end of their tour throughout the kingdom, Hans works up the courage to propose, with Anna agreeing in a heartbeat. The two head back to the royal throne room, where the party is being held, to ask for Queen Elsa's blessing, to which Elsa coldly refuses, stating that Anna should not be marrying someone she just met, ending the party and ordering Hans to leave out of frustration. Heartbroken, Anna confronts her sister, but this causes the queen's powers over ice and snow (the reason she goes so far out of her way to isolate herself from the outside world) to be revealed, much to Hans' surprise.

The Duke of Weselton, one of the neighboring royals, immediately declares Elsa a monster, and orders his men to capture her. Elsa flees, accidentally causing an eternal winter over Arendelle while doing so, having Anna and Hans chase after her until she is out of reach. Hans asks Anna if she had known of Elsa's mysterious abilities, to which the princess denies. In order to save the land, Anna volunteers to go after Elsa, but Hans wasn't too fond of the idea, knowing if something terrible should befall Anna, his quest for domination would be abolished, as they still weren't married just yet. However, Anna insists that Hans stays behind to rule during her absence, to which the prince eventually agrees to.

Hans in Command
It wasn't long before Arendelle became an icy wasteland, with citizens becoming weak due to the frigid temperatures, causing mild chaos throughout the land. Hans took advantage of the situation to endear himself to the people, offering blankets and care packages to the villagers. The Duke of Weselton soon arrives and scolds Hans for "wasting time" giving away goods, as opposed to taking action against Elsa, openly expressing his suspicion that she and Anna are conspiring together to doom the kingdom. Hans immediately threatens to punish the Duke for treason for such remarks, ordering the diminutive Duke to refrain from questioning the princess. Just then, Anna's horse returns without the royal rider, making Hans believe Anna is in danger. He needs one of the royal ladies alive for his plan to continue. With the royal guards and the Duke's volunteering two men in tow, Hans leads a rescue mission for Anna. Unbeknowst to him, the Duke has ordered his men to kill Queen Elsa on sight.

Attack on Elsa's Palace
"Queen Elsa! Don't be the monster they fear you are!"

- Hans confronts Elsa

The army arrives at Elsa's ice palace before long, and are immediately attacked by Elsa's giant snowman, Marshmallow. Hans and his army battle the beast, though he proves to be nearly invincible and completely implacable. Fortunately for the prince, he is able to get a clear path at the snow beast, and slices Marshmallow's left leg clean off, causing the creature to stumble into a chasm to his apparent death. With him out of the way, Hans and the others rush inside to find Anna, but she is nowhere in sight. Instead, they find Elsa seconds away from killing the Duke's two guards who had previously snuck past Marshmallow on orders of the corrupt Weselton representative. Hans is able to stop her from killing them as they intended for her, freeing the two thugs. However, one of the thugs attempts to strike her with their crossbow, but Hans interferes and, with apparent purpose, causes the arrow to shoot upward to Elsa's massive chandelier. The chandelier comes crashing down, and the impact manages to knock Elsa unconscious.

Captured, Elsa is imprisoned in Arendelle's dungeon. With the winter curse spiraling out of all control, Hans knows he must find a way to save his potential kingdom, and decides to pay Elsa a visit. Elsa asks Hans to get Anna, but Hans explains Anna has not returned, much to Elsa's concern. He pleaded her to put an end to the winter and bring back summer. However, Elsa confesses that she doesn't know how, and asks to be released in hopes that leaving will draw the storms away with her. Hans claims he will do what he can, and returns to the Duke of Weselton and the other dignitaries in the library, who were frantically looking for a solution to freedom from the icy curse, though to no avail just yet.

Hans' Betrayal
"As thirteenth in line in my own kingdom, I didn't stand a chance. I knew I would have to marry into the throne somewhere."

- Hans revealing his true plan to Anna after betraying her

Hans decides he must go back out to find Anna, still needing her marriage in order to legitimize his hold on the throne, but one of the dignitaries explains that he needs to stay put, as he is all Arendelle has left. With this in mind, Hans learns it will be unnecessary to return into the blizzard, as the kingdom is practically his as long as Anna never returns. Just then, Anna suddenly returns, weak, cold and white-haired, and desperately begs Hans for a kiss. The two are given privacy as Anna explains that during her journey, Elsa froze her heart, and only an act of true love can save her from freezing to death, to which Hans presumes she's referring to "a true love's kiss". Hans only smirks and rejects Anna, immediately pulling away from their failed kiss. As he closes the shades of the room and puts out the fire to quicken her death, Hans reveals his matured plot to marry Anna and become King of Arendelle through ascension. The princess tries to stop him, but she is far too weak and can merely plead for mercy as her condition deteriorates. Announcing his next move is kill Elsa and restore summer, proclaiming a desire to become the "hero who will save Arendelle", Hans takes his leave, locking Anna within the room to prevent her from escaping and interfering.

Death to Queen Elsa
Hans then returns to the Duke and the other dignitaries, pretending to be terribly distraught as he declares Princess Anna dead, through murder by Queen Elsa. The prince also adds that he and Anna were able to give their marriage vows before the latter's passing, thus leaving Arendelle in his hands. Horrified and saddened by the news, the assembled dignitaries vocally look to Hans for the next course of action for the kingdom to take, leading Hans to make his first order as ruler by charging Elsa for treason and sentencing her to death. Alongside the royal guards, Hans makes way to the dungeon, where they find Elsa's cell vacated, as she managed to escape. Furious, Hans decides to take matters into his own hands, and goes into the frozen fjord to confront Elsa himself, sword in hand. He eventually does so, immediately telling her that escaping all the damage she's caused is futile. However, Elsa merely pleads for mercy, asking the prince to take care of her sister in her absence, to which Hans responds by informing Elsa of Anna's imminent death as a result of the former's strike to her heart, despite his "efforts" to save her; blaming Elsa for the tragedy. Devastated, Elsa falls onto her knees, with her sorrow freezing the very air around them, and providing Hans the opportunity to end her.

Before Hans is able to give the killing strike, however, Anna arrives and blocks the prince's blow, completely freezing to death just before the sword strikes her, thus freezing and subsequently shattering the blade with her frigid body temperature. The forceful blast caused by Anna's freezing curse brutally knocks the evil prince off his feet, upon the ice, and rendering him unconscious.

Defeat and Detainment
"I will return this scoundrel to his country. We shall see what his twelve big brothers think of his behavior."

- The French dignitary about Hans' punishment

When Hans awakens several moments later, he finds Arendelle thawed and peace restored. As the fallen prince struggles to his feet, Kristoff moves to attack him, but Anna decides to confront the fallen prince herself, staying the big man's hand. Anna approaches the traitorous prince, and the sight of Anna alive and well confuses Hans, prompting him to ask how she had survived the frozen heart curse. Anna then berates Hans by telling him that he's the only one present with the frozen heart, and turns her back at him much to Hans' disbelief; out of fury, the princess wheels around a few seconds later, punches him in the face, and causes him to fall off the ship they were aboard. Humiliated and defeated, Hans is then apprehended without resistance, imprisoned on a French ship headed back to the Southern Isles and banished from Arendelle forever. According to the French dignitary, he is set to face an unspecified punishment by his brothers.

Frozen Fever
Hans makes a brief appearance near the end of this short. Part of his punishment is revealed to be working at the royal stables of the Southern Isles, shoveling manure. When Elsa sneezes into a giant bugle horn, a giant snowball is launched from Arendelle, all the way to the Southern Isles, which nails Hans and hurls him right into a cart of manure, burying and humiliating him as a pair of horses take notice and laugh at him.

Cameos
Hans makes two cameo appearances in the 2014 animated feature film, Big Hero 6. He is first seen on a "Wanted" poster at the San Fransokyo police station, behind the desk of Officer Gerson, when Hiro and Baymax report Yokai's Microbot theft. Later on, he can be briefly seen as a statue in the garden of Fred's mansion home, that's eventually destroyed by Baymax during a testing session for his rocket fists.

Once Upon a Time
An alternate version of Hans appears first in the third episode of the fourth season of this series, portrayed by Tyler Jacob Moore. In a time frame set two years after events equivalent to the Frozen film's and one year before the first Dark Curse within the general OUaT timeline, he is first mentioned by Elsa when she warned Anna about leaving Arendelle vulnerable to Hans and his twelve brothers, who are waiting and plotting to take over the kingdom as revenge for his previous defeat. The portrayal of Hans as being in collaboration with his brothers in his plots and them desiring as a whole to conquer foreign lands for their nation differs heavily from his implied motivations and standing with his family in the film. He also unambiguously and sincerely considers Elsa a "monster" even after she has proved she is not, and overall there is considerably less room for sympathy and potential for redemption for the character here than in canon.

Some time after Anna left for Mist Haven (the Enchanted Forest), in her quest to find a cure for Elsa's magic, Hans and his army, which consists of his twelve older brothers, had set up camp in the Southern Mountains on their way to Arendelle. His brothers still belittle him for being the lowest in line, and they add insult to the injury by bringing up his failed attempt to seize Arendelle's throne during his previous encounter there. He lashes back, stating that he wasn't prepared the last time, but he found something that will help him. Unbeknownst to all of them, Anna's fiancé Kristoff was spying on them and discovered their plan: they will use a mysterious urn located in a cave within the North Valley that's capable of trapping people with magical powers, such as Elsa, then take Arendelle once she's out of the way. Though Elsa and Kristoff beat Hans to the powerful urn, he and three volunteering brothers managed to catch up.

Even though they managed to dispatch his brothers, Hans holds Kristoff at sword point. He demands Elsa to either give him the urn or Kristoff will die. Concerned for Kristoff's safety, Elsa ultimately give Hans the urn. After Hans obtains the urn, and showing off his success to his brothers, he uncapped its lid and pours out a living white liquid substance. As it was heading towards Elsa to trap her, Hans gloated his supposed victory, coldly stating in a smug tone that her kingdom doesn't deserved to have a monster as its ruler. Just as the liquid substance is about to latch onto Elsa, it suddenly changes direction and morph into a woman, Ingrid the Snow Queen. Expressing her offense in his earlier insult, the Snow Queen then freezes Hans into an ice statue, leaving his brothers to flee in panic.

Later, Ingrid brings both the urn and Hans' frozen body back to the castle and place them in the wardrobe in her old room, where Elsa and Anna, who had returned from the Enchanted Forest and was imprisoned by their devious aunt, would eventually find them.

30 years later, when Ingrid is in Storybrooke finally casting her Spell of Shattered Sight on its inhabitants, Hans had thawed out, and managed to claim Arendelle as his kingdom. He and his brothers barged in on Anna and Kristoff, who were discussing a plan to save Elsa from Rumplestiltskin. Feigning on the notion that Anna had overthrow her sister, Hans decided to have her and Kristoff arrested for treason. After claiming that the freezing of Arendelle is Elsa's doing, Anna objected that Elsa is not responsible, actually done by Ingrid, from which Hans express his doubt. Before he can have the couple taken away, Anna and Kristoff fight their way out and escape. In an effort to catch them, Hans buys Blackbeard's compliance with gold to corner Anna and Kristoff. The plan work when, after the deal is struck, Hans and his brothers suddenly appear and trap Anna and Kristoff. Later, Hans takes the couple to a spot out at sea known as Poseidon's Boneyard, the exact spot where the ship that once carried Anna and Elsa's parents went down. He coldly remarks that it's fitting that Anna and her mother will die in the same place, wishing she had never helped Elsa thus leading to the series of events that would "force" him to see her dead. After having Kristoff and Anna placed in a trunk to prevent any possible rescue by a mermaid, and annoyed by her panicking hysterically when he tells them how much time has passed since Elsa is still trapped in the urn, Hans and Blackbeard had the two tossed overboard.

Later, Elsa, Anna and Kristoff return to Arendelle via a magic portal from the Sorcerer's Storybrooke mansion and dethrone Hans off-screen, Anna punching him again, this time in the eye, while doing so. Hans and possibly any of his brothers were most likely imprisoned under Arendelle's jurisdiction, given their shared goals in this version and the latter's obvious lack of disciplining to the former after his first arrest.

Disney Parks
Currently, Hans makes no live appearances at any of the Disney theme parks, but does appear in Disney On Ice.

If asked about him, however, Anna and Elsa mention that he is still in the Southern Isles, receiving his punishment (or more safely, an "informal chat") from his 12 brothers about his actions. When asked half-jokingly if she or her sister would ever be willing to give him another chance, Elsa has replied in the same less-than-serious manner with "maybe".

Hans is also heavily featured during the Frozen Summer Fun event at Disney's Hollywood Studios, which also features his vocal talent from "Love is an Open Door" during the nightly fireworks display.

In the 2014 rendition of World of Color: Winter Dreams at Disney California Adventure, Hans appears alongside Anna, performing "Love is an Open Door", as well as the 2015 rendition of the show, as part of the montage celebrating villains. Similarly, Hans also appears in the Disneyland Paris show Disney Dreams!

Reception
Some critics were divided on the reveal of Hans' duplicity. Gina Dalfonzo from The Atlantic questioned the reveal's age-appropriateness, saying, "Children will, in their lifetimes, necessarily learn that not everyone who looks or seems trustworthy is trustworthy—but Frozen 's big twist is a needlessly upsetting way to teach that lesson." Other critics disagreed - Melissa Leon from The Daily Beast said, "Anna is being ridiculous. But unlike Snow White or Sleeping Beauty, the world of Frozen knows that. It uses Anna's ill-thought-out engagement to show exactly why the cliché is unrealistic and absurd—in her case, it even proves dangerous as ... her charming prince turns out to be a two-faced villain." Alyssa Rosenberg of ThinkProgress took a moderate position, arguing, "Rather than declaring Prince Charming fantasies good or bad, I think Frozen is part of a tradition of adding heft to Prince Charming himself. And that's a good thing. [...] Frozen might have been a dud if Hans had only been a jerk. But, so help me, I found myself with some sympathy for the guy."

Trivia

 * When put together, Hans, Kristoff, Anna and Sven sound like Hans Christian Andersen.
 * Given his last name, it's quite possible that Prince Hans may have been based on – the 19th century German king of Westphalia, and youngest brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. The two have plenty in common. Hans also has stuff in common with Napoleon himself.
 * Elements of Hans' character are based on the Evil Mirror from the original Snow Queen. In the original fairy tale, it is said that those who looked into this mirror, the darkest aspects of their personality would come to the surface, and that if a glass shard of this mirror got into one's body, their heart would freeze as a result of their cold nature. The mirror in the story was pivotal for it had caused one of the protagonists, Kai, to become cold towards his friend Gerda (the inspiration for Anna).
 * In an interview with Jennifer Lee, Lee confirms that Hans was partially based upon the concept of the Evil Mirror in the original story, as the original story had a lot to do with mirrors. So, as she explains, what Hans is a mirror which appears charming to the person, but is "hollow or sociopathic". (It should be noted, however, that Hans doesn't fit the requirements for a sociopathy diagnosis, and that Jennifer Lee refers to a lot of things, including herself in the scriptnotes interview, as "sociopathic", so Hans cannot be declared a full-blown sociopath.)
 * Hans' last name is "Westergård", according to a tweet from Jennifer Lee. In a deleted scene (featuring "Bad Elsa"), a character named "Admiral Westergård" was mentioned, possibly being the earlier drafting of Hans.
 * Since this is a deleted scene, its canonicity is questionable. However, the description of the admiral in the scene closely matches that of Hans', (Elsa mentions that he "loves her [Anna] so.") and the changing of the character's last name never occurred when the character was ultimately rewritten into Hans.
 * The name Hans is popularly used in such countries as Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
 * Hans' voice actor Santino Fontana originally auditioned for the role of Kristoff, but after the story changed, he auditioned for Hans.
 * Hans has his own distinct theme that plays when he woos Anna, and it's especially noticeable when he pulls in for the kiss. After the betrayal, his theme can still be heard, albeit with a darker tone.
 * All of Hans' voice recordings were completed in a matter of five days.
 * According to one of the coloring books, Hans is a naval officer.
 * In Disney on Ice, Hans claims his brothers had him convinced he was a troll they had adopted.
 * Hans is essentially the complete opposite of many of the heroic characters in Frozen:
 * Anna, for while both were shut out for many years, she actually wants to reconnect with her sister and would do anything to reconnect with her. Hans, on the other hand, only wanted to get more attention than his 12 brothers and as such would do anything to be on top, even if it means murder and forced marriage.
 * Elsa, for while she shuts Anna out, she does that to protect her. Hans, on the other hand, while he would never shut Anna out, he only does that so that he would get to the throne, then he shuts her in the parlor to keep Anna from escaping the cold.
 * On another thought, it's interesting to note that both Hans and Elsa wear gloves the majority of the movie. Both use them to "conceal" their true selves - Elsa wears hers at the beginning to hide her powers, and Hans wears his throughout the whole movie up until his big reveal at the fireplace.
 * It's also interesting to note that both Hans and Elsa are associated with the unlucky number 13, but with a different twist - Elsa, being the 13th Disney Princess, remains good and caring; whereas Hans, being the 13th child in his family, turns out to be selfish and cruel.
 * Kristoff, for while very gruff and tough on the outside, he's actually kind-hearted and friendly on the inside. Hans, on the other hand, while being kind and friendly on the outside, is actually cruel and ruthless on the inside.
 * Another thing to think of is that while both are Anna's love interest, Kristoff is the only one of the two who really loved her, while Hans only loved power and was using her. Also, Kristoff would never hurt Anna, while Hans was willing to let Anna freeze to death.
 * Olaf, for while he represents the love between Elsa and Anna, Hans represents the breaking of Elsa and Anna's bond.
 * Another observation is that while Olaf is goofy and naive but still affectionate, loving, and cares deeply for his friends, Hans, on the other hand, is classy, sophisticated and intelligent but is cold-hearted, ruthless and sadistic.
 * Hans is a rather unique Disney villain in many ways. Usually, when a villain is introduced into a film, the audience gets the idea that this character is not to be trusted, although some protagonists trust them, however (i.e. Simba, because Scar is his uncle). But with Hans, not only is Anna fooled by him, but the audience as well. This makes Hans one of the sneakiest and most dangerous of all Disney villains. Villains in Disney films usually have a sinister appearance, but Hans doesn't fit this description at all, adding to his deception.
 * There are several though unnoticeable hints to Hans' villainy throughout the film, before his reveal.
 * Hans' duet with Anna, "Love is an Open Door", holds a few dark meanings on Hans' side of the song. The lines "I've been searching my whole life to find my own place" and "Love is an open door" secretly represent Hans' quest to dominate a kingdom, and doing so through false romance with Anna, who is his door to power.
 * Also during the song, Hans also doesn't match Anna's movements, leaving the two out of sync, which at first comes across as him being charmingly awkward but shows that he is struggling to match her character to appeal to her.
 * When Anna decides to leave to find Elsa, Hans protests because he doesn't want her to get hurt - he thinks this is the perfect opportunity to make Anna Queen and just abandon Elsa; they can deal with the snow after the coronation and wedding. When she rapidly makes him the Steward, he then doesn't even offer to go with her, letting her ride off alone.
 * His personality isn't consistent at all because it changes radically depending on who he's interacting with.
 * To clarify, Anna is always awkward and naive, Kristoff maintains his honesty and awkwardness regardless of who he's with, and Elsa is always regal even in her loneliness and despair, but Hans' personality changes swiftly at the drop of a hat - he even coldly threatens the Duke with a charge of treason, which is a criminal offense punishable by death.
 * According to Jennifer Lee, Hans is around 23 years old.
 * In a cut draft of the film, after Hans' sword was destroyed by Anna's frozen body, he was going to have a second wind and try to attack again, only for Kristoff to knock him out. This was cut because it distracted from dramatic mourning of Anna in the scene, which was more important. The fight still happens in some storybooks though.
 * Hans' character is a major subversion of the classical Disney Prince; Hans himself notes of this during his betrayal, and uses it to his advantage.
 * His line "Are you sure you can trust her? I don't want you getting hurt." is ironic since he's the one who shouldn't be trusted by Anna, and he's the one who hurts Anna by fooling her.
 * Hans has more on-screen time dressed in his coronation suit than he does in his normal formal wear.
 * Before Anna leaves to search for Elsa, Hans wants to go with her, but Anna said he needs to take care of Arendelle. He visibly perks up at being made Regent, the responsibility and authority seem to excite him.
 * When Anna first meets Hans, she trips on a wooden bucket and crashes into him, sending the bucket flying and landing on her head. The last thing we see of Hans is him being tossed into a cage under the ship heading back to the Southern Isles so that he would be judged by his twelve brothers for his crimes. When the cage door is slammed shut, a wooden bucket falls and lands on his head.
 * Hans is strikingly similar to King Frederick VI of Denmark; their facial structure, hair and facial hair are almost identical, and both tried to gain power by a coup d'état, but where Hans failed, Frederick succeeded. It is quite possible that Hans is based on a young Frederick. However, Frederick kept a woman alive to serve as his queen, his wife Marie of Hesse-Kassel, while Hans wanted to kill both Anna and Elsa.
 * Ironically, in a trailer for Frozen, he was referred to as the "Nice guy," although this was most likely to keep his true nature hidden from viewers.
 * A chess set is seen in the background when Hans is explaining his scheme to Anna and extinguishing the heat sources in the room, symbolizing his exploitation of her as a "pawn" in his plans.
 * Universally, along with Man from Bambi, Lady Tremaine from Cinderella and Lotso from Toy Story 3, Hans is arguably one of the most hated Disney villains because of his heartless treatment towards Anna and Elsa.
 * Many more are angered over what they perceive to be a "break in Disney tradition," in which a love interest has turned out evil. Indeed, "Love is an Open Door" is the villain song, but it's tactfully disguised as a love duet, further fueling this sentiment.
 * Originally, as seen in a Frozen coloring book, Hans and Elsa were intended to battle, most likely in the scene in which Hans and his army seize Elsa's ice palace or during the climax.
 * Hans has the most siblings of any Disney Villain, with twelve older brothers.
 * When Elsa sees her reflection through the window, she sees it from the right panel, and can clearly see other people outside showing care and concern for them. But when Hans does the same thing, he sees it from the left panel instead, and only sees himself, as he cares for just himself.
 * Anna's horse coming back to the palace, Hans trying to calm it down, and showing concern about the rider is very similar to when Philippe returned to Belle without Maurice much to Belle's concern. The only major difference, however, is that Belle was truly concerned about Maurice's safety, while Hans faked concern for Anna.