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|films = ''[[Frozen II]]'' |
|films = ''[[Frozen II]]'' |
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|voice = [[Jeremy Sisto]] |
|voice = [[Jeremy Sisto]] |
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| − | |personality = Cruel, manipulative, murderous, ruthless, treacherous, dignified, mighty, bitter, fearful, intelligent, arrogant, cold, elitist, sadistic, enigmatic, genocidal, abusive, merciless, serious, stern, conniving, power-hungry, egotistical, hateful, callous, spiteful, superior, bigoted, prejudiced, haughty, entitled |
+ | |personality = Cruel, manipulative, murderous, ruthless, treacherous, dignified, mighty, bitter, fearful, intelligent, arrogant, cold, elitist, sadistic, enigmatic, genocidal, abusive, merciless, serious, stern, conniving, power-hungry, egotistical, hateful, callous, spiteful, superior, bigoted, prejudiced, haughty, entitled, hypocritical, smug, proud, obsessive, supreme, disgustful, tyrannical |
|occupation = King of [[Arendelle]] (formerly) |
|occupation = King of [[Arendelle]] (formerly) |
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|alignment = Bad |
|alignment = Bad |
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|goal = To rule or crush the Northuldra (failed) |
|goal = To rule or crush the Northuldra (failed) |
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|home = [[Arendelle Castle]], [[Arendelle]] (formerly) |
|home = [[Arendelle Castle]], [[Arendelle]] (formerly) |
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| − | |family = Unnamed sister-in-law †<br>Queen Rita† (wife)<ref>''Disney Frozen: Unlocking Arendelle: My Treasured Memories''</ref> <br>[[King Agnarr]] † (son)<br>[[Queen Iduna]] † (daughter-in-law)<br>[[Elsa]] (granddaughter)<br>[[Anna]] (granddaughter |
+ | |family = Unnamed sister-in-law †<br>Queen Rita† (wife)<ref>''Disney Frozen: Unlocking Arendelle: My Treasured Memories''</ref> <br>[[King Agnarr]] † (son)<br>[[Queen Iduna]] † (daughter-in-law)<br>[[Elsa]] (granddaughter)<br>[[Anna]] (granddaughter) |
|minions = [[Royal Guards (Frozen)|Royal Guards]], [[Lieutenant Mattias]] |
|minions = [[Royal Guards (Frozen)|Royal Guards]], [[Lieutenant Mattias]] |
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|likes = Power, tea |
|likes = Power, tea |
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|weapons = Sword|affiliations = }} |
|weapons = Sword|affiliations = }} |
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{{quote|Magic makes people feel too powerful, too entitled. It makes them think they can defy the will of a king.|Runeard voicing his disapproval of magic|Frozen II}} |
{{quote|Magic makes people feel too powerful, too entitled. It makes them think they can defy the will of a king.|Runeard voicing his disapproval of magic|Frozen II}} |
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| − | '''King Runeard''' is the main antagonist of [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Disney]]'s |
+ | '''King Runeard''' is the posthumous main antagonist of [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Disney]]'s [[2019]] animated feature film ''[[Frozen II]] ''as well as the entire'' Frozen ''franchise. He was the ruler of [[Arendelle]], and the father of [[King Agnarr]]. In his lifetime, Runeard was revered as a noble and generous leader. In truth, however, he was a ruthless tyrant who believed magic to be a threat to his kingship. In his attempt to eliminate the [[Northuldra]], Runeard sparked a decades-long catastrophe that was then left to his granddaughters, [[Anna]] and [[Elsa]], to rectify. |
==Background== |
==Background== |
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In the decades following Runeard's death, conflicting information spread regarding the origins of the war. The citizens of Arendelle believed that the Northuldra were the enemy and that Runeard was brutally killed in cold blood. The truth would not be discovered until thirty-four years later, by Runeard's granddaughters, [[Elsa]] and [[Anna]], under the guide of the spirits. |
In the decades following Runeard's death, conflicting information spread regarding the origins of the war. The citizens of Arendelle believed that the Northuldra were the enemy and that Runeard was brutally killed in cold blood. The truth would not be discovered until thirty-four years later, by Runeard's granddaughters, [[Elsa]] and [[Anna]], under the guide of the spirits. |
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| + | |||
| + | ==Personality== |
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| + | At first glance, Runeard presents himself as a calm, collected, and upright person who cares about his people and family, and was willing to treat the neighboring Northuldrans as equals. Unbeknownst to the rest of the Arendellians (including Mattias and Agnarr), Runeard is selfish, xenophobic, racist, cold-hearted and merciless to anyone who wasn't within his power. These traits ultimately became his undoing as well as negatively affecting his kingdom and his entire bloodline. |
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| + | |||
| + | The junior novelization expands on this. Runeard did not seem to have a close and loving relationship with his son Agnarr, as he instead frequently assigned him to Lieutenant Mattias to keep him out of his way. Runeard only saw his son as a means of indoctrination, as evident in the prologue where he constantly groomed his son in hopes of Agnarr becoming the same cold and pragmatic man that he himself was. Runeard is also intelligent and cunning, plotting subtle ways of weakening the Northuldran people and assassinating the Northuldran leader when he catches on about the true purpose of the dam, simultaneously hiding dark designs and creating a pretext to wage war on the Northuldran people. |
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| + | |||
| + | Runeard successfully managed to instill some of his xenophobia in the mind of Agnarr, who would grow up to see the Northuldrans as a hostile people, and who wanted to keep Elsa's magic subdued and hidden from the populace at all costs. Runeard serves as a darker reflection of his older granddaughter Elsa as she would had let her fear consume her had it not been for her younger sister Anna and Olaf during the eternal winter. |
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== Appearances == |
== Appearances == |
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Elsa and her party encounter the trapped [[Northuldra]] and Arendellians who, like Agnarr, are unaware of what truly caused the war that doomed their land. Elsa is eventually driven to seek out the fabled river [[Ahtohallan]] for answers. While traversing its caverns, Elsa is able to analyze numerous visions of Arendelle's past, including those involving Runeard. She discovers his fearful dislike of magic, as well as his plot to control the Northuldra. |
Elsa and her party encounter the trapped [[Northuldra]] and Arendellians who, like Agnarr, are unaware of what truly caused the war that doomed their land. Elsa is eventually driven to seek out the fabled river [[Ahtohallan]] for answers. While traversing its caverns, Elsa is able to analyze numerous visions of Arendelle's past, including those involving Runeard. She discovers his fearful dislike of magic, as well as his plot to control the Northuldra. |
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| − | With these findings and nothing but outrage towards her late grandfather for his treacherous actions, Elsa sends a message to Anna in the form of an ice statue, which sculpts Runeard sneaking up behind the unarmed Northuldra leader and murdering him in cold blood. Deducing that Runeard was the culprit behind the war and also seeing what a heinous scoundrel their grandfather was, Anna realizes that she must destroy the dam to restore peace to Arendelle. By provoking the [[Earth Giants]], Anna is attacked by staggering boulders. She lures the giants to the dam, where their boulders successfully destroy the structure. This causes a massive wave to hurl towards Arendelle, but Elsa is able to block the waters before it could destroy the kingdom. With the dam destroyed, and the truth revealed, peace is restored between Arendelle and the Northuldra, and among the spirits, thus putting an end to Runeard's legacy for good. |
+ | With these findings and nothing but outrage towards her late grandfather for his treacherous actions, Elsa sends a message to Anna in the form of an ice statue, which sculpts Runeard sneaking up behind the unarmed Northuldra leader and murdering him in cold blood. Deducing that Runeard was the culprit behind the war and also seeing what a heinous scoundrel their grandfather was, Anna realizes that she must destroy the dam to restore peace to Arendelle. By provoking the [[Earth Giants]], Anna is attacked by staggering boulders. She lures the giants to the dam, where their boulders successfully destroy the structure. This causes a massive wave to hurl towards Arendelle, but Elsa is able to block the waters before it could destroy the kingdom. With the dam destroyed, and the truth revealed, peace is restored between Arendelle and the Northuldra, and among the spirits, thus putting an end to Runeard's legacy, forever ruined by his act of betrayal, for good. |
| + | |||
| + | ==Gallery== |
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| + | <gallery position="center" captionalign="center"> |
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| + | Frozen2-animationscreencaps.com-360.jpg |
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| + | Frozen2-animationscreencaps.com-413.jpg |
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| + | Frozen2-animationscreencaps.com-5572.jpg |
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| + | Frozen2-animationscreencaps.com-12145.jpg|Anna and Olaf learning about Runeard's cold hearted crime |
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| + | </gallery> |
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==Trivia== |
==Trivia== |
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*According to ''Frozen: Forest of Shadows'', Runeard oversaw the construction of [[Arendelle Castle]]. |
*According to ''Frozen: Forest of Shadows'', Runeard oversaw the construction of [[Arendelle Castle]]. |
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| + | *Runeard is the first villain to die in the Disney animated feature canon since [[King Candy]] in ''[[Wreck-It Ralph]]'', seven years prior. |
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| − | **Both [[disney:Hans|Prince Hans]] and King Runeard share similarities as villains. Both are selfish monarchs who desired to expand their power, by all means necessary, even if includes committing murder and treachery. They are also known to put up a facade of kindness and generosity to hide their true nature and gain the trust of others for their own benefit. |
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| − | ***Ironically, Elsa's icy statue depicting the Northuldra leader's assassination at Runeard's hands bears a striking resemblance to the scene in the first film in which Hans was readying his sword to assassinate Elsa during the climax of the film. The difference is that while Hans failed to carry on Elsa's murder, Runeard succeeded in killing the Northuldra leader. Thus, he may serve as a an example of what Hans could have become if he had succeeded in killing both sisters and been crowned King of Arendelle in the first film. |
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| − | **He could also be considered a dark reflection to his granddaughter Queen Elsa: both are very powerful monarchs known to control their kingdom with competence while holding their senses of fear to themselves (Elsa holding a sense of fear that her powers would go out of control and threaten everyone she cared for, and Runeard holding a sense of fear that magic itself would be a threat to his kingdom). However, unlike Elsa (who overcame her fear and developed a trust toward others closest to her), Runeard allowed his fear to cloud his judgment over the trust of others; even Elsa coldly points this out after learning the truth of Runeard's notorious crimes. Runeard serves as an example of what Elsa would become if she allowed her fear to consume her. |
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| − | *Runeard's gloves are the same color and style of Elsa's former power-resisting gloves. |
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| − | *King Runeard is one of the rare sequel villains to actually appear in the Disney Animated Canon, the others are [[Percival C. McLeach]] from ''[[The Rescuers Down Under]]'', the [[The Firebird|Firebird]] from ''[[Fantasia 2000]]'' and [[Arthur (Wreck-It Ralph)|Arthur]] from ''[[Ralph Breaks the Internet]]''. He is also the first villain to die in the Disney animated feature canon since [[King Candy]] in ''[[Wreck-It Ralph]]'', seven years prior. |
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**He is also one of the few Disney villains to be biologically related to the heroes (as he is the paternal grandfather of Elsa and Anna); the others are [[Scar]] being [[Mufasa]]'s brother and [[Simba]]'s uncle, and [[Hades]] being [[Zeus]]' brother and [[Hercules]]' uncle. |
**He is also one of the few Disney villains to be biologically related to the heroes (as he is the paternal grandfather of Elsa and Anna); the others are [[Scar]] being [[Mufasa]]'s brother and [[Simba]]'s uncle, and [[Hades]] being [[Zeus]]' brother and [[Hercules]]' uncle. |
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| − | *He is the first main antagonist of a Disney animated film to be a completely posthumous character, since he had been long dead by the time the film's events take place |
+ | *He is the first main antagonist of a Disney animated film to be a completely posthumous character, since he had been long dead by the time the film's events take place. |
| − | *King Runeard is the Greater-Scope Villain of the ''Frozen'' franchise as his heinous actions against the Northuldra people not only led to the main events of ''Frozen II'', but also to the events of the first film. Given [[Iduna]]'s selfless act of saving Agnarr from the battle which Runeard started, the elemental spirits gave Elsa her ice powers, which caused her to accidentally unleash them and allowed both Prince Hans and the [[Duke of Weselton]] to turn Arendelle against her in the first film; while the construction of the dam caused the Northuldra to resent the Arendellians until Anna and Elsa managed to destroy the dam so they could be released from their imprisonment in the forest. |
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| − | **However, the other Greater-Scope Villain of the franchise is Hans's father, who influenced the events of the first film and the 2015 tie-in novel ''[[A Frozen Heart]]'', by tormenting Hans and making him the villain he became. |
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*King Runeard is the only ''Frozen'' character with a body count as his battle caused several casualties for both Northuldra and Arendellians, while he himself on-screen killed the Northuldra leader and dragged another Northuldra with him off a steep cliff to his death. |
*King Runeard is the only ''Frozen'' character with a body count as his battle caused several casualties for both Northuldra and Arendellians, while he himself on-screen killed the Northuldra leader and dragged another Northuldra with him off a steep cliff to his death. |
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| − | *King Runeard was entirely omitted from pre-release merchandise (except for the Junior novelization, which came out a week before the movie) |
+ | *King Runeard was entirely omitted from pre-release merchandise (except for the Junior novelization, which came out a week before the movie). |
| − | *Despite being the main antagonist, King Runeard only had |
+ | *Despite being the main antagonist, King Runeard only had four minutes of screentime. In fact, out of all the main antagonists in the Disney Animated Canon, he has the smallest amount of screentime, making his actions having the biggest impact in the franchise. |
| + | |||
| − | *Runeard's plot of constructing a dam to greatly damage the Northuldra people is likely based on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alta_controversy real-life controversy in the 1970s-1980s], when the Nordic government proposed plans of building a hydro-power dam, which would've flooded villages and areas belonging to the indigenous Sámi people (on whom the Northuldra are based). |
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| + | ==External links== |
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| + | *{{Interwiki|https://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/frozen/images/6/64/Favicon.ico|frozen|Runeard|Frozen Wiki}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 14:24, 13 July 2020
- “Magic makes people feel too powerful, too entitled. It makes them think they can defy the will of a king.”
- ―Runeard voicing his disapproval of magic[src]
King Runeard is the posthumous main antagonist of Disney's 2019 animated feature film Frozen II as well as the entire Frozen franchise. He was the ruler of Arendelle, and the father of King Agnarr. In his lifetime, Runeard was revered as a noble and generous leader. In truth, however, he was a ruthless tyrant who believed magic to be a threat to his kingship. In his attempt to eliminate the Northuldra, Runeard sparked a decades-long catastrophe that was then left to his granddaughters, Anna and Elsa, to rectify.
Background
Runeard is the oldest known monarch of Arendelle. His only son and heir was Prince Agnarr. Queen Rita, who was queen at that time, died of a terminal illness when Agnarr was very young.
During Runeard‘s reign, the people of Arendelle made peace with the Northuldra, a northern tribe in the Enchanted Forest with a special connection to the elemental spirits of earth, wind, water, and fire. This allegiance was a ploy, however, as Runeard secretly feared the Northuldra due to their association with magic. He declared that they could not be trusted, and orchestrated a plot to eliminate the tribe.
Runeard commissioned the construction of a dam, which was gifted to the Northuldra as a peace offering designed to bring prosperity to their land. In truth, the dam would weaken the Northuldra’s resources and—in their desperation—force them to be susceptible to Runeard. Upon realizing the damage being brought upon by the dam, the leader of the Northuldra consulted Runeard, who offered to heed the leader’s pleas in private. Once alone, Runeard murdered the Northuldran leader. This sparked a war between Arendelle and the Northuldra, during which Runeard falls off a cliff to his death. The conflict between Arendelle and the Northuldra angered the spirits, who turned against humanity. In their wrath, the Enchanted Forest was encapsulated within an impenetrable mist that prevented anyone from leaving or entering.
In the decades following Runeard's death, conflicting information spread regarding the origins of the war. The citizens of Arendelle believed that the Northuldra were the enemy and that Runeard was brutally killed in cold blood. The truth would not be discovered until thirty-four years later, by Runeard's granddaughters, Elsa and Anna, under the guide of the spirits.
Personality
At first glance, Runeard presents himself as a calm, collected, and upright person who cares about his people and family, and was willing to treat the neighboring Northuldrans as equals. Unbeknownst to the rest of the Arendellians (including Mattias and Agnarr), Runeard is selfish, xenophobic, racist, cold-hearted and merciless to anyone who wasn't within his power. These traits ultimately became his undoing as well as negatively affecting his kingdom and his entire bloodline.
The junior novelization expands on this. Runeard did not seem to have a close and loving relationship with his son Agnarr, as he instead frequently assigned him to Lieutenant Mattias to keep him out of his way. Runeard only saw his son as a means of indoctrination, as evident in the prologue where he constantly groomed his son in hopes of Agnarr becoming the same cold and pragmatic man that he himself was. Runeard is also intelligent and cunning, plotting subtle ways of weakening the Northuldran people and assassinating the Northuldran leader when he catches on about the true purpose of the dam, simultaneously hiding dark designs and creating a pretext to wage war on the Northuldran people.
Runeard successfully managed to instill some of his xenophobia in the mind of Agnarr, who would grow up to see the Northuldrans as a hostile people, and who wanted to keep Elsa's magic subdued and hidden from the populace at all costs. Runeard serves as a darker reflection of his older granddaughter Elsa as she would had let her fear consume her had it not been for her younger sister Anna and Olaf during the eternal winter.
Appearances
Frozen II
- “You see, the dam will weaken their lands, so they will have to turn to me.”
- ―King Runeard plotting against the Northuldra[src]
Runeard first appears during the prologue, when Agnarr recounts the war that cursed the Enchanted Forest. Agnarr recalls watching his father fall to his death, unaware that Runeard was the cause of the conflict.
Thirty-four years later, Runeard's granddaughters, Elsa and Anna, accompanied by Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven, journey to the Enchanted Forest after Elsa accidentally awakens the spirits, who then wreak havoc on Arendelle. While fighting the wind spirit (later named Gale) with her icy magic, Elsa sees vague, misty glimpses of the past including Runeard's arm swinging his sword (with Runeard roaring in rage) followed by Runeard himself stating: "For Arendelle."
Elsa and her party encounter the trapped Northuldra and Arendellians who, like Agnarr, are unaware of what truly caused the war that doomed their land. Elsa is eventually driven to seek out the fabled river Ahtohallan for answers. While traversing its caverns, Elsa is able to analyze numerous visions of Arendelle's past, including those involving Runeard. She discovers his fearful dislike of magic, as well as his plot to control the Northuldra.
With these findings and nothing but outrage towards her late grandfather for his treacherous actions, Elsa sends a message to Anna in the form of an ice statue, which sculpts Runeard sneaking up behind the unarmed Northuldra leader and murdering him in cold blood. Deducing that Runeard was the culprit behind the war and also seeing what a heinous scoundrel their grandfather was, Anna realizes that she must destroy the dam to restore peace to Arendelle. By provoking the Earth Giants, Anna is attacked by staggering boulders. She lures the giants to the dam, where their boulders successfully destroy the structure. This causes a massive wave to hurl towards Arendelle, but Elsa is able to block the waters before it could destroy the kingdom. With the dam destroyed, and the truth revealed, peace is restored between Arendelle and the Northuldra, and among the spirits, thus putting an end to Runeard's legacy, forever ruined by his act of betrayal, for good.
Gallery
Trivia
- According to Frozen: Forest of Shadows, Runeard oversaw the construction of Arendelle Castle.
- Runeard is the first villain to die in the Disney animated feature canon since King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph, seven years prior.
- He is the first main antagonist of a Disney animated film to be a completely posthumous character, since he had been long dead by the time the film's events take place.
- King Runeard is the only Frozen character with a body count as his battle caused several casualties for both Northuldra and Arendellians, while he himself on-screen killed the Northuldra leader and dragged another Northuldra with him off a steep cliff to his death.
- King Runeard was entirely omitted from pre-release merchandise (except for the Junior novelization, which came out a week before the movie).
- Despite being the main antagonist, King Runeard only had four minutes of screentime. In fact, out of all the main antagonists in the Disney Animated Canon, he has the smallest amount of screentime, making his actions having the biggest impact in the franchise.
External links
References
- ↑ Disney Frozen: Unlocking Arendelle: My Treasured Memories
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