A new Disney theory suggests there was a secret villain in Tangled, and Mother Gothel was not the only one out to get Rapunzel. Releasing in 2010, Tangled is Disney’s twist on the classic Rapunzel story about a young Princess locked away in a hidden tower. Disney twists the classic fairy tale by removing the Prince that finds Rapunzel and replacing him with a thief on the run, Flynn Rider. Although including some very stereotypical Disney tropes, Tangled does divert away from many of these and produces a very original take on the classic fairy tale which lead to its success in theaters and at the awards, including an Oscar nomination.
The main focus of Tangled is Rapunzel’s bid for freedom and her torn feelings over disobeying Mother Gothel, who she believes is her mother but is really her captor. Gothel is using Rapunzel for the magic qualities of her hair, which keep her healthy and young, and makes Rapunzel believe people will use her for her hair. Aside from Gothel’s obvious villainy, and even Tangled's King and Queen villain theory, the characters in Tangled have many layers to them and there are not many who are all good or all bad. The thugs in “The Snuggly Duckling” admit to doing bad things but are also good people deep down. Plus, Flynn Rider hides his real identity and becomes a sort of anti-hero, and he never denies his wrongdoings as a thief.
However, aside from the thievery, one theory (via Reddit) suggests that Flynn is the real villain all along. The theory does not deny the actions Tangled's original villain Mother Gothel to be evil, or that she is the main antagonist of the story, but instead suggests that Flynn was Tangled's secret villain who actually got away with his plan. The theory switches the perspective of Tangled to Flynn’s point of view to explain how his motives are different from what is originally suggested, and how he uses Rapunzel, as she was forewarned about by Gothel, to fulfill his real dream.
The Flynn Ryder Villain Theory Explained
The theory focuses on Flynn’s opening narrative explains the story of the golden flower, Rapunzel, the princess with “beautiful golden hair”, and how she was taken by Gothel. The theory then compares this to how Flynn has stolen the crown and tells the Stabbington brothers that he wants a castle. When he stumbles across a hidden tower and finds a girl with beautiful golden hair, the theory claims Flynn knew Rapunzel was the missing princess from the start. The theory then suggests that Flynn thought he could manipulate the young princess Rapunzel as she showed herself to be naive, make her fall in love with him, and then he could get the castle he dreamed of, be pardoned by the royal family, and potentially become King one day.
The theory implies that Flynn used Rapunzel’s dependency on him in Tangled to curate his own dream. This theory is plausible. When they are on the boat watching the floating lights and Rapunzel hands him back the crown, he makes her put it away. Flynn later tells Rapunzel, “You were my new dream.” Although this seems like a romantic moment, it could be a layered message and Flynn was implying he saw Rapunzel would have more worth to him than the crown. Plus, Mother Gothel was not wrong, once the Stabbington brothers found out about Rapunzel and the power of the princess's hair, they wanted her instead of the crown much to Flynn’s protest. This could be because losing Rapunzel would also lose Flynn's dream life he often talks about in Tangled.
Would Flynn Have Recognized Rapunzel?
Flynn grew up in a town that did a yearly vigil to find The Lost Princess and had a huge shrine to her, albeit it was of Rapunzel as a baby. Flynn was extremely familiar with the story and immediately tells Rapunzel that the stars she dreams of seeing are floating lights for The Lost Princess as it is a story ingrained in him and any other person from the Kingdom. Also, Rapunzel tells Flynn pretty quickly that she wants to see the lanterns which immediately brings his attention to The Lost Princess. Although not the original plan for Flynn in Tangled, Flynn is a smart, crafty person, often tricking people and cleverly escaping out of situations. It would not be unlikely that upon finding Rapunzel, with her beautiful golden hair, being stuck in a tower for the same amount of time The Lost Princess has been missing, he probably could have worked it out.
Also, Rapunzel works out who she is, or is at least suspicious once she sees the mural of herself as a child. Rapunzel figures out her identity based on very similar information to Flynn, so it is possible Flynn worked it out at the beginning. However, in their deal, Flynn does promise to bring Rapunzel and Pascal home to the tower and he, especially in the beginning, is quite keen to make her go back, so he can have the satchel, but this might be because he hadn’t completely figured out Rapunzel is The Lost Princess yet.
How Flynn's Secret Anticipated Frozen's Hans
The theory compares Flynn to Frozen villain Prince Hans and says Flynn succeeds in doing what Hans failed to do. Throughout Frozen, Hans pretends to be Anna’s true love in order to marry into the family and rule over their Kingdom. Being overshadowed by twelve older brothers led him to feel invisible and powerless, so he concocted a plan to claim his own power, as he would never be heir to the throne.
Frozen and Tangled are often unfairly compared, but, similarly, Flynn reveals he is actually Eugene Fitzherbert, and he grew up as a poor orphan. The main character of his favorite book, Flynnigan Rider, inspired him to change his name and become more like the rich, free-spirited character and used crime to achieve this. Flynn revealing his backstory is very similar to Hans’, both boys felt powerless and dreamed of a much better life for themselves. The craving for power made both the men turn to crime, Flynn’s becoming a thief, and Hans’ making his attempt to usurp Arendelle’s crown. Although Flynn turned out to be a good person, his hidden identity and revelation anticipated Frozen’s Hans, especially as Tangled was the Disney Princess movie before Frozen, and shows how different paths can be taken from the same background. Although Flynn was a thief, he was not a truly evil person like Hans.
Why Flynn Can't Be Tangled's Villain
Flynn cannot be the villain in Tangled, despite the theory making good points. His narration returns at the end of the movie, showing he was telling the story after it had happened, not beforehand, although this does not go against the main arguments of the theory. Flynn shows he is not like Frozen’s Hans because he reveals his identity in a moment of vulnerability when he thinks he is going to die, whereas Hans does it when he thinks he is getting away with it and has everything to gain. This sets Flynn apart from Hans and shows his new identity is mostly to protect himself.
Also, Flynn gives himself up for Rapunzel, as well as the crown, and although he could be giving up the crown to pursue Rapunzel, he goes to the tower to save her and cuts her hair even when he is dying to protect her. It is a big act of selflessness which shows he loves her, as he protects her even when it does not affect him anymore. There are multiple moments where Flynn could have gotten away and saved himself the effort and risk of being caught, but he stays by Rapunzel’s side to protect her and never uses her and her magic like the stereotypically Disney-evil Mother Gothel, which is why he could never be the villain in Tangled.