How Did William Afton Die: How did William end up as Springtrap?

By Aarush Sharma On Dec 3, 2022

William Afton is the main antagonist in the survival horror video game series Five Nights At Freddy’s.

Throughout the series’ cryptic lore, we learn a lot about William’s family life, death, and multiple resurrections.

Why Does Afton Always Come Back?

Afton has been crushed to death in a spring suit and has survived three fires. Despite this, he shows no signs of slowing down. Afton appears to be driven by an insatiable desire to murder children.

Afton’s sole focus throughout the majority of his original life and in each of his incarnations is the murder of children. Afton survived through sheer willpower and selfish desires.

The power of his evil soul appears to allow Afton to recover from anything. It’s possible that the only way to truly defeat Afton is to break his will.

Without his determination or drive for murder, Afton may lose his ability to be resurrected into new forms. Attacking Afton’s soul rather than his physical body could be the key to truly killing him.

The Many Incarnations of William Afton

Purple Guy

Games: FNAF 1, FNAF 2, FNAF 4

We see William Afton as a living person at the start of the Five Nights At Freddy’s series. He was most often seen in the 8-bit minigames found in Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 and 3.

Because of his purple appearance, fans often refer to William Afton’s style as “Purple Guy.” While portraying Purple Guy, we see him murder a group of children and tamper with the animatronics at the restaurant.

They confront William in the back room of the establishment after the souls of the murdered children have been released. William tries to hide in his Spring Bonnie spring lock suit, terrified by the ghosts of his victims (a suit that doubles as both a costume and a standalone animation).

The springs that hold the suit’s mechanisms together fail, crushing William to death. The issue here is that William’s soul begins to possess the yellow bunny costume that killed him, transforming him into a being known as Springtrap in the FNAF community.

Springtrap

Games: FNAF 3, FNAF Sister Location

After William Afton is killed by spring lock failures in the restaurant’s back room, his soul takes possession of the costume in which he died. For many years, the room where he died has been sealed off. This allows William’s costume, as well as his corpse, to rot and wither away.

All of that changes when a new attraction arrives in town. Fazbear’s Fright is a haunted house-style attraction that tries to cash in on the fame and folklore surrounding William Afton’s murders. Fazbear’s Fright’s crew tries to acquire any authentic Freddy Fazbear artifacts they can find.

All of this culminates when they discover a rotting yellow bunny animatronic in the back room of an abandoned Freddy Fazbear pizzeria. They are unaware that they have finally liberated William Afton from his confinement.

After they return Springtrap to Fazbear’s Fright, the night guard notices that it can move on its own. Springtrap must be kept at bay by luring him away from the guard’s office with the sound of children. This is the fundamental gameplay of Five Nights At Freddy’s 3.

Fazbear’s Fright has a tragic ending when it burns down while Springtrap is still inside. Springtrap appears briefly in FNAF: Sister Location, rising from the charred remains of Fazbear’s Frights. William has returned and is ready for his next grueling adventure.

Scraptrap

Game: FNAF Pizzeria Simulator

Henry, William’s old business partner, decides it’s time to deal with William Afton once and for all. Henry creates a phony pizzeria called Freddy Fazbear. This prompts William and the other remaining antagonists to return to the restaurant and wreak havoc.

Springtrap is in poor condition. His forearm has broken off, exposing a sharp piece of William’s bone. The spring lock suit is in even worse shape than in Fazbear’s Fright. Regardless, William remains committed to his evil plans. Fans commonly refer to this deteriorated version of Springtrap as Scraptrap (for good reason).

After all of the antagonists have entered the fictitious restaurant, Henry decides it is time to burn it down. Unlike Fazbear’s Fright, this time the fireworks (or does it?). William Afton is punished in hell for his sins.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Does William Afton Pass Away?

The Springlocks Become Unsettled as a Result of His Frantic Movement, and a Droplet of Water Falls on Them. They Break Free, and Afton is Crushed to Death. 30 Years After His Death, William is Resurrected as Springtrap, a Hybrid of Human and Robot.

How did William Afton end up as Springtrap?

Scott confirmed that William Afton was scared into wearing the Spring Bonnie suit, which caused him to be killed and trapped by the spring locks, resulting in Springtrap.

What Did William Afton Do to the Children?

This is When William Afton, Dressed as Spring Bonnie, Lures Five Children Into the Back of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. He Then Kills Them. He Stuffs Their Bodies Into Four Work in Progress Suits: Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy. He Then Puts the Last Child in the Old Fredbear Suit.