| 1 | [[header:[[center:''Franchise/{{Frozen}}'' [[Characters/{{Frozen}} franchise character index]]\ |
| 2 | [-[[Characters/FrozenArendelle Arendelle]] ([[Characters/FrozenAnna Anna]] | [[Characters/FrozenElsa Elsa]])\ |
| 3 | '''Hans''' | [[Characters/FrozenWeselton Weselton]] | [[Characters/FrozenNorthuldra Northuldra]]\ |
| 4 | [[Characters/FrozenMagicalCreatures Magical Creatures]] | [[Characters/FrozenAnimals Animals]]\ |
| 5 | [[Characters/FrozenExtendedMedia Extended Media]] (''[[Characters/AFrozenHeartExclusive A Frozen Heart]]'' [[Characters/AFrozenHeartExclusive Exclusive]])-]]]]] |
| 6 | |
| 7 | %% - Anna is the heroine. Elsa is an anti-hero. The source of conflict is Elsa's powers. Hans is the villain. There is no Big Bad. |
| 8 | %% - Do not add him as a BigBad or a GreaterScopeVillain. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | '''[[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned ALL spoilers on this page are UNMARKED.]] It's highly recommended you see the movie (and ''Frozen Fever'') and read ''Literature/AFrozenHeart'' first before reading this page.''' |
| 11 | |
| 12 | !Prince Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles |
| 13 | [[quoteright:186:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_7183.png]] |
| 14 | [[caption-width-right:186: [[WhamLine "Oh, Anna. If only there was someone out there who loved you."]]]] |
| 15 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/SantinoFontana (English)[[labelnote:Other Languages]] Erik Segerstedt (Swedish); Creator/TakehitoKoyasu (Japanese); Liron Lev (Hebrew), David Robles (European Spanish), Hugo Serrano (Latin Spanish)[[/labelnote]] |
| 16 | ->'''Appearances:''' ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' | ''WesternAnimation/FrozenFever'' | ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII''[[note]]cameo[[/note]] |
| 17 | ->'''Appearances in alternate continuities:''' ''Series/OnceUponATime'' | ''Videogame/FrozenFreeFall'' | ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6''[[note]]cameo only[[/note]] | ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII''[[note]]retelling of ''Frozen''[[/note]] | ''VideoGame/DisneySpeedstorm'' |
| 18 | |
| 19 | A prince of the Southern Isles, he comes to Arendelle for Elsa's coronation and quickly makes an impression on Anna. He's actually using Anna to rule the kingdom himself. |
| 20 | ---- |
| 21 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 22 | |
| 23 | [[folder:#-F]] |
| 24 | * ThirteenIsUnlucky: |
| 25 | ** Being 13th in line for his kingdom's throne, he knows he doesn't stand a chance to be king in his homeland, which leads to his desire to become the ruler of another kingdom. |
| 26 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart'', he's the proverbial BlackSheep and the odd one out of the large Westergaard clan, often picked on by the [[BigBrotherBully older members of the family]]. |
| 27 | * AbortedArc: In 2014, an interview with Santino Fontana stated the writers wanted to make Hans return in ''Frozen II'' and go through a redemption arc. However, the idea was scrapped, likely for story reasons (as Hans finding his way to Northuldra would have made little sense). |
| 28 | * AdaptationalSympathy: ''A Frozen Heart'' portrays him as a more tragic character who starts off the book capable of caring about other people before becoming cruel as opposed to TheSociopath of the film. |
| 29 | * AgeLift: Inverted in ''A Frozen Heart''. Hans is twenty in the novelization instead of twenty-three as in the movie. |
| 30 | * AlasPoorVillain: In his final chapter of ''A Frozen Heart'', he's panicking when the guards drag him to be shipped back to the Southern Isles without even seeing Anna and Elsa one last time. Considering the book gives him an expanded backstory, it's clear to the reader that he will suffer far worse treatment than he has from his family beforehand, who were already horrible to him. As he was desperately trying to never go back, he's begging to be spared, treating his return trip as a FateWorseThanDeath. |
| 31 | * AllForNothing: |
| 32 | ** All he really wanted was to be king and had he pursued it the right way, he could have gotten his wish. At the end of ''Frozen II'', Anna actually becomes queen of Arendelle, therefore Hans would have become king had he married her, and Elsa abdicated the throne to live in the Enchanted Forest, which makes his plan to murder Elsa even more meaningless. |
| 33 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart''. The plan he and Lars spent three years for, in hopes of finding love and a new home in Arendelle, are ruined because Hans just couldn't help himself and took the easier but less moral solution to get a kingdom and his father's respect quicker. He's now living a worse life than before. |
| 34 | * AllOfTheOtherReindeer: In ''A Frozen Heart''. Hans feels "out of place" amongst his abusive family, as they (except for his mother and Lars) frequently belittle him for being a pushover. |
| 35 | * AllThereInTheManual: |
| 36 | ** His last name is never spoken in the film. Film co-director Jennifer Lee revealed it to be Westergaard and since then, all media that mentions Hans having a last name, such as ''A Frozen Heart'', uses it. |
| 37 | ** ''A Frozen Heart'' also delves into his backstory a bit more thoroughly than the film did, although [[SchrodingersCanon how much of it is canon]] is up for debate. |
| 38 | * AlwaysSecondBest: In ''A Frozen Heart''. His father thinks little of his youngest son, seeing his older sons as better and ruthless. Hans develops an [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex inferiority complex]] and tries to emulate them by becoming the king's gofer before setting off to Arendelle in the hopes of winning his family's admiration. |
| 39 | * AmbiguousSituation: |
| 40 | ** TheReveal casts his introduction [[RewatchBonus in a new light]]. When he looks up from the boat, given the lovestruck look he has on his face, is he thinking about Anna or is he thinking about the crown in a "That went well" fashion? |
| 41 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart'', it's never clear if Hans actually killed anyone. He takes on tasks for his EvilOverlord father, [[EvenEvilHasStandards yet dislikes doing the king's dirty work]]. |
| 42 | * AmbitionIsEvil: He's neither squeamish nor apologetic of how he empties any kingdom's throne of its previous occupants. |
| 43 | * AnimalMotifs: |
| 44 | ** The film's head animator compared him to a chameleon by tweaking his personality in different situations. To woo Anna, he fakes being a lovesick NiceGuy. To earn Arendelle's admiration, he helps them during the winter and goes to rescue their princess. To get Elsa's trust, he acts like a MoralityPet. To counter the Duke, he becomes a rude JerkAss. When confronted by Marshmallow, he appears aggressive and defeats the {{Snowlem}} by reflecting the violence back. |
| 45 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart'', his father and brothers compare him to a mouse, which is generally seen as weak and not useful, even though they're very clever and industrious. They claim that the Westergaards should be "lions, not mice". |
| 46 | * AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Simultaneously inverted and exaggerated. He has 12 older brothers who go beyond normal levels of sibling rivalry. |
| 47 | ** In the movie, Hans talks about the time three of his older brothers pretended he was invisible for ''two years''. |
| 48 | ** Turned up even further in ''A Frozen Heart''. Except for one who tries to help him leave home to find a better life, he sees most of his older brothers as obnoxious jerks. And he has ''twelve'' of them. |
| 49 | * AntiVillain: Subverted in ''A Frozen Heart''. He's initially motivated by wanting to escape [[BlackAndGrayMorality the horrible physical and emotional abuse of his family]], but becomes more ambitious and cruel over the course of the book. |
| 50 | * TheBabyOfTheBunch: He's the youngest of thirteen sons. In ''A Frozen Heart'', growing up the smallest and most forgettable of the brood [[FreudianExcuse wound up being the source of his issues]]. |
| 51 | * BadSamaritan: He's implied to be the first person outside of the (much-reduced) castle staff that Anna had truly socialized with in years. Naturally, he's also the villain. |
| 52 | * BadassBookworm: An excellent strategist, ManipulativeBastard, and a good swordsman all rolled into one. |
| 53 | * BadassLongcoat: It's a greatcoat with that caped bit at the shoulders, but in principle it's this. |
| 54 | * BaitTheDog: His character is a major subversion of the classical Disney Prince: handsome, brave outwardly friendly and polite, and even played by Creator/SantinoFontana, known at the time of his casting for playing a more straightforward PrinceCharming role in the Broadway run of Creator/RodgersAndHammerstein's ''Theatre/{{Cinderella|RodgersAndHammerstein}}''. He's friendly to Anna and is shown helping the common folk and standing up to the Duke when the old man starts complaining that he's giving away "tradable goods" and that Anna [[FantasticRacism "may be conspiring with a sorceress."]] He later goes after the sisters himself when Anna's horse comes back without her, stops Elsa from killing the Duke's men who had attacked her, stops one of the men from shooting her, and then later when Elsa is imprisoned, pleads with her to stop the eternal winter and seems nothing but sympathetic. Then when a cursed Anna comes to him for a TrueLovesKiss, Hans smiles as romantic music swells, leans in... and the music abruptly stops as he flashes a SlasherSmile and [[TheReveal reveals]] that he was faking his romance with Anna and pretending being a NiceGuy to the dignitaries and locals [[PragmaticVillainy to usurp the Arendellian throne with both sisters out of the way and with enough support to avoid too much objection]]. |
| 55 | * BavarianFireDrill: This is one of the reasons why no one realizes Hans is an usurper until it's too late: everyone is panicking after the snow begins to fall, and it's not obvious who should have authority, as Elsa bailed out and Anna left to find her — so Hans calmly takes charge on Anna's instructions. He acts like he has the whole situation under control, and people obey him as a result. Since the quickest way to become a leader in a crisis situation is usually to just behave like one, Hans has that down to an art. People might not even mind until later that his claims are decidedly dodgy. |
| 56 | * BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: In ''A Frozen Heart''. He vowed not to use violence like his family routinely does, yet he resorts to the tactics they use once things go south in Arendelle. |
| 57 | * BeneathTheMask: |
| 58 | ** Played straight in the film. Initially, he seems to be a NiceGuy and goofy towards Anna. But after TheReveal, he's shown to be EvilAllAlong. |
| 59 | ** Zig-zagged in the TieInNovel ''A Frozen Heart''. The novel [[DeconstructedTrope explores this further]] and suggests that his cruelty is another mask to hide his insecurities after an abusive childhood in a DysfunctionalFamily where showing weakness is unacceptable. |
| 60 | * BettyAndVeronica: Anna is the "Archie" to Kristoff's "Veronica" (manly ice harvester) and Hans's "Betty" (cultured prince, her apparent [[BirdsOfAFeather counterpart]]). The contrast goes further when Kristoff is revealed to [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold have a good heart under his gruff exterior]] while Hans turns out to be a BitchInSheepsClothing. |
| 61 | * BeyondRedemption: In ''Frozen II'', Elsa considers him to be an "irredeemable monster." |
| 62 | * BigBadSlippage: In the tie-in book ''A Frozen Heart'', a BroadStrokes retelling of ''Frozen''. The book goes into his backstory and perspective. He starts out as a selfish but still well-meaning man who seeks his father's approval before slowly turning into the "frozen-hearted" villain he ends up as. |
| 63 | * BigBadWannabe: A downplayed example. While Hans is more dangerous than the ObviouslyEvil Duke of Weselton and comes close to killing both Anna and Elsa, the threat he poses ultimately pales in comparison to the winter that Elsa had unleashed. Once Elsa manages to stop the snowstorm, Hans is taken out rather easily and arrested for his crimes without much fanfare. And even if he succeeds in killing both sisters, it's uncertain whether Elsa's death would bring back summer, meaning that all that Hans could rule over is a kingdom that is about to be engulfed in ice and snow. |
| 64 | * BigBrotherWorship: In ''A Frozen Heart'' towards Lars. While it's debatable if he wants to earn the respect of his brothers aside from leaving their shadow, he does genuinely admire Lars, the third oldest of his siblings, if just for being the only brother to show him any humanity. |
| 65 | * BirdsOfAFeather: Exploited and subverted on his part: He bonds with Anna over seeming to have many things in common: being the youngest child of their respective families, looking for love, ignored by their siblings, etc. However when Hans reveals his true colors, although some similarities were genuine (the creators have confirmed that Hans's claims of having a troubled childhood were true), he feigned some (he isn't truly looking for a relationship). He was [[ExploitedTrope using both the real and feigned similarities]] to convince Anna they were a good match and get close to the throne, [[SubvertedTrope and the real ones end up not enough to sustain the relationship]]. Hans ends up being Anna's EvilCounterpart. |
| 66 | * BitchInSheepsClothing: His acts of kindness, as well as his sweet wooing of the impressionable, happy-go-lucky princess Anna, are revealed to be parts of a calculated plot to marry into Arendelle's royal family and ultimately murder Queen Elsa so he can ascend to the throne much quicker. In short, he may be a prince charming on the outside, but he's a power hungry villain on the inside. |
| 67 | * BlackAndGrayMorality: In ''A Frozen Heart'', he begins as an AntiVillain aiming to leave his dysfunctional family despite trying to please his father at all costs. But as the story progresses, the abuse brings out the worst of him and he [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis becomes very similar to his violent family]]. |
| 68 | * BlackAndWhiteMorality: In ''A Frozen Heart'', he literally ''forces'' himself to think this way during his journey to take down Elsa. Whenever he starts thinking that Elsa isn't such a bad person after all or feels sorry for her, he panics and starts throwing out reasons to why Elsa ''must'' be the villain and that everything "bad" that has happened to him is completely her fault. He also quickly dehumanizes her as a "monster" so he can feel less bad when killing her. |
| 69 | * BlackSheep: In ''A Frozen Heart''. His family sees him as this due to his reluctance in conforming to their SocialDarwinist leanings. Ironically, him being against the violence of his family made him the WhiteSheep, but his desire to [[WellDoneSonGuy appeal to his father]] darkened [[UsedToBeASweetKid him]]. Even Hans acknowledges that he's the odd one out in his family. |
| 70 | * BreakTheHaughty: In his final chapter of ''A Frozen Heart'', after his father's influence has finally brought out the worst in him, Hans [[VillainousBreakdown panics]] when he's informed that he's being shipped home and tries desperately to escape. |
| 71 | * BreakThemByTalking: |
| 72 | ** A wise thing to do before attacking a borderline [[PhysicalGoddess Goddess of Winter]] with a sword when she knows he is coming is to mentally break her. It effectively leaves her suicidal, because being told that her sister is dead due to her own actions is her worst fear come true. Luckily, Anna isn't dead and saves Elsa in the nick of time from his attempt to decapitate her. |
| 73 | ** He also does this to Anna by telling her that she was only ever a means to an end to him and [[DidYouActuallyBelieve what a fool she was for trusting him]]. It leaves her depressed for a while, but Anna eventually realizes that there are still people (Kristoff and Olaf) who care about her. |
| 74 | * BrightIsNotGood: Wears lots of [[LightIsNotGood white]] and [[HeavenlyBlue blue]] and is evil. He even invokes this to pretend being a PrinceCharming to Anna and the kingdom of Arendelle. |
| 75 | * BrokenAce: |
| 76 | ** He is handsome, charming, a skilled fighter, and a prince, but a desperate hunger for recognition and glory corrupted him. |
| 77 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart'', his villainy stemmed from years of abuse, [[WellDoneSonGuy severe family issues]], and neglect. |
| 78 | * BullyMagnet: In ''A Frozen Heart''. Being the easiest target for bullying, his brothers frequently pick on him as a reminder of his low status in the familial pecking order. |
| 79 | * ButtMonkey: He gets crapped on a ''lot'' following his infamous betrayal, both directly and indirectly. |
| 80 | ** In ''Frozen Fever'', Elsa accidentally launches a giant snowball all the way to the Southern Isles, where it lands on Hans and sends him straight into a wagon full of literal horse crap. |
| 81 | ** In the sequel, Elsa passes by a snow memory of Hans on Ahtohallan and casually destroys it. He's even the butt of jokes during a game of charades the heroes play. |
| 82 | ** He isn't even safe in ''other Disney films'', as shown in ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6'', when a statue of Hans is promptly destroyed by Baymax. |
| 83 | * TheCameo: |
| 84 | ** In ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6'', his photo can be seen on the police desk when Hiro tries reporting Yokai to the police. Later, Baymax also destroys a statue of him at Fred's house. |
| 85 | ** While not appearing in ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'' proper, [[https://hissouthernisles.wordpress.com/2016/03/13/list-of-frozen-references-and-connections-in/ his character model]] was used to help determine the height differences between humans and animals during pre-production. A pastry shop is also named after him. |
| 86 | * CannotTellAJoke: Played with in ''A Frozen Heart''. Whenever he tried to crack a joke with his brothers, it was they who made a laughing stock out of him. |
| 87 | * CantCatchUp: In ''A Frozen Heart''. As lampshaded by the king and his older sons, no matter how hard Hans tries, one of his brothers will always do something better. They even rub it in Hans's face, stating that he "could learn a thing or two from [his brothers] if [he] stopped acting like [he was] better than them." |
| 88 | * CantKillYouStillNeedYou: His concern about not wanting harm to come to Anna basically translates to him needing Anna alive so he can become king. Though he goes out to find Anna, he also wants Elsa alive so that he can try and charm her too. Once he realizes that Anna will shortly die because his kiss won't work and Elsa can't lift the curse, he decides it's time to get to killing. |
| 89 | * TheChainOfHarm: In ''A Frozen Heart''. His father and brothers are {{Domestic Abuser}}s, and they also harm each other. Despite loathing the dysfunction in his family, he repeats it by exploiting Anna's desire to be loved for his own gain. |
| 90 | * TheCharmer: He has an awkward kind of charm which turns out to be an evil version of this, and thus an invoked trope. |
| 91 | * TheChessmaster: The scene where he gives his MotiveRant has a chess set visible, symbolizing his exploitation of Anna as a "pawn" in his plans. On a grander note, he proves to be a very effective and crafty VillainWithGoodPublicity, even fooling ''the viewer'' into thinking he's the PrinceCharming and KnightInShiningArmor. |
| 92 | * ClassyCravat: Wears a pinkish one as seen on the image above, emphasizing his aristocratic demeanor. In ''Frozen Fever'', it's not so classy anymore, worn out and dangling from his neck due to all of the physical labor he's been doing. |
| 93 | * ClassicVillain: Represents Ambition and Envy. As he won't inherit his own kingdom's throne, he intends to take over Arendelle by marrying into the royal family and then killing both sisters. Although not the direct cause of the movie's main conflicts, it's his deceptions, i.e. pretending to be Anna's FalseSoulmate and giving her the push to confront Elsa over the closed gates, that trigger the plot into such direction. He also shares a number of similarities to both Anna and Elsa: like Anna, he doesn't get along with his older siblings, and like Elsa, he hides his true emotions. But while the sisters wish to reconcile with each other, Hans clearly doesn't wish to reconcile with his own family, as he's willing to abandon them to get Arendelle. While Elsa tries to control her emotions to stop herself from harming her loved ones, Hans hides his in order to manipulate others. |
| 94 | * ClothingReflectsPersonality: [[EvilCounterpart Like Elsa]], he hides his true persona via his [[ArcSymbol gloves]]. In fact, as he gloats to Anna during TheReveal, he removes his right glove to reveal his selfish side. As he [[MurderByInaction leaves Anna to die]], he puts it back on, showing that he is about to put his metaphorical mask back on for the world and pretend being a hero mourning her death, although [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he doesn't care at all, because has no need for her now that she's dying from the curse]]. |
| 95 | * ColorMotif: White. Every single one of his outfits has white in some shape or form, particularly in the form of his gloves, which only drives home his status as a subversion of the PrinceCharming archetype. |
| 96 | * ConspicuousGloves: |
| 97 | ** Not as conspicuous as Elsa's, but he's still the only other character onscreen who always wears them. Much like how Elsa's gloves symbolise how she conceals her true self, Hans's are symbolic of how he hides his true nature beneath an affable and noble exterior. The only instance he removes them is when he is during TheReveal, which symbolises that his darker nature has come to light. |
| 98 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart'', he wears them to hide self-inflicted scars. |
| 99 | * ConsummateLiar: Described by his animator as a "chameleon", he's slippery to the point that fans argue ad infinitum about what his real personality is under all the lies. |
| 100 | * ContrivedCoincidence: Hoping for a chance to gain the throne of some kingdom, Hans visits a royal family he knows nothing about due to their reclusiveness. Before the coronation even starts, he has a MeetCute with Anna, who after years of isolation and neglect is [[ThinksLikeARomanceNovel naive]] and DesperatelyCravesAffection, leaving her vulnerable enough that he is able to get her to accept a marriage proposal that night. Shortly afterward, the queen bails out after revealing her secret ice powers, the princess goes after her, and Hans is given acting command of the kingdom. The next day Anna is wounded in a way he can easily pin on Elsa, giving him all the cover he needs to murder them both and become king. |
| 101 | * CorruptedCharacterCopy: |
| 102 | ** He is obviously based on PrinceCharming of ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'' as well other Creator/{{Disney}} princes like [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Phillip]], [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 Eric]], etc. But instead of being a genuine NiceGuy who falls in love with Anna, he's a crafty, ManipulativeBastard who cruelly deconstructs the LoveAtFirstSight trope by exploiting her vulnerability to get a shot at the throne and kill her sister Elsa. He is also a [[TruthInTelevision reality check]] by subverting the idealistic qualities of the dashing prince archetype and reflecting how truly [[TheEvilPrince corrupt]] most UsefulNotes/{{Europe}}an royals of that era actually were given that he was conditioned by his abusive family to seek [[MightMakesRight power and entitlement]] from childhood. |
| 103 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart''. Minus the lack of pyrokinesis, he has a backstory similar to [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Prince Zuko]]: Both are the sons of sociopathic despots who openly abused them emotionally and physically while showing favoritism to their siblings for being more competent and loyal, both of them have a mother in an AwfulWeddedLife that they genuinely care for, both have have one relative who served as a confidant (Iroh for Zuko, Lars for Hans), and both of them don't want to do harm yet want to prove themselves to their fathers. But whereas Zuko was a teenager who had his uncle as a ParentalSubstitute to be a positive influence and would pull off a HeelFaceTurn upon realizing his father is a terrible man, Hans is a grown adult who embraced cruelty to the point of caring only for power and respect as a means of earning his father's love while lacking a positive influence of his own. |
| 104 | * TheCynic: In ''A Frozen Heart''. His [[FreudianExcuse upbringing]] made him think LoveIsAWeakness, so when Anna and Elsa reconcile with each other, it leaves him shocked. |
| 105 | * DarkAndTroubledPast: One of the first things he says when asked about his family is that three of his brothers pretended he was invisible for two years and even tries to downplay it as "what brothers do", suggesting the rest of his relationships with his family aren't much better. Jennifer Lee has confirmed he grew up without love. |
| 106 | ** ''A Frozen Heart'' [[SchrodingersCanon delves into his background]] much further, and it's ''not'' good. Except for his mother and Lars, who treat him with kindness, Hans is abused and ignored by his family. |
| 107 | ** The ''Frozen'' portion in the comic compilation ''Disney Storied Places'' has him barely getting to eat at mealtime because his older brothers get there first. |
| 108 | * DarkReprise: On a score-related note, his leitmotif plays again with a more sinister tone after he reveals his true colors. |
| 109 | * DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: The adaptation ''A Frozen Heart'' deconstructs the PrinceCharmless archetype thru him, showing how growing up in an abusive family corrupts him into a power-hungry man hellbent on seeking personal glory at all costs. It instead causes him to think LoveIsAWeakness. |
| 110 | * DefeatMeansMenialLabor: As shown in ''Frozen Fever'', he is penalized to hard labor for his crimes in Arendelle, which includes shoveling manure in the royal stables. The ''Frozen Ever After'' attraction revealed that people in his home country found it funny when he was knocked into the wagon by the snowball that was accidentally launched by Elsa. |
| 111 | * {{Determinator}}: In ''A Frozen Heart'', this is his FatalFlaw. He's zealously determined to prove his worth to his abusive family regardless of the consequences. There are moments where he [[IgnoredEpiphany realizes he chose the wrong path]], but his stubborn desire to be TheDutifulSon drives him to continue on regardless. |
| 112 | * DespairEventHorizon: In ''A Frozen Heart''. On his mother's birthday, Hans has enough of his father and brothers treating him poorly and leaves, not caring how he'd be punished. While at the pier to calm himself down, Hans accepts that he'll be a "throwaway" prince and remain unmarried for the rest of his life. The day after, he learns from Lars that the reclusive princess of Arendelle is without a suitor. Though reluctant, Hans decides to go for it since [[TemptingFate he has nothing to lose]]. |
| 113 | * DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: In ''A Frozen Heart''. When dancing with Anna and she says he makes her look graceful, he says without thinking that she makes him look happy. He quickly back-pedals and changes the subject before Anna can ask him what he means. |
| 114 | * DidntThinkThisThrough: |
| 115 | ** In the film, he proposes to Anna the same day they meet, not realizing that Elsa won't bless their FourthDateMarriage, which, sure enough, is exactly what happens. |
| 116 | ** ''A Frozen Heart'' also gives him a couple more incidents in addition to the above. Because of his do-whatever-it-takes-to-get-my-goal attitude, he never thinks or considers the possibility of things going wrong. For example: |
| 117 | *** When he decides to talk with his father about going to Arendelle, he forgets the king doesn't like him and considers turning back. But determined to earn his father's respect, he decides he must follow whatever order the king may give, even if it involves violence, so he can earn his father's trust in going to Arendelle. |
| 118 | *** His first instinct coming to Arendelle is to look around the marketplace so he can find Elsa and hopefully start a romance with her, only to realize she doesn't have a suitor yet due to being a reclusive shut-in who avoids people. |
| 119 | *** Instead of accompanying Anna on her journey to find Elsa, he agrees to stay behind in Arendelle to take care of the people so that he can have a chance to be in charge, only to quickly realize when Anna's horse returns that if she died, then no one would be able to convince Elsa to stop her winter. Plus if nobody found Elsa or Anna, he would have to contend with a rebellion in his hands, not to mention derailing his plans. |
| 120 | * DisposableFiance: He and Anna get engaged quickly, but then the story makes it clear that she's really supposed to be with Kristoff... good thing that Hans was EvilAllAlong! This is even lampshaded by one of the trolls in "Fixer Upper": "Get the fiance out of the way and then the whole thing will be fixed!" |
| 121 | * DisappointingOlderSibling: Inverted and zig-zagged in ''A Frozen Heart''. Hans is the youngest of 13 sons, yet he is seen as a let-down by his family. Conversely, Hans and Lars think their oldest brother Caleb is a woefully incompetent ManChild who takes his role as heir with slackness. |
| 122 | * DrivenByEnvy: |
| 123 | ** His envy towards not being able to inherit a kingdom is his motivator to try and usurp Arendelle. |
| 124 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart'', his drive to come into power within a kingdom of his own stems from being overshadowed by his 12 older brothers, [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex causing him]] to [[DudeWheresMyRespect develop self-esteem issues]]. |
| 125 | * DrunkOnMilk: In "Love is an Open Door", when Hans tells Anna he has feelings for her, he says "maybe it's the party talking, or the chocolate fondue." |
| 126 | * DudeWheresMyRespect: In ''A Frozen Heart'', his family thinks low of him because he often fails to meet their cruel standards. This lack of respect eventually becomes the breaking point and drives him to pursue power within another kingdom no matter what to gain the recognition he feels he deserves. |
| 127 | * TheDutifulSon: His ultimate goal in ''A Frozen Heart'' — [[WellDoneSonGuy win the respect of his neglectful family]] regardless of the consequences he faces. |
| 128 | * EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: In ''A Frozen Heart''. For all the wrong he does, he cares for his mother and is implied to be one of the few who still does so. Despite being regularly humiliated by his father and mocked by his brothers, he's willing to attend her birthday. |
| 129 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: In ''A Frozen Heart''. Despite still being a villain in the book, Hans is on good terms with one of his brothers, Lars, who is the only one to not abuse him and have a meaningful conversation with him. He also genuinely cares for his mother. |
| 130 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: |
| 131 | ** Averted in the film. He shows no moral qualms with his murder plans, and whenever he seems to object to something, his objection (or show of apparent objection) benefits him. |
| 132 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart'', Hans does have some morals despite not attempting to excuse his general sociopathic villainy from the film: |
| 133 | *** Aware of the tyranny he saw in his father back home and secretly hating his job as the king's errand boy, he prefers to manipulate people but use force as a last resort if things go south. He also hates oppressing the common people and prefers to treat them with kindness, [[PragmaticVillainy even though it is mostly to further his own goals]]. |
| 134 | *** Subverted in the 2nd example. While he hates how his father and brothers ill-treat their wives, he comes off as a hypocrite for the cruel way he treats Anna [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness once he no longer thinks it's useful to manipulate her]]. |
| 135 | * EvilAllAlong: You'll be ''very'' surprised when you find out he's the true villain of the movie, considering how he's first presented as a supporting character and a potential love interest for Anna. Hans is that rare Disney villain whose true nature casts a very dark pallor over all of the supposedly altruistic and benevolent deeds he had done prior to TheReveal, when it becomes apparent that he had been planning to murder our heroes and usurp the kingdom ''right from the start''. "Love is an Open Door"? Hollow lies. His charitable deeds for the people while Anna is gone? [[VillainWithGoodPublicity Calculated to make his rise to power easier.]] His drive to keep Anna safe? A mask of concern, casually discarded when he realizes he can no longer use her: it's safe to ''let her die.'' |
| 136 | * EvilCannotComprehendGood: |
| 137 | ** In the film, he calls Anna "dumb" for going after Elsa in the first place, showing he never understood Anna's unconditional love for her sister. He becomes even more perplexed when Anna survives the frozen heart curse. Realizing he saw her as a mere pawn in a nasty game of political chess, Anna's rebuttal to Hans even nails it: since he only cared about seeking power, he truly is incapable of loving anyone in his metaphorically "frozen" heart. A JustifiedTrope because he's had a rough and loveless childhood. |
| 138 | ** ''A Frozen Heart'' justifies and expands on this by showing his perspective on love being skewered by his family, who taught him to believe LoveIsAWeakness. Upon noticing how Elsa reacts to Anna's supposed death at her own hands, he thinks it makes her look weak. |
| 139 | * EvilCannotStandCuteness: In ''A Frozen Heart''. Before he's deported to the Southern Isles, he feels unsettled witnessing the Great Thaw. Heck, he even finds it confusing to see Anna reconciling with her sister, the sound of children laughing, and trees blooming. |
| 140 | * EvilCounterpart: |
| 141 | ** To Anna and Elsa. His [[MeaningfulName name]], which means "God is gracious", reflects his role as a mirror toward Elsa (whose own name has the meaning "God's oath") and Anna (whose name means "gracious"), and unlike the two of them, he became both ruthless and cruel. This is fleshed out a bit more thoroughly in ''A Frozen Heart'' as some of his thoughts indicate that he even plans to rub his achievements in his brothers' faces rather than reconciliation if he did win. |
| 142 | *** With Anna, he even has a physical resemblance to her. He also grew up feeling invisible and rejected by his older siblings. But Anna always remained kind and never gave up on Elsa even when she [[NotEvilJustMisunderstood cursed the kingdom and appeared to do so purposely]]. By contrast, Hans became greedy and malicious. Despite [[SuccessfulSiblingSyndrome her insecurities]] on how she compares to her older sister, Anna [[TheCreon rejects the opportunity to overthrow Elsa]] in favor of trying to help her sister despite the odds. By contrast, Hans thinks he ''needs'' a throne and tries to take it by force, even if it means going out of his way to kill Elsa. Anna also patches up with the sibling who pushed her out, but Hans remains estranged with his brothers. |
| 143 | *** With Elsa, he hides much of himself, [[ArcSymbol symbolized]] by their shared habit of [[ClothingReflectsPersonality gloves]], and both are also guilty of pushing Anna away when she needed their support and affection the most. [[DramaticIrony However, Elsa does indeed love Anna and her pushing Anna away was out of a misguided attempt to deal with her powers but failed to properly explain her actions]] while Hans has no real love for Anna, merely sees her as a pawn in his own plans, and explains his actions in the most hurtful way possible. |
| 144 | ** He is also this to Kristoff to a lesser extent. While both are set up as Anna's LoveInterest, Kristoff is a NiceGuy despite his initial appearance as a detached misanthrope. Hans [[BaitTheDog is built up as someone]] who cares for others, but is actually a two-timing, duplicitous man. |
| 145 | * EvilGloating: During his MotiveRant to Anna, he reveals his plot to marry her, kill Elsa, and become king of Arendelle through ascension, verbally abusing her in the process. He knew that he would never be able to rule the Southern Isles due to being the 13th son, so he sought to rule somewhere else. He subsequently announces that his next move is to kill Elsa and restore summer, making him a [[VillainWithGoodPublicity hero in the eyes of Arendelle's citizens]]. |
| 146 | * EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: Of the "sick sense of humor" variety. After TheReveal, he cruelly mocks Anna for being so desperate for love that she agreed to marry him "just like that", which made his plan that much easier. |
| 147 | * EvilPlan: Seize control of Arendelle by his calculated plot to marry Anna, kill Elsa, and become king of Arendelle through ascension. |
| 148 | * EvilPrince: He is most certainly evil, but unlike most examples of this trope, it's not his own kingdom he's trying to kill the rightful heirs to and usurp, as he has twelve older brothers and it would be too much trouble for him to get all of them out without casting suspicion onto himself. |
| 149 | * EvilRedhead: Has auburn hair and he turns out to be the villain. |
| 150 | * EvilVirtues: This is combined with PragmaticVillainy in some cases. He is nice to Anna [[NiceToTheWaiter even before she introduces herself as the local princess]], hands out supplies to the common folk, opens the castle to give them warmth and shelter, and stops Elsa from killing two of the Duke's guards, even if these may all be part of his plan to become a beloved King. |
| 151 | * EvilVersusEvil: With the Duke of Weselton, but it's largely downplayed since both never really know about each others' plans until the end and any fighting they do is minor. However, it's clear they don't really like one another, and each attempts to backstab the other. |
| 152 | * EvilWearsBlack: Subverted. In order to throw off the audience, he wears light colors while the other characters wear darker colors. |
| 153 | * ExactlyWhatIAimedAt: He redirects a crossbow one of the Duke's henchmen aimed at Elsa towards the ceiling... and the arrow breaks off a chandelier that falls on her, knocking her out. Rewatching with knowledge of TheReveal, in a combination of RewatchBonus and FreezeFrameBonus, a shot of him looking up at the chandelier before redirecting the crossbow becomes more noticeable. It seems that hitting the chandelier is intentional on his part: he wants to make Elsa's death look like an accident while [[VillainWithGoodPublicity giving the impression that he tried to save her and failed]]. |
| 154 | * ExactWords: |
| 155 | ** "I would never shut you out." Now, shutting her ''in''... |
| 156 | ** A lot of the stuff he says while seducing Anna is actually true, just reliant on [[MetaphoricallyTrue double meanings]] that do not become apparent until his true nature is revealed. |
| 157 | --->'''Hans:''' I've been searching my whole life to find my own place... |
| 158 | * ExtremeDoormat: Starts off as this in ''A Frozen Heart''. By the time he's a young adult, [[DespairEventHorizon he's already given up fighting back]] against his abusive family as he thinks it just makes their physical abuse worse, so he just keeps mum, but even this encourages them, too. His father often saw him as a whiner and [[EvenEvilHasStandards despite his objections]], regularly sent him to do horrific tasks, from beating up dissenters to killing delinquent taxpayers. |
| 159 | * EyeTake: During the song "Love is an Open Door", there's a [[FreezeFrameBonus split-second of hidden confusion]] on his face when Anna completes his line [[FinishingEachOthersSentences "We finish each other's" with the word "sandwiches"]]. He then backpedals and exclaims that's just what [[ExactWords he was going to say]], but for a split-second his facial expression seems to scream "What did she just say?". The expression shows that he is trying to mimic Anna's personality and to put himself further in line with his plan. |
| 160 | * FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: He looks like a typical PrinceCharming, but his handsome appearance belies his evil nature. |
| 161 | * FakeUltimateHero: Downplayed in that he really is willing to do the deeds, but his motives are less noble than he likes to make people think. When Hans spills the beans on his plan, he admits that he was already planning to kill Elsa to become king, and now he plans to kill her and bring back summer so can play the part of "the hero who is going to save Arendelle from destruction", with no one knowing he just wants to kill her to further his own ambition. |
| 162 | * FallenOnHardTimesJob: As shown in ''Frozen Fever'', his family relegated him to [[DefeatMeansMenialLabor menial labor]] for his crimes. |
| 163 | * FalseFriend: He eventually reveals that he simply wanted to get close to Anna in order to marry into the royal family. After learning that Anna is dying and can only be saved by true love, he says his WhamLine. |
| 164 | * FalseReassurance: Right before the song "Love is an Open Door", Hans assures Anna that he won't shut her out like Elsa did. He does the exact opposite at TheReveal by shutting her ''in''. |
| 165 | * FalseSoulmate: Revealed to be this to Anna in the worst way possible. She's initially convinced Hans is her true love, as she's immediately attracted to him and they appear to have a lot in common, but she's actually rushing into the relationship because she's [[DesperatelyCravesAffection desperate to be loved by someone]] and [[LovingAShadow doesn't really know much about him]]. When she asks for a true love's kiss after she's cursed, he instead rubs it in her face, taking advantage of her desire to be loved. |
| 166 | * FatalFlaw: In ''A Frozen Heart'', despite exploiting Anna and Elsa's flaws, he is unaware that his own weakness is [[AmbitionIsEvil ambition]]. He becomes too desperate in getting what he wants [[DidntThinkThisThrough while ignoring the consequences]] when he takes unethical routes. [[IgnoredEpiphany At times, he knows]] what [[DebateAndSwitch he's doing is wrong and even scolds himself]], yet he impulsively goes through it. Being abused by his family for his ineptitude slowly becomes the breaking point and [[WellDoneSonGuy ultimately pushes him into desperately attempting to win his distant family's respect]]. Hans corrupts his own morals while serving as his father's gofer, committing things he once hated. As such, the time he spends prepping up on going to Arendelle is wasted because he can't contain his issues and goes to the extreme of attempting regicide. Only at the end does he have a HeelRealization, but by then, he's in damage control mode as he's being sent back to the same hellhole he wanted to escape from. |
| 167 | * FateWorseThanDeath: |
| 168 | ** Hans has a somewhat pitiable appearance in ''Frozen Fever''. His family condemned him to forced labor, which includes shoveling horse manure. From the brief look at his condition in the Southern Isles, he's in a bleak and unfriendly environment, with the stables alone looking dark and uninviting. |
| 169 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart'', he's panicking when the guards drag him to be shipped back home without even seeing Anna and Elsa one last time. He's begging to be spared, unwilling to return to the hellhole he was desperately trying to escape from in the first place. |
| 170 | * FatherIDontWantToFight: In ''A Frozen Heart''. He initially doesn't live up to the strong masculine image of his father and older brothers, and as a result, he is ill-treated for most of his childhood. Due to the repeated abuse, he believes that if he wants their acceptance, he'll have to adopt their mentality. This is a rare case where the character slowly comes to accept his family's way of thinking. |
| 171 | * FauxAffablyEvil: As part of his status as TheSociopath. Again, he's good enough to fool everybody, including ''the audience''. |
| 172 | * FieryRedhead: {{Inverted|Trope}}. Hans is pretty calm and rational even in high-stress situations. |
| 173 | * FinishingEachOthersSentences: Anna completes his line about how people who are in love finish each other's - sandwiches. Hans [[EyeTake appears baffled for a moment]], but then exclaims that that's just what he was going to say. It's part of his manipulative prowess by trying to get her to marry him as part of his plan to usurp the kingdom. |
| 174 | * FlawExploitation: He's quite good at manipulating people into getting what he wants. |
| 175 | ** Hans gets Elsa to have a HeroicBSOD by telling her that her sister is dead and it's her fault. Then he tries to kill her. |
| 176 | ** He exploits Anna's FatalFlaw of needing affection by faking a romance with her so he can get closer to the throne. |
| 177 | * {{Foil}}: Besides being a foil to Anna and Elsa, he's a foil to the Duke, Kristoff and Olaf as well. |
| 178 | ** To the Duke of Weselton. Hans is a young man who does his plans on his own and is very good at hiding who he really is. The Duke is an elderly man who orders his two henchman to follow his orders, yet he is ''horrible'' at hiding his true intentions. This is taken further in spin-off materials, which often treats Hans as a HateSink. Both are deported from Arendelle for their respective attempts on Elsa's life in the movie, but while the sisters are avoiding [[PersonaNonGrata Hans]], they have had several meetings with the Duke in spin-offs and seem more willing to make peace with him. |
| 179 | ** To Kristoff: |
| 180 | *** While Kristoff was HappilyAdopted by trolls who raised him with love and genuinely cares for Anna, Hans grew up in a human family that neglected him, causing him to become self-centered and fake his romance with Anna. Plus, Kristoff has the warm love of family that Anna needs (and gets after she and Elsa are able to be together), while Hans has the cold family relationship that Anna wouldn't want. Also, as they race back to the castle with Anna freezing because of the curse, Kristoff puts his hat on her head, but Hans doesn't help Anna feel warmer while she's visibly shivering, instead pulling his own jacket tighter to him. |
| 181 | *** While both have animal companions, Sven remains on Kristoff's side to the end, but Sitron runs off during the ice castle siege, leaving the audience to wonder what happened to it. Metaphorically, both animals could serve as Kristoff's and Hans's respective consciences: Kristoff's persona as "Sven" is what often gets him to help others despite his own misanthropy, but Hans rarely interacts with Sitron, representing his utilitarian perspective. |
| 182 | *** Their designs are radically different, with Hans being the traditional slim and average-height Disney hero and Kristoff being very tall, broad-shouldered, and bulky. |
| 183 | ** Olaf the {{Snowlem}} represents the sisterly love between Elsa and Anna, but Hans represents that bond breaking apart, especially when Anna and Hans ask for Elsa's blessing of their FourthDateMarriage. Also, Olaf genuinely cares for his friends, but Hans only cares for himself. |
| 184 | * FreezeFrameBonus: Doubles as RewatchBonus for TheReveal: |
| 185 | ** He looks confused while trying to copy Anna's loopy personality, especially when she completes [[FinishingEachOthersSentences his line about finishing each other's - sandwiches]] and he then falsely agrees with her. |
| 186 | ** He gestures to Arendelle with a sinister smirk while singing about "finding his own place" during the song "Love is an Open Door". |
| 187 | ** When he and Anna announce their engagement to Elsa, he briefly sports an OhCrapSmile after Anna insisted inviting his brothers to the wedding, a sign that he's estranged with them and actually wanted to rub it in their faces. He also looks briefly annoyed when Elsa refuses to give her blessing. |
| 188 | ** As the snow starts falling, he pulls his coat tighter to himself instead of offering it to Anna when she's shivering, another sign of his true nature. |
| 189 | ** During the ice castle siege, there's a glimpse of him looking up at the chandelier before grabbing the crossbow from the Duke's thug. He's trying to [[VillainWithGoodPublicity give the impression]] he wanted to save Elsa while actually killing her in the process. |
| 190 | ** In hindsight, one should closely note that his eyebrows don't budge an inch when he smiles, showing that he's faking it. There are a few times where his expressions are real, like when he's dangling from the stairway after Marshmallow [[TakingYouWithMe tries taking him into the abyss]]. It also ties into the drastic personality changes he demonstrates, such as suddenly perking up when Anna heads off to search for Elsa despite pleading with her not to go out alone. |
| 191 | ** He wears ConspicuousGloves throughout the movie, but doesn't remove them until the climax. As he leaves Anna to die, he puts them back on to keep on with his charade. |
| 192 | * FreudianExcuse: The creators have affirmed that one thing that wasn't a lie was his [[BigBrotherBully older brothers]]' unpleasant treatment of him and how it played a role in him becoming a villain. He even downplays it as [[WorseWithContext "what [they] do"]], implying that he can't comprehend normal familial bonds. By the time he's an adult, he's permanently estranged with his family. |
| 193 | ** The book ''A Frozen Heart'' [[SchrodingersCanon expands upon this]], showing his homeland as a [[CrapsackWorld terrible place]] of MightMakesRight, with his family outright abusing him to the point that it's implied he's a {{selfharm}}er but finding it to be more bearable than the abuse he suffers. He comes to think it's perfectly ''normal'' and even feels less than his brothers. Despite his reluctance to hurt anyone, he starts to use violence against the Southern Isles population as a means to seek his father's approval. By the end of the story, he is a far cry from what he used to be. |
| 194 | ** One scene in the comic compilation ''Disney Storied Places'' that adapts the film has Hans barely getting to eat at mealtime because his older brothers get there first. |
| 195 | ** In the ''Theatre/DisneyOnIce'' adaptation, he nonchalantly comments about his brothers claiming he was a troll they had adopted. |
| 196 | * FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: In ''A Frozen Heart''. Anna, Kristoff, and Elsa [[DramaticIrony are fully unaware of Hans's horrible upbringing]] as he didn't divulge much and don't know if they can trust whatever he talked about it given his dishonesty. [[DiscussedTrope They wonder if it drove his decisions]], but conclude that he should be responsible for his crimes instead of blaming others. |
| 197 | * FreudianSlip: When the Duke asks Anna if she has powers as well, Hans is quick to parrot her when she describes herself as "completely ordinary", only to back-pedal and state he [[BlatantLies means it in the most inoffensive way possible]]. In reality, this foreshadows how he really felt about her. |
| 198 | * FriendlessBackground: He's never known love since childhood and downplays it as [[WorseWithContext "what brothers do."]] By the time he's an adult, he is fully estranged with his family and planned on inviting them over so he could rub his achievements in their faces. It's expanded upon and deconstructed in the spin-off novel ''A Frozen Heart''. While he gets along with Lars and his mother, they're unable to intervene when he needed help. The dysfunction in his family also led him to think LoveIsAWeakness and warped his view on familial relations, choosing to become TheUnfettered after accepting the dirty tasks his father assigns him. Due to this, he never accepts a potential loving relationship even when offered a chance with Anna. |
| 199 | [[/folder]] |
| 200 | |
| 201 | [[folder:G-L]] |
| 202 | * GlorySeeker: |
| 203 | ** He really wants to become king due to being unable to inherit the throne of his own kingdom. |
| 204 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart''. Due to his WellDoneSonGuy issues, he's dedicated to proving his worth to his abusive family by gaining a kingdom of his own and rubbing it in their faces. He takes it to the point of attempted regicide to become king. |
| 205 | * GoldDigger: He arrives in Arendelle for the purpose of ultimately marrying into the royal family so he can rule a kingdom of his own. |
| 206 | * GoodAllAlong: Downplayed and subverted with him in ''A Frozen Heart''. While the book is marketed at readers who already know the plot of ''Frozen'', it starts off with him as a rather decent person [[BlackAndGrayMorality in comparison to his family]]. But as the story progresses, his actions become more questionable before JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope. While his initial plan [[GoldDigger to seduce either Anna or Elsa so that he could marry]] is dishonest at best, it's partly motivated by seeking to permanently leave home and he does legitimately want to do good. By the end of the book though, he goes from selfish with some noble desires to becoming unashamedly cruel. |
| 207 | * GreenEyedMonster: |
| 208 | ** Being last in line for his kingdom's throne, he is both metaphorically and literally green-eyed. It causes him to seek a throne for himself. |
| 209 | ** Expanded upon in ''A Frozen Heart''. He's developed an InferioritySuperiorityComplex, [[SuccessfulSiblingSyndrome feeling less]] than his more prodigious brothers, who are favored more by their father. Hoping to seek a kingdom for himself, he even plans to rub his achievements in his family's faces instead of reconciliation, but the questionable methods he uses ironically contribute to his downfall. |
| 210 | * GrewASpine: Played with in ''A Frozen Heart''. After years spent as his father's gofer, he begins choosing his own path in Arendelle. However, he still chooses this path in pursuit of his obsessive goal of winning his distant father's respect. It ultimately proves to be self-destructive, and he's now in a worse condition than before. |
| 211 | * HatedByAll: After being outed as the villain, [[HateSink he]] is viewed negatively anytime he's mentioned in the franchise. As shown in ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6'' when Baymax's RocketPunch destroys a statue of him, he isn't viewed lightly in ''other Disney films''. |
| 212 | * HateSink: While largely a PlotIrrelevantVillain in a film where the main antagonistic force is fear, he provides the primary target for audience scorn. |
| 213 | ** He psychologically torments and attempts to murder the heroines, complete with BreakThemByTalking monologues in which he [[SmugSnake brags]] about having [[TemptingFate "already"]] gotten away with his EvilPlan. The ending shows nobody having a good opinion of him for what he did: the dignitaries and soldiers clap to see him receive a ShutUpHannibal punch (by Anna, whose forgiving nature is one of her defining qualities, of all characters). The French dignitary even offers to return this "scoundrel" to his kingdom. |
| 214 | ** In ''Frozen II'', he's the butt of jokes during a game of charades the heroes play out. During a round where it's Anna's turn to act out a word, Olaf guesses "Hans," followed by Elsa calling him an "irredeemable monster" and Kristoff calling him "the biggest mistake of your life!" When Anna reveals "villain" was the word she was trying to act out, Olaf comments that he, Elsa, and Kristoff "all kind of got it". Elsa dismissively shatters an ice statue of him at one point. |
| 215 | ** In spin-offs, the heroes dislike him. In ''Literature/FrozenIIAForestOfShadows'', Anna thinks of him as "villainous" and "evil", and in ''[[Literature/AnnaAndElsa The Secret Admirer]]'', he is the only person Olaf loathes. |
| 216 | ** However, the TieInNovel ''A Frozen Heart'' downplays this and portrays him with some sympathetic qualities. It shifts the total HateSink treatment to his BigScrewedUpFamily, particularly his father — whose status as an [[AbusiveParents abusive parent]] who enables his older sons to bully Hans at every opportunity and a [[EvilOverlord totalitarian]] who routinely tortures his subjects for minor reasons provides a foil for the [[EvenEvilHasStandards relatively]] reasonable Hans. |
| 217 | * HeelRealization: |
| 218 | ** Averted in the film. He is never shown questioning himself during his attempts to usurp the kingdom. |
| 219 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart'', there are several moments where he second-guesses his actions, [[IgnoredEpiphany but his desire]] to be TheDutifulSon drives him to continue on. |
| 220 | * HisOwnWorstEnemy: Looking at how he's depicted in ''A Frozen Heart'', he could have sought happiness by getting close to Anna or Elsa, but his desperation to seek his father's approval undermines everything he worked so hard for, being sent back home in disgrace for his coup attempt in Arendelle. |
| 221 | * HotBloodedSideburns: Averted. Hans has impressive sideburns, but he's a cool, calculating sociopath. Perhaps ''Cold-Blooded Sideburns'' would be a better description? |
| 222 | * HumiliationConga: Ever since his betrayal, he gets crapped a lot in the franchise. |
| 223 | ** When Anna sucker-punches him off the boat for his betrayal, everyone claps at the sight. A wooden bucket falls and lands on his head just as he's thrown aboard the brig of a ship. The French dignitary even calls him a scoundrel. |
| 224 | ** In ''Frozen Fever'', he's been [[DefeatMeansMenialLabor condemned to forced labor]] back home and his trademark white suit is dirty as one of his punishments involves shoveling manure at the royal stables. Just then, a sick Elsa accidentally launches a giant snowball, where it pummels him into a wagon full of RoadApples, which causes the nearby horses to laugh at his misfortune. While not appearing in the ''Frozen Ever After'' dark ride attraction itself, a news article mentions that his own countrymen found it funny when the "disgraced" 13th son was covered in muck. |
| 225 | ** Not to him directly in the sequel, but he's the ButtMonkey during a game of charades the heroes play. Elsa even destroys an ice statue of him out of spite. |
| 226 | ** Even in spin-off materials, the heroes view him negatively with Olaf becoming upset when his name is brought up in one book. |
| 227 | * {{Hypocrite}}: |
| 228 | ** When Elsa's powers are revealed, he asks Anna if she can trust her sister. This is the same guy who cons ''everyone'' to think ''he'' is trustworthy. |
| 229 | ** His climatic betrayal is this in ''A Frozen Heart'' because of the [[SchrodingersCanon additional backstory the book gives]]. He was on the receiving end of years of cruel jokes from most of his brothers, making him faking his romance with Anna, somebody who DesperatelyCravesAffection, one nasty prank on her in return. His BreakHerByTalking speech to her becomes this as the book also implies that he hates the way his brothers and father treated their spouses, yet he treats his fiancé cruelly once he no longer thinks it's useful to manipulate her. |
| 230 | * IAmNotMyFather: Subverted in ''A Frozen Heart''. Hans vows not to be like his family, yet his desire to win their respect leads him to adopt the same violent behavior of theirs he had disliked. |
| 231 | * IgnoredEpiphany: ''A Frozen Heart'' depicts several moments where he almost realizes what he's doing is wrong: |
| 232 | ** When he goes to his father's study room hoping to be his gofer, he briefly mulls about turning back. But he then shakes his head, believing that if he wants to earn his father's respect and trust in going to Arendelle, then he'll have to follow his orders, even if it involves violence against their subjects. |
| 233 | ** When he tells Elsa that Anna died because of her and he's about to kill her with his sword, Hans doesn't take his weapon out because he's seeing what he's done to her. He realizes she's in grief over her dead sister and it seems he realizes he's gone too far... but then he shakes his head and decides he shouldn't waste time thinking on what she feels, [[LoveIsAWeakness believing that it makes her weak]]. |
| 234 | ** Also, [[SchrodingersCanon the book portrays him as]] reluctant about hastily proposing a FourthDateMarriage with Anna, wondering if he's rushing it and how his family would react. But then, it is quickly overridden by his single-minded goal to seize control of Arendelle. |
| 235 | * IJustWantToBeLoved: In ''A Frozen Heart'', he wants his family, mostly his father, to treat him with love and respect. |
| 236 | * IJustWantToBeSpecial: |
| 237 | ** He really wants to rule a kingdom because he won't inherit the throne in his own kingdom. |
| 238 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart'', he daydreams about his father loving him. They often involve the king taking him out to hunting, valuing his input during political meetings, naming him heir to the kingdom, and most of all, recognizing him as TheDutifulSon. However, it quickly gets overridden by a desire for power once he gets to try controlling Arendelle. |
| 239 | * InconsistentSpelling: His last name has been spelled as Westerguard, Westergard, and even Westergaard. Given the fact that Jennifer Lee never directly stated in her Tumblr post on the subject how to spell it and didn't correct the poster who asked the question, it can be assumed that Westerguard is meant to be correct. |
| 240 | * IndyPloy: While he prefers XanatosSpeedChess (see below), it reaches this level at Elsa's ice palace. If you look carefully when he knocks away the guard preparing to shoot Elsa, he glances up at the chandelier at the same time he starts moving. |
| 241 | * InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Growing up in the shadow of 12 older brothers, he feels it's better off ruling another country. He's perfectly okay taking any shortcut that will lead him to power. |
| 242 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart'', his FreudianExcuse causes him to feel less than his brothers. It's highly implied his apparent narcissism is just a mask for self-hatred and clinical depression. Hans was once a sensitive and compassionate man (as shown in the novelization, he hates his father for treating their family and subjects like garbage), but began to see himself as inferior due to these perceived "weaknesses", especially next to his more prodigious, ruthless brothers. |
| 243 | * IntentionalHeartbreaker: He [[IWasOnlyPretendingToLikeYou faked loving]] Anna just to get close to the Arendellian throne and even taunts her when he drops the act. It briefly leaves her despondent, but Anna realizes that Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf do care about her. He's confirmed to be a sociopath. |
| 244 | * {{Irony}}: |
| 245 | ** He spends more time in his coronation clothes than his gray coat or the pictured blue shirt and pants, yet that's the only outfit where he's never shown doing anything remotely evil onscreen. |
| 246 | ** Despite asking Anna whether she can trust Elsa and not wanting to see her harmed, he ironically dumps Anna for his selfish ambitions. |
| 247 | ** Despite begging Elsa to not become the monster people fear she may be, he became the monster of Elsa and Anna's story. |
| 248 | ** In the TieInNovel ''A Frozen Heart'': |
| 249 | *** The Situational variety. His original intent is to leave home forever and prove his worth to his family, yet everything he does in pursuit of those goals has the opposite results. He also vows not to use violence willingly and be a brute like his brothers, but he has no qualms using the same tactics when things go south. This is due to [[TheCorrupter his father's toxic influence]], which corrupted his brothers after [[FreudianExcuse they underwent a similar treatment]]. |
| 250 | *** While the film presents him as Anna's first real relationship, [[SchrodingersCanon the book states]] that no women were ever interested in him and it stung him. Anna is really the only girl to ever find him handsome and he does appear to like her just fine, but just like in the film, he has no real love for her and has no problem taunting her for her unreciprocated feelings. So Anna was also his first real relationship as well. |
| 251 | * ItGetsEasier: Deconstructed in ''A Frozen Heart''. He's reluctant to beat up someone who insulted the king, but as time passes, justifying it gets easier, yet his personal life becomes more unstable as he follows the king's orders. By the time he's in Arendelle, he's so desensitized that he resorts to his family's tactics in order to become the king of Arendelle despite having vowed not to use them. |
| 252 | * IThoughtYouWereDead: He is confused on seeing Anna survive the frozen heart curse. Anna bluntly states that he's "the only one with a frozen heart around here," [[TalkToTheFist then sucker-punches him]]. |
| 253 | * ItsAllAboutMe: |
| 254 | ** Justified and deconstructed. As he never bonded with his family in youth, he craves the recognition he felt he deserved and would take any shortcut that will lead him to power. While noticing his reflection through a window, he only sees his own face, which shows that he cares only about himself. He only did charitable acts [[VillainWithGoodPublicity just to build public trust]]. But as pointed out by Anna in her rebuttal to him, he is the only one with a [[TheSociopath "frozen heart."]] His selfishness keeps him from genuinely befriending others. |
| 255 | ** Averted in ''A Frozen Heart'', in which he acts this way to hide his insecurities. |
| 256 | * IveComeTooFar: In ''A Frozen Heart''. When Hans momentarily regrets his actions when he tells Elsa that Anna is dead, he immediately gets over it, as he's already so close to his goal of being free from his father. |
| 257 | * IWantThemAlive: Hans insists that Elsa be taken alive. |
| 258 | * JacobAndEsau: In ''A Frozen Heart''. His father favors his older brothers, who conform to his SocialDarwinist worldview more, while he's implied to be their mother's favorite. |
| 259 | * JadeColoredGlasses: In the [[SchrodingersCanon spin-off]] ''A Frozen Heart'', he starts out as someone who had understanding of compassion and empathy, but the abuse he received at the hands of his family shattered this world-view and he came to adopt his family's [[TheCynic cynical]] mindset. |
| 260 | * {{Jerkass}}: Revealed to be this at the climax of the film. He does, however, show signs of this by angrily threatening to charge the Duke with treason, thus showing that he ''is'' quite ruthless. |
| 261 | * JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: In ''A Frozen Heart''. Once he gets his first taste of real power from controlling Arendelle in Elsa's absence, it corrupts his mind, driving him to dehumanize everyone else, manipulate others, and cling onto power at all costs. |
| 262 | * JustBetweenYouAndMe: He tells Anna of his EvilPlan to leave her to freeze to death while he executes Elsa in public. This way, he will be seen [[VillainWithGoodPublicity as the hero who saved Arendelle]] from [[HeroWithBadPublicity a tyrant who brought eternal winter and killed her own sister]] from a PR standpoint. Then, he can rule the kingdom with both sisters out of commission. It's implied he pulled this because he thought that it would [[HeroicBSOD break Anna]] and the despair would speed up the freezing process. |
| 263 | * KnightInShiningArmor: The people are suffering from cold? Organize the guards to pass out soup and blankets. The princess went on a mission to save the kingdom and her sister, but her horse came back alone? Organize a team to find her. There's a sorceress at the root of the cold? Have her arrested. All ForGreatJustice! It's implied that he's invoking this to make his takeover more stable. |
| 264 | * LackOfEmpathy: |
| 265 | ** Callously dumping Anna to her death (and telling her that he didn't love her) and telling Elsa that she was responsible for Anna's death are indicators that he disregards the wellbeing of others. As lampshaded by Anna, he's the only one with a "frozen heart". The creators have stated that he is indeed a sociopath. |
| 266 | ** Initially averted in the beginning of ''A Frozen Heart'' and deconstructed — he was sympathetic to his mother (being married to an uncaring man who encouraged cruelty in his sons), the citizens of the Southern Isles (as his father is a corrupt tyrant), Caleb's wife (who's married to a man who takes advantage of being [[ParentalFavoritism the king's favorite son]] and pays no attention to her pregnancy) and, surprisingly enough, to the people of Arendelle (for losing their king and queen). But he becomes increasingly callous and villainous as the book goes on, developing the frozen heart he was accused of having in the movie. |
| 267 | * LanternJawOfJustice: Subverted. He possesses a big jaw, but actually fakes being heroic. The good deeds [[PragmaticVillainy he does]] are done to make his takeover more stable. |
| 268 | * LightIsNotGood: He is a prince with lighter clothing and the outfit he wears at the dance is white and gold, but he's actually a frozen-hearted GoldDigger. |
| 269 | * LikeFatherUnlikeSon: Subverted in ''A Frozen Heart''. As things go by and he becomes desperate, Hans ends up becoming the same as his violent family despite his initial desire to not be like them. |
| 270 | * {{Leitmotif}}: He has his own distinct theme that plays while wooing Anna. It's especially noticeable when he pulls in for the kiss. After the betrayal, his theme takes a more darker and ominous tone. |
| 271 | * LonelyRichKid: In ''A Frozen Heart''. Behind his FreudianExcuse, he has very few people who care for him due to his father, which hurt him when he was younger. Before going through errands for his father and going on his life-changing trip, he legitimately wanted to meet someone and hoped that Arendelle would end his loneliness. This quickly gets overridden by a desire to earn his father's respect no matter the cost. |
| 272 | * LoveInterestTraitor: He pretends to fall in LoveAtFirstSight with Anna, but turns out to be a {{Gold digg|er}}ing [[TheSociopath sociopath]]. |
| 273 | * LoveIsAWeakness: |
| 274 | ** During his reveal, he mocks Anna for being "[[LoveMakesYouDumb dumb enough]]" to go after Elsa and be so desperate for love by willingly agreeing to marry him "[[DidYouActuallyBelieve just like that]]". |
| 275 | ** Deconstructed in ''A Frozen Heart''. Growing up in a DysfunctionalFamily, he's never known real love due to the harsh upbringing that encouraged SocialDarwinism and comes to the conclusion that love weakens a person. When Elsa grieves over Anna, he thinks it makes her cowardly. |
| 276 | [[/folder]] |
| 277 | |
| 278 | [[folder:M-R]] |
| 279 | * MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: His plan for Elsa in order to take the throne. There's also the previously mentioned incident with the chandelier. ''A Frozen Heart'' [[SchrodingersCanon suggests]] that he wasn't actively trying to kill her, but wasn't against it if it ended up looking like a failed attempt to save her. |
| 280 | * ManipulativeBastard: |
| 281 | ** He's very good at consciously mirroring people to push them where he needs them to go in a calculated manner. When he notices how naïve Anna is, he plays that up to seduce her. He helps the kingdom to gain their trust, and when Anna reveals that she's dying, he says that she's dead just to rally support in killing Elsa. His noble demeanor masks his real intent. It's no wonder that by the time he reveals his betrayal, he's just ''inches'' away from winning. |
| 282 | ** Deconstructed in ''A Frozen Heart''. To him, the ends justify the means and LoveIsAWeakness that can be easily exploited [[FreudianExcuse due to his dark upbringing]]. He plays a long game, planning his marriage to Elsa for years, but when Anna seems to be the easy path in getting what he wants, he changes gears. He doesn't hesitate to lie and bribe, and starts to dehumanize Elsa so she is viewed as a monster and so that no one questions it when he kills her, and he does everything he can to play into that narrative. He isn't hesitant to use violence if others can be easily manipulated. But once Anna sees through his lies, she states that he is the only person with a "frozen heart." |
| 283 | * ManlyTears: He invokes this when he announces his marriage to Anna followed immediately by her death, deliberately omitting that he did all he could to finish her off. ''A Frozen Heart'' reveals that he bit the inside of his cheek to create the tears as part of manipulating the other dignitaries to have Elsa killed off. |
| 284 | * MassiveNumberedSiblings: Growing up in the shadow of 12 distant older brothers is [[FreudianExcuse what darkened him]]. |
| 285 | * MasterActor: He mirrors his persona towards the person he's talking to [[ManipulativeBastard in a calculated manner]]. The creators even compared him to a [[AnimalMotifs chameleon]], and he's partially based on the concept of the Mirror in the [[Literature/TheSnowQueen original tale]]. He's so effective that many fans still think he has a secret twin or was {{brainwashed}} by the trolls at times, although these theories have been jossed. In hindsight, while there are a few times where his facial expressions are real, one should closely note that his eyebrows rarely budge an inch. The sudden changes in personality allude to his nature compared to the other characters. |
| 286 | * MasterSwordsman: He displays great skill in the use of a sword, having sliced Marshmallow's left leg in one clean swipe. Even for someone who would very likely never see combat, his military regimen and training as a naval officer included extensive knowledge and practice on swordsmanship, something which shaped up his body. |
| 287 | * MeaningfulName: |
| 288 | ** His name is derived from Creator/HansChristianAndersen, and he is in a film inspired by a tale by the same author. |
| 289 | ** His name is a derivative of the name "Johannes" in Northern-European languages (the English counterpart is "John"). The name means "God is gracious", reflecting his role as a mirror; he's functioning as one toward all the characters he interacts with, but particularly toward Elsa (whose own name has the meaning "God's oath") and Anna (whose own name has the meaning "graciousness"). Not only does his mirroring of his targets work as part of his manipulation, he also plays the thematic role of a [[EvilCounterpart dark version]] of each of the two sisters. Like Elsa, he hides much of himself, [[ArcSymbol symbolized]] by their shared habit of [[ClothingReflectsPersonality wearing gloves]], and like Anna, he also grew up in the shadow of older siblings. However, unlike the two of them, he became ruthless and cruel. |
| 290 | * MommasBoy: In ''A Frozen Heart''. Hans is one of the few people who still cares for his mother, while his father claims that when Hans was late for her birthday, she'd be the only one to notice his absence. That being said, while she does love Hans, she's too weak-willed to stand up to her husband and older sons, and could only show him a smile in her son's presence. Some of his brothers (especially Rudi and Runo) even ridicule him for being a momma's boy and resent him for being their mother's favorite. |
| 291 | * MoralityPet: In ''A Frozen Heart'', he genuinely gets along with Lars and his mother. Even as he gets desperate in trying to control Arendelle, he still cares for Sitron, his horse. |
| 292 | * MoralSociopathy: He has no qualms about seducing a princess or murdering a queen, but he also does everything he can to keep the people of Arendelle safe. |
| 293 | * MoralMyopia: In ''A Frozen Heart'', he hates the way his family treats him and their wives, but he has no problem tormenting his fiancé [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness when he no longer sees the need to manipulate her]]. |
| 294 | * MotiveRant: During TheReveal, Hans reveals his plot to marry Anna, kill Elsa, and become king of Arendelle through ascension, verbally abusing Anna in the process by [[AlwaysSecondBest telling her that her sister "is preferable, of course"]]. He says he feigned interest in her because he wanted to get closer to the throne through marriage, and Elsa was too reclusive to romance while Anna was vulnerable due to her [[DesperatelyCravesAffection abandonment issues]]. |
| 295 | * {{Narcissist}}: |
| 296 | ** It appears that Hans is this during TheReveal, envisioning himself as "the hero who [saved] Arendelle from destruction". As he's estranged with his brothers, he not only craves the power he felt he deserves, he wants to [[WhosLaughingNow show his brothers that he's the one now in charge]] and rub it in their faces instead of reconciling with them. |
| 297 | ** Averted in ''A Frozen Heart'', in which he perceives himself as a loser and hides his insecurities by acting this way. |
| 298 | * NervesOfSteel: Hans is a pretty competent fighter, has no issue with facing down danger and even is the one to defeat Marshmallow. |
| 299 | * NiceGuy: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted.]] He is kind, generous, and always speaking politely to both Anna and Elsa. [[BitchInSheepsClothing It's all an act.]] In ''A Frozen Heart'', [[UsedToBeASweetKid it starts off genuine]]. |
| 300 | * NiceToTheWaiter: Deconstructed. He's nice to a random girl that just ran into his horse, making sure she's okay and even walking onto the not-that-stable boat to help her up — and that's ''before'' he learns that she's Princess Anna. He also doesn't hesitate to hand out supplies and let the public into the palace to keep them warm. Of course, it just shows how dedicated he is to being a VillainWithGoodPublicity. |
| 301 | * NobleMaleRoguishMale: Inverted. He masks his [[TheUnfettered true self]] behind a noble persona, while Kristoff's gruff exterior hides his inner kindness and goodness. |
| 302 | * NoBodyLeftBehind: A rare and strange non-fatal example: Hans is knocked out when he breaks his sword on the newly frozen Anna's hand, but is not visible in the wide-ish angle shots afterward. However, once Elsa thaws Arendelle, he regains consciousness and reappears on the ship's deck. Maybe he slid on his butt a few feet? |
| 303 | * NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Some commentators have noted how Hans bears a certain resemblance to Jerome Bonaparte, the youngest brother of UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte and the King of Westphalia. |
| 304 | * NoSongForTheWicked: [[ZigzaggingTrope Zigzagged]]. When still playing the role of RomanticFalseLead, Hans has the duet "Love Is An Open Door" with Anna, with many of his lyrics having subtle hidden meanings that hint at his true nature. Following this, Hans has no individual musical number of his own, and after being revealed as the film's true antagonist, doesn't get to sing a VillainSong. |
| 305 | * NotSoAboveItAll: |
| 306 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart''. For all his distaste for the evils of his father and brothers, when left alone and feeling desperate, Hans is revealed to be just as willing to be as underhanded as they are. |
| 307 | ** PlayedForLaughs in his introduction. When he knocks into Anna and believes she's Elsa, the woman he came to woo into marrying him, he acts like a proper gentleman. When Sitron causes the boat they're standing on to tip and forces Hans to catch her, and later falls with her on top of him, he's momentarily flustered and appears genuinely embarrassed to be in a compromising position with who he thinks is going to be queen of Arendelle. |
| 308 | * NoYou: |
| 309 | ** His comeback to Anna telling him he can't take out Elsa. |
| 310 | --->'''Anna:''' You're no match for Elsa.\ |
| 311 | '''Hans:''' No, ''you're'' no match for Elsa. |
| 312 | ** [[IfOnlyYouKnew Ironically, he's right about himself being able to take on Elsa]], and is able to ''almost'' succeed in killing the super-powerful Snow Queen [[ManipulativeBastard due to his willingness and ability to subdue]] Elsa by attacking her [[BreakHerByTalking psychologically]]... only for Anna [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower to prove that she's more than a match for both of them]] with an ActOfTrueLove that saves both Elsa from Hans and Anna from Elsa's [[PowerIncontinence accidentally-cast curse]]. This leads to him later being on the receiving end of this trope when he expresses surprise at Anna's survival, pointing out that Elsa froze Anna's heart. Anna rebuts this by telling him that he's the only one around with [[TheSociopath a metaphorical "frozen heart"]], having realized that because he never cared for others and always acted in pure self-interest, he ''truly'' has no love for anybody in his icy-cold heart. |
| 313 | * ObviousVillainSecretVillain: [[RedHerring The Duke is set up to be the main antagonist]], but the real villain turned out to be Hans, who faked his romance with Anna so he can usurp the Arendellian throne. |
| 314 | * OhCrap: His little "Uh-oh" happens when his horse Sitron accidentally lets go of the boat he is standing on and causes him to fall into the fjord and get soaked. |
| 315 | ** In ''Frozen Fever'', his [[FreezeFrameBonus reaction]] is one of [[http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/38700000/Hans-frozen-fever-38752197-720-320.png being spooked out]] just as he gets pummeled into the wagon full of RoadApples by the giant snowball. The nearby horses laugh at his misfortune. |
| 316 | * OhCrapSmile: Hans [[FreezeFrameBonus very briefly]] makes one of these when he and Anna are announcing their engagement to Elsa after Anna declares she wants to invite his entire family to the wedding, alluding to the poor relationship he has with with brothers. |
| 317 | * OpportunisticBastard: By his own admission, Hans developed his scheme as he went along. At first, he plans on marrying Elsa to get the throne, but settles on Anna after Elsa turns out to be closed-off to forming new relationships. Next, he tries to murder Anna and just take over the kingdom directly. He always takes the path that will benefit him the most, as quickly as possible. |
| 318 | * PeerPressureMakesYouEvil: In ''A Frozen Heart''. He's often ignored by his father for his lack of assertiveness against his brothers. As a result, he decides that if he wants his family's acceptance, then he'll have to mirror their behavior and follow whatever orders they give. |
| 319 | * PetTheDog: While likely part of his NiceGuy act, he's the one who calms Kjekk, Anna's horse, upon returning before figuring out her absence meant something happened to her. |
| 320 | * PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes: The Polite Villain to Kristoff's Rude Hero. Even after TheReveal, Hans is still smooth, charming, and well-dressed in contrast to Kristoff, who is the snarky, impolite, and sometimes insensitive {{Tritagonist}} of the film. |
| 321 | * PlayingBothSides: Does this in the conflict between Anna and the Duke. He puts them both in situations where they feel they need to work with him. He almost wins. |
| 322 | * PlotIrrelevantVillain: His plot to take over Arendelle is largely unconnected from the actual main conflict of the film, which is driven by the sisters' separation. While Elsa's outburst is caused by an argument she has with Anna about him, he spends most of his screentime discreetly taking advantage of the circumstances rather than directly contributing to them. After TheReveal, he mainly exists so that Anna can protect Elsa from him as her ActOfTrueLove. |
| 323 | * PragmaticVillainy: He is generally motivated by what will benefit him most. During the winter, he gives blankets and food to the villagers in order to appear benevolent and generous, allowing the people to more easily accept him once he takes over the kingdom. In front of the other soldiers, he dissuades Elsa from killing the Duke's men and then prevents one of them from killing her, in order not to damage his VillainWithGoodPublicity standing. When Anna returns with her heart frozen by Elsa, Hans uses this to brand Elsa as a murderer in order to justify her execution. |
| 324 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart'': As his father is a cruel tyrant and abusive parent, Hans knows it's better off [[VillainWithGoodPublicity having a happy kingdom]] even if he himself is two-faced. |
| 325 | * PrimaryColorChampion: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted.]] He wears a red scarf to match the blue clothing under his white coat, which has golden accents, and appears to be a heroic character, but turns out to be villainous. |
| 326 | * PrinceCharming: He invokes this trope to appeal to Anna and the people of Arendelle to [[VillainWithGoodPublicity have good PR]] so his takeover of Arendelle would be more stable. In truth, he is [[PrinceCharmless anything but charming]]. He subverts the classical Disney Prince by using his charm and seemingly heroic acts to easily take power. |
| 327 | * PrinceCharmingWannabe: Anna thinks he's her OneTrueLove, but he's actually a power-hungry and manipulative sleazeball. |
| 328 | * PrinceCharmless: |
| 329 | ** What he turns out to be at the end, subverting the classical Disney PrinceCharming. Behind his various facades, he's an arrogant man who fakes his romance with Anna so he can seize the throne. |
| 330 | ** Deconstructed in ''A Frozen Heart'', exploring how growing up in an abusive royal family slowly turned him into [[TheCynic a cynical man]] who thinks LoveIsAWeakness. |
| 331 | * PsychoticSmirk: He gives Anna a particularly unsettling one when he reveals that he's not the PrinceCharming she thought him to be. |
| 332 | * PutOnAPrisonBus: At the end of ''Frozen'', he is imprisoned aboard the brig of a ship before being deported back home. |
| 333 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: |
| 334 | ** Despite being a ManipulativeBastard intent on murder and usurpation, and while some of it may have been an act, his brief regency while the sisters are away seems fair enough. He keeps the castle's gates open, opens up a soup kitchen in the castle, personally passes out blankets to the locals, and even defends Elsa from the accusations of the Duke of Weselton, a high-ranking official from a neighboring kingdom with designs on dominating Arendelle's economy. |
| 335 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart'', he's sincerely committed [[GlorySeeker to proving his greatness]] by transforming Arendelle from a backwater country into a powerhouse capable of warding off external threats. As his father is a brutal tyrant, he's also determined to rule with kindness. Despite these noble intentions, his intense desire to become king drives him to use questionable methods to get the throne. |
| 336 | * TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: |
| 337 | ** Upon revealing his true nature to Anna, he mocks her for being so desperate for love that she agreed to marry him "just like that", which made his plan that much easier, and for being "dumb enough" to go on a journey to help Elsa. |
| 338 | ** Anna later rebuts him when he asked how she survived the icy heart curse by telling him that he's the only one with a metaphorical "frozen" heart, then sucker-punches him. |
| 339 | * ReplacementGoldfish: Downplayed, exploited and subverted. After years of isolation and Elsa [[BreakHerHeartToSaveHer appearing uninterested in maintaining their formerly-close relationship]], Anna is fully willing to marry him immediately as she believes that he can fill the void left behind in her heart and replace Elsa as the most precious person in her life. Which makes his betrayal hurt even more as her [[SubvertedTrope supposed true love doesn't really love Anna at all]] and [[ExploitedTrope only uses her for his own goals]]. |
| 340 | * TheResenter: He hates being 13th in line to inherit his kingdom's throne. ''A Frozen Heart'' shows that after marrying Anna, he even planned to invite his family over to Arendelle just so he can rub it in their faces. |
| 341 | * RichesToRags: In ''Frozen Fever'', he was penalized to hard labor by his family, which includes cleaning horse poop in the royal stables. |
| 342 | * RichSuitorPoorSuitor: The suave, wealthy, royal rich suitor to Kristoff's unglamorous, working-class poor. |
| 343 | * TheRichWantToBeRicher: He's already rich due to his status as a prince, but wants to become the ruler of a kingdom by any means possible as he's the SpareToTheThrone back home and it's practically impossible to get away with overthrowing ''twelve'' older brothers. |
| 344 | * RomanticFalseLead: He's presented as being Anna's soulmate early on — then we meet Kristoff. Hans is also, you know, evil. |
| 345 | * RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Say what you want about him or his morals, he's very good at keeping the lid on things once Elsa bails out and Anna goes after her, running the kingdom for the sisters in their absence. Of course, he's a villainous example of the trope, but from what we're shown, he appears to be quite good at the job and at convincing the other characters that he's a good leader. |
| 346 | * TheRuntAtTheEnd: |
| 347 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart''. At times, Hans does acknowledge that he's the BlackSheep of the Westergaard clan. To escape from his grimy reality, he often fantasizes a world where he's appreciated by his family, but they often end with him realizing he'll never be loved. [[SelfDeprecation He even self-deprecates and downplays]] about his low status in the familial pecking order, but only Lars knows the reality behind it. |
| 348 | ** The ''Frozen'' portion in the comic compilation ''Disney Storied Places'' has him barely getting to eat at mealtime because his older brothers get there first. |
| 349 | [[/folder]] |
| 350 | |
| 351 | [[folder:S-Y]] |
| 352 | * SelectiveObliviousness: In ''A Frozen Heart''. He ignores any indication that Elsa is not the "monster" he imagines her as. Any moment he starts to pity her, he immediately attempts to rationalize why he shouldn't. |
| 353 | * SelfDeprecation: In ''A Frozen Heart''. He makes SelfDeprecatingHumor about how he's TheRuntAtTheEnd who's often neglected and tries to brush it off, but only Lars knew the reality behind these jokes. |
| 354 | * SelfHarm: In ''A Frozen Heart''. When forced to be in the company of his abusive family during one scene, he finds the physical pain of rubbing his fingers along the splinters of an old table "oddly pleasant" compared to the psychological kind they heap on him regularly. |
| 355 | * SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: |
| 356 | ** Sensitive guy to Kristoff's manly man. [[SubvertedTrope Switched around]] with TheReveal that Hans is actually anything but sensitive. |
| 357 | ** Played with in ''A Frozen Heart'', in which Hans UsedToBeASweetKid who opposed his family's violence towards their subjects, but years of abuse and working as the king's errand boy slowly hardened him. |
| 358 | * SettleForSibling: Hans initially planned to marry Elsa and only decided to court her sister Anna after realizing Elsa wasn't an option. |
| 359 | * SevenDeadlySins: He demonstrates these throughout the film. |
| 360 | ** Pride: He wants to become the ruler of any country via shortcuts. During TheReveal, he even smugly tells Anna that nobody loved her and that he'll get away with his plans. |
| 361 | ** Gluttony: Going by the Biblical definition, he's SpareToTheThrone of his kingdom, but [[TheRichWantToBeRicher wants to rise]] over his current status by any means possible. |
| 362 | ** Greed: He's a power-hungry backstabber. Why would he care about familial or romantic relations when he's chasing a kingdom? |
| 363 | ** Envy: Grew up resenting 12 older brothers, all of whom are more successful than he is. His pursuit of power masks his ultimate desire to get back at his family, whom he remains estranged. |
| 364 | ** Lust: Has an insatiable desire for power and would do anything to obtain it, including murder and deceit. |
| 365 | ** Sloth: Unlike Anna, who doesn't take advantage of the ice storm Elsa accidentally created as an opportunity to overthrow her, he'll take shortcuts to power, which is how [[GoldDigger he]] exploits Anna's naivete. |
| 366 | ** Wrath: Gets irate when Elsa escapes the prison and chases her in the ice storm. When the Duke whines that he's giving away "tradable goods" and that Anna "may be conspiring with a sorceress," he angrily threatens the man. The Duke stands down. Ultimately, his pursuit of power masks his desire to humiliate his estranged older brothers. |
| 367 | * ShadowArchetype: |
| 368 | ** He embodies [[TheCreon Anna]]'s [[SpareToTheThrone feelings of inadequacy and invisibility]], representing what she could've been if she stopped reconciling with Elsa and sought attention at all costs. They're both ignored by their older siblings, driven and active in pursuing their goals, but Hans thinks LoveIsAWeakness and focuses on his own betterment over others, while Anna makes an effort to find love again and zealously protects her sister. Taken further in the novel ''A Frozen Heart'', in which he plans to rub it in his family's faces rather than reconciliation. |
| 369 | ** He is also this for Elsa, who fears becoming a monster, but is able to keep a grip on herself with the support of her family. While Elsa [[NiceJobBreakingItHero hurts people accidentally and fears doing so]], Hans embraces villainy and has no MoralityPet. Also, while both hide key aspects of who they are, he does so to manipulate others. |
| 370 | ** Inverted with Kristoff, who represents what Hans could have been if he was driven by altruism and a sincere love towards Anna rather than exploiting her via deception and lies. |
| 371 | * SharpDressedMan: Favors a [[TheDandy Beau Brummel]] cut to his suits, admittedly with a different colour palette. It's complete with the PaintedOnPants. But in ''Frozen Fever'', his trademark white suit is dirty, having been condemned to physical work at the royal stables. |
| 372 | * ShoutOut: |
| 373 | ** His name is a reference to the creator of the story that the film is based on: "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Anderson. |
| 374 | ** There's also a homage to Donny Osmond during the song "Love is an Open Door", where Hans closes his eyes and tilts his shoulders and head while belting out a high note under the waterfall. |
| 375 | * SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: Marks him as a person of interest by becoming Anna's first LoveInterest and is also later [[BaitTheDog revealed to be a threat]]. |
| 376 | * SillyRabbitRomanceIsForKids: Deconstructed in ''A Frozen Heart''. Having witnessed the dysfunction within his family, he thinks this is where all relationships end up and believes love is a stupid concept the weak-willed use to cover their flaws. However, as he's never known true love, it also left him [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove clueless]] on what actual happy relationships would be. |
| 377 | * SirNotAppearingInThisTrailer: In the lead-up to the film's release, out of most of the human characters, he was the one who had the least acknowledgment and was only included in the merchandise if it was a set of the full cast. |
| 378 | * SlasherSmile: He has a startlingly menacing smile on his face as he prepares to behead Elsa. |
| 379 | * SlippingIntoStink: In ''Frozen Fever'', a sick Elsa accidentally launches a giant snowball ''all the way'' to the Southern Isles, where it pummels him into a wagon full of RoadApples. |
| 380 | * SmallNameBigEgo: Is quite smug about his ability to pull off his plans to the point that he declares them a success ''before'' they're actually finished. |
| 381 | * SmugSnake: He's a power-hungry and egotistical scumbag that feels the need to gloat about his evil plan to Anna while she's slowly dying. At TheReveal, Anna says "You won't get away with this!" as he is about to leave her to die. His response? "I already have." This ultimately leads to his downfall. |
| 382 | * SocialClimber: His whole goal is to become king and he's willing to use underhanded means to do it. In his MotiveRant, he explains his plan was to "marry into the throne somewhere" and that he would kill Elsa to get her out of the way. |
| 383 | * TheSocialDarwinist: Deconstructed in ''A Frozen Heart''. He doesn't start out as one, but his abusive upbringing corrupts him with believing LoveIsAWeakness, and by the end of the novel, he dehumanizes others in his quest for power. He's [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove left baffled]] when Anna asks him for a TrueLovesKiss, on how Elsa reacts to Anna's supposed death, and when both sisters reconcile after years of separation. |
| 384 | * TheSociopath: |
| 385 | ** Played straight in the film. For most of the movie, he seems to be a NiceGuy, but when TheReveal is made, it's just as shocking to the audience as it is to Anna — he's a very accurate depiction of a sociopath for a Disney film. He was actually working to seize control of Arendelle from day one and is willing to kill anyone who gets in his way, [[VillainWithGoodPublicity while looking like a gentle and noble person to the characters]] ''[[BaitTheDog and the audience]]''. Hans reveals that [[ItsAllAboutMe he only ever cared about getting the throne]], and Anna was the easier of the two sisters to seduce. He then explains that now that she's dying, all he needs to do is kill Elsa and become a king, [[SmugSnake smugly thinking he'll get away with it]]. He displays a LackOfEmpathy in his treatment of a dying Anna, psychologically tormenting her. He spends most of the film [[ManipulativeBastard manipulating]] others while displaying a [[FlawExploitation remarkable ability to read and exploit them]] and so effectively [[ConsummateLiar hiding his true personality]] with FauxAffablyEvil charm and faked friendliness that years later, audiences are still debating whether the movie [[BaitTheDog hid the twist]] ''too'' well, is motivated by a drive for more control by becoming a king, becomes engaged to [[AllLovingHeroine Anna]] but shows no emotional reciprocity and is revealed to have been faking his feelings, and displays [[SmugSnake an inflated ego]] during his MotiveRant.\ |
| 386 | Film co-director Jennifer Lee has described Hans as "sociopathic" but also as a "tragic figure", adding to the confusion. She confirmed that he was partially based upon the concept of the Evil Mirror in the original story, as he was tailoring his behavior to ''mirror'' that of whomever he interacts with. To clarify, he acts sweet and goofy towards Anna, a would-be MoralityPet towards Elsa, a ReasonableAuthorityFigure towards the public, and a rude JerkAss towards the Duke. The only time the viewer sees his real persona is a scene where he looks at his own reflection during TheReveal. |
| 387 | ** Averted in ''A Frozen Heart'', an adaption that has [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes people he genuinely cares for]] and portrays him with self-loathing issues, aspects that sociopaths don't have. He also demonstrates interest in being a benevolent ruler, rather than TheCaligula like his father, and [[EvenEvilHasStandards disapproves]] of his father's EvilOverlord tendencies. |
| 388 | * SourOutsideSadInside: In ''A Frozen Heart''. It's implied that his cruel behavior is a veneer for a sense of inferiority and clinical depression, picked up from a family with SocialDarwinist attitudes. |
| 389 | * SpareToTheThrone: The youngest of ''thirteen'' princes, giving him a very slim chance at inheriting the throne. Whereas Anna [[TheCreon doesn't take advantage of the snowstorm to depose her sister]], Hans doesn't have any qualms using shortcuts to become king. Ironically, if he had been genuine in his affections for Anna, he likely would have become king anyway, as Elsa abdicates the throne at the end of ''Frozen II''. |
| 390 | * StartingANewLife: In ''A Frozen Heart'', Hans wants to escape and start a new life away from the tyranny of his homeland for good with nobody mocking him. [[ShipperWithAnAgenda Lars]], the only one of Hans's brothers who is aware of this, suggests to Hans that he go to Arendelle, meet Elsa, and get her to fall in love with him. |
| 391 | * StartOfDarkness: In the spin-off ''A Frozen Heart'', he UsedToBeASweetKid who opposed his father's violent regime, but years of abuse and PeerPressureMakesYouEvil corrupt his own morals over time while working as his father's assistant slowly darkens him. |
| 392 | * StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Anna completes the sentence "We finish each other's..." with "sandwiches", and Hans indicates that he has the same thought. [[SubvertedTrope This is part of his manipulative prowess, as he's trying to get Anna to marry him as part of his plan to usurp the kingdom.]] |
| 393 | * StepfordSmiler: |
| 394 | ** In the film, he is a hybrid of the unstable and empty types. His feigned charms hide his true intent of seizing Arendelle and the internal hatred against his brothers. He [[MasterActor mirrors his persona]] towards the person he's talking to [[ManipulativeBastard in a calculated approach]]. The creators even compared him to a [[AnimalMotifs chameleon]]. |
| 395 | ** ''A Frozen Heart'' has him of the depressed and unstable types. The instability in his DysfunctionalFamily and years of neglect all lead him to think LoveIsAWeakness. He even can't comprehend actual happy relationships, casually shrugging off the abuse in his family as [[WorseWithContext "what brothers do."]] |
| 396 | * StressVomit: Subverted in ''A Frozen Heart''. He nearly barfs while giving a account of the tax collection he "conducted" to his father. |
| 397 | * StupidEvil: His betrayal was unnecessary, given that Anna was going to die anyway. All he would have to do is kiss her, and if it didn't work, he could've just claimed that he sincerely believed it was TrueLove. He could also have convinced her to stay in the room willingly while he pretended to get help, actually letting her freeze to death as he went to kill Elsa. But because he decides to be a jerk and to [[EvilGloating gloat about his plans]], Anna ends up escaping the room with Olaf's help, and then exposing his lies and saving Elsa by throwing herself in front of his sword, which gets him arrested and sent back to the Southern Isles in disgrace. |
| 398 | * SuccessfulSiblingSyndrome: He still resents his 12 older brothers, and it's expanded upon in ''A Frozen Heart''. His father often favored his older sons, causing him to develop a desire of getting out of their shadow and seek his distant father's approval at all costs. |
| 399 | * TeethClenchedTeamwork: In ''A Frozen Heart''. He despises working with the Duke and [[MaliciousMisnaming even snidely calls him a "weasel" behind his back]]. The feeling is mutual as they have different ideas in dealing with the eternal winter. |
| 400 | * TenderTomboyishnessFoulFemininity: Gender-flipped. Hans is seeming gentlemanly but is actually a sinister villain while Kristoff is nice under his rugged exterior. |
| 401 | * TheyDiedBecauseOfYou: Tells Elsa about Anna being dead from her curse in order to get her guard down so that he can kill her. It's also the page quote. |
| 402 | * ThisCannotBe: After Elsa manages to finally control her powers and thaw out Anna after being frozen through ThePowerOfLove, Hans is left in disbelief when he sees them both alive and exclaims to Anna, "But... she froze your heart!" |
| 403 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: In ''A Frozen Heart'' and the ''Disney Enchanted Tales'' mobile game, he does indeed like sandwiches. |
| 404 | * TragicDream: In ''A Frozen Heart''. He wants to earn the love and respect of his father. Not only have his actions ruined chances of that happening, but it's implied that his father [[TheSociopath has no love for anyone, not even the sons who are more useful to him]]. Meaning that even if he succeeded, [[AllForNothing he probably still wouldn't have been treated as an equal by his father]]. |
| 405 | * TragicVillain: Per the creators, as a result of [[FreudianExcuse growing up without love]]. |
| 406 | ** Expanded upon in ''A Frozen Heart'', as his family thinks he's a pushover who doesn't know how to fight back even as a young adult and is implied to SelfHarm as well. Some scenes in the book depict him thinking of leaving home for good, yet ends up like the violent family he hated near the end. |
| 407 | * {{Troll}}: Acts like he's going to kiss Anna and save her life, then backs out at the last minute to reveal his true nature. |
| 408 | * TroubledAbuser: He manipulates, psychologically torments, and tries to kill Anna and Elsa, and his ability and motivation to do so is encouraged by his own troubled background. |
| 409 | ** In the movie, he initially bonds with Anna over being ignored and feeling unwanted by their older siblings. He later uses this to try to break her spirit, telling her that there is no one who loves her, [[SuccessfulSiblingSyndrome that she can't "match" her sister]], and that she was "dumb" for trying to help Elsa. He also reveals that he plans to kill Elsa because he believes he ''needs'' to raise his status and get a throne himself, no matter how. |
| 410 | ** In ''A Frozen Heart'', the majority of his family relentlessly torments him and outright teaches him that such behavior is a sign of strength. This leads him to become desperate to gain power at all costs and to believe that LoveIsAWeakness, leading to his own cruel treatment of Anna and Elsa. |
| 411 | * TurnOutLikeHisFather: In ''A Frozen Heart''. Hans tries defying this trope, but his desire to win his father's respect causes him to adopt his family's mindset. |
| 412 | * TykeBomb: In ''A Frozen Heart''. Downplayed, but Hans was raised by [[AbusiveParents an abusive man]] who indoctrinated him and his brothers with SocialDarwinism, and was [[BigBrotherBully endlessly bullied by his older brothers]] for failing to meet his family's harsh standards of ruling their kingdom. To earn their respect, [[WellDoneSonGuy Hans]] decides to become his father's errand boy in the hopes of being recognized as TheDutifulSon. |
| 413 | * TyrantTakesTheHelm: Zigzagged. After Elsa flees the kingdom in panic and Anna goes after her, he is given the authority to take care of the people in Arendelle. Despite his status as an EvilPrince who attempts regicide against the sisters, he proves himself to be a far better ruler[[note]]Examples include giving blankets to citizens, going after Anna when he notices she's missing, and also trying to reason with the former queen and only deciding to execute her when he realizes that she cannot stop the EndlessWinter[[/note]] compared to the Queen of Arendelle, whose first act after the coronation is to accidentally freeze over all of Arendelle and then abandon the kingdom, leaving the populace to suffer. This is expanded upon in ''A Frozen Heart'': due to the tyranny he saw back home, he's determined to be a better king than his father despite his underhanded plans. |
| 414 | * UndercoverWhenAlone: That moment when Hans smiles like he's quite taken with Anna, right after they first met. On the edge of a deserted market in the water under a boat when no one is watching. |
| 415 | * TheUnfavorite: In ''A Frozen Heart''. Despite being seen as a "throwaway" by his entire family except for his mother and Lars, [[WellDoneSonGuy he often dreams about having a loving and caring family, even as an adult]]. His father is implied to really only care about his oldest son due to him being the heir, and Hans is the furthest from that status of ''thirteen'' children. Needless to say, his father does ''not'' treat him well. |
| 416 | * TheUnfettered: |
| 417 | ** Shows no moral qualms in the movie regarding his goal to become king, attempting to gain a throne through manipulation and murder. |
| 418 | ** Deconstructed in ''A Frozen Heart''. Though he starts out as a decent person who opposes his father's brutal regime, his time as the king's gofer and his brothers' constant bullying make him [[LoveIsAWeakness cynical about love]], on top of winning his heartless father's respect. By the end of the story, he's so desensitized in his quest for power that he has no qualms using the methods he hated in order to become the king of Arendelle. |
| 419 | * UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Amusingly, for a guy who was villainous in the first place. Hans comes to Arendelle with a relatively simple plot to marry into the royal family and manipulate his way onto the throne, and ends up causing the royal family to fall apart and the queen to unintentionally plunge the kingdom into eternal winter entirely by accident. This turns out to be almost the best possible situation for him, but for much of the plot he's as nonplussed as anybody — though [[IndyPloy he ultimately finds out a way]] to [[OpportunisticBastard use it to his advantage]]. |
| 420 | * UsedToBeASweetKid: In ''A Frozen Heart''. He used to be a boy who simply wanted to be loved by his family and hated their cruelty towards the populace, and when word got out about the deaths of Arendelle's king and queen, he's sympathetic to their people and daughter Elsa. By the end of the novel, years of abuse and working for his tyrannical father corrupted him into a ruthless and power-hungry man. |
| 421 | * TheUsurper: Since he's 13th in line for the throne in his country, his main goal is to marry himself to the throne somewhere and rapidly make himself king as soon as he gets or/and sees the right chance. He originally intended to marry Elsa, since she's the heir, but since Anna was a much easier target for his charms due to Elsa's refusal to let anyone get close to her, he adjusted his plan to instead marry Anna and then become king by staging an "[[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident accident]]" for Elsa. |
| 422 | * VileVillainSaccharineShow: He's one of the most chilling depictions of a {{sociopath}} in any Disney movie. |
| 423 | * VillainBall: [[JustBetweenYouAndMe Not only did he tell Anna]] his EvilPlan with EvilGloating, he also decides to twist the knife further and demonstrate how little he cares by leaving her to die alone - before she's finished freezing. All because he thinks he's already gotten away with his plot, even though Anna is still a massive loose end. [[FalseFriend Had he kept the act up and pretended to be at least well-intentioned like Anna]], even if not actually her OneTrueLove, he could've kept his charade and avoided punishment. |
| 424 | * VillainHasAPoint: |
| 425 | ** A strange case in that we don't realize at the time how evil he can be, but still. While Hans tells Elsa that if she killed the Duke's guards, she would become the villainess the Duke was calling her, he has a point. |
| 426 | ** In his BreakHerByTalking monologue, he mocks Anna for agreeing to marry him so quickly and for going after Elsa, believing she could be helped. Given Elsa and Kristoff expressed shock over the sudden engagement, and Anna herself repeatedly noted that the speed of their relationship was "crazy", {{Fourth Date Marriage}}s are just as uncommon in-universe as in RealLife, and just as risky. Anna also did have little reason to believe that Elsa was the HeroineWithBadPublicity that she really was and was acting out of optimism and UndyingLoyalty, something that the film acknowledges through the questioning of other characters as well, although as a {{Reconstruction}} of TheHeart, she proves to be ultimately right about Elsa. |
| 427 | ** Although he's motivated by wanting Elsa out of the way so he can become king himself, he is well within his rights to accuse Elsa of treason since she did curse the kingdom she was supposed to protect and her sister, who effectively inherited the kingdom as Elsa running away effectively renounced the throne to Anna. Since the only point when Elsa showed her true intentions was when she expressed shock to Anna that the kingdom was frozen (and only Anna, whom at this point Hans has locked up and who doesn't have any proof of her sister's innocence other than her word anyway), he and the rest of the chancellors have no real reason to think anything was an accident. The closest thing they have to one is that Anna vouched for her earlier when the Duke started accusing her of being a monster, and Anna had no proof other than her own faith in her big sister. And they all saw Anna come back with an ice curse before they quickly filed out of the room to give Hans a chance to try to save her with TrueLovesKiss in private. |
| 428 | * VillainProtagonist: ''A Frozen Heart'' focuses on his perspective and Anna's, although he's still a villain who tries to kill the heroes to further his ambition. |
| 429 | * VillainousUnderdog: A BreakingSpeech is a wise thing to do before attacking a sorceress with a sword when she knows he is coming. This effectively leaves Elsa despondent, as being told that her sister died due to her own actions is her worst fear come true. |
| 430 | * VillainWithGoodPublicity: He is ''the embodiment'' of this [[BaitTheDog even towards the viewer]]. It appears at first that he's a classic PrinceCharming acting out of love, but nobody realizes he's actually faking it and plotting to usurp the throne until it's almost too late. |
| 431 | * VillainInAWhiteSuit: His characteristic blazer, atop otherwise [[HeavenlyBlue blue]] inner vestments, as well as his distinctive white gloves and a full-white suit during Elsa's coronation party. Contrary to traditional Disney expectations, this doesn't affect [[LightIsNotGood his morality]] ''[[LightIsNotGood one bit]]''. He's actually a cruel usurper who has no qualms about murdering his way to a throne, breaking an innocent girl's heart along the way. |
| 432 | * VillainousBreakdown: |
| 433 | ** Hans has a blink-and-miss shot where he argues with the Duke that he will protect Arendelle from treason. He looks more irate than he should be in that scene, hinting at the cruelty boiling under the calm surface, but to viewers on the first watch, it's meant to come across as him standing firmly behind Anna and/or the Arendelle citizens who need the "tradable goods" to keep from freezing to death. |
| 434 | ** After witnessing Elsa's escape from the castle dungeon before he can murder her, he gets so pissed off that he pursues her into the blizzard in order to do so at any cost. |
| 435 | ** When Anna recovers from her frozen heart right in front of him, he's left with a ThisCannotBe expression. He's so shocked, he can't even do anything to defend himself from Anna punching him. |
| 436 | ** In his final chapter of ''A Frozen Heart'', he panics when he's informed that he's being deported without being offered a chance to speak with Anna and tries desperately to escape. |
| 437 | * VillainousFaceHold: During the climax, he holds a weakened Anna's chin up so she's looking him in the eye while gloating of his plan to kill Elsa and usurp the throne. |
| 438 | * VillainousLineage: DoubleSubverted in ''A Frozen Heart'', in which he starts out a decent guy opposing his father's violence and is seen as a pushover by his brothers, until he gets fed up being the "throwaway" son and eventually adopts his family's attitude during the three-year stint as his father's gofer and brief regency in Arendelle. |
| 439 | * VillainousValour: As evidenced by his fight with Marshmallow. He slices off the snow monster's leg, and goes to rescue the soldiers. Pursuing Elsa into the deadly snowstorm after she escapes from the dungeon may count as well. |
| 440 | * WarriorPrince: As it turns out, Hans is pretty good with a sword and holds his own against giant {{snowlem}} [[FluffyTheTerrible Marshmallow]]. He's the only one to slash one of Marshmallow's legs. |
| 441 | * WellDoneSonGuy: In ''A Frozen Heart'': |
| 442 | ** He is this [[ExaggeratedTrope taken to extremes and it is the driving force behind his main goal]]. He often gets the short end of the stick, but despite this, he often daydreams about having a loving and caring father even as an adult, and to obtain his father's respect, Hans decides to become the king's errand boy in the hopes of being recognized as TheDutifulSon. |
| 443 | ** It's also deconstructed. His desperation to seek his father's love was self-destructive, being sent home in disgrace for his putsch. He could've sought happiness elsewhere, but he ends up becoming HisOwnWorstEnemy by using shady means to obtain that respect. Plus, since his father is a sociopath who abuses his sons, meaning that even if Hans succeeded, [[AllForNothing his father probably still wouldn't see him as an equal]]. |
| 444 | * WhamLine: "Oh Anna. if only there was someone out there who ''loved'' you." |
| 445 | * WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: In ''A Frozen Heart'', he wonders why any woman would want to court his brutish twin brothers, and can't figure out how Runo's wife ended up marrying him despite thinking she'll be immune to his slick charms. |
| 446 | * WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Deconstructed in ''A Frozen Heart''. Downplaying his FreudianExcuse [[WorseWithContext as normal]], the abuse severely warped his mind on how happy relationships work, causing him to believe LoveIsAWeakness. In fact, he feels confused on how Anna and Elsa reconciled with each other after 13 years of separation. |
| 447 | * WickedCultured: He's well-mannered, suave, and well-versed in the ways of royal leadership. He's also a power-hungry JerkAss. |
| 448 | * WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: In ''A Frozen Heart''. Despite attempting to get two innocent women killed, Hans is a victim of a loveless household and an abusive family. |
| 449 | * WouldHitAGirl: Tries to ''outright kill'' Elsa with his sword in the climax, being stopped only when Anna blocks him from her just when she freezes over completely. |
| 450 | * XanatosSpeedChess: He has a knack for [[LetNoCrisisGoToWaste taking advantage of events to further his own primary goals]]. The spin-off novelization ''A Frozen Heart'', while not canon, goes into detail about how quickly he can adapt: |
| 451 | ** Plan A: Woo Elsa and convince her to marry him. (Hans bumps into Elsa's hitherto unknown sister Anna instead.) |
| 452 | ** Plan B: Woo Anna, convince Elsa to bless their marriage, and eventually arrange to overthrow Elsa, preferably without violence. (Elsa refuses to bless the marriage and reveals her ice magic before running away and setting off a [[EndlessWinter magic kingdomwide winter]]; and then Anna sets out to look for her, leaving him in charge.) |
| 453 | ** Plan C: Rule Arendelle in Anna's absence. (Anna's horse comes back without Anna, and the people are worried; they might revolt if Hans just leaves her to her fate, so...) |
| 454 | ** Plan D: Set out in search of Anna and Elsa, to bring Anna back and/or convince Elsa to stop the snow. (He can't find Anna, and while he does manage to capture Elsa, it turns out she doesn't know how to stop the snow in the first place.) |
| 455 | ** Plan E: With Elsa locked up and helpless and Anna missing and presumed dead, rule Arendelle as in Plan C. (Anna comes back, cursed by Elsa.) |
| 456 | ** Plan F: Leave Anna for dead, accuse Elsa of murdering her sister, and execute Elsa. (Anna wasn't quite dead, and she blocks his attack on Elsa.) |
| 457 | * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: His plan for everyone involved. Just tweak it to "no longer about to live", and this is how he treats Anna when she reveals her curse. He also decides to kill Elsa when she says she can't stop the winter she caused. |
| 458 | * YouMonster: |
| 459 | ** Not to him directly in ''Frozen II'', but Elsa calls him an "irredeemable monster" when Olaf mentions his name. |
| 460 | ** Anna also considers him as this in ''A Frozen Heart'' when he gloats about his EvilPlan to her. |
| 461 | * YouMustBeCold: Averted. As the snow starts falling and Anna still wears her ballgown that leaves her arms and shoulders bare, he only pulls his jacket tighter around himself. It foreshadows his self-serving nature. |
| 462 | * YoungestChildWins: His backstory is that he's a inversion to this rule, being the youngest of thirteen siblings and growing up knowing he'll never receive the crown. |
| 463 | * YouthfulFreckles: In close-ups, we can see that Hans also has freckles. Like Elsa's, they aren't very noticeable. |
| 464 | [[/folder]] |
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FollowingContext Characters / FrozenHans
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