Five Nights at Freddy's 2's (FNAF) twist reveal about Michael Afton confirmed the character as a villain with an evil plan. The second FNAF film, produced by Blumhouse, continues the live-action franchise based on Scott Cawthon's horror game series. FNAF 2 introduced even more anticipated characters from the Five Nights at Freddy's lore, including William Afton's son, Michael.
Warning - This article contains spoilers for Five Nights at Freddy's 2.
After years of theories pondering whether Josh Hutcherson's Mike Schmidt was secretly Michael Afton, Five Nights at Freddy's 2 confirmed that in the film franchise, the two characters are separate, with Freddy Carter playing the son of Matthew Lillard's villain. The film also confirmed that not only was Michael Afton a separate character, but he was also a villain in the movie, rather than the protagonist fans may have expected from the FNAF games.
When Michael Afton is first introduced (as just "Michael"), it is to give the Spectral Spookers group a tour of the original abandoned Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. After luring Lisa (Mckenna Grace) and her crew into the Pizzeria, Michael mysteriously disappears, leaving them to be prey to the animatronics around the pizzeria.
Michael's willingness to sacrifice Lisa and the others to the animatronics was the first clue that he wasn't entirely well-intentioned, but the film's third act confirms Michael Afton's identity and his evil plan.
After Mike, Abby (Piper Rubio), and Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) are ambushed by the Marionette, the Toy animtronics, and the Withereds, Michael reveals himself to be an Afton, the son of William and the brother of Vanessa. Then Michael says he plans to "continue his [father's] legacy," setting him up as another evil character in the FNAF world:
Michael: "Let me guess, she never told you about me, that's my sister for you. I'm Michael. Michael Afton."
Vanessa: "Leave them alone Michael, they haven't done anything wrong."
Michael: "I think our father might strongly disagree with that."
Mike: "Your father is dead."
Michael: "Yeah, but I'm here to continue his legacy."
Why Is Michael Afton Evil in FNAF 2 Movie But Not the Games?
The twist that Michael Afton is evil in Five Nights at Freddy's 2 marks a departure from the games. In the FNAF games, Michael/Mike Schmidt is the protagonist that players control in the first installment, where he works as a security guard trying to survive the night at the haunted pizzeria.
Many theories then speculate that Afton returns in FNAF 4 as the Older Brother and sometimes the player character. However, in this story, the Older Brother is portrayed as a bully and sometimes an antagonist when the player is not controlling him.
Michael returns in Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location, where he's ordered by his father to find his sister, whose soul is trapped within the Circus Baby animatronic. Via the logbook, more about Michael Afton is revealed. It's insinuated that he may feel guilty about his father's crimes, which led to the murder of so many children and the captivity of his sister.
In comparison, Michael's desire to uphold his father's legacy in Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is a twist on the character from the games, who never seemed to have any desire to be a villain like William was. It appears that the FNAF film franchise may have split the character of Michael Afton from the games into two distinct individuals: the protagonist, Mike Schmidt (Hutcherson), and the villainous son of Afton (Carter), setting up for the two characters to be nemesis as the franchise continues.
FNAF 2 Ennard Theory Might Explain Michael Afton's Evil Turn
Another plausible theory explaining Michael Afton's change of heart in the games is that the character is somehow already linked to Ennard.
In Sister Location, Michael Afton is lured into the Scooping Room (the secret room where a machine dismantles the animatronics via a "scooping" process) by the animatronics. He has his insides scooped out by the machine and replaced with the animatronic endoskeleton known as Ennard (an animatronic made of combined parts from Circus Baby, Ballora, Funtime Freddy, Bon-Bon, and Funtime Foxy), which uses his body as a skin suit to escape the pizzeria.
With a Five Nights at Freddy's 3 film looking possible, the next movie may delve into Michael Afton's origins, potentially revealing that he is also secretly an animatronic posing as a human, which is why his intentions are sinister. FNAF 2 already proved that animatronics and humans could be combined with its twist on the Marionette, so introducing Michael as Ennard in a third film may be the route the horror film franchise chooses to go.
