A new theory may have revealed the true identity of Mike's father in the Five Nights at Freddy's (FNAF) movie.
Mike Schmidt is a major character from the FNAF games, and he is played by Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games) in the live-action movie.
In the video game the hit film was based upon, Mike's father is William Afton (aka FNAF's big bad). However, in the movie, it was revealed that this wasn't the case, leading many to speculate about his dad's identity.
Who Is Mike’s Father in the FNAF Movie?
While Mike is not related to Matthew Lillard's William Afton at all in the Five Nights at Freddy's movie, there were clues throughout the story that could hint at the identity of his real father.
As pointed out by Reddit user Hot-Emotion-7515, Afton paused just before reading Mike's surname during the career meeting scene, meaning that he recognized his name. It's possible that Afton recognized it because it belonged to the name of his original business partner: Henry Emily.
But, who is Henry Emily?
For starters, Henry Emily is an important character in the games since he was the founder of Fazbear Entertainment, the company that owns and runs Freddy Fazbear's Pizza and its other related establishments, and he also created the original animatronics.
The movie showed that Afton took Garrett, (Mike's brother), but his motivations weren't ultimately revealed.
That means there's a chance Afton had a hidden grudge toward Henry, thus leading to him kidnapping Garrett in the first place.
Another Reddit user, ChallengeRoyal2237, pointed out the similarities between Charlotte Emily, (Henry's daughter in the game), and Mike Schmidt from the movie.
The user noted that the film established that Mike's mom died due to unknown reasons and that his father ended his own life. Mike also described his parents to Vanessa as "perfect."
Interestingly, the Five Nights at Freddy's: The Silver Eyes novel unveiled that Charlotte "Charlie" Emily, (Henry's daughter in the game), shared that her parents had a healthy relationship.
However, it all changed when her mother decided to file a divorce after Charlotte's death. This tragic event led to Henry's building another animatronic to end his life.
There are, in fact, huge similarities between Charlotte and Mike Schmidt's story, with both of their parents receiving the same fates.
As a result, some believed that Henry Emily was Mike Schmidt's father in the movie.
Will Future FNAF Movies Reveal the Identity of Mike's Father?
The Five Nights at Freddy's movie ended with a tease that William Afton's death could be the start of his revenge plot for Mike, Abby, and even his daughter, Vanessa.
If a potential sequel ended up unraveling more of Afton's history, one of the main plot points that might be unveiled could revolve around his shared past with Mike's father.
FNAF director Emma Tammi already teased her plans for a potential FNAF 2 movie, pointing out that she'd want to "continue making more films" and "incorporate more elements" that relate to the second and third games:
"In terms of the franchise, if we were lucky enough to be able to continue making more films, we would just be really excited to incorporate more elements of the lore that relate to [the second and third game]."
If a sequel will receive the green light, Tammi's comments suggest that FNAF 2 could take cues from Five Nights at Freddy's 2, (the game).
Given that the second game was a prequel to the first, doing this would allow FNAF 2 to potentially focus on William Afton's killings and his partnership with Henry Emily, leading to the eventual reveal that Henry is Mike's father.
All in all, this twist could give more emotional weight to a potential future rematch between Mike and Afton in upcoming FNAF movies.
Five Nights at Freddy's is now in theaters and streaming on Peacock.
