Hans—Complex Villain or Easy Cop-out?

One of these things is not like the others.

 A lot of the fan discussion surrounding Disney’s movie Frozen centers around the villain character. Some people think the twist was exciting and added necessary tension to the climax. Others think it was an example of lazy writing and a cheap cop-out of a love triangle. These facts were gathered after exhaustive research on the IMDB. Reading ten posts of FrozenQueen92 screaming “TROLL!” at MovieGeekFTW counts as exhausting.

Personally, after two viewings of the movie I lean for towards the "...Eh?" side of the arugment. The twist didn’t make sense the first time, and the second viewing didn’t really reveal any details that would have explained it better.

Not that the filmmakers were lazy or that they were intentionally trying to gyp their audience. Jennifer Lee and John Lasseter, among others, put a lot of heart into the film and gave the best story they could give.

The directors went with their gut feeling and switched Elsa from a villain to a positive character. Again, IMDB

Originally, Queen Elsa was intended to be the villain of the story. However, when the character's major song, "Let it Go," was played for the producers, they concluded that the song was not only very appealing, but its themes of personal empowerment and self-acceptance were too positive for a villain to express. Thus, the story was rewritten to have Elsa as an isolated innocent who is alarmed upon learning that her powers are inadvertently causing harm and struggles to control her powers with Anna's help.

Which is brilliant and absolutely why the film works so well. The flip side is that a villain slot "had" to be filled, and fast. So the relationship between the sisters works really well, but some of the other characters leave the audience going, “…Eh?”

Two Main Objections and Their Defense

As much as I like the idea of a prince turning out evil, the twist feels like a letdown for two reasons.

1. This doesn’t seem like the same character.

2. The plot no longer makes sense.

Now, there are some people who like the twist because they feel it makes a more complex character out of a boring nice guy: someone who can act stereotypically “charming” but actually has ulterior motives that he’s carrying out. Wanting power is a bit cliché, but it has worked fine in Disney movies before.

Complex characters are good, sure. But how new and complex is wanting power? Even in Disney, traditionally power-hungry character such as Ursula and Scar at least have an emotional depth to them too. Ursula’s pissed about being banished. Scar was kicked out of succession by the Hairball. Neither wants to take over some random kingdom they’ve never even seen before. Not only is Hans’ motivation cliché, he doesn’t even hold up compared to other Disney characters.

I'm surrounded by idiots...No more internet for me.

 Of course, there are characters in literature who appear good but are actually bad. Probably the most famous is Iago, from Shakespeare’s Othello. However, the portrayal of the character is not very similar to the plot in Frozen. Shakespeare never uses a plot twist with Iago; we know he’s bad right from the first scene. Also, the plot holds up well. While critics speculate on a few scenes, most of Iago’s actions are logical given the setup. Iago is smart and never monologues to the people he’s been fooling. He keeps his plan secret until the very end. He’s a keen judge of human character. As the audience, I totally believe he could fool people--at least the first time I watch the play, which is what matters.

Another character that’s been brought up for comparison is Cinderella’s Prince, from the musical Into the Woods. This character is famous for the line, “I was raised to be charming, not sincere.” And this line sums him up perfectly. Even in the first act, where he apparently loves Cinderella, we can tell he’s weak, cowardly, and shallow. The reaction to this line is less, “OMG You’re not who we thought you were!!!!” but more of “Damn right!”

In fact, there's two douchey princes.

In Frozen, by contrast, Hans apparently was raised to be sincere. And kind to unfortunates. And brave under fire. And to give good advice at a critical moment. And show mercy… All of which I’m sure are horrible attributes you don't want your children to imitate.

Cracked.com already ran a wonderful article describing why some plot twists just work better than others, so instead of pretending I came up with any of that I’ll just give you the link.

http://www.cracked.com/article_20467_5-overused-twist-endings-its-time-movies-to-retire.html

But here’s a particularly apt quote:

The problem with this is that we feel like we wasted our time, because it doesn't change what we know about the character -- instead it tells us a character never existed and introduces a new villain played by the same actor.

The main problem people have with the twist is that up until this point the four main characters have been acting naturally—but upon revealing himself as a villain Hans becomes much more like your standard Evil Overlord. He monologues. He snickers. He quotes corny lines. He leaves important witnesses alive…

Objection Two: I Seem to Have Lost My Plot

OK. So this is why the character feels inconsistent. But let’s look at this twist from the plot side of things. What was his plan anyway?

Most of his actions could be put down to winning the hearts of Arandelle so he can gain power. But…there’s a lot of luck involved. He was lucky Anna made him regent, and everyone just accepted that. He was lucky not to be killed at the ice palace. He was lucky no one checked for Anna’s body…

But the biggest question seems to be, If Hans wanted to kill Elsa even before he knew about her powers, why didn’t he kill her at the ice palace, while she was unconscious, or in the dungeon?

The answers:

1. He did try by directing the crossbow bolt at the chandelier. (...Instead of just letting the guy shoot her directly?)

2. He didn’t want witnesses. (Witnesses who were soldiers also trying to kill Elsa. They would have treated him like a hero.)

3. He thought he might still need Elsa to stop the winter. (Seems more logical, but again it’s NEVER EXPLAINED. Never says it to the soldiers.)

But this is all speculation. Let’s look at the facts the movie does give us: the character’s own explanation of his actions.

“As heir, Elsa was preferable of course, but no one was getting anywhere with her. But you…”

Makes sense. He wanted the older one, but when she gave him the cold shoulder he went for the younger. Except…Hans and Anna flirt in the boat before he even knows who she is and long before Elsa even came out of her room. We never see Hans and Elsa interact until he’s engaged to Anna. For all we know, he never even spoke to Elsa.

Not only does the plot twist fail at basic character development, the explanation we do get contradicts basic facts we’re shown earlier in the movie.

Foreshadowing? Somewhere? Anywhere?

Naturally, people have found reasons why this plot twist was actually foreshadowed. Um...He does say he has twelve brothers. He mostly listens while Anna spills her guts, and then agrees to everything she says. He's worried that the Duke of Weaseltown will take authority.

However, once I started looking, I came up with quite a few other characters who might just as well be hiding an evil side.

Kristoff is Evil

--He lures Anna into the woods. Stranger danger! Warn the kiddies! Just because you have a road trip with someone does not make them your soulmate. And Kristoff is the one who warns Anna about strangers. The delicate irony.

--He states several times that he hates all humans. Motivation! I cannot be the only one to see this.

--Elsa put him out of business. Disney is so mature to bring up these complex economic issues.

Image from Deviantart, by Auquanutart

The Trolls are Evil

--They kidnap a kid.

--They know all about magic but no one stops them. People must be too scared.

-- The brainwash another kid.

--They try to distract Kristoff with annoying singing so he won’t realize Anna is dying.

--They turn Elsa evil by tormenting her with horrible visions.

Anna is Evil

--Disney’s never had an evil princess! What a shocker!

--She’s obviously playing both Kristoff and Hans to do her bidding.

--Every time she claims to “help” her sister, she actually pushes Elsa more out of control.

--May I remind you who’s next in line if Elsa commits suicide???? I mean, it’s so obvious, people.

Olaf is Evil

--Disney’s never had an evil funny sidekick before! What an insightful twist!

--He refuses to follow Anna’s orders at the ice palace.

--He repeatedly distracts our main characters with inane comments.

--Although he claims to be willing to melt for Anna, he doesn’t follow through.

--He fails defend the others from Marshmallow.

--Ask yourself, why would a snowman want to end an eternal winter? Sure, he has an entire song sequence about how much he loves summer. But this, like his cleverly feigned ineptness, is all a ruse to disguise his true motives. Far better to keep Elsa frozen and alone forever. When all her friends are gone, she’ll be desperate for anyone to fill the icy hole in her heart. All too easy for Olaf to step in and enjoy his Queen’s warm hugs at his leisure.

The face of a killer.

Villains...Who Needs 'Em Anyway?

Another question people ask is, “Does this movie even need a villain?”

The points for “Yes” are that even though the character was lame, at least he created some conflict to add to the resolution, and that the moral (though forced) is still a good warning to young girls. The point for “No” is that the appeal of the movie lies in its lack of an easy villain to blame for the characters’ problems.

To be fair, I can see how the villain character does add more drama to the ending. Elsa could be in danger from a falling mast, but it wouldn’t be as poignant. So there needs to be some kind of major threat at the end. Whether it’s Hans or Olaf wielding the sword is irrelevant.

As for the moral…I suppose it’s good to tell young girls not to marry someone after knowing them only one day? But at the same time the message seems somehow almost mean spirited against the character. As if to say, “How dare you try to find love after being neglected for years? Can’t you see the nice ones are just trying to use you? How can you be so selfish as to trust your only friend to help you when your whole world gets turned upside-down?

“Likes you? Please, Anna, that’s demented…”

Disney has gone Gothel on our ass. Encouraging girls that the first cute guy they meet must be true love is bad, but so is scaring girls out of trusting anybody.

And while we’re on the topic, princes sure seem to get a bad rap these days. Princesses get all cool and self-sufficient and feminist while still being cute and pretty, but princes often turn into clueless/evil douches.

I.E. This guy

Or this guy

Well, not evil. Just clueless and annoying.

Not royal, but the hottest guy around. What's not to like?

(Note the last two are Disney, those who claim Disney has NEVER done an inversion of the prince character before.)

Is there any way to do this character well?

To sum up: props to Disney for trying, but I am never going to see Frozen without getting to that scene and being completely drawn out of the story because I keep thinking "PLOT HOLES!"

Is there any way the movie still could have had the twist and yet done it in a natural way? It would definitely be hard because a bad prince who nevertheless shows good leadership qualities would practically need his own movie.

That kind of person would probably start out with a core of inadequacy, of always being looked down on and never good enough to be the hero. This sense of injustice feeds his desire to become a “real” hero and show everyone how wrong they were. He sincerely tries his best to show bravery, kindness, and prowess—but he has no idea what those things actually mean. Instead of wanting to help people, he views other people more as side characters in a video game of which he is the PC. If only he follows the rules correctly, he will be rewarded. He deserves the kingdom, and the princess, and to slay the evil dragon/witch. But people have thoughts and feelings of their own, and the more stuff gets in the way of his dream, the more panicked and desperate he gets. Because if he fails to be the hero, he has lost his all justification for his actions and has to face what a shallow person he really is. Soon he’ll do anything to win the game, no matter how desperate. No matter how many people get hurt. Because for the hero it all comes down to hacking at stuff in your way until you get to the endgame...

(Makes note of story to write…)

Could Hans be such a character? Possibly. If instead of treating his brothers like a joke, he expressed real grief and resentment to Anna. Imagine: he's been looked down on all his life, and now he finally finds someone who UNDERSTANDS what an amazing special person he is. It would also help if there was a running joke (just a few more lines) of no one knowing who he is and questioning why he has authority anyway.

The plan of killing Elsa (like the plan of becoming king) would probably cement gradually as it becomes the only option of saving the kingdom and the (fridged) princess. It’s a tough job, but that’s why he’s the hero. Hey, he gave the queen a chance already. Come on. It’s not his fault. This is obviously his big Boss battle! And he's so ready.

I like the idea that this character keeps an innocent, open face the whole time he's talking, and you slowly realize how totally cuckoo he is. Also, would having Elsa out of the picture really be that bad for Anna? She can have her parties, her chocolates. No responsibility as queen because her adorable husband will be running everything. Sounds like a perfect life...except at a terrible cost.