How Matthew Lillard Can Return In Five Nights At Freddy's 2 Despite The First Movie's Ending

Matthew Lillard had an important role in Five Nights at Freddy’s, but his death makes his return in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 confusing for fans. In the first film, Lillard played a counselor helping Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) get a job as security at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. However, he was the main villain in Five Nights at Freddy’s ending.

Matthew Lillard plays William Afton, who is the main antagonist in the games. In the ending, he puts on an animatronic costume to try to kill Mike, only to have the spring traps inside of it release, killing him painfully. As anyone who has played the games knows, this isn’t the end of William Afton’s story, explaining Matthew Lillard’s return.

William Afton Becomes Springtrap In Five Nights At Freddy’s

In both the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie and the games, William Afton was a serial killer. He was the co-founder of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, and he used the restaurant to find his next victims. In the film, it was Mike’s destination to learn about the kids that William had killed, who now possessed the animatronics in the closed-down pizzeria.

In both the movie and the games, William put on the Springtrap costume to blend in as one of the animatronics to help him kill his newest victims. However, the spring traps inside the animatronic released and killed Afton. The first film ended with him inside the animatronic, dying painfully. His story doesn’t end there.

Remember, the spirits of dead children possess all the animatronics in Five Nights at Freddy’s. There was no way a man as evil as William Afton could die and not end up returning as well. In the video games, William’s mummified remains sit inside the Spring Bonnie suit, dead, but with his evil soul still controlling the monster.

Even when Springtrap was defeated, William Afton even returned as Scraptrap, a new design that shares some details from Springtrap, and with the same evil intentions.

What We Know About Matthew Lillard’s Role In Five Nights At Freddy’s 2

Toy Freddy and Toy Bonnie in Five Nights at Freddy's 2 — Toy Freddy and Toy Bonnie in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2

William Afton is expected to be the villain of Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 again, but this time, he is more dangerous since he is likely dead, with his spirit controlling Springtrap. However, the story looks to be a lot more personal thanks to Matthew Lillard’s reunion with his Scream co-star Skeet Ulrich.

Ulrich has signed on to play Henry Emily, the co-founder of Freddy Fazbear’s, alongside William Afton. This is a big-time character from the Five Nights at Freddy’s games, since his daughter, Charlotte, was the first victim of William Afton when he started killing children. Expect Henry to help Mike as they try to end the evil once and for all.