Flynn Rider

Eugene Fitzherbert, better known as Flynn Rider, is the deuteragonist and the love interest of Rapunzel in Disney's 2010 CGI film Tangled and its 2012 CGI short sequel Tangled Ever After. He is voiced by Zachary Levi. He is a former thief and the husband of Rapunzel.

Background
Before he was the dashing Flynn Rider, the role of Rapunzel's love interest came in the form of Bastian, a large, handsome, and charming blonde man with a physique similar to that of the Stabbington Brothers.

With time, however, the designs were changed and the directors of the film (Nathan Greno and Byron Howard) wanted to design the character as strikingly attractive. To accomplish this, the two organized what would infamously be known as the "Hot Man" meeting, where about 30 female employees were asked to imagine the most attractive male they could think of, with many results coming in the form of such personalities as David Beckham and Clark Gable.

Appearance
Flynn is of average height and build with short dark brown hair that falls into his eyes and a scruffy goatee. In response to a fan on a Tangled fanblog, Flynn's animators have said that he's 26.

Personality
At first Flynn comes off as cocky, arrogant and a little bit self-centered. He is overly concerned about money, wealth and the tiara he wishes to regain from Rapunzel. However, when one gets to know him, he is sensitive, laid back and good-hearted. As an experienced thief, he is skilled in escaping the authorities, hiding out and stealing right from under people's noses. Thus, he is agile, strong and quick-witted. Flynn's talents also include fencing, horseback riding, scaling and maneuvering over high walls and towers and "superhuman good looks", which unfortunately have no effect on Rapunzel. For the first part of the film, he is solely focused on thieving and increasing his personal bank, aspiring to bask in his wealth one day on his own private island. However, as he begins to fall in love with Rapunzel, he transforms into a more compassionate, chivalrous and trustworthy person, and changes his priorities. He even willingly gives the tiara to the Stabbington Brothers to keep them off their back, (although he never quite loses his initial cockiness and tendency to cause mischief.) Flynn loses sight of the importance of becoming rich as he fights to be with Rapunzel. By the end of the film, Flynn's love for her has grown to the point where he is willing to die so that she can be free. In the ending narration, he claims to have given up thieving.

Biography
Eugene Fitzherbert seemingly never knew his parents and spent all of his time with his fellow orphans in the orphanage. The orphan children looked up to him greatly and he was something of an older brother to them. Every night, Eugene would read them "The Tales of Flynnigan Rider", stories of a rich and dashing swashbuckler who had an abundance of thrilling adventures wherever he went. The more Eugene read it, the more he dreamed of a more audacious lifestyle and decided to break out of his orphan upbringing. Eugene eventually ventured out on his own and grew up into a dashing swashbuckler and gifted horseman and took the name of his childhood hero, going by the alias Flynn Rider. Flynn became one of the most infamous thieves in all of Corona despite the fact that the original Flynn Rider was not a thief. Being drawn in more and more by his new ambition and becoming more and more aloof from the people around him, Flynn sought a solitary life of money and freedom, far far away. He eventually became close to having everything he ever wanted, despite being on the run from almost every person in the valley.

Everything he ever wanted, however, quickly lost its appeal in the days he met Rapunzel. When Flynn met the lonesome girl in a remote tower, he was quite irritated to be coerced into taking her to see the Festival of Lights at the kingdom so that he could get back a valuable stolen tiara she had hidden from him. As he spent time with her, he gained a respect for the headstrong young lady that became strong affection and caring. As Flynn cast aside his cares for treasure and solitude he realized his old dream had been replaced by a new one. Flynn fell completely in love with the lost princess and helped her reunite with her parents and reclaim her throne.

Eugene went back to his birth name, stopped thieving, and married Rapunzel a few years later. The two are currently living happily ever after.