Varian is a teenage alchemist who appears as a recurring character in Tangled: The Series. He later serves as the main antagonist for the latter half of the first season.
Background
Physical Appearance
Varian is a slender teen with fair skin, shaggy black hair with brown highlights and a blue streak, freckles, two front buck teeth, and light blue eyes. He wears a blue-gray shirt with a teal patch sewn on to it, brown pants, dark maroon apron, black gloves, dark brown shoes, and brown-and-gold goggles.
When Rapunzel and Cassandra first meet him, he is wearing a black and gray coat and a gray bauta, which made his eyes appear to be glowing a yellow-green color and made his voice sound intimidating.
During a blizzard in "Queen for a Day," he wore a brown coat with a two grayish-brown colored cloak with a white fur-lined hood, a black belt, and a red scarf.
History
Season One
In "What the Hair?!," Cassandra offers to enlist Varian's help in solving the mystery of Rapunzel's hair. At first, they think he is a wizard with magical abilities, but learn that Varian is actually an alchemist who doesn't believe in magic, but is a man of science. At the same time, he reveals that he's a huge fan of Flynnigan Rider, confusing the fictional character with the real Eugene, and willingly tells Eugene that he has been working on a machine that will give his village hot running water. However, Varian fails to realize that these creations are unstable and cause numerous earthquakes underneath his village, and eventually explosions that destroy all his work.
In "Great Expotations," where he comes to the "Exposition of Sciences" event with his latest invention. He had just considered Cassandra as his friend as he calls her "Cassy" and is willing to help her with her duties as Lady-in-waiting in exchange for having her help him with his invention as his assistant. He also apparently has a crush on her from the way he asks Rapunzel and Eugene if Cassandra is going to be at the event when he presents his new invention. He uses alchemy to help Cassandra clean up the castle and set up the event. He also showed Rapunzel and Cassandra the black, spiky rocks, which had grown near Old Corona and shows a reaction when Rapunzel stands near them. Rapunzel asks Varian to help them figure the mystery of the rocks and keep it a secret, to which he agrees.
Some time in the series, he was befriended by a chubby, snuggle-toothed raccoon named "Ruddiger."
In "Queen for a Day," the black rocks start growing and destroying everything in Old Corona. Varian wants to find a way to stop them from destroying anything else, but Quirin tells him to stay away from them. Varian then goes with his father to see the King and inform him of the situation. Upset when his father openly lies to the king about the rocks, Varian tells Rapunzel the truth. He then decides to take matters into his own hands and works on finding a way to remove the rocks with alchemy. When Quirin finds out what Varian is doing, Varian admonishes his father for trying to run away from their problems; during this altercation, Varian spills a chemical on the rocks which causes amber crystals to burgeon forth from them. Quirin pushes Varian away from being trapped in the growing amber, but is caught himself. Desperate to keep his father from being encased in the amber, Varian runs to Rapunzel to get her help, but, with her people in the crisis of the upcoming snowstorm, she reluctantly turns her back on him and lets him be dragged out by Pete and Stan. Varian returns home and finds his father completely encased in solid amber. In tears and feeling Rapunzel's apparent betrayal bitterly, he vows to find a way to save his father and to make everyone who had turned their backs on him pay.
In "The Alchemist Returns," he pretends to have forgiven her and convinces Rapunzel to help him steal the Magical Golden Flower. Rapunzel agrees to help him only because he says it is for Corona. He later confesses that he used Rapunzel merely to get to the flower, and only to save his dad and not the kingdom, as part of his revenge on everyone who had turned their backs on him. Rapunzel pleads with him, promising to free his father, but he reminds her that she had already broken her promise to him (in "Queen For A Day), and vanishes in a cloud of purple smoke. Later, in his alchemist's lab, Varian tries to free his father from the rocks with the flower, but it does not work, much to his anger and frustration. Remembering back from his conversations about the black rocks and the flower, he then realizes the heart-rending truth: the flower is not the Sun Drop any more, Rapunzel is.
In "Secret of the Sun Drop," Varian launches an assault on the castle with an automaton hidden among Rapunzel's birthday gifts. Rapunzel, Cassandra, and Eugene quickly find out how to deactivate the automaton, but the surprise assault leaves King Frederic fearful for Rapunzel's safety and ordering her to be placed under maximum security. The same night, Varian launches another assault on the kingdom, this time a monstrous and aggressive Ruddiger under influence of a serum. Though several of them, including the Captain, are severely wounded, the guards successfully protect Rapunzel (who had broken out of the castle) from harm, and Rapunzel in turn assists the guards eventually to capture Ruddiger, who returns to his normal size after being tangled in Rapunzel's hair. Unfortunately, this attack turns out to have been a distraction to allow Varian easily to infiltrate the castle and kidnap Queen Arianna. After the kingdom realizes what had happened, a full-scale counterattack on Old Corona is organized. Rapunzel and King Frederic decide to sneak into Varian's home separately from the kingdom army to rescue the queen. Unfortunately, Varian had planned ahead, and traps Rapunzel and the king, while launching an army of automatons on the kingdom's forces. Varian threatens to encase Queen Arianna in the same amber his father was trapped in if Rapunzel doesn't allow him to use her hair to free his father; she agrees, but much to Varian's frustration, Rapunzel's hair doesn't work against the amber, and the kingdom's forces defeat the automatons. Ruddiger and Pascal meanwhile have used Varian's chemicals to free the king, who in turn frees Queen Arianna. Devastated that he cannot save his father, Varian lashes out in anger at Rapunzel, piloting a giant robot to attack her, and seizing Cassandra and the Queen in the robot's metal hands and starting to crush them. Rapunzel realizes how her sun drop energy can control the black rocks. Varian violently charges toward Rapunzel in anger, only for the black rocks to destroy the robot.
Defeated, Varian is arrested by the castle guard. However, at Rapunzel's urging, the king assures her Varian will get the help he needs. Varian, as he gets taken away, swears that he will make his father proud if it is the last thing he ever does.
Season Two
He made a brief appearance in "Happiness Is..." as an illusion created by the Idol of Vershaftsbezeigungengien, which in which he says that he needs King Frederic to help him with an "experiment." He is also mentioned by Adira as the son of Quirin in "Rapunzel and the Great Tree."
Season Three
Appearances
Season One
- "What the Hair?!" (debut appearance)
- "Great Expotations"
- "Queen for a Day"
- "Not in the Mood" (cameo)
- "The Quest for Varian" (nightmare & painting)
- "The Alchemist Returns"
- "Secret of the Sundrop"
Season Two
- "Happiness Is..." (as a hallucination)
Season Three
- TBA
Quotes
Season One
- "Wow. It's really...long."
- "So, silver lining. We acquired some critical data about your hair: it no longer possesses its legendary healing power. Progress! Now let's see exactly what this hair is made of."
- “We can be, like, co-ladies-in-waiting.”
- "I actually got the idea after seeing a cluster of strange black rocks by my village."
- "It's incredible. I've never seen anything like it."
- "You can count on me."
- "How– How can I trust anything when my own father just lied to the King's face?"
- "I deserve to know!"
- “You promised! Rapunzel!! You promised me!!!”
- ”D-Dad! DADDY, NO! NO!! NO!! NO!!”
- “They...will...pay.”
- "Stop running, Rapunzel. Face your destiny, or all you hold in your heart will be in grave danger!"
- "What difference does it make!? It's just sitting here rotting anyway!""
- "There was just one drop left! But it was enough for me to replicate and modify! I had to be sure the flower was here."
- “You’d be surprised what people will tell you for a cookie."
- "Oh, do you honestly expect me to be concerned about the welfare of Corona!?"
- "Rapunzel, I used you! I've begged you and this kingdom for help! Everyone turned their back on me! It has to be this way!"
- (coldly) "Sorry, Princess, but I know firsthand how well you keep promises."
- "Work, Work, PLEASE WORK!"
- "No. No! No! No! NO! This is useless! It– It's like it no longer holds the Sundrop's power!"
- "The Sundrop isn't the flower anymore. It's Rapunzel."
- "I have asked for help and have been ignored. I will not be ignored any longer! And to make sure I have your attention, I've developed a new serum and created something special for you all!"
- "Don't worry, Your Majesty. You are merely bait to lure the Princess here. Only the magic of her unbreakable hair can shatter the amber and free my father."
- "After? Well, I'm afraid Corona will pay for turning their backs on me! And that's when you should start worrying, Your Majesty!"
- "What a happy reunion this will be. For both of us."
- "Your Majesty, I know it's hard for you; but for the first time in your life, YOU are in no position to demand ANYTHING! But, in the spirit of compromise, how 'bout I meet ya halfway?"
- "First, you're going to do something for me."
- "Oh, so now you care about what I WANT! All it took was threatening the things you loved the most!"
- "I spare you the details about the Sundrop and darkness, yada, yada, and get to the good stuff. Unbreakable…unbreakable. To put it plainly: with assistance from my drill, Rapunzel's hair should be able to shatter the amber and free my father."
- "Well, I suppose it's as likely the amber shatters Rapunzel. I mean the property–"
- "Shall we get started?"
- "I can't make any promises, Princess."
- "WHAT!? WHY!"
- "I-I DON'T UNDERSTAND. WHY WON'T IT–? HER HAIR—IT SHOULD HAVE CUT THROUGH IT! WHY DIDN'T IT WORK?!"
- "No. I wasn't wrong. It's not my fault. None of it is! It's her fault!"
- "Sorry, Princess! We were in this together, but if I can't have a happy ending, then neither can you!"
- "It's not enough until you have endured the amount of pain and agony I have!"
- "I will make you proud of me, Dad… if it's the last thing I ever do."
Season Two
(In a vision)
- "Hello, Rapunzel. I need your father to help me with a little experiment."
Season Three
Trivia
- According to the first book in the Tales of Rapunzel series, Secrets Unlocked, Varian is canonically fourteen years old.
- In his original design that was made by Shane Prigmore, he seems to have had red hair and a gap in his front teeth; moreover, he did not wear glasses on his head and did not have a blue streak in his hair.
- His name is derived from the Latin word varius, which means "diverse" or "different," with the -ian- suffix that indicates a family relationship.
- His name is also French for "variable", which means something not consistent or liable to change.
- It was confirmed in the episode "Great Expotations" that he has a crush on Cassandra.
- Despite already taking off and putting on his glasses, he did not take off his gloves at any point in the first season.
- He was the first character to have bled in the series; this took place in the first episode "What the Hair?!" after he had hit his head with a magnifying glass.
- He is a fan of Flynn Rider; despite storing things and confusing him with Eugene, he has already read all the books about him.
- There is a running gag associated with how eager Varian is to remind others not to confuse science and alchemy with magic, as characters commonly seem to do in Corona, and as Rapunzel and Cassandra themselves do in the first episode. Varian insists that he does not believe in magic, and would much rather put his faith in science at the beginning of the series.
- He was the first of four supporting characters to have a solo song, "Let Me Make You Proud," in "Queen for a Day." the others being Rapunzel, "Set Yourself Free," in "Secret of the Sundrop.", Cassandra, "Waiting In The Wings," in "Rapunzel and the Great Tree.", and Eugene, "Everything I Ever Thought I Knew," in "Destinies Collide."
- Most fans of Tangled: The Series identify Varian as the most beloved character in the show, some reporting that he became their initial reason for watching the series.
- Varian's hair (specifically his bangs) is drawn in a way that hardly covers his face, regardless of head and camera angles. This was inspired by a similar technique that is used when animating Mickey Mouse's ears.
- He was confirmed to return in the second season of the series, since his voice actor's name (Jeremy Jordan) was included in the main voice cast of the season. (citation needed)
- However, he only made an appearance as an hallucination caused by the idol in "Happiness Is..." Other times, he was just mentioned by the characters.
- He is confirmed to return in the third and final season of the series, since Jeremy Jordan was included in the main cast. It is also confirmed that he'll be in a group musical number at some point.
Gallery
Gallery
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| v • e — Characters — | |
| Main characters | Rapunzel • Eugene Fitzherbert • Cassandra • Pascal • Maximus |
|---|---|
| Other characters | King Frederic • Queen Arianna • Varian • Quirin • Angry and Red • Lance Strongbow • Fidella • Nigel • Hook Foot • Ulf • Xavier • Weasel • Ruddiger • Monty • Mrs. Sugarby • Old Lady Crowley • Owl • Ruthless Ruth • The Stabbington Brothers • Friedborg • Feldspar • Four Sisters • Attila • Axel • Lady Caine • Dwayne • Willow • Captain of the Guards • Andrew • Uumlaut • Shorty • Pete and Stan • Fernanda Pizazzo • Separatists of Saporia • The Collector • The Baron • Stalyan • Captain Quaid • Vex • King Herz Der Sonne • King Trevor • King Edmund • General Shampanier • Seraphina |