Tromus, also known as Mr. Matthews in his disguise, is a major antagonist in Disney's Tangled franchise.
He is the innkeeper of the House of Yesterday's Tomorrow and one of Zhan Tiri's disciples who seeks to release her from her prison.
He was voiced by the late Gavin Creel.
His Evil Ranking[]
What Makes Him Close to Being Pure Evil?[]
- He, alongside Sugracha and presumably Mother Gothel, betrayed Lord Demanitus and summoned his arch-nemesis, Zhan Tiri, from the Lost Realm. This makes him indirectly responsible for some of the heinous crimes Zhan Tiri committed, such as:
- Transforming into a blizzard and attempting to freeze everyone in Corona to death.
- Corrupting the Great Tree, turning it into her base, and using it to kill anyone who approached her.
- As Rapunzel and her friends were traveling during a storm, he cut down a tree, causing their wagon to get stuck in the mud when it landed in front of it. This was so that he could trick them into entering the House of Yesterday's Tomorrow.
- While he was affable when disguised as Mr. Matthews, this was only part of the façade he was using to try to gain the trust of the protagonists.
- He intentionally omitted the fact that the house contained a mirror that caused whoever looked at it to be captured and replaced by their malevolent clone. This resulted in Cassandra, Eugene, Lance, and Shorty being trapped in a realm on the other side of the mirror.
- When his first plan failed, he placed the "top of time" in the playroom the protagonists were in, resulting in Cassandra and Lance being turned into little kids and Shorty being turned into a baby. It was made clear that if they weren't turned back in one hour, they would remain that way forever. When Rapunzel and Eugene started running out of time, Tromus tried to manipulate the former into staying in the house with the latter and raising the others.
- He used his magic to trap Rapunzel in a dream world as he gradually transferred the Sundrop's power to Zhan Tiri.
- He captured Eugene, Lance, and Pascal, and taunted them by saying that neither they nor Rapunzel would ever escape.
- When Rapunzel rejected the temptations of the dream world, Tromus decided to spitefully trap her in her worst nightmare, causing her to experience several horrible things.
- First, Tromus took advantage of the guilt she felt over Cassandra injuring her hand when trying to stop her from reciting one of the Moonstone incantations. In the nightmare, flames encircled her as a version of Cassandra approached her and furiously blamed her for her injury. Then, she attempted to kill her with her sword.
- Rapunzel was then teleported outside, where a group of citizens angrily tried to attack her. Then, a monstrous version of Pascal emerged from the water and pursued her with the intention of eating her.
- Finally, he sent Rapunzel to the tower she had been trapped in for most of her life and chained her to the wall. There, he took the form of Gothel and proceeded to cruelly taunt her.
- The fact that Tromus intended to keep her trapped in this nightmare permanently means he was essentially trying to give her a fate worse than death, allowing him to stand out.
- While he had several comedic moments as Matthews, he was taken completely seriously once his true nature was revealed.
What Prevents Him From Being Pure Evil?[]
- He appears to be genuinely loyal to Zhan Tiri. His tone and expression when he vowed to keep Rapunzel trapped indicated that he genuinely respected her. Additionally, he was determined to transfer the Sundrop's power to her, rather than take it for himself.
