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Nancy... I'm not proud of everything I've done, but - like you - I have always acted with the best interest of the kingdom at heart.

Franz Renoir was the king of the Canopy Kingdom, thus the husband of Nancy Renoir and the father of Parasoul and Umbrella, who inherited his red hair (somewhat, in the case of the latter). He wielded one of the Renoirs' Living Weapons called Eroberung, an umbrella-shaped firearm.

Known for his ruthlessness, he was responsible for much growth in the kingdom, but they were largely due to his many war campaigns. It was during this time that he authorized the creation of the Anti-Skullgirl Labs. However, his war efforts were put to an end when his wife became the Skullgirl. Although he was also responsible for the Labs' decommissioning, they were restarted in secret after his disappearance.

During the war, with the help of the Gigan leader Gilgamesh, King Franz was able to take down Nancy. However, he was seemingly decapitated by her living weapon Todd in the process.

Role in Skullgirls 2nd Encore[]

Thanks to Umbrella's story mode in Skullgirls 2nd Encore it is known that he is still alive (with only Parasoul knowing he's still alive), hidden in the castle. He appears to be headless, with a flame replacing his head. Based on the presence of Todd on his shoulder, it's possible that he is using its power to keep himself alive somehow.

Role in the webtoon[]

Based on the Skullgirls webtoon, it appears that other high-ranking members of the Black Egrets, namely Adam, Molly, Panzerfaust, and Roxie, also know of King Franz's survival.

In Episode 4 of the webtoon, Parasoul seeks her father's approval in order to arrest Lorenzo Medici after discovering that the Medici Mafia were involved with human trafficking. After he goes over her evidence however, he warns her not to act rash due to the public viewing Lorenzo as their savior due to him fighting against the Renoir family regime. Due to this, he tells her that if they arrested him it would start riots in New Meridian due to the public having an already negative opinion on the royal family while saying that they have to keep the peace after the great war ended seven years ago. While he still allows Parasoul to keep looking into it, King Franz tells her not to arrest Lorenzo without his permission while reminding her not to shrink on her familial duties with her sister before dismissing her.

Trivia[]

  • Some dialogue implies that the people of Canopy do not have a high opinion of him and his tyranny. For instance, in Eliza's story mode when Squigly voices distress and embarrassment over getting into a fight with the princess, Leviathan responds, "If she turned out anything like her father, I would not worry about it."
  • Early concept art had him originally wielding Todd, before their appearances in Skullgirls Mobile confirming Todd was instead wielded by Nancy.
    • Following his battle against Nancy however, King Franz is seen with Todd on his shoulder in both the ending of Umbrella's Story mode and the Skullgirls Webtoon comic.
    • The design for Todd in some of Franz’s concept art looks different than the design that would eventually be seen in game. Compared to the final design, the old design has a bunch of blades where the feathers or feather-like Umbrella parts would end up, a more usual umbrella handle, and a shorter plague doctor mask head with jagged teeth. One design has it with eyes similar to ones it has now and one with blank colored eyes. It also may have had ornaments or gems around its neck but there are also things that look like ruffles around it’s neck in place of the ornaments when the king holds them as well.
  • Eroberung, the name of Franz's living umbrella, is the German word for "Conquest". This fits with the theme of the Renoir family's Living Weapons being named after the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
  • It was originally undecided if King Franz had died or was missing within the canon. Alex Ahad said that he would end up going with “whatever sounds cooler” once his true fate is revealed.
    • His true fate was shown in Umbrella's story mode.
    • King Franz potentially being missing or the residents of the kingdom not knowing whether he is alive or not can explain why the current ruler, Parasoul, is still considered a princess and not a queen.
  • Him wielding the living weapon named after the Horseman of Conquest can be seen as representative of his role as a violent and tyrannical king who prefers to conquer and engage in conquest.
    • Alternatively him also wielding Todd in some art can be representative of how much death he has caused as well as his strange ghost form in Umbrella's ending.
  • In old concept art, King Franz had a slightly different tuxedo with a skull on it where the tie is. He also is missing an eye which is probably based on the old lore of the Renoir Black Family Tree.

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