Freddy Krueger

Freddy Krueger
A Nightmare on Elm Street character
Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger
First appearance	A Nightmare on Elm Street
Created by	Wes Craven
Portrayed by	Robert Englund (1984–2003) Jackie Earle Haley (2010)
Information
Aliases	The Springwood Slasher
Classification	Serial killer
Primary location	Springwood, Ohio
Signature weapon	Bladed glove

Frederick Charles "Freddy" Krueger is the main antagonist of the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He first appeared in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) as a burnt serial killer who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams, causing their deaths in the real world as well. In the dream world, he is a powerful force and almost completely invulnerable to damage. However, whenever Freddy is pulled into the real world, he has normal human vulnerabilities. Krueger was created by Wes Craven, and had been consistently portrayed by Robert Englund since his first appearance. In the 2010 franchise reboot, he was portrayed by Jackie Earle Haley. In 2011, Freddy appeared as a playable character in the video game Mortal Kombat. Over the course of the series, Freddy has battled numerous survivors including Nancy Thompson.

In the Nightmares on Elm Street comics, Freddy partners up with Devonne, also known as The Springwood Killer.

Freddy is a nightmare-demon who attacks his victims from within their dreams. He is commonly identified by his burned, disfigured face, red-and-green striped sweater, brown fedora, and trademark metal-clawed brown leather glove only on his right hand. This glove was the product of Krueger's own imagination, the blade having been welded by himself. Robert Englund has said many times that he feels the character represents neglect, particularly that suffered by children. The character also more broadly represents subconscious fears.