Papyrus's Death and the Collapse of the Underground: An Ignored Truth
(Basically a remix of this post)
One of the things that bothers me most in the Queen-Undyne ending is how people always talk about Undyne becoming Queen, Undyne’s coup, Sans’s reaction, or even Flowey’s commentary — but they ignore the most important thing:
Papyrus’s death and its effect on the Underground.
This post is about why that overlooked moment is actually the key to the entire collapse that follows.
Papyrus’s death triggers something no other death does
When Papyrus dies, the Underground doesn’t just get sad — it explodes:
Undyne starts a coup and overthrows Toriel.
The Underground collapses politically and socially.
This doesn’t happen when Asgore, Mettaton, Undyne, or Alphys die. Those deaths just bring sadness or depression.
Only Papyrus’s death sparks anger and rebellion.
It’s almost like: Papyrus’s death starts the breakdown. Asgore’s death is just the final blow.
Why did Papyrus's death hit so hard?
(Because he mattered more than people realize)
People ignore this because they treat Papyrus like a child or comic relief — but in reality, his death shakes the foundation because of who he was:
He wasn’t just a random guy — he was basically the unofficial Snowdin’s mayor.
He was the link between Snowdin and the Royal Guard (via Undyne).
His death causes the political bear to say he feels politics crumbling.
NPCs sense the tension spreading even without knowing why — One says his smile wavered, others show unease.
Papyrus held community, political, and social ties together —When he dies, everything unravels.
Even outside of this ending, Papyrus was a keystone
His importance shows everywhere:
He’s the reason you can do Pacifist route:
He forces Undyne to befriend you instead of kill you.
He's the first to tell you Asgore has the souls needed for freedom.
He is the one to bring the monsters to your fight with Asgore. And even if it was Flowey's idea, it would have never worked without Papyrus.
He was strong and sharp, not naive:
He notices dust on you in Genocide (no one else comments on it).
He notices your zombie walk.
Undyne says he’s “really tough.”
You cannot kill him unless he lets you lower his guard.
People dismiss him as naive or dumb, but that’s wrong:
He’s perceptive, tough, forgiving by choice, and vital to the story’s events.
Why does all this matter?
Because Papyrus’s death is the spark that leads to the Underground’s collapse — not Undyne’s coup itself, not Asgore’s death, not Flowey’s commentary.
And it bothers me how the fandom ignores it, when it’s arguably the most important moment in that ending.
And I'm not telling you to believe or agree everything I said. You can take it with a grain of salt if you want. But I think one thing is clear:
It’s time we talked about it.
