Bill Cipher is a character and the main antagonist of Disney's Gravity Falls franchise. The character is voiced by the show's creator Alex Hirsch. He is a "nightmaredemon" that can be summoned and released into any person's mind. Bill first appears physically in "Dreamscapers". However, many references to him are hidden throughout the backgrounds of the episodes and within the opening of the series. He is also a prominent character in the Gravity Falls book, Gravity Falls: Journal 3.
A novel centering on Bill Cipher, titled The Book of Bill,[1] was released on July 23, 2024.[2] Unlike the original series, this novel was marketed as being "for older audiences" because of violence and uses of swears.
Background
Bill Cipher's name is speculated by fans to be either a pun on the Beale ciphers (or ciphers in general, considering their prominence in the series),[3] or a reference to the Eye of Providence that appears on the reverse of the United States one-dollar bill. Film director David Lynch was asked to voice Bill, as Gravity Falls was inspired greatly by Lynch's series Twin Peaks. However, Lynch declined the offer.[4] Hirsch voices the character with what he calls a "bad impression" of Lynch.[5]
In his standard form, Bill Cipher resembles a one-eyed yellow triangle superficially similar to the Eye of Providence with thin black limbs, wearing a top hat and a bow tie, and often carrying a cane. However, his form is shown as malleable in the series, as he changes his appearance seemingly at will; for example, Bill turns red and grows in size after becoming angered in the episode "Dreamscapers".
Role in Gravity Falls
Bill Cipher is one of the primary antagonists of Gravity Falls. He is portrayed as smart and focused on getting his way, not caring much for the feelings of others and manipulating them to do his bidding. His primary goal through the series is to be freed from the "Mindscape" and bring about an apocalypse which he calls "Weirdmageddon" (a weird Armageddon). His attempts at reaching his goals are often thwarted by protagonists Dipper and Mabel Pines throughout the series. However, Mabel unintentionally helps him bring about Weirdmageddon through her actions in the Season 2 episode, "Dipper and Mabel vs. The Future."
After the credits of the final episode of the series ("Weirdmageddon Part 3: Take Back the Falls"), Bill Cipher's petrified form is shown in live-action, isolated deep in a forest. This marks the beginning of the Cipher Hunt, a real-life scavenger hunt that congratulates winners with a real-life statue of Bill. The statue was eventually found in August 2016 by fans of the series and is currently located at Confusion Hill in Piercy, California.[6]
Reception
Bill Cipher's ruthlessness and willingness to make others suffer for his enjoyment has been regarded as one of the character's greatest strengths, and has landed him as a character and the series praise from viewers, who have noted him as one of Disney Channel's best villains.[7][8] In 2022, The Mary Sue described Bill Cipher as one of the "sexiest" Tumblr Sexymen, writing that Bill's "confusing and scary" nature made him attractive to Gravity Falls fans online.[9]
Critical analysis of Bill by Ars Technica has credited him as being the manifestation of the fear of the unknown, with journalist Cassandra Khaw noting Bill as one of the most prominent incarnations of fear within Gravity Falls. Khaw further uses Bill's relation to fear of the unknown as the most prominent example of fear being a core theme of Gravity Falls.[10] Part of Bill's intrigue for fans came from his mysterious presence; he has a cameo in every episode of the series at the end of the credits, plus many more in quick shots in episodes, such as being displayed on the back of playing cards in one episode.[11]
The novel centering Bill Cipher, The Book of Bill, reached No. 1 on the New York Times Bestsellers' list for the week of August 11, 2024 in the "Advice, How-To, and Miscellaneous" category.[12]The Book of Bill also placed No. 2 on Amazon's best-sellers list and No. 1 on Amazon's Hot New Releases Chart shortly after its release.[13] The book's release sparked a renewed interest in the series, causing Gravity Falls and related tags to trend on social media websites such as Twitter.
