Analysis of the Relationship Between Johnny and Jack Worthington
Warnings! : Symptoms of PTSD; gun-related trauma; parenting issues; rejection and fear of touch; absence; references to death and grief; death threats; (AU; non-canonical—don't take me seriously.)
(Johnny, at 3 weeks old. Practicing "Kangaroo Care" so the premature baby could leave the hospital soon.)
I truly believe that the relationship between these two was very close during Johnny’s childhood. Little baby Worthington literally had a small playpen in his father’s office, where he used to sneak into the open drawers and simply take a nap inside.However, things changed shortly thereafter, when Johnny was around two years old. And that’s where my AU comes into play.
Viktor B. Nordenov is the father of my OC, Ária, who is Johnny’s love interest. As I wrote in this post, Jack’s trauma is entirely connected to this man.
Many years ago, the Garriver family founded and owned the third-largest scream factory in all of Monstropolis, but they were falsely accused and persecuted. This was a scheme orchestrated by the matriarch of the Williams family. (Yes, Carrie Williams’s grandmother.) This may sound confusing, but it will all make sense in the end.
It’s important to note that Ária’s mother is, in fact, a Garriver. And being the good husband that Viktor is, he clearly wasn’t going to let those responsible for persecuting his wife’s family get away with it, especially after the Williams family bought Scream Ins. for such a low market price.
So, in 1962 (given that Monsters University takes place from 1980 to 1982, and Monsters at Work*is set 20 years later, in 2001, Johnny was a senior in 1981, making him 21 or 22 years old, so he was likely born between 1960 and 1959. That gives him a two-year range in this context.)
Viktor travels to America, to the city of Monstropolis, with a single goal in mind: revenge. And, of course, to honor his in-laws’ family. May they rest in peace.
At the time, a veritable industrial revolution was underway in Monstropolis and around the world—much like what has happened over the past 30 years, but condensed into a mere five. In other words, the city was growing rapidly, which led to a rise in crime and a surge in demand for energy. This essentially amounted to a golden age of profit for the Scream Factories. And amid all that chaos, Viktor managed to infiltrate the city with just a few henchmen from his mafia, and once there, he stayed for a mere 16 days—enough time to track down Matriarch Williams. Since I have no further information, I’ll refer to her as Cherry Williams.
Jack ended up getting involved in the situation by a stroke of luck; at the time, he was still the heir to Fear Co. He was handling small contracts and attending meetings on his father’s behalf, all while trying to be a good father to his clingy baby Johnny and his full-time “Daddy’s boy.” Jack was a bundle of nerves, trying to balance business and family during years of major breakthroughs.
Jack was also in charge of confidential deals with Cherry; the two got along well. Jack saw the old lady as a symbol of wisdom and a source of tips and old stories. Cherry even let him bring his son into the conference room, where little Worthington would play with baby Carrie, who was just a few months younger than him. (Of course, he had no idea about the whole scheme to make her the owner of Scream Ins.)
Around the time of Johnny’s third birthday, Jack ended up being followed and taken to Viktor, who proposed a deal to him.
A lot of money, in exchange for Cherry's life.
Normally, Viktor didn’t involve anyone outside his mafia in his plans. But he had reached a dead end. Cherry had used her years as CEO to strengthen her security, and she had bolstered it even further with Carrie’s birth. Combined with the Nordenovs’ lack of influence in the West—far from their territory, which at the time was limited to Russia—Viktor had no choice but to resort to such a desperate measure.
An agreement that Jack obviously rejected.
No amount of money could have convinced him to do such a thing. His father was very busy building up Fear Co. Business was booming, and his son would soon be turning three. Why would he risk it all?
Viktor then changed his strategy.
You know that cliché from movies about the mafia or something like that? The one where they threaten your family? Yeah, that one.
And Viktor was certain that it took a bullet to kill a 3-year-old boy. Sorry, almost 3 years old.
It was an affront, a clear threat—Jack couldn’t believe anyone would stoop to that level. And the matter-of-fact way Viktor spoke when he simply threatened to kill his son was too much; it was too much to comprehend.
At the AU, Johnny was a premature baby; he was born far too small. He was so weak he barely survived, and that’s one of the reasons Jack is so careful with his son. Because no matter how much that little baby annoyed him and drove him to the brink of pulling his hair out, he still saw that baby struggling to breathe. He still saw that tiny, hairless little creature clutching his finger. As he struggled to stay alive in that hospital crib.
So Jack accepted the deal.
It was quick; he slipped a mixture of thallium and lead into Cherry’s afternoon tea. The Matriarch died just a few days later; the doctors examined her, and the autopsy concluded it was lead poisoning.Since they were in the midst of an industrial revolution, and it hadn’t been that long since the Williams family had joined the elite, the mansion where they lived had been built in a hurry. This resulted in lead-based plumbing, and since Cherry was the oldest in the family, the autopsy was accepted by both the family and the media.
Back to Jack and Viktor, the two met once again. This time, however, Viktor didn’t want to leave any loose ends. He cornered Jack, who was holding Johnny in his arms, and led them into an alley.Both father and son only survived that day because Aria, who had just turned two at the time, became strangely attached to Johnny. Even though she herself didn’t understand why.
(Actually, she did know. Johnny had longer, softer fur when he was younger, and little Ária had a bit of a crush on him because of that. Later, she asked for a stuffed animal with the same fur color as Johnny’s, because she liked the color.)
Of course, an experience like that had a profound impact on Jack. And things started to fall apart from there.
The constant nightmares and memories of Cherry’s funeral were robbing his sleep. And the worst part was that he couldn’t share his anguish with anyone else. His family wouldn’t accept a murderer, much less the media; his name would be dragged through the mud, and he would drag everyone down with him.
Over the years, Jack’s overprotectiveness toward Johnny was one of the reasons the boy felt trapped and belittled from childhood onward. Despite this, Jack was still a present father and spent quality time with his little boy, though never engaging in physical activities. As for sports, Johnny never played baseball or softball with his father; he always played with coaches and friends from his private school.
To Jack, that was the right thing to do. His hands were dirty—stained with Cherry’s blood. How could he play with his son using those hands? Those hands and claws coated in poison? With heavy metal that could hurt his boy?
It turned out that Jack’s trauma had become so deep-seated that any mention of the mafia, firearms, or anything that even remotely reminded him of Viktor was enough to trigger a breakdown disguised as fatigue.
(And considering that the story takes place between 1962 and 1982, can I assume there was a sort of Cold War? Or perhaps just a rivalry between America and Russia in the monster universe—but not like it was in the human world.)
He still had nightmares about those drooping, golden eyes, and how he looked at them as if they were mere animals being led to the slaughter. As if they were nothing.He lost sleep wondering if that Russian would return to finish what he had started; he wasn’t a very religious man, but he prayed to God that he wouldn’t.
All that distance, the lack of physical contact, led Johnny to recognize his father by his presence—by the sound of his hooves on the floor, by the scent of expensive cologne and rotten wood, a scent few monsters possessed. During his childhood, Johnny would sneak into his Father’s office, and just like when he was little, he would hide in the largest drawers and just doze off. That was until he grew too big to fit in the drawers, and he settled for sleeping on the sofa near the window.
This went on until Johnny was 13, when his grandfather passed away from a heart attack. And what was already bad got even worse.
Anyone who spends time with 13-year-olds knows how complicated this stage can be. (I have a sister that age, so I know what I’m talking about.)
Johnny went through a rebellious phase around that time. This only added to his father’s headaches, as he had just been promoted to CEO of Fear Co.
What used to be a simple distance between them turned into arguments and fights. Johnny wanted more freedom in every way—the classic teenager. Why did he get an allowance if he couldn’t buy a motorcycle? Why couldn’t he play those violent video games? Why couldn’t he go skydiving!? So what if he was still too young for that?
Basically, Johnny was kept in a bubble.
No matter how hard Jack tried, he couldn’t look at that boy and accept that he was growing up. Where did that chubby little ball of purple fur go? When did it get replaced by this teenager who won’t listen to him? He’s just trying to protect him.
But Johnny Worthington III wasn’t going to give in easily. His rebellious streak was a secret—whether he was wearing spiked bracelets when Dad wasn’t looking, or skipping etiquette class when the old teacher was asleep.
(Based on the music video for “Marmalade” (feat. Lil Yachty)Macklemore.)
(Johnny has definitely thrown secret parties in his room or at some party house, using Jack’s money. Since Jack checked Johnny’s account to make sure he wasn’t doing anything wrong, but was too busy to check his own account.)
Years later, when Johnny was already 18, Jack worked overtime on the day Johnny left home. He spent an hour crying in his office, fighting the urge to call his son, and cried for another hour alone when he got home and found Johnny’s old room empty.
Well, "Jhonatan III", didn't make a point of visiting his father before leaving for MU either. He just packed his things into boxes, said goodbye to his mother, and left the mansion as quickly as possible.
Their relationship basically boils down to phone calls and nagging. Jack just wants his son to stay safe, stay out of trouble, and eat right. And of course, he always has to come first—he is a Worthington, after all.
Johnny, on the other hand, is enjoying his freedom. He spent years in a cage, without knowing why, and now he’s going to savor every second. During Johnny's first three years of MU, everything went "well"—until he reached his fourth and final year.
At AU, it’s very likely that Johnny will never find out what happened. His dad would never tell him, and his father-in-law, Viktor, believes that certain things should stay in the past. And so Jack finds out about Johnny and Aria’s relationship—a serious, romantic relationship between his son and that monster’s daughter. He’ll panic; she’s dangerous, and so is her father. Jack’s trauma makes him completely disapprove of the relationship.
In fact, he didn't attend Johnny's graduation and wedding because of that.
On the other hand, Viktor took it very well. Even though he’s a great father to his daughter, old man Nordenov always wanted a son. Or a son-in-law, or a daughter-in-law—he doesn’t mind—but he needed someone to keep an eye on his daughter when he was no longer around. And Johnny was the solution; they get along great, and he even makes his little girl happy. What could be better? He almost feels bad for nearly killing that boy.
Basically, the relationship between the two heirs was the last straw for Jack’s sanity. He couldn’t stay in the same room as Viktor without being reminded of the sleepless nights and nightmares, and as time went on, Johnny ended up drifting even further away from his father. Since everything related to the heir of Fear Co. had something that reminded him of his wife—which reminded him of her father—and triggered old Jack’s triggers. Whether it was the cologne Johnny started wearing, or the wedding ring.
As for Fear Co., it’s canon that Johnny never reached his full potential as a scarer after college, since he was too busy learning how to run the company. In the AU, things play out a little differently.
Johnny felt rejected, and the lack of information, combined with the freedom of being away from his father’s shadow, led him to seize the opportunity to become a master of Scare and learn from his father-in-law how to run a business. (Without the downsides of Vik’s second job.)This led our dear Worthington to view Viktor as a mentor, though they were more like business partners or just friends.
Despite this, Johnny and Jack didn’t reconcile until years later. With the help of other family members—some of whom weren’t even born yet.
Basically, both went through a grieving process over Shirley Worthington (a woman about whom there is almost no official information, and I’m still forming an opinion about). She didn’t get very involved in her husband and son’s relationship because she was so absent. Despite her death, it was the first step for father and son to try to reconnect.
(And for Jack to finally start therapy.)
That was me trying to write and explain this post. (It probably won't even be seen, so... Okay) :3s
I’m really proud of my drawings and animations. Mainly because I’ve realized I’m gradually improving, and even more so since this is my first time using Alight Motion.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to read this post.
