#btw the fact that I wrote that post about redemption and stuff the day before the toh finale that has a theme of redemption aired is so-

[eldragon-x]

Something about Bill's role as a villain in the narrative of Gravity Falls and themes and how him having hidden depth adds to it all.

Like the show doesn't go too deep into him besides the one scene where he talks about how he felt trapped in his old home dimension and describes its destruction as "liberation" before going on about how spreading Weirdmageddon across our world would allow him to "free" our dimension as well by removing all restrictions from it.

And it makes sense for it to only dig so deep because the story is about the Pines family and Bill's purpose is to be something for them to overcome. Bill embodies the struggles and shortcomings of the Pines either by sharing negative traits with them (or traits that aren't inherently negative but can have a fault) or furthering his own goals through them being divided, with both set of twins resolving their conflicts and working together for each others sake being what defeats Bill in the end.

But then you dig a little deeper and not only are there implications that Bill might change for the better post-canon which plays into the theme of second chances and personal improvement (but I already talked about that), but you find pieces that create a picture and it all helps you understand how he got to this point and why he does what he does. And the thing is, Bill is an embodiment of weirdness and unconventionality, and accepting and understanding these things is also a theme in the show. Most notably with Mabel and Ford, but also in how several conflicts involving supernatural beings are solved by getting to understand them.

But of course, most of the characters never truly get to understand Bill, and they don't need to. Again, he's a villain to overcome and defeat for the purpose of their stories and that's the end of it. But the Axolotl, the one who gave him his second chance in the first place, understands him and chooses to give him support. The audience itself can try to come to understand Bill and the why and how of it all if they look for it.

Bill fits into the themes of the show not just as a villain and a foil to the Pines, but also as a full character on his own.