Agnes De'Snake

Agnes De'Snake is a pit viper and the true inventor of Zootopia's Weather Walls—the climate-control systems that made the city's multi-district cohabitation possible. A historical figure who died before the events of Zootopia 2, Agnes's stolen legacy is the inciting injustice behind the entire Zootopia 2 and We Can Fix Pawbert narrative. Her great-grandson Gary De'Snake dedicated his life to clearing her name, and her failsafe code—FOR_ALL—saves Zootopia during the Icener crisis over a century after her death.

"Built by two, for all." — Agnes De'Snake's founding phrase; the origin of her failsafe code

Background

The True Founding of Zootopia

Agnes De'Snake dreamed of creating a place where all animals—including reptiles—could live side by side. She designed the Weather Wall system, the massive climate-control infrastructure that maintains district-specific environments across Zootopia. The most iconic segment, the Tundratown-Sahara Square wall, was her creation.

Agnes sketched her plans in what would later be known as the "Lynxley Journal" (which actually belonged to her) and received a patent proving the Weather Walls were her invention. Needing capital to fund construction, she asked Ebenezer Lynxley to serve as her business partner and investor.

The Betrayal

Ebenezer Lynxley coveted Agnes's invention. After accepting her journal containing the designs, he:

1. Stole credit for her invention, claiming the Weather Walls as his own work
2. Disposed of her journal to eliminate evidence of her authorship
3. Murdered his own tortoise maid, who had witnessed the crime and recovered the patent from the fireplace before it could be destroyed
4. Framed Agnes for the murder, using snake venom to make the killing appear to be Agnes's doing
5. Activated the Tundratown weather walls to bury Reptile Ravine in snow, forcing all reptiles to flee Zootopia
6. Personally shut off all power to the Reptile Ravine lighthouse

Because Agnes was a snake, everyone believed Ebenezer's lie. The scandal resulted in the mass displacement of reptiles from Zootopia. Reptile history was erased as if they had never existed.

The Preserved Patent

Before her arrest, Agnes managed one final act of defiance. The tortoise maid had given Agnes the rescued patent before dying. Agnes hid it in her home in Reptile Ravine—inside a music box in the De'Snake family house. Ebenezer died believing he had committed the perfect crime. He was wrong.

A century later, Gary De'Snake recovered the patent with the help of Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, and Nibbles Maplestick, exposing the Lynxley family as frauds and vindicating Agnes's name.

The Failsafe

Agnes built a failsafe into the Weather Wall system—a shutdown code that could disable the technology in an emergency. The clue to this code was hidden in her journals and personal writings, preserved in Reptile Ravine.

In S05E18, Pawbert and Gary search Agnes's documents and discover a cryptic note: "The failsafe lives within our mission." The mission statement that Agnes and Ebenezer had shared was: "BUILT BY TWO, FOR ALL."

In S05E21, during the climax of the Icener crisis, Pawbert realizes the failsafe code is FOR_ALL—derived from Agnes's founding phrase. He triggers the shutdown of Mikhail Icener's weaponized weather wall systems, saving Zootopia. Agnes's vision—a city built for all—saves the city she created, a century after her death.

Legacy

Agnes De'Snake's influence extends far beyond her lifetime:

• Reptile Ravine: Reopened after the events of Zootopia 2; reptiles reintegrated into Zootopia
• The Weather Walls: Her invention remains Zootopia's defining infrastructure and its single largest terrorism vulnerability
• The Failsafe Code: FOR_ALL saves Zootopia in S05E21, proving Agnes anticipated the possibility that her technology could be misused
• Gary De'Snake: Her great-grandson carries her legacy forward, his optimism and determination inherited from the grandmother who dreamed of a city for all
• The Lynxley Family: The dynasty built on her stolen work ultimately collapses—Milton imprisoned for life, then killed; Cattrick and Kitty escaped; Pawbert redeemed and freed from the Lynxley name entirely

Key Relationships

Ebenezer Lynxley

Agnes's business partner and betrayer. She trusted him as an investor; he repaid that trust with theft, murder, and the destruction of her community. Their partnership—and its corruption—is summarized in the founding phrase that became the failsafe: "Built by two, for all." Agnes meant it. Ebenezer did not.

Gary De'Snake

Agnes's great-grandson, who dedicated his life to clearing her name and bringing his family home to Zootopia. Gary's quest in Zootopia 2 is a direct continuation of Agnes's unfinished fight for justice.

Pawbert Pawthorne

Agnes's legacy intersects with Pawbert in complex ways. Pawbert is the great-great-grandson of the mammal who destroyed Agnes's life. During Zootopia 2, he tried to burn Agnes's patent to protect the Lynxley name. But in S05E21, it is Pawbert who discovers Agnes's failsafe code and uses it to save Zootopia—completing a redemption arc that spans both families.

Trivia

• Agnes De'Snake is the true co-founder of Zootopia, a fact hidden for a century.
• Her patent was preserved in a music box in the De'Snake family home in Reptile Ravine.
• The full founding phrase is "BUILT BY TWO, FOR ALL"—the "two" referring to Agnes and Ebenezer's original partnership.
• Her failsafe code (FOR_ALL) is the last two words of the founding phrase.