Pawbert Pawthorne

Pawbert Pawthorne (née Lynxley) is a Canada lynx and the protagonist of We Can Fix Pawbert. He is the youngest son of Milton Lynxley, formerly of the powerful Lynxley crime family. After his role as a secondary antagonist in Zootopia 2—where he attempted to murder Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, Nibbles Maplestick, and Gary De'Snake—the series follows his journey from traumatized villain to confident social worker, husband, and member of the pack.

"I promise to let myself be loved." — Pawbert's wedding vow (S05E24)

Background

Early Life

Pawbert grew up as the youngest and most neglected child of the Lynxley family. His father Milton ran the family as a dynasty built on the stolen legacy of Agnes De'Snake, the true inventor of Zootopia's Weather Walls. While his older siblings Cattrick and Kitty found roles within the family power structure—Cattrick as the financial operator, Kitty as the social leverage—Pawbert was relegated to the mailroom, treated as the family disappointment.

His mother, Lillian Lynxley, was the only family member who showed him genuine love. She called him "loud and determined"—a phrase that would become central to his identity across the series. Lillian died when Pawbert was ten, and Milton systematically erased her memory from the household.

Pawbert is gay, a fact Milton discovered when Pawbert was a teenager. Milton used this as leverage against him, and Pawbert's first love—a lynx named Soren—vanished after Milton found out about their relationship. Pawbert feared Milton had Soren killed; it was later revealed that Soren was alive but relocated.

Zootopia 2

During the events of Zootopia 2, Pawbert discovered a letter from overseas written by Gary De'Snake, a blue pit viper seeking to see the Lynxley Journal. Desperate to prove his worth to his father, Pawbert secretly arranged for Gary to be smuggled into Zootopia.

At the Zootennial Gala, Pawbert befriended Judy Hopps—genuinely enjoying her company—but was already planning his betrayal. When the conspiracy unraveled and the heroes discovered the truth about Agnes De'Snake's stolen patent, Pawbert revealed his true intentions. He injected Judy with snake venom, threw Gary into the snow to freeze (potentially lethal for a cold-blooded reptile), stabbed Nibbles Maplestick with venom, and fought Nick Wilde on an ice ledge.

His crimes were premeditated—he had prepared the venom in advance. These were not his father's orders; they were Pawbert's own desperate choices, driven by a lifetime of seeking love from a father who would never give it.

After his defeat, Milton briefly acknowledged him: "Maybe you are a Lynxley." It was the first time Milton had ever approved of Pawbert—and it was hollow. Pawbert was arrested alongside the entire Lynxley family.

Personality

Pawbert's personality undergoes the most dramatic transformation of any character in the series. In Zootopia 2, he presents as clumsy, eager-to-please, and socially awkward—before revealing a ruthless, unhinged desperation born from a lifetime of emotional abuse. The series begins with him terrified, suicidal, and convinced he deserves death.

Over five seasons, Pawbert develops into someone confident, purposeful, and emotionally articulate. He retains a fundamental gentleness—his first instinct is always to care for others—but gains the strength to advocate for himself and set boundaries. His journey is defined not by a single redemptive moment but by the daily practice of choosing differently.

Key personality traits across the series:

• Empathetic to a fault — His trauma gives him extraordinary insight into suffering, which he channels into his social work career
• Intellectually sharp — Achieves all A's in his first semester at GYU; provides critical intelligence to ZSI during the Icener crisis
• Anxious but brave — Fear never fully leaves him, but he learns to act in spite of it
• Loyal — Once he commits to his pack, he will risk his life for them without hesitation
• Domestic — An excellent cook (especially soups when stressed); finds comfort in routine and home life
• Evolving voice — His language shifts from passive and apologetic (Season 1) to assertive and self-assured (Season 5)

Series History

Season 1: The Fall and First Rescue

Pawbert begins the series under arrest following the events of Zootopia 2. He is processed through ZPD Holding, muzzled as a violent predator, his personal effects confiscated—including his mother's green sweater, the only possession Milton never succeeded in destroying. A rhino prisoner recognizes the Lynxley name and beats Pawbert in his cell while guards respond slowly. Pawbert does not resist. Part of him believes he deserves it.

His father Milton has placed a kill order on him from within prison. Pawbert knows too much about Lynxley operations; he is a liability. An undercover ZSI agent known only as "Luther" is assigned to protect him as an asset. Nick and Judy are assigned as liaisons—the very mammals Pawbert tried to kill weeks earlier.

The safehouse becomes Pawbert's world. He is terrified, guilt-ridden, and suicidal, convinced he deserves death. Luther's job is to keep him alive. Something unexpected happens: Luther begins to care.

The pivotal moment comes in "Breach" when a six-mammal hit squad led by a musk ox named Oxbow assaults the safehouse at 0300. Luther orders Nick, Judy, and Pawbert to evacuate through a hidden ZSI tunnel—and stays behind alone. Luther kills all six attackers in brutal combat, sustaining a gunshot wound to the abdomen, multiple stab wounds, and broken ribs. He crawls toward the exit and flatlines upon arrival at Site Two. Neagley resuscitates him.

For the first time in Pawbert's life, someone put their life on the line for him. Not for what he knew. Not for what he could offer. For him.

During Luther's recovery, Judy retrieves Pawbert's mother's green sweater from evidence—recognizing its importance before Pawbert can ask for it. When Pawbert puts it on, something shifts. He asks Luther, late at night, whether he can be loved. Luther answers yes.

Nick organizes a shopping expedition to transform Site Two into an actual living space. The MOSAIC blackmail network is dismantled; Pawbert destroys his own file—a critical moment of agency. He comes out as gay to Nick and Luther, revealing that his first love, a lynx named Soren, vanished after Milton discovered the relationship.

The crossover arcs expand Pawbert's world beyond trauma. Station 118 responds to a fire during the Perry Stackwell pursuit; Maddie Han gives Pawbert a handwritten card that becomes one of his treasured possessions. The Precinct 99 Halloween Heist brings competitive chaos—and Pawbert wins, earning the trophy that proves he can be part of something that is not built on cruelty.

When ZSI-BAU hunts Dr. Silris Mawl, a psychological assassin, Pawbert traps Mawl by speaking directly to him. His declaration—"I choose to stay"—becomes the counter-script to the survival instinct that tells him to run.

The structured apology comes before trial. Pawbert formally apologizes to Gary De'Snake, Nibbles Maplestick, Judy, and Nick. Each acceptance is different; none are easy.

His 25th birthday falls during trial prep. Flashbacks reveal his mother Lillian calling him "loud and determined"—the phrase that will define him. The first "I love you" exchange between Luther and Pawbert follows.

The trial ends in conviction: twelve years determinate, five years post-release supervision. On his last morning of freedom, the pack is together. Pawbert enters ZCF, Cell 3C-17. The season ends with Pawbert in prison—loved by a pack on the outside.

Season 2: The Clawrence Conspiracy

One year later, the attacks on ZCF escalate. ZSI embeds Luther as "Rook"—a prisoner cover identity—inside the facility to protect Pawbert and investigate the coordinated assaults testing response times. At dawn, Reacher's team extracts Pawbert and Luther. Warden Hartwell dies covering their escape, his final words revealing the conspiracy runs deeper than anyone realized.

At Site Two safehouse, Luther retrieves Pawbert's green sweater from evidence storage. When asked what the four of them are now, Luther names it: pack.

The forgiveness session marks a turning point. Nick, Judy, and Luther each explicitly forgive Pawbert—the word "unconditional" applied deliberately, not lightly. Dr. Fuzzby guides the process, teaching that forgiveness does not remove guilt—it changes what guilt is for.

Milton, during a prison visit, reveals that Clawrence Lynxley—his half-brother, presumed dead for decades—is alive and orchestrating the attacks. Milton also reveals that Soren is alive but has been relocated. A video call with Soren brings closure without reunion: the door is closed on reconnection, but Pawbert learns his first love was not murdered.

The Precinct 99 Halloween Heist returns as a security audit for ZSI facilities. The Precinct 7 crossover at Mole Harbor expands operational contacts. But the central crisis is Clawrence's terrorism campaign.

The weather wall between Tundratown and Sahara Square is breached. The structural failure kills 38+ civilians. Pawbert is captured during the chaos. On live television, broadcast across all of Zootopia, Clawrence offers Pawbert the chance to rule the city by force—to claim the throne their family built on stolen technology, to become the Lynxley that Milton always wanted.

Pawbert refuses, unwilling to trade his pack for a throne built on violence.

This is the public moment that defines Pawbert to Zootopia. The city watches the youngest Lynxley choose good over evil, pack over family, principle over power. He takes a bullet during the final confrontation with Clawrence's forces. Reacher kills operative Javier Croft.

In the aftermath, Pawbert's 26th birthday brings Gary De'Snake in person for the first time since Zootopia 2. The clemency hearing follows. Luther testifies that Pawbert is someone who has decided who he wants to be—not a criminal looking for an angle. The sentence is reduced by one year. Pawbert returns to ZCF voluntarily, cell 3C-17.

Season 3: The Lionheart Crisis

Four months after clemency, ZSI reactivates Luther's "Rook" cover to investigate stolen equipment at ZCF. Luther shares a cell with prisoner Krazek, unaware that Pawbert is in the same facility. To maintain cover, Luther must shove Pawbert during a yard incident—a moment that costs them both.

Leodore Lionheart—the former mayor imprisoned after the Night Howler case—orchestrates a prison breach to escape and stage a coup at City Hall. Everyone assumes the breach is about freeing the Lynxleys or killing Pawbert. The truth is worse: Lionheart is making his own play for power.

In the chaos, Cattrick and Kitty escape—permanently exiting the series. Milton is recaptured by Officer Kett. Luther and Pawbert find each other amid the confusion and reunite properly for the first time in months.

The pursuit that follows is the most physically intense sequence of the series. Luther and Pawbert commandeer a vehicle and chase Lionheart through the ZTA subway system. Dead End Station—"the city's forgotten throat"—becomes a bottleneck. The train chase spans six cars, with combat in each one as they fight through Lionheart's operatives. Nick and Judy converge from above ground, discovering a paid agitators manifest proving Lionheart's City Hall crowd is manufactured.

At City Hall, Lionheart reveals Luther's identity on live television—a "Cliffside wolf," a ZSI agent, and Pawbert Lynxley's interspecies lover. The exposure is deliberate cruelty: Lionheart wants to destroy Luther's undercover career and weaponize public prejudice against the pack. Luther disarms the traitor wolf who was supposed to assassinate Winddancer. The Mayor delivers a headbutt and kick to Lionheart personally.

Lionheart is taken into custody. Luther's undercover career ends permanently; he is reassigned to a ZPD-ZSI liaison role. Their inter-species relationship is now public knowledge—as is Nick and Judy's, which faces renewed scrutiny.

Pawbert returns to ZCF with approximately eight months remaining. When Judy visits through the glass partition, her promise is simple: always. Pawbert's response captures his state of mind—the time remaining is finite, but enough.

Season 4: Release and Reintegration

Season 4 shifts to slice-of-life, following Pawbert's release from ZCF and his reintegration into society. Officer Kett escorts him to the gate, advising him not to come back. Pawbert has no plans to.

Luther reveals his full name for the first time: Luther Pawthorne. He invites Pawbert to move into Pawthorne Mansion, the family estate in the Meadowlands. The philosophy that defines this chapter is Luther's assurance that while the Lynxleys taught Pawbert love has a price, Luther is not charging him.

Pawbert navigates the bureaucracy of reentry—new identification cards, bank accounts that flag his felony record, phone numbers that require explanations. His parole officer, Murray Burrows, establishes the rules of post-release supervision. Luther gives Pawbert keys to the mansion—a gesture of trust that overwhelms him.

Meeting Luther's parents, Maris and Harlan, is terrifying. Pawbert expects judgment; he receives warmth. Harlan's philosophy on raising Luther was that his son's heart was never a problem to solve. Maris tells Pawbert that he makes her son happy, and that makes Pawbert family—the paperwork is optional. For the first time, Pawbert sees what unconditional parental love looks like.

Pawbert enrolls at Greater Zootopia University and chooses Social Work as his major. His trauma, he realizes, can become expertise. The field placement at ZRS under supervisor Sorrel (capybara) teaches him the difference between being present and drowning. He observes before participating. He learns to sit with difficult emotions without trying to fix them immediately.

He takes a job at Snarlbucks, where he meets Lane (cheetah), Brim (mouse), and Tara (gazelle)—his first friends entirely outside the pack. Lane is the connector who introduces Pawbert to a wider social circle. Brim rides on Lane's shoulder and shows affection through backhanded compliments. Through Lane, Pawbert meets Mika (red panda), an artist whose studio above Zen Noodle becomes a creative refuge. Mika teaches him the difference between hypervigilance and attention—his brain is wired for the former, but art asks the opposite.

Nick and Judy officially move into Pawthorne Mansion, and the Pack Charter is established—quiet hours, closed files, comfort protocols. Nick contributes the Wilde Amendment: comfort, snacks, no prying. The mansion becomes a home for four.

A Deersneyland trip brings unexpected comedy when the pack encounters Chief Bogo and Clawhauser on what was clearly supposed to be a secret outing. Bogo insists the encounter never happened.

When press descends on the mansion after a tabloid story, Maris deploys what Harlan calls "the Pawthorne claws"—making phone calls, issuing statements, and confronting reporters directly. The public has a right to truth, she tells them, but not to cruelty.

Luther is injured during a ZSI raid alongside Reacher's team—three broken ribs when a building collapses on him. O'Donnell holds Pawbert during the panic attack when news arrives. Nick creates The Chart, documenting Luther's behavior as a "terrible patient" with color-coded entries. It begins as a joke and evolves into genuine care. Luther receives the framed chart as a birthday gift.

Pawbert completes his first semester at GYU with all A's. Sorrel offers him a position at ZRS, telling him he has done the work and there is a place for him if he wants it.

The season ends on Pawbert's 28th birthday. Gary De'Snake attends in person for the first time in two years. In a dream sequence, Lillian visits her son, telling him to look at himself—loud and determined, just like she always knew.

Season 5: The Icener Crisis and Marriage

Two years later, an external threat emerges: Mikhail Icener, a polar bear from Vladifrostok who recruited former Lynxley operatives. The Lynxley family's climate technology was built to fail in Vladifrostok; Icener's wife died the first year the cooling collapsed. His vendetta is personal.

Pawbert becomes a formal ZSI consultant, confronting Milton face-to-face for the first time since his conviction. He loses his temper for the first time in the series, defending his clients at ZRS—they are not just ex-cons, they are mammals trying to rebuild their lives.

As the crisis escalates, Pawbert breaks his promise to stay safe, running a community shelter for 217 displaced mammals, then going into a burning building to rescue Mika. He assists ZSI operations from the Crisis Coordination Center, provides critical building schematics from Lynxley archives, and accompanies Gary De'Snake to Reptile Ravine to search Agnes's journals for a failsafe code.

In the climax, Pawbert and Luther are captured by Icener. Luther, badly beaten, tells Pawbert to let him go. Pawbert refuses. He finds Agnes's failsafe code—FOR_ALL (from the phrase "Built by two, for all")—and triggers the shutdown of Icener's weapon systems.

Pawbert tells Icener the truth: the city survives, and Icener loses.

Luther kills Icener. Luther collapses. He codes four times—twice in the field, twice on the operating table. He survives.

Pawbert proposes. Luther proposes. Same weekend, no coordination. Both say yes. The ring engraving is a single word: Stay.

In the series finale, Pawbert marries Luther in a double wedding alongside Nick and Judy. He takes Luther's surname, becoming Pawbert Pawthorne, happy to shed the Lynxley name.

The series ends with the pack asleep together. The green sweater watches over them. The final exchange is their binding word: always.

Key Relationships

Luther Pawthorne

Luther is Pawbert's husband and the single most important person in his life. Their relationship begins as protector-and-asset, evolves through friendship and attraction, deepens through years of separation (prison), and culminates in marriage. Luther's promise of "Always" is Pawbert's anchor; it is engraved on their wedding rings.

Nick Wilde

Nick and Pawbert's relationship begins with justified hostility—Nick's partner nearly died because of Pawbert. Their bond grows through shared understanding of being defined by what you're born into. Nick becomes the pack's comic relief and emotional truth-teller. His letter to Pawbert in Season 1 includes: "Stay visible. Stay annoying. Stay alive."

Judy Hopps

Judy is the first person to advocate for Pawbert, even as his victim. Having witnessed the Lynxley family's cruelty at the gala, she understands what shaped him—even while processing her own trauma from his attack. She becomes the pack's moral compass.

Milton Lynxley

Pawbert's biological father and primary abuser. Milton never loved Pawbert; he only valued what Pawbert could do for him. Milton dies in Season 5, his final act one of spite—revealing to Icener that Pawbert has the codes, putting a target on his son's back one last time.

Gary De'Snake

Pawbert's oldest friend and the mammal he most wronged. Gary's forgiveness is one of the series' most powerful moments. Their final exchange at the wedding captures their entire journey: "We shall succeed, Pawbert Lynxley." / "We already have."

Key Phrases

Phrase	Origin	Significance
"I choose to stay"	S01E18	Counter-script to the instinct to run; Pawbert's declaration of agency
"Always"	Luther's promise (S01)	The pack's binding word; engraved on wedding rings
"Loud and determined"	Lillian Lynxley (S01E19)	His mother's description of him; becomes his self-identity
"We be pack"	S04E12	Post-crisis philosophy: "We live. We work. We come home. We be pack."
"Paw"	Luther's nickname (S05E08)	Intimate nickname; originally Soren's childhood name for him

Trivia

• Pawbert appears in every single episode of the series (104 episodes).
• His wedding ring is engraved with the word "Stay."
• He completes his first semester at GYU with straight A's.
• His first kill occurs in S05E20—an arctic fox during the mansion defense.
• The green sweater that belonged to his mother Lillian is the final image of the series.
• His birthday of November 26 is a meta-reference to the release date of Zootopia 2.