[4] The character was consistently portrayed by Robert Englund in the original film series as well as in the television spin-off Freddy's Nightmares.

He goes on to antagonize the teenage protagonists of the film's sequels, including Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton), Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette), Alice Johnson (Lisa Wilcox), and Lori Campbell (Monica Keena).

In A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, more of Freddy's backstory is revealed by the mysterious nun who repeatedly appears to Dr. Neil Gordon (Craig Wasson).

When she was finally discovered, she was barely alive and pregnant, with the result that Krueger was regarded as "the bastard son of a hundred maniacs" due to it being impossible to determine which of the rapists was his biological father.

Freddy tortured animals and engaged in self-mutilation, and became a serial killer by murdering the children of people who had bullied him when he was a child.

Having been in various manifestations throughout the ages as the entity can be captured through storytelling, it is hinted that it was once in the form of the old witch from Brothers Grimm's fairy tale Hansel and Gretel when it was held prisoner in this allegory based on actions.

Englund describes to his former co-star and friend Heather Langenkamp that this embodiment of Freddy is darker and more evil than as portrayed by him in the films; he struggles to keep his sanity intact from Krueger's torments and goes into hiding with his family.

The entity also haunts Wes Craven's dreams, to the point that he sees future events related to Krueger's actions and then writes them down as a movie script.

Langenkamp, with help from her son Dylan (Miko Hughes), succeeds in defeating the entity and apparently destroys him; however, Krueger's creator reveals that it is again imprisoned in the fictitious world, indicated by the character's later appearances in films and other medias.

The ending of the film is left ambiguous as to whether or not Freddy is actually dead; despite being decapitated, when Jason emerges from the lake carrying his head he looks and winks at the audience.

When their parents found out, they trapped him in a boiler room at an industrial park and set it on fire with a Molotov cocktail made out of a gasoline canister, killing him.

As a spirit, he takes his revenge on the teenagers by haunting their dreams; he is particularly obsessed with Nancy Holbrook (Rooney Mara), who had been his "favorite" when she was a child.

In "No More, Mr. Nice Guy", though Freddy's case seems open and shut, a mistrial is declared based on the arresting officer, Lt. Tim Blocker (Ian Patrick Williams), not reading Krueger his Miranda rights, which is different from the original Nightmare, which stated he was released because someone forgot to sign the search warrant in the right place.

[17] Season two's "It's My Party And You'll Die If I Want You To" featured Freddy attacking a high school prom date who stood him up 20 years earlier.

[19] Wes Craven said his inspiration for the basis of Freddy Krueger's power stemmed from several stories in the Los Angeles Times about a series of mysterious deaths: All the victims had reported recurring nightmares and died in their sleep.

[21] Craven's inspirations for the character included a bully from his school during his youth, a disfigured homeless man who had frightened him when he was 12, and the 1970s pop song "Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright.

Freddy's characteristic of keeping his gloved arm lower than the other was incidental due to the knives being heavy to wear for Englund and forcing him to carry himself as such while playing the role.

As the films began to emphasize the comedic, wise-cracking aspect of the character, he began to don various costumes and take on other forms, such as dressing as a waiter or wearing a superhero-inspired version of his sweater with a cape (The Dream Child), appearing as a video game sprite (Freddy's Dead), a giant snake-like creature (Dream Warriors), and a hookah-smoking caterpillar (Freddy vs. Jason).

In New Nightmare, Freddy's appearance is updated considerably, giving him a green fedora that matches his sweater stripes, skin-tight leather pants, knee-high black boots, a turtleneck version of his trademark sweater, a blue-black trench coat, and a fifth claw on his glove, which also has a far more organic appearance, resembling the exposed muscle tissue of an actual hand.

Wes Craven stated that part of the inspiration for Freddy's infamous bladed glove was from his cat, as he watched it claw the side of his couch one night.

[29] In the Simpsons episode Treehouse of Horror VI segment "A Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace", Groundskeeper Willie played the Freddy Krueger role, with his backstory being toned down to him accidentally setting himself on fire thanks to Homer turning up the boiler and burning to death due to the parents ignoring his pleas for help, deciding to avenge himself by targeting their kids for their callously letting him burn to death.

Krueger ultimately was stopped by Maggie plugging his bagpipe spider form, causing him to uncontrollably inflate and detonate within the dream world, though it is implied in the ending this resulted in him being restored to life in reality, albeit significantly less threatening.

[31] The film focused on the Belarusian youth, Keshka, who is described as being a "...Tom Sawyer successor", and a "...a pioneer at heart...",[32] who decides to skip out on his school's English lessons to attend a showing of A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master at a cultural center.

Falling asleep in the middle of watching the movie, Keshka wakes up in the cultural center alone, being haunted by strange images and sounds from all over.

[34] De-powered, Krueger falls limp, as Keshka takes a pair of pliers and snaps off each of his glove's blades, before filing each one down to a fine stump.

Waking up shortly after, Keshka meets up with his friends, holding Krueger's hat in his hands, as he decides to devote more time to his studies in English.

Freddy Krueger appeared as a downloadable playable character for Mortal Kombat (2011), with Robert Englund reprising his role.

The game depicts Krueger as a malevolent spirit inhabiting the Dream Realm who attacks Shao Kahn for "stealing" the souls of his potential victims.

[41] In October 2017, the Jackie Earle Haley incarnation of Krueger was released as a downloadable playable character in the seventh chapter of the asymmetric survival horror game Dead by Daylight, alongside Quentin Smith.

[42] The events of the chapter are set immediately following Nancy Holbrook's escape from Krueger, after which he targets Quentin Smith as revenge for aiding her.