Bernard's Return In The Santa Clauses Will Finally Answer Why Scott Calvin Became Santa

One of the most hilarious aspects of the 1994 Christmas classic "The Santa Clause" is the grounded, almost businesslike manner in which the film tackles its absurd premise. The film itself follows a divorced toy salesman named Scott Calvin (Tim Allen), who accidentally causes Santa Claus himself (Steve Lucescu) to fall off of his roof on Christmas Eve — apparently killing him.

When the body of the original Santa disappears, Scott dons his iconic red suit and finishes his delivery route before returning to the North Pole — where an elf named Bernard (David Krumholtz) informs him of the hilariously bureaucratic "Santa Clause," which states that Scott is now technically the new Santa. The matter-of-fact nature of this absurd rule (which states that Scott is now legally Santa Claus, regardless of his own wishes) is one of the funniest aspects of the entire film, though it's worth mentioning that nobody ever explains why the "Santa Clause" is so finite and immovable.

Now, it appears as though we might finally be getting some answers about exactly why Scott Calvin was required to become Santa — as the return of Bernard the elf in "The Santa Clauses" will finally explain the nature of the "Santa Clause" itself.

The Disney+ limited series "The Santa Clauses" serves as a sequel series to the original "The Santa Clause" trilogy of films and focuses primarily on the attempts of an aging Scott Calvin to find a suitable replacement for Santa following his retirement. One character who could majorly impact this search for a new Santa is the infamously blunt Bernard the elf, who will return to the franchise in an upcoming episode of "The Santa Clauses."

While speaking to Entertainment Weekly about the upcoming return of his Bernard, actor David Krumholtz explained that this return will also give fans a proper explanation about why Scott Calvin actually became Santa — and possibly what actually happened to the original Santa once he fell off the roof. "You get an idea of what exactly happened that night in the first movie when the Santa Claus fell off Scott Calvin's roof," said Krumholtz. "Why Scott Calvin became Santa Claus, why it was him and not someone else. Did Santa really die when he fell off that roof? What really went on that night? What actually happens to Santas and to elves?"

Krumholtz also described how his episode would establish a "multiversal origin story of Christmas," one which explains exactly who Santa Clause is and where he comes from, taking cues from the actual myth of Saint Nicholas alongside several new ideas crafted specifically for the series. As hilarious as Bernard's character is, it appears that his return to "The Santa Clauses" will coincide with some pretty significant reveals about the true nature of Christmas and the real reason why Scott Calvin became Santa Claus.