he's actually grown on me. little things that hint at "more than meets the eye". like, he is surprised when he gets closer to the crystal heart and suddenly has his body back. so i'm thinking maybe his power is indirectly linked to the heart, and the further away he was, the more he was in raw survival mode, which is why he barely spoke and wanted the heart so bad - he remembered it's what had given him power over the kingdom.all of this speculation of course, but it makes it more fun.