Frequently, Disney antagonists transcend their plots and become cultural icons. In other words, they are frequently humorous, fashionable, edgy, mysterious, or cool as hell. Who, in all honesty, would not want to be as sassy as Cruella?
As children, we tend to despise these villains because they inflict our favorite characters’ suffering. Many of us have a newfound appreciation for them as we mature. Many of us aspire to achieve our outspoken self-assurance. Nevertheless, there are certain villains we simply despise. Pure wickedness as a cartoon.
Cruella de Vil
We’ve reached number one place! Cruella de Vil is the champion, the style symbol, and the fur queen. ICONIC! She indeed is. A self-assured, sarcastic, heavy smoker who knows exactly what she wants. She is a femme fatale worthy of consideration. She makes up for her lack of abilities with her character and will. In search of dalmatian pups to turn into fur jackets, she is quite nasty. Killing puppies is even worse than an enemy wanting to kill the protagonist!
Cruella is, you got it, another Disney villain based on a gay icon. Tallulah Bankhead served as the muse for Cruella. If you know who Tallulah is, you will be astounded that you didn’t realize this sooner. What an ideal individual to base this character on.
Cruella is now following in Maleficent’s footsteps with her live-action flick. We are finally able to investigate her background, which has fascinated us for years. If you haven’t seen it yet, we won’t tell too much, but Emma Stone did this fictitious figure justice.
What better way to honor Cruella than to give her her own cosmetics line? MAC has launched a beauty line inspired by Cruella de Vil! Still, nobody can duplicate Cruella’s image better than she can.
Maleficent
Among the top 10 Disney villains, it was difficult not to choose Maleficent. She is the antagonist we all adore. Our initial impressions of Maleficent were negative. Maleficent is more malevolent in the 1959 film Sleeping Beauty than she is in her current incarnation. Despite this, she only curses Aurora since she was not invited to her baptism. This is the first indication that her goal is not straightforward.
She was originally conceived as a giant vampire bat. Despite being dark, her character is campy. This is owing to the inspiration that went into her creation. She is modeled after Malia Nurmi, a 1950s camp star best remembered for her portrayal of Vampira.
Maleficent is currently known as the misunderstood character portrayed by Angelina Jolie. Her malevolent motivation is a reaction to men’s greed. Once we better comprehend her history, we cannot but take her side. Her beauty and elegance are famous among criminals.
Lots’-O-Huggin’ Bear
Some Disney antagonists are malicious, yet we secretly adore them. This is not one of those instances. If we are discussing the most popular Disney villains, this is not one of them.
Toy Story 3 introduced one of the most despised antagonists ever. Who knew you could become so enraged at an adorable purple teddy bear?
Also known as Lotso, he originally emerges as a strawberry-scented character resembling a loving grandfather. The deception that led us to believe he was a lovable teddy bear makes us despise him much more. Lotso forces Buzz, Woody, and the remaining toys to end up in a landfill, where they risk being burned.
Woody and Buzz forgive Lotso and assist him in reaching the emergency stop button even though he will abandon them regardless. Even after being pardoned, he remains as nasty as ever. Lotso did get an appropriate ending. Not the ending he had envisioned, he is discovered by a truck driver and tied to the grill.
Ursula
Ursula is among the elite among the best female Disney antagonists. A sea witch with tentacles is the most horrible creature imaginable. She exploits Aerial’s naiveté to coerce her into signing a contract. However, her history is more intriguing than you may realize.
She previously held a position at the palace of King Triton. She becomes the queen of the seas after attempting to control the power of the king’s trident after being exiled.
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Many are unaware of Ursula’s initial inspiration. She is loosely based on Divine, a drag queen. It is apparent from this where her personality traits originated. Divine was an extremely contentious queen, claiming to be the dirtiest of all queens. Let’s just say that Ursula is Divine’s PG-rated counterpart!
Numerous people recognize Ursula as the first plus-size fashion icon. She is sarcastic, provocative, self-assured, and an all-around powerful woman who knows what she wants. Disney may have intended to represent this figure negatively, but the attempt backfired. She is one of the most beloved Disney characters, villain and hero alike.
Scar
The scar is renowned among Disney villains. In The Lion King, he was responsible for one of the most tear-jerking scenes in the history of film. As Mufasa risks his life to save Simba, Scar sees an opportunity to permanently eliminate his sibling. Scar digs his claws into Mufasa’s hands while he clings to the cliff’s edge. Scar looks Mufasa in the eyes as he falls into the rush and proclaims, “Long live the king!” A moment we will never forget.
Once again, we have a villain whose hatred is motivated by envy. We may have even felt some pity for him before he became Disney’s most notorious killer.
Scar would not be the person he is without his companions. The fact that the three hyenas are frightened of Scar makes him much more frightening. We cannot ignore Whoopi Goldberg’s classic performance as one of the hyenas, Shenzi.
Sid Phillips
If you do not recall Toy Story’s Sid, you will certainly recall his sadistic inventions. He operates on his tortured toys to create many monster toys in the style of Frankenstein. The most apparent feature is the one-eyed, hairless doll’s head hooked to spider legs made of metal. Indeed terrifying.
Sid’s wickedness stems from the agony and suffering he inflicts upon his Toys. Justice is served as Sid’s toys react against him for the harm he has caused them. It is at this point that we see his toys are not inherently evil but merely tortured.
He is one of those villains whom we do not secretly admire; he is pure evil, and we are genuinely scared of him. He is not stylish, sassy, or cool; he is simply that kid in school that everyone feared.
In the Monsters, Inc. comics, Sid eventually evolved into an almost monster. Sulley and Mike are hunting him because he has been stealing children’s toys via the monster’s doors. We are all aware of what will happen to those poor toys. This scary character deserved a place among Disney’s greatest antagonists.
Jafar
Jafar, one of the most formidable Disney villains, is the primary antagonist in Aladdin. Once defeated by Aladdin, Hades subsequently resurrected him.
Jafar, the trusted advisor of the Sultan, craves the magic contained within the lamp of the Genie. Unlike other villains, his motivations are not appearance, wealth, or deception, but rather pure power. His ultimate objective was to conquer the entire globe. He is also accompanied by another nasty figure, his pet parrot Lago. Originally, their personalities were reversed, with Jafar having a more irritable disposition.
Jafar becomes one of the most powerful entities ever seen in the Disney realm after obtaining the lamp. This alone makes him one of the most infamous Disney antagonists.
Evil Queen
The Evil Queen is the first villain created by Disney. She is the primary adversary in the 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Her acts are motivated by her ambition to be the fairest of them all, a label Snow White deserves. As the first Disney villain, she is one of the most infamous Disney villains ever.
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Once, the Evil Queen was selected as one of the top 10 film villains of all time. She is unquestionably quite evil and devises ingenious strategies, but she does so in a legendary fashion. She is the first femme fatale to captivate audiences and introduce them to the incredible universe of Disney’s most beloved female antagonists. Originally, she was intended to be a chubby comedy queen, but we couldn’t be happier with Disney’s decision.
She is obsessed with the magic mirror, one of the most iconic objects in Disney. “Magic mirror on the wall, who is the most beautiful of them all?” is one of the most well-known phrases in history.
Again, there is a relatable aspect to the Evil Queen. The motivation for her acts is her vanity and desire to be attractive. In the age of social media, many of us are as self-conscious about our appearances as the legendary Queen.
Hades
Our next guest is none other than Hades, the God of the Dead and King of the Underworld. In addition to being the primary antagonist in Hercules, he is also the secondary antagonist in Mickey’s House of Villains and a returning enemy in the Kingdom Hearts series.
This quick-witted Olympus god has significant anger control difficulties. This is mostly attributable to his hatred for his brother, Zeus. If you were exiled to the underworld while your brother remained ruler of the gods, we’re sure you wouldn’t be too pleased. If you disregard his demeanor, you will observe a laid-back, sardonic personality.
His mood swings are very comprehensible. Upon learning that Hercules was destined to destroy him, he erupted into flames and said, “WHAAAAAAAT?!?!?! *inhales* Okay, okay, I’m good, I’m fine.” Let’s be honest, we can all occasionally identify with Hades.
Dr. Facilier
The Shadow Man, better known as Dr. Facilier, is the major antagonist in The Princess And The Frog. Essentially, he is the Papa Legba of Disney. His abilities are vast and well-rounded, and he possesses a great deal of intelligence. He dabbles in voodoo, possesses control over darkness, and is an expert con artist.
His primary deviant characteristic is forming binding agreements with his victims. Despite his evil intent, he never tells a falsehood to anyone he interacts with. His greatest value is human stupidity and avarice, even though he explains the contract in minute detail. People rush into his contract without reading between the lines, providing Dr. Facilier with all the tools necessary to exploit them.
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A distressing aspect of this villain is that he maintains his mother’s decapitated head, hinting he murdered his mother. Despite his hostility toward others, he is a respected individual.
He comprehends the power of nature and is aware that animals are conscious, thinking beings. He has compassion for the underprivileged, but his primary targets are the wealthy and greedy. The Robin Hood of villains at Disney.
Conclusion
The villains of Disney are misunderstood. Their pasts are typically complex, and their exact motivations for their crimes are seldom entirely revealed. Also, we tend to appreciate female antagonists more, perhaps because women are less likely to be antagonists in our male-dominated society.
Another recurring issue is the influence of homosexual individuals on Disney villains. Ursula, Cruella, and Maleficent are all based on lesbian, gay, and bisexual icons. The initial aim behind this may not have been entirely pure, but it is the reason we have such incredible characters.
As significant, if not more so, than the protagonist is the antagonist. They contribute to the intrigue of the flicks with their intriguing backstories and frequently astounding abilities. One thing is certain: you should never expel shady persons because they will return to get revenge on you.