This post is dedicated to the ones we love to hate…or to be politically correct, the ones we love to dislike with great intensity! The worst Disney villains.
Disney has always understood that in order to have a great story, you need not only a great hero or heroine but also a great villain.
These Disney villains come in all shapes and sizes and types. Some are human, some are animal and some are not of this world. Here are 13 of the worst Disney villains:
- Ursuala
- Scar
- Maleficient
- Jafar
- Cruella de Vil
- The Evil Queen
- Mother Gothel
- Hades
- Gaston
- Claude Frollo
- Captain Hook
- Lady Tremaine
- Shere Kahn
Some of these villains have small parts in the Disney movie they are associated with and others are main characters. There are naïve villains who are a bit off the wall, and others are just plain despicable.
The one thing they all have in common is we do not like them very much. In some cases, we despise them!
It is impossible to rank these villains from worst to worster (yeah, we know that’s not a real word) because much of the dislike comes from how the movie affected you when you watched it. Instead we are going to give you our favorite abhorred villains.
The 13 Worst Disney Villains Characters
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1. Usula (the Sea Witch)
- Movie: The Little Mermaid
- Main Hero/Heroine/Adversary: Ariel
- Sidekicks: Flotsam and Jetsam
- Song: Poor Unfortunate Souls
Villain Qualifications
This half-woman, half-octopus is large and in charge. Complete with her own moray eel minions, Flotsam and Jetsam whom she refers to as her “babies”, she sets out to use her black magic to get revenge on King Triton and steal his trident.
With her lying, deception and sheer evil intentions, Ursula ranks up there with one of the worst villains. All this being said, she does give the film a bit of comic relief at times with her antics and songs.
2. Scar
- Movie: The Lion King. Also in the “new” The Lion King (2019)
- Main Hero/Heroine/Adversary: Simba
- Sidekick: The hyenas. Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed are the most prominent
- Song: Be Prepared
Villain Qualifications:
Scar is as ruthless as they come. He is a murderer of his own brother and then he immediately tried getting rid of Simba in order to become leader of the lion pride.
Scar had an inferiority complex because he lacked brute strength, but he was very smart and somewhat of a narcissist. He once said, “As far as brains go, I got the lion’s share”. Scar is sarcastic in every way, insulting, boastful, manipulative and always looking to gain the upper hand.
Many Disney fans rank Scar as the worst villian of them all due to the lack of comedic relief and the overall evilness of his character!
3. Maleficent
- Movie: Sleeping Beauty. Also in Maleficent (2014) and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)
- Main Hero/Heroine/Adversary: Aurora
- Sidekick: Diablo the raven bird is Maleficent’s sidekick in Sleeping Beauty. In the movie Maleficient, the sidekick is a crow-human named Diaval.
- Song: Maleficient is one of the only villains who does not have a song
Villain Qualifications:
She is dark, dramatic, and has an unlimited arsenal of magic powers at her command that she is not afraid to use.
Maleficent herself describe her skills as “all the powers of hell”. Lightening projection, divination and teleportation are just a few of these amazing powers. In fact, Maleficien is considered one of the most powerful villains in all of Disney’s history – she is the Mistress of all Evil.
4. Jafar
- Movie: Aladdin. Also in Aladdin (2019)
- Main Hero/Heroine/Adversary: Aladdin
- Sidekick: Iago the scarlet macaw
- Song: Prince Ali, reprise
Villain Qualifications:
Jafar had one over ridding goal in life and that was to possess the magic lamp containing the genie which would give him full control over the throne and world at large. In trying to fulfill that goal, Jafar would stop at nothing to achieve it.
Jafar has mystical powers and uses a cobra headed staff as he delivers his spells. With his pet bird, Iago, a sarcastic parrot, He uses disguises, sorcery, deception, dark magic and many other trickery to get what he wants.
5. Cruella De Vil
- Movie: 101 Dalmatians. Also in 101 Dalmatians (1996), Cruella
- Main Hero/Heroine/Adversary: Pongo
- Sidekicks: Jasper and Horace
- Song: Cruella De Vil
Villain Qualifications:
For starters, Cruella De Vil commits kidnapping and slaughters dogs! She tries to kidnap and kill 99 puppies for a fur coat, but maybe the worst thing of all is she smokes these long stems with cigarettes in the end of them.
Always putting her vanity first, Cruella has really got some serious problems. She is short tempered, greedy, selfish, reckless and impulsive. The only good thing about her is that her two sidekicks, Jasper and Horace, are hilarious.
Additionally, you’ve got to admit, she has a great name and makes a wonderful Halloween costume! Here is Dave’s daughter Jen one halloween with her daughter!
P.S. If you love the 101 Dalmatians, you’ll love these 30 quotes!
6. The Evil Queen
- Movie: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Main Hero/Heroine/Adversary: Snow White
- Sidekick: The Evil Queen doesn’t really have a sidekick, unless you count her magic mirror.
- Song: No song for the Evil Queen
Villain Qualifications:
Putting poison into an apple to kill a sweet young girl due to a jealous rage because she was prettier than her allows the Evil Queen, also know as Queen Grimhilde to make our horrible villain list for sure!
In fact she was voted the 10th greatest movie villain in cinematic history! She first appeared in the 1937 classic animated Disney feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and is considered to be one of the most iconic villains of all times. She is clever, devious and heartless.
The Evil Queen is Disney’s first villain! You can meet the Evil Queen at Story Book Dining at Artist Point on your next trip to Disney World!
7. Mother Gothel
- Movie: Tangled
- Main Hero/Heroine/Adversary: Rapunzel
- Sidekick: none
- Song: Mother Knows Best
Villain Qualifications:
Hoarding Rapunzel’s healing magic by keeping her locked up in a tower while posing as her mother to “protect” her from the evil outside world is just an awful thing to do. The only thing Mother Gothel wanted was youth – and she used Rapunzel to get it.
Mother Gothel is extremely selfish; she doesn’t care who she hurts or takes advantage of as long as she is happy and fulfilled. She manipulative and plays mind games that could produce lasting effects.
8. Hades
- Movie: Hercules
- Main Hero/Heroine/Adversary: Hercules
- Sidekick: Pain and Panic
- Song: Hades does not have a song. He does have a recurring melody called “Speak of the Devil.”
Villain Qualifications:
Slick as oil, this fast talking villain can talk his way into and out of anything. He’s got a fiery temper and vendetta against his eldest brother, Zeus. Hades plots and allies himself with others to get what he wants.
9. Gaston
- Movie: Beauty and the Beast. Also appears in Beauty and the Beast (2017)
- Main Hero/Heroine/Adversary: Belle
- Sidekick: LeFou
- Song: Gaston
Villain Qualifications:
It’s almost hard to put old Gaston in the same list as these others. He is such a dim-witted and arrogant fool, he comes across as more comical than a villain. He might be one of the best villains on the list!
However, the fact that he is convinced he can have and take anything and anyone he wants, makes him one of the more scary villains behind a pretty face Disney has produced.
Gaston is one of the most fun – and funniest – characters to meet in Walt Disney World! You can often find him outside of Gaston’s Tavern in Fantasyland. You can find some of our favorite Gaton quotes here.
10. Claude Frollo
- Movie: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Main Hero/Heroine/Adversary: Quasimodo
- Sidekick: None
- Song: Hellfire
Villain Qualifications:
Claude Frollo was cruel towards Quasimodo, lustful towards Esmeralda, and what made it the worst was that he used his powerful position as a religious man to justify his actions.
He is self righteous and thinks he is better than everyone else. That attitude, combined with his position of judge, gives him one of the top positions in our list of Villains.
11. Captain Hook
- Movie: Peter Pan and Return to Never Land
- Main Hero/Heroine/Adversary: Peter Pan
- Sidekick: Smee
- Song: The Elegant Caption Hook
Villain Qualifications:
Captain Hook had one great desire in life and that was to seek revenge on Peter Pan for cutting off his hand and feeding it to a crocodile. Along with this desire, he wanted to get rid of the eternal children.
If being a hate filled murderer wasn’t enough, he was a manipulator and trickster to everyone he came in contact with. The only one Hook would tolerate was his sidekick, Smee.
If you are a fan of Captain Hook and Peter Pan, you might be interested in seeing all of Tinker Bell’s best quotes!
12. Lady Tremaine
- Movie: Cinderella. Also in Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True, Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time and Cinderella (2015)
- Main Hero/Heroine/Adversary: Cinderella
- Sidekick: Lucifer
- Song: No particular song, although Lady Tremaine was convinced that her daughters could sing beautifully. “Sing Sweet Nightingale” is associated with this family.
Villain Qualifications:
Everyone knows the term “wicked stepmother” but the cold-hearted, Lady Tremaine was the first. Althhough she doesn’t physically harm Cinderella, she punishes her and psychologically abuses her in an evil, wicked way.
Unlike many of the evil woman in our list, Lady Tremiane doesn’t possess any magical powers. However, her lies, deception, jealousy and manipulative ways of controlling Cinderella and others makes her a Villain closer to real life which can be even more frightening.
Fun Fact: Lady Tremaine was voiced by Eleanor Audrey, who was also the voice for Maleficent!
13. Shere Khan
- Movie: The Jungle Book. Also in The Jungle Book 2, The Jungle Book (2016)
- Main Hero/Heroine/Adversary: Mowgli
- Sidekick: Tabaqui
- Song: That’s What Friends Are For
Villain Qualifications:
“Kill any human that steps foot in the jungle” is Shere Khan’s motto. This Bengal tiger is intimating and ruthless towards all in the jungle while keeping the jungle together at all times makes him a villain for sure.
Taunting and tormenting his prey with a condescending smile and relaxed demeanor gives Shere Khan a heartless, sadistic way about him. He is definitely a villain and definitely a dark vicious adversary.
How Many Disney Villains Are There?
Believe it or not, there are over 35 Disney villains! If you add in every single Disney film sequel, video game, book, and theme park there are over 125 villains. Some of the most popular ones not on our list include:
- Horned King (The Black Cauldron)
- Dr. Facilier (The Princess and the Frog)
- Shan Yu (Mulan)
- Te Ka (Moana)
Disney Villain Fun Facts
- Most Disney Villains have green, yellow, or black eyes
- Disney villains tend to wear red, black, or purple
- Scar and Hades are the only villains biologically related to the protagonist of their movie
- Prince John and Governor Ratcliffe are the only villains based on real people
- Maleficent and Cruella De Vil are the only villains (so far!) to go on to have their own movie
- Of the primary villains, the ones who died in their original film are: the Evil Queen, Maleficent, Ursula, Scar, and Dr. Facilier.
Disney Villain Franchises
The Walt Disney Company has capitalized (literally) on the popularity of their villains! Two franchise have emerged in recent years.
Disney’s Divas of Darkness
These are the most popular and recognizable female Disney villains. These classic villain characters are also referred to as Disney’s Bad Girls or simply, Disney’s Divas.
- The Evil Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
- Lady Tremaine (Cinderella)
- Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland)
- Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
- Cruella De Vil (One Hundred and One Dalmatians)
- Madam Mim (The Sword in the Stone)
- Madame Medusa (The Rescuers)
- Ursula (The Little Mermaid)
- Yzma (The Emperor’s New Groove)
- Mother Gothel (Tangled)
Disney’s Sinister Cats
Disney’s Sinister Cats is a sub franchise consisting of evil cats. Cats actually play such a huge role in Disney films that we have an entire post dedicated to them. Disney’s Sinister Cats are:
- Lucifer (Cinderella)
- Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland)
- Si and Am (Lady and the Tramp)
- Shere Khan (The Jungle Book)
- Felicia (The Great Mouse Detective)
- Scar (The Lion King)
These are all the villains we love to hate! Walt Disney World embraces its iconic villains with special events. Disney Villains After Hours is a special ticketed event held in the Magic Kingdom park.
Now that you know some of the best Disney Villains, check out our favorite Disney villains shirts here or the best villain costumes here!