Talk:The Mystic Isles: The Falcon's Eye/@comment-33505395-20171029135659/@comment-33505395-20171029143320

Not really. A villain by definition is a person who is actively blocking/preventing the hero from achieving a goal or happy ending. Darth Vader's actions block Luke and the other rebels from living lives free of terror and tyranny. In order to obtain the goal of a galaxy free of an oppressive Empire, Luke must battle and defeat Darth Vader (and the emperor). Psychologically, Darth Vader is also a representation of Luke's inner battle with himself about his conflicted emotions regarding his father, but that's another essay.

To go back to Disney, Mother Gothel's actions directly prevent Rapunzel from being with her real family. Lady Tremaine directly prevents Cinderella from living a normal life and then later reunited with the prince. The Evil Queen sets out to murder Snow White and her spell keeps Snow White from seeking out the prince and her happy ending. Same with Maleficent. Shen Yu attacks China and needs to be defeated in order for Mulan to achieve the goal of saving her country. Ursula directly manipulates Ariel and blocks her from being with Eric in order to seize power, and must be defeated in order to free her victims. Dr. Faciler and Jafar both use their magic to ruin the heroes' lives to seize power and they must be defeated so that hero can get their happy endings.

Contrast with Mor'du. Mor'du doesn't actively block Merida from achieving her goal of restoring her mother nor is he directly responsible for the witch's curse. Merida could have easily saved her mother and still have Mor'du roaming the countryside making havoc. Mor'du's presence is a menace but he is not actively seeking out Merida to keep her from achieving her goal or blocking her from her happy ending, therefore he is not the villain of the movie. Mor'du serves as a cautionary example to Merida. He is a foil to Merida and a symbol of the consequences and harm that Merida's thoughtless actions brought. The prince only thought of himself/his wants and was cursed for it. Merida only thought of herself/her wants and cursed her mother. Mordu was a warning of the punishment that awaited Merida (her mother turning into a mindless monster) if she did not learn her lesson, which was to take responsibility for her actions and to mend her estranged relationship with her mother by seeking forgiveness.

Mor'du is an antagonist, not a villain. The two are not the same thing.