Disney Villains

This article is about the Disney Villains franchise. For a full list of villains in all Disney productions, see List of Disney villains.

Similar to the Disney Princesses, the Disney Villains have their own franchise. The franchise consists of Disney's most well-known and beloved villains and span from various forms of media and merchandise, typically aimed at an older audience.

Members

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Promotional Artwork. From left to right: Shan Yu, Hayabusa, Madam Mim, Shere Khan, Si, Am, Jafar, Iago, Maleficent, Diablo, Cruella De Vil, The Queen, Lucifer, Lady Tremaine, Ursula, Captain Hook, Hades, the Queen of Hearts, Scar and Clayton.

Over its more than 80 year history, Disney has brought to life more than 125 different villains from films, sequels, television, video games, books and even the Disney theme parks. Although many different evil characters and enemies have been created, not all of them are official members of the Disney Villains franchise.

Conversely, some of the "villains" that are marketed aren't even villains at all, since they are not really evil but still cause trouble to the protagonists ("villain" and "antagonist" are not the same thing). For general antagonists, please see the gallery page of this article or go to these lists for villains up to date.

Primary members

Note: Often cited as the most popular of the villains, these villains are seen in most, if not all, current Disney villain related productions, merchandise, etc.

• Maleficent
• The Evil Queen
• Cruella De Vil
• Ursula
• Captain Hook
• Jafar
• Hades
• Scar
• Queen of Hearts
• Dr. Facilier
• Chernabog

Recurring members

Note: Villains that appear in a handful of material, but not as often as the primary set. Despite this, however, these villains also have a widespread of popularity and can regularly be found in various forms of media and merchandise, albeit inconsistently. This group also includes henchmen, who have been featured frequently alongside their respective superiors in material centering or featuring the franchise.

• Pete
• Gaston
• Lady Tremaine
• Claude Frollo
• Yzma
• Oogie Boogie
• Big Bad Wolf
• Si and Am
• Mr. Smee
• Shenzi, Banzai and Ed
• Pain and Panic
• Iago
• Lucifer
• Kaa
• Flotsam and Jetsam
• Diablo
• Magic Mirror

Other members

Note: Some of these villains have been considered some of the greatest Disney villains of all time by fans and critics alike. Nevertheless, their appearances within the franchise tend to be seldom.

This list also consists of villains having appeared in the franchise, but only once or twice in either obscure merchandise (i.e. Disney Vinylmation Villains, My Disney Villains Monopoly, a book, a video game, etc.), made a special appearance in an event for the Disney theme parks (i.e. Unleash the Villains) or appeared on some other rare occasion.

• Mother Gothel
• Madam Mim
• Shere Khan
• Shan Yu
• King Candy
• Sour Bill
• Governor Ratcliffe
• Jasper and Horace
• Anastasia Tremaine
• Drizella Tremaine
• Madame Medusa
• Horned King
• Creeper
• Cauldron Born
• Prince John
• Sir Hiss
• Sheriff of Nottingham
• Honest John and Gideon
• Stromboli
• The Coachman
• Monstro
• Percival C. McLeach
• The Headless Horseman
• Ratigan
• Clayton
• Lawrence
• Fates
• Mortimer Mouse
• The Ringmaster
• Pink Elephants
• Heffalumps and Woozles
• Captain Gantu
• Dr. Hämsterviel
• The Lonesome Ghosts
• Edgar Balthazar
• Brer Fox
• Brer Bear
• Hitchhiking Ghosts
• Queen Narissa
• Amos Slade
• Michael "Goob" Yagoobian
• DOR-15
• Kronk
• Hans
• Yokai

Sub-franchises

Disney's Divas of Darkness

Disney's Divas of Darkness (also shortened to Disney Divas, DDD, or Disney's Bad Girls) is a sub-franchise consisting of the most recognizable female Disney Villains. It can be seen as a counterpart to the Disney Princess franchise because it too targets a female audience but consists of evil characters instead.

Official Members

• The Evil Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
• Lady Tremaine (Cinderella) (occasionally)
• Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland)
• Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
• Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmatians)
• Madam Mim (The Sword in the Stone) (occasionally)
• Madame Medusa ("The Rescuers") (occasionally)
• Ursula (The Little Mermaid)
• Yzma (The Emperor's New Groove) (occasionally)
• Gothel (Tangled) (occasionally)

Disney's Sinister Cats

Disney's Sinister Cats is a lesser known sub-franchise consisting of felines. It should be noted that several of its members were not the main antagonists of their respective films. This franchise is also known as Disney Cats, but it should be noted that the franchise does not include feline protagonists like Oliver or Thomas O'Malley under this banner.

Official Members

• Lucifer (Cinderella)
• Si and Am (Lady and the Tramp)
• Shere Khan (The Jungle Book)
• Felicia (The Great Mouse Detective)
• Scar (The Lion King)

The Thirteen Reflections of Evil

A poster of The Thirteen Reflections of Evil.

The Thirteen Reflections of Evil was a Disney Villain group made for the Epcot pin trading event in the September of 2013. In the story the Evil Queen found an incantation which if performed with a magic mirror on Friday the Thirteenth would summon 13 of the most evil villains from across time and space. The villains then broke the mirror and hid the thirteen shards so no one could use it against them.

Official Members

• Chernabog
• Maleficent
• The Evil Queen
• Jafar
• Ursula
• Cruella De Vil
• Dr. Facilier
• Hades
• Scar
• Captain Hook
• The Queen of Hearts
• Gaston
• Oogie Boogie

Leaders

In all crossover appearances featuring the villains, a specific villain would act as the ringleader. The leaders have varied over the years, and is usually chosen through power.

• Maleficent - The most frequent and quintessential leader of the Disney Villains. She led the villains in several park attractions, promotional material, the Kingdom Hearts series, and was the second-in-command of the Kingdom Keepers novels.
• Pete - The leader of the villains in the House of Mouse episode "Pete's House of Villains" and second-in-command in the Kingdom Hearts series.
• The Evil Queen - Led the villains in Fantasmic!, former Walt Disney World show Cinderella's Surprise Celebration and One Man's Dream II: The Magic Lives On! She led the villains along with Jafar in the nighttime show Villains Night Out! during Hong Kong Disneyland's Halloween Time event. She has also served as the centerpiece in various forms of merchandise and marketing.
• Chernabog - Led the villains in the Kingdom Keepers novels, as well as being the centerpiece of several Disney villain related merchandise and promotional material.
• Jafar - Jafar was the leader in the direct-to-video film Mickey's House of Villains. He also led the villains along with the Evil Queen in the nighttime show Villains Night Out! during Hong Kong Disneyland's Halloween Time event.
• Hades - Hades serves as the ringleader in the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom attraction, the central villain in the Disney Cruise Line show, Villains Tonight!, and the host of Disney's Limited Time Magic event in 2013, Unleash the Villains. This would be reprised in 2014 for Villains Unleashed.
• Captain Hook - Led the villains in the Disneyland Paris show Disney Dreams! and the second-in-command in Mickey's House of Villains.
• Ursula - Led the villains in the Disney Cruise Line show, The Golden Mickeys.
• Dr. Facilier - Facilier served as the central villain in Disney's Maleficious Halloween Party, as well as the host of the villains-centric event Club Villain; both at the Disney theme parks. He also led Villains Mix and Mingle from 2011 to 2014.
• Lady Tremaine - The leader of the villains during the Sinister Soiree character dining event in Cinderella's Royal Table during Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in 2014.
• Cruella De Vil - Led the villains in the Halloween segment of Disney on Ice: Let's Celebrate!

Other media

Television specials

In the Disney's Scary Tales (1981) episode special as part of The Wonderful World of Disney, Hans Conried (voice of The Evil Queen's Magic Mirror from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) hosts the special with Disney Villains in eight segments including Captain Hook from Peter Pan, Edgar Balthazar the Bulter from The Aristocats, Willie the Giant from Mickey and the Beanstalk, Kaa and Shere Khan from The Jungle Book, the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cruella De Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Madame Medusa from The Rescuers and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty.

Mickey's House of Villains

The Disney Villains guest star in this House of Mouse with Jafar as the leader. He and the rest of the villiains overthrow Mickey Mouse and locks all the heroes in the kitchen and kick Mickey and friends out forcing them to fight to get the club back.

Disney's Villains' Revenge

In this computer game, Captain Hook, the Evil Queen, the Queen of Hearts and the Ringmaster change their respective stories to their own advantage.

Kingdom Hearts

The Disney Villains are antagonists in the game series, with the Disney Villain Council led by Maleficent being a prominent force. All of the members command the Heartless horde as a means of controlling their respective worlds, and in turn help Maleficent in locating the Keyblade. The council consisted of Maleficent, Pete, Jafar, Hades, Captain Hook, Oogie Boogie, Ursula and Scar. Riku and Hector Barbossa were also members for a brief period of time. During the climax of the first game, it is revealed that Ansem (and by extension Master Xehanort) was the true leader of the council, manipulating Maleficent from behind the scenes to gather seven Princesses of Heart to unlock Kingdom Hearts. Most of the members meet their demise, although Hades, Captain Hook, and Pete are the only ones to survive; while Maleficent is later resurrected, Pete is the only one to rejoin her.

Other villains also appear in the series though not connected to the council, including Clayton, Shan Yu, Master Control Program, Chernabog and Monstro. Gaston also appears in the mobile game Kingdom Hearts χ.

Trivia

• According to some, Jafar is considered the most powerful Disney villain as had he been able to keep his Genie powers. But Hades due to his status as a god would be considered the most powerful Disney villain. Although the most powerful is arguably Chernabog as he is a magical deity with virtually limitless power.
• Almost all Disney Villains wear mostly red, black and purple. By contrast, white, blue and gold are the traditional "good" colors.
• Most villains appear to have either green, yellow or black (no iris) eyes.
  • Green eyes were considered to be a sign of either magic, evil and/or witchcraft during the Middle Ages, yellow eyes are often common in animals but not humans, and villains' eyes are generally smaller than those of heroic characters.
  • Occasionally, there are villains with blue eyes (Gaston), brown eyes (Stromboli, Jafar, King Candy), gray eyes (Ursula, Mother Gothel), or violet/purple eyes (Vanessa, Doctor "The Shadow Man" Facilier).
    • Conversely, some heroic characters like Esmeralda and Rapunzel are depicted with green eyes. In fact, Esmeralda actually started the green-eyed protagonist trend.
• If not counting Sid Phillips from Toy Story (due to the fact he grew up, as revealed in Toy Story 3), Gaston from Beauty and the Beast and Hans from Frozen are currently the youngest Disney Villains to date, with Hans being 23 and Gaston being around his mid-20s.
• Scar from The Lion King and Hades from Hercules are currently the only Disney Villains to be related to the main protagonist of the movie (Scar is Simba's uncle and Hades is technically Herc's uncle).
  • The Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Lady Tremaine from Cinderella and Mother Gothel from Tangled don't count because they aren't biologically related to the protagonists of their respective films.
  • Ursula from The Little Mermaid was originally intended to be Ariel's aunt, Belle was originally going to have an aunt named Marguerite (Maurice's sister) as her film's antagonist, and Elsa from Frozen, the older sister of Anna, was originally intended to be the main antagonist (she is far less antagonistic and more redeemable in the actual film) until Hans was created.
    • Interestingly enough, in the direct-to-DVD sequel to The Little Mermaid, Ursula actually has her own sister named Morgana; and Hans has at least twelve older brothers. And both villains have strained relationships with their respective siblings.
  • In the novel Tarzan of the Apes, Clayton was Tarzan's biological cousin. It is questionable, if it's true in the Disney universe, as Tarzan's true name is never revealed. However, it could be possible, as both Tarzan and Clayton share some facial similarities.
• Edgar Balthazar from The Aristocats seems to have more morality than most Disney Villains. When he was getting rid of Duchess and her kittens, he could've just killed them, but he chose to abandon them in the woods.
• Governor Ratcliffe from Pocahontas is the only Disney Villain to be based on an actual person.
• Hades is presumably the oldest of the Disney Villains, being an immortal god. Mother Gothel from Tangled, while she's not immortal, is presumably the oldest human Disney Villain.
• Gaston, Jafar, and Judge Claude Frollo are currently the only three male Disney Villains to have an obsession with the female lead of their respective films (Belle for Gaston, Jasmine for Jafar, and Esmeralda for Frollo).
• Maleficent's currently the only Disney Villain who serves as the main protagonist of their own feature film.
• Claude Frollo is the first Disney Villain to claim to be virtuous, despite the great cruelty of his actions. While other Villains have pretended to be good, Frollo is the only villain who is actually believes they are on the side of good. But it should be noted that he shares this trait with Governor Ratcliffe who believes everything he does is in the name of King James and due to this he considers these acts good by default.
• King Candy is the only Disney Villain whose appearance was designed to specifically resemble a Disney protagonist, that being the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. Also, despite being credited as one of Disney's funniest villains, he's also one of Disney's darkest villains.
• Captain Hook from Peter Pan is the only villain to be a part in the Disney Adventurers line-up.
• Dr. Facilier from The Princess and the Frog is the fourth Disney character to have violet or purple eyes, the first three being Princess Aurora, Vanessa and Megara (all of whom are women), the second villain after Vanessa, and the only male character to have violet or purple eyes.
  • He's the first black Disney Villain.
  • He's the first Disney Villain to not have a big introduction into the film, as he first appears in the opening song in a casual way.
  • He's the fourth Disney Villain to be French or be of French origin.
• Hans is the first Disney Villain to be a love interest to a Disney Hero/Heroine. However, it might not count, since Hans never really loved Princess Anna in the first place, and Anna's interest in Hans was more like a naïve infatuation than actual love.
• Ursula, Scar, and Hades are the only Disney Villains to have known siblings (Morgana, Mufasa, Poseidon, and Zeus). While Mufasa, Poseidon and Zeus were good guys and served as supporting characters of their films, Morgana was the central villain of the Little Mermaid sequel, and is the only female sibling of a villain.
  • Prince Hans also has known siblings, but his brothers are never seen on screen like the previously listed villain siblings.
  • Jafar has a sister named Nasira. However, she might not count as canon as her only appearance was in Disney's Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge.
• Of the eleven primary members of the franchise (aside from Pete), only five are known to have died during their film: Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Ursula, Scar, and Dr. Facilier. Jafar is killed in the sequel to Aladdin. Cruella, Hook, Queen of Hearts and Hades survive all their films.
  • King Candy is the latest Disney villain known to have actually died.
• Most of the better known villains have a song sung by them (Ursula, Captain Hook, Scar, Dr. Facilier, Gaston, Mother Gothel, Frollo, and Governor Radcliffe) or about them (Cruella, Gaston, and Captain Hook). Gaston and Hook are the only ones to have a singing part in the song about them ("Gaston" and "The Elegant Captain Hook", respectively).
  • Additionally, the themes or recurring musical scores that represented several villains in a prior scene(s) has notably played in the underscore moments before or during their final defeat. These villains include the Evil Queen, Captain Hook, Maleficent, Ursula, Scar, Judge Frollo, Hades, Dr. Facilier, Mother Gothel, King Candy, and Yokai.
• Scar, Clayton, Dr. Facilier, and Yokai are the only villains to permanently kill off a major character in their respective films.
  • An argument could be made for the Headless Horseman, who possibly killed Ichabod Crane when the former spirited the latter away. However, Ichabod's final fate was left ambiguous.
• With the exception of Cruella De Vil and Hans, none of the villains have bangs/fringe; exposing their forheads. However Cruella's and Hans' bangs/fringe are up exposing their foreheads.
• Oogie Boogie is the only Disney Villain so far that wears a costume. In this case, he is thousands of bugs dressed up in a sack.

Once Upon a Time

• Some of the Disney Villains have appeared in the ABC fantasy/drama series Once Upon a Time, with the series centering on Emma Swan, the daughter of Snow White who has to break a curse placed by the Evil Queen. The ABC Studios is owned by Disney and therefore, they have rights to the Villains. The Witch, the Big Bad Wolf, the Evil Queen, the Magic Mirror, Chernabog, Monstro, Willie the Giant, Lady Tremaine, Drizella Tremaine (named Tisbe), Anastasia Tremaine (named Clorinda), Long John Silver, the Queen of Hearts, Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, Maleficent, Diablo, Cruella De Vil, Sir Kay, Sheriff of Nottingham, Amos Slade (only in novel), Ursula, Gaston, Jafar, Hades, Cerberus, Medusa, Dr. Facilier, the Red Queen, the Wicked Witch of the West, Winged Baboons, Blackbeard and Hans have appeared so far. Additionally, LeFou, Chimera, the Nemean Lion and Mor'du are only mentioned.
  • The Evil Queen, Maleficent and the Queen of Hearts are the only villains to appear on every season.
  • The Evil Queen was the main antagonist of Season 1, while the Queen of Hearts, associated with Hook, was the main antagonist of Season 2. Just after Cora's death, Tamarra and Greg Mendell become regular villains. Funnily enough, in the first half of Season 3, the main antagonist was Peter Pan. During the second half of Season 3, the Wicked Witch of the West was the main antagonist. The first half of Season 4 had the Snow Queen as the main antagonist, and the second half of Season 4 had Rumplestiltskin, Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella De Vil before to be revelated that they were used by Zelena. Once Zelena's implication revelated, Isaac the Author become an serious enemy. Most of the first half of Season 5 had Emma Swan as the main antagonist, until she is replaced by Nimue, working alongside Captain Hook. In the past storyline in Camelot, King Arthur and the Wicked Witch of the West were the main antagonists. The second half of the season has Hades. In the season 5 finale and Season 6, the new main antagonists are Mr. Hyde and The Evil Queen's evil side to Regina, becoming independent to her before to be replaced by Gideon and the Black Fairy.
  • On the spin-off, The Red Queen and Jafar were the main antagonists. Anastasia ended up being redeemed by the end of the series.
  • Others enemies like the Magic Mirror, Lady Tremaine, Drizella Tremaine, Anastasia Tremaine, Prince James, King Georges, the Blind Witch, the Caterpillar, Gaston, Claude, the Winged Baboons, Blackbeard, Hans and Sir Kay have appears regularly on the show and are considered secondary antagonists.
  • J. Worthington Foulfellow and Gideon are replaced by Martin and Myrna.
  • Originally villains characters like the Big Bad Wolf, Willie the Giant, the King of Hearts and Mr. Smee are good characters on the show.
  • Originally good characters like the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, the March Hare (in comics), Peter Pan, Mermaids, the Lost Boys and King Arthur are villains characters on the show.
  • There are actually two Ursula's on the show: one of them was a sea goddess who appeared in Season 3 to threaten the Evil Queen (who pretended to be Ursula in order to trick Ariel). The other Ursula, who appeared in Season 4 is a formerly mermaid who turned herself into a sea-witch to spite her father, Poseidon.
  • Of the Disney Villains who have appeared on the show, most who died in their respective film (Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Ursula) survive on the show, while others who live in their film (Cruella and the Queen of Hearts) die on the show. Hook is the only villain to have the same fate in his film and the show.
  • The Evil Queen, Maleficent, Cora the Queen of Hearts, Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Anastasia/The Red Queen, Zelena the Wicked Witch, Ingrid the Snow Queen, Ursula and King Arthur are the only main villains who have redemption. In the case of Rumplestilstskin, his morality is always ambiguous, searching to align self-preservation, his love for Belle and his familial link with Henry even if it signifies to be against the Savior. Also, Rumple is an anti-villain. His bad actions are justified for good reasons. In the case of Greg Mendell, Tamarra, Jafar, Cruella, Nimue and Hades, they have don't express genuine redemption.

References

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Members The Evil Queen • Chernabog • Queen of Hearts • Captain Hook • Maleficent • Cruella De Vil • Ursula • Jafar • Scar • Hades • Dr. Facilier Other Disney Animation Villains: Pete • Big Bad Wolf • Willie the Giant • Lonesome Ghosts • Mortimer Mouse • Magic Mirror • Honest John • Gideon • Stromboli • Monstro • Pink Elephants • Ringmaster • The Headless Horseman • Lady Tremaine • Anastasia Tremaine • Drizella Tremaine • Lucifer • Cheshire Cat • Card Soldiers • Mr. Smee • Si and Am • Aunt Sarah • Diablo • Jasper and Horace • Madam Mim • Kaa • Shere Khan • Edgar • Prince John • Sir Hiss • Sheriff of Nottingham • Heffalumps • Woozles • Madame Medusa • Brutus and Nero • Amos Slade • Horned King • Professor Ratigan • Felicia • Sykes • Flotsam and Jetsam • Percival C. McLeach • Gaston • Iago • Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed • Governor Ratcliffe • Claude Frollo • Pain and Panic • Fates • Shan Yu • Clayton • Sabor • Yzma • Lyle Tiberius Rourke • Captain Gantu • Dr. Jumba Jookiba • John Silver • Scroop • Bowler Hat Guy • Doris • Lawrence • Dr. Facilier's Shadow • Mother Gothel • Stabbington Brothers • King Candy • Sour Bill • Hans • Duke of Weselton • Yokai • Bellwether • Tamatoa • King Magnifico Pixar Villains: Sid Phillips • Scud • Hopper • Molt • Emperor Zurg • Stinky Pete • Randall Boggs • Henry J. Waternoose III • Syndrome • Chick Hicks • Chef Skinner • AUTO • Charles F. Muntz • Lotso • Miles Axlerod • Professor Z • Mor'du • Thunderclap • Ernesto de la Cruz • Evelyn Deavor • Dragon the Cat Other Villains: Br'er Fox • Br'er Bear • Oogie Boogie • Winifred Sanderson • Mary Sanderson • Sarah Sanderson • Dr. Hämsterviel • Queen Narissa • Wicked Witch of the West • Ripslinger • Hitchhiking Ghosts Disney Parks Celebrate A Dreams Come True Parade • Celebrate the Magic • Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour • Club Villain • Disney's Fantillusion • Disney's Maleficious Halloween Party • Disney's Not-So-Scary Halloween Show • Disney's Once Upon a Dream Parade • Disney Dreams! • Disney's Stars 'n' Cars... As Never Seen Before • Fantasmic! • Feel the Magic • Frightfully Fun Parade • Glow in the Park Halloween Parade • Happy Hallowishes • Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular • Inferno Dance Party • It's Good To Be Bad With The Disney Villains • It's Good to Be Bad Villainous Celebration • It's Party Time... with Mickey and Friends... and the Disney Villains • Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade • Mickey and his Magic Halloween Night • Momentous • Re-Villains! Halloween Parade • Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom • The Disney Villains Halloween Showtime • The Nightmare Experiment • The Villains World • Unleash the Villains • Villains Gardens • Villainy in the Sky • Villains Mix and Mingle • Villains Night Out! • Villains Tonight! • Wishes • World of Color Media Mickey's House of Villains • Once Upon a Halloween • Disney Villains: Simply Sinister Songs • Disney Villains Songbook Video Games: Disney Villains Challenge • Disney's Villains' Revenge