Underrated Disney villains who deserve more love (or hate)
These baddies deserve a higher spot in the pantheon of Disney villains.
Against all logic, people love a good villain, and that goes double for Disney villains. Despite their wholesome image, this company has proven exceptionally skilled at crafting antagonists. Baddies like Scar, Hades, Shere Khan, Maleficent, Captain Hook, Claude Frollo, and Cruella de Vil are seen as some of the great villains of cinema.
Granted, that is partially because many of them are adapted from acclaimed books and legends, but it also comes down to the movies themselves. Somehow, the filmmakers establish and develop foes every bit as memorable and alluring as the heroes.
Good villains often come with ample amounts of charisma and menace. They have a palpable screen presence, and you as the viewer are afraid of them. Conversely, they can also stand out because of how much fun they are to watch, entertaining you with their magnetic personalities and humor.
On top of that, you could be drawn to them because of their multilayered characters. You could actually empathize with these foes, making you wonder if they’re truly evil.
Many popular Disney villains have those qualities in spades, but several onscreen enemies have been overlooked by general audiences. That’s sad since they seem to embody one or more aspects of a great bad guy. For whatever reason, though, they’re not as big as the more iconic adversaries. That’s the point of this list. These characters deserve more love. They’re just so good at being bad.
Honorable mentions:
- Demona – Gargoyles
- Yzma – The Emperor’s New Groove
- Long John Silver – Treasure Planet