Deep Dive Disney: Wes Ranks Disney's Franchise Villains

Welcome to a special bonus article for Deep Dive Disney. Over the course of this retrospective, which at the time of my writing this is entering its sixth month, we’ve talked at great length about Disney’s extensive Rogue’s Gallery, particularly, the members of the Disney Villains franchise. For those of you joining us for the first time, allow me to explain. You all know how the Princesses have their own merchandise brand right? Well, the villains have something similar going on. Disney Villains is more than just the moniker applied to antagonists that appear in Disney productions, it’s a full-blown brand. However, there’s a catch. See, there are a LOT of Disney Villains out there but only a select few are chosen to represent the brand. The club is very exclusive and a lot of iconic characters, including Ratigan, Lady Tremaine, Gaston and even the character I personally ranked as the most evil Disney villain of all, Judge Frollo, are not afforded membership. Currently, there are eleven members of Disney’s evil elite, and with classic cartoonishly evil Disney Villains seeming to have gone out of style in recent years (something I hope is temporary) it is unlikely we’ll be adding more to the club any time soon. However, the question remains: Who among these celebrated sinister psychopaths is truly the most evil? Well, today, I’m going to be ranking these evil eleven from worst to best. Before we get started, a few things to keep in mind. First, unlike when we ranked the Disney Renaissance films where there was an obvious choice for last place, *cough* Pocahontas *cough*, I love all of these characters. These are some of the best villains ever to grace the world of cinema, Disney or otherwise, and all of them are characters you hate to love and love to hate. However, every race has winners and losers and this is no exception, just know that it broke my heart to have pick them amongst this crew. Second, those of you who have been with me since the beginning will recall that all of this started with a top 20 Disney Villains countdown, something I plan on redoing sometime in the future. This is not going to be exactly like that. That list was primarily opinion based and some of those opinions have changed in the time since. My opinion will certainly factor into this list of course, but I will also do my best to judge these characters based on more concrete factors including, but not limited to, the role the character plays in their film, their impact on popular culture, their appearances outside of their original film, and of course, just how evil they really are. So, without further ado, let us rank the Disney Franchise Villains from Worst to Best.

11. The Queen of Hearts

I feel really bad having to do this. Queenie here is a great character and Alice and Wonderland felt like an oasis of positivity in an era of films that was shaky at best. Make no mistake, the Queen of Hearts was a ruthless, self-absorbed and insane tyrant with little regard for her subjects and a massive penchant for decapitation, hence her catchphrase “Off With Their Head.” Even as early 1951, Verna Felton was a veteran voice actress for Walt Disney Pictures, having been in several different Disney productions up to that point, and the woman brings her A material to this character. There’s so much enthusiasm in every word and the animation matches it brilliantly. In many ways, she reminds me of a Looney Tunes villain, comedic and silly but still a lethal threat. So why is she dead last? Well, as great a film as Alice in Wonderland is, The Queen herself doesn’t actually appear until the very end and while she’s a fun character, she doesn’t come across as that much of a threat, more a nuisance to test Alice’s patience like everyone else she encounters. Essentially, The Queen is no more or less crazy than anyone else in Wonderland, just a lot more aggressive about it. As much as I enjoy the character, I’ve always felt she was an odd choice for the brand when the likes of Gaston and Lady Tremaine are merely second stringers. Still, this character made an impact, so at the end of the day, even though she’s the lesser of the evil eleven, I’m still glad she’s here.

10. Chernabog

Chernabog is a strange one to discuss. We actually didn’t cover Fantasia as part of the retrospective. Don't misunderstand, It’s a great movie that showcases beautiful animation that still holds up almost eighty years later, but since it lacks a cohesive narrative, it doesn’t exactly lend itself well to the format of my articles. To understand the impact Chernabog had on yours truly, you have to understand two very strange quirks of my childhood. First, for the longest time, I was under the impression that Fantasia ended after the Sorcerer’s Apprentice segment. Second, when I was very young, I was terrified of credits because of this weird belief that there was a monster at the end of movie. (Three-year-old Wes would not have survived in the era of the MCU.) So, imagine not only learning that there was more to Fantasia than I’d previously believed, but also that my fear of a monster at the end of the movie turned out to be very real. Everything about Chernabog is a nightmare. While not explicitly the devil, it’s clear that that’s what he’s meant to represent. He raises the dead, twists beauty into filth and is just generally terrifying. Since he’s not an active antagonistic force in his actual movie, he loses a lot of points, hence his low placement. Some have even argued if Chernabog even counts as a villain. Still, Chernabog left a huge impact on young viewers like myself and went on to have a presence in other media such as various attractions at Disney Parks, the Kingdom Hearts series and the Kingdom Keepers Books (Long Story Short: Think Night at the Museum but at Disney World) where Chernabog is the powerful leader of the villainous Overtakers. Chernabog has made quite the impression that’s lasted throughout the decades and despite his low ranking, he’s one of the most frightening members of the evil elite.

9. Captain Hook

This one broke my heart. See, I really wanted Hook to rank higher because he honestly was one of the only things I liked about Peter Pan, which was one of the most unpleasant experiences of this entire retrospective. Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be. While Hook could occasionally be threatening, he was ultimately more comedic and silly than he ever was intimidating and I simply couldn’t justify him going any higher. It’s a shame since Hook actually has quite a bit going for him. I absolutely love the back and forth between him and Mr. Smee, (Seriously, I’d watch an entire movie just about them), he’s apparently popular enough to be the Disney Villain with the most appearances outside of his original movie, he had that awesome movie with Dustin Hoffman which I sadly couldn’t factor in to the ranking due to it being made outside of the Disney umbrella, and something especially cool, Hook holds the distinction of being the first Disney Villain to commit onscreen murder. Sure, Evil Queen managed to off Snow White but thanks to Prince Necrophiliac, that didn’t take and Queen of Hearts would often threaten decapitation but we never actually saw those sentences carried out. Hook just pulls out a gun, shoots a mother fucker and he’s dead. No ambiguity there, only death. However, the real problem with Hook is that, well, he’s just not evil enough. Oh, don’t get me wrong, Hook is a bad dude, a murderous pirate who loots and pillages and all that good stuff. However, when you look at Peter Pan, a sexist douchebag who kidnaps children and keeps a sociopathic fairy as his sidekick, Hook doesn’t look that bad by comparison. Hell, if it weren’t for Hook’s pride and thirst for vengeance after Pan… unhanded him, he may have left the lost boys alone. Still, Hook is a great character and certainly deserves his spot with the best of the worst.

8. Scar

This is going to be controversial since I’d wager a lot of you would place Scar in the upper echelons of this ranking if not the very top. Now, I will concede this, if we only go by the first half of the film, Scar is number one with a bullet. But, taking the entire film into account, Scar sadly falls short. Let’s look at the positives first. Scar is intimidating, ferocious and filled to the brim with rage and jealousy. Who could ever forget the iconic Be Prepared Sequence, the army of Nazi Hyenas, the amazing voice work of the incredibly awesome Jeremy Irons and of course, the now iconic scene where he murders his own brother after staring him in the eye and saying “Long Live The King.” Sporting a black main, claws that are always out and his namesake across his left eye, Scar is a pretty nasty looking customer when you get right down to it, willing to take out anyone who stands in his path to the throne, even his own flesh and blood. However, here’s the thing about Scar. While he clearly put a great deal of effort into his bid for the throne, once he actually got there he really had no idea what to do next. (Insert your own Donald Trump joke here, they’re all good.) Thing is, once Scar achieves his dream of becoming king and ruling pride rock with an iron paw, we find that he kind of sucks at it. Within a few years, Scar pretty much plunges the once great Kingdom he coveted into ruin, allowing a foreign power to occupy his territory and deplete the food supply to the point where staying would be a death sentence. Even though his kingdom is crumbling beneath his feet, his pride will not allow him to let it go. When Simba finally has Scar cornered at the end, Scar’s true colors are shown for the very first time and we see that he's nothing but a pathetic coward, begging Simba for his life and only gaining the advantage in the fight due to dirty tactics. In the end, Scar brings his demise upon himself by throwing his hyena allies under the bus, a desperate act that would lead to a horrific death. So, a lack foresight knocks Scar down a few spots, but he’s nonetheless still one of the great Disney Villains.

7. Jafar

Who’s the first character who comes to mind when I say the words “Disney Villain”? I actually asked around about this, and, unsurprisingly, most people went with Jafar. It’s rather fitting as Jafar really is everything a Disney Villain should be. A conniving sorcerer obsessed with power with a creepy design who can be comedic when the situation calls for it but is still incredibly intimidating as well. Really, Jafar is the standard when it comes to Disney’s massive rogues gallery, but because of that, he can also have a difficult time standing out amongst his pears on this list. Still, Jafar has a heck of a lot going for him. He has Iago, probably the funniest comedy sidekick in Disney History (At least until Kronk came along), he’s got the voice of the great and talented Jonathan Freeman, one of the few actors to reprise their role in a live action form (in this case, Broadway), unlike Scar he actually manages to be pretty good at the whole maniacal dictator thing, even if it’s only for a short time, and he was the first villain who was popular enough to single handedly kick off the Disney Direct-to-Video sequels. No really, the very first of the Disney sequels is called “Return of Jafar.” Hell, he was even brought back from the dead to team up with Hades in an episode of the Hercules cartoon. Jafar’s whole motivation is centered around a hatred of always being second. No matter how much power Jafar acquires, there is always someone who has more. Jafar hates that, and will murder, manipulate and commit every possible duplicitous act in the book to get more power. However, this blind ambition ultimately proves his downfall and is what allows him to be easily manipulated into confinement by Aladdin. Still, Jafar has made a lasting impression on viewers and will continue to do so for years to come.

6. The Evil Queen

Right smack dab in the middle of everything is the one who started it all. The OG, the original sinner, the first Disney cinematic villain, The Evil Queen. As the first of her kind, it was the Queen’s job to set the bar for her evil contemporaries to come. And let me tell you guys, she definitely set that bar and set it high. Everything about this nasty woman is pure, cold evil. She commands authority with every move she makes and every icy word out of her mouth. Truth be told, I always thought she was far more intimidating as the Queen than as the old hag. Something about pure evil wrapped in a layer of regality just works for me. The main thing that drives the Queen above all else is her vanity. She is absolutely obsessed with being “The Fairest of Them All.” And this goes far beyond simple self-absorption. The Queen seems to be under the impression that Beauty equals power and that’s a power she will not give up to anyone. Every day she consults her magic mirror just to make sure she’s still the most beautiful woman in the Kingdom. In Serena Valentino’s Disney Villains book series, a subject that will definitely get an article of its own in the future, it’s even implied that she’s addicted to the mirror (which contains the soul of her emotionally abusive father) like a drug she has to keep taking in order to survive. So obsessed with staying the fairest is the Queen that once Snow White, her own stepdaughter, comes of age, she immediately puts a kill order on the poor little girl. What’s especially fucked up about this is that, the Queen clearly has a great deal of knowledge in the ways of magic and spells, including spells that change one’s appearance. If she wanted to, she probably could have just cast a spell to make herself more beautiful that Snow White, but that’s not enough. She can’t just be the prettiest, she needs to eliminate anyone who dares to be more pretty than she is. Hence why she needs to take the form of an old hag (becoming as horrible on the outside as she is on the inside) and poison Snow White, showing that Disney wasn’t afraid to show death. Being the first and one of the most evil, one might almost consider the Evil Queen the matriarch of this evil family.

5. Ursula

This one gives me the creeps. I think it’s probably the tentacles. I may not have had the nicest things to say about The Little Mermaid during the article, but one of the things I happily praised as one of the best things in it was Ursula without a doubt. Everything about Ursula oozes pure, twisted evil. According to the deeper lore of the series, Ursula is the estranged sister of King Triton, exiled from the Kingdom and hellbent on revenge. There are conflicting stories as to why exactly she was exiled, with some suggesting that Triton was a racist and xenophobic jerk-wad (which I could see being in keeping with the character we knew from the film) but one of my favorite YouTubers, Lorerunner has proposed a different theory. Have you ever noticed how Ursula is the only intelligent being who knowingly consumes her fellow sea creatures, knowing full well that they are fully sentient? There’s a word for creatures who do this, predators. And that’s exactly what Ursula is, a predator, in every possible sense of the word. Not only is there the eating her fellow sea creatures thing, but also preys upon poor unfortunate souls, granting their wishes with her evil magic, but only at the absolute highest of prices. In many ways, she really is the Lucifer of the ocean. For one as cunning and devious as Ursula, an airhead like Ariel is an easy mark and as such, the foolish princess ends up playing an integral role in Ursula gaining ultimate power. And when Ursula finally gets her ultimate power, she’s downright terrifying. I’ll never forget three-year-old Wes hiding under the covers when Ursula’s massive head rose out of the ocean at the end. Pat Carroll is damn near untouchable in this role, and has reprised it often, even as recently as last year. Let’s just say Melissa McCarthy has some big tentacles to fill.

4. Dr. Facilier

Well, this one is certainly fresh in the memory. No joke, I really do often forget that the Shadow Man here comes from a movie that came out in 2009. He hits in so well with the likes of Jafar and Ursula that it’s as if he’s been there all along. This guy was all over the marketing for The Princess & The Frog and truth be told, it was him that drew me too the film and restored my interest in Disney during a time where I’d believed I’d outgrown it. So, in a way, you can blame this guy for this entire retrospective, or perhaps you can blame his friends on the other side. As we’ve discussed, Facilier here is voiced by one of my favorite actors of all time, Keith David, who is, of course, known for playing Goliath on my favorite TV show, Gargoyles. Take David’s trademark baritone and throw in the swagger of a jazz musician and we have our favorite Louisiana Voodoo man. I cannot stress this enough, Facilier steals every scene, nay, every moment he’s on screen, even if he only has one or two lines in a scene. Something about the way his shadow moves independently of him is also a really nice touch. Where Facilier loses points is the fact that his power isn’t his own and the more he uses it, the deeper he grows in dept. To Facilier, magic is a means to an end, that end being the true power in the world, money. Once he is able to use his magic to get his hands on Big Daddy's fortune, he'll control all of New Orleans, and the souls of its citizens will be fair game for his evil friends. However, Facilier’s reliance on magic proves his downfall when his demonic friends claim his soul in the end. Still, when all is said and done, Facilier truly earns the moniker of the Last Great Disney Villain. Maybe one day the over-the-top theatrical villains will make a triumphant return, but if this one really is the last of his kind, then this era of Disney evil went out on a high note.

3. Hades

We’ve spoken at length how this character is not the Hades of Greek Myth, having a lot more in common with the Christian Devil. We’ve talked that point to death, but I felt it was worth reiterating just for good measure. You see, If I were doing this based solely on my opinion, then there is no doubt in my mind that the Lord of the Underworld would top this list. Hercules is one of my favorite Disney movies of all time and it has one hell of a villain. I know James Woods isn’t a very well-liked individual these days due to his political views, but I would still be 100% on board if he came back to reprise his role in the rumored upcoming live action Hercules. I cannot think of a better marriage between character and voice actor than Hades and James Woods. Rumor has it that Woods did so well in his audition that the animators completely reanimated the character to make him resemble Woods and fit his faster pattern of speech. I love how Hades seem calm and suave most of the time, but it’s clear that he could fly into an uncontrollable rage at any time. Indeed, befitting an unscrupulous huckster like the lord of the dead, Hades often comes across as one part Hollywood Agent and one part Used Car Salesman. Like Ursula, Hades specializes in tricking people into one-sided deals that only benefit him. All of this is in service of his larger goal, unleashing the brutal titans and taking over Mount Olympus. One thing Hades definitely has over all the others on this list is patience. Hades spends eighteen years putting his plan in motion and devising various ways to take down the one person said to be able to stop him, Hercules. After all, what’s a mere eighteen years to an immortal anyway. And even when Hades is defeated, he proves a sore loser and claims the soul of Megara just to spite his foe. One of the greatest characters, let alone villains, Disney has ever produced, Hades definitely belongs in the upper tier of this list.

2. Maleficent

When I decided to write this article, I knew that it was all going to come down to Maleficent or our eventual number one. Who ultimately won out you’ve likely already deduced due to process of elimination, but try to act surprised when we get there. A while back I held a polling tournament of sorts to determine the most popular Disney Villain of all time. While the likes of Scar, Hades and Facilier gave her a run for her money, it was ultimately our girl Maleficent who came out on top. Anywho, my thoughts on the film Sleeping Beauty were controversial to say the least. As you may recall, I referred to the film as “An Appropriately Titled Snooze Fest.” The only time the film was ever engaging for me was when The Mistress of All Evil graced the screen with her presence. Every second of screen time she gets, whether she appears in her regal and majestic Dark Fairy form, or her terrifying Nightmare Dragon form, Maleficent is absolutely captivating. Every word spoken with that soft yet chilling voice is absolute evil perfection. Out of all the characters on the list, Maleficent’s motivation may seem the most petty. And yeah, cursing a baby to death because you weren’t invited to a party isn’t exactly a proportionate response. That said, I think there’s more to it than being left off a simple guest list. Maleficent is the MISTRESS OF ALL EVIL! She demands her station be acknowledged and feared, and even the simplest act of disrespect is enough to incur her wrath. No, it wasn’t about a guest list, this was about one serious boss bitch reminding everyone just who the fuck she is! She is Maleficent, Mistress of All Mother Fucking Evil and Y’all Peasants Better Bow Down and Recognize!! And it seems that the world at large has indeed recognized because Maleficent’s popularity seems to have far exceeded her movie. Lest we forget that when they remade Sleeping Beauty, the reworked it to make Maleficent the star. Maleficent has also been featured as the primary villain in various Disney crossover material, in particular The Kingdom Hearts video game series, where Maleficent leads a cabal of Disney Villains against our heroes in a way that only one of her great power can. She lives up to her title of Mistress of All… you know the rest, and he is definitely worthy of topping this list. But, we still got one more villain to go. You already know who she is, and if she doesn’t scare you, no other evil doer on this list will. Everybody give it up for…

1. Cruella De Vil

You know, it’s funny, amongst the ranks of the Disney Villains we have bloodthirsty pirates, sinister sorcerers, mad tyrants, demons and even gods, and yet, the most evil of the bunch is just some crazy lady looking to make a fashion statement, but I knew in my heart that there really wasn’t anyone out of the evil eleven who could climb to the top of the heap other than Cruella De Vil. Here’s what ultimately elevates Cruella to the top is this. Every other character we’ve discussed in this article, in one way or another, is motivated by power, vengeance or both. Each of them is willing to go to extreme and often horrific measures to get what they want. Cruella is willing to go to equal extremes, and all she wants is a fur coat. How sick is that!? Cruella is a narcissist and a sociopath, pure and simple, willing to slaughter innocent animals just so she can make a fashion statement. In the sequel, she’s willing to skin them just for the sake of modern art. It’s like she’s addicted to slaughtering puppies. Christ! Now imagine that Cruella wanted to be Sultan of Agrabah or had her hand cut off by Peter Pan. If she’s willing to do such twisted and depraved things just for a fur coat, what would she be willing to do for something like power or for vengeance? I don’t know and I SERIOUSLY don’t want to know. You think Maleficent as a Dragon is bad? Prince Phillip would have pissed his pantaloons if he came face to face with Cruella behind the wheel of a 1941 Panther Deville with a modified V8 engine. Cruella may very well be one of the most evil, twisted and deplorable creatures ever to be brought to life by Disney animators, and yet, against all odds, Cruella still remains incredibly popular. I think we at Deep Dive Disney have discussed Cruella more than any other Disney Villain over the course of this retrospective. She made a hell of an impression in her movie, becoming the most memorable thing about it. She was almost brought out of retirement for The Rescuers, despite the fact that Disney had no interest in sequels at the time. She popped up in the sequel forty-two years later, even more crazy and depraved than ever. She was a primary antagonist in two animated shows based on 101 Dalmatians. She was brilliantly and fabulously portrayed by Glenn Close in the live action remake (nearly a decade before Disney live action remakes were even a thing) and was great enough to come back for a sequel. And most recently, she got to star in her own film (the only villain to get one besides Maleficent) which we have previously discussed. And as far as the Villain franchise goes, after 101 Dalmations, there wouldn’t be another Franchise Villain until Ursula, a whomping twenty-eight years later! That says to me that Cruella set the bar so high that it took three decades and a nightmarish tentacle monster to be able to measure up. Despite how sick she is, it seems that we just can’t get enough of that Devil woman. Truth be told, it was a really close race between Maleficent and Cruella, but what ultimately pushed Cruella over the Mistress of All Evil was the show Once Upon a Time. As we’ve alluded to many times, Victoria Smurfit is AMAZING as Cruella in the show’s fourth and fifth seasons, but it goes deeper than that. See, with the exception of Scar, each character who we’ve discussed in this ranking appears in the show in some capacity. Each of them is either redeemed and made into full blown hero, given a sympathetic backstory that makes them lose a bit of their edge or simply dismissed as an afterthought. Not Cruella though. Throughout her entire appearance in the series, Cruella not only remains a serious threat, but is shown to be vicious, murderous and utterly irredeemable. And the real kicker: At one point, she’s shown to be wearing a deer-skin coat that may or may not be made out of Bambi’s Mother. Holy Shit, That’s Evil! Cruella De Vil, regardless of the incarnation is equal parts awesome and despicable. In essence, she’s the perfect Disney villain. What else is there to say, except… The World Was Such a Wholesome Place Until… Cruella, Cruella, De Vil.

And that will do it for this ranking. I hope you all had fun and I hope to one day see the Disney Villains return to form. Until then, we still got these guys to uphold the old traditions. Next time, it’s back to business as usual when we revisit some old friends we haven’t checked in on in some time. Join us as we Dive Deep into the toy chest for the third time as we look at, Toy Story 3.