Deep Dive Disney: Wes's Top 20 Disney Villains Redux (20-11)

Ladies, Gentlemen and others, Deep Dive Disney has officially come full circle. For those of you who have been following this project since the very beginning, you may recall that one of the main reasons I was inspired to start the Deep Dive Disney retrospective was because I had re-watched a lot of old Disney films I hadn’t watched in years as research for a Top 20 Disney Villains Article I was working on. The original article was one I’d been wanting to do since my college days and I only did it when I did because I was bored while looking for my next big project after finishing my big Gargoyles Retrospective. One Top 20 List later, Deep Dive Disney was born, and now, here I am with over one hundred articles under my belt and we’re taking everything we’ve learned through all the extensive research done on all of these movies and doing it all again. See, last time around, it was just for fun and was mostly just a list of my favorites at the end of the day. This time, I took the project quite seriously. So seriously in fact that I didn’t actually do this alone, but rather enlisted the help of some of my twitter followers to make sure that this list was as well thought out as humanly possible. Incidentally, I want to give a big thank you to Melli, Ditto and Michelle for their assistance, it was very much appreciated and the ensuing debates that arose from our conversation were a lot of fun. As with any Top 20 of mine, there are a few rules. First, movie villains only. I intentionally left TV villains out of running for two reasons. First, because those characters deserve a list of their own, and two, there’s no guarantee it won’t be filled entirely with Gargoyles characters. Another rule we imposed upon ourselves when deciding who would end up on the list and who wouldn’t was to put less emphasis on iconography. Yes, we may enjoy the antics of many of these villains, but at the end of the day, these are still the bad guys and this is not a popularity contest. As such, some extremely popular and iconic members of the Disney rogues gallery such as Jafar, Ursula and even Scar have been left off the list. What we tried to focus on was just how evil these characters are, not just the evil things they do, but their twisted reasons for doing it. The list we’ve compiled may be lacking a few familiar faces, but I’d like to think that ultimately, we’ve come put together one of the most twisted lineups that any Disney fan has ever conceived of. So what the hell are we waiting for, let’s get wicked. These are the Top 20 Most Evil Disney Villains of All Time.

20. Zira from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

As I said, Scar did not make the list, but his influence certainly has. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, while Scar is the most iconic Lion King villain, Zira is significantly worse in many ways. Apparently, despite nearly leading the Pride Lands to ruin during his regime, he still managed to inspire loyalty within the ranks of the pride, so much so that after his downfall, an offshoot of fanatics loyal to Scar splintered from Simba’s pride and swore a bloody revenge. The leader of this these Scar loyalists, the psychotic Zira. Zira appears to be a very single minded individual, fully devoting herself to one thing to the point that nothing else matters. First, the object of her devotion was Scar, and after Scar was killed, that devotion became revenge against Simba. Apparently, Zira’s obsession with vengeance so pervades her every waking moment that imagining Simba’s agonizing death is the only way she is able to sleep. Unlike Scar, who executed his plan to ascend to the throne and didn’t really know what to do next, Zira knows how to play the long game, and in this game, everyone is a pawn to be manipulated, even her own children. At one point, she willingly puts her own son’s life on the line, simply to taunt Simba. That same son, Kovu, would later be groomed as Simba’s would-be assassin, a mere weapon in Zira’s vendetta. And even in the end when her own life hangs in the balance, Zira would rather willingly fall to her death than accept the aid of Simba’s daughter. Obsessed, manipulative and more than a little psychotic, Zira is easily a villain who needs more attention. However, I’ll say this for Zira, at least she was honest with herself about her evil intentions. The same cannot be said about our next villain.

19. Henry Waternoose from Monsters Inc.

It has often been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I feel that no villain in this countdown personifies this more than the President and CEO of Monsters Incorporated, Henry J. Waternoose III. One of the earliest examples of the twist villain trope, Waternoose’s true villainous nature is actually kept hidden for much of the movie. Mind you, Waternoose’s creepy spider-like design makes him an intimidating customer right out of the gate, but once you get to know him you see that by all appearances, he’s a fair boss, a reasonably friendly guy and seems to regard our hero, Sulley, as something of a protégé if not surrogate son. The point being, he really doesn’t seem like that bad a guy, but then monsters, real monsters, rarely do. As an energy crisis hangs over his company like the reaper’s scythe, Waternoose isn’t about to allow the company his family built be shut down without a fight. To that end, Waternoose makes a deal with a devil named Randall Boggs. Randall’s plan was horrific to say the least and Waternoose clearly found it distasteful, but then, if Monster’s Inc. dies, hundreds will be without jobs and thousands more will be without power. Those people depend on Monsters Inc., on him. Waternoose can’t let these people down, so he looks the other way, fooling himself that the ends justify the means. Say what you will about Randall, at least he’s honest about what he is while Waternoose believes that the atrocities he’s complicit in are in service of a greater good. But really, nothing could ever justify kidnapping and torturing innocent children, but Waternoose either doesn’t realize this, or simply doesn’t care because, as he says himself, “I’d kidnap a thousand children before I let this company die.” And with that, Waternoose proves himself to be a monster in action as well as in species. However, some villains won’t even bother with the façade of being a nice guy, especially if they’ve already brainwashed their objects of torment into submission.

18. Hopper from A Bug's Life

Put simply, Hopper is a bully and a tyrant. As the leader of a thuggish gang of grasshoppers, Hopper runs a protection racket against a simple colony of ants in exchange for an annual offering of food, food that rightfully belongs to the ants. If the offering is deemed insufficient, the ants suffer. If anyone steps out of line, the ants suffer. If anyone tries to resist his oppressive reign, the ants really suffer, and the instigator is roughed up by Hopper’s top enforcer, a feral grasshopper named Thumper. Hopper even at one point conspired to publicly execute the ants’ queen, simply to remind them just who’s in charge. We know what Hopper’s evil deeds are, but something we never really get an explanation for is why Hopper chooses to do what he does. This all speculation mind you, but I always got the sense that Hopper was, on some level, aware of how low he and other bugs like him really were on the food chain. Any time Hopper is confronted by a potential predator, he’s reduced to a simpering coward. Frustrated by his situation, Hopper sought out something even lower than he was, something he could intimidate and exert power over, and in the ants, he found it. Hopper knows that his position of power doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, but he will use it to squeeze everything he can out of these poor ants. However, Hopper isn’t stupid. He knows that if these ants ever rise up against him, he and his gang will be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. This is where Hopper becomes truly sinister as he takes every opportunity to remind the ants of how inferior they are, referring to them as “mindless soil shoveling losers put on this earth to serve us” knowing that if he says it enough, they’ll start believe it. It was never about food for Hopper, it all about keeping the ants in line and exerting power over something weaker than him. It’s truly sinister, but in way, also somewhat pathetic. Speaking of pathetic, that word can definitely be used to describe our next villain.

17. Ratcliffe from Pocahontas

I’ve often described Ratcliffe as a “Lame” character and an “Extra Prissy Captain Planet Villain.” Hell, the film itself describes Ratcliffe as a “Pathetic Social Climber.” Here’s the thing, Ratcliffe is indeed all these things, but as we say with Hopper, just because you’re pathetic, it doesn’t mean you can’t use your power to cause serious harm. Beneath the fancy clothes and the false bravado, there lurks an evil that is all too real, and all too dangerous. Ratcliffe set sail for the new world with exactly one thing on his mind, gold. To a man like Ratcliffe, gold equals status and status equals power. The more gold you have, the higher your status, and thus, the greater your power. Ratcliffe was told that there was gold in the new world, and once the colonists make landfall, he wastes no time chopping down every tree he can get find in order to prep the land for gold mining, caring not for the effect this will have on the environment or the indigenous people who inhabit this land. You see why I think of the guy as a low-rent Captain Planet Villain. So single-minded is Ratcliffe in his pursuit of gold, that he will remove any perceived threat to his acquisition, by force if necessary. When the indigenous people present an obstacle to Ratcliffe’s goal of acquiring wealth and status, then they will have to go. Personally, I don’t think Ratcliffe is prejudiced against the Powhatan tribe like the other colonists, not really. Don’t misunderstand, I don’t he holds them in any sort of high regard, I just think that, in Ratcliffe’s mind, they don’t matter enough for him to be prejudice. To Ratcliffe, these people, regardless of race or level of perceived sophistication, are simply in his way, and that’s enough for them to be destroyed. However, just because he’s not necessarily prejudice himself, doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to exploit the prejudice of others, which is what he does when he rallies the colonists to war, something he hopes will wipe out the other side. Thought, speaking of exploiting prejudice, that will lead us very nicely into our next villain.

16. Dawn Bellwether from Zootopia

Another member of the Twist Villain crowd, Bellwether is arguably the most sinister Disney Villain of the last ten years. Like any good twist villain, initially, Bellwether doesn’t seem like she’s all that bad. By all appearances, she’s simply the put upon assistant mayor of Zootopia who tries to do the best she can for her city despite Mayor Lionheart treating her like a glorified secretary. That’s the thing about Bellwether, she’s constantly overlooked and underestimated, which it’s why it’s so easy for her to put her evil plan for the city of Zootopia in motion behind the scenes, and what a truly sinister plan it is. See, anti-predator bias is already pretty prevalent in this world, so all it takes it the right a few pushes in the right places to fan that spark of hatred into a full-blown inferno. And as anti-predator bias rises and the city tears itself apart, Bellwether quietly grabs power for herself. To this end, Bellwether hires a few mercenaries, sheep like herself of course, to drug random predator citizens around town, causing them to turn feral and attack people in the streets. The media and public perception of predators will do the rest for her. And the people will be so fixated on the racial issues that they won’t even notice the sinister plot happening right under their noses. Bellwether’s plot is sinister, but what’s truly disturbing is how close to reality it feels. Mind you, I’m pretty sure no one is out there drugging minorities in order to cause them to attack people, at least I hope not, but the corrupt and powerful have been exploiting the prejudice of others in order to grab power for centuries. These individuals did not create hatred and prejudice, that has existed since the dawn of time, and sadly, may never go away entirely, something the film is smart enough to realize. No, what someone like Bellwether does is use the hatred of others to accomplish their own selfish goals, preying upon the ignorance of others. Isn’t that ironic. In her bid to rid her city of Predators, she ended up becoming one herself, a wolf in sheep’s clothing if you will. Bellwether may have been stopped in the end, but there will always be those in power who will use that power for nefarious ends. Case in point, our next villain.

15. Cutler Beckett from Pirates of the Caribbean

When me and my friends were debating who would end up on this list, I argued for the likes of Hector Barbossa and Davy Jones to end up on the list, and while they are great antagonists in their own right, when it comes to the Pirates of the Caribbean universe, the brand of evil those characters represent pales in comparison to that of Lord Cutler Beckett. How interesting is it that in a world populated by ghosts, fish monsters, eldritch terrors and all other manner of supernatural nightmares, the most evil is just a regular human capitalist. Other characters thrown out for contention in the list included Clayton from Tarzan, McLeach from The Rescuers Down Under and Rourke from Atlantis The Lost Empire, however, the reason Beckett makes the list while those characters do not is because, they are ultimately just mercenaries. The sort of men hired to do despicable things for money. Beckett on the other hand, is the sort of man who would hire a man like Clayton or McLeach. A cold, calculating businessman who cares only for his bottom line, and will gladly upset the natural order of the world to tip the scales in his favor. To that end, Beckett threatens our heroes with execution in order to acquire Jack Sparrow’s compass, which will allow him to find the heart of Davy Jones and therefore, control The Flying Dutchman, the most deadly supernatural force in the seven seas. With Jones now answering to him, the seas belong to the East India Trading Company and everyone who sails under a pirate flag is hunted down and hung by the neck until dead. And through all of this, Beckett remains smug and detached from it all, claiming that everything he does is “just good business.” And the scary thing is, he means it. None of this is personal, Beckett is just a capitalist looking to secure his position at the top. Sure he’s killing millions and usurping the power of a god-like being, but that’s just what needs to be done in order to play the game. It’s almost chilling just how in control Beckett is at all times, especially the scenes where he straight up bullies Davy Jones, the guy who was built up as such a massive threat in the previous movie. This is a guy with some serious power who knows how to use it. Our next villain may not have power on the same scale as Beckett, but she certainly knows how to use what she has in the most horrible ways.

14. Lady Tremaine from Cinderella

Up to this point, the villains we’ve covered on this list have been in high position of authority, having power and influence over large groups and using that influence to further their insidious aims. Lady Tremaine does not have the same level of power as a Bellwether or a Waternoose and her influence is pretty much limited to her own household, but whatever power she does wield, she uses in the most cruel and sadistic ways. The main target of her cruelty, her stepdaughter, Cinderella. It’s never made entirely clear what it is about Cinderella that Lady Tremaine hates so much, but it likely has something to do with the fact that Cinderella is not her biological daughter. Whatever her reasons, Lady Tremaine’s treatment of Cinderella truly horrific, forcing her to do backbreaking chores like a slave all around the house in the hopes of breaking her down into submission. Cinderella, of course, refuses to give her abuser the satisfaction, and so, Lady Tremaine’s need to break Cinderella only grows. Just watch the movie and pay close attention to the interactions between her and Cinderella. There’s clearly an epic battle going on between these two even if they aren’t exactly throwing punches. Cinderella puts up a pretty tough front, but it’s abundantly clear that Lady Tremaine has made her life a living hell through her years cruelty and abuse. And don’t think her own daughters are any better off than Cinderella. Sure, Anastasia and Drizella may be treated better than Cinderella, but they are also tormented in a different way, constantly placed under pressure to be perfect, and not out of love, but because these two are Lady Tremaine’s ticket to power and status. She doesn’t care about their happiness, all she wants is what so many villains we’ve covered so far want, power and status. Even when Cinderella defies her and has clearly won the heart of the prince, she will not allow someone else the power and status that she covets and goes so far as to lock Cinderella in the attic to keep her out of the way. Lady Tremaine is a nightmare to live with, but she’s got nothing on our next villain, a nightmare to an entire country.

13. Shan Yu from Mulan

This guy is just a bad ass. Shan Yu here is one of the most intimidating villains in this entire countdown and probably has the highest body count. As the ruthless leader of the Hun army, Shan Yu is a conqueror. While very little is known about his backstory, we can probably infer that his invasion of China is not the big man’s first rodeo, especially when you consider that the soldier patrolling the great wall was able to recognize him on sight. Speaking of, let’s talk about that scene for a moment. In the opening of Mulan, the soldier in question sees Shan Yu and lights the signal fire, meaning that all of China knows that Shan Yu has gotten over the great wall. What’s his response? “Perfect.” That’s the thing about Shan Yu, he’s the biggest and the baddest in the land and only the greatest of challenges will satisfy him. He doesn’t just want to walk into China and breeze through the invasion, he wants a fight, and more than that, he wants as much blood and carnage as possible on his way to the top. Then, and only then, will he storm the imperial city and force China’s emperor to acknowledge his superiority. Shan Yu is one hardcore son of a bitch. We’ve mentioned it before, but it is worth repeating that it takes a very special brand of testicular fortitude to look at The Great Wall of China and view it as a personal challenge to you, a challenge which Shan Yu conquered with ease. While we never get an official number, it’s likely that Shan Yu has the highest body count of any villain on this list. He conquers entire nations, defeats whole armies, executes retreating soldiers simply for this own amusement and massacres an entire village simply because it’s in his way, and the way Shan Yu looks at that dolly, it’s clear that he personally slaughtered plenty of women and children. A deleted scene even would have shown that he wasn’t above executing his own men if they showed weakness. Shan Yu is a seriously bad dude and will kill anyone and everyone who stands in his way to proving he’s the biggest and baddest there is, be they the mightiest warrior, or the smallest child.

12. The Horned King from The Black Cauldron

Talk about a villain who deserved a better movie. While he doesn’t quite reach the heights of some of those to come, he certainly is one of the most frightening customers on the list. A towering skeletal demon with a deep and sinister voice, even if you know nothing about this guy and what he intends to do, you can tell right away he’s bad news. Then you learn what he plans to do. Using an ancient relic called The Black Cauldron, the Horned King plans to raise an army of the dead to massacre the entire world and add to his mighty army. There’s not a whole lot to this character beyond that, but knowing what he plans to do definitely earns him a spot on this list. We never really learn why the King is Hellbent on accomplishing this goal (I am aware that there are more details on him in the source material but I’m restricting things to only the movie), but we know he’d do anything to get it. Anyone who serves as an obstacle that goal must be destroyed at all costs. Any time the king enters a room, you feel the mood change. An eerie silence falls and you know that you are in the presence of pure evil. That’s John Hurt doing the voice, and he does a great job elevating this character to something beyond what this movie deserves. Fortunately, the King found new life in the sadly now defunct Tokyo Disney attraction, Castle Mystery Tour, where a horrifying animatronic of the Horned King served as the final boss of a walkthrough attraction where guests would encounter numerous Disney Villains. I hope one day they pull that animatronic out of storage and find a use for it, because a creepy villain like The Horned King deserves better. However, if you're looking for something really creepy, get a load of our next villain.

11. Judge Doom from Who Framed Roger Rabbit

I take back what I just said about the Horned King. What can you say about the dishonorable Judge Doom. He’s intimidating, he’s sadistic, he’s conniving, he’s creepy, he’s Christopher Lloyd, basically everything a Disney Villain should be. Having apparently earned his position as a judge in Toon Town through bribery and other dubious means, Doom wastes little time cracking down on crime in the harshest and most horrifying ways. His signature method of capital punishment, a chemical formula called “The Dip” which has the ability to kill toons, something previously thought to be impossible. And he demonstrates this by executing an innocent cartoon shoe whose only crime was being mildly annoying. This is the fate that awaits any toon that crosses Judge Doom. And if he doesn’t get you, his ruthless weasel henchmen who do his dirty work will and once they deem you to be guilty, they will not stop until there’s nothing left of you but a stain on Doom’s rubber glove. However, Doom’s evil goes far deeper than that. Apparently it was Doom himself who murdered practical joke mogul Marvin Acme and framed Roger Rabbit. Does that technically make him the title character of the film? Just wondering. Anywho, all of this was part of a scheme to wipe Toon Town off the face of the earth and replace it with a soulless freeway. Just listen to how excited he gets at the idea of massacring the entire Toon population just for a freeway. Clearly Doom is a twisted mad man. And eventually, we learn just how twisted. Turns out, Doom has been a Toon himself all along and not just any Toon, the very Toon that murdered Eddie Valiant’s brother during a bank heist, something he brags about to Eddie’s face. Also, it’s implied that Doom used the money from that bank heist to bribe is way into a judgeship. When Doom’s true nature is revealed, his calm and calculated demeanor is likewise revealed to be just as much of a façade as the rubber mask he wears. In reality, Doom is a violent psychopath who delights in watching his victims squirm in pain. Many cite Doom is one of the most terrifying villains of their childhood and it’s not hard to see why. Ever since I saw him reveal his burning red eyes for the first time, Doom has been living rent free in my nightmares, where he has remained for the past twenty years. And that will do it for the first half of the list, but stay tuned, because if you think these guys are bad, wait until you meat the top 10. Until next time.