The 17 Most Memorable Male Disney Villains, Ranked
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Disney movies have given us some of the most memorable animated male villains - characters who are just as iconic as the heroes they oppose. From their elaborate schemes to their unforgettable songs, these male Disney villains often steal the show, becoming the characters everyone loves to hate. Their sinister plots and larger-than-life personalities keep audiences hooked from the first scene to the climactic final battle.
Take Scar from The Lion King, with his ruthless ambition and silky voice, or Jafar from Aladdin, whose dark sorcery and hypnotic staff set the stage for chaos. And who could forget Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, the epitome of narcissism, flexing his muscles and hunting whatever he desires? These villains, among others, are essential in driving their respective stories forward and crafting the tension that makes Disney movies so riveting.
We want to hear from you. Who do you think is the most memorable male Disney villain? Your votes can help us rank these characters from most to least iconic, so don’t hesitate to share your opinion. Whether it's the cold-hearted Scar or the flamboyantly evil Jafar, your choice matters. Vote now and let’s see which villain reigns supreme.
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- The Lion King
- Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Master Plan: To dispose of his brother, Mufasa, and rule over the Pride Lands.
What Makes Him So Memorable: He's one of the most iconic baddies to grace the animated stage. His villain song ("Be Prepared") is top-notch, and the scar over his eye just tops off his scary vibe.
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: He murders his own brother by pushing him over a ledge into a wildebeest stampede.
Nicest Thing He's Done: He allows the hyenas to live alongside the lions (even though he reigns over them).
His Punishment: After Scar tries to kill a fully-grown Simba, Simba throws his uncle over a cliff. Scar survives the fall, but is then faced with his hyena lackeys, who heard Scar throw them under the bus. Fed up with his disloyalty, the hyenas attack Scar.
Most Villainous Quote:
Now this looks familiar. Where have I seen this before? Hm, let me think. Oh, yes, I remember! This is just the way your father looked before he died.
Dastardly Disney dude?- Photo:
Master Plan: To purge Paris of the Roma people, along with anyone else he thinks lives in “sin.”
What Makes Him So Memorable: He's probably the most predatory Disney villain, constantly pursuing Esmeralda and trying to force her to be with him.
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: After chasing Quasimodo's mother down, he shoves her into the stone stairs of Notre Dame, killing her.
Nicest Thing He's Done: He agrees to “raise” Quasimodo rather than kill him. But in reality, he imprisons Quasimodo and constantly tells him he's a monster.
His Punishment: As he's coming after Quasimodo and Esmeralda, he dangles off a ledge. Unable to hold on, he falls into the molten lead surrounding the church.
Most Villainous Quote:
Frollo: [about to drop baby Quasimodo over a well] This is an unholy demon. I'm sending it back to hell, where it belongs!
Archdeacon: See there the innocent blood you have spilt on the steps of Notre Dame.
Claude Frollo: I am guiltless. She ran, I pursued.Dastardly Disney dude?Master Plan: To overthrow his brother, Zeus, and rule over Mount Olympus.
What Makes Him So Memorable: For an evil god, he's got some pretty good one-liners.
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: He forces Hercules to give up his strength to save Meg, then reveals that Meg was working for him all along.
Nicest Thing He's Done: He compliments Meg on her performance in luring Hercules to a trap early on in the movie.
His Punishment: Once Hercules achieves his god status, he punches Hades into the River Styx, where Hades is pulled down by tortured souls.
Most Villainous Quote:
Zeus: So, Hades, you finally made it. How are things in the underworld?
Hades: Well, they're just fine. You know, a little dark, a little gloomy. And, as always, hey, full of dead people. What are you gonna do?
Dastardly Disney dude?- Photo:
Master Plan: To rule Agrabah.
What Makes Him So Memorable: He's both ruthless and undeniably creepy, especially when he attempts to enchant Jasmine.
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: He locks Jasmine in a giant hourglass, nearly suffocating her.
Nicest Thing He's Done: He maintains a somewhat-genuine friendship with Iago, his pet parrot.
His Punishment: He wishes to be an all-powerful genie after Aladdin tells him he'll never be the most powerful in the land. What he forgets, however, is that being a genie means being tied to a lamp, where he becomes trapped.
Most Villainous Quote:
Marry the shrew. I become sultan. The idea has merit.
Dastardly Disney dude?Master Plan: To marry the prettiest girl in town, Belle.
What Makes Him So Memorable: He's proudly chauvinist and narcissistic, with a staggering ego that's both repulsive and amusing (And he's one of the first bad guys to sport a ponytail).
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: When he gets Belle's father, Maurice, committed to an insane asylum, just to get him out of the way and force Belle into marriage.
Nicest Thing He's Done: When he shoots a barrel of beer during his “Gaston” song, allowing his fellow patrons to get a free mug of alcohol.
His Punishment: After leading the attack on the Beast's castle, the Beast spares Gaston's life. Gaston, unsurprisingly, stabs the Beast in the back, then slips off the roof and falls to his death.
Most Villainous Quote:
Belle, it's about time you got your head out of those books and paid attention to more important things. Like me. The whole town's talking about it. It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas and thinking.
Dastardly Disney dude?Master Plan: To take over China with his Hun warriors.
What Makes Him So Memorable: His orange eyes burn with fury, and his hawk sidekick allows him to see far more than any normal warrior.
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: His worst actions happen off-screen, but the evidence of his destruction is clear when Mulan and her troop discover a village that Shan Yu and his men have ravaged.
Nicest Thing He's Done: He allows one man to live to spread the message of his impending invasion.
His Punishment: After Shan Yu tries to assassinate the Emperor, Mulan shoots a firework into the Hun leader, propelling him into a tower full of fireworks, which then explodes.
Most Villainous Quote:
No. The quickest way to the emperor is through that pass. Besides, the little girl will be missing her doll. We should return it to her.
Dastardly Disney dude?Master Plan: To capture Tarzan's gorilla family and sell them off to the highest bidder.
What Makes Him So Memorable: He meets his end in a far more gruesome on-screen fashion than most Disney villains: Tarzan, trying to stop Clayton, wraps his arm and leg in vines. Clayton then begins chopping the vines haphazardly until the only one remaining is around his throat. A flash of lightning reveals the shadow of his dangling body.
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: As the gorillas are fighting back, he shoots, and ultimately kills, Tarzan's adoptive father, Kerchak.
Nicest Thing He's Done: He imprisons Tarzan, Jane, and Porter rather than killing them.
His Punishment: His surprisingly dark death (see above).
Most Villainous Quote:
[Tarzan takes Clayton's gun and aims it at him]
Clayton: Go ahead. Shoot me. Be a man.
[a shot is heard, but it turns out to be Tarzan mimicking the sound]
Tarzan: Not a man like you!Dastardly Disney dude?Master Plan: To force the ants to pay him and his cronies a seasonal supply of food.
What Makes Him So Memorable: He's basically an insect mob boss, using fear to drive the behaviors of others.
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: He beats up Flik in front of all his friends.
Nicest Thing He's Done: He doesn't kill his brother, Molt, because he promised their mother he wouldn't.
His Punishment: After encountering a fake bird, Hopper doesn't believe it when he lands in a real bird's nest. He foolishly taunts the creature, which then quickly feeds Hopper to its chicks.
Most Villainous Quote:
You piece of dirt! No, I'm wrong. You're lower than dirt. You're an ant! Let this be a lesson to all you ants! Ideas are very dangerous things! You are mindless, soil-shoving losers, put on this Earth to serve us!
Dastardly Disney dude?- Photo:
Master Plan: To kill any human he encounters, including Mowgli.
What Makes Him So Memorable: His smooth British accent (provided by voice actor George Sanders) is a bit surprising for the heartless tiger that he is.
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: He fights Baloo as the vultures try to help Mowgli escape.
Nicest Thing He's Done: Although he seems at times like a ruthless predator, he spares the animals that stand in his path to Mowgli.
His Punishment: After a lightning bolt sets a tree on fire, Mowgli ties a flaming branch to Shere Khan's tail. It's enough to scare the tiger off, allowing Mowgli to escape.
Most Villainous Quote:
Ah, you have spirit for one so small. And such spirit is deserving of a sporting chance. Now, I'm going to close my eyes and count to 10. It makes the chase more interesting... for me.
Dastardly Disney dude?Master plan: To kidnap children and harvest their terror with his new invention, the Scream Extractor.
What Makes Him So Memorable: He's a color-shifting, multi-legged reptilian monster whose sole mission is to incite horror in kids. It's kinda hard to forget him (as well as Steve Buscemi's wonderful voice acting).
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: When he tries to use the Scream Extractor on Mike.
Nicest Thing He's Done: He gives Mike the chance to put Boo back in her room, saying he won't tell anyone if he does (However, he's likely lying, planning to use it as a chance to grab Boo for himself).
His Punishment: After attacking Boo, Mike and Sulley send Randall through a door to the Everglades. They then destroy the door, trapping him in the human world, where he's mistaken for an alligator.
Most Villainous Quote:
If I don't see a door in my station in five seconds, I will personally put you through the shredder.
Dastardly Disney dude?Master Plan: To rule over New Orleans.
What Makes Him So Memorable: His magical abilities and ties to the “other side” are genuinely frightening, especially his shadow that can act on its own accord.
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: When he crushes Ray, the sweetest firefly there ever was.
Nicest Thing He's Done: He gives Naveen's valet, Lawrence, a potential chance at a better life by working with him (though he would probably stab him in the back at the first opportunity).
His Punishment: After Tiana breaks the talisman that Facilier had been using for his plot, the creatures from the other side become angry. Knowing Facilier won't be able to repay his debt to them, they drag him to the underworld.
Most Villainous Quote:
I hear you. Now, what's in it for you? Well, as soon as I dispose of "Big Daddy" La Bouff, then I'm gonna run this town. I'll have the entire city of New Orleans in the palm of my hand. And you'll have all the wayward souls your dark little hearts desire. You all love that, don't you? So, we got ourselves a deal?
Dastardly Disney dude?Master Plan: To find the hidden gold of the Americas, killing any Native people who stand in his way.
What Makes Him So Memorable: His flair for fashion, with his bold purple hat, red cape, and delicate bows in his hair.
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: When his men refuse to kill the Powhatan tribe, Ratcliffe grabs a gun and tries to shoot their chief. However, John Smith pushes Chief Powhatan out of the way, taking the shot instead.
Nicest Thing He's Done: He raises an adorable pug named Percy.
His Punishment: After he shoots Smith, Ratcliffe's men turn on him, chaining and gagging him.
Most Villainous Quote:
This is my land! I make the laws here. And I say anyone who so much as looks at an Indian without killing him on sight will be tried for treason... and hanged!
Dastardly Disney dude?- Photo:
Master Plan: To get revenge on Peter Pan, who was responsible for the loss of his hand.
What Makes Him So Memorable: The hat, the hair, the hook, the impeccably curled mustache - he's bold and fabulous.
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: When he tricks Tinker Bell into revealing the location of the Lost Boys' hideout.
Nicest Thing He's Done: Rather than killing all the Lost Boys and Darling children with his bomb, he instead kidnaps them, targeting only Peter Pan.
His Punishment: He's kicked into the sea, where the crocodile who ate his hand pursues him, anxious to get another bite of the pirate.
Most Villainous Quote:
Captain Hook: [about to lower a bomb into Peter Pan's hideout] And now, Smee, to take care of Master Peter Pan.
Mr. Smee: But, Captain, wouldn't it be more humane-like to slit his throat?
Captain Hook: Aye, that it would, Mr Smee. But I have given me word not to lay a finger, or a hook, on Peter Pan. And Captain Hook never breaks a promise.Dastardly Disney dude?Master Plan: To hunt down a rare golden eagle.
What Makes Him So Memorable: He's a wicked Aussie who kills endangered animals for sport. There aren't many other Disney villains like him.
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: At one point, he dangles Cody above the crocodiles, ultimately planning on killing the boy to cover his tracks.
Nicest Thing He's Done: He keeps a goanna (a type of large lizard) as a pet; she's named Joanna, and he feeds her quite well.
His Punishment: After falling into the river and almost being eaten by crocodiles, he falls over the edge of Crocodile Falls, plunging into the water far below.
Most Villainous Quote:
Are ya ready, boy? It's time ya learned how to fish for crocs. They like it when you use live bait, and you're as live as they come.
Dastardly Disney dude?Master Plan: To defeatJack Skellington and rule Halloween Town.
What Makes Him So Memorable: He's quite literally a thing of nightmares: a burlap sack full of bugs.
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: He kidnaps Santa and plans to gamble on his life.
Nicest Thing He's Done: He delays a bit before killing Santa (which allows Jack to save him).
His Punishment: Jack unravels Oogie Boogie's cloth body, releasing all the bugs that live inside him.
Most Villainous Quote:
I am the shadow on the moon at night / Filling your dreams to the brim with fright.
Dastardly Disney dude?Master Plan: To become the king of Arendelle by marrying Anna, then killing her and Elsa.
What Makes Him So Memorable: Viewers are led to believe Hans is not only a good guy, but the love of Anna's life, so when he betrays her, it stings all the more.
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: He tells a rapidly-freezing Anna he's not going to save her with true love's kiss; instead, he'll let her perish and take the throne.
Nicest Thing He's done: He's a pretty good duet partner for Anna in “Love Is an Open Door.”
His Punishment: Hans is arrested and exiled back to his kingdom.
Most Villainous Quote:
With a heavy heart, I charge Queen Elsa of Arendelle with treason and sentence her to death.
Dastardly Disney dude?Master Plan: To defeat all superheroes, or, at the very least, make them obsolete due to his powerful tech.
What Makes Him So Memorable: Syndrome has a bit more complexity than some other Disney villains. In his childhood, he dreamed of being a superhero, but he lacked any special abilities. Being tossed aside by Mr. Incredible triggers his descent into villainy, using his wealth and innovation to invent powerful weapons that mimic superpowers.
Biggest Bad Guy Moment: When Mr. Incredible takes Mirage hostage, Syndrome nonchalantly tells the hero to kill her.
Nicest Thing He's Done: As a young boy, he wanted to do good and help others.
His Punishment: As he stands in the door of his plane, taunting the Incredibles, Mr. Incredible throws his car at Syndrome's plane. This causes Syndrome to lurch out of the door, where his cape then gets sucked into the engine (proving Edna Mode's advice, “No capes!” to be very wise).
Most Villainous Quote:
It tore me apart. But I learned an important lesson. You can't count on anyone, especially your heroes.
Dastardly Disney dude?
