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This Disney villains list is more than just list of characters! Of course, it’s got all the Disney bad guys we love to hate, but there are lots of fun facts too! Can you guess which movie character was rumored to be the hunter in Bambi? How about which one of the Disney princess villains is based on a famous singer?
If you love the villains in Disney movies, keep reading to find out the answers to these questions and tons more. Looking for even more Disney lists and fun facts? Check out my Disney princess list or narrow it down to just the Disney princess villains!
HOW MANY DISNEY VILLAINS ARE THERE?
There are no shortage of villains in Disney movies and you’ll find 35+ throughout the movies. While I’m focusing on the main ones, there are plenty of secondary ones too (for examples, Cinderella’s stepsisters or the hyenas in The Lion King).
These characters run the gamut from true villain, like the Evil Queen to just mildly dangerous villains, like Darla from Finding Nemo. They all have such different personalities and unique qualities, which is why they’re so much fun to watch. Here’s a quick rundown of the complete Disney villains list.
- Evil Queen aka Queen Grimhilde – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
- Honest John – Pinocchio (1940)
- The Hunter (a.k.a. Man) – Bambi (1942)
- Lady Tremaine – Cinderella (1950)
- Queen of Hearts – Alice in Wonderland (1951)
- Captain Hook – Peter Pan (1953)
- Dogcatcher – Lady And The Tramp (1955)
- Maleficent – Sleeping Beauty (1959)
- Cruella de Vil – 101 Dalmatians (1961)
- Madam Mim – The Sword and the Stone (1963)
- Shere Khan – The Jungle Book (1967)
- Edgar Balthazar – The Aristocats (1970)
- Prince John / The Sheriff of Nottingham – Robin Hood (1973)
- Madame Medusa – The Rescuers (1977)
- Amos Slade – The Fox and the Hound (1981)
- Horned King – The Black Cauldron (1985)
- Professor Ratigan – The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
- Ursula – The Little Mermaid (1989)
- Gaston – Beauty And The Beast (1991)
- Oogie Boogie – Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
- Jafar – Aladdin (1992)
- Scar – The Lion King (1994)
- Sid Phillips – Toy Story (1995)
- Monseigneur Claude Frollo aka Judge Claude Frollo – The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
- Hades – Hercules (1997)
- Shan Yu – Mulan (1998)
- Yzma – The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
- Randall Bogs – Monsters, Inc. (2001)
- Darla Sherman – Finding Nemo (2003)
- Dr. Facilier – The Princess and the Frog (2009)
- Mother Gothel – Tangled (2010)
- King Candy – Wreck it Ralph (2012)
- Prince Hans – Frozen (2013)
- Te Ka – Moana (2016)
- Namaari – Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Complete Disney Villains List
Ready for the complete list? These are all our favorite Disney baddies, complete with some fun tidbits and trivia. (Want more villainous fun? Test your knowledge with these heroes and villains quizzes!)
The Evil Queen aka Queen Grimhilde
Perhaps one of the most iconic villains in Disney history, the Evil Queen was the first true Disney villain. She made her appearance in the 1937 animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The queen hated Snow White for her beauty and tried to have her killed by the huntsman. When that didn’t work, she poisoned her with a magical apple.
Fun Fact
The scream you hear when the Evil Queen falls to her death can also be heard in Sleeping Beauty. It doubles as Maleficent’s scream when Prince Phillip stabs her in the heart.
Honest John
Although there are several villains in Disney’s 1940 film, Pinocchio, Honest John is considered the main villain. He’s the catalyst for Pinocchio’s bad behavior and resulting misfortunes.
Fun Fact
Honest John (and Gideon) were originally supposed to be swindlers that sold Mickey some magic beans in a Mickey And The Beanstalk animation.
The Hunter (a.k.a. Man)
Though he never actually appears in the film, the hunter who killed Bambi’s mother in the 1942 Disney movie Bambi, could be considered one of the cruelest of all the villains.
Fun Fact
While making the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Disney animators originally planned to reveal Judge Doom as the hunter who killed Bambi’s mother. However, that plot twist never made it into the final version of the movie.
Lady Tremaine
Lady Tremaine, also known as the Wicked Stepmother, is the iconic villain in the 1950 animated film Cinderella. The cold-hearted stepmother of Cinderella, Lady Tremaine forces her stepdaughter into a life of servitude while she and her three daughters live off of Cinderella’s family fortune.
Fun Fact
The actress who voiced Lady Tremaine, Eleanor Audley, was also the voice of Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty.
Queen of Hearts
The Queen of Hearts is the deranged, tyrranical ruler of Wonderland in Disney’s 1951 feature, Alice in Wonderland. The disturbed queen possesses a love of both roses and beheadings and is eager to take Alice’s head after she inadvertently embarrasses her.
Fun Fact
The Queen of Hearts in the Disney film is actually an amalgamation of three different characters from the book – the Queen, the Duchess, and the Red Queen from Through the Looking Glass.
Captain Hook
Captain Hook, the main villain in Disney’s 1953 film, Peter Pan is as quirky as he is loathsome. The only thing greater than his greed and hate for Peter Pan is his fear of crocodiles.
Fun Fact
Hook is one of the few characters in the movie that is able to understand and speak with fairies.
The Dogcatcher
The Dogcatcher is the nameless villain in the 1955 Disney film, Lady and the Tramp. While not a bad guy in the evil sense, he we certainly a villain in the eyes of the dogs.
Fun Fact
The dogcatcher was based on the Barney Fife character from The Andy Griffith show.
Maleficent
Maleficent, the big bad queen in Disney’s 1959 Sleeping Beauty, is incarnation of pure evil and the one responsible for the misfortune that befell King Stefan’s kingdom. Her dark, horned design makes her one of the most instantly recognizable villains in the Disney cast of characters.
Fun Fact
Maleficent is actually a fairy (an evil fairy, but a fairy, nontheless).
Cruella de Vil
Arguably the most hated Disney villain among animal lovers, Cruella de Vil is the main villain in Disney’s 1961 film, 101 Dalmatians. Throughout the film, Cruella continually tries to capture the adorable puppies in order to turn them into clothing, though fortunately she is never successful.
Fun Fact
Cruella de Vil’s name is a play on the words “cruel” and “devil”. She was also going to be the villain in The Rescuers. However, animators ultimately decided to create a new villain for the movie.
Madam Mim
Madam Mim is the villain in Disney’s 1963 film, The Sword In The Stone. She’s also known as Mad Madam Mim, a wicked, odd woman who thoroughly enjoys the misery of others. She also believes herself to be the most powerful wizard of all time.
Fun Fact
Look closely at the roof of Madam Mim’s house and you’ll notice that it resembles a traditional witch’s hat.
Shere Khan
Shere Khan is the bloodthirsty Bengal tiger out to kill Mowgli in Disney’s 1967 film, The Jungle Book. The most feared predator in the jungle, Khan is on a mission to dispatch the “man cub” in order to prevent him from growing up.
Fun Fact
Shere Khan is the only Disney villain who doesn’t die in their original movie but dies in the live action remake.
Edgar Balthazar
This greedy butler is the villain in Disney’s 1970 film, The Aristocats. After learning that his rich employer, Madame Bonfamille, intends to leave her fortune to her cat, Duchess, and her kittens instead of him, Edgar is determined to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Fun Fact
Edgar is one of the few Disney villains who doesn’t have his or her own song. In fact, he only sings once, singing Rock-a-Bye Kitties as he drugs the cats’ milk.
Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham
Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham are the dynamic duo of evil in Disney’s 1973 film, Robin Hood. Prince John is the cruel, greedy, and cowardly brother of King Richard and is determined to steal the throne in his absence. The Sheriff of Nottingham is his brutish sidekick who is constantly battling Robin Hood.
Fun Fact
Prince John was purposely not given a mane because animators wanted him to seem childlike and weak next to his brother, King Richard. (The purpose of the lion’s mane is to protect his neck during fights).
Madame Medusa
The villain in Disney’s 1977 film, The Rescuers, Madame Medusa runs a seedy New York City pawn shop in New York City. She’s greedy, completely fixated on diamonds and is obsessed with getting her hands on the Devil’s Eye, the world’s biggest diamond.
Fun Fact
Madame Medusa’s design was partly inspired Cruella de Vil. Later, Madame Medusa was one of the inspirations for Ursula from The Litter Mermaid.
Amos Slade
Amos Slade is the villain in Disney’s 1981 film, The Fox And The Hound. He’s an interesting villain because he isn’t actually evil. He just doesn’t see hunting as a bad thing. While he does become obsessed with Tod the Fox, by the end of the movie he shows remorse for it after the fox saves him from a bear.
Fun Fact
The actor who voiced Amos, Jack Albertson also played Grandpa Joe in the original Willie Wonka And The Chocolate Factory. Another little known fact? Amos Slade was named after a Christian rock band.
Horned King
The Horned King is the villain in the 1985 Disney film, The Black Cauldron. His ultimate goal is to find the cauldron and use its power to set loose the Cauldron Born, an army of immortal warriors.
Fun Fact
The Horned King is one of Disney’s more serious villains. Unlike many other Disney villains, he never cracks a joke in the film and maintains his evil attitude in every situation. He was also the first Disney villain to die in a movie since Malificent.
Professor Ratigan
Professor Ratigan plays the main protagonist in Disney’s 1986 film, The Great Mouse Detective. He sees Basil, the mouse detective, as the primary obstacle in his quest to rule all of mousedom.
Fun Fact
Animators observed Vincent Price as he read his lines and incorporated his exaggerated movements into the animation.
Ursula
Ursula is the main villain in Disney’s 1989 film, The Little Mermaid. This half woman, half octopus villain strikes deals with poor, unfortunate merfolk and takes advantage of their deepest desires to steal their souls.
Fun Fact
In the original draft by Disney animators, Ursula was to be King Triton’s younger sister. Another fun fact? If you look closely at the scroll that Ursula has Ariel sign, you’ll find a hidden Mickey.
Gaston
Gaston is the brawny conceited villain we love to hate in Disney’s 1991 film, Beauty and the Beast as well as the live action remake. Blinded by greed and arrogance, Gaston will stop at nothing to kill the Beast after Belle rejects him for her new friend.
Fun Fact
Gaston doesn’t appear in the original fairy tale that the film was based on. The protagonists in that story were actually Belle’s sisters (who are nowhere to be seen in the film versions).
Oogie Boogie
Oogie Boogie is the Disney movie version of the Boogie Man. A large, walking burlap sack filled with insects, Oogie Boogie is the villain in Disney’s 1993 film, The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Fun Fact
The original plan was for Oogie Boogie to be Dr. Finklestein in disguise. However, it’s said that Tim Burton hated that idea so much that he kicked a hole in the wall and that was the end of that!
Jafar
Jafar is the main antagonist in Disney’s 1992 film, Aladdin. He’s spent his life searching for the all-powerful Genie in the lamp and his dry humor and snarky personality make him one of the most beloved Disney villains.
Fun Fact
Much of Jafar’s design was based on Maleficent, which can be seen in his staff and long, flowing garments.
Scar
Scar is another popular villain that we all love to hate. The main villain in Disney’s 1994 film, The Lion King, he’s the jealous, murderous brother of Mufasa. Staying true to his villainous nature, Scar kills his brother and tries to have his nephew killed in a big to seize power.
Fun Fact
The character of Scar is loosely based on Hamlet’s Claudius. He also killed his brother, the king, in his greed to take over the throne.
Sid Phillips
Sid Phillips is the main villain in the 1995 Disney film, Toy Story. Unlike his neighbor, Andy, who treats his toys with love and care, Sid’s version of “playing” involves torturing his toys. However, once he discovers that the toys are actually alive, he decides to change his ways.
Fun Fact
Sid is the only character in the Toy Story movies that knows the toys are alive.
Judge Claude Frollo
Judge Frollo is the main villain in the 1996 Disney film, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. A ruthless Parisian justice minister and religious zealot, he is committed to getting rid of all the gypsies, who he considers to be the worst of all sinners.
Fun Fact
Frollo has more time on screen than any other Disney villain, appearing on and off in a third of the movie.
Hades
Hades is the big bad guy in the 1997 Disney film, Hercules. Known for his bad temper and grudge against his brother Zeus, he comes up with a master plan to take over the cosmos.
Fun Fact
Hades’ line “Relax, it’s only half-time” occurs right in the middle of the movie. Also, while recording the scene where Hades is eating worms, James Woods ate a watermelon at the same time for a more authentic sound.
Shan Yu
Shan Yu, the main villain in Disney’s 1998 film, Mulan, is the brutal leader of the Hun army. When the emperor orders the great wall to be built, Shan Yu declares war in the hopes of taking over as ruler.
Fun Fact
Shan Yu was voiced by Jackie Chan in the Chinese version of Mulan.He even made a music video for the song “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You”. Apparently, he’s not only known for his martial arts skills, he’s well known for his singing abilities in Asia too.
Yzma
The evil sorceress Yzma is the villain in Disney’s 2000 film, The Emperor’s New Groove. After being fired as advisor to Emperor Kuzco, she becomes obsessed with killing him to take the throne for herself.
Fun Fact
Turn Yzma upside down and you’ll find a hidden Mickey (her head and earrings).
Randall Boggs
Randall Bogg is the sneaky, snarky villain in Disney*Pixar’s 2001 film, Monsters, Inc. His evil plan is to radically change the scaring industry by using kidnapped children as a source of power.
Fun Fact
One of the backgrounds that Fungus uses to demonstrate Randall’s cloaking ability is the wallpaper of Andy’s bedroom from the first Toy Story movie.
Darla Sherman
Darla Sherman from Finding Nemo may not be your traditional villain but don’t tell that to the fish! She doesn’t really mean any harm but if you’re a fish, it’s probably not the safest bet to be in her care.
Fun Fact
When Darla first walks into her uncle’s office, the music that plays is from the shower scene in the Psycho.
Dr. Facilier
Also known as The Shadow Man, Dr. Facilier is the villain in Disney’s 2009 film, The Princess and the Frog. With friends on “the other side”, this smooth talking witch doctor has big plans to take over the city of New Orleans.
Fun Fact
All the other characters in the movie call Dr. Facilier “The Shadow Man” Only Dr. Facilier calls himself by that name.
Mother Gothel
Mother Gothel is the main villain in Disney’s 2010 film, Tangled. She’s remained young for hundreds of years through a magic golden flower. However, once the flower’s magic is transferred to Rapunzel’s hair, she has to kidnap the young princess in order to keep from growing old.
Fun Fact
Mother Gothel’s physical appearance was inspired by the singer Cher. Her dress in the movie was also designed to resemble costumes from the renaissance era, 400 years earlier from when the movie takes place.
King Candy
King Candy, whose real name is Turbo, is the villain in the 2012 Disney film, Wreck-It Ralph. At one time, he was the most popular character around, due to his hit video game TurboTime. However, he was knocked out of the spotlight by newer games and characters (and none too happy about it!). In a last ditch effort to regain the spotlight, he tries to take over the other games.
Fun Fact
Ever since he voiced the character of King Candy, Alan Tudyk has had a part in every Walt Disney animated feature film (much like John Ratzenberger with Pixar)
Hans
Hans is the villain in Disney’s 2013 film, Frozen. Don’t let his innocent looks fool you…he’s coldhearted and manipulative, as Anna quickly finds out. The youngest of thirteen brothers, Hans plots to rule Arendelle by marrying Anna because he finds her more gullible than Elsa. Fortunately (spoiler alert), his evil plan fails in the end.
Fun Fact
Hans is the only Disney villain who sings a duet with a princess (Love Is An Open Door).
Te Ka
Te Ka, the villain in the 2016 Disney film, Moana, is a demon of earth and fire. Originally known as Te Fiti, she’s an entity with the ability to create life. When her heart is stolen, she transforms into Te Ka, demon of earth and fire.
Secondary villains from Moana include the kakamora, cute but deadly coconuts and Tamatoa, a singing crab who enamored with anything shiny!
Fun Fact
In Maori (an Eastern Polynesian language), Te Ka means “the burning one”.
Namaari
Namaari, the princess of Kumandra’s Fang, is the main villain in Disney’s 2021 film, Raya And The Last Dragon. She plots to use the power of the Dragon Gem to expand Fang’s fortune. Though her plan could be considered noble, her willingness to do so by any means necessary is what makes her a villain.
Fun Fact
Until Namaari was introduced, no princess in an animated Disney film has been portrayed as a villain.
More Disney Villains
As you can see, there’s no shortage of baddies on this Disney villains list. From truly evil villains to accidental antagonists, the list of villains runs the gamut. Keep checking back because if we know Disney, there will be plenty more to come!
Do you have a favorite Disney villain? A least favorite? What secondary villains would you add to this list?
I think you should make a separate list for minor villains and sidekicks
Great idea! I will try to find the time to do that 🙂
yes do that
Oh Absolutely do this and maybe even more main villain lists 😁 There are after all 127+ villains in Disney’s history
Thanks! That’s a great suggestion! 🙂
Bleh
Jackie Chan is actually provided both of singing and speaking voices for Li Shang in Chinese dub of Mulan. Not Shan Yu. Shan Yu is actually voiced by Li Jian Yi. ( In English version, he is voiced by Miguel Ferrer) Considering the setting and their point of origin, Shan Yu and his Hun army could, in fact, be members of the Xiongnu people (Central Asian nomadic warriors), possibly either Yeniseian or Turco-Mongol tribes who lived in the lands north of the Great Wall encompassing present-day Mongolia and conquered much of the East Asian steppes in the 3rd century BC-1st century AD. It is thought by many that the Huns that invaded Europe around 370 AD are descendants of the Western Xiongnu who fled from the Chinese in what is now Kazakhstan. This is further supported by Shan Yu’s name, as a “Shanyu” or “Chanyu” was what the Xiongnu leaders were called, much like a Mongol leader would be “Khan”. He is also inspired by both of Modu Chanyu and Genghis Khan than Attila the Hun. Though, Shan Yu wasn’t based on historical figure nor he was exist especially in the old original Chinese poem The Ballad of Mulan.
Sorry for highlighted text because I copied and pasted it from Disney Fandom but I edited “Central Asian nomadic warrior” for those who didn’t know about the Huns. “Xiongnu” means “Hun” in Chinese!
Minor edit found; Shere Khan is a bengal tiger not a lion. Lions are found in Africa in dryer, less jungly environments. Tigers like dense jungles with lots of water like those found in India.
I’m so glad you pointed that out! I even knew he was a tiger but I must have been thinking of Scar. I just fixed it…thanks again!
Protagonist is the hero. you meant Antagonist.
Oops! Thanks so much for the correction…just fixed it!
Forgot Dr Callaghan from Big Hero 6(2014)