10 Greatest Disney Villains of the Last 100 Years, Ranked

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Ursula grins while motioning towards two poor unfortunate souls in 'The Little Mermaid'.

Born with Autism (formerly classified as Asperger syndrome), Tyler B. Searle has been obsessed with storytelling since he was old enough to speak. He gravitated towards fairy tales, mythology, the fantasy genre, and animated movies and shows aimed at family audiences. When not writing, Tyler enjoys watching more cartoons and reading fantasy books in his home in Ontario, Canada.

For over 100 years now, Disney has been at the forefront of animation, both in terms of technological advancements and story/character writing. Some of the best examples of the latter come from their villains, especially those found in their movies. With their unique blend of gorgeous animation, solid character-writing, and memorable voice acting, these baddies have become major faces in popular culture and inspired countless other cinematic villains since their inception.

This list will rank the greatest villains in Disney's long history. To narrow down a century's worth of antagonists into one list is a daunting effort, and for sure, several classic examples will have to be omitted. Thus, it's best to look at this ranking as a snippet of Disney's catalog of evil, a starting point if you will, rather than an all-encompassing be-all-end-all.

10 Pete

First Appearance: 'Alice Solves the Puzzle' (1925)

Pete looking menacing as he smokes a cigar in the 1941 Disney Short "Timber"

While Mickey Mouse is Disney's most iconic character and the most recognizable animated character on the planet, he is not Disney's longest-standing character. That honor goes to Pete, Disney's resident fat cat and professional bully. A recurring foil to Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, ol' Pete has worn many hats over the years, with schemes that range from capturing Minnie to evicting Mickey, Donald, and Goofy and scheming his way into ruling a kingdom.

Pete works perfectly as an antagonist because he incorporates everything you want to see in the perfect bully. He has enough physical presence to be a threat to the protagonists, but is often done in by his own thick-headedness and lack of self-control. Pete has also proven to be a very flexible character, and can even be a good guy from time to time, like on Goof Troops, but even then, his greedy schemes and lack of foresight ensure that he'll always end up biting more than he can chew, with hilarious results.

9 Long John Silver

First Appearance: 'Treasure Island' (1950)

Long John Silver holds two pistols while Jim Hawkins watches

Originally serving as the quartermaster of the notorious pirate Captain Flint, Long John Silver took over the remnants of Flint's crew after he died and made it his mission to locate the map that led to Flint's hidden treasure trove. The map resurfaces in the possession of a young boy named Jim Hawkins, who joins an expedition on the HMS Hispaniola to find the treasure. Silver signs himself and his men on as the ship's crew, and while they are suspected by the ship's captain, he does form a bond with Jim.

Robert Newton's portrayal of Long John Silver is not only the best version of the character, but also the blueprint for the modern-day pop-culture depiction of pirates. He's the perfect blend of charisma and cunning; one minute, he is all smiles and a hearty laugh over old stories, then the next, he is arranging for accidental deaths or gunning down those who would question his leadership. Silver's relationship with Jim further adds to his complexity, as he both treasures the boy like a son and keeps him safe from his crew's wrath, but won't hesitate to take him prisoner and threaten his life to get what he wants.

8 Lady Tremaine

First Appearance: 'Cinderella' (1950)

Lady Tremaine's iconic smile in Cinderella

After the death of her husband, Lady Tremaine remarried to a widower with one child, and a daughter named Cinderella. When he died, Lady Tremaine made Cinderella into a servant, forcing her to keep the house and attend to her and her two daughters' every desire. She exercises this power to its maximum efficiency, which includes denying Cinderella her chance at a happily ever after.

Lady Tremaine demonstrates how you don't have to have great power to be a fantastic villain, and the unique impact of stellar animation. All she has to do is stand there, and she dominates the room with her imposing visage, but when she does speak, her words are always carefully chosen and precisely delivered. She is also a master of getting what she wants without breaking her word, such as subtly nudging her daughters to tear apart Cinderella's dress—made up of their discarded and unwanted clothing—after promising she could go to the ball if she could find something to wear.

7 Davy Jones

First Appearance: 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Dead Man's Chest' (2006)

Ages ago, a sailor named Davy Jones fell in love with the sea goddess Calypso, who granted him immortality by tasking him with ferrying the souls of those who die at sea to the other side. When she fails to show up on the one day in 10 years he can come ashore, he helps a coalition of pirates bind her in human form, then carves out his heart and hides it in a chest. Now mutated into a horrible chimera of undersea life, Jones and his ghostly crew prey upon helpless sailors and offer any survivors the chance to join his crew or sleep in a watery grave.

Davy Jones is probably Disney's best live-action villain, and a great example of how a sympathetic backstory does not excuse horrible actions. He chooses to spread the misery that has filled the void where his heart used to be, and takes joy from spiteful acts of cruelty, such as killing anyone who rejects his offer to join his crew, or forcing a father to whip his own son. He also looks fantastic; a mixture of an immersive physical performance by Bill Nighy and fantastic CGI makes him a timeless monster that never feels out of place against the human characters.

6 Judge Doom

First Appearance: 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' (1988)

After buying his way into the position of judge of Toon Town, a mysterious man named Doom rules the toons with an iron fist, punishing any who breaks the law with execution using a mixture of turpentine, acetone, and benzene, which he calls "The Dip." After the owner of Toon Town, Marvin Acme, is found dead, Doom begins a manhunt for the number one suspect, Roger Rabbit, who flees to detective Eddie Valiant for help. It soon becomes clear to the duo that Roger was set up and that Acme's death is part of a larger scheme involving Toon Town's destruction.

Judge Doom is one of the most intimidating villains from a kid's movie, with much of that praise going to Christopher Lloyd's brilliant performance. Even before the brilliant twist at the end of the movie, something always felt off about Doom: his stiff movement and dark attire made it apparent that something set him apart from those he interacted with, and whenever he showed emotion, it was always dialed to the extreme. He is also scary because of how much he enjoys tormenting others, as shows in his best scene during his introduction, where he murders an innocent toon shoe simply to demonstrate his Dip.

5 Man

First Appearance: 'Bambi' (1942)

Within a tranquil North American forest, the animals go about their lives in peace, growing up and doing their part in perpetuating the cycle of life and death. However, things are thrown out of balance with the arrival of Man, a mysterious creature who is seldom seen, but capable of killing with a sound. Man's arrival heralds a time of fear, death, and destruction, as he brings with him fire and packs of dogs to aid in the hunt.

The decision to keep Man as an offscreen presence in Bambi makes the movie feel even more like a snapshot of nature. It presents Man as a force of destruction beyond the comprehension of the animals, one for whom the only hope of survival is to run, hide, and hope he does not find them. Fear of the unknown is the most primal of human fears, and Man represents that through the sheer dread he inspires in the animals, which is guaranteed to frighten audiences for generations to come.

4 Ursula

First Appearance: 'The Little Mermaid' (1989)

Ursula smiles while her tentacles surround her in 'The Little Mermaid'.

Deep in an underwater grotto, within the bones of a leviathan, lives the half cephalopod sea witch, Ursula. After being banished from the court of King Triton, she began preying on desperate merfolk, using her magic to grant their heart's desires, only to transform them into withered plant-like forms. When Triton's youngest daughter, Ariel, falls in love with a human, Ursula tempts the young princess into making a deal with her, which she intends to use to usurp control of the sea.

Urusla is one of cinema's best examples of a deal-with-a-devil-style villain. Every word she speaks to her potential victims is honeyed, and every movement is calculated and theatrical, ensuring that you don't know her devious intent until it's too late. Ursula also revels in her wickedness, taking great joy in the misery of others and figuring out how she can twist it to serve her own end, and isn't above getting her hands dirty to ensure she wins.

3 Scar

First Appearance: 'The Lion King' (1994)

Scar with an evil smile raising his paw in The Lion King

While King Mufasa rules the Pride Lands as a benevolent king who works to maintain the harmony of the Circle of Life, his younger brother, Scar, only cares about the power that comes from being king. Upon the birth of Mufasa's son, Simba, Scar makes an alliance with the lion's main rivals, the hyenas, to have them both killed in exchange for letting them into the Pride Lands. However, Scar misuses his position and lets the hyenas overhunt, leading the Pride Lands to fall into ruins.

Few Disney villains come together in terms of animation and voice acting as perfectly as Scar. He is overflowing with charisma, allowing him to appear as an envious but ultimately harmless family member in public, while scheming and manipulating behind the scenes to get what he wants, no matter how heinous the price. Scar is also one of the few Disney villains to actually achieve his goals, making his eventual defeat even more satisfying since we get to see the impact of his negligence.

2 Judge Claude Frollo

First Appearance: 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' (1996)

The Romani population of Paris lives in fear of Judge Claude Frollo, who sees himself as a harbinger of divine judgment against those he deems wicked and sinful. One night, when he kills a Romani woman on the steps of Notre Dame, he is tasked by the Archdeacon to raise her hunchbacked child, whom he names Quasimodo, and tasks him to be the cathedral's bell ringer. Years later, Frollo finds himself lusting after a Romani performer named Esmeralda, and when she evades his capture, he swears to burn Paris to the ground until she is within his grasp.

Frollo is undoubtedly Disney's darkest villain, or at the very least, its most wicked; after all, how many other Disney villains can be considered genocidal lunatics? This infamy is because of how real he feels; Frollo is willing to massacre entire communities, psychologically torture people, and make the execution of prisoners into public spectacles, but tries to justify everything as righteous in the eyes of God. His lust for Esmeralda and his attempts to deny it while still justifying his atrocities lead him to spiral into madness, which only worsens his cruelty.

1 Maleficent

First Appearance: 'Sleeping Beauty' (1959)

Maleficent with her raven in Sleeping Beauty

When she learns that she was not invited to the Christening of Princess Aurora, Maleficent, the dark fairy, invites herself to the event and puts a curse upon the baby. Though the curse is softened by the good fairy Merrywether, Aurora was still destined to prick her finger on a spinning wheel and slip into an enchanted slumber on her 16th birthday. The fairies try to avoid this fate by taking Aurora into the woods to raise her in secrecy, but Maleficent sends out her minions, committed to ensuring her curse is fulfilled.

Maleficent more than lives up to her title of Mistress of All Evil, and stands as the perfect blending of everything you could love in a villain. She mostly holds herself with elegance and grace, but can quickly shift to bombastic and volatile, and displays a vast array of magical powers that make her unpredictable. Then there is just how much she revels in her wickedness, as seen through her curse on Aurora, or her plan to keep Prince Philip until he is an old man before letting him break the curse. Maleficent remains the epitome of Disney villainy and one of cinema's greatest depictions of pure, unadulterated evil.