Snow White (2025) is stirring nostalgia for Disney’s classic fairy tale stories by bringing an iconic, intimidating villain, the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot), to live-action.
For viewers interested in revisiting more of Disney’s top-notch villains, use our guide to find out where to watch the 10 best Disney villains in action on platforms like Disney+ and more. The characters are ranked from the best based on their complexity, motivations, style, and villainy.
1. Frollo - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Disney’s most evil villain hails from its most sophisticated children’s movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. In the film, Judge Claud Frollo (Tony Jay) is a profoundly religious and corrupt man who loathes the Romani people, causing the death of a Romani woman and leaving him to reluctantly raise her hunched-back son, Quasimodo (Tom Hulce). Frollo tries isolating Quasimodo in his castle but begins spiraling when Quasimodo leaves and connects with the woman Frollo desires, Esmeralda (Demi Moore). Murderous, genocidal, lustful, discriminatory, and shockingly hypocritical, Frollo is by far Disney’s most chilling villain, who cunningly uses his religion and authority to persecute marginalized groups. No Disney villain parallels his wickedness, complexity, and chilling appearance and actions.
2. Scar - The Lion King (1994)
Scar (Jeremy Irons) is the primary villain in The Lion King. He is the jealous brother of King Mufasa (James Earl Jones) and forms a plot to usurp Mufasa, banish Mufasa’s son, Simba (Matthew Broderick), and claim the throne for himself. He patiently, cunningly, waited for the right moment to strike before carrying out a nearly flawless plan to gain the throne, getting away with his evil actions for years. With his sophistication and years spent longing for power, combined with his haunting voice and appearance, Scar is Disney’s most successful villain and is bested by only one in cruelty and evilness.
3. Cruella de Vil - One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
Cruella Deville (Betty Lou Gerson) makes her Disney debut in One Hundred and One Dalmatians. In the film, she’s a maniacal aristocrat intent on stealing her former classmate’s Dalmatians and using their fur for her fashion. Cruella gives Maleficent a run for her money for the most unhinged villain, with her unhealthy obsession with fur and unfathomably evil desire to skin puppies for fashion purposes. She also easily takes home the title of the most stylish villain and oozes with personality, though her erratic behavior and vanity don’t make her the most intelligent or most successful villain.
4. The Shadow Man - The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Dr. Facilier (Keith David), also known as the Shadow Man, is the main villain in The Princess and the Frog. He’s an evil voodoo witch doctor who transforms Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) into a frog as part of his mission to rule New Orleans. The Shadow Man is one of Disney’s most unique villains, wielding voodoo spirits and talismans and dressing in a memorable top hat and tailcoat. He’s also quite diabolical, finding joy in hurting others and carrying around his mother’s shrunken head. The Shadow Man is impeccably designed and unique. However, he does lack a compelling backstory and is more of a con man than a genuinely terrifying villain.
5. Hades - Hercules (1997)
Disney’s Hercules introduces one of many iterations of the Greek God of the Underworld, Hades (James Woods). Hades seeks to take over Mount Olympus, but to do so, he needs to prevent Zeus’ (Rip Torn) son, Hercules (Tate Donovan), from thwarting his precise plan. Hades is arguably the most potent Disney villain and also boasts a unique, unsettling design with his blue-flame hair, yellow eyes, and fangs. He’s also got some of the most personality with Woods’ brilliant, fast-talking, businessman-like performance. Intelligent, cunning, complex, and stylish, the only thing Hades is lacking is scariness, as he’s more charming than frightening.
6. Maleficent - Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Maleficent (Eleanor Audley) made her Disney debut in Sleeping Beauty (1959). In the movie, Maleficent, angered at being denied an invitation to the King and Queen’s infant daughter Aurora’s (Mary Costa) christening, puts a curse on the child, dooming her to fall into a permanent sleep at age 16 unless she secures “true love’s kiss.” Maleficent boasts one of the most trivial motivations, but it works because it makes her one of the most unhinged villains. She took a snub so personally that she doomed a child to die. Her actions and ghastly appearance live up to her “Mistress of All Evil” title, making her one of Disney’s most frightening villains.
7. Jafar - Aladdin (1992)
Jafar (Jonathan Freeman) is the primary antagonist in Aladdin (1992). As the Grand Vizier of Agrabah, he seeks further power, concocting an intricate plot to use Aladdin (Scott Weinger) to secure a magical lamp while also seeking to marry Princess Jasmine (Linda Larkin) to steal her family’s power. With his serpent staff and red-and-black Grand Vizier garb, Jafar radiates power and authority. Freeman also does an excellent job portraying him as an eerily calm and foreboding figure. While he’s among the most intelligent and evil villains, his standard motivation for power means he lacks depth and personality.
8. Captain Hook - Peter Pan (1953)
Disney offers one of many iterations of J. M. Barrie’s Captain James Hook in Peter Pan (1953). Voiced by Hans Conried, Hook is a ruthless pirate determined to get revenge on Peter Pan (Bobby Driscoll), who cut off Hook’s left hand during a duel. He is a comical villain, with his over-the-top style matching his personality. Whether vengeance, cowardice, or anger, Captain Hook always jumps from one extreme to another. While his motivation is kind of valid, and he’s multi-faceted, he lacks true villainy, as he’s more likable and humorous than frightening and is actually the one viewers may be rooting for in the end.
9. The Evil Queen - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
The Evil Queen (Lucille La Verne) makes her debut in Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She’s the stepmother of Snow White (Adriana Caselotti) and fears the girl will surpass her in beauty. On the day her Magic Mirror (Moroni Olsen) tells her Snow White is, indeed, “the fairest of them all,” she attempts to have her stepdaughter killed. In terms of style, the Evil Queen cuts a gorgeous and imposing figure, living up to her name. Meanwhile, she’s cunning and resourceful, procuring huntsmen and poisoned apples to get her way. However, her motivation of jealousy and vanity is fairly basic, preventing her from standing out from other villains.
10. Gaston - Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Gaston (Richard White) appears in the 1991 animated Beauty and the Beast. In the film, he’s an arrogant and chauvinistic hunter who’s so enraged when Belle (Paige O'Hara) rejects his advances that he begins plotting ways to blackmail her into marrying him, even after she’s imprisoned in the Beast’s (Robby Benson) castle. Gaston is designed to be more handsome than the typical villain, though his style and charm do little to mask his sheer unlikability. While he succeeds as a truly vile villain, he’s hardly complex, given that he lacks intelligence and has no real backstory. He’s simply motivated by his narcissism.
Where to watch the best Disney villain movies streaming online
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