by Jordan T. Maxwell
Our latest mainstage is “Happily Ever After“, a fully improvised Disney musical. Come see Jordan as the protagonist this weekend, July 18 at 8pm.
What is good without evil? A light that casts no shadow? A hero without a villain? A very boring story, for one thing. Villains spur the hero on their journey, provide the obstacles they must overcome and the trials they must prove themselves through, give them an ultimate figure to vanquish to bring the story to its thrilling conclusion. Villains give us a safe space to channel our darker natures, someone as flawed, cruel, mischievous, and righteous as ourselves to embrace while we root for the hero we wish we could be. And so often, they get the coolest lines, or songs! Here are the Top Five Disney Villains!
5. Jafar
The sinister vizier of Aladdin is a schemer of the highest order, seeking ultimate power through his pawns and proxies, manipulating the Sultan through hypnosis and casting men to their early demise in search of the infinite cosmic power of the lamp and its captive Genie. Once it is within his grasp, though, his heightening hunger for limitless power proves his undoing. In stark contrast to the hero as the prophesied “diamond in the rough,” Jafar is the rot among the treasure. Also, never trust a man whose familiar is named after one of Shakespeare’s greatest villains!
4. Ursula
The Little Mermaid‘s bombastic sea witch is the archetype from which all other great modern Disney villains are derived. With a stunning visual design, a sweeping and sinister ballad all her own, and enough personality to drown…well…a mermaid, it’s easy to forget how flimsy her motivations are. She’s evil because she was exiled, and she was exiled because she’s evil. Her plans are so blatant that only the hopelessly insecure or naive lovesick teenagers could possibly fall for them. And even knowing all of that, it’s a hell of a lot of fun to watch her work once she’s on a roll!
3. Shan Yu
An under appreciated villain from an underrated film, Shan Yu leads the invading armies that inspire Mulan to defend her family and nation. A hulking brute, he is shown throughout the film to be an almost inhuman creature of cunning and cruelty. He is fearless and mocks the Emperor’s scouts (sorry, scout) and elite armies to stop him. For all the evil he shows in his moments on screen, it is the invisible and implied moments left unseen that truly mark him as one of the most imposing villains in the Disney canon. In truth, it’s only his lack of a memorable villain song that keeps him from ranking higher in this list…but don’t tell him I said that!
2. Maleficent
Even with the recent softening of her origins in her eponymous live action retelling, the wicked sorceress of Sleeping Beauty remains the first truly great villain of the Disney canon and the gold standard against which all future antagonists must be measured. In her turn both eerily cool and furious with rage, Maleficent is a dark mistress of all magicks, commanding fires, storms, thorns…and, oh yeah, she can turn into A FREAKING DRAGON! Her design is instantly memorable. Her performance is purely impeccable. Her powers are flatly incomparable. And yet…only the number two spot? My, my, what an awkward situation…
1. Scar
While the other contenders on this list exemplify the greatness of the tradition of Disney villains, The Lion King‘s Scar transcends it to become something nearly Shakespearean. A swirling dark vortex of Hamlet‘s Claudius, King Lear‘s Edmund, and Richard III. A venomous cocktail of regicide, fratricide, and outright treason in a meticulously mad plot for the throne. Plus, some goosestepping hyenas for good measure, because that’s just bound to end well…jawohl, Mein Furrier? And despite his scheming nature, Scar is one of the few villains to actually get his hands…er, claws dirty by killing Mufasa himself. Not just letting him fall to his death, but taking the time to do him one final injury and gloat of his victory before throwing his brother to his demise. Of course, as the old saying goes, evil always contains the seeds of its own undoing. If Scar had been more pragmatic in his ambitions and killed young Simba instead of taunting him with a guilt trip and trusting the murder to flunkies, his throne would have gone unchallenged. But alas, even in the top spot we see just how hard it is to be good…at being bad.
Who are YOUR favorite villains? Do you prefer the bloodthirsty tyrants? The nefarious witches and sorcerers? The dastardly masterminds pulling the strings from the shadow? Come check out Happily Ever After, Saturday nights at 8pm and see just how high our villains can sink!