A hero is nothing without their villain. Traditionally, the hero needs a compelling reason to go up against the big, bad bully. However, as storytelling has evolved to show the hero being as flawed as the villain, the antihero narrative is becoming more commonplace. Disney films, in fact, began centering toxic behavior as the villain, like with Abuela in Encanto. Though this is a recent storyline. Without retelling the story of some older Disney villains, it’s possible they, too, are victims of their environment and are taking back control, even if they do so in odd ways.
Above Average created a series called St. Peter Meets, where Disney villains try to persuade St. Peter to get into heaven, according to Laughing Squid. These older Disney villains are typically cast out from society, living in massive fortresses or on a pirate ship. Additionally, each villain was shamed, either in private or in public. In most cases, the villains were once held in high regard by the royal family. While their means of exacting revenge are questionable, looking at their behavior through their perspective may help the audience understand them better. In fact, to see the villains through a lens of compassion is how they become more human. Often the line between good and evil is blurred depending on who is telling the story.
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Curses and Contracts
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Ursula, the antagonist in The Little Mermaid, has a reputation among merpeople as being a double-crossing sea witch. Sebastian even warns Ariel not to make a deal with Ursula and to forget about the human world. Once Ariel is in Ursula’s terrifying cavern, far away from the palace she grew up in, Ursula gracefully cascades down towards her and sings one of the most epic villain songs: “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” In the song, she describes that the contracts she makes are binding and if one should go back on their deal, Ursula will turn them into living seaweed. Her redefinition of ‘sleeping with the fishes’ is hardly reason to call her a villain. Before she officially meets Ariel, she says that she attended more extravagant celebrations at the palace. Deluxe’s YouTube video outlines some fan theories as to why Ursula was banished from Triton’s palace. All of Ursula’s actions, regardless of reason, alludes to the grief of losing her home and friends. Grief manifests in a variety of ways. For Ursula, her banishment causes her to seek out ways of reclaiming her home and status. Truly, King Triton, who banished her, is the real villain of The Little Mermaid.
The Effects of Shaming
Maleficent, the self-proclaimed Mistress of Evil, has the most chilling laugh of any Disney villain. Even the way she is designed in Sleeping Beauty is reminiscent of Lady Tremaine from Cinderella, albeit even more spine-tingling. Maleficent’s terrifying profile may be enough to deem her the villain, but as Jessica Rabbit said, “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way.” Something else to consider is the public shaming and rejection of Maleficent by King Stefan’s wife, Queen Leah, and fellow fairy Merryweather. After all, christenings were as important as weddings in Medieval Times. So, to not be invited to the christening of the royal baby was deeply insulting. Secondly, Merryweather, a different form of fairy to Maleficent, tells Maleficent that she wasn’t wanted at the celebration. Just imagine wanting to go to a party and being told by the host and a peer that you’re not wanted. Not to condone cursing an infant, but Maleficent’s rage is understandable. The real injustice in her story is that the royal christening had attendees from across the kingdom, making King Stefan and Queen Leah the real villains.
Vengeance is Time-Consuming
Buena Vista Pictures
This villain is not only subject to public ousting, but is the only non-magical villain listed. As a human living on an enchanted island, Captain Hook is the proposed antagonist in Peter Pan. Hook, as Peter and The Lost Boys refer to him, keeps to his ship where he is protected not from Peter, but the hungry crocodile. Hook is one of the few villains whose bully is the perceived hero. In every story, the line between good and evil is quite clear. Yet, in the case of Captain Hook, he is literally put on the defense by a forever-teenager with malicious intent. Hook’s actions are out of retaliation against someone who consistently tortures them. In fact, Hook and his men are just as purposeless as The Lost Boys. On the island of Neverland, two groups have a claim to the sea and two groups have a claim of the land. Peter Pan is the only inhabitant that can fly, which seems to be his only contribution as he simply bosses around The Lost Boys, Wendy, Michael, and John. Peter Pan even cuts off Hook’s hand as a joke and fed it to a crocodile! Heroes are meant to be leaders, not bossy, maiming others, nor antagonizes. For these reasons, Peter Pan is the real villain in his story.
The Myth and the Legend
Walt Disney
One of the few villains that is a bona fide god, Hades, the ruler of the Underworld and antagonist in Hercules, is based on the Greek god himself. While the film drew inspiration from the tale of Heracles, Hades was an outcast even in mythology. He mostly interacted with humans and rarely with the Olympian gods themselves. Yet, the storyline in the Disney film insists that Hades, a misrepresentation of the devil, is a villain set to abandon his eternal duty of caring for the dead. Though, unlike the previous villains, it’s difficult to say who the real villain is in Hercules. While Hercules himself is a certified himbo, he remains innocent of antagonizing anyone. Zeus, arguably, could be the villain, but the interactions between himself and Hades are similar to that of a bitter sibling rivalry. In fact, the real villains in Hercules are the villagers. The main reason being that Hercules’ strength was a nuisance until the villagers’ lives were in danger.
