7. Shere Khan (The Jungle Book)
For someone who doesn't have all that much screen time (I think he only showed up in the last quarter of the movie), Shere Khan was sure a memorable villain and a very badass and intimidating one at that. Even before he shows up, all the other animals in the jungle talk about him fearfully and he is the big reason everyone wants Mowgli to leave the jungle. In some ways, Shere Khan's limited screentime and all the early references of him builds him up and makes him an even better villain and when he does enter the scene, its more than worth the wait! Shere Khan is a slick, uber-confidant character, who is calm, cool, collected and nearly as fearless as The Jungle Book's hero, Mowgli, making them the perfect match-up. Of course, you'd think that Shere Khan as a powerful tiger with gigantic claws and teeth would have the upper hand, but deep down, Shere Khan has a fear of fire (probably his only fear), which Mowgli is able to use to his advantage. Shere Khan's British accent is a good addition to his character and makes him seem even more regal and arrogant. He also seems to have a bit of a sadistic streak as we see demonstrated with Kaa, the snake (pictured above. However, Shere Khan doesn't need to make any flashy moves to show off his power: he strikes fear into the hearts of all the other animals with just his mere presence. All in all, he's an awesome villain and I like tigers in general, but there are other Disney villains I like more.
6. Evil Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves)
Even though I'm not a big fan of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and I hate Snow White as a character, I have to admit the Evil Queen/Stepmother was pretty damn cool. I found myself rooting for her against Snow White every time and even feeling sort of sorry for her. She's a far more interesting and complex character than Snow White and her personality-free Prince Charming could ever hope to be (not to mention the Seven Dwarves who have one personality trait a piece - which correspond directly to their names). The Queen is an extremely vain-acting person, but unlike Shere Khan, who is dripping with confidence, she is actually very insecure. How do I know? Well, she feels the need to ask her magic mirror every day if she is still the "fairest of them all." That should tell you something. When the mirror tells her that she is no longer the prettiest, and is now replaced by Snow White, she becomes very possessive of her title. She sends her woodsman to hunt Snow White down, remove her heart and bring it to the Queen in a box (pictured above). After that, the Queen planned on eating Snow White's heart and returning to her former glory as fairest of them all. Soon, however, she learns that Snow White is unfortunately still alive (yes, I find that unfortunate too.) This time, she takes matters into her own hands and transforms herself into a hag so she can feed Snow White the poison apple. The Evil Queen is probably one of the most cold, and psychotic villains of all time. Unfortunately for her, she's in a movie I'm not fond of. Otherwise, she may have been higher.
5. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
Maleficent is pretty similar to Snow White's Evil Queen in that she wants to destroy the main character who stands in her way. However, her motives are different and quite a bit more complex. I don't remember the story of Sleeping Beauty as well as some of the others, so maybe some of you can help me out on this. From what I remember, Maleficent, is an evil fairy who hears some kind of prophecy about Aurora and Prince Phillip and finds out that one day, Phillip will choose Aurora for his queen. Maleficent doesn't want this to happen, so she plans on killing the baby Aurora. However, she is tricked by three good fairies, who take the baby into their hiding place and raise her into adult hood. Maleficent finds out eventually and formulates a plan to get rid of her once and for all and take the Kingdom over for herself. I hate to say it, but I don't remember too much about Maleficent's personality, so most of this ranking is because of her looks and general badass factor. As Queen of the evil fairies of whatever, she's pretty cool looking. She has some cool and creepy henchmen (crows and ogres) to do her dirty work. Best of all, she can transform herself into a dragon which is just awesome.
4. Scar (The Lion King)
If Simba is one of the most psychologically complex heroes Disney has to offer, then his nemisis Scar is certainly one of the most psychologically complex villains. Though he's a creep, we definitely do get a sense of where he is coming from. For most of Scar's life, he has been second to his perfect big brother, Mufasa, who is stronger, more handsome, and most importantly, the one to inherit the throne. Like anyone would be, he is extremely jealous. While Mufasa reigns over the pridelands and is worshipped and respected, jealous Scar lives on the outskirts of the kingdom where the hyenas are his only company. The one hope Scar has is that one day, after Mufasa's death, the throne will be given to him, the younger brother. Unfortunately, Simba's birth gets in the way of that dream. Scar, with the help of his hyena friends, comes up with a plan to destroy both Mufasa and Simba and take his place as the new King. He gets credit for being (I think) the only Disney villain to actually kill off one of the main characters on screen. Sure, the hunters killed Bambi's mom, but we didn't actually get to see it! Scar's plans to make lions and hyenas equal is also an interesting plot point. Like many of the world's dictators, Scar is a charismatic orator who is able to use the disenfranchised group of outsiders to his advantage. He doesn't like the hyenas (and even says so - to their faces!) but he knows he can use them for his own gain. Personality-wise, Scar is pretty similar to Shere Khan and they share some of the same mannerisms (as well as similar British accents). However, he's not nearly as calm and collected and often lets his jealousy bubble to the surface. Scar is pretty menacing looking with his green eyes and black main. He also has one of the best songs in the movie: "Be Prepared."
Nala for f3! <3
