Top 10 Disney Villains That Almost Succeeded

“Coco” (2017) Ernesto was certainly an ambitious man. Once Héctor called it quits, Ernesto poisoned his drink and stole his work, passing it off as his own. And you know what? It actually worked! Ernesto became an icon in his native country, and a beautiful mausoleum was erected in his memory. When it comes to the Land of the Living, Ernesto straight-up beat Héctor, as painful as it is to acknowledge. He nearly won in the Land of the Dead as well, if it wasn’t for the family rescuing Héctor and Miguel from the cenote pit. If Ernesto had disposed of Héctor and Miguel in a more elaborate manner, the secret would never have been revealed, and Ernesto would continue to be revered and beloved.

#9: Dr. Facilier

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“The Princess and the Frog” (2009) Doctor Facilier wins a lot throughout “The Princess and the Frog.” He turns Naveen into a frog, he disguises Lawrence as human Naveen, and he is even granted the use of scary shadow demons by the voodoo spirits. Said demons later capture frog Naveen, and even though Ray steals the talisman disguising Lawrence, Facilier squishes him to death in one of the most upsetting deaths in early 21st century Disney memory. In fact, if Facilier didn’t gloat and do the whole “villain monologue” thing with Tiana, things would have worked out quite well for him. However, he didn’t take into account Tiana’s long tongue…

#8: Maleficent

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“Sleeping Beauty” (1959) Maleficent is one of the all-time greatest Disney villains. Not just because of her over the top outfit and greenish-grey skin (although that helps), but because she is truly menacing and dangerous. Not only does she manage to curse Aurora, but she also successfully tricks her into pricking her finger on a spinning wheel, which of course forces the princess into a deep sleep. She even serves as a tough final boss after taking the form of a dragon, and if it wasn’t for the fairies and a particularly well-placed sword throw, Phillip would have been a goner. Meanwhile, Aurora would be stuck sleeping for a long, long time.

“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996) Things look pretty grim near the end of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Frollo tricks Quasimodo into leading him to the Court of Miracles, which in turn results in the capture of the gypsies. Esmeralda is also sentenced to burn at the stake for refusing Frollo’s advances. Luckily, Quasimodo saves the day, resulting in an ambush on the cathedral. Frollo nearly kills Quasimodo by sending him over the edge of the building and is ultimately defeated by a weak and crumbling gargoyle. If he had just pulled himself all the way up instead of standing on the gargoyle, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” would have had a very different ending…

#6: Dawn Bellwether

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“Zootopia” (2016) Despite her appearance, Bellweather is one of the most immoral and manipulative villains in the Disney canon. For one thing, her plan to segregate the predators actually worked, and Zootopia was plunged into a bitter civil strife. Unlike most Disney villains, Bellwether “won,” and her plan was completely successful. It was only by pure happenstance that Judy even realized the truth about the night howlers. Just imagine if she didn’t return home, if Gideon didn’t deliver the pies, if the kids didn’t run through the flower patch, OR if Gideon didn’t share what his family called the flowers. That’s a lot of “ifs” that ended up foiling what was otherwise a pretty foolproof plan.

“The Little Mermaid” (1989) The climax of “The Little Mermaid” is probably one of the scariest and most unsettling sequences in Disney history. And all of it stems from Ursula. First, Triton is transformed into a polyp, a moment that continues to plague our nightmares to this day. Angered at the deaths of her eels Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula grows to a ridiculously massive size and starts controlling the ocean. Luckily, she happens to raise a sunken ship with a splintered bowsprit, which Eric uses to impale Ursula and bring an end to her evil. It was certainly fortuitous that Ursula raised such a conveniently shaped ship, and RIGHT in front of a drowning Eric to boot!

#4: Mother Gothel

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“Tangled” (2010) For someone with no supernatural abilities, Mother Gothel certainly dealt a lot of damage. First, she masterminds the kidnapping of Rapunzel and has both Eugene and the Stabbingtons captured and brought to the palace. She’s certainly an intelligent villain, and those are often the scariest. Secondly, she actually manages to stab one of the protagonists, which is more than most Disney villains can say! Unfortunately for her, Eugene managed to hang on JUST long enough to cut Rapunzel’s hair, destroying its magic and severing its ties to Gothel, resulting in her death. Just think what would have happened if Gothel pushed him out of the tower window, instead. Like she says, “Our secret will die with him.”

“Hercules” (1997) This is another defeat that comes down to pure, rotten luck. After defeating the Cyclops, Hercules is nearly crushed by a falling pillar, but is saved at the last second by Meg. This in turn breaks Hades’ promise, which allows Hercules to regain his strength, storm Olympus, defeat the Titans, and free the gods. All because of a falling pillar. If that pillar never cracked, Hercules would still be weak and unable to save the gods from the Titans. As if Hades’ luck wasn’t bad enough, Herc’s godhood is restored in the Styx at the last possible second, preventing the hero from becoming just another soul in the river and fulfilling Hades’ plans.

“Aladdin” (1992) After he becomes the Genie’s master, Jafar uses his wishes to become the most powerful sorcerer in the world, and really, it doesn’t get much more threatening than that. His fantastic powers allow him to win the final battle by trapping Jasmine in an hourglass, transforming both Abu and the Magic Carpet, and trapping Aladdin in a circle of fire. He even manages to transform into a massive freaking snake! Victory was all but certain, and all he had to do was squeeze Aladdin to death. However, Aladdin plays to his ego, resulting in his eventual downfall. If only he just squeezed him like Iago said… Before we see who succeeded the most in their pursuits, here are a few honorable mentions. AUTO “WALL-E” (2008) King Candy “Wreck-It Ralph” (2012) Queen Grimhilde “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937) Gaston “Beauty and the Beast” (1991) Hans “Frozen” (2013)

“The Lion King” (1994) Few, if any, Disney villains are as successful as Scar. His great, villainous scheme actually comes to fruition, as Mufasa dies and Simba is banished from the kingdom. It’s a shocking and incredibly dark turn of events that we truly did not expect from a Disney film. Scar subsequently rules the Pride Lands for many years, and if it weren’t for Timon and Pumbaa’s divine-like intervention, he would have ruled for many more. Or he could have just killed Simba directly, but we guess he’s above murdering children in cold blood. Regardless, Simba returns and ends Scar’s reign for good, proving that you should never ever take half measures. Especially if you’re a diabolical villain in a Disney movie.