Top 10 Disturbing Disney Villain Conspiracy Theories
#10: Claude Frollo Made a Deal With the Devil
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996)
Frollo was already a bit of a creepy character but his rendition of the song “Hellfire” makes him even weirder. The lyrics paint a picture of how obsessed with Esmeralda he is, but one particular theory regarding the musical sequence suggests that Frollo is way worse than we thought. The entire imagery surrounding him as he sings “Hellfire” looks like he’s down in the depths of Hell. And as he’s singing, this theory suggests that he’s actually bargaining his soul to Satan in exchange for Esmeralda’s destruction. So not only is Claude obsessed with her, if this theory is anything to go by, he’s willing to do business with the Devil to destroy her too. Yeah, that might be taking things too far.
#9: Mother Gothel Is Also the Evil Queen
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937) & “Tangled” (2010)
What if “Snow White” wasn’t the last time we saw Queen Grimhilde? One theory floats the idea that the Evil Queen actually took on a new form as another iconic Disney villain: Mother Gothel. That’s right, Rapunzel’s manipulative foster mother might actually be Grimhilde. It’s possible that after “Snow White” she faked her demise and started masquerading as Gothel. Both Mother Gothel and Queen Grimhilde are stuck-up and self-obsessed. Not to mention they both dress similarly and have a thing for leeching off princesses. Plus when Gothel reverts back to her old form it looks kind of like Grimhilde’s old hag look. Whether they’re the same person or not what we know for sure is that both of these ladies are rotten to their core.
#8: Wall-E Is a Mass Murderer
“WALL-E” (2008)
Though WALL-E seems like a pretty quirky robot it’s possible that he could have a dark side. Is there a chance he’s actually a mass-murderer? It might be far-fetched, but don’t forget that this adorable little guy has been living in the middle of an apocalyptic wasteland for centuries. How has WALL-E survived for so long when every model like him has perished? This theory speculates that he went around killing his own kind to harvest their parts and stay alive. Some variations of this theory go even darker and label him as the Devil. None of us want to think that he’s a bad guy, but theories like these make us look at WALL-E a little differently.
#7: Bellwether Didn’t Work Alone
“Zootopia” (2016)
Predators and prey are orchestrated to be enemies by Dawn Bellwether, but she might not be the real big bad. Some viewers have theorized that she was really a pawn, taking orders from a more sinister power. This unidentified force is the real villain setting the cards into motion. Bellwether was the assistant mayor so her having to take orders from someone is already established. This theory also harkens back to the idea of evolving the stakes. You think the villain was this one character only to learn they were a footnote for someone more dangerous. There’s also lots of narrative potential here. Tracking down the real bad guys is a plot thread that the sequel can easily pull at, so here’s hoping they do!
#6: Hans Was Actually Cursed by the Trolls
“Frozen” (2013)
At first Hans seems like the perfect match for Anna, until his eventual heel turn. But doesn’t the twist feel surprising? He checked all the boxes as a romantic partner and now we’re supposed to believe he’s evil? Is Hans actually a villain or was he forcibly turned into one? Could the heel turn actually have been the work of the film’s magical trolls? In their performance of “Fixer-Upper” they make it pretty clear that they’re Team Kristoff. So maybe they messed around with Hans’ head and created the villain of this movie. Since we know they’re good at magic it isn’t hard to believe they’d twist it to get their way. Sheesh, if this is true then these trolls are basically matchmakers from hell.
#5: Peter Pan Is Evil
“Peter Pan” (19153)
Usually Peter Pan is considered a free spirit who takes kids on journeys filled with adventure and who can ultimately do no harm. Except: maybe he can. In the decades since the “Peter Pan” movie there have been many different theories that reevaluate Peter’s true nature. At his core, he’s actually a rotten apple, who steals kids and robs them of their ability to grow up. Peter Pan might even go so far as to kill the Lost Boys if they show signs of aging. Some variations of this dark theory get even more twisted. For example, one additionally claims that Captain Hook is actually a former Lost Boy who escaped from Peter’s tyrannical grasp. Wow, maybe going to Neverland isn’t so great afterall.
#4: Scar Ate Mufasa’s Remains
“The Lion King” (1994)
Scar wanted to take everything from his brother Mufasa and he succeeded when he finally killed him. But some ideas floating around the internet suggest that Scar didn’t just stop at killing Mufasa. More specifically, it’s been speculated that he also ate his brother’s corpse. A later scene in the movie when he’s taunting Zazu shows Scar playing around with a large skull. That skull looks like it could belong to a lion. While it’s pretty rare, in real life some lions do actually eat the remains of their dead, so there’s a solid chance that’s what Scar ended up doing here. Yeah, it’s a pretty morbid concept overall. Effectively erasing your brother’s legacy by resorting to cannibalism is one hell of a power move.
#3: The Enchantress & the Beast Were Once Lovers
“Beauty and the Beast” (1991)
Navigating relationships can be tricky in any day and age, but one thing’s for sure: never piss off someone who knows magic! In “Beauty and the Beast” it’s already established that the Beast got the way he was because of the Enchantress. She cursed him supposedly for his vanity and cruelty, but there’s an argument that an additional reason is because the two actually used to date. The Enchantress grew spiteful after their breakup and cursed the Prince until he treated women better. If the two hooked up and their relationship turned sour, it also makes things more interesting from a narrative standpoint. Recontextualizing the Enchantress as an angry ex-girlfriend just immediately makes everything spicier. Who knows, maybe we just love the messy drama!
#2: Captain Hook Killed Ariel’s Mom
“The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning” (2008) & “Peter Pan” (1953)
We know that Queen Athena’s death is sad, but what we didn't know is that it could be more tragic than we thought. That's because of a theory that Captain Hook killed her. It actually makes a lot of sense. We know mermaids exist in the world of “Peter Pan” and we even see one who looks like Athena. And when it comes to how she died, we also know that pirates had a hand in causing her death. Who’s to say that one of the pirates involved during this wasn’t Captain Hook? This theory is pretty interesting and also a bleak way of crossing over the “Peter Pan” and “Little Mermaid” franchises. Sounds like we’re due for an official crossover movie any day now!
#1: Lady Tremaine Killed Cinderella’s Dad
“Cinderella” (1950)
What is it with Disney movies and killing off parents? Cinderella’s dad seemed perfectly ok and then shortly after marrying Lady Tremaine he mysteriously kicked the bucket. It just seems a little too fishy, which is why one fan theory claims that Tremaine actually killed him. Is this even that hard to believe? We already know that she got all of his money after he died and that clearly benefitted her. We also know that Tremaine was a bitter woman who despised Cinderella and had no redeeming qualities. Her marriage couldn’t have been healthy. Sorry not sorry. So if Tremaine went out of her way and poisoned Cinderella’s dad it wouldn’t be surprising. Once again: Disney movies and dead parents, name a more iconic duo.
Is there a bonkers Disney conspiracy theory we left out? Spread the word down in the comments!
