Top 20 Female Disney Villains

Many Disney villains have plans to take over the world, rule the cosmos, become immortal Gods - you know, all that cartoony stuff. But then there are some villains, like Madame Medusa, who are all too realistic. Medusa is a greedy and temperamental woman who runs a seedy pawn shop in New York. That is until her obsession with diamonds brings her south to Devil’s Bayou in search of a massive one called the Devil’s Eye. When she is too large to reach its hiding place, Medusa returns to New York, kidnaps an orphan named Penny, and brings her to New Orleans so she can retrieve the diamond. In a way, a violent kidnapper is much scarier than any would-be world conqueror.

#19: Te Kā “Moana” (2016)

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Few Disney villains are as physically intimidating as Te Kā. Composed of lava and flames, she is a colossal figure who towers over Moana and Maui, crawls around like some type of animal, and has a very creepy, skull-like face. It’s all enough to frighten adult viewers, let alone young children. But there’s also a tragic backstory behind this horrifying villain, giving her some welcome complexity. Te Kā was once known as Te Fiti, and she provided the gift of life. However, Maui stole her heart in a misguided attempt to impress humanity, and as a result the goddess unleashed her rage on the whole world.

#18: Kaa “The Jungle Book” (2016)

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2016’s “The Jungle Book” proved one of the finest live action Disney remakes (if you even want to call it live action). In a break from the original depiction of this character, here Scarlett Johansson lends an eerie vocal performance to the now-female snake. Mowgli comes across her creepy domicile after running from Shere Khan, and the setting works wonderfully in building character and setting the mood. Kaa herself is a terrifying creation - a 30-foot long python who hypnotizes Mowgli with her slithery voice in an attempt to eat him. If it wasn’t for the timely intervention of Baloo, Mowgli would have been snake grub. The scene was unsettling enough in the 1967 original. The convincing CGI makes it petrifying.

Scar was a mean son of a gun, and he directly influenced a number of other lions to be just like him. The worst of them all is Zira. Zira was one of Scar’s most devoted followers while he led the pride. When he died, Zira and Scar’s other supporters were banished and became known as The Outsiders. Like Scar before her, Zira is a very conniving and heartless creature. She doesn’t even love her own children, seeing them more as political tools and puppets. It’s only when they show an understanding of her evil plans that Zira displays affection and pride. She’s a nasty lion and a worthy successor to one of Disney’s most iconic villains.

Played by Mandy Moore in her film debut, Lana Thomas is a stereotypical bully character who would be right at home in “Mean Girls.” She is a beautiful cheerleader and a popular student, and her power within the high school social circle allows her to torment Mia. Lana takes pride in her unpleasant personality, and viewers quickly grow to hate her. The end of the film proves wonderfully cathartic though when Mia smears chocolate ice cream over Lana’s beloved cheerleading uniform, resulting in a whiny and satisfying outburst. There’s something very gratifying about watching a bully get their comeuppance.

Madam Mim is the antithesis to Merlin, the yin to his yang. Like Merlin, Madam Mim is an incredibly powerful wizard, and her talents rival - and arguably even best - Merlin, who is supposedly the most powerful wizard in the whole world. Mim is annoyingly arrogant, but her talents generally back up her boisterous personality. She is a practitioner of dark magic, and she uses said magic for sadistic purposes. Perhaps her greatest talent is shapeshifting into a massive dragon, which serves as a scary visual reminder of her power and a representation of her evil.

The overbearing warden character is a popular one in fiction, and Warden Louise Walker is a great example. Walker oversees Camp Green Lake, a children’s detention center that sees juvenile delinquents digging holes as punishment. Of course, there are ulterior motives behind the digging. Whatever Mr. Sir says, the kids are actually looking for a stash of buried treasure that once belonged to a Wild West outlaw. This is representative of the Warden’s very character. She is deceptively friendly on the outside, but she harbors ulterior motivations and a cold, dangerous personality. She utilizes what is essentially child slave labor, and she isn’t above poisoning her own employees with rattlesnake venom simply for wasting her time.

Based on C.S. Lewis’s iconic children’s novel of the same name, “The Chronicles of Narnia” contains a perfect adaptation of Jadis the White Witch. Excellently portrayed by Tilda Swinton, Jadis is the very personification of evil. She is the leader of Narnia, having usurped power over the world and subjected it to an endless winter. The winter is symbolic of Jadis’s character - harsh, cold, uncaring, and cruel. And like Warden Walker, the White Witch pretends to be nice when it suits her needs - especially when it involves manipulating young Edmund. Few characters in children’s literature are as menacing and heartless as Jadis the White Witch.

There are a few things that set Bellwether apart from other Disney villains. For one thing, she’s a sheep. For another, she wears adorable little outfits befitting her public office job. And finally, she has a distinctive high pitched voice provided by Jenny Slate. But make no mistake, she is a vicious sheep. From behind the scenes Bellwether carried out a plot to make the predator citizens of Zootopia seem like dangerous “savages,” so prey species like her could rule. Civilized creatures like Mr. Manchas were attacked with her night howler concoctions, turning them violent and resulting in discrimination against the predators of Zootopia. Bellwether is a truly disgusting villain, both in terms of actions and motivation.

#11: The Sanderson Sisters “Hocus Pocus” (1993)

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This perennial Halloween classic is certainly a lot of fun, but it contains a dark undercurrent. That is in large part due to the Sanderson sisters. With a potion from Winifred’s Manual of Witchcraft and Alchemy, written by the devil and bound in human skin, the trio concoct a plan to regain their youth and beauty by sucking the life force from the children of Salem. Young Emily Binx becomes their first victim, but the villagers are able to stop them from doing further harm. For 300 years or so. One virgin with a lighter though and they are back in business and determined to finish what they started. Iconic as the Sanderson Sisters are, we can’t forget that they are the wickedest of witches.

This weirdly dark fantasy film serves as an unofficial sequel to the classic original, and it borrows elements from L. Frank Baum’s “Oz” novels. For example, Mombi is an amalgamation of both Mombi from “The Marvelous Land of Oz” and Princess Langwidere from “Ozma of Oz.” Mombi proves one of Disney’s scariest villains, altering her physical appearance by swapping out a collection of human heads. She eventually locks Dorothy in her tower with the hope of adding hers to the stock in the future. “Return to Oz” is often criticized for being too dark and unsettling. It’s no surprise, considering Mombi’s habits.

#9: Lady Tremaine “Cinderella” (1950)

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A definitive Disney film, “Cinderella” contains some of the greatest villains in the company’s history. The evil stepsisters are truly detestable pieces of work, and their mother, Lady Tremaine is somehow even worse. Like Madame Medusa, Lady Tremaine is a very grounded Disney villain who doesn’t resort to world-ending schemes. Rather, she simply takes pleasure in psychologically tormenting her unfortunate step daughter, all because Cinderella is prettier than her biological daughters. The story of “Cinderella” has remained unendingly popular owing to its relatable nature, complete with a 2015 live action remake in which Cate Blanchett brought Tremaine’s domineering persona to life. Lady Tremaine is - unfortunately - one of Disney’s most tragically realistic villains.

#8: The Red Queen “Alice in Wonderland” (2010)

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2010’s “Alice in Wonderland” is the movie that kicked off the live action Disney remakes, earning praise for its visuals and grossing over $1 billion. It also contained a fantastic villain in the Red Queen. She is an amalgamation of Lewis Carroll’s Red Queen, the Duchess, and the Queen of Hearts (who herself was the villain of the 1951 original). Played by a very odd-looking Helena Bonham Carter, the Red Queen is a tyrannical ruler with a penchant for ordering executions. Anyone caught disobeying her rule is beheaded, and her paranoia means that no one is safe. She’s unpredictable, she’s dangerous, and she’s very, very crazy. In short, she’s the perfect Disney villain.

#7: Queen Narissa “Enchanted” (2007)

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One of Disney’s most creative and self-aware efforts, “Enchanted” is a live action comedy that sees a prototypical Disney Princess being transplanted in modern day New York City. Likewise, the film’s main antagonist, Queen Narissa, is the prototypical Disney villain, a combination of Maleficent and the Evil Queen from “Snow White.” Like Maleficent, Narissa is a master of dark magic and can turn into a dragon. Like the Evil Queen, she displays skill in alchemy and makes poison apples in the hopes of killing Giselle. And of course all this hatred stems from a desire to cling to power. By serving as a tribute to the Disney villain archetype, Narissa displays their best- or, rather, worst- traits.

#6: Mother Gothel “Tangled” (2010)

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Mother may indeed know best, but we wouldn’t recommend listening to Mother Gothel. Gothel is an old, creepy crone who locked away Rapunzel to harness the power of her magic hair. Rapunzel’s hair harbors the healing properties of the Sundrop Flower, allowing Gothel to retain a youthful appearance. She brainwashes Rapunzel into fearing the outside world and keeps her trapped in the tower for nearly twenty years, taking on a matronly personality and utilizing subtle tricks like guilt trips to keep Rapunzel an obedient “daughter.” We’re not sure what’s worse, kidnapping, imprisoning, and gaslighting a child for decades, or doing it all for the sake of vanity.

#5: Yzma “The Emperor’s New Groove” (2000)

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Despite Disney entering a bit of a Dark Age around the new millennium, Yzma remains one of the company’s most popular villains. She shares many similarities with Disney villains of old, wishing to usurp the throne from Emperor Kuzco and utilizing some magical potions to carry out her nefarious deeds. But what sets Yzma apart from the others is the comedic way in which she’s depicted. She often resorts to overly-elaborate plans, grows increasingly irritated with the dim-witted Kronk, and has a comically eccentric personality. And many of her catchphrases have become popular within the pop culture vernacular. In many ways, Yzma is the most unique Disney villain of the modern era.

#4: Cruella de Vil “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” (1961)

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Cruella de Vil is easily one of Disney’s best baddies. No matter what version it is, whether it’s the Glenn Close iteration from the 1996 adaptation or the Emma Stone one from the 2021 origin story, Cruella de Vil remains a captivating character. It’s hard to say just what makes her so endlessly interesting. Maybe it’s her complete insanity and being the very embodiment of selfish greed. Maybe it’s her psychotic motivation of kidnapping puppies for the sake of a luxurious fur coat. Or maybe it’s just her unique physical appearance, complete with her signature black and white hair. Either way, Cruella de Vil has remained a Disney icon for half a century.

#3: The Evil Queen “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937)

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Despite being released before World War II, “Snow White” and its characters have remained quintessential Disney properties. Perhaps it’s the quality of the story and characters themselves, or perhaps it’s the fact that “Snow White” was the first full-length Disney film. As such, The Evil Queen holds the distinction of being the first Disney villain, and she remains one of the best. Her physical appearance is iconic, complete with her purple gown and black cloak, and her poison apple scheme remains one of the most famous in the Disney canon. Furthermore, while often misquotes, she gave us one of the most recognizable lines in all of movie history

With her six squid tentacles and devious agenda, Ursula is both physically and morally revolting. She often strikes dubious deals with the merpeople of the sea, later turning them into creepy polyp figures that inhabit her underground lair. She also provides one of the scariest climaxes in Disney history, as she uses Triton’s trident to grow to a massive size. It makes for a blood-chilling visual, and it renders both Eric and Ariel completely powerless. Ursula’s flamboyant personality is also quite unique within the Disney canon, with popular drag queen Divine being a major source of inspiration for the character. And, let’s be serious, Poor Unfortunate Souls is an absolute banger.

#1: Maleficent “Sleeping Beauty” (1959)

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Perhaps the most iconic Disney villain of all time, Maleficent serves as the very embodiment of evil. It’s in her very name, after all. The 2014 movie provides a very interesting twist on the “Sleeping Beauty” story by telling it from Maleficent’s perspective, but the original incarnation will forever remain the greatest. Everything about her is timeless and classic. There’s her physical appearance, which includes the instantly recognizable black and purple outfit and yellow eyes. There are her magical powers, which includes the ability to turn into a massive, fire-breathing dragon. And of course there’s the horned headdress that makes her look like a demon, perfectly representing her Devilish character. With a title like that, we have to say, she nailed it.