Top 10 Disney Villains of All Time

With Halloween around the corner, I decided to celebrate our favorite Disney villains with a Top 10 countdown!

Disney villains have the remarkable quality to make us laugh, cry, or cower under the covers.  Sometimes, our favorite villains have a certain charm and charisma about them.  We enjoy watching them carry out their dastardly deeds and may even find ourselves secretly rooting for them.  Other times, we eagerly await their timely and deserved demise.

Each Disney villain possesses unique evil-doing characteristics that elicit various reactions from viewers. So, how does one go about ranking the top Disney villains?  We’ve all seen the go-to Disney baddies dominating these lists: Maleficent, Scar, The Evil Queen, etc.  But that seemed a little too easy (and a little monotonous) for this Top 10 Disney Villains list. 

So, I decided to focus on the Disney evildoers we love to hate, and the ones who are simply pure evil.  And don’t be surprised to see some wicked candidates from other Disney properties, including Star Wars and Marvel!

10. Dr. Facilier (The Princess and the Frog)

Why We Love to Hate Him: He’s very charismatic

Dr. Facilier is a witch doctor with his sights set on ruling New Orleans with the power of voodoo.  He carries out his evil feats by manipulating others with his charisma and showmanship.  Viewers can’t help but find themselves falling for his charms, in large part due to the incredible voice acting performance by Keith David. 

Dr. Facilier also has arguably one of the best Disney villain theme songs – Friends on the Other Side.  He’s clearly a bad guy, but we sure enjoy watching him do what he does best!

Check out our Princess and the Frog Dinner HERE!

9. Peg-Leg Pete (Mickey Mouse Cartoons)

Why We Love to Hate Him: He’s a big bully who has withstood the test of time

Pete has been playing bad guy to Mickey and his pals for almost 100 years!  That’s quite the bad guy streak.  He has made appearances as a ruthless thug, a violent criminal, and (in less villainous times) an overbearing and domineering suburban father.     

Whether he’s kidnapping Minnie, picking fights with Mickey, or just teasing his neighbor Goofy – Pete has taken on many bad guy roles and played them well.

8. Yzma (The Emperor’s New Groove)

Why We Love to Hate Her: She’s hilarious and relatable

Yzma’s villainous goal is to overthrow Emperor Kuzco and assume the title of Empress.  And can you really blame her?  It’s clear Kuzco is a terrible ruler, and Yzma’s own efforts are met with zero recognition.

Yzma’s flair for the dramatic and eccentric personality make her endearing to audiences.  She also has the best villain henchman ever in Kronk.  The antics carried out by these two are hilarious and solidifies this duo’s spot on our Top 10 Disney Villains list.

Check out our Emperor’s New Groove Themed Dinner HERE!

7. The Horned King (The Black Cauldron)

Why We Love to Hate Him: Nightmare fuel

The Black Cauldron is a surprisingly dark film for Disney’s standards, largely due to the outright terrifying villain.  The Horned King is cruel, ruthless, and merciless.  To become a god among men, he wishes to use the Black Cauldron to raise an army of the undead.  This is pretty heavy stuff for Disney!

Nefarious goals aside, his physical appearance is also quite chilling.  His skeletal frame, rotting flesh, and red eyes make him reminiscent of the undead.  And let’s not forget his namesake – the gnarled horns on his head that make him appear as though he crawled up from the depths of the earth.

The Black Cauldron was a box office flop, which begs the question – was this villain a little too scary for Disney audiences?

6. Claude Frollo (Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Why We Just Plain Hate Him: He is the WORST

Frollo makes our Top 10 Disney Villains list because he is just so evil!  He is a cruel, ruthless, and religiously fanatical Parisian justice minister who views the rest of the world as corrupt and wicked.  He uses his religious beliefs to justify his genocidal acts to wipe out the gypsy population in France. 

And his transgressions don’t end there.  Frollo attempts to drown the infant Quasimodo after murdering his mother, raises him only to manipulate and abuse him, and burns down Paris in his obsessive search for Esmeralda.  His actions and beliefs are truly despicable, causing viewers to rejoice when he finally meets his end. 

5. Hades (Hercules)

Why We Love to Hate Him: He’s smart, wise-cracking, and knows how to turn the charm on

Feeling unappreciated as ruler of the Underworld, Hades seeks to overthrow Zeus and punish the other gods for treating him unfavorably.  He exhibits temperamental and destructive tendencies in his mission to get what he wants.  But despite his evil deeds, viewers can’t help but fall for his oily charm and sarcastic sense of humor. 

James Woods delivers a fantastic vocal performance full of brilliant one-liners that make Hades entertaining and relatable.  He is a persuasive fast talker who knows how to turn on the charm, and make audiences want to see more of him.

4. The Sanderson Sisters (Hocus Pocus)

Why We Love to Hate Them: They are just so likeable

This trio of witch sisters embarks on a Halloween mission to steal the souls of children so they can live forever.  How messed up is that?!  Children!  It doesn’t get much more nefarious than that…so why do we love the Sanderson Sisters so much?

The truth is – each sister has their own unique and endearing personality and fantastic chemistry with one another.  They bring the laughs throughout the film and are relatable in many ways.  The grumpier and more frustrated they get, the more entertaining they are to watch.  When they meet their unfortunate (yet deserved) demise, I can’t help but feel a tinge of sadness that the fun is over.

Check out our Hocus Pocus Dinner Party HERE!

3. Thanos (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Why We Love to Hate Him: Despite his misguided ambitions, he is compelling and sympathetic

Thanos is a genocidal warlord in the MCU intent on obtaining the powerful infinity stones to wipe out half of all life in the universe.  At first, audiences believe Thanos is motivated by selfish purposes, with a desire to rule the cosmos.  But we later learn Thanos experienced firsthand how the massive population of his home planet led to famine, war, and ultimately extinction.  Thanos believes that by eliminating half of all life, the universe will be balanced and able to flourish. 

Thanos has a depth of character that resonates strongly with audiences.  He genuinely believes he is saving the universe, and he does so at great personal sacrifice to himself.  We can’t help but become emotionally invested in his story, which makes him a great villain. 

2. Darth Vader (Star Wars Franchise)

Why We Love to Hate Him: He’s just so cool

Darth Vader is one of the most iconic villains of cinematic history.  He has done terrible things (the poor younglings!), but Star Wars fans can’t help but cheer when he appears onscreen.  Vader is powerful, calculating, and menacing.  But there is also a mystique to him – how could this great Jedi hero be seduced by the dark side?    

His attire makes us question how much humanity is left in this character.  The mask, cape, and respirator create a pretty terrifying appearance, but are also super cool.  Tie it all together with the incredible voice talents of James Earl Jones, and you have an intimidating villain you can’t help but revere.

Check out our Star Wars Party HERE!

1. Chernabog (Fantasia)

Why He Tops the List: He’s Disney’s biggest baddie

Chernabog is a larger-than-life demon who appears in Fantasia during the Night on Bald Mountain segment – a surprisingly dark and twisted turn to an otherwise light-hearted film.  His giant wings, pointed teeth, glowing eyes, and massive horns all amplify his fearsome appearance.

Chernabog is the personification of evil.  He has the power to summon demons and spirits from the underworld and force them to do his bidding.  This is one evildoer I would never want to cross paths with, which earns him the title of Top Disney Villain on my list!

Do you agree with this Top 10 Disney Villains list?  Who do you love to hate?  Who was a glaring omission?  Let me know in the comments!

Looking for other Disney Top 10 Lists?  Check out our Top 10 Disney Dads HERE and Disney Moms HERE!

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