10 Disney Villains Who Turned Out To Be Good

May 4, 2024, 5 p.m.

Movies

10 Disney Villains Who Turned Out To Be Good

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Summary Disney villains aren't always as straightforward as they seem, with some showing moral complexity and the capacity for change.

Characters like Te Kā and Mirage go from villainous to sympathetic, adding depth and relatability to their stories.

Even seemingly cruel characters like Iago and Amos Slade can undergo redemption arcs, showing that not everyone is as bad as they seem.

Disney's villains are part of an iconic tradition for the studio stretching back several decades, but they aren't all as straightforward as they appear to be. Many of Disney's most iconic villains are embodiments of pure evil and selfishness, like Ursula in The Little Mermaid and Cruella de Vil in One Hundred and One Dalmatians, but they are just as many villains who turn out to be good.

Not all Disney movies are so morally simplistic, and some great villains have simply been misunderstood, or they have had a change of heart, which proves that people are capable of self-improvement. Morally complex villains add more depth to their movies, and they also make for more relatable and interesting characters. Disney often uses its reputation for loathsome villains against the audience, subverting expectations to show that not everyone is as bad as they seem.

Related The Official List Of Every Evil Disney Villain, Ranked Disney has some of the best villains in animation history, but the Disney villains ranked shows that some are more dastardly than others.

10 Te Kā

Moana (2016)

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director Ron Clements , John Musker Release Date November 23, 2016 Cast Dwayne Johnson , Temuera Morrison , Auli'i Cravalho , Rachel House , Nicole Scherzinger , Alan Tudyk , Jemaine Clement

Te Kā's violent chaos wasn't just meaningless. It was a blend of self-preservation and righteous vengeance.

Moana's quest to return the heart of Te Fiti leads her to Te Kā, the volcanic demon whose dark influence is destroying her island and wreaking havoc on the ocean. Not much is initially known about Te Kā, but Moana knows that the demon appeared when Maui stole Te Fiti's heart in an attempt to gift the power of creation to the humans, but this plan backfired spectacularly, and Te Fiti vanished.

Moana eventually discovers that Te Kā and Te Fiti are one and the same. Te Fiti transformed into Te Kā when Maui stole the heart. This means that Te Kā's violent chaos wasn't just meaningless. It was a blend of self-preservation and righteous vengeance. As soon as Moana returns the heart, Te Fiti regains her normal appearance and heals the ocean and the islands. Not much is known about the upcoming Moana sequel, but Te Fiti's story seems to be neatly tied up.

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9 Mirage

The Incredibles (2004)

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director Brad Bird Release Date November 5, 2004 Cast Sarah Vowell , Samuel L. Jackson , Craig T. Nelson , Spencer Fox , Holly Hunter , Jason Lee

Syndrome may be Pixar's most evil villain, but Mirage manages to redeem herself, first by releasing Mr. Incredible and then by helping him and the rest of his family to escape the island.

Before Syndrom enters the picture and reveals himself as the true villain of The Incredibles, Mirage is the one who contacts Mr. Incredible and offers him the job of taking down the Omnidroid on Nomanisan island. She acts as Syndrome's assistant, which suggests that she also lured the dozens of other superheroes to Nomanisan who eventually met their doom at the hands of the Omnidroid.

Despite her support of Syndrome early on, Mirage soon sees the error of her ways. She realizes that Syndrome doesn't care for her at all, and he doesn't flinch when Mr. Incredible captures her and threatens to crush her unless he is released. Syndrome may be Pixar's most evil villain, but Mirage manages to redeem herself, first by releasing Mr. Incredible and then by helping him and the rest of his family to escape the island.

8 Iago

Aladdin (1992)

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director Ron Clements , John Musker Release Date November 25, 1992 Cast Scott Weinger , Robin Williams , Linda Larkin , Jonathan Freeman , Frank Welker , Gilbert Gottfried , Brad Kane , Lea Salonga

Although he seems irredeemable, Iago does undergo a change of character in the direct-to-video sequel, The Return of Aladdin.

Iago is Jafar's sidekick in Aladdin, but he has just as much hatred and greed within him. Played by Gilbert Gottfried with plenty of his trademark yelling, Iago is a ball of rage who perches on Jafar's shoulder like the devil, but there is no angel on the other side. While Jafar wants to seize power for himself, Iago's motivations are usually more personal and petty. He despises the Sultan's moldy crackers, and he wants revenge.

Although he seems irredeemable, and he gets just what he deserves at the end of Aladdin, Iago does undergo a change of character in the direct-to-video sequel, The Return of Aladdin. Iago and Jafar have a falling out as he escapes from the Cave of Wonders, and the parrot soon flies to the royal palace to try and get on Aladdin's good side. It's little more than a selfish ploy at first, but Iago does change, and he even sacrifices himself in the final battle with Jafar.

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7 Anton Ego

Ratatouille (2007)

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director Brad Bird Release Date June 29, 2007 Cast Patton Oswalt , Ian Holm , Lou Romano , Brad Garrett , Peter O'Toole , Janeane Garofalo , Brian Dennehy , Peter Sohn , Will Arnett

His fearsome reputation doesn't necessarily make him a villain, but he shows a willingness to abuse the power that he wields.

Anton Ego is the most influential food critic in Paris, but he's also seen as the supreme arbiter of fine dining in the city. A review from him can make or break a restaurant, and the staff at Gusteau's know it. His fearsome reputation doesn't necessarily make him a villain, but he shows a willingness to abuse the power that he wields. He makes sure that Linguini knows he can expect a bad review, suggesting that he is an elitist snob who wants to tread on Linguini's fairy tale rise to the top.

Anton Ego ultimately proves that he isn't such a villain after all. After tasting the ratatouille prepared by Remy, he is transported back to his childhood, and he rediscovers the love of food that first inspired him to pursue a career as a critic. This is a humbling experience for Ego, who stays to pay his compliments to the chef. He eventually comes round to Gusteau's idea that anyone can cook.

6 Amos Slade

The Fox and the Hound (1981)

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director Ted Berman , Richard Rich , Art Stevens Release Date July 10, 1981 Cast Mickey Rooney , Kurt Russell , Pearl Bailey , Jack Albertson , Sandy Duncan , Jeanette Nolan

Amos shows some compassion for Tod after a confrontation with a bear. He spares the fox's life as an acknowledgment that he saved him from the bear.

Amos Slade is the hunter in The Fox and the Hound who owns Copper, and he trains him to hunt foxes despite his friendship with Tod. In any other story, Amos wouldn't be considered a villain at all, but Disney's habit of humanizing its animal characters means that he's not just a hunter, he's a tyrant who wants to tear apart two childhood best friends. Like the hunter from Bambi, he finds himself in a villain's role, even though his actions would likely be deemed acceptable by normal standards.

Ultimately, Amos shows some compassion for Tod after a confrontation with a bear. He spares the fox's life as an acknowledgment that he saved him from the bear. Amos even patches things up with his neighbor, Widow Tweedy. It's unclear if this event inspires him to change his ways, but he no longer seems a cruel and coldhearted owner who Copper has to escape from.

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5 Emmitt Otterton

Zootopia (2016)

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director Jared Bush , Rich Moore , Byron Howard Release Date March 4, 2016 Cast Octavia Spencer , Bonnie Hunt , Maurice LaMarche , Idris Elba , John DiMaggio , Jason Bateman , Alan Tudyk , Nate Torrence , Katie Lowes , Ginnifer Goodwin , Tommy Chong , Shakira , J. K. Simmons , Jenny Slate , Tommy 'Tiny' Lister

Emmitt and the rest of the savage predators fall victim to "Night Howlers," a psychotropic drug which causes extreme aggression.

Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde only ever team up in the first place so that they can track down Emmitt Otterton. His wife goes to the police station to report his disappearance, but he soon turns from a potential victim to a potential criminal. All the clues point to Emmitt being involved in some shady business, as he is traced to the limousine of Mr. Big, Zootopia's most notorious crime boss. The truth is even more disturbing, as Emmitt attacked the driver with feral rage.

Emmitt isn't the only carnivore who turns savage, but he isn't really a villain in the end. Emmitt and the rest of the savage predators fall victim to "Night Howlers," a psychotropic drug which causes extreme aggression. The real villain is much more surprising. Emmitt eventually returns to his mild-mannered self, and it's unlikely that he'll make an appearance in Disney's Zootopia sequel, coming in late 2025.

4 James Norrington

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director Gore Verbinski Release Date July 9, 2003 Cast Johnny Depp , Geoffrey Rush , Orlando Bloom , Keira Knightley , Jack Davenport , Jonathan Pryce

Norrington completes his redemption arc and gets the hero's ending he deserves as he sacrifices his own life to keep Elizabeth Swann and her crew safe.

Commander James Norrington is the antagonist of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but he gradually develops into a more complex character than he first appears to be. By the end of The Curse of the Black Pearl, he has accepted that he will never be the man for Elizabeth Swann, and he even gives Jack Sparrow a sporting head start before once again pursuing him for his crimes of piracy. This is just the beginning of his redemption.

Dead Man's Chest continues James Norrington's redemption by introducing Lord Cutler Beckett, whose obsessive hatred of pirates makes Norrington look far more sympathetic by comparison. Norrington suddenly finds himself on the same side of the law as Jack Sparrow and his associates. In At World's End, he completes his redemption arc and gets the hero's ending he deserves, as he sacrifices his own life to keep Elizabeth Swann and her crew safe.

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3 Namaari

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director Carlos López Estrada , Don Hall Release Date March 5, 2021 Cast Awkwafina , Kelly Marie Tran , Thalia Tran , Daniel Dae Kim , Alan Tudyk , Izaac Wang , Ross Butler , Patti Harrison , Gemma Chan , Sandra Oh , Benedict Wong , Lucille Soong

Raya trusts Namaari enough to give her the final piece of the gem, even though she knows she is doomed, which underlines how Namaari's character completely changes her way of thinking.

Raya is the princess of the Heart tribe, and this makes her automatically wary of Namaari, from the Fang tribe. Their relationship is representative of the distrust that runs throughout Kumandra, even though they looked like they could be friends when they first met as children. Namaari is more concerned with expanding the influence of the Fang tribe than she is with defeating the Druun, but this soon changes.

Raya and Namaari realize that their conflict is causing more damage than either of them are prepared for. After Sisu is caught in the crossfire and the Druun begin to unleash chaos, they agree to reconcile their differences and work together to restore the Dargon Gem. Raya trusts Namaari enough to give her the final piece of the gem, even though she knows she is doomed, which underlines how Namaari's character completely changes her way of thinking.

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2 Bruce

Finding Nemo (2003)

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director Andrew Stanton , Lee Unkrich Release Date May 30, 2003 Cast Albert Brooks , Ellen DeGeneres , Alexander Gould , Willem Dafoe , Brad Garrett , Allison Janney

Bruce shows Marlin and Dory that he's sort of a reformed killer, as he leads a meeting of fish-friendly sharks who repeat their motto: "fish are friends, not food."

Based on his appearance, the great white shark Bruce looks like he'll be a terrifying villain for Marlin and Dory to face, but he turns out to have a heart of gold. He may have a little fun toying with the duo when he first meets them, but he shows them that he's sort of a reformed killer, as he leads a meeting of fish-friendly sharks who repeat their motto: "fish are friends, not food."

Bruce takes a brief turn toward true villainy when he smells blood in the water and his hunting instincts kick in. He sheds his cool demeanor and chases after Marlin and Dory, but it's hard to blame him for his own natural behavior as an apex predator, especially when he's trying his best to curb these instincts. He reappears at the end of Finding Nemo as another happy inhabitant of the reef, showing that he is back on the right path.

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1 The Beast

Beauty and the Beast (1996)

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director Gary Trousdale , Kirk Wise Release Date November 21, 1991 Cast Paige O'Hara , Robby Benson , Angela Lansbury , Jerry Orbach , David Ogden Stiers , Bradley Pierce , Jesse Corti , Richard White

Many Disney classics have clear heroes and villains, but Beauty and the Beast is more morally complex.

Beauty and the Beast is one of Disney's great redemption stories. Many Disney classics have clear heroes and villains, but Beauty and the Beast is more morally complex, suggesting instead that evil is more a product of an individual's environment than an inherent characteristic. The Beast is cursed with the appearance of a hulking monster, so he retreats into isolation where he is safe from the judgment of society.

Beauty and the Beast's tragic backstory reveals that the Beast isn't really as beastly as he first appears. Although he does kidnap Belle's father, Maurice, and he trades him for Belle, the Beast only does so to protect his way of living. He doesn't want to set the precedent that people can get too close to his castle, but this is a fearful reaction, rather than a truly evil one. Eventually, the Beast's relationship with Belle returns him to his true form.