The Disney universe has many devious and powerful villains to challenge the wide roster of charismatic couples and heroes. From Mongolian Warlords to conniving English governors, there is no shortage of diversity in the evildoers' ranks.
However, only the most intelligent villains were able to find significant success against their gallant counterparts, twisting circumstances to their favor and using their amorality as their greatest weapon. By identifying the most cunning antagonists, we can better appreciate how wits can be even more deadly and destructive than raw physical strength under the right conditions.
10 Shan Yu Was The Ruthless Leader Of The Mongolian Army (Mulan)
Shan Yu was the leader of the Mongolian army and a man who understood how to properly apply physical strength. He was the first to breach China's great walls and managed to infiltrate the Imperial Capital. Before the heroes' intervention, he even took the Emperor hostage in front of the entire nation.
However, the warlord was sometimes outmaneuvered, usually by Mulan herself. He lost most of his army when passing through a snowy canyon, as they were buried under an avalanche.
9 Governor Ratcliffe Was Reasonably Charismatic But Ultimately Shortsighted (Pocahontas)
Governor Ratcliffe was the man charged with securing England's footholds in the New World. Although he embodied the worst aspects of colonization (specifically, greed and brutality), he was decently skilled at manipulating his followers into serving him.
After John Smith's capture, he marshaled an army to go to war with the Native Americans and remove them as obstacles to his plan. However, Pocahontas' sacrifice (and her father's restraint) both disillusioned the settlers and convinced them that their adversaries weren't actually savages as Ratcliffe had claimed. When he attempted to reignite the battle, he was quickly subdued and imprisoned.
8 Ursula Was A Master Of Magic And Deal-Making (The Little Mermaid)
Ursula was as vile as she was intelligent. She understood what people yearned for and used magic to give it to them, all with conditions that would ultimately hinder them far more than they could have possibly imagined.
Her ability to shapeshift provided her a significant advantage over other Disney villains, especially when it became necessary to seduce Eric and distract him for the final few precious moments before Ariel ran out of time to make good on her bargain. However, she does not command formidable minions to fight her battles for her and was ultimately slain when a ship was driven through her gullet.
7 Jafar Knew How To Use His Powers Properly & Time His Attacks (Aladdin)
Jafar was a conniving man who understood how to be patient and use the resources he had to their fullest capacity. He remained in the Sultan's court to analyze his weaknesses and become better prepared to exploit them.
Although his acquisition of the magic lamp made him perhaps the deadliest Disney villain in history, his greed became his undoing. Once he wished to become a genie, Aladdin simply sealed him away, successfully subduing the threat he posed (for a time).
6 Hans Nearly Stole An Entire Kingdom But Accidentally Incriminated Himself (Frozen)
Having deceived both the audience and the movie's heroes since the beginning, Hans was a cunning imposter that subverted expectations. However, as his dreams of stealing Elsa's kingdom came closer to fruition, he grew too greedy in his plans and attempted to assassinate her out in the open.
This exposed his intentions on an international level and disgraced his country. In his final on-screen moments, the prince was humiliated and imprisoned.
5 Doctor Facilier Was A Gifted Charlatan But Relied Too Much On Minions (The Princess And The Frog)
Doctor Facilier's connection with the Other Side made him a formidable threat since he could deploy malevolent spirits to do his bidding. Although he was an expert deal-maker who specialized in manipulating others, his servants weren't particularly competent.
Additionally, he was careless about securing his voodoo charm after stealing it back from Tiana. This was why she was able to defeat him even after being transformed into a frog.
4 Mother Gothel Was A Brilliant Deceiver (Rapunzel)
Mother Gothel was able to make the best of her limited resources by using subterfuge. She was able to convince Rapunzel that the world was harsh and cruel for most of her childhood, confining her inside a tower and harvesting her hair for eternal youth.
She accomplished this while remaining out of the watchful eye of the kingdom's ruler and enforcers. Were it not for Flynn's unlikely (but necessary) assistance, Gothel would have been able to retain her youth at the expense of her "daughter's" freedom.
3 Frollo Was A Relentless Inquisitor Who Found The Court Of Miracles & Arrested Its Inhabitants (Hunchback Of Notre Dame)
Frollo was a judge who cunningly allowed Quasimodo to leave the bell tower only so that he could follow him into the Court of Miracles. Once Clopin escorted him inside and prepared his execution before a jeering crowd, he made his presence known, captured the gypsies, and immediately readied the bonfire for Esermalda's death.
His patience was his greatest advantage in outmaneuvering his enemies. However, Frollo's callous decision to breach the cathedral alone would ultimately provide his undoing, as he would plummet to his death in a fiery inferno.
2 Scar Usurped An Entire Kingdom For Several Years (The Lion King)
Scar epitomized a balance between cunning and strength. Realizing that he could never take Mufasa head-on in a fight, he caught him within a stampede of wild beasts and thrust him to his death when he attempted to climb to safety.
This allowed the villain to usurp his lord's kingdom, using his hyenas in order to cow dissenters into submission. Ultimately, there was little he could have done in order to stop Simba's return or his own defeat in the final battle since he had no idea who was harboring him or where he was throughout his childhood.
1 Commander Rourke's Plan Was Nearly Flawless (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)
As a villain, Commander Rourke did everything right; he won the heroes' allegiance, bided his time, and only revealed his plan when he was in an excellent position to fulfill them. When making his departure, he even blew up the bridge behind him so that Milo couldn't follow their trail (as he didn't have time to kill every Atlantean resistor).
Unfortunately for him, the ancient Atlantean vehicles provided more than a match for his contemporary aircraft. In the end, he was petrified in glass and destroyed well before he could return to the surface.