The worst Disney villains have performed acts of cruelty to not only the heroes, but to the ones who showed them utmost loyalty. Many of the villains' followers were manipulated, insulted, and even experienced physical harm during their time with the villains.
Sometimes, a broken promise is enough to make these followers rethink their choices. Seeing the villain fall not only to the heroes, but to the people who were once their allies, can often be a satisfying act of karmic justice. This cruel irony shows just how important it is for people to treat their friends with respect.
10 The Lion King: Scar Was Eaten By The Hyenas
Scar recruited the hyenas to help him kill Mufasa. In exchange, he allowed them to hunt in the Pride Lands. When Simba returned to reclaim his throne, Scar found himself cornered. In order to save himself, he claimed that the hyenas were the true enemy, and that they were the ones who planned all the tragic events.
Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed overheard the conversation. The hyenas later surrounded him, enraged at his betrayal. They gleefully took on the role of the "enemy," and jumped on him.
9 Brave: Mor'du's Followers Didn't Recognize Him
When he was fighting for the throne, Mor'du commanded a large army. Despite this, he wasn't able to defeat his brothers, and they were locked in a stalemate. In order to gain an advantage, Mor'du asked a witch for extra strength. She granted him his wish by turning him into a bear.
While his new form allowed him to kill his brothers, his army had no idea who he was when he returned. They only saw a bear, and turned against him. He killed his men in the ensuing battle, and would go on to terrorize more people as a mindless creature who had forgotten his humanity.
8 The Emperor's New Groove: Yzma Insulted Kronk's Spinach Puffs
Kronk may have been Yzma's henchman, but he was always friendly at his core. He enjoyed cooking for other people, got along great with kids and animals, and couldn't bring himself to kill Kuzco each time Yzma ordered him to do so.
When she threw a dagger to him and demanded that he finish off Kuzco and Pacha, he conversed with the angel and devil on his shoulders. Yzma lost her patience, called him a stupid monkey and insulted his spinach puffs. The jab at his spinach puffs wounded him, so he made a chandelier fall on her, although it narrowly missed crushing her.
7 Cinderella 2 & 3: Lady Tremaine's Viciousness Didn't Completely Brainwash Anastasia
Lady Tremaine raised her daughters to have the same ego and foul personality that would help to make Cinderella's life miserable for years. When her daughter Anastasia meets the town's baker in Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, she starts showing a softer side, especially after Cinderella was kind enough to support her.
Lady Tremaine tried to convince her daughter that he was too low-class for her, but Anastasia disobeyed her mother for the first time. In Cinderella 3: A Twist In Time, Lady Tremaine pressured Anastasia to pose as Cinderella to marry the prince. She would eventually refuse to follow her mother's orders since she couldn't bring herself to do it.
6 Aladdin: The Return Of Jafar: Abis Mal Was A Terrible Leader
Abis Mal was the leader of a band of thieves. The thieves were much more competent than their leader, who broke valuables and contributed little to fights. Their quick thinking was the only thing that helped them escape Agrabah's guards. Despite their efforts, Abis Mal was quick to claim any treasure they stole for himself.
He would pay his thieves a small pittance, forcing them to split a bag of coins. Aladdin's interference made them lose faith in Abis Mal, and they banded together to kill him. Abis Mal's accidental summoning of Jafar barely saved his life.
5 The Princess And The Frog: Dr. Facilier's "Friends" Punished Him For Not Keeping His End Of The Deal
Dr. Facilier would brag about his friends on the other side, evil spirits who helped Facilier in his attempts to take over New Orleans. When Naveen escaped, he made a deal with them.
If they could capture Naveen for him, he would give them the souls of everyone in New Orleans. He wasn't able to make good on his end of the bargain. In lieu of New Orleans' souls, Facilier's friends decided to take his soul instead, dragging him to the hell-like spirit world in which they resided.
4 Pocahontas: Governor Ratcliffe's Greed And Unnecessary Violence Made His Men Turn On Him
The Virginia Company originally went to the New World because they were hoping to find glory and gold. Governor Ratcliffe wanted the gold all to himself, but forced his men to do all the physical labor. Ratcliffe even filled his men's head with lies about the native people in order to convince them to go to war with them.
When the chieftain spared John Smith's life, the Virginia Company realized that the natives didn't want war. Ratcliffe forcibly took a gun and aimed a shot at the chieftain, but hit John instead. This made his men turn on him, and they quickly took the rifle and restrained him.
3 Hercules: Hades Took All Of His Frustrations On Pain And Panic
Hades was horrible to his minions, particularly Pain and Panic. Hades was prone to tantrums, which would lead to him expelling explosive blasts from his body in multiple directions. Whenever Pain and Panic did something to enrage him, they would be reduced to groveling or keeping secrets from him.
Despite this, Hades would make a mental note to maim them later. After all this torment at the hands of their master, both Pain and Panic were content with doing nothing as Hades was dragged down by the souls of the dead.
2 Enchanted: Narissa's Manipulative Personality Made Nathaniel Stop Loving Her
Nathaniel was completely infatuated with Narissa. He assisted her in her schemes to keep her throne. He kept Prince Edward single by taking him troll-hunting, and isolated Giselle in the castle so that Narissa could send her to another world.
He even volunteered to go to New York City, and even tried to give Giselle some poisoned apples.
Narissa took advantage of Nathaniel's low self-confidence and promised him a happily ever after with her. He eventually saw through her lies when he saw a soap-opera that reflected his core issues, and revealed her evil schemes after she poisoned Giselle.
1 The Lion King 2: Zira Was The Only One Who Wanted War
Zira led the Outsiders, a pride of lions who were banished to the Outlands for supporting Scar. She trained her son Kovu to become a ruthless killer who would kill Simba and take his place as king of the Pride Lands. After the two groups of lions engaged in a brutal fight, Kiara and Kovu intervened.
They convinced everyone but Zira that they weren't so different, and that the Outsiders should be allowed to return to the Pride Lands. Zira refused their protests for peace and ordered her followers to attack, but they sided with Kiara and Kovu instead.