WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Mulan, available now through Premier Access on Disney+.
Disney’s 1998 animated Mulan began with the falcon, Hayabusa, heralding the imminent attack of the Hun Army. Hayabusa is the loyal ally of Shan Yu, the Hun Army’s leader, who oversees deadly battles across China. In the recently released live-action version of Mulan, the shape-shifting witch, Xianniang, is also introduced before we meet her ally, Böri Khan, when she possesses a man to conceal her entry into an imperial town in advance of Khan’s invading Rouran army. Xianniang’s actions herald the introduction of a badass new villain, and that’s before she demonstrates the full breadth of what she can do.
Don’t get us wrong -- we love the established Disney villains, from The Little Mermaid’s Ursula to Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent. But Xianniang, played by veteran actor Gong Li, has an impressive combination of nuance, complexity and unique abilities that makes her stand out. With her taloned hands, exceptional fighting skills and ability to understand Mulan in a way no one else can, she’s an exciting addition to the ranks of the Disney villains who is also more sympathetic and insightful than your average antagonist.
When Xianniang is initially introduced, it seems she’s a pure villain. She infiltrates a town along the Silk Road and takes out multiple soldiers before the rest of the Rouran army even arrives. Then, she talks herself up to the Emperor while possessing the body of the only soldier allowed to survive the attack. The threat of her powers is enough to cause the Emperor to issue the decree that ultimately causes Mulan to disguise herself as a man and join the Imperial Army in her father’s stead. And it plays right into the hands of Böri Khan.
Yet even though Xianniang allies with Khan, and does his bidding to some degree, she is anything but his inferior -- no matter what Khan seems to believe. This becomes obvious as soon as he refers to her as a witch, and she immediately corrects him by declaring herself a warrior. While Xianniang backs down after Khan reminds her the only place she can truly be herself is with him, it’s clear theirs is a partnership of necessity. Xianniang’s deadly actions aren’t out of any particular loyalty but are those of an individual whose choices are severely limited. This makes her surprisingly sympathetic.
Yet given the similarities between her and Mulan’s circumstances, it’s no surprise that after Mulan joins the army, Xianniang can see through her ruse. In fact, she immediately recognizes she and Mulan are opposite sides of the same coin. While Mulan’s instinct is to reject the parallels between her and Xianniang, it’s Xianniang who ultimately causes Mulan to embrace her true identity and risk the consequences of sharing it with her garrison. That is, after Xianniang beats Mulan in one-on-one combat, proving Xianniang is the superior fighter, something no soldier in the Imperial Army can claim.
While Xianniang may best Mulan, however, her words also ring true: Until Mulan fully embraces who she is, she can’t fully embrace her power either. No other Disney villain has displayed the same level of insight and understanding of a film’s protagonist. There are points at which Xianniang seems to know Mulan better than she knows herself. And she’s ultimately integral to Mulan’s journey of self-discovery.
In the end, Xianniang completes her arc by evolving from a character who seemed to be pure evil to a tragic figure. When Xianniang realizes Mulan has ultimately been accepted by the Imperial Army even though she’s a woman, Xianniang goes against Böri Khan and sacrifices herself to save Mulan. Although Xianniang would have preferred to live a noble life, her exile forced her to make a different choice. While Mulan could have suffered a similar fate, the Emperor and his army's recognition that she should have a place among them enables her to walk a path that was never open to Xianniang.
Xianniang is a singular Disney antagonist. She’s a badass warrior who's also uniquely perceptive. Most villains see themselves as the heroes of their stories. Xianniang knows that’s not the case, but she's also aware she’s a victim of her circumstances. That may cause her to do bad things, but it also makes her honest, wise and sympathetic, resulting in one of the most complicated and fascinating villains Disney has ever offered fans.
Directed by Niki Caro, Disney's live-action Mulan stars Yifei Liu as Mulan, Donnie Yen as Commander Tung, Jason Scott Lee as Böri Khan and Yoson An as Chen Honghui, with Gong Li as Xianniang and Jet Li as the Emperor. The film is now available through Premier Access on Disney+.