This week, at Daastan we are taking a trip down the memory lane to revisit the Disney fairly tales. However, we will not be talking about the wholesome bits. Today, we are taking you on a crazy ride to meet the vilest of the Disney lot. That’s right! Disney’s Super Villains. Therefore, without further ado, let’s dive into the land of crazy evil.
What are Super Villains made of?
Before we move forward with the crazy list rundown, let’s take a moment to talk a out what makes someone a villain. If you are a Disney fan, you must know that not all villains are inherently evil. Some have traumatic pasts that became their villain origin story. However, evil still can not be justified. Of course, a villain would like to tell you otherwise. For instance, Klaus Michelson – the big bad hybrid from the TV series The Originals describes evil in the following words.
“In my long life I’ve met no shortage of people who would presume to speak of good and evil. Such terms mean nothing. People do what is in their best interest regardless of who gets hurt. Is it evil to take what one wants? Even if doing so will cause another suffering. What some would call evil, I would believe to be an appropriate response to a harsh and unfair world.”
1. Scar
On our super villains’ list, we are giving Scar from Lion King the first place. It’s because he is the worst kind of treacherous that could ever exist. Not only he is greedy for power but also possesses killer instincts that spare no one. In Lion King, with the help of hyenas, Scar successfully kills his brother and takes the throne for himself leaving Pride Rock deprived of happiness and fairplay. Furthermore, Scar’s evil mind and his thirst for power leads to the ruination of Pride Rock. Some fan theories suggest that Scar not only killed his brother, Mufasa, but also ate his corpse.
This story is the perfect example of how one unjust ruler can break apart an entire kingdom. The deep rooted darkness of his soul not only affected him but the whole of the jungle, wreaking havoc in every corner.
2. Mother Gothel
Next on the list is one of Disney’s most well known Villans, a beautiful witch whose desire to remain young for eternity leads to unforgivable sins. We are talking about Mother Gothel from Tangled. In the movie, Mother Gothel’s clever mind leads to the disappearance of the beloved daughter of the King, Rapunzel. Mother Gothel kidnaps the infant and locks her up in an unescapable tower for the rest of her days. Her aim was clear from the beginning of the tale; to use the lost princess’s magic hair and remain young forever. She achieves her purpose effortlessly until one day, Rapunzel runs away from the tower to fulfil her life long dream of watching the lanterns that lit the night sky every year on her birthday.
After her secret is exposed, Mother Gothel uses harsher means to bring Rapunzel back. Rapunzel is then saved from mother Gothel’s wrath by Flynn Rider. Flynn Rider who is a conman helps Rapunzel escapes and finally stand against mother Gothel. The character of Gothel is a perfect example of vanity and lust for fleeting beauty. Those who put appearances above all reason and morals, often meet ugly ends.
3. Gaston
Saving the worst for the last, we have one of disney’s most misogynistic villains, Gaston. Just like the other people from his time, Gaston believed that a woman’s role in this world was nothing more that to be a good wife to his husband. Gaston’s character revolves around his endless attempts to impress Belle and when the young girl refuses to wed him, Gaston turns evil considering his birth right to marry any women his heart desires.
Gaston uses his ability of manipulation and his undeniable charm to turn the village against the very woman he claimed to love. When Gaston gains the knowledge that Belle has chosen a beast instead of him, it acts as fire to the already burning fire in his chest. This new found hate leads him down the path of murder. Although his ways were a bit extreme than usual, his character portrays the deep rooted misogyny and sense of superiority found in society even to this day.
In conclusion, where we do believe that the world is an unjust place, the way to betterment is always there. To turn evil is a choice one makes. Justifying such evil behaviour only serves as further excuse for people to make wrong decisions. The aforementioned characters from our favourite Disney fairytales are a crash course on “how not to be”. Always remember that the path of revenge and mischief may seem a tempting response to atrocities of the world but it ends up hurting more people than those who are to blame for injustice.
We hope you enjoyed our rundown of Disney’s super villains. For more literary goodness, stay tuned!
