Random Disney Villains Based on Their Stupid Plans (12 items)

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  (#1) Gaston

  • Disney's House of Mouse, Beauty and the Beast, Beauty and the Beast

  Gaston is totally self-absorbed and arrogant, but he's one of the few Disney villains who don't crave power. In fact, all Gaston wants is to marry Belle. When she turns him down, his bruised ego never recovers. To prove himself as the ultimate specimen of masculinity to both Belle and the townspeople, he decides to slay the Beast after realizing that Belle prefers the "monster" over him. 

  Gaston's plan has a few pitfalls, starting with his basic intentions. He only wants to marry Belle because she's beautiful. Nevermind that he doesn't know anything about her interests or care about her thoughts. He simply knows that she's pretty, leading to a very stalker-like obsession in which he follows her around and tries to talk her into marrying him. He has plenty of lovestruck potential love interests, but he's convinced that he needs the prettiest woman in town because he is the most handsome man. That's his first mistake. 

  Much like Gaston's marriage proposal, his plan to slay the Beast is impulsive and ill-informed. The Beast is more animal than man, with plenty of strength and aggression of his own. Gaston heads into the castle blindly, with little knowledge of his opponent. He relies on his own arrogance and inflated sense of confidence, leading him to taunt the Beast and relish his supposed victory. His pride is ultimately his downfall, as his delay in terminating the Beast gives Belle an opportunity to return. When Beast sees Belle, it's all the encouragement he needs to fight back, ultimately leading to Gaston's fall from the castle.
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  (#2) Cruella de Vil

  • Disney's House of Mouse, 102 Dalmatians, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, 101 Dalmatians, The 101 Dalmatians Musical

  When it comes to Disney villains' evil plans, Cruella de Vil's senseless scheme stands apart from the rest. To put it simply, she wants to kidnap puppies and use their fur to create a dog-skin jacket. It's really quite dark. But beyond her irrational need for violence, the entirety of Cruella's plan is a little absurd. 

  First of all, why does Cruella need 99 puppies to make her jacket? How large is this jacket going to be? Ninety-nine puppies means a lot of fur. In fact, it would likely be a surplus of fur, creating a heavy, overly bulky jacket that's not fashionable, or even cute in the slightest. 

  Second, why can't Cruella simply purchase a faux-fur jacket? Creating a custom jacket out of puppy skin requires a deeply gruesome and barbaric process. Not to mention, it's also much more work to design and produce your own jacket, rather than purchasing a pre-made jacket from the store. By heading out for a day of shopping, Cruella easily avoids the legal and ethical problems that accompany snatching puppies for a jacket. A little retail therapy might do this villain some good. 

  But finally, Cruella falls victim to her own obsessions and terrible choice in henchmen, like so many Disney villains. Her single-mindedness in her task and the inablity to carry out her own plans eventually leads to the ultimate failure of her master plan. 

  All in all, Cruella's plan is illogical, impractical, and needlessly brutal.
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  (#3) Lady Tremaine

  • Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, Cinderella, Cinderella II: Dreams Come True

  Lady Tremaine is the OG wicked stepmother. In fact, as the primary villain in Cinderella, she defined the category of evil replacement parents. While her cruelty and general lack of emotion toward her stepdaughter establish her as a villain to fear, her actual plan leaves a lot to be desired.

  Lady Tremaine is jealous of Cinderella's charm and beauty. Afraid that Cinderella will outshine her own daughters, Lady Tremaine forces her stepdaughter to serve the family, keeping her locked away in terrible conditions and refusing to allow her to leave the house.

  Lady Tremaine's cruelty culminates at the end of the movie. When the Grand Duke arrives at Cinderella's house to find the Prince's mystery ballroom guest, Lady Tremaine puts two and two together and realizes that Cinderella was the beauty from the ball. To keep her from being discovered by the Grand Duke, Lady Tremaine locks Cinderella in her room. When her stepdaughter escapes, Lady Tremaine remains vehemently committed to her plan to ruin Cinderella’s life, even going so far as to trip the Grand Duke, causing the glass slipper to break. 

  Obviously, Lady Tremaine is guided by jealousy. She doesn't want her stepdaughter to become a princess, especially over her own two daughters. But what was the overall goal here? Did Lady Tremaine expect the Grand Duke to settle for one of her daughters simply because he couldn't find the correct maiden? The man searched the entire kingdom to find the Prince's love - there's no way he was deviating from his plan for two obnoxious, overly eager girls.

  In addition, did Lady Tremaine plan to keep Cinderella locked away forever? Technically, she's an adult. If she wanted to marry the Prince, she could simply go to the castle with her own slipper and prove herself to be the girl from the ball. Plus, having Cinderella out of the house would rid the family of another mouth to feed. It may be difficult to swallow that her stepdaughter became a princess, but considering how much Lady Tremaine hates Cinderella, it would have made more sense to simply send her away.

  Prince or no, keeping Cinderella trapped in the house doesn't serve much purpose beyond having a built-in maid.  
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  (#4) Jafar

  • Disney's House of Mouse, Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse, Aladdin, The Return of Jafar, Aladdin, Aladdin, Jr.

  Jafar's goal is nothing new in the realm of Disney villains' evil plans. Jafar wants power, pure and simple. Does he use his head and the application of logical thinking to attain it? After all, he made it quite far in his local government thanks to his smarts. But alas, he becomes overly obsessed with a lamp trapped in the magical Cave of Wonders. 

  Jafar's entire evil plan rests on obtaining the Genie and using his three wishes to establish himself as sultan to gain the ultimate power he's always craved. However, Jafar has the ability to hypnotize people, conveniently accompanied by direct access to the Sultan each and every day thanks to his position as grand vizier of the Sultan. In fact, he hypnotizes the Sultan when it suits his needs - so why doesn't he bewitch the ruler into passing over his power? Instead, Jafar wastes valuable time searching for a "diamond in the rough" in order to obtain the Genie's lamp. 

  Jafar continues to fall victim to his own poor plans by passing the duty of getting the lamp to another person. By this action, Jafar transfers control of his entire future to untrustworthy criminals and one particular "street rat." The idea of Aladdin using the lamp for his own purposes should have been a concern to Jafar. Put simply, Jafar opens up the door to his own demise.

  Aladdin would have never known about the lamp if it weren't for Jafar. And Jafar could have continued to hypnotize the Sultan for years with no one the wiser, obtaining power for himself. Furthermore, if he had kept his plan a secret, outside sources would have never been tempted to use the lamp for their own purposes.

  Of course, Jafar is likely caught up on the idea of a genie that grants his wishes, just as anyone would be. Unfortunately, his obsession and poor planning skills are the sources of his ultimate failure.
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  (#5) Queen

  • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, A Snow White Christmas, The 10th Kingdom, Snow White and the Huntsman, Mirror Mirror, 7 Dwarves – Men Alone in the Wood

  When discussing the evil plans of Disney villains, the Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs deserves special recognition for extreme pettiness. The Queen wants to bring an end to Snow White simply because a mirror said Snow White was prettier. 

  While the Queen's reasoning behind terminating Snow White is ridiculous, her plan is just as flawed. She instructs a huntsman to carry out the deed, despite the fact that Snow White enchants everyone who meets her. Given her charming nature, the huntsman is unable to off Snow White. It's a classic case of "if you want something done right, do it yourself," but the Queen can't even carry out her own task. 

  When she realizes that the huntsman has failed her, the Queen disguises herself as a beggar woman and persuades Snow White to eat a poisoned apple. However, the apple only puts Snow White into a deep sleep. Why didn't she enchant the apple with a spell that was immediately lethal, instead of a sleeping spell? Furthermore, the spell even has a cure: love's first kiss.

  For a Queen who is so desperate to rid the world of someone prettier than her, she manages to fail spectacularly. A note for evil villains everywhere: Don't create a loophole when you're trying to end someone's life.
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  (#6) Hades

  • Hercules

  Like many Disney villains' evil plans, Hades's scheme revolves around seizing power from Zeus and ruling over all. Interestingly, he actually has a fairly foolproof plan to accomplish his goal. After the birth of Hercules, Hades meets with the Fates, who tell him that the planets will align in 18 years. At that time, Hades can release the Titans from their prison, allowing him to defeat Zeus and ascend from the Underworld to the throne. There's only one thing standing his is way: Hercules. Logically, Hades decides to end Hercules right then and there, eliminating any obstacles that would block his path to Mount Olympus. 

  All of that makes sense - Hades wants the throne, someone's standing in the way, and he chooses to get rid of them. What doesn't make sense, however, is Hades's choice to send Pain and Panic to carry out the task. Hades knows that this is his one chance to take out Zeus. He's well aware that he needs to take care of Hercules while he's still a baby, before he can truly fight back. Knowing all this, he still sends his two dopiest minions to secure his entire future. Pain and Panic are obviously far from the sharpest tools in the shed - so why would he trust them to effectively take out a god? 

  The real kicker is that Hades doesn't learn from his mistake. Pain and Panic fail to complete their task when Hercules is a baby. When Hades finds out, he still sends his incompetent minions out on important errands. He also sends the snarky femme fatale Meg, with the idea that she might be able to lead Hercules astray. But she, too, turns on Hades, as she falls for the son of Zeus.

  Hades is the god of the Underworld - why doesn't he just deal with Hercules himself? 

  Hades continually sends other people and creatures to do his dirty work, and then acts surprised when they fail. It may be that Hades knows he's incapable of beating Hercules himself, but he could have sent a more skillful team to complete the most important mission of his life. By sending his minions, Hades practically seals his own fate.
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  (#7) Maleficent

  • Maleficent, Sleeping Beauty

  Although later releases reveal more information about Maleficent's intentions, the original villain of the 1959 Sleeping Beauty is the epitome of petty. When Maleficent isn't invited to pay her respects after the birth of Princess Aurora, she responds by showing up anyway and cursing the new babe. She promises that by the time Aurora is 16, she'll prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and perish. And while the curse is later altered for the young princess to fall into a deep sleep instead, it doesn't change the fact that her actions are slightly excessive given the circumstances. 

  Let's take a look at this for a moment: Maleficent isn't invited to a party, so she decides to destroy the guest of honor and her family in retaliation. It's just a wild guess, but that may have been why she wasn't invited in the first place. In addition to her pettiness over an invite, the plan itself hinges on the curiosity of a teenager and the need for a spinning wheel, while Maleficent makes the mistake of dismissing the power of true love's kiss.

  Of course, Maleficent can't let her threat go. Even when the entire kingdom works to keep Aurora hidden, Maleficent spends the next 16 years searching for the princess in order to make good on her threat. All this because she wasn't invited to a party. 
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  (#8) Captain Hook

  • Peter Pan and the Pirates, Once Upon a Time, Producers' Showcase, The Adventures of Peter Pan, Neverland, Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse, Peter Pan, Peter Pan, Return to Never Land, Disney's Halloween Treat, Mickey's House of Villains, Peter Pan, Peter Pan, Hook, Finding Neverland, Neverland, Peter and the Starcatcher, Peter Pan

  In comparison to the evil plans of other Disney villains, Captain Hook's scheme actually makes a lot of sense. In truth, Peter Pan might be more of a miscreant than the fallible Captain Hook. Hook's quarrel with Pan stems from a fraught history between the two characters, culminating in Pan cutting off Hook's hand. Hook wants revenge on Pan for the loss of his limb, which by Disney standards, seems pretty fair. 

  Hook's approach to confronting Pan has some merit. He captures Princess Tiger Lily, hoping that she'll disclose the location of Pan's hideout. He also smartly recognizes Tinker Bell's jealousy of Wendy and uses her envious emotions to trick her into giving away the location of Pan's hideout. He also successfully captures the Lost Boys and the Darling children, but fails to end Pan due to Tinker Bell's intervention. 

  As twisted as it may sound, Hook's problem is that he isn't ruthless enough. His plans involve a sense of cold-blooded aggression to breed success, but Hook never moves fast enough to reach the more brutal elements of his schemes. He captures Tiger Lily, but fails to interrogate her effectively before she's saved by Pan. He tricks Tinker Bell, but doesn't dispose of her properly, ultimately leaving her free to save Pan from a disastrous demise. As much as Hook talks a big game, he tends to dawdle when it comes to carrying out his plans. Like many villains, he leaves just enough time for his hostages to be saved, ruining his ability to actually accomplish his goals. 

  Perhaps Hook doesn't have the stomach to dispose of his enemies in an effective way. If he embraced a more ruthless nature, he might be a successful villain. In his current state, however, he's quite the laughable crook.
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  (#9) Mother Gothel

  • Tangled

  Mother Gothel is the villain of Disney's Tangled. As far as Disney villains' evil plans go, Gothel's is more successful than most. After finding a magical flower that grants her eternal youth, Gothel is desperate to maintain her young facade. After the ailing Queen consumes the flower in an effort to heal her illness, the recovered royal gives birth to a baby girl with magical hair. Gothel originally tries to take a lock of the princess' hair, only to learn that cutting the hair takes away its magical properties. In a moment of desperation, Gothel kidnaps the baby and whisks her away to a secluded tower, where she raises her for 18 years. 

  Gothel's plan is fairly foolproof. That is, if you disregard the fact that a malleable child eventually grows into an adult who isn't going to be content sitting in a tower day in and day out. Gothel's plan centers around desperation rather than actual scheming. She doesn't consider what her life will look like years down the line. She acts on the instinct of a single moment, and fails to plan for a lifelong commitment to another human being. She gets her eternal fountain of youth, but she also has to take care of a child - one she doesn't really want or care for at all. 

  As Rapunzel grows older, Gothel becomes increasingly lazy in her routine. She trusts Rapunzel to stay locked in the tower, despite Rapunzel's many claims that she's unhappy and wants to venture outside. Desperate as she is to maintain her youthful appearance, she's unwilling to submit herself to the same life as Rapunzel. Gothel ventures out of the tower often, many times leaving for days at a time. What captive wouldn't attempt to escape in that situation?

  While Gothel shows a certain amount of skill, particularly in manipulation, her selfishness is her ultimate downfall. She puts too much trust in her daughter/prisoner, creating the perfect situation for Rapunzel to escape and experience the world. Gothel's need for youth overrides her logic, leading to her eventual demise.
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  (#10) Yzma

  • Kronk's New Groove, The Emperor's New Groove

  Surprise, surprise - yet another villain who wants power. In The Emperor's New Groove, Yzma plots to get rid of Emperor Kuzco by poisoning him at dinner. Once the former ruler is out of the way, Yzma herself wants to ascend to the throne. 

  Like many a Disney villain before her, her bumbling minion Kronk accidentally pours extract of a llama instead of poison, giving the Emperor four legs and a lovely coat rather than an untimely demise.  

  But even when Kronk isn't there to make a mistake, Yzma falls victim to her own blunders, proving she isn't the mastermind she thinks she is. But the end of the feature, Yzma has accidentally transformed herself into a helpless kitten, unable to defeat her foes or move forward with her plan.

  But even if she had succeeded, could Yzma have really just taken over as ruler? The laws of succession in this particular kingdom are unclear, but the idea of Yzma declaring herself emperor without an army or any support from the people seems like an unrealistic goal. People aren’t very fond of Kuzco, but no one likes Yzma much either. Although she briefly establishes herself as a ruler while Kuzco is gone, her only real support comes from Kronk. Eventually, someone would have to challenge her leadership, right? The idea of an entire kingdom switching hands with zero backlash seems deeply improbable.
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  (#11) Ursula

  • Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse, Mickey's House of Villains, The Little Mermaid, The Little Mermaid

  In The Little Mermaid, Ursula's overall goal is to take down Triton and crown herself as the ruler of the sea. However, her actual plan takes quite the roundabout path toward accomplishing her objective. 

  Ursula first forces Ariel to sign over her voice in exchange for human legs. If she fails to kiss Prince Eric within three days, Ariel will belong to Ursula. That's all well and good, but how does any of that allow Ursula to become ruler of the sea? 

  Then, the plan takes an even more outlandish turn. After Ursula realizes that Eric might actually fall in love with Ariel, Ursula transforms herself into a human and uses Ariel's voice to trick Eric into marrying her, rather than falling in love with Ariel. If Ursula marries Prince Eric, she'll just be a princess on land, no closer to the coveted position of Triton's replacement. 

  Eventually, Triton does sacrifice himself for his daughter, turning over his crown and trident to Ursula. Although she ultimately fails due to Eric's handy boating skills, Ursula does complete a short-lived reign as ruler of the ocean. Is her plan successful? Technically, yes. Does it make a lot of sense? Not really, no. 
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  (#12) Scar

  • The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, The Lion King, The Lion King

  On the surface, Scar's plan as an evil Disney villain makes sense. He wants to be king, but he needs to get rid of his brother and nephew to ensure that he's undeniably next in line for the throne. That's all basic historical stuff. Sibling rivalries and inter-family violence in the struggle for power aren't new concepts. 

  To oust his brother from power, Scar takes a fairly logical approach. He amasses his own army, ensuring that he can establish dominance if certain lions question his ability to rule. He tricks his family into a dangerous situation, securing his brother's demise during a stampede. He then attempts to rid the world of his nephew, as well, wiping out any potential challengers to the throne. All the while, Scar maintains a facade of innocence. In this way, he carefully crafts a situation in which he's the only choice as a ruler, out of reach from naysayers and perfectly positioned to crush those who oppose him. 

  This is one reason why his plan fails: By not ensuring the elimination of his nephew Simba, his position could later be challenged. 

  But Scar's problems primarily develop once he's actually on the throne. By allowing his armies to destroy his kingdom, Scar proves to everyone why he was never meant to be a ruler in the first place. Instead of building loyalty among his subjects with his ability to rule, Scar acts as a disinterested tyrant toward his subjects and his followers. He erodes the devotion of his army, decreasing their desire to fight by his side. He's surrounded by an unreliable infantry that barely cares if he lives or perishes and angry subjects who are actively looking for a way to take away his throne. Furthermore, his subjects do not trust his judgement, as his lack of foresight has led them to the brink of starvation. Scar is practically begging for a coup, and that's exactly what he gets.

  Lesson learned: Not all lions are meant to be kings. Poor Scar had to learn that the hard way.

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