I think we can all agree that the villains are one of the most important aspects of a Disney movie. Whether it be the hero’s arch-nemesis or the backstabbing friend, they give the story an exhilarating twist and give us, the audience, someone to root against.

These are the characters that take us on a roller coaster ride of emotions. They are clever, malicious, cunning, and make us queasy with their ulterior motives, but also they can make us laugh with their charming witticism, and let’s be real, they perform some wicked musical numbers.

Disney has given us some of the most iconic villains of all time. These unapologetically despicable characters have something undeniably attractive about them and it’s therefore not a surprise that they have become quite famous among fans. We just love to hate them!

Here is a list of 48 Disney villains that have become popular among us, so grab your poisons apples and get ready for the ride!

1. Amos Slade (The Fox and The Hound's Villain)

48 Disney Villains That Became Popular Among Us — Disney Villains

Not the evilest of the bunch, First up we have, Amos Slade. The grumpy old hunter gave our friendly neighborhood fox a really hard time before realizing his mistake.

2. Aunt Sarah & Si And Am (The Lady and The Tramp's Villains)

Let’s just say Aunt Sarah was not a dog person, she was a cat-lady after all, so we can’t blame her for being a little antagonistic.

3. Big Bad Wolf (Three Little Piglets' Villain)

Third on the list is Three Little piglets’ big bad wolf, the master of “huffs and puffs”. This crafty wolf has been blowing houses and terrifying pigs since 1933.

4. Captain Hook (Peter Pan's Villain)

The chief antagonist of the animated feature film Peter Pan, the one and only, Captain Hook. He had a thirst for revenge and a hook for a hand.

5. Chernabog (Fantasia's Villain)

Chernabog from Fantasia is the definition of pure evil. The tyrannical demon from the 1940’s film Fantasia, Chernabog, is truly terrifying.

6. Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmatians's Villain)

This Disney villainess can best be described as on the edge of insanity. Cruella was a fashion-obsessed heiress who was ready to go to any extent to have the 99 dalmatian puppies for her fur coat.

7. Doctor Facilier (The Princess and the Frog's Villain)

The Princess and the Frog's villain, Doctor Facilier is one of the most popular Disney villains. This articulate witch doctor will claim to be a well-wisher and then plunge you into the worst situation of your life.

8. Edgar Balthazar (The Aristocats's Villain)

The Aristocats villain, Edgar balthazar though once loyal and dependable butler later turned into a greedy and selfish man who tried to kidnap the kittens.

9. Frollo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame's Villain)

Judge Claude Frollo is as dark as Disney villains get. He is ruthless, condescending, a racist, and believes that he can never do anything wrong.

10. Gaston (Beauty and the Beast's Villain)

The hunk of the town, the ladies man, and the villain with an entire song about how great he is which he sings himself by the ways, number ten on the list is beauty and the beast villain, Gaston.

11. Hades (Hercules's Villain)

The Lord of the dead, Hades. Other than having a vendetta against Zeus, he also has a great sense of humor. He's mostly calm and collected, and self-aware and all in all a treat to watch.

12. Hopper (A Bug's Life's Villain)

Hopper is a ruthless and violent grasshopper who has no consideration whatsoever for anyone but himself. He will die before he can be called weak.

13. Horned King (The Black Cauldron's Villain)

Here we have the horned king. All he wants is to have an army of the undead and rule the world.

14. Honest John And Gideon (Pinocchio's Villains)

The first two antagonists from the film Pinocchio. Honest John is a sly fox and Gideon the cat is his sidekick.

15. Jafar (Aladdin's Villain)

The sultan’s most trusted advisor, the royal vizier of Agrabah Jafar is one of the most popular Disney villains. He has a snake-like elegance and a disdain for almost everything.

16. Lady Tremaine & Stepsisters (Cinderella's Villains)

The famous trio of the evil stepmother lady Tremaine and the stepsisters who made cinderella’s life a living hell and only mocked and insulted her in return for her kindness.

17. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty's Villain)

We all know of the evil fairy with an unlimited arsenal of magical powers and a pet raven Diablo, the elegant, evil and ruthless, Maleficent. She is purely evil and very devious.

18. Madame Medusa (The Rescuers' Villain)

The greedy and obsessed with diamonds pawnshop owner in the movie the rescuers.

19. Madam Mim (The Sword in the Stone's Villain)

Madam Mim is a powerful old witch who thinks she is the greatest wizard ever.

20. Mother Gothel (Tangled's Villain)

The master of gaslighting, next on the list is Tangled villain Mother Gothel. As if keeping Rapunzel locked up in a tower in the middle of nowhere wasn’t enough, she went as far as to stab her true love.

21. Prince Hans (Frozen's Villain)

When the charming love interest turned into the devious antagonist, audiences were left shell-shocked. The moral of the story- don’t try to marry a man you just met.

22. Percival C. McLeach (The Rescuers Down Under's Villain)

McLeach is a poacher who hunts and sells rare and endangered animals.

23. Pete (Mickey & Co.'s Villain)

Pete from Mickey and co. is a classic Disney Villain. He is an anthropomorphic cat who is a plain bully.

24. Prince John & Sheriff of Nottingham (Robin Hood's Villains)

Prince John is an example of what a ruler should not be like. The sheriff is also the antagonist who keeps trying to capture robin hood.

25. Queen Grimhilde (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' Villain)

The Queen wishes to be the fairest of them all and has murderous intentions for anyone who tries to come in between her goal and her.

26. Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland's Villain)

The sadistic tyrannical ruler of wonderland with a love for getting people beheaded. Undeniably one of the most easily recognizable characters.

27. Ratcliffe (Pocahontas's Villain)

The power-hungry villain of Pocahontas, Governor Ratcliffe is like any typical bad guy a greedy and tyrannical man.

28. Ratigan (The Great Mouse Detective's Villain)

Professor Raigan is an infamous crime lord in Mousedom. He is a very cunning and dangerous criminal.

29. Scar (The Lion King's Villain)

A manipulative smooth-talker and a little too smart for a lion, next is The lion king villain, Scar. he talks sweet on the face and will take the first opportunity to stab you in the back. Long live the sass king.

30. Shan Yu (Mulan's Villain)

Fearsome and loathsome this villain is sharp and strong and to add to that he looks very creepy. He is the leader of the Hun army and indiscriminately kills people and wrecks havoc.

31. Shere Khan & Kaa (The Jungle Book's Villains)

Another big evil cat, we have the jungle book villain, Shere khan who is a powerful predator. Kaa is a massive snake with the ability to hypnotize its prey.

32. Sid Phillips (Toy Story's Villain)

All the toys fear Sid the most. He treats all his toys terribly and is just an ill-mannered boy with no regard for his belongings.

33. Stromboli (Pinocchio's Villain)

Another villain from Pinocchio is a puppeteer and only cares about making money for himself no matter what the cost.

34. Sykes (Oliver & Company's Villain)

Bill Sykes is the main antagonist of the film Oliver & company. He is brutal and impatient and involved in a lot of shady business.

35. Stinky Pete (Toy Story 2's Villain)

Stinky Pete was never bought or played with by any kids and so he was embittered and though initially, he seemed like a kind old man his true colors showed later.

36. Ursula (The Little Mermaid's Villain)

This sadistic witch of the deep seas enjoyed watching people in misery after she luring them to take her advice and drink her potions.

37. Yzma (The Emperor's New Groove's Villain)

The emperor’s new groove villain Yzma is an evil sorceress who wishes to dethrone and kill the emperor so that she can become empress herself.

38. Beagle Boys (Donald Duck Universe's Villains)

They are a family of criminals who keep trying to steal from the wealthy Scrooge McDuck.

39. Br'er Fox & Br'er Bear (Song of the South's Villains)

Br’er fox is a cunning and crafty fox and Br’er Bear is his dim-witted partner. The fox wishes to eat the Br’er rabbit is always devising plans to achieve his goal.

40. Captain Barbossa (Pirates of the Caribbean's Villain)

Captain Hector Barbossa is the rival of Jack Sparrow. He is a notorious pirate and although he was an antagonist he died a hero as he sacrificed his life to save his daughter.

41. Captain Gantu (Lilo & Stitch's Villain)

Not necessarily evil, Captain Gantu is a very strict, short-tempered, and brutish captain of the Galactic Federation.

42. Clayton and Sabor (Tarzan's Villains)

Clayton was a self-centered and self-indulgent man who tries to hunt gorillas to illegally sell them. Sabor was a ferocious wild leopard who was a secondary villain.

43. CLU, the Master Control Program, Rinzler, and Sark (Tron's Villains)

The villains in this hi-tech science fiction world are essentially a bunch of programs.

44. Monstro (Pinocchio's Villain)

Monstro is the infamous sperm whale who is the final villain from the film Pinocchio who swallows Pinocchio.

45. Oogie Boogie (The Nightmare Before Christmas's Villain)

Oogie Boogie is the much-detested boogieman who is a burlap sack with cannibalistic habits and a huge appetite. He is a much-feared villain.

46. The Ringmaster (Dumbo's Villain)

He was the abusive head honcho of the circus that Dumbo was a part of. He was a typical showman and only cared for his profit.

47. Ronno (Bambi's Villain)

Bambi villain Ronno is a terrible deer and is the secondary villain in Bambi. He is disrespectful, cowardly, and manipulative.

48. Willie the Giant (Mickey Mouse Universe's Villain)

The dumb giant from Mickey Mouse Universe is not all that evil. He is gullible and is often seen as a positive character in some later appearances.

A Disney movie can never be complete without a negative, dark, and evil antagonist. Although they are immoral and corrupt in most cases, with a lot of questionable habits, they bring the necessary thrill to the story.

They force the protagonists to question their beliefs, push themselves harder, realize their own potential, and in turn teach the audience a special and important lesson.

And then there are some villains who end up becoming relatable characters themselves. As kids, we might fear them but as we grow up, we learn to acknowledge their perspective, which helps us realize how our behavior may cause grave changes in someone else's personality.

Such Disney Villains are charming and iconic in the genuine sense of the word. Do like and share with the Disney fans you know.

48 Disney Villains That Became Popular Among Us