Top Ten: Most Twisted Animated Villains
Every movie has a villain but it is those villains that are the most twisted, most demented, and most psychotic that leaves a lasting impression. All throughout our childhood we were introduced to some of the greatest villains in cinematic and animated history. This list encompasses the ten of the cruelest villains to have ever existed. They may not be the most powerful or the most competent, but in the end, they are truly the most sadistic and twisted villains that we have ever seen.
Number 10: Darla Dimple (Cats Don't Dance)
Speaking of people who torture animals we turn to Darla Dimple. While it may be strange seeing a 9-year old on a list of psychopaths, it only takes one viewing of the film for you to realize just how sick she really is. In the public’s eye, Darla Dimple is nothing more than a sweet, loving, doll of a little girl. Behind closed doors, however, she turns into a little monster who demands satisfaction. She isn’t above putting others’ lives in danger in order to achieve her goals and the entire movie is centered on the fact that she enjoys torturing animals. Add the fact that she gets these psychotic little facial tics whenever stressed and it is very easy to see how close she is to snapping.
9: Madam Medusa (The Rescuers)
In the Disney 1977 animated film, The Rescuers, we are introduced to Madam Medusa. She is a woman whose greed is only matched by her sociopathic nature. A treasure hunter who has trained a pair crocodiles to take care of any outsiders, Madam Medusa cares more for shiny trinkets than human lives. This is proven by the fact that Medusa has kidnapped a young girl for the sole purpose of shoving her down a tiny hole to fetch the word’s largest diamond. It doesn’t matter to Medusa that the hole is subject to violent riptides or there is a very strong chance that the little girl will die. All Medusa cares about is getting that diamond. It is safe to assume that if Penny drowned while fetching the diamond, Medusa will just find another child to do her dirty work. A sociopath through and through, it is Medusa’s sheer lack of compassion that helps her make this list.
Number 8: Professor ScrewEyes (We're Back)
With a name like Professor ScrewEyes you would think that this is one villain who is loopier than he is frightening. That couldn’t be any further than the truth. Warned about by his brother Professor BrightEyes, ScrewEyes is a man who feeds off children’s nightmares and fears. Much like Pitch in the movie Rise of the Guardians, ScrewEyes takes an almost sadistic delight in terrorizing children and teenagers. So much so that he has built an entire traveling circus that acts as a year-round Halloween Haunt. If that doesn’t sound too villainous to you, than how about the fact that he also uses drugs and magic to enhance their fear. Oh, and he has his circus workers sign their contracts in Blood so that he has complete ownership over their souls? That’s right. This one-eyed loony collects not only the fears of children, but their souls as well.
Number 7: Azula (The Last Airbender)
For a television character to be included in a list of some of the most infamous movie villains of all time, one must assume that this character is a complete psychopath. And one would assume correctly. Azula is probably one of the most frightening villains in recent cartoon history. She is a cold, heartless, sadistic, beast of a girl who has proven time and time again that she is more than willing to sacrifice the lives of not only her soldiers, but her friends as well. In terms of combat she is considered to be one of the most talented firebenders alive. When she isn’t facing off in combat, she is expertly manipulating those around her. So powerful is her ability to manipulate others that she is able to conquer an entire kingdom with mere words – expertly outsmarting the leader of the Dai Li thus assuming control of Ba-Sing-Sa. It isn’t until the final episodes, however, that we get to see just how insane she truly is. The result is a sociopath, paranoid monster who is willing to crush any and all who get in her way.
Number 6: Professor Ratigan (Great Mouse Detective)
You might ask yourself “How is it that Ratigan is ranked higher than Azula? Azula who has tried to murder her brother on countless occasions?” Well the answer is quite simple. Whereas Azula has made several attempts in killing people, Ratigan ha actually succeeded. Professor Ratigan holds himself up as a proud, high-class rodent. He is well spoken, calm and collective,, and takes a lot of pride in his personal appearance. But all of this is to hide his true nature; that of a sociopathic killer. He has on several occasions fed his cronies to his bloodthirsty cat (obvious by how they react upon seeing the bell he uses to summon her) and at one point in the movie, he hurls his crippled henchman into a river, drowning him. However none of these things compares to when he finally loses his composure during the climatic battle at the end of the movie. His clothes torn, his hair a mess, his eyes burning with an unbridled rage; Ratigan finally exposes his true nature as he battles against Basil of Bakerstreet.
Number 5: Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmatians)
It is time to step it up a notch. The previous villains were more than willing to put others in harms way but now we get to those who take their madness to the next level. We’ll start off with none other than Cruella De Vil. Her name is literally a take on the words “Cruel Devil” and she seems herself to be the devil incarnate. Constantly complaining of being cold even though she keeps a blazing fire stoked in her fireplace, the fact that she named her home Hell Hall, and her maniac, sadistic personality all contribute to this fact. Cruella has built her entire fortune on the death of innocent animals and when she is introduced to a plethora of Dalmatian puppies, she cannot control herself. She must have them. She must have them killed and skinned in order to make her latest fashion statement. “Drown them, Poison them, bash them on the head!” is probably her most famous quote and it just shows you that she will stop at nothing to look fabulous.
Number 4: The Coachman (Pinocchio)
The Coachman in Disney’s Pinaoccho is probably one of the most callous people on this entire list. His sole purpose in the movie is to lure children to his theme park on Pleasure Island. Once there, the children are given free reign to do whatever it is they want and he is more than happy to provide onto the kids anything their little hearts desire. This includes cigarettes, cigars, alcohol, gambling, candy, and things to destroy. What the children do not know is that by acting out on this island, they are fulfilling the requirements for a terrible curse that transforms them into jackasses. He then enslaves the children with the purpose of selling them off. While that is pretty twisted by itself, it is when you discover the sheer amount of children he has kidnapped that makes him even more terrifying. This man has enslaved hundreds upon hundreds of children thus ruining the lives of many families. What’s worse is that unlike most villains who meet their maker, he has never been stopped and is still enslaving children even after the movie ends…
Number 3: Sykes (Oliver and Company)
It only takes one look at Sykes to realize that this guy means business. He’s a huge beast of a man who smokes thick cigars and owns two Dobermans whom he has personally trained to kill on command. He owns a kick-ass black Cadillac and owns an ominous shipyard where he conducts his business. All these things already qualify him as one awesome villain but where does the twisted part come into play? Well, all one needs to do is truly examine his relationship with Fagin to understand how morbid Sykes really is. In the movie, Fagin borrows a large amount of money from Sykes and is running out of time to pay Sykes back. If you consider the fact that Sykes probably knew from the beginning that Fagin would never be able to pay off the loan, then is it easy to conclude that the only reason Sykes loaned the money out was to have an excuse to torment and kill Fagin. He enjoys sending his dogs down to Fagin’s “home” to attack Fagin’s pets. He enjoys psychologically torturing Fagin just as much as he will enjoy killing Fagin once time is up. He also has no qualms in kidnapping children or arming himself with handguns to quickly dispatch trespassers. Not to mention the extreme lengths he will go to (chasing Fagin down a subway tunnel) just to get the point across that he (Sykes) is not to be trifled with.
Number 2: The Duke (Rock-A-Doodle)
Okay now here’s the wildcard. The Duke in Rock-A-Doodle may not seem like someone who belongs on this list, at least not at first glance. In the movie, he spends a majority of his time sitting on a rooftop waiting for the lights to turn off. Why? Well because any time he is exposed to light, he gets blasted away. It’s a pretty sad weakness especially when you take into account of how many times he gets hit by it. Yet he makes the list because of two very important things. The first being the fact that his entire goal throughout the movie is to cook and then devour all the animals that live on the farm. In a deleted scene he is actually shown throwing a baby skunk into a pie before throwing that pie into the oven. Seriously, no joke. Secondly, and most importantly, he accomplishes something that ninety percent of all villains fail to do. He KILLS the main character! And this is not some quick stabbing with a sword or a smack against a wall. He STRANGLES the main character to death. Legit, hardcore, throttling of the neck! To make matters worse, the main character is an eleven year old boy who has been transformed into a teeny tiny little kitten. So we get to see this owl STRANGLE a kitten to DEATH! Holy crap…
Number 1: Claude Frollo (HunchBack of Notre Dame)
For the top role for Most Twisted Animated Villain there is no one more apt for the position than Claude Frollo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame. The key element that separates him from all the others is that he is completely oblivious to the fact that he is evil. Whereas any of the previous characters will be more than happy to admit that they are in fact bad guys, Frollo believes that everything he does is for the good of all mankind. Whether he is executing gypsies, drowning babies, setting his church on fire, or enslaving the deformed; Frollo believes that everything he does is righteous and good. He goes so far as to blame his own human emotions (lusting after a woman) on Satan and Sin. He is the perfect example of how ultimate power corrupts absolutely. This oblivious nature of Frollo, this fanatical purpose of destroying all those he deems wicked, is the reason that he is the most twisted animated villain.
Do you agree with this list or do you have any villains you think are more twisted? Please let us know in the comments below!