"I have the Eye of Odin back in my private collection, and the city owes me a favor for donating it. I successfully tested this prototype battle exo-frame. And the most important thing? I was a little worried that I might be getting soft. But I was able to stand up against Goliath, the greatest warrior alive. I'd say I've still got the edge."
The Walt Disney company has provided many entertaining antagonists over the years that play off their enemies or even outshine them by stealing the spotlight. These are the most wickedly cunning of the lot.
Sections listed by release/air date.
- Examples from other live-action films made with Disney's involvement can be found here.
- Examples from the Marvel Cinematic Universe can be found here.
- Examples from Star Wars can be found here.
All spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
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Films
- Sleeping Beauty: Maleficent, the Mistress of All Evil, is a wicked fairy who takes hospitality seriously. Upon being slighted by a refusal to invite her to Princess Aurora's birthday, Maleficent curses her to prick her finger on a spinning wheel's spindle and die at age 16. When the good fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather counter the curse and spirit Aurora off to raise, Maleficent later uncovers how bad her minions have botched the search and handles it herself. Easily luring Aurora to prick her finger, Maleficent then sees Prince Phillip caught by her trap so that none can wake the princess for a century. Upon Phillip getting free, Maleficent assumes the form of a mighty dragon to face him, boasting that facing her, he faces all the powers of hell itself.
- Aladdin trilogy:
- The Return of Jafar: Jafar manages to evolve into a flawless schemer by the events of this sequel to the original film. An Evil Sorcerer who acts as grand vizier to the Sultan of Agrabah, Jafar schemes to take the throne from the Sultan by retrieving the lamp with the Genie in it that can grant wishes, only to eventually be tricked by Aladdin to become a Djinn and be trapped in the lamp. Jafar returns after getting freed by the thief Abis Mal and goes back to plotting to take over Agrabah and get revenge on Aladdin. He first manipulates Abis Mal into using two of his wishes so as to leverage him with the third. Jafar then forces Iago to participate in the scheme in which he captures all of Aladdin's allies, fakes the Sultan's death and then frames Aladdin for his murder. Posing as Princess Jasmine, Jafar sentences Aladdin to death and doesn't reveal himself until Aladdin is on the verge of being executed. When Aladdin and the others attempt to steal Jafar's lamp, he overwhelms and nearly destroys them all with his powers.
- Aladdin and the King of Thieves: Cassim is the benevolent and cunning King of the Forty Thieves and Aladdin's thought-to-be long-lost father. Having taken to theft a long time ago to try to provide better for his wife and young son, Cassim set his sights on finding the mystical Hand of Midas in the elusive Vanishing Isle through the magical Oracle. Using a raid on Aladdin and Jasmine’s wedding to divert attention, Cassim nearly succeeds in stealing the Oracle and then later arranges a fight between Aladdin and his vicious associate Sa'Luk to prevent Aladdin from being killed for finding the men's hideout. He then successfully steals the Oracle on a third attempt and rescues Aladdin again from Razoul before later being helped by Aladdin to achieve the Hand of Midas and then tricking Sa'Luk into turning himself into gold with it. Cassim then abandons the Hand and is then able to see his son's wedding from a distance before he and Iago the parrot then escape for good.
- Lilo & Stitch: Cobra Bubbles is a stern, unflappable agent of a mysterious organization that deals in extraterrestrial affairs, and masks his true colors beneath a public guise of social work. Spending the first film concerned for young Lilo's safety and astutely picking out all the ways she's being neglected, Cobra eventually works to keep her family together by using aliens' love for rules to keep Stitch free from capture and reunited with Lilo. Having once convinced an entire invading alien force to spare Earth via lying that insects were an endangered species, Cobra also sets a solid trap for the diabolical Hamsterviel in the sequel, almost destroying the villain even at the cost of endangering Stitch's fellow experiments. Cobra's ruthlessness and ingenuity continues into the television series, where he utilizes the experiments as espionage tools and even schemes to keep the public unaware of an approaching apocalypse so as to preserve peace while he spirits away key people to safety. Always cool and rarely caught off-guard, Cobra stood out in the zany cast as a deadly serious protector of Earth.
- Treasure Planet:
- John Silver is a jovial, honorable Cyborg doubling as a pirate captain in his lifelong quest to find the titular "Treasure Planet" housing the legendary treasure of Nathaniel Flint. Tracking down the map to Treasure Planet on the planet Montressor, Silver burns down an inn seeking the map, and later insinuates himself and his pirate crew to join the RLS Legacy on its own expedition to find Treasure Planet. Casting himself as a lowly grub cook to avoid suspicion, all while growing close to the young man in possession of the map, Jim Hawkins, Silver eventually orchestrates a mutiny, taking over the Legacy and holding its crew hostage to force Jim to help Silver decipher the map. Successfully finding Flint's treasure, Silver ends up sacrificing the unending troves of gold and jewels to save Jim's life, having grown to genuinely care for him as a surrogate son, and slips away at the end of the film with no punishment for his crimes, utterly content and happy with the fact that his quest for riches instead lead him into a friendship with Jim — even giving Jim the final parting gift of Silver's treasured pet Morph.
- Captain Nathaniel Flint was the most accomplished and most feared space pirate in the history of the Etherium. In life, Flint made away with enough ill-gotten loot to fill the core of an entire planet, and in death, Flint's trove became the eye of every treasure hunter in the cosmos. Not even the shrewd and cunning Silver and his band of pirates are ultimately able to make off with his treasure, as Flint was so thorough in rigging Treasure Planet with death traps to ensure the treasure stayed his, even post-mortem, that only a few doubloons survive. Even as a decaying skeleton, Flint is the only one ever able to truly appreciate his hard-earned treasure, a testament to the pirate whose greed was so vast that he made his name a literal legend.
- Zootopia & The Godfather of the Bride: Mr. Big is a feared and respected crime boss with a strong code of honor, who operates in Tundratown and Little Rodentia. In the past, he rallied his fellow community members to bring down a notorious Rhino crime boss, and later took over his operations to build Little Rodentia as a safe place for small mammals like himself. In the present day, he threatens to ice Nick and Judy when their investigation brings them to his territory, but upon learning that Judy saved his daughters life earlier in the film, shows his gratitude by co-operating with them, answering their questions, and assigning Judy to be his unborn grandchild's godmother.
- Strange World: Splat is a Scout and one of the creatures in the subterranean world under Avalonia, determined to lure intruders to be eaten by the Reapers. First trying and failing to get Searcher Clade eaten by them, Splat tries again with his son Ethan by seemingly befriending him. Later realizing the humans to not be so bad after a caring act from Ethan, Splat saves his life and helps his group escape from the Reapers. Joining their mission of reaching the heart of Pando, Splat convinces a group of Blood Cells to grab their airship and guides them to take it through the Burning Sea without it being damaged. When the group wants to save the heart by attacking the creatures hurting it, Splat tries to warn them against doing so, and when they discover they were living in a Turtle Island that the Pando energy was killing, Splat helps in bringing creatures to enter the heart through a hole and save their world from the Pando.
Other works
- TaleSpin: Shere Khan is the intimidating but charismatic head honcho of Khan Industries. A shrewd and capable business magnate whose company has greatly expanded and prospered under his administration, Khan has made himself one of the most powerful figures in the world, enough to make his own rules. Ruthless but pragmatic, he has a burning drive to make money and increase his power and authority, and will do so by fair means or foul. He and the main characters have frequently dealt with one another, sometimes as enemies, other times as allies. Morally ambiguous but not without honor, Shere Khan commands respect wherever he goes.
- Aladdin: The Series:
- Chaos, implied to be the Anthropomorphic Personification of his namesake, is a near-omnipotent trickster whose unpredictability is matched only by his love of fun and affability. Chaos is "tricked" by the evil goddess Mirage into visiting Agrabah, where he proceeds to begin screwing with reality for his own amusement, creating an evil Aladdin and an evil Genie to challenge the status quo when he's informed "Aladdin always wins." Motivated by nothing but his whims, Chaos is still a fiendishly good planner who set up Mirage from the beginning, and tricks her into falling into his evil Genie's clutches just to place her in so much danger she ends inadvertently saving the day. Not only the most powerful being seen in the series, Chaos is a cunning Trickster Mentor who commends Aladdin for what he's done with Agrabah and tells him to keep up the good work—lest he return to make things "interesting" again.
- The Mukhtar is a snake-like mercenary and the most skilled genie hunter in all the land. In his introductory episode, Mukhtar uses Iago and Abu to lead him to Genie and then masterfully fights and defeats Genie with a variety of skills, using both magical tools and pragmatic wit to outdo the powerful Reality Warper as well as his friends. Letting Genie go without issue when his employer calls the hunt off, Mukhtar later returns to take all of Genie's friends hostage in a ploy to lure Genie into Mozenrath's hands, which goes off without a hitch. Mukhtar's honor as mighty as his tracking abilities, the mercenary ends up backstabbing Mozenrath while saving Genie and his friends due to a feeling of closeness with Genie, parting ways with the heroes peacefully at the end of his story after regarding them all as friends.
- The plant elemental wizard Arbutus once made a bargain to spare the life of the Sultan in return for his "dearest treasure." Concealing that this was his daughter Jasmine, Arbutus returns to kidnap her, easily beating the heroes in the process with intent to hold Jasmine as a possession in his garden. Revealing his deep love for the plants he deems his children and his rage at humankind for mistreating them, Arbutus shows he is amenable to Jasmine's attempts to persuade him before the tragic misunderstanding causes him to be slain by Aladdin, with Jasmine and Aladdin mourning his fate once the latter uncovers the truth.
- House of Mouse:
- "Mickey Foils the Phantom Blot": The Phantom Blot is a hammy supervillain who seeks to steal a credit card from Ludwig that'll get him access to every source of money in the world. Managing to steal it as Ludwig is conversing with the main trio, he traps them in an ink bowl when they pursue him, using the trap to escape on his blimp with the card. When Ludwig reveals that only he knows the PIN code to it, he quickly kidnaps him and uses him to gain access to the card, using it to rob everything he can while evading the police. Upon the trio managing to destroy the card later, he decides to flee and ejects them out of his blimp using a trap door, getting rid of Donald and Goofy while dealing with Mickey, keeping the mouse on his toes throughout the fight and only being beaten by his blimp suddenly crashing into a mountain.
- Mickey's House of Villains: Jafar shows he's just as magnificent as he is in the films, orchestrating a takeover of the House by convincing all the Disney villains to ally into a Legion of Doom. When the time comes for the takeover, Jafar kicks Mickey and Minnie out amid a grand Villain Song, "It's Our House Now."
- The Emperor's New School: "Evil and Eviler": Miss Ni is an emperor exterminator hired by Yzma to kill Kuzco, and she takes her job seriously. She rejects Yzma's ideas right away, pointing out Yzma wouldn't have hired her if they were any good before kicking Yzma out of her own office. Acting as Vice Principal, she tempts Kuzco into pulling a prank on her so that she can send him to solitary detention to feed him to crocodiles. Her plan only fails because Yzma refuses to let Ni be the one to kill Kuzco and saves him. However, even this was foreseen by Miss Ni who tells Yzma she knew the scary old lady would have a change of heart before giving Yzma the bill to her services, showing she would win regardless of whether or not her plan to kill Kuzco succeeded.
- Big Hero 6: The Series: Obake, real name Bob Aken, was once the top student of Professor Granville. After an unsupervised lab experiment ended in disaster, Obake was left with a brain tumor that left him incapable of differentiating right from wrong. Fascinated by artist/scientist Lenore Shimamoto’s work, Obake flawlessly manipulates both heroes and villains alike into acquiring Shimamoto’s research as well the secret identities of Big Hero 6, taking close interest in Hiro Hamada. He secretly observes and gauges the boy’s growth from the shadows, even going so far as disguising himself as Hiro’s dead brother. In the season finale, Obake reveals his grand plan to recreate Shimamoto’s failed experiment that caused the Great Catastrophe, and rebuild San Fransokyo into something “perfect”. He takes control over Baymax and captures Hiro in hopes of swaying him into becoming his protégée once the dust settles. Thwarted by the heroes, a heartbroken Obake lets himself go down with his collapsing lair, but not without freeing Baymax from his control to go back to Hiro and save the boy who he deemed his equal. A Visionary Villain whose charming brilliance is rivaled by his ruthlessness, Obake establishes as Big Hero 6’s most diabolical foe to date.
- Tangled: The Series:
- Lady Caine is a notorious pirate leader who is respected in Corona's criminal underworld. Seeking revenge for her father's arrest when she was a child, she infiltrated the palace by impersonating the Duchess of Quintonia and having her men get caught and thrown in the dungeon. She broke her men out and attacked Rapunzel's princess coronation to kidnap the king, queen, and visiting nobles, fighting Cassandra evenly when Rapunzel and her friends fought back. Arrested, she plotted her escape by conspiring with her horse Axel to have him infiltrate the kingdom's guard in order to smuggle her out with a delivery of gold, nearly getting away almost without notice. She later led other villains in a successful mutiny of a prison barge and planned to overtake a ferry to use as cover to reach the mainland, where she and her allies would plunder to their hearts' content.
- "Beyond the Corona Walls" and "The Eye of Pincosta": Stalyan is the daughter of the crime lord known as The Baron and Eugene's ex-girlfriend, as well as an accomplished thief in her own right. When her father blackmailed Eugene into agreeing to marry her, Stalyan tried to make Eugene question his relationship with Rapunzel and insisted that she and Eugene belonged together. She struck out on her own after her father's criminal empire's collapse, at one point scamming a thug in a game of darts to win his bejeweled dagger. Recruited by Rapunzel to help find the Eye of Pincosta to free Eugene who had been arrested for its theft, Stalyan discretely took it off of its owner's finger and then betrayed Rapunzel, intending to free Eugene herself and try to win him back. However, Rapunzel's insistence on seeing the good in her eventually won her over and she returned to help her fight a ferocious wrestler.
- Iwájú: Ms. Happiness is the Hypercompetent Sidekick to criminal kingpin Bode DeSousa. A cultured criminal secretary, Ms. Happiness plays an integral role in Bode's child kidnapping operation, using her expert acting skills to pose as an innocent Good Samaritan and return the children to the police once their ransoms have been paid. Ms. Happiness goes on to use these acting skills when participating in the kidnapping of Tola Martins, posing as a helpful bystander to trick and capture Tola after she escapes the more brutish methods of fellow enforcer Sunday Adelekan. Repeatedly proving herself the most level-headed and Only Sane Woman of Bode's gang, Ms. Happiness keeps her accomplices on task and sees through Tola's efforts to charm them. When confronted by Tola's robotic giant lizard protector, Ms. Happiness busts out her own high tech weaponry to battle Otin before abandoning Bode to the police once he shows his true, selfish colors.
Examples
- Chicken Little (1943): Foxy Loxy desires to eat all of the birds from a nearby farmhouse. Prevented from getting in by force, he turns to a psychology book to manipulate the foolish Chicken Little into thinking the sky is falling. When his plan is foiled by Cocky Locky, the birds' leader, Foxy uses disguises and rumors to make the others think he's unfit to lead, then encourages Chicken Little to declare himself leader. Foxy uses another piece of "sky" to discredit Cocky Locky and tricks Chicken Little into luring the birds to his cave, where he successfully eats them all. Foxy Loxy stands out as one of the shrewdest Disney villains in this cautionary tale of hysteria.
- Mickey's Christmas Carol: The Ghost of Christ Yet to Come, portrayed here by Pete, is a menacing, cigar-smoking specter from the future who takes the harshest role in scaring Scrooge McDuck straight. Showing Scrooge the glimpse of a possible future in which the Cratchett family lose Tiny Tim and Scrooge himself dies with no one to remember or care about him, the Ghost gleefully shoves Scrooge into his own grave while dubbing him the "richest man in the cemetery!" The Ghost's more brutal methods drive home that Scrooge must change his ways, something that Scrooge takes to heart.
Examples
- Xemnas, the Nobody of Xehanort, founded Organization XIII to find worthy vessels for his own Heart. In doing so, he lied to its members into believing that they had lost their Hearts forever, in the hopes of keeping them empty and under his control. To fill them with his essence, Xemnas sought to create Kingdom Hearts by stealing the Hearts Sora released with his Keyblade. When Sora created a Nobody called Roxas, Xemnas recruited him and cloned him to create Xion so he could exploit Sora’s power as much as possible. Even when Roxas and Xion defected, Xemnas simply went back to relying on a revived Sora to collect Hearts for him. Ultimately foiled only because of Ansem the Wise’s intervention, Xemnas later returns thanks to Time Travel, becoming a key member of the Real Organization XIII. Staving off usurpers at every turn with a ruthless lack of emotion, Xemnas is finally defeated for good, lamenting that his first emotion in years was loneliness. In his final words, he expresses admiration for Sora for having the strength to bear the "pain" of having a Heart. A brilliant mind with a stoic yet affable demeanour, Xemnas proves himself a deadly and devious adversary.
- Axel, the Nobody of Lea and number VIII of Organization XIII, is a quick-witted and smooth-spoken "fixer" for the Organization responsible for silencing those who try to betray Xemnas. Axel acts as a mole for Larxene and Marluxia's scheme, killing loose ends like Vexen and Zexion with an impenetrable smile on his face, while manipulating Sora's group, Namine, and the Riku Replica, eventually dismantling Marluxia's scheme in preparation for his and Saïx's own attempt to seize power from Xemnas. Axel shows humanity and depth unique for a Nobody far earlier than most of his comrades, bonding fiercely with Xion and Roxas, and once his love for them overrides his loyalty to the Organization, Axel goes turncoat. When his attempt to take Roxas from Sora back fails, Axel decides to help him instead, sacrificing his own life to save Sora and paving the way for Lea to ally with the heroes against Xehanort's overlapping scheme. Always ready with a quip and a smile for any occasion, Axel leaves little room for wonder as to how the fandom memorized his name so universally.
- Luxord, the Gambler of Fate, is a member of Organization XIII and the Seekers of Darkness. An intuitive Nobody who treats life like a game of chance, he uses his cunning and skills to further the Organization's goals. Stealing the cursed Aztec gold to study its effects and even cursing Jack Sparrow and a Heartless, he took the experiment's failure in stride as it drove Sora to slay another Heartless for Kingdom Hearts. He saw through Xigbar's deception regarding the search for the Black Box and questioned his true identity. Searching for Davy Jones' Chest in the Caribbean, he challenged Jack to a race and tricked him into divulging the chest's location when the latter won. Both times he fought Sora, he challenged the hero to games that kept him on his toes. After their final duel, he commends Sora for besting him and rewards him with a wild card to turn the tables, and he looks forward to meeting Sora again after he is recompleted.
- Kingdom Hearts II & Kingdom Hearts III:
- Captain Jack Sparrow is as smart and eccentric as his film counterpart. First introduced after recently escaping prison, Jack only agrees to help save Elizabeth due to him needing a crew, but proves invaluable to Sora and Crew stopping Barbossa with his quick thinking, such as using his hidden knife to cut him and the others free when captured. Jack steals a medallion in order to turn into a ghost pirate and distract Barbossa long enough for Will to break the curse. When the ghost pirates return, Jack uses his keen eye to count exactly how many medallions were taken and helping Sora stop Luxord's schemes, before vowing to one day take Sora's Keyblade by force. Reuniting with Sora, Jack manages to figure the way out of Davy Jones' Locker, before manipulating events to get aboard the Flying Dutchman and steal the chest, then helping a dying Will take Jones' place as Captain of the Dutchman. Leading the charge against Beckett, Jack parts ways with Sora once again, giving him some important advice about how there's "always enough time for hearts to say what's true".
- Captain Hector Barbossa is just as charming and intelligent as he is in Pirates of the Caribbean. A pirate who usurped Captain Jack Sparrow before the games, Barbossa and his crew ended up trapped between life and death as immortal skeleton monsters after an Aztec curse and he now seeks to free himself from his fate. To this end, Barbossa smartly opts to divide his troops to have one group gain the medallion that can break the curse and the other keep Sora and his friends busy. Barbossa later has his troops manipulate Will Turner into an ambush to take the medallion and undo the curse. Despite not possessing powers of his own, Barbossa proves to be a formidable fighter able to smartly take advantage of tactics to fight Sora on even terms before his death. Revived to help find Jack in Davy Jones' locker, Barbossa proves instrumental in convincing Jack to go with them. Barbossa releases Tia Dalma/Calypso to help defeat the evil forces of Cutler Beckett and Davy Jones. Later helping Jack fend off the Flying Dutchman, Barbossa ends his story on good terms with the heroes and wishes them luck.
- Kingdom Hearts coded: Data-Roxas serves as the last obstacle for Data-Sora in a recreation of Castle Oblivion. Proposing that Data-Sora delve into the castle and experience memories that will fade as soon as they come, Data-Roxas tricks him into filling himself with the "hurt" of lost memories that will drag him deeper into the darkness if he keeps shouldering the burden. When Data-Sora optimistically rebukes him, Data-Roxas initiates one last emotional battle that ends with the revelation it was all a test. Struggling with being the data copy of a Nobody, Data-Roxas channeled his pain towards his role as a surprisingly manipulative character before peacefully exiting stage left.
Examples
- Maleficent: Maleficent retains the charisma and charm of her original counterpart. Charged with protecting the Moors, Maleficent declares herself their "Dark Queen" when her childhood friend Stefan betrays her and becomes the King of the humans. Cursing Stefan's daughter Aurora to fall into a death-like sleep, Maleficent seals off the Moors and easily dispatches of any of Stefan's soldiers, all the while growing fond of Aurora from afar after Stefan begs her to lift the curse, with Maleficent eventually breaking it out of her own love for Aurora. Defeating Stefan, Maleficent goes on to quash any who attack her or her loved ones, defeating and humiliating a wicked Queen before giving Aurora and her fiancé a lavish wedding while going on to rule the Dark Fey unopposed.
- Mulan (2020): Xian Lang is a witch who, exiled from her home due to her great power, seeks to form a new society where people like her will be viewed as equal. Allying herself with Rouran warlord Bori Khan during his invasion of China, Xian Lang uses both her powers and battle prowess to help topple China's military garrisons, while also using her shape-shifting abilities to infiltrate the Imperial City and manipulate The Emperor of China into gathering troops to battle the invaders. Meeting Mulan in battle, Xian Lang sees through her disguise and reveals that the attacks were merely a diversion to draw troops away from the Imperial City. Infiltrating the palace in the guise of the Chancellor, Xian Lang tricks the Emperor into leaving the safety of the palace and falling into Bori Khan's trap. Later, upon seeing how Mulan has been accepted by the army despite her gender and realizing that there is a place for people like her, Xian Lang aids Mulan in defeating Bori Khan, sacrificing her life in the process.
- Cruella: Cruella de Vil is reimagined as a capable con artist and thief with excellent fashion sense. Born to the cold-hearted Baroness von Hellman—who wanted her dead—Cruella was at first raised as "Estella", the daughter of maid Catherine Miller, whose murder she witnessed as a child. Growing up orphaned, Estella had ended up pulling schemes with the Badun brothers Horace and Jasper, creating the costumes for each job as they go. Wanting to get into the fashion world, Estella gets hired and works closely under the Baroness, while also trying to steal back her family heirloom from her cruel employer. Becoming Cruella, she also undermines the Baroness' own business while increasing her own and when Cruella learns of her true heritage, she then fakes her own murder as Estella at the Baroness's hands in order to set her up and make it so Cruella gets everything that was always meant to be hers.
Examples
- Rumplestiltskin, aka Mr. Gold, is the charismatic and manipulative architect of the entire saga. A skilled player who can use both friend and foe alike, Rumplestiltskin rises from humble origins to become the powerful Dark One to save his son. After losing him to the land without magic, Rumplestiltskin orchestrates a centuries-long group of gambits to reach him and directly corrupts various characters to do It. Rumplestiltskin helps orchestrate Emma Swan becoming Sherrif by helping create a series of unfortunate events that would help her election. He later skillfully plays Hook's feelings to turn him into his pawn to achieve freedom from the Dark One dagger and when defeated can claw his way back by corrupting Emma to create a world where villains like him get happy endings. Rumplestiltskin bounces back even from this setback and uses Emma to become the most powerful Dark One in history while searching for even greater power. Rumplestiltskin also has softer moments in his endeavors and helps the heroes against various villains that threaten to destroy the town of Storybrooke. Redeeming himself, Rumplestiltskin spends an entire season helping to create a situation so he can be free of his immortality and be with his wife in death. Affable, charming, and tragic, Rumplestiltskin whether friend or foe always gets on top.
- Cora Mills, aka the Queen of Hearts, Regina and Zelena's mother, was once a poor girl who, after a life of hardship, was taught magic by Rumplestiltskin and fell in love with him before choosing power over him. Wanting Regina to have the life she never had, Cora poisoned her old rival Queen Eva before making Snow White's horse go wild so Regina could save her. Later manipulating Snow into telling her that Regina is planning to run away, Cora kills Regina's love, Daniel. Imprisoned in Wonderland, Cora spends years plotting to reunite with her daughter and later protects herself, Hook, and a few others from the curse, before taking over the refugees by pretending to be Lancelot. Upon making it to Storybrooke, Cora comes up with a plan to frame Regina for the murder of Archie, before convincing her to join her. Planning to and nearly succeeding in killing Rumplestiltskin, Cora eventually dies in Regina's arms, telling her that she would have been enough. Encountering the heroes in the Underworld, Cora tries to convince Regina to go home before being imprisoned by Hades. Managing to use her cunning and Hook's hook to escape, Cora makes amends with her daughters before ascending to Olympus.
- Ingrid the "Snow Queen" is Anna and Elsa of Arrendale's aunt and the Big Bad of season 4A. A charming, soft-spoken woman who was unjustly punished by her sister for an accidental murder and left to rot self-aware in an urn for decades, Ingrid desires a family once more and sets about to get it. Coming to the Land without Magic, Ingrid begins a scheme to help Emma Swan and Elsa become her new sisters and help them conquer their fears and embrace their powers. Ingrid plays the various heroes into helping her construct the Spell of Shattered Sight to destroy the citizens and allow her and her new sisters peace and even lets herself get captured in order to get close to Emma to emotionally manipulate her into setting off and allow her to embrace her heritage. Always calm, collected and charming, Ingrid even dies with true dignity, accepting that what she's done is wrong and giving her life to fix it, ultimately allowing her to rejoin her sisters in the afterlife in one of the show's most touching send-offs.
- Hades is the Lord of the Underworld, God of Death and Big Bad of season 5B. Having been cast out from Mount Olympus after an attempted coup, Hades was confined to the Underworld lest he find true love with his emotions damped thanks to his cursed frozen heart. Desiring to woe the witch Zelena he loves, Hades puts the heroes through loops as they attempt to resurrect Captain Killian "Hook" Jones. Tricking Rumplestiltskin into destroying his way out from the Underworld only to reveal Hades has a contract to his unborn child, forcing him into servitude; and manipulates Hook's brother into keeping information of his own weaknesses away from the heroes. Hades also tricks Belle into damning Gaston to crush her hopes and empower himself, even responds to Rumplestiltskin's capture of Zelena by setting up Emma as a contingency plan and later trick the heroes into nearly being trapped in the Underworld forever with a false story about Hook. Hades ultimately proves to be one of the heroes' greatest foes and very nearly succeeds in his plans to rule the mortal realm with Zelena by his side.
- Mr. Hyde is the warden of the Land of Untold Stories, who fled there after Jekyll framed him for the murder of the woman that they loved, Mary. When a group of heroes gets trapped in his domain, Hyde decides to use their and Jekyll's escape plan to take all the untold stories to Storybrooke. Kidnapping a comatose Belle, Hyde trades her and a way to wake her up to get Gold to help him complete his plan. Even when captured by the main characters, Hyde holds his head high, managing to use his knowledge to cause Emma to lose her confidence and getting the Evil Queen to free him in exchange for information. Secretly tracking Jekyll to his lab, Hyde destroys the serum designed to kill him and even swaps Jekyll's hidden vial with a fake, using this to get ahold of the Dark One's Dagger. Blaming Gold for Mary's death, Hyde plans to force Gold to watch the "monster" Jekyll kill his wife. Soft spoken and classy, Hyde repeatedly shows that he has the brains to match his massive strength.
- Doctor Facilier, aka Mr. Baron Samdi, was once a witch doctor with a foot on each side, who tricked Tiana into giving him the Firefly Ruby by making a Frog into a Prince. In another instance, he gets Tiana to kill an alligator, so he can get Regina's necklace and return it to her. In Hyperion Heights, he awakens Nick so he will kill the witches that are his competition and sees through Regina's attempts to trick him. Having Sabine's food truck shut down, Facilier has Drew earn her trust by helping her save it. Killing Nick when he gets caught, Facilier tricks Ivy into siphoning magic from Anastasia and gives Regina the magic to save Henry, all in exchange for a smile. Facilier later helps Lucy cure Henry because she impressed him. Smooth-talking and only beaten by a sneak attack, Facilier proves to be the most competent villain introduced in Seattle.
- "Desperate Souls" & "The Apprentice": Zoso, the Dark One before Rumplestiltskin, is the one ultimately responsible for Rumplestiltskin's fall into darkness. Finding himself enslaved to the Duke of the Frontlands, Zoso recognizes Rumplestiltskin as a desperate soul and hatches a plan to make Rumplestiltskin his successor as the Dark One. Pretending to be nothing more than a homeless beggar, Zoso takes advantage of Rumplestiltskin's desire to protect his son to become his "benefactor", telling of the Dark One's Dagger, before convincing him to steal it from the Duke and kill the Dark One to become the new Dark One. Goading Rumplestiltskin into killing him, Zoso dies laughing and passing onto Rumplestiltskin an important lesson: "All magic comes with a price".
Examples
- "No More Bunny Business" & "The Return of the Rogue Rabbit": Dennis the Rabbit is a Rogue Agent out to take down Perry the Platypus and infiltrate OWCA. In his introductory episode, Dennis skillfully plays himself off as a harmless bunny so as to be taken into the Flynn household by Candace, where Dennis then scours the home looking for access points into OWCA. Fighting off Perry and turning his own tech against him, Dennis successfully hacks into OWCA and nears victory until his affinity for carrots thwarts him. Unfazed, Dennis returns later by teaming up with Dr. Doofenshmirtz and using a high-tech backpack to wage war on Perry and nearly destroy the platypus once and for all.
- "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo": Emperor Doofenshmirtz comes from a future where he got a single leg up on OWCA, and through this, gained ultimate power. When Perry was wounded enough to be bedridden for a few months thanks to Candace tampering with time, Doofenshmirtz was able to outdo OWCA without Perry's interference, reducing the spy agency to rubble. Doofenshmirtz then took advantage of the chaos wrought by Moral Guardians to take over the Tri-State area in a total political upheaval, declaring himself Emperor and subjugating the population. Emperor Doofenshmirtz reigns unopposed and unstoppable, squashing any attempts by OWCA or others by rebellion through use of surveillance and forcing all to swear oaths of loyalty to him. Emperor Doofenshmirtz's success is so grand that he bombastically sings of how he's had a "charmed life" with all of the Tri-State area as his audience, proving himself a true contrast to the ineffective Doofenshmirtz in the original timeline.
- "Minor Monogram": Rodrigo is the new protege of Doofenschmirtz who schemes to surpass his mentor. Idly pointing out the various cliche flaws in Doofenshmirtz's plans and capture of Agent P, Rodrigo proves his superiority as a mad scientist by successfully entrapping Perry in a device even the OWCA agent cannot escape. Rodrigo then betrays and imprisons Doofenshmirtz himself, hijacking the man's scheme to hold the Tri-State Area hostage, planning to instead destroy Danville and take over the entire planet. Rodrigo's plan is so impressive that even Doofenshmirtz is speechless at his bravado.
- "Where's Perry?" two-parter: Evil Carl is the Evil Counterpart of the normally heroic Carl Karl created by one of Doofenshmirtz's inators, and proves himself to be one of the most intelligent and competent villains in the series. Carl is quickly able to capture Doof and Monogram and begins his plan to take over the tri-state area using the OWCA mainframe, a plan he nearly succeeds in. Carl lures Perry to the OWCA headquarters and traps him to get him out of the way. When Doof messes up and hits Perry with one of his inators, Carl is able to successfully figure out that it is the go-home inator with little to go off. When Carl finds out Perry isn't there, he calls Perry and manages to identify purely through a single flower that Perry is in uncharted regions of Africa. In order to lure Perry out, he has his robots destroy a bridge to put the boys and their friends in danger.
- ''Sidetracked'': Professor Bannister is a Greenlandic evil scientist and Agent Lyla Lolliberry's nemesis. Envious of Canada's national pride, he poses as a Canadian scientist and plots to destabilize Canada and annex it into Greenland by abducting the country's prized moose. Taking advantage of the L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. evil scheme exchange program to have Dr. Doofenshmirtz do the dirty work, he anticipates exactly how Doof's efforts would turn out and swoops in to steal the train car with the moose after completing Doofenshmirtz's scheme swiftly. After sending magnetic robots that he had hidden under his lab coat to fight Agent P and Lyla, he attempts to make his escape while still maintaining a conversational attitude only to be arrested due to the surprise arrival of Peter the Panda.
- "Tales from the 2nd Dimension": Charlene Doofenshmirtz-2 serves as a cunning, snarky contrast to her more bumbling husband Heinz. Having faked her divorce from Heinz so as to avoid imprisonment if his dictatorship was ever toppled, Charlene nonetheless holds a love for her husband and concocts a brilliant plan to free him from prison when he's beaten. Having already kidnapped dozens of OWCA agents and turned them into cyborg puppets, Charlene uses them to stage attacks on the Resistance so as to expose herself and trick Resistance leader Candace into using Heinz to infiltrate Charlene's base. With Heinz brought right to her doorstep, Charlene springs a trap to capture the Resistance, fights off another group of them all by her lonesome with valour and skill, and ends up escaping with Heinz and their daughter in tow, ready to begin plotting world domination alongside her family once again.
- Star Wars: Darth Ferb is created when the heroic Ferb is blasted by Darthenshmirtz's Sith-inator. Immediately upgrading and outfitting the Sith-inator to galactic-wide proportion, Darth Ferb offers Phineas a chance to join him in creating an entire army of Sith. When Phineas rejects his offer, Darth Ferb expertly tricks out his lightsabers on the fly to duel and overcome Phineas with all manner of trickery. Even when Candace and Perry intervene, Darth Ferb's mastery of the Force enables him to near-victory, and he is only barely beaten after cleverly destroying Phineas's lightsaber to leave the boy powerless.
Examples
- Captain Jack Sparrow, one of the nine "Pirate Lords" and the most famed pirate of the Caribbean, lured Capitán Armando Salazar to his doom at the start of his pirating career with little but his wits. Later escaping the clutches of the wicked Cutler Beckett and the mutiny of his treacherous crew, Jack dreams of recovering the Black Pearl and uses the begrudging William "Will" Turner to do so. Performing a series of elaborate double and triple crosses to manipulate both the Navy and cursed pirates against one another, Jack ends up on the side of good to defeat his traitorous former First Mate Hector Barbossa. When Beckett emerges and the feared Davy Jones is after him, Jack bargains for time from Jones to steal his disembodied heart. Returning from death, Jack makes Elizabeth Swann the King of the Pirates' Brethren Court while setting her and Will up to escape Beckett and allow Jack to take Jones' place, a dream he abandons to save the mortally wounded Will. Later forced to assist Edward "Blackbeard" Teach in a quest for the Fountain of Youth, Jack tricks the feared pirate into sacrificing his life for his daughter Angelica and later provides a way for his old rival and sometimes-friend Barbossa to give his life to save Barbossa's daughter Carina. Rarely at a loss for words or plots, Jack routinely comes up with plans on the fly, so talented that some wonder if he has things planned out or makes them up as he goes along.
- Hector Barbossa was once the First Mate to Captain Jack Sparrow aboard the Black Pearl until instituting a mutiny to take over the ship and being cursed as an immortal skeleton with certain human senses gone. Seeking William "Will" Turner to break said curse, Barbossa incites an invasion of Port Royal and abducts Elizabeth Swann thinking she's the descendant he needs and uses a lot of double-talk to arrange circumstances to his liking at each turn. Barbossa then uses Elizabeth as leverage to get Will in his possession, distracting the British Navy with an attack and nearly succeeds in sacrificing Will in order to restore his humanity, only to be killed when the curse is broken. Resurrected not long after, Barbossa seeks to bring Jack back from Davy Jones's Locker while also fighting Lord Cutler Beckett and the East India Trading Company and releasing the Goddess Calypso "from [her] human bonds" to get her assistance. Eventually taking down Blackbeard for his ship and power and then seeking to protect his capitalization on all things piracy, Barbossa willing chooses to finally give it all up for the sake of the survival of his own daughter Carina, his true "Treasure".
- William "Will" Turner is the son of pirate "Bootstrap Bill" Turner. Once a humble blacksmith and a Master Swordsman, Will uncovers Jack in his shop through a misplaced tool and battles the pirate. When Elizabeth is abducted by Barbossa, Will bargains with Jack for his assistance in exchange for the pirate's escape from jail. Following a series of double-crosses, where Will learns Jack's true intentions, Will assists in fighting Barbossa's crew and lifting the curse, allowing Jack to kill Barbossa. Declared an outlaw himself for helping Jack escape, Will barters with Lord Cutler Beckett for a pardon. Eventually learning Bootstrap is aboard the Flying Dutchman, Will becomes determined to free his father, where Will tricks Jones into revealing the key to the Dead Man's Chest containing his heart and successfully steals it. With the chest falling into Beckett's hands, Will initially assists the pirates to unite the Brethren Court to unleash Calypso. Will decides to betray the pirates by striking a deal with Beckett, trading Jack for himself in a prison exchange. Will also reveals to Calypso the truth about Jones betraying her, inciting her wrath. Will would end up taking Jones' place as Captain of the Dutchman, freeing his father and defeating Beckett.
- Elizabeth Swann, daughter of Governor Weatherby Swann, helped saved William "Will" Turner from drowning, hiding his pirate connection from her father's men. When the Black Pearl attacks Port Royal, Elizabeth uses her knowledge of the "Pirate Code" to get an audience with Barbossa, tricking him into thinking she is the Turner child he is looking for. When she is marooned on an island with Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth uses its hidden rum bottles to build a signal fire to alert the Navy as to where they are and later aids Jack's escape attempt by pretending to faint. When imprisoned by Lord Cutler Beckett, Elizabeth uses her father's failed rescue attempt in order to take Beckett himself hostage, forcing him to sign the pardon papers for Will and using a fake ghost to scare an entire ship into taking her where she needs to go. Later Elizabeth uses Jack's feelings for her to trap him on the ship as the Kraken attacks. Being made captain of the Empress and voted the Pirate King, Elizabeth leads the fight against the East India Trading Company and the Flying Dutchman, before settling down to raise her and Will's son, reuniting with her husband years later.
- The Curse of the Black Pearl: Anamaria is a pirate who gets herself instilled as a crew member of the Interceptor to confront Jack for stealing her boat from her in the past. As payment for the act, she accepts the offer from Will Turner to take the Interceptor once Jack has the Black Pearl again. Anamaria then takes control of the Interceptor after agreeing to abandon Jack for falling behind and then holds her own as captain in a fight against the Pearl immediately after that. When freed and helping the others take the Pearl—which she apparently becomes captain of too, she agrees to yet again abandon Jack and this time Will and Elizabeth too—for being left behind. However, later agreeing to help save Jack from the Gallows, Anamaria then more than willingly passes control of the ship right back to him.
- Dead Man's Chest & At World's End: Tia Dalma, once known as Calypso, Goddess of the Sea bound in human form by the Brethren Court, eventually took up being a sea witch. Developing feelings for Davy Jones, Captain of the Flying Dutchman, Calypso charged him with transporting the dead to the afterlife, but ended up neglecting their one night together, leading to Jones abandoning his duties and cursing himself and his crew. When Jack is targeted by Jones for his debt, Tia advises Jack in how to fend off and how to potentially control Jones with his heart. After Jack is trapped in Davy Jones' Locker and the East India Trading Company begin their genocide of pirates, Tia sees this as an opportunity to finally be unbound from human form by uniting the Brethren Court once more. Resurrecting Barbossa to serve as a guide, they succeed in bringing Jack back to the living world. Intending to turn on the pirates and seducing Jones once more, Tia learns of Jones' betrayal, enraging her so much that shortly after she's released, she summons a giant maelstrom on both the Black Pearl and Flying Dutchman, only relenting once Jones finally meets his demise.
- On Stranger Tides: The Spaniard is the leader of the Spanish Armada seeking the destruction of the Fountain of Youth as they believes God's power to give and take life doesn't belong in man's hands. Refusing to engage enemies on a whim and keeping his mind on his mission, the Spaniard successfully steals the chalices needed for the ritual as a means of delaying those on the quest to get there. Upon arrival at the Fountain, the Spaniard shoots a British Naval officer for nearly declaring the land for the British—while wanting to remember the man for his bravery—and has the chalices taken from Angelica after asking nicely so as to then stomp on them. After the Spaniard succeeds in having the Fountain blown up, killing the rest of Blackbeard's men in the process, he then orders his men to follow him as he gracefully departs.
- Dead Men Tell No Tales: Shansa is an imprisoned sea witch who cursed Barbossa's enemies so he could achieve higher success with no opposition when he saved her from the gallows. Learning everything she can through unpleasant rituals, such as eventually draining a man of his blood as he kept coming back for help, Shansa advises Barbossa about Salazar threatening him and only being stopped through the Trident of Poseidon—providing him with Jack's compass that she mysteriously possesses and advising Barbossa to retire peacefully if he wants to extend his life, but then allowing him the choice as to whether or not he'll reject the tedium of that in exchange for eventually dying sooner as a pirate. When Shansa is then threatened by British Lt. John Scarfield, she tells him he's put him on the path that will get him in the race for the Trident—knowing he'll eventually be destroyed by Salazar as she had expected him to be.
Examples
- Toy Story:
- Toy Story 2: Emperor Zurg is the Arch-Enemy of Buzz Lightyear. When Buzz is called to Zurg's planet to deal with him, Zurg first sets a trap of thousands of robots. When Buzz escapes that he nearly kills him with a spike trap, a levitating bridge, and even fools him with a fake power source. Finally facing Buzz head on, he kills him in battle, and then laughs maniacally. The film then cuts to the "real world", where Rex complains about how hard the Zurg boss fight in the game is.
- Toy Story 4: Gabby Gabby is a 50s-era doll who has languished on the shelves of Second Chance Antiques for years waiting for a child's love. When Gabby Gabby meets Woody and learns he has a functioning voicebox, Gabby Gabby covets it for herself and quickly realizes the folly in attempting to brute-force it out of him. Two thirds of the way into the film, Gabby Gabby uses the knowledge she's gained by befriending her "captive," Forky, and subjects Woody to a brutal but heart-wrenchingly sincere speech that convinces Woody to stop opposing her and give up his own voicebox so Gabby Gabby can have a chance at happiness. Unlike Stinky Pete and Lotso, Gabby Gabby always remains calm and grateful toward the heroes—even offering Woody his voicebox back when her initial chance at happiness earns her rejection—while remaining the one antagonist in the series to have effectively hit Woody at his core.
- The Incredibles films:
- The Incredibles
- Mirage is the mysterious and charming Dragon to Syndrome. Mirage lures former "Supers" on Syndrome's behalf by shadowing them and contacting them via video, then arranging each one to fight the Omnidroid, killing all except for Mr. Incredible. Each time a Super succeeds though, the Omnidroid is modified to become stronger and stronger, with Syndrome intending to send it after a city so he can "save" it. After Mirage saves Syndrome at one point only for him to callously be willing to let her get killed when she's in danger, she completely turns against him by helping Mr. Incredible escape, telling him his family is alive, and then helping the Parr family commandeer a rocket to go after the Omnidroid.
- Bomb Voyage is a French supervillain who sets out to rob the Municiberg Bank. Using bombs to escape from the vault, he runs into Mr. Incredible, where after preparing to face off against him, Buddy Pines steps onto the scene to get Mr. Incredible to hire him as his sidekick. Failing to escape from a distracted Mr. Incredible, Voyage still manages to humorously make fun of Buddy's outfit. When Buddy attempts to leave to get the police, Voyage plants a bomb on his cape causing Mr. Incredible to chase after him. Voyage uses this to escape and end his heist on a successful note.
- Incredibles 2:
- Evelyn Deavor is the brilliant technical genius behind DevTech. Believing that humanity has become too reliant on superheroes following her parents' deaths, Evelyn pretends to support Winston's plan to make Supers legal again, while secretly scheming to make sure they remain illegal. She sets up a decoy Screenslaver to commit several crimes, while also helping Helen foil his plans. When Elastigirl deduces that that the Screenslaver she captured was a decoy, Evelyn hypnotizes her along with Mr. Incredible, Frozone and the DevTech Supers. Her objective is to stage a scene on the Everjust to make it seem that the Supers are tired of being told what to do by the "normal people" and then crash the Everjust into the city, thus turning public opinion against them and making them illegal forever. Even when her plans are thwarted, Evelyn holds her own against Elastigirl and nearly kills her through quick thinking and efficient use of her environment.
- The Underminer is a hammy, mole-like supervillain who appears at the end of the first film to declare war on peace and happiness, but while his ultimate plan here is merely to rob a bank, it is no less impressive. He achieves his goal by drilling tunnels in the bank's foundation, detonating explosives so that the building falls underground, and vacuuming all of the money away. When Mr. Incredible intervenes, The Underminer engages in a brief fist fight with him before escaping with his loot in a smaller drill tank, leaving Mr. Incredible to stop his larger, now out-of-control, tank.
- The Incredibles
TV seriesnote
Animated series
- DuckTales works:
- 1987 series:
- "Glittering" Goldie is Scrooge McDuck's first love, who proves herself to be more than a match for him in both wits and greed. Goldie's introduction featured her eyeballing a massive gold nugget Scrooge had found, strong-arming him into a rigged game of cards, and ultimately falling for him after he turns the tables on her. Decades after they have a falling out, Scrooge discovers that Goldie had been living on his old claim, defending it with her trusty shotgun and pet bear, and while things start tense, they reconcile after Goldie chooses to save Scrooge from a robbery. Goldie's finest outing shows her orchestrating a complex scheme to obtain Scrooge's land in the Ducky Mountains, knowing that it has a massive gold deposit underneath that Scrooge himself is unaware of. Happily tricking Scrooge into trading his land for hers, Goldie rubs her victory in his face before giving him an affectionate kiss and a complement, to which Scrooge can do nothing but smile.
- "Much Ado About Scrooge": Filler Brushbill is a charismatic and clever "super-duper" salesman whose persuasive ability knows no bounds, convincing even the penny-pinching Scrooge to purchase several hundred-thousands of dollars worth of random knick-knacks. Discovering that world-famous playwright William Drakespeare had created an unreleased play, Filler follows Scrooge in his quest for profits, saving the lives of both Scrooge and his nephews before pulling his weight in finding the play. When Scrooge and the boys discover that the play is terrible and try to lock it back up, Filler swoops in and steals the script, fully intending to keep all the potential profits for himself. It's only when Louie appeals to his business-sense that Filler relents and returns the play, happily forming a bond with the young boy and scoring a potential business deal with Scrooge in the process.
- 2017 series:
- Goldie O'Gilt, Scrooge's old flame and "ex-everything," is a beautiful, conniving treasure hunter who rivals Scrooge's skills but — possessed of a penchant for betrayal — Goldie has backstabbed Scrooge countless times to leave him in the wake of danger, while she constantly walks off untouched. During the Gold Rush, Goldie competed with Scrooge for the gold under Gumption before helping Scrooge steal a giant gold nugget from John D. Rockerduck. In the present, Goldie plays both Scrooge and Flintheart in her pursuit of the Golden Lagoon, using Scrooge to locate the Lagoon for her before managing to fake her death with the Eye of Demogorgon and making off with the treasure herself, completely untouched in the end. Taking Louie Duck under her wing, Goldie helps him con Doofus Drake, while growing genuinely fond of the young duck, before making off with their stolen gold for herself. Later joining forces with Scrooge to find the Fountain of Youth, Goldie helps stop Ponce de Leon from stealing others' youth before saving Scrooge's life. Even through their constant quarreling and rivalry, Goldie and Scrooge retain a fierce, mutual respect for each other, with Goldie always knowing Scrooge will make it out alive out of whatever conundrum she leaves him in and Scrooge acknowledging her as his greatest Worthy Opponent.
- Gandra Dee, a F.O.W.L. agent, is a well-intentioned but morally ambiguous scientist who is determined to push the boundaries of science. Agreeing to help Mark Beaks steal the Gizmoduck armor in exchange for funding, Gandra charms her way onto a date with Fenton where she tries to trick him into saying the suit's activation code one word at a time, legitimately falling for Fenton along the way. After preventing Gizmoduck from stopping Beaks from escaping, Gandra helps Fenton take out Beaks before sneaking away and leaving Fenton a way to complete his experiment. Helping Bradford hack a robot to try and kill Scrooge, Gandra later races Dewey and Webby for a piece of the Sword of Swanstantine, even temporally blinding the two to impede them. Later switching sides, Gandra leaks F.O.W.L. plans to Fenton so he can prevent them, helps stop Beaks from using the Gizmocloud for evil, and even helps to save Donald before he is erased from existence. Never losing her wit and charm, Gandra Dee shares Fenton's love for science and firm belief in using it to change the world even when they are on opposite sides.
- 1987 series:
- Darkwing Duck: Splatter Phoenix is a comically verbose, ostentatious artist and self-described "daringly innovative pseudo anti-neo post modern deconstructionist". Using her signature reality-warping paint in conjunction with her creative mind, Phoenix commits her crimes with a painter's flair, often coming up with imaginative ways to go about her schemes. Phoenix's best showing is in her debut episode, where she stakes out the St. Canard Museum by hiding inside of the paintings, sneaking out to swipe the art so she can sell them for cash. When confronted by the heroes, Phoenix outmaneuvers them at every turn, nearly killing them by trapping them inside of Gosalyn's painting, and is only defeated because Honker got a paintbrush of his own to level the playing field.
- Gargoyles:
- David Xanatos, the Trope Namer for Xanatos Gambit and Xanatos Speed Chess, is a charming, suave man who always thinks ten steps ahead. Having revived the Gargoyles in modern day, Xanatos befriends them while manipulating them into stealing technology for him while pretending to be an innocent party. After being defeated and sent to prison, Xanatos sets up further plans to make himself look like a model citizen while securing an early parole for his lover Fox, while constantly tricking the Gargoyles into handling problems for him. Even his own wedding shows Xanatos's endless capacity for maintaining an advantage: warping himself and all the wedding guests into the past, Xanatos ends the adventure by having a rare coin set aside to be sent to himself a thousand years in the future when it will be worth a fortune, allowing him to kick start his own career. Rarely at a loss for a contingency and never losing his smile, Xanatos is rarely ever one-upped, and often proves his boast that nothing is beyond his capacity to control.
- Fox, born Janine Renard, is David Xanatos' wife and partner in crime. A savvy, cunning mercenary, Fox aids her husband's schemes out of their genuine love and admiration for each other. Introduced as the leader of the Pack, Fox quickly proves herself to be head and shoulders above her teammates, manipulating them on Xanatos' behalf before leaving the group during a jailbreak to ensure her own early parole. Equally capable while operating on her own initiative, Fox orchestrates a near-successful scheme to usurp her noble father's company, despite the fact that he would have simply given it to her if she asked, preferring fun over her father's sense of honor, maintaining a positive relationship with him despite this. When Oberon attempts to abduct her newborn son, Fox proves willing to fight tooth and nail to defend him, even summoning a burst of magical power that temporarily stuns the Lord of Avalon. Pairing her skills with a mischievous cunning and genuine affection for her family, Fox proves herself as every bit her husband's equal.
- Macbeth mac Findlaech is an immortal Scottish king magically linked to Demona. Losing his kingdom and his family to his former ally's treachery, Macbeth sets out to avenge himself upon her, as well as to use the terms of their immortality—that neither can die unless one kills the other, in which case, both die—to end his own painful life as well. Considered one of the greatest warriors alive by the modern day, Macbeth combines tactical acumen, combat skill, and advanced technology to stand his ground against far stronger opponents. Honorable yet ruthless, Macbeth proves that he wouldn't attack his enemies while they were helpless, but can easily outfight them in battle. Initially willing to take the gargoyles hostage or allow them to die if it means he can kill Demona, Macbeth gradually rediscovers his will to live, becoming the clan's ally. Later seeking a new purpose, Macbeth tries to usurp King Arthur as the Once and Future King, only to show humility when Arthur bests him, declining an offer to serve Arthur, but promising his aid when needed. One of the show's most sympathetic, yet capable villains, Macbeth is one of the Manhattan Clan's finest foes, never losing his sense of honor or admirable edge.
- Puck is the trickster of Oberon's Children, a brilliant prankster who assumes the form of Owen Burnett to assist David Xanatos. Puck, when enslaved by Demona, constantly misinterprets her commands, such as turning humans into gargoyles and vice versa to get around her attempts to murder them, leaving Demona to turn human during the daylight as a form of ironic punishment. Later creating a huge vision of a Bad Future to trick Goliath into handing over the Phoenix Gate, Puck even stands firm against King Oberon to protect the Xanatos family before becoming a talented tutor to baby Alexander Xanatos, even if he has to manipulate events to create chaos for teaching opportunities.
- Thailog is Goliath's evil clone who enters the scene luring both Goliath and Xanatos to him to claim a massive amount of money and eliminate his rivals. With his plan going off nearly perfectly, Thailog fakes his death and begins to build up a power base in the world. Seducing Demona, Thailog arranges for her to win the heart of Macbeth in her human guise, while planning to have them kill one another so he can take over both their operations. Thailog later arranges for the near elimination of the Manhattan Clan after he's cloned them, while also planning ahead for Demona's betrayal as well. Combining Xanatos's charm and brilliant mind with Goliath's power, Thailog shows why he is one of the single most dangerous villains in all of Gargoyles.
- Buzz Lightyear of Star Command:
- Warp Darkmatter is Buzz Lightyear's Evil Counterpart, a suave, snarky mercenary who functions as the competent right-hand man to Evil Emperor Zurg. Having fooled Buzz and all of Star Command for years undercover as a Space Ranger, Warp uses his position to collect information before ultimately faking his own death and allying with Zurg "full-time." Becoming Agent Z, Warp successfully pulls off the theft of the Unimind, outwits and traps Buzz and his team at various times, and is such a successful freelance Bounty Hunter that he owns an entire moon paradise all to himself. Capable of honor and comraderie even in villainy, Warp allies with Buzz more than once to combat greater threats and showcases a willingness to put his own neck on the line to save his allies while outsmarting worse villains than himself. Darkly hilarious and far more capable than most other villains in the series, Warp is always proud to boast that he's only evil for "more profit and more fun."
- "Star Crossed": Romac is a freelance bounty hunter and Mira’s ex-boyfriend who never quits a job until it’s finished. Originally a Grounder who rescued the princess Mira from muggers, the two formed a strong relationship until Mira’s father forbid them from seeing each other. Now a bounty hunter, Romac takes a job from Zurg to retrieve his escaped scientist Brain Pod 57, while getting him to pay more than intended. After capturing 57 and forming an alliance with him, the two easily knock Buzz Lightyear out and bring him back to Zurg. With his job complete, Romac accepts a payment from 57 to rescue him and Buzz, double-crossing Zurg in order to join back with Mira. Romac chooses to sacrifice himself to distract Zurg, informing him that despite the circumstances, he still lost. Easily escaping Zurg’s clutches, Romac makes 57 his new partner, while promising Mira that he’ll never give up in his pursuit to be by her side again.
- Kim Possible: These foes faced by the title character and her team truly test what impossible challenges they can face.
- Shego is the dangerously competent, hilariously snarky Dragon to Dr. Drakken. Having become a villain for sheer thrills, Shego serves alongside Drakken thanks to a genuine care for the man, putting up with and ensuring his ridiculous plans go off with far more success than he alone ever could manage. Dropping hints for her boss hidden in sarcasm, saving his life and plans on the regular, and always keeping pace in physical combat with Kim Possible herself, Shego rarely loses her sternly dark composure no matter what she faces. Able to train the airheaded Senior Jr. to be a master criminal, take advantage of an amnesiac Kim to amass an immense fortune of stolen cash, and even use time travel to take over the world for decades in a scheme of her own when she felt ambitious, Shego is consistently established as Kim's most lethal, competent foe, who only holds back due to a usual lack of interest and a set of notable morals. Shego ends the series saving Kim's life and the entire world by teaming up with her alongside Drakken to stop the Lorwardian fleet from conquering Earth, resulting in Shego being hailed as a hero and apparently turning over a new life to serve as an ally to the heroes of the planet.
- Señor Senior Sr. is a retired billionaire who wants to become a great supervillain to alleviate his boredom. Getting the idea from Ron after using up all of Europe’s electricity to power up his private island, Sr. tries numerous times to enact his world domination scheme in order to prove himself a proper villain, at one point even attempting to nuke Middleton to show how bad he can be. Having a genuine affection for his son Señor Senior Jr., Sr. does whatever he can to make him happy, such as effortlessly kidnapping the Oh Boyz boy band as blackmail just so Jr. can have a shot at living out his dream as an international pop sensation. With a friendly attitude and a brilliant mind, while also displaying some extreme sports skills for his age, Sr. shows himself to be one of Kim’s greatest opponents.
- Jack Hench is the smooth-talking, affable founder of HenchCo, a genius businessman who created the term "henchman" itself, and has dedicated himself to building a better community of villainy. Hosting a bevy of weaponry and supervillainy enhancers that he sells at massive prices to prospective bad guys, Hench has a great reputation among evil-doers for being a reasonable salesman, one who allows free testings of his products and runs raffles to give out free tanks. Even when a set of his weapons are stolen by Drakken, Hench simply puts Kim Possible onto the case to recover the weapons from Drakken, content with losing the profits so long as he establishes that HenchCo is not to be trifled with. With a sales pitch and a polite word for his even his enemies always up his sleeve, Hench never once faces any true repercussions for his criminal activity, always just shrugging off whatever losses his incurs and moving on to his next big project.
- "Sick Day" & "Odds Man In": Hank Perkins is an upbeat temp who works for villains in need of assistance. Assisting Duff Killigan in acquiring Ray-X from a sick Kim and Ron, Perkins easily captures Jim, Tim, and Rufus when they try and retrieve the Ray from him. Returning as a villain consultant, Perkins helps build trust among Drakken's henchmen in time for his plan to launch a new Ice Age, while getting him to go corporate in the process. Buying out a cupcake shop and rebranding it in order to disguise one of Drakken's atmosfreezers, the shop turns into a financial success, becoming a genuine food enterprise in the process, which gives more chances to place atmosfreezers worldwide to launch Drakken's plan.
- "Rufus in Show": Falsetto Jones is a master thief with a high-pitched voice and a love of dogs. Stealing jewelry knowing that his wealthy connections will prevent him from getting caught, Falsetto's base is so well-guarded that entering his dog show is the only way to bypass security. Upon Ron entering Rufus into Falsetto's dog show and winning, Falsetto, tricking Rufus into giving him his pawprint autograph, deduces that the two of them and Kim are trying to retrieve a stolen diamond from him. Placing Kim and Ron over a Death Trap, Falsetto, averting Bond Villain Stupidity, decides to watch them die, feeling that he deserves to witness this event for himself.
- Fillmore!:
- "To Mar a Stall": Randal Julian was a renowned Art champion until he started placing lower than first in competitions and then decided to become the tagger "Flava Sava" as a result of his disillusionment. Tagging almost every bathroom in X Middle School except the one in the Teachers' Lounge, Julian is caught by Cornelius Fillmore and becomes known instead as "Randal the Vandal". Serving indefinite detention for the rest of middle school, Julian is not allowed writing materials because on one occasion he vandalized the room in an extreme manner. When offered a reduced sentence, Julian gives Fillmore and Ingrid Third info on a new tagger named "Stainless" and when he eventually finds out who "Stainless" is, Julian leaves them their photo before he escapes and vandalizes the room yet again. He's only stopped from following through with his original plan when Julian realizes he can't destroy his previous good legacy.
- "Test of the Tested": Elliot Funston is the performer of the mascot Lobstee the Lobster who uses the consume to steal the reviled SATTY-9 standardized tests after they’ve been completed. He does so to impress Enid Quintara who’s a very vocal protester of the test and has been secretly leaving her flowers often before that. To avoid suspicion, Elliot stages a scene that makes it look like he was mugged for the costume and plays up his goofy demeanor in order to divert attention too. When discovered, he impedes, tricks and outruns both Fillmore and Ingrid and nearly escapes in the process. Even after Elliot's caught and is facing huge karma for what he's done though, he's ultimately won Enid's admiration.
- "The Currency of Doubt":
- Natasha is a ballroom dancer whose partnership with Larry Wolfe ends after he drops her and hurts her leg, with Natasha retaining a psychosomatic limp. Natasha trains two other dancers, Toby and Tina, to win the trophy she and Larry won't compete for, only to view them as unbeatable rivals after she and Larry reconcile and her limp heals, causing them to try for the trophy after all. Natasha robs Toby and Tina and hides her reconciliation with Larry to make it appear that she has no possible motive and that Toby is the culprit, out to pay his gambling debts. She succeeds in breaking the dancers up and interferes with the ensuing investigation in an acrobatic way that would have further removed her from suspicion if not for Fillmore learning through other means that her limp was psychosomatic. After being exposed, she nearly escapes with the stolen loot as a Consolation Prize before her capture. A superb athlete and actress who is Nice to the Waiter offscreen, Natasha only fails to remain undercover until after the contest due to a series of lucky discoveries on the detectives' part.
- Paulie is a shady character and collector of smoit tickets that come with candy bar wrappers and can be redeemed for prizes. He demonstrates a suspicious, knowledgable, and guardedly affable demeanor when interviewed over the theft of Toby's smoit stash. He gives the heroes useful information for their investigation while advising them not to trust anyone around smoits and secretly planning to follow them and steal the smoits himself once the heroes recover them. Paulie suceeds in getting his smoits, only to lose them to their original owner moments later. He shows disappointment over the loss of his fortune, but is largely accepting of this outcome. Alone among the show's villains, Paulie has a simple yet foolproof plan to escape the safety patrol after publicly revealing his criminal nature: his family is about to move across the country, so if he does get the smoits, he will depart from the safety patrol's jurisdiction before they can do anything to punish him or seek the return of the smoits.
- "Play on Maestro, Play on'': Arthur Stanley is an expert gamer who designs special Rube Goldberg-type devices in order to commit thefts and uses the first two to steal a black wig and then a supply of bubble gum from a stand, leaving clues as he goes for the thrill of it. Arthur then sets off a third set of things to shut down the lights at the Ultrabox expo and nearly succeeds in stealing the Ultrabox game console while using his stolen items as a disguise. Caught, but still wanting to game, Arthur breaks out of Detention and sets off another set of devices at the expo and successfully steals the Ultrabox while making it look like a copycat. Arthur is asked to consult on the case and misdirects Fillmore and Ingrid, eventually trapping them in a net with another device when they follow his clues once again. He then willingly surrenders when Fillmore convinces him he's too obsessed.
- TRON: Uprising: Cyrus is an unstable Program who, having spent his life serving under CLU's tyranny, has come to the conclusion that all Programs are living a useless existence governed by bits of code and algorithms, and would be better off dead, free from CLU and the very system they are governed by. Creating a massive EMP device with nothing but tech in his dimensional prison, Cyrus lures in and tries to use Beck to activate the EMP and destroy the Grid and its inhabitants, and though stopped, returns later with a new goal in mind: to prove to Beck and his former mentor Tron that his philosophy and methods are effective. Disguising himself as Beck's alter-ego the Renegade and framing him for murder, Cyrus charms his way into Beck's circle of best friends before capturing them and Tron both, and forcing Beck to choose who to save. As Beck saves Tron, sending Able to help his friends, Cyrus reveals that his friends were never meant to survive and that their bomb will go off earlier than he promised. Cyrus gets away with all of his crimes in the end, claiming the life of Able and the reputation of the Renegade upon his exit from the series.
- Gravity Falls: Stanley "Stan" Pines, the Pines twins' money-grubbing "Grunkle", gradually proves over the series to be far more driven and intelligent than anyone could ever initially assume. The twin brother of the genius Stanford Pines, a long sibling rivalry between the two ended up with Stanley accidentally pushing Stanford through the latter's portal machine before they could reconcile. Desperate to save his brother, Stanley took Stanford's identity, turned his brother's isolated cabin into a tourist trap called "the Mystery Shack," and spends thirty years tracking down his brother's journals to reactivate the portal. A master of Obfuscating Stupidity, Stan pretends to be an oblivious conman to dissuade Dipper and Mabel from investigating the dangerous supernatural phenomena of Gravity Falls, before giving up the act and taking out half a horde of zombies with his bare hands to protect them. Stan outwits almost everyone in the series, from his nefarious rival Gideon Gleeful to federal agents, and pulls his ultimate gambit by tricking the near-omnipotent demon Bill Cipher by switching places with his brother and destroying Bill. Stanley Pines is a man utterly devoted to his family, even if he has to ruthlessly manipulate his loved ones to save them.
- Sofia the First:
- Miss Nettle initially appears to be the friendly apprentice of the three head fairies at Royal Prep who is teaching enchanted gardening, but in reality has an evil agenda, trapping them in a bubble when they catch her looking for the spellbook she seeks. When Sofia, James, and Desmond find the spellbook, Nettle follows them and offers to free the fairies in exchange for the spellbook but she is invoking Exact Words and will only free the fairies after she learns the spells. After she is defeated, Nettle returns, now seeking to take Sofia's amulet, and disguises herself as Sascha the Sorceress to infiltrate the castle. Nettle instructs Rosey to cover the castle in vines to trap Sofia and steal her amulet, and she has also hexed Cedric's wand so that he cannot undo her spell. She then appears stealing the snowdrops from Freezenburg, as they were stolen from her. When Sofia tries to stop Nettle, Nettle hexes her amulet, causing it to malfunction. Nettle eventually turns good when realizes how much Freezenburg appreciates her snowdrops.
- "Hexley Hall & "Day of the Sorcerers": Grimtrix the Good, the headmaster of Hexley Hall, was once a good sorcerer before he became tired of being subject to kings and queens and turns evil. Spying on Sofia and Cedric with his crystal ball, Grimtrix learns they were there to get info on the Amulet of Avalor and sends his pet weasel to steal it. In Grimtrix's next appearance, he gathers a band of evil sorcerers known as the Order of the Wand. Grimtrix proposes that they will take over kingdoms using the medusa stones Grimtrix has, which make any spell cast permanent, freezing one who tries to leave as a show of power. Grimtrix has also imprisoned all of the good sorcerers so that they can't interfere. Grimtrix's sorcerers successfully take over kingdoms, but Grimtrix goes over to help Cedric when he fails and nearly wins in his whole plan.
- Wander over Yonder's "The Cartoon": The Lord Hater as portrayed in the titular cartoon is far more competent and lacks his real self's childishness. Finding the Staff of Power, Lord Hater is challenged by Emperor Awesome and his Fistfighters, whom he easily dispatches alongside his Watchdogs. When Wander shows up to stop him, Lord Hater is able to best him in battle after a lengthy clash. After Wander admits that all he wanted was to be his friend, Lord Hater seemingly has a sudden Heel–Face Turn and participates in a montage of friendly activities with him. Lord Hater then attacks Wander while his guard his down, revealing that he was only pretending to be his friend as a means to crush his spirits before destroying him; ending the cartoon with his nemesis completely at his mercy.
- Star vs. the Forces of Evil: Toffee of Septarsis is an enigmatic, devious monster with a flair for casual manipulation and a missing finger taken from him by Queen Moon in his days as a monster warlord. Coming into the service of inept Big Bad Wannabe Ludo, Toffee ingratiates himself into Ludo's service and manipulates him into firing Buff Frog, the one minion who suspects Toffee of any wrongdoing, before ousting Ludo from his own castle and using his new position to extort and destroy Star's wand. Seemingly dying after this, Toffee in truth lived on within one half of the wand's crystal, eventually taking over Ludo's body to enact his final plot to take his finger back and restore his power, wiping out almost every single person who can stand against him and even regaining his body back before Star manages to destroy him. Suave, perpetually calm, and a master of every situation he's in, Toffee remains one of the most cunning and effective foes to have ever fought against the Butterfly family.
- Amphibia:
- Sasha Waybright is a talented, scheming teenager and friend of Anne Boonchuy and Marcy Wu. After being pulled into Amphibia and imprisoned by Grime, she is able to charm his guards and gets many of his goons to leave his army; when Grime offers to recruit her, she teaches him to become a pragmatic warlord. Sasha strikes a deal with Grime agreeing to assist him in quashing the rebellion by executing Hop-Pop in return for a chance of returning home with her friends. After this fails she works to help Grime regain his will to fight, succeeding after skillfully defeating the warrior Yunan. When she and Grime decide to take over all of Amphibia, they recruit the entirety of the Toad Army to their cause by acquiring the legendary "Barrel's Warhammer." Nearly succeeding at conquering Newtopia, Sasha and Grime try to warn Anne when Andrias's true colors are exposed. After betraying her friends, Sasha realizes she was a horrible person and works to finally improve herself. She becomes a valued ally to the rebellion, helping Anne break into the castle, and later fights Darcy before defeating her by severing the Core's connection.
- Tritonio Espada is a notorious train robber using a bogus daycare center as a front to run his operation. When Hop-Pop places the kids into his care, Tritonio teaches Sprig and Polly how to use weapons and gradually earns Anne's trust by appealing to her hidden potential. He sets Sprig up to play an injured orphan so that Anne and Polly could infiltrate the train. Retrieving the gem, Tritonio swipes it with the full intention of leaving the kids to the mercy of the guards. When defeated, he expresses little anger towards them, instead using the opportunity to compliment Anne for besting him.
- "A Caravan Named Desire": Renée Frodgers is the director of a theater caravan who uses her shows as a distraction to rob banks, as they don't make much money anymore. Saving the Plantars' lives and recognizing Hop-Pop's passion for acting, Renée invites him into the troupe, even casting him as the lead. Even when Hop-Pop realizes Renée's true intentions, she plays on his pride and lifelong dreams to convince him to keep supporting the art. When this stops working and Hop-Pop exposes Renée in public, she makes a swift getaway on her caravan and is only defeated by an intercepting sandworm, reacting with delight at some real drama.
- The Owl House:
- Darius Deamonne is the head of the Abomination coven. Once mentored by one of the many Golden Guards, his mentor's death and his growing suspicion of the 'Day of Unity' led to him secretly turning on Emperor Belos. Discovering that there is another traitor in the Coven Heads, he set up a trap for the other rebel group and 'captures' Raine Whispers; truthfully recruiting them into his own rebellion. Having been inspired by Eda's curse, Darius plots to use it to corrupt Belos's draining spell, with his initial plan being to release flesh eating beetles into a crowd to allow his group to bring Eda to the spell's circle. Even after his plot fails, Darius is later shown working with Alador Blight to create superior technology that helps with getting rid of coven sigils, thereby securing a better, more choice-driven future for all of the Boiling Isles.
- "Sense and Insensitivity": Piniet is a manipulative publishing agent who promises aspiring witches and demons fame and fortune if they sign up with his publishing house. In truth, Piniet is a shamelessly greedy con artist who ensures his clients pump out one masterpiece after another by trapping them within literal writing blocks, forcing them to write on "crunch time" as the blocks squeeze. Piniet's made millions by the time he convinces King to publish a book with him, and when King can't produce a sequel, Piniet pieces together he's dependent on Luz and tosses them both into the writing block. Piniet sets himself above other one-shots with his sneaky charm and fun modus operandi, and he cheerfully escapes justice after finding an even better author than King, letting the heroes off with no extra trouble.
- The Ghost and Molly McGee's "Out of House and Home" & "Home is Where the Haunt Is": Candace Green, self-proclaimed as "Brighton's #1 realtor", gleefully evicts the McGees after they fail to pay their mortgage. Trying to sell the house as quickly as possible to set a record with charm & pizzazz, Candace discovers Scratch is still haunting it and turns him into a selling point, which attracts even more buyers.
Live-Action
- Mighty Med:
- The Annihilator, aka Neil Gundenhauser, is a hulking, muscled supervillain with a brilliant mind, renowned for defeating and draining the powers of various superheroes. Born a bullied youth due to his powers, he eventually came under the tutorship of Hapax "The Elder" Gonzales and decided to embrace evil to pay back the world for causing him pain. Defeating and depowering Skylar Storm, Annihilator manipulates her friend to evil to try and capture her and later plants a tracking device on her powers when Kaz and Oliver get it back from him. Corrupting Skylar's powers through sleight of hand to evil, Annihilator turns her evil and uses her to infect the various superheroes and turn them into his army of brainwashed soldiers. Intending to bring the world under foot, even after being fatally injured he still gets the last laugh by poisoning his killer.
- Mr. Terror is secretly Bridget, Oliver's mother who rose to villainy as a way to protect her son, viewing the world of supers as a danger to him. After usurping her master, Bridget took over a large chunk of the supervillain underworld through a mix of her intelligence and intimidation tactics, all without powers of her own, and searches for the power source the Arcturion to gain ultimate power. Thinking on her feet after the Arcturion is caught in a fight between superheroes and villains, she waits until they're all defeated before seizing it. Seducing Horace Diaz, she gets him to fall in love with her and later resurrect her, having known the Arcturion would kill her, now allowing all of the power within without cost, now intending to remake the world all in order to protect her son.
- The Evermoor Chronicles (2014): Bridget McCoy is Tara Crossley's great-aunt and the former leader of the Everines. After losing her older sister to the moors of Hollowfall, she would turn against the Circle and fake her death while manipulating various events from behind the scenes. When Tara discovers her, she'd explain the powers of the golden thread and tapestry, and train Tara to become the Supreme Everine in secret. At one point, she'd take advantage of Tara's self-doubt to steal her powers for herself and strike a deal with the Founder Everines in exchange for their help in creating a new Evermoor for a time, though she'd eventually realize just how dangerous the Founder Everines were and regret working with them. She'd reveal herself and lie about being the true Supreme Everine and although she was taken hostage by the Founder Everines to assist their plan, she'd manage to secretly aid Tara and her team behind their backs. Eventually, after learning the true cause of her sister's disappearance, she'd let go of her bitter feelings and restore Tara's Supreme Everine powers so she could set things right, living happily with Agatha after.
Video Games
Examples
- Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge (2000): Nasira is Jafar's equally cunning twin sister, who seeks to revive her brother and Take Over the World. Recognizing Aladdin and his friends as a threat, she hypnotizes the palace guards to kidnap Jasmine and the Sultan so that she could take over Agrabah and place a bounty on Aladdin's head. Capturing The Genie and throwing Aladdin into the dungeon, she flees upon his escape and hatches a plan: disguise herself as a mystic to lure Aladdin into numerous traps, while having him collect the artifacts needed to resurrect Jafar. Upon Aladdin gaining them all, she quickly teleports in, paralyzes him and steals the artifacts from him, immediately leaving to resurrect her brother. By the time Aladdin finds her, she's already powered up Jafar, aiding him in fighting Aladdin.
- Chicken Little: Ace in Action: Foxy Loxy is the Arch-Enemy of Captain Ace and his team. Organizing the escape from the prison on Pluto, Foxy takes control over all the robots in the area and imprisons the warden in a giant Mecha, ordering it to attack Ace and forcing the team to let her escape. Getting enough fuel from Sleazel Weazel, Foxy turns the entire Moon into a rocket filled with explosive vegetables and threatened to ram it into Earth if the president doesn't give her control over the galaxy, kidnapping Abby to use her as a "bargaining chip" against Ace. When Ace and the team infiltrate her base, Foxy evades their attempts to capture her, using Mechas to battle them and after they disable the "Moon rocket", simply activates the self-destruct sequence to try to kill Ace and his team as she escapes. Escaping from the team, Foxy is only captured by Mister Fish turning team's ship invisible and putting it on her path, causing her to crash into it.
- Toy Story 3 (2010 Licensed Game): "Mister" Evil Dr. Porkchop is the most reoccurring threat Woody and the gang face during playtime. From launching an ambush on Woody while he's rescuing a train of orphans to teaming up with the Witch to hypnotize the world using cake, Dr. Porkchop has been Andy's go-to antagonist, combining his original toy's sharp wit with a bombastic personality. In his most brilliant scheme, he disguises himself as a benevolent mayor of a small town and convinces the sherif to make as much money as possible, so that he can swoop in on his ship and abduct it from the bank, making him rich.
Comics
Examples
- Mickey Mouse Comic Universe: The Phantom Blot is a cunning criminal who aims to reclaim a valuable formula for a chemical compound, one that he wrote down and hid inside of a specific model of camera. Stealing the cameras from the city's residents and smashing them open in his efforts to find it, the Blot introduces himself by easily kidnapping Mickey Mouse and planting him in a complex death trap when he is assigned to bring the Blot to justice. Matching Mickey in their game of wits, the Blot constantly has him on the ropes, nearly managing to escape with the formula were it not for Mickey's persistence and good fortune. In the end, the Blot admits that the reason why he couldn't bring himself to simply off Mickey when he had the chance was because of his too-tender heart. The Phantom Blot's highly memorable original outing would cause him to become one of Mickey's greatest and most beloved adversaries, eventually making his return years later in all sorts of other media.
- Disney Ducks Comic Universe: Arpin Lusene is Scrooge McDuck's most intelligent and competent foe. A charming French millionaire playboy who lives a double life as a Gentleman Thief, Lusene vows to steal Scrooge's entire fortune in front of the whole world before going into retirement. After accidentally coming into the possession of the dangerous Omnisolve, Lusene gets the brilliant idea to coat a stolen suit of armor with the substance, turning himself into an unstoppable Juggernaut of a Black Knight who nearly destroys all of Scrooge's riches to fake having stolen it. After Lusene's defeat, he returns and uses subterfuge to regain his suit of armor, then makes his previous plan fool-proof. Scrooge scuppers his original plan to empty the Money Bin by threatening a media blackout, so Lusene settles for destroying Scrooge's other trophies housed in the Duckburg museum, and nearly dissolves poor Donald after accidentally being trapped with him by Scrooge. Even despite being ultimately bested by Scrooge, Lusene always accepts his defeat gracefully, both regarding the other as a Worthy Opponent.
- The Incredibles: Slow Burn: Slow Burn was once an ordinary watchmaker and part-time inventor who desires above all a "quiet life", but society's fast-paced lifestyle took this from him. Wanting to both acquire money to buy a private island where he could live in peaceful solitude and revenge, Slow Burn began staging multiple heists by turning society's chaotic nature against itself. He develops both an army of robots and a raygun that allows him to supercharge any technology, making them go berserk. With his raygun, Slow Burn stages multiple accidents to distract The Incredibles while he pulls off his heists unnoticed. Although finally confronted by The Incredibles, Slow Burn's Crazy Preparedness allows him to both figuratively and literally outmanoeuvre the heroes, even managing to remove Dash's powers by reversing his raygun's effects. On one occasion, Slow Burn pretends to be Caught Monologuing to stall time for a bomb in his hideout to go off while he makes a clean getaway. Despite finally being arrested, Slow Burn becomes content with the orderly lifestyle of prison and becomes a model prisoner, even mailing a grateful letter to The Incredibles.
Others
Examples
- National Treasure:
- First film: "Ian Howe" was once Ben Gates' benefactor before the two split due to different approaches to acquiring the Declaration of Independence for the purpose of finding clues. Intending to steal the Declaration, Ian and his gang infiltrates the National Archives and nearly gets their hands on it. Realizing that a riddle with Silence Dogood pointed to Ben Franklin's letters, Ian observes a boy taking notes for Ben's friend Riley, bribing the boy for his notes and tracing them to the Liberty Bell. Posting his men outside Independence Hall, Ian pursues Ben and his friends across Philadelphia before acquiring the Declaration again. When Ben is arrested by the FBI, Ian arranges for Ben's escape in exchange for the last clue, kidnapping Ben's father and his friends as leverage before leaving them all to die when everything appears to lead to a dead end. When sent on a Snipe Hunt for a fake clue which is used by the FBI to arrest him, Ian merely chuckles at his fate.
- Book of Secrets: Mitch Wilkinson is a man seeking to bring glory to his family. Attending an exhibition about Ben Gates' ancestor Thomas, Mitch accuses Thomas of being in league with John Wilkes Booth to help the Confederacy find Cibola, the City of Gold, using a page presumably from Thomas' diary. Knowing that Ben would not rest until he found Cibola and cleared Thomas' name, Mitch attacks Ben's father Patrick, cloning his phone to keep tabs on Ben before pursuing Ben to London and back, acquiring clues along the way. Learning that Ben's mother is a professor who can translate the clues, Mitch kidnaps her and brings her to Mount Rushmore, forcing Ben and his allies to team up with him to locate Cibola. Evading a series of traps to reach Cibola, Mitch admits he faked the evidence and reveals his motive before sacrificing himself to allow Ben and his friends to escape when Cibola is flooded.
- Now You See It...: Max is an Evil Sorcerer masquerading as a Stage Magician. Prior to the start of the film Max gave his mentor a magical ring which he used to steal his powers and kill him. Taking over his mansion, years later Max sets up a reality show for gifted young magicians as a ploy to lure out another wizard. Taking an interest in protagonist Danny Sinclair, Max convinces the public that Danny's magic isn't real while tutoring him in private, giving him a ring to "control" his powers with the intent of killing him, playing the same trick he used on his former mentor and almost succeeding.
- Sky High (2005): Sue Tenney, the original Royal Pain, is the mastermind of the film's conflict, puppeteering an Evil Plan spanning two decades. Once a bullied outcast at Sky High, Sue decided to get her revenge by creating the Pacifier, a laser cannon with the power to regress anyone it hits to a newborn baby. Taking the identity of Royal Pain, a presumably male villain, Sue aimed to regress all the students and teachers at the school into babies, whereupon she would raise them as her own generation of supervillains. Inadvertently turned into a baby herself in a fight with the Commander and Jetstream, Sue inspired such loyalty in her Sidekick Stitches that he was willing to raise her for seventeen years until she was old enough to begin the plan anew.
- Twice Charmed: Franco DiFortunato is the Wicked Fairy Godfather who wagers Lady Tremaine and her daughters' livelihoods on whether or not they can stop Cinderella from marrying Prince Charming by going back in time. Flirting with Lady Tremaine and cajoling the family into accepting his deal with a catchy Villain Song, he uses his magic to shrink Cinderella, then makes Anastasia and Drizella graceful despite his doubts at whether his magic would be strong enough, in the updated show also wiping the Prince's memories and making the slipper fit Anastasia. When Cinderella and the Prince are reunited, Franco gleefully makes the Tremaines his servants for eternity, then leaves to help the Wicked Queen from Snow White. Charismatic and cunning, Franco is never defeated and is pleased with the outcome as he sets off to make another deal.
- High School Musical 3: Senior Year: Tiara Gold is the seemingly proper and polite London schoolgirl who it turns out attended the Dramatic Arts school. A Freshman transferring to East High and wanting to take over once Sharpay Evans has graduated, Tiara applies to be Sharpay's personal assistant, getting herself hired through proving how intensely familiar she is with both Sharpay's schedule and routine and performing other personal tasks for her as each occasion calls for it while remaining by her side at all times. Upon being assigned as an understudy in the play, Tiara passes on info to Sharpay that she stealthily learned so Sharpay can arrange for Troy Bolton to encourage girlfriend Gabriella Montez to leave early for college resulting in Sharpay taking Gabriella's role alongside Troy while Tiara takes Sharpay's. Tiara then reveals herself to Sharpay as having used her, works Sharpay's interruption into her performance and amicably accepts defeat when Sharpay beats her.
- A Christmas Carol (2009): The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is the shadow-like final spirit that haunts Ebenezer Scrooge into being a better man. Chasing Scrooge through the city with a demonic hearse and shrinking him to the size of a bug, the Ghost ushers Scrooge around to see the bleak future ahead of him and those around him if he continues to be a greedy human being. As the kicker, the Ghost forces Scrooge to bear witness to his own potential grave and tries to drag him down into his fiery coffin, giving Scrooge one last jolt of terror that ensures he becomes a more generous person.
- Descendants 2 & 3: Uma is the daughter of the powerful sea witch Ursula, and Mal's most personal rival. Back when they were best friends, Mal turned Uma into the Isle's laughing stock, and eventually abandoned and forgot about her. This made Uma grow bitter towards Mal and vow to defeat her by any means, as well as developing a reasonable philosophy about how the Disney Heroes were no better than actual villains for leaving the villains' children on the Isle of the Lost for no reason other than their parents being evil. Forming her own pirate crew and quickly rising to the top as a fearsome threat, she constantly takes advantage of her surroundings to take down anybody in her way. She later joins Mal's team to defeat Audrey, in exchange for the Villain Kids being released. She and Mal begin to make amends and she powers up Mal's ember so she could take Audrey down. Once Auradon realizes that morality didn't depend on where they grew up in, Uma's pleas are finally heard, as the barrier gets lifted and Villain Kids are finally allowed to go to Auradon.
- Artemis Fowl: Artemis Fowl Jr., while more heroic than his literary counterpart, remains a ruthlessly pragmatic Child Prodigy. On his quest to save his father from the villainous Opal Koboi, Artemis captures the Fairy cop Holly Short to lure out the forces of LEPRecon into a trap and threatens to expose Fairykind's existence to humanity, tricking them into assisting him to retrieve the magical item Opal demands of him. Double-crossing Opal to free his father, Artemis deals a devastating blow to her organization and ends the film hunting for her.
