Top 10 Disney Villains with the Saddest Backstories

Top 10 Disney Villains with the Saddest Backstories

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Disney Villains with the saddest backstories.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the most tragic tales behind some of the company’s most notable rogues. We won’t be looking at Pixar villains because they deserve a list of their one. Since we’ll be going into some sinister details, a spoiler warning is in effect.

Which of these sad stories made you sympathize with the villain? Let us know in the comments below.

#10: Hades
“Hercules” (1997)

There’s a good reason Hades is so bitter all the time. When the gods were deciding what they were going to rule over, he was assigned to the Underworld. Hades had to spend an unknown amount of time surrounded by pained and depressed souls with little sunlight. And based on how his siblings treated him at a party for Hercules, he isn’t really welcomed when he is able to visit the surface. After spending countless years being mistreated by his family and working full time at a job he resented without reprieve, Hades became desperate to upset the status quo. All he truly wanted was to escape the fate that had been forced on him.

#9: Ursula
“The Little Mermaid” (1989)

Ursula is infamously known as a sea witch who punishes those who can’t live up to her magical contracts. Before she spent most of her time making deals in an isolated den, she lived among the other merfolk in the palace. The reasons why she was exiled have varied over the years. In the book “Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch,” she lived in the kingdom after escaping violent villagers but was later banished because of her tentacular appearance. While we don’t know if this was why Ursula was exiled in the film, being sent away clearly had a negative effect on her mind. She might have actually helped others with her magic if Triton had given her a second chance.

#8: Xianniang
“Mulan” (2020)

While Xianniang was growing up, she discovered that she had special abilities. Unfortunately, no one was willing to accept her into their homes or societies. Xianniang allied with the vicious conqueror Bori Khan in the hopes that she could find respect, and a sense of belonging. They were victorious in many battles together. But despite Xianniang’s contributions to Bori Khan’s conquests, he still saw her as an outcast and a witch. She ironically had the best connection with Mulan, who was supposed to be her enemy. Knowing Xianniang could only truly identify with someone who fought against her shows how lonely her life must’ve been.

#7: Nuka
“The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride” (1998)

After Scar fell, all the lions who were loyal to him were forced to live in the barren Outlands and labeled the Outsiders. Nuka was the son of their leader Zira. Although he constantly tried to impress his mother, she always saw him as inferior to his brother Kovu. Nuka spent years in a depressing environment, covered in termites and struggling to become a lion that could make his family proud. His desperation eventually drove him to his own destruction while trying to impress his mother Zira. Because of his tragic upbringing Nuka went to his grave in pain, never knowing if he had won the approval he craved above all else.

#6: Scar
“The Lion King” (1994)

Before Scar got his trademark facial feature, he was the leader of a noble Pride Lands team known as the Lion Guard. While patrolling one day, a stranger promised to give him more power. But it was all a trap to trick Scar into getting attacked by a cobra. The stranger offered to heal the damage from the bite in exchange for servitude. Scar refused and took the cobra and strange lion down instead. When he told Mufasa this story, he received a cruel nickname instead of praise. It’s later revealed that venom in this world can turn a lion evil. Scar’s path of villainy may have sadly started because of the cobra’s attack.

#5: Lady Tremaine
“Cinderella” (2015)

Cinderella’s father and Lady Tremaine had both lost a spouse when they got married. Unfortunately, their union didn’t stay happy for long. During a party, Lady Tremaine is hurt when she overhears that her husband still carries strong feelings for his deceased wife. Before she can fully process this information, Cinderella’s father passes away. Lady Tremaine instantly begins worrying about how she’ll take care of her children in the wake of this devastating turn. She later reveals that seeing Cinderella every day was a painful reminder of her many losses. While Lady Tremaine definitely should’ve been kinder to Cinderella, the personal tragedies she suffered help explain why she was so cruel.

#4: Michael "Goob" Yagoobian
“Meet the Robinsons” (2007)

When Lewis lived at an orphanage, his constant tinkering on inventions often kept his roommate, avid baseball player Michael "Goob" Yagoobian, up late. This proved to be a huge problem when it came time for a little league championship game. After this traumatic experience, Goob fell into a spiral of doubt and self-loathing. His negative feelings prevented him from being adopted and led to him growing up alone in an abandoned orphanage. While parts of his backstory are played for laughs, his origins are truly heartbreaking. Goob’s inability to move on prevented him from finding a family.

#3: Professor Callaghan/Yokai
“Big Hero 6” (2014)

A pilot named Abigail Callaghan once volunteered to travel through a transportation portal that was funded by a businessman named Alistair Krei. Her father Professor Callaghan was there to see her break new ground. While Abigail was traveling through the portal though, the experiment went wrong. Professor Callaghan was helpless, only able to watch as she was seemingly lost forever. This incident enraged him and he spent years planning revenge against Krei. Blinded by his vendetta, he became the villain Yokai and eventually caused the demise of his pupil, Tadashi. Although he saw his daughter alive again, he was so ashamed of what he’d done in her name that he could barely look at her.

#2: Te Kā
“Moana” (2016)

Long ago, a goddess named Te Feti rose from the ocean to work a miracle. But her heart was stolen by a misguided Maui. This event caused the gracious Te Feti to transform into the fearsome demon known as Te Kā. To make matters worse, humanity thought Te Kā was nothing more than a vicious beast. She spent an unknown number of years desperate to get her heart back. As she searched in vain, the islands around her struggled to maintain the life she gave. Fortunately, her sad tale had a happy ending. With Moana’s brave act, Te Feti was restored to her true self, and the islands were able to flourish again.

#1: Maleficent
“Maleficent” (2014)

While Maleficent was a young fairy in the magical lands of the Moors, she met a human boy named Stefan. The two became friends, and eventually developed even deeper feelings. Years later Stefan returned at the command of the king. Maleficent was initially glad to have him returned to her. However, after he gave her a sleeping potion, Stefan committed a terrible crime. Maleficent woke the next day to find that he had removed her wings, causing severe physical and emotional pain. Being betrayed by someone she loved in such a harsh way caused Maleficent to stop trusting humans, close herself off, and embrace villainy. It took her over a decade to overcome her tragic origins.