Top 10 Villains Reveals in Dreamworks Movies

Notwithstanding the drama with Pixar and “A Bug’s Life,” DreamWorks fans remember “Antz” for its star-studded cast of insect characters. Gene Hackman voices General Mandible, who at first appears to have noble intentions for the colony. He preaches about a new life for ant-kind, replacing old traditions with efficient new practices, and other things you’d expect to hear from a leader. After a while, however, we learn of Mandible’s plans to seize power over the monarchy by sacrificing countless lives. It’s probably fair to call him the most ruthless would-be dictator to ever exist among animated bugs.

This 2000 buddy comedy has more than just laughs and stunning animation: it also has an antagonist that you wouldn’t suspect. The high priest of the city of El Dorado, Tzekel-Kan initially welcomes Miguel and Tulio warmly and embraces them as gods. Of course, they’re lying, but that’s beside the point. As the story progresses, Tzekel-Kan exposes himself as manipulative, sadistic, and way too eager to offer innocent civilians to the quote-unquote gods. Even though he attempts to justify this murderous behavior, it’s safe to assume Tzekel-Kan only became the high priest to satisfy his bloodlust.

“Turbo” is a fun animated flick about a snail following his racing dreams. The protagonist, voiced by Ryan Reynolds, is inspired by Guy Gagné, a French-Canadian Indy 500 champion played by Bill Hader. But Gagné soon reveals his true nature. He is coldhearted, scheming, and willing to be underhanded just for the sake of winning the race. There's even a point near the end where he tries to squash Turbo. As a whole, the movie is pretty light-hearted compared to many others on this list. However, there’s an important moral to be found here: not everyone is who they seem to be, even if they were once your idol.

There have been a few installments in the “Kung Fu Panda” saga, and they’ve featured a lot of formidable villains. Lord Shen of the second film can easily be called the most deadly, but this conniving peacock didn’t start out that way. Portrayed by Gary Oldman, Lord Shen was born into royalty as the heir to the throne of Gongmen City. But this wasn’t enough for Shen; he possessed an unnatural thirst for power and a desire to take over all of China. These sociopathic tendencies are definitely not what you’d expect from a royal, but they do make for a very entertaining – and frightening – bad guy.

In 2011, we learned more about Puss’ life before he met up with Shrek. The mysterious boot-wearing swashbuckler grew up in an orphanage, where he became close friends with an eccentric talking egg named Humpty Dumpty. Humpty took Puss under his wing and the two took a solemn oath to be brothers forever. But Puss soon learned that his comrade is not who he thought he was. After unwittingly taking part in a robbery attempt and becoming a fugitive, Puss steers clear of Humpty until the events of this movie – wherein the latter betrays him once again. Arguably, Puss’ “brotherhood” with this bad egg shaped the “anti-hero” aspect of his character.

DreamWorks loves to play with the relationships between old friends. In some cases, the buddies reunite by the end – but not in 1998’s “The Prince of Egypt.” This underrated classic profoundly presents the story of Exodus in a way that’s pretty accurate, but still manages to be family-friendly. One creative liberty taken here is the close bond between Moses and his adoptive older brother, Rameses. The character is an especially heartbreaking version of Pharaoh from the biblical tale. He and Moses were inseparable growing up. But when Moses returns to Egypt to free his people, Rameses – desperate to follow in father’s footsteps – won’t budge. Thus, Moses is forced into a battle with the person he once loved more than anyone.

In “Penguins of Madagascar,” the fearless foursome we grew to love in the original trilogy embark on their own adventure. Here, they’re up against the insane Dr. Octavius Brine, but this freakishly flexible mad scientist is more than he seems. In fact, he’s actually Dave, an octopus who was upstaged by the penguins back at the Central Park Zoo. Watching his tragic backstory, it’s hard not to sympathize with Dave and his lifetime of rejection. But after seeing him pursue our penguin heroes for the rest of the movie, we’re hardly on his side. Dave: he has eight limbs, but zero remorse.

This 2022 film is a prime example of DreamWorks’ experimenting with the roles of “hero” and “villain.” Except here, it’s done with animals – including a guinea pig who turns out to be the real bad guy. Professor Marmalade is introduced as a philanthropist who’s renowned for his good deeds. Marmalade is tasked with reforming the titular gang of “Bad Guys,” but little do they know that the underhanded rodent has been playing them the entire time. Marmalade’s plan to frame the protagonists presents a powerful argument, allowing audiences to really think about what makes someone “good” or “bad.”

Like the rest of the DreamWorks canon, “Megamind” was primarily created for a young audience. Even so, the film offers a poignant message about good vs. evil. Hal Stewart is introduced as a dorky, awkward cameraman who’s hopelessly in love with news reporter Roxanne Ritchi. Other movies might have taken a more familiar route, making a lovable doofus like Hal the hero. Instead, when he is unexpectedly injected with superpowers and subsequently rejected by Roxanne, he turns to the dark side, wreaking havoc on Metro City as “Tighten.” Some villains are born, but others – like Hal Stewart – have evil thrust upon them.

This glamorous but nasty sorceress is proof that evil often lurks where you least suspect it. Voiced by the hilarious Jennifer Saunders, Fairy Godmother appears benevolent at first, offering to provide Fiona with everything a princess “needs.” But in a chilling reveal, we learn that her so-called “wish-granting” isn’t rooted in sincerity. Indeed, all she cares about is maintaining a twisted version of “order” in the kingdom of Far Far Away — one that gets her and her son power. Even when she sees the lengths Shrek will go to to prove his love for his wife, Fairy Godmother does everything she can to warp situations and perceptions. It’s all to suit her own “happily ever after.”

Did any of these DreamWorks villain reveals take you by surprise? Feel free to discuss in the comments!