Top 20 Greatest DreamWorks Villains

#20: Donald Edward "Don" Lino “Shark Tale” (2004)

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Sharks are scary enough as is, but what if they were part of the mafia? Meet Don Lino, the leader of the Great White Sharks. He has a frightening influence over the reef; if you make Lino mad or disrespect him and his family, you may not live long enough to regret it. Unfortunately, his son. Lenny, is vegan, and Lino won’t stand for anything that makes his criminal empire appear weak. But, when you look past his mobster lifestyle, Lino cares deeply for his family and is willing to change his ways for them. The only one arguably scarier than Lino is the two-faced vixen, Lola. Anyone else just get chills at the mention of her name?

The TV series “Dragons: Race to the Edge” introduced a new set of baddies to Berk. Perhaps most notable of them was the Dragon Hunters, led by Viggo Grimborn. While his brother, Ryker, was the brawn of the Hunters, Viggo was the brains. His knowledge of dragons rivaled even Hiccup’s, and he was a master strategist who treated their squabbles with the Riders like a game of chess. His ultimate goal was to find the mythical Dragon Eye to further his practice of dragon poaching. However, compared to his former second-in-command, Krogan, Viggo turned out to be the lesser of evils, and he proved this when he willingly joined forces with Hiccup to take on the bigger threat… and gave his own life in the end.

#18: Dave AKA Dr. Octavius Brine “Penguins of Madagascar” (2014)

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Let’s face it, the penguins are the breakout stars of the “Madagascar” franchise–so much so, that they earned their own spin-off film and Nickelodeon series. But, one bitter cephalopod wasn’t so impressed by their “cute and cuddly” act: Dave the Octopus. He was the star of the Central Park Zoo before the penguins came around and stole his spotlight. Neglected and heartbroken, Dave snapped and vowed vengeance on all of penguin-kind, and he is well-equipped with an army of octopuses, his human disguise, and some surprisingly clever celebrity namedrops. Honestly, you can’t help but feel bad for Dave, but he does get the attention he craves in the end… just not how he imagined.

As the high priest of El Dorado, Tzekel-Kan has been eagerly awaiting the day the Gods return so that they may “purge” the city of wickedness. Ironic since he’s the most wicked one of all – he’s charming and manipulative with an insatiable bloodlust and has access to dark magic, the likes of which the world should never know. And yet, despite all his cunning and mastery of the arcane arts…. He was STILL easily fooled into believing that Tulio and Miguel are gods, and was outsmarted again in the end. Let this be a cautionary tale about extremist ideals and power-hungry leaders!

Not all great villains have to be deeply complex or tragic souls. Sometimes, we just need a straight-forward tyrannical, hilarious baddie. It’s safe to say that Gallaxhar brings us that and more. He destroyed his own planet for no real reason, and now he aims to take over Earth and repopulate it… once he gets his Quantonium back from Susan, that is. What really intrigues us about Gallaxhar is how he never clearly says WHY he does all of this. Whatever backstory he has is purposely and humorously kept vague, so we can only theorize as to what drove him to become such a ruthless psychopath. It seems that’s one story he’ll take to his grave.

#15: The Toad “Flushed Away” (2006)

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In his youth, Toad had a good life at Buckingham Palace. But, when his owner grew more attached to a rat, Toad’s happiness was literally sent down the drain. Heartbroken and abandoned, Toad recruits his henchrats, Spike, Whitey, and his cousin, Le Frog, to aid him along in his plan to washing away all the rodents in the sewer. It’s hard not to sympathize with his backstory. How would you like it if you were someone’s pet and they just tossed you away? Plus, it’s too much fun watching him shift from a sophisticated crime lord to a warty madman. Fortunately, the rats he sought to eliminate end up beating him with his own amphibious tendencies… and a little liquid nitrogen.

Making a deal with the Devil is bad but making one with Rumpelstiltskin is even worse. While he’s not magically gifted himself, he has access to magical contracts that can make all your dreams come true… but not without a catch. That might just include your entire kingdom… or the very day you were born! Rumple may be short and irritable, but he is a diabolical master of manipulation, and he’ll use every trick at his disposal to take over the kingdom of Far Far Away. Unfortunately for him, he scammed the wrong ogre and pays the price for his deceit. Hey, at least he made it out alive! We can’t say the same for some of the other “Shrek” villains.

Once upon a time, Kai was brother-in-arms with Master Oogway, and the two were world-renowned warriors in China. However, Kai was tempted by the dark side and became obsessed with stealing chi from others, prompting Oogway to banish him to the spirit realm… temporarily. Along with being a ruthless fighter, Kai can use the chi he steals to create jade zombie-like minions, turning those he defeats into his own soldiers for combat. He won’t stop until he’s swiped every kung fu master’s chi to fully empower himself and extinguish Oogway’s legacy for his betrayal. Unfortunately for Kai, his hunger for chi ends up being his undoing as Po gives him way more than he can handle.

It’s been said that Hiccup and Grimmel the Grisly are perfect opposites. While Hiccup chose to befriend a dragon, Grimmel became obsessed with the idea of wiping out dragons completely. So, how dangerous is he, you might ask? He’s a ruthless hunter and a master manipulator who can control dragons using their own venom. To offer some perspective, he’s the reason Toothless is the very last Night Fury in the world. Even though Grimmel perished in the end… he still sort of won! Hiccup realizes that dragons will never be safe in the human world, and sets them free so they can live in the Hidden World–meaning that, technically, Grimmel somewhat got what he wanted: a dragon-free world.

He who controls the dragons controls the land. That’s the twisted philosophy of Drago Bludvist, the self-proclaimed ‘Dragon God’. Even though he lost his family to dragons, Drago rose above his fear and became a bloodthirsty tyrant hellbent on enslaving both human and dragon kind. His brute strength is unquestionable. He’s even managed to tame a massive Bewilderbeast, who he uses to enslave other dragons in his ever-growing army. Sure, men laughed at his “insane ramblings”, but they were quick to pay the price for standing in his way… Even after his defeat, those who were truly loyal to him vowed to continue his beastly endeavors, further cementing the gruesome legacy Drago built for himself.

#10: Tai Lung “Kung Fu Panda” (2008)

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Abandoned as a cub, Tai Lung was taken in by Shifu and raised as a master martial artist–and possibly the next Dragon Warrior. However, when he wasn’t chosen, he went on a rampage and became hellbent on taking the role he felt was his, even if it meant doing so by FORCE. He may have overreacted a bit, but can you blame him? Shifu became the only father Tai Lung ever had. He built up his hopes for achieving greatness… all for them to be ripped from under him in the end. He could only be stopped by the true Dragon Warrior, though, so if one thing’s for sure, it’s that Shifu is one heck of a teacher.

Kicking off this list is the ultimate femme fatale. Eris is the goddess of discord, and she takes great pleasure in her job – plunging the world into glorious chaos. In addition to being deviously beautiful, she has the omnipotent power to change her form and size as she pleases as well as an army of monsters born from the constellations. Despite her unlimited power and deceitful trickery, she does have one glaring weakness – she cannot break any promises she makes –they’re literally embedded into her. Despite this, even if she does get outsmarted, she’ll just brush it off and move on with her never-ending task of making the world crumble into chaos.

This unhappy couple managed to turn a chicken farm into a prison camp. While Mr. Tweedy’s more of a right-hand stooge, he makes sure that none of the “inmates” escape – and is the only one of the two to suspect that the chickens are smarter than they look. His wife, on the other hand, is the brains of the operation – wanting nothing more than to make a profit off their “useless birds” – even through malicious, deadly means like cooking their prisoners into pies. Fortunately, she underestimates the birds and she pays the price for it. Her scheme literally blows up in the farmers’ faces, leaving them rightfully chickenless and penniless.

#7: Hal Stewart aka Tighten “Megamind” (2010)

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Hal Stewart was just a nerdy cameraman looking for love that was out of his league. However, when Megamind needed a new arch-nemesis to do battle with, he ended up bestowing incredible superpowers to Hal and secretly trying to mold him into the ultimate superhero. Unfortunately, when Hal couldn’t get the girl of his dreams, he decided that being a villain was more of his vocation and began using his newfound might to conquer the city. Even though Megamind was the villain of his own story, he ended up creating an even worse threat –showing that you really have to be careful who you entrust with super abilities… especially the geeky types.

#6: Captain Chantel DuBois “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” (2012)

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Captain DuBois was the best animal control officer Monaco had to offer, and she delighted in hunting beasts down… and collecting “trophies”. So, when she was offered a chance to hunt down Alex the lion and mount his head on her wall, she brought her A-game. She’s pretty much insane, but she is also the ultimate hunter – armed with hunting tools of every kind, a dog-like sense of smell, cat-like reflexes, and a singing voice that can heal her lackeys miraculously. Unfortunately for her, our favorite vagabonds brought an end to her perfect catch streak, and she was last seen being shipped off to Madagascar – ironic since that’s where the gang ended up in the first movie.

The conflict between Moses and the Pharaoh is a tale as old as time. However, in “The Prince of Egypt,” Pharaoh Ramses II isn’t really evil. In fact, he and Moses were actually best friends and adoptive brothers - even though Moses usually got Ramses into trouble. When Ramses is crowned as the Pharaoh, the weight of his responsibility gets to him. He is determined to build a great legacy for himself – no matter how many Hebrew slaves he works to the bone. Unfortunately, his reign ends in tragedy – he loses his first-born son to Moses’ plagues, and his stubbornness drives away his childhood friend – leaving him with no real family to comfort him when he needs it most.

#4: Pitch Black “Rise of the Guardians” (2012)

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While the Guardians’ goal is to bring joy to the world, one terrifying obstacle stands in their way – the boogeyman himself, Pitch Black. Embittered by nobody believing in him, Pitch relishes in turning children’s dreams into nightmares. He’s hell-bent on plunging the world into darkness and making sure the Guardians are forgotten, leaving them powerless to stop him. Being a master manipulator, he knows everyone’s deepest fears and delights in torturing them psychologically. It’s hard to tell when he’s being genuine or when he’s lying through his pointed teeth, he’s that good. However, despite his sadistic, cunning ways, there was one thing Pitch didn’t count on – being betrayed by his own fears.

#3: Fairy Godmother “Shrek 2” (2004)

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Many remember the story of the Fairy Godmother – using her benevolent magic to give princesses their happily ever after. In reality, she’s a prejudice, corrupt businesswoman with her own agenda – to have Princess Fiona marry her pretty-boy son, Prince Charming so that she can rule over the kingdom of Far Far Away. She’s got no qualms playing mind games with Shrek, trying to ruin his and Fiona’s marriage to make it happen since she firmly believes that ogres can’t live happily ever after. She might’ve succeeded too if it weren’t for Shrek and Fiona’s love… and a backfired spell. Unfortunately for the happy couple, Prince Charming isn’t taking his mother’s death – and being robbed of his happily ever after – lightly.

#2: Lord Farquaad “Shrek” (2001)

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Sadly, our runner-up just fell short of being number one. But don’t think little of Farquaad… because he has a massive ego, an iron-fisted rule over his kingdom, and a xenophobic vision of a perfect world WITHOUT fairytale creatures. There is no dirty deed he won’t stoop to – and he doesn’t even have to get his own hands dirty. Ironically, despite his perfectionism, he is blind to his own literal shortcomings, which really makes him an entertaining tyrant you love to hate. Unfortunately for him, Farquaad meets his demise at the hands of the fairytale “trash” he wished to dispose of – but still makes time for one last plot from beyond the grave. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Colonel George Armstrong Custer, “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” (2002) His Role May Have Been Small, but He Learned the Hard Way Not to Try Breaking Spirit The Royal Chef of Bergen Town, "Trolls" (2016) She’s Got an Appetite for Trolls & Ambitions for Glory General Mandible, “Antz” (1998) Only the Strong Survive & Everyone Is Expendable Lord Victor Quartermaine, "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" (2005) A Bully, a Hunter, & a Con Man–Everything Wallace Is Not! Professor Pee-Pee Diarrheastein Poopypants, Esq., "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie" (2017) He Could’ve Been the World’s Most Brilliant Scientist... If It Wasn’t for His Silly Name

#1: Lord Shen “Kung Fu Panda 2” (2011)

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We still give credit to Tai Lung for his tragic backstory, but we have to give it up to this devilish peacock. Even though it meant being disowned by his family, Shen managed to weaponize fireworks and assemble an entire army of wolves with the mission to wipe out kung fu forever. What really brings him to the top is his personal connection to our favorite Dragon Warrior, Po – Shen was the reason Po became an orphan, and he committed mass genocide on other pandas without a single regret. Despite this, Po was able to defeat this paranoid peacock by finding inner peace with his past – something Shen was never able to achieve.