Top 30 Worst Decisions by Disney Villains

#30: Hopeless Henchmen

Lilo & Stitch (2002)

The Grand Councilwoman knows absolutely nothing about planet Earth, but she does know she wants Stitch to be retrieved from Hawaii and sent back to intergalactic imprisonment. This plan, like many other villains schemes, hinges on the reliability of her underlings. And like in most other cases, Pleakley and Jumba simply fail to execute. Eventually, the Grand Councilwoman sends a tougher enforcer, Captain Gantu, to finish the job. So why even waste time relying on those hapless henchmen in the first place? Especially considering Pleakley is more interested in studying mosquitoes than doing his leaders bidding. Clearly, the Councilwoman would have benefited from a more strategic extraction mission.

#29: Heavy Lifting

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Considering the Evil Queen had just transformed herself into a frail hag, its a bit difficult to wrap one's head around her final gameplan. Shes been pursued to the top of a cliff, and the dwarves are closing in on her. With nowhere to turn, she decides to flex those granny muscles by lifting an enormous boulder using a thin branch. To her credit, the witch does get a bit of movement out of it. She even lets out a little self-assured cackle, gleefully wallowing in the off-camera strength training that enabled this feat. When a bolt of lightning shatters the jagged rock beneath her, shes sent tumbling to her death. As if that wasnt enough, the boulder follows her down.

#28: The Robot Alliance

Meet The Robinsons (2007)

This almost feels like cheating because Goob sort of has the mind of a stunted child, and his motivation can be summarized as a grudge held over losing a Little League baseball game. Rather than ruling the world, he gets his kicks out of tee-peeing the Robinson headquarters. How wicked! At any rate, he makes the incredibly foolish decision to trust an alliance with a dangerously sentient piece of robotic headwear. Doris convinces him they have a common enemy, but ultimately uses him to advance her goal of enslaving mankind. Considering Goob is a bumbling fool, hes the perfect candidate to manipulate. So the fact that he neglects to consider why Doris was decommissioned in the first place is a pretty fatal flaw in his logic.

#27: No PR Training

Wish (2024)

While interviewing apprentice Asha, King Magnifico makes a number of horrendously stupid moves that prove he desperately needed a PR team. Lets recap his idiocy. 1. Invite Asha into your chamber to show her all the wishes youre storing. 2. Tell her that most of these wishes will never be granted. 3. Upset her by refusing to grant her grandfathers wish. 4. Confess youll never give peoples wishes back or allow them to remember their wishes. 5. Posture like a cruel, ineffective king. 6. Assume the scrappy protagonist wont attempt to break in and take those wishes back for the people. Why Magnifico would invite a girl he doesnt know into his corrupt wish-granting practice without signing an NDA is beyond us. Either way, he set himself up for a whistleblowing scandal that inevitably upends his domain.

#26: Crocodile Bites

Peter Pan (1953)

After snacking on Captain Hooks hand, Tick-Tock the crocodile has developed a taste for the pirate. The croc stalks Hook throughout the film, with the sound of the clock signalling impending doom. Instead of taking care of the beast, Hook focuses all his energy on the magical boy who bested him in a duel. Youd think a fierce, battle-tested pirate who sailed the seas and conquered lands would be adept enough to kill a crocodile. After all, hes known for his swordsmanship, and has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal. Tick-Tick could have made a great jerky to feed his crew, but no! Hook has more pressing matters, like refining his piano skills. Naturally, the arc concludes with Tick-Tock chasing Hook off into the night.

#25: Shiny Things

Moana (2016)

The superficial, gold-encrusted crab, Tamatoa, essentially falls victim to his own vanity in the end. At one point, he has his adversary Maui pinned down while Moanas trapped in a cage. The gargantuan monster can pretty easily devour either of his enemies. Instead, he notices the shiny little faux-heart that Moana crafted. Like a bug to light (think King Candy), Tamatoa drops his guard in pursuit of the shiny object. This trickery works perfectly, allowing the duo to make their escape and leave the greedy crustacean stuck on his backwhere he remains in a post-credits scene. Failing to simply finish off the hero seems to be a common error amongst Disney villains, so Tamatoa should have kept at least one of his lop-sided eyes on the real prize.

#24: Identity Crisis

The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

Its one thing that Professor Ratigan keeps a giant cat as a pet. Its another that he simply cannot get over the fact that hes a rat. I mean, its literally in his name. Anytime a character acknowledges his vermin identity, he has a total meltdown. Ratigan sees himself as a sophisticated, oversized mouse. So being called a rat, which he views as derogatory, clashes with his aggrandized self-image. This emotional mismanagement undermines his ability to think clearly. For a villain with such convoluted schemes, Ratigan could have gotten a lot further if he came to accept his identity. The story culminates in him making the brazen decision to spar on top of Big Ben, and we know how that ends.

#23: Overtaxing

Robin Hood (1973)

The tale of Robin Hood is a classic, and the Disney retelling sees Prince John fall into the same foolish trap as earlier depictions. The thumb-sucking lion is obsessed with his riches. The people of his kingdom are already stretched pretty thin, but he has no issue taxing them even more. This ruthless leadership style is in many ways a result of his mommy issues, which left unresolved have made him a very bitter baddie. Despite his accrued wealth, he demands more at the expense of his subjects. Its this swindling and overtaxing that convinces Robin Hood to steal back the misappropriated gold. Plus, it motivates Nottingham to rebel against his army. Had Prince John worked out a better tax plan, maybe King Richard wouldnt have kicked him off the throne at first chance.

#22: Road Rage

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)

Cruella will do anything for a new fur coat. And apparently that includes causing a near fatal car accident. The puppies are finally escaping after boarding a getaway truck. In a last ditch effort to intervene, Cruella attempts to run the driver off the road. At one point, she nearly sends them all over the edge of a cliff! Despite flying off an overpass and burying her car in the snow, she still manages to kick it into high gear, and the chase is on! It seems the tempered approach would be to get the driver's attention so that he pulls over. Instead, Cruella turns the twisted highway into a Mad Max course. The chaotic scene ultimately leaves her stranded in a pile of rubble.

#21: Bad Math

The Aristocats (1970)

Ah, another villain who wants to eliminate a litter of pets. At least the feckless butler, Edgar, just wants to ship the kitties off to Timbuktu rather than skinning them alive. The buffoon overhears that the opera diva he waits on, Madame Adelaide Bonfamille, will be leaving her inheritance to her cats first before it transfers to him. Logically, someone has to manage the cats money, and it would likely be him. But he doesnt account for this, instead erroneously crunching numbers to convince himself that the cats will outlive him. Rather than just waiting for their short life spans to run out (and embezzling in the meantime, because what can a cat really do about that?), he concocts a number of absurd schemes that fail and leave him outcast instead.

#20: Not Clearly Labeling Poisons

The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

If youre going to keep a secret lair full of deadly poisons, youve got to stay organized. Its easy to blame Kronk for messing up the assassination attempt, but hes right: Yzma needs a better labeling system. Instead of killing Emperor Kuzco, the pair accidentally turn him into a llama thanks to a shoddy label. Things get even more chaotic later in the movie, when Yzma knocks over an entire case full of unlabeled potions. She might think shes pulled one over on our heroes, but we have to assume she learns her lesson after she gets transformed into a kitten.

#19: Standing on the Gargoyle

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Claude Frollo has clearly never seen a Disney movie, because otherwise hed know that falling from a height is the number one way the villains die. After falling over the ledge of the cathedral and hoisting himself up onto the gargoyle, he could easily make it back to safety. But hes so obsessed with killing Esmeralda and Quasimodo, that he instead stands up on the gargoyle and raises his sword to deal the final blow. That, of course, is his fatal mistake. In a stroke of divine justice, the gargoyle breaks and Frollo plummets to his death. Its a satisfying ending for one of the creepiest villains ever animated.

#18: Provoking the Bird

A Bug's Life (1998)

Fliks plan to scare the evil grasshoppers away from the ants nest using a fake bird is pretty smart, and it almost works. Unfortunately, P.T. ruins everything when he sets the bird on fire. However, the ruse pays off in the end when Flik is able to lure Hopper to a real birds nest. Assuming its another trick, Hopper makes the mistake of taunting the bird instead of running for his life. The bird snatches him up and her chicks make a quick meal out of him. Considering that birds are by far the most dangerous thing around, he should have played it safe, even if he didnt think this one was real.

#17: Dealing with Dark Spirits

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

Everyone knows that when you make deals with the devil, you pay the price. The money-hungry Dr. Facilier promises wayward souls to his friends on the other side, who are actually dark voodoo spirits. In return, they give him magical powers to carry out his evil plans. But when those plans go awry and Dr. Facilier cant pay his debts, he has to pay with his own soul instead. You could make the case that his real fault was greed, or maybe even overconfidence. But there are plenty of other underhanded ways to make money without risking your soul.

#16: Toying with Mowgli for Too Long

The Jungle Book (1967)

Shere Khan has been hunting for the man-cub for some time, and when he finally gets Mowgli in his clutches, youd think hed want to dispatch him as quickly as possible. But Mowgli shows no fear of the tiger, and this annoys Shere Khan. Hes a predator, after all, and he loves the thrill of the chase. Instead of devouring Mowgli right away, he gives him ten seconds to run, and this is just enough time for Baloo to show up and save the day. Kaa the python makes the same mistake. He hypnotizes Mowgli and has an easy opportunity to swallow him. But he wastes time singing and toying with the boy, and his prey slips out of his grasp, literally.

#15: Admitting His Deeds Where Everyone Can Hear

Coco (2017)

It seems that Ernesto de la Cruz committed the perfect crime. He got away with poisoning his best friend and is still beloved by his fans, even in the afterlife. In fact, decades pass before anyone even his victim figures out what happened, despite Ernesto starring in a film that recreates the murder. Eventually, Ernesto makes the same blunder that brings down so many movie villains: he gets too cocky. Hes foolish enough to admit his misdeeds just a few feet away from a stadium full of people not to mention a live video feed. The crowd and Pepita turn on Ernesto, and he finally gets what he deserves.

#14: Dont Underestimate the Good Fairies

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Individually, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are no match for Maleficent, but together, theyre a force to be reckoned with. The evil fairys first mistake is to cast her curse before Merryweather has bestowed her blessing, giving the blue fairy a chance to counteract the worst effects. Later, Maleficent captures Phillip the only person capable of breaking the spell but once again ignores the good fairies. They free Phillip from the dungeon pretty easily and even give him some sweet weapons. And just when it seems that Maleficent has him defeated, the fairies enchant his sword so that it strikes a killing blow. Youd think by that point Maleficent would have learned to take them a little more seriously.

#13: Relying on Pain & Panic

Hercules (1997)

Its a lesson that many a movie villain has learned the hard way: dont count on bumbling henchmen to do your dirty work for you. Hades needs to get Herc out of the picture in order to defeat Zeus. For some reason, instead of killing Herc himself, he sends Pain and Panic to turn the baby mortal and finish him off. Of course, they screw it up. Miraculously, they do manage to smuggle Hercules out of Olympus, but they fail to make sure he drinks all of Hades potion. This leaves him with his superhuman strength intact. It makes you wonder why Hades keeps these two around at all.

#12: Driving onto Train Tracks

Oliver & Company (1988)

To be fair, Fagin and his motley crew are the first to drive into the subway and onto the tracks as they flee from the evil loan shark Sykes. But at least Fagins motorbike has a bit more maneuverability. Once Sykes big fancy car hits the tracks, its not getting off of them easily. And this is New York City how far does he think he can drive before he runs into a train? Sykes is so blinded by greed that he sacrifices both of his dogs and eventually his own life in pursuit of a little ransom money. Dont mess around on train tracks, kids. Theyre dangerous!

#11: Not Staying with Anna Until She Died

Frozen (2013)

This is truly a rookie mistake. Hans must be thrilled when Anna shows up at the palace nearly frozen to death and reveals that Elsa is responsible. Anna will soon be out of the way, and Hans will have the excuse he needs to take out Elsa too. All he has to do is wait with Anna until she dies and the kingdom will be his. However, hes so eager to be king, he leaves Anna alone in a locked room to prematurely tell everyone that shes dead. He doesnt even bother to post a guard at the door, and a snowman is able to break in and free her. You were so close, Hans! You just needed to be a little patient.

#10: Butter Fingers

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

My what a fallllll, GASTON!! Wait, that isnt how the song goes He may be capable of a lot, but apparently having a strong grip isnt one of Gastons many abilities. While trying to kill Beast, Gaston is scaling the side of the castle in the rain and only holding on with one hand. After a skirmish, he slips right off the castle and thats the end of it. This is of course a convenient plot device that lets the Beast remain innocent by sparing Gastons life, while still giving the villain an ending he deserves.

#9: Tormenting Toys

Toy Story (1995)

Even though you wouldnt expect your toys to come alive and seek vengeance, torture is never a good idea. You see, Sid loved to torment his toys; he would burn them and try to launch them into space, but his favorite mode of torture was creating Franken-dolls by ripping them apart and putting them together in sinister ways. Woody rallied Sids victims to save Buzz, turning them against their creator. Sids actions are almost excusable, since he didnt know the toys were alive, but Lotso in Toy Story 3 was a toy himself. That psychopath left the toys to die, but the gang escapes and gets justice.

#8: Unguarded Cauldron

The Black Cauldron (1985)

The Horned King is one of the scariest of all the Disney villains, but he sure isnt the smartest. His entire plan for world domination revolves around the Black Cauldron, which creates an undead army. The Horned King works hard looking for the thing, even using a pig to find it, but once he finally gets it he leaves it totally unguarded. Its not like he didnt have the resources with all the dead guys supporting him. The lack of guards meant that little Gurgi could stop the cauldron, instantly killing the army and putting an end to the Horned King.

#7: Cutting the Vines

Tarzan (1999)

When youre hanging by a thread, or a vine in this case, its not a good idea to cut your only lifeline ... especially when there is another vine wrapped around your neck. Clayton shows a disdain for the animals of the jungle throughout Tarzan, but in the end he proves himself to have much less humanity than they do. To defeat him, Tarzan doesnt even need to get blood on his hands since Clayton unintentionally hangs himself in the vines in one of the more graphic villain deaths in the Disney canon.

#6: Shooting John Smith

Pocahontas (1995)

He sure puts the rat in Ratcliffe. This villain is obsessed with gold and will stop at nothing to get it. He thinks the natives are hiding treasure in the new world, so he decides they need to die. His men werent necessarily on board with the whole mass murder thing, but they rally together when John Smith is sentenced to death by Chief Powhatan. Luckily Pocahontas stopped the impending battle, but Ratcliffe decided to fire anyway and shot John. Whether he was aiming at John is irrelevant, since John was the only reason his men went to war in the first place. He would have been better off literally shooting himself in the foot.

#5: Not Changing Rapunzels Birthday

Tangled (2010)

If youre going to go through the effort of kidnapping a princess, then you better put some thought into your plan. When Mother Gothel took Rapunzel from her family, she took her to a hidden tower in the middle of nowhere. But it seems common sense stopped there because she kept Rapunzels original birthday, instead of changing it to literally anything else. You know, the same day a thousand lanterns are released in honor of the missing princess? The connection between the lanterns and her birthday lead Rapunzel to the truth, and ultimately to Gothels downfall.

#4: Big Mouth

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

Some Disney villains just cant pass up an opportunity to brag. Mr. Waternoose makes the mistake of revealing his plan before he can even act on it. His power plant, which supplies power through the screams of human children, isnt doing too well so his brilliant idea is to kidnap children to harvest their screams. This breaks ethics codes even in the monster world and luckily he reveals his plot while being unknowingly recorded and is promptly arrested. Mayor Bellwether makes a similar mistake in Zootopia. She reveals her plan to Judy, who is always armed with her trusty carrot pen/recorder. Will villains ever learn?

#3: Trusting Hyenas

The Lion King (1994)

All things considered, Scar is a pretty smart lion. Psychotic, maybe, but smart. For whatever reason let's call it laziness he relies on the hyenas to help him hatch his plan. Everyone knows the hyenas aren't very bright and Scar himself has noted this on a few occasions. Yet he trusts them to kill Simba as a cub, which they don't do, and he trusts them not to turn on him, which they actually do. When going through a plan to kill your brother with the possibility of angering a pride of lions, it's important to remember that if you want something done right, you'd better do it yourself.

#2: Wearing a Cape

The Incredibles (2004)

Capes may look cool, but when you're in the middle of fighting for your life, they can be extremely impractical. Capes have taken the lives of superheroes and villains alike. This is why Edna Mode has one rule when designing super suits: no capes! Syndrome may be able to build giant superhero killing robots, but when it comes to fashion, he's clueless. He foolishly adds a cape to his super suit and gets sucked into his own jet engine. And he wonders why Mr. Incredible didn't want to partner with him.

#1: Becoming a Genie

Aladdin (1992)

Don't you love it when a well-laid plan comes together? Unfortunately for this Grand Vizier, this did not happen. Jafar had everyone and everything where he wanted them. He'd become the most powerful sorcerer, he was the Sultan, and he was about to kill Aladdin. Instead, he lets Aladdin talk him into becoming a genie. The genie may have phenomenal cosmic power, but it also comes with an itty bitty living space. Good job, Jafar. You let your enemy convince you to enslave yourself. He really should have known better, considering his extensive knowledge of arcane lore.

Which villains decision do you think was the dumbest? Let us know in the comments below.