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Description

I WAS going to save this short list for January (and fans of KH can guess why), but...nah.

When it comes to Kingdom Hearts, I think it’s fair to say that what every major fan looks forward to more than anything else is simply this: what new Disney worlds and characters will we encounter, and what older ones will be returning? As a major Disney fanboy myself, I have to say that the characters I look forward to myself most of all aren’t the heroes who’ll be joining us, or the fun Summons who’ll be assisting us...it’s the villains we’ll be facing. It is my strong opinion that Kingdom Hearts made Disney Villains awesome in a way no video game series has or likely ever will manage again. Before Kingdom Hearts, I highly doubt anybody would put boss fights from Disney-based games, against Disney antagonists, among their favorite battles in video game history; I highly doubt characters like those you’ll find here would have been included on many video game villains lists, either. But KH changed that: not only were these magnificent baddies awesome in animated films, but it seemed they could be just as wonderfully wicked in an interactive environment, as well! Many of them even carried over their original voice actors from the films, who put their heart and soul into making these nefarious knaves as authentically evil as possible.
How can such accomplishments in the world of diabolical devilry go unappreciated? I don’t think they should! So, with that in mind, I decided to make this quick list in honor of their evil schemes. So, get your Jiminy Journals ready! These are My Top 5 Favorite Disney Villains from the Kingdom Hearts series.

5. Jafar.
Now, the reason I made this a simple top five, rather than a top ten or twelve, is simply because of how difficult bringing the list up to that number would have been, for various reasons. While the four above this guy I actually knew the picks and rankings for from the start, the number five spot was basically a brawl between four baddies. (The other three I shall be giving Honorable Mentions to, so don’t worry, they’ll get their due credit.) I’m not entirely sure what made Jafar win out in the end, but I think it may simply have been his boss fights. Specifically, the first fight we had with him in KHI, and the battle we had against him in KHII; both of these bosses are among my favorite Disney boss battles in the series, and credit must also be given to voice actor Jonathan Freeman. Freeman, of course, pioneered Jafar in the original movie, and, not so long ago, only proved his power with the character by performing him LIVE, in the Original Broadway Cast for the stage version of Aladdin! Needless to say, he’s just as excellent here as ever, and I absolutely love some of the battle quotes he gets. From babbling magic spells to shouting “You’ll never escape!” and “That’s gotta hurt!” he simply has some of the most fun enemy dialogue bits of any villain in these games. I also rather like his interactions with Maleficent in the first game, as the two seemed more like equals than with some of the other villains in the Hellfire Club (as KH fans sometimes refer to the villains allied with Maleficent), and he seemed to have a bit more of a commanding presence. It’s a VERY close call, but ultimately, the Dark Genie of Agrabah nips into the bottom spot here.

4. The MCP.
Even though the MCP - the Master Control Program - only appeared in one game, that being KHII, he made a major impact on both the story of that game and my memory. The MCP (voiced by the great David Warner in the original film) was the main antagonist of the live-action/CGI film “Tron,” and arguably the third-tier antagonist of KHII after Xemnas and Maleficent. He was played in the game by Corey Burton, doing a David Warner impression, since - presumably - the actual David Warner was indisposed at the time. Unlike most Disney Villains in the series, he was not allied with Maleficent, and instead was sort of doing his own thing...and that thing was creating computerized Heartless from the databanks of Ansem the Wise’s old system to overrun Hollow Bastion, the world of the “users” he believed to be inferior. The MCP was not often seen or heard, but his presence was always felt, and the boss fight against him was definitely one of the toughest and most fun in the entire game. I was going to give Commander Sark - his second in command - a mention here, since he’s actually much more physically present in the story of the movie (essentially the Darth Vader to the MCP’s Emperor Palpatine), but in the game, Sark’s role is actually rather reduced, and his solo boss fight is PATHETICALLY easy. The MCP is the character we’re really facing, and feels less like a typical villain and more like a persistent force of cruel nature, which only makes his defeat even more satisfying as a result, due to the antagonist’s literal size (he is freaking gigantic) and weight.

3. Pete.
Disney’s oldest recurring antagonist - predating not only Mickey Mouse and his pals, but even Oswald the Lucky Rabbit - it’s no surprise that Pete would appear in the world of Kingdom Hearts. In the series, Pete was a constant thorn in Mickey’s side in the days before he became King of Disney Castle. Ultimately, King Mickey banished Pete to another dimension as punishment for his many crimes, but Maleficent - apparently seeing some potential in the bullying rogue - released him from his prison, and made him essentially her emissary. Pete is a villain known for changing styles and roles throughout Disney history, and KH sometimes seems like a tribute to the character’s versatility in that regard; true, we have his “primary form,” visible above, but we also encounter other incarnations of Pete from his time before joining Maleficent, such as a superhero/supervillain style character called “Captain Dark,” and incarnations based on his appearances in “Steamboat Willie” and “Mickey, Donald, & Goofy in The Three Musketeers.” This is not forgetting Julius, the Frankenstein’s-Monster-esque creature that bears a striking resemblance to Pete, and whom we encounter in an optional “surprise” boss fight in Dream Drop Distance. Pete’s versatility is only part of the fun; I absolutely love what a “try-hard” he is as a villain. Seeing this much more cartoonish, bumbling oaf of a character - who relies on brute strength and is constantly mucking things up - bouncing off a character like MALEFICENT is just friggin’ HILARIOUS. The relationship they have is also a lot of fun, since Pete seems utterly devoted to Maleficent (for one reason or another), and does everything he can to please her, while the Mistress of All Evil spends most of her time calling him a “useless imbecile” and a “pathetic coward” among other not-so-affectionate titles. You really have to wonder what the Dark Queen Herself saw in the guy...maybe his simple persistence and determination? It’s certainly a big part of what makes the brutish Pete such a fun villain in general, and it is for that idiotic persistence that I grant him the number three spot on this list.

2. Hades.
As I have said before, I am not the biggest fan of Disney’s Hercules, and when I made my list of my favorite Disney Villains way, way back, I didn’t even give poor Hades an Honorable Mention. Because of this, you may think I dislike the guy...but I don’t! Hades was definitely the most fun part of Hercules, and he’s certainly an entertaining villain. I think a big part of this is his personality; even though the Lord of the Underworld is depicted as basically the Devil in the universe of the film, he’s treated in a manner you really wouldn’t expect. He talks like a television agent, or a sleazy car salesman. James Woods’ snarky, smarmy voice is definitely a big part of the fun, but the animation on him is also fun (one of my great regrets with KH is we haven’t gotten to see the smokey tendrils of Hades’ robe the way the movie shows them, but I suppose that would have been difficult to manage). In Kingdom Hearts, Hades is handled excellently; alongside Pete and Maleficent, he seems to be (at least from my perspective) the most prominent of all the Disney Villains, and arguably the most powerful. It is also through Hades that many of the Final Fantasy characters get to shine, as well, as the duels at Olympus Coliseum often feature them, and Hades often summons characters from those games to his side, such as Cloud and Auron. James Woods returns to do the voice, just as Jonathan Freeman does for Jafar, and he’s just as much fun in the KH series as he was in the original film. The battles with Hades are also infamously tricky and yet also tons of fun; in KHI, he got an optional battle, and in Chain of Memories (both the original and the “Re” remake), I can’t count how many times I died trying to beat this fiery bozo. My favorite of them all had to be the final fight with him from Kingdom Hearts II, where even with Hercules, Donald, Goofy, and a guy with a giant sword on our side, it STILL took me a couple tries to defeat this dastard. If there was ever a villain I liked more in Kingdom Hearts than in their own movie, Hades MIGHT be such a case.

But as much as I love Hades in these games, there’s one Disney Villain I like even more...and it really shouldn’t come as any surprise as to who that is...

1. Maleficent.
Was there ever any doubt? Voiced impeccably by Susanne Blakeslee - who has done an absolutely PERFECT job at stepping into the late Eleanor Audley’s black shoes - Maleficent, the Dark Fairy from “Sleeping Beauty,” is the secondary antagonist of the entire series and, right alongside Xehanort himself - the primary antagonist - probably my favorite villain in the games. This isn’t the only reason I place Maleficent on here, however; it’s no secret that the Mistress of All Evil is my favorite Disney Villain, but what some of you may be surprised to know is that Kingdom Hearts is just as much a part of my love for her as her original film appearance. Now, true, her level of actual menace has fluctuated from game to game - and the worst games are those where she provides the least threat, usually, I can’t help but notice - but you can’t deny that anytime she pops up, it’s a memorable, show-stealing experience. Highly narcissistic, she believes it is her right to claim Kingdom Hearts as her own realm, and Disney Castle as her new palace. She is unabashedly villainous, with little justification, and so deliciously theatrical and operatic in terms of style. While Pete runs away from conflict at the first sign of trouble, Maleficent will continue fighting even if it looks like she could lose. She is immensely powerful and incredibly manipulative, able to twist people’s hearts and desires to her will in just about every installment, and toying with their minds gleefully. She worships the darkness almost religiously, and is willing to do just about anything, and use just about anyone, to get what she wants. Everytime I encounter her, I can’t help but grin like a loon; I love the character that much. There’s seriously not enough good things I could say about her in these games! So...yeah, sorry to be predictable here, but it’s really a no-brainer in this case. Maleficent is, without a shadow of a doubt, My Favorite Disney Villain from the Kingdom Hearts series.

Honorable Mentions Include…
Oogie Boogie.
Given my love of this villain, and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” in general, it was downright PAINFUL deciding to leave Oogie off the list. Ultimately, the simple fact that - even though I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every boss we’ve had with him in the games - I just liked Jafar’s battles a bit more ended up being the deciding factor. Kudos to the great Ken Page, who, like so many, reprises the role of the Gambling Boogieman in this series, and whose battle dialogue is just as marvelous as Jonathan Freeman’s.

Captain Hook.
Voiced by Corey Burton, who has been playing the character pretty much forever, since Hans Conried’s tragic passing. Hook is my fourth favorite Disney Villain, so you’d think he’d be a shoe-in for the top five. Ultimately, the fact he just doesn’t seem to pose as much threat, or have as prominent a role in the story, as some of the other baddies is what cost him placement.

Ursula.
Pat Carroll is a delight as Ursula, and she is a pretty prominent villain in the series, appearing in four games...but it seems like every time Atlantica is brought into Kingdom Hearts, something is amiss. It worked all right in Chain of Memories (even though the experience of walking underwater was...a little strange), but the water mechanics in the first KH game were a little wonky, the optional Atlantica level in KHII was as pointless as it was badly conceived, and her random appearance as the first boss/tutorial villain in Dream Drop Distance almost felt more like a disservice than a tribute. Still, she did get a few fun bosses, and Carroll is a treat you just can’t get enough of (especially when she gets to sing), and I wouldn’t mind seeing her again despite all that. The fact she was one of the main antagonists of the first game, being one of the rogues associated with Maleficent, probably stands in her favor, too.

Description

I WAS going to save this short list for January (and fans of KH can guess why), but...nah.

When it comes to Kingdom Hearts, I think it’s fair to say that what every major fan looks forward to more than anything else is simply this: what new Disney worlds and characters will we encounter, and what older ones will be returning? As a major Disney fanboy myself, I have to say that the characters I look forward to myself most of all aren’t the heroes who’ll be joining us, or the fun Summons who’ll be assisting us...it’s the villains we’ll be facing. It is my strong opinion that Kingdom Hearts made Disney Villains awesome in a way no video game series has or likely ever will manage again. Before Kingdom Hearts, I highly doubt anybody would put boss fights from Disney-based games, against Disney antagonists, among their favorite battles in video game history; I highly doubt characters like those you’ll find here would have been included on many video game villains lists, either. But KH changed that: not only were these magnificent baddies awesome in animated films, but it seemed they could be just as wonderfully wicked in an interactive environment, as well! Many of them even carried over their original voice actors from the films, who put their heart and soul into making these nefarious knaves as authentically evil as possible.
How can such accomplishments in the world of diabolical devilry go unappreciated? I don’t think they should! So, with that in mind, I decided to make this quick list in honor of their evil schemes. So, get your Jiminy Journals ready! These are My Top 5 Favorite Disney Villains from the Kingdom Hearts series.

5. Jafar.
Now, the reason I made this a simple top five, rather than a top ten or twelve, is simply because of how difficult bringing the list up to that number would have been, for various reasons. While the four above this guy I actually knew the picks and rankings for from the start, the number five spot was basically a brawl between four baddies. (The other three I shall be giving Honorable Mentions to, so don’t worry, they’ll get their due credit.) I’m not entirely sure what made Jafar win out in the end, but I think it may simply have been his boss fights. Specifically, the first fight we had with him in KHI, and the battle we had against him in KHII; both of these bosses are among my favorite Disney boss battles in the series, and credit must also be given to voice actor Jonathan Freeman. Freeman, of course, pioneered Jafar in the original movie, and, not so long ago, only proved his power with the character by performing him LIVE, in the Original Broadway Cast for the stage version of Aladdin! Needless to say, he’s just as excellent here as ever, and I absolutely love some of the battle quotes he gets. From babbling magic spells to shouting “You’ll never escape!” and “That’s gotta hurt!” he simply has some of the most fun enemy dialogue bits of any villain in these games. I also rather like his interactions with Maleficent in the first game, as the two seemed more like equals than with some of the other villains in the Hellfire Club (as KH fans sometimes refer to the villains allied with Maleficent), and he seemed to have a bit more of a commanding presence. It’s a VERY close call, but ultimately, the Dark Genie of Agrabah nips into the bottom spot here.

4. The MCP.
Even though the MCP - the Master Control Program - only appeared in one game, that being KHII, he made a major impact on both the story of that game and my memory. The MCP (voiced by the great David Warner in the original film) was the main antagonist of the live-action/CGI film “Tron,” and arguably the third-tier antagonist of KHII after Xemnas and Maleficent. He was played in the game by Corey Burton, doing a David Warner impression, since - presumably - the actual David Warner was indisposed at the time. Unlike most Disney Villains in the series, he was not allied with Maleficent, and instead was sort of doing his own thing...and that thing was creating computerized Heartless from the databanks of Ansem the Wise’s old system to overrun Hollow Bastion, the world of the “users” he believed to be inferior. The MCP was not often seen or heard, but his presence was always felt, and the boss fight against him was definitely one of the toughest and most fun in the entire game. I was going to give Commander Sark - his second in command - a mention here, since he’s actually much more physically present in the story of the movie (essentially the Darth Vader to the MCP’s Emperor Palpatine), but in the game, Sark’s role is actually rather reduced, and his solo boss fight is PATHETICALLY easy. The MCP is the character we’re really facing, and feels less like a typical villain and more like a persistent force of cruel nature, which only makes his defeat even more satisfying as a result, due to the antagonist’s literal size (he is freaking gigantic) and weight.

3. Pete.
Disney’s oldest recurring antagonist - predating not only Mickey Mouse and his pals, but even Oswald the Lucky Rabbit - it’s no surprise that Pete would appear in the world of Kingdom Hearts. In the series, Pete was a constant thorn in Mickey’s side in the days before he became King of Disney Castle. Ultimately, King Mickey banished Pete to another dimension as punishment for his many crimes, but Maleficent - apparently seeing some potential in the bullying rogue - released him from his prison, and made him essentially her emissary. Pete is a villain known for changing styles and roles throughout Disney history, and KH sometimes seems like a tribute to the character’s versatility in that regard; true, we have his “primary form,” visible above, but we also encounter other incarnations of Pete from his time before joining Maleficent, such as a superhero/supervillain style character called “Captain Dark,” and incarnations based on his appearances in “Steamboat Willie” and “Mickey, Donald, & Goofy in The Three Musketeers.” This is not forgetting Julius, the Frankenstein’s-Monster-esque creature that bears a striking resemblance to Pete, and whom we encounter in an optional “surprise” boss fight in Dream Drop Distance. Pete’s versatility is only part of the fun; I absolutely love what a “try-hard” he is as a villain. Seeing this much more cartoonish, bumbling oaf of a character - who relies on brute strength and is constantly mucking things up - bouncing off a character like MALEFICENT is just friggin’ HILARIOUS. The relationship they have is also a lot of fun, since Pete seems utterly devoted to Maleficent (for one reason or another), and does everything he can to please her, while the Mistress of All Evil spends most of her time calling him a “useless imbecile” and a “pathetic coward” among other not-so-affectionate titles. You really have to wonder what the Dark Queen Herself saw in the guy...maybe his simple persistence and determination? It’s certainly a big part of what makes the brutish Pete such a fun villain in general, and it is for that idiotic persistence that I grant him the number three spot on this list.

2. Hades.
As I have said before, I am not the biggest fan of Disney’s Hercules, and when I made my list of my favorite Disney Villains way, way back, I didn’t even give poor Hades an Honorable Mention. Because of this, you may think I dislike the guy...but I don’t! Hades was definitely the most fun part of Hercules, and he’s certainly an entertaining villain. I think a big part of this is his personality; even though the Lord of the Underworld is depicted as basically the Devil in the universe of the film, he’s treated in a manner you really wouldn’t expect. He talks like a television agent, or a sleazy car salesman. James Woods’ snarky, smarmy voice is definitely a big part of the fun, but the animation on him is also fun (one of my great regrets with KH is we haven’t gotten to see the smokey tendrils of Hades’ robe the way the movie shows them, but I suppose that would have been difficult to manage). In Kingdom Hearts, Hades is handled excellently; alongside Pete and Maleficent, he seems to be (at least from my perspective) the most prominent of all the Disney Villains, and arguably the most powerful. It is also through Hades that many of the Final Fantasy characters get to shine, as well, as the duels at Olympus Coliseum often feature them, and Hades often summons characters from those games to his side, such as Cloud and Auron. James Woods returns to do the voice, just as Jonathan Freeman does for Jafar, and he’s just as much fun in the KH series as he was in the original film. The battles with Hades are also infamously tricky and yet also tons of fun; in KHI, he got an optional battle, and in Chain of Memories (both the original and the “Re” remake), I can’t count how many times I died trying to beat this fiery bozo. My favorite of them all had to be the final fight with him from Kingdom Hearts II, where even with Hercules, Donald, Goofy, and a guy with a giant sword on our side, it STILL took me a couple tries to defeat this dastard. If there was ever a villain I liked more in Kingdom Hearts than in their own movie, Hades MIGHT be such a case.

But as much as I love Hades in these games, there’s one Disney Villain I like even more...and it really shouldn’t come as any surprise as to who that is...

1. Maleficent.
Was there ever any doubt? Voiced impeccably by Susanne Blakeslee - who has done an absolutely PERFECT job at stepping into the late Eleanor Audley’s black shoes - Maleficent, the Dark Fairy from “Sleeping Beauty,” is the secondary antagonist of the entire series and, right alongside Xehanort himself - the primary antagonist - probably my favorite villain in the games. This isn’t the only reason I place Maleficent on here, however; it’s no secret that the Mistress of All Evil is my favorite Disney Villain, but what some of you may be surprised to know is that Kingdom Hearts is just as much a part of my love for her as her original film appearance. Now, true, her level of actual menace has fluctuated from game to game - and the worst games are those where she provides the least threat, usually, I can’t help but notice - but you can’t deny that anytime she pops up, it’s a memorable, show-stealing experience. Highly narcissistic, she believes it is her right to claim Kingdom Hearts as her own realm, and Disney Castle as her new palace. She is unabashedly villainous, with little justification, and so deliciously theatrical and operatic in terms of style. While Pete runs away from conflict at the first sign of trouble, Maleficent will continue fighting even if it looks like she could lose. She is immensely powerful and incredibly manipulative, able to twist people’s hearts and desires to her will in just about every installment, and toying with their minds gleefully. She worships the darkness almost religiously, and is willing to do just about anything, and use just about anyone, to get what she wants. Everytime I encounter her, I can’t help but grin like a loon; I love the character that much. There’s seriously not enough good things I could say about her in these games! So...yeah, sorry to be predictable here, but it’s really a no-brainer in this case. Maleficent is, without a shadow of a doubt, My Favorite Disney Villain from the Kingdom Hearts series.

Honorable Mentions Include…
Oogie Boogie.
Given my love of this villain, and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” in general, it was downright PAINFUL deciding to leave Oogie off the list. Ultimately, the simple fact that - even though I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every boss we’ve had with him in the games - I just liked Jafar’s battles a bit more ended up being the deciding factor. Kudos to the great Ken Page, who, like so many, reprises the role of the Gambling Boogieman in this series, and whose battle dialogue is just as marvelous as Jonathan Freeman’s.

Captain Hook.
Voiced by Corey Burton, who has been playing the character pretty much forever, since Hans Conried’s tragic passing. Hook is my fourth favorite Disney Villain, so you’d think he’d be a shoe-in for the top five. Ultimately, the fact he just doesn’t seem to pose as much threat, or have as prominent a role in the story, as some of the other baddies is what cost him placement.

Ursula.
Pat Carroll is a delight as Ursula, and she is a pretty prominent villain in the series, appearing in four games...but it seems like every time Atlantica is brought into Kingdom Hearts, something is amiss. It worked all right in Chain of Memories (even though the experience of walking underwater was...a little strange), but the water mechanics in the first KH game were a little wonky, the optional Atlantica level in KHII was as pointless as it was badly conceived, and her random appearance as the first boss/tutorial villain in Dream Drop Distance almost felt more like a disservice than a tribute. Still, she did get a few fun bosses, and Carroll is a treat you just can’t get enough of (especially when she gets to sing), and I wouldn’t mind seeing her again despite all that. The fact she was one of the main antagonists of the first game, being one of the rogues associated with Maleficent, probably stands in her favor, too.