Disney Villains: Are they just some guy?
Identification of tiers/characters and justifications under the cut
Notes:
Characters lose "just some guy-ness" the harder it is to encounter someone like them in day-to-day life. Being especially powerful or especially malicious gets more points away from "some guy."
This is day-to-day life in the context of their own world. The Queen of Hearts is wildly out of place in a grocery store, less so in Wonderland.
No sequels, also I skipped movies that I don't know well enough (and Treasure Planet, which I haven't watched yet and don't want spoilers for)
One villain per movie, except for Meet the Robinsons because I wanted to
(remarkably thorough!) Tiermaker from here
Wild animal:
The bees from Winnie-the-Pooh: Self-explanatory category. They are common to encounter, indistinct, and act as expected.
Mor'du from Brave: in his role in the movie, at this point, he's just a bear.
This is a child:
Clown-that-I-hope-is-from-Inside Out, representing the movie's villain, which is "a preteen girl's emotional turmoil": Can you name anything more common than a preteen girl having emotional turmoil
Sid from Toy Story: He's a little mean to his sister and a little weird with his hobby, that's it.
Just a guy:
Alma from Encanto and Ming Lee from Turning Red: Genuinely believe they are doing the right thing for their family and their community. (Note: I have not seen Turning Red). They had fantastical power bestowed on them, but the role they choose to take in day-to-day life is "some guy"
Chick Hicks from Cars: Okay technically he's a guy good at his job, but he's down here because the only villainous thing he does is make an ass of himself on TV. He doesn't hurt anyone.
The hunter who shot Bambi's mom (as represented by this deer I don't recognize), the dentist from Finding Nemo, and Denahi from Brother Bear: It's poor hunting etiquette to kill a mother deer with child/kill an animal for emotion rather than need. In between them is the diver from Finding Nemo, who should know better than to live-capture exotic animals and keep them as "low-effort" pets. Denahi should even more know better, because there is precedent for getting turned into a bear over this transgression.
Edgar from The Aristocats. In the words of podcast The Villain Was Right, "It's not hard to kill a cat." Edgar went out of his way to sedate and relocate the cats. Still dropping housecats in the middle of the city, but his aim was nonlethal. Bro, this won't get you your pension. Unionize.
Goob from Meet the Robinsons: Guy who desperately needs therapy. Was willing to do some pretty wild shit at the behest of a hat.
Oogie Boogie: Okay so my man is down with torture. However. I'm pretty sure MOST of the residents of Halloweentown are down with torture. The only thing that makes him special is Jack personally doesn't like him.
The villain is intolerance:
Amos Glade from The Fox and the Hound: That's what hunting dogs are for.
The whole town in Luca: They came around pretty quick.
The other elephants in Dumbo: Cruelty is bad, but not uncommon
The racist caricature cats from Lady and the Hound: I haven't watched this movie. They hate Lady for being a dog? And sneak a live rat into the baby's crib to frame her? Do they comprehend the danger they put the baby in?? Listen I wanted to just rate them as cats but possible infanticide bumped them up. I haven't watched the movie.
Guy good at his job:
Headless Horseman (Brom Bones) from Sleepy Hollow: the "good at his job" category distinguishes that the villain has some extra power from being "needed". I actually don't know much about Brom Bones and his position in the community but he looks like Gaston so he goes here with Gaston.
Chef Skinner from Ratatouille: He's a mean boss who does some underhanded shit. These are common.
Gaston from Beauty and the Beast: Incels are common. Extra power points for being able to rally a whole town into forming a mob, extra cruelty points for being willing to institutionalize Maurice
Clayton from Tarzan: I haven't seen this but I'm pretty sure his deal is he was hired to keep the researchers safe in the jungle, and he went off the deep end.
Yokai (Professor Callahan) from Big Hero Six: the "good at his job" part is relevant because being a college professor gave him access to Hiro's nanobots. High in this tier for sheer collateral damage.
A.U.T.O. from WALL-E: Responsible for the fate of all humanity. Doin' his best.
Average businessowner:
Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians: Did people in the 1950's/1960's think it was fucked up to skin puppies en masse? Yes. Are there, contemporaneously, worse animal abuses by businesses? Yes.
Waternoose from Monsters Inc: Lower points for kidnapping 1 child at a time and purportedly caring about the energy crisis/his employees. Higher points for, as far as he knew, children being a HIGHLY DANGEROUS BIOHAZARD that he's sneaking into their world (and/or realizing they're vulnerable juveniles of their species), and for being essentially a guy who wants to keep the coal mine going instead of even THINKING about alternative power
Judge Doom from Who Framed Roger Rabbit: how did he even get that position. how'd he get any authority. Anyway, lower points for being a Toon and thus more in line with Toon-expected antics.
Everyone involved in Pleasure Island from Pinocchio: Absolutely morally depraved? Yes. In line with child labor standards of 1900? Yes.
Historical figure:
Governor Ratcliffe from Pocahontas and Shan Yu from Mulan: I don't want to get deep into these because they directly represent real life invasion and genocide. They're closer to "some guy" for, again, representing real people and real events, with no (personal) fantastical powers. Higher up for their authority and power.
Military:
Captain Gantu from Lilo and Stitch: I mean, he did kidnap Lilo and suggest Stitch eat her as a snack. Mostly a guy doing his legitimate job, but he overstepped his bounds.
Thaddeus Whitmore from Atlantis the Lost Empire: wait shit the wiki says he's just a private millionaire? Then why is he dressed like that and how does he have all those connections? If he was doing this as an extension of the US military's drive to invade and pillage, that'd be more Some Guy, but if he's just doing this 'cause he personally wants to I'm gonna have to move him up. I actually watched the movie for this one! I was sure he was military!
Animal nobility:
Shere Khan from The Jungle Book: animal nobility is lower than human nobility because it's less clear what their jurisdiction is. Shere Khan is an apex predator who keeps Man out of the forest. Similar to guy Good at his Job, but more dangerous.
Scar from The Lion King: it's inherited nobility, but the king of lions seems to mostly have power by dictating how the pride hunts. Unclear if he actually caused the environmental collapse (by "allowing" the hyenas to overhunt? by the mystical force of being the Wrong King?) or if his rule just coincided with a drought.
Celebrity/Nobility:
All of the TV crew from Bolt: Unsafe and emotionally cruel working conditions for a child actor are not uncommon. Deciding they have to Truman Show a dog is a little weird.
Lady Tremaine from Cinderella: okay is she noble or just wealthy? Original fairy tale suggests noble, and she believes her daughters have a good shot with the prince. As of Twist in Time, Anastasia and Drizella are in the servant role (rather than… servants) but that could be either "can't afford servants" (simply squandered wealth? they were punished somehow by the crown?) or "Lady Tremaine needs someone to abuse." anyway assuming she's noble, that ups her power and rarity of her social position. Abuse is not uncommon.
Charles Muntz from Up: Celebrity explorer, and also he gave dogs the gift of speech as a side hobby. Weirdo.
I GUESS MILLIONAIRE WHITMORE GOES HERE????
Government
Deputy Mayor Bellwether: nooo don't start a race war you're so cutesy ahaha
Judge Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame: I really thought he was a priest until I checked his first name on the wiki. I should watch this one. Arguably he has less of a scope to his actions than the sheep, but he goes higher for the sheer scale of his religious psychosexual issues
Crime boss
Hopper from A Bug's Life: how did this arrangement between grasshoppers and ants even get started. like I know it's based on the Aesop's Fable but what was the series of events that got the grasshopper protection racket recognized by the queen. Anyway we don't see him actually kill anyone and he's bugs. Lower end.
Bill Sykes from Oliver and Company: I haven't seen this movie but I gather that he's a nasty loan shark who does torture and murder
Captain Hook from Peter Pan: He's on the high end mostly from me reading the book and really buying that he's a formidable, feared pirate and it's just that he's really been hung up on this fairy boy for the past while
Royalty
The Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland: Low end because it's Wonderland, everyone can and will do wild shit. No one in Wonderland is just some guy, but the Queen doesn't stick out so much
Prince John from Robin Hood: Legitimate king as long as Richard is indisposed. No one respects him, but he still gets royalty tier.
Prince Hans from Frozen: Didn't watch Frozen, but Hans's got the manipulation skills to pull off his political position. Good for him.
Wizard (man of the people)
Mother Gothel from Tangled: Not sure she actually has any magic other than knowing how the flower works. I should watch Tangled the Series. She seems content to mostly keep to herself, and I'm tempted to rank her lower.
Madam Mim from The Sword in the Stone: Living alone and hating everyone isn't super "of the people," but she does come off as just a local witch who won't be a problem for most folks.
Doctor Facilier from The Princess and the Frog: Honestly, I named the "man of the people" category for him.
Ursula from The Little Mermaid: She and Triton fought at one point? The trident used to be hers??? Anyway she's got some super powerful magic up her nonexistent sleeves. Mostly lives alone in a cave, but even as the movie starts she's got a thriving contract business.
Wizard (corporate):
Syndrome from The Incredibles: okay YOU tell me a tier name that fits. He can do wizard-level shit, I'm calling him a wizard. Wants to be very powerful and loved, but doesn't want to directly rule the world.
Hat from Meet the Robinsons: Does want to directly rule the world.
Wizard (nobility):
Queen from Snow White: She mostly uses her wizarding for beefing with one fourteen-year-old in particular.
Queen Narissa from Enchanted: Mostly beefing with one adult woman in particular.
King Candy from Wreck-It Ralph: Knowing how to code counts as wizardry. Still comparatively low ambitions. His kingdom is the population an arcade.
Yzma from Emperor's New Groove: She wants to be empress, and has a truly impressive arsenal of potions. Snuff Out the Light is noncanon but still earns her extra points.
Jafar from Aladdin: Advisor to the sultan, wants to be sultan, then wants even more arcane power, then wants the limitless power of geniehood. The only way to surpass his ambition would be, say, to want to snuff out the sun.
Fae
Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty and The Horned King from The Black Cauldron: A fey is not just some guy.
A God?!?
Te Ka (Te Fiti) from Moana, Hades from Hercules, and Chernabog from Fantasia (Night on Bald Mountain): A god is not just some guy.
















