Disney: 5 Reasons Hercules’ Hades is the scariest Disney Villain (& 5 It’s Hunchback’s Frollo)

Not all villains are created equal in Disney movies. Some villains are a little scary, but not truly chilling. But this is not the case when it comes to Frollo, from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Hades, from Hercules. These two foes mean business and they’re not afraid to be ruthless to get what they’re after. Both Frollo and Hades are strong contenders for Disney’s scariest villains but in two very different ways. These two baddies are not scared to be terrifying.

Here are some reasons why Hades takes the scariest spots, and some why it’s obviously Frollo.

10 Hades – He’s a God

Unlike other villains, Hades is a true-blue god, which means he has unlimited power at his disposable and can’t be defeated by anyone except the strongest heroes.

While he faces certain constraints due to his position, he has endless power and will never cease to be. It’s a little different when it’s not a human facing down, but an immortal being. Humans may be scary, it’s true, but the wrath of the gods is on an epic, legendary scale.

9 Frollo – He’s A Religious Fanatic

Frollo is a man with an edict right from God, which is one of the most dangerous things a person can have. In his quest for his “religion,” Frollo is willing to commit some serious atrocities. Hades might be a god, but Frollo is a man who thinks he is called by God, which can be much worse.

8 Hades – He’s Smart

Hades is no easy enemy. He’s a planner, a plotter, and has friends in low places. When Meg falls for Hercules, he needs barely more than a breath to connect the dots and concoct his evil plan.

He can read people in a second and knows just where to press to bend them to his will.

7 Frollo – He’s Powerful

Minister Frollo has the entire city, not to mention, its guards in the palm of his hand. All he has to do is give an order and it’s unquestionably followed.

Only the church remains out of his clutches, but Frollo’s thirst for power makes him scarcely abide by even this one constraint.

6 Hades – He’s Mercurial

Hades is unreadable when it comes to his moods. He can be happy one moment and enraged the next and his expression will scarcely change.

When levity turns to rage on a dime, it’s hard to know where to step and such a tumult of emotion makes for one scary villain.

5 Frollo – He’s Manipulative

Frollo has a gift for manipulation and, what’s more, he clearly enjoys it. He takes great pleasure in reminding Quasimodo that no one will ever see past his appearance, and that the world will hate him for being a monster.

Many a viewer will likely have experienced this brand of belittling once in their life making Frollo too real and incredibly scary.

4 Hades – He’s Patient

Hades knows what he wants and he’s not afraid to lie in wait for it. When the fates tell him he will only succeed in taking over Olympus if he waits for 18 years, he does it.

Hades might be eternal, so it’s probably not a big deal to him, but still, it takes a very patient snake to lie in wait for so long.

3 Frollo – He Wants Genocide

Is there really any more to say? Frollo wants to kill a whole people and make them cease to exist. In the movie, he uses the metaphor of crushing ants, a favorite comparison of dictators across time.

Frollo does not see a whole race as truly human, and that makes him uniquely terrifying among Disney villains. While other villains have aims that are more global, like destroying the whole world, or committing an act of revenge against one they think has wronged them, Frollo has, for no clear reason, decided that one group of people are responsible for all of the world’s problems. This is an issue that has plagued reality over and over and is not even veneered here. Frollo is truly terrifying.

2 Hades – He Turns on His Own Family

Hades has no love for anyone. The people he most wants to destroy are technically his family. In fact, Hercules is actually his nephew.

Zeus seems like he actually loves Hades, which makes Hades’s cold blood betrayal even worse.

1 Frollo – He Believes He’s Righteous

Similarly to his “devotion” to religion, Frollo has no doubt in his mind that he is absolutely free of any blame or sin. No matter what he has done or what clear evil he has committed, he explains it away, blaming God, Gypsies, and Women. He is willing to turn the blame onto anyone but himself. Someone who is so convinced of their own purity and righteousness is capable of anything, because they will never understand why it is they might be wrong. They will always be able to offer a justification for their behaviors, allowing them to thusly commit any kind of action or atrocity.

This inability to recognize his own failings makes him truly terrifying, and maybe, just, maybe, gives him a villainous edge over Hades.

About The Author

Rotem Rusak
(78 Articles Published)

Fangirl extraordinaire. Lover of all things pop culture, including Marvel, Hannibal, Harry Potter, and more.

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