Top 10 Surprise Villains in Disney and Pixar Movies

Syndrome (The Incredibles)

Syndrome, born Buddy Pine, is the main antagonist in The Incredibles. As a child, he idolized Mr. Incredible and called himself "Incrediboy," aspiring to become a superhero despite having no powers. When Mr. Incredible rejected him, Buddy became bitter and set out to exact revenge.... read more

So it turns out that the sequel has a surprise villain as well, but Syndrome is, in fact, the best Pixar villain, and he wasn't bad at first! And Jason Lee does a great job!

In my opinion, Syndrome is the second-greatest superhero movie villain ever, only after Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight.

The most dangerous Pixar villain. He's Pixar's answer to the likes of Scar, Maleficent, and a few others I don't feel like naming.

Lotso Huggin' Bear (Toy Story 3)

Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear, commonly known as Lotso, is the main antagonist in Toy Story 3 (2010). He takes control of Sunnyside Day Care and forces the other toys to follow his rules. Despite his cuddly appearance, he is portrayed as a ruthless and manipulative character.

What looks like a cute, pink, wise stuffed bear is actually the closest thing we will ever see to Toy Hitler (or at least a Toy Hitler that isn't controversial). He literally tried to put all the toys to death by incineration! This is one cold-hearted bear. And he's also voiced by Ned Beatty, who does a great villain.

Hey, there is no foreshadowing in the film of his true nature. He should be number 1.

Ernesto de la Cruz (Coco)

For sure, that was one of the biggest plot twists I've ever seen. Surprisingly, the nice and beloved great-great-grandfather became such an evil villain. I can't tell who was more wronged by this monster. Héctor used to be his best friend, trusted him, and was betrayed. That was very sad because his little daughter waited for her dad for so many years.
On the other hand, Miguel was just a kid with great dreams, and Ernesto attempted to murder him twice, making him separated from his home forever and causing Héctor to vanish permanently as well. We don't see child murderers so often in animated movies, so he's for sure one of the most evil villains ever. What makes him even worse is his reason for all of that - just his infinite vanity, caring for nothing but his reputation. That may place him even higher than Syndrome, whose reasoning we could all understand. Ernesto De La Cruz is willing to do anything to seize his moment, no matter what it takes.

Stinky Pete the Prospector (Toy Story 2)

Stinky Pete, also known as The Prospector, is a fictional character in the Toy Story universe. He serves as a primary antagonist in Toy Story 2 (1999) and is voiced by Kelsey Grammer. He is portrayed as a collectible action figure from a 1950s television show called Woody's Roundup.

Honestly, I could tell he was evil. Why? Because he's voiced by Sideshow Bob himself, Kelsey Grammer! He seemed good at first but became bad only because he felt left out, so I kinda felt bad for him, honestly.

Turbo (Wreck-It Ralph)

You'll never make me call him King Candy. I refuse. Turbo disguised himself as the king of a candy-infested racing game called Sugar Rush, only to reveal himself as an ugly, evil racer. Not to mention, he is one of the funniest Disney villains ever! And he's also voiced by Alan Tudyk in an impression of the legendary Ed Wynn!

King Candy was always the villain of the movie, but I think the reveal of his true identity counts as a great twist villain.

Henry J. Waternoose III (Monsters, Inc.)

You know you have a good villain when you can plausibly understand the reasoning behind their actions. Waternoose needed to keep his company afloat by any means necessary, but he didn't care about the moral aspect of kidnapping and torturing children.

I really don't care if you think Randall was the main villain. I believe that Waternoose is the main villain of this movie. He didn't seem bad at first, but his appearance really suggested it. And he is voiced by a legendary actor, James Coburn.

My personal pick for one of the most evil villains in Disney/Pixar.

Charles F. Muntz (Up)

It is really upsetting to see your childhood idol turn into an enemy. Up did this right, while Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 did it horribly. Muntz, however, literally got into a sword fight with Carl! How cool is that? And Christopher Plummer did an amazing job.

I like him because you can tell something is up with him.

Yokai (Big Hero 6)

Why should I call him Robert Callaghan? I'll just call him Yokai. He was kinda forgettable, but he was pretty evil, and he was the villain from the start without the characters knowing he was Robert Callaghan. And James Cromwell does a great job.

Stromboli (Pinocchio)

I hate when people say that surprise villains are a new trend. They have existed for a very long time! Stromboli started out as a normal puppeteer with a bit of a temper, but eventually, he becomes evil and corrupt. He is voiced by Charles Judels, who also played the other villain of the film, the Coachman.

Bellwether (Zootopia)

Bellwether is the main antagonist in Disney's 2016 animated film Zootopia. She serves as the assistant mayor of the city and orchestrates a conspiracy to incite fear of predators among the prey population. Her character is portrayed as meek and underestimated, which contrasts with her true intentions... read more

She's a very good villain because she was behind those missing cases all along and wanted to become mayor, so she should be number 1.

?

Emperor Zurg (Toy Story 2)

Zurg, also known as Emperor Zurg, is a fictional character from the Toy Story franchise. He is portrayed as the arch-enemy of Buzz Lightyear and appears in several installments, including Toy Story 2 and Lightyear. Zurg is a parody of classic science fiction villains.

?

Bowler Hat Guy (Meet the Robinsons)

Evelyn Deavor (Incredibles 2)

She played an important role as the mastermind behind Screenslaver. Her plans made total sense because she was working on hypnosis a month before Elastigirl got hired. For Screenslaver, he was created by Evelyn a few days before the supers started working for DevTech. Placing Screenslaver in his lair, which was also Evelyn's den, gave her a greater chance of avoiding detection. Screenslaver was ordered by Evelyn to deal with Elastigirl, destroy the evidence, and everything else inside the apartment before escaping and framing him for those crimes.
Elastigirl then discovered the hypno-goggles in Screenslaver's mask when she was battling him and realized that he was the fake Screenslaver. She was then brainwashed by Evelyn herself and tied to a chair in the chamber in the Everjust. After Evelyn revealed her true hero-despising self to Elastigirl, she planned to keep them outlawed permanently. Elastigirl is later saved by her family and manages to stop Evelyn with Voyd's help.
Evelyn had been trying to stop Winston from bringing supers back since they lost their parents. When Incredibles 3 comes out, let's hope she redeems herself and finds out the truth of what really happened.

Prince Hans (Frozen)

Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, also known as Hans Westergaard, is a fictional character from Walt Disney Animation Studios' 53rd animated film, Frozen, which was released in 2013. He serves as the main antagonist of the film. Despite his charming appearance, Hans reveals a deceptive and ruthless... read more

I actually really support Jennifer Lee's decision to make Hans a surprise villain. Anna had not interacted with any outsiders for a long time, and with her social personality and Hans' charm, it makes sense that she would want to be with the first guy to notice her. By turning him into the villain, the film teaches the lesson to not be too trusting of people you don't know well, and to get to know people before you make any rash judgments on them.
That's my take, at least. I could see how someone could find his heel turn a little rushed and forced.

AUTO (WALL·E)

King Runeard (Frozen II)

He's essentially Ernesto de la Cruz if Coco only took place in the mortal world. He's interesting and all, and it's nice to see a twist villain have a different impact on the story than simply being revealed in the last minutes and trying to ruin everything. But Ernesto was the better of the two anyways.