20 Greatest 90s Movie Villains

3. The Lion King - Scar

The Lion King is one of Disney's absolute crowning achievements, and one of the keys to its success is the fact that it contains, arguably, the best Disney villain of all damn time. Scar is a tour-de-force; a flamboyant yet frightening vision of pure evil who absolutely leaps off the screen. With his extravagant energy, that legendary song, and an Oscar-worthy vocal performance from Jeremy Irons, Scar is everything you want from a Disney baddie, and more. 

Though a beloved childhood classic, The Lion King is also notably mature in comparison to many family films, and it never shies away in showing the darkest aspects of the circle of life. Scar is key to this, for he's a uniquely evil and devastating Disney villain who actually wins for a while. 

He succeeds in taking over and decimating the Pride Lands, and he does this by killing his brother Mufasa, an act which left entire cinemas in floods of tears. Having said that, it's the way that he manipulates his poor nephew into thinking it was all his fault before trying to kill him too that really confirms him as heinous beyond measure. 

That beautifully hopeful ending, in which Simba learns the truth and defeats his evil uncle, wouldn't have hit as hard without such a powerful foe. So, let this beloved movie serve as a reaffirmation of the importance of a great antagonist, and also a reminder that family flicks shouldn't be afraid to go a little darker sometimes.