The best animated movies always feature iconic villains and some of the top cartoon villains leave audiences with everlasting memories. For all intent and purposes, villains in the animation world often determine a project’s greatness, being the force that brings the protagonist to the spotlight. From Azula (Avatar: The Last Airbender) to Scar – (The Lion King), villains play an important role beyond unleashing mayhem and unsettling moments.
Because cartoons are mostly designed for children, teens, and young adults, the villains come in different categories to suit the target audiences. There are creepy and pure evil egomaniacs with menacing costumes while some are toned down to subtle and funny but still terrifying. Overall, some of the top cartoon villains may not look like monsters straight out of a terrifying nightmare, but their intimidating personalities leave quite an impression on audiences. In no particular order, these are some of the most iconic cartoon villains.
1. Azula – Avatar: The Last Airbender
While she’s the secondary antagonist in the Nickelodeon animated series, Azula is a fan-favorite in the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise, making her an iconic villain. Known for always doing the dirty work for her father – Firelord Ozai, Princess Azula is the crown princess of the Fire Nation with advanced fire-bending skills. Her story resonates with audiences who see beyond her cruelty to unveil a child raised by an abusive father. Azula has been voiced by three voice actors – Elizabeth Yu and Summer Bishil.
2. Mojo Jojo – Powerpuff Girls
The main antagonist of The Powerpuff Girls franchise, Mojo Jojo is a supervillain with a relatable backstory. The anthropomorphic chimpanzee became a villain by accident. After Professor Utonium’s chemical X touched him, he became a terror to Townsville and one of the top cartoon villains to appear in The Powerpuff Girls. Mojo Jojo’s vicious looks are complete with green skin and a protruding brain, making him one of the most iconic cartoon villains. The character was voiced by Roger L. Jackson who is no stranger to villainous roles.
3. Aku – Samurai Jack
An evil shape-shifting wizard, Aku reigns supreme as the main villain in the Samurai Jack series. Aku would win a spot on any list of top cartoon villains for his dark personality best described as ruthless and manipulative. His biggest desire is to annihilate anything good in the world, making him the arch-nemesis of Samurai Jack. The late Mako voiced the atypical evil incarnate before Greg Baldwin took over in season 5.
4. Scar – The Lion King
The Lion King is one of the most popular cartoon franchises with a massive fanbase. Suffice it to say, it features a well-crafted antagonist. The Lion King‘s Scar is an example of the enemy within. He raised the bar a notch higher in his first appearance in Disney’s 1994 animated feature film The Lion King and his sophisticated evil ways still hold sway after many years. Devious, cunning, and dangerously ambitious are the mildest ways to describe the evil that is Scar.
5. Emperor Belos – Owl House
Also known as Philip Wittebane, Emperor Belos spiced up the Disney Channel animated series The Owl House with his witch-hunting obsession. He lives for one goal – to wipe out all life forms on the Boiling Isles. Matthew Rhys voiced the iconic villain who is not just one of the top cartoon villains but among the most horrific ever seen in an animated series for kids.
6. Amon – Legend of Korra
An exciting blend of mysterious and charismatic attributes puts Amon in a league of his own among other top cartoon villains. He has a way with words and inspires loyalty among his followers so easily. Amon’s main goal is to remove bending from everyone who has the gift. A shocking revelation portrays him as a notorious blood-bender from the Northern Water Tribe. As such, his followers and the Equalist movement turned against him, tagging him as a fraud. Amon was voiced by Steve Blum, Jacob Bertrand, and Alexander Martella.
7. Jafar – Aladdin
Voiced by Jonathan Freeman, Jafar is the quintessential schemer with a hidden agenda. He touts himself as the grand vizier of Agrabah and the most trusted advisor to the Sultan. However, his major aim is to usurp the throne and grab power for himself. Jafar loathes being second best to anyone and must go to any length to change his destiny. Jafar’s insatiable hunger for power and hatred for those in power set him up as one of the top cartoon villains. Additionally, he has a perfect sidekick, a talking parrot who shares his dislike for those in power.
8. Zaheer – Legend of Korra
Much like Amon, Zaheer is one of the scariest villains in Legend of Korra but their methods distinguish them. The leader of the Red Lotus, Zaheer once craved world peace but now has a list of people he wants to assassinate. Plagued by a delusional view of the natural order of things, Zaheer has become cruel, arrogant, vicious, and a fanatic out to kill every world leader, including the Avatar. He believes the world will be a better place without governments. Henry Rollins voiced the villain.
9. Kingpin – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Marvel Comics has some of the most iconic villains and Kingpin is as cruel as they come. The supervillain is the nemesis of Spider-People and the multiverse, controlling the underworld with his intriguing cocktail mix of charm and terror. Even without superpowers like his adversaries, Kingpin can get by with his smart and ruthless approach. Created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., Kingpin has appeared in popular American comic books by Marvel Comics following his debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #50 (July 1967). As such, it has a pride of place among top cartoon villains.
10. Syndrome – The Incredibles
Embittered by the rejection he faced after requesting to serve his favorite superhero Mr. Incredible as his sidekick, Syndrome is determined to end the era of superheroes with his sophisticated inventions. From being Mr. Incredibles’ biggest fan, he became his worst enemy by inventing weapons (Omnidroids) that target superheroes. From ruthless to cheerful, silly, and pure evil, Syndrome has a lot of interesting traits that qualify him as one of the top cartoon villains. Here are the best animated trios in cartoons.
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