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If there’s one thing every great Disney villain needs, it’s a great sidekick, or two, or even three. A good sidekick can keep a particularly menacing villain from being a bit too much for the younger audiences that the movies are originally intended for through little bits of comedy.
Occasionally, a good sidekick is even able to add a new layer of dimension to a villain that may initially seem one-dimensional. Over the years villain sidekicks have taken many forms, but pretty much all of them remain hits with Disney fans like you.
10 Shenzi, Banzai, Ed
This trio of hyenas is easily one of the best parts of one of the best Disney animated films, 1994’s The Lion King. They just bring so much energy and levity to every scene they appear in despite also being menacing creatures.
Ed brings a lot of comedic relief to the film through his goofy nature, while Shenzi and Banzai are able to keep things a bit more grounded. They may not be the brightest creatures around, but they are always entertaining regardless of what they’re doing.
9 Sir Hiss
While some may forget about him, Sir Hiss is a fantastic villainous sidekick in Robin Hood. Being the advisor to Prince John, Sir Hiss is able to balance the prince’s rather dimwitted nature with his own cunning and brand of distrust.
While Sir Hiss is a villain in his own right, he plays second fiddle to the bumbling but powerful Prince John. It was actually Sir Hiss that allowed Prince John to take over the throne, something that resulted in the conniving snake having more power than he ever should have.
8 Lucifer
Cats are usually wonderful little creatures but in the instance of Lucifer from Cinderella, cats take on a much more evil existence. Constantly being mean to Cinderella and her mice friends, Lucifer is always up to no good.
This evil little cat manages to be as hated as the rest of Cinderella’s family thanks to how pointlessly cruel it could be. Luckily, everything turned out okay in the end, but you’ll probably be able to agree that no one ever wants a Lucifer when they go cat shopping.
7 Jasper and Horace
While still having aspects of comedy to them, Jasper and Horace are two of the more menacing Disney henchman around, which is saying something considering they work for none other than Cruella De Vil.
There are a lot of bumbling Disney henchmen, but these two actually do succeed in their plan, at least initially. They end up stealing all those poor little dogs in 101 Dalmations, and looking pretty creepy while they do it, with the only silver lining being that they are ultimately thwarted.
6 Iago
There’s no forgetting Iago purely because of the iconic performance that Gilbert Gottfried put on back in 1992’s Aladdin. He brings a unique energy to that film that is only matched and then outshined by the late, great Robin Williams.
There’s just something so funny about a bird that most people would view as beautiful having such a grating voice. Iago does his best to aid Jaffar in his evil schemes, but at the end of the day, Iago is most remembered for being so strange.
5 Flotsam and Jetsam
These creepy eels do a great job of adding a villainous touch to scenes without ever managing to outshine the fiendish Ursula. Their creepy voices make it a bit hard to believe that Ariel would trust the eels, but it needs to be clear that they’re up to no good for the kids in the audience.
The creepy eels do everything Ursula needs, especially when it comes to selling the evil sea witch’s services to Ariel. They may not be the most exciting Disney henchmen, but they are instantly memorable for more reasons than one.
4 LeFou
Whether LeFou is singing with Gaston or having a drink with him, the short companion is one of the best villain henchmen in Disney’s lineup. There aren’t many villains who are capable of taking a clean shot to the face and then immediately continue singing, but LeFou can.
It’s also important to remember that without LeFou, you wouldn’t have one of the best Disney villain songs in Gaston. He’s a major fool of a character, but that just makes every time LeFou is on screen an absolute joy.
3 Panic And Pain
It’s hard to not love Panic and Pain considering they are a walking Three Stooges sketch. Each with unique voices and designs, Panic and Pain are two hilarious little henchmen who are unfortunately willing to do anything Hades asks, even if it is out of fear.
Seeing them get screamed at by Hades for rocking some of Hercules’ merchandise will always be funny, even if it is a little sad to see the silly little guys scared. They are funny little punching bags, but Panic and Pain are just another part of what makes Hercules such an excellent movie.
2 Kronk
Whether due to all the memes or just because of the iconic character performance, no one will ever forget about the legendary Disney henchman that is Kronk. Being the absolute best part of The Emperor’s New Groove, Kronk does his best to do what’s right… sometimes.
Whether he’s talking about the poison, the poison for Kuzco, the poison chosen specially to kill Kuzco, Kuzco’s poison, or pulling the wrong lever for Yzma, Kronk is immediately an unforgettable character. Even people who don’t love this movie love everything that Kronk does.
1 Mr. Smee
There’s just something about Peter Pan’s Smee that is both hilarious and endearing at the exact same time. The combination of the character design mixed with a masterful vocal performance really makes Smee an unforgettable henchman.
The fact that Smee often has to take care of the villainous Captain Hook is hilarious, even if he is bumbling enough to accidentally give a seagull a full shave. There’s no forgetting Smee, but there’s definitely no forgetting Smee during that scene in particular.