Scar, Hades and Maleficent are getting their own prequel comics this year from Dynamite's Disney Villains series and Ursula the Sea Witch has her own prequel comic from Dark Horse. Their pasts are explored and the motives for their later treacherous behavior are examined. Likewise, some villains like Cruella De Vil have gotten the cinematic treatment where their backgrounds have been explored in films. However, there are still so many Disney villains who also deserve their own prequel comics.
These prequels help explain these villainous characters and why they appear how they do in the film versions everyone knows and loves. The Disney Villains prequel comics are a great supplemental material to the films in which they first appeared, providing information that fans have always wanted but were never given in the original. If comics publishers continue to shine a light on the backstories of beloved villains, here are some readers would likely love to see.
11 Honest John & Gideon
The troublesome duo from Pinocchio, it could be argued that Honest John and Gideon are the ones who set the wooden boy on the bad path that he continues on throughout the rest of the movie until the happy ending. They're the ones who trick Pinocchio into not going to school. Likewise, Honest John and Gideon persuade Pinocchio to the abusive Stromboli's puppet show and to go to Pleasure Island run by the evil Coachman.
Honest John and Gideon are tricky con men, always trying to pull the wool over someone's eyes to benefit themselves through their associations with some of the worst of the village. It needs to be explored how Honest John and Gideon fall into this sleazy lifestyle. Also, Honest John's past as a failed actor would provide some interesting motivation for his character; he couldn't cut it as an actual actor, making him rely on his acting talent to make money through less than savory ways.
10 Claude Frollo
The villain of the criminally underrated Disney Renaissance movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Claude Frollo has the distinction of being one of Disney's darkest villains ever. It's not hard to see why given that Frollo is a corrupt, racist, predatory, and cruel zealot. He has a deep hatred for the Romani population of despite harboring an obsession with a Romani woman, Esmeralda.
Since Frollo is such a dark and troubling character, his prequel could probe why he became the awful person viewers see in the film. Also, the way Frollo projects all his own fallacies onto others, seeing himself as an austere puritanical person devoid of sin despite all evidence to the contrary, would be something to examine in regard to his past.
9 Yzma
The long-suffering political advisor turned attempted murderess, Yzma is one of Disney's most underrated and hilarious villains, beautifully brought to life in The Emperor's New Groove by the incomparable Eartha Kitt. She's a mad scientist with a lust for power and revenge and actually gets it, albeit for a short-lived time while Kuzco is a llama.
A prequel comic that shows Yzma's history and her relationship with Kuzco before the events of the film would be fantastic. It can be inferred from the film that Yzma was the one who raised him, explaining his abrasive and callous personality while also demonstrating why Yzma reacts so badly to getting fired. Also, since Yzma schemes her way to her brief stint as empress, it's likely that she schemed her way to her position as the advisor to the emperor. This would be both captivating and funny, given her outlandish personality.
8 Shan Yu
The character who sets in motion the chain of events of Mulan is the formidable Shan Yu. He is determined to conquer China after he takes great offense at the emperor building the Great Wall.
Shan Yu is one of the most dangerous Disney villains, not having any sort of hesitation to kill or be cruel. As a result, he is definitely a character worthy of an awesome prequel. The reason that Shan Yu is so offended by the Great Wall is never explained, necessitating some background that would fit perfectly in a prequel. His ascendance to the Huns' chieftain and warlord would also be a noteworthy piece of Shan Yu's history to document.
7 Shere Khan
Shere Khan is a tiger who loathes humankind, determine to kill any that he sees inhabits his jungle, including the man-cub Mowgli. The only things this feared jungle cat is afraid of are guns and fire.
This sets up the stage for what could be an interesting prequel. The audience never knows why or how Shere Khan is aware of the human inventions of fire and weapons. A prequel could explain the origins of Shere Khan's hatred of humans. Likewise, any history that Shere Khan has with humans using their weapons firsthand and thus scarring him in the process would make for a good story that would answer some unanswered questions for The Jungle Book.
6 Syndrome
Geeky fanboy turned bitter arch nemesis to Mr. Incredible, Syndrome wants nothing more than to eradicate all superheroes. One of his most famous plans involves marketing his high-powered weapons to everyone so that all citizens can be super. If successful, this scheme would make all traditional superheroes obsolete.
The audience knows why Syndrome hates Mr. Incredible and superheroes in general thanks to the way he is treated at the beginning of 2004's The Incredibles and his later explanation of his motivations. However, the viewer never gets to see Syndrome's transformation from annoying, geeky kid to the über-wealthy, egotistical super genius arms dealer seen in the movie. His accumulation of great wealth and his ultimate descent into madness and homicide would result in a dark but spellbinding prequel.
5 The Evil Queen
Cold-hearted and vain, the Evil Queen of 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is one of the most intriguing villains, thanks in part to the great sense of mystery that surrounds her character. The audience first sees her in an obvious place of power as Queen, but she is also seen as cruel. She forces her own stepdaughter act as her maid and then is willing to kill the poor girl simply because Snow White is deemed the fairest in the land over her. Viewers also see that her kingdom fears her and knows the rumors that turn out to be true regarding her being a dangerous, cunning witch.
Therefore, it would be so interesting to see the Evil Queen's background explored, especially in regard to her propensity for witchcraft. How did she become embroiled in dark magic and did she use it to become queen? These questions could be answered in an exceptional prequel. Likewise, how she became queen could be delved into. The possibility that the Evil Queen killed her husband, Snow White's father, is extremely plausible, making for a possible storyline that would be fascinating in a prequel comic.
4 Oogie Boogie
Despite Oogie Boogie's great popularity, The Nightmare Before Christmas does not go into much detail about the character. As a result, the audience knows very little of him other than that he is an antagonist.
Therefore, Oogie Boogie is a fantastic choice to base a Disney Villains prequel comic on. Readers could find out why Oogie Boogie and Jack have a rivalry and why Oogie likes to torment people so much. Further, Oogie's obsession with gambling could be a noteworthy aspect to explore. Likewise, some questions that viewers have always wondered about, like how Oogie wound up in Halloweentown, could be explained in a prequel.
3 Ernesto De La Cruz
A ruthless fame-hungry murderous liar, Coco's Ernesto De La Cruz is a particularly menacing Disney villain because his evil lurks behind a charming and amiable facade. Determined to be a star, he kills the best friend he's known since childhood to steal his songs.
As a result, it would be great for a prequel comic to show Ernesto's transformation from being Hector's friend and musical partner to a fame monster who has little to no care for the music itself, only the attention and accolades it brings him. Also, it would be really compelling to see the dynamics between Hector and Ernesto while on the fateful tour that ultimately results in Hector's death, given that Ernesto was never really talented to begin with yet received much of the glory.
2 Jafar
The power hungry, treacherous advisor to the Sultan, Jafar is one of the most popular Disney villains. The mix of entertainment and humor of the character, in addition to his overall malicious personality, make him a Disney villain that fans love to hate.
Throughout Aladdin, Jafar puts on an act of normalcy and calm, but it is all to hide his sadistic tendencies and scheming ways. Readers would love to see if Jafar was always a two-faced usurper or if years as the underling to the Sultan, whom he despised, made him that way. Similarly, not much is known about Jafar's past. A prequel could investigate how he came into his position of power, why he's so contemptuous to everyone around him, how he became a capable alchemist, and how he learned to hypnotize someone as powerful as the Sultan.
