Harmfully malicious maleficent: one of the greatest villains of all time

Introduction

“ You poor, simple fools; thinking you could defeat me! ME! The mistress of all evil!” Green skinned layered all over her body, cold dark horns appearing out of her skull, and being able to turn into a fire breathing dragon, her name is known as the incarnation of pure evil. Her ruthlessness, beauty, and need for revenge, are all traits that develop and characterize Maleficent, making her one of the greatest villains of all time.

Ruthlessness

Ruthless, dark, and devious are the first things many viewers notice about Maleficent in Walt Disney’s film, Sleeping Beauty. After not being invited to King Hubert’s daughter’s christening she,” bestows a gift on the child”. That gift being, “ before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die”. Maleficent’s ruthlessness and evilness shines through, by putting a curse on a baby she does not know just because she was not invited. Many also see how Maleficent is extremely unsympathetic, to curse an innocent child, whom she has never met, just because she was not invited. Once the princess turned sixteen, Maleficent even called her death a “ celebration”. Not only is she cruel to the child and the king and queen, but also to her only allies. Maleficent ruins her own relationships, the people who she trust the most and risk their lives for, She is so blinded by her own ambition that she does not see it is being detrimental to her life. Multiple times Maleficent goes into an terrifying rage when punishing her minions, going so far as to electrocute some of them. As blunt as it may seem, Maleficent does not care who she needs to kill, she is ruthless and her soul is embedded with evilness. Her vengefulness and being extremely unsympathetic truly proves her as a great villain.

Beauty

People all over the world picture a villain as someone with grotesque and unfortunate appearances, however Maleficent is the complete opposite. Tall, slender, prominent bone structure, and vibrant yellow eyes are all seen on the outside of Maleficent. However, those beautiful features fool many, for in the inside she is pure evil. She’s scary but also mesmerizing. Being born as a Disney character is especially odd that they created her as a beauty on the outside, and not ugly on both the inside and outside. It makes the viewer wonder if there is a sliver of beauty within or just evilness in every bone in her body. Many can consider her beauty as a distraction; they think that she is not as evil as she looks, but she can turn into a deadly dragon in a hot second. That is why she is multiples favorite villain, you do not expect her to be beautiful but ironically she is.

Need for Revenge

Rage, beauty, and cruelty are all things that one may use to classify Maleficent, but her need for absolution is her biggest trait. Ever heard of an eye for an eye? Well Maleficent truly believes that. After not being invited to the princess’s crinsening she gives the princess a life changing curse. Not only does she give Aurora a horrible curse, but she also kidnaps her prince. Even claiming that to the prince that after, “ a hundred years the gates of the dungeon [will open], and the prince is free to go his way”. The prince will be too old to even be with the princess, once again showing how she believes that if someone messes with her she messes with them. Maleficent was widely devoted to her personal vendetta, she makes sure that no one will get in the way of her revenge. However, after the Prince escaped, she turns herself into a fire breathing dragon, even claiming that her powers are from “ hell”.

Conclusion

Every villain has a different trait, some more noticeable than others. Her ruthlessness, beauty, and her need for revenge are all traits that are seen within the green-skinned woman. She is known to all as the, “ Mistress of all evil”, and truly defines evil to its core. The need for revenge is truly evident throughout the movie. Her vengefulness and how needing revenge is one of her bare necessities frankly develops within the film. Maleficent is known as one of the most evil villains of all time, but why? Her appearance mesmerizes but gives people shivers at the same time, she transforms into a giant dragon, represents the concept of ‘ darkness’ well, and her name even means” harmfully malicious”. Maleficent is considered the first villain who plays with the fear of others, and does not care if they are just an infant or a man.