Ever since Snow White and the Seven Dwarves hit cinema screens in 1937, Disney has had a reputation for producing amazing movies about princes and princesses. Admittedly, some of the early movies weren’t great on the feminism front. For quite some time, Disney Princesses mostly just had to sit around and wait to be swept off their feet by a handsome prince. In recent years, though, these royal women have become more and more strong and independent. We now have characters like Mulan, Merida, and Moana to look up to.
It’s well known that Disney fans love to create fan art of their favorite characters. Princes and princesses make up the bulk of these creations! As well as traditional depictions of each character, there are plenty of more unusual artworks out there. A common trope is twisting the morals of “good” characters to make them altogether more villainous in appearance. Sometimes, drawing a character in a slightly more sinister-looking outfit and with a mean expression on their face is enough to make them look pretty villainous. In other cases, artists like to combine the appearances of the heroes and villains of a certain film—think Ariel with tentacles!
If you’re intrigued by the idea of Disney Princes and Princesses looking a bit more villainous, fear not—we’ve got you covered! Here are some amazing pieces of art that turn the tables and transform “good” characters into villains. Warning: some of these artworks might just change the way you view Disney movies forever!
25 Rapunzel, Tangled
In Disney’s Tangled, Rapunzel is a sweet, naive, and pretty innocent teenage girl. However, in this artwork by Jeftoon01, she’s precisely the opposite!
It looks like she’s gone totally off the rails.
Armed with her trusty frying pan and with two actual bodies tangled in her hair, Rapunzel looks ready to cause some havoc. It’s not just her that’s gone bad, either—the version of Pascal perched on her shoulder looks pretty mean! I wouldn’t want to cross these two. The question is, where’s Eugene? Maybe we don’t want to know…
24 Snow White, Snow White And The Seven Dwarves
We’re not sure what villainous Snow White has been up to here, but it doesn’t look pleasant. In this artwork by Bojan1558 on DeviantArt, Snow is perching on a pile of skeletons with her trusty poisoned apple in hand. Has she taken a leaf out of the villainous queen’s book and started using the apple as a weapon? Are those skeletons actually the remains of her numerous poisoning victims? Whatever the case, we’re sure that the seven dwarves wouldn’t approve. Not that this Snow White appears to care what anyone else thinks!
23 Mulan, Mulan
Talk about a disturbing depiction of a villainous Mulan! It looks like she’s joined the realm of the undead in this artwork by Jeftoon01.
Check out those eyes, and the lipstick dripping from her mouth!
One thing’s for sure: no amount of arrows can take down this Mulan. Also, can we talk about Mushu’s spooky yet awesome transformation? There’s no mistaking him for a lizard in this form! He’s most definitely ready to get down to business and defeat the Huns.
22 Ariel, The Little Mermaid
From the waist up, this could almost be a standard depiction of Ariel from The Little Mermaid… But then you notice the tentacles. In this artwork by an unknown artist, Ariel seems to have taken the form of her adversary, Ursula. She’s got someone else’s voice captured in that shell pendant, and she’s determined to win Prince Eric’s heart by the most villainous means possible. Also, adorable little Flounder has turned into a creepy Flotsam-and-Jetsam-style eel! Not okay!
21 Prince Adam, Beauty And The Beast
This fantastic interpretation of Beauty and the Beast’s Prince Adam by DeviantArt’s JohnYume raises more than a few questions. Adam seems to have broken the curse that turned him into a beast—although he’s still got the ears of his former incarnation. The question is, what made him become so dark and brooding after he’s found true love and become human again? Also, where’s Belle? Maybe a tragedy befell her that caused Prince Adam to adopt this new sinister persona. Whatever the case, we wouldn’t want to cross him when he’s in this form!
20 Aurora, Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty looks like she never woke up in this artwork by Jeftoon01. Instead, it seems like she’s a villainous, sleepwalking zombie who’s out for revenge against Maleficent. She’s not alone, either—looks like her beloved woodland creatures are in on the plan!
All in all, this version of Aurora looks pretty sinister.
The sewn-up eyes, the scratches on her left hand, her ripped-up cape… She’s not in a good way. Also, did anyone else spot the fact that her golden locks are muddy? What happened to her?!
19 Jasmine, Aladdin
In this art by DeviantArt user Jessica Nahulan, Princess Jasmine from Disney’s Aladdin has taken over from the villainous Jafar. She’s wearing Jafar’s outfit, she’s wielding his mind-control staff… She’s clearly gone over to the dark side! Perhaps Jasmine got a bit sick of loads of men determining her destiny, and pursued freedom through magical means? Alternatively, maybe she married Jafar after all and has become his nefarious partner in crime? Either way, she’s discovering a whole new world of villainy.
18 Triton’s Daughters, The Little Mermaid
We’ve already seen an interpretation of The Little Mermaid’s Ariel taking a villainous turn… But what if all of her sisters followed suit? Luckily, Daekazu on DeviantArt has brought that idea to life for us! While Ariel is indisputably the villainous leader in this situation with her sinister glare and fork in hand, her sisters look pretty formidable too! One of them even seems to be clutching the shell that held Ariel’s voice in the actual movie! I wonder whose vocals they’ve captured this time?
17 Merida, Brave
This time, it’s Brave’s Princess Merida who gets the Jeftoon01 treatment. Merida is pretty kick-ass in her original movie anyway, but this artwork adds a new, more sinister layer to her character. It looks like Merida gave up on trying to transform her mother back into a human.
Queen Elinor is still most definitely a bear.
King Fergus has seemingly passed away, and Merida is out for blood. She’s got a bow and arrow, and she’s not afraid to use it. Don’t get in her way!
16 Belle And The Beast, Beauty And The Beast
Not only is this Beauty and the Beast fanart totally stylistically gorgeous, but it also portrays the titular characters in a very interesting light. Emily Ena on DeviantArt has added a darker twist to this tale as old as time. Judging by the book that Belle is clutching, she’s begun to dabble in the arcane arts—an interesting twist for a usually pretty wholesome character! Not to mention the fact that the Beast is still in his, well, beastly form. It makes this devious duo all the more sinister!
15 Elsa, Frozen
Elsa is an interesting Disney Princess to view as a villain, mainly because a lot of her subjects see her that way for most of her movie! After Elsa has her little meltdown (pun intended) and sets off an eternal winter in Arendelle, she’s quickly made out to be a villain by Prince Hans and his cronies. We all know that Elsa actually has a heart of gold, but this art by DeviantArt user JuliaJM15 explores what she might look like if she was truly a villainous queen. Honestly, the dark hair really suits her!
14 Cinderella, Cinderella
DeviantArt user willemijn1991 has created a whole series of villainous Disney Princess portraits, and they’re all equally awesome. This particular example features a subtly darker version of Cinderella. The slight accents of black jewellry really add a slight edge to her dress, and her expression definitely looks a bit more defiant than usual. Did Cinderella snap after years of abuse by her stepmother and pursue a path of villainy? Very potentially! You have to wonder whether Prince Charming is in on her villainous deeds, though…
13 Hercules, Hercules
It’s time for the first Disney Prince on our list—or at least, Disney Demigod. Hercules isn’t exactly a prince! He’s still a prominent character of godly blood, though—and a true hero. In this image by Sebastian Cavazzoli, Herc looks a bit more like a true villain. His facial features have been combined with those of his uncle Hades, and the result is pretty spooky. In the original Greek myth, Hercules does end up going mad and slaying Meg, by then his wife. Could this image be a glimpse of that darker version of the character?
12 Meg, Hercules
Speaking of Meg… Turns out she’s got a villainous makeover too! DeviantArt user MysticFairy012 sketched out this dark Meg, and she looks pretty awesome.
She could almost be a villainous witch in that long, black gown!
She kinda suits the gothic look, too. Has Meg perhaps changed sides and chosen to live with Hades in the underworld? Is this her new look as the honorary Greek goddess of death? Man, would that concept make a great movie! For now, we’ll just have to satisfy our need for villainous Meg with this amazing artwork.
11 Rapunzel, Tangled
Time for another interpretation of Tangled’s Rapunzel, this time by DeviantArt user LeagueOf1. She’s a zombie! It’s unclear how Rapunzel got in this state, but there’s no mistaking that she’s now a part of the army of the dead. It’s reassuring to know that her magical hair has withstood the test of her mortality! Question is, whose brains would Rapunzel feed on first? Her captor Mother Gothel’s, perhaps? Honestly, this isn’t a question we ever thought we’d have to ask ourselves…
10 Belle, Beauty And The Beast
We’ve seen a couple of versions of villainous Belle already, but this one by Kharis-Art on DeviantArt is a little bit different! Belle has gone full goth with her skull-pattered dress, her black fingerless gloves, and her extreme eye makeup. She’s clearly taken a darker turn, but why? Did the Beast not make it through that final battle, causing Belle to seek revenge on the people of her former village? Is she actually just going through a fashion phase? Either way, we’re digging the look.
9 Anna, Frozen
Elsa isn’t the only member of Arendelle’s royal family who’s got the villainous artwork treatment! In this piece by Jeftoon01, Anna seems to be a ghost! She clearly didn’t make it through the final battle with Prince Hans, but she’s had her revenge. In her spectral state, she seems to have gained ice powers similar to those of her sister, and she’s turned them on her treacherous ex-love.
Honestly, he deserved it.
Anna looks like she’s still got some villainous plans to enact based on the look in her eyes… Who’ll be her next victim?
8 Aladdin, Aladdin
It’s time for another Disney Prince! Even if he only became a prince by marriage, Aladdin still fits the bill. In this artwork by AgiVega on DeviantArt, he seems to have taken a bit of a villainous turn. As if the skull broach fastening his outfit didn’t make things clear enough, Al is brandishing a pretty rough looking sword. Add to that his menacing facial expression and you’ve got a recipe for trouble. Perhaps this Aladdin didn’t become a prince after all and is making a living as a criminal mastermind on the streets of Agrabah…
7 Elsa, Frozen
This is a pretty fascinating interpretation of a villainous Queen Elsa. Rather than Elsa becoming fully villainous, this art by FlamingMarshmallows on DeviantArt portrays a struggle between good and villainy in her mind. She doesn’t want to hurt people with her ice powers, but she knows she could if she wanted to. In Frozen, Elsa didn’t give in to any villainous urges, but this art suggests that her struggle is very much real. We only hope that Good Elsa wins in the end!
6 Aurora, Sleeping Beauty
This version of Sleeping Beauty’s Aurora has definitely taken a leaf out of Maleficent’s book! DeviantArt’s Lunipard has done a good job of making this princess villainous. Perhaps this is how she would have turned out if Maleficent had raised her as her own daughter? Aurora looks like she can conjure up a curse or two—you’d better not cross her! Her once porcelain skin now has a greenish tinge, and those arched eyebrows definitely suggest that villainy is on the horizon. Aurora isn’t content to sleep through chaos anymore—she wants to cause it herself!
