One of my absolute favorite parts about the first Kingdom Hearts game is the fact that the Disney villains had such a huge role. For the longest time it actually felt like Maleficent was the main antagonist of the game. Till the very end, when you end up fighting Ansem Seeker of Darkness for what felt like thirty different times. This is honestly one of my least favorite things about Kingdom Hearts. The fact that Square Enix and Tetsuya Nomura have access to a great roster of villains but hardly ever uses them is such a shame. Maleficent and Pete were barely even in Kingdom Hearts 3. They, honestly, probably had about fifteen to twenty minutes worth of screen time during the entire game. There wasn’t even a Maleficent boss fight this time around, like what’s up with that? Yet, there is a hope at the end of all that negativity.
The secret ending for Kingdom Hearts 3 teases a plot with the Foretellers and the Master of Masters, but it also teases the bigger role that Maleficent has to play. The writers would not just teases Maleficent like that at the end of the game and not give her a bigger role.
With that being said, I hinted that I would want a new Council of Villains in my previous post about Disney Channel animated shows in Kingdom Hearts. So in this post, we are going to go over some of the best candidates who could fill the spots of the original Council of Villains. So without further adieu, let’s dive in!
1. Maleficent
Home World: Enchanted Dominion
First Appearance: Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Maleficent would be the leader of the Council of Villains. Her role in the Kingdom Hearts series is one that has been a staple throughout the entire series. Recently, she has been given a spot light in the mobile game Kingdom Hearts Union X. She knows about the mysterious black box that belongs to the Master of Masters, and she was adamantly hunting for it in Kingdom Hearts 3. It is just a matter of time before she becomes more relevant like she has been in previous Kingdom Hearts games. As the leader of a new Council of Villains she would bring back a threatening force as she did in the first Kingdom Hearts. She would also have a few tricks up here sleeves, and a secret weapon if she needed to use it. Also, with Kingdom Hearts Dark Road releasing later this spring and revolving around Master Xehanort, maybe we will see how the two met in the first place. Here’s hoping we find out more about her plans in the future of Kingdom Hearts.
2. Pete
Home World: Disney Town
First Appearance: Alice Solves the Puzzle (1925)
Now you cannot have a Council of Villains and not have Pete in said Council. Pete is definitely Maleficent’s right hand man, even if he is just a little incompetent. Yet, Pete is also a staple Disney character in the Kingdom Hearts franchise. With him being right beside Maleficent in the secret ending of Kingdom Hearts 3, it is obvious that we have not seen the last of him yet. While he sometimes just an errand boy for Maleficent, he is still worthy of doing his own thing sometimes. It was actually him that recruited both Scar and Captain Barbossa to the original Council of Villains during the events of Kingdom Hearts 2. With that being said, Pete is definitely more than capable of pulling his own weight.
3. Hades
Home World: Olympus
First Appearance: Hercules (1997)
Now, I’m not going to lie, it was kind of hard coming up with this list. I really wanted a lot of new characters in it, but I also felt it was only right that there was at least one other besides Maleficent and Pete that should be on this new Council of Villains. I felt that Hades would fill that spot perfectly. It goes without saying that the world of Olympus shows up in a lot of Kingdom Hearts games, and the history the characters from Olympus have with Sora, Donald, and Goofy is what makes it feel like Olympus has relevance to the plot. Hades, while having history with Sora and the gang, also has history with Maleficent. Hades, of course, would not join the new Council of Villains without any personal gain, and he would more than likely comment that the fate of everyone else who was previously a member was not the best. Yet, with a little bit of persuasion, specifically if it involves getting rid of Hercules, I am sure that Hades would join without question.
4. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Home World: Disney Town
First Appearance: Trolley Troubles (1927)
Oswald Rabbit is one of my absolute favorite Disney characters. I love his design, but, most importantly, I love his story. Oswald Rabbit, originally, was Walt Disney’s creation before Mickey Mouse. Walt created Oswald with Ub Iwerks when they both worked for Universal Pictures. However, in 1928, Walt left the Oswald cartoons, and went on to create Mickey Mouse the following year. It was not until 2006 that Bob Iger was able to receive the IP for Oswald Rabbit, making Oswald an official part of the Disney family yet again. In 2010, Epic Mickey was released. In that game Oswald was sort of a anti-hero. He was jealous for being forgotten both Mickey and Disney, and he was also jealous of the fame that Mickey had gotten. However, he does become Mickey’s friend and is actually playable in Epic Mickey 2. Oswald is actually Mickey’s older brother in Disney’s canon. That being said, how would he fit into the Council of Villains.
For the story line to make sense, Oswald would have had to cause major trouble in Disney Town and at Disney Castle before the events of either Union X or Birth By Sleep. He would be banished from the world, just as Queen Minnie did to Pete in Birth By Sleep. That being said, either Mickey or Minnie could be responsible for banishing Oswald, and it would have to have been something pretty serious for them to leave him there still in the current Kingdom Hearts timeline. His anger, jealously, and abandonment would cause him to loath his brother Mickey, and Maleficent would be the one to find him, just as she did Pete in Birth By Sleep. He would join the ranks of the new Council of Villains, and would use either a paint brush from Epic Mickey for a weapon or could be somewhat trained to use a Keyblade just as his brother is. Yet, Oswald and Mickey would have a fated duel, where Mickey would realize how wrong he was. It would honestly be an emotional battle, and would cause the two brothers to forget their past grievances and join forces to defeat this new Council of Villains and the Foretellers.
Interestingly enough, Tetsuya Nomura did request for Oswald to appear in Kingdom Hearts 3. However, Disney apparently said it would be too difficult for Oswald to show up. During an interview with the telegraph, Nomura explained that Oswald was one of the only request that was denied by Disney.
“No titles have actually been rejected so far. It’s not really a title or film but I did ask to see if Oswald was possible but the answer we received from Disney was that it would be difficult to do. I didn’t receive any details as to why.”
Nomura’s Interview with The Telegraph 2018
5. Cruella De Vil
Home World: Radiant Garden
First Appearance: One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
It is honestly surprising that Cruella De Vil has not appeared in a Kingdom Hearts game. In the first Kingdom Hearts game, Sora had the option to hunt down the 99 dalmatian puppies and return them to Pongo and Perdita, yet there was no sign of Cruella. I think she would be perfect in Kingdom Hearts. However, being that the dalmatians don’t have a home, but arrived at Traverse Town at the same time as everyone from Radiant Garden did, it is safe to assume that the dalmatians came from there to, and so did Cruella. Cruella could be a great addition to the Council of Villains, yet her impulsiveness and rash decisions would definitely set her apart from the other villains on this list. These characteristics would also have to be her downfall.
6. Dr. Facilier
Home World: Mystic Bayou
First Appearance: The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Not having either The Princess and the Frog or Dr. Facilier in Kingdom Hearts is such a missed opportunity. The movie has so many themes that fit into the mold of Kingdom Hearts perfectly. Dr. Facilier would be the perfect choice for a member of this new Council of Villains. His control over the Heartless would be so great and powerful that it could almost rival Maleficent’s. Also with him sharing a world with one of the New Seven Hearts, being Tiana, he would be of interest to Maleficent. He would have his own intentions with joining the Council of Villains, and would be mighty interested in this black box that Maleficent keeps talking about. Dr. Facilier would be such a great character in Kingdom Hearts, and I will continue to hope that the next game will include a world based off of The Princess and The Frog.
7. Syndrome
Home World: Municiberg
First Appearance: The Incredibles (2004)
Now that Pixar has a place in Kingdom Hearts, I really wanted to include a Pixar villain for the Council. However, when going over the list, there really isn’t a lot of traditional villains besides Toy Story villains, but it would be ridiculous to see Lotso or Sid as a part of the Council of Villains. That being said, Syndrome was the perfect choice. He’s crazy, egocentric, and evil. He would constantly compare the Council as a bad guy team up, and would try to convince them to come to Municiberg to take on the Supers, specifically Mr. Incredible. At Municiberg, Maleficent would fill the world with Heartless and Sora and the gang would fight alongside the Incredibles to defeat both the Heartless and Syndrome’s Omnidroid. I was really upset that The Incredibles did not get a world in Kingdom Hearts 3, but with the series far from being over the beloved Pixar film can definitely make an appearance, and Syndrome would fit right in with Maleficent’s new Council of Villains.
8. Bill Cipher
Home World: Gravity Falls
First Appearance: Gravity Falls 2014
In my last post where I talked about Disney Channel animated shows in Kingdom Hearts, I mentioned that Bill Cipher would make a great addition to a new Council of Villains. Out of all of the new recruits, I honestly believe that Bill Cipher would be the most powerful out of them. He would definitely rival Maleficent for the most powerful of them all. He would be such a unique antagonist for Kingdom Hearts, and he could be one of the members of the Council of Villains that holds strong until the very end of the game. He would have had knowledge of things such as Keyblades and Kingdom Hearts before Maleficent arrives to Gravity Falls, and would make a deal with Maleficent in return of joining her Council. Now what he would gain from joining the Council could be anything, but he would use whatever he got for his revenge on the Pines family. Now, having Gravity Falls is not a real popular opinion in the fan base, but I personally believe it would be a great and unique addition to both Kingdom Hearts and this new Council of Villains.
Honorable Mentions: These are villains that I considered to include on this list but decided to go with a different option.
Loki
Home World: Asgard
First Appearance: Journey into Mystery #85 (1962)
Darth Maul
Home World: A Galaxy Far, Far Away
First Appearance: Star Wars The Phantom Menace (1999)
Magica De Spell
Homeworld: Duckburg
First Appearance: The Midas Touch (1961)
Toffee
Home World: Mewni
First Appearance: Star Vs The Forces Of Evil (2015)
Constance Hatchaway “The Bride”
Home World: The Haunted Mansion
First Appearance: Disneyland’s The Haunted Mansion (1969)
Henry Ravenswood “The Phantom”
Home World: The Haunted Mansion
First Appearance: Disneyland’s The Haunted Mansion (1969)
That concludes my honorable mentions.
Maleficent’s Secret Weapon:
Chernabog
Home World: The Realm of Darkness
First Appearance: Fantasia (1940)
Chernabog has actually been a boss fight in several Kingdom Hearts games, yet he is too cool of a villain that it would be ridiculous for him not to appear again in a future game. Maleficent can learn of his presence and travels to the Realm of Darkness to retrieve him, keeping him at the ready if needed. It would be such a great cut scene to see him erupt from a pit of extreme darkness and “Night on Bald Mountain” begins to play as the boss battle begins. It would honestly just be great to see Chernabog in another Kingdom Hearts game again.
Regardless if Kingdom Hearts does not do another Council of Villains story line, or even if it does not make the Disney Villains and characters in general a little bit more important in the main story, we are still excited about what ever the future brings to the plot of Kingdom Hearts. It is definitely looking like Kingdom Hearts is moving towards a more Final Fantasy based original story, especially being that Yozura is looking more and more like Nocits from Final Fantasy XV and Riku combined. Yet, that isn’t a bad thing. It’s exciting that the future of Kingdom Hearts is so theorized by so many different people. So here’s to what’s coming next, and until next time, see ya’ real soon!
Check out one of the iconic cut scenes of the original Council of Villains below!
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