Maleficent

*Maleficent (film)*
*Descendants*
 Short Films
Once Upon A Time
 Video Games
 Voice
 Portrayed by
Angelina Jolie (2014 film)
Ella Purnell (teenage Maleficent; Maleficent)
Isobelle Molloy (child Maleficent; Maleficent)
 Personality
 Goal
 Allies
 Enemies
 Likes
 Dislikes
 Quotes
"You poor simple fools. Thinking you could defeat ME?! Me, the Mistress of all evil!"
"Well, here's your precious princess!"
"Before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on spindle on a pinning wheel and fall into a sleep-like death, a sleep in which she will never awaken."
"I was so lost in hatred and revenge."

“*You poor, simple fools. Thinking you could defeat me. **Me!** The mistress of all evil!*”

―Maleficent to the Three Good Fairies

**Maleficent** is an evil fairy and the main antagonist of Disney's 1959 animated feature film *Sleeping Beauty* and returns as the main and titular protagonist in the 2014 live-action film of the same name.

She takes offense at not being invited to the christening of Princess Aurora and attempts revenge on King Stefan and the Queen by cursing Aurora. Like Chernabog, Maleficent is an incarnation of pure evil, responsible for all misfortune in King Stefan's kingdom. She appears to be particularly disdainful of the three good fairies Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, her polar opposites, who do all in their power to keep Maleficent's overwhelming evil magic at bay.

With her dark, elegant design, dramatic and flamboyant animation and unlimited arsenal of magic powers at her command, Maleficent is one of the most popular and recognizable Disney Villains in addition to being one of the franchise's primary members.

Maleficent may be the "mistress of all evil", but she is definitely Disney's most evil female villain. Also, what kind of monster curses a baby?

### *Sleeping Beauty*

“*Did you hear that, my pet? All these years they've been looking for a baby...*”

―Maleficent to Diablo about her minions

Maleficent in the original film represents true evil. She is ruthless and devious, and will do whatever it takes to achieve her evil goals. Additionally, she is very sinister, which is shown by taunting Prince Phillip after she captures him. Her most famous quote ("*You poor simple fools, thinking you could defeat me. Me, the mistress of all evil.*") indicates that she thinks herself above everyone, even calling her closest allies "her pets." Other than herself, the only entity that she seems to have genuine care for is her pet raven, Diablo. This is especially evident in her horror at Diablo being turned to stone. Maleficent also seems to have some emotional instability. This is especially evident in her reaction to the discovery that her goons spent the previous 16 years looking for a baby, where she pitched a nearly a truly evil laughing fit before reacting violently towards her goons.

Maleficent, on top of her deviousness, is very misleading in her personality. But, underneath the mask of stoicism, Maleficent unleashes the full brunt of her wrath with a smile. A sign she relishes in the pain of others. This is displayed during her first appearance during Aurora's birthday ceremony. When Merryweather states bluntly, "*You weren't wanted,*" Maleficent pretends to be shocked and hurt, remarking, "*In that event I'd best be on my way.*" But then she turned around and cast a curse upon Aurora, cackling in the sweet revenge she attained.

Maleficent is soft spoken, proper and elegant, and has two possible motivations for her crimes, either out of pride, considering she curses Aurora because Stefan didn't invite her to the christening, or she is simply a monster who enjoys being evil.

### *Maleficent*

In her own movie, Maleficent is much more complex and her backstory is explored. Rather than a woman who is evil just for the sake of being evil, Maleficent suffers a devastating betrayal from the man she really loved and cared about the most, resulting in the loss of her own fairy wings. She grows bitter and hateful of King Stefan and the world in general. Due to her hatred of Stefan, she vents her anger on his infant daughter, cursing her to be killed by a spinning wheel on her sixteenth birthday. She also develops a certain amount of sadism telling Stefan that she enjoys watching him beg. However Maleficent is also very lonely and hurt inside, resulting in her rescuing Diaval, more because she needs a companion than out of pity.

Maleficent also appears to be a perfectionist; due to the incompetence of Aurora's three fairy guardians, Maleficent has plenty of opportunities to kill Aurora, or just watch her die in an accident, but she makes sure Aurora stays alive until her sixteenth birthday, so that her revenge will happen in exactly the way she planned. Maleficent's desire for the perfect revenge gives her time to connect with Aurora in a way that she never anticipates; she grows to care for her like a daughter and tries to cancel the curse, eventually succeeding when she kisses Aurora's forehead. Originally Maleficent seems somewhat disgusted by Aurora, thinking that as a baby she was "ugly" and frequently referring to her as "Beastie". However by the time she wakes Aurora from her enchanted sleep, this degrading name has become a term of affection rather than revulsion.

Maleficent is originally somewhat abusive to Diaval, often transforming him into various different forms without permission. However she does value him for his loyalty and usefulness. She grows to care about Diaval and willingly gives him the opportunity to leave her for his own safety before infiltrating Stefan's castle.

Maleficent is very protective of her home and later Aurora and Diaval. Although she is generally very pessimistic, believing that there is no such thing as "true love", Maleficent clings desperately to the faint hope that Phillip might be able to awaken Aurora with a kiss. When the kiss fails, as Maleficent fully expected it to, she is still distraught. She thinks Aurora is beyond saving and is astonished, relieved and joyful when her own kiss wakes her.