The Best Animated Female Villains Of The 1990s

The 1990s were a time of innovation, expansion, and new technology for cartoons in several ways, per TVTropes. Programming was trying to move past simply advertising products, but this decade also gave viewers a plethora of new memorable characters and reincarnated established IPs. As the industry grew, cartoons were taken more seriously, embracing diversity, and branching out beyond Saturday mornings (via Ranker). This meant that fewer studios were trying to make gender-specific shows, but programming the whole family could enjoy instead. A wonderful side effect of all of these factors was the inclusion of more female characters, many of which were positioned as anti-heroes or even villains.

Disney's domination and the end of the classic age for animated programs set a specific tone for the '90s — all of the new kids in town wanted to show they were different but just as good, if not better. This created some spectacular dynamics and exposed audiences to a new breed of female villains. Not everyone was traditionally evil; motivations and relationships were more thoroughly explored, and the mold of the previous era's enemies had been broken. 

Super scientists often make for superb villains: always experimenting on themselves, giving birth to horrific creations, and violating every law in an effort to prove themselves right. Somehow, Dr. Barbara Blight manages to do all of these things and still be more of a cartoonish stereotype — and one of the best parts of her show. "Captain Planet" isn't a traditional superhero show, but Babs looks like a prototypical, femme fatale supervillain in a pink bodysuit with blonde hair and a signature white streak covering the mutilated portion of her face. 

Dr. Blight shouldn't be taken lightly. Her influence runs deep, having become the President's Science Advisor at one point, and she is enough of a genius to have built multiple time machines, using one of them travel back to WWII and sell nuclear weapons to Adolph Hitler (via Fandom). She isn't afraid to get her hands dirty either, kidnapping people and even getting into fistfights with Captain Planet himself. She's also assisted by her computer, MAL, who Blight considers to be a near-perfect creation and helps with her schemes. Their interactions are wonderful, and although both characters were performed by different actors throughout the show's run, Meg Ryan and Tim Curry did killer jobs in these roles. Blight is rotten to the core. The name says it all, but she's too good not to watch.

Mystique in "X-Men: The Animated Series" is also a mother, one whose screwed-up family dynamic could rival most soap operas. Her son with her former lover Sabretooth, another mutant terrorist, grew up to head one of the largest mutant hate groups in the Friends of Humanity. She also didn't offer much to her blue-skinned offspring Nightcrawler and used her adopted daughter Rogue as a weapon. That's Raven Darkholme though: a cunning manipulator, instigator, and mastermind, who always has an evil intention behind every action. Mystique is never to be trusted.

She's also one of the slipperiest foes the X-Men face. Raven's skills in subterfuge and espionage are top-notch, and that's before she uses her shapeshifting abilities. Mystique could be anyone, and few people have the ability to sniff her out. Even if infiltration is often her mission, it is rare that she's alone. As the leader of the Brother of Mutants, Raven often has several henchmen to run interference for her, but her alliances with more dangerous villains are truly terrifying. A brief agreement with Mr. Sinister was formidable, but Mystique's servitude to Apocalypse shows how deadly she can truly be when the gloves are off. Through it all, Raven has her own motivations and desires, seeing herself as the sympathetic victim in most cases, and she won't stop until her goals are met, no matter how many times she has to try or how many people are hurt along the way.

Bowser, better known as King Koopa, is the main enemy in the "Super Mario Bros." games and a horrible parent. It's unclear who he had these seven children with, but they are all as rotten as their father, and the worst of them might be Kootie Pie for the tantrums she throws if nothing else. As the only female Koopaling, she stands out amongst her brothers, wearing pink shoes, a bow on her tail, a red necklace, gold bracelets, lipstick, and a giant pink bow with white dots on her head (even though she doesn't have hair). Those who play the games will know her better as Wendy O. Koopa, but in "The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3," she is given a ton of personality and gets up to some wilder things than just being a level boss.

Armed with her magic wand, Kootie Pie has the power and wants everything. Whether she's helping dear old dad or hatching her own schemes, she's always being loud and giving orders. Kootie Pie's plots are always ambitious; this vain reptile leaves the small-scale ideas for her siblings, who she is often heard bashing. She's tried to steal the city of Venice, conquer America, and kidnap Milli Vanilli and turn them into accountants. Like most spoiled children though, she's often defeated and even punished by her own father, but that's only after she's caused a kingdom's worth of trouble.

The most beautiful flowers often hide deadly attributes, and Dr. Pamela Isley is the pure embodiment of that warning in "Batman: The Animated Series." Typically, she isn't after money or glory but is often fighting for someone else, even if it's on the behalf of plants and the environment. Her heart bleeds for nature, but this eco-terrorist's methods are lethal, even cruel. This makes her motivated and capable, but not quite the evil we are used to, even if she is willing to kill. She has a look that stands out — bright red hair and the layered shades of green on the costume — making the villainess known as Poison Ivy look like a prized rose. One of several female rogues Batman faces, Ivy is complex and fierce, but often sheds her thorns to show a softer side if only for an instant.

As one of Gotham's truly super-powered threats, Isley's ability to control plants extends past simple vines and giant Venus flytraps. At one point, this educated botanist was creating love potions, turning victims into plants, and even creating near-perfect plant clones of humans with their own personalities. Combine this raw potential with her intelligence, athleticism, immunity to poisons, as well as a miniature crossbow on her wrist when nothing else works, and she is a potent and resilient foe. Her final appearance in the cartoon does leave her fate a bit uncertain, but like any good weed, Ivy is always bound to sprout up again, and her appearance is always welcomed.

It isn't hard to imagine a character is evil when the writers just took the word "demon" and added an A at the end. Demona from "Gargoyles" deserves more respect, however, as she's one of the most active, determined, and violent antagonists girls had to look up to in the '90s. She's old, immortal, and incredibly skilled in everything from combat, magic, advanced technology, and she can manage some finances. Demona is so good at what she does that she becomes one of the biggest threats to the Manhattan Clan, even when she's on her own. Her crusade against humanity almost feels sympathetic while still allowing this winged devil to remain ruthless, making her one of the greatest female villains a Disney Afternoon show ever produced, per The Mary Sue.

Adding to her complexity, Demona has taken many mates over the years, mostly for power or positioning, but her love for Goliath seems to have been pretty serious at one point. The two even have a child together, and this villain's motherly instincts weigh on her somewhat, hinting at the potential for her to be a kinder Angel of the Night. Demona's bitterness seems too great though; so much of her pain comes from all the years her immortality forced her to spend alone, watching and fearing humans, and it's easy to pick up on these important traits. The character was well-written, had a great look, and was wonderfully voiced by Marina Sirtis, giving Demona an astounding presence.