Disney is Going All In on Villains and a New Survey Proves It

There are some interesting things happening around the Disney Villains brand as the company reveals a special panel at Destination D23 and a new survey about many of their obscure villains too.

Disney is in “Villain” mode at Walt Disney World.

We all know that the Walt Disney Company has teased a Disney Villains-themed land for the Magic Kingdom. But are announcements coming soon?

That is the question.

Recently, Disney released the panel list for their Destination D23 event in Orlando, happening on August 29 – 31, 2025. While there is no Parks and Experiences panel, there is a special Disney Villains panel discussing “new projects and attractions.”

This panel is on the last day of the event at 9:05 AM and is called “Disney Villains: Icons of Evil.”

“Join Disney Experiences (and some of your favorite troublemakers) for a panel discussion on how Disney Villains experiences come to life around the world. Hear directly from the creative minds behind new projects and attractions, plus enjoy a special Villains-themed medley to kick off Destination D23 day two.”

Many feel it is likely we will hear about the new Hollywood Studios Disney Villains show, “Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After” but we might hear more about the upcoming Magic Kingdom Villains Land.

Darkness is where it’s at.

EPIC Universe at Universal Orlando has been getting fantastic reviews on the new park. Many appreciate the immersion and Team Member interaction at each of the new “worlds” inside. Dark Universe has gotten a lot of attention, as does Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights experience.

The horror genre has been picking up at movie theaters and on places like TikTok and YouTube. Disney may want to go in on a bit of shadow themselves. Don’t worry, they would never go into the full darkness. Remember everywhere the light touches is theirs.

How dark could they go?

I think we might soon find out. Ahead of Destination D23 a new survey has gone out to guests asking about which Disney Villains they are familiar with and how they feel about them.

Some villains like The Horned King from “The Black Cauldron” go pretty dark for Disney.

WDWNT has a list of villains people were asked about familiarity with.

• Yzma (Emperor’s New Groove)
• Hades (Hercules)
• Cruella de Vil (One Hundred and One Dalmatians)
• Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
• Captain Hook (Peter Pan)
• Lady Tremaine (Cinderella)
• Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland)
• Jafar (Aladdin)
• Scar (The Lion King)
• Dr. Facilier (The Princess and the Frog)
• Mother Gothel (Tangled)
• Stromboli (Pinocchio)
• Chernabog (Fantasia)
• The Evil Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
• Madam Mim (The Sword in the Stone)
• Ratigan (The Great Mouse Detective)
• Magnifico (Wish)
• The Horned King (The Black Cauldron)
• Shere Khan (The Jungle Book)
• Gaston (Beauty and the Beast)
• Ursula (The Little Mermaid)

You can see the actual screenshots of the characters and questions on the WDWNT article.

We don’t know they are putting out this survey, but it does seem to indicate research for something, be it the new Disney Villains Land or something else.

I’m excited to see rarer characters on the list. My daughter is a big fan of “The Black Cauldron” and she even used the Horned King as inspiration for a recent TikTok trend where you show outfits and ask which Disney character inspired them.

Fingers crossed the panel gives us some fantastic reveals for the upcoming land or more!

What do you think? Which villains did you know on the list?

Comment and let us know!