6. Scar – The Lion King (1994)
Given that it’s a family friendly reworking of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are a number of the less savory aspects of The Lion King‘s story that are cleaned up a little for the younger members of the audience. However, Scar is still shown to be a ruthless murderer, so it’s fair to say he falls quite squarely into the “villain” category of the film’s anthropomorphic animals.
His plan to lure Simba and Mufasa to the gorge before causing a stampede is cunning, but it’s hardly genius. However, it’s everything Scar does from that point on that makes him one of the dumbest movie villains of all time.
After succeeding in killing Mufasa, Scar then tricks young Simba into believing he was responsible for his father’s death. This is a pretty ridiculous choice, as he could have just killed Simba himself (he’s much larger and stronger than the cub). While it could almost be put down to mercy, Scar then sends his hyena lackeys after Simba to finish him off anyway, proving that he always intended to kill the cub.
Scar then allows the hyenas into the Pridelands, upsetting the ecosystem and causing issues among the native species. While his stupid decisions may not have caused the drought that then ravaged Simba’s home, Scar’s stupidity in failing to see his own plan through to completion is what ultimately led to his death upon Simba’s return.