Even in animation, villains are key to making a story more compelling. They may come in different sizes and even remain underappreciated. Nonetheless, they are essential to keeping the plot interesting and making a lead character shine.
Hanna-Barbera Productions’ William Hanna and Joseph Barbera seem to know the importance of crafting a good villain. Over the years, their company has released several hit animated series, featuring lead characters who are up against some seriously frightening villains. That said, some of these apparently-evil characters are simply too goofy and funny for anyone to hate. Some of these rather lovable villains include:
Azrael
Many people may be familiar with the Smurfs and their constant enemy Gargamel. That said, fans often forget about Gargamel’s loyal sidekick, Azrael. Azrael is a cat who is typically seen with Gargamel. Unfortunately, Gargamel typically likes to send this cat into harm’s way.
Nonetheless, Azrael has always remained loyal to him. Meanwhile, the character has made notable appearances in The Smurfs and The Smurfs 2 movies, which also star Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays. The character also appeared in the 2017 animated film Smurfs: The Lost Village.
Spacely
In the Hanna-Barbera series The Jetsons, George Jetson often gets into trouble with his boss, Cosmo G. Spacely. Unfortunately for George, Cosmo happens to be the president of Spacely Space Sprockets, so, if he wants to keep his job, he better play nice.
Cosmo often makes work-life rather unpleasant for George, often yelling at him at the office. Nonetheless, we’ve come to realize that George is rather harmless and even nice at times. He also mellows down when he comes to face to face with his wife, Mrs. Spacely.
Muttley
With all the characters that Hanna-Barbera has created over the years, it’s easy for some to fade into the background. That happens to be case for some of the supporting villain characters, which include Muttley.
Muttley first made his appearance in the popular animated tv series Wacky Races. He is none other than Dick Dastardly’s naughty canine sidekick. Muttley is often seen with his signature orange helmet and white goggles, and, as ‘evil’ as the show has tried to portray him to be, Muttley is still a loyal and rather lovable dog.
Really Rottens
The Really Rottens star in the Hanna-Barbera animated television series Laff-A-Lympics. The Really Rottens refer to a team who also serves as the primary antagonists on the show. Its members include Dastardly Dalton, Dirty Dalton, Dinky Dalton, Mr. Creeply, Mrs. Creeply, Orful Octopus, Magic Rabbit, Great Fondoo, Daisy Mayhem, Sooey Pig, and Dread Baron.
The group is headed by team captain Mumbly, who is often compared to Muttley. During the races, the Really Rottens often compete against the Yogi Yahooeys and the Scooby Doobies. As expected, they are determined to win.
Dalton Brothers
The supposedly-evil and comedic Dalton brothers are the main antagonists in Hanna-Barbera’s The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound. The brothers include Dinky Dalton, who is the biggest and scariest of them all. He is also joined by Finky, Pinky, and Stinky.
When they’re together, they are obviously up to no good, and, more importantly, the brothers are determined to get rich quick, which means getting all the gold for themselves, since the series is set during the time of the California gold rush of 1849. In fact, they even sang a rather amusing song about it.
Rowdyruff Boys
The Rowdyruff Boys is the villainous counterpart of the Powerpuff Girls. They comprise of Boomer, Butch, and Brick, young boys who readily choose to be naughty instead of nice. That’s to be expected, considering these boys were the creation of Mojo Jojo. That said, the Rowdyruff Boys, admittedly, sport a really cool vibe.
This may also explain why the show keeps bringing back these guys time and time again. Meanwhile, it was announced in 2020 that a live-action series of the Powerpuff Girls is in the works. We can’t wait to see if the Rowdyruff Boys would appear.
Ranger Smith
Ranger Smith is one of the main characters in Hanna-Barbera’s famous Yogi Bear franchise. He is a park ranger assigned to Yellowstone Park where Yogi and his sidekick, Boo Boo, also live.
Unfortunately, that means that Ranger Smith has to deal with Yogi’s daily antics, namely stealing picnic baskets. In the live-action 2010 movie Yogi Bear, Yogi’s attempts to grab visitors’ picnic treats had scared off several picnic goers. In the end, though, Ranger Smith and Yogi worked together to save the park. The two also formed an unlikely friendship.
Brak
Brak is an adorable supervillain who first appeared in the Hanna-Barbera animated series Space Ghost alongside his brother, Sisto. This catlike creature is a pirate who is basically determined to take over the galaxy.
Since appearing on the show, Brak had also gone on to star in Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Captain Planet. Eventually, the character also went on to star in The Brak Show. This time around, though, Brak is a lot less villainous. Instead, he’s a lot friendlier and sillier. The Brak Show went on to run for three seasons.
Mojo Jojo
In the world of the Powerpuff Girls, Mojo Jojo is the ultimate villain, which may explain why he often figures in some of the show’s scariest original episodes. Unfortunately for Mojo Jojo, the Powerpuff Girls are one of the strongest heroes that Hanna-Barbera has ever created, so it doesn’t look he’ll ever win against them. Nonetheless, we don’t mind if he keeps trying, as he can be quite hilarious when he does, and no one can deny that Mojo Jojo is quite adorable, as well.
Scrappy-Doo
Scrappy-Doo happens to be the nephew of Scooby-Doo, one of Hanna-Barbera’s most beloved characters today. Unlike Scooby, Scrappy is all about fighting monsters head-on. In fact, during his appearances in the classic Scooby-Doo series, Scrappy is often heard saying things like, “Lemme’ at ‘em! I’ll splat them.”
Scrappy also made an appearance in the 2002 feature film Scooby-Doo, where the gang later learns that Scrappy was the one controlling a robotic version of Mondavarious. The movie also momentarily reveals a giant version of Scrappy, and the Great Dane pup was arrested for terrifying people.
