The Chameleon’s Abilities In Kung Fu Panda 4 Explained & How Powerful She Is Compared To Past Villains

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Kung Fu Panda 4!

Kung Fu Panda 4 introduces a new villain in the form of the Chameleon (Viola Davis), a shape-shifting antagonist that proves herself a powerful adversary for Po (Jack Black). The latest installment of the DreamWorks franchise sees the Chameleon trying to get her hands on the Staff of Wisdom, hoping to use it to grow more powerful. As Po also searches for a new Dragon Warrior, he teams up with the thieving corsac fox Zhen (Awkwafina) to stop the Chameleon from taking over China.

Unlike previous installments of the franchise, the Furious Five are absent in Kung Fu Panda 4, meaning Po and Zhen are forced to face their new opponent on their own. This leads to an adventure full of comedic moments and exciting fights, all of which culminate in a confrontation with the Chameleon. While Po is no stranger to defending China and the Valley of Peace from major threats, the Chameleon proves herself to be quite different from the villains he’s faced before.

The Chameleon’s Shape-Shifting Abilities In Kung Fu Panda 4 Explained

The Chameleon can take anyone’s form.

In the film, the Chameleon explains her backstory, revealing she wanted to be a kung fu master but was rejected because of her size and stature. Angered by this turn of events, she delved into the world of sorcery, utilizing her magical abilities to learn how to shapeshift. Throughout the movie, she turns into different members of the Kung Fu Panda 4 cast, including Po during their battle at the end of the film.

When the Chameleon turns into someone else, she is able to perfectly mimic their voices, another attribute of her magical powers. However, she’s not able to copy their likeness exactly, as she retains her scales and spikes. Given how perfectly aligned the rest of her mimicry is, though, she’s able to return as Tai Lung, tricking the world into thinking he’s back from the grave. Using her shapeshifting powers this way plays into her ultimate plan of becoming the strongest kung fu master in the world.

How The Chameleon Steals Other Kung Fu Masters’ Abilities

The Staff of Wisdom is an important part of her plan.

During his journey, Po follows Zhen to Juniper City, a faraway location that the Chameleon rules over. When Zhen takes him to where the villain resides, Po is trapped, forcing him to give the Staff of Wisdom to the fox so she can free him. However, it’s revealed that she is working with the Chameleon, giving the Staff to her so she can use its powers. Getting her hands on the Staff was part of her plan to steal the kung fu abilities of deceased masters and become the greatest martial artist in China.

The Chameleon uses the Staff’s abilities to bring dead masters back from the Spirit Realm, including the real Tai Lung, Lord Shen, and General Kai, all of whom are villains from the previous movies. She then uses its powers to steal their unique kung fu abilities, combining it with her shapeshifting powers to perfectly imitate their movesets. While her power grab inadvertently leads to Tai Lung’s redemption in Kung Fu Panda 4, her true goal has nothing to do with the masters she steals from. What she cares about is taking all their kung fu for herself.

How Powerful Chameleon Is Compared To Other Kung Fu Panda Villains

Does the Chameleon measure up to past Kung Fu Panda villains?

While there are many powerful Kung Fu Panda villains throughout the franchise, the Chameleon proves herself to be an incredibly formidable antagonist. While Tai Lung, Shen, and Kai were all powerful forces for Po to face off against, the Chameleon is able to perfectly match all their kung fu skills. Because she ends up consuming the powers of dozens of masters by the time she fights Po, she is the strongest villain he’s ever faced by a very large margin.

At the end of Kung Fu Panda 4, the Chameleon uses all her powers to become a giant, monstrous version of herself, bearing physical attributes of every master she stole powers from. This amalgamation is a visual representation of just how strong she is, able to use the combined force of every deceased kung fu master to become a powerful monster. However, she proves no match for Po and Zhen, who use the Staff of Wisdom to free the deceased masters and give them back their kung fu.

While the Chameleon gets dragged to the Spirit Realm at the end of the movie, her shape-shifting abilities and kung fu stealing make her the franchise’s most powerful villain so far. She may not have the natural skills of Tai Lung nor the armies of Shen, but her cunning ploy to steal dead masters’ kung fu allowed her to become the strongest adversary in the franchise. This means Kung Fu Panda 4 had the most dangerous antagonist so far, something that makes the film a worthy continuation of Po’s story.