| “ | From this day forward, I shall rule this castle and all that is in it! I will control the Lord of Nature and bend them to my will! (cackles manically before turning to his new minions) You and every wretched creature like you will do my bidding! I will twist and change and distort everything IN THE REALM OF DOOM! I shall have one purpose and one purpose only. VENGEANCE! Snow White and her handsome prince shall pay for what has happened to my sister. | „ |
| ~ Lord Maliss, declaring himself king of the Realm of Doom and seeking revenge upon his sister by plotting to kill his step-niece, Snow White and her prince. |
Lord Maliss (also known as Maliss for short) is the main antagonist in the 1989 animated film, Happily Ever After. As the enchanter with the power to shapeshift himself into a dragon, he is the Evil Queen's brother who wants to avenge her death by attempting to destroy his step-niece, Snow White.
He was voiced by Malcom McDowell, who also played Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange.
His Qualities[]
What Makes Him Entertaining?[]
- Even if most people have mixed reactions whenever they watch Happily Ever After, they agree that Lord Maliss is arguably the best character of the film, due to him being an evil enchanter with the power to shapeshift himself to become a dragon and is generally considered cool as he is depicted as a real threat to the heroes, in addition to having some comedic moments.
- Furthermore, Mother Nature warned Snow White that he is too much of a dangerous and powerful lord to deal with by herself as she hired the Seven Dwarfelles to assist her in her quest to save the Prince and stop Maliss, in order for the Dwarfelles to prove themselves worthy.
- His motive to avenge the death of his sister, the Evil Queen, is well executed as he is known to be a beloved brother to the late queen.
- The way he performs sorcery over the realm just to make himself king of his sister’s castle, turning the land into his own vision called the Realm of Doom, and making her minions as his own troops just makes him so delightfully cruel in his own way to avenge his sister. This is obviously fitting for him to declare himself king of the Realm of Doom, considering the fact that he is obviously a lord.
- Speaking of which, he carries a lot of charisma and charm throughout the film, thanks to the over-the-top performance given by Malcom McDowell, who perfectly voices his character with energy, making him one of McDowell’s entertaining and menacing villains in his career, along with Alex DeLarge. As a result, it also succeeded in making Maliss a very charming and entertaining villain throughout the course of the film, even when he loses his comedic side during the climax.
- He has an intimidating and bombastic demeanor that makes him a fun and interesting villain to watch, despite still being taken seriously by the other heroes that see him as a real threat.
- Despite various attempts by the Shadow Man and the Seven Dwarfelles, Maliss remained one step ahead and has the upper hand to eliminate Snow White’s allies when battling against them, as proven when he defeats the Shadow Man and then petrifies six of the Seven Dwarfelles.
- Additionally, he has the petrifying cloak that can turn any living creature into stone, which was demonstrated on six of the Seven Dwarfelles.
- He is also quite intelligent as he wanted to give answers from the Magic Mirror about Snow White's whereabouts and when he succeeds in capturing Snow White after getting furious over the wolves’ failure to capture her. Maliss almost succeeded in killing Snow White and the only reason he lost is because of Thunderella. If he did petrify Thunderella, he would have easily won, showing how competent he is as he almost succeeded in his goal in avenging his sister.
- Additionally, he disguised himself as the prince in order to trick Snow White into coming with him to a location where he reveals his true identity so he can petrify her.
- His evil laugh is so incredibly charming that dives deep into his comical, menacing and intimidating traits.
- Before the climax, he does have some comedic moments, such as the part where he, as a dragon accidentally rams into Scowl while trying to catch Snow White again.
- Overall, he earned his popularity that he deserves it for his role as being a cool villain that fulfills his role as a serious threat to the heroes.
What Makes Him Detestable?[]
- His dragon form can also be considered too terrifying for young viewers who grew up watching Happily Ever After. This is especially due to the close up shot where he slowly turns his human face into his dragon face that can traumatize the young viewers.
- Ironically, Maliss is also despised by power-hungry, bratty, and vengeful traits that results in his death. He wasn’t aware that he didn’t petrify Thunderella when he thought he counted the statues that he petrified all of the Dwarfelles.
- He is shown to be a Bad Boss to not only his goons, but also to Scowl and Basto.
- When Basto accidentally sneezed into Scowl's cigar, this causes him to be sent away by Maliss who decided to hang him over the cauldron in sadistic pleasure while awaiting for Snow White to be brought to him by his wolves. This all started when he accidentally bumped into Scowl, so Maliss decided to capture Snow White without any interference from Scowl and Batso.
- He even threatened to break the Magic Mirror into a “thousand pieces” if he refuses to show him what happened to his sister, though to be fair, the Magic Mirror isn’t being too bright to listen to Maliss.
- He almost got the Shadow Man and six of the Seven Dwarfelles killed when they tried to save Snow White, first by seemingly killing the Shadow Man and then petrifies six of the Seven Dwarfelles, except Thunderella, before attempting to turn Snow White into stone.
- During the beginning of the climax, he loses his comedic side that makes him unique. This started when he got furious over the wolves’ failure to capture Snow White, resulting in himself capturing Snow White and taking her to a place where he reveals his true identity to her in order to petrify her and avenge his sister’s death.
External Links[]
- Lord Maliss on the Villains Wiki
- Lord Maliss on the Main Light Horse Wiki