Rudyard Kipling’s
“The Jungle Book” was comprised of seven original stories set in the
jungles of India, with the first three functioning as a trilogy revolving
around a boy named Mowgli, who goes on a personal journey with various animal
characters. The remaining four stories were stand-alone anthologies, focusing
on other original animal and human characters. Kipling followed up with “The
Jungle Book 2”, which continued Mowgli’s story in five additional tales,
along with three more individual anthologies.
Lastly, after Disney’s animated
1967 classic “The Jungle Book”, it exploded into a franchise with
various spinoffs in TV and other movies. Needless to say, several compelling
and memorable characters have emerged from the world of Rudyard
Kipling’s “The Jungle Book”. Of course, being set in the mysterious
and often treacherous jungles of India leads to a number of dangers … namely
from various villains, both man and beast alike. So, for this post, I thought
it would be fun to rank my personal top five favorite villains to emerge from
the world of “The Jungle Book”, and look over their different
presentations over the years.
Before I
begin, I want to give quick Honorable Mentions to some villains who I just
couldn’t fit on my countdown …
Buldeo:
The Hunter
Whitehood:
The Pale Cobra
Tabaqui:
The Golden Jackal
#5 Kaa
Despite the
popularity of Disney’s animated film, the giant python Kaa was never originally
a villain in Rudyard Kipling’s books. In fact, right along with both Baloo and
Bagheera, Kaa was also a close friend and wise mentor to Mowgli. The only
difference between Kaa and the others was that all animals of the jungle lived
in fear of him and his gaze, with Mowgli being the one individual who didn’t
fear him. Truthfully, of all the characters to emerge from Rudyard Kipling’s “Jungle
Book” series, Kaa might just be the most interesting, unpredictable, and
has gone through the most changes through the various literary and media adaptions.
Kaa’s been a hero, a villain, a mentor, a predator, and sometimes the character
is male, while other times female. Kaa’s first appearance was in the second of
the original Jungle Book tales titled “Kaa’s Hunting”, in which the
great snake teamed-up with Baloo and Bagheera to rescue Mowgli from the Monkeys
of the ancient ruins. Kaa would team up with Mowgli for three additional
adventures in the second Jungle Book titled “The King’s Ankus”, “Red
Dog” and “The Springs Rising”. In the early live-action 1942 picture
of “The Jungle Book”, we see Mowgli and Kaa’s friendship carry over from
the books.
Of course,
the perception of the character would change forever in Disney’s 1967 animated
classic “The Jungle Book”. Now he was the secondary villain of the
story, and his encounters with Mowgli made for terrific highlights. He simply
became another memorable Disney villain in his own right. He’s both goofy and
kind of a looser, yet there’s still something unnerving, and predatorial about
him. His song “Trust in Me” comes off as
average in presentation, but thematically it’s actually one of the darkest of
all the Disney villain songs.
It’s a song that highlights the creepy concept of
“stranger danger”, and why kids shouldn’t be so open to excepting candy from
questionable figures. Also, the visual design of Kaa is one area in which the
animation of the film really shines. Of course, everyone loves to point out
that Kaa is voiced by Sterling Holloway, the same talent most famous for
voicing Winnie the Pooh ... which is a hilarious contrast.In the
animated 2003 Disney sequel “The Jungle Book 2”, Kaa returns, targeting
Mowgli’s girlfriend Shanti through his hypnosis. In this version he’s voiced by
one of my favorite voice actors to ever live, the great Jim Cummings … who
subsequently has also voiced Winnie the Pooh for over three decades.
I’d swear
after Sterling Holloway passed, he was reincarnated into Jim Cummings. He also
voiced Kaa in various other Disney media spin-offs, like the animated “House
of Mouse” series. Cummings also voiced Kaa in the 1996 animated Disney TV
series “Jungle Cubs”, which features all the recognizable Jungle Book
characters as little kids going on different jungle adventures. The show also
makes for a rare case in which the Disney version of Kaa is a full-time
protagonist, and friend to the other characters.
Disney’s
live-action 1994 remake of “The Jungle Book” made yet another unique
alteration of Kaa’s character, in which he was neither good or evil, but a silent,
lethal watch-dog protecting the treasures of the orangutan King Louie. He’s
kind of the figurative dragon grading the treasure chamber, and his
appearances, while brief, are still very exciting. He also gets a rare moment
to shine by doing away with the film’s main human villain. Kaa is brought to
life through a combination of a practical puppet, and early CGI, which is a
decent effect, and almost feels like a demo for the movie “Anaconda”,
which came out two years later.
#4 Captain
Boone
Disney sure
has gone all out with its live-action remakes of their classic animated movies,
and the very first was their live-action remake of “The Jungle Book” in
1994. Although remake might not be the right word, as it’s a different story,
focusing on Mowgli as a grown-up, and took most of its inspiration from Rudyard
Kipling’s second series of Jungle Books. It also drew more from “Tarzan”,
and created a cast of mostly original characters. One of the big stars who
makes this version so appealing is Cary Elwes as the lead villain named Capt.
William Boone. At first, Boone is simply a third wheel in a love triangle
between Mowgli and his love interest Kitty. However, upon learning that Mowgli
once discovered an ancient city full of riches, Boone becomes a lethal foe,
organizing a posse of hunters, and uses the two lovers as leverage to find the
lost city. This was one of the original characters created for the movie, yet he
still has a place among my favorite Jungle Book villains, largely thanks to
Cary Elwes in the role. While I’m sure most people remember the actor best for
his roles in “The Princess Bride” or “Robin Hood: Men in Tights”,
this is the role I’ve always associated him with the most. While Cary Elwes can
definitely make for a charming hero, he also makes for a very charming bad guy.
It’s obviously a one-note villain who’s after both treasure and the attractive
girl, but Cary Elwes carries the role with so much class, and delicious
wickedness. Personally, I think there’s great potential for this character to
make further appearances in other Jungle Book spin-offs, but until then, he
still made for a terrific one-off foe, in this underrated Disney picture.
#3 Don
Karnage
Following
Disney’s animated 1967 classic of “The Jungle Book”, came a number of
different spin-offs, sequels, remakes, and TV shows. Arguably the most unique
of the bunch was the animated 1990 TV series “TaleSpin”, which featured
Baloo as a high-flying cargo piolet, who would go on several adventures,
usually battling sky pirates, or other forces that would threaten the city of
Cape Suzette. The main villain of the show, and subsequently the big breakout
character was the Wolf-like, Air Pirate named Don Karnage. With a giant flying
battle ship called the Iron Vulture, and a cut-throat crew of air pirates at
his command, Karnage was Baloo’s deadliest and most frequent reoccurring adversary. Voiced by the distinguished Jim Cummings (who I previously mentioned also
voiced Kaa in a number of spin-offs), Don Karnage had a personality, energy,
and charm that made him every bit as appealing, if not more so than our actual
main characters. Yet, he still provided the menace and challenges to make him a
worthy foe for our hero’s. I distinctly remember watching this show back when I
was a kid … and I was always a little disappointed when an episode didn’t
feature Don Karnage.He kind of
took on a life of his own, making costumed appearances at the Disney land
parks, appearing in games, comics, and even had a selection of segments on the short-lived
animated Disney series “Raw Toonage” from 1992. One episode even
featured him crossing blades with Peter Pan’s Captain Hook, which was a treat
to say the least. He also made several appearances in Disney’s rebooted 2017 “DuckTales”
series, except now voiced by Jaime Camil. While the voice talent dose a decent
job, the character just doesn’t have the same appeal as when voiced by Jim
Cummings, but it was still great to have the character return to Disney
animation again. While certainly an odd one out from other Jungle Book villains,
he’s still a long-standing favorite of mine.
#2 Nag
and Nagaina
While Kaa
will always be the most famous snake from the world of “The Jungle Book”,
my personal favorites come in the form of two deadly King Cobra’s named Nag and
Nagaina. The two appeared as the main threats in the fifth Jungle Book story of
“Rikki Tikki Tavi”. Speaking personally, this was actually the very
first of the Jungle Books I ever read back when I was a kid, and had no idea
the expansive series it was part of. This story revolved around a Mongoose
named Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, who gets adopted by a British family that’s staying in
India. As payment for their kindness, Rikki takes it upon himself to keep the
family safe from the two invading King Cobra’s Nag and Nagaina. The pair aim to
do away with the family, starting with the young boy, which leads into one of
the most famous and cryptic lines ever spoken by a snake … “If you move, I
strike … If you don’t move … I Strike!”
Snakes in
general always appealed to me as a kid, and Cobra’s above all others always had
the most imposing presence. In 1975, the story of “Rikki Tikki Tavi” was
adapted into an animated special by Chuck Jones, which I also enjoyed watching
back when I was a kid. In the days of VHS, I remember renting the special
several times from my local library. Naturally, it was the two villainous
Cobra’s that excited me the most, and stole the show. Still to this day, they
make for an imposing pair, and for me are the gold standard for snake-based
villains featured in animation.
While Nag
and Nagaina never really appeared in the universe of Disney’s “The Jungle
Book”, there was still a decent reference to them in the 1996 animated
Disney TV series “Jungle Cubs”. In the episode titled “Mondo Mungo”,
a younger version of the snake Kaa finds himself in an unusual friendship with
a Mongoose, who’s basically a Rikki-Tikki-Tavi inspired character. In the end,
their friendship pays off when the young Mongoose protects Kaa from a pair of
Cobra’s, who could well be stand-ins for Nag and Nagaina. While not featured in
as many spin-offs as other Jungle Book characters, these two Cobra’s will
always stand-out to me as two of the deadliest, and most exciting foes to come
from Rudyard Kipling's “Jungle Book” series.
#1 Shere
Khan
To no-one’s
surprise, coming in at number one is the savage Bengle Tiger Shere Khan, who’s
Mowgli’s ach nemesis, and over the years has become an iconic villain in both
film and literature. Speaking personally, Tigers have been my favorite animal
for as long as I can remember, and Shere Khan is hands down my favorite
fictionalized Tiger character by far. Khan was introduced in the first of the
Jungle Book tales titled “Mowgli’s Brothers”, in which he slayed
Mowgli’s human parents, and has sought to finish the hunt. However, once Mowgli
finds a home with the wolves, he becomes protected by the law of the jungle.
Thus, Shere Khan hatches a coup d'etat, having the younger wolves over throw
their elder, and surrendering Mowgli to Khan. The boy retaliates by using fire
against him, burning his face in the proses. Khan in this story is also
depicted as being born with a limp-leg, and he also has a faithful servant in
the form of a Jackal named Tabaqui. In the third of the original Jungle Book
tale’s titled “Tiger, Tiger”, Shere Khan returns to the jungle to seek
vengeance on Mowgli, but ultimately meets his demise in a Buffalo Stamped. In
very first live-action film adaption of “The Jungle Book” from 1942, the
backstory of Khan killing Mowgli’s parents remains, but the villain himself is
killed off very early, and this time by knife stab as opposed to a
Stamped. In 1976,
Chuck Jones of Loony Toons fame directed an animated short film titled “Mowgli's
Brothers”, obviously based on the first of the Jungle Book tales, and thus
far is one of the most accurate in re-telling the story from the book.
Although, there were still some differences, mainly revolving around Shere
Khan, who no-longer has a lame leg, and most obvious of all is that he’s
depicted as a white tiger. Still, he captures the same menace of the source
material, especially with the great Roddy McDowall supplying the voice. It’s
also a rare case in which Khans faithful Jackal Tabaqui is seen on screen with
him.
Of course,
the characters popularity shy-rocketed with Disney’s animated 1967 classic “The
Jungle Book”, in which he achieved status as one of Disney’s high-ranking
animated movie villains. While he admittedly isn’t present in the movie until
the third act, the build-up to him is still effective, and when he does finally
appear, he still owns every moment he’s on screen. Khan’s intimidating, but he
doesn’t show off, and I just love how chill and laid back he is. Whenever this
version of Shere Khan engages someone, it’s always a slow-burn leading into his
more savage attacks, and that for me is when villains are at their best.
Truthfully, my favorite moments with him are when he’s just talking with other
characters. 
In the
animated 2003 Disney sequel titled “The Jungle Book 2”, Shere Khan
returns seeking revenge on Mowgli, is noticeably given a lot more screen-time,
and even the animation on him as gotten a littler darker and more intense. He’s
also voiced in this version by the distinguished Tony Jay, who previously
voiced my personal favorite Disney villain Frollo from “The Hunchback of
Notre Dame”. Needless to say, the late Tony really shined in the role,
capturing the original vocal talent perfectly … and it wasn’t even his first
time in the role. Tony Jay actually voiced Shere Khan in a number of Disney
spin-offs, including the animated 1990 TV series “TaleSpin”, in which
Khan is depicted as a ruthless business tycoon.
Over the
decades, Shere Khan has gone through all kinds of changes, especially in the
Disney universe. In the 1996 animated Disney TV series “Jungle Cubs”,
Shere Khan is depicted as a young kid whose semi-friends with the others, but
obviously doesn’t get along with them too often. In this series, he’s voiced by
Jason Marsden, who I’ll always remember as the voice of Max from “A Goofy
Movie”. One of the lesser-known Disney spin-offs was a direct to video
movie in 1998 titled “The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story”, which came
closer to following the narrative of the original book, although the tone is fare
goofier and kid friendly.
Khan in this version is voiced by Sherman Howard, and
in a rare case for Disney, this version actually features Khan’s faithful
servant Tabaqui … although, instead of a Jackal like in the book, this time
he’s a spotted Hyena … no doubt changed because of the popularity of “The
Lion King”. Of course, Shere Khan returned again in Disney’s second
live-action remake of “The Jungle Book”, this time voiced by the always
great Idris Elba. The design of Khan in this film is awesome, and it's the most
screen time the character has ever gotten in a Disney movie … so he really gets
to shine as a villainess presence.
At last, the
final version worth mentioning is from the live-action 2018 Warner Brothers
produced movie titled “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle”. This version of Shere
Khan is arguably the closest to matching the original source material sense the
classic animated Chuck Jones short, and even gives Khan his limp leg from the
original books. Khan’s faithful servant Tabaqui likewise returns, although he’s
once again depicted as a Hyena, just like in the Disney spin-off. Also, the
design of Khan is kind of silly, with a head that’s shaped like a box, and eyes
that closer resemble doll-eyes … “all black and life-less like”.
With that
said, the vocal performance from Benedict Cumberbatch is down-right chilling,
and gives the villain a presence that makes him feel more terrifying than he's
ever been, regardless of how he looks. Of course, it’s funny to note that Benedict
Cumberbatch played another villain named Khan in the “Star Trek”
franchise. Mowgli’s rivalry with Shere Khan in the movie is effectively
built-up, leading to a thrilling climax in which Mowgli slays Khan with a
knife, just like in the original 1942 picture. One can only guess how many
times Shere Khan will appear in different Jungle Book adaptions, but for me,
he’ll always have a secure place as one of my favorite animal-based characters
… and my absolute favorite Jungle Book villain!
Thanks for
reading my countdown … and continue to enjoy the stories you love!
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