What makes a good villain? If you’ve been around our blog for any length of time, you’ve likely heard us say it. The best villains have one or both of these things:
- An understandable goal
- A strong Human NEXUS Motivator
Today, we’re going to break down Ursula from The Little Mermaid by asking those two questions: What is Ursula’s goal? And what is her motivator?
Ursula’s Goal
First, her goal. She says it pretty plainly when the audience meets her. Ursula was exiled from Atlantica, and she intends to rule over it. Revenge explains why she targets Triton.
In “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” she remarks that it’s fortunate she knows magic. This is foreshadowing her desire for power. In the climax when she’s holding the trident, it becomes obvious. It was always about power.
“Power hungry” on its own is basic. But power hungry combined with personal grievance gives her relatability. She talks about how she was banished, and how she wastes away while Triton and the mermaids celebrate. Whether morally right or wrong, we can understand why she feels she’s been wronged and wants to take what she believes should be hers. That belief is what ultimately blinds her.
Ursula’s Motivator
Second, her motivator. Ursula is a bit unique in this field because her actions aren’t dominated by one motivator. Instead, she’s balanced, using each in the negative when it benefits her the most.
Stabilizer: She creates legal, airtight contracts. Even Triton, with the trident, can’t undo the agreement.
Driver: When subtlety is no longer useful, she escalates. She intimidates through magic and brute force. This is seen most clearly when she becomes gigantic and creates the whirlpool.
Solutionary: Her strongest motivator. She deconstructs Ariel’s reasoning, anticipates complications, and builds contingencies even ones she doesn’t expect to need. The wedding ship leaving at sunset wasn’t an accident. Ursula planned it that way.
Influencer: In “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” Ursula manipulates with precision. She steers Ariel into thinking the contract is her only option and pressures her to sign it before she can think more rationally.
She doesn’t primarily rely on one strength. She uses anything that works.
What These Mean
We don’t often see balanced villains. Their adaptability makes them hard to corner and hard to give weaknesses.
Ursula proves it can be done. Her adaptability makes her succeed, but it does not make her invincible. She would have won if her indulgence in revenge and power didn’t create space for defeat.
What Can Writers Learn?
Writers can take Ursula as an example. Not every villain should be balanced like she is, but every villain should be as intentionally written as she is.
Her goal is clear. Her strategies shift depending on who she’s facing. She adapts. She plans. She escalates.
But every adaptable character needs a flaw.
Ursula’s flaw isn’t lack of intelligence or power, it’s indulgence. When she finally gains the control she wants, she stops adjusting and starts reveling, trading strategy for spectacle.
The tension between her balance and her flaw is what makes her work.
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