Jafar was the Royal Vizier of Agrabah and the main antagonist in Disney's 1992 animated feature film Aladdin, its 1994 sequel and the direct-to-video film Mickey's House of Villains. He also appeared in an episode of Disney's 1998 television series Hercules. Jafar is voiced by Jonathan Freeman. He is an official member of the Disney Villains.
Backgrounds
Personality
Jafar is portrayed as an amoral psychopath who'll not hesitate to destroy anyone he perceives as a threat to his own sinister designs. Like numerous clinically-diagnosed psychopaths, Jafar wears a metaphorical mask of normalcy throughout the film, establishing himself as a cool-headed schemer and gaining the trust of those around him, despite his rather untrustworthy physical appearance. Even with this mask, Jafar's psychopathic tendencies tend to seep through and become apparent to the viewer, particularly in the opening sequence, where Jafar, outside of immediate initial anger over Gazeem not being the one who is the Diamond in the Rough and thus being killed, displays no remorse in sending Gazeem the thief to his death in the Cave of Wonders, simply proclaiming that "Gazeem was obviously less than worthy" in a rather dry tone of voice. The deleted song "Humiliate the Boy" also establishes Jafar as an emotional sadist, getting a laugh out of seeing "another fellow's dreams turn into nightmares one by one" and treating the Genie in an especially harsh manner. Jafar also displays narcissistic tendencies, his most obvious ones being his obsessive desire for power and sense of entitlement, as well as manipulating the Sultan to achieve his goals. It is not until Jafar gains control of the Genie's lamp that he fully shows his true colors, becoming arrogant and short-tempered with his subjects after usurping power from the Sultan. It is this impulsive behavior that leads to his downfall, as he uses his third wish to become an omnipotent genie, unaware of the life inside the lamp that he now has to endure. At the start Jafar is a somewhat shadowy character as his face is seen in the shadows during the beginning with Gazeem.
Jafar can have a somewhat comical edge that helps to add some humanity to his character, for example proclaiming "Ewww..." when contemplating decapitation, a trait unusual in a Disney villain. Furthermore Jafar has a sense of humor himself, spurting several puns in a row while keeping Aladdin and his friends from getting the lamp during the film's climax ("Your time is up!", "Don't toy with me!", "Things are unraveling fast now, boy!", "Get the point?", "I'm just getting warmed up!"), as pointed out by Hades in Hercules and the Arabian Nights. This sense of humor does not carry over in the film's direct-to-video sequel, which aimed to make Jafar more sinister and ruthless.
He also was somewhat abusive towards his minions, as evidenced by his interactions with Iago and, later, Abis Mal. Ultimately, this proves to be his final downfall, as Iago ends up turning against him twice in large part because of his abuse and not giving them credit when it is due, and Abis Mal (albeit unintentionally) ended up buying enough time for Aladdin and his allies to try to steal Jafar's lamp when he stopped mid-wish for Jafar to be freed the lamp to ask Jafar whether he was going to actually allow him to keep the treasure, after he endured some abuse regarding his wishes, and thus result in Jafar's lamp being destroyed, and thus Jafar's death.
Like some villain characters from other franchises, Jafar is attracted to a beautiful girl or woman that is a protagonist. Here, he's attracted to Princess Jasmine, but primarily for her good looking body, and not for Jasmine herself as a person. His final wish was initially for Jasmine to fall desperately in love with him so he could make her his queen (he and Iago originally planned on killing her as soon as he became Sultan, but at some time later he refused to kill her, instead sparing her life); he first creates a golden crown for her from her shackles to do so with a wave of his hand, saying that a girl as beautiful as her "should be on the arm of the most powerful man in the world". Genie couldn't grant this wish, but after she's spotted Aladdin and Abu above Jafar and the Genie in a balcony, Jasmine then got the idea to pretend to do so, and she and Jafar have shared both their first kiss together on the lips, in the order for Jasmine to distract Jafar's attention from Aladdin as he tried to get the lamp back. (Much earlier, though, he says in what we would consider to be) a sexist manner that Jasmine's speechlessness is "a fine quality in a wife").
Deleted scenes for the original film implied that most of his negative traits and motives stemmed from having to grow up impoverished and bullied on by the populace of Agrabah, making him almost similar to Aladdin, although their similarities differed in how they handled their suffering.
Appearance and Outfits
Unlike most villains such as Hades and Bill Sykes who are slender and muscular Jafar is a tall, bony man dressed in extravagant clothing, always seen carrying gold, ruby-eyed, cobra headed staff to supplement his magical powers. Jafar has a twisted, black goatee and a faint mustache, as well as grey eyeliner. He was supposed to be designed as ugly, and Genie makes this obvious when he refers to him as "a tall, dark, sinister, ugly man." He also carries a cobra-head staff, which he uses for his sorcery. Jafar was animated by Andreas Deja, who used the character Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty and voice actor Jonathan Freeman, as basis for Jafar's design. Most of the time Jafar is much like Ming the Merciless both dressing in dark clothing and experts at magic. He also has this similarity to Lord Voldemort but has a more human appearance.
As Royal Vizier, Jafar wears black robes that reach the ground overtop a red garment with bell sleeves. Underneath this second garment, Jafar wears yet another shirt, this one black with very close-fitting sleeves that reach his wrists. The shoulders of his outer robe are pointed and connect to a long, billowing black cape with a blood red interior. His shoes are brown and the tips curl inward. A red-violet sash is tied around his waist. He also wears an odd, light-colored garment that covers his neck, the back of his head, and his chest. He sports a distinctive black headdress, seemingly a type of mitre, with a thin, yellow pattern wrapping around the middle, what seems to be a ruby set in the front, and a bright red feather placed just above it. More red-violet cloth hangs from the miter, draping over Jafar's shoulders. As Sultan, Jafar wears a white version of this outfit.
(left to right): Royal Vizier's outfit, Sorcerer outfit and modified Sorcerer outfit (Return of Jafar).
When he's turned into a sorcerer, Jafar's wardrobe goes to a more exaggerated form of his normal attire, with a head-dress sporting horn-like protrusions. It doesn't have a red feather on it as it is used to, only conserves the ruby on the front. The shoulders of his outer robe are even pointer and maintain a higher position than before. His red-violet sash on his waist is slightly different. Here he regains his iconic snake staff, but notably with an open fanged-mouth that fires beams magic on command.
Once Jafar makes his third lamp wish, he takes on a form resembling Genie himself, with some differences. Jafar's skin becomes blood red, his ears become pointed, his right ear gains a gold piercing, his hair becomes tied in a topknot, and his eyes become completely yellow (although there are instances where Jafar gains pupils, such as in You Are Only Second Rate), and when he uses legs instead of a tail, the legs look muscular and somewhat demonic, with claws. He retains his red-violet sash and five-fingered hands (albeit with claws, compared to Genie, who has four-fingers). When he's in his normal human form, Jafar wears a slight recolor of his sorcerer outfit, with red more prominent than before. Interestingly, his sash on his waist is seen black instead of being red. He retains his snake staff. when he guest appeared in an episode of Hercules, he regains his sorcerer outfit back.
Powers and abilities
Jafar as a cobra.
At the start of Aladdin, despite having an extensive knowledge of arcane lore, Jafar did not seem to possess any genuine magical powers and thus could have been no more than an alchemist. The closest he has ever come to using actual magic prior to becoming a sorcerer was with his Snake staff's hypnotic properties. He was also surprisingly effective at disguising himself when he was a regular human, as evidenced by his posing as an old prisoner to recruit Aladdin into retrieving the Magic Lamp from the Cave of Wonders after arranging for his arrest, and later to trick Hercules into fighting Aladdin. However, after wishing to become the most powerful sorcerer in the world, he could levitate objects, breath fire, summon objects, and transform himself and others. In addition, he also was immune to the effects of fire, as evidenced by his passing through the flames generated by him unharmed immediately before transforming himself into a giant Cobra. Jafar's next wish - to become a Genie - made him arguably one of the most powerful entites in the Disney universe. However, after he was killed and later revived by Hades as a spirit in an episode of the Hercules animated series, Jafar no longer has his genie powers, but remains as a sorcerer.
Family
As far as Jafar's family goes, he has a twin sister named Nasira, who tried bringing her brother back to life in the game, Nasira's Revenge. Jafar's sister is very similar both in appearance and actions as Maleficent. She respects Jafar and the sibling bond between them is quite strong.
According to Mozenrath's reaction when he was asked whether he was related to Jafar, he could be Jafar's illigitamate son. Mozenrath didn't answer that question, but not answering hints at one's guilt. Jay, Jafar's other son, will make his debut in the 2015 live-action film, Descendants.
Appearances
Aladdin
Jafar and Iago in Aladdin.
In Aladdin, Jafar is introduced as the sinister Royal Vizier to Agrabah's Sultan who desires power over Agrabah. He is the second most powerful authority in Agrabah, answering only to the Sultan. He is always accompanied by his sarcastic, devious pet parrot, Iago.
Whilst presenting a charming and respectable exterior to the Sultan and the people of Agrabah, he secretly holds everyone around him in contempt and manipulates the Sultan by means of hypnotizing him with a magical snake-headed staff, which he always carries on his person. Even regarding his desiring marriage for Jasmine afterwards, it was solely so he could gain control of the throne and intended to kill her soon thereafter—though he later reneges on this in an attempt to make her his queen consort. He's traveled widely and amassed a wide knowledge of magical artifacts and legends. Until he uses Genie's powers to become a sorcerer, however, his magical abilities are limited to the use of such artifacts as he's collected, and his prowess as an accomplished alchemist.
He also had some contacts within the Agrabah underworld, including the thief Gazeem, whom he hired to find the Scarab half. He eventually managed gain it after some delays, although he was unable to retrieve the lamp after further delays that resulted in Gazeem's death, relating to a Diamond in the Rough. Undeterred, he returns to Agrabah, and upon learning from the Sultan that Jasmine doesn't wish to marry a prince, offered to help in exchange for the Sultan's familial sapphire ring, with hypnosis being involved. After departing, however, he makes it clear to Iago that he intends to usurp the Sultan's authority. He eventually used the Sultan's ring as the diamond in the rough at his laboratory, Jafar then identified the individual necessary to access the Cave of Wonders, Aladdin. He then had the royal guards arrest Aladdin as a subtle means of recruiting him, although he did not expect Jasmine to have accompanied him (she had escaped from the palace earlier to avoid having to find another Prince at her doorstep).
Beggar Jafar meeting Aladdin.
Nonetheless, after being confronted by Jasmine, he lied about having executed Aladdin (or rather, covered a half-truth, as he was already intending to execute Aladdin after retrieving the lamp anyway). With Jasmine out of the way of his plans, he then made his way to the dungeons and disguised himself as an old prisoner, offering to help Aladdin escape from the dungeons in exchange for aiding him in retrieving the Lamp from the Cave of Wonders. After accepting the deal, they then made their way to the Cave of Wonders, and after Aladdin was accepted in to retrieve the Lamp, Jafar then promised his reward after Aladdin retrieved the lamp. Some time later, Jafar then demanded the lamp from Aladdin before saving him. Afterwards, he then attempted to give Aladdin his reward (stabbing him while he was hanging on for dear life in the collapsing cave), but Abu bit him in the wrist. Unbeknownst to him until after the cave collapsed, Abu also stole the lamp from him when he bit him. Afterwards, Jafar ended up reprimanded by the Sultan for executing a prisoner without his consultation (Jasmine had earlier informed him earlier of Jafar's supposed execution of Aladdin), with Jafar swearing that it won't happen again. Although Sultan forgave Jafar instantly, Jasmine still distrusted him.
Jafar and Iago meeting Prince Ali.
Secretly, however, Jafar was still fuming at the loss of his lamp, and was forced to find another means of taking control of Agrabah. He eventually deduced a means regarding tricking the Sultan into using a fake provision in the law that would allow a royal vizier to marry a princess to have him marry Jasmine. He then attempted to hypnotize the Sultan to ensure the plan worked, although Ali's arrival interrupted the process. Jafar, sensing a potential rival with Ali (who unbeknownst to him was actually the alias of Aladdin due to his possession of the Lamp), then attempted to arrange for Ali's death after his attempt at suggesting the Sultan to drive him away failed. However, he also exposed himself to Ali when Jafar decided to attend to watching the guards ambush of Ali personally, which ultimately proved to be a big mistake. Jafar then hypnotized the Sultan successfully and had him visit Jasmine (who at that time had just returned from night-long tour with Ali across the globe) to inform her of her marriage to Jafar. Jafar then covered up his attempted murder of Ali by claiming that he had "gone away." However, Ali then confronted Jafar and attempted to inform the Sultan that Jafar attempted to murder him. Jafar then tried to convince the Sultan that he was lying, but Ali had managed to deduce how Jafar managed to persuade the Sultan and proceeded to smash the source of the hypnosis: Jafar's staff.
Jafar becomes the most powerful sorcerer in the world.
The Sultan, upon being informed of Jafar's treachery, then tried to have the guards arrest Jafar. Jafar, however, escaped with a smoke bomb, although not before glancing the lamp inside Ali's turban, having him deduce Ali's true identity of Aladdin. He then revealed this to Iago, and ordered him to steal the lamp from Aladdin, which he succeeded in the task by tricking Aladdin into thinking that Jasmine was calling him. Jafar, observing the marriage announcment from his lab, then unleashed the Genie, and made himself his new master, declaring his wish to become the sultan of Agrabah. He then revealed himself as the new sultan, and revealed to Aladdin that he's the new master when Aladdin attempted to stop him via the Genie. Afterwards, after Aladdin managed to mention that he will still be stopped even if he was Sultan, Jafar then proceeded to wish to become the most powerful sorcerer in the world, and then banish Aladdin, Abu, and the carpet to the arctic, although not before exposing Aladdin as being the true identity of Prince Ali to Jasmine. Jafar then attempted to wish for Jasmine to become his queen, after a first attempt to have her betroth to him willingly had failed (creating a crown for her from her chains). Although Genie claimed that Genies can't make people fall in love, Jasmine seeming made the wish come true, although he later discovered that Jasmine actually faked it to ensure Aladdin retrieved the lamp when seeing Aladdin reflected on her crown. He then fought against Aladdin with all of his powers.
Jafar sucked into the lamp.
Jafar transformed himself into a giant cobra to kill Aladdin, but just as he was about to squeeze him to death, Aladdin's tricks Jafar into using his third and final wish to become an all-powerful genie himself. However, he is unaware that Genies are prisoners within their lamps and is therefore trapped by his own selfish wish for power. Screaming in rage he was sucked into a black oil lamp, dragging the protesting Iago with him. Genie then flung the lamp into the Cave of Wonders for 10,000 years.
The Return of Jafar
Jafar in The Return of Jafar.
After spending some time in the sunken Cave of Wonders, Jafar's Lamp was freed by Iago (who managed to somehow get himself partially out of the lamp), although Iago ended up dropping the lamp in a well instead of freeing Jafar himself due to a falling out. Jafar is later truly freed from his lamp by one of Aladdin's enemies, a bandit named Abis Mal. Because his genie form can't directly kill Aladdin due to its inherent limitations, and since he can't actually travel outside of close proximity of the lamp, he attempts to arrange for Abis Mal to do it for him. He initially used his genie form to persuade Abis Mal into helping him, but then transforms into his human form after it became apparent that Abis Mal could not even respond coherently, much less agree to help him, out of intimidation at his terrifying genie form. Jafar forcibly recruited Abis Mal as his partner by forcing him to waste his first two wishes so that Abis Mal will assist him in his plot for revenge against Aladdin in order to get his third wish or he will wish he had "never been born" and says that if he co-operates he will see that he is amply rewarded (although Abis Mal, having earlier encountered Aladdin, tells him he would've assisted him anyway after learning this due to sharing a mutual desire for revenge against him as well).
Jafar reunites with Iago and demands him to lure Aladdin and the Sultan into a trap. Iago successfully gets Aladdin and Sultan to go for a flight on Carpet and while they're gone, Jafar invades the palace and begins to torment Genie and Abu. After the torture, he captures the two and begins the next part of his plan.
Aladdin, Sultan, Carpet and Iago reach the destination and what seems to be a peaceful and relaxing area, turns out to be a death trap as Sultan is kidnapped by hooded men on magic flying horses. Aladdin threatens Iago saying he'll deal with him later and rushes off on Carpet to save the Sultan. Aladdin fails and is thrown down a waterfall by Abis Mal but rescued by Jafar. Abis Mal's in shock but Jafar explains their act of revenge's not completed just yet. Jafar frames Aladdin for the murder of the Sultan who's really being held in captivity by Jafar. Jafar disguises himself as Jasmine and right before Aladdin's executed via decapitation, Jafar reveals himself to torture Aladdin even more. However unknown to him, Iago, consumed with guilt for helping Jafar set up his new friends, frees Genie who saves Aladdin in the nick of time.
Jafar destroyed.
At the palace, Jafar rewards Abis Mal with all of the treasure his heart desired, with the only thing he requests in return is for Abis Mal to grant his freedom. Before he can, however, Abis Mal ends up interrupting his own wish to wonder whether Jafar was sincere, thus resorting in Jafar issuing a threat to Abis Mal to torture him if he doesn't. Shortly afterward, the lamp is taken by Aladdin who knows that the only way to destroy him is to destroy his lamp. Jafar transforms into a genie and battles the heroes, confident that they'll never destroy him because of his great power. He creates a wasteland in the palace's garden creating pits of lava as a trap for Aladdin and knocks out Genie. When it seems like he is succeeding, Iago unexpectedly comes to the rescue. Jafar is furious at this betrayal and tries to attack him as well. He badly weakens his former ally, but with his last ounce of strength, Iago kicks the lamp into the lava which results in Jafar violently imploding into a cloud of dust, destroying him. Peace is restored and Iago is welcomed into Aladdin's home.
Aladdin: The Series and Aladdin and the King of Thieves
Because of his ultimate demise in The Return of Jafar, Jafar made no physical appearances in the television series. However, he was often mentioned by the cast, mostly Iago. His secret hideout in the palace remained intact even after his death, and the heroes occasionally explored it to find new, magical ways to defeat a powerful enemy. An antagonist in the series named Mozenrath, is a powerful sorcerer who Iago often called "Jafar, Jr." because of the similarities.
In the film series' final installment, Aladdin and the King of Theives, Jafar makes no physical appearance but is briefly mentioned by Genie in the film's opening song "There's a Party Here in Agrabah". Genie believes that with Jafar gone, there is no possible way the wedding of Aladdin and Jasmine can be interrupted by trouble. Genie is also holding a Jafar mask at this time.
Hercules: The Animated Series
Jafar in "Hercules and the Arabian Night".
In the episode Hercules and the Arabian Night of Disney's Hercules TV-show spin-off, Jafar was temporarily revived by Hercules' arch-enemy, Hades. Due to his demise, he no longer had his genie powers and was an ordinary sorcerer again. The two villains teamed up to eliminate their enemies. Jafar visited the island of Hercules' hero trainer Philoctetes, where he summoned several giant beasts to battle Hercules. However, Hercules was able to defeat the creatures, sending Jafar back to the Underworld. Meanwhile, Hades sent his lackeys, Pain and Panic, to do away with Aladdin and friends, but Aladdin proves too clever for Hades' imps, so Jafar and Hades concur yet another plot. By kidnapping Abu, and Hercules' friend Icarus, Aladdin and Hercules were told that each other was the kidnapper, and battled. Jafar himself was responsible for getting Hercules involved, using his old prisoner's disguise to trick Hercules into thinking that Icarus was kidnapped by Aladdin, although Hades inadvertently nearly ruined the disguise shortly afterwards by removing the cloak. Eventually, the heroes caught on to the plot after Hercules informed Aladdin of Jafar's revival. In the Underworld, Jafar battled both Aladdin and Hercules, but the heroes defeated him once more, and Jafar was sealed in the River Styx forever.
House of Mouse
Jafar in Mickey's House of Villains.
Despite his death, Jafar has also had a recurring role on House of Mouse. He was even the central villain of the direct-to-video film Mickey's House of Villains, in which he relieved the villains of the Halloween boredom at the House of Mouse by taking it over and transforming it into the House of Villains. However, Jafar is later sealed into his magic lamp and the other villains flee with their most powerful member defeated. Jafar even went on a date with Maleficent in one episode and ended up getting burned by her literally. Many fans noted that the two characters possessed many similarities. The two are often compared as both have regal bearing, bird side-kicks, are exceeding tall and dress in long, dark robes and peculiar head-wear.
Two other of Jafar's most notable appearances on the show are on 'Donald's Lamp Trade" where he tricks Donald into thinking Mickey's not his friend so he can obtain a lamp. Donald steals Genie's lamp from the prop basement when in reality Jafar wanted Mickey's lamp. And in "House of Magic", in which he and Iago use the famous magic spell Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo to return the House of Mouse after Daisy Duck magically causes it to vanish, and were tricked by Mickey to receive "Agrabah" as a reward for their good deeds.
Electric Holiday
Jafar makes a brief, non-speaking cameo in the animated short, watching in the crowd as Disney character models walked down the runway.
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
Jafar in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.
Jafar is a major villain in the TV show, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and is portrayed by Naveen Andrews.
While residing in Agrabah, Jafar actively searches for a genie he needs. Arriving at at the small scarf shop of a merchant, Farzeen Shahmed, he questions the good fortune of the shop owner, insisting the man's accumulated wealth is magically based. The merchant denies this, saying all his good fortune has either come from inheritance or good business. When the tea kettle boils, the merchant excuses himself to the back room for a few moments to turn the water off. Suspicious, Jafar believes the man to be lying, and bursts into the back room to see the merchant wishing the genie, Cyrus, away to a far off land where no one will find him. Jafar grabs for the lamp, but it disappears into thin air. Furious, he asks the merchant where the lamp was sent. Shakily, the merchant admits he doesn't know, so Jafar suffocates him to death.
An unknown amount of time passes, and Jafar tracks Cyrus down to Wonderland. In a ploy with the Red Queen, she throws Cyrus off the cliff of the Boiling Sea, and he appears to die, but after falling down past thick smoke, Jafar catches him on a magic carpet. Afterwards, Cyrus is imprisoned in a cage made of silver to prevent escape.
Following Alice's return to Wonderland to find Cyrus, Jafar meets with the Red Queen.He begins to question whether he still needs the Red Queen's help anymore, and begins magically choking her. Near death, the Red Queen gasps only one person--herself--knows where Alice's current location.
Wagering the costs, Jafar decides it's best to not kill the Red Queen. In return, she retorts he is in her world now, not Agrabah, and orders him to leave while she takes care of Alice. Brooding, Jafar does as he is told. Later, in a large hall filled with cages, Jafar strides into the room to check up on an imprisoned Cyrus, who has recently woken up.
Revisiting the Red Queen's castle, he freezes all her subjects before entering the throne room himself. Jafar inquires on the subject of how she can sit and listen to her petitioners all day, to which she replies it's part of her job. She begins to wonder if Jafar can do what he claims to be able to fulfill, and begins to walk away from him. Disliking her tone, he freezes her in place with magic, and reminds her they are not in a partnership. He boasts to be the one in charge, and she should be wise to remember so. Unfreezing only her head, Jafar asks for the location of the bottle, to which she says it's in Mimzy Meadows under the Tum Tum tree. Having gotten what he wanted, he reverses his magic and warns the Red Queen to stop wasting time on such petty matters and to search harder for the bottle. To free up her time, Jafar turns all her petitioners into dust and walks out.
Upon arrival at the Tum Tum tree, Jafar summons a horde of scarabs from beneath his magic carpet, demanding them to search for the bottle while Alice and Knave secretly look on from nearby. He does not find the lamp however, and flies back to his lair in a rage, and tries to force answers out of Cyrus. Suddenly, the Red Queen strides in from behind, and reveals knew the true location of the lamp all along. She takes pleasure in holds some of the cards for a change; suggesting things are going to change and he will start addressing her as an equal. Enraged, Jafar can do nothing as she leaves in satisfaction. Much later on, Jafar enters his workshop to consult an ancient book.
Kingdom Keepers
Jafar appears in the fourth and fifth book of the saga. In Power Play he encounters Maybeck and Willa at the Morocco Pavilion in one of their missions. He first appears as a fragile old man but then reveals his true appereance and asks for the "window magic" of the Keepers. He also seems in opposition or in a sub-division of Maleficent's Overtakers. After he shows he can turn into a cobra, like in the movie, to threaten them, Willa uses a flute in an exhibition to "charm" Jafar and she and Maybeck run away. In Shell Game he seems to have joined Maleficent and is seen in Castaway Cay speaking to Tia Dalma. According to him, Maleficent had promised him the lamp, something which he has not yet received. He also despises signing autograph, something he finds "an insult to my dignity". He also seems to be on good terms with Tia Dalma, as he says to her "Go in peace", to which she responds in kind. Here it is revealed that his Cobra staff can transform into a real cobra and into a wooden stick, which he uses to protect the surrounding areas.
Video games
Disney's Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge
Jafar is a primary focus in the game where his villainous sister Nasira plots on gaining revenge on Aladdin for the murder of her brother, and plans on bringing Jafar back from the dead in the process. She succeeds in turning the kingdom of Agrabah against Aladdin through magic, imprisons the Sultan, Genie, and Jasmine, and nearly succeeds in her plot until Aladdin reaches her lair then's foils her, killing Jafar once again.
Kingdom Hearts series
Jafar is a recurring villain in four installments of the Kingdom Hearts video game series. He is a member of Maleficent's group, and appears to be her second-in-command. His eventual genie form returns in this game series, but for some reason the snake form he obtains before even becoming a genie does not.
In Kingdom Hearts , he uses the Heartless (courtesy of Maleficent) to successfully take over Agrabah; however, he was unable to find the Keyhole to his world as well as Jasmine, the sixth Princess of Heart, who had managed to escape the takeover. By the time Aladdin is rescued by Sora, Donald, and Goofy, Jafar manages to kidnap Jasmine and steals the lamp from Aladdin before he can save her, forcing Genie to work for him. In the Cave of Wonders, he wishes for the Keyhole to be revealed, and then uses his second wish for Genie to crush Sora and friends when they arrive. However, the group is able to defeat Jafar. Losing, Jafar uses his last wish to become a genie himself out of desperation. But even with his newfound power, Jafar ends up getting sucked into his lamp with Iago.
Jafar returns in Chain of Memories as a figment of Sora's memory. In order to get the lamp, he tricked Aladdin to get the lamp in an attempt to make Jasmine marry him. When Jafar stole the lamp from Aladdin, his first wish was to have Jasmine in his clutches, his second being for Genie to protect him from a sneak attack led by Sora and Aladdin, and his third wish was to become an all-powerful Genie. He teleported Sora and his friends to the center of the earth and attacked them. His attacks were similar to that seen in the first game, except ice could not damage him. Instead of attacking Jafar directly, Sora attacks Iago, grabbing the lamp, and trapped Jafar inside like the previous encounter. He also appeared in Riku's story representing Riku's dark memories.
In Kingdom Hearts II, Iago has managed to escape from the lamp while Jafar was still trapped within in the lamp. Eventually, the Peddler finds the lamp, but Pete later steals it so that Jafar can be released and turned into a Heartless. While chasing the Peddler, Iago intervenes and snatches the lamp, enabling the group to seal Jafar's lamp away. Unfortunately, the Peddler was later manipulated and found Jafar's lamp again, releasing him. Jafar then forces Iago to keep Sora occupied while Jafar kidnapped Jasmine. Once Sora and Aladdin discover the ruse, they return to the Palace to find Jafar with an incarcerated Jasmine. Upon discovery, Jafar attacks Aladdin, but hits Iago instead, who falling unconscious. Jafar then turns into his Genie form to finish off Sora once and for all, but he is defeated and explodes while his lamp dissolves into darkness.
Jafar returns within Jiminy's Journal's data in Kingdom Hearts coded.
Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion
Along with Captain Hook, Jafar has his essence drained from the Cartoon World for the Heart Power it can give Mizrabel to escape Wasteland. He serves as the second boss in the story, having been given a room in the castle by Mizrabel, who claimed to have turned him into the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Jasmine was even given to him. After being beaten in his cobra form, Jafar reverts and realises that Mizrabel was just using him. Much like Hook before him, Jafar obides by Mickey's request to stay in his room and not bother the non-villainous characters than need to be saved.
When sent home to reunite with his toon self, Jafar is told taking care of his friends it more important than power by Jiminy Cricket. Not really getting the cricket's message, Jafar says he's right as it's good to have friends in high places; he needed to get back and help the Sultan, who's helpless without him. A not-entirely false statement.
Disney Parks
Jafar and Iago posing for a photo at Hong Kong Disneyland.
Jafar appears occasionally in the Disney Parks as a meetable character.
Jafar can be found often at Disney's Hollywood Studios and even more at Disneyland Paris.
On the Disney Fantasy, Jafar is one of the villain suspects in the attraction "Midship Detective Agency" ans is sometimes the culprit.
Fantasmic!
In the Walt Disney World version of Fantasmic!, Jafar is summoned by The Queen when she plots to destroy Mickey Mouse and take over Disney. In the show, Jafar turns into his snake form in an attempt to eat Mickey. When the villains get the upper hand, Jafar becomes a Genie. Soon Mickey saves the day and Jafar is killed off along with everyone else.
Disney Villains Mix and Mingle
In the live castle stage show in the Walt Disney World Resort's Magic Kingdom, Jafar is summoned by Maleficent along with other villains. In the show Jafar and the villains celebrate Halloween with music and mingling. As of 2011, Jafar no longer appears, having been replaced by Frollo, with Dr. Facilier becoming the host.[1]
Starlight Dreams
Jafar was one of the villains that joined in the attack on Mickey Mouse and Friends. Like the other villains, Jafar was only seen through water projectors.
Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular
Jafar appears as the main antagonist in the Broadway-style show. Jafar is first seen at the Cave of Wonders to retrieve the lamp. However his plans are foiled when the thief he hired was not worthy. Later on Jafar eventually steals the lamp ceasing control over Agrabah. He is defeated by Aladdin.
Villains Tonight
Aboard the Disney Magic and Disney Dream cruise ships, Jafar makes an appearance at the very end of the show during Hot Talk, a spoof on popular talk shows. Here, Iago was interviewed to speak his mind about Jafar. After a series of disrespectful comments, Jafar appears but reveals to Iago that deep down, he still sees him as his best friend. Jafar is lastly seen during the finale song Villains Tonight.
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom
In Adventureland, Jafar is released from his lamp by Hades (referring to himself as Prince Azure) and recruited to help find the Crystal of the Magic Kingdom. Secretly however, Jafar plans on stealing back his lamp from Hades so that he can wish him free and may answer to no one, and trap Hades in the Cave of Wonders. Jafar uses a diamond ring from Iago to locate the crystal. Before he can retrieve it, Merlin the Wizard interferes. Hades orders Jafar to eliminate Merlin but the villain himself finds Merlin to be elusive. Jafar meets the heroic park guests set to abolish Hades' plans. Jafar sends a snake to battle the guests. While the guests were in battle, Jafar managed to kidnap Merlin and imprison him in a lamp. Together, Genie and the guests travel to the Cave of Wonders, where Jafar and the crystal are found. A battle follows, ending with Jafar being sucked back into his lamp by Merlin. Jafar, as a genie, is summoned by Hades at the final battle against the park guests. However, when the villains meet their defeat, Jafar and the other were all sucked into Merlin's Crystal of the Magic Kingdom.
Quotes
- "Bring me the lamp. The rest of the treasure is yours but the lamp is mine."
- "My purpose is to serve you my lord."
- "Down, boy."
- "Oh Princess there's someone I'm dying to introduce to you."
- "That was two wishes take your time with the third or you'll wish you'd never been born."
- "Aladdin humiliated you. Don't you want your revenge?"
- "And you are going to relieve him of it."
- "I am your master now. You will do whatever I order you to do."
- "Finally you will bow to me."
Gallery
Trivia
- Over the years, Jafar has become one of the most popular Disney Villains, being second only to Maleficent.
- "Jafar" means "stream" in Arabic.
- Sir Patrick Stewart was originally offered the role as Jafar's voice but had to decline due to scheduling difficulties, noted by himself as something he now regrets.
- Jafar is listed 2nd in Ultimate Disney's Villains countdown right after Maleficent.
- Jafar has a resemblence to Dr. Nefarious Tropy from the video game series, Crash Bandicoot.
- Jafar is also the first Disney Villain to be kissed by a heroine.
- Jafar's death is one of the slightly more graphic deaths of a Disney villain, where he behaves in a manner similar to electrocution as his lamp melts and his skeleton can even be seen.
- The DVD release, however, censors this by removing several frames of his skeleton.
- He is also the fourth Disney villain to be killed via electrocution, after Roscoe, Desoto and Ursula.
- The old heretic in The Hunchback of Notre Dame resembles Jafar in his old man disguise from Aladdin.
- Although Jafar is the main antagonist he does not truely interact with Aladdin once until later on in the film by that time he is Prince Ali.
- It is unknown how Jafar knows Aladdin's name, though it's possible he learnt it in disguise at the Cave of Wonders.
- Jafar's eventual refusal to kill Jasmine (making her his personal slave and offering the chance to become his queen) may be the only instance that the former vizier has goodness of heart in him.
- During the scene where Genie is discussing his wish for freedom, he briefly transforms into a red, sinister-looking form similar to what Jafar will assume at the climax, even adopting a similar cosmic background and body language. Whether this is intentional on Disney's part or not is unknown.
- In the stage production of Aladdin, he is again portrayed by Jonathan Freeman.
- Jafar's defeat in Mickey's House of Villains is similar to that of the original film; he gets sucked into the lamp, albeit in sorcerer form rather than in genie form, and the one who trapped Jafar in the lamp was Sorcerer Mickey.
- Also, Jafar's death in Hercules and the Arabian Night is almost similar to that of The Return of Jafar, where after his source of life (snake staff in Hercules and the Arabian Night, Jafar's lamp in The Return of Jafar) gets broken, he gets killed (via electrocution in The Return of Jafar, via imprisonment in River Styx in Hercules and the Arabian Night).
- Jafar is very similar to main antagonist of Philip Kerr's fiction roman, Iblis Teer.
Similarities with other Disney villains
- Jafar's betrayal of Jasmine and the Sultan in Aladdin is similar to characters like Clayton who betrays Tarzan, Jane Porter and her father near the end of Tarzan, and Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke who betrays Milo Thatch and Kida near the end of Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Unlike Jane and Milo, however, Jasmine never trusted Jafar, although the Sultan did.
- Jafar also has many similarities to Maleficent. Both have long robes, tall headdresses, magic staves, birds as sidekicks (Iago and Diablo), charming personalities with violent tempers, they both take royals as prisoners (Prince Phillip and Princess Jasmine), and they both turn into giant reptile monsters in the climactic battle with the hero (Jafar turns into a giant snake, Maleficent turns into a dragon). It's been stated by the production team that Jafar was intentionally based on Maleficent.
- Jafar is one of the few Disney villain to have a bird for a sidekick (the others being The Evil Queen, Maleficent, and Shan-Yu). However, his bird sidekick actually talks and actually defects to the good guys later on.
- Jafar is the second Disney villain to have an attraction to the heroine, the first being Gaston.
- Jafar is the third Disney villain who changes his appearance in order to trick the main protagonist. The first two are being The Evil Queen, who became a Hag to trick Snow White, and Ursula, who transformed into Vanessa in order to prevent Ariel from marrying Eric.
- Jafar is also similar to Gaston, Scar, Ronno, Buster, Hades and Claude Frollo. They are all in love with the female protagonist (Jafar, Princess Jasmine; Gaston, Belle; Scar, Nala (sort of, the concept was in a deleted scene for the film, and its only other appearance was in the stage musical); Ronno, Faline; Buster, Angel; Hades, Megara and Claude Frollo, Esmeralda, even though she is a gypsy and he hates gypsies). However although Hades is not shown to be in love with Megara he does tend to flirt with her.
- Jafar is also similar to Scar: They both first appear in scene two, are impatient, and like fame. Also, they throw one of the main characters (Aladdin (who is the protagonist and survived because of the Magic Carpet) for Jafar, and Mufasa (who is a tritagonist and died) for Scar) off a cliff. In addition to the events listed below with Hades, he also ended up meeting his (first) demise in a similar manner to Scar, where their own minion(s) turned on them (In Scar's case, the Hyenas, after overhearing Scar blame the Hyenas for Mufasa's murder, surround their fallen leader after being thrown off Pride Rock in self-defense by Simba and maul him to death; in Jafar's case, after making one reference too many to Iago's bad deed of aiding in Aladdin's death, freed the heroes, and finally delivered the coup de grace on Jafar by using the remaining ounce of his strength to kick Jafar's lamp into a magma pool that Jafar created earlier after being blasted by Jafar for his treachery).
- As well as Scar he is also similar to Shere Khan. Both are the main antagonist of the first film and then the sequel and both try to kill the main character. In fact they were both inspirations for the character of Scar
- Jafar is also similar to Hades. Both are hungry for power and try to take over their homeworld (and succeed), both try to kill the main character, both banish the character elsewhere (Jafar banishes Aladdin to the North Pole whilst Hades banishes Hercules to Earth) and when they go back the villain has taken over. He also shares this similarity with Scar.
- Jafar is the first Disney villain to have been revived by Hades the second being Scar. Coincidentally, both characters also met their second ends in a similar manner (Scar being dispelled after being turned into a storm by a group of magicians, and Jafar by Aladdin and Hercules, via a teamup and bait-and-switch, destroying his staff while he was above the River Styx.)
- Jafar is also the third Disney Villain to utilize hypnosis as a means to gain control of the throne, the first being Prince John and the second being Ursula (although in her case, it was to remove an obstacle hindering her plans to gain the throne). Both Jafar and John utilized hypnosis via a snake (Sir Hiss in John's case, and his snake staff in Jafar's case). Unlike John, however, conquering the throne via hypnosis was not successful.
See also
- Snake Jafar
- Genie Jafar
- Beggar Jafar
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This page uses content from the Kingdom Hearts Wiki The list of authors can be seen in the page revision history (view authors). As with Disney Wiki, the text of the Kingdom Hearts Wiki is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |
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