A bumbling sidekick to the brutish Gaston, LeFou (whose name literally translates to ‘The Fool’ in French) serves as the secondary antagonist in the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast. Originally introduced in the animated classic, the character’s popularity was regained with Josh Gad’s portrayal in the story’s live-action remake.

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Over the years, many such henchmen have attained similar levels of popularity, to the point where some eclipse their vile bosses. These villainous sidekicks are often shown to be hilarious, fidgety, while some others are depicted as very strong. In the end, they also help in re-assuring the villains of their evil prowess and offer them positivity in dire times (even if the villains continue to exploit their henchmen).

LeFou (Beauty & The Beast)

LeFou is not just a loyal yes-man to Beauty and the Beast’s antagonist Gaston but he also serves as an adviser, a band conductor, and a fine singer for his muscular friend’s narcissistic musical numbers. Josh Gad’s modern reprisal is still a humbler man who harbors romantic feelings towards Gaston, but it’s the animated version (voiced by Jesse Corti) that can be quite a brute.

The character is a short, warm-looking French man who initially does advise Gaston that wooing Belle wouldn’t be a great idea. But Gaston goes against LeFou’s words leading himself to a downward spiral that ends with his death. An iconic henchman, his character design was heavily inspired by another great henchman, Mr. Smee from Peter Pan.

Saruman (The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy)

So close is Saruman’s bond with his lord Sauron that even their names seem to sound the same. Portrayed by Christopher Lee, the veteran of villainous roles, Saruman was a great wizard in his prime. However, his desire for the One Ring, he studied dark magic in great detail.

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On the larger scale, Saruman is clearly a henchman for Sauron but Saruman mostly takes the spotlight, as the first two Lord of the Rings films just teases Sauron for brief seconds. But by the final chapter, it’s revealed that Saruman isn’t truly faithful to his so-called master either as he has his own selfish plans. This is what makes him a truly ‘grey’ character in the fantasy series; he’s not an agent of good but neither is he a true servant of evil.

Mini-Me (The Austin Powers trilogy)

Mini me from austin powers close up

Appearing in the last two installments of the wacky Austin Powers series, Mini-Me is a clone of the films’ primary antagonist Dr. Evil. He seems to inhibit many of Evil’s characteristics but is still one-eighth his size. This doesn’t stop Mini-Me from fighting for the Doctor, displaying great strength and agility.

In a few scenes, it’s hinted that Mini-Me probably has even more power than Dr. Evil himself. Even though he hardly has any speaking parts, Mini-Me is still one of the most memorable characters from the British spy comedy trilogy. The star of the franchise -- Mike Myers who also created the character -- revealed that Mini-Me is inspired by Majai, the miniature version of Marlon Brando’s antagonist in the 1996 film The Island of Dr. Moreau.

Jaws (The James Bond Series)

James Bond vs Jaws The Spy Who Loved Me

James Bond films have their own fair share of henchmen who are as famous as their villains. One significant example is Jaws, who’s named so because steel teeth adorn his mouth. Apart from the pointy, killer teeth, he also possesses gigantic strength.

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He first appeared in The Spy Who Loved Me as a ruthless assassin working under Karl Stromberg. He returns in Moonraker serving Hugo Drax who’s very pleased to have him under his command (probably indicating that Jaws was well-liked in the world of Bond villains). In the latter, he’s still treated as a comedic figure at times with his teeth being used for gimmicky scenes. The character is still deemed to be important by Bond fans and makes recurring appearances in many James Bond video games.

Shenzi, Banzai, & Ed (The Lion King)

Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed laughing in The Lion King

The hyenas of The Lion King are spiteful, evil gossipmongers who end up annoying even the villainous lion Scar who refers to them as ‘a bunch of idiots’. Because of their sadism and creepy laughter, the characters seem pretty dark for a Disney film.

They enter an alliance to serve Scar with the high hopes to have control of the Pride Lands so as to get an unlimited supply of food. Towards the third act, it’s revealed in Scar and Simba’s duel (the titular Lion King) that Scar plans to betray the hyenas, giving them nothing but false promises. Defeated in the battle, he ultimately turns towards the hyenas who however no longer serve as his henchmen. In a truly Shakespearean manner, they maul the lion and feast on his corpse.

Stephen (Django Unchained)

Samuel L Jackson as Stephen in Django Unchained

Stephen is one of those cinematic henchmen who eventually becomes the main villain towards his movie's end. An extremely loyal housekeeper and house slave to the brutal slave owner Calvin Candie, he’s ironically very possessive of his master. This is why he often steps in to advise him on business and personal matters.

Very skeptical of Django and Dr. Schultz, Stephen is shocked to the core when Schultz shoots down Candie. Stephen goes on to torture Django with painful methods and sends him off to the coal mines to be worked till his death. Stephen is one of director Quentin Tarantino’s most interestingly over-the-top and complex characters, his legacy heightened by an energetic performance by Samuel L Jackson.

Boba Fett (The Star Wars Original Trilogy)

Even though Boba Fett is a highly-celebrated bounty hunter in his own right, he does serve Darth Vader and Jabba the Hutt on various occasions. Donning his iconic Mandalorian armor, he has been of great help to his bosses in capturing Han Solo and delivering him in frozen carbonite to Jabba. He hardly speaks any lines, dons his helmet forever, and even has limited appearances at best. And yet, he's one of the most iconic side-villains in all of pop culture.

The very fact that he hardly talks resonates with a certain mystery and ambiguity to his character. Fett's influence lives on with multiple parodies and tributes. The success of the show The Mandalorian further hints at the possibility of fans getting a standalone Boba Fett production.

Fritz (Frankenstein)

Mary Shelley's Gothic classic Frankenstein never featured a sidekick to Dr. Victor Frankenstein called Igor or Fritz. But the iconic cinematic adaptation starring Boris Karloff featured a loyal servant to the doctor who sought to reanimate life.

While Fritz isn't exactly villainous or evil, he's the reason why Frankenstein's monster sought to be evil. After all, it's his goof-up that causes the doctor to transfer a criminal's brain in his monster. The character has been reinterpreted as Igor in many other adaptations, including parodies like Young Frankenstein.

Winged Monkeys (The Wizard Of Oz)

An image of the Flying Monkey in Wizard of Oz

Loyal to the Wicked Witch in The Wizard Of The Oz, the winged monkeys are menacing miscreants who kidnap Dorothy, dismantle the Scarecrow, and even attempt to kill Dorothy's dog Toto by throwing him in a river.

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Considering that the film was made in 1939, the makeup and effects used in making the monkeys were pretty haunting for audiences. Similar to the aforementioned Fritz, the winged monkeys have acquired their own fanbase, with several reinterpretations and tributes all throughout pop culture.

Iago (Aladin)

If LeFou is one of Disney's best (human) henchmen, Iago is probably Disney's best henchman from the animal kingdom. The red-plumed, wise-cracking macaw shares his name with a classic Shakespeare antagonist from Othello and often serves as a minion to the evil wizard Jafar.

Gilbert Gottfried's version in the original Aladdin sums up the character's greed which he shares with his master. Such is their bond that he accompanies (although against his wishes) Jafar into Jafar's lamp when they are banished to the Cave of Wonders. To be fair, Iago was dragged into the lamp but hey, it counts!

NEXT: Disney Villains: 5 Times We Felt Bad For Them (& 5 Times We Hated Them)