Disney Princesses Real Straight as a Femme Fatale

Disney is well-known for its female leads and princesses. Some take on more typical roles like Cinderella and her glass slipper. While others have become an inspiration and character with heart and grit like Moana or Mulan. In 1997, Disney debuted Hercules, but a princess wasn't the main star.

It told the Greek tale of Hercules and his backstory as the son of Zeus. Even a greek god needs a love interest. Megara, or Meg for short, was the deuteragonist who fans adored. She broke the stereotype of the damsel and had her own tragic story to tell. She's witty and a snarky "femme fatale." But while she may not be a chip off the old block, she still falls into many characteristics of a Disney princess.

10 Typical: She Gets A Song!

No Disney movie is complete without belting out into an emotional song. Meg gets one as well, much like other female characters. But her's is a bit more seeped in distress and relatable to older audiences. "I Won't Say I'm In Love," talks about her realization that she's fallen in love.

But Meg doesn't want to admit to it. She doesn't want to go through heartbreak and crying her heart out. She's been there and done that. But she can't help the way she's feeling and the smile on her face when she thinks of Hercules.

9 Not: She Isn't Afraid Of Hades

In normal circumstances, many would be quivering in the presence of Hades. Pain and Panic certainly do. It's admirable that Meg stands her ground when she's with Hades. Despite his horrible temper and anger skills, Meg never really breaks.

She proves that she can stand up for herself against even the lord of the underworld. Hades also gets a good dose of her sarcastic and snarky attitude. Meg doesn't back down to anyone even if it's the person who holds her soul.

8 Typical: An Outstanding Beauty

It's almost impossible for a Disney female character to not be dazzling in looks. Meg fits the bill. Audiences have yet to really see a female love interest or character not be beautiful. This also applies to a majority of male characters. Meg is striking by most standards.

Hercules even falls head over heels for her as she gazes at him after washing up in the lake. She has captivating purple eyes and works the color wonderfully everywhere else. Not to mention her hair is astounding. How doe she get it to be so voluminous and stay in place?

7 Not: She Was On The Bad Guy's Side

It's not typical to see the female love interest be a bad guy. It's one of the things that made Meg so different. The reasoning as to why she was with Hades will also be discussed. At first, audiences believe Meg is a simple woman who happens to be helped by Hercules. It's revealed that she is a servant to Hades. The god of the underworld hell-bent on destroying the gods.

She is left to do his bidding in the mortal world and part of her job is to lure Hercules to dangerous situations. She's the one who tells him of two trapped boys who need help. In reality, it was a plot to get Hercules to fight a Hydra. All of her actions weren't of her own volition.

6 Typical: She Still Got The Love Story

Meg is really no different from other princesses' seen in Disney. This excluded Moana and Elsa. While she may be tough as nails, she still ended up being a part of a love story. Love stories are a common trope in many Disney movies. There's Cinderella and Prince Charming, Snow White and Rapunzel. WhileMulan is a movie about strength and perseverance, Mulan still had a bubbling affection for Li.

The same went for Meg. She realizes that she'd fallen in love with Hercules and starts to repent the things she's forced to do to hurt him. By the end, Hercules ends up saving her. He even renounces his spot in Olympus to be with the woman he loves on Earth. Talk about "swoon."

5 Not: She's Self Aware Of The Damsel Cliche

Unlike many female characters before her, Meg is highly aware of what her type of character is meant to present. When she first meets Hercules, she was having a fight with a centaur. Hercules saw it as his opportunity to save the girl and use his new training skills. But Meg makes it clear she's not the type of girl he expects.

She doesn't want to be the "damsel in distress" that most girls try to be and who men fall for. In the fight, she even rejects Hercules's help despite saying "I'm a damsel, I'm in distress, I can handle this." Afterward, she is cool and aloof and isn't wooed by him at all. She can take care of herself.

4 Typical: She Still Ended Up Being The Damsel

Despite Meg's strong opinion that she wasn't the damsel, she still ended up being one. Like some other Disney princesses, she needed to be saved from peril. A fallen pillar mortally injures Meg and her soul goes to the underworld. Hercules and Meg at this point have fallen in love.

Hercules can't bear to see her fall victim to Hade's cruel ways and lose his love. Hercules does what any hero will do for love and sacrifices himself and dives into the River Styx to retrieve her soul. All while running the risk of dying himself - which he doesn't. As much as Meg didn't want to be included in the "damsel in distress" cliche, she still needed saving.

3 Not: She's Sarcastic, Cynical & Realistic

If taking a look at the way all Disney female characters speak in their movies, they all have a certain type of dialogue. This is another reason why Meg stands apart. She's incredibly sarcastic all the way through and is bitter about certain aspects of how life works.

Not many princesses' have a cynical way of speaking or acting. They are after all meant to be the good and awwing female leads. Meg isn't. When Pain and Panic disguise themselves as cute woodland creatures, Meg is quick to dismiss them and doesn't think it's cute. She even tells it straight about what men think and expect of a woman. Meg says, "Well, you know how men are. They think "no" means "yes," and "get lost" means 'take me, I'm yours.'

2 Typical: She's Ill-Fated

A big catalyst in most Disney movies is when the princess goes through a scary and dramatic event. For Sleeping Beauty it was falling into a dead sell because of a spindle. Snow White ate a poisoned apple and Rapunzel is kidnapped when as a baby. All of them are given an ill fate at one point.

Meg's given one also. The reason why she's with Hades is because of a mistake she made that was dangerous. She sold her soul to Hades in exchange for her boyfriend's life. Selling her soul, much like in a contract with the Devil, she must now do Hades' bidding. It's an ill fate that leads to a tragic love and even her death before she's saved.

1 Not: She Had A Romantic Past

No other female character in Disney movies ever had a previous boyfriend or romance. The ones they have in the movie are one and done. For Meg, this isn't true. She has a tragic backstory that would break anyone's heart into pieces. Meg was once in love. Her boyfriend dies and she can't bear it.

She comes up with a plan that has dire consequences. She sells her soul to Hades in order to bring back her boyfriend's from the underworld. It works but then Meg goes through an even bigger heartbreak. Her now resurrected boyfriend has wondering eyes. He ends up leaving Meg for another woman, leaving Meg a slave to Hades.

NEXT: The Princess Diaries: 10 Things That Make No Sense About Mia

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About The Author

Gabriela Silva (478 Articles Published)

Gabriela Silva is a List writer for Screen Rant with experience in all things television, film and pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University with previous years experience interning for Cliché Magazine. With her passion for movies, television and entertainment, she's interviewed some great actors from Cress Williams of 'Black Lightning' to Tati Gabrielle from 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.' Her love for entertainment reaches a broad range of interests from 90s thriller movies, guilty pleasure teen dramas, action-packed MCU movies to popular K-dramas. You'll most likely find her binge-watching a new television show or movies on Netflix into the early morning.

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Disney Princesses Real Straight as a Femme Fatale

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