| “ | I really did try, Rapunzel. I tried to warn you what was out there. The world is dark and selfish and cruel. If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it. | „ |
| ~ Mother Gothel rationalizes her abuse of Rapunzel. |
| “ | Mother knows best! | „ |
| ~ Mother Gothel's catchphrase. |
Mother Gothel is the secondary antagonist of Disney's Tangled franchise.
She was Princess Rapunzel's adoptive mother turned arch-enemy who kidnapped and kept her in her tower for 18 years. She seeks to remain youthful forever by utilizing the power of Rapunzel's Sundop-infused hair. She is also the biological mother of Cassandra, whom she abandoned as she kidnapped Rapunzel.
She was voiced by Donna Murphy.
Her Evil Ranking[]
What Makes Her Close to Being Pure Evil?[]
- It's heavily implied that she, alongside Tromus and Sugracha the Eternal, betrayed Lord Demanitus and released Zhan Tiri from the lost realm. This resulted in Zhan Tiri committing various atrocities, such as:
- Transforming into a blizzard and nearly freezing everyone in Corona to death.
- Corrupting the Great Tree and using it to kill anyone who approached her.
- While Sugracha and Tromus seemed to be genuinely loyal to Zhan Tiri, nothing indicates Gothel was loyal to her at all. She never mentioned her or made any attempt to free her after she was imprisoned again. It's likely that she only joined Zhan Tiri so that she could find the Sundrop.
- Hoarded the Sundrop for herself despite its healing properties just so she could stay young, which likely lead to many preventable deaths as it’s shown to be the only one of its kind.
- She had no care for her biological daughter Cassandra. She neglected her and would regularly have her clean their house as she went out to de-age herself.
- While she gave Cassandra a music box and told her that the tune would serve as a reminder of Gothel's love for her, it was later revealed that she viewed her daughter as an annoyance and only gave her the box to keep her occupied.
- After kidnapping Rapunzel, she unhesitatingly abandoned Cassandra, who was still a very young child at the time. It was indicated that the memory of this event was so painful, Cassandra ended up repressing it.
- After she abducted Rapunzel, she raised her in isolation for 18 years. She was emotionally abusive and manipulative towards her and would gaslight her on numerous occasions.
- She also repeatedly told her that the outside world was dangerous and that she'd only remain safe if she stayed with her in the tower.
- She would regularly insult her while maintaining her cheerful demeanor and claiming that she was only concerned for her safety. Ultimately, by gradually ruining her self-esteem and repeatedly telling her that she was the only person she could trust, she wanted to ensure that Rapunzel would be completely dependent on her and would never leave the tower.
- It's made clear in both the film and the series that Gothel's emotional abuse of Rapunzel has deeply affected her.
- After Rapunzel left the tower for the first time, she experienced rapidly changing and conflicting emotions. While she was excited at some points, she experienced intense waves of dread and guilt at other points, even calling herself a “horrible daughter” and a “despicable person.” She ended up crying due to how overwhelming it all was.
- In the series, Gothel appeared in two nightmares, proving that even after her death, her actions still had a significant lasting impact.
- After learning that Rapunzel left the tower and formed a connection with Eugene, she threatened to kill Shorty if he didn't tell her where they went.
- She told Rapunzel that Eugene was just using her to get the crown and mocked her for thinking he liked her, even saying that no one would ever be interested in her.
- In order to get rid of Eugene and manipulate Rapunzel into returning to the tower, she made a deal with the Stabbington brothers, telling them that she'd help them get their revenge on Eugene.
- She had the Stabbington brothers tie Eugene to a boat and send him to Corona, knowing that he'd be executed for stealing the crown.
- She also told them about Rapunzel and her magical hair, which resulted in them attempting to kidnap her. While Gothel saved her by knocking them unconscious, she still fully intended for them to terrorize her, just so that she could make it look like she heroically rescued her later.
- Knowing his apparent betrayal would devastate her and make her believe that Gothel was right about the outside world, she tricked Rapunzel into thinking that Eugene had abandoned her.
- When Rapunzel stood up to her after learning that she kidnapped her, she chained her to the wall to prevent her from leaving.
- When Eugene came to rescue Rapunzel, she fatally stabbed him and proceeded to blame Rapunzel for what happened. She then tried to violently drag her to an even more isolated location, intending to keep her there forever. She also kicked Pascal away when he attempted to stop her.
- While she allowed Rapunzel to heal Eugene, this was only because she knew it would make Rapunzel comply with her demands.
- Although Eugene was revived, his temporary death was still given weight by the narrative.
- Although she repeatedly claimed that she loved Rapunzel, that was only because she was trying to make herself look like a caring mother so that Rapunzel would stay loyal to her. All of her displays of affection were just forms of manipulation. Ultimately, she only viewed Rapunzel as a vessel for the Sundrop's power who would keep her young forever.
- While she does have some comedic moments, her crimes are taken completely seriously and she is played as a very horrifying threat.
- While her death is pretty horrifying, as she ages rapidly and turns into dust after Eugene cuts Rapunzel's hair, breaking the Sundrop's spell in the process, it is completely well-deserved for everything she did throughout the movie and series.
What Prevents Her From Being Pure Evil?[]
- She slightly fails the heinous standards due to it being unclear how much of a role she played in releasing Zhan Tiri, which is a crime she shares with Sugracha and Tromus. Additionally, the latter two made independent attempts to release Zhan Tiri, which is something that Gothel was never seen doing. She also fails to Andrew, who attempted to destroy Corona and its inhabitants with fewer resources. While she likely caused many deaths by hoarding the Sundrop for herself, these are not mentioned at all and if anyone did die, it’s unlikely that Gothel ever knew about it.
Trivia[]
- She is the only minion of Zhan Tiri's whose NPE status isn't backed up by her existing loyalty for Zhan Tiri herself, a trait which both Sugracha and Tromus appear to share.
- While she is Near Pure Evil, her daughter, Cassandra, is instead Inconsistently Heinous (at least, when she was a villainess). Oddly enough, Cassandra herself has practically been more dangerous, despite being less inherently malevolent than her own mother.
External Links[]
- Mother Gothel on the Villains Wiki
- Mother Gothel on the Tangled Wiki
- Mother Gothel on the Kingdom Hearts Wiki
- Mother Gothel on the Wikipedia
- Mother Gothel on the Disney Magic Kingdoms Wiki
- Mother Gothel on the Disney Heroes Battle Mode Wiki
