While Encanto doesn’t have a traditional Disney villain, Dolores Madrigal seems the closest to fulfill that role, especially with how she tries to ruin things for her cousin, Isabela. All members born into the Madrigal family are given a special gift of magical powers by the Magic Candle when they are of a certain age – except for Mirabel, who doesn’t receive a gift and has been an outcast in the family and the Encanto community. Dolores’ gift is that she can hear everything, even if the sound is far away or is just a pin dropping.
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In a scene where the Madrigal family are all gathered for a meal, Abuela Alma asks Dolores when Mariano Guzmán will propose to Isabela. Dolores makes the motion of listening towards their neighbors’ house and says, “Tonight. He wants five babies.” She then eyes her cousin in a smirky manner and goes back to eating her food. Isabela, on the other hand, is clearly shocked by Dolores’ statement as evidenced by her gasp and wide eyes, as well as the flowers that suddenly sprout in her hair.
As Dolores is in love with Mariano, she lies to Isabela out of jealousy – a theory that is actually confirmed to be true by Encanto's director, Jared Bush. However, it’s not just the lie that makes Dolores a villain; it’s the fact that she uses her gift to steer situations in the direction she wants them to go that likens her to one. There is no reason for her to answer Abuela’s question with that bit about the babies, but she says it because she knows Isabela won’t like it. It is Dolores’ subtle way to try and drive a wedge between her cousin and the man she thinks she can’t have.
Why So Many People Seem To Think Dolores Will Be A Villain
The lie at the family meal isn’t the only time that Dolores uses her magical gift to wreak havoc. Before the proposal dinner, she hears Mirabel tell Agustín about how Mirabel had been in Bruno’s vision before he disappeared. Dolores chooses to reveal that secret at the dinner, leading to not only a ruined proposal for Isabela and Mariano, but also panic across Encanto about the Madrigal family losing their magical powers.
What’s worse is when Dolores becomes privy to important information through her super-hearing, but then chooses not to share or do anything about it. When Maribel asks her what’s wrong with the magic, she answers, “The only one worried about the magic is you. And the rats talking in the walls. Oh, and Luisa. I heard her eye twitching all night,” which implies that she may have been aware of the issues going on for some time. Dolores even admits at the end that she knew Bruno (and his rats) were hiding in the Casita walls as she heard them every day for years, but again, never mentioned it to anyone.
Obviously, the various issues within the family and with the miracle can’t be blamed on Dolores, and in all her attempts to sabotage Isabela’s engagement, it turns out that Isabela never even wanted to marry Mariano. However, Dolores chooses to use the power of the secrets she knows to manipulate situations to her liking or ignore them so that she doesn’t have to get involved. It’s quite different from her other magical relatives like Julieta, who makes food to heal, and Luisa, who uses her strength to help the community. It’s also why she can be seen as the villain of Encanto, since the heroine, Mirabel, does the opposite and tries to solve the issues as soon as she becomes aware of them.