- Jasmine might have been Aladdin’s hidden villain.
- Jafar was working for Jasmine, but he was corrupted by the lamp once he got it.
- Aladdin’s sequels debunk the theory but aren’t considered canon.
A shocking Disney theory turns one of the studio’s most beloved Princesses into the real villain of her movie, completely changing what’s known about this Disney classic. Despite being family-friendly movies that are now regarded as classics of cinema, Disney movies haven’t been safe from all types of theories, particularly dark ones that completely change the way they’re seen. While many of these dark theories are often hard to believe or can be quickly debunked, others have enough evidence to support them, as is the case for one Aladdin theory.
Released in 1992 as part of the Disney Renaissance, Aladdin is based on the Arabic folktale of the same name from One Thousand and One Nights. Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, Aladdin took viewers to the city of Agrabah to meet the title character, a street urchin who is tricked by Jafar into getting a lamp from a cave. The lamp contains a Genie, who grants Aladdin three wishes, and he uses his first wish to impress the Sultan’s daughter, Jasmine. Jafar is quickly established as Aladdin’s villain, but a theory completely changes this by suggesting Jasmine is the real villain.
Aladdin Theory Suggests Jafar Was Working For Jasmine
Jasmine Might Have Been Aladdin’s Hidden Villain
The author of the theory explains that Jasmine was aware and familiar with how the system works and is the one character who would benefit from “keeping up appearances”.
Jafar was a sorcerer and the Grand Vizier of Agrabah, and from the beginning of Aladdin, he was shown seeking the lamp within the Cave of Wonders, but only “the diamond in the rough” could retrieve it. This is why Jafar used Aladdin to enter the cave and retrieve the lamp, but when Aladdin’s pet monkey, Abu, took many jewels and triggered a cave-in, Jafar threw them back into the cave and took the lamp – or that’s what he thought, as Abu stole it back. Without the lamp, Jafar then decided to plot a marriage between himself and Jasmine, but Aladdin also interfered with that.
When Jafar finally got the lamp, his first wish was to become Sultan, and the second was to become the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Jafar’s third and final wish was a set-up by Aladdin, who tricked him into wishing to become a genie, which caused him to be trapped in a lamp. Now, a theory shared on Reddit suggests Jafar wasn’t working alone, nor was the whole plan to get the lamp his idea, and he was working for Jasmine. However, when Jafar finally got the lamp, he was corrupted by it and used it to become powerful.
The author of the theory explains that Jasmine was aware and familiar with how the system works and is the one character who would benefit from “keeping up appearances”. Despite being the Sultan’s daughter, she couldn’t send people in search of the lamp as that would have given her plan away, so she used Jafar to get it – after all, Jafar had a “power fetish”, and that’s why he was attracted to her. The author goes as far as to suggest Jasmine falling in love with Aladdin wasn’t a coincidence as she knew he had the lamp, and knew right away he wasn’t royalty.
Exactly why Jasmine would have wanted to get the lamp is unknown, but it most likely would have been about power.
Throughout Aladdin, Jasmine shows how deceitful and manipulative she could be, as well as how intelligent she truly was, getting what she wanted from her father, blending with the people of Agrabah, and pretending to love Jafar so convincingly that Aladdin and Genie fell for it. Exactly why Jasmine would have wanted to get the lamp is unknown, but it most likely would have been about power.
Aladdin’s Sequels Can Debunk The Theory (But They Aren’t Canon)
Aladdin’s Sequels Continued Aladdin & Jasmine’s Story
If Jasmine truly was the hidden villain and evil mastermind of Aladdin, she wouldn’t have gone as far as marrying Aladdin.
Aladdin got two direct-to-video sequels: The Return of Jafar, released in 1994, and Aladdin and the King of Thieves, released in 1996. The former, as the title says, sees Jafar’s return as a powerful genie and Aladdin, Iago, Jasmine, and Genie teaming up to defeat him once and for all. Aladdin and the King of Thieves sees Aladdin reuniting with his father, who turns out to be part of the Forty Thieves.
Both movies continue Jasmine and Aladdin’s love story, finally getting married in Aladdin and the King of Thieves, so if Jasmine truly was the hidden villain and evil mastermind of Aladdin, she wouldn’t have gone as far as marrying Aladdin and helping him through different problems. However, none of the Aladdin sequels are canon, so the above theory could still be somewhat possible.
Why The Aladdin Sequel Wasn’t Shown In Theaters (Or On TV)
Aladdin 2 was only the second animated sequel Disney ever made, but the decision was made to release it as its first direct-to-video animated film.
How Jasmine Being Jafar’s Master Would Change Disney’s Aladdin
Jasmine Being Aladdin’s Real Villain Changes Many Things
Jasmine’s actions to save her father, Aladdin, and Agrabah wouldn’t have been honest, instead being the result of being betrayed by her subordinate.
Jasmine being the hidden villain in Aladdin would completely change her role as the movie’s heroine as her actions to save her father, Aladdin, and Agrabah wouldn’t have been honest, instead being the result of being betrayed by her subordinate. The theory raises questions about Jasmine’s role in Agrabah and her relationship with her father, as there should have been a strong reason for her to use Jafar to get the lamp for herself. Of course, the theory also changes her relationship with Aladdin, as her love for him wouldn’t have been sincere (at least through most of the movie).
Jasmine is the only one of the official Disney Princesses to have been introduced in someone else’s story instead of her own, so the theory would put her at the front and center, though not in a positive light. Different details in Aladdin can debunk the theory or make it hard to believe, but it gives an interesting twist to this Disney classic.
Source: Reddit, Screenrant