Disney’s Little Mermaid Prequel: First Look At Ursula’s Origins

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I just saw the first preview for Disney’s new prequel about The Little Mermaid, and it’s showing us how one of the most famous villains came to be! It’s amazing to think about, because Disney villains are almost as popular as the heroes. Honestly, characters like Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty and Gaston from Beauty and the Beast often stick with me more than the princesses and princes themselves!

Disney’s The Little Mermaid is often seen as the start of a successful period for Disney films, thanks to its memorable songs inspired by Broadway musicals and beloved characters like Ariel, Ursula, and Sebastian. Over the years, the story continued with several direct-to-video sequels, a TV show, and appearances in video games, theme park rides, and stage productions. In 2023, a live-action version of The Little Mermaid further boosted the franchise’s popularity.

Following the recent live-action release of The Little Mermaid starring Ariel and Ursula, Disney plans to continue expanding the underwater world with new stories coming this year.

Disney Villains: Ursula Adds A New Antagonist Sequel To Disney’s Princesses Lore

Disney Villains: Ursula #1; Written by Sherri L. Smith; Art by Gabriele Bagnoli

The first issue of Dynamite Entertainment’s Disney Villains: Ursula brings back writer Sherri L. Smith and artist Gabriele Bagnoli to tell a story about Ursula’s life before The Little Mermaid. The comic shows Ursula as a powerful witch, one of seven who rule the seas. When one of her sister witches loses her magic, Ursula sets out to get revenge. This story offers a fresh look at Ursula, revealing a different exterior while still maintaining the character fans know and love.

The comic book series Disney Villains continues with a new arc focusing on Ursula, following previous stories that explored the motivations of villains like Scar, Maleficent, Hades, and Cruella De Vil. The first issue features eye-catching variant covers by several popular artists, including Mirka Andolfo and Jae Lee. Like other Disney Villains comics, the Ursula series is planned to be five issues long.

Ursula Has Always Deserved Her Own Spinoff

Ursula Earned Herself The Cruella Treatment More Than 30 Years Ago

For years, Disney villains have captivated audiences just as much, or even more than, the heroes. Often, these characters – motivated by things like ambition, jealousy, or pure malice – have stronger, more understandable reasons for their actions and more memorable personalities than the protagonists. Disney has recently begun telling the villains’ stories directly, with films like Maleficent and Cruella giving these iconic antagonists their own origin stories. The popularity of these films, along with the success of The Descendants, demonstrates a real appetite for stories that focus on the villains’ perspectives.

Similar to Cruella, Ursula from The Little Mermaid is a delightfully wicked Disney villain. She’s clever, funny, and always manages to steal the scene. Her confidence and dramatic style make her captivating, even though she’s completely focused on her own selfish goals. Her history – including why she was exiled and how she gained power – would make a fantastic movie on its own.

The new Disney Villains: Ursula comic from Dynamite Entertainment finally delves into the backstory of this iconic villain, revealing the reasons behind her wickedness and explaining why she opposes King Triton. If the comic is successful, it suggests there’s strong interest in a bigger project focused on Ursula – perhaps an animated series or a live-action movie with Melissa McCarthy reprising her role.

Have you read Dynamite’s previous Disney Villain comic spinoffs?

Disney Villains: Ursula #1 is available from Dynamite Entertainment on February 25, 2026.

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2026-02-24 00:18