Even though many people doubted that the live-action movie of Aladdin wasn’t going to be successful, the film grossed high at the box office. The revised version allowed Disney fans to regain their love for the story they saw when they were young. However, as this theory demonstrates, there might be something we missed about the character we all hated, Jafar.
Aladdin tells the story of an impoverished young orphan who, by some stroke of luck, makes his dreams come true thanks to the help of a Genie. The orphan is Aladdin, who aspires for a better life and lives in the kingdom of Agrabah with his inseparable monkey Abu.
Through circumstances he meets Jafar, Royal Vizier of the Sultan of Agrabah, who tricks him into getting him a lamp in a mystical cave. Jafar’s plan goes awry, since it is Aladdin who stays with the lamp and discovers the true intentions of the Royal Vizier: the lamp is the home of a Genie who grants him three wishes.
Thus, Aladdin becomes a prince and intends to win the heart of the Sultan’s daughter, Princess Jasmine. As things are finally looking up for Aladdin, Jafar discovers him and manages to get hold of the lamp and fulfill his own three wishes.
We all know how it ends for Jafar, turned into a Genie and banished forever. It is interesting to note that, Jafar is often selected as one of the best villains to have emerged in animated films. His grim looks and ambition have made him a fan favorite. But what if Jafar was not the evil person we thought he was, and that he could be the only good character in the film?
This theory from a Reddit user guarantees that Jafar has been the one misunderstood all these years.
According to user StephenT51, the role of Jafar throughout the plot goes unnoticed due to his “villainous” character, giving prominence to other characters who do not really deserve it.
The theory goes as follows:
“In Aladdin, Jafar was the good guy. The city of Agrabah was ruled by an uncaring monarch (the Sultan) who played with toys, clearly ate too much, and lived in an extravagant palace. Meanwhile, his people were starving and lived in severe poverty, barely surviving as bandits, brothels, and beggars populated the streets. And the Sultan’s naive, silver-spooned daughter thought she understood the people’s lives after spending, you know, like 2 hours outside.
So, as the Grand Vizier (that’s like a Prime Minister), Jafar got fed up and did the only thing he could to save his people – orchestrate a coup d’état to seize power from the ineffective Sultan. Sadly, his plans were foiled by the selfish Aladdin. Aladdin was a self-admitted thief and con man who stole from poor people. He only cared about himself – he got three wishes and used them to become a fake prince in order to hit on the only rich girl in town, save his life from a jam he got himself into, and then freed the Genie (probably in the hopes of having an all powerful ally). What did he do for his people? Nothing. Jafar did everything he could to save Agrabah, but in the end, Aladdin prevailed, moved into the palace with the princess, and the Sultan continued ignoring his starving populace.
The entire animated movie we saw was told by the Genie to paint Aladdin and himself in the best and most sympathetic light. Revisionist history at its best.
Jafar was the good guy.”
The theory has made an impact on Reddit, with thousands of “likes” and hundreds of comments.
Is Jafar the only good guy in the film? Let us know what you think on our social accounts.
