8 Cartoon Characters That Were Almost Too Dark for Kids’ Media

Kids' media has gone through various iterations and makeovers, but a darkness always lingers in the background. Starting with Looney Tunes, children's shows often feature wanton violence, cruelty, and neglect. Even with this subtle but ubiquitous background, some cartoon characters were almost too dark for kids' media.

One wonders what was going through the heads of showrunners when they introduced evil, devilish characters to the minds of children, like Bill Cipher from "Gravity Falls" and Cruella de Vil from "One Hundred and One Dalmatians." Whatever the case, some kids' cartoon characters rise above the rest in terms of evil. Let's explore 8 cartoon characters that were almost too dark for kids' media.

There's no two ways about it. Bill Cipher from "Gravity Falls" is a demon. An interdimensional dreamscape demon, to be exact, older than time itself and bent on causing mayhem and destruction in the little town of Gravity Falls, Oregon. Bill grew bored of his original realm, so he destroyed it, only to land in the waking world still hungry for violence. Originally meant to be a one-off character, Bill Cipher has seen nods in other shows like "Rick & Morty" and "American Ride."

The original "Recess" show treated children's fun time like a scientific experiment. The stakes were raised further in the movie adaptation, "Recess: School's Out," with the addition of Dr. Phillium Benedict. A one-time school attendee, he returns as an adult determined to ruin the fun of recess. Dr. Benedict is cruel, sadistic, short-tempered, and willing to risk billions of lives to raise test scores. While his plans are ultimately spoiled, Dr. Benedict remains one of the most frightening, megalomaniacal characters in children's media.

Besides her sharp sense of style, there's not much redeemable about Cruella de Vil from "One Hundred and One Dalmatians." As a socialite and heiress, de Vil has it all, but this doesn't stop her from trying to kill as many puppies as possible. Her cruelty and vanity have become legendary, making her one of the most recognizable villains in history. Later iterations of her character, however, have resulted in warnings from parents.

Claude Frollo in the various adaptations of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" turns wicked quickly. Though a priest and Minister of Justice by trade, Frollo's first appearance in the 1996 Disney film shows him trying to drown the poor Quasimoto. Instead, he adopts him, only to keep him isolated and discouraged. Once Esmerelda tries to save Quasimoto, Frollo goes through every sin in the book to stop her: bribery, sorcery, conspiracy, and even murder. He's quite a vicious character for a children's movie.

When "Johnny Bravo" first came out, its eponymous main character seemed a lovable fool, desperate for dates with women. In retrospect, however, Johnny Bravo is a serious problem. He's lecherous, won't take no for an answer, and harasses women in practically every episode of the show. Indeed, various contemporary thinkpieces have criticized the show for its depictions of harassment and licentiousness.

The beloved children's show "Ben 10" introduced Ben Tennyson, a boy who discovers a device full of alien DNA. The show featured a host of strange aliens, but the darkest was undoubtedly Ghostfreak. An apparition-like alien from the planet Anur Phaetos, Ghostfreak has an upside-down skull for a face and a penchant for possessing the souls of small children.

In truth, every character from Cartoon Network's "Courage the Cowardly Dog" was frightening. The show's dark atmosphere was like a horror movie designed to strike fear in children. The show's scariest character, however, was King Ramses. Though he only appears in one episode, King Ramses remains legendary for his frightening appearance and the evil curse he puts over his stolen slabs.

While "The Magic School Bus" is ostensibly an educational children's show, darkness lingers within its main character, Ms. Valerie Frizzle. Her zeal for science leads to some shocking conclusions. Every episode, she more or less kidnaps her classroom, whisks them off to dangerous locations, and puts their lives at risk. The one dissenter in her class, Arnold Perlstein, is constantly punished by Ms. Frizzle. Perlstein even dies in one episode when he accidentally removes his space helmet. That's pretty dark for a children's educational show.