Man (Bambi)

"Man" is the main villain of Disney's Bambi and is notable for being one of the most iconic villains in Disney history, despite the fact he is never seen on-screen. His presence is instead seen via violent acts, such as the shooting of Bambi's mother (classifying Man as a poacher since hunting does is illegal in the United States) and other animals as well as the setting of a massive forest fire (either out of negligence or malice). "Man" also utilized a large pack of hunting dogs near the climax of the film in order to hunt down the fleeing wildlife.

"Man" is never given a motive or any talking lines, but is presumably a hunter or poacher (most likely part of a larger group) who has been encroaching on Bambi's native home for a substantial amount of time. His presence is always met with equal fear and awe by the many woodland animals.

"Man" has been consistently ranked very high in Disney villains lists, as well as other villain lists in general and has been argued by some as one of the greatest villains of all time - proving that often it is what one doesn't see that is truly terrifying. He is also commonly seen as one of the most evil villains on Disney. Some even believe that Man is supposed to be Satan himself. He also is very iconic due to how he always has a tent near him and enjoys fire.

The Great Prince of the Forest warned his son, Bambi, that "Man" has returned to hunt again. After Bambi defeated "Man"'s hunting dogs, as he took a jump, he was injured from "Man"'s distant gunshot. Suddenly, "Man"'s fire started to spread and cause a forest fire, forcing the animals to escape from the inferno. The Great Prince of the Forest quickly told Bambi to get up just as the fire drew near. Bambi and The Great Prince of the Forest escaped from the fire and swam to safety, where the other animals were gathering. He got apparently burned and killed by the fire.

Trivia

 * In the original book, Man is referred to as "Him".
 * In Who Framed Roger Rabbit, one of the early drafts of the script was going to have Judge Doom be revealed as the hunter who killed Bambi's mother, but was changed for unknown reasons.
 * Reportedly, a scene where Bambi and his father discover his body after the fire was animated and shown to test audiences, but they thought it was too grim so it was cut.
 * While it can be argued whether or not he holds any true evil intent, like most other Disney villains, it is noted that Man had no qualms with killing a doe with fawn, further hinting he was more of a poacher than a hunter, as it is illegal to shoot does or fawns in many parts of the United States.
 * He was originally intended to appear onscreen, but the production team decided to avoid depicting the character, because such an entity would be too dark, grim and notorious for the film.
 * In a Golden Book about Bambi which abridged the film, Man's campsite is shown and Bambi is cautioned this is when again "Man" has entered the forest. However several tents are shown, suggesting Man is with a hunting party instead of by himself.
 * Man was ranked as the 20th greatest screen villain of all time by the AFI's 100 years, 100 Heroes and Villains list, being the second highest animated villain on the list, and the only one that wasn't physically seen.
 * Man also has a similarity to Victor Quartermaine. Both being ruthless hunters who have no consideration for animals.
 * There's even an urban legend that Gaston was "Man". (At least the hunter killed Bambi's mother) But it's mostly considered a Joke since Bambi is supposed to take place in North America, while Beauty and the Beast is supposed to take place in France.
 * There was even an early script of who framed Roger Rabbit?, where Judge Doom reveals that he was Man. Some still believes It's Judge Doom who killed Bambi's Mother. Nontheless it still should be considered a joke since Bambi is revealed to be a resident of Toon Town in the final scene.