Kaa (2016)

"Are you alone out here? What are you doing so deep in the jungle? Don't you know what you are?... I know what you are. I know where you came from. Poor, sweet little cub. I'll keep you clossse. Let go of your fear now... and trussst in meee..."

- Kaa to Mowgli

Kaa is the tertiary antagonist of the 2016 Disney live action film, The Jungle Book, a remake of the 1967 animated classic. She is an enormous Indian python who tried to eat the man-cub Mowgli.

She is voiced by Scarlett Johansson, who is known for portraying Black Widow of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Role in the film
Kaa first appears when Mowgli stumbles upon her territory deep in the forest, after he is separated from Bagheera by the evil tiger Shere Khan, where he discovers her shed snakeskin. After climbing into the trees and chasing animals that stole his food, Kaa begins to speak to him from above the trees before revealing herself to him. Luring him in by promising to keep him safe, Kaa hypnotizes him and reveals that Mowgli came to live in the jungle because Shere Khan killed his father as they were traveling between villages, and that Bagheera later found Mowgli and brought him over to the wolves for protection. She also reveals to him the power of the "Red Flower" (fire) and its dangers in her vision. During her storytelling, she attempts to devour him, but a passing sloth bear named Baloo attacks Kaa and rescues Mowgli, freeing him in the process. Kaa isn't seen again for the rest of the film; it is unknown if Baloo killed her or she went away and never came back. During the end credits however, she is heard singing her song, "Trust in Me".

Personality
Kaa is extremely manipulative, using her hypnotic eyes and compellingly seductive voice to lull her prey into a false sense of security incredibly effectively. She is shown to be very knowledgeable, being precisely aware of how Shere Khan came to hate Man and how Mowgli even came to be an adopted cub with the wolves. She is terrifyingly calm, never raising her voice so as not to draw away her prey. She is intelligent and very cunning, able to feign a compassionate and empathetic personality to pull Mowgli into her trap. Her immense size makes her extremely powerful, obviously, and she is not afraid to grapple with a bear the size and weight of Baloo.

Trivia

 * The decision to make Kaa a female in the 2016 film was based on the need for gender diversity within the primarily male-driven cast of the 1967 animated film.
 * Kaa is the second Disney character to be gender-swapped in the live-action version of their film. He was preceded by Jaq, who was a female mouse called Jacqueline in the 2015 version of Cinderella.