Kaa (2016)

Note: ''This article is about the incarnation of Kaa from the 2016 movie. The mainstream version can be found here: Kaa (Disney).''

"Oh you poor sweet thing. You wanna stay in the jungle? You can be with me if you want. I'll keep you close. Let go of your fear now. Trust in me."

- Kaa's last words before she is attacked by Baloo.

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

She was voiced and portrayed through motion capture by Scarlett Johansson (as her first villain role), who is known for portraying Black Widow of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Biography
Kaa first appears when Mowgli stumbles upon her territory deep in the forest, after he is separated from Bagheera by the tiger named 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
In this incarnation, Kaa is far more menacing and intelligent than her cartoon counterpart.

Kaa is extremely manipulative and duplicitous, 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 very intelligent, cunning, and smart, 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 unafraid to grapple with a bear the size and weight of Baloo. However, she was unable to defeat him.

Quotes
"(Mowgli: Who's out there?) Hi little cub. Oh no don't be scared, I'm not gonna hurt you. (Mowgli: I was just passing through. I don't wan any trouble.) There's no trouble. Are you alone out here? That's not good. We should never be alone. (Mowgli: I'm waiting for a friend. He should be here soon.) I can stay with you until he gets here. Would that be alright? I'll keep you safe, just you and me, sweet thing. (Mowgli: Who are you?) Kaa."

- Kaa meeting Mowgli.

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.
 * Just like King Louie (who was changed into a Gigantopithecus), Kaa is changed into a Reticulated python, due to the fact that she is even more larger than her cartoon counterpart.
 * Despite that she is the film's tertiary antagonist, she appeared only for 5 minutes, which making her a minor villainess.