The King (Disney)

The King is a minor antagonist of the 2017 Disney live-action film Beauty and the Beast based on the acclaimed 1991 animated classic. He is the late father of the Prince (who was transformed into the Beast).

He was portrayed by Henry Garrett.

Role
According to Mrs. Potts (the head of the castle's kitchen), the King was known to rule his kingdom through an iron fist with his wife (the Queen) and son (the Prince) by his side. Unlike the Queen (who is kind-hearted and caring to her son), the King is very arrogant and cruel in nature; even when the Queen died of unknown causes, the King took the opportunity to harden his son's heart through abuse to make him a selfish ruler.

The King's horrible treatment is what caused the Prince to develop an arrogant personality towards his subjects, which incites an enchantress to place a spell on the Prince as punishment, transforming him into the Beast and the castle servants into household objects. Ever since this event, the Beast feels ashamed of his monstrous form and despises his father causing his pain; even tearing up a portrait of himself and his father in retaliation. It is unknown what happened to the King afterwards, though it may be presumed that he may have died passing on the throne to the Prince before the spell was cast.

Eventually, the King's treatment became undone when a bookworm named Belle reached out to the Beast's heart and helped him unleash his inner humanity, which helped break the spell and turn the Beast and his servants back to normal, much to their delight.

Trivia

 * The King's personality reflects on that of Gaston Legume (the main antagonist of the film).
 * The King is the Greater Scope Villain of the film, as his treatment towards the Prince is what set off much of the film's plot in the first place.