Iconic Disney Villain Actor Teases Return For Upcoming Release

One of Disney's most iconic villain actors set the stage for his return to the role in an exciting new release. Disney still has plenty of projects coming out this year, including a collaboration with Pixar on Toy Story 5 (June 19) and the next film from Walt Disney Animation Studios in Hexed (November 25). However, Disney has another thrilling release in store for video games as well.

Actor James Woods, who voiced the classic Hercules villain Hades, teased his return in Disney and Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts 4. Sharing the newest trailer for the game on his X account after it was released for the June 2026 Nintendo Direct, Woods noted that he may have "inside knowledge" on the project, saying it might be "the best one of the series:"

"I might have a little bit of inside knowledge on this. Just gonna say, it’s terrific, and maybe one of the best of the series.

After originally playing the villainous Hades in 1997's Hercules, Woods has reprised the flame-headed Lord of the Underworld on more than a dozen subsequent occasions. This includes being the only actor to portray the role in Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts series, having provided his voice talents in five different games in the franchise to date:

• Kingdom Hearts (2002)
• Kingdom Hearts 2 (2006)
• Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (2010)
• Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix (2014)
• Kingdom Hearts 3 (2019)

Disney's take on Hercules' Ancient Greece, classically known in the game as either Olympus Coliseum or Olympus, is one of the Kingdom Hearts series most consistent inclusions. It has appeared in nine games from the saga, making it the most recurring Disney world in the franchise. While Hades' specific role in Kingdom Hearts 4 is unknown, Woods' tweet seems to indicate that the classic Hercules villain will once again prove to be a problem for the game's heroes.

Kingdom Hearts 4 is the latest entry in Square Enix's classic action-RPG series, which unites characters from the Final Fantasy franchise with dozens of heroes and villains from iconic Disney movies. The story centers on a young boy named Sora (played by Haley Joel Osment), who teams up with Donald Duck and Goofy after learning of his ability to wield the Keyblade to protect countless Disney-based realms from being overrun by darkness and dark forces. 

Kingdom Hearts 4 does not have a release timeframe, and it has been in development since April 2020; all 12 previous games are available for purchase on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

What To Expect in Kingdom Hearts 4

While James Woods' Hades is one of Kingdom Hearts' most notable mainstays from the last 24 years, Disney has almost unlimited options for other characters to bring into the next game. 2019's Kingdom Hearts 3 expanded the universe by introducing five new worlds, using locations from Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Frozen, Big Hero 6, and Tangled. The series is also not limited to animated movies, as the last two main-timeline games included the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (which Disney is still trying to push forward into a sixth movie).

Early trailers for Kingdom Hearts 4 teased Sora seemingly going somewhere the past games have never gone before: a version of the real world called Quadratum. Using a much more realistic design for the leading human hero, Sora fights off Heartless (living manifestations of the darkness in people's hearts) in the middle of the city.

While new locations for Kingdom Hearts 4 have not been confirmed yet, fans hope to see representation from a host of classic Disney movies, such as The Emperor's New Groove, Encanto, Moana, and Atlantis: The Lost Empire (which just got a long-awaited sequel). 

Some have also pushed to see Marvel and/or Star Wars brought to life in this series, both under Disney's purview. Unfortunately, with so little information available and no release timeframe set yet, the wait for details on where Sora and his friends will go on their next journey is ongoing.