Queen Mal

"Cause we're rotten...to the core"

- Mal and the VKs

Queen Maleficent "Mal" Bertha is the main protagonist of the Descendants franchise, portrayed by Dove Cameron. She is also the protagonist of Descendants: Wicked World. She is the daughter of Maleficent and Hades, the wife of King Ben, and the Queen of the United States of Auradon

Personality
Mal is a sneaky, smart, and sometimes ruthless girl who is a natural-born leader and skilled at art, especially spray paint art. Though she is compassionate, she is also vengeful and does not forgive others easily. She has a knack for casting spells, but only if needed.

In the first film, as the daughter of Maleficent, she wants to be like her mother: pure evil. Yet whenever she tries to prove herself to her mother, she often disappoints her instead. She enjoys coming up with wicked schemes and wreaking havoc and is the most feared in the Isle Of The Lost because of her reputation. She isn't fond of beautiful surroundings or anything pink, calling them gross, but she does sometimes wonder about how life would be off the island. Despite this, she is not necessarily immoral; she is just misguided. Her "mean girl" facade is mostly an act, likely because she does not want to be seen as weak in her mother's eyes; being evil is the only way she is respected by Maleficent, who never cared about Mal. Mal is extremely goal-oriented, driven by her desires to please her mother. This causes Mal to often prioritize her objective over the feelings of others, especially those of whom she manipulates in order to achieve her goals. Despite this, Mal's goals are not her own, but her mother's, and this causes Mal to become morally conflicted and increasingly reluctant to carry out her objective. Ben is the only person who sees through Mal's act (including herself), and saw her for who she was - a good person.

As the series progresses, Mal lets go of much of her fears and goals, becoming in tune with her true self; thus she abandons the hollow life of evil, for a life of being good. With friendship and love, Mal ended filling the hole in her heart that could not be satisfied through what her mother had taught her.

Physical Appearance
Mal is described as a girl with dark purple hair with highlights of lighter shades of purple that is curly and reaches a little bit over her shoulders. She has green eyes with "flecks of gold" and is of medium height (5'2"). She mostly wears purple and shades of green and pink during the movie. She wears a artfully constructed purple biker jacket with a dash of pink on one sleeve and green on the other, a pair of purple jeans, and battered combat boots. She also wears black fingerless gloves. At Ben's coronation, she wears a lavender dress that is short on the front but long and regal looking on the back. Mal had her hair tied up in a bun. According to Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel, she has a dragon-shaped marking on her arm, the symbol of Maleficent.

In Descendants 2, while in Auradon, her hair's blonde and lightly longer with purple tips at the end. Her school dress is a turquoise dress with a pale blue ribbon at the waist, gold and turquoise ribbons. She also has a gold necklace with a emerald in the middle and a blue beaded bracelet. When she goes back to the Isle, she goes back to having purple hair, only this time, light, straight, and with bangs. Towards the end of the movie, she has wavy purple hair with bangs. She wears a purple studded leather jacket with a green and purple hand-dyed tank top under it. She has multiple layered chains and belts around her waist, purple pants, and purple studded boots with purple and green colored heels. She also wears a single purple fingerless glove.

In Under The Sea: A Descendants Story, her wardrobe is now a purple shirt with multiple golden studs. She also wears a black vest, her sleeves are purple, and one on completely studded. She also wears black and purple pants with purple studded boots. She still has her original hair, belts and boots. Also, in Descendants 3, her hair is light purple and is reflected with other shades and appears to be blue. She wears a midnight blue vest, as well as a purple shirt under it, with her emblem. She also sports a pair of blue and purple leather pants. She now wears purple wedge high-tops with painted blue flames, as are her purple fingerless gloves.

Powers & Abilities
As the daughter of Maleficent and Hades, Mal inherited the following powers:


 * Fairy Magic: Like her mother, Mal is able to manipulate fairy magic at her will, which usually manifests a green energy glowing in her eyes.
 * Spell Casting: Mal is able to change and control events through the use of incantations and recitations, which either she creates or comes from her mother's old book.
 * Potion Making: Mal is able to brew and concoct paranormal potions with supernatural effects. Mal successfully made the love potion and place it inside a cookie, which was later given to Ben. Subsequently, she made the counter potion in order to end the last one all by herself. She was able to create a Truth Potion, for Carlos in the form of a sweet.
 * Dragon Transformation: Mal is able to transform herself into a giant dragon, like her mother Maleficent. She transforms into a dragon in Descendants 2 and Descendants 3.
 * Demigod Powers: Because her father is Hades, this would make Mal a demigod. However, it is currently unknown what goddess powers she possesses. Mal can use Hades's ember, but not to the same level as her godly father.

Aside from her magical powers, Mal also have the following abilities:
 * Art: One of Mal's most notable talents. She's an avid lover of art, especially for graffiti. She is seen doing multiple drawings throughout Descendants, Descendants: Wicked World and Descendants 2.
 * Driving: As seen in "Pair of Sneakers" and "Wild Rehearsal", Mal is capable of driving cars. In Descendants 2, she learned to drive a scooter.
 * Swordsmanship: As seen in Descendants 2, Mal is capable to withstand a sword fight with Lost Revenge's Crew.

Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel
In the prelude novel, Mal is introduced as the daughter of Maleficent, the worst of the villains. Mal was born and raised in the Isle of the Lost, along with her mother. At the very beginning, Mal pushed her mother, Maleficent, to banish Evie and the Evil Queen to the Castle-Across-the-Way, which is described as more of a cave than a castle. Mal did this because the Evil Queen did not invite her to Evie's sixth birthday party. Ten years later, when Evie is finally allowed to leave the castle, Mal continued to torment her, despite the fact that Evie had nothing to do with the guest list of her party.

One evening, Mal dreams of being in Auradon on the edge of a beautiful lake with the soon-to-be-king Ben (whom she did not know).

She doesn't always do well in school, except for Advance Evil Schemes and Nasty Tricks, taught by Lady Tremaine. For her Ultimate Project, she decides to play a prank on Evie at Cruella's house while she is away. Mal forces Carlos to host a party there, but is disappointed to see Evie come out unscathed after she shoves Evie into a closet full of bear traps.

However, when Diablo was reanimated and informs Maleficent of the return of magic to the fairy's staff, Maleficent instructs Mal to retrieve it so they can destroy the barrier and gain freedom. Mal asks for assistance from her friend Jay. She also decides to bring Evie along so that she can trick Evie into touching the scepter and becoming cursed for an enchanted 1000-year-long sleep. Evie brings Carlos with her. They all accompany Mal in getting the staff back from the Forbidden Fortress in the Isle of the Doomed, an area near the Isle.

The villain kids make their way through many different obstacles and tests while navigating Maleficent's fortress. At last, they reach the throne room, the scepter obtainable. Evie stretches her hand out to grab the scepter, but at the last second Mal stops her from getting cursed by grabbing the scepter. Mal loses consciousness for only a few minutes because she is the daughter of Maleficent.

While knocked out, Mal experiences a vision of Maleficent's past, when she was all-powerful and interrupted baby Aurora's christening. Mal realizes that her mother, in a way, was just like herself: a jealous girl who wanted revenge for not being invited.

She looks around to see that the scepter has vanished.

Disappointed, she and the others return home where her mother is waiting for her, scepter in hand and Diablo on her shoulder. She explains that Diablo brought the scepter back and that he told her that Mal stopped Evie from touching it, lamenting furiously that sometimes Mal is such a disappointment.

Mal still vows to make Maleficent proud of her, and joins forces with the three villain kids, now much closer to all of them than before, and begin a raid on the town, kicking off the events of the movie.

Return to the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel
In the sequel, Return to the Isle of the Lost, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos find themselves right where we left them in the movie. Enjoying everything that Auradon has to offer. In the Library, she then tells Ben about putting a fake nose on Pin. Meanwhile, she now has great friends, interesting classes, a world filled with hope instead of dreary villains and no future. They originally expected to hate it, but as we all know, they not only decided to stay but to find their inner goodness. (And when there's handsome princes, Tourney matches, puppies, and spontaneous musical numbers galore, who can really blame them?)

But when they receive a mysterious invitation to return to the Isle of the Lost, Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay find themselves falling into their old habits. Evil spells, stealing, and breaking the rules comes naturally to them, it's not really their fault, it's how they were raised! In addition to becoming Rotten to the Core once again, they discover a dark mystery at the Isle's core and must combine all their talents, both good and bad, in order to save the Kingdom.

Rise of the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel
Mal and the gang are celebrating the different kingdoms of Auradon, when Arabella, Ariel's niece asked for their help. Arabella had used her grandfather's trident and now it's floating somewhere near the Isle of the Lost. Mal with the help of Ben, Jay, Carlos, and Evie sail out to sea to retrieve the trident. But they end up in a tug of war for the trident with Uma; Mal's nemesis. They get the trident and bring it back to Arabella, so she could bring it back to the museum before the sea king can realize it's gone.

Escape from the Isle of the Lost
In Auradon, the seniors go on an unofficial scavenger hunt called the Senior Quest. Items on the list consists of special items from the fairy tales of the kings and queens of the kingdom. To everyone's annoyance, Chad Charming wins; the last item on the list was to kiss a prince, but Mal, Evie and Lonnie each gave Ben a quick peck on the cheek, forgetting that he was already a king; Chad wins by kissing his own hand. Mal has to worry about visiting all the kingdoms and learning about their different cultures in preparation for her future as Lady of the Court.

When Evie voices her concern that only Dizzy has applied for relocation to Auradon, Mal decides to visit the Isle first on her royal tour of the kingdoms to try getting more kids interested. Mal brings it up during the royal meeting, surprising Beast, Belle and Fairy Godmother with the idea of going back to the Isle. Ben reminds them that the Isle is Mal's home and that the program has been at a standstill since the first kids from the isle came over; Freddie and CJ were unofficial additions, thanks to Jordan accidentally granting Mal's wishes. Mal reassures them that she will be safe; Evie, Jay and Carlos will come with her, ensuring safety in numbers. And just like last time, the amount of kids being brought over is four; there can't be too many, or it risks letting them run wild in Auradon (which is dangerous and would make the first four VKs look bad by association with the Isle).

Arriving at the Isle of the Lost, Mal, Jay, Evie, and Carlos visit Bargain Castle, which has been left alone since their last visit to the island, two years previously. Deciding to speak to the island as her mother once did, Mal is initially mistaken for her (much to her own annoyance as she obviously doesn't have horns) due to being in the shadows of the awning. The VKs ask for the children of the island to listen to them, explaining that life in Auradon is much better than on the Isle and that they are offering the chance to join the rest of the world that they were once given. However, none in the crowd are swayed by their words, much to their disappointment.

The following day, they are forced to bribe Dr. Facilier into cooperating with the VK program by offering to put in a good word for Freddie's sister Celia to fill one of the four slots available. They immediately spot Celia, who had been listening in on the conversation in the headmaster's office; the other VKs leave to spread the word, while Evie gets her fortune told by Celia.

Mal, Jay, Carlos and Evie visit former teachers Lady Tremaine, Gaston, Madam Mim, and Mother Gothel respectively; they ask them to inform students about the VK program playing on their weaknesses to get cooperation. Unfortunately, the only ones who show up for the presentation are the irredeemable Anthony Tremaine, Mad Maddy, and Ginny Gothel; the cowardly LeFou Deux was forced to come. To the VK's frustration, the kids all fell asleep during the slideshow about Auradon Prep. After learning that magic is discouraged and regulated, the villain kids ask about embezzlement, poison and revenge; however, these are not allowed in Auradon. They leave, severely dissatisfied. At wits end, Carlos suggests they seek out the Anti-Heroes Club to fill the slots; however, he is informed by Jay that Gaston told him that Dr. Facilier found out about the true intentions of the club and disbanded it, leaving them fearful of continuing to be good. They also cannot seek out professor Yen Sid for help in encouraging the club to apply, as he's on sabbatical in Auradon.

The VKs have dinner at their hideout, grateful for Evie packing food and other luxuries from Auradon. They are visited by Celia, who is mesmerized by the delicious food. Sharing with her, the VKs are warned by Celia that the fortune that she predicted - disaster - is coming to fruition. She tells them that she heard Uma's voice in Hades' lair, but is met with disbelief as no-one can get through the barrier after it was strengthened after Uma's escape the last time. They give Celia the leftovers and send her on her way; Celia is not that concerned, as she did deliver her warning to them. What comes of it is all up to the VKs.

That night, Mal has a dream of her childhood, being commanded by a voice to go somewhere. In a trance, Mal sleepwalks out of the hideout and sees Dizzy, Gil and Harry, who tell her to keep walking. This leads Mal to a forest where a blue light calls out to her; Mal recognizes it as the voice of her father. However, Mal quickly gains some clarity and exits the forest as fast as she can. She finds a confused Dizzy, who suddenly speaks in Uma's voice while being joined by Harry and Gil, who Uma uses as speakers to declare her revenge. Mal jumps off the pier to escape them. Unfortunately, this was what Uma wanted; the three had just been an illusion. Mal becomes trapped at the bottom of the ocean, where the magic flows in. Allowing Mal to breath in water, Uma plays mind games with Mal, trying to steal the remote to the barrier from her.

Mal is still in a daze and about to open a door on a sunken ship. The moment Mal opens the door, Uma pops out to steal the remote; however, Evie uses the magic mirror as a portal and pushes her away, sending Mal back to the surface. Everyone suddenly forgets most of what happened. Mal wanders back into town, while the trio escape the Castle Across the Way just as the Evil Queen returns home.

In their hideout, the VKs are feeling down as they have failed to recruit anymore kids for the program. However, the four of them realize that they've been in Auradon too long; they have been trying to use things that appeal to good people to get the kids' attention. Instead, they should be trying to appeal to their selfish desires. Carlos remembers that VK Day is about to be announced, which is a holiday to celebrate children of the isle like them. Everyone agrees that the best thing to do is make a big enough deal about getting to go to Auradon to stir up enough interest in the program.

The next day, they tell Dr. Facilier about a "new development" in the VK program. They explain that the next kids to be selected will be honored with a celebration spectacular beyond anything that came before, including a parade, a band and a kingdom-wide feast - certainly rolling out the red carpet. Dr. Facilier agrees to actually spread the word this time. They tell him that the selection will occur in a few weeks; Mal, Jay, Evie, and Carlos return to Auradon. The following day, Dr. Facilier announces to the school that the next four chosen to leave will be immortalized as the Isle's finest. The children are surprised; they believed that Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos had been pulling a prank, but now realize the chance at a life outside of the barrier is closer than they thought.

Descendants
Mal is first seen spray painting a brick city wall. Then, she and her friends wreak havoc across an area of the Isle of the Lost ("Rotten to the Core"). Mal loves being evil and wreaking havoc on innocent people. Causing trouble is where she truly feels at home. After taking a lollipop from a toddler, her mother Maleficent comes. When Mal hears that she and her friends, Evie, Carlos, and Jay, will be going to Auradon Prep, by the order of Prince Ben, she is surprised, because she knows that no one can leave the Isle of the Lost. Maleficent convinces her that she needs her to go and steal the wand from the Fairy Godmother. Mal agrees, and she and her friends take the limo to go to Auradon. When she and her friends arrive, everyone in Auradon Prep greets them. They are officially welcomed by the Fairy Godmother, Prince Ben, and Princess Audrey. Audrey, Ben's girlfriend and the daughter of Aurora, is suspicious and unwelcoming of the VKs. The VKs get a tour of the school.

Mal and Evie become roommates in a room Mal finds "gross," but Evie actually loves. At night, the two girls enter Jay and Carlos' dorm room while Jay and Carlos were playing video games and enjoying it, they almost forgot what they were here for until Mal tells them that it is their one chance to prove themselves to their parents that they are evil.

Then they went to the museum after finding out where the wand is being held. Mal successfully puts the guard into a deep sleep, and they go look for the wand. They enter a room, which contains statues of their parents; Mal stays behind, having a vision of her mother encouraging her to go through with the plan to steal the wand ("Evil Like Me"). They find the wand, but Jay accidentally sets off the alarm when trying to take the wand. They narrowly escape, thanks to Carlos reporting the alarm as a malfunction.

The next day, they have school; Mal aces Remedial Goodness as it's a no-brainer what answer good guys would choose. Jay and Carlos are in the Tourney team, and Evie is asked out by Chad Charming. Mal befriends Jane, Fairy Godmother's daughter, to get the wand; she preys on Jane's insecurities and makes her think that she can only be beautiful with the new hairstyle Mal creates using her magic. Jane, believing that Mal is her friend, tells her that Fairy Godmother will use the wand during Ben's coronation. Lonnie, Mulan's daughter, asks Mal to change her hair to a cool style like hers; Mal reluctantly agrees, since Lonnie will pay $50. Ben lets them know that his girlfriend gets to sit in the front row at the coronation.

Mal decides to spell Ben into falling in love with her, so that she will be his girlfriend and be able to sit in the front row at the coronation, where she can gain close access to the wand. She begins baking a love spell into a batch of cookies; however, she finds that a tear of true sadness is the only ingredient missing. Lonnie walks in (other girls want Mal to change their hair as well), and Mal reveals that the parents on the Isle of the Lost never showed them anything like love before when Lonnie remembers when her mother made her cookies whenever she was sad. Lonnie cries for them; Mal pretends to kindly wipe it away, flicking the tear into the cookie batter.

The next day, Mal guilt-trips Ben into eating the cookie by implying that he doesn't trust a treat offered by a VK if he refuses. To Mal's surprise, the love potion works a little too well. It causes Ben to confess his love to Mal through song in front of two entire schools after winning a Tourney match ("Did I Mention"). In retaliation, his girlfriend Audrey immediately breaks up with Ben and begins a rebound relationship with Chad. Unfazed by Audrey's remarks, Ben asks Mal to attend the coronation with him, to which Mal readily accepts. The crowd cheers and Audrey scoffs and walks away, upset.

Ben asks Mal on a date, and Mal asks Evie to help her prepare. Mal goes on the date with Ben to the Enchanted Lake. While on the date, they find they have some things in common, such as embarrassing middle names, and the status of their parents; Ben explains that while he has the "poster parents for goodness" and her mother is Mistress of Evil, they're not automatically like them as they get to choose who they get to be. Ben goes for a swim in the Enchanted Lake while Mal watches, amused.

Mal begins feeling conflicted about her evil plans due to her growing romantic feelings for Ben and sings a song ("If Only"). When Ben doesn't resurface from the water, Mal grows worried and attempts to save him despite not being able to swim; Ben saves her, albeit a bit confused. Mal points out that there's a barrier around the Isle of the Lost, preventing swimming. When asked if she loves him, Mal says that she doesn't know what it feels like to love; Ben says he might be able to teach her.

Prior to Family Day, Mal and her friends are allowed to video chat with their parents. Hearing her mother's subtle message, Mal tells her friends that they're all goners if they don't succeed. Later that day, Mal and her friends go over the plan for taking the wand at the coronation. Afterwards, Evie sees Mal reading a page in the spell book on "How To Break A Love Spell." When Evie questions her about it, Mal explains that she feels it would be too cruel to let Ben remain in love with her after they accomplish their mission and the villains have invaded Auradon. Mal bakes a cupcake containing the anti-love spell while crying, feeling conflicted about carrying out the evil plan and betraying Ben ("If Only (Reprise)").

Ben presents Mal as his girlfriend to his parents on Family Day, a day when students' parents come visit. During a game of croquet, Mal meets Audrey's grandmother, Queen Leah, who initially does not recognize who Mal is. Mal, who also does not know who the queen was, explains that she's a transfer student before Audrey walks up to greet Queen Leah. Mal realizes that the woman is Queen Leah, and Audrey warns her grandmother to stay away from Mal because she is dangerous. After studying Mal's face, Queen Leah confusedly mistakes Mal for Maleficent. Ben explains the situation, but Queen Leah is furious, remembering that her daughter needed to be raised by fairies due to Maleficent's curse. Feeling sorry for the misery her mother caused, Mal attempts to apologize but is stopped by Chad Charming, who has never trusted Mal nor her friends. Chad goes on to provoke the VKs, calling out Mal for stealing Audrey's boyfriend, Jay for hurting other people, and Evie for being a gold digger and a cheater. Upset, Evie uses her mirror to reveal that Chad is the biggest jerk in the land, to which Chad angrily rejects and slaps Evie's hand away. Jay intervenes, and after Evie knocks out Chad with a sleeping potion, Mal and her friends run away from the scene despite Ben's calls. During lunch, Ben attempts to comfort Mal and her friends, who remain silent and sullen after the prior events. After Ben leaves, Jane and Audrey begin to mock Mal for her relationship with Ben due to her villain origins. In retaliation, Mal undoes Jane's magical hair, causing Jane to scream as the other AK girls laugh at her. Mal angrily threatens the AKs by pulling out her spell book, causing them to flee. The four VKs, hurt by the scathing remarks, become once again determined to steal the wand.

The following day, Mal rides with Ben in a carriage to the coronation. She offers the cupcake with the anti-love potion to Ben to eat later, however, Ben eats it right away, much to Mal's dismay. Ben reveals that he has been free of the spell since their first date, thanks to the Enchanted Lake washing away the spell. He assumes that Mal had spelled him because she had a crush on him and he had been in a relationship with Audrey at the time. After wondering if Ben has been faking his affection for her, Mal is left happily surprised when Ben assures her that his feelings are real by entrusting his signet ring to her. This, however, causes her to begin questioning if it is worth it to betray Ben and give up her relationship with him in order to rule with her mother.

At the coronation, Jane takes the wand to make herself beautiful because of her belief that she was worth nothing if she didn't fit conventional standards of beauty. However, the wand's magic backfires and Jane accidentally creates a hole in the barrier of the Isle of the Lost.

After a brief struggle, Mal manages to wrest control of the wand from Jane. The crowd backs away in horror as Mal grips the wand. Ben steps forward, asking Mal to give up the wand, but Mal tells him to stand back and threatens the crowd with the wand when Audrey attempts to approach her. Mal's friends run up behind her, ready to leave and open the barrier. Ben urges Mal to make her own decision and not follow in her parents' footsteps. Mal and her friends realize that they want to be good because that's what makes them happy. Mal gives the wand back to Fairy Godmother, but Maleficent breaks in and freezes everyone except Mal and her friends. Maleficent takes then takes the wand, but Mal refuses to go with the plan and uses magic to take the wand from her. Maleficent transforms into a dragon and begins to attack Mal's friends. Mal stands off against her mother and uses the magic of friendship to transform Maleficent into a lizard. The Fairy Godmother unfreezes time, freeing everyone. Mal reunites with Ben and urges the Fairy Godmother to not severely punish Jane because she was the one who manipulated Jane into thinking that way. Mal and Audrey also curtsy to each other as a sign of making amends. At the end of the movie, Mal celebrates with Ben and all of the other students of Auradon ("Set It Off"). She then narrates: "You didn't think this was the end of the story, did you?" while giving a smirk to the audience as her eyes glowed green.

Descendants 2
Mal first has a daydream of her, Jay, Carlos, and Evie, huddled around a bubbling cauldron. In the daydream, she casts a spell on some apples to make the taster wicked. The four are then shown passing out apples and watching chaos break loose ("Ways To Be Wicked"). Mal is struggling with her new celebrity life as the girlfriend of King Ben. In order to maintain an "princess-like" persona, she has put a spell on her hair to make it blonde and is forced to wear an exhausting prim and proper façade. She longs to go back to the Isle, where she was carefree and always wreaking havoc.

She snaps out of her daydream and is found to be crowded by several reporters in the front of the school asking her questions about the Cotillion and her life in Auradon. Ben and the Fairy Godmother intervene to veer the reporters away from a very relieved Mal. Ben talks to Mal about spending time together, before remembering that he is late for a council meeting and leaves abruptly after apologizing to Mal. Evie and Mal then walk away to get to Mal's dress fitting for the Cotillion. Mal is then shown in her Cotillion dress getting fitted by Evie in their room. She complains of her discomfort to Evie about the dress, along with the stress of all the events she has to attend to even after the Cotillion. She then asks Evie about what they would be doing if they were still in the Isle, which Evie laughs off. The TV then shows Mal and Ben on their tour of Auradon dining with Aladdin and Jasmine, which they stop to watch. The TV goes on to talk about the days until the Cotillion when Mal would officially be a Lady of the Court.

Mal realizes how little time she has until the Cotillion, and uses her spell book to read a book on "Lady Manners" at lightning speed. Evie scolds Mal for her dishonest use of magic for her problems, but Mal argues that she could not deal with all the events without it. Evie takes the spell book away and when Mal begins to protest, she tells her that her spell book should be put in the museum along with Evie's Magic Mirror. After reluctantly giving up, Mal asks if Evie ever missed being evil and carefree, but Evie says she is content with her new life in Auradon and does not wish to return to the Isle of the Lost. They watch the TV, which is talking about Mal's date with Ben. Evie attempts to cheer Mal up by talking about the endless opportunities of Auradon to be whatever they wanted to be and encouraging her to forget about the past. When Mal still seems sad, Evie cheers her up by showing off her Cotillion shoes.

Mal then is shown walking through school with Evie, Jay, and Carlos. Jay flirts with some girls and Carlos asks why he hasn't picked anyone to bring to the Cotillion already, which he responds that he's going solo so that he can dance with all of them. After Carlos calls him the expert, he asks him on advice on asking a girl to the Cotillion, and Jay jokingly responds that he has to look like him. They run into Jane, who addresses Mal, but Carlos cuts in. He nervously asks her if she liked the carrot cake the night before, and Jane says that she had the pumpkin pie. After Jay drags him off, Evie addresses Lonnie and Jane if they wanted a spot for Cotillion fitting at three, Lonnie hurriedly claims it. She apologizes to Jane, saying that she will take Jane later.

Jane starts asking Mal about decorating at the Cotillion. Mal says she has to get to class, but Jane says that she can just nod if she likes it. Jane hurriedly starts listing decorative items. Mal tries to refuse to cooperate, but Jane needs to get this stuff done, so she interrupts and starts listing more items. Jane stops to ask about pen toppers, and Mal eyes glow green. She closes them for a moment, and then smiles at Jane, agreeing with her. Lonnie comes around and tells Mal that she is excited to see what Mal's wedding will look like, and Mal, dazed, agrees before looking surprised. Jane tells Mal that the Cotillion is like getting "engaged to be engaged to be engaged." Mal started stuttering about not knowing about it and that her entire life is just laid right in front of her as Ben walks up behind her. Ben addresses Mal, and tries to talk to her but is drawn aside by Jane as Mal waits for him. Jane then talks about Ben's present to Mal at the Cotillion, which turns out to be a stained glass window depicting Mal with Ben kneeling before her. After Ben reminds Jane to make Mal's eyes green, he says goodbye to Mal, who walks away. Jane then asks about the different shades of green to use, and he chooses one.

While Mal is at her locker, Ben walks up to her. He tells her that he has a surprise for her, and she laughs about how many presents Ben gets her. When Ben looks into her locker, he sees her spell book, and asks her if she is going to donate it to the museum. She closes the locker door to block his view and muses about how she had forgotten about it. She says that she has to get to class, but Ben stops her and walks her over to a purple scooter with a bronze bow on the handle. Mal gasps in surprise and tells Ben how she loves it. She then says that she didn't get Ben anything. He reminds her that she told him that she would take him on a picnic with all his favorite foods. Mal says that the picnic is going to be on Thursday. They start arguing about it being Thursday until Ben takes his phone out and shows her. He then offers to change it if she needs to. Mal just laughs and says that she was joking. She lies and says she needs to bake only one more thing, and when Ben reminds her about class, Mal says that she will multitask, and walks away. Mal bursts into Carlos's room to get away from some reporters. She locks the door, then walks over to the TV, which was talking about her, and turns it off hurriedly with Carlos' remote as he watches her confusedly. When Mal's eyes glow green in panic, Carlos tries to calm her down. Mal snaps at him, assuming that he doesn't understand the difficulties she's going through. She rants about how reporters are following her and asks him if he ever missed screaming at people and making them run away from him. He says no, remarking that she is thinking about Carlos's mother, Cruella, who usually made him run away in the past. and tells her no.

Carlos then asks Mal if she brought "it" (a truth gummy) and she starts to open a small container. Chad suddenly opens the room silently and stealthily, unaware that Carlos and Mal were in the room, and closes it. When he turns around, he looks surprised to see Carlos and Mal there. He awkwardly says hi, and then tells Carlos that he just wanted to use his 3D printer. Carlos asks Chad about how he got the key to his room, and Chad says that he printed it off the last time he was there, when they were sleeping. He tries to defend himself by saying how good Carlos's 3D printer is, but Carlos tells him to get out and leave the key. He angrily walks out and slams the door. Carlos then reminds Mal about the "potion," which turns out to be a truth gummy that will allow Carlos to say what he wants to say to Jane. Mal cautions him about if he really wants to take it because it will make him say the truth all the time and remarks that if she took it, she would get sent back to the Isle. Carlos tells Mal that he will take his chances, but before Carlos takes it, Dude jumps off the bed and eats it from Mal's hand. Dude then starts to talk, much to Carlos's and Mal's surprise and disbelief, remarking that the gummy was "nasty." He continues, chiding Carlos about how he needs to "man up," and to scratch his butt. Mal, shocked, told Carlos to scratch his butt, then awkwardly turns and leaves. Carlos protests about Mal just leaving him there with Dude. Later, Mal and Ben are sitting together on a picnic date near the Enchanted Lake. She feeds him an hors d'oeuvre which Ben remarks is the best thing in the world. Ben said that she had made every single dish Mrs. Potts made for his parents. He asked Mal if it really took her three days to make it all, which she jokingly asks him not to even ask her. Ben told her that it meant a lot that she stopped and did all of that for him and that they didn't have a lot of time being just "them." Ben then asked if there were any napkins. He reaches into the picnic basket, and Mal tries to stop him saying that she can get them herself. However, Ben takes Mal's spell book out, to Mal's shock. She quickly makes up an excuse saying that she threw the book in the basket at the last minute in case it rained during the date. However, Ben started to read the list of spells that Mal had tabbed showing him that she had used the spell book to read quickly, turn her hair blonde, and cook all the food that she had "made." Ben is upset and disappointed that Mal has been lying to him since he previously believed that Mal was making an effort to fit in.

Mal, desperate, tries to cast a spell on him to erase his memory of the event but fails to say the spell correctly. Ben jumps away from the table after figuring out she was trying to spell him. They start yelling at each other; Mal says that transitioning into Auradon was hard, while Ben retorts that becoming king has been hard as well. Ben says that Mal has been lying and keeping secrets from him, and reminds her that Auradon isn't the Isle of the Lost. Mal retorts that she knows it isn't and that she cannot be a pretty pink princess or a Lady of the Court. She then grabs her spell book and casts a spell over the feast to turn it back to "what is real," which turns out to be a peanut butter jelly sandwich and a glass of milk. She then walks away, upset, despite Ben trying to call her back.

Mal returns to hers and Evie's room dressed in her VK outfit. She grabs a pencil and pierces air holes into a blue and black pencil box. She drops it, then starts to cry saying that she doesn't belong in Auradon. She picks up the box again and walks over to the glass cage where her mother, Maleficent the lizard, is kept. She opens the cage, takes out Maleficent and places her in the box. She then smiles weakly and says that they're "blowing this popsicle stand," then places the lid on the pencil box. Afterwards, Mal drives her purple scooter wearing a purple helmet to a cliff at the edge of Auradon overlooking the sea and the Isle of the Lost. She stops, breathing heavily, and takes off her goggles. She quickly takes her spell book out and casts a spell on her scooter that will take the driver anywhere. She then drives across the water trailing green magic, slightly hovering over the water and bouncing into it occasionally. Mal rams into the barrier but passes through it with a gasp of surprise. She then is shown driving through the "market" causing many people to shout in surprise and move out of her way quickly. She stops at a corner and takes off her goggles to see a poster on the wall advertising the Royal Cotillion showing Ben and Mal together. An eye patch is drawn over Ben's right eye, and Mal's face has and "x" over it with "GOOD GIRL" written on her. Mal peels the poster off the wall, crumples it, and throws it over her shoulder. She puts her goggles back on and drives off, many people staring at her as she leaves. She drives on until she reaches a building, turns right, and parks her scooter in an opening. She takes off her helmet, grabs a rock off a nearby table, and throws it at a sign reading: "Danger: Flying Rocks" hanging to the side of the building. It folds to the wall, then a door slides upwards revealing a flight of stairs leading up the building. Mal then starts walking up the stairs to the room above.

Mal later is walking down to Lady Tremaine's Curl Up & Dye. She gets to the doors but notices that there is a hanging sign that says the shop doesn't open until midnight. She pushes the doors open and walks inside to reveal a hair shop with walls and furniture splattered with paint and bubbling bottles. She spots Dizzy Tremaine sweeping the hair-covered floors while listening to "Rather Be With You" on her headphones. Dizzy notices Mal and exclaims with surprise, asking if Evie was with her as well. Mal chuckles and tells her "no," and Dizzy looks disappointed. Mal tells her that she forgot that the place doesn't open until midnight and compliments it saying that it looks good. Dizzy chuckles, and Mal asks her if her grandmother has given her any customers yet. Dizzy responds that she only gets a witch here and there. She goes on saying that she usually does a lot of cleaning. Mal asks her if she did Evie's hair, and Dizzy tells her yes, and that she thought of the little braids that Evie wore. Mal asks Dizzy if she had any ideas for her, and Dizzy examines her. She begins criticizing Mal's hair and nails. Dizzy asks Mal how far she can go with her hairstyle, and Mal tells her to make it so that Mal feels like herself, but way worse. Dizzy squeals happily, then grabs a large pair of scissors. She dyes Mal's hair magenta, then cuts some hair off. Dizzy straightens Mal's hair and paints Mal's nails black. After it is done, Dizzy spins her chair around and Mal gets up to look herself in a paint-splattered cracked mirror. She then pulls out money from her pocket and gives it to Dizzy, who asks her if the money is for her. When Mal says yes, Dizzy exclaims in happiness and runs over to the cash register laughing. Dizzy stops when she sees Harry Hook walking into the entrance. He tells her to give him the money and calls her a runt. She reluctantly gives him the money in his outstretched hand. Harry then tells her to give him the rest of the money as well, gesturing to the cash register by hitting the desk with his hook. Dizzy walks slowly to the cash register while Harry puts the money in his mouth. Dizzy pulls out the money from the cash register and gives it to Harry. He says thank you and starts to walk out, unaware of Mal's presence, while Mal watches while chewing some gum. Mal speaks up, asking if Harry still runs errands for Uma or if he gets to keep what he steals. He turns around, shocked, and calls Mal's presence a "nice surprise." Mal says hi to him, and Harry starts walking towards her, telling her that Uma will never give back Mal's old territory. Mal says that it is okay because she is going to take it back. He chuckles lightly, using his hook to brush through Mal's hair saying that he could hurt Mal. She suddenly grabs his wrist, and takes the chewed gum out of her mouth and places it on the tip of Harry's hook. She looks at him telling him that she bets that he couldn't hurt her without her permission. Harry lifts the hook and eats the gum off of it. He then walks towards the entrance, sweeping the counter with his arm, sending multiple objects flying to the ground. He turns back to Mal, makes a mock bow, and walks out of the shop. Dizzy, who was still behind the cash register, sarcastically remarks about how much more sweeping she has to do now. Harry then goes to inform Uma of Mal's return.

Ben, Evie, Jay, and Carlos learn of Mal's departure and sneak onto the Isle to find her. They arrive at the VK's old hideout, and Jay opens the entrance with a rock. The three VK's wait outside while Ben walks up the stairs. He finds Mal in a room with walls full of graffiti. She is unaware that he is there since her back is turned because she was using spray paint to draw herself, Jay, Carlos, and Evie with black spray paint with the words "Rotten to the Core" while standing on some boxes. Ben comments that at least she didn't draw him with horns and a pitchfork jokingly. Mal lets out a gasp of surprise and whirls around. Ben apologizes to her about their fight, saying it was all his fault and begs Mal to come home while lifting up her ring to her. Mal walks down the crates and tells him that she is home while walking towards him. Ben pushes on, telling her that he brought the limo. Mal says that she doesn't fit in in Auradon. Ben then says that he can change, that he will skip school, have more fun, and blow off some of his responsibilities. Mal cuts in, saying no and that she is a terrible influence on him. She tells him that one day she might do something so messed up that the kingdom will turn on both of them. Ben shakes his head, pleading her not to quit "them," and that he and the people of Auradon love her. He asks Mal if she loves him. He takes the ring and places it in Mal's right palm. Mal looks down at it, and takes it in her other hand, smiling slightly. She then places it in Ben's hand and closed it into a fist. She sadly tells Ben that she needs to take herself out of the picture because it was best for Ben and Auradon. Ben starts to protest, walking towards her, but Mal backs up, clearly uncomfortable with Ben being too close. She tells him that she can't do this and that Ben should leave. She walks over to the boxes, grabs the spray paint can and steps up. When Ben continues to stand there, she asks him again to leave. Ben walks slowly away, miserable.

When Ben walks out of the building, he tells Evie, Jay, and Carlos that Mal refused to go back to Auradon. Evie insists that she will talk to her, and walks over to an object that resembles an ear trumpet stuck to the wall while Ben walks away. She asks Mal to let her talk to her for a second. On the other line, Mal walks over to another ear trumpet in the room and pulls a heavy lever next to it, then tells Evie to "go away" then Carlos asks Evie and Jay where Ben is. They stop and look nervous, while Evie calls Ben's name. They see a shadow walking over to them through a dark aisle, and Evie angrily tells Ben to not scare them like that. The shadow turns out not to be Ben, but Harry Hook. He says that scaring is his specialty. Jay angrily demands what Harry did with Ben, and Harry said that they captured him. He says that if Evie, Jay, and Carlos want to see Ben again, to have Mal come to Ursula's Fish and Chips alone that night. He goes on saying that Uma wants to have a little visit with Mal. Harry turns to Jay and makes a mocking sad face saying that Jay has lost his touch. Jay lunges for Harry, but Evie holds him back while Harry laughs and mockingly barks at Carlos. He turns around and walks casually back into the aisle, whistling. Jay turns and starts climbing up a ladder leading up to the top of the building, while the others follow.

After Jay, Carlos, and Evie explained what happened, Mal scolds them for bring Ben along and allowing him to be captured. The other three argue that Ben would have come anyway. Mal tells them that the matter is between Uma and herself and that she would get Ben alone. Carlos tries to slow Mal down, saying that she will still have to go through Harry Hook and his wharf rats to get Ben, and Jay agrees, saying that she will need them to help. Mal reminds them that she has to go alone and Jay responds saying that they would wait for her until she gets back. She comes to Ursula's Fish and Chips and talks to Uma, who challenges Mal to an arm-wrestling match for Ben. Mal agrees to the deal without asking what Uma would gain if she won, and uses her magic to gain ground. When Mal was about to win the match, Uma demands the Fairy Godmother's wand if she won, taking Mal by surprise and causing Uma to win. Uma demands a shocked Mal to bring the wand to her ship at noon.

Carlos, Jay, and Evie tell Mal that there's no way they're going to bring Uma the wand. They devise a plan to get Ben back and Evie commented about Mal's new hairstyle. Mal told Evie that Dizzy had done it and they were talking, then Carlos interrupted them and Mal resumes to go over the plan to fool Uma and Mal remembered Carlos's 3-D printer he can use it to make a replica wand and also use smoke bombs. While Carlos and Jay returned to Auradon to replicate the wand, Mal and Evie went to Lady Tremaine's Cut Up and Dye and Evie saw Dizzy and she showed Evie a scrapbook and then they made colorful smoke bombs, when they returned to their old hideout, Mal told Evie that she was not returning to Auradon and said that she really tried to tell her. Mal then explains that she saw the way when Evie's face lit up when they walked to their dorms for the first time and didn't want to spoil it for her. Evie states that if Mal is staying, she will also do that, but Mal declines her for doing so. She then states that Evie was an Auradon girl and she will always be the girl from the Isle. Then Mal tossed a rock at the sign and they climbed the stairs to a landing and they sang (Space Between).

After they return with the replica wand Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, and Lonnie face Uma and her pirates. But Uma wanted to see if it's real, Mal made up a fake spell to make Dude talk to fool Uma. Mal gave Uma the replica wand and Uma gave Ben back to Mal. Once Uma had the wand, she tried to cast a spell with the wand to lower the barrier and nothing happened. Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, Lonnie, and Ben got into a sword fight with Uma, Harry, Gil, and the pirates. After using colorful smoke bombs to distract the pirates, Mal and the VKs with Ben and Lonnie escaped from the Island and return to Auradon. Once they got back, Lonnie returned to swords and Jane approached Ben about Cotillion and he asked Mal did she want to cancel it, but she didn't say anything. Evie came to Mal telling her we need to talk but Carlos stopped them saying he was tired of them running off to have a girl talk so told that they are her family and told them to sit and talk. During the talk, Mal states that she was a mess and starts to cry and also said that she had no idea how to keep the princess act. Carlos suggested her not to do that. All four of them soon discovered that they could not forget that they were from the Isle. Carlos then told Mal that if Ben doesn't love who she was, he is not the one for her. After the talk, Evie told her that her dress will be there if she wants it and Jay asked Mal that if she can't stand one more day there he would drive her back himself, before leaving her alone.

At Cotillion, Mal was introduced as the Future Lady, she appeared in her Cotillion dress came down the stairs talked to the former King Beast and Queen Belle then Evie taken her hand to ask if she's alright they turned to look at the stairs when King Ben showed and told Mal he wished he had time to explain when Uma appeared. Uma talked to Mal and started to dance with Ben, Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, and Lonnie started to leave when Jane told Lumiere to show everyone Ben's gift to his lady and unveiled the stained glass of Mal and Ben. Uma got upset and wanted it covered up and it was refused, she wanted Ben to order the Fairy Godmother to lower the barrier and she refused. Mal told Evie that Ben had been spelled and Evie said the Uma found Mal's spell book, Mal kissed Ben to release him from the spell.

Uma realizing her plan has been foiled tries to escape and ends up jumping off the ship and transforming into a large octopus-like her mother. She starts attacking them which enrages Mal who transforms into a dragon and the two of them begin fighting. Ben seeing at how the fighting is never-ending gives a large roar before jumping into the sea getting between Uma and Mal. He answers that fighting isn't the answer and that they have to listen and respect each other, he invites Uma once more to Auradon and helps him make a difference but Uma simply returns his signet ring which he had given to her earlier while he was spelled by her and disappears beneath the sea. Both Ben and Mal return to the ship, Mal transforms back into herself, but in the dress, she's wearing in the glass painting. She is approached by Evie telling her "So, I did not know that I could do that" and Evie saying "Tell me about it" who then blows a puff of smoke off Mal's dress. She walks up to Ben smiling and he pulls her in for another kiss, afterward, everyone started dancing and Ben placed the ring back on Mal's finger and watched as everyone bows to the couple.

Descendants 3
Mal is first seen with Evie, Jay, and Carlos as they begin their mission on bringing more VK's over from the Isle on VK Day. They've chosen Dizzy, along with the twin sons of Mr. Smee, Squeaky Smee and Squirmy Smee, and Celia Facilier. A week later, before the VK's and Ben headed over to retrieve the recruits, Ben proposes to Mal in front of Auradon Prep and she happily accepts. She is congratulated by her friends, Fairy Godmother and Ben's parents, who already planned an engagement party the following week. Mal runs into Audrey, who is still upset that Ben chose Mal over her.

As they are leaving the Isle with the new VKs, Hades tries to escape as the barrier is closing. Mal turns into a dragon and battles him, but with his ember, he starts to drain Mal of her magic before being forced back inside. Back at the castle, Mal, Ben, Beast, Belle, and Fairy Godmother discuss what to do regarding the barrier, with Uma still on the loose and Hades' escape attempt in mind. Surprisingly, it is Mal who proposes for the barrier to be permanently closed for the safety of Auradon. It pains her so, but as the future Queen, she must make the hard decisions, even if it means her friends and the new VKs cannot return and effectively ending the VK Program. Despite Ben's protest, Mal reminds him of their duty as royals and that they would be unable to forgive themselves if something happened and the people were hurt. Despite it being her proposal, she does not tell that to Evie.

While preparing for Jane's birthday party, Mal is confronted by Audrey, who had stolen Maleficent's staff and had turned evil. After trying to reason with her, Audrey turns Mal into a hag. By the time the others arrive, Audrey is gone and Mal is left alone. With the only thing capable of break a curse from Maleficent's Staff being Hades' Ember, Mal and crew ride to the Isle, where the barrier restore's Mal's youth. After visiting Dr. Facilier's Arcade, Mal and Celia venture into Hades Lair, where Mal reveals to Celia that Hades is her absentee father, having left when Mal was baby after he and Maleficent divorced. This is something that only Evie knew. Hades gives Mal the ember, but warns her that as she is only half Hades that it will not do everything for her and to not allow it to get wet

While leaving the Isle, the VKs are once again met with Uma, Harry, and Gil, forming an uneasy alliance with them to defeat Audrey, under the condition that all VKs will be released from the Isle, a promise Mal makes despite her proposal to close the barrier that is still unknown to the others. Uma and Mal begin to bond until they meet up with Ben, who along with Mal reveals Mal's proposal to everyone. Uma and Harry leave in disappointment and anger as Celia tosses Hades' Ember into a bird fountain. Evie is the most heartbroken that Mal lied and as Mal tearfully apologizes, Ben, Evie, Carlos, and Jay are turned to stone by Audrey. Mal continues to reflect on her actions and new life in Auradon before finding Audrey with a captured Celia. Mal turns into a dragon to fight her, but is no match for Audrey with Maleficent's Staff until Uma returns to give Mal a boost. Using her fire breathe, Mal manages to reignite the Ember and defeats Audrey, who falls under a deep sleep.

Because Mal cannot use the Ember to revive Audrey, she asks for Hades to be brought in to do so, revealing to Ben, Carlos, Jay, Uma, and Harry that he is the only one that can undo the spell. Hades is brought to the palace in chains and does help revive Audrey, who later expressed remorse for her actions. Mal also apologizes to her. Uma, Harry, and Celia decide to return to the Isle, as they would prefer to be there.

The next day, Mal makes a public announcement that she cannot just rule Auradon and must also rule the Isle. She reveals that Uma and Hades both played a crucial role in stopping and subsequently reviving Audrey. She then declares that the barrier will be brought down. She does so with her friends and Fairy Godmother's wand. As the AKs and VKs celebrate their worlds coming together, Hades congratulates Mal and lets Ben know he'll be keeping an eye on his future son-in-law. The film ends with Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos racing back to the Isle to see their parents.

Descendants: The Royal Wedding
When Jay gives a Mal a charm bracelet with charms representing each of the four VK's as a gift Mal says "I wish Carlos could've been here" and her friends replying "we all do".

Season 1
Mal returns in the animated short series Descendants: Wicked World, voiced by Dove Cameron who also portrayed her in the live-action film.

In the series, Mal continues to attend Auradon Prep and tries her best to be a good person. However, her good intentions often backfire, resulting in a lot of people sending online posts about her mishaps, promoting everyone to think she's still up to her old ways. In addition, she's shown to be somewhat more incompetent (or rather clumsy) with her magic.

Season 2
After the Neon Lights Ball, the VKs are told that the next big event is the Jewel-bilee, where they will be receiving their Birthright Jewels as a reward for their good behavior. However, when Mal learns that her mother hid her jewel somewhere on the Isle, she goes with Freddie to find it in Dr. Facilier's Shop. While they don't find it, Freddie gives Mal a necklace that actually contains the jewel and to make matters worse, the jewel was cursed, making Mal act eviler and pull mean pranks on everyone back in Auradon. The jewel also makes mal sleep walk to a Cliffe where she almost dies. She also helped Zevon, son of Yzma, obtain Jafar's Staff so that he can take over Auradon.

Printed Materials

 * Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel
 * Return to the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel
 * Rise of the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel
 * Escape from the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel

Films

 * Descendants
 * Descendants 2
 * Descendants 3
 * Descendants: The Royal Wedding

Specials

 * Under The Sea: A Descendants Story

Season 1

 * Evie's Explosion of Taste
 * Mal's Digi-Image Problem
 * Careful What You Wish For
 * Voodoo? You Do
 * Lamp Sweet Lamp
 * Genie Chic
 * Puffed Deliciousness
 * Good Is the New Bad
 * Spirit Day
 * I'm Your Girl
 * Mash It Up
 * All Hail the New Q.N.L.B.
 * Mad for Tea
 * Carpet Jacked
 * The Night is Young
 * Neon Lights Out
 * Hooked On Ben

Season 2

 * Slumber Party
 * Odd Mal Out
 * Pair of Sneakers
 * Wild Rehearsal
 * Chemical Reaction
 * Talking Heads
 * Steal Away
 * Evil Among Us
 * Mal-lone
 * Face to Face
 * United We Stand
 * Celebration

Trivia

 * Her name means "bad" in Spanish, French and Portuguese.
 * In the first film, it is revealed that her middle name is "Bertha."
 * In the Spanish version, her middle name is "Igna", making her full name Mal Igna, a wordplay for Malign. In Latin, "Igna" also means fire.
 * Mal's name, along with Ben's, could be a play on the words "malevolent" - meaning "having or showing a wish to do evil to others" - and "benevolent," meaning "well meaning and kindly."
 * Mal, Jay, Evie, Carlos, Ben and Jane are the only characters to appear in every installment of the Descendants franchise.
 * Mal is also one of the twelve characters (including Evie, Jay, Carlos, Ben, Jane, Doug, Chad, Belle, Beast, the Fairy Godmother and Dude) to appear in all three Descendants films. However, she was absent in the episodes "Audrey's New Do? New Don't!", "Party Crasher" and "Trapped" from Descendants: Wicked World.
 * Dove Cameron wore wigs during both filming. At the beginning of the sequel, Dove said in an interview that she was wearing a blonde wig in the beginning of the sequel since Mal had spelled her hair to blonde.
 * In the first film, when Mal tries to save Ben from drowning, it is revealed that she cannot swim.
 * At the time of the first film, she was sixteen years old.
 * Mal has the most common sense out of her friends, as she got every answer in Remedial Goodness right by picking the answer that sounded the least fun for villains.
 * During her picnic with Ben, she is shown to develop a fondness of strawberries.
 * She loves the color purple, though in All Hail the New Q.N.L.B. Evie describes it more as an aubergine while Freddie disagrees, saying it looks like eggplant and Audrey states it looks more like amethyst.
 * Mal's main color is purple, symbolizing power, which is a recurring theme with her mother Maleficent.
 * During the film, whenever Mal is around Ben, her hair seems shorter and lighter.
 * The dress she wears for Ben's coronation appears to be adaptable.
 * In the prequel book, it is revealed she had a dream set near the Enchanted Lake, where Ben and Mal eventually go to on their date.
 * The junior novelization and prequel novel reveal some additional details about her.
 * Her full name is Maleficent, like her mother. However, she is called Mal until she can prove to be just as evil as her mother.
 * She used to despise Evie because she was not invited to Evie's sixth birthday party. She even attempted to use Maleficent's staff to curse her.
 * She found her mother's staff locked in the ruins of the Forbidden Fortress. Unfortunately it was no longer working, so Maleficent charged her with stealing the Fairy Godmother's wand to recharge it.
 * She attended Dragon Hall (an evil high school), while on the Isle of the Lost.
 * Unlike Evie, Jay, and Carlos, she does not have a pet. The reason for this is that she was not invited to Evie's sixth birthday party, where the other children received the villain's pets' descendants as gifts.
 * She was mentioned to have a human father, who is regarded by Maleficent with contempt. In Descendants 3, Mal's father is revealed to be Hades, who is a god but became a mortal when he was imprisonment on the Isle of the Lost.
 * She steals from the Slop Shop every day since her mother never has food in the kitchen.
 * In the Disney Descendants Yearbook, it is revealed that her "Secret Wish" is to learn how to swim and that her "Not-so-secret Wish" is to have a different middle name.
 * It is also revealed that she wants to be an artist when she grows up.
 * Her favorite class is "Remedial Goodness 101", stating that she just thinks of what her mom would do and pick the opposite.
 * Her "Go-To" Object at the museum is her mother's magic spinning wheel. Stating that even though it's boring-looking, it's spooky that a few pieces of wood could put someone to sleep for a hundred years.
 * In the scene when the gang makes cookies, many questions were asked about how it would work if they added an extra ingredient.
 * In early concept designs of her outfits, she was originally meant to have shorter hair.
 * Dove Cameron, Thomas Doherty and Kenny Ortega came up with a "backstory" for Mal and Harry Hook. However, this "backstory" is not mentioned nor confirmed by any of the characters throughout the film. In this "backstory", it's revealed that Harry and Mal used to date. Dove and Thomas even drew secret hook tattoos under their gloves. (It's more like a "fanfiction" than a "backstory" that Dove, Thomas, and Kenny jokingly made and should not be taken as being true).
 * Interesting enough, this was the start of Dove Cameron and Thomas Doherty's relationship together.
 * However this "backstory" is not exactly true to the story because it directly contrast the first Descendants film when Mal says she does not know what love feels like and that they do not date on the Isle.
 * Despite what Dove Cameron says about Harry and Mal being exes, this never happened in the novels and it is not confirmed in the films.
 * Mal never admitted to loving Ben, until the Royal Cotillion nearly six months into their relationship. It is also suggested by Jane and Lonnie that the ascending of Mal to a Lady deems her and Ben being engaged to be married. However, she has admitted that she was excited and could not wait until she married Ben.
 * She can turn into a dragon-like her mother, but she didn't know she could. She isn't the only VK with an ability of this nature, for Uma can turn into a sea creature like her own mother Ursula. Mal even uses this ability against Uma's own version.
 * Mal and Ben are each others' true love, which is revealed in Descendants 2 after Mal breaks Uma's love spell on Ben with true love's kiss.
 * Mal, Evie, Ben, Uma, Audrey and Freddie are the only characters to have solos.
 * Mal, Ben, Uma and Audrey are the only characters to have more than one solo.
 * Mal is technically classified as an evil pixie and is the only non-human out of the four VKs - according to one post Dove Cameron made on Instagram.
 * Mal is the only VK with two known parents (Maleficent and Hades).