Character Analysis
If you're named for the duplicitous villain in Othello, it's usually not a good sign.
Jafar's pet bird, Iago, is a schemer. A manipulator. And definitely not a pretty bird.
Iago reveals pretty quickly that he's hiding something—he squawks in front of other humans, while he speaks in full sentences in front of Jafar. That's probably good, because he's not real great at keeping it together. Iago is more likely than Jafar to have a full-blown tantrum when an evil scheme doesn't go his way. If Jafar is a cool cucumber, Iago is a big ol' squirt of tangy ranch dressing.
Of course, that doesn't mean Iago's not super committed to being super evil and super cruel. In fact, sometimes he even one-ups Jafar:
IAGO: Wait a minute! Jafar? What if you were the chump husband?
JAFAR: What?
IAGO: Okay, you marry the princess, all right? Then, uh, you become sultan!
JAFAR: Oh! Marry the shrew? I become sultan. The idea has merit!
IAGO: Yes, merit! Yes! And then we drop papa-in-law and the little woman off a cliff! Kersplat!
JAFAR: Iago, I love the way your foul little mind works!
That's right. The original angry bird comes up with his fair share of devious deeds. Jafar will marry Jasmine, and then…they'll kill the new bride and her father. Yikes. This is supposed to be a kid's movie, right?
In the end, Iago gets what's coming to him: 10,000 years trapped inside a lamp with his wicked owner. We can't say we feel too bad for him. Iago's not just some cute pet parrot looking on from the sidelines. He's Jafar's co-conspirator. His nefarious #2.
Bad birds finish last.