Inspired by Disney villainesses such as the Evil Queen and Lady Tremaine from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Cinderella (1950), respectively, Gothel was developed by screenwriter Dan Fogelman into a more original, complex villain than the witch upon whom she is based because the character is forced to rely solely on her wit, charisma and intelligence as opposed to sorcery to survive.

Mother Gothel has been mostly well received by film critics, who enjoyed the character's humor, complexity, charisma and showmanship, dubbing her a scene stealer, while Murphy's performance has been met with widespread acclaim.

However, some critics argued that Gothel was too passive, dismissing her as a weaker, less intimidating Disney villainess than Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Cruella de Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961).

Walt Disney himself had first attempted to adapt the fairy tale "Rapunzel" into a feature-length animated film during the 1940s,[3] but the filmmaker's efforts never fully materialized because the original story was considered too "small".

[8] The character's lack of supernatural powers forces her to rely on her wit, charm, intelligence, and charisma, a conscious decision Greno and Howard made.

[12] The Austin Chronicle observed that the directors' inclusion of Gothel as "an evil mother figure as a trigger for the storyline" remains one of the "classic hallmarks of Disney animation".

[16] Film critic James Berardinelli of ReelViews observed that this decision echoed "Disney's approach during the late 1980s and early 1990s, when big name stars were often bypassed in favor of lesser known talents.

"[8] Although Greno and Howard had already held Murphy in high regard as "a spectacular singer",[18] the actress was required to audition a song for the directors nonetheless,[19] performing "Children Will Listen" from the musical Into the Woods.

Describing the opportunity to voice a Disney villain as a "juicy" experience, Murphy explained that this is because these characters are "not bound by ethics or moral codes or concern for what someone thinks or how it might hurt someone else", providing actors with more freedom.

"[5] Considered "one of the [film's] hardest characters to crack" by Greno, he and Howard wanted Gothel to be depicted as a conniving villain who is likeable and charismatic enough that audiences would be convinced by her and Rapunzel's unconventional relationship.

Greno told Animation World Network, "When they're standing together, it is very clear that this is not a mother and daughter, just by the frames of their bodies, their hair, the pigments of their skin," as opposed to when Rapunzel is in close proximity with her true parents, the King and Queen.

"[26] The Village Voice wrote that, as a villain, Gothel "is Disney's first villainess whose chief crime is being an underminer," warning Rapunzel that she is simply "too silly, too uneducated, too unsophisticated" to survive life outside of the tower.

However, when the pregnant Queen of Corona falls fatally ill, the flower is desperately retrieved and fed to her, healing her and in turn inadvertently stripping Gothel of her access to the only thing keeping her alive.

As her eighteenth birthday approaches, Rapunzel wishes to leave the tower to view the "floating lights", lanterns released annually by the King and Queen in remembrance of their lost daughter.

When her initial attempt to convince Rapunzel to return home with her fails, Gothel tricks the brothers into immobilizing Flynn and leaving him to be captured by the royal guard.

A curious Cassandra and Rapunzel go to investigate these rumors, but it is actually a ruse by the Enchanted Girl (Zhan Tiri) to further push the human hosts of the Sundrop Flower and Moonstone Opal apart.

By further exploring, the two women find out that Gothel had a diary of sorts in the form of magic mirrors, that displayed her overly narcissistic self and disdain for her young daughter Cassandra.

But after she restrains Rapunzel and attacks Eugene, they conclude that her extreme darkness could destroy her world and turn her into a Heartless called the Grim Guardianess to use in the Second Keyblade War, but she is quickly vanquished by Sora.

In the fifth book in the Villains series by author Serena Valentino, Gothel lives in the Dead Woods alongside her sisters Primrose and Hazel and their mother Manea.

During the ceremony, Manea threatens to kill both Primrose and Hazel, and in response Gothel sets fire to her and the magical rapunzel flowers that grant youth and health.

The events after this mirror those of the film, as the Odd Sisters watch with glee as Gothel eventually dies when Flynn cuts Rapunzel's hair and she falls out of the tower, turning to dust.

[43] Dubbed Disney's "first passive-aggressive villain" by Helen O'Hara of Empire, the author reviewed, "the fact that [Gothel] is entirely bereft of superpowers and reliant on her considerable wits to keep her going makes her strangely admirable".

[44] Writing for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Cathy Jakicic called the character "a great contemporary villain" who "many daughters (and mothers) will find ... funny and a little too familiar".

[45] In The New York Times' A. O. Scott's opinion, "The Disney pantheon is full of evil stepmothers, though none quite match Mother Gothel for sheer sadistic intensity.

[50] Colin Covert of the Star Tribune commented, "In her own way, Gothel is scarier than Snow White's wicked stepmother" because the character "doesn't cast spells; she's fully capable of manipulating, guilt-tripping and emotionally undermining the girl".

[59] PopMatters' Bill Gibron wrote that, as a villain, Gothel "can't compete with traditional House of Mouse miscreants like Maleficent or Cruella de Vil".

[52] Sandie Angulo Chen of Common Sense Media opined, "As for the dramatic tension, it's best in the form of Mother Gothel – brilliantly played by Murphy, whose signature Broadway voice ... adds the necessary punch".

[79] Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle opined, "Murphy brings stage showmanship to her musical interludes as Mother Gothel, which drip with sarcasm and biting wit.

[35] Calling Gothel "one of the most potent schemers in the Disney canon", Time's Richard Corliss felt that Murphy's performance was worthy of a Tony Award for Best Actress, concluding, "no one can summon the malice in humor, and the fun in pain, like this prima Donna".

[80] In his review of the film's soundtrack, James Christopher Monger of AllMusic wrote that both "Moore and Murphy take on the lion's share of the work here, and both deliver the goods".