- “Mufasa: Don't turn your back on me, Scar.
Scar: Oh, no, Mufasa. Perhaps you shouldn't turn your back on me.” - ―Scar and Mufasa[src]
Scar is the main antagonist of Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. As the younger brother of Mufasa and second-born Prince of the Pride Lands, Scar was next in line to assume the throne as king. However, his chances were lost at the birth of his nephew, Simba. This embittered Scar with jealousy and a sense of entitlement, prompting him to develop a regicidal plot to take over the Pride Lands, with the aid of his hyena minions.
As one of Disney's most infamous villains — made especially notorious for his success in murdering Mufasa — Scar is a primary member of the Disney Villains franchise.
Quick Answers
What is the relationship between Scar and Mufasa in The Lion King?
What is Scar's real name in the Lion King movie?
Who are Scar's hyena minions in the Lion King?
What motivates Scar's actions in The Lion King?
How does Scar plan to take over the kingdom in The Lion King?
Background
Two versions of Scar's backstory exist.
A Tale of Two Brothers
According to A Tale of Two Brothers, Scar was the second born son of Ahadi and Uru. He was once named Taka (meaning "waste" or "want" in Swahili). He became upset when he learned his older brother Mufasa was chosen to be king over himself. Taka would come to meet three hyenas named Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, who tell him that if Mufasa is made to look like a failure, then he'll look kingly in comparison and take the throne soon enough. This leads to Taka tricking his big brother into going down to the waterhole, where a Cape buffalo called Boma is refusing to share the water with the rest of The Pride Lands which, at the time, is having a terrible drought. While there Mufasa starts to try to reason with Boma and Taka roars and tells Boma that he should move by order of the Lion King, or fight Mufasa, Boma charges out of the water at Mufasa afterwards. Mufasa gets away with the aid of a mandrill called Rafiki, and Boma goes after Taka instead.
Mufasa runs back and looks for Taka being assaulted by Boma's herd. A large buffalo slashes Taka with his horns, causing him to be knocked unconscious. Mufasa leaps in to rescue his younger brother and the buffaloes make ready to attack again. Before they can do so, King Ahadi, father of Taka and Mufasa, appears with a large herd of animals that surrounds the buffaloes. It was during this attack that Taka got a scar on his eye, and renamed himself "Scar", as a reminder of his mistake, explaining his cruel name.
The Lion Guard
In The Lion Guard, Scar was born under the name "Askari" after his ancestor, the original Askari, and as the second-born cub of the king at the time, he was appointed the leader of the Lion Guard, a team of lions who would protect the Pride Lands and the Circle of Life, as part of a tradition that began with the ancestor he was named after. With this responsibility, Askari was given a power called the "Roar of the Elders", which allowed the Great Lions of the Past to roar along with him when used. However, the roar made Askari feel powerful, and that power went to his head, making him conceited.
One day, on a solo patrol, Askari encountered a mysterious lion, who suggested that Askari should be the King of the Pride Lands instead of Mufasa; a thought that intrigued Askari. However, the lion led him to a trap where a cobra bit his left eye, giving him his infamous scar as well as poisoning Askari's mind. The lion offered to cure the cobra's venom in return for Askari's servitude afterwards, but Askari killed them both with the Roar in a fit of rage instead. He then reported the encounter to his brother, Mufasa, expecting to be praised for eliminating the lion. But instead, he was belittled and received the nickname "Scar" from his older brother, which would eventually become his only known name. After that, Scar began to grow jealous and loathsome of Mufasa (as the cobra venom in his body began to corrupt him by bringing out his darker thoughts and tendencies) and came to believe that he should be king of the Pride Lands instead of Mufasa. When the rest of the Lion Guard refused to help Scar usurp his brother, Scar infuriatingly used the Roar of the Elders to kill them. Due to using the Roar of the Elders for evil, the Great Lions of the Past took the roar away and Scar lost the power completely and descended into depression, becoming shriveled and weak.
Development
In an early treatment for an African-centered feature called King of the Jungle, a main point of conflict was a war between lions and baboons. In this iteration of the story, Scar was portrayed as a baboon and served as the leader of the baboons. Eventually, Scar became a rogue lion that was out for the throne with the J.T. Allen treatment of the story, as well as the King of the Beasts version by Allen and Ron Bass. This rendition of Scar was closer to a minion than the true main antagonist (being subservient to Banagi, the leader of the Hyena Clan, as well as a puppet king), and in the King of the Beasts version was also depicted as being a bit more honorable compared to the final version of the character, as he twice angrily denounces the Hyena Clan's attempts at aiding him when about to lose against Mufasa and later Simba, repeatedly insisting he fight his foes alone. The filmmakers, however, felt it would be more impactful if Scar had a deeper connection to the heroes; therefore, he was rewritten as Mufasa's envious, younger brother.
Andreas Deja was assigned as Scar's supervising animator. Rather than working on Pocahontas, Deja chose to work on King of the Jungle due to his love for The Jungle Book and Milt Kahl's animation of Shere Khan. Despite this, Deja did not study Khal's animation when working on The Lion King, so to prevent himself from simply copying what was done before. He, instead, studied real lions (some of which were brought into the Disney studio) and relied on the vocal performance and facial features of Jeremy Irons. Scar was designed to stand out from the other lions and reflect his sinister nature—he was given dark fur, a black mane, and his claws are consistently featured as opposed to the other lions whose claws only appeared during points of contention.
Scar's song, written by Elton John and Tim Rice, was originally titled "Thanks to Me" and was performed after Mufasa's death. As the development on the story progressed, the filmmakers felt that Scar's song was performed too late in the film. They also wanted to use Scar's number as a build up to his eventual takeover, thus it was renamed "Be Prepared" and featured Scar and his hyenas plotting to kill Mufasa and Simba and rule the Pride Lands.[1]
Infamously, a deleted plot point included Scar exiling Nala from Pride Rock because she ignored his "romantic" approaches, after which she finds Simba alive and well with Timon and Pumbaa. This idea was ultimately abandoned, presumably because sexual harassment (and sexual advances in particular) was considered improper in a family movie at the time. However, the stage musical adaptation includes this plot development as part of director Julie Taymor's efforts to expand the female characters' presence in the story.
Voice
Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Alan Rickman were once considered for the role of Scar. Jeremy Irons was approached thereafter due to his theatre background, as the filmmakers would have envisioned Scar as a "Shakespearean" villain. Initially, Irons was hesitant to voicing a role in an animated feature, as his career was built on dramatic, live-action roles. He was swayed after watching test animation matched to his voice. Irons would give up to ten and fifteen takes on a line, which would be reviewed by the directors and editor and chosen from there.[1]
When it came to "Be Prepared", Irons endured numerous rehearsals and an eight hour session at a studio to perform the song. It was rumored for many years that by the end of the session, Irons literally blew out his baritone voice (specifically with the line "You won't get a sniff without me!"), and the rest of the song was sung by Jim Cummings, who voiced Ed the hyena. This was later confirmed as false by Cummings himself in his podcast "Toon'd In! With Jim Cummings" where he revealed he actually sang the entire song himself.[2]
Personality
Scar is known to be very resentful of Mufasa and Simba, the latter for essentially ruining any chance of him legitimately becoming king. His resentment and anger towards Mufasa were strong enough that, after he usurped Mufasa's place on the throne by murdering him, he outlawed the very mention of Mufasa's name whenever he was in anyone's immediate vicinity.
Scar seems to possess somewhat of an inferiority complex, as evidenced by his sad resignation to the fact that he was passed over in the gene pool regarding brute strength. At the same time, however, Scar is egotistical and prides himself on his intelligence, saying "As far as brains go, I got the lion's share." and is somewhat of a narcissist, the latter trait being especially prevalent when plotting the murder of Mufasa after the hyenas' failed attempt at slaughtering Simba at the elephant graveyard where he mentions that when he becomes king, they'll see him "for the wonder [he is]." He has some peculiar quirks of which he is aware, as when Simba affectionately states "You're so weird," Scar tells Simba "You have no idea" (although this specific line was an intentional in-joke referring to Reversal of Fortune, in which Jeremy Irons utters the same line).
Scar is heavily sarcastic, frequently replying to attempts at conversation with sarcasm and subtle insults. After taking over Pride Rock, Scar's overall demeanor takes a turn for the worse, becoming somewhat deluded, if not in self-denial, in believing that he is still a logical ruler despite clear evidence to the contrary, apparently being unprepared to confess even to himself that Mufasa was a better king or finding fault in his own leadership. As such, in a dark parallel to Simba's initial idealism to becoming king, he also proceeds to refuse relocating the Pride from Pride Rock despite being confronted with obvious evidence that any surviving animals in the region had fled the premises as well as there being an ongoing drought, not caring if this resulted in the kingdom's, or his own, death. This implied that a large part of the reason why he decided this course of action was simply because he could give that order as king. Even when he is above Mufasa, having betrayed, murdered, and stolen the throne from him, he remains sensitive to his brother's mention. It is one of the only subjects that can flare his temper; at the mere mention of Mufasa, he threatens Zazu, assaults Sarabi, and snaps at his own hyena minions. This indicates that Scar suffers from low self-esteem. Even in a position of power, he remains vulnerable to bouts of indecision and insecurity, as he is unable to accept criticism and too stubborn to take the advice of his advisers. Scar is also a hypocrite, as he begs Simba to spare his life due to their family ties despite the fact that he killed his own brother. He also tells Janja not to run like a coward, ignoring the fact that he himself fled from Simba during the battle of Pride Rock.
During his younger years, as leader of his guard, Scar often did patrols on his own, showing his confidence. He was also a bit naive, as he trusted a no-account rouge that ended up double-crossing him, which ended up wounding him in the end. However, he proved to be very tactic with his intentions as after he turned traitor and slaughtered the stranger in revenge, he spun the narrative around in his favor to make him the hero of the story, showing his lust for attention. Likewise, Scar had no qualms about slaughtering his Lion Guard when they refused to help him overthrow Mufasa, even smiling in satisfaction after killing them, showing that he never truly cared for them.
Scar is highly intelligent as he himself liked to boast, easily able to manipulate situations and conversations to his advantage. This made up for Scar's lack of physical strength, which was further demonstrated by his decision to subject a fully grown Simba to a court rather than fighting him openly. Despite this, he did not appear to mind doing his own hunts, as evidenced when he brought a zebra leg for the hyenas. He is a fierce fighter who held his own against the bigger and much younger Simba and came very close to having him slaughtered. However, Scar will not hesitate to deceive in a fight, as seen when he flings embers into Simba's eyes, temporarily blinding him, to gain the upper hand. Scar was an extremely charismatic individual, able to inspire the hyenas to follow his cause and gain fanatical loyalty from Zira and her pride of lionesses, even in death.
Regarding his treatment of Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, he is somewhat harsh with them, as evidenced by his berating them regarding their failure to kill Simba and Nala (even though they only escaped because of Mufasa's timely arrival, which Scar even witnessed himself), and his angrily kicking them out after Banzai made the mistake of mentioning Mufasa within earshot. He could barely tolerate the idea of relying on "idiots" like them. Worst of all, when he realized that they lied to him about Simba's fate, he gives them a glance which seemed to indicate he would deal with them later. Though his remark when meeting them at the base of Pride Rock following his downfall would indicate he views them as friends, it's clear he only saw the hyenas as pawns and it was only as a way of manipulating them, as he earlier tried to place the blame for all his crimes on them to save himself from Simba's wrath when cornered at the peak.
Scar is also a detestable sadist, convincing his own nephew he was responsible for Mufasa's death and then taunting him for it further. He even toys with Zazu when the majordomo tried talking back at him. Despite his negative traits, he attempts to applaud Zazu to sing a more "bouncy" song, other than "It's a Small World", which he apparently finds to be very exasperating (like a lot of people do in real life), because when Zazu starts to sing it, Scar snaps at him, telling him to stop ("No, no! Anything but that.").
Scar remains conniving and power-hungry, even after his demise, as evidently shown by his schemes to weaken the Lion Guard, led by his great-nephew, Kion, and he has apparently become less forgiving of failure to the point that his chief enforcers Janja, Mzingo, Reirei, and Kiburi fear him greatly. In death, he is still manipulative and—in spite of his pridefulness—knows that his goals cannot be accomplished without the assistance of the Outlanders, prompting him to use both intimidation and temptation to keep his new lackeys compliant. He retains his plotting nature, though he becomes more maniacal, as he gleefully sows dissent, panic, and unrest in the Pride Lands through the work of his allies. He attempts to break the Circle of Life and even kill massive herds of animals in order to weaken the kingdom he once ruled.
If his allies show any sign of failure, cowardice, foolishness, or weakness, Scar will fly into a terrible rage. His anger only rises when his multiple plots are foiled by Kion, for whom he harbors a hatred nearly similar to Simba and scars in a similar manner to himself. In the end, Scar has no concept of forgiveness nor compassion towards others, caring only for himself, and has no understanding of family, clearly shown when he is shocked and dumbfounded when Kion forgives him for his crimes and calls upon the Great Kings of the Past to judge Scar instead rather than eliminating the wicked spirit in loathing because he hated everyone. His evil actions are the whole reason why Simba gets really stressed out and paranoid in the second film, becoming overprotective of his daughter Kiara and not trusting Kovu, who was Scar's hand chosen heir.
Physical appearance
Scar is elegant and poised, but also unkempt and wild-looking. He also speaks with an English accent. He is perhaps the most evidently feline lion in the film, scraggly and melanistic in appearance with a sleek, black mane, tawny fur, and distinctive, almond-shaped neon green eyes. He has large, tan paws with long, curving black claws that, unlike those of other lions in the film, are always bared and never retracted, perhaps alluding to his vicious nature.
Scar also sports a white goatee beard, characteristic of villains, particularly the evil twin archetype which is fitting given his relationship with Mufasa. Finally, Scar has a small, thin, pink scar over his left eye, thus earning him his namesake (which happened to him during his younger days). Some of his physical traits were based in part on his original voice actor, Jeremy Irons in addition.
After Scar's demise, he became a spirit manifested in lava, fire, and smoke.
Appearances
The Lion King
Scar in The Lion King.
On the day of Simba's presentation, Scar remains in his cave, where he laments his loss of the throne while trying to eat a mouse named Nobi. Suddenly, he receives a visit from Zazu, who reprimands Scar for not attending Simba's presentation. Scar wickedly attempts to eat Zazu out of irritation, but Mufasa intervenes and questions Scar's absence as well, but Scar shows no remorse and merely expresses disdain for the young prince before he departs Pride Rock, dejected, much to the chagrin of Mufasa.
As some time passes, Scar rapidly becomes jealous of his nephew Simba's position as the next king of Pride Rock and starts plotting to kill him in order to take out the competition for the throne. He recruits hyenas—primarily Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed—to aid in his schemes to conquer Pride Rock, using bribery of food to get them on his side. In the first attempt, Scar lures Simba to the hyenas' domain at the elephant graveyard, where Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed were to kill Simba and his friend, Nala. When Mufasa foils that plan, Scar witnesses the whole scene with great fury. Later that night, Scar berates the hyenas for failing to kill Simba, but still he gives them food nonetheless. Knowing Simba will always be safe as long as Mufasa is around, Scar proposes they kill both Simba and Mufasa.
"Long live the king."
To motivate and mobilize the hyenas, Scar promises that under his rule, the hyenas will never go hungry again (a promise he ultimately fails to keep). With their assistance, he engineers a wildebeest stampede meant to kill both his brother and nephew, tricking Simba into waiting in a gorge under the notion that Mufasa has a 'marvelous surprise' for him which is to "die for". Scar alerts Mufasa, who rushes to Simba's aid. Mufasa manages to rescue his son and ends up clinging to a cliff where he spots Scar and pleads with his brother to help him. However, Scar pierces Mufasa's paws with his claws and, grinning evilly, throws his brother off the cliff to his death after taunting the words "Long live the king" instead. When Scar sees Simba is still alive, he places the blame of Mufasa's death on his nephew to make him feel guilty. Simba asks him what he should do and he orders Simba to run away and never return as punishment. Simba briefly looks at Scar with terror upon hearing this and frantically runs away from him. Scar proudly watches Simba run from him with a wicked grin as the hyenas show up behind him, and secretly sends them to kill Simba. However, they fail this task yet again due to Simba escaping into the desert through a bed of thorn bushes much too wide and dense for them to follow him through. Believing Simba will die in the wasteland anyway, the hyenas let him go, yet warn him with death should he return.
A tyrannical Scar ruling over a now barren Pride Lands.
With feigned grief, Scar announces that Mufasa and Simba were killed in the stampede (unaware that Simba survived the hyenas' attack), which saddens the lionesses, Zazu, and Rafiki and takes over the Pride Lands, using the hyena clan as muscle to ensure his reign goes undisputed. As king, Scar enacts a law that forbids the mention of Mufasa's name in his presence. He also imprisons Zazu in a cage made of rib bones and rocks and forces him to entertain him with singing and grants the hyenas' unrestricted hunting rights, resulting in a shortage of food due to the hyenas' overhunting. Additionally, a drought deprives the kingdom of water, driving away most of the animals. Because of the conditions from Scar's lax rule, the lionesses despise Scar and refuse to hunt. Even Scar's minions, the hyenas, who are used to going hungry for days, start to complain to Scar about the land being bare. One day when Zazu mentions Mufasa, Scar reacts with fury, ordering Zazu to never mention his brother's name in his presence. Shortly after this, the hyenas come before Scar, grousing. Scar, however, tells them to leave his cave when Banzai infuriates him by mentioning Mufasa's name as well. After receiving complaints from the hyenas once again, Scar summons Sarabi and questions her as to why she and the rest of the lionesses are not hunting for food, to which Sarabi explains the state of the kingdom. She suggests they leave Pride Rock to survive, but Scar uncompromisingly rejects the idea. Pushed beyond composure, Sarabi openly compares Scar to Mufasa in a superior manner, infuriating Scar to the point of ruthlessly striking her. Just as this occurs, an adult Simba reveals his return and confronts the horrified Scar, who initially mistakes him for Mufasa. However, after learning it's his nephew, Scar sarcastically expresses "joy" at seeing him alive and gives a dirty look at the hyenas, angry that they did not kill him like he ordered them to do, prompting them to nervously gulp and back away from him.
Scar and Simba battle to the death.
Simba orders Scar to resign as king or engage in battle for the throne as Nala and the lionesses rise against him. Scar initiates a trial against Simba, blaming him for his father's death in an attempt to turn the pride against him. Simba, still thinking he was responsible for his father's death, admits his "crime" and tries to explain he wasn't a murderer, but Scar backs him up until he's left dangling over the ledge of Pride Rock. As a lightning bolt strikes below Pride Rock and causes a wildfire due to the dry grass, Scar silently confesses to killing Mufasa. However, this act of cruelty and arrogance ultimately becomes Scar's downfall as Simba, after experiencing a flashback of watching Mufasa fall to his death, is infuriated by this revelation as he learns that Scar has been lying to him since cubhood. Empowered by his rage, Simba frees himself from Scar's grip before jumping from the edge of the cliff and pinning Scar down while accusing his evil uncle of being the true murderer. Realizing his folly by confessing, a now terrified Scar pleads for mercy, but Simba angrily demands that he confess his crimes to the pride. Scar attempts to talk his way out of confessing, but Simba starts to choke his uncle by pressing his paw onto his throat, forcing Scar to announce the truth in a low tone. Simba demands that he speaks louder so that everyone can hear him, and, in a disdainful, frustrated, and bitter tone, Scar publicly admits that he killed Mufasa without remorse, which enrages the pride. This leads to a ferocious battle in which the lionesses, Timon, Pumbaa, and Rafiki work together to defeat the hyenas. Scar tries to get away in the chaos, but he gets cornered by Simba at the top of Pride Rock. With nowhere to run or hide, Scar pleads for mercy, but Simba states that Scar does not deserve to live, so Scar uses the excuse that they are family, which is incredibly hypocritical. He then attempts to blame his crimes on the hyenas (unaware that Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed are listening nearby, backing away growling in anger at Scar's double-cross). Simba refuses to believe him as everything he ever told him was a lie, but he chooses to exile Scar rather than kill him. Initially, Scar appears to concede, but then viciously attacks Simba after pulling a cheap shot with sweeping some hot embers into Simba's eyes to blind him. Scar rams Simba and bites on his neck, but Simba slaps his face and pushes Scar away, beginning a battle. The two engage in a vicious fight.
Scar is surrounded by the hyenas for attempting to betray them, seconds before his death.
Scar eventually gains the upper hand by bashing Simba across the face and knocking him onto his back. However, as Scar leaps to deliver the deathblow, Simba uses his hind legs and a move Nala used on him to pin him down to hurl Scar over the edge of Pride Rock, sending him tumbling down a rocky slope to the base of the formation. Scar survives the fall, and as he slowly gets to his feet, the hyenas show up. Scar is relieved to see his "friends" at first, but they reveal that they overheard Scar calling them "the enemy" and begin to surround their fallen master with wide vicious grins. Realizing his mistake too late, Scar begs for mercy and attempts to justify what he said, but the hyenas, finally fed up with his lies, derogatory treatment and broken promises, ignore his life plea as they leap upon him, eating him and brutally mauling him to death as flames surround them.
With Scar overthrown and deceased, Simba ascends Pride Rock and reclaims the Pride Lands as the new king and the kingdom is restored to its former glory.
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
Scar in Simba's nightmare in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
Despite his ultimate demise, Scar maintained the loyalty of the Outsiders, a pride of lionesses led by a lioness named Zira, who were banished to the Outlands by Simba. Zira was fanatically loyal to Scar and intended to install her son Kovu as King of Pride Rock, as he was chosen by Scar personally to be his heir and successor. They would continue to create trouble for Simba in the following years.
Scar appeared in Simba's nightmare in addition. Mufasa clings to the high cliff above the stampede and an adult Simba tries to rescue his father. However, Scar grabs Simba's paw, stopping from reaching him. As Mufasa falls off the cliff into the stampede, Scar transforms into Kovu and throws Simba into the stampede as well. In addition, Scar was also mentioned by Simba when he explains to Kovu the true history of Scar. He also implies during this time that, in addition to the hyenas exacting revenge on Scar, Scar also ended up burned alive by the wildfire.
Scar makes another brief appearance when Kovu is exiled from the Pride Lands by Simba, he stops by a lake where he sees Scar's reflection instead of his own as Mufasa did to Simba and scared by this, he runs off.
In the end, Scar's dying wish would be fulfilled (Kovu becoming the king of the Pride Lands) since Simba would choose Kovu to become the king consort of his daughter Kiara, Scar's great-niece. However, unlike Scar's plan, Kovu would rule for the sake of his subjects under the concept of the Circle of Life rather than his own sake.
The Lion King 1½
Scar in The Lion King 1½.
In the direct-to-video "parallel film" The Lion King 1½, Scar makes a few brief, non-speaking appearances in the scenes for which he was present in the original Lion King film.
Scar's song ("Be Prepared") is heard briefly as Timon and Pumbaa tour Scar's lair as a possible new home, commenting on how it's quiet, secluded, and with no uninvited visitors. The shadows of the goose-stepping hyena army are seen marching in front of them afterwards, though they have not started singing yet. This convinces Timon and Pumbaa to look elsewhere.
He is also mentioned by Nala when she tells Timon and Pumbaa that Simba needs their help in order to defeat Scar. Later, he is shown making Simba fall over Pride Rock's peak and fleeing from Simba after confessing he murdered Mufasa, where the hyenas were guarding him. Finally, after Timon, Ma, Pumbaa, and Uncle Max defeat the hyenas, Simba kicks Scar over the side of Pride Rock's summit, into the hole the hyenas fell into, and to his death by his minions' jaws.
The Lion Guard
Scar's spirit in The Lion Guard.
In The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, Simba's second born cub—and Scar's great-nephew—Kion is told that Scar was once the leader of the Lion Guard before him, until it met a disastrous end when the power from the Roar of the Elders went to his head. Believing he should be king, Scar ordered his Lion Guard to help him overthrow Mufasa, only to annihilate them when they refused; the act would then strip Scar of the roar forever. As such, Kion makes a great effort to refrain from misusing his gift and becoming the dark figure his great-uncle was.
In "The Rise of Scar", a hyena named Janja tires of living under the harsh conditions of the Outlands, but refuses to accept the fact that he and the other hyenas only reside there because they selfishly refuse to adhere to the laws set by the Circle of Life. A cobra named Ushari, tiring of the lack of respect, reveals that the secret to Kion's success is his ability to talk to the Great Kings of the Past, more specifically Mufasa. This gives them the idea to find a way to summon the only lion that's ever sided with the hyenas: Scar. Under Scar's authority, they hope to eliminate Kion and create a new order amongst the Pride Lands that gives them the freedom to devour as much as they want. By using both the combined powers of Kion's roar and Makini's magical bakora staff, Janja and Ushari successfully manage to summon Scar's spirit, manifested in lava and fire. Revived and reinvigorated, Scar sees this as an opportunity to exact revenge against Simba and overthrow him as king.
In "Let Sleeping Crocs Lie", upon learning from Ushari's skink spies that the Lion Guard has accidentally awakened the crocodiles from their hibernation during the dry season, Scar sees this as an opportunity to wreak havoc in the Pride Lands and orders the Skinks to keep watch on the situation and inform him of any changes. Scar is optimistic that the Lion Guard's mistake would lead to the end of Simba's reign, but is then slightly annoyed by Ushari's claims that the reptiles would rule the Pride Lands.
When informed that Kiburi, a rebellious member of Makuu's Float, had challenged the latter to a Mashindano, Scar decides this is the perfect opportunity to get rid of Simba, knowing that many Pride Landers, as well as the royal family, will be in attendance. He orders Ushari to trick Kiburi into believing that if he killed Simba, he will rule the Pride Lands. However, while Ushari succeeds in tricking Kiburi, the plan ultimately fails due to the Lion Guard's interference. This also causes Kiburi and his three crocodile followers to be banished from both the crocodile float and the Pride Lands.
On their way in the Outlands, Kiburi and his followers run into Ushari again, who takes them to the volcano, where Scar reveals himself to them. Singing "I Have A Plan", Scar explains his revenge plan to Janja, Ushari, Cheezi, Chungu, and Kiburi and his followers, planning to unify all of the animals in the Outlands. With an army of henchmen at his side once more, Scar seeks to ignite a hostile takeover of the Pride Lands to reclaim the kingdom as his own domain and break the Circle of Life for good.
In "Swept Away", Njano arrives to the volcano and informs Janja and his allies that Beshte is alone in the Outlands. Though Janja tries to dismiss the situation, Scar appears and orders his henchmen to go after Beshte, as hippos can't survive in the heat for long and eliminating the Lion Guard's Strongest will give his army the advantage. When Cheezi and Chungu wonder how they might accomplish this, Scar declares that he has a plan. Janja and his clan fail to destroy Beshte, however, and Ushari arrives promptly to tell the hyenas that an unhappy Scar wishes to speak with them, the volcano rumbling as emphasis.
In "Rescue in the Outlands", Scar sends Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu in search of Reirei's Pack, wanting to get them on his side. During their search for the jackals, Janja and his goons stumble on Jasiri, who marks the area as her turf (something which Janja forgot to do) and defeats and sends them back to the volcano when they try to get it back. Upon hearing about such a bold and capable hyena, Scar, at first, sees her as a possible recruit until Janja reveals that Jasiri is friends with the Lion Guard and also respects the Circle of Life, unlike the other Outlanders (singing "The Worst Hyena We Know" in the process). With this information, Scar changes his mind, deciding Jasiri's affiliation with the Lion Guard makes her a liability in the Outlands. He orders Janja to get rid of her immediately and to do this with his entire clan, given that Jasiri is too strong for only him, Cheezi, and Chungu. As they leave, Scar coldly warns Janja to not disappoint him again. Janja and his clan nearly succeed in getting rid of Jasiri and also two hyena cubs named Tunu and Wema at the same time, but ultimately fail, as Madoa (Jasiri's sister) secretly escapes to warn the Lion Guard, who save Jasiri and the two cubs and chase Janja's clan away. Janja ultimately decides to lie to Scar about getting rid of Jasiri.
In "The Bite of Kenge", Scar stops an argument between Janja, Cheezi, Chungu, and Ushari (the latter having been trampled on by the others) and learns from the hyenas that they have discovered a supply of watermelons intended for the elephants through the dry season. Scar sees this as the potential to break the Circle of Life by removing the watermelons from the Pride Lands as this will cause the elephants to become dehydrated as a result. He orders Janja and his goons to return and steal all of the watermelons. But Janja is hesitant as the Lion Guard had already prevented them from doing so earlier and will probably be waiting for them. Ushari then reveals having a friend who can help and will not disappoint them. Satisfied, Scar orders Ushari to find his friend Kenge and tell him to deal with the Lion Guard.
In "The Morning Report", Scar orders Janja and his hyenas to kidnap Zazu. When Janja questions him on what to do next, Scar orders him to interrogate Zazu. Although this annoys Janja, Scar explains that being Simba's royal adviser, Zazu is "keeper of all the secrets of the Pride Lands", and that the information Zazu could disperse would make it easy for them to take over the Pride Lands. He then tells Janja to hurry as the Lion Guard must already be looking for Zazu. The bird is saved at the last moment by the Lion Guard.
In "Divide and Conquer", Scar sends Janja's clan and his new recruits Reirei's pack into the Pride Lands to eliminate Rafiki as he can sense Lions of the Past and does not want the Pride Lands learning of his return. Luckily, Rafiki and The Lion Guard are able to defeat the two groups. However, during the battle, Janja tries to escape, only for Scar to appear and berate him for being cowardly, unaware that they are being watched by Kion. Kion is unable to discover Scar's identity as he vanishes quickly, though he, Rafiki, and the Lion Guard notice the Mark of Evil scorched in the ashes.
In "The Scorpion's Sting", Scar sends a scorpion named Sumu to poison Simba on the day celebrating his victory and reclaiming the Pride Lands. Knowing that volcanic ash is needed to remedy the fatal sting, Scar sends his crocodile, jackal, and hyena minions to slow the Lion Guard, accompanied by Makini, down. It is then that they overpower these foes and secure the ash that he finally makes himself known to his great-nephew and his friends. His minions managed to corner the Guard, but Scar underestimated Kion's skills with the Roar which allowed them to escape. Overlooking his defeated army, Scar declares the war has now begun. After his father's life is saved, Kion vows to defeat Scar once and for all.
In the episode "The Kilio Valley Fire", Scar orders his minions to set fire to the Kilio Valley (the Pride Land's elephants' home). After they succeed in doing so, he rises from the small flame of a remaining flaming stick that was thrown to the ground by a member of Mzingo's Parliament named Mwoga and praises them for their victory before ordering them to remain in Kilio Valley. When being questioned by Kiburi and Reirei, Scar reveals that his plan is to take over the Pride Lands piece by piece so that the Lion Guard will have nothing left to defend the Circle of Life and protect of the Pride Lands.
In "Undercover Kinyonga", Scar summons Janja and his clan back to the volcano. He stops a brief argument from Ushari and Janja (as the cobra was berating the hyena for being late), stating he has no time for "these ridiculous arguments". He then orders Janja to enter the Pride Lands with his entire clan, enter the riverbank above Hakuna Matata Falls at night, and push the rocks into the river until it stops the water from flowing as this will cut off major water supply during the middle of the dry season, which will thus cause the Pride Landers to get thirsty and will plunge the Pride Lands into unrest, desperation, and chaos. However, Scar is unaware that a female chameleon named Kinyonga, who is spying on him by using her camouflage ability, has heard everything and is planning to expose it to the Lion Guard so they can foil his scheme. Soon after the plan has been confirmed, however, Shupavu and her group notice Kinyonga's shadow against a wall, and brings her to the attention of Scar, who then asks to know who dares to spy on him. Ushari then commands them to stop the intruder, and the skinks pursues Kinyonga out of the volcano but ultimately fails to apprehend her.
In "The Hyena Resistance", Janja enters the volcano and informs Scar of how their attacks have been repeatedly failing. A displeased Scar plans another attack, this time on Big Springs, with Kiburi leading. Once again, the attack is thwarted. Scar orders another attack under Reirei's leadership, but the same thing occurs. After the three failed attacks, Jasiri celebrates the Hyena Resistance's success with Kion on the border of the Outlands and the Pride Lands. Unbeknownst to them, Njano and Shupavu overhear the conversation and report back to Scar. Scar questions Janja on Jasiri's status, as Janja had previously reported that Jasiri had fallen into a lava pit. Janja then confesses that the Lion Guard had come to save her. Scar orders Janja to lay a false trail for the Lion Guard and then attack Jasiri's clan. The Lion Guard stops the plan.
In "The Underground Adventure", After hearing from Shupavu and Njano that Kion, Bunga, Kiara, Tiifu, and Zuri are at the mud pits at the edge of the Pridelands, Seeing an opportunity to deal a blow to the royal family, Scar orders Njano to fetch him a vulture, who will be delivering a "gift of fire" to Kion and his companions. Kion and his friends barley escape the fire.
In "Beshte and the Beast", Scar gets mad when he hears that Janja's clan, Reirei's pack, and Kiburi's float were defeated yet again. They then explain that it was actually a very big, strong gorilla named Shujaa who defeated them, not the Lion Guard, and that he was able to tear apart the landscape easily without the Lion Guard making any effort. Scar's fury turns into interest upon learning this. Since the gorilla is destroying the Pride Lands while trying to help the Lion Guard, Scar orders his army to keep attacking so the gorilla can make more damage.
In "Pride Landers Unite!", Scar's spies Shupavu and Njano find out about Kion leading a small group of Pride Lands animals to help fight Scar's army. He orders the hyenas, jackals, and crocodiles to go to Makuu's watering hole much to Kiburi's excitement and they attempt to take it over which fails in the end.
- “Scar: That's right, Simba! You never thought you'd see me again, did you?
Simba: What do you want?
Scar: What do I want? Ah, Simba, Simba. Always so naïve. First, we took Kilio Valley. Then we wrecked Big Springs. And now your precious Mizimu Grove is doomed! It's only a matter of time before all of the Pride Lands is mine!” - ―Scar confronts Simba, after many years.
In "The Fall of Mizimu Grove", Scar orders his army to ruin the event after hearing the news of Makini's Mpando Mpaya from the skinks. During the battle between the Pride landers and his army, small flames fall from the sky, setting Mizimu Grove on fire and destroying it. Scar then appears in the flames, making himself known to of all the Pridelanders and confronts Simba for the first time since his return mocking his nephew that he never thought he would see Scar again. When Simba demands to know what Scar wants, Scar taunts his nephew by calling him naïve (referencing the fact that he fooled him years ago over Mufassa's death) and listing his success in destroying the Kilio Valley, then the Big Springs, and now Mizimu Grove. He then leaves laughing after declaring that soon all the Pride Lands will be his again. Terrified to learn that Scar has returned, the Pridelanders panic and consider leaving the Pride Lands. However, after Kion tells the Pride Landers to remain in Pride Rock and Makini's baobab tree survived the fire, it inspires them to stay in the kingdom and work with each other as a plan to defeat Scar.
In "Battle for the Pride Lands", the Lion Guard and Simba plans to defeat Scar by taking the battle in the Outlands, planning to defeat Scar's followers and thus leave him powerless. After hearing from the skinks that Janja is considering joining Jasiri's clan, Scar devised a scheme to take out Janja's clan together with the royal family and Lion Guard by using them as distraction while the vultures cause fire in Pride Rock, hoping to eliminate all of them at once. In anticipation should they survive, Scar gave Janja false information that Kion can destroy him by using his powerful roar right at the volcano where Scar is while in reality using the roar would cause an eruption that would kill the Lion Guard, strengthen Scar further, and destroy the Pride Lands. To make sure his plan would work more efficiently, Scar enlists Ushari's help, telling him about how his scar was given to him by a strange Lion with his cobra snake friend and Mufasa then gave him his current name, Scar.
Scar's spirit is extinguished.
When the Outlanders are swiftly overpowered by the Pride Landers, the Lion Guard enters the volcano and Kion confronts Scar, but is sneakily attacked by Ushari, who leaves him a scar like Scar's over his left eye and venom inside Kion that causes him to have difficulty in thinking, hoping this will make Kion to lose control of his roar. The evil lion then mocks his great-nephew, declaring that they are now the same with the Swahili phrase "Sisi ni sawa" and goads him to use his roar against him. To Scar's surprise, Kion instead forgives him and declares that he can't judge him for everything he has done, but the Great Lions of the Past can. Kion then invokes the Great Lions, who make rain fall in the volcano, contaminating the fallen lion. Knowing to be doomed, Scar screams to Kion that his roar is just a curse and that he will become like him with a final anguished shout of "Sisi ni sawa" before being annihilated once and for all, ending his tyrannical rule over the Outlands, and threat towards the Pride Lands forever.
Despite his ultimate destruction, the venom inflicted upon Kion by Ushari (who soon perishes in the fire pit after Bunga thwarts his second attack on Kion) would alter his mind, and give him a personality disorder, one that brings out his darker intentions and makes him lose control of the Roar of the Elders, prompting him to travel to the Tree of Life in order to heal his wounds as there is no cure for the venom in the Pride Lands. At some point on the way, an image of Scar's spirit briefly appeared to Kion to assure his turn to evil due to what happened to him and his friends earlier that day, prompting Kion to make up with them. However, through his therapy at the Tree of Life, Kion overcomes the insecurities that Scar had attempted to give to him, now no longer fearful of becoming like his great-uncle.
Other appearances
Scar makes a few cameos meant for comedy purposes in the animated series Timon & Pumbaa. He is seen when Timon tries to revive Pumbaa's amnesia after being struck by lightning, and when Zazu cleans out his trash can.
In Hercules, Scar makes a cameo as the Nemean Lion's pelt, briefly worn by Hercules as he poses for a vase portrait. It may also be a reference to a joke made by Zazu in the original film, where he suggested that Scar be made into a throw rug.
Scar in House of Mouse.
In House of Mouse, Scar made only a few minor cameos. In the episode "Jiminy Cricket", Jiminy used Scar as an example of temptations. At the end of that same episode, Scar was seen aside some of the other guests when they were arguing over Jiminy. In the episode "Ask Von Drake", Scar can be briefly seen being held by Rafiki just as Simba was in the film. In the episode "Goofy's Valentine Date", Scar was seen along with the other guests.
Although he doesn't appear in Mickey's House of Villains like how Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed do, it is possible that Scar took part in the takeover of the House of Mouse with the other Disney Villains.
In the animated blooper reel featured in the The Lion King: Diamond Edition special features, Scar makes a cameo appearance, botching his line during Simba's climactic "trial" at Pride Rock and confessing he has no idea what he is doing.
In the Disney Crossy Road: The Animated Series episode "Hyena Havoc", Scar appears in pursuit of Simba, alongside the hyenas. Simba crosses a road of animals for safety, and Scar orders the hyenas to capture him. When they fail, Scar attempts to cross the road, himself, though he is comically trampled in the process, humiliating him.
In Once Upon a Studio, Scar makes a brief speaking appearance, with Jeremy Irons voicing the character for the first time since the 1994 film. In the short, he expresses annoyance over Wreck-It Ralph's mishap with a glass door and the outcome involved afterwards, before getting cut off by barely dodging J. Thaddeus Toad riding the Magic Carpet straight out the door, as he openly decries everyone as "idiots". Scar is also seen in the distance shot as the characters are singing "When You Wish Upon a Star" before the group photo is taken.
Video games
The Lion King
Scar appeared in this video game as the final boss.
The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure
Scar appears as one of the bosses in this video game. He battles Simba and would jump onto a platform to roar, causing rocks to fall towards Simba which he has to dodge before he finally defeats Scar.
Kingdom Hearts II
Largely following the story of the film, Scar is the tyrannical ruler of the Pride Lands, after earning his throne through regicide (the murder of King Mufasa and supposedly Prince Simba). At some point, Scar meets Pete, who offers to impart him to become a Heartless whenever Scar is defeated, an invader on a quest to dominate the worlds using a legion of demons known as the Heartless. With Pete's help, Scar rules the pride with discipline until Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrive. With little food elsewhere, Scar attempts to devour the trio, only to be stopped by Nala, allowing them to escape. Once they do, they head out to find Simba, who was revealed to be alive by Sora. The group eventually finds him, and together, they return to Pride Rock to battle Scar. The tyrant is forced into revealing that he killed Mufasa, and a battle breaks loose, resulting in Scar's demise. However, the darkness of anger and jealousy in Scar's heart corrupts the lion and revives him in the form of a Heartless, drenching the Pride Lands in darkness as well. Sora and friends battle Scar, and he is eventually killed off.
During the second visit, it is revealed an army of Scar's ghost is haunting the Pridelands. According to Rafiki, the ghosts feed off of Simba's insecurity towards being king. As a manifestation, Scar constantly tortures and taunts the new ruler, until a turn of events prompts Simba to stand up to the demon, finally having the courage necessary to send him off for good. However, the army then comes together and converges to create the massive Groundshaker Heartless to face Simba and Sora before the two are able to destroy it and the ghosts of Scar for good.
This rendition of Scar is somewhat darker than in the original film since, aside from him becoming a full Heartless upon being defeated by Simba, he was also implied to be a cannibal due to his attempting to devour Sora, who at the time appeared as a lion cub.
Disney Heroes: Battle Mode
Scar in Disney Heroes: Battle Mode.
Scar is a playable character in Disney Heroes: Battle Mode, he is Front-line Damage role hero. He is unlockable with 80 chips. His ability to roar to silence enemies was not present in the original film since he never roared. He also has a stealth (prowl) ability which allows Scar to become invisible, Scar's basic attack is using his claws to attack nearby enemies. His mission friends are Maleficent, the Queen of Hearts, Timon and Pumbaa (whom he canonically never had any direct interaction with), Jafar, Kaa, and Shere Khan; with the villainous characters, Scar would plot ways to take over the City, most being ways of taking control of the creeps, while having a comical misadventure with Timon and Pumbaa.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Scar appears in this game as a resident of the titular Dreamlight Valley, but like other Disney Villains living in the Valley, he is much more passive and friendly compared to his movie versions. He can be found in the Sunlit Plateau once the Giant Night Thorns are removed blocking access to it and has several quests for the player character to perform to build up friendship with him. As well, the origins of his scar are one of the conversation pieces with Scar, with the correct answer being a reference to A Tale of Two Brothers.
Building up his friendship level is necessary to upgrade the player's Royal Shovel to dig up the small and large wildebeest bones scattered all over the Sunlit Plateau, especially the large bones blocking the bridges to the other half of the area, providing a shortcut over having to take the long way through the Forgotten Lands to get over there. Digging up the bones provides clay for crafting, or needed for quests the other villagers give out, such as Minnie's with crafting a clock tower that used to be in the Valley.
He was the only character from The Lion King franchise to be in the game until the announcement of Simba and Nala being added in the April 2023 update. Timon and Pumbaa, seen in promotional footage, have not been announced yet as to when they will be added as well.
Other games
Like the cameo in the film Hercules, Scar also makes a cameo as a throw rug in a specific area of the game Hades Challenge. Like before, the cameo also references one of Hercules' twelve labors, specifically his defeating the Nemean Lion.
In Epic Mickey, Scar appears as a stained-glass portrait in the Mad Doctor's laboratory along with Maleficent and Captain Hook. There are also two lion statues in the courtyard of Dark Beauty Castle that bear resemblance to Scar.
Scar also appeared as an unlockable costume character in Disney Universe. He is also the boss of the last level of The Lion King universe, where you ride on a train for transportation to battle him with a cannon.
Musical
Scar in the Broadway musical.
Scar is the main villain in the Broadway musical adaptation of The Lion King. In the original run of the show, in 1997, the character of Scar was portrayed by John Vickery, and is generally portrayed as an intellectual, immature prince, with a heavy hint of comedic elements in an (arguably) more prominent light than his animated counterpart.
Scar's role is also expanded upon with the song "The Madness of King Scar". In it, Scar begins doubting his reign, fearing that he might be losing the respect of the lionesses and indirectly receives an idea from Zazu that he needs a queen to ensure that his family line continues for generations, thus giving him immortality. He attempts to seduce Nala when he chooses her as his queen, promising to share the throne with her, to bear many cubs and to love her dearly, but she rebukes him by scratching his face after realizing what this would truly mean for her. The musical also implies that he might harbor some guilt for murdering Mufasa, as he mentions that Mufasa's ghost kept on haunting him. The musical also implies that his main motives for wanting to become king were due to neglect that he suffered while he was young, especially in comparison to Mufasa.
Disney Parks
Scar in Disney's Once Upon a Dream Parade in Disneyland Paris.
Disneyland Resort
In World of Color, Scar can be briefly seen in the water projectors and heard vocally throughout a sequence based on the wildebeest stampede from the film. In addition, Scar was featured in the 2015 rendition of the show, during the brief montage celebrating villains.
Walt Disney World
Scar plays a role in Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. In Adventureland, Scar returns from the dead via Hades and is given a proposition to live forever in exchange for the crystal of the Magic Kingdom. Scar tricks the hyenas into believing he is invincible and forces them to work for him again. However, the park guests prove that Scar lied by injuring him in front of the hyenas, prompting them to leave their former boss. Scar consoles Hades for more power, but Hades refuses and leaves the lion to battle the park guests alone. Scar is defeated, but a recovered piece of the crystal imbues him with magic, allowing him to take on the guests once again. Scar is once again defeated, however, saving the kingdom from his wrath.
Scar appears as one of the main villains in the live nighttime spectacular Fantasmic!. In the show, Scar is called forth by the Evil Queen to destroy Mickey Mouse once and for all. In the end, Scar is killed by Mickey along with the other villains. His only line was "Yes, perfect."
In Happily Ever After, Scar is one of the villains featured during the adversity segment. He is seen battling Simba on Pride Rock as it is engulfed in flames.
Scar's likeness is also featured in Disney's Art of Animation Resort.
Disneyland Paris
In France, Scar was featured on the villains' float in Disney's Once Upon a Dream Parade.
Hong Kong Disneyland
Scar appears as one of Maleficent's invited guests during the climactic projection montage of Villains Night Out!
Shanghai Disneyland
Scar appears in the Shanghai resort's production of The Lion King stage musical.
Disney Cruise Line
Aboard the Disney Dream, Scar and the hyenas are featured in Villains Tonight as some of the villains that assist Hades in retaining ownership of the Underworld. Their motif in the show resembles that of a biker gang.
Gallery
Trivia
- Scar is loosely based on Claudius from Hamlet, who was a prince who murdered his brother the king for the sake of his throne. However, unlike the diabolically evil Scar, Claudius had a kind side and genuinely believed that he could make the country a better place and was a highly competent king whereas Scar only cared for himself. Like Scar, Claudius was cunning, intelligent, manipulative, charismatic, and ruthless. Unlike Scar, Claudius repented from his wrongdoings and did not reveal the secret truth about his brother's murder to his family.
- He is also similar to the Shakespearean villain Iago from Othello, being sadistic, charming, smooth-talking, bitter, envious, and narcissistic.
- He also shares many similarities to the titular tragic antihero character in Macbeth. Although not directly related, he started out as an honorable soldier to King Duncan. Like Scar, he believed he would be next in line for the throne as the king's son Malcolm was too young. However, when it became official that Malcolm would take over as king, Macbeth then plotted to kill King Duncan in order to scare his children away from the kingdom over accusations of murder, thus taking the throne for himself (similar to what Scar had happened to Mufasa and Simba). Macbeth succeeded in this and became a ruthless greedy king like Scar, leading to corruption in his kingdom, as he also had many people whom he thought were suspicious of him all murdered. Eventually, Malcolm returned to the kingdom and got his revenge (though more indirectly as he let Macduff fight and kill Macbeth rather than facing the latter himself, like Simba did) and claimed his rightful place as king of Scotland.
- He is also similar to the Shakespearean villain, Richard III, who is the titular character from the play, Richard III. For example, both Richard and Scar are envious of their older brother and nephew and as a result covets the throne. Both Richard and Scar also both attempt to seduce younger women, Scar with Nala (in the musical version) and Richard with Anne Neville. (The difference being though that Richard succeeds in his endeavor while Scar fails in his endeavor.)
- In A Tale of Two Brothers, Scar's birth name, "Taka", is the Swahili word for "waste". It is also a derivation of the word "Kutaka" meaning "Wanted".
- In an early draft for the ending of The Lion King, Scar defeated Simba by outsmarting him and throwing him off of Pride Rock. Falsely believing that Simba has died and that he has won, Scar laughs in victory as the fire engulfs him, burning him alive. This ending was deemed to horrific for a Disney film, and thus it was rewritten to where Scar was defeated by Simba and killed by his minions.
- The final version of Scar's death was based on an original draft for Gaston's demise in Beauty and the Beast, in which the wolves would have attacked Gaston after surviving the fall from the Beast's castle with a broken leg. Ironically, Gaston's demise in the original draft was cut for the exact same reason why it ended up being reused in The Lion King.
- Despite the original ending being cut, Simba did nonetheless imply with his remark of "Fire's a killer" when relaying to Kovu about the true reason behind his fight with Scar that Scar did still end up burned alive.
- In the original ending, Scar originally said "Goodnight Sweet Prince," to Simba before attempting to finish him off. This would've been a reference to the play Hamlet, to which the film is based on.
- Scar apparently hates the song "It's a Small World", as he tells Zazu "No, no. Anything but that" when he tries to sing it. In some productions of the stage show, Zazu originally sang "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", prior to the world premiere of Mary Poppins in Bristol, England, shortly before transferring to London's West End in 2004, but soon after the release of Frozen, Zazu sang "Let It Go" instead. Scar's reaction was the same.
- Scar is the first animated villain to be biologically related to the protagonist in the Disney canon. The previous villains such as the Evil Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Lady Tremaine in Cinderella were related to the protagonists only by marriage.
- Scar's greed for power is very similar to Adolf Hitler when he stands on a cliff and looks down on his Hyena "army" in "Be Prepared". It shows the classic Nazi Germany influence with hundreds of "soldiers" on the march when their "dictator" is watching on at the moment of power. In fact, a behind the scenes documentary for the film revealed that they used documentary footage relating to Hitler and Nazi Germany for designing "Be Prepared".
- Scar makes a nod to an earlier film starring Jeremy Irons. When Simba remarks that Scar is weird, Scar replies "You have no idea." The character played by Irons makes exactly the same response to that statement in the film Reversal of Fortune.
- As explained in "Lions of the Outlands" sometime in his youth, he shared the knowledge of the Roar of the Elders with Zira.
- In an interview with HelloGiggles, The Lion King producer Don Hahn claimed that Mufasa and Scar were actually not related by blood. Instead, he clarified that, as with real lions, Scar and Mufasa were a coalition of two unrelated males, with one being dominant over the other. The onscreen dynamic between Scar and Mufasa was heavily inspired by this real-life behavior, and that Scar's well-known quote of "As far as brains go, I got the lion's share. But when it comes to brute strength...I'm afraid I'm at the shallow end of the gene pool." references this lack of family bond between the two characters.
- However, a little over a week later, director Rob Minkoff "cleared up" in an interview with Screen Junkies that Mufasa and Scar grew up together and were, in fact, blood-related. He also claimed that Scar's name is a "really mean nickname", and that he believes that Mufasa was the one who gave Scar his scar when they were cubs.
- Despite his legacy after his death (with Jasiri and Rani implying he is known by hyenas and the lions at the Tree of Life), Scar's demise at the jaws of his hyena minions is not well known. Janja believed that Scar died in the fire, while Zira believed that Scar was killed by Simba.
- Throughout the movie, Scar rarely retracts his claws. His claws are even out when he is simply talking to young Simba or minding his own business. This is purposely done to differentiate him from the other lions as he is the antagonist. If the claws of his front paws are regularly seen out, those of his rear paws often alter between shown or not shown in the first half of the film while in the second part, during his reign, Scar's hind leg claws are only seen twice. The only time Scar retracted all his claws and during the song "Be Prepared" when Scar says "So prepare for the coup of the century".
- There are three conflicting accounts on how Scar got his trademark deformity, and by extension, his nickname.
- In the non-canonical book A Tale of Two Brothers, he got it from recklessly engineering a cape buffalo riot to embarrass Mufasa, and getting cut in the face with one of the horns. He then asks to be called "Scar". This book also states that his birth name is Taka: Swahili for "waste" and same as one of Kiburi's followers.
- In a flashback of the episode "Battle for the Pride Lands", an unnamed snake attacked him and successfully bit him in the eye before he ultimately killed it. After reporting this to Mufasa, he was given the terrible nickname of "Scar", which would've motivated him to kill the king and take over the Pride Lands.
- In the 2019 remake, Mufasa was heavily implied to have given him the scar in a challenge.
- According to Ford Riley, Scar was originally named after Askari, the leader of the first Lion Guard. It was shortened by Mufasa to the nickname "Scar" after he got his scar.
- "Askari" is Swahili for "police", "guard", or "soldier".
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Lion King: Audio commentary
- ↑ https://youtu.be/Yq1PoqxSzUA?si=d9BlQ7aOugKXqjYd&t=1380
Variants
External links
Scar (The Lion King) on WikipediaScar (Disney) on Villains Wiki
- Scar on Kingdom Hearts Wiki
.jpg){kind=link}
v - e - d  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
v - e - d  | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
v - e - d  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
v - e - d  | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
v - e - d  | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
v - e - d  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
v - e - d  | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
v - e - d  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|