- “This is MY kingdom! MY DESTINY!”
- ―Scar[src]
Scar, formerly known as Taka, is the main antagonist in the 2019 photorealistic CGI remake of The Lion King, and the deuteragonist of its 2024 prequel/sequel Mufasa: The Lion King.
He is based on the character from the character of the same name from the 1994 animated film.
Background[]
Personality[]
As a cub, Scar, then known as Taka, was much happier, carefree, and loving. He quickly bonded with Mufasa after they met and purposely lost a race so the stray lion cub would be admitted into his pride, having always wanted to have a brother. Also, Taka ironically had the destiny of becoming a king, a destiny he just saw as a way to be happy and trouble-free, also hoping that Mufasa would stand by his side forever.
As a teenager, Taka proved to be insecure, largely due to the way his father, Obasi instilled in him the way of being a king, through inaction. He envied his brother a bit for spending time with the lionesses, thus with his mother, Eshe and therefore becoming a powerful hunter, which Taka would have preferred to be. Due to his insecurity, Taka lacked courage and was ashamed of it, especially when he ran away instead of going to help his mother against Outsiders. Obasi also instilled the art of deception in his son, but because he wanted Taka to have at least that weapon to his advantage to compensate for his weaknesses. A dominant trait of Taka was his love for his parents, especially his mother, causing their loss to leave him devastated.
During the journey to a new home, Taka meets and develops romantic feelings towards Sarabi, though he is too shy to properly admit his feelings. He also already shows that he dislikes Zazu due to his talkative attitude, as well as Rafiki whom he sees as another stray who is forbidden to eat. He trusted his adopted older brother enough to ask him for seduction tips to coax Sarabi, though Taka's lack of experience did not work in his favor.
Alas, Taka became horribly jealous when Mufasa and Sarabi became romantically close, causing the young lion to become bitter and broken, beginning to see things the way his father had tried to convince him he did about Mufasa. Just as he blamed Mufasa for stealing Sarabi's heart, he blamed him for stealing his destiny and all that being a king would have offered him. Taka's jealousy would eventually lead him to join Kiros in seeking revenge on Mufasa, using dishonesty to vent the Outsiders' hatred of Mufasa to gain their trust, as he deflected the loss of his family onto Mufasa instead of Kiros.
Despite Taka's betrayal of Mufasa, his happy memories and his mother, Eshe's words would cause him to turn against Kiros, even taking a claw strike to the face that was meant for his brother. As Mufasa almost drowned following Kiros' death, Taka was almost hesitant to save him, but he ultimately chose to save his brother, as much as he felt deep shame for his actions to the point of accepting that Sarabi would only love Mufasa and not him. However, while Mufasa was assertive enough not to banish Taka, he disowned his name with a resentment that was never hidden and would remain forever, leading Taka to take the name "Scar" so as to never forget how he had gotten to this point. It was from this point on that Scar would walk a path of hatred and evil, consumed by the jealousy and bitterness that his now-king brother had left in his heart.
As an adult, Scar is extremely bitter, disdaining his place in the cycle of life as nothing more than a life of crumbs and shadow, especially envying his brother's place as King of the Pridelands. His resentment towards Mufasa is both accentuated by the existence of Simba who will be king one day and will therefore deprive him of this right so coveted by Scar and by Sarabi having chosen Mufasa instead of him. It would ultimately be his contempt for his entire family that would push him to want their downfall.
Scar proves to be quite adept at manipulating others, especially the more naive, using his nephew, Simba's thirst for adventure to push him to go to the Elephant Graveyard, where the lion cub would risk being killed by hyenas. Later, following Mufasa's death, Scar both convinced Simba that it was his fault and then tricked the rest of the pride into obtaining the throne of the Pride Lands that he had always coveted. Besides his ability to manipulate and lie to others, Scar has a certain charisma, as he was able to rally the Hyena Clan to his side.
What Scar makes up for in poor physical genetics is his remarkable intelligence, having managed to usurp the throne by rallying the hyenas to their desire for a better life, then using Mufasa and Simba's relationship against them, resulting in Mufasa's death and Simba's banishment. However, Scar's arrogance can easily overshadow his intelligence and backfire on him.
Physical appearance[]
In this version, Scar has a more realistic appearance and not as evil as in the previous version, with lighter grayish-tan (somewhat bleached) fur and amber eyes. He has a receding dark brown mane that is duller and mangier than Mufasa's, and is paler around his face until he takes over the Pridelands. By then, his mane and the stripe on his forehead are black, save for around his face. In addition to the signature scar over his left eye (which is larger and darker now), Scar also has a noticeable notch in his right ear and several small scratch marks and bruises on his body while his facial structure gives him an angry look. This change from his animated depiction was, according to director Jon Favreau, meant to emphasize Scar's inner trauma and evil nature.
Appearances[]
The Lion King[]
Scar appears when a mouse wanders into his lair while he muses mid-chase about how unfair it is that his "right" to become next in line to rule has been taken by Simba, who was born earlier that day. When Zazu shows up to inform him that Mufasa is on his way to see him after he failed to be present, Scar tries to devour the hornbill, saying that he can do as he pleases. When Mufasa stops him, Scar pretends to forget and begins to depart, saying that Mufasa shouldn't turn his back on him after Mufasa tells Scar not to likewise turn his back on him. Mufasa prepares to challenge Scar as a result, but Scar backs down, saying that he would not dream of challenging Mufasa again. As he departs, Zazu retorts to Mufasa that Scar should have been expelled from the Pride Lands long ago, but Mufasa refuses, saying that as his brother Scar has every right to live in the kingdom as long as Mufasa is king.
Later, Scar sees Simba chasing a beetle and tells him to run along, as he doesn't babysit cubs thus showing hatred to the cub. When Simba brags about seeing the kingdom with his father and one day having to tell Scar what to do when he becomes king in the future, a visibly bitter Scar weaves a lie that the elephant graveyard is a place where all lions have gone to show their bravery. Wanting to prove he is brave, Simba asks more about it, and Scar, knowing full well that Simba wants to explore it, tells him how dangerous and forbidding the elephant graveyard is before he makes him promise not to tell about it.
Scar during "Be Prepared".
After finding out his attempt to have Simba (and an accompanying Nala) killed by the hyenas failed, Scar meets with Shenzi and her clan to form an alliance in order to kill him and Mufasa. Scar promises them that the mighty will be able to take whatever they want when they want thus getting the clan to join him. The next day, Scar takes Simba to the gorge in the Pride Lands, saying that to impress Mufasa after getting in big trouble, he should find his roar in the gorge, which all lions do according to Scar. Scar leaves him to practice as the hyenas stampede the wildebeest herd into the gorge, setting the trap as Scar tells Mufasa Simba is in danger. During the stampede, Scar sends Zazu to rally the lionesses to help while he tries to help Mufasa, leaving no witnesses to his plans. After Mufasa rescues Simba, Scar waits as his older brother tries to scale the walls of the gorge and get away. When Mufasa begs him for help, Scar pierces his paws and exposes his betrayal by saying "Long live the king!" and sends Mufasa falling to his death with a swipe of his paw, murdering him instead. Then he deceives Simba into believing Mufasa's death is all his fault, and tells him to run away as the pride will not accept him for slaughtering his father. After Simba flees, Scar orders Shenzi and the hyenas to kill Simba, but unknown to him and Shenzi alike, Simba gets away after he nearly fell to his demise during the escape.
When he tells the pride about Mufasa's death, Scar lies that he did not make it to the gorge in time. Then Scar takes the throne and brings in the hyenas as his enforcers. Afterwards, he personally leads the hyenas to hunt instead of the lionesses so he can show his dominance over the kingdom, resulting in the Pride Lands becoming a wasteland years later due to his desire to kill prey where and when he wants, making the other lionesses unsatisfied. He offers Sarabi to become his queen, but she denies him, citing his greed and selfishness. To corner her, Scar enforces the rule that the lionesses can only eat the scraps from hyenas' foods until she concurs to become his queen. This causes Nala to depart and search for help, resulting in her looking for Simba as Nala manages to leave Pride Rock without getting caught by Scar.
When Simba returns home and encounters Scar after he attacks Sarabi, he goads him into revealing his "role" in Mufasa's death. While Simba anxiously tries to deny that he did not kill his father just as Scar tells him if he is a king or a betrayer, he pushes him into slipping at the edge of Pride Rock afterwards. Just as lighting strikes a dead tree to cause a massive fire in the Pride Lands, Scar cites that Mufasa had the same look in his eyes before he died, before Scar secretly tells Simba that he killed Mufasa. Upon hearing the truth, Simba bites Scar on his mane and pulls himself back up, angrily reprimanding his uncle for betraying their family. Scar tries to protect himself by denouncing Simba's sanity, claiming he killed Mufasa and now plans to kill him next, Sarabi however reveals that she overheard Scar spoke about seeing the look in Mufasa's eyes before he died, contradicting him not arriving to gorge in time like he told the pride. Scar, realizing too late that he accidentally exposed himself, orders the hyenas to kill all the other lions and Simba as Nala orders the lionesses to fight against the hyenas.
Scar realizes his treachery has been discovered.
Seeing the pride, Zazu, Timon, Pumbaa, and Rafiki defeating his forces, Scar retreats to a ledge near the top of Pride Rock, where he's cornered by Simba. Scar begs for mercy and even double-crosses the hyenas, lying that they forced him into murdering Mufasa and denouncing them as "revolting scavengers" he was planning to kill in the end; unknown to him, Shenzi, Kamari, and Azizi were listening nearby. Simba refuses to believe Scar's words, stating he tricked the hyenas the same way he tricked him, but is pacified enough to choose exiling his uncle over killing him. Scar pretends to concede, but then he throws burning embers in Simba's face and attacks him while he is blinded, leading to a fight between the two lions. Scar nearly pushes Simba over the edge, but Simba prevents this from happening by knocking Scar down. Simba tells Scar that he can't win, but Scar argues this is his kingdom and destiny. The two lions continue their fierce duel and though Scar proves to be a surprisingly formidable opponent despite his weak appearance, Simba ultimately proves to be the stronger of the two and pushes Scar off the edge of Pride Rock.
The last moments of Scar as he tries to survive against the hyenas in vain.
Scar survives the fall and as he struggles to his feet, Kamari, Azizi, and several other surviving hyenas show up and surround him. At first, Scar is relieved to see them, saying that they must rebuild their forces if they are to retake what they have lost. Unfortunately, the seething Kamari and Azizi revealed that they overheard his attempt to double-cross them when he called them "revolting scavengers" and planned on killing them. Realizing his mistake too late, Scar tries to reason that he was only trying to fool Simba, and promises that together, they will rule the Pride Lands. However, Shenzi coldly tells him that the only true thing he ever said was that "The hyena's belly is never full", indirectly ordering her clan to kill him as revenge for using them and trying to sell them out. Cornered and outnumbered, Scar briefly, but vainly attempts to fight back, only to be overwhelmed and eaten alive by the hyenas, bringing his reign to a well-deserved end. After Scar's death, Simba takes his place as the rightful king of the Pride Lands and undoes the damage his uncle had done, thus finally avenging Mufasa and restoring the land back to its former glory.
Mufasa: The Lion King[]
Taka and Mufasa after Eshe saves Mufasa from the crocodiles.
Scar, known as Taka at the time, found a fellow lion cub named Mufasa floating down a river. He warned Mufasa that he was about to be eaten by crocodiles, and Mufasa tried to scramble up the riverbank, begging for help. Despite his reluctance to help a stray, Taka pulled him to safety, with help from his mother, Eshe. She scolded him for having risked his life and pointed out that Obasi would never allow a stray to join their pride. However, Taka insisted, and Mufasa added that he was simply lost. Moved by pity, Eshe finally agreed to bring Mufasa before Obasi.
Upon seeing Mufasa, Obasi nearly ate him and pointed out that he was worthless. Mufasa countered that he was fast, and so, Obasi proposed that he race Taka; if he won, he could join their pride, but if he lost, he would get eaten. The race began, with Taka quickly assuming the upper hand. As they ran, Taka told Mufasa that he had always wanted a brother and deliberately let him win the race. Furious, Obasi reprimanded Taka for having lost to a stray and declared that Mufasa would live with the females, not the males. Even so, Mufasa and Taka formed an inseparable bond as adoptive brothers. As he grew older, Taka was forced to lounge and laze with the males of his pride, while Mufasa learned to hunt and track with the females. Though Taka longed to join his mother and brother, Obasi claimed that Mufasa would betray Taka someday and insisted that Taka learn to act like a king.
One day, Eshe and Mufasa left on a hunt, and Taka secretly tailed them. Suddenly, they were attacked by white lions, and though Eshe looked at him pleadingly, Taka fled in fear. Upon their return to the pride, Eshe and Mufasa revealed that they had been attacked by white lions, and Obasi reprimanded Taka for his cowardice. That night, he told Taka that he must pretend he had been brave and not run away, as deceit was the trait of a great king.
Mufasa and Taka flee the pride.
Shortly afterwards, a member of Obasi's pride spied on the Outsiders and reported that their numbers were twice Obasi's own. Fearful that his bloodline would be snuffed out, Obasi sent Taka away to start a new life. He likewise ordered Mufasa to accompany Taka and pledge loyalty to him. Seeing his mother one last time, Taka tried to ask Eshe for forgiveness for not coming to her aid, but Eshe didn't hold it against him, before encouraging her son to one day find his moment of courage. Together, the brothers fled their home.
Before long, the brothers reached a river, and Mufasa refused to enter the water for fear of drowning. Though Taka used his royal status to order his brother to swim, Mufasa refused, and the Outsiders caught up to them. Their leader, Kiros, demanded to know which of them had killed his son, and Mufasa immediately took the blame. He attempted to lie that Taka was nothing more than a stray, but Akua and Amara sensed that he was the son of the king, and so, the Outsiders attacked. Eventually, they got cornered on the edge of a waterfall. Though Mufasa resolved to go down fighting, Taka knocked them both off the waterfall and into the river below. The plan worked, with the brothers evading the Outsiders.
Mufasa and Taka meet Sarabi.
As Mufasa and Taka continued their journey, Mufasa scented a nearby lioness named Sarabi. She confessed that she had been following them in the hopes of finding her pride, which had been decimated by the Outsiders. Though she attempted to leave, Taka stopped her and remarked that he knew what it was like to lose everything, then invited her to join them. She refused and revealed that she was being accompanied by a hornbill scout named Zazu. As Mufasa and Taka moved off to hunt, Zazu urged Sarabi to reconsider their offer, and she reluctantly joined up with them.
While hunting, the young lions stumbled upon a mandrill named Rafiki. To Mufasa's shock, Rafiki claimed that he was in search of the mystical land of Milele. Taka attempted to eat Rafiki, but Mufasa stopped him and recruited Rafiki to lead them to Milele. As the four journeyed together, Taka developed feelings for Sarabi.
One day, Taka confessed his feelings to Mufasa and begged for his brother's advice. Mufasa, in turn, advised Taka to be a good listener and to talk about the flowers from Sarabi's home valley. Heeding his brother's advice, Taka caught up to Sarabi and made an awkward attempt at flirtation. However, when he mentioned her valley's flowers, she was touched that he had noticed them.
Taka watches Sarabi throw a beehive into the herd of elephants.
Eventually, the group reached a ravine. Mufasa scented the Outsiders on the wind and instructed Sarabi to do the same. When she succeeded at picking up the Outsiders' scent, Taka was impressed. Together, the five entered the valley, only for the Outsiders to catch up to them. In a desperate bid for escape, Sarabi threw a beehive into the midst of a nearby elephant herd, which incited a stampede. In the ensuing chaos, Taka cowered from the elephants, while Sarabi got knocked unconscious, and Mufasa dragged her to safety.
Once the stampede had cleared and the Outsiders had been thrown off their trail, Rafiki revived Sarabi and informed her that "he" had saved her. She asked specifically who had saved her, and Mufasa hastily claimed that it had been Taka, to Taka's surprise. Sarabi thanked Taka for his help and nuzzled him. As the group departed, Taka whispered his thanks to Mufasa.
The group continued onward, ascending a snowy mountain. As they did so, Mufasa instructed Zazu to cover their tracks so that the Outsiders could not follow them. Upon reaching the mountain's summit, Sarabi praised Mufasa for his efforts and nuzzled him, which made Taka jealous.
A heartbroken Taka watches Mufasa and Sarabi from afar.
Later that night, with Taka in earshot, Sarabi confronted Mufasa over his lie that Taka had saved her life. Though he tried to deny it out of loyalty to his brother, Sarabi pointed out that Taka's destiny had been to save Mufasa's life. She then insisted that Mufasa tell her the truth, and he eventually caved to his feelings for her. As the two embraced, Taka watched, heartbroken, from a nearby snowy ridge.
Upon reflecting on what Mufasa had done, Taka determined that his father had been right all along and denounced his and Mufasa's brotherhood. Suddenly, he fell down a snowy hill and noticed the Outsiders camped nearby. Recalling his father's words about deceit being the trait of a great king, he approached Kiros and feigned camaraderie with him, as Mufasa had gotten his father killed, just as he had killed Kiros' son. Taka then vowed to lead the Outsiders to Milele.
Taka reveals his betrayal to Mufasa.
When Taka at last rejoined his friends, Mufasa attempted to tell him about his romance with Sarabi, but Taka did not let him finish. Instead, he said that he would never forget what Mufasa had done. The group continued on, with Taka leaving a trail of claw marks for the Outsiders, until they reached Milele. There, the Outsiders confronted them, and Kiros revealed Taka's treachery to Mufasa. Heartbroken, Mufasa wondered why Taka would betray him, and Taka claimed that Mufasa had stolen Obasi, Eshe, and Sarabi from him.
A battle broke out between the Outsiders and Mufasa's allies, during which Mufasa and Kiros fought in a cave. From afar, Taka watched the fight, recalling his childhood with Mufasa and his mother's words that his time would come. In a moment of bravery, he leaped in-between the fighting lions, taking Kiros' blow across one eye, leaving a deep gash on his face. He then begged Kiros not to kill Mufasa.
Just then, an earthquake split the land, forming Pride Rock and knocking Mufasa and Kiros into an underwater pool. After killing Kiros, Mufasa swam to the surface, only for Taka to intercept him and dig his claws into his brother's paws. Eventually, Taka pulled Mufasa to safety. At that moment, Sarabi approached, and Taka walked by her, looking at her sorrowfully, before she reunited with Mufasa.
Taka, now known as Scar, starting his path to evil.
With the Outsiders defeated and Kiros dead, the animals of Milele nominated Mufasa to be their new king and questioned what would become of the treacherous Taka. Mufasa declared that, as long as he was king, Taka could remain in Milele. However, he told Taka that he would never again refer to him by his name, and so, Taka suggested that he be called "Scar" from then on, as a reminder of what he had done. With the gathered animals watching, Mufasa ascended Pride Rock and became king, while Scar scowled and walked away, now filled with bitterness.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Ironically, the way Scar was raised by his father, Obasi, to become king is how lions in real life behave, spending their time resting while the lionesses go hunting. This also explains his lack of physical development compared to Mufasa who mainly spent time with lionesses and consequently developed an imposing stature as an adult.
- Scar's real name, Taka, was originally intended for his animated counterpart through the book A Tale of Two Brothers until it was acknowledged as non-canon, with the original Scar instead going by the name Askari years later.
- In Mufasa: The Lion King, Scar digs his claws into Mufasa's paws twice in the same way he did before pushing him to his death years later. The difference is that he did it both times to help Mufasa, the first time to try to save him from crocodiles when they were children, the second time to save Mufasa from drowning after his fight with Kiros, though Scar seemed hesitant to let his brother drown but ultimately did not. In a way, Scar repeating the gesture before killing Mufasa was his way of saying he was cutting the ties of the past between them.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ "‘The Lion King’ Prequel: Kelvin Harrison Jr. & Aaron Pierre To Lead Cast For Disney & Barry Jenkins". Deadline Hollywood (August 26, 2021).
External links[]
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