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Scar debuted in The Lion King (1994). The scheming younger brother of Mufasa, Scar was next-in-line to take the throne until his nephew Simba, Mufasa's son, was born, replacing him. Determined to seize the throne, Scar devises a plan to kill both Simba and Mufasa.
- Overview
- Biography
- Physical appearance
- Personality and traits
- Trivia
Scar was a male lion. He was the king of Pride Rock who succeeded Mufasa and preceded Simba. He was the younger brother of Mufasa and the uncle of Simba.
In his youth, Scar was tasked with leading the Lion Guard, a legendary group of lions who defended the Circle of Life and protected the Pride Lands. As the group's leader, Scar was gifted with a powerful roar called the Roar of the Elders. Over time, his power and position led him to believe that he should be king instead of his elder brother, Mufasa. As a result, he tried to stage a coup with the rest of his Lion Guard, but they refused to assist him in his plot. In retaliation for their insolence, Scar destroyed them with the Roar of the Elders, but this cost him its use forever, for it could only be used for good.
In the seasons after the Lion Guard's downfall, Scar continued to vie for his brother's throne. After the birth of his nephew, Simba, Scar made plans to dispose of both Mufasa and Simba. With the help of his hyena minions, he set off a wildebeest stampede that threatened Simba's life and thus lured Mufasa into danger. Mufasa managed to rescue Simba, but when he climbed up the side of the gorge toward safety, he was intercepted and thrown to his death by Scar. After Mufasa's fall, Scar convinced Simba that he was to blame for the death, after which he drove the cub into self-exile.
With Mufasa and Simba purportedly dead, Scar became the new king of Pride Rock. Under his reign, he allowed the hyenas to invade the Pride Lands, and the kingdom slowly fell into ruin. Eventually, a full-grown Simba returned to Pride Rock and challenged Scar for his throne. A battle ensued, during which Scar made one last attempt on Simba's life. However, he was promptly defeated and thrown from the summit of Pride Rock. Upon landing at the base of Pride Rock, he was surrounded by the hyenas, who turned on him and ate him alive amidst a fiery blaze.
Many seasons after Scar's defeat, Ushari and Janja summoned his spirit in a volcano in the Outlands. With Ushari's help, Scar formed an army of Outlanders to take on his great-nephew, Kion, and the Pride Lands' new Lion Guard. In an effort to send Kion down a dark path, Scar ordered Ushari to bite him and inflict him with a scar of his own. However, Scar was ultimately destroyed for good when Kion summoned the Great Lions of the Past to judge him for his past crimes. With Scar defeated, his army swiftly fell.
Meanwhile, Zira led a pride of lions who remained loyal to Scar in spite of Simba's ascent to the throne. Over the seasons, she trained her son, Kovu, to become a cold-blooded killer who was capable of assassinating and overthrowing Simba. However, when Kovu fell in love with Simba's daughter, Kiara, he rejected Scar's legacy and joined Simba's pride instead.
Early life
Scar was born to the reigning monarch of Pride Rock. He had an elder brother named Mufasa.
Leading the Lion Guard
As the second-born cub of the reigning monarch of Pride Rock, Scar was tasked with leading the Lion Guard and gifted with the Roar of the Elders. At some point in his life, he formed a close friendship with a lioness named Zira, whom he taught all about the Roar. Oftentimes, Scar would patrol on his own, without the assistance of his Lion Guard. During one such solo patrol in the Outlands, Scar encountered a rogue lion, who convinced him that he should be king instead of Mufasa. With some persuasion, the rogue got Scar to team up with him so they could take over the Pride Lands with the Roar of the Elders. However, as the rogue led Scar to a nearby volcano, his cobra friend attacked Scar and gave him a venomous scar over his left eye. The rogue then revealed that he planned to blackmail Scar with the venom's antidote. However, Scar was so angry that he used the Roar of the Elders to kill the rogue and his cobra friend. After the incident, Scar told Mufasa how he had foiled the rogue's attempted takeover of the Pride Lands. Though he expected to be praised for the deed, Mufasa instead patted him on the head and nicknamed him "Scar." Furious at Mufasa for making a mockery of him, Scar decided to do whatever it took to overthrow his brother and claim the title of king for himself. Over time, Scar let his power and ambitions get to his head. One day, he met with his Lion Guard near a rock on the border of the Outlands and asked them to aid him in his plot to kill Mufasa. His Lion Guard refused, and so Scar used the Roar of the Elders to kill them in retaliation, creating Broken Rock in the process. In the aftermath of the attack, Scar lost his powers forever, as the Roar of the Elders was not meant to be used for evil. This left him shocked and horrified. After losing his powers, Scar remained bitterly jealous of Mufasa and continued to devise schemes to take over the Pride Lands. In time, he found new allies in the form of a clan of hyenas who lived in the Elephant Graveyard.
Simba's presentation
Scar's hopes to become king were seemingly crushed when his nephew, Simba, was born. Scar deliberately missed the presentation ceremony out of jealousy and resentment. Afterward, he toyed with a mouse in a cave and lamented how his life was unfair because he would never be king. He started to eat the mouse, only for Zazu to arrive and announce that Mufasa was on his way, which scared the mouse off. Zazu merely taunted Scar for losing his dinner and berated him for his absence at Simba's presentation. Incited, Scar caught Zazu in his mouth and started to eat him. Just then, Mufasa arrived and ordered Scar to release Zazu. The younger lion did so, then commented sarcastically that Mufasa was "descending from on high to mingle with the commoners." Instead of rising to the bait, Mufasa remarked that Scar had missed Simba's presentation, and Scar feigned shock, claiming that he had forgotten all about it. Zazu retorted that Scar should have been "first in line" at the ceremony, to which Scar pointed out that he had been first in line until Simba had been born. Mufasa reminded Scar that Simba was the future king, but Scar simply made a sarcastic comment and turned his back on his brother. Mufasa ordered Scar to not turn his back on him, but Scar replied that it was Mufasa who should not turn his back on him. Enraged, Mufasa lunged into Scar's path and demanded to know if Scar was challenging him. Scar denied Mufasa's accusation and explained that he did not have enough physical strength to challenge his brother. He then sauntered off into the savanna. As Scar walked away, Mufasa lamented their estranged relationship, and Zazu joked that Mufasa should make Scar into a throw rug.
As an adolescent, Scar was somewhat undersized and skinny, with sharp features. He had orange-tinted brown fur, with a cream underbelly, cream paws, and a cream muzzle, as well as a long, sleek, slicked-back black mane and a black tail tip. He had several distinguishing features, such as a goatee, dark eye rims, and a hooked black nose. His eyes were bright green. He obtained a scar over his left eye when he was attacked by a cobra. Additionally, as the leader of the Lion Guard, he possessed a roaring lion's head marking on his left shoulder, though this marking disappeared when he lost the Roar of the Elders.
Upon reaching adulthood, Scar remained considerably small, malnourished, and lanky, although his mane grew longer. He often lamented how physically weak he was in comparison to Mufasa. Even so, he was able to hold his own against a full-grown Simba and could strike Sarabi to the ground with a single hit. He retained his coloring as an adult and grew black tufts of fur on his elbows.
From a young age, Scar was arrogant, narcissistic, and powerhungry. He flaunted his position as the leader of the Lion Guard and enjoyed domineering others to his will, even his own Lion Guard. He let his power, both physical and executive, get to his head, to the point that he believed that he was more worthy of being king than Mufasa. Though he loved to receive attention and praise, Scar retained no loyalty to his homeland or his family, as he nearly betrayed both so he could forge an alliance with a rogue lion who wanted to overtake the Pride Lands. Additionally, Scar was quite introverted and reserved, and preferred to patrol on his own.
Upon reaching adulthood, Scar remained self-absorbed and negligent. He was bitterly jealous of Mufasa and Simba, and constantly lamented how they stood in the way of his ambitions. Despite this, he did not openly challenge Mufasa's authority and was subtle in his jibes against Simba. He mostly used sarcasm, derision, and a gloomy sense of humor to portray his sour moods, which frustrated Mufasa and went over a young Simba's head.
Despite his lack of physical prowess, Scar was hyperintelligent and capable of concocting complex plots against his enemies. He took advantage of the hyenas' idiocy and gluttony, and used them as his enforcers. Even when backed into a corner, Scar could typically wriggle out of a situation and shift the blame to someone else. He was charismatic, authoritative, and charming, and could use words to craft any narrative he pleased. Because he had no qualms about lying, he frequently used his incredible verbiage to manipulate, lie to, and gaslight those around him. He even took pleasure in the suffering of others, most notably when he blamed Simba for Mufasa's death, only to order the cub's death a few moments later.
As a leader, Scar was neglectful of his duties and let his followers have free reign over the Pride Lands, which resulted in a terrible famine. Though the hyenas and the lionesses attempted to reason with him, he refused to take their suggestions, blamed them for the situation, and appealed to his own authority as a buffer against criticism. He was especially sensitive when others compared him to Mufasa.
General
•Scar was voiced by the following: •In The Lion King, he was voiced by Jeremy Irons. Jim Cummings provided some singing vocals. •Cummings also voiced Ed in The Lion King, The Lion King 1½, House of Mouse, The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa, Kingdom Hearts II, and Simba's Mighty Adventure as well as Boaris, Boudreaux, Bruce, Cheetato, Lester, the mole, Mother Gorilla, Nobi, Rooster, Simon's father, Smolder, Woody Woodeater III, and Yagu in The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa. •In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, he was voiced by Jim Cummings. •In The Lion Guard, he was voiced by David Oyelowo. •In Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure, he was voiced by James Horan. •In Kingdom Hearts II, he was voiced by James Horan. •In Simba's Mighty Adventure, he was voiced by Jim Cummings. •In Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, he was voiced by James Horan. •In Fantasmic!, he was voiced by Jim Cummings. •In Disney's Animated Storybook: The Lion King, he was voiced by James Avery. •Scar was animated by Andreas Deja in The Lion King. •The role of Scar in the stage musical version of The Lion King was originated by John Vickery. •Unlike the other lions in his pride, Scar's claws are always unsheathed. The Outsiders share this trait. •The cause of Scar's death does not seem to be widespread knowledge. While Zira believed that Simba had killed Scar, Janja believed that Scar had died in the fire at Pride Rock. In reality, Scar survived his fight with Simba and the fire, and was killed by his own hyena minions. •In the stage musical version of The Lion King, Scar has an additional song titled "The Madness of King Scar". •Scar is similar to One-Eye from Monkey Mountain; both are predators with a scar over their left eye who use hyenas to do their bidding. •When Kovu sees Scar's reflection in place of his own, it is the same exact animation used in The Lion King when Scar orders the hyenas to kill Simba. It is merely distorted by the rippling water. •During early production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Gaston was eaten alive by wolves after surviving his fall from the Beast's castle. The idea was scrapped and instead used for Scar's death scene in The Lion King. •According to the audio commentary of The Lion King, Scar being in the shadow of Pride Rock, while Mufasa and Simba are in the sunlight, is symbolic of Scar being evil. •During a Tenth Anniversary Reunion discussion panel, directors Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers were asked who Nala's father was. Minkoff joked that Allers was the father. The two directors then stated that Mufasa or Scar could be Nala's father. However, the Lion Guard episode "Paintings and Predictions" revealed that Nala's father was a different lion, not Mufasa or Scar. •According to Rob Minkoff, Scar's name is a "really mean nickname." He believes that Mufasa gave Scar his scar when they were cubs. However, the Lion Guard episode "Battle for the Pride Lands" revealed that Scar got his scar from a cobra. •According to Rob Minkoff, the filmmakers never gave Scar an original name. •According to Ford Riley, Scar's birth name was "Askari," after the first leader of the Lion Guard. His name got shortened to "Scar" after he received his scar from a cobra. •Scar's line, "You have no idea," is a reference to the same Jeremy Irons line from the 1990 film Reversal of Fortune. •In The Brightest Star, Scar has a grandfather named Mohatu. •In The Lion King: Six New Adventures, Scar's birth name is "Taka," and he received his scar from a cape buffalo named Boma. Additionally, his parents are named Ahadi and Uru. •A since-suspended Disney website erroneously described Scar as Zira's brother. •In Disney's Hercules, the title character is seen wearing Scar's pelt while he poses for a painting on a Greek vase.
In development
•Scar's original names were Mruki and N'Dogo. •During early production of The Lion King, Scar was the leader of the baboons, who were at war with the lions. •In the January 1990 draft of The Lion King, Scar suffered from a fear of lightning. •In the January 1990 and May 1990 drafts of The Lion King, Scar had no relation to Mufasa. Additionally, Scar did not kill Mufasa by throwing him into a stampede. Rather, he fought Mufasa to the death with the help of his hyena minions. •In the January 1990 and May 1990 drafts of The Lion King, Scar was dim-witted and slow, and the true mastermind behind his ascent to kingship was the hyena Banagi. •In the January 1990 and May 1990 drafts of The Lion King, Scar was massive and muscular as opposed to skinny and weak. •In a 1991 draft of The Lion King, Scar lured Nala's brother, Mheetu, into a stampede. Simba attempted to save Mheetu, only for Mufasa to save both young lions. •In a 1991 draft of The Lion King, Scar attacked and killed Mufasa while he was on a solo patrol. With Mufasa dead, Scar became the king and agreed that Simba would assume the throne once he was old enough. However, when the time came, Scar denounced Simba as unfit to rule. •In a 1991 draft of The Lion King, Rafiki accused Scar of murder, and Scar ordered the hyenas to chase Rafiki and Simba out of the kingdom. The two took refuge with Timon and his family, and Rafiki trained Simba to take back his kingdom from Scar. •In the 1992 draft of The Lion King, Scar asked Nala to be his queen, but she refused. Consequently, Scar banished her from the Pride Lands. This scene was eventually added to the stage musical version of The Lion King. •In the 1992 draft of The Lion King, Scar sang a reprise of "Be Prepared", during which he introduced the hyenas as his executive staff. •Originally, Scar had a python sidekick. •An early version of The Lion King involved Scar raising Simba after Mufasa's death. Though Scar tried to kill Simba after the stampede, the lionesses arrived and believed that he had saved the cub's life. Thus, Scar was forced to accept the narrative and raise Simba himself. •An alternate ending of The Lion King had Scar say, "Good night, sweet prince," to Simba before lunging at him. However, Simba flipped Scar away, and Scar barely caught on to the edge of Pride Rock. From his prone position, Scar begged Simba for mercy, and Simba started to acquiesce, only for Scar to throw him off Pride Rock. Scar then laughed maniacally as he was engulfed in flame. The line was meant to be a nod to Hamlet, the Shakespearean play on which The Lion King was based. •According to concept artwork, Scar originally had his own special territory called "Scar-land." •Tim Curry and Malcolm McDowell were considered for the role of Scar. •The animators were so impressed with Jeremy Irons' performance that they worked Irons' features into Scar's face. •During early production of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Scar was the mate of Zira, and the father of Kovu. According to director Darrell Rooney, this idea was scrapped due to the incestuous undertones Kovu's romance with Kiara would have had. Thus, Zira's relationship with Scar was purposefully obscured to make her "just a follower," and Kovu was written to be Scar's protégé instead. •In a deleted scene from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Zira calls herself Scar's "loving, devoted queen." This implies that Scar was originally going to be Kovu, Nuka, and Vitani's father. •In a deleted scene from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Zira states that Scar's dying wish was for the Outsiders to train Kovu to become king. This suggests that the hyenas did not eat Scar. •During early production of The Lion King 1½, Timon and Pumbaa were supposed to meet Scar. While searching for Mufasa, they encountered Scar and the hyenas, who had just finished singing "Be Prepared". Timon noted that Scar was not Mufasa, and Scar wondered why he must always be reminded of this.
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.
Mar 27, 2024 · Scar forms the Army of Scar, which sets out to reclaim the Pride Lands from Simba. His army is met by the reformed Lion Guard, headed up by Kion, the possessor of the Roar of the Elders. In “Battle for the Pride Lands,” Scar has the cobra Ushari attack Kion, leaving him with a scar of his own.
- Scar in The Lion King: A New Tale. The Lion King remains one of Disney's best animated films, and it highlights a villain—Scar—who actually wins, reigning as king for years before Simba's return.
- Scar's Original Backstory. No, Scar's parents didn't name him Scar; in his original backstory, they named him something worse: Taka, which in Swahili translates to waste.
- Scar's New Origin Story (From Lion Guard) Scar's spirit returns in an episode of Lion Guard and recites his retconned past through the song "When I Became Scar," which has surprising depth for a Disney Junior program.
- Scar's Unification of Lions and Hyenas. Scar actually had a solid idea about joining the hyena and lion clans, turning rival predators into allies, giving the kingdom a stronger defense and sharing food between species.
Sep 3, 2019 · During his daily patrol, Scar came across another lion — a lion who had a scar of his own and who also had plans to overthrow Mufasa himself so he could take over the kingdom (ironic, isn’t...
Full Name. Askari Jr. Aliases. Scar King Scar. Occupation. Evil Lion of the Past. Member of the Disney Villains. Alignment. Bad. Affiliations. Disney Villains. Hobby. Hunting. Manipulating others. Gaining power for his own ends. Abusing his hyena minions Forcing the lionesses to get eaten by hyenas. Bragging about how great he is.
