Makunga

Makunga is the main antagonist of DreamWorks' seventeenth full-length animated feature film, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. He is Zuba's arch-nemesis and Teetsi's boss and seeks to overthrow Zuba, and take over as Alpha Lion.
He was voiced by Alec Baldwin

Personality

> But I'm afraid you're still banished.
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Makunga is very mean, stingy, tricky, egotistical, and overall cocky in nature. Makunga is also especially shrewd, sneaky, deceitful, and manipulative, as he tricked Alex into challenging Teetsi (who is a much stronger lion than Alex), knowing well enough Alex would easily fail and Zuba wouldn't have it in him to exile his son for his failure, thus Zuba resigns the alpha lion position and Makunga takes it. His manipulative tendencies stemmed from the fact that at the beginning of the movie, he failed to best Zuba in a challenge to be the Alpha Lion in a physical battle, so he mostly relied on his wits to get what he wants.

When Makunga takes the role of the alpha lion, he's not very good at it, due to his incompetence he tries to hide, and he comes up with nutty solutions to the drought like having to fight for the water or leaving the reserve to find it. All in all, Makunga's supreme ego leads to his downfall when Alex tricks him by giving him Nana's purse as a gift, and then he releases the old lady, who proceeds to give the conceited jerk the beating that he deserves, making him a character that is purposely made to be hated.

Makunga is seen at the beginning of the film, watching Zuba training his young son Alakay, who is more interested in dancing, much to Zuba's dismay. Makunga reveals himself and says that it is disappointing that Alakay is not growing up the way that Zuba also wants him. Zuba is annoyed and questions Makunga if he is challenging him again. Makunga replies that once he becomes Alpha Lion, Zuba will have more time to spend with his "pathetic excuse of a son". Zuba asks Makunga why he wants to become the Alpha Lion to which he responds "I'm better looking, I have better hair. I'm deceivingly smart. And I want everyone else to do what I say." While Zuba fights Makunga (and defeats him rather easily), Alakay wanders off, and gets captured by poachers, eventually ending up in New York and being renamed Alex.

Years later, an adult Alex and his friends wind up in Africa, and Alex reunites with his parents. Makunga thinks of using him as an advantage to finally become the Alpha lion. At Alex's welcoming ceremony, Makunga suddenly stops the celebration and reminds Zuba that Alex must perform the Rite of Passage in order to be officially accepted into the pride. Alex, believing it to be a breeze, accepts the opportunity.

As Alex prepares for the Rite of Passage, Makunga comes along and tricks him into choosing Teetsi as his opponent. As Alex "fights" with Teetsi (mistaking it to be a dance battle), Makunga laughs, saying to himself, "This is even better than I thought!". When Alex loses the fight, Makunga dethrones Zuba as Alpha lion, banishes him, Alex and Florrie, and makes Alex wear the Hat of Shame (which is a coconut shell decorated with a whole bunch of fruit at the top). When the watering hole is dried, Makunga suggests that the animals would have to fight for the water. When the animals object to this insane proposal, Makunga tells them if they are thirsty, they will have to look for water off of the reserve. The animals object to this notion as well, knowing that poachers are outside the reserve. However, Alex steps in and states that he himself went off the reserve and survived. He then states that he himself will leave the reserve to bring the water back. While the other animals are amazed at Alex's bravery, Makunga laughs derisively at him and sarcastically suggests to the young lion that he do a rain dance. Determined to prove the pompous Makunga wrong, Alex sets off on his quest, and Makunga continues to insult and mock him as he leaves. Realizing that Makunga has no regard for anybody but himself, the animals criticize his leadership and demand Zuba back, and Makunga finally realizes that becoming the alpha lion wasn't really worth getting excited about because he's not really "deceivingly smart" like he acted like he was.

Alex and his friends soon learned that a couple of tourists (led by Nana) created a dam that dried up the watering hole in the first place, so they managed to destroy it, thus the water is finally returned to the reserve. Although the other animals are praising Alex and his family for retrieving the water, Makunga refuses to surrender his authority by stating that none of it changes anything. However, Alex and Zuba trick Makunga by giving Nana's handbag to him as a "token of appreciation". When Makunga tells Alex and Zuba that they’re still banished, they release the old lady. When Nana sees Makunga holding her purse, she proceeds to attack him as she kicks him in the crotch, steps on his foot, whacks his paw with a ruler, gives him a wet willy, burns his arm, and spanks him, before dragging him away by the ear as the other animals begin praising again happily, ending his position as a alpha lion for good.

It is unknown what happened to Makunga afterwards, but according to the DVD commentary, it was revealed that Nana brought him to New York in a kitty cage, meaning that he was held in captive by Nana and became her pet.