Scar/Scar's Reign

―Scar to Timon[src] | ”

**Scar** was a male lion. He was the king of Pride Rock who succeeded Mufasa and would have preceded Simba. He was the younger brother of Mufasa and the uncle of Simba.

From a young age, Scar resented Mufasa for his position as the king of Pride Rock. His bitterness only increased when Mufasa had a son, Simba, who was declared the new heir to the throne. Once Simba grew into a cub, Scar made several attempts on his life. In the final incident, Scar worked with a hyena clan led by Shenzi to instigate a wildebeest stampede that threatened Simba's life and thus lured Mufasa into danger. Though Mufasa managed to rescue Simba, Scar intercepted Mufasa as he tried to climb out of the gorge and threw him to his death. Afterward, Scar sent his hyena minions after Simba, but they failed to kill him.

Meanwhile, Scar informed the pride that both Mufasa and Simba had perished in the stampede, after which he became the new king of Pride Rock. Under Scar's reign, the hyenas over-hunted the herds and thus caused the Pride Lands to fall into disrepair. Several times, Scar attempted to coerce Sarabi into becoming his queen so he could win over the pride's loyalty, but she refused.

## Biography

### Early life

Scar was born to the reigning monarch of Pride Rock. He had an elder brother named Mufasa. In his youth, Scar fell in love with Sarabi, but she chose to become mates with Mufasa instead. This incident, coupled with Scar's jealousy of Mufasa's position as the king of Pride Rock, embittered Scar and caused him to challenge Mufasa for the throne. Though he lost the fight, Mufasa allowed him to remain in the pride because of their familial ties.

### Simba's presentation

―Scar on Simba's presentation[src] | ”

On the day of Simba's presentation, Scar deliberately missed the ceremony. Mufasa arrived and admonished him for missing Simba's presentation, but Scar feigned forgetfulness. Mufasa reminded Scar that Simba was his son and the future king, and Scar sarcastically promised to practice his curtsy. He then turned his back on Mufasa and started to walk away. Though Mufasa called after him to not turn his back on him, Scar retorted that Mufasa was the one who should not turn his back on him. This riled Mufasa, who demanded to know if he was being challenged. Scar reassured Mufasa that he would not dare challenge the king again, as he did not have the brawn to do it. He then slunk around Mufasa, and strode off into the savanna.

### Assassination attempt on Simba

Many seasons passed, and Simba grew into a lively young cub. One day, Mufasa had to deal with several invading hyenas, so he sent Simba back to Pride Rock. There, Simba stalked a beetle, only for it to escape him. Scar mocked Simba for his failure to hunt properly, then attempted to shoo the cub away. Instead of leaving, Simba told Scar that Mufasa had showed him around the Pride Lands and declared that Scar would have to listen to him when he became the king. Scar surmised that Mufasa had not showed Simba what was beyond the northern border, and Simba deflated and explained that he had been forbidden to go there. Scar immediately affirmed Mufasa's decision and purposefully let it slip that the forbidden land was an elephant graveyard. Though Simba was excited at the prospect of an elephant graveyard, Scar made the cub promise to stay away from the area.

Ultimately, Scar's plan to have the hyenas kill Simba at the Elephant Graveyard was foiled when Mufasa came to the cub's rescue. That night, Scar visited the Elephant Graveyard and met with the hyenas. He revealed that he had sent Simba to the Elephant Graveyard and expressed contempt that the whole clan had been unable to kill him. In response to the hyenas' hostility, he detailed his plot to kill Mufasa and Simba, take the throne of Pride Rock, and allow the hyenas into the Pride Lands so they could hunt at their leisure. The hyenas agreed to his proposal.

### Assassination of Mufasa

―Scar, moments before he throws Mufasa to his death[src] | ”

The next day, Scar took Simba to the gorge and told him that it was the place where all young cubs went to find their roar. He added that Mufasa had refused to leave until his roar could be heard above the rim. As Scar turned to leave, Simba asked if Mufasa would be proud of him, and Scar remarked that it would be something Mufasa would never forget.

Once Scar was clear of the gorge, the hyenas started a wildebeest stampede. Meanwhile, Scar feigned panic and informed Mufasa that Simba was in the path of the stampeding wildebeests. Together, Mufasa and Scar rushed to the gorge, and Mufasa leaped into the stampede to rescue his son, while Scar stalked along the rim of the gorge and monitored Mufasa's progress.

After rescuing Simba, Mufasa began to scale the gorge wall. However, as he reached the rim, Scar intercepted him. Mufasa begged Scar for help, but Scar slammed his claws into his brother's paws and growled, "Long live the king." He then shoved Mufasa off the gorge wall and sent him plummeting to his death.

After Mufasa's fall, Scar met Simba at the bottom of the gorge and manipulated him into believing that Mufasa's death was his fault. In the face of Simba's uncertainty, Scar told him to run away and never return. The cub did as he had been told, and Scar instructed the hyenas to chase him down and kill him. Though the hyenas failed to kill Simba, they reported to Scar that the deed had been done.

When Scar returned to the pride, he delivered the news of Mufasa's and Simba's deaths and claimed that he had been too late to save them. Afterward, he announced that, since he was next in line for the throne, he must become the new king of Pride Rock. He commented that ruling the Pride Lands was a task that he could not manage on his own and revealed that he had allowed the hyenas into the Pride Lands. This shocked and horrified the lionesses.

### Reign over the Pride Lands

―Scar pressures Sarabi to become his queen[src] | ”

Under Scar's reign, the hyenas over-hunted the Pride Lands and depleted the kingdom of its plentiful resources. Over time, the Pride Lands fell into disrepair. One day, Scar summoned Sarabi to speak with him and invited her to share his prey, but she criticized him for killing so many animals. Scar asked Sarabi to be his queen and pointed out that the pride would not answer to him so long as she resisted him. Despite his pleas, she refused his offer, and, as punishment, he decreed that the lionesses would eat after the hyenas.

(To be continued)

## Physical appearance

Scar 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.

## Personality and traits

―Scar[src] | ”

Due to living in the shadow of his elder brother, Scar grew to be bitter, jealous, and deeply resentful of Mufasa. He made no attempt to hide his contempt, as he openly mocked and disrespected his brother whenever they interacted. His jealousy extended to Mufasa's son, Simba, who had replaced him as the first in line to the throne. His hatred for his nephew was more restrained, as he treated Simba with cold indifference and subtle derision. Even so, he was ultimately willing to kill both his brother and nephew, and even enjoyed inflicting pain on them, as seen when he convinced Simba that he was responsible for Mufasa's death.

While physically weaker than his brother, Scar was far more cunning and intelligent, and could come up with complex schemes to further his own ends. He took advantage of Simba's trusting nature to lure him to the gorge and correctly guessed that Mufasa would put himself in danger to save his son. He was also charismatic and pragmatic enough to win over the allegiance of his hyena allies with a single speech.

As king, Scar enforced a tyrannical rule that served his own selfish needs. He did whatever it took to get what he wanted and used force to make his critics submit to his rule. Scar punished those who rejected him and was particularly sensitive whenever someone compared him to Mufasa. Despite his attempts to appear powerful, Scar would have been a coward, as he would have shamelessly begged Simba for mercy and did not hesitate to double-cross his loyal and subservient hyena allies. Ultimately, this treacherous and cowardly act would have cost him his life.

## Relationships

* Simba - Nephew and Attempted Victim
* Sarabi - Sister-in-Law

Allies* Shenzi's clan - Former Subordinates
	+ Shenzi - Former Subordinate

## Appearances

* *The Lion King: Revisited* (early draft)
	+ "Epilogue: An Important Coronation" (early draft)
* *Scar's Reign* (early draft)
* *Shenzi* (early draft)
	+ "Shenzi Chapter 1" (mentioned)
* *What If...?*
	+ "What If... Scar Won the Battle for the Pride Lands?"

## Trivia

### General

* Scar was voiced by the following:
	+ In *Epilogue: An Important Coronation*, he was voiced by Jeremy Irons.
		- Irons also voiced Scar.
	+ In *Scar's Reign*, he was voiced by David Oyelowo.

### In development

* During early production of *The Lion King: Revisited* episode *Epilogue: An Important Coronation*:
	+ Scar was to be the main antagonist.
	+ Scar assembled the strange lion, Zira, Kifo, Tauni, Vita, and Njaa to invade the Pride Lands.
	+ Scar met Kiara, Simba, and their allies, engaging them in a duel.