Scar

**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. His chances were lost, however, at the arrival 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 kingdom, with the aid of his hyena henchmen.

## Background

As revealed in *The Lion Guard*, Scar was at one point selected as 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 to all second-born children of the king. With this responsibility, Scar was given a power called the "Roar of the Elders". One day, Scar encountered a strange lion suggests that Scar should be the king of the Pride Lands until the strange lion led him to a trap where a cobra bit his left eye and left him his famous scar. Scar later killed them with the roar and after talking about it to his brother, he received the nickname '' Scar '' from his elder and which would eventually become his only name. After that, Scar began to become jealous and hateful of Mufasa and thought that his brother should no longer be the king. When the Lion Guard refused to help Scar take down his brother, Scar used the Roar of the Elders to destroy them. Due to using the Roar of the Elders for evil, 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. The filmmakers, however, believed 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 rule the Pride Lands.[2]

Infamously, a deleted plot point included Scar banishing 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.

### Personality

Scar was known to be very resentful of Mufasa and Simba, the latter for essentially ruining any chance of him 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 seemed 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. Scar is egotistical and prides himself on his intelligence, saying "As far as brains go, I got the lion share" and was somewhat of a narcissist, the latter trait being especially prevalent when plotting the murder of Mufasa after the hyenas' failed attempt at murdering Simba at the Elephant Graveyard where he mentions that when he becomes king, they will see him "for the wonder [he is]." He has some odd quirks that he is aware of, 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 was heavily sardonic, frequently replying to attempts at conversation with sarcasm and subtle insults. After taking over Pride Rock, Scar's overall demeanor took a turn for the worse, becoming somewhat deluded, if not in self-denial, in believing that he is still an efficient ruler despite clear evidence to the contrary, apparently being unwilling to admit 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 proceeded to refuse relocating the Pride from Pride Rock despite being confronted with clear 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.

Scar was 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 didn't appear to mind doing his own hunts, as evidenced when he brought a zebra leg for the hyenas. He was a fierce fighter who held his own against the much younger and more powerfully built Simba and came very close to killing him. However, Scar will not hesitate to cheat in a fight, as seen when he flings embers into Simba's eyes, temporarily blinding him, to gain the upper hand. Scar was a very charismatic individual, able to inspire the hyenas to follow his cause and gain fanatical loyalty from Zira and her pride of lionesses, the latter party even in death.

Regarding his treatment of Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, he was 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), 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 gave them a glance which seemed to indicate he would deal with them later. Despite this, however, he seemed to value them as friends, as evidenced by his remark when he finds the hyenas waiting for him before he realized they overheard his remarks, as well as his attempts at apologizing to them falling on deaf ears when he realized it was too late.

He was also a sadist, convincing his own nephew he was responsible for Mufasa's death and then taunting him for it further. He even toyed with Zazu whenever the Majordomo tried talking back at him. Despite his negative traits, he attempted to encourage Zazu to sing a more "bouncy" song, other than "It's a Small World", which he apparently finds to be extremely annoying (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!").

He remains conniving and power-hungry, even after his death, 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 Janja fears Scar greatly. In death, he is still manipulative and—in spite of his arrogance—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.

### 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, lithe and melanistic in appearance with a sleek, black mane, brownish-orange 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 also based in part on his original voice actor, Jeremy Irons.

After his death, Scar became a spirit manifested in lava and fire.

In the remake version, CGI Scar appears similar to the male lions in real life and his fur is shown to be pale and has scratch marks all over his body. His mane appear shorter and the color is pale brown at the front and black at the back. His scar over his left eye is now black and has a small cut on his right ear.

## Appearances

### *The Lion King*

Scar remained bitterly jealous of his elder brother but was allowed to live in the Pride Lands. He did not attend Simba's presentation, much to Mufasa's disappointment. During this time, he also tried to eat a mouse, although he was ultimately forced to let the mouse escape when Zazu told him off for missing Simba's presentation, causing Scar to attempt to exact revenge on Zazu by eating him instead until Mufasa interfered, forcing him to spit Zazu out. Scar also implied when Mufasa warned him not to walk away that he might attack Mufasa should he be distracted, before claiming that he would not dream of challenging his brother. He also briefly lamented that he may be cast out of the gene pool anyways before leaving Pride Rock dejected. As some time passed, Scar rapidly became jealous of his nephew Simba's position as the next king of Pride Rock and started plotting to kill him in order to take out the competition for the throne himself. He started to recruit hyenas, primarily Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, to build an army. He used bribes of food to get them on his side. The first attempt the hyenas made was to kill Simba after tricking the cub into entering their territory with his best friend, Nala. When Mufasa foiled that plan, Scar saw the whole scene with great unhappiness. Later, Scar admonishes the hyenas for failing to kill Simba, even when it was clear that Simba only survived due to Mufasa's interference. Knowing Simba will always be safe so long as Mufasa is around, Scar proposes they kill both Simba *and* Mufasa. To motivate and mobilize the hyenas, Scar promises that under his rule, the hyenas will never go hungry again, a promise which he clearly could not (and ultimately failed to) keep. With their help, he engineers a wildebeest stampede meant to kill both Simba and Mufasa, tricking Simba into waiting in a gorge under the notion that Mufasa has a 'marvelous surprise' for him. Scar alerts Mufasa, who rushes to Simba's aid. Mufasa manages to save his son and ends up clinging to a cliff where he spots Scar and pleads with his brother to help him. However, Scar instead pierces Mufasa's paws with his claws and, grinning wickedly, throws his brother off the cliff to his death with the impersonating words, "Long live the king". Scar discovers Simba still alive and places the blame of Mufasa's death on his nephew. He orders Simba to run away and never return as punishment. Scar then sends the hyenas to kill Simba, but they fail this task due to Simba going through a bed of thorns too dense for them to get through. Shenzi felt that allowing the cub to flee into the desert would kill him eventually and they would kill him if he survived and returned. Thus, they let the cub escape, and lie to Scar. Scar then tells the lionesses that Mufasa and Simba died and takes over the Pride Lands, using the hyena clan as muscle to ensure his reign goes undisputed. Due to Scar's irresponsibility as king and abolishing most of Mufasa's laws that regulated the hunting parties, both the Pridelanders and the hyenas begin to run out of food, while a drought that lasted longer than usual deprived them of water. Likewise, he also enacts a law that says everyone may not mention Mufasa in his presence, especially not in a more favorable light. One day, Scar later questions Sarabi as to why she and the rest of the lions are not hunting for food, to which she replies there is nothing left and suggests they leave Pride Rock to survive. He rejects the idea, essentially sentencing everyone to death out of pride. Scar condones to the fact and declares that as king he can do whatever he wants. With Sarabi pushed beyond composure, she openly compares Scar to Mufasa in a condescending manner, angering Scar to the point of violence against his sister-in-law. Just as this occurs, Simba, alive and well, returns and confronts the anxious Scar, who initially mistakes him for Mufasa. However, after learning it is his nephew as an adult, Scar sarcastically expresses "joy" at seeing him alive, and gives a dirty look at the hyenas, knowing they had in fact failed at their task and lied to him regarding Simba's death. Simba orders Scar to resign as king or engage in battle for the throne. Knowing he lacks the physical strength, Scar initiates a trial against Simba, blaming him for Mufasa's death in an attempt to turn the pride against him. Simba, still believing it was he who was responsible for his father's death, admits his "crime," allowing Scar to execute him as punishment. As a lightning bolt strikes beneath Pride Rock and causes a wildfire due to the dry grass, Scar quietly admits to Simba that it was the former who was truly responsible for Mufasa's death, enraging the younger lion. Simba furiously tackles Scar, leaving Scar scared out of his mind at this sudden surge of strength from his nephew, and threatens to strangle him unless he confesses to his crime. With no other choice, Scar bitterly reveals the truth to the observing pride. This leads to a ferocious battle in which the lionesses, Timon, Pumbaa, and Rafiki, work together to defeat the hyenas. A coward, Scar tries to escape, but Simba spots him and corners his uncle on the top of Pride Rock. On the edge of panic, Scar tries to explain to Simba that the hyenas were behind Mufasa's death, unaware that Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed had overheard him, resulting in them angrily stepping away, growling in fury, but Simba refuses to believe him, knowing that everything his malevolent uncle ever told him was a lie. When Simba chooses to exile Scar rather than kill him, Scar appears to concede, but then does a sneak attack by brushing the closest embers available into Simba's face. Not wanting to give up the throne, he attacks Simba, and they engage in a fierce fight.

Scar soon bashes Simba across the face and knocks him onto his back. However, as the elder lion leaps to deliver the deathblow, Simba uses his hind legs to hurl Scar over the edge, sending him tumbling down a rocky slope to the base of Pride Rock. Scar survives the fall and as he slowly gets to his feet, the hyenas arrive. At first, Scar is relieved to see his "friends", but to his horror, they reveal that they overheard Scar calling them "the enemy," and they begin to surround their fallen master with wide grins, unappreciative of Scar throwing them under the bus. Realizing his mistake too late, Scar begs for mercy and attempts to explain himself, but the hyenas have had enough of his lies, derogatory treatment, and broken promises. Fueled by their hunger and seething rage, the hyenas surround Scar, ignoring his life plea, leap upon him, and brutally maul him to death as flames surround them, likely devouring Scar's carcass by the end of it. With Scar dead, Simba ascends Pride Rock and reclaims the Pride Lands as the new king.

### *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 also appeared in Simba's dream. Mufasa clings to the high cliff above the stampede and an adult Simba tries to save his father. However, Scar grabs Simba's paw, stopping from reaching him. As Mufasa falls off the cliff into the stampede, Scar morphs into Kovu and throws Simba into the stampede too. In addition, Scar was also mentioned by Simba when he explains to Kovu the true history of the fight between Scar and him. 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.

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 under the concept of the Circle of Life.

### *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 is quiet, secluded and with no uninvited visitors. The shadows of the goose-stepping hyena army are then seen marching in front of them, though they haven't started singing yet. This convinces Timon and Pumbaa to look elsewhere.

He is also mentioned by Nala when 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 admitting he murdered Mufasa, where the hyenas were protecting 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: Return of the Roar

After Kion is told that he will be the leader of the new Lion Guard, Simba and Rafiki show him the history of the Guard using paintings within the Lair of the Lion Guard, including Scar's leadership and how he lost it by destroying his own Lion Guard after they refused to help him usurp Mufasa. As Kion, Bunga, Simba, and Rafiki leave, a painting is shown with Scar's head rising from a volcano, foreshadowing later events.

Later, when Mzingo informs Janja's Clan of Kion's new position, Janja wonders how that could be possible, since Scar was the last lion to lead the Guard, up until he destroyed them.

### The Rise of Makuu

As Kion and his family discuss Makuu's rise to power, Nala gently reminds Kion that Simba had to fight Scar to reclaim his leadership. Scar's name was mentioned again when Kion backed down when using the Roar in a state of anger, saying that he did not wish to become like his granduncle.

### Can't Wait to be Queen

As Simba explains the passing of Aminifu and the impending absence of himself and Nala, he explains how Amimifu helped bring the animals back to the Pride Lands after Scar's defeat.

### Eye of the Beholder

Scar's painting is once again seen briefly in the Lair of the Lion Guard, as Rafiki reveals the paintings of Lion Guards past.

### Lions of the Outlands

It is revealed that a group of lionesses were loyal to Scar during his reign. Among those lionesses was Zira, whom Scar trusted enough to share the secrets about the Roar of the Elders.

It is also revealed that Scar chose Zira's youngest cub, Kovu to be his heir. Sometime after Scar's defeat, Simba banished Zira, her family and other lionesses loyal to Scar from the Pride Lands to the Outlands. Zira mentions Scar multiple times, claiming that if it weren't for Simba, Scar would still be King. But Kion says that Scar was never the real king. Infuriated, Zira reveals her true colors and orders an attack on Kion. However, just before the Outsiders can hurt him, Zira offers to forgive him if he will join her and leaves him under the watch of her pride while she goes to fetch her cubs.

During the final fight between the Outsiders and the Lion Guard, Bunga urges Kion to use his Roar, but Kion worries that he will lose the Roar as Scar did for using it against other lions. However, Bunga reminds Kion that Scar did not lose his Roar because he used it against other lions, but because he used it for evil. Kion then uses the Roar successfully and blows away all the Outsiders.

### Never Roar Again

A painting of Scar and how he destroyed his Lion Guard is viewed by Kion in the Lair after he uses the Roar in anger when saving his mother, Nala, from Janja's clan. When Bunga mentions how his uncles called him the *worst lion ever*, Kion becomes more troubled. Worried that he may be following in Scar's footsteps with his temper, Kion later talks to Mufasa, who tells him that Scar held no interest in helping others, caring only for himself.

### The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar

Fed up with being hurt anytime he is near the Lion Guard and after discovering Kion's secret of speaking with Mufasa, Ushari starts pondering how he can use that information for his own benefit. He runs into Janja's clan, and in order to save himself from being eaten, Ushari starts trying to bargain with Janja, telling him of Kion's secret. The pair wonder if they can bring Scar back to life, and do some research. After luring Makini into speaking with her mentor about it, they discover a way to bring him back by using a Bakora Staff and a powerful Roar near the volcano and get to work on a plot. The hyenas steal Makini's Bakora Staff and, knowing that Kion's Roar is most powerful when his loved ones are threatened, kidnap Kiara, dragging her back into the Outlands with them. Although the Lion Guard save her, Janja manages to taunt Kion into using the Roar in anger, which causes the volcano to erupt. Once they have left, Janja enters the volcano and finds out that Ushari is still unable to summon Scar. In a temper, Janja grabs the staff and throws it in. With a small eruption, Scar suddenly appears and, after being questioned, introduces himself.

### Let Sleeping Crocs Lie

Resurrected, Scar begins to plot his revenge on his nephew Simba and reclaim control over the Pride Lands, first forming an alliance with Ushari and Janja and his clan. Upon learning from Ushari's skink spies that the Lion Guard has accidentally awakened Makuu and his float 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. When informed that a rebellious member of Makuu's float, Kiburi, has 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 ambushed 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 to the Outlands, Kiburi and his followers run into Ushari again, who takes them to the volcano, where Scar reveals himself to them. Scar explains his revenge plan to Janja, Ushari, Cheezi, Chungu, Kiburi and his followers, explaining his scheme to unify all 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.

### Swept Away

Upon hearing from one of Ushari's Skink spies that Beshte has ended up in the Outlands alone, Scar sees this as the perfect opportunity to eliminate the strongest of the Lion Guard and thus weaken it. After Cheezi and Chungu question it, Scar irritably explains that the heat of the Dry Season weakens hippopotamuses. He states that due to Beshte's trust in the skinks, it wouldn't be difficult to take advantage of this, and states that the skinks would lead Besthe to the Rocky Plateau, where Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu could trap and then crush him with huge rocks.

The plan nearly succeeds but is ultimately thwarted when the rest of the Guard arrives just in time, and Kion uses the Roar of the Elders to send the hyenas flying away. After landing near the volcano, Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu decide not to return to Scar immediately, knowing that he will be furious at them for their failure. As they begin to walk away, however, Ushari arrives and coldly informs them that Scar wishes to see them and isn't happy. Then, a small eruption can be seen at the top of the volcano, apparently confirming this.

### 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 Jasiri, Scar, at first, sees her as a possible valuable ally, but Janja reveals that Jasiri is friends with the Lion Guard and also respects the Circle of Life, unlike the other Outlanders. With this information, Scar changes his mind and decides that she is a threat. He orders Janja to get rid of her immediately and to do this with his entire clan, as he perfectly understands that Jasiri is too strong for only him, Cheezi and Chungu. As they leave, Scar coldly warns Janja to not disappoint him again.

### 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 potential to break the Circle of Life by removing the melons 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 melons. 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.

### The Morning Report

Scar orders the 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 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 warns Janja to hurry up as the Lion Guard must already be searching for Zazu.

### The Little Guy

Scar is mentioned by Shupavu and Njano after she muses that Hodari would make a good friend to Kiburi, one of his followers.

### Divide and Conquer

At some point, Scar finally managed to both find Reirei's pack and get them on his side. In the volcano, Scar is shown speaking with Reirei and Janja after they managed to separate the Lion Guard by attacking the Pride Lands in two different places at once. He reveals that their first mission was merely a test when Janja questions why they went to all that trouble and still returning to the Outlands with nothing and that their main objective would be in the next mission - eliminating Rafiki. When Janja and Reirei show confusion at this plan, referring Rafiki as  *an old monkey*, Scar continues to inform them that Rafiki can sense all the Lions of the Past, including himself, something he does not want the Pride Landers to discover yet. Janja and Reirei then start to squabble over who will take out Rafiki and who will cause a distraction, but Scar grows tired of their pettiness, and sends Janja's clan out to take down Rafiki, who he informs them that the skinks have told him is meditating at Mapango Cliffs, while Reirei's pack will distract the Guard. He next appears in a dry season fire, angrily telling a retreating Janja to stay and fight. Janja complains that his clan is outnumbered, but Scar responds with 'not for long' as the jackals soon arrive to help, so Janja does as Scar says. Kion, who was chasing after Janja, catches a glimpse of Scar before he vanishes, causing him to say *What in the Pride Lands?*. After the hyenas and the jackals are defeated, Kion goes to the area where Scar appeared and sees that a scorch mark with a strange symbol remains. Rafiki recognizes it from the Paintings of the Past as a sign of terrible evil and goes off to consult the Paintings of the Past for further information.

### The Scorpion's Sting

While the Pride Landers gather for Kumbuka, Scar gathers his army. He announces that they will finally destroy the Lion Guard and end Simba's reign. When he is questioned, he informs them that he will be getting some help and subsequently introduces them to a scorpion named Sumu. He then remarks that the day the Pride Landers celebrate his defeat will soon be known as the day that he returned. After successfully stinging Simba, Sumu returns to the Outlands to give Scar the good news. He is surprised to learn that bringing the Lion Guard to their volcano was exactly what his leader wanted. Scar orders Ushari to tell everyone to get ready for the Lion Guard. Although unaware that Scar has sent Kiburi's float, Reirei's pack and Janja's clan to delay them, the Lion Guard plow through the groups and make it to the volcano, where Makini picks up the cure for Simba's ailment, volcanic ash, and places it safely a gourd. Before they can leave, Scar finally reveals himself, rising from the flames. When Kion recognizes him, Scar commends him for his intelligence. Scar further reveals that he was behind his father's attack, and he extends his commendations to the Lion Guard for working out that he was the mastermind behind everything. But when the Lion Guard turn to leave regardless knowing that his plan failed, Scar summons the Army of Scar. The Army of Scar start to confront The Lion Guard and slowly corners them to a small ledge in the volcano, right in front of their leader. When Kion considers using the Roar, Scar warns Kion of the side-effects of using it in a volcano, but the young cub surprises him by using the Roar in a way he never thought possible, Kion is able to defeat the majority of his army. Infuriated, Scar commands Mzingo's Parliament to pursue them, and get the ash back from Makini, whose gourd contains it. But despite their best efforts, the Lion Guard work together to ensure Makini and the gourd's safety, and Kion's roar blows the vultures straight back into Scar's domain.

Looking out over his tired and defeated army, he comments darkly that the war has just begun.

### The Wisdom of Kongwe

Upon learning of his evil uncle's return from his son, a concerned Simba goes with him to consult Mufasa and asks about how to defeat Scar. Although the problem is unfortunately beyond his experience, he is certain that, between his son who has already saved the Pride Lands before from Scar and his grandson who is the leader of the Lion Guard, that they can defeat Scar. He leaves them with the message that *the wisdom is within the Pride Lands*, leading both lions to believe that he could be referring to an animal. And Simba knows just who he may be referring to and sends Fuli and Makini to search for an old and wise tortoise named Kongwe. Scar is later mentioned again when, after arriving at Pride Rock, Kongwe confesses that not even she is sure how to defeat Scar but assures everyone that they will find the solution eventually and that they just need to look. She also assures them that good will always triumph over evil, in time.

### The Kilio Valley Fire

Scar orders his minions to set fire to the Kilio Valley. After they succeed in doing so, he rises from the small flame of a remaining flaming stick that was thrown to the ground by Mwoga and praises his army for doing their work well 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 the Pride Lands.

### 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 arriving late) and orders the hyena leader 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 a 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 pursue Kinyonga out of the volcano.

### Cave of Secrets

Scar is mentioned and appears as a cave painting in the lair of the Lion Guard as they look for a way to defeat him once and for all.

### The Zebra Mastermind

Scar is mentioned by several members of his army and the Lion Guard.

### The Hyena Resistance

Jasiri tells her clan that Scar has returned but that they will help the Guard defeat him by forming a Hyena Resistance. Elsewhere in the Outlands while preparing to attack Mizimu Grove, Janja's clan gets blocked by a rock slide caused by the Hyena Resistance. When Scar hears the news, he gets super mad and fiercely roars at Janja, knocking him away. Scar almost grows angry at Kiburi too, who save himself by stating that the problem was that the plan did not go as planned. Scar then orders Kiburi's Float to take over Big Springs. However, the Hyena Resistance stops them. Then, he orders Reirei's Pack to take over Ukuni Woods. The Hyena Resistance watch above, and roll down a large boulder to the front of the cave, sealing Reirei's pack in before they can leave. Later, Janja and the skinks report back to Scar and reveals that Jasiri and her Hyena Resistance are behind all of this. After hearing that Janja lied to him about eliminating Jasiri on their previous encounter, Scar is furious and demands that he takes care of her and her clan for good, by playing them at their own game. He tells Janja to announce that he and his clan will be attacking Mizimu Grove again, but will instead attack her and her clan while the Lion Guard is at the grove. Janja gets confused initially, but Scar soon makes it clear. After telling him to also bring the jackals and crocodiles with him and his clan, Scar coldly warns Janja not to let him down again.

### The Underground Adventure

After hearing from Shupavu and Njano that Kion, Bunga, Kiara, Tiifu, and Zuri are at the Mud Pots at the edge of the Pride Lands and how easy it would be to set the place ablaze, Scar orders Njano to fetch him a vulture, who will be delivering *a gift of fire* to Kion and his companions.

### Beshte and the Beast

Scar is furious when he hears that Janja's clan, Reirei's pack and Kiburi's float were defeated again. They then explain that it was actually a very big and strong gorilla named Shujaa who defeated them, not the Lion Guard and that he was able to tear apart the landscape easily. Scar's fury turns into interest and excitement upon learning this. Since the gorilla is destroying the Pride Lands while he's trying to help the Lion Guard, Scar orders his army to keep attacking so the gorilla can make more damage.

### Pride Landers Unite!

Scar finds out that the Pride Landers are working together to defeat him. When Janja finds this funny, Scar tells him that Pride Landers forming an alliance would mean problems for his plan. However, since Kion's friendship with Makuu was being Swayed, He orders his army to take over Makuu's Watering Hole, something that ignites excitement in Kiburi.

### The Queen's Visit

After getting information from the skinks Scar orders Reirei's pack to get rid of Queen Dhahabu.

### The Fall of Mizimu Grove

After hearing the news of Makini's Mpando Mpaya from the skinks, Scar orders his army to ruin the event. During the battle, 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 Pride Landers and confronts Simba for the first time since his return. When Simba demands to know what Scar wants, Scar taunts his nephew by calling him naive and listing his success in destroying first the Kilio Valley, then Big Springs, and now the Mizimu Grove. He then leaves laughing after declaring that soon all of the Pride Lands will belong to him again. Terrified to learn that Scar has returned, the Pride Landers panic and consider leaving the Pride Lands.

### Fire from the Sky

Kion mentions Scar when he's wondering how his granduncle is behind all of these fire attacks. Mzingo later mentions him when telling Mwoga not to drop the fire until they get to the right spot.

### Battle for the Pride Lands

Some years into the battle with The Lion Guard, Scar tells Ushari how he got his scar. In a flashback, an adolescent Scar is patrolling the Pride Lands when a strange lion walks up to him. Knowing that he has the Roar of the Elders, the strange lion suggests that Scar should be the king of the Pride Lands. But Scar then meets a strange cobra and the snake gives him a scar on his left eye.

Afterwards, The Lion Guard arrive at the Outlands volcano where Scar has Ushari attack Kion, who is left with a scar over his left eye. When Scar declares that he and Kion are the same, Kion replies that he forgives Scar for what he has done, much to Scar's horror. Kion then summons the Great Lions of the Past with a gentle blow of air who then summon rain over the volcano. Being made of fire, Scar's spirit is extingushed by the water of the rain. Scar then curses Kion and insists to him that the Roar of the Elders is a curse and that he will see that they are the same before vanishing completely. The lava then hardens into igneous rock, destroying the Mark of Evil, finally ending Scar's threat to the Pride Lands once and for all.

### *The Lion King* (2019)

Scar appears in the 2019 film, voiced by Chiwetel Ejiofor. In appearance, Scar has graying-gold fur, amber eyes, a very lean build, and a thin, pale, mangy mane. In this film, it is heavily implied Scar got his signature scar above his left eye from challenging Mufasa for the right to rule the Pride Lands and in an attempt to win Sarabi's affections, though she chose Mufasa over him. Scar also has a noticeable notch in his right ear and several small scratch marks on his sides. This change from his animated depiction was, according to director Jon Favreau, meant to emphasize his inner trauma and evil nature.

Scar first 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 eat the hornbill, saying that he can do as he pleases. When Mufasa stops him, Scar feigns forgetting and starts to leave, 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 won't dare challenge Mufasa again. As he leaves, Zazu retorts to Mufasa that Scar should have been exiled from the Pride Lands long ago, but Mufasa refuses, saying that as his brother Scar has every right to live in the kingdom so long as Mufasa reigns as leader.

Later, Scar sees Simba chasing a beetle and tells him to run along, as he doesn't babysit cubs. 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's 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 making him promise not to tell about it.

After finding out his attempts to have Simba killed by the hyenas failed, Scar meets with Shenzi and the other hyenas 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. The next day, Scar takes Simba to the gorge in the Pride Lands, saying that to impress Mufasa after getting in trouble, he must 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 that 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 saves Simba, Scar waits as his brother tries to scale the walls of the gorge and escape. As Mufasa begs him for help, Scar sends Mufasa back into the gorge to his death with a swipe of his paw, murdering him. He then tricks Simba into believing Mufasa's death is his fault, and tells him to run away as the pride won't accept him for killing his father. After Simba flees, Scar orders Shenzi and the hyenas to kill Simba, but unknown to him and Shenzi alike, Simba escapes after nearly falling to his death during the escape.

When telling the pride about Mufasa's death, Scar claimed that he didn't make it to the gorge in time. Scar then 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 unhappy. He offers Sarabi to become his queen, but she refuses, 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 agrees to become his queen. This causes Nala to leave and find help, resulting in her finding Simba as Nala manages to leave Pride Rock without getting caught by Scar.

Simba confronts Scar after his uncle attacks Sarabi, and Scar goads him into revealing his role in Mufasa's death. Scar then pushes him into slipping at the edge of Pride Rock, where he cites Mufasa had the same look in his eyes before he died, before Scar tells him that he killed Mufasa, causing Simba to bite him and pull him back up as a result after Simba then realizes Scar was the one who killed Mufasa. Scar tries to defend himself by calling Simba crazy thinking he is the one who killed Mufasa and now plans to kill Scar, but having overheard Scar, the Pride sees through his lies, causing Scar to order the hyenas to kill all the other lions and Simba as Nala orders the lionesses to fight against the hyenas.

When he sees the pride defeat his forces, Scar flees, climbing to a ledge near the top of Pride Rock, where he is cornered by Simba. Scar begs for mercy and even betrays the hyenas in his desperation, lying that they forced him into committing Mufusa's murder and denouncing them as "revolting scavengers" he was planning to kill. Unknown to him, Shenzi, Kamari and Azizi are listening nearby and are enraged. Simba refuses to believe Scar's lies, but chooses to exile his uncle rather than kill him. Scar appears to concede, but then throws burning embers in Simba's face and attacks him while he is blinded. The two lions engage in a fierce duel with a massive fire raging behind them, and though Scar proves to be a surprisingly formidable opponent despite his weak appearance, Simba ultimately proves to be the stronger fighter and throws Scar off the edge of Pride Rock.

Scar survives the fall and as he struggles to his feet, Shenzi, Kamari, Azizi and several other surviving hyenas arrive and encircle him. At first, Scar is relieved to see them, saying they will rebuild their army together to take revenge against Simba and the other Pridelanders, but to his horror, they reveal they overheard his attempt to betray them. Realizing they are turning against him, Scar tries to assure the hyenas that he was only trying to fool Simba, but Shenzi, unforgiving, orders her clan to kill him in revenge. Cornered and outnumbered, Scar vainly attempts to fight back until he is overwhelmed and eaten alive by the hyenas, bringing his reign to a well-deserved end.

### 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 a lion skin briefly worn by Hercules at one point, which in itself was a reference to one of Hercules' twelve labors, which was killing the Nemean Lion. It may also be a reference to a joke made by Zazu in the first film, where he suggested that Scar be made into a throw rug.

In *House of Mouse*, Scar made 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.

In the animated blooper reel featured in the *The Lion King: Diamond Edition* special features, Scar makes a cameo appearance, seen botching his line during Simba's climactic trial at Pride Rock.

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.

## Trivia

* Scar is 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 cared only for himself. Like Scar, Claudius was cunning, intelligent, manipulative, charismatic and cowardly. Unlike the diabolically evil Scar, Claudius repented from his wrongdoings but 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 title tragic anti-hero 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.
* Scar's birth name, **Taka**, is the Swahili word for "waste".
* In an original draft for the ending of *The Lion King*, Scar was to be shown burned alive when Simba hurls him off the ledge, with Scar laughing as he did so (presumably due to completely losing his sanity over losing everything), which also results in the Pride Lands' destruction. 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.
* Originally, Scar would chase Simba out of the Pride Lands himself.
* 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 held, 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 Disney villain to be biologically related to the protagonist in the Disney canon. The previous villains such as the Evil Queen and Lady Tremaine were related to the protagonists only by marriage.
* When he murdered Mufasa, he was originally supposed to say "Good night, sweet prince!" immediately before throwing him off, referring to the Shakespearean play *Hamlet*. However, it was changed to Scar smugly saying "Long live the king!" to Mufasa because the former line seemed too "self-aware" to be taken seriously. In the alternate ending, Scar also was supposed to say the former line when attempting to finish off Simba, but it was instead changed to Scar admitting his crime to his nephew.
* Scar's greed for power is very similar to Adolf Hitler when he stands on a cliff and looks 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 this statement in the film *Reversal of Fortune*.
* As explained in "Lions of the Outlands" during his reign, 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 share. But when it comes to brutal 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, 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. Though in *The Lion Guard*, he somehow got said blemish from a black-necked spitting cobra. After Scar killed the cobra, Mufasa gave him the nickname that would eventually become his only name.
* Though he is well known after his death, Scar's demise at the jaws of his hyena minions is not well known. Zira believes Simba killed him, while in truth, hyenas: Shensi, Banzai and Ed ate him.
* In *The Lion Guard* all hyenas Outlands Hyenas know all about the legend of Scar.
	+ Janja is/was aware of the fire.
* Scar never retracts his claws.
* If viewers pay close attention, Scar's back claws continuously disappear and reappear throughout the original movie.
* As the inhabitants of Pridelands say, especially Mufasa: Scar has never cared for anyone but himself, which implies that he has chosen Kovu to be his heir only to renew the flawlessly loyalty of Zira and that he did not really care about Kovu. That's quite supported in *The Lion Guard* when Scar came back as a spirit, he did not care where the Outsiders or Kovu were.