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Scar after the stampede

Scar is the main antagonist of the 1994 disney film The Lion King.

The Lion King[]

The first time we See Scar is right after Simba's presentation where Zazu warns him Mufasa approaches, so he'd better have a good excuse for missing the ceremony. Scar tries to eat the bird for pestering him but Mufasa orders him to drop Zazu. The King asks Scar about his whereabouts where Scar replies he simply forgot; That it 'slipped his mind'. He complains about not being first in line anymore due to Simba's existance and Mufasa makes it clear that as his son he is the future King. Scar sarcastically replies he'll practice his curtsy and turns his back on Mufasa, something the older lion doesn't like and snaps at him for. Scar retorts that he shouldn't turn his back on him. Mufasa takes this as a challenge and dominates Scar. Scar says he meant no harm by the statement, and continues on his way.

  Scar's first interaction with Simba features him 'letting it slip' that the place he Mufasa told him not to go was the Elephant Graveyard. Knowing the cub curiousity will lead him there despite the fact Mufasa, Zazu, and himself specifically told Simba not to go, his plan doesn't work. Mufasa rescues the two cubs just in time, leaving him to watch his plan fail from atop a cliff. 
 
 Back in the sanctum of the Elephant Graveyard, he catches Banzai, Shenzi, and Ed complaining about lions. He interupts them, and feeds them while asking why they failed. The hyenas mention Mufasa was the real reason the plan failed and Banzai asks rhetorically if they were supposed to kill him as well as Simba. Scar sinisterly replies "Precisely!" and begins to sing "Be Prepared". 
 After taking Simba for a walk and dropping him off in the gorge, Scar signals the hyenas to trigger a wildebeest stampede meant to kill both Simba and Mufasa. Mufasa manages to save his son, but is badly injured in the process and as he tries to escape by climbing up the gorge. Scar is waiting and, after Mufasa begs his brother to help him, grabs his paws. Maliciously taunting him with "Long live the king", Scar throws Mufasa from the cliff into the stampede, where he is trampled to death if the fall didn't kill him.Scar then makes Simba believe that he caused the stampede (he had let out a loud yowl, while practicing roaring, seconds before the stampede began, and had not seen Scar throw his father to his death) and in turn killed Mufasa.Then Scar advises his nephew to run away, overwhelmed by guilt and fear. Just as the hyenas catch up with Scar, he orders them to chase his nephew and kill him. Unknown to Scar, however, they do not succeed because of a thorn bush, as Simba evades them and escapes into the desert. Scar then returns to Pride Rock and assumes the throne, letting the hyenas in the Pridelands and leading the other lionesses to believe that both Mufasa and Simba died in the stampede.
 During Scar's reign, the kingdom rapidly declines as droughts hit and food becomes scarce. During that time, Scar is seen reclining in the cave of Pride Rock with Zazu held captive in a ribcage. Scar ignores Zazu's advise and uses him just for entertainment. The hyenas then barge in, objecting to the lack of food and water. Scar, however is careless of their demands and even allow them to eat Zazu. Years later, Scar is next seen speaking severely to Sarabi, demanding why the lionesses won't hunt. Sarabi explains that there's no food or water and that they need to leave Pride Rock to survive. Scar refuses to leave, rebutting at Sarabi's comment that he can't sentence the pride to death with the fact that he is the king and can do whatever he wants. Then when Sarabi snaps at him about not being half the king Mufasa was, Scar strikes his sister-in-law saying that he was ten times the king Mufasa was. At this, Simba rushes down and wakes his mother up. Both Sarabi and Scar believe he is Mufasa, but Simba tells Sarabi he is Simba , and then advances toward Scar, ready to take the throne as rightful king. 
  Scar forces Simba to reveal the "truth" about Mufasa's death in front of the lionesses and backs him towards the edge of Pride Rock's promontory. Scar taunts Simba by admitting that he killed Mufasa, and prepares to kill Simba before the rightful heir can tell anyone. As lightning starts to set fire on to the parched plains, Simba leaps upon Scar and forces him to admit his guilt out loud. A fierce battle ensues between Scar's hyenas and Simba's family and friends while Simba fights Scar, one on one. 

     Eventually, Simba traps his uncle on Pride Rock's summit. Terrified, Scar pleads for his life, blaming his crimes on the hyenas; unaware that Shenzi, Banzai and Ed have followed him and can hear Scar's condemnation. Simba, not willing to sink to Scar's level, spares his uncle's life and banishes him from the Pride Lands. Believing that Simba would pull the same trick on him, Scar begins to walk off, but then suddenly flings some burning embers into Simba's eyes, temporarily blinding him. The battle continues, but after Scar leaps in to finish Simba, the younger lion finally defeats him by flipping Scar over a cliff where the hyenas are waiting.
      The hyenas, determined to get revenge on Scar for denouncing them as "the enemy", surround their fallen leader. Scar, pleading for his life, tries to explain to the hyenas that he didn't really mean what he said about them, but his pleas fall upon deaf ears. Fueled with anger at Scar for his betrayal (as well as, presumably, hunger, from his broken promise of them never going hungry again), the hyenas leap upon Scar and begin to eat him alive, as they are all engulfed in flames. 

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride[]

  Scar does not return as the villain in the direct-to-video sequel, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, but it is revealed that Scar had a pride of lionesses loyal to him whom Simba exiled to the Outlands after he became king. They are led by Zira who is still fiercely loyal to him (their exact relationship is not clear, but implied to be romantic), who has three offspring: Nuka, Vitani, and Kovu. In the film, Zira attempts to use Kovu, who was selected to be Scar's heir, to kill Simba and become king. Kovu, however, is not Scar's son, as he later explains to Kiara, Simba and Nala's daughter, and Kovu's eventual mate. 

Scar only appears twice, the first time in Simba's nightmare. In the nightmare, Mufasa clings to the cliff above the stampede as in the first film, and Simba tries to reach down to help his father. However, Scar appears on the ledge and grabs Simba's paw, preventing him from reaching Mufasa. Scar laughs, suggesting Simba trust him and let Mufasa fall. Mufasa falls into the stampede and the cackling Scar morphs into Kovu. Kovu flashes an evil grin and throws Simba into the stampede, as Scar had done to Mufasa in the first film. He appears again when Simba banishes Kovu from the Pridelands. As Kovu looks into a stream, he sees Scar's reflection rather than his own. Given that Kovu had rejected defending his legacy, the young lion flees the vision in panic.

The Lion King 1 1/2[]

In this film, Scar only makes a brief, non-speaking appearance.

The Lion King Musical[]

In the Broadway musical based on the original film, Scar is portrayed by a human actor in an African-style costume with a lion-face headpiece mask that comes down over the actor's face using a hidden remote control along with the use of a cane. Scar was originally portrayed in the Broadway production by John Vickery, and is currently played by Patrick Page. Dan Donohue portrays this character on the Broadway tour.

Scar's role is expanded upon with the song "The Madness of King Scar". In it, Scar begins doubting his reign, fearing that he might be losing the respect of the lionesses and that he needs a queen. He attempts to seduce Nala, who rebukes him by scratching his face.

Kingdom Hearts 2[]

Besides appearing in various The Lion King video games, Scar (スカル, Sukāru?) also appears in the Disney and Square Enix game Kingdom Hearts II as the primary villain of the Pride Lands world, voiced by James Horan. Much like in the film, Scar murders Mufasa to become king, and under his reign, the Pridelands suffers a drought and food becomes scarce.

 Prior to the game's main protagonists' (Sora, Donald Duck and Goofy) arrival at the Pridelands, Pete (in the form of a lion) offers Scar use of the Heartless to maintain his hold on the throne. Sora (in the form of a lion cub, a change brought on by his magical clothes) attempts to confront Scar in order to save the world, but is turned down by Rafiki due to the latter's prophecy. Soon afterwards, they are confronted by Scar. Scar attempts to persuade the lionesses to hunt and kill Sora, Donald, and Goofy and nearly attacks them, but is pinned down by Nala in order to allow Sora and friends some time to escape. Later, Sora locates Simba and brings him back to the Pridelands so he can challenge his uncle for the throne. The confrontation between Scar and Simba that follows is almost identical to that in the original film, starting with Scar's overconfident confession that he killed Mufasa, the only noteworthy exceptions being no hyenas for most of it and Sora and his group replacing the lionesses. Sora's group saves Timon and Pumbaa from Shenzi, Banzai, Ed and heynas, while Scar and Simba fight. As in the film, Simba eventually triumphs over his uncle; though Donald initially wants to help him, Sora prevents him from doing so, believing that it is Simba's fight, and they should not interfere. 

Thinking Scar to be defeated, the protagonists are surprised when, as Pete explains, Scar returns to battle once again as a Heartless. Scar's anger and jealousy were so strong they lingered after death and consumed him. During the battle Scar uses a series of swift and strong physical attacks and powerful magic against Sora and company. Sora and his friends defeat Scar again. Scar is the only character in the Kingdom Hearts universe - excluding Xehanort - to keep his original form as a Heartless. Whether or not a Nobody will be fleshed out in Kingdom Hearts continuity is debated.

By the time Sora returns to the Pridelands to see how Simba is faring, rumors of Scar's ghost haunting the Pridelands have driven Simba into doubt. But once he overcomes this problem, the "ghost" is revealed to be the interaction of Simba's lack of confidence and Scar's spirit. Multiple copies of Scar's "ghost" then combine to form a gigantic Heartless that is eventually killed by Simba and Sora.

Trivia[]

  • Scar's original name is Taka, meaning "Dirt" or "Trash" in Swahili.
  • Scar has similarities with Adolf Hitler and King Claudis from William Shakesphere's Hamlet
  • In an early script for The Lion King, Scar was a rogue lion that wasn't related to Mufasa/
  • In an early version of the film, Scar chased Simba out of the Pride Lands himself.
  • In an original draft for the ending of The Lion King, Scar was shown to have been burned alive after Simba hurled him over the cliff.
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