Scar is the main antagonist in the 1994 film The Lion King, its stage play and the second season of its sequel series The Lion Guard. He is the younger brother of Mufasa, the brother-in-law of Sarabi, the uncle of Simba and the great uncle of Kiara and Kion.
He was voiced by Jeremy Irons.
Appearence[]
Scar is a slender lion who looks emaciated and has brown fur with a black mane. He gets his name from a scar on his left eye but how he got it is unknown and unlike most lions his mane is black in colour and he has a goatee and like Shere Khan he has an English accent
The Lion King[]
Scar is first seen in a cave at Pride Rock preparing to eat a mouse but he fails due to the arrival of Zazu, so he tries to eat him instead but also fails at the arrival of Mufasa, who tells him he and his wife Sarabi did not see him at the presentation of Simba. Although Zazu says to Scar that as the king's brother, he should have been in first in line, Scar says he "was" first in line until Simba was born.
Months later Simba, now a young cub, visits Scar and tells him that he is going to be king and that Mufasa showed him the kingdom. Scar asks him if Mufasa showed him the rise at the northern border to which Simba says no as he was told he can't go there and Scar says that Mufasa is right as only the bravest lions go there and reveals to Simba (though he pretends to have said it accidentally) that the forbidden place is an Elephant Graveyard and says to Simba never to visit it though he knows the cub would go anyway to prove his bravery.
Unknown to Simba, Scar sends three hyenas called Shenzi, Banzai and Ed to go the graveyard too in order to have Simba killed but luckily Mufasa arrives in time to save him and his friend Nala from them. After the hyenas are gone, the group leave to return to the Pride Lands unaware that Scar is watching them leave. Later that night Scar visits the hyenas and convinces them to help him become king by helping him kill Mufasa and Simba in return they will never go hungry again.
The next day, Scar leads Simba to the bottom of a gorge and tells him to wait there as Mufasa has a surprise for him and it's to die for. After leaving Simba, Scar gives a signal to Shenzi, Banzai and Ed to start a wildebeest stampede leading it towards Simba. Scar then goes to Mufasa and tells him about the stampede and Simba is down there. Hearing this, Mufasa runs off to the gorge to save his son with Scar and Zazu close behind. After reaching the gorge, Mufasa jumps into the stampede to reach Simba whilst Zazu insist to go and get help, but Scar not wanting his plan to be ruined, knocks the bird out. After rescuing Simba, Mufasa tries to escape to safety himself by climbing up a the edge of one of the cliffs and sees Scar at the top and calls for his brother to help him. But instead of helping Mufasa, Scar throws him back into the stampede to his death with the words "Long Live The King".
After the stampede is over, Scar finds Simba lying next to Mufasa's body and tricks him into thinking that the stampede and Mufasa's death was his fault (as Simba had been practicing his roar seconds before the stampede started) and tells him to run away and never return before sending the hyenas off to kill him which they fail at (but don't reveal this to Scar and tell him that they did kill Simba). That night Scar tells the lionesses that both Mufasa and Simba died in the stampede before announcing that he will be king and allows the hyenas into the Pride Lands.
Years later and the Pride Lands have become barren with Scar as king who has also forbidden Mufasa's name from being said in his presence. One day, Scar calls for Sarabi to come to him and asks why her hunting party isn't doing their job to which Sarabi says is because the herds have moved on and that they must leave Pride Rock to which Scar refuses, saying that he is the king and he can do what ever he wants. Scar then hits Sarabi when she says he should be half the king Mufasa was, just then a lion appears and roars at Scar causing him to think that the lion is Mufasa. The lion approaches Sarabi who also thinks he's Mufasa but the lion is revealed to in fact be Simba, who orders Scar to step down. Scar brings up Mufasa's death and makes Simba "confess" to his part in the death and drives him off the edge of Pride Rock. Just then lightning strikes the dry grass and starts a fire. Believing that he has won, Scar reveals to Simba that he killed Mufasa, to which Simba jumps back up Pride Rock and makes Scar reveal this to the others. A fight then starts between the lionesses (aided by Simba's friends Timon and Pumbaa and Rafiki) and the hyenas whilst Simba goes after Scar to the top of Pride Rock. Scar pleads with Simba to have mercy and puts the blame of Mufasa's death on the hyenas, unaware that Shenzi, Banzai and Ed overhear this and leave in anger. Simba, not wishing to end up like Scar by killing a family member, decides to banish Scar and tells him to run away and never return. Scar seems to agree to this and starts to leave but then throws burning embers into Simba's eyes and attacks him. The two lions fight and Scar knocks Simba to the ground and prepares to finish him off but Simba uses his back legs to kick Scar off of Pride Rock. Scar survives the fall but is confronted by the hyenas who attack and kill him for betraying them.
The Lion King 2[]
Scar in Simba's nightmare
Scar does not make any appearance in the sequel but it is revealed that some of the lionesses where loyal to him and where banished by Simba to the Outlands. This pride called The Outsiders led by Scar's most loyal follower Zira plans for her son Kovu (who was chosen by Scar to follow in his paw prints) to avenge Scar by killing Simba and become king. Scar is mentioned by Zira and appears during the song "Not one of Us" as a reflection to Kovu as Mufasa did to Simba. He also appears in Simba's nightmare.
In the nightmare Simba hears his father's voice and goes to him seeing him dangling off a cliff like he did in the first film and calls to Simba. Simba then hears laughing and sees Scar approaching him as Simba reaches down to Mufasa saying "just a little further". At that point Scar grabs Simba's paw and says "Gotcha." and says "Trust me" in a snake like voice. Mufasa then loses grip and falls into the stampede and assuming it is Scar, Simba turns to him and as Scar continues laughing evilly he morphs into Kovu and let go of Simba and watches him fall into the stampede as well.
The Lion King 1½[]
In the direct-to-video "parallel film" The Lion King 1½ (2004), 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.
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.
The Lion Guard[]
Scar's spirit in The Lion Guard.
Scar appears as the main antagonist of the second season of The Lion Guard, which focuses on his great-nephew Kion.
Scar is first mentioned in the pilot film The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, where it is revealed that as a younger lion, Scar (as the second born of The Lion King) led a group called The Lion Guard, who protect the Pride Lands and defend The Circle of Life. As the leader and fiercest member, Scar had a power called The Roar of the Elders, which when used, caused the lions of the Pride Lands past to roar with him. However, the power eventually went to Scar's head and made him think that he should be king instead of Mufasa. When the rest of The Lion Guard refused to help him overthrow Mufasa, Scar destroyed them with the roar. However in doing this, Scar lost the roar as it was not meant to be used for evil.
Scar got mentioned throughout the first season but eventually made a physical appearance in The Rise of Scar, where his spirit is summonded by a hyena named Janja and a cobra named Ushari. Following this, Scar (wishing to get revenge on Simba) creates an army made up of Ushari, Janja's hyena clan, Reirei's jackal pack and Kibiri's crocodile float in order to battle the current Lion Guard, led by Simba's son Kion.
On Youtube[]
A series of YouTube videos called "The Scar Chronicles" show the adventures that he had since his overthrow and defeat by Simba. In the series he serves as the main character but it is impossible to determine him as the protagonist or the antagonist as he has an antagonistic side and a soft side.
| Episode | Role |
|---|---|
| Scar and Frollo | Secondary antagonist |
| Scar and Bambi | Main antagonist |
| Zira, Scar and Clayton | Anti villain |
| Scar and the Beast's castle | Anti villain |
| Scar and Ursula | Anti hero |
| Scar and Morgana | Deuteragonist (he never liked Morgana in the first place) |
| Scar and Maleficent | Anti villain |
| Scar and Hades | Secondary antagonist |
| Scar and Jafar | Tertiary antagonist (hypnotised and the role of secondary antagonist was already taken by Iago) |
Most characters have sympathy for him. In the third video Jane tried to stop the main antagonist Clayton from killing him but he just threw her off. When the Beast tried to kill him Belle persuaded him to let the lion live. The Beast let Scar live but if he approached the castle again then he would answer to the Beast.
Scar also appears in three animal style crossovers. The Prince of Egypt, The Hunchback of Pride Rock (a pastiche of The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and Hercules
| Film Crossover | Role |
|---|---|
| The Prince of Egypt | Pharaoh Seti I |
| The Hunchback of Pride Rock | Judge Claude Frollo |
| Hercules |
Hades |
Scar appears as a character in "The Tigger King" but makes no appearances. Instead he is played by Prince John