"Long live the king."
-Scar before letting his own brother fall to his demise
Scar (born Askari or Taka) is the main antagonist of Disney's 32nd animated feature film The Lion King. He's Mufasa's younger brother, and Simba's uncle/rival. Scar's desire to rule Pride Rock drives him to enact a plot to kill both his brother and nephew to leave himself the sole royal in line for the throne as "true" ruler.
He was voiced by Jeremy Irons in the original 1994 film, Jim Cunnings in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, David Oyelowo in The Lion Guard, and Chiwetel Ejiofor in the 2019 remake.
Why He Rocks[]
- He's gloriously voiced by the Academy award-winning actor Jeremy Irons in the original film.
- His Villain song "Be Prepared" is extremely catchy. Not to mention his smooth accent.
- It should be noted Irons blew his vocal chords halfway through the song and was replaced by Jim Cummings. And many people were surprised Cummings actually replaced Irons halfway through the song, showing how flawless the transition between the 2 voices were and how talented Jim Cummings is.
- Jim Cummings and David Oyelowo also did good jobs voicing him.
- He's very threatening and effective as a villain, mainly due to his sinister and manipulative nature as well as being capable of getting things his way, setting both Simba and Mufasa in a trap, knowing that Simba trusts Scar and that Mufasa will come and rescue him from danger; he also has a lot of depth as well, as he initially starts off as a scruffy outcast, a bitter little brother who wanted to rule the Pride Lands, and, while his motives were obvious from the start, still keeps his cards close to his chest. He also stands out from other typical Disney villains, in that he gets what he wants early on in the movie, and raises the stakes higher than they should be, as the second half of the movie illustrates the outcomes of a power-hungry dictator after he gets what he wants.
- He also serves as sort of a foil to his nephew Simba.
- His childish and immature behavior in the second half parallels the view Simba's had during his childhood by the given knowledge of leadership; he doesn't even learn the responsibilities of that, becoming abusive and irresponsible and effectively dooming the Pride Lands, and despite his own miserable attitude he remains stubborn and blinded by his own desire of running the kingdom he's wanted his whole life.
- He is also unwilling to take responsibility for his own mistakes, willing to do whatever it takes to save himself from death... and this is what, unironically, makes his death extremely satisfying.
- Say what you want about Scar being an immature manchild and a coward, but a least he can put up a decent fight.
- He has an interesting motive of being jealous of his brother as he gets everything while him, who is also of royal blood, gets nothing, plus was shown and didn't get the gratitude he deserved for stopping a coup.
- Serves as an allegory on how sibling rivalry can negatively affect people.
- Despite being pure evil, he retains an Evil is Cool presence to remain a genuinely imposing villain even when at a preschool show.
The Only Bad Qualities[]
- Once he became king of the Pride Lands, he hardly tries to be fearsome.
- His backstory on how he got his scar and became the fallen leader of the Lion Guard can be disappointing be for some.
Videos[]
Lion King Be Prepared 1080p HD