Scar is a male lion. He succeeded Mufasa as the king of Pride Rock. Scar had a chosen heir named Kovu, who is the youngest son of Zira.
Description[]
In his youth, Scar was tasked with leading the Lion Guard, a legendary group of protectors who defended the Circle of Life, and gifted with a powerful roar called the Roar of the Elders, which would cause the Great Lions of the Past to roar alongside him. Over time, his power and position led him to believe that he should be king instead of his older brother Mufasa and he tried to stage a coup with the rest of his Lion Guard. When the other members of the Lion Guard refused, Scar destroyed them with the power of the Roar, which cost him its use forever, for it could only be used for good.
In the years that followed the Lion Guard's downfall, Scar continued to vie for his brother's throne. After the birth of his nephew Simba, Scar made plans to dispose of both Mufasa and Simba. With the help of his hyena minions, Scar staged a wildebeest stampede that endangered Simba's life, and Mufasa was drawn to the scene to rescue his son. Though Simba escaped to safety, Mufasa was heaved from a high cliff by Scar to his death. After Mufasa's downfall, Scar convinced Simba that the death was his fault and drove the cub into self-exile, after which he laid claim to the throne of the Pride Lands.
As king, Scar allowed the hyenas to poach the land, and the Pride Lands slowly fell into ruin. The desolation of the kingdom eventually drew a young adult Simba back to Pride Rock, where he challenged Scar for his throne. An epic battle ensued, in which Scar made one last attempt on Simba's life, but he was defeated and thrown from the summit of Pride Rock by Simba. He landed amidst his former henchmen, who swiftly turned on him and ate him alive amidst a fiery blaze at the base of Pride Rock.
Many years after Scar's defeat, his spirit was summoned back into the realm of the living by Ushari and Janja. Scar found a new opportunity to overthrow Simba and take over the Pride Lands. He formed an army to face his great-nephew Kion and his Lion Guard, who had succeeded Scar's old Lion Guard and battled Scar's army multiple times. Though Scar used Ushari to inflict a scar upon Kion in an effort to send him down an evil path, Scar was ultimately destroyed for good when Kion summoned the Great Lions of the Past, who evaporated Scar's spirit with rain. This ended the battle of the Pride Lands once and for all. Ultimately, Scar's attempt to corrupt Kion was for naught, as Kion recovered for good after reaching the Tree of Life.
Scar's legacy lived on through the lioness Zira, his most loyal follower and the leader of the Outsiders, who were banished after Scar's death. Her son Kovu had been appointed by Scar to be his successor upon his death. Zira spent the following years training Kovu to overthrow Simba. However, Kovu and Scar's grand-niece Kiara fell in love, and Zira ultimately lost her life by refusing to be saved by Kiara. Kovu ended up being appointed by Simba as his successor, but Kovu carried on Mufasa's legacy rather than Scar's.
Behind the scenes[]
Voice actor[]
- The Lion King (1994) - film - Jeremy Irons (speaking and partial singing), Jim Cummings (additional singing)
- The Stage Musical (1997) - (musical) - John Vickery (original actor)
- The Lion King II: Simba's Pride - (1998) - (film) – Jim Cummings
- Kingdom Hearts II - (2005) - (video game) – James Horan
- The Lion King: Bloopers & Outtakes - (2011) - Jeremy Irons
- Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom - (2012) - James Horan
- The Lion Guard - (2016–2019) - (TV series) - David Oyelowo
- The Lion King (2019 film) - (2019) - (film) - Chiwetel Ejiofor