Scar (2019)


 * NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of Scar from the 2019 movie. The mainstream version can be found here: Scar (Disney).

"Life's not fair, is it, my little friend? While some are born to feast, others spend their lives in the dark, begging for scraps."

- Scar's opening line. "Long live the King!"

- Scar's most famous quote as he murders Mufasa.

Scar is the main antagonist of the 2019 CGI/live-action epic movie and remake The Lion King. He is the lustful, envious, ambitious and megalomaniacal temporary king of Pride Rock, as well as the brother of Mufasa and the uncle of Simba.

He was voiced by Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Plotting against Mufasa and Simba
Scar first appeared talking to his prey and telling a mouse how unfair life is, since he lived his entire life in the dark and he deserved to rule the kingdom of Pride Rock. Zazu however interrupts and asks Scar angrily why he did not come to Mufasa's ceremony of Simba's birth. Scar tries to kill Zazu, but he abandons that idea as Mufasa arrives to his cave and makes an excuse that he did not remember the day of the ceremony. Mufasa tells him that Simba is one day going to be king of Pride Rock, and that he must obey Simba's orders by the time that he rules the lands.

Scar later tells Simba to go back to his den as he is not a babysitter, thus showing some cold hatred towards Simba. Simba however told him that one day he is going to be the king of Pride Rock, much to Scar's disappointment. Scar sarcastically told Simba not to go towards the abandoned areas beneath the light, but he tempted Simba into going there by mentioning it is an elephant graveyard and that only the bravest lions go there. Simba goes to a voyage with Nala and they manage to enter and escape the Elephant Graveyard with Mufasa's help. Scar acknowledges that Simba is still alive, and goes to The Elephant Graveyard in order to convince the Hyena Clan (led by Shenzi, Kamari and Azizi) that they should be teaming up to kill Mufasa.

Taking Over the Pride Lands
Scar then meets the hyena clan, as they at first attempt to eat him as they thought that Scar is just another lion from the Pride Rock. Scar however reveals them his ambitious plans and promises that they shall get unlimited food, as their bellies are never empty. Scar eventually sets a trap for both Simba and Mufasa. He asks Simba to practice his roar in the middle of a valley, and he told Simba he would be back within the next few minutes, but in the meanwhile, he gave the hyenas a signal to roar at the wildebeests so they would run and cause a stampede. Simba almost gets killed or at least injured inside the stampede but Scar calls Mufasa and Zazu for help. Scar orders Zazu to call the pride for help, just so he could force the pride into obeying their new king Scar. Mufasa arrives on time and puts Simba onto a rock, before he climbs up to ask Scar for help. Scar however grabs Mufasa's paws and shouts "long live the king", before he scratches Mufasa on the face, thus causing him to fall down and get killed by the wildebeests.

Simba then finds Mufasa's corpse. Scar arrives and convinces Simba that he is responsible for the death of Mufasa. He orders Simba to run away and never return to Pride Rock. As the pride and the citizens of Pride Rock gather up together, Scar announces that because Mufasa and Simba are now dead, he shall be their king from now on. Scar then calls Sarabi for a meeting, and asks her to become his queen, and team up with him so the entire pride will obey him. Sarabi angrily stated that she will never be the queen of such a selfish and cruel lion. Scar gets upset and out of anger and frustration he announces that from now on the hyenas will hunt first and not leave the lions lots of food to eat afterwards.

Final Fight and Death
Simba however eventually returns to Pride Rock, and with the help of Nala, Timon, Pumba and Zazu, the young warrior is ready to fight Scar for the throne. Scar tries to convince the pride that Simba was responsible for Mufasa's death, and asks Simba to tell his secret and admit to "the truth". Simba confirms that he is responsible for Mufasa's death. Scar then almost throws Simba into the fiery pit, but he then whispers to Simba that he killed Mufasa. Simba then realizes the actual truth, and manages to inform the lions about the truth; that Scar is the actual murderer. Scar then orders the hyenas to kill Simba, Nala and the latter. The hyenas are however defeated, and Simba starts chasing after Scar, until Scar reaches a corner on top of a hill where he cannot jump due to the height. Simba tells Scar that he does not deserve to live. Scar as a reaction blames the hyenas for the incident and implies that they are scavengers and that he was anyway going to kill them within time to protect the Pride Rock. However, Simba knew that it was all lies, and that Scar used the hyenas just like he used Simba once upon a time.

Simba however agreed to spare Scar's life, since he is not a murderer like him. Scar asks Simba what he could do to make it up to him and apologize. Simba told Scar to run away and never return. Scar walks away from Simba and pretends to agree to that consequence, but instead he scratches some fire and causes it to spread on Simba's eyes. The two lion kings then fight for the one throne of Pride Rock. Simba manages to defeat Scar and throw him off the cliff. Scar wakes up from his unconsciousness, and tries to manipulate the hyenas one more time. However, Shenzi tells Scar that he was right about one thing; that a hyena's belly is never full. The hyenas then feast on Scar's flesh before the fire burns them alive.

Personality
Scar is an extremely manipulative, cruel and sadistic individual who cares about nothing else than the throne and being on top of everyone else. He committed unspeakable crimes in order to achieve his goals. This version of Scar is arguably even more evil than the original, since he lusts Sarabi for himself and he desires to be every bit like Mufasa, but does the opposite. He is also more aggressive, darker and seems less prey to fear than the original Disney villain.

Trivia

 * By her own admission, Scar had already challenged Mufasa by the past but he had finally given up. His way of saying it suggests that It's Mufasa who scarred him.
 * A notable difference between his death and that of his original counterpart is that Scar is defended against hyenas despite being quickly overwhelmed while the original was too scared to attempt anything.