Scar (2019)


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

"Long… live… the KING!!"

- Scar's most famous quote before murdering Mufasa, revealing his true nature to him. "This is MY kingdom! MY DESTINY!!!"

- Scar battling against Simba.

Scar is the main antagonist of the 2019 CGI/live-action film The Lion King, a remake of the 1994 animated film of the same name. He is a lustful, envious, ambitious, and megalomaniacal African lion who acts as the temporary king of Pride Rock, as well as the brother of Mufasa and the uncle-turned-arch-nemesis of Simba.

He was voiced by, who also played Baron Mordo in Doctor Strange, Luke in Children of Men, and Victor Sweet in Four Brothers.

Plotting against Mufasa and Simba
"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.

Scar first appeared talking to 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 is interrupted when Mufasa arrives at 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 the king of Pride Rock, and that he must obey Simba's orders by the time that he rules the lands. As an unperturbed Scar leaves, Zazu suggested to Mufasa that he should've banished Scar when he had the chance, but Mufasa retorts this by saying that Scar is free to live in Pride Lands since he is still part of the family.

While Mufasa is busy scouting the Pride Lands, Scar tells Simba to go back to his den as he is not a babysitter, thus showing some cold hatred towards the young cub. However, Simba 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 lies 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 realizes 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 and Simba.

Taking Over the Pride Lands
"Run away, Simba.... and NEVER RETURN!!"

- Scar banishing Simba after pinning the blame on the latter for Mufasa's death.

Scar first meets the hyena clan at the graveyard. At first, they attempt to eat him as they thought that Scar is just another lion from the Pride Rock. However, Scar reveals to them his ambitious plans and promises that they shall get unlimited food as their bellies are never full. Scar eventually sets up a trap for both Simba and Mufasa. He asks Simba to practice his roar in the middle of a vast gorge, and he tells his nephew he would be back later. In the mean time, he signals the hyenas to drive a massive herd of wildebeests into a stampede. Simba almost gets killed inside the stampede, but Scar calls Mufasa and Zazu for help. Scar orders Zazu to call the pride for help. Mufasa arrives on time and puts Simba onto a rock, before he climbs up to ask Scar for help. However, Scar grabs Mufasa's paws and snarls "Long live the king" before he smacks his brother in the face with his claws, thus causing Mufasa to lose his grip and fall back into the gorge, where he is trampled to death by the stampeding wildebeests.

Simba then finds Mufasa's corpse and tearfully starts calling for help. Scar eventually arrives and convinces Simba that he is responsible for the death of Mufasa. He coldly orders Simba to run away and never return to Pride Rock. As Simba runs away, Scar sends Shenzi, Kamari, Azizi and an unnamed hyena to kill him, but in the ensuing chase Simba and the unnamed hyena fall off a cliff. Shenzi then orders Kamari and Azizi to confirm Simba's death, but they are too afraid to try to climb down the steep cliff and instead lie to Scar and Shenzi that they ate Simba. 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 and allows the hyenas to refuge in the Pride Lands. 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 furious, and out of anger and frustration, he announces that from now on the hyenas will hunt first and leave the lionesses with little to no food to eat afterwards. Because of this act of overhunting, the Pride Lands become scarce in food and water, eventually becoming a barren land, much to the other animals' distraught.

Final Fight
"Simba: My father! Your own brother! HOW COULD YOU?! Scar: First he kills Mufasa, and now he wants to kill me! Simba: YOU killed him! Tell them the truth! Scar: Don't believe his lies! Sarabi: Scar, you told us you didn't get to the gorge in time. Scar: That's true. Sarabi: Then HOW did you see the look in Mufasa's eyes?! (Scar stares speechless, realizing he's accidentally exposed himself) Simba: MURDERER! Scar: (to the hyenas) KILL THEM ALL!"

- Scar being exposed for the villain he is.

Eventually, an adult Simba returns to Pride Rock, and with the help of an adult Nala, Zazu and his new friends Timon and Pumbaa, the young warrior is ready to fight Scar for the throne. Realizing that Kamari and Azizi lied about Simba's fate, 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 finally confirms that he is responsible for Mufasa's death. Scar then forces Simba onto the tip of Pride Rock, where a lightning bolt strikes the ground and causes a wildfire. Noticing how similar Simba is hanging just like Mufasa, Scar points out the similarity before quietly admitting to Simba that he was the one who killed Mufasa. Realizing the horrible truth, Simba uses his jaws to grab Scar by the mane to pull himself up, berating him for his actions and ordering him to tell the truth to the other lions. At first, Scar denies by calling Simba a liar, but Sarabi furiously states that she overheard Scar taunting Simba about the way Mufasa looked before he died, which contradicts Scar's previous claim that he didn't get to the gorge in time. Realizing now that he's been exposed, Scar angrily orders his hyena minions to kill the entire lion pride.

The hyenas are defeated, however, and Simba chases after a fleeing Scar until the latter reaches a ledge near the top of Pride Rock where he cannot jump due to the height. Cornered, Scar begs for mercy and even betrays the hyenas in his desperation, lying that they forced him into committing Mufasa's murder and denouncing them as "revolting scavengers" he was planning to kill. Unknown to Scar, Shenzi, Kamari and Azizi overhear this nearby and are enraged by Scar's words. Simba knows that it's all lies as Scar used the hyenas just like he used Simba a long time ago. Scar then asks if Simba is going to kill him to avenge Mufasa's death, to which Simba replies that he won't since he is not a murderer like him. Scar then asks Simba what he could do to make it up to him, to which Simba responds by coldly ordering Scar to run away from the Pride Lands and never return. Scar pretends to agree to that consequence, but then throws burning ash in Simba's face and attacks him while he is blinded. The two lions engage in a fierce duel for the throne of Pride Rock, with an angry Simba declaring that he won't let Scar win, only for an angry Scar to declare that it's his destiny to rule his kingdom whatever way he likes. Simba eventually manages to overpower Scar and slam him to the ground at the edge of the cliff. As Scar begins to slip, he grips onto Simba’s mane for a brief second before sliding down and falling, screaming to his presumed death.

Death
"Scar: My friends... it will take some time, but together, we will build our army! Kamari: Friends, huh? I thought you said we were "revolting scavengers". Azizi: Yeah! And you wanted to kill us. Scar: No, no! Let me explain! I was trying to fool him! We will rule together! Shenzi: There's only one true thing you ever said, Scar..... a hyena's belly is never full."

- Scar's last words before the hyenas make him pay with his life for his betrayal.

However, Scar survives the fall and slowly gets to his feet after regaining consciousness. Just as Scar is about to leave the Pride Lands in defeat, Shenzi, Kamari, Azizi and several other surviving hyenas arrive and encircle him. Scar greets them in a pleasing manner, saying they will have to spend their time in exile to build a huge army so that they can take down the lion pride and reclaim Pride Rock. But to his horror, Kamari and Azizi reveal they overheard Scar's attempt to betray them. Realizing the hyenas have turned against him, Scar desperately tries to justify what he said, but the hyenas will have no more of his excuses, with Shenzi telling Scar that he was right only about one thing: that a hyena's belly is never full. Cornered and outnumbered, Scar furiously attempts to fight off the hyenas as they attack him, but is quickly overwhelmed and screams in agony as the hyenas devour him alive, ending his reign of terror for good.

Appearance
In contrast to his animated counterpart, Scar has a closer resemblance to Mufasa. He has greying-gold fur and an emaciated frame separating him from the rest of the pride. He has a thin and pale mane until his regime over the Pridelands; by then, his mane is closer to the original's fuller black mane. As his name suggests, he has a long, thin, vertical scar over his left eye, a notch in his right ear and several small scratch marks on his flanks. Scar also has amber eyes, a tan muzzle complete with a goatee and a dark stripe down his forehead.

Personality
This incarnation of Scar is an extremely manipulative, ruthless, determined, cruel, and sadistic lion 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 also lusts Sarabi for himself and he desires to be every bit like Mufasa, but does the opposite. Though certainly manipulative and deceitful, Scar's not really as good of a liar, as proven by the contradictions in his story about Mufasa's death.

He is also shown to be a little braver than his original counterpart, as he was willing to fight back against his enemies if necessary; he even briefly tried to fight back against the hyenas when they turned against him.

Abilities
Like his original incarnation, Scar's primary and most dangerous weapon is his cold intelligence. He is a devious and manipulative, yet charismatic planner who is able to easily get inside others' heads and manipulate them into doing what he wants, as well as come up with and execute complex strategies. He is less lazy and arguably more ensuring than in the original, as he made sure to keep the hyenas loyal to him by personally overseeing their hunts and giving them free rein.

Also as in the original, Scar is surprisingly strong, fast and agile despite his weak appearance. This is first shown when he sings "Be Prepared", where he performs impressive feats such as leaping long distances and climbing up steep slopes gracefully and with no noticeable effort. His physical strength is again shown in his fight against Simba; although he ultimately loses, Scar manages to put up a considerable fight against the much younger and more powerfully built lion, striking him twice across the face, knocking him onto his back twice and at one point nearly managing to push him off the cliff while grappling with him. Scar was also durable enough to survive a long fall from a ledge near the top of Pride Rock with no apparent injuries.

Quotes
"We'll look who's come to mingle with the commoners. (Mufasa: Sarabi and I didn't see you at the presentation of Simba.) Was that today, must've slipped my mind. Of course I meant no disrespect towards his Majesty or Sarabi. As you know I have tremendous respect for the crown. (Zazu : As the Kings brother you should be first in line.) I was first in line, that is until the precious prince arrived. (Mufasa : Don't turn your back on me Scar!) Oh no Mufasa, perhaps you shouldn't turn your back on me. (Mufasa : Is that a challenge?) I wouldn't dream of challenging you...again. (Zazu : A wise decision you are no match for his Royal's most...) Well as far as brains go I have the Lion's share, but when it comes to brute strength I'm afraid my big brother will always rule. (Mufasa : Not always Scar. One day it will be my son who rules, Simba will be your king.) Then long live the king."

- Scar being scolded by his brother.

"You fools have stripped your land of every living thing. And yet, I sent two little cubs your way and they come back alive. (Kamari : I guess we'll have to eat you instead.) Why eat one meal when you could be feasting the rest of your lives. (Shenzi : What could you possibly offer us?) A place where you could fill your bellies. For everything the light touches is yours for the kill. (Shenzi : The Pride Lands are not yours to give. The king controls those hunting grounds.) That's why I'm going to kill him. Mufasa has always shown too much restraint when it comes to hunting. When I am king, the mighty will be free to take whatever they want. Because a hyena's belly is never full. (Shenzi : Mufasa's far too powerful to challenge.) Mufasa is yesterday's message A clapped out, distracted regime whose failings undoubtedly presage the need for a different dream."

- Scar make an alliance with the Hyenas.

"That's why were here Simba, I think I know a way for you to make it up to him. A gift that will make him forget it ever happened. (Simba : But he's the king, what could I give him?) Your roar. (Simba : My roar?) Yes. (His voice echos) Did you hear that? This gorge is where all lions, come to find their roar. (Simba: All lions, even my Dad?) Even Mufasa came here when he was your age, refused to leave until his roar could be heard above the rim. (Simba: All the way up there?) That's when you know you've found it, with a little practice you'll never be called a cub again. (Simba: Watch this.) (Simba pushes a mediocre roar.) You'll get it Simba, just takes time, I'll check on you later. (Simba: Dad will be so proud, huh?) It's a gift, he'll never forget."

- Scar trick Simba into the throats to assassinate him and Mufasa.

"Mufasa and Simba are gone... I... am your king."

- Scar becomes the new king of Pride Lands.

"Sarabi, why put yourself through this? All you have to do is be my queen. Your suffering from what a memory of a life you once knew, a king you once loved. I tried to make you understand what a true king can be. (Sarabi : Scar, a true kings power is his compassion.) I AM TEN TIMES THE KING, MUFASA WAS.(Sarabi : You are nothing compared to Mufasa.)"

- Scar before he attacks Sarabi when he declares himself superior to Mufasa.

Trivia

 * Unlike other live-action remakes of other Disney Villains, this Scar is basically the same as his animated counterpart. However, there are certain differences between the two versions:
 * In the original film, Scar was slightly effeminate in his mannerisms, which initially met a mild controversy back when the original film was released. In the live-action film, however, Scar never shows any kind of effeminate mannerisms, possibly to avoid further controversy.
 * In the original film, Scar's motivation to become king was because he was upset when Mufasa was chosen by their father to become king. In the live-action film, Scar's motivation was to have Sarabi for himself because she chose Mufasa when they were young, and it was implied that Scar fought against Mufasa for Sarabi's affections and lost; even his voice actor Chiwetel Ejiofor stated that the Scar in the live-action film is far more 'psychologically possessed' and 'brutalized' than the cartoon one for this reason.
 * In the original film, how Scar got his scar goes unexplained. It has been confirmed in The Lion Guard that he got it after being attacked by a black-necked spitting cobra despite Rob Minkoff's opinion that Mufasa probably gave it to him when they were cubs (whereas the book "A Tale of Two Brothers", which is disregarded from canon, says that Scar got his scar when he was attacked by a large buffalo). In the live-action film, it was implied that Mufasa gave him the scar during their fight over Sarabi's affections, which made it clear why Scar had done the same to Mufasa when pushing him to his death in the gorge.
 * In the original film, Scar was friends with the hyenas, but neglected them by leaving them and the lions to do the hunting tasks for him due to his laziness, which made the hyenas question his reign (due to shortage of food and water) and contribute to his downfall. In the live-action film, he wasn't friends with the hyenas as he first met them in the graveyard, but made good on his promise for them by personally overseeing hunts for them after taking over Pride Rock, which allowed him to earn the hyenas' genuine loyalty until the end when he tried to pin the blame on them.
 * In the original film, Scar was a bit reckless and didn't care in raising any possible suspicions; this was demonstrated when he knocked out Zazu in the gorge before proceeding to dispose of Mufasa. In the live-action film, Scar is more cunning and sends Zazu out for help and while he hurts Mufasa with his claws before pushing him to his death, Simba doesn't notice it due being just a cub.
 * In the original, Scar cowardly betrays the hyenas by calling them "the real enemy" and lying that all his crimes were their idea. In the live-action film, he blames them more harshly, calling them "revolting scavengers" and even threatens to kill them.
 * In the original film, Scar was too cowardly to do anything if cornered; this was shown when he just cowered in fear when the hyenas turned against him and mauled him to death. In the live-action film, Scar is somewhat less cowardly, as though he initially begged for mercy from both Simba and the hyenas, respectively, he was willing to defend himself against danger if necessary; this was shown when he briefly tried to fight back against the hyenas before they overwhelmed and killed him.
 * According to the French, Scar is the only character who is not from Swahili, but from English.
 * Jeremy Irons, the actor who voiced Scar in the original film, was interested in reprise the role for the remake much like how James Earl Jones was brought back to reprise the role of Mufasa. However, Irons was never asked out nor contacted by Disney to reprise the role.
 * Scar's lust for Sarabi in the film is very similar, and was likely inspired, by his lust for Nala in The Lion King Broadway musical (which was originally intended for the original film but taken out when it was deemed that sexual harassment wasn't suitable for a family film). However, unlike the Broadway musical, he doesn't harass Sarabi as he does with Nala in the musical, yet he still threatens her. Scar's lust for Sarabi is also similar to King Claudius' lust for Queen Gertrude in the play Hamlet (since The Lion King is partly based on the play).
 * Because his mane is much thinner than Mufasa's and Simba's, some say Scar looks more like an Asian lion.
 * His physical appearance is similar to that of Zira (such as having a notch in his right ear and a stripe down his forehead), the main antagonist of The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride.

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