 ✓
| ||
| This villain was proposed but was rejected by the community for not being heinous enough or lacks what is necessary to be a Pure Evil villain. Therefore, this villain shall be added to our "Never Again List", where proposed villains rejected by the community shall be placed to prevent future proposals of the same evil-doer. They can be proposed again (with the permission of an administrator) if new elements appear in their series that can change their status as non-PE villains. Any act of adding this villain to the Pure Evil category without a proposal or creating a proposal for this villain without the permission of an administrator will result in a ban. | ||
- NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of Shere Khan from the 2016 movie. The mainstream version can be found here.
|
| “ | Shere Khan: Does my face not remind you of what a grown man can do? Shift your hunting grounds for a few years and everyone forgets how the law works. Well, let me remind you; a man-cub becomes man, and man... is... FORBIDDEN! Raksha: What do you know about law? Akela: Raksha. Raksha: Hunting for pleasure. Killing for power. You've never known law. The cub is mine! Mine to me, so go back to where you came from, you burnt beast! |
„ |
| ~ Shere Khan showing his scars and expressing his hatred for mankind, before Raksha stands up to him by revealing the true personality of the evil tiger. |
Shere Khan is the main antagonist of the 2016 Disney live action fantasy adventure film The Jungle Book, a remake of the 1967 animated classic.
He is a notorious, fearsome and scarred Bengal tiger who serves as the tyrannical king of the jungle and is obsessed on killing the man-cub Mowgli, due to him having a vendetta against mankind after getting his face burned which blinded his left eye and gave him facial scars. He also serves as the most feared animal of the jungle as well as the one responsible for Mowgli being adopted and raised by Bagheera and the wolf pack in the first place.
He was portrayed by Idris Elba via motion capture, who also played Russell "Stringer" Bell in The Wire, William Roque in The Losers, Colin Evans in No Good Deed, The Commandant in Beasts of No Nation, Krall in Star Trek Beyond, Brixton Lore in Hobbs & Shaw, Macavity in the 2019 Cats film and Bloodsport in The Suicide Squad.
Appearance[]
In contrast to his traditionally animated counterpart, this version of Shere Khan is more realistic in appearance, but appears to be larger than a normal Bengal tiger, displays a muscular physique and features hairs hanging from his jaw that are long enough to resemble a beard.
Compared to his animated incarnation, it is likely that Shere Khan is even larger than any big cat since male Bengal tigers in real-life are often longer than 12 feet and weight more than 500 pounds, implying that, due to his size, his appearance is based off an Ngandong tiger, an extinct subspecies of the modern tiger species.
Shere Khan displays noticeable burn scars on the left side of his face and snout after having a fight with Mowgli's father while his left eye is blind and milky white, something that his animated incarnation lacked in the original film.
Personality[]
| “ | Bagheera: You don't understand. The boy is in danger. Baloo: I know. He told me. He's being hunted... by a tiger. Bagheera: Not any tiger.. Shere Khan. Baloo: Shere Khan's hunting him? But if we send to the man-village, they'll ruin him. They'll make a man out of him. We should send him back to the wolf pack. Who's their alpha? Akela! He can protect him. Bagheera: Akela is dead. Baloo: What?! Bagheera: Shere Khan killed him. He will stop at nothing until he has this boy. Nothing. |
„ |
| ~ Baloo and Bagheera speaking about Shere Khan's threat. |
This incarnation of Shere Khan is far more ruthless, manipulative, cold, sadistic, condescending and monstrous than his original counterpart. He is much less affable and polite than his original counterpart and is actually shown killing both a man and animal whereas his original counterpart never killed anyone (at least not on screen).
Like all of his past counterparts, Shere Khan possesses an immense and irrepressible hatred for humanity.
Shere Khan at first sight pretends to rescind the law of the jungle by demanding that Mowgli leave the jungle. However, his methods are not honorable as he's willing to use this same law for all the animals, including the pack, to turn against Mowgli when Mowgli wanted to use a burning pelt against the tiger. He also criticizes Akela and the wolves for protecting Mowgli under their care as it goes against the law and sought out to drag Mowgli back into the jungle so that he may kill him himself, despite the man-cub having already left the jungle. Ultimately, this shows that Shere Khan is a spiteful hypocrite that's willing to twist his rule when he sees fit. This is further made clear when Raksha calls him out for hunting for pleasure and killing for power, as he simply puts his grim smile instead of trying to defend himself and his point of view. Even further proof of this is how he's (indirectly) responsible for Mowgli haphazardly setting the jungle on fire, showing that this point, he no longer cares about upholding the jungle's laws, much less protecting the jungle itself or its inhabitants, just proving that he is undeniably right about humankind.
A despicable and ruthless individual, this tiger is known to hunt only for pleasure, to inspire fear, killing for power and to make anyone who dares to stand up to him suffer. This can be seen when he kills Akela for not doing what he says or trying to turn the cubs against Raksha with a mix of history and manipulation. The terrible reputation of Shere Khan is enough that all the animals present during the truce shrink back in fear with each step of the tiger.
He is utterly violent, bloodthirsty, and savage, so he mostly enjoys antagonizing and harassing Mowgli by not only gloating about him being a human but also gloating about his father's death as well as Akela's demise. He is attempting to make Mowgli afraid of him, and he briefly succeeds, but it does prove that the fear of him is what gives him the stage and the power to control the animals in the jungle.
As Mowgli confronted him and said that he is no longer afraid of Shere Khan, he roared on him, most likely because this claim made him angrier as Mowgli is taunting him and his power. A similar thing happened earlier, when Raksha stood up to him and called him "burnt beast", Shere Khan furiously growled at her.
Biography[]
Shere Khan first appears during the drought, when the animals gather to drink during the Water Truce from a watering hole where the animals maintain a truce not to attack each other while quenching their thirst. Upon scenting Mowgli, he threatens to kill him as man is not allowed to live in the jungle. He also shows the scars on the left side of his face as proof of the man's cruel and destructive nature and issues a warning that when the Water Truce ends and the Peace Rock disappears, he will come for the boy and that the wolves should decide how many of their own kind they would be willing to sacrifice to protect a man-cub. He then leaves afterwards.
This causes Akela and his wolf pack to debate whether to have Mowgli leave the jungle or not, resulting Mowgli to leave the wolf pack with Bagheera to head over to a nearby Man-village. But Shere Khan ambushes them en route through a buffalo herd and fights Bagheera. He severely injures Bagheera and chases Mowgli, who manages to outrun him with the aid of the stampeding buffalo. Shere Khan returns to confront Akela's pack and demand Mowgli be turned over to him, throwing Akela off a cliff to his death shortly after learning that Mowgli is on his way to the Man-village. He then takes control of the wolf pack, deducing that Mowgli will return when he learns the news.
During Kaa's attempt to hypnotize and devour Mowgli, she reveals that Shere Khan himself is responsible for Mowgli being found by Bagheera as he killed Mowgli's father (an event that left him with his facial scars and undying hatred for humans). While reigning as the pack's leader, Shere Khan tells stories to the wolf pups about the other creatures of the jungle (in particular, a cuckoo, which preys upon the love of other mother birds in order to deposit its own egg into their nest, starving them while benefiting its own chick). He directs his story at Raksha, citing her love for Mowgli as a sign of weakness. When Raksha asked why Shere Khan is doing this, he states that he wants Mowgli dead and that he'll be waiting when Mowgli returns.
When King Louie informs Mowgli of Akela's death, Mowgli returns to confront Shere Khan at the Water Truce with a burning torch stolen from the Man-village, but accidentally starts a forest fire in the process. When he sees how all the animals of the jungle cower in fear at the sight of the fire he holds, he throws away his torch into the water, allowing Shere Khan to attack him, only for him to be confronted by Baloo, Bagheera, Raksha and her pack, who cite their code as they defy him. Shere Khan attacks regardless, saying he will have them all in his teeth before fighting Baloo, the wolves and Bagheera, who give Mowgli enough time to run to the burning jungle and build a trap for the tiger.
Shere Khan eventually catches up to Mowgli on a dead strangler fig tree and chases him into it, although not knowing he has been lured into the boy's trap. There, he confronts Mowgli and mocks him by saying that he never would allow him to grow old while that he will kill him as he killed Mowgli's father and Akela, mockingly asking how much longer the man-cub thought he would last against him than they did. Mowgli replies that he is not afraid of Shere Khan and is done running from the tiger, tricking Shere Khan into pouncing at him before swinging away to safety. However, the branch Mowgli was standing on is too weak to hold Shere Khan's weight and it snaps, causing the tiger to fall bellowing to his death into a fiery pit below, incinerating him and avenging the deaths of both Akela and Mowgli's father in the process. In the aftermath, Mowgli, with the help of the elephants, later puts out the wildfire by using an irrigation system, saving the jungle from destruction, putting an end to Shere Khan's reign of terror and leaving his legacy in vain.
Relationships[]
Enemies[]
- Mowgli - Archenemy, Attempted Victim and Indirect Killer
- Bagheera - Attempted Victim
- Baloo - Attempted Victim
- Akela † - Victim
- Raksha - Enemy and Successor
- Mowgli's father † - Victim
Powers and Abilities[]
This version of Shere Khan is vastly stronger than his original novel and animated Disney incarnations.
Powerful and ferocious, Shere Khan is a very strong tiger both physically and mentally. In terms of physical strength, Shere Khan is undoubtedly one of the strongest creatures in the jungle, capable of defeating Baloo in a relatively short time, repelling the pack with a few powerful blows, defeating Bagheera and freeing himself from the wolves' assault successively and without getting tired. Shere Khan also has a muscular and solid body, capable of absorbing multiple hits and bites without too much damage. One of the things that can seriously hurt Shere Khan is fire. Like all tigers, Shere Khan has powerful fangs and claws, handy for wounding or killing. He can also climb trees thanks to his claws. Despite his blind eye, this does not hamper his fighting skills. Besides his physical abilities, Shere Khan's best weapons is his wicked spirit and his ability to cause fear among all the creatures of the jungle.
Reception[]
This portrayal of Shere Khan by Idris Elba is heavily praised.
Cath Clarke of Time Out compared this Shere Khan to Scar from The Lion King, calling him "baddie of the year". Matt Zoller Seitz of rogerebert.com also had high praise for Elba's portrayal of Shere Khan stating "His loping menace is envisioned so powerfully that he'd be scary no matter what, but the character becomes a great villain through imaginative empathy. We understand and appreciate his point-of-view even though carrying it out would mean the death of Mowgli.".
Quotes[]
| “ | Everyone comes to peace rock, so many smells to catch up on. But, um... I can't help but notice there's this strange odor today. What is it? This scent that I'm on. I almost... almost think it was some kind of... man-cub. | „ |
| ~ Shere Khan sensing Mowgli at the water hole. Also his first lines. |
| “ | Akela: Mowgli belongs to my pack, Shere Khan. Shere Khan: Mowgli? They've given it a name. When was it when we came to adopt man into the jungle? Akela: He's just a cub. |
„ |
| ~ Shere Khan mocking the wolf pack about Mowgli. |
| “ | No, I'm deeply respectful of these laws that keep us safe. So here's my promise, nothing lasts forever. The rains will return and the river will rise and when this rock disappears, the truce will end. You want to protect him, fine. But ask yourselves: How many lives is a man-cub worth? | „ |
| ~ Shere Khan threatening the wolf pack that when the truce ends he'll kill them unless they hand Mowgli over. |
| “ | Shere Khan: I suppose you know why I've come? Akela: The man-cub has left the jungle. Shere Khan: I thought I made myself clear that I wanted him to be handed over to me. Akela: We no longer harbor him. He's left the pack. Shere Khan: And where may I ask has he gone? Akela: He's with his own kind now. Shere Khan: So, the man-cub has left the jungle. Akela: That's right. You and I no longer have to quarrel and, most importantly, we have peace. Shere Khan: Well, I guess it's done, then... ...unless, I can draw him BACK OUT! |
„ |
| ~ Shere Khan learning about Mowgli's departure, moments before killing Akela to spite Mowgli and lure him back into the Jungle so as to kill him as well. |
| “ | Have I got your attention now?! I didn't want it to be this way. I made it so simple. All I asked for was one thing, and you denied me! Well, that ends now! Spread the word, until I have the man-cub, these hills are my hills. You did not respond to reason! So now you will know fear. | „ |
| ~ Shere Khan becoming the new tyrannical leader of the wolf pack after killing Akela. |
| “ | But the one you have to watch out for is the cuckoo bird. Do you know how the cuckoo bird survives? By preying on a mother's weakness. The cuckoo bird is too clever to raise it's young instead, it sneaks its eggs into the nests of several birds. So when they hatch, the mother bird is fooled, she feeds them, nurtures them. And do you know what happens to her own chicks? They starve and die from neglect. All because the mother loved the chick that wasn't her own. | „ |
| ~ Shere Khan interrogating the wolf cubs and directing the story at Raksha. |
| “ | Raksha: Why are you doing this? He's gone. Isn't that what you wanted? Shere Khan: I want him dead. Once he gets word of what happened here, he'll come back and I'll be waiting. |
„ |
| ~ Shere Khan and Raksha discussing Mowgli. |
| “ | Mowgli: Shere Khan! I'm not afraid of you! No one has to be afraid of you any more! Shere Khan: No... I think they're afraid of something else now. The man-cub is now a man. Mowgli: Grey? Shere Khan: Always a proud day... when they come of age. You can fool them, but you can't fool me. I'm the one who saw your future. I saw what you'd become. Come now, use the red flower. Use it on me like your father did. Show everyone what you really are! |
„ |
| ~ Shere Khan uses the animals' fear against Mowgli. |
| “ | Mowgli: I'M MOWGLI OF THE SEONI, AND THIS IS MY HOME! Shere Khan: That was the stupidest thing you could've done. Now you have nothing. No claws, no fur, no teeth... And no friends. |
„ |
| ~ Shere Khan taunting Mowgli for choosing to abide by the Law of the Jungle by throwing the flaming torch rather than using it against him. |
| “ | You fools! Fine! Rise up, all of you! You want to put yourselves between me and the man-cub?! I'll have you ALL IN MY TEETH! | „ |
| ~ Shere Khan's breakdown when he vows to kill Baloo, Bagheera and the wolf pack for siding up with Mowgli. |
| “ | It's time we put an end to this. | „ |
| ~ Shere Khan getting ready to finish Bagheera. |
| “ | Did you think I would let you grow old? Either I'll devour you or the red flower will! It's just a matter of time. How long did you really think you'd survive against me? Longer than your father did? Longer than.... Akela?! | „ |
| ~ Shere Khan's last words as he attempts to kill Mowgli one last time only to miss when he lands on the dead branch before he falls to his death into the fire pit below. |
In Other Media[]
- Main article: Shere Khan (2016 Novelization)
Trivia[]
- Unlike his original incarnation, this version of Shere Khan:
- Has little fear of fire.
- Is a manipulator.
- Is the ruler of the jungle.
- Appears at the beginning instead of appearing towards the end and learns directly the existence and the name of Mowgli. He also directly threatens the life of every wolf if they attempt to protect Mowgli.
- Has scars on the left side of his face and a blind eye.
- Doesn't act like a gentleman to hide his evil nature, despite remaining Faux Affably Evil.
- Is more of a wild, violent, savage and deadly beast.
- Has scenes with Bagheera and the wolf pack and has no scenes with Kaa.
- Is responsible for the deaths of Mowgli's father and Akela. The original Shere Khan didn't kill anyone (at least not on the screen).
- Dies at the end of the first film.
- Is also much stronger as he was able to defeat Baloo, Bagheera and the wolf pack in combat.
- This version of Shere Khan is the second Disney villain to die falling into fire, the first was Judge Claude Frollo.
- Coincidentally, Frollo's voice actor, the late Tony Jay, was also the voice of Shere Khan's mainstream counterpart from 1990 to 2003, including his TaleSpin counterpart.
- Shere Khan taking control of the pack is likely based on the original novel when he urged the young wolves to take Akela's place. The difference is that while his original counterpart only divided the pack and pitted the wolves against each other, Shere Khan directly killed Akela in front of the wolves, thus subduing them with fear.
- Unlike the novel, Shere Khan does not flee after Mowgli confronts him armed with a flaming torch, the tiger showing no fear of it and easily causing Mowgli to doubt himself due to the jungle animals' own fear of fire.
- Shere Khan is never really identified as the King of the Jungle throughout the film, although this is more implied by the fear that all animals in the jungle feel by his presence.
- It is the second version of Shere Khan to have facial wounds, the first was Shere Khan Shonen who was cut to the left eye by Mowgli. The original Shere Khan and the 2018 version of Shere Khan had a crippled paw from birth.
- Although he is a Bengal tiger, his musculature combined with his size and his imposing figure makes him more similar to a Siberian tiger.
- However, it is implied that Shere Khan's physical appearance in the remake is based off an Ngandong tiger, an extinct subspecies of the modern tiger species.
- One of the only things he really shares with his original counterpart is his reputation as a feared vicious predator in all the jungle-something that the Rudyard Kipling's incarnation never owned.
[]
 Villains
| ||
|
Books Movies Television | ||