Scar
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Scar is the main villain in the Lion King series and stands as one of Disney's best. Haughty, cultured and intelligent, he is the archetypal British villain and is voiced by Jeremy Irons who has a history of playing film villains. Scar personifies the Deadly Sin of Pride and Envy. He received spot #3 in the top 30 disney villains. (one better than the Evil Queen but one place under Jafar)
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[edit] Role in Lion King novel series
Scar was once named Taka, he had became upset when he learned that his brother Mufasa was chosen to be king over himself. He wanders off to talk to three hyenas named Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, who tell him that if Mufasa is made to look like a failure, then he will look kingly in comparison and soon take the throne.
This leads to Taka tricking his brother into going down to the waterhole, where a Cape buffalo called Boma is refusing to share the water with the rest of The Pride Lands which, at the time, is having a terrible drought.
While there Mufasa starts to try to reason with Boma, and Taka roars and tells Boma that he must move by order of the Lion King, or fight Mufasa, Boma then charges out of the water at Mufasa. Mufasa escapes with the aid of a Mandrill called Rafiki, and Boma goes after Taka instead.
Mufasa runs back and finds Taka being attacked by Boma's herd. A large buffalo slashes Taka with his horns, causing him to be knocked unconscious. Mufasa leaps in to save his brother and the buffaloes prepare to attack again. Before they can do so, King Ahadi father of Taka and Mufasa appears with a large herd of animals that surrounds the Buffaloes. It was during this attack that Taka got a scar on his eye, and re-named himself Scar.
[edit] Role in the Lion King
Scar eventually became jealous of his nephew Simba's position as the next king of the Pride Lands, and stated plotting to kill both his brother and nephew in order to take the throne himself. He started to recruit hyenas including Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, to build an army. He used bribes of food to get them on his side. The first attempt the hyenas made was to kill Simba when the young cub entered their territory, but Mufasa foiled that plan. Scar lined up his ranks of troops promising that under his rule, they would never go hungry again. With their help, he triggered a wildebeest stampede meant to kill both Simba and Mufasa. Instead, Mufasa saved his son and ended up clinging to a cliff. He then spots Scar and pleads with Scar to help him. However, Scar pierces Mufasa's paws with his claws, and flung his brother off the cliff to his death with the mocking words "Long Live The King". Scar finds that Simba is still alive, and convinces him that it is his fault Mufasa is dead. He told the cub to "run away, and never return."
Scar went on to take the throne and sent Shenzi, Banzai and Ed to finish Simba off. This was a task they failed, allowing the cub to flee into the desert to apparent certain death. Under Scar's rule, the Pride Lands became a dry place and the animals left leading to food becoming scarce.
Simba returned years later, to Scar's surpise (Who belived Simba was dead) and Scar was forced to reveal the truth that he himself had killed Mufasa. This lead to a battle that ended with a fight between Scar and Simba. Scar tried to blame the hyenas, not knowing that Shenzi, Banzai and Ed had followed him and heard Scar blame them. Scar (who was offered the chance to leave the Pride Lands) was thrown from Pride Rock. The hyenas, wishing to get revenge on Scar for betraying them, surrounded him and ate him.
Scar also appeared briefly in a dream in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride where Jim Cummings voiced him. Scar is also featured in the game Kingdom Hearts 2 voiced by James Horan.
[edit] Personality
Scar is a Machiavellian individual who is mainly concerned with gaining power and will kill anyone he sees as competition. Despite his ruthless nature he is something of a coward, more likely to run away from violence than confront it. Conversely he is portrayed as a fierce fighter who holds his own against and almost defeats Simba at the movie's climax. In the face of his cowardice, he possesses great strength of will and determination, fighting to the last to cling to his throne, even after losing the support of his subjects.
Scar is highly intelligent and charismatic, able to rally the hyenas to his cause and gain fanatical loyalty from Zira and her pride of lionesses.
Scar's lyrics in the song Be Prepared ("meticulous planning, tenacity spanning, decades of denial, is simply why I'll be King undisputed, respected, saluted and seen for the wonder I am") establish him as a narcissist. He also exhibits behaviour consistent with bipolar disorder, more commonly known as manic depression.
Critics have also noted allegorical resemblances between Scar and Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler which are particularly apparent during the Be Prepared musical number.
[edit] Physical appearence
Scar is elegant and poised but unkempt and wild looking. He is perhaps the most evidently feline lion in the film, lithe and melanistic in appearence with a sleek, black mane, dusty brown fur and distinctive, almond-shaped green eyes. He has large, white paws with long, curving black claws that unlike those of other lions in the film are always bared and never retracted, perhaps alluding to his vicious nature. Scar also sports a white goatee beard, characteristic of villains, particularly the evil twin archetype which is fitting given his relationship with Mufasa. Finally Scar has a thin, white gash over his right eye, earning him his name.
[edit] Broadway
In the Broadway musical based on the original film, Scar is portrayed by a human actor in an African-style costume with a lion-face headpiece that comes down over the actor's face using a hidden remote control. Scar also uses a cane. Scar was originally portrayed in the Broadway production by John Vickery, and is currently played by Patrick Page. Dan Donohue portrays this character on the Broadway tour.
Scar's role is expanded upon with the song "The Madness of King Scar". In it, Scar begins doubting his reign, fearing that he might be losing the respect of the lionesses and that he needs a queen. He attempts to seduce Nala, only to be met with a scratch to his face from an angry Nala.
[edit] Mickey Mouse's House of Villains
Featured Simba's evil uncle Scar and three Hyenas: Shenzi, Banzai and Ed guest Apperance on the House of Mouse
[edit] Kingdom Hearts II
Besides appearing in various The Lion King video games, Scar also appears in the Disney and Square Enix game Kingdom Hearts II as the primary villain of the Pride Lands world, voiced by James Horan. Much like in the film, Scar murders Mufasa to become king, and under his reign the Pride Lands suffers a drought and food becomes scarce.
Prior to the game's main protagonists' (Sora, Donald Duck and Goofy) arrival at the Pride Lands, Pete (in the form of a lion) offers Scar use of the Heartless to maintain his hold on the throne. Sora (in the form of a lion cub, a change brought on by his magical clothes) brings Simba back to the Pride Lands so he can challenge his uncle for the throne. The confrontation between Scar and Simba that follows is almost identical to that in the original film, the only noteworthy exceptions being no hyenas for most of it and Sora and his group replacing the lionesses. Sora's group saves Timon and Pumbaa from Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, while Scar and Simba fight. As in the film, Simba eventually triumphs over his uncle.
Thinking Scar to be defeated, the protagonists are surprised when, as Pete explains, Scar returns to battle once again as a Heartless. Scar's anger and jealousy were so strong they lingered after death and consumed him. During the battle Scar uses a series of swift and strong physical attacks and powerful magic against Sora and company. Sora and his friends defeat Scar again. Scar is the only character in the Kingdom Hearts universe - excluding Xehanort and Kairi - to keep his original form as a Heartless. Whether or not a Nobody will be fleshed out in Kingdom Hearts continuity is debated.
By the time Sora returns to the Pride Lands to see how Simba is faring, rumors of Scar's ghost haunting the Pride Lands have driven Simba into doubt. But once he overcomes this problem, the "ghost" is revealed to be the interaction of Simba's lack of confidence and Scar's spirit. Multiple copies of Scar's "ghost" then combine to form a gigantic Heartless that is eventually killed by Simba and Sora
[edit] In Other Media
- Scar is one of the main villains in Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure. You must defeat his Hyenas beat his high score before challenging him to a race for control of the Pridelands.
