Advertisement
When you think of The Lion King, Scar usually gets painted as the villain. But if you peek behind the royal curtain, you’ll find a tangled web of politics. The Pride Lands under Mufasa’s reign? Think of it as a lion-centric oligarchy, where the rest of the animal kingdom had little say. Sure, it was a hereditary monarchy, but with Rafiki throwing in his mystical “Circle of Life” rhetoric, the whole setup felt like a theocratic power play. The lions were practically sitting on top of the food chain, happily basking in their religious dogma while oppressing the other species.
Enter Scar. Naturally, he wasn’t thrilled about being stuck in the shadow of his kingly brother. While everyone else celebrated the arrival of their new ruler, Scar saw the cracks in this façade. He didn’t want to go along with the status quo—especially when it meant excluding the hyenas. Seriously, why were they ostracized in the first place? I’d have a bone to pick, too.
With a fratricidal plot in mind, Scar took action, pulling off a regicide that could rival any Shakespearean tragedy. He welcomed the marginalized hyenas back into the fold—great job, Scar! But then, enter Simba. Instead of forming a government-in-exile, he strolled into the wilderness, soaking up the “Hakuna Matata” life, courtesy of his new friends Timon and Pumbaa. It was a radical shift, but maybe not the most productive one.
Advertisement
