Scar (The Lion King)

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Character
Name: Scar
Taka
Occupation: Former King of the Pridelands
Relationships: Ahadi - Father
Uru - Mother
Mufasa - Brother
Mohatu - Grandfather
Fandom: The Lion King
Other:
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Scar, aka Taka or potentially Askari, is the main antagonist of Disney's The Lion King and has appeared in other related tie ins, such as The Lion Guard and Kingdom Hearts. He's an iconic and recognisable Disney Villain in both the mainstream and wider fandom, and is fairly popular in fanworks.

Canon

He dies at the end of the first film but is resurrected in The Lion Guard season 2's The Rise of Scar, where he serves as the main antagonist until season 3's two-parter opening Battle for the Pridelands.

Semi-Canon

Name

His name is up for debate. In the Six New Adventures books, his name is Taka, a name that has stuck around the fandom, and is usually the go to name in the fandom. In 2021, it was announced that Kelvin Harrison Jr. would be voicing 'Taka' in the prequel to the 2019 remake. Though the remake follows a different continuity to the animation, it does provide an interesting development if the name sticks.

Alternatively, one of the creators of The Lion Guard, Ford Riley, posted on Instagram that he believed Scar's birthname to be Askari, and named after a distant relative of his who was the first leader of the Lion Guard, and also appears as a ghost in the show.

The origin of his scar, and his resulting name change, changes depending on the work: in the Six New Adventures books it is given to him by a buffalo after a failed attempt on Mufasa's life. In The Lion Guard, it is from a cobra. In the 2019 storyline it is given to him by Mufasa.

Taka translates to Waste or That Which Is Unwanted (although it is implied that his parents meant for his name to mean Wish or Want)

Fandom

Fanon

Relationships/Pairings

Crossover ships occasionally occur, including Scar/Shere Khan.

Parents

In popular fanon, Scar is usually portrayed as favouring, and having a better relationship with, his mother to his father. He's sometimes portrayed as being neglected, or even abused, by Ahadi.

Discussions are also often had as to why his parents would give him a name that in some contexts means 'trash', and often this impacts his relationships with his parents in fan headcanons.

Children

It seems to be a popular headcanon that Scar fathered at least one cub with the lionesses, with the most common appearing to be that Nuka, Zira's eldest son, is his. Vitani will occasionally be headcanoned to be his too, though many others will argue that it doesn't quite work in the timeline of the films. To combat this, some fans headcanon Vitani to be the daughter of Scar and Nala, rather than Scar and Zira - often influenced by the events of The Madness of King Scar.

Because of the seemingly relative popularity of Scar/Sarafina, some fans headcanon that he fathered Mheetu, Nala's younger brother who, though deleted in the final film, often appears in fanworks. Occasionally he'll also be headcanoned as Nala's father too, though many try and avoid this due to a squick towards the incestuous implications.

Origin of his scar

Headcanons regarding the origin of his scar vary:

Depending on which source texts each fan counts as part of canon will very often influence their headcanons regarding the origins of his scar.

Common Tropes & Themes

  • Good AU - Fanworks in which he was never a villain.
  • Alive AU - In which he doesn't die at the end of the first film. This may be as simple as portraying an older version of the character in fanart.
    Old Scar (May 2017) by YurikoSchneide
  • Abuse/Unhealthy Relationships - This can either be in the sense of him being abused by someone as a youngster, or him abusing someone as an adult, often Zira, Nala, Sarabi, Sarafina, or another lioness. This can be emotional, or physical, and can sometimes involve rape.
  • Angst - Sometimes in the form of regret over his actions.

Queercoding

Scar is often used as an example of Disney queercoding their villains.

Fanworks

Vids

Fanart

Links

Gallery

Resources