Mufasa: The Lion Kingexplores Mufasa and Scar’s backstory years beforeThe Lion King, filling in a few gaps and including new reveals, but one aspect of Scar’s story is left out. Although theLion Kingprequel is titled after Simba’s father and framed around his story, Scar’s origin story is also a key component that the 2024 film explores. This meant diving deep into the brotherhood that Mufasa and Taka felt, although they are not biological brothers. The tragic element ofMufasa: The Lion King’s endingultimately did a great job setting up Scar’s storyline in the original film.
The film’s ending fully revealshow Scar got his scarand why he was no longer called by his birth name, Taka. He decided to help Kiros after feeling betrayed that Mufasa would fall for Sarabi when he felt she would be his queen. Instead of completing his villain turn, Taka decided to save Mufasa from Kiros' attack, giving him the scar over his left eye.Taka takes on the name Scaras a permanent reminder of this betrayal. This covers practically everything audiences need to know about Scar’s life beforeThe Lion King- with one big exception.
Scar’s Connection To Hyenas In The Lion King Is Not Explained In Mufasa
The Hyenas Are Absent From Mufasa: The Lion King
Scar’s master plan inThe Lion Kingrevolves around the hyenas helping himkill Mufasa and chase Simba away, as well as coercing them to fight on his side against the lion pride at the end. It was somewhat expected, then, thatMufasawould tackle how Scar - a lion - came to befriend and command all hyenas. TheLion Kingprequel answers almost every question viewers could have about the characters and their backstories, going as far as showing things like Pride Rock’s formation or where Rafiki got his staff.
Mufasa’s Death In The Lion King Is Much More Tragic 30 Years Later Thanks To New Detail
Considering new reveals from their past, Mufasa’s death at the hands of Scar in the original Lion King just became far more tragic.
That’s what makes the absence of the hyenas in Scar’s backstory so surprising. The film wasthe perfect opportunity to explain how Taka integrated himself with the hyenasand convinced them to follow him. There is the obvious parallel of them being outcasts in the animal kingdom that the original film establishes, but there was room to go deeper.Mufasa: The Lion Kingultimately leaves the history between Scar and the hyenas as a lingering mystery, one that would require future installments to explain fully.
Why Mufasa Doesn’t Include The Hyenas In Scar’s Backstory
There’s No Clear Place For Them In The Story
The best answer as to why the hyenas are left out of Scar’s backstory inMufasa: The Lion Kingcan be found in the story told. The film chronicles two parts of Mufasa and Scar’s lives, with the majority set around their journey to find Milele. While they are out in the wilderness encountering other animals, like elephants, hyenas never enter the picture. This could be because the hyenas did not live in the areas they traveled through.There are some hyenas present in Milele, though, so perhaps Scar never encountered them before this.
That would mean that it is only after Mufasa becomes king that Scar begins to befriend the hyenas. Since thehyenas are not typically welcome around Pride Rock inThe Lion King, something must have happened that led Mufasa to warn them to stay far away. It might only be after that point that Scar starts to think of them as allies who could help him eliminate Mufasa and Simba so he can take the throne. If that is the case, that’s a story for a point in Mufasa and Scar’s lives afterMufasa: The Lion King’s events.
