‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ ending, explained: Was Scar always a villain?

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Mufasa: The Lion King.

Mufasa: The Lion King tells the story of Simba’s father from the time he was a cub until he first climbed Pride Rock as the ruler of everything the light touches. Additionally, the prequel movie explains how Scar grew so resentful of his brother that he decided to kill Mufasa and take the throne. There’s a lot of history to unpack in two hours, so let’s recap all the major plot points.

Why does Kiros want to kill other lions?

The main antagonist of Mufasa: The Lion King is Kiros (voiced by Mads Mikkelsen), the leader of an albino lion pride. As they look different from everyone else, white lions are cast away by their original families and forced to fend for themselves as pariahs. Moved by rage and revenge, Kiros has created his pride of outcasts to kill all the feline monarchs and crown himself as the new king of everything the light touches. In Kiros’ view, every royal bloodline must be extinguished so no one can claim the throne. Kiros is so determined to hunt down Taka (voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Mufasa (voiced by Aaron Pierre) to the end of the world because their survival threatens the white lion’s coup.

What is Milele?

After they escape Kiros’ attack, Taka and Mufasa begin to search for Milele, a fabled place where the land is always lush green, no animal goes hungry, and everyone plays their role in the great circle of light. While initially, Milele sounds like the animals’ version of paradise, the place exists. As the prequel explains, Milele is the bushy kingdom Mufasa rules at the beginning of The Lion King, which Scar later usurps.

How did Mufasa become the lion king?

Mufasa and his friends ultimately reach Milele, also bringing Kiros and his pride to the paradise. Since there’s nowhere to run, Mufasa decides to fight Kiros and end his threat. Mufasa’s allies are not strong enough to stand against Kiros, so the soon-to-be lion king asks for the help of Milele’s other inhabitants. As Mufasa explains, everyone has a role to play in the circle of life, and they must all rise against tyranny. Moved by Mufasa’s speech, all the animals join forces against Kiros, defeating his pride.

After the battle, the animals crown Mufasa as a new king. Mufasa doesn’t want to rule, as he does not come from a royal bloodline. However, as Rafiki (voiced by John Kani) tells him, his bravery, humility, and willingness to respect every living being makes him the most suitable king Milele could ever have. With Sarabi (voiced by Tiffany Boone) as his queen, Mufasa climbs Pride Rock and takes his place as Milele’s fair ruler.

Why does Scar resents Mufasa?

Kiros reaches Milele because he’s helped by Taka, who betrays Mufasa by leaving tracks for the white lions to follow. Taka’s treason is motivated by his growing resentment towards Mufasa. First, Mufasa is the favorite son of Taka’s mother, Eshe (voiced by Thandie Newton), who taught him how to hunt. Then, Mufasa gains the admiration of Taka’s father, Obasi (voiced by Lennie James), after he saves Eshe’s life from an attack by Kiros’ forces. Taka never learned how to hunt, could not fend for himself, and fled in fear when he saw his mother being attacked, which is why he was jealous of his adoptive brother.

Taka’s decision to betray Mufasa comes after his adoptive brother wins the heart of Sarabi, whom Taka also loved. Tired of being in Mufasa’s shadow, Taka decides to ally with Kiros. Taka eventually regrets his action, aiding Mufasa during the final battle. That’s how he gets his scar over his left eye, adopting the name Scar as a reminder of his treason. Even though Mufasa forgives his brother, everyone knows of Scar’s treason, making a pariah of him. That, combined with all the previous resentment, would eventually lead to Scar’s coup in the events of The Lion King.