The Lion King (1994): 10 Ways Scar Could Have Won

Scar is one of the most compelling villains in the entire animated Disney canon. With his signature sneer and his mellifluous voice -provided by the inimitable Jeremy Irons – in many ways he is the most interesting character in the entire film.

Unfortunately, he also tends to be a bit full of himself, and it’s his arrogance and certainty in his own abilities that go a long way toward explaining his defeat by Simba. If he’d only taken a few different paths, he might have actually won. Here are 10 ways Scar could’ve won in The Lion King.

10 He Should’ve Killed Simba Himself

Like so many villains, Scar likes to make things a little more difficult and involved than they strictly have to be. A key example of this is when he recruits the hyenas to finish Simba off after the fateful wildebeest stampede that kills Mufasa.

Of course, they’d botch the affair, and Scar has only himself to blame for thinking that the three of them could finish the job. Had he just done the deed himself, he could have prevented his later defeat.

9 He Should’ve Just Killed Simba Instead Of Gloating

Sometimes, villains get so caught up in the joy of their certain victory that they throw caution to the wind and, unfortunately, it ends up blowing up in their faces. In this case, he just can’t resist telling Simba that he murdered his father, in the process giving Simba just the motivation he needs to come roaring back to victory.

If only Scar had just thrown Simba off the cliff rather than wasting time being an arrogant jerk, victory would have been his.

8 He Should’ve Ruled Responsibly 

After he stages his takeover of the Pride Lands, it quickly becomes clear that Scar doesn’t have a green thumb. He lets the hyenas run wild, and soon they’ve depopulated the area of valuable food sources, and the very earth itself begins to die.

Scar, however, caught up in his own inviolable sense of rightness, refuses to change anything. Had he been a more responsible steward, it’s possible that he might have been able to win in his war against Simba.

7 He Should’ve Set Up Guards on the Pride Lands

Every leader knows that you never take anything for granted and that the best way to ensure your own safety is to make sure that your domains are well-guarded. After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Unfortunately, Scar apparently never learned of this lesson, and so Simba is basically able to come right up on Pride Rock unchallenged. Once again, Scar’s hubris proves key to his undoing and his ultimate defeat.

6 He Shouldn’t Have Betrayed The Hyenas

In one of the film’s most disturbing moments Scar, cornered by the hyenas that he has betrayed, is devoured by them. The irony is that this seems like such a preventable moment. After all, there was no reason that Scar had to betray them and throw them under the bus when Simba gained the upper hand.

Aside from everything else, it was a rather disingenuous thing to do, considering all of the things that they’d already done for him. The worst part is, though, is that this didn’t have to happen and it wouldn’t have if Scar saw the hyenas as more than just a means to an end.

5 He Should’ve Just Accepted His Place in the Pride

This one might be a bit of a stretch, but it’s interesting to think about how the entire film might have been different had Scar just accepted the fact that he was the second lion in the pride rather than scheming against his brother and his nephew.

It would have at least allowed him to find a measure of peace that otherwise eluded him. If nothing else, it might have also given him a better opportunity to seize power. This route would’ve taken a lot longer than Scar might have desired, but it would’ve been the safer and smarter choice. 

4 He Should’ve Made Better Use of Zazu

The conflict between Scar and Zazu is one of the primary sources of humor in the film. In fact, their first encounter, in which Scar almost eats Zazu, is a harbinger of their future antagonism. Once Scar takes over the Pride Lands, he imprisons Zazu in a skeleton and forces him to perform for his amusement.

This is an unfortunate waste of Zazu’s administrative talent and it’s hard not to think that, had Scar only made use of that, he would have been a more effective and loved, ruler. 

3 He Should’ve Prioritized A Bloodline

Scar, unlike Mufasa, seems to have very little romantic interest in any of the lionesses of his pride, and this proves to be part of his undoing. After all, a key means by which rulers cement the stability of their rule is by producing an heir to take over after they are dead. He does have a wife (Zira) who gives birth to three children, but family life and maintaining a bloodline seemed more like an afterthought to him. 

Scar’s refusal to do so means that, even if he were successful as a ruler, there will be no stability and longevity to his reign – a fatal flaw that Simba and his allies can exploit. In fact, if Scar were alive to see his children grow, he would’ve plotted against them instead of raising them to be his successors.

2 He Should’ve Tried to Forge a Relationship with Sarabi

Another key opportunity that Scar missed was his inability or unwillingness to forge an alliance with Mufasa’s widow Sarabi. In this respect, The Lion King is very different from its inspiration, Hamlet, in which the usurping Claudius marries his brother’s widow.

Given how much the other lionesses clearly respect Sarabi, and given that she is an important link to the previous ruler, this is an unfortunate oversight on Scar’s part and one that weakens the stability of his rule.

1 He Should’ve Brought the Pride Together

Perhaps Scar’s greatest failure as a ruler, and the one that contributes most to his defeat, was his top-down approach. Basically, he was more concerned with ruling over his fellow lions instead of converting them to his side. This created a deep fissure between him and the rest of the pride.

Had he done more to ensure that the lionesses felt a sense of loyalty to him – admittedly a bit of a heavy lift, considering Scar’s overwhelming arrogance and conceit – he could have increased his chances at winning the final confrontation with Simba. After all, a war isn’t won on commanders alone; even the smartest generals needed an army and loyal supporters behind them. 

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