Mufasa: The Lion King ending completely changes Scar’s villain story

By the end of Mufasa: The Lion King, Scar’s journey to becoming a Disney villain has changed in more ways than one – and the same goes for Mufasa’s hero journey. 

Directed by Barry Jenkins, the new movie serves as both a sequel and prequel to the 2019 live-action remake of the Disney classic, with the story of how Mufasa and Scar came to be running alongside the latest from Simba, Nala, and their daughter Kiara.

Of course, all of the fan faves are back too, including Timon, Pumbaa, and Rafiki, alongside the stacked cast led by Donald Glover and Beyonce – with the addition of Blue Ivy Carter as her mom’s on-screen daughter Kiara.

As well as the familiar faces, there are some newbies in town in the form of a villainous pride of white lions known as “The Outsiders,” culminating in a final battle that impacts Taka’s transformation into Scar. Warning: spoilers ahead!

Mufasa: The Lion King Scar changes explained

By the end of Mufasa: The Lion King, the lore of the villain has been changed in numerous ways, including: how he sustained his eye scar; why he grew resentful towards Mufasa’s title as King of the Pride Lands; and, most significantly, his relation to Mufasa. 

In the original Lion King movies and spinoff materials, Mufasa and Scar – known as Taka before his injury – are biological brothers. However, the Disney prequel changes this in a huge way. 

The two characters have different parents in this world: Afia and Masego are Mufasa’s mom and dad, while Eshe and Obasi are Taka’s. The pair meet after a huge flood separates Mufasa from his parents and drags him far away from his home. 

Unsure whether his mom and dad even survived, he’s discovered floating downstream by Taka, who happens to be the heir to the throne. When Taka asks his royal parents if Mufasa can stay, they agree – but king Obasi is a bit of an uptight grump (it’s definitely where Scar gets it from) and banishes Mufasa to hang out with the lionesses.

This turns out to be a blessing in disguise, as the future king gets to go hunting with the females while Taka quickly learns that being with the men involves a lot of lazing around and sleeping. 

Initially, Taka and Mufasa get on like a house on fire and see each other as true brothers even though they’re not related by blood. Even though it’s understood among them that Taka will eventually be king, Mufasa proves time and again that he’s the braver, smarter, and stronger of the two. 

Things come to a head when their pride is attacked by The Outsiders, led by the evil Kiros, who believes he’s the one true king. Mufasa jumps in to protect his adoptive family, killing Kiros’ son in self-defense, while Taka runs away.

When the Outsider survivors return to Kiros, he vows to get revenge. Knowing they’ll be back, Eshe and Obasi order Taka and Mufasa to escape and look for the promised land known as Milele. 

Along the way, they meet Rafiki, Zazu, and Sarabi – the future queen of the Pride Lands and Mufasa’s wife in The Lion King. While they’re getting to know each other, it’s Taka who falls for Sarabi, asking his adoptive brother for advice on how to talk to her. 

However, throughout their journey, Mufasa’s bravery and kindness shine, causing Sarabi to fall in love with him instead. And this is where Taka’s descent into Scar begins, and another slight change is made to the lore. 

In the source material, Scar is evil in nature, driven by a desire for power and resenting Mufasa for being chosen as the heir by their shared parents. But here, he’s given a more sympathetic backstory, one that’s accelerated by the love triangle.

With his bitterness growing, he pays a visit to the Outsiders, telling them it was Mufasa who killed Kiros’ son. “I will lead you to him and Milele,” he says. 

Leaving markers along the way, the Outsiders catch up with the gang and all hell breaks loose. Sarabi goes to speak with the animals of Milele, asking for their help in the battle. 

Meanwhile, Kiros and his gang surround Mufasa, who discovers that his brother betrayed him. Taka’s resentments come to the fore, and he rants about how Mufasa stole everything from him. 

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However, he’s not turned completely evil just yet, as is shown when he stops the Outsider from killing Mufasa and gets a claw across his eye in the process. And this is another change to his backstory. 

In the Lion King book A Tale of Two Brothers, Scar gets his scar from a cape buffalo, while in The Lion Guard series it’s sustained from a cobra. 

When the final battle is won and the Pride Lands are restored to peace, the animals name Mufasa as their king. What’s more, he’s reunited with his birth mom, who survived the flood all those years ago. 

As for the lion formerly known as Taka, he asks Mufasa for his forgiveness. Although he’s urged to banish the traitor, Mufasa says, “As long as I am king, my brother will have a place here.” However, he can’t ever say his name again. 

“Then call me Scar so I will never forget what I have done” he replies. This reinterpretation of Scar’s origin transforms him from a power-hungry sibling to a complex character shaped by heartbreak, betrayal, and resentment.

Mufasa: The Lion King ending explained

The very final scene of Mufasa: The Lion King is set in the present day, where we find out that the reason Kiara was separated from parents Simba and Nala – it’s because they were off having a new baby boy cub. 

This serves as the sequel side to the new movie, which starts when a storm is brewing. Timon, Pumbaa, and Rafiki look after Kiara, who’s anxious about being separated from her parents and the oncoming storm. 

However, Rafiki eases her concerns by telling her the story of her grandfather Mufasa, as well as Scar’s descent. At the end, Kiara says she doesn’t want it to end, to which Rafiki explains, “Mufasa lives in you.”

When the storm clears, Kiara sees Simba walking over and asks, “Where’s mom?” But Nala soon follows with their new cub in tow. “Kiara, this is your new brother,” she says. 

“I’m going to take care of you,” Kiara tells him, before launching into Rafiki’s story to share with her baby brother. Ah, the circle of life. 

Will there be another Lion King movie?

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Although nothing’s confirmed, another Lion King sequel could very well go ahead if it performs well at the box office. The format of the prequel opens up opportunities for new movies, with Eichner and Rogen keen on making a Timon and Pumbaa spinoff. 

In a conversation with Dexerto, Eichner said, “ Seth and I, we’re ready to go. We need people to make noise about a Timon and Pumbaa movie. I think it’s very, very important that we all talk about that constantly.”

As for where he’d like the story to go, the actor said a “prequel would be fun,  or we could watch them in the future.”

Of course, nothing has been confirmed at the time of writing, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated if any news emerges in the future. 

Until then, Mufasa: The Lion King is in cinemas now. You can also read about Mufasa star Mads Mikkelsen’s top pick for the next James Bond, Mufasa’s James Earl Jones dedication explained, and our roundup of the best movies of 2024.