How Mufasa really became the Lion King and changed everything we've known for 30 years

Warning: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Mufasa: The Lion King!

The Lion Kingis the prequel, Mufasa: The Lion Kingfundamentally alters the backstory of how Mufasa became King of the Pride Lands, retconning the story that audiences have loved for three decades. When Disney announced Mufasa: The Lion King, fans of the franchise were thrilled at the idea of hearing Mufasa’s story. Featuring voice acting and a screenplay by the late James Earl Jones, the film presented Mufasa as lovable, warm-hearted and strong.

However, concerns grew when the preview for Mufasa: The Lion King revealed that Mufasa “born without a drop of nobility in his bloodRecombining scenes in The Lion King. As expected from the trailer, the film changes everything fans know about the original story. The prequel describes how Mufasa met Scar, how they came to the Pride Lands, and how he became king. The backstory is much more complex and explains the motivations of The Lion King’s villain, Scar.

The Lion King made people believe that Mufasa had been elected king over Scar

The dialogue portrays Scar and Mufasa as blood brothers

Scar and Mufasa watch The Lion King in the cartoon

The dialogue in the original 1994 film, The Lion Kinggave a very different impression of Scar and Mufasa’s origin story than what is revealed in Mufasa: The Lion King. The introductory scene for Scar strongly suggests that Mufasa and Scar are blood brothers, with one line:

“Well, as far as brains go, I got the lion’s share. But when it comes to raw strength, I’m afraid I’m at the shallow end of the gene pool.”

Since this is said in the context of Scar’s refusal to fight Mufasa, it alludes to the idea that the two are part of the same gene pool, which they would be if they had the same biological parents. This is reinforced in the scene where Simba and Mufasa talk about the great kings in heaven. Mufasa says that one day he will be up there looking down on Simba.

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The original The Lion King portrays Mufasa and Scar as blood brothers, but are they really? Mufasa: The Lion King clarifies their relationship.

By connecting with ancestors in heaven, the lion gives the impression that, like Simba, he was born with royal blood. If both Mufasa and Scar were born with royal blood, then someone, most likely their parents, must have chosen Mufasa as king over Scar. However, the trailer wasn’t fake as the iconic character was born to normal parents before being separated from them during a flood.

How Mufasa really became King of the Pride Lands

Mufasa was chosen for the throne by the animals

Mufasa looks scared in Mufasa The Lion King

Since Mufasa was born to a pair of common lions Mufasa: The Lion KingThe question naturally arises as to how he became King of the Pride Lands instead of Scar – whose real name is Taka. In the prequel live-action film, Mufasa is separated from his parents during a flood and Taka saves him from a crocodile. Even though Taka’s father fundamentally forbids dealing with outsiders, Mufasa’s pride adopts him. This allows them to build a close, brotherly bond despite having different parents.

When a rival pride emerges, King Obasi sends Taka away to keep the bloodline alive, sending Mufasa along for protection. They decide to travel to the mythical land of Milele. On the way they meet Sarabi, Zazu and Rafiki, who accompany them on their search. The five continue their journey while being pursued by the enemy group.

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Unfortunately, Taka decides to secretly team up with the villains when he finds out that Mufasa and Sarabi have developed feelings for each other. The enemies follow them to Milele and Mufasa gives a rousing speech and convinces the land’s animals to band together to save their homeland. The action of bringing everyone together is why the animals decide to name him the Lion King at the end of Mufasa, even though he has no royal blood.

Scar’s ambition and desire to become king makes sense after Mufasa’s prequel film

Scar feels insignificant because Mufasa doesn’t have royal blood

Scar with paw under chin, smiling in The Lion King.

The Lion King Initially, he introduces Scar as a bitter lion, upset at not becoming king and relying heavily on his feelings of betrayal towards Mufasa. His motivation never quite makes sense in this film as he is a very black and white villain. He wants the throne because he believes Mufasa stole it. Without the live-action prequel, there is no deeper level or explanation as to why he believes this. Scar has a big personality, but his antagonistic behaviors only serve to advance the narrative, which is fine for a fairytale story.

However, Mufasa: The Lion King adds nuance to the character and shows exactly why he feels like he should be king and not Mufasa. Of the two brothers, Scar is the one born with royal blood. He’s the one who should have ruled under normal circumstances, so the animals’ decision to give Mufasa the crown probably feels like a betrayal, even if he lost the right to the crown by collaborating with the story’s villains .

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Furthermore, throughout his childhood, King Obasi prepared him to see himself as above others. No matter how many times Scar talks about Mufasa being his brother, he never views the adopted lion as an equal and realizes that he is inherently special in a way that Mufasa is not. Ultimately, this belief is strong enough to motivate his plan to take over the Pride Lands.

Does Mufasa improve or worsen The Lion King’s brotherly rivalry?

Mufasa: The Lion King does not improve the relationship between Taka and Mufasa

When it comes to prequels, they can either improve on the original story, fail to change it, or make it worse. Mufasa: The Lion King falls into the middle category. The narrative is much deeper and clearer after the backstory in the prequel, adding new details that explain the characters’ motivations. However, it didn’t feel necessary, which is one of the main complaints in the mixed reviews of Mufasa: The Lion King.

In the original film, Mufasa is noble and strong, while Scar is smart and power-hungry. In Mufasa: The Lion KingMufasa is noble and strong, while Taka is smart and power-hungry. They just behave differently as children. However, this part of the film lasts so short that it does not change the overall characterization.

Ultimately, The Lion King: Mufasa is not necessary for fans of The Lion King to watch the prequel. It’s a nice addition for those who want to know how Mufasa became King of the Pride Lands, but it doesn’t change the rivalry between the brothers.