Scar (The Lion King)

Scar
The Lion King character
First appearance	The Lion King (1994)
Created by	Irene Mecchi Jonathan Roberts Linda Woolverton
Voiced by	Jeremy Irons (The Lion King; and Once Upon a Studio) Jim Cummings (The Lion King, singing double; The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, speaking; and The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure) James Horan (Kingdom Hearts II, Disney Dreamlight Valley; and Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom) David Oyelowo (The Lion Guard) Chiwetel Ejiofor (2019 film) Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Mufasa: The Lion King)
Inspired by	King Claudius
In-universe information
Species	African lion
Gender	Male
Occupation	King of Pride Rock (formerly) Heir to the Throne of Pride Rock (formerly) Leader of the Lion Guard (formerly)
Family	Mufasa (older brother) Ahadi (father; in Six New Adventures) Uru (mother; in Six New Adventures) Mohatu (grandfather; in The Brightest Star)
Relatives	Sarabi (sister-in-law) Simba (nephew) Nala (niece-in-law) Kiara (great-niece) Kion (great-nephew) Kovu (foster son)

Scar is a fictional character and the main antagonist in Disney's The Lion King franchise. He was created by screenwriters Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton, and animated by Andreas Deja. Scar is introduced in the first film as the ruthless, power-hungry younger brother of Mufasa, ruler of the Pride Lands. Originally first in line to Mufasa's throne until he is suddenly replaced by Mufasa's son Simba, Scar decides to lead an army of hyenas in his plot to take the throne by killing Mufasa and Simba, who escapes into exile, ultimately blaming his brother's death on his nephew.

Loosely based on King Claudius, the main antagonist of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Scar's villainy was additionally inspired by dictator Adolf Hitler, as well as stemming from lions' natural behaviors of pride takeovers. As the character's supervising animator, Deja based Scar's appearance on that of the original film voice actor Jeremy Irons, as well as the actor's performance as Claus von Bülow in Reversal of Fortune. Chiwetel Ejiofor voices the photorealistic version of the character in the 2019 remake of the film with Kelvin Harrison Jr. voicing him in the upcoming 2024 film.

As a character, Scar has garnered widespread acclaim from film critics, who greeted Irons's vocal performance with equal enthusiasm. However, Scar's violence, dark color palette and allegedly effeminate mannerisms were initially met with mild controversy. Nevertheless, Scar continues to be revered as one of Disney's greatest villains by various media publications, topping The Huffington Post's list and ranking within the top ten of similar lists published by Yahoo! Movies, the Orlando Sentinel, E! and CNN. He has also been ranked among the greatest villains in film history by Digital Spy and Entertainment Weekly.