Who is the main antagonist of The Lion King?

The main antagonist of The Lion King is Scar. He is Mufasa’s younger brother and Simba’s uncle, driven by resentment after Simba’s birth makes him no longer next in line for the throne.

Scar engineers a wildebeest stampede, causes Mufasa’s death, and tricks Simba into believing he caused the tragedy. He then seizes control of the Pride Lands with help from the hyenas. His rule brings famine and ecological collapse to the kingdom.

The character draws partly on King Claudius from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, another jealous uncle who murders a king to take power. Scar is voiced by Jeremy Irons in the 1994 animated film, although Jim Cummings supplied much of the singing voice for “Be Prepared.”

A common mix-up is naming Shenzi, who is one of Scar’s hyena allies, rather than the villain himself. Mufasa is the murdered king, while Rafiki is the kingdom’s mandrill shaman.