Disney’s Best Villain Is Finally Getting Their Own Series
The Lion King's Scar will receive comic book detailing his origins.
Be prepared! If you didn’t read that in the voice of Disney villain Scar from the animated classic The Lion King, then consider yourself lucky that the character’s earworm tune won’t be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. For the other real fans out there, we’re thrilled to reveal that everyone’s favorite conniving younger sibling will be getting his very own origin spin-off series by way of a comic book from author Chuck Brown (Aquaman) and artist Trevor Fraley.
According to Screen Rant, the on-page animated telling will be titled Disney Villains: Scar and will pull the curtain back on how the infamously sassy and bitter lion became the usurper that we knew him as in The Lion King. When we first met Scar (Jeremy Irons) in the 1994 Disney animated musical feature, the younger brother of Mufasa (James Earl Jones) was scheming a way to become the king and overseer of Pride Rock. After aiding in the death of his brother (or, rather completely causing it), Scar turns his sights to his young nephew and rightful heir to the throne, Simba (Matthew Broderick, Jonathan Taylor Thomas).
Disney Villains: Scar will pick up following the birth of Mufasa’s only son and next in line to be the ruler of the Pridelands, Simba. The series will follow the villainous mastermind on his quest to establish himself as the leader at all costs and will weave itself nicely into what’s now been accepted as The Lion King canon. Readers can expect to see other familiar faces pop up in the comics as Scar’s lust for power will set him on a collision course with other big names from the original story including the baboon shaman Rafiki.
If you’re worried that the new telling will veer off the road from how we’ve come to know the beloved characters in The Lion King, you can rest assured that Brown and Fraley have done everything in their power to keep Disney Villains: Scar in line with the rest of the story. During a conversation with Screen Rant, Brown said that to better solidify his part of the series’ creation, he “watched the whole movie over and over again,” adding that the team paired up to make sure that their telling “fit in seamlessly” with the story that’s come before it. Likewise, Fraley said that it was his goal to stay true to the “characters you know,” matching “their iconic looks” but also putting in his own spin where he was able.
At the heart of it all, both Fraley and Brown want Disney Villains: Scar to pay homage to The Lion King while also having the ability to tell their own separate story of the villain at the center. Brown says that through penning the plot he wanted to “add something of value to the original story,” while Fraley says that his drawings and designs will be a combination of old school as well as “fresh and interesting” to compliment the origin story the duo is “trying to tell.”
Since the premiere feature landed on screens almost 30 years ago, The Lion King has spawned into a major franchise with sequels, prequels, television shows, and even video games continuing to tell the story of Simba and his pride. Disney would even take the story from colorful animations and bring it to life in 2019’s live-action reimagining with pop superstar Beyoncé creating her own The Lion King-inspired spinoff titled Black is King in 2020. While so many of the other productions have focused on Simba, Mufasa, and the other good guys, the fresh perspective of Disney Villains: Scar will make it a sure-fire hit with fans of the timeless tale.
