Scar’s reign in Disney‘s The Lion King has often left fans wondering about the Pride Lands’ destruction. Disney Villains: Scar #4 has revealed more details about how they were picked over so thoroughly and ruined in such a short amount of time. The deterioration brought about by the titular iconic villain was far-reaching, but it turns out that was thanks to his allies.
Disney Villains: Scar #4 has the creative team of Chuck Brown and Trevor Fraley. The series has been providing additional details about the titular villain’s rise to power. From his alliances with the hyenas to the development of his plan to kill Mufasa and take the throne, a great deal of lore has been added. Several questions fans have had have been answered, and the latest issue addresses another potential plot hole, revealing that Scar allowed multiple scavenger species to run rampant during his rule.
Scar Destroyed the Pride Lands by Unleashing Scavengers
Following Scar’s rise to the throne, the Pride Lands fell into a grim state. They were largely barren, herds had migrated away, and many of the plants had died. There was a disruption in the Circle of Life that seemed not only excessive, but rapid. This has led fans to wonder how the hyenas could’ve possibly done this in such a short amount of time. According to this new comic, they actually had a good deal of help from Scar’s other allies. The comics have set up the idea that Scar curried favor with less prominent lionesses by allowing multiple simultaneous hunts, and he also recruited an army of vultures as his very first allies. Introduced in the first issue, they are also given free rein of the Pride Lands in #4 in return for their loyalty. Once Scar comes to power, it’s implied that hyenas, vultures, and lions will all go on a feeding frenzy, decimating the Pride Lands.
Scar Bought Loyalty with Hunting Rights
Fans have estimated that around three to four years pass between the time that Simba leaves to live with Timon and Pumbaa after his father’s death. In the film, the time seems very brief thanks to the growing-up montage of the “Hakuna Matata” sequence. However, it becomes clear that a significant amount of time has passed since his return shows the Pride Lands being dismal, empty, and barren. Yet the change was incredibly rapid given the film only shows Scar working with the hyenas, who are just one species who were already subsisting on the outskirts of the Pride Lands. The comic has revealed that Scar had more numerous allies, and also that the hyenas were surviving via cannibalism. Because of these revelations, it seems far, far more killers were unleashed by Scar’s rule than fans knew, and that the hyenas went from primarily devouring their own to having the run of the Pride Lands.
With two factions of scavengers being able to run about without checks in place – and lions over-hunting compared to Mufasa’s rule – it’s no wonder that the Pride Lands essentially fell apart after Mufasa’s death. When hunting is spread out and targeted, more time is given for regrowth, and a balance is maintained within an ecosystem. Without that balance, the Circle of Life was broken, allowing a rapid downfall and environmental crisis in the area within a much shorter amount of time than might have been expected. Scar’s reign in The Lion King was brief, but his rise to power, detailed in Disney Villains: Scar #4 proves that his influence was farther reaching and more destructive than initially believed.
Disney Villains: Scar #4 is available now from Dynamite Entertainment.