Loosely based on King Claudius, the main antagonist of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Scar's villainy was additionally inspired by German dictator Adolf Hitler, as well as stemming from lions' natural behaviors of pride takeovers.

"[5] As directors, Minkoff and Roger Allers aspired to create "an animal picture based in a more natural setting,"[6] describing the film as "More true-life adventure than mythical epic.

[15] Because the film was originally intended to be much more adult-oriented, Scar was to have become infatuated with Simba's childhood friend and eventual love interest, Nala, wanting the young lioness to rule alongside him as his queen,[20] and consequentially banishing the character[15] when she refuses.

[25] Minkoff told the Los Angeles Times, "When Scar puts the guilt trip on Simba, that's an intense idea and probably something that is not typical of the other Disney pictures, in terms of what the villain does.

[25] Because Scar is the film's main antagonist,[26] supervising animator Andreas Deja believed that "villains work really well when they're subtle,” explaining, "to see them think and scheme and plot is much more interesting than showing them beating somebody up.

"[25] By blaming Mufasa's death on an innocent Simba, Scar ultimately triggers "a cycle of guilt, flight, denial and redemption, as the hero goes into self-imposed exile, before finally reconciling with his father's memory, returning to face his wicked uncle and generally coming of age.

[27] However, the actor ultimately chosen for the role was Jeremy Irons,[23] because of his classical theater training, because the directors had deliberately wanted Scar "to come across as a Shakespearean character.

[46] Ejiofor said that "especially with Scar, whether it's a vocal quality that allows for a certain confidence or a certain aggression, to always know that at the end of it you're playing somebody who has the capacity to turn everything on its head in a split second with outrageous acts of violence—that can completely change the temperature of a scene".

[49] In August 2021, it was announced that Kelvin Harrison Jr. would voice a young Scar (referred to by his born name "Taka") in Barry Jenkins' 2024 spin-off of the remake, Mufasa: The Lion King.

[53] Well-known for animating several Disney villains,[54] Deja summarized the experience as "more fun than drawing heroes" because "You have so much more to work with, in terms of expressions and acting and drawing-wise, than you would have with a nice princess or a prince, where you have to be ever so careful with the draftsmanship.

[15] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly described Scar as "a figure of both pity and evil, and of treacherous comedy" with Irons "filling this devious coward with elegantly witty self-loathing.

[25][62] Scar sings the musical number "Be Prepared," written by songwriters Elton John and Tim Rice, while contemplating Mufasa's death plot and bringing the hyenas along.

The pair grow up as brothers into young adulthood despite King Obasi, Taka's biological father, objecting to Mufasa being part of the family, referring to him as a "stray".

[74] Scar is the primary antagonist in the seventh book of the Disney Chills series titled The Circle of Ter-Roar, written by author Jennifer Brody under the name of Vera Strange.

Once he unlocks the trunk, Silas begins to think that things are looking up for the dilapidated camp and for his family, until a terrifying accident and a series of scary animal encounters immediately switches his thought process.

Maslin went on to praise Irons's voice acting, writing that the actor "slithers through the story in grandiose high style, with a green-eyed malevolence that is one of film's chief delights.

"[36] James Berardinelli of ReelViews reviewed, "Gone is the buffoonery that has marked the recent trio of Ursula, Gaston, and Jafar," writing, "Scar is a sinister figure, given to acid remarks and cunning villainy."

Scar arranges Mufasa's disturbing on-screen death in a manner that both banishes Simba to the wilderness and raises questions about whether this film really warranted a G rating ... For the grown-ups, there is Mr.

"[100] Rolling Stone's Peter Travers hailed Irons for "deliver[ing] a triumphantly witty vocal performance that ranks with Robin Williams' in Aladdin.

[102] The Philadelphia Daily News' Bill Wedo described Irons's voice as "silken,"[103] while Graham Young of the Birmingham Mail hailed the actor's performance as "magnificent.

"[109] Praising the film for successfully combining "grand-opera melodrama and low-comedy hi-jinks," the Orlando Sentinel's Jay Boyar concluded that "One reason they work so well together is that even most of the serious sections contain an undercurrent of humor, provided ... by the deliciously droll voice-performance of Jeremy Irons as Scar.

Terrence Rafferty of The New Yorker wrote, "Among the celebrity voices on the soundtrack, two performances stand out," namely, "Jeremy Irons, as the villainous lion Scar" who "does an elegant, funny George Sanders impersonation.

And although it's honestly a little cringe-worthy to watch Scar mince his way through 'Be Prepared,' he proves himself an adept orator, inspiring legions of goose-stepping hyenas to throw off the shackles of the oppressive lions.

"[127] Nusair also included Irons among the "Top 5 Celebrity Voice Performances in Animated Films", acknowledging the fact that although the actor "has played a lot of villains over the course of his career ... none have had the lasting impact as Scar from The Lion King.

"[134][full citation needed] While ranking the character fifth, The Stanford Daily wrote, "From his habit of sadistically toying with his prey to his dumb hyena coven to the way he leads the kingdom of Pride Rock into a period of starvation and sorrow, he's a backstabbing dictator of an uncle.

[137] Digital Spy featured the character who, according to author Simon Reynolds, "underlined the sheer blackness of his heart by ruthlessly killing Simba's father,"[138] among the "25 greatest movie villains".

[145] According to IGN, "The film's story concepts of morality and mortality was new for Disney,"[146] with The Washington Post predicting that "the death of the heroic Mufasa will be the most widely debated aspect of The Lion King, with people taking sides as to whether such things are good or bad for kids, just as they did over the killing of Bambi's mother.

The Los Angeles Times warned that "The on-screen death of Mufasa and a violent battle at the finale may disturb small children,"[150] echoed by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

"[63] Considered "an odd mix of deadly seriousness and slapstick humor, Simba fights Scar to the death," while "intercut with ... Poomba [sic] ... doing a parody of Travis Bickel.

[160] Slant Magazine defended the studio, explaining that Scar's black mane is simply an example of "the animators' elementary attempts to color-code evil for the film's target audience.