'Mufasa: The Lion King': All about Scar's real name, backstory
What's the story
The much-anticipated prequel to the 2019 remake of The Lion King, Mufasa: The Lion King, explores the backstory of not just Mufasa but also his infamous brother, Scar.
The film takes a more compassionate look at Scar's character, trying to explain his actions in the original movie and its 2019 remake.
It follows Rafiki as he narrates Mufasa's origins to Simba's daughter, Kiara.
Name meaning
Scar's real name and its significance in 'The Lion King'
In Mufasa: The Lion King, we learn Scar's real name is Taka, which he goes by for most of the movie.
The name has a lot of meaning in Swahili, where "takataka" means "garbage," indicating he was given a cruel name as a child.
But Taka also comes from the Swahili word "kutaka," meaning "to want," which reflects Scar's defining trait of envy across The Lion King franchise.
Name origin
First mention of Scar's real name in 1994 spinoff
The name Taka was first introduced in a 1994 The Lion King spinoff, The Lion King: Six New Adventures.
Released around the same time as the original movie, this collection of six short stories features the first story, A Tale of Two Brothers, which explores Scar and Mufasa's childhood and reveals Scar's real name is Taka.
It has been used consistently until its confirmation in 2024's Mufasa: The Lion King.
Name change
How Scar got his name in 'Mufasa: The Lion King'
In the prequel, Taka only gets his iconic scar toward the end of the film when he jumps in front of Mufasa and gets scratched in the eye by Kiros.
After defeating the white lions, Zazu suggests banishing Taka from Pride Lands. However, Mufasa decides against it and agrees to Taka's request to be referred to as Scar as a form of punishment.
This name sticks throughout The Lion King's story with other characters also knowing him as Scar.