Movie Analogy: Mufasa the lion King

Table of Contents

It’s crazy how people don’t just become villains overnight. Sometimes, it starts with something small. A little resentment. A little entitlement. A little “but I deserve better.” And before you know it, you’re Scar.

So, I was watching Mufasa: The Lion King and something about Taka’s character stuck with me. He didn’t start off evil. He was just… misunderstood. Overlooked. Slowly brewing in his feelings. And the wild part? I kind of get it.

There’s a scene where Taka saves Mufasa’s life. Noble, right? But from that moment on, he held it over his brother’s head like “I saved you, so now you owe me your loyalty forever.” And anything short of that? Betrayal. That was the seed. The shift. The beginning of Scar.

Later, there’s another scene where he watches Mufasa bond with their mother laughing, hunting, learning. All the things Taka never got to do. Why? Because he was next in line to be king. And apparently, kings didn’t frolic with the lionesses or roll in the dirt. He was trained to lead, not to connect. But somewhere deep down, he wanted that connection. He envied it. And because he didn’t get it, he quietly started turning the version of Mufasa he once loved… into a rival.

Taka still loved his brother. But he also resented him. And he probably felt justified. That’s the part that hit me.

We can carry unspoken hurts that grow into full-blown narratives. Ones that turn us into someone we don’t recognize but still feel justified to be.

And I think that’s why the Bible says “guard your heart with all diligence.” Because out of it flows the issues of life. Taka didn’t guard his. And those little unchecked feelings? They rewrote the story in his mind. And Scar was born.

If only he’d had a conversation around a fire maybe with Mufasa and his mother. If only someone had caught it early. But alas, the king (Obasi) had his own toxic ways of ruling that poured gasoline on a flame already flickering.

The thing is, we’ve all got a little Taka in us.

A little grudge we haven’t processed.

A little moment we’re still holding over someone’s head.

A little scar we’ve allowed to shape how we see someone we once loved.

It doesn’t make us evil. But if left unchecked? It can turn us into someone we were never meant to be.

So yeah, watch your heart. Especially when you feel justified. That’s where the slow turn begins.