I do not do karaoke. You don’t want me to. People push me up, after a full hour of goading, sure that I’ll do fine. And then I watch their eyes, and they go from “see, he’s fine!” to “…oh, he wasn’t being modest” to “I forgot ‘American Pie’ had so many verses.”
But there’s one song where I can well and truly dominate: Scar’s villain song from The Lion King. That’s’ because it’s essentially spoken, not sung. I can ham it up and do my ersatz Jeremy Irons growl. And I don’t embarrass myself or torture others.
Scar’s personality is nothing but sins; jealous, angry, nascissistic, cruel, deceitful, unwise, lazy, stupid, and arrogant. And despite/because of that, he’s a leader.
How much do you know about Scar?
1. In the first draft, The Lion King was called King of the Jungle, and was much more of a comedy. In that draft, what sort of animal was Scar going to be?
2. Names matter: Scar is brother to King Mufasa and uncle to Simba; Mufasa means King and Simba means Lion in Swahili. Before he was called, Scar was originally called Taka: what does Taka mean in Swahili?
3. What chilling phrase does Scar utter to Mufasa before he drops Mufasa to his death?
4. Scar’s line “You have no idea” is a nod to what other Jeremy Irons movie, where he plays Klaus Von Bulow, a man accused of poisoning his wife Sunny?
5. Scar’s villain song was originally “Thanks to Me,” and occurred after Mufasa’s murder. When his song was moved to before, it was rewritten with what name?
6. Jeremy Irons blew out his voice hissing which line, forcing a soundalike to finish the song doing his best Jeremy Irons impression?
The Lion King came out in the summer of 1994: Jeremy Irons was villain Simon Gruber in what film the following summer, originally titled Simon Says?
Klaus and Sunny’s name were borrowed for what macabre kids book series, adapted into a movie and a TV show?
John Vickery originated the Broadway role of Scar, beginning in 1997: what celebrated director won an Outstanding Direction of a Musical Tony for it?
The Oscar-nominated British actor voiced Scar in a 2019 Lion King remake, notable for overtaking Frozen as the most successful animated film of all time?
In season two of this animated TV show, Scar returns to menace the Pride Lands.
ANSWERS BELOW! ARE YOU A TRUE V11llAIN!?
1. In the first draft, The Lion King was called King of the Jungle, and was much more of a comedy. In that draft, what sort of animal was Scar going to be?
A BABOON
2. Names matter: Scar is brother to King Mufasa and uncle to Simba; Mufasa means King and Simba means Lion in Swahili. Before he was called, Scar was originally called Taka: what does Taka mean in Swahili?
GARBAGE
3. What chilling phrase does Scar utter to Mufasa before he drops Mufasa to his death?
“LONG LIVE THE KING”
4. Scar’s line “You have no idea” is a nod to what other Jeremy Irons movie, where he plays Klaus Von Bulow, a man accused of poisoning his wife Sunny?
REVERSAL OF FORTUNE
5. Scar’s villain song was originally “Thanks to Me,” and occurred after Mufasa’s murder. When his song was moved to before, it was rewritten with what name?
“BE PREPARED”
6. Jeremy Irons blew out his voice hissing which line, forcing a soundalike to finish the song doing his best Jeremy Irons impression?
“YOU WON’T GET A SNIFF WITHOUT ME.”
The Lion King came out in the summer of 1994: Jeremy Irons was villain Simon Gruber in what film the following summer, originally titled Simon Says?
DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE
Klaus and Sunny’s name were borrowed for what macabre kids book series, adapted into a movie and a TV show?
A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
John Vickery originated the Broadway role of Scar, beginning in 1997: what celebrated director won an Outstanding Direction of a Musical Tony for it?
JULIE TAYMOR
The Oscar-nominated British actor voiced Scar in a 2019 Lion King remake, notable for overtaking Frozen as the most successful animated film of all time?
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR
In season two of this animated TV show, Scar returns to menace the Pride Lands.
THE LION GUARD