Would you call Scar a manchild?

[Todd23]

Now don't get me wrong, Scar is a very good villain-I like his cunning, manipulative nature and how he convinces a little kid he killed his own father.

But, let's face it, the guy isn't exactly mature. He's not a manchild in the stereotypical sense, as in he doesn't have the personality of a little kid like, say, Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin, or Disney's Prince John, well except for when he's getting angry in a few scenes, but the way he thinks can be rather immature. I mean he only wants to be king for the power and even says "I'm the king! I can do whatever I want!" and he does get jealous of a little kid for having it, like how another kid would get jealous of a child for having some privilege they don't have.

What are your thoughts on this?

[TomCat]

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[TheLionPrince]

I don't think Scar is a manchild, but he is in fact deluded in his own sense of superiority. Towards the end of "Be Prepared", Scar sings that he once becomes the undisputed king, he'll be "seen for the wonder I am". That alone establishes him as a narcissist. So, when he becomes the king, he expects everyone to do what he proclaims with no questions ask. One symptom of a narcissistic personality disorder as defined by the Mayo Clinic includes being envious of others just like Scar was to Simba for being the future king because he had a sense of entitlement for the throne. It also lists "expressing constant praise and admiration" so Scar won't take well to getting criticized.

But then again, you could be correct. Scar saying "I'm the king! I can do whatever I want!" is almost the same thing Simba asked to Mufasa earlier on top of Pride Rock so it only confirms Scar has a child-like perspective on monarchial powers.

[Timon the great]

For the most part, I would have to agree with the TP on him being a "manchild".

I remember seeing a topic that I think is now in the forum archive about if Scar is actually serious. And I think some were exaggerating their thoughts on that and making it sound like he is more superior in that quality than what the film actually lays out for us.

But I definitely don't believe he's that serious. To be honest, the only two things that really made Scar shine as a pure villain in this LK film was the killing of Mufasa and making Simba think that it was his own fault in causing Mufasa's death. But it was only those two things. Everything else had him mostly immature in some way or form. Be it, "dark" humor, jealousy, etc.

That's not to say that all of the immature stuff about him is bad in itself. I actually find myself laughing at a couple of Scar's humorous lines on the film like, "I'm surrounded by idiots".

But overall and in a sense, the film's creators "failed" to fully bring out the reality of this character if their intention was indeed to make Scar an actual head-on bad guy.

And he definitely has fewer redeeming qualities to me than Timon does when you Only consider all the negative stuff that I've seen people say about my fav. Especially in the past that supposedly makes Timon, "A bad person", because of his minor self-centeredness or outbursts.

[mranderson]

I think, if it makes any sense, he had the brain of an adult but sometimes was only able to understand things in a childish way. What I mean is he was able to plan complex things like the takeover of his brother's kingdom and the manipulation of everyone he knew in a way a child wouldn't be able to but he was only able to understand things like how to be a king in a way a child would be able to grasp. Therefore, his motivation for being king was similar to a way a child would want it ("I want it because I get a lot of power and my big brother has it") but the way he obtains it is a way an adult would be more able to dethrone someone (i.e. manipulating his nephew, hyenas, and, to a lesser extent, Mufasa, into trusting him and planning a big event to dethrone Mufasa).

It might also explain why he does act like someone whose still in diapers after he becomes king-he had about as much knowledge as a 2-year old on how to actually rule a kingdom, even if his mind was complex enough to plan an entire coup against his brother in the first place.