Top 10 Dark Theories About The Lion King

We all know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, but have you heard of the Disney Extended Universe? There have been plenty of theories over the years about this concept, but one Reddit user named “T-Rex_Is_best” suggested a world in which our favorite Disney lions are all interconnected. They pitched the idea that King Richard from “Robin Hood” is actually a descendent of Simba, who was the one to initialize the peace treaty between predators and prey. After that, Mayor Lionheart takes up the mantle in “Zootopia”. And Nick Wilde? Well, of course Robin Hood and Maid Marian are his ancestors! Kinda makes sense, right?

Here’s a theory from another Redditor called TheNamesEarly. It’s easy to not consider the fact that animals are able to talk in the majority of Disney movies, but if you stop to think about it, you’ve got to wonder how they gained the power of speech. Does “The Lion King” take place in a future not unlike the one we’ve seen in the “Planet of the Apes” movies? Not to mention the fact that we don’t see any humans in the film, so we’ve got to wonder if they exist at all. In this world, some animals can talk and others can’t, so it isn’t like in “Zootopia” where there’s a certain equality there. What if the lions of Pride Rock (and some of the other animals of the kingdom) were given something to teach them to speak?

We all know that Scar is the main villain of this story. He committed some serious atrocities throughout the plot, not least of which was killing his own brother - which kicked off the action. So we really wouldn’t put anything past him. There’s one scene in the original “Lion King” movie that had some fans questioning whether Scar actually ate another lion. He is holding up a skull in a scene that recalls Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but the thing is, the skull looks remarkably like his own. Based on the shape and characteristics, it could definitely be a lion skull, but to be fair it could also belong to any number of other beasts.

There are many ways you can interpret the story told in “The Lion King”, and several viewers have noticed political undercurrents in the narrative, albeit different ones. Some have suggested that the lions of Pride Rock represent the British imperialists who colonized Africa and that the rest of the animals are the Africans themselves. Another keen observer compared Simba’s story to the rise of the Soviet Union, with Mufasa acting as the Tsar and the hyenas representing the proletariat with Scar as their revolutionary leader AKA Lenin. There’s definitely some logic behind this one!

When Simba leaves the kingdom after his father’s death, Pride Rock and the surrounding areas soon experience an extreme drought that lasts for years, devastating the population and making it impossible for the lions to find food. Some have speculated that Mufasa caused the drought because the spirit cloud version of him seems to have the ability to control the weather. Others say that because the kingdom was without its rightful leader (Simba), the weather represented the fact that the entire ecosystem was out of sync. So while Simba may not have caused any harm on purpose, his return was the only thing that would bring the rains.

The family tree of the lions at Pride Rock can get a little complicated, but let’s delve into it. We know that Nala’s mother is a lioness named Sarafina, but throughout the film we are never told who her father is. Since there are only two adult male lions at Pride Rock, it might be safe to assume one of them sired her. The first theory is that Scar is actually her dad, evidenced by the fact that she has blue green eyes while his are bright green. Simba and Mufasa’s eyes are red, as are Simba’s mom Sarabi’s. That would make Simba and Nala cousins, which isn’t exactly ideal.

What’s worse than Simba and Nala being cousins? Being siblings! If Scar isn’t Nala’s father, then odds are Mufasa is. Of course, there’s a possibility that Sarafina mated with a lion outside the pride, but it’s pretty unlikely considering that’s not how things usually go in prides of lions. Typically, male lions leave the pack to start their own families elsewhere when they’re a certain age, to avoid inbreeding. So each pride typically only has one alpha male. This means that while Simba and Nala don’t have the same mother, it’s very possible they have the same father, making them half siblings.

While Simba refers to Scar as his uncle, we’re left to assume he’s Mufasa’s younger brother, which is why he doesn’t have the throne. But looking at them side by side, it’s easy to question whether they’re actually related because they look so remarkably different. Two of the creators behind “The Lion King” actually stated that it’s very possible that Mufasa and Scar aren’t actually blood related, a fact that would be backed up by how lion hierarchies actually work. Producer Don Hahn reportedly said it could be true, this theory verges into real canon!

“The Lion King” was clearly inspired by many works that came before it, but perhaps most notable is the similarity to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. It’s easy to compare characters and plot lines between the two stories, and Zazu is almost a mirror image of Polonius. The thing is though, Polonius wasn’t exactly on the side he was supposed to be on, and we could possibly say the same for Zazu. The hornbill is literally and figuratively walked all over by the other animals in the kingdom, and isn’t treated with respect by Mufasa or Simba. Some have speculated that he was actually working with Scar to drive Simba away, knowing that he wouldn’t make a good king.



Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Simba Would Have Eaten Pumbaa



It Takes Place Within “Hercules”



Scar Didn’t Believe Simba Would Let Him Live



Timon Is Basically a Cult Leader



The Drought Killed Scar

It’s easy to watch “The Lion King” and blindly accept the narrative that Mufasa is right and Scar is wrong about how to run to kingdom. We get it, Scar is power hungry and kind of evil, but he and his people are also just straight up hungry. If you take a second to think about it, Mufasa is just enforcing a class system among the animals that is not unlike the deeply problematic ones that exist in the real world. The lions are like the wealthy elite, and the hyenas are the powerless lower classes, scrambling to get basic resources like food and water. Anyone with progressive views would watch this movie today and be forced to take another look at who the true villain is here.