Scarovu

Scarovu
GENERAL
The Lion King
Character	Scar
Character	Kovu
Canonical?	Canon
Status of Relationship	Kovu was Scar's chosen heir
IN FANDOM
Type (?)	Family

Kaira – “My father...says all the Great Kings of the Past are up there.”

Kovu – “Do you think Scar's up there?...He wasn't my father, but he was still...part of me.”

— The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride

Scarovu is the family ship between Scar and Kovu from The Lion King fandom.

Canon

As revealed in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and The Lion Guard episode "Lions of the Outlands", Kovu was chosen by Scar to succeed him as King of the Pride Lands. However, this claim was rejected by Simba, the rightful king, and those lions of the Pride Lands who were loyal to him. Kovu's mother Zira and her fellow Scar loyalists-including Kovu's older brother Nuka and sister Vitani-were exiled from the Pride Lands after Zira openly rebelled against Simba. Undeterred, Zira took up residence in the Outlands and began preparing Kovu to eventually take revenge in Scar's name. However, as Kovu's brother Nuka noted, Kovu wasn't Scar's son but his adopted heir.

Kovu was aware that Scar had perished after battling Simba and regarded the Pride Landers as his enemies, but that didn't stop him from speaking with and befriending Simba's daughter Kiara. Zira later angrily confronted Kovu over this, reminding him of Simba's alleged role in Scar's death. Upon hearing that Kovu thought he and Kiara could be friends, Zira mistook it for a strategy to overthrow Simba. Delighted she promptly compared Kovu to Scar, and she set about on more rigorous training to prepare Kovu for his future role.

When Kovu was mature and had become the hate-filled assassin Zira intended him to be, Zira commented that he was now like Scar in terms of his inner darkness. Kovu would speak of seeking vengeance against Simba on Scar's behalf and becoming king as Scar had intended for him to be. Simba, after meeting the older Kovu and reluctantly welcoming him into the Pride Lands for "saving" Kiara, would experience a nightmare in which he relived Scar's murder of Mufasa. Then, to Simba's horror, the nightmare Scar transformed into Kovu, complete with a scar over one eye, and hurl Simba to the same fate as Mufasa.

During an encounter with Kovu, Timon would refer to Scar as "your tyrant", before hastily attempting to speak more favorably of the deceased lion. Later, when Kiara spoke of the Great Kings of the Past being up among the stars, Kovu would question whether she thought Scar was among them. After a pause, Kovu noted that while Scar hadn't been his father, he still felt as though the older lion was a part of him. When Kiara commented that Simba had spoken of Scar having "a darkness...that he couldn't escape", Kovu wondered aloud whether the same might be true of him.

Simba, still troubled by Kovu's ties to Scar, tries to consult with his father's spirit but receives no answer. However, Simba's mate Nala suggests that Simba give Kovu a chance on the hope that Kovu wishes to be free of Scar's shadow. Later, Simba tells Kovu his own version of Scar's history, and Kovu is stunned at the new perspective on the lion he was raised to idolize. Unfortunately, just as he's realized Scar's wickedness, Zira appears with the other Outsiders and convinces Simba that Kovu is still loyal to Scar's memory.

Angered by Kovu's turning against her, Zira would strike him with unsheathed claws and give him a scar identical to the one Scar had. She also accused him of being a traitor to Scar, only for Kovu to retort that he didn't want to be associated with Scar anymore. Tragically, the scar serves to convince most of the animals of the Pride Lands that Kovu is guilty, and Simba exiles him. As he is fleeing, Kovu looks into a pool and sees Scar's reflection in place of his own. However, Kovu is ultimately proved not to be like Scar, and helps to reconcile the division between Simba's pride and Scar's followers (with the exception of Zira).

Fanon

Scar and Kovu's relationship isn't one that's been explored in a great deal of fan made material. The two never interacted onscreen, and Scar was killed by his own hyena minions when Kovu was still a very young cub. However, there are some works that do feature speculation on their relationship and even suggest scenarios in which Scar lived to see Kovu reach adulthood. Generally, it is assumed that Scar held little real regard for Kovu, choosing him as an heir only because he never managed to produce a satisfactory one himself.

Fandom

YOUTUBE

How Scar's Legacy Lives On in Kovu's Actions

Trivia

• In early drafts of Simba's Pride, Kovu was Scar's biological son and heir. However, as the plot called for a romance between him and Kiara, the idea of him being Scar's son became problematic, as it would have made Kovu and Kiara first cousins once removed.