Warning: this article contains spoilers for Mufasa: The Lion Kingorigins of Scar and Mufasa, and how they ascend to the positions we see during The Lion King. One interesting note about this new backstory for Mufasa is that it shows a completely opposite character arc to Simba's from the original story.

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The Lion King's Prequel Confirms Mufasa Was Not Born As The Heir To The Throne Like Simba

Mufasa Was Born Without Any Notions Of Royalty, Unlike Simba

The majority of Mufasa's story revolves around the fact that the titular lion was not born into royalty but was actually from a prideless pack, and was put in the position to be king because of his actions and who he was, as opposed to the circumstances of his birth. Simba, on the other hand, is obviously a very different story, as he was born when Mufasa was already king, and was going to be given the throne due to his parentage as opposed to what he had done.

However, The Lion King eventually ends up showing that Simba earned the title of king just as much as his father had, which is a great parallel for the two stories, even if the way they got there was very different. Their births could not be more opposite, and their personal character arcs are very different from each other, but they end up in the same position, as kings who are beloved by their people not just because of who they are, but because of what they have accomplished.

Mufasa & Simba Had Opposite Thoughts On Being King Due To Their Different Upbringings

Mufasa Could Wait To Be King

Despite their eventual similarities, Mufasa and Simba had very different thoughts on the title of king when they were younger. While Simba wanted to be king all his life, made obvious by one of The Lion King's best songs, Mufasa never wanted the throne, and part of his character's arc is learning to accept that he needs to become king in order to protect everyone he cares about. Mufasa never saw the need for royalty due to his parents being outside of a pride, but eventually was forged into a king.

By making Mufasa the complete opposite of Simba in of upbringing, Mufasa: The Lion King managed to feel fresh while repeating some plot and character elements from the original.

This aspect of Mufasa's personality makes his character much more interesting, especially when it is inevitably going to be compared to Simba's arc from the original film and its remake. If Mufasa and his parents were as gung-ho about becoming royalty as Simba, then his character and the whole film's story would simply feel repetitive and boring. By making Mufasa the complete opposite of Simba in of upbringing, Mufasa: The Lion King managed to feel fresh while repeating some plot and character elements from the original.

Simba's The Lion King Arc Is Very Different To His Father's In Mufasa

Simba And Mufasa Manage To Have Different Arcs With The Same Outcome

While there are clearly similarities in Mufasa and Simba's character arcs, they are very different from each other in a number of ways, even beyond the fact that their upbringings were very different. Simba's character arc in The Lion King is mostly about him learning to accept responsibility after distancing himself from all his problems with Timon and Pumbaa, whereas Mufasa remained more responsible throughout his entire film, caring for the people around him while the group was being chased by Mufasa's villain Kiros.

Mufasa: The Lion King's version of Scar also accomplished a similar thing in the same movie, with Scar acting as Mufasa's antithesis, becoming corrupted by his own failures, turning him evil.

Mufasa's arc is also centered around leadership, but where Simba had to learn to accept responsibility, going back to Pride Rock to face Scar, Mufasa's journey was a constant test of his abilities to lead people, as opposed to coming to with his own actions. He also has to learn how to become king, but he has much more of a constant trial over the course of Mufasa: The Lion King, culminating in him being crowned king, where Simba had more of a single point in which he had to prove himself.