Mark of Evil

“

It is a sign of terrible evil. ―Rafiki

”

The Mark of Evil burned into the earth

The Mark of Evil is an ancient symbol representing great malevolence in the history of the Pride Lands. It appears in the form of a scarred eye. In the early history of the Pride Lands, the Mark was held by a pride of evil lions that attempted to conquer the lands before being defeated by the original Lion Guard. Since then, several lions have possessed it, most infamously Scar.

Information

Background

The Mark of Evil was first observed in a pride of evil lions who waged an attack on the Pride Lands. However, they were thwarted by Askari, the leader of the first Lion Guard. Despite this, there were still those who bore the Mark and thus continued its dark legacy.

One such bearer was a mysterious lion who resided in the Outlands. The strange lion conspired with a cobra to conquer the Pride Lands. To do this, they tricked the then-leader of the Lion Guard, Scar, and lured him into a trap. The strange cobra bit Scar, injecting him with its venom and giving him the Mark of Evil across his left eye. The strange lion offered to cure the venom in return for Scar's servitude in overthrowing his brother, Mufasa. Instead, Scar used the Roar of the Elders in a fit of rage over the deception and killed the strange lion and cobra.

Scar receives the Mark of Evil from a cobra

However, despite the strange lion's destruction, the Mark of Evil's legacy continued to survive. Following the rogue's death, Scar returned to Pride Rock to inform Mufasa of his victory, expecting praise for his actions, but in turn, Mufasa gave him his nickname, after his facial wound. Scar was outraged over his brother's mockery of him rather than his approval, and over time, the venom brought out his darker desires and jealousy until he plotted to overthrow Mufasa.

However, his first attempt was for naught, as his Lion Guard rebelled against his plot, resulting in him killing them with the Roar of the Elders in the Outlands, resulting in the Great Kings of the Past stripping him of this gift. In the years that followed the Lion Guard's downfall, Scar eventually succeeded in overthrowing and murdering his brother, and thus the Mark of Evil finally ruled over the Pride Lands. However, the Mark of Evil's terror came to an end when Scar's nephew Simba returned to Pride Rock, challenged, battled, and defeated Scar.

The Lion Guard

"Let Sleeping Crocs Lie"

The Mark of Evil appears in the volcano shortly before Scar appears before Kiburi and his float.

"Divide and Conquer"

During a battle with several Outlanders, Kion catches a glimpse of Scar's spirit in a nearby fire. After the fight, he observes the spot of the fire and sees the Mark of Evil marred into the dirt. Rafiki recognizes the symbol as a sign of terrible evil and leaves to consult the paintings of the past for more information.

"The Scorpion's Sting"

The Mark of Evil appears in the volcano shortly before Scar appears before Janja.

"Cave of Secrets"

The Mark of Evil appears as a cave painting during the story of how a pride of evil lions nearly overtook the Pride Lands; however, they were defeated by Askari, the first leader of the Lion Guard.

"The Fall of Mizimu Grove"

The spirit of Scar emerges among a patch of flames in the Pride Lands. After he disappears, the Mark of Evil is left behind, but Simba wipes it away.

"Battle for the Pride Lands"

Kion receives the Mark of Evil from Ushari

During the final battle, Kion is bitten by Scar's minion, Ushari, and thus obtains the Mark of Evil. After the defeat of Scar and the death of Ushari, the Mark of Evil disappears from the lava, which cools into solid rock.

"Friends to the End"

Kion begins to wonder if he is turning evil due to his violent mood swings. He gazes into a puddle, where the spirit of Scar appears and mocks him for bearing the Mark of Evil. To this, Kion asserts that he may look like Scar, but he will never act like Scar.

"Return to the Pride Lands"

Upon the Lion Guard's return to the Pride Lands, Vitani (who formed her own Lion Guard in their absence) observes that Kion bears the Mark of Evil. This causes her to believe that Kion intends to invade the Pride Lands, leading to a fight between the two groups.

Bearers of the Mark of Evil

Name

Information

Format

Appearances

Picture

The evil lions of the past

The evil lions of the past are a group of hostile lions who once terrorized the Pride Lands. They were defeated by Askari and the original Lion Guard.

Television

The Lion Guard

Strange lion

The strange lion is a rogue lion from the Outlands who attempted to take over the Pride Lands with the help of his cobra minion. He was betrayed and killed by Scar.

Television

The Lion Guard

Scar

Scar is the former leader of the Lion Guard before he abused his power and lost the Roar. Later, he became the king of the Pride Lands. He acquired his scar from a cobra who was in cahoots with the strange lion.

Film

The Lion King The Lion Guard

Kion

Kion is the former leader of the Lion Guard. He acquired his scar from Ushari, who was serving the ghost of Scar. Unlike many bearers of the Mark of Evil, Kion fought the venom and sought healing at the Tree of Life.

Television

The Lion Guard

Trivia

• In the episode "Cave of Secrets", the painting shows the evil lions of the past bearing the Mark of Evil; however, they do not have scars over their eyes. This indicates that one does not necessarily need to have a scar over their eye in order to bear the Mark of Evil.

• Though Kovu has a scar over his eye, it was inflicted by his mother Zira, not a cobra, and he is never acknowledged as bearing the Mark of Evil by the Pride Landers.

• The Mark of Evil takes a different appearance for each of the three lions who possess it: Scar's is a curved scar across his left eye, the Strange Lion's is a curved scar across the corner of his right eye, and Kion's is two curved scars on top of his left eye and one on the bottom.