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| Stampede | |||
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• Mufasa is killed | ||
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| “ | Simba: Hey, Uncle Scar, will I like the surprise? Scar: Simba, it's to die for. |
” |
The stampede was the veiled assassination of Mufasa by Scar and his hyena minions. It resulted in Simba's self-exile from the Pride Lands and Scar's ascendance to the throne.
Information[]
Background[]
| “ | ” |
Scar gives the signal for Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed to incite the stampede.
After Shenzi and her clan failed to kill Simba when he wandered into the Elephant Graveyard, Scar hatched a new plan to kill both Simba and his father, Mufasa. Scar took Simba to the gorge under the pretense that Mufasa had a surprise for him. He left Simba alone despite the cub's protestations. Above the gorge, a large herd of wildebeests grazed, with Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed watching from nearby. Just then, Scar emerged on a promontory overhead, signaling for the hyenas to instigate a stampede.[1]
The stampede[]
| “ | ” |
Simba takes refuge from the stampede in a tree.
Simba practiced his roar in the gorge, after which the ground began to tremble and wildebeests flooded into the gorge. Simba fled, but when the herd overtook him, he climbed a tree for refuge. Meanwhile, Scar informed Mufasa and Zazu that Simba was trapped amidst the stampede. The three hastened to the gorge, and Mufasa jumped into the middle of the fray. Zazu resolved to fetch the pride for help, but Scar knocked him unconscious before he could leave.
Suddenly, Simba's tree broke, sending Simba flying into the air, but Mufasa caught him and bore him to safety. Before Mufasa could escape the stampede himself, the wildebeests knocked him back into the melee. Eventually, Mufasa leapt free and began to climb up the side of the gorge, out of sight of Simba, who left his position to meet his father at the top.
Scar prepares to heave Mufasa to his death.
Unseen by Simba, from his precarious position, Mufasa pled for help from Scar, who was standing on a ledge above him. Instead of helping him, Scar dug his claws into Mufasa's paws and threw him to his death. Simba caught sight of his father falling and screamed in horror.[1]
Simultaneously, elsewhere in the gorge, Timon and Pumbaa were searching for a new home. Upon seeing the oncoming stampede, they fled, eventually escaping into a nearby river.[2]
Aftermath[]
| “ | Simba: There were wildebeests, and he tried to save me. It was an accident. I-I didn't mean for it to happen. Scar: Of course, of course you didn't. No one ever means for these things to happen. But the king is dead. And if it weren't for you, he'd still be alive. |
” |
Scar manipulates Simba into fleeing the Pride Lands.
After the stampede passed, Simba searched for Mufasa. He found his father's body at the bottom of the gorge and attempted to revive him. When Mufasa did not rise, Simba screamed for help before curling up beneath one of his father's paws. Presently, Scar appeared and accused Simba of being responsible for the death of Mufasa. He then manipulated Simba into thinking that the pride would blame him for Mufasa's death and advised his nephew to flee the Pride Lands, which Simba did. Scar then coldly ordered Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed to kill his nephew.
The hyenas chased Simba to a thorn thicket, into which the cub escaped. Banzai was knocked into the thicket and returned injured, bringing the pursuit to a halt. Shenzi refused to brave the thorns and instead decided to report to Scar that Simba was dead, as they expected him to perish in the desert. This allowed Simba to escape the Pride Lands.[1]
Legacy[]
| “ | ” |
In his dream, Simba tries to save Mufasa from the stampede.
As time passed, Mufasa's death continued to torment Simba, who frequently felt burdened by his own guilt about the incident. Although Simba eventually learned that Scar was responsible for Mufasa's death, he continued to be haunted by the tragedy.[1]
After reluctantly admitting Kovu, Scar's chosen heir, into the pride after Kiara's first hunt, Simba had a nightmare about the stampede. In the nightmare, Mufasa clung to the side of the gorge, begging Simba for help. Though Simba attempted to save his father, he was held back by Scar. Losing his grip, Mufasa fell into the stampede below. In response, Simba turned on Scar, who morphed into a cackling Kovu and heaved Simba into the stampede after Mufasa. Simba then awoke from his nightmare in a panic.[3]
Appearances[]
Films
TV series
Books
Comics
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Behind the scenes[]
General[]
- In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, the wildebeests are shown running in the wrong direction.[3]
In development[]
- During early production of The Lion King, Mufasa was going to save Simba from a flood instead of a stampede.[4]
- In another version, Scar lured Nala's young brother Mheetu into the stampede in an attempt to lure an adolescent Simba to his doom. Simba would've managed to rescue the cub, but nearly die in the process, resulting in Mufasa saving both of them, only to meet his downfall at the claws of Scar.[4]
- In an early script, Scar pretended to wait for Mufasa with Simba, then departed under the pretense that he was going to search for Mufasa.[5]
- Originally, Scar did not show Simba any sympathy after the stampede. Instead, he chased him out of the Pride Lands himself.[6]
Media[]
References[]
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