entertainment / Monday, 18-Aug-2025

Mufasa's New Special Powers Complicate The Circumstances Of His Lion King Death

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Mufasa: The Lion King!

Mufasa: The Lion King gives the titular king an all-new special power, but this ability completely complicates the circumstances of Mufasa's The Lion King death. One of the most well-known things about Mufasa is that he dies in The Lion King, with the character's death being considered one of the saddest moments in animation history. However, the story of Mufasa: The Lion King completely recontextualizes the circumstances of Mufasa's death, raising a lot of questions about the logic of how Scar's killing of Mufasa actually managed to work.

Mufasa: The Lion King finally tells the story of Mufasa's origins, with the film following him on his journey to become the king of the Pride Lands. The film reveals that, as a cub, Mufasa was taken in by the family of Scar, who was then known as Taka. Mufasa: The Lion King chronicles the events that led to Mufasa and Scar's sibling rivalry, highlighting why the characters are the way they are in The Lion King. Mufasa: The Lion King is full of all kinds of massive reveals, with Mufasa's special lion power being one of the biggest.

Mufasa's Senses Are A Special Power In The Lion King's Prequel

He Has Supernatural Sense Abilities

Mufasa is no ordinary lion in the world of Mufasa: The Lion King, with the film revealing that he actually has a superpower of sorts. As it turns out, Mufasa has super senses in The Lion King prequel, with him being able to smell and hear things from incredibly far away. For example, Mufasa is able to tell where Sarabi is from by smelling a specific scent on her, with him also being able to do things like track the white lions that are hunting them. This has a major role in Mufasa's success in the film, eventually aiding in his rise to the throne.

The original The Lion King and the 2019 live-action remake never hinted at these special powers, with them being entirely invented for Mufasa: The Lion King. While these powers are essential to the story that was crafted for the prequel film, Mufasa: The Lion King unfortunately didn't think the implications of this change all the way through, with Mufasa's powers creating a massive plot hole in the original The Lion King story.

Mufasa's Prequel Suggests He Should Have Been Able To Save Simba Earlier In The Lion King

According To The Prequel's Logic

In the original The Lion King story, Scar plans to kill both Mufasa and Simba at once by taking Simba into a gorge and having his hyena companions start a stampede. After getting Mufasa to come to the gorge, Scar then planned on throwing Mufasa in, killing them both and allowing him to become king. Although Scar didn't kill Simba as planned, he was successful in ridding the Pride Lands of Mufasa. However, if Mufasa did truly have his special powers from Mufasa: The Lion King, things should have gone very differently.

Instead of having to wait on Scar to alert him that Simba was in danger, Mufasa's special senses should have allowed him to sense the stampede far earlier. Even if Mufasa couldn't smell that all of the wildebeest were gathering, he should have been able to hear them running, giving him time to get to the gorge and save Simba. However, the writers of The Lion King most likely didn't have this plan in mind when writing the story of the original film, creating this massive inconsistency after the release of Mufasa: The Lion King.

Mufasa's Special Senses Could Have Prevented His Death

As Scar Shouldn't Have Been Involved

If Mufasa's special senses did work as they should have, they could have not only prevented Simba's death. By sensing the wildebeest stampede on his own, Mufasa should have been able to go to the gorge without Scar, meaning that Scar couldn't have thrown him into the stampede. This means that, even if he didn't save Simba, Mufasa most likely would have survived.

However, the senses that are presented in Mufasa: The Lion King seem to be so powerful that Mufasa realistically would have sensed the wildebeest stampede as soon as Scar's hyena minions started it. Thus, Mufasa should not only have been able to stop his death, but also save Simba from the stampede, foiling Scar's plan. However, this is not how things went, with the writers of The Lion King not being able to predict the new power that Mufasa would be gifted in Mufasa: The Lion King.

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Your Rating

Mufasa: The Lion King
7/10
160
8.4/10
Release Date
December 18, 2024
Runtime
118 minutes
Director
Barry Jenkins
Writers
Jeff Nathanson
Producers
Peter M. Tobyansen, Adele Romanski

Cast

See All
  • Headshot Of Aaron Pierre
    Aaron Pierre
    Mufasa (voice)
  • headshot Of Kelvin Harrison Jr.
    Kelvin Harrison Jr.
    Taka (voice)

Mufasa: The Lion King explores the origins of the beloved character Mufasa, focusing on his youth as a lost cub who encounters Taka, a royal heir. Their meeting initiates an epic journey of self-discovery and destiny, featuring a group of misfit companions navigating the challenges of their world.

Main Genre
Adventure
Distributor(s)
Disney

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