History AlternativeCharacterInterpretation / TheLionKing

* Is Rani actually in love with Kion, or did only want him for the Roar of the Elders? Her saying at their wedding in the GrandFinale how [she] is glad the ''Roar'' has returned instead of ''Kion'' and her reaction to finding out Kion unlocking all the secrets to the Roar would seem to suggest the latter.

* There are AmbiguouslyGay / DepravedHomosexual elements to Scar's performance. Top of the list for hints is the breakdown during "Be Prepared", which has a very 90s-club beat to it, while the Hyenas on stage move aside for more muscly, shirtless Hyenas to dance in the steam...

* [[spoiler:Zira]] was originally intended to be DrivenToSuicide, but it was deemed too dark and was censored. It's still possible to interpret her death scene as suicide either way. We never see her lose her grip, with instead the camera panning to Kiara's shocked reaction, and the animators accidentally kept her smile right as she falls. With [[spoiler:her oldest son dead]], her [[spoiler:pride's betrayal]], and everything done in vain, [[spoiler:Zira]] decided to kill herself instead of joining Simba.

* Going off the above factors, there's a possibilty of BlackAndGreyMorality. Thanks to Mufasa being a good father and decent king [[NobleBigot despite this hatred of hyenas]]. Whereas Scar is still evil because for exploiting the hyenas.

* [[spoiler:Zira]] was originally intended to be DrivenToSuicide, but it was deemed too dark and was censored. It's still possible to interpret her death scene as suicide either way. We never see her lose her grip, with instead the camera panning to Kiara's shocked reaction, and the animators accidentally kept her smile right as she laughs. With [[spoiler:her oldest son dead]], her [[spoiler:pride's betrayal]], and everything done in vain, [[spoiler:Zira]] decided to kill herself instead of joining Simba.

!!''Disney/TheLionKing''

!!''Disney/TheLionKingIISimbasPride''

* Jasiri's striking similarity to another hyena in a licensed spin-off story raises the question of whether she counts as a CanonImmigrant, or whether the creators of the show itself were even aware of the side materials released with the [[Disney/TheLionKing original movie]] in 1994. Kion gets similar questions on whether he is an {{expy}} of Simba's non-canon son Kopa or whether it's coincidental.

!!''Disney/TheLionKing''
* There are more than a few people who view Scar as a DepravedHomosexual, due to his lack of a mate and somewhat effeminate manner. The Broadway play seems to play this up to extreme levels. Scar goes from scary angry dude to Creator/PaulLynde turned psychopath, which is still scary. This is ironic since a deleted scene (which was re-added for the musical) shows Scar choosing [[{{Squick}} a grown up Nala as his mate]] and seeming rather disturbingly excited about making "little Scars" with her. So maybe more of a DepravedBisexual?
* Was Scar's hatred towards Mufasa caused only by [[GreenEyedMonster envy]] or was there a solid FreudianExcuse (like being always TheUnfavorite, maybe also mistreated by his brother)?
* Mufasa. Noble, courageous king and loving father... or pompous {{Jerkass}} who threw his weight around to bully his little brother, was letting a bunch of hyenas starve for no reason, and who was raising his son to be as big a douche as he was? Or, [[TakeAThirdOption alternately]], a generally decent king and good father, but who's prejudiced against hyenas?
* Mufasa and his dynasty can easily be seen as pompous, racist tyrants and Scar as a WellIntentionedExtremist trying to liberate oppressed people from Mufasa's regime. An alternative take is that [[EvilVersusEvil both Scar and Mufasa are jerks]], Mufasa exiling the hyenas to the badlands, and Scar exploiting their desperation for his own gain.
* Zazu. Mufasa's loyal adviser and careful supervisor of Simba during his childhood... or just the comical sidekick of both?
* The hyenas. Were they really banished for not respecting the Circle of Life? They think of themselves as being oppressed underdogs, and in real life they're very real competition with lions in the food chain. After all, as others have pointed out, Scar enlists their aid not by promising them power or conquest, but ''food.'' The hyenas seem most excited about the fact that they'll be able to ''eat.'' Their apparent poverty and Scar's manipulation of it is just another eerie parallel to the Third Reich and the duped German population. The documentary Mickey Mouse Monopoly pointed this out.
* Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed - friends, or family? It's almost a 50/50 split. Other combinations include Shenzi, the alpha female, with Banzai being her alpha male and Ed his brother who hangs around with him, and Banzai and Ed both courting Shenzi at once.
* In regards to the ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' parallels, is Nala based on [[GenderFlip Horatio]] or Ophelia? [[TakeaThirdOption Or both?]] Also one review has interpreted that Rafiki was meant to be a living version of Yorick.
* Scar has some parallels with Simba. Young Simba has a ''SONG'' dedicated to him proclaiming that when he's King he doesn't have to listen to anybody and "can do whatever I want". Later in the film Scar proclaims, "I'm the King! ''I can do whatever I want.''" This also brings up the distinct possibility that Simba would have been a king every bit as bad as Scar had he not run away and undergone CharacterDevelopment.
* Timon and Pumbaa. Loveable slackers who save Simba's life and help him deal with his trauma, or two feckless wasters who encourage a vulnerable young boy to hide from his problems and responsibilities so he can stick around as their bodyguard?
* How did the lions receive their place as "royalty"? For all we know, the first "Lion King" was crazy and decided to fight and kill one of every animal and after killing the last one crowned himself king. The other animals fear the lions especially when you consider that the movie makes no effort in disguising the fact that the lions hunt other animals and they all fled after Scar became king (and the pride lands became a wasteland but that's beside the point).

* Was Ahadi's ParentalFavoritism of Mufasa because he saw his oldest son as a more capable leader or is he an {{abusive|Parent}} who treated Scar as TheUnfavorite and started his StartOfDarkness?

** The hyenas. Were they really banished for not respecting the Circle of Life? They think of themselves as being oppressed underdogs, and in real life they're very real competition with lions in the food chain. After all, as others have pointed out, Scar enlists their aid not by promising them power or conquest, but ''food.'' The hyenas seem most excited about the fact that they'll be able to ''eat.'' Their apparent poverty and Scar's manipulation of it is just another eerie parallel to the Third Reich and the duped German population. The documentary Mickey Mouse Monopoly pointed this out.

!!''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing2019''

* In Season 3, Kion has a RageAgainstTheReflection moment where he sees Scar talking to him from within the water. Was this an artistic rendering of Kion's imagination, an artistic rendering of a legitimate venom-induced hallucination... or the ''real'' Scar actually talking to him from beyond the grave (since we know the Lions of the Past can do that)?

* What was Zira's relationship to Scar? Was she a LoonyFan in MadLove or were they a couple? Are any of her cubs Scar's? If not and she was either in love with Scar or together with Scar, why did she have cubs with an unknown male?

!!''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard''