How is Simba any better than Scar?

[FriendlyHyena]

I don't know what Zira did, but if it was something as petty as disagreeing if Scar was good or bad, Simba seems as bad as his uncle in sending the young cubs Kovu, Vitani, and Nuka to the Outlands like that. What did they do against him?


Again, Simba kicking them into the Outlands gave them a PERSONAL reason to hate him, just like Scar sending Simba into the Outlands for years increased his hatred for Scar.


Also, more to the point, he seems merciful enough to have let his uncle who had

1.) Admitted to murdering his father
2.) Just pimp slapped his mother.
3.) Mismanaged the Pridelands and been about to have them be stuck there with no food due to his own stubbornness.
4.) Had just tried to murder him as a cub and then recently as an adult
5.) Had lied to him and made him feel guilty for years for his own father's death and had told him to leave the Pridelands where he nearly died in the desert.
6.) Had, in the musical and the cut movie, tried to make Nala his queen by force


leave the Pridelands alive, then why didn't he cut Zira's cubs any slack?

[Hatari05]

[quote="FriendlyHyena"]I don't know what Zira did, but if it was something as petty as disagreeing if Scar was good or bad, Simba seems as bad as his uncle in sending the young cubs Kovu, Vitani, and Nuka to the Outlands like that. What did they do against him?


Again, Simba kicking them into the Outlands gave them a PERSONAL reason to hate him, just like Scar sending Simba into the Outlands for years increased his hatred for Scar.


Also, more to the point, he seems merciful enough to have let his uncle who had

1.) Admitted to murdering his father
2.) Just pimp slapped his mother.
3.) Mismanaged the Pridelands and been about to have them be stuck there with no food due to his own stubbornness.
4.) Had just tried to murder him as a cub and then recently as an adult
5.) Had lied to him and made him feel guilty for years for his own father's death and had told him to leave the Pridelands where he nearly died in the desert.
6.) Had, in the musical and the cut movie, tried to make Nala his queen by force


leave the Pridelands alive, then why didn't he cut Zira's cubs any slack? [/quote]

We're not certain but it's possible leaving Scar alive wasn't mercy. Simba has never gone for death his punishment is always exile. It's possible Simba uses exile as a means of revenge rather than mercy he's not willing to get his paws dirty but he wants to see those who wronged him pay, so he exiles them.

Exiling Scar might not be an act of mercy it might just be Simba putting Scar through everything he went through as payback after he's dead Simba feels Scar didn't pay enough for his crimes against him and his loved ones as well as his home and as such extended his wrath to his family because they obviously must be just like Scar and deserve the same punishment.

This fits how he regards Kovu in SP and even the outsiders he just sees all of them as extensions of Scar it doesn't matter how old they are he won't allow Scar's legacy to exist in his kingdom. How does this make him better than Scar it really doesn't, Zira's vendetta is the judgement Simba brought on himself much like Scar brought about his own judgement.

[Warthog]

I always thought Simba didn't want to exile Nuka, Kovu and Vitani, but Zira didn't let him separate them from her.
Or maybe Kovu and Vitani still needed to be suckled, and Zira was the only one who could do it because none of the other lionesses had cubs, so the two had to follow her to survive, and Nuka just went with his family (perhaps his mother even forced him to do it).

About Simba exiling Scar instead of killing him, I'm not sure. Maybe he just didn't want to kill anyone, or wanted him to experience what he had been through (as Hatari05 says) or to suffer for years instead of for the few seconds/minutes he would have took to kill him.

[SimbasGuard]

[quote="Hatari05"]We're not certain but it's possible leaving Scar alive wasn't mercy. Simba has never gone for death his punishment is always exile. It's possible Simba uses exile as a means of revenge rather than mercy he's not willing to get his paws dirty but he wants to see those who wronged him pay, so he exiles them.[/quote]

There is one important fact to consider though. While Exile is not an act of mercy it is not a guaranteed death sentence. Simba survived his exile, granted this was due to the help of Timon and Pumbaa, but he survived.

Zira, Nuka, Vitani, Kovu, as well as the other Outsiders (Even if some of them were recruited after Simba exiled Zira) survived. Not only did they manage to survive, but they survived well enough to be a very credible threat to The Pridelanders.

(Without referencing The Lion Guard) Zira as well as the rest of The Outsiders were loyal to Scar. Simba exiled them because they would not recognize him as their King. Zira's Vendetta against Simba would not only have existed, but it would have been far more dangerous, if he would have let Zira stay in The Pride Lands. Trying instead to earn her loyalty by showing her what a capable King he would be.

[quote="Warthog"]I always thought Simba didn't want to exile Nuka, Kovu and Vitani, but Zira didn't let him separate them from her.
Or maybe Kovu and Vitani still needed to be suckled, and Zira was the only one who could do it because none of the other lionesses had cubs, so the two had to follow her to survive[/quote]

I could easily see these theories being the reason why at least Vitani and Kovu were exiled

I can't see Simba wanting young cubs to suffer as he did, regardless of who their parents were loyal to.

[Azdgari]

[quote="Warthog"]I always thought Simba didn't want to exile Nuka, Kovu and Vitani, but Zira didn't let him separate them from her. [/quote]
Although I haven't given this a ton of thought, this is likely my belief. When he exiled Zira, I assume separating the mother from her cubs was out of the question, unless she/they desired it, which I doubt. I'm sure the cubs were indoctrinated from a pretty young age.