Did the Hyenas help or hurt?

[Regulus]

The only thing the hyenas did was start the stampede, and yes, he probably did need those three to start it, but why not just promise them a zebra each instead of the entire hyena clan getting full access to the Pridelands?

Because, to the hyenas, it would be much easier to kill a zebra and eat it than start a stampede. One meal doesn't seem very convincing. True, the hyenas were dumb, but it doesn't take much brainpower to ask "what's in it for me?" Even domestic cats can do that.

Yes but things were only in such bad shape because of the hyenas eating all the food. If they weren't around, then the land would have been in much better shape and the lionesses probably wouldn't have been mad at him.

Scar: "I'm the king, I can do whatever I want!"

I doubt the lionesses would tolerate his attitude, even if the Pridelands didn't become a desolate toilet bowl.

[Carl]

The only thing the hyenas did was start the stampede, and yes, he probably did need those three to start it, but why not just promise them a zebra each instead of the entire hyena clan getting full access to the Pridelands?

Because, to the hyenas, it would be much easier to kill a zebra and eat it than start a stampede. One meal doesn't seem very convincing. True, the hyenas were dumb, but it doesn't take much brainpower to ask "what's in it for me?" Even domestic cats can do that.

Yes but things were only in such bad shape because of the hyenas eating all the food. If they weren't around, then the land would have been in much better shape and the lionesses probably wouldn't have been mad at him.

Scar: "I'm the king, I can do whatever I want!"

I doubt the lionesses would tolerate his attitude, even if the Pridelands didn't become a desolate toilet bowl.

I agree. He had to offer something a lot more than a zebra each if he wanted their help, and I really don't think the lionesses would like that attitude. If he tried to make them do something they didn't want to, Sarabi (or any of the others probably) could just own him and then they'd be a weird pride living without a king (not saying they'd kill Scar per se, but that they wouldn't let him keep ruling). The hyenas were necessary muscle to keep the lionesses in line for Scar.

[LeonaInez]

The only thing the hyenas did was start the stampede, and yes, he probably did need those three to start it, but why not just promise them a zebra each instead of the entire hyena clan getting full access to the Pridelands?

Because, to the hyenas, it would be much easier to kill a zebra and eat it than start a stampede. One meal doesn't seem very convincing. True, the hyenas were dumb, but it doesn't take much brainpower to ask "what's in it for me?" Even domestic cats can do that.

But there wasn't a need to get the ENTIRE hyena clan involved. If anything, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed should have gotten free range only. It's actually kinda unfair that 99% of the hyenas don't do anything and get rewarded equally

Yes but things were only in such bad shape because of the hyenas eating all the food. If they weren't around, then the land would have been in much better shape and the lionesses probably wouldn't have been mad at him.

Scar: "I'm the king, I can do whatever I want!"

I doubt the lionesses would tolerate his attitude, even if the Pridelands didn't become a desolate toilet bowl.

They were willing to let him be king in the first place, and Scar didn't ever think Simba would come back so he never envisioned the whole "I can't step down" scenario.

[Regulus]

But there wasn't a need to get the ENTIRE hyena clan involved. If anything, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed should have gotten free range only. It's actually kinda unfair that 99% of the hyenas don't do anything and get rewarded equally

Perhaps this should be moved to the world issues section?

But, really, it's not about that at all. Scar wanted all the support he could get, so he promised all the hyenas the reward of free food for life.

They were willing to let him be king in the first place

Because they were forced into it; the pride would not survive without a male, and Scar was the only one left. But without the hyenas, Scar would have no power, and that was his only motivation for killing Simba and Mufasa anyway.

Scar didn't ever think Simba would come back so he never envisioned the whole "I can't step down" scenario.

Maybe not Simba, but, as we know, lion males often fight for their positions in a pride.

Case in point: Scar taking over the pride without the hyenas is like Hitler taking over Germany without his supporters in the Nazi party. After all, Scar was intended to be kinda like Hitler. Hitler didn't create an army to fight a war, but more or less to maintain his own power. The war was a deception.

[Meskhenet]

Personally, I thinked the hyenas hurt. The hyenas were only used for Scar's plan to kill Simba. But after Mufasa's death, and Simba was exiled. The hyenas just seemed to be a pain. They don't hunt, they expected the lionessess to hunt, they are completely lazy, they only contributed to the murder because "they'll never go hungry again".

[NalaKiaraTani]

In the grand scheme of things I think they were pretty important. Hitler could not have been a powerful dictator without anyone agreeing with what he said. Scar could not have become king without anyone agreeing with what he said. Both Hitler and Scar needed a large multitude of followers to accomplish anything.