Was Nuka evil and was it best that he died when he did?

[FriendlyHyena]

There is a LOT of Scar in him, far more than in Kovu. I think he wanted to kill his own "brother" or loathed him enough to think about, at the very least.

Even in the song "That's My Lullaby", while Zira and Vitani want Kovu to win, Nuka sarcastically sings "Kovu what a guy" and makes remarks like "So you finally found somebody who'll chase Simba up a tree?" as though he never thought Kovu capable or worthy to be Scar's heir.

Also, he might have actually tried it in the fire thing. He was doing it more than Zira wanted and it's possible that he hoped that it would get out of hand and kill Kovu so that Zira would have to pick him.

I honestly think that if Nuka hadn't been killed by that log (and had Simba still not died) that Nuka, in a fit of rage of Kovu wrecking everything and getting all of the attention for years while he was neglected, would have denounced Kovu as a traitor and killed him on the spot, no longer able to contain his rage at Kovu that had been pent up.


I think even more so, that if Nuka HAD been able to kill Simba, that he'd have killed Kovu for being a traitor and out of jealousy at being neglected all of those years in favor of Kovu yet he was now the hero

I cannot really see Nuka getting redemption either. Kovu had Kiara and, to an extent, Zira. Nuka really had nobody.

Also, I think that, while Vitani cared enough for Kovu not to attack him when he blocked the way at the end, Nuka most certainly WOULD have attacked Kovu and Kiara, which would have greatly altered the outcome of the final battle, maybe. It would depend on if Zira would snap at Vitani to stay loyal or be killed too, a move which repulsed the rest of the Outlanders. However, I think that Nuka still been alive, Zira would have said "Nuka, take care of them." and Nuka would have gladly obliged.

Either Nuka would have killed Kovu (unlikely due to his weaker state) or Kovu would have been forced to kill him in self-defense, which would have caused the other Outlanders to view Kovu forever as a defector and to attack him.

The battle would indeed have been bloody, as Zira always wanted. (Now, whether she'd win or not is up for debate.)

Because Kovu had defected and Nuka was dead, Zira had to rely on Vitani. When Vitani wouldn't attack Kovu, Zira lost her temper and told her to do it or she'd be killed too, which was Zira's fatal mistake in the battle. With Nuka alive, Zira would probably have asked him to whack Kovu and Kiara. It was only because Nuka was dead that Zira had to rely on Vitani. Vitani did care for her "brother" as was shown in "That's My Lullaby". Nuka, on the other hand, did NOT.

[TheLionPrince]

Good question. Nuka does do antagonistic things purely out of jealously against Kovu and his desperate desire to receive Zira's attention and love. So, yes, he's evil, but not in the traditional sense. He fits among the lines of a sympathetic villain. Once he achieved his goal to look like a hero in Zira's eyes, he would have shifted towards being a traditional villain.

If Nuka had not died, he still would have sided with Zira. He would have had his mother's affection if he did charge at Kovu and denounced him as a traitor, and would do everything in his power to keep it. He would have to be killed or exiled in order for the two prides to unite in peace so it was best he died when he did. However, I'm not sure if Vitani would have turned given her brother's death was the catalyst for seeing that all this fighting is pointless.

[SimbasGuard]

[quote="TheLionPrince"]However, I'm not sure if Vitani would have turned given her brother's death was the catalyst for seeing that all this fighting is pointless.[/quote]

Excellent point. Kiara's speech might not have hit the right emotional cord with Vitani if Nuka had been alive when she gave it. If Vitani did not turn The Outsiders would have likely fought to the death. The losses Simba's Pride would have incurred in the process would likely have been substantial

Nuka's death very likely spared a great many lives. Possibly all of The Outsiders.

[dwaynetv14]

I don't think he was evil, he just wanted to impress his mother.

[dwaynetv14]

I don't think so, he was just trying to impress his mother

[FriendlyHyena]

I also wonder, on the flip side, if Nuka had survived, would Zira have still made that last go at Simba? Perhaps while Nuka's death caused Vitani to come to her senses, it sent Zira, in the end literally, more off the edge, than she would have been had Nuka survived.

[TheLionPrince]

I can't see why not since Zira thinks Simba killed Scar, then banished to a wasteland (although she didn't have to stay there), and lastly, her beloved son Kovu had turned against her.

[FriendlyHyena]

While Nuka may have believe that killing Simba was the best way for a better life (and to please his mother) at the time that he died, I think if he had lived, it's possible that he may have decided to finally have enough with pleasing Zira and take Kiara's offer.

[SimbasGuard]

[quote="FriendlyHyena"]While Nuka may have believe that killing Simba was the best way for a better life (and to please his mother) at the time that he died, I think if he had lived, it's possible that he may have decided to finally have enough with pleasing Zira and take Kiara's offer.[/quote]

I don't think so Nuka's mind was so fractured even when we see him as a younger Lion earlier in the movie, He can only think about pleasing his mother and resenting Kovu.

[TheLionPrince]

[quote="FriendlyHyena"]While Nuka may have believe that killing Simba was the best way for a better life (and to please his mother) at the time that he died, I think if he had lived, it's possible that he may have decided to finally have enough with pleasing Zira and take Kiara's offer.[/quote]

Like SimbasGuard responded, I don't think so. He wanted to earn his mother's attention and had he lived, he would use any means necessary in order to keep it.