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Description
"So you found yourself somebody who'd chase Simba up a tree?"
-
"I'll do it for you, Mother!"

Yes, it's that scene. I love how many parallels there are in this movie, and here, the title and the drawing refer to a tragic parallel between "My Lullaby" and Nuka's death scene. This particular parallel also prompted me to come up with a fan theory. In a sense, I had this theory for a long time, but only now connected it into one piece. So, if you like overanalyzing animated movies as much as I do, you might enjoy reading this long and rather convoluted theory that I call...

Nuka, king of foreshadowing?

A few months ago, I saw a post on the Disney Reddit titled "A character in The Lion King 2 predicts his own death ". And while I've noticed this parallel before, it got me thinking: there was more, and it goes full circle.

There are so many scenes in the movie where Nuka in some way foreshadows something that happens later, it's just a matter of interpretation of how aware he is of it in each of these instances. The one mentioned above is, of course, during "My Lullaby", where Nuka sings "So you've found yourself somebody who'd chase Simba up a tree?", to which Zira cups his chin and replies "Oh, the battle may be bloody, but that kind of works for me", and callously pushes Nuka off a cliff. This is a clear parallel to Nuka's death scene, where he chases Simba up the log dam ("trees"), falls, and Zira comforts him at his dying breath by cupping his chin.

But there also seems to be an overarching storyline with Nuka foreshadowing a very important plot point. Namely, there are many hints scattered throughout the movie that Nuka expects Kovu to betray the Outsiders. He even tries to warn Zira and Vitani about this in a roundabout way, but they don't take him seriously, so he's basically suffering from Cassandra's curse because of how he's perceived.

The way Nuka smiles during the ambush scene when Zira says "Get him, Kovu" suggests that in that moment, he's certain that Kovu won't attack Simba, thus allowing Nuka to get his chance to show what he's capable of. But this happens after Vitani brings the news about Kovu failing to attack Simba, so the possibility of Kovu's betrayal is already 'public knowledge', so to speak. It could be said that Nuka is just hopeful for a desired outcome... Except, Nuka has been dropping hints that he expected Kovu to betray them for a long time beforehand.

It looks like in a way Nuka's suspicions have started early, when Kovu was still a cub. The first time we see Nuka in the movie, he is complaining about Kovu getting so much 'undeserved' attention as the so-called 'chosen one'. Nuka's nickname for Kovu is "little termite", and Nuka himself is suffering from a termite infection, so he essentially likens Kovu to a parasite, who gets all the praise, all the best things and food in their starving pride, but doesn't do anything for them in return. Nuka seems to be suggesting that Kovu doesn't truly value his pride and family, and can't relate to their stuggles, because he's handed everything on a silver platter at everyone else's expense. It's likely that the real reson why Nuka considers himself to be the better option is because he's much more loyal. "If she'd just give me a chance!"

And if Nuka doesn't yet expect Kovu to betray them in this scene (it's not impossible that he does), he probably starts to after the next scene, where Zira berates Kovu for playing with Kiara. Kovu says that he thought they could be friends, and Zira finishes that thought with a sarcastic remark about Simba "welcoming Kovu with open arms" if Kovu becomes friends with his daughter. This, I think, is the moment when Nuka gets a clear idea of what might happen, if he didn't have it before.

Later on, as an adult, Nuka expresses the same sentiment. "If Kovu is so special, why does he need us?" Nuka is bitter that his and Vitani's efforts are taken for granted, when Kovu is held in such high regard for something he hasn't even done yet, and all the groundwork for his mission has been laid by others. Vitani, like everyone else, is certain that Kovu will finish his mission, and therefore, she sees their roles and Kovu's value as a given. Nuka's outlook is completely different, he serves as a reminder that Kovu's success is not guaranteed, and his role is not set in stone. "I never even had a chance!", laments Nuka once again, in foreshadowing of Simba's "if given the chance" conversation with Kovu, one of the things that has set off Kovu's change of heart.

The next scene with Nuka is even more telling. Not only is Nuka more direct about his suspicions, it also seems that Nuka makes a (correct) guess as to why Kovu will betray them. When he and Zira are watching Kovu's progress in the Pridelands, Nuka makes a big show of hinting to Zira that if Kovu was so good at his mission, he would have attacked Kiara. It's a clumsy attempt, and Nuka definitely knows that Kiara isn't their main target, and if Kovu attacks her, he won't be able to get to Simba. Of course, it can be argued that Nuka is not very smart, his emotions get the better of him, and he doesn't think through what he's saying. This is all true to some degree, but I'm certain he at least understands the basics of the plan. So, why this? Why Kiara? I suspect it's because Nuka is convinced that Kovu feels something for her, or will start feeling something for her later. Which is not entirely implausible, because Kovu might have mentioned Kiara to his siblings throughout the years (he did, if you consider TLG canon to the movies), and Nuka caught on to that. And given that the plan apparently included Kovu trying to seduce Kiara to get to Simba, it would be easy for Nuka to take this a step further and suspect that Kovu would fall in love with her for real. Could it be that Nuka was weirdly observant and could foresee what even Rafiki couldn't?

And then there is also Vitani, who is strangely so ready to believe in Kovu's sudden betrayal when she's spying in the Pridelands, even though, like many people have pointed out, it's not the best time for him to attack. But Vitani no doubt had to listen to Nuka's constant muttering about how Kovu doesn't care about his pride, how he doesn't deserve the attention he gets, and maybe even saying outright that he will betray them. She likely dismissed it as Nuka's typical obsessive mumbling, but it still would have planted a seed in her mind, and after she saw Kovu not attack Simba with her own eyes... The realization has set in that maybe, her bitter, obsessive older brother was right.

But after Kovu doesn't attack Simba and Vitani sees it, it gets even more interesting. While this is not in the movie, at some point there was clearly the idea that Nuka was the one who suggested the ambush, illustrated in the comic novelization of Simba's Pride. Nuka doesn't look even remotely surprised in this page that Kovu betrayed them, just happy that he finally got his chance. And the next thing he does is suggest that, oh no, Mother, he must be still loyal, it was probably not a good moment for him to attack, we just have to assist him to make sure! So Zira decides to ambush Simba (and thinks it was her idea), still apparently convinced that if they come to "assist" Kovu, he will definitely be on their side, and finish Simba off. It will be so easy!

Except Nuka knows that Kovu is no longer loyal. And Vitani knows, though she doesn't entirely want to believe it (she still takes a precaution by knocking Kovu out when he tries to help Simba at first). Here, the entire battle scene is curious, because nearly all of the crucial moves were made by Nuka, and in a way that would be beneficial to Nuka, specifically. Nuka knows that about the only location where he would have an advantage over Simba is the log dam. Tiny, malnourished Nuka is obviously no match for big, muscular Simba, but on the log dam, it's the other way around. So when Simba is attacked, Nuka leaps forward first, growls at Simba but does nothing, gets hit by Simba, and is out of the fight. That until there are enough lionesses attacking Simba, and all that's left for Nuka is to jump on Simba's back to make him fall down to the gorge. Zira announces that they have Simba cornered, and now, his only way out is the log dam. Where Nuka can get to him, which he does very quickly.

If only Nuka realized that the moment he grabs Simba's leg, the weight will get redistributed, and the log under Nuka's hind paw will break. One wrong move... And how tragic it is that everything that Nuka has foreseen and expected led to this. But then again, Nuka knew there was a risk, didn't he? And he was still trying to get his mother's attention, no matter the cost.

But there is, perhaps, a bit of consolation in what can be another (subtle) parallel. This might sound a bit outlandish (see what I did there?), but when Nuka says: "This is my moment of glory!", he might be kind of right. In the ending of the movie, the Outsiders get accepted into Simba's pride, after Vitani refuses to fight. This war has taken the life of her older brother, and all Zira did was use his death as fuel for more indoctrination. Vitani doesn't want to lose anyone else. But Zira doesn't care, and threatens to kill her remaining children. Everyone realizes that Zira cared about revenge more than she cared about anyone's well-being, something they might have got a glimpse of before with her treatment of Nuka. And she didn't even warn him to be careful when he went after Simba... So, it's likely that to a significant extent, Nuka's death saved many lives, on both sides. He wanted to be a hero who saved his pride, and he sort of became one, albeit in a very indirect way.

So while some of this might sound rather far-fetched, it could be that Nuka really did "predict" his own death. And Kovu's betrayal. And Kovu falling in love with Kiara. And even orchestrated the log dam chase itself. And I personally think it would be brilliant if that was intention behind the writing in this movie. But Disney was absolutely ruthless with Nuka's character, that's for sure.

----

Nuka, The Lion King (c) Disney

Art (c) iceflowerglow

Description
"So you found yourself somebody who'd chase Simba up a tree?"
-
"I'll do it for you, Mother!"

Yes, it's that scene. I love how many parallels there are in this movie, and here, the title and the drawing refer to a tragic parallel between "My Lullaby" and Nuka's death scene. This particular parallel also prompted me to come up with a fan theory. In a sense, I had this theory for a long time, but only now connected it into one piece. So, if you like overanalyzing animated movies as much as I do, you might enjoy reading this long and rather convoluted theory that I call...

Nuka, king of foreshadowing?

A few months ago, I saw a post on the Disney Reddit titled "A character in The Lion King 2 predicts his own death ". And while I've noticed this parallel before, it got me thinking: there was more, and it goes full circle.

There are so many scenes in the movie where Nuka in some way foreshadows something that happens later, it's just a matter of interpretation of how aware he is of it in each of these instances. The one mentioned above is, of course, during "My Lullaby", where Nuka sings "So you've found yourself somebody who'd chase Simba up a tree?", to which Zira cups his chin and replies "Oh, the battle may be bloody, but that kind of works for me", and callously pushes Nuka off a cliff. This is a clear parallel to Nuka's death scene, where he chases Simba up the log dam ("trees"), falls, and Zira comforts him at his dying breath by cupping his chin.

But there also seems to be an overarching storyline with Nuka foreshadowing a very important plot point. Namely, there are many hints scattered throughout the movie that Nuka expects Kovu to betray the Outsiders. He even tries to warn Zira and Vitani about this in a roundabout way, but they don't take him seriously, so he's basically suffering from Cassandra's curse because of how he's perceived.

The way Nuka smiles during the ambush scene when Zira says "Get him, Kovu" suggests that in that moment, he's certain that Kovu won't attack Simba, thus allowing Nuka to get his chance to show what he's capable of. But this happens after Vitani brings the news about Kovu failing to attack Simba, so the possibility of Kovu's betrayal is already 'public knowledge', so to speak. It could be said that Nuka is just hopeful for a desired outcome... Except, Nuka has been dropping hints that he expected Kovu to betray them for a long time beforehand.

It looks like in a way Nuka's suspicions have started early, when Kovu was still a cub. The first time we see Nuka in the movie, he is complaining about Kovu getting so much 'undeserved' attention as the so-called 'chosen one'. Nuka's nickname for Kovu is "little termite", and Nuka himself is suffering from a termite infection, so he essentially likens Kovu to a parasite, who gets all the praise, all the best things and food in their starving pride, but doesn't do anything for them in return. Nuka seems to be suggesting that Kovu doesn't truly value his pride and family, and can't relate to their stuggles, because he's handed everything on a silver platter at everyone else's expense. It's likely that the real reson why Nuka considers himself to be the better option is because he's much more loyal. "If she'd just give me a chance!"

And if Nuka doesn't yet expect Kovu to betray them in this scene (it's not impossible that he does), he probably starts to after the next scene, where Zira berates Kovu for playing with Kiara. Kovu says that he thought they could be friends, and Zira finishes that thought with a sarcastic remark about Simba "welcoming Kovu with open arms" if Kovu becomes friends with his daughter. This, I think, is the moment when Nuka gets a clear idea of what might happen, if he didn't have it before.

Later on, as an adult, Nuka expresses the same sentiment. "If Kovu is so special, why does he need us?" Nuka is bitter that his and Vitani's efforts are taken for granted, when Kovu is held in such high regard for something he hasn't even done yet, and all the groundwork for his mission has been laid by others. Vitani, like everyone else, is certain that Kovu will finish his mission, and therefore, she sees their roles and Kovu's value as a given. Nuka's outlook is completely different, he serves as a reminder that Kovu's success is not guaranteed, and his role is not set in stone. "I never even had a chance!", laments Nuka once again, in foreshadowing of Simba's "if given the chance" conversation with Kovu, one of the things that has set off Kovu's change of heart.

The next scene with Nuka is even more telling. Not only is Nuka more direct about his suspicions, it also seems that Nuka makes a (correct) guess as to why Kovu will betray them. When he and Zira are watching Kovu's progress in the Pridelands, Nuka makes a big show of hinting to Zira that if Kovu was so good at his mission, he would have attacked Kiara. It's a clumsy attempt, and Nuka definitely knows that Kiara isn't their main target, and if Kovu attacks her, he won't be able to get to Simba. Of course, it can be argued that Nuka is not very smart, his emotions get the better of him, and he doesn't think through what he's saying. This is all true to some degree, but I'm certain he at least understands the basics of the plan. So, why this? Why Kiara? I suspect it's because Nuka is convinced that Kovu feels something for her, or will start feeling something for her later. Which is not entirely implausible, because Kovu might have mentioned Kiara to his siblings throughout the years (he did, if you consider TLG canon to the movies), and Nuka caught on to that. And given that the plan apparently included Kovu trying to seduce Kiara to get to Simba, it would be easy for Nuka to take this a step further and suspect that Kovu would fall in love with her for real. Could it be that Nuka was weirdly observant and could foresee what even Rafiki couldn't?

And then there is also Vitani, who is strangely so ready to believe in Kovu's sudden betrayal when she's spying in the Pridelands, even though, like many people have pointed out, it's not the best time for him to attack. But Vitani no doubt had to listen to Nuka's constant muttering about how Kovu doesn't care about his pride, how he doesn't deserve the attention he gets, and maybe even saying outright that he will betray them. She likely dismissed it as Nuka's typical obsessive mumbling, but it still would have planted a seed in her mind, and after she saw Kovu not attack Simba with her own eyes... The realization has set in that maybe, her bitter, obsessive older brother was right.

But after Kovu doesn't attack Simba and Vitani sees it, it gets even more interesting. While this is not in the movie, at some point there was clearly the idea that Nuka was the one who suggested the ambush, illustrated in the comic novelization of Simba's Pride. Nuka doesn't look even remotely surprised in this page that Kovu betrayed them, just happy that he finally got his chance. And the next thing he does is suggest that, oh no, Mother, he must be still loyal, it was probably not a good moment for him to attack, we just have to assist him to make sure! So Zira decides to ambush Simba (and thinks it was her idea), still apparently convinced that if they come to "assist" Kovu, he will definitely be on their side, and finish Simba off. It will be so easy!

Except Nuka knows that Kovu is no longer loyal. And Vitani knows, though she doesn't entirely want to believe it (she still takes a precaution by knocking Kovu out when he tries to help Simba at first). Here, the entire battle scene is curious, because nearly all of the crucial moves were made by Nuka, and in a way that would be beneficial to Nuka, specifically. Nuka knows that about the only location where he would have an advantage over Simba is the log dam. Tiny, malnourished Nuka is obviously no match for big, muscular Simba, but on the log dam, it's the other way around. So when Simba is attacked, Nuka leaps forward first, growls at Simba but does nothing, gets hit by Simba, and is out of the fight. That until there are enough lionesses attacking Simba, and all that's left for Nuka is to jump on Simba's back to make him fall down to the gorge. Zira announces that they have Simba cornered, and now, his only way out is the log dam. Where Nuka can get to him, which he does very quickly.

If only Nuka realized that the moment he grabs Simba's leg, the weight will get redistributed, and the log under Nuka's hind paw will break. One wrong move... And how tragic it is that everything that Nuka has foreseen and expected led to this. But then again, Nuka knew there was a risk, didn't he? And he was still trying to get his mother's attention, no matter the cost.

But there is, perhaps, a bit of consolation in what can be another (subtle) parallel. This might sound a bit outlandish (see what I did there?), but when Nuka says: "This is my moment of glory!", he might be kind of right. In the ending of the movie, the Outsiders get accepted into Simba's pride, after Vitani refuses to fight. This war has taken the life of her older brother, and all Zira did was use his death as fuel for more indoctrination. Vitani doesn't want to lose anyone else. But Zira doesn't care, and threatens to kill her remaining children. Everyone realizes that Zira cared about revenge more than she cared about anyone's well-being, something they might have got a glimpse of before with her treatment of Nuka. And she didn't even warn him to be careful when he went after Simba... So, it's likely that to a significant extent, Nuka's death saved many lives, on both sides. He wanted to be a hero who saved his pride, and he sort of became one, albeit in a very indirect way.

So while some of this might sound rather far-fetched, it could be that Nuka really did "predict" his own death. And Kovu's betrayal. And Kovu falling in love with Kiara. And even orchestrated the log dam chase itself. And I personally think it would be brilliant if that was intention behind the writing in this movie. But Disney was absolutely ruthless with Nuka's character, that's for sure.

----

Nuka, The Lion King (c) Disney

Art (c) iceflowerglow