What happens to Simba and Nala after The Lion King

Includes SPOILERS for Mufasa: The Lion King

Tying Up Mufasa: The Lion KingPrevious iterations of Disney media can help you find out what exactly happens to Simba and Nala after the main story ends. Almost everyone has seen the original 1994 version of The Lion Kingand although the 2019 live-action animated remake was much less successful with audiences, it still managed to gross a worldwide total of over $1.6 billion, making it one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Mufasa: The Lion King The story serves as both a prequel and a sequel, as Mufasa and Scar's origin is told as a story of the world to Kiara.

Kiara is Simba and Nala's daughter, who they have at the end of The Lion King. Mufasa: The Lion King the ending also reveals the birth of Simba and Nala's son, who is suspected to be Kion from the Disney animated series The Lion Guard. This continues the circle of life and prepares some young protagonists for the future. Lion King film spin-offs. Although Donald Glover and Beyoncé were in the film as Simba and Nala, the prequel's ending seems to indicate that they are taking a backseat, allowing Kiara and Kion to take the reins.

Simba banishes all the lions who supported Scar

The Outsiders are created by Scar's loyalists

While the Mufasa The ending saw its titular character show mercy to Scar despite his betrayal, allowing him to remain in the Pride Lands, Simba is less merciful, banishing the lions who supported Scar. Those ones lions are banished to a place called the Outlands in the film The Lion King II: Simba's Pridewhere they became known as a group called the Outsiders. This is also the name of the White Lions in Mufasa: The Lion Kingso it's possible that the Disney films establish some connection between the two.

The original animation sequence shows Simba advising Kiara to stay away from the Outlands, but she goes there anyway and meets a young lion named Kovu. This importantly reflects Simba's own life as a cub, where he didn't listen to his father and this resulted in tragedy. Because of this, Mufasa is overprotective of Kiara and imposes harsh rules. In the film, Nala recognizes Simba's flaw here, recognizing Kiara's similarities to her young father. This eventually leads to a conflict between Simba's Pride and the Renegades.

Simba and Nala have a child after The Lion King

Simba's son Kion leads the Lion Guard

After The Lion King and Simba's PrideSimba and Nala have a son named Kion. He ends up being the main protagonist of a Disney animated series called The Lion Guardwhich expands the mythology created in the original two films. Kion is the leader of the titular Lion Guard, an organization tasked with protecting the Pride Lands. As Kiara is the heir to the Pride Lands, Kion's destiny is to lead this group, protecting his sister's lands and right to rule, as well as the Circle of Life.

Kion has a special power called the Roar of the Elders, which makes him an immensely powerful lion. This power gives him several abilities, including the ability to summon the spirits of ancient lion kings. Using this gift, he is able to commune with Mufasa, making it even more important that he was born at the end of a previous film about Mufasa in modern Disney versions. Importantly, he is also led to summon Scar's spirit, allowing the villain to return at a certain point.

It's unclear how much Disney's live-action animated films will feature the animated show's powers. However, an important aspect of Kion is that he is deeply principled for fear of becoming like Scar. The bonds between these characters are vital to the narrative in The Lion King world, which is why it's important to detail the history between Mufasa, Scar and other characters. It seems like Disney wants to set this universe up for long-term storytelling, and the cyclical aspect of it all is key.

Simba and Nala go to war against the outsiders

The Outsiders are the main antagonist of Simba's pride

Returning to Simba's PrideThe film's main premise is that Simba and Nala are forced to go to war with the Outsiders. Kiara befriends the young lion named Kovu, but Kovu's mother is Zira, the leader of the Outsiders and the film's main antagonist. She was secretly training Kovu as an assassin and plans to use him to assassinate Simbaseeing his son's friendship with Kiara as an advantage over the Pridelanders. Another important narrative element is that Mufasa's spirit hopes to unite the Pridelanders and the Outsiders through Kiara and Kovu.

Years later, Kovu rescues Kiara and gains Simba's trust enough to be welcomed into the Pride Lands. Although he is there with the intention of killing Simba, he falls in love with Kiara due to Rafiki's help and begins to question his mission. This forces Zira to take matters into her own hands and a war breaks out. Believing that Kovu is to blame, Simba chases away the young lion, with whom his daughter has fallen in love. Because of this, Kiara and Kovu work together to try to avoid bloodshed.

Simba welcomes strangers back as part of the Pride Lands

Simba unites outsiders and Pridelanders

The Outsiders and the Pridelanders eventually engage in a climactic battle where Simba defeats Zira. Then, Simba's Pride ends with Simba welcoming the Outsiders back to his territory as his father had hoped, united under Kiara and Kovu. Simba is then congratulated by the spirit of Mufasa, who praises his son for uniting the two prides. Simba even tries to convince Zira to make peace before he dies, but she is consumed by hatred for Simba and admiration for Scar.

THE Mufasa: The Lion King The prequel film set up many of these elements, such as the origin story of Mufasa, the Outsiders, Kiara and Kion, and the return of Simba and Nala, potentially setting audiences up for a new iteration of Simba's pride. Disney has not announced any plans to do so, but given 2019 Lion King With the film's immense box office success, they'll probably want to get as much out of the title as possible. The 2024 prequel may have felt contrived to some, but it importantly set up many of the future stories.