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It has been a long, long time since this author mentioned The Lion Guard. So long, in fact, that the show concluded in its third season and this blogger didn’t make a peep about it! While no one knows exactly why the program was shuttered, it appears that Disney decided to end the series in order to give precedence to the CGI remake of The Lion King. And before anyone asks, no, I did not go to see that movie. Why would I mess with perfection? 😉
The fact that they ended The Lion Guard so early is a disappointment on a number of levels, not least because there was a great deal about the characters and the world left to explore. Fans were most unhappy to see the series end and, while the marketing strategy (if there was one) might make sense, the net result is a group of displeased customers. Normally companies would wish to avoid this, but that doesn’t appear to be the case anywhere these days, sadly…..
It is also unfortunate that the finale for the series has received some backlash. In a show that had previously given boys their well-deserved due, the writers suddenly (Spoiler Alert!) gave command of the Pride Lands’ new Lion Guard to Vitani, Kovu’s older sister, and four lionesses who were her friends. This caused quite a stir in the fan base as many felt it was motivated solely by the writers’ desire to pander to the usual politically correct crowd. While that may have been the case it appears that the man in charge of the series – one Ford Riley – did his best to make the transfer a sensible one.
For those who did not follow The Lion King franchise and/or haven’t seen the movies in a while, Vitani is the older sister of Kovu, the cub chosen by Scar to be his heir. Exiled with her mother Zira, her brothers Nuka and Kovu, as well as the lionesses under Zira’s command, Vitani became her mother’s right…paw in the desert Outlands. As a young adult during The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, Vitani is almost never apart from her mother. If she does separate from her it is only to carry out of one Zira’s commands because the crazed lioness trusts only her daughter to do the job properly.
But by the end of the film, Vitani finally stop’s being her mother’s shadow. She follows her younger brother Kovu in joining Simba’s pride, abandoning Zira and her cause. The last we see of Vitani in the film is when she, along with the rest of the pride, witnesses Kovu and Kiara’s marriage, followed by Simba’s declaration that they are his and Nala’s heirs to the throne. No more is known about what befalls Vitani after the credits role.
This is where The Lion Guard comes in. From the beginning of the series certain fans were critical of the show for introducing a character that had not been present in the original sequel to The Lion Guard. A number of fans disliked Kion, claiming that the series was “not canon” simply due to his existence. “Where were he and his friends when Zira attacked the Pride Lands in Simba’s Pride if he was supposed to be leader of the Lion Guard?” they asked.
Season three of the series answers this question, something this blogger and others knew it would. In large part, the series writers answered the question of Kion’s absence satisfactorily. The exception for many is the point where Vitani takes over the Guard after Kion leaves the Pride Lands to marry a queen and become king in a different part of the world. Due to the political correctness rampant thoughout fiction these days most viewers immediately jumped on this change, believing it to be more of the same.
Again, while this may be true, I doubt it was the only reason for the change in command structure. I suspected Kion would find a wife near the end of the series, and one of the more likely candidates for this position was Vitani herself. However, that pairing never felt quite right to me for a number of reasons – reasons which, conversely, make Vitani and her all-female Lion Guard fit within the universe quite well. So let’s take on this transfer of power by considering the Kion/Vitani romance idea first, shall we?
Matching Kion and Vitani romantically would not be easy or doable in the three seasons permitted for The Lion Guard for a number of reasons. The most important of these would be the fact that Vitani was taught to be the dominant member of any relationship in which she took part, especially with a male lion and/or any other male animal. Throughout the latter half of Simba’s Pride, Vitani orders around her much older brother, Nuka, with absolute impunity as her mother’s most trusted subordinate. Earlier in the story, when Vitani is still a cub, she attempted to assert herself over Nuka but failed due to her smaller size and lesser age.
She does not rule over Kovu because he is “the chosen one,” Scar’s heir and her future king. Where Zira teaches her to abuse lesser lions such as her older brother, at the same time she instills in Vitani an extreme loyalty to her younger brother and future king – something that may have helped lead to her change of heart at the end of The Lion King II. Dedicated to Kovu’s well-being and determined to protect him, Vitani’s relationship with her baby brother is probably the healthiest connection she has had in her entire life up to this point.
Due to the tendency toward control that her mother fostered in her, giving Vitani a love interest right out of the gate in The Lion Guard did not make any sense at all. The one time she met Kion, they were enemies and her loyalty to her mother was still paramount. Following the events of Simba’s Pride, she would probably continue to be dictatorial, making it difficult for her to bond easily with a male lion and eventually become his mate. Thanks to her mother she sees all male lions that are not naturally above her by birthright (i.e. Simba, Kovu, and eventually Kion), as inferiors she should command, not equals and/or partners she should respect as fellow individuals.
This is why giving her a Lion Guard made up of lionesses – all of whom she grew up with, judging by their fur coloring – makes sense. She was taught to see females as the stronger, better, smarter sex, with only a few exceptions being worthy of her respect. Nuka’s juvenile behavior would have furthered this view, making a love match between Vitani and a male lion impossible until her experiences caught up with reality.
It is no wonder, therefore, that when she was deputized to lead the Guard in Kion’s absence, she chose a cadre of lionesses rather than a group of lions to support her. She does not recognize (yet) the inherent value of the average male lion as an equal or even competent subordinate. It will take some time before experience rubs this “hard edge” off of her personality, allowing her to see what males not above her by birthright are truly capable of accomplishing.
Mr. Riley and the other writers of the series had no time to give her the requisite reality checks necessary to change her character in a believable and timely manner during the series finale. It is also more than likely true that their employers at Disney wanted an all-female Lion Guard and pushed for this outcome from the get-go of the final season. Thus the authors of the series gave them what they wanted – but not quite as they intended.
By the end of The Lion Guard, Kion has won Vitani’s respect and shown her that not all males are naturally inferior to females. This is likely the first of many incidents which will soften her character, eventually making her less aggressive and condescending toward males. Although she will never be quite as feminine as Nala or Kiara, someday Vitani will be marriage material. But since her story has nothing to do with that told in the series, viewers are only be given a glimpse of this gradual process rather than the entire tale.
I hope you enjoyed this Spotlight! post, readers. More will be forthcoming in the future (I hope!), as I still owe you several pieces before the year is out. But for now, ‘til the Pride Lands end –
Lion Guard defend!
The Mithril Guardian
Thoughts on the Edge of Forever 