I don't think calling Zira a villain is correct. In a story there is a protagonist who is the leading role of the drama and action, the person that the audience cheers for, no matter their allegiance as good, neutral, or evil. (You may find an example of this in Simba.) Then there's the antagonist, who is the character that is meant to provide struggle for the protagonist's journey towards their goals, they're an adversary to the protagonist. (I would argue that Scar is a good example in the first movie). Just because the protagonist has an enemy doesn't mean their enemy is an evil villain or that the protagonist themselves is a gilded hero. Protagonists are able to be complex and dynamic characters that are relate-able to the audience and are even able to be evil. This brings more interest to the character and well as create a strong story. But a story can be weak if the protagonist doesn't have as equally strong of a counterpart in the antagonist.
I'd say that in Simba's Pride, Kovu is the main protagonist due to the amount of struggles he faces that are caused by his environment and Zira (which makes Zira the main antagonist). We see that Kovu is forced to choose between love and hate, duty and family, etc. But this requires a lot of characterization, meaning that Zira needed just as much. So what am I getting at?
Zira is a well characterized antagonist driven with a strong motive.Taking from my post from your previous topic:
is-scar-and-ziras-romance-creepy-t36558.htmlQuote:
From what I gathered from the movie, I always assumed Zira was a hardcore fangirl of Scar's and not his mate. She probably unrealistically idolized Scar and when he became the King, she pretty much was disillusioned by her loyalty to Scar to actually think clearly for herself. Even after his death she was obsessed with him and his legacy to the point where she'd pretty much ignored and malnourished her own two biological kids for a cub that "looked like Scar". (Let's face it, in terms of build and details, Kovu looks nothing like Scar.)
Knowing her level of obsession, I'd say she'd have to be at a very impressionable age when she first idolized Scar. I'd say she'd have to be either an adolescent or young adult (Any younger, and she wouldn't have the same crazy level of obsession she has in Simba's Pride.) when Mufasa died and Simba left the Pridelands as a cub. I assume this because she sees Scar for his better times than his worst, meaning that she had to enjoy Scar's reign on the Pridelands before the lands were over hunted and dried up.
She may also be more sympathetic or even emphatic to Scar to idolize him. Here's a good few fan theories (even though as Troll said, Zira didn't exist as an idea in the first movie):
- Zira was an outcast similar to Scar, and she spent time away from the pride just as Scar did. When Mufasa died and Scar took over, Zira saw Scar as someone who like her, was an outcast but made it to the top. This may have sent her on a path to see Scar as the embodiment of her desires to not be an outcast, and thus lead to her obsession of him.
- Then again, for Zira's relationship with Scar, she may be a victim of Stockholm Syndrome. Scar didn't let the lionesses leave after all. They were basically his prisoners. Maybe she was affected like the other younger lionesses born during/at the start of Scar's reign, meaning that they didn't know any better lifestyle. Nala wasn't affected because of her friendship with Simba as a child, so maybe she and her mother was too closely tied to Simba, Sarabi, and Mufasa to fully accept Scar.
These theories only make sense if she has the brain of a teenager/young adult during the times I had listed. Any younger and Zira would be less loyal to Scar and if any older Zira's insanity would probably have lead to her dying for Scar.
I've always thought Zira had the emotional capacity of a toddler. She always let her severe adoration (an emotion) for Scar run her life, even as an adult. I believe when Nuka died, she actually felt a level of mature remorse and the only single moment of clarity. But right when that moment passed, she blamed Kovu, and saw him as a failed Scar. Zira trained Kovu to be Scar, and I believe that comes from him sharing the same colors as Scar and appearing like him (even though they have completely different body types and details). So every ounce of obsession that built throughout her life towards Scar was redirected into Kovu, making him as objectified as Scar in Zira's eyes. So she didn't care about Kovu when she hit him. Besides, since he's not really her kid, she doesn't have the whole "blood is thicker than water" philosophy to abide by. It's kind of like how a child peacefully cries for a split second before throwing a toy across the room in during a tantrum.