Ok so i had this idea for quite a while but... do you think Leona would become a Twisted equivelent of the Lion Guards ? Hear me out, its canon (?) that Scar was a former leader of the Lion guards, Lion Guards all have tattoo like marking on their arms, Leona have a tattoo. The leader’s power in the Lion Guards series is a ROAR, and Leona’s UM is called “King’s ROAR”. Does that ring a bell to you ?
I've actually been curious about the possible Lion Guard references in Savanaclaw's design!
I remember someone mentioning that the name "Ruggie Bucchi" has been once used in the Lion Guard series, so we can make sure that Yana did indeed watch the series so there's a high chance of finding some fresh Lion Guard references in Savanaclaw's design!
First of all, the tattoo! I'd totally forgotten about the Lion guards having a tattoo but when you put their tattoo design next to Leona's tattoo, things will get so interesting!
You can see how both of the tattoos are shaped as a Lion's head, but Leona's tattoo is specifically representing Scar and not a normal Lion, but the similarities remain still you can see! So Lion Guard's tattoo might be the main inspiration for Leona's.
The "King's roar" part is also very interesting! I hadn't noticed it but that does make sense, Lion guards themselves were a group of the strongest Lions, and the leader would have that unique roar. Leona on the other side is confirmed to be one of the strongest magicians of his home town (probably stronger than Farena and possibly, all of the other magicians there!), so if there were to be a Lion guard in twst verse, Leona would've been the leader without a doubt. Let's note that Scar as well was once the leader of the guard so that makes a lot of sense!
But, I'd also like to talk about the Lion Guard's plot itself and why I think it was very efficient in Savanaclaw's design; the original Lion King didn't really give Scar much of a personality and background, not that it wasn't enough to turn him into one of the best Disney villains of all time but well, you know, it could've been way better.
I guess Disney itself had realized that they could've given Scar a stronger personality and background, because in plenty of Lion King sequals (Lion Guard series, madness of the King Scar, etc) they've been trying to actually give him a personality rather than just a solid picture to be accepted as a villain. I'd say out of the great Seven, Scar has been getting the most plot while other villains didn't get anything special regarding their past lives and how and why they turned into a villain. (Btw live actions aren't counted, all that matters here are the official animations and sequals/prequals)
In Lion Guard we got to see the young Scar (Taka) and actually feel him. It was a perfect way of giving him a personality and even making the audiences understand his relationship with Mufasa.
Ngl young Scar (Taka) is cute...
It'd be really amazing if Leona's background ends up being as deep as Scar's because it's absolutely amazing and stunning! Lion Guard made me come to appreciate this Lion Villain even more, and I can say Disney has done this intentionally. They meant to give such a strong plot to Scar's story years after the release of the original Lion King in order to make this famous story come to life again, and I'd say: They did a great job with it!
For any further information and details, I highly recommend watching the Lion Guard series from Disney or watching the YouTube videos regarding Scar's past like this one! (❌Beware the spoilers though!❌)
In case you haven't watched Lion Guard yet, I assure you that the story and flashbacks would surely change your perspective on Scar!
