Warning: this article contains spoilers for Mufasa: The Lion KingMufasa: The Lion King was one of the final few movies of 2024, and it is still going strong even as the 2025 movie slate begins to spin its wheels up. The film tells the origin story of Scar and Mufasa before they became the royal family of the Pride Lands. It also explores how and why Mufasa became the leader that he was in the original movie. Mufasa‘s reviews are mixed, much like the 2019 Lion King remake, but the film does contain a lot of cool ideas and moments that make the character of Mufasa more interesting.

While Mufasa’s eventual fate is very well-known and already tragic, getting a deeper look into the character makes his death in the original movie even more so. Mufasa’s death in The Lion King is sad mostly because of how it affects Simba, as opposed to the death in and of itself, but thanks to the new prequel, Mufasa is a much more fleshed-out character, making his death scene that much more impactful. There is one detail in particular from Mufasa that cements the character’s death as one of the most devastating film deaths of all time.

Mufasa: The Lion King Suggests Mufasa’s Dad May Have Died Trying To Save Him

Mufasa’s Dad Died When Mufasa Was Trapped In A Flood

Mufasa‘s opening shows the young cub with his birth parents, living a very simple life away from any large pride of lions. When disaster strikes and a flood ravages the area they are living in, Mufasa is ripped away from his parents and stranded, not knowing whether they lived or died. After the major events of the film, during Mufasa‘s ending, his mother reappears in the newly-formed Pride Lands and confirms that his father died in the flood, leaving her as the new king’s only surviving parent.

The last time Mufasa’s father, Masego, was seen was during the aforementioned flood, where he tried desperately to protect his son from the torrent, but was obviously unsuccessful. When Afia, Mufasa’s mother, told her son that his father had died, the obvious ᴀssumption to make is that he was killed by the flood as he was trying to save Mufasa. Unless Disney decides to make another movie set in between this film and The Lion King, it likely won’t be confirmed, and this will remain the canon explanation.

Mufasa May Have Died The Same Way As His Dad In The Lion King

Mufasa Was Also Killed Trying To Save His Son

Mufasa’s father dying in this way is very significant, as it is essentially the same way that he himself died. Both parents saw their son in mortal danger, and, in trying to help, they lost their own lives. Knowing that Masego’s death was so similar to Mufasa’s eventual end makes the tragic moment even more depressing, and shows a great symmetry in how these fathers act. Even though Mufasa had to live most of his life without his father, Mufasa: The Lion King showed how much of an impact he had on his son.