Media Dissection: Sequels & Reboots

Disney Versus Battles: Kerchak vs. Mufasa

                                                                       Character bios

Kerchak: Once a proud father and loving husband of Kala, Kerchak was the leader of a small troop of gorillas that lived in the African jungle. As a father, Kerchak spent most of his time bonding with his son, maintaining the happiness of his family, however, their happiness is shattered when the infant wanders off at night and is attacked by a rogue leopardess known as Sabor. Desperate to save their son, the couple rush to find him, but Sabor manages to grab their infant, eventually killing him in the process. Devastated by the death of his newborn, Kerchak became cold and bitter, viewing anything outside the group as a potential threat to his family's safety. As the couple began to mourn the death of their child, Kala hears the cries of an orphaned baby and discovers an abandoned tree house. After rescuing the child, Kala is attacked, however, she manages to escape. Despite her husband's disapproval, she raises the human, naming him: Tarzan.

Several years later, Tarzan's family is a attacked by Sabor. Kerchak defends the troop against her assault, but she manages to gain the upper hand after scratching his chest and biting his arm. As the gorilla lies helpless on the ground, Tarzan rescues Kerchak from his death. Near the end of their confrontation, the jungle king emerges victorious after killing his murderous adversary. As a result, Tarzan earns Kerchak's respect. Not long after his victory, the jungle king meets a trio of explorers who educate him on the subject of other humans in society in exchange for access to the gorillas in his troop. Angered by the appearance of humans, Kerchak becomes violent and slams Tarzan into the ground. As he regains his composure, the Wildman places his father in a choke hold, pinning Kerchak to the ground. Because of this, Tarzan was banished from the troop.

After Tarzan leaves his family, one of the explorers named Clayton betrays the Wildman's trust bringing back a group of men to capture the gorillas in his troop. Despite his best efforts, the poacher fails to succeed when Kerchak, and his son manage to free their family from captivity. As a result, Clayton grabs his shotgun and opens fire on the jungle king. Kerchak rushes to his aid, however; Clayton fires another round, fatally wounding the troop leader. Eventually, Kerchak loses his life after succumbing to his injuries.

Mufasa: Born as the heir of King Ahadi and Queen Uru, Mufasa was a courageous lion who ruled over The Pride Lands. After the birth of his son; Mufasa, began teaching Simba about the circle of life, training him to take his place as king. As a result, his jealous younger brother; Scar, hatches a scheme to over throw him and rule his kingdom. Once it's discovered that Scar missed Simbas's presentation ceremony; Mufasa, enters the lion's den in order to chastise his brother for his insolence. As the king continues to scold his brother, Scar turns his back and walks away, stating he might attack Mufasa if he turned his back on him. A few months later, Mufasa travels to the Pride Lands to show Simba around his kingdom. As the pair continue their journey, the lion king teaches Simba how to pounce and forbids him from entering the Elephant Graveyard. After being manipulated by his uncle Scar, Simba disobeys his father by traveling to the Elephant Graveyard, but is ambushed by three hyenas.

Near the climax of their confrontation, Mufasa rescues his son after defeating all three of his attackers in combat. After his minions fail to kill his nephew, Scar enlists the aid of Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed for a new plan to steal Mufasa's thrown. As the hyenas wait for their signal, Scar lures Simba into a trap and orders the trio to scare a large group of Wildebeest, causing them to start a stampede. Meanwhile, the king's trusted advisor, Zazu, reports the sighting of an unusual migration of a wildebeest herd. Not long after his report, Scar tells Mufasa that Simba is trapped in a gorge with the Wildebeest. As a result, the lion king heads for the gorge in order to save his son. Upon his arrival, Mufasa catches Simba right before he fell off of a branch, however; the lion king suffers an attack by one of the Wildebeest. Despite his injury; Mufasa, manages to reach a ledge and brings his son to safety.

As the king attempts to climb the ledge; Mufasa gets pulled into the stampede. Before he is trampled by the herd, Mufasa manages to escape after leaping to a nearby cliff. As the king struggled to reach the top, Mufasa begs his brother for help, but he falls to his death after Scar betrays him and throws the lion into the stampede.









                                                             Combat skills/ weaponry

Kerchak: Much like a wrestler in his prime, Kerchak  heavily relied on brute force, using his strength and size to overwhelm his opponents, employing a series of grapples, tosses, and body slams, in addition to strangle holds: choking enemies into submission. Although he possessed an overwhelming offense, the troop leader's defenses left little to be desired. In combat, Kerchak does not possess any melee weapons, using his fist and fangs to pummel his opponents.

Mufasa: As a lion, Mufasa is an apex predator, stalking his prey through the use of stealth, developing a strategy to kill his adversaries with the element of surprise. In live combat, Mufasa battles enemies with animalistic aggression, using his strength, size, and speed to overwhelm his opponents. The lion king possesses razor sharp claws, which are strong enough to cut through flesh. Mufasa also possessed incredibly sharp fangs.






Edge: In combat, both animals have displayed a considerate measure of skill, proving to be formidable opponents, however; the lion king was much more experienced in battle. Although Kerchak appears to have better showings against Tublat in The Legend of Tarzan, and Sabor in the animated feature: Tarzan, Lion's are naturally more aggressive and Mufasa managed to outsmart a Buffalo named Boma, in the novel: A Tale of Two Brothers. The lion king also defeated a group of hyenas. In terms of their weaponry, Kerchak's fist are not as lethal as Mufasa's claws or his fangs. Despite his possession of incredible strength to guide his fist, the lion king's weapons provide him with more options to eliminate his enemies. As a result, Mufasa get's the edge in combat skills and weaponry.












                                                                       Powers/ abilities

                                                                            Kerchak




Strength- Kerchak possesses a massive amount of physical strength and is capable of lifting full grown men. In his first appearance, Kerchak was strong enough to slam Tarzan into the ground with one hand, in addition to pinning Clayton to the ground. The troop leader also managed to out wrestle another gorilla named Tublat.


Speed- Much like his real life counter parts, Kerchak is very fast and is capable of reaching speeds in excess of 20 miles per hour.


Agility- In combat, Kerchak is not particularly agile. Due to his size and weight, Kerchak has trouble out maneuvering smaller opponents.


Durability- Kerchak displayed an impressive measure of durability. In his first appearance, the troop leader managed to endure a bite from Sabor's fangs and cuts from Sabor's claws. Kerchak was able to sustain a decent amount of damage from Tublat in The Legend of Tarzan.




                      

                                                                            Mufasa




Strength- As a lion, Mufasa has displayed an incredible measure of physical strength, defeating a trio of Hyenas, in addition to carrying Simba through a herd of Wildebeests, leaping several feet in the air to rush his son to safety. The lion king also managed to scale a cliff after nearly being trampled in a stampede.


Speed- The lion king is fast enough to chase a herd of Wildebeests, keeping pace with the animals showing no signs of fatigue. On average, lions can reach speeds in excess of 50 miles per hour.


Agility- Mufasa is very agile and was capable of dodging a large group of Wildebeests in the middle of a stampede.


Durability- Mufasa possesses a high level of durability. Before his death, the lion king managed to sustain a massive amount of damage, tanking several hits from a herd of wildebeests and was able to survive the encounter after nearly being trampled in the stampede.







Edge: In terms of strength, Mufasa has displayed an impressive amount of physical strength, beating multiple enemies in combat, however; Kerchak is much stronger, tossing opponents that weigh from 200-400lbs. Despite the lion's potential, gorillas are naturally stronger and Mufasa hasn't been able to achieve the same measure of physical strength. When it comes to speed and agility, Kerchak is pretty quick, but due to his size and weight the troop leader lacks a sufficient measure of mobility, causing him to have slower reflexes. In contrast, the lion king is faster and far more agile in his movements. As previously stated: Mufasa is fast enough to chase a herd of wildebeest and was able to dodge them in the middle of a stampede. Kerchak isn't able to reach that level of speed. When it comes to their durability, both combatants have shown they're capable of enduring a great deal of punishment in combat, however; Mufasa has a high tolerance for pain that far exceeds Kerchak's physical limitations. Mufasa gets the edge in powers/ abilities.



Verdict: In a contest to determine which animal reigns supreme as ruler of the African wild, a fight between these animals would come down to Mufasa's speed and durability versus Kerchak's strength and ferocity. This fight will take place in the west African jungle. There will be no prep time. The fight begins when Mufasa leaps from the bushes to attack his opponent. As the big cat struggles to out wrestle Kerchak, the troop leader manages to knock him off balance, tossing the lion into a tree. Mufasa springs back into action and launches another assault.

Kerchak immediately swings his arms forward, but the lion king evades his attack. After dodging a series of strikes, Mufasa uses his claws to pierce the flesh of Kerchak's stomach. As the gorilla writhed in pain, Kerchak smacks the lion with the backhand  of his fist. Mufasa shrugs off the damage and regains his composure. As the fight continues, both combatants stare each other down. In a matter of seconds, the ferocious lion rushes towards his opponent. Using his massive strength, the troop leader grabs Mufasa's arms, but the lion king bites him on the shoulder and slices Kerchak's face with his claws. As the gorilla is brought to his knees, Mufasa rips through Kerchak's flesh, killing him in the process. I declare, Mufasa, king of the Pridelands, the victor.




In a fight between animal versus animal, Kerchak is one of the strongest fighters in the Disney universe, using his brute strength to pummel his enemies into submission, however; Kerchak's lack of mobility limits the gorillas combat effectiveness, causing  him to struggle with opponents who are faster and smaller. In contrast, Mufasa is a ferocious hurricane that is capable of outmaneuvering opponents who are big or small. Another factor contributing to Kerchak's loss would be his durability. Despite putting up a decent fight against Sabor, it only took two hits to bring Kerchak to his knees. Because of this, Kerchak wouldn't be able to endure the might of Mufasa. As a result, Kerchak loses this match-up.