Summary

• The Jungle Book was a Disney movie with a clever and completely validated villain.
• Shere Khan was afraid of what humans could do.
• Though Shere Khan had a point, he was still a danger to the jungle and those that lived in it.

Villains are a crucially important part of Disney movies, always there to oppose the protagonist. While most of them have irrational or unforgivable evil motives, Shere Khan may have actually had a point as to why he was so against the presence of man in The Jungle Book. The film is based on Rudyard Kipling's novel and involves a collection of stories about the animals that roam the jungle. Mowgli, a young boy who was raised by a pack of wolves, had to flee the jungle after he became threatened by the man-eating tiger, Shere Khan. Mowgli is reluctant to leave the jungle and return to the man village, but with the help of his friends Baloo and Bagheera, he finds his way back safely.

Shere Khan is the main antagonist throughout the story, and he acts alone. However, his ferocity and powerful stature make him the most fearsome part of the jungle. In the animated adaptation of the book, the character is played by George Sanders. The actor gave a sly but sophisticated, slow-talking voice to the big cat, giving him a devious, calculating persona. A live-action remake in 2016 enforced the motives and lifestyle of the Bengal tiger. Played by Idris Elba, he gave Shere Khan a more frightening edge, which wasn't quite as subtle as the original. However, what both versions had in common was their dislike and fear of man. Prowling the jungle without any companions, Shere Khan was the obvious antagonist of both movies. But, what is rarely touched on is the point that he may have had legitimate reasons to feel so strongly against humans. Perhaps he wasn't the worst being to go near the jungle, or maybe he had just taken things too far.

Shere Khan Was Afraid That Man Would Destroy the Jungle

• The Jungle Book was first published in 1894.

After it came to the other animals' attention that Shere Khan was nearby, it was decided that Mowgli needed to return to the man village for his own safety. Shere Khan had a hatred of humans and was frightened of guns and fire. While the animation didn't give a lot of context to Shere Khan's feelings towards man, apart from being scared, the live-action remake delved into the reasoning a little further. Shere Khan had come face-to-face with Mowgli's father when Mowgli was just a baby. The father and son were in a cave when Shere Khan attacked them. Trying to protect his baby, Mowgli's father used a torch to defend them, but he wasn't able to. Shere Khan killed the man, leaving Mowgli behind, who was later adopted by wolves. In the first movie, Shere Khan is simply alert to the dangers of man and their use of the red flower (fire) and sees Mowgli as a great threat, who he believes would eventually grow up to be like other humans.

The remake makes this clearer and conveys the point that Shere Khan had a bad experience with a man. Therefore, he didn't want to risk the same thing happening again. Unfortunately for him, he was up against most of the jungle inhabitants, who all saw him as their enemy and vice versa. While he was made to be the main villain, he wasn't completely out of line for being wary of humans. Their contribution to deforestation and the practice of hunting has been a continuous issue that animals have to contend with. In the latter film, the animals had a water truce, whereby all creatures could go there without being seen as prey, and all predators were banned from attacking. Shere Khan arrived and reminded the wolves of what man was capable of by showing them his face. He wanted to highlight that one day, Mowgli would grow up and be able to commit the same violence. He was thinking about the future and what Mowgli's presence could mean, but the others saw the boy as their own and didn't predict that he could grow up to be their enemy.

Shere Khan Was Also a Danger to the Jungle

• The Jungle Book is the last movie Walt Disney worked on.

The water truce proved to be an important part of the live-action version of The Jungle Book. Though Shere Khan had gone there to have his say about the man-cub, a counter-argument was quickly brought up by Raksha, who had become the mother figure to Mowgli. Interrupting his verbal attack on Mowgli, Raksha pointed out that Shere Khan didn't abide by the laws of the jungle, "hunting for pleasure, killing for power." If he was so concerned about the lives of all the creatures in the jungle, then why was he happy to loom as a petrifying threat? He later discarded his own argument when Mowgli had left the jungle by killing Akela, hoping it would lure the boy back to where he could find him. Again, Shere Khan's main aim was to rid the jungle of Mowgli. With Mowgli having gone back to the man village, surely the tiger could've rested in the knowledge that he was no longer around. However, it became more and more clear that he hated Mowgli. It was likely a safer bet for the boy to carry on living with the wolves and learn to live like them instead of being brought up with humans who, as Shere Khan believed, would turn him into one of them.

In truth, Shere Khan was never really concerned about the overall welfare of the beings in the jungle. He was obsessed with power and wanted things to run his way. By living with the wolves, Mowgli had the chance to follow their beliefs and not be a threat to the jungle. The tiger seemingly used the protection of the jungle to disguise his thirst for power. By the end of the 2016 adaptation, Mowgli had started a fire, which Shere Khan could have used to his advantage, proving that Mowgli was dangerous. However, it was accidental and simply a retaliation for Shere Khan's unwarranted killing of Akela. The tiger could've lived peacefully alongside his fellow animals, but he chose to be an outsider and make life hellish for most of the others.

The Tiger's Motives Make Him One of the Most Memorable Disney Villains

• A character called Rocky the Rhino got cut from the animation.

Director Jon Favreau rejuvenated the classic silver age Disney movie to make it much darker and intriguing for older audiences. Shere Khan was key in making the plot line troublesome, hence becoming one of the most memorable Disney villains to date. The best antagonists, like Hades from Hercules or Scar from The Lion King, each have a unique trait to make them stand out. Shere Khan's is the fact that he almost had a point in his argument against Mowgli being part of the jungle. The film can cleverly leave audiences considering what their stance is about a human having such easy access to nature and whether Shere Khan had every right to voice his opinion. It's a complex consideration because the most automatic reaction to any Disney movie is to be against the villain. Yet, The Jungle Book provides a wider context that has always been relevant, no matter which decade the film is being watched in.

Elba's voice lent itself perfectly to Shere Khan, in contrast to the animation, which had a subtle comedic edge, the live-action version was completely terrifying with no redeeming features. He knew he was intimidating and liked being somewhat king of the jungle. His voice was filled with confidence, with no hesitation when he spoke, and anger in every word that left his mouth. Akela was a strong leader and a perfect character to see the difference between an animal that wanted to protect his pack and an animal that wanted to be a leader for his own ego. If Shere Khan had been able to speak with the other animals about Mowgli and come to a calm agreement about what would be best, then he wouldn't have been so villainous, but that just wasn't the case. He had no patience and lacked understanding. The threat of humans was definitely real and something that needed to be thought about. Shere Khan did have a point and was valid in his fear of what they could do, he just wasn't level-headed enough to see the bigger picture when it came to Mowgli and those that loved the boy.