Charles Muntz was a famous explorer who flew his blimp, the Spirit Of Adventure, worldwide in search of historical wonders. However, after his society discovers that he had presented a fake skeleton of a rare, flightless bird, he is kicked out. This angered Muntz, leading him to return to Paradise Falls to find the bird alive and intact. His wicked, paranoid obsession with his goal led him to murder many explorers whom he thought interfered with his plight.
After his hunting dogs have failed yet again to catch the elusive bird, the crazed explorer decides to go after his target himself. Despite the fact that he is a very elderly man, he is still agile and able to wield a broadsword and a rifle, his preferred tools of combat.
"Hmm, of all my years of journeying through these falls I've never been here before." Charles says after entering a dark, musty cave. Stalactites hang from a rocky ceiling, dripping cold water from above. Although the manic adventurer feels slightly unnerved at this frightening cavern, he continues on his mission. Brandishing a flashlight, Muntz scans the room and finds... the bird!
"Ahaha! After all these years I'm finally going to redeem myself to the world!" thinks Muntz to himself. Creeping ever so slowly, with net in hand, the villainous Muntz thinks all has been won.
Meanwhile, atop a rock formation in the cave stands a mighty lion with a black mane and battle-scarred eye. Known only as Scar, this voracious creature departed from his volcanic cavern to this murky lair to hunt dinner. "Those lionesses couldn't find food if it was to save their sorry hides. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." Scar thought to himself. For the lion had killed his own brother, the king Mufasa, and overthrown the Pridelands. The new king had ordered the starving lionesses to hunt provisions, but the Pridelands were undergoing a major famine at the time, so they failed. Being the evil king he is, Scar decided to hunt in Paradise falls, but only for himself and his followers, the hyenas, leaving the rest of the kingdom to starve.
Right before Muntz gets the perfect opportunity, Scar pounces onto the bird, much to the surprise and dismay of the hunter. The colorful bird frees itself from the lion's grasp and escapes the cavern. Muntz stood there silent, shocked at his loss, terrified of the great lion, and terribly enraged at the lion as well. "Savage beasts such as you cannot understand the desires of man... for this, you will pay!" Muntz calmly stated before charging into battle with his broadsword. Scar leaps, ready to strike with his razor-sharp claws, but the hunter rolls to the side, rises up and slashes a grave wound into the terrifying beast's side. Scar roars in pain, then relentlessly dashes into Muntz, knocking him down, but not out. Once the explorer recovers, he pulls out his rifle and begins shooting at the fleeing Scar, who is dashing in circles to avoid the gunfire. Eventually the lion leaps up near a tall stalactite, which Muntz shoots by accident. This starts a rock slide that buries the old man alive.
Scar climbs to the highest point of the cave, with Charles Muntz's dead body on his back. He then throws the corpse to the ground below and bellows our a majestic roar.