Coming 2 America’s The Lion King joke dishonors the original Mufasa. The sequel, which is set thirty years after the events of Coming to America, explores a whole lot more of Zamunda while also bringing back beloved characters like James Earl Jones’ King Jaffe Joffer. Years after the original film was released, Jones voiced Mufasa, one of the most famous cartoon characters of all time, in 1994’s The Lion King. Coming 2 America makes a reference to Mufasa, but it’s certainly not in a way that is expected.
Coming 2 America has its fair share of characters referencing movies that take place on the African continent. Leslie Jones’ Mary points out Wakanda, the fictional African country from Black Panther, though Prince Akeem (now the king of Zamunda) confirms that it’s not a real place. It’s especially funny because Zamunda is also nonexistent, but at least Black Panther is a movie within the world of the sequel. The film also points out that Wesley Snipes’ General Izzi is the inspiration for The Lion King’s Mufasa. It’s a comedic moment, especially when the camera turns to Izzi, who is giving his best awkward smile, by way of introduction.
However, it’s an interesting choice for the film’s writers to include a joke about General Izzi being the influence behind Mufasa, the now-deceased lion king and Simba’s father. Jones’ presence in the sequel means the joke would have probably worked far better if it was revealed King Jaffe Joffer was the inspiration for Mufasa. Jones’ voice performance as The Lion King character is iconic and memorable, so it feels like a waste that Coming 2 America somehow avoided making that reference and connection. After all, Jones plays a king in both films. The reference would have been a lot more hilarious had it been made about Jones, but alas.
There’s even a Rafiki-type character in the scenes between Jones and Eddie Murphy’s Akeem, so it’s somewhat ridiculous that the film sidestepped making a comment about Jones’ cartoon character. In a way, Coming 2 America mirrors The Lion King. King Jaffe Joffer wants to prepare his son for his ascension to the throne, but dies before Akeem is able to develop into the ruler his father wants him to be. Of course, the king’s death in Coming 2 America is a lot less tragic and traumatizing than it was in The Lion King, but the parallels are certainly present.
In that vein, the comedy sequel recreating certain aspects of Disney’s animated film could explain why it didn’t include a Jones-as-Mufasa joke. One could argue that The Lion King was even partly influenced by 1988’s Coming to America, which showcased Jones wearing a fur shawl with a lion-stuffed head over his shoulder. It’s a full circle moment that the sequel brings up The Lion King. Ultimately, revealing Izzi as the man who affected Mufasa’s animated creation in Coming 2 America isn’t so much a dishonor to Jones’ role as the mighty lion so much as it is a missed opportunity to provide a fully realized meta moment with the reference.