Shere Khan (1994)

Shere Khan is a major antagonist (later anti-hero) of the 1994 live-action adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. He is the fierce and dutiful protector of the jungle and seeks to drive away humanity, as well as take revenge on those who kill animals for sport.

Personality
Unlike his animated counterpart, he hate humans is because several hunters are willing to hunt down animals for fun rather than for food, an act that angers him so much. He is also willing to strike down anyone who tries to attack him.

Despite his hatred of humanity, Shere Khan is willing to spare those who are willing to oblige to the jungle law; this was shown when he was only targeting the hunters (including Buldeo) for shooting down several animals for fun. He even spared Mowgli when the latter roared back at him in defiance, seeing him as a fellow creature in the jungle.

History
In the beginning of the film, Khan spots Buldeo and two soldiers hunting down several animals for fun, and becomes enraged at this. He proceeds to attack the camp, killing the two soldiers and the local guide Nathoo, who was trying to defend Buldeo, who ungratefully left Nathoo to be mauled to death by the tiger. This event led Nathoo's son Mowgli to be separated from civilization and to be raised by the wolf pack until he became a young adult.

Khan appears again when he spotted the corrupt William Boone, Buldeo, and their men trying to seek Monkey City (the home of King Louie and the Bandar Log, as well as Louie's treasure guardian Kaa) to find its hidden treasure. Khan then chases down Lieutenant John Wilkins (one of Boone's men) and proceeds to maul him to death in revenge for shooting down Baloo. After Buldeo is buried alive inside Monkey City while Boone gets killed by Kaa, Khan confronts Mowgli as he distrusts all humans in general. He tries to roar at Mowgli to make him run for his life, but Mowgli roars back to stand his ground. At that point, Khan sees Mowgli as a 'fellow creature of the jungle', deciding to spare him and allowing him and the Colonel's daughter Katherine 'Kitty' Brydon to leave the jungle in peace.