The Cowardly Lion is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum.[1] He is depicted as an African lion, but like all animals in Oz, he can speak. Since lions are supposed to be "The Kings of Beasts," the Cowardly Lion believes that his fear makes him inadequate. He does not understand that courage means acting in the face of fear, which he does frequently. Only during the aftermath of the Wizard's gift, when he is under the influence of an unknown liquid substance that the Wizard orders him to drink is he not filled with fear. He argues that the courage from the Wizard is only temporary, although he continues to do brave deeds. The cowardly lion is in fact brave, but he doubts himself. In many scenes in this classic book and film, the Lion shows bravery in the face of danger, similar to the Scarecrow, who wants a brain whilst he is the smartest one, and the Tin Man, who wants a heart but cries to his detriment when he does anything remotely mean by accident and rusts himself still.