Scorponok (Movie)

The name or term "Scorponok" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Scorponok (disambiguation).

Scorponok is a Decepticon from the 2007 movie franchise in the live-action film continuity family.

This is his first major role since Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie as Scorpitron. This role he likes better because he doesn't get blown up.

Scorponok is a small Transformer with a symbiotic connection to Blackout. His main drives are to hunt, destroy, and hunt some more, and nobody knows if he's truly barely sentient or is actually a cunning opponent getting friend & foe alike to underestimate him. Just as Blackout would often be found looming powerful and silent by Megatron, Scorponok is always near Blackout, except in those times he has been sent to kill.

Since he can tunnel underground with frightening speed, he's incredibly good at ambushing. His favorite pastime is playing Hide and Seek with unsuspecting players, be they robotic or organic. He prefers to be hider and seeker. On Cybertron, he was deliberately left behind on battlefields so he could use his chameleon mesh armour plating to blend in perfectly with the background, then ambush any Autobot patrols that would arrive. Thanks to this, Megatron gave him more autonomy than other Decepticons would get, as he admired Scorponok's genocidal zeal.

He may retreat, but he'll come back. He kills Autobots. He never gives up.

Chinese name (Taiwan): Wēn-yì (瘟疫, "Plague")

Fiction

IDW Transformers movie prequel comics

Scorponok and Blackout, who ordinarily never leave Megatron's side, were dispatched to join Starscream's forces elsewhere on Cybertron while Megatron closed in on the All Spark. After the group realized that both the All Spark and Megatron had left Cybertron, Blackout ended an argument with Starscream over what to do next by deploying the fearsome Scorponok. Planetfall

Soon after the Decepticons launched a battlecruiser to pursue Optimus Prime's starship, they were unwittingly led into a trap and crippled by mines. Also damaged was Starscream's forward scout Dreadwing, who was rescued by Scorponok. The Decepticons limped back to Cybertron in humiliation. The Reign of Starscream #1

Adorably bloodthirsty.

After repairs were made to their ship, they followed the energy signature of the All Spark to Mars, then to Earth, where Scorponok adorably helped out in the massacre of a United States military installation in Afghanistan. Planetfall

IDW's comics thus far have the only two fictional depictions of Scorponok's robot mode (which was designed for the toy) and show that he has always had a scorpion beast mode, meaning it was not a form he assumed once on Earth. His beast mode is just alien enough to work, but you can explain his name yourself.

Ghosts of Yesterday prequel novel

Scorponok helped Blackout fight Optimus Prime and later sabotaged the Ark. Ratchet trashed Scorponok for this act. He was saved by Blackout, who was still recovering from a massive beating by Starscream. What a pal. Ghosts of Yesterday

Transformers (2007) film

Oh, slag, I forgot the Bungee cord!

During Blackout's attack on the US SOCCENT Forward Operations Base in Qatar, the Decepticon helicopter dispatched Scorponok to seek out and destroy an escaped unit under the command of Captain Lennox.

HUUUGZ!!!

The next morning, as the surviving soldiers discussed the attack, Scorponok observed their conversation from a distance while hidden in the sand. Targeting Lennox for elimination, Scorponok followed the unit as they made their way to the human boy's village. Choosing his moment to strike just as the men stopped on the outskirts of the settlement, his attack was foiled when Sergeant Epps saw the metal scorpion tail pointed at Lennox's back and shouted a warning. (Well, it wasn't so much a warning as it was a very, very panicked "WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" followed by gunfire, but hey, it counts.) The other soldiers joined in the firefight as Scorponok dove under the sand to confuse them before impaling Sgt. Donnelly and dragging him below.

I'm not having fun any more.

Driving the soldiers into the village, Scorponok fired a barrage of missiles, which destroyed the ruins that the village had grown around and critically injured Figueroa. Unfortunately for Scorponok, Lennox's distress call to the Pentagon had gotten through, and an MQ-1 Predator drone relayed images of the Decepticon to astonished US military commanders. They immediately sent two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs to attack Scorponok, to little effect, then followed up with an AC-130 Spectre gunship, which damaged Scorponok enough for him to dive back into the sand and escape, leaving his broken tail behind.

Scorponok's tail was transported back to the States aboard a C-17 transport. Lennox, Epps, and several other soldiers examined it en route, which led to the discovery that the only damage the armor didn't either shrug off or quickly heal was the "6000-degree magnesium burn" of a sabot round. Armed with this knowledge, the humans knew they now had a weapon that could hurt the invaders. Transformers

Titan Magazines Transformers comics

The following event is unique to the Titan Magazines continuity.

Ironhide and a team of US Special Forces went looking for Scorponok. (Captain Lennox was originally meant to oversee this mission but was reassigned.) Hunting his hunters, Scorponok attacked Ironhide and took control of his motor functions, having him rampage through the humans. Luckily, one of them was able to sever the connection with a shot, and Ironhide smashed the Decepticon to pieces. Scorpion Sting

"DIE, empty space next to Autobot! DIE!"

The following events occur in a splinter timeline where Megatron won the battle of Mission City.

Scorponok spied on a team of Moon-based Autobot reinforcements Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 1 and later helped Starscream battle them. Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 3

...HUUUGZ?

Much later, during the Decepticon Civil War, he was Blackout's trump card against Stockade. He not only failed, he was thrown as a projectile weapon against Blackout. Revolution Part Three

Toy bios

Scorponok actually led the hunt for the AllSpark during the absence of Megatron, and this gave him a taste of command. He happily started using Megatron's own style of super-brutality to keep the troops in line, and looked forward to bumping off his leader and taking full command of the Decepticons. Desert Attack

The disastrous failure on Earth evidently cocked that up, as poor Scorpy was left behind by the other Decetpicons in the Middle East. His attempt at remaining out of sight have failed, and he is constantly being pursued by Bumblebee. Legends Scorponok

Revenge of the Fallen

He's back! Revenge of the Fallen

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Games

"Flight of the Bumblebee" online game

Scorponok was one of a group of Decepticons who trapped Bumblebee in a canyon. He stood around on a rocky butte, walking back and forth and waiting for Bumblebee to drive up to him. When the Autobot dropped in, Scorponok immediately opened fire, blasting Bumblebee continuously. Unfortunately, Bumblebee had the idea to shoot back, blasting him right out of the picture with just one shot. Flight of the Bumblebee

Transformers The Game

Coolest. Backpack. Ever.

After Blackout scrapped the military base in Qatar, Scorponok was sent to destroy five mobile communications vehicles, succeeding in his task. Scorponok went and did his own thing while Blackout searched the databanks for information on Megatron and the All Spark, but reunited with Blackout in time for their escape.

After arriving in Mission City, Scorponok fought through a horde of Energon drones to secure the All Spark. Sam Witwicky nearly handed Scorponok the All Spark, but Ironhide punted Scorponok. That made Blackout very mad... Transformers The Game

Toys

Transformers (2007)

Voyager Class Blackout companions

File:MiniScorponok.jpg

I'm just an accessory.

• Blackout (Voyager Class, 2007)
  • Japanese ID number: MD-01

Blackout comes packed with a small silver figurine of Scorponok, who himself features a spring-loaded tail. He is usually stored in a cage on the rear of Blackout's helicopter mode. (Note: The spring in the figurine's tail is oriented not to spring the tail forward, but to help propel the figure out of the cage so that it lands right-side up.)

• Blackout Ver. 4500X (Lawson exclusive Voyager Class, Japan 2007)

This Voyager Class Blackout repaint, exclusive to the Japanese convenience store chain Lawson with the purchase of the movie DVD, came with a redeco of the small Scorponok figurine that came with the regular Voyager Class Blackout, in metallic colors that better match the Deluxe Class Scorponok toy (and the movie CG design, of course).

I'm just a Premium accessory. But face it, I got better colours.

• Blackout ("Premium Series" Voyager Class, USA 2008)

This redeco of the Voyager Class Blackout toy appears to be based on the same plastic color layout and paint mask as the Japanese Lawson exclusive "Version 4500X" redeco of Voyager Blackout, down to the improved paint on the Scorponok mini-figure. As a matter of fact, both toys might turn out to be outright identical, packaging aside.

Unlike some of the early "Premium Series" toys, Blackout was available as a mass release.

Legends Class toys

File:Movie Legends Bumblebee Scorponok toys.jpg

Ironically, more robot-like than the deluxe-sized one.

• Bumblebee vs. Scorponok (Legends Allspark Battles two-pack, 2008)

Legends Scorponok is the smallest transforming figure of Movie Scorponok yet. He features a better-proportioned robot mode and better articulation for the legs than the Deluxe Class version. In fact, he's one of the best articulated Legends-sized toys to date. Even his claw hands are able to rotate. He does bear a resemblance to a previous version, though. The only version of the mold released thus far comes packed with a slightly redecoed Legends Class Bumblebee. Face it, he should've come with Voyager Blackout.

Deluxe Class toys

File:Move DeluxeScorponok toy.jpg

Ever notice every Scorponok has the same transformation? Claws into claws, legs from the main body, tail sits behind, hoping to be ignored...

• Scorponok (Deluxe Class, 2007)
  • Japanese ID number: MD-04

Scorponok is a robotic scorpion. His body is covered in military warning and command designation markings, suggesting he forms part of a larger military vehicle (hint, hint). Two wheels on the bottom of his beast mode, when pushed along a flat, smooth surface, rotate gears that cause the turbines in his body and the pincers on his arms to spin. His tail features a spring-loaded, yet non-launching stinger that extends when a latch is released.

In beast mode, Scorponok can combine with the underside of Blackout's helicopter mode to exploit the larger Decepticon's own gear gimmick system. A geared shaft linked to Blackout's rotor mechanism connects to a geared peg on Scorponok's back. Thus, pressing the button on Blackout's tail not only rotates his blades, but also rotates Scorponok's pincers and the turbines in his body. (This can also be done with Evac due to him being a retool of Blackout.) This gimmick can also be activated (more easily) by rotating the geared wheels on Scorponok's undercarriage instead.

Deluxe Scorponok can transform into what might be charitably called a robot mode, but was most likely added as an afterthought to the design for added play value (and possibly so Hasbro could actually justify selling the toy as a "Transformer" by itself). The later Legends Class toy features a considerably better-executed bipedal robot mode. In any case, this robot mode never appears in the movie, but does appear briefly in the second Target-sponsored Movie Prequel comic and in The Reign of Starscream issue 1.

Ignoring the vast difference in scale between Scorponok's two figures while linked to Blackout takes some imagination.

• Decepticon Desert Attack (Toys'R'Us exclusive two-pack, 2007)

This package, based on their first appearance in the film, features an unchanged Voyager Blackout packaged with an unchanged Deluxe Scorponok, which was exclusively available at Toys "R" Us stores. Since Voyager Blackout was gang-molded with the miniature Scorponok figure the single release came with, this means that the set contains two Scorponok toys in different sizes.

• Ultimate Bumblebee Bonus Value pack (Wal*Mart exclusive multi-pack, 2007)

A Wal*Mart-exclusive special pack of Ultimate Bumblebee with Deluxe Class Decepticon Brawl and Scorponok as bonus figures. None of the three toys are changed from their respective original releases.

Scorponok now comes with little people to kill.

• Desert Attack (Screen Battles, 2007)
  • Japanese ID number: SB-03

This pack features a minor redeco of Deluxe Class Scorponok sporting "sand" paint applications on his body. The pack also comes with non-posable figurines of Sergeant Epps, Jorge Figueroa and Sergeant Donnelly. They are packaged in a special window box featuring a diorama depicting the battle at Mahfouz's village.

According to details listed in an official checklist on Hasbro's website, this pack was originally supposed to include "4 soldiers". Apparently budget ultimately only allowed for three. The fourth one was most probably supposed to be Captain Lennox, who was included with the Screen Battles "Capture of Bumblebee" set instead, colored as a Sector Seven soldier.

Attacktix

I am going to KILL Yukon Cornelius.

• Battle Masters Megatron and Scorponok (Battle Master set, 200?)

Revenge of the Fallen

Voyager Class Grindor companions

• Grindor (2009)

Deluxe Class Toys

• Stalker Scorponok (2009)

A redeco of the original Deluxe Scorponok toy in black, grey, and red. The deco scheme bears a strong resemblance to another Scorponok. This toy also has a few homages to Beast Wars. The legs have symbols on it that when mirrored form a certain faction's symbol. In addition, 916-96 is placed on the right claw. This is the date the show first aired.

Merchandise

Robot Heroes

Ripped straight from that scene they didn't appear together in.

• Optimus Prime vs Scorponok (2007)

Scorponok is naturally sculpted in his beast mode for his Robot Heroes release. Cast in gray plastic, he has gold and black paint apps for color. His head is quirked to the side, and his pedipalps are bent into a possible standard-issue smile. He is articulated only at the pincers' shoulder joints, but his tail and legs are made of soft enough plastic to wiggle about. (The tail is much too short to sting anything other than his own back.)

Notes

• In the film, Scorponok is a silent hunter-killer sent by Blackout. This has caused some conflicting depictions in the fiction and toy bios of Scorponok's level of intelligence. Some present him as being barely alive and merely an animalistic drone, and this is a commonly accepted view. After all, non-humanoid Transformers aren't important or noteworthy. Another bio, by contrast, describes him as having leadership ambitions, and his Titan Magazines profile implies strongly that he fakes being a bestial drone to give him a psychological edge.

Now I'm the Headmaster!

• Real physical props of Scorponok's head and tail were made by ILM's crew for certain scenes, most notably Lennox and Epps's examination of the tail leftovers on the plane. The head prop was used in the close-up of Scorponok stalking the SOCCENT survivors.

• According to writer Roberto Orci on the official Transformers Movie board, Ravage was originally going to appear in the movie (back when Blackout was still supposed to be Soundwave), but was later changed to Scorponok when the setting of the opening scene was changed from jungle to desert. This would make Scorponok's scorpion form the robot mode (in the same fashion Ravage's panther mode was the robot mode), whereas his "alternate mode" is actually a part of Blackout's engine.

The Turboshaft engine that film Scorponok transforms from. You can almost see the bits of Donnelly.

• Exactly which parts of Blackout turn into Scorponok is a little unclear. The center of his body appears to be made of a General Electric T64 turboshaft engine; his transformation/separation sequence in the movie shows that his forearms are made up of part of the side exhausts, and therefore also consist of parts of T64 engines. How this is possible, considering an MH-53 Pave Low only features two T64 engines, is up to anyone's guess.

• Meanwhile, the various markings found on the CGI model's design, the life-sized props and Hasbro's Deluxe toy are taken from all kinds of places on Blackout's helicopter mode, most prominently the cockpit and the tail. Some of those markings can also be found on props used for the scene which features the US Navy dumping the Decepticons' remains into the ocean. Considering Blackout didn't appear to be missing any integral parts of his alternate mode in the movie's final act, it seems that either Scorponok reattached himself to Blackout after he escaped the US Air Force's counterattack in Qatar (and was therefore part of Blackout during the final battle), or Blackout somehow magically regrew the parts that were previously made up by Scorponok.

• In the feature "From Script to Sand: The Skorponok Desert Attack" on the movie's bonus DVD, production designer Jeff Mann suggested that Scorponok was "birthed" from Blackout, thus suggesting that he might be more of an autonomous extension of Blackout himself, similar to Roller. Screenwriter Roberto Orci later confirmed that as far as he was concerned, Scorponok was something between a symbiont and a "drone", rather than a fully fledged character. The Ghosts of Yesterday novel would go on to unambiguously identify him as a symbiont.

• A leaked early draft of the script spells his name "Skorponok". That spelling is also used by Alan Dean Foster's novelization of the movie and in the menus for the movie's bonus DVD (most notably the featurette named "From Script to Sand: The Skorponok Desert Attack"). Hasbro themselves used the traditional spelling "Scorponok" for their toys, even though a wallpaper on Hasbro's website spells the name "Scorponock". Meanwhile, in interviews, Michael Bay constantly refers to him as "Scorponox", and a preorder listing for the movie score even uses the spelling "Skorpinok". Come on, people! It's not like his name's Mxyzptlk. (Even though misspelling Scorponok's name is not quite unprecedented.)

• Speaking of real, the famous shot of Scorponok leaping from the sand in pursuit a trio of soldiers, the shot used in a lot of the promos? Scorponok is the only element of CGI in that shot. The sand-explosion behind the soldiers is real, caused by carefully timed explosives placed under the dunes, which certainly must have encouraged the actors to run like hell—the looks of fear on their faces are 100% genuine. The overwhelming majority of explosions, flying cars, and broken buildings in the movie are similarly real effects, not CGI.

• Scorponok is the only Transformer in the movie whose name is not spoken or stated in any way. Well, arguably Brawl fits in that category too...

• In an interview for Revenge of the Fallen Roberto Orci stated that the Decepticon beasts didn't speak because it would be "strange," for audiences to hear Scorponok's English accent.

External links

• Scorponok at TFU.info