Scorponok (G1)
| 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 in the Generation 1 continuity.
Scorponok is frequently in a position of Decepticon leadership and is usually the arch-foe of Fortress Maximus.
(Other than these base facts, much about him differs by continuity. See seperate character notes in the sections below.)
Italian name: Skorpion
Japanese name: Megazarak
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
For much of his existance Scorponok was the epitomy of the Decepticon commander. Proud and confident in his great power, he ruled with a cruel iron grip, believing that the poor should be exploited, the weak oppressed, and the noble corrupted. The pain of others was his greatest pleasure. Few would have expected his ultimate fate. Upon binary-bonding to the Nebulan politician Lord Zarak, Scorponok, who had speculated on the merger corrupting Zarak, found that such links ran two ways. Where other Headmaster partners simply shared mental space, Zarak and Scorponok apparently merged into one being who retained Scorponok's power and warrior's heart but added to it Zarak's trickyness, desire to be an honorable man, and ability to see beyond power to the greater good, even if this meant putting aside the war and working together with the Autobots. Though a Decepticon to the core, Scorponok/Zarak died a hero, defending Cybertron from Unicron, and called "old friend" by Optimus Prime himself.
(Events from the UK-only comics are in italics.)
Scorponok was a Decepticon commander on Cybertron in 1986, and was a rival of the Autobot Fortress Maximus. He was also the commander of the time-displaced Cyclonus and Scourge.
When the Autobot and his forces fled the war to the planet Nebulos, he and his forces followed, vowing to conquer the new planet. Upon reaching Nebulos, Scorponok manipulated and blackmailed the politician Lord Zarak into working for him and becoming his binary bonded Headmaster partner. This would affect him dramatically, however, and resulted in the alteration of both his and Zarak's personalities.
When Galen decided to leave Nebulos for Earth, Scorponok and his forces again followed, leaving the war-torn Nebulos behind. Shortly after he arrived, his plans were set back when the Autobot Highbrow ripped his head off. The shock left both Scorponok and Zarak out of commission for quit some time while they were separated. Once reactivated, Scorponok found that due to the fractured Decepticon forces on Earth, he had to vie for command of the Decepticon forces against Ratbat, Shockwave, and Starscream. By the end of the Underbase crisis, however, Scorponok's command of the Decepticons was assured.
In 1988, Scorponok made history as Optimus Prime formally offered his surrender in hopes of making a new force to combat the Dark God Unicron. Eventually, Scorponok agreed to help the Autobots and was brought by Primus to Cybertron to prepare for the ultimate battle.
Scorponok met his fate in this battle as he sacrificed himself to rally his forces against Unicron. In his last few moments, Scorponok realized the nobility of Optimus Prime, and hoped that his sacrifice would redeem him.
Animated continuity (US)
Voice actor: Stan Jones, Stephen Keener
Scorponok was a gigantic Headmaster robot built from scratch by Lord Zarak, the dictator of Nebulos, upon learning of the Transformers. Lord Zarak has full control of the giant, which was built from the Hive's underground city. Scorponok itself did not appear to have a mind of its own, though it did have a different voice than Zarak in robot mode.
Headmasters Cartoon
Voice actor: Banjō Ginga
(The Japanese Headmasters series diverged from "The Rebirth" greatly, completely ignoring the events of the 3-parter.)
Zarak was one of a group of Transformers who left Cybertron long ago to escape the Great War and took up residence on the planet Master. Chaffing under the leadership of Fortress Maximus, Zarak and several Headmaster warriors rebelled and were exiled from the planet, joining up with Galvatron and the Decepticons and joining them in an attack on Cybertron in 2011. Zarak reluctantly served under Galvatron, but saw his chance to take power when he instigated the destruction of Cybertron, tricking Galvatron into the heart of the explosion, apparently destroying him.
Zarak subsequently took control of the Decepticons, falsely claiming that Galvatron was alive and commanding him from afar. Enslaving the Beastformers, he had them toil on the Planet Zarak within a dark nebula to construct a giant Transtector for him, and activated it in the midst of his attempt to destroy the planet Mars. Arriving on Mars to battle Fortress Maximus, Zarak redubbed himself "Scorponok" and successfully destroyed the plaet, harnessing its plasma energy for his own purposes.
Believing that his deeds had cemented his position of power, Scorponok arrange for a coronation ceremony on Earth's moon so that he could become the new Emperor of Destruction, but in the midst of it, Galvatron returned alive and well and retook leadership. This saw Scorponok relegated to the insulting position of interplanetary bus as the Decepticons travelled from world to world, pillaging energy, with which Galvatron planned to fuse himself with the Earth itself. Galvatron did not get the chance to put this plan into action, though, as Scorponok abandoned him to face the Autobot Headmasters alone in a battle at the North Pole, buring him beneath an iceberg.
Once again, Scorponok was now Emperor of Destruction, and began his assault on Earth, only to be foiled when the Autobots discovered his weak point, behind the Decepticon sigil on his chest. Critically wounded, Scorponok had the Decepticons retreat back to planet Master, where he forged the Zarak Shield out of G Metal to combat the Master Sword. The Autobots pursued the Decepticons to Master, and when the two weapons clashed, the Zarak Shield emerged triumphant, and Scorponok lead the charge back to Earth, intending to sent it the way of Mars. Operating out of the sunken continent of Lemuria, Scorponok raised towers of Crysmag metal all over the Earth, tearing it apart with waves of energy, which he collected in his Transtector and the North Pole. Battling Fortress Maximus, he rigged his transtector to explode and fled the planet, but, bolstered by the energy of his fellow Autobots, Maximus managed to destroy the Transtector before it could destroy the Earth, and the Autobots drove the last of the Decepticon forces from Earth.
Headmasters Manga
Following his defeat at the end of the anime, all the Decepticons were driven away from Earth. However, Mega Zarak managed to leave Soundblaster behind to act as a spy. That didn't last long, as Soundblaster quickly revealed himself to the opposition when he attempted to take the Witwicky family hostage. He was defeated by Chromedome's "Master Chrome Hurricane Throw to the End of Hell".
Masterforce cartoon and manga
Voice actor: Banjō Ginga (Japan)
After his defeat on Earth, Scorponok arranged for the reconstruction of his Transtector in a new, smaller, more powerful form with hyper-dense armor, but before he could recombine with it, he was captured by the evil alien energy entity Devil Z and brainwashed into his service. Scorponok was subsequently linked to his new Transtector, not as a Headmaster, but wired directly into the chest. With a new head atop his Transtector's shoulders, Scorponok was now BlackZarak, and returned to lead the Decepticon forces in battle against the Autobots in space.
Devil Z, meanwhile, fostered a war on Earth where human being were merged with Transtectors to become Headmaster Juniors and Godmasters. With the Autobot force increasing in power, Devil Z summoned BlackZarak to Earth, but Fortress Maximus's younger brother, Grand Maximus, made it to the planet ahead of him and warned the Autobots of his coming. In preparation, they constructed Godbomber, who merged with Super Ginrai to form God Ginrai, who could battle BlackZarak in space when he arrived. With Overlord and Grand Maximus thrown into the mix, a showdown on the surface of the moon ensuing, during which BlackZarak was decapitated and fled back into space.
During this extended stay in space, BlackZarak mastered localized gravity manipulation and gained the ability to open black holes, which he used to teleport himself directly to Earth and lead the Decepticons in a series of attacks on major cities. When the Autobots directly attacked the Decepticon base, however, Devil Z merged with BlackZarak, subsisting Scorponok's consciousness, and used his body as a channel for his Devil Power, causing widespread devastation across the planet with its deadly waves. Confronted by God Ginrai in a final battle on the Matterhorn, BlackZarak's body was destroyed through the power of the God Fire Guts, and Devil Z then met his end at God Ginrai's hands.
Zone Cartoon and Manga
(Note: It is never revealed whether the resurrected Black Zarak has the consciousness of Scorponok or Devil Z.)
During Transformers Zone, the demonic being known as Violen Jygar used his supernatural powers to bring Black Zarak back from the dead as one of his Nine Great Demon Generals. Black Zarak's new appearance seemed to have a serious pirate-vibe going on, with Zarak now having a hook for a hand and an eye-patch. Black Zarak successfully attacked the Autobot Micromasters, on board Galaxy Shuttle, and managed to trap them in a cocoon of powerful webbing. They eventually freed themselves in the end, however.
Dreamwave Comics
Scorponok is a Decepticon commander who acts cruel and mean and awful but hides a hidden honorable, noble side below the surface.
(Note: Though he did not appear in any stories himself, the Dreamwave MTMTE Profile series establishes this personality, likely in a nod to his Marvel comic portrayal.)
Toy
Generation 1
- Scorponok
- Japanese ID number: D-93
- Transformes from Headmaster robot to robotic scorpion to command base. Came with Lord Zarak headmaster head and Fasttrack
- Black Zarak
- Japanese ID number: D-311
- Came with Scorponok (Zarak redeco) and Black Rorichi (Fasttrack redeco)
- The Action Master Elite Double Punch bears an uncanny resembelence to Black Zarak
External links
