Scorponok (Energon)
| 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 Terrorcon in the Enegron and Cybertron portions of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.
Scorponok's origin differs greatly depending on which dimension of the multiverse you are speaking of. What doesn't change however is the fact that he's a massive and terrifying sight on the battlefield, and a vicious military leader in league with the mysterious Alpha Quintesson.
Japanese name: Megazarak
Fiction
Dreamwave comics continuity
Energon
Scorponok was a powerful Decepticon warrior who aided Megatron in his war of conquest on Cybertron. Later, after Unicron's arrival and subsequent defeat, he pledged himself to the Alpha Quintesson in exchange for incredible power and became leader of the Terrorcons. He had Starscream killed in a fit of pique, and led the Terrorcons to Earth to attack Alter-Energy installations and drain the planet of its natural energon. However, the newly-enhanced Autobot forces foiled his plans, and agents of Alpha Quintesson retrieved him.
When Megatron returned, he decimated the Terrorcon drone ranks before finally facing Scorponok himself at a newly-constructed Autobot energon tower in the Yukon. After a brief but intense battle, Megatron ran Scorponok through the chest with his sword, destroying him.
Animated continuity
Energon
- Voice actor: Colin Murdoch (US), Yasunori Masutani (Japan)
Scorponok was formerly the Grand Chamberlain of the world known as "Planet Q," guardian of the planet's ruler, the being who would later come to be known as Alpha Q. When Unicron attacked Planet Q at some undetermined point in the past, the ruler was too frozen with fear to act, and the chamberlain sacrificed his life to detonate the planet's core, blowing it up in Unicron's face.
Within Unicron's body, however, the spark of Planet Q's ruler continued to exist, and when Unicron was deactivated in 2010, he was able to access the chaos-bringer's powers and create a new body for himself, becoming "Alpha Q." By the year 2020, seeking energon in order to recreate the planets consumed by Unicron, including his own, Alpha Q had recreated the armies of Planet Q as Terrorcons and resurrected the chamberlain as Scorponok to be their leader. To turn existing Decepticons to their side, Scorponok was armed with a sword forged from their deceased leader Megatron's spark, but when a fit of rage led him to stab the blade into Megatron's corpse, the Decepticon leader was reborn and ousted Alpha Q from Unicron's body.
Scorponok continued to serve Alpha Q in secret, operating under Megatron's command, until Megatron discovered his deception and attempted to use him as bait to draw out Alpha Q. Chained to an asteroid, Scorponok was cast into Earth's Energon Grid and almost destroyed, but Alpha Q rescued him, and Scorponok then openly served under him in his alliance with the Autobots. During this team-up, Scorponok gained an admirer in the young Autobot Ironhide, but in his final conflict with Megatron within Unicron, Scorponok was defeated and thought destroyed during an explosive energon reaction.
This reaction allowed Alpha Q to achieve his goal to recreate the planets Unicron had destroyed, which were immediately targeted by the Decepticons as sources of energon. It was during the attacks on these planets that Scorponok resurfaced, having been restored by Megatron and now totally loyal to him. Scorponok continued to serve Megatron throughout the remainder of his campaign, but during the Decepticons' takeover of Cybertron, Ironhide engaged Scorponok in battle, smarting from the betrayal of a 'bot he had looked up to. Both combatants were severely wounded and eventually collapsed, but when Ironhide's Spark of Combination activated in response to a summons from Optimus Prime on the Jungle Planet, Scorponok awoke and dragged his body there. Telling Ironhide that he had only saved him so that he might save Galvatron from Unicron, Scorponok finally collapsed and perished.
(Notes: There are several significant differences in the story of Scorponok between Super Link and its English dub as Energon. Primarily, the episode Scorponok's Scars revealed that Scorponok was not the same entity as the Grand Chamberlain of Planet Q, but merely a being that Alpha Q had created in his image out of an emotional connection, using the spark of a "wandering Decepticon" (who many people may consider to be Thrust, who died on Unicron during Armada) and programming him to behave as the chamberlain had done. For unknown reasons, this episode was never dubbed into English, and the following episode is even redubbed to remove any references to it.
Furthermore, while the Energon series only ever presents Scorponok as having been mind-wiped/reprogrammed by Megatron—in the same manner as he did to Starscream, Demolishor and Inferno—during his final confrontation with Ironhide in Super Link, Scorponok reveals that he had not been brainwashed, and—despite it not making a lot of sense after his actions in the full first half of the series—had chosen to serve Megatron for giving him new life in the wake of the energon reaction, in much the same way as he had served Alpha Q for restoring him to life in the first place. )
Fan Club Cybertron comics
Despite Unicron's apparent death inside the Unicron Singularity, his essence's will was still strong enough to use the reality-altering black hole to bring the Scorponok to Cybertron. Now Dark Scorponok, this undead creature stalked the evacuated planet surface, screaming in hunger and pain, crying out for Sparks upon which to feast. At first Dark Scorponok assaulted Skyfall, Balancing Act, Part 2 who survived due to his powerful forcefield ability, but the monster was drawn away by Ramjet's evil Mini-Con minions, towards the Primary Energon Reserves Control, where Vector Prime and Sentinel Maximus were located. Balancing Act, Part 3 After a prolonged fight, Sentinel Maximus was able to defeat Dark Scorponok, after which he and Vector Prime realized this was just a diversion. Leaving what was left of Dark Scorponok, unable to solve his affliction, their attentions were needed elsewhere, below the planet's surface. Balancing Act, Part 4
(Note: The Key code info for Dark Scorponok says that at some point, he located the Jungle Planet and served Scourge as a bodyguard.)
Toys
Energon
- Scorponok (Ultra, 2004)
- Japanese ID number: SD-05
Scorponok's "tail," in robot mode, can be swung under and between his legs to resemble....yeah. And guns come out the end.
- Scorpnok (Built to Rule, 2004)
Cybertron
- Dark Scorponok (Ultra-Class, 2005)
Attacktix
- Scorponok (Booster, 2006)
- Attacktix ID number: TF15
- Faction: Decepticon
- Class: Captain
- Special: Recruit - 10/26 (38%) success ratio
- Point Cost: 30
- Base Speed: 10
- Attack Type: Striker (Scoop Arm)
- Scorponok's scoop attack was designed to tip other figures over by scooping up their base. It uses a free-swinging joint controlled by the player, rather than a spring-loaded attack like most other strikers. If one turns Scorponok at his waist it's possible to get a nearly 360 degree swing into the attack delivering more power than any striker other than the Mega figure Omega Supreme.
- This unexpected power level allows Scorponok to easily knock down any other figure, any defensive formation and even any Mega figure. If Scorponok gets into range you don't stand a chance. This seemingly unbalanced level of power has led some players to suggest Scorponok should be banned from tournament play. In practice though, it just makes him your opponent's most immediate target.
- When Scorponok dies he has the potential to summon up to two Insecticons from back-ups. Bringing in multiple Troopers makes him an excellent support figure for the Crumplezone/Ransack combo.
- Dark Scorponok (Booster, 2007)
- Faction: Decepticon
- Class: Captain
- Special: Vanquish
- Point Cost: 30
- Base Speed: 10
- Attack Type: Striker (Scoop Arm)
A redeco of the Scorponok figure slated for the second series of Attacktix figure. His Vanquish Special Power should allow him to regenerate by devouring figures from your opponent's graveyard. Mmmm. Zombielicious.
Titanium Series
- Scorponok (Robot Master, 2006)
Trivia
- Scorponok's visor was a late addition to his design, at the insistance of the toy's "mech designer" Hirofumi Ichikawa.
- Some late changes were made to Scorponok's design, including but not limited to Scorponok's articulated shovel "thumbs" being de-articulated for the final version, Scorponok's hip cannons being severely shortened and losing their joints (also lessening the G1 Scorponok cannon nod a tiny bit), and also entirely losing large cannons that presumably pegged into the now vacant hole on the sides Scorponok's knees. The first two changes can be readily seen on the prerelease toy shown in Energon Scorponok's box pictures, while the third can only be seen on Scorponok and Dark Scorponok's control art.
- Scorponok and his Japanese counterpart Mega Zarak seemingly have "swapped" card arts: The deco patterns on each tech spec card more closely resemble the other other country's release. Mega Zarak's tech spec cardback even has the US deco of the toy. Despite the seemingly swapped color of the Dreamwave art/CG render, both Scorponoks have purple thighs: a stronger G1 homage, but notably absent from either deco.
- The toy of Mega Zarak, which is the Japanese version of Scorponok, replaces orange plastic with gold or yellow. That makes his color schema similar to Quickstrike. Besides, both of their alt modes are related to scorpion.
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