Scorponok
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scorponok is the name shared by several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.
Contents |
[edit] Transformers: Generation 1 (1987)
| Transformers character | |
 Scorponok |
|
| Scorponok | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Decepticon  |
| Sub-Group | Headmasters |
| Rank | 10 |
| Function | Headmaster Leader |
| Partner | Zarak |
| Motto | "Kindness is no virtue ... and cruelty is no vice." |
| Alternate Modes | Mechanical scorpion/city |
| Series | Transformers: Generation 1 |
| English voice actor | Stephen Keener (Scorponok), Stan Jones (Lord Zarak) |
| Japanese voice actor | Banjō Ginga |
When Scorponok passes by, all that will be left by the time he is gone are destruction and misery - no class of citizen is safe from his venomous wrath, as he takes pleasure in inflicting suffering upon any and all that he can. As leader of the Decepticon Headmasters, Scorponok is binary-bonded to Lord Zarak, the leader of the evil Nebulons, and wields an anti-gravity gun in robot mode. A Triple Changer, Scorponok's primary alternate mode is that of a giant scorpion, with claws that can crush mountains and a tail that fires deadly electric blasts. His third mode is a defense base, outfitted with assorted tracking and communication equipment, repair and constructicon bays, as well as copious amounts of weaponry. His base mode is patrolled by Fasttrack, a partially-autonomous armoured vehicle that can transform into a robot mode armed with twin photon cannons.
Scorponok is the second-largest toy from the original Transformers toyline, slightly taller than Trypticon, and second only to his opposite number, Fortress Maximus. Originally, his Tech Spec statistics were printed upside down, resulting in a grossly inaccurate representation of his abilities (suggesting, for example, that his Strength was merely 3). Later production runs of the toy bore modified statistics - though they were again incorrect as they were consistently two points lower than those revealed by plugging Lord Zarak into the chest meter. (This may be due to the blue line of the tech specs card being printed in yet another inverted form -- mirrored, as opposed to upside down.)
[edit] Animated series
In the English cartoon, Scorponok and Lord Zarak only appeared in the three-parter, "The Rebirth", comprising the entirety of the show's fourth season and concluding the American run of the original cartoon era.
Lord Zarak was the supreme leader of the Hive, an evil dictatorship that ruled the planet of Nebulos and saw the populace as their slaves. Each of the eleven Hive members possessed telepathic/telekinetic control over machines, which they controlled worldwide to subjugate the Nebulans, moving to a subterranean city as their powers developed. But as the strength of their minds grew, the Hive's bodies withered away and became useless, to the extent that some members of the group apparently no longer even possess organic forms, only robotic shells which house their brains. Zarak himself retains his body, but despite his muscular build, may be parapalegic (he is never seen walking without his Headmaster suit) and possibly blind in one eye (one eye is always drawn either shut or solid white).
With the arrival of the Transformers to Nebulos, and the fusion of a group of Autobots and Nebulan rebels into Headmasters, Zarak masterminded a scheme to duplicate the process with Decepticons. Unable to control the Decepticons directly with their mental powers, the Hive were able to subdue them with their own machines and force them into the scheme, striking a deal to create both Headmasters and Targetmasters. With his fellow Hive members binary bonded to the Decepticons, Zarak then turned his attention to himself, reconstructing the Hive's entire subterranean city into a giant Transformer, Scorponok, to which he then bonded himself as Headmaster partner. Scorponok emerged in the midst of a battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, capturing Arcee, who was currently holding the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber, and departing for Cybertron with the Decepticons on board. They key was subsequently used by Galvatron to open the Plasma Energy Chamber while Scorponok transformed to his robot mode and battled with Fortress Maximus. Escaping into space with the Decepticons aboard as the chamber opened, Scorponok was struck by a tendril of plasma energy, and sent hurtling off into the depths of space. In the end, it became clear that Zarak had intended to take leadership of the Decepticons for himself, though the series ended just as this was hinted at.
Zarak's voice is supplied by Stan Jones. Scorponok speaks only one line of dialogue - "Autobots! Diieee!" - provided by Stephen Keener.
[edit] Transformers: Headmasters
Whereas in the US, "The Rebirth" concluded the cartoon series, in Japan, it was decided to continue producing new episodes. To that end, the events of "The Rebirth" were disregarded, and a new series, titled Transformers: The Headmasters was created, following on one year after the end of the show's third season. In Japan, the Headmaster process is different to that in the US fiction - here, there are no Nebulons, and there is only one mind involved. The Headmasters are small robots who connect to larger, lifeless bodies called Transtectors. Here, Zarak (known as Scorponok in Japan) is one such robot. In Transformers: The Headmasters, Zarak's (small) body more closely resembles his toy form than the art style of his U.S. and Marvel Comics counterparts.
Having fled Cybertron with many fellow Transformers under the command of Fortress during the Autobot/Decepticon war, Zarak was among the Cybertronians who settled on the harsh world of Planet Master. The brutal environments of the world necessitated that the Transformers construct new, stronger bodies for themselves in order to survive, connecting to them as heads. The process was accomplished, but several of the resultant "Headmasters" chafed under Fortress's leadership, and sided with Zarak against him. Eventually, however, they were defeated and forced off the planet.
In 2011, Zarak made contact with Galvatron, the current Decepticon leader, and he and his Headmaster minions joined him in their new attack on Cybertron. Appearing only in shadow for quite some time, Scorponok schemed to take leadership of the Decepticons for himself. When Galvatron led a raid on Cybertron acquire the new super-alloy, Cybertonuron, Zarak - fearful of the power Galvatron could acquire with it, and tired of the disrespect heaped upon him by Galvatron - lured Galvatron to the core of Cybertrons, where a bomb his forces had previously planted was detonated, destroying the much of the planet and apparently killing Galvatron.
Zarak subsequently took command of the Decepticons, lying and claiming that he knew where Galvatron was, and that he had been appointed to lead. Zarak then had the Decepticons acquire an Earth satellite, the Solar One, which could harness solar energy, and used it to direct the sun's energy to a small world he had enslaved in a dark nebula off in space, where he was having a massive Transtector constructed for himself. With the Transtector now powered up by the solar energy, Zarak initiated a plan of his own, scheming to blow up Mars and harness the plasma energy released. To stop the Autobots, Zarak boarded his Transtector and travelled to Mars, where combined with it to battle Fortress Maximus, proclaiming that he was no longer Zarak - now, he was Scorponok (renamed MegaZarak in Japan).
Scorponok's leadership was cut short before it even began, however, as Galvatron returned during his coronation ceremony and reclaimed his throne, relegating Scorponok to an insulting status, using him simply as transport from planet to planet as the Decepticons ransacked numerous worlds for their energy. Upon return to Earth, however, Galvatron was deactivated and buried in the Arctic battling the Autobot Headmasters, allowing Scorponok to seize power once more. To combat the power of Fortress Maximus's Master Sword, Scorponok led an attack on Planet Master, where he acquired the powerful G-Metal and constructed the Zarak Shield to counter the Master Sword. Returning to Earth once more, Scorponok put his plan to destroy the planet into motion. Operating out of the lost continent of Lemuria, Scorponok raised towers composed of the city's powerful "Crysmag" metal all across the world, which began to tear the planet apart, channelling the plasma energy into an orbiting satellite, which directed it into Scorponok's Transtector. In a final battle at the North Pole, Fortress Maximus was energised by the power of all his fellow Autobots, and cleaved Scorponok's Transtector in half, stopping the process and saving the planet.
[edit] Transformers: Super-God Masterforce
Japan followed up Headmasters with another exclusive series the following year, titled Transformers: Super-God Masterforce, which featured a character named Black Zarak, whose toy was a remoulded, repainted Scorponok, with a new head/helmet and "Tyrant Spear" accessory as large as the figure itself. The toy itself is of note among collectors due to its nature as a Japanese exclusive and often sells for double the price of the original Scorponok. Unlike the original figure, however, the Headmaster toy component does not need to be attached as the helmet has a face of its own. However, the toy features a heavy downside - the gold plastic parts (the dual guns, the gun shield, the shield/tower, the feet, the Headmaster component (Zarak/Scorponok) and Guardminder, BlackZarak's version of Fasttrack) are very brittle, and can break from even the slightest handling.
Although not explained in the main 42 episodes of the animated series itself, Black Zarak was revealed to actually be Scorponok in an additional clip episode, produced after the end of the series. After the destruction of his original Transtector by Fortress Maximus, Zarak had a new body constructed for himself - smaller in size than his original, but stronger and with super-dense armour - but before being able to connect with it, he was captured and brainwashed by the evil energy entity and self-styled "Decepticon God", Devil Z, putting him under his control. He was then dispatched back into outer space, to join the Decepticon forces warring with the Autobots further off in the galaxy. When the smaller, Earth-based Autobot/Decepticon conflict began to escalate Black Zarak was summoned to Earth by Devil Z to join his forces there. The Autobot, Grand Maximus, reached the planet ahead of him, in order to warn Earth's Autobots of his approach. Black Zarak soon arrived on Earth's moon for a rendezvous with Overlord, and a battle erupted as they were attacked by God Ginrai and Grand Maximus. The battle was hard fought, but God Ginrai succeeded in decapitating Black Zarak, only for the still-functioning villain to flee back into space.
During this period in space, Black Zarak mastered localised gravity manipulation, gaining the power to create black holes that he could use to transport himself great distances - and of course, his first stop was Earth. After the Autobots countered a series of Black Zarak's attacks on cities across the globe, including a space-based attack using the mighty ozone-depleting weapon, the Death-Para Machine, they located and invaded the Decepticon base, prompting Devil Z to take the next step to enhance his and Black Zarak's abilities; by fusing together with him. The Devil Z/Black Zarak hybrid blew up the Decepticon base in a failed attempted to destroy the Autobots, and led the Decepticons' renewed attacks on the Earth with his mighty "Devil Thunder" power, seeking to wipe out humanity, fearful of the unpredictable power of their strength and spirit. Overlord, however, acknowledged and celebrated this power - at least within himself - and for that, Black Zarak turned upon him, prompting God Ginrai to rescue him from the monster's clutches. In God Ginrai's final battle with Black Zarak, he again decapitated the villain, only to have him reveal a new transformation, assuming the form of a two-headed hydra. With his God Fire Guts attack, God Ginrai successfully destroyed BlackZarak, and then, infused with the additional power of Shuta, Cab and Minerva, performed the Final Fire Guts technique to destroy Devil Z, forcing the surviving Decepticons to flee the planet.
Although the toy includes Zarak as a Headmaster, Black Zarak is not a Headmaster in the series itself, proving the fact by being decapitated and continuing to function on two occasions. The companion manga in TV Magazine provides the answer to this mystery - Zarak does not "Head On" with his Black Zarak body, but is, in actuality, fully integrated as part of it within the chest compartment.
[edit] Transformers: Zone
Through the power of Zone Energy, Black Zarak was later resurrected by the mysterious insectoid being called Violenjiger in 1990s Transformers: Zone along with eight other great Decepticon generals(the others being Devastator, Menasor, Bruticus, Predaking, King Poseidon, Trypticon, Overlord and Abominus). They were dispatched by the alien Violenjiger to harvest Zone Energy. They were defeated by Dai Atlas.
[edit] Marvel Comics
In the US Marvel Comics comics, Scorponok first appeared in the four-issue Headmasters mini-series, which introduced the new breed of warrior to the Transformers universe. Here, Scorponok was leader of a troop of Decepticons who were summoned to the planet Nebulos by one of its corrupt politicians, Lord Zarak, who was intent on removing Fortress Maximus and the other Autobots who had previously settled on the planet. Maximus and his crew had already binary bonded with a group of heroic Nebulans, and were able to easily best Scorponok's fiercest troops. Zarak, held captive by Scorponok, took the opportunity to convince Scorponok to duplicate the process with Zarak and his followers. Consequently, the Decepticons were able to capture the Autobot Headmasters, but Zarak began to feel the merciless, robotic instincts of Scorponok taking over his mind, and in one last act of humanity, released the Autobots, tipping them off about an Autobot distress signal on Earth. After the Autobots escaped and left Nebulos, Scorponok and his crew followed the Autobots to renew their battle. Arriving on Earth, Scorponok battled Fortress Maximus within Mount St. Hillary, and succeeded in killing his Nebulon partner, Galen, only to have human Spike Witwicky take up his control helmet and use Maximus to repel him. Scorponok later employed a group of human mercenaries named the Roadjammers to capture Autobots for him.
Across the Atlantic, the UK's own Transformers comic had been methodically reprinting the US issues, interspliced with their own original material. In these original stories around this time, Scorponok battled the Autobot Headmaster, Highbrow, and attempted to have Mindwipe hypnotise him, only for Highbrow's Nebulan partner, Gort, to break the trance, and forcibly tear Scorponok's head from his shoulders. Highbrow kept possession of the comatose head until Scorponok's forces attacked the The Ark, recovering it and reactivating their leader - although Scorponok did not get his chance for revenge, as he then participated in the Time Wars alongside Autobots and Decepticons of both present and future against the twin forces of Megatron and Galvatron, being bested by Galvatron in physical combat and then used as a living shield against Ultra Magnus' fire.
Scorponok was then summoned to the Arctic Circle by Starscream, in order to consolidate his forces with those of the Decepticons' current Earth commander, Ratbat. Discovering that Ratbat sought the power of the Underbase, Scorponok and his warriors wound up battling the Earth-based Decepticons, and then the Autobots - just as Starscream had planned, keeping them and the Autobots occupied long enough for him to acquire the Underbase's power for himself. Scorponok and Ratbat's forces worked with the Autobots in order to stop him, but, thinking that Optimus Prime sought the Underbase for his own, returned to the Ark, where Scorponok killed Ratbat to prevent him from obtaining the power and attempting to take the Underbase himself. Scorponok was stopped in this endeavour by Prime, who proved how dangerous its powers were by tricking Starscream into absorbing the full power of the Underbase, destroying him.
Establishing a base in the New Jersey swamps, Scorponok - now the Decepticons' Earth commander - soon found himself confronted by a disharmony in his ranks following repeated failures and the acceptance of a resurrected Starscream back into their ranks. This malcontent culminated in Shockwave's recruitment of a small splinter group of misfit Decepticons. However, Scorponok's (remaining) troops' faith in him was soon temporarily restored. After the apparent loss of the Creation Matrix, Optimus Prime surrendered his Autobot charges in a desperate attempt to unite the Transformers race against Unicron. Suddenly, Decepticon morale was high. Yet Prime's daring truce was delayed from fruition, thanks to the splinter faction's assault on the New Jersey base. With Scorponok and Shockwave slugging it out in New York, their forces on the cusp of a Decepticon Civil War and the dissolution of a fledgling Autobot alliance, all notions of surrender, dissent and political in-fighting were suddenly rendered moot - as Primus spirited the Earth-bound Transformers to Cybertron.
By this stage Zarak's mind had irrevocably over-written Scorponok's, so the Nebulan was left in the midst of an ancient war between giant robots whilst still harboring the same humanoid frailties. Although arguably without such a superimposition Prime would never have attempted his surrender gambit, on the eve of the looming battle, concerns for his mortality were very much at the fore-front of Scorponok's mind, such as it had become. Finding an empathetic voice in Prime, they fought disciples of Unicron together, and as a sign of the continuing reassertion of his morality, Scorponok showed mercy to one of their number. The planet-sized behemoth, Unicron, then arrived in Cybertron's orbit to wage his assault. Scorponok briefly rallied the Decepticons to attack Unicron, but after seeing his new-found comrade Prime fall by the way-side, he found himself once again wracked with self-doubt.
With his injured Autobot counterpart urging him to assume command and scores of Transformers meeting their deaths on the battlefield, Scorponok, or rather Zarak, froze.But in a burst of indignant rage at his own weakness, Scorponok flung himself headlong into the fray, using his claws to attack Unicron's feet. For the nominal damage wrought against him, Unicron spewed a stream of conflagration from his mouth, reducing the Decepticon to a puddle of slag. Kneeling by his side as Scorponok spluttered and faded, Optimus Prime offered a small token of redemption to the dying warrior in his final moments, by confirming that he had indeed, at last, "done good".
[edit] Dreamwave Productions
When civil war broke out on the planet Cybertron between the Autobots and Decepticons, Scorponok joined up with the Decepticons under Megatron. A powerful warrior and leader among the troops, he quickly rose in rank among Decepticon forces. In homage to his original Marvel portrayal, his Dreamwave tech spec indicated he was a formidable warrior, but with a keen sense of honor.
Just before the Great Shutdown, Scorponok was one of the leaders of the Decepticons, under Shockwave.
[edit] Double Punch
Though no character named Scorponok appeared in the Action Master sub-line, there was an "Action Master Elite" figure released in the UK, named Double Punch, which looked like a Actionmaster-sized version of Black Zarak. The four Action Master Elite figures released in Europe were all originally designed to resemble previous figures from the original toy line, but they later changed them all to being original characters. Double Punch was supposed to be Scorponok.[citation needed]
[edit] IDW Publishing
Scorponok made his first IDW Publishing appearance in the Spotlight issue on Ultra Magnus. A Decepticon with a reputation for completely disregarding what few rules govern the Autobot/Decepticon war, Scorponk was well known for offering Cybertronian technology to races in return for completing his own unscrupulous projects. His latest project took him to Nebulos, where he struck a deal with local business leader Zarak to upgrade Nebulans with Transformer technology for an unknown reason. However, Scorponok was tracked down by Autobot law enforcement officer Ultra Magnus and the two battled. A shot from Scorponok's scorpion mode seemingly inadvertently killed Zarak, and Magnus shot Scorponok in the head. The Decepticon escaped badly injured. It is not known if he will appear again. It is interesting to note that both Zarak's and Scorponok's appearances greatly resemble their appearance in "The Rebirth". Magnus' schematics indicate that Scorponok's previous alternate mode was a tracked Cybertronian tank.
[edit] Beast Wars (1996)
| Transformers character | |
 The Predacon Scorponok |
|
| Scorponok | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Predacon  |
| Sub-Group | Mega Beasts Transmetals |
| Rank | 6 |
| Function | Desert Attack Commander (Sub-Commander in the TV Series) |
| Partner | Cyber Bee Drone |
| Alternate Modes | Scorpion |
| Series | Beast Wars |
| English voice actor | Don Brown |
| Japanese voice actor | Masashi Endô |
Scorponok was one of the original members of Megatron's Darkside crew who stole the Golden Disk artifact from the Cybertron archives in Beast Wars.
[edit] Transformers: Timelines
The Predacon General now known as Megatron gathered a crew of like-minded individuals. While Waspinator and Terrorsaur stole a ship, Megatron, Dinobot and Scorponok stole the Golden Disk, battling the guards and destroying one, disabling a second, and leaving a third to commandeer a ship to pursue them. Picked up by their ship, they fled and were pursued by two ships - one of which was the Axalon commanded by Optimus Primal, the other the Chromia 10. With a little help from Laserbeak and Buzzsaw (secretly sent by Divebomb to ensure Megatron's plan to change history succeeded) they destroyed one of their pursuers, and the newly christened Darksyde fled into transwarp space, with the Axalon in pursuit - thus beginning the Beast Wars.
Scorponok's pre-Beast Wars mode seems to be based on Cybertron Dark Scorponok, but no actual toy was created for this character.
[edit] Season One
Scorponok was promoted to second-in-command of the Predacons after forcibly ejecting Dinobot from the group, and acted as Megatron's right hand in the first series of Beast Wars. To survive on the Energon-filled planet, he scanned a scorpion as his beast mode. In robot mode, one of Scorponok's claws houses a small drone Transformer called the Cyber Bee Drone. Scorponok had a strangely dichotomous personality, being presented as a scientist and inventor, coming up with the Predacons' numerous Cyber-viruses and guessing (correctly) that they would open the Vok ship where sheer firepower had failed, and a tactical genius in his own right, but also often as quite stupid (even speaking in grunting, clipped improper dialogue several times - "Megatron back, Megatron back!"). However, most of his apparent stupidity stems from others (fans and transformers) mistaking loyalty for stupidity, and his legendary incompetence, as he usually overlooked some aspect in his plans. In this respect he was a bit of an "absent-minded inventor." Still, Terrorsaur and Tarantulas often played him for a fool in their devious schemes. Likewise, most of the other Predacons rarely listened to him, even when he tried to exert his authority as second-in-command.
Throughout the series, Scorponok's faith in Megatron was unmatched, almost to the extent of looking up to him. Sadly this was never reciprocated, and Megatron treated Scorponok as disposable along with the rest of his minions. The closest he ever came to an outright victory was in the episode "Dark Voyage", where he and Waspinator set an ambush for the Maximals using a missile that could set off Energon deposits, seemingly destroying them. However, he had merely blinded them, and they escaped during the explosion. The two hapless Predacons attempted to hunt them down along with Terrorsaur, but were thwarted by the Maximals using their other senses to fight back, handing Scorponok another humiliation. After this, he developed a rivalry with the fanatically loyal Inferno after the latter threatened to usurp his position as second-in command.
[edit] Season Two
Scorponok died along with Terrorsaur in the second season premiere, falling into a pit of magma as the quantum surge hit the planet from the destroyed Vok "Planet Killer". After this, Inferno took his place as Megatron's second-in-command.
[edit] Toys
- Beast Wars Scorponok
- His original toy was later repainted into the BotCon exclusive Sandstorm. The Scorponok toy was repainted as Double Punch in Japan in 1998 and as Botcon Sandstorm in 1999.
- The commercial for Scorponok refered to him as a "robot in disguise with a killer bee inside!"
- "Transmetal" Scorponok
- A transmetal toy of Scorponok was released as McDonald's happy meal toy.
[edit] Transformers: Energon
| Transformers character | |
 Scorponok |
|
| Scorponok | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Decepticon |
| Japanese name | Megazarak |
| Sub-Group | Terrorcon |
| Rank | 9 (Terrorcon Commander) |
| Function | Destruction Commander |
| Motto | "If I do not crush you with my claws, I will finish you with my sting!" |
| Alternate Modes | Mechanical Scorpion/ Cybertronian Jet |
| Series | Transformers: Energon Transformers: Cybertron Transformers: Titanium |
| English voice actor | Colin Murdock |
| Japanese voice actor | Yasunori Masutani |
Like his predecessor, the Transformers: Energon incarnation of Scorponok is known as Megazarak in Japan and is a Triple Changer, transforming from robot to scorpion-themed construction vehicle to jet.
[edit] Animated series
Originally, he was the Grand Chamberlain of the alien world of Planet Q, and sacrificed his life when he detonated the planet's core to stop the attack of Unicron. The spark of the planet's ruler, later to be known as Alpha Q, continued to exist within the dormant Unicron, and set about forming a plan to recreate his homeworld and other worlds that had been consumed by Unicron, using Energon. From Unicron, he recreated Planet Q's armies as the Terrorcons, and resurrected Scorponok to lead them.
Scorponok managed to turn several Decepticons to his and Alpha Q's side, until Megatron was resurrected. Although Scorponok tried to kill the newly reborn Decepticon Leader, Megatron predictably beat Scorponok brutally for trying to usurp the power of Decepticon Leader, and branded him with a Decepticon symbol. Megatron then used Scorponok as a shield against the Autobots' fire on his first attack in his new body (he was eventually repaired by Tidal Wave). However, Scorponok continued to act as a mole for Alpha Q, working towards his master's goals from within Megatron's team. When Megatron came to suspect this, he strapped Scorponok to a meteor and hurled him at Earth's Energon Grid, hoping to force Alpha Q out of hiding to rescue his minion. Scorponok survived the ordeal, and reunited with Alpha Q, entering into an alliance with the Autobots to stop Megatron from reviving Unicron. However, after Scorponok's subsequent defeat by Megatron, the positively-charged Energon released from Unicron's head by Alpha Q reacted with the negatively-charged Energon vented from Unicron's body by Megatron, tearing open a fissure in space, through which the teams were sucked. In this new region of space, all of the planets consumed by Unicron had been recreated, but Scorponok was to meet an unfortunate fate as Megatron completely reprogrammed him, turning him into a true Decepticon.
During his alliance with the Autobots, Scorponok had earned an admirer in Ironhide, who attempted several times to make him remember who he was and to turn him away from Megatron's service. His words continuously fell on deaf ears, and the two friends-turned-foes had their final conflict on Cybertron as Optimus Prime battled the Unicron-possessed Galvatron. Both combatants were rendered unconscious, but Scorponok was the first to recover as Ironhide's Spark began to glow - Optimus Prime was calling on all his troops to lend him their strength. With the last of his own energy, Scorponok transported Ironhide to Prime's side so that he could join in the ultimate combination, but told him that he was not doing it for him - he was doing it so that Prime could save Galvatron from Unicron. And with that final act, Scorponok died.
In the original Japanese version, before his death, Scorponok additionally explained that he had not been reprogrammed - he had chosen to serve Megatron out of his own free will, in repayment for saving his life.
In the 33rd episode, "Scorponok's Scars", it is revealed that the spark within Scorponok is not actually that of the general of Planet Q - his spark was completely extinguished in his last act of sacrifice. Alpha Q instead used the wandering Spark of a Decepticon to recreate Scorponok, programming it to act and think the way the real Scorponok did. For an unexplained reason, however, this episode was not dubbed into English.
[edit] Dreamwave Productions
In Dreamwave Productions' Transformers: Energon comic book series, Scorponok was a former lieutenant of Megatron. Unlike Megatron, he preferred to actively participate in combat, his brutal and 'right-to-the-point' tactics earning him the respect of his troops. Scorponok's precise history after this is unknown, although Starscream implied he was one of those who fought against Unicron.
Ten years after the defeat of Unicron, Scorponok sought out the Decepticons who were not happy with the current Autobot-Decepticon alliance, and found a new ally in Alpha-Quintesson who gave him and his followers new, energon-enhanced hyper-modes for finding Energon to re-activate Unicron. As his first act, Scorponok killed the always treacherous Starscream, stating he never knew why Megatron kept him around.
Following Alpha-Q's orders, he led his new army, the Terrorcons to Earth, planning to suck the planet dry of Energon. During his first assault his team captured Kicker, whom Scorponok realised could help him locate Energon. After soundly defeating the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, Scorponok started the mining of Energon. The Autobots' second attack, aided by by the Omnicons, took him by surprise and with the mined Energon blown up, Scorponok was gated away and reprimanded by his master.
Learning from his mistakes, Scorponok didn't take any chances in his next attack. He unleashed four huge armies of the cloned Terrorcons on four cities of Earth, while he hitched a ride on a tower of the Earth defence grid, arriving from space to the Yukon Territory Autobot station. Thus avoiding the warning systems, Scorponok took the three Autobots Ironhide, Overload and Dropshot by surprise and took them out easily. However, just as he wanted to claim the defense system, he was challenged by Megatron, who was recently freed from his imprisonment in Unicron (in flashbacks we would see Starscream warning Megatron about Scorponok's ambitions).
Megatron and Scorponok battled it out, both verbally and physically. Their philosophies, subtle and blunt, clashed just like they themselves did on the battlefield. Figuring that Megatron was drained of energy by using his teleportation powers, Scorponok grounded him and buried him under a hill, but then was stabbed in the back by Megatron, who was far from finished. Burning him from the inside out with his energon sword, Megatron left the empty husk of what was Scorponok behind.
Dreamwave went bankrupt and the comic was cancelled, but the official bio of Hasbro's Cybertron Dark Scorponok follows this Energon comic continuity, where Scorponok is reanimated by the energy of Unicron, and follows his orders while hoping to regain his spark.
[edit] Transformers: Cybertron
Energon Scorponok returned in the Transformers: Cybertron toyline. Now called Dark Scorponok, his toy biography cites his death as that seen in the Dreamwave comic book, at Megatron's hands, rather than the cartoon's depicition of his passing.
A retool of the Energon toy, he is a homage to Black Zarak. He is a zombie who hungers for the lifeforce of other Transformers, much in the wave of victims of the Transorganic Dweller.
[edit] IDW Publishing
The character appeared in the Transformers: Cybertron comic strip exclusive to the Official Transformers' Collectors Club, transported into the Cybertron animated series timeline by reality warps resulting from the black hole created by Unicron's destruction.
Dark Scorponok first appears in the third issue of the comic, as Vector Prime warns that Unicron could bring more minions to battle the Autobots, Dark Scorponok rises from the dead. Later, an Autobot named Skyfall arrives in his ship at a spaceport only to discover the place abandoned, until he is attacked by Scrapmetal and Dark Scorponok. As Scorponok continues to attack Skyfall, Skyfall is buried in rubble. The Mini-Cons of Ramjet find Scorponok and lure him to the Autobots. Safeguard attempts to defend Alpha Trion's chamber from Scorponok, then is joined by Sentinel Maximus. Scorponok fights madly, ignoring all injuries to himself. While the other Autobots defend Vector Prime tries to get the nearby autoguns online. Scorponok stings Sentinel Maximus who nearly shuts down due to the cyber-venom. The autoguns come online and blast Scorponok.
[edit] Transformers: Titanium
A 3 inch tall non-transforming Scorponok toy was released in the Transformers: Titanium line. Though the toy comes in Energon colors, his tech specs fit more with original Decepticon Scorponok's character.
[edit] 2007 film
Scorponok will appear in the upcoming live-action Transformers film, directed by Michael Bay. His machine form is a mechanized scorpion. Screenwriter Roberto Orci indicated that this Scorponok will be conceptually closer to the Beast Wars character than the original.[1]
In the film, he and his partner Blackout will attack the Soccent Operations Base in Qatar. Scorponok then chases some Air Force airmen across the Qatarian Desert. He is seen in the trailer, leaping out of the desert to chase after fleeing airmen. He possesses spinning pincers and a large stinger that is described as being movable forwards and back as shown in a leaked toy photo.
