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Scorponok is the name shared by several characters across three of the various fictitious '' Transformers '' universes.


GENERATION ONE


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, roughly around the height of 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). A later corrected version was improved, but not perfect - it's stats were consistenly two points below those revealed on his chest meter by plugging Lord Zarak into Scorponok.


Animated series

In the US 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 series.

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 a paraplegic (he is never seen walking wihout 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 Nebulon 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 .


''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: 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.

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" chaffed 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.




Japan followed up ''Headmasters'' with another exclusive series the following year, titled ''Transformers: Super-God Masterforce,'' which featured a character named BlackZarak, whose toy was a remoulded, repainted Scorponok, with a new head/helmet and "Zarak 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 highly brittle, and can break from even the slightest handling.

Although not explained in the main 42 episodes of the animated series itself, BlackZarak 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 BlackZarak 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. BlackZarak 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 decpitating BlackZarak, only for the still-functioning villain to flee back into space.

During this period in space, BlackZarak 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 BlackZarak'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 BlackZarak's abilities; by fusing together with him. The Devil Z/BlackZarak 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, BlackZarak turned upon him, prompting God Ginrai to rescue him from the monster's clutches. In God Ginrai's final battle with BlackZarak, 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, BlackZarak 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.


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 Nebulons, and were able to easily best Scorponok's troops, inspiring Scorponok to duplicate the process with Zarak and his followers. Consequently, the Decepticons were able to capture the Autobots, 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, who followed a distress signal to Earth, and were pursued by Scorponok and his crew. Arriving on Earth, Scorponok battled Fortress Maximus within Mount St. Hillary, and succeeded in killing his Nebulon partner, Galan, 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 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 - 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 was by tricking Starscream into absorbing more of it, destroying him.

Establishing a base in the New Jersey swamps, Scorponok - now the Decepticons' Earth commander - soon found himself opposed by a small splinter group of Decepticons led by Shockwave . His troops' faith in him already crippled by his allowing a resurrected Starscream to rejoin the Decepticons, Scorponok battled Shockwave, but they and all Transformers were then spirited back to Cybertron by Primus in preparation for the coming battle against Unicron . By this stage, Zarak and Scorponok's individual minds had melded completely, but Zarak's personality seemed to have subverted Scorponok's - in his private moments, Scorponok considered himself only to be Zarak, and he was very much afraid of the looming battle. Reassured by Optimus Prime, they fought disciples of Unicron together, and Zarak spared one of their lives as a sign of his new outlook. Unicron himself then arrived, and Scorponok was foolhardy enough to physically engage the planet-eater. A jet of flame from Unicron's mouth melted him into a puddle of slag, though before he died, Optimus Prime informed him that he had done good.


BEAST WARS

Scorponok ('''Scorpos''' in Japan) was one of the original members of Megatron 's '' Darkside '' crew who stole the Golden Disk from the Cybertron archives.

Promoted to second-in-command of the Predacons after Dinobot left and acted as Megatron's right-hand man in '' 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. Scorponok had a strangely dichotomous personality, being presented as a scientist and inventor, but also often as quite stupid (at one time even speaking in grunting, clipped improper dialogue - "Megatron back, Megatron back!"). Particularly Terrorsaur and Tarantulas often played him for a fool in their devious schemes. Scorponok then died after falling into lava with Terrorsaur, during a quantum surge collision with Earth.

Scorponok was voiced by Don Brown . His figure was later repainted into the Botcon exclusive Sandstorm .




'' incarnation of Scorponok is known as Megazarak in Japan and is a Triple Changer , transforming from robot to scorpion-themed construction vehicle to jet. 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. Megatron promptly beat Scorponok to a pulp for trying to usurp the power of Decepticon Leader, and branded him with a Decepticon symbol. 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 with 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 brainwashed 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 the 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 brainwashed - 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 to act and think the way the real Scorponok did. For an unexplained reason, however, this episode was not dubbed into English.

Scorponok was voiced by Colin Murdock ( English ) and Yasunori Masutani ( Japanese ).


Dark Scorponok

Energon Scorponok returned in the ' toyline. A recolor of the Energon toy, patterned off the colors of Black Zarak, he is a Zombie . Now called Dark Scorponok''', he appeared in the official Hasbro Transformers Fan Club exclusive comic book.



LIVE-ACTION FILM

According to Ain't It Cool News, Scorponok will appear in the upcoming live-action Transformers film, directed by Michael Bay.