Scorpion

Background

"The Coming of the Scorpion"

The Scorpion was created by J. Jonah Jameson, who paid $10,000 to Dr. Farley Stillwell, a researcher in animal mutation, to perform an untested human mutation on Mac Gargan. Gargan had been a private eye that Jameson had hired to follow Peter Parker in order to find out how a teenage kid could always get pictures of Spider-Man. When Gargan failed to find any clues, Jameson paid him another $10,000 to be Dr Stillwell's guinea pig. The experiment gave Mac Gargan super human strength but the cost was the loss of Gargan's sanity. Gargan proved to be much stronger than Spider-Man, and after he quickly defeated the wall crawler, he went on a one man crime spree across New York.

Realizing the danger that he had unleashed on the city, Dr Stillwell created a formula to remove Gargan's powers but Scorpion wanted no part of it. He had to administer the formula soon or else it would be too late for it to take effect. Climbing up the side of a building after Scorpion, Stillwell fell to his death, taking the cure with him. Defeating the Scorpion fell to Spider-Man. He tried and failed again to stop him, but managed to hurt Scorpion's hand badly enough that Gargan went after the much easier target of J. Jonah Jameson, the only man that knew his true identity. He went after JJJ at the Bugle, but Spidey showed up in heroically last moment fashion and webbed Scorpion's feet to the floor. Without being able to move, Scorpion became a human punching bag for Spidey. Even Jameson had to marvel at the fact that he had created the Scorpion to defeat Spider-Man, but Spider-Man had saved him from the Scorpion. (Amazing Spider-Man #20)

"Never Step On a Scorpion"

Gargan next appeared after tricking the prison guards into thinking that he had gone crazy (shouldn't have been too much of a stretch for him to act crazy) and only calmed down after they gave him his Scorpion costume back. He then simply tore the iron bars out of his prison window and leaped away. He immediately went to the Daily Bugle to finish off Jameson, and was lucky enough to find him unguarded by Spider-Man. Suddenly thinking that he left JJJ alone, Spidey returned just in time to begin a battle royal. The two tore through the Bugle offices, scattering JJJ, Ned Leeds and Betty Brant as they went. The fight went outside and raged on the building tops, scorpion tails and webbing flying furiously. Managing to tangle Scorpion in his web, Spidey tried to swing away with the psychotic criminal, but let him fall into the Hudson River. Scorpion freed himself from the webbing, but also exhausted himself trying to fight in the water. Spider-Man, meanwhile, was able to reload his web shooters and re-tangle Gargan, who was left for the police on the docks. (Amazing Spider-Man #29)

"The Scorpion Strikes Back"

Gargan was briefly used by the Jackal as a pawn against Spidey during the original Clone Saga. As he was leaving a mobster's home (whose territory he wanted to take over), Scorpion was met by the Jackal. He told Scorpy to go to the hospital that Aunt May was staying at (she had fainted after seeing the Gwen Stacy clone). He was told that Spider-Man would be there. Gargan crashed through the hospital window but found only May and Peter. (Amazing Spider-Man #145)

He stormed the building looking for Spider-Man and found him...very angry. Spidey chased Scorpion all over New York, finally terrifying him by dropping him off the Chrysler Building. (Amazing Spider-Man #146)

"Scream Scorpion"

Wandering the sewers, the Scorpion bemoaned his fate. Wondering if he had been hiding for days, months, or years, Gargan ranted that his life had become pain. He couldn't go to the surface to be with other people because of his costume, which he believed couldn't come off. He remembered how he had given up his life for money and how he had constantly been beaten by Spider-Man. In his previous attempt on Jameson's life, he had been defeated by Ms. Marvel, who had beaten him by dumping him in acid. His body still ached from the experience and he swore that if he couldn't enjoy his life, neither would Jonah. Still remembering where Dr. Stillwell had made him into the Scorpion, he broke into the dead scientists lab and used his machine to increase his power. It increased his strength and his madness.

He was soon at the Daily Bugle, throwing concrete through Jameson's window. Robbie Robertson tried to call the police, but found the phone lines dead. Spidey arrived and attempted to web him, but found both web shooters were empty. Scorpion threw a Cadillac at Jameson's window, which was caught by Spidey. Spider-Man recognized that Scorpion was stronger and faster than before but kept on him. Scorpion claimed he had nothing left to lose and that the experiments had taken his humanity, and his sense of mercy and remorse. Spider-Man laid into him, tired of Scorpion blaming everyone else for his problems. After beating Gargan, Spidey yanked off his mask, despite Scorpion thinking it was his face. Once he realized it was only a mask, he saw that his time hiding in the sewer was for nothing. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #21 vol. 1)

”A Gathering of Evil”

The criminal mastermind called Egghead came up with a plan to buy the world. He could get all the money he wanted by creating a chemical “fountain of youth.” He assembled Moonstone, Tiger Shark, Scorpion, and Whirlwind to form the Masters of Evil. He told them of places to steal the necessary supplies and warned to stay away from any heroes. Whirlwind went after Wasp anyway and the Masters were soon beaten by the Avengers. (Avengers (vol. 1) #222)

"The Scorpion Takes a Bride"

Scorpion spent much more time in jail after this bout with Spidey than he did previously. But during that long stretch in prison, his mind continued to disintegrate and his hatred of Spider-Man and Jameson only increased. Gargan found the perfect time to strike, after learning of Jonah's impending marriage to Marla Madison. As luck would have it (or lack of luck), John Jameson was also getting treatment at the same psychiatric facility that was the home of the Scorpion. Tricking a guard into thinking that he could be trusted, Gargan escaped long enough to re-gain his costume and immediately kidnapped the younger Jameson. While the police searched for John and put JJJ under police protection, Scorpion attacked Marla as well. Going on a hunch, Spider-Man went to Marla's apartment and barely managed to escape with Jameson's fiancé.

Scorpion went after them, and managed to distract Spider-Man by crushing the side of a building, knowing that the vigilante would stop to protect the innocent bystanders from the falling rubble. Cornering Marla, he was only stopped by Jameson, who told Scorpion that he had been paying for him for years: in terms of guilt and in terms of his doctor and sanitarium bills. He had even set up a trust fund for the Scorpion's victims. Not impressed, Scorpion demanded that the only price he was willing to accept for Jameson turning him into a freak was JJ's death. John, who had escaped from his captivity in the sewer, arrived at the scene and was quickly captured by Gargan. He forced JJ to choose who would die: his son or his fiancé. Naturally, that's when Spidey showed up and beat Gargan to a pulp. (Amazing Spider-Man Annual #18)

“Counter Measures”

Scorpion was summoned to Manitoba, Canada, by Llan the Sorcerer. Llan also called upon the Owl, Asp, Nekra with the purpose of helping mankind destroy itself. The group was defeated by Alpha Flight and Witchfire, who used her magic to remove Llan’s mind control over the criminals. They were knocked out in the process. (Alpha Flight (vol. 1) #80)

"Sting Your Partner"

Gargan started working for Justin Hammer, who gave him an updated suit that sprayed acid and mace. Hammer gave him the order to kidnap General Musgrave, who was privy to certain sensitive state secrets. The general would then be given to unfriendly foreign powers and in return Hammer's business dealings would be given special treatment in those countries. Scorpion made his attack on the general while he was visiting Empire State University, just as Spider-Man was arriving to get photos. Scorpy managed to capture the general despite Spidey's efforts and decided to take him hostage in return for Jonah Jameson. Either way, in one hour one of them would die. (Amazing Spider-Man #318)

As Scorpion held General Musgrave in his tail, he had Spider-Man pick up a pizza while they waited for Jameson. (Spidey ordered the pizza with anchovies to mess with him.) The hour passed without Jameson showing up and Scorpion escaped with the general by hijacking Musgrave's helicopter. Spidey tried to follow but his webline was snapped by Gargan's tail. Spider-Man did manage to hit him with a spider tracer before they got out of range. At an abandoned barn in Connecticut, Gargan decided that since Hammer wouldn't be a safe bet to deliver Musgrave to after being double crossed, he decided to sell the general to Wilson Fisk. While driving the general to the Kingpin, the van was stopped by Spider-Man and before the fight could begin, the group was attacked by the Rhino. Sytsevich had been hired by Hammer to retrieve Musgrave after Scorpion broke their deal. There was also a guy there called Blacklash, who was also hired by Hammer. They managed to capture Scorpion but didn't have time to find General Musgrave before they fled as the police arrived. Spider-Man took the general to safety. (Amazing Spider-Man #319)

"Powerless"

Gargan returned to crime with the help of "Dr. Turner," who gave him back his costume and tail. His task was to kill Spider-Man, who had recently been depowered. Scorpion attacked his favorite target, Jameson, and Peter had just arrived to ask for an assignment. Gargan took Jonah to the roof of the Bugle, waiting for Spider-Man to show up. Peter had placed calls to the Avengers and Fantastic Four, only to get their answering machines. He reluctantly called the Black Cat, who brought him his costume. Scorpion again wanted Spider-Man to take his hostage's place to save his life and was about to kill Jameson when it looked like Spidey wasn't going to show up.

Black Cat tackled Scorpion just in time, while the helpless Spider-Man caught Jonah. Jonah escaped and Gargan turned his rage on Spider-Man, knocking him toward the edge of the roof. He was saved by Cat, who knocked Scorpion over the edge and into a water tower. Spider-Man also fell and only managed to save himself with his webbing, still crashing through a sky light. Thinking Spider-Man was out of the fight, Scorpion turned on Black Cat, trying to hit her with a blast from his tail. He instead hit a nearby building, severing its top corner. Spider-Man tried to capture him with all of his remaining webbing, which Gargan quickly tore through. Black Cat again took Spidey to safety, this time to a roof with two irritated sun bathers. They decided to leave when Scorpion flung Spidey into a wall. Cat saved Spidey one last time by hitting Scorpion off the roof and into a pool below, shorting out the criminal's tail. Scorpion escaped, swearing to remember her. Spider-Man managed to place a spider tracer on Scorpion before he left. Spidey and Cat paid a visit to the man whose machine had removed his powers, but found the machine and the man gone. (Amazing Spider-Man #342)

Spidey, with Black Cat's help, soon found "Dr. Turner" and his accomplices: the Scorpion, the Femme Fatales (Mindblast, Bloodlust and Whiplash) and Tarantula II. "Dr. Turner" decided to be honest with his associates and revealed his true identity, the Chameleon. He had purchased a device from the Tinkerer that was supposed to immobilize Spider-Man but instead suppressed his powers. Chameleon had decided to toy with his enemy and put him in situations he knew that the vigilante would be drawn to. Now he had chosen to end the game. Upon hearing that his powers weren't erased, Spidey decided to try the machine again to see if the effects could be reversed. Black Cat, meanwhile, decided to keep the Chameleon and cronies occupied. He wasn't sure how the machine worked, but Peter was able to return his powers, despite the intense pain. After Black Cat beat Tarantula and the Femmes, Spidey took on the Scorpion. Scorpy threatened Spider-Man with his stinger, which Spidey taunted as his "stinker." He asked if Gargan had become the Skunk Man. Scorpion's tail then got caught in a tree and Spidey used the opportunity to punch him through the sky light. He guessed when and where Scorpion would land and meant to catch him, but then went after Chameleon instead. (Amazing Spider-Man #343)

"Invasion of the Spider Slayers"

Scorpion soon went right to the Tinkerer himself, who upgraded his tail with an electric charge. After picking it up from Tinkerer the next day, he happened to catch Spider-Man and Felicia Hardy talking nearby. He took them by surprise, forcing Hardy to run and Spider-Man to escape to the rooftops to keep pedestrians out of harms way. Spidey managed to avoid Scorpion's acid and electricity blasts but was taken by surprise by an amoeba like robot. Scorpion took advantage of the situation by hammering away at Spidey but was distracted when Felicia gave him a kick in the ribs. Scorpion took another swipe at her with his tail but she dodged and he hit the robot instead. He tried to short it out with an electric jolt, but the feedback destroyed his suit and he fled. Peter initially believed Mendel Stromm to be the builder of the amoeba, but it turned out to be Alistaire Smythe. (Amazing Spider-Man #370)

"Tainted"

Afterward, Scorpion was working with an American pharmaceutical company to sell tainted medication overseas. The cancer drug had failed to pass FDA inspection, leaving the company with a lot of unsellable medications. Overseas countries had less vigorous regulations, leaving a loophole for the company. The shipment was intercepted at a shipping dock by Cardiac. By the time Scorpion arrived from the ship's cargo hold, Cardiac had taken out the mercenaries guarding the drugs. Weakened from a gunshot wound taken while fighting the mercenaries, Cardiac quickly fell to Scorpion. (Web of Spider-Man #107)

Scorpion was knocked over by Cardiac's flying staff, which carried the hero away. Scorpion challenged him to come back, and Cardiac circled around and blasted the shipment of drugs. When Cardiac showed up at Tamco's headquarters, Scorpion was waiting for him. Cardiac went for the elevator and Scorpion hit him with his tail through the door. Cardiac hit him with a blast from his staff, causing the tail to malfunction. The tail began malfunctioning and threw Gargan down the elevator shaft. After Cardiac finished with Tamco's CEO, he found Gargan had fled. (Web of Spider-Man #108)

"The Predator and the Prey"

Relaxing in a underground lair, Mac Gargan was happily sipping some fresh cappuccino and enjoying his new life. A man named Cussler had helped him end his life as the Scorpion and given him the hideout to be away from the scrutiny of the public and the press. As he stared at the costume, Gargan told himself, "Since the day I first became the Scorpion, I've been a slave to that costume--jerked around and manipulated by everybody and their mother--losin' complete control of who I was, and what I wanted to do. Well, I know what I wanna do now! I want my life back--I wanna take charge! I'm not gonna be anyone's puppet anymore!"

Gargan went to visit Cussler in the hospital, who had been put there by Spider-Man, who believed Cussler had taken part in a robbery. He thanked Cussler for his help and for giving him his life back. Cussler told him that his success was his own doing but told him to keep the hideaway and all of his provisions would be paid for. As he was leaving the hospital, he was spotted by Peter Parker, who was visiting his aunt. Peter followed him to a manhole, and decided that would be a private enough place for a fight. Changing into Spider-Man, Peter provoked a fight with the helpless man. (Peter had recently been betrayed by Harry Osborn and had a major chip on his shoulder.) Despite Gargan pleading that he didn't want a fight, Spider-Man was soon pummeling him again and again. Peter realized what he was doing and Gargan escaped. (Spectacular Spider-Man #216)

"The Humanity Agenda"

Gargan had been impersonated by Spidercide, who attacked Ben Reilly. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man #1) Spidercide released him and others (Mysterio, Typhoid Mary, Chameleon, Shriek, Mister Hyde and Swarm) from their cells at Ravencroft. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man #4)

As Scorpion beat the snot out of Spider-Man, he was stopped by Shriek who said his tail was pointless. The way to defeat Spider-Man was through his mind. She tried to bring out Ben's dark side but he batted her aside. She was given a second wind by the DNA that Spidercide had transferred to all of the inmates, to enhance their durability. She and the others nearly beat Spider-Man to death until they were stopped by a remorseful Spidercide. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man #5)

"Poisoned Souls"

Gargan was back to being a criminal and was a hired hand for the Roxxon corporation. He kidnapped Jonah and Marla Jameson at Empire State University and took them to Bolivia. It was there that the Black Tarantula was creating super criminals for Roxxon and they wanted Marla’s expertise to help them. Scorpion was about to sting Jonah as incentive for Marla but Spider-Man arrived in time. Jonah and Marla escaped and found help and Spidey defeated Scorpion. Black Tarantula escaped. (Spider-Man Unlimited #22)

"Where R U Spider-Man?"

Peter gave up being Spider-Man after the Gathering of Five ceremony. He ignored criminals and their rampages, including the Scorpion as he tore apart Manhattan. Gargan was taking apart several NYPD officers when he was attacked by Spider-Man (Martha Franklin). Spidey was noticeably off his game, and didnt use webbing during the fight. He was soon buried under a collapsed wall and Scorpion left to carry out his mission. Gargan later showed up at Tri Corp Research Foundation, where Peter was applying to a job. He burst through a wall and demanded to know who the person was he was looking for. His employers had given him a bio-scanning device that would lead him to the person they wanted. No one stepped forward, so Scorpion let some blasts fly from his tail to get people talking and Peter was forced to risk exposing himself to get people to safety. Scorpion then realized that Peter was the one he was looking for, and just as Peter was afraid he would have to take on his enemy without his costume and expose himself, the new Spider-Man arrived. As the new webhead kept Scorpion busy, Peter used a nearby device to short out his costume. Gargan went down for the count and the new Spider-Man escaped without answering any questions. (Amazing Spider-Man #1 vol. 2)

"Rules of the Game"

Gargan was later hired to act as a sort of gladiator for rich businessmen. He was paired against Spider-Man and had the help of a robot called XP-2000. The robot tended to talk too much and almost gave away the name of their employer when Scorpion smashed him with his tail. Gargan was soon beaten. (Peter Parker: Spider-Man #54 vol. 2)

"Marvel Knights"

Gargan had been secretly an employee of Norman Osborn. He didnt commit any crimes for the Goblin, but was a sort of sleeper agent in the event that Osborn's double life were exposed by Spider-Man. When the Green Goblin was finally unmasked and jailed by Spider-Man, he put his fail-safe plan in motion. Gargan drew Peter's attention away from his family by smashing Ben Parker's tombstone, then called him anonymously and threatened his aunt. When a furious Peter arrived at May's home, she was missing and the place was torn apart. (Marvel Knights Spider-Man #1)

Gargan called Peter again after Spidey defeated Angelo Fortunato, Venom II. Gargan told him that he had only seen the tip of the iceberg of what was coming. His other enemies were going to be more dangerous than ever and Peter hardly knew anything. He told Peter to meet him for lunch the next day. (Marvel Knights Spider-Man #8)

When Peter and Mac met the next day, Peter didn't even recognize him. Gargan felt insulted and told him he was the Scorpion, and Peter replied by picking him up and slamming him against a window. Peter demanded to know where May was and Gargan smirked that secret identities apparently meant nothing to superheroes anymore. He did tell Peter than his aunt was still alive, but that could change if he didn't cooperate. Peter asked how long Gargan had known about his secret and he replied it was almost a year.

Peter was amazed he had known so long but not acted on that knowledge. Gargan replied that Osborn had not let him act on that info unless he were captured, and this was the Green Goblin's revenge. Gargan explained that powerful companies were afraid of superheroes and how they might uncover their illegal dealings. So they kept heroes busy by creating super criminals and hired them to keep specific heroes busy. Norman Osborn had been one of those businessmen but eventually became mentally unstable and took up being the Green Goblin. Osborn knew all about this conspiracy and who was involved in it. Now that he was in prison, the other conspirators were afraid he would talk. So the other businessmen had been raiding Osborn's offices for any evidence of what they had done, and since they had nearly found all they were looking for, it was time to kill Norman.

Norman and Mac expected Spider- Man to break him out of prison to save May Parker. He had bought this on himself, they reasoned, so he needed to fix it. Peter still didnt trust Gargan, but the criminal left him behind to think of all the loved ones he has already lost. Returning to his hideout and to the new Scorpion suit Osborn built for him, Gargan was met by the Venom symbiote, who offered to make him more powerful than any costume. (Marvel Knights Spider-Man #9) He accepted and became Venom III. (Marvel Knights Spider-Man #9)

"Revenge of the Spider-Slayer"

Gargan had a long, bloody stint as Venom but was more than happy to give up the symbiote after being bonded to it for so long. He was broken out of jail by Alistaire Smythe, who built him a new Scorpion battle armor, based on Spider-Man's powers. The suit was also keeping Gargan alive, as being bonded to Venom had left him with a weak body. Smythe and Gargan's first target? John and Jonah Jameson, naturally. While Scorpion went after John, Smythe and his insectoid army would attack Jonah and his loved ones. (Amazing Spider-Man #652)

They attacked John at a space shuttle, with Scorpion plotting to kill the younger Jameson inside the shuttle as it launched. Scorpion kept Spider-Man at bay as he tried to call in re-enforcements from the Avengers. Scorpion had Spidey on the ropes until he was saved by Ms. Marvel. Realizing that Gargan (and Smythe's insect army) now had his own sort of "spider sense," Peter went back to Horizon Labs and created a "spider sense jammer." (Amazing Spider-Man #653)

Peter was helped in building the jammer by his boss at Horizon Labs, Max Modell. Modell made the device more efficient but warned that Spider-Man would need to be out of the area when it was activated, otherwise his own early warning sense would be compromised. Spidey deduced that the signal that linked Smythe's communications to Scorpion and the insectoids had to be located at the Flatiron building. Scorpion arrived as Spidey was setting up the spider sense jammer and in the fight the remote control to the device was destroyed. He had no choice but to stay nearby as the device went off. It successfully erased Scorpion's early warning sense, as well as the insectoids, but also Peter's spider sense. Gargan complained that the inside of his brain felt microwaved and Spidey quickly beat and webbed him up. Unfortunately, Jonah's wife was killed by Alistaire Smythe. (Amazing Spider-Man #654)

"Dying Wish"

Scorpion unknowingly aided Spider-Man in their next meeting. Otto Octavius was dying from radiation poisoning and various beatings taken over the years and only had hours left to live. The mad scientist had managed to switch Peter Parker's brain waves into his own dying body and Otto's mind into Peter's. Peter, in Ock's body, managed to find a way to call of various super-villains for help, as Ock was being held at The Raft. Scorpion answered the call, as did the Trapster and Hydro-Man. The trio followed "Dr Octopus's" instructions all over New York, as they were followed by the police and "Spider-Man." They ended up at Avengers Tower, where "Ock" hoped that his mind could be put back in his real body. "Spider-Man" let slip that Jameson was in the building and Scorpion became focused on finding him. When he finally found his target, he threatened to kill Aunt May and Jonah Senior. "Spider-Man" arrived and defended May, punching Gargan so hard that his jaw was separated from his head. (Amazing Spider-Man #700)

"No Escape"

When Gargan was next seen, he was at The Raft, a prison for super criminals. He had been given a new robotic jaw and was being prepped for evacuation from The Raft in preparation of the execution of Alistaire Smythe. The security team was right to suspect that Smythe would try to use other inmates to save himself, as his tiny robots soon freed Gargan, Boomerang and the Vulture. They were ordered to kill Spider-Man (Octavius), who was attempting to stop Smythe's escape. (Superior Spider-Man #11)

The enhanced criminals (who had been given medical upgrades courtesy of Smythe's robots) soon were taking on their mutual foe, until they were given orders via radio from Smythe to kill the assembled hostages. Scorpion immediately went after Jonah Jameson, Boomerang took on Spider-Man, and the Vulture went for the assorted people that had come to witness Alistaire's execution: his lawyer, a priest, Glory Grant, the head of The Raft's security team and Norah Winters. (Superior Spider-Man #12) Gargan soon found Jonah and easily overpowered the armed man. He was about to kill him when the Lizard arrived and stopped him. Connors was now in control of the Lizard's body and refused to allow "the monsters" to harm any more people. Scorpion was confident that he could kill both Connors and Jameson but didn't get the chance, as his enhancements were deactivated when Smythe was killed. Connors said that Mac needed medical attention but left him anyway. (Superior Spider-Man #13)

"Spider-Man 2099"

The Spider-Man from the year 2099, Miguel O'Hara, had become trapped in the present day and was an employee of the Alchemax corporation. It was a less than ethical business and had agreed to send a shipment of spider-slayers to the Middle Eastern country of Trans-Sabal. The country was in the middle of a popular uprising and upon the plane landing at the airport, O'Hara's boss, Tiberius Stone, was kidnapped by rebels. When Spider-Man 2099 tracked him down to the rebel hideout, he was just in time for the Scorpion to arrive. Gargan was surprised to see Spider-Man in Trans-Sabal and they briefly fought before spider-slayers arrived to support Scorpion. (Spider-Man 2099 vol. 2 #3)

Scorpion had been sent to Trans-Sabal as a bodyguard for Stone, whom had gotten him out of prison and rebuilt his suit. O'Hara tried to explain that they were both looking after Stone, which Scorpion didnt care about. After smashing Spider-Man out of a window, Scorpion ordered the spider-slayers to contain him, but that only Gargan could kill him. Spider-Man mused to himself during the fight that "History always depicted the Scorpion as a minor annoyance for Spider-Man at best. My guess is that no historians ever found themselves in pitched battle with him.” Miguel escaped by having his costume's A.I. disguise him as a civilian but Scorpion responded by having the spider-slayers target innocent bystanders. Spidey quickly had his costume project an image of himself onto the Scorpion, confusing the spider-slayers. The robots attacked the lunatic, who ordered them to stop. They ignored him and eventually defeated him.

Stone and O'Hara then traveled to see the country's dictator, who said he expected replacements for the destroyed slayers. Stone changed his mind about the deal and cancelled it, telling the dictator that his money would be returned. If he tried to stop them from leaving, the remaining spider-slayers would kill him. After leaving and getting into a limo, Stone and O'Hara found the Scorpion waiting for them inside. Scorpion was sure that he had met Miguel before, but he denied it. (Spider-Man 2099 vol. 2#4)

"Heart of Darkness"

Gargan was still working as security as Alchemax and as an enforcer for the Black Cat. He was at a meeting with an former army ranger named Lee Price, who was looking for work. Gargan was unsure of Price, whom he thought might be a psycho or a PTSD case from his war experiences. After Price explained his war story and his denied military benefits, he was hired for the job. All Gargan wanted from him was to look like he could kill someone, not actually do it. (Venom #1)

The job turned out to be a meeting and exchange of goods with one of Tombstone's gangs. The meeting went bad, and only Price survived after bonding to the Venom symbiote. The new Venom returned the merchandise to Scorpion's new boss, the Black Cat. (Felicia returned to organized crime after she blamed the Superior Spider-Man for ruining her life.) They were suspicious that he was the only survivor, didnt know what happened, and brought the merchandise back the next day instead of right away. They also knew that the men that died were killed by something other than bullets. Price managed to convince Black Cat to keep him, but made a snarky comment about Scorpion knowing how to contact him. Gargan hadnt told him he was the Scorpion, which made him suspicious. (Price had been told by the symbiote, which had previously bonded to Gargan.) (Venom #2)

Gargan was still suspicious of Price and wanted to know more about him. Meanwhile, federal agents had tried to kill Venom, which led to Price's apartment burning. That was brought to Gargan's attention, and the underling asked if he had gone after Price. Gargan knew better than to go behind his boss's back, but he went for his Scorpion armor anyway. (Venom #3)

Black Cat sent Lee on a mission to scare a reporter that was investigating her organization, but also wanted Scorpion to watch him and keep him out of trouble. Scorpion was waiting outside the reporter's apartment and when Price suggested a subtle plan, Scorpion smashed the door. As Scorpion tortured the reporter, he told Lee that he intended to kill him and then frame Price. Scorpion beat Price unconscious, and turned to the reporter but was stopped by Venom. The symbiote had taken over, and Scorpion knew that something had been suspicious about him. The fight was short, as Scorpion had a sonic blaster in his tail that momentarily disabled Venom. They crashed through the apartment wall into the next residence and the tenant recorded the fight. (Venom #4)

The video of the fight was posted online and drew the attention of Spider-Man, who caught Scorpion after Venom threw him at him. While Spidey went to save civilians from the destruction, Scorpion and Venom escaped. (Venom #5)

Lee Price was eventually defeated by Spider-Man, the FBI, and Eddie Brock. Brock's true agenda was revealed when he killed a guard watching the symbiote and rebonded to it. Scorpion was soon sent after the recreated original Venom by his employer, the Alchemax corporation. He wanted the symbiote as revenge for the pain it caused him when they were bonded. Scorpion hit him with a flame thrower in his tail, which Venom destroyed. He didnt have time to escape the sonic weapon in Scorpion's claws, however. Scorpion knew the alien's weakness, and had Alchemax scientists give him weapons accordingly. He intended to kill Brock and roast the alien, when it destroyed his armor by crawling inside it and taking it apart. The Scorpion was beaten, but Eddie and the alien were too weak to kill him and fled. (Venom #150)

"Venom Inc"

Gargan was soon back working for Black Cat. During a meeting with Hammerhead in which the gangster was giving stolen jewels to Cat, they were interrupted by Lee Price. He had been bonded to a new symbiote and called himself Maniac. Price had formed his own gang, including the Looter, which were controlled by their own symbiotes. Soon, Cat's gang was also under his control. (Amazing Spider-Man #792)

Spider-Man and Flash Thompson (now Anti-Venom) found the gang's hideout shortly after they had all been bonded. The bad guys swarmed them and Scorpion nailed Spidey, as his symbiote cancelled his spider-sense. The only way Spidey saw out of the mess was setting the building on fire, weakening the aliens. It instead caused a support beam to fall on him and Anti-Venom, causing them to be captured. (Venom #159)

Spider-Man was corrupted by a piece of a symbiote and worked for Maniac. At least, until he wasn't and led his team to Maniac's hideout. His webbing and Venom's bullets were coated with anti-venom, weakening the symbiotes controlling the gang. Anti-Venom held Scorpion down, forcing the symbiote off of him as Gargan begged it to not leave him. (Venom #160)

"Lifetime Achievement"

When Jameson was invited to a lifetime achievement award hosted by mayor Wilson Fisk, he and Spider-Man were sidetracked by Arcade. The mad scientist subjected them to a replay of Jameson's life, from his childhood, to parenthood, to his wives deaths. After the trip down memory lane ended, they were faced by Scorpion, the Spider-Slayers, and the Human Fly. While Spider-Man dealt with them, Jonah found a way to control the spider-slayer and defeated the Flies. Spidey was left alone with Gargan, who he defeated. Their victory was short lived, as they were attacked by a giant figure of the Big Man. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #12)

Later, Scorpion was leaving the fight scene arguing with Arcade over the phone about getting paid. He was then ambushed by Taskmaster and Black Ant, tranquilized by a shot from Taskmaster. When he woke up, he found himself in a cage with the Vulture, Stegron, Tarantula, and King Cobra. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #13)

"Hunted"

Scorpion (and the Savage Six, the above including Rhino) was soon on display to a large group of wealthy hunters. The group had paid to hunt the criminals, all thanks to Arcade and Kraven the Hunter. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #16) Scorpion was next a prisoner in Central Park, captive by a force field around the park, and found a groggy Spider-Man. Gargan wasnt alone, but was with the other animal themed villians that had been captured:

• Princess Python
• White Rabbit
• Rhino
• Scorpia
• Viper
• Kangaroo (Hibbs)
• Puma
• Tarantula
• Armadillo
• Owl
• Beetle (Janice Lincoln)
• Toad
• Squid
• Stegron
• Dr. Octopus (Carolyn Trainer)
• Iguana
• Vulture
• Gibbon
• Frog Man
• Walrus
• Mad Dog
• Gazelle
• Mandrill
• Black Racer
• Man-Bull
• Razorback

Gargan attacked Spider-Man but didnt get much of a chance to kill him, as the wealthy hunters arrived using remote controlled Kraven robots. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #17) Under the Vulture's leadership, the remaining criminals mounted an attack on the robots, defeating them and realizing that the robots were wired to the humans brains, killing them if the robot were destroyed. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #19) After the force field was taken down, the surviving criminals were captured by the Avengers and Fantastic Four. Scorpion managed to escape with the rest of the Savage Six. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #22)

"Absolute Carnage"

Scorpion met Miles Morales while robbing an armored truck. He had heard of a new Spider-Man, and called him Spider-Man Jr. Scorpion tossed him around a little, and Morales's venom blast didn't work against Gargan's insulated suit. Beating the hell out of Scorpion was working pretty well, until a horde of red monsters attacked them. Scorpion recognized the clothing under the red outside as uniforms from Ravencroft asylum, and knew that they were inmates. Spider-Man refused to hurt them and Scorpion had no such problem with it. Gargan tried to gain time by throwing Spidey at the monsters, which resulted in sarcasm from the man behind the monsters: Carnage. They had come for the Scorpion, as he had once been bonded to Venom. (The god of the symbiotes, Knull, had been defeated by Venom and Carnage had learned of how symbiotes leave traces of themselves in their hosts spines. If he took the spines of everyone ever bonded to a symbiote, he could possibly contact and revive Knull. The God in Black would then return to Earth for revenge.) Scorpion tried to run but was stopped by Carnage, who was about to tear his spine out when Miles stopped him. Venom arrived, grabbed Scorpion and ran, leaving Miles alone with Carnage. (Absolute Carnage: Miles Morales #1)

"Venom Beyond"

After losing his legs Absolute Carnage, Gargan came after Eddie and Dylan Brock with Warmachine's armor and the Green Goblin's glider and bombs. They had been meeting with an evil Reed Richards from another dimension who had created an artificial symbiote and a device to take him back to his reality. That is when Gargan attacked (calling himself Virus) and blew up the machine, sucking all of them into the other dimension. (Venom #191)

When Virus arrived in the alternate and dystopian New York City, he was attacked and subdued by symbiotic Avengers. (Venom #192) He was taken to the laboratory of that world's leader, Codex, and put in a cryotube to bond to a symbiote. After the bond was complete, he swore loyalty to Codex and had a Scorpion/Venom appearance. (Venom #193) Scorpion found Venom, Dylan, and their new team made up of alternate reality Peter Parker, Cletus Kasady, Deadpool and Anne Weying, all bonded to symbiotes. Gargan and his new symbiote were easily defeated by Dylan, with the new alien perishing. Gargan screamed that Venom had left him to die during Absolute Carnage, and Carnage had paralyzed his legs. Eddie told Gargan that he was going to take them all to Codex's lab. (Venom #194)

”Gang War”

During the latest gang war to tear apart New York, Scorpion was sent by Agent Gao to take down the Bumbler and Frost Pharaoh’s gangs. They were every bit as pathetic as they sound and were beaten by Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Misty Knight and Colleen Wing. Agent Gao’s team, the Cape Killers, tried to arrest Spider-Man and the others. (Miles Morales: Spider-Man (vol. 2) #13)

Spider-Man reminded Scorpion about how they had worked against Carnage and Scorpion was genuinely unhappy to be taking him in. He did like Miles a lot more than the original Spider-Man. Misty and Colleen were captured and arrested while Scorpion took another crack at Spider-Man. He was sorry to do it but would still enjoy it. During the fight, Miles got a hologram call from the original Spider-Man, who was dealing with the gang war with She Hulk in another part of the city. He told Peter he was being arrested by the Cape Killers and She Hulk interrupted the call to argue the legality of the situation with Agent Gao. All fighting stopped during the debate and it ended with Peter telling Miles they’d call again later.

While Misty and Colleen were taken away, Scorpion and Gust (a teenager working with the Cape Killers against her will) looked after Miles. They were attacked by the Enforcers (Ox, Fancy Dan and Montana) and the Prowler (Aaron Davis, Miles’s uncle.) They had been sent by the Hobgoblin, who wanted Spider-Man kept away from his operation in Brooklyn. Scorpion was momentarily taken by surprise by Montana and Fancy Dan but immediately got up and showed Gust that they really were second rate jobbers. Scorpion, Spider-Man and Gust took on the Prowler and were joined by Starling, Shift and Ms. Marvel. (Miles Morales: Spider-Man (vol. 2) #14)

"Venom War"

Scorpion was looking for safe haven during an invasion of "zombiotes" and came across Silver Sable and the Wild Pack. Knowing that they were mercenaries, Scorpion offered to pay them to protect him, as he refused to be bonded to another symbiote. The zombiote hoard followed him to the Wild Pack and during the melee he saw that they had been bonded to symbiotes as well. He was quickly bitten and infected with a symbiote, making him chase his attempted saviors. During the fight his tail pierced a metal canister that the Wild Pack was transporting, making it explode. The Wild Pack regrouped and found that the canister contained Shriek. (Venom War: Lethal Protectors #2)

Quiz: Quiz on Scorpion.

Image Gallery

Appearances

Cover Date	Appearance Information
Jan 1965	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #20
	Creation
Oct 1965	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #29
	Escapes jail, Attacks JJJ
Feb 1970	App: Captain America (Vol. 1) #122
Nov 1971	App: Daredevil (Vol.1) #82
Dec 1971	App: Daredevil (Vol.1) #83
Jul 1972	App: Captain America (Vol. 1) #151
Aug 1972	App: Captain America (Vol. 1) #152
Jun 1975	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #145
	Paroled, attacks Aunt May's hospital
Jul 1975	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #146
Jan 1977	App: Ms. Marvel (Vol. 1) #1
	Attacks JJJ
Date TBD	App: Ms. Marvel (Vol. 1) #2
Aug 1978	App: Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #21
	Enhances power, attacks JJJ
Jun 1981	App: Marvel Team-Up #106
Aug 1982	App: Avengers (Vol. 1) #222
Year 1984	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) Annual #18
	Escapes, kidnaps JJJ's bride
Aug 1989	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #318
	Hired by Justin Hammer, New costume and tail
Sep 1989	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #319
	Hammer hires Rhino and Blacklash to take tail back
Dec 1989	App: Alpha Flight #79
Jan 1990	App: Alpha Flight #80
Dec 1990	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #342
	Hired by Chameleon, who buys tail back from Hammer; vs. Spider-Man and Black Cat
Jan 1991	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #343
Dec 1992	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #370 (Story 1)
	Rematch against Spider-Man and Black Cat
Aug 1994	App: Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #215
	Regains sanity and quits crime. Battered by Spider-Man regardless
Sep 1994	App: Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #216
Aug 1996	App: Spider-Man Unlimited #13
	Back meaner and madder than ever
Nov 1998	App: Spider-Man Unlimited #22
Jan 1999	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #1 (Story 1)
Jun 2004	BTS: Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #1
Jan 2005	App: Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #8
Feb 2011	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #650
	First post-Venom appearance
Feb 2011	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #651
	Receives upgraded Scorpion suit from Alistair Smythe
Mar 2011	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #653 (Story 1)
Apr 2011	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #654 (Story 1)
Feb 2013	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #699
Mar 2013	App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #700 (Story 1)
	Jaw Broken by Spider-Ock
Aug 2013	App: Superior Spider-Man #11
Aug 2013	App: Superior Spider-Man #12
Sep 2013	App: Superior Spider-Man #13

Thanks To

 The assistance of the Marvel Chronology Project is gratefully acknowledged.

 Some of the above information is extracted from the various versions of the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe and the more recent Marvel Encyclopaedias.