Scorpion (Mac Gargan)

MacDonald Gargan

• As the Scorpion, Mac Gargan possesses all the physical attributes of an arachnid, proportionate to a human body. Among these attributes include superhuman strength, speed, agility, and reflexes, as well as the ability to scale walls.
• Gargan's specialized exoskeleton Scorpion armor enhances his durability, and the stinger on the end of the suit'a tail can discharge an extremely corrosive acid, capable of melting through steel and damaging metals such as Vibranium and Adamantium.
• As a former Army serviceman, Gargan possesses military combat training and expertise.
• Gargan's skills acquired by his service as a Reconnaissance Operative make him an excellent tracker and spy.

• Gargan's mental instability makes him prone to sudden, aggressive mood swings, paranoia, and can make him tunnel-visioned in combat.

Mac Gargan suffers from intense sociopathic tendencies. He was invariably a thief, a liar, and aggressive well into his teenage years. His sociopathy verged into sadism when he harmed neighborhood animals for the sake of venting frustration.

Despite the efforts of his parents to encourage their son to clean up his act by enlisting him in military school after his expulsion from high school, Gargan's mental state worsened. P.T.S.D. from his wartime experiences left him more damaged than when he went into the Army. He became violent, paranoid, and antisocial. His efforts to rebuild himself after his discharge were hampered by his inability to bypass his own private demons.

As the Scorpion, Gargan's mental disorders and anger towards the world reached their apex. The genetic modifications to Gargan's body altered his mind, ridding him of his few remaining inhibitions and allowing him to truly embrace his inner violent, bloodthirsty nature. His defeat at the hands of Spider-Man left him with a burning, foaming hatred of the hero. As well, he has a love/hate J. Jonah Jameson, feeling strangely "indebted" to him for his part in turning Gargan into the Scorpion in the first place, but also despising this "debt" as he feels he cannot bring himself to kill Jameson out of a strange sort of gratitude.

Born in Augusta, Maine, Mac Gargan was known for his sociopathic behavior from a very young age, including stealing schoolwork from his classmates to pass as his own, spread rumors about his peers, and even harm animals just for fun. After being expelled from high school for bringing a weapon on-campus, he was enlisted into the U.S. Army and served three tours in Afghanistan, eventually becoming a skilled Reconnaissance Operative. However, his psychological problems worsened, leading to his dishonorable discharge after he struck a superior officer while being reprimanded for threatening another soldier, whom he accused of theft.

After moving to New York City, Gargan opened a private investigation business, but his short temper and lack of patience strained his success. He was hired by J. Jonah Jameson, publisher of The Daily Bugle, to investigate Peter Parker and his ability to get perfect shots of the vigilante Spider-Man (not at all aware that Parker and Spider-Man were one and the same). Gargan's efforts turned up short, thanks to Parker's evasiveness. To recoup his losses and have something to show for it, Jameson hired engineer Spencer Smythe and geneticist Miles Warren to turn Gargan into a weapon to fight Spider-Man directly. Gargan was subjected to genetic augmentation, fusing his D.N.A. with that of an altered Emperor Scorpion, and given a special battlesuit inspired by the creature.

Calling himself "the Scorpion," Gargan stalked and harassed Spider-Man, even defeating him in Times Square during their initial confrontation, but his genetic alterations negatively impacted his mental state, causing him to kill a police officer who tried to intervene. Soon, Gargan's attention turned towards Jameson, whom he attacked in his office. Jameson was only narrowly saved by the timely intervention of Spider-Man, who defeated the Scorpion by tricking him into stabbing his tail into a transformer in the Bugle's basement.