The Legend of the Blue Scorpion

[NoOneofConsequence]

So, this was a character I did about 15 or so years ago. It was originally for Mutants & Masterminds 1st ed, and whatever long lost stat write ups for it I had were in that system. As this is totally lacking in any stats, I thought it might go better here than in the character write up board. But at any rate, this started as an effort to make a legacy character similar to James Robinson's take on Starman, as well as the Batman Beyond tv series and things like The Phantom and the like. It may have also been influenced by the return of Hawkman in JSA, but I honestly can't remember at this point. But thanks to my obsessive-compulsive tendencies, it ended up growing into this massive backstory of previous incarnations, including how the whole thing might've played out "out of character" in the world of publishing and other media. And so, the legend of the Blue Scorpion.

(Note that character numbering - I, II, etc. - are done to represent chronological order of creation/publication, similar to how DC used to do it pre-Crisis, rather than historical order.)

Blue Scorpion I (Daniel O'Brian, aka Bret Sanders, b.1898 d. 1943)

A simple Midwest farm boy, Daniel "Danny" O'Brian ran off to join the Belgian army in an idealistic and naive quest for adventure. The brutality of the Great War left him a broken man. He proceeded to drift about Europe, Africa and Asia as an amoral gun for hire. When not fighting, he drank heavily, hoping to escape his lost idealism and guilty conscience. One night in Shanghai, he was kidnapped and taken to the hidden Temple of the Blue Scorpion. The master of this secret monastery offered O'Brian a chance to conquer his own demons, redeem himself for his wicked deeds, and become a force for justice in the world. Like a drowning man grasping for a lifeline, Danny accepted.
Trained in the Temple's fighting styles and secret mental disciplines, O'Brian became an even deadlier combatant and a living weapon against evil. He returned to the United States under the identity of another temple member, Bret Sanders. As Sanders, he was now the heir to a newspaper publishing empire and began using his fortune, his press, and his position as a wealthy socialite to wage a subtle war against crime and corruption. But at night, "Bret Sanders" would become the Blue Scorpion, a masked champion and avenger of the innocent and the powerless in a world of criminals who operate above the law.
The Blue Scorpion's primary weapons were his twin Colt .45 automatics and his power "to cloud men's minds", making himself invisible or to appear as different or as frightening as he wished. He was aided by his loyal confidant and chauffeur, Hong Chin, as well as by a small army of contacts and allies he collected in his adventures.
Final Fate: In 1943, the Blue Scorpion faced his most deadly foe, the White Dragon, a seemingly demonic Asian crime lord who ruled over his own global underworld empire of evil. Having stolen a great deal of the research behind the Manhattan Project, the White Dragon created his own atomic weapon. The Blue Scorpion defeated the White Dragon and destroyed the bomb, but at the cost of his own life.
Historical Notes: First appearing in pulp magazines in 1932, the character was a fair success, going on to appear in newspaper strips and a radio drama. In 1939, an attempt was made to move the character to comic books, but found himself overshadowed by flashier superheroes. In 1941, a brief experiment saw the character trade in his trademark blue suit and guns for a traditional superhero costume and gas gun, but it was a flop and the character disappeared soon after. His final appearance was in 1943 as a minor part time member of one of the publisher's team books. The original character was mostly forgotten until decades later, when a 1988 miniseries wrapped up the character's life and revealed his final mission and death.
Influences: Obviously, The Shadow, but also certain aspects of the Green Hornet and The Spirit. His real name was partially derived from Denny O'Neil, with his alternate identity being a mix of IIRC both the Lone Ranger and the original Hawkgirl. His failed comic book reinvention is from The Sandman. The bomb story came from the 1994 film, and I like to imagine that final miniseries/graphic novel was done by Dennis O'Neil and Michael Kaluta.


The Blue Scorpion II (Clayton Hawk/Clayton Herkowski, b. 1846 d. 1897)

When outlaws ruled the West and fear filled the land, a cry went up for a man with courage. A man who was brave and true, with justice for all as his name. And that man was the masked hero known as the Blue Scorpion. Left for dead in the New Mexico Territory, newspaper reporter Clayton Hawk was found by a wandering mountain man and nursed back to health. Donning a blue mask, Hawk brought the bandit gang to justice and decided to take up the life of a wandering hero. With his trademark six-gun and bullwhip, his trusty steed Destiny, and his faithful companion "Black Bear" Gonzolas, the Blue Scorpion offered battle to bad men near and far, conquering fear and hate across the West.
But in the shadow history of the world, the dying Clayton Hawk lay in the in-between place, the realm between life and death. There he was visited by the spirit of a medicine man who'd walked those lands long before the coming of the white man and had battled evil as the spirit warrior known as the Blue Scorpion. The shaman told Hawk that it was now his destiny to defend his people against the forces of darkness and shadow. And so for almost thirty years, the Blue Scorpion would travel the continent battling not only human evil, but all ilk of ghosts, werewolves and other creatures of the night.
Final Fate: By 1897, Clayton Hawk's reputation among those in the know as a paranormal troubleshooter had spread far enough that he was recruited by a famous European investigator and monster hunter to help track down and destroy a terrible undead monster that had made its lair in a city back east. The creature was defeated, but Hawk would succumb to his wounds received during the battle.
Historical Notes: Created in 1948, the second character to bear the Blue Scorpion name was one of the first wave of cowboy heroes in comics. He was also one of the more successful incarnations of the Blue Scorpion, appearing in a 1949 serial and a short lived 1950s tv series. While the character was often noted for having a black/mixed race sidekick who lacked any trace of racial caricature (save perhaps his habit of referring to himself as the Blue Scorpion's "Negro Amigo") and occasionally showcasing black, Native American and Chinese characters in a positive light, he was otherwise fairly unremarkable. Instead, for many, the character was defined - or redefined, rather - by the 1990s "mature readers" title The Legend of the Blue Scorpion. It was this critically acclaimed series which introduced the supernatural elements to the world, including the character's yearly vision quests with the shaman.
Influences: Obviously, the Lone Ranger was a big part of this. And Mel Brook's Blazing Saddles (one of my favorite films) had a strong influence. Also a number of Marvel and DC's western heroes, including the Vertigo era Jonah Hex stories. James Robinson's Starman, with the yearly visits with his dead brother, are also there, as is the whole idea of a "mature readers" revamp from Sandman Mystery Theater. The final fate is a Dracula reference.


The Blue Scorpion III (Anthony "Tony" Mason, b. 1944, d. 1988)

A young genius and prodigy, Tony Mason was the heir and owner of Mason Industries and one of the world's foremost young inventors. Believing that with his great financial and intellectual power came the even greater responsibility to use it wisely and humanely, Mason created the super heroic identity of the Blue Scorpion. Augmenting his natural athletic and detective abilities with a wide array of high tech gadgets - the most famous of which being his flying Scorpion Car and his invisibility-granting Scorpion Suit - the Blue Scorpion battled the forces of evil both in his home city and around the world.
Over the course of his career, the Blue Scorpion acquired a colorful and diverse rogues gallery. In addition to thieves such as the Diamond Doll, low level crooks the likes of Skull Face and the Slug, and crime lords Big Man and King Midas, he also faced Communist spies including the Red Queen, mad scientists such as Doctor Zero and the Black Dragon, and even a literal science pirate Captain Zargo. But perhaps the most famous is the psychic secret agent Roulette, who would reform and become Mason's partner and "girl Friday".
Final Fate: Eventually, the Blue Scorpion would learn that a number of his greatest enemies were, in fact, agents of a global criminal conspiracy known only as WRAITH. At the center of this web of evil sat the sinister mastermind Oswald Krieg. In 1988, Krieg unleashed Operation Shatterhand, an effort to blackmail the world using a series of earthquake-creating satellites. Tracking Krieg to his hidden Pacific Island base, the Blue Scorpion put an end to both WRAITH and Operation Shatterhand, but at the cost of his own life when Krieg's volcano lair exploded.
Historical Notes: Debuting in 1966, the Silver Age Blue Scorpion enjoyed moderate success. His original series lasted until 1970, and he managed to hang around in back up features before earning a spot in one of the company's team books. Though there were a few efforts at TV and film adaption, none came to fruition, and the rights were stuck in legal limbo for many years. However, he appeared in a number of free PSA comics as well as regular live action spots on one of PBS's children's educational programs of the 70s.
Influences: He's the Ted Kord Blue Beetle, with parts of Spider-Man and Iron Man mixed in. I like to imagine he was partially created by Ditko, and Roulette is probably a bit of an Objectivist. His rogues gallery are all taken from Ian Fleming's James Bond novels.

The Blue Scorpion IV (Lan Xiezi, The Three Kingdoms period of China)

During the chaos of the Three Kingdoms, there rose to prominence a youxia known as Lan Xiezi, the Blue Scorpion. The unparalleled master of Scorpion-style and wielder of the Blue Destiny Spear, he wandered the land battling bandits, corrupt officials, ghosts, vampires, and evil sorcerers.
Final Fate: In his twilight years, Lan Xiezi founded a temple from which to teach the Scorpion-style to his disciples. But this tranquil retirement was disrupted when the evil eunuch sorcerer Min Gui raised an army of the undead in an effort to make himself demon emperor of China. Once again taking up the Blue Destiny Spear, Lan Xiezi defeated Min Gui and destroyed his army of darkness, but Min Gui's black magic ensured that the Blue Scorpion perished as well.
Historical Notes: Lan Xiezi's stories were published in the 1970s black and white comic magazine The Legends of Kung Fu. This version of the Blue Scorpion would go on to develop a cult following among martial arts fans and college students. By the mid-90s, copies of the magazine were hotly sought after collectable items, and he was frequently name dropped in a number of hip hop albums. I spite of this, the character has yet to appear outside of the original comic medium. Internet rumors of movie developments still seem to pop up every so often.
Influences: Old kung fu movies, as well as Marvel's various martial arts stories from the 70s. He partially exists to explain the origin for the temple that trained the pulp era Blue Scorpion.

[NoOneofConsequence]

And part two.

The Blue Scorpion V (Nathanial Carter, b. 2156 d. 1996)

Grim times produce grim heroes. Shortly after the death of Tony Mason, a new hero appeared to take up the Blue Scorpion mantle. Wearing high tech cybernetic armor and wielding an arsenal of advanced weaponry, the new Blue Scorpion was a total enigma. A dark paladin of vengeance who often dealt with his foes in a lethal fashion, he seemed to possess no alternate identity or real name. He tended to clash rather than cooperate with other heroes, taking a self-righteous "my way or the highway" stance, and was quickly being hunted by the law and the various secret government agencies and black op superhuman paramilitary teams of the period.
Eventually, it was revealed that this Blue Scorpion was Nathanial Carter, a time traveler from the year 2191 AD. The latter half of the 22nd century was a technological utopia in which advances in genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and information systems had revolutionized the entire world and eliminated poverty and disease. Mankind had colonized the solar system and was branching out to the stars. Then came The Crash. A plague made up of genetically modified bacteria augmented with nanite technology, it combined the effects of biological disease, computer virus, and natural disaster. Sweeping the earth and its colonies, it deformed and mutated everything that it came in contact with.
A renowned explorer, adventurer, and scientist, Carter was part of a think tank devoted to finding both the cause and the cure for The Crash. But by the time the puzzle was solved, it was too late. Mankind was undergoing a total societal collapse, and Carter himself was infected. Only his own self-developed bio-kinetic abilities combined with an experimental life support suit saved him. With no hope of saving the world in his own time, Carter seized control of an illegal time machine and sent himself into the past so that he could stop The Crash at its source: A secret "shadow government" conspiracy at the end of the 20th century.
In addition to his already impressive physique - one enhanced by both 22nd century medical technology and his own bio-kinesis - and a wide range of technical and survival skills, Carter was permanently encased in his "Scorpion Armor", his life support suit and protective gear now fused to his body to contain and control his cybernetic infection. With his bio-kinetic powers, he is able to exert a limited amount of control over the Crash virus in his body, using it to boost himself physically, heal himself from catastrophic injury, and produce nanites to modify or create various high tech weapons and gear.
Final Fate: Killed in action during one of the numerous catastrophic crisis during the period, Nathanial Carter died unaware that his actions in the 20th century would ultimately make possible the restoration of earth during the 24th century.
Historical Notes: Created as an attempt at an "edgier" and "more mature" version of the Blue Scorpion character, the fifth incarnation was originally little more than a costume and a code name with a bad attitude and a lot of guns. Only later, under new writers, did his back story and origins come about. While initially extremely popular, especially among comic book speculators, the series - known more for its splash page heavy art than for its writing - was cancelled after a few years. The character continued to make appearances and develop a personality through guest shots and eventually as part of a team book, before eventually being killed off in hopes of reviving the name at a later date.
Influences: He's Cable, as well as a number of other characters from that era. There's also a few bits of The Omega Man thrown in, as well as The Terminator.


The Blue Scorpion VI

At the turn of the millennium, the city was haunted by a new Blue Scorpion. A silent whip and sword wielding vigilante, this new female version was a complete mystery to everyone. Quickly making enemies among gangs, crime families, and corrupt politicians and businessmen, the Scorpion was constantly hunted by hitmen, mercenaries, the media, and a police task force. After a little over a year, she disappeared as mysteriously and silently as she'd arrived.
Final Fate: See below.
Historical Notes: A creative experiment with mixed results, the sixth Blue Scorpion was created as both an effort to cash in on the period's "bad girl" trend as well as the success of the ongoing Legend of the Blue Scorpion series. This new series, Shadow of the Blue Scorpion, was a departure from traditional superhero comics in that the title character and her secret identity were as much a mystery to the readers as they were to the fictional world's public. The title character would only appear in action sequences or in scenes to move the overall plot and mystery forward. Meanwhile, the main focus was on three women - police detective Renee Gonzolas, investigative reporter Tina Hong, and office worker Karen Murphy - each of whom was presented as a potential candidate for being the Blue Scorpion. Unfortunately, the book only attracted a small readership, and after 10 issues, was slated for cancelation, being given a final two issues to wrap up the stories of the three main characters and leaving the title character's true identity a mystery until a few years later.
Influences: A lot of the female ninja characters from that period, including Psylocke, Elektra, and the like. Also bits of Batman: The Animated Series, Disney's Gargoyles, and some other odds and ends.


Future Legacies

During the run of Legend of the Blue Scorpion, the company one year made all of their annuals follow the common theme of showing possible future incarnations of the various characters. In an unusual move for a "mature readers" Victorian-Western-Horror title, the creative team for Legend of the Blue Scorpion contributed an annual for this Legacy theme, presenting three future versions of The Blue Scorpion, inspired by various comics from the 50s, 60s and 70s.

Rex Murphy is a private investigator at the end of the 21st century. The owner of Blue Scorpion Investigations, Rex and his robot sidekick Tram take on what at first appears to be a simple missing persons case, only to find themselves in the middle of Project: Overseer, a murderous conspiracy to take over the world using computer-media mind control.

Lothar, The Last Free Man on Earth is a barbarian warrior of the post-apocalyptic 24th century. The lone survivor of the Blue Scorpion tribe, he leads the battle against the tyrannical Lord Leviathan, eventually overthrowing him and discovering the secret of undoing the effects of The Crash.

Bind Plastino is a member of a galaxy-spanning team of young superheroes in the 30th century. As the Blue Scorpion, he possesses a 12th iteration intellect and is a polymath prodigy, excelling at almost any mental or physical activity he turns his mind towards. A genius in science, medicine, engineering, and tactics, he's also a near superhuman athlete and master of multiple martial arts from around the galaxy. The team is racing to stop of deadly destructive entity called The Endless Void, a shapeless mass of darkness which devours the life force of worlds and leaves them as cold lifeless shells. The Endless Void is finally defeated, but not before taunting Bind with the threat that their battle will never truly be over.

Inspirations: Old sci fi comics, the Tex Murphy series of computer games from the 90s, Komandi, Thundarr the Barbarian, The Road Warrior, and Legion of Superheroes.


Past Incarnations

Lasting exactly 100 issues (not counting the annual), Legends of the Blue Scorpion #99 ended with Clayton Hawk's death. And then issue 100, "The Final Mystery", turned things on their head. As he died, Hawk was visited a final time by the shaman, who revealed the truth about himself and about about Hawk's life and their legacy. There were Blue Scorpions before Clayton Hawk, and there would be Blue Scorpions long after him.

Working backwards through time, the shaman told the story of El Scorpion Azul, the masked swashbuckling hero of Old California who battled corruption with his sword and his whip. His death in 1845 while defeating an undead Aztec sorcerer lead to his reincarnation as Clayton Hawk.
From there, the story went further and further back, including the "Puritan Privateer" Christopher Kane, captain of the dread ship Blue Scorpion, and his battle with a city of devil bat-men in darkest Africa, and Sir Justin the Dane, a black night of Camelot who battled unholy horrors in the name of King Arthur.
Finally, in the sands of Egypt long before the Pharaohs reigned, there was the warlord known only as Scorpion. A warrior-hero and conquerer, he became the first king of the Nile River. Several years into his reign, his lands were threatened by an army of the dead. This army had been raised by Asag Sin, a Mesopotamian sorcerer made immortal through black magic and the promises of demons. After a long and terrible war, the Scorpion King was triumphant. But before he could deliver the killing blow against Asag Sin, the sorcerer cursed his enemy, promising that the king's soul would never know rest until the immortal Sin was destroyed. And ever since, there has always been a Blue Scorpion, and he will always defend against Asag Sin, no matter what face the creature wears.

Influences: Hopefully fairly obvious. Zorro, Solomon Kane, The Black Knight and the Shining Knight, Conan the Barbarian, and the Scorpion King (both "real" and from film).

[NoOneofConsequence]

And the final part.

The Blue Scorpion VII (Daniel "Danny" Kirk, b. 1988)

The oldest son of a two parent, three child household, Danny Kirk was athletically gifted and bright, and seemed to be an ordinary teenager. Ordinary, except for the small fact that sometimes he would find himself knowing things he shouldn't be able to know, or demonstrating skills he'd never learned. But this was something he mostly kept to himself, even from his family. At 16, is mother had gotten him a part time job in the mail room at Mason Technologies where she worked. One night, while waiting for his mother to finish work, Danny stumbled across an attempted theft by corporate mercenaries. A theft Danny was able to single handedly thwart when his "gift" reached a new level of strangeness, enabling him to defeat a group of trained professionals in hand to hand combat and then defuse the bomb they'd meant to cover their theft.
Then Danny met Roulette Mason and learned the truth about himself. Roulette, the former assistant and now widowed heir of Tony Mason, had spent the past 16 years preparing for this meeting. Through her psychic bond with her husband, she knew that Danny was the reincarnation of Tony Mason, as well as of Danny O'Brian, Clayton Hawk and all the others. Traditionally, the new Blue Scorpion has never known of his past incarnations, each evolving into the role of hero on his own. But the rapid pace of the modern world has made it vital that the Blue Scorpion return as soon as possible. Asig Sin survived the destruction of Project: Shatterhand - just as he did the atomic explosion that "killed" the White Dragon and all his other alleged deaths - and has returned. Now known as Maxwell Powers, he is the head of the multinational company Powers Inc, with ties to organized crime, militaries, and government agencies around the world.
Danny's unique talent, the subconscious ability to access the knowledge and skills of his previous incarnations, is the result of having two Blue Scorpions - Danny and the late Nathanial Carter - alive in the same time period. Using her own psychic abilities and Mason Technologies' resources, Roulette has created a special helmet which allows Danny to more easily access his past memories and their skills. In addition, he's outfitted with a number of high tech tools, including upgraded and improved versions of the Scorpion Suit and Scorpion Car.
Now, Danny just has to find a way to balance his family, his friends, his girlfriend, college, being Roulette Mason's personal assistant, and being the Blue Scorpion. And trying to figure out how to save the world from Maxwell Powers.

And so that was The Blue Scorpion, as of about 2005. Obviously, he drew a lot from Batman Beyond, as well as parts of Phantom 2040 and Invincible. Aspects of Blue Beetle and Hawkman are there also. I'll note that a while after doing this, I came across the version of Image's Shadowhawk, which was apparently going for a very similar gimmick, including the helmet accessing past lives thing. This annoyed me to no end. I know I'm not the most creative person out there, but its irritating to find that even the stuff you come up with on your own are already taken.

Anyway, the supporting cast of the character had a bunch of call backs to previous versions. Lt. Det. Renee Gonzolas was one of his regular contacts/allies, as was the Blue Scorpion Tong that was a branch of the Temple of the Blue Scorpion. And the idea was that, were this a comic book, it would be revealed here that the sixth Blue Scorpion was actually the paraplegic Roulette, using a prototype of the helmet to project herself psychically and temporarily possess others to act as the vigilante. Also, Danny is black, if that matters that much to anyone.

Given the evolution of comics over the past 15 years, I figure this version probably would've lasted until 2012 or so before some big company wide reboot rendered his entire legacy pointless.


And a final coda.

The Last Scorpion

Shortly after the final issue of Legend of the Blue Scorpion, the company had a major crossover event involving the future of the universe several thousand years in the future. While only a handful of titles were really involved in the main storyline, every book included an issue set in the time period. In light of the revelations in their final issue, the creative team for Legend contributed a story for an 80 page giant anthology.
The final incarnation is Blue Scorpion Alpha Prime, the champion of Automaterra, a Dyson sphere populated entirely by giant sentient machines. Over a thousand feet tall, Blue Scorpion Alpha Prime is able to metamorphosis into a space ship, as well as a half-way point which provides a colossal amount of fire power. In his final battle, he must save Automaterra from Omegacrom, the Destroyer of Worlds. It is a planet-sized war machine controlled by the decayed, undead brain of Asag Sin. The two battle, eventually falling into the sun at the center of Automaterra, where both die. With Asag Sin finally destroyed for good, the spirit of the Blue Scorpion finds his final rest.

[greycrusader]

Outstanding work!