| “ | 5,000 years ago, a fierce warrior known as the Scorpion King led a great army on a campaign to conquer the known world. After a vicious campaign which lasted seven long years, the Scorpion King and his army were defeated, and driven deep into the sacred desert of Ahm Shere. One by one, they slowly perished under the scorching sun, until only the great warrior himself was left alive. Near death, the Scorpion King made a pact with the dark god Anubis that if Anubis would spare his life and let him conquer his enemies, he would give him his soul. Anubis accepted his offer and spared his life. Anubis gave the Scorpion King command of his army, and like an evil flood, they washed away all that lay before them. When his task was done, Anubis forced the Scorpion King to serve him for all time. His army was returned to the sands from whence they came, where they wait, silently, to be awakened once again. | „ |
| ~ Ardeth Bay about the Scorpion King. |
Mathayus III, better known as The Scorpion King, is the overarching antagonist of the 2001 fantasy action-adventure film The Mummy Returns, the second installment of Stephen Sommers' The Mummy trilogy.
He was an Akkadian warrior and the descendant of Mathayus I the original Scorpion King, who would become an ancient evil that was stopped from decimating the Earth by Rick O'Connell.
He was portrayed by former WWE wrestler Dwayne Johnson in his first villainous role, who also played Agent 23 in Get Smart. His grunts were provided by rockstar Max Cavalera.
What Makes Him Pure Evil?[]
- He was a fierce and bloodthirsty warrior in ancient Egypt that set himself to conquer the Earth, starting a campaign over the country that claimed several lives, both from his enemies and his own soldiers, for which he showed no remorse.
- He attacked the ancient city of Thebes until he and his forces were defeated and sent away to the Ahm Shere deserts, where all his army perished until he remained.
- He made a deal with Anubis to surrender his soul to him in exchange of gaining ultimate power to defeat his foes, leading Anubis to give him the command of the Army of Anubis, a legion of humanoid jackals, and a residence in the Oasis of Ahm Shere, a deal that he established by grabbing a scorpion and eating it alive.
- He led his new forces to Thebes and proceeded to massacre the city, leading his soldiers to decapitate and even toss citizens off to their deaths, event during which the Scorpion King maniacally laughed at the carnage due to having achieved his vengeance over the city before Anubis forced him to fulfill his deal with him and become his servant.
- He woke up 5000 years later inside one of his temple's rooms when Imhotep freed him, leading the Scorpion King to go after Imhoteph and Rick O'Connell and order his forces to spread out over the world until there's no more life, setting the Army of Anubis on Ardeth Bay and his Medjai, resulting in casualties from both sides.
- While he spared Imhotep, he did so because Imhotep pledged servitude to him.
- He caught Imhotep's henchman Baltus Hafez, dragged him to the ceiling and ripped him apart. Although Hafez deserved it, he did nothing to the Scorpion King to warrant such a violent death.
- Unlike Imhotep, he did not have any tragedy, redeeming qualities or honorable moments due to his power-hungry personality, as he wanted to get as much power as possible and destroy the world to remake it in his image.
- Overall, the Scorpion King had nothing similar to his ancestor other than his name and appearance, opposing everything Mathayus stood for.
Trivia[]
- Initially, it was believed that the Scorpion King wasn't Pure Evil because he was assumed to be Mathayus the Akkadian, the protagonist of The Mummy spin-off The Scorpion King, who was also portrayed by Dwayne Johnson. Had Mathayus and the Scorpion King been the same character, he couldn't have been Pure Evil because while that film implies that Mathayus could become evil, his love for Cassandra was never subverted onscreen. However, The Mummy director/writer Stephen Sommers went on to state that the Scorpion King of The Mummy Returns isn't Mathayus but actually his identical grandson, as he feels there's no way that someone as honorable and heroic as Mathayus could become such a bloodthirsty and villainous warrior. The Scorpion King direct-to-video sequels backed up this idea, showcasing him remained heroic and persevere against ordeals which could put him into dark path.
External Links[]
- Mathayus III on the Villains Wiki
- Mathayus III on the Mummy Wiki
- Mathayus III on the Universal Studios Wiki
