116-604: As Venom : MacDonald " Mac " Gargan is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko , the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #19 (December 1964). Mac Gargan is a recurring antagonist of the superhero Peter Parker / Spider-Man . He debuted as a private investigator hired by J. Jonah Jameson to learn how Peter Parker took pictures of Spider-Man. In
232-590: A Hydra sleeper agent, reveals his association with Hydra as the Hydra Helicarrier rams into the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier that Sharon Carter is on as Doctor Faustus arrests her. Sharon Carter pretends to be brainwashed by Doctor Faustus, but incapacitates him by spiking his tea with a non-lethal toxin. Sharon Carter later forms the Daughters of Liberty , who work to clear Captain America's name after he
348-610: A call between She-Hulk and Agent Gao mentions that Miles Morales is among the superheroes deputized by Mayor Luke Cage into helping to deal with this gang war causing Miles to work with Scorpion and Gust in investigating Hobgoblin's activities in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn . While Miles fights Prowler, Scorpion and Gust defeat the Enforcers . Scorpion and Gust later join Miles' group and Prowler in heading to Hobgoblin's hideout. He
464-590: A campaign of terror against S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, but are defeated by Captain America and the Falcon . After being released from prison for good behavior, the Scorpion hunts down Spider-Man and tries drowning him in a cement vat, hoping to use the boost to his reputation to become an underworld boss. Scorpion learns that Spider-Man survived the encounter, and the Jackal gives him the hero's location. The Scorpion arrives at
580-496: A club-like mechanical tail. In this case, a scorpion is the base for the purposes of creating a powerful agent capable of defeating Spider-Man as the scorpion is a natural predator of the spider. The Scorpion proves to be more than a match for Spider-Man, defeating him twice, but the mutagenic treatment seriously affects Gargan's mind, driving him insane as the predatory instincts of the scorpion take over. He promptly turns on his benefactor but Spider-Man intervenes, and finally defeats
696-602: A daughter named Sharon Rogers. Created as part of Captain America's 75th anniversary, she now serves as Captain America following her father's retirement. A character based on Sharon Carter named Sharon Stewart appears in Captain America , portrayed by Kim Gillingham. This version is a civilian and the daughter of Bernice "Bernie" Stewart . After the Red Skull 's daughter Valentina de Santis kills her parents, Sharon accompanies Captain America to Italy to defeat
812-562: A drug war and photographs of him engaging in cannibalism wound up in J. Jonah Jameson's hands, putting his employer Norman Osborn 's plans and the "heroic" status of his entire Dark Avengers team in jeopardy, just to pursue vengeance against Jameson (now the Mayor of New York) yet again. His ill-conceived and poorly thought-out plan failed, and he was forced to publicly make peace with Jameson in his Spider-Man guise, greatly embarrassing him, though he secretly fantasized about killing Jameson during
928-479: A hospital room with Peter Parker and his Aunt May . Not recognizing Spider-Man in his civilian identity, he threatens May and demands to know where Spider-Man is. After she faints, Scorpion rampages through the hospital. A furious Spider-Man beats the Scorpion and makes him apologize to May. The Scorpion fights Ms. Marvel after a botched revenge attempt against Jameson; the Scorpion becomes more psychotic than usual after this, resulting in his being dumped in acid. In
1044-614: A living legend. Of all the women that Steve has dated, Sharon is one of the few to truly understand him." Mark Waid asserted, "The reason she works so well with Cap is because she's a complete cynic and he's a complete idealist." Megan Nicole O'Brien of Comic Book Resources ranked Sharon Carter 1st in their "Every Member Of The Daughters Of Liberty" list, saying, "Sharon Carter aka Agent 13 may not have superpowers, but this does not make her any less heroic," while David Harth ranked her 5th in their "10 Best Directors Of S.H.I.E.L.D." list. An alternative version of Sharon Carter appears in
1160-518: A mercenary for Justin Hammer , who has the Scorpion's battlesuit modified. He ruins his prospects on his first mission, to capture a war hero, when he cannot resist creating a hostage situation simply to bring Jameson to him for revenge. In reaction, while Spider-Man in cooperation with the police are dealing with Gargan, Hammer sends Blacklash and Rhino to subdue Gargan and confiscate the tail enhancement equipment for abrogating his contract. During
1276-456: A minion. She is apparently pregnant with Rogers's child, but she loses the baby during a fight with the Red Skull's daughter, Sin , during one of several attempts to escape. Later, Sharon says that she, not Sin, stabbed her womb and caused the miscarriage, to keep the Red Skull from getting his hands on anything of hers. Doctor Faustus makes her forget ever being pregnant, and he also gives her
SECTION 10
#17327831203781392-401: A new Scorpion suit while the symbiote regenerated after Anti-Venom's attack, although initially he was hesitant about wearing it alongside the symbiote. Marc Buxton of Den of Geek called Mac Gargan "one of Spidey's greatest foes." David Caballero of Digital Trends described Mac Gargan as one of Spider-Man's "most interesting villain." Pierce Lydon of Newsarama named Mac Gargan one of
1508-440: A normal form with no ill effects. He also bites off and devours Steel Spider's arm during a fight. Gargan is later ordered by Osborn to hunt down Namor . After shooting him with a Thunderbolts-supplied weapon, Gargan disables Namor by ripping off his feet-wings. The Sub-Mariner manages to render Gargan unconscious and then rips out the symbiote's tongue, although the symbiote easily makes a new one. Gargan begins to hallucinate that
1624-498: A plan to take down "Spider-Man" (who is believed to be the root of their problem). In another attempt to antagonize Jameson, Gargan instigates a turf war between two rival street gangs, hoping to wear Jameson down through stress and exhaustion from continuously putting out stories to cover the crime wave. At the same time, the Redeemer arms his group with cybernetic limbs to defeat Spider-Man. J. Jonah Jameson goes to Osborn for help and
1740-461: A search for the wall-crawler, Gargan's symbiote senses a former host nearby. Gargan suspects that it is Spider-Man but instead finds Eddie Brock at the F.E.A.S.T center (a soup kitchen). The Venom symbiote attempts to leave Gargan to re-bond with Brock, much to Gargan's (and Brock's) dismay. Upon making contact with Brock, his skin is shown to be caustic to his former symbiote, and as a white substance seeps out of his pores covering his body, Brock uses
1856-529: A skill set that allows them to draft complex schemes or commit crimes in a way normal humans cannot. Other traits may include megalomania and possession of considerable resources to further their aims. Many supervillains share some typical characteristics of real-world dictators , gangsters , mad scientists , trophy hunters , corrupt businesspeople , serial killers , and terrorists , often having an aspiration of world domination . The Joker , Lex Luthor , Doctor Doom , Magneto , Brainiac , Deathstroke ,
1972-548: A slight headache. Hawkeye promised to kill Mac one day for trying to eat him while he was under Morgana's control. Once they arrive home, he is seen arguing with Hawkeye. Later, attempting to find out Norman Osborn's plans for his son Harry , the real Spider-Man, with the aid of the Invisible Woman , manages to capture Gargan by using a sonic generator and takes his place to infiltrate the Dark Avengers. Gargan
2088-515: A trap set by Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man's body. When finding a safe area containing Spider-Man's friends and relatives, Scorpion plans to have his final revenge on J. Jonah Jameson. Upon accessing the memories of Spider-Man loving Aunt May – and the times Scorpion threatened her – Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man's body retaliates by punching Scorpion so hard in the jaw (the only unprotected part of his body) that it breaks off from his head. Scorpion
2204-444: A way to climb. He possesses an exceptionally strong grip, reminiscent of a real scorpion's pincers. He wears a full-body battlesuit composed of two layers of light steel mesh separated by a thin layer of insulated rubber. In addition to his superhuman physique, he was traditionally armed with a cybernetically-controlled, seven-foot mechanical tail, with a tool steel articulated framework which can whip at 90 miles per hour. The tail has in
2320-537: A way to revive him. Unfortunately, Norman Osborn also plans to revive Captain America, so that he can complete the Red Skull's plan to transfer his consciousness into Steve's body and have him lead the Avengers to increase his popularity. He frames Sharon as an accomplice in Rogers' murder and threatens to kill the second Captain America if she doesn't turn herself in, which she does. She is brought to Latveria, where she
2436-461: Is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . Created by Stan Lee , Jack Kirby , and Dick Ayers , the character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #75 (March 1966). Sharon Carter is a secret agent and an ex-field agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. under Nick Fury . She is also a love interest of the superhero Captain America / Steve Rogers . Sharon Carter was originally
SECTION 20
#17327831203782552-579: Is a much less skilled hand-to-hand combatant, and thus Spider-Man relies on his tactics and wits to defeat him. With the Venom symbiote, Mac Gargan retains his superhuman abilities, some of which have increased substantially beyond the original levels. The costume can even emulate the tail of Gargan's Scorpion costume. It can also be used as a fifth limb. As Venom, Gargan has gained the ability to shoot webbing and climb walls like Spider-Man, and can disguise himself as other people or blend in with his background. He
2668-756: Is a practicing Christian and has strong morals, which lead her to want S.H.I.E.L.D. to destroy individuals such as Doctor Octopus rather than 'lock them away for poking'. Carter and Woo survive the Super-Villains escape that occurs in Ultimate Six . Carter is seen next in the Silver Sable arc and Woo in the Hobgoblin arc. Carter is later involved with the Clone Saga arc, telling the people evacuated from Peter Parker's neighborhood that all
2784-411: Is a variant of the villainous stock character . It is sometimes found in comic books and may possess superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero . Supervillains are often used as foils to present a daunting challenge to a superhero. In instances where the supervillain does not have superhuman, mystical, or alien powers, the supervillain may possess a genius intellect or
2900-477: Is alive in Zola's captivity and she is found by Falcon and Jet Black. When Sharon Carter and S.H.I.E.L.D. arrest Tomoe and her Biohack Ninjas, she meets Riri Williams who helped Pepper Potts defeat them. During the " Secret Empire " storyline, Sharon Carter is on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier at the time when Captain America, whose history was rewritten by Red Skull's clone using the powers of Kobik to make him
3016-594: Is among those that fight Hobgoblin's superhuman muscle outside. While Scorpion fought Shocker, he asked him when was the last time a Goblin fulfilled a promise to somebody. This was enough to cause Hobgoblin's hired muscle to turn against him. During the " Venom War " storyline, Scorpion runs into the Wild Pack and asks them to help him get out of town amidst the Zombiote invasion. When the Zombiotes attack, Scorpion
3132-495: Is attached to a machine to bring Rogers back, but with the Red Skull controlling his body. Mr. Fantastic determines that Sharon has chronal tracers in her blood meant to pull Steve to her. She surrenders to Norman Osborn to save the life of Bucky (who had already escaped, unbeknownst to her), and she is delivered to the Red Skull and Dr. Doom, who use her to retrieve Steve, with the Skull's mind in control. Sharon ultimately escapes with
3248-430: Is back to being psychopathic. He battles and is defeated by Spider-Man's clone Ben Reilly . Scorpion temporarily works for Roxxon and helps them in their phony "rehabilitation therapy". Roxxon updates the Scorpion's powers and costume and promises he will get back at his enemies. Spider-Man convinces Scorpion that he is only being used. Scorpion then turns on Roxxon and is then defeated by Spider-Man. Gargan reappears in
3364-433: Is bulletproof. Smythe also altered Gargan's biology, giving him a "scorpion-sense" to match Spider-Man's spider-sense. The suit is also very tough, allowing Gargan to withstand a fall at terminal speed. The armor leaves Mac's jaw unprotected, which Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man's body exploited to punch his jaw clean off. Following his employment by Alchemax, he has gained a new jaw to replace the one he lost. Before he assumed
3480-470: Is defeated by the Black Cat . The Scorpion's constant defeats at the hands of Spider-Man drive him to depression. He wanders the sewers, his mind becoming clearer than it had been since his transformation, and decides to quit being the Scorpion. He encounters a depressed and crisis-ridden Spider-Man. Ignoring Gargan's plea that he is a changed man, Spider-Man beats him savagely. In his next appearance, Gargan
3596-521: Is forcefully removed from the Venom symbiote, which takes over Ms. Marvel until Spider-Man defeats it. He, along with the other Dark Avengers, are arrested after Norman Osborn falls from power. During the " Big Time " storyline, Mac Gargan is seen at the Raft superprison, having been separated from the Venom symbiote: the symbiote's removal was causing medical problems due to the side effects from his original genetic mutation. Alistair Smythe breaks him out of
Mac Gargan - Misplaced Pages Continue
3712-489: Is framed for the death of Thunderbolt Ross . Sharon is a highly trained martial artist and extremely adept at various fighting techniques. She is highly trained in espionage, weapons, firearms and computers. After being brainwashed by Doctor Faustus into shooting Captain America, she spent some time training herself to resist similar brainwashing attempts in future, to the extent that she tricked Faustus into thinking he had brainwashed her again and attacked him while his guard
3828-438: Is given Spider-Man to help solve the city's gang problem. Gargan continues to instigate the gang war and aggravate Jameson in person. A bomb threat is placed by Redeemer to lure Spider-Man into an intervention, though Gargan instead devours Hippo and Eleven, badly injures Dementoid, and beats Doctor Everything into submission before turning him over to the police. He then eats Redeemer's limbs. With Redeemer, Wolfram, and Dementoid
3944-477: Is reassigned to the S.H.I.E.L.D. task force charged with locating Fury. She switches her allegiance to Captain America, citing the death of Goliath as the primary reason; it is unclear how much of this is the result of Faustus's influence. In a follow-up, a sniper shoots Steve Rogers in the shoulder while he walks up the steps to the Federal Court. In the ensuing crowd chaos, Rogers is shot three times in
4060-403: Is shocked to find Sharon alive. Over the course of the mission to topple the cult he learns that her years out in the cold have made her grimmer and more ruthless, and the two of them do not renew their relationship when Sharon rejoins S.H.I.E.L.D. A romantic tension still exists: Sharon teases him about his naïveté, such as when he lets a family of squatters stay in his apartment. The two battle
4176-466: Is thrown into the Negative Zone , but is later seen back with the Dark Avengers. Against Osborn's wishes, Gargan is seen heading out into the city to "fight crime" solo. At one point, he is seen defeating a bank robber called General Wolfram. After making out with two girls at once and getting cheered by a large crowd, he takes the robber to an abandoned rooftop and consumes his arm. He then takes
4292-539: Is to break Norman out of jail. Shortly thereafter, the Venom symbiote approaches Gargan, offering him new abilities, and Gargan becomes bonded with the creature. This would later give him an extra edge as part of Norman Osborn's Sinister Twelve . Even with these additional powers he is still swiftly defeated by Spider-Man, as Captain America , Iron Man , Daredevil , Yellowjacket and the Fantastic Four deal with
4408-446: Is turned into a Zombiote. As the Scorpion, Mac Gargan was given superhuman powers through chemical and radiological treatments, include splicing his genetics with a scorpion's DNA, which produced mutagenic effects. As the result, he has arachnid -like powers similar to Spider-Man's such as superhuman strength, stamina, and durability, as well as superhuman speed, agility, and reflexes. He can scale walls and also punches holes in walls as
4524-468: Is undetectable by Spider-Man's "spider-sense". His skill as a hand-to-hand combatant has increased due to the influence of the alien symbiote, which has superior instincts and fighting experience. The costume can also heal grave injuries suffered by the host with incredible speed. Mac (as Venom) has claws on his fingers which can be used as weapons to slash his foes. He can also create tendrils to incapacitate his enemies. When injured or enraged, Venom now has
4640-589: Is well, and Agent Woo is later seen in the Death of a Goblin arc, letting Carol Danvers know about the Goblin's most recent murder. In a 2008 storyline, Carter is the acting head of S.H.I.E.L.D.. She asks the Fantastic Four to investigate a confusing situation at Project Pegasus. In an alternate universe where Captain America was never frozen in ice at the end of World War II, Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers have
4756-519: Is with the Dark Avengers when Norman Osborn makes plans to invade Asgard . Mac Gargan and the rest of the Avengers protest. For fighting alongside the Initiative, Osborn promises to give the team their freedom from servitude. As a result, Gargan is among the mass of soldiers to launch an attack on Asgard following Loki 's setup. He and the rest of the Avengers manage to overwhelm Thor . While fighting Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man after they arrive, Gargan
Mac Gargan - Misplaced Pages Continue
4872-589: The Earth X continuity. She has fallen victim to Hydra, a squid-based alien life form that absorbs minds and people to expand. An alternative version of Sharon Carter appears in the Marvel Mangaverse continuity. She is the supposed orchestrator of the destruction of almost the entire superhuman population in the Marvel Mangaverse. It turns out that she has been under mind control. She becomes
4988-545: The Inspector Gadget animated series, Dr. Evil and Mr. Bigglesworth from the Austin Powers film series , or Dr. Blowhole from the animated TV series The Penguins of Madagascar . The overarching villain of Star Wars , Emperor Palpatine , leads the tyrannical Galactic Empire , and was inspired by real-world tyrannical leaders. Sharon Carter Sharon Carter (also known as Agent 13 )
5104-465: The Anti-Venom symbiote and battles Gargan. With some help from Spider-Man, Anti-Venom subdues Venom and nearly destroys the symbiote. Norman Osborn uses a sample of Anti-Venom's DNA from Mac Gargan and creates a poisonous counter to its healing powers by combining the sample with the immune system of Freak . Mac Gargan is injected with the "cure" and is given a new Scorpion battlesuit, which contains
5220-468: The Avengers but are defeated. Scorpion kidnaps Jameson's bride Marla Madison on their wedding day but she is rescued by Spider-Man. Jonah publicly confesses to his role in creating the Scorpion when the Hobgoblin tries to use that secret to blackmail him. Despite his encounters with other foes, Scorpion has always had a special hatred for Spider-Man and Jameson, which extends to when he attempts to become
5336-582: The Green Goblin , Loki , the Reverse-Flash , Black Manta , Ultron , Thanos , and Darkseid are some notable male comic book supervillains that have been adapted in film and television. Some notable female supervillains are Catwoman , Harley Quinn , Poison Ivy , Mystique , Hela , Viper , and the Cheetah . Just like superheroes, supervillains are sometimes members of groups, such as
5452-827: The Injustice League , the Sinister Six , the Legion of Doom , the Brotherhood of Mutants , the Suicide Squad , and the Masters of Evil . In the documentary A Study in Sherlock , writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss said they regarded Professor James Moriarty as a supervillain because he possesses genius-level intelligence and powers of observation and deduction, setting him above ordinary people to
5568-574: The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), portrayed by Michael Mando . Mac Gargan debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #19 (December 1964), created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko . He later appeared under the codename of Scorpion in The Amazing Spider-Man #20 (January 1965). He appeared as an antagonist in the 1977 Ms. Marvel series. Mac Gargan appeared as
5684-520: The National Guard is sent in. Under the effects of a mind-altering gas, Sharon apparently activates a self-destruct device in her National Force uniform and dies. Rogers is shown the event on videotape. It is later revealed that Sharon's death was faked so she could go on a top secret mission for S.H.I.E.L.D. The mission did not go well, and Nick Fury , S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Executive Director, believed her to have been killed in action; Captain America
5800-475: The Red Skull , who possesses a cosmic cube that can do whatever he wishes. Sharon and Captain America argue about killing the Skull, with Sharon urging Rogers to use an energy-based shield that she has given him. Sharon tries and fails to kill the Red Skull, but he is soon defeated through trickery. The energy shield is lost in the time-stream. Soon afterwards, Sharon assists Captain America in several cases where patriotic Americans go on violent rampages under
5916-487: The Steel Spider , Gargan attacks innocent bystanders. A special "medication" provided by Norman Osborn allowed Venom to assume a smaller, more human-looking form similar to when Spider-Man had control of the symbiote. From this form, he is able to switch back to his larger, more feral form whenever he pleases. As Spider-Man, Mac is even more agile than when he was as Venom. He also still has all of Venom's powers, minus
SECTION 50
#17327831203786032-589: The supervillain Power Broker , and voices an alternate version in the animated series What If...? (2021). Sharon Carter debuted in Tales of Suspense #75 ( cover-date March 1966), created by writers Stan Lee , artist Jack Kirby , and artist Dick Ayers . She appeared in the 1964 Captain America series. She appeared in the 2010 Secret Avengers series. She appeared in the 2022 Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty series. Sharon
6148-596: The " Acts of Vengeance ," he tries to enter Canada to avoid the Super Power Registration Act. The Tinkerer meets him at the airport and provides him with a modified scorpion tail for his costume. He, Asp , Nekra , and Owl (who are under the control of Llan the Sorcerer ) are repelled by Alpha Flight and Gamma Flight . He is then hired by the Chameleon to kill a depowered Spider-Man. He
6264-407: The "best Venom hosts of all time from comics." Comic Book Resources referred to Mac Gargan as one of Spider-Man's "coolest villains," and one of the "most Iconic Spider-Man villains." Drew Beaty of Screen Rant found Mac Gargan to be one of the "best Marvel legacy villains." Mark Lynch of FanSided described Mac Gargan as a "memorable Venom" and one of the "greatest characters" associated with
6380-459: The Dark Avengers and the remaining Dark X-Men, Gargan included, ordering them to bring him Namor's head and Emma Frost's heart and to make sure that Cyclops sees them do it. The Dark Avengers and Dark X-Men attack Utopia and battle the X-Men, with Venom facing off against Colossus . Due to the sheer number of X-Men, Osborn is forced to retreat when informed that the only way to win would be to kill all
6496-484: The Iron Patriot and take care of him personally. During the opening chapter of " Utopia ," the Dark Avengers are sent into San Francisco to quell the mutant riots and battle any X-Men they can find. Tension is shown to exist between the Avengers and Osborn's own Dark X-Men . When Namor and Emma Frost are revealed to be double agents on Cyclops' side and defect with Cloak and Dagger , an irate Osborn gathers
6612-545: The New York City Police Department telling her what they know. After Lee Price leaves following his explanation, Scorpion becomes suspicious towards Lee. While confiding his suspicions, Mac Gargan dons a new version of the Scorpion armor. He then meets Price at the apartment of a Daily Bugle reporter, who had evidence against Black Cat. When Lee reminds him that they should scare the reporter, Scorpion attacks him causing Lee to transform into Venom and
6728-438: The Raft. Gargan was then fitted with a new Scorpion suit by Smythe, which included a life-support system to stabilize Gargan's condition. Smythe convinced Gargan to join him in his plan for revenge on J. Jonah Jameson. Scorpion joins Alistair Smythe, a new villain named Fly-Girl, and some unnamed cyborg minions (each wanting revenge on Jameson) in attacking the launch site of John Jameson 's latest space mission, where they sabotage
6844-410: The Scorpion in their third battle. The Scorpion becomes a professional criminal and returns to indulge in a vendetta against Spider-Man and Jameson, only to be defeated again. He is later hired by a spy ring to follow S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter , but is defeated by Captain America . Scorpion is acquired by Mr. Kline, who creates an android duplicate of him. The real Scorpion and Mr. Hyde launch
6960-503: The Spider-Slayers to attack Scorpion until he turned them off twice. Scorpion later doubles working for Black Cat's gang when he and a man named Lee Price partake in a black market sale that also involved Tombstone's gang. When at Black Cat's hideout, Scorpion accuses Lee Price of botching up the black market sale which Lee Price denied leading Black Cat to demand an explanation after hearing about some information from her spies at
7076-416: The abdomen with a pistol, and later appears to die of his wounds. It is later revealed that the plan was orchestrated by the Red Skull; the sniper was Crossbones , and Sharon Carter shot Rogers in the abdomen while under a hypnotic suggestion by Dr. Faustus . Sharon is still under the influence of Doctor Faustus, who uses her to disable Black Widow and Falcon before she joins the Red Skull's organization as
SECTION 60
#17327831203787192-458: The ability to increase its mass and physical strength to meet whatever threat it is facing with equal force, an ability inconsistently hinted in the past, such as when Venom battled the Juggernaut . During these times it is not clear that Gargan has any control over the symbiote, for had it not been for the technology restraining Venom, he would have eaten Jack Flag . Also, during a battle with
7308-669: The activities of the Winter Soldier. During the " Civil War " storyline, Sharon is initially a supporter of the Superhuman Registration Act , but she is averse to actually aiding in the capture of her lover, Captain America, who is the leader of the "Secret Avengers" opposed to the Act. At the same time, she is an unknowing pawn of the Red Skull and his associate Doctor Faustus . She later comes into contact with Nick Fury 's underground organization, even as she
7424-570: The aftermath of the Secret War that was organized by Nick Fury against Latveria . He is among the supervillains who were supplied with enhanced technology by Latverian dictator Lucia von Bardas and sent to attack the heroes involved in Fury's Secret War. The villains' technologies are hijacked by von Bardas, supplying her with power, potentially at the cost of the villains' lives, but the assembled heroes defeat von Bardas and apprehend Scorpion and
7540-471: The arm of the still-living Steel Spider . After getting "the taste of flesh", he is seen displaying even more signs of cannibalism such as eating Skrulls, consuming the bones of Swarm , devouring Eleven and the limbs of criminals, and trying to eat Ares. When the symbiote is dormant in his body he has expressed nausea and fear of the organism. Unlike Eddie Brock , any inhibitions Gargan had about harming innocent bystanders has been eliminated with his bonding to
7656-714: The armor, Gargan has also served as the third host of the Venom symbiote , and a member of the Dark Avengers as Spider-Man , but eventually returned to his Scorpion alias as it kept him alive due to the strain both the neural-armors and symbiote put on his body. Since his original introduction during the Silver Age of Comic Books , the character has been featured in various other Marvel-licensed products, including feature films , television series , video games , and merchandise. The character made his live-action debut in
7772-486: The chest, using his powers to force the symbiote away from his sword. Gargan is wounded, but lives. After healing, he retains his monstrous form, rarely returning to his usual size. Gargan reappears during the "New Ways to Die" story arc of The Amazing Spider-Man , no longer possessing the knowledge of Spider-Man's secret identity. Gargan and the Thunderbolts are called back to New York to capture Spider-Man. While on
7888-411: The claws, tongue, and teeth, which he can regrow at will. His "medication" has also been shown to decrease his will to fight, making him more sympathetic. After Smythe breaks him out of the Raft, Gargan is fitted with a new Scorpion suit. The suit is larger than its predecessor, and cybernetically wired into Gargan, making him a cyborg . It is equipped with a more powerful tail, mechanical pincers, and
8004-431: The control the symbiote possesses over him, yet he has become addicted to the raw unearthly power it brings to him and cannot even begin to imagine life without it, similar to a drug addict. An attack from Steel Spider and Sepulchre makes him lose control again, briefly becoming a huge monster once more, while Moonstone is incapacitated and thus cannot coordinate control of his electrical implants. Afterwards he returns to
8120-586: The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. when Nick Fury supposedly dies. An alternative version of Sharon Carter appears in the Ultimate Universe . She is an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., but is much closer to the environment of Spider-Man . She often appears as one of a pair of wise-cracking S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, the other one is Jimmy Woo . She can display humor at times, but mostly keeps her mouth shut in public. As seen in Ultimate Spider-Man #46, she
8236-701: The first to know his secret identity. The dangerous nature of Sharon's work strains their relationship, and Rogers wants Sharon to give up her life as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. While working as a S.H.I.E.L.D. liaison with the New York Police Department , Sharon investigates and infiltrates a white supremacist terrorist organization known as the National Force . During one of the National Force's battles with street criminals in Harlem ,
8352-514: The following issue, Jameson decided to turn Gargan into a deadly adversary for Spider-Man through a barely-tested procedure, which left Gargan with an irremovable scorpion -themed armor and the predatory instincts of the arachnid. Driven insane by his mutation, Gargan instead turned to a life of crime as the Scorpion , and went on to menace both Spider-Man and Jameson, whom he held responsible for his transformation. Since then, having finally removed
8468-510: The government to keep the Venom symbiote in check. As a Thunderbolt, he is seen as a hero by the general public and has his own action figures. Gargan displays his new raw power as Venom in a battle with Jack Flag , after pummeling Flag for a bit, the hero manages to stab Gargan, who is protected by the symbiote. Gargan becomes enraged and ferociously man-handles Flag, and is about to eat him when his electrical implants kick in and temporarily subdue him, allowing Flag to live. Gargan expresses fear of
8584-545: The help of Henry Pym , and uses the Red Skull's own ship to blow him up. Reconciling with Steve (who was able to assert control over his body), they take some time off at her Virginia estate. Sharon was a member of an Avengers team, and the Secret Avengers , in Ed Brubaker 's series of the same name. Sharon appeared to sacrifice herself to stop Arnim Zola's massive flying fortress from invading Earth but she
8700-524: The identity of the Scorpion, Mac Gargan was a skilled, if somewhat greedy and unscrupulous, private investigator, who admitted that he would go through anything "just so long as the pay is good!" His greed still motivated him as a supervillain, albeit in a twisted way: while awaiting an official "offer" from the Thunderbolts, Gargan squeezed his agent for financial details on a proposed book, TV and movie deal ("How many back points? And residuals? Fantastic. That foreign and domestic?"), demanded certain talent for
8816-462: The influence of a supernatural entity named Nightmare , who has found a way to influence this dimension through the ' American dream .' Sharon and Cap battle many patriotic people, including a temporarily insane U.S. Agent, and ultimately Sharon has to face down a Captain America under the influence of Nightmare. In the absence of Nick Fury, Sharon serves a brief term as Executive Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. She returns to field work, reporting directly to
8932-803: The launch and hold John Jameson for ransom. During the " Ends of the Earth " storyline, Scorpion is seen guarding one of Doctor Octopus' facilities. Titanium Man enters it and ends up fighting Scorpion. Titanium Man is defeated by Scorpion despite his best efforts. During the " Dying Wish " storyline, Scorpion hears the call-to-arms from Peter Parker (while trapped in Doctor Octopus' dying body) to save him and apprehend Doctor Octopus (occupying Spider-Man's body) in order to save his loved ones from Doctor Octopus' final sinister scheme. Scorpion and Hydro-Man accompany Peter Parker in Doctor Octopus' body to Stark Industries to look for Tony Stark only to end up in
9048-546: The money Wolfram stole and swings away. Gargan is then seen at a strip club with the money and discovers his new favorite stripper. After getting reprimanded by Norman Osborn for eating Wolfram's arm, Gargan kills the stripper and places her dead body in J. Jonah Jameson's bed while he is gone in an attempt to frame him for her murder. At the same time, Redeemer visits the injured General Wolfram and recruits him alongside other villains who have had limbs bitten off by Gargan (namely Dementoid, Doctor Everything, Eleven, and Hippo ) in
9164-476: The mutants on the island, an option which is not politically viable. Gargan later begins to show signs that his medications are making him emotionally unstable. On a mission with the Dark Avengers, Osborn takes Gargan off the case when he notices Gargan's outbursts. Molecule Man turns Gargan and his symbiote into an inert pile of goo. He is later restored by the Sentry . During the " Siege " storyline, Mac Gargan
9280-477: The new Executive Director, Maria Hill , as a liaison officer specifically assigned to support and report on Captain America's activities. While investigating the whereabouts of Jack Monroe, she is abducted by the Winter Soldier and used as bait to lure Captain America into a trap set by General Aleksander Lukin . She and Captain America later resume their relationship while on a field mission investigating
9396-497: The only ones still remaining of the group (albeit hospitalized), Redeemer sends photos of Gargan's actions to Jameson in an attempt to expose him as a cannibalistic psychopath to the world. Jameson first goes to Osborn, who decides to cut Gargan loose by sending Bullseye and Daken (in their old costumes) to kill him. At the Big Apple Festival, the two attack him, with Dementoid, General Wolfram, and both gangs involved in
9512-574: The orders of Osborn. Facing Venom, Songbird was defeated and almost eaten by Venom, but escaped with help from the Swordsman. Norman Osborn forms the Dark Avengers , providing new identities to some of his former Thunderbolts. After feeding a Skrull to a hungry Venom that has become more bestial than human, Osborn gives him a medication that resets the symbiote to the size it was when it possessed Spider-Man originally. Gargan can transform into his larger Venom form at will. Norman introduces Gargan and
9628-592: The orders of whomever he is working for, in order to attack the Daily Bugle's publisher. None of this has changed with his bonding to the Venom symbiote, or with his new career serving under Norman Osborn with the Thunderbolts or the Dark Avengers: in fact, the symbiote seems to have only made him even more irrational, and his new career as a "hero" has done nothing to curtail his lingering hatred of Jameson. He nearly blew his cover as Spider-Man when he started
9744-631: The other participants for the Beyonder 's wish fulfillment prize for the winner, but fails and is returned to Earth alongside the rest of the group. Gargan later becomes a member of a sub-group of the Thunderbolts , which has been drafted by the Avengers to hunt down the members of the fugitive Secret Avengers and is currently run by the Commission for Superhuman Activities. It is then revealed that he has been outfitted with electrical implants by
9860-418: The others. Later on, through circumstances yet to be revealed, Norman Osborn reveals Spider-Man's true identity to Gargan and gives him orders to kidnap Peter's Aunt May should Osborn ever be captured and imprisoned. When Spider-Man defeats Osborn, he is imprisoned and Gargan carries out Osborn's orders in kidnapping Aunt May. Gargan eventually summons Peter and tells him the only way he can see his aunt again
9976-421: The past been equipped with projectile weapons, usually an electric generator, although it has also been equipped with a spike at its tip, which can squirt an acidic spray, and a low-density plasma energy projector. The Scorpion can use his tail as an extra leg, or he can coil it behind him to spring himself a distance of at least 30 feet. The Scorpion is substantially stronger and more durable than Spider-Man, though
10092-462: The patriotic hero known as Captain America , had been revived from suspended animation, and during one of Sharon's earliest missions, he comes to her aid when she is under attack by a mercenary known as Batroc the Leaper . The two of them cross paths often, teaming up on missions against A.I.M. , HYDRA , Red Skull , and many others. Sharon and Rogers eventually fall in love, and she becomes one of
10208-834: The point where only he can pose a credible threat to Sherlock Holmes . Fu Manchu is an archetypal evil criminal genius and mad scientist created by English author Sax Rohmer in 1913. The Fu Manchu moustache became integral to stereotypical cinematic and television depictions of Chinese villains. Between 1965 and 1969 Christopher Lee played Fu Manchu five times in film, and in 1973 the character first appeared in Marvel Comics . The James Bond arch-villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld (whose scenes often show him sitting on an armchair stroking his cat, his face unseen) has influenced supervillain tropes in popular cinema, including parodies like Dr. Claw and M.A.D. Cat from
10324-399: The procedure in which he acquired his powers, and retains little of his former rationality. He is typically easily outsmarted by Spider-Man and is not very good at cooperating with other supervillains or following instructions as Justin Hammer learned. His most prominent weakness is his explosive temper and irrational hatred toward J. Jonah Jameson, to the point where he has been known to ignore
10440-577: The rest of the Twelve. Though incarcerated, Gargan is unfazed, as with his new powers come the respect of becoming an "A-list" villain at last. Alongside Spider-Man and other villains and heroes, Venom is kidnapped by other-dimensional forces . He succeeds in killing Spider-Man, who is really the original Space Phantom in disguise. For his crimes, the Inhumans matriarch Medusa orders his execution and almost carries it out herself. Later, he tries to kill
10556-527: The sewers, his sanity deteriorating, Scorpion comes to believe that his costume cannot be taken off. After a quick encounter, Spider-Man proves that his belief of being a monster is only in his mind. Gargan forms an extortion racket to sabotage the Daily Bugle , but is thwarted by Spider-Man and Captain America. He is freed from prison by agents of Egghead , who wants him to join the third Masters of Evil alongside Whirlwind and Moonstone . The team fight
10672-458: The symbiote as " Spider-Man " of the Dark Avengers. During their first mission against Morgana le Fay , Morgana transforms "Venom-Spidey" into a giant, demonic monster who then tries to eat Ares . Venom later coughs up Ares; however, Morgana's magic continues to affect Venom, causing him to lose and gain control of himself randomly. After Morgana is defeated in the past by Iron Patriot and Doctor Doom , Mac returned to his "Spider-Man" form with only
10788-488: The symbiote is speaking to him, telling him to "feed (it)". He later attacks and devours a guard and declares that "the only way out of Thunderbolts Mountain is when I decide to let you die". It is later revealed that the psychic criminal Bluestreak is controlling Gargan's actions, although it is uncertain whether the symbiote was actually speaking to him or not. Venom goes up against the Swordsman , who stabs Gargan through
10904-418: The symbiote, most likely because he had such little regard for others to begin with. Gargan's previous identity has not been completely degraded. His symbiote once sprouted a scorpion-like tail, although he has not had it since. Also, when he learned there was a new hero calling herself the Scorpion, Gargan-Venom attacked her to protect his trademark while it still lasted. Also, for a brief time, Gargan wore
11020-631: The third Venom in Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #10 (January 12, 2005). He later appeared as the third Spider-Man in Dark Avengers #1 (January 21, 2009). He appeared as a regular character in the series from issue #1 through issue #16 (May 12, 2010). He appeared in the 2009 Dark Reign: Sinister Spider-Man series, his first solo comic book series, by writer Brian Reed and artist Chris Bachalo . According to Diamond Comic Distributors , Dark Reign: Sinister Spider-Man #1
11136-491: The threat he appeared to pose to civilians was a ruse to draw out a disguised Skrull. Venom played a huge part in fighting the Skrulls. He was seen slashing and eating the Skrulls all at once. He soon joins the Thunderbolts and the remaining heroes for the final battle against the Skrulls. During the battle, he was a force to be reckoned with. Venom, along with most of the Thunderbolts team, attempts to kill partner Songbird on
11252-615: The tools to escape. Sharon frees herself, killing Aleksander Lukin in the process (and narrowly missing killing the Red Skull himself), before being found by Black Widow and the Falcon. Iron Man and Falcon decide to tell her about her pregnancy at a later date, after sufficient recovery time. As a result, Sharon decided to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. Sharon Carter is featured in the storyline Captain America: Reborn , where she learns that she killed Captain America and plans to figure out
11368-509: The turf war entering the fray to try to kill Spider-Man. Gargan ends up defeating all of them, and J. Jonah Jameson shoots a gun in the air to stop the fight. As a result, everyone credits Jameson and Spider-Man with successfully working together to stop criminals and save the festival. Gargan later returns to Avengers Tower, where he is visited by Norman Osborn. Osborn informs him that Bullseye and Daken will get over being hurt, but warns Gargan that if he goes out of control again, he will suit up as
11484-527: The two begin to fight. During the fight, Scorpion is nearly killed until Spider-Man intervenes, who mistook Venom for Flash Thompson. In a prelude to the " Hunted " storyline, Scorpion is among the animal-themed characters captured by Taskmaster and Black Ant on Kraven the Hunter's behalf. He is among those who Arcade publicly reveals as the Savage Six . During the " Sinister War " storyline, Scorpion
11600-467: The venom, until the symbiote can recover. Anti-Venom tracks down Gargan at Oscorp. After a grueling battle "Ven-orpion" injects the toxin into Anti-Venom and seemly kills the suit. He then attempts to kill Brock but the symbiote tries holding him back, still feeling love for its former host. The symbiote gains its strength and breaks through the Scorpion suit. Gargan gives up but promises that he will get past this problem and will someday finish Brock. Gargan
11716-587: The vilain. Ethan Stewart of Collider included Mac Gargan in their "10 Spider-Man Villains Fans Want to See in the MCU" list, saying, "Since 2017, fans have been wondering when Scorpion will fully be brought into live-action." IGN ranked Mac Gargan 10th in their "Top 25 Spider-Man Villains" list, naming him the "most iconic villain to call himself Scorpion." Tom Bowen of Game Rant ranked Mac Gargan 11th in their "28 Best Spider-Man Villains Of All Time" list. Supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal
11832-497: The villainous Red Skull to stop them, but they also need Captain America. At this point, Rogers is suffering health problems: the Super-Soldier serum that gave him his abilities is breaking down, and he has fallen into a coma. The Red Skull is currently occupying a cloned body of Rogers himself, and a transfusion of the Skull's blood, which contains an uncontaminated Super-Soldier formula, restores and revives Rogers. Rogers
11948-439: The villains at Kingpin 's viewing party of the incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610. As part of the " All-New, All-Different Marvel ," Scorpion was secretly hired by Tiberius Stone of Alchemax to further test Alchemax's Spider-Slayers during Tiberius' trip to a foreign country to sell them. During Scorpion's test of Alchemax's Spider-Slayers, Scorpion encountered Spider-Man 2099 . When Scorpion thought that Spider-Man 2099
12064-610: The villains. Sharon Carter appears in media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portrayed by Emily VanCamp . She appears in the live-action films Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016) as well as the Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). Additionally, VanCamp voices an alternate timeline version of Carter in
12180-409: The whole time while they were shaking hands. The years of being outsmarted and beaten, despite his physical superiority over Spider-Man, complement the similar hatred possessed by the symbiote, and has allowed it to almost completely control Gargan. Unlike the other Venoms, Mac very seldom refers to himself as "we" instead of "I". Gargan has even engaged in cannibalism as Venom, severing and devouring
12296-408: The writing (including the screenwriting brother of the comic's writer ) and, finally, Gargan killed six "capekiller" S.H.I.E.L.D. agents sent to bring him in – because while he intended to cooperate, his agent had told him that the rights to his life story would be "worth a little more" if Gargan "goosed up the body count" before joining the Thunderbolts. He is emotionally disturbed as a result of
12412-432: The younger sister of Peggy Carter . She was later retconned as Peggy's grand-niece because of the unaging nature of comic book characters. Emily VanCamp portrays Sharon Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016) and returned to play the role in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), depicted as
12528-469: Was a private investigator initially hired by J. Jonah Jameson to find out how Peter Parker is able to obtain incredible pictures of Spider-Man . Gargan's efforts set off Peter's spider-sense and the teen easily evades the detective. Jameson then decides to hire Gargan as the subject of a barely-tested process that would endow him with the useful characteristics of a particular animal with the help of Dr. Farley Stillwell . Dr. Stillwell also outfits him with
12644-541: Was born in Richmond, Virginia , the daughter of two wealthy Virginians , Harrison and Amanda Carter. She grew up with the stories of her aunt ( Margaret "Peggy" Carter ) who was a freedom fighter with the French Resistance during World War II . Inspired by her aunt's adventures, Sharon joins the international security agency S.H.I.E.L.D., and is assigned the code name Agent 13. By this time, Steve Rogers,
12760-423: Was down. Deirdre Kaye of Scary Mommy called Sharon Carter a "role model" and a "truly heroic" female character. Joe Anthony Myrick of Screen Rant called Sharon Carter a "popular ally to Captain America." Rob Clough of Looper described Sharon Carter as one of Captain America's "central love interests," writing, "She's a scrappy, clever, and tough agent who never backs down from Cap, despite his status as
12876-403: Was his Spider-Man in a different costume, he attacks him with the aid of the Spider-Slayers; Spider-Man 2099 muses that in his time the Scorpion is considered a low-key opponent for Spider-Man, but personally considers the villain a genuine threat after just a few moments fighting him. Spider-Man 2099 was able to use his holographic assistant to project a hologram of Spider-Man over Scorpion causing
12992-406: Was later seen in the Raft's infirmary with Boomerang and Vulture. Scorpion now sported a metal apparatus that replaced his missing jaw. Alistair Smythe's mini-Spider-Slayers heal and enhance them, and Smythe gives them an offer to kill Spider-Man. While Boomerang fights Spider-Man, Scorpion is convinced by Smythe to go after Mayor Jameson again. During the " Secret Wars " storyline, Scorpion is among
13108-519: Was not informed of the true circumstances of her "death". Sharon is not dead, but has been left behind in enemy territory, a captive of the dictator Tap-Kwai. Escaping, she spends several years working as a mercenary, until she encounters a group of Neo-Nazi extremists known as the Kubecult. Learning that they plan to use the Cosmic Cube to return Adolf Hitler to life, Sharon joins forces with
13224-521: Was seen being thrown from Thunderbolt Mountain by Captain Marvel . Gargan was later seen with the other Thunderbolts in Washington. The Skrulls attempt to trick him into killing normal humans to find out which of them are Skrulls. Osborn attempted to prevent the symbiote from killing anyone by threatening to kill Mac Gargan and promising to help satisfy his "urges" later, only for Gargan to reveal that
13340-548: Was the 45th best selling comic book in June 2009. Dark Reign: Sinister Spider-Man #2 was the 68th best selling comic book in July 2009. Mac Gargan reappeared under the codename Scorpion in the " Big Time " story arc from the 2010 The Amazing Spider-Man series. He appeared in the 2019 Absolute Carnage series. Mac Gargan appeared in the 2020 Ravencroft series. He appeared in the 2022 Miles Morales: Spider-Man series. Mac Gargan
13456-569: Was with the Savage Six when they attacked the world premiere of the movie that Mary Jane Watson and Mysterio were in. During the "Carnage Reigns" storyline, Scorpion joined Agent Gao's Cape-Killers . During the " Gang War " storyline, Scorpion was with the Cape-Killers when they arrived following Spider-Man (Miles Morales) , Misty Knight , and Colleen Wing 's defeat of Bumbler 's group and Frost Pharaoh 's group. After an altercation,
#377622