Mac Gargan
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. 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 the following issue, Jameson decided to turn Gargan into a deadly adversary for Spider-Man through a barely-tested procedure, which left Gargan with a 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, who he held responsible for his transformation. Since then, having finally removed 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. Michael Mando portrays the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, while an alternate version of the character appeared in animated form in the Disney+ series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
Publication history
1960s
Mac Gargan debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #19, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. He later appeared under the codename of Scorpion in The Amazing Spider-Man #20. He appeared as an antagonist in the 1977 Ms. Marvel series.2000s
Mac Gargan appeared as the third Venom in Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #10. He later appeared as the third Spider-Man in Dark Avengers #1. He appeared as a regular character in the series from issue #1 through issue #16. 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 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 2009.2010s
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.2020s
Mac Gargan appeared in the 2020 Ravencroft series. He appeared in the 2022 Miles Morales: Spider-Man series.Fictional character biography
Scorpion
Mac Gargan 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 Farley Stillwell. Stillwell also outfits him with 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 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 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 a campaign of terror against S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, but are defeated by Captain America and 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 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 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 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 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 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 are repelled by Alpha Flight and Gamma Flight. He is then hired by the Chameleon to kill a depowered Spider-Man. He 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 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 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 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 the others.
Venom
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 May. Gargan eventually summons Peter and tells him the only way he can see his aunt again 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 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, Medusa orders his execution and almost carries it out herself. Later, he tries to kill 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.
Thunderbolts
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 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 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 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 the symbiote is speaking to him, telling him to "feed ". 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 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 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.