2002’s epicThe Scorpion Kingreinvented the titular character after his debut inThe Mummy Returns.The Scorpion Kingdepicts the ancient origins of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s character, “Mathayus of Akkad,” who first appeared in 2001’sThe Mummy Returnsas a villain.Unlikethe second film in director Stephen Sommers’sThe Mummymovie series, the first of theScorpion Kingmoviesfeatures Mathayus’s humble beginnings as an assassin-for-hire before turning into a legendary Akkadian hero.
The Scorpion Kingmay be a prequel toThe Mummyfilms, but the story spins off from the latter franchise into its own larger narrative. This extended into five films, largely separate from its earlier connection toThe Mummybut with a lingering connection between the. As a result, Mathayus’s origin story forces viewers to rethink everything they knew about the character seen inThe MummyandTheScorpion Kingmovies.
The Scorpion King Serves As A Prequel & Spinoff Of The Mummy Franchise
The Scorpion King Shows The Character’s Origin As A Hero
The Scorpion Kingis directly connected to theThe Mummyfilms, even though it largely takes place ages before those films. Set around 5,000 years before the events ofThe Mummy Returns,The Scorpion Kingdepicts Mathayus as he fights to liberate his land from the evil king Memnon. Since Mathayus achieved victory over his enemy in the end, this film spawned four direct-to-video sequels centered around the Rock’s character, exploring more of his life and legacy after he became known as the Scorpion King. Notably, Johnson does not play the character in any of these sequels.
The Mummy Returns' Notorious Scorpion King Isn’t The Movie’s Worst CGI Offence
The Mummy Returns' CGI Scorpion King fight is often considered the sequel’s nadir, but there another setpiece that’s somehow even WORSE.
Like James Bond,many of theScorpion Kingsequels feature a new actor portraying the lead character each time. Across these four sequels, Mathayus has been played by Michael Copon, Pierre Marais, Victor Webster, and Zack McGowan. Nevertheless, these films follow the same continuity established in the firstScorpion Kingmovie, expanding the story of Mathayus and how he became involved with the Book of the Dead and the deity Anubis. These elements directly tie theScorpion Kingmovies to Sommers’Mummyfilms.
Dwayne Johnson’s Scorpion King Is A Villain In The Mummy Returns
The Prequel’s Scorpion King Is Not The Same As The Villain In The Mummy Returns
2001’sThe Mummy Returnsintroduces Mathayus as an evil warrior kingwho sold his soul to the god Anubis for an army to help him conquer the world before his death. While the resurrected Imhotep tries to take control of Mathayus’s army, he dies at the hands of the Scorpion King himself, who appears as a giant human/scorpion hybrid. Though Rick and his allies send Mathayus back to the Underworld,The Scorpion King’s story as a prequel allowed for the Rock to play the character once more in 2002 — or so it seemed.
However, the Mathayus seen in the prequels is actually the grandfather of Mathayus III, who becomes the evil Scorpion King seen in the secondMummyfilm.
Based on Mathayus’s first standalone adventure,it’s unlikely that the noble Scorpion King would transform into the villainous figure seen inThe Mummy Returns. However, the Mathayus seen in the prequels is actually the grandfather of Mathayus III, who becomes the evil Scorpion King seen in the secondMummyfilm. Such a twist fits with the two kings sharing the Johnson’s likeness while bearing such opposing personalities.
Mathayus may have been introduced as an evil figure for Brendan Fraser to fight inThe Mummy Returns, and Johnson’s character could’ve been a one-off villain. However,The Scorpion Kingsucceeded in givingthe Rock his own franchise, which lasted even longer than the trilogy from which it originated. Just as the film was an origin story for Mathayus,The Scorpion Kinghighlighted the beginning of Dwayne Johnson’s career as one of Hollywood’s most bankable lead actors.
