''Black Scorpion'' is a
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
TV series that aired on the
Sci-Fi Channel
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Launc ...
in 2001.
It aired in Canada on
Space
Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...
. The series is based on two
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
TV-movies: ''
Black Scorpion'' (1995) and its sequel ''
Black Scorpion II: Aftershock'' (1997).
The show focuses on a female police officer who, by night, takes to the streets and fights crime as the
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
the Black Scorpion.
Episodes from the series combined into
straight to video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
movies with 1.1 and 1.2 as ''Black Scorpion Returns'' released in 2001 and Episodes 1.1, 1.3 and 1.8 as ''Sting of the Black Scorpion'' released in 2002.
The series was available on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
in North America.
Lead character
Darcy Walker
The Black Scorpion's real name is Darcy Walker, played by
Michelle Lintel
Michelle Lintel (born August 14, 1969) is an American actress and martial artist known for playing the lead role in the 2001 television series ''Black Scorpion'' -
Filmography
* 1999 ''On Common Ground''
* 1999 '' Diagnosis: Murder'' - "Blood Ti ...
. She lives in Angel City (a fictionalized version of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
), where she works as a police detective. Darcy's father was shot by the city's crooked district attorney. The D.A. was arrested, but the charges were suspiciously dropped. That was when Darcy decided to take to the streets as the vigilante, Black Scorpion. In the original Corman films, the role of Darcy was played by
Joan Severance
Joan Marie Severance (December 23, 1958) is an American actress and former fashion model.
Early life
Severance was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Martha and John C. Severance. Her father was an IBM systems manager who had to move freq ...
. In the series, she is a red-headed enforcer with a badge who enforces the law more efficiently without the badge as her crime-fighting alter-ego, Black Scorpion. She appears to be a big fan of the color black, a fact she made clear during an interview after being asked a trivial question which would explain the color of her costume. However, as shown in the first episode, her choice of the scorpion relates to an old fable about a scorpion trying to cross a river which her father had told to her.
Black Scorpion
Apart from being an excellent hand-to-hand fighter and an expert with computers, Black Scorpion, just like Batman, has no superpowers. She relies on various specially developed technologies, chief among them the car called the ''Stingray'' with voice command weaponry and a disguise capability to make it look like a regular Corvette. The "Scorpionmobile" in the first episode was the movie version which was destroyed and a new version was created for the run of the series. Only one exists in the world which is owned by Nate Truman of StarCarCentral.com. She also wears a ring that shoots powerful blasts of energy and possesses a similar transformation capability to the Stingray for when Darcy needs to switch into her heroine costume in the field, like The Flash does in costume only from his lightning bolt Flash ring.
Other major characters
*Detective Steve Rafferty: Darcy's partner and love interest. Apart from Darcy, Steve is the best cop on the force. At present, he is on a mission to unmask the Black Scorpion. Darcy wants to tell Steve that she's the Black Scorpion, but whenever she tries, the opportunity slips away. Steve may also have a crush on the Black Scorpion, which visibly upsets Darcy, forming a bizarre love triangle between Steve, herself, and her costumed alter-ego. He is played by
Scott Valentine. Of special note, Scott Valentine played a cameo in the second Black Scorpion film as minor thug.
*Specs and Slugger: A pair of incompetent cops that work with Darcy and Steve. Often the pair get into car crashes while chasing Black Scorpion. They are played by Shane Powers and
Steven Kravitz
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
respectively. Of note they are the only characters, save Gangster Prankster and Aftershock, to return for the series with their original actors.
*Argyle Sims: Darcy's personal mechanic, he is the only person whom Darcy allowed to know her identity unconditionally, since he freely gave her most of her more hi-tech equipment. He is somewhat a mentor figure to her at times, but his role is watered down somewhat in the series, only seeming to appear when a new gadget is needed. In one episode, he garbed himself as the "Argyle Avenger", after tipping off Detective Steve Rafferty who couldn't make it in time, in order to aid Darcy (Black Scorpion) foil the antagonist's plot. He is played by
Brandon Terrell
Brandon may refer to:
Names and people
*Brandon (given name), a male given name
*Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins
Places
Australia
*Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales
*Brandon, Qu ...
(listed as BT in the credits).
*Tender Lovin' (Veronica): Argyle's girlfriend and a former hooker. She and Argyle are constantly arguing about relationship issues. She is played by
Enya Flack
Enya Patricia Brennan (; ga, Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin; born 17 May 1961), known professionally by the mononym Enya, is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician known for modern Celtic music. She is the best-selling Irish solo artis ...
.
*Arthur "Artie" Worth: Angel City's extremely corrupt Mayor. Often involved in various shady deals either to fund his campaign for reelection or his extravagant lifestyle. Many criminals in the city are created because of this, including his own
Deputy mayor
The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments.
Duties and functions
Many elected dep ...
. He is played by
Robert Pine
Robert Pine (born Granville Whitelaw Pine, July 10, 1941) is an American actor who is best known as Sgt. Joseph Getraer on the television series ''CHiPs'' (1977–1983). Including ''CHiPs'', Pine has appeared in over 400 episodes of television. ...
.
*Dr. Phineas Phoenix: A scientist who deals in reanimating the dead, and creating clones. His goal is to take a criminal and reform him into a productive member of society. As a result, several of Black Scorpion's enemies return from fatal defeats at her hand (Breathtaker, Inferno and Gangster Prankster). He is played by
Raye Birk
Raye Birk (born May 27, 1943, Flint, Michigan) is an American film and television actor best known for a variety of roles, such as playing the role of Pahpshmir in the first and last of the '' Naked Gun'' movies, and a variety of television appe ...
.
*Capt. Henry Strickland: The equally unqualified chief of police in the Angel City precinct and the morbidly obese senior officer of Darcy, Steve, Specs & Slugger and all the rest of the force. Rather than conduct serious police work, the Captain spends more time stuffing his fat face and chasing after either Specs and/or Slugger whenever they're getting up to something stupid. His first assignment while on the police force as a junior officer saw him unjustly imprison Ben Tickerman for a crime he didn't commit. A hallucinogenic intoxication brought on by Breathtaker showed his worst nightmare as being subordinate to the vigilante Black Scorpion who was chief of police, indicating some mild insecurities about his job position. He is played by
Guy Boyd.
Villains
Returning enemies
*Breathtaker (
Adam West): The first villain Black Scorpion fought, and the reason for her existence. Due to brain damage suffered from a gunshot wound through the lungs, Dr. Noah Goddard is unable to breathe without a special armor he created. After losing his career due to his condition, Goddard became the super-villain Breathtaker, and vowed revenge upon the City of Angels via an asphyxiating gas. His killing of Darcy's father is what drove Darcy to become the titular vigilante. Despite dying in the first ''Black Scorpion'' movie, Breathtaker is resurrected by Dr. Phoenix.
''Skills'': Respiratory surgery, artificial organ replacement, Aerosol chemistry
''Weapons'': Gas dispensers, mind controlling vapors
*Aftershock (
Sherrie Rose
Sherrie Rose is an American actress, producer, director, and screenwriter. She co-produced, directed, wrote and starred in the 1999 road drama '' Me and Will'', starring Patrick Dempsey. The film opened the Women in Film Series for Sundance and ...
): Originally a benevolent seismologist, Professor Ursula Undershaft became the super-villain Aftershock after Mayor Worth ordered the sabotage of a machine she created that could predict earthquakes, as he had hoped to collect on earthquake insurance. With her public image in shambles, Undershaft set out on a rampage of revenge, ultimately planning on creating a massive earthquake that would demolish the city. Seemingly dying after supposedly sacrificing herself to stop her plan in the second movie, ''Black Scorpion II: Aftershock'', the series reveals that she survived and landed in a coma, from which she awakes, and resumes her vendetta. Later died for real when crushed under falling debris, but was soon resurrected by Dr. Phoenix.
''Skills'': Seismologist
''Weapons'': Shockwave gauntlets
*The Gangster Prankster (
Stoney Jackson
Stonewall W. "Stoney" Jackson (born Alwyn Jackson on February 27, 1960) is an American actor. Jackson was born in Richmond, Virginia.
Career
He was featured in numerous teen magazines in the 1970s and 1980s, including ''Right On'', ''Teen Beat ...
): The older brother of Argyle, Luther Simms was driven mad when their parents were shot by dirty cops, and he laughed, thinking it was a joke...until he saw the blood was real. Now stuck with a nightmarish permanent grin on his face, Luther became the super-villain, the Gangster Prankster, and sought to avenge his parents. Unlike Aftershock, the Gangster Prankster died for real in the second movie, and was brought back by Dr. Phoenix, when the doctor tried to rehabilitate him. Naturally, it backfired, and Simms resumed his super-villain career. He died again in his second appearance in the series when Argyle exposes him to his own lethal gas, causing him to literally explode from laughing.
''Skills'': Criminal mastermind with a warped sense of humor.
New enemies
*FireArm (
Martin Kove): A former cop in the City Of Angels, Jack Ames was forced into early retirement when the actions of the psychotic General Stryker cost him an arm. Outfitted with a prosthetic gun arm, Ames resurfaced As FireArm, and set out to force Mayor Worth to repeal a proposition that would stipulate the waiting period of weapon purchases. He seemingly dies when he blows up his headquarters, but not before getting his revenge on Stryker.
''Weapons'': Prosthetic gun arm
*Hurricane (Athena Massey): Exposed to the toxic waste in the city's ocean (put there by Mayor Worth's goons on his orders), marine biologist Gail Weathers gained the ability to psychically control the weather. With her equally mutated henchmen, The human-octopus hybrid Squids, Weathers reinvented herself as Hurricane, and plotted to flood the city.
''Powers'': Weather control
*Flashpoint (
Allen Scotti Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to:
Buildings
* Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee
* Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas
* Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Unive ...
): The top photojournalist at the Angel's Herald, Cameron Albright was obsessed with uncovering Black Scorpion's secret identity. This would ultimately be his downfall, as when he attempted to snap a pic of her unmasked face while she was facing the Red Dragons, and she used her Scorpion Ring to stop him, accidentally blinding him in the process. Now wanting revenge, despite his eyes being fixed by advanced laser surgery, Albright became the super-villain Flashpoint, and sought to blind the rest of the city, so they could live in darkness like him.
''Skills'': Ex-photojournalist; criminal mastermind
*Inferno (
Brent Huff
Brent Huff (born March 11, 1961) is an American actor, writer and film director. Huff is best known for his recurring role of Smitty in the hit ABC show, The Rookie. He has also had recurring roles in Shameless, Pensacola: Wings of Gold and Black ...
): Originally a dedicated firefighter who struck up a romance with Darcy, Adam Burns stil resolved to help people after Mayor Worth made cutbacks that cost him his job. While chasing an arsonist (who was Mayor Worth's former cellmate, and acting on his orders), Adam was hit by solar energy, causing him to burn anything he touched. Driven mad by this, Adam became Inferno, and died at the end of his first appearance. He was later resurrected by Dr. Phoenix.
''Powers'': Pyrokinesis
*Medusa (
Lisa Boyle
Lisa Doreen Boyle (born August 6, 1964) is an American actress and model most known for her appearances in ''Playboy'' magazine and its various Special Editions. She is also a freelance photographer, shooting content for various publications.
...
): Disfigured due to a schoolyard prank, Minerva Stone was cruelly nicknamed Medusa, until the day she found magic mineral water that restored her beauty. She then developed a cement gun that turned people to stone, which she then used on all the bachelors that visited her spa in Angel City, placing them in her garden, with Steve being one of her victims.
''Skills'': Criminal mastermind
''Weapons'': Cement gun
*Clockwise (
Frank Gorshin): Wrongfully imprisoned on faulty charges for twenty-five years by then beat cop Henry Strickland, Ben Tickerman learned how to make clocks in prison, and became obsessed with time. Upon release from prison, Tickerman and his three henchmen, the tall Big Hand, the diminutive Small Hand, and the evil Hourglass, became the time themed terrorist, Clockwise, and set about avenging himself upon the people responsible for his imprisonment, using a special device he created to accelerate their aging process. He was later killed when Black Scorpion reflected the deceive's beam back on, rapidly aging him to dust.
''Skills'': Criminal mastermind with mastery of precision timing; Engineering
''Weapons'': Time freezing stopwatch; Age accelerating device
*Aerobicide (
Renee Allman): A misandrist who, after excessive exercise destroyed her muscles and cost her the use of her legs, was outfitted with cybernetic implants that increased her strength and agility to superhuman levels. Hellbent on reducing the male population of the city, Suzy Pain now named Aerobicide and her two female goons, Bend (
Faith Salie
Faith Coley Salie (born April 14, 1971) is an American journalist, writer, actress, comedian, television, radio, and podcast host and Rhodes scholar. She is a contributor to ''CBS Sunday Morning'' and a panelist on NPR’s '' Wait Wait... Don't T ...
) and Stretch (
Ava Fabian) targeted rich men and literally had them exercise to death, then stole their money. Aerobicide was eventually killed when Black Scorpion took control of her implants, and gave her a taste of her own medicine.
''Powers'': Cybernetically enhanced strength and agility
*Pollutia (
Julie McCullough
Julie Michelle McCullough (born January 30, 1965) is an American model, actress and stand-up comedian. She was ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month for February 1986, and played the role of Julie Costello on ''Growing Pains'' in 1989–90. ...
): A former student of Breathtaker, Dr. Ariel Haze was dedicated to protecting the environment, but her contact with him cost her her job. Wanting to help her former mentor, Haze attempted to steal a chemical that would help Breathtaker breath without his armor. During a fight with Black Scorpion, the chemical spills on Haze, enabling her to transmute her body into smog. Dubbing herself Pollutia, Haze sets out to kill all polluters. In her final battle with Black Scorpion, Pollutia was sucked up by the Stingray's Aero Vacuum, and trapped in a bottle.
''Powers'': Smog conversion
*Greenthumb (
David Lander
David L. Lander (born David Leonard Landau, June 22, 1947 – December 4, 2020) was an American actor, comedian, musician, and baseball scout. He was best known for his portrayal of Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman in the ABC sitcom '' Laverne & Shir ...
): A
florist
Floristry is the production, commerce, and trade in flowers. It encompasses flower care and handling, floral design and arrangement, merchandising, production, display and flower delivery. Wholesale florists sell bulk flowers and related sup ...
whose heart was shattered by Mayor Worth's bimbo secretary, Babette, Eugene Gardner turned to a life of crime as the vile vegetation villain, Greenthumb. Still infatuated with Babette, Greenthumb unleashed a deadly pollen on the city on Valentine's Day, and blackmailed the city for the antidote. He died when he was eaten by one of his own plants.
''Skills'': Florist, chemistry
*Mindbender (
Lana Clarkson
Lana Jean Clarkson (April 5, 1962 – February 3, 2003) was an American actress and fashion model. During the 1980s, she rose to prominence in several sword-and-sorcery films. In 2003, record producer Phil Spector shot and killed Clarkson insi ...
): Dr. Sarah Bellum once a promising computer scientist and housing advocate, implored the Mayor to fund her VR simulation research for the homeless of Angel City. Bitterly rejected she would resume her research into virtual reality when an attempted robbery of her computer system caused a surge while she's immersed in her own video game frying her mind. Now becoming the deadly supervillain Mindbender, she schemed to use her digitizing skills to entrap individuals within her pixelized domain. Engineering it to kill those in the real world when they die in the virtual one. She was left trapped in her own broken reality after her defeat by Black Scorpion.
''Skills'': Virtual Reality Programming
*Slapshot: Former hockey pro and old friend of Steve's, Ricky Blade was purposely injured by his own teammates and left paralyzed from the waist down. Given a high tech battle suit that restored the use of his legs and gave him super strength, he took the name Slapshot and sought revenge on his traitorous teammates with help from his cheerleader henchwomen. He was defeated and arrested by Black Scorpion with help from Steve.
''Skills'': Hockey playing
''Weapons'': Cybernetic battle suit; Metal hockey stick; Explosive hockey pucks
*Angel of Death: Detective Angela Archer, whose father was a preacher who was killed by a thief, was relieved of duty for excessive force. Using arsenic-laced lipstick and taking the name Angel of Death, she sought to rid the streets of all criminals with her kiss of death. Her endgame was to fill the prison with poison gas to kill all the inmates, but was foiled by Black Scorpion, ironically with help from the city super-villains, and arrested.
''Skills'': martial arts
''Weapons'': arsenic-laced lipstick
*Stunner: (
Alison Armitage
Alison Armitage (born February 26, 1965) is a former swimmer, actress and Playboy Playmate.
Early life
Armitage was born in High Wycombe, London, but grew up in Hong Kong where she lived for 20 years. She is of mixed German, French, and English ...
) Deputy Mayor Edwina Watts is the bemoaned right hand woman of the sleazy Mayor Arthur Worth. Often made the butt of the joke due to having been scapegoated by her inept boss for every one of his failed political bankrolling schemes. She's near fatally electrocuted when a prisoner execution goes awry, having gained the power to absorb and redistribute energy. Ms. Watts takes on a new guise with the codename Stunner and wreaks electric havoc on the city of angels in an attempt to usurp Mayor Worth's position. She was eventually defeated by Black Scorpion who used her stun ring to siphon her electrical energies then stun her into unconsciousness.
''Powers'': Electrical Channeling
*Vox Populi: (
Shannon Whirry
Shannon Whirry is an American actress.
Career
A native from Green Lake, Wisconsin, where she was the salutatorian of her 1983 high school graduating class, in 1985 Whirry was accepted to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, one of onl ...
) Considered to be the worst musical talent in all Angel City, Vox and her band The Bleeding Eardrums would often cause trouble after every gig they'd play. Regularly resulting in the brutal injuries of most of the audience. Contracted by the corrupt Mayor Worth to air hypnotic songs to boost his reelection campaign. She was eventually beaten and done in by the Black Scorpion, being blasted off a roof with her own guitar.
''Skills'': (terrible) musician
''Weapons'': sound manipulating guitar
Episodes
References
External links
*
{{Syfy Shows
2001 American television series debuts
2001 American television series endings
2000s American crime television series
2000s American science fiction television series
English-language television shows
Live action television shows based on films
Superhero television series
Syfy original programming