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The Scorpion King

Mathayus / The Scorpion King

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/181223_full.jpg

As played by Dwayne Johnson

^{As played by Michael Copon}

^{As played by Creator/Victor Webster}

^{As played by Zach McGowan}

Played by: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (The Scorpion King and Rise of the Akkadian); Michael Copon (Rise of a Warrior); Victor Webster (Battle for Redemption and Quest for Power); Zach McGowan (Book of Souls);

Dubbed by: Anatole de Bodinat (European French, Battle for Redemption and Quest for Power)

The titular Scorpion King. He is an Akkadian warrior that rose from the son of a general, to bodyguard to a king and later hired sword to finally becoming king, and losing his throne. It's said either he or his descendants were doomed to become servants to Anubis and lead his armies to conquer the world. To see tropes pertaining to his appearance in The Mummy Returns, check the "Other Characters" section in character sheet.

10-Minute Retirement: In the fifth movie, he gives up his life as an adventurer to settle down as a blacksmith on a farm. Unfortunately, Nebserek knows where he lives and drags him back to a life of war.
Action Hero: Fighting and killing is his trade and there are very few problems he can solve without punching people.
Animal Motifs: Scorpions have always been part of his life. At first it was merely symbolic when he joined the Black Scorpions, but became more literal after being injured with scorpion's poison with Cassandra stating that its venom will never leave his body. He has become some kind of Empowered Badass Normal as a result since scorpions' venom apparently gives him strength rather than killing him like a normal human.
Anti-Hero: A ruthless warrior-assassin is not exactly traditional hero material.
Barbarian Hero: Born from a Proud Warrior Race, he becomes a vagrant warrior that often trades his sword for coin and opposes sorcerous overlords just like Conan. He even gets to be king by his own hand.
The Blacksmith: In the fifth movie, this is what he has become after growing too tired of adventuring. He seems to have adapted to his new job very well since whenever someone refers to him as Scorpion King, he insists he is "just a blacksmith".
Blood Knight: According to the second movie, Mathayuys had fondness for battle and killing as the blood of a warrior coursed through his veins. He could never settle down with Layla and have a normal life with her, even though he loved her. Eventually he gets tired of adventuring and tries to settle down in a remote farm to have a normal life (it doesn't last).
Bow and Sword in Accord: Mathayus is just as dangerous with a bow and a arrow as he is with any weapon at hand. In his introduction in the first movie, he fires multiple arrows with such force he sends his enemies flying and this is also how he kills Memnon in the finale.
Deadpan Snarker: He tends to be serious and stoic most of the time, but he does has his moments when he lets out some sarcastic barbs.
Expy: He is basically Conan the Barbarian from Ancient Mesopotamia.
Friend to All Children: One consistent aspect is that he is very nice to kids. He befriends a Street Urchin who helps him infiltrate Memnon's palace in the first movie and saves him from having his hand lopped off by Thorak. In the fifth movie, he is motivated to avenge his ward Abel after he is killed by The Dragon.
Genius Bruiser: He's didn't become a feared assassin by being dumb. When he's about to face Thorak and his squad of Elite Mooks amidst a sandstorm he hides in a nearby cave and picks them off one by one where their superior numbers mean jack and while he's killing them he makes sure to let them make just enough noise to terrorize the survivors turning them into easier targets.
Hitman with a Heart: Mathayus might be an assassin, but he does have some principles and morals. For example, when he has the chance to kill Memnon with an arrow, he is about to order a young boy that had previously helped Mathayus punished for theft (who was innocent at that) and chooses to save the boy over killing his target.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: Between the events of the first and third movie, Mathayus has lost his queen to the plague, his kingdom has fallen and he is back on being a penniless mercenary.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Mathayus comes off as a sour and rude man that frequently talks about killing people around him, but when it comes between exacting his revenge on Memnon or preventing a street kid from having his hand cut for stealing, he chose the latter.
The Last of His Kind: He was one of the few remaining Akkadians, who are said to have been wiped out completely. He is obviously not this trope during the prequel when his civilization is still standing.
Mr. Fanservice: Specially when played by the Rock or Michael Copon.
Praetorian Guard: When he was a youth, he joined the Black Scorpions - the elite bodyguards of Akkadian royalty, just so he could get close enough to kill Sargon.
Private Military Contractors: After killing Sargon, he became a wandering sellsword.
Professional Killer: Is hired to kill Memnon's sorceror.
Shrouded in Myth: He apparently became this by the time of the fifth movie, since Tala says he is spoken like a demigod among her people, the Nubians.
You Killed My Father: A pretty common motivation for him.
- In the first movie, he wants revenge against Memnon for killing his brother Jesup.
- In the sequel (which is chronologically a prequel that takes place before the first movie), he avenges his father Ashur and younger brother Noah, who were murdered by Sargon.
- In the fifth movie, its his ward Abel who is killed by Nebserek's thugs.
You Kill It, You Bought It: He replaces Memnon as king after killing him.

Memnon

Played by: Steven Brand

Achilles' Heel: Memnon's reliance on Cassandra's visions for his victories is what dooms him. He actually succeeds in capturing Mathayus in the first act but Cassandra tricks him into sparing the Akkadian by saying that Mathayus dying by Memnon's hand or the hand of anyone who serves Memnon will bring a great doom. With Cassandra missing, he is unable to foresee the assault on his palace until it is well underway. It's to the point that he can't even keep up the morale of his own troops without Cassandra around.
Authority Equals Asskicking:
- Memnon is the ruler of a vast empire and one of two people in the movie (the other being Balthazar) who can give Mathayus a serious run for his money in a fight.
- This is specifically said to be his people's Hat: "by the laws of the tribe, their greatest warrior was proclaimed their king." (Which also explains why Mathayus is instantly acclaimed the new king by Memnon's followers after killing him).
Arrow Catch: Does it during a demonstration in the crowd. He is not fast enough to catch Mathayus' in the final battle.
Bad Boss: To the extreme. He is shown on-screen slaughtering armies of people who surrender to him, kidnapped Cassandra and kept her captive since she was a small child, constantly threatening to take her to his bed, and would if not for fearing losing her powers, orders his men on suicide missions without a second thought, and near the climax, murders one of his most loyal soldiers for being concerned about the missing Cassandra, calling him "weak and afraid."
Badass Normal: Compared to the main villains in other movies, who are powerful sorcerers or at least rely on magical artifacts of some kind. Memnon, he is just an extremely talented swordsman.
Big Bad: Of the first movie.
Bifurcated Weapon: His sword can detach into two separate blades as seen in his picture, which he uses in the climax.
Combat Pragmatist: In his fight with Mathayus, Memnon resorts to all kinds of dirty tactics such as knocking over pots full of snakes and throwing embers into the assassin's eyes.
Evil Overlord: A tyrant that has conquered much of the known world with his vast armies.
Flaming Sword: Uses this during the climax.
It's Personal: Mathayus likely wouldn't have cared whether Memnon lived or died, all he cared about was fulfilling his contract to kill the sorcerer. That changed when his brother was killed by Memnon.
Kick the Dog: Memnon goes out his way to make Mathayus feel his brother's death, from ensuring Mathayus is helpless to break free to taking one of Mathayus' own knives to do the deed to even letting them have some last words before slicing open Jesup's neck.
Lack of Empathy: In the opening scroll where the narrator mentions that Memnon slaughtered all who resisted him, he's shown being completely stone-faced while ordering his men to massacre a whole host of surrendering opponents who are bowing at his feet, and not changing expression as their screams fill the air.
Master Swordsman: He is so good he is able to block arrows with his swords.
Oh, Crap!: Gets a big one when Mathayus pulls back farther on the bow than his mikado for his arrow arch trick.
Properly Paranoid: He clearly doesn't buy Cassandra's story that Mathayus just failed to prevent her escape and suspects some form of trick at play. Still, he didn't see that snake-charming trick coming.
Rasputinian Death: Memnon is shot in the gut with an arrow by Mathayus with such a force he is launched into the air, thrown off from the building and engulfed by the surrounding fire during the fall.
Thousand-Year Reign: Explicitly mentions he intends to forge "an order which will last for a thousand years" once he's done. Unfortunately for him, he didn't even get to pull off his final annihilation of the rebel forces before Mathayus comes calling.
Villainous Crush: He covets the Sorceress for himself and hopes that when he has no more needs for her visions, he can claim her as his queen.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Sees himself as this, imposing stability onto a fractured, anarchic world. Although his methods speak of something else.
Memnon: I will bring order after centuries of chaos. An order which will last for a thousand years.
The Sorceress: Rivers of blood can never bring peace.
Memnon: But they can bring obedience. That will suffice for now.
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Averted. After making the show of killing Jesup in front of Mathayus to twist the knife, he immediately muses on how he's going to kill Mathayus. Only Cassandra's (false) prophecy about Mathayus not dying tonight or by Memnon's or any of his soldiers' hand stops him from doing the deed right there and has him perform the "death by fire ants in the morning" choice for Loophole Abuse.
Wife Husbandry: Never actually spelled out, but Cassandra says that he has been keeping her as an slave since she was a child and he can't wait to complete his conquest so he can have her for himself. Do the math.
World's Best Warrior: He is explicitly called the best swordsman to have ever lived.
You Killed My Father: Mathayus has it out to kill him personally for murdering his brother.

Cassandra

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/67bfe8bc8289772eecc4a6c231c3cc81.jpg

Played by: Kelly Hu

A mysterious seer that is able to predict the future and helped Memnon achieve several victories against his enemies. Mathayus is hired at first to kill the sorceress, but after his contract goes belly-up, she gets caught up instead in his search for revenge against Memnon.

Action Girl: She doesn't do so badly with a sword or a dagger. She is also a playable character during the Sword of Osiris prologue (though sadly, she gets defeated by the magical antagonists and requires being saved).
Bathing Beauty: When Mathayus crashes into her chamber and glimpses her naked, he is Distracted by the Sexy. She is pretty annoyed.
Beautiful Slave Girl: She was kept prisoner by Memnon since she was a little girl and forced to provide her visions to help in his military campaign. While very beautiful and her master certainly desires her, the only reason he hasn't made any lewd move on her was because her virginity must be intact. Not that it stops him from stuffing her into very revealing clothes.
Combat Pragmatist: What Cassandra lacks in martial skill she makes up for by fighting dirty as seen with her fending off her attackers with crotch hits and foot stabs.
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Cassandra's name is used only once in the movie. She's called "The Sorceress" the rest of the time.
Godiva Hair: In a very memorable bathing scene.
Guile Hero: She tricks Memnon into sparing Mathayus and kept him from raping her by lying to him that her powers would vanish if she lost her virginity.
Hot Witch: She is magically gifted with clairvoyance and the ability to manipulate snakes.
Meaningful Name: In a historical irony, she shares her name with the seer from The Iliad. The similarities end there: unlike her Trojan namesake, she wasn't ignored.
Ms. Fanservice: Most outfits she wears in the movie bare an awful lot of skin.
Naked Freak-Out: Has this reaction when she's drained along with the water from her bath and she emerges in a fountain the middle of the city naked.
Samus Is a Girl: Mathayus is quite surprised to discover the sorcerer he has been hired to kill is a beautiful young woman.
Seers: Her main gift which serves as Memnon greatest asset.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: She sees a vision of Mathayus being killed by an arrow. When she recognizes her surroundings, she tries to warn him and catch the arrow for him; instead, he grabs her, spins her around, and takes the arrow for her. Thankfully, it doesn't kill him.
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: The third movie states that she died due to a plague between after the events of the movie.
Taking the Bullet: Subverted. She tries to do this for Mathayus by jumping into the path of an arrow meant for him. Not only does Mathayus see the arrow and refuse to let her die for him he survives and then kills Memnon with the very arrow he was shot with.
Virgin Power: It's said the power of her visions come from her virginity. Subverted. It was a ruse created to keep Memnon from touching her. The movie novelization states she lost her power when she slept with Mathayus.

Balthazar

Played by: Michael Clarke Duncan

Authority Equals Asskicking: He is a Nubian king, the leader of the rebellion against Memnon and is capable of holding his own against Mathayas.
Baritone of Strength: He's a fierce Action Hero played by Michael Clarke Duncan, whose deep voice is one of his most distinguishing traits.
The Big Guy: He is towers pretty much everyone else and has the strength to match.
Defeat Equals Friendship: Bathazar takes an instant dislike to Mathayus the moment he meets him and has him captured the second time. It takes Mathayus beating the crap out of Balthazar for them to become friends.
Disguised in Drag: He is smuggled inside Memnon's palace like this.
Fire-Forged Friends: Having gone into battle together against Memnon, he becomes the closest friend of Mathayus.
Large and in Charge: Balthazar is one of the rebel leaders against Memnon's hordes.
Premortem One Liner: Delivers one to the traitor Takmet before killing him.
Balthazar: For your father.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Nubian one, to be precise. And he jumps at the first opportunity to fight for glory towards the climax.
Scary Black Man: He is very intimidating towards his enemies at least. though once you warm up to someone, he can be amenable.
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: He died during the time between the first and fifth movies, though that might be a case of Real Life Writes the Plot.
Vitriolic Best Buds: Becomes this with Mathayus by the end of the first movie.

Philos

Played by: Bernard Hill

Court Mage: To Memnon, though he's technically a scientist.
Defector from Decadence: It's not like he had much of a choice since he was going to be executed for helping Mathayus escape the palace, but he expressed dissatisfaction with Memnon even from the very beginning with his inventions being used for war and didn't have any issue telling Mathayus where Memnon would be upon being told of his intent to kill him (even with a sword brought to his throat).
Reluctant Mad Scientist: He's not happy that Memnon only uses his inventions for war, which explains why he helps Mathayus from the very start.
The Smart Guy: To Mathayus' group.
Stuff Blowing Up: He developed some Chinese explosive powder which is used during the final battle.
Unfazed Everyman: Everyman no, unfazed yes. He mostly takes it in stride when a towering Akkadian warrior he's never met before comes barreling through his lab (twice) with guards in hot pursuit. Thorak's casual death threat suggests he's had plenty of time to get used to belligerent warriors storming into his offices.

Arpid

Played by: Grant Heslov

Butt-Monkey: He gets knocked out by Mathayus many times.
Be Careful What You Wish For: His price for saving Mathayus is to be taken along on his adventures and share in their spoils. In short order, he and Mathayus have all of Memnon's forces on their tails, and he's left lamenting that he wants to go home.
Escape Artist: He is buried up his neck in the sand and manages to dig himself out just so fast while no one is looking.
Hidden Depths: Smarter and braver than his personality suggests. He's a very good escape artist, and he's also the one who lights Philos' gunpowder during the attack on Gomorrah by charging a guard and stealing his torch.
The Lancer: He is Mathayus' Foil in almost every way.
Plucky Comic Relief: His role is to provide some comedy, often to his misfortune.

Thorak

Played by: Ralf Möller

Bad Boss:
- He threatens Philos with execution if he suspects he had anything to do with Mathayus, and also calls him a fool who's lucky Memnon is interested in his science.
- He pushes two of his henchmen off a balcony into pursuing Mathayus.
- After seeing one of his soldiers sink into quicksand, his response is to order another (terrified) soldier forward to the exact same fate.
Co-Dragons: With Takmet to Memnon.
Dirty Coward: Refuses to enter Mathayus' death trap without at least two of his soldiers going in first.

Takmet

Prince Takmet

Played by: Peter Facinelli

Bullying a Dragon: Taunts Balthazar in the beginning about how he's a "king" of a pile of rocks and sand whose people have been scattered by Memnon's forces. Balthazar responds by crushing Takmet's goblet and hand in a vice-grip and forcing him to his knees in pain.
Balthazar: If I'm no king... why are you on your knees before me?
Co-Dragons: With Thorak, to Memnon.
Decapitation Presentation: He presents his father's head to Memnon to pledge his allegiance.
Hate Sink: The only character in the movie with no redeeming qualities at all. He's as big a sociopath as Memnon without any of his warrior skills. He's not only a traitor, but one who betrayed and killed his own father so he could swear allegiance to their worst enemy. He's enough of a sadist to personally perform the amputation of a child (see below). And he tries to impress women by claiming to have been the one to drive off Mathayus, when he was nowhere near the events in question.
Hoist by His Own Petard: Tries to kill Balthazar from behind with a spear while on horseback. Balthazar pulls him off his horse and then drives the spear through Takmet's throat.
The Quisling: It isn't made clear exactly how long he was intending to betray his father and the resistance, though the tipping point was clearly when Pheron hired the Akkadians with the last of their royal treasury.
Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Balthazar kills him with a spear through the throat in retribution for Takmet murdering his father and betraying the resistance.
Self-Made Orphan: Killed his own father, King Pheron, and gave his head to Memnon as a token of loyalty.
Smug Snake: Even before he betrays the resistance, he comes across as smarmy prick who thinks it's a good idea to mock the giant about how his people got wiped out. After he defects, he makes of show of sweet-talking some girls about how Mathayus ran from the palace and left his bow behind...while failing to pull back the bowstring.
Would Hurt a Child: Would have amputated a street urchin's hand for stealing as punishment had Mathayus not stopped him. Note that he does this voluntarily - Memnon ordered it, but he didn't ask Takmet to do it and it's the kind of job you'd expect a guard to perform, not a senior courtier.

Jesup

Played by: Branscombe Richmond (The Scorpion King), Gregg Berger (Rise of the Akkadian)

Ambiguously Related: Downplayed. That Mathayus specifies them sharing a mother rather than parents suggests the two are maternal half-siblings.
Distressed Dude: In the intro, he has been captured by northern barbarians and has to be saved by his brother.
Sacrificial Lamb: Though he is Mathayus' brother, Jesup exists in the movie to provide a personal motivation to kill Memnon.
Slashed Throat: How Memnon executes him.

The Scorpion King: Rise of the Akkadian

King Urmhet

Voiced by: Earl Boen

Canon Foreigner: Made for Rise of the Akkadian.
Doomed by Canon: Given that you have seen the film first, he won't make it.
Mentor Archetype: For Mathayus.

Magus

Voiced by: Billy West

Big Bad: Of the Rise of the Akkadian game.
Canon Foreigner: Made for Rise of the Akkadian.
Deity of Human Origin: His death helped him become the god Set.
Doomed by Canon: Given that you have seen the film first, he won't make it.
Evil Plan: Get the Sword of Osiris, summon Set and dominate the world.
Evil Sorcerer: A great example of this trope.
Lack of Empathy: Magus shrugged off the deaths of the Akkadians and the lord of Khemet as mere fodder and insignificant to life.
Lean and Mean: As a counterpart of Mathayus, Magus is slim and arrogant.
Light Is Not Good: Magus wears predominantly golden armor with a ruby on each shoulder pad.
Manipulative Bastard
Near-Villain Victory: He became Set but was struck down by Mathayus.
Omnicidal Maniac
Take Over the World: Magus' goal once he finds the Sword of Osiris.
The Reveal: He shape-shifted as an elderly prisoner named Hammet to give Mathayus a chance of revenge.
We Can Rule Together: Magus offered Mathayus to join him achieve his goal of becoming one with Set.
Wham Line: In the form of Hammet before revealing himself. "Magus has your two brothers! And now he has you!"

Apep

Voiced by: Mark Hamill

The Snake God of the Netherworld who is also the Guardian of the Gates to the Land of the Living.

Gate Guardian: Of the Netherworld.
Public Domain Character: Based on an Egyptian god.
Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Since he is the Snake God, he isn't that kind.
Social Darwinist: He doesn't trust the living.
Snakes Are Sinister: He is quite sinister.

The Scorpion King: Sword of Osiris

Menthu

Big Bad: Of the Sword of Osiris game.
Canon Foreigner: Made specifically for the tie-in game.
Evil Sorcerer: He uses magic to discharge enemy attacks at his enemies.
Historical Domain Character: Menthu's name was based on the Egyptian god of warfare.
Unholy Matrimony: With fellow evil sorceress Isis.

Isis

Canon Foreigner: Made for Sword of Oriris.
Hot Witch: Her character model is just as Stripperiffic as Cassandra.
Historical Domain Character: Isis was the goddess of fertility and motherhood.
One-Winged Angel: She transforms herself into a half-scorpion monster to fight Mathayus at the climax.
True Final Boss: If Mathayus did not collect all the runes, Menthu will be fought as the final boss and Isis will escape with the Scorpion rune, with Cassandra warning him that they must continue fighting just before the credits roll. If the player succeeds in the task, she will go full-blown One-Winged Angel and is fought as the actual final boss.
Unholy Matrimony: With fellow evil sorcerer Menthu.
Villain: Exit, Stage Left: In the bad ending, she takes the Scorpion Stone with her and flees after Mathayus kills Menthu.

The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior

Sargon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/348314_jl_d010_0044_1.jpg

Played by: Randy Couture

Animal Motifs: Scorpions. He used them to kill Ashur, and during the movie's climax he transforms into an giant invisible one.
Bald of Evil: Not a single hair on his top and is a brutal Evil Overlord.
Black Eyes of Crazy: Briefly seen in the prologue when he threatens Ashur for humiliating him.
Big Bad: Of the second movie.
Drill Sergeant Nasty: At the start of the movie, when he oversees the training of the Black Scorpions initiatives. Unsurprisingly, he is an evil example since he tries to kill a young Mathayus when he stands up for Layla.
Godhood Seeker: His main ambition, which he seeks to achieve by sacrificing Akkad's entire population to Astarte in the climax.
Historical Domain Character: There was a historical Akkadian king known as Sargon the Great, famous for conquering the Summerian states during the 24th and 23rd centuries BC and founded the Akkadian dynasty.
Historical Villain Upgrade: Nothing suggests that the historical Sargon was anywhere near as bad as this guy.
Human Sacrifice: Sargon arranged for the entire population of the city to be burned alive as a sacrifice to Astarte so he could become a god of his own.
Kingpin in His Gym: Briefly shows off his wrestling skills when sparring with one of his bodyguards at the start of the movie.
Klingon Promotion: He became king by slaying his predecessor and also removing his rivals such as Ashur, from the way.
Magic Knight: He is a dangerous sorcerer and is played by a wrestler.
Mind over Matter: Stops a spear with the power of his mind and telekinetically controls a poisoned arrow to hit his opponents.
One-Winged Angel: He transforms into a giant invisible scorpion for the final fight.
Sorcerous Overlord: Unlike Memnon, he actually has magical powers derived from many sacrifices to dark gods.
The Starscream: Used to be Hammurabi's general before killing him and usurping his crown.
Villains Want Mercy: In the deleted scenes, Sargon reverts to his human form and begs Astarte for help and mercy, even though she makes it clear she already knows his whole scheme. Mathayus then throws back his words from the initation ceremony before he killed his father, after which Sargon finally dies.
Sargon: (To Astarte) Mercy...
Mathayus: Is weakness. Remember, Sargon?
You Killed My Father: Sargon is responsible for killing Mathayus' father, and later his younger brother, Noah.

Ashur

Mathayus' father.

Action Dad: Was considered the greatest of the Black Scorpions.
Broken Pedestal: Mathayus is quite dejected to find out his father is in Hell, since he initially thought of him as a hero. The specifics of why he's there are unknown, but it's implied to be his actions as a Black Scorpion.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Ashur was stung to death by several scorpions summoned by Sargon.
Papa Wolf: When Sargon threatens Mathayus when he was a kid, Ashur steps in by throwing a spear at his feet and briefly duels with him.
Posthumous Character: Ashur killed him six years before the second movie (which is chronologically, the very first one in the series).
Retired Badass: He is an former Scorpion King and not very proud of his actions, so much so that he initially forbids Mathayus from joining them.

Layla

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fa77374050a4a973b644ca73c6ccfe3d.png

Played by: Karen David

Action Girl: For being able to held their own against a Physical God in a duel, even though she is no match to said god's powers, she gets points for bravery.
Arranged Marriage: She is fleeing one. To a sheep farmer, apparently.
First Love: Chronologically speaking, she was Mathayus' first love interest. But after Sargon's defeat, Layla decides she wants to settle down, while Mathayus still yearns for adventure & battle and leaves Akkad.
Doomed by Canon: Since Akkadians are believed to have been wiped out, Layla is presumed to have died a long time ago.
Jumped at the Call: She is eager to be an warrior and joins Mathayus in his quest after escaping from an arranged marriage with a sheep farmer.
The Smurfette Principle: In Mathayus' group, since she is the only girl and is his love interest.

Aritophanes

Played by: Simon Quarterman

Tag Along Chronicler: A Greek poet accompanying the heroes to find a tale worthy of narrating.
The Smart Guy: He is very cultured and is annoyed at others not being well-versed in myths as they are.
Wild Card: He is initially on Mathayus' side, but when they confront Sargon, Ari hands him over the Sword of Damocles and reveals he has been in Sargon's pocket all along. Shortly after, the sword Ari handed over is revealed to be a fake, and he quickly jumps in to give Mathayus the real one.

Pollux

Played by: Andreas Wisniewski

The leader of an Illyrian band of mercenaries encountered by Mathayus' group.

Fatal Flaw: Greed. He's a Proud Warrior Race Guy who, as a mercenary, only joins Mathays' group when Ari tells tales of how the underworld is filled with treasure. This winds up dooming him and his band, especially since Pollux couldn't help but stop to pillage wealth and ended up petrified into a statue.
Foil: For Ashur, especially in regards to how Mathayus perceives war heroes. Ashur was an honorable Papa Wolf and Retired Soldier of Akkad who everyone (especially Mathayus) idolized, yet regretted his actions as a Black Scorpion and tried to prevent Mathayus from following in his footsteps. Pollux, on the other hand, remains a warrior but clearly lacks Ashur's honor (beyond honoring his life debt to Ashur by saving his son) and regret, being crass, motivated only by riches and feeling pride for all the Hittites he and Ashur killed.
Old Soldier: He fought side by side with Ashur in their war against the Hittites.
Only in It for the Money: Ari convinces him and his group to tag along with them by promising immense riches in the Underworld.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Pollux considers his Illyrian honor very important for him, since he had an life debt to Ashur for saving his life. When he discovers Mathayus is his son, he has to pay it by fighting against the Minotaur but once he is defeated, his debt is paid. It takes monetary rewards to convince him to stay.
Taken for Granite: He becomes a statue trapped in the underworld when time runs out.

Fung

Played by: Tom Wu

Bare-Fisted Monk: He almost always fights using his fists, even when he gets his hands on a sword. According to Ari's translations, Fung was once an acrobat in the Emperor of China's court.
The Big Guy: Fung doesn't look burly or muscular, but he is tall and a very physical oriented fighter.
Distressed Dude: He is introduced as a prisoner in the Underworld entrance.
Mysterious Past: He was once an acrobat entertainer for the Emperor of China. One has to wonder how the hell he ended up in the Minotaur's Labyrinth.
The Unintelligible: He speaks untranslated Chinese in all his scenes, but none of the characters understand him, (and neither he can understand them,) except Ari.

Astarte

Played by: Natalie Becker

The Corrupter: She is subtly implied to be the cause for Mathayus eventually becoming the Scorpion King out to Take Over the World (maybe, since it might alternatively be his Identical Grandson).
Dark Action Girl: Having the power of a god, Astarte doesn't need to fight, but does at one point indulge in a duel with Layla and holds herself pretty well.
Everybody Hates Hades: Though the Astarte is a love/fertility goddess, she is a Underworld goddess in this movie that demands human sacrifice from her Dragon, Sargon.
Greater-Scope Villain: She is the source of Sargon's power, but she isn't an immediate antagonist.
- She (or more especifically, Sargon's venom from his scorpion form) is implied to be responsible for Mathayus' endless love for battle, which would drive him to leave Layla and Akkad and, possibly, becoming the Scorpion King we see in The Mummy 2 (assuming that wasn't Mathayus' Identical Grandson]].
Large Ham: With added bonus of a booming voice.
Lady in Red: Astarte is dressed mostly in red, symbolizing her status as a Love Goddess as well as her evil nature.
Love Goddess: She is described as one, as well as a war and underworld goddess. She is definitely one of the evil examples of this trope.
Navel-Deep Neckline: She has a plunging neckline in her crimson robes.
Physical Goddess: Manifests herself as a gorgeous Lady in Red. Notable that she is the only deity to appear in flesh and blood in both this series and The Mummy Trilogy.
Villainesses Want Heroes: She expresses some crush on Mathayus and tries to make him her consort.

The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption

King Talus

Played by: Billy Zane

Big Bad: Of the third movie.
Defiant to the End: Credit where credit is due, while Talus decides he doesn't stand a chance against Mathayus, he still goes down defiantly goading the enemy army into killing him. Assuming he wasn't so deluded that he sincerely thought the Book of the Dead had made him immortal
Evil Sorcerer: Uses magic from the Book of the Dead to achieve his goals.
Karmic Death: Rather than being killed by Mathayus, he is murdered by a very angry mob.
Large Ham: Oh yes. Billy Zane is having the time of his life.
Smug Snake: Very arrogant and full of himself.
Squishy Wizard: He sort of knows how to use a sword, but unlike Memnon or Sargon it's pretty clear he's nowhere near in the same league as Mathayus. In fact he spends the entirety of the final battle running away from Mathayus while his Co-Dragons do all the actual fighting.

Princess Silda

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/c2f56c4a2eae3a8d4789e1a7b33b8020_king_vee.jpg

Played by: Krystal Vee

Action Girl: She is revealed to be an ninja and a Rebel Leader against Talus.
Damsel out of Distress: Much to Mathayus' surprise since she is believed to have been a prisoner and he did not expect her to lead a rebellion against Talus.
Go-Go Enslavement: When she is forced to marry Talus, he dresses her in a skimpy black dress with cleavage.
McNinja: A Mesopotamic Ninja, no less!
Ms. Fanservice: Much like all love interests in the movie.
Ninja Pirate Robot Zombie: Silda is badass prisoner ninja princess rebel.

Olaf

Played by: Bostin Christopher

The Lancer: Serves as Mathayus' companion and foil being fat and comedic.
Plucky Comic Relief: Intended to be one for the fourth movie.

Agromael

Played by: Dave Bautista

The Dragon: Among the three warriors, with Zulu being The Brute and Tskai being the token girl.
Dual Wielding: Uses a pair of knives chained to his wrists.
Expy: He resembles Kratos from God of War with his appearance and weapon.

Tsukai

Played by: Selina Lo

Dark Action Girl: She is a deadly swordswoman on the villain's side.
Designated Girl Fight: With Silda.
Futureshadowing: She hints at Mathayus' future as The Scorpion King while fighting Silda.
Mystical White Hair: She is a revived undead warrior with silver hair.
White Hair, Black Heart: Silver-haired and one of the Big Bad's henchmen.

Zulu Kondo

Played by: Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson

Black Dude Dies First: Is the first and only one of the summoned warriors to die.
The Brute: The largest and most physically imposing of the three warriors.
Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: A hammer with spikes in it.
Scary Black Man: You can bet. As if his monstrous strength wasn't scary enough, he has sharp-filed teeth.

Horus

Played By: Ron Perlman

Cain and Abel: He and Talus are brothers, as well as rivals out to kill each other.
Large Ham: Just like his brother Talus. It must run in the family.

The Scorpion King IV: Quest for Power

Drazen

Played by: Will Kemp

All for Nothing: His quest for power ended up being for naught since as soon as he puts the crown on his head, it rejects him and transforms him into an ice statue.
Big Bad: Of the fourth movie. He is technically The Dragon to his father at the start of the movie, he quickly takes the crown for himself before the 30 minutes.
Deadpan Snarker: He has his moments, such as when sarcastically says "Oink oink" when Valina calls him a pig after slapping her.
Dragon-in-Chief: To his father, King Yannick.
Evil All Along: He is presented as Mathayus' sidekick and backstabs him before the prologue is over, becoming the Big Bad.
The Evil Prince: Drazen is the first main villain to be a prince instead of just king, though he quickly rectifies this problem.
Self-Made Orphan: He poisons his father to take his crown.
The Starscream: Usurps his father to become the proper Big Bad of the movie.
Older Hero vs. Younger Villain: He is noticeably more younger than Mathayus who at least has two decades of experience and serves as his sidekick at the start of the movie before being revealed to be Evil All Along.

Valina

Played by: Ellen Hollman

Action Girl: She kicks a lot of ass for a princess, though being an muscular helps.
Girly Bruiser: Valina likes dressing sexy, but is also unafraid to enter cage fighting against a Dark Action Girl.
Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: Her father is a wacky inventor who is revealed to be the one true king who abdicated the throne to Drazen's father so he could focus on his experiments.
Ms. Fanservice: On top of being as scantily-clad as all the other love interests, she is very muscular too. Courtesy of being played by Ellen Hollman of Spartacus: Blood and Sand fame.
True Blue Femininity: Her initial outfit while in prison is a revealing light-blue dress.

Feminina

Played by: Esmé Bianco

Cleavage Window: Her top leaves her ample chest exposed.
Meaningful Name: "Feminina" leaves little room for explanation when she is high priestess for an female goddess. No wonder she is the Ms. Fanservice as well.
Ms. Fanservice: For a high priestess, her ceremonial robes are particularly scandalous since all she wears amounts to a Chainmail Bikini. Being played by Ros from Game of Thrones also helps a lot.
Straw Feminist: Subverted. Males are forbidden from entering her temple to worship her goddess, requiring Mathayus to go Sweet Polly Oliver to gain entrance. When he ditches the disguise, she is quite pleased.

King Zakkour

Played By: Rutger Hauer

Sorrell Raskov

Played By: Barry Bostwick

Skizzura

Played By: Lou Ferrigno

The Scorpion King: Book of Souls

Nebserek

Played By: Peter Mensah

Bald of Evil: Just like Sargon, not a single hair on the top of this Evil Overlord either.
Bond Villain Stupidity: Even when he has Mathayus right when he is at his mercy, Nebserek decides to kill him in a duel in front of his men to make for a good show of his power. His priestess asks why he doesn't finish him off right there. He dismisses her concerns stating he is too weak to fight anyway, which only makes it even more baffling why he doesn't kill him right then.
Big Bad: In the fifth movie.
Evil Makes You Monstrous: His eyes turn blood red after he takes the Fang of Anubis for himself and they glow when he becomes agitated.
Evil Weapon: The Fang of Anubis, which he uses to reap the souls of his victims.
From Nobody to Nightmare: As he says in his Motive Rant during the climatic confrontation with Mathayus, his tribe was a very small one which was destroyed by Mathayus' Akkadian Empire. But rather than submit and accept death, he sought the Fang of Anubis to wreak ruin upon the land and get his revenge on the Scorpion King.
God-Emperor: After raising an jackal army thanks to the Fang's powers, he becomes revered as a god-king.
It's Personal: Unlike previous antagonists in the film series, he is the one with the bone to pick with Mathayus due to his tribesmen being killed by the Scorpion King in the distant past.
I Have You Now, My Pretty: Subverted. While he appears very tempted to take Amina as a concubine when she is offered to him, he turns her down upon discovering she is the Book of Souls and that she has the power to destroy his sword - so he orders her to be executed instead.
I Want Them Alive!: He specifically demands his minions to capture and bring him Mathayus alive so he can execute him use the Fang of Anubis to give him A Fate Worse Than Death.
Scary Black Man: Nebserek is already a very imposing man thanks to Peter Mensah, but becomes even more terrifying due to wielding the Fang of Anubis.

Tala

Played By: Pearl Thusi

A Nubian warrior princess that enlists Mathayus' help to find the Book of Souls in order to prevent the warlord Nebserek from destroying her kingdom. She is Balthazar's daughter and inherited many traits from her father like her fierceness and skill in combat.

Action Girl: Very capable and actually saves Mathayus' life at the start of the story.
Combat Medic: In addition to be being an Action Girl, she performs a healing ritual to save Mathayus after he is mortally wounded by the jackal warriors. This ritual includes summoning scorpions to sting him. She performs this ritual again in the climax to revitalize Mathayus and allowing him to free himself.
Dreadlock Warrior: A female example, since her hair is styled in dreads.
The Lancer: Being Mathayus' main companion in the movie and wielding a spear, just like her father did.
The Not-Love Interest: Despite being a warrior princess and accompanying Mathayus the longest during the movie, they never share any romantic interest on each other.
Sassy Black Woman: Downplayed. Tala is stern and serious most of the time, though she does occasionally sass Mathayus such as when he is visibly districted by the sight of Amina.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Tomboy to Amina's Girly Girl, for obvious reasons.
Warrior Princess: Her father was none other than Balthazar, Mathayus' old friend from the first movie. By the end of the movie, she becomes the new Nubian queen after her brother is killed by Nebserek.

Amina

Played By: Katy Louise Saunder

The Keeper of the Book of Souls is a beautiful young woman that lives inside the Temple of Scrolls and is guarded by the golem Enkidu.

And I Must Scream: Having to live in complete seclusion with a golem as her only companion is bad enough, but she also suffers from hosting all the souls of the Fang's victims in complete agony and suffering, screaming inside her.
Beast and Beauty: A non-romantic example with the clay golem Enkidu.
Ethereal White Dress: Wears white while inside the Temple of Scrolls, to display her mysterious and mystical nature.
Happily Adopted: Amina's real father was King Memtep (the original owner of the Fang of Anubis) while she was raised by a wizard that kept her safe from him.
The Heart: Even chickier than Layla in the second movie, since Amina is a non-action girl and relies on her big golem guardian for protection. Still, she is very important in keeping the group together since she is the key to defeating the bad guys.
Heroic Sacrifice: She finds out that to destroy the Fang of Anubis, it's required that she is struck with the sword which would also kill her. Amina accepts it if it means ending the curse.
Human Notepad: While not immediately apparent at first, her body is covered in several writings and letters when stepping into the moonlight. That is because she is the Book of Souls.
MacGuffin Girl: As the titular Book of Souls, she is the only one capable of ending Nebserek's wrath.
Merger of Souls: Anyone killed by the Fang of Anubis is transferred to her body.
Ms. Fanservice: She is very nubile as the picture above shows, probably to make up for the resident Action Girl (Tala) not being one. Its also a plot point since she disrobes under the moonlight to reveal her nature as the Book of Souls.
Mystical Waif: She is the key to defeating the Big Bad.
Navel-Deep Neckline: Whatever robes she wears ends up leaving her with a neckline that plunges to her navel.
No Body Left Behind: After being pierced by the Fang, her body fades from existence.
Starcrossed Lovers: With Mathayus. Though there is a clear interest between them, neither really act upon it specially after the revelation that she must be sacrificed to destroy the Fang of Anubis. He attempts in vain to convince her to live, but she is resolute in her to choice to die so the curse can be lifted and all the souls inside her can be freed. She gives him one last kiss just before turning into dust.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Cassandra the Sorceress, as a mystical, Navel-Deep Neckline-bearing Ms. Fanservice whom Mathayus feels infatuated with.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Girly Girl to Tala's Tomboy. No points for guessing why.
Who Wants to Live Forever?: Amina is blessed with immortality, but she is tormented by having to live with all the Fang of Anubis' victims being hosted in her body, not to mention she doesn't enjoy the world outside due to being locked up in a temple. She is able to do so after being freed by Mathayus and Tala. Ultimately, when it comes to the reveal that she must be stabbed with the Fang to destroy the curse, she accepts her death with dignity.

Khensa

Played By: Mayling Ng

Axe-Crazy: Khensa doesn't need much provocation or reason to slaughter anyone.
Dark Action Girl: Probably the darkest one in the series so far.
Designated Girl Fight: With Tala in the climax. Unusually, she is slain by Mathayus who flings a dagger to her back.
The Dragon: She is Nebserek's main enforcer.
Facial Markings: Khensa has dark makeup covering her face to give her a more fearsome visage.
It's Personal with the Dragon: Mathayus has a score to settle with her for the death of his apprentice, and even tries to kill her when they enter a settlement guarded by her and her men. By comparison, he doesn't really think much of her boss, even though Nebserek wants revenge against him for the death of his tribesmen.
Karmic Death: Mathayus kills her with the same dagger she used to kill Abel.
Would Hurt a Child: Kills Mathayus' young assistant Abel in front of his eyes.

Enkidu

Played By: Nathan Jones

A golem created by Amina's father to protect her so she could guard the Book of Souls.

Beast and Beauty: With Amina, whom he is completely devoted to in a non-romantic way.
Berserk Button: If he perceives Amina is in danger, he will be set off.
The Big Guy: To be expected. He is a stone giant that boasts having the strength of ten or twenty men.
Carry a Big Stick: Though Enkidu is very capable of crushing his enemies with his bare hands, he wields a huge mage for good measure.
Dumb Muscle: Enkidu isn't very bright and comes across like a little child, easily angered and startled.
Heroic Sacrifice: He helps Mathayus defeat Nebserek by allowing the warlord to run him with his sword and then throwing his body into a pyre in an attempt to destroy the Fang with it.
Heroic Second Wind: After being captured by Khensa's jackal warriors and restrained, Tala is able to spur into action and break his chains when she warns him that Amina is in danger.
Golem: He is a being made out of clay and animated from magic to protect Amina.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Enkidu is completely terrified of fire, even a small flame can fill him with abject terror. Amina explains that he is made out of clay, and fire is the only thing that can possibly destroy him. Which it does.

Characters / The Scorpion King aka: The Scorpion King Rise Of The Akkadian

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