Fictional character biography
Mark Scarlotti
| Blacklash | |
|---|---|
 Blacklash (center) features on the cover of Marvel Team-Up #145 (Sept. 1984), art by Greg LaRocque | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | (As Whiplash) Tales of Suspense #97 (Jan. 1968) [4] (As Blacklash) Iron Man #146 (May 1981) |
| Created by | Stan Lee (writer) Gene Colan (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Marco Scarlotti |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Maggia Death Squad Sinister Syndicate |
| Notable aliases | Blacklash |
| Abilities | Wears a bulletproof costume Wields a pair of cybernetically-controlled titanium whips Carries a variety of devices in a weapons pouch |
Mark Scarlotti is originally a gifted electrical technician at Stark International's Cincinnati branch, but desires a life of luxury and becomes a professional criminal. With a costume and a sophisticated metal whip of his own design, Scarlotti becomes Whiplash, a weapons designer, special agent, and assassin for the criminal organization the Maggia. On behalf of the Maggia, Whiplash fights the hero Iron Man – secretly inventor Tony Stark and Scarlotti's former employer – and A.I.M. agents attacking a Maggia gambling ship. [5] [6] [7]
Scarlotti is assigned to work undercover for the Maggia at Stark International's Cincinnati plant, and becomes Head of Research. As Whiplash, Scarlotti then has another inconclusive battle with Iron Man and flees the scene, quitting the Maggia. [8] Whiplash, together with fellow supervillains Melter and Man-Bull, is recruited by the other-dimensional villain Black Lama to form a team named the Death Squad and fight Iron Man. The three villains enter a "War of the Super-Villains" to win the Black Lama's Golden Globe of Power, but are all defeated. [9]
Whiplash later comes into the employ of criminal mastermind Justin Hammer. [10] [11] [12] Following a series of battles with Iron Man and other heroes, Scarlotti is eventually diagnosed as manic-depressive by prison psychiatrists. He attempts to reform, but is rejected by his parents and residents of his home town. In response, Scarlotti assumes the identity of Blacklash.
Scarlotti decides to renounce his criminal identity and marries and has a child. A lack of money forces Scarlotti to assume his identity again, and he becomes the target of an assassin, who kills his wife when she returns to their apartment. Scarlotti finds and kills the assassin, then vows to permanently abandon the identity of Blacklash. [13] However, Scarlotti is hired by a rival of Stark and returns as Whiplash, with an upgraded costume and new weaponry. Several weeks later, Whiplash is killed by Iron Man's armor, which has gained sentience. [14]
Leeann Foreman
| Whiplash | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Marvel Comics Presents #49 (May 1990) |
| Created by | Erik Larsen |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Leeann Foreman |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations | Band of Baddies Femme Fatales Femizons |
| Notable aliases | Snake Whip |
| Abilities | Wears two gauntlets containing three spring-loaded retractable omnium steel whip-like cables Costume grants some protection from physical injuries |
The second Whiplash is Leeann Foreman, a professional criminal born in Wilmington, Delaware. She is a mutant with unrevealed abilities and used adamantium wires connected to her gloves as whips. Whiplash and the Band of Baddies kidnap a mutant girl and her father to coerce them into joining the group. They force the daughter to knock out Spider-Man and Wolverine, but they quickly recover. The daughter then unleashed her powers, blowing up the warehouse they are in, and defeats all of the Baddies. During the explosion, Whiplash escapes. [15]
Whiplash later joins the Femme Fatales and is hired by the Chameleon to lure Spider-Man into a trap by threatening a United Nations ambassador. Spider-Man defeated the Femme Fatales and saved the ambassador. [16] Whiplash and the Femme Fatales are later recruited into the Femizons, an entirely female organization led by Superia. [17]
During the "Hunt for Wolverine" storyline, Whiplash took the name of Snake Whip and is with the Femme Fatales when they assist Viper in attacking Kitty Pryde's group in Madripoor. She engaged Jubilee in battle before Kitty Pryde gets her and Domino away from the restaurant. [18] After the rest of the Femme Fatales are defeated, Domino persuades Snake Whip to surrender and provide her with information in exchange for a lighter sentence. [19]
Whiplash and Blacklash duo
Two villains, a woman who is the third Whiplash and a man who is the second Blacklash, appear during the outset of the Superhuman Civil War. Both are past associates of the Swordsman (Andreas von Strucker) and frequenters of BDSM events before becoming supervillains. The duo are forcibly recruited into the Thunderbolts. [20]
Construct
This version of Whiplash is a personality construct created by Badgal. The construct is feminine and thus tends to possess females. Initially, Badgal used this construct to possess a random citizen, but later used it to possess Honey Lemon and later GoGo Tomago. [21] When Big Hero 6 defeats Badgal, the construct ceases to exist. [22]
Anton Vanko
| Whiplash | |
|---|---|
 Whiplash (Anton Vanko). Art by Marko Djurdjevic. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Iron Man vs. Whiplash #1 (January 2010) |
| Created by | Marc Guggenheim (writer) Philipe Briones (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Anton Vanko |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Assassins Guild Masters of Evil |
| Abilities | Skilled athlete Deep knowledge of robotics Suit of armor grants: Energy whips built into the wrists |
Anton Vanko (Russian : Антон Ванко) is a young scientist from Volstok, a village in Russia. Volstok is attacked by someone wearing a stolen suit of Iron Man armor who murders a number of townspeople, including Vanko's father Igor, in an attempt to frame Tony Stark.
Vanko shoots the attacker before he flees, causing the chest plate on the armor to come off. Believing Stark to be the attacker, Vanko uses the chest plate to reverse-engineer a suit of armor equipped with energy whips, and vows to kill Stark to avenge his father. [23]
After confronting Tony Stark, Vanko learns that Stark had been framed by a syndicate who destroyed Volstok to kill an activist who was creating sentiment against Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin. Despite learning of Iron Man's innocence, Vanko makes one final attempt to kill him, claiming that even though he did not destroy the village, his technology was still responsible. Vanko manages to escape, after which Stark is cleared of his charges and helps rebuild Volstok. [24]
Whiplash is later recruited by Max Fury as a member of the Shadow Council's incarnation of the Masters of Evil. [25] [26]
During the "Devil's Reign" storyline, Taskmaster appears as a member of Wilson Fisk's Thunderbolts after Fisk passes a law that forbids superhero activity. [27]
Female Blacklash
In "All-New, All-Different Marvel", a female supervillain takes the name of Blacklash. The female Blacklash is hired by Power Broker through the Hench App to protect his unveiling of Hench App 2.0. She ends up fighting Ant-Man and Giant-Man (Raz Malhotra) when they confront Power Broker. Blacklash ends up escaping due to Giant-Man's inexperience. [28]
