Scorponok began as Grand Chamberlain of Planet Q, guardian to its ruler, later called Alpha Q. When Unicron attacked Planet Q, the ruler froze, compelling the Chamberlain to sacrifice himself by detonating the planet's core to repel the invader. His spark survived within Unicron. After Unicron's deactivation in 2010, Alpha Q harnessed the chaos-bringer's power to resurrect him by 2020 as Scorponok, leader of the Terrorcon armies. Alpha Q charged him to harvest energon to restore worlds consumed by Unicron, including their homeworld. Commanding the Terrorcons under Alpha Q, Scorponok led with brutal honor, securing fierce loyalty. He preferred direct combat, wielding enhanced "Hyper-Mode" weaponry granted by Alpha Quintesson: energon-powered claws and a tail stinger. His forces assaulted Earth's energon resources, targeting Alterenergy installations and capturing humans like Kicker for their energon-sensing abilities. Despite early gains, Autobot interventions and strategic failures—such as detonating impure energon stores—drew reprimands from Alpha Q. To recruit Decepticon remnants, Scorponok wielded a sword forged from the deceased Megatron's spark. During a clash with Autobots in Plains City, a rage-fueled strike plunged the sword into Megatron's corpse, accidentally reviving the Decepticon leader. Megatron overpowered Scorponok, branded him with the Decepticon insignia, and seized control of Unicron's body from Alpha Q. Scorponok then served as Megatron's double agent while secretly aiding Alpha Q. After Megatron discovered the betrayal, he chained Scorponok to an asteroid and hurled him into Earth's Energon Grid. Alpha Q rescued him, and Scorponok subsequently allied openly with the Autobots during their temporary truce with Alpha Q. Within this alliance, the young Autobot Ironhide admired Scorponok as a mentor. However, in the final battle against Megatron inside Unicron, Scorponok fell in combat, presumed destroyed in an energon explosion. This event allowed Alpha Q to restore the consumed planets. Scorponok later reappeared, rebuilt by Megatron and fully loyal to him. He joined Decepticon campaigns against the restored worlds and the takeover of Cybertron. On Cybertron, Ironhide—embittered by Scorponok's return to Megatron—fought him. Both suffered critical injuries, but when Optimus Prime summoned Ironhide via the Spark of Combination, Scorponok dragged himself and the wounded Ironhide to the Jungle Planet. He declared he saved Ironhide only to ensure Galvatron's salvation from Unicron before collapsing and dying. In another continuity, Scorponok served as a Decepticon warrior under Megatron during the Cybertronian wars. After Unicron's defeat, he swore allegiance to Alpha Quintesson for greater power, becoming Terrorcon leader. He killed Starscream in anger and led energon raids on Earth. Upon Megatron's return, they clashed at an Autobot energon tower in the Yukon. Megatron impaled Scorponok with an energon sword, leaving his corpse as a victory monument. Unpublished storylines involved Over-Run witnessing Scorponok's murder of Starscream to investigate Starscream's spectral reappearance. Following his death, Unicron's lingering essence resurrected Scorponok as "Dark Scorponok" through the Unicron Singularity. An undead entity driven by agony and spark-hunger, he stalked Cybertron. He attacked Autobots like Skyfall and assaulted the Primary Energon Reserves Control as a diversion for Ramjet's schemes. Sentinel Maximus eventually defeated him, though the cause of his affliction remained unresolved.