Whiplash is the name of multiplesupervillains appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. They are commonly depicted as members ofIron Man'srogues gallery.Mickey Rourke portrayed Whiplash in theMarvel Cinematic Universe filmIron Man 2 (2010).[1]
Mark Scarlotti first appeared as Whiplash inTales of Suspense #97 (Jan. 1968).[2] He was killed in battle inIron Man vol. 4 #28 (May 2000).[3]
Leeann Foreman debuted as Whiplash inMarvel Comics Presents #49 (May 1990).
During theCivil War storyline, two new villains called Whiplash and Blacklash appear inThunderbolts #104 (Sept. 2006) and #107 (Dec. 2006).
Another female Whiplash appeared inBig Hero 6 #1 (Nov. 2008).
Anton Vanko first appeared inIron Man vs. Whiplash #1–4 (Jan.–April 2010). He later appeared as a member of theMasters of Evil.
| Blacklash | |
|---|---|
 Blacklash (center) features on the cover ofMarvel Team-Up #145 (Sept. 1984), art byGreg 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 abulletproof 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'sCincinnati 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 theMaggia. On behalf of the Maggia, Whiplash fights the heroIron Man – secretly inventor Tony Stark and Scarlotti's former employer – andA.I.M. agents attacking a Maggia gambling ship.[5][6][7]
Scarlotti is assigned to workundercover 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 supervillainsMelter andMan-Bull, is recruited by the other-dimensional villainBlack 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 mastermindJustin Hammer.[10][11][12] Following a series of battles with Iron Man and other heroes, Scarlotti is eventually diagnosed asmanic-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 byIron Man's armor, which has gained sentience.[14]
| 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 isLeeann Foreman, a professional criminal born inWilmington, Delaware. She is amutant with unrevealed abilities and usedadamantium 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 outSpider-Man andWolverine, 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 theFemme Fatales and is hired by theChameleon to lure Spider-Man into a trap by threatening aUnited Nations ambassador. Spider-Man defeated the Femme Fatales and saved the ambassador.[16] Whiplash and the Femme Fatales are later recruited into theFemizons, an entirely female organization led bySuperia.[17]
During the "Hunt for Wolverine" storyline, Whiplash took the name ofSnake Whip and is with the Femme Fatales when they assistViper in attackingKitty Pryde's group inMadripoor. She engagedJubilee in battle beforeKitty Pryde gets her andDomino 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]
Two villains, a woman who is the third Whiplash and a man who is the second Blacklash, appear during the outset of theSuperhuman Civil War. Both are past associates of the Swordsman (Andreas von Strucker) and frequenters ofBDSM events before becoming supervillains. The duo are forcibly recruited into theThunderbolts.[20]
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 possessHoney Lemon and laterGoGo Tomago.[21] WhenBig Hero 6 defeats Badgal, the construct ceases to exist.[22]
| Whiplash | |
|---|---|
 Whiplash (Anton Vanko). Art byMarko 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 ministerVladimir 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 byMax Fury as a member of theShadow Council's incarnation of theMasters of Evil.[25][26]
During the "Devil's Reign" storyline, Taskmaster appears as a member ofWilson Fisk's Thunderbolts after Fisk passes a law that forbids superhero activity.[27]
In "All-New, All-Different Marvel", a female supervillain takes the name of Blacklash. The female Blacklash is hired byPower Broker through the Hench App to protect his unveiling of Hench App 2.0. She ends up fightingAnt-Man andGiant-Man (Raz Malhotra) when they confront Power Broker. Blacklash ends up escaping due to Giant-Man's inexperience.[28]
Mark Scarlotti, courtesy ofJustin Hammer, wears abulletproof costume and wields a pair of cybernetically controlled titanium whips that can extend to be swung fast enough to deflect bullets, or become rigid and be used as nunchaku or vaulting-poles. He also carries a variety of devices in a weapons pouch, including anti-gravity bolas and a necro-lash which releases electrical energy generated by his gauntlets. Scarlotti is a research engineer and weapons design specialist, with a college degree in engineering.
Leeann Foreman wears two gauntlets containing three spring-loaded retractable omnium steel whip-like cables on each of her arms. Each cable can extend a maximum length of about 25 feet and contains needle-sharp adamantium barbs on the tips. She wears a padded costume of synthetic stretch fabric laced withkevlar, leather shoulder padding, and steel breastplates and mask, which provides her some protection from physical damage.
The unnamed Whiplash and Blacklash have no apparent superhuman abilities, relying on advanced energized whips.
Anton Vanko possesses a suit of armor equipped with two energy whips built into the wrists. The whips are shown to be powerful enough to slash through a metal staircase, as well as deflect a barrage of gunfire.[29] He is also a skilled athlete and possesses a deep understanding of robotics, enough that he was able to fashion his suit from a destroyed piece of Stark technology.
Several versions of Whiplash appear in theUltimate Marvel imprint:
Individuals based on the various comics incarnations of Whiplash appear in media set in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
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