Did Dwayne Johnson’s character really exist?

While the Dwayne Johnson film The Scorpion King It’s fiction, a figure in Egyptian history known as the Scorpion King existed. The Scorpion King was released in 2002, a year after Johnson made his debut in The mummy returns, the second film in The mummy franchise. While Johnson played a villain in The mummy returnsMathayus’ character was a hero in The Scorpion King. The timeline may be confusing, but the version of Mathayas that Johnson plays The Scorpion King is actually his character’s grandfather in The mummy returnsand is set thousands of years earlier.

Although The Scorpion King holds just 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film grossed US$180 million at the box office on a budget of US$60 million and established Johnson as a leading man in Hollywood. Therefore, audiences were clearly intrigued by Johnson’s character in The Scorpion King. Although Johnson did not return for any future films, a total of five Scorpio King films were made. Focusing on the first film in the series, has long wondered whether The Scorpion King is based on a true storyand whether Johnson’s character actually existed.

The Scorpion King was inspired by the Scorpion King of Ancient Egypt

The real king Scorpio ruled before the pharaohs

Johnson’s character in The Scorpion King is inspired by the Scorpion King of Ancient Egypt, also known as King Narmer, a figure who ruled Egypt before the time of the pharaohs. However, many of Johnson’s character attributes in The Scorpion King are not the same as real-life numbers. For example, Metayus is an Akkadian assassin in The Scorpion Kinghired to assassinate the sorceress of Memnon, who has conquered most of the local tribes in Egypt. Although not much is known about the real-life Scorpion King, it is highly unlikely that he was born outside of Egypt.

Furthermore, the only reason Methayus has any connection to scorpions in the 2002 film is because he was stabbed by an arrow soaked in scorpion venom. In The Scorpion KingCassandra, the aforementioned sorceress, stated that the scorpion’s blood would always flow through him if he survived. Although it is unknown whether the real Scorpion King was ever poisoned by scorpion venom, this was likely a plot point that the film’s screenwriters invented. In reality, King Narmer was known as the Scorpion King because he always had scorpions drawn on his shields and chariots..

When the Scorpion King Ruled Egypt

Egypt used to be a very different place

As mentioned, The Scorpion King is set thousands of years before The mummy returnswwhich pitted Dwayne Johnson against Brennan Fraser. Likewise, the Scorpion King ruled Egypt thousands of years ago, so it’s difficult to figure out exactly what his reign was like. Narmer became king of Egypt during the Predynastic Period (6000–3150 BC) – he has been cited as the last king of this period – and continued to rule during the First Dynastic Period (3150–2613 BC).

During the Predynastic Period, long before the pharaohs, Egypt was divided into two parts, Upper and Lower Egypt. However, since Egypt’s First Dynastic Period began when the country was finally united, it is clear that The Scorpion King was instrumental in uniting Upper and Lower Egypt. Therefore, when the Scorpion King began his reign, Egypt was a drastically different place, and this is reflected in The Scorpion King. In the film, Memnon is able to gain a lot of power because the tribes of Egypt are separated. However, it is Methayus who unites the tribes.

How the Scorpion King Impacted Egyptian Civilization

Experts are still learning new things about King Scorpion

The end of The Scorpion King suggests that Methayas has ushered in a new era for Egypt and that the country will become stronger than ever. This was true during the reign of the real Scorpion King. Throughout history, it was believed that King Menes was the one who unified Upper and Lower Egypt. However, archaeological discoveries in 1898 revealed the Narmer Palettewhich forever changed historians’ understanding of Ancient Egypt.

Because the Scorpion King ruled Egypt a long time ago, before writing was a common practice, most details about his reign are undocumented. However, the Narmer palette depicts King Narmer wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt and the red crown of Lower Egyptapparently confirming that he was the one who actually unified Egypt. Some historians believe that Narmer and Menes were the same person, but this has not been confirmed. Regardless, it is clear that King Narmer was one of the most important figures in Egyptian history and transformed the country into the world’s first empire.

How much of the Scorpion King film is fictional

The Scorpion King writers didn’t look much into the story

Most The Scorpion King was fictional, with the film being loosely based on the real Scorpion King. However, based on what is known about the real Scorpion King, it’s clear that the film’s screenwriters gave Johnson’s Methayus many of the same qualities. Although King Narmer was probably not an Akkadian, he was probably a brave warrior and a wise leader, especially if he was the one who united Egypt. Therefore, the idea of Metayus healing a destroyed Egypt at the end of the film is likely inspired by the story of the real Scorpion King.

Aside from Johnson’s Methayus, however, none of the other characters featured in The Scorpion King already existed in real life. Besides Metayus, the most important characters in the film are Cassandra, the sorceress, and Emperor Memnon, the film’s antagonist. The Scorpion King exaggerates Cassandra’s powers to add a fantastical element to the story. Although the rulers of Ancient Egypt sought advice from those who claimed to have visions of the future, Cassandra is a fictional character designed specifically to The Scorpion King film.

Likewise, Memnon was never a true ruler in Egypt. Although the real Scorpion King had to fight enemies in battles to take control of Egypt, no one named Memnon has ever been documented as one of Narmer’s opponents. Therefore, most The Scorpion King Plot points and characters were completely invented for the film’s story.

Sources: Los Angeles Times, Encyclopedia of World History