BLACKLASH

 

BLACKLASH

Real Name: Mark Michael Scarlotti

First Appearance: Tales of Suspense (Vol. 1) #97, January 1968

Powers: No superhuman powers. Mark Scarlotti began his career as a Maggia operative named Whiplash who employed specially-designed metal whips, which could be snapped at twice the speed of sound and pierce steel. He could also use these whips as a bullet-deflecting screen by spinning them in an arc in front of him. Targeting capabilities built into the whip made it possible for him to strike a fly out of the air.

Years later, he upgraded his equipment to become Blacklash, with a number of new items. His new costume was made of bulletproof beta kevlar, and his cape's absorption mesh was able to withstand many forms of assault. He used a set of telescopic whips which could be stored inside his buccaneer gloves in their retracted forms, and controlled by cybernetic impulses to make their movements almost like an extension of his own. The whips could be converted into nunchaku or stiffened into a rigid vaulting pole. Scarlotti could also detach the whip-lengths from their handles, turning them into a fuse that quickly releases a burst of explosive energy as it burns.

He could also produce a "necro-lash" by channeling all the electrical energy stored in his gauntlets into the whip at once, releasing it on impact as an instantly lethal strike. Blacklash also wore a makeshift bola around his neck which could produce a hypergravity field on impact, weighing down his target and crushing them against the floor.

He would eventually change his identity back to Whiplash, adapting a number of new energy whips for his arsenal, which he wore strapped to his belt. Similar to a light saber, each whip was only a handle until activated, at which point they generated a length of flexible energy as the "whip" portion. Among his options were a molecular whip that destabilized matter to make it brittle to the touch, and a kinetic whip that magnified the force behind each swing, striking like a cannon. He also used electro-whips, and one in particular which could be swung up in the air during a lightning storm, harness the electricity, and swing the full force of a lightning strike into his opponent. For maneuverability, he used a personal flying platform, and later switched to jet disks mounted on his feet. In his last appearance, Whiplash used a cybernetic mantle equipped with multiple computer-guided robot arms, each wielding a different whip.

Mark Scarlotti held a college degree in engineering. He was a brilliant research engineer who specialized in weapons design. He was also a natural athlete with expertise at using the whip as an offensive weapon. He was also skilled with the nunchaku, and had a fair knowledge of hand-to-hand combat.