Michael Copon takes up the reins as the young warrior Mathayus in this prequel to the 2002 film 'The Scorpion King'. Warned against joining the Emperor of Akkad's elite fighting warriors, the Black Scorpions, by his father Ashur (Peter Butler), Mathayus (Copon) ignores his advice and sets off to enlist. Falling foul of the evil Sargon (Randy Couture), commander of the army, Mathayus is rescued by his father and pardoned by the Emperor Hammurabi (Az Abrahams) in exchange for joining the Black Scorpions. When Sargon then murders Ashur, Mathayus bides his time, honing his skills in the Black Scorpions until a time that he can exact vengeance. After finally graduating as a master swordsman, Mathayus meets Sargon, now Emperor after murdering Hammurabi, who convinces him to swear his allegiance. But after Sargon imprisons and kills Mathayus's brother on a trumped up charge, Mathayus discovers that Sargon can only be killed using a magical sword that has to be retrieved from the underworld. With his childhood friend (and love-interest) Layla (Karen Shenaz David) and new accomplice Aristophanes (Simon Quarterman) along for the ride, Mathayus sets off on his quest.