In The Mummy Returns (2001), Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson makes his film debut as the Scorpion King, an ancient warrior who sells his soul to Anubis for power. Millennia later, his cursed army threatens the world, prompting adventurers Rick and Evelyn O’Connell to stop the resurrected Imhotep from controlling the Scorpion King's forces. Johnson's role, though brief, introduced a character that led to a spin-off film, The Scorpion King (2002), launching his Hollywood career.