Mr. Scratch was Lord Protector of the
Red Queen in an alternate reality known as Earth-998. Mr. Scratch was gravely injured by a Canadian assassin that stab him in the head, causing him to have brain damage, which left him in a state of murderous rage and leaving a grotesque scar on the left-side of his face and head. Scratch killed
Forge, to prevent him from revealing the secrets of his greatest invention ever, the Great God Engine, its purpose was to project the Queen from parallel Earth to parallel Earth in search of the perfect
Nate Grey specimen. The Red Queen eventually captured Nate Grey of Earth-295, whom she believed to be flawless, however, Nate managed to escaped with the help of
Shaman (Nate Grey, Earth-2098). Mr. Scratch tracked down and severely wounded both Nates, who survived their grave injuries by using their powers to heal each other, as they swapped appearances allowing them to dupe Mr. Scratch into capturing the wrong Nate Grey. Mr. Scratch was ordered to kill himself for his failure by the Red Queen, but he refused to take his own life. The Red Queen attempted to kill him but her mutant powers were ineffective against Mr. Scratch.