The Birth: Mark Scarlotti used to be one of Tony Stark's research heads. Maggia money for his research, he constructed a unique metallic whip that is stronger than most other metals with the probable exception of adamantium. With that, he made a comstume for himself (cowl with plumes et all) and gave himself the identity of Whiplash.
He made his entrance in the Marvel Universe with Tales of Suspense #97.

The Alter Ego: Mark Scarlotti sometimes goes by the name of Mark Scott. He is a manic depressive who thinks he's one big failure. But when in costume, he enjoys bullying other people. He is also a research scientist and an engineer, a fact which got him into Stark International in the first place.

The Legend: Whiplash turned on Iron Man when he first wore the costume. Though he may not be a very good super-vilain, his costume and whip does make it hard for the people he goes against; like Iron Man, Spider-Man, etc.
He changed his name in Iron Man #146 to Backlash when he upgraded his arsenal to include a bullet-resistant mesh cloak, a concussive charge in his whip handle, and a number of other weapons. He also dyed the plume in his helmet green instead of orange.
Backlash has often pulled jobs for Justim Hammer, an old foe of Iron Man a.k.a Tony Stark. This makes him mainly an Iron Man villain. Ofcourse, he has also gone up against Spider-Man, the New Warriors, Silver Sable's Wild Pack and anybody else Justin orders him to attack. He has teamed up numerous times with other Hammer employees such as Blizzard, Boomerang, the Beetle, and the Melter.
He holds a police record and has been in and out of prison many times. His identity as Backlash is publicly known. Even his parents don't want to do anything with their son. But his old childhood friend, Rusty has still not given up on him. Ironically, Rusty's a cop.
With the recent murder of his wife, Trudi, Mark is thinking of either becoming one of the good guys or retiring and settling down in life so that he can raise his kid.