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Blackarachnia (BW)

2009-11-04T23:33:12Z

124.187.68.122: /* Trivia */

{{factions|predacon|maximal|maximalbm|decepticon|unicron}}
{{disambig3|Blackarachnia}}
:''Blackarachnia is a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]], [[Maximal]], and a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Beast Era]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]. She's a busy girl, huh?''

[[Image:Blackarachniabw.jpg|right|240px|thumb|Hot, poisonous, and deadly. Rawr!]]
A sultry femme fatale, '''Blackarachnia''' is smart, sexy, and dangerous. She's got eight legs, and she knows how to use them. Of the several rebellious Predacons under [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s command, she's one of the very few who can, on occasion, outguile him. Always looking out for Number One, Blackarachnia values her independence and freedom above all else. She would rather be deactivated than be a slave.

Blackarachnia's greatest weakness, other than her overconfidence, is her feelings for the Maximal [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]. Something about his heroic demeanor and the kindness he shows her makes her uneasy. She hasn't experienced unconditional love before, and it scares her, though she'll never admit it.

{{quote|Even when I'm good, I'm still bad.|Blackarachnia|"[[Crossing the Rubicon]]"}}

:''Japanese name:'' '''Blackwidow'''
:''French-Canadian name (original toy):'' '''Mygale'''
:''French-Canadian name (cartoon):'' '''La Veuve Noire''' (The Black Widow")<ref name=TM2BA>Whether Transmetal II Blackarachnia had different French and Spanish names is uncertain at this point.</ref>
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Hēi Jr-jū''' (黑蜘蛛, "Black Spider") / '''Jr-jū''' (蜘蛛, "Spider", used in ''Beast Machines'' sometimes)
:''Cantonese name:'' '''Alaina''' (雅麗娜 ''Aa Lai Naa'')
:''Polish name:'' '''Arachna'''
:''Portuguese name:'' '''Aracniana'''
:''Brazilian name (Beast Wars only):'' '''Viúva Negra'''
:''Spanish name'': '''Araña Negra''' ("Black Spider")<ref name=TM2BA/>

==Fiction==
===First wave toy bios===
Working by moonlight, Blackarachnia poses as a double agent. In reality, this is merely a ruse she utilizes in order to lure unwitting Maximals into her darkened den, where she first paralyzes her victim with a poisonous missile. She then proceeds to restrain her victim with her powerful legs, and subsequently sucks their life force dry... kinky. She is capable of converting thermal energy into [[cyber venom]]. {{storylink|Blackarachnia (BW)#Toys|Blackarachnia bio}}
{{note|This comic, along with the on-package [[Bio|bios]] of the first wave of Beast Wars toys, predate the development of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon and its backstory. They seem to present the characters as a direct continuation of the previous Autobot/Decepticon conflict, with Optimus Primal actually being a new form of Optimus Prime and Megatron being his Generation 1 counterpart, and their battles taking place on present day, [[human]]-inhabited Earth, rather than in the distant past. Once the cartoon launched, the toyline adjusted itself to match that continuity instead, relegating this one to an aborted [[micro-continuity]].}}
===Cartoon continuity===
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Venus Terzo]] (English), [[Ryōka Yuzuki]] (Japanese), [[Fátima Noya]] (Portuguese)

[[Image:BAintroduction.jpg|left|250px|thumb|My face is up here!]]
Blackarachnia was born from one of the [[Maximal|Maximals']] fallen [[stasis pod]]s. [[Tarantulas]], watching a black widow fight and devour another spider, was inspired. [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], observing the slim and attractive Blackarachnia transform and strike a few poses, suggested that he had "ulterior motives behind her beast form selection." But, she was a Predacon, and that was what was important. In the battle with the Maximals that followed, she easily defeated [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] with a few well-placed kicks. She was later reported as "missing," though the reasons why and how were never addressed. {{storylink|Double Jeopardy}}

Blackarachnia made herself renowned among the ranks of both the Maximals and Predacons as a severe headache to Megatron. When Tarantulas found out about the [[Vok]], he tried to craft a stasis pod escape ship for himself, and she was there to forge a partnership {{storylink|Spider's Game}}. When [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and Blackarachnia journeyed to a mysterious, floating island containing immense power, she was there to shove him out of the way and take control of the island herself, only to be defeated by [[Tigatron]] {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 1}}. When [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] took control of [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]]'s body, she was right next to him when he betrayed Megatron, betraying Starscream ''back'' {{storylink|Possession}}. When she aided Tarantulas in breaking into the ''Axalon'' to acquire a stasis pod for conversion into an escape ship, she took over after a following Inferno incapacitated Tarantulas, intending to take the ship for herself. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 1}} Unfortunately for her, this deception backfired on her in the form of a forced mind link between her and Tarantulas, which remained until she forced the spider into breaking it. {{storylink|Tangled Web}} When Tarantulas forced her to investigate Megatron's [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden]] [[Golden Disk (Vok)|Disk]] backups, she waited until Tarantulas was occupied to download and encrypt the recoverable information. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}

[[Image:Blackarachnia A shame.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Hiya, hot stuff.]]
When the Vok were moments away from returning, Tarantulas and Blackarachnia both again teamed up in an attempt to flee the dying planet. Megatron, already aware of their next move, used their deceptive tendencies against them and acted unaware of their treachery. As they built their escape ship, he installed his own variant on the design, making it inescapable once sealed and in space. Though it did not destroy either of them, the result was even better: [[Optimus Primal]] wound up in the pod and was destroyed instead. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}} Blackarachnia's wits saved her, as she convinced Megatron that he would need soldiers, which gave him reason to spare her life. She also, much to her disgust, ended up with a telepathic link to Tarantulas which allowed him control of her body. {{storylink|Aftermath}}

Forced by Tarantulas to hack into Megatron's private files and Golden Disk back-ups for him, she discovered that it contained the access codes for the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]. Taking advantage of his temporary deactivation, she downloaded a copy, destroyed the files and told Megatron [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] destroyed them, while telling Tarantulas a different story, that Megatron had booby-trapped them. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}} Neither of them (apparently) believed her, but neither showed this openly ''yet''... Meanwhile, Blackarachnia forced Tarantulas to end their psychic link by threatening to kill herself and take his mind with her. She also had Silverbolt refuse to fight her because she was female (to the annoyance of Rattrap). {{storylink|Tangled Web}}

[[Image:Blackarachnia fightback.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Spousal abuse!]]
When an energon blast sent her and Silverbolt into the middle of the dense jungles, they were forced to work together. Though attracted to the [[Fuzor]], Blackarachnia was endlessly frustrated by his seemingly idiotic chivalry and need to treat her specially. Megatron, listening in to their commlink chatter, was disgusted by the obvious romance going on. Blackarachnia rather liked the treatment and affection, though she held it under a firm charade of bitter irritation. {{storylink|Bad Spark}}

When the Predacons attacked the valley of proto-humans, Blackarachnia was teamed with Inferno. She did considerable damage to Dinobot before being blasted herself. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}

After confirming the location of the Ark, Megatron sent Waspinator to its location. Realizing what this meant, Blackarachnia abandoned her post and followed him. Silverbolt followed ''her'' and stubbornly refused to leave her alone. Exhausted and in a hurry, she conceded and told him to dig. The two broke through the mountainside and Blackarachnia had a good cackle over the Ark's power being "all mine!"... just as Megatron arrived. Having always intended for her to reach the Ark as he knew she had the access codes, he threatened to vape Silverbolt unless she did what he said. Bitterly, she agreed to his demands.

[[Image:BA Silverbolt Agenda3.jpg|right|180px|thumb|I can walk, you know.]]
Blackarachnia used the Ark's security system to cover Megatron's back, not sure of what he was planning. Once he fired upon [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], history began to change, wiping out all Maximals... {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}which included herself. Not willing to die for Megatron, she activated [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I's]] security nets to force Megatron off the ship. With Silverbolt's help, she got the dying Autobot leader under life support and began the repairs. The Maximals, recognizing what she had done, reluctantly allowed her to join their ranks after an irate Megatron gave her the boot (in the form of nearly killing her). {{storylink|Optimal Situation}} (Quite what ''she'd'' intended to do with the Ark — since she couldn't have altered the timeline without risking erasing herself — was never explored.)

Blackarachnia quickly showed her usefulness to the Maximals, building a hand-powered [[subaquatic stealth vessel]] that could retrieve Sentinel from the ''Axalon'''s underwater resting place. Rattrap was less than thrilled about having to use the "Predacon beach ball". {{storylink|Changing of the Guard}}

She was even less thrilled when she ended up having to escort two human children back to their tribe along with Cheetor, who was exhibiting a boyish crush on her, much to Silverbolt's annoyance. Rattrap was also rather distrusting of her, as earlier he had spied Blackarachnia sneaking some parts from a classified area. But when Megatron's new [[cyber raptor]]s attacked, Blackarachnia showed her good side by defending the children, even taking a hit from Tarantulas for them, which she immediately denied to an impressed Silverbolt by saying she slipped. With the cyber raptors defeated, she informed Cheetor that he was a nice kid - which were two strikes against him, so don't go looking for strike three. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}}

However, tensions began to run high later. After Rhinox scanned her and found the shell program that made her a Predacon, Blackarachnia finally got fed up with Rattrap's attitude and Cheetor's crush, and would have choked/blasted them both if Optimus hadn't intervened. Weary that apparently she hadn't proven herself to the Maximals and thinking that Optimus and Rhinox were planning to force her to remove the shell, Blackarachnia decided to split... which turned out to be a bad decision, as [[Dinobot II]] had been waiting for this moment. Taking turns hunting each other, Blackarachnia got the upper hand but was caught off-guard by Dinobot's power and durability. Fleeing to a mesa, she was found by Silverbolt, who got in a fight with Dinobot and was about to be slagged. Blackarachnia shot him out of the way, then tried to make a deal with Dinobot to take over the Ark and the Predacons, which backfired and allowed Dinobot to stun her, but he was distracted by Silverbolt long enough for the two Maximals to finally defeat him. However, Silverbolt accused Blackarachnia of betraying the Maximals, which angered Blackarachnia who explained she shot him to get him out of Dinobot's grasp and distract him, and countered with Optimus' supposed forcing of her to become a Maximal. But they worked everything out at the end (after a headbutt to Silverbolt also dropped her. He ''does'' have a thick skull). {{storylink|Proving Grounds}}

[[Image:TM2 Blackarachnia.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Calendar Bot]]
Later, Blackarachnia took the [[Transmetal driver]] and attempted to use it on herself. Silverbolt, not realizing what she was planning, bailed her out of the contraption. Like every good girlfriend, she began to chew him out, but was cut off as an energy surge made her lose control of her circuits. A security system Tarantulas installed had been triggered by her tampering with her core, and the only way to fix it was to cut the Predacon [[shell program]] loose. Reluctantly, she agreed. An attack on the Maximal base disrupted the attempt, and she was deactivated.

Distraught, Silverbolt took off to avenge her death. He easily subdued Tarantulas and was moments away from executing him when [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] attacked him. Blackarachnia appeared in the nick of time with her new and improved Transmetal 2 body, easily fought off Rampage and rescued Silverbolt. {{storylink|Crossing the Rubicon}}

Later, during Megatron's final assault on the Ark, Blackarachnia "emasculated" Rattrap's tail in an effort to reactivate the Ark. Seriously. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}
{{-}}

====Beast Wars: Transformers Video Game====
{{charstubfiction}}
{{-}}
====Transformers Beast Wars: Transmetals Video Game====
[[Image:N64Blackarachnia.jpg|left|200px|thumb|I'm... sure she has a nice personality... wait, no. No, she doesn't.]]
:''Voice actor:'' ? (English), ? (Japanese)

Transmetal Blackarachnia joins her fellow Predacons in distributing various one-on-one beat downs to the Maximals. Eventually, Silverbolt convinces her to defect to the Maximals but she never truly reforms—once back on Cybertron, she works as a double-agent between the Maximal and [[Tripredacus Council]] with no loyalty to either side. {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transmetals}}

{{note|In the the N64 version of ''Beast Wars: Transmetals'', Blackarachnia was a stretched [[palette swap|palette-swap]] of [[Tarantulas|Transmetal Tarantulas]]. As you can see, this didn't work very well. But it was a nice thought.}}
{{-}}
====IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics====
[[Image:TMblackarachnia.jpg|left|200px|thumb|No boobs? No thanks.]]
While the Maximals attempted to remove her Predacon shell program, an alternate Transmetal "Vok" body was somehow automatically created (by someone, somehow) in [[subspace]] just in case it was needed. It wasn't, and so it was "sidelined". {{storylink|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}

{{note|This is [[IDW Publishing|IDW's]] way of "sorta" working her [[McDonald's]] Happy Meal premium toy (see below) into continuity}}
{{-}}
====''Tales of the Beast Wars''====
Blackarachnia made a brief appearance in her Transmetal 2 form at [[Omega Point]], being eviscerated by [[Shokaract]]'s firepower. Clearly, she got better as space/time rebooted itself with the destruction of the [[Unicron|Dark Essence]]. {{storylink|Terminus}}
{{-}}
====Transformers Legends====
{{Charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|A Meeting of Minds}}
{{note|Transformers Legends were meant to be "imaginary stories," and not to be taken as canon. Whether or not these story are to be taken as having happened is up to one's [[personal canon]].}}
{{-}}
====''Binaltech'' (unused)====
As the victorious Maximals travelled forward in time from prehistoric Earth to far-future Cybertron, their shuttle was suddenly struck by a powerful force of darkness. Hurled into the early 21st century, Blackarachnia was forced by Unicron to aid him in his efforts to destroy the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. Her spark was placed inside the silver Beta Unit Honda S-2000 Aero Style body intended for the Autobot warrior [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]], and her mind was overwhelmed by an evil essence that forced her to do Unicron's bidding.

Still possessing her extrasensory Transmetal 2 powers including telekinesis, Blackarachnia gained several additional weapons courtesy of her new form: a long-range Venom Sniper Gun that fired system-disrupting energy bullets, a defensive riot shield that projected an electromagnetic field from its edge, and the ability to fire strong artificial webs from her grill, exhaust pipe and hands in robot mode.

Blackarachnia was partnered with the newly-created [[Decepticharge]] and dispatched to confront [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave's]] forces on Earth. Finding them in the middle of a [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]-led uprising, the pair put down the rebellion and ordered the Decepticons to defeat [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and destroy the Matrix.

While forced to act as a Decepticon, Blackarachnia's true self remained intact but submerged, struggling to overcome Unicron's control and desperate to correct the warped [[Binaltech]] timeline.

[[Blackarachnia (BW)|''Maybe.'']]

====''Beast Machines'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Venus Terzo]] (English), [[Ryōka Yuzuki]] (Japanese), [[Márcia Moreli]] (Portuguese)

[[Image:Thereformattingmaximalsmaximize.jpg|left|300px|thumb|When they say she's all legs, they ain't kidding!]]
When the Autobot shuttle crashed on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and the Maximal team was gassed, Blackarachnia's Transmetal 2 powers were stripped away from her, as were her memories. As such, the amnesiac Maximal decided to head underground, distraught and confused. Locked out of her robot mode, she awaited her imminent deactivation — until the other three survivors: an equally disoriented [[Optimus Primal]], [[Rattrap]] and [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]—plunged into her web. Primal made the decision to head underground, and Blackarachnia complied, using her webs to grant them safe passage. However, in her weakened state her webbing was limited, and so the foursome plummeted most of the way down into the chamber of the [[Vector Sigma|Oracle]]. She watched as Optimus emerged in his [[technorganic]] form, and was the fourth and last Maximal to be [[reformat]]ted, emerging as a pink black widow spider with green markings. When attacked by a squadron of Cycle Drones, she put her technorganic mode to good use, trapping one of the [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]] in a tangle of web. {{storylink|The Reformatting}}

[[Image:Blackarachniamasterofthehouse.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Nice forehead!]]
However, her loss of Silverbolt had hardened her, and she was now unable to count on her Maximal allies. Blackarachnia fell back upon her Predacon principles of 'survival of the fittest' and became more withdrawn and skeptical than at the end of the Beast Wars. Blackarachnia had a relatively easy time adapting to her new technorganic form, and was the third Maximal to master transformation, though it took her longer to apply her new robot mode in combat. In robot mode, she was able to fire electrical "stings" through the ground and hurl technorganic webs like discs. However, all of her new abilities and powers were useless as she tried to unravel the mysteries of where and why the population of Cybertron had gone, and why the [[Cybertron InfoCore]] was wiped. {{storylink|Master of the House}} Sometime after that, she received a vision of prehistoric [[Earth]] and her lover. She and Rattrap were then sent to extract data on the Shuttle that ferried them home to Cybertron, before having a run-in with Megatron's new, sentient [[Vehicon general]]s. As she desperately tried to access her missing memories, Megatron manipulated the data link, attempting to probe her mind, and by doing so, finding the Maximal's base. When she realized what was going on, she severed the link at the cost of the Shuttle and their memories. {{storylink|Fires of the Past}}

Blackarachnia and crew later discovered the bat-creature [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]], who led them to a strange organic fruit tree. Upon eating the fruit, Blackarachnia began to revert to her instinctual "animal" mind, and it was only thanks to [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] that her feral mind returned to normal, and thanks to Primal that the bat's life was saved and reformatted into a technorganic body. With the debut of the newest Maximal, Blackarachnia took on a "big sister" role to the inexperienced youth, and as a result mellowed somewhat. {{storylink|Forbidden Fruit}} Later, the group stumbled across one of Megatron's many Transformer junkyards, where the lifeless, [[Spark]]less bodies of the cities were disposed of. When [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] and Blackarachnia were split up from the battle, a unofficial truce was made between the two uneasy sides, but when, Thrust saved her life and her [[Spark]], having strange recollections of doing so before, her mind was set: He was Silverbolt, mutated and made evil by Megatron. {{storylink|Revelations Part I: Discovery}}

Blackarachnia made numerous peals for Thrust to realize his "true" Maximal nature, though Thrust seemed hesitant. This culminated in Thrust removing her Spark, as [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] egged him on. As the Spark rocketed into the darkness, Nightscream fought Jetstorm for it. At the same time, on another plane of existence, Blackarachnia encountered Primal, who calmed her astral spirit down, at the same time allowing Nightscream to restore it and bring her back. {{storylink|Revelations Part III: Apocalypse}}

When Tankor gained control of the Key to Vector Sigma and "infected" Nightscream and the new orchard with the Key, Blackarachnia eventually became infected, and temporarily lost her sanity as she was overwhelmed by the "technomatter". {{storylink|The Key}} When the rest of the gang managed to reverse the process, Blackarachnia was saved.

[[Image:Silverboltjetstorm.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Sorry, your boyfriend was behind door number 2!]]
However, not even Thrust's recent behavior would put off the persistent Maximal. Using some of the organic fluid from the Cybertronian core, and after a brief chase, she trapped Thrust in some of her webs and forced his inner personality out, begging for Silverbolt to answer. The reply was not quite what she was looking for.

[[Waspinator (BW)|"Doggie-bot not here!"]]

When Jetstorm attacked, another mishap with the organic goop occurred, and for a moment Silverbolt's true personality emerged, sweeping Blackarachnia in his arms. He returned, but just for a moment. Fighting a passionate [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], the goo vanished from the both of them, and the Vehicon's minds both returned.

Blackarachnia was involved in the battle in Megatron's Citadel, holding off the Vehicons as Primal confronted Megatron within, though she, along with the others, were all overwhelmed by the Key to Vector Sigma and became comatose. Upon awakening, the four headed to confront [[Optimus Primal|Primal]] in the Oracle, where they convinced him to return to real-space and continue his leadership.

[[Image:Blackarachniasilverboltdarkestknight.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Vamp meets goth.]]
After a brief run-in with the organic Transformer [[Noble|Savage/Noble]], his betrayal, and the introduction of the [[Grand Mal]], Blackarachnia managed to force Jetstorm into a large pool of the organic goo, and his body began to change. Scanning a nearby condor skeleton, he awoke in a new form, a purple technorganic bird of prey. Blackarachnia was startled by the change in him. Instead of the lovable, chivalrous knight in shining armor, he was a brittle, haunted bot, tormented by the images of the evil deeds he had done...done by choice. Though he gave up on himself, she never did, urging Silverbolt to forgive his past, prompting him to head to the Grand Mal to confront his old master and rescue Primal and Cheetor. {{storylink|In Darkest Knight}}

[[Image:Silverboltblackarachniaseedsofthefuture.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Eeek! That smile! Go back to glowering!]]
Even after Silverbolt inadvertently spread a new, [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]-enhanced version of the old [[Hate Plague]] causing dissension in the ranks, her love remained, unbroken and undying, though Silverbolt only felt more guilt on his part. However, Blackarachnia softened once more, and displayed traits similar to her pre-technoganic persona with the reintroduction of her lover. Together, the two battled an [[Botanica|alien plant monster]] only to have it join the Maximals, fought [[Obsidian (BM)|two]] [[Strika (BM)|new]] Vehicons, and went up against strange zombies created by Megatron's depolarized Spark.

By the time the final conflict rolled around, Blackarachnia, like the others, was empowered by the Sparks of Cybertron, depleting the Vehicon ranks. However, like the others, she finally fell and her Spark was extracted once again, as Primal and Megatron fought their final battle, resulting in the sacrifice of them both and the reformatting of Cybertron into a technorganic paradise. Swatting away an angry [[Waspinator (BW)|bug]], looking out over their new home, Silverbolt ruined the emotion with the corniest line possible—

{{quote|The menace has passed! At last, we can truly be together, dark venom of my heart!|—Silverbolt to Blackarachnia}}

{{-}}

====''Universe''====
Shortly after the planet underwent the Great Reformatting, the [[Quintesson|Quintessons]] seized the opportunity to attack, believing that the revolutionary change would have rendered the planets' inhabitants confused and docile. Suffice to say, the Transformers were greatly underestimated. Silverbolt and Blackarachnia were successfully able to fend [[Cybertropolis]] from Quintesson invaders. {{storylink|Wreckers: Finale Part II|Wreckers: Finale Part II}}

[[Image:Blackarachniaabduction.jpg|left|300px|thumb|She stabbed my basketball, and the speakers to my stereo!]]
One year later, Silverbolt and Blackarachnia were chosen to greet a ship of returning Autobot heroes from the Great War. Their welcomes were ignored by the crew, which included [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], [[Roulette]], and [[Shadow Striker]], when they realized that their home had been transformed into a strange technorganic paradise. Only [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] was unphased, choosing to talk up Blackarachnia and Silverbolt so that he could mug for [[Rook (Universe)|Rook's]] cameras.

[[Image:TFU Blackarachnia vs Rattrap.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Hey, guys, I turned evil again!]]
Their greeting was interrupted by a series of what appeared to be fireworks. Instead, they were beams of energy sent by [[Unicron]] to capture the returning crew, Blackarachnia, and Silverbolt, and bring them to him. When they arrived, a booming voice welcomed them to the [[Pit]], a dimension inside Unicron. Blackarachnia and her fellow captives were painfully smelted down and reformed; only Trailbreaker emerged unchanged. Since she arrived, Blackarachnia had begun to feel a growing anger that she couldn't control. And in this new Unicron-tainted form, she more than welcomed the swarm of creatures that began swarming her group. Overwhelmed, Blackarachnia and the others were herded into the [[Cauldron]] and filed into prison cells. As Blackarachnia protested, she was silenced by [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]], one of their hosts.

It was revealed to them by the master of ceremonies, [[Razorclaw (Universe)|Razorclaw]], that they would be forced to fight fellow abducted Transformers. The loser's [[spark]] would fuel and empower Unicron, whose form had fallen into disrepair. Blackarachnia's uncontrollable rage welcomed this bloodsport, as Silverbolt watched helplessly as she fell under Unicron's evil spell. {{storylink|Abduction}}

Optimus Primal, resurrected by [[Primus]], arrived to rescue the prisoners of the Cauldron, and with help from Silverbolt and Trailbreaker, its captives were set free. But Unicron's grip on Blackarachnia was too strong. She began lashing out madly, even at Silverbolt, and the Fuzor took tight hold of her so that he might swiftly remove her from Unicron's grip. But as the others began jumping through a portal that would lead them to their respective homes across the [[multiverse]], Blackarachnia had a moment of clarity. Sadly, she told Silverbolt that Unicron had awakened her ''true'' nature, then bid him farewell and threw him through the portal.

[[Image:Optimusprimaluniverseend.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Closure? Maybe?]]
Soon, she was escorted by Tankor and [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] to the center of Unicron, where she was repulsed to meet a familiar face: Tarantulas! {{storylink|Escape (issue)|Escape}}

Blackarachnia was dispatched to Cybertron's [[Undercity]], where she observed Rattrap for a while. Finally, she made her presence known, stinging him with her cybervenom. She never had liked the vermin, after all. Suddenly, Rattrap was saved by [[Depth Charge]], back from the dead. Blackarachnia was knocked out, and Depth Charge left the weakened Rattrap to fend for himself. As Depth Charge departed, he found himself surrounded by Blackarachnia's [[Piranacon (Universe)|Piranacons]]. {{storylink|Homecoming (issue)|Homecoming}}

{{note|[[3H Productions]] lost the license, and so this story was never finished as intended. However, look into the end of ''Universe'' was shown in a comic published by the next licensee, [[Fun Publications]].}}
Much later, Optimus Primal waged one last desperate assault against Unicron, and his [[Children of Primus]] were able to defeat the [[Minions of Unicron]]. As Unicron himself seemed to dissolve below them, Silverbolt carried Blackarachnia with him, saving her from sharing the gruesome fate of her evil peers. {{storylink|Revelations Part 2}}

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===''Beast Wars Metals'' comic===
[[Image:Blackarach24.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Keeping something OUT of her crotch, for once.]]
Following the [[Quantum surge]], Blackarachnia was one of the few Transformers ''not'' to be upgraded into a [[Transmetal]]. As [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] and his armies laid seige to the weakened Maximal base, Blackarachnia waited in secret for an opening. When [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] was forced to shut [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]] down to let an injured [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] in, Blackarachnia saw her chance and entered the base. Knocking out Airazor and ripping [[Rattrap]]'s arm off, Blackarachnia confronted Rhinox. Rhinox proceeded to pull out a "gun", but instead of shooting her with it, he blasted himself in the head (the "gun" actually being a machine allowing him to enter [[Transwarp space]]). Confused, but seeing no further use for the Maximals, Blackarachnia left the base. As the base collapsed behind her, she was approached by Quickstrike, who didn't like her "interfering" with his business. Not in the mood, she immediately kicked his head off. {{storylink|Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!|Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!}}

{{-}}

===''Universe'' CD-ROM===
Blackarachnia followed [[Reptilion|Reptillion]]{{sic}} in battle against [[Optimus Primal]] and his Autobot forces. She teamed up with [[Razorclaw (Universe)|Razorclaw]] to fight [[Striker]] before being abducted by [[Unicron]]. {{storylink|Universe CD-ROM}}

===Transformers Legends Anthology===
{{charstubfiction}}
==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
{{anchor|Dx1}}
[[Image:Blackarachniabwtoy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Post-op Tarantulas.]]
*'''Blackarachnia''' (Deluxe, 1996/1997)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''D-8'''
**''Accessories'': Launcher, 4 leg-missiles

: Blackarachnia's original toy is a [[redeco]] of the [[Tarantulas]] mold, transforming into a rather generic-looking organic spider. It features a removable spring-loaded launcher hidden in its beast-mode abdomen. It nominally fires the "grappling hook" attached to its abdomen by a string, but its front four beast-mode legs can also be removed and used as ammunition. Like all first-year ''[[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' Deluxes, the robot-mode head has both a "robot" face and a [[mutant head|"mutant" face]]; Blackarachnia is always depicted in fiction using the "robot" one (or a rough approximation thereof).

[[Image:BW-toy BlackarachniaTakara.jpg|right|250px|thumb|She might have an F-cup...or an E.]]

: The [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] release of the toy has numerous color differences from the [[Hasbro]] version, but they are of dubious merit as far as making her more "show-accurate" go. The bright green of the Hasbro version's forearms is replaced with dull silver, while the brighter purple is replaced with a darker, more desaturated purple. Her dark copper paint is replaced with a brighter gold. Her robot-mode facemask is painted gold, which is closer to the show model... but her face beneath is black with gold eyes (instead of gold with black eyes), and she inexplicably gains a new painted-black forehead crest, where the show model has gold.

: This mold was later used to make the [[Tarantulas|"Beast Wars 10th Anniversary" version of Tarantulas]], and the ''[[#BW10J|Beast Wars Telemocha]]'' version of Blackarachnia. It was intended to be used to make [[#UnUni|a second ''Universe'' version of Blackarachnia]], but that toy set was canceled.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Predacon/Blackarachnia/blackarachnia.htm More information on Deluxe BW Blackarachnia at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|BWJVs}}
[[Image:VS8-TigatronBlackarachnia.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Battle of the redecos.]]
*'''Deep Forest Showdown: Tigatron VS Blackwidow''' (VS set, 1997)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''VS-8'''
**''Accessories'': Launcher, 4 leg-missiles

: In Japan, "Blackwidow" was available both as an individual and in a "VS" pack with [[Tigatron]]. Both toys were identical to their individual releases.

{{-}}{{anchor|BWMcD}}
[[Image:Blackarachniamctm.jpg|right|300px|thumb|She's got a great personality.]]
*'''Blackarachnia''' (Happy Meal, 1997)
**''McNumber'': ??

: Part of the second [[List of Transformers restaurant promotions|McDonald's]] ''Beast Wars'' Happy Meal pack-in, Blackarachnia's "[[Transmetal]]" form rather resembles some sort of dust mite more than a spider, and the robot mode appears to have fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. It has a ''very'' similar transformation to the earlier promotional figure [[Beetle]].

:Like the other two Transmetal Happy Meal figures, Blackarachnia has some metallic-sheened plastic intended to resemble the colored chromed finish of the retail ''Transmetals'' toys.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Predacon/Blackarachnia/blackarachnia.htm More information on McDonald's BW Blackarachnia at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|TM2}}
[[Image:BW-toy BlackarachniaTM2.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Covers her privates for great justice/children everywhere!]]
*'''Blackarachnia''' (Transmetal 2, 1999)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''C-48'''
**''Accessories'': Mandible grapnel-line

: The Transmetal 2 version of Blackarachnia transforms into a large, organic/mechanical, monstrous spider, featuring a grappling hook, switching [[faction symbols]] activated by [[#TriviaTM2spark|rotating her spark crystal around]], and a spring-loaded spin-kick action feature. She also has a half-assed "defense mode", bringing the chromed abdomen bits down to cover her chest. Like all larger Transmetal 2s, Blackarachnia has hints of an abandoned "transport" mode, mainly the free-spinning wheels and concealed rockets in the spider-mode abdomen.

: This toy was initially hard to find at retail, as one of the toy's features, a piece of removable chest armor (no, really), was altered slightly, delaying later shipments.

: This mold was used to make the [[BotCon 2000]] [[exclusive]] [[Arcee (G1)#Toys|Arcee]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1999/Maximal/Blackarachnia/blackarachnia.htm More information on Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Beast Machines===
[[Image:Beast Machines Blackarachnia Toy.JPG|right|300px|thumb|She's definitely going to need a big nail file.]]
*'''Blackarachnia''' (Deluxe, 2000)

: An early toy in the ''[[Beast Machines (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'' line, Blackarachnia transforms into a [[technorganic]] spider. In spider mode, squeezing its pedipalps together raises its central fangs; they were spring-loaded to release and lower, respectively. In keeping with the early ''Beast Machines'' "articulated features" motif, her robot mode head has a multi-piece articulated brow, which can slide up to reveal two extra sets of eyes, as she does on the cartoon.

: This mold was later redecoed to make the [[#UniDx|''Universe'' version of Blackarachnia]], as well as [[Crystal Widow]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2000/Maximal/Blackarachnia/blackarachnia.htm More information on Beast Machines Blackarachnia at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|BMMcD}}
[[Image:Blackarachniamcbm.jpg|right|300px|thumb|This is transformed correctly, right? Right?]]
*'''Blackarachnia''' (Happy Meal, 2000)
**''McNumber'': ??

: As one of ''ten'' toys in the third Transformers McDonald's Happy Meal promotion, Blackarachnia is a super-simplified version of her retail toy, with a coloration closer to the [[Mainframe Entertainment|Mainframe]] CG model, though more shockingly pink rather than maroon. This toy is designed for the younger set, with softer plastic and no removable parts.

: She is the only [[Beast Era]] character to get two McDonald's Happy Meal toys.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2000/Maximal/McBlackarachnia/blackarachnia.htm More information on McDonald's BM Blackarachnia at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|BWR}}
[[Image:Blackarachniabeastwarsreturnstoy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|You will pay a lot of money to own this extra-pink girl <strike>doll</strike>action figure.]]
*'''Blackwidow''' (Deluxe, 2005)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''BR-04'''

: Part of the Japanese Toys "R" Us-[[exclusive]] ''[[Beast Machines (toyline)|Beast Wars Returns]]'' series, this toy is a redeco of the original ''Beast Machines'' Blackarachnia in a more show-like maroon coloration. Reportedly, this toy was limited to 3000 pieces, a full thousand ''less'' than the others in the original assortment. Since she was also the most changed from the US release in the initial batch of toys, this made her considerably harder to get.

{{-}}
===Universe (2003)===
{{anchor|UniDx}}
[[Image:Blackarachniauniversetoy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|You can pick your faction, and you can pick your girlfriend, but you can't pick your girlfriend's faction.]]
*'''Blackarachnia''' (Deluxe, 2003)

: Part of the second wave of ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' Deluxes, Blackarachnia returned as a [[Decepticon]] and as a redeco of [[#BMDx1|the original ''Beast Machines'' figure]]. However, her forearms were [[Misassembly|mistakenly swapped]], leaving her forearm "spikes" pointing up towards her biceps rather than down near her elbows. She received a Decepticon [[faction symbol]] over her [[spark crystal]] as well.

: This mold (with the same swapped-forearms error) was used to make [[Crystal Widow]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Decepticon/Blackarachnia/blackarachnia.htm More information on Universe Blackarachnia at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|UnUni}}
[[Image:Blackarachnia unreleased.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Eyow.]]
*'''Leatherhide Vs. Blackarachnia''' (Halloween Horrorcon value pack, unreleased)
**''Accessories'': Launcher, 4 leg-missiles

:In 2004, a group of test-shots made their way onto eBay, among them a [[redeco]] of the original ''Beast Wars'' Tarantulas/Blackarachnia mold in black with silver spider-legs and salmon-colored robot parts. Later, Hasbro's official website checklist featured listings for two ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' "Halloween [[Horrorcon (Universe)|Horrorcon]] Value Packs" that were to be Wal-Mart [[exclusives]]... which also likely explains why they were canceled. (Wal*Mart had taken a good half-dozen exclusives and released them more-or-less simultaneously, leading to a huge glut. A lot of other ''Transformers'' exclusives were canceled during the ''Universe'' era.) One of the sets was "[[Leatherhide]] Vs. Blackarachnia"... and thus, the mystery spider was confirmed, as the other test-shots in that group lined up with the name listings given in the sets.

{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}
===Beast Wars Telemocha Series===
[[Image:Blackarachniatelemocha.jpg|right|300px|thumb|It almost works!]]
*'''Blackwidow''' (Deluxe, 2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TM-06'''
**''Accessories:'' Launcher, 4 leg-missiles

: As part of the ''[[Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Beast Wars Telemocha]]'' line, the [[#Dx1|original Blackarachnia toy]] was ''extensively'' redecoed with a ridiculous number of gold [[Paint operation|paint application]]s, making her closer to [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] in coloration than the other versions of the mold, but still not quite there. (Her biceps are silver in the show.) All of the [[gimmick]]s of the original toy were retained, though her alternate head didn't receive any paint that wasn't intended to make her nominal head look more show-accurate.

:She came with a DVD containing "The Assassin Virus", the Japanese dubbing of ''Beast Wars'' episode 10, "[[Gorilla Warfare]]".

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2007/Destron/BlackWidow/blackwidow.htm More information on Telemocha Blackarachnia at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
===Binaltech===
[[Image:Blackwidowwildrider.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Honda wouldn't appreciate their car being hot, poisonous, and deadly.]]
*'''Blackwidow''' (Binaltech, unreleased)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''BT16'''
**''Accessories'': Engine-rifle, roof-shield

: In 2005, the mold used for ''[[Alternators]]'' [[Decepticharge]] was presented as an upcoming release for the Japanese ''Binaltech'' line. They decided to give the toy an entirely new deco, as the Hasbro toy's deco didn't appeal to their ideal of "real-life accuracy". In robot mode, the toy was given a color scheme based on Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia, with the toy's name being changed to "Blackwidow", Takara's name for the character. Though a [[bio]] and story chapter were written to accommodate it into the ''Binaltech'' fiction, and photoshopped images released through an online retailer revealed the intended color scheme, Takara ultimately decided to cancel the toy altogether, as they were fearing that another redeco (in addition to the upcoming ''Binaltech Asterisk'' toys) would be too repetitive. Plans to release this toy as part of a different line were never picked up again.

: This mold was ultimately released in Japan as part of an unexpected ''Binaltech'' continuation, this time as [[Arcee (G1)#Binaltech|Arcee]]. The original version of the mold was used to make ''Alternators'' [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] and ''Binaltech'' [[Overdrive]].
{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Robotheroescheetorblackarachnia.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Cute and poisonous.]]
* '''Cheetor vs. Blackarachnia''' (2-pack, 2008)

: Part of the first wave of ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]''-branded [[Robot Heroes]], Blackarachnia is a simple, yet well-detailed two-inch tall figurine with exaggerated, cartoony proportions. She was only available in a two-pack with [[Cheetor (BW)/toys|Cheetor]].

{{-}}

==Trivia==
[[Image:BWBlackarachniaCardArt.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Dirty girls, make some noise. Move that ass for dirty boys.]]
* Blackarachnia's original Beast Wars card art has her wearing a spike-studded collar... while her chest seems to be leopard-spotted. Kinky.

* Reportedly, Blackarachnia's show model was created after some Mainframe folks had taken the design modeler to a strip club only a few days prior for, um... ''inspiration''.
{{anchor|TriviaTM2spark}}
* Even though Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia's toy has a unique faction-switching [[spark crystal]], the feature doesn't make sense in a fictional context. By that point in the ''Beast Wars'' television series, the Transmetal Driver had destroyed her Predacon [[shell program]], making her fully Maximal. (Though, to be fair, it ''had'' happened mere moments previously.)

* Blackarachnia exhibited what appears to be telekinesis not long after gaining her Transmetal 2 form, levitating a steel girder to stop Rampage in "[[Master Blaster]]". The ability only appeared once and was never explained, though it resembles the other strange, almost supernatural powers wielded by Transmetals 2 in the cartoon. Following her reformatting in ''Beast Machines'', Blackarachnia no longer possessed this ability.

* In the "jovial" Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars'', Blackarachnia's character underwent a few small (depending on your point of view) changes. Firstly, she had a voice that can only be described as "bipolar". She would switch between her usual sultry, flirtatious voice to a screaming blood-thirsty maniac at the drop of a hat. Another notable change is that, while still a strong female character, she was made less independent and was occasionally prone to ''begging for mercy'' from her enemies, something she never did in the English version. However, this isn't the first time the Japanese have done their best to [[Arcee (G1)#The Headmasters cartoon|"improve" upon a female character]].

* Character and fiction information for the cancelled BT-16 "Blackwidow" toy finally emerged in late 2007 with the release of ''The Transformers Binaltech Stories: Profiles and Technical Specifications'', an unofficial publication by ''Binaltech'' story writer [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]] that compiled all then-current ''Binaltech'' information as well as that of the unreleased Blackarachnia and [[Ginrai]] toys. As it was never officially released, this information can be considered [[Pseudocanon|pseudocanonical]] at best.

* The [[:Image:Blackarachniahappymeal.jpg|artwork]] advertising the Transmetal Blackarachnia toy on Happy Meal Bags was rendered with the toy transformed incorrectly. Her beast mode head isn't flipped down, leaving her organic-looking robot mode chest exposed.

* Much like her fellow spider [[Tarantulas]], her original beast mode is depicted with ''nine'' eyes rather then eight.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Alternators]]
[[Category:Beast Machines characters]]
[[Category:Beast Wars characters]]
[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Fast food exclusives]]
[[Category:Female Transformers]]
[[Category:Maximals]]
[[Category:Minions of Unicron]]
[[Category:Predacons]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Transmetals 2]]
[[Category:Turncoats]]
[[Category:Universe characters]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]

Tarantulas (BW)

2009-11-04T23:32:21Z

124.187.68.122: /* Notes */

{{factions|predacon|unicron}}
{{picsneeded|Toys}}

:''Tarantulas is a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] from the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
:''His name is also officially spelled "'''Tarantulus'''".''

[[Image:Tarantulasbw.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"And fries! Lots of FRIES!"]]
'''Tarantulas''' is the scheming mad scientist of the Predacon crew. The type of mad scientist who experiments on living beings, cackling in his [[Trademark|trademarked]] laugh all the while, and then if things go wrong, happily eats what's left as his midday snack. (Considering his appetite, that must happen a lot.) He was one of the Predacons to join [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] during his theft of the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] and the search for [[Earth]]. In addition to being an utterly psychotic, sadistic sociopath (even by Predacon standards, which is something he appears to wear with pride), Tarantulas has a record for treachery rivaled by few other Transformers. Tarantulas is actually an agent of the [[Tripredacus Council]], which is trying to coax the Beast Wars toward an unspecified goal, where neither Autobot or Decepticon won the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]].

Tarantulas has a particularly notable hatred of the [[Vok]] aliens, a hatred strong enough to make him work to eliminate them by any means.

{{bigquote|Lunatic.|[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] on Tarantulas|[[Spider's Game]]}}

:''Japanese name:'' '''Tarans''' (タランス ''Taransu'')
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Jr-jū''' (蜘蛛, "Spider"), later '''Húng Jr-jū''' (紅蜘蛛, "Red Spider")
:''Italian name:'' '''Metal Tarantulas''' (Transmetal)
:''Polish name:'' '''Tarantulator'''

==Fiction==
===First wave toy bios===
Tarantulas is a sneaky, mysterious ninja feared across the galaxy. A master of the martial arts, he's suspected in the disappearances of many [[Human|Earthlings]], and rumors swirl of giant cocoons where he stores his prey.{{storylink|Tarantulas#Toys|Tarantulas bio}}

Later, Tarantulas was guarding the Predacons' jungle-based genetics lab along with Megatron and Waspinator. When the Maximals discovered them, he engaged Razorbeast in combat briefly before Megatron called retreat and destroyed the lab. {{storylink|Optimus Primal vs Megatron!|Optimus Primal vs Megatron!}}

{{note|This comic, along with the on-package [[Bio|bios]] of the first wave of Beast Wars toys, predate the development of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon and its backstory. They seem to present the characters as a direct continuation of the previous Autobot/Decepticon conflict, with Optimus Primal actually being a new form of Optimus Prime and Megatron being his Generation 1 counterpart, and their battles taking place on present day, [[human]]-inhabited Earth, rather than in the distant past. Once the cartoon launched, the toyline adjusted itself to match that continuity instead, relegating this one to an aborted [[micro-continuity]].}}

===Cartoon continuity===
====Theft of the Golden Disk====
Tarantulas decoded the information on the Golden Disk, freshly stolen by Megatron. He thought this was quite hilarious, but then, he thinks that about everything. {{storylink|Theft of the Golden Disk|Theft of the Golden Disk}}

====Dawn of Future's Past====
[[Image:Tarantulasdawn.jpg|right|180px|thumb|See? A Planet X key in the corner of the pic. He's working for Unicron! Get him!]]
As [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] and his rogue band of Predacons escaped [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in their stolen ship, the ''[[Darksyde]]'', Tarantulas was in charge of scanning the disk for a desired set of coordinates. While Megatron was not watching, he was in secret communication with a member of the [[Tripredacus Council]]. (The reflections in his helmet show the silhouette of [[Cicadacon|General Cicadacon]].)

Using the decoded coordinates, the ''Darksyde'' opened a [[transwarp]] portal, which it and the [[Axalon (BW)|''Axalon'']] passed through. {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past|Dawn of Future's Past}}
{{-}}
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Alec Willows]] (English), [[Yūichi Nagashima]] (Japanese), [[Fabio Vilalonga]] (Portuguese)

Tarantulas was one of the original crew on the ''Darksyde'' when it crashed on prehistoric Earth. As Megatron's technical leader, he manned the scanners to appropriate beast forms based on the most powerful local creatures. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} At first he takes on the role of mad scientist and appears as vacuous as the other Predacons; by the first full month of the Beast Wars, he is established as a cannibal when he attempts to drink an energy-drained Cheetor's mech fluid. {{storylink|The Web}}

Tarantulas caused as many problems for Megatron as he fixed. He always needed a [[Tarantulas's lair|separate hideout]] to plot other, evil schemes, and he managed to stay one step ahead of most of his "allies". The only partner he worked with frequently—though they betrayed each other just as often—was [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]].

When Tarantulas learned of the [[Vok]] and their impending return to Earth, he spent his best efforts to capture a working [[stasis pod]] to craft an escape shuttle. At the hour of the Vok's return, he finally completed one. Megatron had known of his and Blackarachina's plans and threw a wrench in the works—[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]]. Inferno stomped into the room, interrupted Tarantulas's download of the stasis pod's datatracks, torched him, and was defeated by Blackarachnia. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

Fortunately for Tarantulas, Blackarachnia picked up his discarded download visor. Tarantulas jumped into her mind, controlling her (presumably from his stasis-locked body). When the [[quantum surge]] knocked out all of the Transformers on Earth, his body was upgraded to a Transmetal form, complete with a motorcycle vehicle mode. He maintained a link to Blackarachnia's mind, but was forced to sever it when she threatened to to commit suicide, which would also off-line him. He also set up a second lair in [[Grid Arakis]], which held a large cache of stable [[energon cube]]s and had been written off by both sides. {{storylink|Tangled Web}}

At some undisclosed point, Tarantulas discovered the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the flagship of the [[Decepticon]] fleet. Although his longterm goals for the vessel are unknown, he did manage to restore the ship to working status, complete with a Predacon control console and a transwarp cell, meaning that he may have planned to use it to return to Cybertron once he completed his main objective. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

When the transwarp explosion finally reached through the time warp and had enough potency to enter Cybertronian space, Tarantulas's true allegiance was revealed: He was a member of the [[Predacon Secret Police]] and an agent of the [[Tripredacus Council]]. The Tripredacus Council was the first alerted of the transwarp explosion and realized it was from where Megatron's ship had gone. Ravage was sent to ally with the Maximals, arrest Megatron, and then betray and destroy them all.

Allied with Ravage and having the use of his stealth ship, the Maximals easily overwhelmed Megatron. Tarantulas knocked out the power to Megatron's ship at that exact moment, allowing an easy capture. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}}

Megatron managed to manipulate Ravage into his servitude using a recording of the original [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] on the Golden Disk and gained his freedom. Tarantulas joined Ravage on his stealth ship for an attack on the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]''. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} However, Tarantulas was blown to pieces by Rattrap through a combination of the rodent's demolition bombs and the explosion of the ship. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}} Tarantulas survived, though, and was quickly put back together by his spider drones. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}}

Megatron, in all his wisdom, forgave Tarantulas's treachery, as it was simply the Predacon way and the spider was too useful to execute, even though Megatron made it very clear that he'd never trusted Tarantulas, even before the scientist did anything treacherous. Tarantulas appeared back in the Predacon camp on a regular basis—though it would later become clear that he was still very busy working on his own agenda, apparently during his numerous unexplained absences. He battled the Maximals alongside Megatron's Transmetal raptors (a harbinger of [[Dinobot II|things to come]]) {{storylink|Cutting Edge}} and helped the other Predacons construct a massive disruptor ray (which ultimately backfired on them). {{storylink|Go with the Flow}} When the Maximals attempted to remove Blackarachnia's shell program, he revealed to Megatron that he had included "certain safeguards" that guaranteed she would not survive, and joined the other Predacons in an attack on the Maximals that was meant to disrupt the attempted shell removal. He fired the missile which knocked the Maximals' power off-line at a crucial instant, seemingly bringing an end to his "treacherous creation". Enraged by the death of his beloved, [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] attempted to kill the scientist, but was thwarted by [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]], who was later defeated by a revived—and [[Transmetal|Transmetalized]]—Blackarachnia. {{storylink|Crossing the Rubicon}}

Tarantulas participated in the Predacons' next attempt to retake the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', but manipulated [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] into throwing Megatron into the nearby lava while he himself set the ''Ark'''s engines to overload. At this point, he claimed to be descended from neither the Autobots nor the Decepticons, which was why he was willing to destroy the core members of both factions then present (in stasis lock) in the ''Ark''. Megatron survived his lava-dunking, gaining a new body in the process. However, he had lost his patience. While he'd tolerated Tarantulas's treachery, he could not tolerate incompetence. Tarantulas survived his punishment and fled back to his lair. {{storylink|Master Blaster}}

[[Image:Tarantulas death.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Oh, yeah, he [[Primeval Dawn Part 1|meant to do this]]. Right. Sure he did.]]
When the [[Vok]] emissary [[Tigerhawk]] arrived on Earth shortly afterwards, Tarantulas managed to disable and capture him. Tarantulas intended to force the all-powerful being into his servitude by drawing the Vok influences out of his body and reprogramming him. The scheme backfired, however, as his energy beam device expelled two actual Vok out of Tigerhawk. The formless spectres attempted to take over Tarantulas' body. Panicking, he opened fire on them—a futile gesture that merely served to spin the energy device around 'til its rays were blasting him and his lab equipment. Overloaded by the beams, Tarantulas exploded, leaving nothing behind but his boots. The remainder of his equipment detonated seconds later, blowing the lair to rubble. Cheetor managed to rescue the inert Tigerhawk, and Tarantulas was presumed dead. {{storylink|Other Victories}}

While searching the ruins of Tarantulas's lair, Megatron offhandedly referred to him as "[[Unicron]]'s spawn". {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
{{-}}

====Beast Wars: Transformers Video Game====
{{charstubfiction}}
====Transformers Beast Wars: Transmetals Video Game====
In an alternate timeline, Tarantulas found a way to escape prehistoric Earth and return to Cybertron.

Then he came back, with an armada of Transwarp battleships under his command, out to end the Beast Wars and enforce the Tripredacus Council's will... {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transmetals|Beast Wars: Transmetals}}

====''Universe'' comics====
[[Image:Primeval Tarantulas.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Tarantulas doesn't really hate the Vok so much as he wants to kill them and wear their skin as a Vok suit.]]
Following the Beast Wars, Tarantulas's body returned to life, reanimated by the Vok powers he'd previously absorbed. The undead Tarantulas, along with a rebuilt Ravage (as [[Ravage (G1)|Tripredacus Agent]]), nurtured new troops to life through enigmatic means, growing [[Razorclaw (BW)|Razorclaw]] and [[Iguanus (BW)|Iguanus]] in tubes. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 1|Primeval Dawn Part 1}}

The remaining Vok anticipated Tarantulas's plan to destroy the rest of them, take their power, and fashion the timestream to his desires, and so they assembled an army of their own consisting of [[Primal Prime]], [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], and [[Tigatron]]. Tarantulas met this opposition in battle, overwhelmed them, and ripped the [[Matrix of Leadership]] from Primal Prime's chest. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 2|Primeval Dawn Part 2}}

Wounded critically, the Maximals withdrew to the ''Ark''. Tarantulas ordered Ravage to take Razorclaw, Iguanus, and their new recruit [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]] and assault the ''Ark'' in order to finish them off. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 3|Primeval Dawn Part 3}}

{{note|[[3H Productions]] dissolved before this storyline could be completed. Based on the subsequent ''Wreckers'' and ''[[Universe (2003 comic)|Universe]]'' storylines, it can be assumed that the Matrix of Leadership was restored to Optimus Prime's body at the end of this altercation, that the Maximals were triumphant, and that Tarantulas somehow fled to return to Unicron.}}
When the influence of [[Unicron]] swayed [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] to the side of darkness, she was surprised to see Tarantulas (still in his undead body) greet her as she joined the ranks of the [[Minions of Unicron]]. {{storylink|Escape (issue)|Escape}}
{{-}}
===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle'' Video Game===
Megatron was capable to summon Tarantulas forth to the battlefield in his attempts to acquire the super-powerful [[energon crystal]]. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle}}
{{-}}
===''Beast Wars Metals'' comic===
Following the [[Quantum surge]], Tarantulas was upgraded into a [[Transmetal]]. Scheming with [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] within their floating island base, the ''[[Hindenburg]]'', Tarantulas developed a plan to revive the deceased [[Optimus Primal]] as a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] slave. Recovering Primal's mindless, raging body, Tarantulas staged a strange voodoo ceremony (complete with boiling cauldron). As Megatron pricked his finger and prepared to use his mutated blood to turn Primal's rampaging body into his slave, the spark of Optimus Primal returned to it just in the nick of time. As Primal turned into a Transmetal, Tarantulas began to celebrate, convinced that his plan had worked out better than he had thought, unaware of what was really going on. An angry Optimus Primal then proceeded to knock Tarantulas's block off. {{storylink|Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!|Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
*'''Tarantulas''' (Deluxe, 1996/1997)
** ''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-4'''
**''Accessories'': Launcher, 4 spider-leg missiles

: Part of the first wave of ''Beast Wars'' product, Tarantulas transforms into an organic generic spider (''not'' a tarantula). His abdomen contains a spring-loaded missile launcher, which fires the anchor-missile kept in his spider-butt. This missile is attached by a string so he can hang from things like a real spider. The launcher can be removed and used as a robot-mode weapon, using any of his front four spider-legs as missiles. Like all early Deluxe-and-up ''Beast Wars'' toys, he has two different robot-mode "heads"; a robotic face and a "mutant" face. He is almost always depicted using the mutant face.

: There is a variation of this toy in the [[Hasbro]] line: Later releases (the smooth bubble) lack the yellow paint on his elbows.

: The [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] release of Tarantulas was originally identical to the Hasbro release. Later, a slightly color-altered version was released, using a brighter shade of green and a slightly darker gray. The color-altered version also replaced the blue eyes on the "robot" head and the black eyes of the "mutant" head with gold.

: This mold was used to make the first [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] toy.

{{-}}
====VsPack====
[[Image:VS4-DinobotTarantuas.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The classic battle of dino vs spider. We've all heard the tale.]]
*'''Brutal Showdown: Dinobot VS Tarans''' (VS pack, 1997)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''VS-4'''
**''Accessories:'' Launcher, 4 spider-leg missiles

: In Japan, "Tarans" was available both as an individual and in a two-pack with "[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]". Both toys in this set were identical to their individual releases.

: Currently, it is unknown if the latter "more show-like" redeco of Tarantulas was ever released in a VS set.

====Microverse====

[[Image:Tarantulas-Microverse.jpg|right|100px|thumb|I'm not [[Fantastic Four|The Thing]], I swear!]]
*'''Orcanoch''' ([[MicroVerse]], 1997)

: A small, non-transforming micro-figure of Tarantulas came with the [[MicroVerse]] [[Orcanoch]] playset. It was presumably painted based on the original design, as its upper body is copper rather than purple. Its only articulation is at the waist, letting it sit in any of the MicroVerse mini-vehicles or playset stations.

{{-}}

====Transmetals====
[[Image:BWtoy-TarantulasTransmetal.jpg|right|thumb|300px|I'm-a spawn of-a Unicron! I-a slice-a ya pizza!]]
*'''Tarantulas''' (Deluxe Transmetal, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-44'''
**''Accessories'': Sawblade weapon

: Part of the first assortment of [[Transmetal|Transmetals]], Tarantulas transforms into a robotic spider. He also has a third "transport" mode, flipping down a wheel from his abdomen and a saw-blade from under his beast-head, making a spidey-cycle. The saw detaches for robot mode to become a hand-held weapon.

: The Japanese version is slightly different, replacing the "TARANTULAS" [[tampograph]] with "DESTRON" and the Predacon sigil, plus his robot-mode eyes are painted as a single visor to match the show look better.
{{-}}

====Fox Kids Transmetal====
[[Image:Tarantulas-FKTM.jpg|right|200px|thumb|It's like Eight Legged Freaks, but classier, and with a pizza slicer.]]
*'''Tarantulas''' (Deluxe "Fox Kids" Transmetal, 1999)
**''Accessories'': Sawblade weapon

: A [[redeco]] of the Transmetal Tarantulas toy in grays, silver and black. He and a Transmetal [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] redeco were part of the little-seen second wave of Toys "R" Us [[exclusive]] "Fox Kids" toys, so called for the advertisements for the Fox channel on the packaging (as the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]] had moved there from syndication). Internal Hasbro documents have listed this toy as "'''Steel Force Tarantulas'''", a name that did not make it to final packaging.

: These colors were used to depict Tarantulas in the ''[[Primeval Dawn]]'' and [[Universe (2003 comic)|''Universe'' comics]]. With the toy's limited availability, secondary-market pricing for this item due to its fictional use has gone up.

===Beast Wars 10th Anniversary===
*'''Predacon Tarantulus''' (Deluxe, 2006)
**''Accessories:'' Launcher, 4 spider-leg missiles

:This toy is a slight [[redeco]] of the original Tarantulas toy, more closely resembling Tarantulas's appearance in the cartoon (save the big Predacon faction sigil tampograph). Part of the second wave of ''Beast Wars'' 10th Anniversary product, he came with a DVD of the episode "[[Spider's Game]]", plus the left leg to [[Trans-Mutate]].

==Merchandise==
===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Robotheroestarantulasprimal.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Don't take your eyes off your mech fluid, Primal.]]
*'''Optimus Primal vs Predacon Tarantulas''' (2008)

: Part of the second wave of ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' [[Robot Heroes]], this PVC figurine of Tarantulas' original body has articulation in the shoulders and neck. He was available only in a "Beast Wars Series" two-pack with [[Optimus Primal]] (amusingly enough, the [[Maximal]] he also came with in the ''[[MicroVerse]]'' [[Orcanoch]] playset).

{{-}}
==Notes==
* Tarantulas's origins are a bit complicated. He declares in "[[Other Victories]]" that he and the [[Tripredacus Council]] have origins other than Autobot and Decepticon, such that they would not be affected by the destruction of the ''Ark''. Megatron's line about "Unicron's spawn" was apparently not intended by [[Bob Forward]] to be taken literally; it was to have been a generic insult rather than a statement of fact.<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/f06828ec523295c1?dmode=source&output=gplain]</ref> (Forward's own inkling, albeit never realized, was that they might be descended from [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s Cybertronian Empire.) A Unicronian origin also creates potential canonical issues, as Tarantulas says that "under our rule, Cybertron will conquer the universe" ("[[Other Victories]]"), whereas Unicron's goal would have been to eat Cybertron. (Although being creations of Unicron does not necessarily mean they would be loyal to him or forever share his agenda. Not to mention that one of Unicron's near victories, coincidentally, did involve possessing Cybertron... {{storylink|Unicron's Ambition}} You know what, just don't put too much thought into it.) But, much like [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]'s line about "[[Darksyde|the dark side]]", this line developed a life of its own. Eventually this connection was reasserted in [[3H Productions]]' ''[[Primeval Dawn]]'' storyline.

* In the Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars'', Tarantulas retained his trademark cackle, but it was a little ''different''. His voice was very high-pitched and he shrieked almost constantly. His trademark laugh more closely resembled a wicked witch of sorts.

[[Image:TarantulasArm.jpg|right|150px|thumb|He tastes everything he holds.]]
* Early promotional pictures showed the original Tarantulas toy as being transparent orange, but the final toy was a clear deep purple instead. Presumably, this was for a little visual variety in the early line, which already had a largely tan toy ([[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]) and a largely yellow toy ([[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]) in the Deluxe range, plus a Mega-sized Predacon arachnid then planned to be orange ([[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]]), and [[Tigatron]], who was at one point slated to be a traditional orange tiger.

* The original Tarantulas toy has ''nine'' eyes in beast mode, as does the show model. This makes characters' references to him as "eight-eyes" rather... interesting. He would promptly revert to having eight eyes in beast mode after gaining his [[Transmetal]] body, perhaps to rectify this error.

* In the original control art for Tarantulas, the claws are shown in the same configuration as used in the show. In other words, the claws were somehow swapped during the assembly process and have remained as such on every version of the mold thereafter.

* Tarantulas's body in "[[Theft of the Golden Disk]]" is based on [[Ransack (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Ransack]].

*Tarantulas is referred to as simply "Tarantula" in the [[commercial]] advertising his toy.

* Despite being a creepy, ninja-like agent of Unicron who transforms into a motorcycle and likes to betray ''everybody'', he is absolutely not [[Sideways (RID)|Sideways]]. Nope! Nosirree.

* In the first season, Tarantulas is characterized more as a cannibalistic, psychotic gourmand who happens to be the Predacons' Science Officer then as the mad scientist and master plotter he becomes from the second season onwards. This is to the extent that his official season one profile makes several mentions of his eating habits, describes his sole interest as being "food", and summarizes his relationship with the other Predacons as simple disdain, as he considers them to all be potential meals.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Predacon/Tarantulas/tarantulas.htm Tarantulas at TFU.info]

[[Category:Beast Wars characters]]
[[Category:Double agents]]
[[Category:Ninjas]]
[[Category:Non-Triple Changer third mode]]
[[Category:Predacons]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:Security officers]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Toys "R" Us exclusives]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Unicron-related characters]]
[[Category:Universe characters]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]

Cyber venom

2009-11-04T21:56:32Z

124.187.68.122:

: ''Cyber venom is a [[weapon]] from the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]] and [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[Continuity family|continuity families]].''

The [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] have a penchant for taking [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]] based on venomous animals. Sometimes this extends to mimicry of their assumed form’s most powerful weapon, in the form of '''cyber venom'''.

Like the [[Wikipedia:Venom|venom]] from their beast mode’s template, cyber venom causes all manner of detrimental effects on other Cybertronians stricken by it. Like true venoms, cyber venom must typically be injected into the inner mechanisms of its victim to be effective. Delivery is often in the form of [[Tarantulas|barbed]] [[Blackarachnia (BW)|darts]], [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|stingers]] or fangs, though some instances of it being launched as [[Quickstrike (BW)|energy bolts]] have been recorded.

Official sources such as the official character profiles included with the season one DVDs describe cyber venom as being composed of viral programs that are uploaded into the unfortunate victim, corrupting and infecting with rapid speed. {{fact|WHICH official sources?}}

Known Transformers possessing cyber venom:

*[[Tarantulas]]
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Blackarachnia]]
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Quickstrike]]
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|''Transformers Animated'' Blackarachnia]]

==Fiction==
===Beast Wars===
The first Predacon to exhibit cyber venom was Tarantulas, who was soon joined by Blackarachnia, and later, the [[Fuzor]] Quickstrike. The former two would employ spiny or explosive darts to inject their victims with the technological toxin, while the later fired it from his left head in a manner reminiscent of a [[Wikipedia:Spitting cobra|spitting cobra]], but could also inject it with a bite. In all three cases, Transformers suffering the effects of cyber venom were typically incapacitated by the toxin, either having to be cleansed in a [[CR chamber]], or wait for the venom to run its course. While the venom was in effect, the Transformer’s body would be marbled with glowing patches of energy, and emit low-pitch feedback.

The effects of the venom were notoriously inconsistent, from being able to incapacitate powerful warriors like [[Depth Charge]], to causing only pain, such as when Quickstrike injected it directly into [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]'s leg. Others, such as [[Dinobot II]], were able to shake the effects of the venom quickly, requiring higher doses before being rendered inoperative.

Several Predacons who have venomous beast modes never showed any use of cyber venom:

*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] ([[wikipedia:scorpion|scorpion]]) (though he did use a "toxic sting" in robot mode on the Vok's biological building in "Other Voices Part 1", firing the red stinger on his tail into the wall after charging it with venom, which opened a hole the Maximals used to enter)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] ([[wikipedia:wasp|wasp]])
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] ([[wikipedia:fire ant|fire ant]])

===''Animated''===
When the Autobot Elita-1 attempted to use her mimicking powers on a horde of giant, alien spiders, she contaminated herself with their venom, causing her body to become partially organic. Gaining a pair of deadly, bladed stingers, she could now inject her victims with a powerful toxin, while simultaneously using her mimicking powers to copy their unique modifications.

Blackarachnia’s poison was consistently potent and dangerous. Not only was it capable of dropping powerful and durable foes like [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] with ease, but its effects, being based on [[Wikipedia:Biomolecule|organic sources]], could not be treated by the [[AllSpark Key]]. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}} Normally, Blackarachnia used only enough venom to disable her foes, but if she chose, she could bring the dosage up to lethal levels, requiring the administration of an antidote to prevent the victim from going offline permanently. {{storylink|Black Friday (episode)|Black Friday}}

[[Category:Beast Wars]]
[[Category:Animated]]
[[Category:Weapons]]

Scorponok (BW)

2009-11-03T18:27:25Z

124.187.68.122: /* Trivia */

{{factions|predacon}}
{{disambig3|Scorponok}}
{{picsneeded|Toys}}

:''Scorponok is a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] from the [[Beast Wars]] portion of the [[Generation 1]] continuity family.''

[[Image:BWScorponokSticker.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Transforms into a scorpion. Surprise?]]
'''Scorponok''''s personality seems to have two main features: He's dumb, and he's loyal to [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (surprisingly so, considering Megatron's [[Terrorsaur (BW)|other]] [[Tarantulas|crew]] [[Blackarachnia (BW)|members]]), and of those two features, only the loyalty seems to be consistent. He tries to serve Megatron to the best of his abilities, but when [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] is able to outwit you, there's only so much you have to offer.

Scorponok begins as Megatron's [[Sub-Commander|second-in-command]] on the ''[[Darksyde]]'', though he is insecure about the title and constantly tries to assert himself among the other Predacons who, aware of his shortcomings, generally dismiss or ignore him.

Scorponok's only other real contribution to Megatron's cause is in developing cyber-viruses that he delivers with his cyberbee drone. (This is impressive, actually, given his otherwise limited mentality.) However, these generally don't work out as he hoped, and so they've done little to increase his standing in the eyes of the other Predacons.

:''Japanese name'': '''Scorpos'''
:''French-Canadian name'': '''Scorpinor'''
:''Italian name'': '''Scorpionok'''
:''Polish name'': '''Skorpinor''' (Scorpinor. Surprise?)
:''Latinamerican name'': '''Skorpicon'''

==Fiction==
===First wave toy bios===
Inhabiting the [[Mojave desert]], Scorponok is suited to the harsh conditions of this arid environment. Described as vicious, this desert attack specialist relies mainly on surprise attacks to overcome his foes. For this task, he possesses three alternatives: launching a robotic bee stored in one claw, his 2-shot missile blast stored in the other; his terrifying tail, which deals poisonous cyber-strikes.{{storylink|Scorponok (BW)#Toys|Scorponok bio}}
{{note|The on-package [[Bio|bios]] of the first wave of Beast Wars toys, predate the development of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon and its backstory. They seem to present the characters as a direct continuation of the previous Autobot/Decepticon conflict, with Optimus Primal actually being a new form of Optimus Prime and Megatron being his Generation 1 counterpart, and their battles taking place on present day, [[human]]-inhabited Earth, rather than in the distant past. Once the cartoon launched, the toyline adjusted itself to match that continuity instead, relegating this one to an aborted [[micro-continuity]].}}

===Cartoon continuity===
[[Image:Scorponokbwdawn.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Looking at him, he was probably called "Scorponok" before the Beast Wars, too.]]

====Timelines====
The Predacon that would be called Scorponok and [[Backslash]] were part of a mission to steal the sacred [[Maximal]] relic, the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], on behalf of [[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]]; in actual fact, "Scorponok" was loyal to [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] and in on his plan to take the disk for himself. He was meant to bomb a power plant to aid [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] and [[Dinobot (BW)|his partner's]] attack; he was almost caught by a guard but Backslash saved him, berating him for being sloppy. Later on, when Backslash was caught by a guard, "Scorponok" laughed, mockingly referencing what Backslash said early and happily triggered the bombs, killing his alleged comrade. Nice guy. {{storylink|Theft of the Golden Disk}}

With the Disk in their hands, the thieves were picked up by their other comrades in a stolen ship, newly christened the ''Darksyde''. Soon after leaving Cybertron, the ''Darksyde'' was involved in a space battle with the Maximal vessels ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' and ''[[Chromia 10]]'' and an unidentified Predacon ship. At its conclusion, only the ''Axalon'' and the ''Darksyde'' survived, and both ships passed through a [[transwarp]] portal to an unknown destination. {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past}}
{{-}}
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Don Brown]] (English), [[Masashi Endō]] (Japanese)

[[Image:BW Scorponok BW1.jpg|left|300px|thumb|I'm not dumb! I'll prove it by taking on Dinobot all by myself.]]
Crash-landing on an unknown planet, Scorponok and his peers were forced to take on organic beast modes to shield themselves from the planet's dangerous levels of raw [[Energon (fuel)|energon]]. Scorponok now transformed into an organic scorpion. When Dinobot furiously berated Megatron for foolishly marooning them on the wrong planet and attempted to attack his leader, Scorponok stood behind Megatron and waited for his cue to fire on Dinobot, sending the traitor far into the distance. Later, Scorponok participated in the first battle between the Maximal and Predacon factions and managed to trap [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor's]] leg under a boulder. However, the Predacons soon succumbed to energon overload. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}}

After recovering in beast mode, Scorponok and the lower-ranking Predacons were wagering who would win the battle between [[Optimus Primal]] and Dinobot until Megatron ordered them to fire on the unwitting combatants. After their shots failed to destroy the Maximals but instead revealed a massive energon cache buried inside a mountain, the Predacons moved out, followed by the Maximals. The two parties confronted each other at the energon cache, and Scorponok fought Dinobot in the one-on-one clashes that ensued. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}}

He shockingly succeeded in something, retrieving a mega-cannon and badly wounding Cheetor in an early mission... though only because [[Tarantulas]] helped. {{storylink|The Web}} Still, his loyalty was never in question, to the extent that when [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] took over, Scorponok simply walked off and fixed Megatron the ''instant'' Terrorsaur wasn't looking. {{storylink|Power Surge}}

Later, Megatron tasked Scorponok with a mission to create a virus for his [[cyberbee]] that would turn Optimus Primal into a coward. Ambushing the Maximal leader and Dinobot as they were on a botanical study near a waterfall, Scorponok managed to have his cyberbee latch onto Optimus when he attempted to help the traitor. Unfortunately, Optimus Primal fired off a shot before going down, dislodging the log Scorponok was sitting upon and sending him over the edge of the waterfall. To greater misfortune, Scorponok had botched the virus, turning Optimus Primal not into a coward, but a fearless, ultra-aggressive berserker. Both Scorponok and Megatron were blown up with the cyberbee when Primal ripped it off and chucked it at Megatron's back. {{storylink|Gorilla Warfare}} Other than this, Scorponok's major contributions to the Predacons were all related to the fact that he possessed nothing but heavy artillery for weapons. Sadly for Scorponok, the actual value of any shots he fired was limited with more or less a single exception: when he blinded the Maximals by detonating an energon deposit. {{storylink|Dark Voyage}}

Although he rarely did anything of importance, Scorponok once fought Dinobot one-on-one and gave a very good account of himself. When the Maximals invaded the ''Darksyde'' to retrieve their comrade [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], Scorponok not only held his own, but dominated the fight, up until the point where Dinobot used his rotary blade weapon to win. This is even more impressive when one takes into account he'd already gone a few rounds with the smirker [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] just prior. {{storylink|Dark Designs (episode)|Dark Designs}}

[[Image:BW Scorponok Terrorsaur deaths.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Oh, the... robotity?]]
After learning of Optimus Primal's destruction, Scorponok laughed along with his fellow Predacons, then congratulated Megatron, but was pushed away by his leader. Scorponok died along with Terrorsaur when the two, affected by the transwarp wave that turned Megatron into a [[Transmetal]], crashed their hover platforms into each other and tumbled into the lava beneath the Predacon base during the explosion of the [[Vok]]'s artificial moon. No one much noticed, though Blackarachnia pointed out that only Waspinator was present with Megatron when the Predacons arrived at the ''Axalon'' (only to keep herself from getting blasted). {{storylink|Aftermath}}
{{-}}
====IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics====
However, Scorponok and Terrorsaur were not actually dead-they were just in stasis lock. They awakened after the Beast Wars ended, finding themselves in Transmetal bodies. Scorponok got shafted, though-his new body didn't have a third vehicle mode like everyone else's. He had hover-fans with which he could fly, though, so that's likely a decent thing. {{storylink|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}
{{-}}

====Beast Wars: Transformers Video Game====
{{cleanup|October 2009|Should rephrase this section so its in past tense and presented as his adventures in another continuity, rather than "it's a game so let's talk like the Wikipedia."}}
===== Predacon Mode =====
Scorponok is playable for the Predacon story mode. However, unlike the beefy rockets he cannons from his claws in the series, in the game, he fires an incredibly unimpressive stream of little green bolts, giving him low firepower. Like the rest of the characters in the game, his voice bears very little similarity to what he sounds like in the TV series, sounding more like a little girl with a cold. {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)}}

===== Maximal Mode =====
In Maximal story mode, Scorponok is the boss for the Desert stages. The bout starts with him standing outside his base (yep, his own personal base), protected by a shield and complete with two autoguns (he'd been saving up for his own little place in the wasteland, obviously), on the opposite side of a canyon from the Maximal. Whilst the autoguns fire, he also unleashes volleys of his "almighty" green bolts. Once the guns are destroyed, the whole shield program shuts down. Scorponok then begins strafing and firing, but after a few more hits, he falls into the canyon. However, the guy isn't finished yet. The next stage starts with the Maximal jumping into the canyon and battling Scorponok close up. The two still fire at each other with guns, though, as the game has no melee. However, Scorponok boasts an unexpected advantage in this fight: He is quite short, meaning that if you're playing a taller character, sometimes the only easy way to hit him is to jump over the Predacon's head and shoot him. After a few more blasts, Scorponok collapses (and presumably the Maximal loots his base). {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)}}

===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle'' Video Game===
Megatron was capable to summon Scorponok forth to the battlefield in his attempts to acquire the super-powerful [[energon crystal]]. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
* '''Scorponok''' (Mega, 1996/1997)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''D-2'''
**''Accessories'': 2 missiles

:Scorponok transforms into a fairly organic but highly inaccurate black scorpion. The right pincer contains a small, spring-loaded [[Cyberbee|bee drone]]-type gimmick which can be launched, while his left pincer has a firing missile launcher. He also features exactly the same transformation as pretty much every Scorponok toy ever, transforming into a robot with his pincers serving as his arms and his tail hiding behind him. Owing to his design's extensive usage of ball joints, he has a high range of articulation.

: In Japan, Scorponok was released without notable changes at first. Come 1997, he and most of the rest of the show-cast toys were [[redeco]]ed to be more "show-accurate", with wildly varying degrees of success. Scorponok's black plastic was replaced with a charcoal gray, and that's about it.

: This mold was later used to make [[Sandstorm (BW)|Sandstorm]] and [[Double Punch (BW)|Double Punch]].

{{-}}{{anchor|VsScorponok}}
[[Image:VS2-PolarClawScorponok.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"North Pole Showdown"? Good luck, Scorp.]]
*'''North Pole Showdown: Whiteclaw VS Scorpos''' (Vs set, 1996)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''VS-2'''
**''Accessories'': 2 missiles

: In Japan, Scorponok was available both as an individual and in a two-pack with [[Polar Claw]]. Both toys are identical to their individual releases. It is unknown if the set ever came with the [[Redeco|redecoed]] "show-like" version of Scorponok.

: Amusingly, both toys are packaged in beast mode with their smaller partners deployed, making it look like the fight isn't going so well for Polar Claw.

{{-}}{{anchor|McTransmetal}}

[[Image:McScorponok-toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Oo oo. C'mon party people. Oo oo. Put your claws in the air.]]
* '''Scorponok''' (Happy Meal premium, 1998)

: Since Scorponok got killed off in order to introduce [[To sell toys|new prod—er, ''characters'']], he was granted a "Transmetal" toy as part of the second McDonald's ''Beast Wars'' Happy Meal promotion. He transforms like every other Scorponok, except his shoulders can't go lower than a few degrees from pointing up, meaning all he can do is "raise the roof." It's cast mostly in gauche magenta and "metallic" gold soft-plastics to prevent little kiddies from breaking it.

{{-}}

==Trivia==
[[Image:ToyFair96ScorpGriz.jpg|right|180px|thumb|The most effective stealth ever.]]
* Scorponok was first advertised on the back of the [[Optimus Primal]] versus [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] two-pack at the start of the ''Beast Wars'' line with a completely different color scheme. The toy itself was cast completely in transparent orange and blue plastic, which would have made it remarkably fragile at the joints. Another version cast in pink translucent plastic and having the final claw coloration surfaced in 2006, although this could likely be explained by the random plastics used in [[Prototype|test shots]].

*Scorponok's CGI animation model had an unusual tendency to switch from having yellow-colored optics to red-colored optics at random {{m-}} sometimes within the same scene of a given episode. Most of the time he had yellow, though.

* Scorponok's pre-Beast form in "[[Theft of the Golden Disk]]" is a [[redeco]] of ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Shortround]], but in "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]" he is based on [[Scorponok (Energon)|''Energon'' Scorponok]], even though the latter story is set immediately after the former, with no real opportunity for him to change bodies in between.

* In the first few episodes, Scorponok's missiles had Maximal faction symbols on them, a Cybertronian equivalent to carving the name of your next victim on your bullets. Many viewers failed to pick up on this symbolism, though, and they were promptly replaced with Predacon faction symbols to avoid confusion.

{{-}}

==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Predacon/Scorponok/scorponok.htm Scorponok at TFU.info]

[[Category:Multi-component Transformers]]
[[Category:Beast Wars characters]]
[[Category:Fast food exclusives]]
[[Category:Predacons]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]

Tarantulas (BW)

2009-11-03T18:13:04Z

124.187.68.122: /* Notes */

{{factions|predacon|unicron}}
{{picsneeded|Toys}}

:''Tarantulas is a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] from the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
:''His name is also officially spelled "'''Tarantulus'''".''

[[Image:Tarantulasbw.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"And fries! Lots of FRIES!"]]
'''Tarantulas''' is the scheming mad scientist of the Predacon crew. The type of mad scientist who experiments on living beings, cackling in his [[Trademark|trademarked]] laugh all the while, and then if things go wrong, happily eats what's left as his midday snack. (Considering his appetite, that must happen a lot.) He was one of the Predacons to join [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] during his theft of the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] and the search for [[Earth]]. In addition to being an utterly psychotic, sadistic sociopath (even by Predacon standards, which is something he appears to wear with pride), Tarantulas has a record for treachery rivaled by few other Transformers. Tarantulas is actually an agent of the [[Tripredacus Council]], which is trying to coax the Beast Wars toward an unspecified goal, where neither Autobot or Decepticon won the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]].

Tarantulas has a particularly notable hatred of the [[Vok]] aliens, a hatred strong enough to make him work to eliminate them by any means.

{{bigquote|Lunatic.|[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] on Tarantulas|[[Spider's Game]]}}

:''Japanese name:'' '''Tarans''' (タランス ''Taransu'')
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Jr-jū''' (蜘蛛, "Spider"), later '''Húng Jr-jū''' (紅蜘蛛, "Red Spider")
:''Italian name:'' '''Metal Tarantulas''' (Transmetal)
:''Polish name:'' '''Tarantulator'''

==Fiction==
===First wave toy bios===
Tarantulas is a sneaky, mysterious ninja feared across the galaxy. A master of the martial arts, he's suspected in the disappearances of many [[Human|Earthlings]], and rumors swirl of giant cocoons where he stores his prey.{{storylink|Tarantulas#Toys|Tarantulas bio}}

Later, Tarantulas was guarding the Predacons' jungle-based genetics lab along with Megatron and Waspinator. When the Maximals discovered them, he engaged Razorbeast in combat briefly before Megatron called retreat and destroyed the lab. {{storylink|Optimus Primal vs Megatron!|Optimus Primal vs Megatron!}}

{{note|This comic, along with the on-package [[Bio|bios]] of the first wave of Beast Wars toys, predate the development of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon and its backstory. They seem to present the characters as a direct continuation of the previous Autobot/Decepticon conflict, with Optimus Primal actually being a new form of Optimus Prime and Megatron being his Generation 1 counterpart, and their battles taking place on present day, [[human]]-inhabited Earth, rather than in the distant past. Once the cartoon launched, the toyline adjusted itself to match that continuity instead, relegating this one to an aborted [[micro-continuity]].}}

===Cartoon continuity===
====Theft of the Golden Disk====
Tarantulas decoded the information on the Golden Disk, freshly stolen by Megatron. He thought this was quite hilarious, but then, he thinks that about everything. {{storylink|Theft of the Golden Disk|Theft of the Golden Disk}}

====Dawn of Future's Past====
[[Image:Tarantulasdawn.jpg|right|180px|thumb|See? A Planet X key in the corner of the pic. He's working for Unicron! Get him!]]
As [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] and his rogue band of Predacons escaped [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in their stolen ship, the ''[[Darksyde]]'', Tarantulas was in charge of scanning the disk for a desired set of coordinates. While Megatron was not watching, he was in secret communication with a member of the [[Tripredacus Council]]. (The reflections in his helmet show the silhouette of [[Cicadacon|General Cicadacon]].)

Using the decoded coordinates, the ''Darksyde'' opened a [[transwarp]] portal, which it and the [[Axalon (BW)|''Axalon'']] passed through. {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past|Dawn of Future's Past}}
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====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Alec Willows]] (English), [[Yūichi Nagashima]] (Japanese), [[Fabio Vilalonga]] (Portuguese)

Tarantulas was one of the original crew on the ''Darksyde'' when it crashed on prehistoric Earth. As Megatron's technical leader, he manned the scanners to appropriate beast forms based on the most powerful local creatures. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} At first he takes on the role of mad scientist and appears as vacuous as the other Predacons; by the first full month of the Beast Wars, he is established as a cannibal when he attempts to drink an energy-drained Cheetor's mech fluid. {{storylink|The Web}}

Tarantulas caused as many problems for Megatron as he fixed. He always needed a [[Tarantulas's lair|separate hideout]] to plot other, evil schemes, and he managed to stay one step ahead of most of his "allies". The only partner he worked with frequently—though they betrayed each other just as often—was [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]].

When Tarantulas learned of the [[Vok]] and their impending return to Earth, he spent his best efforts to capture a working [[stasis pod]] to craft an escape shuttle. At the hour of the Vok's return, he finally completed one. Megatron had known of his and Blackarachina's plans and threw a wrench in the works—[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]]. Inferno stomped into the room, interrupted Tarantulas's download of the stasis pod's datatracks, torched him, and was defeated by Blackarachnia. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

Fortunately for Tarantulas, Blackarachnia picked up his discarded download visor. Tarantulas jumped into her mind, controlling her (presumably from his stasis-locked body). When the [[quantum surge]] knocked out all of the Transformers on Earth, his body was upgraded to a Transmetal form, complete with a motorcycle vehicle mode. He maintained a link to Blackarachnia's mind, but was forced to sever it when she threatened to to commit suicide, which would also off-line him. He also set up a second lair in [[Grid Arakis]], which held a large cache of stable [[energon cube]]s and had been written off by both sides. {{storylink|Tangled Web}}

At some undisclosed point, Tarantulas discovered the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the flagship of the [[Decepticon]] fleet. Although his longterm goals for the vessel are unknown, he did manage to restore the ship to working status, complete with a Predacon control console and a transwarp cell, meaning that he may have planned to use it to return to Cybertron once he completed his main objective. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

When the transwarp explosion finally reached through the time warp and had enough potency to enter Cybertronian space, Tarantulas's true allegiance was revealed: He was a member of the [[Predacon Secret Police]] and an agent of the [[Tripredacus Council]]. The Tripredacus Council was the first alerted of the transwarp explosion and realized it was from where Megatron's ship had gone. Ravage was sent to ally with the Maximals, arrest Megatron, and then betray and destroy them all.

Allied with Ravage and having the use of his stealth ship, the Maximals easily overwhelmed Megatron. Tarantulas knocked out the power to Megatron's ship at that exact moment, allowing an easy capture. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}}

Megatron managed to manipulate Ravage into his servitude using a recording of the original [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] on the Golden Disk and gained his freedom. Tarantulas joined Ravage on his stealth ship for an attack on the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]''. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} However, Tarantulas was blown to pieces by Rattrap through a combination of the rodent's demolition bombs and the explosion of the ship. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}} Tarantulas survived, though, and was quickly put back together by his spider drones. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}}

Megatron, in all his wisdom, forgave Tarantulas's treachery, as it was simply the Predacon way and the spider was too useful to execute, even though Megatron made it very clear that he'd never trusted Tarantulas, even before the scientist did anything treacherous. Tarantulas appeared back in the Predacon camp on a regular basis—though it would later become clear that he was still very busy working on his own agenda, apparently during his numerous unexplained absences. He battled the Maximals alongside Megatron's Transmetal raptors (a harbinger of [[Dinobot II|things to come]]) {{storylink|Cutting Edge}} and helped the other Predacons construct a massive disruptor ray (which ultimately backfired on them). {{storylink|Go with the Flow}} When the Maximals attempted to remove Blackarachnia's shell program, he revealed to Megatron that he had included "certain safeguards" that guaranteed she would not survive, and joined the other Predacons in an attack on the Maximals that was meant to disrupt the attempted shell removal. He fired the missile which knocked the Maximals' power off-line at a crucial instant, seemingly bringing an end to his "treacherous creation". Enraged by the death of his beloved, [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] attempted to kill the scientist, but was thwarted by [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]], who was later defeated by a revived—and [[Transmetal|Transmetalized]]—Blackarachnia. {{storylink|Crossing the Rubicon}}

Tarantulas participated in the Predacons' next attempt to retake the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', but manipulated [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] into throwing Megatron into the nearby lava while he himself set the ''Ark'''s engines to overload. At this point, he claimed to be descended from neither the Autobots nor the Decepticons, which was why he was willing to destroy the core members of both factions then present (in stasis lock) in the ''Ark''. Megatron survived his lava-dunking, gaining a new body in the process. However, he had lost his patience. While he'd tolerated Tarantulas's treachery, he could not tolerate incompetence. Tarantulas survived his punishment and fled back to his lair. {{storylink|Master Blaster}}

[[Image:Tarantulas death.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Oh, yeah, he [[Primeval Dawn Part 1|meant to do this]]. Right. Sure he did.]]
When the [[Vok]] emissary [[Tigerhawk]] arrived on Earth shortly afterwards, Tarantulas managed to disable and capture him. Tarantulas intended to force the all-powerful being into his servitude by drawing the Vok influences out of his body and reprogramming him. The scheme backfired, however, as his energy beam device expelled two actual Vok out of Tigerhawk. The formless spectres attempted to take over Tarantulas' body. Panicking, he opened fire on them—a futile gesture that merely served to spin the energy device around 'til its rays were blasting him and his lab equipment. Overloaded by the beams, Tarantulas exploded, leaving nothing behind but his boots. The remainder of his equipment detonated seconds later, blowing the lair to rubble. Cheetor managed to rescue the inert Tigerhawk, and Tarantulas was presumed dead. {{storylink|Other Victories}}

While searching the ruins of Tarantulas's lair, Megatron offhandedly referred to him as "[[Unicron]]'s spawn". {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
{{-}}

====Beast Wars: Transformers Video Game====
{{charstubfiction}}
====Transformers Beast Wars: Transmetals Video Game====
In an alternate timeline, Tarantulas found a way to escape prehistoric Earth and return to Cybertron.

Then he came back, with an armada of Transwarp battleships under his command, out to end the Beast Wars and enforce the Tripredacus Council's will... {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transmetals|Beast Wars: Transmetals}}

====''Universe'' comics====
[[Image:Primeval Tarantulas.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Tarantulas doesn't really hate the Vok so much as he wants to kill them and wear their skin as a Vok suit.]]
Following the Beast Wars, Tarantulas's body returned to life, reanimated by the Vok powers he'd previously absorbed. The undead Tarantulas, along with a rebuilt Ravage (as [[Ravage (G1)|Tripredacus Agent]]), nurtured new troops to life through enigmatic means, growing [[Razorclaw (BW)|Razorclaw]] and [[Iguanus (BW)|Iguanus]] in tubes. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 1|Primeval Dawn Part 1}}

The remaining Vok anticipated Tarantulas's plan to destroy the rest of them, take their power, and fashion the timestream to his desires, and so they assembled an army of their own consisting of [[Primal Prime]], [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], and [[Tigatron]]. Tarantulas met this opposition in battle, overwhelmed them, and ripped the [[Matrix of Leadership]] from Primal Prime's chest. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 2|Primeval Dawn Part 2}}

Wounded critically, the Maximals withdrew to the ''Ark''. Tarantulas ordered Ravage to take Razorclaw, Iguanus, and their new recruit [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]] and assault the ''Ark'' in order to finish them off. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 3|Primeval Dawn Part 3}}

{{note|[[3H Productions]] dissolved before this storyline could be completed. Based on the subsequent ''Wreckers'' and ''[[Universe (2003 comic)|Universe]]'' storylines, it can be assumed that the Matrix of Leadership was restored to Optimus Prime's body at the end of this altercation, that the Maximals were triumphant, and that Tarantulas somehow fled to return to Unicron.}}
When the influence of [[Unicron]] swayed [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] to the side of darkness, she was surprised to see Tarantulas (still in his undead body) greet her as she joined the ranks of the [[Minions of Unicron]]. {{storylink|Escape (issue)|Escape}}
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===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle'' Video Game===
Megatron was capable to summon Tarantulas forth to the battlefield in his attempts to acquire the super-powerful [[energon crystal]]. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle}}
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===''Beast Wars Metals'' comic===
Following the [[Quantum surge]], Tarantulas was upgraded into a [[Transmetal]]. Scheming with [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] within their floating island base, the ''[[Hindenburg]]'', Tarantulas developed a plan to revive the deceased [[Optimus Primal]] as a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] slave. Recovering Primal's mindless, raging body, Tarantulas staged a strange voodoo ceremony (complete with boiling cauldron). As Megatron pricked his finger and prepared to use his mutated blood to turn Primal's rampaging body into his slave, the spark of Optimus Primal returned to it just in the nick of time. As Primal turned into a Transmetal, Tarantulas began to celebrate, convinced that his plan had worked out better than he had thought, unaware of what was really going on. An angry Optimus Primal then proceeded to knock Tarantulas's block off. {{storylink|Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!|Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
*'''Tarantulas''' (Deluxe, 1996/1997)
** ''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-4'''
**''Accessories'': Launcher, 4 spider-leg missiles

: Part of the first wave of ''Beast Wars'' product, Tarantulas transforms into an organic generic spider (''not'' a tarantula). His abdomen contains a spring-loaded missile launcher, which fires the anchor-missile kept in his spider-butt. This missile is attached by a string so he can hang from things like a real spider. The launcher can be removed and used as a robot-mode weapon, using any of his front four spider-legs as missiles. Like all early Deluxe-and-up ''Beast Wars'' toys, he has two different robot-mode "heads"; a robotic face and a "mutant" face. He is almost always depicted using the mutant face.

: There is a variation of this toy in the [[Hasbro]] line: Later releases (the smooth bubble) lack the yellow paint on his elbows.

: The [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] release of Tarantulas was originally identical to the Hasbro release. Later, a slightly color-altered version was released, using a brighter shade of green and a slightly darker gray. The color-altered version also replaced the blue eyes on the "robot" head and the black eyes of the "mutant" head with gold.

: This mold was used to make the first [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] toy.

{{-}}
====VsPack====
[[Image:VS4-DinobotTarantuas.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The classic battle of dino vs spider. We've all heard the tale.]]
*'''Brutal Showdown: Dinobot VS Tarans''' (VS pack, 1997)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''VS-4'''
**''Accessories:'' Launcher, 4 spider-leg missiles

: In Japan, "Tarans" was available both as an individual and in a two-pack with "[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]". Both toys in this set were identical to their individual releases.

: Currently, it is unknown if the latter "more show-like" redeco of Tarantulas was ever released in a VS set.

====Microverse====

[[Image:Tarantulas-Microverse.jpg|right|100px|thumb|I'm not [[Fantastic Four|The Thing]], I swear!]]
*'''Orcanoch''' ([[MicroVerse]], 1997)

: A small, non-transforming micro-figure of Tarantulas came with the [[MicroVerse]] [[Orcanoch]] playset. It was presumably painted based on the original design, as its upper body is copper rather than purple. Its only articulation is at the waist, letting it sit in any of the MicroVerse mini-vehicles or playset stations.

{{-}}

====Transmetals====
[[Image:BWtoy-TarantulasTransmetal.jpg|right|thumb|300px|I'm-a spawn of-a Unicron! I-a slice-a ya pizza!]]
*'''Tarantulas''' (Deluxe Transmetal, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-44'''
**''Accessories'': Sawblade weapon

: Part of the first assortment of [[Transmetal|Transmetals]], Tarantulas transforms into a robotic spider. He also has a third "transport" mode, flipping down a wheel from his abdomen and a saw-blade from under his beast-head, making a spidey-cycle. The saw detaches for robot mode to become a hand-held weapon.

: The Japanese version is slightly different, replacing the "TARANTULAS" [[tampograph]] with "DESTRON" and the Predacon sigil, plus his robot-mode eyes are painted as a single visor to match the show look better.
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====Fox Kids Transmetal====
[[Image:Tarantulas-FKTM.jpg|right|200px|thumb|It's like Eight Legged Freaks, but classier, and with a pizza slicer.]]
*'''Tarantulas''' (Deluxe "Fox Kids" Transmetal, 1999)
**''Accessories'': Sawblade weapon

: A [[redeco]] of the Transmetal Tarantulas toy in grays, silver and black. He and a Transmetal [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] redeco were part of the little-seen second wave of Toys "R" Us [[exclusive]] "Fox Kids" toys, so called for the advertisements for the Fox channel on the packaging (as the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]] had moved there from syndication). Internal Hasbro documents have listed this toy as "'''Steel Force Tarantulas'''", a name that did not make it to final packaging.

: These colors were used to depict Tarantulas in the ''[[Primeval Dawn]]'' and [[Universe (2003 comic)|''Universe'' comics]]. With the toy's limited availability, secondary-market pricing for this item due to its fictional use has gone up.

===Beast Wars 10th Anniversary===
*'''Predacon Tarantulus''' (Deluxe, 2006)
**''Accessories:'' Launcher, 4 spider-leg missiles

:This toy is a slight [[redeco]] of the original Tarantulas toy, more closely resembling Tarantulas's appearance in the cartoon (save the big Predacon faction sigil tampograph). Part of the second wave of ''Beast Wars'' 10th Anniversary product, he came with a DVD of the episode "[[Spider's Game]]", plus the left leg to [[Trans-Mutate]].

==Merchandise==
===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Robotheroestarantulasprimal.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Don't take your eyes off your mech fluid, Primal.]]
*'''Optimus Primal vs Predacon Tarantulas''' (2008)

: Part of the second wave of ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' [[Robot Heroes]], this PVC figurine of Tarantulas' original body has articulation in the shoulders and neck. He was available only in a "Beast Wars Series" two-pack with [[Optimus Primal]] (amusingly enough, the [[Maximal]] he also came with in the ''[[MicroVerse]]'' [[Orcanoch]] playset).

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==Notes==
* Tarantulas's origins are a bit complicated. He declares in "[[Other Victories]]" that he and the [[Tripredacus Council]] have origins other than Autobot and Decepticon, such that they would not be affected by the destruction of the ''Ark''. Megatron's line about "Unicron's spawn" was apparently not intended by [[Bob Forward]] to be taken literally; it was to have been a generic insult rather than a statement of fact.<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/f06828ec523295c1?dmode=source&output=gplain]</ref> (Forward's own inkling, albeit never realized, was that they might be descended from [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s Cybertronian Empire.) A Unicronian origin also creates potential canonical issues, as Tarantulas says that "under our rule, Cybertron will conquer the universe" ("[[Other Victories]]"), whereas Unicron's goal would have been to eat Cybertron. (Although being creations of Unicron does not necessarily mean they would be loyal to him or forever share his agenda. Not to mention that one of Unicron's near victories, coincidentally, did involve possessing Cybertron... {{storylink|Unicron's Ambition}} You know what, just don't put too much thought into it.) But, much like [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]'s line about "[[Darksyde|the dark side]]", this line developed a life of its own. Eventually this connection was reasserted in [[3H Productions]]' ''[[Primeval Dawn]]'' storyline.

* In the Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars'', Tarantulas retained his trademark cackle, but it was a little ''different''. His voice was very high-pitched and he shrieked almost constantly. His trademark laugh more closely resembled a wicked witch of sorts.

[[Image:TarantulasArm.jpg|right|150px|thumb|He tastes everything he holds.]]
* Early promotional pictures showed the original Tarantulas toy as being transparent orange, but the final toy was a clear deep purple instead. Presumably, this was for a little visual variety in the early line, which already had a largely tan toy ([[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]) and a largely yellow toy ([[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]) in the Deluxe range, plus a Mega-sized Predacon arachnid then planned to be orange ([[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]]), and [[Tigatron]], who was at one point slated to be a traditional orange tiger.

* The original Tarantulas toy has ''nine'' eyes in beast mode, as does the show model. This makes characters' references to him as "eight-eyes" rather... interesting.

* In the original control art for Tarantulas, the claws are shown in the same configuration as used in the show. In other words, the claws were somehow swapped during the assembly process and have remained as such on every version of the mold thereafter.

* Tarantulas's body in "[[Theft of the Golden Disk]]" is based on [[Ransack (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Ransack]].

*Tarantulas is referred to as simply "Tarantula" in the [[commercial]] advertising his toy.

* Despite being a creepy, ninja-like agent of Unicron who transforms into a motorcycle and likes to betray ''everybody'', he is absolutely not [[Sideways (RID)|Sideways]]. Nope! Nosirree.

* In the first season, Tarantulas is characterized more as a cannibalistic, psychotic gourmand who happens to be the Predacons' Science Officer then as the mad scientist and master plotter he becomes from the second season onwards. This is to the extent that his official season one profile makes several mentions of his eating habits, describes his sole interest as being "food", and summarizes his relationship with the other Predacons as simple disdain, as he considers them to all be potential meals.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Predacon/Tarantulas/tarantulas.htm Tarantulas at TFU.info]

[[Category:Beast Wars characters]]
[[Category:Double agents]]
[[Category:Ninjas]]
[[Category:Non-Triple Changer third mode]]
[[Category:Predacons]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:Security officers]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Toys "R" Us exclusives]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Unicron-related characters]]
[[Category:Universe characters]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]

Cyber venom

2009-11-03T18:05:17Z

124.187.68.122:

: ''Cyber venom is a [[weapon]] from the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]] and [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[Continuity family|continuity families]].''

The [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] have a penchant for taking [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]] based on venomous animals. Sometimes this extends to mimicry of their assumed form’s most powerful weapon, in the form of '''cyber venom'''.

Like the [[Wikipedia:Venom|venom]] from their beast mode’s template, cyber venom causes all manner of detrimental effects on other Cybertronians stricken by it. Like true venoms, cyber venom must typically be injected into the inner mechanisms of its victim to be effective. Delivery is often in the form of [[Tarantulas|barbed]] [[Blackarachnia (BW)|darts]], [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|stingers]] or fangs, though some instances of it being launched as [[Quickstrike (BW)|energy bolts]] have been recorded.

Official sources describe cyber venom as being composed of viral programs that are uploaded into the unfortunate victim, corrupting and infecting with rapid speed.

Known Transformers possessing cyber venom:

*[[Tarantulas]]
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Blackarachnia]]
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Quickstrike]]
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|''Transformers Animated'' Blackarachnia]]

==Fiction==
===Beast Wars===
The first Predacon to exhibit cyber venom was Tarantulas, who was soon joined by Blackarachnia, and later, the [[Fuzor]] Quickstrike. The former two would employ spiny or explosive darts to inject their victims with the technological toxin, while the later fired it from his left head in a manner reminiscent of a [[Wikipedia:Spitting cobra|spitting cobra]], but could also inject it with a bite. In all three cases, Transformers suffering the effects of cyber venom were typically incapacitated by the toxin, either having to be cleansed in a [[CR chamber]], or wait for the venom to run its course. While the venom was in effect, the Transformer’s body would be marbled with glowing patches of energy, and emit low-pitch feedback.

The effects of the venom were notoriously inconsistent, from being able to incapacitate powerful warriors like [[Depth Charge]], to causing only pain, such as when Quickstrike injected it directly into [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]'s leg. Others, such as [[Dinobot II]], were able to shake the effects of the venom quickly, requiring higher doses before being rendered inoperative.

Several Predacons who have venomous beast modes never showed any use of cyber venom:

*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] ([[wiki:scorpion|scorpion]]) (though he did use a "toxic sting" in robot mode on the Vok's biological building in "Other Voices Part 1", firing the red stinger on his tail into the wall after charging it with venom, which opened a hole the Maximals used to enter)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] ([[wiki:wasp|wasp]])
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] ([[wiki:fire ant|fire art]])

===''Animated''===
When the Autobot Elita-1 attempted to use her mimicking powers on a horde of giant, alien spiders, she contaminated herself with their venom, causing her body to become partially organic. Gaining a pair of deadly, bladed stingers, she could now inject her victims with a powerful toxin, while simultaneously using her mimicking powers to copy their unique modifications.

Blackarachnia’s poison was consistently potent and dangerous. Not only was it capable of dropping powerful and durable foes like [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] with ease, but its effects, being based on [[Wikipedia:Biomolecule|organic sources]], could not be treated by the [[AllSpark Key]]. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}} Normally, Blackarachnia used only enough venom to disable her foes, but if she chose, she could bring the dosage up to lethal levels, requiring the administration of an antidote to prevent the victim from going offline permanently. {{storylink|Black Friday (episode)|Black Friday}}

[[Category:Beast Wars]]
[[Category:Animated]]
[[Category:Weapons]]