MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Waspinator (BW)

2010-12-28T18:10:20Z

201.120.10.163: /* Beast Wars cartoon */

{{factions|predacon|vehicon}}
{{disambig2|the ill-destined wasp robot from the Beast Era|the ill-destined wasp robot from ''Transformers Animated''|Wasp}}
:''Waspinator is a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] from the [[Beast Era]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[Image:Waspinatorbw.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Waspinator: chew-toy of fate.]]
'''Waspinator''' is the universe's whipping boy. If something goes wrong, it happens to him. If something blows up, he's usually at the epicenter of the explosion. He has been blasted, burned, shot down, torn up, crushed, slashed, smashed, bashed, and otherwise reduced to his component parts times beyond counting. Disturbingly, [[Rattrap]] has taken to collecting his severed components.

Waspinator's not the brightest 'bot in the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]]. Megatron has classified the harebrained Predacon as expendable, much to Waspinator's dismay; he doesn't get much more respect from anyone else, either. His speech quirks don't help: he tends to refer to himself in the third person and to most other people by nicknames like [[Cheetor (BW)|"cat-bot"]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|"two-head"]]. He's also a bit too fond of the letter "Z". (Those prone to witticisms might say he has a "lizzzzp".)

Waspinator may be dumb, but he's not stupid. He has caught on to his lot in life and tries to avoid his fate as often as possible... but fate always finds him. Thankfully, he's almost supernaturally durable and has survived the most devastating and humiliating of defeats.

{{quote|[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] blow up, Waspinator must salvage. Waspinator blow up, ''nobody'' salvage! Why universe hate Waspinator?|Waspinator laments his lot in life, "[[Deep Metal]]"}}
:''Japanese name:'' '''Waspeeter''' (ワスピーター ''Wasupītā'')<ref>This particular [[romanization]] was first used on a Japanese ''Beast Wars'' [http://www18.tok2.com/home/jackhama/transformers/bwtcard_1/img/015.jpg trading card], and later reappeared in the opening sequence for the Japanese version of the PSX ''[[Beast Wars: Transmetals]]'' fighting game.</ref><br/>
:''Bulgarian name:'' '''Osinator''' (Осинатор)
:''French name:'' '''Bourdon''' ("Bumblebee", original toy, Canada), '''Bizznator'''<ref>It is unknown at this time if Waspinator was "Bizznator" in both Quebec and France, or if there were even two separate French dubs of ''Beast Wars'' to begin with. However, it ''is'' definitely known that only Canada got packaging with actual French names on it.</ref> (cartoon, Transmetal, Canada)
:''Chinese name:'' '''Hú-fēng''' (胡蜂, "Wasp", Taiwan), '''Tsāng-yíng''' (蒼蠅, "Fly", Taiwan)
:''Italian name:'' '''Punginator'''
:''Polish name:'' '''Osator''' (Beetor)
:''Russian name:'' '''Ospinator''' (Оспинатор)
:''Spanish name:'' '''Avispaneitor''' (cartoon, spelling uncertain), '''Avispón''' ("Hornet", toy)

==Fiction==
===First wave toy bios===
[[Image:Optimusprimalvsmegatronwaspinator.jpg|left|thumb|250px|"This new aerobics regimen is great! Work, you abs!"]] The Waspinator is a fearsome warrior of monstrous appearance, striking fear with the eerie sound of his ominous buzzing. He strikes down helpless victims using his secret wing missiles, poisoning them with his cyber-sting. {{storylink|#Toys|Waspinator bio}}
He also likes to gang up on his victims with his partner, [[Buzz Saw]]. {{storylink|Buzz Saw#Toys|Buzz Saw bio}}
When the Maximals located the Predacons' genetics lab, Waspinator was present along with Megatron and Tarantulas to fend them off. Waspinator exchanged blasts with Cheetor before Megatron initiated the lab's self-destruct mechanism, at which point the Predacons retreated. {{storylink|Optimus Primal vs Megatron!}}

{{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===
====Dawn of Future's Past====
[[Image:Waspinatordawn.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Waspy is mi kopilot, but hoo on Sibertron is mi spelcheker?]]
While [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], his [[Dinobot (BW)|lieutenant]], and [[Scorponok (BW)|another underling]] stole a Maximal relic, the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], the Predacon who would later name himself Waspinator stole a ship with the help of an accomplice he nicknamed "[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Beakbot]]". The two had a contest to name the ship, but "Waspinator" lost, and thus the stolen ship was dubbed the ''[[Darksyde]]''. "Waspinator" believed ''Buzzerbot'' would have been a better name. For reasons known only to [[Primus]], Megatron agreed.

After escaping [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], the ''Darksyde'' was intercepted by the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' and the ''[[Chromia 10]]'', but after an intense space battle, only the ''Darksyde'' and the ''Axalon'' remained. Megatron ordered "Waspinator" to ''excecute'' their planned [[transwarp]] jump, opening up a portal which both ships entered. {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past}}

====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
''Voice Actor'': [[Scott McNeil]] (English), [[Kensō Katō]] (Japanese), [[Ivo Roberto]] (Portuguese), [[Fábio Vilalonga]], (Portuguese, in some episodes), [[Diego Sabre]] (Italian), [[Pierre Laurent]] (French), [[Roberto Molina]] (Latin American Spanish, season 1), [[Carlos Iñigo]] (Latin American Spanish, last episodes of season 1, season 2 and season 3), [[Gabriel Gama]] (Latin American Spanish, last 2 episodes of season 3), [[José Padilla]] (Castilian Spanish)

[[Image:BeastWars1 Waspinator robotmode.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Remember when Waspinator used to be a threat? Because ''he'' doesn't, the poor guy.]]
Waspinator, part of Megatron's rogue band of Predacons, landed on an unknown planet with dangerous levels of unstable [[Energon (fuel)|energon]]. To protect themselves from the energon, the Predacons took organic beast modes. In Waspinator's case, he now transformed into a large, green wasp. The first conflict between the stranded Predacons and their Maximal pursuers came when the Maximal [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] stumbled across Waspinator. In a stark contrast to his later career, he actually proved to be a serious threat and had the advantage over the inexperienced Cheetor, pinning the young Maximal down in a canyon. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}}

The Predacons pursued the Maximals and interrupted a fight between [[Optimus Primal]] and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]. When a stray shot exposed a cache of energon atop a nearby mountain, the Predacons headed for it. Waspinator was teamed with [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] for the first time, in an attempt to slow the Maximals down. They were chased off by a missile from Primal and rejoined the others for a mountaintop battle, wherein Cheetor attempted to have a rematch with Waspinator. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}}

He helped [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and Terrorsaur install some perimeter defenses around the Predacon base. {{storylink|The Web}} When Cheetor ended up in the Predacon base through some sort of freak teleportation system, Waspinator and Scorponok tried to kill him, but only succeeded in blowing themselves up with their own missiles. Little did Waspinator know that he would be blown up numerous times in the adventures to come. {{storylink|Equal Measures}}

[[Image:ChainOfCommand Waspinator gets shot up.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"...and here we see a wild Waspinator in its natural state."]]
Waspinator was part of an attack on the Maximals at the [[Standing Stones]]. He survived that battle, but when an [[Vok probe|alien probe]] appeared at the circle, he and Megatron attempted to take possession of it, and a pulse of energy zapped them. They turned up, badly damaged, back at the Predacon base. After repairs, Megatron sent Waspinator and Scorponok to guard the circle. The Maximals soon turned up to try and extract Primal from the probe, and Waspinator attempted to sneak up on [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], only for the Maximal to ventilate him with a chaingun. Waspinator fell backwards against a standing stone, activating a sequence which freed Primal from the probe. {{storylink|Chain of Command}}

After Terrorsaur managed to slag Megatron and take leadership of the Predacons, Waspinator and Scorponok promptly fixed Megatron. {{storylink|Power Surge}} When a stasis pod crashed, Waspinator and Terrorsaur went directly to the ''Axalon'' and ambushed Optimus Primal when he emerged to look for the pod. Though they succeeded, Dinobot dropped a huge rock on Waspinator, and Terrorsaur had to help his fellow. Waspinator was still healthy enough to report to Megatron, who sent the pair to capture the pod. On the way, they managed to slow down the Maximals by destroying an ice bridge, but by the time they reached the pod, [[Tigatron]] had already been activated. The new Maximal fought them off. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}}

[[Image:Better_Mousetrap_Waspinator.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Wazzzzpinator not want to know "who'zzzz there?"]]
In one of Waspinator's few victories, he managed to retrieve the stasis pod which gave birth to [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]. When Terrorsaur again deposed Megatron, Waspinator seemed happy to follow his fellow Predacon. {{storylink|Double Jeopardy}} Perhaps that was why he was subsequently assigned with Blackarachnia and Terrorsaur to deliver a [[sonic emitter]] to a location below the ''Axalon''. Dissatisfied with the task, he went to fly around for a bit and mutter to himself, only to give away their position accidentally. Though he returned to the other two Predacons, they were discovered by Tigatron, who destroyed the sonic emitter. {{storylink|A Better Mousetrap}} After Primal was inadvertently turned into a berserker by Scorponok's [[cyberbee]], Waspinator attempted to track down Optimus in the Predacon base, but found himself pulled through a wall and blasted. {{storylink|Gorilla Warfare}}

Waspinator acted as bait for the first test of [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]]'s [[transformation lock lens]]. The test was a success, but Waspinator was slagged by Tigatron. {{storylink|The Probe}} He was later one of the trio who mounted a mock revolt against Megatron to fool the Maximals. The Predacons concealed themselves in a crevasse (where Waspinator apparently spent his nights cuddling Tarantulas like a soft toy) while the Maximals repaired the ''Axalon''. They were discovered by Dinobot, who dropped a large rock on Waspinator and Terrorsaur. Though the latter survived to battle on, Waspinator apparently didn't. {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}}

[[Image:DarkDesigns Waspinator is nuts.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Dancing Queen Bee]]
When [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] had his personality program converted to that of a Predacon, he started surreptitiously taking out the various Predacons. He swung a cargo crate into Waspinator, giving him a concussion. As a result, Waspy flew around in a daze, claiming to be the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] as well as the great [[Ben Yee|Wonko the Sane]]. This dementia was apparently reversed when Cheetor later got annoyed at his yattering and shot him down. One of Waspinator's stray shots subsequently hit the [[Transmuter (BW)|Transmuter]], causing it to explode. {{storylink|Dark Designs (episode)|Dark Designs}}

Terrorsaur and Waspinator were hanging around outside the Predacon base during Megatron's experiment to create a [[Clone One|clone of Dinobot]]. {{storylink|Double Dinobot}} The pair attacked Cheetor when the young Maximal was protecting a stasis pod. Cheetor managed to lure Waspinator into flying over an energon geyser, frying his circuits. {{storylink|The Spark}} Perhaps a sign that they hadn't learned their lesson, Waspinator and Terrorsaur attacked Tigatron, only to be blasted by the defense system of a strange [[Brigadoon|flying island]]. Though injured, they were able to return to base to report the find. {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 1}} Following another bout of repairs, the duo headed back for the island, only to run into Primal and [[Rattrap]], who were headed in the same direction. Eventually they did each the island...only for Blackarachnia to trick them into triggering the island's defenses again, resulting in them both being blasted. {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 2}}

Tigatron was ambushed on his way to another stasis pod by Waspinator, who managed to get a drop on the tiger. Waspinator's victory was short-lived, as [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] promptly shot his wings off, and he crashed to the ground. {{storylink|Spider's Game}} Waspinator and Terrorsaur stole the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> [[rectifier coil]], forcing the Maximals remain in their beast modes. Once the Maximals had gone feral and wandered off into the jungle, the Predacons mounted a hunting expedition. The Maximals were able to overcome their programming block, and during the subsequent fight, Rhinox swatted Waspinator out of the air with a ''tree''. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}}

[[Image:Possession_Waspinator.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Give him an orange parka and call him Kenny.]]
After an apparently victorious battle, Waspinator and Scorponok returned to base. However, the Maximals they had attacked were not dead, merely blinded, and Waspinator was soon sent out again, teamed with Terrorsaur, to eliminate them. Unfortunately, even four blind Maximals were more than enough match for them, and both Predacons were sent packing. {{storylink|Dark Voyage}} Things continued to go badly for Waspinator, as during a violent storm, he was possessed by the immortal [[spark]] of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]. It took a major [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] explosion to dislodge Starscream's immortal [[spark]] from Waspinator's body. It also had the after-effect of giving Waspinator a headache in his ''whole body''. {{storylink|Possession}}

Waspinator was part of a diversionary attack while Tarantulas tried out his new weapon, an [[energon discharge virus]]. Later on, the Predacons attempted to stop the Maximals getting the antidote and were blasted by Rhinox's enormous fart. {{storylink|The Low Road}} Waspinator teamed up with [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] and Terrorsaur for a fight, only to be roundly trounced by Tigatron. The trio were later able to defeat Dinobot, with Waspinator dealing the final blow, but Optimus Primal turned up and blew both him and Terrorsaur away with one shot. {{storylink|Law of the Jungle}}

[[Image:OtherVoices1 robonoogie.jpg|thumb|200px|right|"Wazzzzpinator having flashbacks to grammar zzzzzchool!"]]
Waspinator caught Tarantulas stealing a [[transwarp cell]] from the ''Darksyde'', but he was unable to stop the spider from leaving, as Tarantulas tossed him a bomb. Waspinator was soon in a multitude of separate pieces. {{storylink|Before the Storm}} Recovered and ready to take revenge on Tarantulas, he was instead sent by Megatron to secure a new alien site. Unfortunately, once he got there, he encountered Rattrap, who saw him off with a "robonoogie" and a kick to the unmentionables. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 1}} He retired to the ''Darksyde'', where the Predacons monitored the situation with the [[Planet Buster]] weapon which had been revealed from the planet's second moon. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

[[Image:ComingFuzors1 Waspinator cubed.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Rube-ik's Cube]]
After the Planet Buster was destroyed, the strange energies of a [[quantum surge]] saturated both ships. Waspinator lost control of his hoversled and was tipped into one of the restoration pools. Bathed in the regenerative fluids, he was prevented from becoming a [[Transmetal]]. He and his newly upgraded leader mounted an attack on the ''Axalon'', but once Waspinator faced a similarly upgraded Cheetor, he soon retreated. {{storylink|Aftermath}} Waspinator was the first to realize that the seemingly unknown planet on which they'd landed was, in fact, [[Earth]]. Dinobot had made the same realization and stole into the ''Darksyde'' to retrieve both of Megatron's disks. Waspinator proposed the two work together to steal the disks, and much to his surprise, Dinobot agreed...and threw him into the security shield. Waspinator was crushed into a cube by the disks' security contraption, leaving Dinobot free to steal the disks unharmed while Waspinator crawled away to the CR chamber using two fingers.

He got himself repaired in time to join Megatron's forces on the battlefield, where they outnumbered Dinobot, Cheetor and Rattrap. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}} He was teamed up with new recruit [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] to attack the ''Axalon'' by air. After asserting his authority over the [[Fuzor]], he was promptly knocked out of the air by Cheetor. He joined the other Predacons as they prepared to finish off the Maximals for good...but was the first victim of a reborn Transmetal Optimus Primal. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}}

Waspinator and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] were tasked with constructing a new jamming tower. They constructed it successfully, but while Waspinator proudly reported their success to Megatron, Inferno playfully knocked the tower over on him. {{storylink|Tangled Web}} Another of Waspinator's rare victories came when he shot Silverbolt from behind, causing the Maximal to crash into Dinobot, effectively taking both out. While Inferno took off with Dinobot's prone form, [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] refused to help Waspy carry Silverbolt. A short time later, Rattrap mimicked Quickstrike's voice, tricking Waspinator into picking up a gas mine, and Waspinator's victory was no more. {{storylink|Maximal, No More}}

Waspinator and the rest of the Predacons installed shield generators around another alien site, but the [[Metal Hunter|alien construct]] which appeared zapped everyone, sending him into stasis lock. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 1)}} Megatron took control of the construct and restored all of the Predacons to working order. Waspinator and Inferno retrieved transwarp cells to give the ship transwarp capability. They were later sent out to defend the construct against the Maximals. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 2)}}

[[Image:BadSpark Waspinator defeated.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Not quite what "stick the landing" means.]]
Sent with Blackarachnia to claim another pod, Waspinator didn't last long before he was shot down by Cheetor and landed head first. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} He also took part in the attack on the valley where the [[protohuman]]s were living, but his contribution ended when Dinobot stuffed him head-first into [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]]'s main cannon and Rampage exploded. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}

As by Megatron's calculations, the [[transwarp wavefront]] from the Planet Buster explosion would soon be reaching [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], the Predacons mounted an attack on the ''Axalon''. The Maximals received reinforcements in the form of Predacon covert agent [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], whose [[transwarp cruiser]] saw the Predacons off. Waspinator was subsequently given a new solo mission by Megatron, and he departed when the Maximals next attacked. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}} Just as he arrived at his [[Mount St. Hilary|destination]], Blackarachnia accidentally hit him with her hoversled, knocking him apart. Waspinator once again started gathering himself together. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}}

Waspinator pulled himself together in time to aid Megatron's escape, after the Predacon leader badly damaged [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. He, Megatron and Inferno headed for the ''Axalon'', but Cheetor and Primal caught up with them, and Waspinator was downed by one shot from Cheetor. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}} After Inferno was blown to bits while attacking the Maximal base, Megatron sent Waspinator to salvage him. Waspinator was less than happy, complaining that no one ever salvaged ''him''. {{storylink|Deep Metal}} He was able to get the drop on Silverbolt when the Maximals were attempting to salvage [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]], and he happily flew off with the module.

{{Quote|Waspinator having good day! Not get shot once!}}

[[Image:Waspinatorigor.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Igor needs to file his nails.]]
Sadly, he didn't get very far before Silverbolt and Rattrap caught up, blasting him out of the air so they could reclaim Sentinel. {{storylink|Changing of the Guard}} After Megatron developed [[cyber raptor]]s, Waspinator and Tarantulas were sent out with a group of them to attack Cheetor and Blackarachnia. The Maximals soon discovered that destroying the raptors' control components sent them wild, and Waspinator was stomped into the ground by an out-of-control dinosaur. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}} Another of Waspinator's increasingly few victories came when he managed to snatch a stasis pod from under the Maximals' noses. He acted as lab assistant as Megatron utilised the [[blank]] [[protoform]] contained in the pod, plus a [[transmetal driver]], to create a new [[Dinobot II|Dinobot]]. Unfortunately, even this victory was short-lived, as a short time later, the device Megatron was using exploded, and Waspinator was caught in the blast. After getting repaired, he made his way to where Megatron was interrogating [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]]...only to be blasted by his own trigger-happy leader. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 1}}

After Megatron discovered that Cheetor had upgraded himself into a [[Transmetal 2]], he sent Waspinator and Dinobot out to find and capture the kitty. The pair located him in a cave, but as Dinobot began to move in, Waspinator asserted his own leadership...and was shredded by Dinobot. Following another bout of repairs, Waspinator rejoined the hunt, and they eventually found Cheetor again. Waspinator was offhandedly slagged by the Maximal while trying to sneak up. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}}

[[Image:Go with the Flow Waspinator Una.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Poor Waspinator even gets to be harassed by children.]]
Requiring someone organic to complete the [[disruptor cannon]], Megatron sent Waspinator and Inferno to pick up a protohuman. Waspinator was able to capture [[Una]], but she did quite a bit of damage to him on the flight back. On reaching the mountain hideout, Waspinator reported success and promptly collapsed into a collection of parts. At some point, he got repaired and was able to join in the pursuit of Rattrap and Una as they escaped. He was hit in the face by mud, sending him out of control, crashing into first Inferno, then Dinobot, and allowing the Maximals to escape. The three Predacons were called back to the mountain, where Megatron attempted to use the disruptor cannon, which promptly exploded. {{storylink|Go with the Flow}} Waspinator's next glorious mission was an attack on the Maximal base. Unfortunately for him, his expected backup wasn't there, and he was swatted by Optimus Primal. It had all been a ploy to draw Primal out so that Tarantulas could deliver a device to take control of the Maximal leader. {{storylink|Master Blaster}}

After the destruction of the ''Darksyde'' at [[Tigerhawk]]'s hands, Megatron sent Waspinator, [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]], and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] on an errand to find a new base, which was really nothing more than pointless busywork while Megatron went to do more important things. As the trio staked out an early [[human]] tribe that had taken up residence in a series of caves, Waspinator decided he'd finally had enough and ripped off his [[insignia|Predacon symbol]], declaring himself out of the Beast Wars.

[[Image:Waspinatorhappyatlast.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Wazzzzpinator happy at last! ...until the [[Beast Machines (cartoon)|next series]].]]
{{quote|I said '''no!''' [[Megatron (BW)|Dragon-Bot]] command '''you,''' [[Sub-Commander]] [[Inferno (BW)|Kiss-Butt]]! Dragon-Bot not command Waspinator! Not any more! Waspinator sick of being evil! Sick of being Predacon! And Waspinator especially sick of getting blown to '''scrap''' all the time! Sooo, Waspinator '''quit!''' As of '''now,''' which means [[Inferno (BW)|Ant-Bot]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Two-Head]] can just pucker their mandibles and plant [[Kiss|big, wet, juicy one]] right here on Waspinator's big...fat..stripy...}}

At this point, Waspinator was interrupted by getting blown to scrap by Inferno and Quickstrike. Also, note that this is the first (and only) time that he refers to himself as "I". {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

His parts recovered by the protohuman tribe, Waspinator remained on Earth while all the other surviving Transformers set off for Cybertron, and led the tribe, declaring that he was finally...happy. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}

For a bit, at least.
{{--}}

====Fast Action Battlers toyline====

{{note|This fiction takes place shortly after the events of ''[[Possession]]''.}}

Waspinator eventually met up with several [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s from [[Transformers (2007)|another dimension]]. A battle broke out between the Maximals, Predacons, Autobots and Decepticons. The other-dimensional Transformers eventually returned to their place of origin and the Beast Wars continued as they were. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story}}

====''15 Go! Go!''====

[[Image:Atari meets optimus primal.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Even in this series Waspinator gets shot at.]]
The time-traveling [[human]] [[Atari Hitotonari]] and the [[Sparkbot]] [[Star Dust]] witnessed a battle between Waspinator and Optimus Primal. However, the two interlopers could not be seen by either of the warriors. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!}}

====''Tales of the Beast Wars''====
[[Antagony]] threatened to blast Waspinator if Megatron did not back down. Waspinator's warranty had expired, but it didn't matter as Antagony accidently wasted her last shot when she sneezed. Do we even need to guess what happened to Waspinator? {{storylink|Visitations}}

Later, to his credit, Waspinator was the only Predacon aside from Megatron to not be paralyzed in fear at the sight of a [[Unicron]]-possessed [[Windrazor (BW)|Windrazor]]. Of course, Waspinator had just been blown up for the umpteen millionth time. None of the Maximals expressed satisfaction. They always got Waspinator. Always. {{storylink|Herald, Covenant, Schism, Paradox|Paradox}}

{{charstubfiction}}

====Transmetal Toy Bio====
Even though the quantum surge has upgraded Waspinator physically, his personality remains the same. He has however found a renewed drive to eliminate the Maximals, accompanied by enhanced speed.
{{storylink|Waspinator (BW)#Toys|Transmetal Waspinator Bio}}
{{note|The on-package [[Bio|bios]] of the Transmetal sub-line presented a micro-continuity where all of the characters receiving a new toy were transmetalized due to the initial quantum surge, instead of a select few.}}

====IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics====
An alternate timeline's Waspinator was possessed by Starscream's immortal spark after the later's defeat at the hand of the Maximals. This time around, Starscream was able to hold possession of Waspinator until the Quantum Surge hit Prehistoric Earth, and was able to influence Waspinator's transmetalisation so that the Predacon's third mode would ressemble Starscream's own original fighter jet mode. The two of them bicker constantly over control of the shared body, their two distinct voices audible to whoever hears them argue. {{storylink|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}

====''Beast Machines'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor'': [[Scott McNeil]] (English), [[Kensō Katō]] (Japanese), [[Victor Covarrubias]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Vittorio Stagni]] (Italian), [[Thomas Nero Wolff]] (German)

{{main|Thrust (BM)}}
[[Image:Wazzpithrust_TheCatalyst.jpg|right|thumb|180px|''Bug to be wiiii-iii-ild!'']]
Waspinator grew bored of being a god to the Protohumans and started flicking rocks at their heads. The Protohumans he had ruled over grew tired of his presence and evicted him from their settlement by catapulting him from a tree. After this, Waspinator returned to Cybertron, which "took forever."
{{note|It is unclear just ''how'' Waspinator traveled from prehistoric Earth to future Cybertron, presumably under his own power. Perhaps if he somehow managed to reach escape velocity and traveled to Cybertron at sub-light speed, it would have taken long enough that he would have "caught up" to the main timeline. A concrete explanation would have been provided in the [[Primeval Dawn]] comics, with Waspinator (among many other Earth-bound characters) traveling back to Cybertron via transwarp portal. However, the bankruptcy of [[3H Productions|3H]] meant these final issues were never fully written, much less published, and all we really know about [[authorial intent|what they were going to say]] came from messageboard posts from author [[Dan Khanna]]. Since the material was never completed or published, fans [[personal canon|may not necessarily accept them as storyline facts]] and could thus leave the mechanics of Waspinator's return an unsolved mystery.}}

Once home, his spark was removed and used to power the [[Vehicon general]] [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]]. He ''loved'' being a cool biker-bot as he now got respect and was finding [[Blackarachnia (BW)|chicks]] dig the new brooding bad boy schtick!

Influences from his inner spark caused Thrust to save Blackarachnia's life several times, causing her to believe he carried [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]'s spark. {{storylink|Revelations Part I: Discovery}} She later tried to bring his original mind back and discovered, to her disgust, that she'd spent all her effort getting Waspinator back. Poor Waspinator was rather upset to find Blackarachnia no longer wanted to "go steady" with him, and briefly had a punch-up with a revived Silverbolt over her honour. {{storylink|The Catalyst}}

[[Image:Wazzpinator.jpg|left|thumb|180px|Why [[Vector Sigma#Beast_Era|Oracle]] hate Wazzzzpinator?]]

Following Blackarachnia's unambigious rejection of him (''there's'' gratitude for you!), Waspinator remained in the "background" and let Thrust run the show, and nobody ever expressed interest in reformatting Thrust to free Waspinator. In the final battle, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] used an [[Spark extractor|extractor]] to remove Waspinator's spark from the body shell. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. II: When Legends Fall}} After Cybertron's [[technorganic]] reformatting (thanks to Optimus Primal, through the cost of his and Megatron's lives) Waspinator returned in his beast mode with Thrust's head, now the size of a standard wasp. He complained to Rattrap about how much he wanted glory and power and never gets what he wants... at which point Rattrap swatted him away. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}}

{{note|While the suggestions that Thrust was really Silverbolt turned out to be a red herring, his actions raise the question of ''how'' Waspinator's spark could influence Vehicon programming, seemingly due to having a crush, but her true love Silverbolt's ''didn't''. ("[[In Darkest Knight]]" indicate it's because Silverbolt just didn't really want to give up being Jetstorm)}}

====''Universe'' comic====
After the reformatting of Cybertron, Waspinator came under the command of [[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]]. His tiny size and great speed made him an excellent scout and messenger, and he reported to Galvatron that the invading Quintessons had entered a particular canyon that the Predacons had booby-trapped. He seemed very giddy to have a commander who actually found him useful for once. {{storylink|Wreckers: Finale Part II}}

Later, Waspinator was part of a team sent to rescue victims of [[Unicron]] who had been transported to an isolated, icy planetoid. {{storylink|OTFCC 2004 Live-Action Script Reading}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers Legends'' anthology===
The Predacons crashed on Earth in [[Mexico]] around 1,000 BC. Acting on Megatron's orders, Tarantulas and Waspinator enslaved the local [[Natiltec]] tribe, who saw Waspinator as some sort of "wasp-god", and forced them to mine energon. Silverbolt mounted a heroic rescue, struggling with Waspinator as the humans escape. The Natiltec later immortalised the event on a cave wall, which was uncovered some three thousand years later by a team of archaeologists. {{storylink|Fire in the Dark}}
{{-}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals'' video game===
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the second season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
[[Image:N64Waspinators.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Neon]] Camo Waspinator and Transmetal [[Buzz Saw]]! In stores now!]]
[[Image:TMWaspinator-Render.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Full Metal Yellowjacket]]
''Voice Actor:'' [[Scott McNeil]] (English), ??? (Japanese)

[[Transmetal]] Waspinator joins his fellow Predacons in distributing various one-on-one beat downs to the Maximals. Eventually he got fed up, quit, and became god to early humanity. He did this after ''kicking everyone's ass''. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (N64)|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals}}

{{-}}

{{Note|Waspinator is only available for game play in the Nintendo 64 game. His model was also used to represent the hidden character [[:Image:N64Starscream.jpg|Starscream]].}}

{{note|Each character possessed an alternate ending, displayed if the Nintendo 64 game was beaten with said character. Each character has only their own ending listed on their pages, see the other characters' pages for Waspinator's fate in those outcomes.}}

===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle'' video game===
Megatron was capable to summon Waspinator 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===
[[Image:Waspinatorjbwtoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The Japanese version is more [[Playskool]].]]
* '''Waspinator''' (Deluxe, 1996/1997)
** ''Japanese ID number'': '''D-3'''
** ''Accessories'': Launcher, 2 missiles

:Waspinator transforms into a large organic wasp. His stinger separates to become a hand-held spring-loaded missile launcher for his robot mode; the bolts are stored on the underside of his insect-wings. His head is on a vertical column that rotates around a horizontal axle; each end has a different head, one "mutant", one "robot". The "mutant" head was used as the base for his CGI model, and thus the norm for his fictional portrayals. The [[Takara]] version of Waspinator uses slightly brighter, more primary colors than the [[Hasbro]] version.

:This mold was later [[redeco]]ed for a "[[Fox Kids]]" version, as well as [[Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|both the Hasbro and Takara 10th anniversary versions]] of the character.

:This mold was also used to make [[Buzz Saw]] and [[retool]]ed into [[Dirge (BWII)#Mutant|Dirgegun]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Predacon/Waspinator/waspinator.htm More information on Waspinator at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
[[Image:VS3-CheetorWaspinator.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Catbug is a cat but he's got bugness in his veins.]]
* '''Showdown of the Quickest: Cheetus VS Waspeeter''' (VS pack, 1997)
** ''Japanese ID number:'' '''VS-3'''
** ''Accessories:'' Launcher, 2 missiles

:In Japan, Waspinator was available both separately and in a VS pack with [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Dx1|Cheetor]]. Both toys are identical to their original releases.

:Currently, it is unknown if the latter "show-like" version of the two toys were ever released in the VS set.

{{-}}
[[Image:Waspinator-TMtoy.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Contains a tiny bit of Starscream in every mold.]]
* '''Waspinator''' (Deluxe Transmetal, 1998)
** ''Japanese ID number'': '''D-42'''
** ''Accessories'': Stinger-rifle

:Now an almost completely robotic figure, [[Transmetal]] Waspinator transforms into a robotic wasp. He features a [[transportation mode|F-15-like jet mode]], flipping and folding his wings into a fighter-jet configuration as well as flipping a cockpit/nosecone between his insect-head mandibles. Though he appears solid black at first glance, he is actually made of very dark transparent-black/green plastic.

:The Takara version of this toy is almost completely identical, except the "WASPINATOR" [[tampograph]] on his wing was replaced with "DESTRON" and the Predacon sigil.

:This mold was later [[redeco]]ed for a "[[Fox Kids]]" version of the character. It was slated for a ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' [[Waspinator (BW)#Universe_.282003.29|version of Waspinator]], but that set was canceled.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Predacon/Waspinator/waspinator.htm More information on Transmetal Waspinator at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
* '''Hurricane Showdown: Metals Cheetus VS Metals Waspeeter''' (VS pack, 1999)
** ''Japanese ID number'': '''VS-42'''
** ''Accessories'': Stinger-rifle

:In Japan, Transmetal Waspinator was available both individually and in a two-pack with [[Cheetor (BW)#TM1|Transmetal Cheetor]]. The two-pack version was unchanged from the normal individually-packaged one.

{{-}}
[[Image:Waspinator-FKtoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Do be a blue bee.]]
* '''Waspinator''' (Deluxe, 1999)
** ''Accessories'': Launcher, 2 missiles

:This toy is a [[redeco]] of the first Waspinator toy. A "[[Fox Kids|FoxKids!]]" sticker on the packaging promoted the cartoon, which was playing on Fox at the time. Like most of the other Fox Kids redecoes, his color scheme was altered significantly, consisting primarily of slate blue and green-gold plastic, with dark blue (barely) translucent parts.

:Hasbro solicitations for this toy gave it the name "Power Flight Waspinator", but this name never made it to final packaging.

:This toy's deco was later used to create the non-toy character [[Buzzbomb]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1999/Predacon/FKWaspinator/fkwaspinator.htm More information on Fox Kids Waspinator at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
[[Image:BW_FoxKidsTransmetal_Waspinator_toy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Why FoxKidzzzz hate Waspinator?]]
* '''Waspinator''' (Deluxe Transmetal, 2000)
** ''Accessories'': Stinger-rifle

:This toy is a [[redeco]] of the Transmetal Waspinator toy. A "Fox Kids!" sticker on the packaging promoted the cartoon, which was playing on Fox at the time. The toy's new deco bears more than a passing resemblance to [[Buzz Saw]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2000/Predacon/FKTMWaspinator/waspinator.htm More information on Fox Kids Transmetal Waspinator at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Universe (2003)===
[[Image:Waspinator_unreleased.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Wazzpinator... purple?]]

For a brief time, [[Hasbro]]'s official website checklist featured listings for two "Halloween [[Horrorcon (Universe)|Horrorcon]] Value Packs" that were to be Wal-Mart [[Exclusive|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 (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' era.)

In 2004, several test-shots appeared on eBay in a group, among them the Transmetal Waspinator toy with opaque-salmon wings and lavender insect legs. This, presumably, was to have been the ''Universe'' incarnation of Waspinator, as the other toys in the group line up with the names given for the two Halloween sets. He was to come in a "Vs." two-pack with the presumably-[[Autobot]] character [[Nightprowler]].
::*''[http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d75/binalternator/unreleased/nightprowler_vs_waspinator/ Gallery of Nightprowler vs. Waspinator test-shots]''
{{canceledtoy}}

{{-}}

===Beast Wars 10th Anniversary===
[[Image:Waspinatortenthtoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Finally Waspinator come with pieces that aren't Waspinator's!]]
* '''Waspinator''' (Deluxe, 2006)
** ''Accessories:'' Launcher, 2 missiles, Transmutate's head

:This toy is a slight [[redeco]] of the first Waspinator toy to make it closer to Waspinator's cartoon appearance, replacing the gray with green and adding extra gold [[Paint operation|paint applications]]. He came with the head to [[Transmutate (character)|Transmutate]] plus a DVD with the episode "[[Possession]]".
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Predacon/Waspinator/waspinator.htm More information on 10th Anniversary Waspinator at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
===Timelines===
[[Image:Waspinator-BC06toy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|This works surprisingly well on many levels.]]
* '''Darksyde Megatron and Darksyde Waspinator''' (Bagged set, 2006)
** ''Accessories'': 2-part rifle

:Available [[Exclusive|exclusively]] at the [[BotCon 2006]] event itself, this two-pack represents Waspinator and Megatron before the events of the ''Beast Wars'' show. "Darksyde Waspinator" is a Basic-sized figure, originally used for ''[[Machine Wars]]'' [[Skywarp (G1)#MW|Skywarp]] and [[Thundercracker (G1)#MW|Thundercracker]], which autotransforms to robot mode from a [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes#Dassault_Rafale|Dassault Rafale fighter jet]]. (One can surmise, however, that it is meant to represent a Cybertronic design in this case.) His rifle splits into two pieces, which store in the backs of his lower legs.

:This mold was also used to make ''[[Beast Wars II (toyline)|Beast Wars II]]'' [[Dirge (BWII)|Dirge]], ''[[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Skyfire (RID)|Skyfire]], and ''[[Robot Masters (franchise)|Robot Masters]]'' [[Wingstun]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Predacon/BCWaspinator/waspinator.htm More information on Darksyde Waspinator at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
===Beast Wars Telemocha Series===
[[Image:Waspinatortelemocha.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Otherwise known as Dr. Wasp Itor.]]
* '''Waspeeter''' (Deluxe, 2007)
** ''Japanese ID number'': '''TM-04'''
** ''Accessories'': Launcher, 2 missiles

:This toy is a ridiculously-extensively-painted redeco of the first Waspinator toy to make it almost completely [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] to Waspinator's cartoon appearance (forgiving mold issues and [[unpaintable plastic]], of course). Due to a manufacturing error, Waspinator's crotch piece is backwards.

:He came with a DVD of the episode "The Aerial Mountains Explode", the Japanese dub of "[[Power Surge]]".
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Predacon/Waspinator/waspinator.htm More information on Telemocha Series Waspinator at TFU.info (scroll down)]''

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
* '''Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game''' (1997)
:Waspinator was one of the 24 beast warriors to receive a battle card representation for the Beast Wars [[Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game|card game]].

[[Image:Robotheroesrhinoxwaspinator.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Do we ''want'' to know what that is gushing out of his butt?]]
===Robot Heroes===
* '''Rhinox vs Waspinator''' (2008)
:Waspinator was released in the second wave of [[Universe (2008 franchise)|''Universe'']] ''[[Robot Heroes]]'' packed with [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] as part of the "Beast Wars Series". An amalgam of toy and television show depictions, Waspinator has articulation at the neck and shoulders. He suspends himself in the air on a strong stream of fluid launching from his butt. (Okay, it's probably supposed to be a compressed air jet or something, but look at it. Eyuw.)
{{--}}

==Notes==
* Ironically, in the [[Micro-continuity|original toyline's continuity]] (which was created before the animated series), Waspinator was profiled as a cruel, cunning, highly skilled warrior who was greatly feared by the Maximals.
* Ever wonder ''why'' Waspinator became the whipping boy of ''Beast Wars''? Early in the series, his buzzing, drawling method of speaking frustrated story editors [[Larry DiTillio]] and [[Bob Forward]], as they found it was taking up too much time out of the episodes. To get around this, but still meet with the requirement that he appear regularly, they took to blasting him to bits so that he wouldn't ''have'' to talk! Of course, this only wound up endearing him to the writers and the fans, and his frequent brushes with destruction became a running gag done for fun, rather than a script requirement. <ref>[http://www.infinitefrontiers.0catch.com/AutoAssembly/BobForward.htm Auto Assembly interview with Bob Forward]</ref>
* Waspinator uses neither of his original toy's heads but rather a made-up one borrowing a few elements from his toy's mutant head while still being very different.
* Waspinator was originally chosen by [[Hasbro]] to be one of the characters killed off for the second season of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon to help make way for new characters ([[To sell toys|read: product]]). However, Forward and DiTillio convinced them to spare Waspinator on the grounds of his popularity with the online fan-base, so [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] took the plunge instead.
* Waspinator was originally slated to appear in the very first [[Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)|''Beast Wars'' video game]], and even had a character model built. However, he was ultimately unused and only appeared in footage taken from the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon.
* Waspinator appears to be the inspiration for [[Buzzer-Bot]] from the ''[[Go-Bots (toyline)|Playskool Go-Bots]]'' line, as well as the obvious [[Wasp]] character from ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]''.
* Waspinator's original toy contains a high number of [[Ball joint|ball]] and [[Swivel joint|swivel joints]], which more than easily separate. Makes him a little more [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]], after all.
* When Waspinator is hit from behind by a stasis pod ship made by Blackarachnia, a toilet is seen falling from Waspinator's smashed body. Now Waspinator need new waste disposal unit!
* According to Waspinator's profile in ''[[Beast Wars Universe]]'', he likes flying and nectar.
[[Image:Waspinatortongue.png|thumb|200px|right|Waspinator's special tongue, there is no other like it!]]
* Waspinator has a yellow [[tongue]] in robot mode.
* While Waspinator ''usually'' refers to other characters by nicknames, he is fairly consistent about calling Megatron and Optimus Primal by their real names. ([[Nemesis Part 1#Quotes|Fairly.]]) He also refers to Inferno by name at least twice, and Tarantulas at least once.
* Waspinator is the only member of the Beast Wars [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] lineup who was there from the beginning and remains alive and unchanged for the entire course of the show.
* Waspinator never once makes a proper landing while in his beast form. However, there are plenty of instances for which he makes ''improper'' landings while in beast form, usually when he's being blasted out of the sky.
* Technically, Waspinator's beast mode is that of a female wasp, given that males do not possess a stinger. He would probably find this objectionable, along with everything else in his life.
* Somebody give this guy a hug.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Machines Predacons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Predacons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Convention exclusives]]
[[Category:Pilots]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Toys "R" Us exclusives]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]
[[Category:Universe Predacons]]

Terrorsaur (BW)

2010-12-28T18:03:47Z

201.120.10.163: /* Beast Wars cartoon */

{{factions|predacon}}

{{disambig3|Terrorsaur}}
:''Terrorsaur is a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] from the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[Image:Terrorsaur-jp.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Smugly Starscreamish]]
Power-hungry and opportunistic, but lacking in the courage department, '''Terrorsaur''' never misses a chance to improve his standing within the Predacons. From cutting deals with [[Maximal|Maximals]] to finding and keeping new power sources for himself, Terrorsaur is always thinking two steps ahead. Unfortunately, the big guns of the Beast Wars are usually thinking at least ''four'' steps ahead, and Terrorsaur always ends up on the short end.

As the only fliers in the Predacon platoon, Terrorsaur and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] are permanent partners. The two seem to get on, working as a somewhat formidable team and sometimes having banter about their mission.

:''Japanese name:'' '''Terrorsaurer''' (テラザウラー ''Terazaurā'')
:''French-Canadian name:'' '''Dinomenace'''
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Yì-lúng''' (翼龍, "Pterosaur")
:''Chinese name (China):'' '''She Niao''' (蛇鸟, "Snake-Bird")
:''Italian name:'' '''Metal Terrorsaur''' (Transmetal)
:''Spanish name:'' '''Terrorsaurio'''
:''Portuguese name:'' '''Terrorssauro'''

==Fiction==
===First wave toy bios===
Megatron personally supervised Terrorsaur's genetically engineered creation, resulting in a stealth fighter who remains hidden until the opportunity to strike arises! Terrorsaur is nothing short of absolutely terrifying, having been compared to a demonic dragon. On top of it all, he is an absolute glutton, devouring entire flocks of birds by simply flying mouth-opened through their flight formations. {{storylink|#Toys|Terrorsaur 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===
====''Timelines''====
[[Image:Terrorsaurbwdawn.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Don't let him name your stolen ship.]]
While the Predacon [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] stole the [[Maximal]] relic, the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], the Predacon who would later call himself Terrorsaur, along with [[Waspinator (BW)|the future Waspinator]] and [[Buzzbomb]], secured a getaway ship. They were meant to be working for [[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]]—however, Megatron had his own agenda that "Terrorsaur" was in on and Buzzbomb wasn't. True to form, "Terrorsaur" shot Buzzbomb in the back. {{storylink|Theft of the Golden Disk}}

"Terrorsaur" and "Waspinator" stole the Predacon gang's ship. The two had a contest to decide who would get to name the ship, and "Terrorsaur" won. He settled on ''[[Darksyde]]'', though Megatron agreed that the loser's suggested name, ''Buzzerbot'', would have been more desirable.

Picking up the rest of their group, with the Golden Disk in tow, they left [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s orbit. After a space battle with the [[Axalon (BW)|''Axalon'']], the ''[[Chromia 10]]'', and an unidentified Predacon ship, both the ''Axalon'' and the ''Darksyde'' entered a [[transwarp]] portal to an undisclosed time and place. {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past}}
{{-}}
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Doug Parker]] (English), [[Nobuo Tobita]] (Japanese), [[Marcos Henrique Melo Hailer]] (Portuguese), [[Oliviero Corbetta]] (Italian), [[Holger Potzern]] (German), [[Héctor Lee]] (Latin American Spanish, 1st voice), [[Herman López]] (Latin American Spanish, 2nd voice), [[Luis Gaspar]] (Castilian Spanish)

[[Image:BeastWars2 Megatron strikes Terrorsaur.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"And I'll tell you ''another'' thing about Megatr... he's standing behind me, isn't he."]]
Terrorsaur was one of the original members of Megatron's crew. After the ''Darksyde'' crashed on a [[Earth|mysterious planet]], he picked a Pteranodon for his beast mode, and the Predacons began searching for the [[Maximal]]s. Terrorsaur took part in the first battle, until the Maximals retreated and the Predacons started suffering from Energon buildup. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} The Predacons followed the Maximals to their base and attacked [[Optimus Primal]] and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] as the two battled on a natural rock bridge. When the attack failed to eliminate any Maximals, Megatron thumped Terrorsaur out of frustration. The uncovering of a large cache of Energon gave the Predacons a new mission, and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and Terrorsaur attempted to slow the Maximals down so that the Predacons could get there first. They were seen off by one of Primal's missiles, but rejoined the other Predacons and took part in the battle atop the mountain of energon. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}}

[[Image:Terrorsaurseated.jpg|left|250px|thumb|I don't think they had pteranodons in mind when they built this thing, Chewie.]]
Much later, Terrorsaur and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] were assigned to install a mega-cannon as part of the defences for the Predacon base. {{storylink|The Web}} When an energon accident caused [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] to be teleported into the Predacon base, Terrorsaur gave him a warm welcome. Cheetor managed to throw him through the teleport to the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', where he attempted to talk Dinobot into teaming up with him to defeat both sides. Dinobot went along with him long enough to get information, and then stuffed him into a waste disposal unit. Terrorsaur returned to the Predacon base, where he and Megatron cornered Cheetor, only to discover that the Maximals had sent a bomb through the teleport. Once Cheetor detached the bomb from the console, Terrorsaur flew it into the sky and was blown up for his troubles. {{storylink|Equal Measures}}

During a battle at the [[Standing Stones]], Terrorsaur blew up the pile of energon in the center, earning Megatron's ire at the loss. Whatever punishment he got wasn't enough to prevent him from taking part in a subsequent attack on the ''Axalon''. He was able to bring the ship's shields down, but [[Rattrap]] managed to raise the shields again, as well as blasting Terrorsaur out of the air. He was still able to attempt to stop the Maximals retrieving Primal from an [[Vok probe|alien probe]], but the Maximals ultimately succeeded, and the Maximal leader chased off the Predacons. {{storylink|Chain of Command}}

[[Image:Power Surge Terrorsaur pointing.jpg|right|220px|thumb|[[Burning Justice|BURNING INJUSTICE!]]]]
Terrorsaur's shining moment came when he discovered a [[flying mountain]] with a huge source of powerful energon at the top. Powered-up, he immediately returned to the ''Darksyde'' and defeated Megatron, declaring himself the new leader of the Predacons. Having exhausted his charge, Terrorsaur left [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] in charge and went to refuel at the mountain. (None of the other Predacons paid attention to any of the commands Terrorsaur had made) Unfortunately for him, Optimus Primal and Rattrap had already found the mountain. While he was able to defeat Primal, Rattrap had set up charges, and Terrorsaur was forced to flee. When he returned to the Predacon base, he discovered that Megatron had been repaired in his absence and was very, very angry. {{storylink|Power Surge}}

[[Image:TerrorsaurcagedRT.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Ever the humble usurper leader, Terrorsaur granted his new lieutenant with his very own cage.]]
When a Maximal [[stasis pod]] crashed, Waspinator and Terrorsaur ambushed Optimus Primal outside the Maximal base, taking the Maximals' only flier out of the game. After reporting back to Megatron, the pair were dispatched to reach the pod first and ensure the [[protoform]] inside became another Predacon. On the way, Terrorsaur and Waspinator encountered the Maximals, going by ground, and delayed them by knocking out an ice bridge. The two Predacons reached the pod first, but a transmission sent by Primal and Dinobot had already activated the protoform, and they were attacked by [[Tigatron]]. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}} Sent out to eliminate Rattrap, Terrorsaur instead teamed up with the Maximal and again overthrew Megatron. After having Rattrap and Megatron both locked up, Terrorsaur found himself at a loss when the Maximals attacked and the other Predacons looked to him for leadership. Megatron, having freed himself, deferred leadership until it was made plain that Terrorsaur was incompetent as leader. {{storylink|Double Jeopardy}}

Terrorsaur was subsequently assigned with Waspinator and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] to dig under the Maximal base so that they could use a [[sonic emitter]] to break in. Unfortunately, Waspinator alerted the Maximals to their presence, and while the trio were arguing over when to set the device off, Tigatron stole it. As they attempted to get it back, Tigatron triggered the emitter, and the three Predacons fled before it went off. {{storylink|A Better Mousetrap}} After Scorponok's [[Cyberbee]] turned Primal into a berserker and he invaded the ''Darksyde'', Terrorsaur and Blackarachnia attempted to keep the other Maximals out of the Predacon base. There were unable to stop Cheetor from slipping inside to rescue Optimus. {{storylink|Gorilla Warfare}}

[[Image:Victory Terrorsaur guns out.jpg|right|250px|thumb|HAW HAW H-]]
When Scorponok spotted the Maximals building a communications array, he passed footage of the device to Terrorsaur, who flew it back to Megatron. The Predacons quickly discovered the tower was meant to communicate with a Maximal [[temporal probe]] which was passing through the system. Terrorsaur successfully distracted the Maximals at the array long enough for the other Predacons to sneak up from the other direction. {{storylink|The Probe}} Terrorsaur took part in a mock rebellion after the Predacons discovered they'd been bugged. After making the Maximals believe they'd been destroyed, the Predacons hid until the ''Axalon'' was made operational, intending to take the ship themselves. When their hiding place was discovered by Dinobot, Terrorsaur and Waspinator were the first to pursue their former comrade, only to be squashed by a large rock. Terrorsaur still recovered in time to rejoin the fight outside the ''Axalon'', managing to shoot down a distracted Optimus Primal before Cheetor blasted him out of the sky. {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}}

After [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] was turned into a Predacon by Megatron's [[Transmuter (BW)|Transmuter]], Terrorsaur realised that Rhinox was actually working to undermine Megatron's leadership. Terrorsaur suggested teaming up to overthrow the Predacon commander, but was somewhat roughly turned down. Once Megatron discovered Rhinox's deception, the former Maximal was able to reveal Terrorsaur's duplicity, and an outraged Scorponok attacked Terrorsaur, until the both of them were pounded by Rhinox. After the whole sorry affair was over, Terrorsaur attempted to explain to his less-than-receptive leader. {{storylink|Dark Designs (episode)|Dark Designs}}

[[Image:TheSpark Terrorsaur's head.jpg|left|thumb|200px|....awwww. :(]]
Terrorsaur helped out Dinobot one time, when Dinobot was complaining of being bored. Terrorsaur lured him into a cave and trapped him there, so that Megatron could put into effect a plan involving a [[Clone One|clone of Dinobot]]. {{storylink|Double Dinobot}} After another stasis pod crashed, Terrorsaur and Waspinator arrived to face Cheetor. Although Waspinator was quickly defeated, Terrorsaur blasted Cheetor and proceeded to the pod, only to encounter the newly awakened [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], who blasted him to pieces. {{storylink|The Spark}}

[[Image:CalloftheWild Terrorsaur shot up.jpg|right|thumb|200px|I'm sensing...]]
Waspinator and Terrorsaur attacked Tigatron while the Maximal was trying to radio base. The pair pursued Tigatron into a cloud, only to be blasted by some sort of [[Brigadoon|flying island]], and subsequently reported back to Megatron. {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 1}} After repairs were made, the two fliers started back for the island, only to tangle with Rattrap and Optimus Primal. Terrorsaur found himself acting as Rattrap's transport, temporarily at least. He and Waspinator later attempted to catch up with Blackarachnia on the island, but she tricked them into firing, so that the island's defences took them out. {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 2}}

During a Predacon attack on the ''Axalon'', Terrorsaur and Waspinator stole the [[rectifier coil]] from the Maximal base. When remaining in their beast modes drove the sleep deprived Maximals to be overcome by their beast instincts, the Predacons hunted them through the jungle, at least until the Maximals were able to regain control and fight back. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} After some of the Maximals were blinded by an energon explosion, Terrorsaur and Waspinator were dispatched to try to finish them off. Unfortunately, even blinded, the Maximals were able to fight them off. {{storylink|Dark Voyage}}

After Waspinator was possessed by the [[spark]] of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], the Predacons attacked the ''Axalon''. Terrorsaur attempted to stop Primal escaping, only to get a face full of monkey fist. When Starscream was subsequently given command of the Maximal ship, Terrorsaur complained about the Decepticon getting promoted, but was swiftly silenced by Megatron. {{storylink|Possession}} Later, Terrorsaur was among the Predacons blasted into a tree by Rhinox's almighty fart. {{storylink|The Low Road}} On another mission, Terrorsaur was given leadership of Waspinator and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]]. Partway through the battle, Terrorsaur realised that Waspinator wasn't doing anything—as it turned out, he was still awaiting Terrorsaur's signal to attack. Later, the trio successfully defeated Dinobot, but their victory was short-lived, as Optimus turned up and blew Terrorsaur and Waspinator away. {{storylink|Law of the Jungle}}

[[Image:Before the Storm Terrorsaur.jpg|left|thumb|240px|...a trend here.]]
During a rare truce between the two sides, Terrorsaur found Tigatron snooping around the Predacon base and sounded the alarm. He and Scorponok collided while trying to prevent the Maximal's escape and were sent out to try to get Tigatron back. The Maximals employed "non-violent" means to aid in Tigatron's escape, and Terrorsaur found himself running into a piece of bulkhead. He then attempted to charge Rattrap, only to be sat on by Rhinox. He returned to base by stretcher. {{storylink|Before the Storm}}

[[Image:BW Scorponok Terrorsaur deaths.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Terrorsaur, Scorponok, we're condemning you to a fiery death cause Waspinator has a bigger fan club.]]
Terrorsaur was one of the Predacons who turned up at the alien bungalow. He was blasted by Rattrap and left lying over a rock as the construct blasted a signal into space, exposing one of the moons as a [[Planet Buster]] weapon. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 1}} A short time later, he was back at the Predacon base, able to monitor the escalating situation. Megatron's admiration for the aliens surprised him, and he pointed out loudly that the aliens were trying to kill them. As it turned out, Megatron had matters in hand, and the alien weapon was soon destroyed. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}} The weapon's explosion sent out a [[quantum surge]], which began mutating the forms of some of the [[Transformer]]s. Both Terrorsaur and Scorponok lost control of their hover platforms, colliding with each other and plunging into the lava below. No one seemed to notice or care. {{storylink|Aftermath}}
{{-}}

====Transmetals toy bio====
Not only did the quantum surge resulting from the [[Planet Buster]]'s destruction enhance Terrosaur physically, but it has also pushed his destructive tendencies to new heights. Not only has his rage towards the Maximals intensified to an alarming degree, but his greater resilience has filled with new found courage... giving him a new battle strategy of crashing into things at high speeds, kamikaze style. To top it all off, he now possesses a pyromania that he satisfies by igniting the terrain as he flies above it. {{storylink|#Toys|Transmetal Terrorsaur Bio}}
{{note|The on-package [[Bio|bios]] of the Transmetal sub-line presented a micro-continuity where all of the characters receiving a new toy were transmetalized due to the initial quantum surge, instead of a select few.}}
{{-}}

====''Universe'' comics====
[[Image:TFUjailbreak.jpg|left|300px|thumb|You all fight Razorclaw, I'll go make sure the escape routes are... clear. Yes.]]

Terrorsaur (or an alternate-universe incarnation of him) was one of the many Cybertronians kidnapped from his timestream by agents of [[Unicron]] and held in the [[Cauldron]]. Terrorsaur escaped and (presumably) returned to his timestream thanks to the efforts of [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]. He appeared in his original Earth body. {{storylink|Escape (issue)|Escape}}
{{-}}

===''Beast Wars Metals'' comic===
[[Image:MetalsTerrorsaurMangaDeath0.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Even when he lives, he dies.]]

Having survived the quantum surge, Terrorsaur was upgraded into a [[Transmetal]]. However, these days were short-lived. After recovering the mindless body of Optimus Primal, Megatron attempted to turn it into a Predacon slave. Rhinox was able to return Primal's spark to its body just in the nick of time. Now a Transmetal himself, Optimus Primal proceeded to go on a rampage, taking out all of Megatron's drone forces and slicing Terrorsaur in half with his mace. Terrorsaur showed woeful disappointment in this turn of events as he died. {{storylink|Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!}}

===IDW Beast Wars continuity===
Terrorsaur survived the quantum surge, along with [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and eventually became a Transmetal, though it was after a period of stasis lock. {{storylink|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}
{{-}}

==Games==
===''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game===
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the first season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
{{Note|Terrorsaur is a playable character in the Predacon mode of this game for rescue missions only.}}
Terrorsaur was absent from the main conflict with both Maximals and the Skriix, instead flying rescue missions, using his flight capabilities to rescue captured Predacons from the Maximals' prison ships. {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)|Beast Wars: Transformers}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers Beast Wars: Transmetals'' video game===
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the second season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}[[Image:N64_Terrorsaur.jpg|frame|right|[[JaAm|And I'll transform into some weird deformed THING! HA!]]]]
{{note|Terrorsaur is only accessible for game play in the Nintendo 64 version of this game.}}
:''Voice actor:'' [[Doug Parker]] (English), ??? (Japanese)

At the end of a decisive battle, Terrorsaur stood the victor, having defeated all of the other beast warriors. As a result, Terrorsaur took command of the Predacon forces, dethroning Megatron. Under his leadership, the Maximals were beaten into submission, and the Predacons took control over them. Unfortunately, Terrorsaur loved being in command too much... so much so that he forgot to devise a plan to escape prehistoric Earth. Then the ice age came around, and froze the entirety of the Predacon forces. Terrorsaur thus has the next hundred thousand years to contemplate his fate, as he remains encased in an icy prison. {{storylink|Transformers Beast Wars: Transmetals}}
{{note|Each character possessed an alternate ending, displayed if the N64 version of the game was beaten with said character. Each character has only their own ending listed on their pages, see the other characters' pages for Terrosaur's fate in those outcomes.}}
{{-}}

===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle'' video game===
Megatron was capable to summon Terrorsaur 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===
[[Image:BWtoy-Terrorsaurbasic.jpg|right|300px|thumb|You ignore my god-damn throat-legs.]]
*'''Terrorsaur''' (Basic, 1996)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''D-5'''
**''Accessories'': Pistol

: Part of the first wave of ''Beast Wars'' toys, Terrorsaur transforms from an organic ''Pteranodon'' to robot mode with a spring-loaded one-step transformation. A small gun stores in his robot mode back which can be removed, unfolded, and pegged into his robot mode fist. In Japan, there are two different versions of this toy: one nearly identical to the [[Hasbro]] version, another with a more show-like coloration, lacking the green spots and purple paint, adding yellow to its beak, lightening the black plastic to gray, and changing the light red to a darker red.

: This mold was later used for [[Fractyl]], [[Hydra (BWN)|Hydra]], [[Lazorbeak]] and [[Dinobots (toyline)|Dinobots]] [[Terranotron (Dinobots)|Terranotron]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Predacon/Terrorsaur/terrorsaur.htm More information on Terrorsaur at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Transmetal}}
[[Image:BW-toy_TerrorsaurTM.jpg|right|thumb|300px|]]
*'''Terrorsaur''' (Deluxe Transmetal, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''D-43'''
**''Accessories'': Left & right wing-blades

: Transmetal Terrorsaur transforms into a robotic ''Pteranodon''. It has a third "vehicle" mode; reconfiguring its wings and revealing VTOL fans, plus its tail section splits open to reveal twin thruster engines. In robot mode, its wing-tips detach to form blade weapons. In Japan, this mold featured green vacuum-metalized paint rather than yellow, added silver detail added to his face, and had the words Destron replace his tampo-graphed name.

: This mold was later [[redeco]]ed and slightly [[retool]]ed to make ''[[Beast Machines (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'' [[Terranotron (BM)|Terranotron]], and then redecoed and retooled ''differently'' to make ''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' [[Terrorsaur (Armada)|Terrorsaur]]. The mold was also the base model for the non-toy characters of ''Wreckers'' [[Fractyl]] and ''Armada'' [[Ravenus]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Predacon/Terrorsaur/terrorsaur.htm More information on Transmetal Terrorsaur at TFU.info]''

==Merchandise==
* '''Terrorsaurer''' (candy toy kit, 1997)
:A [[Kabaya]] "[[candy toy]]" version of Terrorsaur was made available in Japan. Since he was [[Gang-molding|gang molded]] with the other three toys in the assortment, this unpainted plastic kit was mainly peach and yellow.

* '''Beast Wars magnet set''' (1997)
:An adorable "super-deformed" magnet of Terrorsaur was made as part of a set of show-cast Beast Wars magnets in Japan.

* '''Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game''' (1997)
:Terrorsaur was one of the 24 beast warriors to receive a battle card representation for the Beast Wars [[Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game|card game]].
{{-}}

==Notes==
* Similarly to [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], his fellow Predacon flyer, the toyline profile for Terrorsaur made him out to be a formidable and vicious fighter- almost animalistic in his savagery. His [[transmetal]] profile adds pyromania to the list.

* Terrorsaur apparently knows how to disarm a bomb (if he has enough time), since in "[[Equal Measures]]" Megatron orders him to disarm the Maximal bomb that was sent into the Predacon base.

* As Terrorsaur was dying in lava, his hand was briefly seen glowing, indicating that Terrorsaur was going through [[Transmetal|transmetalization]]. This was probably included as a "Trap Door" so the writers could resurrect Terrorsaur or Scorponok if they needed them later.

*Terrorsaur's hand sinking into the lava is similar to the scene at the end of ''[[Wikipedia:Terminator 2: Judgment Day|Terminator 2: Judgment Day]]'', when the Terminator sank into the molten steel.

* Terrorsaur's CGI model in "Theft of the Golden Disk" is based on [[Skyblast (Energon)|''Energon'' Skyblast]] with a new head design. However, his CGI model is slightly different from his appearance in "Dawn of Future's Past".

*Terrorsaur is the first known contributor to the plight of the Bald Eagle, by eating one.

*[http://www18.tok2.com/home/jackhama/transformers/bwtcard_1/img/017.jpg A Japanese trading card] renders this character's Japanese name as "Terrorsaur". This, of course, skips over the fact that the Katakana indicates the last vowel sound to be an extended "a" sound.

[[Category:Beast Wars Predacons]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Universe Predacons]]

Megatron (BW)

2010-12-28T17:48:42Z

201.120.10.163: /* Beast Wars cartoon */

{{factions|predacon|vehicon|decepticon}}

{{disambig3|Megatron}}{{suite}}
:''Megatron is a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]], a [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]], and a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Beast Era]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]]. He's also briefly known as [[Noble|Savage and Noble]] and, um, "[[Bee in the City|Joe]]". He's a busy villain, yesss.''

[[Image:MegatronBWsourcebook.jpg|right|300px|thumb|That's the problem with heroes, really. Their only purpose in life is to thwart others. They make no plans, develop no strategies. They react instead of act. Without villains, heroes would stagnate. Without heroes, villains would be running the world. Heroes have morals. Villains have work ethic.]]
'''Megatron''' began with one goal: restoring glory and power to the Predacon race, with himself at the helm. What distinguishes Megatron from the countless others who share this goal is his chutzpah. This is a guy who [[Megatron (myth)|named himself after his faith's equivalent ''of the Antichrist'']]. He is willing to risk ''everything''—time, space, himself—if need be. He's willing to commit omnicide if it will further his goals. And there were times he would have won were it not for [[Optimus Primal]].

Megatron is skillful at orchestrating vast schemes by manipulating others into doing them for him—an idle suggestion here, a conspicuously-planted object of interest there. He knows his enemies, and these include [[Tarantulas|some]] [[Blackarachnia (BW)|minions]], inside and out and exactly how to provoke them. He has no friends, only pawns, or occasionally, [[Inferno (BW)|pawns that are too reliable to risk losing]]. Because of this attitude, this superiority complex, he despises working with the very troops he needs to carry out his plans. His hubris does not make him very popular, and so he must rely on power and fear to rule them. In fact, he prefers [[Vehicon (BM)|mindless drones]].

Megatron is a gambler and can sometimes be a ham. (His manner of saying "Yesss..." is practically vaudevillian.) He has a twisted sense of humor and an over-developed sense of drama which rule everything he conceives, both long and short term. When he destroys you, he wants you to know that it was he who did this, and just how badly you were had. This is his greatest weakness. Like a Bond villain, he'll gladly boast to the hero at length about how smart and clever he was, giving his victim time to formulate a counterattack (he admits the Predacons sometimes gloat too much). He often sabotages himself by neglecting the quick and easy solutions for the bigger, meaner, and more complex.

Prior to the signing of the [[Pax Cybertronia]], Megatron was a field commander in the Predacon army, where he learned much about strategy and tactics. Upon ratification of peace with the [[Maximal Imperium]] most Predacons laid down their arms. Megatron refused and went rogue.

{{quote|The universe cowered once at the name of Megatron and it shall do so again!|—Megatron, "[[Optimal Situation]]"}}

:''Japanese name:'' '''Megaligator''' (alligator)<ref>This particular [[romanization]] was used on a Japanese ''Beast Wars'' [http://www18.tok2.com/home/jackhama/transformers/bwtcard_1/img/024.jpg trading card]. As the card otherwise spelled "alligator" correctly in English, it is assumed the single "L" in "Megaligator" was intentional.</ref>
:''European-market name:'' '''Metal T-Rex''' (Transmetal), '''Dragone''' (Transmetal 2)
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Kǔng-lúng Wáng''' (恐龍王, "King Dinosaur")
:''Chinese name (China):'' '''Bawang Lung''' (霸王龍, "Tyrannosaur")

==Fiction==
{{note|There are many ''Beast Wars'' continuities, but most use the ''Beast Wars'' and ''Beast Machines'' cartoons as a basis.}}

===Toy bios===
[[Image:PrimavsMegs_toycomic.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Look out Batman, it's Killer Croc!]]

Megatron believes that the Predacon way of life is to prosper or perish, and that the Maximals must be wiped out if the Predacons are to prosper. As for Optimus Primal, he plans to ''eat'' him! {{storylink|Megatron (BW)/toys#Beast Wars|Megatron bio (basic alligator mold)}}
The Maximal's "[[bio-genetic morphing process]]" allowed them to fuse organic musculature and Transformers technology... so Megatron and his Predacons did the same thing, with the DNA of Earth's most vicious predators! When the Maximals tried to destroy the Predacons' lab, Megatron was waiting in his ferocious alligator form. Mistaken for a harmless Earth creature, he was able to get to the drop on Optimus Primal and summoned in his soldiers [[Tarantulas]] and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]].

[[Image:Optimusprimalvsmegatronmegandlab.jpg|left|thumb|[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_Hn0yM00Fo I drive a Chevrolet movie theatre.]]]
The battle was still lost, leading to Megatron destroying the lab so his enemies couldn't get its secrets. He then fled, vowing to return with new forms and new plans when the Maximals least expected it. {{storylink|Optimus Primal vs Megatron!}}

Megatron eventually succeeded in obtaining Tyrannosaurus Rex DNA, stolen from human research labs, and subsequently used it to re-engineer his body into a powerful new form. Amongst his artillery he boasts "poisonous paralyzer fluids blasts" that eminates from his beast mode's mouth, while his tail is configured into a "powerful pincher claw" capable of slicing an enemy in half. {{storylink|Megatron (BW)/toys#Beast Wars|Megatron bio (ultra T-rex mold)}}

{{note|This comic, along with the on-package [[bio]]s 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 II'' catalog====
{{note|This fiction takes place before "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]".}}

[[Image:MegatronGalvatronBW1.jpg|200px|thumb|Pwned.]]
On planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Megatron once disagreed with [[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]] over opinions on galactic conquest, and engaged him in battle over it. At the time, Megatron momentarily let his guard down, and was defeated. Galvatron declared "Your era is over, Megatron!"

Later, Megatron noted that while Galvatron was ambitious, he cared for his underlings—and although he was loathe to admit it, he acknowledged that Galvatron probably had all the regal bearing of a new [[Emperor of Destruction]]. {{storylink|Catalog#Beast Wars II|The next stage of battle advances to the Second War... ...Beast Wars, Transform!}}
{{-}}

====Timelines====
=====Theft of the Golden Disk=====
:''Voice actor:'' [[David Kaye]] (English)

{{note|This fiction takes place before "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]".}}

[[Image:Megatronbwtheft.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Megatron steals sacred Maximal cup coaster.]]

Megatron was the star pupil of the crimelord [[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]], and successfully carried out his plan to steal the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]]. Cryotek loved him like a son—which didn't stop him setting up Megatron to take the fall for the crime, knowing he'd betray him some day anyway. Unfortunately for Cryotek, "some day" was today—Megatron had everyone on the mission who wasn't loyal to him killed, had the data for the location of the Disk secretly decoded by [[Tarantulas]], and then kept it for himself while directing the Maximals to his tutor. This was the first known time that Megatron would co-opt the plan of someone who thought they were the ones being manipulative and backstabbing, but [[Other Voices, Part 2|wouldn't]] [[The Agenda (Part 2)|be]] [[The Agenda (Part III)|the]] [[Nemesis Part 1|last]]. {{storylink|Theft of the Golden Disk}}
{{-}}

=====Dawn of Future's Past=====
{{note|This fiction takes place before "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]".}}

[[Image:Megatronbwsuit.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Megatron's technicolor dreamcoat.]]

On Cybertron, Megatron wore removable transformable armor, which transformed into a missile-launching armored platform, over his basic bodyframe (which transformed into a hovertank). This quickly-discarded outer shell was possibly used to comply with the ratification of the [[Pax Cybertronia]], which required Predacons to lay down their arms. A Predacon field commander before the peace, Megatron refused to comply with these new regulations and struck out on his own to destroy the [[Maximal Imperium]].

With some [[Cryotek (RID)|help]] from [[Divebomb (G1)|various sources]], he assembled a crew of ragtag criminals and miscreants for the purpose of stealing the Golden Disk and using it to find [[Earth]]. Succeeding in stealing the disk, he, [[Dinobot (BW)|his lieutenant]], and [[Scorponok (BW)|another accomplice]] fought their way out of the [[Archives]], eliminating [[Unit 1|one guard]] and dodging [[Tigatron|another]]. They were swiftly picked up by the ''[[Darksyde]]'', a ship stolen by the rest of their crew.

Megatron instructed [[Tarantulas]] to study the disk for the coordinates of Earth while the ''Darksyde'' battled its several pursuers. Although they were followed by the Maximal ships [[Axalon (BW)|''Axalon'']] and the ''[[Chromia 10]]'', the ''Darksyde'''s mission was also aided by a third ship crewed by the Predacon agents [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]]. Though the ''Chromia 10'' and the Predacon ship were destroyed, the ''Darksyde'' was still followed by the ''Axalon''. Megatron removed his transformable armor and patched a video feed through to the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s captain, [[Optimus Primal]]. Declaring himself the leader of the Predacons, Megatron opened a [[transwarp]] portal through which both ships travelled. {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past}}
{{-}}

====Dreamwave Generation 1====
{{note|This fiction takes place before "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]".}}

[[Image:Dw theft.jpg|thumb|left|150px|"This artistic error shall grant me control over time and space itself!"]]

After stealing the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], Megatron broke into [[Vector Sigma]] along with [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] and reviewed historical files on many of the Autobots and Decepticons from the era of the Great War. He told Dinobot to refer to him henceforth as Megatron. {{storylink|More Than Meets The Eye (G1)|Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #8}}

{{note|The Golden Disk was wrongly drawn as the [[Golden Disk (Vok)|Alien Disk]]. This two-page story is contradicted by many other versions of the story—specifically Megatron's spontaneous renaming of himself—possibly placing it in a version of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] that occurs only in Dreamwave's Generation 1 continuity. Of course, Dreamwave chose that time to [[Pat Lee|fold]] before this could be explained.}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[David Kaye]] (English), [[Shigeru Chiba]] (Japanese), [[Antônio Moreno]] (Portuguese), [[Hans Sievers]] (German) [[Tony Fuochi]] (Italian), [[Alejandro Villeli]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Claudio Rodríguez]] (Castilian Spanish)

[[Image:BWPart1 preformatting Megatron.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Priority one: finding out where the light switch is.]]

After stealing the Maximal relic, the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], and [[Darksyde|a ship]], Megatron and his crew were followed through a [[transwarp]] portal by the [[Axalon (BW)|''Axalon'']]. After crashing on a planet that was supposed to be [[Earth]], yet seemingly wasn't, both the [[Maximal]]s and the Predacons took organic beast forms to protect themselves against the massive amount of energon radiation. Megatron now transformed into a purple ''Tyrannosaurus rex''.

[[Image:Megatronbwtrex.jpg|right|230px|thumb|Today is a beautiful day to be stomping on things!]]
[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] chastised Megatron, accusing him of leading the Predacons to the wrong planet and challenged Megatron for leadership of the Predacons. Megatron simply ignored the challenge and had [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] dispose of him. A short time later, [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] tangled with [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], allowing Megatron to deliver his first speech to the Maximals, though it was cut short by a "sneaky, underhanded" attack by Cheetor, which impressed Megatron greatly. Though the Predacons appeared to have the Maximals on the run, they began to suffer from energon build up, and were forced to return to their beast modes. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} They followed the Maximals, catching up with them as Dinobot was dueling with [[Optimus Primal]] for leadership. Megatron took the opportunity for a sneak attack of his own, and during the destruction, some Predacon missiles uncovered a large quantity of energon located on a nearby mountain. Both teams reached the mountaintop at around the same time, but the ambient energon radiation forced them to fight in their beast modes. Despite biting a chunk out of Primal's leg, Megatron found himself on the losing end of the engagement, and out of desperation transformed to robot mode to fire a missile. The missile was deflected from its path by Dinobot, causing the energon to explode and hurling Megatron from the mountain. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}}

Megatron and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] cornered Cheetor when the Maximal was transported into their base by a freak sequence of events, but were forced to cooperate with him when the other Maximals sent a bomb through. After the bomb was successfully disposed of, Megatron attempted to do the same to Cheetor, but only succeeded in destroying the teleport effect between the two bases. {{storylink|Equal Measures}} After the discovery of a cache of energon in the [[Standing Stones]], Megatron led his men in an attempt to gain it, but was furious when Terrorsaur intentionally blasted the energon mid-battle, destroying it. The Standing Stones triggered the arrival of an [[Vok probe|alien probe]], but when Megatron and Waspinator attempted to claim it, it zapped them and absorbed Optimus Primal. Believing Primal to be dead, Megatron mounted an attack on the Maximal base, but after a lengthy fight with Dinobot, Megatron was forced to call a retreat. The Predacons pursued the Maximals to the stone circle, but retreated once more when Primal was freed from the probe. {{storylink|Chain of Command}}

[[Image:Power Surge Megatron down.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"...Waspinator! I've got a role to delegate!"]]
While Megatron was demonstrating the Predacons' new defense systems, Terrorsaur discovered a [[flying mountain]] topped with a cache of super-energon. The power this afforded Terrorsaur allowed him to challenge Megatron and blast the Predacon leader clear off a cliff, leaving him in several pieces. Scorponok and Waspinator set about repairing Megatron behind Terrorsaur's back, and by the time the usurper returned, defeated, an outraged Megatron was waiting for him. {{storylink|Power Surge}}

When the first of the Maximal [[stasis pod]]s crashed to the ground, Megatron had Waspinator and Terrorsaur ambush Optimus with only limited success. Though annoyed at their failure, he dispatched them to reach the pod while he and Scorponok headed for the Maximal base. There, he was able to distract Dinobot long enough for Scorponok to administer a slagging, before the autoguns drove them off. Megatron proceeded to the pod and held the Maximals at bay by threatening a couple of nearby white tigers, only to discover that the stasis pod was already empty. As it turned out, one of white tigers was the new Maximal, [[Tigatron]], who transformed and fought the Predacons off. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}}

The Predacons finally managed a victory in stealing a stasis pod and creating [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]. However, again Terrorsaur tried to usurp Megatron, this time using an apparently-turned [[Rattrap]], who used a device to paralyze Megatron. The Predacons argued over who would be leader, but agreed to put Rattrap and Megatron away for the time being. Megatron was able to easily escape using his secret voice commands, leaving Rattrap to his fate. Revealing himself to have escaped, Megatron allowed Terrorsaur to lead the Predacons in battle with the Maximals. Terrorsaur failed miserably, showing his ineptitude to the Predacons, which was Megatron's plan all along. {{storylink|Double Jeopardy}}

[[Image:GorillaWarfare Megatron's bomb problem.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb.]]
Megatron sent Blackarachnia, Waspinator and Terrorsaur on a plan to blow a hole in the bottom of the ''Axalon''. They failed. {{storylink|A Better Mousetrap}} On another occasion, Scorponok used a [[Cyberbee]] to infect Optimus Primal with a venom to turn the Maximal leader into a coward. The first Megatron knew of its failure was when Cheetor radioed the Predacon base to warn them that an enraged Optimus was on his way. Confronted by Primal, Megatron offered to give him the cure if he submitted to Predacon rule. Optimus responded by ripping the Cyberbee from his own chest and sticking it on Megatron's beast mode back. Unable to reach the device, Megatron managed to have Scorponok remove it, but it promptly exploded in their faces. {{storylink|Gorilla Warfare}}

When a Maximal [[temporal probe]] neared the planet, Megatron and his Predacons successfully destroyed a communications tower which the Maximals were setting up to try to signal it. {{storylink|The Probe}} Formulating a new plan to get off the planet, Megatron had the other Predacons act dissatisfied with his leadership, causing a battle that apparently destroyed the Predacons, using a Maximal spy camera that he was aware of to play out the trick. Then, the Maximals scavenged the ''Darksyde'' for parts to repair the ''Axalon'''s stardrive. At the eleventh hour, Dinobot discovered the deception and rushed to warn the leaving Maximals. In the scuffle, Megatron snuck aboard. In the ''Axalon'', he managed to knock out every Maximal on the ship but Rattrap, who he started crushing to death. An angered [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] woke up and threw Megatron off the ''Axalon''. However, Megatron's tail weapon was stuck in the console, causing the ''Axalon'' to crash. Again. {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}}

Following a Predacon defeat attributed mostly to [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], Megatron had [[Tarantulas]] capture the Maximal and used his latest invention, the [[Transmuter (BW)|Transmuter]], to turn Rhinox into a Predacon. Unbeknownst to Megatron, evil Rhinox was a schemer and disrupted the other Predacons. Megatron eventually found out the truth, which was the signal for the Maximals to mount an attack to rescue their friend. Megatron fought at length with Optimus, losing an arm. Ultimately Rhinox was returned to normal, and an errant shot from Waspinator destroyed the Transmuter, so that was the end of that. {{storylink|Dark Designs (episode)|Dark Designs}} Yet another plan had Megatron create a [[Clone One|clone of Dinobot]] which he sent to infiltrate the Maximal base. It backfired when the real Dinobot first defeated the clone, then masqueraded as it and used the bases defenses on Megatron. Megatron was at least happy that it turned out his clone hadn't betrayed him, as the real Dinobot had. The other Maximals turned up to chase Megatron off. {{storylink|Double Dinobot}}

[[Image:Megatronbwspidersgame.jpg|left|300px|thumb|I thought I told you NO MORE BARNEY JOKES.]]
Detecting another stasis pod crash, Megatron sent Scorponok and Blackarachnia to capture it. They failed. {{storylink|The Spark}} After a skirmish with Tigatron, Terrorsaur and Waspinator reported back to Megatron that they'd found a [[Brigadoon|flying island]], and Megatron sent Blackarachnia and Scorponok to claim it. {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 1}} Tarantulas used a [[magna pulse]] to knock out power in both the Maximal and Predacon bases to allow him to recover a stasis pod himself. By the time Megatron caught up, a new Predacon was online — [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]]. Megatron was impressed with Inferno's fighting spirit, helping him to attack Tigatron, until Primal arrived and ruined things again. Megatron ordered Scorponok to salvage Inferno. {{storylink|Spider's Game}}

The next cunning plan Megatron would come up with involved stealing the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> [[rectifier coil]], forcing the Maximals to stay in their beast modes at all time. Once the Maximals had succumbed to their beast instincts and wandered into the jungle, Megatron assembled a hunting party, complete with drums. Despite shooting at some of the Maximals, they were unable to make any kills before Tigatron helped the Maximals integrate their beast instincts with their programming. The Maximals subsequently easily fought back, Optimus even lifting Megatron over his head. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} After Scorponok and Waspinator reported destroying four of the Maximals, Tarantulas reported that he'd detected walking energon. Megatron concluded that the Maximals had survived the energon explosion and were contaminated, and sent Terrorsaur out to deal with them. Terrorsaur failed. {{storylink|Dark Voyage}}

During a violent storm, Waspinator was possessed by the immortal [[spark]] of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and ingratiated himself into Megatron's good books. With Starscream's help, Megatron led the Predacons to victory and captured the ''Axalon''. Megatron left Starscream in charge, returning to the ''Darksyde'' with Waspinator, Terrorsaur and Tarantulas, only for Starscream to later use the Maximals to attack the Predacon base in a double cross. In the aftermath of Starscream's defeat, Megatron put Waspinator back together and was only mildly convinced by Blackarachnia's explanation for her betrayal. {{storylink|Possession}} Yet another plan backfired badly. After Tarantulas infected Rhinox with an [[energon discharge virus]], Megatron attempted to use the counter virus as a bargaining chip, only for a massive fart from Rhinox to blow all of the Predacons away and leave them dangling from a tree. {{storylink|The Low Road}}

{{quote|This is certainly the most humiliating defeat of my entire career. Yess...|Megatron|"The Low Road"}}

[[Image:Before the Storm Megatron disc.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Yeessss...]]
Later, Megatron detected a strange energy pulse and sent Inferno to investigate. The result was the discovery of a second [[Golden Disk (Vok)|Golden Disk]], resulting in Megatron calling a ceasefire between the two factions, realizing he had more important things to worry about. Tigatron broke into the ''Darksyde'', learning about the new Golden Disk, and escaped, however this was merely part of Megatron's plan, which required the Maximals to learn about the approach of the [[Vok]]. {{storylink|Before the Storm}} After the arrival of an alien artifact — an organic dome — Megatron allowed Optimus to go in first, later listening to the sounds of the Maximal being tortured and wishing he had a recording of it to lull him to sleep at night. The beginning of an ignition sequence provided the distraction the other Maximals needed to fight Megatron and his goons off. As one of the planet's moons opened into the [[Planet Buster]], Megatron mused to himself that there was still another hand to be played. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 1}} Retiring to the Predacon base, he monitored events within the ''Axalon'' via the scanners, learning that Optimus intended to use a stasis pod turned into a spaceship by Tarantulas to destroy the Planet Buster. Megatron was able to override some of the pod's systems, preventing Primal from ejecting before the pod and the Planet Buster exploded. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

[[Image:Megs transmetal.JPG|left|270px|thumb|Gimme fuel Gimme fire Gimme that which I desire BOOM!]]

The [[quantum surge]] from the Planet Buster's destruction bathed Megatron in quantum energies, upgrading him into a [[Transmetal]] and giving him the ability to fly. Megatron quickly rallied his forces and attempted an all-out attack on the leader-less Maximals. He unfortunately had to retreat once he realized most of his troops were incapacitated. {{storylink|Aftermath}} The discovery of two more downed stasis pods provided Megatron with two new men, the [[Fuzor]]s [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]]. Megatron immediately led them into combat against Cheetor, and they headed for the ''Axalon''. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}} Battling their way to the Maximal ship, the Predacons were confronted by a resurrected and upgraded Optimus Primal, who drove them all off. Later, Megatron discovered that the two golden disks had been stolen by Dinobot, and the data on them destroyed. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}

Megatron sent Tarantulas, Blackarachnia and Quickstrike to secure a cave full of energon. They later reported back that it had been [[Tarantulas's lair|destroyed in a fight]] with the Maximals. Megatron was not pleased. {{storylink|Tangled Web}} Captured by the Predacons, Dinobot opted to defect back to their side. Megatron forced him to prove himself by staging a fight between him and Quickstrike, and the original [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] was soon back in Megatron's hands. Unfortunately, Dinobot ultimately opted to remain a Maximal. {{storylink|Maximal, No More}}

[[Image:Beast Wars Metalhunter Face.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Castle GrapeSkull.]]
The discovery of another alien site gave Megatron the opportunity to take a shot at retrieving the alien Golden Disk. He distracted Rhinox long enough for Inferno and Blackarachnia to incapacitate the Maximal, and managed to take the disk back into his possession. Returning to base, Megatron encountered Tarantulas, who declared himself no longer under Megatron's command, but was willing to cooperate. As the Predacons put their new plan into effect at the alien site, the Maximals arrived, only for a [[Metal Hunter|domed spaceship]] to appear. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 1)}} After using a force field to prevent the Maximals getting in, Megatron ventured into the spacecraft and was able to use the alien Golden Disk to take control of it. His first act was to bring aboard the other Predacons (bar Tarantulas, with whom the alliance was terminated) and Optimus Primal, the latter as a prisoner. Installing [[Transwarp]] cells into the ship, Megatron intended to take it back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and conquer the world. Tarantulas arranged for a Maximal attack, infiltrating the ship and causing it to self destruct. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 2)}}

[[Image:Megatron GoldenDisk.jpg|left|210px|thumb|History is mine, yessss.]]
After another stasis pod was found, Megatron bugged Blackarachnia and sent her and Waspinator out to find it. He soon learned that the pod contained Protoform X, a powerful [[Transformer]] with an indestructible spark, made during a Maximal experiment. With this information, he used an energon blade to cut out a piece of the creature's spark using it to control the beast, which he renamed [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]]. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} Using the Golden Disk, Megatron discovered the location of a valley full of [[Protohuman|early humans]], who would someday evolve into the humans who helped the [[Autobot]]s defeat the [[Decepticon]]s in the great war. Determining by empirical experimentation that the future could be altered, Megatron mounted an attack on the valley. The Predacons were prevented from razing it entirely by the interference of Dinobot. After defeating all of the Predacon troops singlehandedly, Dinobot knocked the disk from Megatron's hand, and destroyed it. Megatron ordered a retreat as the rest of the Maximals arrived. {{storylink|Code of Hero}} Though fascinated at the discovery of a [[Transmutate (character)|badly-mutated Transformer]], Megatron wasn't impressed when it failed to transform, and ordered it destroyed, but Rampage successfully convinced him to let Transmutate prove itself. It didn't go so well. {{storylink|Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate}}

[[Image:Agenda 1 Megatron bound.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Chained to my own throne? Most ironic, yessss...]]
Calculating that the [[Transwarp wavefront]] would soon reach Cybertron, alerting the [[Maximal High Council]] and resulting in a rescue ship being sent, Megatron realised he would have to implement a potentially final gambit. The Predacons attacked the Maximal base, but were fought off when help arrived in the form of Predacon covert agent [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], sent by the Predacon [[Tripredacus Council]] to apprehend Megatron. Returning to the Predacon base, Megatron sent Waspinator on a secret mission, while the other Predacons attempted to increase the fortifications. The impending attack went off without a hitch, however, and Megatron was captured. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}} Megatron was placed in a cell, and was informed by Ravage that Tarantulas was a member of the [[Predacon Secret Police]]. Megatron didn't seem too surprised by the news, and still had a hand to play — using a fragment of the Golden Disk which Dinobot had destroyed, he played back a recording on it left by the original [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], convincing Ravage to side with him. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}}

[[Image:Agenda3 MegatronOptimusPrime.jpg|left|250px|thumb|A little off the top, sir?]]
Megatron and Ravage subsequently led an assault on the ''Axalon'', which only failed through some extremely daring work by Rattrap.
Megatron fled, not back to the Predacon base, but the [[Mount St. Hilary|a volcano]] housing the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], the massive ship containing the stasis-locked Autobots and Decepticons, waiting to be awoken in 1984 when they would continue the Great War. Using the access codes which Blackarachnia had taken from the Golden Disk, Megatron was able to enter the ship and attempt to alter the course of history by assassinating [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], as the Autobot leader sat unconscious in the command chair. This done, he confronted the Maximals outside, taking the opportunity to gloat that with Optimus Prime gone, history would change, and they would no longer be a part of it. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}

After Megatron was forced out of the Ark by Blackarachnia, the Maximals were able to use [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] to repair Optimus Prime, while Primal took the Autobot's spark into his own structure, transforming his body into a more powerful form. Confronted by the new "Optimal Optimus", Megatron beat a retreat, but not before shooting Blackarachnia. Heading for the ''Axalon'', he, Inferno and Waspinator were attacked and downed by Primal and Cheetor, however Megatron radio'd ahead to Rampage, who was able to destroy the Maximal ship. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}}

Rampage disappeared while supposedly on a mission to attack the Ark with Inferno, and Megatron's scanners were unable to locate him. {{storylink|Deep Metal}} Monitoring the Maximal attempt to salvage [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]], Megatron sent his men out to retrieve the device. The mission was surprisingly a success, and Megatron later installed Sentinel in the Predacon ship. {{storylink|Changing of the Guard}} Megatron had also developed [[Cyber raptor]]s, which were sent out occasionally to harass the early humans. When he spotted Blackarachnia and Cheetor accompanying two of the humans, he sent Waspinator and Tarantulas out with three of the raptors to attack them. It didn't go too well for the Predacons, but Megatron was brewing a new plan. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}}

[[Image:FeralScream1 Megatron greets clone.jpg|230px|thumb|right|Ah, there's always time for a speech.]]
Having obtained a [[Transmetal driver]] through unknown means, he embarked upon an experiment, the fruition of which was the creation of a [[Transmetal 2]] [[Dinobot II|clone of Dinobot]]. However, thanks to the interference of [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]] and Cheetor during the experiment, the Transmetal driver was lost, and the Predacons captured Depth Charge in order to interrogate him. Before they could extract the information, they were attacked by a strange feral beast, which eliminated them one by one. Megatron accidentally slagged Waspinator before being attacked by the creature himself, and sent flying off a cliff. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 1}} Returning back to base, Megatron detected the beast roaming in the night, and realised that Cheetor had been exposed to the Transmetal driver's energies and upgraded into a new form. He dispatched Dinobot and Waspinator to capture Cheetor, but unsurprisingly they failed. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}}

Megatron had his men build a new weapon — a [[disruptor cannon]] constructed in a cave on a mountain top. Unfortunately due to the bi-polar energon source that the weapon used, the Predacons were unable to get close enough to install the shielding. Megatron sent Waspinator and Inferno out to capture one of the early humans, and they came back with [[Una]]. With great difficulty, Megatron instructed her on installing the shielding and installing the stabilizer crystal. After the Maximals had rescued her, the Predacons fired the cannon, only to discover too late that Una hadn't installed the stabilizer after all. The cannon exploded in their faces. {{storylink|Go with the Flow}} Alerted by Taratulas that the Maximals were attempting to remove Blackarachnia's Predacon [[shell program]], Megatron assigned Inferno, Rampage and Quickstrike to help Tarantulas disrupt the Ark's power, and hopefully terminate Blackarachnia. It even mostly worked, except for the part about Blackarachnia dying instead of ending up with a new Transmetal 2 body. {{storylink|Crossing the Rubicon}}

[[Image:Megatrontm2render.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Two Megatrons for the price of one.]]
On a later occasion, Megatron had Waspinator attack the Ark as part of a diversion. Tarantulas was able to place Optimus Primal under Quickstrike's control, enabling the Predacons to defeat the Maximals easily, and allowing Megatron to enter the Ark once more. There, he deliberately took the spark of the original Megatron and placed it in his body. Before he could do anything more, Quickstrike used Primal's body to dump in him the nearest pit of lava — a double-cross engineered by Tarantulas. Megatron did not die, but was upgraded into a new form, with a dragon as his alternate mode. After slagging Tarantulas, Megatron fought at length with Primal, only being fought off when Blackarachnia freed the other Maximals. {{storylink|Master Blaster}}

[[Image:Megs tm2.JPG|right|300px|thumb|Red dragon, without Hannibal Lecter.]]
His attempt to put Quickstrike on trial for treachery was interrupted by the news that something was incoming. [[Tigerhawk]], emissary of the Vok, obliterated the Predacon base before defeating Megatron in battle. Tigerhawk prepared to deliver the killing blow, but was interrupted, first by Optimus Primal, and then by Tarantulas. By the time Megatron recovered, Tigerhawk had been captured by Tarantulas, and Megatron flew off. Tarantulas was eventually destroyed by his quest for power, and Megatron could only watch as the Maximals welcomed Tigerhawk into their ranks. {{storylink|Other Victories}}

Desperate once again, Megatron dispatched Inferno, Waspinator and Quickstrike to find a new base, while he took the competent Predacons to search the remains of Tarantulas's lair. There, Dinobot found a hatch leading to an undersea tunnel and Megatron realised the enormity of what Tarantulas had discovered. The Predacons followed the tunnel to the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the Decepticon flagship which had crashed at the same time as the Ark. Megatron and Dinobot entered the ancient ship, successfully powering it up and raising it out of the ocean, intending to take back to Cybertron so that Megatron might conquer the planet. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

[[Image:Nemesis2 Megatron on shuttle.jpg|left|200px|thumb|How To Restrain Your Dragon.]]
First, however, he planned to annihilate the ''entire'' Ark rather than simply Optimus Prime: drunk on power and reciting religious scripture that he believed concerned ''him'', he was declaring himself "alpha and omega" and that time itself was now his bitch.

Heading for the Ark, Megatron stopped the ship momentarily to fire on a Protohuman settlement, despite Dinobot's objections, inadvertently killing Inferno and Quickstrike in the process. Of course, this meant that when the ''Nemesis'' arrived at its target, the fusion cannon was still recharging. Megatron instead turned a tractor beam on the Autobot ship. Primal infiltrated the ''Nemesis'' and began fighting Megatron. Though Optimus was no match for the Predacon leader, he bought the Maximals enough time to find an Autobot shuttle, which Rhinox piloted into the bridge of the ''Nemesis'', taking Megatron out. The ''Nemesis'' crashed a second time and thus preserved history. After returning the original Megatron's spark to its proper body, the Maximals headed back to Cybertron with the incarcerated Megatron shackled to the outside of their ship. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}
{{--}}

====''Tales of the Beast Wars''====
{{note|This fiction takes place during the first season of ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''.}}

[[Fractyl]] briefly daydreamed about impressing Megatron with his new discovery, the energon armor producing [[furmanite]]. When he failed even in his dreams, however, Fractyl reconsidered alerting Megatron just yet.

In reality, Megatron was summoned by Blackarachnia when the Maximal [[Packrat]] stole some of Fractyl's furmanite. He arrived on the scene in time to see Fractyl bravely chasing off the Maximal pack, after recovering the dangerous furmanite. Well done, Fractyl! (Oh, if only he knew...) {{storylink|Ground Zero}}

{{note|This fiction takes place during the second season of ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''. The Shokaract events ended with them being paradoxed out of existence.}}
[[Image:Antagony megatron.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Kinky.]]
[[Antagony]], future-born [[Herald Maximo]] of [[Shokaract]], arrived on prehistoric Earth to protect the Dark Essence of [[Unicron]]. She attempted to terminate Megatron, who quickly conned her into fighting Optimus and then took her captive when she went into stasis lock. {{storylink|Visitations}}

He began patiently (and happily) torturing her for information on the future she came from, and when that failed he hacked into her mind using a [[mind-drill]] "borrowed" from [[Tarantulas]]. That triggered a safety-against-betrayal device that erased her mind before he could gain any information; Megatron was left with no information, beyond that her master would surely try again. {{storylink|Herald, Covenant, Schism, Paradox|Herald}}

{{note|This fiction takes place after "[[Master Blaster]]".}}

[[Image:TM2_Megatron_shoots_Unicronessence.jpg|right|200px|thumb|]]
Almost immediately after his transformation into dragon form, Megatron detected a temporal breach. Having his troops ambush the Maximals (who had also detected), he attempted to reach the time-traveller ([[Windrazor (BW)|Windrazor]]) and gain access to the future, not caring what would happen if he took the original Megatron's spark with him. In the process, he encountered the Dark Essence and almost became a willing vessel for it, until it realised Windrazor would be easier to control. When the Fuzor fought the influence off, Shokaract himself emerged. {{storylink|Herald, Covenant, Schism, Paradox|Paradox}}

Megatron's reaction to a horrifically powerful spark-devouring demigod, and time and space being shattered into a chaotic maelstrom... was to stride through the reality soup and blackmail said demigod by opening fire on the Dark Essence of the Chaos-Bringer, demanding knowledge of the future or he'd cause the erasure of Shokaract's entire timeline. Megatron is ''hardcore''. He failed, but this was a crucial distraction that helped bring about Shokaract's defeat. {{storylink|Terminus}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Wars Diorama Story''====
[[Image:BWDiorama Megatrons.jpg|thumb|left|]]
Some time after Starscream fled from prehistorical Earth, Megatron and a group of Predacons, including [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], a time-displaced [[Archadis]], and [[Wolfang (Predacon)|Wolfang]], battled a contingent of [[Maximal]]s comprised of [[Optimus Primal]], [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Cohrada]], and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] in a forest. After all the Transformers transformed into robot mode, Megatron attacked Optimus Primal with the jaws of his T-rex head-hand. Primal blocked the attack with his dual Cyber Blades and then fought Megatron off with his Mega Blasters. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Convoy Chapter}} Though Primal blocked his "Tyranno Fang" attack, Megatron was able to counter by shooting a "Laser Buster" from the mouth of his T-rex head-hand. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Megatron Chapter}}

Some time into the battle, a warp opened, bringing with it [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]], who were [[Decepticon]]s and [[Autobot]]s from another [[Movie (franchise)|universe]]. [[Tigatron]] and [[Gimlet]] also joined the battle, and, after being defeated by the Maximals, Starscream joined the Predacons. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Tigatron Chapter}} [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] later appeared and joined the Predacons, as well. As the battled raged, the [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] from the other universe came in through the warp. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Gimlet Chapter}}

The Decepticon Megatron brought along [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]], and the two Megatrons combined their troops into a fearsome force against the Autobots and Maximals. The Predacon Megatron battled Optimus Primal in the ensuing skirmish. The Maximals' savior came in the form of [[Motorarm (BWII)|Motorarm]], who then went on to battle [[Tarantulas]]. Megatron battled Primal again, and the two factions then took formation against each other with the intention of combining their energies to attack the opposing side. The Predacon Megatron led the combined Predacon/Decepticon force. With Motorarm leading the charge, the Maximals and the Autobots attacked first. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Motorarm Chapter}}

====''Beast Wars II'' cartoon====
{{note|This fiction takes place during the first season of ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''.}}
[[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]] tried to summon a Megatron to [[Gaea]] using a time machine. [[Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger!|Maybe this one. Maybe not.]]

When his brother [[Megastorm|Gigastorm]] screwed up the wavelength calculations and instead summoned the titanic [[Majin Zarak]], Galvatron was pleased and declared, "We obtained a weapon far superior to Megatron". {{storylink|Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger!}}
{{-}}

====Transformers Legends====
{{Note|This takes place after "[[Other Voices, Part 2]]"}}
Two time-displaced versions of Megatron were waiting in [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] with [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]], when the equally time-displaced versions of Optimus Primal emerged from a meeting with [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Prime Spark}}
{{Note|This takes place after "[[Master Blaster]]"}}
Having taken the spark of the original [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] into his body, Megatron found himself talking to his Decepticon counterpart, who goaded him into attempting a new plan. Quickstrike kept the Maximals busy while Megatron burned his way into the Ark. There, he implanted a fragment of the original Megatron's spark into the stasis locked body of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], allowing the two Megatrons to control the Seeker's body. He realised too late that the original Megatron's plan was to return the Decepticon leader's spark to his original body using Starscream. A battle of will ensued, which the beast Megatron ultimately won, subduing the older Megatron before himself being forced to flee the Ark by the Maximals. {{storylink|A Meeting of Minds}}
{{note|This fiction takes place during "[[Spark of Darkness]]".}}
When Megatron was defeated by Nightscream, the spark of Rhinox attempted to act as a spirit guide and redeem the tyrant. Megatron proved to be a lost cause. While briefly tempted to move on, his inherent hypocrisy manifested and—despite fervently advocating the eradication of individuality—refused to relinquish his own identity. Rhinox’s attempts at enlightenment were misconstrued, and his efforts only strengthened Megatron’s desire for apotheosis. Repeated returns to Cybertron convinced him that godhood was still within his reach and as he charged his particles with “purity of purpose”, erased Rhinox's spark from existence. {{storylink|Singularity Ablyss}}
{{-}}

====IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics====
Upon his arrival on prehistoric Earth, the Darksyde's computer suggested that Megatron take on a crocodilian alt mode. Unimpressed, Megatron chose instead to reformat himself with the genetic material of a Tyrannosaur Rex. {{Storylink|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}

{{note|This fiction takes place after "[[Changing of the Guard]]".}}
[[Image:IDW Megatron Magmatron.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Go back to anime, Magmatron!]]
In Lio Convoy's opinion, Megatron was a simple wild card, no real threat when compared with [[Magmatron]]. This drives home the fact that Cybertron had no idea of the damage Megatron had and would inflict, or the lengths he would go to becoming arguably the most powerful Transformer since the Great War.

After dispatching [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] to oversee the installation of [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]] into the [[Darksyde]], Megatron was attacked by Magmatron, who had been assigned to arrest him by the [[Tripredacus Council]]. Although Megatron proved more than a match for the experienced Predacon general individually, he was ambushed and paralyzed by [[Iguanus (BW)|Iguanus]] and [[Drill Bit (BW)|Drill Bit]]. Magmatron intended to use a [[transwarp shunt]] to transport his prisoner back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 3|The Gathering #3}} Thanks to the intervention of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], [[Optimus Minor]], and [[Razorbeast]], Magmatron was sent home empty-handed. Razorbeast was tempted to dispatch the prone Megatron, but released him instead, due to his desire to avoid interfering with the timeline. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 4|The Gathering #4}}

{{note|This fiction takes place during and after "[[Nemesis Part 2]]".}}
[[Image:MegatronAscending4.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Oh, we are so dead]]
Ravage attempted to free Megatron after his capture, but didn't progress very far in his plans. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 1|The Ascending #1}} Despite this, Megatron arrived to a battle-damaged Cybertron, having finally completed his transwarp journey, and having arrived long before the Maximals responsible for his defeat, thanks to Shokaract's suicide, with little else to stand in his way. Yessssss... {{storylink|The Ascending issue 4|The Ascending #4}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Machines'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[David Kaye]] (English), [[Shigeru Chiba]] (Japanese), [[Francisco José]] (Portuguese), [[Jan Spitzer]] (German) [[Giorgio Locuratolo]] (Italian), [[Armando Rendiz]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Juan Diéguez]] (Castilian Spanish)

[[Image:Megatron for life.jpg|left|250px|thumb|"If you've done nothing wrong, you've got nothing to fear. If you've something to hide, you shouldn't even be here..."]]
Breaking free from his constraints on the Autobot shuttle while it traveled through transwarp space, Megatron arrived back home on Cybertron well before the Maximals did. {{storylink|Revelations Part II: Descent}} He used the window of opportunity for maximum effect, releasing a [[Transformation virus|virus]] across the planet that quickly incapacitated the population. {{storylink|Forbidden Fruit}} He then began extracting the victims' [[spark]]s and storing them in a citadel, planning to one day absorb them into his own spark. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. III: The Siege}} Meanwhile, he used factories to rebuild the bodies into mindless [[drone]]s he called "[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]." {{storylink|Revelations Part I: Discovery}} Eventually, he had almost every spark on Cybertron in his possession.

When the Maximals arrived in their shuttle, they found the planet empty, aside from Vehicons who immediately attacked them with canisters of a gas that infected them with the virus. The fully-Transmetal among them "devolved" into their original beast modes but were able to keep moving and escape. The remaining two, [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (who never received any form of upgrade on Earth), were instead paralyzed and quickly overtaken. Their sparks soon joined Megatron's collection. {{storylink|Revelations Part II: Descent}}

[[Image:MasteroftheHouse Optimus grabs Megatron's head.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"Time for a noogie!" "NOOOOOO!!!"]]
The escaped Maximals would have succumbed to the virus eventually if not for the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] [[reformatting]] them. Megatron observed their first battle against the Vehicon drones, vowing to destroy the impurity in his technological paradise. {{storylink|The Reformatting}} He would not have to wait long before a confrontation with [[Optimus Primal]], gloating to the Maximal leader that Cybertron now belonged to the technological. The strain of controlling the Vehicon drones while attacking three targets was telling, and Primal was able to goad him into losing control, causing an overwhelming urge to transform and revealing Megatron's dragon form, now in a ragged patchwork state as a result of failed attempts to excise his organic mode. Megatron was able to quickly recover, pointing out Primal's own failure had led to the downfall of Cybertron, before reconnecting to his [[control harness]] and taking control of the drones once again. Defiant, Primal had to be dragged from the [[Council Citadel]] by the other Maximals. {{storylink|Master of the House}}

[[Image:FiresofthePast Megatron closeup.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Sorry, but we've reserved pretty much the rest of our Hannible Lector jokes for [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]].]]
Though the [[Diagnostic Drone]] insisted that Megatron's organic side had been purged, another failed battle between the Vehicon drones caused him to revert in rage to his dragon mode yet again. In order to make his drones more flexible in capturing the Maximals, he imbued three Vehicons with captured sparks so they could think on their feet in battle. The original personalities of these "[[Vehicon general|generals]]" were deeply buried under shell programs, which allowed Megatron to use sparks of the Maximals' former allies. Thus, if the Maximals discovered who they really were, they would be reluctant to destroy them. The recently-captured Silverbolt and Rhinox were made into [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] and [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]], respectively. The third general, [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]], was created from the Predacon [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] for reasons that remain unclear. During the generals' first engagement with [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] and [[Rattrap]], Megatron became aware that Blackarachnia was trying to access the computer of the Autobot shuttle they'd arrived in, and he made an attempt to access her memory while she did so. Rattrap was warned of this via a transmission made to Jetstorm, and was able to cut the link before Megatron could learn the location of the Maximal base. {{storylink|Fires of the Past}}

[[Image:MercenaryPursuits Megatron medium shot.jpg|thumb|right|250px|My stomach is rumbling. Diagnostic Drone, bring out the Energon Brownies.]]
After raging at the three generals for their failure, Megatron sent them out, promising great rewards for whoever captured the Maximals. This paid off when Tankor returned with all four of the Maximals. Unfortunately while Megatron was getting ready to give Tankor his reward of oblivion, the Maximals escaped, and Primal was able to speak directly to Tankor's spark, turning him against Megatron. Once they'd escaped, Megatron was able to restore his control harness and remotely erase Tankor's memory of the last 20 cycles, turning him against the Maximals once more. {{storylink|Mercenary Pursuits}} The Diagnostic Drone continued to attempt to formulate ways to excise Megatron's organic side, suggesting they wait until after the Maximal problem was dealt with, however Megatron was determined to put a swift end to the matter in question. During a battle between the drones and Maximals in a Vehicon factory, Megatron retook control of the drones out of frustration over his generals' failure, only for feedback from a computer to overload his systems.

While in this weakened state, he was approached by Rattrap, who offered to defend Megatron for the night in return for weaponry. Though the other Maximals turned up, Rattrap fought them back. Megatron encouraged him to use the weapons to terminate the Maximals, but Rattrap refused, pointing out that the sun was coming up and their agreement was at an end. In return, Megatron let him go free. {{storylink|The Weak Component}}

[[Image:Survivor Megatron dragon.jpg|left|270px|thumb|Just don't call him "Patches" or he'll scorch your ass.]]
The attempts to remove Megatron's organic form continued, with little success, and he turned down the Diagnostic Drone's suggestion to simply build a new body for himself, as it would require leaving his spark unprotected for a short period of time. Instead they implemented a new plan: attempt to capture [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] and work out how to reverse the process the young Maximal used to acquire an organic mode. During the mission, the Diagnostic Drone was reprogrammed by Tankor, whose Rhinox personality had resurfaced, and was now actively working in competition with Megatron to create a technological utopia. When the next attempt to purge Megatron's dragon mode failed (as Tankor instructed), the Diagnostic Drone suggested that the failure was caused by Megatron himself. {{storylink|Survivor}}

After Tankor's apparent destruction, Megatron demanded the Diagnostic Drone find out what happened. The Maximals, meanwhile, attempted to attack a Vehicon factory, with the intent of stealing a [[Vehicon Mole|mole drone]], and Megatron demonstrated his power over Cybertron by moving the very buildings themselves around in an attempt to crush the Maximals, and elevating the factory in an attempt to tip them out. {{storylink|The Key}} Megatron questioned Thrust and Jetstorm over Tankor's whereabouts prior to his demise. Unknown to any of them, the "death" had been a trick on Tankor's part, and the real Tankor had the Diagnostic Drone take the opportunity to reveal the discovery of the [[Key to Vector Sigma]], capable of transforming organic matter into [[technomatter]], to Megatron. Though Megatron was encouraged by the idea it could purge Cybertron of organic life, he was suspicious of the Drone's inadvertent slip of the tongue regarding what the Key would do to him, and ordered the Key be loaded on to select drones only. Tankor's plan to force Megatron's hand by providing the Maximals with a catalyst to make their vines grow faster eventually paid off, and Megatron ordered the key loaded onto all of the [[Tank drone]]s. {{storylink|The Catalyst}}

[[Image:EndoftheLine Megatron swirlingenergies.jpg|thumb|right|220px| No! The hurricane is separating me from my action figures! Curse you, Mother Nature!!!]]
Of course, Megatron also made sure the Tank drones were under his sole control first. Tankor then provided Primal with the whereabouts of the [[plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]], capable of purging all technology from Cybertron, in an attempt to force Megatron to use the keys. Megatron did not believe that Primal would actually go through with opening the chamber, and, distrustful of the Diagnostic Drone's motives, destroyed it. During the Maximal's last push for victory, Megatron found himself confronted by Optimus Primal once more, and crowed over his opponent as the other Maximals were transformed into technomatter. However Primal was able to provoke another appearance by Megatron's beast mode, and attempted to reformat him. The attempt was interrupted by Tankor, who prepared to zap Megatron with a Key, but was promptly restrained. Megatron announced that having a free agent was part of his plan, and had handed him the key to victory. Optimus, finally determined to win at any cost, opened the Plasma Energy Chamber, and Megatron responded by triggering the key weapon, causing a maelstrom of clashing energies. {{storylink|End of the Line}}

[[Image:SavageNoble Noble with wings.jpg|left|230px|thumb| This is what Bella and Jacob's son would look like if Bella was bitten by Edward beforehand. Eeugh.]]
When the Maximals entered the Council Citadel, all they found of Megatron was his body, which disintegrated. Despite this the evidence of Megatron's influence remained — following Optimus Primal's resurrection, the Maximals found themselves face-to-face with a giant ship, resembling a stylised version of Megatron's own head, which rose above the city. {{storylink|Fallout}} The ship did not contain Megatron's [[spark]] though; The combined energies had actually succeeded in separating his organic half from his body—unfortunately, his spark went with it and become trapped in a purely organic Transformer. He took the identity of "innocent" Maximal [[Noble]] and, preying on [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream's]] survivor guilt and Optimus's inherent goodness, attained the confidence of the Maximals. {{storylink|Savage Noble}} With their help, he was able to gain entry back into the Council Citadel, and attempted to access the control harness, only to discover it would not interface with his organic form. Using a [[spark extractor]], he ripped his own spark out and flew into the giant floating head, possessing it and reactivating Cybertron. {{storylink|Prometheus Unbound}}

[[Image:InDarkestKnight Grand Mal.jpg|thumb|right|250px| Tremble before the might of MODOK!]]
Intent on gaining access to the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], Megatron seized Primal and Cheetor, bringing them aboard the ship in preparation to tear the information from them. He was able to communicate with them by appearing as a hologram of moving [[Cybertronix]], announcing that the procedure would be terminal. Before it could be completed, Silverbolt, who had been reformatted from Jetstorm by Blackarachnia, arrived and freed the two Maximals. {{storylink|In Darkest Knight}} Unwilling to admit defeat, Megatron deployed his own variation of the [[Hate Plague]], infecting all of the Maximals but Primal. Optimus instead was scooped up by a tentacle and taken aboard the floating head for a frank discussion about free will versus universal harmony. As it turned out, Optimus was able to help the Maximals overcome their anger and reformat their neural pathways, though Megatron was amused by Primal's afterthought that not all of their issues came from the virus. {{storylink|A Wolf in the Fold}} Following [[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]]'s arrival, Megatron used the giant head's spaceship mode to destroy the rampantly-growing plant life she'd brought with her.

[[Image:Megatron Sparkwar Search.JPG|left|250px|thumb|"We've been expecting you, Mr. Anderson."]]
With the Maximals numbering seven, and Thrust increasingly incapable of keeping up, Megatron used the sparks of famous generals [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] and [[Strika (BM)|Strika]] to replace them. Though they subsequently failed to destroy the Maximals, Megatron thanked them for keeping his enemy busy while he finalised his plans for the collection of sparks. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. I: The Strike}} He gave his generals orders to find the Maximals and take Optimus alive. Primal had ventured down into the lost city of [[Iacon (city-state)|Iacon]] with Nightscream, giving Megatron the opportunity to strike. Tricking the Maximal leader with a huge hologram of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], Megatron was able to extract the codes to access the Oracle. On the other hand, Primal was able to use the link to determine the location of the lost sparks without Megatron knowing. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search}}

[[Image:Giant megatron spark.jpg|right|200px|thumb|It feels weird, being a ball of energy just eating up ''other'' balls of energy.]]
Megatron began preparing for his "grand ascension", separating his spark from the giant head and starting to consume the many sparks he had captured. The Maximals managed to get a team onto the ship, but were immediately seized by metal tentacles and forced to watch as Megatron continued to devour the sparks, intending to unite every spark on the planet into one perfect being — himself. Rising out of the head, Megatron began to draw the Maximals' sparks from their bodies. He was forced to pause to destroy his organic half, Noble, which had continued to roam Cybertron after his spark had left it. Anguished at the loss of his friend, Nightscream used his sonic attack on Megatron's spark, apparently dispelling it. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. III: The Siege}}

Depolarized, Megatron's spark drifted through the streets of [[Cybertropolis]], attempting to possess bodies but unable to stay in them for any period of time, and only able to operate them in the barest, zombie-like fashion. After attacking the Maximals in a seemingly-random pattern, his spark was captured by Rattrap in a spark extractor and repolarized. The net result — Megatron was able to possess a new body, however he soon realized that he was trapped in the shell of a Diagnostic Drone. This didn't hinder him from capturing the Maximals and attempting to reformat Primal's spark, and, though Botanica swiftly came to the rescue, Megatron still escaped thanks to the loyalty of his three generals. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}

[[Image:BMEndgame2 Optimal megatron.jpg|left|230px|thumb|They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.]]
While working on a new plan, Megatron had his generals attack the Maximals, who had holed up in the giant head. He was able to use a frequency from a device inadvertently provided by Rattrap, to help the Vehicons successfully bring down the ship. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. I: The Downward Spiral}} Though the Maximals fought back, eliminating the Vehicon generals, Megatron had constructed a new body for himself — a copy of Primal's old "Optimal Optimus" form, though without its beast mode. Seizing control of the Cycle drones, he was able to rip the Maximals' sparks from their bodies, leaving himself and Primal as the last two functional mechanisms on the planet. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. II: When Legends Fall}}

[[Image:BMEndgame3 Megatron dies.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Dude, I'm stroking out over here!]]
There followed an all-out battle between the two mortal enemies, which raged across the city. Primal was seemingly beaten when he found the remains of the [[technorganic orchard]], devastated by Megatron's drones, and Megatron took him back to the surface. There, Megatron claimed his giant throne, and absorbed the rest of the sparks, growing in size. Preparing to use the Key to Vector Sigma to reformat Cybertron's organic core, Megatron severed Primal's connection to the Oracle. However Primal received encouragement from the spirits of his Maximal comrades, and by reformatting Megatron's throne, was able to dislodge him. They plummited together into Cybertron's core, where Primal was able to trigger the reformatting of the entire planet, destroying himself and Megatron completely, but freeing all the lost sparks to repopulate their newly-redecorated Cybertron. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}}

{{--}}

====''Universe''====

{{note|This fiction takes place after "[[Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future]]".}}
[[Image:MegatronBW-BWXart.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Guess who traveled with Primal to the [[Jungle Planet (Cybertron)|Jungle Planet]]?]]

When [[Optimus Primal|Optimus Primal's]] spark was revived from the within the Matrix to protect the [[multiverse]], this action freed Megatron's spark as well. {{storylink|Escape (issue)|Escape}} Megatron did not visibly resurface, however, until a dark chapter in the [[Universe war]], amidst "the [[Culling]]," when the [[Maximal High Council]] and a great portion of Cybertron's population itself was snuffed out by the [[Minions of Unicron]]. It is not known exactly how, but when the chaos of this genocide settled, Megatron had taken a powerful position within the remaining Predacon military. At first, Megatron began antagonizing Primal as he had before, but Megatron quickly learned that he and Primal would do better to first team up against Unicron. He and Primal traveled to several universes, preparing them for the coming battle and winning new allies. But now with Unicron disappeared into the [[Unicron Singularity]], Primal fully expects Megatron's insane ambition to resurface. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 9|BWX Optimus Primal's profile}}

Prior to the Universe Conflict an alternate dimension's Megatron was killed by a [[Razorclaw (Universe)|Tigerhawk]] who was corrupted by the Vok. Yet another dimension's Megatron was killed by its reality's [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] and [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]]. All three Megatron-murderers were eventually promoted to the rank of [[Unicron's General]]. It seems that killing Megatron may be part of Unicron's criteria for choosing a General.
{{-}}

====''Beast Wars Reborn''====
{{note|This fiction takes place after "[[Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future]]".}}
[[Image:BeastWarsRebornMegatronArtwork1.jpg|right|233px|thumb|Reborn on the wagon of a travelin' show, Primal used ta dance fer the money they'd throw! Megatron would do whatever he coooouuuld!]]
Both Megatron and Optimus Primal awoke inside a bizarre temple-like spaceship which was hurtling through space. Neither had any memory of who they were or how they got there, only their own names and a feeling of discomfort between one another. The pair went about investigating the ship in search of answers. While Megatron's memory was lost, his personality remained mostly intact: he was more concerned with seizing control of the ship before Primal did in order to gain the upper hand.

They eventually found a data log and discovered that their sparks had been taken and they were reborn into new bodies (unbeknownst to them, bodies identical to their original Earth forms). However, their memories were intentionally not uploaded into their new bodies. While searching the log they discovered that the ship's main power source was a [[Golden Disk]] lodged within a giant pillar. Megatron immediately raced to obtain the Disk and Primal followed him. The closer they got to the disk the more the ship attempted to thwart their advance by manipulating its atmosphere conditions.

Once they reached the chamber the ship's environment suddenly morphed to that of a decaying planet littered with the corpses of robots. The corpses came to life and began shambling toward them, intent on eating their sparks. They made short work of the zombies, leaving Megatron to obtain the Golden Disk and Primal with a feeling that he shouldn't entirely trust Megatron.

From another dimension beyond time and space, [[Primus]] recognized that something was amiss and sent one of his messengers to meet Primal and Megatron within the spaceship. {{storylink|The Mysterious Temple in Space}} {{storylink|Master of the Game}} {{Storylink|Planetfall (BWR)|Planetfall}} {{Storylink|Miraculous Reformat}}
{{Charstubfiction}}

====Bee in the City====
{{note|This takes place after ''Beast Wars'', but its placing beyond that is unknown}}
:''Voice actor:'' [[David Kaye]] (English)

Somehow ending up at the multiversal hub of [[Axiom Nexus]], Megatron hid out under the alias "Joe". When he ran into [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and learned of the [[AllSpark Key]], he pretended to be a heroic character and helped rescue Bumblebee's friends, only to steal the Key. Using his experience with MacGuffins, he swiftly learned how to power himself and create an army. Unfortunately, his army turned on him after learning of bureaucracy and the amount of forms they'd have to fill in now that they were alive. However, before being carried away by his former minions, Megatron promised that he would be back, and that he would get his extremely overwrought and melodramatic revenge. {{storylink|Bee in the City}}

===''Robot Masters''===
====Pack-in comic====
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|The New Battle Begins!}}

====Cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Toshitsugu Takashina]] (Japanese)

{{note|This fiction takes place after ''[[Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger!]]''.}}
Taking advantage of the [[Blasty Zone]] as a means of time travel (and apparently size-enhancer), Megatron journeyed to a point in history where the original Megatron had gone missing, leaving the [[Decepticon]]s without a leader. "Beast Megatron" took command of the Decepticons, leading them on a quest to collect a powerful element, [[solitarium]], from within the Earth. Beast Megatron's plans were quickly thwarted by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and a troop of time-displaced Autobots and Maximals, including [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]], [[Victory Leo]], [[Lio Convoy]] and Beast Megatron's arch nemesis, [[Optimus Primal]]. {{storylink|Fight! The Group of the Strongest Commanders!}}

Beast Megatron later discovered a large deposit of solitarium beneath [[New York City]], and along with [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], [[Smokesniper]], [[Gigant Bomb]] and [[Wingstun]], laid waste to the Big Apple. The Autobots, accompanied by [[Reverse Convoy]], arrived and dealt with Beast Megatron's forces quickly. However, Reverse Convoy revealed himself to be the original Megatron in disguise and betrayed them. Now going by the name [[Megatron (G1)|Rebirth Megatron]], he teamed up with Beast Megatron and the pair made trouble for the Autobot commanders. However, the Autobots were able to defeat the two Megatrons, sending the villains into retreat. {{storylink|The Lio Convoy Typhoon Enters (episode)|The Lio Convoy Typhoon Enters}}

====Online comic====
{{charstubfiction}}

===''Beast Wars Metals'' comic===
{{note|This fiction takes place after an altered version of the first season of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon.}}
After killing Optimus Primal in a Transwarp explosion, Megatron was mutated by the resulting Quantum Surge into a Transmetal, as was every other Transformer on [[Earth|Energoa]]. With their leader dead and their forces scattered, Megatron wasted no time in plotting an immediate counter-attack on the Maximals. Quickstrike and his drone forces were sent to attack the Maximal base while, with Tarantulas's help, Megatron recovered and resurrected Primal's body as a mindless killing machine.

Through a strange voodoo ritual, Megatron attempted to use his mutated blood to put Primal's body under his everlasting control. However, with the intervention of Rhinox, Primal's spark was retrieved from Transwarp Space and returned to his body. Primal swiftly defeated Megatron in battle. {{storylink|Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!}}

===Fire in the Dark===
The Predacons crashlanded in [[Mexico]] around 1,000 BC. A time into their war with the Maximals, Megatron found the village in which the [[Natiltec]] tribe dwelt. After the Predacons had asserted their dominance, Megatron ordered Tarantulas and Waspinator to enslave the male villagers and use them to mine energon. {{storylink|Fire in the Dark}}

==Games==
====''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game====
{{note|This game takes place during the first season of ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''.}}
{{Note|Megatron is a playable character in the Predacon mode of this game for normal gameplay.}}
{{charstubfiction}}
{{Note|Due to the nature of this game, a player may select various individual characters to perform the feats required in every level, and complete the game's narrative. Thus, any playable Maximal can fill the role of protagonist in Maximal Mode, and any playable Predacon can fill the role of protagonist in Predacon Mode. As such, each character's page only lists said character's actions when they fill the role of antagonist during gameplay. To view the various feats Megatron can accomplish throughout gameplay in Predacon Mode, it is told on the pages of the [[Optimus Primal|several]] [[Cheetor (BW)|Maximals]] [[Rattrap|included]] [[Dinobot (BW)|as]] [[Rhinox (BW)|opponents]] in this game, as well as the game's main antagonists, the [[Skriix]], wherein Megatron fills the role of the nameless Predacon. To view the plot as a whole view the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)]] page.}}
{{-}}
====''Transformers Beast Wars: Transmetals'' video game====
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the second season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
[[Image:N64Megatrons.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Jhiaxus (G2)|Tyrannosaurus Jhiax]] and ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]], apparently.]]
:''Voice Actor:'' [[David Kaye]] (English), ??? (Japanese)

Megatron has been captured by the Maximals. Unknown to his captors, however, Megatron sends a message back in time through transwarp in a last-ditch effort to change the outcome of the Beast Wars; back in the past, Megatron participates in a one-on-one beatdown involving nearly all of the other active beast warriors. At the end, he confronted his mysterious doppelganger, [[Megatron X]].

[[Image:N64_Megatron.jpg|frame|left|"Dear me: Forget the grand scheme, just walk over and punch Optimus in his ****ing FACE. Yours sincerely, me."]]Knowing fully that the planet where their war was taking place was in actuality prehistoric Earth, Megatron decided to make the ultimate gamble after gaining the upper hand in a grueling battle against the Maximals. Breaking into the Ark, Megatron murders Optimus Prime while he slumbers, securing victory for both Decepticons and Predacons. However, in the year 2005, the Decepticons, having conquered both Earth and Cybertron, face Unicron. As the Matrix died eons ago, along with Optimus Prime, how can the Decepticons defeat the devourer of worlds?
{{note|Each character possessed an alternate ending, displayed if the Nintendo 64 version of the game was beaten with said character. Each character has only their own ending listed on their pages, see the other characters' pages for Megatron's fate in those outcomes.}}
{{-}}

===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle'' video game===
Megatron battled several other Maximals and Predacons in an attempt to obtain a super-powerful [[Energon crystal]] recently discovered on [[Earth]]. He was capable of summoning his lackeys, Waspinator, Terrorsaur, Tarantulas, Inferno and Scorponok in order to aid him in this task.

Megatron could also partake in various other tasks, such as a mission to break a boulder to reveal an energon crystal hidden within before sundown, using a block in a mission to defend himself against various incoming projectiles, and missions to run across a pit-riddled field, sometimes involving hideously large bacteria he had to fend off.

The series of one-on-one battles that ensued ended in a strange duel, when Megatron had to battle his double as a final opponent. Once he defeated himself, he gained possession of the crystal, setting out to defeat his eternal nemesis, [[Optimus Primal]]. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle}}
{{note|Each character possessed an alternate ending, displayed if the game was beaten with said character. Each character has only their own ending listed on their pages, see the other characters' pages for Megatron's fate in those outcomes.}}
{{-}}
===3D Battle-Card Game===
Megatron, in his original Tyrannosaurus Rex body, leads a ragtag group of Decepticon warriors from various backgrounds (and/or universes) against Optimus Primal and his Autobot allies. {{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game#Energon Wars expansion|Energon Wars Expansion Set}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
:''Main article: [[Megatron (BW)/toys]]''

==Merchandise==
:''Main article: [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Merchandise|Merchandise]]''

==Notes==
[[Image:Dinobot Clone.jpg|right|200px|thumb|A picture can tell lots without words.]]
* Hasbro originally intended [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] to be the new body for Megatron. According to [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_thread/thread/b334d45514e26ab4/bc8e54e9165e0823?hl=en&lnk=st&q=bob+forward+interview+inferno+megatron&rnum=1#bc8e54e9165e0823 a 1997 interview conducted by fan HooksX], [[Bob Forward]] stated: "For a while there Hasbro was planning to make the Inferno toy the new Megatron. We were going to kill Megatron and bring him back as Inferno."
* Megatron's pre-beast body, seen almost entirely during "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]", is actually the body of the Giant Robot from Mainframe's ReBoot series, with Megatron's head attached and some purple colors. Sadly, no Disrupto-Matic was to be seen.
* Throughout the series, Megatron seems to have a mild obsession with creating [[Cloning|clones]] of Dinobot, as seen with the [[Clone One|purely biological clone]], the [[Cyber raptor|Cyber raptors]], [[Dinobot II]], and [[Dinobot (Transmetal)|that one prototype that was scrapped]]. Some people never know when to let a relationship go.
[[Image:BWRConcept35.jpg|right|200px|thumb|TM2 Megatron's control art. Look! Spark figure! Painful amounts of detail!]]
*The Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars'' chose to interject humor at every available opportunity. Due to this, Megatron's personality and character were taken on a complete U-turn. Instead of being a smooth and charismatic leader, he was a screaming maniac and a bumbling oaf. His most notable character-trait in Japan was that whenever he was fired-upon or startled he would let out a high-pitched shriek like a [[Scorponok (BW)|little girl]].
* During the ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon, Megatron said "yesss..." 166 times, and "no..." 54 times. Someone was clearly bored, yesss.
* He was once seen [[Humanization|brushing]] his Rex head/hand's teeth.
* Several times in the series, while he is in Beast Mode, Megatron is seen touching his hands, as many megalomaniacs would. However, this would be physically impossible for a real T. rex.
* During audio commentary{{fact}}, [[Bob Skir]] revealed that the idea for Megatron's spark inhabiting a Diagnostic Drone came from [[David McDermott]]'s comment that "no matter ''what'' form Megatron's in, he will go out and kick ass".
{{-}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hJkvwoddxY All of Megatron's Yeeeessss's and No's in Beast Wars on YouTube]

[[Category:Beast Machines Predacons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Predacons]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Emperors]]
[[Category:Ghosts]]
[[Category:Predacon leaders]]
[[Category:Robot Masters Decepticons]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Transmetals 2]]
[[Category:Universe Decepticons]]
[[Category:Vehicons]]

Brawl (WFC)

2010-12-28T17:44:05Z

201.120.10.163:

{{faction|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Brawl}}
:''Brawl is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Transformers: War for Cybertron|War for Cybertron]] portion of the [[Transformers: Prime]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:WFC Brawl.jpg|thumb|300px|I carry around these twin cannons on my back ... and my default weapon is an assault rifle. Sigh.]]

'''Brawl''' ''loves'' explosions. He ''loves'' to kill them [[Autobot|Auto-brats]], too. Really, if it involves massive amounts of violence, chances are he'll ''love'' it.

{{bigquote|Real Decepticons roll on treads.|Brawl, not realizing he has no treads.|[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]] }}

==Games==

===''Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)''===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Nolan North]]

During the final days of the war, Brawl served aboard a Decepticon starship under [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]], who was seeking the [[Dark Energon]] guarded by the neutral Sky Commander [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]]. He was part of the bridge crew, along with [[Barricade (Prime)|Barricade]] as Megatron laid siege to the orbiting station where Starscream hid the supply of Dark Energon. After Megatron gained entry to the station (by ramming his starship into it, no less), Brawl and Barricade then helped Megatron fight his way into the station, past Starscream's soldiers. Starscream's constant taunting irritated Brawl, to the point he requested permission to rip off Starscream's head. He even said please. The Decepticons eventually reached the supply of Dark Energon and prevented Starscream from destroying it, and as his reward, Brawl was infused with the corrupted Energon's power by Megatron.

Later, during the Decepticon assault on the Autobot capital of Iacon, Brawl had the honour of commanding and spearheading the ground attack while Starscream (his head sadly still attached) commanded the aerial forces and Megatron personally led a small strikeforce into the heart of the city. Megatron's team eventually reunited with Brawl and his forces outside the Iacon Vaults, where Autobot leader [[Sentinel Zeta Prime]] had taken refuge. Despite being heavily out-numbered (and being dogpiled by numerous Autobots), Brawl held out until Megatron, [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] and [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] arrived to assist. Brawl complained about Starscream's refusal to give his ground troops air support, but Megatron wasn't interested in excuses.

When even Megatron's Dark Energon powers failed to open the massive doors to the Vaults, the enraged Decepticon ordered a bombing run. Brawl attempted to protest, since the Autobots' anti-aircraft defenses were still active, but Megatron would not be convinced. After the bombing attempt failed miserably, Brawl tactfully suggested they first take the anti-aircraft guns in order to guarantee success. Megatron noted this was 'an excellent suggestion' and commanded him to see to it.

The Decepticons successfully disabled the anti-aircraft guns and Brawl once again called down a bombing run, only to be bluntly refused by Starscream. Taking issue with Starscream referring to the bombers as 'his ships', Megatron cut in and ensured the bombing run would take place. However, Brawl and his comrades now had to hold off a massive Autobot counterattack until the bombers arrived. Despite fighting and killing numerous Autobots (including several Heavy Soldiers and Aerialbots), it seemed as though the Decepticons would be overwhelmed by nothing less than the entire Autobot army. Brawl, keeping track of the bombers' progress, started counting down the last few seconds verbally, and the Decepticons watched as the Autobots realized their doom, too late to retreat to safety. Megatron ordered Brawl to hold his position while he led his team to 'discuss' matters with Zeta Prime.

Brawl followed his orders to hold his ground to the letter. In fact, while Megatron, Breakdown and Soundwave were being attacked by [[Destroyer (WFC)|a huge Autobot]], Brawl watched, no doubt confident that his master would be victorious.

He probably wasn't too happy when Starscream claimed leadership when Megatron was apparently killed by a [[Omega Supreme (Prime)|huge heavily-armed ship]]. That was fixed soon enough, though.

Brawl then journeyed with Megatron and the rest of the Decepticons to Cybertron's core, watching as Megatron corrupted the core and cowered from falling debris.{{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)}}

===''Transformers: War for Cybertron - Decepticon (DS)''===
Brawl, Megatron, and Dirge captured an Autobot training facility during the waning days of the Great War. He later accompanied Megatron during the capture of Trypticon Space Station - a station which could manufacture Dark Energon. After a field test, the Dark Energon enhanced the Decepticons' stamina and strength. However, the Decepticons had to journey to Cybertron's core to get the fuel to make more Dark Energon. Brawl helped in an all-out assault on Iacon City to find the Omega Key, the key to Cybertron's core - but upon taking it from Zeta Prime, it activated the titanic Autobot Omega Supreme, who quickly decimated the Decepticons. Brawl followed his leader, and defeated Omega Supreme, gaining total supremacy over Cybertron.

Later, the Autobots, with their new leader Optimus Prime, came to the Core to flush out the Dark Energon. Brawl had been lying in wait for such an attack, and unleashed his full power upon them. But the Autobots defeated Brawl, and the Decepticon retreated.

==Notes==
*Despite his [[Brawl (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart]] being nothing more than a battle-hungry bundle of rage and his [[Brawl (Movie)|live-action movie counterpart]] being a heavily-armed, battle-hungry bundle of rage (both being shock-troops to be unleashed on the enemy), this Brawl is intelligent enough to act as overall ground commander. He even makes a calm, well-thought out suggestion during the Iacon battle, advising Megatron to disable the anti-aircraft guns.

*While his tank mode, colouring and lust for battle are Brawl, his intelligence, strategic outlook and command ability are more in line with the Combaticon commander [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]]. The twin barrels on his back also harken back to his old boss, as the original Brawl only had one barrel.

*As he is not mentioned in ''[[Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron|Exodus]]'' it is unknown if he combines with [[Onslaught (Prime)|Onslaught]] to form [[Bruticus Maximus (Prime)|Bruticus Maximus]].

[[Category:Prime Decepticons]]
[[Category:Video game-only characters]]

Tarantulas (BW)

2010-12-28T17:41:46Z

201.120.10.163: /* Beast Wars cartoon */

{{factions|predacon|unicron}}
{{disambig2|the Predacon from Beast Wars|the Decepticon from Transformers Animated|Tarantulas (Animated)}}
{{featured}}
:''Tarantulas is a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] from the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]. He is sometimes known as '''Tarantulus'''.''

[[Image:Tarantulasbw.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[BotCon 2000|"And fries! Lots of FRIES!"]]]]

'''Tarantulas''' is the scheming mad scientist of the Predacon crew. He's 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. The eating is what he was really looking forward to, anyway. It's this focused perversity that turns off even his fellow Predacons. Tarantulas's emotional detachment from their war also rubs his peers the wrong way. Fighting Maximals and following orders is just a required chore; his real passion is the unmentionable projects stashed in [[Tarantulas's lair|his "secret" lair]].

Nominally, Tarantulas 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, 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]]. Who knows what other [[Unicron|dark secrets]] lie in his past.

If anything upsets Tarantulas, other than losing a potential meal, it's those pompous aliens who call themselves the [[Vok]]. He harbors a hatred for them strong enough to make him work to eliminate them by any means.

{{bigquote|You're ''insane.''|[[Tigerhawk]], opinions on Tarantulas}}
{{bigquote|So they ''saa''-aay! Wbrrwbrrbbppth!|Tarantulas, ignoring public opinion|"[[Other Victories]]"}}

:''Japanese name:'' '''Tarans''' (タランス ''Taransu'')
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Jr-jū''' (蜘蛛, "Spider"), '''Húng Jr-jū''' (紅蜘蛛, "Red Spider")
:''Chinese name (Mainland):'''''Láng-Zhū''' (狼蛛，tarantula)
:''Italian name:'' '''Metal Tarantulas''' (Transmetal)
:''Polish name:'' '''Tarantulator'''
:''Brazilian name:'' '''Tarântulos'''

==Fiction==
===First wave toy bios===
[[Image:PrimalVSMegs-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Why Megatron, I do believe you're trying to seduce m-- oh, hey, [[Razorbeast]].]]
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|#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!}}

{{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====
[[Image:TheftOfGoldenDisk-Tarantulas.jpg|left|thumb|300px|What y'wanna do? Wanna be hackers? Code crackers? Slackers? Wastin' time with all the chatroom yakkers? WHAT?]]
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}}

====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}}
{{-}}
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Alec Willows]] (English), [[Yūichi Nagashima]] (Japanese), [[Fábio Vilalonga]] (Portuguese), [[Riccardo Peroni]] (Italian), [[Hervé Joly]] (French), [[Lutz Harder]] (German), [[Humberto Vélez]] (Latin American Spanish)

Lieutenant Tarantulas of the [[Predacon Secret Police]] was one of Megatron's original crew, a mole inside his organisation feeding information back to the [[Tripredacus Council]] without his knowledge. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} More than that, he was a ''direct'' agent of the Council and shared their origins, with an overall agenda to alter the timeline by going back to prehistoric Earth and completely destroying the [[Ark (G1)|''Ark'' and the Transformers within]]. {{storylink|Other Victories}} The plan went tits up though, as Megatron's ''Darksyde'' warship ended up crashing on an unidentified planet and contact with Cybertron as last. Tarantulas carried on as normal despite this setback.

[[Image:TheWeb Tarantulas beast mode.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Not arachnophobic, eh? I can fix that.]]
As Megatron's technical leader, he manned the scanners to appropriate beast forms based on the most powerful local creatures, choosing the form of an oversized spider for himself. He cheerfully took part in the first battle of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]], only to succumb to energon buildup while the Maximals were escaping. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} The Predacons uncovered a stash of energon crystals atop a mountain, but were forced to fight in their beast modes. Tarantulas and [[Rattrap]] fought in this manner until Megatron triggered a chain reaction which caused the energon to explode. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}}

[[Image:ChainofCommand Tarantulas firing.jpg|right|thumb|240px|These rapid-firing legs are neat, if only they could stop VIBRATING!]]
It wasn't long before Tarantulas had set up his own [[Tarantulas's lair|underground lair]] to keep his experiments away from Megatron's prying eyes. After helping [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] recover a mega-cannon, Tarantulas managed to capture [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], trapping the young Maximal in a web in his lair with the intent of feeding later. Rattrap mounted a rescue, during which the cavern caved in on Tarantulas {{storylink|The Web}} Tarantulas was blasted by Rattrap during the battle at the [[Standing Stones]], and later accompanied Megatron and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] to attack the ''Axalon'' after it appeared that [[Optimus Primal]] had perished. After the Maximals got the ship's shields back up, he suggested to Megatron that they return to the Standing Stones. Unfortunately once there, the Maximals managed to retrieve Primal from the [[Vok probe|alien probe]] at the site, and Tarantulas was one of the first victims of the restored Maximal commander. {{storylink|Chain of Command}}

Terrorsaur, his power boosted, defeated Megatron in combat before leaving Tarantulas in charge of the other Predacons. Tarantulas promptly tailed Terrorsaur to find out what his new power source was, and discovered it was a [[flying mountain]] topped with a cache of super energon. Before he could do anything with the knowledge, he encountered Rattrap, who'd come to destroy the mountain. Their fight ended with Tarantulas falling from the side of the mountain. {{storylink|Power Surge}} He subsequently took part in an attack on the Maximal base after a [[stasis pod]] crashed. While Megatron kept [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] distracted, Tarantulas and Scorponok ambushed the Maximal from behind. Unfortunately for them, Dinobot had time to activate the base defenses, and Tarantulas was blasted into the distance by the auto-guns. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}}

When the Predacons finally captured a stasis pod, Tarantulas made sure that the [[protoform]] was given a spider beast mode, creating [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]. Megatron suspected he had ulterior motives, but was nonetheless pleased by the new soldier. Tarantulas seemed happy to follow Terrorsaur when the Predacon mounted another takeover attempt with the aid of Rattrap, but spent most of his time skulking around the ''Darksyde'' in search of rats to eat. He spotted Rattrap sneaking around, but the Maximal blasted him before he could do anything. He subsequently limped back to the others to find that Megatron had reasserted his leadership. {{storylink|Double Jeopardy}} After one of Scorponok's viruses turned Primal into a berserker, the Maximal leader broke into the Predacon base and, completely ignoring Tarantulas's attempts to stop him, pinned the spider to a wall using Tarantulas's own weapon. {{storylink|Gorilla Warfare}}

[[Image:Tflocklens&tarantulas.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"Behold my latest invention... THE DISCO BALL VERSION 2.0!"]]
One of Tarantulas's many inventions, the [[transformation lock lens]], was instrumental in preventing the Maximals from contacting a [[temporal probe]] doing a flyby of the planet. He used it to ensnare [[Tigatron]] and Cheetor, then wreaked havoc with the Maximals' attempts to build a communications array, before he was finally defeated by Primal. Although his new toy was destroyed by the recovered Cheetor and Tigatron, the damage was already done, and the probe flew by uncontacted. {{storylink|The Probe}} After the Predacons discovered a Maximal spy camera in their base, they faked a mutiny and hid in a crevice. Tarantulas spent his nights being hugged like a stuffed toy by [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], and his days eating stray rats. While the Maximals repaired the ''Axalon'', the Predacons were discovered by Dinobot, and gave chase. Though they attacked the Maximal ship in an attempt to capture it, the affair ended with the ''Axalon'' crashing back to the ground. {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}} After a Maximal victory, largely due to the efforts of Rhinox, Tarantulas captured the rhino in a web on Megatron's orders, so that he could be converted into a Predacon by the [[Transmuter (BW)|Transmuter]]. In return, the new Predacon poisoned him and Blackarachnia. {{storylink|Dark Designs (episode)|Dark Designs}}

[[Image:Spider'sGame Taratulas hauling stasis pod.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Ever the engineer, Tarantulas invents the low-tech equivalent of a tow truck.]]
Tarantulas detected another stasis pod landing in [[Grid Scavos]], but Megatron refused to let him go and assist in the recovery, much to his disgust. {{storylink|The Spark}} The next time a stasis pod crashed, Tarantulas was more prepared. From his lair, he used a [[magna pulse]] to disable both the ''Darksyde'' and ''Axalon'' to allow him to investigate without interference. Unfortunately for him, Blackarachnia had found his lair, and insisted on coming along to help. At the pod, Tarantulas reprogrammed the new arrival into a Predacon, but was disappointed that a beast mode had already been chosen, and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] would not be another spider. In the confusion that followed, he made off with the real prize — the stasis pod itself. Unfortunately for him, Tigatron destroyed the pod before he could get very far, and he was forced to retreat when Megatron arrived. Later, in his lair, he inadvertently told Blackarachnia that the planet was doomed, and she realised he was intending to build an escape ship, however he threw her out before she could work out any more of his plans. {{storylink|Spider's Game}}

Tarantulas took part in a diversionary attack while Waspinator and Terrorsaur stole the Maximals' [[rectifier coil]]. After the Maximals went feral, the Predacons mounted a hunting expedition, though Tarantulas was stuck supporting the back end of Megatron's chair. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} On another occasion, Tarantulas detected what appeared to be walking energon. Megatron realised that an earlier battle had left four of the Maximals contaminated and blinded, and ordered Tarantulas to send Terrorsaur to investigate. {{storylink|Dark Voyage}} After Waspinator was possessed by the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], Tarantulas took part in the attack on the ''Axalon'', and pointed out once they'd conquered it that their own base was now undefended. Megatron's answer was to leave Starscream in charge of the ''Axalon'', a decision which would come back to bite him later. {{storylink|Possession}}

[[Image:Dinobottarantulasrattrapthelowroad.jpg|thumb|left|240px|"See? I told you I was taller than Tarantulas."]]
During an attack on the Maximal base, Tarantulas was able to infect Rhinox with an [[energon discharge virus]], though he himself was injured by Dinobot during the retreat. He was tracked by Dinobot and Rattrap, but eventually turned the tables by getting the drop on them, only to be flattened by a huge boulder. After recovering, he took advantage of their incessant arguing by trying to get the drop on them again, only to be knocked unconscious by a double punch. Finally, Dinobot attempted to use Tarantulas's body as a hostage, only for Megatron to blast it aside. Perhaps his only consolation was that he avoided the indignity of the fate that befell the rest of the Predacons. {{storylink|The Low Road}}

With the return of the [[Vok|aliens]] a certainty, Tarantulas stole a [[transwarp cell]] from the ''Darksyde'', slagging Waspinator in the process. Megatron detected the theft and used Blackarachnia as a distraction while he remotely inserted his own programming into the cell. The two spiders later took part in an attempt to prevent Tigatron from escaping the Predacon base, and were squished by a boulder Dinobot had set up. They were relatively uninjured and able to haul their damaged comrades back to the ship. {{storylink|Before the Storm}} The two spiders teamed up again, infiltrating the Maximal base and disabling Rhinox and Dinobot while the other Maximals were busy with the latest alien construct to appear. They became aware that the planet's second moon had just been revealed as an artificial, alien ''doomsday weapon'' in disguise, with Tarantulas remarking it was "the beginning of the end" for the planet. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 1}} In the cargo hold, Tarantulas used the transwarp cell and a stasis pod to construct a ship, but was interrupted by Inferno, who torched the spider. Fortunately, Blackarachnia entered Tarantulas's mind to obtain the information to complete the escape ship, and he was able to set up a permanent neural link between the two Predacons. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

[[Image:ComingFuzors1 Tarantulas lives.jpg|thumb|right|280px|A new look, and he didn't even have to [[Spider-Man|sell out]] to [[Iron Man|Tony Stark]] for it!]]
When the [[quantum surge]] caused by the "second moon's" destruction knocked out all of the Transformers on the planet, Tarantulas's body was upgraded to a [[Transmetal]] form, and he forced Blackarachnia to drag it from the Maximal base, even getting her to ignore Megatron's command to stay and fight the Maximals. {{storylink|Aftermath}} With Blackarachnia's hard work and some serious-looking electrical arc generators, Tarantulas was restored to life. Megatron soon called him to the battlefield, so he left Blackarachnia to root around in their leader's computer files: by this point, the loss of the "moon" and the damages to the planet had revealed it to be ''prehistoric Earth'' all along... {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}}

Using his new cycle mode, Tarantulas quickly reached the Maximals' position. During the fight, he kept in contact with her, until a shot by Dinobot put him temporarily out of commission. After he came around, Blackarachnia reported that she'd failed to get the data he needed. The Predacons were soon routed by the resurrection of Optimus Primal, and forced to return to base. There, Megatron and Tarantulas questioned Blackarachnia, only to be told the vital data had been lost. Neither of them believed her, but didn't call her out. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}

With his old lair destroyed by the Planet Buster, Tarantulas was fortuitous in that Megatron assigned him with Blackarachnia and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] to check out a cave filled with energon. He quickly surmised that it would make an excellent new lair, and attempted to get his two comrades interested in going it alone. Blackarachnia was more interested in getting rid of the neural link the two of them shared, and cracked an energon crystal, sending feedback through the link, to force him to sever it. By a fortunate coincidence, the three Predacons were soon attacked by [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and Rattrap, and during the battle Tarantulas was able to convincingly fake the destruction of the cave, allowing him to utilise it as his own lair. {{storylink|Tangled Web}} When Dinobot defected to the Predacon side, Tarantulas offered to verify his programming, but Megatron decided it wouldn't be a very good idea to let Tarantulas into Dinobot's processor. {{storylink|Maximal, No More}}

[[Image:OtherVisits1 Tarantulas beast mode.jpg|left|220px|thumb]]
Back in his lair, Tarantulas's instruments detected the aliens again, and he rushed off to the site. He arrived shortly after Tigatron and [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] had been abducted, and zapped Cheetor, but was forced to retreat when more Maximals arrived. He visited Megatron, claiming to no longer be under the tyrant's command, but willing to help. The Predacons returned to the alien site to set up equipment, during which Blackarachnia revealed that she had learned through the broken neural link that Tarantulas hated the aliens. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 1)}} Megatron, Quickstrike, and Tarantulas recovered quickly from the energy wave put out by the new [[Metal Hunter|alien construct]], and after Tarantulas's [[refractive web]] was activated, the trio ventured inside. Once Megatron had control of the construct, he terminated his alliance with Tarantulas, dropping the Predacon from a great height. Infuriated, Tarantulas helped the Maximals attack the construct, infiltrating it along with Rattrap, and sabotaging the transwarp cells which Megatron installed, causing the ship to explode. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 2)}}

Though a bug planted on Megatron's chair, Tarantulas learned that Blackarachnia had been sent to recover a new protoform, and took the opportunity to threaten her to try and extract the information he suspected she'd gained from Megatron's computers. Unfortunately for him, Silverbolt stepped in and defended Blackarachnia, shortly before an energon explosion separated everyone. Though Tarantulas found the stasis pod, [[Rampage (BW)|its contents]] found him, and his body parts were spread liberally over a wide area. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} Dinobot later tracked down Tarantulas in an attempt to find out what Megatron's latest scheme was. Though Tarantulas didn't know, Dinobot forced him to act as transport, and they soon found Megatron preparing to torch a valley fill of [[Protohuman]]s. Tarantulas took advantage of Dinobot's distraction to shoot the Maximal, only for Dinobot to drop a boulder on him. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}

[[Image:Agenda3 Tarantulas button push.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Tarantulas presses the History Eraser Button.]]
Alerted by the [[transwarp wavefront]], the [[Tripredacus Council]] sent covert agent [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] to capture Megatron. The former Decepticon led the Maximals to apprehend Megatron, and Tarantulas assisted by taking down the ''Darksyde''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> defense system. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}} Megatron, to his infuriation, was later informed by Ravage that the spider was a lieutenant in the Predacon Secret Police; Tarantulas joined in the diss by laughing over a comm-screen at his former boss. Tarantulas was able to instruct the Maximals in the location of a stash of energon crystals that Megatron had hidden. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} When Ravage was persuaded to change sides by the Predacon leader, Tarantulas appeared to come too, manning the [[transwarp cruiser]]'s weapons systems for an attack on the ''Axalon''. Alas, Rattrap chewed his way into the ship and tossed a couple of bombs at Tarantulas, which stuck to his hands before exploding. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}

Tarantulas survived, though, and was quickly put back together by his [[arachnoid]]s. He was repaired in time to witness the destruction of the ''Axalon''. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}} He was soon seen back at the Predacon base, working under Megatron's command once again with no mention of his former secession. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}} However, around this time he was also working on another scheme: restoring the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the flagship of the [[Decepticon]] fleet! At some point, he'd found it lying at the bottom of the ocean, and was ensuring it would not only fly again but had a Predacon control console and a transwarp cell that could take it back to Cybertron... {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

He battled the Maximals alongside Megatron's [[cyber raptor]]s, taking the opportunity to try out his new Transmetal [[cyber venom]] to great success, though he was stomped on by a cyber raptor once the Maximals worked out how to destroy their controls. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}} He assisted in the construction of Megatron's [[disruptor cannon]], suggesting that they abduct an early human to complete the device when the other Predacons were unable to get too close to it due to the unstable power source. While the cannon was completed by [[Una]], she managed to use her knowledge of levers to tip a piece of heavy equipment on him. Though he survived that, Una had taken the cannon's stablizer crystal, and it exploded in the Predacons' faces when they tried to use it. {{storylink|Go with the Flow}}

[[Image:CrossingRubicon Tarantulas fires on Silverbolt.jpg|thumb|left|260px|Rapid-firing legs are out. Rapid-firing shoulders are totally IN these days.]]
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]], utilising his latest invention to allow Quickstrike to take control of Optimus Primal... and ''that'' was when he made his move, at last. He manipulated [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] into throwing Megatron into the nearby lava while he himself set the Ark's engines to overload. 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}} This appears to have ''not'' been what Quickstrike thought he was going to do, and neither he nor Megatron had any idea why he'd planned to destroy the whole Ark.

[[Image:TarantulasVok SignOfTheCross.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"Save me, X-Men!"]]

Tarantulas was left ranting in his lair about how the Tripredacus Council's plans were wrecked, while his systems monitored the ''Nemesis'' (which was finished by this point). However, his rant and Nemesis plans were interrupted when the aliens (now revealed to be called the [[Vok]]) sent their emissary [[Tigerhawk]] arrived on Earth. Tarantulas let him take out the Predacons, then used his arachnoids 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, and then have him obliterate the Ark: he cheerfully told the emissary that as he nor the Council had Autobot or Decepticon origins, they'd survive the resulting timestorm, turn Cybertron into a universe-conquering force, and one day even conquer the Vok themselves!

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 made a religious sign to ward them off and then 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}}

Megatron knew that Tarantulas must have had some schemes on the go that the Predacons could pick up and use, and had his men search the ruins of Tarantulas's lair. During this, he offhandedly referred to him as "[[Unicron's Spawn]]". He ended up discovering and using the working ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Wars Diorama Story''====
[[Image:BWDiorama Motorarm Tarantulas.jpg|thumb|A ravenous, sinister fiend... and Tarantulas.]]
Sometime after Starscream's arrival to prehistoric Earth, Tarantulas was confronted in battle by a time-displaced [[Motorarm (BWII)|Motorarm]], who fended off the Predacon with his Beetle Claw attack. Tarantulas was not present when the Autobots from [[Movie (franchise)|another universe]] and Maximals combined all of their energies to attack a team of Predacons and Decepticons. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Motorarm Chapter}}
{{-}}

====3H comics====
Tarantulas is the inventor of the [[mind-drill]]. [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] "borrowed" it from him to get information out of [[Antagony]]. {{storylink|Herald, Covenant, Schism, Paradox|Herald}}

[[Image:PrimevalDawn2-TarantulasMatrix.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Further proving the maxim: "If you want to steal the Matrix, you basically can."]]
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}}

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 triumphantly ripped the [[Matrix of Leadership]] from Primal Prime's chest. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 2}}

Wounded critically, the Maximals withdrew to the Ark, while Tarantulas and his Predacons returned to his lair, where he directed them in the construction of a transwarp portal. Upon completion, Tarantulas planned to bring his stolen prize to his master, Unicron. Since his troops were getting restless, he promised them they could assault the Ark once they finished construction. Tarantulas was true to his word, and as Ravage led the Predacons against the Maximals, Unicron's spawn tried to stabilize the portal and prepared the Matrix for transport. {{storylink|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, the Maximals were triumphant and used Tarantulas's portal to return home to Cybertron, and that Tarantulas somehow fled to Unicron.}}

[[Image:Escape-Tarantulas.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Basically I just never die.]]

A year after the [[Great Reformatting]], the influence of [[Unicron]] swayed [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] to the side of darkness. As she was escorted by [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] and [[Reptilion]] into the heart of the Chaos Bringer, she was surprised to see Tarantulas (still in his undead body) greet her as she joined the ranks of the [[Minion of Unicron|Minions of Unicron]]. She hissed with disgust, while Tarantulas noted that it was just like old times. {{storylink|Escape (issue)|Escape}}

Tarantulas had learned that [[Alpha Trion]] had been assembling the [[Children of Primus]] to counter Unicron's Minions, and so he sent Blackarachnia on a mission to Cybertron to sever the link between the Transformers and [[Primus]] by invading [[Vector Sigma]]'s chamber and destroying Alpha Trion. He gave Blackarachnia a swarm of [[Piranacon (Universe)|Piranacons]] and directions to the chamber through a structural weakpoint near the [[Rust Sea]]. {{storylink|Homecoming (issue)|Homecoming}}
{{-}}

====A Meeting of Minds====
{{note|This story takes place immediately after "[[Master Blaster]]."}}

The [[Megatron (G1)|original Megatron]], now inside the mind of [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], berated the Predacon leader's failures—in particular, being led astray time and again by such treacherous subordinates as Tarantulas. {{storylink|A Meeting of Minds}}

===''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!!}}

===Fire in the Dark===
When [[human]] archaeologists uncovered a cave filled with primitive language, [[Mini-Con]] [[Laserbeak (Armada)|Laserbeak]] translated it for them. The markings told of a time when the Maximals and Predacons crashlanded on prehistoric Earth, though the stranded Transformers were seen by the protohumans as gods. The "spider-god" and the "[[Waspinator (BW)|wasp-god]]," under instruction from their leader, enslaved the humans for the purposes of excavating "glowing rose crystals." Eventually, the Maximals came and freed the humans. {{storylink|Fire in the Dark}}

===IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics===
Tarantulas programmed the Predacons' mobile fortress, the [[Arachnid]], utilizing his own personality programs to give it some form of sentience, accompanied by Tarantulas's own tendency for cruelty.{{storylink|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}

==Games==
===''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game===
:''Voice actor'': ?
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the first season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
[[Image:BWgameUK-Tarantulas.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Some great dialog there, Tarry.]]
Upon arriving on prehistoric Earth, the dangers of Energon radiation forced the Maximals and Predacons to take on beast alternate forms. Tarantulas picked up a tarantula in his palm and scanned it. Soon, Tarantulas spotted [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] moving in on the Predacons' crash site. Swearing revenge, Tarantulas transformed and attacked, and threatened to skin the Maximal alive. {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers video game advertising comic}}
{{Note|Tarantulas is a playable character in the Predacon mode of this game for normal gameplay.}}
[[Image:BeastWarsPSX-Tarantulasstats.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Sadly, there's no Eat Cheetor level.]]

All of the Beast Wars combatants had managed to construct personal bases, customized to their personal tastes, due to the extended duration of the war. Tarantulas overtook Rhinox's base and reprogrammed its defenses, prompting the Maximals to retake it.Tarantulas warred against both the Maximals and the evil extra-dimensional aliens dubbed the [[Skriix]].
{{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)}}
{{Note|Due to the nature of this game, a player may select various individual characters to perform the feats required in every level, and complete the game's narrative. Thus, any playable Maximal can fill the role of protagonist in Maximal Mode, and any playable Predacon can fill the role of protagonist in Predacon Mode. As such, each character's page only lists said character's actions when they fill the role of antagonist during gameplay. To view the various feats Tarantulas can accomplish throughout gameplay in Predacon Mode, it is told on the pages of the [[Optimus Primal|several]] [[Cheetor (BW)|Maximals]] [[Rattrap|included]] [[Dinobot (BW)|as]] [[Rhinox|opponents]] in this game, as well as the game's main antagonists, the [[Skriix]], wherein Tarantulas fills the role of the nameless Predacon. To view the plot as a whole view the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)]] page.}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals'' video game===
[[Image:N64Tarantulas.jpg|thumb|300px|Arboreal Camouflage Tarantulas? Blue Crusader Tarantulas?]]
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the second season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
:''Voice Actor:'' [[Alec Willows]] (English), ??? (Japanese)

Tarantulas found a way to escape prehistoric Earth and return to Cybertron. The Beast Wars progressed in his absence for a time...

[[Image:N64_Tarantulus.jpg|frame|left|Player 2 Has Entered His Stomach. Continue?]]Then he came back, newly promoted and with an armada of Transwarp battleships under his command, out to end the Beast Wars and enforce the Tripredacus Council's will... {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (N64)|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals}}
{{note|Each character possessed an alternate ending, displayed if the Nintendo 64 game was beaten with said character. Each character has only their own ending listed on their pages, see the other characters' pages for Tarantulas's fate in those outcomes.}}
{{-}}

===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle'' video game===
[[Image:DuelFight_Tarantulas.gif|thumb|left|200px|]]
Megatron was capable of summoning Tarantulas forth to the battlefield during his attempts to acquire the super-powerful [[energon crystal]]. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle}}
{{--}}

{{-}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
[[Image:BWtoy-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Hey, guess who's going to be [[redeco]]ed into a hot girl?]]
*'''Tarantulas''' (Deluxe, 1996/1997)
** ''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-4'''
**''Accessories'': Launcher, 4 spider-leg missiles

: Part of the first wave of [[Beast Wars (toyline)|''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)#Toys|Blackarachnia toy]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Predacon/Tarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|VsDinobot}}
[[Image:VS4-DinobotTarantuas.jpg|right|300px|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.

{{-}}{{anchor|Transmetal}}
[[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 Deluxe [[Transmetal]]s, 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.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Predacon/Tarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Transmetal Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|FKTransmetal}}
[[Image:Tarantulas-FKTM.jpg|right|300px|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)/toys|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.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1999/Predacon/FKTMTarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Fox Kids Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===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.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1997/Maximal/Orcanoch/orcanoch.htm More information on MicroVerse Tarantulas (via Orchanoch) at TFU.info]

{{-}}
===Beast Wars 10th Anniversary===
[[Image:BWXtoy-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|300px|He's not here to help assemble [[Transmutate]]. That leg's his dinner.]]
*'''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|''Beast Wars'' 10th Anniversary product]], he came with a DVD of the episode "[[Spider's Game]]," plus the left leg to [[Trans-Mutate]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Predacon/PredaconTarantulas/predacontarantulas.htm More information on 10th Anniversary Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{--}}

==Merchandise==
* '''Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game''' (1997)
:Tarantulas was one of the 24 beast warriors to receive a battle card representation for the Beast Wars [[Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game|card game]].

===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Robotheroestarantulasprimal.jpg|right|300px|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 toyline)|Universe]]'' ''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|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/toys|Optimus Primal]] (amusingly enough, the [[Maximal]] he also came with in the ''[[MicroVerse]]'' [[Orcanoch]] playset).

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Predacon/RHTarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Robot Heroes Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:BWcommercial-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Not terribly appealing.]]
* Tarantulas is referred to as simply "Tarantula" in the [[commercial]] advertising his toy. This commercial and also 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)/toys|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.

[[Image:TarantulasArm.jpg|right|150px|thumb|He tastes everything he holds.]]

* 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.

* 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.

* Tarantulas's toy bios paint him as a really dumb ninja-like stealth assassin. Both of his [[Tech Spec]]s give him an intelligence of 4, even the numbers that accompany his ''Transmetals'' bio which mentions the cartoon's [[quantum surge]].

* In the first season, Tarantulas is characterized more as a cannibalistic, psychotic gourmand who happens to be the Predacons' Science Officer than as the mad scientist and master plotter he becomes from "[[Spider's Game]]" 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.

* 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:OptimalSituation Tarantulas insignia.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Tarantulas is one of Reprolabels's best customers.]]
* From "[[Optimal Situation]]" onwards, the [[Arachnoid]]s sport a Tarantulas-themed insignia.
[[Image:TMtigatronboxback2.jpg|thumb|right|Pew! Pew!]]
* 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 Larry DiTillio's take on Tarantulas origins! at alt.toys.transformers]</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. 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, initially written by... Bob Forward.

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

* Tarantulas is probably the only [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Minion of Unicron]] who avoided being labeled a [[Decepticon]].

* From what can be observed from art on the back of Transmetal Tigatron's packaging, Tarantulas's vok-enhanced abilities include levitating and firing energy beams from his eye(s?) in robot mode. Neat!

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Wars Predacons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[Category:Double agents]]
[[Category:Ninjas]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:Security officers]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Toys "R" Us exclusives]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Unicron-related characters]]
[[Category:Universe Predacons]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]

Tarantulas (BW)

2010-12-28T17:39:35Z

201.120.10.163: /* Beast Wars cartoon */

{{factions|predacon|unicron}}
{{disambig2|the Predacon from Beast Wars|the Decepticon from Transformers Animated|Tarantulas (Animated)}}
{{featured}}
:''Tarantulas is a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] from the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]. He is sometimes known as '''Tarantulus'''.''

[[Image:Tarantulasbw.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[BotCon 2000|"And fries! Lots of FRIES!"]]]]

'''Tarantulas''' is the scheming mad scientist of the Predacon crew. He's 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. The eating is what he was really looking forward to, anyway. It's this focused perversity that turns off even his fellow Predacons. Tarantulas's emotional detachment from their war also rubs his peers the wrong way. Fighting Maximals and following orders is just a required chore; his real passion is the unmentionable projects stashed in [[Tarantulas's lair|his "secret" lair]].

Nominally, Tarantulas 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, 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]]. Who knows what other [[Unicron|dark secrets]] lie in his past.

If anything upsets Tarantulas, other than losing a potential meal, it's those pompous aliens who call themselves the [[Vok]]. He harbors a hatred for them strong enough to make him work to eliminate them by any means.

{{bigquote|You're ''insane.''|[[Tigerhawk]], opinions on Tarantulas}}
{{bigquote|So they ''saa''-aay! Wbrrwbrrbbppth!|Tarantulas, ignoring public opinion|"[[Other Victories]]"}}

:''Japanese name:'' '''Tarans''' (タランス ''Taransu'')
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Jr-jū''' (蜘蛛, "Spider"), '''Húng Jr-jū''' (紅蜘蛛, "Red Spider")
:''Chinese name (Mainland):'''''Láng-Zhū''' (狼蛛，tarantula)
:''Italian name:'' '''Metal Tarantulas''' (Transmetal)
:''Polish name:'' '''Tarantulator'''
:''Brazilian name:'' '''Tarântulos'''

==Fiction==
===First wave toy bios===
[[Image:PrimalVSMegs-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Why Megatron, I do believe you're trying to seduce m-- oh, hey, [[Razorbeast]].]]
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|#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!}}

{{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====
[[Image:TheftOfGoldenDisk-Tarantulas.jpg|left|thumb|300px|What y'wanna do? Wanna be hackers? Code crackers? Slackers? Wastin' time with all the chatroom yakkers? WHAT?]]
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}}

====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}}
{{-}}
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Alec Willows]] (English), [[Yūichi Nagashima]] (Japanese), [[Fábio Vilalonga]] (Portuguese), [[Riccardo Peroni]] (Italian), [[Hervé Joly]] (French), [[Lutz Harder]] (German), [[Humberto Vélez]] (Latin American Spanish)

Lieutenant Tarantulas of the [[Predacon Secret Police]] was one of Megatron's original crew, a mole inside his organisation feeding information back to the [[Tripredacus Council]] without his knowledge. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} More than that, he was a ''direct'' agent of the Council and shared their origins, with an overall agenda to alter the timeline by going back to prehistoric Earth and completely destroying the [[Ark (G1)|''Ark'' and the Transformers within]]. {{storylink|Other Victories}} The plan went tits up though, as Megatron's ''Darksyde'' warship ended up crashing on an unidentified planet and contact with Cybertron as last. Tarantulas carried on as normal despite this setback.

[[Image:TheWeb Tarantulas beast mode.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Not arachnophobic, eh? I can fix that.]]
As Megatron's technical leader, he manned the scanners to appropriate beast forms based on the most powerful local creatures, choosing the form of an oversized spider for himself. He cheerfully took part in the first battle of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]], only to succumb to energon buildup while the Maximals were escaping. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} The Predacons uncovered a stash of energon crystals atop a mountain, but were forced to fight in their beast modes. Tarantulas and [[Rattrap]] fought in this manner until Megatron triggered a chain reaction which caused the energon to explode. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}}

[[Image:ChainofCommand Tarantulas firing.jpg|right|thumb|240px|These rapid-firing legs are neat, if only they could stop VIBRATING!]]
It wasn't long before Tarantulas had set up his own [[Tarantulas's lair|underground lair]] to keep his experiments away from Megatron's prying eyes. After helping [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] recover a mega-cannon, Tarantulas managed to capture [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], trapping the young Maximal in a web in his lair with the intent of feeding later. Rattrap mounted a rescue, during which the cavern caved in on Tarantulas {{storylink|The Web}} Tarantulas was blasted by Rattrap during the battle at the [[Standing Stones]], and later accompanied Megatron and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] to attack the ''Axalon'' after it appeared that [[Optimus Primal]] had perished. After the Maximals got the ship's shields back up, he suggested to Megatron that they return to the Standing Stones. Unfortunately once there, the Maximals managed to retrieve Primal from the [[Vok probe|alien probe]] at the site, and Tarantulas was one of the first victims of the restored Maximal commander. {{storylink|Chain of Command}}

Terrorsaur, his power boosted, defeated Megatron in combat before leaving Tarantulas in charge of the other Predacons. Tarantulas promptly tailed Terrorsaur to find out what his new power source was, and discovered it was a [[flying mountain]] topped with a cache of super energon. Before he could do anything with the knowledge, he encountered Rattrap, who'd come to destroy the mountain. Their fight ended with Tarantulas falling from the side of the mountain. {{storylink|Power Surge}} He subsequently took part in an attack on the Maximal base after a [[stasis pod]] crashed. While Megatron kept [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] distracted, Tarantulas and Scorponok ambushed the Maximal from behind. Unfortunately for them, Dinobot had time to activate the base defenses, and Tarantulas was blasted into the distance by the auto-guns. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}}

When the Predacons finally captured a stasis pod, Tarantulas made sure that the [[protoform]] was given a spider beast mode, creating [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]. Megatron suspected he had ulterior motives, but was nonetheless pleased by the new soldier. Tarantulas seemed happy to follow Terrorsaur when the Predacon mounted another takeover attempt with the aid of Rattrap, but spent most of his time skulking around the ''Darksyde'' in search of rats to eat. He spotted Rattrap sneaking around, but the Maximal blasted him before he could do anything. He subsequently limped back to the others to find that Megatron had reasserted his leadership. {{storylink|Double Jeopardy}} After one of Scorponok's viruses turned Primal into a berserker, the Maximal leader broke into the Predacon base and, completely ignoring Tarantulas's attempts to stop him, pinned the spider to a wall using Tarantulas's own weapon. {{storylink|Gorilla Warfare}}

[[Image:Tflocklens&tarantulas.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"Behold my latest invention... THE DISCO BALL VERSION 2.0!"]]
One of Tarantulas's many inventions, the [[transformation lock lens]], was instrumental in preventing the Maximals from contacting a [[temporal probe]] doing a flyby of the planet. He used it to ensnare [[Tigatron]] and Cheetor, then wreaked havoc with the Maximals' attempts to build a communications array, before he was finally defeated by Primal. Although his new toy was destroyed by the recovered Cheetor and Tigatron, the damage was already done, and the probe flew by uncontacted. {{storylink|The Probe}} After the Predacons discovered a Maximal spy camera in their base, they faked a mutiny and hid in a crevice. Tarantulas spent his nights being hugged like a stuffed toy by [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], and his days eating stray rats. While the Maximals repaired the ''Axalon'', the Predacons were discovered by Dinobot, and gave chase. Though they attacked the Maximal ship in an attempt to capture it, the affair ended with the ''Axalon'' crashing back to the ground. {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}} After a Maximal victory, largely due to the efforts of Rhinox, Tarantulas captured the rhino in a web on Megatron's orders, so that he could be converted into a Predacon by the [[Transmuter (BW)|Transmuter]]. In return, the new Predacon poisoned him and Blackarachnia. {{storylink|Dark Designs (episode)|Dark Designs}}

[[Image:Spider'sGame Taratulas hauling stasis pod.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Ever the engineer, Tarantulas invents the low-tech equivalent of a tow truck.]]
Tarantulas detected another stasis pod landing in [[Grid Scavos]], but Megatron refused to let him go and assist in the recovery, much to his disgust. {{storylink|The Spark}} The next time a stasis pod crashed, Tarantulas was more prepared. From his lair, he used a [[magna pulse]] to disable both the ''Darksyde'' and ''Axalon'' to allow him to investigate without interference. Unfortunately for him, Blackarachnia had found his lair, and insisted on coming along to help. At the pod, Tarantulas reprogrammed the new arrival into a Predacon, but was disappointed that a beast mode had already been chosen, and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] would not be another spider. In the confusion that followed, he made off with the real prize — the stasis pod itself. Unfortunately for him, Tigatron destroyed the pod before he could get very far, and he was forced to retreat when Megatron arrived. Later, in his lair, he inadvertently told Blackarachnia that the planet was doomed, and she realised he was intending to build an escape ship, however he threw her out before she could work out any more of his plans. {{storylink|Spider's Game}}

Tarantulas took part in a diversionary attack while Waspinator and Terrorsaur stole the Maximals' [[rectifier coil]]. After the Maximals went feral, the Predacons mounted a hunting expedition, though Tarantulas was stuck supporting the back end of Megatron's chair. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} On another occasion, Tarantulas detected what appeared to be walking energon. Megatron realised that an earlier battle had left four of the Maximals contaminated and blinded, and ordered Tarantulas to send Terrorsaur to investigate. {{storylink|Dark Voyage}} After Waspinator was possessed by the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], Tarantulas took part in the attack on the ''Axalon'', and pointed out once they'd conquered it that their own base was now undefended. Megatron's answer was to leave Starscream in charge of the ''Axalon'', a decision which would come back to bite him later. {{storylink|Possession}}

[[Image:Dinobottarantulasrattrapthelowroad.jpg|thumb|left|240px|"See? I told you I was taller than Tarantulas."]]
During an attack on the Maximal base, Tarantulas was able to infect Rhinox with an [[energon discharge virus]], though he himself was injured by Dinobot during the retreat. He was tracked by Dinobot and Rattrap, but eventually turned the tables by getting the drop on them, only to be flattened by a huge boulder. After recovering, he took advantage of their incessant arguing by trying to get the drop on them again, only to be knocked unconscious by a double punch. Finally, Dinobot attempted to use Tarantulas's body as a hostage, only for Megatron to blast it aside. Perhaps his only consolation was that he avoided the indignity of the fate that befell the rest of the Predacons. {{storylink|The Low Road}}

With the return of the [[Vok|aliens]] a certainty, Tarantulas stole a [[transwarp cell]] from the ''Darksyde'', slagging Waspinator in the process. Megatron detected the theft and used Blackarachnia as a distraction while he remotely inserted his own programming into the cell. The two spiders later took part in an attempt to prevent Tigatron from escaping the Predacon base, and were squished by a boulder Dinobot had set up. They were relatively uninjured and able to haul their damaged comrades back to the ship. {{storylink|Before the Storm}} The two spiders teamed up again, infiltrating the Maximal base and disabling Rhinox and Dinobot while the other Maximals were busy with the latest alien construct to appear. They became aware that the planet's second moon had just been revealed as an artificial, alien ''doomsday weapon'' in disguise, with Tarantulas remarking it was "the beginning of the end" for the planet. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 1}} In the cargo hold, Tarantulas used the transwarp cell and a stasis pod to construct a ship, but was interrupted by Inferno, who torched the spider. Fortunately, Blackarachnia entered Tarantulas's mind to obtain the information to complete the escape ship, and he was able to set up a permanent neural link between the two Predacons. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

[[Image:ComingFuzors1 Tarantulas lives.jpg|thumb|right|280px|A new look, and he didn't even have to [[Spider-Man|sell out]] to [[Iron Man|Tony Stark]] for it!]]
When the [[quantum surge]] caused by the "second moon's" destruction knocked out all of the Transformers on the planet, Tarantulas's body was upgraded to a [[Transmetal]] form, and he forced Blackarachnia to drag it from the Maximal base, even getting her to ignore Megatron's command to stay and fight the Maximals. {{storylink|Aftermath}} With Blackarachnia's hard work and some serious-looking electrical arc generators, Tarantulas was restored to life. Megatron soon called him to the battlefield, so he left Blackarachnia to root around in their leader's computer files: by this point, the loss of the "moon" and the damages to the planet had revealed it to be ''prehistoric Earth'' all along... {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}}

Using his new cycle mode, Tarantulas quickly reached the Maximals' position. During the fight, he kept in contact with her, until a shot by Dinobot put him temporarily out of commission. After he came around, Blackarachnia reported that she'd failed to get the data he needed. The Predacons were soon routed by the resurrection of Optimus Primal, and forced to return to base. There, Megatron and Tarantulas questioned Blackarachnia, only to be told the vital data had been lost. Neither of them believed her, but didn't call her out. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}

With his old lair destroyed by the Planet Buster, Tarantulas was fortuitous in that Megatron assigned him with Blackarachnia and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] to check out a cave filled with energon. He quickly surmised that it would make an excellent new lair, and attempted to get his two comrades interested in going it alone. Blackarachnia was more interested in getting rid of the neural link the two of them shared, and cracked an energon crystal, sending feedback through the link, to force him to sever it. By a fortunate coincidence, the three Predacons were soon attacked by [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and Rattrap, and during the battle Tarantulas was able to convincingly fake the destruction of the cave, allowing him to utilise it as his own lair. {{storylink|Tangled Web}} When Dinobot defected to the Predacon side, Tarantulas offered to verify his programming, but Megatron decided it wouldn't be a very good idea to let Tarantulas into Dinobot's processor. {{storylink|Maximal, No More}}

[[Image:OtherVisits1 Tarantulas beast mode.jpg|left|220px|thumb]]
Back in his lair, Tarantulas's instruments detected the aliens again, and he rushed off to the site. He arrived shortly after Tigatron and [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] had been abducted, and zapped Cheetor, but was forced to retreat when more Maximals arrived. He visited Megatron, claiming to no longer be under the tyrant's command, but willing to help. The Predacons returned to the alien site to set up equipment, during which Blackarachnia revealed that she had learned through the broken neural link that Tarantulas hated the aliens. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 1)}} Megatron, Quickstrike, and Tarantulas recovered quickly from the energy wave put out by the new [[Metal Hunter|alien construct]], and after Tarantulas's [[refractive web]] was activated, the trio ventured inside. Once Megatron had control of the construct, he terminated his alliance with Tarantulas, dropping the Predacon from a great height. Infuriated, Tarantulas helped the Maximals attack the construct, infiltrating it along with Rattrap, and sabotaging the transwarp cells which Megatron installed, causing the ship to explode. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 2)}}

Though a bug planted on Megatron's chair, Tarantulas learned that Blackarachnia had been sent to recover a new protoform, and took the opportunity to threaten her to try and extract the information he suspected she'd gained from Megatron's computers. Unfortunately for him, Silverbolt stepped in and defended Blackarachnia, shortly before an energon explosion separated everyone. Though Tarantulas found the stasis pod, [[Rampage (BW)|its contents]] found him, and his body parts were spread liberally over a wide area. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} Dinobot later tracked down Tarantulas in an attempt to find out what Megatron's latest scheme was. Though Tarantulas didn't know, Dinobot forced him to act as transport, and they soon found Megatron preparing to torch a valley fill of [[Protohuman]]s. Tarantulas took advantage of Dinobot's distraction to shoot the Maximal, only for Dinobot to drop a boulder on him. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}

[[Image:Agenda3 Tarantulas button push.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Tarantulas presses the History Eraser Button.]]
Alerted by the [[transwarp wavefront]], the [[Tripredacus Council]] sent covert agent [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] to capture Megatron. The former Decepticon led the Maximals to apprehend Megatron, and Tarantulas assisted by taking down the ''Darksyde''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> defense system. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}} Megatron, to his infuriation, was later informed by Ravage that the spider was a lieutenant in the Predacon Secret Police; Tarantulas joined in the diss by laughing over a comm-screen at his former boss. Tarantulas was able to instruct the Maximals in the location of a stash of energon crystals that Megatron had hidden. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} When Ravage was persuaded to change sides by the Predacon leader, Tarantulas appeared to come too, manning the [[transwarp cruiser]]'s weapons systems for an attack on the ''Axalon''. Alas, Rattrap chewed his way into the ship and tossed a couple of bombs at Tarantulas, which stuck to his hands before exploding. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}

Tarantulas survived, though, and was quickly put back together by his [[arachnoid]]s. He was repaired in time to witness the destruction of the ''Axalon''. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}} He was soon seen back at the Predacon base, working under Megatron's command once again with no mention of his former secession. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}} However, around this time he was also working on another scheme: restoring the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the flagship of the [[Decepticon]] fleet! At some point, he'd found it lying at the bottom of the ocean, and was ensuring it would not only fly again but had a Predacon control console and a transwarp cell that could take it back to Cybertron... {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

He battled the Maximals alongside Megatron's [[cyber raptor]]s, taking the opportunity to try out his new Transmetal [[cyber venom]] to great success, though he was stomped on by a cyber raptor once the Maximals worked out how to destroy their controls. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}} He assisted in the construction of Megatron's [[disruptor cannon]], suggesting that they abduct an early human to complete the device when the other Predacons were unable to get too close to it due to the unstable power source. While the cannon was completed by [[Una]], she managed to use her knowledge of levers to tip a piece of heavy equipment on him. Though he survived that, Una had taken the cannon's stablizer crystal, and it exploded in the Predacons' faces when they tried to use it. {{storylink|Go with the Flow}}

[[Image:CrossingRubicon Tarantulas fires on Silverbolt.jpg|thumb|left|260px]]
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]], utilising his latest invention to allow Quickstrike to take control of Optimus Primal... and ''that'' was when he made his move, at last. He manipulated [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] into throwing Megatron into the nearby lava while he himself set the Ark's engines to overload. 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}} This appears to have ''not'' been what Quickstrike thought he was going to do, and neither he nor Megatron had any idea why he'd planned to destroy the whole Ark.

[[Image:TarantulasVok SignOfTheCross.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"Save me, X-Men!"]]

Tarantulas was left ranting in his lair about how the Tripredacus Council's plans were wrecked, while his systems monitored the ''Nemesis'' (which was finished by this point). However, his rant and Nemesis plans were interrupted when the aliens (now revealed to be called the [[Vok]]) sent their emissary [[Tigerhawk]] arrived on Earth. Tarantulas let him take out the Predacons, then used his arachnoids 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, and then have him obliterate the Ark: he cheerfully told the emissary that as he nor the Council had Autobot or Decepticon origins, they'd survive the resulting timestorm, turn Cybertron into a universe-conquering force, and one day even conquer the Vok themselves!

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 made a religious sign to ward them off and then 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}}

Megatron knew that Tarantulas must have had some schemes on the go that the Predacons could pick up and use, and had his men search the ruins of Tarantulas's lair. During this, he offhandedly referred to him as "[[Unicron's Spawn]]". He ended up discovering and using the working ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Wars Diorama Story''====
[[Image:BWDiorama Motorarm Tarantulas.jpg|thumb|A ravenous, sinister fiend... and Tarantulas.]]
Sometime after Starscream's arrival to prehistoric Earth, Tarantulas was confronted in battle by a time-displaced [[Motorarm (BWII)|Motorarm]], who fended off the Predacon with his Beetle Claw attack. Tarantulas was not present when the Autobots from [[Movie (franchise)|another universe]] and Maximals combined all of their energies to attack a team of Predacons and Decepticons. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Motorarm Chapter}}
{{-}}

====3H comics====
Tarantulas is the inventor of the [[mind-drill]]. [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] "borrowed" it from him to get information out of [[Antagony]]. {{storylink|Herald, Covenant, Schism, Paradox|Herald}}

[[Image:PrimevalDawn2-TarantulasMatrix.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Further proving the maxim: "If you want to steal the Matrix, you basically can."]]
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}}

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 triumphantly ripped the [[Matrix of Leadership]] from Primal Prime's chest. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 2}}

Wounded critically, the Maximals withdrew to the Ark, while Tarantulas and his Predacons returned to his lair, where he directed them in the construction of a transwarp portal. Upon completion, Tarantulas planned to bring his stolen prize to his master, Unicron. Since his troops were getting restless, he promised them they could assault the Ark once they finished construction. Tarantulas was true to his word, and as Ravage led the Predacons against the Maximals, Unicron's spawn tried to stabilize the portal and prepared the Matrix for transport. {{storylink|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, the Maximals were triumphant and used Tarantulas's portal to return home to Cybertron, and that Tarantulas somehow fled to Unicron.}}

[[Image:Escape-Tarantulas.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Basically I just never die.]]

A year after the [[Great Reformatting]], the influence of [[Unicron]] swayed [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] to the side of darkness. As she was escorted by [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] and [[Reptilion]] into the heart of the Chaos Bringer, she was surprised to see Tarantulas (still in his undead body) greet her as she joined the ranks of the [[Minion of Unicron|Minions of Unicron]]. She hissed with disgust, while Tarantulas noted that it was just like old times. {{storylink|Escape (issue)|Escape}}

Tarantulas had learned that [[Alpha Trion]] had been assembling the [[Children of Primus]] to counter Unicron's Minions, and so he sent Blackarachnia on a mission to Cybertron to sever the link between the Transformers and [[Primus]] by invading [[Vector Sigma]]'s chamber and destroying Alpha Trion. He gave Blackarachnia a swarm of [[Piranacon (Universe)|Piranacons]] and directions to the chamber through a structural weakpoint near the [[Rust Sea]]. {{storylink|Homecoming (issue)|Homecoming}}
{{-}}

====A Meeting of Minds====
{{note|This story takes place immediately after "[[Master Blaster]]."}}

The [[Megatron (G1)|original Megatron]], now inside the mind of [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], berated the Predacon leader's failures—in particular, being led astray time and again by such treacherous subordinates as Tarantulas. {{storylink|A Meeting of Minds}}

===''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!!}}

===Fire in the Dark===
When [[human]] archaeologists uncovered a cave filled with primitive language, [[Mini-Con]] [[Laserbeak (Armada)|Laserbeak]] translated it for them. The markings told of a time when the Maximals and Predacons crashlanded on prehistoric Earth, though the stranded Transformers were seen by the protohumans as gods. The "spider-god" and the "[[Waspinator (BW)|wasp-god]]," under instruction from their leader, enslaved the humans for the purposes of excavating "glowing rose crystals." Eventually, the Maximals came and freed the humans. {{storylink|Fire in the Dark}}

===IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics===
Tarantulas programmed the Predacons' mobile fortress, the [[Arachnid]], utilizing his own personality programs to give it some form of sentience, accompanied by Tarantulas's own tendency for cruelty.{{storylink|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}

==Games==
===''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game===
:''Voice actor'': ?
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the first season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
[[Image:BWgameUK-Tarantulas.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Some great dialog there, Tarry.]]
Upon arriving on prehistoric Earth, the dangers of Energon radiation forced the Maximals and Predacons to take on beast alternate forms. Tarantulas picked up a tarantula in his palm and scanned it. Soon, Tarantulas spotted [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] moving in on the Predacons' crash site. Swearing revenge, Tarantulas transformed and attacked, and threatened to skin the Maximal alive. {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers video game advertising comic}}
{{Note|Tarantulas is a playable character in the Predacon mode of this game for normal gameplay.}}
[[Image:BeastWarsPSX-Tarantulasstats.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Sadly, there's no Eat Cheetor level.]]

All of the Beast Wars combatants had managed to construct personal bases, customized to their personal tastes, due to the extended duration of the war. Tarantulas overtook Rhinox's base and reprogrammed its defenses, prompting the Maximals to retake it.Tarantulas warred against both the Maximals and the evil extra-dimensional aliens dubbed the [[Skriix]].
{{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)}}
{{Note|Due to the nature of this game, a player may select various individual characters to perform the feats required in every level, and complete the game's narrative. Thus, any playable Maximal can fill the role of protagonist in Maximal Mode, and any playable Predacon can fill the role of protagonist in Predacon Mode. As such, each character's page only lists said character's actions when they fill the role of antagonist during gameplay. To view the various feats Tarantulas can accomplish throughout gameplay in Predacon Mode, it is told on the pages of the [[Optimus Primal|several]] [[Cheetor (BW)|Maximals]] [[Rattrap|included]] [[Dinobot (BW)|as]] [[Rhinox|opponents]] in this game, as well as the game's main antagonists, the [[Skriix]], wherein Tarantulas fills the role of the nameless Predacon. To view the plot as a whole view the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)]] page.}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals'' video game===
[[Image:N64Tarantulas.jpg|thumb|300px|Arboreal Camouflage Tarantulas? Blue Crusader Tarantulas?]]
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the second season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
:''Voice Actor:'' [[Alec Willows]] (English), ??? (Japanese)

Tarantulas found a way to escape prehistoric Earth and return to Cybertron. The Beast Wars progressed in his absence for a time...

[[Image:N64_Tarantulus.jpg|frame|left|Player 2 Has Entered His Stomach. Continue?]]Then he came back, newly promoted and with an armada of Transwarp battleships under his command, out to end the Beast Wars and enforce the Tripredacus Council's will... {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (N64)|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals}}
{{note|Each character possessed an alternate ending, displayed if the Nintendo 64 game was beaten with said character. Each character has only their own ending listed on their pages, see the other characters' pages for Tarantulas's fate in those outcomes.}}
{{-}}

===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle'' video game===
[[Image:DuelFight_Tarantulas.gif|thumb|left|200px|]]
Megatron was capable of summoning Tarantulas forth to the battlefield during his attempts to acquire the super-powerful [[energon crystal]]. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle}}
{{--}}

{{-}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
[[Image:BWtoy-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Hey, guess who's going to be [[redeco]]ed into a hot girl?]]
*'''Tarantulas''' (Deluxe, 1996/1997)
** ''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-4'''
**''Accessories'': Launcher, 4 spider-leg missiles

: Part of the first wave of [[Beast Wars (toyline)|''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)#Toys|Blackarachnia toy]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Predacon/Tarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|VsDinobot}}
[[Image:VS4-DinobotTarantuas.jpg|right|300px|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.

{{-}}{{anchor|Transmetal}}
[[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 Deluxe [[Transmetal]]s, 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.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Predacon/Tarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Transmetal Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|FKTransmetal}}
[[Image:Tarantulas-FKTM.jpg|right|300px|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)/toys|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.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1999/Predacon/FKTMTarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Fox Kids Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===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.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1997/Maximal/Orcanoch/orcanoch.htm More information on MicroVerse Tarantulas (via Orchanoch) at TFU.info]

{{-}}
===Beast Wars 10th Anniversary===
[[Image:BWXtoy-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|300px|He's not here to help assemble [[Transmutate]]. That leg's his dinner.]]
*'''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|''Beast Wars'' 10th Anniversary product]], he came with a DVD of the episode "[[Spider's Game]]," plus the left leg to [[Trans-Mutate]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Predacon/PredaconTarantulas/predacontarantulas.htm More information on 10th Anniversary Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{--}}

==Merchandise==
* '''Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game''' (1997)
:Tarantulas was one of the 24 beast warriors to receive a battle card representation for the Beast Wars [[Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game|card game]].

===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Robotheroestarantulasprimal.jpg|right|300px|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 toyline)|Universe]]'' ''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|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/toys|Optimus Primal]] (amusingly enough, the [[Maximal]] he also came with in the ''[[MicroVerse]]'' [[Orcanoch]] playset).

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Predacon/RHTarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Robot Heroes Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:BWcommercial-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Not terribly appealing.]]
* Tarantulas is referred to as simply "Tarantula" in the [[commercial]] advertising his toy. This commercial and also 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)/toys|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.

[[Image:TarantulasArm.jpg|right|150px|thumb|He tastes everything he holds.]]

* 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.

* 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.

* Tarantulas's toy bios paint him as a really dumb ninja-like stealth assassin. Both of his [[Tech Spec]]s give him an intelligence of 4, even the numbers that accompany his ''Transmetals'' bio which mentions the cartoon's [[quantum surge]].

* In the first season, Tarantulas is characterized more as a cannibalistic, psychotic gourmand who happens to be the Predacons' Science Officer than as the mad scientist and master plotter he becomes from "[[Spider's Game]]" 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.

* 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:OptimalSituation Tarantulas insignia.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Tarantulas is one of Reprolabels's best customers.]]
* From "[[Optimal Situation]]" onwards, the [[Arachnoid]]s sport a Tarantulas-themed insignia.
[[Image:TMtigatronboxback2.jpg|thumb|right|Pew! Pew!]]
* 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 Larry DiTillio's take on Tarantulas origins! at alt.toys.transformers]</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. 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, initially written by... Bob Forward.

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

* Tarantulas is probably the only [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Minion of Unicron]] who avoided being labeled a [[Decepticon]].

* From what can be observed from art on the back of Transmetal Tigatron's packaging, Tarantulas's vok-enhanced abilities include levitating and firing energy beams from his eye(s?) in robot mode. Neat!

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Wars Predacons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[Category:Double agents]]
[[Category:Ninjas]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:Security officers]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Toys "R" Us exclusives]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Unicron-related characters]]
[[Category:Universe Predacons]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]

Tarantulas (BW)

2010-12-28T17:37:08Z

201.120.10.163:

{{factions|predacon|unicron}}
{{disambig2|the Predacon from Beast Wars|the Decepticon from Transformers Animated|Tarantulas (Animated)}}
{{featured}}
:''Tarantulas is a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] from the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]. He is sometimes known as '''Tarantulus'''.''

[[Image:Tarantulasbw.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[BotCon 2000|"And fries! Lots of FRIES!"]]]]

'''Tarantulas''' is the scheming mad scientist of the Predacon crew. He's 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. The eating is what he was really looking forward to, anyway. It's this focused perversity that turns off even his fellow Predacons. Tarantulas's emotional detachment from their war also rubs his peers the wrong way. Fighting Maximals and following orders is just a required chore; his real passion is the unmentionable projects stashed in [[Tarantulas's lair|his "secret" lair]].

Nominally, Tarantulas 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, 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]]. Who knows what other [[Unicron|dark secrets]] lie in his past.

If anything upsets Tarantulas, other than losing a potential meal, it's those pompous aliens who call themselves the [[Vok]]. He harbors a hatred for them strong enough to make him work to eliminate them by any means.

{{bigquote|You're ''insane.''|[[Tigerhawk]], opinions on Tarantulas}}
{{bigquote|So they ''saa''-aay! Wbrrwbrrbbppth!|Tarantulas, ignoring public opinion|"[[Other Victories]]"}}

:''Japanese name:'' '''Tarans''' (タランス ''Taransu'')
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Jr-jū''' (蜘蛛, "Spider"), '''Húng Jr-jū''' (紅蜘蛛, "Red Spider")
:''Chinese name (Mainland):'''''Láng-Zhū''' (狼蛛，tarantula)
:''Italian name:'' '''Metal Tarantulas''' (Transmetal)
:''Polish name:'' '''Tarantulator'''
:''Brazilian name:'' '''Tarântulos'''

==Fiction==
===First wave toy bios===
[[Image:PrimalVSMegs-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Why Megatron, I do believe you're trying to seduce m-- oh, hey, [[Razorbeast]].]]
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|#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!}}

{{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====
[[Image:TheftOfGoldenDisk-Tarantulas.jpg|left|thumb|300px|What y'wanna do? Wanna be hackers? Code crackers? Slackers? Wastin' time with all the chatroom yakkers? WHAT?]]
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}}

====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}}
{{-}}
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Alec Willows]] (English), [[Yūichi Nagashima]] (Japanese), [[Fábio Vilalonga]] (Portuguese), [[Riccardo Peroni]] (Italian), [[Hervé Joly]] (French), [[Lutz Harder]] (German), [[Humberto Vélez]] (Latin American Spanish)

Lieutenant Tarantulas of the [[Predacon Secret Police]] was one of Megatron's original crew, a mole inside his organisation feeding information back to the [[Tripredacus Council]] without his knowledge. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} More than that, he was a ''direct'' agent of the Council and shared their origins, with an overall agenda to alter the timeline by going back to prehistoric Earth and completely destroying the [[Ark (G1)|''Ark'' and the Transformers within]]. {{storylink|Other Victories}} The plan went tits up though, as Megatron's ''Darksyde'' warship ended up crashing on an unidentified planet and contact with Cybertron as last. Tarantulas carried on as normal despite this setback.

[[Image:TheWeb Tarantulas beast mode.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Not arachnophobic, eh? I can fix that.]]
As Megatron's technical leader, he manned the scanners to appropriate beast forms based on the most powerful local creatures, choosing the form of an oversized spider for himself. He cheerfully took part in the first battle of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]], only to succumb to energon buildup while the Maximals were escaping. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} The Predacons uncovered a stash of energon crystals atop a mountain, but were forced to fight in their beast modes. Tarantulas and [[Rattrap]] fought in this manner until Megatron triggered a chain reaction which caused the energon to explode. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}}

[[Image:ChainofCommand Tarantulas firing.jpg|right|thumb|240px]]
It wasn't long before Tarantulas had set up his own [[Tarantulas's lair|underground lair]] to keep his experiments away from Megatron's prying eyes. After helping [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] recover a mega-cannon, Tarantulas managed to capture [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], trapping the young Maximal in a web in his lair with the intent of feeding later. Rattrap mounted a rescue, during which the cavern caved in on Tarantulas {{storylink|The Web}} Tarantulas was blasted by Rattrap during the battle at the [[Standing Stones]], and later accompanied Megatron and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] to attack the ''Axalon'' after it appeared that [[Optimus Primal]] had perished. After the Maximals got the ship's shields back up, he suggested to Megatron that they return to the Standing Stones. Unfortunately once there, the Maximals managed to retrieve Primal from the [[Vok probe|alien probe]] at the site, and Tarantulas was one of the first victims of the restored Maximal commander. {{storylink|Chain of Command}}

Terrorsaur, his power boosted, defeated Megatron in combat before leaving Tarantulas in charge of the other Predacons. Tarantulas promptly tailed Terrorsaur to find out what his new power source was, and discovered it was a [[flying mountain]] topped with a cache of super energon. Before he could do anything with the knowledge, he encountered Rattrap, who'd come to destroy the mountain. Their fight ended with Tarantulas falling from the side of the mountain. {{storylink|Power Surge}} He subsequently took part in an attack on the Maximal base after a [[stasis pod]] crashed. While Megatron kept [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] distracted, Tarantulas and Scorponok ambushed the Maximal from behind. Unfortunately for them, Dinobot had time to activate the base defenses, and Tarantulas was blasted into the distance by the auto-guns. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}}

When the Predacons finally captured a stasis pod, Tarantulas made sure that the [[protoform]] was given a spider beast mode, creating [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]. Megatron suspected he had ulterior motives, but was nonetheless pleased by the new soldier. Tarantulas seemed happy to follow Terrorsaur when the Predacon mounted another takeover attempt with the aid of Rattrap, but spent most of his time skulking around the ''Darksyde'' in search of rats to eat. He spotted Rattrap sneaking around, but the Maximal blasted him before he could do anything. He subsequently limped back to the others to find that Megatron had reasserted his leadership. {{storylink|Double Jeopardy}} After one of Scorponok's viruses turned Primal into a berserker, the Maximal leader broke into the Predacon base and, completely ignoring Tarantulas's attempts to stop him, pinned the spider to a wall using Tarantulas's own weapon. {{storylink|Gorilla Warfare}}

[[Image:Tflocklens&tarantulas.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"Behold my latest invention... THE DISCO BALL VERSION 2.0!"]]
One of Tarantulas's many inventions, the [[transformation lock lens]], was instrumental in preventing the Maximals from contacting a [[temporal probe]] doing a flyby of the planet. He used it to ensnare [[Tigatron]] and Cheetor, then wreaked havoc with the Maximals' attempts to build a communications array, before he was finally defeated by Primal. Although his new toy was destroyed by the recovered Cheetor and Tigatron, the damage was already done, and the probe flew by uncontacted. {{storylink|The Probe}} After the Predacons discovered a Maximal spy camera in their base, they faked a mutiny and hid in a crevice. Tarantulas spent his nights being hugged like a stuffed toy by [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], and his days eating stray rats. While the Maximals repaired the ''Axalon'', the Predacons were discovered by Dinobot, and gave chase. Though they attacked the Maximal ship in an attempt to capture it, the affair ended with the ''Axalon'' crashing back to the ground. {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}} After a Maximal victory, largely due to the efforts of Rhinox, Tarantulas captured the rhino in a web on Megatron's orders, so that he could be converted into a Predacon by the [[Transmuter (BW)|Transmuter]]. In return, the new Predacon poisoned him and Blackarachnia. {{storylink|Dark Designs (episode)|Dark Designs}}

[[Image:Spider'sGame Taratulas hauling stasis pod.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Ever the engineer, Tarantulas invents the low-tech equivalent of a tow truck.]]
Tarantulas detected another stasis pod landing in [[Grid Scavos]], but Megatron refused to let him go and assist in the recovery, much to his disgust. {{storylink|The Spark}} The next time a stasis pod crashed, Tarantulas was more prepared. From his lair, he used a [[magna pulse]] to disable both the ''Darksyde'' and ''Axalon'' to allow him to investigate without interference. Unfortunately for him, Blackarachnia had found his lair, and insisted on coming along to help. At the pod, Tarantulas reprogrammed the new arrival into a Predacon, but was disappointed that a beast mode had already been chosen, and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] would not be another spider. In the confusion that followed, he made off with the real prize — the stasis pod itself. Unfortunately for him, Tigatron destroyed the pod before he could get very far, and he was forced to retreat when Megatron arrived. Later, in his lair, he inadvertently told Blackarachnia that the planet was doomed, and she realised he was intending to build an escape ship, however he threw her out before she could work out any more of his plans. {{storylink|Spider's Game}}

Tarantulas took part in a diversionary attack while Waspinator and Terrorsaur stole the Maximals' [[rectifier coil]]. After the Maximals went feral, the Predacons mounted a hunting expedition, though Tarantulas was stuck supporting the back end of Megatron's chair. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} On another occasion, Tarantulas detected what appeared to be walking energon. Megatron realised that an earlier battle had left four of the Maximals contaminated and blinded, and ordered Tarantulas to send Terrorsaur to investigate. {{storylink|Dark Voyage}} After Waspinator was possessed by the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], Tarantulas took part in the attack on the ''Axalon'', and pointed out once they'd conquered it that their own base was now undefended. Megatron's answer was to leave Starscream in charge of the ''Axalon'', a decision which would come back to bite him later. {{storylink|Possession}}

[[Image:Dinobottarantulasrattrapthelowroad.jpg|thumb|left|240px|"See? I told you I was taller than Tarantulas."]]
During an attack on the Maximal base, Tarantulas was able to infect Rhinox with an [[energon discharge virus]], though he himself was injured by Dinobot during the retreat. He was tracked by Dinobot and Rattrap, but eventually turned the tables by getting the drop on them, only to be flattened by a huge boulder. After recovering, he took advantage of their incessant arguing by trying to get the drop on them again, only to be knocked unconscious by a double punch. Finally, Dinobot attempted to use Tarantulas's body as a hostage, only for Megatron to blast it aside. Perhaps his only consolation was that he avoided the indignity of the fate that befell the rest of the Predacons. {{storylink|The Low Road}}

With the return of the [[Vok|aliens]] a certainty, Tarantulas stole a [[transwarp cell]] from the ''Darksyde'', slagging Waspinator in the process. Megatron detected the theft and used Blackarachnia as a distraction while he remotely inserted his own programming into the cell. The two spiders later took part in an attempt to prevent Tigatron from escaping the Predacon base, and were squished by a boulder Dinobot had set up. They were relatively uninjured and able to haul their damaged comrades back to the ship. {{storylink|Before the Storm}} The two spiders teamed up again, infiltrating the Maximal base and disabling Rhinox and Dinobot while the other Maximals were busy with the latest alien construct to appear. They became aware that the planet's second moon had just been revealed as an artificial, alien ''doomsday weapon'' in disguise, with Tarantulas remarking it was "the beginning of the end" for the planet. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 1}} In the cargo hold, Tarantulas used the transwarp cell and a stasis pod to construct a ship, but was interrupted by Inferno, who torched the spider. Fortunately, Blackarachnia entered Tarantulas's mind to obtain the information to complete the escape ship, and he was able to set up a permanent neural link between the two Predacons. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

[[Image:ComingFuzors1 Tarantulas lives.jpg|thumb|right|280px|A new look, and he didn't even have to [[Spider-Man|sell out]] to [[Iron Man|Tony Stark]] for it!]]
When the [[quantum surge]] caused by the "second moon's" destruction knocked out all of the Transformers on the planet, Tarantulas's body was upgraded to a [[Transmetal]] form, and he forced Blackarachnia to drag it from the Maximal base, even getting her to ignore Megatron's command to stay and fight the Maximals. {{storylink|Aftermath}} With Blackarachnia's hard work and some serious-looking electrical arc generators, Tarantulas was restored to life. Megatron soon called him to the battlefield, so he left Blackarachnia to root around in their leader's computer files: by this point, the loss of the "moon" and the damages to the planet had revealed it to be ''prehistoric Earth'' all along... {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}}

Using his new cycle mode, Tarantulas quickly reached the Maximals' position. During the fight, he kept in contact with her, until a shot by Dinobot put him temporarily out of commission. After he came around, Blackarachnia reported that she'd failed to get the data he needed. The Predacons were soon routed by the resurrection of Optimus Primal, and forced to return to base. There, Megatron and Tarantulas questioned Blackarachnia, only to be told the vital data had been lost. Neither of them believed her, but didn't call her out. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}

With his old lair destroyed by the Planet Buster, Tarantulas was fortuitous in that Megatron assigned him with Blackarachnia and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] to check out a cave filled with energon. He quickly surmised that it would make an excellent new lair, and attempted to get his two comrades interested in going it alone. Blackarachnia was more interested in getting rid of the neural link the two of them shared, and cracked an energon crystal, sending feedback through the link, to force him to sever it. By a fortunate coincidence, the three Predacons were soon attacked by [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and Rattrap, and during the battle Tarantulas was able to convincingly fake the destruction of the cave, allowing him to utilise it as his own lair. {{storylink|Tangled Web}} When Dinobot defected to the Predacon side, Tarantulas offered to verify his programming, but Megatron decided it wouldn't be a very good idea to let Tarantulas into Dinobot's processor. {{storylink|Maximal, No More}}

[[Image:OtherVisits1 Tarantulas beast mode.jpg|left|220px|thumb]]
Back in his lair, Tarantulas's instruments detected the aliens again, and he rushed off to the site. He arrived shortly after Tigatron and [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] had been abducted, and zapped Cheetor, but was forced to retreat when more Maximals arrived. He visited Megatron, claiming to no longer be under the tyrant's command, but willing to help. The Predacons returned to the alien site to set up equipment, during which Blackarachnia revealed that she had learned through the broken neural link that Tarantulas hated the aliens. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 1)}} Megatron, Quickstrike, and Tarantulas recovered quickly from the energy wave put out by the new [[Metal Hunter|alien construct]], and after Tarantulas's [[refractive web]] was activated, the trio ventured inside. Once Megatron had control of the construct, he terminated his alliance with Tarantulas, dropping the Predacon from a great height. Infuriated, Tarantulas helped the Maximals attack the construct, infiltrating it along with Rattrap, and sabotaging the transwarp cells which Megatron installed, causing the ship to explode. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 2)}}

Though a bug planted on Megatron's chair, Tarantulas learned that Blackarachnia had been sent to recover a new protoform, and took the opportunity to threaten her to try and extract the information he suspected she'd gained from Megatron's computers. Unfortunately for him, Silverbolt stepped in and defended Blackarachnia, shortly before an energon explosion separated everyone. Though Tarantulas found the stasis pod, [[Rampage (BW)|its contents]] found him, and his body parts were spread liberally over a wide area. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} Dinobot later tracked down Tarantulas in an attempt to find out what Megatron's latest scheme was. Though Tarantulas didn't know, Dinobot forced him to act as transport, and they soon found Megatron preparing to torch a valley fill of [[Protohuman]]s. Tarantulas took advantage of Dinobot's distraction to shoot the Maximal, only for Dinobot to drop a boulder on him. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}

[[Image:Agenda3 Tarantulas button push.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Tarantulas presses the History Eraser Button.]]
Alerted by the [[transwarp wavefront]], the [[Tripredacus Council]] sent covert agent [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] to capture Megatron. The former Decepticon led the Maximals to apprehend Megatron, and Tarantulas assisted by taking down the ''Darksyde''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> defense system. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}} Megatron, to his infuriation, was later informed by Ravage that the spider was a lieutenant in the Predacon Secret Police; Tarantulas joined in the diss by laughing over a comm-screen at his former boss. Tarantulas was able to instruct the Maximals in the location of a stash of energon crystals that Megatron had hidden. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} When Ravage was persuaded to change sides by the Predacon leader, Tarantulas appeared to come too, manning the [[transwarp cruiser]]'s weapons systems for an attack on the ''Axalon''. Alas, Rattrap chewed his way into the ship and tossed a couple of bombs at Tarantulas, which stuck to his hands before exploding. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}

Tarantulas survived, though, and was quickly put back together by his [[arachnoid]]s. He was repaired in time to witness the destruction of the ''Axalon''. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}} He was soon seen back at the Predacon base, working under Megatron's command once again with no mention of his former secession. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}} However, around this time he was also working on another scheme: restoring the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the flagship of the [[Decepticon]] fleet! At some point, he'd found it lying at the bottom of the ocean, and was ensuring it would not only fly again but had a Predacon control console and a transwarp cell that could take it back to Cybertron... {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

He battled the Maximals alongside Megatron's [[cyber raptor]]s, taking the opportunity to try out his new Transmetal [[cyber venom]] to great success, though he was stomped on by a cyber raptor once the Maximals worked out how to destroy their controls. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}} He assisted in the construction of Megatron's [[disruptor cannon]], suggesting that they abduct an early human to complete the device when the other Predacons were unable to get too close to it due to the unstable power source. While the cannon was completed by [[Una]], she managed to use her knowledge of levers to tip a piece of heavy equipment on him. Though he survived that, Una had taken the cannon's stablizer crystal, and it exploded in the Predacons' faces when they tried to use it. {{storylink|Go with the Flow}}

[[Image:CrossingRubicon Tarantulas fires on Silverbolt.jpg|thumb|left|260px]]
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]], utilising his latest invention to allow Quickstrike to take control of Optimus Primal... and ''that'' was when he made his move, at last. He manipulated [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] into throwing Megatron into the nearby lava while he himself set the Ark's engines to overload. 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}} This appears to have ''not'' been what Quickstrike thought he was going to do, and neither he nor Megatron had any idea why he'd planned to destroy the whole Ark.

[[Image:TarantulasVok SignOfTheCross.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"Save me, X-Men!"]]

Tarantulas was left ranting in his lair about how the Tripredacus Council's plans were wrecked, while his systems monitored the ''Nemesis'' (which was finished by this point). However, his rant and Nemesis plans were interrupted when the aliens (now revealed to be called the [[Vok]]) sent their emissary [[Tigerhawk]] arrived on Earth. Tarantulas let him take out the Predacons, then used his arachnoids 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, and then have him obliterate the Ark: he cheerfully told the emissary that as he nor the Council had Autobot or Decepticon origins, they'd survive the resulting timestorm, turn Cybertron into a universe-conquering force, and one day even conquer the Vok themselves!

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 made a religious sign to ward them off and then 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}}

Megatron knew that Tarantulas must have had some schemes on the go that the Predacons could pick up and use, and had his men search the ruins of Tarantulas's lair. During this, he offhandedly referred to him as "[[Unicron's Spawn]]". He ended up discovering and using the working ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Wars Diorama Story''====
[[Image:BWDiorama Motorarm Tarantulas.jpg|thumb|A ravenous, sinister fiend... and Tarantulas.]]
Sometime after Starscream's arrival to prehistoric Earth, Tarantulas was confronted in battle by a time-displaced [[Motorarm (BWII)|Motorarm]], who fended off the Predacon with his Beetle Claw attack. Tarantulas was not present when the Autobots from [[Movie (franchise)|another universe]] and Maximals combined all of their energies to attack a team of Predacons and Decepticons. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Motorarm Chapter}}
{{-}}

====3H comics====
Tarantulas is the inventor of the [[mind-drill]]. [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] "borrowed" it from him to get information out of [[Antagony]]. {{storylink|Herald, Covenant, Schism, Paradox|Herald}}

[[Image:PrimevalDawn2-TarantulasMatrix.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Further proving the maxim: "If you want to steal the Matrix, you basically can."]]
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}}

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 triumphantly ripped the [[Matrix of Leadership]] from Primal Prime's chest. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 2}}

Wounded critically, the Maximals withdrew to the Ark, while Tarantulas and his Predacons returned to his lair, where he directed them in the construction of a transwarp portal. Upon completion, Tarantulas planned to bring his stolen prize to his master, Unicron. Since his troops were getting restless, he promised them they could assault the Ark once they finished construction. Tarantulas was true to his word, and as Ravage led the Predacons against the Maximals, Unicron's spawn tried to stabilize the portal and prepared the Matrix for transport. {{storylink|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, the Maximals were triumphant and used Tarantulas's portal to return home to Cybertron, and that Tarantulas somehow fled to Unicron.}}

[[Image:Escape-Tarantulas.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Basically I just never die.]]

A year after the [[Great Reformatting]], the influence of [[Unicron]] swayed [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] to the side of darkness. As she was escorted by [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] and [[Reptilion]] into the heart of the Chaos Bringer, she was surprised to see Tarantulas (still in his undead body) greet her as she joined the ranks of the [[Minion of Unicron|Minions of Unicron]]. She hissed with disgust, while Tarantulas noted that it was just like old times. {{storylink|Escape (issue)|Escape}}

Tarantulas had learned that [[Alpha Trion]] had been assembling the [[Children of Primus]] to counter Unicron's Minions, and so he sent Blackarachnia on a mission to Cybertron to sever the link between the Transformers and [[Primus]] by invading [[Vector Sigma]]'s chamber and destroying Alpha Trion. He gave Blackarachnia a swarm of [[Piranacon (Universe)|Piranacons]] and directions to the chamber through a structural weakpoint near the [[Rust Sea]]. {{storylink|Homecoming (issue)|Homecoming}}
{{-}}

====A Meeting of Minds====
{{note|This story takes place immediately after "[[Master Blaster]]."}}

The [[Megatron (G1)|original Megatron]], now inside the mind of [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], berated the Predacon leader's failures—in particular, being led astray time and again by such treacherous subordinates as Tarantulas. {{storylink|A Meeting of Minds}}

===''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!!}}

===Fire in the Dark===
When [[human]] archaeologists uncovered a cave filled with primitive language, [[Mini-Con]] [[Laserbeak (Armada)|Laserbeak]] translated it for them. The markings told of a time when the Maximals and Predacons crashlanded on prehistoric Earth, though the stranded Transformers were seen by the protohumans as gods. The "spider-god" and the "[[Waspinator (BW)|wasp-god]]," under instruction from their leader, enslaved the humans for the purposes of excavating "glowing rose crystals." Eventually, the Maximals came and freed the humans. {{storylink|Fire in the Dark}}

===IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics===
Tarantulas programmed the Predacons' mobile fortress, the [[Arachnid]], utilizing his own personality programs to give it some form of sentience, accompanied by Tarantulas's own tendency for cruelty.{{storylink|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}

==Games==
===''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game===
:''Voice actor'': ?
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the first season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
[[Image:BWgameUK-Tarantulas.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Some great dialog there, Tarry.]]
Upon arriving on prehistoric Earth, the dangers of Energon radiation forced the Maximals and Predacons to take on beast alternate forms. Tarantulas picked up a tarantula in his palm and scanned it. Soon, Tarantulas spotted [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] moving in on the Predacons' crash site. Swearing revenge, Tarantulas transformed and attacked, and threatened to skin the Maximal alive. {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers video game advertising comic}}
{{Note|Tarantulas is a playable character in the Predacon mode of this game for normal gameplay.}}
[[Image:BeastWarsPSX-Tarantulasstats.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Sadly, there's no Eat Cheetor level.]]

All of the Beast Wars combatants had managed to construct personal bases, customized to their personal tastes, due to the extended duration of the war. Tarantulas overtook Rhinox's base and reprogrammed its defenses, prompting the Maximals to retake it.Tarantulas warred against both the Maximals and the evil extra-dimensional aliens dubbed the [[Skriix]].
{{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)}}
{{Note|Due to the nature of this game, a player may select various individual characters to perform the feats required in every level, and complete the game's narrative. Thus, any playable Maximal can fill the role of protagonist in Maximal Mode, and any playable Predacon can fill the role of protagonist in Predacon Mode. As such, each character's page only lists said character's actions when they fill the role of antagonist during gameplay. To view the various feats Tarantulas can accomplish throughout gameplay in Predacon Mode, it is told on the pages of the [[Optimus Primal|several]] [[Cheetor (BW)|Maximals]] [[Rattrap|included]] [[Dinobot (BW)|as]] [[Rhinox|opponents]] in this game, as well as the game's main antagonists, the [[Skriix]], wherein Tarantulas fills the role of the nameless Predacon. To view the plot as a whole view the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)]] page.}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals'' video game===
[[Image:N64Tarantulas.jpg|thumb|300px|Arboreal Camouflage Tarantulas? Blue Crusader Tarantulas?]]
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the second season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
:''Voice Actor:'' [[Alec Willows]] (English), ??? (Japanese)

Tarantulas found a way to escape prehistoric Earth and return to Cybertron. The Beast Wars progressed in his absence for a time...

[[Image:N64_Tarantulus.jpg|frame|left|Player 2 Has Entered His Stomach. Continue?]]Then he came back, newly promoted and with an armada of Transwarp battleships under his command, out to end the Beast Wars and enforce the Tripredacus Council's will... {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (N64)|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals}}
{{note|Each character possessed an alternate ending, displayed if the Nintendo 64 game was beaten with said character. Each character has only their own ending listed on their pages, see the other characters' pages for Tarantulas's fate in those outcomes.}}
{{-}}

===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle'' video game===
[[Image:DuelFight_Tarantulas.gif|thumb|left|200px|]]
Megatron was capable of summoning Tarantulas forth to the battlefield during his attempts to acquire the super-powerful [[energon crystal]]. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle}}
{{--}}

{{-}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
[[Image:BWtoy-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Hey, guess who's going to be [[redeco]]ed into a hot girl?]]
*'''Tarantulas''' (Deluxe, 1996/1997)
** ''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-4'''
**''Accessories'': Launcher, 4 spider-leg missiles

: Part of the first wave of [[Beast Wars (toyline)|''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)#Toys|Blackarachnia toy]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Predacon/Tarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|VsDinobot}}
[[Image:VS4-DinobotTarantuas.jpg|right|300px|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.

{{-}}{{anchor|Transmetal}}
[[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 Deluxe [[Transmetal]]s, 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.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Predacon/Tarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Transmetal Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|FKTransmetal}}
[[Image:Tarantulas-FKTM.jpg|right|300px|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)/toys|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.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1999/Predacon/FKTMTarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Fox Kids Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===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.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1997/Maximal/Orcanoch/orcanoch.htm More information on MicroVerse Tarantulas (via Orchanoch) at TFU.info]

{{-}}
===Beast Wars 10th Anniversary===
[[Image:BWXtoy-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|300px|He's not here to help assemble [[Transmutate]]. That leg's his dinner.]]
*'''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|''Beast Wars'' 10th Anniversary product]], he came with a DVD of the episode "[[Spider's Game]]," plus the left leg to [[Trans-Mutate]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Predacon/PredaconTarantulas/predacontarantulas.htm More information on 10th Anniversary Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{--}}

==Merchandise==
* '''Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game''' (1997)
:Tarantulas was one of the 24 beast warriors to receive a battle card representation for the Beast Wars [[Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game|card game]].

===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Robotheroestarantulasprimal.jpg|right|300px|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 toyline)|Universe]]'' ''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|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/toys|Optimus Primal]] (amusingly enough, the [[Maximal]] he also came with in the ''[[MicroVerse]]'' [[Orcanoch]] playset).

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Predacon/RHTarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Robot Heroes Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:BWcommercial-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Not terribly appealing.]]
* Tarantulas is referred to as simply "Tarantula" in the [[commercial]] advertising his toy. This commercial and also 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)/toys|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.

[[Image:TarantulasArm.jpg|right|150px|thumb|He tastes everything he holds.]]

* 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.

* 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.

* Tarantulas's toy bios paint him as a really dumb ninja-like stealth assassin. Both of his [[Tech Spec]]s give him an intelligence of 4, even the numbers that accompany his ''Transmetals'' bio which mentions the cartoon's [[quantum surge]].

* In the first season, Tarantulas is characterized more as a cannibalistic, psychotic gourmand who happens to be the Predacons' Science Officer than as the mad scientist and master plotter he becomes from "[[Spider's Game]]" 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.

* 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:OptimalSituation Tarantulas insignia.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Tarantulas is one of Reprolabels's best customers.]]
* From "[[Optimal Situation]]" onwards, the [[Arachnoid]]s sport a Tarantulas-themed insignia.
[[Image:TMtigatronboxback2.jpg|thumb|right|Pew! Pew!]]
* 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 Larry DiTillio's take on Tarantulas origins! at alt.toys.transformers]</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. 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, initially written by... Bob Forward.

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

* Tarantulas is probably the only [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Minion of Unicron]] who avoided being labeled a [[Decepticon]].

* From what can be observed from art on the back of Transmetal Tigatron's packaging, Tarantulas's vok-enhanced abilities include levitating and firing energy beams from his eye(s?) in robot mode. Neat!

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Wars Predacons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[Category:Double agents]]
[[Category:Ninjas]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:Security officers]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Toys "R" Us exclusives]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Unicron-related characters]]
[[Category:Universe Predacons]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]

Thundercracker (G1)

2010-12-28T17:24:47Z

201.120.10.163: /* G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers */

{{factions|decepticon|decepticong2}}
{{picsneeded|fictional appearances, original toy solo pic}}
{{disambig3|Thundercracker}}
:''Thundercracker is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Thundercrackerg1guido.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The blue one. No, the other blue one.]]
'''Thundercracker''' claims the skies as his arena. He looks down in contempt on those who cannot leave the ground — he considers them lesser beings. He will often attack the flightless beings below him for no other reason than to satisfy his scorn.

His superiority in this realm is the only thing he is sure of. Thundercracker is not entirely committed to the Decepticon cause, and even has some seemingly contradictory sympathy for the [[human]]s they terrorize. Fear of retribution from [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and the influence of his peers is usually enough to bury these doubts. Regardless, he needs constant reassurance that he's where he needs to be. Sometimes, his [[Spark|heart's]] just not in the job.

{{bigquote|[[Human|These creatures]] were never worthy adversaries. The Decepticons are forged through combat, not slaughter.|Thundercracker|[[All Hail Megatron issue 12|''All Hail Megatron'' #12]]}}

:''French-Canadian name:'' '''Coup de Tonnerre''' ("Thunderclap")
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Lìeh Léi''' (裂雷, "Cracking Thunder") / '''Léi-gōng''' (雷公, "[[wikipedia:Lei Gong|Duke of Thunder]]")
:''Chinese name (China):'' '''Jing Tian Léi''' (驚天雷, "Sky-shocking Thunder")
:''Hungarian name:'' '''Villámcsapás''' ("Lightning strike")
:''Italian name:'' '''Vampiro''' ("Vampire")
:''Portuguese name (Portugal comics):'' '''Grande Trovão''' ("Big Thunder")
:''Portugese name (Brazil comics):'' '''Arrasador''' ("Destroyer")
:''Russian name:'' '''Громовержец''' (Gromoverzhec, "Thunderer")

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{noteukonly}}
[[Image:Introdump decepticons marvelus01.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Thundercracker is the one that is not Skywarp.]]
Thundercracker was one of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron's]] troops who attacked the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] during its mission to clear a path for [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] through an asteroid field. He was deactivated when it crashed on [[Earth]], and he lay dormant for four million years. When he and his fellow Decepticons awoke, Thundercracker was given a new [[alternate mode]], that of an Earth jet. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} He aided the Decepticons in their building of their new base constructed of parts from [[Harrison Nuclear Power Plant]] and joined in their attack on [[Sparkplug Witwicky]]'s auto repair shop. After the successful abduction of Sparkplug Witwicky, Thundercracker, [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], and [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] defended their base from [[Autobot|Autobots]], though [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] and [[Spider-Man]] were able to sneak through and rescue Sparkplug. {{storylink|Prisoner of War!}}

''On another occasion, he and Skywarp made a strafing run on two Autobot spies, [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] and [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]. Jazz was deafened and blasted off the road, but Sunstreaker led them into a human military zone, prompting Megatron to call them back to base. {{storylink|Perchance to Dream}}''

Though Sparkplug Witwicky was able to devise a way for the Decepticons to convert Earth fuel into a usable substance, he also poisoned the result, so Thundercracker and his fellow Decepticons were immobilized at the climax of their would-be final battle with the Autobots. {{storylink|The Last Stand}} The Decepticon [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] took command of the Decepticons and the Ark shortly thereafter, and nursed Thundercracker and his comrades back to full health. Thundercracker may have helped Shockwave attempt to capture and brainwash [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] into a Decepticon, or it may have been Skywarp. It's hard to tell. {{storylink|Plight of the Bumblebee!}}

He served the Decepticon cause up until he was deactivated while battling [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] and placed in prison stasis at Autobot headquarters. {{storylink|Command Performances!}}

''Like Starscream and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]], he revived early and soon quickly escaped from the Ark. He, Frenzy and Shockwave were then temporarily displaced to [[Limbo]] when [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] time-jumped from 2006. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}''

During a massive battle between the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth's moon, Thundercracker and the other Decepticons held in stasis aboard the Ark were liberated by the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] and subsequently brought back on-line. {{storylink|Totaled!}} Much later, Thundercracker manned the battle stations with his fellow Decepticons when [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] reported an intruder. {{storylink|Cold War!}} He next attacked an [[Underbase]]-powered Starscream in [[Tokyo]], but both he and Skywarp were destroyed by their former flying partner. {{storylink|Dark Star (issue)|Dark Star}}

====''Generation 2''====
Thundercracker was active on Earth during the Decepticons' major offensive against the human population, and was present when Megatron stole the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]] from [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|The Gathering Darkness}} He later served in the Tykos raid, albeit in a menial role.

Starscream thinks he's a moron. {{storylink|New Dawn}}

====''Classics''====
After being revived from a state of near death, Thundercracker couldn't bring himself to serve with Starscream, the bot who killed him, and so he joined [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]'s Decepticon faction instead of his old leader Megatron's group. Of course, he ended up unable to control himself due to the [[Cerebro-shell|cerebro-shells]] of his latest maniacal boss, [[Bug Bite (G1)|Bug Bite]], so... tough break. To make matters worse, he had to listen to [[Weirdwolf]]. Even under Bug Bite's control, he threatened bodily harm if Weirdwolf didn't shut up.

Under Bug Bite's control, he fired a cerebro-shell at Skywarp, and was forced to help enslave Megatron and his forces. He was liberated by the interference of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]. {{storylink|Games of Deception}}

Thundercracker was repaired and brought back on-line by Megatron. He was apparently willing to put aside his animosity towards Starscream at this point in order to serve under his glorious leader once more. When Megatron staged an attack on Bludgeon, he placed Thundercracker in command of one of the three warships. {{storylink|At Fight's End}}

===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[John Stephenson]], [[Wally Burr]] ("[[War Dawn]]" only) (English), [[Yū Shimaka|Yutaka Shimaka]] (Japanese), [[Jacques Ferrière]] (French), Isidro Olace (Latin American)

[[Image:Tetrajet seekers.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Cybertron alt-mode (on the right). Out of all the pre-earth alt modes, these pyramid jets seem to be the only ones anyone really cares about.]]

In the early days of the Decepticon rebellion, Thundercracker and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] both faced the powerful protectors of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron's]] cities, the [[Guardian Robots]]. According to Thundercracker, he was often not very successful. {{storylink|War Dawn}}

Thundercracker was one of [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron's]] elite warriors, participating in the attack on the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and joining the rest of the Earth-bound Transformers in their several-million-year nap under an inactive volcano. He awoke when the rest of the Decepticons did, and took part in their attempts to gather [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] and escape the planet [[Earth]], which he loathed for being too "flat". It was he and [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] who spotted the first "potential Autobot", when in fact they had discovered the planet's native inhabitants, two [[human]]s, in a non-sentient vehicle. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}}

Megatron took the Decepticons to [[Sherman Dam]], a major source of energy. The Autobots, upon discovering their plot, soon arrived to prevent their ambition from becoming reality. Thundercracker and Skywarp fought off [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], only for Mirage to make a recovery and send the two Seekers off the bridge they were standing on. They were at least able to recover in time to escape with the rest of the group once Megatron had knocked Optimus Prime into the rushing river nearby. Though Thundercracker assisted in filling the energon cubes, [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] wasted a huge amount of energon testing it with a cannon. The Decepticons were then forced to make two stops: one at the [[Ruby Crystal Mines of Burma]], and another hunting for rocket fuel. Thundercracker and a handful of [[generic]]s painted like him were among the strike force headed for the Crystal Mines. While there, he pushed a cart of these gems with Skywarp, talking to Skywarp about his dislike for Earth, something Skywarp agreed with. They just barely avoided noticing [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] and his ally [[Sparkplug Witwicky]], who had come to investigate. The two set a bomb, but ran into the two Seekers on their way back out. Thundercracker attacked them until they were on the ground, Skywarp proposing that they give them as a present to Megatron. The bomb went off almost immediately afterward, burying the Decepticons and their enemies, so this did not come to be. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 2}}

[[Image:MTMTEpt2-Thundercracker_Skywarp_Mine.jpg|thumb|250px|left|"Gee Thundercracker, what are we going to do today?"<br/> "The same thing we do every day, Skywarp... try to take over the world!"]]

Both parties managed to escape safely, and Thundercracker went with the other Decepticons (save for Megatron) to a rocket fuel base, where Thundercracker made his mark by destroying a couple of tanks. The Autobots arrived to stop them, with Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Laserbeak unleashing an aerial assault upon Cliffjumper and Wheeljack. During the brawl, Megatron called Thundercracker and the other troops to the [[Victory (G1)|space cruiser]] to return to Cybertron. However, a surprise attack from Mirage grounded their plans, literally and metaphorically. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 3}}

This would not be the end of the Decepticons, however. The crashed Victory was rebuilt into a fortress, from which they made another assault looking for energon. Thundercracker participated in many other attacks following this, also witnessing Megatron's disappearance in a [[space bridge]] accident, {{storylink|Transport to Oblivion}} and being part of the attack on a hydroelectric power generator along with Soundwave and Starscream, who declared himself leader in Megatron's absence. Though a group of Autobots came to stop them, Thundercracker bashed the charging Cliffjumper with a pillar from the building. The energon cubes they were making were destroyed, and Soundwave suggested that the squad should retreat. As they escaped, Thundercracker criticized Starscream's leader capabilities, going on to praise Megatron when he revealed himself to have survived. Starscream took his squad (and Skywarp) to an airplane factory for spare parts, but while Thundercracker was having his wings reattached, Bluestreak and Prowl crashed the party. The Seekers shot at the Autobots, but [[Chip Chase]] took control of the injured Prowl and had him unleash a spectacular assault forcing Starscream's squad to escape. However, they made a quick stop at Chip's house and abducted him, taking him to [[Doctor Alcazar|Dr. Alcazar]]'s lab where the other Decepticons were. They extracted the antimatter formula from his brain, making them stronger. Thundercracker was unable to kill the now-useless Chip, as Autobots interrupted and took him back. The next morning, after leaving the lab, [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] used his [[jet judo]] on the antimatter-powered Thundercracker, but Starscream thwarted this plan. Thundercracker was then ordered to give Megatron the antimatter cubes, transforming him into "the most powerful weapon of all". This plan was a failure, and the Decepticons had no choice but to get away. {{storylink|Roll for It}}

[[Image:Thundercrackerg1.jpg|right|180px|thumb|FLINTSTOOOOONE!!!]]

Thundercracker again joined his fellow Seekers in raiding a factory for energy and heavily damaging Optimus Prime, who had been called in by Chip. When more Autobots showed up, Megatron ordered the Seekers to escape with the energon cubes rather than fighting them. At the end of the day, Thundercracker participated in a battle in front of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], where he was punched down by [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] immediately as he landed. When Megatron suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of a recovered Optimus Prime, Starscream smugly instructed everybody to take Megatron back for repairs. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer}} Following this, Thundercracker witnessed the rebirth of Starscream's former colleague [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] {{storylink|Fire in the Sky}} and was shot down by [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] during a mission at the [[Great Falls]]. {{storylink|S.O.S. Dinobots}}

One of the few things he seemed to loathe even more than the world he was stranded on was the attitude of his commander, [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]. Thundercracker often started fights with the [[Air Commander]], usually over whether or not Megatron's latest plan was a waste of time (Thundercracker took Megatron's side). At one point, Thundercracker's distaste for "that geeky Starscream" became so strong that he was willing to let Skyfire destroy one of the Decepticons' greatest weapons, just in the hopes that Starscream would get blamed for it! {{storylink|Fire on the Mountain}} Despite these brushes with treachery, however, Thundercracker just never had it in him to do anything more than complain about his fellow Decepticons.

Thundercracker and the other Seekers helped haul [[Meteorini Chipperoni|an unstable meteor]] back for the Decepticons, {{storylink|War of the Dinobots}} and the Seekers next attacked a solar plant located in [[India]] as a diversion so Megatron could continue his plan. When Skywarp and Starscream began arguing over the effectiveness of the plan, Thundercracker merely kept his mouth shut. The Autobots came to rescue Sparkplug, going to the underwater base to do so. During this underwater battle, Thundercracker sent a missile at Bumblebee, only for Bumblebee to direct it back at him. He was next doing some work on a large space bridge for Megatron, one that would bring Cybertron into Earth's orbit and create devastating weather. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 1}} Starscream ordered Thundercracker to use his flamethrower against the Autobots, and despite Thundercracker's protests saying that the wind is too strong, Starscream wouldn't give in. Thundercracker turned out to be correct, and his fire ended up scorching to two Seekers instead, something [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] and [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] found humourous. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 2}} When the other Decepticons noticed that Megatron had left for Cybertron by himself, Thundercracker was in hot pursuit. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 3}} Thundercracker was the straight man when Skywarp, Rumble, and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] were bickering when they should have been working. Though he was as surprised as everybody else when Megatron arrived, perfectly healthy, to shut everybody up, Thundercracker was willing to go with Megatron when he discovered Starscream and [[Doctor Arkeville|Dr. Arkeville]]'s plot. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (episode)|Countdown to Extinction}}

[[Image:CTE-Thundercracker_Skywarp_Rumble.jpg|thumb|left|210px|Somebody must have forgotten to lock the gate at the petting zoo...]]

Megatron took [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] and Thundercracker to [[Bali]] after [[Insecticon (G1)|giant insects]] were reported in the area. When [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] showed them to a Decepticon escape pod disguised as a hollow rock, Thundercracker deduced that the giant insects were Decepticons who came to Earth and scanned insects as [[alternate mode]]s. This group met up with the Insecticons, and [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] requested that they help defeat the group of Autobots challenging them, to which they agreed. When reinforcement Autobots came in, Megatron ordered the Decepticons (Insecticons included) to head for the oil refinery to rest up. The Insecticons separated, with the rest going to the refinery, where Thundercracker poured oil from the pipes into Soundwave's energon cubes, and brought more cubes when Rumble requested them. [[Jetfire (G1)|A visitor]] soon showed up, and Thundercracker joined in giving him a "warm welcome". Other Autobots arrived, with Brawn, Wheeljack and Optimus Prime being forced to dive into the water to avoid a "Shrapnel grenade". Thundercracker used his flamethrower on the trio of Autobots, who avoided it and retaliated by swimming underwater and then pushing up the dock Thundercracker was standing on, throwing him into his own inferno. He retreated with the rest of his group to follow the fleeing Insecticons. {{storylink|A Plague of Insecticons}}

Megatron used the power chip rectifiers taken from the other Decepticons in his one-on-one battle against Optimus Prime. Thundercracker contributed his, allowing Megatron to use ear-splitting sonic booms. After the battle, the Autobots went back to base so Optimus could recover, where they discovered the Decepticons' plan. After distracting and threatening them with a hologram, the Autobots shot at their enemies until they fell down the crevice, into the lava below. {{storylink|Heavy Metal War}}

[[Image:TheImmobilizer-Thundercracker_River.jpg|thumb|215px|right|''Transformers: Revenge of the Redecos'' never quite came to pass.]]

Thundercracker obviously survived his fall with the rest of his group, as he was around for attacks on Air Force rocket bases, and on the hunt for [[Autobot X]], {{storylink|Autobot Spike}} and was with the other Decepticons in Africa, but at the end of the day, he was sent flying into a tree by Ratchet. When the solar needle situation became dire, causing the sun to come close to self-destruction, Thundercracker was smart enough to fly away, the first Decepticon to do so. {{storylink|Changing Gears}} He was also part of an aerial strike force bombarding the Autobots as they attempted to recover Optimus Prime's right arm from the Decepticons' fortress in "[[New Cybertron]]". {{storylink|City of Steel}} Along with the other Seekers, Thundercracker attacked the outside of the Ark as a diversion so Megatron could insert [[Personality destabilizer device|a device]] in the Ark's recharging chamber that would turn the Autobots evil. Notably, Thundercracker's blasts created a landslide that stopped [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] in his tracks. He was later boarding a rocket that would hopefully take the Decepticons back to Cybertron, but the Autobots, who had become good again, damaged the fuel tanks and forced the Decepticons to jump ship. {{storylink|Attack of the Autobots}} Thundercracker was seen with the other Decepticons, shooting at Optimus Prime when he came for their electro-cells, {{storylink|Traitor}} and was among those who came to steal Wheeljack's [[Wheeljack Instant Immobilizer|Immobilizer]]. {{storylink|The Immobilizer}} When the Autobots became trapped in their vehicle modes thanks to the transfixatron, Thundercracker blasted Optimus Prime and Ironhide and overheated them. He also helped Starscream bring out the Decepticon body shell, and then attempted (and failed) to kill [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|an Earthcrawler with an overdue termination]]. {{storylink|The Autobot Run}} After Soundwave's discovery of [[Sub-Atlantica|an underwater city]], Thundercracker and the other Decepticons went to go plunder it for energy. When they discovered [[Nergill|a new ally]], Thundercracker worked on some technology that would hopefully raise his submerged city. Although he was skeptical about working with them, he had to go along anyway as part of a larger plan. He was then among the Seekers who menaced a squad of Autobots when they came to check out the situation. When Sub-Atlantica had risen to the water's surface and floated towards [[Washington, D.C.]], Thundercracker entered the city with his fellow Decepticons. Though he and Skywarp threatened [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] and Prowl from above, Brawn held Thundercracker with a hooked rope so Optimus Prime could blast him out of the sky. {{storylink|Atlantis, Arise!}}

The three Seekers tore the roof off the building where [[Doctor Fujiyama the Famous Scientist|Dr. Fujiyama, the famous scientist]] unveiled his new robot [[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbird]], with Thundercracker and Starscream promptly transporting Nightbird to the Decepticons' temporary base. Later, Megatron considered replacing Starscream with the now-reprogrammed Nightbird. Starscream threw a fit and Megatron told Thundercracker and Skywarp to hold him back before Soundwave and Bombshell trapped him in a force field. Megatron led the Decepticons (minus Starscream) to retrieve Nightbird's World Energy Chip, but Starscream escaped and shot her with his [[null-ray]] in yet another act of treachery. Megatron sent the other Decepticons to catch the traitor, allowing the Autobots to collect it. {{storylink|Enter the Nightbird}}

[[Image:APrimeProblem-Thundercracker_and_Gears.jpg|thumb|left|210px|Let me at least keep this Autobot, please Starscream?]]

When the Autobots were investigating a mysterious source of energy in a crevice, the Seekers attacked Optimus Prime. Thundercracker charged at Optimus, only to be grabbed and thrown to the ground. Much later, as part of a ploy by Megatron, Thundercracker was surprised to hear [[Starscream clone (G1)|"Starscream"]] announce for everybody to hold their fire, as he had [[Gears (G1)|an Autobot]] in his very hands and could kill him. Starscream shut him up by repeating the order. But when Starscream explained his plan to fight [[Optimus Prime clone|"Optimus Prime"]], Thundercracker went along with it and was the one who announced the start of the match. {{storylink|A Prime Problem}} On a later mission, he ambushed the Autobots from above, only to be swatted away by an Autobot-controlled Devastator. {{storylink|The Core}} He was subsequently around at the mission to [[Nova Power Plant]], firing at the Autobots and a group of helicopter-piloting humans. At [[Iron Mountain]], the Insecticons managed to enslave Thundercracker and the other Seekers. However, when the now enormous-sized Shrapnel exploded, it also deactivated the [[cerebro-shell]]s that had taken over the Seekers, and they were returned to normal. {{storylink|The Insecticon Syndrome}} When Laserbeak reported [[Dinobot Island (G1)|a strange, prehistoric island]] chock-full of energon sources to Megatron, he brought a team of Decepticons with him, Thundercracker helping to fill up the energon cubes. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 1}} Thundercracker also assisted in repelling both Autobots on the island and [[Dinosaur|the island's monsters]], only to be run over by a stampede. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 2}} Next, he and the other jets came to a ravine to get a few shots in at the Autobots. This failed when [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] used his eponymous ability to blind them. {{storylink|Auto Berserk}}

[[Image:Microbots-DrunkThundercracker.jpg|thumb|right|210px|Before we could transform, we had to walk ''15 MILES'' to Cybertronian school every day! (hic!)]]

He was also around to assist the Decepticons in recovering the wreck of the Nemesis, which had crashed in South America. He also got completely smashed when the Decepticons went on an energon binge. {{storylink|Microbots}} He also disguised himself as an Autobot as part of a Decepticon plan to frame the Autobots. When the plan worked, he and the others witnessed the Autobots' banishment from Earth. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1}} Thundercracker and Skywarp supervised the humans filling up energon cubes at a power plant, and he later took part in attacking a squad of fighter jets that had come for the Decepticons, only for them to be overwhelmed by the Autobots, who had returned from their banishment. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2}}

When Spike, Carly, and Bumblebee went to the airport to pick up Sparkplug, Spike thought it was suspicious that brightly coloured military jets were at a commercial location such as theirs. Surely enough, they turned out to be Thundercracker and [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]], and the hangar that they flew into was [[Hanger|a new Decepticon base]]. However, the Dinobots showed up to stop them, and [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] dispatched the Seekers by tripping them with barrels. Next, [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] bombed Thundercracker and Thrust, causing them to crash into the base and destroy it. Slag then sent the two of them flying into an airplane, Thundercracker cushioning Thrust's fall. He got better, and later helped fill energon cubes, and by shooting Mirage, asserted to him that he was not, in fact, invisible. However, Thundercracker did not laugh for long, as his Cybertonium deteriorated and rendered him incapable of transformation. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1}}

Thundercracker, Starscream, and Megatron went to go steal [[Professor Haley]]'s [[Voltronic Galaxer]], after which they then boarded Astrotrain with the device and headed to the moon. After capturing [[Cosmos (G1)|a pair]] [[Blaster (G1)|of intruders]], Megatron ordered Starscream and Thundercracker to return to Earth while the galaxer did its work interrupting Earth's radiowaves. As Optimus Prime was directing traffic at an airport, Thundercracker and Starscream unleashed a surprise assault that damaged [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] and Prime. {{storylink|Blaster Blues}} When Starscream tackled Megatron after returning from Camelot, Thundercracker arrived to see what was going on. {{storylink|A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court}}

[[Image:GoldenLagoon-Guards.jpg|thumb|left|210px|Don't try anything funny...]]

Thundercracker and Skywarp also worked as guards for the Decepticons, ensuring that [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] and [[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]] didn't attempt to attack those who had captured them. When a lagoon full of [[electrum]] was discovered, Thundercracker and the other Decepticons took a dive and became invulnerable, showing off their power against the Autobots. He also came on the quest to topple Omega Supreme, but when he and Skywarp went to go retrieve [[Beachcomber (G1)|a prisoner]] at the base, he was defeated. The Decepticons attempted to attack the now electrum-powered Autobots at the lagoon, but their electrum began to wear off and Thundercracker was shot down and they were forced to retreat. {{storylink|The Golden Lagoon}} Thundercracker assisted in guarding the Decepticons' base in the Pine Barrens, {{storylink|Make Tracks}} and came to a valley that was full of [[Morphobot]]s. He went into hiding when an Autobot convoy arrived, and didn't do much else except retreat. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

When Astrotrain declared himself leader of the Decepticons, Thundercracker snarked at the idea, and it certainly didn't help when Astrotrain's "troops" got themselves in a mess. He barely escaped with his fellow jets when one of the troops accidentally created a flood. He later made a bet with Thrust and Ramjet (four energon cubes!) over whether or not Megatron will prevail over the rebellious Triple Changers and Devastator. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}

[[Image:WarDawn-ThundercrackerPounding.jpg|220px|thumb|right|[[Guardian robot|They]] sure used to give us a pounding. By that, I mean we needed plastic surgery.]]

Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker had held several humans hostage, so it was only natural they would find the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] on their tails. Thundercracker got in a dogfight with [[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]] and [[Slingshot]], and he emerged as the loser, returning to Cybertron for repairs. On Cybertron, the three Seekers caught up with the Aerialbots again, but they were calmed when [[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] announced that he simply wanted to talk. Starscream saw this as an opportunity to trick the Aerialbots, but the remaining Autobots discovered their plan. The Seekers tried to ward them off, but Ironhide crashed into them. Eventually, the Decepticons discovered a guardian robot from Cybertron's past, which Thundercracker recalled as "giving them a pounding in the old days". When the Autobots repaired the time machine that had sent the Aerialbots to the past, the Decepticons attacked them with a guardian robot. When it was destroyed by [[Superion (G1)|Superion]], they retreated. {{storylink|War Dawn}} Thundercracker and Skywarp were guarding a space bridge when Starscream flew in and requested to go to Cybertron. The two of them refused to let anybody through without proper authorization, leading Starscream to aim his gun directly in Skywarp's face. They reluctantly let him through. Thundercracker took part in the assault on the traitorous Starscream and his warriors, the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. {{storylink|Starscream's Brigade}}

[[Image:StarscreamsBrigade-SpaceBridgeGuards.jpg|thumb|left|240px|You shall not pass!]]

He and Dirge were instructed by Megatron to transport some energon cubes to the space bridge. He was then sent to Cybertron via space bridge with the other Decepticons and the Autobots, who had temporarily made an alliance in order to stop Starscream. {{storylink|The Revenge of Bruticus}} Finally, he took part attacking the Ark and [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]]. {{storylink|B.O.T. (episode)|B.O.T.}}

Thundercracker was present for [[Battle of Autobot City|the Decepticon assault]] on [[Autobot City]] in 2005, and was among the Decepticons gunned down by Optimus Prime. After the battle, Astrotrain transported the Decepticons away, but requested that some dead weight should be jettisoned. The injured Thundercracker, along with Skywarp and the Insecticons, were tossed out of Astrotrain following a decidedly stacked vote.

[[Image:TFTM Thundercracker.jpg|right|250px|thumb|NAZGUUUUL!!]]
That was not, however, entirely the end of Thundercracker's story. [[Unicron]] was waiting in space for a chance like this, and when the newly reborn [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] needed some new troops to command, Thundercracker was among the old Decepticons used as raw materials. His body was used to create [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

Later [[Octane]] would show concern when he ran into a [[Decepticon Crypt]] to hide from Cyclonus, the Sweeps and Scourge and found [[:Image:ThundercrackerCryptMarker1.jpg|a statue of Thundercracker]] there. After apologizing for the intrusion, Octane decided it would be better to hide behind someone else's statue. {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}}
{{-}}

====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' comic====

Under orders from [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], Thundercracker accompanied [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] in an energy raid on [[Tokyo]]. They succeeded in bombing pedestrians and children until [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and a unit of Autobot vehicles arrived. Though a Decepticon victory seemed assured when they unleashed [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] on their foes, their strategy was undone when the Autobots drove up a ramp at top speed, transformed to vehicle mode and punched everybody in the face. Thundercracker was forced to retreat. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 1|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #1}}

Thundercracker later took part in an all-out assault on [[Ark (G1)|Autobot Headquarters]] in [[Arizona]]. The attack was nothing more than a diversion so [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] could go do unspecified ''stuff'' in Japan and the Decepticons were eventually defeated and driven off. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 2|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #2}}

====''Robot Masters'' online comic====
{{charstubfiction}}

===S.T.A.R.S. pack-in flyers===
[[Image:PackIn HaveTheDecepticons Inside1.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Somebody told him the femmebots are all into vampires these days.]]
A [[S.T.A.R.S. continuity|series of recruitment messages]] sent by the Autobots to [[human]] allies featured Thundercracker as a recurrent bogeyman. He first appeared in the story of [[Johnny]], a member of [[S.T.A.R.S.]] who spotted Thundercracker draining the energy from the boy's town. Despite all other power being knocked out, Johnny was able to activate his [[Command Center]] and summon an Autobot squad. {{storylink|Have the Decepticons defeated us once and for all?}} However, even they were somewhat affected by Thundercracker's siphoning, and just as Johnny was preparing to issue orders, his Command Center went dead and the walls around him began to shake. {{storylink|Can one boy, alone, hold back the evil Decepticons?}}

[[Image:PackIn RodimusPrimeRemembers Inside2.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Greatest battle of all time, and Reflector takes the picture when my damn wings are still down. Thanks, buddy."]]

The Autobot messages ended that story there, leaving the outcome unknown. But in later messages, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] would recall what he considered [[Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction|the Transformers' greatest battle on Earth]], in which the only enemy combatants were Megatron and Thundercracker. The two Decepticons set up an ambush for an Autobot convoy searching for a site on which to build [[Autobot City]]. As the battle erupted, Thundercracker again employed his energy-draining attack (described here as a "[[force field]]"). {{storylink|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.}} [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] ordered [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], and [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] to retreat out of the weapon's range and get help, but as they left, Thundercracker pursued. {{storylink|Transformers Combat Data}}

[[Image:Theautobotsareunderattack.jpg|left|150px|thumb|The match-up no one demanded!]]

Again, the story was cut short, but it would not be the last time Thundercracker was said to tangle with that particular group of Autobots. The final S.T.A.R.S. recruitment message told of [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] discovering that the squad was out scouting for new energy sources, and Thundercracker was sent on a sneak-attack run. The message warned that if the recipient failed to help out by joining S.T.A.R.S., the Autobots might be destroyed. {{storylink|The Autobots Are Under Attack!}}

{{note|Thundercracker's consistent use of an energy-draining weapon is unique to this [[micro-continuity]]. It seems to make him an incredibly dangerous foe; however, given that all of this is literally Autobot propaganda, the "[[Wikipedia:Unreliable narrator|unreliable narrator]]" factor is worth consideration.}}

===''Machine Wars'' toy bio===
The mysterious [[Machine Wars]] were a tumultuous time for Thundercracker. At long last he was convinced of and committed to the truth of the Decepticon cause, but Thundercracker now ironically found himself in open rebellion against Megatron's leadership of the faction. It is unknown what events lead to his reversal of heart about the Decepticons and his being branded a "Rebel Warrior."

{{note|Since no fictional backstory has ever been established for the Machine Wars line it is possible that it is set in some alternate reality where this was simply Thundercracker's nature, but given that the rest of the characters are clearly their classic G1-selves unrevealed events/character development seem more likely explanations.}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
{{notekeepers}}

{{charstubfiction}}

One of the first Decepticons recruited by Megatron. Early in Megatron's scheming, Thundercracker was sent to Sector Zero-Six with Skywarp and Starscream. On the way, Starscream unintelligently leaked the plan to Grimlock. {{storylink|DW Preview Special 2002}} During the war, Thundercracker served under Shockwave during the Dark Ages, when Megatron was missing and believed dead. {{storylink|War Within: The Dark Ages}}

Thundercracker was one of several Decepticon invaders on-board the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' when it crashed into [[Earth]] four million years ago while the Autobot ship was clearing an asteroid in the path of Cybertron. He was reactivated in 1984 with the rest of the Transformers, and fought at Megatron's side until the Decepticons were ultimately defeated. In 2002, he was captured and reprogrammed by arms dealer [[Lazarus|Adam 'Lazarus' Rook]] alongside many other Cybertronians. Lazarus intended to rent out the services of the enslaved robots to various terrorist groups. In a demonstration of their power to a group of prospective clients, Thundercracker participated in an attack on the Arctic division of the Smitco Oil Refinery by blowing something up. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 2}}

After Megatron reactivated himself, he freed his Decepticon subordinates in order to put forward his plans to infect Earth with a metallic virus of doom. To pass the time while this happened, Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp busied themselves by tearing apart the Autobot [[Mini Vehicle]] team. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 3}} Thundercracker later participated in Megatron's attack on San Francisco, where he followed Starscream's orders to maintain formation and drop cluster bombs on the Autobot giant [[Superion (G1)|Superion]], forcing the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] to split into their separate component robots. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 4}} Thundercracker stood watch over the defeated Autobots while Megatron tried to persuade [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] to help the Decepticons conquer Earth. After some human firefighters distracted the Decepticons long enough for Optimus Prime to free the Autobots, Thundercracker was presumably beaten up and escaped when Superion sacrificed himself to stop a nuclear missile launched by rogue US General [[Robert Hallo]]. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 6}}

''Oddly enough, Thundercracker turned to weapons smuggling after Megatron vanished and the Decepticons were left leaderless, working with [[Mexico|Mexican]] arms dealers south of the border. He was moored at [[Mesa Verde|Atahulpa Aeropuerto de Mesa Verde]], getting his cargo hold loaded with guns, when [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] sieged the tiny airport. As his human allies scattered, Thundercracker transformed and engaged the Autobots with his drone missile launchers. One of the guided projectiles nearly blasted Prowl in the back, but Bumblebee knocked it off course... right into a tanker filled with jet fuel. The resulting explosion was catastrophic, and threw the Autobots for a loop. Thundercracker was prepared to finish off Prowl when the renegade [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]] named [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] arrived on the scene. Fresh for battle, Grimlock easily defeated Thundercracker, battering him from head to toe before knocking him into the airport terminal. {{storylink|Hardwired}}''

{{note|Thundercracker's smuggling operation may have been connected to Starscream supplying advanced weapons technology to his human servants in [[Las Vegas]], but this was never made clear.}}
''Recovering from his injuries, Thundercracker joined up with Starscream and his forces in "[[Las Vegas|New Centurion]]" (formerly Las Vegas) some time before Megatron returned to Earth with the nigh-invincible aliens known as the [[Keeper (species)|Keepers]] in tow. He got another chance at Prowl and Bumblebee while fighting on the Strip, but the Autobots were better prepared this time and Thundercracker was brought down by Prowl's wire-guided missiles and crashed in front of Caesar's Palace. He revived in time to join Soundwave in double-teaming Grimlock, who had also come in the assault on Las Vegas. Unfortunately, Thundercracker once again fell before the Dinobot's superior might after only a few blows. He stayed under Starscream's command after Megatron returned, remaining in Las Vegas while the former Decepticon leader and those loyal to him quit the city. This only led to Thundercracker being captured with the rest of Starscream's Decepticons when their leader was killed by the Keepers and reanimated as a host body for their awesome power. Thundercracker, Skywarp and the others were trapped beneath a massive energy field, like mice in a cage to the god-like aliens.''

''The [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] eventually dug a tunnel to freedom, and Thundercracker's group of Decepticons reunited with Megatron, working with the Autobots against the Keepers. Thundercracker joined [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and the Autobot [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] on air patrol during the fight with the Keepers, strafing the aliens and their puppets, [[Bluestreak]] and Starscream. He survived the battle with the Keepers (not to mention the nuclear missile launched by the American government) thanks to Optimus Prime super-charging the [[Matrix]] with a pool of newly discovered energon. {{storylink|Annihilation}}''

''Thundercracker began working for Megatron again, and was present in the Nevada desert when the Autobots and Decepticons confronted the United States military. Thanks to their airborne tactics, Thundercracker and Skywarp did significant injury to the troops and survived the [[deconstructionite]] assault virtually unscathed. {{storylink|Fusion (novel)|Fusion}}''

After [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] had defeated Megatron and brought the Decepticons back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Thundercracker and Skywarp spent their time relaxing and bathing, though Thundercracker was skeptical of Shockwave's new order, and compared its promised benefits to the benefits originally promised by Megatron. {{storylink|Cold War}}

Starscream eventually brought the Nemesis crew back to Earth and led them in a battle against the Autobots who had stayed behind there. {{storylink|Night of the Combaticons}} Thundercracker was among those captured by the Autobots, but was eventually freed in exchange for Starscream's assistance in fighting against [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]]. They were only given half-power, though, and had to stumble out of the Autobot camp in an extremely weakened condition. {{storylink|Skyfire (issue)|Skyfire}} Hardly the sort of leadership they had in mind, Thundercracker and the other Decepticons eagerly re-accepted Megatron as their leader when he returned to Earth and chastised Starscream for his incompetence and treachery. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[Image:GIJoevsTF1_Seeker.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Redeco no more, we're both the same color now. Damn Cobra jets.]]
Thundercracker was one of the many Transformers found dormant aboard the ''Ark'' by [[Cobra]], who reprogrammed the alien robots to serve them. After rebuilding Thundercracker and Skywarp into [[Rattler]] planes, Cobra sent them to attack a peace ceremony at [[Washington, D.C.]], where one of the Seekers was the first of the attackers to reveal their [[transformation]] ability before punching [[Ace]] out of the sky. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 1}}

Eventually, the Decepticons were freed from Cobra's control, and Thundercracker and Skywarp started fighting against the newly freed Autobots. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 5}} When the [[SPS Satellite]] went out of control and sent enerby beams raining down on [[Cobra Island]], the two Seekers were caught in its blasts and deactivated. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 6}}

{{note|Thundercracker and Skywarp are identical in this series, so it's possible that Thundercracker was also the one to kill [[Major Bludd]] in [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 4|issue 4]]. It seems more like something Skywarp would do, though.}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers Legends'' anthology===
Thundercracker and Skywarp were getting bawled out by Megatron when the news came in that Starscream had injured himself. When they went to retrieve Starscream, the Seeker was gone, and Thundercracker pointed out the Autobot tire-marks leading away from the area. He later totally bought Screamer's story that he'd been feigning amnesia to gain access to the Autobot base. {{storylink|Redemption Center}}

===IDW comics continuity===
{{ongoing}}
[[Image:MegatronOrigin4 Thundercracker Skywarp.jpg|left|450px|thumb|"When I joined this murderous terrorist group, I wasn't ever intending to shoot at anyone!"]]
Thundercracker and his fellow Seekers were recruited into Megatron's [[Gladiatorial combat|underground fights]] when Soundwave was sent to recruit flight capable warriors. However, Megatron did not intend for them to be pit fighters, but his new warriors. After being given [[weapons systems]] by [[Hook (G1)|Hook]], the Seekers went and kidnapped [[Decimus|Senator Decimus]], who was to be executed at Megatron's recruitment rally. However, the [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] and the Autobots arrived and arrested the whole of them. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3}} After Starscream killed the [[Kaon Council]] and liberated them, Megatron launched his new "Decepticons" in an "Everything burns" offensive on Kaon. Thundercracker and Skywarp were sent to target a ship carrying the wealthy and elite. Thundercracker expressed some reservations about attacking the ship, but Skywarp gave him simple advice: "Don't think. Just do it." {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 4}}

[[Image:Infiltration0 Thundercracker.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Tha-Boom, I want you in my room...]]
Millions of years later, Thundercracker operated as part of a Decepticon [[Infiltration protocol|insurgent cell]] that had operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, working to destabilize Earth's governing organizations and create global anarchy. He was known to the Autobots as a professional soldier, in contrast to the likes of the Battlechargers.

He, [[Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] were assigned by [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] to intercept the human [[Stoker]] and retrieve his [[SM-40]] palmtop PC, containing data on their [[Nebraska]] operation. The team caught up with and killed Stoker outside Phoenix, AZ, but the [[SM-40]] was missing. Thundercracker tracked the device to [[Hunter O'Nion]] and [[Verity Carlo]], but was driven off by [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], {{storylink|Infiltration issue 0}} who managed to temporarily lose him and the two [[Battlecharger|Battlechargers]]. After picking Ratchet up again, Thundercracker was later shot down by [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 2}} When Megatron arrived on Earth to take command of Starscream's infiltration team, Thundercracker, along with the other Decepticons, were unwilling to stand against him when the Decepticon leader ordered them to stand down. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6}}

After Megatron trashed Starscream, Thundercracker and the other Decepticons were only all too willing to accept Megatron's leadership once again. The Decepticons took up temporary residence in an [[array]] structure in [[Latveria]]. There, Megatron activated the [[Psycho-Prism]] he had stolen from [[Doctor Doom]]. The Psycho-Prism emitted an aggression wave that acted on humans, increasing international tensions in the area. Megatron sent Thundercracker an Skywarp to bomb the neighboring country of [[Symkaria]] so they would blame Latveria and start a war. After their return the Decepticon array was being besieged by Autobots and [[Avengers]]. Along with the other Decepticons (except [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]), Thundercraker powered-up with the captured [[Spider-Man]]'s super powers as part of [[mirror response mode]]. Thundercraker, Runabout, and Runamuck left the array to confront the Autobots and Avengers outside. Thundercracker shot and injured Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Two}}

After shooting [[Ms. Marvel]] and getting chased by [[Captain America]] in the [[Quinjet]], Thundercraker was brought down by a blast from [[Iron Man]] in Transformer-sized armor. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Three}} He laid there until Megatron called for a retreat via [[emergency warp-out]]. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Four}}

Thundercracker and Skywarp were sent to destroy the El Jira power plant in the middle east to inflame global tensions and spark a global energy shortage. {{storylink|Escalation issue 2}} During the battle of [[Brasnya]], the sorely-pressed Skywarp teleported Thundercracker in to try and stop [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] from escaping with the [[Georgi Koska]] facimile. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6}}

[[Image:Devastation1 Ruining Everything.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Megatron's lost it! It must be a Tuesday.]]
Thundercracker was among the concerned Decepticons who feared that Megatron had made a serious error in judgement by bringing the destructive [[Sixshot]] to Earth, and so conspired to bring Starscream back into the fold to talk some sense into their leader. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1}} Though outnumbered and outgunned, the Decepticons fought valiantly when the [[Reaper|Reapers]] attacked, and with a little help from [[Galvatron (G1)|a mysterious combatant]], they managed to defeat the alien invaders. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6}}

Sometime after that (we think), Thundercracker was on Cybertron watching the experiments to create [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]]. He was outraged by the existence of the [[Insecticon swarm|Swarm]], freakish monsters created as a side-effect, and demanded Megatron euthanised them rather than allowing fellow Decepticons to endure such torturous existence. Megatron, shockingly, didn't give a toss. A while later, Thundercracker helped defeat the Autobots staying on Earth. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7}}

A year on from the Reaper battle, Thundercracker was part of the Decepticon attack on [[New York City]]. Unlike his comrades, he showed no enthusiasm for mindless slaughter and could be seen staring at the devastation Megatron left in his wake. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1}} When Megatron later made his propaganda speech, Thundercracker looked unimpressed. (Having to stand outside when it was pissing down probably didn't help) {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4}}
{{-}}

[[Image:AHM12_Betrayer.jpg|right|200px|thumb|How DARE you act like your [[bio]] suggests you should act!]]

Thundercracker came to the aid of Skywarp when the latter was being threatened by [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]. While Skywarp enjoyed working with his pal Thundercracker again, he also noted that Thundercracker hadn't actually participated in any of the fighting since the initial strike. Thundercracker for his part looked about as depressed as a robot CAN look, suggesting he was unhappy about the invasion plan, or at least the gratuitous death and destruction some of the others had caused. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6}} When Starscream betrayed Megatron and sent the Insecticons and [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] to attack him, Thundercracker merely stood back and watched. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10}} He was later seen fighting back against human jets sent from [[Europe]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11}}

When Megatron ordered [[Octane|Tankor]] to destroy New York City using a nuclear bomb, Thundercracker volunteered himself to redirect it. When questioned, he said that in his opinion, the Decepticons had lost their way, and the mass slaughter of unworthy foes was dishonorable. He succeeded in redirecting the bomb, but was then confronted by a furious Skywarp, who was outraged at the idea of a Seeker "betrayer" and, despite Thundercracker's attempts to explain his position, blasted him point-blank in the head. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12}}

Thundercracker survived, albeit heavily injured and incapable of traveling far. As he made his way to a ruined New York skyscraper which human cleanup crews likely wouldn't reach for months, he reflected on how life on Earth was always changing and always found a way to survive. He eventually managed to construct a distress beacon, and as he waited for his fellow Decepticons to find him, he also got a [[television]] working. For the next two and a half years, Thundercracker spent his time watching human programs and growing increasingly fascinated with their ever-changing world and society. Eventually, he was found by a ragtag team of 'cons left behind on the planet, who repaired him and hoped that he, as an elite Seeker, would lead them. Thundercracker refused, as he saw no point in a warrior leading the team, since the war was over for them. {{storylink|Seasons in Flight}}

Instead, [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] took command, and led Thundercracker and the others for a revenge attack on [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. They changed their mind, however, and instead offered to help [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] and his group leave Earth. {{storylink|New Arrivals, Old Encounters}} As Thundercracker helped them construct a ship, he thought about how Swindle had to be planning something, and how he felt remorse for the Autobots and how lost they were. His thoughts strayed back to the humans and their ever-changing world, comparing them to his own so-called "transforming" race that had remained the same for millions of years. While Thundercracker used to laugh at it, he now saw the beauty of Earth, where every act of destruction was also an act of creation. He knew that they had a lot to learn from the humans, but all his fellow Transformers wanted to do was to run away. {{storylink|Seasons in Flight}}

Thundercracker watched from the sidelines as Ultra Magnus confronted Hot Rod's group for a second time, and witnessed Swindle's unveiling of [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]]. {{storylink|Enemies of the System}} While the other Decepticons turned on their Autobot "comrades", Thundercracker remained true to his honor. He saved [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] during a scrap with [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]], and proceeded to help Rodimus as well. {{storylink|Earthworks}}

Months later, Bumblebee contacted Thundercracker, asking him for help in getting the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] out of [[North Korea]]. {{storylink|International Incident Part 2: "Ranks of Bronze"}}
{{-}}

==Commercial apperances==
Thundercracker snuck his way into several bits of original [[commercial]] animation:
* He appears in the first Transformers animation, a 1984 commercial advertising the Marvel comic. He is animated with an early model featuring a black face.

* He appears alongside Starscream in a commercial for Jetfire, strafing three Autobot cars. Later Jetfire shoots him down, forcing him and Starscream to transform and land.

* Thundercracker and the other two jets get beat up by the Dinobots in a commercial for the Predacons.

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:Redeco.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Thundercracker is the cheap and lazy redeco on the right.]]
* '''Thundercracker''' (Decepticon Jet, 1984/1985/1986/2001/2003/2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''24'''
**''Accessories'': Left & right fists, landing gear, 2 rocket launchers, 2 rockets, 2 "Incendiary Gun" missiles

: {{note|For some reason, the stats on Skywarp's, Starscream's and Thundercracker's tech specs were switched around. Thundercracker was given Skywarp's numbers.}}

: Originally a ''[[Diaclone]]'' "Jet Robo Acrobat-Type", Thundercracker transforms into an F-15 Eagle fighter jet, sharing his mold with his teammates [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]. Many parts need to be removed completely from transformation from robot to jet and back, which nowadays is considered a major drawback of the toy. It is difficult to find it complete, as neither mode can hold all the pieces required. There are a few minor mold variations of this toy (common for the first two years of ''Transformers'', really), the most immediately noticeable being that early versions did not have visible "clip-tabs" on the inner face of the gauntlets.

: In 1986, he was made available as a mail-away item (as he was no longer shipping to retail shelves) in the "[[Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction]]" flier packed with most boxed ''Transformers'' toys. He cost $10 and two [[Robot Point|robot points]].

: In 2001, Thundercracker was given a short-run re-issue by [[Takara]] as a convention-[[exclusive]] item. The toy would later be more extensively released as part of the [[Hasbro]] [[Commemorative Series]] line, though due to US [[For safety reasons|toy-safety regulations]], his missiles were made extra-long.

: In August, 2008, Thundercracker was reissued with Skywarp as number 11 in Takara's [[Encore|Transformers Encore]] line. This version used a slightly different shade of blue and had painted stripes and symbols instead of using stickers.

: This mold is also used by [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]], [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] and [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]].

{{-}}{{anchor|ActionMaster}}
[[Image:Thundercrackeram.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Do not look directly at him, unless you have sunglasses and/or Pepto Bismol handy.]]
* '''Thundercracker (Action Master)''' (Action Master Exo-suit, 1991)
**''Accessories'': "Solo Mission Jet Plane", 2 missiles

: Released only in European and Australasian markets, once again Thundercracker was a [[redeco]] of Starscream, a non-transforming action figure that combined elements of both the character's cartoon model and toy-form. Like all [[Action Master|Action Masters]], Thundercracker was a non-transformable action figure with a transformable accessory — in his case, a Solo Mission Jet Plane vehicle that converted into [[Action Master Exo-suit| Exo-suit]] battle armor. However, unlike most of Thundercracker's appearances, Action Master Thundercracker is not in his traditional blue and silver colors, but rather in [[Neon|magenta, purple, blue, gold, and two shades of green]]. ''(Oy.)''

{{-}}
===Machine Wars===
[[Image:MWThundercracker toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|No, seriously, this guy is Thundercracker.]]
* '''Thundercracker''' (Basic, 1996)
**''Accessories'': Two-part rifle

: Sharing a mold once again with [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], Thundercracker transforms into a green Dassault Rafale fighter jet with spring-loaded one-step transformation from jet to robot. The two halves of his rifle store in his lower legs. Like all ''[[Machine Wars]]'' toys, Thundercracker was an [[exclusive]] to Kay-Bee stores and related stores like Toy Liquidators.

: This mold was also used to make ''[[Beast Wars II (franchise)|Beast Wars II]]'' [[Dirge (BWII)|Dirge]], ''[[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Skyfire (RID)|Skyfire]], ''[[Robot Masters]]'' [[Wingstun]], and the "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]" version of [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]].

{{-}}
===Smallest Transforming Transformers===
* '''Thundercracker''' (2004)

: Part of the third wave of ''[[Smallest Transforming Transformers]]'' product (dubbed wave "2.5" and available only at CVS stores in Japan), Thundercracker is ''again'' a redeco of Starscream. Like all toys in the line, Thundercracker is a tiny, even more simplified version of the original toy, transforming into an F-15 fighter jet. These toys were sold in "blind-packed" boxes, so you could not know which one you had until you actually opened the box. To complicate matters further, Thundercracker was a [[chase figure]], one of two in his wave (the other was a cartoon-colored version of Optimus Prime's trailer).

: The same mold is used by ''Smallest Transforming Transformers'' Skywarp and Thrust.

{{-}}
===Robot Masters===
[[Image:RobotMastersThundercracker.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Light blue? Totally neon.]]
* '''Skywarp & Thundercracker''' (Multi-pack, 2005)
**''Accessories'': 2 rifles, 2 missile pods

: ''[[Robot Masters]]'' Thundercracker is a redeco of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] from the same series, a smaller yet more advanced version of the original toy, adding more articulation and reducing the amount of [[Partformer|part-forming]] required. He was available only in a two-pack with [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], which also came with a Decepticon sigil pin and chromed missile pods. This set was the very last product released in the ''Robot Masters'' line, and wasn't even strictly sold in a box from that series; instead, it used an e-Hobby Generation 1 reissue box, with a small "''Robot Masters''" sticker in the corner tab noting its origin from the front.

{{-}}
===Titanium Series===
[[Image:TitaniumHeroesWWThundercracker.jpg|right|300px|thumb|I don't think I have enough little wings on my shoulders.]]
* '''Thundercracker''' (6" Cybertron Heroes, 2006)

: [[Titanium Series]] Thundercracker is based upon his appearance in [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[The War Within]]''. He transforms into a Cybertronian 'tetrajet', as reimagined by [[Don Figueroa]]. As with all 6-inch Titanium Cybertron Heroes, he is constructed mostly of fully painted die-cast metal.

: This mold was redecoed into ''[[War Within (toyline)|War Within]]'' Starscream, Sunstorm, Skywarp and Thrust.

: Yes. Thundercracker was here first.
{{-}}

===Timelines===
[[Image:Classics Thundercracker Toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|You want me, but you can't have me!]]
*'''Games of Deception!''' (Multi-pack, 2007)
**''Accessories'': Left & right launchers, 2 missiles

: Thundercracker is part of the ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]''-themed [[BotCon 2007]] box set, along with [[Bug Bite (G1)|Bugbite]], [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]], [[Dreadwind (G1)|Dreadwind]], and [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]. Thundercracker is a [[redeco]] of the ''Classics'' Starscream toy using the modified version first seen with Skywarp.

: ''Classics'' Thundercracker is a faithful reproduction of his original toy, but with modern standards of toy engineering, transformation, sculpting detail and articulation. He transforms into an F-15 Eagle, but has the nose of an F-14 Tomcat fighter jet. His color scheme is inspired by the original figure released in 1984, but with a shade of blue closer to that of the original [[Diaclone]] version.

: In robot mode, Thundercracker is essentially a very detailed version of his cartoon robot mode. He is armed with two null-ray missile launchers which are so large that they restrict his arm movement due to them bumping into his wings.

: There were only 1500 ''Classics'' Thundercracker figures produced.

:This mold was used for Henkei! Thundercracker.

{{-}}
===Henkei! Henkei!===
[[Image:Henkei Thundercracker toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb| You could have had me . . . but even then you might not want me.]]
*'''Thundercracker''' (Deluxe, 2008)
**''Accessories:'' 2 missile launchers (left and right), 2 missiles

: ''[[Henkei! Henkei! (toyline)|Henkei! Henkei!]]'' Thundercracker is a Genbo store exclusive redeco of ''Henkei! Henkei!'' [[Starscream (G1)/toys|Starscream]]. He features a metallic flake blue version of his cartoon clour scheme, rather than his darker blue Generation 1 toy colour scheme. ''Henkei'' Thundercracker and his fellow [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] were opened for pre-order on [[May 22]]nd through [[June 20]], and mailed out in September 2008.

:Soon after release, there were numerous complaints from both Japanese and Western collectors about the poor quality control for both Thundercracker and Skywarp. Thundercracker in particular suffered from a widespread issue where his missile launchers did not fit into the holes in his shoulders, due to the holes being too big. Some reported both toys suffering misassembly issues such as having two left or two right thighs.

:Several minor changes were made to this mold for this release. The holes for his missile launchers in his arms were widened, but not the launcher's insertion pegs. The wing's missile launcher insertion points were lengthened and are now curved at the end. The last rectangle on his air intakes, was further modified from the Classics version this time the bottom most rectangle goes completely across the air intake's surface rather than just the center. ''Henkei'' Skywarp and ''[[Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' [[Starscream (G1)/toys#Generation 1 Series|Starscream]] also saw most of these changes.

{{-}}

===Masterpiece===
[[Image:MP Thundercracker toy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Hey, at least I'm ''meant'' to be [[Starscream (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|blue]].]]
* '''Thundercracker''' (2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-7'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 "Machine Guns", 2 AIM missile racks, Doctor Arkeville pilot, Megatron Gun clasp, display stand

:A redeco of ''Masterpiece'' Starscream, ''[[Masterpiece]]'' Thundercracker was released in Japan in November 2008. He comes with all the accessories of the previous Seekers including the display stand, [[Doctor Arkeville]] (cast with blue skin), stickers and the clip to hold gun-mode Megatron that came with ''Masterpiece'' Convoy while in jet-mode. Also like Starscream and Skywarp, Thundercracker features two swappable faces; the normal emotionless face which is retooled from Starscream's original one, and a new growling one which appears to be an attempt to make him seem very angry... very angry indeed. Unfortunately the effect leaves him looking like he's on a trip to the dentist. He is covered with a glossy finish just like Skywarp.

:'SOME 'Masterpiece'' Thundercrackers feature an assembly error: His left and right pectorals are flipped. This misassembly does not affect transformation at all, and is most noticeable when compared to prior Masterpiece Seekers. The 2008 pressing of ''Masterpiece'' Skywarp also features this part swap.

:It is a common misconception that the stoic face on Takara's ''Masterpiece'' Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker are the same, when all of them are in fact different sculpts.

{{-}}

===Alternity===
*'''Thundercracker Sonic Blue''' (2010)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''A-04'''

:Thundercracker is a redeco of ''[[Alternity (franchise)|Alternity]]'' [[Skywarp (G1)#Alternity|Skywarp]], transforming into a licensed 1:32 scale [[wikipedia:Mitsuoka_Orochi|Mitsuoka Orochi]]. Thundercracker replaces Skywarp's purple, flat black, light purple, and metallic gray for metallic blue, glossy black, light blue, and silver. Like the other toys in the line, he features [[die-cast]] metal parts and rubber tires, as well as an opening hood, trunk and doors. In car mode, small wings can be flipped out from under Thundercracker's rear wheels, giving him the appearance of a flying car.

:The original version of this mold was used by ''Alternity'' [[Starscream (G1)/toys#Alternity|Starscream]] and Skywarp.

===Generations===
*'''Thundercracker''' (Deluxe Class, 2011)
{{comingsoontoy}}

==Merchandise==
===Decoy===
* '''Thundercracker''' (1986)
**''Decoy ID number'': '''34'''

: [[Decoy]] Thundercracker is a tiny rubber figure randomly packed with [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]], [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]], [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]] in 1986. As the figure is one solid color (purple or red, with the red versions only being available for a short while and only with Throttlebots), Thundercracker is only differentiated from Starscream and Skywarp by holding his right arm up in the air.

===Super Collection Figure===
[[Image:HOC_Thundercracker.jpg|thumb|right|250px|]]
* '''Thundercracker''' (2001)

: ''[[Super Collection Figure]]'' Thundercracker is a non-transforming three-inch tall figure, and a redeco of SCF Starscream. He was released in the fourth wave of the series, and came with the left leg of that wave's "Build-A-Figure", [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]].

: This mold was also used to make [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] and the [[Air Warrior]]s in the ''[[Heroes of Cybertron]]'' line (see below).

===Heroes of Cybertron===
* '''Thundercracker''' (2003)

: ''[[Heroes of Cybertron]]'' was the Western release of ''Super Collection Figures'', and differ in that they were given a [[light-piping]] gimmick due to being molded entirely from translucent red or blue plastic and leaving the eyes and back of the head unpainted. Thundercracker was part of the second wave of HOCs. The pectorals are painted gray (instead of white on the SCF) and his hands black (instead of gray).

* '''Decepticon''' (2003)

: Thundercracker was also available in a six-pack with Starscream, Skywarp and three [[Air Warrior]]s. This set was offered by [[3H Productions|3H]] at [[The Official Transformers Collectors Convention|OTFCC 2003]] and elsewhere.

{{-}}

===MyClone===
* '''Thundercracker''' (2003)

: A redeco of [[MyClone]] Starscream, Thundercracker a small [[super deformed]] figure who, due to a generic base body, can be easily disassembled and have his parts swapped with other MyClones. Thundercracker was a [[chase figure]] in the second wave of Transformers MyClones, along with [[Galvatron (G1)/toys|Lava Galvatron]].

===Titanium Series===
[[Image:Titanium-toy RMThundercracker.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Complete with rocket exhaust. Or possibly [[Goo]]. Or possibly oh dear god please let it be rocket exhaust or Goo.]]
* '''Thundercracker''' (3" Robot Masters, 2006)
**''Accessories:'' Display stand

: A redeco of "Robot Masters" Starscream, Thundercracker is a small, non-transforming die-cast metal figurine based on his cartoon [[character model]]. He is sculpted holding a gun in his left hand and stretching out his right arm, while using his feet-jets to fly up.
{{-}}

===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Robotheroesjazzthundercracker.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Now who's geeky?]]
* '''Jazz Vs Thundercracker''' (2007)

: A redeco of ''[[Robot Heroes]]'' Starscream, Thundercracker is a two inch high figure sculpted in a [[super deformed]] style and articulated at the shoulders. He was available in a two-pack with [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]. This mold was later redecoed as Skywarp in the "Decepticon Sneak Attack" set.

{{-}}

===Palisades===
[[Image:PalisadesThundercracker.jpg|thumb|Thundercracker [[Wikipedia:Jeff Dunham|on a ''stiiick'']].]]
* '''Thundercracker''' (Palisades, 2005)

:A [[Palisades|Palisades Direct]]-exclusive redeco of the Starscream statue, Thundercracker is a six inch tall polystone statue with articulated head and arms. He can stand normally or use a stand to take on a "hovering" pose. Thundercracker was limited to 300 pieces, and sculpted by [[3L Creation Group]] from a design by [[George Tremarco]].

{{-}}
===Transformers - Mini Bust===
[[Image:DST08_ThundercrackerBust.jpg|right|thumb|200px|]]
* '''Thundercracker''' (Diamond Select, 2008)
:Released by Diamond Select Toys in 2008, Thundercracker was first exclusive to the New York Comic Con and later on offered by online retailer Big Bad Toy Store. He was sculpted by [[Mark Wong]] of [[Art Asylum]] and limited to 400 pieces.

{{-}}

==Notes==
* The mold for ''Machine Wars'' Thundercracker was originally developed for ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'', but was canceled when that line went under. It is unknown if it was intended to be a new character or a recurring one, though odds are it would have been later [[Redeco|redecoed]] into a recurring character if the former was true.

* A redeco of the ''Classics'' Seeker mold as Action Master Thundercracker was originally going to be the attendee freebie figure for [[BotCon 2010|BotCon 2010]], but the mold was being used for ''Generations'' Thrust by Hasbro at the time and thus unavailable. So [[Fun Publications|Fun Publications]] opted to produce [[Slicer|Slice]] instead.

==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1984/Decepticon/Thundercracker/thundercracker.htm Thundercracker at TFU.info]
*[http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Thundercracker Thundercracker's Universe profile at NTFA.net]
*[http://www.toybin.org/search.php?q=1984+Decepticon+Thundercracker ToyBin Thundercracker Toy Gallery]

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Alternity Decepticons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Decepticons]]
[[Category:Classics Decepticons]]
[[Category:Convention exclusives]]
[[Category:KB Toys exclusives]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 2 Decepticons]]
[[Category: Henkei! Henkei! Decepticons]]
[[Category:Machine Wars Decepticons]]
[[Category:Mail order items]]
[[Category:MyClone]]
[[Category:Robot Masters Decepticons]]
[[Category:Seekers]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Titanium Series]]