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Slash (RBA)

2024-04-29T01:31:23Z

AStrangeAvenue: /* Rescue Bots Academy cartoon */ grammar fix

{{faction|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Slash}}
:''Slash is an [[Autobot]] [[Dinobot (RID)|Dinobot]] from the [[Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy (franchise)|Rescue Bots Academy]] portion of the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[File:TheTracker Slash.jpg|right|300px|thumb]]

'''Slash''' is an expert tracker among [[Dinobot (RID)|Dinobots]], surpassing even her good friend [[Grimlock (RID 2015)|Grimlock]] in skill. Feisty and self-confident, she'll turn away any help if she believes it'll slow her down. Those who manage to [[Whirl (RBA)|keep up]], however, will earn her respect.

==Fiction==
===''Rescue Bots Academy'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Alex Hairston]] (English)}}
[[Grimlock (RID 2015)|Grimlock]] asked Slash to help [[Whirl (RBA)|Whirl]] with a mission in the [[Amazon]]. Slash preferred to work alone, so once Whirl told her they were looking for a human, [[Huxley Prescott]], Slash attempted repeatedly to lose Whirl while tracking. She finally managed to lose Whirl by falling into quicksand and into a ruined temple, however Whirl arrived soon afterwards. Slash then accidentally set off a trap and ended up seized by an ancient statue. She would have remained there indefinitely had Whirl not rescued both her and Huxley, at which point she conceded that maybe it would be safer adventuring with a partner. {{storylink|The Tracker}}

Needing help, Whirl enlisted Slash along with [[Brushfire (RB)|Brushfire]], [[Laserbeak (WFC)|Laserbeak]], [[Sludge (FOC)|Sludge]] and [[Snarl (FOC)|Snarl]] to stop [[Citadel Secundus]] from crashing into Earth. They sent Slash to locate the human [[Cody Burns|Cody Burns]] who was camping and out of communications. She retrieved the boy, taking him back to the Academy so his encryption key could be used to control [[Griffin Rock]]'s satellite dishes and take control of Secundus. During the recruits' graduation ceremony, [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] invited Slash and the others to join the Academy as a new year of students. {{storylink|Crash Of The Titan}}

==Notes==
*''Rescue Bots Academy'' Slash is the first female Dinobot to appear onscreen in a TV show or film.
[[Category:Aligned Dinobots]]
[[Category:Cartoon-only Transformers]]
[[Category:Female Transformers]]
[[Category:Rescue Bots Academy Autobots]]

Titan (group)

2024-03-27T20:37:39Z

AStrangeAvenue: /* 2019 IDW continuity */ spelling fix

{{disambig3|Titan}}
[[File:MtMtEAnn2012-Metrotitans.jpg|upright=2.5|thumb|[[Solomus|Gotta catch'em all!]]]]

'''Titans''', also known as '''cityformers''', '''Metrotitans''', or '''Megamasters''', are gigantic 'bots, capable of transforming into colossal starships and even entire cities. More powerful than even the strongest [[combiner]] and capable of bringing an entire army's worth of firepower to bear, Titans are living arsenals of exotic weapons and arcane technologies that outmatch a score of lesser Cybertronians. Indeed, one of the only things capable of stopping a Titan is another Titan—the reason why both [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s across the [[multiverse]] have sought to recruit these mighty warriors into their ranks—and when Titans ''do'' clash, the fallout from their apocalyptic battles can prove devastating.

Though most Cybertronians view these awe-inspiring giants as enigmatic beings who exist on a fundamentally different scale from themselves, the tradition of "[[Cityspeaker|cityspeaking]]" allows certain Transformers to communicate with and even control the giants.

{{bigquote|Wonderful creatures, hard to shop for—almost impossible to find hats in their size.|[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]]|"[[New Cybertron Part 2: A Lonely Pillar on the Plain|A Lonely Pillar on the Plain]]"}}

==Conceptual history==
[[File:Predacons-ColdWar.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel comic]] made the decision to depict Scorponok and Fortress Maximus as "normal" Transformers.]]
Transformers who turn into cities and buildings have formed an integral part of the ''Transformers'' mythos for years, beginning in 1986 with the release of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] and [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] and continuing into the next year with the debut of [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] and [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. Despite their many similarities, however, this group of Transformers did not receive an official designation and so the [[fandom]] contrived ad hoc terms such as "city-bot" or "cityformer;" these nicknames stuck, and some eventually found their way back into some official media. Early incarnations played fast and loose with [[scale]], with the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel ''Transformers'' comic]] and even the [[2005 IDW continuity]] eschewing the "giant" aspect of some of the characters completely and instead depicting Maximus and Scorponok as slightly above-average sized 'bots.

[[File:FOC-Metroplexheedsthecall.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'' video game established many of the traits that would find their way into the Titans of the IDW continuity.]]

Though a number of Japanese-exclusive stories and toys would introduce other cityformers into the mix, [[redeco]]ing Metroplex and Fortress Maximus into new characters like [[Metrotitan (G1)|Metrotitan]] and [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Brave Maximus]], the concept gradually fell by the wayside until [[2010]], when the [[Aligned continuity family]] brought a new version of [[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon]] back into the fore as one of the final bosses of the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)|War for Cybertron]]'' video game. Two years later, ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'' would similarly reintroduce [[Metroplex (FOC)|Metroplex]], depicting him as an ancient Transformer from a bygone era of the planet's history.

This depiction of Metroplex would go on to inform the original IDW continuity, and the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|2012 ''More than Meets the Eye'' annual]] applied this concept to an entire "species" of gigantic, city-sized Transformers. Originally, author [[James Roberts]] described them as "Metrotitans", repurposing the name of the [[Metrotitan (G1)|''Zone'' Decepticon]], but this was abandoned almost immediately: in the [[Primus: All Good Things|2012 ''Robots in Disguise'' annual]], released the same month, the species were called only "Titans", and the single Titan involved in the story was referred to as "The Metrotitan"; soon after, [[The End of the Beginning of the World|''Robots in Disguise'' #11]] dropped the "The" when referring to him, using the word as an individual's name. Nobody really noticed, though, and the subject didn't come up again until Metrotitan [[All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|returned]] in the build-up to the 2016 ''[[Titans Return (comic)|Titans Return]]'' event, and his name being different to that of the species was clearly reiterated. In 2014, ''[[The Transformers: Windblade|Windblade]]'' writer [[Mairghread Scott]] was the first author to introduce the idea that the Titans were capable of [[Cybertronian colonies|colonizing]] other planets, and used this when developing the culture of Windblade's home planet of [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]], introducing the concept of [[Cityspeaker|cityspeaking]]—the ability to pseudo-telepathically communicate with sleeping Titans—that would inform Windblade's early characterization.

Adopting this term from the IDW continuity, Hasbro seems to have finally settled on the "Titan" moniker for all subsequent works of fiction, beginning with [[2016]]'s ''[[Titans Return (franchise)|Titans Return]]'' franchise and even extending into retro-styled universes such as 2018's ''[[Star Trek vs. Transformers]]'' miniseries: generally, this term is now understood to describe a group of gigantic Transformers, sometimes but not always predating the modern [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s, and capable of [[Transformation|transforming]] into cities or colossal starships.

==Biology==
===Alternate modes===
[[File:G1 Autobot City.JPG|thumb|left|250px|The G1 cartoon depicted [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] as a component of the much larger [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]].]]
Almost all Titans are capable of transforming into a configuration that might charitably be called a "city." In order to maintain a credible size, their dimensions rarely match those of ''real'' cities, which can sprawl for many, many miles, their "city modes" usually resemble tightly packed clusters of buildings, generally scaled to the dimensions of "normal" Transformers and more akin to a large fortress or capitol building.

In this form, however, different continuities have depicted city-mode Titans has having the ability to combine their own infrastructure with those of ordinary, non-sentient Cybertronian cities for support; the Generation 1 cartoon, for instance, depicted Metroplex as existing within [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]], {{storylink|Thief in the Night}} while the 2005 IDW continuity had Metroplex link himself into the ruins of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] to providing housing and infrastructure for the city's inhabitants. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 1: Hello Cruel World|Hello Cruel World}}

[[File:AllThatRemains-Carcer.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Vigilem]] in his starship mode.]]

Additionally, most Titans possess a secondary mode that allows for reasonably-faster travel, transforming from a static fixture into a mobile fortress of sorts. Many Titans transform into gigantic starships, granting them the ability to travel independently from planet to planet, though some, such as [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], transform into kaiju-sized [[beast mode]]s instead. While most Titans possess humanoid [[robot mode]]s, exceptions exist, such as [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] and [[Chela]].

{{-}}

===Component Transformers===
{{See|Multi-component Transformer}}

[[File:Slammer sixgun scamper.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Slammer]], [[Scamper]], and [[Six-Gun]] can all transform into [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'s towers, turrets, and other static artillery emplacements.]]

Titans are sometimes shown to have developed a quasi-symbiotic relationship with a variety of smaller Transformers, who dwell within the Titan's cavernous workings, perform maintenance on their much larger partners, and sometimes transform into the city's own components. Fictional appearances of these Transformers are rarer; when they do appear, some are depicted with individual personalities, while others appear to be mindless drones, mere extensions of the Titan's own body designed to interact with smaller lifeforms.

While the original four Titan toys came with several such smaller characters, which have infrequently found their way into associated fiction, more recently introduced Titans, such as those in the pages of the 2005 IDW continuity, lack these accessories. In the ''[[Prime Wars Trilogy]]'' toylines and associated fiction, however, ''all'' Titans are shown to share a relationship with the much smaller [[Titan Master]]s; despite this vast difference in size, these Titan Masters are capable of piloting the bodies of the much larger Titans.

{{-}}

====Metroplex====
*[[Six-Gun]]
*[[Slammer]]
*[[Scamper]]

====Trypticon====
*[[Full-Tilt (G1)|Full-Tilt]]
*[[Brunt (G1)|Brunt]]
*[[Wipe-Out]]

====Fortress Maximus====
*[[Cog (G1)|Cog]] – usually the combined form of the robotic drones Gasket and Grommet.
*[[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]] – [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] unit
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]]

====Scorponok====
*[[Fasttrack (G1)|Fasttrack]]
*[[Zarak (G1)|Lord Zarak]] – [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] unit

====Grand Maximus====
*[[Cog (Masterforce)|Cog]] – the combined form of the robotic drones Onomisu and Koka
*Grand – [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] unit
*Gran – Grand's Headmaster unit

====Metrotitan====
*[[Metroshot]]
*[[Metrobomb]]
*[[Metrodash]]
*[[Metrotank]]
*The five of them are known as the [[Metrosquad]].

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 continuity family===
====Generation 1 cartoon continuity====
=====''The Transformers'' cartoon=====
[[File:FFOD5 Metroplex Trypticon.JPG|thumb|left|250px|Let them fight!]]

By the year [[2005]], Metroplex was integrated into the structure of Autobot City; {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}} in order to attack Autobot headquarters, the Decepticons created Trypticon, with the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s building him out of an ordinary human city. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}} [[File:Rebirth 3 FortMax Scorponok.JPG|thumb|right|250px|This town ain't big enough for the both of us, or either of us, really.]] With Metroplex out of action due to missing his [[transformation cog]], Trypticon prepared to attack Autobot City, but the timely intervention of [[Blurr (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blurr]] and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] restored Metroplex to full functionality, allowing him to hurl his enemy into the Pacific Ocean. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

The pair next clashed in [[2006]], when Trypticon and [[Octane]] teamed up to steal various famous Earth landmarks, {{storylink|Thief in the Night}} and again after [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] stole Metroplex's transformation cog; with [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]]'s help, Metroplex was able to properly align Trypticon's stolen cog within his own body and overpower Trypticon for a third time. {{storylink|The Ultimate Weapon}}

Fortress Maximus and Scorponok were first brought online not long afterwards when the war inadvertently spread to the planet [[Nebulos]]; in contrast to Metroplex and Trypticon, they were depicted as non-sentient battlestations, mere extensions of their [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] partners [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] and [[Zarak (G1)|Zarak]]. The two first clashed on Cybertron, in the final battle of the Great War, where a bolt of stray [[plasma energy]] struck Scorponok's alternate mode, sending the Decepticons hurtling into deep space. Fortress Maximus was redeployed to Nebulos to oversee the dismantling of the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]]'s machines and eventually serve as the planet's guardian. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}
{{-}}

=====Japanese cartoon continuity=====
Though they wouldn't become an active part of the Transformers' war until the 20th century, cityformers were extremely ancient beings. The oldest known was [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Brave Maximus]], who was created by the Transformers' god, [[Primus]] himself, millions of years ago to be the guardian of the [[Angolmois Energy]] sealed away on prehistoric [[Earth]]. {{storylink|Sparkbots Volume 5}} A subcategory of cityformer known as the "'''[[Metrotype]]'''" had also been in existence for millions of years; {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Metroplex)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} one known as [[Metrotitan (G1)|Metrotitan]] slumbered beneath the surface of [[Saturn]]'s moon [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] since ancient times, {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (story page)#Part 7|Zone story page #7}} {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Metroplex)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} and another, named [[Metrobase (G1)|Metrobase]] was stationed on [[Earth]] in the early 1980s, serving as the headquarters of a group of Autobot [[Micromaster]]s who were protecting the [[Ark (G1)|Autobot spacecraft]] buried on the planet. {{storylink|The Menace of Landcross's Combining Formation!}}

In the mid-1980s, the Autobots on Earth led by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] began the construction of their own "Metrotype" cityformer, Metroplex. The Decepticons responded by commencing creation of their own cityformer, Trypticon. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 3|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #3}} The pair's first battle would be their last for some time; {{storylink|Scramble City: Mobilization}} Metroplex was able to destroy Trypticon, but not before the Decepticon city tore out his transforming cog, leaving Metroplex trapped in city mode. {{storylink|LG-43 Trypticon Project Chapter}}

Around the turn of the century, Brave Maximus was uncovered and reactivated by a group of Autobots and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s who had traveled back in time from the future. {{storylink|Fortress Maximus (episode)|Arise! Cybertron City}} {{storylink|Maximus Emerges|Stolen Plasma}} After aiding [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Fire Convoy]]'s Autobots in defeating the villains, the robots who comprised Maximus's operating system, [[Cerebros (RID)|Plasma]] and [[Emissary (RID)|Brave]], were taken to Cybertron and used as the basis to develop a more powerful cityformer, "[[Neo Brave Maximus]]", who served as the mobile headquarters for [[Dimensional Patrol|Fire Convoy's team]]. {{storylink|LGEX Scourge Prologue}} The original Brave Maximus was returned to Earth, and when construction of the larger "Autobot City" began there in 2003, both he and the city-mode Metroplex were integrated into the complex. In 2007, however, Maximus was whisked away on a time-travel adventure with the human singing group, the [[Kiss Players (singing group)|Kiss Players]]. {{storylink|Sparkbots Volume 1}} In the course of their travels, Brave Maximus became separated from his companions and was lost in time. He crash-landed on the planet [[Master (planet)|Master]] many millions of years ago, where his remains were discovered by a group of Autobot refugees led by the diminutive [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]]. Studying Brave Maximus's technology, Fortress developed "[[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]]" technology, and built a giant transforming city-battleship in Brave Maximus's image to function as a body for himself, becoming "Fortress Maximus". {{storylink|Sparkbots Volume 5}}

Fortress and his Autobot Headmasters went on to leave Master and join the larger Autobot/Decepticon war in 2011, whereupon his rival, Decepticon leader Scorponok, built a cityformer body for himself as well. {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! MegaZarak Appears}} Fortress destroyed Scorponok's body, {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)}} but over the next several years, the Decepticon rebuilt it in a new, smaller form; no longer city-sized, he renamed the large mode "BlackZarak". {{storylink|Master File No, 1}} A smaller version of Fortress's giant body was also constructed for use by his little brother, [[Grand Maximus|Grand]]. {{storylink|God Ginrai - Showdown on the Surface of the Moon}}

At some point in the decade between 2025 and 2035, the dormant Metrotitan was discovered on Titan by the Decepticons and reprogrammed for evil. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (story page)#Part 7|Zone story page #7}} {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Metroplex)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} He subsequently defeated Metroplex and Metrobase in battle, but Metroplex was then rebuilt into a new, larger, more powerful form, {{storylink|Metrowars}} and went on to defeat Metrotitan for good. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Metroplex)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

The Decepticons later stole the new Metroplex's transforming cog for Trypticon, who had also been reconstructed in a larger, stronger form. {{storylink|LG43 Trypticon Mobilization Chapter: Decepticon Civil War|Decepticon Civil War}} Fortress Maximus donated his own transforming cog to Metroplex so that he could transform to robot mode and defeat his old enemy once again. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 43|Bonus Edition Vol. 43}}

====Marvel Comics continuity====
{{noteukonly}}

[[File:Metroplex-UK.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]

Trypticon was considered to be the most powerful Decepticon, and after [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] took control of the Decepticons, [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] petitioned him for one last use of the [[space bridge]] in the hopes that Trypticon could attack the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' and plunder its energy. Despite this, Trypticon and [[Wipe-Out]] were both defeated by the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. {{storylink|King of the Hill!}}

''Trypticon later saw action when [[Flame (Marvel)|Flame]] threatened Cybertron with a [[zombie]] army, teaming up with [[Flywheels]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]]'s forces.'' {{storylink|Meltdown!}}

=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
Metroplex served as the "living core" of Autobot City, integrated into the city in [[2003]] and endowing it with the power to transform into a battle station. When the [[Quintesson]]s invaded and took control of Autobot City in [[2008]], [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Hot Rod]] activated Metroplex, and the Titan immediately burst free from beneath the city and launched an unstoppable counterattack, seeing off the alien invaders but largely destroying Autobot City in the process. {{storylink|Space Pirates!}}

=====''Transformers '84''=====
Upon seeing the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] for the first time, [[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] noted that there hadn't been a ship so large since the era of the Titans. {{storylink|Transformers '84 issue 0|'84 #0}}
{{--}}

====2005 IDW continuity====
[[File:YouAreHere-KnightsOfCybertron.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

A mysterious group of ancient Transformers, the Titans were city-sized Cybertronians of unspeakable power, "living starships" who hailed from the earliest days of the Cybertronian species. Notably, they were the only Transformers to possess a built-in [[space bridge|spacebridge]], which allowed them and their occupants to instantaneously travel across vast stretches of space. All Titans possessed "super-sparks" which spanned multiple planes of existence, {{storylink|Primus: All Good Things}} and supposedly shared a degree of "interconnectedness" that linked one Titan to the rest. {{storylink|The Reluctant Specialist}}

Cybertronian legend venerates three particular Titans who are regarded as the original three Titans: [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], the "First Titan", [[Chela]], the "Golden Warrior", and [[Metrotitan (G1)|Metrotitan]]. Those same stories hold that these three Titans joined [[Primus]] when he battled against [[Unicron/Generation 1#2005 IDW continuity|his opposite]]. {{storylink|Origin Myths}} These first three Titans were supposedly joined by many other, lesser Titans, though the exact origins of the Titans has never been specified. One such Titan was [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]; legends claimed that he had been raised by the deity Mortilus to combat the Titans of Primus during the "[[God War]]" that marked the end of the reign of the [[Guiding Hand]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: Salvation|Salvation}} Ten million years ago, in the wake of this conflict the legendary Transformers known as the [[Knights of Cybertron]]—acolytes of the Guiding Hand—led their followers off Cybertron aboard a fleet of Titans in the hopes of spreading enlightenment across the universe. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

Over time, the Titan fleet dispersed across the galaxy, and though at least one Titan found its way to the planet [[Mederi]] along with the Knights of Cybertron, {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}} the rest fell into disrepair over the millennia, growing increasingly decrepit and weak from underfuelling. {{storylink|The Reluctant Specialist}}

[[File:OP10-Titans.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

Those Titans that chose not to undergo this voyage remained on Cybertron for a time, lying dormant until the unification of the [[Thirteen Tribes]]. In a conflict between the forces of the [[Crystal City]] and the barbaric hordes of [[The Fallen|Megatronus]]'s [[Darklands|Darklanders]], [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Onyx Prime]] was somehow able to "summon" the first three Titans from the ground, and their arrival gave the battling warriors pause long enough for Onyx to halt the fighting, with the three Titans standing vigil over the village during the subsequent celebrations. {{storylink|Origin Myths}} As the Thirteen rose, Alpha Trion befriended Metroplex, and the pair set off to explore Cybertron before the rise of civilization changed everything. {{storylink|Omega's Conundrum}} {{storylink|Origin Myths}}

In the age that followed, each member of the Thirteen won the allegiance of at least one Titan: [[Prima]] and [[Emissary (IDW)|Emissary]], [[Vector Prime]] and [[Tempo]], [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] and [[Nemesis (BW)|Nemesis]], [[Solus Prime]] and [[Caminus (Titan)|Caminus]], [[Micronus Prime]] and [[Prion (Titan)|Prion]], [[Alchemist Prime]] and [[Metrobase (G1)|Metrobase]], [[Nexus Prime]] and [[Devisiun (Titan)|Devisiun]], Onyx Prime and Chela, [[Amalgamous Prime]] and [[Navitas]], [[Quintus Prime]] and [[Quintessa (IDW)|Quintessa]], [[Liege Maximo]] and [[Vigilem]], and Megatronus and Metroplex. The thirteenth Titan, Metrotitan himself, supposedly belonged to the mysterious figure known only as the "[[The Arisen]]". {{storylink|Ceremony}} Devout Transformers, such as [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]], sometimes prayed in the shadow of the Titans. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

[[File:TimeWillRust-DevisenTitan.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

As "Onyx Prime" was, in reality, a convenient alter-ego assumed by a time-travelling [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]], the Decepticon scientist saw the Titans and their abilities as one more pawn in his long game to manipulate Cybertronian history; encouraging the expansion of the [[Pax Cybertronia]], several Titans belonging to the Thirteen departed their planet on missions of colonization. {{storylink|First Contact (IDW)|First Contact}} These Titans were sent to prepare new worlds into suitable colonies, so that each Prime could rule one planet. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|Aphelion}} The first such planet targeted for colonization was the nearby world of [[Antilla]], with the Titan Nemesis taking part in the war against the native [[Antillan]]s alongside [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. {{storylink|Our Finest}}

When the [[First Cybertronian Civil War]] swept their world, however, the remaining Titans were forced to turn on Vigilem, whose treacherous master had helped orchestrate the conflict. After Onyx severed Vigilem's higher functions, it was decided that the pair would be cast into space, striking them from history, with Vigilem renamed "Carcer" to conceal his true identity. {{storylink|Rubicon}} {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} Shortly thereafter, Onyx, Alpha Trion and Prima departed aboard Emissary to track down Megatronus, and during the subsequent battle on the planet [[Tsiehshi]], Prima was easily slain by Megatronus, who was in turn slain by Shockwave. In the aftermath, Shockwave sabotaged Emissary, who had voluntarily repurposed himself into a living morgue for his slain master, so that the Titan would crash land on the distant organic world of [[Elonia]]. {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} Subsequent colonization missions lead to the settlement of other worlds such as Caminus, [[Prion (planet)|Prion]], and [[Devisiun (planet)|Devisiun]]. {{storylink|Time Will Rust}} In many cases, these colonies developed unique adaptations that set them apart from Cybertronians; the Titans themselves were often repurposed into cities and building materials. {{storylink|A 'Bot and Her City}} {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 4|Windblade vol. 2 #4}} On Caminus, the colonists developed the practice of [[Cityspeaker|cityspeaking]], a way of communicating with the Titans via interpreting the patterns of light running across their [[brain module]]s. {{storylink|A 'Bot and Her City}}

As part of a much, much longer game to ensure a future for the Cybertronian species, Shockwave had deliberately engineered events so that each of these thirteen Titans—and the [[Cybertronian colonies|colonies]] that they established—would come to be associated with the thirteen worlds his younger self had once seeded with his thirteen [[Regenesis]] ores, including [[Earth]]. {{storylink|Our Darkest}} While Chela went on to found the colony of [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Eukaris]], Shockwave himself eventually retreated to the ruins of Antilla with his inner cadre of [[Maximal]]s, adopting Nemesis as the flagship of his impromptu fleet. {{storylink|Unstopped and Unstoppable}}

[[File:ReluctantSpecialist-LeviathansOfTheSky.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|"The bigger they are, the more you can charge."]]

By the time Cyclonus had become part of [[Nova Prime]]'s inner court, only three Titans remained on Cybertron, all in hiding. One, [[Metrotitan (G1)|Metrotitan]], slumbered in secret beneath [[Crystal City]], and was guarded by [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. When Nova discovered the upper city and allied himself with Omega, the guardian hid the Metrotitan's existence from the Prime. His recalcitrance paid off when Nova fell into megalomania and departed Cybertron to conquer other worlds, at which point Omega revealed Metrotitan to Nova's more respectful former follower, [[Dai Atlas (G1)|Dai Atlas]]. Omega explained that the Titan would only awaken in the presence of a great Cybertronian, but that it would be Dai Atlas's task to protect it until then. When the Autobot/Decepticon war subsequently broke out in the following millennia, Dai Atlas became a conscientious objector and gathered together many like-minded Transformers to form the [[Circle of Light]], and used Metrotitan's energies to power their departure from Cybertron. {{storylink|Primus: All Good Things|All Good Things}} Settling on the planet [[Theophany]], the Circle built a new Crystal City atop the still-sleeping Metrotitan, continuing to use his energies to power their new home. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

During [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]'s initial rise to power, then-current Prime [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], in reality a disguise assumed by the Titan Master [[Infinitus]], mused over the possibility of obtaining a Titan to quash the nascent rebellion. {{storylink|Last Light (issue)|Last Light}}

The second Titan on Cybertron, Metroplex, entered a deep slumber as the "[[Acropolex]]" of Nyon, until the early days of the [[Great War (G1)|Autobot/Decepticon war]] when the new [[Prime (rank)|Prime]], the former [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]], woke him with the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to aid him against [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]] and [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]. {{storylink|Rise}} Megatron became obsessed with the idea of harnessing the Titans' space bridges for his own personal use, and ordered a group of Decepticons to find a Titan. {{storylink|The Hunting Party (IDW)|The Hunting Party}}

Metroplex served as Autobot headquarters for some time until he departed the planet with Alpha Trion to investigate and counteract [[Regenesis|Shockwave's star-spanning project]]. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 1: Hello Cruel World|Hello Cruel World}} One group of Decepticons, led by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], attempted to follow, and travelled to a planet where he was refuelling, but [[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]] woke him rather than inform his superior, and prompted Metroplex to teleport onward before Bludgeon discovered his presence. {{storylink|The Hunting Party (IDW)|The Hunting Party}} That same group of Decepticons would later stumble on the Titan Quintessa, and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] would inadvertently warp him to [[Gorlam Prime]]. {{storylink|Homecoming (IDW)|Homecoming}}

The last Titan on the planet was Trypticon; whom [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] awoke in the early stages of the Great War. {{storylink|Unleashed}} The bestial Titan cut a swath of destruction across Cybertron before being felled by both Autobots and Decepticons. {{storylink|Belly of the Beast (issue)|Belly of the Beast}} Megatron then revived Trypticon and had him branded a Decepticon. {{storylink|Primacy issue 1|Primacy #1}} Trypticon's true nature as a Titan, however, would remain unknown to his fellows until after the war had ended. {{storylink|The Transformers: Salvation|Salvation}}

At some point during the space based phase of the Great War, [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] obtained Metroplex's space bridge nodes to install them in Megatron's new body, {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}} apparently forcing the Titan to travel physically through space thereafter.

[[File:PrimusAllGoodThings-MetrotitanEmbedded.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.7|This is why Metrotitan hates Mondays.]]

Believing that the ancient giants held the key to reaching [[Cyberutopia]], the supposed location of the Knights of Cybertron, Chief Justice [[Solomus|Tyrest]] hired [[Lockdown (G1)|Lockdown]] to hunt down and kill Titans so that he could use their parts to cobble together a space bridge, one that he hoped would lead directly to the mythical Cyberutopia. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} Lockdown and his group of [[Titan Hunter]]s tracked down the weakened Titans, killed them, and stripped them for parts before using their remains to find their next target.{{storylink|The Reluctant Specialist}} The leftovers were sent to [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], Tyrest's headquarters, in a veritable elephants' graveyard of Titan corpses. {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}} At one point Lockdown's hunters followed a Titan signal to the ''[[Lost Light]]'', which had a sloughed-off piece of Metroplex aboard that had recently struck the ship, and aimed to use it to detect Metroplex himself, before being forced off by [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]] without their prize. {{storylink|The Reluctant Specialist}}

At some point, Crystal City was razed by Tyrest's [[Legislator]]s, leaving no sign of life, save the Titan slumbering underneath. When the crew of the ''Lost Light'' arrived to investigate, a subsidence sent them tumbling into the cavern beneath the city where Metrotitan lay, and they decided to enter his body so that the their resident [[mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]] [[Chromedome (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Chromedome]] could tap his brain and hopefully find out what had befallen the Circle of Light. Doing so, Chromedome discovered that Metrotitan was still alive and screaming in frustration—he had heard the call sent out by Cybertron upon the planet's reformatting to "come home", but having been drained by the Circle for so long, he lacked the necessary power to teleport his giant bulk across space. With Metrotitan desperate enough to separate his [[spark]] from his body in order to return to Cybertron, [[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]] used miniaturization technology to shrink the giant down to a size small enough so that he now had the power reserves necessary for the journey. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

[[File:RID26 MetroplexPunchingNecrotitan.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.7|"NOW HERE I GO!"]]

The shrunken Metrotitan successfully quantum jumped back to Cybertron, to his old home in Crystal City, but wound up physically enmeshing his molecules into those of the city, causing a destabilization of local reality. As Autobot scientist [[Wheeljack (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Wheeljack]] worked to contain the impending disaster, [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]] and [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]] got closer to the Titan. Neither were aware that Metrotitan had himself been brainwashed by "Onyx Prime," using supplies of [[Ore-10]], and in his addled state the Titan proclaimed Starscream as the mythical "Chosen One" who would unite Cybertron before he was seemingly killed by an antimatter explosion; {{storylink|Primus: All Good Things|All Good Things}} in reality, however, "Onyx" had used a mixture of [[Ore-1]] and [[Ore-9]] to warp Metrotitan to [[Earth]], beneath the surface of [[Monument Valley]], all to further his own goals. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|As Above...So Below}} {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}}

When the ''Lost Light'' found its way to the Missing Miracle Moon of Luna 1 via a portal in space, [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] and the rest of the away team discovered Tyrest's Titan graveyard and unsuccessfully tried to take refuge from Lockdown and crew inside of the huge relics. {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}} Tyrest was finally able to activate his Titan-made space bridge, but rather than the promised land, the portal led to the mind of [[Adaptus]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}} {{storylink|Crucible (Part 4): The Return of the King|The Return of the King}}

[[File:RID19 metrotitan & monstructor.jpg|thumb|left|250px]]

Meanwhile, on a decaying [[Gorlam Prime]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]] summoned the Titan [[Quintessa (IDW)|Quintessa]] from the ground in order to fight off [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]]. However the combiner attack was a ruse, as the Decepticon scientist [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] desired to bring the [[Ore-2]] and [[space bridge]] technology the Titan contained to Shockwave. Via the marooned Titan Hunter [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] Jhiaxus took control of the Titan and teleported back to Cybertron. {{storylink|Homecoming (IDW)|Homecoming}} The Titan was brought to Shockwave's lair, the [[Crystal City]], {{storylink|Soundwaves (issue)|Soundwaves}} where its Ore-2 reacted with the [[Ore-14]] of the city, turning it into the undead "Necrotitan". {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}} The Necrotitan was eventually felled by a reinvigorated Metroplex. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}} {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}}

With the [[Dark Cybertron (prophecy)|Dark Cybertron]] crisis over, Metroplex integrated himself into the ruins of Iacon while his body recuperated from the effects of an [[alchemical virus]]. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 1: Hello Cruel World|Hello Cruel World}} {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} {{storylink|Earthfall Part 4: Full Fathom Five|Full Fathom Five}} As he recovered, he began scanning the galaxy, searching for his lost siblings. He located Chela on Eukaris, Navitas on Velocitron, and the dead Titan on Devisiun; when [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] tapped into his brain, she too received glimpses of these other Transformer colonists. {{storylink|Windblade issue 4|Windblade vol. 1 #4}} After Metroplex's spacebridge was repaired, Cybertron reached out to its forgotten Titan colonies to form the [[Council of Worlds]]. Several Titans played key roles in the formation of the Council: Windblade hacked into Navitas's brain module to manipulate a Velocitronian racetrack, {{storylink|Race Against the Light}} while on Eukaris she and Starscream were forced to put down the berserk Chela. {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 6|Windblade vol. 2 #6}}

The reunion of Cybertron and the colonies proved beneficial for the isolated Titans. Carcer's crew was able to begin ordering parts from Cybertron to repair him while Camien cityspeakers were able to conduct therapy on Navitas. {{storylink|07:00:00}}

[[File:AsAboveSoBelow-metrotitanawakens.jpg|thumb|right|300px| “A tremendous head made of metallic protodermis rises from beneath the shattered remains of the once-beautiful island. Water, soil, and rock cascade off its face as it rises higher and higher into the sky]]

Meanwhile, on Earth, Optimus Prime and his forces combatted the machinations of [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]], and at the Autobot bivouac in [[Monument Valley]], Optimus sensed a presence. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|It's Beginning To And Back Again}} Soon thereafter, Optimus realized what he had felt, and reawoke Metrotitan. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|As Above...So Below}} Subsequently, Metrotitan became the Cybertronian embassy on Earth, an [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]]. As a result of [[Circuit (G1)|Circuit]] and [[Longtooth]] capturing Metrotitan's revival on live camera, opinion among the Cybertronian public and the Council of Worlds became more positive towards Optimus's activities, Optimus seemingly having proved himself a divine true Prime. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|No Fair Fights}} Pleased by this turn of events, Metrotitan broadcasted a beacon of information across the universe immortalizing the deeds of Optimus Prime, unaware that this same broadcast would awaken [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]—in reality the diminutive and ancient [[Titan Master]] [[Infinitus]]—slumbering beneath the ruins of [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]]. Disgusted by what Cybertron had become in his absence, Sentinel cut a swathe through Cybertron and Earth as he hatched a new plan to wipe Cybertron clean and begin anew. {{storylink|The Last Autobot}}{{storylink|White Light}}

[[File:LastLight Titanarmy.jpg|thumb|left|350px|Sentinel Prime will make Cybertron great again by returning it to the [[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|neon era]].]]

Joined by his fellow Titan Master [[Sovereign]], the two travelled to Luna 1 and the Titan graveyard. Using Blackrock as an amplifier, Sentinel awoke the entire population of the graveyard and ordered the [[zombie]] army to return to Cybertron via [[space bridge]] and kill everything that moved. {{storylink|Ten to Midnight}} Though Sentinel Prime was killed by the skeleton crew of Autobots on the moon—[[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]], [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]], [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], and [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]]–the vast majority of the undead Titans made it through the space bridge portal, materializing far away from Cybertron. {{storylink|Last Light (issue)|Last Light}}

Several months later, the Titan army arrived near Cybertron, where Carcer's long-range scanners picked them up. The [[Council of Worlds]] convened to strategize against the upcoming threat and eventually decided to stand and fight against the menace. Metroplex transformed into his robot mode once more to do battle against his undead brethren, but even though he and the population of Iacon fought hard they were unable to stave off the endless waves of building-sized zombies. {{storylink|Ping}} The zombie army was ultimately defeated only after Windblade seized control of Vigilem and used his heavily armed body to rescue Metroplex and mop up the last stragglers of the invasion; though Vigilem perished, it wasn't before he disgorged the evil [[Liege Maximo]] from his innards, who promised to avenge the death of his Titan. {{storylink|Rubicon}}

Shortly thereafter, [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] was able to use a replica of the ancient [[Void Scepter]] to bring Trypticon back online, learning in the process that Trypticon was more than a mere monster; in reality, he was a bestial Titan. Thanks to the intervention of [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s, however, Trypticon was foiled before his master could use his space bridge to conquer other worlds, and, desiring to become a force for good in the world, Trypticon absorbed the sparks created in [[Alyon]]'s hot spot, birthing a new generation of [[protoform]]s from his own [[living metal|''sentio metallico'']]. {{storylink|The Transformers: Salvation|Salvation}}

[[File:TheGround-Metrotitan.jpg|thumb|right|350px]]

In [[2018]], "Onyx Prime" returned to Cybertron aboard Nemesis, ready to enact the final stage of his plan. As his machinations plunged the planet into chaos, Nemesis was able to blow Metrotitan apart, fatally wounding him, {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 3: The Ground|The Ground}} and though his coconspirator Liege Maximo wanted to attack Metroplex and Trypticon next, Shockwave overruled him, claiming to need Metroplex and accurately predicting Trypticon's retreat from Cybertron to protect his [[protoform]]s. After sending Maximo to slay Metrotitan's crew, Shockwave confronted [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]] at the Titan's head where he revealed that he'd utilized his Regenesis ores to brainwash Metrotitan into believing Starscream's divinity before slaying the wounded Titan. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}}

[[File:Unicron6_All_Out_War.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

When [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] began consuming the galaxy, Navitas perished when Velocitron was devoured while Nemesis took the Maximals to meet with the monster. {{storylink|Unstopped and Unstoppable}} When the Chaos Bringer attacked [[Elonia]] for its stockpile of [[Ore-12]], the Transformers arrived to evacuate the [[Elonian]]s via space bridge. When the device failed to activate, Optimus Prime, Arcee, and [[Rom]] discovered the paralyzed form of Emissary, partially unearthed by Unicron's attack, who was transmitting a space bridge counter-frequency. Arcee solved that problem by thrusting her swords directly into Emissary's brain module, killing him and cancelling the counter-frequency. Now familiar with the energy of the Titans, Wheeljack recognized what had happened but declined to inform [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]]. {{storylink|Our Darkest}} During the monster planet's assault on [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]], Nemesis touched down on its surface whereupon Bumblebee rammed a one-man craft through the Titan's alternate mode, seemingly killing it but clearing a path into Unicron. When Optimus, Arcee and Bumblebee ventured within the monster, they discovered the remains of the Titans it had consumed. {{storylink|Last Stand (Unicron)|Last Stand}}

Left on Unicron's surface, Nemesis's corpse was assimilated by the Chaos Bringer, who managed to access the [[transformation cog]] and gain a robot mode which Unicron used to mount an hands-on attack on Cybertron. Carcer acted as flagship of the defense fleet but was ultimately destroyed by the Chaos Bringer. {{storylink|Our Finest}} {{storylink|Road's End}}

As Unicron made his final approach over Earth, Metroplex and Trypticon joined in the fight, the latter depositing his cargo of unborn sparks planetside to do so. {{storylink|Assembly (Unicron)|Assembly}} Trypticon was slain by Unicron early into the fight, however, and when the dust settled, Metroplex was seemingly left as the last of the Titans. {{storylink|Ceremony}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Wars: Uprising''====
[[File:HeadGames-ResistanceScaleFortMaxFace.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]
The ancient Titans coexisted with a different group of artificially-built, city-sized Transformers, who called themselves '''Megamasters'''. {{storylink|Intersectionality}} One such Megamaster, the aggregate intelligence [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]], mused that if he had wished to conquer Cybertron or invade other planets, few could have stood in his way other than [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] or those long since vanished Titans. {{storylink|Head Games}}

====Ask Vector Prime====
Once upon a time, a Metrotitan had [[Scanning|scanned]] a boulder as an [[alternate mode]]. Witnessing this, a passing [[Malignus (G1)|Malignus]] commented that such an alternate mode was unbecoming for a being of such power, something he demonstrated by scanning a jackhammer. Embarrassed, the Metrotitan then scanned a military bunker, the Malignus responding by scanning a missile launcher. Seeing the Rainbow City in the distance, the giant scanned it, gaining its impenetrability prompting the Malignus to try and scan entropy itself. Horrified, the Metrotitan conceded defeat and begged him not to go through with the scan but could not deter the Malignus whose [[spark]] was subsequently scattered to the winds. Deeply regretful, the Metrotitan went off, swearing to never bring harm to another of his kind. One of the [[Thirteen]] became aware of this tale and recounted it to [[Vector Prime]] who passed it on to a [[human]] curious about the upper limits of the scanning process. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Faceboook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/17}}

====''Titans Return'' marketing material====
[[File:TR_Titan_Force_map.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"SEEK THE THIRTEEN" is this generation's "[[:File:SENDTHEBOOKS.jpg|SEND THE BOOKS]]".]]
When the universe was still forming, before Autobots or Decepticons existed, the Titans were created and sent out to discover the powers and mysteries of the universe. Each Titan was crewed by [[Titan Master]]s, tiny robot caretakers charged with up-keeping their systems. The Titan Masters also had a greater purpose: Each had a unique superpower they could grant to other Transformers, a gift intended to forge links with other civilizations they might discover. The Titans and their crews were eventually forgotten by all but a few power-hungry and entirely unsuccessful legend hunters. Until the Titans mysteriously returned, and the Titan Masters partnered up with Autobots and Decepticons alike. {{storylink|Titans Return: The Power of the Titan Masters}}

There were at least thirteen Titans scattered throughout the universe, with possible locations including [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Unicron]], [[Master (planet)|Dominius]], [[Nebulos]], [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]], [[Antilla]], [[Paradron]], [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]], [[Earth]], [[Velocitron]], [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Biosfera]], [[Aquatron]], [[Botropolis]], [[Micro]]n, and [[Gigantion]].<ref name="TRTF">''Titans Return'' ''[[Titans Return (toyline)#Summer convention exclusives|Titan Force]] 3-pack'' bio material/instructions.</ref>

Searching for info on the mysterious return of the Titans and their crews Alpha Trion followed a trail of clues to the "Beast Planet" Eukaris. Amid jungle-covered buildings, Alpha Trion and Titan Master Clobber located a mysterious ancient artifact that was linked to the Titans and Titan Masters. Mindwipe led Astrotrain, Wolfwire, and Titan Master Apeface in an ambush to steal the artifact.

Later, back on Cybertron, Soundwave led an all-out assault. Scourge, Astrotrain, Skullsmasher, Laserbeak, Rumble, and Ravage, among others, pressed the attack while Powermaster Prime, Chromedome, Highbrow, Wheelie, Blaster, and Hardhead were among the defenders. The battle was interrupted when what first seemed like an earthquake attack by Rumble was actually the landscape itself transforming into the Legendary Titan: Fortress Maximus. {{storylink|Titans Return: The Power of the Titan Masters}}

[[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] was one of only a handful of Titans known to still exist. As a city, his ability to expand and grow was essentially limitless as he links up with other Transformers. Fortress Maximus himself is unique as the only Titan with the ability to link with a [[Titan Master]] partner.<ref>''Titans Return'' Fortress Maximus's on-package bio.</ref> When Fortress Maximus returned to full size and unleashed his power on the universe, the scientists [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]] and [[Arcana|Teslor]] and Cityspeaker [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] fought against the rogue Autobot [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], who sought to use a loyal Titan Master to bend the Titan to his will as part of his own misguided agenda.<ref name="TRTF"/>

In the depths of space the monster Titan Trypticon and his Titan Master [[Wipe-Out|Necro]] traveled in starship mode between worlds, landing as a dark fortress or a terrible giant beast, bringing doom and ultimate destruction wherever they passed. Trypticon ever hungered for Titan Masters to devour the way another robot would Energon cubes, while the macabre Necro longs to harvest and devour the sparks of all Transformers who cross his dark path.<ref>''Titans'' Return Trypticon on-package bio</ref>

====''Prime Wars Trilogy'' cartoons====
[[File:Metropunchw.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]
Long ago, the "original" Titans spread Cybertronian life to other worlds, seeding new worlds with young Transformer civilizations and acting as their cities while laying inert. When this society had proven that they could sustain themselves, the Titan departed for another world, beginning the cycle anew. Other Titans came online during the Great War between the Autobots and Decepticons, such as Fortress Maximus and the Titan Master [[Emissary (IDW)|Emissary]], and the Decepticon battle station Trypticon. {{storylink|Our Heroes Respond}}

Upon the conclusion of the [[Combiner Wars (event)|Combiner Wars]], Windblade recruited Metroplex to help defeat [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], but declared that a new problem lay on the horizon: the Titans were returning. {{storylink|Destruction's Dawn}} Indeed, Starscream's disembodied spark was able to bring Trypticon back to life, and he rampaged through Iacon, slaying Metroplex in the process, {{storylink|At the Last Second}} while [[Victorion]] led a group of combiners in search of Fortress Maximus, the only being on Cybertron capable of defeating Starscream. {{storylink|Overlord and Emissary}} Fortress Maximus returned to action and took on Trypticon, refusing help from Emissary, until Trypticon swallowed Victorion and the [[Enigma of Combination]] to take control of the other combiners. Between attacks from the powered-up Trypticon and the now mind-controlled Combiners, Maximus found himself at a disadvantage until Trypticon swallowed [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] and the [[Matrix of Leadership]], the surge of power knocking him out. {{storylink|Consumed}} Unable to control the surge of energy, Trypticon was himself killed by the Matrix, releasing Starscream and his hostages, {{storylink|All Things Must Pass}} and Fortress Maximus was gravely wounded shortly thereafter by [[The Fallen|Megatronus]]. {{storylink|Collision Course}}

In the aftermath, Fortress Maximus survived and worked with Windblade, who became the Magistrate of Cityspeakers and aided those who communicated with the Titans. {{storylink|Saga's End}}

====''Star Trek vs. Transformers''====
[[File:STvsTF3-FortressTiberious.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
When the outbreak of [[World War III]] posed an existential threat to the Transformers, the Autobots chose to flee Earth entirely aboard Fortress Maximus, with the Decepticons following behind in Trypticon. The Decepticons caught up with their foes over [[Cygnus Seven]], and when Megatron and his forces boarded the ship to do battle with the Autobots, the Titan was damaged and crashed on the barren planet, with Trypticon going dormant on a nearby moon. Centuries later, [[Federation]] miners stumbled across the inert Titan, and inadvertently brought his passengers back to life. {{storylink|Prime's Directive, Part Two}}

The Decepticons allied with the [[Klingon Empire]], and as part of their opening moves against the Autobots, Trypticon [[Scanning|scanned]] a downed Klingon [[Warbird (Star Trek)|warbird]], launching a successful attack on the ''[[USS Enterprise|Enterprise]]''. In the meantime, [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and [[James T. Kirk|Captain Kirk]] joined forces to bring Fortress Maximus back online, allowing him to transform into a copy of the ''Enterprise'' and becoming "Fortress Tiberius" in the process. {{storylink|Prime's Directive, Part Three}}

The clash between the two Titans ended in a dead heat when Megatron ordered a retreat so that he could pursue [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] who'd ran off with a bounty of [[dilithium]]. {{storylink|Prime's Directive, Part Four}} The two Titans clashed once again on [[Kronos]] only for Maximus to be taken out of the fight by Soundwave's audio disruptor waves. As the frequency of the weapon had no effect on [[Klingon]] biology however, they were able to call in a fleet of warbirds that overwhelmed Trypticon, defeating the Decepticons. In the aftermath, Trypticon, along with the rest of the Decepticons, was left a prisoner of the Klingons while Maximus resumed his duties as the Autobot starship. {{storylink|Prime's Directive, Part Five}}

{{--}}

====2019 IDW continuity====
[[File:Titans-Lodestarforging.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]

Titans were a rare variety of Transformer, massive living starships who existed on an order of magnitude beyond ordinary Cybertronian life. Titans possessed unique "Titansparks" that distinguished them from ordinary Cybertronians; when one emerged from the [[Well of All Sparks]], it took a vast amount of time and, more importantly, [[energon]] and raw material to shape that newborn spark into a Titan-sized bodyframe. {{storylink|War World: Titans|Titans}} Traditionally, vast open-air celebrations accompanied the forging of a new Titan as the reigning [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] introduced the new Titan to the people of Cybertron. Like other newborn Cybertronians, the new Titan worked with a [[mentor]] to help then understand the world and find their place in it: unlike traditional Cybertronian mentorships, however, choosing to work with a Titan required a lifelong commitment and a fundamentally different approach. {{storylink|Arcee/Greenlight: Run}}

In life, Titans formed symbiotic relationships with their [[cityspeaker]]s, specialized Cybertronians who managed and maintained their internal systems, weapons, and engines. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Five}} In death, Titans could choose to go "[[immersant]]" like other Cybertronians, and peacefully merge with Cybertron's living geography. The [[Cybertronian Mountains]] that lay just beyond [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] was the largest known concentration of this phenomenon—a mass graveyard where dozens of Titans had died and merged into a geographic feature. {{storylink|The World In Your Eyes Part One}} The devout [[Reversionist]]s worshipped Titans and viewed their resting places as holy. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part One}}

[[File:EscapePartOne-Titans.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

The Titans frontlined Cybertron's [[Expansion|Age of Expansion]] in both military and civilian roles—these included dispatching spaceborne threats like rogue comets, {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Five}} escorting [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]-class colony ships to new planets, {{storylink|Escape Part One}} and, when needed, fighting wars of expansion against other sentient species. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Five}} Spaceborne facilities like the [[Black Hub]] allowed crews of engineers and technicians to refit and repair Titans in a zero-gravity environment. {{storylink|Light/Star}} In time, other races came to both revere and fear them in equal measure, viewing them as living embodiments of Cybertronian might. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Five}} {{storylink|Escape Part Four}} The most notable of their deeds were immortalized in [[Codexa]]'s book, ''[[The Way We Were, by One Who Saw It]]''. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Five}}

When [[Exarchon]] attacked Cybertron, the Titans initially took part in the [[War of the Threefold Spark]] against him and his followers—this backfired on them, however, when Exarchon successfully usurped the Titan [[Croaton (G1)|Croaton]]. {{storylink|Wheeljack: Orbital Decay}} It took the efforts of another Titan, [[Citadel (Titan)|Citadel]], to kill Croaton and reduce him to a cloud of debris around Cybertron's star. {{storylink|Wheeljack: Orbital Decay}} After that near miss, Autobot leader [[Nominus Prime]] chose to keep the Titans in reserve for the remainder of the war and did not deploy any during the final battle for Iacon. {{storylink|Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part One}}

[[File:TheWorldInYourEyes1-titan.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]

After the end of the war and the ratification of his landmark [[Nominus Edict]], Nominus Prime grew to fear what would happen if another Titanspark emerged from the [[Well of All Sparks]]: forging and fuelling a Titan required resources that Cybertron and its colony worlds could not afford, and gathering those resources would mean a new wave of expansion that would potentially bring them back into conflict with other alien species. Instead, Nominus ordered the staff of the Pyramid to simply divert the Titansparks that emerged into a hidden chamber, where they would be kept in indefinite storage until some future date. {{storylink|War World: Titans|Titans}} When Nominus stepped down as Prime, he told his successor [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel]] about the Titansparks, who agreed to keep the policy going. This knowledge somehow found its way to [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] whose silence Sentinel Prime bought with the job of Head of Intelligence. Over the next two kilocycles, [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] and his team stored sixteen Titansparks in this way; {{storylink|War World: Titans|Titans}} as the policy had never been made public, the people of Cybertron simply assumed that the Well had stopped producing new Titans, {{storylink|Arcee/Greenlight: Run}} which further increased the reverence the Reversionists held for the remaining Titans. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Two}}

With no wars to fight or colonies to found, the Titans no longer took an active role in Cybertronian affairs and went dormant: they now formed a reserve force that would only be roused to protect Cybertron from spaceborne threats like asteroids. {{storylink|The World In Your Eyes Part One}} Dormant Titans were slaved to the global [[Titan Net]] where cityspeakers and technicians could autonomously carry out routine low-orbit manoeuvres. By Sentinel Prime's era, the Titan Net's ground-based infrastructure had largely dwindled to a single central hub in Iacon, {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Four}} and in the days leading up to the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] most of the Titans had not awoken for at least ten megacycles {{storylink|The World In Your Eyes Part One}} [[Lodestar (Titan)|Lodestar]], the sole active Titan, served as Sentinel's flagship during offworld trips. {{storylink|The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five}} {{storylink|Nautica: Home}}

[[File:TheChangeInYourNaturePartFive-LodestarVsVigilem.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

As part of a [[The Rise|Rise]] plot, [[Team Stream]] detonated a [[data-bomb]] that prevented the staff of the Titan Net from reactivating any of the Titans. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Four}} Using a backdoor in the system, the group coerced the cityspeaker [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]] to awaken his partner [[Vigilem]] and use him to attack the [[Winged Moon]] and the [[Tether]]. Although Lodestar attempted to intercept and deter Vigilem, the old warhorse's arsenal proved too much for her, and Vigilem was able to incapacitate Lodestar, destroy the Tether, and escape into deep space. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Five}} Titan Net operators continued to try and rouse her fellows as their decaying orbits pushed them closer and closer into the atmosphere. {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: Tremors|Tremors}} [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] witnessed one of the Titans skim the atmosphere with Hoist opining that the data-bomb had been terminal. {{storylink|Escape Part One}}

Moments before Sentinel Prime died following [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s takeover of the Senate, the Prime deduced that Starscream had cooperated with the Decepticons and warned his successor Orion to kill Starscream and warn Perceptor. {{storylink|War World: Prime|Prime}} Sentinel's fears were quickly justified as Starscream quickly went to the [[Decepticon leader]] and attempted to barter information on the hidden Titansparks, only to be forced to tell what he knew for free. {{storylink|War World: Awakenings|Awakenings}} As this resulted in physical injuries from the Decepticons, Starscream made sure to have his agents point the Autobots on the same trail. {{storylink|War World: Hunt|Hunt}}

[[File:Titans-KalisDestroyed.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]

The prospect of adding a Titan to his growing Decepticon army soon became a driving goal for Megatron. However, he was disappointed to learn that the Rise's sabotage had been ''too'' effective, and it was impossible to reverse their terminal orbits. Acting on his predecessor's instruction and Starscream's tip, the newly minted Optimus Prime came to the Pyramid where Perceptor told him about the hidden sparks. Concurrently, Megatron ordered an assault on the Pyramid to seize the dormant sparks within. Having already been damaged by the increasingly frequent and powerful quakes, molten plasma flooded the pyramid and destroyed almost all of the sealed Titansparks; {{storylink|War World: Titans|Titans}} although Megatron claimed that ''all'' of the sparks had been destroyed, {{storylink|War World: We Are Not Meant To Be Darkness|We Are Not Meant To Be Darkness}} the Decepticons had in fact managed to abscond with just one Titanspark. {{storylink|Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part Two}} Fearing that the Autobots might find some way to reactivate the Titans when he could not, Megatron ordered their orbital decay be hastened. Forcing the giants to deploy their aero-brakes, the Decepticons brought down the Titans and fatally crashed them across Cybertron. {{storylink|War World: Titans|Titans}} {{storylink|Escape Part Four}}

Off in space, Vigilem had made his way to the asteroid colony of [[Hexagon]], being welcomed and given repairs by the ambitious [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]; however, a refitted Lodestar and her team of [[Technobot (G1)|Technical Specialists]] pursued him and eventually disengaged him from his berth. With no way to talk him down, Lodestar was forced to kill him with an [[imploder]]; on her way back to the Black Hub, she learned that she was seemingly the last of her kind. {{storylink|Light/Star}}

When Exarchon returned, Mindwipe's team came up with a plan to use the caged Titanspark as bait to trap the Threefold Spark in the spark cage, though this would come at the cost of the Titanspark. {{storylink|War's End Part Two}} Agreeing to the plan, Megatron sent his technicians to the [[Sonic Canyons]] where Mindwipe hypnotized Exarchon into usurping the Titanspark before [[Pyra Magna]] destroyed it. {{storylink|War's End Part Four}}

====''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' marketing material====
Located at the [[Praetorus Wharf]], an advanced, mobile, weaponized Decepticon base had been discovered by the Autobots. [[Teletraan I|Teletraan-1]]'s scanners indicated that this base was actually the Titan [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. Stationed there was also the Decepticon [[C.O.M.B.A.T. System|Weaponizer]], [[Brunt (G1)|Brunt]]. {{storylink|Source:Teletraan-1 Data Files|''Siege'' Teletraan-1 Data Files}}

====''My Little Pony/Transformers''====
[[File:TheBeautyOfCybertron-Titan.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

The Titans were an ancient breed of large-scale Cybertronians. While most had gone into slumber to serve Cybertron in their city forms or other similar functions, {{storylink|The Beauty of Cybertron}} one Titan, the monstrous [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], was buried beneath the plains of Cybertron after "the one who controlled him" was gone.

When the [[unicorn]] tyrant [[King Sombra]] was unleashed on Cybertron, he had his enthralled forces free Scorponok, possessing the Titan's body. Before Sombra could fully integrate himself into Scorponok's systems, Optimus Prime and Megatron used the power of friendship to overload them, the Titan exploding in a cloud of magical energy. {{storylink|Finale (The Magic of Cybertron)|Finale}}

{{--}}

===2001 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon===
[[File:Bravemax giant.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
[[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Fortress Maximus]] was a colossal, ancient Transformer believed by many to have been only a legend. He was hidden on Earth eons ago to protect the planet's energy from the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] leader [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]]. Over time, his place of rest would come to be hidden beneath the site where [[Metro City]] would exist by the early 21st Century. His fateful discovery by the modern day Autobots, Predacons, and Decepticons proved his existence to be much more than mere myth. {{storylink|Koji Gets His Wish}} He would only activate once all of the various keys to his reactivation were gathered: the [[O-Part]]s, the [[Orb of Sigma]], and his Headmaster component, [[Cerebros (RID)|Cerebros]], which had all been hidden beneath various ancient structures. {{storylink|A Friendly Contest}} {{storylink|Peril from the Past}} {{storylink|Maximus Emerges}} Fortress Maximus was notable in that he could be controlled directly by [[human]]s, with children particularly adept at controlling the giant. {{storylink|The Human Element}} Likewise, the young Autobot [[Wedge (RID)|Wedge]], through his courage and selflessness, could also stimulate Maximus's activation. {{storylink|Surprise Attack!}}

{{note|''Robots in Disguise'' "Fortress Maximus" is the American version of the Japanese "Brave Maximus" character, who technically exists in a separate continuity from his American counterpart. See "[[#Japanese cartoon continuity|Japanese cartoon continuity]]" above for more on the history of this character.}}
{{--}}

===Aligned continuity family===
====''The Covenant of Primus''====
The Titan Metroplex awakened to buy Optimus Prime time so that the Autobot leader could retrieve the Matrix of Leadership from the core of Cybertron, standing with the Autobots against the Decepticons. Despite this, he was eventually wounded, and his spark returned to the core of Cybertron to cleanse it. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

====''Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe''====
Metroplex could act as a mobile fortress for his allies. {{storylink|Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe|The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe}}

====''Rescue Bots Academy'' cartoon====
[[File:TheEmptyCity Citadel Secundus robot mode.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
An ancient breed of city-sized Cybertronians, the Titans were Cybertron's first explorers, charting the other planets and settling [[Cybertronian colonies|colonies]] in the [[Golden Age]]. Without the later advent of star charts, the Titans who left rarely returned to Cybertron. {{storylink|The Empty City}} Roughly four to five thousand years before 2020, a signal was sent out for the Titans to gather beyond a planetary nebula, an area they eventually left. {{storylink|The Lonely Titan}}

After the recruits of the Rescue Bot Academy had discovered [[Citadel Secundus]], {{storylink|The Empty City}} he followed the old Titan signal but found his kind was long gone. Though offered a spot on Earth, he sought to make another attempt to find the other Titans. {{storylink|The Lonely Titan}}

Secundus later hosted the year two anniversary graduation party for the recruits only to be struck by an asteroid that created an anti-energon field. {{storylink|Space Party}} The recruits managed to take manual control of the Titan however and landed him safely on Earth where he became a new wing for the academy. {{storylink|Crash Of The Titan}}
{{-}}

===''Cyberverse'' cartoon===
[[File:EndOfTheUniverse3-IaconusVCroaton.jpg|left|thumb|300px]]
In days past, during the Age of [[Expansion]], the Titans spearheaded the development of several [[Cybertronian colonies]], travelling to distant worlds and settling on them with a crew of colonists. One such Titan was [[Croaton (Cyberverse)|Croaton]], who settled on a red planet near the [[Sharkticon homeworld]]. Though the colony initially prospered, alien beings invaded the planet, abducting the colonists and severely damaging Croaton with an orbital bombardment. {{storylink|Ghost Town}}

A special group of Titans were known as the War Titans. These giants ferried detachments of warriors to alien planets to wage war against the inhabitants. When the Age of Expansion eventually came to an end, [[Iaconus]] was the only War Titan who lived to see Cybertron again. Unable to cope with the peacetime, Iaconus went mad and attacked his own kind, eventually being felled by the efforts of his crew. The crew's only survivor, [[Maccadam]], locked Iaconus beneath what would one day become Iacon, hiding the Titan with his own cloaking device. {{storylink|The Citizen}}

One of the Titans, known only as [[Dweller (Cyberverse)|The Dweller]], was banished to the depths of the [[Argon Sea]], locked in deep stasis and guarded by [[Hammerbyte]]. {{storylink|Dweller In The Depths (Cyberverse)|Dweller In The Depths}}

The Titans evidently had some influence in the era prior to the [[Great War (Cyberverse)|Great War]], as there existed [[cityspeaker]]s who were trained to telepathically commune with the giants. {{storylink|Memory (Cyberverse)|Memory}} {{storylink|Maccadam's}}

As the [[Ark (Cyberverse)|''Ark'']] sailed back to the Cybertron, they passed by [[Croaton's planet]]. Detecting the [[AllSpark]], the Titan had [[Windblade (Cyberverse)|Windblade]] bring it to him so he could be repaired. Once he was healed, he parted ways with the Autobots as he went to go find his colonists, unknowingly taking on the escaped [[Starscream (Cyberverse)|Starscream]] as a passenger. {{storylink|Ghost Town}} As the two sailed into the cosmos, they were found by the [[Quintesson]]s, {{storylink|The End Of The Universe I}} Croaton being forcibly turned into an enforcer for the aliens. {{storylink|The End Of The Universe III}}

When the Quintessons had invaded Cybertron, the resistance found Iaconus's slumbering form only for Maccadam to bar them from awakening the giant, fearful of the damage that the Titan's bloodlust would bring to Cybertron. {{storylink|The Citizen}} After Starscream revealed himself as the new Quintesson [[Judge (Cyberverse)|Judge]], Windblade activated Iaconus, {{storylink|The End Of The Universe II}} who quickly came to blows with the brainwashed Croaton. The last War Titan very nearly won the battle until Starscream killed him with some [[unspace]] goo. {{storylink|The End Of The Universe III}} Soon afterwards, Windblade freed Croaton from Quintesson control. {{storylink|The End Of The Universe IV}}

In the aftermath of the Quintessons' invasion, the alternate modes of the two Titans became the capital cities of the Autobots and Decepticons as part of a tentative truce. {{storylink|Enemy Line}}

In freeing her friend, Windblade's mind had been scattered across the planet, one of these psychic shards reactivating the Dweller who tried to assimilate all Cybertronians via Windblade only for her to be rescued and him to remain immobilized at the bottom of the sea. {{storylink|Dweller In The Depths (Cyberverse)|Dweller In The Depths}}

===IDW ''Shattered Glass'' comic===
Before the Great War, the Titan [[Metroplex (SG)|Metroplex]] had become buried beneath what would later be known as the [[Static Zone]]. {{storylink|Shattered Glass issue 1|Shattered Glass #1}} The scientists [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] and [[Jetfire (SG)|Jetfire]] came to believe that Metroplex was only in [[stasis lock]], hoping to reactivate him for the wealth of knowledge he contained about Cybertron's past. After shopping around for funds, they received them from Senator [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Orion Pax]]. When it became apparent that Pax only sought Metroplex as a weapon for his ambitions, Starscream downloaded all the data that been gleamed from Metroplex into his own spark. Over the course of the war, the Autobots tried to awaken Metroplex, {{storylink|Shattered Glass issue 3|Shattered Glass #3}} and scuttled Cybertron's [[Titan Net]] to prevent the Decepticons from taking control of it and the other Titans. {{storylink|Shattered Glass II issue 4|Shattered Glass II #4}}

After the conflict ended in Autobot victory, Starscream returned to Metroplex and discovered that his spark could activate the Titan. {{storylink|Shattered Glass issue 3|Shattered Glass #3}}

Though Starscream had hoped that the Titan on their side would allow the Decepticons to take back Cybertron, {{storylink|Shattered Glass issue 2|Shattered Glass #2}} his spark was carved out by [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]]. After the fall of [[Kaon (polity)|Gold City]], Goldbug managed to use the spark to revive Metroplex. {{storylink|Shattered Glass issue 5|Shattered Glass #5}} [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|Ultra Magnus]] brought this news to Optimus Prime only to find that the Prime didn't appreciate the seriousness of the situation. {{storylink|Shattered Glass II issue 1|Shattered Glass II #1}}

When Jetfire had killed Goldbug, Metroplex fully reactivated. {{storylink|Shattered Glass II issue 4|Shattered Glass II #4}} Fuelled by Starscream's spark, Metroplex lumbered through the Static Zone before Jetfire and Soundwave managed to remove the spark, sending Metroplex back into stasis. {{storylink|Shattered Glass II issue 5|Shattered Glass II #5}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: Fall of Cybertron''===
{{voiceactor|[[Fred Tatasciore]] (English)}}
Metroplex had been lying dormant in what would become Autobot City for thousands of years, and was inadvertently activated during the last days of the war between the Autobots and Decepticons, during the launch of the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]''. [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] was able to bring the giant back online, who heeded the call of the "last Prime" by spearheading the counterattack against the Decepticon forces and eventually flattening [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] in the process. Unfortunately, the [[energon]] required to fuel Metroplex depleted the reserves necessary to launch the ''Ark'', and following the loss of an Autobot energon transport Metroplex sacrificed himself to launch the ship, glad that his sacrifice would get Prime and his Autobots offworld. {{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron}}

===''Transformers: Forged to Fight''===
When the [[Quintesson]]s dosed Windblade with [[Dark Energon]], she began to have hallucinations that the titans {{Sic}} were demanding her to destroy her comrades. {{storylink|Transformers: Forged to Fight|Voices}} Later, [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] attempted to harness the power of the Necrotitan, but their sparks were merged into one and became the powerful and unstable [[Necrotronus]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Forged to Fight|And I Saw}}

==Notes==
===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Metrotitan''' (メトロタイタン ''Metorotaitan''), '''Titan''' (タイタン ''Taitan'')
*''Mandarin:'' '''Jīdì Jīngāng''' (China, 基地金刚, "Base {{w|Vajra}}"), '''Titan''' (China, 泰坦 ''Tàitǎn'')
*''Portuguese:'' '''Titã''' ("Titan")
*''Spanish:'' '''Titán''' ("Titan")

==See also==
*[[Metrotype]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising subgroups]]
[[Category:Cyberverse subgroups]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) legends]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) subgroups]]
[[Category:Mass-produced Transformers]]
[[Category:Titans| ]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron: Siege subgroups]]

Cybertronian swamp weevil

2024-03-05T16:13:47Z

AStrangeAvenue: /* Rescue Bots Academy cartoon */ spelling fix

'''Cybertronian swamp weevils''' smell bad.

==Fiction==
===''Rescue Bots Academy'' cartoon===
When [[Sludge (FOC)|Sludge]] complained that [[Grimlock (RID 2015)|Grimlock]] and [[Hoist (RB)|Hoist]] were late, Grimlock responded that Sludge smelled like a Cybertronian swamp weevil, and at least he could buy a watch. {{Storylink|Mission Dinobot}}

[[Category:Cybertronic wildlife]]
[[Category:Rescue Bots Academy species]]

Wheeljack (G1)

2024-02-28T12:55:11Z

AStrangeAvenue: /* 2005 IDW continuity */ grammar fix

{{factions|autobot|autobotg2|lightningstrike|hofsilver}}
{{disambig3|Wheeljack}}
{{suite}}
:''Wheeljack is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''
[[File:Wheeljackg1.jpg|upright=1.95|thumb|[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]! I built a machine that builds machines that build catapults! Come see! Yeah, we can wait for Ratchet...]]
'''Wheeljack''' is his own worst enemy. Something of a crackpot inventor, a good half of his creations blow up in his face, and that's just if he's lucky. His constant need to invent increasingly complex devices stems from his desire to improve the Autobots' tech, but as a result he's simultaneously one of the Autobots' greatest assets and problems; for every successful gadget he builds, there's one which requires [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] or [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] to put him (and his lab) back together. But once in a while he strikes gold, which has won him respect from even the Decepticons.

He is, however, not a ''complete'' nerd. As good as he is in the lab, Wheeljack is just as amazing on the road: there are few stunts he can't pull off, and he loves to show off his driving skills as much as he does his inventions. He is, however, a little less confident when it comes to [[flight|flying]], which he accomplishes using solid-fuel rocket jets in his forearms.

As an [[Action Master]] Wheeljack utilizes another of his inventions, the dual-mode [[Turbo Racer]], to get around quickly. In some universes he can [[Combiner|combine]] with his fellow Autobots to form [[Sky Reign]].

{{bigquote|It sure is nice when one of my inventions actually works!|Wheeljack on his track record|"[[Fire on the Mountain (episode)|Fire on the Mountain]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
[[File:Wheeljack-spacehikers02.jpg|thumb|]]
{{main|Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity}}

One of the Autobot elite, Wheeljack was a crewmember aboard the Ark who wound up in [[stasis lock]] for four million years on Earth. Upon reactivation in [[1984]], the scientist largely kept to the spacecraft, serving as the engineering officer for whomever commanded the Autobots until he was counted as one of the many casualties of [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]]'s [[Underbase]] fuelled rampage.

When [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] arrived to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Wheeljack was among those revived by [[Nucleon (substance)|nucleon]], living to see [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] defeat the Chaos Bringer and end the war with the aid of the [[Last Autobot]].

{{--}}

===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
[[File:Shockblastcannon.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Good news, everyone! I'm in terrible pain!]]

{{main|Wheeljack (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity}}

Part of the crew of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], Wheeljack served as [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s top scientist during the early years of the Autobot-Decepticon conflict on Earth. His creations tended to backfire on him, such as the unruly Dinobots. His inventions also tended to backfire on him, such as his Immobilizer. And everything else tended to explode on him (''see image at left''). Regardless, he remained Prime's top scientist until his death in 2005 during the [[Battle of Autobot City]].

In a splinter timeline, Wheeljack would have better luck with his inventions and his survival, escaping his supposed death in 2005. That same year, he received a new [[Binaltech (technology)|Binaltech]] body, but lost it due to time travel. In 2011, he joined the [[Disaster Relief Team]] to assist Autobots caught in the destruction of Cybertron. Then, in 2015, he revived the deceased [[Ginrai (robot)|God Ginrai]] as Victory Leo. And during the G-2 Wars, he discovered the [[Reconfiguration Matrix]], which kept Optimus Prime from dying again.

{{--}}

===Marvel coloring books===
Wheeljack built a ship for the [[Autobot]]s to use. They got the chance to when [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] decided to try to raid sunken ships full of treasure. {{storylink|Search for Treasure Under the Sea}} After the [[Decepticon]]s captured [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] and [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]], Wheeljack, and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] were badly damaged in the battle to rescue the two humans. Sparkplug fixed them both up and they subsequently helped repel a Decepticon attack on [[Hoover Dam]]. {{storylink|The Deadly Fuel Shortage}}

Wheeljack joined the Autobot convoy on a patrol of the area around the Autobot base-camp. When they returned, Bumblebee was waiting to warn the Autobots that the Decepticons had seized their base. {{storylink|A Message From Outer Space}}

{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|The Big Book of Coloring Fun}}}}

===Big Looker storybooks continuity===
When the Cybertronian civil war had yet to leave the planet, Optimus asked his Autobots to join him in leaving their home world behind and travel out into space. When Bumblebee volunteered to join Optimus, Wheeljack and the rest of the Autobots jumped in as well. After crash-landing on Earth and being offline for about 65 million years, Wheeljack and the rest of the Autobots met Sparkplug and his son Spike. With the Decepticons still not in the know of what forms the Autobots had taken, Wheeljack was one of the troops that Optimus led into the desert in order to ambush their enemies. Though they successfully took by surprise a squadron of Decepticons, the Autobots had not anticipated a second group flying in from the opposite direction. Thanks to a warning from Spike and Sparkplug, the Autobots managed to fend off the Decepticons, and came to accept Earth as their new home. {{storylink|Battle for Cybertron}}

===Ladybird Books continuity===
The Autobots were low on valuable Cybertronian materials such as [[cybernite]]. When Kup suggested a salvage expedition to an old battle field near a mountain valley, Ultra Magnus assembled Wheeljack, [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], and [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] to go with him. Their expedition was cut short by a Decepticon air raid, however. Later, Kup commissioned Wheeljack and [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] to help him crystallize an idea for blinding the Decepticon space stations who spotted them for the air raid. {{storylink|Galvatron's Air Attack}}

===''S.T.A.R.S.'' continuity===
When [[Johnny (G1)|Johnny]] spotted [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] stealing energy, he called his Autobot allies through his S.T.A.R.S. control center. Wheeljack was amongst those who responded to Johnny's call. {{storylink|Have the Decepticons defeated us once and for all?}} Wheeljack and the other Autobots struggled against Thundercracker energy-syphoning powers. {{storylink|Can one boy, alone, hold back the evil Decepticons?}} What happened afterwards is not known.

Later, Ultra Magnus pleaded for [[you]] to "requisition" Wheeljack and other Autobots in order to combat the Decepticon threat. Using the human power known as "imagination," S.T.A.R.S. recruits could perceive what it was like to be Wheeljack. {{storylink|You Have Been Chosen.}}

Before the construction of Autobot City on Earth, Optimus led a convoy of Autobots to find the ideal location for their new base's construction. Wheeljack was amongst the troops accompanying Optimus. As they drove along, the Autobots were ambushed by the Decepticons. The battle that ensued later came to be known as "[[Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction (G1)|Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction]]." {{storylink|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.}} {{storylink|The Autobots Are Under Attack!}}

===Find Your Fate Junior===
{{Notemultipath}}

====Dinobots Strike Back====
As Optimus Prime assigned [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to inspect signs of Decepticon activity around [[Dolphin's Bay]], Wheeljack looked up when he heard the word "''underwater''". He claimed that the mission would be a good chance to test out the [[Star mini-submarine|new mini-submarine]] he'd been building. Optimus agreed, and Wheeljack programmed it by remote control to meet the two Autobots at the bay. {{storylink|Dinobots Strike Back}}

====Attack of the Insecticons====
Wheeljack was present, yet mostly uninvolved, in a number of possible adventures revolving around the Sun-Pak, a device invented by Sparkplug that would end the Autobots' energy woes. {{storylink|Attack of the Insecticons}}
{{-}}

====Desert Flight====
Wheeljack was part of a group of the Autobots’ best scouts, led by Optimus on a fuel-finding mission. When the convoy heard a large explosion in the distance, Optimus sent Cosmos to investigate the noise.

If Cosmos radioed his findings to Optimus immediately, Optimus's convoy moved in to investigate a nearby Decepticon base. En route, the Autobots passed near a human town and noticed that they had begun floating in mid-air as they approached it. Evidently, the phenomenon was caused by a Decepticon anti-gravity weapon.

If Optimus ordered his troops to come to the humans’ aid, they found themselves taking part in a struggle in futility, as the entire town was near-weightless, meaning they couldn't put the humans anywhere where they wouldn't float away once more. Then, the Autobots heard Decepticons approaching. Helpless in their current position, the Autobots were quickly eradicated by the Decepticons.

If Optimus ordered his troops to attack the Decepticon base, they soon reached an area free of the anti-gravity beam's influence. They were then attacked by a small fleet of Decepticons. The Decepticons were quickly forced to break off their attack and retreated. But with the battle over, the Autobots noticed a small human boy at their feet. The Autobots then headed for the Decepticon base, with their stowaway. Megatron delivered an ultimatum; if the Autobots did not surrender Optimus Prime to the Decepticons immediately, he would use his gravity beam to have the nearby humans float off into space.

If the Autobots decided to continue with their initial plan to simply attack the Decepticon base, their advance was halted by a force field. Megatron then fired his beam in all directions, causing a ripple effect that sent everything not fastened down to the Earth's surface to float helplessly out into space.

Alternatively, the Autobots could concoct a plan where Optimus would pretend to allow himself to be taken prisoner, per Buddy's suggestion. In actuality, Wheeljack and the rest of the Autobots were hidden away inside Optimus's trailer. The Autobots then led a surprise attack on their unsuspecting foes.

In one possible turn of events, Wheeljack and the rest of the Autobots leading the attack were turned to scrap metal when Windcharger failed to disable the Decepticons’ forcefield.

In a completely different possible sequence of events, wherein Cosmos had taken off to explore the Decepticon base on his own, The Autobot convoy were surprised to see two Cosmoses flying back towards them some time later. Both Cosmoses declared themselves to be the real one, and urged Optimus to destroy the other.

If Optimus destroyed the wrong Cosmos, the duplicate obliterated Wheeljack and the rest of the Autobots with the [[proton bomb]] it housed within its body.

If Optimus destroyed the duplicate Cosmos, the real one would inform the Autobots of the Decepticons’ schemes, and the convoy would roll out to take on their adversaries. They were soon met by a squad of flying Decepticons, but were at a strict disadvantage against their adversaries as their vehicle modes possessed no weapons. The Autobots nonetheless managed to fight their way to the Decepticons’ base, one way or another, and defeated the Decepticons by using their own gravity weapon against them.{{storylink|Desert Flight}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
{{notekeepers}}
[[File:Skidswheeljackgrimlockkupironhidetww.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|Box!]]
Wheeljack suffers from a mild form of [[mode attachment]], feeling more comfortable in his vehicle mode than [[robot mode]]. As a consequence he does his best thinking in vehicle mode, often while attempting something insanely dangerous. {{storylink|Transformers: The Ultimate Guide}}

[[File:WarWithin6 WheeljackTransforms.jpg|thumb|upright=1.7|right|'Jack in the box.]]
Wheeljack was part of Grimlock's unit, along with [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], at the time when [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] died and Optimus Prime rose to command the Autobots. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}} When the Decepticons placed [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] under siege, Grimlock took Wheeljack and the rest of his team deep within the planet, where the new Prime was battling [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] for his life. {{storylink|The War Within issue 4|The War Within #4}} The team stumbled upon the [[Planetary engine|planetary turbines]] that Starscream was planning to activate to mechaform the planet. Learning the Decepticon's plan, Grimlock had his team split up; he would continue searching for Optimus Prime, while Wheeljack and the others were to shut down the turbines. But while they were listening in to Starscream's plan, the Autobots were spotted by the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 5|The War Within #5}} The Autobots barely managed to hold their own until Grimlock returned with Optimus in tow. Optimus quickly took command of the situation, and instructed Wheeljack to shut down the engines in a... creative way. Wheeljack grumbled a bit that all his education and mechanical engineering skill had led up to just blowing things up. He nonetheless accomplished his task while the rest of his team provided him cover. With the Decepticons driven off, the group managed to return to Iacon, where Prime halted his order to abandon the planet. {{storylink|The War Within issue 6|The War Within #6}}

When Prime and Megatron disappeared during a [[space bridge]] explosion, Grimlock broke off from the Autobot army and formed the [[Lightning Strike Coalition]], taking his former squad members with him. While Kup and the Dynobots attacked the [[Predacon (War Within)|Predacons]], Wheeljack and Ironhide hijacked some shuttles carrying raw [[energon]], making Starscream very angry. That's always a plus. {{storylink|Fragmentation (G1)|Fragmentation}} Afterwards, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] managed to unite the Autobots once more, and under his leadership gained a significant hold over Cybertron's resources and territories. This eventually forced the [[Ultracon]]s and Shockwave's Decepticons to sign a peace treaty with the Autobots. With Cybertron on the verge of peace, Wheeljack was put in charge of the Tyger Pax's defenses. As predicted by the Autobots, Starscream and his Predacons struck to disrupt the peace signing, sending in transports filled with explosives to level the whole area. Grimlock ordered Wheeljack to enact emergency protocol Hydra-Nine in response to the attack, prompting Wheeljack to encase many of the attendees within a forcefield, sparing them from the ensuing explosion. Though the Autobots, Ultracons, and Decepticons stood united against these aggressors, any chance at long-term peace was shattered when Megatron made a dramatic return. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath|The Age of Wrath #1}} After Megatron took over, Wheeljack ended up in [[Internment Camp Pi]] with many of his fellow Autobots. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.2|The Age of Wrath #2}}

{{unreleased WW comic}}
Optimus returned to Cybertron, and the Autobots were freed from slavery. {{Storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.6}}

Wheeljack was one of the engineers that designed and constructed the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', and part of the ship's original crew. In 1986, Ironhide and [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] discovered Wheeljack in pieces but functional after an explosion while bug-testing his [[neutron detonator shell]]. {{storylink|Transformers: More than Meets the Eye#Issue #7|Wheeljack's ''More Than Meets The Eye'' profile}} ''He was also responsible for temporarily transferring the consciousness of Spike Witwicky into a Cybertronian body, though the full story remains untold. {{storylink|Transformers: Hardwired|Hardwired}}''

Wheeljack was among the Transformers involved in the ''[[Ark II]]'' disaster. He survived the explosion of their spacecraft, crashing back to Earth where he and several others lay deactivated and frozen within an iceberg until awakened by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] in 2002. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 2|Prime Directive #2}}

[[File:Wheeljack dw6.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|left|Wheeljack calms a group of panicked humans by charging at them while brandishing a weapon.]]
After helping clean-up the damage caused by Transformers under the control of [[Lazarus]], Wheeljack participated in the assault on the human terrorist's Canadian headquarters. There, they found that all Decepticons under Lazarus's control had already freed themselves, and the battle between the two factions began anew. This brawl was interrupted when [[Robert Hallo|General Hallo]] betrayed the Autobots, and attempted to bomb both them and the Decepticons out of existence. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 3|Prime Directive #3}} The blast was mostly absorbed by [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s [[cyber-virus]], previously unleashed by the Decepticon leader, allowing it to expand violently. Wheeljack and [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] were the first Autobots to free themselves from its envelopement. Once Optimus had pried himself free as well, he set Wheeljack to task, instructing him to find some way to counter Megatron's doomsday weapon. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 4|Prime Directive #4}} While Prime took some of the Autobots after Megatron, Wheeljack diagnosed the nature of the cyber-virus, and created a set of anti-viral blasters that used the Autobots' energy to return the converted matter to normal. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 5|Prime Directive #5}} The intervention of Canada's military force scuttled that plan when they fired into the virus, expanding it beyond the point the Autobots could contain. In response, Wheeljack converted a nearby satellite dish into a giant anti-viral weapon, channeling all of his remaining energy into it. He succeeded in destroying the virus, but was left in deep stasis lock as a result. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 6|Prime Directive #6}}

''Several months later, Ratchet had successfully restored Wheeljack to operating status. He was one of the first Autobots Optimus Prime met back up with after escaping the [[Keeper (species)|Keepers]]' world and [[Las Vegas]]. While on patrol of the area, Wheeljack passed [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] travelling up the road towards the Autobots' location. He buzzed the Decepticon's position, and was surprised when Soundwave asked for a parlay. He claimed Megatron wanted a favor from Prime. Bemused, Wheeljack reported back to Optimus about the bizarre encounter, only to have his amusement turn to astonishment when Optimus Prime actually responded to Megatron's "summons". The two old enemies forged an alliance against the Keepers, and united their forces for battle in Las Vegas. During the fight, Wheeljack used his solid-fuel rockets to fly with the Decepticons [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] in the skies, acting as air support for the others. He returned to Prime's side in the final battle, when the Autobot leader used the power of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] to divert the Keepers and the power of a nuclear explosion into another dimension.'' {{storylink|Transformers: Annihilation|Annihilation}}

The Autobots were entrenched in combat against the Decepticons in [[Alaska]], fighting over a crashed ship, when [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] and his squad of Triple-Changers ambushed them. Shockwave denounced all Earthbound Transformers as war criminals and demanded they surrender in the interest of peace. Shockwave killing [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], the passenger of the downed ship, did little to convince the Autobots about the sincerity of his claim; that Cybertron had been peacefully united during their absence. The Autobots retreated from the battlefield while the Decepticons were taken captive. Wheeljack and the other more wounded Autobots returned to the Ark to mend their wounds while a scouting party remained about to learn more about the new arrivals. {{storylink|New World Order}} [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] next made his presence known as one of Shockwave's enforcers, come to arrest the Autobots under the pretense that leaving them be might ignite old passions and start Cybertron's Civil War anew. Wheeljack was one of the Autobots secretly left behind by Optimus Prime under Jazz's command, while he surrendered himself to Magnus. {{storylink|Brothers' Burden}} Jazz, Windcharger, and Brawn headed back out to the Alaskan battlefield afterwards to retrieve Scourge's remains, only to find that they had mysteriously vanished. Jazz called Wheeljack to ask if it was possible that Scourge had somehow survived his injuries, but Wheeljack denied such a possibility; Shockwave's blast had been decidedly fatal. {{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}}

[[File:NightofCombaticons Wheeljack Windcharger defeated.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.6]]
After the end of Shockwave's despotic rule over Cybertron, the Autobots on Cybertron made contact with Wheeljack's crew for an update and promised to send supplies. {{storylink|Generation 1 issue 0|Generation 1 #0}} Unfortunately, Starscream arrived on Earth first, backed up by a small cadre of soldiers. Wheeljack and company managed to stave off an initial attack from the Decepticons, only for Starscream to unleash his trump card on the battlefield: [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]. Like most of team, Wheeljack was beaten to the point of stasis lock by the combiner, and dumped into a lake. {{storylink|Night of the Combaticons}} {{storylink|Black Sunshine}} He was eventually fished out by [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] and [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] (who had arrived from Cybertron with Bumblebee with supplies), but they were waylaid by [[Earth Defense Command]]. {{storylink|The Omega Effect}} The humans then took Warpath, Bumper, Wheeljack, and the rest of the unconscious Autobots to a secret underground facility. {{storylink|Atonement}} There, the EDC began fixing the Autobots, though Wheeljack was among the last ones back on their feet. He was still being worked on when most of the other Autobots had been brought back online and accompanied [[Marissa Faireborn]] in a mission to [[San Desto]]. {{storylink|Infestation (Dreamwave)|Infestation}}

Wheeljack was back in working order after the completion of the San Desto mission, and made sure to congratulate the EDC's "grease monkeys" on the bang-up job they did in restoring him. The Autobots then said their goodbyes to their human allies, {{storylink|Lost and Found (issue)|Lost and Found}} and traveled to Alaska. There, Wheeljack expressed his concerns over their lack of a proper facility necessary for long-term operations on Earth. Ratchet assured him that steps had already been taken to deal with this issue before leading him to Prowl and the Autobots under his command, currently working on the foundation of [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]]. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
When the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' crashed on Earth millions of years ago, Wheeljack and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] were sealed off from the other passengers, saving them from [[Cobra]] when they found the craft in 2003 and reprogrammed the dormant robots for their own needs. Cobra's break-in activated [[Teletraan I|Teletran-One]], who in turn brought back Wheeljack and Bumblebee. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 4|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4}}

[[File:GIJoevsTF3 Wheeljack rams twins.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Brooklyn Rage!]]
Disguising themselves as cars, the two Autobots worked for months to find and rescue the other Autobots from Cobra. After noting several attacks on energy plants, Wheeljack figured that the humans were gathering ingredients for [[energon]], and had an idea on where their next attack would take place. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 2|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2}} During Cobra's subsequent assault on the [[SPS Research Facility]], the Autobots intervened directly, with Wheeljack ramming the brainwashed duo of [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] and [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (and apologizing). He then confronted [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], but the reprogrammed Decepticon fled as soon as Cobra had stolen what they came for. Having revealed themselves to [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] during the battle, Wheeljack and Bumblebee offered an alliance with the humans, who in return showed the Autobots a mysterious image of Soundwave they had found. Wheeljack recognized the text in the picture as [[Cybertronian language|Cybertronian]], and that it contained directions to [[Cobra Island]] as well as instructions on how to free the Transformers. It took him only a few seconds to hack into Cobra's computers and undo their primitive human reprogramming. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 3|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3}}

Wheeljack and Bumblebee then boarded a plane to participate in G.I. Joe's attack on Cobra Island, but the humans' higher-ups disagreed, planning to nuke the island and send the two Autobots to [[Area 51]] to be disassembled and studied instead. [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|Duke]] regretfully incapacitated the robots with a magnetic pulse, but Wheeljack stayed conscious enough to overhear their plans and warn Hawk that a nuclear impact on Cobra's energon stockpile would cause a chain reaction and send half the planet into a nuclear winter. With this revelation, Hawk broke orders and went with the original strategy, taking Wheeljack and Bumblebee with him to Cobra Island. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 4|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4}}

[[File:GIJoevsTF6 Wheeljack threatens Mindbender.jpg|thumb|left|I've got the computer virus at last!]]
Upon arriving at the island, Wheeljack witnessed Megatron using the [[SPS Satellite]] to create more energon, and was enraged when [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] killed [[Hound (G1)|Hound]]. After helping take down the giant, Wheeljack patched through a message to all Autobots that the United States had decided to nuke Cobra Island despite having their own troops located there. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 5|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5}} Wheeljack quickly improvised a plan to avoid a nuclear holocaust; using the SPS Satellite's solar-powered energy beams to shoot down the [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear warheads]] before they arrived. After menacing [[Doctor Mindbender]] into overriding the satellite controls, Wheeljack helped G.I. Joe fight off a bunch of Cobra troops led by [[Storm Shadow]]. The plan was ultimately a success, and with the Decepticons defeated in the process, the Autobots returned to Cybertron aboard a new ''Ark''. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 6|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6}}

Two years later, Wheeljack was zapped by a malfunctioning [[Teletran 3]] and transported into a random point in Earth's timeline. He was never seen again. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 1|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers/G.I. Joe''===
[[File:Hound Wheeljack-The Iron Fist.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Wheeljack was among the Autobots that lay buried on the [[Fera Islands]], only to be awoken in [[1939]] when [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] came to battle [[Cobra]] and the Decepticons. Along with [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] and several Joes, he rescued several chained Cobra slaves that had fallen into the ocean. [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] later reported that both Wheeljack and Hound had been killed in battle, but he was apparently mistaken, as the scientist was still around when [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] was unleashed. Upon examining the giant, Wheeljack noticed that it was some kind of hybrid of human and Cybertronian technology, and most likely wasn't really "alive". When the [[Matrix of Leadership]] was destroyed in order to kill Bruticus, Wheeljack and all other Transformers present were deactivated as well. {{storylink|The Iron Fist}}

===''Transformers Legends'' anthology===
When Ratchet began feeling lost and disillusioned while on Earth, he began going on more and more combat missions, increasingly leaving his medical duties in the hands of Wheeljack, Perceptor, and Sparkplug. This presumably stopped after he had a perception-changing experience in a chance meeting with [[Stitch|a disabled war veteran]]. {{storylink|Healers, Fighters, and Transformers}}

===''The Beast Within''===
During an all-out Decepticon offensive against the Autobots, Wheeljack was one of the first victims to fall to [[Beast (G1)|The Beast]], the Dinobots’ monstrous combined form. {{storylink|The Beast Within}}

Wheeljack's wounded body lay unconscious within Jetfire's passenger compartment, as the latter rescued the few remaining living Autobots from The Beast. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}}
{{-}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
[[File:Wheeljack Infiltration 6.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|left]]

{{main|Wheeljack (G1)/2005 IDW continuity}}

Once one of [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s premier scientists, Wheeljack answered [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s rallying call against Decepticon tyranny and went on to become one of the new Prime's closest allies. Later he was a member of [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]]'s infiltration unit on [[Earth]] after the war had rendered Cybertron lifeless.

After the Decepticon [[Surge (event)|Surge]] had left the Autobots stranded on Earth, Wheeljack remained by [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]]'s side as [[Autobot High Command]] splintered, later staying with him when Cybertron was revived and [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] left the planet to find the [[Knights of Cybertron]]. Upon the discovery of a Decepticon plot to seize control of the planet, Wheeljack was shot in the head by a brainwashed Prowl.

Badly wounded, Wheeljack was spirited away by [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]] (now the legitimate ruler of Cybertron!) and found himself pressed into aiding in the foundation of the [[Council of Worlds]], a political alliance formed by Cybertron and its lost [[Cybertronian colonies|colonies]]. After a disastrous attempt to integrate the human race into this alliance, Wheeljack was among the Cybertronians who dealt with a group of [[Prysmosian]] squatters. While Cybertronian science defeated Prysmosian [[magic]], the victory proved hollow when it was found that the conflict had summoned [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. As the monster-planet devoured its way across the galaxy, Wheeljack developed a new form of [[space bridge]] to evacuate [[Elonia]]. Unable to work the relay remotely, Wheeljack remained behind as he warped Elonia's biosphere to safety, noting that there were worse ways to go than saving billions of lives.

{{--}}

===''Hearts of Steel''===
[[File:WheeljackInfestation2-2.jpeg|thumb|upright=1.5|There's that terrifying moment you mistake that [[mouthplate]] for a ''really'' weird jaw. | right]]
Wheeljack was one of the Autobots active in [[1888]] when an [[Elder God]] awoke on Earth. Transforming into a steam-powered plow car, he brought [[Tobias Muldoon]] and [[Nikola Tesla]] to the [[Mare Rurek Glacier]] where [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] lay dormant. {{storylink|Infestation 2: The Transformers issue 1|Infestation 2: The Transformers #1}} He was the first Autobot to give up his energy for the [[Tesla tower|generator]] Tesla needed to revive Prime, then was brought back in turn thanks to Prime's own energon reserves. When Prime led the Autobots to [[Port Cenotaph]] to defeat the Elder God and its Decepticon minions, Wheeljack cut [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] in half using his plow blades as [[sword]]s. {{storylink|Infestation 2: The Transformers issue 2|Infestation 2: The Transformers #2}}
{{IDW HOS}}

{{-}}

===''Mars Attacks: The Transformers''===
Wheeljack invented some [[stasis cuffs]], which the Autobots used on the Decepticons after a particularly intense battle. {{storylink|Mars Attacks: The Transformers}}

===Robot Heroes===
Wheeljack could be seen driving along in Autobot City before the Autobots departed Cybertron aboard the Ark. {{storylink|I Am Optimus Prime (Robot Heroes)|I Am Optimus Prime}}

===''Henkei! Henkei! Transformers -Visualize-''===
Wheeljack stood behind Optimus Prime with his fellow Autobots, ready to fight. {{storylink|Visualize Shot 1}}

===''Kre-O'' cartoon===
[[File:Kreon Wheeljack wallpaper.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66]]
Wheeljack was in the audience of a tag battle pitting [[Optimus Prime (Kre-O)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Bumblebee (Kre-O)|Bumblebee]] against [[Megatron (Kre-O)|Megatron]] and [[Starscream (Kre-O)|Starscream]]. {{storylink|Last Bot Standing}}

Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Wheeljack were acting as security at the [[Autobot City Bank]] when [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]], [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] and [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] attempted to rob it. When the Decepticons called in [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], the Autobots similarly called for backup, but were victims of Devastator's wrecking ball before anyone else turned up. {{storylink|Quest for Energon, Part 1}} He later infiltrated the Decepticon work site as a diversion with [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]. Though the pair were quickly surrounded, they used their umbrellas to shield themselves from the ensuing grilled cheese explosion. {{storylink|Quest for Energon, Part 2}}
{{-}}

===''United''===
Wheeljack was amongst the victims of a deadly nano-virus. Thankfully, a team of Autobots were successfully in retrieving a cure for the disease from the planet [[Nebulos]]. Fully recovered, Wheeljack attended the ceremony that commended the Autobots responsible for saving his life. {{storylink|The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos}}

===''Transformers: All Spark''===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Another Episode, Part 2}} {{storylink|The Fated Rival, Once Again...}} {{storylink|To Earth}} {{storylink|Reunion and Parting}} {{storylink|Plans of the Emperor of Destruction}} {{storylink|Revenge (All Spark)|Revenge}} {{storylink|The False Power}} {{storylink|Ray of Hope}} {{storylink|Great Aspirations}} {{storylink|Conclusion}}

===''Kre-O'' online comic===
[[File:KreO-webcomic-4-Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|left]]
After personally suggesting the idea, Wheeljack was one of the [[Autobot]]s who left [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in the ''[[Ark (Kre-O)|Ark]]'' in search for energy blocks to alleviate their hunger. Thanks to the boarding of the ''Ark'' by [[Decepticon]]s, the ''Ark'' crashed and the [[Transformer]]s fell into a four million year-long sleep. They woke up to a world filled with blocks. {{storylink|Kreon Story}} When [[Megatron (Kre-O)|Megatron]] attempted to steal all of the blocks of Earth with his Mega-Megatron creation, Wheeljack was one of the three Autobots who stopped the menace by building a jail for Mega-Megatron. {{storylink|Defend the Blocks! Autobots, Dispatch!}}

Wheeljack invented [[Skeletron]], a power-up for Optimus Prime that also turned his torso transparent. He was excited to see Prime wield this "See-Through Power", though Prime himself was mostly just embarrassed. {{storylink|Wheeljack's Bizarre Invention! Optimus Power Up!?}} He later helped with the rebuilding of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]. {{storylink|Two Giant Bases! Everybody Getting Along, Come On, Fight!}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers × Evangelion''===
[[File:Transformers Mode Eva ch 1.jpg|thumb|]]
Wheeljack was among the Autobots who traveled to Earth and arrived in a [[Tokyo-3]] being menaced by [[Angel]]s. {{storylink|Mode "Eva" chapter 1}} He witnessed the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] possess one of the creatures, becoming the monstrous giant "Angel"-scream. {{storylink|Mode "Eva" chapter 2}} During the battle between "Angel"-scream and the [[Evangelion Unit-01|Evangelion]]-powered [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], Wheeljack was contacted through radio by [[Misato Katsuragi]] who warned him [[Nerv]] had no Evangelions left and was relying on Prime to defeat the Angel-Decepticon. After their victory, the Autobots joined forces with Nerv and Wheeljack had a chat with their scientists. {{storylink|Mode "Eva" chapter 4}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers vs. G.I. Joe''===
[[File:FuneralForAFriend_WheeljackDissected.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|I could not sufficiently wonder at the intrepidity of these diminutive mortals.]]
Together with [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]], and [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], Wheeljack investigated [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] after the abandoned city had been covered in growth caused by a [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] attack on Cybertron. Caught up in a Decepticon attack to capture the humans, the Autobots attempted to flee, but Wheeljack was instead attacked by some of the Joes and immobilized by their vines. {{storylink|Targetmasters (issue)|Targetmasters}} As the Joes began dissecting him, assuming him to be just a machine, Wheeljack repeated snapped-up human radio transmissions in hopes of getting them to stop, finally succeeding through a quote from the [[President of the United States]]. {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend}} Once the misunderstandings were taken care of and an Autobot-Joe alliance had been agreed on, Wheeljack was up on his feet in time to participate in the impromptu dance party. {{storylink|Form Follows Function}} Though he wanted to be open-minded in regards to the alliance, he agreed with Perceptor he still had some doubts about it. {{storylink|Everybody Hates Metroplex}}

When the Joe/Autobot alliance launched their assault on Trypticon, Wheeljack held [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] aloft so he could transmit the counter-frequency to the Titan's forcefield. {{storylink|Transformers vs. G.I. Joe issue 12|Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12}} In the ensuring battle, Megatron used his [[black hole]] spark to draw all the Autobots, Wheeljack among them, into a [[combiner]] he called "Mega-Megatron" only for the behemoth to be broken apart by the commandeered ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]. {{storylink|The War Never Ends}}
{{-}}

===''Q-Transformers'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Jun Fukushima]] (Japanese)}}
{{Charstubfiction|{{storylink|Mystery of a Certain Psychic}} {{storylink|Mystery of the Gap of Unpopular Men}} {{storylink|Mystery of Return of Convoy}}}}

===Ask Vector Prime===
[[File:Spy Changer Wheeljack RR.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|What happened to your missile launcher?]]
In [[Primax 085.0 Eta]], Wheeljack was selected to be a member of a team which was to travel to [[Gargent 087.0 Kappa|an alternate universe]], designated the 22nd Strata, to find and stop the source of a series of natural disasters which were threatening [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].

[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], and [[Bluestreak (G1)|Silverstreak]] constituted the rest of the team; they dubbed themselves [[Spychanger|Spy Changers]] because they aimed to achieve their goal with stealth and diplomacy. The Spy Changers modified their bodies to match the native cyborgs using data acquired from the [[Sky Spy]] and traveled to the 22nd Strata but were soon attacked by the local [[Guardian (GoBots)|Guardian]]s, who mistakenly presumed them to be [[Renegade]]s. The Spy Changers were then rescued by the real Renegades, who presumed them to be potential allies and took them back to their flagship, the ''[[Rogue Star]]''. Renegade leader [[Cy-Kill (GoBots)|Cy-Kill]] attempted to court the Spy Changers as allies, but Optimus saw through Cy-Kill's deception. Eventually, the Autobots formed a secret alliance with the Guardians, and Wheeljack discovered the cause of Cybertron's troubles: Renegade bases on [[Moebius]] were draining the planet's energy. The planet's geometry had turned it into a crude [[Dimensional Interfacer]], and Moebius was tapping into Cybertron to sustain itself. Hoist was able to end the crisis by triggering the bases' remote detonation sequence. Cy-Kill was furious, but in the ensuing battle, the Autobot-Guardian alliance triumphed over the Renegades. Optimus Prime and [[Leader-1 (GoBots)|Leader-1]] shook hands, and the Autobots returned to their home reality, secure in the knowledge that they had allies in places as distant as alternate realities.

The Cybertronians and GoBots had further encounters. In one instance, the Renegades tricked the Guardians into leaving Earth and then sealed the Guardians out with an [[Embargo Field]]. Stranded behind the field, Guardians [[Nick Burns|Nick]] and [[Tri-Trak]] used the [[Reality Beacon]] to contact the 1st Strata for help. Wheeljack and [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], who was also upgraded into a Spy Changer body, subsequently traveled to the other Earth to assist. With Trailbreaker's expertise in force fields, they discovered the source of the Embargo Field in the [[Eiffel Tower]]. Trailbreaker, Wheeljack, and Tri-Trak confronted [[Crain Brain]] and [[Doctor Go|Dr. Go]], defeating the villains and taking down the field. Renegades worldwide retreated as the Guardians returned en masse. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/30}}

Some time later, Wheeljack led Prowl, Jazz, Silverstreak, Trailbreaker, and Hoist as they pursued the Decepticons across dimensions after the villains kidnapped Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric|Renegade Rhetoric, 2016/05/02}} Arriving on a strange, parallel Earth, Wheeljack's team repeatedly clashed with both the Decepticon and groups like [[Intelligence and Information Institute|Triple-I]] and the [[Society of Ultimate Villainy]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric|Renegade Rhetoric, 2016/05/02}} Despite their best efforts, the Autobots couldn't stop the Decepticons from upgrading themselves into new [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bot]] bodies and turning Optimus into the evil [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric|Renegade Rhetoric (2), 2016/05/12}} Defeated, demoralized, and on the brink of collapse, the group limped to a [[Vintage Salvage Depot for the Discriminating Nostalgist|scrapyard]] to lick their wounds. {{storylink|Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric|Renegade Rhetoric (2), 2016/05/12}}

While trying to prevent Nemesis Prime and his followers from hijacking the D-5 supertrain as it launched from [[Jasper]], [[Nevada]], Wheeljack and Hoist saved a pair of cats from [[Crash Test (G2)|Crash Test]]. Despite their best efforts to suppress his heroism, Optimus was able to reassert himself when forced into nearly killing a human. With most of the Decepticons defeated, the Autobots regrouped and headed for Megatron's lair, only to learn that he'd already fled through the [[Reality Bridge]] into another universe. At that moment, a [[Waspinator (BW)|unfamiliar Cybertronian]] materialized and told the Autobots he needed their help to save six Cybertronian sparks from the manipulations of their Megatron. With no other option, Wheeljack and his team followed their unexpected guide into the breach, but promised [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] before he left that he'd return to his own timeline someday. {{storylink|Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric|Renegade Rhetoric (2), 2016/07/14}}

===''Of Masters and Mayhem''===
Wheeljack was part of the team tasked with constructing the ''Ark''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s engine array only for the factory to come under attack from [[Toxitron (G1)|Toxitron]]. As [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] held off the corrosive brute, the workforce evacuated the area. {{storylink|The Toxic Transformer}}

===''Combiner Wars'' cartoon===
Wheeljack was among the Autobot troops who bore witness to a pivotal duel between Optimus Prime and Megatron, one meant to end the war before the never-ending arms race between the two factions spiralled further out of control. {{storylink|Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars - Optimus Prime}}

===''Bumblebee'' graphic novels===
[[File:GoForTheGold-AutobotsTakeCover.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

Wheeljack joined Optimus Prime and the other Autobots in a race to secure an unusual meteorite. As they battled [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s, Wheeljack warned Prime that its unstable [[cybertonium]]-alloy composition could go critical and cause mass destruction. When Starscream deliberately over-energized the meteorite and set it to blow, Wheeljack and the other Autobots were forced to retreat; after Bumblebee risked his life to prevent Starscream from making off with a chunk of cybertonium, Wheeljack stabilized their wounded compatriot for transport so that Ratchet could look at him. {{storylink|Transformers: Bumblebee - Go For the Gold|Go for the Gold}}

After Bumblebee returned to active duty, Wheeljack was on monitor duty aboard the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]''. Later, he and Sideswipe helped take the defeated [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticon]]s into Autobot custody. {{storylink|Transformers: Bumblebee - Win If You Dare|Win If You Dare}}

{{--}}

===2019 IDW continuity===
{{first|[[The World In Your Eyes Part Two|''Transformers'' #2]]}}
[[File:WheeljackOrbitalDecay-WheeljackTermagax.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]

Wheeljack and [[Termagax]] were old friends who had known one another since the days of the [[War of the Threefold Spark]], although Wheeljack's adherence to safety and traditional schools of thought ran counter to the hot-blooded, rule-defying Termagax. In the immediate aftermath of the war, Wheeljack and Termagax helped coordinate the reconstruction efforts in [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], although Wheeljack did not get along with Termagax's new [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]] recruits. Indeed, when the Constructicons discovered the long-lost [[Enigma of Combination]], Termagax ignored Wheeljack's own concerns for their safety and instead pushed them to become a [[combiner]]. {{storylink|Constructicons Rising, Part 1}} Wheeljack's concerns only mounted as the Constructicons struggled to control their [[Devastator (G1)|combined form]]; after the giant lashed out and destroyed one of its own buildings, Wheeljack could stand by no longer and brought his concerns directly to the [[Senate]]. Though Termagax arrived to defend her recruits, the [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] ultimately agreed with Wheeljack and summarily exiled the Constructicons to [[Mayalx]] once Iacon was rebuilt. {{storylink|Constructicons Rising, Part 3}}

Wheeljack was a part of the team that helped construct the [[Winged Moon]] and the [[Tether]] some three hundred kilocycles before the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]; as Termagax contemplated going into politics to run against the [[Autobot]]s and their [[Nominus Edict]], Wheeljack agreed to support her first rally. {{storylink|Wheeljack: Orbital Decay}} Although Wheeljack would go on to attend several such "[[Decepticon|Ascenticon]]" rallies, {{storylink|The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three}} the anger that she stoked amonger her increasingly radicalized base became too much for him, and he eventually could not bring himself to support her cause. After Termagax stormed out of her last Senate meeting, she told Wheeljack that [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] would keep the cause alive—privately, however, Wheeljack feared that Megatron's angry demagoguery would only burn down the system Termagax sought to change from within. {{storylink|Wheeljack: Orbital Decay}}

[[File:TheWorldInYourEyesPart2-Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|left|250px]]

Wheeljack was present at [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]'s forging, {{storylink|Wannabee, Part 2}} and was eventually selected to mentor a newborn Transformer himself. Though Wheeljack was quick to teach his mentee [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] about the glories of engineering, Gears' accident prone nature left him under Wheeljack's care for far longer than was considered normal. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Five}}

When Bumblebee was assigned to mentor [[Rubble]], the yellow 'bot brought his ward to the [[Tether]], where Wheeljack greeted the newborn and introduced him to everything that a career in engineering had to offer. After a trial shift on the Tether, Wheeljack invited him to watch the Winged Moon from a nearby rooftop. {{storylink|The World In Your Eyes Part Two}} The next night, Wheeljack attended [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]]'s funeral. {{storylink|The World In Your Eyes Part Four}} Some time later, Wheeljack helped Rubble through another day shift. When Bumblebee called to cancel his trip up to the moon with Rubble, Wheeljack assured Rubble that Bumblebee would've only cancelled if he'd no other choice and saw him off once he'd been reassured that Rubble knew the way home. {{storylink|The World In Your Eyes Part Five}}

After [[the Rise]] was found to have excess stores of [[energon]], Wheeljack investigated the Winged Moon and found an energon siphon attached. As he briefed [[Lancer]] on the situation, Gears, whom Wheeljack had sent to dismantle the siphon, experienced another bout of gravitational difficulties. Tossed up by [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]], Wheeljack towed in his charge before [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] pointed out the approach of a [[Titan (group)|Titan]]. To everyone's shock however, the Titan was not [[Lodestar (Titan)|Lodestar]] but [[Vigilem]]. As the Titans engaged in a dog fight, Wheeljack ordered the alarm sounded and everyone inside. Before Wheeljack could enter the shelter, Vigilem touched down on the Moon and managed to destroy the Tether. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Five}} Without its anchor, the moon spun off into an unstable solar orbit. Though most of the staff was evacuated, Wheeljack remained behind with a small team to try and save the moon. {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: All Fall Down|All Fall Down}}

[[File:WheeljackOrbitalDecay-WheeljackGears.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

Wheeljack and his team promptly got to work brainstorming solutions to save their moon and the precious [[energon]] it contained before their unstable orbit sent the Winged Moon directly into Cybertron's sun. Their first plan, to vent the pressurized energon directly into space, was scrapped when it became clear that the excess pressure would shake the moon apart; their second plan of manually reactivating the moon's rotational jets was foiled when Huffer discovered that the engines were too badly damaged to jury-rig. The moon's trip through the [[Croaton (G1)|Croaton Cloud]] cost them time, and the discovery of [[the Rise]] operative [[Enemy (G1)|Enemy]] aboard their last shuttle only angered Wheeljack further, as he accused their movement as having betrayed everything his old friend had once stood for. Determined to prove them wrong, Wheeljack threw everything he had into their last maneuver—by sacrificing parts of the Winged Moon's own superstructure, they were able to push the moon onto a wider vector and prevent it from hitting the sun. While the other members of the team celebrated, Wheeljack took a moment by himself to relax on the lunar surface. {{storylink|Wheeljack: Orbital Decay}}

[[File:WarWorldPrime StreetwiseSlapdashWheeljack.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left]]
This brief respite didn't last, however; when [[Slipstream (G1)|Slipstream]] and her teammates attacked the Winged Moon, Wheeljack took the last shuttle back to Cybertron to get help. However, his shuttle was damaged while en route to Cybertron, and he crash-landed in [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] some time after Megatron had launched his coup and seized control of the planetary government. [[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] and [[Slapdash (G1)|Slapdash]] rescued him from [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] and [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]], and brought him to the temporary Autobot headquarters at the [[South Tower Security Center]] to warn [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] and his group that the Decepticons had set their sights on the moon. While [[Firestar (G1)|Novastar]] took a team to the moon, Wheeljack stayed behind for repairs. {{storylink|War World: Prime}}

While Hoist repaired him in Iacon's medical clinic, Wheeljack witnessed an altercation between [[Gutcruncher (G1)|Gutcruncher]]'s group of Decepticons and the medical staff. While lamenting the state of Cybertron and how the Decepticons had taken all of the [[Titan (group)|Titan]]s offline, and the many innocent organics who'd be assuredly caught in the crossfire, Hoist and Wheeljack hit upon the idea of refurbishing some mothballed ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]''-class vessels into makeshift evacuation vessels. {{storylink|Escape Part One}} Wheeljack joined [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] and [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] in organizing an evacuation convoy bound for [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]]. A group of Decepticons attacked their group before [[Dai Atlas (G1)|Dai Atlas]], recently returned from [[Immersant|immersion]], arrived to see them off—although the ancient warrior was initially hestiant to use violence. {{storylink|Escape Part Two}}

[[File:EscapePartFive-WheeljackGears.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
After rescuing [[Leviathan (G1)|Leviathan]], Wheeljack helped repair the giant Cybertronian before reuniting with Gears, who'd travelled to Darkmount to meet with his mentor. {{storylink|Escape Part Three}} Once they'd finally arrived at Darkmount, Wheeljack, [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]], and Nautica met with the city's leader [[Straxus (G1)|Straxxus]], who told them that they could have two of the four ''Ark'' ships. At the makeshift refugee camp outside the city borders Wheeljack insisted that they couldn't trust Straxxus to keep up his end of the bargain, moments before the [[Titan (group)|Titan]] [[Emissary (IDW)|Emissary]] hit the nearby [[Cybertronian Mountains]] and released a vast swarm of ravenous [[Insecticon clone]]s, forcing the Autobots into action. {{storylink|Escape Part Four}} Wheeljack and Gears took part in the final battle to repel the swarm—first defending the organics as they headed for the city walls of Darkmount, then using some jury-rigged alien technology to rescue Leviathan from the swarm at the cost of temporarily draining their own energon. The pair came to in time to see Straxxus's ''Ark'' leaving Cybertron after the remaining Insecticons had retreated, and in the aftermath pledged the final working starship to the organics so that they could safely leave. {{storylink|Escape Part Five}}

With no immediate way off Cybertron, Wheeljack, Nautica, and Hoist took control of Darkmount and turned it into a neutral sanctuary for organics and Cybertronians alike. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Test Flight I}} Wheeljack was called from Darkmount to assist the Autobots when they learned the location of Termagax, who held the Enigma of Combination. Wheeljack and [[Pyra Magna]] were determined to be the most likely delegates that Termagax would deign to speak with. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust II|Sea of Rust II}} Termagax's house came under attack by the Decepticons while Wheeljack was there, and the Enigma was lost to the Sea of Rust. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Enigmatic|Enigmatic}}

[[File:TheLandscapeOfFear WheeljackTermagax.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|left]]
Termagax agreed to move her House to Darkmount, where the scientists and civilians had congregated during the war. Wheeljack traveled with her, though she was less than interested in conversation and company. He tried to appeal to her scientific curiosity regarding the exponential growth and positive feedback loop of the Insecticons. Termagax did come up with an idea to reprogram the Insecticlones to deal with the rust worms, and they immediately sought out the data programmer Glyph upon reaching Darkmount. {{storylink|The Landscape of Fear}} Wheeljack supported the radical nature of Termagax's plan, despite Perceptor's naysaying. A receiver was constructed to deliver the data packet once Glyph was finished. {{storylink|Radical Time}} It was still necessary to plant the receiver on a living Insecticlone, so Wheeljack monitored Hound's team as they attempted to separate one from the Swarm. The data bomb was delivered, and the Insecticons were repurposed against the rust worms. {{storylink|End of Time}}

Wheeljack, Termagax, and the other engineers got the last ''Ark'' space-worthy in time for the Autobots to abandon Cybertron to the Decepticons, reaching out into the stars to relocate the drifting Winged Moon. {{storylink|Transformers: Fate of Cybertron|Fate of Cybertron}}

{{--}}

===''Mazinger Z versus Transformers''===
[[File:MazingerZvsTransformers-Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

Wheeljack and the other Autobots were fighting for control of a [[space bridge]] when a sudden freak accident pulled them into an alternate-reality version of Japan where [[Doctor Hell]] and his minions battled [[Kōji Kabuto]]'s [[Mazinger Z]] super robot. [[Baron Ashura]] initially misled the Autobots into supporting their crusade against their enemies; during their attack on the [[Photonic Power Laboratory]], they soon realized they'd been misled and turned on the [[Iron Mask Army]]. The Autobots relaxed for a time, and Wheeljack and Ratchet befriended the local scientists.

During the final battle against a Mazinger-empowered Starscream, Wheeljack and all the other Cybertronians were teleported back to their own dimension. {{storylink|Mazinger Z versus Transformers}}

{{--}}

===''Transformers/Ghostbusters''===
[[File:GhostsOfCybertronPart3-Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

Wheeljack fought in the final battle for Cybertron before Optimus Prime and the other Autobots fled the planet aboard the ''Ark'' moments before [[Gozer]] arrived and destroyed the planet. {{storylink|Ghosts of Cybertron Part 1}} About a thousand years later, [[Ectotron|Ectronymous Diamatron]] travelled to [[Earth]] to investigate a Cybertronian signal and informed Optimus that he'd discovered Starscream's [[ghost]]. A skeptical Wheeljack offered to go in Prime's stead, but Optimus pointed out that it was his duty to support his subordinates and reminded Wheeljack of the times when he'd supported his ideas, even if Grimlock still thought that Wheeljack was crazy. {{storylink|Ghosts of Cybertron Part 3}}

{{--}}

===''Transformers vs. the Terminator''===
[[File:EnemyOfMyEnemyPartThree-Autobots.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

Wheeljack was among the crew of the [[Ark (G1)|''Ark'']]. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy Part Two}} Left reasonably intact by the Decepticons' ransacking of the ship, he was one of the few Autobots Optimus Prime and Bumblebee could bring online to help repair their many injured comrades. Even if Wheeljack himself was rather pessimistic of their prospects of success, he and Ratchet quickly got to work on healing their comrades only for the duplicitous [[T-800]] to use pilfered Autobot explosives to remotely detonate the ''Ark''. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy Part Three}}

{{--}}

===''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' continuity===
====''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' marketing material====
[[File:Earthrise-Wheeljack-art.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.6]]

{{bigquote|Never do what your enemy expects you to do.}}

After Cybertron fell, the Autobots left their homeworld aboard the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', traveling through space in pursuit of the [[AllSpark]]. Wheeljack was a [[Cybertronian military insignia|Ground Command Engineering Sergeant]], {{storylink|Wheeljack (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron: Earthrise|''Earthrise'' toy packaging}} whose function was Mechanical Engineering. His primary objective was to invent and innovate anything he could to use against the Decepticons, and his primary weapon was the "Magnetic Inducer Launcher". {{storylink|War for Cybertron: Earthrise|''Earthrise'' webpage}}<ref>[https://transformers.hasbro.com/en-us/brands/earthrise ''Earthrise'' website]</ref>

Being the inventor that he was, Wheeljack also designed both [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s "W-M3 RF Ion Blaster" and "W-50 Dual-Mech Energon Strikeshield"; weapons in which Prime used on Cybertron. Both of these weapons could combine and modlock into the "Sentrystrike Ultra-Blaster" using the [[C.O.M.B.A.T. System]]. {{storylink|Source:Teletraan-1 Data Files#Weapons database|Autobot weapons database on Hasbro Pulse}}<ref>[https://hasbropulse.com/blogs/unboxed/transformers-wfc-siege-optimus-prime-combat-weapons-guide "''Siege'' Optimus Prime C.O.M.B.A.T. Weapons Guide" on Hasbro Pulse]</ref>

Closer than ever to reaching the [[AllSpark]], the Autobots awakened after crash-landing on pre-Ice Age Earth. While battling the Decepticons, both sides were joined by the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, their epic battle changing their combined destinies.

During this period, Wheeljack's function was a warrior, and he [[trans-scan]]ned into a sports car. His [[Energon battle pistol|Energon pistol]]s and speed were his powers and weapons, and his core traits were his ferocity, fearlessness, and protectiveness. Wheeljack's message from the future was that his cooperation with mysterious new allies will lead to heroic ends. {{storylink|War for Cybertron: Kingdom|''Kingdom'' webpage}}<ref>[https://transformers.hasbro.com/en-us/brands/kingdom ''Kingdom'' webpage]</ref>

{{--}}

====''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Bill Rogers]] (English), [[Volcano Ōta]] (Japanese)|[[Marco Ribeiro]] (Portuguese), [[Stefan Godin]] (French), [[Sven Hasper]] (German), [[Davide Marzi]] (Italian), [[David Hernán]] (Castilian Spanish), [[Armando Coria]] (Latin-American Spanish), [[Manish Wadhwa]] (Hindi)}}

[[File:SiegeEp1-BumblebeeWheeljack.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]

Wheeljack hired a neutral energon scrounger by the name of [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to look for fuel when they stumbled across an abandoned [[space bridge]] by accident. Before he could tell Optimus Prime about their discovery, however, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] found their position and ordered their execution before [[Elita One (G1)|Elita-1]] and Optimus Prime arrived to save them. {{storylink|Siege episode 1}} After Optimus and Elita returned from a disastrous, Wheeljack suggested using the ship's sensors to locate the AllSpark, even if meant siphoning the energon required to keep their grounded ship concealed. {{storylink|Siege episode 2}} While discussing contingency measures to keep the AllSpark out of Decepticon hands, Wheeljack mentioned the space bridge he'd found and suggested recruiting [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] to help repair the ancient device. After fighting their way through a Decepticon patrol, the group arrived at Ratchet's improvised clinic, and after reaching out to his former colleague Ratchet grudgingly agreed to help. {{storylink|Siege episode 3}} When Prime returned to the Ark after a meeting with the [[Guardian robot|Guardian]]s, Wheeljack informed him that he'd soon have [[Teletraan I|Teletraan-1]] up and running. {{storylink|Siege episode 4}}

After Bumblebee absorbed the [[Alpha Trion Protocols]], Wheeljack was able to map Bumblebee's newfound knowledge of the Allspark onto a modern topographic map of Cybertron to pinpoint the artifact's location and tracked it to the [[Rust Sea|Sea of Rust]]. To get the ''Ark'' up and running, Wheeljack told Bumblebee that they'd need more energon, which convinced the neutral to strike a deal with [[Soundblaster (G1)|Soundblaster]] for more fuel. {{storylink|Siege episode 5}} By the time that they returned, the final battle for the planet had already begun, and after refuelling Elita ordered Wheeljack to launch the ''Ark'' for the space bridge. Optimus was forced to put the AllSpark beyond Megatron's reach by throwing it through the portal; as the remaining Autobots boarded the ''Ark'' and left to retrieve the life-giving artifact, the passage through the unstable spacebridge knocked everyone aboard unconscious. {{storylink|Siege episode 6}}

[[File:EarthriseEp3-WheeljackvsScorponok.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

Wheeljack and the other Autobots aboard the ''Ark'' were captured by [[Doubledealer]]'s crew of [[Mercenary|Mercenaries]] and brought to the insane [[Quintesson]] [[Deseeus]] for judgement, though they were later able to escape when the Mercenaries turned on their employer. {{storylink|Earthrise episode 2}} Some time later, Ratchet and Wheeljack picked up the AllSpark's signal but told Optimus that they didn't have enough energon to make the trip without a space bridge to shorten the transit time. The Autobots set a course for the nearest space bridge, but discovered that the dilapidated portal in the [[Nebulon]] system had a [[Nebulon station|space station]] keeping the portal open. To close the connection, Wheeljack joined several other Autobots as they boarded the station to lay emergency charges that would destroy the station from within and reset the spacebridge connection. However, they were attacked by [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], who nearly crushed Wheeljack to death before [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] distracted him with a hologram. {{storylink|Earthrise episode 3}} When Megatron's Decepticons caught up with them, a massive explosion sealed Wheeljack and most of the other Autobots behind a blast door; after Soundwave freed them, the two factions were forced to call a temporary truce, and Optimus ordered Wheeljack to patch up Megatron so that they could take on Scorponok together. As their alliance fell apart, however, Wheeljack managed to disorient the Decepticons by deactivating the station's artificial gravity systems and buy the Autobots just enough time to get back to the ''Ark'' and take off, but a blast from the ''Nemesis'' stranded both ships in the [[Dead Universe]]. {{storylink|Earthrise episode 4}}

With the help of [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]], the Autobots were able to escape the Dead Universe moments before the Decepticons did the same, {{storylink|Earthrise episode 5}} and both ships reappeared over prehistoric [[Earth]]. During the ensuing three-way battle between Deseeus, the Autobots, and Decepticons, Wheeljack managed to lead a team aboard the ''Nemesis'' and take control of its weapons to fire on the ''[[Fool's Fortune]]''. As the Quintesson ship exploded, Wheeljack and his team retreated back to the ''Ark'' just in time to brace for impact as the destruction of the ''Fortune'' sent both the ''Ark'' and ''Nemesis'' plunging into the planet's atmosphere. {{storylink|Earthrise episode 6}}

[[File:KingdomEp2-WheeljackRhinox.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]

After crash-landing near an active volcano, Wheeljack found that Teletraan was behaving oddly, but had no time to investigate these findings before the Autobots encountered the [[Maximal]]s, who hailed from a dystopian future timeline where the AllSpark was never returned to Cybertron. {{storylink|Kingdom episode 1}} While Prime and most of the other Autobots went off with the Maximal leader [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] to find the artifact, Wheeljack worked with Ratchet and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] to find the AllSpark and get their ship repaired, and was impressed by the Maximal engineer's skill with machines. {{storylink|Kingdom episode 2}} {{storylink|Kingdom episode 3}}

By the time that Optimus Prime and their new companions had recovered the AllSpark, Wheeljack attempted to launch the ''Ark'' against Ratchet's better judgement but was unable to power up the ship. With Teletraan still uncooperative, the Autobot and Maximals couldn't launch their ship before the Decepticons and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s launched an offensive. At that moment, however, the reason for Teletraan's "malfunction" became clear—using the AllSpark as a battery, the computer was able to reconfigure the ship's vessel into a towering robot mode, and explained to the stunned Wheeljack that it had learned how to transform during the ship's time in the Dead Universe. The Decepticons defeated, Wheeljack and the other Autobots took the villains prisoner and headed home to Cybertron aboard their starship. {{storylink|Kingdom episode 5}} Upon crash-landing on Cybertron, the Autobots and Maximals discovered that Cybertron was now a dead, icy, world, unable to support life. Wheeljack joined in the battle against [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]] and [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]; after they were defeated and the planet restored to life, he took part in the ceremony commemorating the end of the Autobot-Decepticon war. {{storylink|Kingdom episode 6}}

{{--}}

===''Transformers Go! Go!''===
One day on Cybertron, Wheeljack unveiled his latest invention for Optimus Prime's approval: a unique, multi-functional [[jet pack]] that doubled as an umbrella and a massage chair. However, the jetpack quickly went out of control, and Bumblebee and Wheeljack had to chase after their leader as he went flying off. {{storylink|Big Invention, Big Trouble?}} Later, Wheeljack walked in to discover that a greedy [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] had eaten all of their [[energon cube]]s and suffered an explosive bout of indigestion. {{storylink|Mission: Snacks, All to Myself!}}

During a search for energon on a [[Planet of Games]], Wheeljack constructed a machine that would instantly warp any nearby energon supplies to their current location. However, his new invention immediately blew up in his face. {{storylink|Great Adventure on the Planet of Games!}}

On Optimus Prime's birthday, Wheeljack got his leader a potted [[Morphobot]]. Later, he and all the other Autobots came together to enjoy the birthday cake that Bumblebee had baked Optimus. {{storylink|The Commander's Birthday}} On another occasion, Wheeljack gave Bumblebee a homework assignment to build a functioning time machine. {{storylink|Go! Go! issue 14}} During an Autobot-Decepticon skirmish over the perfect barbecue spot, Wheeljack battled [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]. {{storylink|I Want to Protect This Place}}

One winter's day, Wheeljack invented a snowball throwing machine for his teammates to train against. However, the machine promptly malfunctioned and went out of control until the Autobots were able to reach the machine's emergency shutdown switch. All was not lost, as the Autobots used the excess snow created by the runaway robot to construct an igloo for the night.
{{storylink|Go! Go! issue 18}}

When the Transformers learned that their adventures were being published in manga format, Wheeljack announced that copies of the ''Go! Go!'' manga were already available in e-book format. {{storylink|Go! Go! issue 26}} A bespectacled Wheeljack detected a treasure in the jungle and sent Bumblebee and [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] to investigate. {{storylink|Go! Go! issue 28}} When the "treasure" turned out to be an payload of armed [[energon]] bombs, Optimus and Wheeljack mistook the explosion for fireworks. {{storylink|Go! Go! issue 29}}

After Wheeljack invented a new cleaning drone, [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] broke into his laboratory and played with his new creation. Mirage used his invisibility powers to pin the blame on Bumblebee; when Wheeljack tried to fix his damaged robot, the machine went berserk and tried to "clean" its creator. {{storylink|Go! Go! issue 30}}

{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Go! Go! issue 32}} {{storylink|Go! Go! issue 33}}}}

{{--}}

===2021 ''Beast Wars'' comic===
[[File:MaximalsStrikeBackPart1-GoldenDisk.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

The [[Wheeljack Ministry of Science]] was presumably named after Wheeljack, which featured a pair of statues cast in his likeness. {{storylink|Savage Landing Part 1}} Following the discovery of the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], Wheeljack was part of the team that studied it. {{storylink|Maximals Strike Back, Part 1}}

{{-}}

===''My Little Pony/Transformers''===
[[File:Finale-Exosuits.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]

To fight back against [[King Sombra]]'s mind-control spell, Wheeljack worked with Shockwave and Ratchet to construct a set of emotion-powered [[exosuit|exo-suit]]s. Once their pony allies had rescued [[Pinkie Pie]], [[Fluttershy]], and [[Twilight Sparkle]] from Sombra's control, Wheeljack and Ratchet helped the newly freed ponies into their suits. {{storylink|Finale (The Magic of Cybertron)|Finale}}

{{--}}

===''History of the Transformers''===
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|History of the Transformers}}}}

===Energon Universe===
{{spoiler|Transformers (2023) issue 5|March 14, 2024}}
Wheeljack was one of the many Autobots and Decepticons who were offline inside the crashed Ark. His body was taken by [[Ratchet (G1)#Energon Universe|Ratchet]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Energon Universe|Optimus Prime]] as they escaped from the attack of the newly reconstructed Decepticon forces. {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 1|Transformers #1}} Once they were safely away from the Decepticons, Ratchet began reassembling Wheeljack using the technology in Prime's [[Combat Deck (G1)|Combat Deck]]. {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 2|Transformers #2}} Ratchet continued to work on the dormant Wheeljack until he received a distress call from Optimus Prime, prompting Ratchet to apologize to Wheeljack as he went to temporarily revive [[Jazz (G1)#Energon Universe|Jazz]] instead. {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 4|Transformers #4}}

[[File:TF2023 no. 5 – Wheeljack at Work.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3]]
Ratchet was eventually able to revive Wheeljack, but to conserve energon, he only rebuilt his upper half, which he placed on a mechanical pedestal. Wheeljack, with assistance from the Autobots' new human friend [[Sparkplug Witwicky#Energon Universe|Sparky Witwicky]], was able to build a turbine connected to a human-built dam, with the hope of reviving more dormant Autobots (and eventually getting enough energon to fully repair his and Optimus's bodies). Wheeljack was impressed with Sparky's ability, and expressed hope that they'd produce enough energon to revive and repair all the Autobots and still have enough left over to fuel the Sparky's town for a decade.

They were able to bring [[Arcee (G1)#Energon Universe|Arcee]] out of stasis, but at that moment, they were set upon by a Decepticon attack. Despite lacking a lower body, Wheeljack laid down defensive fire in the battle. Jazz was successfully and fully brought back to life, but before any more Autobots could be revived, [[Starscream (G1)#Energon Universe|Starscream]] was able to badly damage the turbine. Wheeljack lamented that the turbine would take a while to repair. {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 5|Transformers #5}}
{{ongoing}}
{{--}}

==Commercial appearances==
*Wheeljack was among the Autobots gathered around [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] when Prime decided it would be a good idea to not transform anymore. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Action Masters|Action Master commercial}}
*Wheeljack and [[Sprocket (G1)|Sprocket]] were driving on Cybertron, aboard the [[Turbo Racer]] and the [[Attack Cruiser]] respectively, when they came under fire from [[Gutcruncher (G1)|Gutcruncher]]'s [[Stratotronic Jet]]. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Gutcruncher|Action Master vehicles commercial}}
*Wheeljack also planned on attending [[BotCon 2009]] alongside his fellow Autobots. {{storylink|BotCon 2009!}}

==Games==
===''Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons''===
When Optimus embarked on his mission to rescue the Autobots' [[Mini Vehicle|Minicar]] troops from the Decepticons, Wheeljack could come to Optimus Prime's aid by repairing his flat tires. {{storylink|Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons|Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons packaging blurb and game}}

===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
{{voiceactor|[[Russ Veillard]]}}

{{charstubgame|{{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)|The Transformers}}}}

===''Construct-Bots Builder''===
The components necessary for building "Construct-Bot" Wheeljack were accessible within the Cybertron construction zone. Despite it being against protocol, [[you]] could mix his parts with those of Decepticons! (gasp!) {{storylink|Construct-Bots Builder}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
The [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] began behaving erratically, so Wheeljack used his [[magnetic inducer]] on [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] while [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] kept them distracted. Wheeljack took as scan of Slug, but the data was corrupted, so he had to use [[Teletraan I]] to repair it. {{storylink|Day of the Dinobots - Part 1}} When the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] attempted to infiltrate the base to strike at Teletraan, Wheeljack was part of [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]'s team which tried unsuccessfully to halt their progress. {{storylink|Heavy Metal War - Part 1}} Wheeljack joined a team led by [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to help track down the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]]. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives (Legends)|Call of the Primitives}}

Optimus and Wheeljack returned to Autobot HQ after an absence to find Grimlock had taken leadership. Though they failed to resist him, he soon bored with leading the Autobots and let Optimus take command again. {{storylink|Me, Grimlock, King}} In an attempt to save [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] when the boy was injured during a battle, Wheeljack transferred Spike's mind into [[Autobot X (G1)|Autobot X]]. Things went horribly wrong, but Wheeljack later successfully transferred Spike's mind back into his healed body. {{storylink|Autobot X (Legends)|Autobot X}}

At some point Wheeljack teamed up with [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] to combat [[Overlord (G1)|Overlord]] and his allies. {{storylink|Fan Favorite}}

===''Angry Birds Transformers''===
{{main|Bomb (AB)#As Wheeljack}}
Wheeljack appears as a character unlockable in Challenge Events. He is portrayed by Bomb. {{storylink|Angry Birds Transformers (mobile game)|Angry Birds Transformers}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:BattleTacticsWheeljack.jpg|thumb|upright=2.2|Bet this game is some kind of holodeck created by him.]]
Wheeljack participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was a Common character that could be recruited for 14 units of Cybermetal. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Devastation''===
[[file:Wheeljack_TransformersDevastation.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75|I COULD USE SOME ASSISTANCE! I'M LEAKING ALL OVER! HELP! SOMEBODY GET THIS GUY OFF OF ME!]]

{{voiceactor| [[Christopher Swindle]]}}
Wheeljack joined a team of other Autobots in opposing Megatron's scheme and stopping the cyberforming of Earth. He upgraded the Autobots' weapons and built T.E.C.H. for them on the Ark, and also provided technical expertise in the field. While his low stamina and slower speed meant he preferred to leave the fighting to Grimlock and Sideswipe, he was more than capable of adjusting a Decepticon's attitude with a well-placed smack from his wrenches or some pinpoint blaster fire. His trusty shield helped him out in several firefights, as did the many [[Wheeljack Instant Immobilizer|Immobilizers]] he built to destroy large swathes of Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers: Devastation}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Frontiers''===
{{charstubgame|{{storylink|Transformers: Frontiers}}}}

===''Transformers Operation Omega''===
{{charstubgames|{{storylink|Transformers Operation Omega}}}}

===''Transformers: Earth Wars''===
[[File:Wheeljack-Earth-Wars.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|NEED A DISPENSER HERE! NEED A DISPENSER HERE! NEED A *whack* SHUT UP!]]

When it comes to improvisation, Wheeljack is in a whole other league to [[Hoist (G1)|most]] mechanical engineers, and that flair for thinking outside the box applies to his battlefield tactics too. "Never do what the enemy ''expects''." is his approach to warfare, and it's served him very well.

He has a knack for whipping up wild new gadgets, often out of whatever scrap metal and power cells are to hand, though it has earned him something of a 'mad doctor' tag. {{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars| Wheeljack Bio}}

Wheeljack arrived in time to help out in the battle for the Codex Key.

Wheeljack also helped Optimus perfect the Combining process, along with Perceptors help.
{{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars|Combiner Wars Campaign}}

Wheeljack even later helped Prime and some volunteers form OPTIMUS MAXIMUS!
{{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars/Events|Countdown To Combination Event}}

[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] told [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] that Wheeljack would outfit him with an [[Orbital jump|Orbital Bounce]] relay for a mission to the [[Decepticon lunar dome base|Decepticon Moonbase]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars/Events|Moonbase}}

*'''Class:''' Medic
*'''Lowest Star Rating:''' 2 star
*'''Weapons:'''Wheeljack uses a combat nullifier to heal his targets. If not healing, Wheeljack uses a standard issue photon blaster to decimate targets.
*'''Ability: Combat Simulants''': Speed up the movement and attack speed of friendly bots for 8 seconds!
**'''Cost''': 3 ability points +2 for reuses.

[http://wiki.transformersearthwars.com/character:Wweeljack Wheeljack at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki]

{{-}}

===''Transformers Online'' (2017 video game)===
[[File:Wheeljack TFO.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Yo Fryman!]]
{{bigquote|Don't let your enemies dictate what you do.}}

Four million years ago, Wheeljack travelled with Optimus on the Ark away from an energy depleted Cybertron. Bluestreak once described Wheeljack as "a fellow who can make nuclear bombs out of scrap metal and rust buckets." Wheeljack became renowned as a "mad scientist" for creating gadgets for the Autobots that will optimize their performance in combat. Furthermore, his driving skills are superb enough to make any Hollywood hero envious.

In battle, Wheeljack wielded the laser powered "[[Stillson Wrench]]" and the bubble blasting "[[Fusion Ray Gun]]". His active skill was "Backup Firepower":
*'''Backup Firepower''' — Wheeljack calls forth 2 levitating turret drones to fight by his side. If Wheeljack dies in battle, the turrets will initiate a kamikaze protocol to kill Wheeljack's opponent(s), resulting in extensive damage. {{storylink|Transformers Online (2017 video game)|Transformers Online}} <ref>[http://tfol.qq.com/act/a20160726data/hero13.shtml Wheeljack profile on the Transformers Online website]</ref>
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Forged to Fight''===
[[File:ForgedToFight-Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep3AxbfqiII EL TECHE DE JESUS!!!]]]
As a Tech Bot, Wheeljack constructs up to three Upgrades of three types: Offensive Upgrades that can Shock opponents, Defensive Upgrades that can Stun, or Power Upgrades that can Power Leak. He can also activate an emergency Force Shield allowing him to survive potentially deadly attacks (and catastrophic mishaps in the lab).

{{chargamestub}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Forged to Fight}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Heavy Metal''===
Wheeljack supplied technology such as scanners for the [[Guardian Program]], and occasionally requested the humans involved search for [[Mini-Con]]s. {{storylink|Transformers: Heavy Metal}}

{{-}}

===''Transformers Roleplaying Game''===
Wheeljack was a resourceful Autobot mechanic who could cobble together just about anything from scrap metal and spare parts. Renowned by his allies for his ability to improvise, Wheeljack attacked engineering challenges with the same kind of ferocity he unleashed on the open road. Wheeljack was instrumental in establishing the [[Autobot Road]] to allow Cybertronians to rapidly deploy anywhere on the planet. {{storylink|Transformers Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook|Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook}}

==Toys and merchandise==
{{main|Wheeljack (G1)/toys}}

==Notes==
*Wheeljack has the distinction of being the first Transformer to appear in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original ''The Transformers'' cartoon]], and thus the first one to appear in any animated story.
*In Japanese continuity, Wheeljack is portrayed as being older than most Autobots; he talks like an old man and is even referred to as one by ''[[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ironhide]]'', of all people, in the dub of "[[Heavy Metal War]]". According to the Japanese PlayStation 2 ''[[The Transformers (G1 PS2)|Transformers]]'' game, he is significantly older than [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], old enough to tell him to "respect your elders". Also, he is younger than Kup, but still enough of age to share old man stories with him.
*Storyboards for ''The Transformers: The Movie'' show Smokescreen lying dead next to Windcharger instead of Wheeljack. The establishing shot of the launcher near where Wheeljack's remains lie even show a Smokescreen-colored Wheeljack corpse. Older versions of the movie script in fact feature Wheeljack alive and well after the Battle of Autobot City, having merely been knocked unconscious. He and several other Autobots take part in a plotline that involved saving Earth from Unicron's siphoning hose that was draining the Earth's energy and would ultimately destroy it.
*In a continuity where [[More than Meets the Eye (mini-series)|most of the time]], most [[Flight|Autobots can't fly]] under their own power, one of the few Autobot cars explicitly described as being capable of flight is Wheeljack—whose [[alternate mode]] and color scheme come from a {{w|File:Lancia Stratos Turbo.jpg|racecar}} sponsored by a {{w|Alitalia|certain airline}}. Coincidence? (Maybe Wheeljack only gets to fly because his ''[[Diaclone]]'' had wings—but then, maybe the ''Diaclone'' had wings because of the "Alitalla" airline.)
*Wheeljack's bio on the ''[[War for Cybertron: Kingdom]]'' webpage is ''exactly'' the same as Arcee's, save for the character's name and artwork being changed.
*Wheeljack's design in the 2021 ''Beast Wars'' comic is inspired by his [[Wheeljack (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]].<ref>{{citesocial|quote=I even just straight up used his design for Wheeljack in issue 10. My love for the work Derrick did is pretty unabashed and I wouldn't have it any other way. I even like to think that some alternate version of TFA kinda sets up the backstory for our Beast Wars comic- |link=https://twitter.com/jcburcham/status/1475584556749275137|name=Josh Burcham|site=Twitter|year=2021|month=12|day=27|(defunct=)}}</ref>

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Wheeljack''' (ホイルジャック ''Hoirujakku'')
*''Czech:'' '''Ráfek'''
*''French:'' '''Invento''' (Canada), '''Cric''' (Canada Action Master, "Jack"), '''Wheelie''' (European French cartoon dub)
*''Hebrew:'' '''Jeck''' (ג'ק, "Jack")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Kerék''' ("Wheel"), '''Kormányos Jack''' ("Steersman Jack" or "Steering-Wheeled Jack", used in the comic's profile pages)
*''Italian:'' '''Saetta''' ("Bolt")
*''Mandarin:'' '''Luén Chéi''' (Taiwan, 輪傑, "Wheel Jay"), '''Qiānjīndǐng''' (China, 千斤顶, "Wheeljack" or "Hoisting Jack")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Auto-Roda''' (Portuguese comic, "Auto-Motor"), '''Motriz''' (Brazilian comic, "Wheel")
*''Russian:'' '''Gónshchik''' (Го́нщик, "Racer")
*''Ukrainian:'' '''Kermanych''' (Керманич, "Steerer")

==See also==
{{OtherVersions
|charname=Wheeljack
|disambig=Wheeljack (disambiguation)
|body=
*[[Downshift (Energon)|Downshift]], the kung-fu-fighting Autobot from the [[Unicron Trilogy continuity family|Unicron Trilogy]].
*[[Wheeljack (Movie)|Wheeljack]] (aka Que), the [[facial hair]]-sporting Autobot scientist from the [[live-action film series]].
*[[Wheeljack (Animated)|Wheeljack]], the Autobot [[Ministry of Science]] member from ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]].''
*[[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]], the sword-wielding [[Wreckers|Wrecker]] from the [[Aligned continuity family]].
*[[Wheeljack (Cyberverse)|Wheeljack]], the goateed Autobot inventor from ''[[Transformers: Cyberverse (franchise)|Transformers: Cyberverse]]''.}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Energon Universe Autobots]]
[[Category:Engineers]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 2 Autobots]]
[[Category:Go! Go! Autobots]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame characters]]
[[Category:IDW (2019) Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:United Autobots]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron: Earthrise Autobots]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron: Kingdom Autobots]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron: Siege Autobots]]

Beast mode

2024-02-09T22:15:15Z

AStrangeAvenue: /* Rescue Bots cartoon */ grammar fix

[[File:BW21 6 cvr RI Beastmodes.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Are you tired of being nice? Don't you just wanna go ape?]]

The [[Transformer]]s have taken on many [[alternate mode]]s over the years, but no group of Cybertronians are quite as distinct or unique as those who adopt '''beast modes'''. Broadly speaking, a Cybertronian with a beast mode possesses one or more forms partially or completely based on a biological lifeform: this might be a contemporary [[Earth]] creature, an extinct organism like a [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]], some kind of [[alien]] monster, or something fantastical like a [[dragon]] or [[unicorn]]; in very rare cases, Cybertronians have even adopted plant or fungus-based alternate modes. Although the majority of beast mode Transformers change from humanoid robots into animals, several possess an animal form as their [[robot mode]] and instead transform into vehicles or other inanimate objects, and a [[Mutant (BW)|select few]] simply transform from one animal shape into another.

Most [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s with beast modes transform into oversized, blatantly mechanical creatures, and as a result forego disguise in favor of combat utility when operating on planets like [[Earth]]. Their descendants, the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, will refine the technology by integrating organic material directly into their superstructures and gaining the ability to convincingly mimic organic creatures; in time, this synthesis may even evolve into a genuine [[technorganic]] symbiosis that bonds carbon and silicon on a cellular level. Not all Cybertronians understand this deeper significance, however, and in some realities beast Transformers have faced prejudice and even institutionalized discrimination against their unusual forms.

Transformers with beast modes are sometimes referred to as "'''beast-formers'''", a term that sometimes sees use to distinguish themselves from vehicular "standard-formers."

{{bigquote|Beast or 'bot, we're ''still'' the baddest!|[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]|"[[Call of the Wild]]"}}

==Conceptual history==
[[File:RavageRatbat.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

Although the specific term "beast mode" only rose to prominence in the mid-1990s, animal-mode Cybertronians formed a part of the ''Transformers'' franchise from the very beginning. Although [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] all appeared as [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s minions in both the original [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] and [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|comic]], the two works took their characterizations in radically different directions: while the Marvel comic hewed closer to [[Bob Budiansky]]'s profiles for the characters by depicting them as intelligent, fully articulate beings whom the other characters treated as equals, the cartoon (barring [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3|one exception]]) depicted them as mindless, animalistic creatures. [[1985]] brought the first humanoid-to-animal Transformers in the form of the heroic [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s and evil [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], and by 1986 the floodgates had opened: in addition to new [[Mini-Cassette]] characters like [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] and [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]], other new beast characters included the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s, [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s, [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s, [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], and [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. The [[Pretender]] toyline featured characters like [[Longtooth]] and [[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]], who disguised themselves as humanoid animals, while the [[Pretender Beast]]s became ordinary quadrupedal creatures. No serious attempts were made to distinguish these beast characters from their vehicular kin, although [[Call of the Primitives|one episode of the original ''Transformers'' cartoon]] dubbed them "[[Primitive]]s".

[[File:Cheetorbw.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]

In 1996, the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' franchise brought the idea of beast Transformers to the fore, and in doing so took the traditional ''Transformers'' aesthetic in a radically new direction. The franchise introduced two new groups of Transformers, the heroic [[Maximal]]s and evil [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, who all transformed into different kinds of animals; unlike the blocky, clearly mechanical animals of "[[The Transformers (franchise)|the original franchise]]", however, these new Cybertronians were sleek, ''{{w|Bio Booster Armor Guyver|Guyver}}''-style humanoids who all transformed into fully organic animals. The [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|tie-in cartoon]] established that they'd adopted organic animal forms to protect their mechanical bodies from high amounts of [[energon radiation|radiation]] while stranded on a planet rich with [[energon]]. This cartoon also codified the phrase "beast mode" to describe these alternate modes; different episodes like "[[Call of the Wild]]" would, on occasion, highlight the unique challenges these biomechanical Cybertronians faced. The original ''Beast Wars'' cartoon did not ever give a specific explanation behind the origins of biomechanical beast mode technology, but multiple later sources, most prominently [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' guidebooks, have retroactively connected the upgrade to some combination of [[Pretender]], [[Powermaster]], and [[Micromaster]] technology. In terms of both design and storytelling conflict, '' [[Beast Machines: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Machines]] '' pushed the envelope even further by introducing "[[technorganic]]" Maximals that blended metal and flesh on the cellular level, and detailing their conflict against evil, purely-mechanical [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s who transformed into ordinary machines. Subsequently, ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' turned the premise on its head by pitting its cast of heroic vehicle-mode Autobots against villainous beast-mode Predacons.

For the next few years, beast-formers faded into the background; although the [[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|''Armada'']] toyline included a number of [[redeco]]ed ''Beast Wars'' toys, and ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' featured both [[Scorponok (Energon)|a new version of Scorponok]] and an army of bestial [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]]s, it would be ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'', that really brought the concept back into prominence when it introduced the "[[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]]", a world populated by Transformers who'd adapted to their rugged world by adopting animal forms.
This idea of beast-formers being something distinct from ordinary Cybertronians would carry over into the "[[Aligned continuity family|Aligned]]" continuity. Initially, ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]'' did not feature beast mode Cybertronians at all beyond the vaguely spider-themed [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]], but the ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'' game would eventually feature both the [[Dinobot (FOC)|Dinobot]]s and [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s in starring roles. Supposedly, new versions of the Maximals and Predacons would've appeared in the original pitch for ''Prime's'' third season,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160411162414/http://sunnybutte.tumblr.com/post/131384199723/hey-all-getting-a-lot-of-questions-about-those Fan report of panel]: "Actual Maximals and Predacons were set to appear on a revitalized Cybertron in season 3 (he described it as a 'taming the wild west' setting)</ref> but a new creative team taking the reins at Hasbro led to the introduction of the ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Beast Hunters (2013)|Beast Hunters]]'' [[subline imprint]]; while this new imprint ''did'' feature a group of [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacon]]s, these new Predacons were ancient, [[dragon]]-like creatures from Cybertron's prehistory.

[[File:10OnyxPrime.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

After the end of ''Prime'', the ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|Covenant of Primus]]'' hardcover book expounded on the significance of [[Onyx Prime]], the first Cybertronian with a beast mode, and the role that he played in Cybertron's evolution and the development of the aforementioned Predacons. Perhaps most notably, the book also introduced a subgroup of Transformers called the "[[Arachnicon]]s" and heavily implied that Airachnid belonged to this specific Cybertronian subspecies. The sequel series, ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'', really ran with the idea by featuring dozens upon dozens of beast-themed Decepticons--anthropomorphic animals with with vehicle alternate modes like [[Steeljaw (RID)|Steeljaw]] and [[Bisk (RID)|Bisk]], humanoid Cybertronians who became animals like [[Filch]] or [[Scowl (RID)|Scowl]], and even a few animal-to-vehicle oddballs like [[Underbite]] and [[Crazybolt (RID)|Crazybolt]]. Around this time, [[IDW Publishing]] looped the concept around into its [[2005 IDW continuity|ongoing ''Transformers'' universe]], which depicted all beast-bots as victims of [[Functionism|functionist]] prejudice. In addition to introducing a new version of Jungle Planet, this time named "Eukaris", the final arc of ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' dealt with the return of Onyx Prime and his minions. A few years later, beast-bots again came into focus with 2021's ''[[War for Cybertron: Kingdom|Kingdom]]'' franchise, which revived the ''Beast Wars'' premise to celebrate its 25th anniversary, alongside a [[Transformers: Beast Wars|rebooted ''Beast Wars'' comic]].

While the [[Live-action film series|''Transformers'' movies]] have included a number of animalistic robots, including re-imagined versions of [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]], [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]], or the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobot]]s, their prominence in the franchise is comparatively small compared to their more famous vehicle-mode brethren. The 2023 ''[[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|Rise of the Beasts]]'' film shone the spotlight on beast mode Cybertronians for the first time in the films, having a group of [[Maximal]]s in the main cast.

{{--}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 continuity family===
====Marvel Comics continuity====
=====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics=====
[[File:Predacons-GoneButNotForgotten.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

Most if not all beast mode Cybertronians, such as the [[Mini-Cassette]]s, {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s, {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} or [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], possessed creature-based alternate forms even before leaving [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} One notable exception would be the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s. Shortly after the crash of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], the ship's computer detected [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]]'s arrival in the anachronistic [[Savage Land]] and rebuilt [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] and four other Cybertronians into [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]-based forms based off the regional wildlife. {{storylink|The Last Stand}}

=====''Classics''=====
[[File:BWSG-ultramagnusbeastmode.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

When dimensionally-displaced [[Autobot]] and [[Decepticon]] ships crash-landed on a prehistoric Earth saturated with Energon radiation, [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] came up with the idea of combining [[Pretender]] and [[Powermaster]] technology to create organic beast modes. Though [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] came up with the same idea, [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] opted to give the Decepticons new armor instead. {{storylink|Shattered Time}} In their new bodies, the Autobots could consume and metabolize organic matter into energy using their on-board "biomass processors". {{storylink|Shattered Balance}}

After travelling to the mirror-universe Cybertron of that dimension, Prowl, [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] abandoned their beast modes, but both [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] took a liking to their new bodies and kept them. {{storylink|Falling into Place}}

{{--}}

=====''Transformers '84''=====
According to [[Punch (G1)|Punch]], who was skeptical that the Cybertronians had ever encountered living dinosaurs, the Ark's [[Aunty|AUNTIE]] computer system had actually used preserved fossils to turn Grimlock and his team into the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s. {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 2|Secrets & Lies #2}}

{{--}}

====Generation 1 cartoon continuity====
[[File:Primitives Calling.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

Traditionally, Cybertronians with animal forms were known as "[[primitive]]s". {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}} Beast mode Cybertronians shared at least some physiological traits; for instance, those who possessed reptilian forms like [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] and [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] possessed unique "[[Dinosaur transform static|dinosaur electrons]]". {{storylink|Thief in the Night}}

Other animalistic Cybertronians displayed unique powers: notably, the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s, whose [[idento-computer]]s reformatted them into insectoid beast forms to survive in the jungles of [[Bali]], could consume and metabolize organic matter. {{storylink|A Plague of Insecticons}} After discovering [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]] bones, the [[Autobot]]s created the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], powerful warriors with dinosaur alternate modes. {{storylink|S.O.S. Dinobots}} {{storylink|War of the Dinobots}} The [[Quintesson]]s utilized the [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]] and [[Allicon]]s, Transformers with shark and crocodile beast modes respectively, as servants. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} In 2006, a large group of beast mode Transformers, consisting of both Autobots and Decepticons, were summoned by [[Oracle (G1)|a mysterious entity]] to defeat [[Primacron]] and his creation, [[Tornedron]]. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}} When forced by the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]] to volunteer Decepticons to undergo the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] process, [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]] added the stipulation that they were only allowed to take the heads of the Transformers with beast modes. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}}

=====Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity=====
{{stub}}

=====''Legends'' comic=====
[[File:Epiloge-BeastTransformers.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Cybertronians with beast modes had the ability to channel [[Beast Power]], an energy shared between them and the animalistic inhabitants of the planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 41|Bonus Edition Vol. 41}} On [[Micro|Z Planet]], [[Dai Atlas (G1)|Dai Atlas]] encountered newborn beast Transformers created by exposing [[protoform]] capsules to Beast Power, which granted them the power to scan and transform into organic life. [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] believed that their descendants would evolve into the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, and granted them new symbols as a symbol of everlasting peace between the factions. {{Storylink|Transformers Legends Final Chapter "Epiloge"|Epiloge}}

=====''Wings Universe''=====
[[File:FoY Brimstone.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]

The earliest recorded "beastform" Transformers were re-engineered specimens of naturally occurring Cybertronian wildlife: [[Laserbeak (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Laserbeak]], the first beast-former, was originally a [[Cryo-Condor]] who'd modified with a rudimentary alternate mode. Soon enough, [[Ravage (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ravage]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] would join him. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #1}} However, conflicting evidence places beast-form Cybertronians, most prominently [[Brimstone (G1 Decepticon)|Brimstone]], as having existed in ancient times long before the Autobot-Decepticon conflict. {{storylink|Flames of Yesterday}}

As the Autobot-Decepticon war spilled over to Earth, more and more beast-formers rose to prominence, including groups who transformed from humanoid robots into animals. The [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s developed the ability to catalyze organic matter into a crude but usable form, {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #3}} while the presence of [[dinosaur transform static]] amongst the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s and their kin indicated the presence of a deeper synthesis taking place between these two disparate forms of life. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 2|Menagerie #2}} Around this time, both the Autobots and Decepticons began making heavy use of animalistic "Recordabots" and "Recordicons". {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #1}}

The [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s were the first beast Transformers with the ability to [[combiner|combine]], and the first to not be based upon any recognizable Earth creature. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 4|Menagerie #4}} The [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s would become the most notable beast-bots in the years that followed [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]'s disappearance and the revitalisation of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]; [[Perceptor (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Perceptor]] speculated that [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] had marshalled the remnants of the Decepticon military to another world, where he could mastermind the evolution of the Decepticons into a new breed of Predacon that combined the advantages of organic [[Pretender]] shells with fuel-efficient [[Micromaster]] bodies. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 5|Menagerie #5}}

At some point during the Second Golden Age, Cybertronians with beast modes became increasingly commonplace. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #1}} Some forward-thinking Autobots like [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] encouraged this kind of [[Maximal|evolutionary leap forward]], if only to counter the inevitable [[Predacon (BW)|next generation of Predacons]]. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 5|Menagerie #5}}

{{--}}

====Beast Era====
=====Toy bios=====
The Maximals developed a unique "bio-genetic morphing process" that allowed them to create the perfect fusion of organic musculature and Transformer technology. However, the evil Predacons stole this breakthrough and used it to create new forms for themselves based on Earth's most vicious creatures. {{storylink|Optimus Primal vs Megatron!}}

In order to win the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]], [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] developed an experimental [[Transformation virus|anti-conversion virus]]. When used on a group of [[Fuzor]]s, the experiment went wrong and turned the four into [[Mutant (BW)|Mutant]]s trapped between two beast modes.<ref>Hasbro ''[[Mutant (BW)#Toys|Mutant Beast Wars]]'' packaging blurb</ref>

=====''Beast Wars'' cartoon=====
[[File:ChainOfCommand-Maximals.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]
By the era of the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, three centuries after the end of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], technology had evolved to the point where Cybertronians could now use [[DNA scanner]]s and [[CR chamber]]s to perfectly mimic organic lifeforms, even extinct animals like [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]s. These next-generation beast modes sheathed Cybertronian superstructures beneath a layer of artificially grown skin and tissue and rendered them largely impervious to [[energon radiation]] that would otherwise damage purely mechanical lifeforms. Transformers would often initiate the process of converting from their [[robot mode]] by using the [[activation code]] "Beast mode!" {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} Beast modes also seemingly have no effect on a Cybertronian's overall size, nor does there appear to be any mass-shifting when converting into their alternate forms. This is likely due to their function as protection, rather than disguise, and thus bypassing the benefits that the smaller sizes of the Great Upgrade provided may have been unnecessary.

Adopting a beast mode in this way appears to have a subtle effect on the Cybertronian psyche. Many combatants in the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] on prehistoric [[Earth]] displayed appetites consistent with the diets of their chosen form: for instance, [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] ate cheese and garbage, {{storylink|The Web}} [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] displayed interest in a bunch of [[banana]]s, {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}} and [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] took a perverse delight in sucking the [[mech fluid|vital fluid]]s from his victims, although it's not clear if their artificial beast modes could actually digest and catalyze these materials into a usable form of energy. {{storylink|The Web}} While in beast mode, Cybertronians could affect internal repairs without the use of a CR chamber, although the process took time. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}}

[[File:TM2Cheetorfly.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

Traditionally, a programming block prevented a beast mode's natural instincts from interfering with the higher functions of the Cybertronians. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} However, damage sustained by [[Tigatron]]'s [[stasis pod]] affected the [[protoform]] within, and after adopting a suitable beast mode he first believed himself to be a normal organic tiger before coming to his senses. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}} Although [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]]'s stasis pod did not sustain any apparent damage, the monomaniacal instincts of his ant beast mode shaped his worldview: he grew to believe that [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] was his "queen" and the ''[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]'' his "colony". {{storylink|Spider's Game}} When the Predacons sabotaged the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'''s [[rectifier coil]], the Maximals were forced to remain in beast mode for days on end and eventually succumbed to their feral instincts. Thanks to Tigatron, who had already learned how to accept both sides of his being, the Maximals deleted the programming block and embraced their animal sides. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} Indeed, both Maximals and Predacons would occasionally identify with their beast modes; [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] once claimed that, as a cat, he should know better than to trust [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|a dog]], {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} and later fantasized about playing with cat toys; {{storylink|Changing of the Guard}} Tarantulas, meanwhile, sought to create more of "[his] kind" by ensuring that new stasis pods scanned spider alternate modes. {{storylink|Spider's Game}}

A [[quantum surge]] of exotic energy mutated several Cybertronians into advanced "[[Transmetal]]" bodies: Transformers altered in this way integrated organic matter into the robot mode, while the entirely mechanical beast mode now possessed a third "vehicle mode". {{storylink|Aftermath}} Transformers who evolved even further into "[[Transmetal 2|Transmetals 2]]" became asymmetrical, sometimes monstrous, amalgamations of flesh and metal. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}}
{{--}}

=====''Beast Machines'' cartoon=====
[[File:Thereformattingmaximalsmaximize.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Cybertronians could use beast mode technology to mimic lifeforms other than animals—while exploring [[Regalis V|a distant world]] populated by ambulatory plants, [[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]] and her crew used the technology to adopt plant-based alternate modes. {{storylink|Home Soil}} While Optimus Primal and his crew were off-planet, a [[Quantum Cycle Upgrade|standardized upgrade]] fitted every Cybertronian with an in-built DNA scanner and rendered [[stasis pod]] technology obsolete. {{storylink|Survivor}}

Optimus Primal would later claim that the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] supercomputer had engineered the entire Beast Wars as a way to bring fresh organic material to Cybertron via their biomechanical beast modes. {{storylink|The Key}} Upon arriving on Cybertron after Megatron broke free of their shuttle and conquered the planet, his armies of [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s attacked the group with a debilitating [[transformation virus]] that devolved the Transmetal Maximals and trapped them in their beast modes. {{storylink|Revelations Part II: Descent|Descent}} Weakened and dying, the Maximals might've perished had Optimus not discovered the Oracle, which [[Reformatting|reformatted]] Optimus and the other Maximals into [[technorganic]] bodies, a powerful new breed of Cybertronian life that combined the organic and the technological on a cellular level. {{storylink|The Reformatting}} While in their beast modes, the Maximals gave off no energy signatures and were thus invisible to [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]] sensors so long as they kept out of sight. Combined with the stress of mastering the lost art of [[transformation]] and consciously having to maintain control over their [[robot mode]]s, their beast modes became their primary form while sneaking around the Cybertronian underlevels. {{storylink|Master of the House}} Although their new bodies could theoretically subsist upon purely organic material like fruit, doing so pushed their bestial instincts to the fore and reduced them to a primeval state. {{storylink|Forbidden Fruit}}

Having conquered the planet, Megatron developed a virulent hatred for organic life and beast modes as a whole; he regarded the Maximals as "mongrels" and regularly attempted to purge his own beast mode. {{storylink|Master of the House}} When he finally succeeded in doing so, he somehow created [[Noble (BM)|Noble]], a strange organic creature capable of shifting between humanoid wolf and dragon forms. {{storylink|Savage Noble}}
{{--}}

=====2006 IDW ''Beast Wars'' continuity=====
[[File:Bw icebird.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

A few of the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'''s remaining stasis pods malfunctioned, and when [[Razorbeast]] activated them the [[protoform]]s within emerged as [[Mutant (BW)|Mutant]]s, Cybertronians who changed from one animal form to another. They fiercely defended their swamp against intruding Predacons and made it clear that neither the Maximals nor Predacons were welcome in their peaceful home. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 3|The Gathering #3}}

{{--}}

====Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity====
Encouraged by the early success of [[Pretender]] technology, Cybertronian scientists speculated that they could one day directly integrate this miraculous nanotechnology into a Transformer body. A Cybertronian upgraded in this manner could directly assume a biological alternate mode externally indistinguishable from the real thing, and this breakthrough might lead to a new generation of tougher, more-energy efficient Cybertronians. {{storylink|Transformers: More than Meets the Eye}}

====2005 IDW continuity====
[[File:TheMindBomb-cathead.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

The earliest known beast Transformers date back to the brief Dark Age that occurred between the departure of the [[Knights of Cybertron]] and the rise of the [[Thirteen]]. Many individual flocks and herds wandered the prehistoric badlands, searching for energon, {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} but among the most notable would be a powerful warrior tribe known as the [[Maximal]]s and their commander, [[Liege Maximo]]. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|Endless Forever}} While fleeing the armies of [[The Fallen|Megatronus]], the group came into the employ of [[Onyx Prime]]—in reality, a time-travelling [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] in disguise—who incorporated the Maximals into his personal "menagerie" of beast warriors. {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} {{storylink|Origin Myths}} Working with [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'s group of [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]s, their impromptu alliance confronted Megatronus and his [[Darklands|Darklander]]s on the site that would one day become the [[Crystal City]], blunted his advance for good, and eventually laid the foundations for what would eventually become the [[Thirteen]]. {{storylink|Origin Myths}}

During the subsequent reign of the [[Thirteen Tribes]] over Cybertron, the Maximals and their kin faced discrimination due to their alternate modes. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}} During the later [[First Cybertronian Civil War]] between the tribes and their leaders, Onyx Prime and his armies entered into an alliance with [[Nexus Prime]]; using his [[Enigma of Combination]], they created an army of [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] that combined small beast-formers with larger humanoid Cybertronians. Darklander warrior [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]] declared the union of beast and bot disgusting, and eventually slaughtered the ancient Headmasters to the last 'bot in the name of Cybertronian purity. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 3: The Mind Bomb|The Mind Bomb}}

[[File:TimeWillRust-Eukaris.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66]]

Ultimately, however, the war ended with all of the Primes either dead or missing, and in their absence [[Nova Prime]] united the tribes of Cybertron under a new system of [[functionism]] where one's alternate mode defined their position in society. Under this new societal schema, the beasts were placed near the bottom of society, only outranking the unfortunate 'bots in the so-called "[[disposable class]]". The beasts would become the victims of institutionalized discrimination that lasted until the final days of [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s reign. {{storylink|The Crucible}} However, before he and his innermost retinue of Maximals abandoned Cybertron for the ruins of [[Antilla]], Onyx Prime instructed the [[Titan (group)|Titan]] [[Chela]] to colonize a distant jungle world; using the [[hot spot (phenomenon)|hot spot]] within his body, Chela birthed an entire civilization of beast mode Transformers who could thrive in safety. These new "[[Jungle Planet (colony)|Eukarian]]" Transformers remembered the prejudice their ancestors had faced and cultivated a deep distrust of vehicular "standard-formers". {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 6|Windblade vol. 2 #6}}

[[File:FortMaxCuddles.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

By the time of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], the stigma surrounding beast modes had largely dissipated. Some vehicular Transformers even adopted beast modes—notably, the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dynobot]]s adopted [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]] beast modes with synthetic flesh to protect them from high leves of [[Energon]] radiation on prehistoric [[Earth]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Shockwave}} During his tour of duty on [[Z'verei]], [[Rattrap (BW)#2005 IDW continuity|Rattrap]] adopted a [[Z'verein mole-rat]] alternate mode. {{storylink|Three Monologues}}

Several years after the war, beast modes again rose to prominence: while [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]]'s [[Republic of Cybertron|post-war government]] discovered and opened diplomatic channels with the citizens of Eukaris, the Decepticon [[Demus]] began kidnapping beast mode Transformers, subjecting them to a horrific "[[domestication]]" process, then marketing his victims as "[[Roboid]]s" as torture dolls for organic races. {{storylink|Animals}} Exposure to [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]'s corrupted [[energon]] spontaneously mutated the [[Caminus (planet)|Camien]] [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]] so that she transformed into a two-headed monster. {{storylink|The Transformers: Redemption|Redemption}}

The mad scientist [[Tarantulas (BW)|Mesothulas]] combined quasi-organic beast mode technology with [[obtenteum]] to create mass-shifting "bio-disguises". Cybertronians who underwent this "[[Chimeracon]]" upgrade gained the ability to perfectly mimic any living creature and completely mask their Cybertronian energy signatures in the process. Members of [[Mayhem Attack Squad|Mayhem]] adopted this technology and used it to hide out among the native wildlife while operating in the [[Alaska]]n wilderness. {{storylink|Sins of the Wreckers issue 3|Sins of the Wreckers #3}} Later still, Tarantulas perfected the technology, allowing [[Overlord (G1)|Overlord]] to pass himself off as a human politician. {{storylink|Transformers: Requiem of the Wreckers|Requiem of the Wreckers}}

When "Onyx Prime" returned to Cybertron, he brought with him an entire Maximal army; eventually, however, his beast servants betrayed him and allied instead with his ultimate creation, [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. {{storylink|Road's End}} Several of the newborn Cybertronians born from [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]'s hot spot on Earth possessed beast modes. {{storylink|Post}}

{{--}}

====''Hearts of Steel''====
[[File:HoS1-IceAgeWars.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

During the "[[Ice Age Wars]]" on prehistoric Earth, both the Autobots and Decepticons transformed into creatures like dinosaurs, flying reptiles, and giant insects. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 1|Hearts of Steel #1}}
{{--}}

====''TransTech''====
Although they transformed into a rabbit and pika respectively, [[Kitte Shūshū]] and her husband [[Z Grill]] were nevertheless able to use their "integrated organic parts" to conceive a son, [[Stampy (BW)|Stampy]]. {{storylink|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/05/10}}

====''Of Masters and Mayhem''====
While investigating the planet [[Chicxulania]], [[Thrashclaw]], [[Slice (G1)|Slice]], and [[Shred]] discovered an abandoned laboratory where an advanced alien civilization had developed "Beast Warrior" technology, which allowed a Cybertronian to assume techno-organic hybrid forms. To protect themselves from ambient [[energon radiation]], they and [[Gnash]] integrated the technology into their superstructures, adopted beast modes based on the local [[dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]s, and dubbed themselves the "[[Raptoricon]]s". Later on, the shipwrecked [[Fractyl]] briefly assumed a pterosaur beast form using the same technology, but ultimately switched back to his vehicular configuration when he departed the planet with [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]]. {{storylink|Life Finds a Way}}

====''Beast Wars: Uprising''====
[[File:Safe Spaces Preditron Gaidora.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Several years into the [[Grand Uprising]], the ambitious Predacon [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] observed that [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s growing menagerie of [[mechanimal]]s could somehow metabolize their own [[energon]] from raw materials like industrial runoff. Inspired by this unexpected resilience, Megatron grew interested in somehow grafting this physiological trait onto the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, who remained reliant on ordinary [[energon cube]]s like their [[Builder of Cybertron|Builder]] forebears. Progress did not come easily; most of Megatron's earliest test subjects died from the imperfect process, but after seeking out the disgraced [[Autobot]] scientist [[Leatherhide (Universe)|Leatherhide]], who had previously attempted to hybridize Cybertronians with mechanicals, the pair quickly perfected process—first, they created [[Inferno (BW)|Formikon]], then applied the process to themselves. {{storylink|Not All Megatrons}}

Sure enough, Transformers who adopted the '''Beast Upgrade''' no longer required external [[energon cube]]s to function; instead, they could ingest food which their onboard systems could then process into energon. {{storylink|Not All Megatrons}} Beast mode Transformers also possessed increased reflexes as a result of their bio-enhanced physiologies, {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}} enhanced senses, {{storylink|Safe Spaces}} and could quickly repair their injuries while transformed. {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}} Soon, Megatron's front corporation made the upgrade public, and Maximals and Predacons across the planet chose to abandon their original vehicular configurations in favor of beast modes. {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}} Popular beast mode templates included [[jurassanoid]]s, [[armodrillo]]s, and [[cybercat]]s, {{storylink|Derailment}} although some Cybertronians modelled their alternate modes on strange alien creatures {{storylink|Safe Spaces}} or even mythical animals like dragons and phoenixes. {{storylink|Derailment}} They became a decisive factor as the Grand Uprising came to a close; freed from the need for vulnerable energon supply chains, members of the [[Resistance]] and other splinter forces could besiege Builder-held cities with impunity. {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}}

By the time of the [[Vehicon Apocalypse]], Leatherhide had moved on to creating new breeds of biomechanical life like the [[Fuzor]]s and [[Horrorcon (Universe)|Horrorcon]]s after reverse-engineering a [[Klaws|a mysterious cybernetic life-form]]. A spectral [[Overshoot]], acting on the will of the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], informed [[Stiletto (BW)|Stiletto]] that the Beast Upgrade marked a new beginning: the rise of the mechanimals and the fusion between beast and 'bot represented Cybertron's efforts to generate a self-sustaining ecosystem. {{storylink|Derailment}}

{{--}}

====2019 IDW continuity====
[[File:WeHaveDecievedYou-InfiltrationTroopers.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

During the [[Age of the Firstforged]], the Cybertronian folk heroes [[Halonix Maximus]] and [[Big Bang (G1)|Big Bang]] battled beast mode Cybertronians like [[Preditron]] and [[Gaidora (BWU)|Gaidora]] in the wilderness. {{storylink|End of Time}}

Numerous Cybertronians, most prominently a number of [[Mini-Cassette|infiltration trooper]]s, possessed either beast modes or animalistic robot modes. Although beast-formers did not suffer any kind of institutionalized discrimination, {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: We Have Deceived You|We Have Deceived You}} some individual Cybertronians expressed prejudiced attitudes toward them: [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], for instance, once categorized ordinary vehicle-mode Cybertronians like himself as possessing more "advanced forms" then the beasts, {{storylink|Wheeljack: Orbital Decay}} and [[Grotusque]] occasionally grumbled that people looked down on him for his choice of alternate mode. {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: We Have Deceived You|We Have Deceived You}}

{{--}}

====2021 IDW ''Beast Wars'' comic====
[[File:SavageLandingPart5-Megatrontransforms.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

To protect the Cybertronians from harmful levels of [[energon radiation]], the artificial intelligences aboard the crashed ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' and ''[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]'' reconstructed their crews with new beast modes based on fabricated techno-organic material that matched the native organics on a molecular level. {{storylink|Savage Landing Part 1}} In their new bodies, they were capable of digesting and metabolizing organic material, {{storylink|Savage Landing Part 2}} {{storylink|Thicker Skin}} and retained the ability to access some of their weapons and gadgets while in their beast modes. {{storylink|Savage Landing Part 4}}

When [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] were captured by the [[Children of the Vok (group)|Children of the Vok]], the [[force field]]s holding them were only designed to work on the Cybertronians' [[robot mode]]s, allowing the two to escape in their beast modes. {{storylink|Children of the Vok}}
{{--}}

====''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' cartoon====
[[File:Kingdom-ep2-beastroars.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

After arriving on prehistoric Earth, a group of time-travelling Maximals and Predacons adopted suitable beast modes during their battle over the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]]. {{storylink|Kingdom episode 1}}

{{--}}

===2001 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon===
[[File:Maximus Emerges Darkscream gasskunk.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]

In contrast to the vehicular Autobots, their ancient enemies the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s possessed beast forms. Although the Predacon leader [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] could transform into multiple forms, two of his alternate forms were a two-headed dragon and a bat. {{storylink|Battle Protocol!}} After becoming Galvatron, he gained additional beast modes that included a one-headed dragon, an elephant, and a griffin. {{storylink|Maximus Emerges}}

{{--}}

===Unicron Trilogy===
====Dreamwave ''Armada'' comics====
The Decepticon [[Predacon (Armada)|Predacon]] experimented with hybridizing Cybertronian technology with organic tissue in the belief that Cybertronians who underwent this upgrade would become far more powerful, and went as far as to test the process on himself. Although most Cybertronians found the idea repulsive, Predacon gathered a small but fanatical cult of personality who believed wholeheartedly in his ideals. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye: Transformers: Armada|More than Meets the Eye}}

====''Energon'' cartoon====
[[File:Cruellock.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

[[Alpha Quintesson]]'s [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]]s all possessed animalistic alternate modes. Each sub-species of Terrorcon had their own beast form, with [[Battle Ravage]]s and [[Command Ravage]]s transforming into jaguars, {{storylink|Cybertron City (episode)|Cybertron City}} {{storylink|Crisis in Jungle City}} [[Divebomb (Energon)|Divebomb]]s and [[Blackout (Terrorcon)|Blackout]]s transforming into hawks, {{storylink|Energon Grid (episode)|Energon Grid}} [[Cruellock]]s turning into an approximation of a dinosaur, {{storylink|The Return of Demolishor}} and [[Insecticon (Energon)|Insecticon]]s turning into beetles. {{storylink|Each One Fights...}}

Terrorcons usually stayed in their beast modes, and only transformed into their rarely-seen robot modes when it became absolutely necessary while in combat. {{storylink|Energon Stars}} {{storylink| A Tale of Two Heros}}

{{--}}

====''Cybertron'' cartoon====
[[File:Cyb ep20 jungle planet natives.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Millennia ago, a group of Cybertronian colonists settled the planet they would name "[[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]]" aboard the starship ''[[Hyperborea (Cybertron)|Hyperborea]]''. {{storylink|Homecoming (episode)|Homecoming}} As time passed, their descendents adopted various beast modes to cope with life on their wild and untamed planet: although most inhabitants of Jungle Planet appear to transform into reptiles, dinosaurs, or mammals, {{storylink|Search (episode)|Search}} some have become birds or even arthropods. {{storylink|Honor}}

Jungle Planet's [[Cyber Planet Key]] appears to have the power to instantly reformat Cybertronians into a suitable beast mode. When [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul]] tapped into the power of the Jungle Planet's [[Cyber Planet Key]], he gained a lion alternate mode and redubbed himself "Leobreaker". {{storylink|Detour (episode)|Detour}} In [[Aurex 1006.0 Beta|one alternate timeline]], the energies of the Jungle Planet key mutated both Optimus Prime and Megatron into beast forms while on the Jungle Planet. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Armada)/toys#Gorilla|Jungle Planet Optimus Prime toy bio}} {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/19}}

====Ask Vector Prime====
In [[Aurex 615.03 Epsilon|another alternate reality]], a version of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] took place in [[Alpha Q's universe]]. To survive the star system's volatile [[Super Energon]] sun, the Maximals and Predacons adopted a wide variety of unusual beast modes that included mobile fungi, [[mechamorph]]s, [[Rock Lord]]s, [[Beastformer (species)|Battle Beasts]], and even abstract elemental beings. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/03}}

{{--}}

===Live-action film series===
====Movies====
[[File:Dinobots ready for battle AOE.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66]]

In Cybertron's distant past, beast modes appeared to have been more common—ancient warriors such as the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobot]]s and [[Guardian Knight]]s transformed into imposing predators like dinosaurs and dragons. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}} {{storylink|Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|The Last Knight}}

By the era of the [[Great War (Movie)|Great War]], beast modes appear to have fallen out of favour. Many modern Cybertronians with animal forms, including [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], and the [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticon]]s, are [[mechanimal]]s who have been re-engineered to serve wartime roles, such as espionage or sabotage.<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/cybertronian-database.cfm#/characters/laserbeak Vector Sigma database at Hasbro.com]</ref> In many cases, these beast warriors formed symbiotic relationships with larger Cybertronians, who could deploy them as needed to scout ahead or carry out specific duties. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}

=====''Rise of the Beasts'' film=====
The [[Maximal]]s hailed from [[Jungle Planet (colony)|a Cybertronian colony]] populated by Cybertronians who bore beast modes. {{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|Rise of the Beasts}}
{{--}}

====''The Veiled Threat''====
A [[Crab spy|particularly cunning Decepticon spy]] disguised himself as one of the many red crabs that periodically infested the [[NEST]] base on [[Diego Garcia]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Veiled Threat|The Veiled Threat}}

====IDW movie comics====
[[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] commanded the loyalty of multiple beast Decepticons, including [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]], [[Ratbat (ROTF)|Ratbat]], [[Beastbox (ROTF)|Beastbox]], and [[Rumble (ROTF)|Rumble]]. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 4|Nefarious #4}}

{{--}}

===''Animated''===
[[File:Blackarach anim beast.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Although robotic creatures like [[brontobot]]s and [[cybercat]]s were common enough on Cybertron to be kept as pets, Cybertronians with beast modes were a very uncommon sight. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} During a disastrous expedition to the forbidden world of [[Archa Seven]], the Autobot cadet [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] attempted to use her download powers on [[Archa Seven arachnid|a native arachnid]], but wound up infecting herself with their venom instead. The transformation mutated her into a [[technorganic]] amalgamation of organic and mechanical and gave her a new alternate mode based on the spiders. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}}

As part of his many attempts to regain his body and power, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] experimented on dinosaur automatons to make them attack drones. Perhaps as a result of these modifications, [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]]'s [[AllSpark Key]] was drawn to the automatons, granting them [[spark]]s and turning them into fully fledged Cybertronians. {{storylink|Blast from the Past}} Their beast modes, and indeed their very existence, was viewed as proof by [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] as what a screwloose planet Earth was. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}

In her quest to purge herself of her organic half, Blackarachnia fused [[Wasp]] with an organic wasp in the hopes that finding a way to reverse the process could clue her into curing her own condition. Like her, the monstrous "Waspinator" possessed the ability to transform into a huge technorganic wasp. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Animated)|Predacons Rising}}

{{--}}

===Fun Publications ''Shattered Glass'' continuity===
[[File:Sgpredaconsvsgrimlock.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

Inspired by [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]]'s success after the Autobots liberated him from stasis and inducted him into their ranks, the mad scientist [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] created an entire army of deranged [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinobot]]s, artificial lifeforms who utilized a sophisticated artificial intelligence instead of a life-giving [[Spark|ember]]. Wheeljack used his impromptu army to launch a coup against [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]], but the Dinobots turned on one another and scattered into the Cybertronian wilderness.

Both the Autobots and Decepticons tried to gain control of as many Dinobots as they could. In the meantime, Grimlock stumbled across the ancient [[Omega Terminus]] supercomputer, which imbued an ember upon him that transformed him from a simple-minded beast into an intelligent Cybertronian with a humanoid robot mode. After returning to the surface, he gathered all of his fellow Dinobots and upgraded them in a similar fashion, granting them embers and the ability to transform. {{storylink|Dungeons & Dinobots}} While some of the Dinobots and Dinocons gained humanoid robot forms, others, like [[Slugfest (SG)|Slugfest]] and [[Overkill (SG)|Overkill]], instead transformed into data cartridges. {{storylink|Do Over}}

Other Autobots and Decepticons, most prominently the [[Predacon (SG)|Predacon]]s, transformed into small animals. {{storylink|Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass}} [[Terrorcon (SG)|Terrorcon]] leader [[Hun-Grrr (SG)|Hun-Grrr]] adopted an alternate mode based on an [[Algean two-headed razor beast]]. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 28|Hun-Grrr profile}} A future group of time-travelling Transformers led by [[Megatron (BWSG)|a different Megatron]] also possessed beast modes. {{storylink|Shattered Destiny}}

{{--}}

===Aligned continuity family===
====''The Covenant of Primus''====
[[File:COP-predacons.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]
At the dawn of time, [[Primus]] created [[Onyx Prime]], the first beast-mode Cybertronian. Although [[Quintus Prime]] and [[Liege Maximo]] would cooperate with one another in the days after [[Unicron]]'s defeat to found a "farm" of small, semi-autonomous animal robots, these were not truly "alive", although when the remaining Primes fell to violence and chaos in the wake of [[Solus Prime]]'s passing they proved deadly enough to mortally wound Onyx. When he and his friend [[Micronus Prime]] returned to Primus via the newly created [[Well of All Sparks]], Onyx used his [[Triptych Mask]] to scan all the life in the universe and provide the Well itself with an infinite variety of templates for future Cybertronian lifeforms. These included both humanoid Cybertronians and a wide array of beasts, who formed a functioning ecosystem based around exploiting the [[energon]] that flowed freely over the planet's surface. The planet's apex predators, the [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacons]], harassed the city-dwelling Cybertronians until [[Prima]] finally defeated [[Predaking (COP)|Predaking]] in single combat. Although all of the creatures that emerged from the Well of All Sparks possessed functioning [[transformation cog]]s, the Cybertronians of the era did not understand how to transform and thus creatures like the [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]]s and Predacons permanently remained in their beast modes.

In the wake of Cybertron's [[Great Cataclysm|first mass extinction]], many forms of life, including the Predacons, vanished entirely. Cybertron's overall diversity took a major hit; although some beasts and beast-like Cybertronians like the Insecticons and [[Arachnicon]]s survived, the subsequent rise of civilization pushed many of them out into Cybertron's dwindling wilderness or deeper underground. When the Quintessons invaded, the [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]] were enslaved as enforcers and executioners.

After the departure of the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'' and ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'', [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] used a malfunctioning [[space bridge]] to study creatures from other planets and time periods, and found himself captivated by the [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]s of prehistoric Earth. Inspired by their ferocity, he and [[Forged|his Insecticon minions]] rebuilt [[Grimlock (WFC)|Grimlock]] and four other Transformers into the fearsome [[Dinobot (FOC)|Dinobot]]s that incorporated a number of design traits inspired by the extinct Predacons. Later still, Shockwave would even clone [[Predaking (Prime)|one of those Predacons]] to become one of his enforcers. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

{{--}}

====IDW Aligned comics====
[[File:RageOfTheDinobots3-SerKet.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]

Shockwave discovered the Insecticons in the depths of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and re-engineered them into loyal Decepticons who would aid the Decepticon empire as it broadened its reach beyond Cybertron. {{storylink|Fragmentation (FOC)|Fragmentation}} The Insecticons lured [[Grimlock (WFC)|Grimlock]] and the [[Dinobot (FOC)|Lightning Strike Coalition]] into a trap, allowing Shockwave to experiment upon the group; inspired by the creatures he'd viewed on a prehistoric planet called Earth, his experiments took place on the genetic level that spliced dinosaur DNA with their [[CNA]]. {{storylink|Siege Mentality}} {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 4|Rage of the Dinobots #4}}

Later still, following the disappearance of Optimus Prime, Megatron, and their followers, Shockwave wasted no time in establishing an empire of his own, enforced by a legion of warriors who called themselves the "[[Forged]]". {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 1|Rage of the Dinobots #1}} A mixture of remnant Decepticons and cloned Predacons, the most loyal of their number received bestial upgrades that gave them Predacon-like traits and draconic beast modes.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-comics-discussion/917845-q-mairghread-scott-writer-transformers-prime-beast-hunters.html#post9492754 Mairghread Scott Q and A]</ref> Their leader, [[Ser-Ket (Prime)|Ser-Ket]], embraced the idea, and viewed beast modes as the "true forms" of the Cybertronians who had undergone Shockwave's experimentation. {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 2|Rage of the Dinobots #2}}

{{--}}

====''Prime'' cartoon====
[[File:PredaconsRisingSkylynxandDarksteelDragons.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

As the [[Great War (Prime)|Great War]] spilled over onto other worlds, [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] cloned an army of Predacons from fossilized remains and deployed them to distant planets to eliminate Autobots. On Earth, they formed the basis for many myths and legends involving [[dragon]]s. {{storylink|Project Predacon}} Other prominent beast mode Cybertronians included the [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]]s, which possessed a strange, quasi-telepathic connection with the similarly insectoid [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]], {{storylink|Armada (episode)|Armada}} and the [[Dinobot (FOC)|Dinobot]]s. {{storylink|Project Predacon}}

In the present day, Shockwave again turned his attention to cloning Predacons, and first created [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]] before travelling to Earth, with the intent of producing many more. However, the discovery that the Predacons were intelligent beings with the ability to transform prompted [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] to scrap the project. {{storylink|Evolution}}

Despite this setback, Shockwave would later clone [[Darksteel (Prime)|Darksteel]] and [[Skylynx (Prime)|Skylynx]] after his return to Cybertron and put them to work searching for more Predacon remains. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}}

====Aligned novels====
A number of Cybertronians with aquatic beast modes, including Sharkticons and [[Leviacon]]s, colonized the planet [[Aquatron]] during Cybertron's [[Golden Age]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Retribution|Retribution}}

====''Rescue Bots'' cartoon====
[[File:QuarrysQuarry triumphant team.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]
In order to safely navigate [[Wayward Island]], Optimus Prime [[Scanning|scanned]] [[Trex]], an animatronic dinosaur with [[technorganic|techno-organic]] components, and gained the ability to transform into a ''Tyrannosaurus rex''. {{storylink|Land Before Prime (episode)|Land Before Prime}} However, his low [[energon]] levels caused Optimus to succumb to his new form's dinosaur instincts and go on a rampage in [[Griffin Rock]], which attracted the attention of the villainous hunter [[Quint Quarry]]. To rescue the Autobot leader, [[Boulder (RB)|Boulder]], [[Graham Burns]], and [[Ezra Greene|Doc Greene]] developed an [[energon patch]] that would return him to normal, and tested it by having Boulder scan an animatronic ''Triceratops'' {{storylink|Big Game}}

During a second confrontation with Quarry, [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]], [[Chase (RB)|Chase]] and [[Blades (RB)|Blades]] all scanned dinosaur modes, and used energon patches to stay in control of their faculties. {{storylink|Quarry's Quarry}}

{{--}}

====2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon====
[[File:TRID S3 E17 E MSS.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Humanoid Cybertronians shared their planet with an impressive variety of bestial offshoots and subspecies, which ranged wildly in both form and function. Notable groups include the metal-eating [[Chompazoid]]s, {{storylink|Pilot (Part 1)}} frog-like [[Amphiboid]]s, {{storylink|Rumble in the Jungle}} flying [[Corvicon]]s, {{storylink|True Colors}} aquatic [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s, {{storylink|Blurred}} ape-like [[Orangucon]]s, {{storylink|Brainpower}} thick-headed [[Buffaloid]]s, {{storylink|W.W.O.D.?}} or thick-skinned [[Lobstercon]]s. {{storylink|Pretzel Logic}} While some transformed from humanoid robots into animalistic beast modes, others changed from quadrupedal beasts into vehicles, and still others resembled anthropomorphic animals while in their robot modes. Intriguingly, if somewhat confusingly, a naturally-occurring group of Cybertronians with dinosaur alternate modes were referred to as "[[Dinobot (RID)|Dinobot]]s", apparently separate from the artificially-created Autobot subgroup who had appeared in prior "Aligned" media. {{storylink|Similarly Different}}

Almost all of the Decepticons aboard the prison ship ''[[Alchemor (RID)|Alchemor]]'' belonged to one or more of these subgroups. {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 1)}}

====''Go!'' cartoon====
A number of beast-mode Predacons, including [[Dragotron]], the [[Four Oni]], and the [[Jaki]], rebelled against their Decepticon masters and took up residence on Earth, but were later sealed away inside [[Mount Fuji]]. {{storylink|Triple Combination! Swordbot - Samurai!}} {{storylink|Triple Combination! Swordbot - Ninja!}}

===Ask Vector Prime===

When asked what kind of beast mode he'd choose if given the opportunity, Vector Prime mused that he'd always been fond of cetaceans. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/05/30}}

===''BotBots''===
A very large number of BotBots possess animal-based robot modes—notable examples include [[Unilla Icequeencone]], [[Javasaurus Rex]], [[Big Cantuna]], or [[Chilla Gorilla]]. A few, like [[Venus Frogtrap]] or [[Bonz-Eye]], become plants.

{{--}}

===''Cyberverse'' cartoon===
[[File:Spotted-Cheetor.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

[[Cheetor (Cyberverse)|Cheetor]] received a cheetah beast mode from the [[AllSpark]] to better act as its guardian. {{storylink|Dark Birth}}

After being stranded on Earth, [[Grimlock (Cyberverse)|Grimlock]] reformatted himself into a ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' to better cope with the harsh environment, even rewiring his circuitry to increase the raw power of his beast mode. {{storylink|King of the Dinosaurs}} His act inspired a number of young Cybertronian colonists, who adopted prehistoric alternate modes and dubbed themselves the "[[Dinobot (Cyberverse)|Dinobot]]s". {{storylink|The Immobilizers}}

{{--}}

===''EarthSpark'' cartoon===
[[File:NightshadeOwlMode MissedConnection.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

[[Skullcruncher (ES)|Skullcruncher]], [[Bombshell (ES)|Bombshell]], and [[Shrapnel (ES)|Shrapnel]] each have a beast mode. {{storylink|Secret Legacy, Part 2}}

[[Nightshade (ES)|Nightshade]] didn't believe they needed an alt-mode to complete themself. [[Tarantulas (ES)|Tarantulas]], himself possessing a spider beast mode, explained that an alt-mode isn't a missing part, but an expression of their selfhood. Taking these words to spark, Nightshade scanned a statue of the ''[[Winged Sentinel]]'' owl, taking it on as their beast mode. {{storylink|Missed Connection}}

[[Grimlock (ES)|Grimlock]] possessed a ''T. rex'' beast mode. {{storylink|Home, Part 1}}

During a little training at the [[Dino-Mite Quarry]], one of Grimlock's seismic stomps unearthed the fossilized skeleton of a ''Stygimoloch''. Drawn to the ancient bones, [[Jawbreaker (ES)|Jawbreaker]] scanned them and gained a dino mode of his own. Grimlock and [[Elita-1 (ES)|Elita-1]] were surprised as this wasn't how trans-scanning usually worked. {{storylink|A Stygi Situation}}

{{--}}

==Notes==
* "Beast mode" has since been trademarked by Marshawn Lynch, an American football running back for the [[Seattle Seahawks]], who claims to have "invented" it as his own personal, signature catch phrase. Lynch now uses it as the primary branding of [https://www.beastmodeonline.com/ his clothing line], so don't expect the phrase to appear on any [[Hasbro]] merchandise any time soon.

==See also==
* [[Popular beast alternate modes]]
* [[Primitive]]
* [[Chimeracon]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

Beast mode

2024-02-09T22:13:04Z

AStrangeAvenue: /* Prime cartoon */ duplicated name fix

[[File:BW21 6 cvr RI Beastmodes.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Are you tired of being nice? Don't you just wanna go ape?]]

The [[Transformer]]s have taken on many [[alternate mode]]s over the years, but no group of Cybertronians are quite as distinct or unique as those who adopt '''beast modes'''. Broadly speaking, a Cybertronian with a beast mode possesses one or more forms partially or completely based on a biological lifeform: this might be a contemporary [[Earth]] creature, an extinct organism like a [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]], some kind of [[alien]] monster, or something fantastical like a [[dragon]] or [[unicorn]]; in very rare cases, Cybertronians have even adopted plant or fungus-based alternate modes. Although the majority of beast mode Transformers change from humanoid robots into animals, several possess an animal form as their [[robot mode]] and instead transform into vehicles or other inanimate objects, and a [[Mutant (BW)|select few]] simply transform from one animal shape into another.

Most [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s with beast modes transform into oversized, blatantly mechanical creatures, and as a result forego disguise in favor of combat utility when operating on planets like [[Earth]]. Their descendants, the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, will refine the technology by integrating organic material directly into their superstructures and gaining the ability to convincingly mimic organic creatures; in time, this synthesis may even evolve into a genuine [[technorganic]] symbiosis that bonds carbon and silicon on a cellular level. Not all Cybertronians understand this deeper significance, however, and in some realities beast Transformers have faced prejudice and even institutionalized discrimination against their unusual forms.

Transformers with beast modes are sometimes referred to as "'''beast-formers'''", a term that sometimes sees use to distinguish themselves from vehicular "standard-formers."

{{bigquote|Beast or 'bot, we're ''still'' the baddest!|[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]|"[[Call of the Wild]]"}}

==Conceptual history==
[[File:RavageRatbat.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

Although the specific term "beast mode" only rose to prominence in the mid-1990s, animal-mode Cybertronians formed a part of the ''Transformers'' franchise from the very beginning. Although [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] all appeared as [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s minions in both the original [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] and [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|comic]], the two works took their characterizations in radically different directions: while the Marvel comic hewed closer to [[Bob Budiansky]]'s profiles for the characters by depicting them as intelligent, fully articulate beings whom the other characters treated as equals, the cartoon (barring [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3|one exception]]) depicted them as mindless, animalistic creatures. [[1985]] brought the first humanoid-to-animal Transformers in the form of the heroic [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s and evil [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], and by 1986 the floodgates had opened: in addition to new [[Mini-Cassette]] characters like [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] and [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]], other new beast characters included the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s, [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s, [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s, [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], and [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. The [[Pretender]] toyline featured characters like [[Longtooth]] and [[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]], who disguised themselves as humanoid animals, while the [[Pretender Beast]]s became ordinary quadrupedal creatures. No serious attempts were made to distinguish these beast characters from their vehicular kin, although [[Call of the Primitives|one episode of the original ''Transformers'' cartoon]] dubbed them "[[Primitive]]s".

[[File:Cheetorbw.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]

In 1996, the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' franchise brought the idea of beast Transformers to the fore, and in doing so took the traditional ''Transformers'' aesthetic in a radically new direction. The franchise introduced two new groups of Transformers, the heroic [[Maximal]]s and evil [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, who all transformed into different kinds of animals; unlike the blocky, clearly mechanical animals of "[[The Transformers (franchise)|the original franchise]]", however, these new Cybertronians were sleek, ''{{w|Bio Booster Armor Guyver|Guyver}}''-style humanoids who all transformed into fully organic animals. The [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|tie-in cartoon]] established that they'd adopted organic animal forms to protect their mechanical bodies from high amounts of [[energon radiation|radiation]] while stranded on a planet rich with [[energon]]. This cartoon also codified the phrase "beast mode" to describe these alternate modes; different episodes like "[[Call of the Wild]]" would, on occasion, highlight the unique challenges these biomechanical Cybertronians faced. The original ''Beast Wars'' cartoon did not ever give a specific explanation behind the origins of biomechanical beast mode technology, but multiple later sources, most prominently [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' guidebooks, have retroactively connected the upgrade to some combination of [[Pretender]], [[Powermaster]], and [[Micromaster]] technology. In terms of both design and storytelling conflict, '' [[Beast Machines: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Machines]] '' pushed the envelope even further by introducing "[[technorganic]]" Maximals that blended metal and flesh on the cellular level, and detailing their conflict against evil, purely-mechanical [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s who transformed into ordinary machines. Subsequently, ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' turned the premise on its head by pitting its cast of heroic vehicle-mode Autobots against villainous beast-mode Predacons.

For the next few years, beast-formers faded into the background; although the [[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|''Armada'']] toyline included a number of [[redeco]]ed ''Beast Wars'' toys, and ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' featured both [[Scorponok (Energon)|a new version of Scorponok]] and an army of bestial [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]]s, it would be ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'', that really brought the concept back into prominence when it introduced the "[[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]]", a world populated by Transformers who'd adapted to their rugged world by adopting animal forms.
This idea of beast-formers being something distinct from ordinary Cybertronians would carry over into the "[[Aligned continuity family|Aligned]]" continuity. Initially, ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]'' did not feature beast mode Cybertronians at all beyond the vaguely spider-themed [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]], but the ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'' game would eventually feature both the [[Dinobot (FOC)|Dinobot]]s and [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s in starring roles. Supposedly, new versions of the Maximals and Predacons would've appeared in the original pitch for ''Prime's'' third season,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160411162414/http://sunnybutte.tumblr.com/post/131384199723/hey-all-getting-a-lot-of-questions-about-those Fan report of panel]: "Actual Maximals and Predacons were set to appear on a revitalized Cybertron in season 3 (he described it as a 'taming the wild west' setting)</ref> but a new creative team taking the reins at Hasbro led to the introduction of the ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Beast Hunters (2013)|Beast Hunters]]'' [[subline imprint]]; while this new imprint ''did'' feature a group of [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacon]]s, these new Predacons were ancient, [[dragon]]-like creatures from Cybertron's prehistory.

[[File:10OnyxPrime.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

After the end of ''Prime'', the ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|Covenant of Primus]]'' hardcover book expounded on the significance of [[Onyx Prime]], the first Cybertronian with a beast mode, and the role that he played in Cybertron's evolution and the development of the aforementioned Predacons. Perhaps most notably, the book also introduced a subgroup of Transformers called the "[[Arachnicon]]s" and heavily implied that Airachnid belonged to this specific Cybertronian subspecies. The sequel series, ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'', really ran with the idea by featuring dozens upon dozens of beast-themed Decepticons--anthropomorphic animals with with vehicle alternate modes like [[Steeljaw (RID)|Steeljaw]] and [[Bisk (RID)|Bisk]], humanoid Cybertronians who became animals like [[Filch]] or [[Scowl (RID)|Scowl]], and even a few animal-to-vehicle oddballs like [[Underbite]] and [[Crazybolt (RID)|Crazybolt]]. Around this time, [[IDW Publishing]] looped the concept around into its [[2005 IDW continuity|ongoing ''Transformers'' universe]], which depicted all beast-bots as victims of [[Functionism|functionist]] prejudice. In addition to introducing a new version of Jungle Planet, this time named "Eukaris", the final arc of ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' dealt with the return of Onyx Prime and his minions. A few years later, beast-bots again came into focus with 2021's ''[[War for Cybertron: Kingdom|Kingdom]]'' franchise, which revived the ''Beast Wars'' premise to celebrate its 25th anniversary, alongside a [[Transformers: Beast Wars|rebooted ''Beast Wars'' comic]].

While the [[Live-action film series|''Transformers'' movies]] have included a number of animalistic robots, including re-imagined versions of [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]], [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]], or the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobot]]s, their prominence in the franchise is comparatively small compared to their more famous vehicle-mode brethren. The 2023 ''[[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|Rise of the Beasts]]'' film shone the spotlight on beast mode Cybertronians for the first time in the films, having a group of [[Maximal]]s in the main cast.

{{--}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 continuity family===
====Marvel Comics continuity====
=====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics=====
[[File:Predacons-GoneButNotForgotten.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

Most if not all beast mode Cybertronians, such as the [[Mini-Cassette]]s, {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s, {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} or [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], possessed creature-based alternate forms even before leaving [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} One notable exception would be the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s. Shortly after the crash of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], the ship's computer detected [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]]'s arrival in the anachronistic [[Savage Land]] and rebuilt [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] and four other Cybertronians into [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]-based forms based off the regional wildlife. {{storylink|The Last Stand}}

=====''Classics''=====
[[File:BWSG-ultramagnusbeastmode.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

When dimensionally-displaced [[Autobot]] and [[Decepticon]] ships crash-landed on a prehistoric Earth saturated with Energon radiation, [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] came up with the idea of combining [[Pretender]] and [[Powermaster]] technology to create organic beast modes. Though [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] came up with the same idea, [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] opted to give the Decepticons new armor instead. {{storylink|Shattered Time}} In their new bodies, the Autobots could consume and metabolize organic matter into energy using their on-board "biomass processors". {{storylink|Shattered Balance}}

After travelling to the mirror-universe Cybertron of that dimension, Prowl, [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] abandoned their beast modes, but both [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] took a liking to their new bodies and kept them. {{storylink|Falling into Place}}

{{--}}

=====''Transformers '84''=====
According to [[Punch (G1)|Punch]], who was skeptical that the Cybertronians had ever encountered living dinosaurs, the Ark's [[Aunty|AUNTIE]] computer system had actually used preserved fossils to turn Grimlock and his team into the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s. {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 2|Secrets & Lies #2}}

{{--}}

====Generation 1 cartoon continuity====
[[File:Primitives Calling.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

Traditionally, Cybertronians with animal forms were known as "[[primitive]]s". {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}} Beast mode Cybertronians shared at least some physiological traits; for instance, those who possessed reptilian forms like [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] and [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] possessed unique "[[Dinosaur transform static|dinosaur electrons]]". {{storylink|Thief in the Night}}

Other animalistic Cybertronians displayed unique powers: notably, the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s, whose [[idento-computer]]s reformatted them into insectoid beast forms to survive in the jungles of [[Bali]], could consume and metabolize organic matter. {{storylink|A Plague of Insecticons}} After discovering [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]] bones, the [[Autobot]]s created the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], powerful warriors with dinosaur alternate modes. {{storylink|S.O.S. Dinobots}} {{storylink|War of the Dinobots}} The [[Quintesson]]s utilized the [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]] and [[Allicon]]s, Transformers with shark and crocodile beast modes respectively, as servants. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} In 2006, a large group of beast mode Transformers, consisting of both Autobots and Decepticons, were summoned by [[Oracle (G1)|a mysterious entity]] to defeat [[Primacron]] and his creation, [[Tornedron]]. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}} When forced by the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]] to volunteer Decepticons to undergo the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] process, [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]] added the stipulation that they were only allowed to take the heads of the Transformers with beast modes. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}}

=====Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity=====
{{stub}}

=====''Legends'' comic=====
[[File:Epiloge-BeastTransformers.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Cybertronians with beast modes had the ability to channel [[Beast Power]], an energy shared between them and the animalistic inhabitants of the planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 41|Bonus Edition Vol. 41}} On [[Micro|Z Planet]], [[Dai Atlas (G1)|Dai Atlas]] encountered newborn beast Transformers created by exposing [[protoform]] capsules to Beast Power, which granted them the power to scan and transform into organic life. [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] believed that their descendants would evolve into the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, and granted them new symbols as a symbol of everlasting peace between the factions. {{Storylink|Transformers Legends Final Chapter "Epiloge"|Epiloge}}

=====''Wings Universe''=====
[[File:FoY Brimstone.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]

The earliest recorded "beastform" Transformers were re-engineered specimens of naturally occurring Cybertronian wildlife: [[Laserbeak (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Laserbeak]], the first beast-former, was originally a [[Cryo-Condor]] who'd modified with a rudimentary alternate mode. Soon enough, [[Ravage (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ravage]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] would join him. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #1}} However, conflicting evidence places beast-form Cybertronians, most prominently [[Brimstone (G1 Decepticon)|Brimstone]], as having existed in ancient times long before the Autobot-Decepticon conflict. {{storylink|Flames of Yesterday}}

As the Autobot-Decepticon war spilled over to Earth, more and more beast-formers rose to prominence, including groups who transformed from humanoid robots into animals. The [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s developed the ability to catalyze organic matter into a crude but usable form, {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #3}} while the presence of [[dinosaur transform static]] amongst the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s and their kin indicated the presence of a deeper synthesis taking place between these two disparate forms of life. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 2|Menagerie #2}} Around this time, both the Autobots and Decepticons began making heavy use of animalistic "Recordabots" and "Recordicons". {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #1}}

The [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s were the first beast Transformers with the ability to [[combiner|combine]], and the first to not be based upon any recognizable Earth creature. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 4|Menagerie #4}} The [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s would become the most notable beast-bots in the years that followed [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]'s disappearance and the revitalisation of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]; [[Perceptor (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Perceptor]] speculated that [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] had marshalled the remnants of the Decepticon military to another world, where he could mastermind the evolution of the Decepticons into a new breed of Predacon that combined the advantages of organic [[Pretender]] shells with fuel-efficient [[Micromaster]] bodies. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 5|Menagerie #5}}

At some point during the Second Golden Age, Cybertronians with beast modes became increasingly commonplace. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #1}} Some forward-thinking Autobots like [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] encouraged this kind of [[Maximal|evolutionary leap forward]], if only to counter the inevitable [[Predacon (BW)|next generation of Predacons]]. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 5|Menagerie #5}}

{{--}}

====Beast Era====
=====Toy bios=====
The Maximals developed a unique "bio-genetic morphing process" that allowed them to create the perfect fusion of organic musculature and Transformer technology. However, the evil Predacons stole this breakthrough and used it to create new forms for themselves based on Earth's most vicious creatures. {{storylink|Optimus Primal vs Megatron!}}

In order to win the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]], [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] developed an experimental [[Transformation virus|anti-conversion virus]]. When used on a group of [[Fuzor]]s, the experiment went wrong and turned the four into [[Mutant (BW)|Mutant]]s trapped between two beast modes.<ref>Hasbro ''[[Mutant (BW)#Toys|Mutant Beast Wars]]'' packaging blurb</ref>

=====''Beast Wars'' cartoon=====
[[File:ChainOfCommand-Maximals.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]
By the era of the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, three centuries after the end of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], technology had evolved to the point where Cybertronians could now use [[DNA scanner]]s and [[CR chamber]]s to perfectly mimic organic lifeforms, even extinct animals like [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]s. These next-generation beast modes sheathed Cybertronian superstructures beneath a layer of artificially grown skin and tissue and rendered them largely impervious to [[energon radiation]] that would otherwise damage purely mechanical lifeforms. Transformers would often initiate the process of converting from their [[robot mode]] by using the [[activation code]] "Beast mode!" {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} Beast modes also seemingly have no effect on a Cybertronian's overall size, nor does there appear to be any mass-shifting when converting into their alternate forms. This is likely due to their function as protection, rather than disguise, and thus bypassing the benefits that the smaller sizes of the Great Upgrade provided may have been unnecessary.

Adopting a beast mode in this way appears to have a subtle effect on the Cybertronian psyche. Many combatants in the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] on prehistoric [[Earth]] displayed appetites consistent with the diets of their chosen form: for instance, [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] ate cheese and garbage, {{storylink|The Web}} [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] displayed interest in a bunch of [[banana]]s, {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}} and [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] took a perverse delight in sucking the [[mech fluid|vital fluid]]s from his victims, although it's not clear if their artificial beast modes could actually digest and catalyze these materials into a usable form of energy. {{storylink|The Web}} While in beast mode, Cybertronians could affect internal repairs without the use of a CR chamber, although the process took time. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}}

[[File:TM2Cheetorfly.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

Traditionally, a programming block prevented a beast mode's natural instincts from interfering with the higher functions of the Cybertronians. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} However, damage sustained by [[Tigatron]]'s [[stasis pod]] affected the [[protoform]] within, and after adopting a suitable beast mode he first believed himself to be a normal organic tiger before coming to his senses. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}} Although [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]]'s stasis pod did not sustain any apparent damage, the monomaniacal instincts of his ant beast mode shaped his worldview: he grew to believe that [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] was his "queen" and the ''[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]'' his "colony". {{storylink|Spider's Game}} When the Predacons sabotaged the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'''s [[rectifier coil]], the Maximals were forced to remain in beast mode for days on end and eventually succumbed to their feral instincts. Thanks to Tigatron, who had already learned how to accept both sides of his being, the Maximals deleted the programming block and embraced their animal sides. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} Indeed, both Maximals and Predacons would occasionally identify with their beast modes; [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] once claimed that, as a cat, he should know better than to trust [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|a dog]], {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} and later fantasized about playing with cat toys; {{storylink|Changing of the Guard}} Tarantulas, meanwhile, sought to create more of "[his] kind" by ensuring that new stasis pods scanned spider alternate modes. {{storylink|Spider's Game}}

A [[quantum surge]] of exotic energy mutated several Cybertronians into advanced "[[Transmetal]]" bodies: Transformers altered in this way integrated organic matter into the robot mode, while the entirely mechanical beast mode now possessed a third "vehicle mode". {{storylink|Aftermath}} Transformers who evolved even further into "[[Transmetal 2|Transmetals 2]]" became asymmetrical, sometimes monstrous, amalgamations of flesh and metal. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}}
{{--}}

=====''Beast Machines'' cartoon=====
[[File:Thereformattingmaximalsmaximize.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Cybertronians could use beast mode technology to mimic lifeforms other than animals—while exploring [[Regalis V|a distant world]] populated by ambulatory plants, [[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]] and her crew used the technology to adopt plant-based alternate modes. {{storylink|Home Soil}} While Optimus Primal and his crew were off-planet, a [[Quantum Cycle Upgrade|standardized upgrade]] fitted every Cybertronian with an in-built DNA scanner and rendered [[stasis pod]] technology obsolete. {{storylink|Survivor}}

Optimus Primal would later claim that the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] supercomputer had engineered the entire Beast Wars as a way to bring fresh organic material to Cybertron via their biomechanical beast modes. {{storylink|The Key}} Upon arriving on Cybertron after Megatron broke free of their shuttle and conquered the planet, his armies of [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s attacked the group with a debilitating [[transformation virus]] that devolved the Transmetal Maximals and trapped them in their beast modes. {{storylink|Revelations Part II: Descent|Descent}} Weakened and dying, the Maximals might've perished had Optimus not discovered the Oracle, which [[Reformatting|reformatted]] Optimus and the other Maximals into [[technorganic]] bodies, a powerful new breed of Cybertronian life that combined the organic and the technological on a cellular level. {{storylink|The Reformatting}} While in their beast modes, the Maximals gave off no energy signatures and were thus invisible to [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]] sensors so long as they kept out of sight. Combined with the stress of mastering the lost art of [[transformation]] and consciously having to maintain control over their [[robot mode]]s, their beast modes became their primary form while sneaking around the Cybertronian underlevels. {{storylink|Master of the House}} Although their new bodies could theoretically subsist upon purely organic material like fruit, doing so pushed their bestial instincts to the fore and reduced them to a primeval state. {{storylink|Forbidden Fruit}}

Having conquered the planet, Megatron developed a virulent hatred for organic life and beast modes as a whole; he regarded the Maximals as "mongrels" and regularly attempted to purge his own beast mode. {{storylink|Master of the House}} When he finally succeeded in doing so, he somehow created [[Noble (BM)|Noble]], a strange organic creature capable of shifting between humanoid wolf and dragon forms. {{storylink|Savage Noble}}
{{--}}

=====2006 IDW ''Beast Wars'' continuity=====
[[File:Bw icebird.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

A few of the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'''s remaining stasis pods malfunctioned, and when [[Razorbeast]] activated them the [[protoform]]s within emerged as [[Mutant (BW)|Mutant]]s, Cybertronians who changed from one animal form to another. They fiercely defended their swamp against intruding Predacons and made it clear that neither the Maximals nor Predacons were welcome in their peaceful home. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 3|The Gathering #3}}

{{--}}

====Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity====
Encouraged by the early success of [[Pretender]] technology, Cybertronian scientists speculated that they could one day directly integrate this miraculous nanotechnology into a Transformer body. A Cybertronian upgraded in this manner could directly assume a biological alternate mode externally indistinguishable from the real thing, and this breakthrough might lead to a new generation of tougher, more-energy efficient Cybertronians. {{storylink|Transformers: More than Meets the Eye}}

====2005 IDW continuity====
[[File:TheMindBomb-cathead.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

The earliest known beast Transformers date back to the brief Dark Age that occurred between the departure of the [[Knights of Cybertron]] and the rise of the [[Thirteen]]. Many individual flocks and herds wandered the prehistoric badlands, searching for energon, {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} but among the most notable would be a powerful warrior tribe known as the [[Maximal]]s and their commander, [[Liege Maximo]]. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|Endless Forever}} While fleeing the armies of [[The Fallen|Megatronus]], the group came into the employ of [[Onyx Prime]]—in reality, a time-travelling [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] in disguise—who incorporated the Maximals into his personal "menagerie" of beast warriors. {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} {{storylink|Origin Myths}} Working with [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'s group of [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]s, their impromptu alliance confronted Megatronus and his [[Darklands|Darklander]]s on the site that would one day become the [[Crystal City]], blunted his advance for good, and eventually laid the foundations for what would eventually become the [[Thirteen]]. {{storylink|Origin Myths}}

During the subsequent reign of the [[Thirteen Tribes]] over Cybertron, the Maximals and their kin faced discrimination due to their alternate modes. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}} During the later [[First Cybertronian Civil War]] between the tribes and their leaders, Onyx Prime and his armies entered into an alliance with [[Nexus Prime]]; using his [[Enigma of Combination]], they created an army of [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] that combined small beast-formers with larger humanoid Cybertronians. Darklander warrior [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]] declared the union of beast and bot disgusting, and eventually slaughtered the ancient Headmasters to the last 'bot in the name of Cybertronian purity. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 3: The Mind Bomb|The Mind Bomb}}

[[File:TimeWillRust-Eukaris.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66]]

Ultimately, however, the war ended with all of the Primes either dead or missing, and in their absence [[Nova Prime]] united the tribes of Cybertron under a new system of [[functionism]] where one's alternate mode defined their position in society. Under this new societal schema, the beasts were placed near the bottom of society, only outranking the unfortunate 'bots in the so-called "[[disposable class]]". The beasts would become the victims of institutionalized discrimination that lasted until the final days of [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s reign. {{storylink|The Crucible}} However, before he and his innermost retinue of Maximals abandoned Cybertron for the ruins of [[Antilla]], Onyx Prime instructed the [[Titan (group)|Titan]] [[Chela]] to colonize a distant jungle world; using the [[hot spot (phenomenon)|hot spot]] within his body, Chela birthed an entire civilization of beast mode Transformers who could thrive in safety. These new "[[Jungle Planet (colony)|Eukarian]]" Transformers remembered the prejudice their ancestors had faced and cultivated a deep distrust of vehicular "standard-formers". {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 6|Windblade vol. 2 #6}}

[[File:FortMaxCuddles.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

By the time of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], the stigma surrounding beast modes had largely dissipated. Some vehicular Transformers even adopted beast modes—notably, the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dynobot]]s adopted [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]] beast modes with synthetic flesh to protect them from high leves of [[Energon]] radiation on prehistoric [[Earth]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Shockwave}} During his tour of duty on [[Z'verei]], [[Rattrap (BW)#2005 IDW continuity|Rattrap]] adopted a [[Z'verein mole-rat]] alternate mode. {{storylink|Three Monologues}}

Several years after the war, beast modes again rose to prominence: while [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]]'s [[Republic of Cybertron|post-war government]] discovered and opened diplomatic channels with the citizens of Eukaris, the Decepticon [[Demus]] began kidnapping beast mode Transformers, subjecting them to a horrific "[[domestication]]" process, then marketing his victims as "[[Roboid]]s" as torture dolls for organic races. {{storylink|Animals}} Exposure to [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]'s corrupted [[energon]] spontaneously mutated the [[Caminus (planet)|Camien]] [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]] so that she transformed into a two-headed monster. {{storylink|The Transformers: Redemption|Redemption}}

The mad scientist [[Tarantulas (BW)|Mesothulas]] combined quasi-organic beast mode technology with [[obtenteum]] to create mass-shifting "bio-disguises". Cybertronians who underwent this "[[Chimeracon]]" upgrade gained the ability to perfectly mimic any living creature and completely mask their Cybertronian energy signatures in the process. Members of [[Mayhem Attack Squad|Mayhem]] adopted this technology and used it to hide out among the native wildlife while operating in the [[Alaska]]n wilderness. {{storylink|Sins of the Wreckers issue 3|Sins of the Wreckers #3}} Later still, Tarantulas perfected the technology, allowing [[Overlord (G1)|Overlord]] to pass himself off as a human politician. {{storylink|Transformers: Requiem of the Wreckers|Requiem of the Wreckers}}

When "Onyx Prime" returned to Cybertron, he brought with him an entire Maximal army; eventually, however, his beast servants betrayed him and allied instead with his ultimate creation, [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. {{storylink|Road's End}} Several of the newborn Cybertronians born from [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]'s hot spot on Earth possessed beast modes. {{storylink|Post}}

{{--}}

====''Hearts of Steel''====
[[File:HoS1-IceAgeWars.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

During the "[[Ice Age Wars]]" on prehistoric Earth, both the Autobots and Decepticons transformed into creatures like dinosaurs, flying reptiles, and giant insects. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 1|Hearts of Steel #1}}
{{--}}

====''TransTech''====
Although they transformed into a rabbit and pika respectively, [[Kitte Shūshū]] and her husband [[Z Grill]] were nevertheless able to use their "integrated organic parts" to conceive a son, [[Stampy (BW)|Stampy]]. {{storylink|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/05/10}}

====''Of Masters and Mayhem''====
While investigating the planet [[Chicxulania]], [[Thrashclaw]], [[Slice (G1)|Slice]], and [[Shred]] discovered an abandoned laboratory where an advanced alien civilization had developed "Beast Warrior" technology, which allowed a Cybertronian to assume techno-organic hybrid forms. To protect themselves from ambient [[energon radiation]], they and [[Gnash]] integrated the technology into their superstructures, adopted beast modes based on the local [[dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]s, and dubbed themselves the "[[Raptoricon]]s". Later on, the shipwrecked [[Fractyl]] briefly assumed a pterosaur beast form using the same technology, but ultimately switched back to his vehicular configuration when he departed the planet with [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]]. {{storylink|Life Finds a Way}}

====''Beast Wars: Uprising''====
[[File:Safe Spaces Preditron Gaidora.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Several years into the [[Grand Uprising]], the ambitious Predacon [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] observed that [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s growing menagerie of [[mechanimal]]s could somehow metabolize their own [[energon]] from raw materials like industrial runoff. Inspired by this unexpected resilience, Megatron grew interested in somehow grafting this physiological trait onto the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, who remained reliant on ordinary [[energon cube]]s like their [[Builder of Cybertron|Builder]] forebears. Progress did not come easily; most of Megatron's earliest test subjects died from the imperfect process, but after seeking out the disgraced [[Autobot]] scientist [[Leatherhide (Universe)|Leatherhide]], who had previously attempted to hybridize Cybertronians with mechanicals, the pair quickly perfected process—first, they created [[Inferno (BW)|Formikon]], then applied the process to themselves. {{storylink|Not All Megatrons}}

Sure enough, Transformers who adopted the '''Beast Upgrade''' no longer required external [[energon cube]]s to function; instead, they could ingest food which their onboard systems could then process into energon. {{storylink|Not All Megatrons}} Beast mode Transformers also possessed increased reflexes as a result of their bio-enhanced physiologies, {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}} enhanced senses, {{storylink|Safe Spaces}} and could quickly repair their injuries while transformed. {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}} Soon, Megatron's front corporation made the upgrade public, and Maximals and Predacons across the planet chose to abandon their original vehicular configurations in favor of beast modes. {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}} Popular beast mode templates included [[jurassanoid]]s, [[armodrillo]]s, and [[cybercat]]s, {{storylink|Derailment}} although some Cybertronians modelled their alternate modes on strange alien creatures {{storylink|Safe Spaces}} or even mythical animals like dragons and phoenixes. {{storylink|Derailment}} They became a decisive factor as the Grand Uprising came to a close; freed from the need for vulnerable energon supply chains, members of the [[Resistance]] and other splinter forces could besiege Builder-held cities with impunity. {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}}

By the time of the [[Vehicon Apocalypse]], Leatherhide had moved on to creating new breeds of biomechanical life like the [[Fuzor]]s and [[Horrorcon (Universe)|Horrorcon]]s after reverse-engineering a [[Klaws|a mysterious cybernetic life-form]]. A spectral [[Overshoot]], acting on the will of the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], informed [[Stiletto (BW)|Stiletto]] that the Beast Upgrade marked a new beginning: the rise of the mechanimals and the fusion between beast and 'bot represented Cybertron's efforts to generate a self-sustaining ecosystem. {{storylink|Derailment}}

{{--}}

====2019 IDW continuity====
[[File:WeHaveDecievedYou-InfiltrationTroopers.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

During the [[Age of the Firstforged]], the Cybertronian folk heroes [[Halonix Maximus]] and [[Big Bang (G1)|Big Bang]] battled beast mode Cybertronians like [[Preditron]] and [[Gaidora (BWU)|Gaidora]] in the wilderness. {{storylink|End of Time}}

Numerous Cybertronians, most prominently a number of [[Mini-Cassette|infiltration trooper]]s, possessed either beast modes or animalistic robot modes. Although beast-formers did not suffer any kind of institutionalized discrimination, {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: We Have Deceived You|We Have Deceived You}} some individual Cybertronians expressed prejudiced attitudes toward them: [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], for instance, once categorized ordinary vehicle-mode Cybertronians like himself as possessing more "advanced forms" then the beasts, {{storylink|Wheeljack: Orbital Decay}} and [[Grotusque]] occasionally grumbled that people looked down on him for his choice of alternate mode. {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: We Have Deceived You|We Have Deceived You}}

{{--}}

====2021 IDW ''Beast Wars'' comic====
[[File:SavageLandingPart5-Megatrontransforms.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

To protect the Cybertronians from harmful levels of [[energon radiation]], the artificial intelligences aboard the crashed ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' and ''[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]'' reconstructed their crews with new beast modes based on fabricated techno-organic material that matched the native organics on a molecular level. {{storylink|Savage Landing Part 1}} In their new bodies, they were capable of digesting and metabolizing organic material, {{storylink|Savage Landing Part 2}} {{storylink|Thicker Skin}} and retained the ability to access some of their weapons and gadgets while in their beast modes. {{storylink|Savage Landing Part 4}}

When [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] were captured by the [[Children of the Vok (group)|Children of the Vok]], the [[force field]]s holding them were only designed to work on the Cybertronians' [[robot mode]]s, allowing the two to escape in their beast modes. {{storylink|Children of the Vok}}
{{--}}

====''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' cartoon====
[[File:Kingdom-ep2-beastroars.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

After arriving on prehistoric Earth, a group of time-travelling Maximals and Predacons adopted suitable beast modes during their battle over the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]]. {{storylink|Kingdom episode 1}}

{{--}}

===2001 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon===
[[File:Maximus Emerges Darkscream gasskunk.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]

In contrast to the vehicular Autobots, their ancient enemies the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s possessed beast forms. Although the Predacon leader [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] could transform into multiple forms, two of his alternate forms were a two-headed dragon and a bat. {{storylink|Battle Protocol!}} After becoming Galvatron, he gained additional beast modes that included a one-headed dragon, an elephant, and a griffin. {{storylink|Maximus Emerges}}

{{--}}

===Unicron Trilogy===
====Dreamwave ''Armada'' comics====
The Decepticon [[Predacon (Armada)|Predacon]] experimented with hybridizing Cybertronian technology with organic tissue in the belief that Cybertronians who underwent this upgrade would become far more powerful, and went as far as to test the process on himself. Although most Cybertronians found the idea repulsive, Predacon gathered a small but fanatical cult of personality who believed wholeheartedly in his ideals. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye: Transformers: Armada|More than Meets the Eye}}

====''Energon'' cartoon====
[[File:Cruellock.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

[[Alpha Quintesson]]'s [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]]s all possessed animalistic alternate modes. Each sub-species of Terrorcon had their own beast form, with [[Battle Ravage]]s and [[Command Ravage]]s transforming into jaguars, {{storylink|Cybertron City (episode)|Cybertron City}} {{storylink|Crisis in Jungle City}} [[Divebomb (Energon)|Divebomb]]s and [[Blackout (Terrorcon)|Blackout]]s transforming into hawks, {{storylink|Energon Grid (episode)|Energon Grid}} [[Cruellock]]s turning into an approximation of a dinosaur, {{storylink|The Return of Demolishor}} and [[Insecticon (Energon)|Insecticon]]s turning into beetles. {{storylink|Each One Fights...}}

Terrorcons usually stayed in their beast modes, and only transformed into their rarely-seen robot modes when it became absolutely necessary while in combat. {{storylink|Energon Stars}} {{storylink| A Tale of Two Heros}}

{{--}}

====''Cybertron'' cartoon====
[[File:Cyb ep20 jungle planet natives.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Millennia ago, a group of Cybertronian colonists settled the planet they would name "[[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]]" aboard the starship ''[[Hyperborea (Cybertron)|Hyperborea]]''. {{storylink|Homecoming (episode)|Homecoming}} As time passed, their descendents adopted various beast modes to cope with life on their wild and untamed planet: although most inhabitants of Jungle Planet appear to transform into reptiles, dinosaurs, or mammals, {{storylink|Search (episode)|Search}} some have become birds or even arthropods. {{storylink|Honor}}

Jungle Planet's [[Cyber Planet Key]] appears to have the power to instantly reformat Cybertronians into a suitable beast mode. When [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul]] tapped into the power of the Jungle Planet's [[Cyber Planet Key]], he gained a lion alternate mode and redubbed himself "Leobreaker". {{storylink|Detour (episode)|Detour}} In [[Aurex 1006.0 Beta|one alternate timeline]], the energies of the Jungle Planet key mutated both Optimus Prime and Megatron into beast forms while on the Jungle Planet. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Armada)/toys#Gorilla|Jungle Planet Optimus Prime toy bio}} {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/19}}

====Ask Vector Prime====
In [[Aurex 615.03 Epsilon|another alternate reality]], a version of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] took place in [[Alpha Q's universe]]. To survive the star system's volatile [[Super Energon]] sun, the Maximals and Predacons adopted a wide variety of unusual beast modes that included mobile fungi, [[mechamorph]]s, [[Rock Lord]]s, [[Beastformer (species)|Battle Beasts]], and even abstract elemental beings. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/03}}

{{--}}

===Live-action film series===
====Movies====
[[File:Dinobots ready for battle AOE.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66]]

In Cybertron's distant past, beast modes appeared to have been more common—ancient warriors such as the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobot]]s and [[Guardian Knight]]s transformed into imposing predators like dinosaurs and dragons. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}} {{storylink|Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|The Last Knight}}

By the era of the [[Great War (Movie)|Great War]], beast modes appear to have fallen out of favour. Many modern Cybertronians with animal forms, including [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], and the [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticon]]s, are [[mechanimal]]s who have been re-engineered to serve wartime roles, such as espionage or sabotage.<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/cybertronian-database.cfm#/characters/laserbeak Vector Sigma database at Hasbro.com]</ref> In many cases, these beast warriors formed symbiotic relationships with larger Cybertronians, who could deploy them as needed to scout ahead or carry out specific duties. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}

=====''Rise of the Beasts'' film=====
The [[Maximal]]s hailed from [[Jungle Planet (colony)|a Cybertronian colony]] populated by Cybertronians who bore beast modes. {{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|Rise of the Beasts}}
{{--}}

====''The Veiled Threat''====
A [[Crab spy|particularly cunning Decepticon spy]] disguised himself as one of the many red crabs that periodically infested the [[NEST]] base on [[Diego Garcia]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Veiled Threat|The Veiled Threat}}

====IDW movie comics====
[[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] commanded the loyalty of multiple beast Decepticons, including [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]], [[Ratbat (ROTF)|Ratbat]], [[Beastbox (ROTF)|Beastbox]], and [[Rumble (ROTF)|Rumble]]. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 4|Nefarious #4}}

{{--}}

===''Animated''===
[[File:Blackarach anim beast.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Although robotic creatures like [[brontobot]]s and [[cybercat]]s were common enough on Cybertron to be kept as pets, Cybertronians with beast modes were a very uncommon sight. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} During a disastrous expedition to the forbidden world of [[Archa Seven]], the Autobot cadet [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] attempted to use her download powers on [[Archa Seven arachnid|a native arachnid]], but wound up infecting herself with their venom instead. The transformation mutated her into a [[technorganic]] amalgamation of organic and mechanical and gave her a new alternate mode based on the spiders. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}}

As part of his many attempts to regain his body and power, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] experimented on dinosaur automatons to make them attack drones. Perhaps as a result of these modifications, [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]]'s [[AllSpark Key]] was drawn to the automatons, granting them [[spark]]s and turning them into fully fledged Cybertronians. {{storylink|Blast from the Past}} Their beast modes, and indeed their very existence, was viewed as proof by [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] as what a screwloose planet Earth was. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}

In her quest to purge herself of her organic half, Blackarachnia fused [[Wasp]] with an organic wasp in the hopes that finding a way to reverse the process could clue her into curing her own condition. Like her, the monstrous "Waspinator" possessed the ability to transform into a huge technorganic wasp. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Animated)|Predacons Rising}}

{{--}}

===Fun Publications ''Shattered Glass'' continuity===
[[File:Sgpredaconsvsgrimlock.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

Inspired by [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]]'s success after the Autobots liberated him from stasis and inducted him into their ranks, the mad scientist [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] created an entire army of deranged [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinobot]]s, artificial lifeforms who utilized a sophisticated artificial intelligence instead of a life-giving [[Spark|ember]]. Wheeljack used his impromptu army to launch a coup against [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]], but the Dinobots turned on one another and scattered into the Cybertronian wilderness.

Both the Autobots and Decepticons tried to gain control of as many Dinobots as they could. In the meantime, Grimlock stumbled across the ancient [[Omega Terminus]] supercomputer, which imbued an ember upon him that transformed him from a simple-minded beast into an intelligent Cybertronian with a humanoid robot mode. After returning to the surface, he gathered all of his fellow Dinobots and upgraded them in a similar fashion, granting them embers and the ability to transform. {{storylink|Dungeons & Dinobots}} While some of the Dinobots and Dinocons gained humanoid robot forms, others, like [[Slugfest (SG)|Slugfest]] and [[Overkill (SG)|Overkill]], instead transformed into data cartridges. {{storylink|Do Over}}

Other Autobots and Decepticons, most prominently the [[Predacon (SG)|Predacon]]s, transformed into small animals. {{storylink|Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass}} [[Terrorcon (SG)|Terrorcon]] leader [[Hun-Grrr (SG)|Hun-Grrr]] adopted an alternate mode based on an [[Algean two-headed razor beast]]. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 28|Hun-Grrr profile}} A future group of time-travelling Transformers led by [[Megatron (BWSG)|a different Megatron]] also possessed beast modes. {{storylink|Shattered Destiny}}

{{--}}

===Aligned continuity family===
====''The Covenant of Primus''====
[[File:COP-predacons.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]
At the dawn of time, [[Primus]] created [[Onyx Prime]], the first beast-mode Cybertronian. Although [[Quintus Prime]] and [[Liege Maximo]] would cooperate with one another in the days after [[Unicron]]'s defeat to found a "farm" of small, semi-autonomous animal robots, these were not truly "alive", although when the remaining Primes fell to violence and chaos in the wake of [[Solus Prime]]'s passing they proved deadly enough to mortally wound Onyx. When he and his friend [[Micronus Prime]] returned to Primus via the newly created [[Well of All Sparks]], Onyx used his [[Triptych Mask]] to scan all the life in the universe and provide the Well itself with an infinite variety of templates for future Cybertronian lifeforms. These included both humanoid Cybertronians and a wide array of beasts, who formed a functioning ecosystem based around exploiting the [[energon]] that flowed freely over the planet's surface. The planet's apex predators, the [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacons]], harassed the city-dwelling Cybertronians until [[Prima]] finally defeated [[Predaking (COP)|Predaking]] in single combat. Although all of the creatures that emerged from the Well of All Sparks possessed functioning [[transformation cog]]s, the Cybertronians of the era did not understand how to transform and thus creatures like the [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]]s and Predacons permanently remained in their beast modes.

In the wake of Cybertron's [[Great Cataclysm|first mass extinction]], many forms of life, including the Predacons, vanished entirely. Cybertron's overall diversity took a major hit; although some beasts and beast-like Cybertronians like the Insecticons and [[Arachnicon]]s survived, the subsequent rise of civilization pushed many of them out into Cybertron's dwindling wilderness or deeper underground. When the Quintessons invaded, the [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]] were enslaved as enforcers and executioners.

After the departure of the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'' and ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'', [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] used a malfunctioning [[space bridge]] to study creatures from other planets and time periods, and found himself captivated by the [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]s of prehistoric Earth. Inspired by their ferocity, he and [[Forged|his Insecticon minions]] rebuilt [[Grimlock (WFC)|Grimlock]] and four other Transformers into the fearsome [[Dinobot (FOC)|Dinobot]]s that incorporated a number of design traits inspired by the extinct Predacons. Later still, Shockwave would even clone [[Predaking (Prime)|one of those Predacons]] to become one of his enforcers. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

{{--}}

====IDW Aligned comics====
[[File:RageOfTheDinobots3-SerKet.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]

Shockwave discovered the Insecticons in the depths of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and re-engineered them into loyal Decepticons who would aid the Decepticon empire as it broadened its reach beyond Cybertron. {{storylink|Fragmentation (FOC)|Fragmentation}} The Insecticons lured [[Grimlock (WFC)|Grimlock]] and the [[Dinobot (FOC)|Lightning Strike Coalition]] into a trap, allowing Shockwave to experiment upon the group; inspired by the creatures he'd viewed on a prehistoric planet called Earth, his experiments took place on the genetic level that spliced dinosaur DNA with their [[CNA]]. {{storylink|Siege Mentality}} {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 4|Rage of the Dinobots #4}}

Later still, following the disappearance of Optimus Prime, Megatron, and their followers, Shockwave wasted no time in establishing an empire of his own, enforced by a legion of warriors who called themselves the "[[Forged]]". {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 1|Rage of the Dinobots #1}} A mixture of remnant Decepticons and cloned Predacons, the most loyal of their number received bestial upgrades that gave them Predacon-like traits and draconic beast modes.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-comics-discussion/917845-q-mairghread-scott-writer-transformers-prime-beast-hunters.html#post9492754 Mairghread Scott Q and A]</ref> Their leader, [[Ser-Ket (Prime)|Ser-Ket]], embraced the idea, and viewed beast modes as the "true forms" of the Cybertronians who had undergone Shockwave's experimentation. {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 2|Rage of the Dinobots #2}}

{{--}}

====''Prime'' cartoon====
[[File:PredaconsRisingSkylynxandDarksteelDragons.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

As the [[Great War (Prime)|Great War]] spilled over onto other worlds, [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] cloned an army of Predacons from fossilized remains and deployed them to distant planets to eliminate Autobots. On Earth, they formed the basis for many myths and legends involving [[dragon]]s. {{storylink|Project Predacon}} Other prominent beast mode Cybertronians included the [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]]s, which possessed a strange, quasi-telepathic connection with the similarly insectoid [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]], {{storylink|Armada (episode)|Armada}} and the [[Dinobot (FOC)|Dinobot]]s. {{storylink|Project Predacon}}

In the present day, Shockwave again turned his attention to cloning Predacons, and first created [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]] before travelling to Earth, with the intent of producing many more. However, the discovery that the Predacons were intelligent beings with the ability to transform prompted [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] to scrap the project. {{storylink|Evolution}}

Despite this setback, Shockwave would later clone [[Darksteel (Prime)|Darksteel]] and [[Skylynx (Prime)|Skylynx]] after his return to Cybertron and put them to work searching for more Predacon remains. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}}

====Aligned novels====
A number of Cybertronians with aquatic beast modes, including Sharkticons and [[Leviacon]]s, colonized the planet [[Aquatron]] during Cybertron's [[Golden Age]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Retribution|Retribution}}

====''Rescue Bots'' cartoon====
[[File:QuarrysQuarry triumphant team.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]
In order to safely navigate [[Wayward Island]], Optimus Prime [[Scanning|scanned]] [[Trex]], an animatronic dinosaur with [[technorganic|techno-organic]] components, and gained the ability to transform into a ''Tyrannosaurus rex''. {{storylink|Land Before Prime (episode)|Land Before Prime}} However, his low [[energon]] levels caused Optimus to succumb to his new form's dinosaur instincts and went on a rampage in [[Griffin Rock]], which attracted the attention of the villainous hunter [[Quint Quarry]]. To rescue the Autobot leader, [[Boulder (RB)|Boulder]], [[Graham Burns]], and [[Ezra Greene|Doc Greene]] developed an [[energon patch]] that would return him to normal, and tested it by having Boulder scan an animatronic ''Triceratops'' {{storylink|Big Game}}

During a second confrontation with Quarry, [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]], [[Chase (RB)|Chase]] and [[Blades (RB)|Blades]] all scanned dinosaur modes, and used energon patches to stay in control of their faculties. {{storylink|Quarry's Quarry}}

{{--}}

====2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon====
[[File:TRID S3 E17 E MSS.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Humanoid Cybertronians shared their planet with an impressive variety of bestial offshoots and subspecies, which ranged wildly in both form and function. Notable groups include the metal-eating [[Chompazoid]]s, {{storylink|Pilot (Part 1)}} frog-like [[Amphiboid]]s, {{storylink|Rumble in the Jungle}} flying [[Corvicon]]s, {{storylink|True Colors}} aquatic [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s, {{storylink|Blurred}} ape-like [[Orangucon]]s, {{storylink|Brainpower}} thick-headed [[Buffaloid]]s, {{storylink|W.W.O.D.?}} or thick-skinned [[Lobstercon]]s. {{storylink|Pretzel Logic}} While some transformed from humanoid robots into animalistic beast modes, others changed from quadrupedal beasts into vehicles, and still others resembled anthropomorphic animals while in their robot modes. Intriguingly, if somewhat confusingly, a naturally-occurring group of Cybertronians with dinosaur alternate modes were referred to as "[[Dinobot (RID)|Dinobot]]s", apparently separate from the artificially-created Autobot subgroup who had appeared in prior "Aligned" media. {{storylink|Similarly Different}}

Almost all of the Decepticons aboard the prison ship ''[[Alchemor (RID)|Alchemor]]'' belonged to one or more of these subgroups. {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 1)}}

====''Go!'' cartoon====
A number of beast-mode Predacons, including [[Dragotron]], the [[Four Oni]], and the [[Jaki]], rebelled against their Decepticon masters and took up residence on Earth, but were later sealed away inside [[Mount Fuji]]. {{storylink|Triple Combination! Swordbot - Samurai!}} {{storylink|Triple Combination! Swordbot - Ninja!}}

===Ask Vector Prime===

When asked what kind of beast mode he'd choose if given the opportunity, Vector Prime mused that he'd always been fond of cetaceans. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/05/30}}

===''BotBots''===
A very large number of BotBots possess animal-based robot modes—notable examples include [[Unilla Icequeencone]], [[Javasaurus Rex]], [[Big Cantuna]], or [[Chilla Gorilla]]. A few, like [[Venus Frogtrap]] or [[Bonz-Eye]], become plants.

{{--}}

===''Cyberverse'' cartoon===
[[File:Spotted-Cheetor.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

[[Cheetor (Cyberverse)|Cheetor]] received a cheetah beast mode from the [[AllSpark]] to better act as its guardian. {{storylink|Dark Birth}}

After being stranded on Earth, [[Grimlock (Cyberverse)|Grimlock]] reformatted himself into a ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' to better cope with the harsh environment, even rewiring his circuitry to increase the raw power of his beast mode. {{storylink|King of the Dinosaurs}} His act inspired a number of young Cybertronian colonists, who adopted prehistoric alternate modes and dubbed themselves the "[[Dinobot (Cyberverse)|Dinobot]]s". {{storylink|The Immobilizers}}

{{--}}

===''EarthSpark'' cartoon===
[[File:NightshadeOwlMode MissedConnection.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

[[Skullcruncher (ES)|Skullcruncher]], [[Bombshell (ES)|Bombshell]], and [[Shrapnel (ES)|Shrapnel]] each have a beast mode. {{storylink|Secret Legacy, Part 2}}

[[Nightshade (ES)|Nightshade]] didn't believe they needed an alt-mode to complete themself. [[Tarantulas (ES)|Tarantulas]], himself possessing a spider beast mode, explained that an alt-mode isn't a missing part, but an expression of their selfhood. Taking these words to spark, Nightshade scanned a statue of the ''[[Winged Sentinel]]'' owl, taking it on as their beast mode. {{storylink|Missed Connection}}

[[Grimlock (ES)|Grimlock]] possessed a ''T. rex'' beast mode. {{storylink|Home, Part 1}}

During a little training at the [[Dino-Mite Quarry]], one of Grimlock's seismic stomps unearthed the fossilized skeleton of a ''Stygimoloch''. Drawn to the ancient bones, [[Jawbreaker (ES)|Jawbreaker]] scanned them and gained a dino mode of his own. Grimlock and [[Elita-1 (ES)|Elita-1]] were surprised as this wasn't how trans-scanning usually worked. {{storylink|A Stygi Situation}}

{{--}}

==Notes==
* "Beast mode" has since been trademarked by Marshawn Lynch, an American football running back for the [[Seattle Seahawks]], who claims to have "invented" it as his own personal, signature catch phrase. Lynch now uses it as the primary branding of [https://www.beastmodeonline.com/ his clothing line], so don't expect the phrase to appear on any [[Hasbro]] merchandise any time soon.

==See also==
* [[Popular beast alternate modes]]
* [[Primitive]]
* [[Chimeracon]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

Beast mode

2024-02-09T22:11:08Z

AStrangeAvenue: /* The Covenant of Primus */ grammar fix

[[File:BW21 6 cvr RI Beastmodes.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Are you tired of being nice? Don't you just wanna go ape?]]

The [[Transformer]]s have taken on many [[alternate mode]]s over the years, but no group of Cybertronians are quite as distinct or unique as those who adopt '''beast modes'''. Broadly speaking, a Cybertronian with a beast mode possesses one or more forms partially or completely based on a biological lifeform: this might be a contemporary [[Earth]] creature, an extinct organism like a [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]], some kind of [[alien]] monster, or something fantastical like a [[dragon]] or [[unicorn]]; in very rare cases, Cybertronians have even adopted plant or fungus-based alternate modes. Although the majority of beast mode Transformers change from humanoid robots into animals, several possess an animal form as their [[robot mode]] and instead transform into vehicles or other inanimate objects, and a [[Mutant (BW)|select few]] simply transform from one animal shape into another.

Most [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s with beast modes transform into oversized, blatantly mechanical creatures, and as a result forego disguise in favor of combat utility when operating on planets like [[Earth]]. Their descendants, the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, will refine the technology by integrating organic material directly into their superstructures and gaining the ability to convincingly mimic organic creatures; in time, this synthesis may even evolve into a genuine [[technorganic]] symbiosis that bonds carbon and silicon on a cellular level. Not all Cybertronians understand this deeper significance, however, and in some realities beast Transformers have faced prejudice and even institutionalized discrimination against their unusual forms.

Transformers with beast modes are sometimes referred to as "'''beast-formers'''", a term that sometimes sees use to distinguish themselves from vehicular "standard-formers."

{{bigquote|Beast or 'bot, we're ''still'' the baddest!|[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]|"[[Call of the Wild]]"}}

==Conceptual history==
[[File:RavageRatbat.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

Although the specific term "beast mode" only rose to prominence in the mid-1990s, animal-mode Cybertronians formed a part of the ''Transformers'' franchise from the very beginning. Although [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] all appeared as [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s minions in both the original [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] and [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|comic]], the two works took their characterizations in radically different directions: while the Marvel comic hewed closer to [[Bob Budiansky]]'s profiles for the characters by depicting them as intelligent, fully articulate beings whom the other characters treated as equals, the cartoon (barring [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3|one exception]]) depicted them as mindless, animalistic creatures. [[1985]] brought the first humanoid-to-animal Transformers in the form of the heroic [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s and evil [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], and by 1986 the floodgates had opened: in addition to new [[Mini-Cassette]] characters like [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] and [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]], other new beast characters included the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s, [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s, [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s, [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], and [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. The [[Pretender]] toyline featured characters like [[Longtooth]] and [[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]], who disguised themselves as humanoid animals, while the [[Pretender Beast]]s became ordinary quadrupedal creatures. No serious attempts were made to distinguish these beast characters from their vehicular kin, although [[Call of the Primitives|one episode of the original ''Transformers'' cartoon]] dubbed them "[[Primitive]]s".

[[File:Cheetorbw.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]

In 1996, the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' franchise brought the idea of beast Transformers to the fore, and in doing so took the traditional ''Transformers'' aesthetic in a radically new direction. The franchise introduced two new groups of Transformers, the heroic [[Maximal]]s and evil [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, who all transformed into different kinds of animals; unlike the blocky, clearly mechanical animals of "[[The Transformers (franchise)|the original franchise]]", however, these new Cybertronians were sleek, ''{{w|Bio Booster Armor Guyver|Guyver}}''-style humanoids who all transformed into fully organic animals. The [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|tie-in cartoon]] established that they'd adopted organic animal forms to protect their mechanical bodies from high amounts of [[energon radiation|radiation]] while stranded on a planet rich with [[energon]]. This cartoon also codified the phrase "beast mode" to describe these alternate modes; different episodes like "[[Call of the Wild]]" would, on occasion, highlight the unique challenges these biomechanical Cybertronians faced. The original ''Beast Wars'' cartoon did not ever give a specific explanation behind the origins of biomechanical beast mode technology, but multiple later sources, most prominently [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' guidebooks, have retroactively connected the upgrade to some combination of [[Pretender]], [[Powermaster]], and [[Micromaster]] technology. In terms of both design and storytelling conflict, '' [[Beast Machines: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Machines]] '' pushed the envelope even further by introducing "[[technorganic]]" Maximals that blended metal and flesh on the cellular level, and detailing their conflict against evil, purely-mechanical [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s who transformed into ordinary machines. Subsequently, ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' turned the premise on its head by pitting its cast of heroic vehicle-mode Autobots against villainous beast-mode Predacons.

For the next few years, beast-formers faded into the background; although the [[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|''Armada'']] toyline included a number of [[redeco]]ed ''Beast Wars'' toys, and ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' featured both [[Scorponok (Energon)|a new version of Scorponok]] and an army of bestial [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]]s, it would be ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'', that really brought the concept back into prominence when it introduced the "[[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]]", a world populated by Transformers who'd adapted to their rugged world by adopting animal forms.
This idea of beast-formers being something distinct from ordinary Cybertronians would carry over into the "[[Aligned continuity family|Aligned]]" continuity. Initially, ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]'' did not feature beast mode Cybertronians at all beyond the vaguely spider-themed [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]], but the ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'' game would eventually feature both the [[Dinobot (FOC)|Dinobot]]s and [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s in starring roles. Supposedly, new versions of the Maximals and Predacons would've appeared in the original pitch for ''Prime's'' third season,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160411162414/http://sunnybutte.tumblr.com/post/131384199723/hey-all-getting-a-lot-of-questions-about-those Fan report of panel]: "Actual Maximals and Predacons were set to appear on a revitalized Cybertron in season 3 (he described it as a 'taming the wild west' setting)</ref> but a new creative team taking the reins at Hasbro led to the introduction of the ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Beast Hunters (2013)|Beast Hunters]]'' [[subline imprint]]; while this new imprint ''did'' feature a group of [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacon]]s, these new Predacons were ancient, [[dragon]]-like creatures from Cybertron's prehistory.

[[File:10OnyxPrime.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

After the end of ''Prime'', the ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|Covenant of Primus]]'' hardcover book expounded on the significance of [[Onyx Prime]], the first Cybertronian with a beast mode, and the role that he played in Cybertron's evolution and the development of the aforementioned Predacons. Perhaps most notably, the book also introduced a subgroup of Transformers called the "[[Arachnicon]]s" and heavily implied that Airachnid belonged to this specific Cybertronian subspecies. The sequel series, ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'', really ran with the idea by featuring dozens upon dozens of beast-themed Decepticons--anthropomorphic animals with with vehicle alternate modes like [[Steeljaw (RID)|Steeljaw]] and [[Bisk (RID)|Bisk]], humanoid Cybertronians who became animals like [[Filch]] or [[Scowl (RID)|Scowl]], and even a few animal-to-vehicle oddballs like [[Underbite]] and [[Crazybolt (RID)|Crazybolt]]. Around this time, [[IDW Publishing]] looped the concept around into its [[2005 IDW continuity|ongoing ''Transformers'' universe]], which depicted all beast-bots as victims of [[Functionism|functionist]] prejudice. In addition to introducing a new version of Jungle Planet, this time named "Eukaris", the final arc of ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' dealt with the return of Onyx Prime and his minions. A few years later, beast-bots again came into focus with 2021's ''[[War for Cybertron: Kingdom|Kingdom]]'' franchise, which revived the ''Beast Wars'' premise to celebrate its 25th anniversary, alongside a [[Transformers: Beast Wars|rebooted ''Beast Wars'' comic]].

While the [[Live-action film series|''Transformers'' movies]] have included a number of animalistic robots, including re-imagined versions of [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]], [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]], or the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobot]]s, their prominence in the franchise is comparatively small compared to their more famous vehicle-mode brethren. The 2023 ''[[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|Rise of the Beasts]]'' film shone the spotlight on beast mode Cybertronians for the first time in the films, having a group of [[Maximal]]s in the main cast.

{{--}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 continuity family===
====Marvel Comics continuity====
=====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics=====
[[File:Predacons-GoneButNotForgotten.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

Most if not all beast mode Cybertronians, such as the [[Mini-Cassette]]s, {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s, {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} or [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], possessed creature-based alternate forms even before leaving [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} One notable exception would be the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s. Shortly after the crash of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], the ship's computer detected [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]]'s arrival in the anachronistic [[Savage Land]] and rebuilt [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] and four other Cybertronians into [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]-based forms based off the regional wildlife. {{storylink|The Last Stand}}

=====''Classics''=====
[[File:BWSG-ultramagnusbeastmode.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

When dimensionally-displaced [[Autobot]] and [[Decepticon]] ships crash-landed on a prehistoric Earth saturated with Energon radiation, [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] came up with the idea of combining [[Pretender]] and [[Powermaster]] technology to create organic beast modes. Though [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] came up with the same idea, [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] opted to give the Decepticons new armor instead. {{storylink|Shattered Time}} In their new bodies, the Autobots could consume and metabolize organic matter into energy using their on-board "biomass processors". {{storylink|Shattered Balance}}

After travelling to the mirror-universe Cybertron of that dimension, Prowl, [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] abandoned their beast modes, but both [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] took a liking to their new bodies and kept them. {{storylink|Falling into Place}}

{{--}}

=====''Transformers '84''=====
According to [[Punch (G1)|Punch]], who was skeptical that the Cybertronians had ever encountered living dinosaurs, the Ark's [[Aunty|AUNTIE]] computer system had actually used preserved fossils to turn Grimlock and his team into the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s. {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 2|Secrets & Lies #2}}

{{--}}

====Generation 1 cartoon continuity====
[[File:Primitives Calling.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

Traditionally, Cybertronians with animal forms were known as "[[primitive]]s". {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}} Beast mode Cybertronians shared at least some physiological traits; for instance, those who possessed reptilian forms like [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] and [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] possessed unique "[[Dinosaur transform static|dinosaur electrons]]". {{storylink|Thief in the Night}}

Other animalistic Cybertronians displayed unique powers: notably, the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s, whose [[idento-computer]]s reformatted them into insectoid beast forms to survive in the jungles of [[Bali]], could consume and metabolize organic matter. {{storylink|A Plague of Insecticons}} After discovering [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]] bones, the [[Autobot]]s created the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], powerful warriors with dinosaur alternate modes. {{storylink|S.O.S. Dinobots}} {{storylink|War of the Dinobots}} The [[Quintesson]]s utilized the [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]] and [[Allicon]]s, Transformers with shark and crocodile beast modes respectively, as servants. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} In 2006, a large group of beast mode Transformers, consisting of both Autobots and Decepticons, were summoned by [[Oracle (G1)|a mysterious entity]] to defeat [[Primacron]] and his creation, [[Tornedron]]. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}} When forced by the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]] to volunteer Decepticons to undergo the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] process, [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]] added the stipulation that they were only allowed to take the heads of the Transformers with beast modes. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}}

=====Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity=====
{{stub}}

=====''Legends'' comic=====
[[File:Epiloge-BeastTransformers.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Cybertronians with beast modes had the ability to channel [[Beast Power]], an energy shared between them and the animalistic inhabitants of the planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 41|Bonus Edition Vol. 41}} On [[Micro|Z Planet]], [[Dai Atlas (G1)|Dai Atlas]] encountered newborn beast Transformers created by exposing [[protoform]] capsules to Beast Power, which granted them the power to scan and transform into organic life. [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] believed that their descendants would evolve into the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, and granted them new symbols as a symbol of everlasting peace between the factions. {{Storylink|Transformers Legends Final Chapter "Epiloge"|Epiloge}}

=====''Wings Universe''=====
[[File:FoY Brimstone.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]

The earliest recorded "beastform" Transformers were re-engineered specimens of naturally occurring Cybertronian wildlife: [[Laserbeak (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Laserbeak]], the first beast-former, was originally a [[Cryo-Condor]] who'd modified with a rudimentary alternate mode. Soon enough, [[Ravage (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ravage]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] would join him. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #1}} However, conflicting evidence places beast-form Cybertronians, most prominently [[Brimstone (G1 Decepticon)|Brimstone]], as having existed in ancient times long before the Autobot-Decepticon conflict. {{storylink|Flames of Yesterday}}

As the Autobot-Decepticon war spilled over to Earth, more and more beast-formers rose to prominence, including groups who transformed from humanoid robots into animals. The [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s developed the ability to catalyze organic matter into a crude but usable form, {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #3}} while the presence of [[dinosaur transform static]] amongst the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s and their kin indicated the presence of a deeper synthesis taking place between these two disparate forms of life. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 2|Menagerie #2}} Around this time, both the Autobots and Decepticons began making heavy use of animalistic "Recordabots" and "Recordicons". {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #1}}

The [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s were the first beast Transformers with the ability to [[combiner|combine]], and the first to not be based upon any recognizable Earth creature. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 4|Menagerie #4}} The [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s would become the most notable beast-bots in the years that followed [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]'s disappearance and the revitalisation of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]; [[Perceptor (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Perceptor]] speculated that [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] had marshalled the remnants of the Decepticon military to another world, where he could mastermind the evolution of the Decepticons into a new breed of Predacon that combined the advantages of organic [[Pretender]] shells with fuel-efficient [[Micromaster]] bodies. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 5|Menagerie #5}}

At some point during the Second Golden Age, Cybertronians with beast modes became increasingly commonplace. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #1}} Some forward-thinking Autobots like [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] encouraged this kind of [[Maximal|evolutionary leap forward]], if only to counter the inevitable [[Predacon (BW)|next generation of Predacons]]. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 5|Menagerie #5}}

{{--}}

====Beast Era====
=====Toy bios=====
The Maximals developed a unique "bio-genetic morphing process" that allowed them to create the perfect fusion of organic musculature and Transformer technology. However, the evil Predacons stole this breakthrough and used it to create new forms for themselves based on Earth's most vicious creatures. {{storylink|Optimus Primal vs Megatron!}}

In order to win the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]], [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] developed an experimental [[Transformation virus|anti-conversion virus]]. When used on a group of [[Fuzor]]s, the experiment went wrong and turned the four into [[Mutant (BW)|Mutant]]s trapped between two beast modes.<ref>Hasbro ''[[Mutant (BW)#Toys|Mutant Beast Wars]]'' packaging blurb</ref>

=====''Beast Wars'' cartoon=====
[[File:ChainOfCommand-Maximals.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]
By the era of the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, three centuries after the end of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], technology had evolved to the point where Cybertronians could now use [[DNA scanner]]s and [[CR chamber]]s to perfectly mimic organic lifeforms, even extinct animals like [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]s. These next-generation beast modes sheathed Cybertronian superstructures beneath a layer of artificially grown skin and tissue and rendered them largely impervious to [[energon radiation]] that would otherwise damage purely mechanical lifeforms. Transformers would often initiate the process of converting from their [[robot mode]] by using the [[activation code]] "Beast mode!" {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} Beast modes also seemingly have no effect on a Cybertronian's overall size, nor does there appear to be any mass-shifting when converting into their alternate forms. This is likely due to their function as protection, rather than disguise, and thus bypassing the benefits that the smaller sizes of the Great Upgrade provided may have been unnecessary.

Adopting a beast mode in this way appears to have a subtle effect on the Cybertronian psyche. Many combatants in the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] on prehistoric [[Earth]] displayed appetites consistent with the diets of their chosen form: for instance, [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] ate cheese and garbage, {{storylink|The Web}} [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] displayed interest in a bunch of [[banana]]s, {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}} and [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] took a perverse delight in sucking the [[mech fluid|vital fluid]]s from his victims, although it's not clear if their artificial beast modes could actually digest and catalyze these materials into a usable form of energy. {{storylink|The Web}} While in beast mode, Cybertronians could affect internal repairs without the use of a CR chamber, although the process took time. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}}

[[File:TM2Cheetorfly.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

Traditionally, a programming block prevented a beast mode's natural instincts from interfering with the higher functions of the Cybertronians. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} However, damage sustained by [[Tigatron]]'s [[stasis pod]] affected the [[protoform]] within, and after adopting a suitable beast mode he first believed himself to be a normal organic tiger before coming to his senses. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}} Although [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]]'s stasis pod did not sustain any apparent damage, the monomaniacal instincts of his ant beast mode shaped his worldview: he grew to believe that [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] was his "queen" and the ''[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]'' his "colony". {{storylink|Spider's Game}} When the Predacons sabotaged the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'''s [[rectifier coil]], the Maximals were forced to remain in beast mode for days on end and eventually succumbed to their feral instincts. Thanks to Tigatron, who had already learned how to accept both sides of his being, the Maximals deleted the programming block and embraced their animal sides. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} Indeed, both Maximals and Predacons would occasionally identify with their beast modes; [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] once claimed that, as a cat, he should know better than to trust [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|a dog]], {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} and later fantasized about playing with cat toys; {{storylink|Changing of the Guard}} Tarantulas, meanwhile, sought to create more of "[his] kind" by ensuring that new stasis pods scanned spider alternate modes. {{storylink|Spider's Game}}

A [[quantum surge]] of exotic energy mutated several Cybertronians into advanced "[[Transmetal]]" bodies: Transformers altered in this way integrated organic matter into the robot mode, while the entirely mechanical beast mode now possessed a third "vehicle mode". {{storylink|Aftermath}} Transformers who evolved even further into "[[Transmetal 2|Transmetals 2]]" became asymmetrical, sometimes monstrous, amalgamations of flesh and metal. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}}
{{--}}

=====''Beast Machines'' cartoon=====
[[File:Thereformattingmaximalsmaximize.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Cybertronians could use beast mode technology to mimic lifeforms other than animals—while exploring [[Regalis V|a distant world]] populated by ambulatory plants, [[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]] and her crew used the technology to adopt plant-based alternate modes. {{storylink|Home Soil}} While Optimus Primal and his crew were off-planet, a [[Quantum Cycle Upgrade|standardized upgrade]] fitted every Cybertronian with an in-built DNA scanner and rendered [[stasis pod]] technology obsolete. {{storylink|Survivor}}

Optimus Primal would later claim that the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] supercomputer had engineered the entire Beast Wars as a way to bring fresh organic material to Cybertron via their biomechanical beast modes. {{storylink|The Key}} Upon arriving on Cybertron after Megatron broke free of their shuttle and conquered the planet, his armies of [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s attacked the group with a debilitating [[transformation virus]] that devolved the Transmetal Maximals and trapped them in their beast modes. {{storylink|Revelations Part II: Descent|Descent}} Weakened and dying, the Maximals might've perished had Optimus not discovered the Oracle, which [[Reformatting|reformatted]] Optimus and the other Maximals into [[technorganic]] bodies, a powerful new breed of Cybertronian life that combined the organic and the technological on a cellular level. {{storylink|The Reformatting}} While in their beast modes, the Maximals gave off no energy signatures and were thus invisible to [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]] sensors so long as they kept out of sight. Combined with the stress of mastering the lost art of [[transformation]] and consciously having to maintain control over their [[robot mode]]s, their beast modes became their primary form while sneaking around the Cybertronian underlevels. {{storylink|Master of the House}} Although their new bodies could theoretically subsist upon purely organic material like fruit, doing so pushed their bestial instincts to the fore and reduced them to a primeval state. {{storylink|Forbidden Fruit}}

Having conquered the planet, Megatron developed a virulent hatred for organic life and beast modes as a whole; he regarded the Maximals as "mongrels" and regularly attempted to purge his own beast mode. {{storylink|Master of the House}} When he finally succeeded in doing so, he somehow created [[Noble (BM)|Noble]], a strange organic creature capable of shifting between humanoid wolf and dragon forms. {{storylink|Savage Noble}}
{{--}}

=====2006 IDW ''Beast Wars'' continuity=====
[[File:Bw icebird.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

A few of the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'''s remaining stasis pods malfunctioned, and when [[Razorbeast]] activated them the [[protoform]]s within emerged as [[Mutant (BW)|Mutant]]s, Cybertronians who changed from one animal form to another. They fiercely defended their swamp against intruding Predacons and made it clear that neither the Maximals nor Predacons were welcome in their peaceful home. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 3|The Gathering #3}}

{{--}}

====Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity====
Encouraged by the early success of [[Pretender]] technology, Cybertronian scientists speculated that they could one day directly integrate this miraculous nanotechnology into a Transformer body. A Cybertronian upgraded in this manner could directly assume a biological alternate mode externally indistinguishable from the real thing, and this breakthrough might lead to a new generation of tougher, more-energy efficient Cybertronians. {{storylink|Transformers: More than Meets the Eye}}

====2005 IDW continuity====
[[File:TheMindBomb-cathead.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

The earliest known beast Transformers date back to the brief Dark Age that occurred between the departure of the [[Knights of Cybertron]] and the rise of the [[Thirteen]]. Many individual flocks and herds wandered the prehistoric badlands, searching for energon, {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} but among the most notable would be a powerful warrior tribe known as the [[Maximal]]s and their commander, [[Liege Maximo]]. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|Endless Forever}} While fleeing the armies of [[The Fallen|Megatronus]], the group came into the employ of [[Onyx Prime]]—in reality, a time-travelling [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] in disguise—who incorporated the Maximals into his personal "menagerie" of beast warriors. {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} {{storylink|Origin Myths}} Working with [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'s group of [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]s, their impromptu alliance confronted Megatronus and his [[Darklands|Darklander]]s on the site that would one day become the [[Crystal City]], blunted his advance for good, and eventually laid the foundations for what would eventually become the [[Thirteen]]. {{storylink|Origin Myths}}

During the subsequent reign of the [[Thirteen Tribes]] over Cybertron, the Maximals and their kin faced discrimination due to their alternate modes. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}} During the later [[First Cybertronian Civil War]] between the tribes and their leaders, Onyx Prime and his armies entered into an alliance with [[Nexus Prime]]; using his [[Enigma of Combination]], they created an army of [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] that combined small beast-formers with larger humanoid Cybertronians. Darklander warrior [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]] declared the union of beast and bot disgusting, and eventually slaughtered the ancient Headmasters to the last 'bot in the name of Cybertronian purity. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 3: The Mind Bomb|The Mind Bomb}}

[[File:TimeWillRust-Eukaris.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66]]

Ultimately, however, the war ended with all of the Primes either dead or missing, and in their absence [[Nova Prime]] united the tribes of Cybertron under a new system of [[functionism]] where one's alternate mode defined their position in society. Under this new societal schema, the beasts were placed near the bottom of society, only outranking the unfortunate 'bots in the so-called "[[disposable class]]". The beasts would become the victims of institutionalized discrimination that lasted until the final days of [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s reign. {{storylink|The Crucible}} However, before he and his innermost retinue of Maximals abandoned Cybertron for the ruins of [[Antilla]], Onyx Prime instructed the [[Titan (group)|Titan]] [[Chela]] to colonize a distant jungle world; using the [[hot spot (phenomenon)|hot spot]] within his body, Chela birthed an entire civilization of beast mode Transformers who could thrive in safety. These new "[[Jungle Planet (colony)|Eukarian]]" Transformers remembered the prejudice their ancestors had faced and cultivated a deep distrust of vehicular "standard-formers". {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 6|Windblade vol. 2 #6}}

[[File:FortMaxCuddles.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

By the time of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], the stigma surrounding beast modes had largely dissipated. Some vehicular Transformers even adopted beast modes—notably, the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dynobot]]s adopted [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]] beast modes with synthetic flesh to protect them from high leves of [[Energon]] radiation on prehistoric [[Earth]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Shockwave}} During his tour of duty on [[Z'verei]], [[Rattrap (BW)#2005 IDW continuity|Rattrap]] adopted a [[Z'verein mole-rat]] alternate mode. {{storylink|Three Monologues}}

Several years after the war, beast modes again rose to prominence: while [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]]'s [[Republic of Cybertron|post-war government]] discovered and opened diplomatic channels with the citizens of Eukaris, the Decepticon [[Demus]] began kidnapping beast mode Transformers, subjecting them to a horrific "[[domestication]]" process, then marketing his victims as "[[Roboid]]s" as torture dolls for organic races. {{storylink|Animals}} Exposure to [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]'s corrupted [[energon]] spontaneously mutated the [[Caminus (planet)|Camien]] [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]] so that she transformed into a two-headed monster. {{storylink|The Transformers: Redemption|Redemption}}

The mad scientist [[Tarantulas (BW)|Mesothulas]] combined quasi-organic beast mode technology with [[obtenteum]] to create mass-shifting "bio-disguises". Cybertronians who underwent this "[[Chimeracon]]" upgrade gained the ability to perfectly mimic any living creature and completely mask their Cybertronian energy signatures in the process. Members of [[Mayhem Attack Squad|Mayhem]] adopted this technology and used it to hide out among the native wildlife while operating in the [[Alaska]]n wilderness. {{storylink|Sins of the Wreckers issue 3|Sins of the Wreckers #3}} Later still, Tarantulas perfected the technology, allowing [[Overlord (G1)|Overlord]] to pass himself off as a human politician. {{storylink|Transformers: Requiem of the Wreckers|Requiem of the Wreckers}}

When "Onyx Prime" returned to Cybertron, he brought with him an entire Maximal army; eventually, however, his beast servants betrayed him and allied instead with his ultimate creation, [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. {{storylink|Road's End}} Several of the newborn Cybertronians born from [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]'s hot spot on Earth possessed beast modes. {{storylink|Post}}

{{--}}

====''Hearts of Steel''====
[[File:HoS1-IceAgeWars.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

During the "[[Ice Age Wars]]" on prehistoric Earth, both the Autobots and Decepticons transformed into creatures like dinosaurs, flying reptiles, and giant insects. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 1|Hearts of Steel #1}}
{{--}}

====''TransTech''====
Although they transformed into a rabbit and pika respectively, [[Kitte Shūshū]] and her husband [[Z Grill]] were nevertheless able to use their "integrated organic parts" to conceive a son, [[Stampy (BW)|Stampy]]. {{storylink|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/05/10}}

====''Of Masters and Mayhem''====
While investigating the planet [[Chicxulania]], [[Thrashclaw]], [[Slice (G1)|Slice]], and [[Shred]] discovered an abandoned laboratory where an advanced alien civilization had developed "Beast Warrior" technology, which allowed a Cybertronian to assume techno-organic hybrid forms. To protect themselves from ambient [[energon radiation]], they and [[Gnash]] integrated the technology into their superstructures, adopted beast modes based on the local [[dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]s, and dubbed themselves the "[[Raptoricon]]s". Later on, the shipwrecked [[Fractyl]] briefly assumed a pterosaur beast form using the same technology, but ultimately switched back to his vehicular configuration when he departed the planet with [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]]. {{storylink|Life Finds a Way}}

====''Beast Wars: Uprising''====
[[File:Safe Spaces Preditron Gaidora.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Several years into the [[Grand Uprising]], the ambitious Predacon [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] observed that [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s growing menagerie of [[mechanimal]]s could somehow metabolize their own [[energon]] from raw materials like industrial runoff. Inspired by this unexpected resilience, Megatron grew interested in somehow grafting this physiological trait onto the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, who remained reliant on ordinary [[energon cube]]s like their [[Builder of Cybertron|Builder]] forebears. Progress did not come easily; most of Megatron's earliest test subjects died from the imperfect process, but after seeking out the disgraced [[Autobot]] scientist [[Leatherhide (Universe)|Leatherhide]], who had previously attempted to hybridize Cybertronians with mechanicals, the pair quickly perfected process—first, they created [[Inferno (BW)|Formikon]], then applied the process to themselves. {{storylink|Not All Megatrons}}

Sure enough, Transformers who adopted the '''Beast Upgrade''' no longer required external [[energon cube]]s to function; instead, they could ingest food which their onboard systems could then process into energon. {{storylink|Not All Megatrons}} Beast mode Transformers also possessed increased reflexes as a result of their bio-enhanced physiologies, {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}} enhanced senses, {{storylink|Safe Spaces}} and could quickly repair their injuries while transformed. {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}} Soon, Megatron's front corporation made the upgrade public, and Maximals and Predacons across the planet chose to abandon their original vehicular configurations in favor of beast modes. {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}} Popular beast mode templates included [[jurassanoid]]s, [[armodrillo]]s, and [[cybercat]]s, {{storylink|Derailment}} although some Cybertronians modelled their alternate modes on strange alien creatures {{storylink|Safe Spaces}} or even mythical animals like dragons and phoenixes. {{storylink|Derailment}} They became a decisive factor as the Grand Uprising came to a close; freed from the need for vulnerable energon supply chains, members of the [[Resistance]] and other splinter forces could besiege Builder-held cities with impunity. {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}}

By the time of the [[Vehicon Apocalypse]], Leatherhide had moved on to creating new breeds of biomechanical life like the [[Fuzor]]s and [[Horrorcon (Universe)|Horrorcon]]s after reverse-engineering a [[Klaws|a mysterious cybernetic life-form]]. A spectral [[Overshoot]], acting on the will of the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], informed [[Stiletto (BW)|Stiletto]] that the Beast Upgrade marked a new beginning: the rise of the mechanimals and the fusion between beast and 'bot represented Cybertron's efforts to generate a self-sustaining ecosystem. {{storylink|Derailment}}

{{--}}

====2019 IDW continuity====
[[File:WeHaveDecievedYou-InfiltrationTroopers.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

During the [[Age of the Firstforged]], the Cybertronian folk heroes [[Halonix Maximus]] and [[Big Bang (G1)|Big Bang]] battled beast mode Cybertronians like [[Preditron]] and [[Gaidora (BWU)|Gaidora]] in the wilderness. {{storylink|End of Time}}

Numerous Cybertronians, most prominently a number of [[Mini-Cassette|infiltration trooper]]s, possessed either beast modes or animalistic robot modes. Although beast-formers did not suffer any kind of institutionalized discrimination, {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: We Have Deceived You|We Have Deceived You}} some individual Cybertronians expressed prejudiced attitudes toward them: [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], for instance, once categorized ordinary vehicle-mode Cybertronians like himself as possessing more "advanced forms" then the beasts, {{storylink|Wheeljack: Orbital Decay}} and [[Grotusque]] occasionally grumbled that people looked down on him for his choice of alternate mode. {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: We Have Deceived You|We Have Deceived You}}

{{--}}

====2021 IDW ''Beast Wars'' comic====
[[File:SavageLandingPart5-Megatrontransforms.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

To protect the Cybertronians from harmful levels of [[energon radiation]], the artificial intelligences aboard the crashed ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' and ''[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]'' reconstructed their crews with new beast modes based on fabricated techno-organic material that matched the native organics on a molecular level. {{storylink|Savage Landing Part 1}} In their new bodies, they were capable of digesting and metabolizing organic material, {{storylink|Savage Landing Part 2}} {{storylink|Thicker Skin}} and retained the ability to access some of their weapons and gadgets while in their beast modes. {{storylink|Savage Landing Part 4}}

When [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] were captured by the [[Children of the Vok (group)|Children of the Vok]], the [[force field]]s holding them were only designed to work on the Cybertronians' [[robot mode]]s, allowing the two to escape in their beast modes. {{storylink|Children of the Vok}}
{{--}}

====''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' cartoon====
[[File:Kingdom-ep2-beastroars.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

After arriving on prehistoric Earth, a group of time-travelling Maximals and Predacons adopted suitable beast modes during their battle over the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]]. {{storylink|Kingdom episode 1}}

{{--}}

===2001 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon===
[[File:Maximus Emerges Darkscream gasskunk.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]

In contrast to the vehicular Autobots, their ancient enemies the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s possessed beast forms. Although the Predacon leader [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] could transform into multiple forms, two of his alternate forms were a two-headed dragon and a bat. {{storylink|Battle Protocol!}} After becoming Galvatron, he gained additional beast modes that included a one-headed dragon, an elephant, and a griffin. {{storylink|Maximus Emerges}}

{{--}}

===Unicron Trilogy===
====Dreamwave ''Armada'' comics====
The Decepticon [[Predacon (Armada)|Predacon]] experimented with hybridizing Cybertronian technology with organic tissue in the belief that Cybertronians who underwent this upgrade would become far more powerful, and went as far as to test the process on himself. Although most Cybertronians found the idea repulsive, Predacon gathered a small but fanatical cult of personality who believed wholeheartedly in his ideals. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye: Transformers: Armada|More than Meets the Eye}}

====''Energon'' cartoon====
[[File:Cruellock.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

[[Alpha Quintesson]]'s [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]]s all possessed animalistic alternate modes. Each sub-species of Terrorcon had their own beast form, with [[Battle Ravage]]s and [[Command Ravage]]s transforming into jaguars, {{storylink|Cybertron City (episode)|Cybertron City}} {{storylink|Crisis in Jungle City}} [[Divebomb (Energon)|Divebomb]]s and [[Blackout (Terrorcon)|Blackout]]s transforming into hawks, {{storylink|Energon Grid (episode)|Energon Grid}} [[Cruellock]]s turning into an approximation of a dinosaur, {{storylink|The Return of Demolishor}} and [[Insecticon (Energon)|Insecticon]]s turning into beetles. {{storylink|Each One Fights...}}

Terrorcons usually stayed in their beast modes, and only transformed into their rarely-seen robot modes when it became absolutely necessary while in combat. {{storylink|Energon Stars}} {{storylink| A Tale of Two Heros}}

{{--}}

====''Cybertron'' cartoon====
[[File:Cyb ep20 jungle planet natives.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Millennia ago, a group of Cybertronian colonists settled the planet they would name "[[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]]" aboard the starship ''[[Hyperborea (Cybertron)|Hyperborea]]''. {{storylink|Homecoming (episode)|Homecoming}} As time passed, their descendents adopted various beast modes to cope with life on their wild and untamed planet: although most inhabitants of Jungle Planet appear to transform into reptiles, dinosaurs, or mammals, {{storylink|Search (episode)|Search}} some have become birds or even arthropods. {{storylink|Honor}}

Jungle Planet's [[Cyber Planet Key]] appears to have the power to instantly reformat Cybertronians into a suitable beast mode. When [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul]] tapped into the power of the Jungle Planet's [[Cyber Planet Key]], he gained a lion alternate mode and redubbed himself "Leobreaker". {{storylink|Detour (episode)|Detour}} In [[Aurex 1006.0 Beta|one alternate timeline]], the energies of the Jungle Planet key mutated both Optimus Prime and Megatron into beast forms while on the Jungle Planet. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Armada)/toys#Gorilla|Jungle Planet Optimus Prime toy bio}} {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/19}}

====Ask Vector Prime====
In [[Aurex 615.03 Epsilon|another alternate reality]], a version of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] took place in [[Alpha Q's universe]]. To survive the star system's volatile [[Super Energon]] sun, the Maximals and Predacons adopted a wide variety of unusual beast modes that included mobile fungi, [[mechamorph]]s, [[Rock Lord]]s, [[Beastformer (species)|Battle Beasts]], and even abstract elemental beings. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/03}}

{{--}}

===Live-action film series===
====Movies====
[[File:Dinobots ready for battle AOE.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66]]

In Cybertron's distant past, beast modes appeared to have been more common—ancient warriors such as the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobot]]s and [[Guardian Knight]]s transformed into imposing predators like dinosaurs and dragons. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}} {{storylink|Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|The Last Knight}}

By the era of the [[Great War (Movie)|Great War]], beast modes appear to have fallen out of favour. Many modern Cybertronians with animal forms, including [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], and the [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticon]]s, are [[mechanimal]]s who have been re-engineered to serve wartime roles, such as espionage or sabotage.<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/cybertronian-database.cfm#/characters/laserbeak Vector Sigma database at Hasbro.com]</ref> In many cases, these beast warriors formed symbiotic relationships with larger Cybertronians, who could deploy them as needed to scout ahead or carry out specific duties. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}

=====''Rise of the Beasts'' film=====
The [[Maximal]]s hailed from [[Jungle Planet (colony)|a Cybertronian colony]] populated by Cybertronians who bore beast modes. {{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|Rise of the Beasts}}
{{--}}

====''The Veiled Threat''====
A [[Crab spy|particularly cunning Decepticon spy]] disguised himself as one of the many red crabs that periodically infested the [[NEST]] base on [[Diego Garcia]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Veiled Threat|The Veiled Threat}}

====IDW movie comics====
[[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] commanded the loyalty of multiple beast Decepticons, including [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]], [[Ratbat (ROTF)|Ratbat]], [[Beastbox (ROTF)|Beastbox]], and [[Rumble (ROTF)|Rumble]]. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 4|Nefarious #4}}

{{--}}

===''Animated''===
[[File:Blackarach anim beast.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Although robotic creatures like [[brontobot]]s and [[cybercat]]s were common enough on Cybertron to be kept as pets, Cybertronians with beast modes were a very uncommon sight. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} During a disastrous expedition to the forbidden world of [[Archa Seven]], the Autobot cadet [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] attempted to use her download powers on [[Archa Seven arachnid|a native arachnid]], but wound up infecting herself with their venom instead. The transformation mutated her into a [[technorganic]] amalgamation of organic and mechanical and gave her a new alternate mode based on the spiders. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}}

As part of his many attempts to regain his body and power, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] experimented on dinosaur automatons to make them attack drones. Perhaps as a result of these modifications, [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]]'s [[AllSpark Key]] was drawn to the automatons, granting them [[spark]]s and turning them into fully fledged Cybertronians. {{storylink|Blast from the Past}} Their beast modes, and indeed their very existence, was viewed as proof by [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] as what a screwloose planet Earth was. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}

In her quest to purge herself of her organic half, Blackarachnia fused [[Wasp]] with an organic wasp in the hopes that finding a way to reverse the process could clue her into curing her own condition. Like her, the monstrous "Waspinator" possessed the ability to transform into a huge technorganic wasp. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Animated)|Predacons Rising}}

{{--}}

===Fun Publications ''Shattered Glass'' continuity===
[[File:Sgpredaconsvsgrimlock.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

Inspired by [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]]'s success after the Autobots liberated him from stasis and inducted him into their ranks, the mad scientist [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] created an entire army of deranged [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinobot]]s, artificial lifeforms who utilized a sophisticated artificial intelligence instead of a life-giving [[Spark|ember]]. Wheeljack used his impromptu army to launch a coup against [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]], but the Dinobots turned on one another and scattered into the Cybertronian wilderness.

Both the Autobots and Decepticons tried to gain control of as many Dinobots as they could. In the meantime, Grimlock stumbled across the ancient [[Omega Terminus]] supercomputer, which imbued an ember upon him that transformed him from a simple-minded beast into an intelligent Cybertronian with a humanoid robot mode. After returning to the surface, he gathered all of his fellow Dinobots and upgraded them in a similar fashion, granting them embers and the ability to transform. {{storylink|Dungeons & Dinobots}} While some of the Dinobots and Dinocons gained humanoid robot forms, others, like [[Slugfest (SG)|Slugfest]] and [[Overkill (SG)|Overkill]], instead transformed into data cartridges. {{storylink|Do Over}}

Other Autobots and Decepticons, most prominently the [[Predacon (SG)|Predacon]]s, transformed into small animals. {{storylink|Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass}} [[Terrorcon (SG)|Terrorcon]] leader [[Hun-Grrr (SG)|Hun-Grrr]] adopted an alternate mode based on an [[Algean two-headed razor beast]]. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 28|Hun-Grrr profile}} A future group of time-travelling Transformers led by [[Megatron (BWSG)|a different Megatron]] also possessed beast modes. {{storylink|Shattered Destiny}}

{{--}}

===Aligned continuity family===
====''The Covenant of Primus''====
[[File:COP-predacons.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]
At the dawn of time, [[Primus]] created [[Onyx Prime]], the first beast-mode Cybertronian. Although [[Quintus Prime]] and [[Liege Maximo]] would cooperate with one another in the days after [[Unicron]]'s defeat to found a "farm" of small, semi-autonomous animal robots, these were not truly "alive", although when the remaining Primes fell to violence and chaos in the wake of [[Solus Prime]]'s passing they proved deadly enough to mortally wound Onyx. When he and his friend [[Micronus Prime]] returned to Primus via the newly created [[Well of All Sparks]], Onyx used his [[Triptych Mask]] to scan all the life in the universe and provide the Well itself with an infinite variety of templates for future Cybertronian lifeforms. These included both humanoid Cybertronians and a wide array of beasts, who formed a functioning ecosystem based around exploiting the [[energon]] that flowed freely over the planet's surface. The planet's apex predators, the [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacons]], harassed the city-dwelling Cybertronians until [[Prima]] finally defeated [[Predaking (COP)|Predaking]] in single combat. Although all of the creatures that emerged from the Well of All Sparks possessed functioning [[transformation cog]]s, the Cybertronians of the era did not understand how to transform and thus creatures like the [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]]s and Predacons permanently remained in their beast modes.

In the wake of Cybertron's [[Great Cataclysm|first mass extinction]], many forms of life, including the Predacons, vanished entirely. Cybertron's overall diversity took a major hit; although some beasts and beast-like Cybertronians like the Insecticons and [[Arachnicon]]s survived, the subsequent rise of civilization pushed many of them out into Cybertron's dwindling wilderness or deeper underground. When the Quintessons invaded, the [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]] were enslaved as enforcers and executioners.

After the departure of the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'' and ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'', [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] used a malfunctioning [[space bridge]] to study creatures from other planets and time periods, and found himself captivated by the [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]s of prehistoric Earth. Inspired by their ferocity, he and [[Forged|his Insecticon minions]] rebuilt [[Grimlock (WFC)|Grimlock]] and four other Transformers into the fearsome [[Dinobot (FOC)|Dinobot]]s that incorporated a number of design traits inspired by the extinct Predacons. Later still, Shockwave would even clone [[Predaking (Prime)|one of those Predacons]] to become one of his enforcers. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

{{--}}

====IDW Aligned comics====
[[File:RageOfTheDinobots3-SerKet.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]

Shockwave discovered the Insecticons in the depths of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and re-engineered them into loyal Decepticons who would aid the Decepticon empire as it broadened its reach beyond Cybertron. {{storylink|Fragmentation (FOC)|Fragmentation}} The Insecticons lured [[Grimlock (WFC)|Grimlock]] and the [[Dinobot (FOC)|Lightning Strike Coalition]] into a trap, allowing Shockwave to experiment upon the group; inspired by the creatures he'd viewed on a prehistoric planet called Earth, his experiments took place on the genetic level that spliced dinosaur DNA with their [[CNA]]. {{storylink|Siege Mentality}} {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 4|Rage of the Dinobots #4}}

Later still, following the disappearance of Optimus Prime, Megatron, and their followers, Shockwave wasted no time in establishing an empire of his own, enforced by a legion of warriors who called themselves the "[[Forged]]". {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 1|Rage of the Dinobots #1}} A mixture of remnant Decepticons and cloned Predacons, the most loyal of their number received bestial upgrades that gave them Predacon-like traits and draconic beast modes.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-comics-discussion/917845-q-mairghread-scott-writer-transformers-prime-beast-hunters.html#post9492754 Mairghread Scott Q and A]</ref> Their leader, [[Ser-Ket (Prime)|Ser-Ket]], embraced the idea, and viewed beast modes as the "true forms" of the Cybertronians who had undergone Shockwave's experimentation. {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 2|Rage of the Dinobots #2}}

{{--}}

====''Prime'' cartoon====
[[File:PredaconsRisingSkylynxandDarksteelDragons.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

As the [[Great War (Prime)|Great War]] spilled over onto other worlds, Shockwave [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] cloned an army of Predacons from fossilized remains and deployed them to distant planets to eliminate Autobots. On Earth, they formed the basis for many myths and legends involving [[dragon]]s. {{storylink|Project Predacon}} Other prominent beast mode Cybertronians included the [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]]s, which possessed a strange, quasi-telepathic connection with the similarly insectoid [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]], {{storylink|Armada (episode)|Armada}} and the [[Dinobot (FOC)|Dinobot]]s. {{storylink|Project Predacon}}

In the present day, Shockwave again turned his attention to cloning Predacons, and first created [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]] before travelling to Earth, with the intent of producing many more. However, the discovery that the Predacons were intelligent beings with the ability to transform prompted [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] to scrap the project. {{storylink|Evolution}}

Despite this setback, Shockwave would later clone [[Darksteel (Prime)|Darksteel]] and [[Skylynx (Prime)|Skylynx]] after his return to Cybertron and put them to work searching for more Predacon remains. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}}

====Aligned novels====
A number of Cybertronians with aquatic beast modes, including Sharkticons and [[Leviacon]]s, colonized the planet [[Aquatron]] during Cybertron's [[Golden Age]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Retribution|Retribution}}

====''Rescue Bots'' cartoon====
[[File:QuarrysQuarry triumphant team.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]
In order to safely navigate [[Wayward Island]], Optimus Prime [[Scanning|scanned]] [[Trex]], an animatronic dinosaur with [[technorganic|techno-organic]] components, and gained the ability to transform into a ''Tyrannosaurus rex''. {{storylink|Land Before Prime (episode)|Land Before Prime}} However, his low [[energon]] levels caused Optimus to succumb to his new form's dinosaur instincts and went on a rampage in [[Griffin Rock]], which attracted the attention of the villainous hunter [[Quint Quarry]]. To rescue the Autobot leader, [[Boulder (RB)|Boulder]], [[Graham Burns]], and [[Ezra Greene|Doc Greene]] developed an [[energon patch]] that would return him to normal, and tested it by having Boulder scan an animatronic ''Triceratops'' {{storylink|Big Game}}

During a second confrontation with Quarry, [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]], [[Chase (RB)|Chase]] and [[Blades (RB)|Blades]] all scanned dinosaur modes, and used energon patches to stay in control of their faculties. {{storylink|Quarry's Quarry}}

{{--}}

====2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon====
[[File:TRID S3 E17 E MSS.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Humanoid Cybertronians shared their planet with an impressive variety of bestial offshoots and subspecies, which ranged wildly in both form and function. Notable groups include the metal-eating [[Chompazoid]]s, {{storylink|Pilot (Part 1)}} frog-like [[Amphiboid]]s, {{storylink|Rumble in the Jungle}} flying [[Corvicon]]s, {{storylink|True Colors}} aquatic [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s, {{storylink|Blurred}} ape-like [[Orangucon]]s, {{storylink|Brainpower}} thick-headed [[Buffaloid]]s, {{storylink|W.W.O.D.?}} or thick-skinned [[Lobstercon]]s. {{storylink|Pretzel Logic}} While some transformed from humanoid robots into animalistic beast modes, others changed from quadrupedal beasts into vehicles, and still others resembled anthropomorphic animals while in their robot modes. Intriguingly, if somewhat confusingly, a naturally-occurring group of Cybertronians with dinosaur alternate modes were referred to as "[[Dinobot (RID)|Dinobot]]s", apparently separate from the artificially-created Autobot subgroup who had appeared in prior "Aligned" media. {{storylink|Similarly Different}}

Almost all of the Decepticons aboard the prison ship ''[[Alchemor (RID)|Alchemor]]'' belonged to one or more of these subgroups. {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 1)}}

====''Go!'' cartoon====
A number of beast-mode Predacons, including [[Dragotron]], the [[Four Oni]], and the [[Jaki]], rebelled against their Decepticon masters and took up residence on Earth, but were later sealed away inside [[Mount Fuji]]. {{storylink|Triple Combination! Swordbot - Samurai!}} {{storylink|Triple Combination! Swordbot - Ninja!}}

===Ask Vector Prime===

When asked what kind of beast mode he'd choose if given the opportunity, Vector Prime mused that he'd always been fond of cetaceans. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/05/30}}

===''BotBots''===
A very large number of BotBots possess animal-based robot modes—notable examples include [[Unilla Icequeencone]], [[Javasaurus Rex]], [[Big Cantuna]], or [[Chilla Gorilla]]. A few, like [[Venus Frogtrap]] or [[Bonz-Eye]], become plants.

{{--}}

===''Cyberverse'' cartoon===
[[File:Spotted-Cheetor.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

[[Cheetor (Cyberverse)|Cheetor]] received a cheetah beast mode from the [[AllSpark]] to better act as its guardian. {{storylink|Dark Birth}}

After being stranded on Earth, [[Grimlock (Cyberverse)|Grimlock]] reformatted himself into a ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' to better cope with the harsh environment, even rewiring his circuitry to increase the raw power of his beast mode. {{storylink|King of the Dinosaurs}} His act inspired a number of young Cybertronian colonists, who adopted prehistoric alternate modes and dubbed themselves the "[[Dinobot (Cyberverse)|Dinobot]]s". {{storylink|The Immobilizers}}

{{--}}

===''EarthSpark'' cartoon===
[[File:NightshadeOwlMode MissedConnection.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

[[Skullcruncher (ES)|Skullcruncher]], [[Bombshell (ES)|Bombshell]], and [[Shrapnel (ES)|Shrapnel]] each have a beast mode. {{storylink|Secret Legacy, Part 2}}

[[Nightshade (ES)|Nightshade]] didn't believe they needed an alt-mode to complete themself. [[Tarantulas (ES)|Tarantulas]], himself possessing a spider beast mode, explained that an alt-mode isn't a missing part, but an expression of their selfhood. Taking these words to spark, Nightshade scanned a statue of the ''[[Winged Sentinel]]'' owl, taking it on as their beast mode. {{storylink|Missed Connection}}

[[Grimlock (ES)|Grimlock]] possessed a ''T. rex'' beast mode. {{storylink|Home, Part 1}}

During a little training at the [[Dino-Mite Quarry]], one of Grimlock's seismic stomps unearthed the fossilized skeleton of a ''Stygimoloch''. Drawn to the ancient bones, [[Jawbreaker (ES)|Jawbreaker]] scanned them and gained a dino mode of his own. Grimlock and [[Elita-1 (ES)|Elita-1]] were surprised as this wasn't how trans-scanning usually worked. {{storylink|A Stygi Situation}}

{{--}}

==Notes==
* "Beast mode" has since been trademarked by Marshawn Lynch, an American football running back for the [[Seattle Seahawks]], who claims to have "invented" it as his own personal, signature catch phrase. Lynch now uses it as the primary branding of [https://www.beastmodeonline.com/ his clothing line], so don't expect the phrase to appear on any [[Hasbro]] merchandise any time soon.

==See also==
* [[Popular beast alternate modes]]
* [[Primitive]]
* [[Chimeracon]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

Beast mode

2024-02-09T22:07:40Z

AStrangeAvenue: /* Fun Publications Shattered Glass continuity */ spelling correction

[[File:BW21 6 cvr RI Beastmodes.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Are you tired of being nice? Don't you just wanna go ape?]]

The [[Transformer]]s have taken on many [[alternate mode]]s over the years, but no group of Cybertronians are quite as distinct or unique as those who adopt '''beast modes'''. Broadly speaking, a Cybertronian with a beast mode possesses one or more forms partially or completely based on a biological lifeform: this might be a contemporary [[Earth]] creature, an extinct organism like a [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]], some kind of [[alien]] monster, or something fantastical like a [[dragon]] or [[unicorn]]; in very rare cases, Cybertronians have even adopted plant or fungus-based alternate modes. Although the majority of beast mode Transformers change from humanoid robots into animals, several possess an animal form as their [[robot mode]] and instead transform into vehicles or other inanimate objects, and a [[Mutant (BW)|select few]] simply transform from one animal shape into another.

Most [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s with beast modes transform into oversized, blatantly mechanical creatures, and as a result forego disguise in favor of combat utility when operating on planets like [[Earth]]. Their descendants, the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, will refine the technology by integrating organic material directly into their superstructures and gaining the ability to convincingly mimic organic creatures; in time, this synthesis may even evolve into a genuine [[technorganic]] symbiosis that bonds carbon and silicon on a cellular level. Not all Cybertronians understand this deeper significance, however, and in some realities beast Transformers have faced prejudice and even institutionalized discrimination against their unusual forms.

Transformers with beast modes are sometimes referred to as "'''beast-formers'''", a term that sometimes sees use to distinguish themselves from vehicular "standard-formers."

{{bigquote|Beast or 'bot, we're ''still'' the baddest!|[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]|"[[Call of the Wild]]"}}

==Conceptual history==
[[File:RavageRatbat.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

Although the specific term "beast mode" only rose to prominence in the mid-1990s, animal-mode Cybertronians formed a part of the ''Transformers'' franchise from the very beginning. Although [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] all appeared as [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s minions in both the original [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] and [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|comic]], the two works took their characterizations in radically different directions: while the Marvel comic hewed closer to [[Bob Budiansky]]'s profiles for the characters by depicting them as intelligent, fully articulate beings whom the other characters treated as equals, the cartoon (barring [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3|one exception]]) depicted them as mindless, animalistic creatures. [[1985]] brought the first humanoid-to-animal Transformers in the form of the heroic [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s and evil [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], and by 1986 the floodgates had opened: in addition to new [[Mini-Cassette]] characters like [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] and [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]], other new beast characters included the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s, [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s, [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s, [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], and [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. The [[Pretender]] toyline featured characters like [[Longtooth]] and [[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]], who disguised themselves as humanoid animals, while the [[Pretender Beast]]s became ordinary quadrupedal creatures. No serious attempts were made to distinguish these beast characters from their vehicular kin, although [[Call of the Primitives|one episode of the original ''Transformers'' cartoon]] dubbed them "[[Primitive]]s".

[[File:Cheetorbw.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]

In 1996, the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' franchise brought the idea of beast Transformers to the fore, and in doing so took the traditional ''Transformers'' aesthetic in a radically new direction. The franchise introduced two new groups of Transformers, the heroic [[Maximal]]s and evil [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, who all transformed into different kinds of animals; unlike the blocky, clearly mechanical animals of "[[The Transformers (franchise)|the original franchise]]", however, these new Cybertronians were sleek, ''{{w|Bio Booster Armor Guyver|Guyver}}''-style humanoids who all transformed into fully organic animals. The [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|tie-in cartoon]] established that they'd adopted organic animal forms to protect their mechanical bodies from high amounts of [[energon radiation|radiation]] while stranded on a planet rich with [[energon]]. This cartoon also codified the phrase "beast mode" to describe these alternate modes; different episodes like "[[Call of the Wild]]" would, on occasion, highlight the unique challenges these biomechanical Cybertronians faced. The original ''Beast Wars'' cartoon did not ever give a specific explanation behind the origins of biomechanical beast mode technology, but multiple later sources, most prominently [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' guidebooks, have retroactively connected the upgrade to some combination of [[Pretender]], [[Powermaster]], and [[Micromaster]] technology. In terms of both design and storytelling conflict, '' [[Beast Machines: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Machines]] '' pushed the envelope even further by introducing "[[technorganic]]" Maximals that blended metal and flesh on the cellular level, and detailing their conflict against evil, purely-mechanical [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s who transformed into ordinary machines. Subsequently, ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' turned the premise on its head by pitting its cast of heroic vehicle-mode Autobots against villainous beast-mode Predacons.

For the next few years, beast-formers faded into the background; although the [[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|''Armada'']] toyline included a number of [[redeco]]ed ''Beast Wars'' toys, and ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' featured both [[Scorponok (Energon)|a new version of Scorponok]] and an army of bestial [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]]s, it would be ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'', that really brought the concept back into prominence when it introduced the "[[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]]", a world populated by Transformers who'd adapted to their rugged world by adopting animal forms.
This idea of beast-formers being something distinct from ordinary Cybertronians would carry over into the "[[Aligned continuity family|Aligned]]" continuity. Initially, ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]'' did not feature beast mode Cybertronians at all beyond the vaguely spider-themed [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]], but the ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'' game would eventually feature both the [[Dinobot (FOC)|Dinobot]]s and [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s in starring roles. Supposedly, new versions of the Maximals and Predacons would've appeared in the original pitch for ''Prime's'' third season,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160411162414/http://sunnybutte.tumblr.com/post/131384199723/hey-all-getting-a-lot-of-questions-about-those Fan report of panel]: "Actual Maximals and Predacons were set to appear on a revitalized Cybertron in season 3 (he described it as a 'taming the wild west' setting)</ref> but a new creative team taking the reins at Hasbro led to the introduction of the ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Beast Hunters (2013)|Beast Hunters]]'' [[subline imprint]]; while this new imprint ''did'' feature a group of [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacon]]s, these new Predacons were ancient, [[dragon]]-like creatures from Cybertron's prehistory.

[[File:10OnyxPrime.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

After the end of ''Prime'', the ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|Covenant of Primus]]'' hardcover book expounded on the significance of [[Onyx Prime]], the first Cybertronian with a beast mode, and the role that he played in Cybertron's evolution and the development of the aforementioned Predacons. Perhaps most notably, the book also introduced a subgroup of Transformers called the "[[Arachnicon]]s" and heavily implied that Airachnid belonged to this specific Cybertronian subspecies. The sequel series, ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'', really ran with the idea by featuring dozens upon dozens of beast-themed Decepticons--anthropomorphic animals with with vehicle alternate modes like [[Steeljaw (RID)|Steeljaw]] and [[Bisk (RID)|Bisk]], humanoid Cybertronians who became animals like [[Filch]] or [[Scowl (RID)|Scowl]], and even a few animal-to-vehicle oddballs like [[Underbite]] and [[Crazybolt (RID)|Crazybolt]]. Around this time, [[IDW Publishing]] looped the concept around into its [[2005 IDW continuity|ongoing ''Transformers'' universe]], which depicted all beast-bots as victims of [[Functionism|functionist]] prejudice. In addition to introducing a new version of Jungle Planet, this time named "Eukaris", the final arc of ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' dealt with the return of Onyx Prime and his minions. A few years later, beast-bots again came into focus with 2021's ''[[War for Cybertron: Kingdom|Kingdom]]'' franchise, which revived the ''Beast Wars'' premise to celebrate its 25th anniversary, alongside a [[Transformers: Beast Wars|rebooted ''Beast Wars'' comic]].

While the [[Live-action film series|''Transformers'' movies]] have included a number of animalistic robots, including re-imagined versions of [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]], [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]], or the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobot]]s, their prominence in the franchise is comparatively small compared to their more famous vehicle-mode brethren. The 2023 ''[[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|Rise of the Beasts]]'' film shone the spotlight on beast mode Cybertronians for the first time in the films, having a group of [[Maximal]]s in the main cast.

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==Fiction==
===Generation 1 continuity family===
====Marvel Comics continuity====
=====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics=====
[[File:Predacons-GoneButNotForgotten.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

Most if not all beast mode Cybertronians, such as the [[Mini-Cassette]]s, {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s, {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} or [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], possessed creature-based alternate forms even before leaving [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} One notable exception would be the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s. Shortly after the crash of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], the ship's computer detected [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]]'s arrival in the anachronistic [[Savage Land]] and rebuilt [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] and four other Cybertronians into [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]-based forms based off the regional wildlife. {{storylink|The Last Stand}}

=====''Classics''=====
[[File:BWSG-ultramagnusbeastmode.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

When dimensionally-displaced [[Autobot]] and [[Decepticon]] ships crash-landed on a prehistoric Earth saturated with Energon radiation, [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] came up with the idea of combining [[Pretender]] and [[Powermaster]] technology to create organic beast modes. Though [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] came up with the same idea, [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] opted to give the Decepticons new armor instead. {{storylink|Shattered Time}} In their new bodies, the Autobots could consume and metabolize organic matter into energy using their on-board "biomass processors". {{storylink|Shattered Balance}}

After travelling to the mirror-universe Cybertron of that dimension, Prowl, [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] abandoned their beast modes, but both [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] took a liking to their new bodies and kept them. {{storylink|Falling into Place}}

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=====''Transformers '84''=====
According to [[Punch (G1)|Punch]], who was skeptical that the Cybertronians had ever encountered living dinosaurs, the Ark's [[Aunty|AUNTIE]] computer system had actually used preserved fossils to turn Grimlock and his team into the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s. {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 2|Secrets & Lies #2}}

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====Generation 1 cartoon continuity====
[[File:Primitives Calling.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

Traditionally, Cybertronians with animal forms were known as "[[primitive]]s". {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}} Beast mode Cybertronians shared at least some physiological traits; for instance, those who possessed reptilian forms like [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] and [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] possessed unique "[[Dinosaur transform static|dinosaur electrons]]". {{storylink|Thief in the Night}}

Other animalistic Cybertronians displayed unique powers: notably, the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s, whose [[idento-computer]]s reformatted them into insectoid beast forms to survive in the jungles of [[Bali]], could consume and metabolize organic matter. {{storylink|A Plague of Insecticons}} After discovering [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]] bones, the [[Autobot]]s created the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], powerful warriors with dinosaur alternate modes. {{storylink|S.O.S. Dinobots}} {{storylink|War of the Dinobots}} The [[Quintesson]]s utilized the [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]] and [[Allicon]]s, Transformers with shark and crocodile beast modes respectively, as servants. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} In 2006, a large group of beast mode Transformers, consisting of both Autobots and Decepticons, were summoned by [[Oracle (G1)|a mysterious entity]] to defeat [[Primacron]] and his creation, [[Tornedron]]. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}} When forced by the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]] to volunteer Decepticons to undergo the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] process, [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]] added the stipulation that they were only allowed to take the heads of the Transformers with beast modes. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}}

=====Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity=====
{{stub}}

=====''Legends'' comic=====
[[File:Epiloge-BeastTransformers.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Cybertronians with beast modes had the ability to channel [[Beast Power]], an energy shared between them and the animalistic inhabitants of the planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 41|Bonus Edition Vol. 41}} On [[Micro|Z Planet]], [[Dai Atlas (G1)|Dai Atlas]] encountered newborn beast Transformers created by exposing [[protoform]] capsules to Beast Power, which granted them the power to scan and transform into organic life. [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] believed that their descendants would evolve into the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, and granted them new symbols as a symbol of everlasting peace between the factions. {{Storylink|Transformers Legends Final Chapter "Epiloge"|Epiloge}}

=====''Wings Universe''=====
[[File:FoY Brimstone.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]

The earliest recorded "beastform" Transformers were re-engineered specimens of naturally occurring Cybertronian wildlife: [[Laserbeak (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Laserbeak]], the first beast-former, was originally a [[Cryo-Condor]] who'd modified with a rudimentary alternate mode. Soon enough, [[Ravage (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ravage]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] would join him. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #1}} However, conflicting evidence places beast-form Cybertronians, most prominently [[Brimstone (G1 Decepticon)|Brimstone]], as having existed in ancient times long before the Autobot-Decepticon conflict. {{storylink|Flames of Yesterday}}

As the Autobot-Decepticon war spilled over to Earth, more and more beast-formers rose to prominence, including groups who transformed from humanoid robots into animals. The [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s developed the ability to catalyze organic matter into a crude but usable form, {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #3}} while the presence of [[dinosaur transform static]] amongst the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s and their kin indicated the presence of a deeper synthesis taking place between these two disparate forms of life. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 2|Menagerie #2}} Around this time, both the Autobots and Decepticons began making heavy use of animalistic "Recordabots" and "Recordicons". {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #1}}

The [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s were the first beast Transformers with the ability to [[combiner|combine]], and the first to not be based upon any recognizable Earth creature. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 4|Menagerie #4}} The [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s would become the most notable beast-bots in the years that followed [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]'s disappearance and the revitalisation of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]; [[Perceptor (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Perceptor]] speculated that [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] had marshalled the remnants of the Decepticon military to another world, where he could mastermind the evolution of the Decepticons into a new breed of Predacon that combined the advantages of organic [[Pretender]] shells with fuel-efficient [[Micromaster]] bodies. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 5|Menagerie #5}}

At some point during the Second Golden Age, Cybertronians with beast modes became increasingly commonplace. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 1|Menagerie #1}} Some forward-thinking Autobots like [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] encouraged this kind of [[Maximal|evolutionary leap forward]], if only to counter the inevitable [[Predacon (BW)|next generation of Predacons]]. {{storylink|The Transformers Menagerie issue 5|Menagerie #5}}

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====Beast Era====
=====Toy bios=====
The Maximals developed a unique "bio-genetic morphing process" that allowed them to create the perfect fusion of organic musculature and Transformer technology. However, the evil Predacons stole this breakthrough and used it to create new forms for themselves based on Earth's most vicious creatures. {{storylink|Optimus Primal vs Megatron!}}

In order to win the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]], [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] developed an experimental [[Transformation virus|anti-conversion virus]]. When used on a group of [[Fuzor]]s, the experiment went wrong and turned the four into [[Mutant (BW)|Mutant]]s trapped between two beast modes.<ref>Hasbro ''[[Mutant (BW)#Toys|Mutant Beast Wars]]'' packaging blurb</ref>

=====''Beast Wars'' cartoon=====
[[File:ChainOfCommand-Maximals.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]
By the era of the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, three centuries after the end of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], technology had evolved to the point where Cybertronians could now use [[DNA scanner]]s and [[CR chamber]]s to perfectly mimic organic lifeforms, even extinct animals like [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]s. These next-generation beast modes sheathed Cybertronian superstructures beneath a layer of artificially grown skin and tissue and rendered them largely impervious to [[energon radiation]] that would otherwise damage purely mechanical lifeforms. Transformers would often initiate the process of converting from their [[robot mode]] by using the [[activation code]] "Beast mode!" {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} Beast modes also seemingly have no effect on a Cybertronian's overall size, nor does there appear to be any mass-shifting when converting into their alternate forms. This is likely due to their function as protection, rather than disguise, and thus bypassing the benefits that the smaller sizes of the Great Upgrade provided may have been unnecessary.

Adopting a beast mode in this way appears to have a subtle effect on the Cybertronian psyche. Many combatants in the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] on prehistoric [[Earth]] displayed appetites consistent with the diets of their chosen form: for instance, [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] ate cheese and garbage, {{storylink|The Web}} [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] displayed interest in a bunch of [[banana]]s, {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}} and [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] took a perverse delight in sucking the [[mech fluid|vital fluid]]s from his victims, although it's not clear if their artificial beast modes could actually digest and catalyze these materials into a usable form of energy. {{storylink|The Web}} While in beast mode, Cybertronians could affect internal repairs without the use of a CR chamber, although the process took time. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}}

[[File:TM2Cheetorfly.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

Traditionally, a programming block prevented a beast mode's natural instincts from interfering with the higher functions of the Cybertronians. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} However, damage sustained by [[Tigatron]]'s [[stasis pod]] affected the [[protoform]] within, and after adopting a suitable beast mode he first believed himself to be a normal organic tiger before coming to his senses. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}} Although [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]]'s stasis pod did not sustain any apparent damage, the monomaniacal instincts of his ant beast mode shaped his worldview: he grew to believe that [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] was his "queen" and the ''[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]'' his "colony". {{storylink|Spider's Game}} When the Predacons sabotaged the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'''s [[rectifier coil]], the Maximals were forced to remain in beast mode for days on end and eventually succumbed to their feral instincts. Thanks to Tigatron, who had already learned how to accept both sides of his being, the Maximals deleted the programming block and embraced their animal sides. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} Indeed, both Maximals and Predacons would occasionally identify with their beast modes; [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] once claimed that, as a cat, he should know better than to trust [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|a dog]], {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} and later fantasized about playing with cat toys; {{storylink|Changing of the Guard}} Tarantulas, meanwhile, sought to create more of "[his] kind" by ensuring that new stasis pods scanned spider alternate modes. {{storylink|Spider's Game}}

A [[quantum surge]] of exotic energy mutated several Cybertronians into advanced "[[Transmetal]]" bodies: Transformers altered in this way integrated organic matter into the robot mode, while the entirely mechanical beast mode now possessed a third "vehicle mode". {{storylink|Aftermath}} Transformers who evolved even further into "[[Transmetal 2|Transmetals 2]]" became asymmetrical, sometimes monstrous, amalgamations of flesh and metal. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}}
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=====''Beast Machines'' cartoon=====
[[File:Thereformattingmaximalsmaximize.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Cybertronians could use beast mode technology to mimic lifeforms other than animals—while exploring [[Regalis V|a distant world]] populated by ambulatory plants, [[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]] and her crew used the technology to adopt plant-based alternate modes. {{storylink|Home Soil}} While Optimus Primal and his crew were off-planet, a [[Quantum Cycle Upgrade|standardized upgrade]] fitted every Cybertronian with an in-built DNA scanner and rendered [[stasis pod]] technology obsolete. {{storylink|Survivor}}

Optimus Primal would later claim that the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] supercomputer had engineered the entire Beast Wars as a way to bring fresh organic material to Cybertron via their biomechanical beast modes. {{storylink|The Key}} Upon arriving on Cybertron after Megatron broke free of their shuttle and conquered the planet, his armies of [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s attacked the group with a debilitating [[transformation virus]] that devolved the Transmetal Maximals and trapped them in their beast modes. {{storylink|Revelations Part II: Descent|Descent}} Weakened and dying, the Maximals might've perished had Optimus not discovered the Oracle, which [[Reformatting|reformatted]] Optimus and the other Maximals into [[technorganic]] bodies, a powerful new breed of Cybertronian life that combined the organic and the technological on a cellular level. {{storylink|The Reformatting}} While in their beast modes, the Maximals gave off no energy signatures and were thus invisible to [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]] sensors so long as they kept out of sight. Combined with the stress of mastering the lost art of [[transformation]] and consciously having to maintain control over their [[robot mode]]s, their beast modes became their primary form while sneaking around the Cybertronian underlevels. {{storylink|Master of the House}} Although their new bodies could theoretically subsist upon purely organic material like fruit, doing so pushed their bestial instincts to the fore and reduced them to a primeval state. {{storylink|Forbidden Fruit}}

Having conquered the planet, Megatron developed a virulent hatred for organic life and beast modes as a whole; he regarded the Maximals as "mongrels" and regularly attempted to purge his own beast mode. {{storylink|Master of the House}} When he finally succeeded in doing so, he somehow created [[Noble (BM)|Noble]], a strange organic creature capable of shifting between humanoid wolf and dragon forms. {{storylink|Savage Noble}}
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=====2006 IDW ''Beast Wars'' continuity=====
[[File:Bw icebird.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

A few of the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'''s remaining stasis pods malfunctioned, and when [[Razorbeast]] activated them the [[protoform]]s within emerged as [[Mutant (BW)|Mutant]]s, Cybertronians who changed from one animal form to another. They fiercely defended their swamp against intruding Predacons and made it clear that neither the Maximals nor Predacons were welcome in their peaceful home. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 3|The Gathering #3}}

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====Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity====
Encouraged by the early success of [[Pretender]] technology, Cybertronian scientists speculated that they could one day directly integrate this miraculous nanotechnology into a Transformer body. A Cybertronian upgraded in this manner could directly assume a biological alternate mode externally indistinguishable from the real thing, and this breakthrough might lead to a new generation of tougher, more-energy efficient Cybertronians. {{storylink|Transformers: More than Meets the Eye}}

====2005 IDW continuity====
[[File:TheMindBomb-cathead.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

The earliest known beast Transformers date back to the brief Dark Age that occurred between the departure of the [[Knights of Cybertron]] and the rise of the [[Thirteen]]. Many individual flocks and herds wandered the prehistoric badlands, searching for energon, {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} but among the most notable would be a powerful warrior tribe known as the [[Maximal]]s and their commander, [[Liege Maximo]]. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|Endless Forever}} While fleeing the armies of [[The Fallen|Megatronus]], the group came into the employ of [[Onyx Prime]]—in reality, a time-travelling [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] in disguise—who incorporated the Maximals into his personal "menagerie" of beast warriors. {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} {{storylink|Origin Myths}} Working with [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'s group of [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]s, their impromptu alliance confronted Megatronus and his [[Darklands|Darklander]]s on the site that would one day become the [[Crystal City]], blunted his advance for good, and eventually laid the foundations for what would eventually become the [[Thirteen]]. {{storylink|Origin Myths}}

During the subsequent reign of the [[Thirteen Tribes]] over Cybertron, the Maximals and their kin faced discrimination due to their alternate modes. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}} During the later [[First Cybertronian Civil War]] between the tribes and their leaders, Onyx Prime and his armies entered into an alliance with [[Nexus Prime]]; using his [[Enigma of Combination]], they created an army of [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] that combined small beast-formers with larger humanoid Cybertronians. Darklander warrior [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]] declared the union of beast and bot disgusting, and eventually slaughtered the ancient Headmasters to the last 'bot in the name of Cybertronian purity. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 3: The Mind Bomb|The Mind Bomb}}

[[File:TimeWillRust-Eukaris.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66]]

Ultimately, however, the war ended with all of the Primes either dead or missing, and in their absence [[Nova Prime]] united the tribes of Cybertron under a new system of [[functionism]] where one's alternate mode defined their position in society. Under this new societal schema, the beasts were placed near the bottom of society, only outranking the unfortunate 'bots in the so-called "[[disposable class]]". The beasts would become the victims of institutionalized discrimination that lasted until the final days of [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s reign. {{storylink|The Crucible}} However, before he and his innermost retinue of Maximals abandoned Cybertron for the ruins of [[Antilla]], Onyx Prime instructed the [[Titan (group)|Titan]] [[Chela]] to colonize a distant jungle world; using the [[hot spot (phenomenon)|hot spot]] within his body, Chela birthed an entire civilization of beast mode Transformers who could thrive in safety. These new "[[Jungle Planet (colony)|Eukarian]]" Transformers remembered the prejudice their ancestors had faced and cultivated a deep distrust of vehicular "standard-formers". {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 6|Windblade vol. 2 #6}}

[[File:FortMaxCuddles.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

By the time of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], the stigma surrounding beast modes had largely dissipated. Some vehicular Transformers even adopted beast modes—notably, the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dynobot]]s adopted [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]] beast modes with synthetic flesh to protect them from high leves of [[Energon]] radiation on prehistoric [[Earth]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Shockwave}} During his tour of duty on [[Z'verei]], [[Rattrap (BW)#2005 IDW continuity|Rattrap]] adopted a [[Z'verein mole-rat]] alternate mode. {{storylink|Three Monologues}}

Several years after the war, beast modes again rose to prominence: while [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]]'s [[Republic of Cybertron|post-war government]] discovered and opened diplomatic channels with the citizens of Eukaris, the Decepticon [[Demus]] began kidnapping beast mode Transformers, subjecting them to a horrific "[[domestication]]" process, then marketing his victims as "[[Roboid]]s" as torture dolls for organic races. {{storylink|Animals}} Exposure to [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]'s corrupted [[energon]] spontaneously mutated the [[Caminus (planet)|Camien]] [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]] so that she transformed into a two-headed monster. {{storylink|The Transformers: Redemption|Redemption}}

The mad scientist [[Tarantulas (BW)|Mesothulas]] combined quasi-organic beast mode technology with [[obtenteum]] to create mass-shifting "bio-disguises". Cybertronians who underwent this "[[Chimeracon]]" upgrade gained the ability to perfectly mimic any living creature and completely mask their Cybertronian energy signatures in the process. Members of [[Mayhem Attack Squad|Mayhem]] adopted this technology and used it to hide out among the native wildlife while operating in the [[Alaska]]n wilderness. {{storylink|Sins of the Wreckers issue 3|Sins of the Wreckers #3}} Later still, Tarantulas perfected the technology, allowing [[Overlord (G1)|Overlord]] to pass himself off as a human politician. {{storylink|Transformers: Requiem of the Wreckers|Requiem of the Wreckers}}

When "Onyx Prime" returned to Cybertron, he brought with him an entire Maximal army; eventually, however, his beast servants betrayed him and allied instead with his ultimate creation, [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. {{storylink|Road's End}} Several of the newborn Cybertronians born from [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]'s hot spot on Earth possessed beast modes. {{storylink|Post}}

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====''Hearts of Steel''====
[[File:HoS1-IceAgeWars.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

During the "[[Ice Age Wars]]" on prehistoric Earth, both the Autobots and Decepticons transformed into creatures like dinosaurs, flying reptiles, and giant insects. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 1|Hearts of Steel #1}}
{{--}}

====''TransTech''====
Although they transformed into a rabbit and pika respectively, [[Kitte Shūshū]] and her husband [[Z Grill]] were nevertheless able to use their "integrated organic parts" to conceive a son, [[Stampy (BW)|Stampy]]. {{storylink|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/05/10}}

====''Of Masters and Mayhem''====
While investigating the planet [[Chicxulania]], [[Thrashclaw]], [[Slice (G1)|Slice]], and [[Shred]] discovered an abandoned laboratory where an advanced alien civilization had developed "Beast Warrior" technology, which allowed a Cybertronian to assume techno-organic hybrid forms. To protect themselves from ambient [[energon radiation]], they and [[Gnash]] integrated the technology into their superstructures, adopted beast modes based on the local [[dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]s, and dubbed themselves the "[[Raptoricon]]s". Later on, the shipwrecked [[Fractyl]] briefly assumed a pterosaur beast form using the same technology, but ultimately switched back to his vehicular configuration when he departed the planet with [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]]. {{storylink|Life Finds a Way}}

====''Beast Wars: Uprising''====
[[File:Safe Spaces Preditron Gaidora.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Several years into the [[Grand Uprising]], the ambitious Predacon [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] observed that [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s growing menagerie of [[mechanimal]]s could somehow metabolize their own [[energon]] from raw materials like industrial runoff. Inspired by this unexpected resilience, Megatron grew interested in somehow grafting this physiological trait onto the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, who remained reliant on ordinary [[energon cube]]s like their [[Builder of Cybertron|Builder]] forebears. Progress did not come easily; most of Megatron's earliest test subjects died from the imperfect process, but after seeking out the disgraced [[Autobot]] scientist [[Leatherhide (Universe)|Leatherhide]], who had previously attempted to hybridize Cybertronians with mechanicals, the pair quickly perfected process—first, they created [[Inferno (BW)|Formikon]], then applied the process to themselves. {{storylink|Not All Megatrons}}

Sure enough, Transformers who adopted the '''Beast Upgrade''' no longer required external [[energon cube]]s to function; instead, they could ingest food which their onboard systems could then process into energon. {{storylink|Not All Megatrons}} Beast mode Transformers also possessed increased reflexes as a result of their bio-enhanced physiologies, {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}} enhanced senses, {{storylink|Safe Spaces}} and could quickly repair their injuries while transformed. {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}} Soon, Megatron's front corporation made the upgrade public, and Maximals and Predacons across the planet chose to abandon their original vehicular configurations in favor of beast modes. {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}} Popular beast mode templates included [[jurassanoid]]s, [[armodrillo]]s, and [[cybercat]]s, {{storylink|Derailment}} although some Cybertronians modelled their alternate modes on strange alien creatures {{storylink|Safe Spaces}} or even mythical animals like dragons and phoenixes. {{storylink|Derailment}} They became a decisive factor as the Grand Uprising came to a close; freed from the need for vulnerable energon supply chains, members of the [[Resistance]] and other splinter forces could besiege Builder-held cities with impunity. {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}}

By the time of the [[Vehicon Apocalypse]], Leatherhide had moved on to creating new breeds of biomechanical life like the [[Fuzor]]s and [[Horrorcon (Universe)|Horrorcon]]s after reverse-engineering a [[Klaws|a mysterious cybernetic life-form]]. A spectral [[Overshoot]], acting on the will of the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], informed [[Stiletto (BW)|Stiletto]] that the Beast Upgrade marked a new beginning: the rise of the mechanimals and the fusion between beast and 'bot represented Cybertron's efforts to generate a self-sustaining ecosystem. {{storylink|Derailment}}

{{--}}

====2019 IDW continuity====
[[File:WeHaveDecievedYou-InfiltrationTroopers.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

During the [[Age of the Firstforged]], the Cybertronian folk heroes [[Halonix Maximus]] and [[Big Bang (G1)|Big Bang]] battled beast mode Cybertronians like [[Preditron]] and [[Gaidora (BWU)|Gaidora]] in the wilderness. {{storylink|End of Time}}

Numerous Cybertronians, most prominently a number of [[Mini-Cassette|infiltration trooper]]s, possessed either beast modes or animalistic robot modes. Although beast-formers did not suffer any kind of institutionalized discrimination, {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: We Have Deceived You|We Have Deceived You}} some individual Cybertronians expressed prejudiced attitudes toward them: [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], for instance, once categorized ordinary vehicle-mode Cybertronians like himself as possessing more "advanced forms" then the beasts, {{storylink|Wheeljack: Orbital Decay}} and [[Grotusque]] occasionally grumbled that people looked down on him for his choice of alternate mode. {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: We Have Deceived You|We Have Deceived You}}

{{--}}

====2021 IDW ''Beast Wars'' comic====
[[File:SavageLandingPart5-Megatrontransforms.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

To protect the Cybertronians from harmful levels of [[energon radiation]], the artificial intelligences aboard the crashed ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' and ''[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]'' reconstructed their crews with new beast modes based on fabricated techno-organic material that matched the native organics on a molecular level. {{storylink|Savage Landing Part 1}} In their new bodies, they were capable of digesting and metabolizing organic material, {{storylink|Savage Landing Part 2}} {{storylink|Thicker Skin}} and retained the ability to access some of their weapons and gadgets while in their beast modes. {{storylink|Savage Landing Part 4}}

When [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] were captured by the [[Children of the Vok (group)|Children of the Vok]], the [[force field]]s holding them were only designed to work on the Cybertronians' [[robot mode]]s, allowing the two to escape in their beast modes. {{storylink|Children of the Vok}}
{{--}}

====''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' cartoon====
[[File:Kingdom-ep2-beastroars.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

After arriving on prehistoric Earth, a group of time-travelling Maximals and Predacons adopted suitable beast modes during their battle over the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]]. {{storylink|Kingdom episode 1}}

{{--}}

===2001 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon===
[[File:Maximus Emerges Darkscream gasskunk.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]

In contrast to the vehicular Autobots, their ancient enemies the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s possessed beast forms. Although the Predacon leader [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] could transform into multiple forms, two of his alternate forms were a two-headed dragon and a bat. {{storylink|Battle Protocol!}} After becoming Galvatron, he gained additional beast modes that included a one-headed dragon, an elephant, and a griffin. {{storylink|Maximus Emerges}}

{{--}}

===Unicron Trilogy===
====Dreamwave ''Armada'' comics====
The Decepticon [[Predacon (Armada)|Predacon]] experimented with hybridizing Cybertronian technology with organic tissue in the belief that Cybertronians who underwent this upgrade would become far more powerful, and went as far as to test the process on himself. Although most Cybertronians found the idea repulsive, Predacon gathered a small but fanatical cult of personality who believed wholeheartedly in his ideals. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye: Transformers: Armada|More than Meets the Eye}}

====''Energon'' cartoon====
[[File:Cruellock.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

[[Alpha Quintesson]]'s [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]]s all possessed animalistic alternate modes. Each sub-species of Terrorcon had their own beast form, with [[Battle Ravage]]s and [[Command Ravage]]s transforming into jaguars, {{storylink|Cybertron City (episode)|Cybertron City}} {{storylink|Crisis in Jungle City}} [[Divebomb (Energon)|Divebomb]]s and [[Blackout (Terrorcon)|Blackout]]s transforming into hawks, {{storylink|Energon Grid (episode)|Energon Grid}} [[Cruellock]]s turning into an approximation of a dinosaur, {{storylink|The Return of Demolishor}} and [[Insecticon (Energon)|Insecticon]]s turning into beetles. {{storylink|Each One Fights...}}

Terrorcons usually stayed in their beast modes, and only transformed into their rarely-seen robot modes when it became absolutely necessary while in combat. {{storylink|Energon Stars}} {{storylink| A Tale of Two Heros}}

{{--}}

====''Cybertron'' cartoon====
[[File:Cyb ep20 jungle planet natives.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Millennia ago, a group of Cybertronian colonists settled the planet they would name "[[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]]" aboard the starship ''[[Hyperborea (Cybertron)|Hyperborea]]''. {{storylink|Homecoming (episode)|Homecoming}} As time passed, their descendents adopted various beast modes to cope with life on their wild and untamed planet: although most inhabitants of Jungle Planet appear to transform into reptiles, dinosaurs, or mammals, {{storylink|Search (episode)|Search}} some have become birds or even arthropods. {{storylink|Honor}}

Jungle Planet's [[Cyber Planet Key]] appears to have the power to instantly reformat Cybertronians into a suitable beast mode. When [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul]] tapped into the power of the Jungle Planet's [[Cyber Planet Key]], he gained a lion alternate mode and redubbed himself "Leobreaker". {{storylink|Detour (episode)|Detour}} In [[Aurex 1006.0 Beta|one alternate timeline]], the energies of the Jungle Planet key mutated both Optimus Prime and Megatron into beast forms while on the Jungle Planet. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Armada)/toys#Gorilla|Jungle Planet Optimus Prime toy bio}} {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/19}}

====Ask Vector Prime====
In [[Aurex 615.03 Epsilon|another alternate reality]], a version of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] took place in [[Alpha Q's universe]]. To survive the star system's volatile [[Super Energon]] sun, the Maximals and Predacons adopted a wide variety of unusual beast modes that included mobile fungi, [[mechamorph]]s, [[Rock Lord]]s, [[Beastformer (species)|Battle Beasts]], and even abstract elemental beings. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/03}}

{{--}}

===Live-action film series===
====Movies====
[[File:Dinobots ready for battle AOE.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66]]

In Cybertron's distant past, beast modes appeared to have been more common—ancient warriors such as the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobot]]s and [[Guardian Knight]]s transformed into imposing predators like dinosaurs and dragons. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}} {{storylink|Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|The Last Knight}}

By the era of the [[Great War (Movie)|Great War]], beast modes appear to have fallen out of favour. Many modern Cybertronians with animal forms, including [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], and the [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticon]]s, are [[mechanimal]]s who have been re-engineered to serve wartime roles, such as espionage or sabotage.<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/cybertronian-database.cfm#/characters/laserbeak Vector Sigma database at Hasbro.com]</ref> In many cases, these beast warriors formed symbiotic relationships with larger Cybertronians, who could deploy them as needed to scout ahead or carry out specific duties. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}

=====''Rise of the Beasts'' film=====
The [[Maximal]]s hailed from [[Jungle Planet (colony)|a Cybertronian colony]] populated by Cybertronians who bore beast modes. {{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|Rise of the Beasts}}
{{--}}

====''The Veiled Threat''====
A [[Crab spy|particularly cunning Decepticon spy]] disguised himself as one of the many red crabs that periodically infested the [[NEST]] base on [[Diego Garcia]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Veiled Threat|The Veiled Threat}}

====IDW movie comics====
[[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] commanded the loyalty of multiple beast Decepticons, including [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]], [[Ratbat (ROTF)|Ratbat]], [[Beastbox (ROTF)|Beastbox]], and [[Rumble (ROTF)|Rumble]]. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 4|Nefarious #4}}

{{--}}

===''Animated''===
[[File:Blackarach anim beast.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Although robotic creatures like [[brontobot]]s and [[cybercat]]s were common enough on Cybertron to be kept as pets, Cybertronians with beast modes were a very uncommon sight. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} During a disastrous expedition to the forbidden world of [[Archa Seven]], the Autobot cadet [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] attempted to use her download powers on [[Archa Seven arachnid|a native arachnid]], but wound up infecting herself with their venom instead. The transformation mutated her into a [[technorganic]] amalgamation of organic and mechanical and gave her a new alternate mode based on the spiders. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}}

As part of his many attempts to regain his body and power, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] experimented on dinosaur automatons to make them attack drones. Perhaps as a result of these modifications, [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]]'s [[AllSpark Key]] was drawn to the automatons, granting them [[spark]]s and turning them into fully fledged Cybertronians. {{storylink|Blast from the Past}} Their beast modes, and indeed their very existence, was viewed as proof by [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] as what a screwloose planet Earth was. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}

In her quest to purge herself of her organic half, Blackarachnia fused [[Wasp]] with an organic wasp in the hopes that finding a way to reverse the process could clue her into curing her own condition. Like her, the monstrous "Waspinator" possessed the ability to transform into a huge technorganic wasp. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Animated)|Predacons Rising}}

{{--}}

===Fun Publications ''Shattered Glass'' continuity===
[[File:Sgpredaconsvsgrimlock.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

Inspired by [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]]'s success after the Autobots liberated him from stasis and inducted him into their ranks, the mad scientist [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] created an entire army of deranged [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinobot]]s, artificial lifeforms who utilized a sophisticated artificial intelligence instead of a life-giving [[Spark|ember]]. Wheeljack used his impromptu army to launch a coup against [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]], but the Dinobots turned on one another and scattered into the Cybertronian wilderness.

Both the Autobots and Decepticons tried to gain control of as many Dinobots as they could. In the meantime, Grimlock stumbled across the ancient [[Omega Terminus]] supercomputer, which imbued an ember upon him that transformed him from a simple-minded beast into an intelligent Cybertronian with a humanoid robot mode. After returning to the surface, he gathered all of his fellow Dinobots and upgraded them in a similar fashion, granting them embers and the ability to transform. {{storylink|Dungeons & Dinobots}} While some of the Dinobots and Dinocons gained humanoid robot forms, others, like [[Slugfest (SG)|Slugfest]] and [[Overkill (SG)|Overkill]], instead transformed into data cartridges. {{storylink|Do Over}}

Other Autobots and Decepticons, most prominently the [[Predacon (SG)|Predacon]]s, transformed into small animals. {{storylink|Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass}} [[Terrorcon (SG)|Terrorcon]] leader [[Hun-Grrr (SG)|Hun-Grrr]] adopted an alternate mode based on an [[Algean two-headed razor beast]]. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 28|Hun-Grrr profile}} A future group of time-travelling Transformers led by [[Megatron (BWSG)|a different Megatron]] also possessed beast modes. {{storylink|Shattered Destiny}}

{{--}}

===Aligned continuity family===
====''The Covenant of Primus''====
[[File:COP-predacons.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]
At the dawn of time, [[Primus]] created [[Onyx Prime]], the first beast-mode Cybertronian. Although [[Quintus Prime]] and [[Liege Maximo]] would cooperate with one another in the days after [[Unicron]]'s defeat to found a "farm" of small, semi-autonomous animal robots, these were not truly "alive", although when the remaining Primes fell to violence and chaos in the wake of [[Solus Prime]]'s passing they proved deadly enough to mortally wound Onyx. When he and his friend [[Micronus Prime]] returned to Primus via the newly created [[Well of All Sparks]], Onyx used his [[Triptych Mask]] to scan all the life in the universe and provide the Well itself with an infinite variety of templates for future Cybertronian lifeforms. These included both humanoid Cybertronians and a wide array of beasts, who formed a functioning ecosystem based around exploiting the [[energon]] that flowed freely over the planet's surface. The planet's apex predators, the [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacons]], harassed the city-dwelling Cybertronians until [[Prima]] finally defeated [[Predaking (COP)|Predaking]] in single combat. Although all of the creatures that emerged from the Well of All Sparks possessed functioning [[transformation cog]]s, the Cybertronians of the era did not understand how to transform and thus creatures like the [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]]s and Predacons permanently remained in their beast modes.

In the wake of Cybertron's [[Great Cataclysm|first mass extinction]], many forms of life, including the Predacons, vanished entirely. Cybertron's overall diversity took a major hit; although some beasts and beast-like Cybertronians like like the Insecticons and [[Arachnicon]]s survived, the subsequent rise of civilization pushed many of them out into Cybertron's dwindling wilderness or deeper underground. When the Quintessons invaded, the [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]] were enslaved as enforcers and executioners.

After the departure of the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'' and ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'', [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] used a malfunctioning [[space bridge]] to study creatures from other planets and time periods, and found himself captivated by the [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]s of prehistoric Earth. Inspired by their ferocity, he and [[Forged|his Insecticon minions]] rebuilt [[Grimlock (WFC)|Grimlock]] and four other Transformers into the fearsome [[Dinobot (FOC)|Dinobot]]s that incorporated a number of design traits inspired by the extinct Predacons. Later still, Shockwave would even clone [[Predaking (Prime)|one of those Predacons]] to become one of his enforcers. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

{{--}}

====IDW Aligned comics====
[[File:RageOfTheDinobots3-SerKet.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]

Shockwave discovered the Insecticons in the depths of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and re-engineered them into loyal Decepticons who would aid the Decepticon empire as it broadened its reach beyond Cybertron. {{storylink|Fragmentation (FOC)|Fragmentation}} The Insecticons lured [[Grimlock (WFC)|Grimlock]] and the [[Dinobot (FOC)|Lightning Strike Coalition]] into a trap, allowing Shockwave to experiment upon the group; inspired by the creatures he'd viewed on a prehistoric planet called Earth, his experiments took place on the genetic level that spliced dinosaur DNA with their [[CNA]]. {{storylink|Siege Mentality}} {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 4|Rage of the Dinobots #4}}

Later still, following the disappearance of Optimus Prime, Megatron, and their followers, Shockwave wasted no time in establishing an empire of his own, enforced by a legion of warriors who called themselves the "[[Forged]]". {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 1|Rage of the Dinobots #1}} A mixture of remnant Decepticons and cloned Predacons, the most loyal of their number received bestial upgrades that gave them Predacon-like traits and draconic beast modes.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-comics-discussion/917845-q-mairghread-scott-writer-transformers-prime-beast-hunters.html#post9492754 Mairghread Scott Q and A]</ref> Their leader, [[Ser-Ket (Prime)|Ser-Ket]], embraced the idea, and viewed beast modes as the "true forms" of the Cybertronians who had undergone Shockwave's experimentation. {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 2|Rage of the Dinobots #2}}

{{--}}

====''Prime'' cartoon====
[[File:PredaconsRisingSkylynxandDarksteelDragons.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

As the [[Great War (Prime)|Great War]] spilled over onto other worlds, Shockwave [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] cloned an army of Predacons from fossilized remains and deployed them to distant planets to eliminate Autobots. On Earth, they formed the basis for many myths and legends involving [[dragon]]s. {{storylink|Project Predacon}} Other prominent beast mode Cybertronians included the [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]]s, which possessed a strange, quasi-telepathic connection with the similarly insectoid [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]], {{storylink|Armada (episode)|Armada}} and the [[Dinobot (FOC)|Dinobot]]s. {{storylink|Project Predacon}}

In the present day, Shockwave again turned his attention to cloning Predacons, and first created [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]] before travelling to Earth, with the intent of producing many more. However, the discovery that the Predacons were intelligent beings with the ability to transform prompted [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] to scrap the project. {{storylink|Evolution}}

Despite this setback, Shockwave would later clone [[Darksteel (Prime)|Darksteel]] and [[Skylynx (Prime)|Skylynx]] after his return to Cybertron and put them to work searching for more Predacon remains. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}}

====Aligned novels====
A number of Cybertronians with aquatic beast modes, including Sharkticons and [[Leviacon]]s, colonized the planet [[Aquatron]] during Cybertron's [[Golden Age]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Retribution|Retribution}}

====''Rescue Bots'' cartoon====
[[File:QuarrysQuarry triumphant team.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]
In order to safely navigate [[Wayward Island]], Optimus Prime [[Scanning|scanned]] [[Trex]], an animatronic dinosaur with [[technorganic|techno-organic]] components, and gained the ability to transform into a ''Tyrannosaurus rex''. {{storylink|Land Before Prime (episode)|Land Before Prime}} However, his low [[energon]] levels caused Optimus to succumb to his new form's dinosaur instincts and went on a rampage in [[Griffin Rock]], which attracted the attention of the villainous hunter [[Quint Quarry]]. To rescue the Autobot leader, [[Boulder (RB)|Boulder]], [[Graham Burns]], and [[Ezra Greene|Doc Greene]] developed an [[energon patch]] that would return him to normal, and tested it by having Boulder scan an animatronic ''Triceratops'' {{storylink|Big Game}}

During a second confrontation with Quarry, [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]], [[Chase (RB)|Chase]] and [[Blades (RB)|Blades]] all scanned dinosaur modes, and used energon patches to stay in control of their faculties. {{storylink|Quarry's Quarry}}

{{--}}

====2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon====
[[File:TRID S3 E17 E MSS.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Humanoid Cybertronians shared their planet with an impressive variety of bestial offshoots and subspecies, which ranged wildly in both form and function. Notable groups include the metal-eating [[Chompazoid]]s, {{storylink|Pilot (Part 1)}} frog-like [[Amphiboid]]s, {{storylink|Rumble in the Jungle}} flying [[Corvicon]]s, {{storylink|True Colors}} aquatic [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s, {{storylink|Blurred}} ape-like [[Orangucon]]s, {{storylink|Brainpower}} thick-headed [[Buffaloid]]s, {{storylink|W.W.O.D.?}} or thick-skinned [[Lobstercon]]s. {{storylink|Pretzel Logic}} While some transformed from humanoid robots into animalistic beast modes, others changed from quadrupedal beasts into vehicles, and still others resembled anthropomorphic animals while in their robot modes. Intriguingly, if somewhat confusingly, a naturally-occurring group of Cybertronians with dinosaur alternate modes were referred to as "[[Dinobot (RID)|Dinobot]]s", apparently separate from the artificially-created Autobot subgroup who had appeared in prior "Aligned" media. {{storylink|Similarly Different}}

Almost all of the Decepticons aboard the prison ship ''[[Alchemor (RID)|Alchemor]]'' belonged to one or more of these subgroups. {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 1)}}

====''Go!'' cartoon====
A number of beast-mode Predacons, including [[Dragotron]], the [[Four Oni]], and the [[Jaki]], rebelled against their Decepticon masters and took up residence on Earth, but were later sealed away inside [[Mount Fuji]]. {{storylink|Triple Combination! Swordbot - Samurai!}} {{storylink|Triple Combination! Swordbot - Ninja!}}

===Ask Vector Prime===

When asked what kind of beast mode he'd choose if given the opportunity, Vector Prime mused that he'd always been fond of cetaceans. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/05/30}}

===''BotBots''===
A very large number of BotBots possess animal-based robot modes—notable examples include [[Unilla Icequeencone]], [[Javasaurus Rex]], [[Big Cantuna]], or [[Chilla Gorilla]]. A few, like [[Venus Frogtrap]] or [[Bonz-Eye]], become plants.

{{--}}

===''Cyberverse'' cartoon===
[[File:Spotted-Cheetor.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

[[Cheetor (Cyberverse)|Cheetor]] received a cheetah beast mode from the [[AllSpark]] to better act as its guardian. {{storylink|Dark Birth}}

After being stranded on Earth, [[Grimlock (Cyberverse)|Grimlock]] reformatted himself into a ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' to better cope with the harsh environment, even rewiring his circuitry to increase the raw power of his beast mode. {{storylink|King of the Dinosaurs}} His act inspired a number of young Cybertronian colonists, who adopted prehistoric alternate modes and dubbed themselves the "[[Dinobot (Cyberverse)|Dinobot]]s". {{storylink|The Immobilizers}}

{{--}}

===''EarthSpark'' cartoon===
[[File:NightshadeOwlMode MissedConnection.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

[[Skullcruncher (ES)|Skullcruncher]], [[Bombshell (ES)|Bombshell]], and [[Shrapnel (ES)|Shrapnel]] each have a beast mode. {{storylink|Secret Legacy, Part 2}}

[[Nightshade (ES)|Nightshade]] didn't believe they needed an alt-mode to complete themself. [[Tarantulas (ES)|Tarantulas]], himself possessing a spider beast mode, explained that an alt-mode isn't a missing part, but an expression of their selfhood. Taking these words to spark, Nightshade scanned a statue of the ''[[Winged Sentinel]]'' owl, taking it on as their beast mode. {{storylink|Missed Connection}}

[[Grimlock (ES)|Grimlock]] possessed a ''T. rex'' beast mode. {{storylink|Home, Part 1}}

During a little training at the [[Dino-Mite Quarry]], one of Grimlock's seismic stomps unearthed the fossilized skeleton of a ''Stygimoloch''. Drawn to the ancient bones, [[Jawbreaker (ES)|Jawbreaker]] scanned them and gained a dino mode of his own. Grimlock and [[Elita-1 (ES)|Elita-1]] were surprised as this wasn't how trans-scanning usually worked. {{storylink|A Stygi Situation}}

{{--}}

==Notes==
* "Beast mode" has since been trademarked by Marshawn Lynch, an American football running back for the [[Seattle Seahawks]], who claims to have "invented" it as his own personal, signature catch phrase. Lynch now uses it as the primary branding of [https://www.beastmodeonline.com/ his clothing line], so don't expect the phrase to appear on any [[Hasbro]] merchandise any time soon.

==See also==
* [[Popular beast alternate modes]]
* [[Primitive]]
* [[Chimeracon]]

==References==
{{reflist}}