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Transformers (2023) issue 32

2026-05-14T21:12:38Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Transformers references */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]'' #32
|prev=Transformers (2023) issue 31
|next=Transformers (2023) issue 33
|image=Transformers 2023 32 Cover A.jpg
|caption=All this cover needs is an "ARE ALL DEAD".
|title=
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[May 13]], [[2026]]
|coverdate=May 2026
|written by=[[Robert Kirkman]]
|art by=[[Jason Howard]]
|colors by=[[Mike Spicer]]
|letters by=[[Rus Wooton]]
|editor=[[Ben Abernathy]]
|publication design=[[Andres Juarez]]
|production=[[Ashby Florence]]
|continuity=[[Energon Universe]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Elita Prime returns with her Autobots to Cybertron, but the journey home won't be an easy one.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:LotsOfCons.jpeg|thumb|left|250px|Transformers created during the late 2000s and early 2010s are now considered old enough for nostalgic callbacks, let that sink in…]]

[[Elita One (G1)|Elita Prime]] and her [[Autobot]]s emerge from the [[space bridge]] back on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] notices that they are in the middle of [[Decepticon]] territory. Elita and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] managed to sneak in to use the bridge to go to [[Earth]], but their increased numbers will make returning to the Autobot base much harder. [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] proposes he fly them out a few at a time while [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] would prefer to drive, however, Elita nixes either idea for fear that they might give away their position. However, as they begin their journey on foot, it quickly proves a moot point when they are ambushed by a squad of Decepticons led by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], alive without a head, much to the shock of Elita.

The Decepticons attack, blasting the remains of [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] that Jetfire was carrying. Ultra Magnus [[transformation|transforms]] and tells the Autobots to load into his car carrier form, using his [[alternate mode]] to ram Shockwave and allow his fellow Autobots to attack the Decepticons. However, the Decepticon forces quickly regain their composure and fight back, overwhelming the Autobots. Seeing her comrades taking such a beating, Elita fears that this may be their [[darkest hour]] and tries using the power of the [[Matrix of Leadership]].

Unfortunately, it does nothing. She hits the ancient artifact, demanding it open until a flash of white light emerges and glowing energy emerges from the talisman and forms into the Ghost of the [[Star Saber (Thirteen)|Star Saber]]. Using her new weapon, she mows down the Decepticons, allowing the Autobots the chance to regroup and retreat. As the Autobots escape, Shockwave realizes that Elita Prime will be a force to be reckoned with. He decides he needs to pay a visit to [[Alpha Trion]]...

{{--}}

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (2)
* [[Elita One (G1)|Elita Prime]] (3)
* [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] (4)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (5)
* [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (6)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (7)
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (8)
* [[Bulkhead (G1)|Bulkhead]] (9)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (10)
* [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (11)

|c2=
* [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] (12)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (13)
* [[Skyquake (EU)|Skyquake]] (14)
* [[Lockdown (G1)|Lockdown]] (15)
* [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] (16)
* [[Makeshift (G1)|Makeshift]] (17)
* [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] (18)
* [[Lugnut (TF 2010)|Lugnut]] (19)
* [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] (20)
* [[Acid Storm (G1)|Acidstorm]] (21)
* [[Octane]] (22)
* [[Breakdown (IDW)|Breakdown]] (23)
* [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (24)
}}

==Quotes==
"I'm held together with '''hatred''' and '''spite'''! You can’t crush that!"
:— '''Shockwave'''

"This blade '''hungers''' for the foul sparks of Decepticons! I hear its song! It '''fuels''' me!"
:— '''Elita Prime'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Last seen briefly in [[Transformers (2023) issue 27|issue #27]], Shockwave is still missing his head and gun-arm. His arm was removed and his head was crushed by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] during their climactic battle in [[Transformers (2023) issue 12|issue #12]]. His signature solitary optic still floats above his neck, connected just barely by a wire or two.
* While most of the Decepticons who make up Shockwave's forces are new introductions to the Energon Universe, Ratbat and Thrust previously appeared in [[Transformers (2023) issue 17|issue #17]].
* Ultra Magnus has come a long way toward overcoming the trauma that Shockwave inflicted on him while captured (which Elita rescued him from in [[Transformers (2023) issue 7|issue #7]]). During his last encounter with the Decepticon commander in [[Transformers (2023) issue 11|issue #11]], Magnus fled in a panic. Now he is able to confront his torturer head-on.
* Acidstorm asks where Jetfire has been hiding all this time. Readers saw Jetfire depart Cybertron in search of potential energy sources before the war fully broke out in [[Transformers (2023) issue 13|issue #13]]. Ultimately, Jetfire would miss the entirety of the war, crashing on a planetoid and not being reactivated for millions of years until [[Darak]] and [[Solila]] found him in ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 1|#1]], the very beginning of the Energon Universe.
* Elita Prime unveils her [[alternate mode|alt-mode]] which, as might be expected from her new winged backpack, is a sort of flying Cybertronian car.
* Alpha Trion was previously mentioned and seen in flashback in [[Void Rivals issue 17|''Void Rivals'' #17]], when [[Beta (G1)|Zerta Trion]] revealed the backstory of the [[Sacred Ring]] to Solila.

===''Transformers'' references===
* Bulkhead remarks on the shoddy construction of the space bridge, echoing his ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' [[Bulkhead (Animated)|counterpart's]] space bridge expertise.
* Much like the [[2005 IDW continuity]] before, the Energon Universe iteration of Blackarachnia is visually based on her [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]].
* Knock Out refers to Breakdown as "my dear". Their relationship was something fans read into about their ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Transformers: Prime]]'' incarnations, but was later codified in the [[2005 IDW continuity]]. The pair are also seen attacking Bulkhead, who was positioned as Breakdown's rival in the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Transformers: Prime'' cartoon]].
* Knock Out's forehead spike is yellow. While not its traditional color, it does have precedent with both his ''[[Knock Out (Prime)#Beast Hunters|Beast Hunters]]'' and ''[[Knock Out (Prime)#Adventure|Adventure]]'' toys.
* Lugnut expounds on the glory of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], just as his [[Lugnut (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]] was so fond of doing.
* Lockdown remarks on Jazz's head making a nice trophy. Taking trophies from his captured enemies was a favorite hobby of [[Lockdown (Animated)|''Animated'' Lockdown]]. Going after Jazz in particular may be because his [[Jazz (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]] was part of the [[Cyber-Ninja Corps]] that Lockdown was once a member of.
* Elita Prime asks the Matrix to "light [their] [[darkest hour]]", the phrase most associated with the Matrix from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. When it initially refuses to do anything, her frustration and demand that it "open!" resembles that of Ultra Magnus when the Matrix failed to open for him in the film, although Elita refrains from swearing and the Matrix does eventually do something for her.
* The Star Saber is the ancient weapon of [[Prima]], leader of the [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]].
* Elita slices off Skyquake's right arm, echoing a similar injury sustained by the [[Skyquake (Prime)|zombified Skyquake]] in ''Transformers: Prime''. She also gets his left hand just above the wrist, which is not necessarily a reference.
* [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] was a one-episode villain from the ''Prime'' episode "[[Con Job]]", where he was a [[Shifter]] who infiltrated the Autobots by disguising himself as [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]]. He tries the same trick here by taking the form of Jazz, but Elita sees through it.
* Elita seems to have a personal enmity with Blackarachnia, which may be a reference to how her Animated counterpart was originally that continuity's version of Elita-One before she was mutated into a [[technorganic]] being.
* In a surprising bit of consistency [[The Transformers: Windblade|most]] [[Transformers: Legacy|new]] [[Transformers: Cyberverse (cartoon)|series]] which feature the characters tend to ignore, ''every'' new Decepticon that originated in ''Prime'' and ''Animated'' lack noses.

===Errors===
* Ultra Magnuses' antenna are still being colored blue.
* In the last panel of the second page, Elita says "We'll better avoid detection if we say low." "Say" is clearly supposed to be "stay", just missing the "t".
* The first panel of page 3, Bulkhead says he needs to "take a knee for second", forgetting the second "a".

===Other notes===
* In the letters pages, Kirkman alludes to that bot seen in [[Megatron (G1)#Energon Universe|Megatron's]] vision of the [[Matrix of Oppression]] last issue, who was absolutely ''not'' the recently-deceased Autobot [[Trailbreaker (G1)#Energon Universe| Trailbreaker]], because that guy's like, '''super''' dead, m'kay. Nope, no siree, not a chance, keep dreamin'…
* The specific “non-80s character” Kirkman alluded to back in the letters pages of [[Transformers (2023) issue 29|issue 29]] turned out to be Lugnut, though he’s joined by ''many'' other Decepticons not mentioned by the reader.
* Energon Experience: Presented by Skybound Executive Editor Ben Abernathy.
** '''Character Spotlight:''' Shockwave
** '''Name That Decepticon!:''' Spotlights Shockwave's forces from this issue.
** '''Creator Spotlight:''' Ben asks Jason Howard what his alt-mode would be. Jason answers coffee. Or, if he were a triple changer, coffee and a basketball.
* [[Acid Storm (disambiguation)|Acidstorm]]'s name is typically spelled with a space, but in this issue it's all one word. Deliberate change or typo? We will have to see!

===Covers===
* '''Cover A:''' Shockwave, by [[David Nakayama]]
* '''Cover B:''' Ultra Magnus, [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]], and [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]], by [[Daniel Warren Johnson]] and Mike Spicer.
* '''Cover C:''' Connecting cover, by Jason Howard and [[Annalisa Leoni]].
* '''Cover D:''' Elita One, [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]], Bluestreak, and Cliffjumper by [[Lesley Li]].
* '''Cover E:''' Design schematics for Shockwave, by [[E. J. Su]].

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover A.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover B.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover C.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover D.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover E.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Unknown Comics Cover.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 TopShelfComic Cover.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisement===
* Explore the Energon Universe in ''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]'' [[G.I. Joe (2024) issue 22|#22]], ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 30|#30]], and ''[[M.A.S.K. (2026 comic)|M.A.S.K.]]'' [[M.A.S.K. (2026) issue 1|#1]].
* 3-page preview of the [[M.A.S.K. Energon Universe 2026 Special story|''M.A.S.K.'' story]] from the ''[[Energon Universe 2026 Special]]''.

===Reprints===
* '''''Transformers Volume 6: Decepticons Attack!''''' ([[December 9]], [[2026]]) ISBN 1534332634 / ISBN 978-1534332638 
** Collects ''Transformers'' issues #31–36.
** Trade paperback format.

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 V6.jpg|'''''Volume 6: Decepticons Attack!''''' – cover art by [[David Nakayama]]
</gallery>

==External links==

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Transformers (2023) issues]]

Scuba (BW)

2026-05-14T19:22:07Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Beast Wars II cartoon */ typo, redirects

{{factions|maximal|liegemaximo}}
{{Disambig2|the Beast Wars character|his Legends World counterpart|Scuba (Legends)}}
:''Scuba is a [[Maximal]] from the [[Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars II]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:ScubaModel.jpg|right|upright=1.67|thumb|Has great handwriting, but no thumbs. Odd.]]

'''Scuba''' (スクーバ ''Sukūba'') is definitely the "quiet type". A solitary, silent loner, he prefers to keep to himself and spend his hours meticulously perfecting the numerous disciplines he pursues. Martial arts, poetry, military history; Scuba can do it all... just as long as nobody breaks his concentration with annoying prattle. Though more-or-less a team-player on the battlefield, Scuba relishes his solitude and doesn't connect very well with his fellow Maximals on a personal level ([[Tasmania Kid (BW)|Tasmania Kid]], in particular, says he "just doesn't ''get'' him").

Unfortunately for Scuba's privacy, being "mysterious" and "the strong silent type" all rolled into one has made him an absolute ''chick magnet''. While [[Artemis]] voyeuristically pines for him from afar, the [[Seacon (BW)|Seacon]] [[Scylla (BW)|Scylla]] is much more forward with her advances, aggressively chasing and romancing the uninterested Maximal squid... who would just like to be left alone!

About the only Maximal whom Scuba can get along with is his cousin [[Ikard (BW)|Ikard]], who shares in many of his interests. Scuba also pilots the [[Tako Tank]], a powerful amphibious vehicle and maybe the only thing capable of fending off his fangirls. Seriously, this guy is a walking Axe Body Spray commercial.

==Fiction==
===Japanese Genneration 1 cartoon continuity===
====''Beast Wars II'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Yūji Kishi]] (Japanese)}}

[[File:NewForces CybertronScuba.JPG|left|upright=0.85|thumb|I've ''no'' idea what [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] was [[An Explosive Situation|talking about]]; ''Great Expectations'' is actually pretty good.]]
Scuba was a member of the Maximals' Convoy unit. Like his comrades, he felt the apparent loss of their commander Convoy quite keenly. When they responded to their first mission without their leader, the Convoy unit was shot down aboard the ''[[Yukikaze (BW)|Yukikaze]]'' above the planet [[Gaia]]. Scuba and the others used escape pods to reach the planet's surface, and Scuba adopted a squid beast mode once he made his landing. He reunited with his fellow soldiers (unfortunately, given [[Tasmania Kid (BW)|Tasmania Kid]]'s penchant for squid puns), and they made their way to the ''[[Galvaburg II]]'', a Predacon vessel harvesting [[Angolmois Energy]] from the planet and harming the local wildlife. After a short battle with the Predacons, Scuba and the Maximals escaped with the help of a white lion. {{storylink|The New Forces Arrive!}}

The lion soon revealed itself as [[Lio Convoy (BW)|Lio Convoy]], who had survived his own crash on the planet. He led them to the crash site of the ''Yukikaze'', which would become their base of operations. [[Megastorm (BW)|Megastorm]] unleashed his [[Autoroller (BW)|Autorollers]] to cause mass deforestation and prepare the planet for energy harvesting, threatening all animal life in the environment. The Maximals did their best to contain the fires until Scuba saved the day, drilling through rock and earth in squid mode to cause geysers of water to shoot up from underground reservoirs, drenching the forests and putting out the fires. {{storylink|White Lion, Run!}}

Lio Convoy instructed his Maximal soldiers to search for the ''Galvaburg II''. Outside the base, [[Bighorn (BW)|Bighorn]] and Tasmania Kid teamed up to go looking for the ship, leaving [[Diver (BW)|Diver]] to suggest partnering with Scuba. Or he WOULD have, if Scuba hadn't slid off to search on his own the moment Diver's back was turned. {{storylink|Bighorn's Rage}} When Kid was captured in a lake trap set by the Predacons, the other land-based Maximals were caught in a second trap on the shore. Lio Convoy instructed Diver to forge ahead to rescue Kid, and Scuba soon appeared on his own to assist Diver in reconnoitering the [[Predacon lake fortress]]. Scuba got the drop on the Predacons and freed Kid before the self-destruct was set, leading all the Maximals to escape the fortress together. {{storylink|The Lake Trap}}

The Maximals were hard pressed to stop Megastorm's latest ploy to capture the planet's energy, dispatching an overwhelming quantity of [[Fortress-building saucer|autonomous robot drones]] to build fortresses for the Predacons. This became the least of their problems, however, when [[Galvatron (BW)|Galvatron]] emerged for the first time on Gaia. His drill tank mode proved virtually unstoppable, as Lio Convoy led him up the cliffside of a volcano. Scuba managed to temporarily up-end Galvatron by creating a geyser underneath him, and the Maximals' weapons fire then buried him in rubble. However, Galvatron then unleashed his dragon mode, prolonging the combat even further. In the end, it was a sneak attack by Megastorm that upset his brother's footing and sent him tumbling into an open volcano, leaving the Maximals confused over who their secret ally was. {{storylink|Galvatron Revived}}

Next, Scuba and the Maximals moved on to the South Continent to investigate a new string of energy readings. {{storylink|Mystery of the Ancient Ruins}} As the Maximals became aware of the [[Insectron]]s' presence on Gaia, Lio Convoy wanted to make peaceful contact and prove the Maximals weren't their enemies. Diver and Scuba were paired up to search the Insectrons' territory. {{storylink|The Insect Corps Arrive}} Later, Scuba was off searching alone when Diver, Kid, and Bighorn were tricked into a fight with the Insectrons by the Predacons. He helped Lio Convoy and Apache save their friends from an opportunistic Predacon attack after the Maximals were low on energy. {{storylink|Friend or Foe? The Insect Robos}}

When Tasmania Kid called in the Maximals for help saving the Insectrons from a Predacon trap, his transmission was cut off. Fortunately, Scuba was able to identify his location and bring the other Maximals to their aid. Lio Convoy told Kid he should thank Scuba for his rescue. ''Everyone'' should give thanks for Scuba. ''Always''. {{storylink|The Strongest Tag Team?}}

One afternoon on patrol, Scuba saw Tasmania Kid and [[Scissor Boy]] being held at gunpoint by the Autorollers. They were headed in the direction of the Maximal base, and so Scuba relayed his findings to the team. Lio Convoy reasoned that Kid and Boy intended to lead the Autorollers into an ambush, and ordered the Maximals to prepare. When the other Insectrons inadvertently foiled the plan by trying to rescue their friends with a rockslide, Scuba alerted the Maximals and they raced to back up their comrades at the ''Galvaburg II'' instead. {{storylink|Danger! Scissor Boy}}

During his meditations, Scuba detected a change in the flow of Angolmois Energy underneath the planet. He traced the anomaly to a cavern where the Autorollers were digging for Angolmois Energy. Musing aloud that the Autorollers were clearly the most dangerous of the Predacons, Scuba missed the approach of [[Autojetter]] behind him. Scuba was captured and learned of the Autorollers' plan to unleash a wave of Angolmois Energy over the Insectrons' lands to drive them out.

They were interrupted by the insane Galvatron, who drilled into the pipeline and caused a blockage. Scuba convinced the Autorollers to release him so that he could help man the pipes and prevent the destruction of their base. With Galvatron running wild, Scuba orchestrated a ceasefire between the Maximals and Autorollers, as the two groups worked together to overload Galvatron on Angolmois Energy, casting him into the sea. Autojetter was still beaming from Scuba's earlier compliment of the Autorollers, and so they and the Maximals parted peacefully, knowing when next they met, it would be as enemies once more. {{storylink|Galvatron Rampages}}

When the Predacons launched a massive offensive on the South Continent, Scuba and the Maximals teamed up with the Insectrons to foil their plans once again. {{storylink|Predacon General Offensive!}}

One day, Scuba was sunning himself by the ''Yukikaze'' and apparently too "cool" to report in when a spacecraft crashed on the East Continent containing the three [[Jointron]] brothers. Technically Maximals, the Jointrons were cocky and unpredictable, so Lio Convoy instructed Scuba to keep an eye on them. When the Jointrons tried to take on the ''Galvaburg II'' alone in their [[Tripledacus]] form, Scuba emerged dramatically from a water spout to save them from the Predacons. {{storylink|The Combined Giant, Tripledacus}} When the Jointrons overran the Maximal advance base, lured the Predacons in, got captured, freed themselves and captured the Predacons, then let them escape in the end, Scuba somehow managed to be on patrol and miss the whole fiasco. ''Somehow''. {{storylink|The Festive Jointrons}}

While the Maximals were searching for the latest Predacon fortress, the Jointrons were exposed to a bacteria bomb that robbed them of their power. Scuba and the other Maximals saved the Jointrons by posing as the massive Jointron II. They compensated for Kid and Diver's exposure to the bacteria by sharing energy between one another, in a proud display of teamwork. {{storylink|A Fearsome Combination Plan?}}

Scuba was sent out on patrol shortly before the Jointrons started causing trouble again. Caught up in proving who among them was the best leader, the Jointrons stole a Maximal ship to attack a Predacon fortress, getting most of Lio Convoy's crew involved in a fight with the Combatrons and Autorollers. The Predacons had orders to capture the Jointrons so that Galvatron could study their combination sequence. Because the squabbling Jointrons refused to fight together as Tripledacus, they were captured separately by [[BB (BW)|BB]], Dirge, and Thrust. But never fear, Scuba's here! Launching out of a conveniently nearby waterfall, Scuba knocked BB out of the sky and severed his net, freeing [[Motorarm (Animated)|Motorarm]]. {{storylink|Who Is the Leader!?}}

{{bigquote|Yes, I saved you, and everybody else.|Scuba}}

One day, Tasmania Kid found a [[Copy Machine]] that scanned objects to create three-dimensional duplicates of the subject. He demonstrated the machine's power by copying Scuba's book of poetry so that both he and Bighorn could read at the same time. Believing the machine could be used to bolster the Maximals' ranks, Kid shined the Machine's ray on Lio Convoy, creating "[[Black Lio Convoy|Copy Convoy]]". Unfortunately, the machine only created ''evil'' copies, and so Scuba and the Maximals were forced to deal with a malevolent usurper that had all of Lio Convoy's knowledge and skills. He even captured the Copy Machine and used it to create "[[Copy Scuba]]" and other copy Maximals. Fortunately, Diver's [[Niagara Base]] enhancements turned the tide in favor of the original Maximals.

The evil book of poetry is still out there somewhere, though. Waiting. {{storylink|The Black Lio Convoy}}

When the Maximals detected a [[photon sailer]] landing in the Sea Continent, they took their ships to investigate. Since the energy readings came from underwater, Scuba and Diver were tapped for reconnaissance. They discovered the [[Seacon (BW)|Space Pirate Seacons]] pillaging Angolmois Energy from a [[Sunken well site|sunken well]], but were sighted by the lady-pirate and squid, [[Scylla (BW)|Scylla]]. Scylla was immediate taken with Scuba's good looks, but he blew his ink wad to cover his escape with Diver and reported back to Lio Convoy. The Maximals were confronted by [[Halfshell]], the Seacons' captain, who proved to be a mighty opponent on his own. When he called in the rest of the Seacons to form [[God Neptune]], Lio Convoy dispatched Scuba and Diver to seize the pirates' ship while the others kept God Neptune busy. The frog and the squid began sailing away with the photon sailer, drawing God Neptune to chase them. Once he caught the vessel, Diver and Scuba abandoned ship and detonated the canisters of Angolmois Energy on board, leaving the ship crippled and the Seacons in disarray. {{storylink|The Space Pirate Seacons!}}

Scuba's daring displaying of dynamic skill were put on display when [[Artemis]] and [[Moon (BW)|Moon]] had a conversation about who was the strongest warriors among the Maximals and Predacons. After much debate, Artemis declared a match between the strongest individual Maximal and Predacon would determine the victor...but actually just invited Scuba and [[Starscream (BW)|Starscream]] up because she thought they both were ''super''-kewl. Feeling a little exposed, Scuba and Starscream just awkwardly shook hands and called it a day. {{storylink|Who Is the Strongest Warrior!?}}

[[File:Scylla1.jpg|right|thumb|nope nope nope nope]]
Scuba was completely oblivious to Scylla's intentions towards him, even when she declared her love openly to his face...er, beak. He was either utterly confused by her actions, or thought them to be some kind of bizarre trap. He destroyed her love letter and shrugged off her affections more than once, but of course that only made Scylla decide he was mysterious and shy, wanting him all the more. {{storylink|The Tentacular Scuba}}

When Megastorm and the Seacons teamed up, each of the Maximals was lured to a separate location by an Angolmois Energy [[Decoy energy transmitter|signal transmitter]]. Scuba followed an undersea signal until he was confronted by [[Halfshell]], the Seacon leader. He escaped a barrage from Halfshell's shell cannons until the hidden bomb in Megastorm's transmitter went off, distracting the combatants. {{storylink|Megastorm's Reckoning}}

The Seacons attacked the Maximals again, luring Bighorn and Kid out onto the water where they were more vulnerable. Scuba and Diver arrived to rescue their friends, and Scuba tried to transport Bighorn back to land. Unfortunately, he was caught in the embrace of Scylla, who was ''ultra'' clingy to toss Bighorn in the water and hold Scuba close so her fellow Seacons wouldn't fire upon him. Scuba refused to stay in the relative safety of Scylla's tentacles while his fellow Maximals were being attacked, though, and so he vomited ink all over Scylla to make his getaway. Scuba was able to grab all his comrades and pull them to momentary safety atop a [[Dragon-headed cape|rocky raft]]. The Maximals were still in trouble, faced with God Neptune, but the Insectrons luckily arrived and helped drive off the Space Pirate combiner. {{storylink|Showdown in the Sea}}

Scuba momentarily appeared during Tripledacus's battle with God Neptune, but vanished almost as quickly. {{storylink|Face the Setting Sun}} Scylla sought out Scuba to tell him the Seacons planned to leave Gaia behind, but they lacked the energy necessary to reach orbit. After fending off her advances once again, Scuba brought this information to the Maximals. Lio Convoy had Scuba escort him to the [[Photon sailer]] for a meet with Halfshell. The captain agreed to fight Lio Convoy one-on-one for the energy they needed to depart. Well, God Neptune is technically a "one". Diver and Scuba were suspicious of the Seacons, and reported to the other Maximals when they saw who Lio Convoy's competition was. In the end, though, Lio Convoy survived and the Seacons departed the planet. {{storylink|The Final Battle (BWII)|The Final Battle}}

Scuba's waterfall meditation exercises were interrupted by [[Lio Junior (BW)|Lio Junior]]'s moping and Diver's frolicking. Unlike most of the Maximals, Scuba took the sudden and implausible arrival of Lio Convoy's son via the Angolmois Energy in stride. {{storylink|Megastorm Reborn}} Scuba assisted Lio Convoy in funneling veins of volatile natural gas under [[Megastorm (BW)|Gigastorm]] so that the Maximals could detonate the gas around their foe. This plan didn't work, but as Scuba emerged from underground, he was met by his cousin, [[Ikard (BW)|Ikard]]. Ikard had come to Gaia to deliver the [[Tako Tank]], a powerful vehicle gifted to Scuba by his family. The Tank proved its worth, running rings around Gigastorm and keeping him off-balance. {{storylink|The New Weapon, Tako Tank}}

While reminiscing about the Seacons, Scuba had to fend off Bighorn's questions about just what his feelings and intentions were towards his Miss Squid-Lady, Scylla. {{storylink|The Artificial Planet Nemesis}}

Scuba was demonstrated the capabilities of his Tako Tank to the Maximals when Lio Junior sensed evil Angolmois Energy in the vicinity. He rushed off to confront the source, with the more impulsive Maximals in tow. Scuba, however, chose to sensibly wait behind. The Tako Tank and its Octo Lasers later joined the battle once Lio Convoy had been informed and the Maximals organized properly for a strike. {{storylink|Gigastorm's Treachery}}

Scuba loved his Tako Tank so much he washed it, and waxed it, and composed a little song about keeping it clean. So naturally Tasmania Kid and Diver decided to screw around with the Tank when he wasn't looking. Kid got inside the cockpit and pushed a big, shiny, flashing, red button on the dashboard, causing the Tank to seal up and drive on its own. After consulting the manual, Scuba realized Kid had pressed the <s>wacky plot device</s> "runaway and self-destruct" button. Scuba and the Maximals chased after Kid and the runaway Tank, where Scuba managed to climb aboard and press the "Please don't blow up" button just in time.

The Tako Tank fiasco drew the Maximals into battle with Starscream and BB, who ended up being exposed to Angolmois Energy and emerging as the powerful [[Starscream (BW)|Hellscream]] and [[BB (BW)|Max-B]]. Even [[Magnaboss (BWII)|Magnaboss]] had trouble with the newly supercharged Cyborg Beasts, leaving Scuba and the Tako Tank to save the day. Scuba grabbed the Predacons in his Octo-Tentacles, dragging them back down into the pit of Angolmois Energy while burying them using his Octo-Lasers. The Beasts were temporarily defeated, but the Maximals now faced new and more deadly foes. {{storylink|The End of Starscream}}

While investigating the rise in Angolmois Energy activity, Scuba was embarrassingly caught off-guard by the newly upgraded [[Dirge (BW)|Dirgegun]] and [[Thrust (BW)|Thrustor]]. The cyber-raptor's Trasher Horn froze Scuba on the spot in a block of solid ice. The Magnaboss team found the squid-cicle, and Lio Junior instructed Santon and Skywarp to thaw Scuba while he took the Tako Tank's bike to go help Lio Convoy. {{storylink|The Lio Convoy Assassination Plot}}

When a mysterious ship crashed on Gaia, the Maximals prepared to investigate. Lio Junior volunteered to lead the expedition, but Scuba and many of the others teased Junior for his youth and inexperience, saying a more seasoned Maximal should be in charge. Tasmania Kid stepped up to support Lio Junior and volunteered to assist him on the mission, leading to Lio Convoy's approval. The mission revealed the crashed ship was a teleport gate, able to summon warriors from anywhere in space and time. Although the Maximals captured the command key for the gate, the gate itself was seized by the Predacons and Tasmania Kid was seriously injured defending Lio Junior. Scuba and the Maximals blamed Lio Junior for Kid's injuries, leading Junior to take on the Predacons alone. Kid finally climbed off his sickbed to tell Scuba and the others to leave Lio Junior alone, as he was only trying to show them he was a worthy comrade, and win their trust.

With Lio Junior's command key, the Predacons summoned an apocalyptic beast known as [[Majin Zarak]], and lay siege to Gaia. Scuba and the Maximals were unable to get close enough to defeat Majin Zarak, but Lio Junior summoned [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] using the gate to supplement their forces. Lio Convoy placed Diver and Scuba on surveillance, and they used the ''Yukikaze's'' scanners to pinpoint Majin Zarak's weak spot: his third eye. The Maximals lured Majin Zarak into a box canyon, where Lio Convoy and Optimus Primal combined the power of their Energon Matrixes to defeat the great beast. Scuba watched on as Optimus Primal returned to his personal war through the gate. {{storylink|Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger!}}

With the artificial planet Nemesis creeping ever closer to Gaia, its influence on the Angolmois Energy was ever more keenly felt. The Maximals tried using freeze devices to cool the unstable Angolmois Energy before it upset the planet's core. Scuba attached one of the devices to his Tako Tank, and later used it in battle to cool off Gigastorm as well. {{storylink|The Great Angolmois Freezing Tactic}} The Maximals retrofitted one of the Niagara Base's cannons to funnel Angolmois Energy, making it potentially powerful enough to destroy the oncoming Nemesis. In order to get the artillery cannon into position with a minimal amount of interference, Lio Convoy arranged for two prop cannons to be transported in order to distract the Predacons. Scuba and the Tako Tank transported the second prop cannon secretly underwater, while Apache brazenly led the first prop out in the open. They successful diverted all the Cyborg Beasts from Magnaboss and the true, third cannon. Unfortunately, the Angolmois Energy proved too powerful for the cannon, and it ultimately self-destructed before taking out Nemesis. {{storylink|Knock Out Nemesis}}

Scuba, in the Tako Tank, brought Diver to the rescue when Magnaboss went berserk, but the two of them were overcome just as easily as the other Maximals. Only after Lio Convoy drained the evil Angolmois Energy infecting Lio Junior's spark did the giant warrior settle down. {{storylink|Lio Junior's Revolt!?}}

Scuba and the Tako Tank were working on breaking down the ''Yukikaze'' for Lio Convoy's latest plan against Nemesis when a UFO robot crashed nearby. NAVI determined the robot was sent by automatic signal from a Gaian colony temple on Mars in response to Nemesis's arrival. The emissary robot claimed it could stop the corrupted Angolmois Energy, and so Lio Convoy told Scuba and the others to keep working while he investigated. {{storylink|Emissary of the Fourth Planet}} Unfortunately, it turned out the robot planned to stop the corrupted Angolmois Energy by crashing the moon into Gaia and destroying everyone on it. Scuba and the Maximals joined Lio Convoy at the mother computer to break through its defenses so that NAVI could reprogram it, saving the moon, Gaia, and everyone on both. {{storylink|The Crisis of Planet Gaia}}

NAVI and Drill Nuts assisted the Maximals in retrofitting Skywarp and Santon's spaceship so that it could be used to reach the artificial planet Nemesis. An underground launch tunnel was built in secret under the [[Rocky Mountains|Rock Mountains]] to launch the ship into space. Secrecy was paramount, and so when Hellscream and Max-B began snooping around the mountains, Lio Convoy had Scuba and the team "reveal" the location of their Niagara Base to Dirgegun and Thrustor, drawing the Predacons' attention away. The Rock Mountains launch tube was uncovered soon anyway, leading Scuba and the others to race from Niagara to the mountains in order to make the launch window. They were opposed by Galvatron, but their friends Magnaboss and Tripledacus helped clear the path. Scuba and the ''Yukikaze'' crew made it on board the ship with Lio Convoy and Apache at the last moment, clearing the atmosphere and flying out into space. Scuba even managed to bring the Tako Tank along with them. {{storylink|Fly Out! Planet Gaia}}

Scuba and the crew were cut down in their flight to Nemesis by the Seacons, who had been mesmerized into Galvatron's service. They crashed on an asteroid and battled God Neptune and his component parts. Diver and Scuba worked to repair their ship while the other Maximals battled the Seacons. After God Neptune was defeated and the Seacons restored to normal, Scylla wondered if Scuba-sama had come to rescue his fair princess but Scuba not-so-subtly ducked out of sight behind the Tako Tank. The Seacons offered the Maximals their energon to recharge their ship, and [[Moon (BW)|Moon]] and [[Artemis]] led the Maximals through a slingshot maneuver around the moon that got them back on track to Nemesis. {{storylink|Revenge of the Space Pirates}}

As the Maximals arrived on Nemesis, they abandoned ship so the Predacons shot down an empty vessel. Scuba and the others gathered by an exhaust port, which NAVI calculated could lead to Nemesis's core. While the other Maximals remained behind to guard their rear, Lio Convoy and Scuba entered the tubes to locate and hopefully disable the core. During their search, they encountered Galvatron, and Lio Convoy ordered Scuba to abandon him and continue on his way to the core. Scuba reluctantly did so, but the Tako Tank was caught in the backwash of Angolmois Energy when Galvatron caused Nemesis to begin aggressively feeding on the energies of Gaia. {{storylink|Breaking into Nemesis}} Scuba was missing for some time after that, and the other Maximals feared he was dead. They needn't have worried. Lest we forget:

{{bigquote|Yes, I saved you, and everybody else.|Scuba}}

Scuba used his time underground to analyze the flow of Angolmois Energy and come up with a better plan than Convoy's. By drilling a series of holes in Nemesis, he arranged for the Angolmois Energy pressure to be diverted safely away from Gaia, ensuring that only Nemesis would be destroyed. His work also slowed the inevitable destruction of Nemesis, giving the Maximals time to safely escape. AND he assembled a series of visual aids to explain his plan to the others. Because he's Scuba, and casually awesome is just how he rolls. As Galvatron and Lio Convoy battled over Nemesis's fate, the Cyborg Beasts continued to hassle the Maximals, until Scuba nicked their motor and hijacked the ''Galvaburg II'' for the Maximals to make their escape. When Nemesis finally erupted, Lio Convoy used all the strength of his Energon Matrix to preserve the lives of Scuba and his Maximal brethren. Although Gaia was saved, the Maximals were left floating in the void, caught in a wormhole created by Nemesis's destruction. They took heart, however, in the appearance of a great light Lio Convoy said would lead them to their next adventure. {{storylink|Farewell! Lio Convoy}}

====The Maximal Brainwashing Operation====
Scuba helped Lio Convoy take down Dirge and Thrust when the two Predacons wandered near the ''[[Yukikaze (BW)|Yukikaze]]''. He was surprised to discover that the pair now sported Maximal faction symbols; the shock that the two jets had sustained during the fight had somehow switched their allegiance!

Later, the bulk of the Predacon forces launched an assault against the Maximal base. Throughout the battle, Scuba stayed hidden in an underground river. Just as Megastorm was readying a devastating turret-blast, Scuba emerged from his hiding place and caused the terrain beneath the Predacon's treads to collapse. Megastorm's shot missed its mark and badly damaged the rest of the Predacon combatants. Scuba then allowed Megastorm to be swept away by the river's current while the rest of the Predacons retreated. {{storylink|The Maximal Brainwashing Operation}}

====''Beast Wars Neo'' cartoon====
Later, after [[Big Convoy (BW)|Big Convoy]], Lio Convoy and [[Magmatron (BW)|Magmatron]] defeated [[Unicron]], all the Maximals, Scuba included, were freed from the wormhole and invited back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to help repair their devastated planet and take part in a new Maximal-Predacon alliance. {{storylink|Graduation Ceremony!!}}

====''End of G1 Universe''====
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)|Age of Primes}}}}

===''BomBom'' comic continuity===
====''Beast Wars II'' comic====
Most of the Maximals used a downpour as an excuse to skip on their regular patrols. [[Apache (BW)|Apache]] was infuriated by [[Lio Convoy Unit|his unit]]'s laziness, though they all snapped to attention when [[Lio Convoy (BW)|Lio Convoy]] came on-deck. The lot of them were forced into action when [[Diver (BW)|Diver]] reported in that the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] were headed their way aboard [[Galvatron Dekazura Tank|a giant tank]]. Apache and Bighorn lured the tank into a river where Diver and Scuba were able to plant bombs on the tank's more vulnerable underside, causing the tank to flood and ending its threat. {{storylink|Demolish the Superdreadnought Tank!}}

While Lio Convoy fought [[Galvatron (BW)|Galvatron]], Scuba got in his [[Tako Tank]] and followed a tracker he'd placed in [[Tasmania Kid (BW)|Tasmania Kid]]'s ear to his colleague, whose shattered but conscious body was left helplessly to itself. On the latter's urging, Scuba sent out a [[Surumerang|Surumerang Signal]] to the other Maximals and then patched Tasmania Kid up enough so that he could access his Tasmanian devil nose again. Together, they followed the scent of [[Angolmois Energy]] to the [[Mother Computer]], where they learned about the facility and met [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]]. Optimus led them back to the surface to witness Lio Convoy defeat Galvatron, meet up with the other Maximals, see Lio Convoy saved from the evil influence of the Angolmois Energy, and return back to the [[Maximal Gaia base]]. {{storylink|Free the Captured Matrix!}}

Scuba wrote and with his [[Tako Tank|Sumiicar]] delivered a love letter to the [[Seacon (BW)|Seacon]] [[Scylla (BW)|Scylla]] on behalf of the insecure and shy Bighorn. Scuba did so, but Scylla mistook him for her admirer and proposed marriage, which Scuba thought to be a proposal to Bighorn. After Bighorn said yes, the misunderstanding lasted up until the wedding ceremony when she rejected him and declared her love for Scuba, who was one of the guests. Scuba insisted that he had no feelings for her, but everyone thought that he was a rival for Scylla's love and so Bighorn forced him to a duel. Deeply offended, Scuba fought with a vengeance and it would've ended ugly if the Predacons hadn't attacked then. Scuba, Bighorn, and Scylla joined forces to beat back the enemy, with Scuba unleashind a barrage of Dynamite Surumerang: Wild Shot. Thereafter, Scylla spoke with Scuba, confirming for herself that he didn't love her. Scuba accepted that he had his part in the misunderstanding too and asked Scylla to be kind when she'd break things off with Bighorn. {{storylink|Realize the Forbidden Love!}} The Lio Convoy Unit learned of an Angolmois Energy-powered weapon base that could destroy the Maximal Gaia base and therefore needed to be destroyed as soon as feasible. To this end, Apache had requested the backup of a [[Convoy (rank)|Convoy]]-class soldier from [[Maximal Army Central Headquarters]] and he [[Star Upper's spacecar|arrived]] in the form of [[Star Upper (BW)|Star Upper]]. On his orders, they flew in with a [[Yukikaze's twin tenders|medium-sized spaceship]] and parachuted down for a surprise attack. Unfortunately, it was a trap and everyone but Star Upper got mowed down, losing consciousness before hearing Star Upper admit to his deceit and coming to only when the battle had already been won. Those who knew of the deceit stayed quiet, so Scuba continued to believe that Star Upper was a Convoy and therefore did not believe [[Magnaboss (BWII)|Magnaboss]] to be the Convoy-class soldier sent over by HQ when he arrived three days later. {{storylink|Make a Surprise Attack on the Super Weapon Base!}}

One day, Apache accused Tasmania Kid of wrecking his personal room because of the youngster's history of pranks. Despite Tasmania Kid's declaration of innocence, Scuba believed him to be the perpetrator. Tasmania Kid fled the base and not long after Lio Convoy came out of his room and admitted it was he who had committed the vandalism. Things happened fast thereafter, and before he knew it Scuba followed Lio Convoy in saving Tasmania Kid from the [[Cyborg Beast]]s and Apache from himself, on the way hearing about Apache's history as a loose cannon. They arrived just as Apache had dealt with the Cyborg Beasts and got Tasmania Kid out of the cage he'd been put into, taking both their colleagues back to base safely. {{storylink|Recover the Bonds Lost!}}

When the Predacons attacked [[Gaia]] with [[Nemesis (BW)|Nemesis]], the Maximals boarded the ''[[Yukikaze (BW)|Yukikaze]]'' for the most dangerous mission of their lives. They started the counterattack by flying the starship into Nemesis's eye, unboarding just before impact to launch a surprise attack. Thereafter, Scuba fought both [[Dirge (BW)|Dirgegun]] and [[Thrust (BW)|Thrustor]] {{storylink|All Hands, Make a Special Attack on the Evil Planet!}} and watched Lio Convoy duke it out with Galvatron. It led to the explosion of Nemesis, which scattered all Maximals across time and space. {{storylink|Win the Battle of Light and Darkness!}} Scuba ended up on [[Jörmungandr]], a planet populated mainly by cobras, in which he found his successors. {{storylink|The Beast Wars "Neo" Begin!!!}}

====''Beast Wars Neo'' comic====
[[File:God Scuba.jpg|thumb|left]]
After the destruction of the Nemesis, Scuba arrived the planet [[Jörmungandr]] with an [[Angolmois Energy|Angolmois]] Capsule. There, he transformed the native cobras into Transformers, possibly using the capsule's Angolmois Energy. The cobras worshipped Scuba as a god, called '''Scuba Geso Mongō''' (スクーバゲソモンゴー), and the capsule was encased in a statue in his image. Scuba eventually left Jörmungandr for reasons unknown; native myths claimed that "the god was enraged, so he had to leave". {{storylink|A Battle Fought Alone}}

===2006 IDW ''Beast Wars'' continuity===
[[File:Ascending4 TakoTank.jpg|thumb]]
[[Ikard (BW)|Ikard]], Scuba's elder sibling, taught him the [[Surumerang]] attack, a technique that involves throwing his claw-weapon to disable several opponents at once. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}

Scuba was one of many crazed Transformers participating in an [[Angolmois Energy|Angolmois]]-induced riot on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. He followed the Tako Tank after it broke down a wall, so apparently he wasn't the driver this time. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 4|The Ascending #4}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
Scuba was one of [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Onyx Prime]]'s Maximals. During Onyx's invasion of Cybertron, he was one of the many Maximals who battled [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]] and lost; [[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]] and [[Aileron]] came across his remains shortly afterwards. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|Endless Forever}}

==Games==
===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars''===
Scuba wound up in a series of one-on-one battles when he and several other Beast Warriors were drawn into another dimension by the super-powerful [[Energon Quartz]].

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

After defeating [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], his final opponent, and obtaining the Quartz, Scuba used its power to reverse the damage the Predacons caused to the planet's environment. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars}}

{{BW fighter ending|Scuba|GBC}}

====Move list====
{{note|This move list presumes the player is facing right; when facing left, reverse the left and right inputs.}}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan=2|'''Robot Mode'''
!colspan=2|'''Beast Mode'''
|-
|Scuba Whip||→↓→B
|Scuba Smog||↓→B
|-
|Lectric Shock||B repeatedly
|Scuba Dive||→↓→B
|-
|Scuba Thrust||←↓→A
|Tail Whip||↓←B
|-
|Surumerang||↓→B
|Scuba Spiral||←↓→A
|-
|Vulcan Rush (super)||↓→↓← B
|Kraken Knock (super)||↓→↓← B
|-
|Scuba Dance '99 (desperation)||↓←↓→ A
|Scuba Dance '99 (desperation)||↓←↓→ A
|}

==Toys==
===''Beast Wars''===
[[File:Scuba.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|[[Splatoon|You're a kid now. You're a squid now.]]]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-m1|'''Scuba''' (スクーバ, [[1998]])}}</ul>
:*''ID number'': '''C-15'''
:*''Release date'': [[1998]] March
:*''Accessories'': "[[Surumerang]]"
{{toydesigner|[[Takio Ejima]] (TakaraTomy), [[Masakatsu Saito]] (concept artist)}}

: Part of the first wave of ''Beast Wars II'' products in the [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars (Japanese toyline)#BWII|Beast Wars]]'' toyline, Scuba is largely identical to the [[Hasbro]] Basic Class [[Maximal]] [[Claw Jaw#Toys|Claw Jaw]], transforming into a maroon and orange squid. In [[beast mode]], pushing a plunger on his back opens his beast mode jaws; a [[gimmick]] that works in both modes. In robot mode, a piece of the plunger can be removed to become his hand-held "[[Surumerang]]" weapon.

: Scuba and Claw Jaw have a very similar deco, but the paint and plastics have a ''very'' slight difference in hue. Scuba also has some additional remolding from the Hasbro toy—the biggest of which are the forearm/tentacle pieces and the [[robot mode]] feet. The tentacle tips were widened slightly and rounded off for unknown reasons—more than likely to either solidify the piece to prevent snapping or [[for safety reasons]]. The robot mode feet were hollowed out on the underside a lot more, in comparison to Claw Jaw.

: This toy was [[redeco]]ed to make [[Ikard (BW)#Toys|Ikard]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Cybertron/Scuba/scuba.htm More information on Scuba at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|VS15}}{{anchor|VsThrust}}
[[File:BWII-toy VS15-ScubaThrust.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-m1p1|'''Suihei-sen no Taiketsu: Scuba vs Thrust''' (水平線の対決スクーバVSスラスト, 1998)}}</ul>
:*''ID number'': '''VS-15'''
:*''Release date'': [[1998]] March
:*''Accessories'': "[[Surumerang]]"

: Scuba was also available in the "Sea Horizon Showdown" two-pack with the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Thrust (BW)#VS15|Thrust]], also released in the first wave of ''Beast Wars II'' toys.

: Both toys are identical to their individual releases.

{{-}}{{anchor|TeleV}}
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-m1|'''Telemaga Special Cybertron 6-piece Set''' (Multi-pack, 1999)}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': "[[Surumerang]]"

: A white, blue and pink version of Scuba was part of a six-piece set of unique redecoes of the main Cybertron cast of ''Beast Wars II'', the grand prize in the "New Beast Warriors Contest" in the February 1999 issue of ''[[TV Magazine]]''. The details of this contest are currently unknown.

: Curiously, the ''[[Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Generations]]'' book has pictures of a slightly different version of Scuba than the one originally shown in ''TV Magazine'', with the chest-mounted tentacles and robot hips in white, instead of pink as originally pictured.

==Merchandise==
{{anchor|bluePVC}}
*'''Beast Collection Special 10''' (PVC set, 1998)

: A clear-blue super-deformed PVC of robot-mode Scuba, based on his animation model, was included as part of a ten-piece set of PVCs.

: This set was also marked as a "Clear Version Special Set", but it's unknown if an opaque set was ever released.

: This set also includes PVCs of [[Lio Convoy (BW)#bluePVC|Lio Convoy]] in both robot and beast modes, [[Galvatron (BW)#bluePVC|Galvatron]] in both robot and dragon modes, [[Apache (BW)#bluePVC|Apache]], [[Bighorn (BW)#bluePVC|Bighorn]], [[Tasmania Kid (BW)#bluePVC|Tasmania Kid]], [[Megastorm (BW)#bluePVC|Megastorm]], and [[Starscream (BW)#bluePVC|Starscream]].

===''Seal Retsuden''===
*'''Scuba''' #009 (sticker, 1998)
*'''Scuba''' #010 (sticker, 1998)
*'''Scuba''' #092 (sticker, 1998)
:As part of their larger ''Seal Retsuden'' offering, [[Amada]] produced the ''[[Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers Seal Retsuden]]'' set of 102 stickers. Of these, two normal ones (#009 and #010) and one metal one (#092) concern Scuba.
:*[[Source:Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers Seal Retsuden#Scuba|''Seal Retsuden'' Scuba bio translation]]

===''Hikuzohkun PP Card''===
*'''Scuba''' #05 (card, 1998)
*'''Scuba''' #21 (card, 1998)
*'''Cybertron''' #29 (card, 1998)
*'''Scuba VS Thrust''' #36 (card, 1998)
*'''Cybertron''' #S1 (card, 1998)
:[[Amada]] produced a ''[[Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers Hikuzohkun PP Card]]'' set of 42 cards. Of these, two are dedicated to Scuba (#05 and #21), one is a Maximal groupshot (#29), one is a vs. card of Scuba and [[Thrust (BW)|Thrust]] (#36), and Scuba is mostly depicted in the upper left corner of the prism card tableau (#S1).
:*[[Source:Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers Hikuzohkun PP Card|''Hikuzohkun PP Card'' Scuba bio translation]]

==Notes==
[[File:TMScuba.jpg|right|thumb]]
*Scuba's name was derived from both "squid" and "scuba".<ref>{{citesocial|link=https://twitter.com/TFYUKI/status/291470271485984768|quote=スクーバのネーミングは、SquidとScubaから来る命名でした。|name=Hisashi Yuki|site=Twitter|year=2013|month=01|day=16|defunct=y}}</ref> With this in mind, his name could be written "Squba".
*Although he possesses an aquatic alternate form, Scuba is capable of moving freely on land while in his [[beast mode]], something that real squids are absolutely incapable of doing.
*Even more impressive is his ability to quickly burrow underground, through even solid rock, by spinning rapidly while in beast mode.
*Scuba's statue in ''Beast Wars Neo'' comic depicts him [[Transformer clothing|dressing]] like a Hindu monk.
*Due to the character's popularity, a Transmetal Scuba toy was proposed by designer [[Hisashi Yuki]], though the idea fell through.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Wars Maximals]]
[[Category:Beast Wars II Maximals]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Neo Maximals]]
[[Category:Gods]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) Maximals]]
[[Category:Japanese-original Transformers]]
[[Category:Ninjas]]
[[Category:Poets]]

Transformers (2023) issue 32

2026-05-14T16:04:40Z

Cylasbreakdown:

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]'' #32
|prev=Transformers (2023) issue 31
|next=Transformers (2023) issue 33
|image=Transformers 2023 32 Cover A.jpg
|caption=All this cover needs is an "ARE ALL DEAD".
|title=
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[May 13]], [[2026]]
|coverdate=May 2026
|written by=[[Robert Kirkman]]
|art by=[[Jason Howard]]
|colors by=[[Mike Spicer]]
|letters by=[[Rus Wooton]]
|editor=[[Ben Abernathy]]
|publication design=[[Andres Juarez]]
|production=[[Ashby Florence]]
|continuity=[[Energon Universe]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Elita Prime returns with her Autobots to Cybertron, but the journey home won't be an easy one.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:LotsOfCons.jpeg|thumb|left|250px|Transformers created during the late 2000s and early 2010s are now considered old enough for nostalgic callbacks, let that sink in…]]

[[Elita One (G1)|Elita Prime]] and her [[Autobot]]s emerge from the [[space bridge]] back on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] notices that they are in the middle of [[Decepticon]] territory. Elita and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] managed to sneak in to use the bridge to go to [[Earth]], but their increased numbers will make returning to the Autobot base much harder. [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] proposes he fly them out a few at a time while [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] would prefer to drive, however, Elita nixes either idea for fear that they might give away their position. However, as they begin their journey on foot, it quickly proves a moot point when they are ambushed by a squad of Decepticons led by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], alive without a head, much to the shock of Elita.

The Decepticons attack, blasting the remains of [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] that Jetfire was carrying. Ultra Magnus [[transformation|transforms]] and tells the Autobots to load into his car carrier form, using his [[alternate mode]] to ram Shockwave and allow his fellow Autobots to attack the Decepticons. However, the Decepticon forces quickly regain their composure and fight back, overwhelming the Autobots. Seeing her comrades taking such a beating, Elita fears that this may be their [[darkest hour]] and tries using the power of the [[Matrix of Leadership]].

Unfortunately, it does nothing. She hits the ancient artifact, demanding it open until a flash of white light emerges and glowing energy emerges from the talisman and forms into the Ghost of the [[Star Saber (Thirteen)|Star Saber]]. Using her new weapon, she mows down the Decepticons, allowing the Autobots the chance to regroup and retreat. As the Autobots escape, Shockwave realizes that Elita Prime will be a force to be reckoned with. He decides he needs to pay a visit to [[Alpha Trion]]...

{{--}}

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (2)
* [[Elita One (G1)|Elita Prime]] (3)
* [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] (4)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (5)
* [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (6)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (7)
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (8)
* [[Bulkhead (G1)|Bulkhead]] (9)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (10)
* [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (11)

|c2=
* [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] (12)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (13)
* [[Skyquake (EU)|Skyquake]] (14)
* [[Lockdown (G1)|Lockdown]] (15)
* [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] (16)
* [[Makeshift (G1)|Makeshift]] (17)
* [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] (18)
* [[Lugnut (TF 2010)|Lugnut]] (19)
* [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] (20)
* [[Acid Storm (G1)|Acidstorm]] (21)
* [[Octane]] (22)
* [[Breakdown (IDW)|Breakdown]] (23)
* [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (24)
}}

==Quotes==
"I'm held together with '''hatred''' and '''spite'''! You can’t crush that!"
:— '''Shockwave'''

"This blade '''hungers''' for the foul sparks of Decepticons! I hear its song! It '''fuels''' me!"
:— '''Elita Prime'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Last seen briefly in [[Transformers (2023) issue 27|issue #27]], Shockwave is still missing his head and gun-arm. His arm was removed and his head was crushed by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] during their climactic battle in [[Transformers (2023) issue 12|issue #12]]. His signature solitary optic still floats above his neck, connected just barely by a wire or two.
* While most of the Decepticons who make up Shockwave's forces are new introductions to the Energon Universe, Ratbat and Thrust previously appeared in [[Transformers (2023) issue 17|issue #17]].
* Ultra Magnus has come a long way toward overcoming the trauma that Shockwave inflicted on him while captured (which Elita rescued him from in [[Transformers (2023) issue 7|issue #7]]). During his last encounter with the Decepticon commander in [[Transformers (2023) issue 11|issue #11]], Magnus fled in a panic. Now he is able to confront his torturer head-on.
* Acidstorm asks where Jetfire has been hiding all this time. Readers saw Jetfire depart Cybertron in search of potential energy sources before the war fully broke out in [[Transformers (2023) issue 13|issue #13]]. Ultimately, Jetfire would miss the entirety of the war, crashing on a planetoid and not being reactivated for millions of years until [[Darak]] and [[Solila]] found him in ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 1|#1]], the very beginning of the Energon Universe.
* Elita Prime unveils her [[alternate mode|alt-mode]] which, as might be expected from her new winged backpack, is a sort of flying Cybertronian car.
* Alpha Trion was previously mentioned and seen in flashback in [[Void Rivals issue 17|''Void Rivals'' #17]], when [[Beta (G1)|Zerta Trion]] revealed the backstory of the [[Sacred Ring]] to Solila.

===''Transformers'' references===
* Bulkhead remarks on the shoddy construction of the space bridge, echoing his ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' [[Bulkhead (Animated)|counterpart's]] space bridge expertise.
* Much like the [[2005 IDW continuity]] before, the Energon Universe iteration of Blackarachnia is visually based on her [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]].
* Knock Out refers to Breakdown as "my dear". Their relationship was something fans read into about their ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Transformers: Prime]]'' incarnations, but was later codified in the [[2005 IDW continuity]]. The pair are also seen attacking Bulkhead, who was positioned as Breakdown's rival in the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Transformers: Prime'' cartoon]].
* Knock Out's forehead spike is yellow. While not it's traditional color, it does have precedent with both his ''[[Knock Out (Prime)#Beast Hunters|Beast Hunters]]'' and ''[[Knock Out (Prime)#Adventure|Adventure]]'' toys.
* Lugnut expounds on the glory of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], just as his [[Lugnut (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]] was so fond of doing.
* Lockdown remarks on Jazz's head making a nice trophy. Taking trophies from his captured enemies was a favorite hobby of [[Lockdown (Animated)|''Animated'' Lockdown]]. Going after Jazz in particular may be because his [[Jazz (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]] was part of the [[Cyber-Ninja Corps]] that Lockdown was once a member of.
* Elita Prime asks the Matrix to "light [their] [[darkest hour]]", the phrase most associated with the Matrix from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. When it initially refuses to do anything, her frustration and demand that it "open!" resembles that of Ultra Magnus when the Matrix failed to open for him in the film, although Elita refrains from swearing and the Matrix does eventually do something for her.
* The Star Saber is the ancient weapon of [[Prima]], leader of the [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]].
* Elita slices off Skyquake's right arm, echoing a similar injury sustained by the [[Skyquake (Prime)|zombified Skyquake]] in ''Transformers: Prime''.
* [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] was a one-episode villain from the ''Prime'' episode "[[Con Job]]", where he was a [[Shifter]] who infiltrated the Autobots by disguising himself as [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]]. He tries the same trick here by taking the form of Jazz, but Elita sees through it.
* Elita seems to have a personal enmity with Blackarachnia, which may be a reference to how her Animated counterpart was originally that continuity's version of Elita-One before she was mutated into a [[technorganic]] being.
* In a surprising bit of consistency [[The Transformers: Windblade|most]] [[Transformers: Legacy|new]] [[Transformers: Cyberverse (cartoon)|series]] which feature the characters tend to ignore, ''every'' new Decepticon that originated in ''Prime'' and ''Animated'' lack noses.

===Errors===
* Ultra Magnuses' antenna are still being colored blue.
* In the last panel of the second page, Elita says "We'll better avoid detection if we say low." "Say" is clearly supposed to be "stay", just missing the "t".
* The first panel of page 3, Bulkhead says he needs to "take a knee for second", forgetting the second "a".

===Other notes===
* In the letters pages, Kirkman alludes to that bot seen in [[Megatron (G1)#Energon Universe|Megatron's]] vision of the [[Matrix of Oppression]] last issue, who was absolutely ''not'' the recently-deceased Autobot [[Trailbreaker (G1)#Energon Universe| Trailbreaker]], because that guy's like, '''super''' dead, m'kay. Nope, no siree, not a chance, keep dreamin'…
* The specific “non-80s character” Kirkman alluded to back in the letters pages of [[Transformers (2023) issue 29|issue 29]] turned out to be Lugnut, though he’s joined by ''many'' other Decepticons not mentioned by the reader.
* Energon Experience: Presented by Skybound Executive Editor Ben Abernathy.
** '''Character Spotlight:''' Shockwave
** '''Name That Decepticon!:''' Spotlights Shockwave's forces from this issue.
** '''Creator Spotlight:''' Ben asks Jason Howard what his alt-mode would be. Jason answers coffee. Or, if he were a triple changer, coffee and a basketball.
* [[Acid Storm (disambiguation)|Acidstorm]]'s name is typically spelled with a space, but in this issue it's all one word. Deliberate change or typo? We will have to see!

===Covers===
* '''Cover A:''' Shockwave, by [[David Nakayama]]
* '''Cover B:''' Ultra Magnus, [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]], and [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]], by [[Daniel Warren Johnson]] and Mike Spicer.
* '''Cover C:''' Octane, Thrust, and Lugnut, by Jason Howard and [[Annalisa Leoni]].
* '''Cover D:''' Elita One, [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]], Bluestreak, and Cliffjumper by [[Lesley Li]].
* '''Cover E:''' Design schematics for Shockwave, by [[E. J. Su]].

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover A.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover B.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover C.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover D.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover E.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Unknown Comics Cover.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 TopShelfComic Cover.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisement===
* Explore the Energon Universe in ''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]'' [[G.I. Joe (2024) issue 22|#22]], ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 30|#30]], and ''[[M.A.S.K. (2026 comic)|M.A.S.K.]]'' [[M.A.S.K. (2026) issue 1|#1]].
* 3-page preview of the [[M.A.S.K. Energon Universe 2026 Special story|''M.A.S.K.'' story]] from the ''[[Energon Universe 2026 Special]]''.

===Reprints===
* '''''Transformers Volume 6: Decepticons Attack!''''' ([[December 9]], [[2026]]) ISBN 1534332634 / ISBN 978-1534332638 
** Collects ''Transformers'' issues #31–36.
** Trade paperback format.

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 V6.jpg|'''''Volume 6: Decepticons Attack!''''' – cover art by [[David Nakayama]]
</gallery>

==External links==

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Transformers (2023) issues]]

Transformers (2023) issue 32

2026-05-13T22:18:20Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Other notes */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]'' #32
|prev=Transformers (2023) issue 31
|next=Transformers (2023) issue 33
|image=Transformers 2023 32 Cover A.jpg
|caption=
|title=
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[May 13]], [[2026]]
|coverdate=May 2026
|written by=[[Robert Kirkman]]
|art by=[[Jason Howard]]
|colors by=[[Mike Spicer]]
|letters by=[[Rus Wooton]]
|editor=[[Ben Abernathy]]
|publication design=[[Andres Juarez]]
|production=[[Ashby Florence]]
|continuity=[[Energon Universe]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Elita Prime returns with her Autobots to Cybertron, but the journey home won't be an easy one.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Elita One (G1)|Elita Prime]] and her [[Autobot]]s emerge from the [[space bridge]] back on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] notices that they are in the middle of [[Decepticon]] territory. Elita and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] managed to sneak in to use the bridge to go to [[Earth]], but their increased numbers will make returning to the Autobot base much harder. [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] proposes he fly them out a few at a time while [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] would prefer to drive, however, Elita nixes either idea for fear that they might give away their position. However, as they begin their journey on foot, it quickly proves a moot point when they are ambushed by a squad of Decepticons led by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], alive without a head, much to the shock of Elita.

The Decepticons attack, blasting the remains of [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] that Jetfire was carrying. Ultra Magnus [[transformation|transforms]] and tells the Autobots to load into his car carrier form, using his [[alternate mode]] to ram Shockwave and allow his fellow Autobots to attack the Decepticons. However, the Decepticon forces quickly regain their composure and fight back, overwhelming the Autobots. Seeing her comrades taking such a beating, Elita fears that this may be their [[darkest hour]] and tries using the power of the [[Matrix of Leadership]].

Unfortunately, it does nothing. She hits the ancient artifact, demanding it open until a flash of white light emerges and glowing energy emerges from the talisman and forms into the Ghost of the [[Star Saber (Thirteen)|Star Saber]]. Using her new weapon, she mows down the Decepticons, allowing the Autobots the chance to regroup and retreat. As the Autobots escape, Shockwave realizes that Elita Prime will be a force to be reckoned with. He decides he needs to pay a visit to [[Alpha Trion]]...

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (2)
* [[Elita One (G1)|Elita Prime]] (3)
* [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] (4)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (5)
* [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (6)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (7)
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (8)
* [[Bulkhead (G1)|Bulkhead]] (9)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (10)
* [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (11)

|c2=
* [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] (12)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (13)
* [[Skyquake (EU)|Skyquake]] (14)
* [[Lockdown (G1)|Lockdown]] (15)
* [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] (16)
* [[Makeshift (G1)|Makeshift]] (17)
* [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] (18)
* [[Lugnut (TF 2010)|Lugnut]] (19)
* [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] (20)
* [[Acid Storm (G1)|Acidstorm]] (21)
* [[Octane]] (22)
* [[Breakdown (IDW)|Breakdown]] (23)
* [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (24)
}}

==Quotes==
"I'm held together with '''hatred''' and '''spite'''! You can’t crush that!"
:— '''Shockwave'''

"This blade '''hungers''' for the foul sparks of Decepticons! I hear its song! It '''fuels''' me!"
:— '''Elita Prime'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Shockwave is missing his head, which was crushed by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] during their climactic battle in [[Transformers (2023) issue 12|issue #12]].
* While most of the Decepticons who make up Shockwave's forces are new introductions to the Energon Universe, Ratbat and Thrust previously appeared in [[Transformers (2023) issue 17|issue #17]].
* Ultra Magnus has come a long way toward overcoming the trauma that Shockwave inflicted on him while captured (which Elita rescued him from in [[Transformers (2023) issue 7|issue #7]]). During his last encounter with the Decepticon commander in [[Transformers (2023) issue 11|issue #11]], Magnus fled in a panic. Now he is able to confront his torturer head-on.
* Acidstorm asks where Jetfire has been hiding all this time. Readers saw Jetfire depart Cybertron in search of potential energy sources before the war fully broke out in [[Transformers (2023) issue 13|issue #13]]. Ultimately, Jetfire would miss the entirety of the war, crashing on a planetoid and not being reactivated for millions of years until [[Darak]] and [[Solila]] found him in ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 1|#1]], the very beginning of the Energon Universe.
* Alpha Trion was previously mentioned and seen in flashback in [[Void Rivals issue 17|''Void Rivals'' #17]], when [[Beta (G1)|Zerta Trion]] revealed the backstory of the [[Sacred Ring]] to Solila.

===''Transformers'' references===
* Bulkhead remarks on the shoddy construction of the space bridge, echoing his ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' [[Bulkhead (Animated)|counterpart's]] space bridge expertise.
* Much like the [[2005 IDW continuity]] before, the Energon Universe iteration of Blackarachnia is visually based on her [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]].
* Knock Out refers to Breakdown as "my dear". Their relationship was something fans read into about their ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Transformers: Prime]]'' incarnations, but was later codified in the [[2005 IDW continuity]]. The pair are also seen attacking Bulkhead, who was positioned as Breakdown's rival in the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Transformers: Prime'' cartoon]].
* Lugnut expounds on the glory of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], just as his [[Lugnut (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]] was so fond of doing.
* Lockdown remarks on Jazz's head making a nice trophy. Taking trophies from his captured enemies was a favorite hobby of [[Lockdown (Animated)|''Animated'' Lockdown]].
* Elita Prime asks the Matrix to "light [their] [[darkest hour]]", the phrase most associated with the Matrix from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. When it initially refuses to do anything, her frustration and demand that it "open!" resembles that of Ultra Magnus when the Matrix failed to open for him in the film, although Elita refrains from swearing and the Matrix does eventually do something for her.
* The Star Saber is the ancient weapon of [[Prima]], leader of the [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]].
* Elita slices off Skyquake's right arm, echoing a similar injury sustained by the [[Skyquake (Prime)|zombified Skyquake]] in ''Transformers: Prime''.
* [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] was a one-episode villain from the ''Prime'' episode "[[Con Job]]", where he was a [[Shifter]] who infiltrated the Autobots by disguising himself as [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]]. He tries the same trick here by taking the form of Jazz, but Elita sees through it.
* Elita seems to have a personal enmity with Blackarachnia, which may be a reference to how her Animated counterpart was originally that continuity's version of Elita-One before she was mutated into a [[technorganic]] being.

===Errors===
* In the last panel of the second page, Elita says "We'll better avoid detection if we say low." "Say" is clearly supposed to be "stay", just missing the "t".
* The first panel of page 3, Bulkhead says he needs to "take a knee for second", forgetting the second "a".

===Other notes===
* Energon Experience: Presented by Skybound Executive Editor Ben Abernathy.
** '''Character Spotlight:''' Shockwave
** '''Name That Decepticon!:''' Spotlights Shockwave's forces from this issue.
** '''Creator Spotlight:''' Ben asks Jason Howard what his alt-mode would be. Jason answers coffee. Or, if he were a triple changer, coffee and a basketball.
* [[Acid Storm (disambiguation)|Acidstorm]]'s name is typically spelled with a space, but in this issue it's all one word. Deliberate change or typo? We will have to see!

===Covers===
* '''Cover A:''' Shockwave, by [[David Nakayama]]
* '''Cover B:''' Ultra Magnus, [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]], and [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]], by [[Daniel Warren Johnson]] and Mike Spicer.
* '''Cover C:''' Octane, Thrust, and Lugnut, by Jason Howard and [[Annalisa Leoni]].
* '''Cover D:''' Elita One, [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]], Bluestreak, and Cliffjumper by [[Lesley Li]].
* '''Cover E:''' Design schematics for Shockwave, by [[E. J. Su]].

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover A.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover B.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover C.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover D.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover E.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Unknown Comics Cover.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 TopShelfComic Cover.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisement===
* Explore the Energon Universe in ''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]'' [[G.I. Joe (2024) issue 22|#22]], ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 30|#30]], and ''[[M.A.S.K. (2026 comic)|M.A.S.K.]]'' [[M.A.S.K. (2026) issue 1|#1]].
* 3-page preview of the [[M.A.S.K. Energon Universe 2026 Special story|''M.A.S.K.'' story]] from the ''[[Energon Universe 2026 Special]]''.

===Reprints===
* '''''Transformers Volume 6: Decepticons Attack!''''' ([[December 9]], [[2026]]) ISBN 1534332634 / ISBN 978-1534332638 
** Collects ''Transformers'' issues #31–36.
** Trade paperback format.

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 V6.jpg|'''''Volume 6: Decepticons Attack!''''' – cover art by [[David Nakayama]]
</gallery>

==External links==

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Transformers (2023) issues]]

Transformers (2023) issue 32

2026-05-13T22:13:56Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Errors */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]'' #32
|prev=Transformers (2023) issue 31
|next=Transformers (2023) issue 33
|image=Transformers 2023 32 Cover A.jpg
|caption=
|title=
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[May 13]], [[2026]]
|coverdate=May 2026
|written by=[[Robert Kirkman]]
|art by=[[Jason Howard]]
|colors by=[[Mike Spicer]]
|letters by=[[Rus Wooton]]
|editor=[[Ben Abernathy]]
|publication design=[[Andres Juarez]]
|production=[[Ashby Florence]]
|continuity=[[Energon Universe]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Elita Prime returns with her Autobots to Cybertron, but the journey home won't be an easy one.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Elita One (G1)|Elita Prime]] and her [[Autobot]]s emerge from the [[space bridge]] back on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] notices that they are in the middle of [[Decepticon]] territory. Elita and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] managed to sneak in to use the bridge to go to [[Earth]], but their increased numbers will make returning to the Autobot base much harder. [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] proposes he fly them out a few at a time while [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] would prefer to drive, however, Elita nixes either idea for fear that they might give away their position. However, as they begin their journey on foot, it quickly proves a moot point when they are ambushed by a squad of Decepticons led by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], alive without a head, much to the shock of Elita.

The Decepticons attack, blasting the remains of [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] that Jetfire was carrying. Ultra Magnus [[transformation|transforms]] and tells the Autobots to load into his car carrier form, using his [[alternate mode]] to ram Shockwave and allow his fellow Autobots to attack the Decepticons. However, the Decepticon forces quickly regain their composure and fight back, overwhelming the Autobots. Seeing her comrades taking such a beating, Elita fears that this may be their [[darkest hour]] and tries using the power of the [[Matrix of Leadership]].

Unfortunately, it does nothing. She hits the ancient artifact, demanding it open until a flash of white light emerges and glowing energy emerges from the talisman and forms into the Ghost of the [[Star Saber (Thirteen)|Star Saber]]. Using her new weapon, she mows down the Decepticons, allowing the Autobots the chance to regroup and retreat. As the Autobots escape, Shockwave realizes that Elita Prime will be a force to be reckoned with. He decides he needs to pay a visit to [[Alpha Trion]]...

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (2)
* [[Elita One (G1)|Elita Prime]] (3)
* [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] (4)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (5)
* [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (6)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (7)
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (8)
* [[Bulkhead (G1)|Bulkhead]] (9)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (10)
* [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (11)

|c2=
* [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] (12)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (13)
* [[Skyquake (EU)|Skyquake]] (14)
* [[Lockdown (G1)|Lockdown]] (15)
* [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] (16)
* [[Makeshift (G1)|Makeshift]] (17)
* [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] (18)
* [[Lugnut (TF 2010)|Lugnut]] (19)
* [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] (20)
* [[Acid Storm (G1)|Acidstorm]] (21)
* [[Octane]] (22)
* [[Breakdown (IDW)|Breakdown]] (23)
* [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (24)
}}

==Quotes==
"I'm held together with '''hatred''' and '''spite'''! You can’t crush that!"
:— '''Shockwave'''

"This blade '''hungers''' for the foul sparks of Decepticons! I hear its song! It '''fuels''' me!"
:— '''Elita Prime'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Shockwave is missing his head, which was crushed by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] during their climactic battle in [[Transformers (2023) issue 12|issue #12]].
* While most of the Decepticons who make up Shockwave's forces are new introductions to the Energon Universe, Ratbat and Thrust previously appeared in [[Transformers (2023) issue 17|issue #17]].
* Ultra Magnus has come a long way toward overcoming the trauma that Shockwave inflicted on him while captured (which Elita rescued him from in [[Transformers (2023) issue 7|issue #7]]). During his last encounter with the Decepticon commander in [[Transformers (2023) issue 11|issue #11]], Magnus fled in a panic. Now he is able to confront his torturer head-on.
* Acidstorm asks where Jetfire has been hiding all this time. Readers saw Jetfire depart Cybertron in search of potential energy sources before the war fully broke out in [[Transformers (2023) issue 13|issue #13]]. Ultimately, Jetfire would miss the entirety of the war, crashing on a planetoid and not being reactivated for millions of years until [[Darak]] and [[Solila]] found him in ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 1|#1]], the very beginning of the Energon Universe.
* Alpha Trion was previously mentioned and seen in flashback in [[Void Rivals issue 17|''Void Rivals'' #17]], when [[Beta (G1)|Zerta Trion]] revealed the backstory of the [[Sacred Ring]] to Solila.

===''Transformers'' references===
* Bulkhead remarks on the shoddy construction of the space bridge, echoing his ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' [[Bulkhead (Animated)|counterpart's]] space bridge expertise.
* Much like the [[2005 IDW continuity]] before, the Energon Universe iteration of Blackarachnia is visually based on her [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]].
* Knock Out refers to Breakdown as "my dear". Their relationship was something fans read into about their ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Transformers: Prime]]'' incarnations, but was later codified in the [[2005 IDW continuity]]. The pair are also seen attacking Bulkhead, who was positioned as Breakdown's rival in the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Transformers: Prime'' cartoon]].
* Lugnut expounds on the glory of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], just as his [[Lugnut (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]] was so fond of doing.
* Lockdown remarks on Jazz's head making a nice trophy. Taking trophies from his captured enemies was a favorite hobby of [[Lockdown (Animated)|''Animated'' Lockdown]].
* Elita Prime asks the Matrix to "light [their] [[darkest hour]]", the phrase most associated with the Matrix from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. When it initially refuses to do anything, her frustration and demand that it "open!" resembles that of Ultra Magnus when the Matrix failed to open for him in the film, although Elita refrains from swearing and the Matrix does eventually do something for her.
* The Star Saber is the ancient weapon of [[Prima]], leader of the [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]].
* Elita slices off Skyquake's right arm, echoing a similar injury sustained by the [[Skyquake (Prime)|zombified Skyquake]] in ''Transformers: Prime''.
* [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] was a one-episode villain from the ''Prime'' episode "[[Con Job]]", where he was a [[Shifter]] who infiltrated the Autobots by disguising himself as [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]]. He tries the same trick here by taking the form of Jazz, but Elita sees through it.
* Elita seems to have a personal enmity with Blackarachnia, which may be a reference to how her Animated counterpart was originally that continuity's version of Elita-One before she was mutated into a [[technorganic]] being.

===Errors===
* In the last panel of the second page, Elita says "We'll better avoid detection if we say low." "Say" is clearly supposed to be "stay", just missing the "t".
* The first panel of page 3, Bulkhead says he needs to "take a knee for second", forgetting the second "a".

===Other notes===
* Energon Experience: Presented by Skybound Executive Editor Ben Abernathy.
** '''Character Spotlight:''' Shockwave
** '''’Name That Decepticon!:''' Spotlights Shockwave's forces from this issue.
** '''Creator Spotlight:''' Ben asks Jason Howard what his alt-mode would be. Jason answers coffee. Or, if he were a triple changer, coffee and a basketball.

===Covers===
* '''Cover A:''' Shockwave, by [[David Nakayama]]
* '''Cover B:''' Ultra Magnus, [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]], and [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]], by [[Daniel Warren Johnson]] and Mike Spicer.
* '''Cover C:''' Octane, Thrust, and Lugnut, by Jason Howard and [[Annalisa Leoni]].
* '''Cover D:''' Elita One, [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]], Bluestreak, and Cliffjumper by [[Lesley Li]].
* '''Cover E:''' Design schematics for Shockwave, by [[E. J. Su]].

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover A.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover B.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover C.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover D.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover E.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Unknown Comics Cover.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 TopShelfComic Cover.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisement===
* Explore the Energon Universe in ''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]'' [[G.I. Joe (2024) issue 22|#22]], ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 30|#30]], and ''[[M.A.S.K. (2026 comic)|M.A.S.K.]]'' [[M.A.S.K. (2026) issue 1|#1]].
* 3-page preview of the [[M.A.S.K. Energon Universe 2026 Special story|''M.A.S.K.'' story]] from the ''[[Energon Universe 2026 Special]]''.

===Reprints===
* '''''Transformers Volume 6: Decepticons Attack!''''' ([[December 9]], [[2026]]) ISBN 1534332634 / ISBN 978-1534332638 
** Collects ''Transformers'' issues #31–36.
** Trade paperback format.

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 V6.jpg|'''''Volume 6: Decepticons Attack!''''' – cover art by [[David Nakayama]]
</gallery>

==External links==

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Transformers (2023) issues]]

Fallen Angel

2026-05-13T04:08:47Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Continuity and plotting errors */

{{disambig3|Fallen Angel}}
{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #101–102
|prev=Distant Thunder!
|next=Resurrection!
|title="Fallen Angel"
|image=MarvelUK-102.jpg
|caption=Galvatron auditions for the role of [[The Fallen]].
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=Part 1: [[February 14|14th February]] [[1987]] Part 2: [[February 21|21st February]] 1987
|coverdate=Part 1: [[February 21|21st February]] 1987 Part 2: [[February 28|28th February]] [[1987]]
|script=[[Simon Furman]]
|art=Part 1: [[Geoff Senior]] Part 2: [[Jeff Anderson]]
|colour=[[Steve White]]
|letters=[[Annie Halfacree]]
|editor=[[Ian Rimmer]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''Galvatron returns!'''

==Synopsis==
===Part 1===
[[File:FallenAngel galvatron vs centurion.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.25]]
The [[Autobot]]s recently freed by [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] make their way toward the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], led by [[Skids (G1)|Skids]], but the journey comes to an abrupt end when Skids suddenly cries out and [[Mass substitution|vanishes]] in a burst of light. At the same time, not far away, something falls from the sky, and attracts the attention of the mechanoid [[Centurion (Marvel)|Centurion]]—remotely piloted by human [[Peter Anthony Morris|Professor Morris]]—who leaves [[Dinobot (G1)|his unseen companions]] to investigate the impact site. Unfortunately, the "object" turns out to be [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], the future [[Decepticon]] leader of the year 2006, who, left deranged by the crash, mistakes Centurion for [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Rodimus Prime]] and rips him to pieces. His opponent dispatched, Galvatron's sanity returns, and he recalls the circumstances that have brought him back to the 1980s again. Defeated by Rodimus Prime at the end of their battle within [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] in 2006, he was sent hurtling through space, and saved himself by activating the [[time-jump trigger device]] he had used to travel through time before, transporting himself back to the past. Galvatron immediately begins planning for the future, and sets out to locate the Decepticons on this era, intending to take command of them... but he is so focused on his new objective, he doesn't spot a figure picking up the shattered wreck of Centurion's head...

Lost without Skids to guide them to the Ark, [[Cybertron Seven|Blaster's group]] heads toward the nearest set of Transformer life signals they can detect. This causes them to run smack into Galvatron, and a battle begins. The sounds of the fight reach the nearby [[Wyoming base|Decepticon base]], prompting [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]]—who believes that the ruckus may be the work of [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]], returned to claim revenge for Shockwave's recent betrayal—to rally the Decepticons to head out and investigate. [[File:FallenAngel galvatron vs dinobots.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]] But it looks like the fighting may be all over before they can ever get there, as Galvatron is making very short work of the Autobots, incapaticating them one after the other. Soon, [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] is the only one left standing, and when he tries hitting Galvatron with a blast of high-frequency sonics, the result is that Decepticon's fragile sanity is shattered once again. Luckily for Blaster, before Galvatron can turn his full unhinged wrath on him, some new challengers enter the fray: Centurion's allies, the Dinobots, come to claim revenge for their fallen friend!

===Part 2: A Kind of Madness!===
While Galvatron is occupied fighting the Dinobots, Blaster unleashes an even more powerful sonic attack on him. The attack weakens Galvatron, and seems like it might be enough to finish him off, until the Decepticon summons enough strength to seize [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]]'s sword and hurl it at Blaster. [[Swoop (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Swoop]] airlifts Blaster to safety at the last minute, and the pair watch from the sky as the Dinobots press the advantage, ganging up on the weakened Galvatron. The clash is observed from nearby by the Decepticons, and forces Shockwave to concludes that, given the obvious threat Galvatron poses to his leadership, they may need to help the Dinobots take him down.

His rage and his insanity building, Galvatron regains his strength, pushes through the Dinobots' attacks, and take the group down one by one. Swoop is blasted and left on the brink of unconsciousness, but before passing out, he hears Professor Morris, exploiting the mental link he and Swoop once shared to speak directly into the Dinobot's mind, asking for his permission to take over Swoop's body again. Swoop consents, and Morris pilots his body in a renewed attack on Galvatron. The gesture seems destined to be a futile one... until the Decepticons come charging into action, and Galvatron, not wanting to destroy the warriors he hopes to soon command, opts to retreat. Content with this outcome, having bought himself time to plan for the future, Shockwave allows Galvatron to leave, and further concludes it would be illogical to waste resources attacking the Dinobots at this point. The two parties go their separate ways... but both are aware that it will not be long before Galvatron returns again!
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{collist|2|
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (1)
*[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] (2)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (3)
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (4)
*[[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]] (5)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (6)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (7)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (8)
*''[[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Rodimus Prime]]'' (12)
*[[Swoop (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Swoop]] (14)
*[[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] (18)
*[[Slag (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Slag]] (19)
*[[Sludge (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Sludge]] (20)
*[[Snarl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Snarl]] (21)
}}
|c2=
*[[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (11)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] (15)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] (16)
*[[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] (17)
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (24)
*[[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] (25)
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] or [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (26)
*[[Rampage (G1)|Rampage]] (27)
|c3=
*[[Peter Anthony Morris]] (10)
*''[[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]]'' (22)
*''[[Walter Barnett (G1)|Walter Barnett]]'' (23)
|c4=
*[[Centurion (Marvel)|Centurion]] (9)
*''[[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]'' (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"You have dared to attack '''Galvatron''' and failed! Now pay the ultimate price...'''Die, Rodimus Prime...DIE!"'''
:—'''Galvatron''' really needs his optical sensors checked.

"I suppose things are '''bound''' to calm down soon! I mean I used to think life on our home planet '''Cybertron''' was hectic, but compared to Earth it was a peaceful picnic!"
:—'''Blaster'''

"No subtlety! No finesse! Just mindless brute force...brute force which I can '''match'''...'''and better!'''"
:—'''Galvatron''' is not impressed by the Dinobots.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
[[File:FallenAngel skids disappears.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]]
*Skids and the "Cybertron Seven" were released from RAAT custody in [[Decepticon Graffiti!|issue #95]] (US issue #23). Flashbacks fill us in on the details of their capture, as seen in [[Heavy Traffic!|issues #91-92]] (US issue #22).
*The story doesn't actually explain in dialogue, but Skids vanishes with the same flaming effect and "AAAAAAA CHOOM" sound that the characters displaced into [[limbo]] did previously in [[Target: 2006|issues #78 and #84]] (pictured at right), indicating that he has been shunted out of this dimension by Galvatron's return to the past.
*Centurion met the Dinobots in [[In the National Interest|issues #74-77]], and has been palling around with them since they seceeded from the Autobot ranks in [[Target: 2006|issue #78]]. It is apparent that they are unaware of his true nature, as it is only in Part 2 of this story that Swoop learns he is a non-living mechanoid controlled by Professor Morris, whose previous possession of Swoop in [[The Icarus Theory|issues #44-45]] factors into the plot.
*Galvatron returns following his original trip to 1986, as told in [[Target: 2006|issues #78-88]]. Since returning to 2006 at that end of that story, he has gone through the remaining events of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', and this story picks up from his final moments in the film, after he was thrown into space by Rodimus Prime at the climax of their battle inside Unicron.
*Shockwave fears Megatron has returned to claim revenge for his betrayal of him, as chronicled across issues [[Prey!|#96]]-[[...The Harder They Die!|98]].

===Transformers references===
[[File:FallenAngel-Unicron.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]]
*According to Galvatron's flashback, the battle between him and Rodimus Prime that occurs at the end of the movie took place in Unicron's left leg. The movie actually supports this notion, as shortly after Rodimus unleashes the Matrix, Unicron ''pulls his left leg off'', presumably to try and remove the source of what's destroying him.
*This issue marks the beginning of Galvatron's steady descent into insanity, which also happened to the character in the animated series after the events of the film, albeit under different circumstances. The idea of "Galvatron going insane" wasn't part of the character's [[profile]] or other independent biographical material, so either Furman was drawing on the cartoon for inspiration here, or it was just a weird coincidence that both comic and cartoon wound up taking the character in this direction.
*Also in reference to the movie, Perceptor's doing the "confuse other characters with his overdeveloped vocabulary" gag that so vexes [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] in the film. Though historically quite a famous attribute of Perceptor's, the trait is a creation of the movie's and not present in the rest of the animated series; likewise, he hasn't done it in any of his Marvel US appearances before now, and while he will adopt it in [[King of the Hill!|issues #111-112]] (US issue #27), it won't persist past that point in either the American or British stories.

===Continuity and plotting errors===
[[File:FallenAngel-Perceptor.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5]]
*Members of Blaster's team are depicted with Earth alternate modes (right) but how and when did they acquire them? Unlike modern media, Transformers in these classic stories do not possess the ability to [[scanning|scan and adopt]] new modes on their own, requiring external mechanisms and resources to do so. They hadn't adopted Earth modes prior to their departure from Cybertron, and were captured by RAAT immediately after their arrival on Earth, so the only time it could have been accomplished was when Circuit Breaker had their bodies reassembled at the end of issue #95, but it seems highly unlikely she would have rebuilt them with new disguises.
*At the end of Part 1, Blaster is meant to be blasting Galvatron with "high-frequency sonics," an ability that's built into his body, but the art shows him zapping the Decepticon with his [[electro-scrambler]] gun instead. It's not clear if script or art was in error here, but Part 2 rectifies the mistake by depicting Blaster's renewed sonic attack as being generated by his alt-mode speakers.

===Artwork and technical errors===
*Beginning with this story, his first appearance in a UK-original story, Blaster's head is drawn to the specification of his finished [[character model]], as used in the cartoon, lacking the more toy-based visored face used in the Marvel US series. He will continued to be depicted with this head in all future UK stories.
[[File:MarvelUK 101 error pg04.JPG|upright=1.5|thumb|Did you get the Pastelformers variants?]]
*'''Part 1:'''
**'''Page 1, panel 1:''' Perceptor is sporting a variation of the the two-tone facial colouration seen in [[The Smelting Pool!|issues #66-67]] (US issue #17), inverted so that his upper portion of his face is white, and the lower is dark blue. His face appears white, as on his finished Marvel colour model, in the next two panels.
**'''Pages 4-5:''' These pages are misprinted, with the magneta and cyan plates of the CMYK printing process being switched (right). The error was corrected for reprints; [[#Reprint notes|see below]].
**'''Page 9, panels 2 & 4:''' Perceptor's face is now solid dark blue, like his helmet, instead of white.
**'''Page 11, panel 7:''' Both here and throughout the next part, Slag's dino-head is yellow, instead of the greyish-purple of his finalized Marvel colour model, plus the Autobot symbol on its forehead is uncoloured.
*'''Part 2:'''
**'''Page 1, panel 6:''' Blaster's electro-scrambler gun is looking quite off-model, noticeably lacking its stock.
**'''Page 6, panel 2:''' Soundwave is missing the buttons on his pelvis, and the red squares that should be on his knees.
**'''Page 7, panel 3:''' Galvatron's face is left uncoloured white, instead of grey.
**'''Page 10:''' Swoop's lower jaw is coloured orange instead of red.
**'''Page 10, panel 5:''' Two block-coloured [[conehead]]s appear among the charging Decepticons, but neither has any wings, meaning it's impossible to identify them, but one must be Dirge, as he appears in other shots of the group. Soundwave is still missing his buttons, along with all the details and shapes around his knees.
**'''Page 11, panel 5:''' The very bottom of Dirge's cockpit canopy is green.
**'''Page 11, panel 6:''' The protrustion on Swoop's forehead is white with pink shading, instead of blue like his surrounding helmet.

===Other trivia===
*Logistically, you might expect the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] to be travelling with Skids's group, as they all escaped RAAT together, but it's apparent they must have all flown on ahead back to the Ark using their much-faster alternate modes, since [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] appeared among the Ark-based Autobots in [[Prey!|issue #97]]. It's not a continuity error, but it sure is ''rude!''
*Issue #101 was the first of several to be given away for free by British steakhouse chain Berni Inn, with a slightly altered cover (see below) but otherwise identical contents.

===Back-up material===
'''Issue #101:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|Action Force]]'' ("Improvisation on a Theme," Part 3) and ''[[Robo-Capers]]''
*'''[[Transformers AtoZ|AtoZ]]:''' [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]]
'''Issue #102:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Action Force'' ("Improvisation on a Theme," Part 4) and ''Robo-Capers''; ''Action Force'' concludes this issue, paving the way for the launch of their own comic next month.

The original American printing of this ''Action Force'' story features an error that sees [[Doctor Mindbender]] referred to by the prototypical name "Doctor Brainwave" for the first half of the issue, before switching to the correct name for the back half. Unaware that "Mindbender" was the correct name, the UK reprint of the story in both these issues changes it to "Brainwave" to maintain consistency with the first half of the story.

===Foreign Localization===
*'''Swedish'''
:* ''Title:'' "'''Fallen ängel'''" ("Fallen Angel")

===Covers (3)===
*'''Issue #101 regular cover:''' Galvatron makes his mental condition as clear as possible, by [[Lee Sullivan]].
*'''Issue #101 Berni Inn freebie:''' Same as the regular edition, with the corner box altered to replace the number, date, and price with "FREE," and a Berni Inn token added to the bottom right corner.
*'''Issue #102:''' Galvatron is on fire, by [[Geoff Senior]].
<gallery>
File:MarvelUK-101.jpg|'''Issue #101'''
File:MarvelUK101 berni inn.jpg|'''Issue #101 Berni Inn variant'''
File:MarvelUK-102.jpg|'''Issue #102'''
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:Tf commag 09.JPG|'''[[Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 9|''Transformers Comic-Magazin'' #9]]''' (Condor Verlag, 1990)
File:Transformers annual 1991.jpg|'''''[[Transformers Annual 1991]]''''' (Marvel Comics, 1991)
File:TitanFA.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: Fallen Angel|Fallen Angel]]'' TPB''' (Titan Books, 2003)
File:Classicuk3.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 3|''The Transformers Classics UK'' Volume 3]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2012)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v7.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]]: Volume 7: The Harder They Die''''' (Hachette Partworks, Ltd. 2017)
File:Target2006_SWECover.jpg|'''''Transformers: I siktet 2006''''' (Ades Media, 2021)
</gallery>
====Reprint notes====
*The 1991 annual corrects the colouring error on Part 1, page 4-5 by simply correcting the swapped plates. This version was scanned for IDW's ''Classics UK'' reprint. Titan's "Fallen Angel" reprint, however, recolours the pages from scratch.

===Advertisements===
'''Issue #101:'''
*''[[Action Force (comic)|Action Force]]'' #1 (includes issue #2 free!)
*The [[Special Teams]] (back cover)
'''Issue #102:'''
*Marmiteers Fun Pack
*[[S.T.A.R.S.]] Membership Kit
*Weetabix (back cover)

[[Category:Marvel UK Annual stories]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]

Fallen Angel

2026-05-13T04:07:05Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Transformers references */

{{disambig3|Fallen Angel}}
{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #101–102
|prev=Distant Thunder!
|next=Resurrection!
|title="Fallen Angel"
|image=MarvelUK-102.jpg
|caption=Galvatron auditions for the role of [[The Fallen]].
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=Part 1: [[February 14|14th February]] [[1987]] Part 2: [[February 21|21st February]] 1987
|coverdate=Part 1: [[February 21|21st February]] 1987 Part 2: [[February 28|28th February]] [[1987]]
|script=[[Simon Furman]]
|art=Part 1: [[Geoff Senior]] Part 2: [[Jeff Anderson]]
|colour=[[Steve White]]
|letters=[[Annie Halfacree]]
|editor=[[Ian Rimmer]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''Galvatron returns!'''

==Synopsis==
===Part 1===
[[File:FallenAngel galvatron vs centurion.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.25]]
The [[Autobot]]s recently freed by [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] make their way toward the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], led by [[Skids (G1)|Skids]], but the journey comes to an abrupt end when Skids suddenly cries out and [[Mass substitution|vanishes]] in a burst of light. At the same time, not far away, something falls from the sky, and attracts the attention of the mechanoid [[Centurion (Marvel)|Centurion]]—remotely piloted by human [[Peter Anthony Morris|Professor Morris]]—who leaves [[Dinobot (G1)|his unseen companions]] to investigate the impact site. Unfortunately, the "object" turns out to be [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], the future [[Decepticon]] leader of the year 2006, who, left deranged by the crash, mistakes Centurion for [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Rodimus Prime]] and rips him to pieces. His opponent dispatched, Galvatron's sanity returns, and he recalls the circumstances that have brought him back to the 1980s again. Defeated by Rodimus Prime at the end of their battle within [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] in 2006, he was sent hurtling through space, and saved himself by activating the [[time-jump trigger device]] he had used to travel through time before, transporting himself back to the past. Galvatron immediately begins planning for the future, and sets out to locate the Decepticons on this era, intending to take command of them... but he is so focused on his new objective, he doesn't spot a figure picking up the shattered wreck of Centurion's head...

Lost without Skids to guide them to the Ark, [[Cybertron Seven|Blaster's group]] heads toward the nearest set of Transformer life signals they can detect. This causes them to run smack into Galvatron, and a battle begins. The sounds of the fight reach the nearby [[Wyoming base|Decepticon base]], prompting [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]]—who believes that the ruckus may be the work of [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]], returned to claim revenge for Shockwave's recent betrayal—to rally the Decepticons to head out and investigate. [[File:FallenAngel galvatron vs dinobots.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]] But it looks like the fighting may be all over before they can ever get there, as Galvatron is making very short work of the Autobots, incapaticating them one after the other. Soon, [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] is the only one left standing, and when he tries hitting Galvatron with a blast of high-frequency sonics, the result is that Decepticon's fragile sanity is shattered once again. Luckily for Blaster, before Galvatron can turn his full unhinged wrath on him, some new challengers enter the fray: Centurion's allies, the Dinobots, come to claim revenge for their fallen friend!

===Part 2: A Kind of Madness!===
While Galvatron is occupied fighting the Dinobots, Blaster unleashes an even more powerful sonic attack on him. The attack weakens Galvatron, and seems like it might be enough to finish him off, until the Decepticon summons enough strength to seize [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]]'s sword and hurl it at Blaster. [[Swoop (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Swoop]] airlifts Blaster to safety at the last minute, and the pair watch from the sky as the Dinobots press the advantage, ganging up on the weakened Galvatron. The clash is observed from nearby by the Decepticons, and forces Shockwave to concludes that, given the obvious threat Galvatron poses to his leadership, they may need to help the Dinobots take him down.

His rage and his insanity building, Galvatron regains his strength, pushes through the Dinobots' attacks, and take the group down one by one. Swoop is blasted and left on the brink of unconsciousness, but before passing out, he hears Professor Morris, exploiting the mental link he and Swoop once shared to speak directly into the Dinobot's mind, asking for his permission to take over Swoop's body again. Swoop consents, and Morris pilots his body in a renewed attack on Galvatron. The gesture seems destined to be a futile one... until the Decepticons come charging into action, and Galvatron, not wanting to destroy the warriors he hopes to soon command, opts to retreat. Content with this outcome, having bought himself time to plan for the future, Shockwave allows Galvatron to leave, and further concludes it would be illogical to waste resources attacking the Dinobots at this point. The two parties go their separate ways... but both are aware that it will not be long before Galvatron returns again!
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{collist|2|
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (1)
*[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] (2)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (3)
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (4)
*[[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]] (5)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (6)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (7)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (8)
*''[[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Rodimus Prime]]'' (12)
*[[Swoop (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Swoop]] (14)
*[[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] (18)
*[[Slag (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Slag]] (19)
*[[Sludge (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Sludge]] (20)
*[[Snarl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Snarl]] (21)
}}
|c2=
*[[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (11)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] (15)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] (16)
*[[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] (17)
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (24)
*[[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] (25)
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] or [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (26)
*[[Rampage (G1)|Rampage]] (27)
|c3=
*[[Peter Anthony Morris]] (10)
*''[[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]]'' (22)
*''[[Walter Barnett (G1)|Walter Barnett]]'' (23)
|c4=
*[[Centurion (Marvel)|Centurion]] (9)
*''[[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]'' (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"You have dared to attack '''Galvatron''' and failed! Now pay the ultimate price...'''Die, Rodimus Prime...DIE!"'''
:—'''Galvatron''' really needs his optical sensors checked.

"I suppose things are '''bound''' to calm down soon! I mean I used to think life on our home planet '''Cybertron''' was hectic, but compared to Earth it was a peaceful picnic!"
:—'''Blaster'''

"No subtlety! No finesse! Just mindless brute force...brute force which I can '''match'''...'''and better!'''"
:—'''Galvatron''' is not impressed by the Dinobots.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
[[File:FallenAngel skids disappears.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]]
*Skids and the "Cybertron Seven" were released from RAAT custody in [[Decepticon Graffiti!|issue #95]] (US issue #23). Flashbacks fill us in on the details of their capture, as seen in [[Heavy Traffic!|issues #91-92]] (US issue #22).
*The story doesn't actually explain in dialogue, but Skids vanishes with the same flaming effect and "AAAAAAA CHOOM" sound that the characters displaced into [[limbo]] did previously in [[Target: 2006|issues #78 and #84]] (pictured at right), indicating that he has been shunted out of this dimension by Galvatron's return to the past.
*Centurion met the Dinobots in [[In the National Interest|issues #74-77]], and has been palling around with them since they seceeded from the Autobot ranks in [[Target: 2006|issue #78]]. It is apparent that they are unaware of his true nature, as it is only in Part 2 of this story that Swoop learns he is a non-living mechanoid controlled by Professor Morris, whose previous possession of Swoop in [[The Icarus Theory|issues #44-45]] factors into the plot.
*Galvatron returns following his original trip to 1986, as told in [[Target: 2006|issues #78-88]]. Since returning to 2006 at that end of that story, he has gone through the remaining events of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', and this story picks up from his final moments in the film, after he was thrown into space by Rodimus Prime at the climax of their battle inside Unicron.
*Shockwave fears Megatron has returned to claim revenge for his betrayal of him, as chronicled across issues [[Prey!|#96]]-[[...The Harder They Die!|98]].

===Transformers references===
[[File:FallenAngel-Unicron.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]]
*According to Galvatron's flashback, the battle between him and Rodimus Prime that occurs at the end of the movie took place in Unicron's left leg. The movie actually supports this notion, as shortly after Rodimus unleashes the Matrix, Unicron ''pulls his left leg off'', presumably to try and remove the source of what's destroying him.
*This issue marks the beginning of Galvatron's steady descent into insanity, which also happened to the character in the animated series after the events of the film, albeit under different circumstances. The idea of "Galvatron going insane" wasn't part of the character's [[profile]] or other independent biographical material, so either Furman was drawing on the cartoon for inspiration here, or it was just a weird coincidence that both comic and cartoon wound up taking the character in this direction.
*Also in reference to the movie, Perceptor's doing the "confuse other characters with his overdeveloped vocabulary" gag that so vexes [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] in the film. Though historically quite a famous attribute of Perceptor's, the trait is a creation of the movie's and not present in the rest of the animated series; likewise, he hasn't done it in any of his Marvel US appearances before now, and while he will adopt it in [[King of the Hill!|issues #111-112]] (US issue #27), it won't persist past that point in either the American or British stories.

===Continuity and plotting errors===
[[File:FallenAngel-Perceptor.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5]]
*Members of Blaster's team are depicted with Earth alternate modes (right) but how and when did they acquire them? Unlike modern media, Transformers in these classics stories do not possess the ability to [[scanning|scan and adopt]] new modes on their own, requiring external mechanisms and resources to do so. They hadn't adopted Earth modes prior to their departure from Cybertron, and were captured by RAAT immediately after their arrival on Earth, so the only time it could have been accomplished was when Circuit Breaker had their bodies reassembled at the end of issue #95, but it seems highly unlikely she would have rebuilt them with new disguises.
*At the end of Part 1, Blaster is meant to be blasting Galvatron with "high-frequency sonics," an ability that's built into his body, but the art shows him zapping the Decepticon with his [[electro-scrambler]] gun instead. It's not clear if script or art was in error here, but Part 2 rectifies the mistake by depicting Blaster's renewed sonic attack as being generated by his alt-mode speakers.

===Artwork and technical errors===
*Beginning with this story, his first appearance in a UK-original story, Blaster's head is drawn to the specification of his finished [[character model]], as used in the cartoon, lacking the more toy-based visored face used in the Marvel US series. He will continued to be depicted with this head in all future UK stories.
[[File:MarvelUK 101 error pg04.JPG|upright=1.5|thumb|Did you get the Pastelformers variants?]]
*'''Part 1:'''
**'''Page 1, panel 1:''' Perceptor is sporting a variation of the the two-tone facial colouration seen in [[The Smelting Pool!|issues #66-67]] (US issue #17), inverted so that his upper portion of his face is white, and the lower is dark blue. His face appears white, as on his finished Marvel colour model, in the next two panels.
**'''Pages 4-5:''' These pages are misprinted, with the magneta and cyan plates of the CMYK printing process being switched (right). The error was corrected for reprints; [[#Reprint notes|see below]].
**'''Page 9, panels 2 & 4:''' Perceptor's face is now solid dark blue, like his helmet, instead of white.
**'''Page 11, panel 7:''' Both here and throughout the next part, Slag's dino-head is yellow, instead of the greyish-purple of his finalized Marvel colour model, plus the Autobot symbol on its forehead is uncoloured.
*'''Part 2:'''
**'''Page 1, panel 6:''' Blaster's electro-scrambler gun is looking quite off-model, noticeably lacking its stock.
**'''Page 6, panel 2:''' Soundwave is missing the buttons on his pelvis, and the red squares that should be on his knees.
**'''Page 7, panel 3:''' Galvatron's face is left uncoloured white, instead of grey.
**'''Page 10:''' Swoop's lower jaw is coloured orange instead of red.
**'''Page 10, panel 5:''' Two block-coloured [[conehead]]s appear among the charging Decepticons, but neither has any wings, meaning it's impossible to identify them, but one must be Dirge, as he appears in other shots of the group. Soundwave is still missing his buttons, along with all the details and shapes around his knees.
**'''Page 11, panel 5:''' The very bottom of Dirge's cockpit canopy is green.
**'''Page 11, panel 6:''' The protrustion on Swoop's forehead is white with pink shading, instead of blue like his surrounding helmet.

===Other trivia===
*Logistically, you might expect the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] to be travelling with Skids's group, as they all escaped RAAT together, but it's apparent they must have all flown on ahead back to the Ark using their much-faster alternate modes, since [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] appeared among the Ark-based Autobots in [[Prey!|issue #97]]. It's not a continuity error, but it sure is ''rude!''
*Issue #101 was the first of several to be given away for free by British steakhouse chain Berni Inn, with a slightly altered cover (see below) but otherwise identical contents.

===Back-up material===
'''Issue #101:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|Action Force]]'' ("Improvisation on a Theme," Part 3) and ''[[Robo-Capers]]''
*'''[[Transformers AtoZ|AtoZ]]:''' [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]]
'''Issue #102:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Action Force'' ("Improvisation on a Theme," Part 4) and ''Robo-Capers''; ''Action Force'' concludes this issue, paving the way for the launch of their own comic next month.

The original American printing of this ''Action Force'' story features an error that sees [[Doctor Mindbender]] referred to by the prototypical name "Doctor Brainwave" for the first half of the issue, before switching to the correct name for the back half. Unaware that "Mindbender" was the correct name, the UK reprint of the story in both these issues changes it to "Brainwave" to maintain consistency with the first half of the story.

===Foreign Localization===
*'''Swedish'''
:* ''Title:'' "'''Fallen ängel'''" ("Fallen Angel")

===Covers (3)===
*'''Issue #101 regular cover:''' Galvatron makes his mental condition as clear as possible, by [[Lee Sullivan]].
*'''Issue #101 Berni Inn freebie:''' Same as the regular edition, with the corner box altered to replace the number, date, and price with "FREE," and a Berni Inn token added to the bottom right corner.
*'''Issue #102:''' Galvatron is on fire, by [[Geoff Senior]].
<gallery>
File:MarvelUK-101.jpg|'''Issue #101'''
File:MarvelUK101 berni inn.jpg|'''Issue #101 Berni Inn variant'''
File:MarvelUK-102.jpg|'''Issue #102'''
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:Tf commag 09.JPG|'''[[Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 9|''Transformers Comic-Magazin'' #9]]''' (Condor Verlag, 1990)
File:Transformers annual 1991.jpg|'''''[[Transformers Annual 1991]]''''' (Marvel Comics, 1991)
File:TitanFA.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: Fallen Angel|Fallen Angel]]'' TPB''' (Titan Books, 2003)
File:Classicuk3.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 3|''The Transformers Classics UK'' Volume 3]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2012)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v7.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]]: Volume 7: The Harder They Die''''' (Hachette Partworks, Ltd. 2017)
File:Target2006_SWECover.jpg|'''''Transformers: I siktet 2006''''' (Ades Media, 2021)
</gallery>
====Reprint notes====
*The 1991 annual corrects the colouring error on Part 1, page 4-5 by simply correcting the swapped plates. This version was scanned for IDW's ''Classics UK'' reprint. Titan's "Fallen Angel" reprint, however, recolours the pages from scratch.

===Advertisements===
'''Issue #101:'''
*''[[Action Force (comic)|Action Force]]'' #1 (includes issue #2 free!)
*The [[Special Teams]] (back cover)
'''Issue #102:'''
*Marmiteers Fun Pack
*[[S.T.A.R.S.]] Membership Kit
*Weetabix (back cover)

[[Category:Marvel UK Annual stories]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]

Distant Thunder!

2026-05-13T03:42:30Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Quotes */

{{comicstory|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #100
|prev=Under Fire!
|next=Fallen Angel
|title="Distant Thunder!"
|image=MarvelUK-100-frontcover.jpg
|caption=Carlsberg don't do Transformers covers, but......
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=[[February 7|7th February]], [[1987]]
|coverdate=[[February 14|14th February]], [[1987]]
|script=[[Simon Furman]]
|pencils=[[Will Simpson]]
|inks=[[Tim Perkins]]
|colours=[[Steve White]]
|letters=[[Annie Halfacree]]
|editor=[[Ian Rimmer]]
|chronology=[[Marvel Comics timeline|1987]], flashbacks 1986
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]] ([[Primax 984.20 Gamma|Marvel UK]])
}}
'''Hiding in the Dead End, Prime seeks to keep Outback's spirits alive by telling him the story of what happened when he disappeared into another dimension...'''

==Synopsis==
On the run from the [[Wreckers]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] takes the injured [[Outback (G1)|Outback]] to the [[Dead End (place)|Dead End]] region of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in the hope that he can recover from his wounds. Unfortunately, Outback continues to weaken, and grows despondent over his fate, but Optimus Prime tells him to never abandon hope, and, to raise his spirits, begins to recount the tale of another time when he triumphed against seemingly insurmountable odds...
[[File:DistantThunder cloran and zenag.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.75]]
:''Months earlier, the arrival in the present day of the future [[Decepticon]]s [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] results in Optimus Prime, [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]], and [[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]] being shunted from [[Earth]] into another dimension. The trio find themselves in a strange, [[technorganic|techno-organic]] world, and soon become embroiled in the conflict between two of the local biomechanical races: the peaceful cat-like [[Cloran]], and an army of invading ape-creatures led by the evil [[Zenag]], seeking to seize control of the Cloran's territory. The Autobots lend their aid to the Cloran and force Zenag and his minions to retreat, but soon, Zenag returns to make Prime and his men an offer: if they will refrain from interfering in his efforts to slaughter the Cloran, he will give the Autobots a device that will allow them to return home. Naturally, Prime refuses, and another fight between the Autobots and the ape-creatures breaks out. Zenag's army fights with such ferocity that it soon becomes apprent to Prowl and Ratchet and only lethal force will stop them, but Prime refuses to countenance the killing of an enemy unless there is no other alternative.''

:''As the battle rages, [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]], [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]], and [[Thundercracker (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Thundercracker]] materialise nearby, having been displaced into the dimension by the arrival of a trio of future Autobots in the present. Observing the fight, Shockwave orders the Decepticons to wipe out the creatures, which they do with ruthless efficiency. Prime is appalled at their vicious tactics, but cannot refute Shockwave's conclusion that is it logical for the Autobots and Decepticons to work together to escape this dimension. Prime recounts what the Autobots have been through, and Shockwave promptly declares that if ''Prime'' won't make a deal with Zenag, ''he'' will. Prime cautions Shockwave the deceitful Zenag cannot be trusted, comparing him to Shockwave himself... a comparison that makes Prime begin to realise how familiar this all feels.''

[[File:DistantThunder optimus vs zenag.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.65]]

:''Shockwave, Thundercracker and Frenzy meet with Zenag, who promises to give them the device if they will destroy the Autobots. The Decepticons agree and quickly launch an attack, but are tricked when the Autobots appear to succumb to Frenzy's sonic attacks, when in reality, they have shut down their audio sensors, and are feigning defeat in order to get the drop on their opponents. Blindsided, the Decepticons are quickly beaten, whereupon Optimus Prime tries to convince Shockwave of his belief that they are all being manipulated somehow, pointing out how the scenario of a peace-loving race coming under attack from a remorseless killer race seeking to extend their power into neighbouring territories is an all-too-perfect carbon copy of the [[Transformer]]s' own war. Suddenly, Zenag appears and demands Shockwave destroy the Autobots, but Shockwave, given pause by Prime's words, declines and suggests Zenag do the job himself. Zenag proceeds to attack Optimus Prime, who refuses to fight back, but stops short of actually killing him, again calling upon the Decepticons to finish the job. They turn him down once again, so Zenag presses his attack, tearing a gouge in Prime's side, but still Prime will not defend himself. In his thoughts, Prime worries if he has made the right choice, but, as Zenag makes once final lunge towards him, he reminds himself that fighting must always be the last alternative.''

[[File:DistantThunder limbo.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.75]]

:''Zenag's claws pass harmlessly through the resolute Optimus Prime, as both his attacker and the entire world around him fade away, revealed as illusions. The six Transformers awaken in a [[Limbo|black, empty void]], with [[Limbo parasite|strange blob-like creatures]] attached to their heads. Frenzy tears the blob off his head, and almost rips it to pieces before Shockwave stops him. Ratchet analyses one of the creatures and deduces that it is a parasite that feeds off emotions—especially ''violent'' emotions—which they cultivate by sculpting telepathic illusions to provoke violent reactions from their victims. Optimus Prime adds that, given time, he believes that the creatures' illusions would have become physical ''reality''—punctuating his statement by revealing to all assembled the very real wound Zenag tore in his side.''

As Prime finishes his story, he realises that the tale may have inadvertently contained the solution to their current predicament. A moment later, the Wreckers burst into Prime and Outback's hiding spot, ready to kill Prime, who they mistakenly believe to be a Decepticon in disguise. [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] asks if Prime has any last words; Prime responds by saying he will not beg for his own life, but asks for them to spare Outback. The brave little Autobot was only injured as a result of Optimus choosing to fight back against the Wreckers in the first place; taking his own advice from his story, Prime now realises that fighting must always be the last resort, and refuses to take up arms against the Wreckers any longer, happy to accept his own death if it will lead to Outback's safe repair. Suddenly, [[Emirate]] [[Xaaron (G1)|Xaaron]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] enter. Having grown suspicious they were not hunting a Decepticon impostor at all, Magnus has summoned Xaaron to help verify Prime's identity—and the heartfelt speech he has just heard is all the proof Xaaron needs to know that the 'bot in front of him is the real leader of the Autobots. He steps forward and welcomes his old friend Optimus home.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (1)
*[[Springer (G1)|Springer]] (2)
*[[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Outback (G1)|Outback]] (5)
*''[[Twin Twist (G1)|Twin Twist]]'' (8)
*''[[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]]'' (9)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (10)
*''[[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian unit]]'' (11)
*''[[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]]'' (12)
*''[[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]]'' (13)
*[[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] (21)
*[[Xaaron (G1)|Xaaron]] (22)
|c2=
*''[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]]'' (6)
*''[[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]]'' (7)
*''[[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]]'' (14)
*''[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]]'' (15)
*''[[Thundercracker (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Thundercracker]]'' (16)
|c4=
*''[[Cloran]] victims'' (17)
*''"Techno-ape" warriors'' (18)
*''[[Zenag]]'' (19)
*''[[Limbo parasite]]s'' (20)
}}

==Quotes==
[[File:DistantThunder terrible waste.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.25]]
[[File:DistantThunder welcome home.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.25]]
"Wh-what happened? '''Where are we?'''" 
"One minute we're at our coal mine base on Earth, and the next... we're not!" 
"Questions which have—at present—no possible answer and statements that are so circuit-numbingly obvious are wasteful in the extreme."
:—'''Shockwave''' doesn't like narratively helpful exposition from '''Frenzy''' and '''Thundercracker'''

"'''How could you?!''' These creatures fought with tooth and claw and you met them with lasers, blasters and sonics. I suppose that's a Decepticon's idea of a fair fight! All this lost life...such a waste...such a terrible, terrible '''waste!'''"
:—'''Optimus Prime'''

'''Frenzy:''' "Looks like that device is ours. Who'da thought it would be that easy!" 
'''Shockwave:''' "Quite. Any last words, Autobot?" 
'''Ratchet:''' "Yeah...'''Ever been had?'''" 

"It is easy to fight. But then, the easy path isn't always the right one. These years of warfare have conspired to blind me to the alternatives. As an Autobot... no. As a '''thinking being''', to fight '''must''' be the '''last''' alternative."
:—'''Optimus Prime'''

"I had thought that my death would grant Megatron his '''greatest victory—not so!''' I fought back against my fellow Autobots. I dragged this innocent victim into my personal war. '''That''' is Megatron's greatest victory! I almost missed the wisdom of my own words when I told Outback that to fight should be the last resort. I will fight you no longer, Wreckers. All I ask is that you spare Outback. If, as a result of my death, just '''one''' Autobot life is saved, then it will not have been without meaning and the '''real''' victory will be '''mine!'''"
:—'''Optimus Prime'''

"I have listened carefully to your little speech 'Decepticon', and I have just one thing to say...'''Optimus—welcome home, my friend!'''"
:—'''Xaaron''' knows the real McCoy when he sees it.
{{--}}

==Notes==
===Production notes===
[[File:DistantThunder ever been had.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]]
[[File:DistantThunder curse youuuu.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]]
[[File:OutbackDistantThunder.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5|Tan me hide when I'm dead, Fred....]]
*"Distant Thunder!" is an extra-long strip produced specially for the super-sized 100th issue of the comic, clocking at 19 pages instead of the usual 11. This makes the whole comic 32 pages long instead of the regular 24, but the price was not increased, remaining at 32p.
*The issue sports a special wraparound hand-painted cover by top-tier Marvel UK artist [[Alan Davis]], who had made his name working on ''Captain Britain'' earlier in the decade, and who by this point in his career had made the jump to Marvel US, working on the exceedingly-hot-at-the-time ''X-Men'' titles. The ''Transformers'' production staff half-jokingly asked Davis to do a cover for the 100th issue, not expecting him to say yes—but he did! It's possible Davis's decision was motivated by the fact that his son was a ''Transformers'' fan; the cover is credited not just to Alan Davis, but to his son Thomas Davis as well.

===Continuity notes===
* Following a series of teases in previous issues, this story finally reveals exactly what happened to Optimus Prime, Prowl and Ratchet when they were displaced into limbo by the arrival of the time-travelling Galvatron, Cyclonus, and Scourge in [[Target: 2006|issue #78]]. Shockwave, Thundercracker, and Frenzy arrive partway through the story, following their own displacement in [[Target: 2006|issue #84]] by the arrival of [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Hot Rod]], [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]], and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]].
* The "Dead End"—the name by which the slums of [[Polyhex]] are better known—previously appeared in [[The Smelting Pool!|issues #66-67]] (US issue #17).
* Ratchet uses his [[laser scalpel]] to get the drop on Shockwave. The visual appearance of this gadget and the mechanism by which it deploys out of Ratchet's forearm ''(pictured at right)'' is based very precisely on the way it was drawn by artist [[William Johnson]] in [[Warrior School!|issue #26]] (US issue #8).
* The wound Optimus Prime sustains in his side was seen being treated by Ratchet in [[Aerialbots over America!|issue #89]] (US issue #21), in the first hint towards the events of this story. This injury is a notable point of a discontinuity between the US and UK stories; in the US comic, Prime was wounded during the Autobots' attack on the Decepticons' [[Wyoming base]] in [[Command Performances!|US issue #19]] (UK issue #71), but due to the extended gap between the UK printing of that story and the scene of Prime being treated, the UK comic was forced to edit the scene in issue #89 and identify the wound as a ''different'' one he had sustained during his time in limbo, that just coincidentally happened to be in the same spot at the one had suffered earlier.
* Emirate Xaaron was last seen in [[Target: 2006|issue #88]]. This is his first interaction with Optimus in the weekly comic, but the pair were shown to be old acquaintances in the story "[[And There Shall Come...a Leader!]]" from [[Transformers Annual 1985]].
* Despite later appearances by the Wreckers, this is Whirl's last appearance in the main Marvel UK timeline.

===Real-life references===
* The manner in which Prime defeats Zenag—turning his back on him and refusing to fight him, resulting in his claws passing harmlessly through him ''(right)''—is lifted directly from the climax of the 1984 film ''{{w|A Nightmare on Elm Street}}'', in which heroine Nancy defeats [[Freddy Krueger]] in the same way.<ref>"It's also one of the few examples I can pinpoint of my just mercilessly ripping something off. The conclusion when Prime turns his back on the ape creature and denies his existence is lifted completed from the end of A Nightmare of ''[sic]'' Elm Street. Completely. The heroine turns her back on Freddy Krueger, says "I don't believe in you, you can't harm me," and he slashes at her with his claws and they pass right through her" —Simon Furman in ''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 3]]''</ref>

===Artwork and technical errors===
* Alan Davis looks to have been referencing ''[[The Transformers Universe (Marvel)|The Transformers Universe]]'' in drawing at least some of the cover; Trailbreaker appears with the outdated [[character model]] used in that book (with two hands and no shoulder accessories), as does Wheeljack (no shoulder fins), and Soundwave is coloured in American-series purple, rather than the toy-accurate blue the UK comic would otherwise consistently use. These aren't strictly errors, of course; what ''are'' errors are Prowl having a blue helmet instead of white, Megatron's Decepticon symbol being uncoloured, and the fact that Buzzsaw is coloured like Laserbeak.
* '''Page 1, panel 3-4:''' Per last issue, Outback's wound should be on his left side, as it is on panel 2 of this page. However, for panels 3-4, it has jumped to his right side ''(right).'' Also, Outback is missing the panel on his chest with the "crosshairs" design in panel 4.
* '''Page 2, panel 4:''' Springer and Twin Twist's colours are swapped.
* '''Page 8, panel 2:''' All speech bubbles and caption boxes during the "dream" portion of the story are tinted a pale yellow; Frenzy's "GNNNK!" in this panel is missing the effect, appearing regular white.
* '''Page 15, panels 1 and 3:''' Optimus Prime's thought balloon and Zenag's cry of "CURSE..." are also missing the pale yellow tint they should have.
* '''Pages 15–16:''' Frenzy is drawn with small individual eyes instead of his normal visor.
* '''Page 17, panel 1:''' Ratchet's forehead crest is red instead of white.
* '''Page 18, panel 5:''' Optimus Prime's head is uncoloured white.
* '''Page 19, panels 3-4:''' Outback's wound is missing entirely.

===Back-up material===
[[File:DistantThunder competition goof.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]]
* '''Back-up strips:''' ''[[Action Force (comic)|Action Force]]'' ("Improvisation on a Theme," Part 2) and ''[[Robo-Capers]]''
* '''Other features:''' "Over 100 ''Transformers'' toys to be won—free!" Entrants are challenged to identity fifteen marked characters on the issue's cover ''(see image at right)''; five winners receive both [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] and [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] toys; ninety-five runners up get an Autobot [[Mini-Vehicle]]. Unfortunately, a production error resulted in only ''fourteen'' characters being marked: [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]], [[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]], [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]], [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]], [[Ironhide (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ironhide]], Optimus Prime, [[Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Wheeljack]], [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]], Prowl, [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]]. The error was apologised for when the results of the contest were published in [[Burning Sky!|issue #115]]; lists of fourteen were accepted, but enterprising kids sent in lists of fifteen by identifying one of the other, unmarked robots on the cover, who include [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]], [[Headstrong (G1)|Headstrong]], and [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]].

===Other trivia===
* Curiously, this issue marks Whirl's last "present-day" appearance in the series; he will be consistently absent from the Wreckers when the team reappears in future issues, only reappearing in the tragic-alternate-future story, "[[Peace]]," in [[Transformers Annual 1989]].

===Foreign Localization===
*'''Swedish'''
:* ''Title:'' "'''Avlägset muller'''" ("Distant Rumblings")
::* Bizarrely, this story was never published in Swedish until the 2021 hardcover collection ''I siktet: 2006'', the original 1989 summer special instead publishing [[Ancient Relics!]] and leaving the story arc unresolved. Even more bizarrely, ads for following issues in 1990 used artwork from this issue. <ref>Introduction to ''I siktet: 2006'' hardcover.</ref>

===Cover===
*'''Issue #100:''' A big Transformers brawl, by [[Alan Davis]]
<gallery>
File:MarvelUK-100.jpg|'''Issue #100'''
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:Tfcolcom13.jpg|'''''[[Transformers Collected Comics#13 – Holiday Special 1989|Collected Comics]]'' #13''' (Marvel Comics, 1989)
File:TitanPrey.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: Prey]]'' TPB''' (Titan Books, 2004)
File:BoUK Prey 3reg.jpg|'''''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Prey#Issue #3|Best of UK: Prey #3]]'' regular cover''' (IDW Publishing, 2009)
File:BoUK Prey 3RI.jpg|'''''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Prey#Issue #3|Best of UK: Prey #3]]'' RI cover''' (IDW Publishing, 2009)
File:BoUK Prey TPB.jpg|'''''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Prey#Collections|Best of UK: Prey]]'' TPB''' (IDW Publishing, 2010)
File:Classicuk3.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 3|''The Transformers Classics UK'' Volume 3]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2012)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v7.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection|The Definitive G1 Collection, Vol. 7: The Harder They Die]]''''' (Hachette Partworks, Ltd. 2017)
File:Target2006_SWECover.jpg|'''''Transformers: I siktet 2006''''' (Ades Media, 2021)
</gallery>

====Reprint notes====
*Both Titan and IDW's reprints of this issue are sourced from the ''Collected Comics'' version of the story. The Titan reprint ends with a tag that reads "CONTINUED IN COLLECTED COMICS #14" instead of "NEXT: FALLEN ANGEL!" as the original issue did, while the IDW reprint tries to paper over this incongruity by erasing the contents of the tag entirely, leaving a blank yellow box. Coming from the same source, both also sport some noticeable signs of degradation not present in the original issue, perhaps most notably a series of white streaks at the top of page 16.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]

Decepticon Graffiti!

2026-05-12T22:08:30Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Real-life references */

{{comicstory|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' (US)]] #23
|prev=Heavy Traffic!
|next=Afterdeath!
|title="Decepticon Graffiti!"
|seriesissue2=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #94–95
|prev2=The Gift
|next2=Prey!
|image=MarvelUS-23.jpg
|caption=Runabout and Runamuck do America.
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|shippingdate=[[August 26]], [[1986]]
|onsaledate=[[September 16]], 1986
|coverdate=December 1986
|writer=[[Bob Budiansky]]
|penciler=[[Don Perlin]]
|inkers=[[Ian Akin]] and [[Brian Garvey]]
|colorist=[[Nelson Yomtov|Nel Yomtov]]
|letterer=[[Janice Chiang]]
|editor=[[Don Daley]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''Megatron has a message for Optimus Prime, and sends the Battlechargers out to deliver it.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Battlechargers-marvel23a.jpg|upright=1.66|left|thumb|Uhhh, that Washing Mon... you... ment thing looks like a giant dong, huh huh.]]
Thanks to [[Donny Finkleberg]] selling him out, [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] is taken captive by [[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team|RAAT]]. Taken to their headquarters, the [[Autobot]] is dissected by [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] in an attempt to learn more about the [[Transformer]]s, which gives Donny some serious second thoughts.

At the [[Wyoming base|Decepticon base in Wyoming]], [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] summons the [[Battlecharger]]s [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. He charges them with delivering a message to [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], challenging the Autobot leader to a duel to the death. Soundwave points out that he could just ''radio'' the Autobots, but Megatron smashes him in the face with a muffler for not appreciating the need for drama. Not wanting the same treatment, the Battlechargers quickly depart, but they remain irritated that Megatron still acts like he's in charge after a four-million-year absence. Deciding that they'd rather run rampant on the unsuspecting planet [[Earth]], they pull in at a service station to ponder their next move, where they observe a family, the Actons, on summer vacation. Bored of the vacation, the Actons' young son [[Noah Acton|Noah]] amuses himself by graffiti tagging the store wall with the message "VACATIONS ARE THE PITS"—an act of defiance that inspires the Battlechargers to follow the Actons on their tour of America, spray-painting Cybertronian graffiti of their own on national monuments like [[Mount Rushmore]] and the [[Gateway Arch]] as they go.

The Battlechargers' acts of graffiti are broadcast via news reports, and RAAT is sent to investigate and engage the robot(s) perpetrating these crimes. After the Battlechargers strike the [[Washington Monument]], the Actons approach Circuit Breaker, informing her that the graffiti has appeared at every place they've visited on their trip. Suspecting a link, Circuit Breaker's team follow the Actons to their next stop—[[Independence Hall]] in [[Philadelphia]]—and when the Battlechargers appear, RAAT are ready to engage them. While RAAT is able to prevent Independence Hall from being vandalized, in the course of the battle, Circuit Breaker is injured while saving Noah Acton from being killed in the crossfire. She is instructed to remain at RAAT headquarters to recuperate while RAAT embarks on their next effort to intercept the Battlechargers, and though she is frustrated by her inability to join the fight, she knows she is too weak to go against the robots alone. Finkleberg proposes that she reactivate the captive Autobots and ask them for help...

[[File:MarvelUS23 Autobot suit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"Huh huh...fire...huh...Runabout, she said fire, huh huh."]]
In [[New York City]], RAAT prepares for the Battlechargers at the Actons' next stop: the [[Statue of Liberty]], this time having taken the appropriate precautions to avoid civilian interference. The Battlechargers hijack the Staten Island Ferry to get to the statue, and unfortunately, all RAAT's firepower is unable to stop them using [[short-range rocket jumper]]s to fly up and deface it. Disappointed that the humans haven't been getting the jokes they've been writing in Cybertronian, the pair graffiti the statue in English with the message "HUMAИƧ ARƎ WIMPƧ." Presently, Circuit Breaker and Donny arrive with some unconventional Autobot assistance: as it would have taken too long to reconstruct all the dissected Autobots, Circuit Breaker has jury-rigged their parts together into a [[Circuit Breaker's Autobot suit|giant piecemeal construct]] that she controls with her electric powers from a position on its chest. During the fight, when the suit moves on its own to shield her from the Battlechargers' fire, Circuit Breaker is once again given cause to wonder whether her hatred of all robots is justified... but the thought doesn't last long, as Runabout blasts the torch off the statue and sends it plummeting towards the ferry below. Circuit Breaker uses her Autobot suit to grab the torch, then blasts the Battlechargers to smoking wrecks, letting their remains fall into the waters of the bay.

Hours later, [[Walter Barnett (G1)|Walter Barnett]] returns to RAAT headquarters to discover that Circuit Breaker has released the captive Autobots, their freedom having been the price for their agreeing to help her fight the Battlechargers. Both she and Finkleberg are fired from RAAT for this act of insubordination, and Finkleberg returns to his [[New York City|New York]] apartment. While pondering what to do with his $50,000 paycheck, Finkleberg switches on the TV and is greeted with a report on the defacing of the Statue of Liberty. Still feeling guilty over his betrayal of Skids, Donny writes a $50,000 check in order to fund repairs on the monument.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] (5)
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (6)
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (7)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (8)
*[[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]] (9)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (10)
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (11)
*[[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]] (12)
*[[Slingshot (G1)|Slingshot]] (13)
*[[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] (14)
*[[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]] (15)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (16)
|c2=
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (17)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] (18)
*[[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] (19)
*[[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] (20)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] (21)
|c3=
*[[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] (1)
*[[Donny Finkleberg]] (2)
*[[Leah Acton]] (22)
*[[Judy Acton]] (23)
*[[Gary Acton]] (24)
*[[Noah Acton]] (25)
*[[Walter Barnett (G1)|Walter Barnett]] (26)
}}

==Quotes==
[[File:Soundwave gets it in the face.jpg|upright=1.25|thumb|HE'S PULLED OUT AN EXHAUST MANIFOLD!! This match is OUT OF CONTROL!!!]]
[[File:DecepticonGraffiti wonderfully wicked.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
"When I want your opinion, I'll tell you what to say, '''Soundwave!'''"
:—'''Megatron'''

"Maybe we should forget about that tin-headed tyrant, Runamuck!" 
"Yeah - we could have a lot of fun on a world like this, Runabout. Heh heh." 
"Yes, a '''lot''' of fun!...Like what?" 
"Heh heh...I don't know."
:—'''Runabout''' and '''Runamuck''', geniuses at work.

"Heh heh heh! Let's tell the fleshlings what we think of them! Heh heh heh!" 
"Oh, Runamuck, what a wonderfully ''wicked'' thing to write! You really ''do'' have a talent for the one-liner!" 
"Yours is funny too, Runabout. It makes me laugh. [pause] Heh heh."
:—The '''Battlechargers''' take on the Washington Monument

"Heh heh! That was the most fun we've had yet, Runabout!" 
"A ''marvelous'' experience, Runamuck! We simply ''must'' stop by again some day! But these fleshlings -- they never get as angry about what ''we'' write as that other fleshling did a few days ago in the parking lot, Runamuck." 
"Yeah. They just seem... confused." 
"No doubt our wit is too slyly subtle for them to appreciate." 
"Yeah, ''that's'' it! Heh heh."
:—The '''Battlechargers''' reflect on their graffiti skills.

"My friction ray will hit her first, Runabout! Heat up her molecules, make her explode! Heh heh! Big mess! ...I ''love'' a big mess!"
:—'''Runamuck''' (miscolored as Runabout)

"Such a perfectly '''awful''' looking monstrosity, Runamuck! Whatever could it possibly be?" 
"Shoot first, ask questions later, Runabout! Heh heh heh!"
:—'''Runabout''' and '''Runamuck'''

"Heh heh. Fleshling likes to give orders to Transformers! What will you say after I've burnt you to carbon ash, fleshling, eh? Heh heh!"
:—'''Runamuck'''

==Notes==
===Production notes===
*Plot outline completed: April 22nd 1986

===Continuity notes===
[[File:DecepticonGraffiti dissected skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
*The Aerialbots were captured by RAAT [[Heavy Traffic!|last issue]]; Skids has been captured between issues, after Donny sold him out at the conclusion of last issue. The Aerialbots' faces are shown to have been added to Circuit Breaker's wall of trophies along with the "[[Cybertron Seven]]," as introduced in [[Aerialbots over America!|issue #21]], which has been rearranged to accommodate them. Skids' isn't visible.
*We've previously seen Transformer brain modules in [[DIS-Integrated Circuits!|issue #9]] and [[The Next Best Thing to Being There!|issue #10]]; this issue renders them as small spheres, as they were in #9, rather than the cuboids from #10.
*Flashbacks again recap Circuit Breaker's origin from [[The Worse of Two Evils!|issue #6]].
*Donny returns to his apartment, as seen in [[I, Robot-Master!|issue #15]].

===Transformers references===
*The Battlechargers are described as transforming "faster than the human eye can follow," a reference to the rapid, spring-loaded transformations of their toys. Like the commercial jingle said, "nobody jumps into action faster than Battlechargers!" In-universe, according to their profiles in ''[[The Transformers Universe]]'', their transformations take only half a second.
{{--}}

===Real-life references===
[[File:M23 noahacionrecycles.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
*This story's title is probably a reference to the 1973 film ''{{w|American Graffiti}}''.
*Noah Acton wears a [[Spider-Man]] shirt between pages 5 and 11 (right).
*Real-life American landmarks visited in this issue include:
**Mount Rushmore, [[South Dakota]]
**The Gateway Arch, [[St. Louis]]
**Independence Hall, [[Philadelphia]]
**The [[Washington Monument]], [[Washington, D.C.]]
**The [[Statue of Liberty]], adjacent to [[New York City]]
*It is noted that the Statue of Liberty has recently undergone renovations, referring to the real-life renovations that saw it closed from 1984 to 1986. The [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] also touched on this theme in the episode "[[Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust]]."

===Continuity and plotting errors===
*Circuit Breaker is forced to jury-rig the Autobots together because, according to her, "it would take days" to get the Autobots operational, but after the battle (which itself was the next day), only "several hours later," the Autobots are gone, apparently restored to their autonomous forms.
*Where do the Battlechargers get the rocket jumpers they use to fly in robot mode? They don't have them at the start of the story, when Megatron gives them their assignment; they only appear later on.
*The check Donny writes at the end of the story is dated October 4th, 1986, which would mean that ''three months'' have passed between issue #21—set on July 4th—and this one. That doesn't seem right; plus it's not even done to stay in-sync with the real-world publication date of this issue, which was in August!

===Artwork and technical errors===
[[File:DecepticonGraffiti big mess.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
[[File:DecepticonGraffiti humans are wimps.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
[[File:DecepticonGraffiti last laugh.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*Throughout this issue, neither of the two Battlechargers have their details colored particularly consistently. In particular, Runamuck is nowhere near his finalised Marvel color model; his arms are entirely white instead of having yellow fronts, and the hinge assembly around his head is red instead of orange.
*'''Page 2, panel 1:''' As in last issue, the entire front of Skids' chest is light blue, when only his grill and headlights should be this color. Additionally, his Autobot symbol is missing its "chin."
*'''Page 3, panel 4:''' Taking into account the fact that this page deliberately alters the colors of the Autobot faces mounted on RAAT's wall to make them appear further away as part of the background, chiefly by replacing white with blue: Air Raid, Skydive, and Fireflight all have red helmets, when Skydive's should be blue-black, and Fireflight's and Air Raid's should be blue; and Slingshot's head is entirely blue save for his red eyes, when his whole face and head should be red, with only the sides of his helmet as blue. These errors repeat on page 6. In the same panel, Blaster's feet are blue-black, when they should be the same grey as the rest of his legs.
*'''Page 4:'''
**'''Panel 2:''' Laserbeak is a wildly off-model collection of shapes. Part of his left wing has been colored orange, as if it were part of the car-throne Megatron is sitting on. For the first, but not the last time, Runabout and Runamuck's colors are switched. The pair's speech bubbles are matched to their colours, so the panel shows Runamuck-coloured-like-Runabout speaking Runabout's dialogue, and vice versa.
**'''Panel 4:''' The entire lower half of Megatron's body is shaded in a single dark colour; his thighs should be lighter than his pelvis and boots.
**'''Panel 5:''' The portion of Runamuck's face visible above his [[mouthplate]] is red instead of white. The tips of Runabout's fingers are uncoloured white.
*'''Page 5, panel 7:''' The yellow strip on the side of Runamuck's vehicle mode is running across the ''top'' of his side, instead of the bottom. Some misaligned color elements result in Runabout having a purple strip across his hood, while his windscreen is orange instead of red.
*'''Page 7, panel 1:''' Runamuck has yellow hands and feet. Runabout's Decepticon symbol (or rather, the featureless splotch where it ''should'' be) is red.
*'''Page 8, panel 5:''' Runamuck's face is red instead of white again. He's missing the yellow strip across the front of his hood.
*'''Pages 10–11:''' Donny's shirt has changed from green to purple on these two pages. He could just be wearing a different shirt, but there's no real cause for him to have changed.
*'''Pages 12–15:''' Noah's shirt has three white stripes on pages 12 and 15, but only two on pages 13 and 14.
*'''Page 12:'''
**'''Panel 4:''' Runamuck is missing the yellow stripe on his side.
**'''Panel 5:''' Runamuck has a yellow stripe across the tips of his feet. He technically ''should'' have this, as his feet form his hood and he has a stripe there in vehicle mode, but it's not meant to be part of his robot mode color model.
*'''Page 13, panel 1:''' Runamuck's mouthplate is red instead of white.
*'''Page 14, panel 1:''' Runamuck and Runabout's colours are switched again (above right). This time, the speech bubbles are ''not'' matched to their colours, so we have Runamuck-coloured-like-Runabout speaking Runamuck's dialogue, and vice versa. Also, Runamuck's head is entirely white, when per Runabout's colours, it should be black.
*'''Page 16:'''
**'''Panel 6:''' Runamuck is missing all his yellow stripes.
**'''Panel 7:''' Runamuck and Runabout's colours are switched again. The three speech bubbles in the panel are consequently thoroughly mismatched; first Runamuck-coloured-like-Runabout instructs Runamuck to transform; then Runabout-coloured-like-Runamuck speaks Runabout's dialogue about how "splendid" the statue is; then finally Runabout-coloured-like-Runamuck replies to himself with Runamuck's dialogue about wanting to trash the statue.
*'''Page 18:'''
**'''Panel 1:''' Runabout's trunk-cowl is red instead of white.
**'''Panel 2:''' Runabout and Runmuck's colours are switched once again.
*'''Page 19-21:''' Circuit Breaker's jury-rigged Autobot "suit" doesn't look at all like any of the Autobots that supposedly make it up, containing no parts belonging to any of them.
*'''Page 20:'''
**'''Panels 2-3:''' Runamuck's helmet is red instead of white.
**'''Panel 6:''' Runabout is coloured like Runamuck.

===UK printing===
====Issue #94====
*'''Published:''' [[December 27|27th December]], 1986
*'''Cover date:''' [[January 3|3rd January]], [[1987]]
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Spitfire and the Troubleshooters'' ("Behemoth," Part 3) and ''[[Robo-Capers]]''
*In ''[[Letters page (Marvel UK)#Grim Grams|Grim Grams]]'', [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] reveals that [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] weighs 90 tons.
====Issue #95====
*'''Published:''' [[January 3|3rd January]], 1987
*'''Cover date:''' [[January 10|10th January]], 1987
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Spitfire and the Troubleshooters'' ("Counterattack," Part 1) and ''Robo-Capers''

===Other trivia===
[[File:Battlechargers-marvel23b.jpg|upright=1|thumb|So, like, Todd, can we like, be in your gang?]]
*This issue was a favourite among fans back in the '90s, due almost entirely to the miscreant characterization of the Battlechargers. Runamuck's constant "heh heh" snickering to himself put many fans in mind of ''Beavis and Butt-Head'', who had risen to fame in the intervening years, and comparisons between the two duos were common—though in reality, Runabout doesn't act that way at all, instead speaking in an eloquent way that suggests delusions of sophistication.
*This issue was one of writer Bob Budiansky's favourites.<ref>[http://traffic.libsyn.com/moonbase2/BobBinterview.mp3 Bob Budiansky interview] at Moonbase 2</ref>
*''Stan friggin' Lee'' enjoyed this issue so much he wrote a letter to the creative team congratulating them on it!<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20130707233534/http://www.oneshallstand.com:80/articles/bob_budiansky.html An interview with Bob Budiansky] at OneShallStand.com (Archived copy)</ref>
*Both the upcoming [[G.I. Joe and the Transformers (comic)|Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover]] and ''The Transformers Universe'' profile series are teased in this issue's letters page. The editor notes that, following the invitation extended in [[The Bridge to Nowhere!|issue #18]] for young reader "[[Shingo]]" to write in, several letters from "imitators" have been received, but they're still waiting for the genuine article to get in touch.
*Due to the presence of Marvel-owned character Circuit Breaker, [[IDW Publishing]] were unable to reprint this issue in their 2008 ''[[Classic Transformers Volume 2]]'' collection, as they had not yet negotiated a license to do so with Marvel. The issue was replaced in the collection with a text summary.

===Bot Roster===
*Autobots: 23 active as all RAAT captives are freed; 5 rogue Dinobots; 14 in repair bay. (42 total)
*Decepticons: 21 active; 9 offline as the Battlechargers both enter and leave the picture. (30 total)

===Courtesy of my...===
*Runabout namechecks his [[particle beam rifle]].
*Likewise, Runamuck calls out his [[Friction rifle|friction ray]].

===Covers (3)===
*'''US issue #23:''' Battlechargers defacing the Statue of Liberty, by [[Herb Trimpe]].
*'''UK issue #94:''' Battlechargers, by [[Lee Sullivan]].
*'''UK issue #95:''' reuse of art from US cover, with some new word balloons.
<gallery>
File:MarvelUS-23.jpg|'''US issue #23''' - Lady Liberty sheds a tear.
File:MarvelUK-094.jpg|'''UK issue #94''' - Blurr wants a word with these guys.
File:MarvelUK-095.jpg|'''UK issue #95''' - Ha. Ah ha. Got it.
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:Titan-ShowdownSC.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: Showdown]]'' TPB''' (Titan Books, 2003)
File:Titan-ShowdownHC.jpg|'''''Transformers: Showdown'' HC''' (Titan Books, 2003)
File:TFClassicsVol2.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Classics, Vol. 2|''The Transformers Classics'', Vol. 2]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2012)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v6.jpg|'''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection|''The Definitive G1 Collection]]: Volume 6: Target: 2006''''' (Hachette Partworks, 2016)
</gallery>

===IDW Transformers Classics edits===
[[File:DecepticonGraffiti lets trash it.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75]]
For ''[[The Transformers Classics]]'' series of trade paperbacks, IDW Publishing "remastered" the coloring of the series with varying degrees of success. These changes were sometimes to fix errors, but often to alter characters' color schemes to make them resemble their toy and/or cartoon selves, and were rarely applied with consistency. IDW's recolored version was also used for Hachette's ''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection|Definitive G1 Collection]]'', with exceptions noted below.
*'''Page 1:''' The green of Circuit Breaker's irises is erased.
*'''Page 2:''' Here and throughout the issue, Circuit Breaker has a much more tanned skin tone than all the other humans, despite them all having the same colour skin in the original printing.
*'''Page 4:''' Unusual for IDW, Soundwave was ''not'' recolored blue for this issue, and appears only with his original purple color.
*'''Pages 5–11:''' Spider-Man's face is erased from Noah's shirt. However, it was restored for Hachette's Definitive Collection.
*'''Page 5, panel 7:''' The erroneous purple stripe is removed from Runabout's hood.
*'''Pages 12–13:''' Inconsistent remastering results in both Runabout's blue-black tone, and Runamuck's light-blue tone both being too dark, making the pair appear solid black and solid blue, respectively.
*'''Page 16, panel 6:''' Runamuck and Runabout's colours are switched so that this panel matches with panel 7. Of course, as described above, ''panel 7'' is the one in error, so this creates a double-goof.
*'''Page 22, panel 4:''' The news anchor on Donny's TV is recolored to have an African-American skin tone. He remains Caucasian in the very next panel.
{{--}}
===Advertisements===
'''US'''
*[[M&M's]] - inside front cover
*Lazer Tag - between pages 4 & 5
*Bonkers! (candy) - between pages 5 & 6
*Westfield Comics Subscription Service - between pages 9 & 10
*NBC Saturday morning cartoons: ''Kissyfur'', Disney's ''Adventures of the Gummi Bears'', ''Smurfs'', ''Punky Brewster'', ''Alvin and the Chipmunks'', ''Foofur'', ''Kidd Video'', plus: ''One to Grow On''. - between pages 12 & 13
*Adidas Astronauts (boys & girls activewear) - between pages 15 & 16
*Marvel Super Mart and sketchy ads - between pages 16 & 17
*Bullpen Bulletins - between pages 20 & 21
*[[Letters page|Transmissions]]
*Marvel subscription service
*''Dungeons & Dragons'' set #1: Basic Rules - inside back cover
*Brach's candy (back cover)

'''UK issue #94:'''
*[[The Transformers: The Movie - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack|''The Transformers: The Movie'' soundtrack]]
*''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' (back cover)
'''UK issue #95:'''
*[[S.T.A.R.S.]]
*Heinz Invaders fan club
*''Dungeons & Dragons'' Basic Rules Set 1 (back cover)

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Marvel US issues]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]

Shockblast

2026-05-12T19:17:38Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* New Legends */ Repositioning the joke a bit

{{factions|decepticon|primusvanguard|hofsilver}}
{{disambig3.5|the ''Energon'' Decepticon|the Generation 1 Decepticon whose ''Alternators'' toy was named "Shockblast"|Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave}}
{{disambig2|the character|the weapon|Shock blast cannon}}
:''Shockblast is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]] portion of the [[Unicron Trilogy continuity family]].''

[[File:Shockblast energon.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|No, the toy doesn't have that hose. Or that arm joint.]]
'''Shockblast''' packs an incredible amount of strength and firepower inside his chassis, and he knows it. He's brash, arrogant, sarcastic, and fearless, even willing to challenge the might of [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] directly, which, along with the fact that he seems averse to following orders, often puts them both at odds. He's also a sociopath, casually killing solely for the fun of it, whether it be someone on the other side, or someone he's supposed to be allied with. He revels in destruction, and he's not particularly bothered which side is doing the exploding.

Shockblast is the brother of [[Six Shot (Energon)|Six Shot]]. He has an unspecified history with [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]]; the two hate each other, probably because Shockblast is a jerk.

{{bigquote|Don't trust Shockblast. Shockblast BAD.|[[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]]|"[[Shockblast: Rampage]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Toy pack-in comics===
[[File:Energon V4 Decepticons.jpg|thumb]]

When [[Slugslinger (Energon)|Slugslinger]] and [[Sharkticon (Energon)|Sharkticon]] attempted to break into an [[Autobot]] island facility, Shockblast scrambled the security system with an electromagnetic pulse from orbit. However, when the plan went wrong, [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|Omega Supreme]] nailed Shockblast with cannon-fire, despite the Decepticon being in low orbit. {{Storylink|Energon Volume 3}}

Later, Shockblast was part of the Decepticon party that had cornered [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] and a wounded [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]]. However, Shockblast was blown away by the combined power of Optimus and the newly arrived [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]]. {{Storylink|Energon Volume 4}}
{{--}}

===''Energon'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Brian Drummond]] (English), [[Nobutoshi Canna]] (Japanese)|[[Fredrik Beckmann]] (Swedish), [[Leopoldo Ballesteros]] (Spain - Spanish), [[Carlos Vitale]] (Latin-American Spanish), [[Ossi Valo]] (Finnish, unknown episodes), [[Veeti Kallio]] (Finnish, unknown episodes), [[Fabio Boccanera]] (Italian), [[Yoann Sover]] (French)}}

{{noteslonly}}

[[File:Energon-Shockblast-Prison.jpg|thumb|left|Minor setback!]]

''Following the end of the war for the Mini-Cons, when the Autobots and Decepticons began working together, Shockblast and his brother [[Six Shot (Energon)|Six Shot]] refused to lay down their arms, and began attacking their fellow Decepticons as well as the Autobots, leading to their capture and imprisonment.'' {{storylink|Alpha Q: Identity}}

[[File:Shockblast Breaks In.jpg|thumb|150px]]
Shockblast was held prisoner deep inside [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], under near-constant supervision due to his status as a dangerous Decepticon war criminal. During a Decepticon uprising following Megatron's return, Shockblast escaped and slaughtered most of the Autobot guards, and even a few Decepticons as he made his way to freedom. {{storylink|Alpha Q: Identity}} In the chamber of [[Primus]] he used [[Padlock (Energon)|Padlock]] as a shield to secure safe passage, then shot the 'bot dead from behind once he got free. This earned him the ever-lasting hatred of [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Dagger]], Padlock's partner. Shockblast radioed Megatron from the surface, offering his services in destroying Cybertron's energon towers in exchange for passage off the planet. Megatron decided to add Shockblast to his team, and dispatched Tidal Wave to Cybertron to retrieve him. The two immediately began to squabble, reviving their old enmity. Shockblast damaged Cybertron's [[Energon grid (technology)|energon grid]] before fleeing the planet, leaving a gap in the Autobots' defenses. {{storylink|Shockblast: Rampage}}

Shockblast proved difficult to work with, and spent much of his time insulting and belittling the other Decepticons—so much so that when Unicron began attacking his "tenants", Tidal Wave initially blamed Shockblast. {{storylink|Survival Instincts}} Nonetheless, he was quickly given command of Megatron's troops and told to lead an assault on Cybertron to destroy the rest of the energon grid. Wing Dagger attempted to capture Shockblast during this attack, but Shockblast maneuvered him beneath a toppling Energon Tower. Unfortunately, Tidal Wave was severely damaged as the tower fell due to Shockblast's own carelessness, and the Decepticons under his command pulled back. {{storylink|Each One Fights...}}

[[File:Energon-Shockblast-Rides-Tidal-Wave.jpg|left|thumb|"Mush my slave, mush!"]]

Shockblast led a group of Terrorcons on another raid to Cybertron, blasting open the energon core so that the Battle Ravages could feed off Primus's power directly. The raid was largely successful, and Megatron even complimented Shockblast on a job well done, but Shockblast regarded Megatron with a high level of contempt. {{storylink|Unicron Unleashed}} As the Autobots invaded Unicron during his reactivation phase, Shockblast openly declared his desire to overthrow Megatron to anyone who would listen. Megatron heard his boasting echo through the bowels of Unicron, but paid it little mind. Shockblast then ran wild throughout Unicron, blasting Optimus Prime as he was about to approach Megatron for personal combat. Shockblast stormed into Megatron's throne room himself to take control, but faced Starscream's blade instead. {{storylink|Open Fire!}} As Optimus and Megatron clashed again, Shockblast interrupted them once more, but soon fell into the spatial rift that had opened due to the conflict over Unicron's power. {{storylink|Ripped Up Space}}

[[File:E28 titlecard.jpg|thumb|Still a minor setback!!]]
On the other side of the [[Rift|rift in space]], Shockblast crashlanded alone on [[Iron Planet]]. Surrounded by Autobots, he was confronted by the reborn Wing Dagger, now known as [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]]. The former detention guard was given the opportunity to fulfill his duty, and Shockblast and Wing Saber fought an extended one-on-one duel until Wing Saber ultimately triumphed, securing Shockblast and avenging Padlock. Shockblast was chained to a rock and held prisoner by the Autobots. {{storylink|Protection}} Shockblast whiled away the time imprisoned insulting his guard [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]]. For a time, Megatron refused to rescue him, ignoring Shockblast's radio calls for help. He finally freed Shockblast, but subsequently demoted him to the bottom of the ranks for his treachery. {{storylink|Imprisoned Inferno}} This left him in the unenviable position of relying on the likes of [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]] for keen, tactical observations in combat. Shockblast churned with anger at having to deal with his nit-witted commanding officers. {{storylink|Jungle Planet (episode)|Jungle Planet}} Still, Megatron continued to offer him opportunities to blow stuff up, so Shockblast wasn't completely depressed. He destroyed [[Bulkhead (Energon)|Bulkhead]]'s shuttle while the Autobots prepped an energon tower from Cybertron to defend Jungle Planet. {{storylink|Bulkhead (episode)|Bulkhead}} Bulkhead got his revenge, though, when he beat Shockblast up and down [[Ocean Planet]] like the amateur whippersnapper he was. {{storylink|Farewell Inferno}}

''Shockblast was painfully schooled by Bulkhead again on the rebirthed [[Planet Q]]. Bulkhead just casually leaned on his staff giving orders while pinning Shockblast helplessly to the ground. {{storylink|Return! Our Scorponok}}''

[[File:Shockblast tentacles.jpg|thumb|left| Another minor setback!!]]
Shockblast's habit of muttering insults to Megatron came back to haunt him when the Decepticon leader overheard the quips. He spent the next little while kicking Shockblast's aft up and down Unicron until [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] stepped in and reminded Megatron that Shockblast was still a useful pawn. {{storylink|Crash Course}}

When Megatron dispatched the Decepticons into battle for one last supply of energon, Shockblast secretly remained behind aboard Unicron. He seemed to have mischief in mind, but a shockwave caused him to stumble out of his hiding place in Megatron's throne room before he could carry out any plots against his leader. {{storylink|Omega Supreme (episode)|Omega Supreme}} Shockblast briefly appeared in the battle on Unicron's surface with the Autobots, inadvertently showing [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] an entrance passageway into the Chaos-Bringer's interior. {{storylink|A Heroic Battle}}

[[File:Shockblast smoosh.jpg|thumb|'Tis but a scratch.]]
Shockblast eventually tricked Megatron and attempted to assume control of Unicron in his stead. The full power of Unicron proved too much for him to handle, however; it drove him insane, sending him on a mindless rampage under Unicron's control. He crashed on [[Blizzard Planet]], where Optimus Prime battled him while trying to reach past Unicron's influence to reawaken the real Shockblast. Prime's words worked, and Shockblast managed to free himself. He turned his firepower on Unicron, but the Chaos Bringer brought one fist down on the surface of Blizzard Planet, and Shockblast was crushed to death before Prime's horrified eyes. {{storylink|The Power of Unicron}}

Sometime later, a virtual copy of Shockblast appeared in an Autobot training simulation alongside his brother, Six Shot. {{storylink|Distribution}}

===''Energon'' comic===
Shockblast intercepted the [[Ocean City]] schematics [[Slugslinger (Energon)|Slugslinger]] used to infiltrate the Autobot installation. {{storylink|Perspective}}

{{Unreleased energon comic}}
Later on, Shockblast and [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Mirage]] expressed concern that Megatron was losing his edge, after ordering a series of attacks on minor energon installations instead of going after greater scores. {{storylink|Armageddon Part 2}}

===''Q-Robo Transformer''===
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Q-Robo Transformer}}}}

===Precursor World===
A [[Primus Vanguard|Warrior of the Seven Lights]] resembling Shockblast was a member of the [[Purple Order]] of the [[Primus Vanguard]]. Through a screen, he oversaw the containment of [[G1 World|interdimensional]] warlord [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Generations Selects Special Comic (1)|Ultra Megatron Omega]] and his turncoat [[Straxus (G1)#Precursor World|Straxus]] followers by the Order's [[Pretender Monster]] creations such that his commander [[Purple Wicked Convoy]] could propose an alliance. {{storylink|God Neptune comic 1}}

==Toys==
===''Energon''===
[[File:En-toy Shockblast.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|I transform into nothing!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Shockblast''' (Mega Class, 2004)}}</ul>
:*''Takara name'': '''Laserwave''' (レーザーウェーブ)
:*''Takara ID number'': '''SD-14'''
:*''Takara release date'': [[2004]] [[May 27]]
:*''Accessories'': Missile
{{toydesigner|[[Takio Ejima]] (TakaraTomy)}}

: Released in the third wave of the ''[[Transformers: Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' Mega Class assortment, Shockblast transforms into a Cybertronic laser-tank, plus has a third satellite-cannon-thing mode (which the cartoon depicted as a kind of jet mode). His cannon-arm contains a spring-loaded missile launcher and an electronic sound gimmick, which is activated by a sliding switch. Advancing the switch down the cannon activates a droning laser sound effect that does not stop playing until the switch is moved to either end of the slider. The switch also activates clear-plastic prongs along the side of the cannon, which stick up as the switch is moved down the gun. His right arm features a cannon and claw with a moveable thumb. His head has a small port for [[light-piping]]. His design is obviously a [[homage]] to the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] Decepticon [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. The obligatory [[Spark crystal|spark crystal]] to affix an [[Energon star|energon star]] onto is featured on a protrusion next to his head.

: Many specimens of this toy have a problem in satellite mode wherein a peg on one of his legs will not fit into the corresponding slot to hold the mode together. Additionally, the waist hinge's quality varies; some are loose, causing the figure's upper torso to wobble. As it turns out, the pinhole for the hinge is badly deformed on the inside, which is the cause of the looseness and can eventually lead to breakage.

: Shockblast was released in the eighth wave of Takara's ''[[Transformers: Energon (toyline)#Takara Super Link toyline|Super Link]]'' toyline (and was the only item in said wave) as "Laserwave", without the electronic sound gimmicks, and with some small deco differences. His gray plastics are now a more stony-blue shade rather than the Hasbro version's warmer gray, and some parts that are black plastic on Shockblast (like his antennae, twin-blaster barrels and missile) are now dark purple. He loses a significant amount of black paint on his twin-blaster-cannon, but gains silver paint on all four of his treads, along with a few other bits of extra silver here and there.

: This mold was also used to make ''Energon'' [[Six Shot (Energon)#Toys|Six Shot]], and was the model for the non-toy Cybertron-mode [[Cryotek (RID)#Fiction|Cryotek]] and [[Shockwave (SG)|''Shattered Glass'' Shockwave]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Decepticon/Shockblast/shockblast.htm More information on Shockblast at TFU.info]''

===''New Legends''===
[[File:TF-New-Legends-Shockwave.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67| …well, we didn't expect to see this guy ever again.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Nemesis Star Convoy''' (ネメシススターコンボイ, [[2026]])}}</ul>
:*''ID Number'': '''NL-03'''
:*''Accessories'': Radar dish
:Hot off the heels of his surprise return in the ''[[Mystery of the Speedia 500]]'' manga, ''[[Transformers New Legends|New Legends]]'' "Shockwave" is a redeco of ''[[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]]'' [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Legacy|Shockwave]] into a clearly ''Super Link''-inspired coloration. In homage to the original Shockwave's laser gun mode, the figure has a flip-out 5 mm peg on the underside of his alternate mode which doubly acts as a landing gear, and as a handle so he can be wielded by [[Nemesis (G1)#New Legends|Nemesis Star Convoy]]. Shockwave comes with a radar dish accessory, which can plug into his hand as an [[Energon]] shield or attach onto the top of his vehicle mode.
{{comingsoontoy}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[File:Tvmag6-3.jpg|thumb|upright=1]]
*Evidently designed as "Shockwave", Shockblast received his final name due to [[Hasbro]] not having the [[trademark]] for "Shockwave" at the time. This issue would also affect the contemporary [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Alternators|''Alternators'' toy]], which was released as "Shockblast". Hasbro has subsequently reclaimed the "Shockwave" trademark and uses it for ''Transformers'', while the "Shockblast" trademark was for a time maintained for [http://www.yojoe.com/action/08/shockblast.shtml new toys] of a ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' character also named "Shockwave". Shockblast is considered part of the Shockwave archetype, regardless of his name, and is featured alongside other Shockwave incarnations in Hasbro media.
*There is an older, pink color variant of the Shockblast's [[character model]] used in a few short instances in the cartoon, most notably in the episode "[[Shockblast: Rampage]]". This same variant appeared in an issue of ''[[TV Magazine]]'' in Japan around the time of the character's debut (see right).
*Shockblast never uses his tank mode in the cartoon, unlike his brother, [[Six Shot (Energon)|Six Shot]].
*Shockblast's right shoulder-armor was used for the shoulders of the [[Autobot nurse]] [[generic]] model in the [[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|''Energon'' cartoon]].
*Shockblast's design was also used as the model for [[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]]'s pre-beast body in "[[Theft of the Golden Disk]]" and ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' [[Shockwave (SG)|Shockwave]] in "[[Transhuman]]".

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Laserwave''' (レーザーウェーブ ''Rēzāwēbu'')
*''Hungarian:'' '''Pöröly''' ("Sledge"), '''Sokkoló''' ("[[Optimus Prime vs Megatron: The Ultimate Battle]]", "Shocker")
*''Mandarin:'' '''Zhèndàngbō''' (China, 震荡波, "Shockwave")
*''Russian:'' '''Vzryvala''' (Взрывала, "Exploder")

==See also==
{{OtherVersions
|charname=Shockblast
|disambig=Shockwave (disambiguation)
|body=
*[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], the logical Decepticon who's to blame for everything from [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]].
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]], the loyal Decepticon spy from [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|''Animated'']].
*[[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]], the Decepticon beastmaster and killing machine from [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|''Dark of the Moon'']].
*[[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]], the logical Decepticon scientist from the [[Aligned continuity family]].
*[[Shockwave (Cyberverse)|Shockwave]], the Decepticon mad scientist from [[Transformers: Cyberverse (franchise)|''Cyberverse'']].}}

[[Category:Energon Decepticons]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame characters]]
[[Category:Purple Order]]
[[Category:Satellites]]
[[Category:Triple Changers]]

Lug (IDW)

2026-05-10T00:45:44Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* 2005 IDW continuity */ Matrices, not Matrixes

{{factions|adaptus|autobot}}
{{disambig2|the treasure hunter|the Nebulan Headmaster|Lug (G1)}}
:''Lug is a [[Transformer]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[File:LugIDW.jpg|right|thumb|300px|At first she was essentially Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense.]]
A geologist born on Cybertron, '''Lug''' and her [[Conjunx Endura]], [[Anode]], did not stick around for the war, and instead began adventuring the galaxy, their treasure-hunting leading them to places such as the Terralese Acid Wastes, the Nightmare Spires, Killtopia, and [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]], all of which Lug deems less dangerous than Cybertron. Being the much more cautious of the two, Lug often tries, and fails, to stop Anode from leading them to danger. But such is the life with Anode, and Lug wouldn't have it any other way. She transforms into a backpack, which allows Anode to carry her around, and stores multiple tools for archaeology in her chest. She likes [[mood pipes]].

==Fiction==
===2005 IDW continuity===
{{first|[[Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|''Lost Light'' #1]]}}

'''Lug of [[Celestica Tetracornacapria]]''' {{storylink|Dissolution Part 6: This Machine Kills Fascists|This Machine Kills Fascists}} was born on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] before the war, and was friends with the blacksmith [[Wipe-Out]]. At some point of time, Lug met Anode, and Anode met Lug with the two eventually becoming [[Conjunx Endura]]. Like everyone else on Golden Age Cybertron, the two were born assigned male. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}} She was one of the many 'bots to abandon the planet due to the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] and swore never to return. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}} While travelling the stars, the two met several alien races with both male and female genders and came to realize they were more comfortable as "she". While Anode had her body rebuilt into a more feminine form, Lug opted to keep her old body. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}

During their travels Lug and Anode met many dangers together, but they got separated when Anode went on to train in her profession at a [[Lighthouse|Camien medical facility]]. Some time later, Anode left Caminus and came back to Lug. Anode told her that she missed her too much, and that's why she quit. Lug would come to feel tremendous guilt for the event, thinking that she had ruined Anode's career.
{{storylink|Dissolution Part 4: Bad Moon Rising|Bad Moon Rising}}

[[File:LL1 Lug.jpg|left|upright=2.4|thumb|I just give up. I'm an old backpack vendor. I give gifts.]]
Five hundred years ago, Lug and Anode travelled to [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]] at the request of their mysterious client, the "[[Adaptus|Grand Architect]]", to retrieve a metallic snowflake-like object. They found themselves being attacked by a [[Decepticon]] [[Cybernought]]; although Anode successfully deployed a forcefield, Lug was still convinced they were going to die. The time-travelling [[Mortilus|Necrobot]] arrived, attempting to rescue them both from what would have been their presumed deaths (as was his habit).

After recovering from the time jump in a stasis capsule, Anode awoke on the [[Necroworld]], and suggested to Lug that they'd been rescued. They were informed of recent events they had missed by [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]]. After this, the two were met by [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]], who asked them some nonsensical questions under the guise of "background checks". After Anode was alarmed by hearing [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]]'s name uttered by Swerve, the duo attempted to leave by way of the [[Teleport chamber|teleporter]], but were stopped by [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] and [[Drift (G1)|Drift]].

When Rodimus and a small group of Transformers decided to use the teleporter to head back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to pick up another ship, Anode stayed behind with the other time-displaced Cybertronians. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}} After repairing diplomatic relations following Anode's insulting of Ultra Magnus, Lug sat by the Memorial to the Disappeared and played some music to relax before Anode tracked her down. The two discussed their plans for the future and whether or not they owed the Autobots anything, before [[Fangry (G1)|Fangry]] interrupted the discussion by being violently thrown into the memorial by [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]. When Anode tried to calm the minibot, he backhanded her, sending her flying, and to be impaled on a piece of debris. Panicking, Lug called for help and [[Kaput]] soon arrived. Lug was by Anode's bedside when she awoke and watched as Velocity tried (and failed) to perform a citizen's arrest on Anode for stealing from Caminus before the medic demanded to discuss the [[Lighthouse]]. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}}

Anode explained she was a [[blacksmith]] and the "snowflake" recovered from Luna 2 was a piece of [[Living metal|sentio metallico]], but that she hadn't stolen any as the records said. She'd falsified them to have a pretext to leave the planet. Realizing that she'd been left in the dark about this, Lug rushed out of the room, {{storylink|Dissolution Part 3: A World Misplaced|A World Misplaced}} and fled back to the memorial. Anode followed her back and Lug confessed her feelings of betrayal as she'd always believed ''she'' was the reason that Anode had abandoned her apprenticeship. Anode revealed the role she'd played in the death of a [[protoform]] and faked a theft as an excuse to flee despite her co-workers being understanding and sympathetic. Lug believed that Anode needed to feel hated for what she'd done. Anode offered an apology but when she looked up, Lug was gone...{{storylink|Dissolution Part 4: Bad Moon Rising|Bad Moon Rising}}

...because Lug hadn't ever ''been'' with her on Necroworld. She was just a hallucination that Anode had developed as a result of timesickness; a look at the security camera footage showed Anode exiting her [[stasis pod]] alone and talking to thin air. A despondent Anode checked the names on the Memorial to the Disappeared and mournfully concluded that Lug had not survived the explosion the Necrobot had saved her from. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}}

[[File:This Machine Kills Fascists - Lug Mark 2.jpg|right|upright=1.2|thumb|''She lives, she dies, she lives again!'']]
A disheartened Anode was taken by Kaput, [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]], and Velocity to where Lug's memorial flowers grew on Necroworld, and Kaput, having made a hobby of studying Censere's archives, explained that after saving Anode he had returned to find Lug barely still alive, allowing him to perform the [[Rites of Transition]] on her. Anode's explosive fury at the violation of her friend's lack of religiousness was cut off by Kaput's continuing: when the Necrobot found someone ''before'' they died, he would transfer the last flicker of their actual Spark into one of his flowers...a flower Kaput now offered to Anode. It only took a moment for Anode to realize the possibilities this and the sentio metallico, returned to her by Nautica, opened, and she bolted for the Necrobot's fortress.

Reaching a laboratory, she recruited Kaput into helping her transfer the Spark-flicker into the sentio metallico to create a protoform, noting that in principle it was no different than an assisted birth. The process seemed to go smoothly, until the new protoform's temperature began to precipitously drop, reminding Anode of her past failings at her calling—failings she determined not to repeat, as she desperately worked to save/revive her friend...successfully, as later she showed off her "new backpack" jubilantly to the returning [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]]. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 6: This Machine Kills Fascists|This Machine Kills Fascists}} After Lug regrew, Anode confessed the truth about the Lighthouse to her. After the two made up and shared an embrace on the field, Lug went to make friends, leading her to play with Roller. She was later part of the group that left Necroworld aboard the deceased [[Skip (IDW)|Skip]]. {{storylink|After Megatron (A Dissolution Epilogue)|After Megatron}}

[[File:AnAxeToBreakTheIce-survivalpresent.jpg|left|upright=2.4|thumb|These two would do well to take Koholint Island off of their list of anniversary travel options.]]
When the Rod Squad took a stop at [[Troja Major]]'s [[Howling Town]], Lug and Anode joined Velocity and Nautica in traversing the town. Nautica found them irritating, complaining how Lug's and Anode's detours slowed them down. Lug was complicit in Anode stealing [[mood pipe]]s from a [[Rust Giant]]. After fleeing for their lives, she received the stolen item as a survival gift from her conjunx, and was successfully enamored. Lug commented on how much the market had changed in the past five centuries which Velocity explained was due to a spiritual ley line the market was built on, leading Troja Major to a rebranding as the bereavement capital of the galaxy. After Nautica shooed away a [[Catharsian]] merchant praying on Lug, she followed Anode on the trail of some [[Living metal|sentio metallico]].

The couple found [[Infinite|a newborn mech]] (with a coffin alternate mode) before they were ambushed by the [[Black Block Consortia]]. When Anode refused to step aside however, Lug tackled her to safety which allowed the Consortia a clean shot at the newborn, killing him. As Anode grieved, their old friend Wipe-Out made himself known and spirited the two away to a bar where the three of them could compare notes. After the femmes explained their new genders, Wipe-Out explained the seeming hunt for [[blacksmith]]s and who the Black Block Consortia was. When the trio concluded the Grand Architect was on their tail again, they tried to cheese it only for his troops to teleport into the bar. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}} After Anode had thoroughly embarrassed herself thinking [[Flame (Marvel)|Flame]] was the Grand Architect, she turned to jet mode and flew Lug and Wipe-Out to safety. Returning to the funeral compound where they'd found the mysterious mech, Lug stood off to the side while Wipe-Out realized the mech had been able to turn into virtually anything before they got a call from Velocity. When the trio arrived, Nautica's super-sized alternate mode burst out of the building before the group made a brisk getaway. {{storylink|Chasing the Infinite}}

Back aboard Skip, Lug helped Anode engage in a prank war with Swerve by repainting herself and pretending to be Swerve's biggest fan, saying she would start "Swervecon", and she witnessed Swerve's retaliation when Velocity called Anode in for a medical exam to inform her she had a "second head" in her rear armature. Anode, furious at the false scare, thus upped the ante. Lug chatted with [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] while the two held a datapad, but she had to help pull a magnetized Anode off Ultra Magnus's front as the hijinks conflict continued, so Lug had to pull her off with all her might. This act threw herself to the ground and her beloved into a grief-stricken [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]], who attempted to cut her down where she knelt. Anode managed to somersault out of the way, so the blade cut across [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind's]] chest instead. The ship erupting in chaos, Lug also had a moment of pause when [[Ten]] unexpectedly spoke.
{{storylink|Sardines}}

On Ten's instructions, the crew modified the ship so they could jump through "compressed space" and get to a [[Mederi]] center so they could save the ailing [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]]. However, as Skip was contracting in on them as his body returned to regular size, Anode and the others were forced to abandon ship and were subsequently exposed to compressed space, seemingly killing them and bringing them to the [[Transformer afterlife|Afterspark]]. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (1): Metastasis|Metastasis}} Not entirely concerned or convinced that they were dead, Anode and Lug went straight to stealing soft [[ununtrium]] from a temple, which earned them a scolding from Nautica. The couple then went for the giant [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] floating in the Afterspark's sky to see what they could pillage from it. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (2): The God War|The God War}} What they didn't realize however was that the "Afterspark" was in fact the original Mederi center, designed by the [[Omega Guardian]]s to euthanize its patients by generating illusions that made them happy and ready to "ascend". As Anode and Lug gathered under the Matrix so they could "ascend", Rodimus and his group destroyed Mederi's power source, shattering the illusion. Before the team could figure out where to go from there, they were approached by an army of [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeaters]] created from the crews of the ''[[Lost Light]]''. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}}

After Rodimus recognized the Sparkeaters as ''Lost Light'' crew, Anode questioned whether they were actually a threat. Discussion ensued as to what to do until [[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]] was attacked by Sparkeater-[[Perceptor (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Perceptor]]. When [[Grimlock (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Grimlock]] was dropped from high altitude into the attackers to cut them down, Lug exclaimed to Anode that "this isn't normal!" After the group's subsequent retreat from the Sparkeaters and team-up with allies aboard Wipe-Out's Q-class ship, Anode and her Conjunx joined the armed boarding team, using said vessel to land on the ''Lost Light'', and followed Rodimus off the ship into the ''Lost Light's'' shuttle bay. Almost immediately all the doors began shutting around them, cutting off Rodimus and Cyclonus from the others. Then the ship's oil reservoir poured on top of them, the ship's oil reservoir filled entirely with scraplets, causing Anode to have a panic attack. Lug tried reassuring her as those same Scraplets, merged into one, showed themselves. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 1): A Dance Before Dying|A Dance Before Dying}}

Anode feared that the scraplets were going to eat the team, but Ultra Magnus tried to reassure them by pointing out scraplets didn't actually have a digestive system. After Grimlock's attempt to slay the creatures didn't succeed, Anode, Lug, and Drift were grabbed by the scraplets, before they turned their attention on Whirl. As the scraplets turned out to be the adoptees of Whirl, they all survived and reunited with Rodimus and Cyclonus, just in time for space to tear itself a new one. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 2): Lūstrāre|Lūstrāre}} The rift sucked in the ''Lost Light'', depositing it in what according to Lug's reading of the navicomp was the Benzene Cluster, now filled with duplicate Cybertrons. With the engines drained, the crew disembarked, and Anode used her metallurgical skills to analyse the planet, finding it "tasted" new. Almost immediately, several Black Block Consortia ships showed up, and the troops held everyone at gunpoint, ready to shoot them dead before some quick talking on Nautica's part got them transported to a cell instead. Their host insisted on Rodimus taking a small delegation, but Rodimus counter-insisted on taking everyone, Lug included. Lug pointed out Mederi had followed them through the rift, and remarked after Rodimus comment that the rift was resealing itself that perhaps it may not have been a rift, and instead a way of bringing Mederi to where they were now. From their cell, the team witnessed the end result of the Grand Architect's plan, which was to use five copies of Cybertron as a "God Gun" to drill through into another universe in order to fight an other-dimensional intruder. As everyone watched, a fleet of ships poured through from the Functionist universe, led by Megatron. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 3): Farsickness|Farsickness}}

As it quickly transpired, Megatron was not the enemy the Grand Architect had been preparing for. Rather, it was Functionist Cybertron, engineered into a representation of Primus himself, an alt-mode that Riptide pondered when Cybertron had ever had, which Lug uncertainly suggested was "since now?" Megatron explained over the [[Time phone|phone]] to Rodimus that this Primus-like form had been an end goal of the Functionists, a homeworld, avatar, and galactic deathbringer for their genocide against non-Cybertronian life. As the alternate Cybertron destroyed the God Gun, Rodimus and Megatron bickered, until the Grand Architect revealed himself. Megatron had his ship shoot out the Worldsweeper's windows, sucking several of Team Rodimus, Lug among them, out into space, where Megatron had them pulled in. As Megatron exposited on what he'd been up to, the Magnificence chimed in with its proposal, that they destroy the Functionist Primus, prompting Anode to point out how selective it was being with its interjections. However, Megatron revealed a complication: They ''couldn't'' destroy the alternate Cybertron, since it was still populated. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 4): The Return of the King|The Return of the King}}

As everyone rejoined onboard the ''Lost Light'', the Magnificence spoke up again, revealing there was a way to defeat the Functionists; have Rung create three Matrices and unleash them inside the fake Primus' brain, cog and spark chamber. Cyclonus, not willing to sacrifice Tailgate to this plan, vetoed it, so an alternative plan was suggested, of using more Matrices to overload Vector Sigma, purging the Council entirely. Anode suggested using Cybertron's Hot Spots as the attack sites, and Lug asked if it was even possible for Rung to make that many. However, the Magnificence objected to this plan, revealing itself to be the voice of the Omega Guardians, wishing to use the false Primus's destruction to return to the corporeal universe and devour it. Then Nickel crushed the Magnificence, shutting them up, and leaving the ''Lost Light'' crew to save the universe themselves. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}}

[[File:ASparkAmongEmbers-smoochy.jpg|left|upright=2.4|thumb|All set for a tête-à-tête with a rad brunette.]]
Part one of that involved finding a way to get the fake Primus to turn back into a planet so they could access the Hot Spots, a problem fortunately solved by the timely arrival of Luna-1 hitting it in the back of the head. With one of the twelve Matrices provided by Rung in his last act, Anode and Lug (and Wipe-Out) went to Sansaw Sanserre, where the Functionist Council's goons were waiting for them. Facing them down, the two exchanged a [[kiss]] and a mutual declaration of love. However, a new problem presented itself, as the Matrices refused to open. Rodimus gave the teams a pep talk as they were besieged from all sides, which proved enough to get Lug to open her Matrix as Anode watched. With that, the Council were annihilated and the universe saved. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers|A Spark Among Embers}}

[[File:ASparkAmongEmbers-Lug,_a_Matrix_Bearer_and_her_beloved_adventurer_Anode.jpg|right|upright=1.2|thumb|Therapy is one hell of a drug.]]
In the aftermath, Anode and Lug joined the ''Lost Light'' crew on their "victory lap", before the ship was to be decommissioned. On the way, Brainstorm, Nautica and Perceptor conducted an experiment to duplicate the ship in another universe, where they would be free to explore forever. In "[[Swerve's]]", the two sat at the bar and talked with Bluestreak, before Anode suggested what to do next: Settle down on Luna 1 and raise some kids, to which Lug clinked her glass with Anode's. As everyone departed, Lug called out to everyone to keep in touch, before she and Anode made their own way.

Despite Lug's promise, however, neither she or Anode attended Ratchet's funeral in the far future, after he died of age-related burnout.

Meanwhile, in another corner of the multiverse, the experiment produced a duplicate ''Lost Light'', with its own version of Anode and Lug, ready to set off into the unknown. {{storylink|How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2}}

===2019 IDW continuity===
Lug worked with [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] when they instructed the newly forged [[Gauge]] about their efforts in architectural design. {{storylink|Arcee/Greenlight: Run}}
{{--}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Roleplaying Game''===
Lug, an Autobot xenogeologist, mirthfully accompanied her spouse Anode, acting as her toolkit and pack. She was an expert in the risks of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronian regions]] and had a die-hard dedication to the safety of Anode and to science. {{storylink|Transformers Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook|Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook}}

==Notes==
*Lug's [[transformation]] scheme is patterned on ''[[Rewind_(G1)#Titans_Return|Titans Return Rewind]].
*"Lug" is a type of {{w|electrical connector}}, linking the character's name with Anode's.
**Its also a verb meaning to carry, like one would with a backpack. Her alternate mode! Double meaning!
*Lug and Anode in ''Lost Light'', as trans lesbians, were developed with the consultation of [[Rachel Stevens]].<ref>{{citesocial|link=https://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/2018/03/a-sit-down-with-transformers-lost-lights-rachel-stevens/|site=Women Write Write About Comics|title=Trans Voices: A Sit Down with Transformers Lost Light’s Rachel Stevens|name=Rachel Stevens|quote=It helped that it was, in Lost Light’s case, about two trans lesbians, because I’m one myself, and I could consult directly based on my own experiences. Several of my suggestions as a consultant weren’t used, but that’s perfectly okay–either I’ll use them sometime down the road, or someone else will.|year=2018|month=03|day=13}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Archaeologists]]
[[Category:Comic-only Transformers]]
[[Category:Female Transformers]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Geologists]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) Transformers]]
[[Category:IDW (2019) Transformers]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Transformers Roleplaying Game Autobots]]
[[Category:Transgender characters]]

Target: 2006

2026-05-08T23:23:04Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Continuity notes */

{{featured}}
{{disambig3|Target: 2006}}
{{comicstory
|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #78–88
|prev=In the National Interest
|title="Target: 2006"
|next=Cybertron: The Middle Years!
|image=MarvelUK-079.jpg
|caption=The new toys are here too!
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=Prologue: [[September 6|6th September]] Part 1: [[September 13|13th September]] Part 2: [[September 20|20th September]] Part 3: [[September 27|27th September]] Part 4: [[October 4|4th October]] Part 5: [[October 11|11th October]] Part 6: [[October 18|18th October]] Part 7: [[October 25|25th October]] Part 8: [[November 1|1st November]] Part 9: [[November 8|8th November]] Epilogue: [[November 15|15th November]], [[1986]]
|coverdate=Prologue: [[September 13|13th September]] Part 1: [[September 20|20th September]] Part 2: [[September 27|27th September]] Part 3: [[October 4|4th October]] Part 4: [[October 11|11th October]] Part 5: [[October 18|18th October]] Part 6: [[October 25|25th October]] Part 7: [[November 1|1st November]] Part 8: [[November 8|8th November]] Part 9: [[November 15|15th November]] Epilogue: [[November 22|22nd November]], [[1986]]
|script=[[Simon Furman]]
|art=[[Jeff Anderson]] (#78-79, #81, #87), [[Ron Smith]] (#82), [[Geoff Senior]] (#83-84, #86)
|pencils=[[Will Simpson]] (#80, #85, #88)
|inks=[[Tim Perkins]] (#80, #85, #88)
|colours=[[Tony Jozwiak]] (#78-81, #85, #87), [[John Burns]] (#82), [[Gina Hart]] (#84, #86, #88)
|letters=[[Richard Starkings]] (#78, #82-85, #88), [[Annie Halfacree]] (#79-81, #86-87)
|editor=[[Ian Rimmer]]
|chronology=[[Marvel Comics timeline#1986|1986]]/[[Marvel Comics timeline#Original future|Original future (2006)]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]] (Marvel UK)
}}
'''The mysterious disappearance of Optimus Prime heralds the appearance of three super-powerful Decepticons from the future, led by Galvatron. With new arrival from Cybertron Ultra Magnus at their side, the Autobots find themselves forced to ally with Megatron against this new foe... but what is the secret their enemy is hiding, and what does he want in 1986?

==Synopsis==
===Prologue===
[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] and [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] track down the errant [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], but the team refuse to disclose the details of their [[In the National Interest|recent adventure]] and simply depart, against Optimus's orders. The pair have no choice but to head back to the Ark, though Optimus, frustrated by the Dinobots' pig-headedness winds up indiscriminately knocking over trees in his anger, until Prowl reins him in.
[[File:Target 2006 Prologue Galvatron, Scourge & Cyclonus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|left|It took 1.21 jiggawatts to get this image.]]
Meanwhile, on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Autobot resistance leader [[Emirate]] [[Xaaron (G1)|Xaaron]] arrives at the resistance's subterranean headquarters beneath [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] for a meeting with [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]], leader of the commando team the [[Wreckers]], about their major upcoming mission, [[Operation: Volcano]]. Impactor is wary, given the operation's high danger level, but Xaaron assures him that the new Autobot soldier [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] will be operational in time to take part. "Volcano" involves luring the Decepticons into an ambush by staging a phony meeting of [[Autobot resistance chief]]s, and the trap has already been baited by Wreckers member [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]], who has deliberately "leaked" news of the meeting to a [[Autobot traitor|known traitor]]. The traitor is captured by the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] in [[Polyhex]], and gives up the information in exchange for his life—though Shrapnel kills him anyway.

Back on [[Earth]], Optimus Prime addresses the Autobots on the reason for their fight and the importance of protecting [[human]]ity when he, Prowl, and [[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]], are suddenly wracked by pain and disappear in an explosive flash. The distraught Autobots believe their leader dead, and across the galaxy, on Cybertron, that fear seems verified when the [[Matrix Flame]], tied to the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]] within Optimus Prime, sputters and goes out!

But all is not what it seems, as, concurrently with the three Autobots' disappearance, three ''new'' arrivals materialise at a cereal farm in [[Oregon]]. When the farm's owners come to investigate, the new arrivals demand to know the year, and are delighted to hear it is 1986. [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] and his lieutenants [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] have arrived from twenty years in the future... and the past will tremble before their might!

===Part 1: "Apocalypse Then...Now!"===
[[File:Target 2006 Megatron fusions Galvatron.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5|"...I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it."]]
[[File:Target 2006 Ultra Magnus splash.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|Deal with ''this''.]]
With Galvatron aboard Cyclonus in his shrunken pistol mode, the Decepticons test out the destructive capabilities of their "[[new body|new forms]]", destroying first a locomotive and then a [[Joe's Garage|gas station]]. Cyclonus and Scourge muse how easy it would be to conquer the planet, but Galvatron reminds them that the reason they have come to the past is to prepare for the future, and orders them to seek out [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]].

Suspecting Decepticon involvement in the disappearance of Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Ratchet, [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] leads a team of Autobots on a spying mission to the [[Wyoming base|Decepticon base]]. As they watch, Galvatron and his lieutenants arrive and introduce themselves to Megatron and the other Decepticons. [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] scans their minds to confirm that they are, indeed, Decepticons, but [[Unicron|something]] blocks him from scanning deeper. A wary Megatron asks if they work for [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]], but Galvatron scoffs at the notion, revealing that he is the [[Decepticon leader]] of [[2006]]. Though he recognizes that Megatron is skeptical of his fantastic claim, Galvatron requests that the present-day Decepticon leader trust him, and temporarily surrender command of the Constructicons to him. Unsurprisingly, Megatron responds by blasting Galvatron point blank with his [[fusion cannon]]. Cyclonus and Scourge are about to retaliate in kind, until a panicked Galvatron reminds them that Megatron cannot be allowed to die. Instead, they bull-rush Megatron and Soundwave, positioning them for Galvatron, who transforms into his [[particle cannon|cannon]] mode and blasts the quarry wall, collapsing it and burying the pair under an avalanche of rock. [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] proceeds to perch on Galvatron's shoulder, causing the future Decepticon to cryptically remark about the bird's ability to see beyond his outward appearance. The Constructicons quickly fall into line, and at Galvatron's command, they all depart the base. Jazz and [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] secretly trail them, while [[Ironhide (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ironhide]] keeps watch at the Decepticon base, and [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] reports back to the Ark.

On Cybertron, Xaaron has decided that investigating the dying out of the Matrix Flame must take precedence over Operation: Volcano. Though Impactor is furious at the news, the decision has been made: Ultra Magnus must travel to Earth!
{{--}}

===Part 2: "Construction Time Again!"===
[[File:Target 2006 Galvagun.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|left|Anything [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|you]] can do, I can do better.]]
Jazz and Hound follow the Decepticons to northern [[Oregon]], and watch as Galvatron instructs the Constructicons to commence building a mysterious structure. Unsure if the massive machine is a weapon or a power transmitter, they are at least sure that it is ''dangerous'', as it incorporates so many solar panels that it will be capable of generating enough power to "level a small planet". The pair are about to pull out and return to the Ark with this news, but are suddenly ambushed by Cyclonus, who disables Jazz with one shot. Hound, on the other hand, he takes his time with, gleefully recalling as he pummels the Autobot how, in his [[Life Spark|former life]], he too was once left broken and near death, as Hound now is. But where someone or something named "[[Unicron]]" was responsible for healing Cyclonus's wounds and recreating him into the being he is now... for Hound, there shall be no such reprieve!

Nearby, Ultra Magnus arrives on Earth via [[Spanner (G1)|Spanner]]'s unstable prototype [[space bridge]]. Fighting his way through the pain and disorientation caused by the transit, he recalls Impactor's fury at the disruption of the Operation: Volcano timetable, and remembers that he has only five Earth days to get to the bottom of the Matrix Flame mystery and set things right on Earth. Following the sound of battle, he arrives just as Cyclonus is about to finish Hound off, and shoots the Decepticon's gun out of his hand before he can pull the trigger. [[File:Target 2006 Jazz torture.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]] Cyclonus initially mistakes the Autobot for the Magnus of his future era, thinking that he has followed them back through time, and though he is relieved to realise his error, he still believes Magnus's arrival must be reported to Galvatron. Cyclonus hurls the wounded Hound at Magnus, buying himself enough time to transform and fly off. With Hound too injured to return to the Ark under his own power, Ultra Magnus transforms to his car carrier mode and transports the stricken Autobot back to base.

Upon hearing the unexpected news of Magnus's arrival on Earth, Galvatron quickly concocts a new scheme. Knowing that with time and Magnus on their side, the Autobots may genuinely be able to threaten his plans, he resolves to trick them into acting in haste...

Back at the Ark, [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] gets to work repairing Hound, who briefs the Autobots on the threat of Galvatron. [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] wants to investigate immediately, but Ultra Magnus insists that solving the mystery of Optimus Prime's disappearance is of paramount importance. Jetfire doesn't quite buy Magnus's story, but before they can have a full argument about it, they are interrupted by Smokescreen, who calls them into the monitor room. On the screen is a communication from Galvatron, revealing that Jazz is his prisoner, and goading the Autobots to come and get him!
{{--}}

===Part 3: "Defeat!"===
[[File:Target2006 Galvatron laughs.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.75|Galvatron indulges in his passion for S&M.]]
Jetfire and Smokescreen fall for Galvatron's bait and are ready to rush into action to save Jazz, but Hound disagrees with their tactics; he's seen the future Decepticons in action, and knows they need Ultra Magnus's help if they want to stand a chance of beating them. The less-than-trusting Jetfire reluctantly acquiesces, and instructs Hound and Ironhide to invite Magnus along on the rescue mission... but much to the Autobots' frustration, Magnus refuses to accompany them, remaining insistent that his priority on Earth is to learn the truth about what has happened to Optimus Prime.

The Autobots launch their attack on Galvatron's construction site, but are almost immediately ambushed by Scourge and Cyclonus, leaving [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] the first casualty of the battle. While Jetfire takes to the skies to engage Cyclonus in a dogfight, Scourge comes in for a landing, knocking out [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] and [[Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Wheeljack]] as he does so. The rest of the Autobots all gang up on Scourge, their combined might apparently enough to overcome his great strength. Jetfire, likewise, seems to get the better of Cyclonus, and rejoins the rest of the Autobots, pulling Ironhide, Smokescreen, and [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] away from the fight with Scourge to join him in going after Galvatron. [[File:Ironhidetarget2006.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Ironhide saves the life of Megatron. Such heroic nonsense will always be Ironhide's flawed creed.]] The quartet proceeds to corner Galvatron at the base of his massive machine, but the Decepticon leader is completely unfazed. Cooly, he indicates the Constructicons, standing nearby, yet taking no action. A moment later, Scourge and Cyclonus reappear, completely unharmed, having faked their own defeats and subdued the other Autobots in the interim. Galvatron stands, completely unprotected... and demands that the Autobots open fire on him. They do so, unleashing everything they've got... but "everything" isn't enough to even put a dent in the super-powered Decepticon's armor. Galvatron laughs in the face of the feeble attack, then physically, savagely beats every single one of the Autobots into submission with his bare hands, but stops short of ending their lives, deeming them not even worth killing.

Beaten and broken, the Autobots limp back to the Ark, realizing that they truly are helpless before Galvatron's power—just as the Decepticon desired. Without someone to lead them, Ironhide realizes they have no chance at all, and so he undertakes the unthinkable: he returns to the Decepticons' base and digs the unconscious Megatron and Soundwave out from under the rocks burying them!

And, back at the Ark, a distracted Grapple fails to notice a blinking light on one of the ship's stasis chambers... as ''somebody'' inside punches their way out of it!
{{--}}

===Part 4: "Wreck and Rule!"===
[[File:Target2006pt4 wreckers.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5]]
On Cybertron, the Wreckers run through a simulation of Operation: Volcano using [[facsimile construct]]s of their Decepticon opponents. Impactor uses his [[harpoon]] to take out Shrapnel, whose electrical powers he subsequently employs to dispose of [[Octane]]. While [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] draws enemy fire, [[Rack'n'Ruin (G1)|Rack'n'Ruin]] eliminate [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]. [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]] handles [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] and [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]], but is almost taken from behind by [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], before his [[Jumpstarter]] partner [[Twin Twist (G1)|Twin Twist]] ambushes them from below. Finally, Roadbuster finishes off the remaining Decepticons... then points out that, in the ''actual'' battle, without Ultra Magnus to guard their flank, they will be overrun by Decepticon reinforcements. The Wreckers all agree with the sentiment voiced by Twin Twist; Volcano has turned into a suicide mission, and it's no longer their fight. Impactor concurs with his men, and leaves to inform Xaaron the team will be pulling out of the mission.

Twin Twist, Whirl, and Roadbuster retire to the faction-neutral black market speakeasy [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] to relax with a drink, but it's a glum affair; they realise calling off Volcano is the ''logical'' course of action, but still feel bad about it. [[File:Target2006 TwinTwistbeatsFang .jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]The depressing mood is broken when a Decepticon bully named [[Fang]] bursts into the Oil House and brutally attacks [[Tusks|a piano Transformer]] for playing music he doesn't like. Roadbuster holds back an angry Twin Twist, telling him it "isn't their fight," but hearing his own words repeated only galvanized Twin Twist to action. Finished beating on the piano, Fang dares anyone in the crowd to challenge him... and Twin Twist takes up the call, smashing Fang to bits with one double-handed punch. Defending an innocent Transformer against an unprovoked Decepticon attack acts as an epiphany for the Wreckers, who agree that they must continue to fight, no matter what.

In the meantime, Impactor meets with Xaaron to relay his news. Xaaron agrees that if Magnus is unable to return on time, then withdrawing would be the right thing to do, and might lead to an Autobot victory later on... ''but'' the Emirate also muses about how it will look if Volcano is aborted and Ultra Magnus ''does'' return to Cybertron on time. Impactor grudgingly takes the hint, and returns, slightly embarrassed, to tell his men Volcano is back on. When he asks for volunteers to take part, to his surprise, the entire team takes him up on the offer, and another combat rehearsal begins.
{{--}}

===Part 5: "The Devil You Know..."===
[[File:Target2006 thedevilyouknow.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.25]]
In the Ark, [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] awakens and breaks out of his stasis chamber. After deactivating [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] and [[Thundercracker (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Thundercracker]]'s chambers so that they too will soon awaken, he follows the sound of raised voices, and is stunned by the sight he sees: Megatron and the Autobots working together, putting together a plan to take on Galvatron! As the unseen Starscream eavesdrops, Megatron and Jetfire argue over who will lead the mission; Jetfire only agreed to the alliance on the basis that Megatron's role would be advisory, but Megatron insists he be in command. Realizing that an alliance is their only hope of victory, given that they were all beaten by Galvatron individually, Ironhide steps in to call for a vote, and the Autobots all agree to follow Megatron's instructions in the short term. Intrigued at the prospect of a being powerful enough to defeat both the Autobots ''and'' Megatron, Starscream sneaks away to seek out Galvatron in hopes of allying with him.

Hound brings news of the Autobots' alliance with Megatron to Ultra Magnus, who cannot believe they are going through with it, and berates Hound for making a deal with the devil in the name of rescuing Jazz instead of helping him learn the truth about Optimus Prime's disappearance. Hound believes they have time to do both, but Magnus angrily disagrees; calming himself and apologizing for his outburst, Magnus finally explains the ticking clock that's hanging over his head, as he must complete his work on Earth and return to Cybertron to participate in Operation: Volcano. Hound understands, but still intends to accompany the others to rescue Jazz; Magnus cautions him to watch out for Megatron, who he believes is just as bad as Galvatron.

[[File:Target2006 exactly how much.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75]]
At the [[Portland Iron and Steel Foundry]], Scourge arrives to steal raw materials for Galvatron's weapon. As he tears his way into the central storehouse, sending [[human]] workers fleeing, he grumbles about the lack of decent opponents to fight—but he soon gets his wish as his advanced sensors detect [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], Brawn, and Tracks on the other side of the storehouse wall. Scourge opens fire with his [[acid ray]], shooting through the wall and disabling Trailbreaker, but is caught off-guard when the rest of the Autobots appear behind him. Having thought the Autobots broken, Scourge soon realizes that ''someone'' has organized them, and finds himself forced to take refuge among the shelves of the storehouse itself. Though a well-placed blast costs Scourge his gun, he is able to collapse a shelf of sheet metal onto Smokescreen and Ironhide, and hurl one of the sheets at Grapple, impaling him. Unable to contact Galvatron for assistance due to his communications being jammed, Scourge opts for the better part of valour and smashes his way outside, but before he can transform and flee, Megatron blasts him into submission and takes him prisoner.

At Galvatron's base of operations, Jazz fights through the pain of his torture to hurl insults at Galvatron, dubbing him "just like Megatron." Galvatron is amused by Jazz's claim, but makes one small correction: Galvatron is not "like Megatron"... Galvatron IS Megatron!
{{--}}

===Part 6: "Trios!"===
[[File:Triplechangerstarget2006.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5|Oh, ''bugger''.]]
On Cybertron, Impactor is ambushed by the [[Triple Changer]] team of [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]], and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] and tagged with an [[inhibitor claw]] that renders him unable to transform. His close-combat skills prove insufficient to defeat the trio, but, determined to survive so that he can take part in Operation: Volcano, Impactor fights on. He manages to make a break for it, but Springer's prodigious leaping power allows him to outpace the Wreckers leader, and strike him down as he tries to run. Impactor waits for his opponents to deliver the final blow... but it doesn't come, as the Triple Changers simply depart, leaving Impactor with two things: a [[communicube]], and the assurance they'll see him back at the Wreckers' secret base, [[Debris]]. The cube activates, relaying a communication from Xaaron, who reveals that the three Triple Changers the confused Impactor just got done fighting are actually ''Autobots'' he has drafted in to take Ultra Magnus's place on Operation: Volcano, and the ambush was staged to convince Impactor of their fighting prowess. Knowing that he's been outmaneuvered, a frustrated—but convinced—Impactor crushes the cube.

Back on Earth, Galvatron delights in relating his origins to Jazz. In his future, [[The Transformers: The Movie|Twenty years from now]], he explains, Megatron and Optimus Prime will have their final battle on the very spot Galvatron's weapon now occupies. Left badly wounded, Megatron was ejected into space by the ever-treacherous Starscream... where his broken body was found by the enigmatic planet-sized being known as [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. The monster planet offered Megatron a simple choice: serve him or die. Megatron chose the first option, and was upgraded into his new form: Galvatron. Discovering he was a slave to Unicron's will, able to be instantly, painfully punished for any indiscretion, Galvatron determined to be free of Unicron's influence, and travelled back in time to 1986, where Unicron could not reach him. Upon Galvatron's return to 2006, the weapon he has built here in the past will fire, destroying Unicron. Galvatron is about to tell Jazz his ulterior motive in selecting the weapon's construction site, but before he can, Cyclonus arrives to interrupt; [[File:Target2006-BlurrHotRodKup.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75|It's just a jump to the left...]] he has returned from scouting the steel foundry and reports that Scourge has been taken by the Autobots. Additionally, he encountered Starscream in the vicinity, but rather than accept his offer of an alliance, Cyclonus simply beat out of him the information he now shares with Galvatron: Megatron is currently leading the Autobots! Jazz is amused by the irony of Megatron fighting Megatron and begins to laugh before an enraged Galvatron knocks him unconscious.

[[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] returns to the Decepticon's [[Wyoming base]], but is confused to find only Frenzy and Thundercracker present. Having only just arrived themselves after awakening in the almost-deserted Ark, they can't explain where the other Decepticons are—but the threesome soon find themselves with more pressing concerns to deal with, as, just like Optimus Prime, Ratchet, and Prowl before them, they are suddenly wracked with pain, and disappear in a flash of light. Their disappearance is connected to the arrival in the present day of three more time-travellers: a trio of Autobots from Galvatron's future of 2006 named [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Hot Rod]], [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]], and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]]. But as they arrive, they feel a malevolent laughter echoing in their subconscious, spanning time and space... a laughter that is also heard by Galvatron, and which fills him with fear...
{{--}}

===Part 7: "Prisoners of War!"===
[[File:Target 2006 fatally slow.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.15|This is bad comedy!]]
Galvatron performs a test-firing of his super-weapon, choosing as his target the Decepticons' [[Nemesis (G1)|old spaceship]], which has been in a cloaked orbit of Earth for four million years. As Cyclonus and Starscream—whose offer of an alliance has been accepted by Galvatron in the interim—look on, the ship is successfully obliterated, so Galvatron sets the cannon to recharge, after which he and his men can return to their own time. Cyclonus reminds Galvatron that the time has come to carry out the prisoner exchange they have arranged with the Autobots—Scourge in return for Jazz—and Galvatron grins at the prospect, remarking that Starscream has a key role to play in the procedure. Starscream is visibly ill at ease among the future Decepticons, and concerned by the destruction of their old ship, but Galvatron soothes his worries, even apologizing for the beating Cyclonus gave him earlier. At Galvatron's direction, Starscream transforms and flies off, which affords Cyclonus the opportunity to ask Galvatron why they need Starscream at all. The future Decepticon leader explains that Cyclonus is missing the delicious irony; Starscream thinks that by aiding Galvatron, he is ensuring a future for himself as Decepticon leader... when in reality, in 2006, Galvatron is the reason Starscream has ''no'' future!

Back at the Ark, with only twenty-two hours remaining before the launch of Operation: Volcano, Ultra Magnus laments his failure to locate any trace of Optimus Prime. His despair is interrupted by the arrival of Kup, Blurr, and Hot Rod, the latter greeting Magnus by genuflecting and speaking of the "power of the Matrix" within Magnus, before Kup hauls him to his feet with a whispered reminder that Magnus does not ''have'' the Matrix at this point in history. As Magnus and the future Autobots compare notes, Kup explains the key principle of time travel—a traveller must displace another being of comparable mass into [[limbo|interdimensional limbo]] to clear the way for their arrival. Realizing that it was the arrival of Galvatron, Cyclonus, and Scourge that caused the disappearance—or rather, the "displacement"—of Prime, Ratchet, and Prowl, Magnus immediately speeds off to confront the Decepticons before the three future Autobots can say a word to stop him.

While the Autobots meet with Galvatron to perform the prisoner exchange, Megatron and Soundwave exploit the future Decepticon's absence from his camp to sneak in, examine the super-weapon, and round up the Constructicons. Only Cyclonus seems to be left standing guard; Megatron engages him while Soundwave attacks from behind, knocking Cyclonus out. The two Decepticons believe themselves victorious, but are unaware they have been duped into a trap—[[File:Target2006 zombie jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75]]they are caught off-guard when Starscream suddenly reappears to ambush them, blasting them both and knocking them offline.

At the prisoner exchange, Jetfire blusters about how the Autobots could have defeated Galvatron as easily as they beat Scourge, but Galvatron shuts him down by revealing he had anticipated their trickery, and telling them about the trap left for Megatron. Furthermore, Galvatron proves that the Autobots aren't the only ones capable of pulling a double-cross when he produces a device that, with the press of a button, reactivates Jazz's unconscious body. But Jazz's mind is not his own—he is under Galvatron's remote control! With the Autobots unwilling to fight back for fear of harming their comrade, the zombified Jazz mercilessly takes them all out one after the other, as Galvatron watches and gloats.

Shortly, Galvatron returns to his camp just in time to stop Starscream from acting against his orders and killing Megatron, knocking the treacherous Decepticon out. With all his enemies defeated, it looks like there's nobody left to stand against Galvatron... that is, until Ultra Magnus arrives on the scene!
{{--}}

===Part 8: "You Haveta Ask?!"===
[[File:Target2006 enjoying the ride.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.25]]
Magnus offers Galvatron the choice to return to his own time by choice, or by force. Galvatron responds by opening fire on the Autobot, but Magnus dodges his blast, which singes the super-weapon instead. To avoid any further damage to the weapon, Galvatron attacks Magnus with his bare hands—a furious assault that quickly has Magnus on the ropes despite his own great strength. As they fight, Kup—watching the battle from afar with Hot Rod and Blurr—contacts Magnus over his internal communications sensors, informing him that the future Autobots have a plan that will send Galvatron back to 2006, but that Magnus must draw the Decepticon away for an hour or two while they set up their scheme. [[File:Galvatrong1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|The scariest knee in the Solar System.]] Magnus dazzles Galvatron with his headlights, giving him an opening to transform to vehicle mode and drive off, but—just as planned—Galvatron gives chase, grabbing ahold of Magnus and climbing onto the roof of his trailer.

With Galvatron still clinging on, Magnus barrels down a human highway. Smashing through a barricade, he veers onto an off-ramp leading to an incomplete overpass, then slams on his brakes hard just before he reaches the edge. Galvatron's momentum carries him forward, hurling the future Decepticon over the edge of the overpass and into the ground below—but it's not enough to take him out of the fight for long, as he quickly recovers and blasts the overpass out from under Magnus's feet, bringing the Autobot down to his level. Evading fire from Galvatron's laser cannon mode, Ultra Magnus is nearing defeat, and is forced to enact a last, desperate gambit, grabbing a nearby fuel tanker and hurling it at Galvatron just as he opens fire once more. The tanker is hit by Galvatron's shots and explodes in a massive fireball, setting the whole surrounding area ablaze. For a moment, there is no sign of the two Transformers... and then, the silhouette of a victorious figure appears amid the flames, dragging his defeated opponent along with him. Unfortunately, the victor... is Galvatron!
{{--}}

===Part 9: "Back to the Future!"===
[[File:Target2006 weapon explodes.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.25|Great Scott! This is heavy!]]
Hot Rod, Kup, and Blurr successfully lay the groundwork for their plan, recovering the inoperative [[Skywarp (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Skywarp]] from the Ark and [[repaint|painting]] him to look like Starscream, setting up explosives on Galvatron's super weapon, knocking out Scourge and Cyclonus, then withdrawing with the body of the real Starscream to watch from their vantage point nearby. Presently, Galvatron returns with the defeated Ultra Magnus, and when he finds his lieutenants unconscious, immediately pins the blame on the conspicuously absent Starscream, just as the future Autobots intended. Next, they intend to detonate the explosives on the super-weapon, but before they can, the persistent Ultra Magnus drags himself toward Galvatron, unwittingly entering the blast radius and forcing the Autobots to stay their hands.

Not far away, Jetfire and the other Autobots are recovering from their attack at the hands of the remote-controlled Jazz, whose lobotomized body now stands motionless nearby. Smokescreen is determined to take the fight to Galvatron one more time, but Jetfire considers it hopeless given how many times they have failed against him. Smokescreen rebukes Jetfire, warning that Galvatron must be stopped ''now'' before he can use his time travel to strike again, at any moment, in the future or the past.

[[File:Target 2006 fake Starscream dies.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|He done blowed up real good.]]
Refusing to give up, the battered Ultra Magnus tackles Galvatron, but is beaten back down and tossed aside by the Decepticon, which inadvertently moves him out of the explosive's blast radius. But once again, ''just'' before the trio can detonate the bombs, Smokescreen, Jetfire and their group show up and get between Galvatron and the fallen Magnus. Unable to wait any longer, Kup triggers the explosives anyway, hoping that the Autobots will have the sense to get clear. The bombs detonate the weapon's power core, tearing it apart and burying Galvatron under the flying shrapnel.

Minutes later, Galvatron bursts out of the wreckage, demanding to know who is responsible. Through a combination of remote-control and a concealed speaker, the future Autobots send the repainted Skywarp in to pose as Starscream and take credit for the act. Galvatron, overcome with rage, opens fire and destroys him. Once the red mist clears, Galvatron realises the enormity of what he has done. In the future of 2006, it is only thanks to Starscream jettisoning Megatron into space that Galvatron is even created... but if—as he has incorrectly been duped into believing—he has killed Starscream here, now, in 1986, then that future can never come to pass, meaning that he ''cannot'' be in ''his'' past, but in a parallel timeline, where no action he takes here will have any bearing on his future. Taking the revelation in his stride, Galvatron silently uses a [[Time-jump trigger device|hand-held device]] to transport himself, Scourge, and Cyclonus back to 2006, just as Hot Rod, Kup, and Blurr planned... leaving the victorious future Autobots wondering what to do with the real Starscream!
{{--}}

===Epilogue: "Aftermath!"===
[[File:Ten deadliest killers target 2006.jpg|left|thumb|upright=2]]
Peering back in time from 2006, Unicron reviews the fallout of Galvatron's failed plan. It turns out that Hot Rod, Kup, and Blurr were his agents, snatched from future Earth, placed under subliminal mind-control, and sent back in time to foil Galvatron's scheme. Now that the three Autobots have returned the offline Starscream to cold storage, they too have returned to the future, all memory of their time in the past erased by Unicron. As a parting act, before returning his attention to events in his own time, Unicron implants the suggestion in Smokescreen's mind to one day build [[Autobot City (G1)|the first "Autobot City" on Earth]] on the site of Galvatron's weapon complex. But though both Unicron and the Autobots have emerged triumphant in their own ways, Ultra Magnus suddenly realizes where he has failed: his five days are up, and Operation: Volcano is about to begin... without him! Unable to wait for Optimus Prime's reappearance from limbo, he hurriedly departs for Cybertron.

On Cybertron, the trap that is Operation: Volcano has been baited: at the [[Imperial Amphitheatre]], Emirate Xaaron gives a speech to twenty-two "[[Autobot resistance chief]]s," who, in reality, are expendable facsimile constructs designed to lure the Decepticons in—not that the Insecticon spy [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] knows that, as he surreptitiously observes the speech, then flits off to alert the Decepticons. The Wreckers, hiding nearby, detect his departure and ready themselves to face [[Ten Deadliest Killers|ten of the deadliest killers the Decepticon forces have]], with or without Magnus.

[[File:Target2006 vacham.jpg|thumb|upright=2]]
Against all expectations, however... the attack never comes. Back on Earth, Laserbeak cuts Megatron and Soundwave free of the wreckage of Galvatron's super-weapon, and Megatron, thirsting for revenge, immediately contacts Cybertron to demand that all operations be ceased and focus instead be placed on reactivating the [[space bridge]] so that the Insecticons can be sent to Earth. The news is relayed to [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]], leader of the impending attack, by [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]; Dirge is furious, but can hardly disobey Megatron's orders. Not so the ambitious thug [[Macabre]], who was already planning to go against Dirge's orders to take Xaaron alive, instead intending to make his name by killing the Autobot leader. While the other Decepticons head home, Macabre pushes ahead with the mission alone, and arrives at the amphitheatre just as a confused Impactor is informing Xaaron that the Decepticons have turned back. Macabre draws a bead on Xaaron and opens fire... but at the last second, Impactor spots him and pushes Xaaron out of the way, taking the shot in his place. The other Wreckers gun Macabre down, but it's too late for the fatally-wounded Impactor; with his final words, he tells Xaaron that he is content with his fate if it means Xaaron will live, appoints Springer leader of the Wreckers in his place, and dies in Xaaron's arms.

On Earth, Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Ratchet have returned from limbo. Prime delivers a speech to his battle-weary troops lamenting the losses they have suffered, but assuring them that, by working together and continuing to fight for good, the Autobots will always prevail.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks; characters with a * also appear as facsimile constructs.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] (2)
*''[[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]]'' (3)
*''[[Swoop (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Swoop]]'' (4)
*''[[Slag (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Slag]]'' (5)
*''[[Snarl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Snarl]]'' (6)
*''[[Sludge (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Sludge]]'' (7)
*[[Xaaron (G1)|Xaaron]] (12)
*[[Skater]] (13)
*[[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] (14)
*[[Autobot traitor]] (16)
*[[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] (17)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]] (18)
*[[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] (19)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] (20)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Wheeljack]] (21)
*[[Ironhide (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ironhide]] (22)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (23)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (28, see "Errors")
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (29)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Matrix Flame priest]] (30)
*[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (34)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (43)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (44)
*[[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] (46)
*[[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] (47)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (48)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (49)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (50)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (51)
*[[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]] (56)
*[[Rack'n'Ruin (G1)|Rack'n'Ruin]] (57)
*[[Twin Twist (G1)|Twin Twist]] (61)
*[[Springer (G1)|Springer]] (66)
*[[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] (67)
*[[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] (68)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Hot Rod]] (71)
*[[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]] (72)
*[[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] (73)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (78, see "Errors")
{{!}}}
|c2=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]]* (15)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] (24)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] (27)
*[[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (31)
*[[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] (32)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (33)
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (35)
*[[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] (36)
*[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] (37)
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (38)
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (39)
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (40)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (41)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] (42)
*''"[[Life Spark]]"'' (45)
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]* (52)
*[[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]]* (53)
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]* (54)
*[[Octane]]* (55)
*[[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]* (58)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]* (59)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]* (60)
*[[Fang]] (63)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (64)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Thundercracker]] (65)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] (70)
*[[Skywarp (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Skywarp]] (74)
*[[Macabre]] (76)
*[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (77)
{{!}}}
|c3=
*''[[Rick (Marvel)|Rick]]'' (8)
*''[[Tony (G1)|Tony]]'' (9)
*''[[Joy Meadows]]'' (10)
*''[[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]] (25)
*''[[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (26)

|c4=
*''[[Centurion (Marvel)|Centurion]]'' (11)
*[[Tusks|Piano Transformer]] (62)
*[[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] (69)
*[[Autobot resistance chief]] [[facsimile construct|F.C.s]] (75)
}}

==Quotes==

"Ah, Laserbeak! Appearances may be deceiving to some, but not to you, eh?"
:—'''Galvatron''' drops a hint about himself as '''Laserbeak''' perches onto his shoulder

"Autobots—I'm ''gravely'' disappointed. You come and visit me ''unannounced'' and then—to add insult to injury... ''You leave [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|something]] behind you!'' Feel free to pop round and pick him up anytime!"
:—'''Galvatron'''

"''Defeat''. A nasty, ugly word that leaves a nasty, ugly taste in the mouth."
:—'''Ironhide'''

"We hit with everything we'd got. Thermal charges, high density lasers, staser bolts, fracture rockets...'''everything.''' 
"And he just stood there...AND LAUGHED!"
:—'''Ironhide''' recounts a failed attack on '''Galvatron'''

"With the chance of Magnus returning to Cybertron in time being so slim, you have made the right decision. No-one can blame you for dropping out. Unless..." 
"Unless ''what''?" 
"Nothing, nothing. Just an idle thought really, not worth mentioning." 
"Xaaron—unless '''what?'''" 
"Well, it occurs to me that if Magnus ''doesn't'' return in time, history will judge you as having made the right decision... perhaps even one that would later give the Autobots their victory. You'd be a hero! However... if Magnus ''was'' to get back to Cybertron in time and ''you'' weren't ready..." 
"Enough, ''enough!'' I get the picture... (You wily old ''buzzard''!)"
:—'''Xaaron''' plays '''Impactor''' like a harp

[[File:Galvatron V Magnus UK87.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75]]
[[File:Target2006 impactor dies.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75]]

"I only agreed to this ''insanity'' on the condition that yours was purely an advisory role. ''I'm'' in command here!" 
"Oh, ''really?'' In that case, perhaps you would like to lead the next strike against Galvatron. It certainly couldn't turn out to be any more ''catastrophic'' than last time."
:—'''Jetfire''' and '''Megatron'''

"Until, at last, a ''victor'' emerges from the conflagration... '''AND IT IS GALVATRON!'''"
:—The narration drops a bomb

"Does your pathetic [[Autobot Code]] demand ''sacrifices''? Must I destroy you to stop you?" 
"Yes."
:—'''Galvatron''' pummels '''Ultra Magnus'''

"Tell your leader that someday, Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime will fight ''side-by-side''!"
:—'''Ultra Magnus''' ain't wrong!

"''You - ack! - always were... a wily... old... buzzard..."
:—'''Impactor''''s last words
{{-}}

==Notes==
===Production notes===
[[File:MagnusVGalv2006.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
[[File:Target 2006 Unicron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|A sinister plot device looms.]]
*"Target: 2006" was conceived to promote toys from the new 1986 product line—in particular, the so-called "New Leaders" Galvatron and Ultra Magnus (right)—by tying in with the ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. The idea was seized on by [[Ian Rimmer]] as a way of using the movie to promote the comic to even more people, following the successful cross-media synergy the comic had employed in its promotion of the [[Special Teams]] a few months earlier.<ref>''Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection Vol.6'' "Behind the Scenes"</ref> In defiance of the clear separation that had existed between the comic and [[The Transformers (cartoon)|animated series]] up to that point, "Target: 2006" presented the events of the movie as taking place in the future of the comic's timeline, and featured the film's cast of characters travelling back in time from a point ''during'' the film's events to interact with the present-day comic cast.
*This was all made possible by the fact that US writer [[Bob Budiansky]] was ''not'' going to be featuring the movie's cast or its future setting in the monthly American series, so the UK team had free reign to use them as they saw fit. Before this point, the UK-original stories had simply latched onto characters where they could, weaving between the gaps in the US material, but with the opening up of this whole new world, an entire UK-original ongoing storyline took shape, spanning over one hundred subsequent issues, as the future setting and characters became one of the most distinctive elements of the series. "Target: 2006" wound up being just the first of what fans would later refer to as the Marvel UK "epics": the extra-length "tentpole" serials that formed the backbone of this ongoing narrative, with stories set in both the future time period (including a handful of stories set ''before'' "Target: 2006" that fill in the backstory of the "future" timeline) ''and'' the present day, ''and'' with time travel between the two.
*Context is important to fully understand the way "Target: 2006" tells its story. Though ''The Transformers: The Movie'' had been released in the United States a month before "Target: 2006" began, the film wouldn't arrive in UK cinemas until a month after the serial concluded. As such, the whole story is really a "mystery box" to hype kids up for the upcoming film, obliquely teasing and drip-feeding information about its events (Galvatron's origins, who and what Unicron is, Ultra Magnus gaining the Matrix, Starscream dying at Galvatron's hands) which won't have the same effect on anyone reading the story today, years later, with full knowledge of the film's events. That being said, the story was written using not the finished film for reference, but an earlier revision of its script, which leads to certain incongruities; most notably, the finished film is set in the year 200''5'', not 2006.<ref>In [[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]], Furman says they didn't know about the change until he'd seen the film.</ref> The series would stick with this date even after the film had been released, advancing the future setting in parallel with the real-life calendar (stories published in 1987 took place in 2007, stories from 1988 took place in 2008, etc.).

===Continuity notes===
[[File:Target2006 AAAAAA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
[[File:Target2006 prototype spacebridge.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
[[File:Target2006 heroic nonsense.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
*Following the events of the [[In the National Interest|previous story]], the Dinobots are revealed to have formally ceded from the Autobot ranks, disobeying Optimus Prime's orders and marching off on their own. This brings their status into line with the US stories; there, they had previously ceded in [[Command Performances!|US issue #19]], but that was edited out for the UK reprint.
*Emirate Xaaron makes his first appearance in the regular weekly comic, following his introduction in the [[Transformers Annual 1985|1985 Annual]] story, "[[And There Shall Come...a Leader!]]" The establishing shot of Iacon seen in the prologue is directly based on the city as it appeared in that story, and the narration notes that Autobase is located beneath the [[Celestial Spires|Celestial Temple]] also featured in it, from which Xaaron and the other councilors ruled.
*Though the landscape doesn't match, the flashback shown during Optimus Prime's speech in the prologue seems to depict the events of [[Power Play!|US issue #2]], as Starscream captures Sparkplug Witwicky while Prime and Megatron fight in the background.
*The story doesn't specify at what precise point during ''The Transformers: The Movie'' Galvatron, Cyclonus, and Scourge embark on their trip back through time. As it falls after Galvatron has been tortured by Unicron at least once, but at a point when Kup, Hot Rod, and Blurr are still on Earth (from where Unicron spirits them away), that allows us to position it after the destruction of [[Moonbase Two]], but before Galvatron's attack on Autobot City: right after Galvatron orders "Decepticons, to Earth!"
*With both Optimus Prime's and second-in-command Prowl's disappearance (right), Autobot leadership falls to Jazz. Though the comic has never really indicated that Jazz possesses such clout in-story, this is in-keeping with the [[Who's Who|Autobot Who's Who]] published in [[Rock and Roll-Out!|issue #53]], which identified him as a member of high command. Likewise, when Jazz is captured by Galvatron, Jetfire inherits command from him, also in accordance with that same Who's Who, despite Jetfire being a very recent addition to the Autobot ranks.
*Smokescreen recalls [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]'s first time in action, in which he took out half-a-dozen Decepticons, as seen in [[Command Performances!|US issue #19]]. The Autobots subsequently took these Decepticons' offline bodies into custody, and it is from this captivity that Starscream, Thundercracker, and Frenzy escape during this story. However, regarding Omega, see "Continuity and plotting errors," below.
*Both Megatron and Xaaron reference [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]], the Decepticon leader on Cybertron featured in [[The Smelting Pool!|US issues #17]]-[[The Bridge to Nowhere!|18]]. Straxus appeared to die in the latter of these; Xaaron says in the epilogue he is "gone," but in Part 1, Megatron speaks of him as if he were still alive, as future UK storylines will indeed reveal him to be.
*As the Autobots do not yet possess the ability to free travel between Earth and Cybertron in US issues, Ultra Magnus is specifically noted to make his trip to Earth via a dangerous, unstable prototype of the [[space bridge]] (right) designed by the scientist [[Spanner (G1)|Spanner]], who featured in US issues #17-18. Evidently Xaaron's Autobots recovered the prototype from Spanner's lab at some point after he was taken prisoner by the Decepticons and developed the finished space bridge for them.
*When the Autobots launch their attack on Galvatron's forces in Part 3, Mirage is the first to be taken out, and does not appear again throughout the story. Though he is not explicitly included in the list of Autobot casualties at the end of the serial, this would mark his final appearance in the comic until the many inactive characters were reactivated [[Totaled!|several years later]], indicating his injuries put him on the offline list, reflecting his (unexplained) inactive status in concurrent US stories.
*The Decepticons' "deadliest killers" are made up of the Decepticons who appeared in Straxus's service in US issues #17-18 (the "[[conehead]]" jets and the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] from the 1985 toy range). "Target: 2006" adds the Triple Changers (who will not appear in US stories for almost another year) to their ranks, and comic-original character [[Macabre]], who only appears in the epilogue.
*The Decepticons' spacecraft was previously and only seen in [[The Transformers (issue)|issue #1]], but see "Errors."
*As the story comes to a close, Jazz and Trailbreaker are placed on the injured list to match their status in the US storylines; however, see [[The Gift|issue #93]].
*Similarly, Starscream is returned to cold storage to match his US status, but Frenzy and Thundercracker are not. This ultimately doesn't matter very much, as the pair will never do anything of significance in either the US or UK comic again.
*The fate of Optimus Prime and the other Transformers who disappear is later revealed in [[Distant Thunder!|issue #100]].

===Transformers references===
*Part 3 sees Ironhide, last of the Autobots to fall, lying at Galvatron's feet as the Decepticon leader aims his cannon at his head (right). Is it a deliberate reference to Ironhide's fate at Megatron's hands in the upcoming movie?

===Real-life references===
*Part 1, "Apocalypse Then... Now!", takes its title from the 1979 movie, ''{{w|Apocalypse Now}}''.
*Part 2, "Construction Time Again!", takes its title from the {{w|Construction Time Again|1983 album}} by {{w|Depeche Mode}}.
*Part 9, "Back to the Future," is of course named after the [[Back to the Future|1985 movie of the same name]].

===Continuity and plotting errors===
[[File:Life spark.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
[[File:Macabre marvel uk 88.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
*"Target: 2006" is pretty careful about precisely which present-day characters appear, with so many different cast members having recently gone offline between both the US and UK storylines. However, with such a huge cast, a few errors were bound to creep through: [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] appears in both the prologue and Part 3, and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] shows up in a single panel of the epilogue, when both those characters were offlined in [[Dinobot Hunt!|issue #50]].
*Despite Smokescreen suggesting they do so, no reason is ever given for why the Autobots do not unleash Omega Supreme on the Decepticons, and Omega does not appear on-panel during the story. Over thirty years later, writer [[James Roberts]] intended to provide a retroactive explanation for this goof in his [[IDW Publishing]] series ''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'', which would have revealed that Omega could not be called up to action because he had been knocked offline due to having his [[energon]] drained by a dimension-hopping [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]], who had jumped into the Marvel universe from the [[2005 IDW continuity]] as part of a complex ongoing sub-plot. This story never saw the light of day due to the comic ending earlier than planned.
*Ultra Magnus's clock shows how much time is passing over the five days. About twenty-three hours elapse between Magnus's arrival in Part 3 and the start of Part 5, which is fine, but then, by Part 7, a further ''seventy five hours'' have elapsed. Though there's a more significant lapse of time between Parts 6 and 7 than there is between other chapters (with the Autobots and Decepticons arranging a prisoner exchange and Starscream being brought aboard by Galvatron all off-panel between installments), it does not feel like ''three whole days'' have gone by. Further, from there, the remainder of the story has to take place over a full day, but the sky never changes colour and nobody comments on the day changing.
*In Part 2, while recounting his origin (right), Cyclonus claims that he was recreated from a Decepticon named "[[Life Spark]]." No such Decepticon has ever been heard of before; in fact, this line is a result of writer Simon Furman misinterpreting a revised version of Cyclonus's bio, which was in turn based on an early version of the script for the movie, in which Cyclonus was created from the "life spark"—that is, the bodliess lifeforce—of a long-dead Decepticon, not from a Decepticon actually ''named'' "Life Spark." In Furman's defense, though, the wording of said bio ''is'' very unfortunate.
*Part 3 concludes with Ironhide uncovering a still-unconscious Megatron and Soundwave and kneeling next to them. In part 5, however, a flashback to this scene instead shows Megatron busting out of the rubble ''during'' Ironhide's rescue attempt and throttling him.
*Part 6 explicitly dates the events of "Target: 2006" to October 1986 (the future Autobots key the date "11th October 1986" into the time machine, which was the publication date of the... ''previous'' issue, so that was probably a goof). However, the story immediately following this one, a reprint of [[Aerialbots over America!|US issue #21]], takes place on ''4th July'', and is not edited to change this fact.
*The epilogue explicitly states that the Wreckers will be going up against "ten" of the Decepticons' deadliest killers, which fits in theory (three coneheads, three Insecticons, three Triple Changers, and Macabre, pictured at right, makes ten)... except the art shows only nine of the characters, with [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] arriving to deliver a message, rather than to take part in the attack. If he wasn't the tenth, who was?
*Speaking of these killers; perhaps not an ''error'', but it's certainly ''odd'' to see Dirge leading the group, when one of their number, Shrapnel was presented as a high-ranking officer in US issues #17-18.
*Galvatron screams that Ultra Magnus will "kill them both this way!" as he threatens to careen off of an unfinished overpass. Even if he doesn't want Ultra Magnus to die so as to not disturb the past, ''he'' shouldn't be worried about death, given that he survived a point-blank blast from Megatron's fusion cannon as well as the combined assault of several Autobots with no apparent damage.

===Artwork and technical errors===
<big>'''Prologue'''</big>
[[File:Xaaronimpactor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Uh... what are you doing, Xaaron?]]
*The yellow details on Optimus Prime's pelvis are uncoloured throughout this issue.
*'''Page 2:''' Prowl's hands are coloured blue-black on this page, instead of white.
*'''Page 4:''' It seems as if artist Jeff Anderson intended for Impactor to have a long, narrow, arm-mounted gun on his left arm; there's a yellow greeblie attached to his shoulder in panel 3, and in panel 4, a yellow gun barrel awkwardly extends past his fist (right). This weapon would disappear in Anderon's subsequent renderings of Impactor during "Target: 2006," but other artists would reference these panels when drawing the character, misinterpreting Anderson's apparent intent and rendering it as being ''in'' Impactor's hand; in Part 2, Will Simpson draws Impactor with an ordinary gun held in his hand, while in Part 4, Ron Smith reinterprets the barrel as a kind of baton or club Impactor wields in battle. Also, Impactor's got a hand-held gun in an ankle-holster on his right leg... but he doesn't have a ''hand'' on his right ''arm'', so he's not going to be able to draw it!
*'''Page 4-5:''' Here and throughout "Target: 2006," Shrapnel appears with the early colour scheme seen in [[The Smelting Pool!|US issue #18]], which gives him a silver face with a visor, purple boots, and solid purple arms. With the exception of his boots, these features make him look ''more'' like his action figure, and match how he looks in the animated series, but they weren't used on his finalized Marvel character model, seen in later issues. At intermittent points during the story, however, he does have black biceps like those used on his final Marvel model; they appear in this chapter on page 4, panel 6.
*'''Page 6, panel 4:''' Starscream's helmet and forearms are white instead of blue, and the red stripes on his wings are missing. His left "vent ear" is coloured red, like the exhaust intakes on either side of his head, instead of the same colour as his helmet, and his cockpit canopy is grey instead of orange.
*'''Page 8, panel 3:''' Trailbreaker's legs, poking in from off-panel, are coloured yellow.
*'''Pages 9–11:''' On these pages, and these pages only, Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge are drawn based on their toys, as the completed [[character model]]s had not yet been made available to the artist. In fact, the ''finished'' models would ''never'' make it into the comic; for the rest of "Target: 2006," and all of their future appearances in both UK ''and'' US comics, the future Autobots and Decepticons are drawn based on early character designs and colour schemes that wound up being further revised for the finished film. All the characters are affected in some way by this, but the most notable one is Galvatron, who appears in the mostly-grey colour scheme also used for his toy, versus the predominantly purple colours seen in the film and animated series.

<big>'''Part 1'''</big>
[[File:Target2006pt1 bust some heads.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
[[File:Target2006pt1 constructicolours.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
*Throughout this chapter, Megatron's Decepticon symbol is off-center, a recurring error first seen in [[Prisoner of War!|US issue #3]] that results from misinterpreting some poor perspective drawing on his [[character model]].
*Also throughout this chapter, and indeed, the whole first half of "Target: 2006," Cyclonus has an entirely purple body and silver head (see right) a ''very'' early colour scheme devised for a protoype version of the toy, seen in the [[Toy Fair 1986]] catalogue. The back half of the story uses corrected colours closer to the released toy, starting from Part 5.
*Galvatron's got something similar going on; per his finalized colour model, his whole "belt buckle" should be red, but for most of "Target: 2006," it's only the square in its center that's red (which is accurate to his toy), with the rest of it being the same silver-grey as his body. In ''this'' chapter, however, the red square is consistently missing!
*Laserbeak is consistently coloured with an orange beak in this chapter; it's a quirk derived from his toy's [[package art]], but it's not part of the toy itself, nor should he have it here, as it's not part of his standard comic colour model.
*'''Page 4:''' Jazz has orange vents in his cheekguards that aren't normally there. They disappear later in the issue.
*'''Page 5, panel 1:''' As with [[Devastation Derby!|past]] [[In the National Interest|UK stories]], proper colour models still don't seem to be have been available for the Constructicons at the time of "Target: 2006," as they continue to be coloured in random, inconsistent applications of their basic purple-and-green all through the serial. Most notable in this panel are Scrapper's purple payloader bucket, and Hook's purple head and crane arm (right).
*'''Page 6:''' Galvatron's shoulder pylons are purple instead of grey on this whole page.
*'''Page 7:''' Galvatron's pylons are still coloured purple in panels showing him from behind, but the correct grey in panels showing him from the front. The consistency of this error would suggest it was present on the colour models colourist Tony Jozwiak was referencing.
*'''Page 8:''' Soundwave's arms are solid blue on this page; his forearms should be white. Additionally, his shoulder cannon disappears in panel 2, and his normally-yellow eyes are left white (right).
*'''Page 9, panel 4:''' Mixmaster's right arm is coloured purple instead of green like his left; it looks as if Jozwiak mistook it for Bonecrusher's torso, who's standing right behind Mixmaster (right). Of course, that's still ''wrong'', as Bonecrusher's torso should be green, but like we said, nobody in the UK has figured out how to colour the Constructicons correctly yet.
*'''Page 10:''' Impactor has two hands, instead of a harpoon in place of his right. Also, his hands switch from their correct yellow to an incorrect purple in panel 6.
*'''Page 11:''' Ultra Magnus's chestplate is coloured white instead of blue; this was presumably the result of an early version of the Magnus figure which featured this colour difference (photographs of which appear on his toy packaging) being used as reference. Additionally, his eyes are the same colour as the rest of his face, instead of the dark blue they will be on his finalized Marvel colour model. Barring instances noted below, these errors persist for the entirety of "Target: 2006."

<big>'''Part 2'''</big>
[[File:Target2006 jazz blasted.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
*'''Pages 1–2:''' Jazz says the Constructicons have "almost covered the whole crater" with solar panels, but we can see that less than half the crater is covered.
*'''Page 3:''' Due to artist Will Simpson using the toys' package art for reference (as he often does), Jazz now suddenly has his shoulder-mounted missile launcher (right). The weapon wasn't included on his character model, and so, as a rule, wasn't part of his standard appearance in the comics.
*'''Pages 3–5:''' Ultra Magnus's missiles are miscoloured white instead of red on pages 3, 4, and 5.
*'''Page 3, panel 6:''' The outside of Ultra Magnus's leg is coloured white instead of blue, making his legs solid white. This extends to his feet, as well; ''they'' should actually be coloured solid ''blue'', but throughout the entirety of "Target: 2006," are instead incorrectly rendered with the same two-tone half-blue, half-white colour scheme as the rest of his legs.
*'''Page 7, panel 6:''' Ultra Magnus's missile launcher is miscoloured blue instead of white, and there's no missile in it.
*'''Pages 9–11:''' As in past issues, Jetfire is once again coloured in the early, outdated colour scheme seen in [[Brainstorm!|US issues #11]]-[[Prime Time!|12]], with all-red wings. He will have this colour scheme for most of "Target: 2006," appearing in his correct colours only in Parts 5 and 7. Here, he's also visibly missing his Autobot insignia on pages 9 and 10, and when it does show up on page 11, it's incorrectly coloured in Decepticon purple.

<big>'''Part 3'''</big>
[[File:Target2006 kick his butt to 2006.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
*Throughout this chapter, Wheeljack is coloured in the early colour scheme originally seen in [[The Wrath of Guardian!|issue #31]], with red shoulder fins instead of white, and missing the red details on his torso.
*'''Page 2, panel 6:''' Jetfire's Autobot symbol is again coloured Decepticon-purple (right).
*'''Page 3, panels 2 & 4:''' Jetfire is missing not just his symbol, but his backpack and his wings as well.
*'''Page 5, panel 3:''' Grapple's thighs are orange instead of black.
*'''Page 6, panel 2:''' Gears's helmet is blue instead of red.
*'''Page 7, panel 2:''' Brawn's legs are coloured silver like his arms and head, instead of their correct olive green.
*'''Pages 9–10:''' As in Part 1, Galvatron's missing the red from his "belt buckle" again. Also, his thighs are consistently grey instead of purple.
*'''Page 11:''' Soundwave is missing his shoulder cannon.

<big>'''Part 4'''</big>
[[File:Target2006 racknruin vs thrust.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
*'''Page 1:'''
**'''Panel 1:''' The Octane facsimile construct is mis-coloured as Blitzwing. Kickback's got a very reddish-orange chest and antennae, instead of their normal yellow and also has a visor instead of individual eyes; technically this is how he ''should'' look, per his finalized character model, but in his other Marvel appearances, he's drawn to the specifications of an earlier model with individual eyes. These errors repeat in the recreation of the panel on page 11, panel 5.
**'''Panel 2:''' Impactor is coloured in a colder, more blue-r shade of purple here than he is in the rest of the issue, and he's drawn with visor-goggles instead of individual eyes.
*'''Page 2, panels 2-3:''' Shrapnel again has the black biceps of his finalized Marvel colour model, while otherwise being in an early colour scheme (see "Prologue" errors).
*'''Page 3:''' On this page and throughout the issue, the top of Thrust's conehead is red instead of grey (right). On this page specifically, though coloured their correct grey/black in panel 1, on the rest of the page, Thrust's forearms are red. Additionally, his arm-guns have red stripes on them, when they should be entirely red the full length of their barrels.

<big>'''Part 5'''</big>
[[File:Target 2006 Magnus Big head.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|It's like an orange on a toothpick.]]
*Throughout this chapter, Starscream remains in the incorrect colour scheme seen in the prologue, with a silver-white helmet and forearms. Page 2 reveals the raised, curved jet housing on the backs of legs are red instead of white.
*'''Page 2:''' Trailbreaker's radio jammer is coloured green, as if it were a part of the background.
*'''Pages 5–6:''' Ultra Magnus is absolutely ''colossal'', with his head alone being about the size of Hound's whole torso. Additionally, his eyes are yellow in this chapter, when they're normally the same silver-white as the rest of his face (right).
*'''Page 6, panel 1:''' Rack'n'Ruin are coloured grey and purple. It's not block-colouring, like the other figures in the background of this panel; they're a variety of distinct shades.
*'''Pages 7–8:''' As previously seen in [[Devastation Derby!|issue #62]], Tracks is again coloured using his toy packaging art as reference, meaning he has a black face instead of a red one. His missile launchers are also blue instead of white.
*'''Page 8, panel 3:''' Hoist's shoulder-fins are green instead of orange.
*'''Page 10, panel 2:''' Grapple's thigh is orange instead of blue-black.
*'''Page 11, panel 2:''' Galvatron's shoulder-pylons are purple instead of grey, and he's gained a red stripe across the top of his torso. His thighs are also grey instead of purple again.

<big>'''Part 6'''</big>
[[File:Target2006 thundercracker frenzy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
*Throughout this chapter, Broadside is coloured almost entirely grey, with only a few small red and blue highlights. Per his finalized Marvel colour model, his head and arms should be blue, and his legs red, among other parts of him.
*Galvatron continues to be in the incorrect colours seen in the previous chapter, with purple shoulder-pylons and a red stripe on his torso. This chapter, we can also see that his belt is ''entirely'' red, which is neither accurate to the toy nor to his finalized Marvel colours.
*Like other characters in "Target: 2006", the three future Autobots all appear in early colour schemes that do not match either the finalized Marvel colours that will be seen in future issues, their toys, ''or'' the movie itself. Blurr and Kup make use of various shades of aqua-blue-green (when their finalized colours will make them various shades of blue and grey), while Hot Rod is mostly a pinkish-red, versus the dark fuchsia the comics will later use. His boots switch from cartoon-accurate grey on Page 9 to also being pinkish-red with white feet on page 11.
*Thundercracker's got a grey face inside a blue helmet (right); per his standard Marvel colours, his face and helmet should both be blue-black. Same goes for his forearms and boots, which are also coloured grey here. Additionally, his eyes are yellow instead of red, and his pectorals are grey instead of white.
*'''Page 9, panel 6:''' Blurr's chest colours are inverted; his windshield is coloured grey and his abdomen is a pale blueish-green, but it should be the other way around.
*'''Page 11:''' Of course, here, Blurr's entire torso is bright green, so whatever.

<big>'''Part 7'''</big>
[[File:Target2006 nemesis.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
[[File:Target2006 chang.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Is there room in this pocket for a little spare Chang?]]
*Tony Jozwiak's watercolour colouring on this issue is a bit iffy compared to his other work on the serial. Excessive metallic swirling and darkly saturated colours (particularly greys and purples) lead a lot of figures to bleed together and for the detail and composition of individual panels to become lost. Previously seen colouring errors continue and/or return; Galvatron's thighs are grey instead of purple, Brawn's legs are grey instead of green, and Track's face is still black instead of red.
*Starscream's colours get even more messed up this issue; though his forearms are now the correct blue, he continues to appear with a white helmet and cockpit canopy, and his "pecs" are now blue (like they have been in the US series prior to this point), while the rest of his shoulder/chest intake assembly is red.
*Hot Rod's got pinkish-red boots ''and'' feet in this chapter.
*'''Page 1:''' The Decepticons' spacecraft is drawn based on its appearance in the Generation 1 cartoon episode "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]," rather than how it looked in the first issue of the comic itself (right).
*'''Pages 2–3:''' Galvatron is missing the red square on his belt buckle; it's correctly coloured in later pages of this chapter.
*'''Pages 5–6:''' Galvatron's shoulder-pylons are purple instead of grey again. They're coloured correctly in the rest of the issue.
*'''Page 6:''' For this page only, Cyclonus snaps back to the incorrect colour scheme from earlier chapters, with an all-silver head.
*'''Page 6-7:''' Soundwave is missing the yellow border around his chest door, except for in the second panel of page 7.
*'''Page 8, panel 1:''' Blurr's helmet is silver-white, like the background behind him, instead of blue.
*'''Page 9, panel 1:''' Jetfire's right wing is solid red; his left is coloured correctly (white with a red stripe).
*'''Page 10:''' Despite not being coloured this way anywhere else in the issue, the circular details on Starscream's shoulder intakes (based on stickers on his toy) are coloured yellow and white on this page. The colours are reversed from the actual toy: white circles on a yellow background, instead of vice versa. In panels 4 and 6, only the front panels of his pecs are blue instead of the whole things (right).
*'''Page 11:''' Ultra Magnus's right hand is blue instead of white. The outsides of his right leg and both feet are white instead of blue.

<big>'''Part 8'''</big>
[[File:Target 2006 Part Eight Galvatron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
*For this chapter, Ultra Magnus has the correct, dark-blue eyes of his finalized Marvel colour scheme, which don't appear anywhere else in "Target: 2006."
*Galvatron's ever-changing colours have changed again; this chapter, his shoulder pylons are ''red'', and he's got an entirely red belt (right).
*'''Page 4, panel 2:''' ...except in this panel, where his pylons are the correct grey.
*'''Page 5, panel 6:''' The side portions of Ultra Magnus's chestplate are the correct blue here, but the rest of it is still the incorrect white it is throughout the serial.
*'''Page 6, panel 6:''' Hot Rod is ''entirely'' pinkish-red, spoiler, face, and all. Blurr's got the green torso from Part 6, page 11 again. Kup's face and helmet are the same shade of grey both here and on the next page; his face should be lighter.
*'''Page 7, panel 4:''' The sides of Ultra Magnus's chestplate are now red.
*'''Page 8, panel 3:''' Now they're blue again.
*'''Page 11, panel 3:''' Robot anatomy gets the better of artist Geoff Senior in this iconic panel (in the synopsis, above); Ultra Magnus's arms are positioned for maximum drama, but they don't appear to actually be connected to his body in any way that makes sense.

<big>'''Part 9'''</big>
[[File:Target2006 hit it.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
[[File:Target 2006 Prime triumphant.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
*The illustration of Galvatron on this issue's cover is directly copied from his character model.
*Recurring colouring errors: Galvatron's thighs are consistently coloured grey instead of purple; Starscream is still coloured as he was in Part 7, with a white helmet and canopy and blue pecs; Track's face is black instead of red; and Jetfire's back in his early colour model with solid red wings.
*Jozwiak has trouble keeping his colours consistent on Blurr through this issue; in some panels, his face and windshield are a (toy-accurate) greenish-blue, but in others, they're just straight-up green (right).
*'''Page 3:'''
**'''Panel 1:''' Save for his chest door and eyes, Soundwave is coloured solid blue.
**'''Panel 5:''' Broadside gains a lot of the red detail that was missing from his appearance in Part 6, but his helmet's still solid grey, instead of blue with red ears.

<big>'''Epilogue'''</big>
*Broadside's still got a grey head and arms on the cover and interior of this issue.
*One last time: Galvatron's got grey thighs; Starscream's got a white helmet and canopy and blue pecs; Jetfire's got solid-red wings; Laserbeak's got an orange beak; and Tracks has grey missile launchers and a ''white'' face.
*In the realm of ''new'' consistent colouring errors, like Thrust in Part 4, the tip of Dirge's conehead is blue instead of grey.
*'''Page 4:''' Ultra Magnus's missile launchers are coloured: solid blue in panel 4, solid red in panel 6, and solid yellow—miscoloured as if they were part of the block-coloured Smokescreen in the background—in panel 6.
*'''Page 7:''' Magnus's missile launchers are now coloured: solid red in panel 3, and solid white in panel 5.
*'''Page 8:'''
**'''Panel 1:''' Shrapnel's helmet is white instead of black. Also, he and Bombshell are different colours; he's a greenish colour, and Bombshell is blue, when they should both be the same shade of blue-black.
**'''Panel 5:''' The "and" is missing from Impactor's cry of "Wreck and Rule."
*'''Page 11, panels 1 and 6:''' The wheels on Optimus Prime's hips are coloured red instead of black (right).
{{-}}

===Time-travel and parallel universes===
Time travel can be confusing, and the resolution of "Target: 2006" hinges on that. Here are a few points (and potential errors?) to consider while reading this adventure:
[[File:Target2006 galvatron tricked.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
*Galvatron's not being uncharacteristically merciful when he spares the Autobots' lives; he actually ''can't kill them'', because doing so will alter history. Not that ''they'' know this!
*The story plays out as if the Autobots have "tricked" Galvatron into thinking he is in a parallel dimension by having him kill Skywarp instead of Starscream (right)... but since Skywarp was also alive during ''The Transformers: The Movie'', doesn't that mean that his death in 1986 would still split the timeline, just like Galvatron thinks Starscream's has? And that Galvatron really ''is'' in a parallel dimension? Of course, later issues of the series will reveal that Skywarp's not actually dead, so this question solves itself...
*...except the longer the comic's run continues, the more events occur that make it almost impossible for the movie to take place in the comic timeline's future—with the most prominent being that Unicron eventually arrives [[The Void! (US)|in 1990]], sixteen years early, firmly relegating the "movie future" to a parallel timeline from the main one. Whether this was ''always'' the case, and Galvatron actually jumped timestreams to get to this version of the past, or whether his arrival in the past is the event that ''caused'' the timelines to split, we'll leave you to ponder for yourself...
*...but consider this last little thing. It's implied that the site Galvatron chooses to build his weapon will be the site of the future [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]], so that when the weapon fires in 2006 it will destroy both the city ''and'' Unicron. Obviously this never happens, so this isn't the reason the timelines diverge, but if Galvatron ''had'' succeeded in his plans, he would have left the Autobots ''knowing'' there was a slag-off great cannon buried under there. So why would they have ever gone on to build their city on top of it? Timeline altered!

===Other trivia===
[[File:Maccadams bartender marvel uk 82.jpg|thumb|upright=2.5]]
*Aside from all the movie-related stuff, "Target: 2006" is also famous for introducing two of, if not ''the'', most famous UK-original ideas, which between them have gone on to appear in almost every major iteration of the ''Transformers'' franchise virtually unchanged in concept: Maccadam's Old Oil House, the Cybertronian watering hole where all factions are welcome (right), and the down-and-dirty Autobot commando unit, the Wreckers. The Wreckers' ranks are different in every continuity, of course, but here, along with comic-original characters Impactor and Rack'n'Ruin, they are made up entirely of characters from both the 1985 and 1986 toy ranges chosen specifically because they were not appearing in the US comic; the Autobot [[Deluxe Vehicle]]s, the [[Jumpstarter]]s, and the Autobot [[Triple Changer]]s. That the Deluxe Vehicles weren't even available in UK toy stores evidently didn't matter to Simon Furman!
*[[Ladybird Books]] would borrow the basic premise of this story (Optimus Prime disappearing and Ultra Magnus coming from Cybertron, and Galvatron travelling back in time to usurp Megatron) for their 1986 books "[[Galvatron's Air Attack]]" and "[[Decepticon Hideout]]."
*This story's entire premise is rooted in what should rightly be an incorrect belief: Galvatron thinks that the omnipotent Unicron can be destroyed by the cannon he creates, when the Matrix is stated by the film to be the "one thing, the only thing" that can stop Unicron. Unicron's dialogue on the subject is vague enough that it's unclear if the story is written from the position that Galvatron is ''right'', but certainly, future stories would thoroughly abandon the idea that conventional weaponry would be enough to destroy Unicron.

*According to [http://www.jeffandersonillustrator.co.uk/photo_8932596.html#photos_id=9009576 Jeff Anderson's website], the splash page of Galvatron, Scourge, and Cyclonus in #78 was evidently stolen by parties unknown along with another piece of artwork. If you see it, won't you be a doll and contact him or Simon Furman?

===Back-up material===
[[File:MarvelUK new leaders poster.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
[[File:TFUK81 ultramagnus factfile.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
[[File:TFUK87 galvatron factfile.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
'''Issue #78:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''[[Back-up strips#Hercules|Hercules]]'' ("Whom the Gods Would Destroy!" Part 1) and ''[[Robo-Capers]]''

'''Issue #79:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Hercules'' ("Whom the Gods Would Destroy!" Part 2) and ''Robo-Capers''
*'''Free Gift:''' Part 1 of a 2-part "New Leaders" poster, featuring Ultra Magnus (right)

'''Issue #80:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Robo-Capers'' and ''Hercules'' ("Whom the Gods Would Destroy!" Part 3)
*'''Free Gift:''' Part 2 of a 2-part "New Leaders" poster, featuring Galvatron (right)

'''Issue #81:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Robo-Capers'' and ''Hercules'' ("Whom the Gods Would Destroy!" Part 4)
*'''[[Fact File]]:''' [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (right). Rather than a reprinting of his ''[[The Transformers Universe (Marvel)|Universe]]'' profile, as with past Fact Files, this original write-up provides Magnus's backstory, revealing that he was built over the course of several years to boost the Autobot rebels' morale by giving them an inspirational figure to look up to, and was brought to life by the Matrix Flame. It describes his shoulder-mounted weapons as [[neutron missile]]s, a detail that appears to originate from an early [[character model]] for Magnus where they were labelled as "nutron missiles".<ref name=sunbowmarvel>[https://sunbowmarvelarchive.blogspot.com/p/transformers-1986-character-binder.html Transformers: 1986 character binder at the Sunbow/Marvel Archive]</ref>
*'''Free Gift:''' ''Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars'' sticker album and a pack of stickers

'''Issue #82:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Robo-Capers'' and ''Hercules'' ("...Not Just Another Galactus Story!" Part 1)
*'''Free Gift:''' Another pack of ''Secret Wars'' stickers

'''Issue #83:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Robo-Capers'' and ''Hercules'' ("...Not Just Another Galactus Story!" Part 2)
*'''Other features:''' ''[[Cybertron: The Middle Years!]]'', a text piece detailing the history of Cybertron following the departure of Optimus Prime and Megatron's crews, covering the rise and fall of Decepticon warlord [[Trannis]] (a UK-original character first mentioned in the "Target: 2006" prologue), the sacking of Iacon, Xaaron's formation of the Autobot rebel network, Trannis's assassination by the Wreckers, and Straxus's rise to replace him.

'''Issue #84:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Hercules'' ("...Not Just Another Galactus Story!" Part 3) and ''Robo-Capers''

'''Issue #85:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Hercules'' ("...Not Just Another Galactus Story!" Part 4) and ''Robo-Capers''; ''Hercules'' concludes this issue.
*'''Other features:''' Hercules pin-up

'''Issue #86:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Robo-Capers'' and ''[[Back-up strips#Spitfire and the Troubleshooters|Spitfire and the Troubleshooters]]'' ("Beginnings," Part 1); Spitfire and the Troubleshooters begins this issue.

'''Issue #87:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Spitfire and the Troubleshooters'' ("Beginnings," Part 2) and ''Robo-Capers''; [[Swoop (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Swoop]] appears in [[Robo-Capers issue 87|this issue's ''Robo-Capers'']] in a rare example of "real" Transformers featuring in the strip.
*'''[[Fact File]]:''' [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (right). A companion piece to Issue #81's Ultra Magnus Fact File, featuring art from [[The Planet-Eater!|issue #1]] of the [[Transformers: The Movie (Marvel comic)|comic book adaptation of the movie]]. As with Ultra Magnus's profile, details from Galvatron's character model were carried over into the text, such as being equipped with a laser targeting computer and his robot mode weapon being a [[Proton cannon|proton rocket cannon]].<ref name=sunbowmarvel />

'''Issue #88:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Spitfire and the Troubleshooters'' ("Beginnings," Part 3) and ''Robo-Capers''; [[Robo-Capers issue 88|this issue's ''Robo-Capers'']] features Optimus Prime introducing Transformers who "didn't make the grade."
{{--}}

===Foreign Localizations===
'''Swedish'''
:* ''Title:'' '''I siktet: 2006''' ("Target: 2006")
*Cyclonus' monologue in Part 2 is changed to mention his [[Spark]] being taken by Unicron.
*Similarly, Galvatron's threat at the beginning of Part 8 is changed to mention tearing Magnus' Spark Chamber out.
*Impactor's description of Xaaron is changed to "Sly old [[Turbofox]]".
*The chambers that the deactivated Decepticons are stored in are named as [[CR chamber]]s.

===Covers (11)===
*'''Issue #78:''' Prowl, Ratchet, and Optimus Prime disappearing into limbo, by [[Alister Pearson]].
*'''Issue #79:''' Galvatron and Ultra Magnus, by [[John Higgins]].
*'''Issue #80:''' Ultra Magnus arrives, by [[John Stokes]].
*'''Issue #81:''' Galvatron stands over vanquished Autobots, by [[Will Simpson]].
*'''Issue #82:''' the [[Wreckers]], by [[Phil Gascoine]].
*'''Issue #83:''' Scourge being blasted, by [[Robin Smith]].
<gallery>
File:MarvelUK-078.jpg|'''Issue #78'''
File:MarvelUK-079.jpg|'''Issue #79'''
File:MarvelUK-080.jpg|'''Issue #80'''
File:MarvelUK-081.jpg|'''Issue #81'''
File:MarvelUK-082.jpg|'''Issue #82'''
File:MarvelUK-083.jpg|'''Issue #83'''
</gallery>

*'''Issue #84:''' Galvatron and Unicron, by Phil Gascoine.
*'''Issue #85:''' Jazz is possessed by Galvatron, by Robin Smith.
*'''Issue #86:''' Ultra Magnus fighting Galvatron, by Robin Smith.
*'''Issue #87:''' Galvatron poses by his weapon, by Phil Gascoine.
*'''Issue #88:''' the Wreckers, by [[Geoff Senior]].
<gallery>
File:MarvelUK-084.jpg|'''Issue #84'''
File:MarvelUK-085.jpg|'''Issue #85'''
File:MarvelUK-086.jpg|'''Issue #86'''
File:MarvelUK-087.jpg|'''Issue #87'''
File:MarvelUK-088.jpg|'''Issue #88'''
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:Tfcolcom15.jpg|'''[[Transformers Collected Comics#15 – Spring Special 1990|''Collected Comics'' #15]]''' (Marvel UK, 1990; reprints prologue and Parts 1–2)
File:TitanTarget2006tpb.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: Target: 2006]]'' TPB''' (Titan Books, 2002)
File:TransforceTitanTarget2006hc.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: Target: 2006]]'' hardcover''' (Titan Books, 2002; Transforce 2002 exclusive)
File:IDWTarget2006 1A.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #1]] Cover A''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints prologue & Part 1)
File:IDWTarget2006 1B.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #1]] Cover B''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints prologue & Part 1)
File:IDWTarget2006 1RIA.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #1]] Cover RI-A''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints prologue & Part 1)
File:IDWTarget2006 1RIB.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #1]] Cover RI-B''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints prologue & Part 1)
File:IDWTarget2006 2A.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #2]] Cover A''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Parts 2–3)
File:IDWTarget2006 2B.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #2]] Cover B''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Parts 2–3)
File:IDWTarget2006 2RIA.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #2]] Cover RI-A''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Parts 2–3)
File:IDWTarget2006 2RIB.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #2]] Cover RI-B''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Parts 2–3)
File:IDWTarget2006 3A.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #3]] Cover A''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Parts 4–5)
File:IDWTarget2006 3B.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #3]] Cover B''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Parts 4–5)
File:IDWTarget2006 3RIA.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #3]] Cover RI-A''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Parts 4–5)
File:IDWTarget2006 3RIB.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #3]] Cover RI-B''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Parts 4–5)
File:IDWTarget2006 4A.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #4]] Cover A''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Parts 6–8)
File:IDWTarget2006 4B.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #4]] Cover B''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Parts 6–8)
File:IDWTarget2006 4RIA.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #4]] Cover RI-A''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Parts 6–8)
File:IDWTarget2006 4RIB.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #4]] Cover RI-B''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Parts 6–8)
File:IDWTarget2006 5A.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #5]] Cover A''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Part 9 & epilogue)
File:IDWTarget2006 5B.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #5]] Cover B''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Part 9 & epilogue)
File:IDWTarget2006 5RIA.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #5]] Cover RI-A''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Part 9 & epilogue)
File:IDWTarget2006 5RIB.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006|''The Transformers: Target: 2006'' #5]] Cover RI-B''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Part 9 & epilogue)
File:BestofSimon.jpg|'''''[[The Transformers: The Best of Simon Furman|The Best of Simon Furman]]''''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Parts 3 & 8
File:IDWTarget2006tpb.jpg|'''''[[The Transformers: Target: 2006]]'' TPB''' (IDW Publishing, 2008)
File:UniverseRatbatSpringer T2006 reprint.jpg|Pack-in with ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' [[Ratbat (G1)#Universe (2008)|Ratbat]] vs. [[Springer (G1)#Universe (2008)|Springer]] (Hasbro, 2008; reprints Parts 4–5)
File:Classicuk3.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 3|''The Transformers Classics UK'' Volume 3]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2012)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v6.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]], Vol. 6: Target: 2006''''' (Hachette Partworks Ltd, 2016)
File:Target2006_SWECover.jpg|'''''Transformers: I siktet 2006''''' (Ades Media, 2021)
</gallery>

====Reprint notes====
[[File:Tfcolcom16.jpg|thumb|upright=.8]]
*Marvel UK intended to reprint all of ''Target: 2006'' in ''Collected Comics'' #15-18, but after the first issue was released, those plans were abruptly curtailed when the master artwork for the next three parts was ''lost in the mail''. With only days to go, Marvel had to quickly put together a new version of issue #16, printing different stories instead, and later issuing an explanation and apology on the editorial page of [[Bugged!|issue #276]]. Hinting at the original intent, ''Collected Comics'' #16 still re-uses issue #84's cover (right), despite its content being unrelated.
*The hardback edition of Titan's graphic novel collection exclusive to the unofficial UK convention Transforce 2002 was misprinted, with the final eight pages of the story appearing in reverse order. Titan offered a free replacement, but many fans kept the original—partially because of the novelty, but mostly because they had just got it signed by [[Simon Furman]].
*The reprint included with the ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' [[Ratbat (G1)/toys#Universe (2008)|Ratbat]] vs. [[Springer (G1)/toys#Universe (2008)|Springer]] two-pack wasn't actually supposed to come with that set. Rather, it was meant to be included with the "Target: 2006"-themed [[Roadbuster (G1)#Universe (2008)|Roadbuster]] vs. [[Dirge (G1)/toys#Universe (2008)|Dirge]] set, while Springer and Ratbat were supposed to be packaged with [[Escalation|''War Within: The Dark Ages'' #2]], but the two comics were accidentally swapped. This printing altered two uses of the word "damn" to "darn", to be more friendly to American children.
*At some point, CardsOne, a company that deals in vintage comics, trading cards, and collectibles, acquired a large stock of unsold copies of IDW's ''Target: 2006'' #3 Cover B, and sold them via Dollar Tree stores during the Summer of 2014.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

In the National Interest

2026-05-08T06:01:51Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Notes */

{{comicstory|
|prev=Showdown!
|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #74–77
|next=Target: 2006
|image=MarvelUK-074.jpg
|caption=You guys just have to destroy '''everything''', don't you?
|title="In the National Interest"
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=Part 1: [[August 9|9th August]] Part 2: [[August 16|16th August]] Part 3: [[August 23|23rd August]] Part 4: [[August 30|30th August]], [[1986]] 
|coverdate=Part 1: [[August 16|16th August]] Part 2: [[August 23|23rd August]] Part 3: [[August 30|30th August]] Part 4: [[September 6|6th September]], [[1986]]
|writer=[[Simon Furman]]
|art=[[Will Simpson]]
|inks=[[David Hine|Dave Hine]] (Part 2), [[Tim Perkins]] (Part 3)
|art assist by=[[Andrew Leary]] (Part 3)
|colours=[[John Burns]] (Parts 1-2), [[Gina Hart]] (Part 3), [[Tony Jozwiak]] (Part 4)
|lettering=[[Annie Halfacree]]
|editor=[[Ian Rimmer]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''Joy Meadows and the Dinobots are going to blow the whole Robot-Master story wide open, but the Decepticons and Triple I don't want this to happen.'''

==Synopsis==
===Part 1===
[[File:Centurion.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.25]]
When reporter [[Joy Meadows]] appears on TV news program ''[[Between the Lines]]'' and announces her intent to expose "[[Donny Finkleberg|Robot-Master]]" as a fraud, the mastermind behind the hoax, [[Intelligence and Information Institute|Triple-I]] head [[Forrest Forsythe]], decides that she must be silenced. Forsythe is not the only viewer of the broadcast who is already aware of the hoax, however; [[G.B. Blackrock]] also sees it, and contacts Joy with the recommendation that she visit [[Mount St. Hilary]] to meet some "friends" of his who can help her...

At that very same mountain, aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]—recently reactivated after a long period offline, but confined to the base thanks to their conspicuous alternate modes—are bored. Just as [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] decides they need to go find some action, [[Sludge (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Sludge]] rushes in, having seen Joy's appearance on television and recognized her from their previous encounter. The Dinobots are unimpressed by their comrade's infatuation with the human, but lacking a better alternative for something to do, decide to go with him as he sets out to find her and help her in her mission to expose Robot-Master. They don't have to go far before they cross paths with her: she has been ambushed on the road to Mount St. Hilary by Triple-I mercenaries and nearly run off a cliff. Sludge shields her from their bullets, but is unable to stop her car tipping over the edge; fortunately, [[Swoop (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Swoop]] catches her and carries her to safety.

Meanwhile, Swoop's old enemy [[Peter Anthony Morris|Professor Morris]] is on the cusp of being acquitted for the murder of a [[Roxxon Oil security guard|security guard]], but as his trial nears its end, Triple-I mercenaries invade the courtroom and kidnap him. Morris is brought to an armored Triple-I bunker beneath [[Portland]], and learns they want to employ his experience in controlling robots to pilot their new man-made robot, [[Centurion (Marvel)|Centurion]].

===Part 2: "Gauntlet!"===
[[File:Swoop megatron in the national interest.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]]
[[File:IntheNationalInterest centurion vs megatron.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Withdrawing to the seclusion of [[Talon's Point]] beach, the Dinobots tell Joy the full story of the [[Transformer]]s and their secret war, which leads her to conclude that Robot-Master is a government cover story concocted to hide the truth. Joy wants to interview one of the Dinobots for her exposé, and [[Swoop (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Swoop]] volunteers to pick up her film crew and fly them in so Triple-I cannot tail them.

Meanwhile, at their [[Wyoming base]], [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] and [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] await news from [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]], who is on the trail of the missing Robot-Master. Having played a part in furthering the Robot-Master hoax, Megatron fears its exposure will be used by [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] as ammunition against Megatron's leadership, but the opportunity to prevent this arises when Soundwave picks up the signal of Joy's phone call to her crew...

Beneath Portland, Professor Morris is strapped into Triple-I's recreation of his old [[neural relay link]]. He tries to object, telling technician [[Grady (G1)|Grady]] about the death he caused the last time he used the machine, but Grady explains that Triple-I know all about that, and planted evidence to ensure Morris's guilty plea would be thrown out. They had intended to recruit him after his trial was over, but Joy Meadows forced their timeline to be accelerated. A moment later, a console beeps, as Triple-I also detects Joy's call...

A little later, Joy's two-man crew [[Rick (Marvel)|Ricky]] and [[Tony (G1)|Tony]] arrive at the assigned location in Portland to await "pickup," but are intercepted by Megatron before Swoop can reach them. Swoop is quickly defeated when he attempts to engage the Decepticon leader, but the battle is then joined by the Morris-controlled Centurion, who takes on Megatron one-on-one!

===Part 3: "Holocaust"===

Centurion gives a good account of himself, but after a brief exchange of blows, Megatron is able to get the upper hand and punches the man-made robot through a nearby building. Fortunately, the fight gives Swoop time to recover, and he manages to escape with Rick and Tony—but, unbeknownst to the Dinobot, he is tagged with a tracer by a Triple-I agent as he flees. This is scarcely a victory for Triple-I, however; having recognized Swoop, Morris becomes determined to make amends for his past misdeeds by helping the Dinobots, and he proceeds to go rogue, sealing the armoured vault to keep Triple-I from interfering.

Back at Talon's Point, the Dinobots discover the presence of the tracer when it briefly jams Swoop's transformation, much to his teammates' amusement. [[Slag (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Slag]] destroys the tracer, but it's too late—Megatron, Soundwave, and the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] have followed its signal, and emerge out of the sea, demanding the Dinobots hand Joy over. When Grimlock refuses, the Decepticons attack!
{{--}}

===Part 4: "The Dinobots' Last Stand?"===
[[File:Talon's Point.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Outnumbered by the Decepticons, the Dinobots find themselves on the losing end of the battle. Grimlock matches his might against Megatron; Sludge struggles to defend Joy against [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] and [[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]]; [[Snarl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Snarl]] manages to dispatch [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]], but is then blindsided by [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]; while Slag falls to the other Constructicons, who then gang up on Swoop. In the midst of the chaos, Centurion arrives to join the fight and the distraction he provides allows the Dinobots to rally. Observing the tide of battle turning, Soundwave changes tactics: he forces Joy and her crew to hand over all their recordings, and then calls for everyone's attention as he very publicly has Laserbeak incinerate the tapes. Content that the destruction of the evidence means the Robot-Master cover story is secure for now, Megatron calls off the battle, and the Decepticons withdraw with a warning to the humans not to pursue the matter further. Badly beaten and with no cause left to fight for, the Dinobots let them go.

But the defeat of the Decepticons does not sway Professor Morris from his mission: he will use Centurion to put a stop to all of Triple-I's nefarious actions. From outside the sealed vault, Forsythe warns Morris that Triple-I have erased all evidence connecting them to him, and that the authorities will be waiting for him when he exits the bunker. But the bunker contains enough supplies to last Morris a year—more than enough time to see his mission through!
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] (10)
*[[Slag (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Slag]] (11)
*[[Snarl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Snarl]] (12)
*[[Swoop (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Swoop]] (13)
*[[Sludge (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Sludge]] (14)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] (4)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] (5)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] (17)
*[[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] (20)
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (21)
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (22)
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (23)
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (24)
*[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] (25)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (26)
|c3=
*[[Joy Meadows]] (1)
*[[Bob (host)|Bob]] (2)
*[[Donny Finkleberg]] (3)
*[[Forrest Forsythe]] (6)
*[[Walter Barnett (G1)|Walter Barnett]] (7)
*Attorney (8)
*[[Peter Anthony Morris]] (9)
*[[Grady (G1)|Grady]] (16)
*[[Rick (Marvel)|Rick]] (18)
*[[Tony (G1)|Tony]] (19)
|c4=
*[[Centurion (Marvel)|Centurion]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==

'''Joy:''' Wha-? Wha'happen? Am I dead? 
'''Sludge:''' No... No. You're safe with me now. I'll face death itself to defend you, I'll... 
'''Grimlock:''' Sickening, really '''sickening'''. 
'''Swoop:''' I almost wish I'd let her drop! 
:—'''Sludge''' being too mushy for '''Grimlock''' and '''Swoop''', who just saved '''Joy''' from falling.

'''Joy:''' "Er, '''Grimlock'''...is he, er, alright?" 
'''Grimlock:''' "'Fraid not. Defective circuitry." 
'''Swoop:''' "A sad case. Nothing to be done for him, really."
:—'''Grimlock''' and '''Swoop''' tease the smitten '''Sludge'''

"OOH, 'ECK! DECEPTICONS!"
:—'''Slag''' shows off his broad Yorkshire accent. In Oregon.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
[[File:IntheNationalInterest sludge and joy.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.25]]
*To catch readers up to speed, there's a ''Fact File'' on the Dinobots in #74. One detail this adds is that the Dinobots were all renamed when they took their dino-forms and other than Swoop, they'd all prefer to forget their old names and forms.
*Joy Meadows and her crew previously appeared in [[Dinobot Hunt!|issue #49]], in which Sludge first encountered her, leading to his being smitten with her in this story (right). She has been tipped off to the truth behind Robot-Master by G.B. Blackrock, who earlier butted heads with Triple-I over the hoax in [[I, Robot-Master!|US issue #15]].
*The clips shown from Robot-Master's broadcasts during Joy's interview include footage of Megatron and [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] fighting, as seen in [[Second Generation!|issue #65]].
*Triple-I, Forrest Forsythe, and Walter Barnett were all introduced in [[Rock and Roll-Out!|US issue #14]]. "In the National Interest" is their only appearance in a UK-original story.
*Professor Morris was previously introduced in [[The Icarus Theory|issues #45-46]], in which the murder for which he is on trial took place. Morris actually confessed to the murder and surrendered to the authorities in that story, so it seems a little odd to see his lawyer arguing that he is innocent in Part 1, but Triple-I tech Grady notes in Part 2 that the organization planted falsified evidence that would lead to Morris's confession being thrown out. Perhaps the lawyer is also on their payroll?
*Slag refers to the "weeks" the Dinobots spent "strung up in Ratchet's butcher shop," between the events of [[Dinobot Hunt!|issue #50]] and issue #65. The [[Transformers Annual 1986]] story "[[Victory!]]" goes into a little more detail on this period, but it was not released until shortly after "In the National Interest" concluded.
*Robot-Master escaped the Decepticons in [[Command Performances!|US issue #19]]. Soundwave notes that [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]], who is tracking their escapee, has still not reported in; that's because he was sent offline by a fall down a mineshaft in [[Showdown!|US issue #20]].

===Real-life references===
*The plot of this story is inspired by a pair of political thrillers, 1974's ''{{w|The Parallax View}}'', about a female reporter uncovering a conspiracy, and 1975's ''{{w|Three Days of the Condor}}'', about a murderous governmental conspiracy.

===Continuity and plotting errors===
*The Dinobots complain that they're confined to the Ark by the other Autobots because their dino modes make them look conspicuous. This was the explanation given for the Dinobots' absence from US stories given in [[Command Performances!|US issue #19]]... but the UK reprint ''removed'' that dialogue, because it was unnecessary due to the team having seen plenty of action in various UK-exclusive stories. So basically, this issue of the UK comic adopts a plot point from the US comic that the UK comic previously chose to ignore.

===Artwork and technical errors===
[[File:IntheNationalInterest destroy them.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]]
*For the majority of this story, Snarl and Swoop continue to be colored in their "early" Marvel UK color schemes; Swoop is largely blue instead of grey like his teammates, and Slag's dino-mode head is golden-yellow instead of greyish-purple. See below for deviations.
*The Constructicons are likewise off-colour in a variety of ways when they appear in Parts 3 and 4, not unlike how they appeared in [[Devastation Derby!|issues #61-62]]. Their heads are all colored purple instead of the correct blue-black (right); other weirdness is noted below.
*Part 1, page 4: Slag and Snarl's heads are both colored red instead of black.
*Throughout part 3, Swoop's dino-mode "legs" (his robot mode arms) are colored grey instead of the blue used on his early color scheme, except for in a one-panel flashback to part 2.
*Part 3, page 8-10: While he's in robot mode, Slag's dino-mode head is colored grey, which is technically correct, but it's not clear if it's been done ''deliberately'', as the panel between it and his robot head is incorrectly colored golden yellow.
*Part 3, page 10, panel 1: Long Haul has a purple abdomen instead of green. Scrapper is almost entirely purple; both the decals on his pectorals are red, when only the right one should be.
*Part 3, page 11, panel 3: Scrapper continues to be mostly purple, and the red of his chest decals has spread up over his shoulders (right).
*Throughout part 4, Bonecrusher's thighs are coloured purple instead of green, while dino-mode Swoop is now in his "finished" Marvel color scheme (grey body, white wings and head, with a red lower jaw). However, his dino-legs (robo-arms) are consistently miscolored red instead of the grey they should be to match his finished colors.
*Part 4, page 3, panel 4: Snarl's limbs and back are all colored mostly red instead of grey.
*Part 4, page 4, panel 3: Long Haul is colored entirely purple from the waist down.
*Part 4, page 5, panel 1: Scrapper's thighs are green and his boots purple; the boots should be green, the thighs white.
*Part 4, page 8, panel 2: Mixmaster's helmet assembly (that... big ol' block that goes around and over his head) is purple instead of green.
*Part 4, page 9, panel 6: Snarl's head is red instead of black.
*Part 4, page 10, panel 3-4: Sludge's shoulder-wings are gold instead of grey.

===Back-up material===
[[File:RoboCapers74.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.25]]
'''Issue #74:'''
*'''[[Back-up strips]]:''' ''[[Back-up_strips#Hercules|Hercules]]'' ("For the Love of Gods," Part 1) and ''[[Robo-Capers]]''
*'''[[Fact File]]:''' Hercules
*No new half-page "funny" is added to the comic to replace ''Matt and the Cat'' following its conclusion last issue; instead the comic undergoes another change in format this issue, with a redesigned contents page that relocates ''Robo-Capers'' (which previously ran across the bottom of the page) to elsewhere in the comic. There is no [[Letters page (Marvel UK)|letters page]] this issue, replaced with [[Robo-Capers issue 74|a special full-page ''Robo-Capers'' strip]] (right) that introduces Grimlock as the page's new host replacing Soundwave.
'''Issue #75:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Hercules'' ("For the Love of Gods," Part 2); ''Robo-Capers'' sits this issue out.
*Grimlock's "Grim Grams" letters page begins properly this issue, and will run until [[Space Pirates!|issue #182]].
'''Issue #76:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Hercules'' ("For the Love of Gods," Part 3) and ''Robo-Capers''
*'''Fact File:''' "And Now... The [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]!", recapping the characters' history up to this point.
*'''Other features:''' Full-page spotlight on the [[Transformers Annual 1986]].
'''Issue #77:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Robo-Capers'' and ''Hercules'' ("For the Love of Gods," Part 4)
*'''Other features:''' Competition to win ''How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way''; the inclusion of this contest means there's no room for the traditional half-page "Next Issue" preview, which is compressed to a small caption box on the letters page.
{{-}}

===Covers (4)===
*'''Issue #74:''' Grimlock, Sludge and Slag burst through the cover, by [[Alister Pearson]].
*'''Issue #75:''' while Megatron is about to destroy Swoop, Guardian looms up behind him, by [[John Stokes]].
*'''Issue #76:''' Swoop carries off the LCTV van, by [[David Hine]].
*'''Issue #77:''' composite of the story's major players, by [[Phil Gascoine]].
<gallery>
File:MarvelUK-074.jpg|'''Issue #74'''
File:MarvelUK-075.jpg|'''Issue #75'''
File:MarvelUK-076.jpg|'''Issue #76'''
File:MarvelUK-077.jpg|'''Issue #77'''
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:MarvelUK-302.jpg|'''[[The Human Factor!|Issue #302]]''' (Marvel UK, 1990; reprints the first half of Part 1)
File:MarvelUK-303.jpg|'''[[The Human Factor!|Issue #303]]''' (Marvel UK, 1990; reprints the second half of Part 1)
File:MarvelUK-304.jpg|'''[[The Human Factor!|Issue #304]]''' (Marvel UK, 1990; reprints the first half of Part 2)
File:MarvelUK-305.jpg|'''[[The Human Factor!|Issue #305]]''' (Marvel UK, 1990; reprints the second half of Part 2)
File:MarvelUK-306.jpg|'''[[Eye of the Storm|Issue #306]]''' (Marvel UK, 1990; reprints Part 3)
File:MarvelUK-307.jpg|'''[[Eye of the Storm|Issue #307]]''' (Marvel UK, 1990; reprints Part 4)
File:TitanDH.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: Dinobot Hunt]]''''' (Titan Books, 2004)
File:BoUK Dinobots 4a.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots#Issue #4|''The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots'' #4]] cover A''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Part 1)
File:BoUK Dinobots 4b.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots#Issue #4|''The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots'' #4]] cover B''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Part 1)
File:BoUK Dinobots 4ri a.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots#Issue #4|''The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots'' #4]] cover RI-A'' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Part 1)
File:BoUK Dinobots 4ri b.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots#Issue #4|''The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots'' #4]] cover RI-B''' (IDW Publishing, 2007; reprints Part 1)
File:BoUK Dinobots 5a.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots#Issue #5|''The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots'' #5]] cover A''' (IDW Publishing, 2008; reprints Parts 2-3)
File:BoUK Dinobots 5b.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots#Issue #5|''The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots'' #5]] cover B''' (IDW Publishing, 2008; reprints Parts 2-3)
File:BoUK Dinobots 5ri a.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots#Issue #5|''The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots'' #5]] cover RI-A''' (IDW Publishing, 2008; reprints Parts 2-3)
File:BoUK Dinobots 5ri b.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots#Issue #5|''The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots'' #5]] cover RI-B''' (IDW Publishing, 2008; reprints Parts 2-3)
File:BoUK Dinobots 6a.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots#Issue #6|''The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots'' #6]] cover A''' (IDW Publishing, 2008; reprints Part 4)
File:BoUK Dinobots 6b.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots#Issue #6|''The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots'' #6]] cover B''' (IDW Publishing, 2008; reprints Part 4)
File:BoUK Dinobots 6ri.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots#Issue #6|''The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots'' #6]] cover RI''' (IDW Publishing, 2008; reprints Part 4)
File:BoUK Dinobots TPB.jpg|'''''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots]]''''' TPB (IDW Publishing, 2008)
File:IDWBofUKOmnibus.jpg|'''''[[The Transformers: Best of UK]]'' Omnibus''' (IDW Publishing, 2009)
File:Classicuk2.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 2|''The Transformers Classics UK'' Volume 2]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2012)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v5.jpg|'''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection|''The Definitive G1 Collection, Vol. 5: The Smelting Pool'']]''' (Hachette Partworks, Ltd., 2019)
</gallery>

[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]

File:Earthsparktoy-DeluxeHashtag.jpg

2026-05-07T06:21:31Z

Cylasbreakdown:

''[[Transformers: EarthSpark (toyline)|EarthSpark]]'' Deluxe Class [[Hashtag (ES)|Hashtag]]. Photos by [[User:ItsWalky]].

[[Category: EarthSpark toy images]]
[[Category: Terran toy images]]

[[Category: Female Transformer toy images]]

Energon Universe

2026-05-05T03:33:06Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Comic series */

{{disambig2|the shared universe from [[Skybound Entertainment]]'s comics|the [[Transformers: Legacy#"Universe" designations|universe]] from ''[[Transformers: Legacy]]''|Transformers: Energon (franchise)}} 
[[File:Energon Universe logo.png|center|500px]] 

[[File:EU2ndAnniversary.jpg|thumb|right|upright=3|Well, it's not quite ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'', and it's not quite ''[[Transformers: Universe (2003 franchise)|Universe]]'', but man...]]

The '''Energon Universe''' is the name for the shared universe in which [[Skybound Entertainment]]'s comic books featuring licensed properties from [[Hasbro]] take place. Launched in [[2023]], these properties currently include [[Transformers (2023 comic)|an ongoing ''Transformers'' series]], a line of ''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]'' comics, and the original series ''[[Void Rivals]]''.

==Overview==
The aliens [[Darak]] and [[Solila]], members of two warring factions, become stranded on a deserted planet and are forced to work together to survive. While attempting to escape, the two come across the derelict form of the [[Transformer|Cybertronian]] [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], who is restored to functionality and leaves to check on the state of his homeworld, [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].

Jetfire's journey brings him to the planet Earth, where he finds and reactivates the dormant [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s and they resume their war. In response to their awakening, events are set into motion that will lead to the formation of the special ops team [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] and the terrorist organization [[Cobra]].

==Development==

===Comic series===
[[Robert Kirkman]] first began developing the Energon Universe in [[2021]] after Hasbro approached Skybound about taking over the licenses for ''Transformers'' and ''G.I. Joe'' from [[IDW Publishing]]. Wanting to do something unique, Kirkman proposed launching the universe with a new property that would feature a surprise reveal in the first issue, which eventually became ''Void Rivals''. Along with writing ''Void Rivals'', Kirkman acts as a sort of "showrunner" for the rest of the Energon Universe line, with other creators working on the main ''Transformers'' and ''G.I. Joe'' comics.<ref>[https://www.ign.com/articles/robert-kirkman-void-rivals-shared-energon-universe-transformers-gi-joe How Robert Kirkman's Void Rivals Secretly Launches a Massive Shared Universe — IGN]</ref> It was named the Energon Universe after [[Joshua Williamson]] pitched the idea of integrating Energon into the ''Cobra Commander'' mini series.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=We were actually struggling for a name for the line, as Josh was developing Cobra Commander. He was like "I think I think they could find some Energon in the swamp here". And I was like "oh, Energon's in G.I. Joe now. I can put Energon in Void Rivals, super easy."
|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMTfuouxzEg&t=2889s|name=Robert Kirkman|site=YouTube|year=2025|month=05|day=12}}</ref>

In the letters page for [[Void Rivals issue 3|''Void Rivals'' #3]], Kirkman stated that there were no plans to integrate other Hasbro properties into the Energon Universe, though that could change in the future — something that did indeed occur in [[2025]] with the introduction of [[Matt Trakker]] and [[Miles Mayhem]] from ''[[M.A.S.K. (franchise)|M.A.S.K.]]'' into the universe. He also confirmed that they don't plan to have more than four series running at once. As of [[Void Rivals issue 15|''Void Rivals'' #15]], Kirkman had affirmed that the Energon Universe will "for the foreseeable future" consist solely of the ''Void Rivals'', ''Transformers'' and ''G.I. Joe'' ongoing titles to keep the line at a manageable, easy-to-follow size, with no plans to publish any additional miniseries in the style of the four ''G.I. Joe'' origin stories. However, in February [[2026]], Kirkman’s keynote address at ComicsPro announced the addition of a fourth ongoing, based on ''M.A.S.K.'', being written by [[Dan Watters]] and drawn by [[Simon Parr]].<ref> [https://imagecomics.com/press-releases/image-skybound-hasbro-announce-new-energon-universe-series-m-a-s-k-by-dan-watters-pye-parr/ Image Comics: IMAGE/SKYBOUND & HASBRO ANNOUNCE NEW ENERGON UNIVERSE SERIES M.A.S.K. BY DAN WATTERS & PYE PARR]</ref> According to the letter to the readers in the [[Energon Universe 2026 Special]], this was planned from the very beginning.

===Animated series===
An animated adaptation of the Energon Universe, produced by Skybound and Hasbro with [[Joe Henderson]] attached as showrunner, was reported to be in-development in late 2025. Like the source material, it is meant to be aimed at an older audience than the typical ''Transformers'' viewer.<ref>[https://deadline.com/2025/10/energon-universe-adult-animated-series-joe-henderson-1236592776/ Deadline: Energon Universe Adult Animated Series Based On Comic From Hasbro & Skybound With Joe Henderson As Showrunner Hitting TV Marketplace]</ref>

==List of featured intellectual properties==
* ''[[Void Rivals]]'' (original)
* ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]''
* ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]''
* ''[[M.A.S.K. (franchise)|M.A.S.K.]]''

==Titles==
===Ongoing series===
* ''[[Void Rivals]]''
* ''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]''
* ''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]''
* ''[[M.A.S.K. (2026 comic)|M.A.S.K.]]''

===Limited series===
* ''[[Duke (comic)|Duke]]''
* ''[[Cobra Commander (comic)|Cobra Commander]]''
* ''[[Scarlett (comic)|Scarlett]]''
* ''[[Destro (comic)|Destro]]''

===Specials===
* ''[[Energon Universe 2024 Special]]''
* ''[[Energon Universe 2025 Special]]''
* ''[[Energon Universe 2026 Special]]''

==Distribution and localization==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Publisher
!Country
!Language
|-
|[[Ades Media]]
|Sweden
|Swedish
|-
|Moztros Editorial
|[[Spain]]
|Spanish
|-
|Nagle Comics
|Poland
|Polish
|-
|OVNI Press
|Latin America
|Spanish
|-
|Panini Comics
|[[Germany]]
|German
|-
|saldaPress
|[[Italy]]
|Italian
|-
|Szukits Kiadó
|[[Hungary]]
|Hungarian
|-
|Tiandi Press
|[[China]]
|Chinese
|-
|Urban Comics
|[[France]]
|French
|}

==Toyline==
===Void Rivals===
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''San Diego Comic-Con 2025'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Jetfire (G1)/toys#Void Rivals|Autobot Jetfire]] (w/ [[Solila#Toys|Zertonian Solila]] and [[Darak#Toys|Agorrian Darak]])}}
|width="20%" valign="top"|[[File:SDCC 2025 Void Rivals box set.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|right|Autobot Jetfire (w/ Zertonian Solila and Agorrian Darak), the first toys to be released to coincide with the new universe.]]
|}

===''Studio Series''===
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Hasbro Pulse]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generations toys#SSEnergonUniverse|Energon Universe Optimus Prime]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|[[File:GensEUOptimusPrime.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Energon Universe Optimus Prime]]
|}

== Posters ==
<gallery>
File:EnergonUniversePoster.jpeg|Initial poster featuring [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], [[Darak]] and [[Solila]] (2023).
File:EU2ndAnniversary.jpg|Second anniversary poster (2025).
</gallery>

==Notes==
*Previously, non-''Transformers'' comics fell out of this wiki’s purview unless they featured ''Transformers'' characters in them. For example, [[IDW Publishing]]'s [[G.I. Joe vol. 5|''G.I. Joe'' vol. 5]] is covered on this wiki due to the presence of [[Skywarp (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Skywarp]], but the preceding volumes are not. However, unlike prior publishers such as IDW and [[Marvel Comics]], the Energon Universe's non-''Transformers'' properties are being incorporated into one cohesive universe right from the get-go, with Cybertronians appearing as recurring characters in ''Void Rivals'' and driving the plots of the various ''G.I. Joe'' series (and later appearing in them as well). As it wouldn’t be very user friendly to ''only'' cover those issues that feature ''Transformers'' characters, we at TFWiki.net have, at least for now, opted to cover the non-''Transformers'' titles in the Energon Universe in full, in order to keep everything nice and simple.

==See also==
* [[Hasbro Universe]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Crossovers]]
[[Category:Skybound Entertainment]]

Energon Universe

2026-05-05T03:29:20Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Notes */ rewording slightly now that MASK is a thing

{{disambig2|the shared universe from [[Skybound Entertainment]]'s comics|the [[Transformers: Legacy#"Universe" designations|universe]] from ''[[Transformers: Legacy]]''|Transformers: Energon (franchise)}} 
[[File:Energon Universe logo.png|center|500px]] 

[[File:EU2ndAnniversary.jpg|thumb|right|upright=3|Well, it's not quite ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'', and it's not quite ''[[Transformers: Universe (2003 franchise)|Universe]]'', but man...]]

The '''Energon Universe''' is the name for the shared universe in which [[Skybound Entertainment]]'s comic books featuring licensed properties from [[Hasbro]] take place. Launched in [[2023]], these properties currently include [[Transformers (2023 comic)|an ongoing ''Transformers'' series]], a line of ''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]'' comics, and the original series ''[[Void Rivals]]''.

==Overview==
The aliens [[Darak]] and [[Solila]], members of two warring factions, become stranded on a deserted planet and are forced to work together to survive. While attempting to escape, the two come across the derelict form of the [[Transformer|Cybertronian]] [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], who is restored to functionality and leaves to check on the state of his homeworld, [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].

Jetfire's journey brings him to the planet Earth, where he finds and reactivates the dormant [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s and they resume their war. In response to their awakening, events are set into motion that will lead to the formation of the special ops team [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] and the terrorist organization [[Cobra]].

==Development==

===Comic series===
[[Robert Kirkman]] first began developing the Energon Universe in [[2021]] after Hasbro approached Skybound about taking over the licenses for ''Transformers'' and ''G.I. Joe'' from [[IDW Publishing]]. Wanting to do something unique, Kirkman proposed launching the universe with a new property that would feature a surprise reveal in the first issue, which eventually became ''Void Rivals''. Along with writing ''Void Rivals'', Kirkman acts as a sort of "showrunner" for the rest of the Energon Universe line, with other creators working on the main ''Transformers'' and ''G.I. Joe'' comics.<ref>[https://www.ign.com/articles/robert-kirkman-void-rivals-shared-energon-universe-transformers-gi-joe How Robert Kirkman's Void Rivals Secretly Launches a Massive Shared Universe — IGN]</ref> It was named the Energon Universe after [[Joshua Williamson]] pitched the idea of integrating Energon into the ''Cobra Commander'' mini series.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=We were actually struggling for a name for the line, as Josh was developing Cobra Commander. He was like "I think I think they could find some Energon in the swamp here". And I was like "oh, Energon's in G.I. Joe now. I can put Energon in Void Rivals, super easy."
|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMTfuouxzEg&t=2889s|name=Robert Kirkman|site=YouTube|year=2025|month=05|day=12}}</ref>

In the letters page for [[Void Rivals issue 3|''Void Rivals'' #3]], Kirkman stated that there were no plans to integrate other Hasbro properties into the Energon Universe, though that could change in the future — something that did indeed occur in [[2025]] with the introduction of [[Matt Trakker]] and [[Miles Mayhem]] from ''[[M.A.S.K. (franchise)|M.A.S.K.]]'' into the universe. He also confirmed that they don't plan to have more than four series running at once. As of [[Void Rivals issue 15|''Void Rivals'' #15]], Kirkman had affirmed that the Energon Universe will "for the foreseeable future" consist solely of the ''Void Rivals'', ''Transformers'' and ''G.I. Joe'' ongoing titles to keep the line at a manageable, easy-to-follow size, with no plans to publish any additional miniseries in the style of the four ''G.I. Joe'' origin stories. However, by February [[2026]] those plans had changed, as Kirkman’s keynote address at ComicsPro announced the addition of a fourth ongoing, based on ''M.A.S.K.'', being written by [[Dan Watters]] and drawn by [[Simon Parr]].<ref> [https://imagecomics.com/press-releases/image-skybound-hasbro-announce-new-energon-universe-series-m-a-s-k-by-dan-watters-pye-parr/ Image Comics: IMAGE/SKYBOUND & HASBRO ANNOUNCE NEW ENERGON UNIVERSE SERIES M.A.S.K. BY DAN WATTERS & PYE PARR]</ref>

===Animated series===
An animated adaptation of the Energon Universe, produced by Skybound and Hasbro with [[Joe Henderson]] attached as showrunner, was reported to be in-development in late 2025. Like the source material, it is meant to be aimed at an older audience than the typical ''Transformers'' viewer.<ref>[https://deadline.com/2025/10/energon-universe-adult-animated-series-joe-henderson-1236592776/ Deadline: Energon Universe Adult Animated Series Based On Comic From Hasbro & Skybound With Joe Henderson As Showrunner Hitting TV Marketplace]</ref>

==List of featured intellectual properties==
* ''[[Void Rivals]]'' (original)
* ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]''
* ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]''
* ''[[M.A.S.K. (franchise)|M.A.S.K.]]''

==Titles==
===Ongoing series===
* ''[[Void Rivals]]''
* ''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]''
* ''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]''
* ''[[M.A.S.K. (2026 comic)|M.A.S.K.]]''

===Limited series===
* ''[[Duke (comic)|Duke]]''
* ''[[Cobra Commander (comic)|Cobra Commander]]''
* ''[[Scarlett (comic)|Scarlett]]''
* ''[[Destro (comic)|Destro]]''

===Specials===
* ''[[Energon Universe 2024 Special]]''
* ''[[Energon Universe 2025 Special]]''
* ''[[Energon Universe 2026 Special]]''

==Distribution and localization==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Publisher
!Country
!Language
|-
|[[Ades Media]]
|Sweden
|Swedish
|-
|Moztros Editorial
|[[Spain]]
|Spanish
|-
|Nagle Comics
|Poland
|Polish
|-
|OVNI Press
|Latin America
|Spanish
|-
|Panini Comics
|[[Germany]]
|German
|-
|saldaPress
|[[Italy]]
|Italian
|-
|Szukits Kiadó
|[[Hungary]]
|Hungarian
|-
|Tiandi Press
|[[China]]
|Chinese
|-
|Urban Comics
|[[France]]
|French
|}

==Toyline==
===Void Rivals===
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''San Diego Comic-Con 2025'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Jetfire (G1)/toys#Void Rivals|Autobot Jetfire]] (w/ [[Solila#Toys|Zertonian Solila]] and [[Darak#Toys|Agorrian Darak]])}}
|width="20%" valign="top"|[[File:SDCC 2025 Void Rivals box set.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|right|Autobot Jetfire (w/ Zertonian Solila and Agorrian Darak), the first toys to be released to coincide with the new universe.]]
|}

===''Studio Series''===
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Hasbro Pulse]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generations toys#SSEnergonUniverse|Energon Universe Optimus Prime]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|[[File:GensEUOptimusPrime.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Energon Universe Optimus Prime]]
|}

== Posters ==
<gallery>
File:EnergonUniversePoster.jpeg|Initial poster featuring [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], [[Darak]] and [[Solila]] (2023).
File:EU2ndAnniversary.jpg|Second anniversary poster (2025).
</gallery>

==Notes==
*Previously, non-''Transformers'' comics fell out of this wiki’s purview unless they featured ''Transformers'' characters in them. For example, [[IDW Publishing]]'s [[G.I. Joe vol. 5|''G.I. Joe'' vol. 5]] is covered on this wiki due to the presence of [[Skywarp (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Skywarp]], but the preceding volumes are not. However, unlike prior publishers such as IDW and [[Marvel Comics]], the Energon Universe's non-''Transformers'' properties are being incorporated into one cohesive universe right from the get-go, with Cybertronians appearing as recurring characters in ''Void Rivals'' and driving the plots of the various ''G.I. Joe'' series (and later appearing in them as well). As it wouldn’t be very user friendly to ''only'' cover those issues that feature ''Transformers'' characters, we at TFWiki.net have, at least for now, opted to cover the non-''Transformers'' titles in the Energon Universe in full, in order to keep everything nice and simple.

==See also==
* [[Hasbro Universe]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Crossovers]]
[[Category:Skybound Entertainment]]

G.I. Joe Energon Universe 2026 Special story

2026-05-05T03:19:08Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Notes */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Energon Universe 2026 Special]]''
|prev=Void Rivals Energon Universe 2026 Special story
|next=
|seriesissue2=''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]''
|prev2=G.I. Joe (2024) issue 21
|next2=G.I. Joe (2024) issue 22
|image=Energon Universe 2026 Special Cover B.jpg
|caption=
|title=
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[May 2]], [[2026]]
|written by=[[Joshua Williamson]]
|art by=[[Tom Reilly]]
|colors by=[[Lee Loughridge]]
|letters by=[[Rus Wooton]]
|editors=[[Ben Abernathy]]
|production design=[[Andres Juarez]]
|production=[[Ashby Florence]]
|continuity=[[Energon Universe]]
|chronology=
}}

'''The story of the man called Zartan, revealed at last!'''

==Synopsis==
[[Zartan]] regales his history to a captured [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|Colonel Hawk]]:

''Once, Zartan was the greatest master of disguise the world had ever known, using his abilities as a mercenary. However, as time progressed, modern surveillance and technology rendered his skills obsolete. That was, until he discovered Doctor [[Laszlo Vandermeer]] and his study of [[Energon]]. Zartan forced the doctor to help him create a synthetic skin using Energon and nanotechnology, granting him the ability to change into anyone he desired. However, the procedure proved imperfect, and long-term exposure to the synthetic skin forced him to rely on Energon to survive.''

Now, he plans to use Hawk’s identity – alongside the resources of Hawk’s newly-formed [[G.I. Joe (team)|special mission force]] – to amass the Energon that he needs. Hawk warns him that he will be found out eventually, but Zartan reminds Hawk that they’ve known each other for a long time and that he knows how to imitate the Colonel perfectly. He then bids Hawk goodbye, leaving him trapped and screaming out for help...

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in photographs. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|h1=[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]|c1=
* [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|Hawk]] (1)

|h3=[[Dreadnok]]s|c3=
* [[Zartan]] (2)
* ''[[Zandar]]'' (4)
* ''[[Zarana]]'' (5)

|h4=Others|c4=
* ''[[Laszlo Vandermeer]]'' (3)
* ''[[Duke (G.I. Joe)|Duke]]'' (6)
* ''[[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]]'' (7)
* ''[[Lady Jaye]]'' (8)
}}

==Quotes==
"This is not just about ruling the world. Or money. Or power. For me. It is about pain. It is about '''survival.'''"
:—'''Zartan'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* This story finally gives us confirmation of when Zartan replaced Hawk, doing so sometime between the events of [[Duke (comic)|Duke]] [[Duke issue 5|issue #5]] and the [[G.I. Joe Energon Universe 2024 Special story]].
* Laszlo Vandermeer was first seen working with the Dreadnoks in [[Cobra Commander (comic)|Cobra Commander]] [[Cobra Commander issue 4|#4]].

===''G.I. Joe'' references===
* The side effect of Zartan's synthetic skin turning blue is a reference to his original toy’s color-changing gimmick, where the figure’s skin tone would change while in sunlight. In addition, the bald and bearded mask seen in panel three is based on the mask that the original figure included as part of his disguise gimmick.

===Errors===
* Laszlo Vandermeer’s first name is spelled "Lazlo."
* The quote above should read "for me, it is about pain", with a comma combining the sentences rather than a period.

{{DEFAULTSORT:G.I. Joe (2024) issue 21.5}}
[[Category:G.I. Joe (2024) issues]]

Gong (GoBots)

2026-05-03T07:37:31Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Fiction */

{{factions|renegade}}
{{disambig3|Gong}}
:''Gong is a [[Renegade]] from the [[GoBots]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:RenegadeRhetoric Farewell Gong.jpg|thumb|250px]]

'''Gong''' is a mysterious, imp-ish figure with power over time and space. Although nominally a [[Renegade]], no one knows where he truly comes from. Gong seems to prefer mischief over malice, but his abilities mean that even some light mischief can have universe-warping consequences. Gong apparently serves [[Cy-Kill (GoBots)|Cy-Kill]] out of a sense of fun, but his loyalty to the Renegade overlord and their cause has never been truly tested.

==Fiction==
===Renegade Rhetoric===
When [[Cy-Kill (GoBots)|Cy-Kill]] seemingly vanished out of existence after being shot with the [[Anti-Phasic Displacer Blaster]], [[Fitor (GoBots)|Fitor]] spared no expense searching the galaxy for signs of his survival. Months passed, but [[Pincher (GoBots)|Pincher]] eventually returned to the ''[[Rogue Star]]'' with a curious new Renegade called Gong. Fitor convinced Gong to locate Cy-Kill, and the trickster departed [[Level 1]] to seek Cy-Kill elsewhere in the multiverse. {{storylink|Opportunity Knocks Part 1}}

Cy-Kill hinted at a Renegade ally on [[Axiom Nexus]] who clued him in to the connection between [[Vector Prime]] and the Guardian "Vec-Tor". One would presume this was Gong, who successfully located Cy-Kill. {{storylink|Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric|Renegade Rhetoric 2015/10/15}}

Once the [[Transcendent Technomorph]]s finally identified him as a divisive faction leader, they stormed Cy-Kill's location during a broadcast of [[Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric]]. He summoned Gong to appear at his location, and the temporal imp opened a portal back to the [[Gargent|Gargent Cluster]]. Cy-Kill and the various Cybertronians he had recruited as new Renegades passed through Gong's portal to return to Level 1. {{storylink|Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric|Renegade Rhetoric 2015/10/21}}

Gong's portal opened up at the ''Rogue Star'' just as [[Courageous]] and the Guardians were boarding the Renegade flagship. The sudden arrival of Cy-Kill and his forces upset the flow of battle and forced both sides to retreat and reorganize. Gong, however, vanished during the melee. {{storylink|Opportunity Knocks Part 2}}

===Echoes and Fragments===
Gong was hanging out at [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] on a version of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] when he ran into a seemingly-similar mischief-maker named [[Sideways (AVP)|Sideways]]. The two invaders from foreign dimensions shared a drink, and Gong began bragging that his Guardians and Renegades would fare well against the upcoming attack of [[Unicron]]. Sideways got him to put it to a wager, and together they planned to manipulate the [[Omega Lock]]s across two universes to blend this reality with one containing Gong's [[GoBot]] contemporaries.

Gong reached Cybertron's Omega Lock and began tweaking one-dimensional strings and the vibrational frequencies they used to define that universe. Under his influence, the Renegades of [[Gobotron|GoBotron]] replaced the Decepticons in the events leading up to the attack on [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]]. Meanwhile, Sideways found his own Omega Lock terminal at the core of [[Old GoBotron]] in the second reality. His manipulations inverted the factions at play, restoring the Decepticons but now showing the Guardians of Guardian City defending against the invasion from their enemies. Sideways began to play again, mixing Autobots and Guardians, Decepticons and Renegades, before being pursued by [[Vector Prime|Vec-Tor]].

Sideways was captured by Vec-Tor and the Guardians, leaving Gong without a playmate to match wits with. He grew bored at the Omega Lock until Sideways escaped and called to alert Gong that Vec-Tor was coming for him. They laid a trap for Vec-Tor, getting him magnetized to Gong while Sideways was free to strike at the elderly Guardian. Somewhat fortunately, Unicron began his attack on Cybertron at that moment, causing cyber-quakes which freed Vec-Tor to swing Gong into a conduit, shocking him unconscious.

Vec-Tor and Sideways battled over the controls of the Omega Lock, while Vec-Tor tried to discern Sideways' true motives. Gong awakened in time to hear Sideways call the Renegade trickster an idiot, and his plan all along was to cause the destruction of the universe at Unicron's hands. Sideways was injured by Vec-Tor and forced to flee, leaving the Guardian to fix the dimensional strings just in time. As he tended to his wounds, Sideways was approached by a vengeful Gong, looking to pay him back for the earlier insult... {{storylink|Echoes and Fragments}}

===''Timelines''===
The [[Monster GoBot]]s' database of [[Diaspora]] refugees had the note "FROM THE FILES HACKED FROM GONG AND TIC TOC." {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Roleplaying Game''===
[[Heinrad (BW)|Heinrad]] claimed to have once encountered Gong. {{storylink|Technorganic Secrets}}

==Notes==
* Gong was one of two transforming ''GoBots'' watches. His status as a super-powerful time guy follows on from the ''[[Kronoform]]'' watches being turned into time/space travelers.
*Gong's Cybertronian-style body is modeled on the [[Real Gear Robots|Real Gear Robot]] [[Meantime]]/[[Midnighter XR-4]] toy.

==External links==
{{GBwiki|Gong}}
*[http://monzo12782.tumblr.com/post/24947947530/vintage-transforming-gobot-watches-gong-and-tic Gong (and Tic Toc) at Neo-Monzopolis]

[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Renegades]]
[[Category:Transformers Roleplaying Game characters]]
[[Category:TransTech characters]]
[[Category:Watches]]

Blueshift (TransTech)

2026-05-03T07:28:24Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* TransTech */ wrong date

{{disambig2|the Transcendent Technormorph|the Velocitronian|Blueshift (Prime)}}
:''Blueshift is a [[Transcendent Technomorph]] from the [[Transformers: TransTech|TransTech]] [[continuity]].''
{{faceless}}

'''Blueshift''' is a scientific student, having studied under [[Vector Prime]].

==Fiction==
===''TransTech''===
Blueshift observed [[Echoes and Fragments|the incident]] wherein [[Sideways (AVP)|Sideways]] and [[Renegade#Gong|Gong]] tuned [[Gargent 186.0 Gamma|a Gargent reality]] with a [[Primax]] reality to create a highly unstable [[Iocus]] reality. Studying this event, Blueshift wrote a paper about it, which was published in the academic journal [[Applied Multiversal and Megaversal Studies, Quarterly]]. His mentor [[Vector Prime]] later shared [[Echoes and Fragments|an early prose version]] of Blueshift's paper with his [[Ask Vector Prime]] audience. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2/6/2016}}

[[Category:Internet-only characters]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:Transcendent Technomorphs]]

Windshear

2026-05-02T23:18:37Z

Cylasbreakdown: Updated categories

{{factions|minicon|decepticon|ammonite}}
{{disambig3|Wind Sheer}}
:''Windshear is a [[Mini-Con]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]] (via the [[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]] toyline).''

[[File:WindshearGenerations-Legends.jpg|thumb|300px]]

'''Windshear''' (aka '''Windsheer''') is the [[Mini-Con Assault Team]]'s combat support. Her helicopter mode's stealth capabilities render her undetectable in combat, allowing her to sneak up on a target and strike before they even know what's happening. She can combine with [[Runway (Generations)|Runway]] and [[Heavytread (Generations)|Heavytread]] into [[Centuritron]].

Windshear's nature varies. Incarnations of her across the multiverse include [[Micromaster]]s, [[Mini-Con]]s, and [[Ammonite]]s.

==Fiction==
===2005 IDW continuity===
{{note|Windshear was only seen combined as part of Centuritron.}}
As [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] explained his role in the Dark Cybertron prophecy to [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]], a swarm of seventy billion [[Ammonite]]s descended upon Cybertron, with Centuritron front-and-center among the throng of invaders. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
On post-war Cybertron, Windsheer was one of many [[Micromaster]]s stationed at [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] in the Decepticon city [[Tarn (polity)|Tarn]]. During a battle between the [[Builder of Cybertron|Builders]] and the [[Resistance (BWU)|Resistance]], Windsheer broke away from the main battle with [[Lio Convoy (BW)|Lio Convoy]]'s force and confronted intruders trying to enter Fortress Maximus. She and [[Bulge (BWU)|Bulge]] engaged [[Buzzclaw (BW)|Buzzclaw]], but the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] took them out with a flak canister. {{storylink|Head Games}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Legends''===
[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]] arrived on the Minicons' planet during his investigations into an anomaly associated with the [[Dead Universe]], resulting in the Assault Team taking up arms and joining the battles surrounding an ancient prophecy concerning [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|Dark Cybertron (Legends)|Dark Cybertron}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:BattleTacticsWindshear.jpg|thumb]]
Windshear participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of her! She was an Uncommon character who could be recruited by collecting 65 units of Cybermetal, and 30 units of Transmetal. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers: Bumblebee Overdrive''===
[[File:BBOWindshear.jpg|thumb|100px]]
Windshear was in command of the seventh Decepticon base attacked and destroyed by the Autobots during a series of raids. She battled against the invaders in helicopter mode, but was eventually defeated. {{storylink|Transformers: Bumblebee Overdrive}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===''Generations''===
[[File:Generationstoy-Windshear.jpg|thumb|300px|And I'll form the head!]]
*'''Mini-Con Assault Team''' (Mini-Con, 2014)
**''Series/Number:'' '''02 / #013'''
**''Accessories'': Minigun
{{toydesigner|[[Joe Kyde]] (Hasbro)}}

:Part of the eighth wave of ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)#T30|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class toys, ''[[Thrilling 30]]'' Windshear transforms into a green-and-black helicopter. She comes with a minigun that can peg underneath her cockpit and onto her arms via [[5 mm post]]. She comes with Heavytread and Runway, and all three can combine into the mighty Centuritron, with her weapon helping to form the combined robot's combined weapon. Unfortunately, Windshear has a [[design flaw]] in that her cockpit is attached with a joint that makes it pop off almost every time the figure is transformed or combined. Her free-spinning rotor can be a hindrance for Centuritron (if the blades are able to get through Windshear's panels on the back of her arms), though not to a major extent.

:Tampographed on her helicopter tail is the alphanumeric marking "7H37A", which in turn stands for the Greek letter "Theta".

:She also comes with a copy of "[[Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4]]".
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Mini-Con/Windshear/windshear.htm More information on Windshear at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

===''Generations'' (Japan)===
[[File:Generationstoy-TakaraTomy-Windsheer.jpg|thumb|300px|<big>'''''CHANGE: GETTER 1／DRAGON／GO／ARC!!!'''''</big>]]
*'''Mini-Con Assault Team''' ([[March 23]], [[2014]])
**''ID number:'' '''TG32'''
**''Accessories'': Minigun
:The [[TakaraTomy]] version of Windshear, part of the fourteenth wave of Japanese [[Transformers: Generations (Japan)|''Generations'']] toys, notably bears the English spelling "Windsheer". This version is also shinier, casting her plastics in darker, metallic shades, and featuring additional silver [[Paint operation|paint details]] on her toes and canopy, among other deco changes. Her [[stock photography]] erroneously depicts her being cast in the same glossy, non-metallic plastic as the Hasbro version.

==Notes==
*In the real world, "[[Wiktionary:wind shear|wind shear]]" is indeed the real word.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Windsheer''' (ウインドシアー ''Uindoshiā'')

[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising Decepticons]]
[[Category:Female Transformers]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Mini-Cons]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) aliens]]
[[Category:Micromasters]]
[[Category:Mini-Con combiners]]
[[Category:Stentarians]]
[[Category:Variable species characters]]

Void Rivals issue 29

2026-05-02T18:55:35Z

Cylasbreakdown: I’m tired, boss.

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Void Rivals]]'' #29
|prev=Void Rivals issue 28
|next=Void Rivals issue 30
|image=Void Rivals 29 Cover A.jpg
|caption=Looks like the Void Rivals have nothing but contempt for this court!
|title=
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[April 22]], [[2026]]
|coverdate=April 2026
|written by=[[Robert Kirkman]]
|art by=[[Andrei Bressan]]
|colors by=[[Dee Cunniffe]]
|letters by=[[Rus Wooton]]
|editor=[[Ben Abernathy]]
|continuity=[[Energon Universe]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Darak and Dulin experience first-hand the Quintessons' brand of justice.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Vector Theta]] reawakens! [[Beta (G1)#Energon Universe|Zerta Trion]] has decided it is time for her to join the fight, and requests the supercomputer repair her legs. Vector Theta promises it will be done.

[[Pythona]] runs through the streets of [[Zertonia]] towards the crashed [[Leviathan (Cobra-La)|Leviathan]], taking out a [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]] on the way. She is spotted by [[Proximus]], who tries to stop her and ask some questions, but Pythona has no time for a machine and sends out tendrils to scramble his circuits. But Proximus is not a machine, and the tendrils instead form a psychic connection, showing Proximus everything in her mind, including her current mission. Proximus, his questions answered, merely implores her to complete her mission.

The forces of the [[Quintesson]]s have breached the capital of [[Agorria]]. [[Dulin]] tries to rally his remaining forces, but is cut off by the arrival of the [[Tribunal]]. The War Judge requests the Agorrians surrender, but Dulin isn’t having any of it. Meanwhile, [[Darak]] is attempting to save his father—by sending a [[Jump Jet]] into the atmosphere and then turning right back around and crashing it into the Tribunal! Darak survives the collision thanks to an [[Energon]] boost, but unfortunately the Tribunal is completely unfazed and merely knocks the Agorrian unconscious. Darak wakes up in a massive prison cell, alongside Dulin and what Agorrians survived the Tribunal’s assault. Dulin assures his son not to lose hope.

Pythona approaches the crash site, and is greeted by [[Borr]], the final dog-like mutation of [[Grakula]]’s armor. Elsewhere in Zertonia, the [[Unifier]]s are saved by the appearance of [[Zalilak]] and [[Solila]], who make quick work of the [[Allicon]]s. Unfortunately, Solila hasn’t heard anything from Darak about Agorria.

In the Tribunal’s flagship, Dulin and Darak are put on trial before the War Judge. The verdict? Innocent! Dulin and Darak discover what that means as they are dropped into the Sharkticon pit…
==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|h4=[[Agorrian]]s|c4=
* [[Dulin]] (6)
* [[Dukan]] (8)
* [[Darak]] (10)

|h5=[[Zertonian]]s|c5=
* [[Proximus]] (5)
* [[Kanela]] (13)
* [[Zalilak]] (15)
* [[Solila]] (16)

|h6=Others|c6=
* [[Vector Theta]] (1)
* [[Beta (G1)#Energon Universe|Zerta Trion]] (2)
* Red [[Handroid]] (9)
'''[[Cobra-La]]'''
* [[Pythona]] (3)
* [[Borr]] (11)
* [[Grakula]] (12)
'''[[Quintesson]]s'''
* [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s (4)
* The [[Tribunal]] (7)
* [[Allicon]]s (14)
* [[Quintesson Prosecutor|Prosecutor]] (17)
* [[Quintesson Bailiff|Bailiffs]] (18)
}}

==Quotes==

==Notes==
===Continuity Notes===
{{issuestub}}

===Transformers References===
* The Quintessons’ trial is obviously a huge reference to [[The Transformers: The Movie]].
** The Prosecutor quotes verbatim the “beg for your lives” line from the film (albeit subbing in “esteemed Tribunal” for “imperial magistrate”).

===Errors===
*

===Other Notes===
* Energon Experience: Presented by Skybound Executive Editor Ben Abernathy
** '''Character Spotlight:''' Dukan
** '''Trion real hard!:''' Will we be getting a Zerta Trion/Tribunal battle?
** '''Creator Spotlight:''' Ben asks artist [[Andrei Bressan]] which Quintesson face is most fun to draw. Bressan responds Dominion; the Roman aesthetic makes the Italian in him happy.

===Covers===
* '''Cover A:''' Darak and Dulin wish to be spared this mockery of justice, by [[Lorenzo De Felici]]
* '''Cover B:''' Grakula and Borr, by [[Andrei Bressan]] and [[Adriano Lucas]].
* '''Cover C:''' Dulin, by [[Ben Oliver]]
* '''Cover D (1:25 Copy Incentive):''' Darak battles Sharkticons, by [[Crom Carpenter]]
* '''Cover E (1:50 Copy Incentive):''' Pythona, by [[Chuma Hill]]

<gallery>
File:Void Rivals 29 Cover A.jpg|
File:Void Rivals 29 Cover B.jpg|
File:Void Rivals 29 Cover C.jpg|
File:Void Rivals 29 Cover D.jpg|
File:Void Rivals 29 Cover E.jpg|
</gallery>

===Reprints===
* '''''Void Rivals Volume 5: Quintesson War''''' ([[July 21]], [[2026]]) ISBN 1534332515 / ISBN 978-1534332515 
** Collects issues #25-30.
** Trade paperback format.

<gallery>
File:Void Rivals V5.jpg|'''''Volume 5: Quintesson War''''' - cover art by Lorenzo De Felici
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Void Rivals issues]]

Void Rivals issue 29

2026-05-02T18:17:01Z

Cylasbreakdown: Created page with "{{Comicstory |seriesissue=''Void Rivals'' #29 |prev=Void Rivals issue 28 |next=Void Rivals issue 30 |image=Void Rivals 29 Cover A.jpg |caption=Looks like the Void Rivals h..."

Stormbringer issue 3

2026-05-02T02:52:12Z

Cylasbreakdown: Replaced “cabal” with a less loaded word

{{Comicstory
|series=stormbringer|issueno=3
|prev=Stormbringer issue 2
|next=Stormbringer issue 4
|image=StrombringerCover3.jpg
|caption=Comin' to wreck house in your neighborhood.
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[September 6]], [[2006]]
|coverdate=September 2006
|story by=[[Simon Furman]]
|art by=[[Don Figueroa]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|color assist by=[[grungewerx]]
|letters by=[[Robbie Robbins]]
|edits by=[[Chris Ryall]] & [[Dan Taylor (IDW)|Dan Taylor]]
|continuity=[[2005 IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[2005 IDW timeline#2006-7|2006-7]]
}}
'''As the Decepticons try to stop Thunderwing, Optimus Prime and the Wreckers take on Bludgeon's cult.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Roadbustertotherescue.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]
[[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]], now firmly under the control of [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], has touched down on the once-peaceful planet of [[Nebulos]], deploying a formidable arsenal of weaponry against its occupants to further Bludgeon's insane plan to scour the planet clean in the hopes of rejuvenating Cybertron. A pleased Bludgeon watches from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] as his creation rampages through a Nebulan city, but other matters soon demand his attention; setting Thunderwing on auto-control, Bludgeon and his followers move on to the next phase of their plan: having continued Thunderwing's research on the [[Pretender|polydermal grafting]] technology that ultimately drove him insane, the rogue Decepticons have improved on Thunderwing's findings and created the next generation of organic carapaces.

Up above, in the ruins of [[Nova Cronum]], [[Nosecone (G1)|Nosecone]] and [[Afterburner (G1)|Afterburner]] struggle to overpower their [[Centurion droid|Centurion]] attackers. It looks like the end for the duo... but luck's in their favor when [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] and [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]] plough into the droids in the nick of time, gunning them down in a hail of fire! A few minutes later, Nosecone comes to amidst a group of Autobots; his rescuers were the vanguard for a larger detachment, one led by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] himself and bringing the rest of the elite [[Wreckers]] with him. Optimus and [[Springer (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Springer]] talk tactics while Topspin fills in the driller on their findings. Topspin tells him to stay topside: he's done enough, and now it's time for "the professionals" to take over.

As Thunderwing runs amok on Nebulos, the local [[Decepticon]] [[Infiltration protocol|infiltration unit]] weigh up their options in the face of certain doom. Squad leader [[Darkwing (G1)|Darkwing]] makes the final call to attack the creature, ordering [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] to stay behind and erase all trace of their presence if they can't control it. As the crew rolls out, however, Darkwing makes a secret agreement with his teammate [[Dreadwind (G1)|Dreadwind]] to flee the scene if things get too rough.

[[File:IDWBludgeonShell.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Stormbringer coming down, meaning to stay; thunder and lightning heading your way!]]

On Cybertron, the Wreckers swing into action: [[Twin Twist (G1)|Twin Twist]] and [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] first use their earthmoving [[alternate mode]]s to burrow straight down into Bludgeon's bunker, and then Optimus Prime leads the charge. Bludgeon's loyalists aren't prepared for the Wreckers' onslaught and swiftly fall; [[Iguanus (G1)|Iguanus]], meanwhile, slips away from the carnage and makes a break for the pressure vats to alert Bludgeon... only to find Bludgeon's already there, clad in a new suit of polydermal armor and wielding a glowing sword!

Back on Nebulos, the terrified Decepticons make their last stand against Thunderwing, to predictable results: [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]] is pulped in one hand, [[Roadgrabber]] is swatted out of the air and crashes into a building, and [[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]] is crushed underfoot. Darkwing and Dreadwing make a half-hearted pass against the beast, but as the atmosphere begins to ionize, the two opt to grab Thrust, cut their losses, and run.

[[File:Stormbringer3 NebulousDecepticons2.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Dark cloud gathering, breaking the day; no point running 'cause it's coming your way!]]

The Wreckers, meanwhile, have breached the pressure vat chamber and barge through, expecting a fight... only to find that Bludgeon has bisected Iguanus with his sword and suffered a system failure of his own, the flesh of his shell melting off his catatonic body. Optimus consoles the dying Iguanus as the Decepticon explains where Bludgeon went wrong: the exo-shell hadn't been properly aligned, and the resulting backlash has, in effect, trapped the mad Decepticon inside his own head. Roadbuster and [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] successfully rescue [[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]] from one of Bludgeon's machines; he tells Optimus Prime to shut down Bludgeon's [[axis cradle]], and Springer obliges by blowing the machine to bits.

Having escaped the ravaged Nebulos, Dreadwind and Darkwing send a message to [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]], who in turn contacts the [[Decepticon High Command|High Command]]. The message finds its way to [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]], who has recently arrived on [[Earth]]; he authorizes Razorclaw to do whatever is necessary to stop Thunderwing... even if it means destroying Cybertron in the process.

And, on Cybertron, Jetfire gets to work decoding the data in Bludgeon's systems, discovering that Bludgeon has used a mysterious substance known as "[[Ore-13|Ultra-Energon]]" to awaken Thunderwing in the first place. Before he can get any further, however, an orbital perimeter alarm sounds—with Bludgeon's control system destroyed, Thunderwing is coming home...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Nosecone (G1)|Nosecone]] (8)
* [[Afterburner (G1)|Afterburner]] (9)
* [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] (10)
* [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]] (11)
* [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (12)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] (13)
* [[Springer (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Springer]] (14)
* [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] (15)
* [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] (16)
* [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] (24)
* [[Twin Twist (G1)|Twin Twist]] (25)
* [[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]] (26)
|c2=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
* [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] (1)
* [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] (2)
* [[Skullgrin]] (3)
* [[Finback]] (4)
* [[Bomb-Burst (G1)|Bomb-Burst]] (5)
* [[Iguanus (G1)|Iguanus]] (6)
* [[Centurion droid|Centurion Drones]] (7)
* [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]] (17)
* [[Darkwing (G1)|Darkwing]] (18)
* [[Dreadwind (G1)|Dreadwind]] (19)
* [[Skullcruncher (G1)|Skullcruncher]] (20)
* [[Roadgrabber]] (21)
* [[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]] (22)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
* [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (23)
* [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] (27)
* [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] (28)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==
"Suppose there's no point in asking you to stay up here, out of the firing line." 
"No."
:—'''Springer''' and '''Optimus Prime'''.

"Damn! Damn! Damn! It's all gone to Hell!"
:—'''Iguanus''' is having a bad day.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* They sure look dead in this issue, but under the pen of [[James Roberts]] both Crankcase and Skullcruncher would be revealed to have ''survived'' their encounter with Thunderwing in ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]:'' Crankcase would go on to join the misfit [[Scavengers (G1)|Scavenger]]s, while Skullcruncher got off better and started a new life as a stand-up comedian.
* In a similar vein, several of Bludgeon's cultists sure ''look'' as though they've been killed, but ''[[The Transformers: Lost Light]]'' would suggest that at least three members — [[Bomb-Burst (G1)|Bomb-Burst]], [[Skullgrin]], and [[Finback]] — had merely been subdued and eventually imprisoned in the Autobot's infamous [[Garrus-9]] prison facility.
* Megatron's brief appearance in this issue links directly to the concurrent [[The Transformers: Infiltration|''Infiltration'']] miniseries, where we see Megatron's side of the conversation in the pages of [[Infiltration issue 4|issue #4]] and [[Infiltration issue 5|#5]].
* '''First appearances:''' Razorclaw

===Transformers references===
* Optimus Prime's hand-held rifles are pretty obviously those from his [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Powermaster body]]. This in mind, his arm-mounted twin-cannons could be inspired by the same toy.
* Bludgeon's new suit of polydermal armor is heavily based on his toy's Pretender shell. Unlike the original, however, its design suggests that, like the [[Mega Pretender|Mega]] and [[Ultra Pretender]]s, it's able to assume an alternate mode all its own; in Bludgeon's case, some kind of treaded ground vehicle.

===Errors===
* In the recap, Thunderwing is called Bludgeon.
* Iguanus has a different design for his face during his death scene with Prime.

===Other trivia===
* Japanese characters can be seen on the monitor in the last panel, suggesting that someone didn't want to go to the trouble of coming up with suitably alien letters...
* The Decepticomments section had readers' mail answered by Chris Ryall.

===Covers (3)===
* '''Cover A:''' Wreckers wraparound cover by Don Figueroa and Josh Burcham. This cover can be combined with similar ones from the other three issues to form a giant battle scene.
* '''Cover B:''' Cybertron sketch wraparound cover by Don Figueroa; this was later colored for ''[[The Transformers: The Best of Simon Furman|The Best of Simon Furman]]'' trade paperback and the [[Madman Entertainment]]-exclusive [[The Transformers (Madman)|comic]].
* '''Cover RI:''' Cover A uncolored.

<gallery>
File:Stormbringer 3a full.jpg|Who ya gonna call? The Wreckers!
File:Stormbringer 3b.jpg|Cybertron is a spiky ball!
File:Stormbringer 3ria.jpg|Cover RI-A
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* Optimus Prime [[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]] toy
* ''[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]'' series
* ''[[The Transformers: Infiltration|Infiltration]]'' TPB
* ''[[The Transformers: Generations (comic)|Generations]]'' series
* ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' 20th Anniversary DVD
* Transformers posters

===Reprints===
In addition to [[The Transformers: Stormbringer#Collections|collections of the full series]].
* N/A

Headmaster (technology)

2026-05-02T02:02:01Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* The Transformers */

{{picsneeded}}
{{disambig3.5|the 1987 gimmick|the 2016 gimmick|Titan Master|Headmaster}}
[[File:Trialbyfire-headmaster-rollcall.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|This probably hurts.]]
'''Headmasters''' are a type of symbiotic variation on the [[Transformer]] lifeform in which a smaller being, frequently but not exclusively organic, [[Transformation|transforms]] into the head of a larger robot. Headmaster bonding typically occurs between two sentient beings, but there have been cases in which the head or the body (such as the [[Transtector]]s or the [[Sunstreaker clone]]s created by the [[Machination]]) is a non-sentient construct controlled entirely by the other partner.

When it occurs between two sentient beings, the benefits of the Headmaster procedure are many: The partner gains control of a larger, more powerful body, and the Transformer gains an extra perspective on the battlefield, the psychic [[binary bonding]] involved allowing them to draw on both their own ideas, tactics, and instincts as well as those of their partner, as quickly as if they were coming from their own head (since they are). Agility, reaction speed, and targeting accuracy are often enhanced by the process.

The Headmaster process leaves its subject Transformers with one glaring disadvantage: when separated from their partners, they have no head. Most can continue to function as vehicles without their partners, but can do little in [[robot mode]] besides stand around.

In conversation, the term "Headmaster" can apply to both the small partner (the head) and the significant other (the body).

Sometimes a duo of Headmaster partners can jointly pilot a larger city-sized body. The resulting [[Titan (group)|Titan]] is known as a '''double-Headmaster'''.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 continuity family===
====Marvel Comics continuity====
[[File:Fortmaxgiveshead.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Next step: Pez dispenser.]]
The Headmaster technology was primarily the invention of the [[Nebulan]] scientist [[Arcana]] and was designed originally to let Nebulans utilize the bodies of [[Autobot]]s to defend their world, something they did not trust the Autobots enough to let them do on their own.

The organic Nebulans of the Headmaster pairings were able to transform by use of a special suit of "intra-restruction armor" and a "cybernetic mindlink helmet" {{storylink|All or Nothing!}} that interfaced with bio-cybernetic augmentation in the surgically altered humanoid. As described by Arcana, the process as originally enacted allowed the Autobots (still separate, disembodied heads at that point) to radio control their old bodies, while the Nebulan partners observed and planned strategy. This joint cooperation of two minds allowed greatly increased agility and superior aim.

[[File:Brokenglass-autobotstorage.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.6]]
The technology was implemented under dire circumstances, as the Nebulan capital city of [[Koraja]] was under siege by [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]'s Decepticons, who sought the surrender of five Autobots held in Nebulan custody. Five volunteer Nebulans underwent radical reconstructive surgery to allow them to bond with the five Autobots, including [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]], [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]], [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]], [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] and [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]]. Now under Nebulan control, the Headmaster Autobots easily repulsed the Decepticon attack, despite being outnumbered two to one. {{storylink|Broken Glass!}}

The Decepticons reluctantly accepted the possible benefits of this cooperation with organics, and six of them underwent the Headmaster process, with Scorponok bonding to the Nebulan Lord [[Zarak (G1)|Zarak]]. Luring Fortress Maximus's team into an ambush, Scorponok and his fellow Headmasters [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]], [[Skullcruncher (G1)|Skullcruncher]], [[Weirdwolf (G1)|Weirdwolf]], [[Apeface]] and [[Snapdragon (G1)|Snapdragon]] soon defeated their foes, blasting them unconscious, which caused their heads to disconnect and return to humanoid form. {{storylink|Love and Steel!}} The Autobot-allied Nebulans were taken captive and strung up in a suspended animation prison, while Scorponok's Headmasters rampaged across Nebulos, leaving Nebulan ruins and Autobot corpses in their wake. Realizing that his mind was being re-written by Scorponok, Zarak used the last shreds of his sanity to free the Autobot Headmasters. Fortress Maximus and his band soon left Nebulos for Earth, with the Decepticons in pursuit. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!!}}

[[File:Trialbyfire-cerebros-headpitch.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|YOU CAN'T ''BUY'' ME, HOT DOG MAN!]]
En route to Earth, Fortress Maximus was rebuilt into a larger form, with ''two'' Headmaster components: a small robot that transformed into his head, and his partner Galen, who now became the small robot's head.

The two squads of Headmasters soon faced off again on Earth, in a battle inside the cave that had previously held the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]. During the battle, Fortress Maximus and Scorponok both used their smaller Headmaster components to travel through an increasingly tight series of tunnels. Doing so, however, exposed Fortress Maximus's partner Galen to attack, and he died saving the Earthling, [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]. With Galen killed while separated from Fortress Maximus, Spike demonstrated that it was possible for an organic to control/communicate with the larger robot's form with only the control helmet, as he took control of Fortress Maximus with nothing more than Galen's control helmet. Rejuvenated by their leader's attack, the Autobots soon drove off the Decepticon Headmasters. {{storylink|Trial by Fire!}}

The Headmasters largely stayed in the background during most of the Autobots' subsequent adventures, though Fortress Maximus remained a major player in the events leading up to the [[Underbase Saga|Underbase catastrophe]].

Later, a weakness of the ad hoc nature of the Headmaster partnership became apparent. As the partnerships continued, two minds could meld into one, or conflict on nearly every level. For example, Spike and Fortress Maximus were two separate minds sharing one body, with each dominant in his own form and able to converse with the other; while Lord Zarak and Scorponok seemed to reach some sort of fusion where he was both beings merged into one, with Scorponok to all intents and purposes becoming entirely subsumed by Zarak's personality (to the extent that, [[On the Edge of Extinction!|during the battle with Unicron]], "Scorponok"'s interior monologue identifies himself as being Zarak merely filling the role of Scorponok, implying that the original Scorponok psyche was essentially gone). A similar situation developed between Powermaster [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] and [[Hi-Q]], except in the reverse.
{{-}}

=====''Classics''=====
{{noteclassics}}
The Headmaster process is reversible. {{storylink|Cheap Shots}}

=====Regeneration One=====
{{noteRG1}}
After the deaths of most of the Headmasters by Unicron, the original heads still on Nebulos were [[Project Lazarus|given new bodies]]. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 2}} {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part Two}} Chromedome and Stylor were able to have the process completely reversed. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 1}}

====Generation 1 cartoon continuity====
=====''The Transformers'' cartoon=====
[[File:Rebirth 1 Autobot heads.JPG||thumb|*gasp* I promise you! You shall be avenged!]]
In this continuity, the Headmaster process was the brainchild of [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]], who had advocated that using an organic partner would be a good strategy in combat with the [[Decepticon]]s. It also seems much less invasive for the organic humanoid involved. No surgical alteration is apparently needed on their part, and the process seems to consist mainly of altering the Transformer's head to 1) have a control center for a partner to sit at inside and 2) transform around the partner into a fancy [[exosuit]]. While some who have undergone it have commented at feeling a closer bond with their respective partners, there is no reason to believe there is any true psychic connection between them as in the binary bonding of other continuities. Before detaching his head, the Transformer downloads his memory and personality into his auxiliary memory circuits in his chest. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}} Far from being automatically on the same page, at one point the "good" Nebulans disagreed with the Autobots on strategy so much that they abandoned them and ran off, forcibly stranding the Autobots in their vehicle modes.{{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}

=====''Wings Universe''=====
{{wingsnote}}
After [[Zarak (G1)|Mo Zarak]] died, his son [[Olin Zarak]] inherited [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], becoming Scorponok's Headmaster controller. [[Tornado]] claimed to have always said that there was something not right with Headmaster technology. {{storylink|Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur|Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur, 2014/06/03}}

=====Japanese cartoon continuity=====
Attempting to escape the wars on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], a group of diminutive Cybertronians (most of them only a little larger than human beings) fled the planet, only to have their ship crash on the hazardous, inhospitable planet [[Master (planet)|Master]]. The need for survival fostered several technological advances (helped in part by technology derived from a [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|time-traveling spaceship]] that crashed on the planet sometime later). Chief among them was the creation of "[[Transtector]]s": large, lifeless robot bodies which the smaller robots could connect to and control. The small Cybertronians had not yet actually mastered the art of [[transformation]], however, and had to undergo rigorous mental and physical training in order to become "Headmasters" (their name, obviously enough, derived from the planet itself).

The Headmasters subsequently migrated from Master and joined the Autobot and Decepticon forces on Cybertron and [[Earth]], leading to a lengthy conflict that ultimately resulted in both factions departing the Earth for a prolonged period of time. With easy access to Earth cut off, leaving its safety in doubt should it be attacked by Decepticons in the future, the Autobots on Master created [[Master-Brace]]s, technology that harnessed the mysterious [[Chōkon Power]] to transform humans and allow them to connect to Transtectors and become Headmasters themselves. A set of six Master-Braces and Transtectors were dispatched to Earth, but half the shipment was stolen by Decepticons, and both factions subsequently used the technology to turn three young human children into Headmasters in defense of Earth.

Cybertronian Headmasters possess numerous energy-manipulating superpowers. They are able to exchange Transtectors freely with their fellow Headmasters to increase their power levels and can link up with each other in the [[Head Formation]] for various destructive results. In contrast, human Headmasters do not possess any of these powers, but have their own natural physical strength and reflexes enhanced many times over by the energies filling their bodies. Their cellular structures undergo some form of ill-defined holistic transformation which allows them somehow to transform their actual, physical bodies into heads. However, unlike organic Headmasters in other continuities, they do not have to undergo any ''permanent'' alteration; they are capable of "turning off" their powers and becoming normal human beings with ease, the only drawback being that they are unable to remove the Master-Braces that give them their powers.

====3H comics====
[[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]] commented that he preferred [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] when she had "[[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|that kid]]" in her head. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

====Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity====
[[File:Headmaster mech DW mtmte.jpg|thumb|Did they include a bathroom in this thing?]]Headmaster technology was originally developed on Cybertron, to be used in conjunction with [[Micromaster]] technology. It would have allowed a normal-sized robot to transform its head into a small body to conserve [[Energon]]. The process was perfected on Nebulon to allow organic beings to act as the head of a Cybertronian body, using aspects of [[combiner]] technology.

The process was designed to put the Nebulon in control of the body, but the actual process as perfected by [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]] and [[Arcana]] resulted in a mental bonding and partnership, with the robot generally maintaining control. Modified organic beings are able to contort during transformation, though appear normal when not wearing the Headmaster armor. Out of their armor, they are indistinguishable from unmodified beings, though they possess improved strength and endurance.

Profile art depicted the Headmaster heads as larger "mecha" that the human partners pilot. {{storylink|Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye}}
{{-}}

====2005 IDW continuity====
[[File:TheMindBomb-cathead.jpg|thumb|left|250px|How would ''you'' like to have to give your head a flea bath every night?]]

In the years preceding the unification of the [[Thirteen#2005 IDW continuity|Thirteen]], [[The Fallen#2005 IDW continuity|Megatronus]] led his [[Darklands|Darklanders]] in the "[[War of the Headmasters]]," though what exactly this campaign entailed is unclear. {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}}

The first known Headmasters were an ancient Cybertronian faction that fought in the [[First Cybertronian Civil War]] ten million years ago under the command of [[Nexus Prime#2005 IDW continuity|Nexus Prime]]. Their enemy, the Darklander [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]], saw the combination of "beastly" and "pure-born" Cybertronians as an abomination, implying all ancient Headmasters had animal-form heads. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 3: The Mind Bomb|The Mind Bomb}} Galvatron vanquished the Headmasters during the war, paving the way for the unification of the Cybertronian race. {{storylink|Shockpoint}} Known ancient Headmasters include [[Myskrion]], killed by Galvatron, {{storylink|Earthfall Part 3: The Mind Bomb|The Mind Bomb}} and [[Thinkbox]], later retrieved by Galvatron from the ''[[Murkdipper]]'' on the planet [[Spindrift]]. {{storylink|Heart of Darkness issue 3|Heart of Darkness #3}} Another possible Headmaster was [[Scalp]], who was allegedly friends with [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]. {{storylink|The Reluctant Specialist}} [[Titan Master#2005 IDW continuity|Titan Masters]] existed alongside these ancient Headmasters, though what, if any, connection they have to the Headmasters is unknown. {{storylink|White Heat}}

In the modern period, Headmaster technology was reinvented by the shadowy human organization known as the [[Machination]], using technology developed by [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] on the planet [[Nebulos#2005 IDW continuity|Nebulos]]. Following a tip offered to him by [[Swindle (G1)#2005 IDW continuity|Swindle]], [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] found schematics for enhancing a biological entity with Cybertronian technology, in effect producing a "transformable man". Magnus was able to determine that Nebulan businessman [[Zarak (G1)#2005 IDW continuity|Mo Zarak]] had been subjected to this process shortly before Scorponok fled the premises. {{storylink|Spotlight: Ultra Magnus}}

[[File:Devastation2 SunstreakerHeadmaster.jpg|thumb|200px]]
Approximately 18 years later, the Machination captured [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]] and [[Hunter O'Nion]]. They dismantled Sunstreaker and subjected Hunter to an extensive regimen of surgery and implants. Subsequently, they attempted to brainwash him into one of their soldiers. {{storylink|The Transformers: Escalation|Escalation}} Hunter resisted and was able to contact Sunstreaker, allowing him to become a Headmaster to fight for the Autobots. {{storylink|The Transformers: Devastation|Devastation}}

Initially, all Headmasters created by the Machination were non-sentient, guided by their human pilots. As well, all of these models were [[Sunstreaker clone|replicas]] of Sunstreaker, wired into the Autobot's actual head to help coordinate their movements. However, the success of these initial forays into the technology allowed for the first true binary-bond, enabling [[Abraham Dante]] to combine with his Decepticon master Scorponok to facilitate his rebirth. {{storylink|The Transformers: Devastation|Devastation}} Scorponok was eventually defeated after his connection to his original head was severed. Following this, the remaining Headmasters were gathered up by Ultra Magnus, who purged the Machination of its technology. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 5|Maximum Dinobots #5}}

====''Beast Wars: Uprising''====
When the war spread to Nebulos, the Decepticons allied with the [[Hive (G1)|Hive Nations]] and began a series of horrific biomechanical experiments on their Autobot and [[World Watcher]] prisoners of war. The result was the game-changing binary-bonding process, a fusion of Decepticon and Nebulan technology. It wasn't long until the Autobots reverse-engineered the process and deployed Headmasters of their own, then improved on the process to create Targetmasters. The Decepticons upped the ante by introducing the colossal double-Headmaster [[Scorponok (G1)|MegaZarak]], forcing the Autobots to deploy the equally gargantuan [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]. The result was the [[Scouring of Nebulos]]. {{storylink|A Brush With Infamy–Prologue}} {{storylink|Head Games}}

When the [[Cyberdroid]]s of [[Master (planet)|Master]] got involved in the conflict years later, many of them chose to become Headmasters, replacing the ailing Nebulans. Both [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] adopted Headmaster partners when they became [[Triple-Threat Master]]s. {{storylink|A Brush With Infamy–Prologue}}

Three hundred years later, most Headmasters had died with their partners or were left bodiless. Some remained active, such as [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]], who had had his consciousness transferred into three Cyberdroid attendants who oversaw the maintenance of his old body. {{storylink|Head Games}}

===Unicron Trilogy continuity family===
[[File:Armada_Sideways_HeadChange.gif|thumb|120px]]

====''Armada'' continuity====
[[Rollout (Armada)|Rollout's]] combination with [[Overload (Armada)|Overload]] utilizes Headmaster technology. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye: Transformers: Armada}} {{storylink|Armada Fleer card series}}<ref>{{SITENAME}}'s entry for [[Overload (Armada)|Overload]].</ref>

[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] is a double-Headmaster, combining with either [[Rook (Armada)|Rook]] or [[Crosswise (Armada)|Crosswise]]. {{storylink|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter}}

====''Linkage''====
In order to save the dying Rollout and Overload, the Nebulan scientists Hi-Q and Arcana used an ancient technique they found in their archives known as the Headmaster process. The procedure worked in saving the two Cybertronians, but after a time it turned out their new form was unable to handle two Sparks in one body, and their identities began to blur together. The Nebulans called on the Autobot Rhinox for help, but he disappeared during the war with [[Unicron]]. It wasn't until after the war that Overload was able to rebuild himself in his original, pre-Headmaster form. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/18}}

====''Energon'' continuity====
[[Omega Supreme (Energon)|Omega Supreme]] and the other [[Omega Sentinel (Energon)|Omega Sentinels]] were Headmasters.

===''The Last Knight'' film===
[[Cogman]] was a sociopathic Headmaster, who was in service to the Burton family, including [[Edmund Burton]], who he deemed the coolest. {{storylink|Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|The Last Knight}}
{{-}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Roleplaying Game''===
The Headmaster process was invented by [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]] and [[Arcana]] at some point after the Autobot-Decepticon war spilled over to the planet Nebulos. It didn't take long before the Decepticons, who had allied with the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]], stole and reverse-engineered the technology to create Headmasters of their own.

The Headmaster process is sometimes known as the “Titanmaster” process. Transformers who became Headmasters could unlock a wide variety of unusual abilities, including teleportation, invisibility, or super-speed. {{storylink|The Enigma of Combination}}

==Toys==
===''The Transformers''===
[[File:G1-toy Brainstorm.jpg|thumb|Brainstorm]]
*'''Autobot Headmasters''' ([[1987]])
**[[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]] with [[Arcana]]
**[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] with [[Stylor]]
**[[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] with [[Duros]]
**[[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] with [[Gort]]
:The four large Autobot Headmasters were sold boxed. They transform into futuristic/Cybertronian vehicles. Each has a [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] compartment that the smaller Nebulan figure can ride in. Plugging in the transformed Nebulan in [[robot mode]] activates tumblers in the robot's chest, displaying three Tech Spec readouts.
{{-}}

[[File:G1FortressMaximus toy.jpg|thumb|Fortress Maximus, the [[Metroplex (G1)#Generations|once]] and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)#Titans Return|future]] king—[[Unicron/toys#War for Cybertron Trilogy|for a while.]]]]
*'''Headmaster Autobot Base''' (1987)
**[[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] with [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]
:He's big. Yeah yeah yeah.
{{-}}

[[File:G1-toy Skullcruncher.jpg|thumb|right|Skullcruncher]]
*'''Decepticon Headmasters''' (1987)
**[[Skullcruncher (G1)|Skullcruncher]] with [[Grax]]
**[[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]] with [[Vorath]]
**[[Weirdwolf (G1)|Weirdwolf]] with [[Monzo]]
:The three Decepticon Headmasters were sold boxed, and transform into mechanical creatures. Each has a [[beast mode]] compartment that the Nebulan can ride in. Like their Autobot counterparts, their chests contain tumblers activated by plugging in a head mode Nebulan, which reveal three Tech Spec graph readouts.
{{-}}

[[File:G1 Apeface toy.jpg|thumb|right|Apeface]]
*'''Headmaster Horrorcons''' (1987)
**[[Apeface]] with [[Spasma]]
**[[Snapdragon (G1)|Snapdragon]] with [[Krunk]]
{{main|Horrorcon (G1)#Toys}}
:The Horrorcons change from jets to beasts to robots. The Nebulan partners become the head of both the robot and beast modes.

*'''Headmaster Decepticon Base''' (1987)
**[[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] with [[Zarak (G1)|Zarak]]
:He's not small. No no no.
{{-}}

[[File:Headmasterteens.jpg|thumb|The Autobot Master Warriors]]
*'''Autobot Master Warrior''' (1987)
**[[Kirk]]
**[[Rodney]]
**[[Loafer]]
**[[Lione]]
**[[Toraizer]]
**[[Shuffler]]
:These exclusive [[Autobot Master Warrior]]s represent Japanese-style Headmasters who have yet to receive Transtectors, though they are compatible with any of the other 1987 Headmasters' toys. They are extremely rare.
{{-}}

[[File:G1Nightbeat toy.jpg|thumb|The DRIVER of the car becomes the HEAD of the robot! ...well, a reasonably substantial portion thereof, anyway. (picture: Nightbeat)]]
*'''Autobot Headmasters''' ([[1988]])
**[[Hosehead (G1)|Hosehead]] with [[Lug (G1)|Lug]]
**[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] with [[Muzzle]]
**[[Siren (G1)|Siren]] with [[Quig]]
:The three 1988 Autobot Headmasters transform into Earthly land vehicles. Siren and Hosehead share a fire rescue theme, occasionally causing inattentive fans to mistake Nightbeat for a police car, though he at least gets sweet flames to tenuously keep the theme running. The Nebulan companions are considerably smaller and simpler than those of the 1987 Headmasters, although they are backwards compatible with the previous year's figures. In fact, when plugged into 1987 Headmaster bodies, the 1988 Nebulan figures display the Tech Spec readouts for their 1988 robot counterparts, suggesting the simplification of the tumbler system on the Tech Spec readouts into a simple fixed display to have been a late design decision. Each comes with a "helmet" to complete the robot's head; the helmet doubles as a vehicle mode "seat" for the figure to sit in. Two small pistols attach to the "helmet" in robot mode to complete the head. In the instructions, the head guns for all three are always pointed forward, but the box art aims them up and treats them as antennae. Media followed suit.
{{-}}

[[File:G1 fangry toy.jpg|thumb|Fangry]]
*'''Decepticon Headmasters''' (1988)
**[[Fangry (G1)|Fangry]] with [[Brisko]]
**[[Horri-Bull]] with [[Kreb]]
**[[Squeezeplay (G1)|Squeezeplay]] with [[Lokos]]
:The three small Decepticon Headmasters transform into fictional monsters. Like their Autobot counterparts, they feature smaller and simpler Nebulan figures than their 1987 predecessors, and are similarly backwards compatible with their larger forerunners, despite their smaller size. Unlike the Autobots, they do not sport additional "helmets" and pistols/antennae. While Squeezeplay and Horri-Bull both have with a tail weapon in addition to their regular gun, Fangry does not even though his [[Tech Spec]]s [[bio]] mentions one, suggesting that it was planned but dropped before final production.
{{-}}

*'''Headmaster Juniors''' (1988)
**[[Cab (human)|Cab]]
**[[Shūta Gō|Goshooter]]
**[[Minerva (human)|Minerva]]
**[[Bullhorn (G1)|Bullhorn]]
**[[Cancer (G1)|Cancer]]
**[[Wilder (G1)|Wilder]]
:The 1988 Headmaster molds were released in Japan as the [[Headmaster Junior]]s, representing totally different characters though only Goshooter and Minerva were significantly [[redeco]]ed from the US versions.
{{-}}

*'''Headmaster Autobot Base''' (1988)
**[[Grand Maximus]] with Grand and Gran
:A redeco of Fortress Maximus with an additional [[Pretender]] shell. This Japanese exclusive represented Fortress Maximus's younger brother in ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (franchise)#Transformers: Super-God Masterforce|Super-God Masterforce]]''.
{{-}}

[[File:Blackzarak toy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Black Zarak - meaner, and ''uglier''.]]
*'''Headmaster Decepticon Base''' (1988)
**BlackZarak with Scorponok Headmaster Unit
:A redeco and [[retool]] of the Scorponok mold, this was another Japanese exclusive representing the same character, but ''meaner''.
{{-}}

===''Timelines''===
[[File:BotCon2014-Scorponok.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Scorponok]]
*'''Pirates vs Knights''' ([[2014]])
**Scorponok with Olin Zarak
:A retool of [[Scorponok (Energon)#Toys|''Energon'' Scorponok]], the new tooling that his head with a new mechanism for his Headmaster head to plug into. The Headmaster figure itself is a retooled ''[[Transformers Encore|Encore]]'' [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] figure with a new face based on Scorponok's original model sheet head.
{{-}}

===''Generations''===
[[File:Generations 30 voyager Brainstorm.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.67|Guess who's back...back again...]]
*'''Brainstorm''' ([[2014]])
:Part of the eighth wave of 2012-onwards ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' Voyager Class toys, ''[[Thrilling 30]]'' [[Brainstorm (G1)#Generations|Brainstorm]] transforms into a turquoise Cybertronian aircraft, and is notable for being the first Headmaster-style figure in the ''Generations'' line. He comes with two pistols which can attach via [[5 mm post]] to his hands and the nosecone of the jet. [[Arcana#Generations|His head]] transforms into an unnamed robot that is most certainly Arcana, and can be inserted inside the cockpit to be used as a pilot. Putting the head robot into the neck socket will reveal Tech Specs like the G1 toy. The Tech Specs are based off the original figure, not the Tech Specs on the box.

:Be warned, the head robot suffers a [[design flaw]], wherein it is possible for it to get stuck in the main robot's socket, and too much force could separate its own head from its body.
{{-}}

===''Titans Return''===
[[File:TF-Generations-Titans-Return-Deluxe-Perceptor.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Perceptor]]
{{See also|Titan Master#Toys}}
{{-}}

===''Legends''===
[[File:TF-Legends-LG32-Chromedome.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Chromedome]]
:The Takara ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' Headmaster figures are redecos or retools of Hasbro's ''Titans Return'' figures, which like all Takara products prior to the brand merger, were changed to match the source material. Some figures were even new molds created specifically for the line. Brainstorm's ''Thrilling 30'' Voyager figure also saw release.
{{-}}

===''War for Cybertron: Siege''===
[[File:WFC-Siege-Voyager-Apeface.jpg|thumb|300px|Apeface]]
*'''Apeface''' ([[2019]])
{{-}}

===''War for Cybertron: Earthrise''===
[[File:TF-Generations-WFC-E-Voyager-Snapdragon.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Snapdragon]]
*'''Snapdragon''' ([[2020]])
*'''Scorponok''' (2020)
{{-}}

===''The Last Knight''===
[[File:TLK-DeluxeCogman.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Cogman]]
*'''Premier Edition''' (2017)
**Cogman (Deluxe Class)
:Cogman's head is capable of transforming into his diminutive "true" robot mode.
{{-}}

===''Studio Series''===
*'''Cogman''' (2019)
:A redeco of the ''Premier Edition'' figure.

===''Legacy''===
[[File:Haslab-Omega-Prime Cerebros.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66|Omega Prime with Cerebros]]
:*''Series'': ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)|Robots in Disguise 2001]]''

: First shown off at [[San Diego Comic-Con]] 2024, ''[[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]]'' [[Omega Prime#Legacy|Omega Prime]] includes a [[Titan Master]]-styled version of Cerebros that can interact with box-mate [[Optimus Prime (RID)#Legacy|Optimus Prime]].
{{-}}

===''Age Of The Primes''===
[[File:TF-AOTP-Deluxe-Carnivac.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Carnivac with Survivor]]
*'''Topspin''' ([[2025]])
*'''Horri-Bull''' (2025)
*'''Carnivac''' (2025)
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Super-God Masterforce===
*'''Headmaster-Braces—Goshooter''' (1988)

:Japanese exclusive [[roleplay toy]]s that represent the [[Master-Brace]]s used by the [[Headmaster Junior]] [[Shūta Gō|Shūta]]. They are packaged with a role-play communications device.

==Fiction-only Headmasters==
*'''Autobots'''
**[[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]/[[Galen|Galen Kord]] {{storylink|Broken Glass!}}
**[[Playback]] {{storylink|The Big Shutdown!}}
**[[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]]/[[Hunter O'Nion]] {{storylink|Devastation issue 4|Devastation #4}}
*'''Decepticons'''
**[[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]/[[Abraham Dante]] {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}
*'''Others'''
**[[Sunstreaker clone]]s/[[Machination]] humans, like [[Reese]] {{storylink|Devastation issue 2|Devastation #2}}
**[[Myskrion]] {{storylink|Earthfall Part 3: The Mind Bomb|The Mind Bomb}}
**[[Thinkbox]] {{storylink|Heart of Darkness issue 3|Heart of Darkness #3}}

==Notes==
[[File:Headmaster Decepticons G1 Commercial.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|Welcome to the dumb side.]]
*Generation 1 [[TakaraTomy]] designer [[Kōjin Ōno]] cites the Japanese super robot franchise ''{{w|Steel Jeeg}}'' as his original inspiration for the Headmaster gimmick.<ref>Interview in ''Diaclone Combat Chronicle Vol. 2''</ref>
* Early promotional materials, including [[catalog]]s and toy [[commercial]]s, advertised the Decepticon Nebulan partners as "trainers" for their beastly companions, rather than equal partners. One [[commercial]] took this so far as to have the "trainers" holding whips and ordering Weirdwolf, et al. to jump through hoops of fire.
===Homages===
*The [[Unicron Trilogy]] featured a few examples of smaller robots ([[Mini-Con]]s) becoming the heads of larger ones.
**''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] had two Mini-Con drivers, [[Rook (Armada)|Rook]] and [[Crosswise (Armada)|Crosswise]], for his motorcycle form that could become individual heads, or combine into a [[Mirror|larger robot/driver]]. This functionality was retained for his ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' redeco [[Rapid Run (Energon)|Rapid Run]] and his drivers [[Nightscream (Energon)|Nightscream]] and [[Nightcruz (Energon)|Nightcruz]] (and their combined form [[Nightcreeper]]).
**''Armada'' [[Overload (Armada)|Overload]]'s Mini-Con partner [[Rollout (Armada)|Rollout]] became the head (and part of the chest) of the larger robot, who could in turn become armor for [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]].
**''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]] ''[[Omega Supreme (Energon)|Omega Supreme]] also had a Headmaster partner, Omega, which combined with two vehicles to form a large robot.
*The ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' series features a supervillain named [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] who can use [[Headmaster unit|a flying robotic head]] that aggressively removes another robot's head and replaces it with itself. The head itself can also transform into a small [[robot mode]].
*[[Transformers: Rescue Bots (cartoon)|Rescue Bots']] [[High Tide]] can combine with his Rescue Rig as the head of a larger robot, in an apparent Headmaster homage.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Headmaster''' (ヘッドマスター ''Heddomasutā'')
*''Hungarian:'' '''Fejmester''' ("Headmaster")
*''Italian:'' '''Leaderbot'''
*''Mandarin:'' '''Tóulǐng Zhànshì''' (头领战士, "Headman Fighter")
*''Russian:'' '''Vlastogolov''' (Властоголов, "Headpower")
*''Finnish:'' '''Päällikkö'''

==See also==

*[[Titan Master]]
*[[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]]
*[[Powermaster]]
*[[Headmaster Junior]]
*[[Godmaster (lifeform)|Godmaster]]
*[[Triple-Threat Master]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Armada technology]]
[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising subgroups]]
[[Category:Generation 1 subgroups]]
[[Category:Generation 1 technology]]
[[Category:Generation 2 subgroups]]
[[Category:Generation 2 technology]]
[[Category:Gimmicks]]
[[Category:Headmasters| ]]
[[Category:The Headmasters subgroups]]
[[Category:The Headmasters technology]]
[[Category:Super-God Masterforce subgroups]]
[[Category:Super-God Masterforce technology]]
[[Category:Transformers Roleplaying Game technology]]
[[Category:Wings Universe subgroups]]
[[Category:Wings Universe technology]]
[[Category:The Last Knight technology]]

Circular reporting

2026-05-02T01:55:22Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Age of the Primes Sideways */ typo

[[File:AHM 15cvrB.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The cover for ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron]]'' [[All Hail Megatron issue 15|issue #15]], featuring text from [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor's article on this wiki.]]]]
As befitting a franchise that has run continuously for {{#expr: {{CURRENTYEAR}}-1984}} years, the [[Transformers brand|''Transformers'' brand]] is a vast and sprawling one. However, as an intellectual property based around the inherently transient medium of [[To sell toys|merchandising]], both [[Hasbro]] and [[TakaraTomy]] have, historically, taken a laissez-faire approach to storytelling and don't have a complete, centralized repository of internal reference material.

As a result, the largest compendium of ''Transformers'' knowledge is, in fact, this [[TFWiki.Net|very website]] you are reading this article on right now, and many creatives have confirmed that they have used our wiki when writing stories or looking for toy references. While wikis have a few advantages over "in-house" lore bibles—they can be edited by anyone, not just professionals, for instance—their main downside is that... well, they can be edited by anyone. Although we at {{SITENAME SHORT}} strive for accuracy and neutrality when covering ''Transformers'' topics, there have been cases where inaccurate, misleading or misinterpreted information on this very wiki have gone on to inform official ''Transformers'' toys and fiction.

Of course, people working on official Transformers work use references outside of the wiki, namely other sites reporting on ''Transformers'', leaving the door open for many, many more errors. See the [[Miscolorings based on the Generation 1 cartoon|miscolorings]] page for more information.

This phenomenon is formally termed '''{{w|circular reporting}}''', commonly nicknamed '''citogenesis''' due to a 2011 [https://xkcd.com/978/ xkcd webcomic strip] that satirized the concept. This article provides a non-comprehensive cross-section of such mishaps.

{{quote|Some of the biggest shows and franchises you follow have zero in-house continuity documents. They do everything off of fan wikis.|{{w|Gail Simone}}|Twitter<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Now, I am not talking about some niche comic book property, I am talking about massively successful film, game and tv properties. Some of the biggest shows and franchises you follow have zero in-house continuity documents. They do everything off of fan wikis.|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20200913142152/https://twitter.com/GailSimone/status/1304831678045585408|name=Gail Simone|site=Twitter|year=2020|month=09|day=12}}</ref>}}

{{TOC|limit=3}}

==Hasbro's in-house continuity documents==
[[File:Ultimateguide.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Comprehensive. Definitive. Authoritative.]]
In the mid-2000s, Hasbro licensees were provided with copies of [[Simon Furman]]'s ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'' as reference—notably, [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]] regularly consulted the guide while writing the 2007 ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'' movie. In a similar vein, [[IDW Publishing]]'s reprints of [[Dreamwave Productions]]' ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' profile series were directly referenced for ''[[The Art of Transformers: Fall of Cybertron]]'', and have been used by other licensees such as [[Fun Publications]] and [[Space Ape Games]].

The only known example of a high-level continuity document designed solely for internal use was the 2010 [[Binder of Revelation]], compiled to help new creatives in the franchise get up to speed with key characters, concepts, and settings, to bring the various stories they were producing at the time into alignment. This lore bible went on to inform vast swathes of modern ''Transformers'' storytelling, most notably the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]'' cartoon, which proved extremely influential in its own right.

As the creatives behind the Binder have moved on from the company over the years, however, it appears to have fallen by the wayside, with Hasbro happy to have different concurrent media diverge entirely so long as some key synergies remain—such as the ''[[Transformers: Cyberverse (cartoon)|Cyberverse]]'' cartoon being informed by the script for the 2018 ''[[Bumblebee (film)|Bumblebee]]'' movie—directing writers to the wiki for lore nitty-gritty. ''Cyberverse'' showrunner [[Randolph Heard]] cites this as one reason for the show's starring roles for many more obscure fan-favourite characters.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=I came to this, again, without a lot of ''Transformers'' knowledge, and I was directed to TFWiki, and I started reading TFWiki and I'm like, oh my god, I don't understand ''anything'', is this a multiverse, or- why- why are there so many variations on things? I'm never gonna learn this thing or understand it. And fortunately my staff were very helpful in that regard. But I think that ''Cyberverse'' to me was like, because I came from the outside in a way, I looked at it as a big box of toys, and I could play with any of them. And you know, that's how kids are, right? They're not going to distinguish between a [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] toy, a [[DC Comics|DC]] toy, and something else—if they're cool they'll make a battle between anything. And so to me I felt the freedom, like, yeah, I'll just pick stuff and no-one said no. In fact they seemed delighted that we were bringing back characters. [...] I researched lists of 'weirdest Transformers ever.' [...] I said I don't, you know, I confessed to [[Mikiel Houser]], and he said that's fine, check out the TFWiki and that'll tell you everything you need to know, and I was kind of like- it told me too much, you know? It was overwhelming. And I love TFWiki—they have such great writers, they're hilarious.|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vindAiN7YNY&t=1087s|name=Randolph Heard is too kind,|site=Keyan Carlile's Transformer Channel|title=The cancelled TF show BEFORE Cyberverse! (Randolph Heard talks Early Development & Seasons 1-2)|year=2021|month=11|day=20}}</ref> Another franchise newcomer, [[Brian Ruckley]], writer of [[IDW Publishing]]'s rebooted ''[[Transformers (2019 comic)|Transformers]]'' series, plucked a large number of obscure characters from the wiki, in particular a great many [[female Transformer]]s. All of this is to say that the referencing of fan wikis is perfectly normal and can often be positive. It's also why the wiki should strive for completeness and accuracy when documenting the ''Transformers'' universe—as the following cautionary tales show...
{{-}}

==Examples of circular reporting through TFWiki.net==


===Absence of evidence===
[[File:SpotlightHardhead-CaughtInAVortex.jpg|left|thumb|200px|The original Tailwind that went undocumented on this wiki...]]
[[File:BeforeAndAfter-DriftTailwindTentakil.jpg|thumb|200px|...and this guy showed up! Maybe if he gets hurt, [[Mario (ROTF)|he'll shrink back?]]]]
In the [[2008]] comic story ''[[Spotlight: Hardhead]]'', the [[Micromaster]] toy character [[Tailwind (G1)|Tailwind]] was given a cameo as one of the many [[Gorlamite]]s attacking [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] and [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]]—but for many years, Tailwind was the only one whose appearance in that comic was not documented on his own wiki page. As part of a general desire to make use of characters who had yet to be introduced to the [[2005 IDW continuity|IDW continuity]], writer [[James Roberts]] evidently decided to check him off the list by writing a full-sized Cybertronian Tailwind into [[Before & After|''More than Meets the Eye'' #12]], being bisected by [[Drift (G1)|Drift]].

{{anchor|Trickshot}}
Similarly, the 2007 online [[Transformers Collectors' Club]] profile for [[Flashdrive]]—based on the Japanese-exclusive Mini-Con Processor—refers to a teammate called "[[Trickshot]]", clearly intended to be his fellow [[Micron Booster]] toy Triac; the wiki failed to note this, and soon thereafter the Mini-Con bio regimen ended without Trickshot's own profile being published. Thusly, the 2015 [[Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime]] column would instead give Triac the localized identity of "Bingo".
{{-}}

===Text transfer===
====(Heavy) Artillery Drones====
[[File:Sparkwar3 Heavy Artillery Drone vehicle.jpg|thumb|left|240px|Once we were nameless...]]
[[File:Sparkwar3 Heavy Artillery Drone robot.jpg|thumb|200px|...until a mix-up gave us our name!]]
The [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon drones]] belonging to [[Strika (BM)|Strika]] were never named in the [[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Machines'' cartoon]], [[Beast Machines: Transformers (toyline)|toyline]], or related media. Back when TFWiki started out on Wikia (now Fandom), [[fandom:transformers:Special:Contributions/72.48.102.5|an anonymous user]] created the article for Strika's drones in [[2008]] using the fan name "Heavy Artillery Drone". Due to an oversight (as no one knew that it ''wasn't'' an official name), this remained the article's name for nearly a decade.

In a non-visual, text-only instance of this roundabout reporting, the [[2016]] prose story "[[Derailment]]" officially named Strika's drones as "Artillery Drones" based on the wiki's use of the name "Heavy Artillery Drone". The article was soon moved to "[[Artillery Drone]]" shortly after in early [[2017]], to reflect the official name. But, the official name only came about in the first place because of the wiki unknowingly using a completely made-up fan name.
{{-}}

{{anchor|Stratosphere}}
====''Rise of the Beasts'' Stratosphere bio====
{{stub}}

====Blokees Classic Class====
{{stub}}

====2023 ''Transformers'' letter pages====
{{Stub}}

===Incorrect colors in official media===
The use of {{SITENAME SHORT}} images as color references can occasionally result in... interesting... new color schemes when characters appear in official media. Original colors are given to the left when possible.

{{anchor|Horri-Bull}}
====IDW ''Robots in Disguise'' Horri-Bull====
In the [[IDW Publishing]] comic issue [[The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|''Robots in Disguise'' #1]], [[Horri-Bull]]'s colorization is apparently based on photos of a [[Photodegradation|photodegradated]] example of his original toy that was once used on his page. When asked, colorist [[Josh Perez]] purported that he chose to use the yellow to "help him stick out a lot more".<ref>{{citesocial|link=https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/84653-idw-rid-teaser-images/page-5|name=Josh Perez|site=The Allspark Forums|defunct=yes}}</ref>

<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:G1toy-Horri-Bull.jpg|''Original 1988 toy pictured''
File:Horribull bullhorn toy.jpg|''Degraded toy pictured''
File:Autonomy Lesson Horri-Bull Zetca.jpg|''2012 comic scene pictured'' [[Photodegradation|It's canon folks!]]
</gallery></center>

{{-}}{{anchor|Vortex}}

====''Fall of Cybertron'' Vortex====
[[Vortex (FOC)|Vortex]]'s color scheme in ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (video game)|Fall of Cybertron]]'' is an unusual red and beige, derived from [[Vortex (G1)|G1 Vortex]]'s ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' character art that is his main page image—in particular, our previously-used scan of the artwork makes it appear to have a much warmer tone than it does in print, shifting the gray towards brown and the lilac towards pink. These tones influenced the coloring of Vortex's ''Fall of Cybertron'' [[:File:FOC Vortex.jpg|concept art]], which evolved to the in-game colors.

<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:G1Vortex toy.jpg|''Original 1985 deco pictured''
File:MTMTE2003-Vortex.jpg|''Better scan of 2003 art pictured''
File:MTMTEVortex.jpg|''Worse scan of 2003 art pictured''
File:FOC-HMS-render-Vortex-robot mode.jpg|''2012 game render pictured''
</gallery></center>

{{-}}{{anchor|Roadburner}}
====''Legends'' Roadburner====
''Here we go...''

[[Roadburner]]'s 2013 appearance in the ''[[Transformers Legends (mobile game)|Transformers Legends]]'' mobile game can only be described as a fit of insanity. His appearance is based on a catastrophic misinterpretation of this wiki's photography for the toy, depicting his partner [[Wheel Blaze]] as white... because they didn't understand the greyed-out photo this wiki uses to indicate ''which toy the article isn't about''. To make matters worse, it is highly likely Roadburner ''wasn't supposed to be in the game to begin with.'' Considering that the theme of [[By Land, Sea, or Air|the event he appeared in]] was basically "These Autobots with military alt-modes do stuff," and the fact that [[Roadbuster (G1)|Road''buster'']] would make more sense given [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]]'s prevalence in said event... yeah. Not helping matters is that when in the process of typing "Roadbuster" into this wiki's search bar, Roadburner shows up first in the search results. Someone must have been in a hurry.

<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:G1-toy Roadburner.jpg|''1990 toy pictured''
File:TFLegends-Roadburner.jpg|''2013 art pictured'' "What grade did you get today, honey?"
</gallery></center>

{{-}}{{anchor|Azimuth}}

====IDW ''Transformers'' Azimuth====
[[Azimuth (COP)|Azimuth]] was originally a minor character who appeared in ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus]]''. Beyond a brief namedrop, she went unseen for several years until 2015, when the [[Ask Vector Prime]] Facebook feature revealed that she sported a body based on the gold MC-6 ''[[Kronoform]]'' toy. However, when [[Azimuth (G1)|a new incarnation of Azimuth]] appeared in 2020, in IDW's ''[[Transformers (2019 comic)|Transformers]]'' comic, she was colored silver—a mixup that almost assuredly stems from the photo on Azimuth's wiki article more prominently displaying ''that'' figure, with the "correct" gold figure tucked away on the far right.

<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:Aligned Azimuth Toy.jpg|''Original 1993 deco pictured''
File:Mc-06 Micro Change catalog.jpg|''Catalogue scan uploaded to the wiki in 2015'' Hey, she got a [[Azimuth (G1)#Toys|''Transformers'' toy]] out of it.
File:Tremors-Azimuth.jpg|''2020 comic scene pictured'' You know what, you're welcome.
</gallery></center>

{{-}}{{anchor|Dile}}
====''Earth Wars'' Dile====
In the ''[[Transformers: Earth Wars]]'' mobile game, [[Dile]] was revealed as a forthcoming character in early September 2020, sporting an unusual gray and purple deco which doesn't match his toy's colors at all. The following month, [[Space Ape Games]] put out a new render via their official newsletter, explaining that the original colors were based on the washed out scan of his card art seen at the top of his TFWiki character page. This makes it one of the few known instances where circular reporting was caught and corrected before release. The new render instead uses a more light-green and silvery hue based on a somewhat color-corrected version of the card art, rather than the much more pronounced green of [[:File:G1toy dile.jpg|the toy itself]]. However following a total overhaul of the game's UI in 2024, he wound up using the initial render instead whilst his in-game model's colors remains the same finalized color scheme. Potentially due to the game's official wiki still using [https://tfew.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4733799213343-Dile-Overkill#toc1| that same render on his page].

<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:G1toy dile.jpg|''Original 1987 toy pictured''
File:G1 Dial boxart.jpg|''Scan of 1987 art pictured'' A washout, that's all you are! A washout!
File:Early Dile-EarthWars.jpg|''Initial 2020 CG model pictured''
File:Dile Fixed-EarthWars.jpg|''Finalized 2020 CG model pictured''
</gallery></center>

{{-}}{{anchor|Ion Storm}}
====''Siege'' Ion Storm====
The stock photography for ''Siege'' [[Ion Storm]]'s jet mode mistakenly showed [[Thundercracker (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron: Siege|Thundercracker]]'s jet instead—which is nearly identical apart from red highlights. With the 2019 [[Rainmaker]]s set being hard to come by, this erroneous image was used on the wiki for a couple of years, and appears highly in Google Images search results—leading Ion Storm's jet mode to be colored accordingly as Thundercracker in [[Volcanicus comic 2|a TakaraTomy comic]] released in September 2020 and in [[Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust II|an IDW comic]] released in September 2021.

<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:TF-Generations-WFC-S-Rainmaker-3-pack-Ion-Storm.jpg|''Erroneous 2019 vehicle mode pictured''
File:Siege-toy IonStorm.jpg|''True 2019 vehicle mode pictured''
File:GS-Volcanicus comic 2-Rainmakers.jpg|''2020 comic scene pictured''
File:SeaOfRustPartII-Rainmakers.jpg|''2021 comic scene pictured''
</gallery></center>
{{-}}

===Incorrect decos for official toys===
On rare occasions, coloring misadventures as described above can even escalate to the point of affecting actual ''new toys'' of those characters. Once again, original colors are given to the left when possible.

{{anchor|Igu}}
====''Prime 10 Year Anniversary'' Igu====
The ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Post-Prime releases|10 Year Anniversary]]'' reissue of [[Igu]] ([[Vehicon (Prime)|Jet Vehicon]]'s [[Arms Micron]] partner from the [[TakaraTomy]] ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Takara Prime toyline|Prime]]'' toyline) mistakenly colors him bright silver, as opposed to the black of the original release.

This can be attributed to the set designer using the first image in the "Toys" subheading of Igu's wiki page for reference—which was actually an "elite" redeco packed with [[Vehicon (Prime)#JetGeneral|Jet Vehicon General]]. The original black release of Igu is used as the article's mainpic instead of being used in the "Toys" section, due to a lack of images of his vanishingly few fictional appearances. From a toy design perspective, this error means that the now-silver Igu breaks aesthetic cohesion with his mostly-black partner Jet Vehicon.

<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:Prime-toy Igu.jpg|''Original 2012 deco pictured''
File:Primetoy-TakaraTomy-ArmsMicronIguS.jpg|''Secondary 2013 deco pictured'' Please, "Igu S" was my father.
File:Prime-toy Igu 10Year.jpg|''2020 reissue deco pictured''
</gallery></center>

{{-}}{{anchor|Caliburst}}
====''Siege'' Caliburst====
''[[War for Cybertron: Siege|Siege]]'' [[Caliburst (G1)#War for Cybertron: Siege|Caliburst]] uses a colour scheme of black and indigo, as opposed to the paler blue seen in most of his other appearances. For years, the main pictures for [[Blowpipe (G1)#War for Cybertron: Siege|Blowpipe]] and Caliburst were erroneously reversed, which likely led to this extrapolated colour scheme.
<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:BlowpipeRebirth.jpg|''Screenshot of Blowpipe from the '80s cartoon''
File:CaliburstRebirth.jpg|''Screenshot of Caliburst from the '80s cartoon''
File:G1-toy Caliburst.jpg|''1987 toy of Caliburst pictured''
File:WFC-Siege-WFC-S30-Battle-Master-Caliburst.jpg|''2019 toy of Caliburst pictured''
</gallery></center>

{{-}}{{anchor|T-Wrecks}}

====''Kingdom'' T-Wrecks====
The ''[[War for Cybertron: Kingdom|Kingdom]]'' Leader Class toy of [[T-Wrecks#Generations|T-Wrecks]] has a colour scheme which is much more drab than the original ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'' Ultra Class iteration, with the brown-tinted torso being swapped for a dull grey, and the bright bronze of his helmet being swapped for the same red as his beast-mode skin. More noticeably, only the lower portion of T-Wrecks's crotch is molded blue, with the waist itself being left unpainted grey. It seems that these changes are the result of the wiki's use of the Hasbro stock photo of the original toy, depicting the hand-painted sample, being primarily used for reference; the lighting in the image is a little misleading, and the toy's posed leaning forward such that its belly overhangs its waist entirely! The ''Kingdom'' T-Wrecks's eyes are also yellow rather than the green of the ''Beast Machines'' toy. It would seem that [[:File:Disclosure-Dinobots.jpg|some of the]] [[:File:TWrecksdinobotspackaging art.jpg|other pictures]] on his page may have played into this color change also.

<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:Beast Machines T-Wrecks.jpg|''Finalized 2000 deco pictured''
File: BM T-Wrecks toy.jpg|''Hand-painted proto Hasbro stock photo pictured''
File:WFC-K T-Wrecks stock.jpg|''2021 toy pictured'' His bronze and innocence: Gone.
</gallery></center>

{{-}}{{anchor|AOTPSideways}}

====''Age of the Primes'' Sideways====
''[[Transformers: Age of the Primes|Age of the Primes]]'' Voyager Class [[Sideways (Armada)#AOTPArmada|Sideways]], in contrast to either his original toy or cartoon depiction, gives [[Crosswise (Armada)#Age of the Primes|Crosswise's]] head mode unusual yellow eyes. The first depiction of Crosswise's head mode on Sideway's article used to be a collage (below) made up of edited screencaps from "[[Credulous]]" where he swaps heads to show off all three of his configurations from the same camera angle, where the eyes of Crosswise's head mode were shown glowing yellow. The episode in question has Crosswise's eyes dramatically glow yellow when attached to his partner, only to turn to their default pink ''the frame right after'' the screencap was taken, with pink-eyed Sideways being the default from then on (and on the other cartoon screencaps on Sideways' article).

<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:Sidewaysheads.jpg|''Yellow eyes in the now-replaced collage from Sideway's article (bottom)''
File:Sidewayses.jpg|''Sideway's default pink eyes (top)''
File:AOTP Armada Crosswise.jpg|''2026 Crosswise toy pictured'' "[[Circular reporting#Sideways|If I had a nickel for every time Sideways was citogenised, I'd have two nickels. Y'know.]]"
</gallery></center>
{{-}}

===The big ones===
{{anchor|Black Roritchi}}
====Black Roritchi's antennae====
For years, the main image for [[Black Roritchi]] on this wiki used an image from the [[2006]] [[Metrodome]] release [[Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|''Masterforce'' cartoon]] depicting him against a pitch-black backdrop, which his equally-black antennae blended into. When ''[[Generations Selects (toyline)|Generations Selects]]'' Black Roritchi was produced in 2020 as a redeco of [[Fasttrack (G1)#Generations|Fasttrack]], the figure was given a custom head solely to remove the antennae under the mistaken belief that he didn't have them. Color-correction in later re-releases of the cartoon would reveal Black Roritchi to have blue antennae against a starfield. The timing of those re-releases? [[2012]]. Oops.

<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:MF-toy Black Roritchi.jpg|''Original 1988 toy pictured''
File:Mf35 guardminder leader.jpg|''2006 [[Metrodome]] version of 1988 anime scene pictured'' He's literally about to turn his head and show off his black antennae.
File:Black roritchi masterforce.jpg|''2012 [[Shout! Studios|Shout! Factory]] restoration pictured'' Uh, make that blue antennae. 
File:GS-toy BlackRoritchi.jpg|''2020 toy pictured'' The only time people wouldn't care if Hasbro [[Rotorstorm (G1)#Generations|accidently forgot to show off the new head]].
</gallery></center>

{{-}}{{anchor|Scrapmetal}}
====''Studio Series'' Scrapmetal====
[[File:ROTF Constructicon concept.jpg|thumb|250px|left|{{SITENAME SHORT}}'s beautiful son. Our little guy.]]
[[File:Studio-Series-MV2-41-Deluxe-Scrapmetal.jpg|thumb|250px|Nobody tell him he was an accident.]]
The character that the wiki identifies as "[[Scrapmetal (ROTF)|Scrapmetal]]" was created through a complicated, decade-long tennis match between the wiki and Hasbro. In 2009, shortly after the theatrical release of ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', the wiki created a page for the then-nameless character under the half-jokey title "Ze little one". Rather than assuming that the character was a [[Scrapper (ROTF)|Scrapper]] clone, wiki editors at the time decided that he was his own character, as the scene where [[Constructicon (ROTF)|Constructicons]] went underwater featured a yellow Volvo excavator that didn't match to any of the other characters. "Ze little one" quickly picked up an ironic fan following, and by December 2009 Hasbro called him "Scrapmetal" and identified his alternate mode as "the bulldozer."<ref>[http://www.tfviews.com/news/main/hasbro-q-and-a/641 Hasbro Q&A December 2009 at TFviews.com]</ref> The wiki documented this and moved on. Around the same time, ''Revenge of the Fallen'' [[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]]'s page noted that the film version of the character was formed from [[Unknown Constructicon shovel|an extra bulldozer]] compared to the official list of his components.

Almost ten years later, Hasbro announced a giant, fully-articulated ''Revenge of the Fallen'' [[Devastator (ROTF)#Studio Series|Devastator]] toy formed from multiple Constructicon figures from the ''[[Studio Series]]'' toyline. It is not 100% clear, but what appears to have happened is that whoever was planning the character selection looked at both Devastator and Scrapmetal's pages and decided to marry these two random tidbits by making Scrapmetal the extra bulldozer. ''Then'', the individual(s) assigned to design Scrapmetal's toy consulted the wiki page to figure out who the character was and instead made them a yellow excavator with the robot mode of the concept art randomly chosen for the main picture of the article—the result of the wiki stringing together tidbits of contradictory information from the movie. ''Whoops...''

{{-}}{{anchor|Sideways}}

====Sideways the dimension-hopper====
[[File:Sidewayses.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5|''Can you see all of me? Walk into my mystery Step inside and hold on for dear life'' ''Do you remember me? Capture you or set you free I am all, I am all of me'']]
Oh dear.

In [[2002]], Hasbro released two motorcycle toys bearing the same name: ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Sideways (RID)|Sideways]] and ''[[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]]. The Hasbro toy bio for the latter recycled much of the same text from the bio of the former, nearly verbatim. This led to speculation at the time about whether or not they were meant to be the same character, ''regardless'' of the differences in toyline release since ''Robots in Disguise'' Sideways also came packaged with [[Axer (G1)#Robots in Disguise|Axer]], whose own bio hinted at his being the same person as [[Axer (G1)#The Transformers|his Generation 1 namesake]], having crossed dimensions from Generation 1 to ''Robots in Disguise''.

In [[2004]], Takara's ''[[Robotmasters (franchise)|Robotmasters]]'' line released another motorcycle toy named [[Sideways (RM)|Double Face]], who shared the exact same colors and Japanese name of ''Armada'' Sideways. Since the ''Robotmasters'' series was a big crossover event similar in concept to the concurrent ''[[Transformers: Universe (2003 franchise)|Transformers: Universe]]'' series, compounded by the then notoriously scattershot documenting done for the Japanese side of the franchise, fans in the West initially mistook ''Robotmasters'' for a [[multiverse|multiversal]] event, with characters crossing dimensions from different universes to team up with each other in a Generation 1 setting (as was the case in ''Universe''). In actuality, ''Robotmasters'' only featured time travel, not dimensional travel. But because of the initial misconception, what came next was very easily believed.

In early [[2005]], a mere two months after Double Face's release, a [https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/lKVCHWhYoJM/m/1NhElIcSnwwJ fan-given claim] was made online about Takara's official [http://web.archive.org/web/20070618040111/www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/robotmasters/main2.htm ''Robotmasters'' website] supposedly declaring Double Face to be the same character as ''Robots in Disguise'' Sideways. When the [[Sideways (Armada)|original TFWiki article for Sideways]] was first being put together in [[2006]], this same claim was reiterated several times on the article's [[Talk:Sideways (Armada)|talk page]], which misled the article's original creators to believe it and treat the ''Robots in Disguise'', ''Armada'', and ''Robotmasters'' characters all as the same Sideways, assuming that ''Robotmasters'' had confirmed the character to have dimension-hopped from another universe into Generation 1 (when it actually ''hadn't'').

With the wiki article treating all three as the same person, able to jump from universe to universe, the article went on to inspire later versions of Sideways, like ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' [[Sideways (Animated)|Sideways]] and [[Ask Vector Prime]] [[Sideways (AVP)|Sideways]], who not only were ''explicitly'' presented as dimension-hoppers, but also had ''implicit'' ties to the originally-unrelated ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]], which only led to even ''more'' debates about how ''that'' Sideways related to the others, and whether or not ''every'' Sideways was really the ''same'' individual!

It wasn't until late [[2022]] that the validity of the original claim about ''Robotmasters'' Double Face was finally investigated; the results of this investigation revealed that there had actually been ''zero evidence'' in support of the claim found anywhere on the Takara ''Robotmasters'' website. And thanks to this false claim influencing the wiki, Sideways went on to have a reputation for being a multiversal mischief maker who jumps across multiple realities, which was never originally supposed to be the case.
{{-}}
<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:RIDtoy-Sideways.jpg|''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Sideways (RID)#Toys|Sideways]]
File:Armadatoy-Sideways-wrongways.jpg|''[[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' [[Sideways (Armada)#Armada|Sideways]] / ''Legends of the Microns'' Double Face
File:RMtoy-Doubleface.jpg|''[[Robotmasters (franchise)#Toys|Robotmasters]]'' [[Sideways (RM)#Toys|Double Face]]
</gallery></center>
{{-}}

===The littlest one===
====Spelling the word Robo-Smasher====
In perhaps the amusingly smallest example of circular reporting from this wiki, the "[[Robosmasher]]" from the 1985 cartoon episode "[[The Secret of Omega Supreme (episode)|The Secret of Omega Supreme]]" was in fact written as one plain word in the episode's script. However, as is prone to happening with televised media, the original dialogue's text was not consulted when a TFWiki article for the device was created in [[2006]], under the hyphenated spelling "Robo-Smasher". This spelling was thus used by the [[Ask Vector Prime]] Facebook page as well as ''[[Beast Wars: Uprising]]'' text stories in [[2015]] prior to the wiki article being amended in [[2017]] to acknowledge the original spelling.

==Misuse of the TFWiki==
It's sometimes the case that even ''accurate'' content on the TFWiki gets misused, misappropriated, or misinterpreted by people working for Hasbro. Look, we try our best, but there is literally only so much we can do.
{{anchor|Swoop}}
====''The Loyal Subjects'' Swoop====
Hasbro licensee [[The Loyal Subjects]] frequently, ah, took ''inspiration'' from the wiki's writeups for its various [[Tech Spec|bio cards]]. Most memorably, this resulted in [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]]'s 2014 motto being given as the image caption from his main picture.

<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:TVMagSwoop.jpg|"Him Swoop have legs that go for miiiles."
File:HimSwoopHaveLegsThatGoForMiles.jpg|All the good mottos were taken.
</gallery></center>

{{anchor|Heatwave}}
====''Hero Mashers'' Heatwave====
The 2014 ''[[Hero Mashers]]'' line featured ''Shattered Glass'' [[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]], of all 'bots. As no other Mirrorverse characters appeared in mainline retail at the time, this can be surmised as a consequence of rushed production leading to the wrong Wiki article being consulted, as opposed to the more well-known [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]].

<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:Heatwave bio.jpg|Heatwave's original bio picture.
File:HM-toy Heatwave.jpg|Why do I exist?
</gallery></center>

{{anchor|Hailstorm}}

====''Shattered Glass'' Hailstorm====
In IDW's ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass II]]'' miniseries, [[Shattered Glass II issue 4|the fourth issue]] focused on a ''Shattered Glass'' incarnation of [[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]]. Put bluntly, writer [[Danny Lore]] appears to have worked out the backstory for [[Flamewar (SG)|this mirror-universe version of Flamewar]] by giving her existing TFWiki article a cursory skim; in particular, the incongruous presence of [[Hailstorm (SG)|Hailstorm]] in the comic is likely extrapolated entirely from a cropped panel used on the article, where Flamewar is seen hanging out with Hailstorm in the multiversal melting-pot of [[Axiom Nexus]].

<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:HailstormDeceptichargeFlamewarCMW.jpg|[[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]] hanging on the arm of [[Hailstorm (TF 2010)|Hailstorm]] in [[Axiom Nexus]]
File:SGHailstorm.jpg|[[Hailstorm (SG)|''Shattered Glass'' Hailstorm]]
</gallery></center>

{{anchor|Ladybug}}
====BotCon Ladybug/Cliffjumper====
In [[2025]], when unofficial ''Transformers'' convention BotCon began promoting their convention-exclusive figures—produced under official license from Hasbro, via licensor [[Yolopark]]—the wiki duly created a new page for "Ladybug", a female Decepticon based on the G1 "red Bumblebee" toy [[variant]], being touted by BotCon to be a brand-new character. In the first sentence of the toy's writeup, the word "unofficial" was used to describe BotCon, as the convention is organised by a third party, Agabyss. Representatives from BotCon tried to have this word removed from the article, for reasons which were—at the time—totally unclear. Then, in the run-up to the convention, social media posts from BotCon inexplicably appeared to walk back the characterisation of "Ladybug"; she was instead referred to simply as [[Cliffjumper (Yolopark)|Cliffjumper]], and depicted as an Autobot.

At the convention itself, the people involved gave an explanation: apparently, someone at Hasbro had come across the wiki's article for "Ladybug", seen the word "unofficial", and somehow completely misread this to mean that "Ladybug" was a ''pre-existing, fanmade'' character. As it happened, this was actually true: many fans (including [[Dave Edwards|Zobovor]], going back to the days of [[alt.toys.transformers]]) had independently come up with the idea of calling the red Bumblebee toy "Ladybug", though the BotCon staff reportedly had never heard of this. Presumably for legal reasons, Hasbro became adamantly against the "Ladybug" character, and for simplicity's sake suggested that she be called "Cliffjumper" instead. Unhappy that the toy didn't really resemble previous Cliffjumpers, BotCon argued that they should produce a pack-in comic to give the character a backstory and justify its existence: "[[A Cliffjumper(s) Tale]]". This in turn led to [[The Sound of Science|an equivalent comic]] being produced for the accompanying Soundblaster/Glyph two-pack from the same convention. In other words, the presence of one little word on one of our pages killed a character and created two comics.<ref>{{citesocial|link=https://tfwiki.net/wiki/User_talk:Sabrblade/BotCon_2025_report|name=Sabrblade|site=TFWiki|title=BotCon 2025 report|year=2025|month=06|day=18}}</ref> Disturbing!

==Non-TFWiki misreporting==
Of course, people working on official ''Transformers'' material make use of unofficial reference material outside of this wiki, and errors in ''Transformers'' scholarship elsewhere are just as capable of leading to incorrect or occasionally, outright made up, information making it into the final product.


===Incorrectly-colored animation models===
[[File:Incorrect R.E.D. Soundwave Shins.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|''Inaccurate model at left'' ''Accurate model at centre'' ''Off-model 2020 product at right'']]
{{main|Miscolorings based on the Generation 1 cartoon}}

The [[1984]]-[[1987]] [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''The Transformers'' animated series]] that has become a centerpiece of the brand was, to be blunt, not a high-quality production in the animation department. All four seasons were prone to [[animation error]]s, adding an additional challenge to modern fans attempting to isolate simple views of any given [[character model]]. To make matters worse, Hasbro and licensees have often relied upon a set of fan-colorings from the Ukrainian ''Transformers'' fan website, [https://www.transformers.kiev.ua/index.php?pageid=g1encyclopedia Transformers.kiev.ua,] that attempted to recreate Sunbow animation models using screen captures of episodes, while eye dropping the colors from said screen captures, and then replacing the heads of the models with traced headshots also taken from episode screen captures. These fan-colorings regularly make rounds on the web since they are readily available on Pinterest and Fandom wikia pages, making it hard not to come across them on Google Images.

On top of all of this, the models Transformers.kiev.ua would frequently use were also the ones published in [[The Ark series|''The Ark'' series]] books as they were the only real source available for Generation 1 animation models at the time. In the years since, better copies of animation models have surfaced through eBay and various Japanese auction sites, revealing that a large majority of the models used in the books were actually out of date pre-final models that had been revised anywhere from once, to several times afterwards. The author of the books, [[Jim Sorenson]] has also stated in conversation with the wiki team that due to the condition of some of the models he had found or been given access to, [[Bill Forster]] had to sometimes trace, redraw, and digitally mend models, such as the [[Junkion (species)|Junkion]]s, to make them more presentable for publishing; this has also led to several inaccuracies with the original model sheets that have surfaced since.

As can be seen in the example at right, the 2020 ''[[Transformers R.E.D.|R.E.D. <nowiki>[</nowiki>Robot Enhanced Design<nowiki>]</nowiki>]]'' [[Soundwave (G1)/merchandise#RED|Soundwave]] figure's shins were incorrectly left blue instead of being painted silver/gray due to Hasbro once again basing the figure on the [https://www.transformers.kiev.ua/g1/soundwaveg1.html Transformers.kiev.ua fan-colored model].

Hasbro also tends to use the images from Transformers.kiev.ua whole-hog in their social media posts on Instagram and Facebook for memes, visuals for trivia, and holiday celebration posts, as well as using them as placeholder images for pipeline reveals of upcoming figures in the works. A notable example of this was the pipeline reveal of ''[[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy: Evolution]]'' [[Devcon (G1)#Legacy|Devcon]], whose [https://www.transformers.kiev.ua/g1/devcong1.html placeholder "model" image] isn't even a model at all, rather [[:File:Devcon-Body01.jpg|a couple of]] [[:File:Gambler Devcon vehicle.jpg|traced screencaps]] from the episode "[[The Gambler]]".<ref>[https://news.tfw2005.com/2023/01/31/transformers-jan-23-livestream-recap-legacy-evolution-wave-2-and-more-474374 Transformers Jan 23 Livestream Recap – Legacy Evolution Wave 2 and More!] at TFW2005</ref> The Devcon mishap also extends to his toy, as the vertical line detailing below the molded ring on his left arm is missing from the right arm, something that the traced "model" completely neglected to translate from the original show screencap. The same had also been done for [[Snarl (G1)#Legacy|Snarl]], [[Bombshell (G1)#Legacy|Bombshell]], [[Dirge (G1)/toys#Legacy|Dirge]], and so on. It's one thing to use them as reference for toys and design inspiration, but the practice of taking them whole-hog without a background check, and using them in official posts is a bit of a shoddy practice, to say the least.
{{--}}

===Designs based on "third party" toys===
[[File:OnePrimus.jpg|thumb|400px|]]
{{main|IP infringement#Third party designs in official products and marketing}}
Many illustrations and character models created in the franchise's recent history are based on unlicensed products, usually simply because these get lumped in with official reference material in Google Images search results.

===Other oddities===
====Discmaster====
This might be one of the earliest cases of circular reporting in the history of the ''Transformers'' brand and fandom (and one of the rare, non-visual, text-only cases). The [http://tflab.net/japaspe/second/bd20.html toy bio] for ''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers|Beast Wars II]]'' [[Autolauncher]] refers to both himself and his rival [[Mantis]] with the turn of phrase ''enban tsukai'' (円盤使い, meaning "disc user"). When the bio was translated into English in the late 1990s/early 2000s, the phrase was written in English as "Discmaster", with the one responsible having likely taken some creative inspiration from [[Headmaster (technology)|the]] [[Targetmaster (technology)|various]] [[Powermaster|forms]] [[Godmaster (lifeform)|of]] "[[Brainmaster|-master]]" [[Micromaster|technology]] [[Powered Master|of]] Generation 1.

During the mid-2000s, when putting together the ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook]]'', longtime fan [[Ben Yee]] (who was co-author of the ''Sourcebook'' with [[Simon Furman]]) took this translation to heart and applied the term to the book's profiles for both Autolauncher and Mantis—unaware that "Discmaster" was actually creative liberty on part of the fan translation and not an accurate representation of what was originally written in the Japanese bio text. As a result, the term "[[Discmaster]]" now referred to a martial art practiced by both characters, despite the term having never actually existed beforehand in the first place.

{{anchor|Axe}}
====''Transformers Legends'' Axe====
[[File:TFLegends Axe vehicle.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.5]]
In 2014, the ''Transformers Legends'' mobile game added a card based on [[Axe (G1)|Axe]], a character designed by [[Alex Milne]] for ''[[The Transformers: Drift]]''. However, for alt-mode reference, the card directly copied a piece of fanart created by Sara Guyon-Gellin.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Nicely done, but the game's artist lacks some creativity IMHO. For the design of jet mode in particular. Done and uploaded in 2011. Nice to know my work is good enough that someone officially hired by Hasbro decided there was no need for further adjustment and simply copied his/her own pictures from it :( I mean, couldn't you at least have changed the tail rudders ? </sarcasm>|link=https://www.deviantart.com/alteride/journal/Nice-to-be-an-inspiration-for-official-TF-artists-494832421|name=Sara Guyon-Gellin|site=deviantART|title=Nice to be an inspiration for official TF artists|year=2014|month=11|day=16}}</ref><ref>{{citesocial|link=https://www.deviantart.com/alteride/art/Axe-alt-modes-studies-252754825|name=Sara Guyon-Gellin|site=deviantART|title=Axe alt modes - studies|year=2011|month=08|day=14}}</ref> Milne had intended the character to have a land-based mode!<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Too bad for the jet part, though, [Alex Milne] told me later Axe was land-based only. Voice of God :/|link=https://www.deviantart.com/comments/1/252754825/2172060396|name=Sara Guyon-Gellin|site=deviantART|year=2011|month=08|day=30}}</ref> Also, not cool.

{{-}}{{anchor|Menasor}}
====''Combiner Wars'' G2 Menasor====
At first glance, Hasbro's ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]''-themed redeco of ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' [[Menasor (G1)#CWG2|Menasor]] looks to be a simple homage to the original, canceled ''Generation 2'' toy. However, a closer inspection reveals that it took some notable inspiration from a 2014 fanmade digibash [http://air-hammer.deviantart.com/art/G2-Stunticons-Digibash-471989649 posted to DeviantArt] by longtime fan artist Air Hammer, which was itself based on another fan's [http://cybertron.ca/boards/showthread.php?p=76573 hand-painted customization] of the original Generation 1 Stunticons in an attempt to recreate the canceled ''Generation 2'' toys. As an extra, the official Transformers Facebook page [[:file:G2Offroad.jpg|posted a promotional pic of the set]] that used the aforemented digibashes of the individual Stunticons instead of their proper stock photos... which featured [[Offroad (CW)|Offroad]] as the fifth member of the team, rather than [[Wildrider (G1)|Brake-Neck]] (whose ''Combiner Wars'' version wasn't revealed yet when the digibash was made) as the official set.

<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:G2 Menasor and G2 Defensor.jpg|''Original 1994 deco pictured, left''
File:G2 Stunticons 1995 Tomart.jpg|''Purple-faced Menasor, as seen in the [[cross-sell]] from the figures' packaging''
File:Transformers-Generations-Combiner-Wars-G2-Menasor.jpg|''2015 deco pictured'' Why, these limbs are the wrong toolings entirel- [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)#1986 (Scramble City and 2010)|Oh, right.]]
</gallery></center>

{{-}}{{anchor|Warriorbot}}
====Warriorbot====
[[File:Warriorbot hobby lobby.jpg|thumb|150px]]
In [[2017]], a Hasbro license, [[Open Road Brands]], released a [[:File:Open road brands faction sign.jpg|tin wall sign]] exclusively to Hobby Lobby stores, meant to showcase the many [[Insignia|faction symbols]] from the [[Transformers brand|brand]]'s history, but one symbol stood out. The self-proclaimed "Warriorbots" were never a real thing. So were did they come from? The answer can be found on the "[https://transformers.fandom.com/wiki/Insignia?diff=prev&oldid=405151 Insignia]" page on the Transformers Fandom (formerly Wikia) wiki from 2014 to 2017, with it being listed among the others. In other words: Whoever designed it used that page as reference.
{{-}}

====''Cyberverse'' character models====
While the core cast of the [[2018]] series ''[[Transformers: Cyberverse (cartoon)| Cyberverse]]'' was based on the [[evergreen]] characters being pushed at the time, the supporting cast drew from a range of pre-existing toys (mostly from the ''Generations'' line) and designs (mostly from [[IDW Publishing]]'s comics). Close inspection of character models reveals that, in some cases, specific pieces of artwork were used for reference—and in a couple of cases, the artwork in question wasn't actually official, but rather fan-work that crops up often on Google Images:
* [[Perceptor (Cyberverse)|Perceptor]] is based on a fan-colored version of [[Guido Guidi]]'s character model sketched for ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'', which is where his grey feet come from (in IDW's comics, they were black).<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Coloring of Guido Guidi's Perceptor.|link=https://www.deviantart.com/vaderprime1/art/Perceptor-208339678|name=VaderPrime1|site=DeviantArt|title=Perceptor|year=2011|month=05|day=10}}</ref>
* [[Drift (Cyberverse)|Drift]]'s original "Deadlock" body is based on a piece of fanart by Guido Guidi.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=A fanart rendering based on G1 Springer repurposed as an hypothetical G1 Deadlock repaint (Drift former identity as Decepticon)|link=https://www.deviantart.com/guidoguidi/art/Retro-G1-Deadlock-model-sheet-526900626|name=Guido Guidi|site=DeviantArt|title=Retro G1 Deadlock model sheet|year=2015|month=04|day=15}}</ref>
* [[Alpha Trion#Cyberverse|Alpha Trion]] is based on a piece of fanart by [[Makoto Ono]], the original source for which has disappeared along with the rest of his DeviantArt account, but which still remains [https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/autobot-leader-alpha-trion-by-makotoonodeviantartcom-on-deviantart--375909900129440770/ floating around on the internet]. This is where Alpha Trion's hulked-out proportions come from, as well as the details of his lower legs.

{{anchor|Megaplex}}
====IDW ''Transformers'' Megaplex====
[[File:Megaplex Digibash IDW.jpg|thumb]]
In the IDW Publishing comic issue [[Rise of the Decepticons: Swindle's|''Transformers'' #20]], the ''[[Machine Wars: Transformers|Machine Wars]]''-based characters [[Starscream (MW)|Starscream]] and [[Megaplex]] make cameo appearances in a crowd. Line artist [[Anna Malkova]] drew Megaplex according to a 2012 "virtual redeco" of ''[[Transformers: Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' Deluxe-sized [[Starscream (Armada)/toys#Energon|Starscream]] [https://www.deviantart.com/air-hammer/art/Machine-Wars-Megatron-and-Megaplex-Digibash-341964614 posted to DeviantArt] by fan artist Air Hammer (similar to the above case of ''Combiner Wars'' G2 Menasor). Given that "Starscream" is drawn according to his [[Starscream (MW)#Toys|original toy]], one imagines that Malkova intended to do the same for Megaplex—but as Google Images returns the fan-made digibash near the top of its search results for "''Machine Wars'' Megaplex", Malkova presumably believed it to be an official toy, and wound up drawing that design instead.

{{anchor|Ruckus}}
====''Legacy: United'' Rukus====
The [[2024]] modernised toy of [[Ruckus (G1)#Legacy|Rukus]] released as part of the ''[[Transformers: Legacy#Exclusives 3|Doom 'n Destruction Collection]]'' capsule subline of ''Legacy: United'' sports new [[paint operation]]s on his forearms. In addition, the suspension springs sculpted into his legs are upside down compared to the original toy and [[package art]]. The toy was clearly designed with reference to an incorrectly-[[sticker]]ed sample of the G1 toy, with the hip detailing mistakenly applied to the forearms, and the leg stickers placed upside-down. For several years prior to this incident, the TFWiki itself had been using [https://www.seibertron.com/transformers-toys/gallery/g1-1988/ruckus/124/1/ images from Seibertron] with misplaced hip stickers—but the upside-down springs on the legs point towards a different specific sample of the toy being the culprit.
<center><gallery heights=200px widths=200px>
File:G1 Ruckus toy.jpg|''Original [[1988]] toy with correct sticker placement'' Many thanks to [[Sixo]]! You wreck and rule!
File:Misstickered G1 Ruckus toy.jpg|''Original 1988 toy with'' '''''incorrect''''' ''sticker placement, from Seibertron.com''
File:TF-Legacy-United-Deluxe-Rukus.jpg|''2024 toy pictured''
</gallery></center>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Fandom]]

Ken (G1)

2026-05-01T23:23:02Z

Cylasbreakdown: Redirect

{{Disambig3|Ken}}
:''Ken is a [[human]] from the [[Marvel Comics continuity|Marvel portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:ToAPowerUnknown coronation street.jpg|thumb|Sure, [[Doctor]] has had a wiki page since 2009, but what about poor Ken?]]
'''Ken''' (possibly also known as '''Chuck''') is a fellow from, and possibly the main character of, a television programme.

==Fiction==
===Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics===
{{noteukexclusive|Ken}}
As [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] was disoriented by [[Purnel's Auto-Reverse Defence|PARD]] while flying over the [[United Kingdom|English]] countryside, his scrambled video scanner picked up a brief broadcast of Ken, before it moved on to a more [[Doctor Who|urgent transmission]]. {{storylink|To a Power Unknown!}}

==Related characters==
===Ken's friend===
While pouring a drink, an associate of Ken's greeted him with a friendly "ay-oop", and asked him how it was going. {{storylink|To a Power Unknown!}}

==Notes==
*{{w|Ken Barlow}}, as played by {{w|William Roache}}, is the longest-serving character on British soap ''{{w|Coronation Street}}''–and, indeed, the longest-serving character on ''any'' TV soap opera ''ever''. His friend is {{w|Rovers Return Inn|Rovers Return}} barmaid {{w|Bet Lynch}}, as played by {{w|Julie Goodyear}}.

[[Category:Earth culture]]
[[Category:European-original characters]]
[[Category:Real-world cultural references]]
[[Category:Marvel Generation 1 characters]]

Salvador Reyes

2026-04-30T22:14:23Z

Cylasbreakdown: Formatting

[[File: Salvador Reyes.jpg|thumb]]
'''Salvador Reyes''' (born [[December 22]], [[1975]]) is a Mexican voice actor.
His dubbing career began in [[2006]], where has provided dubbing for anime and Western animation.

In anime, he voiced [[Norio Wakamoto|Cell]] in ''Dragon Ball Z Kai'', [[Banjō Ginga|King Vegeta]] in ''Dragon Ball Super'' and ''Dragon Ball Super: Broly'', [[Richard Epcar|Manda]] in Naruto, [[Tomokazu Sugita|Noba]] in Bleach, Mougan Tanakamaru from ''Tokyo Ghoul'', Scorch in ''Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal'', the first voice of Gazef Stronoff in ''Overlord'', Vetto in ''Black Clover'', [[Taitem Kusunoki|Muteba Gizenga]] in ''Kengan Ashura'', [[Hisao Egawa|Kuroobi]] from ''One Piece'', [[Wataru Takagi|Zonge]] from ''Toriko'', [[D.C. Douglas|Gek]][[Tetsu Inada|ko]] in ''Boruto: Naruto Next Generations'', [[Paul Dobson|Block]] in ''Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai'', [[Akio Ōtsuka|Wamuu]] in ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', [[Sean Kenin Reyes|Professor Rowan]] in ''Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl'', Gurkinn in ''Pokémon XY'' and ''Pokémon Journeys'', [[Jirō Saitō|Kenichiro Doman]] in ''Bucchigiri?!'', among others.

In Western animation, he voiced [[Brian Drummond|Ahuizotl]] and [[Michael Dobson|Bulk Biceps]] in ''My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'', Lieutenant Matthias in ''Frozen II'', both [[Steve Blum|Abomination]] and [[Dave Boat|The]] [[Thing]] in ''Super Hero Squad'', Double Dan in ''Ralph Breaks the Internet'', Bronco the Bady Guy in the 2017 ''DuckTales'' reboot, Private X in the 2009 ''Penguins of Madagascar'' animated series, Reptillus Maximus in ''Toy Story: The Toys that Time Forgot'', [[John DiMaggio|Whampire, Rath]], and [[Eric Bauza|Solid Plugg]] in ''Ben 10: Omniverse'', Chakal in ''The Book of Life'', Detective in ''Grossology'', Death in the [[Brazil|Brazilian]] cartoon ''O Sítiu do Picapau Amarelo'' (lit. The Place of the Yellow Bird), Stan in ''Sing'', and both Hundun and Master Lun in ''Kung Fu Panda: The Legend of Po''.

He's the father of voice actor David Reyes.

==Roles==
===[[Transformers (film)|''Transformers'' (2007 movie)]]===
*[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]]
*Additional voices

===''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''===
*[[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]]

===''[[Transformers: Cyber Missions|Cyber Missions]]''===
*[[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]]

===''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]''===
*[[Dino|Dino/Mirage]]

===''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]''===
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]]

===''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots (cartoon)|Rescue Bots]]''===
*[[Boulder (RB)|Boulder]] (first voice)

===''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 cartoon)|Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015)]]''===
*[[The Fallen|Megatronus]]
*Additional Voices

===''[[Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|The Last Knight]]''===
*[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]]

===''[[Transformers: Cyberverse (cartoon)|Transformers: Cyberverse]]''===
*[[Astrotrain (Cyberverse)|Astrotrain]]

===''[[Transformers One (film)|Transformers One]]''===
*[[Darkwing (One)|Darkwing]] (trailer 2)

==Notes==
*He is the only actor in the Latin-American Spanish dub of the ''Transformers'' movie franchise to have voiced a different character in each film (and ''Cyber Missions''). However, he hasn't appeared in any of the films after ''Dark of the Moon''. This has changed now, however, as he returned to voice Barricade after ten years in ''The Last Knight''.
*He has dubbed 10 characters played by [[Kevin Michael Richardson]], including [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]].
*He also shares the roles of Dino and Megatronus with [[Fumihiko Tachiki]]
*And he also shares the roles of Dino and Bulkhead with [[Karl Schulz]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, Salvador}}
[[Category:Spanish voice actors]]

Nemesis Shield

2026-04-28T21:36:14Z

Cylasbreakdown:

{{picsneeded}}

The '''Nemesis Shield''' is a powerful [[force field]] which renders a Transformer totally invulnerable to damage; even a direct blast from the chaos-bringer [[Unicron]] himself cannot penetrate it.

It is formed, along with the [[Matrix Cannon (Armada)|Matrix Cannon]] and [[Vanguard Booster]], from the combination of the [[Red Mini-Con Team|Red]], [[Blue Mini-Con Team|Blue]], [[Green Mini-Con Team|Green]], [[Gold Mini-Con Team|Gold]], and [[Purple Mini-Con Team]]s.

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon continuity===
[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] each used a Nemesis Shield to survive each other's [[omega bomb]] blasts while they were fighting each other for some reason or another. The fact that they ''both'' had exactly the same super-weaponry finally clued them in that they'd been had by [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]], who was supplying both of them with fantastic (and expensive) weapons and cures for their effects. {{storylink|The Arrival issue 5#"Everything Must Go"|Everything Must Go}}

==Games==
===''Transformers'' (PS2)===
After the [[Autobot]]s had collected all of the Mini-Cons stranded on [[Earth]], they learned that [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] was being threatened by the chaos-bringer [[Unicron]]. The Mini-Cons merged to form three incredibly powerful weapons, including the Nemesis Shield, and the Autobots were able to destroy Unicron and end the threat to their planet. {{storylink|Transformers (Armada PS2)|Transformers}}

[[Category:Animated weapons]]
[[Category:Armada weapons]]
[[Category:Mini-Con weapons]]
[[Category:Shields]]

Pretzel Logic

2026-04-26T19:00:59Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Quotes */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 cartoon)|Transformers: Robots in Disguise]]'' (2015) ep 42
|image=TRID S2 E16 PL SC 1.jpg
|caption=I am not the Dinobot you're looking for! Move along!
|prev=Strongarm's Big Score
|next=Mighty Big Trouble
|title="Pretzel Logic"
|season=2½
|season ep=3
|airdate=[[September 24]], [[2016]] (Canada) [[November 5]], 2016 (USA)
|production company=[[Allspark (company)|Hasbro Studios]]
|writer=[[Will Friedle]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]], [[drop]] (2D)
|director=[[Scooter Tidwell]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVBJmCu0u0w
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''Grimlock encounters a surprising new ally as the Autobots continue their relic hunt.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:GrimlockAndBrotherGunter.JPG|thumb|left|250px|If you immediately know the white dust everywhere is flour, then the pretzels were baked long ago.]]
[[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]]'s team is having a video conference — currently they are scattered at different sites around the world where there has been Cybertronian activity, placing beacons to alert them if the [[Scavengers (RID)|Scavengers]] search for tech there. [[Fixit (RID)|Fixit]] lets Bumblebee know there's no news on news on [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus's]] arrival. [[Grimlock (RID 2015)|Grimlock]] is annoyed that he's been sent to a mountain monastery with only one beacon to set up, but as Bumblebee explains, he's limited to one mission due his being a bit accident-prone lately. When the conference ends, an irritated Grimlock punches the monastery wall in frustration, the noise causing a small avalanche that unearths a cave and attracting the attention of [[Gunter|a friendly monk]] who invites him inside for [[pretzel]]s.

[[File:TRID S2 E16 PL SC 2.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Did anyone remember to bring the drawn butter?]]
Inside the monastery, Grimlock tries to convince the monk that he's just a hallucination, but to his surprise, the monk is completely unconcerned by his appearance. He explains how he messed things up while helping out his friends earlier by rushing in, and the monk suggests that the problem might be that Grimlock needs to learn patience. Grimlock asks if the monk can teach him patience; the monk says he can, but he asks that Grimlock first help him make some pretzels.

Outside, a [[GroundBridge]] portal opens up as [[Thermidor]] and his Mini-Con companion [[Tricerashot (RID)|Tricerashot]] arrive. Grousing angrily about Clawtrap stealing his ship, Therimdor scans for Cybertronian tech and spots the nearby cave.

Bumblebee contacts Fixit for a status report, however [[Denny Clay|Denny]] and [[Russell Clay|Russell]]'s cleanup of Grimlock's mess is not going well. He checks in with Grimlock, only to be confused by the latter saying he's busy making pretzels with Brother Gunter.

[[File:TRID S2 E16 PL SC 3.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Suspension damage not covered under warranty.]]Grimlock is disappointed by his failed attempts to make pretzels, though Brother Gunter assures him it just takes practice. A tremor from the catacombs leads the pair to investigate. There, Thermidor has located a relic which he intends to use to take his ship back from Clawtrap, however he's about to grab it when Grimlock and Gunter arrive. Despite Gunter's warning that the room is unstable, Grimlock rushes in and when he attacks Thermidor, the ceiling collapses on him. Thermidor is about to claim his treasure when Brother Gunter shoves a shelfcase on top of him. Tricerashot reluctantly follows Thermidor's order to transform to blaster mode so the scavenger can blast Gunter, but Grimlock manages to free himself in time to save the human. Recalling Gunter's lesson in patience, Grimlock pauses to contact Bumblebee for help before resuming the fight. Thermidor manages to grab the Cybertronian artifact, an energy gauntlet that allows him to knock Grimlock flying. The rest of Team Bee arrives, and in the ensuing battle, Tricerashot attempts to take control of Grimlock, but finds himself unable to. Thermidor knocks down the Autobots and flees with Tricerashot.

[[File:TRID S2 E16 PL SC 4.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Murder.exe fully online]]
Bumblebee is disappointed that Grimlock's blown his cover, but Gunter promises to keep his silence. While the other Autobots go after Thermidor, Grimlock pauses to apologize for not heeding Gunter's warning about the unstable cavern. Thermidor meanwhile contacts Clawtrap to find that his ship's GroundBridge is out, leaving him and Tricerashot to fend for themselves. Grimlock emerges on the mountainside and tries to tell Bumblebee to wait for him before he starts climbing down the mountain, however the other Autobots are already pursuing the scavenger. Thermidor manages to take out [[Drift (RID)|Drift]], [[Sideswipe (RID 2015)|Sideswipe]] and [[Strongarm (RID)|Strongarm]], before leading Bumblebee to a ski lift, intending to snap one of the poles if the Autobot doesn't let him go. Eventually, Bumblebee charges him only for Thermidor to knock him down and then go to break the pole anyway. Tricerashot protests that it's unnecessary as they've already won, and is about to charge his partner when Grimlock arrives and lays into Thermidor. The pair are unaware that they're being observed by [[Shadelock|another Decepticon]], who reports on the fight via comm to a familiar voice - [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream's]]. The battle is going in Grimlock's favor, until Thermidor manages to knock him back with the energy gauntlet. Tricerashot 'accidentally' trips up Thermidor as he moves in to finish Grimlock off, and the Dinobot, recalling Gunter's lessons in patience, is able to dodge Thermidor's attacks and deprive him of the gauntlet. The scavenger and his Mini-Con are pulled through a GroundBridge as Grimlock checks on Bumblebee, though the gauntlet is left behind. While Bumblebee is disappointed the Scavengers got away, Grimlock notes that the Mini-Con seemed reluctant to fight.

The others arrive and compliment Bumblebee on his work, but he gives the credit to Grimlock. Impressed with the patience that Grimlock finally learned, Bumblebee attempts to learn to make pretzels from Gunter, and as it turns out he's as slow a learner as Grimlock is.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Fixit (RID)|Fixit]] (1)
*[[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] (2)
*[[Sideswipe (RID 2015)|Sideswipe]] (3)
*[[Drift (RID)|Drift]] (4)
*[[Strongarm (RID)|Strongarm]] (5)
*[[Grimlock (RID 2015)|Grimlock]] (6)
*[[Jetstorm (RID)|Jetstorm]] (11)
*[[Slipstream (RID)|Slipstream]] (12)

|c2=
*[[Thermidor]] (8)
*[[Clawtrap]] (10)
*[[Shadelock]] (13)
*[[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] (voice only, 14)

|c3=
*[[Gunter]] (7)

|c4=
*[[Tricerashot (RID)|Tricerashot]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==
"Ugh, I'm gonna be rusty and obsolete by the time we finish this!"
:—'''Sideswipe''' is not looking forward to setting up beacons.

'''Bumblebee''': "How's everything going there, Fixit?" 
'''Fixit''': "Not too badly, lieutenant. Denny and Russell are just about finished weaning...preening...cleaning up Grimlock's little mess. The scrapyard should be one hundred percent in no time." 
''(A tremendous crash is heard in the background)'' 
'''Fixit''': "Strike that."

"Grimlock, what's your-" 
"Can't talk. Making pretzels with Brother Gunter." 
"He's making what with who?"
:—'''Bumblebee''' finds '''Grimlock''' more confusing than usual.

"Robots in disguise, Grimlock. ''Robots in disguise!''"
:—'''Bumblebee''' takes the opportunity to remind Grimlock about operational security and to title-drop all in one go.

'''Brother Gunter''': "Do not be frustrated vith Grimlock. I vill tell no one I have seen you." 
'''Grimlock''': "Brother Gunter's cool, Bee. We can trust him." 
'''Bumblebee''': "How can you be so sure?" 
''(Heavenly light shines on Brother Gunter with angelic choir)'' 
'''Bumblebee''': "Yeah...okay...uh, hey, back to business." 
:—Brother Gunter's totally trustworthy.

"Can we skip our usual 'I have this, no, I have this' argument and just work together for once?" 
"Sounds like a plan. Does this mean we're growing up? Meet you in the middle." 
''(Thermidor pulls back and makes them hit each other and fall off the road.)'' 
"Let's go back to arguing." 
"Yeah, why mess with a proven formula?"
:—'''Strongarm''' and '''Sideswipe''' try to break routine and failed hilariously.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Starscream was last seen about to have [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]], [[Skylynx (Prime)|Skylynx]], and [[Darksteel (Prime)|Darksteel]] happen to him in "[[Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising]]", and his "weapon" (i.e. his ''severed arm'') was in the possession of Predaking in [[Robots in Disguise issue 6|issue #6]] of RiD's tie-in comic.

===Real-world references===
* Thermidor swears by the [[Sargassoid Sea]], which is most likely a reference to the Sargasso Sea.
* Thermidor compares Bumblebee to a bad-luck [[Albatronus]], a reference to how albatrosses were thought to bring bad luck to sailors (mainly sailors that harmed them).

===Errors===
* The scene where Tricerashot failed to possess Grimlock's body, the following sequence was switched for some reason: Tricerashot was supposed to ask how was Grimlock able to break free from his control first, and then Grimlock was to answer that the Mini-Con's voice was in his head later.

===Trivia===
* "Pretzel logic" typically refers to convoluted, fallacious reasoning that fails to meet reality. So the title of this episode is something of a ''twist'' ha ha ha okay we'll stop.
* Grimlock complains that one of his failed pretzels looks like "a [[Snaketicon]] swallowed a bag of ball bearings". While not named as such before, it's possible that [[Vertebreak (RID)|Vertebreak]] is a Snaketicon.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' '''La Logique du Bretzel''' ("The Logic of Pretzel")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 1]], 2016

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' '''La Logica del Pretzel''' ("The Pretzel's Logic")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 23]], 2016

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''Micron-tachi o Ou Kage''' (マイクロンたちを追う影, "The Minicon Team Chases Shadows")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 27]], 2016

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2018 — ''Transformers Robots in Disguise'' — Combiner Force ([[Beyond Home Entertainment]]) 

[[Category:Robots in Disguise (2015) episodes]]

I, Robot-Master!

2026-04-25T23:47:03Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* UK printing */

{{comicstory|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' (US)]] #15
|prev=Rock and Roll-Out!
|next=Plight of the Bumblebee!
|title="I, Robot-Master!"
|seriesissue2=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #55–56
|prev2=Rock and Roll-Out!
|next2=Plight of the Bumblebee!
|image=MarvelUS-15.jpg
|caption="I'll control the Transformers when I feel like it! GOSH!"
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|shippingdate=[[December 31]], [[1985]]<ref name="marvelage">''Marvel Age'' #36 lists the shipping date as the 24th, but the U.S. copyright registration for the issue lists the 31st, suggesting the issue was delayed a week. The on-sale estimate has been adjusted to reflect this, rather than the original ''Marvel Age'' estimated arrival of January 14th, 1986.</ref>
|onsaledate=[[January 21]], 1986<ref name ="marvelage"/>
|coverdate=April [[1986]]
|writer=[[Bob Budiansky]]
|penciler=[[Don Perlin]]
|inker=[[Keith Williams]]
|colorist=[[Nelson Yomtov|Nel Yomtov]]
|letterer=[[Janice Chiang]]
|editor=[[Michael Carlin]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''Introducing the dorkiest terrorist the world has ever known.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Robotmastercomic.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1|"Comics about giant robots? Pfft, it'll never catch on."]]
[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] hungers! The displaced [[Decepticon]] has found his way to a coal mine in [[Wyoming]], which he begins tearing apart in a desperate search for fuel. Megatron attempts to ingest the mine's coal but finds it useless to him, and is about to head off to look elsewhere before his whole body suddenly grinds to a halt as he finally runs out of energy.

Government agent [[Walter Barnett (G1)|Walter Barnett]] is summoned to a meeting of the [[Intelligence and Information Institute]] at the organization's base in the [[Cascades]]. Barnett has already been tasked with finding a cover story to explain the presence of giant robots to the public that will prevent panic, but Megatron's appearance in Wyoming forces Barnett's boss [[Forrest Forsythe]] to push up his deadline. Also in attendance is [[G.B. Blackrock]], who tries to convince I.I.I. that the [[Autobot]]s can be [[Earth]]'s allies, but Forsythe doesn't want to hear it; he excuses Blackrock, then sends the agency's staff sent home to come up with a viable cover story within two days, on pain of unemployment.

Barnett returns home, where he finds unexpected inspiration in his son [[Stevie Barnett|Stevie]]'s comic book, ''[[Robot-Master (comic)|Robot-Master]]''. Hopping a plane to [[New York City]], Barnett makes his way to the offices of [[Marvel Comics]] in search of ''Robot-Master'' writer, [[Donny Finkleberg]], intending to pay him to write a cover story about a costumed human supervillain they can blame the robot attacks on. Having just lost his job with the company, Finkleberg is only too happy to accept Barnett's offer of lunch... and even more readily accepts an offer to actually play the role himself! The next day, broadcast television across the continent is interrupted, and America meets "Robot-Master," who claims that ''all'' the [[Transformer]]s are under his control. Reactions are varied; the Autobots are baffled, and turn to Blackrock for answers, learning about the government's intentions from him.

[[File:Robotmaster.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.25|"Megatron, you fat lard!"]]

I.I.I.'s plan takes a hit when a photograph of the inert Megatron leaks to the news media, so they plan to make a second broadcast from the Wyoming coal mine itself, shoring up their story by showing "Robot-Master" and Megatron together. Unfortunately for them, the news story about Megatron has also been witnessed by the Autobots, and by [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]], who has been hiding out in an electronics store in tape deck mode. The Autobots are first to arrive on the scene as I.I.I. are getting ready to broadcast, but are met with resistance from the [[human]] [[United States military|military]], which does not recognize the Autobots as anything other than a threat despite Blackrock's attempts to make them understand otherwise. While the military are busy with them, however, Soundwave and his cassettes fly in with a fresh supply of [[Transformer fuel|fuel]] for Megatron, who becomes mobile again. The Decepticons go on a rampage against the human military; the damaged Autobots are in no condition to help the humans, and are forced to retreat.

In the aftermath of the destruction, Laserbeak spots Finkleberg and snatches him up, depositing him in front of Megatron for the Decepticon leader to dispose of for his effrontery. Finkleberg is able to convince the Decepticons that he can be of help to them: by continuing his Robot-Master charade, he can convince humans that the Autobots are as much a threat to them as the Decepticons, thereby thwarting future Autobot efforts just as they were today. Soundwave agrees that the course of action is logical, and though it leaves Megatron with an extremely bad taste in his mouth, he consents to another broadcast, displaying his might in the "service" of Robot-Master for all to see. Finkleberg is spared... but Megatron warns the presumptuous human that it is only ''for now!''

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (7)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] (13)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (14)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (15)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (16)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Wheeljack]] (17)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] (1)
*''[[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]]'' (4)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] (5)
*''Decepticon jet'' (8)
*[[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]] (18)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (19)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (20)
|c3=
*[[Walter Barnett (G1)|Walter Barnett]] (2)
*[[Forrest Forsythe]] (3)
*''[[Brick Springstern]]'' (6)
*[[G.B. Blackrock]] (9)
*[[Stevie Barnett]] (10)
*[[Charlene Barnett]] (11)
*[[Donny Finkleberg]] (12)
}}

==Quotes==
"I bet the Communists are behind this!" 
"I bet the [[P.L.O.]] is behind this!" 
"''I bet the GOVERNMENT is behind this!!''"
:—Two '''average Joes''' and '''G.B. Blackrock''' register their reactions to "Robot-Master"

"Are his circuits disconnected? Who ''is'' this mad human?"
:—'''Bumblebee''' reacts to "Robot-Master"'s first broadcast

"...Mull this over—how long do you think the Decepticons are going to tolerate this clown claiming to be their leader? I mean, cigarette smoking isn't going to be the only hazard to this guy's health! I hope he's made out his will!"
:—'''G.B. Blackrock''' tells Triple-I how it is.

"Do not judge humans too harshly, Autobots. They are only capable of acting upon what they understand... and apparently they do not yet understand ''us''."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' leads his battered troops away from the attacking humans.

"Human, you presume too much of me. At this moment your '''value''' to '''me''' outweighs my '''loathing''' for '''you''' -- but only by the most precariously '''slim''' margin! For the next cigarette you light could '''change''' that equation... and you would find that smoking can indeed be... '''hazardous''' to your health!"
:—'''Megatron''' lays down the law to Finkleberg

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*I.I.I. has been looking for a way to deal with the issue of the Transformers since [[Rock and Roll-Out!|last issue]]. The briefing session the organization holds includes a video record of several events from past issues, including:
**Megatron and [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] destroying a high school football stadium while fighting, from [[The Worse of Two Evils!|issue #6]].
**Soundwave invading [[Blackrock Aerospace Assembly Plant Number One]], from [[Warrior School!|issue #7]].
**Hoist repairing damage at the [[Brick Springstern]] concert, from last issue.
[[File:IRobotMaster 1st rollout.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.67]]
*Soundwave and the cassettes were last seen in [[Prime Time!|issue #12]], having been undercover since they were defeated by Optimus Prime and left leaderless. [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] do not appear to be with them; it might seem logical to think that, as cassettes, they would be, but the Marvel comic did not particularly emphasize a connection between them and Soundwave the way the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] did. They and the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] are only ones unaccounted for by the US stories during this period of Decepticon instability, but UK stories will place Frenzy and the Constructicons with Shockwave's camp.

===Transformers references===
*Wheeljack and Prowl have given the Autobots the order to "[[roll out]]" in issues #9 and #12 respectively, but this issue marks the first time that Optimus Prime delivers the iconic catcphrase made famous by [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the animated series]] in its full form: "Transform... and roll out!" (right)

===Real-life references===
[[File:IRobotMaster cap and hulk.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1]]
*This issue's title is an homage to the classic science fiction collection ''{{w|I, Robot}}'' by Isaac Asimov.
*Continuing the slow expansion of the comic's events outside of [[Oregon]], this issue takes Megatron to the real-life [[Powder River Basin]] of eastern [[Wyoming]] (meaning Megatron's walked about 1000 miles in the weeks since he left Portland in issue #13!)
*Though the comic company which published ''Robot-Master'' is not named in dialogue, it's obvious that it's Marvel Comics; it's located at Marvel's real-life then-address 387 Park Avenue South, [[New York City]], its reception desk has images of [[Captain America]] and [[Hulk|the Incredible Hulk]] on the wall behind it (right), and if you look real close, you'll see the "Marvel" name and logo on the cover of Stevie's comic. The idea of Marvel Comics existing as a company ''within'' the fictional world of one of their comics is a longstanding idea, having originated in 1963's ''[[Fantastic Four]]'' #10.
*In keeping with this real-life Marvel Comics connection, Donny Finkleberg is based on and named in homage to Marvel staffer {{w|Danny Fingeroth}}.
*The title of Finkleberg's proposed ''Potato Salad Man'' graphic novel, "This Man, This Mayonnaise", is a reference to the seminal ''Fantastic Four'' story, "This Man, This Monster".
*Civilians watching Robot-Master's broadcast, quoted above, blame "the Communists" (i.e.: the [[Soviet Union]], America's real-life political enemy at the time) and "the P.L.O." (the {{w|Palestine Liberation Organization}}, then considered a terrorist organization by the US).
{{--}}

===Continuity and plotting errors===
*Triple I's suddenly got its own headquarters in the [[Cascades]], when just last issue, Barnett had to fly out to Washington, D.C., to meet with Forsythe.
*The reader is required to assume that the media never notices that Finkleberg's assumed persona is identical to a comic book, that the creator of that comic book is missing, and that he bears a strong resemblance to this "real" Robot-Master. Apparently, the comic is absurdly unpopular.
*So, Ravage picks up tape-player-mode Soundwave in his jaws, then ''Ravage'' is picked up and carried off in turn by Buzzsaw. Why doesn't Buzzsaw just carry Soundwave directly with Ravage inside him in tape mode? (They have switched to this more logical configuration by the time they arrive at the coal mine.)
*The immobile Megatron vows to crush Finkleberg when the human calls him ugly—but Finkleberg is inside a flying helicopter talking to Barnett at the time, so how does Megatron hear him?

===Artwork and technical errors===
[[File:IRobotMaster hoist forehead face.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.25|A-hyuck!]]
*On the issue's cover, none of the robots standing behind Megatron and Robot-Master are colored correctly. Given that the image is a "cover within a cover" representing the fictitious "Robot-Master" comic book, these miscolorings ''might'' be intentional, but all the same, they include: a pale blue Soundwave with white limbs, orange details, and a red Decepticon insignia (...is his color scheme based on [[Twin Twist (G1)|Twin Twist]]?); an orange block-colored Skids; a Hoist who is mostly the correct green, but the details of whose head have been grossly misinterpreted by the colorist and colored to look like he's got a face growing out of his forehead, his actual visor-eyes becoming a pair of "buck teeth," along with incorrectly-green shoulder-fins and head-mounted sensor module (see closeup at right); Tracks in an approximation of Hoist's colors, and an orange-and-grey Bumblebee, with a grey Autobot symbol. Also, there's a legless white Laserbeak (or Buzzsaw) flying up in the corner.
*On the cover, the back end of Megatron's cannon is positioned across his chest in an impossible manner.
*G.B. Blackrock is once again missing his mustache throughout this issue; thankfully, this is the last time we'll see this reoccurring error.
*When Ravage emerges from Soundwave, the man holding shouts "Holy mackeral!", misspelling "mackerel".
*Pages 2–3: Megatron's Decepticon insignia is left uncolored.
*Page 4, panel 5: Soundwave is missing his shoulder cannon.
*Page 8:
**Panels 3 and 5: Hoist is missing his orange shoulder-fins, and the panels down the backs of his arms are colored orange instead of green. His arms, hand, and gun-barrel are all solid green, and his legs above the ankle are solid orange, missing the white section that should be in-between like last issue.
**Panel 6: Wheeljack is colored like Hoist.
*Page 12, panel 3: What seems to be a technical/printing error causes the yellow ink used on Optimus Prime for this panel to extend past where it should, giving him a bit of yellow "halo," and turning his right headlight yellow instead of white.
*Page 14: Barnett's trenchcoat is colored burgundy, when subsequent pages show it should be grey; it's ''Blackrock'' who's wearing burgundy.
*Pages 14–15: Megatron's Decepticon insignia continues to go uncolored, as does Ravage's.
*Page 16, panel 3: Another yellow ink mishap splatters Optimus's face with a big yellow splotch.
*Page 18, panel 1: Laserbeak's red parts are magenta.
*Page 19, panel 2: Given that the Decepticon condor in this panel is snapping off the barrel of a tank with his beak, he's almost certainly supposed to be Buzzsaw, since that's his whole shtick, but he's colored like Laserbeak. Also, his beak is red, and that's not right for either of them.

===UK printing===
[[File:IRobotMaster megs grillmouth.jpg|right|thumb|upright=.75|Megatron's mother was a drive thru speaker.]]
'''Issue #55:'''
*'''Published:''' [[March 29|29th March]], 1986
*'''Cover date:''' [[April 5|5th April]], 1986
*'''[[Back-up strips]]:''' ''Rocket Raccoon'' ("Animal Crackers," Part 1), ''[[Robo-Capers]],'' and ''Matt and the Cat''; ''Rocket Raccoon'' debuts this issue.
*'''[[Fact File|Fact File Interface]]: '''[[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] and [[Slag (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Slag]]
'''Issue #56:'''
*'''Published:''' [[April 5|5th April]], 1986
*'''Cover date:''' [[April 12|12th April]], 1986
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Rocket Raccoon'' ("Animal Crackers," Part 2), ''Robo-Capers,'' and ''Matt and the Cat''
*'''Soundwaves:''' [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] states that [[Traachon]] bore the Matrix before Optimus.<ref>[[Letters page (Marvel UK)|Soundwaves]], issue [[Source:Soundwaves#Issue 56|56]]</ref>

===Other trivia===
*Stores seen in downtown Portland include "[[Becky's Coffee Shop]]".
*When Megatron is reactivated, the interior of his mouth is drawn as a kind of grid or mesh (right) looking not unlike a blown-up version of what you'd find on a speaker. It's an unusual visual and not one that would be repeated, but it found its way to the cover of the UK reprint of this story (see below), which would itself be re-used for ''[[The Transformers: The Complete Works Part 2]]''.
* In [[2003]] Bob Budiansky described the plot of a government agency using the media to manipulate the public into believing in a non-existent terrorist threat, as eerily predicting the lead up to [[George W. Bush|George W. Bush's]] invasion of [[Iraq]]. <ref>[[Transformers: Cybertron Redux]]</ref>

===Courtesy of my...===
*Tracks is ready to fire an [[incendiary missile]].

===Covers (3)===
*'''US issue #15:''' Robot-Master comic, by [[Herb Trimpe]].
*'''UK issue #55:''' reuse of art from US cover, with the top left hand corner box for ''Robot-Master'' changed to fit the Marvel UK style and price.
*'''UK issue #56:''' Megatron blasting coal mine equipment, by [[Robin Smith]].
<gallery>
File:MarvelUS-15.jpg|'''US issue #15''' - Donny: International Hero.
File:MarvelUK-055.jpg|'''UK issue #55''' - They changed the corner box, how sweet.
File:MarvelUK-056.jpg|'''UK issue #56''' - Make sure you don't let YOUR Megatron swallow netting.
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:Transformers Digest 08.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Comics Magazine issue 8|''The Transformers Comics Magazine'' #8]]''' (Marvel US, 1987)
File:Tf commag 03.JPG|'''[[Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 3|''Transformers Comic-Magazin'' #3]]''' (Condor Verlag, 1989)
File:Titan-CybertronReduxSC.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: Cybertron Redux]]'' paperback''' (Titan Books, 2003)
File:Titan-CybertronReduxHC.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: Cybertron Redux]]'' hardback''' (Titan Books, 2003)
File:Classic Transformers Vol1.jpg|'''[[Classic Transformers Volume 1|''Classic Transformers'' Volume 1]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2008)
File:TFClassicsVol2.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Classics, Vol. 2|''The Transformers Classics'', Vol. 2]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2012)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v4.jpg|'''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection|''The Definitive G1 Collection, Vol. 4: Second Generation'']]''' (Hachette Partworks, Ltd., 2018)
File:HXClassicsVol4.jpg|'''''[[The Transformers Classics#Japanese reprints|The Transformers Classics]], Vol. 4''''' ([[Mediaboy Mook]], 2019)
</gallery>

====IDW ''Transformers Classics'' edits====
[[File:TFClassics2-pinklips.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|He answers the door for the Avon lady. Every time.]]
[[File:IRobotMaster hoistjack.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.67|Slowly getting there...]]
For ''[[The Transformers Classics]]'' series of trade paperbacks, IDW Publishing "remastered" the coloring of the series with varying degrees of success. These changes were sometimes to fix errors, but often to alter characters' color schemes to make them resemble their toy and/or cartoon selves, and were rarely applied with consistency. IDW's recolored version was also used for Hachette's ''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection|Definitive G1 Collection]]''. (''n.b. not all the changes made in IDW's ''[[The Transformers Classics]]'' are present in the [[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection|Definitive G1 Collection]]'' ''in this instance. Where they differ, a note has been made below.'')''
*Finkleberg is intermittently given luscious pink lips throughout the issue (on pages 8, 10, 15, and 21), including on the cover, despite no other 'fixing' of the cover's many coloring errors (right). The blue "eyes" on Hoist's hideous forehead-face are removed, though.
*Page 7: The images of Hulk and Captain America are removed for legal reasons, leaving the walls blank. ''(change not present in Hachette edition)''
*Page 8, panel 6: Wheeljack's colors are "corrected," but into an approximation of his ''cartoon'' colors (giving him a grey head) instead of his correct Marvel ones (his head should be blue). Also, his fin and hand are still left in the wrong colors (right). ''(change not present in Hachette edition)''
*Page 12, panels 6-7: While Soundwave is mostly "corrected" from Marvel purple to toy-and-cartoon blue throughout this issue, as is standard for the ''Classics'' reprints, while he is in alternate mode in these two panels, his colors are left unchanged. ''(change not present in Hachette edition)''
*Page 14, panel 2: Megatron's Decepticon insignia, uncolored in the original artwork, is now colored in, but his eyes are now orange instead of yellow.
*Page 15, panel 1: Now Megatron's eyes have gone from the correct yellow to uncolored white.
*Page 16, panel 3: The yellow ink splotch on Optimus's face is removed.
*Page 17, panel 1: Like Megatron before him, Optimus Prime's eyes are changed from yellow to uncolored white.
*Page 22, panel 2: The Ben Day dots used to shade Megatron's forehead are removed.

===Advertisements===
*[[M&M's]] (inside front cover)
*Sales Leadership Club offering prizes such as the Autoceptor Robot Watch, Diatarn-3 Changeable Robot (Sell Only 12 items for each) and Transformers Race Set (Sell Only 33 items) - between pages 4 & 5
*''Elf Quest'' and ''Groo'' comics - between pages 5 & 6
* ''Power Pack'' and the ''Amazing [[Spider-Man]]'' with tips on ways to prevent sexual abuse (Really!) - between pages 7 & 8
*Various comic shops, Charles Atlas and typical ads from the era - between pages 8 & 9
*Mile High Comics - between pages 16 & 17
*''[[G.I. Joe (comic)|G.I. Joe Yearbook]]'' #2 - between pages 17 & 18
*Marvel Super Mart and Rick Buckler's ''How To Become a Comic Book Artist'' - between pages 19 & 20
*''Firestar'' 4-issue miniseries
*Marvel subscriptions
*''Scott Adams Presents Marvel Adventures'' computer games - inside back cover
*''[[M.A.S.K. (franchise)|MASK]]'' toys - back cover

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Marvel US issues]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]

Darak

2026-04-22T21:53:27Z

Cylasbreakdown: We have a canonical pronunciation!

: ''Darak is an [[Agorrian]] from the [[Energon Universe]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''
{{picsneeded}}
[[File:Skybound-Void Rivals-1-Darak.jpg|thumb|right|350px|[[Solila|Bass]]! Why must I fight you! We are not enemies!]]

'''Darak''' is the son of [[Agorrian]] Minister [[Dulin]], and one of the planet's top pilots. A pragmatic survivor with a knack for thinking outside of the box, he'll do whatever it takes to get out of a tight situation—even break his civilization's longest-standing traditions by daring to work with their hated enemies, the [[Zertonian]]s.

==Fiction==
===Energon Universe===
Ten years before the present day, Darak was working as an [[Edgewalker]], helping construction projects on the edge of [[Agorria]] and the [[Wasteland (EU)|Wastelands]] of the [[Sacred Ring]]. After an incident careened him to the middle of the Wastelands, {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 7|Void Rivals #7}} Darak was delirious and barely conscious, finding an "oasis" before blacking out and waking back up in Agorria. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 9|Void Rivals #9}}

In the present, Darak had become a pilot for the Agorrians. When a comet containing four thousand tons of ice passed by the [[Sacred Ring]], Director [[Elander]] ordered Darak to retrieve the comet and tow it into Agorrian space; not only would this bolster [[Agorria]]'s water supplies, but doing so would also keep the comet out of the hands of the Zertonians, who were currently experiencing a water shortage. However, when Darak's ship cleared the orbit of the Sacred Ring, the vessel's autonomous systems failed to revive its pilot. While unconscious, Darak had a mysterious vision explaining the distant origins of his people—how the two races had come together once before to build the Sacred Ring, and would have to come together again—before he awoke, moments before a Zertonian starship intercepted his craft. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 2|Void Rivals #2}}

In the ensuing dogfight, both ships missed the comet, wound up in a distant quadrant, and crash-landed on a barren planet. Darak's [[handroid]] was able to revive its wearer; moments after regaining consciousness, however, Darak discovered that the Zertonian pilot, [[Solila]], had also survived the crash. After a brief struggle, the Zertonian convinced him that, despite their long history of conflict, it would be better to work together to repair her mostly intact vessel. The pair set to work repairing the ship, but when Solila attached a cable the wrong way, the power surge overloaded the ship's energy core and caused a devastating explosion. All was not lost, however, as Solila returned moments later, with news that she'd found an abandoned but mostly intact starship in a nearby valley. The pair attempted to jumpstart the ship's power cells—when they did so, however, the ship revealed itself to be the [[Transformer|Cybertronian]] [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], who promptly transformed and flew away.

Despite this latest setback, seeing Jetfire transform gave Darak the idea of stripping their armor for parts and using them to repair the ship, ignoring their race's shared taboos against removing their helmets in the presence of an enemy. The pair did so and realized that Agorrians and Zertonians were members of the same species. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 1|Void Rivals #1}}

After returning to Darak's wrecked vessel, the pair spent weeks cobbling together whatever they could find into a ramshackle, semi-pressurized spacecraft—enough to get them off the planet and broadcast a long-distance distress signal. While floating through an asteroid field, their ship drifted into the path of [[Rockeroid|a massive starship]] built into the hull of a hollowed-out meteor; when the vessel pulled them in, the two ran afoul of its owner, a fearsome [[Skuxxoid]]. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 2|Void Rivals #2}} The pair engaged in combat with the Skuxxoid, and later came across a [[Quintesson Scorpia]] as they journeyed deep into the Rockeroid. Solila distracted the creature long enough for Darak to shut a door on it from overhead, destroying a claw and damaging it beyond repair. They immediately came across another Quintesson-this time a [[Quintesson Prosecutor|Prosecutor]], who proposed an alliance to dispose of the Skuxxoid and escape the Rockeroid. However, the Skuxxoid realized Darak and Solila had no bounties and were thus worthless to him, and offered them a [[Nebulan|Nebulos]] spacecraft in exchange for the metals on their ramshackle craft.

Aboard the Nebulan ship and en route to the Sacred Ring, Solila expressed concern about what would happen when they returned home. Darak was more relaxed and optimistic, hoping to appeal to his father, and expecting that the Agorrians and Zertonians alike would detest being set against each other by the conspiracy they uncovered. He suggested that they part ways via escape pods to their respective worlds upon arrival, and she agreed. Solila thanked him for suggesting that they work together, and he let his guard down. Solila knocked him unconscious with her spear. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 3|Void Rivals #3}}

Even while Darak was unconscious, Handroid attempted to prevent Solila from taking the craft to Zertonia, but she reached the upper hand and forced it to surrender. On Zertonia, Darak was disappointed in himself for believing that they were friends. Solila rebuked him, saying that they were at best rivals, which he found wryly amusing. Even after she apologized for her attack, he still managed to display optimism towards her. He glibly assessed their situation thus far, but again Solila was upon him, suggesting that if he wanted to survive, he would keep quiet about removing their helmets, and everything else they discussed about their worlds in private. He was marched out in front of Zertonian society, and his masked appearance was revolting to the populace as he was led away to a detention cell. Not long after his imprisonment, Solila ended up in the cell with him. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 4|Void Rivals #4}}

Darak tried to understand what would happen next, and Solila told him that the situation had changed: [[Zalilak]] had become aware of their secret, and now they would not only both be killed, but Darak himself would be tortured for more information. Right on cue, Zertonian guards entered the cell, sedated him, and dragged him away for interrogation. He managed to be flippant in the face of torture for three days, never revealing more than his name and that he was a pilot. When his interrogator took a reprieve, a mysterious Zertonian child named [[Ultum]] approached him and freed him. Through a tortuous path, Ultum led Darak away from the interrogation chamber and they snuck around just out of sight until they arrived at a secret meeting place of [[Unifier]]s, a group of Zertonian underground resistance members. The Unifier [[Kanela]] wanted Darak's help in reuniting the Agorrians and Zertonians, but Darak refused to even listen to her proposal unless they also agreed to rescue Solila. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 5|Void Rivals #5}}

Kanela agreed to these terms and shortly returned with a surprised Solila. Darak kept things light, but he was unaware of the large distrust between Solila and Kanela. Since Solila was rescued, Darak agreed to uphold his end of the deal: reach the Unifiers' counterpart in the Agorrian resistance and deliver data to them so that communications could be reestablished between their camps. Solila joined him again, with nothing but death remaining for her on Zertonia. Darak embarked on the journey unmasked, tying a cloth around the gem on his forehead as a disguise.

The group moved out onto the streets of Zertonia, heading towards a [[Blastwing]] that had been prepared for them. Solila told Darak that everything she had done—including her betrayal of him—had been done to alleviate the poverty and destitution around them. Darak sadly reflected that conditions were not this dire in Agorria. Upon reaching the Blastwing, the group was besieged. The junior Unifier Ultum, whose mother was missing, had betrayed the group under the promise that she would be found. Solila and Darak quickly commandeered a [[Slip Rider]], escaping further into the north. After another sighting, they were forced to reach the wastelands that separated Zertonia and Agorria. Darak asked if she trusted him, and she said yes. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 6|Void Rivals #6}}

Handroid notes that their quickest path across the Wastelands would take three months, but they have only weeks' worth of supplies. Darak tells Handroid and Solila that they just need to make it halfway, and the duo begin their long trek. During their journey, they discuss Darak's vision, with Solila believing he was chosen by [[Beta (G1)#Energon Universe|Zerta]]. After camping for the night, {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 7|Void Rivals #7}} Solila tells Darak that there is someone Zalilak could send after them, and asks what awaits them in the center of the wastelands. Darak says his memory is hazy, but calls it an "oasis" of sorts. Later, an energy arrow lands in front of them and explodes. Solila panics as she sees [[Proximus]] approach. The pair try to fend off the hunter, but Solila tells Darak to simply run, as she doesn't believe either can survive facing Proximus. Darak refuses but is swiftly knocked out. A solar windstorm sends all three across the wastelands, sending the two rivals away from Proximus. Proximus throws a spear (which had been impaled in his chest by Solila during the earlier conflict) into the wind, striking Solila. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 8|Void Rivals #8}}

Darak rushes to the aid of [[Solila]], who has miraculously survived getting impaled with her spear. The two continue their journey, but Solila collapses from blood loss, and Darak nearly collapses himself before realizing they've made it to the "oasis" — a small shelter with discarded bits of technology and a green and yellow vehicle - that transforms into the [[Autobot]] [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], offering aid, although when he realizes they're organics, he's unsure how to assist. Proximus attacks once again, causing Springer to grab his sword. The two duel each other while Darak tends to Solila, causing Darak to discover the [[Key to Vector Theta|green key]] Mistress [[Vill]] gave to her, {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 9|Void Rivals #9}} a key that Handroid reports is "very, very old". Solila springs to life and throttles Darak, telling him not to touch the key before collapsing again. Using his transformation ability and his built-in arsenal, Springer keeps Proximus on the ropes, but ultimately defeats him by stabbing him into the ground with his sword; however, when Darak once again asks Springer to help Solila, Proximus escapes, leaving behind an arm and a leg.

Springer takes the two to his underground lab, built from the remains of his ship and scavenged parts. When Darak removes his helmet, Springer is shocked to see the [[mind eye]] crystal on his forehead, which he recognizes as an [[Energon]] port. Realizing Solila has the same, Springer pours some of his Energon supply into the crystal. Solila awakens to find herself glowing pink as her body absorbs the Energon, to the astonishment of Darak and Springer. Springer explains that Energon is the fuel and food of the [[Transformer|Cybertronians]] and that while the Agorrians and Zertonians are indeed organic, their physiology has elements of a synthetic nature that appears to be Cybertronian in origin. He also reveals that the Sacred Ring itself is an engine that generates its own Energon, though he doesn’t know why. Darak recognizes the name "Cybertronian" from their encounter with [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]. Springer tells them how the war between the [[Autobot]]s and the [[Decepticon]]s and their ever-dwindling resources led him to seek out the legend of Zerta Trion, who rebelled against her fellow Cybertronians and set out to "forge a new path." Solila asks Springer to tell her everything about Zerta Trion, but their conversation is interrupted by the sound of an explosion on the surface: an entire squadron of Zertonian soldiers and weaponry has just arrived. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 10|Void Rivals #10}}

Springer endeavors to protect Darak and Solila, transforming into helicopter mode to try and escape. However, the gravity of the wastelands proves too strong to achieve lift. Realizing they have nowhere to run, Solila instead decides to engage their attackers, with Springer and Darak providing backup. Though Darak has trouble with shooting, seeing Springer kick one of the Zertonian tanks gives him the idea to recover his old [[Edgewalker]] unit, and while it is not as physically strong as Springer, it does give them the added muscle they need to turn the tide. As the Zertonians begin to retreat, Darak realizes that this might be their only chance to tell Zertonia what they’ve learned about Energon and how they can use it. He calls out to one of the soldiers and asks Springer to take him into his lab to share the process. Solila is concerned that Darak would give up his people's advantage, but Darak argues that since learning the truth about themselves, he doesn't see the sides anymore, just the lives of people who need help.

Back at Springer’s lab, Darak asks the Cybertronian for his help getting him and Solila to the Agorrian border, as well as a data drive to share with his people. Springer readily agrees, but Solila reluctantly informs Darak that this is where they must part ways. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 11|Void Rivals #11}}

In Springer's base in the wasteland, Solila prepares to depart on her journey to find Zerta Trion, though Darak objects to her going alone. However, Solila insists that if their people are to be reunited, Darak needs to continue to Agorria with Springer and find the Unifiers there. Still not wanting her to face the journey alone, Darak gives her his Handroid, much to the glove’s objections. Solila tells Darak that he reminds her of [[Polada|her brother]], and warns him that she doesn’t want him ending up like he did. As they say goodbye, she presses her forehead to his, and their [[mind eye]]s touch. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 12|Void Rivals #12}}

In the wastelands, Springer and Darak make their way to Agorria, but the terrain forces Springer to convert to his helicopter mode. Springer continues to probe Darak for details on his encounter with [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], but Darak informs him that while he could direct Springer to the planetoid, he unfortunately didn't catch Jetfire's trajectory. As their conversation finishes, they reach the outskirts of Agorria, and Darak disembarks into the city.

In Agorria, Darak is approached by Director Elander, who informs him that his father, Minister Dulin, wants to see him. At the capital, Dulin demands Darak turn in Solila and voices his disappointment in his son's chosen path in life. Dulin wanted a successor, not another pilot. When Darak passionately tells his father that they need to stop the stupid war with the Zertonians and unify as one race, Dulin warns him that the current status quo is actually to the benefit of their planet - and that unity would lead to their end. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 13|Void Rivals #13}} Minister Dulin tells Darak that unity with Zertonia will lead to the awakening of [[Goliant]], much to Darak’s confusion. His father apologizes for not telling Darak about the burden that is their legacy, as he worried he wasn't ready to learn the truth. However, his story is interrupted by the news of an alien vessel approaching Aggoria. Dulin tells Darak they will finish their conversation another time, but Darak insists on going with him, a request to which Dulin acquiesces.

Dulin speculates that the object moving towards them could be some new Zertonian weapon, but Darak insists that such an attack is impossible given their current lack of resources. Dulin allows Darak to go out and investigate, with Elander giving Darak a new blue Handroid to replace his lost one. As he prepares to take off in his Jump Jet, he orders his Handroid to revive him as soon as they cross the event horizon of the Sacred Ring’s black hole. As they do so, the Handroid confirms it is administering a reviver. But Darak remains unconscious...

Darak finds himself in a void and believes himself to be once again experiencing a vision until he sees the astral figure of Solila floating above him. Though neither knows how or why they've become linked, they use the opportunity to catch up, with Solila asking if Darak was able to make contact with Kanela's allies. Darak says no, but realizes no one asked him for it, meaning it was likely already found by the Agorrian [[Unifier]]s. Darak then informs Solila about Dulin and Zalilak knowing the true nature of their conflict, much to Solila’s shock, but both wake up before they can talk more. And just in time for Darak, as he is almost hit by [[Autobot frigate|a Cybertronian shuttle]]. Believing Darak was trying to hit him, the shuttle fires a series of warning shots at the Jump Jet, but Darak quickly sends out a message to make his peaceful intentions known. The shuttle's pilot responds in kind, apologizing and introducing himself as being "[[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] from Cybertron" the mention of which immediately gets Darak’s attention. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 14|Void Rivals #14}}

Darak escorts Hot Rod's shuttle to the surface of Agorria, where they are greeted by Minister Dulin, Elander, and an armed escort for “security purposes.” Darak is immediately wary of their presence, fearing that his new ally’s size will startle the troops. Sure enough, as Hot Rod steps out, the guards train their guns on him and Darak must talk them down. Hot Rod introduces himself and explains that he is looking for another of his kind; Dulin claims that if there were another creature like him on Agorria, he would know about it... only for Springer to arrive in his helicopter mode. Dulin gives Darak a stern look for not telling him about the other robot.

Dulin is hesitant to trust the Cybertronians, but Darak assures him that whatever his misgivings, they would make for valuable allies against [[Zertonia]]. He later asks Elander what happened to his things when he arrived. When Elander hesitates, Darak realizes that Elander is Kanela's counterpart in Agorria and asks if they've made contact with the Unifiers. Elander urges him to be quiet, as Dulin has eyes and ears everywhere.{{storylink|Void Rivals issue 15|Void Rivals #15}} After Elander confirms his suspicions, Darak asks Elander if the Unifiers are worried about Goliant, only for Elander to have no idea what Goliant is. Before their conversation can continue, Dulin and various soldiers take Darak and Elander into custody for treason {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 16|Void Rivals #16}}. In a private discussion, Dulin once again stresses to his son the importance of preventing unity. Seeking to avoid execution, Darak asks for more information about Goliant, so that he can understand the danger Dulin warns of - a request that Dulin reluctantly agrees to. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 17|Void Rivals #17}} After being told the history of the Agorrians, Darak hesitantly accepts that the manipulation of the Agorrians and Zertonians might be a necessary evil. Later, Darak questions Elander in his cell, dismissing Goliant as superstition.

While Darak and Dulin oversee the construction of an Energon well in Agorria, Dulin shares his reservations about the Energon. Concerned about a lack of communication from his Zertonian counterpart, Dulin tells Darak to go on a recon mission to Zertonia. However, a transformed Solila suddenly appears in the center of Dulin's chamber. Surprised and relieved to see her, Darak introduces Solila to his father, who angrily orders Darak to execute her. {{storylink|Void Rivals issue 18|Void Rivals #18}}

{{ongoing}}

==Toys==
===''Void Rivals''===
[[File:SDCC 2025 Void Rivals box set.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8|right|Looks like the Void Rivals are entering the third dimension.]]
*'''[[Jetfire (G1)/toys#Void Rivals|Autobot Jetfire]], [[Solila#Void Rivals|Zertonian Solila]] and Agorrian Darak''' (Multi-pack, [[July 24]], [[2025]])
**''Accessories'': Blaster, stand
{{toydesigner|[[Evan Brooks]] (Hasbro)}}<ref>[[July 25]], [[2025]]'s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T18IQaMuGVk Transformers Brand Panel Recap | SDCC 2025 | Hasbro Pulse] on YouTube, with [[Mark Maher]], [[Evan Brooks]] and [[Nate Purswell]].</ref>

:Released as part of a [[San Diego Comic-Con#2025|San Diego Comic-Con 2025]] exclusive set riffing on his first appearance, this 3.75" figure of Darak is rendered in classical ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]''-style "O-ring" format with a similar [[Solila#Void Rivals|Solila]] along with [[Jetfire (G1)/toys#Void Rivals|Jetfire]] in the form of a redeco of [[Jetfire (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron: Siege|his ''Siege'' figure]] and an umpteenth reprinting of [[Void Rivals issue 1|''Void Rivals'' #1]] with an exclusive new cover by brand mainstay [[Marcelo Matere]]. He ''technically'' includes his [[handroid#Void Rivals|handroid]], though it is unsurprisingly non-removable. He includes a small display stand that attaches to the bottom of his feet.

:This figure shares the legs and waist of ''[[Transformers Collaborative|Collaborative]]'' [[Zartan#Collaborative|Zartan]].

{{--}}
==Notes==
:When asked about the pronunciation of "Darak" in the letters page of [[Void Rivals issue 29|#29]], writer [[Robert Kirkman]] declared it as "Duh-rok".

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Darak.jpg
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Agorrians]]
[[Category:Pilots]]
[[Category:Void Rivals characters]]

David Schleinkofer

2026-04-20T19:14:04Z

Cylasbreakdown:

{{disambig3|David}}
'''David Schleinkofer''' ([[January 29]], [[1951]] - [[April 20]], [[2025]]) was a professional illustrator. His paintings graced many science fiction novels in the late seventies and early eighties, including ''Robotech'' and ''Battlestar Galactica'' books. He illustrated for companies including [[Hasbro]], [[Milton Bradley]] and [[Mattel]], and provided artwork for magazines, video games and advertising. As painting work for science fiction dried up during the 90s, he switched to mostly painting fine art and landscapes in his later years.

==Illustration work==
*[[Package art#Back of the box art|1984 boxart mural]]
*"[[Sun Raid (Listen 'n Play)|Sun Raid]]" cover and illustrations

==External links==
*[http://www.flickr.com/photos/38157193@N05/ David Schleinkofer's Flickr]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schleinkofer, David}}
[[Category:Generation 1 packaging artists]]
[[Category:Hasbro packaging artists]]
[[Category:Painters]]

Mikey Way

2026-04-17T19:17:48Z

Cylasbreakdown: Typo

'''Michael James "Mikey" Way''' (born [[September 10]], [[1980]]), is an American musician. He is best known as the bassist of the rock band [[My Chemical Romance]] and multi-instrumentalist of rock duo Electric Century.

==Roles==
===''Transformers: Power of the Primes''===
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]

==External links==
*[https://twitter.com/mikeyway Mikey Way on Twitter]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Way, Mikey}}
[[Category:English voice actors]]
[[Category:Hasbro Studios]]

G.I. Joe (2024) issue 21

2026-04-17T06:18:41Z

Cylasbreakdown: Removed “Optimus’ story” subtitle

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]'' #21
|prev=G.I. Joe (2024) issue 20
|next=G.I. Joe (2024) issue 22
|image=G.I. Joe 2024 21 Cover A.jpg
|caption=
|title=
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[April 15]], [[2026]]
|coverdate=April 2026
|written by=[[Joshua Williamson]]
|art by=[[Tom Reilly]]
|colors by=[[Lee Loughridge]]
|letters by=[[Rus Wooton]]
|editors=[[Ben Abernathy]]
|production design=[[Andres Juarez]]
|production=[[Ashby Florence]]
|continuity=[[Energon Universe]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Silence can be deadly...'''

==Synopsis==
In the mountains of [[Japan]], [[Frostbite (G.I. Joe)|Frostbite]] drives [[Cover Girl]] and [[Snow Job]] in the [[Snow Cat (G.I. Joe)|Snow Cat]] towards the headquarters of the [[Arashikage]] ninja clan. Snow Job logs a mission report on a secure channel, detailing the [[G.I. Joe (team)|Joes]]' orders to bring in [[Scarlett]], who has been deep undercover with the ninja, including that she will be branded an enemy of [[United States of America|the state]] if they fail. Scarlett receives the report, but refuses to leave without [[Jinx]].

Scarlett once again asks Jinx to come home with her, but she stands firm in staying with the Arashikage. Suddenly, three [[Cobra]] helicopters appear overhead, out of which [[Cobra Commander]] emerges with a guard of [[Cobra Valkyrie]]s and a platoon of Cobra Troopers. Cobra blasts their way into the fortress through hordes of Arashikage ninja. However, [[Storm Shadow]] is easily able to cut through the invaders.

Cobra Commander and his forces press on until they find what they came for: the [[Energon]]-powered [[Sword of Life]], being guarded by the [[Hard Master]]. The Hard Master attacks, but Cobra Commander easily subdues him by severing the Hard Master's right arm with a blast from his mechanical hand. However, before he can take the sword, Scarlett, Jinx, and Storm Shadow arrive. Seeing his master on the floor, Storm Shadow flies into a rage, easily cutting through swathes of Troopers. However, as he moves to strike the Commander, his sword is blocked by one of the Valkyries, wielding the Sword of Life. The Valkyrie and Commander square off with the three until the Valkyrie remotely activates a missile from the helicopter, blowing up the fortress and providing the necessary cover for her and Cobra Commander to escape.

The explosion throws Scarlett outside the fortress, where she is found by the Joes. Scarlett still refuses to leave, needing to know if Jinx is alright, forcing Snow Job to restrain her and pull her into the Snow Cat so the Joes can return home. As Cobra escapes, the Valkyrie presents Cobra Commander with the sword. The Commander is most pleased and takes a special interest in this particular grunt. The wounded Hard Master finds Storm Shadow cradling the unconscious body of Jinx in the flaming wrecks of their familial home.

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks or imaginary scenes. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|h1=[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]|c1=
* [[Frostbite (G.I. Joe)|Frostbite]] (1)
* [[Cover Girl]] (2)
* [[Snow Job]] (3)
* [[Scarlett]] (4)

|h2=[[Cobra]]|c2=
* Cobra Troopers (8)
* [[Cobra Valkyrie]]s (10)
* [[Cobra Commander]] (11)

|h3=[[Arashikage]]|c3=
* [[Hard Master]] (5)
* [[Storm Shadow]] (6)
* [[Jinx]] (7)
* Ninjas (9)
}}

==Quotes==
"I can't leave without Jinx."
:—'''Scarlett''' being gay as hell.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Snow Job's mission report recaps the events of the [[Scarlett (comic)|''Scarlett'' miniseries]], as well as the exposition from Cover Girl from the end of last issue.
* The nature of G.I. Joe's organizational structure in the Energon Universe has been somewhat opaque in its presentation. At the time of ''Scarlett'', while [[Stalker (G.I. Joe)|Stalker]] recruited Scarlett to infiltrate the Arashikage, it was unclear if this was an actual G.I. Joe mission, as the team had yet to be shown as formally formed. In [[G.I. Joe (2024) issue 19|issue #19]], Stalker stated his belief that the Joe team needed to expand before [[Zartan|"Hawk"]] shot down the idea. We the readers have known that "Hawk" has been building a second team in the form of [[Night Force]], but this issue adds further wrinkles to the organizational schema of the Joes by introducing Frostbite, whose status is unclear.
* We glimpse a flashback to Scarlett and Jinx's time as friends, something we first saw back in ''Scarlett''.
* Cobra has been after the Sword of Life because of its unique Energon-powered blade since the events of ''Scarlett''.

===''G.I. Joe'' references===
* This issue is an extended homage to ''[[G.I. Joe (comic)|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero]]'' #21, "Silent Interlude". the most famous issue of the original [[Marvel Comics]] ''Joe'' series that told a story of Joe commando [[Snake-Eyes|Snake Eyes]] infiltrating a Cobra stronghold to rescue Scarlett entirely without dialogue, narration, or sound effects, while also introducing the ninja Storm Shadow and his iconic rivalry with Snake Eyes. This story has since been homaged countless times in a variety of ''G.I. Joe'' media, particularly comics, including [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''[[Revolution]]'' [[The New Colossus|#4]] and ''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' [[The Golden Boys|#0]] (which took a more subversive twist on the idea of "silent".)
* Frostbite is the classic driver for the Snow Cat, both of which received a [[Hasbro_Pulse#HasLab|HasLab]]-funded update in the ''G.I. Joe Classified Series'' line just a few months prior to this issue. Frostbite appears to take after this new figure, though the design of the Snow Cat here more closely resembles its 1985 counterpart.

===Other notes===
* This issue features a three-page preview of the ''[[M.A.S.K. (2026 comic)|M.A.S.K.]]'' story from the ''[[Energon Universe 2026 Special]]''.
* Energon Experience: Presented by Skybound Executive Editor Ben Abernathy.
** '''Character Spotlight:''' Scarlett
** '''Ninja vs. Cobra:''' Ben teases what possible stories could come featuring the Arashikage.
** '''Creator Spotlight:''' Ben asks artist Tom Reilly what his G.I. Joe codename would be. “Bargain Bin” reporting for duty!

===Covers===
* '''Cover A:''' Scarlett and Storm Shadow, by [[Tom Reilly]].
* '''Cover B:''' Storm Shadow, by [[Joshua Cassara]] & [[Romulo Fajardo Jr.]].
* '''Cover C:''' Scarlett, by [[Ben Oliver]].
* '''Cover D (1:25 Copy Incentive):''' Scarlett and Storm Shadow, by [[Tonči Zonjić]].
* '''Cover E (1:50 Copy Incentive):''' Scarlett on a motorcycle by [[Jay Anacleto]] & Romulo Fajardo Jr..
* '''Cover F:''' (1:100 Copy Incentive) Foil cover featuring Storm Shadow, by [[Ito]].

<gallery>
File:G.I. Joe 2024 21 Cover A.jpg|
File:G.I. Joe 2024 21 Cover B.jpg|
File:G.I. Joe 2024 21 Cover C.jpg|
File:G.I. Joe 2024 21 Cover D.jpg|
File:G.I. Joe 2024 21 Cover E.jpg|
File:G.I. Joe 2024 21 Cover F.jpg|
File:G.I. Joe 2024 21 Animocity Cover.jpg|
File:G.I. Joe 2024 21 The 616 Comics Cover E.jpg|
File:G.I. Joe 2024 21 The 616 Comics Cover D.jpg|
File:G.I. Joe 2024 21 The 616 Comics Cover C.jpg|
File:G.I. Joe 2024 21 The 616 Comics Cover A.jpg|
File:G.I. Joe 2024 21 The 616 Comics Cover B.jpg|
File:G.I. Joe 2024 21 Sequential Art Comics Cover.jpg|
File:G.I. Joe 2024 21 Michelle Dias Cover.jpg|
</gallery>

===Ads===
* Explore the Energon Universe in ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 29|#29]], ''Energon Universe 2026 Special'', and ''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]'' [[Transformers (2023) issue 32|#32]].
* The next phase of the Energon Universe starts in ''M.A.S.K.''

===Reprints===

[[Category:G.I. Joe (2024) issues]]

Christmas Breaker!

2026-04-17T03:18:46Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Notes */ no references list

{{comicstory|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #41
|prev=Prime Time!
|next=Crisis of Command!
|title="Christmas Breaker!"
|image=MarvelUK-041.jpg
|caption=Ho! Ho! Ho!
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=[[December 21|21st December]], [[1985]]
|coverdate=[[December 28|28th December]], [[1985]]
|writer=[[James Hill]]
|art=[[Will Simpson]]
|colour=[[Gina Hart]]
|letters=[[Richard Starkings]]
|editor=[[Ian Rimmer]]
|chronology=Xmas [[Marvel Comics timeline|1985]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]] (Marvel UK)
}}
'''Circuit Breaker gains some Christmas Spirit.'''

==Synopsis==
In the small town of [[St. Petersburg]], [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] fumes as she reads about the recent [[Decepticon]] takeover of [[Blackrock Aerospace Assembly Plant Number One]] in the [[Portland Chronicle]]. Recalling her own origin, she vows once more to kill all robots.
[[File:G1 Jazz ChristmasBreaker.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|We know she's tough not because she just one-shotted Jazz, but because she's wearing that outfit in a blizzard.]]
Meanwhile, in the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], the [[Autobot]]s are arranging a makeshift [[Christmas]] celebration for [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]]. A metal Christmas tree has been constructed, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] is wearing a [[Santa Claus]] costume, and decorations and banners are hung from the ceiling. [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] finds the whole charade a waste of time, especially while the Decepticons are without a leader, and [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] doubts that [[human]]s are capable of the "charity" the holiday is supposed to represent due to his recent brush with the worst the species has to offer in Circuit Breaker. Realizing it's getting late, Buster has Jazz drive him to St. Petersburg, a suburb of [[Portland]], to finish delivering his dad's Christmas presents. Jazz's preference for high speeds gets the better of him, however, and he spins out on the frozen road, with Buster being hurled out of him.

Concurrently, elsewhere in town, children are skating on an icy pond when a young girl falls through the ice. Fortunately, Circuit Breaker is nearby and is able to blast the ice away and restart the girl's heart with an electric jolt. However, her appearance causes her to be attacked as a freak by other bystanders. Enraged, she flies off, and moments later, stumbles upon Jazz and Buster just after their accident. Mistakenly believing Jazz has deliberately harmed Buster, she attacks the Autobot—but Buster's pleas for mercy, and the chiming of church bells marking the arrival of midnight and the start of Christmas Day, convince her to grant him a temporary reprieve. Circuit Breaker leaves, and Jazz finally understands the meaning of Christmas and its effect on humans.
{{-}}

==Featured Characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks or dream sequences.
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (8)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (10)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (11)
*[[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] (12)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (13)
*[[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] (14)
*''[[Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Wheeljack]]'' (17)
|c2=
*''[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]]'' (4)
*''[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]'' (5)
*''[[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]]'' (6)
*''[[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]]'' (15)
*''[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]]'' (16)
|c3=
*''[[Ferdy and Gabe]]'' (1-2)
*[[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] (3)
*''[[G.B. Blackrock]]'' (7)
*[[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Prowl:''' I can't believe Prime is '''willingly''' taking place in this charade! That ''outfit...!''" 
'''Bluestreak:''' ''Shhh...''
:—'''Prowl''' and '''Bluestreak''' discuss '''Optimus Prime's''' fashion sense directly behind his back

==Notes==
===Production notes===
*[[Ian Rimmer]]'s brief was that this strip should tie in to the US reprints and have a bunch of flashbacks to keep readers clued up into where they were in the story. It was also his idea that the flashbacks should be from Circuit-Breaker's biased POV. <ref>[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 1]], page 147</ref>
*[[James Hill]] and [[Mike Collins]] planned for this to be part of an arc with "[[Crisis of Command!]]", which is why Optimus is shown as being despondent and Prowl is disgruntled: to foreshadow what was coming in the next issue.<ref>[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 1]], page 148</ref>

===Continuity notes===
[[File:Arkchristmastree.jpg|right|upright=1.75|thumb|"Someone's aft is gonna burn for this."]]
*Circuit Breaker returns following her previous appearance in [[DIS-Integrated Circuits!|US issue #9]], the events of which she flashes back to, along with scenes from her origin story as told through [[The Worse of Two Evils!|US issues #6]]-[[Repeat Performance!|8]]. "Christmas Breaker!" marks the character's only appearance in a UK-exclusive story (outside of a cameo in "[[Decepticon Dam-Busters!]]" and "[[The Wrath of Grimlock!]]").
*The two workers shown on the cover of the [[Portland Chronicle]] newspaper are presumably meant to be [[Ferdy and Gabe]], the two audience-surrogate characters from whose perspective we watched the Decepticons take over the Blackrock Aerospace Plant, as seen in [[Warrior School!|US issue #7]], a scene Circuit Breaker is shown imagining a more "monstrous"-looking version of.
*This story is set in the small town of [[St. Petersburg]], which was the setting for the earlier UK-exclusive story, "[[The Enemy Within!]]"
*In the US story immediately preceding the publication of "Christmas Breaker!", [[Prime Time!|US issue #12]], a sizeable chunk of the Autobot cast was badly injured and would be revealed in [[Rock and Roll-Out!|US issue #14]] to be offline, to be left inactive for several years. Presumably because this wasn't immediately obvious from the end of issue #12, "Christmas Breaker" depicts several characters who should be offline (Prowl, Huffer, Brawn, all seen at right, and Jazz) as being up and about. Though probably not done on purpose at first, subsequent UK stories will roll with this and continue to present many of the characters offlined in the US version of events as still being active, marking the UK title's first serious, deliberate divergence from the US material.
*Prowl refers to the Decepticons as "leaderless," following the disappearance of Megatron in US issue #8, and Shockwave being hurled into a swamp in US issue #12. Though the US series will not treat Shockwave's absence as a prolonged one (he will quickly return in US issue #14), the UK comic tells multiple stories during this time gap that lengthen Shockwave's disappearance and play it up as a much more disruptive event for the Decepticons.
*Jazz exclaims "By the [[Primal Program]]!" when he skids off the road. This expression—a reference to the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]]—was first used by Optimus Prime in US issue #12, but he was using it as an honorable vow ("By the Primal Program itself, I pray...") while Jazz is using it as a "swear." This will be the form in which the phrase is most often heard as it passes into wider, continued use in the UK-exclusive stories.

===Real-life references===
*As indicated by the fonts used for the title (with the "-er" at the end in a different one to the rest of it), this story's name is a riff on the phrase "Christmas break," an affably British way of referring to "Christmas vacation."

===Continuity and plotting errors===
*It was not truly an error at the time of the story's publication, as her introductory issue did not set enough of a precedent, but the fact that Circuit Breaker acknowledges that there are two factions of Transformers at war on Earth stands in contradiction to how future US stories will present the character, who is so blinded by her hatred for robots that she refuses to see a distinction between Autobot and Decepticon and believes they are all conspiring against humanity together.
*Circuit Breaker spends much of the time in the freezing rain and snow in only her itty-bitty metallic body suit. Unless it somehow generates warmth, that's gonna be chilly!
*Bluestreak tells someone else to "Shhh"?!

===Artwork and technical errors===
[[File:ChristmasBreaker circuitbreakers nightmare.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.75|"The Transformers" as imagined by David Lynch.]]
*The UK comic's ongoing tenuous relationship with [[character model]]s continues with this story, with the Autobots all being drawn largely based on their toys' [[package art]], with some embellishments, like proper arms and hands for Brawn and Huffer. This means that Bluestreak appears through the story in his ''[[Diaclone]]'' blue-and-silver colour scheme, instead of the character's correct silver-and-black.
*Jazz, meanwhile, is drawn in the same peculiar way as in [[The Next Best Thing to Being There!|US issue #10]], with his visor being rendered as if it is a "cap peak" attached to his helmet, with two yellow eyes constantly peeping out from underneath.
*Page 2: Soundwave's Decepticon symbol is red, and while this probably wasn't on purpose, we can sort of wave it off on the fact the whole scene is Circuit Breaker's imagination, already full of deliberate embellishments like a terrifying mouth and finger-drills for Soundwave (right).
*Page 5: Frenzy is off-model and off-colour in the flashback to the events of US issue #9, and Wheeljack is still coloured in the early, off-model colour scheme used in that issue, with an all-white chest, red shoulder-fins, and a purple shoulder cannon.
*Page 8, panel 2: Circuit Breaker hallucinates Shockwave, but he's coloured like Soundwave, chest-window and all.

===Other trivia===
*"Christmas Breaker!" is the first of the UK comic's Christmas-themed stories, which will become an annual tradition as the comic continues, with a new one published every year through 1990.

===Back-up material===
*'''[[Back-up strips]]:''' ''Machine Man'' ("Victory," Part 3), ''[[Robo-Capers]]'' and ''Matt and the Cat''
*Apparently, [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] was away for the holidays, as [[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]] was in charge of the [[Letters page (Marvel UK)|letters page]] for this issue only. It is referred to as ''Rat-Chat'' instead of ''Soundwaves''.

===Cover===
*'''Issue #41:''' Santamus Prime, by [[Mike Collins]].
<gallery>
File:MarvelUK-041.jpg|
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:Tfcolcom11.jpg|'''[[Transformers Collected Comics#11 – Winter Special 1988|''Collected Comics'' #11]]'''; cover by [[Robin Smith]] (Marvel UK, 1988)
File:Classicuk1.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 1|''The Transformers Classics UK'' Volume 1]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2011)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v3.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]], Vol. 3: Dinobot Hunt''''' (Hachette Partworks Ltd, 2018)</gallery>

====IDW edits====
*In the ''Classics UK'' reprint, the first panel on Page 5 is missing its first two word bubbles (Jazz: "It's a fine construction, Buster... What does it do?" Buster: "It doesn't do anything, Jazz, it's a symbol of charity.") The space where these first two word bubbles are supposed to be is instead left blank white, making the rest of Jazz's and Buster's conversation read awkwardly without its beginning.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]

Agent Knight

2026-04-14T19:24:57Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Notes */

{{factions|autobot}}
:''Agent Knight is an [[Autobot]] from {{w|Knight Rider}} (via [[Transformers Collaborative|Collaborative]]).''

[[File:Agent Knight Packaging Art.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Autohoff.]]

'''Agent Knight''' is a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of [[Decepticon|criminals]] who operate above the law.

{{bigquote|In a world where crime never rests, initiate turbo boost.|Agent Knight's motto}}

{{TOCclear}}
==Toys==
===''Collaborative''===
[[File:Transformers-Collaborative-Agent-Knight.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|CATEGORY: Men that don't exist.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Agent Knight''' ([[2024]])}}</ul>
:*''TakaraTomy release date'': [[March 29]], [[2025]]
:*''Accessories'': Pistol, machinegun, comm link
{{toydesigner|[[Brian Parrish]] (Hasbro),<ref>[[December 9]], [[2024]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCb-L1RAH_U Interview] with [[Hasbro]] designer [[Brian Parrish]] on the "Triple Takeover" podcast, from their YouTube channel.</ref> [[Emiliano Santalucia]] (concept artist)<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/C965GcAN1ML/ Emiliano Santalucia on Instagram]</ref>}}

: ''[[Transformers Collaborative|Collaborative]]'' Agent Knight transforms from a Voyager-sized robot to a licensed [[General Motors]] custom Pontiac Firebird Trans Am with flip-up headlights, representing {{w|KITT}} from the television series ''{{w|Knight Rider}}''. The car mode slightly differs from KITT's onscreen appearances: it has the Pontiac logo on the hubcaps, the tail lights are red instead of black, and the rear license plate is not one of those used in the series but instead is the Knight Industries chess piece logo.

: In robot mode, Agent Knight has design elements to resemble {{w|David Hasselhoff|}}'s portrayal of {{w|Michael Knight (Knight Rider)|Michael Knight}}, including the face sculpt, the visor resembling large sunglasses, "blue jeans" on the legs, and Michael's wristwatch communicator for speaking with KITT (a separate accessory that attaches to his left forearm). His forehead also features KITT's car-dashboard speech indicator light (the red rectangle from the first season, not the rising-volume indicator from later seasons).

: Agent Knight comes with a pistol and machinegun (which, while still being sci-fi blasters, have real 1980's real-guns vibes to their designs) which can be stored in car mode by tabbing into rectangular holes on the robot mode's shins on the underside of the car. The weapons can also tab into similar slots on the backs of his door-wings for robot-mode storage.

: The first ''Collaborative'' toy with electronics, Agent Knight includes both [[soundbox|sound clips]] and an animated [[Light-emitting diode|scrolling light]] on the front sensor. Unfortunately, the space needed for the electronics means there's a bit of low-hanging chonk under the front bumper region not present on the actual car. Also unfortunately, he does not come with the three 1.5 volt watch batteries needed to power the electronics. And extra-sadly, the voice is not that of actual KITT voice actor {{w|William Daniels}}. Of course, he was 96 at the time of the toy's development, and licensing sound clips from the show would only make the toy even more expensive.

: The first audio sample when you hit the button is the sound of KITT activating: a series of beeps indicating his various systems coming online, the engine starting, then his scanning noise. From there, pressing the button activates a series of phrases and sounds in a loop:
:* "I am the voice of Knight Industry Two Thousand's micro-processor, 'K-I-T-T'. 'KITT' if you prefer."
:* ''Scanning noise'' "Hold on, this could be a bit bumpy." ''Turbo boost noise''
:* ''Scanning noise run three times''
:* ''Turbo boost noise''
:* "Are you sure this is the right way?" ''Turbo boost noise'' "Very well."
:* ''Scanning noise'' "Thank you, sir."
: Pressing the button down for two seconds at this point turns on the scrolling light with no sound effects, until either the button is pressed again, triggering the next sound in the sequence, or until about two minutes or so have elapsed, at which point the light will turn off. After thirty seconds of inactivity, the toy says "KITT signing off", deactivating all of the electronics.

: This figure was revealed at [[San Diego Comic-Con]] 2024, with preorders going up the following week.

==Notes==
[[File:Ertl-KnightRider.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9]]
* Interestingly, this isn't ''Knight Rider''{{'}}s first or even ''second'' foray into transforming robot toys:
** KITT was previously immortalized in plastic as part of Ertl's ''Pow-R-Trons'' line (derived from the [[Asahi Corporation]]'s ''Attack Change Machine Powertron'' but actually releasing before it), using a Nissan Fairlady 300ZX Z31 mold that'd eventually become [[Turbo (G1)|Turbo]] in [[Estrela]]'s Brazilian ''Transformers'' toyline.
** And speaking of Brazil, Estrela competitor Glasslite - the country's official licensee for ''Knight Rider'' toys, localized as "Super Máquina" (Super Machine) - also released a black copy of the ''[[GoBots]]'' / ''Machine Robo'' [[Turbo (GoBots)|Turbo]] mold under the name of "Zardos" with ''Knight Rider'' branding in the mid 1980s. It is [[gbwiki:Knock-off#Mutante|still debatable]] whether or not Glasslite's ''Machine Robo''-derived toyline - dubbed ''Mutante'' - was a legitimate Bandai or Tonka-licensed toyline, but regardless, this particular Glasslite toy is indeed a Universal Studios-copyrighted product!
* [[Peter Cullen]] voiced the villainous K.A.R.R. on both the original ''Knight Rider'' series in 1982, and the 2008 revival.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Agent Knight''' (エージェントナイト ''Ējento Naito'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Collaborative Autobots]]

Transformers: Age of the Primes

2026-04-13T19:18:49Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Notes */

{{disambig3|Age of Primes}}
{{nav-AOTP}}

[[File:Age of the Primes main artwork.jpg|right|thumb|350px|'''2024:''' ''"[[Megatron (One)|The Age of Primes has ended! No more false prophets!]]''" '''2025:''' ]]

'''''Transformers: Age of the Primes''''' is a [[subline imprint]] of the ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' toyline, and the successor to ''[[Transformers: Legacy]]''.

First teased at [[Hasbro Pulse Con 2024]]<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/live/52ddGYMyvpE?t=11223s ''Transformers'' panel] at [[Hasbro Pulse Con 2024]] on the [[Hasbro Pulse]] YouTube channel, with [[Ben MacCrae]], [[Evan Brooks]], [[Mark Maher]], [[Marcelo Matere]], and [[Nate Purswell]]</ref> and given a full reveal at [[Cybertron Con 2024|Cybertron Con]] later that year,<ref name = "CyCon25">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjmcMC9nNoA ''Age of the Primes'' reveal panel] from [[Cybertron Con 2024]] on the [[Hasbro Pulse]] YouTube channel, with Mark Maher.</ref> ''Age of the Primes'' revolves around the mythical [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]] and their [[Energon bloodline|descendants]].<ref name=usedtwice>{{citesocial|quote=The best part of the next 2 years is, you’ll not only collect the 13 primes but theres an amazing plethora of bots that are all descendents of the primes, you can collect them all, finish mini collections, and guess their energon bloodline.|link=https://www.instagram.com/p/DC2tKXARTg3/|name=Mark Maher|site=Instagram|year=2024|month=11|day=26}}</ref> Unlike the Thirteen's diminutive toys in the 2018 ''[[Power of the Primes (toyline)|Power of the Primes]]'' line, these are standard-sized figures, drawing from multiple designs, and each including their [[Artifacts of the Primes|artifact]]. ''Age of the Primes'' also continues the standard of scale, articulation, and compatibility for 3 mm [[Fire Blast effect|effects]] and [[C.O.M.B.A.T. System|5 mm weapons/armor]] set by the ''[[War for Cybertron Trilogy (toyline)|War for Cybertron Trilogy]]''. The "descendants" of the Primes, much like ''Legacy'', are based on characters from multiple ''Transformers'' series.

Much like ''Power of the Primes'', a substantial part of the toyline is also dedicated to the [[combiner]] teams: the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] and the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. Both subgroups utilize a similar system to the ''Legacy'' [[Stunticon (G1)#Legacy|Stunticons]], with a Commander Class toy transforming into the torso and combining with an included frame that four smaller toys can attach to.

The line makes pretty significant changes to the smallest and largest of the size classes that have been standards over many prior years. The Core Class assortment was completely discontinued (hard to make bigger changes than ''that''), while the Titan Class toys were decreased in size, and thankfully, price. Unfortunately some size class prices went ''up'' in certain markets – most notably the Voyager Class toys.

{{bigquote|AWAKEN THE THIRTEEN|Official tagline}}

==Toys==
===Deluxe Class===
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Wave 1''' (2025)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Air Raid (G1)#Age of the Primes|Aerialbot Air Raid]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Slingshot (G1)#Age of the Primes|Aerialbot Slingshot]]}}
{{Bp-pr4|[[Solus Prime#Age of the Primes|The Thirteen Solus Prime]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Wasp#Age of the Primes|Fugitive Waspinator]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Wave 2''' (2025)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-pr6|[[Maccadam#Age of the Primes|The Thirteen Alchemist Prime]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Crasher (G1)#Age of the Primes|Decepticon Crasher]] ([[package refresh]] from ''[[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]]'')}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Vortex (G1)#Age of the Primes|Combaticon Vortex]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Wave 3''' (2025)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Fireflight (G1)#Age of the Primes|Aerialbot Fireflight]]}}
{{Bp-pr5|[[Micronus Prime#Age of the Primes|The Thirteen Micronus Prime]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)#Age of the Primes|Aerialbot Skydive]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Venom (G1)#Age of the Primes|Venin]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="25%" valign="top" rowspan=2|[[File:TF-Age of the Primes-Solus Prime.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Solus Prime#Age of the Primes|Solus Prime]]]][[File:AOTP-QuintusPrime.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Quintus Prime#Age of the Primes|Quintus Prime]]]]
|-
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Wave 4''' (2026)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Blast Off (G1)#Age of the Primes|Combaticon Blast Off]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Jalopy|Junkion Jalopy]]}}
{{Bp-p1|[[Quickstrike (BW)#Age of the Primes|Quickstrike]]}}
{{Bp-pr10|[[Quintus Prime#Age of the Primes|The Thirteen Quintus Prime]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Sureshot (G1)#Age of the Primes|Targetmaster Sureshot]] (w/ [[Spoilsport#Age of the Primes|Spoilsport]])}}
</ul>
|
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Wave 5''' (2026)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Cliffjumper (WFC)#Age of the Primes|Cliffjumper]] (package refresh from ''[[Transformers: Legacy#Legacy: United (2024-2025)|Legacy: United]]'')}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Powerglide (G1)#Age of the Primes|Autobot Powerglide]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Ratchet (Animated)#Age of the Primes|Autobot Ratchet]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Smokescreen (Prime)#Age of the Primes|Smokescreen]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Swerve (G1)#Age of the Primes|Swerve]]}}
</ul>
|}
{{-}}

===Voyager Class===
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Wave 1''' (2025)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-pr1|[[Prima#Age of the Primes|The Thirteen Prima Prime]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Red Alert (Armada)#Age of the Primes|Autobot Red Alert]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Wave 2''' (2025)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Heatwave (RB)#Age of the Primes|Rescue Bot Heatwave]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Sky-Byte (RID)#Age of the Primes|Sky-Byte]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Wave 3''' (2025)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-pr3|[[Alpha Trion/toys#Age of the Primes|The Thirteen Alpha Trion]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Flatline (G1)#Age of the Primes|Flatline]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="25%" valign="top" rowspan=2|[[File:AOTP-toy Amalgamous.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Amalgamous Prime#Age of the Primes|Amalgamous Prime]]]]
|-
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Wave 4''' (2026)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-pr9|[[Amalgamous Prime#Age of the Primes|The Thirteen Amalgamous Prime]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Brawl (G1)#Age of the Primes|Combaticon Brawl]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Wreck-Gar (Animated)#Age of the Primes|Junkion Wreck-Gar]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Wave 5''' (2026)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-pr7|[[Nexus Prime#Age of the Primes|The Thirteen Nexus Prime]]}}
{{Bp-a1d1|[[Sideways (Armada)#AOTPArmada|Sideways]] (w/ [[Rook (Armada)#Age of the Primes|Rook]] and [[Crosswise (Armada)#Age of the Primes|Mini-Con Crosswise]])}}
</ul>
|
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Wave 6''' (2026)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Swindle (G1)#Age of the Primes|Combaticon Swindle]]}}
</ul>
|}
{{-}}
{{comingsoontoy | Wave 6}}

===Leader Class===
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Wave 1''' (2025)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Grimlock (G1)/toys#Age of the Primes|G2 Universe Grimlock]] / [[Wheelie (G1)#Age of the Primes|Autobot Wheelie]]}}
{{Bp-pr12|[[The Fallen/toys#Age of the Primes|The Thirteen Megatronus the Fallen]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Wave 2''' (2025)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-pr8|[[Onyx Prime#Age of the Primes|The Thirteen Onyx Prime]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Wave 3''' (2026)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-m1|[[Big Convoy (BW)#Age of the Primes|Maximal Big Convoy]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Razorclaw (Universe)#Age of the Primes|Razorclaw]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="25%" valign="top" rowspan=2|[[File:AOTP Megatronus the Fallen.jpeg|thumb|200px|[[The Fallen/toys#Age of the Primes|Megatronus the Fallen]]]]
|-
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Wave 4''' (2026)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-pr11|[[Liege Maximo#Age of the Primes|The Thirteen Liege Maximo]]}}
</ul>
|}

{{-}}

===Big ticket items===
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="25%" valign="top"|'''Commander Class'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Silverbolt (G1)#Age of the Primes|Aerialbot Silverbolt]] (2025)}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Onslaught (G1)#Age of the Primes|Combaticon Onslaught]] (2026)}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Jetfire (Armada)#Age of the Primes|Armada Jetfire]] (2026) (w/ [[Astroscope]], [[Payload (Armada)|Payload]] and [[Sky Blast (Armada)|Sky Blast]])}}
</ul>
|
|width="50%" valign="top"|'''Titan Class'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-pr13|[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generations toys#Age of the Primes|The Thirteen Star Optimus Prime]] (w/ [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Age of the Primes|Micromaster Autobot Hot Rod]]) (2025)}}
</ul>
|
|width="25%" valign="top"|[[File:AOTPTitanStarConvoy.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generations toys#Age of the Primes|Star Optimus Prime]]]]
|}
{{-}}
{{comingsoontoy|Combaticon Onslaught}}

==Exclusives==
''Age of the Primes'' continues ''Legacy'''s trend of themed "capsule" lines exclusive to various retailers, beginning in 2025 with the "Wreck 'n Doom Collection", a [[Wreckers]] vs. [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]-themed line continuing on from the previous "Wreck 'n Rule" and "Doom 'n Destruction" collections, exclusive to [[Amazon (website)|Amazon]] in North America. That same year, [[Walmart]] had an (incredibly small) line themed around ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' in celebration of its 20th anniversary. The ''[[Generations Selects (toyline)|Generations Selects]]'' assortment from previous lines remains, with a new packaging design based on the other ''Age of the Primes'' toys.

{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Walmart ''Cybertron'' Deluxes'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Excellion (Cybertron)#Age of the Primes|Excellion]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Sideways (Armada)#Age of the Primes|Sideways]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Amazon ''Wreck 'n Doom Collection'''''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-wrmas|[[Carnivac (G1)#Age of the Primes|Carnivac]] vs. [[Ironfist (G1)#Age of the Primes|Fisitron]] (w/ [[Survivor (AOTP)#Toys|Decepticon Survivor]])}}
{{Bp-wrmas|[[Sandstorm (G1)#Age of the Primes|Autobot Sandstorm]] vs. [[Slugslinger (G1)#Age of the Primes|Slugslinger]] (w/ [[Caliburst (G1)#Age of the Primes|Caliburst]])}}
{{Bp-wrmas|[[Spinister (G1)#Age of the Primes|Spinister]] vs. [[Topspin (G1)#Age of the Primes|Topspin]] (w/ [[Hairsplitter#Age of the Primes|Hairsplitter]], [[Singe#Age of the Primes|Singe]], and [[Freezeout (TR)#Age of the Primes|Freezeout]])}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''''Generations Selects'''''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Trypticon (G1)#Generations Selects|Trypticon]] (w/ [[Full-Tilt (G1)#Generations Selects|Full-Tilt]] and [[Wipe-Out#Generations Selects|Necro]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Snarl (G1)#Age of the Primes|G2 Universe Dinobot Snarl]] / [[Slag (G1)/toys#Age of the Primes|G2 Universe Dinobot Slug]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Swoop (G1)/toys#Age of the Primes|G2 Dinobot Swoop]] / [[Sludge (G1)#Age of the Primes|G2 Dinobot Sludge]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Monstructor (G1)#Age of the Primes|Decepticon Monstructor]] ([[Icepick (G1)#Age of the Primes|Monster Icepick]], [[Birdbrain#Age of the Primes|Monster Birdbrain]], [[Bristleback#Age of the Primes|Monster Bristleback]], [[Scowl (G1)#Age of the Primes|Monster Scowl]], [[Slog (G1)#Age of the Primes|Decepticon Slog]], [[Wildfly#Age of the Primes|Monster Wildfly]])}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Target'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1d1|[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#Age of the Primes|Ultra Magnus]], [[Bumper (G1)#Age of the Primes|Autobot Bumper]] vs. [[Horri-Bull#Age of the Primes|Horri-Bull]], [[Nemesis Prime (Animated)#Age of the Primes|Nemesis Prime]] (w/ [[Kreb#Age of the Primes|Kreb]])}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|[[File:AOTP_Deluxe_Sideways.jpg|thumb|200px|Walmart exclusive [[Sideways (Armada)#Age of the Primes|Sideways]]]]
|}
{{comingsoontoy|Monstructor}}

==''Age of the Primes'' (TakaraTomy)==
[[TakaraTomy]]'s normal-retail ''Transformers Age of the Primes'' (トランスフォーマーエイジ・オブ・ザ・プライム ''Toransufōmā Eiji obu za Puraimu'') toyline is largely the same as Hasbro's, with no notable changes to the toys proper (other than the omission of the tampographed Hasbro product code numbers); the one "big" change is that the packaging adds [[List of Japanese ID numbers|ID numbers]] for each item.

===General retail===
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Wave 1''' ([[June 28]], [[2025]])
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-01 [[Silverbolt (G1)#Age of the Primes|Silverbolt]]}}
{{Bp-pr4|AOTP-02 [[Solus Prime#Age of the Primes|Solus Prime]]}}
{{Bp-d1|AOTP-03 [[Wasp#Age of the Primes|Waspinator (Animated)]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Wave 2''' ([[July 26]], 2025)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-04 [[Air Raid (G1)#Age of the Primes|Air Raid]]}}
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-05 [[Slingshot (G1)#Age of the Primes|Slingshot]]}}
{{Bp-pr12|AOTP-06 [[The Fallen/toys#Age of the Primes|Megatronus the Fallen]]}}
{{Bp-pr1|AOTP-07 [[Prima#Age of the Primes|Prima Prime]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Wave 3''' ([[August 30]], 2025)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-08 [[Red Alert (Armada)#Age of the Primes|Red Alert (Armada Universe)]]}}
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-09 [[Grimlock (G1)/toys#Age of the Primes|Grimlock (G2 Universe)]] & [[Wheelie (G1)#Age of the Primes|Wheelie]]}}
{{Bp-pr13|AOTP-10 [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generations toys#Age of the Primes|Star Optimus Prime]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Wave 4''' ([[September 27]], 2025)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-pr6|AOTP-11 [[Maccadam#Age of the Primes|Alchemist Prime]]}}
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-12 [[Heatwave (RB)#Age of the Primes|Rescue Bots Heatwave]]}}
{{Bp-d1|AOTP-13 [[Trypticon (G1)#Generations Selects|Decepticon Trypticon]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top" rowspan=4|[[File:AOTP-toy Heatwave.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Heatwave (RB)#Age of the Primes|Rescue Bot Heatwave]]]][[File:AOTP-Venin.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Venom (G1)#Age of the Primes|Venin]]]]
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Wave 5''' ([[October 25]], 2025)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|AOTP-14 [[Vortex (G1)#Age of the Primes|Decepticon Vortex]]}}
{{Bp-d1|AOTP-15 [[Sky-Byte (RID)#Age of the Primes|Sky-Byte (RID 2001 Universe)]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Wave 6''' ([[December 27]], 2025)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-pr5|AOTP-16 [[Micronus Prime#Age of the Primes|Micronus Prime]]}}
{{Bp-d1|AOTP-17 [[Venom (G1)#Age of the Primes|Venin]]}}
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-18 [[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)#Age of the Primes|Skydive]]}}
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-19 [[Fireflight (G1)#Age of the Primes|Fireflight]]}}
{{Bp-pr3|AOTP-20 [[Alpha Trion/toys#Age of the Primes|Alpha Trion]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Wave 7''' ([[January 31]], [[2026]])
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|AOTP-21 [[Flatline (G1)#Age of the Primes|Decepticon Flatline]]}}
{{Bp-pr8|AOTP-22 [[Onyx Prime#Age of the Primes|Onyx Prime]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Wave 8''' ([[March 28]], 2026)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-pr10|AOTP-23 [[Quintus Prime#Age of the Primes|Quintus Prime]]}}
{{Bp-d1|AOTP-24 [[Blast Off (G1)#Age of the Primes|Blast Off]]}}
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-25 [[Sureshot (G1)#Age of the Primes|Sureshot]]}}
{{Bp-p1|AOTP-26 [[Quickstrike (BW)#Age of the Primes|Quickstrike]]}}
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-27 [[Jalopy#Age of the Primes|Junkion Jalopy]]}}
{{Bp-d1|AOTP-28 [[Sideways (Armada)#Age of the Primes|Sideways]]}}
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Wave 9''' ([[April 25]], 2026)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-pr9|AOTP-29 [[Amalgamous Prime#Age of the Primes|Amalgamous Prime]]}}
{{Bp-d1|AOTP-30 [[Brawl (G1)#Age of the Primes|Brawl]]}}
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-31 [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)#Age of the Primes|Junkion Wreck-Gar]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Wave 10''' ([[May 30]], 2026)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-m1|AOTP-32 [[Big Convoy (BW)#Age of the Primes|Maximal Big Convoy]]}}
{{Bp-d1|AOTP-33 [[Razorclaw (Universe)#Age of the Primes|Razorclaw]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Wave 11''' ([[June]] 2026)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|AOTP-34 [[Onslaught (G1)#Age of the Primes|Onslaught]]}}
{{Bp-a1d1|AOTP-35 [[Sideways (Armada)#Age of the Primes|Sideways (Armada Universe)]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Wave 12''' ([[September]] 2026)
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-pr7|AOTP-36 [[Nexus Prime#Age of the Primes|Nexus Prime]]}}
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-37 [[Powerglide (G1)#Age of the Primes|Powerglide]]}}
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-38 [[Ratchet (Animated)#Age of the Primes|Ratchet (Animated)]]}}
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-39 [[Swerve (G1)#Age of the Primes|Swerve]]}}
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-40 [[Smokescreen (Prime)#Age of the Primes|Smokescreen (Prime Universe)]]}}
{{Bp-a1|AOTP-41 [[Cliffjumper (WFC)#Age of the Primes|Cliffjumper (Prime Universe)]]}}
{{Bp-pr11|AOTP-42 [[Liege Maximo#Age of the Primes|Liege Maximo]]}}
</ul>
|}
{{comingsoontoy|Waves 9 through 12}}

===Exclusives===
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[TakaraTomy Mall]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-wrmas|AOTP-EX [[Sandstorm (G1)#Age of the Primes|Autobot Sandstorm]] vs. [[Slugslinger (G1)#Age of the Primes|Slugslinger]] (w/ [[Caliburst (G1)#Age of the Primes|Caliburst]])}}
{{Bp-wrmas|AOTP-EX [[Carnivac (G1)#Age of the Primes|Carnivac]] vs. [[Ironfist (G1)#Age of the Primes|Fisitron]] (w/ [[Survivor (AOTP)#Toys|Decepticon Survivor]])}}
{{Bp-wrmas|AOTP-EX [[Spinister (G1)#Age of the Primes|Spinister]] vs. [[Topspin (G1)#Age of the Primes|Autobot Topspin]] (w/ [[Hairsplitter#Age of the Primes|Hairsplitter]], [[Singe#Age of the Primes|Singe]], and [[Freezeout (TR)#Age of the Primes|Freezeout]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|[[File:TF-AOTP-Deluxe-Fisitron.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Ironfist (G1)#Age of the Primes|Fisitron]]]]
|}
{{comingsoontoy}}

==Notes==
*Concurrently with 2025’s ''[[Studio_Series#2025|Studio Series]]'' assortment, the toyline sees a return to the plastic windows not seen on Transformers packaging since ''[[War for Cybertron: Kingdom]]''. Also like ''Studio Series'', the boxes are now less decorated than their predecessors, replacing the full package artwork with an all-black design that has art of the figure’s robot and alternate forms on one side of the window, with the robot form on the left side of the box and the toyline’s poster on the right, and little graphics on the front showing the toy’s step count.
*The Thirteen’s roster (and many of their designs and artifacts) are pulled from [[2013]]’s ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus]]'', with the [[Thirteenth Prime]] represented by Optimus Prime in his [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Return of Convoy|Star Convoy]] form.
*''Age of the Primes'' coincides with the Thirteen's major role in the theatrical film ''[[Transformers One (film)|Transformers One]]''.
*The Thirteen's boxes feature subtly distinct livery from the "mortal" figures in the line: their names and transformation step callouts are rendered in gold rather than the usual white, and their [[Insignia/Gallery#Religious symbols|personal sigils]] developed for [[2018]]'s ''[[Power of the Primes (franchise)|Power of the Primes]]'' take the place of faction symbols.
*Unlike the ''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' and ''Legacy'' toylines, which were each three years long, ''Age of the Primes'' is only two years.<ref name=usedtwice /><ref>{{citesocial|quote= 2026 and 2025 are linked together, I can say that, and if you can believe it we’re already starting to think a little bit about 2027.|link=https://news.tfw2005.com/2024/08/03/sdcc-2024-hasbro-interview-john-wardens-return-generations-studio-series-combiners-more-513802|name=John Warden|site=TFW2005|title=SDCC 2024 Hasbro Interview – John Warden’s Return, Generations, Studio Series, Combiners, More!|year=2024|month=08|day=03}}</ref> Also unlike those lines, it will not be rebranded with a new name for the second year.<ref>{{citesocial|quote= Yes, 2026 will also be Age of the Primes.|link=https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/2025-generations-listings-united-wave-5-age-of-the-primes.1259609/page-1203#post-22990969|name=Evan Brooks|site=Instagram|year=2025|month=01|day=04}}</ref>
*''Age of the Primes'' was previously teased with the releases of ''Legacy'' [[Vector Prime#Legacy|Vector Prime]] and [[Malleus Minotaurus]], the former of whom was later featured on official art for the toyline.
*Though it continues to include characters from all parts of the brand’s history, ''Age of the Primes'' mostly drops the universe designations from their names.
*The majority of the figures in the toyline are identified as direct descendants of one of the Thirteen through something referred to as an "[[Energon bloodline]]" in another element derived from the Covenant, though use of the phrase "bloodline" for the concept raises some [[Reproduction|serious questions]].
*The [[Liokaiser#Legacy|Liokaiser box set]] that constituted the [[2025]] [[Hasbro Pulse#HasLab|HasLab campaign]] was branded as part of the prior ''Legacy'' line to maintain consistency with the previous [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (franchise)|''Victory'']]-based Haslab Transformers<ref>{{citesocial|quote=We decided to make Liokaiser part of Legacy mainly for branding reasons. With HasLabs, a lot of fans tend to keep those figures in the box, which is a bit different from how most people collect the mainline figures. Since Victory Saber and Deathsaurus were both released under Legacy—and all three are from the same series—it just made sense to keep that consistency. We really wanted them to feel like they’re part of the same world!|link=https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/06/06/tfw-x-mark-maher-qa-aotp-haslabs-commanders-more-539034|name=Mark Maher|site=TFW2005|year=2025|month=06|day=06}}</ref>, leaving the first year of ''Age of the Primes'' without a HasLab.
*Due to ''[[Studio Series]]'' taking the Titan Class slot, [[2026]] is the first year since the inception of the price point where the main [[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|''Generations'']] imprint has gone without a Titan Class figure. Because of this, two Commander Class figures (Onslaught and Jetfire) were slated for this year.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[https://tf.takaratomy.co.jp/products/tf_aop ''Transformers: Age of the Primes''] at the TakaraTomy website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Age of the Primes}}
[[Category:Age of the Primes| ]]
[[Category:Aligned toylines]]
[[Category:Animated toylines]]
[[Category:Beast Wars toylines]]
[[Category:Generation 1 toylines]]
[[Category:Generations toylines]]
[[Category:Unicron Trilogy toylines]]

Transformers (2023) issue 31

2026-04-13T14:46:44Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Continuity notes */ I don’t know if that’s necessary to say. The intrigue is already implied.

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]'' #31
|prev=Transformers (2023) issue 30
|next=Transformers (2023) issue 32
|image=Transformers 2023 31 Cover B.jpg
|caption=Insert "I belong to nobody" here.
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[April 8]], [[2026]]
|coverdate=April 2026
|written by=[[Robert Kirkman]]
|art by=[[Ludo Lullabi]]
|colors by=[[Mike Spicer]]
|letters by=[[Rus Wooton]]
|editor=[[Ben Abernathy]]
|publication design=[[Andres Juarez]]
|production=[[Abigail Lee]]
|continuity=[[Energon Universe]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Megatron returns to the thrall of Dezimir, and discovers the identity of the one pulling ''his'' strings… '''

==Synopsis==
Within the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the Decepticons try to restrain [[Megatron (G1)#Energon Universe|Megatron]], in the throes of another mysterious seizure. [[Soundwave (G1)#Energon Universe|Soundwave]] is greatly concerned to hear that this is not the first time…

[[File:Megs-finds-The-Fallen.jpeg|thumb|left|Nobody summons Megatron… unless you're his idol.]]
''Megatron pleads with [[Dezimir]] to release him from the endless trials, but the [[Quintesson]] [[Quintesson Prosecutor|Prosecutor]] refuses, and insists Megatron assume his pistol mode. Megatron refuses; as Dezimir tears Megatron to pieces, the mysterious voice of Dezimir’s master inquires: "You '''forsake''' my gift?" Megatron explains that his gun mode failed to control [[Starscream (G1)#Energon Universe|Starscream]] at a crucial moment, so he will never rely on it again. Dezimir’s unseen master reiterates; Megatron is to ''serve''. He carries within him the [[Matrix of Oppression]]; a wellspring of power and rage sourced from the life force of prior Decepticon leaders, who in turn feed off of Megatron’s strength. Megatron fights his way through over three thousand more trials, until the ten thousandth; he’s had enough and finally accepts the terms.''

''Suddenly finding himself in a wasteland, Megatron approaches a building shaped like the Decepticon [[insignia]]. Within the base, he finds the master of Dezimir and the Matrix of Oppression: [[The Fallen|Megatronus]]. Megatronus offers the Decepticon leader a choice, between the only two options there are at this point: oblivion, or servitude. Reluctantly, Megatron chooses servitude.''

Within the ''Nemesis'', Megatron collapses, and mysterious crystals begin breaking through from within his body…
{{--}}
==Featured Characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks or dream form. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c2=
* [[Soundwave (G1)#Energon Universe|Soundwave]] (1)
* [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] (2)
* [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (3)
* [[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (4)
* [[Megatron (G1)#Energon Universe|Megatron]] (5)
* [[Skywarp (G1)#Energon Universe|Skywarp]] (6)
* [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (7)
* [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]] (8)
* [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] (9)
* ''[[Trannis]]'' (11)
* ''[[The Fallen|Megatronus]]'' (12)
* ''[[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]]'' (13)

|h3=[[Quintesson]]s|c3=
* ''[[Dezimir]]'' (10)
* ''[[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]]'' (15)
* ''[[Quintesson Bailiff|Bailiffs]]'' (16)
* ''[[Mechanokoar]]'' (17)

|h4=Others|c4=
* ''[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]?'' (14)
}}

==Quotes==
"It is '''you''' who is flawed. You have not fully submitted to me." 
"I was born to '''command'''. Not serve." 
:— '''Dezimir’s master''' and '''Megatron'''

"'''THEN BOW BEFORE MEGATRONUS.''' Bend your will to '''mine''' and receive the '''true''' power of the '''Matrix of Oppression.'''"

==Notes==
* Holy—

===Continuity notes===
* We first learned about Megatron’s trials with Dezimir back in [[Transformers (2023) issue 19|#19]], which is also where we were introduced to the Matrix of Oppression, though not by name. Additionally, it was unclear at the time whether Megatron was merely bathed in its power or actually received the physical object; it seems he carries it within him.
** Of note: Megatron ended that issue with 500 trials under his belt before Dezimir’s master declared he was done. This issue starts with Megatron at number 6,353, and ends at 10,000. Yikes.
* Megatron had a seizure at the end of [[Transformers (2023) issue 26|#26]] and into the beginning of [[Transformers (2023) issue 28|#28]] (taking place immediately after #26). At the time, Soundwave was being held prisoner by the Autobots and was not around to see it.
* Megatron was first shown to be able to control those who wielded him back in [[Transformers (2023) issue 14|#14]].
* Starscream broke free of said control and shot himself in the head in [[Transformers (2023) issue 24|#24]].
* Among the Decepticon leaders seen within the Matrix, we also see…Trailbreaker? He’s hidden somewhat behind Straxus, but the head and the forcefield gadget are a dead match. Might this have something to do with Megatron devouring the [[Autobot]]’s [[Spark]] in [[Transformers (2023) issue 28|#28]]? We’ll see!
* The [[Thirteen]] have been alluded to throughout the Energon Universe, in particular Skywarp swore by the Fallen in [[Transformers (2023) issue 3|#3]], while [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Energon Universe|Optimus Prime]] saw a bunch of statues of them within the [[Matrix of Leadership]] in issues [[Transformers (2023) issue 22|#22]] and [[Transformers (2023) issue 23|#23]].

===Transformers references===
* The big one is The Fallen, AKA Megatronus, appearing in a design based on his original appearance in [[Dreamwave Productions]]’ ''[[Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|War Within: The Dark Ages]]'' miniseries. Having said that, it’s more likely meant to tie in with the character’s recent ''[[Transformers: Age of the Primes|Age of the Primes]]'' [[The Fallen/toys#Age of the Primes|toy]], considering the Megatronus name and the portrayal as an ambiguous prominent Decepticon leader of ages past.
* The other non-generic Decepticon leaders shown are Straxus and Trannis, both originally from the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|comic]] (US and UK respectively); Trannis in particular is using the design from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]] episode "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4]]" that was retroactively identified as him, since he was not visually depicted in his original Marvel appearance.
* The spiky, purple, crystal-like protrusions from the [[Matrix of Opression]] visually recall [[Dark Energon]], the thematically-similar evil energy source from ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]''.
* When Megatron finally had enough of the trials, he yells "I accept your terms!" Which is what he said in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' to [[Unicron]] before he was reformatted into [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. Foreshadowing?
* The big honkin’ Decepticon insignia base comes from the episode "[[Enter the Nightbird]]", though there it was an actual physical building.

===Errors===
* Long Haul and Bonecrusher’s chests, as well as the latter’s legs, are colored purple instead of the correct green on the first page.
* Skywarp is missing his null-rays throughout the entire issue.

===Other Notes===
* Energon Experience: Presented by Skybound Executive Editor Ben Abernathy.
** '''Character Spotlight:''' Megatron
** '''Decepti-Can’t!:''' The other Decepticons were unable to physically restrain Megatron.
** '''Creator Spotlight:''' Ben asks Ludo Lullabi what his alt-mode would be. Lullabi answers a cargo spaceship, bringing stories from world to world while listening to ‘Prophecy Theme’ by Toto.

===Covers===
* '''Cover A:''' Megatron, by [[David Nakayama]].
* '''Cover B:''' Megatron with his Energon mace, by [[Daniel Warren Johnson]] & Mike Spicer.
* '''Cover C:''' Megatron profile shot, by [[Simon Parr|Pye Parr]].
* '''Cover D (1:25 Copy Incentive):''' The Decepticons flanking Megatron, by [[Manabu Yashiro]].
* '''Cover E (1:50 Copy Incentive):''' Megatron close-up, by Ludo Lullabi.
* '''Cover F (1:100 Copy Incentive):''' Megatron (noticing a pattern?) and [[Laserbeak (G1)#Energon Universe|Laserbeak]] in a minimalist style, by [[Patricia Martín Samaniego]].
* '''Cover G:''' Blank sketch variant.
* '''Gotham City Limit Cover A:''' Megatron on his throne, by [[Tyler Kirkham]]. Limited to 500 copies.
* '''Gotham City Limit Cover B:''' Textless variant of above, by Tyler Kirkham. Limited to 500 copies.

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover A.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover B.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover C.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover D.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover E.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover F.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover G.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Gotham City Limit Cover A.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Gotham City Limit Cover B.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisement===
* Explore the Energon Universe in ''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]'' [[G.I. Joe (2024) issue 21|#21]], ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 29|#29]], ''Transformers'' #32, and ''[[M.A.S.K. (2026 comic)|M.A.S.K.]]'' [[M.A.S.K. (2026) issue 1|#1]]
* ''Corpse Knight''
* ''Invincible Universe: Capes'' #7
* ''Invincible VS''

===Reprints===
* '''''Transformers Volume 6: Decepticons Attack!''''' ([[December 9]], [[2026]]) ISBN 1534332634 / ISBN 978-1534332638 
** Collects ''Transformers'' issues #31–36.
** Trade paperback format.

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 V6.jpg|'''''Volume 6: Decepticons Attack!''''' – cover art by [[David Nakayama]]
</gallery>

[[Category:Transformers (2023) issues]]

Autobot

2026-04-12T07:33:50Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Aligned continuity family */ pretty sure contractions need to have an apostrophe

{{factions|autobot|autobotg2|ttautobot|sgAutobot|{{factions/icons|custom=Ancient_Autobot_Symbol.png|cSize=30x30px|cLink=Autobot|cPretty=Ancient Autobot}}}}
{{disambig2|the faction|Generation 2 watch-Autobot|Autobot (G2)}}
[[File:Symbol autobot reg.png|upright=1.4|thumb|If you don't recognize this [[Insignia|symbol]], what the heck are you doing here?]]

{{quote|[['Til all are one]].|Autobot rally cry|''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

The '''Autobots''' are one of the primary factions in the [[Transformers brand|''Transformers'']] mythos. They usually find themselves defending both their own race and other species against the [[Decepticon]]s and upholding justice and freedom throughout the galaxy.

They are considered "the good guys" in most, but not in [[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|all]] Transformers stories.

A generally heroic, honorable group, they tend to be dedicated to peace, and feel a need to protect other races from the Decepticons. As a result, they are usually Transformers who change into non-combat oriented [[alternate mode]]s such as domestic vehicles, cars, trucks, or rescue vehicles. This is not ''always'' the case, however, as their ranks certainly contain ne'er-do-wells, malcontents, and unsavory types, and the necessities of war have led many to adopt more combat-oriented alternate forms. While the Autobots have usually found themselves outnumbered by the Decepticons, the Autobots have always had home-field advantage, having not only the humans' military support, but also having more places on Earth to fall back on, while the Decepticons are entirely unwelcome on Earth.

Key concepts that repeat throughout most continuities are the use of the name [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] (or a variation thereof) to denote Autobot leadership, and the existence of an artifact of great life-giving power, usually referred to as a "[[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]", traditionally held by their [[Prime (rank)|leader]].

The collective noun for Autobots is an "exaltation".<ref>"...more dangerous than an exaltation of Autobots." — [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]], ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac]]'' (2009) p 101</ref>

{{bigquote|Few beings think of themselves as evil. Many justify their actions as good, even if they are not. But if you believe the 'good guys' would not harm any life-form, then you may consider me a member of that team.|[[Gears (ROTF)|Gears]]|''[[Transformers Classified: Switching Gears|Switching Gears]]''|width=800px}}

==Generation 1 / Beast Era==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
[[File:Primag2.jpg|left|thumb|The birth of Prima, the first Autobot. Just before Primus went around handing out cigars.]]
In the beginning [[Primus]] created the Transformers, a race of living robots that could change their bodies into the likeness of weapons, vehicles, and machinery, and all Transformers were Autobots, and he saw that they were good. The Autobot symbol (or [[insignia|Autobrand]] as it is sometimes called) was based on the face of the [[Last Autobot]], the sleeping guardian Primus left for the day when his plans came to fruition.

At first Autobot numbers were small (a mere [[Thirteen|13]] began things), but through [[Reproduction|budding]] they expanded their race to fill the planet. When the correct level of population was reached, a mechanism triggered and memory of the process was wiped from the Transformers minds. At some point in these early days Unicron was able to reach through the mental link he shared with Primus and sow the seeds of corruption in a few Autobots, though this dark cult of Unicron would not bear fruit for a long time.

Eons passed in relative peace. Autobot society formed its own traditions, institutions, city-states and politics. From a human perspective this society resembled that of ancient Rome. [[Senate|Senators]] and [[Emirate]]s governed wisely or corruptly, priests worshipped Primus and passed his holy Matrix to the chosen bearer (the lineage: [[Prima]] to [[Prime Nova]], Prime Nova to [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]), gladiatorial games were held for sport and entertainment, and above it all the [[Overlord (rank)|Overlords]] ruled.

It was only with the advent of [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] at the end of the [[Golden Age]], coinciding with the death of the last hereditary Overlord, and the subsequent rise of the Decepticons, that the words "Autobot" and "Transformer" ceased being necessary synonyms and the population was divided by war.

[[File:Optimusprimeg1marvelfirst.jpg|thumb|Optimus Prime appears to turn the tide.]]
In the early days of the war the Autobots were overwhelmed by the Decepticon war machine. They fell back again and again and for a while it looked like the war would be quickly lost... and then a young warrior rose from their ranks and rallied the troops to fight back. He made his reputation by denying Megatron access to the [[Underbase]], soon rose to command the Autobots' elite air corps, and then, at last, was granted full command of all Autobot armies. [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] had turned the tide, and under his leadership the Autobots fought back until Megatron's war machine was stalled out and stalemated.

[[File:Marvel71 neversurrender.jpg|left|thumb|They won't need to. They'll just crumble to bits]]
The war ground on until Autobot scientists detected that their planet's path was going to pass through a deadly asteroid belt. Putting the planet-wide conflict aside for the moment they turned their attention to planetary salvation and the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] was built.

[[File:MarvelUS01-AutobotLineup.jpg|upright=2.2|thumb|And now, shadow puppet theatre.]]
Optimus and a crew of his best soldiers took the Ark into space and cleared a path for the planet through the asteroid field. Unfortunately with their power depleted from that Herculean task they were then ambushed by Megatron and his Decepticons. The crews of both ships were lost to history.

Without Megatron or Prime the pace of the war slowed considerably. Still, fighting continued and both sides dug in for a long bitter struggle. In Prime's absence [[Emirate]] [[Xaaron (G1)|Xaaron]] led the Autobot forces in their struggle to retake their homeworld.

[[File:Autobots-disintegratedcircuits1.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

The next four million years passed quickly (as it is wont to do) and without any major alteration (only a general degradation) of the situation. Finally news came to Cybertron: Optimus Prime and his forces lived! Yet this news came at a steep price, as it meant a new front had opened in the war. Optimus Prime and his forces fought the Decepticons on the distant world of Earth, while Xaaron, his [[Wreckers]], and others carried on the war for Cybertron.

Despite Prime's dedication to protecting Earth, Autobot/Human relations were not good. Humanity viewed all Transformers as threats and attacked any they discovered regardless of faction. Industrialist [[G.B. Blackrock]] tried to inform the public that there were two factions, with the Autobots being the benign faction, but the [[Intelligence and Information Institute]], the government agency tasked with countering the Transformers, was either unable or unwilling to distinguish between factions.

Not long after his survival was discovered, tragedy struck and Optimus Prime was killed on Earth. The Dinobot commander [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] took on the leadership of Prime's soldiers, though he favored the abandonment of Earth and a renewed focus on Cybertron.

At roughly the same time, the great Autobot warrior [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] reached an important decision. He was tired of the war and if he could not end it he would leave it behind. Gathering a large following of likeminded warriors he left Cybertron for the world of Nebulos in hopes of a new and peaceful life. This was not to be. Decepticons followed Maximus and opened a third front to the war. In the end both factions abandoned Nebulos and Maximus led them to Earth to unite with the forces under Optimus Prime.

[[File:LastAutobot.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|From Prima to Last Autobot, we come full circle. You may close your notebooks.]]
However, when they arrived they discovered Prime dead and Grimlock less than welcoming. Grimlock and Maximus attempted to establish a single Autobot leader with trial by combat, but were interrupted by a devastating Decepticon attack. The upside of it all was that they ended up putting their differences aside and Optimus Prime was soon reborn to take up leadership of the Earth-based forces once again.

Not long after, a dimensional transporter accident led to the rediscovery and accidental disturbance of Primus deep in the center of Cybertron. The Autobots learned that their ancient myths about Primus were the truth, and Unicron was now coming for them. Since the Creation Matrix had been lost and corrupted, Optimus Prime offered the Autobots' unconditional surrender to the Decepticons in the hopes that this would lead the two factions to stand together against the coming threat. It did, and the Matrix was retrieved and purified in time to stop Unicron. Both Optimus Prime and Emirate Xaaron were killed in the battle, and Grimlock ascended to Autobot leadership again, this time over all Autobots.

The alliance with the Decepticons would be short lived. Cybertron appeared to be destroying itself and the Decepticons betrayed the Autobots, leaving them to die with their world. Grimlock's leadership led to the Autobots escaping that trap, and walking right into a different one. Oops. Thankfully, the awakening of the Last Autobot saved Cybertron and led to the rebirth of Optimus Prime, who reclaimed Autobot leadership and beat the Decepticons once and for all.

''(From this point the Marvel Generation 2, the Fun Publication's Classics comics and Regeneration One continue the story in separate and mutually exclusive directions.)''

====Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic====
The war finally over, most of the Autobots retired to the revived and prosperous Cybertron. It wasn't to last. Grimlock led a crew of Autobots not ready to take a vacation and put their feet up to try and track down any remaining Decepticon trouble. They found more than they could imagine as they discovered a vast and militant Empire constructed across the stars by Decepticons who left Cybertron long ago.

At the same time, Megatron reared his head again on Earth and soon the surviving Decepticons from the end of the war joined him, intent on restarting the war on Earth. It was not long before Decepticons and Autobots were teamed up against the forces of the Cybertronian Empire. Though this new conflict never touched the revived Cybertron, Earth was devastated by it. The Bot/Con alliance won, but how long this new alliance would last and what [[Liege Maximo|new threats]] awaited remained a question.

====''Classics''====
{{noteclassics}}

{{groupstub}}

====''Regeneration One''====
Twenty one years after [[Klo]], the Autobots had cemented their rule over Cybertron and rebuilt their planet. The ardent pacifism of Optimus Prime however prevented decisive action to end the renascent Decepticon threat on Cybertron as well as the tying up of loose ends on other planets. This attitude proved unpopular among the command staff of the Autobots with both [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] breaking ranks to deal with these issues themselves. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 1}} {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 2}}

While on [[Nebulos]], Grimlock was detained by [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 5}} who revealed he had developed the [[Gene Key]], a device that altered the [[CNA]] of Cybertronians to activate the "warrior gene" and turn all Autobots into loyal Decepticons. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part One}} Though pretending to agree to join Scorponok, Grimlock managed to inform [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] of the plan who managed to neutralize the Gene Key before its abilities could be broadcasted on a planetary scale. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part Five}} In spite of this, the actions many Autobots turned themselves in for war crimes they felt they had committed under the Key's influence. {{storylink|Destiny, Part One}}

After an attack by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]], [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Hot Rod]] was turned into "Rodimus Prime" and became the new leader of the Autobots. Concurrently, a group of Autobots construction workers was loaned to Optimus Prime to aid in the construction of a Space Bridge network between [[Earth]] and Nebulos. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 1}} When the rogue senator [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] returned to Cybertron, he engaged in some false pleasantries with Rodimus Prime before the Autobots went to war with the Cybertronian Empire. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 2}} {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 3}} {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 4}}

The victory proved pyrrhic at best. While the Autobots were away, the [[Dark Matrix]] had turned the entirety of Cybertron's population into [[shadow-leech]]es. Though the Autobots managed to defeat the malignant entity, it left them deprived of their biological immortality, eventually dying out millions of years into the future. The last Autobot, indeed the last Cybertronian, wound up being Rodimus Prime. Upon his death, the last vestiges of his [[spark]] energy served to ignite the [[Botanica (BM)|new generation]] of Cybertronians. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 5}}

====''Transformers '84''====
Though managing to offer sufficient resistance to divert Megatron's attention away from [[Project Dreadnought]], {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 1|Secrets & Lies #1}} the Autobots were outmatched by the aggressors. Feeling that Megatron was the lynchpin of the Decepticon army, Optimus Prime conspired to trap his opposite off Cybertron, feeling that it would give his army a fighting chance. Aware that such an act would be sacrificial, Optimus left command of the Autobots to Ultra Magnus. {{storylink|Transformers '84 issue 0|Transformers '84 #0}}

Despite Optimus's gambit succeeding, [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] emerged as the new [[Decepticon leader]] and aggressively accelerated the campaign against the Autobots. When [[Punch (G1)|Punch]] brought the news that Straxus sought to restart Project Dreadnought, Ultra Magnus received a pep talk from Impactor and Roadbuster that inspired him to take a more decentralized approach to command. {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 3|Secrets & Lies #3}} After the new commando team, the [[Wreckers]], had destroyed Project Dreadnought, [[Autobot High Command]] was led by Magnus, [[Star Saber (G1)|Star Saber]], and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] who opted for a decentralized response to the increasingly fragmented war. {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 4|Secrets & Lies #4}}

===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
[[File:BetasAutobotRebels.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|There just weren't as many characters to cosplay as in the old days.]]
The Autobots originated as a line of non-living consumer goods robots, created by the [[Quintesson]]s alongside the military hardware robots that would become the Decepticons. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}} Developing sentience and emotion, the robots turned on their alien masters, though the Quintessons' gargantuan [[Dark Guardian]] robots made victory an unlikely prospect. A major tipping point occurred when the rebel leader [[Alpha Trion|A-3]] used his [[Coder Remote]], hidden within his slave brand, to deactivate the Dark Guardians, striking a major blow against the Quintessons and forever transforming the brand into a mark of autonomy that eventually became the Autobots' faction insignia. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming (episode)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}} At some point in these early days, the Autobots somehow gained possession of the mysterious [[Matrix of Leadership]], which was carried by each successive leader of their race, and became a repository for their consciousness upon their passing. During the early days of Quintesson rule, it was carried by [[Primon]], who was succeeded by the first robot to challenge the Quintessons, [[Prima]], followed by the leader during the rebellion, [[Prime Nova]]. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}
[[File:FFOD4 passing the matrix.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
After the Quintessons were successfully forced from Cybertron, a period of peace descended during which the Autobots—as they now called themselves—began building a civilization, but the warlike Decepticons soon declared war on them, claiming the lives of leaders [[Guardian Prime]] and [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]]. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}} Outmatched by their enemies, many Autobots fled Cybertron, seeking to start new lives free of conflict elsewhere in the universe, {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2}} settling on planets such as [[Paradron]]. {{storylink|Fight or Flee (episode)|Fight or Flee}} Outmached in strength and firepower, the Autobots turned instead to stealth, inventing the art of [[transformation]]. Using this power, Autobot leader [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] defeated [[Trannis]], and ended the war. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}
[[File:G1 cartoon Autobots fly.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Peace settled over Cybertron and what became known as the [[Golden Age]] began, but around nine million years ago, the Decepticons struck back, now under the command of [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. Megatron slew Sentinel Prime, who passed stewardship of the Matrix to A-3—now Alpha Trion—who was busy working on a means of rebuilding the Autobots so they would be able to fight the Decepticons on equal footing. When a wounded young robot named [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Orion Pax]] was brought to Alpha Trion, Trion repaired him using the process, rebuilding him as [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and giving him the Matrix that he might serve as the leader of the first of a new breed of war-ready Autobot. {{storylink|War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn}} Under Prime's leadership, the protracted warfare ran for five million years, draining Cybertron dry of energy and forcing the Transformers to seek new power sources on other planets. Optimus Prime's best and brightest departed on this quest aboard [[Ark (G1)|a spacecraft]], but were pursued and attacked by Megatron's elite, leading all involved to a crash-land on prehistoric Earth, entombed in stasis for four million years. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}}
[[File:CosmicRust-BigGroup.jpg|left|upright=1.66|thumb|"Incompetent fools! There's only like seven Decepticons and fifty of us!"]]

In 1984, a volcanic eruption awakened the Transformers, and their war for energy continued on Earth. Believing the Decepticons had been defeated, the Autobots entered into an alliance with Earth's governments for the energy needed to repair their ship and return to Cybertron, {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 3}} but the unanticipated return prompted Optimus Prime and his men to stay on Earth to defend the planet. {{storylink|Transport to Oblivion (episode)|Transport to Oblivion}} The Autobots rebuilt their spaceship to serve as their headquarters, integrating it with the volcano it lay in, and maintained a position of superiority on Earth over the following years, aided by their human allies in world's governments and the [[Witwicky (surname)|Witwicky]] family, and regularly bolstered by the addition of new troops from various quarters.
[[File:FightorFlee future autobots.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Over the next twenty years, the Decepticons managed to drive the Autobots from Cybertron, forcing them to operate out of two bases on Cybertron's moons with a reserve force at [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] on Earth. In 2005, learning that the Autobots were preparing a major assault, the Decepticons [[Battle of Autobot City|besieged Autobot City]], leading to a battle which saw the deaths of many Autobots, including Optimus Prime, who passed leadership to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] before dying. Subsequently, the planet-eating [[Unicron]] attacked Cybertron, but the young Autobot [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] was able to prove himself Optimus's true successor when he used the Matrix to destroy Unicron, transformed in the process by its power into Rodimus Prime. Under Rodimus's leadership, the Autobots routed the remaining Decepticons on Cybertron, shattered by Unicron's attack, and they finally retook their home planet. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
The Autobots remained in control of Cybertron throughout 2006, slowly working to revitalize their homeworld while defending with comparative ease against various attacks by the surviving Decepticons, and the manipulations of the returned Quintessons. [[File:Rebirthpt2 headmasters charge.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]] They did not neglect their adopted home-world of Earth, either, regularly working with [[Earth Defense Command]] to protect the planet. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness}} Despite the successes enjoyed under his leadership, Rodimus Prime was never comfortable with the burden of command, and happily relinquished it when Optimus Prime was later restored to life. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}

In 2007, when the Decepticons mounted an all-out attack on Cybertron's [[Plasma Energy Chamber]], several Autobots were hurled across the galaxy by a blast of the chamber's power to the planet [[Nebulos]]. There, they became [[binary bonding|binary bonded]] to a cell of local rebels as [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] and [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmasters]], helping them to defeat the planet's evil rulers, the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]]. Returning to Cybertron with the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber, they were able to thwart the Decepticons' plan to destroy Cybertron and Earth with the chamber, instead using its power to revitalize their home-world and restore the Golden Age. {{storylink|The Rebirth}}
{{-}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
{{note|In Japanese cartoon continuity, the events of "The Rebirth" do not occur, and Headmasters and Targetmasters have a different origin.}}
[[File:FourWarriorsfromtheSky.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Following Optimus Prime's resurrection, the Decepticons retreated into hiding, allowing the Autobots to expand their operations. A new major command post was set up on the planet [[Athenia]], and plans were made to terraform the planet into a second Cybertron, but this was tabled when the Decepticons returned in 2011, attempting to seize control of Cybertron through [[Vector Sigma]]. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} Bolstered by the addition of Headmasters to their ranks—Cybertronians who had left their planet long ago and taken up residence on the planet [[Master (planet)|Master]], led by [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]]—the Autobots were able to thwart their plan, but in the effort, Optimus Prime died once again, and Rodimus Prime became leader again. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}} Rodimus's tenure was short-lived when, after a Decepticon bomb plot resulted in the destruction of Cybertron, he passed leadership to Fortress and set off into space to find a new homeworld for the Transformers. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2}} Under Fortress's leadership, the Autobots succeeded in preventing a Decepticon plan to destroy the Earth with [[plasma energy]], and finally forced the evil robots off the planet for good. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)}}

[[File:FourChojinWarriors.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
The Autobots likewise withdrew from Earth, and, staging their operations from Athenia, proceeded to engage their enemies in a series of space-based exchanges known as the [[Master Wars]]. {{storylink|The Headmasters Now!!}} Learning that the mysterious alien [[Devil Z]] had taken control of the Decepticons and had a scheme brewing on Earth, Fortress left defense of the planet to a small team of [[Pretender]]s led by [[Metalhawk (G1)|Metalhawk]], who had been operating there in secret among human civilization since neolithic times. {{storylink|Rise Up!! Pretenders}} To protect Earth against Devil Z's schemes, the Pretenders recruited human beings to become merged with Transformer technology as [[Headmaster Junior]]s and [[Godmaster (lifeform)|Godmasters]], and the most powerful of their number, [[Ginrai (human)|Ginrai]], destroyed Devil Z in combat. {{storylink|A Battle... and Then...}}

[[File:Brainmasters victory cartoon.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Following Devil Z's defeat, the Decepticons reorganized under [[Deathsaurus (G1)|Deathsaurus]] and began attacking planets all across the universe, prompting the Autobots to step up their game, allying with humanity and many other races to form the star-spanning [[Universal Peace Alliance]]. The Autobot swordsman [[Star Saber (G1)|Star Saber]] was appointed the Autobots' new Supreme Commander and head of the alliance's Universal Defense Force, and led his elite [[Brainmaster]] and [[Multiforce]] troops in defending the Earth when it was targeted by Deathsaurus as a source of energy to re-power his [[Planet-Destroying Fortress]] in 2025. {{storylink|The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber}}

[[File:SkyGarry1.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Star Saber was later injured defending the planet [[Feminia]] against the [[Nine Great Demon Generals]] and was succeeded as Autobot leader by [[Powered Master]] [[Dai Atlas (G1)|Dai Atlas]], who foiled the evil entity [[Violengiguar]]'s plans for conquest using the power of the enigmatic [[Zodiac]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Zone (franchise)|Zone}} The Zodiac presented a possible avenue to resurrect the legendary Optimus Prime, so Dai Atlas entrusted both it and interim Autobot leadership to [[Sky Garry (G1)|Sky Garry]], who rescued Prime's body from the evil alien [[Dark Nova]]. Revived by the Zodiac as "Star Convoy," Prime destroyed Dark Nova. {{storylink|Transformers: Return of Convoy (franchise)|Return of Convoy}}

In the year [[2035]], with Autobot/Decepticon conflict mostly occurring in space once again, the Autobots and humanity joined forced to develop [[Power Core Combination]] technology. This powerful new tech drew the Decepticons' attention back to the planet, but the schemes of their current eader [[Scrash (G1)|Scrash]] were put down by the new Autobot Power Core Combiners, [[Guard City]], and the Micromaster six-combiners. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Operation Combination (franchise)|Operation Combination}} {{storylink|Transformers United EX|United EX}} Following this, the Autobots and Decepticons laid down their arms and united to established the [[Cybertron Alliance]], rebuilding Cybertron. Unfortunately, Megatron soon turned to evil again, and Optimus Prime was forced to battle and defeat him in the [[Mirtonian constellation]], apparently bring the war to an end once and for all. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2}} Alas, the Autobots had not reckoned with the time-travelling [[Galvatron II]], who arrived from another timeline to take control of the Decepticons and continue the war, and so bolstered their ranks to fight back with mass-produced [[Eldedroid]]s. {{storylink|MP-1B Cybertron Commander / Convoy Black Ver.|e-HOBBY storyline}}
{{-}}

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
{{main|Maximal}}

During the Great War, the Autobots launched the ''Ark'', a warship containing their mightiest heroes. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}} When the war reignited on Earth, the Autobots would be aided by the native humans, an act which history recorded as having been an important factor in securing an Autobot victory in the war. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}

The war finally ended with the Autobots defeating the Decepticons; peace was declared with the signing of the [[Pax Cybertronia]], with a few Decepticons granted amnesty and retiring to live in peace. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}} The Autobots would eventually be succeeded by the [[Maximal]]s, who had little hard facts regarding their ancestors, viewing the Autobots as ancient legendary figures. {{storylink|Possession}} However, the Decepticons' descendants, the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]], lived as second-class citizens as a consequence of their ancestors having surrendered to the Autobots. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}

===''Beast Machines'' cartoon===
[[File:ProwlMaybe BM.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|Where's your Pax Cybertronia now?]]
When [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] subdued Cybertron's population with his [[Transformation virus|virus]], he extracted their sparks and used their bodies as raw materials for building [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]. [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] and his team discovered a junkyard/factory with acres of these corpses, one of which very clearly bore the Autobot symbol (and an uncanny resemblance to [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]). {{storylink|Revelations Part I: Discovery}} Also, among the [[Vehicon General]]s were the revived Great War veterans [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] and [[Strika (BM)|Strika]], who may have been Autobots themselves. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. I: The Strike}}

===3H comics===
Many of the great Autobot and Decepticon heroes (such as Optimus Prime, Grimlock, Soundwave, and Megatron) retired to a strange quasi-reality called [[J'nwan]]. Almost all who tried to reach J'nwan and seek their aid succumbed to madness, and the ancient heroes did not appreciate being disturbed by any survivors. However, the great figures did eventually decide to fight once more at [[Point Omega]], an event which erased much of the timeline they had come from. It's unclear whether or not J'nwan or the events regarding it remained intact.

Meanwhile, some other Autobots and Decepticons, such as [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]], [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], and [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]] did not enter J'nwan but remained active on Cybertron. Some Autobots became Maximals while others did not. {{storylink|Departure}} {{storylink|Betrayal}}

===2006 IDW ''Beast Wars'' continuity===
The three components of the combiner [[Magnaboss (BW)|Magnaboss]] are the Autobots [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]. They vanished after the [[Pax Cybertronia]] was signed, but it is said they will return in a time of great need. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:AutoLitho.jpg|upright=0.5|thumb|Come on you bots! Do you want to live forever?!?]]
The Autobots arose as the group who sided with Sentinel Prime and the [[Council of Ancients]] and opposed Megatron's desire for the conquest of Cybertron, but their inexperience with warfare led to a serious tactical disadvantage. Sentinel Prime led the war effort for half a million years, until Megatron killed him in combat, hoping to secure the Matrix from him. Sentinel's successor, Optimus Prime, originally decided to evacuate Cybertron, fearing that, even if the Autobots won, Cybertron would be a wasteland. However, a subsequent encounter between Optimus Prime and Megatron, where he learned of the planetary engines the Decepticon leader hoped to power with the Matrix, convinced Prime to remain on Cybertron. {{storylink|Transformers: The War Within|The War Within}}

Later, Optimus Prime and Megatron disappeared in a space bridge explosion. Without strong leadership, both sides degenerated into factions. The [[Wreckers]] and the [[Lightning Strike Coalition]] broke off from the main Autobot army, which was led by Prowl. {{storylink|Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|War Within: The Dark Ages}} After [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] took control of the Autobots, he reunified the factions, and manage to negotiate a cease-fire with [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave's]] Decepticons and Ratbat's [[Ultracon]]s. However, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream's]] [[Predacon (War Within)|Predacons]] made a last ditch assault, and Megatron suddenly returned leading the [[Air Warrior|Aerospace Extermination Squadron]], an army of [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] drones created by the Quintessons. Megatron managed to conquer Cybertron, forcing most of the Autobots into slavery and the escapees into hiding. The period of Autobot enslavement ended when Optimus Prime returned to Cybertron and the Air Warriors were destroyed. ''We don't know how.'' {{storylink|Transformers: War Within: The Age of Wrath|War Within: The Age of Wrath}}

Four million years before humans arose, Cybertron was threatened by a massive asteroid. The Autobots developed the ''Ark'' to destroy the asteroid. They were successful, but Megatron attacked with the ''Nemesis''. Both ships crashed on Earth, with both crews aboard the ''Ark''. On Cybertron, Ultra Magnus and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] worked to keep the Autobots from splitting up again. With energon growing scarce, Magnus agreed to work with Shockwave to create the [[Micromaster]]s, downsized Transformers intended for better fuel efficiency. Magnus also launched [[Operation: Containment]], a twofold program intended to prevent the Decepticons from threatening other planets and locating the ''Ark''. {{storylink|Transformers: Micromasters}} However, with the [[Great Shutdown]], all Transformers entered a period of enforced [[stasis lock]]. Shockwave was the first to be reactivated, and made peace with the Autobots, installing himself as Head of State with an [[Autobot High Council]] as a legislature.

On Earth, the Autobots on the ''Ark'' awoke in 1984. Cut off from Cybertron, and seeing that a sentient species had evolved around them, the Autobots resolved to defend Earth from the Decepticons. Over the next fifteen years, the Autobots were largely successful at preventing a Decepticon conquest, while also befriending the [[Witwicky (surname)|Witwicky]] family. Eventually, the Autobots allied with the humans and defeated the Decepticons, capturing them. However, rogue elements of the United States Military, apparently being manipulated by Shockwave, sabotaged the ''[[Ark II]]'', capturing several Autobots and most of the Decepticons, until the chief scientist, [[Lazarus|Adam Rook]], went rogue and set himself up as an arms dealer. [[Robert Hallo]], the original mastermind of the conspiracy, used [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] to reactivate Optimus Prime, who revived the Autobots and stopped a reactivated Megatron. {{storylink|Prime Directive}} A year later, Shockwave came to tie up loose ends and acquire the Matrix from Prime. A rebel Autobot cell managed to rescue Prime, who united the other resistance groups, and Shockwave was overthrown, bringing Cybertron under Autobot control. {{storylink|War and Peace}}

{{--}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
[[File:OriginMyths-FirstFace.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66]]

The "First Face" that would one day become the Autobot insignia was created over six million years ago by [[Onyx Prime]] to symbolize the alliance between eight [[Prime (rank)|Primes]], an alliance that would later become the [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]]. Onyx claimed that it was based on the face of [[Primus]] himself, described to him by [[Metrotitan (G1)|Metrotitan]], but in reality, Onyx was a temporally displaced [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] with the symbol being one of many ontological paradoxes he'd seeded history with. {{storylink|Origin Myths}} {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} As a symbol of the Primes' reign, it became considered a universal symbol of Cybertronians, and after their fall went on to be used by many other factions. {{storylink|Omega's Conundrum}}

Over four million years ago, "Autobot" was a term used by other races to describe Cybertronians. It was derived from "automaton", describing how the species lived routine, monotonous lives without any change. [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]] was the first Transformer to lay claim to the name for their own use, saying it could stand for "autonomous" instead. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2}} Under unknown circumstances, the name then came to be used by the [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s pre-war security forces. {{storylink|The Last Autobot}} By the time of the [[Senate]], Sentinel Prime's Autobots had adopted the First Face as their insignia. {{storylink|The Transformers: Megatron Origin|Megatron Origin}}

Following the uprising of [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]'s Decepticon movement, [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]] succeeded Sentinel and, joined by Orion Pax, refashioned the Autobots into an army to fight the Decepticons. However, Zeta's increasingly ruthless methods and neglect of the civilian populace made the faction widely unpopular. {{storylink|Law and Disorder}} Following Zeta's death, Orion Pax became Optimus Prime and convinced many neutral Cybertronians to join the Autobot army for the sake of defeating Megatron. {{storylink|Broadcast}}

[[File:Ratchet vs Battlechargers.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

With both Autobots and Decepticons now having powerful leaders and large armies, the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] between them broke out. The two sides joined forces to combat [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] and the ensuing battle rendered Cybertron uninhabitable. {{storylink|The Transformers: Stormbringer|Stormbringer}} As the war moved from all-out conflict into a series of cloak-and-dagger operations on many populated planets, small teams of Autobots were deployed across the galaxy to counter the Decepticons' [[infiltration protocol]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: Infiltration|Infiltration}} The two sides remained in a stalemate for some five hundred years before Megatron initiated the [[Surge (event)|Surge]], an all-out offensive which caught the Autobots completely off-guard. {{storylink|Bullets}} After grievously wounding Optimus Prime, Megatron exiled the remaining Autobots back to a ruined Cybertron, leaving them marooned for months while the resurgent Decepticons ran amok across Earth. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #8}} Eventually, the Autobots were able to regroup and return to Earth in time to shatter the Decepticon offensive, although the protracted Decepticon occupation left Earth in ruins. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11}}

[[File:NewArrivalsOldEncounters-Jetfireandothers.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

Over the next few years, surviving Autobots from across the galaxy sought shelter with Optimus Prime on Earth, even as the Autobots came into conflict with the remaining Decepticons and the [[Skywatch]] organization. {{storylink|Ride-Along}} A group of Autobots led by [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] attempted to ally with Skywatch, only to realize that the "alliance" was a trap; {{storylink|The Hanging Sword}} in the end, Bumblebee was able to free his comrades from Skywatch control. {{storylink|Wings of Wax}} Not long afterwards, [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] successfully brokered a proper Autobot-Skywatch alliance, granting them amnesty in exchange for assisting the organization in hunting down rogue Decepticons. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 5: "Earthworks"}} However, anti-Cybertronian sentiment remained high, forcing the Autobots to remain undercover at all times; when news that Skywatch was publically cooperating with the aliens went public following a disastrous mission in [[North Korea]], public opinion quickly turned against Skywatch. {{storylink|International Incident Part 4: "All My Sins Remembered"|All My Sins Remembered}}

Despite no shortage of controversy—including [[Jazz (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jazz]]'s decision to shoot a [[John Powell|human police officer]] on live television—the Autobots were able to foil Megatron's latest plan and successfully capture the Decepticon leader, relocating to [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] as their new headquarters. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine|Enemy Mine}} Shortly thereafter, most of the Autobots left Earth for good following news that [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]] had invaded Cybertron; those few that stayed behind would ultimately bring down Skywatch for good following an investigation that revealed that Spike Witwicky had secretly been working with [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] the whole time. {{storylink|Police Action Part 3: A Second Chance at Eden|A Second Chance at Eden}}

[[File:SecondExodus-Autobots.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Once the war ended, the Autobots governed over a "reset" Cybertron in an [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] populated primarily by [[NAIL|returning neutrals]]. They were disliked by most neutrals, who held them equally responsible for the war as the Decepticons, prompting Optimus Prime to step down and pass the mantle of Autobot leader to [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}} Bumblebee's attempts to control the situation went poorly, and following a resurgence of violence between Autobots and Decepticons, the neutrals voted to exile both factions from the city. Some Autobots responded by leaving the faction and becoming neutrals themselves. {{storylink|Heavy Is the Head}} Following the [[Dark Cybertron (IDW)|Dark Cybertron]] event, they were allowed back into Iacon, and their fair trial of Megatron won back enough of the public trust that the neutrals even stopped referring to them as the "Autobot regime". {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} By contrast, the humans viewed Megatron joining the Autobots as a betrayal, being incentive enough for them to agree to an alliance with [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]]. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 2: Detonation Boulevard|Detonation Boulevard}}

The Autobots experienced a major PR boost when Optimus Prime raised Metrotitan live on camera. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|As Above...So Below}} After Galvatron had been slain, {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|No Fair Fights}} Optimus toured the [[Cybertronian colonies|colony worlds]] and recruited [[Colonist Soldiers|a new generation of Autobots]]. {{storylink|Post}}

Soon enough, Onyx Prime returned to Cybertron and revealed himself as Shockwave. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|Unforgivable}} When the final stage of Shockwave's master plan, [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] activated and launched its attack on the galaxy, the [[Autobot fleet]] tried to defend both the colonies, {{storylink|Last Stand (Unicron)|Last Stand}} {{storylink|Stranger Eons}} and Cybertron from the monster but were forced to evacuate their homeworld for Earth, leaving Cybertron to be destroyed. {{storylink|Our Finest}} {{storylink|Road's End}} Once Unicron had been felled, many Autobots chose to adopt Earth as their new home. {{storylink|Ceremony}} {{storylink|Post}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
The Autobots were founded by [[Guardian Prime]]. {{storylink|Safe Spaces}}

After [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|a Predacon from an alternate future]] had slain Optimus Prime, {{storylink|A Change to the Agenda}} the Autobots reactivated in 1984 under the command of an unidentified leader. The Mini-Bots attempted to respond to a Decepticon raid at the [[British Museum]] but failed to stop their foes from making off with their prize. {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}} In 1993, the Autobots worked with the humans to construct a [[warp gate]] on the edge of the Sol system. The war later moved off Earth and grew increasingly violent.

Ten years later however, Autobot/Human relations had deteriorated significantly as a result of the pan-galactic collateral damage to the point that the [[Earth Defense Command]] was formed to fight against all Cybertronians before a battle on [[New Earth]] caused humans to declare their space off-limits to Cybertronians. In 2026, the Autobot shuttle ''[[Star Arrow]]'' asked the human world of [[Tamil Duniya]] for aid only to be destroyed. {{storylink|Micro-Aggressions}}

At some point during the 21st century, the Autobots and Decepticons joined forces to save their homeworld from [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] before the war resumed. {{storylink|The Inexorable March}} After the Decepticons had invaded the planet [[Nebulos]], the Autobots travelled there to combat their foes, managing to use [[Nebulan]] technology to resurrect Optimus Prime. {{storylink|A Brush With Infamy–Prologue}} {{storylink|Derailment}} The arrival of the [[Confederated Terran Colonial Fleet]] turned the Nebulan war hot. The Autobots responded to the violence by creating [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]], an act which ultimately ended in the [[Scouring of Nebulos]]. The sheer loss of life resulted in the humans containing all Cybertronians in the [[Allowed Zone]]. The Autobots then fought [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]'s troops for control of the Allowed Zone but were ultimately defeated, forcing them to fall back to Cybertron. {{storylink|Micro-Aggressions}}

After [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] seized control of the Decepticons and the [[Underbase]], the Autobots joined with the not-completely bonkers Decepticons to combat this mutual threat. Once Thunderwing had been defeated, the Autobots and Decepticons reorganized themselves as the [[Builder of Cybertron|Builders of Cybertron]]. With [[Vector Sigma]] lost to them, [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]] constructed the [[Energon Matrix]] to creates the Maximals, the successors to the Autobots. {{storylink|Broken Windshields}} {{storylink|Head Games}} {{storylink|Safe Spaces}}

During a raid on [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]], [[Buzzclaw (BW)|Buzzclaw]] despaired that the Autobot symbol, once a symbol of hope and freedom, had become the symbol of the new generation of tyrants. {{storylink|Head Games}}

===''Of Masters and Mayhem''===
[[File:Of Masters and Mayhem flashback.jpeg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

Once the ruling faction on Cybertron, the Autobots quickly found themselves outmatched by the Decepticon aggressors. {{storylink|The Truth We Make}} As the war continued with no end in sight, the Autobots commissioned Project: Ark to escape their wartorn world and serve as a representation of their hope that the war would one day end. {{storylink|The Toxic Transformer}} A few individual Autobots abandoned the cause and struck out on their own as the conflict continued. {{storylink|Life Finds a Way}}

The Decepticons eventually unleashed [[Thunder Mayhem]] on the planet, the combiner's destructive rampage wiping out Cybertronian civilization, the Autobots included. With Optimus Prime presumed, but not actually, dead, the Autobots were, for all intents and purposes, dissolved, factional allegiances taking on far less significance in the post-Cybertron era. {{storylink|Foundation and Wreckage Part 1: Deadly Aim|Deadly Aim}}

{{--}}

===Ask Vector Prime===
In [[Primax 185.0 Beta]], the Autobots launched the [[S.T.A.R.S.]] initiative. While the program met with initial successes, it would have disastrous long-reaching consequences as the Decepticons responded to it by creating the [[Decepto-Pack]]s, their [[hypno-chip]] derived technology enslaving hordes of [[human]]s that the Autobots proved unwilling to fire against. As a result, [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] ordered the humans to construct a fleet of [[Zod]] drones, their raw power driving the Autobots to extinction, only [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] being known to survive. With their foes defeated, the [[Decepticon Empire]] launched an aggressive campaign of galactic conquest. The legacy of the Autobots would live however as Ratchet, aided by the [[Dreadnok]]s, managed to kill [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/04}}

===''Star Trek vs. Transformers''===
[[File:PrimesDirectivePart1-Autobots.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

When an [[asteroid belt]] threatened to destroy Cybertron, the Autobots launched the ''Ark'' to clear a path for their homeworld. The task done, they were then boarded by the Decepticons, the ''Ark'' crashing on the nearby [[Earth]]. When the two factions awoke in the 1980s, they commenced a secret war over the planet's energon supply, the Autobots working alongside a handful of humans. Earth, however, soon fell victim to the [[Eugenics Wars]] and later [[World War III]], Optimus Prime deciding to abandon the blighted world aboard Fortress Maximus. Witnessing the extreme level of savagery and barbarism that humanity had inflicted upon itself left the Autobots with a decidedly low opinion of those whom they'd once sworn to protect.

After decades in space, the Autobots found the energon rich world of [[Cygnus Seven]] only to be once again boarded and sent crashing by the Decepticons. This time, they reawakened in the 23rd century by a [[Federation]] mining party that had roused Maximus's autonomic security protocols. Though the Autobots initially clashed with the landing party of the [[USS Enterprise|USS ''Enterprise'']], they soon allied with them against the Decepticon/[[Klingon]] alliance. {{storylink|Prime's Directive, Part Two}} {{storylink|Prime's Directive, Part Three}}

The Decepticons, however, promptly abandoned the battle after Starscream had absconded with a bounty of [[dilithium]]. Brought to the ''Enterprise'', the Autobots used Cybertronian engineering to more quickly repair the ship. {{storylink|Prime's Directive, Part Four}} During the flight, the Autobots helped build the "[[Crewbot]]s" allowing their allies to join them on [[Kronos]], the capital of the [[Klingon Empire]]. Backed up by [[Starfleet]] and the Klingons, the Autobots reengaged their foes only to fall victim to Soundwave's audio disruptor waves, being saved by the Klingons, deaf to Soundwave's frequency, summoning a fleet of [[Warbird (Star Trek)|warbirds]]. In the aftermath, the [[Klingon High Council]] allowed the Autobots to go in peace, though at the cost of leaving the Decepticons on Kronos. While [[James T. Kirk]] invited the Autobots back to the now peaceful Earth, Optimus declined, feeling his people's destiny lay elsewhere, and the Autobots resumed their own interstellar voyage. {{storylink|Prime's Directive, Part Five}}

{{--}}

===2019 IDW continuity===
[[File:SeaOfRustPartII-Altmodes.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

The Autobots were the oldest known faction on Cybertron. {{storylink|Orion Pax: Free Fall}} The movement's founder carried the [[Matrix of Leadership]] with the talisman subsequently becoming the symbol of office for the Autobot leader. {{storylink|War World: Titans|Titans}} Over time, the Autobots accumulated enough political power to become Cybertron's ruling body. They fought in [[War of the Threefold Spark|a war]] against [[Exarchon|Exarchon's Threefold Spark]] under the leadership of [[Nominus Prime]]. In the aftermath of the conflict, Nominus passed the [[Nominus Edict]], a law designed to help Cybertronian society heal. {{storylink|Orion Pax: Free Fall}}

In the modern day, [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] had succeeded Nominus as Autobot leader. By this time, Autobot law was increasingly frowned on by the common citizenry who began viewing the outdated policies as ones of constraint more than self-restraint. {{storylink|The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Two}} Despite this, the Autobots still held the majority in the [[Senate]]. {{storylink|The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four}}

After Megatron took over the Senate in a violent coup, {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: We Have Deceived You|We Have Deceived You}} Sentinel Prime was killed by the [[Rainmaker]]s, Orion Pax inheriting the Matrix and becoming the new Autobot leader, Optimus Prime. {{storylink|War World: Prime|Prime}}

Unable to hold onto [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], the Autobots fled the city, {{storylink|War World: We Are Not Meant To Be Darkness|We Are Not Meant To Be Darkness}} and retreated to [[Crystal City]]. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Test Flight I|Test Flight I}}

After the non-combatants in Crystal City had been sent ahead to [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]], the Autobots prepared for battle until [[Lodestar (Titan)|Lodestar]] returned. After the Decepticons had broken through the Autobot lines, Lodestar touched down, {{storylink|A Dust of Crystals}} her landing scaring away all but [[Strika's Heavies]] who were handled by [[Computron (G1)|Computron]] until Optimus approached with a request for parlay. {{storylink|The Landscape of Fear}} With the threat of [[Exarchon]], Optimus bargained for a temporary cease-fire until the Threefold Spark was defeated, promising to surrender Cybertron to Megatron. {{storylink|War's End Part One}}

[[File:FateofCybertron-Autobots.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66]]

As the Autobots marched to Darkmount, Megatron reneged on his word and had [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] corral the Autobots in the path of the [[rust worm]]s. {{storylink|Radical Time}} The Autobots fought a delaying action before Termagax's viral warfare gambit succeeded and the Insecticlones began consuming the rust worms. Continuing on to Darkmount, the Autobots were barred by Skywarp who was armed with an [[imploder]], one he threatened to detonate if the Autobots didn't wait for Megatron. {{storylink|End of Time}}

Refusing to let the Autobots leave, Megatron fought Optimus for the Matrix until Computron arrived, the sight of him allowing [[Jumpstream]] to remove Skywarp from the equation. With his weapon gone, Megatron allowed the Autobots to pass.

Upon arriving, the science teams informed Optimus that the last ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' and Lodestar were sufficiently repaired, if only just. When the Decepticon army arrived, they quickly overwhelmed Darkmount's meager defences, the savage might of [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] overpowering Computron and [[Leviathan (G1)|Leviathan]]. With the Autobot lines broken, Optimus called for a slow retreat before [[Scattershot (G1)|Scattershot]] charged forth with five additional volunteers, reforming Computron as a ten-bot combiner. Though Computron was ultimately overpowered, he had bought the Autobots enough time to launch. As the ''Ark'' set sail for the [[Winged Moon]], Optimus addressed all aboard, telling them that they had to embody the hope for a better tomorrow and promising that, one day, they would reclaim Cybertron. {{storylink|Transformers: Fate of Cybertron|Fate of Cybertron}}

===''Transformers/Ghostbusters''===
With the Great War lost to them, the Autobots fled Cybertron, the ''Ark'' launching minutes before [[Gozer]] arrived to destroy their planet. Believing themselves the last Cybertronians in the universe, the Autobots drifted aimlessly in the ''Ark'' before they picked up a Cybertronian signal from the planet Earth, sending [[Ectotron|Ectronymous Diamatron]] to investigate. {{storylink|Ghosts of Cybertron Part 1}} After befriending the [[Ghostbusters]], Ectronymous found the source of the signal was the [[ghost]] of Starscream who'd sent out a signal to speak to the Autobots in the hopes that they could help him return to life. {{storylink|Ghosts of Cybertron Part 2}}

After Optimus Prime had been summoned to Earth, {{storylink|Ghosts of Cybertron Part 3}} it was found that Starscream was working with the supernatural entity [[Kremzeek]] the Scavenger who sought the [[AllSpark]]. With the help of the [[Ghostbusters]], Optimus and Ectronymous - now calling himself "Ectotron" - were able to dispel Kremzeek but this act freed the trapped ghosts of [[Decepticon High Command]]. {{storylink|Ghosts of Cybertron Part 4}} While Starscream managed to flee the planet, Megatron, Shockwave, Soundwave, were imprisoned in [[ghost trap]]s with Optimus taking them back to the ''Ark'' in the hopes of rehabilitating them before reviving them while Ectotron went his own way, becoming the first interstellar Ghostbuster as he searched for any other lost Cybertronian ghosts. {{storylink|Ghosts of Cybertron Part 5}}

===''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' cartoon===
{{groupstub|{{storylink|Siege episode 1}}{{storylink|Siege episode 2}}{{storylink|Siege episode 3}} {{storylink|Siege episode 4}}{{storylink|Siege episode 5}}{{storylink|Siege episode 6}}{{storylink|Earthrise episode 1}}{{storylink|Earthrise episode 2}}{{storylink|Earthrise episode 3}}{{storylink|Earthrise episode 4}}{{storylink|Earthrise episode 5}}{{storylink|Earthrise episode 6}}}}

===''Transformers vs. The Terminator''===
[[File:EnemyOfMyEnemyPartThree-Autobots.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

Millions of years prior to the human era, the ''Ark'' crashed on Earth, knocking the Autobots and Decepticons aboard in stasis. In the year 1984, the ship rebooted and reactivated [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] who proceeded to revive the rest of the Decepticons who executed most of the Autobots. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy Part Two}} A few of their number survived to leave the ship but they had all been killed by the year [[2029]]. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy Part One}}

To prevent the Decepticon conquest of Earth, the AI [[Skynet]] sent a single [[T-800]] back to 1984 to destroy the Cybertronians. Its interference caused Optimus Prime to survive who proposed an alliance between his forces and the T-800 to defeat the Decepticons. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy Part Two}}

After Arcee, Ratchet, Velocity and Wheeljack had been brought online, the Autobots located the Decepticons and quickly set out to meet them. During the subsequent battle at a [[Cyberdyne Systems]] facility, the Autobots were betrayed by the T-800, which had helped itself to their explosives, who remotely detonated [[Mount St. Hilary]] and buried the ''Ark''. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy Part Three}}

When Starscream betrayed the Decepticons, the Autobots managed to turn the tide of the battle. Once the Seekers and Insecticons had been taken prisoner, Starscream flew off before the T-800 and [[Sarah Connor]] destroyed Soundwave. Following the death of Megatron, the Autobots parted ways with Sarah and returned to the ''Ark'', only to discover the T-800's duplicity. Unable to return to Cybertron without the Ark, Optimus proposed an alliance between Autobot and Decepticon until they could find another way home. With their situational allies, the Autobots made their way on Earth, covertly observed by Sarah who did her best to hide them from the world. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy Part Four}}

===''My Little Pony/Transformers''===
[[File:Finale-TransformTrotOut.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

While battling for control of a malfunctioning [[Space bridge|spacebridge]], a gaggle of Autobots were [[magic]]ally transported to [[Equestria]] by [[Queen Chrysalis]]. The friendly and rational sort, the Autobots quickly made allies with the equines who inhabited the land. {{storylink|Transformation Is Magic}}

Aware that the Decepticons would regroup and launch an attack on the ponies, Optimus traveled Equestria with [[Twilight Sparkle]] to rally the scattered Autobots, mustering the troops in time to mount a defense of the [[Crystal Empire]] against the Decepticon/[[changeling]] alliance. As the battle raged, a spacebridge opened through which Grimlock and Twilight's assistant [[Spike (MLP)|Spike]] came through. Realizing that changeling magic was not required to return to Cybertron, Optimus combined the power of the Matrix of Leadership with Twilight's magic of friendship, returning the Decepticons to Cybertron. After a delightful tea and energon party, the Autobots returned home, Optimus destroying the spacebridge to protect Equestria from further Decepticon incursions. {{storylink|Finale (Friendship in Disguise!)|Finale}}

When the Decepticons managed to open a new space bridge to Equestria and began pilfering magical relics, a clash with Twilight and her friends caused [[King Sombra]] to be unleashed on Sombra. Enthralling several ponies and Decepticons, the Autobots, at the firm insistence of [[Applejack]] and [[Rarity]], joined forces with the remaining Decepticons to combat the invader. {{storylink|The Magic of Cybertron}}

After the Cybertronians and Equestrians had worked out how to free Sombra's thralls, {{storylink|The Beauty of Cybertron}} the alliance attacked the tyrant as he sought to unearth the Titan [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. After the Titan had been destroyed, and Starscream seen off for attempted regicide, Megatron agreed to end hostilities as Cybertron and Equestria moved towards an official trade alliance. {{storylink|Finale (The Magic of Cybertron)|Finale}}

{{--}}

===''Transformers/Back to the Future''===
By [[2015]], the Autobots had emerged as the victors of the Great War. When [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], having used [[Doc Brown]]'s [[DeLorean time machine]] to skip ahead to 2015, witnessed this, he stole the time vehicle to retroactively win the war. Breaking into the ''Ark'' ahead of schedule, Rumble hacked into Teletraan-I and had it revive only the Decepticons. When informed of Rumble's journey, Megatron turned his [[fusion cannon]] on the Autobots. What few survived became a, literal, underground resistance led by Rodimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers/Back to the Future issue 2|Transformers/Back to the Future #2}}

The Decepticon turncoat [[Gigawatt]] and [[Marty McFly]] eventually managed to travel back to 1984 and reactivate the Autobots before Rumble arrived. After the Decepticon had been defeated and Marty used the DeLorean to return to 2015, the Autobots recruited [[Biff Tannen]] as their local mechanic and guide, defending the Earth for the next thirty-one years until Marty returned. {{storylink|Transformers/Back to the Future issue 4|Transformers/Back to the Future #4}}

===''Last Bot Standing''===
During the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], the Autobots were led by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] before he was replaced by [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]]. As the conflict continued, it consumed all known sources of energon, ending the war. {{storylink|Last Bot Standing issue 2|Last Bot Standing #2}}

Sometime after the war's end, the Autobot trio of [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]], [[Gripper (G1)|Gripper]] and [[Strongarm (G1)|Strongarm]] stumbled onto a pair of Decepticon warships, {{storylink|Last Bot Standing issue 1|Last Bot Standing #1}} who pursued them to the planet [[Donnokt]]. The Autobots managed to pick off the Decepticons until only [[Fangry (G1)|Fangry]] and [[Talon (G1)|Talon]] remained. {{storylink|Last Bot Standing issue 4|Last Bot Standing #4}} Discovering that an organic species evolving on Donnokt, the three Autobots decided to stay on the planet to safeguard it and its people against any future Cybertronian incursions. {{storylink|Last Bot Standing issue 3|Last Bot Standing #3}}

Elsewhere in the universe, the ex-Decepticon [[Steeljaw (IDW)|Steeljaw]] assumed command of a pack of Cybertronian survivors who rebuilt themselves to run on [[biofuel]], the pack shedding their factional allegiances in spite of still wearing their insignias. Though the majority of the group was composed of once Decepticons, the former Autobots [[Wedge (RID)|Wedge]], [[Override (BWU)|Override]], {{storylink|Last Bot Standing issue 2|Last Bot Standing #2}} [[Wildwheel (G1)|Wildwheel]] and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] joined on. When Rodimus was reenergized to fight against the invaders, he admonished Wheelie for abandoning the Autobots' morals for the sake of survival. {{storylink|Last Bot Standing issue 3|Last Bot Standing #3}}

==2001 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon==
Here, the Autobots are the main race on Cybertron, and their enemies are the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]. The Autobots fought in the [[Cybertronian Civil Wars]], presumably against the Predacons. [[Vector Sigma]], the [[Transformer afterlife|Allspark]], chooses which Autobot is to be granted the Matrix and thus the position of commander-in-chief.

The Autobots were already on [[Earth]] when the Predacons arrived, having taken the form of Earth vehicles to work as camouflage and established a [[Global Space Bridge]] network and a central base monitoring the entire planet.

In their disguises, the Autobots integrated themselves into human society; [[Team Bullet Train]] worked as actual trains, [[X-Brawn]] was owned as a car by [[Kelly (RID)|Kelly]], and Optimus Prime was working for a fire department. This continued after they went public; both [[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]] and [[Tow-Line (RID)|Tow-Line]], for example, were shown enforcing human laws in an apparently official capacity, suggesting the Autobots had official ties to human authorities.

It's known Optimus fought the Predacons on other worlds, presumably using the same tactics as on Earth.

==Unicron Trilogy continuity family==
===Dreamwave comic continuity===
====Dreamwave ''Armada'' comic====
Originally, the Autobots were not a faction, but the name of a peacekeeping organization; under the command of [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]], they defended [[Cyber City]]. Their headquarters was adorned with the motto "Truth - Justice - Freedom". They were unable to stop the [[Mini-Con]]-powered Decepticons from taking Cyber City, and for a million years they were reduced to a rebel organization desperately trying & failing to protect Cybertron. The reactivation of the Mini-Cons on Earth gave the Autobots an opportunity to gain Mini-Con power of their own, but eventually the Decepticons were beaten not by them, but due to the attack of [[Unicron]].

===Cartoon continuity===
====''Armada'' cartoon====
[[File:Conspiracy-Welcome back.jpg|thumb]]

Four million years prior to 2010, [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] led the Autobots into the war against the [[Decepticon]]s for control of the [[Mini-Con]]s. When the Mini-Cons expressed a desire to leave the conflict however, Optimus Prime agreed to aid them, ordering the construction of the ''[[Exodus (Armada)|Exodus]]'' to allow them to leave Cybertron. Despite the Mini-Cons' departure, the war continued without them. {{storylink|Prehistory}}

In the year 2010, the ''Exodus'' reactivated and sent a signal back to Cybertron. Optimus Prime led his inner circle to the distant planet Earth to reclaim the Mini-Cons, {{storylink|First Encounter}} leaving [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] in command. {{storylink|Prehistory}}

After the Mini-Cons had been recovered, Optimus's force returned to Cybertron in time for the planet to be threatened by [[Unicron]]. {{storylink|Uprising (Armada)|Uprising}} Entering into a formal alliance with the Decepticons to defeat Unicron, {{storylink|Alliance}} the Autobots managed to fell the Chaos Bringer. [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] sacrificed himself during the course of the battle, leaving behind an order for his troops to work with the Autobots. {{storylink|Mortal Combat}}

====''Energon'' cartoon====
[[File:Energon Tower groupshot.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left]]
Megatron's final orders to his troops still stood: work with the Autobots. The Decepticons maintained a degree of autonomy, still wearing the faction sigil and often taking military/defensive positions in the growing number of energon-mining colonies, but they were ultimately answerable to [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and the Autobots. There were, of course, dissenters, most of whom were captured and imprisoned. For a decade, Autobot and Decepticon worked side by side in a somewhat stable truce. {{storylink|Cybertron City (episode)|Cybertron City}}

Both sides found themselves the target of attacks from Unicron again; hordes of Terrorcon drones, sent by Alpha Quintesson to steal energon ore with which to revive the now-shattered husk of Unicron. What the alien did not count on was that Megatron's spark had survived within the remains, and was siphoning energon from Unicron's body. Soon the Decepticon leader had revived himself in a new form, driven off Alpha Quintesson, and, along with an elite cadre of soldiers and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of mindless Terrorcon drones, begun his new plans for conquest. {{storylink|Energon Stars}}

When news of Megatron's return reached Cybertron, hundreds of Decepticons rose up and rebelled, eager to get back to conquering. {{storylink|Megatron's Sword}} But having been joined to Unicron for so long apparently had given Megatron a taste of godhood; he had no more interest in amassing a galaxy-spanning army of troops. Countless Decepticons died in the resulting battles, with Megatron more than willing to sacrifice them without a thought to attain ultimate power for himself. As the "Powerlinx Battles" - as they came to be called - came to their climax, Megatron found that his actions and thoughts were being influenced and controlled by the dark spark of Unicron. Unwilling to let Unicron stand in his way, Megatron ultimately sacrificed himself (again) and seemingly destroyed Unicron's spark by plunging himself into a newly formed energon sun created by Primus. {{storylink|The Sun}}

====''Cybertron'' cartoon====
[[File:Cyb ep22 autobots together.jpg|thumb]]
Another ten years after Energon, the energon sun created by Primus was gone, collapsed into the [[Unicron Singularity]], a giant black hole threatening to devour all of existence. Faced with Cybertron's destruction, the Autobots evacuated the populace to Earth. As the evacuation began, [[Vector Prime]] approached [[Autobot High Command]] and told them that only the [[Cyber Planet Key]]s and the [[Omega Lock]] could close the black hole. {{storylink|Fallen (episode)|Fallen}} {{storylink|Inferno (episode)|Inferno}}

Unwilling to so readily dive back into mysticism, the Autobots continued to explore technological means of collapsing the black hole, such as a [[gravitron grid]] but were ultimately forced to follow Vector Prime's plan. {{storylink|Hidden (Cybertron)|Hidden}}

The search for the Cyber Keys led them to [[Velocitron]], {{storylink|Landmine (episode)|Landmine}} and the [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]]. {{storylink|Search (episode)|Search}} After acquiring the Cyber Keys of both colonies, and Earth's, the Autobots brought the three Keys and the Omega Lock to the core of Cybertron, using the [[Matrix of Leadership]] as a substitute for the missing Key, and triggered Primus's transformation to robot mode. {{storylink|Cybertron (episode)|Cybertron}}

The god informed the Autobots that the fourth key, on the planet [[Gigantion]], had been dragged into another universe. {{storylink| Balance}} With the [[Ogygia (Cybertron)|''Ogygia'']], the Autobots travelled to the lost colony. {{storylink|Warp}}

Though the Autobots managed to claim the last Key, {{storylink|Optimus (episode)|Optimus}} Galvatron managed to claim the Lock and the Keys, stranding the Autobots in the other reality, {{storylink|Showdown (Cybertron)|Showdown}} the Autobots only managing to return home, at the moment that they'd left, through Vector Prime's sacrifice. {{storylink|Guardian (episode)|Guardian}}

With Galvatron threatening the universe with total event collapse, the Autobots found reinforcements from the whole of their species. {{storylink|Homecoming (episode)|Homecoming}} When Primus managed to reclaim his full power, he sealed the black hole. {{storylink|End}}

In the new era of peace, the Autobots embarked on a new era of colonization, in honor of their ancestors' dream. {{storylink| Beginning}}

==Live-action film series==
{{quote|"Behind the lines during the war they called him many things... 'nice' was never one of them."|Sir [[Edmund Burton]]|[[Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|Transformers: The Last Knight]]}}

[[File:Movie Sam Mikaela meettheAutobots.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Hello [[Michael Bay]]. Goodbye childhood.]]
The Autobots (autonomous robotic organisms) are the second Cybertronian civilization, being the descendants of the early workers who served the [[Dynasty of Primes]]. Following the outbreak of the war, the Autobots became the Transformers who rallied around [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus]], the last of the Primes, to prevent [[Megatron (Movie)|Protector Megatron]] from claiming the [[AllSpark]]. They were formed mostly from the [[Science Division]], the [[Security Force]], and what few members of the [[Defense Force]] rejected Megatron's violent ambitions. Although they fought valiantly, the Decepticons were more warlike, and they began to gain ground. {{storylink|Transformers: Defiance|Defiance}}

In a move to prevent the Decepticons from acquiring the AllSpark, Prime sent it hurtling into deep space. Megatron followed, and disappeared. After years of warfare, the Autobot resistance abandoned Cybertron once it had fallen into the Decepticons' grasp. Optimus had the scout [[Bumblebee (Movie)|B-127]] establish a base on a well-hidden planet called [[Earth]] while he and others would gather the scattered Autobots searching for the AllSpark across the universe. {{storylink|Transformers: Movie Prequel|Movie Prequel}} {{storylink|Bumblebee (film)|Bumblebee}}

Following some twelve thousand years of searching, the Autobots encountered a stranded vessel in space. Known as ''[[Ghost 1]]'', the creatures aboard, named humans, revealed that they had developed the ship based on studies from Megatron. Recognizing that Megatron would destroy their world if he came back online, Optimus tried to send them back to Earth, but they sacrificed their lives to save Optimus from [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]. Already suspecting that the AllSpark was on their homeworld, the Autobots made efforts to find Earth. {{storylink|Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday|Ghosts of Yesterday}} In [[1987]], Optimus and others made planetfall shortly after B-127, now calling himself "Bumblebee", had prevented the Decepticons [[Shatter]] and [[Dropkick (Movie)|Dropkick]] from rallying the Decepticon army to the planet. {{storylink|Bumblebee (film)|Bumblebee}}

By the early 2000s, the Autobots discovered a link to the AllSpark with [[Sam Witwicky]]. Bumblebee came into Sam's possession, and contacted Optimus Prime. Prime came to Earth with [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] to retrieve the AllSpark and eliminate Megatron, fearing the Decepticon would use the Cube to raise an army from human technology. However, Starscream's retrieval team was also on Earth, having come for the AllSpark. The Autobots were further hampered by [[Sector Seven]], the human agency tasked with dealing with Transformers. Eventually forming a brief truce with Sector Seven and a group of Army Rangers who had encountered [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] and [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]], the Autobots fought off the Decepticons in [[Mission City]], which saw the deaths of Megatron, Blackout, [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]], and [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]], but Jazz was killed and the AllSpark destroyed when Sam Witwicky extinguished Megatron's spark. Without a means to restore Cybertron, the Autobots decided to remain on Earth, and Optimus Prime sent a message into space for Autobots to come and protect their new home and newfound allies in humanity. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}

Over the next two years, more Autobots including [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]] and [[Chromia (ROTF)|her]] [[Elita-One (Movie)|sisters]], [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]], [[Twins (ROTF)|the Twins]], and [[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt]] began making their way to Earth and joined a human military force known as [[NEST]]. Under the classified Autobot Alien cooperation act, the Autobots entrusted the remaining AllSpark shard to humanity and gave them intelligence about the Decepticons they were facing. However, the Autobots refused to share weapons technology with humanity, knowing their history internecine warfare. {{storylink|Transformers: Alliance}} {{storylink|Transformers: The Veiled Threat|The Veiled Threat}}

In 2009, NEST had five encounters with the Decepticons on different continents, indicating that the Decepticons were searching for something. During a sweep of [[Shanghai]], NEST encountered [[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]] and [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]], who caused substantial damage to the city during their attempts to escape. Although they were neutralized, Demolishor relayed a warning to Optimus Prime: "[[The Fallen]] shall rise again". Following this, NEST returned to their base of operations at [[Diego Garcia]], where they relayed the warning to [[Morshower|General Morshower]] and [[Theodore Galloway|Director Galloway]]. Having been appointed liaison by the President, Galloway concluded that the Decepticons only interest in Earth was to hunt down the Autobots. Unfortunately, Galloway also revealed both Megatron's resting place and the presence of the shard on Diego Garica. [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] was listening to the briefing, and directed [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] and the [[Constructicon (ROTF)|Constructicons]] to raise Megatron. Meeting with his master, The Fallen, Megatron was commanded to retrieve Sam Witwicky, who had absorbed the knowledge of the AllSpark, and kill Optimus Prime, the only one who could defeat The Fallen. Optimus died helping Sam escape, and the Decepticons launched multiple attacks to have the humans turn Sam over to them. Galloway used the attacks as an excuse to have himself placed in charge of NEST and place the Autobots under guard.

Meanwhile, Sam, his girlfriend [[Mikaela Banes]], and his roommate [[Leo Spitz]] were being hidden by Bumblebee and the Twins [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]], and with help from [[Seymour Simmons]] of Sector Seven, discovered Decepticon-turned-Autobot [[Jetfire (Movie)|Jetfire]], who told them that the Fallen, one of the founders of the Dynasty of Primes, was looking for the Matrix of Leadership needed to activate the [[Star Harvester]], which would destroy Earth's sun and make energon. As only a Prime could defeat the Fallen, Sam and his group started a search for the Matrix and located it, leading to a massive battle with the Decepticons near the Star Harvester during which Sam tried reach Optimus to resurrect him and the Decepticons attempted to stop him and get the Matrix. After most of the Decepticons were killed, Megatron killed Sam, but he was resurrected by the Dynasty of Primes and granted the Matrix which he used to resurrect Optimus Prime. With help from Jetfire, who sacrificed himself to give him his parts, Optimus was able to destroy the Harvester, defeat Megatron, leaving him seriously injured and kill the Fallen. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

A few years later, as there had been no major contact with the Decepticons since the death of the Fallen, the Autobots helped set up [[energon detector]]s in Earth's major cities to watch for a Decepticon presence. The Autobots, now common knowledge among Earth's people, helped out with major human threats. After Colonel Lennox learned of something alien at Chernobyl, the Autobots traveled there and encountered [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] and his [[Driller]] after retrieving a mysterious part. After Shockwave was driven off, Optimus was shocked to discover that it was an engine part from the long-lost ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]'', which had crashed on the Moon. He and Ratchet traveled to the ''Ark'' and recovered five of the [[space bridge]] [[pillar]]s along with [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] who was revived by the Matrix of Leadership. Sentinel eventually revealed himself to be a traitor, murdered Ironhide and used the space bridge to bring an army of over 200 Decepticons to Earth. Earth's governments forced the Autobots off the planet, with the Decepticons attempting to learn the Autobots' plans to fight back via Sam. Without revealing any plans, the Autobots left Earth in the ''[[Xantium (DOTM)|Xantium]]'' and were apparently destroyed by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]].

The Decepticons, led by Megatron and Sentinel Prime took over the human city of [[Chicago]] unopposed and prepared to bring Cybertron to Earth to use Earth's natural resources and its people as slaves to rebuild their home. The Autobots, who faked their deaths to trick the Decepticons, arrived in Chicago and linked up with a team of humans led by [[Sam Witwicky]] and former NEST soldier [[Robert Epps]] who were determined to fight even against overwhelming odds. With the help of the team and later NEST, the Autobots launched an attack on the city and together the Autobots and humans managed to kill [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], the Driller, Starscream, [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], Barricade, Shockwave and many other Decepticons, losing only [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]] and possibly Wheelie and Brains in the process. Optimus Prime battled Sentinel Prime and though Optimus was defeated and nearly killed, Megatron suddenly turned on Sentinel and severely maimed him, having realized that he would never be able to remain leader of the Decepticons as long as Sentinel was alive. Meanwhile, the Control Pillar was destroyed by Bumblebee, and the collapsing space bridge destroyed Cybertron and the remaining Decepticon forces in Chicago. Megatron then tried to deceive Optimus into thinking that he wanted peace, but Optimus saw through the ruse and killed his seemingly eternal foe. Optimus then terminated Sentinel. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}

However, after the devastation of Chicago, the Autobots' alliance with the humans was officially dissolved, and NEST disbanded, while [[Harold Attinger]] of the CIA was tasked with hunting down the remaining Decepticons. Attinger's unit, a secret cabal of the CIA known as "Cemetery Wind", instead set out to destroy all Transformers, Autobot and Decepticon alike. The public and even the White House were kept under the impression that Cemetery Wind was only hunting down the Decepticons and that they were preparing to send the Autobots away from Earth. When he learned of Cemetery Wind's mission, Optimus sent a distress signal to his troops, warning them of the betrayal and to run for their lives. The Autobots scattered, some remaining in groups and some striking out on their own. The neutral [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], who was hunting Optimus for his own reasons, assisted Attinger's lieutenant [[James Savoy]] in hunting down the Transformers. Five years after the Chicago battle, [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]], [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]], [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]], and the majority of the Autobots had been slaughtered, their remains being used by Joshua Joyce's KSI to produce man-made Transformers, intending to replace the Autobots as humanity's protectors.

Around the same time of the demise of Ratchet, Optimus narrowly survived an ambush and went into hiding as a rusty old cabover truck. Optimus was inadvertedly discovered by [[Cade Yeager]], and befriended the struggling inventor. The two escaped Savoy and Lockdown with Cade's daughter [[Tessa Yeager|Tessa]] and her boyfriend [[Shane Dyson|Shane]]. After taking a new vehicle form, Optimus met up with the surviving Autobots - Bumblebee, [[Drift (AOE)|Drift]], [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]], and [[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]], with the sad truth that they were the last Autobots on the planet sinking in as they learned of Leadfoot's demise. The Autobots assisted in infiltrating KSI, until they were informed of Ratchet's gruesome fate. Optimus snapped, and led a ferocious assault on KSI, also freeing the imprisoned [[Brains]] along the way. However, Joyce confronted the Autobots, declaring humans didn't need the Autobots anymore, who were now little more than outdated technology for humanity to abuse. Disgusted, the Autobots left, but were pursued by KSI's Galvatron and [[Stinger (AOE)|Stinger]], which resulted in Optimus and Tessa's capture by Lockdown.

In Chicago, the Autobots snuck aboard Lockdown's ship with Cade and Shane to rescue their friends, and succeeded in detaching a smaller ship from the whole before Lockdown learned of Optimus's escape. After regrouping and learning that Galvatron was a rebuilt Megatron plotting to use the Seed to kill millions of humans, Optimus ordered the Autobots to depart Earth forever and leave the humans to their fate. He was only convinced to stay when Cade convinced Optimus to have faith in who humanity could be. Hound and Bumblebee ended up separated from the group when they tried to retrieve the Seed from a repentant Joyce, only for Galvatron's new Decepticons to shoot down their ship. In the Wulong Valley, Optimus recruited the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]] to join them, which they did after he beat some obedience into [[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]]. The Dinobots' assistance proved invaluable in turning the tide against the Decepticons, who had nearly overwhelmed Hound, Bumblebee and Cade in battle. The entire group attempted to escort Joyce and the Seed out of Hong Kong, but Lockdown returned. Optimus, Bumblebee, and the Yeagers all worked together and were able to kill Attinger and Lockdown. After regrouping, the Dinobots were set free on Earth, and Optimus assigned his Autobots to defend the Yeager family, while he departed to take the Seed from Earth and to confront his mysterious Creators. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

Transformers were declared illegal on Earth except in [[Cuba]], where Simmons fled with [[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin]] and others. Falling in under Cade and Bumblebee's leadership, the Autobots hid out in a [[Junkyard (TLK)|junkyard]] in [[South Dakota]] provided to them by Sheriff [[Sherman]]. Their daily mission was to find Autobot refugees to rescue and repair, among them being Wheelie and [[Trench]]. The Autobots also tasked the vagabond salesman [[Daytrader]] with finding them a ship to get mobile or off of the planet. Things changed when Bumblebee accidentally led the [[Transformers Reaction Force]] straight to the base, leading to an invasion from Megatron's newly released gang of Decepticons. The Autobots fended off the attack, and in the aftermath, Cade took Bumblebee with him to England to meet with [[Cogman]] and Sir [[Edmund Burton]]. There, Burton recounted to Cade and [[Viviane Wembly]] the history of Transformers on Earth, including the tale of [[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Hot Rod]] and Bumblebee fighting alongside the allies in [[World War II]]. Optimus returned to Earth, albeit brainwashed by [[Quintessa (TLK)|Quintessa]], but was brought back to his senses by Bumblebee. As Cybertron loomed in the skies, Daytrader finally delivered the gang a ship, and the rest of the Autobots joined Optimus, Bumblebee, and the [[Guardian Knight]]s at Stonehenge for a great battle. Thanks to Viviane, the Autobots emerged victorious, and returned to a revitalized Cybertron, with Optimus summoning all Autobots across the stars to finally come home. {{storylink|Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|The Last Knight}}

{{note|In the first movie, it is Ratchet who provides the name "Autobot", claiming it is an abbreviation after Optimus's line, "We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron". Seeing as how Decepticons also fit this description, this may imply that "Autobot" is the species name for the Transformers. In a departure from previous Transformers incarnations, Japan used the name "Autobots" for this franchise, rather than "Cybertrons".<ref>[http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/TF/products/movie/autobots.html Movie Autobots toy listing on Takaratomy.com]</ref>}}

===Titan movie comics===
{{groupstub}}

====Alternate timeline====
{{groupstub}}

{{-}}

==''Animated'' continuity family==
The Autobots first emerged as a sub-faction of the ruling [[Protectobot (Animated)|Protectobot]]s approximately 750 million years ago in the aftermath of the [[Third Cybertronian War]]. Though scientifically gifted, the Autobots were primarily a race of artisans. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} Historically, Autobots did not fly. {{storylink|Where Is Thy Sting?}}

Eclipsing their predecessors in prominence, the Autobots advocated for an [[Expansion|Age of Expansion]], expanding the influence of their species beyond the [[Hadean System|Hadeen System]], colonizing the larger galaxy and founding the [[Autobot Commonwealth]]. The Autobots acted as the scientific arm of this expansion, being protected by the [[Destron (Animated)|Destrons]] when their empire-building came into border skirmishes with the [[Quintesson Pan Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere]]. Though the Cybertronian race triumphed in these conflicts, tensions arose as the Destrons came to feel that they had done too much work for too little reward while the Autobots had grown rich on their sacrifices. The Destrons eventually evolved into the Decepticons, whose tensions with the Autobots increased. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}

[[File:TFA TFandRollout Autobots.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

30 million years ago, [[Powered Convoy|PC Magnus]] oversaw the construction of [[Fortress Maximus (Animated)|Fortress Maximus]], headquarters of the [[Elite Guard|Cybertron Elite Guard]]. 18 million years later, his successor [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] passed the [[Decepticon Registration Act]], sparking the [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]]. The Autobot invention of [[space bridge]]s quickly cut off the early Decepticon expansion before the Decepticons began a bombing campaign, demanding that the Autobots turn over the [[AllSpark]]. In response, the Autobots threw the AllSpark into a space bridge, ensuring that no one would find it. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}

As the war continued, the Autobots enacted [[Project Omega]], creating the [[Omega Sentinel (Animated)|Omega Sentinels]] as twelve large-scale living weapons. {{storylink|TransWarped}} Armed with these giants, the Autobots won ground against the [[Decepticon fleet]], crippling their foes in the [[Ambush of Floron III]]. The Autobots later enacted a "planet-hopping" campaign that freed all of the captured colonies, ending in the [[Battle of Omnitron]]. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}

The Great War later comes to a close in the [[Battle for Iacon]], the Autobots triumphing thanks to the sacrifice of the Omega Sentinels. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}} {{storylink|TransWarped}} The war's end saw the signing of the [[Tyrest Accord]], granting the Decepticons amnesty in exchange for exile from the Autobot Commonwealth. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}

Autobot victory in the Great War was later credited to their space bridges, Project Omega, and removing the AllSpark from the combat theater. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}} Military equipment and hardware was subsequently decommissioned. {{storylink|Lost and Found (Animated)|Lost and Found}} Bereft of the AllSpark, the Autobots turned to [[Vector Sigma]] for new sparks. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} Though military training was available for the new generation of Autobots, most would grow up without ever having seen a Decepticon. {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}}

When rumours spread throughout the galaxy that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] still lived, the [[Decepticon Uprisings]] began, the fringes of Autobot society coming under attack. {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}} {{storylink|TransWarped}} In response, Ultra Magnus ordered the [[Ministry of Science]] to study the schematics of the captured [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]. Managing to extract the coding needed for flight, the scientists applied it to [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]], creating the first flight-capable Autobots and prototypes for a future group of [[Aerialbot (Animated)|Aerialbots]]s. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}

After Head of Intelligence Longarm Prime was discovered to be the Decepticon spy [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]], he attacked and crippled Ultra Magnus, {{storylink|Where Is Thy Sting?}} his second in command, [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] took command and instituted a police state in Autobot society, locking down public venues and potentially subversive gathering places. {{storylink|This Is Why I Hate Machines}}

The Autobots eventually took Megatron prisoner when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]'s team captured the warlord {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}} though they had to contend with Decepticon loyalists trying to free their master. {{storylink|The Stunti-Con Job}}

{{note|Takara also used the name "Autobots" instead of "Cybertrons" for the faction in this franchise.}}

==''Shattered Glass''==
[[File:Autobot Shattered Glass.png|177px|thumb|...the evil forces of the Autobots?]]
{{quote|'Til all are gone.|[[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]]|"[[Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass]]"}}

In this universe, the Autobots are the evildoers, bent on conquering and destroying everything in their path, starting with Earth. On Cybertron, they are the [[Autobot Imperium|dominant faction]], ruled by the Prime, specifically [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]]. Ranks are in constant flux due to their backstabbing nature. [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] may very well usurp rule one day. {{storylink|Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass}}

After a devastating battle at [[Decepticon City (SG)|Decepticon City]], Rodimus finally overthrew Optimus Prime, {{storylink|Familiar Reflections}} before Optimus, now reborn as Nova Prime through the power of [[Unicron#Shattered Glass|Unicron]], returned and overthrew Rodimus. {{storylink|Out of the One, Many}} Under Nova Prime's leadership, the Autobots sided with the Decepticons against their [[Primus#Shattered Glass|evil creator]] and attained a peaceful existence on [[Gaea]]'s [[New Cybertron (SG)|New Cybertron]]. {{storylink|The Future Buried...}}
{{-}}

==Aligned continuity family==
[[File:DarknessRising1-untappedenergondeposit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
The symbol of that would later be appropriated by the Autobots was utilized by the Cybertronian government prior to the [[Great War (Prime)|Great War]]. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}

"Autobot", a portmanteau of "autonomous robot", was an old philosophical phrase [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Orion Pax]] found on the [[DataNet]] and one that he suggested to his friend [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] to be the name of their movement to abolish the [[Functionism|caste system]]. At their hearing with the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]], Orion used the term over and over again to remind his enthusiastic followers of the freedom they sought. He implored the Council choose a new Prime, so [[Halogen (WFC)|Halogen]] chose Orion as the new Prime, tearing Orion and Megatron's movement in two. In the war with Megatron's Decepticons, the Autobots only held fifteen percent of Cybertron, including [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] and [[Kalis]]. The Autobots left Cybertron on the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'', transported by the [[space bridge]] to the [[Milky Way]]. [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]]'s [[Wreckers]], [[Jetfire (WFC)|Jetfire]], [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]], and [[Alpha Trion]] remained on the planet. With the bulk of the Autobots off Cybertron, the remaining Decepticons took [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

The Autobots remaining on Cybertron operated via a spy network based in [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]]. After rescuing [[Alpha Trion]], the Autobots joined the Decepticons in fighting off a [[Quintesson]] invasion. {{storylink|Transformers: Retribution|Retribution}} Autobots continued to abandon their planet after the invasion, {{storylink|Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots|Rage of the Dinobots}} with the few that chose to remain on Cybertron reorganizing themselves into underground communities and settlements under the stewardship of the [[Dinobot (FOC)|Dinobots]]. {{storylink|Beast Hunters issue 1|Beast Hunters #1}}

{{Main|Team Prime}}
Soon enough, Cybertron became all but deserted, with Autobot forces stretched thin across the universe. {{storylink|Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)}} With the death of [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]], Optimus only had [[Team Prime|four Autobots]] with him on [[Earth]], {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}} though he would later be joined on Earth with [[Rescue Force Sigma-17]], {{storylink|Family of Heroes}} [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]], {{storylink|New Recruit}} rogue member [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]], {{storylink|Loose Cannons}} [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]], {{storylink|Prey (episode)|Prey}} former Decepticon [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]], {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}} [[High Tide]], [[Servo (RB)|Servo]], {{storylink|Turning the Tide}} [[Salvage (RB)|Salvage]], and [[Blurr (Prime)|Blurr]]. {{storylink|The New Recruits}}

Discovering a manner to synthesize [[Living metal|cybermatter]], [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] persuaded [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] to aid him in rebuilding the [[Omega Lock]]. {{storylink|Persuasion}} Ratchet's Autobot morals ultimately triumphed over his desire to see Cybertron restored and allowed Team Prime to board the ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]''. {{storylink| Synthesis}} What followed ultimately turned out to be the final battle of the Great War, with Autobots emerging victorious. {{storylink|Deadlock (episode)|Deadlock}}

After Cybertron had been restored, [[Unicron#Aligned continuity family|Unicron]] attacked the planet in a bid to destroy [[Primus]]. The Autobots joined forces with the [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacons]] to defeat the Chaos Bringer. Though the alliance managed to defeat the Chaos Bringer, the battle ended with Optimus Prime sacrificing his spark to restore the [[AllSpark]] to the [[Core]]. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}}

Once the planet's population began to grow, a new [[Autobot High Council|High Council]] was established to rule the planet. [[Cyclonus (WFC)|Cyclonus]] and his troops however managed to replace the Council and made plans for a Decepticon-ruled Cybertron shoving the Autobots, particularly those close to Optimus Prime, into obscurity. The Autobots misinterpreted this as the will of the Cybertronian people and thus did not protest these acts. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy (RID)|Enemy of My Enemy}} The people of the restored Cybertron all wore the Autobot insignia but by all indications, the vast majority were only civilians and had no military roles or functions. {{storylink|Pilot (Part 1)}} {{storylink|Freedom Fighters}}

To cement their rule, the High Council implanted mind-control techniques to control the Autobots and use them as a military force to rebuild the [[Decepticon Empire]]. {{storylink|Five Fugitives}} {{storylink|Freedom Fighters}} The [[Bee Team (RID)|Bee Team]]'s interference however derailed Cyclonus's plans and allowed the Autobots to resume leadership of Cybertron. {{storylink|Freedom Fighters}}
{{-}}

==''Cloud''==
The Autobots of [[Cloud World]], also known as the '''Spacetime Police''' (時空警察 ''Jikū Keisatsu''), patrol the [[multiverse]] eliminating extradimensional threats in exchange for the [[Spacetime energy|fuel]] needed to sustain the [[SARA|energy being]] that propagates their home dimension.
{{stub|{{storylink|Prologue}}{{storylink|Uprising (Cloud)|Uprising}}{{storylink|Shock (Cloud)|Shock}} more probably}}

==''Cyberverse'' cartoon==
The ruling faction on Cybertron before the [[Great War (Cyberverse)|Great War]], the Autobots fought a losing war against the Decepticons. After it was found that [[Megatron (Cyberverse)|Megatron]] sought to pervert the [[AllSpark]], {{storylink|Megatron Is My Hero}} the Autobots launched it off Cybertron, {{storylink|Allspark (episode)|Allspark}} only to later decide that this had been a mistake, Optimus Prime leading the [[Ark (Cyberverse)|''Ark'']] to find and retrieve it. {{storylink|Matrix of Leadership (episode)|Matrix of Leadership}}

The journey took much longer than expected however, leading the ''Ark'' crew to go into stasis. {{storylink|The Journey}} While the ''Ark'' located the AllSpark, it crashed on Earth, cutting off the crew from their comrades on Cybertron, now reduced to a small resistance movement. After the Cybertron Autobots had located the AllSpark on Earth, they sent [[Windblade (Cyberverse)|Windblade]] to Earth to find it where she reunited with an amnesiac [[Bumblebee (Cyberverse)|Bumblebee]]. {{storylink|Memory (Cyberverse)|Memory}} After locating [[Teletraan-X (Cyberverse)|Teletraan-X]], {{storylink|Teletraan-X (episode)|Teletraan-X}} and [[Grimlock (Cyberverse)|Grimlock]], {{storylink|King of the Dinosaurs}} the group managed to located the ''Ark'' just as the [[Decepticon fleet]] arrived. {{storylink|Eruption}}

After decades of warring on Earth, the Autobots located the AllSpark and allied with its guardian [[Cheetor (Cyberverse)|Cheetor]]. {{storylink|Trials}} After procuring the AllSpark, the Autobots left Earth for home, {{storylink|Escape From Earth}} short cutting via a [[space bridge]] after a distress call came in from [[Chromia (Cyberverse)|Chromia]]. {{storylink|The Crossroads}}

Arriving home and unable to raise Chromia, Optimus suspected a trap. Abandoning ship, the Autobot army met its Decepticon counterpart in the War's final battle, emerging victorious when the AllSpark was returned to the core. {{storylink|Battle For Cybertron I}} {{storylink|Battle For Cybertron II}} {{storylink|Battle For Cybertron III}} {{storylink|Battle For Cybertron IV}}

The peace would prove short-lived as the [[Quintesson]]s invaded Cybertron and began draining the populace's sparks. {{storylink|The Loop}} Once the populace had been freed, the Autobots and Decepticons worked together to repulse the invaders, {{storylink|The Alliance}} before each claiming one hemisphere of the planet. {{storylink|The End Of The Universe IV}}

When it became apparent that Megatron was arming the Decepticons for another invader, the Autobots sent a strike team into Decepticon territory only to be surrounded by [[Decepticon supersoldier]]s. {{storylink|Silent Strike}} The invaders were revealed to be the advance guard of another version of Megatron who had won the Great War and killed his own kind. After Megatron X had disabled his primary counterpart and been disabled, the war was considered properly over, the Autobots and Decepticons accepting co-existence, {{storylink|The Other One}} officiating the peace with the [[Treaty of the Wall]]. {{storylink|The Immobilizers}}

===Alternate universe===
In another timeline, [[Megatron X (Cyberverse)|Megatron]] killed Optimus Prime in the Great War's opening stages. Bereft of Optimus's leadership, the Autobots quickly lost the War, being rendered extinct by the Decepticons. {{storylink|The Other One}}

==''One'' film==
{{stub}}{{storylink|Transformers One (film)|Transformers One}}
{{--}}

==Merchandise==
===''Transformers'' (2007)===
====Transformers Movie Screen Cleaners====
[[File:Movie Autobot Screencleaner.jpg|106px|thumb|This was originally the top bit of [[Alpha Trion|Alpha Trion's]] pimp cane.]]
*'''Autobot''' (2008)
:Released by [[Gacha International|Tomy Yujin]] in January 2008, this dangler is a [[Insignia|faction logo]]-shaped screen cleaner for your cell phone, with a stock image of Autobot insignia printed on the other side.
{{-}}

====Kinnerton====
[[File:Kinnerton Transformers Tin.jpg|thumb|For holding all your Autobot-symbol-shaped cookies.]]
*'''Transformers Tin''' (2008)
: Confectionery and... stationery company [[Kinnerton]] produced Movie-style Autobot sigil-shaped tins. It is currently unknown what these tins were used for. These tins and other Kinnerton products were available in [[Australia]].
{{-}}

====PTI Group====
*'''Transformers Treat Containers''' (2008)
:Produced as an exclusive for [[Target]] stores, these blue plastic containers were molded in the shape of the Autobot symbol. They were sold in packs of three. While not dishwasher safe, they were perfect for containing any number of small treats.
{{-}}

===''Age of Extinction''===
[[File:3DLightFX AutobotShield.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
* '''Autobot Shield''' (3D Deco Light, 2014)
: A three-dimensional wall light fixture from [[3D Light FX]] in the form of a Movie-style Autobot insignia. It uses red LED lights and is battery powered. It comes with a sticker in the form of a wall crack, which is meant to look as though the insignia is somehow breaking through the wall.
{{-}}

===Kidrobot===
[[File:Kidrobot GIJoe Enamel Pin Series.jpg|thumb|250px]]
====Enamel Pin Series====
*'''Transformers logos''' ([[November 3]], [[2017]])
:*''Rarity:'' 2 in 20
:Released by [[Kidrobot]] in their [[Blindpacking|blindboxed]] ''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' Enamel Pin Series, this is a flat, enamel pin badge of the Autobot symbol, packaged in with a similar [[Decepticon#Enamel Pin Series|Decepticon]] pin in a release called "Transformers logos" {{sic}}.
{{-}}

===''Pop!''===
[[File:TRANSFORMERS_SERIES_AUTOBOT_POP.gif|thumb|right|200px|[[Scene transition|Dun da dun da naaa...]]]]
*'''Autobot''' ([[Funko Pop!#Digital Pop! NFTs|Digital ''Pop!'']], [[2022]])
**''Rarity:'' '''Series'''
:An NFT depicting a rotating Autobot symbol with the Funko Digital logo on the other side.
{{-}}

===Icon Heroes===
[[File:Icon-Heroes-Autobot-Bookend.jpg|thumb]]
*'''Autobot Faction Bookend''' (2022)
: A set of bookends in the form of the Autobot insignia made of polystone and produced by Icon Heroes.

{{--}}

===''Transformers Character Card''===
[[File:Transformers Character Card Autobots and Primus.jpg|upright=1|thumb]]
*'''Primus and Cybertron Army Set''' ([[February]], [[2025]])
**''ID number:'' '''101 & 102'''

:Released as part of the fourteenth wave of the [[e-HOBBY]] exclusive ''[[Transformers Character Card]]'' series, this pair of holographic trading cards depict super-deformed art of [[Primus]] in the form of his [[Primus#2010|"Creator" toy]] and the Generation 1 Autobots (as represented by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], [[Eject (G1)|Eject]], [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Crossblades (G1)|Crossblades]], [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] and [[Turbo Board]]) along with [[bio|character profiles]] and [[Tech Spec|tech specs]].
::*''[[Source:Transformers Character Card#102|Translation of the Autobots' Transformers Character Card]]''
{{--}}

==Notes==
===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Cybertron''' (サイバトロン ''Saibatoron''), '''Autobot''' (オートボット ''Ōtobotto'')
*''Cantonese:'' '''Bǒk Pāǐ''' (博派, "Fraternity Faction")
*''Czech:'' '''Aubot''' (first movie's first dub only)
*''French:'' '''Autobot'''
*''Hungarian:'' '''Autobot'''
*''Italian:'' '''Autorobot'''
*''Korean:'' '''Autorobot''' (오토로봇 ''Otorobot''), '''Cybertron''' (사이버트론 ''Saibeoteuron''), '''Autobot''' (오토봇 ''Otobot'')
*''Mandarin:'' '''Autobot''' (Taiwan, 奧特巴 ''Àu Thè Pā''), '''Bó Pâi''' (博派, "Bot Faction"), '''Qìchērén''' (China, 汽车人, "Car Person"), '''Zìyóurén''' (自由人, "Freeman"),
*''Polish:'' '''Autobot'''
*''Portuguese:'' '''Autobóticos''' (Portugal comic), '''Optimus''' (Brazil comic)
*''Russian:'' '''Avtobot''' (Автобот, "Autobot")
*''Ukrainian:'' '''Kiber''' (Кібер, ''Cyber''), '''Avtobot''' (Автобот, "Autobot")

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Animated factions]]
[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising factions]]
[[Category:Armada]]
[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Cybertron franchise]]
[[Category:Energon franchise]]
[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Generation 1 factions]]
[[Category:Generation 2]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) factions]]
[[Category:IDW (2019) factions]]
[[Category:Machine Wars]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise (2001)]]
[[Category:Transformers Character Card]]
[[Category:Universe (2003)]]

Talk:Transformers (2023) issue 31

2026-04-12T04:50:39Z

Cylasbreakdown:

Why do all quotes from Dezimir's master use the visited link color (even in the summary), and do they have to be because it makes them look like links when they're not. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 01:00, 9 April 2026 (EDT)
:It’s because Megatronus’ dialogue text in the issue is purple, and it’s a thing we can replicate, so I thought it’d be fun. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 01:30, 9 April 2026 (EDT)
::Is there a different shade of purple that could be used that doesn't make them look like links? -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 01:32, 11 April 2026 (EDT)
:::I got the shade matching the text in the comic as close as I can, but I do understand the confusion. Feel free to play around with the hexcodes in the text editor, if you want. (For reference, it’s currently #5a32af) [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 00:50, 12 April 2026 (EDT)

And There Shall Come...a Leader!

2026-04-11T05:25:24Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Artwork and technical errors */ It’s back to incorrect in the Skybound compendium

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=[[Transformers Annual 1985]]
|prev=Missing in Action
|next=Hunted!
|title="Tales of Cybertron: And There Shall Come...a Leader!"
|image=And_there_shall_come_a_leader_title.jpg
|caption=
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]] in association with [[Grandreams]]
|date=Late [[1985]]
|coverdate=[[1985]]
|writer=[[Simon Furman]]
|art=[[John Stokes]]
|lettering=[[Richard Starkings|Starkings]]
|colours=[[Gina Hart]]
|editor=[[Sheila Cranna]]
|chronology=[[Marvel Comics timeline|"Five million years ago"]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]] ([[Primax 984.20 Gamma|Marvel UK]])
}}
'''The greatest son of Iacon steps forth from the ashes of war.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Atscal autobotelders.jpg|thumb|left|Roget's Rules of Warfare]]
Five million years ago, the [[Decepticon]]s are attacking [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s capital city-state. Inside the [[Celestial Spires|Celestial Temple]], progressive council member [[Emirate]] [[Xaaron (G1)|Xaaron]] finally manages to convince his fellow councillors to cede leadership to a battlefield commander, instead of trying to run the war while hidden away in their protective bunkers. He entreats High Councillor [[Traachon]] to give the burden of responsibility to (dramatic pause)...[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]].

On the battle grounds, Optimus Prime is coordinating several strike squads at once, while waiting for word of his couriers, [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] and [[Fusion (Marvel)|Fusion]].

On their way back to Optimus Prime with a cache of [[shatter bomb]]s, Bluestreak is carrying the precious cargo while Fusion runs interference for him. The Decepticons attempt to blow out the bridge they're driving on. Bluestreak makes the jump with inches to spare, but Fusion is not so lucky and is destroyed by Decepticon laser fire.

At Optimus Prime's command post, he receives the good news from Xaaron that command of the armed forces is now totally under his control. This means Optimus can go ahead with the plan he was planning to put forth anyway, even without council approval. (How can you not love this guy?)

As [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] personally leads his troops in advancing on the Autobots of Iacon, Optimus places himself in Megatron's path. As the battle commences on the last bridge to Iacon, [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] is placing the shatter bombs on the support posts beneath the bridge at Prime's command. At Gears' signal, Optimus actively keeps Megatron occupied on the bridge while his fellow Autobots flee the imminent blast zone. When all the Autobots except Prime are safely away, Gears activates the shatter bombs and destroys the bridge.

Thanks to a pre-arranged escape plan, Optimus Prime is magnetically drawn to safety by [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]]'s power, while Megatron and the Decepticons are smashed under the falling debris of the bridge's collapse. Thus Iacon is saved and Megatron is dealt a crushing defeat in only a few [[Units of time|cycles]] after Optimus Prime is named to command.

[['Til all are one]]!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Tomaandi (G1)|Tomaandi]] (1)
*[[Xaaron (G1)|Xaaron]] (2)
*[[Traachon]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (5)
*[[Pulsar (G1)|Pulsar]] (6)
*[[Tempest (G1)|Tempest]] (7)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Fusion (Marvel)|Fusion]] (9)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (10)
*[[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] (13)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (14)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (15)
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (16)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Skywarp (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Skywarp]] (8)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] (11)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] (12)
}}

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
[[File:ThereShallComeALeader tomaandi.jpg|thumb|250px]]
*The events of this story take place within the opening montage of the [[The Transformers (issue)|first issue]] of the ongoing comic book.
*A large number of the [[generic]] crowdfiller characters in this story are copied from generics that appear in the first issue of the regular comic (see "Errors" and "Other trivia," below for more details). These appear largely random, but one that may not be is the figure of [[Tomaandi (G1)|Tomaandi]], one of the [[Council of Autobot Elders]], who is drawn to match the Autobot Elder who addressed Optimus Prime in the first issue (pictured at right).
*As written, this story depicts Optimus Prime and Megatron's first meeting. In the [[Transformers Annual 1986|following year's annual]], however, the story "[[State Games]]" would retcon that idea, establishing that Prime and Megatron knew each other from the [[gladiatorial combat‎|gladiatorial]] "[[Games (competition)|Games]]" held before the war.

===Transformers references===
[[File:Cartoon Cybertron Marvel Iacon case 1.jpg|250px|thumb]]
*The landscape of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] is based on the imagery of Cybertron as seen in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]". Several buildings and structures are lifted straight from the cartoon, most prominent among them the huge golden dome of Iacon itself, which would come to be known as the "[[Great Dome]]"—a popular object for Transformers to swear in the name of in issues of the regular comic, which began in [[The Wrath of Guardian!|UK issue #31]]. Other various spherical and domed building designs are also re-used, and the tunnel entrance used by Fusion and Bluestreak as they transport the shatter bombs is exactly the same as the one used by [[Wheeljack (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Wheeljack]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] on their return to the city (all pictured at right). The only difference is that the next piece of road for Fusion and Bluestreak is the same road Wheeljack and Bumblebee drove over before entering the tunnel.
*[[:File:Bluestreakandthereshallcome.jpg|Bluestreak's Cybertronian vehicle mode]] is adapted from the design created for [[Jazz (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Jazz]] used in the same episode, tweaking the shape of the cockpit and spoiler, and adding wheels and a bumper.

===Artwork and technical errors===
[[File:ThereShallComeALeader gears.jpg|thumb|250px]]
*The first two pages of this story were originally printed in the wrong order. This has been corrected for ([[The Transformers Compendium|almost]]) all subsequent reprints, except for the 1986 "Plague of the Insecticons" special (see "Reprints," below).
*Like artist John Stokes's earlier strip for the UK comic, "[[Decepticon Dam-Busters!]]", the recognizable Transformers in this story are largely drawn in a unique style that mashes up their toys and [[package art]] with their [[character model]]s. A pair of notable errors (which are so common in early UK material that they might as well be considered stylistic choices) reoccurring from "Dam-Busters" and other stories give Optimus Prime an all-blue [[mouthplate]], and Megatron a golden torso, an overly-literal interpretation of the way his toy's package art rendered the figure's chrome chest and arms. Prime also has all-white biceps (adapting a silver sticker from his toy that is not part of his finished character model), and details from his toy's forearm stickers are visible on the first page, but not elsewhere in the story.
*Page 6, panel 2: Megatron calls for Soundwave, but the robot drawn responding to him is [[Mirage (G1)#Marvel Comics continuity|Mirage]]. Damn traitor!
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]]'s appearance (right) is based not on his standard character model, but instead on his bizarre, barely-recognizable depiction in the famous roll-call scene from the first issue of the US comic (a scene which was also reproduced in this very same annual). This odd character model was also used to depict Sideswipe in the early UK story, "[[The Enemy Within!]]".

===Other trivia===
[[File:ThereShallComeALeader redraws.jpg|right|thumb|250px]]
*In addition to the aforementioned Tomaandi, "borrowed" art, character designs, and colours used in this story include:
**Emirate Xaaron is ''very'' loosely based on Megatron's toy package art, replicating his three-forked "forehead," vent-cheekguards, and gold and silver colours. Xaaron will become a recurring character in the UK comic, and his design and colours will quickly be shifted and tweaked to the point that that resemblance all but disappears.
**Page 1, panel 3: The heads of the two councilors visible from behind in the forefront of the panel are based on the heads of two robots in the same pose from US issue #1, page 5, page 2
**Page 2, panel 3: The famous generic "[[Big Red (G1)|Big Red]]" is recoloured in Megatron's colours as the new character [[Pulsar (G1)|Pulsar]]. On the left of the panel, a small exploding figure is based on another generic from the same panel Big Red originally appeared in, exploding in the same manner.
**Page 4, panel 1: [[:File:Fusion circle.jpg|Fusion's alternate mode]] is a loose re-drawing of [[:File:Optimusprimeg1marvelfirst.jpg|Optimus Prime's own Cybertronian alternate mode]], as seen in US issue #1, page 4, panel 5.
**Page 5, panel 1: Based wholesale on US issue #1, page 9, panel 1, redrawn in a portrait format as opposed to landscape. Optimus Prime's pose is recreated, as are the three background characters, now given new colours; what used to be Jazz, on the left, becomes red and white, while what was formerly Prowl, on the right becomes blue and white, as well as misinterpreted and partially re-drawn with Ironhide's head and chest. The same robot appears among the Decepticons on page 6, panel 4.
**Page 6, panel 5: Megatron's pose is taken from US issue #1, page 2, panel 5. The generic on the far left of the Decepticon group is from the background of the same panel.
**Page 10, panel 19: Optimus's pose is taken from US issue #1, page 4, page 4. The generic on the right is taken from the background of the same panel.

===Cover===
*'''Transformers Annual 1985:''' [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]], [[Thundercracker (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Thundercracker]], Jazz, Optimus Prime and [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]. Cover Artist [[John Higgins]].
<gallery>
File:Transformers annual 1986.jpg|'''Hardcover'''
File:Tfannualsoftcover.jpg|'''Softcover'''
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:plginssp.jpg|'''[[Transformers Collected Comics#Plague of the Insecticons! – 1986|''The Transformers: Plague of the Insecticons!'']]''' (Marvel UK, 1986)
File:Tfcolcom25.jpg|'''[[Transformers Collected Comics#Holiday Special 1994|''Transformers Holiday Special'' 1994]]''' (Marvel UK, 1994)
File:BestofOptimus.jpg|'''''[[The Transformers: Best of Optimus Prime]]''''' (IDW Publishing, 2010)
File:Classicuk1.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 1|''The Transformers Classics UK'' Volume 1]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2011)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v2.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]], Vol. 2: New Order''''' (Hachette Partworks Ltd, 2018)</gallery>

[[Category:Marvel UK Annual stories]]

Void Rivals issue 28

2026-04-10T05:04:38Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Quotes */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Void Rivals]]'' #28
|prev=Void Rivals issue 27
|next=Void Rivals issue 29
|image=Void Rivals 28 Cover A.jpg
|caption=Looks like the Void Rivals are facing a Roman centurion!
|title=
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[March 25]], [[2026]]
|coverdate=March 2026
|written by=[[Robert Kirkman]]
|art by=[[Andrei Bressan]]
|colors by=[[Dee Cunniffe]]
|letters by=[[Rus Wooton]]
|editor=[[Ben Abernathy]]
|continuity=[[Energon Universe]]
|chronology=
}}

'''The dreaded Quintesson Tribunal arrives to tip the scales in the enemy’s favor.'''

==Synopsis==
''[[Proximus|Polada]] has decided to join the [[Zertonia]]n High Guard, to the horror of his sister [[Solila]]. The soldiers are letting him say goodbye, but as he leaves, Solila cries out to him, begging him not to leave her…''

Proximus dons his helmet once more and steels himself for the coming fight.

Elsewhere, [[Agorria]]n Minister [[Dulin]] is remotely coordinating troops to repel the invading [[Quintesson]]s. He takes a moment to check in on [[Darak]], who is now fighting [[Sharkticon (species)|Skarkticons]] alongside Grand General (and Uncle) [[Dukan]].

Meanwhile, [[Quintesson Judge (G1)|Judge]] [[Makmun]] is not happy with the reports from the front lines. Fortunately for them, the [[Tribunal]] has arrived; a three-faced war judge that immediately makes his mark on the battlefield. He pontificates for a minute and shows off his Elite Sharkticons, leading the nearby platoon of Agorrians to surrender…only for them to take a shot at the Tribunal while his guard is down! This proves to be a mistake, however, as the Tribunal eviscerates them all. Distraught, Dulin declares that the time comes near for them to make a final stand, right there in Agorria.

Aboard the [[Leviathan (Cobra-La)|Leviathan]], [[Grakula]] has donned a (somewhat revealing) backup skin, as her normal armor is mutated, though still alive. Suddenly, their vessel is hit! From the surface of the [[Sacred Ring]], [[Pythona]] watches in horror as the Leviathan goes down!

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|h4=[[Agorrian]]s|c4=
* [[Dulin]] (3)
* [[Dukan]] (4)
* [[Darak]] (6)

|h5=[[Zertonian]]s|c5=
* [[Proximus|Polada/Proximus]] (1)
* ''[[Solila]]'' (2)

|h6=Others|c6=
* Red [[Handroid]] (5)
'''[[Cobra-La]]'''
* [[Bola]] (13)
* [[Grakula]] (14)
* [[Vipria]] (15)
* [[Pythona]] (16)
'''[[Quintesson]]s'''
* [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]] (7)
* [[Quintesson Judge (G1)|Judges]] (8)
* Judge [[Makmun]] (9)
* [[Allicon]]s (10)
* The [[Tribunal]] (11)
* Elite Sharkticons (12)
}}

==Quotes==
“You now face '''The Tribunal!''' War Judge of the Quintessons! I come to '''pass judgement''' for the '''war crimes''' you have committed! Count one: you are '''weak'''. Count two: you are '''afraid'''. Count three: you are '''bad at war!'''
:—You don’t have to be a dick about it.

“My judgement is singular. My vision—'''focused.''' War, Death, Rage, Doubt, and Wisdom—'''I do not require five faces! Only War!''' '''Only Death!''' '''ONLY DOMINION!'''
:—The '''Tribunal''' does a bit of an [[introdump]].

==Notes==
===Continuity Notes===
* The Tribunal was first alluded to [[Void Rivals issue 27|last issue]].
* Makmun identifies the Agorrians and Zertonians as the creations of [[Beta (G1)#Energon Universe|she-who-shall-not-be-named]]. The Quint’s intel is incorrect, however; per [[Void Rivals issue 17|#17]], Zerta Trion did not ''create'' the two races, but she ''did'' influence their development, and likely has something to do with their [[Mind Eye]]s and [[Energon]]-receptive physiology.
* Grakula’s armor has been mutating since [[Void Rivals issue 14|#14]].
* Pythona was last seen aboard Makmun’s [[Quintesson Cruiser]] last issue, where she expressed a desire to jump ship. She evidently did just that between issues.

===Transformers References===
* The Tribunal rattles off the five faces of a typical Quintesson Judge: [[Quintesson Judge (G1)#Faces|War, Death, Rage, Doubt, and Wisdom]]; all pulled from pre-existing terms for the faces, though the sources for each vary. The Tribunal’s three faces are stylized renditions of War and Death, plus a new one called “Dominion”.

===Errors===
* In the Energon Experience segment (see below): “…the arrival of the powerful and ruthless the Tribunal could spell the end of the Sacred Ring!” has an extra “the” in the sentence…unless it’s not a title and his name is literally “the Tribunal”.

===Other Notes===
* Energon Experience: Presented by Skybound Executive Editor Ben Abernathy
** '''Character Spotlight:''' Solila
** '''All Hail Tribunal!:''' The powerful Tribunal may just be the doom of the Sacred Ring!
** '''Creator Spotlight:''' Ben asks Ben Oliver who his favorite ''Void Rivals'' character to draw is. It’s Proximus! That half-metal skull was fun for him to paint.
* In the letters page, a reader asks about the possibility of [[Octane]], [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] or [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] appearing, to which Kirkman responds that one of them is going to pop up “very soon…somewhere”. We’ll go ahead and guess that it’s not going to be in ''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]''. Probably.
* Okay, we know the Tribunal is supposed the bad guy and all, but…false surrender actually ''is'' a war crime. Point Tribunal.

===Covers===
* '''Cover A:''' The Tribunal confronts [[Zalilak]], by [[Lorenzo De Felici]].
* '''Cover B:''' Darak and Dukan battle Sharkticons, by [[Andrei Bressan]] and [[Adriano Lucas]].
* '''Cover C:''' Proximus, by [[Ben Oliver]].
* '''Cover D (1:25 Copy Incentive):''' Pythona, by [[Lesley Li]].
* '''Cover E (1:50 Copy Incentive):''' Proximus and Solila surrounded by Sharkticons, by [[Cliff Rathburn]].
* '''Cover F (Invincible Month Variant):''' Thragg from ''{{w|Invincible (comics)|Invincible}}'' hovering ominously over the Sacred Ring, by [[Conor Hughes]]

<gallery>
File:Void Rivals 28 Cover A.jpg|
File:Void Rivals 28 Cover B.jpg|
File:Void Rivals 28 Cover C.jpg|
File:Void Rivals 28 Cover D.jpg|
File:Void Rivals 28 Cover E.jpg|
File:Void Rivals 28 Cover F.jpg|
</gallery>

===Reprints===
* '''''Void Rivals Volume 5: Quintesson War''''' ([[July 21]], [[2026]]) ISBN 1534332515 / ISBN 978-1534332515 
** Collects issues #25-30.
** Trade paperback format.

<gallery>
File:Void Rivals V5.jpg|'''''Volume 5: Quintesson War''''' - cover art by Lorenzo De Felici
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Void Rivals issues]]

Talk:Transformers (2023) issue 31

2026-04-09T05:30:08Z

Cylasbreakdown:

Transformers (2023) issue 31

2026-04-09T01:12:15Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Transformers references */ I thought I got all the fraggin’ typos…

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]'' #31
|prev=Transformers (2023) issue 30
|next=Transformers (2023) issue 32
|image=Transformers 2023 31 Cover B.jpg
|caption=Insert “I belong to nobody” here
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[April 8]], [[2026]]
|coverdate=April 2026
|written by=[[Robert Kirkman]]
|art by=[[Dan Mora]]
|colors by=[[Ludo Lullabi]]
|letters by=[[Rus Wooton]]
|editor=[[Ben Abernathy]]
|publication design=[[Andres Juarez]]
|production=[[Abigail Lee]]
|continuity=[[Energon Universe]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Megatron returns to the thrall of Dezimir, and discovers the identity of the one pulling ''his'' strings… '''

==Synopsis==
Within the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the Decepticons try to restrain [[Megatron (G1)#Energon Universe|Megatron]], in the throes of another mysterious seizure. [[Soundwave (G1)#Energon Universe|Soundwave]] is greatly concerned to hear that this is not the first time…

''Megatron pleads with [[Dezimir]] to release him from the endless trials, but the [[Quintesson]] [[Quintesson Prosecutor|Prosecutor]] refuses, and insists Megatron assume his pistol mode. Megatron refuses; as Dezimir tears Megatron to pieces, the mysterious voice of Dezimir’s master inquires: “You '''forsake''' my gift?” Megatron explains that his gun mode failed to control [[Starscream (G1)#Energon Universe|Starscream]] at a crucial moment, so he will never rely on it again. Dezimir’s unseen master reiterates; Megatron is to ''serve''. He carries within him the [[Matrix of Oppression]]; a wellspring of power and rage sourced from the life force of prior Decepticon leaders, who in turn feed off of Megatron’s strength. Megatron fights his way through over three thousand more trials, until the ten thousandth; he’s had enough and finally accepts the terms.''

''Suddenly finding himself in a wasteland, Megatron approaches a building shaped like the Decepticon [[insignia]]. Within the base, he finds the master of Dezimir and the Matrix of Oppression: [[The Fallen|Megatronus]]. Megatronus offers the Decepticon leader a choice, between the only two options there are at this point: oblivion, or servitude. Reluctantly, Megatron chooses servitude.''

Within the ''Nemesis'', Megatron collapses, and mysterious crystals begin breaking through from within his body…

==Featured Characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks or dream form. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c2=
* [[Soundwave (G1)#Energon Universe|Soundwave]] (1)
* [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] (2)
* [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (3)
* [[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (4)
* [[Megatron (G1)#Energon Universe|Megatron]] (5)
* [[Skywarp (G1)#Energon Universe|Skywarp]] (6)
* [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (7)
* [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]] (8)
* [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] (9)
* ''[[Trannis]]'' (11)
* ''[[The Fallen|Megatronus]]'' (12)
* ''[[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]]'' (13)

|h3=[[Quintesson]]s|c3=
* ''[[Dezimir]]'' (10)
* ''[[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]]'' (15)
* ''[[Quintesson Bailiff|Bailiffs]]'' (16)
* ''[[Mechanokoar]]'' (17)

|h4=Others|c4=
* ''[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]?'' (14)
}}

==Quotes==
“It is '''you''' who is flawed. You have not fully submitted to me.” 
“I was born to '''command'''. Not serve.” 
:— '''Dezimir’s master''' and '''Megatron'''

“'''THEN BOW BEFORE MEGATRONUS.''' Bend your will to '''mine''' and receive the '''true''' power of the '''Matrix of Oppression.'''”

==Notes==
* Holy—

===Continuity notes===
* We first learned about Megatron’s trials with Dezimir back in [[Transformers (2023) issue 19|#19]], which is also where we were introduced to the Matrix of Oppression, though not by name. Additionally, it was unclear at the time whether Megatron was merely bathed in its power or actually received the physical object; it seems he carries it within him.
** Of note: Megatron ended that issue with 500 trials under his belt before Dezimir’s master declared he was done. This issue starts with Megatron at number 6,353, and ends at 10,000. Yikes.
* Megatron had a seizure at the end of [[Transformers (2023) issue 26|#26]] and into the beginning of [[Transformers (2023) issue 28|#28]] (taking place immediately after #26). At the time, Soundwave was being held prisoner by the Autobots and was not around to see it.
* Megatron was first shown to be able to control those who wielded him back in [[Transformers (2023) issue 14|#14]].
* Starscream broke free of said control and shot himself in the head in [[Transformers (2023) issue 24|#24]].
* Among the Decepticon leaders seen within the Matrix, we also see…Trailbreaker? He’s hidden somewhat behind Straxus, but the head and the forcefield gadget are a dead match. Might this have something to do with Megatron devouring the [[Autobot]]’s [[Spark]] in [[Transformers (2023) issue 28|#28]]? We’ll see!
* The [[Thirteen]] have been alluded to throughout the Energon Universe, in particular Skywarp swore by the Fallen in [[Transformers (2023) issue 3|#3]], while [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Energon Universe|Optimus Prime]] saw a bunch of statues of them within the [[Matrix of Leadership]] in issues [[Transformers (2023) issue 22|#22]] and [[Transformers (2023) issue 23|#23]].

===Transformers references===
* The big one is The Fallen, AKA Megatronus, appearing in a design based on his original appearance in [[Dreamwave Productions]]’ ''[[Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|War Within: The Dark Ages]]'' miniseries. Having said that, it’s more likely meant to tie in with the character’s recent ''[[Transformers: Age of the Primes|Age of the Primes]]'' [[The Fallen/toys#Age of the Primes|toy]], considering the Megatronus name and the portrayal as an ambiguous prominent Decepticon leader of ages past.
* The other non-generic Decepticon leaders shown are Straxus and Trannis, both originally from the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|comic]] (US and UK respectively); Trannis in particular is using the design from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]] episode "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4]]" that was retroactively identified as him, since he was not visually depicted in his original Marvel appearance.
* The big honkin’ Decepticon insignia base comes from the episode "[[Enter the Nightbird]]", though there it was an actual physical building.

===Errors===
* Long Haul and Bonecrusher’s chests, as well as the latter’s legs, are colored purple instead of the correct green on the first page.

===Other Notes===
* Energon Experience: Presented by Skybound Executive Editor Ben Abernathy.
** '''Character Spotlight:''' Megatron
** '''Decepti-Can’t!:''' The other Decepticons were unable to physically restrain Megatron.
** '''Creator Spotlight:''' Ben asks Ludo Lullabi what his alt-mode would be. Lullabi answers a cargo spaceship, bringing stories from world to world while listening to ‘Prophecy Theme’ by Toto.

===Covers===
* '''Cover A:''' Megatron, by [[David Nakayama]].
* '''Cover B:''' Megatron with his Energon mace, by [[Daniel Warren Johnson]] & Mike Spicer.
* '''Cover C:''' Megatron profile shot, by [[Simon Parr|Pye Parr]].
* '''Cover D:''' The Decepticons flanking Megatron, by [[Manabu Yashiro]]. 1:25 copy incentive
* '''Cover E:''' Megatron close-up, by Ludo Lullabi. 1:50 copy incentive.
* '''Cover F:''' Megatron (noticing a pattern?) and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] in a minimalist style, by [[Patricia Martín Samaniego]]. Foil variant cover, 1:100 copy incentive
* '''Cover G:''' Blank sketch cover
* '''Gotham City Limit Cover A:''' Megatron on his throne by [[Tyler Kirkham]]. Limited to 500 copies.
* '''Gotham City Limit Cover B:''' Textless variant of above by Tyler Kirkham. Limited to 500 copies.

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover A.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover B.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover C.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover D.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover E.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover F.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover G.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Gotham City Limit Cover A.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Gotham City Limit Cover B.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisement===
* Explore the Energon Universe in ''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]'' [[G.I. Joe (2024) issue 21|#21]], ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 29|#29]], ''Transformers'' #32, and ''[[M.A.S.K. (2026 comic)|M.A.S.K.]]'' [[M.A.S.K. (2026) issue 1|#1]]
* ''Corpse Knight''
* ''Invincible Universe: Capes'' #7
* ''Invincible VS''

[[Category:Transformers (2023) issues]]

Transformers (2023) issue 31

2026-04-09T01:09:57Z

Cylasbreakdown: /* Covers */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]'' #31
|prev=Transformers (2023) issue 30
|next=Transformers (2023) issue 32
|image=Transformers 2023 31 Cover B.jpg
|caption=Insert “I belong to nobody” here
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[April 8]], [[2026]]
|coverdate=April 2026
|written by=[[Robert Kirkman]]
|art by=[[Dan Mora]]
|colors by=[[Ludo Lullabi]]
|letters by=[[Rus Wooton]]
|editor=[[Ben Abernathy]]
|publication design=[[Andres Juarez]]
|production=[[Abigail Lee]]
|continuity=[[Energon Universe]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Megatron returns to the thrall of Dezimir, and discovers the identity of the one pulling ''his'' strings… '''

==Synopsis==
Within the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the Decepticons try to restrain [[Megatron (G1)#Energon Universe|Megatron]], in the throes of another mysterious seizure. [[Soundwave (G1)#Energon Universe|Soundwave]] is greatly concerned to hear that this is not the first time…

''Megatron pleads with [[Dezimir]] to release him from the endless trials, but the [[Quintesson]] [[Quintesson Prosecutor|Prosecutor]] refuses, and insists Megatron assume his pistol mode. Megatron refuses; as Dezimir tears Megatron to pieces, the mysterious voice of Dezimir’s master inquires: “You '''forsake''' my gift?” Megatron explains that his gun mode failed to control [[Starscream (G1)#Energon Universe|Starscream]] at a crucial moment, so he will never rely on it again. Dezimir’s unseen master reiterates; Megatron is to ''serve''. He carries within him the [[Matrix of Oppression]]; a wellspring of power and rage sourced from the life force of prior Decepticon leaders, who in turn feed off of Megatron’s strength. Megatron fights his way through over three thousand more trials, until the ten thousandth; he’s had enough and finally accepts the terms.''

''Suddenly finding himself in a wasteland, Megatron approaches a building shaped like the Decepticon [[insignia]]. Within the base, he finds the master of Dezimir and the Matrix of Oppression: [[The Fallen|Megatronus]]. Megatronus offers the Decepticon leader a choice, between the only two options there are at this point: oblivion, or servitude. Reluctantly, Megatron chooses servitude.''

Within the ''Nemesis'', Megatron collapses, and mysterious crystals begin breaking through from within his body…

==Featured Characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks or dream form. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c2=
* [[Soundwave (G1)#Energon Universe|Soundwave]] (1)
* [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] (2)
* [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (3)
* [[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (4)
* [[Megatron (G1)#Energon Universe|Megatron]] (5)
* [[Skywarp (G1)#Energon Universe|Skywarp]] (6)
* [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (7)
* [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]] (8)
* [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] (9)
* ''[[Trannis]]'' (11)
* ''[[The Fallen|Megatronus]]'' (12)
* ''[[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]]'' (13)

|h3=[[Quintesson]]s|c3=
* ''[[Dezimir]]'' (10)
* ''[[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]]'' (15)
* ''[[Quintesson Bailiff|Bailiffs]]'' (16)
* ''[[Mechanokoar]]'' (17)

|h4=Others|c4=
* ''[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]?'' (14)
}}

==Quotes==
“ It is '''you''' who is flawed. You have not fully submitted to me.” 
“I was born to '''command'''. Not serve.” 
:— '''Dezimir’s master''' and '''Megatron'''

“ '''THEN BOW BEFORE MEGATRONUS.''' Bend your will to '''mine''' and receive the '''true''' power of the '''Matrix of Oppression.'''

==Notes==
* Holy—

===Continuity notes===
* We first learned about Megatron’s trials with Dezimir back in [[Transformers (2023) issue 19|#19]], which is also where we were introduced to the Matrix of Oppression, though not by name. Additionally, it was unclear at the time whether Megatron was merely bathed in its power or actually received the physical object; it seems he carries it within him.
** Of note: Megatron ended that issue with 500 trials under his belt before Dezimir’s master declared he was done. This issue starts with Megatron at number 6,353, and ends at 10,000. Yikes.
* Megatron had a seizure at the end of [[Transformers (2023) issue 26|#26]] and into the beginning of [[Transformers (2023) issue 28|#28]] (taking place immediately after #26). At the time, Soundwave was being held prisoner by the Autobots and was not around to see it.
* Megatron was first shown to be able to control those who wielded him back in [[Transformers (2023) issue 14|#14]].
* Starscream broke free of said control and shot himself in the head in [[Transformers (2023) issue 24|#24]].
* Among the Decepticon leaders seen within the Matrix, we also see…Trailbreaker? He’s hidden somewhat behind Straxus, but the head and the forcefield gadget are a dead match. Might this have something to do with Megatron devouring the [[Autobot]]’s [[Spark]] in [[Transformers (2023) issue 28|#28]]? We’ll see!
* The [[Thirteen]] have been alluded to throughout the Energon Universe, in particular Skywarp swore by the Fallen in [[Transformers (2023) issue 3|#3]], while [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Energon Universe|Optimus Prime]] saw a bunch of statues of them within the [[Matrix of Leadership]] in issues [[Transformers (2023) issue 22|#22]] and [[Transformers (2023) issue 23|#23]].

===Transformers references===
* The big one is The Fallen, AKA Megatronus, appearing in a design based on his original appearance in [[Dreamwave Productions]]’ ''[[Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|War Within: The Dark Ages]]'' miniseries. Having said that, it’s more likely meant to tie in with the character’s recent ''[[Transformers: Age of the Primes|Age of the Primes]]'' [[The Fallen/toys#Age of the Primes|toy]], considering the Megatronus name and the portrayal as an ambiguous prominent Decepticon leader of ages past.
* The other non-generic Decepticon leaders shown are Straxus and Trannis, both originally from the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|comic]] (US and UK respectively); Trannis in particular is using the design from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]] episode "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4]]" that was retroactively identified as him, since he was not visually depicted in his original Marvel appearance.
* The big honkin’ Decepticon insignia base comes from the episode "[[Enter the Nightbird]]", though there is was an actual physical building.

===Errors===
* Long Haul and Bonecrusher’s chests, as well as the latter’s legs, are colored purple instead of the correct green on the first page.

===Other Notes===
* Energon Experience: Presented by Skybound Executive Editor Ben Abernathy.
** '''Character Spotlight:''' Megatron
** '''Decepti-Can’t!:''' The other Decepticons were unable to physically restrain Megatron.
** '''Creator Spotlight:''' Ben asks Ludo Lullabi what his alt-mode would be. Lullabi answers a cargo spaceship, bringing stories from world to world while listening to ‘Prophecy Theme’ by Toto.

===Covers===
* '''Cover A:''' Megatron, by [[David Nakayama]].
* '''Cover B:''' Megatron with his Energon mace, by [[Daniel Warren Johnson]] & Mike Spicer.
* '''Cover C:''' Megatron profile shot, by [[Simon Parr|Pye Parr]].
* '''Cover D:''' The Decepticons flanking Megatron, by [[Manabu Yashiro]]. 1:25 copy incentive
* '''Cover E:''' Megatron close-up, by Ludo Lullabi. 1:50 copy incentive.
* '''Cover F:''' Megatron (noticing a pattern?) and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] in a minimalist style, by [[Patricia Martín Samaniego]]. Foil variant cover, 1:100 copy incentive
* '''Cover G:''' Blank sketch cover
* '''Gotham City Limit Cover A:''' Megatron on his throne by [[Tyler Kirkham]]. Limited to 500 copies.
* '''Gotham City Limit Cover B:''' Textless variant of above by Tyler Kirkham. Limited to 500 copies.

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover A.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover B.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover C.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover D.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover E.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover F.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover G.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Gotham City Limit Cover A.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Gotham City Limit Cover B.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisement===
* Explore the Energon Universe in ''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]'' [[G.I. Joe (2024) issue 21|#21]], ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 29|#29]], ''Transformers'' #32, and ''[[M.A.S.K. (2026 comic)|M.A.S.K.]]'' [[M.A.S.K. (2026) issue 1|#1]]
* ''Corpse Knight''
* ''Invincible Universe: Capes'' #7
* ''Invincible VS''

[[Category:Transformers (2023) issues]]

Simon Parr

2026-04-09T01:09:00Z

Cylasbreakdown: Always ALWAYS show preview, Cylas!

'''Simon Parr''' (sometimes credited as '''Pye Parr''') is a comic book artist best known for ''Judge Dredd''. He also worked on ''Petrol Head'', ''New Gods'', ''Wardog'', ''2000 AD'', ''The Vigilant'', ''ABC Warrior'', ''Button Man'' & ''Zombo''.

==Credits==
*''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]''
*''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]''
* ''[[M.A.S.K. (2026 comic)|M.A.S.K.]]''

==Gallery==
<center><gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 22 Cover E.jpg|
File:M.A.S.K. 2026 1 Cover A.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 1 9th Ptg Cover.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 2 Battersea Cover.jpg|
</gallery>
''[[:Category:Images by Simon Parr|Extended Simon Parr gallery]]''
</center>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parr, Simon}}
[[Category:Cover artists]]
[[Category:Inkers]]
[[Category:Pencillers]]

Simon Parr

2026-04-09T01:08:17Z

Cylasbreakdown:

'''Simon Parr''' (sometimes credited as '''Pye Parr''' is a comic book artist best known for ''Judge Dredd''. He also worked on ''Petrol Head'', ''New Gods'', ''Wardog'', ''2000 AD'', ''The Vigilant'', ''ABC Warrior'', ''Button Man'' & ''Zombo''.

==Credits==
*''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]''
*''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]''
* ''[[M.A.S.K. (2026 comic)|M.A.S.K.]]''

==Gallery==
<center><gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 22 Cover E.jpg|
File:M.A.S.K. 2026 1 Cover A.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 1 9th Ptg Cover.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 2 Battersea Cover.jpg|
</gallery>
''[[:Category:Images by Simon Parr|Extended Simon Parr gallery]]''
</center>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parr, Simon}}
[[Category:Cover artists]]
[[Category:Inkers]]
[[Category:Pencillers]]

Transformers (2023) issue 31

2026-04-09T00:47:27Z

Cylasbreakdown: *sigh*

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]'' #31
|prev=Transformers (2023) issue 30
|next=Transformers (2023) issue 32
|image=Transformers 2023 31 Cover B.jpg
|caption=Insert “I belong to nobody” here
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[April 8]], [[2026]]
|coverdate=April 2026
|written by=[[Robert Kirkman]]
|art by=[[Dan Mora]]
|colors by=[[Ludo Lullabi]]
|letters by=[[Rus Wooton]]
|editor=[[Ben Abernathy]]
|publication design=[[Andres Juarez]]
|production=[[Abigail Lee]]
|continuity=[[Energon Universe]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Megatron returns to the thrall of Dezimir, and discovers the identity of the one pulling ''his'' strings… '''

==Synopsis==
Within the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the Decepticons try to restrain [[Megatron (G1)#Energon Universe|Megatron]], in the throes of another mysterious seizure. [[Soundwave (G1)#Energon Universe|Soundwave]] is greatly concerned to hear that this is not the first time…

''Megatron pleads with [[Dezimir]] to release him from the endless trials, but the [[Quintesson]] [[Quintesson Prosecutor|Prosecutor]] refuses, and insists Megatron assume his pistol mode. Megatron refuses; as Dezimir tears Megatron to pieces, the mysterious voice of Dezimir’s master inquires: “You '''forsake''' my gift?” Megatron explains that his gun mode failed to control [[Starscream (G1)#Energon Universe|Starscream]] at a crucial moment, so he will never rely on it again. Dezimir’s unseen master reiterates; Megatron is to ''serve''. He carries within him the [[Matrix of Oppression]]; a wellspring of power and rage sourced from the life force of prior Decepticon leaders, who in turn feed off of Megatron’s strength. Megatron fights his way through over three thousand more trials, until the ten thousandth; he’s had enough and finally accepts the terms.''

''Suddenly finding himself in a wasteland, Megatron approaches a building shaped like the Decepticon [[insignia]]. Within the base, he finds the master of Dezimir and the Matrix of Oppression: [[The Fallen|Megatronus]]. Megatronus offers the Decepticon leader a choice, between the only two options there are at this point: oblivion, or servitude. Reluctantly, Megatron chooses servitude.''

Within the ''Nemesis'', Megatron collapses, and mysterious crystals begin breaking through from within his body…

==Featured Characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks or dream form. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c2=
* [[Soundwave (G1)#Energon Universe|Soundwave]] (1)
* [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] (2)
* [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (3)
* [[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (4)
* [[Megatron (G1)#Energon Universe|Megatron]] (5)
* [[Skywarp (G1)#Energon Universe|Skywarp]] (6)
* [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (7)
* [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]] (8)
* [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] (9)
* ''[[Trannis]]'' (11)
* ''[[The Fallen|Megatronus]]'' (12)
* ''[[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]]'' (13)

|h3=[[Quintesson]]s|c3=
* ''[[Dezimir]]'' (10)
* ''[[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]]'' (15)
* ''[[Quintesson Bailiff|Bailiffs]]'' (16)
* ''[[Mechanokoar]]'' (17)

|h4=Others|c4=
* ''[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]?'' (14)
}}

==Quotes==
“ It is '''you''' who is flawed. You have not fully submitted to me.” 
“I was born to '''command'''. Not serve.” 
:— '''Dezimir’s master''' and '''Megatron'''

“ '''THEN BOW BEFORE MEGATRONUS.''' Bend your will to '''mine''' and receive the '''true''' power of the '''Matrix of Oppression.'''

==Notes==
* Holy—

===Continuity notes===
* We first learned about Megatron’s trials with Dezimir back in [[Transformers (2023) issue 19|#19]], which is also where we were introduced to the Matrix of Oppression, though not by name. Additionally, it was unclear at the time whether Megatron was merely bathed in its power or actually received the physical object; it seems he carries it within him.
** Of note: Megatron ended that issue with 500 trials under his belt before Dezimir’s master declared he was done. This issue starts with Megatron at number 6,353, and ends at 10,000. Yikes.
* Megatron had a seizure at the end of [[Transformers (2023) issue 26|#26]] and into the beginning of [[Transformers (2023) issue 28|#28]] (taking place immediately after #26). At the time, Soundwave was being held prisoner by the Autobots and was not around to see it.
* Megatron was first shown to be able to control those who wielded him back in [[Transformers (2023) issue 14|#14]].
* Starscream broke free of said control and shot himself in the head in [[Transformers (2023) issue 24|#24]].
* Among the Decepticon leaders seen within the Matrix, we also see…Trailbreaker? He’s hidden somewhat behind Straxus, but the head and the forcefield gadget are a dead match. Might this have something to do with Megatron devouring the [[Autobot]]’s [[Spark]] in [[Transformers (2023) issue 28|#28]]? We’ll see!
* The [[Thirteen]] have been alluded to throughout the Energon Universe, in particular Skywarp swore by the Fallen in [[Transformers (2023) issue 3|#3]], while [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Energon Universe|Optimus Prime]] saw a bunch of statues of them within the [[Matrix of Leadership]] in issues [[Transformers (2023) issue 22|#22]] and [[Transformers (2023) issue 23|#23]].

===Transformers references===
* The big one is The Fallen, AKA Megatronus, appearing in a design based on his original appearance in [[Dreamwave Productions]]’ ''[[Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|War Within: The Dark Ages]]'' miniseries. Having said that, it’s more likely meant to tie in with the character’s recent ''[[Transformers: Age of the Primes|Age of the Primes]]'' [[The Fallen/toys#Age of the Primes|toy]], considering the Megatronus name and the portrayal as an ambiguous prominent Decepticon leader of ages past.
* The other non-generic Decepticon leaders shown are Straxus and Trannis, both originally from the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|comic]] (US and UK respectively); Trannis in particular is using the design from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]] episode ''[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4]]'' that was retroactively identified as him, since he was not visually depicted in his original Marvel appearance.
* The big honkin’ Decepticon insignia base comes from the episode ''[[Enter the Nightbird]]'', though there is was an actual physical building.

===Errors===
* Long Haul and Bonecrusher’s chests, as well as the latter’s legs, are colored purple instead of the correct green on the first page.

===Other Notes===
* Energon Experience: Presented by Skybound Executive Editor Ben Abernathy.
** '''Character Spotlight:''' Megatron
** '''Decepti-Can’t!:''' The other Decepticons were unable to physically restrain Megatron.
** '''Creator Spotlight:''' Ben asks Ludo Lullabi what his alt-mode would be. Lullabi answers a cargo spaceship, bringing stories from world to world while listening to ‘Prophecy Theme’ by Toto.

===Covers===
* '''Cover A:''' Megatron, by [[David Nakayama]].
* '''Cover B:''' Megatron with his Energon mace, by [[Daniel Warren Johnson]] & Mike Spicer.
* '''Cover C:''' Megatron profile shot, by [[Pye Parr]].
* '''Cover D:''' The Decepticons flanking Megatron, by [[Manabu Yashiro]]. 1:25 copy incentive
* '''Cover E:''' Megatron close-up, by Ludo Lullabi. 1:50 copy incentive.
* '''Cover F:''' Megatron (noticing a pattern?) and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] in a minimalist style, by [[Patricia Martín Samaniego]]. Foil variant cover, 1:100 copy incentive
* '''Cover G:''' Blank sketch cover
* '''Gotham City Limit Cover A:''' Megatron on his throne by [[Tyler Kirkham]]. Limited to 500 copies.
* '''Gotham City Limit Cover B:''' Textless variant of above by Tyler Kirkham. Limited to 500 copies.

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover A.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover B.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover C.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover D.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover E.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover F.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover G.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Gotham City Limit Cover A.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Gotham City Limit Cover B.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisement===
* Explore the Energon Universe in ''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]'' [[G.I. Joe (2024) issue 21|#21]], ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 29|#29]], ''Transformers'' #32, and ''[[M.A.S.K. (2026 comic)|M.A.S.K.]]'' [[M.A.S.K. (2026) issue 1|#1]]
* ''Corpse Knight''
* ''Invincible Universe: Capes'' #7
* ''Invincible VS''

[[Category:Transformers (2023) issues]]

Transformers (2023) issue 31

2026-04-09T00:36:31Z

Cylasbreakdown: Hope I didn’t forget anything

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]'' #31
|prev=Transformers (2023) issue 30
|next=Transformers (2023) issue 32
|image=Transformers 2023 31 Cover B.jpg
|caption=Insert “I belong to nobody” here
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[April 8]], [[2026]]
|coverdate=April 2026
|written by=[[Robert Kirkman]]
|art by=[[Dan Mora]]
|colors by=[[Ludo Lullabi]]
|letters by=[[Rus Wooton]]
|editor=[[Ben Abernathy]]
|publication design=[[Andres Juarez]]
|production=[[Abigail Lee]]
|continuity=[[Energon Universe]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Megatron returns to the thrall of Dezimir, and discovers the identity of the one pulling ''his'' strings… '''

==Synopsis==
Within the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the Decepticons try to restrain [[Megatron (G1)#Energon Universe|Megatron]], in the throes of another mysterious seizure. [[Soundwave (G1)#Energon Universe|Soundwave]] is greatly concerned to hear that this is not the first time…

''Megatron pleads with [[Dezimir]] to release him from the endless trials, but the [[Quintesson]] [[Quintesson Prosecutor|Prosecutor]] refuses, and insists Megatron take his pistol mode. Megatron refuses; as Dezimir tears Megatron to pieces, the mysterious voice of Dezimir’s master inquires: “You '''forsake''' my gift?” Megatron explains that his gun mode failed to control [[Starscream (G1)#Energon Universe|Starscream]] at a crucial moment, so he will never rely on it again. Dezimir’s unseen master reiterates; Megatron is to ''serve''. He carries within him the [[Matrix of Oppression]]; a wellspring of power and rage sourced from the life force of prior Decepticon leaders, who in turn feed off of Megatron’s strength. Megatron fights his way through over three thousand more trials, until the ten thousandth; he’s had enough and finally accepts Dezimir’s terms.''

''Suddenly finding himself in a wasteland, Megatron approaches a building shaped like the Decepticon [[insignia]]. Within the base, he finds the master of Dezimir and the Matrix of Oppression: [[The Fallen|Megatronus]]. Megatronus offers the Decepticon leader a choice, between the only two options there are at this point: oblivion, or servitude. Reluctantly, Megatron chooses servitude.''

Within the ''Nemesis'', Megatron collapses, and mysterious crystals begin breaking through from within his body…

==Featured Characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks or dream form. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c2=
* [[Soundwave (G1)#Energon Universe|Soundwave]] (1)
* [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] (2)
* [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (3)
* [[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (4)
* [[Megatron (G1)#Energon Universe|Megatron]] (5)
* [[Skywarp (G1)#Energon Universe|Skywarp]] (6)
* [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (7)
* [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]] (8)
* [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] (9)
* ''[[Trannis]]'' (11)
* ''[[The Fallen|Megatronus]]'' (12)
* ''[[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]]'' (13)

|h3=[[Quintesson]]s|c3=
* ''[[Dezimir]]'' (10)
* ''[[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]]'' (15)
* ''[[Quintesson Bailiff|Bailiffs]]'' (16)
* ''[[Mechanokoar]]'' (17)

|h4=Others|c4=
* ''[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]?'' (14)
}}

==Quotes==
“ It is '''you''' who is flawed. You have not fully submitted to me.” 
“I was born to '''command'''. Not serve.” 
:— '''Dezimir’s master''' and '''Megatron'''

“ '''THEN BOW BEFORE MEGATRONUS.''' Bend your will to '''mine''' and receive the '''true''' power of the '''Matrix of Oppression.'''

==Notes==
* Holy—

===Continuity notes===
* We first learned about Megatron’s trials with Dezimir back in [[Transformers (2023) issue 19|#19]], which is also where we were introduced to the Matrix of Oppression, though not by name. Additionally, it was unclear at the time whether Megatron was merely bathed in its power or actually received the physical object; it seems he carries it within him.
** Of note: Megatron ended that issue with 500 trials under his belt before Dezimir’s master declared he was done. This issue starts with Megatron at number 6,353, and ends at 10,000. Yikes.
* Megatron had a seizure at the end of [[Transformers (2023) issue 26|#26]] and into the beginning of [[Transformers (2023) issue 28|#28]] (taking place immediately after #26). At the time, Soundwave was being held prisoner by the Autobots and was not around to see it.
* Megatron was first shown to be able to control those who wielded him back in [[Transformers (2023) issue 14|#14]].
* Starscream broke free of said control and shot himself in the head in [[Transformers (2023) issue 24|#24]].
* Among the Decepticon leaders seen within the Matrix, we also see…Trailbreaker? He’s hidden somewhat behind Straxus, but the head and the forcefield gadget are a dead match. Might this have something to do with Megatron devouring the [[Autobot]]’s [[Spark]] in [[Transformers (2023) issue 28|#28]]? We’ll see!
* The [[Thirteen]] have been alluded to throughout the Energon Universe, in particular Skywarp swore by the Fallen in [[Transformers (2023) issue 3|#3]], while [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Energon Universe|Optimus Prime]] saw a bunch of statues of them within the [[Matrix of Leadership]] in issues [[Transformers (2023) issue 22|22]] and [[Transformers (2023) issue 23|23]].

===Transformers references===
* The big one is The Fallen, AKA Megatronus, appearing in a design based on his original appearance in [[Dreamwave Productions]]’ ''[[Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|War Within: The Dark Ages]]'' miniseries. Having said that, it’s more likely meant to tie in with the character’s recent ''[[Transformers: Age of the Primes|Age of the Primes]]'' [[The Fallen/toys#Age of the Primes|toy]], considering the Megatronus name and the portrayal as an ambiguous prominent Decepticon leader of ages past.
* The other non-generic Decepticon leaders shown are Straxus, originally from the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|comic]]; and Trannis, using the design from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]] episode ''[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4]]'' that was retroactively identified as Trannis.
* The big honkin’ Decepticon insignia base comes from the episode ''[[Enter the Nightbird]]'', though there is was an actual physical building.

===Errors===
* Long Haul and Bonecrusher’s chests, as well as he latter’s legs, are colored purple instead of the correct green on the first page.

===Other Notes===
* Energon Experience: Presented by Skybound Executive Editor Ben Abernathy.
** '''Character Spotlight:''' Megatron
** '''Decepti-Can’t!:''' The other Decepticons were unable to physically restrain Megatron.
** '''Creator Spotlight:''' Ben asks Ludo Lullabi what his alt-mode would be. Lullabi answers a cargo spaceship, bringing stories from world to world while listening to ‘Prophecy Theme’ by Toto.

===Covers===
* '''Cover A:''' Megatron, by [[David Nakayama]].
* '''Cover B:''' Megatron with his Energon mace, by [[Daniel Warren Johnson]] & Mike Spicer.
* '''Cover C:''' Megatron profile shot, by [[Pye Parr]].
* '''Cover D:''' The Decepticons flanking Megatron, by [[Manabu Yashiro]]. 1:25 copy incentive
* '''Cover E:''' Megatron close-up, by Ludo Lullabi. 1:50 copy incentive.
* '''Cover F:''' Megatron (noticing a pattern?) and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] in a minimalist style, by [[Patricia Martín Samaniego]]. Foil variant cover, 1:100 copy incentive
* '''Cover G:''' Blank sketch cover
* '''Gotham City Limit Cover A:''' Megatron on his throne by [[Tyler Kirkham]]. Limited to 500 copies.
* '''Gotham City Limit Cover B:''' Textless variant of above by Tyler Kirkham. Limited to 500 copies.

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover A.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover B.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover C.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover D.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover E.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover F.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Cover G.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Gotham City Limit Cover A.jpg
File:Transformers 2023 31 Gotham City Limit Cover B.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisement===
* Explore the Energon Universe in ''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]'' [[G.I. Joe (2024) issue 21|#21]], ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 29|#29]], ''Transformers'' #32, and ''[[M.A.S.K. (2026 comic)|M.A.S.K.]]'' [[M.A.S.K. (2026) issue 1|#1]]
* ''Corpse Knight''
* ''Invincible Universe: Capes'' #7
* ''Invincible VS''

[[Category:Transformers (2023) issues]]

Transformers (2023) issue 31

2026-04-08T22:39:50Z

Cylasbreakdown: Created page with "{{Comicstory |seriesissue=''Transformers'' #31 |prev=Transformers (2023) issue 30 |next=Transformers (2023) issue 32 |image=Transformers 2023 31 ..."