[[Stock photography]] of the ''[[War for Cybertron Trilogy (toyline)|War for Cybertron Trilogy]]'' [[Rung (G1)#War for Cybertron Trilogy|Battle Master Rung]] figure. Inset shows stock render with cheek paint not applied to the actual toy.
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Rung (G1)

2020-11-03T20:02:03Z

Nosecone:

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{{disambig2|the Generation 1 Autobot|the ''Animated'' Autobot|Rung (Animated)}}
{{suite|root=Primus}}
:''Rung is an [[Autobot]] from the [[2005 IDW continuity|2005 IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Rungisolated LostLight4cvr.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|"Tell me again about your mother."]]

The Autobots have this, you know, psy-ops specialist. He's red, right? Orangey-red? And tiny? Basically defenseless? Does anyone remember his name? It's something like... Ring? Rong? Rang? Dang. It's on the tip of my tongue. He files these reports, you know, for [[Autopedia]]? He's written entries for each Autobot, from [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] to [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] to Red Alert again. As part of his duties, he performs the mental assessments of potential [[Wrecker]]s-to-be. He's very important. He's got... these huge eyebrows. You gotta know who this is describing, right? Collects and builds model spacecraft? Seriously. What's his name?

Oh, right! '''Rung'''! Thanks.

Or maybe Wrung. Who knows, really.

==Fiction==
===2005 IDW continuity===
{{first|[[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 1|''The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers'' #1]] (prose); [[Chaos Theory Part 1|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #22]] (comic)}}

[[File:MtMtEAnn2012-TheGuidingHand.jpg|thumb|left|300px|The popular depictions of Primus and the Guiding Hand that would later surface in Cybertron's history bore little resemblance to the genuine articles.]]

The robot who would become known as '''Primus''' was supposedly the first [[Transformer]] to come into existence, bearing the unique serial number of "000000001". {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}} One legend states that the original Cybertronian first learned that he could [[transformation|transform]] twelve million years ago, in the land that would one day become [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}}

In many ways, Primus was no different from the rest of the Cybertronian race that would one day come into existence, but was marked by several unique traits that no other Cybertronian displayed: he possessed supernatural durability, able to recover from even the most grievous injuries; {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} more importantly, however, he was able to manufacture [[photonic crystal]]s, which were able to indefinitely store the energies of a [[spark]]. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}} He was soon followed by a quartet of robots like himself, and together they would be remembered in mythology as the "[[Guiding Hand]]", each remembered as embodying an aspect of the Cybertronian race: [[Mortilus]], death; [[Epistemus]], wisdom; [[Solomus]], knowledge; and [[Adaptus]], change. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}} {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}}

[[File:LL-23-GuidingHandWar.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Behold the power of the Guiding Hand! Adaptus uses deadly laser blasts! Mortilus wields the Power Cosmic! Primus... has a stick!]]

Before long, [[hot spot]]s ignited across Cybertron, giving rise to the planet's first generation. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}} Supposedly, Primus delivered his [[Prime Pastoral]] on the site that would one day become the [[Crystal City]], and consorted with the [[Titan (group)|Titan]]s [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] and [[Chela]]. {{storylink|Origin Myths}} Primus's many titles included the "Celestial Architect" and the "Mechanica Divine", {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (1): Metastasis|Metastasis}} and the [[Primal Sacrament]] attributed the famous verse "Survive and Thrive" to Primus. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}}

At some point in the past, Primus used his unique [[alternate mode]] to weld together dozens of photonic crystals, creating the artifact that would come to be deified as the [[Matrix of Leadership]], which would in time, fall into the care of the [[Knights of Cybertron]]. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}} The Guiding Hand ruled benevolently for some time, even transforming the planet into a utopia, but tensions arose when Adaptus, worrying that their way of life would only lead to stagnation, sought to wage war against the races of the universe so as to encourage the evolution of their own species. Primus and the other members of the Hand refused, and so the treacherous Adaptus battled his former comrades in the event that would be remembered as the "[[God War]]", deploying a legion of experimental horrors from his base on [[Moonbase One|Cybertron's first moon]]. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}} {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (2): The God War|The God War}}

[[File:TheUnremembering-informationcreep.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Forget him not.]]

When it became clear that Adaptus could not win against his brothers, he retreated to his lunar base and readied a massive electromagnetic blast that would leave the population of Cybertron confused and disoriented so that he could flee aboard his retrofitted moon. Primus sought to absorb as much of the blast as he could bear; while he was able to survive the brunt of the attack, he was only partially successful: Adaptus had indeed corrupted the memories of Cybertron's population, introducing the malady known as "[[information creep]]" to the Cybertronian species, and the fallout from his heroic sacrifice would render Primus himself "permanently forgettable", his memories of his original identity now garbled beyond repair, and ensuring that nobody on Cybertron would be able to clearly remember him. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}} The robot that had once been Primus faded into the background of Cybertronian civilization, a quiet 'bot who began to study the science of psychiatry. {{storylink|Transformers: Historia|Historia}} Having some subconscious inkling that he was different from his fellow Cybertronians, the amnesiac mechanoid was pushed to psychiatry partially by a motive to understand himself. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}}

Legends of Primus's existence persisted, however; in many religious sects, Primus would become remembered as a mighty warrior-god, "the clenched fist that became the Guiding Hand", {{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}} by literally dividing his own essence into their being. Those same legends would come to demonize ''Mortilus'' as the evil member of the Guiding Hand, and the nature of Primus's final sacrifice became distorted by information creep—many would claim that, when the rest of the Guiding Hand had been trapped and deceived into giving up their divine forms, Primus had struck down Mortilus in their final battle, and the wounded god survived only by becoming the life-giving supercomputer [[Vector Sigma]]. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}} {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (2): The God War|The God War}}

[[File:Unicron-1-PrimusUnicronLegend.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A different version of the Primus myth hewed closer to the [[Primus#Toys|classic interpretation]] of the character.]]

Another story remembered Primus as the first Cybertronian, who supposedly duelled his dreaded "[[Unicron/Generation 1|opposite]]" in a war that predated the universe itself; in this permutation of the myth, Primus triumphed and became Cybertron itself. {{storylink|Last Stand (Unicron)|Last Stand}} Still another version of the myth claimed that Primus had created Cybertron at the dawn of time. {{storylink|Crisis Intervention}}

Eventually, the Knights of Cybertron left their homeworld, taking the Matrix with them, and in the absence of the Guiding Hand or their original acolytes, Cybertronian civilization descended into barbarism. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}} {{storylink|The Crucible}}

What became of the real Primus in this era is unknown; his influence was still felt, however, by the various primitive tribes that sprung up across Cybertron. One such group, an alliance of [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]s, commissioned the construction of the [[Crystal City]] to honor the ground where he had once stood. This would prove convenient for "[[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Onyx Prime]]", who painted a new flag to symbolize the alliance of the [[Thirteen]] and dubbed it the "First Face", claiming that it had been based off Metrotitan's description of the countenance of Primus. {{storylink|Origin Myths}} In time, however, a more secular culture would grip Cybertron, and fewer and fewer individuals came to see Primus and the other members of the Guiding Hand as concrete deities. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}} {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2}} {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost|Future Glories Lost}}

Some seven million years ago, the bot that had once been "Primus" re-emerged as '''Rung of the [[Pious Pools]]''', {{storylink|Little Victories}} a humble, unassuming psychiatrist who was content to remain in the background. Rung had indeed forgotten everything about his origins—even interpreting his serial number upside down, leading him and everyone around him to believe that he was number 100000000. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} Rung himself assumed that he remained so forgettable because of his [[mode attachment]], leaving everyone to get used to him. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}} [[Kup (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Kup]] counted him as one of his oldest friends. {{storylink|Zero Point}}

[[File:Stet-Rungwhistle.jpg|left|thumb|200px|They see me rolling...]]

Early into his new life, Rung was known to have lived in the [[Vinvissius Canals]] for a time, but left his home behind before they were redeveloped into the Vinvissisus Heights. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} {{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}} As [[Nova Prime]] took the reins of Cybertronian civilization after the [[First Cybertronian Civil War]] and began his campaign of [[Expansion]], he required a massive population boom to maintain a sizeable interstellar colonization force. Rung somehow found himself pressed into the task of manufacturing enough photonic crystals to house the vast amount of sparks "bled" from the Matrix of Leadership during the event known as the "[[Silver Harvest]]". {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} {{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}}

At some point afterwards, Rung forgot that he had been responsible for the creation of so many sparks, and, like most Cybertronians, came to believe that the crystals were artificially made. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}} During Cybertron's [[Golden Age]], Rung became an officially licensed psychiatrist, {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} opening a clinic in the city of [[Rodion]], {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet|Stet}} and by six million years ago his "Rungian analysis" therapy was already in common parlance. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} Though Rung was originally slated to join the crew of the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark-1]]'', he was recalled at the last second, as the [[Senate]] allegedly needed him. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} Rung was subsequently employed by the Senate as a patho-psychologist alongside [[Froid]]. Although Froid claimed that they were friends, they endured a heated rivalry, clashing over the proper use of personality adjustment treatments {{storylink|Births, Deaths, and Interventions}} and eventually culminating in Froid ''stealing'' a classification system of personality types from Rung, which he selfishly renamed the "[[Froidian Classification System]]". {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}}

During the subsequent reign of [[Nominus Prime]], Rung ran afoul of the [[Functionist Council]]. As nobody, not even Rung himself, could identify the purpose of his strange, seemingly-useless alternate mode, his mere existence threatened to undermine the tenets of [[functionism]], which held that every Cybertronian's alternate mode served a clear purpose within the [[Grand Cybertronian Taxonomy]]. After repeated, rigorous testing, he was forced to wear a false wheel on his back to "reassure" other Cybertronians that he possessed a useful altmode. Eventually, even the Functionists found themselves stumped as to what Rung's purpose could be and so the problem was neatly sidestepped by creating a new entry in the [[Grand Cybertronian Taxonomy]], specifically for Rung's alternate mode: they classified him as an "[[Ornament class|ornament]]". {{storylink|Little Victories}}

[[File:BirthsDeathsAndInterventions-RungFroid.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]

In 4th Cycle 499, Rung was returning to his wellbeing clinic when a time-traveling [[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]] attacked him with electric knuckledusters, knocking the psychiatrist unconscious. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet|Stet}}

In 51st Cycle 500, Rung traveled to [[Mining Outpost C-12|Croteus 12]] after a secret Senate session amended the law to require two signatures on requests for [[shadowplay|personality adjustments]]. His arrival interrupted the use of the procedure on the exiled revolutionary [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]], which had been approved by Froid. However, before Rung could assess whether he would countersign the operation, an underground energy surge prompted a complete evacuation of the facility. {{storylink|Births, Deaths, and Interventions}}

Shortly before the start of the war, [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] became one of Rung's patients. He'd stay one of Rung's patients for six centuries, his paranoia so bad it took ninety-seven sessions before he let Rung see his face, two hundred eighty-eight sessions before he told Rung his '''real''' name, and three hundred thirty-two sessions before he stopped recording their conversations. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}}

[[File:OmegasConundrum-Rung.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]

Once Zeta Prime rose to power, Rung served as a psychotherapist under the new Autobot regime. He provided literature and adjustment assistance to bots undergoing body augmentation or retrofitting, including the New Senate operative [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]]. {{storylink|Omega's Conundrum}}

During his time as an Autobot, Rung lend his psychiatric talents aboard a variety of starships, including the ''[[Ark-6]]'', and picked up a hobby of building models of every ship he'd served aboard. However, while aboard one of these ships—the ''[[Fateful Archetype]]''—Rung got too close to a patient, was subsequently found to be guilty of malpractice by tribunal, and ultimately disbarred... but when that ship crashed, Rung's supernatural durability meant that he was the only survivor. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}}

[[File:Fateful archetype unremembering.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]

Feeling that the verdict had been in error, Rung would continue to practice medicine; when he revealed the truth to Froid, the other psychiatrist eagerly used this dark secret as leverage against his rival. Their already strained relationship now officially severed, the last time that the two spoke was just after Froid used "his" system of personality classification to help law enforcement capture the infamous mass-murderer [[Sunder (G1)|Sunder]]. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} Froid disappeared afterwards while helping to transport Sunder to [[Garrus 6]], and Rung was left to assume that his old friend had died. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}} {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}}

After Zeta's death and the outbreak of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], Rung was present during a battle that saw [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] and [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] clash. {{storylink|Primacy issue 4|Primacy #4}} With his therapies now firmly out of vogue, and his reputation damaged, Rung opted to leave Cybertron entirely at some point before the planet was rendered permanently uninhabitable by the war. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} Long after the apparent deaths of most of his rivals, Rung would write papers but never distribute them. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}} At some point during the Great War, Rung would first diagnose the personality disorder known as "[[Primus apotheosis]]". {{storylink|The Plotters' Club (Part 3): Journey's End|Journey's End}}

In the present day, Rung was stationed aboard the [[Kimia Facility]], where he performed a psychological evaluation of [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] before his trial for [[Squadron X|unlawful executions]]. He ended up being physically assaulted and threatened with extreme violence if he tried 'putting ideas' in Impactor's head, but managed to calm the situation down. In the end, Rung was left questioning whether Autobot High Command shared the blame for Impactor's crimes for turning a blind eye to the robot's growing psychopathy. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Impactor's Autopedia entry}}

Rung later performed a pre-mission psych-screening on new Wreckers [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]], [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]], [[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]], and [[Guzzle (G1)|Guzzle]] to estimate if they were suited to be put on the [[Garrus-9]] case. Rung was unimpressed by Rotorstorm's unrelenting bragging and joking, and found himself cutting through the charade when he mentioned [[Simanzi Massacre|Simanzi]]. Taking note of his dual personality, Rung declared him cleared for mission. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 1|Rotorstorm's Autopedia entry}} With Pyro, he diagnosed the robot as an extreme sufferer of Primus apotheosis and noted with sadness that the robot was suppressing his own engaging personality for a copy of another's. He cleared Pyro with reservations, noting that apotheosis sufferers were known for sacrificing themselves. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Pyro's Autopedia entry}} With Guzzle, he cleared the 'bot as having personality flaws but no real psychological flaws, though he was unnerved by his disturbing habit of playing with his gun's safety. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Guzzle's Autopedia entry}}

When screening Ironfist, he was impressed by his enthusiasm and knowledge, but not so much by his actual combat experience and mentality. Rung advised against Ironfist's participation, but retracted his negative conclusion when he received 'unsolicited advice' from [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|an undisclosed party]]. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4|Ironfist's Autopedia entry}}

[[File:Chaos3-KimiaSurvivors.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|At least Rung's right there to treat any outbreaks of claustrophobia.]]
Rung treated the shell-shocked Autobot [[Flattop (Autobot)|Flattop]]. He discovered Flattop was a survivor of the [[Babu Yar]] atrocity, but that was not his immediate problem. What pushed him over the edge this time was an encounter with the [[Shimmer]]. Rung tried to give rational explanations for the appearance of Shimmer, but Flattop died right there in his office. {{storylink|Bullets}}

Kup, one of Rung's oldest friends, asked him to examine [[Springer (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Springer]] after a [[zero point]] affliction had left him in a coma. Believing that certain emotional triggers could cause Springer's subconscious to force his [[spark]] across the zero point, Rung asked [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] to read ''[[Wreckers: Declassified]]'' datalogs to him in hopes that the memories would have some effect. {{storylink|Zero Point}}

Rung was among the survivors of [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]]'s attack on [[Kimia Facility]]. He and the others drifted in a cramped escape pod for some time until they were rescued by [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]]. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings|Kings}} {{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis|Genesis}}

[[File:LiarsAtoD3-RungSkids.jpg|left|thumb|200px|This large panel is the source of 80% of Transformers-related shipping on Tumblr.]]

After Cybertron was reborn in the wake of the [[D-Void]]'s defeat, Rung joined [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]]'s crew on the ''[[Lost Light]]'' in search for the [[Knights of Cybertron]]. Before he could get on the ship, his arm was detached by a wildly flying Cyclonus. {{Storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} As the ''Lost Light'' took off, its [[Quantum generator|quantum engines]] malfunctioned, causing a catastrophic explosion and splitting the ship into two identical copies in different parts of the galaxy: one on-course and one wildly off-course. Due to Rung's unique origins, however, he was not duplicated along with the rest of the crew. The on-course ship, unaware of the quantum event that had taken place, took his absence to mean that he had been lost in the explosion. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}<ref>After the series concluded, James Roberts confirmed on [https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/1042520002132361216 Twitter] a fan's assertion that "the Matrix was 'lost' in the same way that Rung was 'lost', in that they couldn't be duplicated".</ref>

Aboard the off-course ''Lost Light'', Rung had his arm repaired in [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]]'s care before he was choked by an irrational and unresponsive [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]]. The psychiatrist managed to get him to release his grip when he reminded Whirl that he would go back to prison, forever, if he didn't stay in line. When [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] joined the crew, Rung informed him of their quest. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}} Rung later had a close call with a [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]], but was saved by Skids. Rodimus used the two to lure the Sparkeater—drawn by Rung's spark, the brightest on the ship—so he could defeat it. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}}

As a result of his almost never using it, the nature of Rung's [[alternate mode]] became the subject of a 100 [[shanix]] wager between [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] and [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]. An early blow in this "war" came when Swerve repeatedly threw a hand grenade at the back of Rung's head, hoping to trigger an involuntary mode change. {{storylink|Little Victories}}

[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], previously thought cured, returned to therapy shortly after the launch of the ''Lost Light''. Rung was concerned that all the progress they had made on Red Alert's rampant paranoia over the years was coming undone. Red Alert informed Rung that he was hearing noises coming from a crack in the floor of the Sparkeater's chamber. He gave him a recording of the noise which Rung vaguely recognized as a voice, albeit tremendously slowed-down. When they sped the sound up, the words "kill...me" could be identified. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}} His paranoia ratcheted up again, Red Alert confessed to Rung his fear of being an unactivated sleeper agent. Though Rung had his doubts, he indulged his patient, instructing him on to create "continuity errors" in his memory that would activate should any latent brainwashing be triggered. {{storylink|Last Light (issue)|Last Light}}

[[File:Rung FortMax Interiors.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"Wait! I'm starting to come down with Stockholm syndrome... handsome!"]]

Rung held a session with the newly returned [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Fortress Maximus]], whose mental state had been called into question after he had suffered torture and humiliation at the hands of [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] for three years. Rung urged him to open up and explore his trauma, to no avail. Maximus later snapped and went on a rampage across the ''Lost Light'', gunning down Autobots that reminded him of Overlord. Rung was in the middle of a session with Whirl when Max broke in and took them both hostage. Rung was bound to his chair and Whirl was overpowered and pinned to the ground. Rung tried to reason with Maximus, while simultaneously recording and broadcasting what was happening in his office through the microphone in his thumb. When Maximus noticed it, he tore Rung's thumb off.

As the situation dragged on, Rung continued to try and break through to Maximus. Max kept dodging the issue, pinning the reason for his actions on [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]]'s delay in sending help to [[Garrus-9]], instead of acknowledging that Overlord was at the root of his psychosis. Maximus then confronted Whirl, who told Maximus about his life. Rung expressed wonder at this, as there were details that Whirl told Maximus that he had never told Rung. Whirl replied that Rung had never threatened any of his friends, to Rung's visible surprise. When a holo-image of Overlord torturing him was projected into the room by Rewind, Maximus froze up and crumbled to his knees. Rung tenderly comforted him and the hostage situation appeared to be at an end. Unfortunately, a shot from Swerve meant to disable Fortress Maximus instead hit Rung in the head. A memorial service was later held for Rung, which Rodimus presided over. {{storylink|Interiors}}

[[File:RulesOfDisengagement-Rung.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

While the shot would have killed any normal Transformer, Rung's unique physiology meant that both his spark and [[brain module]] had survived, and the medical staff believed he might pull through: something Ratchet said was akin to a miracle. Later, after a visit by [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] and a horrified Swerve, Red Alert came to see the comatose psychiatrist. Believing that Rung's near-death was a result of the recording he had played to Rung, the paranoid security officer said he couldn't tell anyone else the truth he'd discovered—the voice was Overlord's, the sadistic Decepticon "strung up and sedated" in the bowels of the ''Lost Light''. Expecting to be killed himself, he left a [[data slug]] of his findings in Rung's hand and said goodbye. Unfortunately, a [[Diagnostic Drone]] had recorded Red Alert's confession, and summoned a mysterious figure who removed the slug... {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} After the ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s encounter with the Titan [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], Swerve explained his religious interpretation of events to the comatose Rung. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

[[File:PostHoc-RungsBrain.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"What have you done with Rung's Brain?"]]

After Rung's head was rebuilt, it took hours of patient work from [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] to get Rung to be able to distinguish between people and objects. Then it took Swerve talking for ''147 hours straight'' to get Rung to move again (placing a finger over Swerve's mouth). With Rung still locked into the fog of his own thoughts, {{storylink|Signal to Noise}} Rewind decided that they could help repair the psychiatrist's brain by telling him a story: hearing stories required the brain to use its cognitive functions. He assembled a group of Autobots who'd all been part of interlinked events and tried to use the story to kick-start Rung's brain. And then he tried again. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} Not knowing when to try a different tack and intending to finally talk to Rung about [[Dominus Ambus]] {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}, he then tried a third time with a group of 'Bots who had been involved in a chain of events during the [[Clampdown (event)|Clampdown]] and prompted them to talk about it. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}}

Rewind checked Rung again during the story later and still found no mental signs in him {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} and he still showed no signs when the story was finished. Seeing that Rewind was on the wrong track, Skids tried a simpler idea, drawing from the sheer number of connections the psychiatrist had made during his lifespan without leaving an impact on many. He deliberately got his name wrong several times in front of him, and an irritated Rung immediately said his name was "Rung. Forever." {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}}

[[File:CybertronianHomesickBlues-SkidsRung.jpg|left|thumb|200px|How much is the bill?]]

After being fully repaired and helping Brainstorm develop [[Holomatter|holomatter avatars]] that could reflect an Autobot's inner psyche, Rung went down to [[Hedonia]] for shore leave with Swerve, Skids, Tailgate, Rewind and Cyclonus, Whirl, and Ultra Magnus, who just tagged along. The group spent the evening between a bar {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} and a gift shop, where the sight of a memory stick caused the psychiatrist to remember his last conversation with Red Alert. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}}

After a violent outburst from Cyclonus saw the group leave the bar, Rung helped bring an unconscious Ultra Magnus back to the shuttle. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} Back aboard the ''Lost Light'', Rung shared Red Alert's concerns with Rodimus, but the ship's captain claimed to have greater priorities than immediately investigating. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}}

[[File:MTMTE22 Rung's alternate mode.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Maybe he turns into a PlayStation Move.]]

As part of the ongoing bet, Tailgate attempted to have Rung transform as part of an "alt-mode party", although the psychiatrist wound up simply bemused. When the ''[[Vis Vitalis]]'' contacted the ''Lost Light'', Rung was excited at the prospect of meeting its captain, the superlative [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]]. However, the famous Autobot wound up held at gunpoint by his First Officer [[Paddox]], who had been revealed as an [[Ammonite]] spy. Rung was instrumental in saving the day, allowing Swerve to wield his "ornamental" alt mode as a blunt instrument with which to bludgeon the aggressor. Rung was also interviewed by Rewind, as part of the documentary the archivist was producing. {{storylink|Little Victories}}

Rung visited Fortress Maximus in the ship's brig, where he forgave the ex-warden for the events surrounding the psychiatrist's near-death. Their moment was interrupted, however, by an alarm signaling Overlord's escape into the ship. In the battle that followed, Rung mostly watched helplessly from the sidelines. {{storylink|Under Cold Blue Stars}}

After Overlord's defeat, Rodimus was left despondent and angry, and made angrier when Rung, correctly, realised his problem was that ''others'' had stopped Overlord and not him. At the funerals, Rung's stern, silent glance got Rodimus to admit that others, including the poor, dead Rewind, had saved the day. {{storylink|The Gloaming}} Speaking truth to power got Rung drafted for a mission to the legendary [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], in pursuit of the missing Ultra Magnus: Rodimus needed someone who was willing to say things he didn't want to hear. After reaching the moon's surface, the group encountered a newly ignited [[hot spot]], but they were quickly chased away by a [[Titan Hunter|gang of mercenaries]] {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}} in the employ of [[Solomus|Chief Justice Tyrest]].

[[File:HouseofAmbus-Rung&Minimus.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Given his history, Rung should really know better now than to get involved in situations with angry poets.]]

The group was charged with "crimes against creation", and shoved into a cell with a guy called Minimus Ambus. Rung swiftly picked up that Ambus had the same mannerisms, nervous tics, and speech patterns as Ultra Magnus. Keeping his suspicions to himself at first, Rung tested his theory by wearing his Autobot badge at an angle and deliberately making a mess. Before long, Ambus relented and confirmed his identity, {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}} explaining that "[[Magnus Armor|Ultra Magnus]]" was an identity passed down through the ages. Confused by the charges against the ''Lost Light'' crew, Ambus left to confront Tyrest, whilst Skids, Swerve, and [[Getaway]] were dumped into the cell. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}}

Getaway revealed that he and the amnesiac Skids had been dispatched by Prowl to alter the unstable Tyrest's memories, and used his escapology skills to break the entire group out. Rung and the others confronted Tyrest, his deranged plan to kill all cold-constructed [[Transformer]]s and reach [[Cyberutopia]] revealed. Immobilizing the ''Lost Light''ers, the Chief Justice activated his [[universal killswitch]], {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} but was defeated by Tailgate and Minimus Ambus. Whilst Rodimus and Perceptor used the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to disable the killswitch, Rung comforted First Aid, who had been goaded into killing Tyrest's accomplice [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]]. When a final order from Tyrest brought his [[Legislator]] robots back to accost Rung and the others, Tailgate saved the day by amending the law at the Chief Justice's computer console. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}} In the aftermath of the battle, Rung met with Fortress Maximus in Swerve's, and the ex-warden revealed that he had been offered the role of Duly Appointed Enforcer of the [[Tyrest Accord]] by Rodimus and Ultra Magnus. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}}

[[File:IntoTheAbyss-Rung.jpg|thumb|right|300px|With goggles that thick, he could be a ''Digimon'' protagonist.]]

When [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]] and the crew of the ''[[Skyroller]]'' came aboard the ''Lost Light'', Rung was present for the 'welcome aboard' party at Swerve's. {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} Shortly afterwards, the ship quantum jumped beneath the seas of [[Hydrophena]] in search of Metroplex, and Rung was one of the crew members who disembarked to battle the [[Ammonite]]s who set upon the ''Lost Light''. The psychiatrist was able to split apart one "Minicon" combiner by striking its weak spot, but was immediately shoulder-barged by another. {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}} Eventually the ship's crew was able to rescue Metroplex and jump the Metrotitan and the ''Lost Light'' back to Cybertron. Rung was among the crew who met up with the contingent of Autobots and Decepticons fighting against [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]]'s machinations. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}} With the scientist's [[Quintessa (IDW)|Necrotitan]] defeated by Metroplex, the psychiatrist and several other Autobots took some time to relax at Swerve's, where Rung watched the bar's owner freak out over [[Blurr (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Blurr]]'s presence. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}}

The festivities were cut short, however, by the materialization of seventy billion Ammonites in the planet's skies, and Rung mostly spent the battle that followed looking on in horror. {{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} After the dust settled, Rung was present to see Optimus Prime and Megatron stand side by side, the Decepticon leader having declared his new faction during the climactic confrontation with Shockwave. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

[[File:WordsHangInTheAir-Nightbeat.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Nightbeat's wondering why Raiz drew it differently.]]

In the days that followed, Rung was in the crowd on [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]] observing Megatron stand trial for his crimes during the war. By the trial's resolution, Megatron was declared co-captain of the ''Lost Light'', and six months later, after the ship had resumed its quest, the former Decepticon attended a therapy session with the Autobot psychiatrist. Megatron spent much of the session evading Rung's inquiries, at one point changing the subject to the first time he encountered the psychotherapist, at [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] in 4th Cycle 496. Unable to remember this incident, Rung took the opportunity to segue into discussing a first-edition copy of Megatron's original autobiography, ''Towards Peace'', that he had been given by new crew member [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]]. Of interest was a dedication to 'Terminus' that the ex-Decepticon removed from all subsequent copies. The session was then interrupted by a brief black-out, and Megatron took the chance to end the meeting. As he left, Megatron revealed that Terminus was somebody who taught him "not to get attached". {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}}

Later that day, [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] examined a schematic of Rung's enigmatic alt-mode, {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} whilst the psychiatrist himself attended a screening of the [[Earth]] film ''{{w|Zulu (1964 film)|Zulu}}'' at Swerve's. The event was interrupted, however, when the ''Lost Light'' began disappearing piece by piece, and Rung escaped onto a shuttle. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} Eventually Rung and every other original crew member disappeared, with the remaining ''Lost Light''ers discovering that the ship's initial quantum jump had caused it and its passengers to duplicate. Eventually, the ''Lost Light'' and its crew were restored and its duplicate vanished. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

[[File:AllOurParlousYesterdays-RungRoller.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]

Not long after the ship's reappearance, Rung was at [[Swerve's]] when Brainstorm activated an electro-sensitive poison, knocking everybody who'd been drinking from the spiked engex vats unconscious. As a teetotaler, Rung merely wound up buried under a pile of his collapsed crewmates. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}} When Brainstorm, apparently revealed as a Decepticon, travelled back in time, Rung was recruited to the team pursuing the engineer into the past. Materializing in [[Alyon]] in 1st Cycle 502, the group encountered a team of insurgents and [[Outlier (group)|outliers]], led by Orion Pax, trying to protect a hot spot from Senate forces. Whilst the two teams rested, Rung was startled to discover that [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] was taking [[circuit speeder]]s to keep up with his Outlier teammates, and warned of their health risks. After helping save the hot spot's newborn sparks, the ''Lost Light'' team followed Brainstorm further into the past, {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}} to 4th Cycle 501, during the Clampdown.

[[File:Chaos Theory P1 - Rung starts the Great War.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.7|"Hey, I didn't order that!"]]
Rung was assigned to survey Maccadam's New Oil House in [[Rodion]], where he passed the time building a model of the ''Lost Light''. Unbeknownst to him, he was observed by both Brainstorm, who realized that he had been pursued into the past, {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet|Stet}} and [[Quark]] and Nightbeat, who bickered over whether the psychiatrist was a Senate spy or just a billy-no-mates. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} After Brainstorm time-jumped again, Rung's crewmates regrouped at Maccadam's to be sent even further into the past, to 4th Cycle 499. When the group split up, Rung was in the contingent that stayed at the bar, and was dispatched to fetch a [[curly straw]] for Tailgate. In doing so, however, he spilled a Senate cadet's drink. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet|Stet}} After refusing to clean up the spill, the poor 'bot was tossed across the bar, right onto [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] and Megatron's table. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory Part 1}} A bar fight quickly ensued, away from which Rodimus dragged the unconscious Rung. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet|Stet}}

Having realized that Brainstorm intended to kill Megatron, Rung and the ''Lost Light''ers pursued the engineer back to 1st Cycle 012, where the Decepticon-to-be had just been created in a cold construction facility. After Brainstorm was hit with a "grenado", Rung checked the facility's computer's and found that the rogue engineer had already wiped Megatron's batch code, and then spent ten minutes pointing his gun at the newborn. When Brainstorm pulled a pistol again, Rung was able to talk him down, realizing that the engineer was still conflicted. A short time later, the crew used Rodimus's "time phone" to send a warning message for their past selves, and Rung chipped in with instructions to not visit [[Delphi]] (though the message failed to reach its intended recipients). After the group returned to the present day, Rung visited Perceptor, who revealed that their actions in the past were predestined, already part of established history, and that tampering with the time machine might have lead to a multitude of alternate realities being created. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}}

Some time later, Rung was part of the group sent to investigate the holographic planet "[[Swearth]]" while trying to rescue a comatose Swerve, using his holomatter avatar. After enduring several wacky escapades, it was Rung who discovered that the three "roommates" who shared an apartment were, in fact, three diametrically opposed aspects of Swerve's psyche, and uniting them allowed a depressed Swerve's consciousness to reassert itself. {{storylink|The One Where They Go to Earth}}

[[File:MTMTE48 skids and rung.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Let's face it, Rung isn't Roberts' self-insert; he's ''ours''.]]

As well as helping on the ''Lost Light'', Rung continued to provide therapy to Fortress Maximus, who had left the ''Lost Light'' to continue enforcing the [[Tyrest Accord]]. After an encounter with the [[Scavenger (group)|Scavenger]]s, Maximus confided in him how he'd been thrown to discover some Decepticons had been a bunch of damaged guys and not complete monsters. Rung gently steered him towards changing his ultraviolent approach, noting that many Decepticons in the postwar galaxy were like that. {{storylink|Animals}}

While assisting Skids with reclaiming his lost memories, Rung was surprised to find ''Froid'' (who was supposed to be [[death|dead]]) visiting the ''Lost Light''! His rival wrangled a private chat with his "old friend" and began to mock, cajole, intimidate, and outright blackmail Rung to hand over all his patient notes. Even the threat of revealing he shouldn't be practicing therapy anymore wouldn't break Rung. Instead, Rung ran a sting and asked if he could 'help' with anything else while quietly alerting Skids to show up loaded for bastard. Unfortunately, it turned out Froid wanted the patient information as a way of feeding his "prisoner": monstrous serial killer and memory-eating [[Mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]], [[Sunder (G1)|Sunder the Tetraxian Ripper]]!

[[File:MTMTE48 creepy froid.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.0|Aaaaaand this panel is the source of the other 20%.]]

Sunder remotely accessed Rung's memories of the patients and broke out to have this all-you-can-eat buffet of repressed memories, starting with Skids. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} Rung had been recording the event and transmitted everything to Megatron, who declared the ship on lockdown. As Sunder prowled the ship, attacking anyone who hadn't locked themselves away, Rung was carrying Skids in a search for Chromedome, hoping the mnemosurgeon could stop the guy's memory surge. Froid tagged along and was brutally killed by Sunder before Thunderclash and Megatron could drive him back; when the monster proved too much, Rung saved Megatron with his ''ship collection'', all capable of flight and shooting!

Once the Ripper was finally stopped, Rung resigned as therapist: the transmission meant Megatron knew he had been struck off. When the captain tried to talk him out of this, Rung snapped that the only way you could defend what he'd done is if you thought his work was unimportant.{{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}} Sunder's brief mental attack would have an unexpected effect on the ex-psychiatrist: the mnemosurgical nature of Sunder's powers partially nullified the effects of information creep and reawakened Rung's old memories, giving him subconscious "inklings" of his original identity and purpose. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}}

The crew found a shrinking 'time window' in [[Swerve's]] that could allow you to look back in its past. Rung and Chromedome both went to look back at Rewind's attempt to fix his brain-damaged self, and Rung would have to gently remind Chromedome when it was time to go. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}

At some point after Megatron joined the crew of the ship, Rung had been asked by Getaway if he'd be willing to mutiny against the new co-captain, his mind then wiped via [[nudge gun]] when he refused. When Getaway and the mutineers made their move, they tricked Rung into leaving the ship with the other Megatron 'loyalists': a transmission was sent from the Necrobot's planet to draw them in. (A dying Necrobot, corrupting it in the hope of scaring people away, made it terrify them; Rung heard something he refused to discuss) The group followed the transmission to the planet and came under immediate, violent attack from the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] and [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] before learning the ''Lost Light'' was abandoning them. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} The Autobots holed up in the Necrobot's old house and Rung helped Rodimus run through their assets.

A cursory search of the structure revealed what appeared to be dozens of slumbering organics and the long-range teleporter by which the Necrobot performed his duties, but using the latter meant abandoning the former. Rung listened with weariness as Brainstorm argued for abandoning the organics, as they could do far more good for the world if they escaped but, after Megatron spoke in favour of staying, Rung stayed to protect the helpless. While preparing for battle, he and the others realized [[Ten]] had been trying to alert them that they could create a forcefield. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}} After Nightbeat <s>put in a polite request to</s> begged Minimus Ambus to be allowed to investigate the hollow planet, Minimus agreed so long as Nightbeat had an escort. Nightbeat chose Rung for his total lack of fighting skills. Rung was not amused. Despite the two promising to be back by sunset, they weren't, {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}} prompting Rodimus and Drift to question what became of them after the D.J.D. had been defeated.

[[Image:mtmte50 rung's funeral request.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

Rung was very close to raising his voice at Nightbeat when the two finally breached the last layer of the "crust" to find the hollow insides where Nightbeat concluded that the intense gravitational forces were playing havoc with their internal clocks... which Rung couldn't care less about, since an examination of the landscape, particularly an inverted pattern of the [[Vinvissius Canals]], led him to wonder if Necroworld was the mould into which Cybertron was poured. Then a [[geobomb]] showed up to ruin the moment. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}

Three weeks after the mutiny, the crew's last messages, including Rung's, were received by several parties on Earth and Cybertron. Rung begged them to dismantle him if he died in alternate mode and "put [him] beyond use". {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

When [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] tried to take over his mind, [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] used Rung's image as his inner voice to override the brainwashing. {{storylink|Last Light (issue)|Last Light}}

[[File:ModesOfProduction-Rung.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

While the geobomb appeared to be a dud, it took the crew some time to learn that the entire Necroworld had been shunted into a [[Functionist Universe|a parallel universe]]. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}} {{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}} Brainstorm teleported the pair back to the surface, where Rung asked to see Skids, unaware that Skids had sacrificed his life to help empower the other members of the crew against the Decepticons. The trauma of the sight of his friend's corpse caused Rung to involuntarily create a photonic crystal—and this reaction reawakened some more of his memories. While grappling with his renewed feelings of uselessness with Nightbeat, Rung confessed that he had a muddled recollection that he used to "make things", including the crystals.{{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}}

When Brainstorm had worked out a way back to their reality, Ratchet, who had encountered, and subsequently witnessed the fate of, [[Rung (G1)#The Functionist Universe|Rung's parallel universe-counterpart]] embraced the psychologist when he and the others returned, minus Megatron. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 6: This Machine Kills Fascists|This Machine Kills Fascists}} Rewind and Chromedome later took Rung aside to tell him the fate of his alternate self, and how he'd served as an inspiration for billions, much to the psychologist's shock and surprise. {{storylink|After Megatron (A Dissolution Epilogue)|After Megatron}}

[[File:Metastasis-RungRollerNightbeat.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

Part of the group that left Necroworld aboard [[Skip]], {{storylink|After Megatron (A Dissolution Epilogue)|After Megatron}} Rung tucked himself away in alternate mode to deal with the limited space. When Skip began to contract and tensions mounted, Rung reverted to robot mode. {{storylink|Sardines}}

Salvation, surprisingly, came from Ten, who dramatically spoke up and told the crew how to access the [[Warren]], a nexus of time/space tunnels that could take them to a [[Mederi]] facility. Mid-transit however, Skip's mass displacement gave out and the crew were forced to bail out. They'd come within spitting distance of the original Mederi however, and the moon repaired their damaged bodies and created an illusory world for them to inhabit as the planetary euthanasia clinic eliminated them one by one: presenting itself as the "[[Transformer afterlife|Afterspark]]", the ''Lost Light'' crew would "ascend" one by one into the next life, in reality dying as the moon killed them. Before they were all killed, however, Rodimus's group discovered the truth of where they were, and learnt that Mederi ''was'' the mythical [[Cyberutopia]], the Knights of Cybertron having fallen victim to the same trap that had nearly killed them. As the crew took stock, they were soon beset by the mutineers, now transformed into ravenous [[Sparkeater (creature)|sparkeaters]]. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (1): Metastasis|Metastasis}} {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}}

[[File:Farsickness-RungTransforms.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

When the mutated crew attacked, Rung lost an arm to [[Jackpot (G1)|Jackpot]] before being saved by [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]]. While a small detachment went to board the ''Lost Light'', the rest of the group barricaded themselves inside Ward Zero so the medics could find a cure to the sparkwater virus. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 1): A Dance Before Dying|A Dance Before Dying}} As they worked, Rung was drawn to the telepaths and their chanting, having memories of his past stirred up when the organics began "saying" Adaptus's sigil before counting down from one thousand. When the countdown concluded, a massive tear in the Warren opened above the moon. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 2): Lūstrāre|Lūstrāre}}

[[File:ReturnOfTheKing-Rung.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"That's what I'm sayin'. I. Am. Your. God." "Okay... turn this into a woman." "I'm serious!" "So am I!"]]

As everyone scrambled to evacuate, Rung stopped Rewind from touching a [[geobomb]] that had been teleported in before the ''Lost Light'' launched only to find that the ship could not match the rift's gravitational pull. Brought to the [[Benzene Cluster]], the group was taken prisoner by the forces of the Grand Architect. While in the cell, Rung felt that the Magnificence – in reality Epistemus – was calling to him, involuntarily transforming when he looked into its pupil. From the confines of their prison, the crew watched as the Architect's [[God Gun]] opened a tear between realities, and the Functionist Council began to invade their universe. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 3): Farsickness|Farsickness}}

When the Functionist Council made their way through, their version of Cybertron now remade into a massive effigy of "Primus", their forces immediately went to war with the Architect's. Megatron then came to the crew's rescue, via blasting the hull of the [[Worldsweeper]] they were trapped in, only for the Architect to seal the breach before everyone could be freed. Those who remained confronted the Architect, who claimed to be Adaptus. Though the claim was met with skepticism by all, the Architect verified it by identifying Tyrest as the new identity of Solomus and that Rung himself... was Primus! {{storylink|Crucible (Part 4): The Return of the King|The Return of the King}}

[[File:LL24 Rung's Last Transformation.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]

Being recognized and named subsequently undid the information creep; Rung now fully remembered his past, explaining that he'd been reading his serial number upside down. After demonstrating his self-healing abilities, Rung explained the truth behind the [[God War]] before Solomus attacked Adaptus, resulting in both their deaths. Back aboard the ''Lost Light'', Epistemus proposed Rung create three duplicates of the Matrix of Leadership so that [[Rossum's Trinity]] could be exploited to bring down the Functionist Primus. The crew overruled the suggestion however, noting the trapped civilians that would be condemned to death. Instead, a group brainstorm led to the idea of creating twelve Matrices, which would be opened at each of Cybertron's twelve hot spots so as to overload [[Vector Sigma]]. As the [[Omega Guardian]]s who controlled the device lashed out, [[Nickel]] smashed the Magnificence between her hands, and Chromedome and Rewind dragged Rung away so he could put their plan into action. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}}

Though able to manufacture the twelve Matrices, Rung was fully aware the exertion would kill him. Telling Chromedome and Rewind that they should be more forgiving to each other, Rung accepted his fate, taking a moment to recall his time with Skids before deleting his patient files. Once the last Matrix was produced, Rung's body exploded into inert sentio metallico, only his removed glasses remaining. When the Matrices were opened, they indeed overloaded Vector Sigma with the excess energy being shunted to Luna 1 where it reignited the hot spot to reveal a final message from the psychologist: "Don't Forget Me." {{storylink|Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers|A Spark Among Embers}}

[[File:ASparkAmongEmbers-dontforgetaboutme.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jlHz0wF0Ig Hey, hey, hey, hey, oh woah.]]]
Shortly afterwards, during the final battle for [[Earth]] against the forces of [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]], [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]] glimpsed Rung's spirit as he used the [[Enigma of Combination]] to send the strength of the dead to bolster Optimus Prime during his battle against [[Unicron's creator]] in [[Infraspace]]. {{storylink|Ceremony}}

Despite the best efforts of the ''Lost Light'' crew, Adaptus's information creep had proven too strong and Rung was once again forgotten; when Chromedome and Rewind explored the ship shortly afterwards, they were confused by the sight of Rung's old office. However, Rung's legacy would live on in another way: over the years, the generation birthed from his sacrifice, the [[Lunarian]]s, would take after their creator, with a remarkably high ratio of [[Point One Percenter]]s and a tendency to fade into the background of any given situation. {{storylink|How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2}}
{{-}}

====The Functionist Universe====
In the [[Functionist Universe]], where the Functionist Council had overthrown the [[Senate]] and seized control of Cybertron, Primus and the other members of the Guiding Hand were used to justify the various atrocities that the Functionist Council carried out in their religious pursuit of the perfect society: in the words of [[Twelve-of-Twelve]], if something was essential, Primus would've created a Cybertronian that turned into it. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}} A square in [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] boasted a building sized statue of the mythological Primus, "SURVIVE AND THRIVE" inscribed under it. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 3: A World Misplaced|A World Misplaced}}

[[File:Rung predestination an experts guide.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|We ''told'' you he was an ornament.]]

The Functionist Council were unaware that they had imprisoned the ''real'' Primus: still unable to discern the purpose of Rung's alternate mode, the Council kept him chained up in the [[Cog (facility)|Cog]], and assigned [[Quark]] to try and figure out what purpose he could possibly serve. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}} As a result of his unique position in a purely functionist society, a cult sprang up around him; Cybertronians who followed him defied the Council by modifying their bodies to better resemble the "Useless One". {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}} In the meantime, [[Six-of-Twelve]], who had taken possession of [[Nominus Prime]]'s Matrix of Leadership, came to believe that Primus was speaking to him, telling him to arm Cybertron for a coming war. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 3: A World Misplaced|A World Misplaced}}

[[File:AWorldDisplaced-RungAlternateMode.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|His is the drill that will pierce the heavens.]]
After two million years of torture and experimentation, it was the humble janitor [[Sweep (IDW)|Sweep]] who finally figured out his purpose after finding the photonic crystals Rung had unconsciously produced while under stress. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}} [[One-of-Twelve]] was not pleased, labelling Rung a threat to the [[Functionist Council]] and the unholy spawn of [[Mortilus]]. One-of-Twelve greeted the "Useless One" and pulled a gun to his head. Rung warned him that if he took the shot, the totalitarian regime would be destroyed and then proceeded to goad him into firing, {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}} so as to become a martyr for the [[Anti-Vocationist League]]. One-of-Twelve didn't take the bait and kept Rung under lock and key until the Council could spin his talent to their advantage.

Despite their initial controversy, the Council soon found a way to turn this sequence of events to their favor: deciding that Rung's existence represented Primus's endorsement of [[Reproduction#2005 IDW continuity|cold construction]], the Council decided that their ''own'' function was to spread their doctrine across the galaxy by annihilating every non-Cybertronian species, who served no function in the eyes of Primus. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}}

A year later, the Functionist Council announced [[Revelation Day]], a public event where the Council would publicly reveal Rung's "true" alternate mode and his purpose. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}} Fitting him with a [[holomatter]] drill and forcing him to undergo a torturous [[size changing|mass-displacement]] procedure, the Council revealed Rung's "alternate mode" to the public: supposedly, he turned into a colossal mining tank, one that would drill through the [[ununtrium]] wall that surrounded [[Vector Sigma]] since the war against the Senate. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 3: A World Misplaced|A World Misplaced}} By claiming that Rung had done so, the Council would be free to use his photonic crystals to jump-start the population boom required to raise an army in service of their plans, while misleading the public to believe that Vector Sigma would once again produce new sparks. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}}

Rung was teleported to Vector Sigma's chamber but left to the side in his alternate mode. Ratchet managed to return Rung to robot mode (causing the holo-matter treads to disappear and the "drill" to shatter) and he immediately told Ratchet to follow his instructions, {{storylink|Dissolution Part 4: Bad Moon Rising|Bad Moon Rising}} by pretending to hold him hostage so that Six-of-Twelve would release [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]]. Rung laid into the Council by mocking their own useless alternate mode, dubbing them the ''real'' "Useless Ones" before the group teleporting away.

[[File:ModesOfProduction-photoniccrystals.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.6|]]

Materializing in Iacon, Rung directed the group to steal the Cog which he intended to ram into Luna 2 to destroy them both. Along the way, Runge explained his history and the true intentions of the Functionist Council; when the Cog arrived over [[Kalis|Adaptica]], Rung locked in a collision course only for Rodimus to insist they save Luna 2 for its teleporter. Rung refused and said that Rodimus would have to fight him for Luna 2. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}}

[[File:ThisMachineKillsFascists-GiantRung.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|''"I WANT A TITAN CLASS TOY TOO, DAMMIT!"'']]
A single punch across the jaw was all it took for Rodimus to win the "fight" and gain control of the Cog. While Rewind scolded his captain, Rodimus came to his senses and ordered everyone else to evacuate while he and Rung crashed the Cog into Luna 2; however, The Cog was accidentally shot down by [[Terminus (G1)|Terminus]]. Emerging from the wreckage, Rung decided to enact his backup plan over Ratchet's protests to his health.

To the shock of all, Rung used the mass displacement generator the Functionists had forcibly installed in him to grow to humungous size (far surpassing even the Titans) to punch Luna 2 out of the sky. The moon simply turned its guns on Rung and killed him, sending him back to the ground at normal size and in pieces. Megatron and Terminus briefly paused to comment on Rung before they continued to the teleporter. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 6: This Machine Kills Fascists|This Machine Kills Fascists}} His fate and role as an inspiration to billions was told by Rewind and Chromedome to the Rung of their timeline. {{storylink|After Megatron (A Dissolution Epilogue)|After Megatron}}

Once they'd lost Luna 2, the Council built [[planetary engine]]s onto Cybertron and used their homeworld as their cosmic weapon. When the planet's lack of maneuverability proved an issue, they engineered a robot mode cast in the likeness of Primus. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 4): The Return of the King|The Return of the King}}
{{-}}

===''Kre-O'' online manga===
[[File:KreO-webcomic-6-Rung.jpg|75px|thumb|left|Insert appropriate [[Doc Brown]] sound here.]]
Rung directed a crane hauling a load of energy blocks into [[Metroplex (Kre-O)|Scramble City]] when the [[Devastator (Kre-O)|Constructicons]] attacked. {{Storylink|A New Menace! The Giant Soldier Devastator Appears!}}
{{-}}

===Transformers Facebook page===
Rung managed to get his own TV show, ''[[Rung Up with Rung]]'', in which he analyzed a weekly Cybertronian guest.

===''Generations Selects Special Comic''===
[[File:Volcanicuscomic2-Soundbarriers.jpg|thumb|right|150px|"The bourgeois human is a virus on the hard drive of the working robot!"]]
Rung was one of many [[Selector]] robots mass-produced on a future [[Earth]] using [[Angolmois Energy]]. In [[2050]], Rung realized his kind were little more than slaves and petitioned [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] of the [[Cybertron Alliance]] for assistance, comparing the plight of the Selectors to the ancient Cybertronians who overthrew their [[Quintesson]] creators. {{storylink|Volcanicus comic 1}} Not long afterwards, the Decepticons assisted Rung and the other Selectors as they rose up against humanity. {{storylink|Volcanicus comic 2}}

After the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] showed up to wreck everybody else on behalf of humanity, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] noted that they were programmed to never take a life. Rung was furious over this revelation and stated that this meant that, in the end, the Dinobots were slaves to the Autobots, a perspective which distressed Optimus. After forming [[Volcaticon]] and receiving the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]]' intelligence, [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] promised to the Selectors that he would use his intellect to find a peaceful solution to the rebellion. However, the [[Quintesson]]s, now allied with humans, interrupted any possiblity of talks by dropping corrosive gas bombs onto the battlefield, affecting Rung and those around him. {{storylink|Volcanicus comic 4}} In the ensuing chaos, Rung made his way to the [[Mother Computer]]'s underground chamber, where he witnessed the [[Quintesson Judge]] murder [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] and herald the eruption of Angolmois Energy from within the Earth. {{storylink|Abominus comic 1}}
{{--}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: Earth Wars''===
[[File:EarthWarsRung.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
Rung was introduced to Earth Wars as a M.E.D.I.C. bot. Rung can be equipped to another bot can boost shielding.
{{-}}

==Toys==
===''Generations''===
====''War for Cybertron: Siege''====
[[File:Siege Rung.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|thumb|The one true Tiny God.]]
*'''Rung''' (Battle Master, [[2019]])
**''ID number'': '''WFC-S45'''
**''Japanese name'': '''Autobot Rung'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''SG-40'''
**''Japanese release date'': '''[[January 25]], [[2020]]'''
**''Accessories'': 2 "Fire Blasts"
:Released as part of the ''[[War for Cybertron: Siege|Siege]]'' [[Battle Master]]s assortment, Rung transforms from a robot into a "cerebral circuit scanner" loosely based on his Matrix-creating alternate mode from the IDW comics. He comes with two translucent blue "Fire Blast" effects parts.

:Rung is the only ''Siege'' Battle Master that has a humanoid robot mode featuring arms but cannot detach his weapon barrel and attach to 3mm ports on those arms, his weapon "barrel" is his legs and his arms have no 3 mm connection points. He also cannot detach his backpack due to it being pinned in place rather than simply being held in a detachable plastic joint.

:In an undocumented feature, Rung can attach a fire blast effect to his chest in robot mode.

{{-}}

====''War for Cybertron: Earthrise''====
[[File:Rung.jpg||thumb|upright=1.66|I'm the God of Battle Masters!]]
*'''Rung''' (Battle Master, [[2020]])
**''ID number'': '''WFC-E14'''
**''Accessories'': 2 "Fire Blasts"
: Rung was later re-released in the second wave of ''[[War for Cybertron: Earthrise|Earthrise]]'', one of a handful of ''Siege'' toys used to "bridge" the two lines. Because of this, he and [[Smashdown#War for Cybertron: Earthrise|Smashdown]] are currently the only ''Earthrise'' Battle Masters ''not'' to transform into a shield. This version has a slightly lighter orange hue over the Siege release.

:Like all ''Earthrise'' toys, the cardboard back of the ''Earthrise'' version of Rung's package includes an exclusive cut-out collectible piece of a larger star map. Unlike most larger toy size classes, this piece does not include a named location. Sadly, if you already bought Rung in ''Siege'' but you want to collect the whole ''Earthrise'' star map, you'll have to buy another one. Or at least the package.
{{-}}

====''War for Cybertron Trilogy''====
[[File:TF-Netflix-WFC-Spoiler-Pack-Rung.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Red Rung... Red Rung...]]
*'''Ultra Magnus Spoiler Pack''' (Leader Unboxing, 2020)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''WFC-08'''
**''Japanese release date:'' '''[[December 10]], 2020'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 "Fire Blasts"
:Promoting the [[Netflix]]-original [[Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy (cartoon)|''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' cartoon]], this gift set contains "Battlefield Rung", a translucent pink redo of ''Siege'' Rung with new "Fire Blast" effects patterned after arcs of lightning, as well as a compound in which a buyer can dig to reveal energon cubes. Oh, and the lavishly-decoed ''[[War for Cybertron Trilogy (toyline)#Netflix|War for Cybertron Trilogy]]'' [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron Trilogy|Ultra Magnus]], but Rung's surely the main attraction here. The box's decoder sections contain the name of Rung's toy and key information that spoils the series.

:This set is a shared exclusive between online retailers and [[Walmart]] in Canada and the USA, and in Japan as a [[TakaraTomy]] Mall exclusive.
{{-}}

===Fictional toys===
[[File:Mtmte22-coverb-rung-toy.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Quite articulated for a G1 dude.]]
*'''Rung'''
**''Accessories:'' Data Journal, "ARK-1" Model, Tech Specs Decoder

:In [[Micro-continuity|some time-lost continuity]], Swerve tried to figure out a Rung toy. Its features included moveable eyebrows to alter the robot's expression, and a "Listening Mode". {{storylink|Little Victories}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[File:GuidoPrimus 1.png|thumb|150px|]]
*A psychoanalyst named Rung was referenced in the unofficial Transformers novel ''Eugenesis'', written by [[James Roberts]].
*The name "Rung" is a reference to {{w|Carl Jung}}, founder of analytical psychology.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/comics-16/tfw2005-interviews-james-roberts-175563/ TFW2005.com interview with James Roberts]</ref> The mention of "Rungian analysis" in [[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|''More Than Meets the Eye'' #1]] is a further play on this.
*Rung's longest suffering patient was [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]].
*[[Alex Milne]] modeled Rung's appearance on actors {{w|Brent Spiner}} and {{w|David Hyde-Pierce}}.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/notes/transformers/transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-vol-2-alex-milne-interview/395646703838863 Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye vol. 2 Alex Milne interview]</ref>
*Rung's Holomatter avatar is named {{w|Mary Sue}}, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the literary term of the same name and a wink at fans who consider Rung to be Roberts's own alter-ego.
*In [[Speak, Memory: Part 1|''More Than Meets the Eye'' #48]] we learn Rung collects models of ships he's served on. His collection has all the Arks from 1 to 9, as we know from [[Little Victories|''More Than Meets the Eye'' #22]].
*As with all non-toy Kreons, Rung is made entirely from pre-existing parts. It isn't particularly clear but it seems as though he's using Ironhide's helmet.
*An unexplored subplot would have revealed that Rung had been [[shadowplay]]ed into forgetting his ability to create photonic crystals; it would have also been revealed that said ability was the reason the Senate had him removed from the ''Ark''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s roster.<ref>[https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/1052268654493032448 Twitter conversation with James Roberts on 16 October 2018]</ref>

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Rung''' (ラング ''Rangu'')
*''Korean:'' '''Rung''' (렁 ''Reong'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://markerguru.deviantart.com/art/rung-colour-guide-253698917 Rung concept art at Alex Milne's deviantART]
*[http://markerguru.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=rung#/d471m8d More Rung design art, featuring an unused alternate mode concept]

{{Guiding Hand}}

[[Category:Battle Masters]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) Autobots]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]
[[Category:Man-made Transformers]]
[[Category:Primus]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron: Earthrise Autobots]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron: Siege Autobots]]
[[Category:Things that don't exist]]

File:TF-Generations-WFC-E-Battle-Master-Rung.jpg

2020-11-03T20:00:22Z

Nosecone: Stock photography of the ''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' Battle Master Rung figure. Inset shows stock render with cheek paint not applied to the actual toy. {{generations...

2020-10-12T15:50:58Z

Nosecone: /* Notes */

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Skullcruncher}}
:''Skullcruncher is a [[Transformer]] from the [[Transformers: Cyberverse (franchise)|Cyberverse]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Skullcruncher-Cyberverse-Boulder-model.jpg|thumb|250px|He got hungry and ate [[Grax]], now he's stuck in [[Croctobot]] mode.]]

'''Skullcruncher''' is a crocodile-bot.

==Fiction==
===''Cyberverse'' cartoon===
[[File:Cyberverse - The Judge - Skullcruncher Hungers.jpg|thumb|250px|left|"Why, the bayou's the best jazz school in the world. All greats play the riverboats."]]
Some cycles before the Autobots and Decepticons returned to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Skullcruncher found his way into the depths of the inactive [[Iaconus]]. [[Maccadam]] let him stay to keep out the "riff-raff".

During the [[Quintesson]]s' occupation of Cybertron, Skullcruncher attacked [[Perceptor (Cyberverse)|Perceptor]], making him lose an arm in the process. As Perceptor met up with his comrades in search of Iaconus' cloaking module, Skullcruncher secretly followed them before attacking [[Clobber (Cyberverse)|Clobber]]. Using the techniques they honed in the training simulation, the other Cybertronians freed Clobber and escaped Skullcruncher. He later made one last lunge at the intruders only to get smacked by Maccadam, send him running off. {{storylink|The Citizen}}

After the Titan's cloak was deactivated, Skullcruncher battled a horde of [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s and [[Prosecutor (Cyberverse)|Prosecutor]]s alongside [[Grimlock (Cyberverse)|Grimlock]], [[Alphastrike]], and [[Kup (Cyberverse)|Kup]], during which he let the latter hitch a ride on his back. {{storylink|The Judge (episode)|The Judge}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===Cyberverse===
*'''Skullcruncher''' (Ultra Class, [[2020]])
**''Accessories'': blaster, sword/tail

:The sole figure released in the 8th wave of Cyberverse Ultra figures, Skullcruncher transforms into a crocodile. He includes a blaster and his tail has a flip-out sword and can also store his blaster in beast mode. In robot mode, his energon armor gimmick can be activated which has an energon crocodile helmet flip over his robot head. The energon helmet has an articulated jaw that can open via a tab on the back. Like most latter-wave Cyberverse Ultras, Skullcruncher boasts a greater level of articulation than most figures in the same toyline.

==Notes==
*Skullcruncher's design is heavily inspired by his [[Skullcruncher (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart]]'s [[Titans Return (toyline)|''Titans Return'']] [[Skullcruncher (G1)#Generations|toy]].
*Though Skullcruncher lacks a faction insignia in the cartoon, concept artwork identifies him as a Decepticon.
*''Cyberverse'' writer [[Mae Catt]] referred to Skullcruncher as female during an online Q&A,<ref name="Q+A">"[https://shikai-the-storyteller.tumblr.com/post/613237429097365504/i-absolutely-didnt-go-back-through-and-edit-this Transformers: Cyberverse – Mae Catt Q&A Session (Unedited Edition)]", 21 March 2020</ref> but the character is identified as male by Maccadam within the show itself ("He snuck in here a few millennia ago...").
[[File:Cyberverse-Skullcruncher-01.jpg|upright=1.7|thumb|Retool that's not a headmaster.]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Cyberverse Decepticons]]

Skullcruncher (Cyberverse)

2020-10-12T15:50:45Z

Nosecone: /* Notes */

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Skullcruncher}}
:''Skullcruncher is a [[Transformer]] from the [[Transformers: Cyberverse (franchise)|Cyberverse]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Skullcruncher-Cyberverse-Boulder-model.jpg|thumb|250px|He got hungry and ate [[Grax]], now he's stuck in [[Croctobot]] mode.]]

'''Skullcruncher''' is a crocodile-bot.

==Fiction==
===''Cyberverse'' cartoon===
[[File:Cyberverse - The Judge - Skullcruncher Hungers.jpg|thumb|250px|left|"Why, the bayou's the best jazz school in the world. All greats play the riverboats."]]
Some cycles before the Autobots and Decepticons returned to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Skullcruncher found his way into the depths of the inactive [[Iaconus]]. [[Maccadam]] let him stay to keep out the "riff-raff".

During the [[Quintesson]]s' occupation of Cybertron, Skullcruncher attacked [[Perceptor (Cyberverse)|Perceptor]], making him lose an arm in the process. As Perceptor met up with his comrades in search of Iaconus' cloaking module, Skullcruncher secretly followed them before attacking [[Clobber (Cyberverse)|Clobber]]. Using the techniques they honed in the training simulation, the other Cybertronians freed Clobber and escaped Skullcruncher. He later made one last lunge at the intruders only to get smacked by Maccadam, send him running off. {{storylink|The Citizen}}

After the Titan's cloak was deactivated, Skullcruncher battled a horde of [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s and [[Prosecutor (Cyberverse)|Prosecutor]]s alongside [[Grimlock (Cyberverse)|Grimlock]], [[Alphastrike]], and [[Kup (Cyberverse)|Kup]], during which he let the latter hitch a ride on his back. {{storylink|The Judge (episode)|The Judge}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===Cyberverse===
*'''Skullcruncher''' (Ultra Class, [[2020]])
**''Accessories'': blaster, sword/tail

:The sole figure released in the 8th wave of Cyberverse Ultra figures, Skullcruncher transforms into a crocodile. He includes a blaster and his tail has a flip-out sword and can also store his blaster in beast mode. In robot mode, his energon armor gimmick can be activated which has an energon crocodile helmet flip over his robot head. The energon helmet has an articulated jaw that can open via a tab on the back. Like most latter-wave Cyberverse Ultras, Skullcruncher boasts a greater level of articulation than most figures in the same toyline.

==Notes==
*Skullcruncher's design is heavily inspired by his [[Skullcruncher (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart]]'s [[Titans Return (toyline)|''Titans Return'']] [[Skullcruncher (G1)#Generations|toy]].
*Though Skullcruncher lacks a faction insignia in the cartoon, concept artwork identifies him as a Decepticon.
*''Cyberverse'' writer [[Mae Catt]] referred to Skullcruncher as female during an online Q&A,<ref name="Q+A">"[https://shikai-the-storyteller.tumblr.com/post/613237429097365504/i-absolutely-didnt-go-back-through-and-edit-this Transformers: Cyberverse – Mae Catt Q&A Session (Unedited Edition)]", 21 March 2020</ref> but the character is identified as male by Maccadam within the show itself ("He snuck in here a few millennia ago...").
[[File:Cyberverse-Skullcruncher-01.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
[[File:Cyberverse-Skullcruncher-01.jpg|upright=1.7|thumb|Retool that's not a headmaster.]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Cyberverse Decepticons]]

Skullcruncher (Cyberverse)

2020-10-12T15:49:13Z

Nosecone: /* Notes */

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Skullcruncher}}
:''Skullcruncher is a [[Transformer]] from the [[Transformers: Cyberverse (franchise)|Cyberverse]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Skullcruncher-Cyberverse-Boulder-model.jpg|thumb|250px|He got hungry and ate [[Grax]], now he's stuck in [[Croctobot]] mode.]]

'''Skullcruncher''' is a crocodile-bot.

==Fiction==
===''Cyberverse'' cartoon===
[[File:Cyberverse - The Judge - Skullcruncher Hungers.jpg|thumb|250px|left|"Why, the bayou's the best jazz school in the world. All greats play the riverboats."]]
Some cycles before the Autobots and Decepticons returned to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Skullcruncher found his way into the depths of the inactive [[Iaconus]]. [[Maccadam]] let him stay to keep out the "riff-raff".

During the [[Quintesson]]s' occupation of Cybertron, Skullcruncher attacked [[Perceptor (Cyberverse)|Perceptor]], making him lose an arm in the process. As Perceptor met up with his comrades in search of Iaconus' cloaking module, Skullcruncher secretly followed them before attacking [[Clobber (Cyberverse)|Clobber]]. Using the techniques they honed in the training simulation, the other Cybertronians freed Clobber and escaped Skullcruncher. He later made one last lunge at the intruders only to get smacked by Maccadam, send him running off. {{storylink|The Citizen}}

After the Titan's cloak was deactivated, Skullcruncher battled a horde of [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s and [[Prosecutor (Cyberverse)|Prosecutor]]s alongside [[Grimlock (Cyberverse)|Grimlock]], [[Alphastrike]], and [[Kup (Cyberverse)|Kup]], during which he let the latter hitch a ride on his back. {{storylink|The Judge (episode)|The Judge}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===Cyberverse===
*'''Skullcruncher''' (Ultra Class, [[2020]])
**''Accessories'': blaster, sword/tail

:The sole figure released in the 8th wave of Cyberverse Ultra figures, Skullcruncher transforms into a crocodile. He includes a blaster and his tail has a flip-out sword and can also store his blaster in beast mode. In robot mode, his energon armor gimmick can be activated which has an energon crocodile helmet flip over his robot head. The energon helmet has an articulated jaw that can open via a tab on the back. Like most latter-wave Cyberverse Ultras, Skullcruncher boasts a greater level of articulation than most figures in the same toyline.

==Notes==
*Skullcruncher's design is heavily inspired by his [[Skullcruncher (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart]]'s [[Titans Return (toyline)|''Titans Return'']] [[Skullcruncher (G1)#Generations|toy]].
*Though Skullcruncher lacks a faction insignia in the cartoon, concept artwork identifies him as a Decepticon.
*''Cyberverse'' writer [[Mae Catt]] referred to Skullcruncher as female during an online Q&A,<ref name="Q+A">"[https://shikai-the-storyteller.tumblr.com/post/613237429097365504/i-absolutely-didnt-go-back-through-and-edit-this Transformers: Cyberverse – Mae Catt Q&A Session (Unedited Edition)]", 21 March 2020</ref> but the character is identified as male by Maccadam within the show itself ("He snuck in here a few millennia ago...").
[[File:Cyberverse-Skullcruncher-01.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Cyberverse Decepticons]]

Skullcruncher (Cyberverse)

2020-10-12T15:47:34Z

Nosecone: /* Notes */

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Skullcruncher}}
:''Skullcruncher is a [[Transformer]] from the [[Transformers: Cyberverse (franchise)|Cyberverse]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Skullcruncher-Cyberverse-Boulder-model.jpg|thumb|250px|He got hungry and ate [[Grax]], now he's stuck in [[Croctobot]] mode.]]

'''Skullcruncher''' is a crocodile-bot.

==Fiction==
===''Cyberverse'' cartoon===
[[File:Cyberverse - The Judge - Skullcruncher Hungers.jpg|thumb|250px|left|"Why, the bayou's the best jazz school in the world. All greats play the riverboats."]]
Some cycles before the Autobots and Decepticons returned to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Skullcruncher found his way into the depths of the inactive [[Iaconus]]. [[Maccadam]] let him stay to keep out the "riff-raff".

During the [[Quintesson]]s' occupation of Cybertron, Skullcruncher attacked [[Perceptor (Cyberverse)|Perceptor]], making him lose an arm in the process. As Perceptor met up with his comrades in search of Iaconus' cloaking module, Skullcruncher secretly followed them before attacking [[Clobber (Cyberverse)|Clobber]]. Using the techniques they honed in the training simulation, the other Cybertronians freed Clobber and escaped Skullcruncher. He later made one last lunge at the intruders only to get smacked by Maccadam, send him running off. {{storylink|The Citizen}}

After the Titan's cloak was deactivated, Skullcruncher battled a horde of [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s and [[Prosecutor (Cyberverse)|Prosecutor]]s alongside [[Grimlock (Cyberverse)|Grimlock]], [[Alphastrike]], and [[Kup (Cyberverse)|Kup]], during which he let the latter hitch a ride on his back. {{storylink|The Judge (episode)|The Judge}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===Cyberverse===
*'''Skullcruncher''' (Ultra Class, [[2020]])
**''Accessories'': blaster, sword/tail

:The sole figure released in the 8th wave of Cyberverse Ultra figures, Skullcruncher transforms into a crocodile. He includes a blaster and his tail has a flip-out sword and can also store his blaster in beast mode. In robot mode, his energon armor gimmick can be activated which has an energon crocodile helmet flip over his robot head. The energon helmet has an articulated jaw that can open via a tab on the back. Like most latter-wave Cyberverse Ultras, Skullcruncher boasts a greater level of articulation than most figures in the same toyline.

==Notes==
*Skullcruncher's design is heavily inspired by his [[Skullcruncher (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart]]'s [[Titans Return (toyline)|''Titans Return'']] [[Skullcruncher (G1)#Generations|toy]].
*Though Skullcruncher lacks a faction insignia in the cartoon, concept artwork identifies him as a Decepticon.
*''Cyberverse'' writer [[Mae Catt]] referred to Skullcruncher as female during an online Q&A,<ref name="Q+A">"[https://shikai-the-storyteller.tumblr.com/post/613237429097365504/i-absolutely-didnt-go-back-through-and-edit-this Transformers: Cyberverse – Mae Catt Q&A Session (Unedited Edition)]", 21 March 2020</ref> but the character is identified as male by Maccadam within the show itself ("He snuck in here a few millennia ago...").
[[File:Cyberverse-Skullcruncher-01.jpg]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Cyberverse Decepticons]]

File:Cyberverse-Skullcruncher-01.jpg

2020-10-12T15:47:01Z

Nosecone:

User:Nosecone

2020-10-12T15:43:56Z

Nosecone: Created page with "I'm a Technobot."

I'm a Technobot.