MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Wheeljack (Prime)

2013-03-06T01:00:44Z

Onicron:

{{disambig3|Wheeljack}}
{{factions|autobot|wreckers|hofsilver}}
:''Wheeljack is an [[Autobot]] and [[Wrecker]] from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[Image:PrimeWheeljack-HowToDraw.jpg|right|thumb|325px|"I'm here to build gizmos and be a badass loner, and I'm all out of knowing how to build gizmos!"]]

'''Wheeljack''' is one of the roughest Autobots around. As a former member of the [[Wrecker]]s, he's seen plenty of action, and he's got the snarky one-liners to prove it. If there's anything he likes more than slicing up [[Decepticon]]s with his swords or inventing new gadgets to slice Decepticons in different ways, it's hanging with his old buddy, [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (who calls him '''Jackie''').

Wheeljack doubts [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]]'s leadership capabilities, believing he's more of a stuffy old figurehead than a warrior. Wheeljack also chafes under too much supervision. That's why he usually takes off shortly after he's arrived. He'd rather be on his own.

{{bigquote|If you're trying to ruin my day, you're gonna have to try harder.|Wheeljack|"[[Con Job]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Aligned novels===
Wheeljack was a member of the Wreckers black ops. After the [[Great Exodus]], the Autobots remaining on Cybertron encountered the inventor and engineer wandering outside [[Crystal City]]. They took him in, with [[Alpha Trion (Prime)|Alpha Trion]] theorizing that he had escaped from [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]'s facilities there. Wheeljack proceeded to equip the resistance with new gadgets and weaponry, but his true loyalty remained to science, rather than the Autobots.

Eventually, Wheeljack, along with [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] and [[Springer (WFC)|Springer]] approached Alpha Trion to propose re-creating [[space bridge]] technology on a personal scale, and using the energies from the space bridge explosion to trace the locations of the vanished ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'' and ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]''. The project proceeded, and the inventor was able to find a way of opening a brief passageway through space-time, utilising the remaining energies of the [[Well of All Sparks]] and the damaged consciousness of [[Vector Sigma]]. Wheeljack suggested they send a message of some sort through the gateway to [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]], but Alpha Trion advocated sending an actual bot. Eventually, the Autobot called [[Chaindrive]] was sent, equipped with a device to track the [[Matrix of Leadership]], a piece of the [[Blades of Time]], and a warning for Optimus regarding the [[Requiem Blaster (Prime)|Requiem Blaster]]. {{Storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[James Horan]] (English), [[Yūki Tai]] (Japanese)|[[Lorenzo Scattorin]] (Italian), [[Dennis Schmidt-Foß]] (German), [[Ricardo Sawaya]] (Brazilian Portuguese)}}
[[Image:ConJob-Wheeljackgun.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"[[Vehicon (Prime)|Steve]]! I built a machine that builds guns that shoot Vehicons. Come see!"]]

Wheeljack was a member of the [[Wrecker]]s alongside [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]], {{storylink|Con Job}} [[Impactor (Prime)|Impactor]], [[Roadbuster (Prime)|Roadbuster]], [[Rotorstorm (Prime)|Rotorstorm]], [[Seaspray (Prime)|Seaspray]] and [[Pyro (Prime)|Pyro]]. {{storylink|Loose Cannons}} He took part in an unnamed battle where he and Bulkhead became surrounded by Decepticons and low on Energon. However, Wheeljack threw a grenade into a smelter, causing it to explode and take out the attackers.{{storylink|Con Job}} Him and Bulkhead also had an altercation on [[Sandokan]].{{storylink|Loose Cannons}}. However, early on in the war, Bulkhead left the Wreckers to join [[Team Prime]] while Wheeljack continued to serve in the Wreckers. Wheeljack took part in the Battle of [[Darkmount]] Pass, where he took out a group of Decepticons to get the Wreckers across a smelting pit. When [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] went dark, he began traveling the stars alone in the ''[[Jackhammer (Prime)|Jackhammer]]''. {{storylink|Con Job}}

Eventually he reached [[Earth]]'s [[Solar System]] and was hailed by the Autobots stationed there, including Bulkhead. As he was coming in to land at the coordinates provided by [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]], his ship was attacked and shot down by [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]]. Wheeljack emerged from the ''Jackhammer'' and proceeded to trash the Decepticons, but was eventually overwhelmed and taken back to the ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'' where he was imprisoned. He was amused to find that [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] was in command of the Decepticons, and almost goaded Starscream into killing him.

[[Image:ConJob-Wheeljackswords.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Wheeljack: determined to make [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] redundant.]]

An opportunity allowed him to kill his guard and break free from his bonds. He scaled to the top of the ship, where Starscream was waiting for [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]], who'd taken on Wheeljack's appearance, to open the Autobot [[GroundBridge]]. Wheeljack smashed a bunch of Vehicons and assaulted Starscream before escaping through the GroundBridge to the [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|Autobot base]]. There he confronted Makeshift and the pair dueled with swords until Wheeljack was victorious. Bulkhead tossed Makeshift back through the GroundBridge along with a "present" for the 'cons.

Though the Autobots welcomed Wheeljack, he revealed that he intended to return to space. He invited Bulkhead along, but Bulkhead was too attached to his friends on Earth to leave. Bulkhead was sure Wheeljack would return someday... {{storylink|Con Job}}

When [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] was trying to stir Bulkhead's memory after he absorbed the data from the [[Cybertronian data cylinder]] she mentioned Wheeljack, and showed Bulkhead the picture she took of them together before he left. Sadly, this did not jog Bulkhead's memory. {{storylink|T.M.I.}}

[[Image:LooseCannons Wheeljack fires back.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Who shoots first?]]
During his travels, Wheeljack made contact with fellow Wrecker [[Seaspray (Prime)|Seaspray]] only for [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] to destroy Seaspray's ship. Wheeljack chased Dreadwing to Earth where they battled near a gas station, which was destroyed in the conflict as [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]]'s team arrived. Filling the other Autobots in, Wheeljack found himself chafing over the need for secrecy. When Dreadwing called him to arrange a meeting, Wheeljack took Bulkhead to try and trap the Decepticon. The encounter instead left Wheeljack buried.

[[Image:LooseCannons Wheeljack undergoes repairs.jpg|thumb|right|250px|After Arkham City, Wheeljack Ryder gets fixed by a Doctor.]]
Once Optimus dug him out, he accompanied the Autobot leader to the port where Bulkhead had been taken by Dreadwing and attempted to remove the bomb the Decepticon had placed on his comrade. Eventually he was forced to concede only Dreadwing could remove the bomb, and he and Optimus played a gambit that forced Dreadwing's hand. Convinced to stay on Earth by the other Autobots, Wheeljack adopted a new alternate mode and drove off to explore the planet. {{storylink|Loose Cannons}} He also used the time to become quite familar with the location of key Decepticon Energon mines. {{storylink|Hurt}}

As the Autobots split up to retrieve the four new Iacon relics, Optimus told Ratchet that he'd need Wheeljack's help for the mission ahead. Remembering his past experiences with the Wrecker, Ratchet was naturally reluctant to go through with the idea, but Optimus reminded the medic that he would need a capable warrior like Wheeljack to watch his back. {{storylink|Triangulation}}

[[Image:Prime-TriageRatchet&Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|left|250px|After this, you wanna go build a [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]?]]
Ratchet rendezvoused with Wheeljack by the ''Jackhammer'', and they headed out in the ship to find the relic. Wheeljack quickly got on Ratchet's nerve by calling him "doc" and "sunshine" but soon encountered [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]]. The Wrecker engaged Soundwave in a dog fight using some fancy aerial flight moves, but against the advice of Ratchet, Wheeljack let Soundwave go and attacked [[Laserbeak (WFC)|Laserbeak]]. After a lengthy dog fight, Wheeljack shot the [[Mini-Con]] down, but the ''Jackhammer'' was also disabled. On the ground Wheeljack found Laserbeak and suggested planting a grenade inside of the Mini-Con to kill Soundwave, but Ratchet had a better idea: A virus which would download the entire Iacon data base into their systems.

While Ratchet set about implanting the virus into Laserbeak, Wheeljack went after Soundwave, soon locating and attacking the Decepticon. Though he almost got the upper hand, Soundwave hit him with the [[Resonance Blaster]], and Wheeljack barely had time to warn Ratchet before falling unconscious. Despite the damage, Wheeljack refused to return to base for treatment and instead set about fixing his ship. But before Ratchet left, Wheeljack finally acknowledged the doctor by name. {{storylink|Triage}}

[[Image:Hurt-WheeljackHardshell.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Wheeljack learns the ''hard'' way that giving Hardshell some 5-Hour Energy wasn't a very good idea.]]
Wheeljack was called in to the base when Bulkhead turned up critically injured. While he had full confidence in Ratchet's abilities, he decided to go find the responsible parties. Joined by Miko, he attacked an energon mine to draw out [[Hardshell]]. This succeeded, and Wheeljack left Miko in the ship while he faced the Insecticons. Unfortunately Hardshell was too much for him to handle, but as he was about to be killed, Miko interceded in the fight, blasting Hardshell with the ''Jackhammer''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> missiles. After losing the rest of the Insecticon swarm by throwing a box of grenades at them, Wheeljack welcomed Miko to the ranks of the Wreckers. The pair returned to base, though Wheeljack didn't want to see his friend lying comatose and left. {{storylink|Hurt}}

Ratchet held a grudge over Wheeljack's revenge stunt, and when Arcee suggested calling the Wrecker in to cover for Bulkhead, Ratchet objected. When new arrival [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] was integrated into the team, Bulkhead was hurt and said that they should have asked Wheeljack to replace him. {{storylink|New Recruit}}

After picking up the [[Omega Lock]]'s immense energy surge, Wheeljack returned to the Autobot base to find it under attack by Decepticon forces. He joined Fowler in attempting to hold the Decepticons off, until his ship was eventually shot down by Starscream. {{storylink|Darkest Hour (episode)|Darkest Hour}}
{{--}}
===''Tales of the Beast Hunters''===
Wheeljack was contacted by [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], who had located a potential cache of weapons in the [[asteroid belt]]. {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 1}} The pair soon blasted off in the ''Jackhammer'' {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 2}} and despite Wheeeljack's skepticism, found the derelict starship in question. As they were about to start loading up with weapon crates, they were soon faced with [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] and [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]]. {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 4}} Wheeljack was able to get a distress call off, resulting in [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] coming to their aid via GroundBridge. {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 5}} Prime was able to hold the enemy off long enough for Wheeljack and Bumblebee to make off with a number of crates. {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 6}}

==Games==
===Transformers: Fall of Cybertron===
[[Image:WheeljackFOC-artcloseup.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Never bump foreheads with this guy.]]
{{Note|Wheeljack does not appear in the campaign of ''Fall of Cybertron''. However, he does make an appearance in one of the Escalation maps and he is in multiplayer if the Havoc DLC pack is downloaded.}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===Cyberverse===
{{anchor|Cyberverse}}
[[Image:TF-Cyberverse-Vehicle-Wheeljack-Spaceship.jpg|right|thumb|300px|He gets all the ladies with this thing.]]
*'''''Star Hammer'' with Wheeljack''' (Cyberverse Vehicle, 2012)
**''Series/number'': '''2 / 001'''
**''Japanese release date'': '''[[May 28|5-28]]-2012'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''EZ-10'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 swords

: Part of the first wave of large ''[[Cyberverse]]'' vehicles, this smaller, simplified version of Wheeljack comes with two translucent blue swords, which he can hold using 3mm ports in his hands. These swords are also capable of storing on his vehicle mode's roof, although the downward-curving orientation shown in the stock photo at right is not actually possible due to a [[design change|change]] to how the pegs are arranged.

: This version of Wheeljack was only available with the ''[[Jackhammer (Prime)#Toys|Star Hammer]]'', in which he can be seated in the opening cockpit. In the ''Star Hammer's'' battle platform mode, Wheeljack can man one of three battle stations using flip-down handlebars (which also allow other Cyberverse figures to man them).

: In Japan, the set was released under the name "'''Spaceship Star Hammer'''", but there are no notable physical differences from the Hasbro release.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2012/Autobot/LegWheeljack/wheeljack.htm More information on Cyberverse Legion Wheeljack at TFU.info]''

::*''[http://higekumatoytoy.blog60.fc2.com/blog-entry-1543.html Wheeljack & Star Hammer at Alfes's Toy Blog]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Hyperspeed}}
*'''Hyperspeed Wheeljack''' (Cyberverse Legion, 2012)
**''Series/number:'' '''2 / 010'''
**''Accessories:'' "Gravimetric blaster"

: Part of the third wave of ''Cyberverse'' Legion Class toys, this version of Wheeljack is a single-carded release of the figure previously available with the Star Hammer vehicle, [[redeco]]ed as an [[homage]] to the "[[Marlboor_Wheeljack|Marlboor]]" ''[[Diaclone]]'' [[pre-Transformer]]s [[retool]] of the ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Wheeljack (G1)/toys#Generation 1|Wheeljack]] sculpt. He comes with a recolored version of the twin-barreled blaster that was originally available with Cyberverse ''Prime'' [[Bumblebee (WFC)#Cyberverse|Bumblebee]] and [[Arcee (Prime)#Cyberverse|Arcee]]. The weapon in the same color is also used by Cyberverse [[Tailgate (Prime)#Cyberverse|Tailgate]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2012/Autobot/LegHWheeljack/wheeljack.htm More information on Hyperspeed Wheeljack at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Prime===
{{anchor|Deluxe}}
[[Image:PrimeRIDtoy-WheeljackDeluxe.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Let's see how many different Deluxe Wheeljacks we can find on pegs in 2012.]]
[[Image:Primetoy-TakaraTomy-WheeljackArmsMicron.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Just when you thought you were going to escape this page without a reference to ''[[Phil LaMarr|Samurai Jack]]''...]]
*'''Wheeljack''' (Deluxe, 2012)
**''Series/number:'' '''1 / 003'''
**''Japanese release date'': '''[[October 27|10-27]]-2012'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''AM-23'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 swords, Arms Micron "Ooje" (TakaraTomy only)

: Part of the first wave of ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Robots in Disguise (2012)|Prime: Robots in Disguise]]'' Deluxe Class toys, Wheeljack transforms into a modified [http://www.new-stratos.com/en/#/downloads 2011 Lancia New Stratos Concept]. He comes with two swords which can stow underneath the vehicle or attach under the front bumper to create an attack mode. In robot mode, Wheeljack can either hold the swords, stow them on his shoulders (both via [[5mm post]]), or they can be inserted into slots near his wings. Surprisingly, there are no Autobot insignias on Wheeljack whatsoever.

: In wave six of the ''Prime'' toyline, Wheeljack was put into new packaging, which came with a DVD featuring the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)| Prime]]'' episode, "[[Loose Cannons]]".

: The TakaraTomy version of Wheeljack, part of the seventh wave of the Japanese ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|Prime]]'' toyline, has some significant differences from the Hasbro release. He features a warmer shade of white plastic, his warm light-gray plastics are darker and cooler, his cool-gray plastics are lighter and warmer, his wings, knee spikes, and swords are cast in a much softer plastic, and many of his [[paint operation]]s have been dropped in favor of customer-applied foil [[sticker]]s from a separate sheet. (This also gives him some Autobot insignias in the process.) As part of the [[Arms Micron]] gimmick, he has also been [[retool]]ed with extra 5mm posts and holes on his spoiler and hood/legs, respectively. Unlike other Arms Micron releases, Wheeljack retains his original twin sword accessories, albeit unpainted and cast in a cooler shade of gray, and he additionally comes with his Arms Micron partner, [[Ooje#Prime|Ooje]], who transforms from a humanoid robot into... a rather bulky weapon that vaguely sort-of resembles his normal sword, if you squint.

: This mold was [[redeco]]ed and retooled into [[Dead End (WFC)|Dead End]] and [[Wildrider (Prime)|Wildrider]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2012/Autobot/Wheeljack/wheeljack.htm More information on ''Robots in Disguise'' Wheeljack at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|DarkEnergon}}
[[Image:PrimeDEtoy-Wheeljack.jpg|right|thumb|300px|He's here to [[Slicer|slice]] and dice.]]
*'''Wheeljack''' (Dark Energon Series Deluxe, 2012)
**''Number'': '''002'''
**''Accessories'': Two battle swords

: ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Dark Energon Series|Prime: Dark Energon]]'' Wheeljack is a [[BigBadToyStore]]-exclusive redeco of Deluxe Class Wheeljack, and is cast in translucent-blue, gray, and black plastics with copper and red accents, as an [[homage]] to [[Slicer]].

: Though he was packaged on an individual card, he was initially sold as part of a set with the Dark Energon versions of [[Bumblebee (WFC)#DarkEnergon|Bumblebee]], [[Starscream (WFC)#DarkEnergon|Starscream]], and [[Knock Out (Prime)#DarkEnergon|Knock Out]]. He was eventually made available on his own, and the Dark Energon Series toys were eventually made available in Singapore as mass-retail releases.

{{-}}

===Beast Hunters===
{{anchor|BHDeluxe}}
[[Image:PrimeBeastHunterstoy-Wheeljack.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Mmm, prestige classes...]]
*'''Wheeljack''' (Deluxe, 2013)
**''Series / Number'': '''2 / 004'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''G16'''
**''Accessories'': Falcon Spear, disc
: Part of the first wave of ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|Prime:]] [[Beast Hunters]]'' Deluxe Class toys, Wheeljack is a redeco and an extensive [[retool]] of "Robots in Disguise" Wheeljack, transforming from a spiky, heavily modified 2011 Lancia New Stratos. He features a scaly, spiky dragon "spine" on his vehicle rear/robot back, and his wings are now larger and more elaborate. The two peg-holes on his rear sides have been removed, and he gains a peg-hole on his roof. The special tabs at the front of the vehicle, used to mount the swords he no longer has, are still present and functional.

:He now comes with the "Falcon Spear", a large pole-arm he can wield with both hands. The spearhead is sculpted to resemble a dragon's head, and can launch a disc via pressure launch when in spear mode. The spear can fold up and store on his back/roof, and the disc can be pulled open for some reason.

:His instructions include the [[Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 4|fourth chapter]] of the ''[[Tales of the Beast Hunters]]'' series.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2013/Autobot/Wheeljack/wheeljack.htm More information on ''Beast Hunters'' Wheeljack at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

==Notes==
*At [[BotCon 2011]], it was stated Wheeljack is meant to be a mechanic as with other incarnations, but it has yet to be mentioned or shown in-series.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=79724 Botcon 2011 Transformers Prime Panel!] on the AllSpark</ref>
**However it is interesting to note that if one does math, after Ratchet returned to base in "Triage", Bulkhead came through a few seconds later. When Arcee, Bumblebee, and the kids return from New York, Ratchet is just reviving him. A short while after Optimus returns, Arcee has contacted Wheeljack and Agent Fowler has yet to leave. Wheeljack arrives shortly after Fowler and Miko leave. So it's a possibility that Wheeljack repaired the Jackhammer in 3 hours or '''20 minutes'''. How's that for a mechanic?
* Wheeljack's "one grenade, one shot" strategy is hinted at by the fact that he does carry a single grenade on his hip.
* The Japanese dub of ''Prime'' gives Wheeljack a traditional samurai speech pattern to go with his swords.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Prime Autobots]]
[[Category:Wreckers]]
[[Category:Fall of Cybertron Autobots]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame]]

Revelations Part III: Apocalypse

2013-01-06T21:16:13Z

Onicron:

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=9
|title="Revelations Part III: Apocalypse"
|image=Revelations3 Rhinox vision.jpg
|caption="OH GOD I'M IN WALES"
|airdate=[[November 13]], 1999
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[George Samilski]]
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuty=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''Nightscream pursues Jetstorm, who has captured Blackarachnia's spark; meanwhile, Optimus and Rhinox have a heart to heart.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Jetstorm with extractor.jpg|left|200px|thumb|He's a spark-breaker, he's a spark-taker...]]
[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] stands over [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]'s body, holding her [[spark]], as [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] looks on in anguish. Gloating, the [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]] transforms and flies off with the spark, and Nightscream sets off in pursuit. Watching them go, [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] then eyes Blackarachnia's body.

Meanwhile, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] is skeptical of [[Rattrap]]'s theory that [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] is [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], due to the vast difference in intellect. The pair resolve to try to reach Rhinox's consciousness.

Below ground, [[Optimus Primal]] tells the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] that he doesn't understand the visions he's had... and is promptly granted another vision. Walking in a field, he sees plants with his fellow [[Maximal|Maximals]]' faces on them, and is attacked by metal tentacles. The tentacles turn the plants to metal, and Optimus Primal's friends cry that he has failed them.

[[Image:Revelations3 Tankor cutting.jpg|right|200px|thumb|]]
Tankor regains consciousness and Cheetor cautiously inquires whether Rhinox is in control. Although for a moment it seems as though Tankor's Maximal side is reasserting itself, he writhes in pain and reverts to his "TANKOR DESTROY!" persona. Cheetor is tossed aside, and Tankor advances on Rattrap, firing. After a brief attempt to reason with the [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]], Rattrap jumps on some large pipes, releasing them from their bonds so that they fall on Tankor. He recovers quickly, and the two Maximals turn to flee. Unfortunately they're cut off by oncoming tank drones, and race down a narrow gap between the stacked containers. Tankor begins smashing the containers aside, so the pair run up one of the arched structures they've found. On reaching the arch, Tankor merely begins cutting into the side of it, and the Maximals look at each other in alarm. It doesn't take long for Tankor to cut through enough to push the arch over, and Rattrap and Cheetor are forced to jump to the next arch which comes under attack from tank drones.

Nightscream snatches Blackarachnia's spark back from Jetstorm (who seems to have stopped to have a chat with it). The enraged Vehicon chases him but clips a freeway and slams into the side of a building. Recovering quickly, Jetstorm continues the pursuit and follows Nightscream until the Maximal drops an elevator on him.

[[Image:Revelations3 Nightscream spark.jpg|left|200px|thumb|]]
Thrust carries Blackarachnia's lifeless body through the city until he's intercepted by Nightscream. The pair fight until Nightscream is able to disable Thrust by draining his Energon. Floating in a white void, Blackarachnia encounters Optimus and he tells her that her spark must have left her body. Elsewhere, Nightscream liberates Blackarachnia's spark from its container and tries to force it back into her body. In the void, she panics and flees from Optimus, just as her spark does from Nightscream. Optimus is able to calm her, and her spark returns to her body. Nightscream suggests they find the others, as he has a feeling they'll need help.

Indeed, Tankor has just knocked over one of the arches in the row, and the rest of them begin to fall like dominoes. Rattrap and Cheetor fall from the final arch, and Cheetor finds himself trapped under some containers with Tankor towering over him. He pleads with the Vehicon to remember who he is and, after a great mental struggle, Tankor unleashes a cry which Optimus hears on his higher plane. Optimus marches through the field of his vision, pushing through the plants until he comes face-to-face with... Rhinox. Optimus talks with his old friend, who it seems sides with [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], favoring technology over organic nature. Optimus is jerked back to reality with a cry of "NO!"

[[Image:Revelations3 Tankor maximals.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"''Damn it'' Tankor, ''The Phantom Menace'' was ''over a decade ago!''" "It still ''hurts'', Cheetor, ''alright''?!"]]
Blackarachnia pulls Cheetor out of the way of Tankor's descending fist, and Nightscream takes out a row of tank drones. Cheetor warns Blackarachnia not to harm Tankor, surprising her with the information that he's Rhinox. She's tossed aside by the Vehicon, disturbing a pile of containers and revealing Rattrap's hiding place. The four Maximals offer Tankor their help, but he replies in Rhinox's voice that he doesn't ''need'' their help. He reveals that he's been conscious but unable to do anything, suppressed by the Tankor personality the whole time. To their alarm, he also announces that Megatron is Cybertron's only hope for technological perfection. The Maximals wonder if Rhinox's spark has been corrupted, and attack their friend, pinning him to the ground. Cheetor tells Rattrap to use his tail interface to reprogram Rhinox, but they're interrupted by Optimus who says Rhinox has made his choice and they have to respect that. The Maximals sadly watch Rhinox leave.

Back at base, the Maximals mourn over their lost friend, and Optimus gives a speech about how the Matrix sent them to prehistoric Earth for a reason—to restore nature to Cybertron.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (1)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (2)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)
* [[Rattrap]] (7)
* [[Optimus Primal]] (8)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
* [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (3)
* [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (4)
* [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]]/[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (6)
* [[Tank Drone]]s (7)
}}

==Quotes==
"Lookee here, ma! I caught me a lightning bug! Yeeha!"
:—Are we sure '''Jetstorm''' isn't [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]]?

"Gee, good thing Tankor turned out to be a friend. Imagine if he was recycled from a ''Predacon''."
:—'''Rattrap''' getting tetchy at how the plan's going.

"C sharp... or B flat, music to my ears."
:—'''Nightscream''', as Jetstorm is flattened.

"Rattrap! Use your tail interface...if Rhinox won't change his mind, we'll change it for him!"
:—'''Cheetor''', ironically issuing a command that Megatron would have given.

"Megatron wants this planet to run harmoniously, but harmony without free will isn't harmony at all."
:—'''Optimus''' about to break out into a speech.

"Goodbye, Optimus. When we meet again, it will not be as allies."
:—'''Rhinox''''s parting words to Optimus.

"Was this planet ever natural to begin with?"
:—A humble question from '''Cheetor'''. To this day, the fandom [[Primus|is]] [[Primus|still]] [[Cybertron (planet)|divided]] over the answer.

==Notes==
===Transformers references===
* Cheetor's line "I am seriously missing my old turbo-jets right now," is a reference to his old [[Transmetal]] capability in ''Beast Wars''.
* Rattrap's remark about Predacons is the only time that faction's name is spoken in the entire series.

===Real-world references===
* After destroying several Tank Drones, Nightscream refers to them as "[[Tonka]] toys".

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Révélation, Partie III'''" ("Revelation, Part III")

:*''Title:'' '''Révélations 3''' (Canada, "Revelations 3")

'''Japanese
:*''Title:'' "'''Hoshi no Shimei'''" (星の使命, "Message from the Stars")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Revelaciones, Tercera Parte: Apocalipsis'''" ("Revelations, Third Part: Apocalypse")

===Trivia===
*Rattrap is relieved Tankor hadn't been built with a Predacon spark—but this actually has no bearing on the strength of the new personalities imposed by Megatron's shell program. Thrust had a Predacon spark and was often portrayed as noble in his own way, and open to at least listening to Maximals, whereas Jetstorm—whose spark was Maximal—was constantly cruel, treacherous, and menacing.

*Skir's original intention was that Rhinox had "seen all sides of the argument, and chose to go more in Megatron's direction" in ''Beast Machines'', and after a quiet chat he and Optimus part company. As Richard Newman played that scene with growling and shouting, Rhinox instead sounded not quite in his right mind after his experiences. (That said, animating Rhinox growing into a towering and menacing Tankor while backlit by storm clouds and lightning didn't quite say "quiet chat", either). [http://web.archive.org/web/20071202095033/http://bigbot.com/beast-machines-transformers-bob-skir/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Fri_03_Dec_1999.html]

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2005 — ''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 3 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Geneon Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2006 — ''Beast Machines: Transformers'' — The Complete Series ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume Two ([[Sony]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume Two — Revelations (Sony) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Complete Season One (Sony) 
[[Image:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2009 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Intégrale Saison 1 (Sony) — French audio only.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Revelations part 3}}
[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Bulkhead (Animated)

2012-12-30T22:16:48Z

Onicron:

{{factions|autobot}}
{{picsneeded|Cartoon and comic 'caps}}
{{disambig3|Bulkhead}}
:''Bulkhead is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:AniBulkheadPromoModel.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] called; he wants his head back.]]
The biggest and strongest of [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]'s crew, '''Bulkhead''' appears to be little more than a big, dumb lummox at first glance. The second and third glances don't do much to improve that impression. Raised on a backwater [[energon farm]], he joined the Autobot academy to achieve the lofty goal of becoming a lowly [[space bridge]] [[Space bridge technician|technician]] rather than a warrior. He also has an unfortunate tendency to break stuff by accident due to his sheer strength and natural clumsiness. He's wrecked major thoroughfares and toppled skyscrapers in his zeal to be ''helpful''; when he gets angry, he's capable of berserker charges that even the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]] have learned to respect and fear. His penchant for being a little too eager to please others and getting a little too emotional at times further leads him to act without thinking. Add in a seeming lack of skills beyond "destruction", and it does not paint a pretty picture.

But despite all these shortcomings, one is hard-pressed to find a bot with a bigger heart, and he has astounding (if sometimes well-hidden) depths. He hates being thought of as the clumsy brute of the team, which has bred a certain amount of careful forethought and cautiousness. He's endlessly loyal to and protective of his friends, especially his best buddy [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and the [[human]] girl [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]], even if their impulsive behavior is sometimes annoying. Since coming to [[Earth]], he has discovered a love of art and the urge to express his true feelings through it. He's not very good at it, but he keeps trying anyways. Perhaps most surprising of all is that he is [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s foremost expert in space bridge technology, even though he may not be able to build one himself without accidentally breaking at least half the components.

{{quote|You guys got it easy. All people want me to do is break stuff. I've got a sensitive side too, you know... but breaking stuff '''is''' kinda fun.|Bulkhead meditates on his lot in life|"[[Home Is Where the Spark Is]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
{{Idw-tfa}}
:''Voice actor:'' [[Bill Fagerbakke]] (English), [[Kenta Miyake]] (Japanese), [[Tilo Schmitz]] (German), [[Ireneusz Załóg]] (Polish), [[Lorenzo Scattorin]] (Italian), [[Fabio Moura]] (Portuguese), [[Rolando Salinas]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Lee Juchang]] (Korean)

[[Image:Autobot Cadets.jpg|thumb|left|250px-Autobot Cadets.jpg|Auditions for the new Transformers series are now closed...]]
Bulkhead was originally an [[energon]] farmer and attended [[Autobot boot camp]] in order to qualify as a space bridge engineer. It was there that he first met Bumblebee and their trainer, [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Minor]]. To begin with, Bumblebee had no interest in being friends with the gentle giant, insulting him with the nickname "mudflap". A friendship blossomed after Bulkhead saved Bumblebee from some "malfunctioning" turrets, dropping a building on Sentinel in the process. In order to prevent Bulkhead from being expelled, 'Bee took the blame, and they both ended up on space bridge detail. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[Image:Ani crew.JPG|250px|thumb|right|ROAD TRIP!!!]]
Eventually, they were placed under [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]'s command. While repairing a space bridge, the team discovered the long-lost [[AllSpark]]. However, the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] soon arrived, prompting Bulkhead to mention that he had never seen a Decepticon ship up close. (No one had and lived, as [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] pointed out.) Bulkhead did his best to hang on while the Autobots drove their ship through the space bridge. Coming out of warp, they went headlong toward [[Earth]], and he joined his fellow 'bots in heading into stasis to avoid the impact shock of an unpleasant landing.

After emerging from stasis and his [[reformatting]] into a terrestrial six-wheeled APC, Bulkhead accompanied the other Autobots to investigate a large, cybernetic creature that was menacing the local lifeforms (which they assumed were robots like themselves). Bulkhead requested help from a group of local drones, then noticed [[Sari Sumdac]] trying to take her keycard away from her robot dog, [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]]. Assuming Sari was the pet, Bulkhead greeted her—which promptly sent her running and screaming. Way to make first contact there, big guy.

[[Image:Bulkh alt.JPG|200px|thumb|left|Let's see [[wikipedia:Grave Digger (truck)|Grave Digger]] beat this!]]
After [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] arrived to take the AllSpark, the Autobots engaged him in a fierce game of "Keep-away". At one point, Bulkhead tried to catch the AllSpark, shouting "I got it." Starscream snagged the AllSpark instead, but Bulkhead knocked the [[Seeker (body-type)|Decepticon flier]] out of the air with his wrecking ball, causing him to drop the AllSpark. It's not nice to contradict Bulkhead. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

Later, in Autobot HQ, he said he had some problems, because all humans wanted from him was to break stuff. After all, he had his sensitive side as well (even if breaking stuff was fun). When [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] attacked the Autobots' base, Bulkhead got in touch with his inner breaker, confirming that smashing stuff IS fun! Megatron had different plans for him, though, and Bulkhead discovered it's not as much fun to BE smashed. After Bulkhead was saved, he tried to catch a [[Pocketbot|tiny machine]] that looked like it might be the culprit. Prime hoped to study it and find out where it came from, but Bulkhead smashed the little critter to pieces when he grabbed it. {{storylink|Home Is Where the Spark Is}}

[[Image:TFA Blast Past Bulkhead Tutor Bot.JPG|250px|thumb|right|The pizza's ready!]]
After that [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] tried to train Bulkhead to be more subtle in his actions, to assess a situation, choose the right move, then execute it with grace and precision. This didn't meet with any real success, as Bulkhead's antics damaged the base and caused him to fall on Prowl. Moving to an island in Lake Erie, Bulkhead tried again. He knocked down some trees which fell on Prowl. Things actually got worse when Bulkhead tried to use Prowl's methods against the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]], a trio of animatronics run amok. Prowl wisely advised Bulkhead to stop doing what Prowl would do and instead do what Bulkhead himself would do. Bulkhead quickly discovered that his blunt, powerhouse approach had its place and time for proper use, charging and knocking down [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]], hitting [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] out of the air, and throwing [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] into a pit of molten tar. Afterward, the Dinobots were due to be melted down. However, Prowl suspected the Dinobots were actually alive, not mere machines, so he enlisted Bulkhead's help in secretly transporting them from their prison to the deserted island on Lake Erie. There they could live undisturbed and perhaps get themselves under control. Prowl had realized that just because something was big and lumbering and destructive was no reason to give up on it, and Bulkhead knew just what he meant. {{storylink|Blast from the Past}}

When Bumblebee had his bout with [[Colossus Rhodes]] that escalated into a parking lot brawl, Bulkhead arrived with the others to stop the mad giant and tease Bumblebee about his size. Bulkhead's size proved a liability when he got caught in an opening in [[Sumdac Tower]]'s defense shield, making him a sitting (but not defenseless) duck for an upgraded Rhodes, using his wrecking ball to send the brute flying. When the shield was deactivated he was the first into the tower, scooping up [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]] in his fist... a very bad mistake, since the villain was made of acid. His action gave the other Autobots time to defeat Meltdown, so it turned out okay. {{storylink|Total Meltdown}}

On a shopping trip for Sari's birthday present, Bulkhead worked with Sari to rein in the pesky [[Professor Princess]]. The next day, Sari's birthday party began poorly, as the guests were all children of Sumdac Industries employees, who found Sari too weird for their tastes. The Autobots' arrival made things a little more interesting, but klutzy Bulkhead soon found himself ignored, alongside Sari, as the kids went for rides with the other Autobots (even Ratchet). Bulkhead wanted to give Sari her gift, a xylophone, but was too embarrassed to do so when he saw Dr. Sumdac's gift, a musical robot named [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. For the next several days, Sari's attention was drawn away from her friend as she spent her free time plugging her key into the toy to upgrade it. Bulkhead realized that there was something off about Soundwave, but his attempts to prove it just forced a wedge between Sari and himself. Megatron's machinations to increase the split between them didn't help. It turned out the big guy was right on the money, however, as Soundwave was a creation of Megatron's that gained sentience through the key. Soundwave took control of the machines of Detroit and captured Sari. When Bulkhead came to her rescue, Soundwave attempted to convince Bulkhead of the inferiority of humans. For a few minutes, it seemed Bulkhead was on his side, but with a wink to Sari, he punched Soundwave so hard that the Decepticon shattered into his component parts. Sari apologized, and the pair played with Bulkhead's gift, albeit after Sari nearly broke her hand punching Bulkhead's fist. {{storylink|Sound and Fury}}

Soon afterwards, trouble arrived in the form of [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]]. Answering their challenge, the Autobots confronted the pair in a construction yard. Bulkhead charged Lugnut and the two engaged in a grapple, but even Bulkhead's power wasn't enough against the massive Decepticon, who threw him aside. The second round didn't go too well either, as Lugnut never had a chance to fight before the Decepticons were defeated by the Autobot ship's main cannon. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}

After Sari was abducted by the Dinobots, Prowl and Bulkhead went to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]] to investigate. What they found was Meltdown, who damaged Bulkhead to the point of unconsciousness and trapped Prowl and [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (who had been tailing them) underground. Bulkhead spent the rest of the episode out cold until Sari was able to restore him. On the boat ride home, Sari showed she could take care of herself by kicking Bulkhead, who pretended to be hurt and accidentally fell into the ship's hold. {{storylink|Survival of the Fittest}}

[[Image:Caged bulkhead.jpg|200px|thumb|left|And now we know how the caged Bulkhead sings...]]
After destroying a good portion of a city block trying to stop a missile impact, Sari suggested to Bulkhead that he explore his more creative talents to show the citizens of Detroit that he wasn't [[Sixshot|an engine of destruction]]. Bulkhead had difficulty making his creations (his paint brushes kept snapping between his fingers) and panicked when he learned that Sari had arranged an art show for him. (Girl has connections.) While lamenting his lot in life, he was knocked out cold by a sudden electrical surge. When he came back online, he found that his body had been stolen. As Bumblebee attempted to help him finish his art pieces in time for the show, the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] used Bulkhead's body to take control of a solar fusion plant, intending to detonate it unless he was paid a hefty ransom. Optimus used the ransom delivery to sneak the Autobots into the plant, where they defeated the Headmaster and reattached Bulkhead to his body...backwards. As the reactor reached critical, Bulkhead came up with a drone that would set the rods back, but the drone melted in the process. Not to be daunted, Bulkhead added it to his art collection, showing the citizens of Detroit his [[Slogism|warzone art]] without them even knowing it. {{storylink|Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster}}

When Decepticon energy signals were detected, the Autobots quickly realized that they were outnumbered. Bulkhead mentioned that the Dinobots might be able to help, not aware that Prowl hadn't told Optimus they had moved them to Dinobot Island. Prime was furious and ordered the two to take him there at once. After searching the island, the Autobots found the Dinobots. They were unwilling to help, so the Autobots left, unsure of their next move. When Bumblebee contacted Prime, saying that Starscream was at Sumdac Tower, he ordered him to stand down. When they arrived at the tower, they saw Bumblebee fighting Starscream. Prime dryly noted that disobeying orders was becoming a habit, but Bulkhead wasn't too insulted. He was too busy being shocked by [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] bursting through Sumdac Tower. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}

Quickly regaining his composure, Bulkhead charged Megatron, only to have his wrecking ball severed and be thrown into a building. After the short battle, Sumdac told them how he had rebuilt Megatron. Bulkhead sounded as if he was about to crush the professor, but Prime told him that it was unimportant. Using excess key energy in Sumdac's equipment, the Autobots repaired themselves, and Prime apologized for his harsh words. Ratchet and Sari came by in the ship, picking up the Autobots, but they were shot down over Dinobot Island. During the subsequent battle, Bulkhead brought down Lugnut. The zealous Decepticon was stronger than Bulkhead, but as he activated [[Punch of Kill Everything|his punch]], Bulkhead used his wrecking ball to detonate it, sending Lugnut flying. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

While repairing a damaged overpass, Bulkhead became stuck in some cement, but hid it to avoid being embarrassed. He was nearly destroyed when he used outdated, unstable fixative, but was saved by two newly sentient machines named [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] and [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]]. Once they helped him finish the repair work he'd been doing, Bulkhead reluctantly went with them for an oil break, though he wasn't sure it was okay to take it straight from a tanker ship. He WAS sure the rest of the Autobots would like his new friends. The crass construction workers did not impress the other Autobots, however, and things only got worse when a game of flattened-oil-can frisbee severed Sari's pigtails (and nearly her head), leading Prime to evict the two. The next day, Bulkhead went looking for his friends, discovering that they had stolen parts for something Megatron was building. When Bulkhead told them that the Decepticons were the scum of the universe, the two went to challenge the Decepticons, without telling Bulkhead where to find them. The other Autobots were concerned that Scrapper and Mixmaster would sell them out, but Bulkhead still defended them. Unfortunately, the newly dubbed [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]] ''did'' side with the Decepticons, taking Bumblebee hostage and demanding the AllSpark fragments the Autobots had. Bulkhead gave them the fragments and a cup of oil for the road, but he had spiked the oil with the outdated fixative from the other day. The subsequent explosion scrambled their memory circuits, and Bulkhead drove the amnesiac Transformers away, admitting that he had been wrong to trust them. {{storylink|Rise of the Constructicons}}

After [[Wasp]] escaped, Bulkhead tagged along with Bumblebee in an attempt to track a leaked signal, but 'Bee's attitude became unbearable, and Bulkhead stormed off. The kindhearted bot couldn't stay away, however, and helped Bumblebee out of a minor scrape. Bumblebee apologised, but Bulkhead shook it off; their friendship had rock-solid foundations. Reconciled, the two headed back to base, having missed a rather conspicuous mine shaft entrance. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Bulkhead Sumdac.JPG|thumb|left|Merry Christmas!]]
Bulkhead later made an abstract painting of Sari in the style of Picasso, but the other Autobots' suggestions ended up ruining the painting. He and Sari took a walk to clear his head, and Bumblebee came and genuinely tried to apologize. This went rather poorly, and got even worse when Megatron arrived. He kidnapped Bulkhead and took him to his base. Megatron revealed that [[Shockwave (Animated)|his double agent]] had learned that Bulkhead was Cybertron's top space bridge technician, and forced Bulkhead to help the Decepticons repair a space bridge they had reverse engineered. If Bulkhead refused, Megatron would use a Headmaster unit to steal his body and kill all of Bulkhead's friends, starting with Professor Sumdac. Bulkhead agreed to help, but Professor Sumdac believed that Bulkhead was trying to sabotage the device, and told Bulkhead to let him give the instructions to avoid sounding preposterous. Furious at everyone doubting his skill, Bulkhead actually ''fixed'' the space bridge, allowing Megatron to teleport the Decepticons to an underdefended Cybertron. See Bulkhead, this is why people don't take you seriously. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}

During a three-way battle between the Autobots, the Decepticons, and Starscream's [[Starscream clone (Animated)|clones]], Bulkhead tried to shut down the space bridge, but was locked with [[stasis cuffs]] by a [[Slipstream (Animated)|female clone]]. After Megatron explained his plans and how Bulkhead had helped. the other Autobots expressed confusion at his skills, and Bulkhead explained that he had read all the space bridge schematics on the energon farm. Unfortunately, power problems arose, which Megatron tried to fix with by adding Starscream's AllSpark powered head into the power core. Unfortunately, this caused an overload which Bulkhead theorized would suck up all of Michigan. Fortunately, [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] arrived and allowed himself to be sucked into the portal. When the Autobots escaped, Bulkhead theorized that Omega was merely transported to another section of space, and had hope that he was still alive. Unfortunately, any effort to locate Omega was put on hold when Sari noticed that the skin of her arm had been torn...revealing robotic circuitry underneath! {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

While Bumblebee and Bulkhead were surprised and concerned about Sari's revealed techno-organic nature, they remained focused on the more imminent problem; namely that their old friend Longarm was really a Decepticon spy. However, because Omega Supreme was transwarped to another part of the galaxy, they no longer had Teletran-1 and thus had no way to contact Cybertron. A suggestion from Optimus gave Bulkhead the idea of building their own Space Bridge, seeing as Bulkhead was the Space Bridge genius (a title Bumblebee claimed he'd never get used to). Bulkhead theorized that he might be able to put something together if they salvaged enough parts. The two of them quickly left to dig any useful parts out of the ruins of the mine, namely the [[plasma dynamic thruster]] (the component that generates the transwarp field) and the recon beacon generator (the component that allows one to lock on a specific area to transwarp to). Bulkhead found the recon beacon generator (after Bumblebee nearly tossed it away) and Bumblebee was about to give him the plasma dynamic thruster when it caught a stray transwarp signal (presumably from Omega Supreme's earlier transwarp) and was sent to another part of the galaxy. When Bulkhead turned around, Bumblebee was gone. Hearing a noise, he investigated, thinking it was his little buddy. But it was actually Henry Masterson who had found both his lost [[Headmaster unit]] and Starscream's discarded body (definitely not little and not Bulkhead's buddy). Masterson then soundly trashed Bulkhead and left him buried under a pile of rocks.

Later, Ratchet found him and brought him back to the plant. Ratchet was about to work on repairing Bulkhead when Sari beat him to it, much to Ratchet's annoyance. When Bumblebee's energy signature could not be found on Earth, Bulkhead realized that he wasn't on Earth. The plasma dynamic thruster must have caught a stray transwarp field and sent Bumblebee to another part of the galaxy. In theory, Bulkhead could retrieve him with the recon beacon generator, provided he could get it working. Ratchet was about to attempt to do so when Sari beat him to the punch again. A little while later, Bulkhead detected a stray transwarp field. Using the recon beacon generator, Bulkhead managed to reel Bumblebee back to Earth, inside the belly of a [[Rock Lord|giant rock alien]]. The alien, noticeably ticked about being exposed to the bright light of the [[sun]], went on a rampage in Detroit. Of course, Bulkhead couldn't just smash the alien with his wrecking balls since Bumblebee was inside it. However, Sari once again provided assistance with her new upgraded form and neatly disposed of the rock alien and rescued Bumblebee. But then her body became overloaded with Allspark energy and she started going on an uncontrollable rampage, causing every electronic device she touched to explode. When Bumblebee was stabbed by Sari in an attempt to stop her, Bulkhead, Prowl, and Optimus worked together to remove the Key from her system. However, its energy had been completely drained into Sari, making both the Key useless and Sari still unable to control herself. Bulkhead suggested that she tried to hold it in like when she had to go to the 'sleep-room'. Sari attempted this, but this only caused the initiation of a self-destruct sequence. Fortunately, Ratchet was able to temporarily shut her down with his EMP generator.

Later, the group was at the plant, mulling over the events of the day, including Optimus revealing the Autobots' secret base to Professor Sumdac. When Bumblebee threatened to transwarp again, Bulkhead took the plasma dynamic thruster from Bumblebee's backpack and turned it off. But then Omega Supreme appeared, under the control of Megatron. The group headed for the river to keep Megatron from damaging more of the city. Bulkhead and Bumblebee acted as decoys while Prowl and Optimus worked on freeing Omega from Megatron's control. Their plan worked, only for Starscream's head, which Megatron was using as a battery, to take over Omega's body and toss out Prowl and Optimus. With them unable to get back in and Starscream threatening to transwarp to Cybertron and use Omega to take it over, Bumblebee and Bulkead got the idea of using the plasma dynamic thruster on Omega Supreme. With a little teamwork from them and Optimus Prime, they attached the plasma dynamic thruster to Omega Supreme, causing him to go on an endless and random transwarp cycle throughout the galaxy. However, they still needed to find a way to contact Cybertron about Shockwave. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

[[Image:TFAni Threes a Crowd Stop Hitting Yourself.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself!]]
Soon afterwards, Bulkhead teamed with Prof. Sumdac to build a space bridge at Sumdac Tower. Sumdac was willing to make up to the Autobots for unwillingly helping the Decepticons during his long captivity, though he kept slowing down work by continuously mentioning Megatron and insisting the confiscated Headmaster Unit was staring at him. Eventually, the two of them got the power core assembled and loaded on a green and purple forklift. Bulkhead inserted an Allspark fragment into the power core for a source of energy. Prof. Sumdac warned Bulkhead that it might [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|overload it]]. Bulkhead reassured the Professor that he knew what he was doing when it came to space bridges. Unfortunately, his leaning on the forklift caused too much pressure, and the floor gave out. Bulkhead managed to save the Professor, but the forklift, the power core, and the Headmaster Unit fell down through three floors. While Sumdac went to rest from his near brush with death, Bulkhead went to find some structural experts. Fortunately, he knew just the bots for the job.

Bulkhead found Mixmaster and Scrapper at an automobile disassembly factory, drinking motor oil and hooting at the stripping vehicles. The two Constructicons were less than pleased to see Bulkhead, as evidenced when Scrapper pinned him against the wall. Bulkhead managed to talk them into helping him, seeing as how the other Decepticons weren't going to turn up for them any time soon. The two construction bots agreed, since there wasn't any rule against moonlighting, but Megatron could never know about this. Bulkhead reassured them Megatron would never hear of it. After all, it wasn't like the two of them would be talking any time soon.

When they returned to Sumdac Tower, the Constructicons went to work, mentioning this was going to cost some serious overtime. Bulkhead told them to take all the time they needed. He was almost able to persuade them to switch to the Autobots when Scrapper pulled up the forklift from before, surprisingly in good condition despite its crashing through three floors. However, the materials that had fallen down before had been fused together by the Allspark, creating a grumpy new Constructicon named [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|Dirt Boss]]. Dirt Boss quickly took command and cowed Scrapper and Mixmaster into submission, using a cerebro-shell to force Scrapper to hit himself. Bulkhead tried to contact Prime about this new problem, but Optimus and the other Autobots were busy with Lugnut. Brought back into the lab by the commotion, Prof. Sumdac was upset to see the Constructicons, due to his unhappy dealings with them, and demanded that they leave at once. Dirt Boss didn't take too kindly to that and was about to squish the Professor, so Bulkhead quickly told Dirt Boss that Sumdac worked for him. Bulkhead then feigned anger at Sumdac, ordering him to build the plasma dynamic thruster or else. However, Sumdac didn't notice Bulkhead's conspiratorial winks and thought his ire was real.

Dirt Boss then took Mixmaster and Scrapper out into the city, where they started stealing oil so they could hold the city for ransom. Bulkhead tried to talk Mixmaster and Scrapper out of following Dirt Boss, but the two of them were too interested in gaining oil to listen. Mixmaster even stuck Bulkhead's feet to the ground with his cement. Later, Captain Fanzone inquired whether the "rude, 30-foot robots" were friends of Bulkhead's. Bulkhead tried to convince the Captain that Mix and Scrap were good bots, just misprogrammed, but Fanzone was only concerned about machines acting up his town.

Bulkhead followed the Constructicons back to the disassembly factory, where Dirt Boss was chewing out the other two about "drinking the profits". Prof. Sumdac then found Bulkhead and handed over the plasma dynamic thruster that the Autobot had so firmly demanded. Bulkhead told the Professor that he'd just been acting so the other bots wouldn't hurt Isaac. When said bots appeared behind him, Bulkhead had to put on his act once again, but now Sumdac was in on it. Dirt Boss then told of his plan to destroy the fossil-fuel refinery so they would have the only source of oil in Detroit. Bulkhead finally decided this had gone too far and tried to stop them. Unfortunately, his plan wasn't very well thought-out, and he got his wrecking ball stuck in Mixmaster's cement-cannon. The Constructicons simply dragged him along, with Bulkhead protesting all the way.

When the Constructicons got to the refinery, Bulkhead nearly won Mixmaster and Scrapper over by reminding them that if they destroyed the place, they wouldn't be able to get more oil. But Dirt Boss, having had enough of Bulkhead's mouth, used a cerebro-shell to order Mixmaster to take Bulkhead offline. As the two were still stuck together, this led to a rather awkward battle. Bulkhead managed to open his comm-link so the other Autobots would hear him in trouble. When Scrapper noticed this, he took the cerebro-shell out of Mixmaster and plugged into Bulkhead. Dirt Boss then ordered Bulkhead to light the oil tank and blow up the refinery, even though this would also destroy Mixmaster, who was stuck to Bulkhead. But when the other Autobots came, Dirt Boss had Bulkhead attack them instead, using Mixmaster as a wrecking ball. Eventually, Ratchet was able to remove the cerebro-shell. Bulkhead then separated himself from Mixmaster by using the spilled oil as a lubricant. One swing from his wrecking ball sent Mixmaster flying, but Mix fell onto Scrapper, and the sparks from their collision lit the oil. When the fire proved impossible to contain, Prof. Sumdac came up with the idea of transporting it with the plasma dynamic thruster. Bulkhead reprogrammed the thruster for a shorter distance and tossed it on top of the oil tank. The tank, as well as the Constructicons who were on top of it, as transwarped over Lake Erie near Dinobot Island, where it exploded harmlessly. The Autobots still needed to cart away Lugnut, but discovered that he had been freed by [[Ramjet (Animated)|someone]]. {{storylink|Three's a Crowd}}

When Wasp came to Earth, he attack Bumblebee and switched identities with him, via an [[electronic paint job]] concealed in the switched helmets that also altered their voice synthesizers. Even Bulkhead was confused by the clever disguising and nearly smashed Bumblebee with his wrecking ball, presumably to get even for Wasp's bullying at boot camp. Fortunately, Bumblebee was able to make Bulkhead realize who he really was by reminding how he took the fall for knocking that building on top of Sentinel Prime. Bulkhead realized the truth at the last second and bounced (yes, you read that right, ''bounced'', accompanied with squeaky footsteps too) over and hugged Bumblebee. But then they were attacked by a [[Jetfire (Animated)|new]] [[Jetstorm (Animated)|pair]] of flying Autobots, who thought that Bumblebee was Wasp and, since they also thought Wasp was a traitor, Bulkhead and Prowl were too. The minor misunderstanding was quickly settled when Optimus Prime, Jazz, Ratchet, and Sentinel Prime appeared and Bulkhead explained how he knew Wasp is really Bumblebee (with a squeaky bouncing dance thrown in too). When they went back to the plant, Wasp had already boned up on everything regarding Bumblebee on the computer files and thus an information quiz was therefore useless. However, Bulkhead knew one way to prove who was the real Bumblebee: a death match of [[Ninja Gladiator]] between the two suspected Autobots, on account that Bumblebee is "the best player around". Wasp, not knowing any fighting moves from his long time in the Stockades, panicked and threatened to slag Bumblebee. When Wasp claimed he used to be a good bot before Bumblebee ruined him, Bulkhead countered that he was always mean to him and Bumblebee, thus while not being a traitor, Wasp was never a good bot. Wasp then shot the lights out and made a break for it. Bulkhead found him outside lying on the ground and jumped on top of him, punching him repeatedly. Only to find that Wasp had switched identities again and Bulkhead had pounded Bumblebee. Oops. {{storylink|Where Is Thy Sting?}}

Bulkhead later witnessed Optimus Prime tell Jetfire & Jetstorm to stop taunting Sentinel behind his back, but later was instructed by Ratchet to roll on home along with Bumblebee and Prowl so Optimus & Sentinel could speak in private. {{storylink|Predacons Rising}}

On Christmas Eve, Bulkhead & Bumblebee were trying to figure out what they'd gotten for Christmas, but Sari told them that if they peeked, they would end up on Santa's naughty list. Later, Bulkhead joined the other Autobots in sampling some oil nog that Sari had made. However, it had been altered by one of Soundwave's toys), so Bulkhead and the rest suddenly felt very tired and decided to take a stasis nap. When Bulkhead and the other Autobots woke up the next morning, they had mysteriously been turned into humans. Prime decided that the Autobots needed to get to Sumdac Tower, as they believed Professor Sumdac could figure out what happened. On the way there, Bulkhead's stomach began to growl, so Optimus decided that their human bodies needed some refueling. They settled on a nearby Burger-bot, where Bulkhead proceeded to stuff his face with hamburgers. Bulkhead soon experienced abdominal discomfort, which he took for a malfunction, and headed off for the bathroom, only to discover a Decepticon attack as he returned. Attempting to punch Starscream in the leg, Bulkhead ended up severely injuring his hand. He was still able to help transport Optimus, whose leg Starscream had broken, to a paramedic. The Autobots then resumed their journey to Sumdac Tower...on a city bus, which Bulkhead discovered he actually kind of liked. When the Autobots arrived at the stop near Sumdac Tower, he shared their shock at the sight of Cybertron hovering overhead! Once it had destroyed the tower and unleashed a swarm of Decepticons, it seemed that all hope was lost. However, the whole experience was just a virtual reality illusion. Realizing this, Bulkhead was now strong enough to help defeat the virtual Decepticons, though he still needed a little coaching to restore himself to his robotic form. Just after he succeeded, he and the other Autobots were caught up in the hand of a titanic Soundwave and attacked by a surge of electricity. {{storylink|Human Error, Part I}}

Bulkhead later tried to use his wrecking-ball arm to avoid being reprogrammed by the virtual Soundwave, but was freed when Sari damaged Soundwave's system. However, Soundwave recovered and managed to fix his machine, forcing the Autobots to becom human again. Bulkhead then proceeded to use a traffic light he found to trash the virtual city in hopes of escaping the virtual reality, but Ratchet explained that it didn't work that way, and that they needed to find Soundwave's interface with the system. They then spotted an avatar of Soundwave's vehicle mode and took off in pursuit, driving some conveniently placed vehicles. Bulkhead, along with the rest of the Autobots, was horrible at driving and succeeded in ramming several other vehicles. They eventually cornered Soundwave in a drive-in movie theater parking lot, but Soundwave had actually trapped them there, and he succeeded in reprogramming the Autobots. Under Soundwave's control, Bulkhead later fought against Scrapper, who froze him with a fire hydrant. Once freed from Soundwave's control, Bulkhead joined the rest of the Autobots in watching the Disposal Droids (and [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]]) clean up the city. {{storylink|Human Error, Part II}}

Bulkhead and Sumdac eventually finished building a space bridge in record time, but soon got into an argument over whose fault it was that the bridge wasn't already operational. After Sari settled the matter by getting the bridge running,, Optimus received a call for help from Sentinel. Bulkhead located a transwarp field on the Elite Guard flagship that they could use to transwarp Prime to the ship, though it took Sari's skill to lock the space bridge onto the field. Bulkhead was unsure if they'd be able to transwarp Optimus back to Earth, but his leader insisted on going. Before long, the transwarp field separated from the ship, and Bulkhead seriously began to doubt he could transwarp Optimus back—but Sentinel gave Optimus a direct lift back to Earth, so it wasn't necessary. {{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

Bulkhead eventually helped Bumblebee transwarp to the Moon in order to spy on the Decepticons. 'Bee learned of their ultimate plans for Omega Supreme and managed to open Arcee's com-link, allowing them to listen in on the Decepticons from Earth. Bulkhead and his buddy discovered that the Decepticons were almost ready and warned the others. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

When the [[Lugnut Supreme]]s attacked Detroit, Prime ordered Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Ratchet to go to the Moon and sever Lugnut's connection to the clones, and Sari came with them. On the Moon, Bulkhead and Bumblebee took on Shockwave, while Ratchet and Sari got Arcee inside of the real Omega Supreme. Once they defeated and captured Shockwave, Bulkhead and Bumblebee took Sari to the part of the ''Nemesis'' so she could see the protoforms there for herself and better understand her origins. Bulkhead rode back to Earth on Omega Supreme to battle the Starscream Supremes, and was later stunned to hear that Prowl had sacrificed himself in order to save the city. After witnessing Optimus ultimately defeat and arrest Megatron, Bulkhead joined the Autobots when they went back to Cybertron, and he helped carry Prowl's coffin in their return victory/funeral parade. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

===Animated shorts===
[[Image:BulkheadandGrimlock.gif|thumb|right|300px|Where did that tree disappear to anyway?]]
[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] attempted to jump over him and the other Autobots as part of a stunt. {{storylink|Evel Knievel Jump}}

Bulkhead saw a mime performance along with Sari and Bumblebee. Sari had to explain to the two confused Autobots what a mime was. After Bumblebee successfully upstaged said mime, the audience applauded. Bulkhead decided to join them... and clapped with such force the shockwaves and wind blew most of the crowd away, prompting Bumblebee and Sari to sneak away in the chaos. {{storylink|Mime Time}}

He played fetch with Grimlock once, using a tree. Grimlock liked that.{{storylink|Catch}}

Bulkhead was the subject of some less-than-delicate surgery at Ratchet's hands once, with Sari playing nurse. Rather declared the operation a success, though Bulkhead wondered just what all those ''other internal parts'' lying around were all about. After a brief pause, Ratchet quickly scooped them up and stuffed them into Bulkhead's mouth, forcing him to swallow, then strolled away, whistling nonchalantly. {{storylink|Operating Table}}

===''Be the Hero'' books===
{{Note|As the following stories are [[multipath adventure]]s, details will vary depending on the path taken. See individual pages for information on alternate paths.}}
====''Prime Suspect''====
Bulkhead met the rest of the Autobots outside [[HomeTech]]'s laboratory, after [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] was caught on camera breaking in the night before. He knocked a hole in the side of the building to allow [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and [[You|another kid]] to venture inside in search of the footage. When that line of inquiry turned up a sample of oil, the Autobots headed for HomeTech's main warehouse, where they encountered [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]], the actual perpetrator behind the crime. Bulkhead helped defeat him. {{storylink|Prime Suspect}}
====''Quest for the AllSpark''====
Bulkhead's favorite places in [[Detroit]] were the [[City Art Gallery]] and [[Detroit Sculpture Park]]. When [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] made an attempt to obtain the [[AllSpark]] by taking control of Detroit's robot workforce, the Autobots came up with a plan to hide useless copies of the AllSpark, and Bulkhead opted to head for one of those locations to hide it. [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] managed to find him at the Sculpture Park, trapped in a force field dome created by the AllSpark and, with [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]'s help, extracted him. {{storylink|Quest for the AllSpark}}
====''Web of Deception''====
When Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Prowl found the Autobot ship inactive, Bulkhead briefly considered using his wrecking ball to "nudge" a power conduit — an idea swiftly shot down by [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]]. After they discovered Optimus was missing, Bulkhead set out with Bumblebee, Prowl, Sari and a friend to investigate the presence of [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]'s ship on the lake bed nearby. While fighting the bounty hunter, they discovered the involvement of [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]], who wanted revenge on Prime. They hunted for Blackarachnia, but Bulkhead took a moment to admire an engraving on a cave wall, which inadvertently led to them finding their foe and her downfall. {{storylink|Web of Deception}}

====''Time-Quake''====
After strange time disturbances began appearing across Detroit, the Autobots searched the city using special scanners. Bulkhead finally struck pay dirt when he encountered a time-displaced ''Tyrannosaurus rex''. After dealing with the beast, he and a [[You|human]] tracked the signal back to the [[Lions Tower]] in Detroit's financial district where they met up with Bumblebee. On the top floor, the trio found an unstable time machine, that sent Bulkhead and his human friend hurtling back through time. The pair encountered several historical figures, retrieving the time machine's two missing control spheres before returning to the twenty-second century. The culprit behind the time machine's activity turned out to be the Decepticon [[Blast-X]], whom Bulkhead subsequently defeated with a good solid punch. {{storylink|Time-Quake}}

===Titan Magazines===
[[Hasbro|Toy companies]] have made an action figure of him! {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 3|Crossroads!}}

The Dinobots saved him and the others from [[Starscream clone (Animated)|Starscream clones]], which was good. They then didn't leave and Bulkhead's sleeping space was taken up by Grimlock, which was not good. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 17|Dino-MIGHT!}}

Later, the Autobots were buried by the villain [[Quake-Maker]]. Bulkhead's great strength freed them from the ground, and then he ''vanished completely'' from the battle. {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 1|Burnout}}

On his day off, Bulkhead was dragged to a basketball game by Sari, Prowl and [[Afterburn]]. Bulkhead didn't see the point of the game and was being mistaken for a litter bin by the humans. Luckily a demented supervillain attacked Detroit and they had to leave the game—but as a diversionary tactic, the evil [[Crossroads]] blackmailed Detroit into trying to destroy the Autobots! The Autobots saw through this and intercepted the villain at [[Sumdac Tower]], with Bulkhead taking down reprogrammed security drones. After beating the villain, Bulkhead now enjoyed basketball and happily watched the game ''for no reason''. {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 3|Crossroads!}}

When the Decepticons raided the Autobot base, Bulkhead joined the gang in successfully driving them back out. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|Megatron's Revenge}}

When Prowl and Bumblebee decided to have a race to see who was fastest, Bulkhead was eager to join in, much to Bumblebee's mockery. Nevertheless, off Bulkhead went... and, thanks to the other two being distracted by Decepticons, he ''won'' and was officially King of Speed. Optimus and Ratchet lifted him up in a display of victory (their shoulders hurt!). {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|The Race}}

===''The Cool'' comic===

Witnessing the mysterious Allspark being uncovered, Bulkhead along with the rest of Optimus Prime's crew fled through a space bridge gate in order to keep the artifact out of Decepticon clutches. Unfortunately, Megatron was able to board their ship and left Bulkhead defeated on the floor, leaving Optimus to deal with the Decepticon leader by himself. {{storylink|The Cool Extra issue 3}}

Bulkhead was among the Autobots who traveled to the [[Earth]] city of [[Detroit]] in order to protect the [[AllSpark#Animated|AllSpark]] from the Decepticons. When [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] and [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] attcked, Bulkhead joined in the fray. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 1}}

[[Image:The CoolAutobotsRevivePrime01.jpg|thumb|200px|left| Something's wrong here...]]

Bulkhead proved unable to prevent Starscream from seizing the AllSpark (the Decepticon snatching right out of his hands) and was subsequently helpless to defend himself from Starscream's AllSpark-powered aerial attacks. When [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] died stopping Starscream, and was quickly revived by the power of [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]]'s [[AllSpark Key|key]], Bulkhead was there to greet him. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 2}}

Bulkhead later took part in defending [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]] from a Decepticon raid. He was unable to counter [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]]'s aerial bombardments, however, and proved little more than a rather large target. Once the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobot]]s saved the day, however, Bulkhead saw them off along with the rest of the Autobots. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 3}}

After [[Blackout (Animated)|Blackout]] buried Optimus under tons of rubble during a Detroit battle, Bulkhead aided Bumblebee in digging their leader out. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 4}}

Bulkhead was present at [[Sumdac Systems]] headquarters when Megatron was resurrected in a new body. Megatron made short work of Bulkhead, grabbing his mace weapon and yanking him to the ground. Bulkhead survived the altercation and later joined Optimus Prime in greeting the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]]. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 5}}

Bulkhead later joined the Autobots in a battle against [[Clone number 2716057|Clone #2716057]]. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 6}}

Bulkhead joined in the battle for the Decepticon [[space bridge#Animated cartoon|Space Bridge]]. When Megatron attempted to power it with Starscream's [[AllSpark#Animated|AllSpark]] fragment, Bulkhead warned him not to, as the power would cause an overload. Bulkhead's prediction came to and he was powerless to stop the Space Bridge, which was sucking everything and everyone into itself. Luckily, [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] arrived and sacrificed himself to save the day. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 8}}

When Starscream attacked Detroit in Omega Supreme's body, Bulkhead was the first to wonder where Optimus Prime had gone to. Prowl informed him that Prime would be back soon, but until then, it was up to them to fend off the villain. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 9}}

When Optimus returned with the Magnus Hammer and his flight pack, Bulkhead stood heroicly beside him, along with the rest of the Autobot crew, ready to face off against the Decepticon threat. {{storylink|The Cool Extra issue 1}}

Upon Megatron's defeat, Bulkhead accompanied the rest of the Autobots back to planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], where they were all hailed as heroes by the citizenry and even [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]]. {{storylink|The Cool Episode Final}}

==Games==
===Transformers Animated: The Game===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Bill Fagerbakke]] (English)
[[Image:TFAnimated Game Bulkhead.jpg|thumb|right|136px]]
After [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] decided some more training was in order, [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] set up the factory as an obstacle course and Prime, [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and Bulkhead tackled it. No sooner had they finished than word arrived that the robots at a [[Sumdac Systems]] factory had gone haywire. They traveled there with [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and blasted their way through the rogue robots until they found the problem — an [[AllSpark]] fragment lodged in a control console. Some of the drones escaped, so Prime left to take care of them while Bumblebee and Bulkhead continued at the plant. It turned out [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] was planning to assault [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], so the three Autobots scoured the plant for more AllSpark fragments before tracking a [[Decepticon Transmitter Drone]] to the Decepticon lair.

After fighting their way into the mine, Optimus, Bumblebee and Bulkhead confronted Megatron, who TransWarped out after they managed to defeat him. The Autobots used the AllSpark fragments they'd gathered to power up Megatron's Space Bridge and step through, however on arrival, Optimus and Bulkhead realized that Bumblebee had been left behind when the Space Bridge closed. They searched fruitlessly for Megatron until Bumblebee arrived, having found a way to repower the bridge. Bulkhead intercepted a Decepticon transmission indicating that the Decepticons had captured a bunch of Space Bridges, and the trio made their way to the Space Bridge Nexus, where they used Cybertron's defense system against him. Megatron was again forced to flee. The Autobots returned to Earth, where Bulkhead announced that he needed a nice long stasis nap. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The Game}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
[[Image:TFAnimated Voyager Bulkhead toy.jpg|300px|thumb|right|And the world wants his kibble to turn into a chair.]]
[[Image:AnimatedVoyagerBulkheadJapan.jpg|thumb|300px|Then new villains came along, and blew away his powers! Bulkhead was in a fix, and now has gone Metallix!]]
* '''Bulkhead''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-03'''
:Bulkhead transforms from an armored, six-wheeled military-type van into a robot mode that is a bit on the short side for a Voyager, due to the stout, stocky nature of the character. The toy features two "[[automorph]]"-style gimmicks in its transformation: after flipping down the back doors, pulling down on them retracts a pair of black tabs holding his arms into pace, allowing them to spring forward into position; and moving his chest into place automatically causes a panel to flip over, exposing his head.

:The figure's left arm contains the character's signature gimmick, his wrecking ball. A concealed lever activates a pressure-launch system that fires the ball, which is attached to Bulkhead's arm by a sturdy string. Bulkhead's right arm, meanwhile, features a rather strange gimmick: after straightening the arm at the elbow, pressing the black lever on the upper arm causes Bulkhead's forearm to flip upwards. It ''might'' be an uppercut or some other sort of punch attack, but whatever this feature is supposed to be, it is not mentioned in either the toy's instructions, or on its packaging.

:No, his kibble can't transform into a chair. ''Aww''.

:The [[TakaraTomy]] version of Bulkhead replaces all his matte green with a blueish green, coats the majority of it with ''very'' shiny metallic green paint, and replaces his silver Autobot symbol with a more traditional red and white one.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/Bulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Voyager Bulkhead at TFU.info]

{{-}}{{anchor|RockinBattle}}
*'''Rockin'On Battle: Ironhide VS Soundwave''' (Voyager-Deluxe two-pack, 2010)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''VS-D'''

: This Japanese-[[exclusive]] two-pack contains unchanged toys of the TakaraTomy versions of Voyager Class "Ironhide" and Deluxe Class [[Soundwave (Animated)#RockinBattle|Soundwave]] (with [[Laserbeak (Animated)#RockinBattle|Laserbeak]].)

{{-}}{{anchor|Mudbuster}}
[[Image:AnimatedVoyMudbusterBulkhead.jpg|thumb|300px|Bulkhead, el Hijo del Acero. LUUUCHAAARAAAAN!]]
* '''Mudbuster Bulkhead''' (Voyager)

: A [[redeco]] of the original Bulkhead in green and black, with caution stripes on the sides of the vehicle.

{{canceledtoy}}

{{-}}{{anchor|Leader}}
[[Image:TFAnimated Leader Bulkhead toy.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Tired of being known as "the big guy with a gentle heart", Bulkhead became more trigger happy than [[Triggerhappy]].]]
[[Image:TFAnimated Leader Bulkhead toy TakaraTomy.jpg|300px|thumb|right|]]
* '''Bulkhead''' (Leader, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-43'''
**''Accessories'': Four "air torpedoes", [[Headmaster unit]]

: This version of Bulkhead is decidedly more heavily armed than others, sporting several rather uncharacteristic weapons over his body; designer [[Eric Siebenaler]] envisioned them as alterations the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] would have made if he had possessed Bulkhead's body longer.<ref>[http://community.livejournal.com/tf_animated/271043.html Derrick Wyat Q&A] on tf_animated LJ community.</ref> Additions to his arsenal include a double-barreled turret for his vehicle mode, two missile racks (one per arm, each holding two removable "air torpedoes"), and a buzzsaw in his right hand which spins when a black tab on his forearm is pressed. He ''doesn't'' have a wrecking ball, but his other hand does feature a "grabby" action, allowing you to clench and open his fingers by sliding a tab in his arm.

: Bulkhead is outfitted with a significant array of electronic light and sound gimmicks. Pressing the Autobot insignia on his chest in robot mode causes his head to turn and his mouth to open as he speaks one of three sound clips—"Sorry, my bad," "You can do it, buddy!", and "Time for the big guns!"—accompanied by flashing yellow lights in his chest, shoulders and eyes. During transformation, when the vehicle mode turret is snapped into or out of place, the classic transformation sound effect plays as his lights flash. In vehicle mode, pressing the Autobot insignia activates a siren noise, which lasts as long as the button is held down and is accompanied by flashing red LEDs that illuminate his vehicle's light bar. Bulkhead also comes packaged with the Headmaster unit, which can fit over the figure's head, altering his sound and changing his yellow lights to red. Once in place, the Headmaster will scream "Ownage! Total ownage!", and all of Bulkhead's lights flash, illuminating the villain's translucent horns. This is the Headmaster's only phrase; pressing Bulkhead's insignia repeats the effects. The Headmaster accessory fits over all other Leader class figures, but only changes the lights and speech of Bulkhead.

: The packaging photography and lineart indicate that Bulkhead's electronic lights shine a more [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] blue (well, accurate for his eyes, anyway). The final produced toy has yellow lights instead, because blue LEDs are apparently really expensive.

: ''This'' version of Bulkhead ''can'' transform his kibble into a chair! Hooray!

: The TakaraTomy version of the toy features "dirt-wash" [[paint application]]s on his green parts, as well as painted mud on his feet.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/LeaderBulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Leader Bulkhead at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Activator}}
[[Image:TFAnimated Activators Bulkhead.jpg|300px|thumb|right|"Whoa, I thought I was super-deformed ''before''..."]]
* '''Bulkhead''' (Activator, 2008)

: [[Activators]] Bulkhead can autotransform from a compressed version of a SWAT military van into his robot form when the middle siren bar is pressed. The vehicle mode lacks the back section's doors and bumper to better accommodate the gimmick, which leaves his robot mode's hands sticking out.

: His kibble is unable to become a chair as well. '''''Awww'''''. Unless you take the back-piece and switch it round and have him sit on it in a kind of... warped way.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/ActBulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Activators Bulkhead at TFU.info]

{{-}}{{anchor|AnimatedSuperCollection}}
[[Image:AnimatedSuperCollectionVol2Bulkhead.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
*'''Animated Super Collection Vol. 2''' (multipack, 2010)

: Released on [[October 2]]nd in Japan, the "Animated Super Collection Vol. 2" giftset contained slight redecos of Activators Bulkhead, [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] and [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]. Bulkhead's insignia went from silver to a more traditional red and white.

:While the stock photography of the individual toys showed Animated Super Collection Bulkhead as being a darker green than its American counterpart, this seems to have been a trick of the lighting, as the released toy remained its standard color.

{{-}}{{anchor|BumperBattler}}
[[Image:BumperBattlers Bulkhead toy.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Bulkhead now knows how [[Han Solo]] feels.]]

* '''Bulkhead''' (Bumper Battler, 2008)

: Bulkhead is part of the second wave of [[Bumper Battlers]]. Pressing on the vehicle mode's front bumper activates electronic noises and pops up the roof, revealing a relief of Bulkhead's robot form. Pressing on the Autobot [[faction symbol]] on the hood activates a randomly-assembled collection of sound effects and voice samples.

: His face is disturbingly goofy.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/BBBulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Bumper Battlers Bulkhead at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
[[Image:AniBumperBattlersWorkzoneBulkhead.jpg|thumb|]]
* '''Workzone Bulkhead''' (Bumper Battler, 2009)

: A [[redeco]] of Bumper Battlers Bulkhead. Alongside [[Jazz (Animated)|Stealth Ninja Jazz]], it saw release in Australian stores, and has seen some limited release in North America (Canada and the US) in 2010. <ref> http://www.unicron.com/sightings/item_view.php?itemID=1409 </ref>

{{-}}

==Notes==
[[Image:RedBulkhead.jpg|thumb|right|Bulkred. Redhead? [[Big Red]]! Wyatt totally got paid for this.]]

* Bulkhead's design and demeanor likely owe themselves to Crunch from ''[[wikipedia:Mighty Orbots|Mighty Orbots]]'', a series [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] has admitted as being an inspiration.

* [[wikipedia:Patrick Star|Another]] big lug with a [[Bill Fagerbakke|similar]] voice, Bulkhead is best friends with a [[wikipedia:SpongeBob SquarePants (character)|little]] [[Bumblebee (Animated)|yellow guy]]. Obviously this analogy [[Tom Kenny|only goes]] [[Starscream (Animated)|so far]].

* Upon seeing a red [[Prototype|test shot]] of Bulkhead's ''Voyager''-class toy, Derrick J. Wyatt recolored a Bulkhead character model in the test shot's colors—on company time!<ref>http://derrickjwyatt.blogspot.com/2007/09/bulkhead-toy.html</ref>

* After his reformatting into his APC mode, Bulkhead's robot mode [[kibble]] changes from the ''front'' of his vehicle mode (where it forms the scoop of the bulldozer) to the ''back'', where it forms the doors of the truck.
[[Image:Bulkheadchair.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The next step in Transformers evolution is here!]]

* Bulkhead can form his [[kibble]] into a chair. This is awesome.

* Bulkhead has a storage place in his chest which opens in at least two ways, like a drawer or like a door.

* Bulkhead's eyes can extend from his face and act as a microscope, as shown in "[[Rise of the Constructicons]]". This is slightly strange, but also awesome.

* In spite of the visual differences, it would appear that rather than simply swapping out his hands for his signature wrecking balls, Bulkhead's hands actually transform to ''become'' the wrecking balls. Although most episodes show his hand simply retract and then be replaced by the ball, a few instances show it actually stay in place, blur and change into the ball. Furthermore, in cases where Bulkhead has had the tether-line of his wrecking ball severed, he remains conspicuously handless until the ball is re-attached, such as in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]" and "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]".

* Bulkhead's vehicle mode design was used as the basis for [[Blurr (G1)|Generation 1 Blurr]]'s personal transport in [[Spotlight: Blurr]].

* Of all the vehicles that Teletran 1 scanned, the SWAT vehicle Bulkhead was reformatted into was the only one that didn't match his color scheme.

* Bulkhead's vehicle form strongly resembles a futuristic version of the real world: "2007 DURO IIIP 6x6 (Protected Military Tactical Vehicle)" made by General Dynamics: European Land Systems (MOWAG). This mode also has some design traits from the "Unimog" by Volvo.

*For the Japanese release of ''Animated'', Bulkhead was renamed "Ironhide" to keep the names of the primary ''Animated'' Autobots consistent with the names of the primary ''[[Transformers (film)|Movie]]'' Autobots. ''Animated'' [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] was in turn renamed "Armorhide" to escape confusion.

*[[TakaraTomy]] marketing director [[Masahiko Yamazaki]] has stated that Bulkhead actually ''is'' [[Ironhide (Movie)|Movie Ironhide]], as Animated was supposed to be reworked in order to take place within Movie continuity, and Bulkhead would have his "world view" modified appropriately. The actual ''dub'' of the series seems to contradict Yamazaki's statements, as Bulkhead remains a big dumb lug as opposed to a psychotic gun enthusiast. In fact, he's played off as even ''dumber'' than in the English version, being prone to screaming things such as "Mommy!" when frightened. Thus far, the only change to his "world view" to make him more similar to Movie Ironhide has been a brief statement in his [http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/TF/products/animated/ta03.html TakaraTomy online bio], which says that he is "something of a weapons specialist".

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Ironhide''' (アイアンハイド ''Aianhaido'')
*''Russian:'' '''Tverdoloby''' (Твердолобый, "Hard Head")

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Artists]]
[[Category:Animated Autobots]]
[[Category:Demolitions specialists]]
[[Category:Engineers]]

Bulkhead (Animated)

2012-12-30T22:14:50Z

Onicron:

{{factions|autobot}}
{{picsneeded|Cartoon and comic 'caps}}
{{disambig3|Bulkhead}}
:''Bulkhead is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:AniBulkheadPromoModel.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] called; he wants his head back.]]
The biggest and strongest of [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]'s crew, '''Bulkhead''' appears to be little more than a big, dumb lummox at first glance. The second and third glances don't do much to improve that impression. Raised on a backwater [[energon farm]], he joined the Autobot academy to achieve the lofty goal of becoming a lowly [[space bridge]] [[Space bridge technician|technician]] rather than a warrior. He also has an unfortunate tendency to break stuff by accident due to his sheer strength and natural clumsiness. He's wrecked major thoroughfares and toppled skyscrapers in his zeal to be ''helpful''; when he gets angry, he's capable of berserker charges that even the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]] have learned to respect and fear. His penchant for being a little too eager to please others and getting a little too emotional at times further leads him to act without thinking. Add in a seeming lack of skills beyond "destruction", and it does not paint a pretty picture.

But despite all these shortcomings, one is hard-pressed to find a bot with a bigger heart, and he has astounding (if sometimes well-hidden) depths. He hates being thought of as the clumsy brute of the team, which has bred a certain amount of careful forethought and cautiousness. He's endlessly loyal to and protective of his friends, especially his best buddy [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and the [[human]] girl [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]], even if their impulsive behavior is sometimes annoying. Since coming to [[Earth]], he has discovered a love of art and the urge to express his true feelings through it. He's not very good at it, but he keeps trying anyways. Perhaps most surprising of all is that he is [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s foremost expert in space bridge technology, even though he may not be able to build one himself without accidentally breaking at least half the components.

{{quote|You guys got it easy. All people want me to do is break stuff. I've got a sensitive side too, you know... but breaking stuff '''is''' kinda fun.|Bulkhead meditates on his lot in life|"[[Home Is Where the Spark Is]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
{{Idw-tfa}}
:''Voice actor:'' [[Bill Fagerbakke]] (English), [[Kenta Miyake]] (Japanese), [[Tilo Schmitz]] (German), [[Ireneusz Załóg]] (Polish), [[Lorenzo Scattorin]] (Italian), [[Fabio Moura]] (Portuguese), [[Rolando Salinas]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Lee Juchang]] (Korean)

[[Image:Autobot Cadets.jpg|thumb|left|250px-Autobot Cadets.jpg|Auditions for the new Transformers series are now closed...]]
Bulkhead was originally an [[energon]] farmer and attended [[Autobot boot camp]] in order to qualify as a space bridge engineer. It was there that he first met Bumblebee and their trainer, [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Minor]]. To begin with, Bumblebee had no interest in being friends with the gentle giant, insulting him with the nickname "mudflap". A friendship blossomed after Bulkhead saved Bumblebee from some "malfunctioning" turrets, dropping a building on Sentinel in the process. In order to prevent Bulkhead from being expelled, 'Bee took the blame, and they both ended up on space bridge detail. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[Image:Ani crew.JPG|250px|thumb|right|ROAD TRIP!!!]]
Eventually, they were placed under [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]'s command. While repairing a space bridge, the team discovered the long-lost [[AllSpark]]. However, the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] soon arrived, prompting Bulkhead to mention that he had never seen a Decepticon ship up close. (No one had and lived, as [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] pointed out.) Bulkhead did his best to hang on while the Autobots drove their ship through the space bridge. Coming out of warp, they went headlong toward [[Earth]], and he joined his fellow 'bots in heading into stasis to avoid the impact shock of an unpleasant landing.

After emerging from stasis and his [[reformatting]] into a terrestrial six-wheeled APC, Bulkhead accompanied the other Autobots to investigate a large, cybernetic creature that was menacing the local lifeforms (which they assumed were robots like themselves). Bulkhead requested help from a group of local drones, then noticed [[Sari Sumdac]] trying to take her keycard away from her robot dog, [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]]. Assuming Sari was the pet, Bulkhead greeted her—which promptly sent her running and screaming. Way to make first contact there, big guy.

[[Image:Bulkh alt.JPG|200px|thumb|left|Let's see [[wikipedia:Grave Digger (truck)|Grave Digger]] beat this!]]
After [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] arrived to take the AllSpark, the Autobots engaged him in a fierce game of "Keep-away". At one point, Bulkhead tried to catch the AllSpark, shouting "I got it." Starscream snagged the AllSpark instead, but Bulkhead knocked the [[Seeker (body-type)|Decepticon flier]] out of the air with his wrecking ball, causing him to drop the AllSpark. It's not nice to contradict Bulkhead. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

Later, in Autobot HQ, he said he had some problems, because all humans wanted from him was to break stuff. After all, he had his sensitive side as well (even if breaking stuff was fun). When [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] attacked the Autobots' base, Bulkhead got in touch with his inner breaker, confirming that smashing stuff IS fun! Megatron had different plans for him, though, and Bulkhead discovered it's not as much fun to BE smashed. After Bulkhead was saved, he tried to catch a [[Pocketbot|tiny machine]] that looked like it might be the culprit. Prime hoped to study it and find out where it came from, but Bulkhead smashed the little critter to pieces when he grabbed it. {{storylink|Home Is Where the Spark Is}}

[[Image:TFA Blast Past Bulkhead Tutor Bot.JPG|250px|thumb|right|The pizza's ready!]]
After that [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] tried to train Bulkhead to be more subtle in his actions, to assess a situation, choose the right move, then execute it with grace and precision. This didn't meet with any real success, as Bulkhead's antics damaged the base and caused him to fall on Prowl. Moving to an island in Lake Erie, Bulkhead tried again. He knocked down some trees which fell on Prowl. Things actually got worse when Bulkhead tried to use Prowl's methods against the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]], a trio of animatronics run amok. Prowl wisely advised Bulkhead to stop doing what Prowl would do and instead do what Bulkhead himself would do. Bulkhead quickly discovered that his blunt, powerhouse approach had its place and time for proper use, charging and knocking down [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]], hitting [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] out of the air, and throwing [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] into a pit of molten tar. Afterward, the Dinobots were due to be melted down. However, Prowl suspected the Dinobots were actually alive, not mere machines, so he enlisted Bulkhead's help in secretly transporting them from their prison to the deserted island on Lake Erie. There they could live undisturbed and perhaps get themselves under control. Prowl had realized that just because something was big and lumbering and destructive was no reason to give up on it, and Bulkhead knew just what he meant. {{storylink|Blast from the Past}}

When Bumblebee had his bout with [[Colossus Rhodes]] that escalated into a parking lot brawl, Bulkhead arrived with the others to stop the mad giant and tease Bumblebee about his size. Bulkhead's size proved a liability when he got caught in an opening in [[Sumdac Tower]]'s defense shield, making him a sitting (but not defenseless) duck for an upgraded Rhodes, using his wrecking ball to send the brute flying. When the shield was deactivated he was the first into the tower, scooping up [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]] in his fist... a very bad mistake, since the villain was made of acid. His action gave the other Autobots time to defeat Meltdown, so it turned out okay. {{storylink|Total Meltdown}}

On a shopping trip for Sari's birthday present, Bulkhead worked with Sari to rein in the pesky [[Professor Princess]]. The next day, Sari's birthday party began poorly, as the guests were all children of Sumdac Industries employees, who found Sari too weird for their tastes. The Autobots' arrival made things a little more interesting, but klutzy Bulkhead soon found himself ignored, alongside Sari, as the kids went for rides with the other Autobots (even Ratchet). Bulkhead wanted to give Sari her gift, a xylophone, but was too embarrassed to do so when he saw Dr. Sumdac's gift, a musical robot named [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. For the next several days, Sari's attention was drawn away from her friend as she spent her free time plugging her key into the toy to upgrade it. Bulkhead realized that there was something off about Soundwave, but his attempts to prove it just forced a wedge between Sari and himself. Megatron's machinations to increase the split between them didn't help. It turned out the big guy was right on the money, however, as Soundwave was a creation of Megatron's that gained sentience through the key. Soundwave took control of the machines of Detroit and captured Sari. When Bulkhead came to her rescue, Soundwave attempted to convince Bulkhead of the inferiority of humans. For a few minutes, it seemed Bulkhead was on his side, but with a wink to Sari, he punched Soundwave so hard that the Decepticon shattered into his component parts. Sari apologized, and the pair played with Bulkhead's gift, albeit after Sari nearly broke her hand punching Bulkhead's fist. {{storylink|Sound and Fury}}

Soon afterwards, trouble arrived in the form of [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]]. Answering their challenge, the Autobots confronted the pair in a construction yard. Bulkhead charged Lugnut and the two engaged in a grapple, but even Bulkhead's power wasn't enough against the massive Decepticon, who threw him aside. The second round didn't go too well either, as Lugnut never had a chance to fight before the Decepticons were defeated by the Autobot ship's main cannon. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}

After Sari was abducted by the Dinobots, Prowl and Bulkhead went to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]] to investigate. What they found was Meltdown, who damaged Bulkhead to the point of unconsciousness and trapped Prowl and [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (who had been tailing them) underground. Bulkhead spent the rest of the episode out cold until Sari was able to restore him. On the boat ride home, Sari showed she could take care of herself by kicking Bulkhead, who pretended to be hurt and accidentally fell into the ship's hold. {{storylink|Survival of the Fittest}}

[[Image:Caged bulkhead.jpg|200px|thumb|left|And now we know how the caged Bulkhead sings...]]
After destroying a good portion of a city block trying to stop a missile impact, Sari suggested to Bulkhead that he explore his more creative talents to show the citizens of Detroit that he wasn't [[Sixshot|an engine of destruction]]. Bulkhead had difficulty making his creations (his paint brushes kept snapping between his fingers) and panicked when he learned that Sari had arranged an art show for him. (Girl has connections.) While lamenting his lot in life, he was knocked out cold by a sudden electrical surge. When he came back online, he found that his body had been stolen. As Bumblebee attempted to help him finish his art pieces in time for the show, the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] used Bulkhead's body to take control of a solar fusion plant, intending to detonate it unless he was paid a hefty ransom. Optimus used the ransom delivery to sneak the Autobots into the plant, where they defeated the Headmaster and reattached Bulkhead to his body...backwards. As the reactor reached critical, Bulkhead came up with a drone that would set the rods back, but the drone melted in the process. Not to be daunted, Bulkhead added it to his art collection, showing the citizens of Detroit his [[Slogism|warzone art]] without them even knowing it. {{storylink|Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster}}

When Decepticon energy signals were detected, the Autobots quickly realized that they were outnumbered. Bulkhead mentioned that the Dinobots might be able to help, not aware that Prowl hadn't told Optimus they had moved them to Dinobot Island. Prime was furious and ordered the two to take him there at once. After searching the island, the Autobots found the Dinobots. They were unwilling to help, so the Autobots left, unsure of their next move. When Bumblebee contacted Prime, saying that Starscream was at Sumdac Tower, he ordered him to stand down. When they arrived at the tower, they saw Bumblebee fighting Starscream. Prime dryly noted that disobeying orders was becoming a habit, but Bulkhead wasn't too insulted. He was too busy being shocked by [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] bursting through Sumdac Tower. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}

Quickly regaining his composure, Bulkhead charged Megatron, only to have his wrecking ball severed and be thrown into a building. After the short battle, Sumdac told them how he had rebuilt Megatron. Bulkhead sounded as if he was about to crush the professor, but Prime told him that it was unimportant. Using excess key energy in Sumdac's equipment, the Autobots repaired themselves, and Prime apologized for his harsh words. Ratchet and Sari came by in the ship, picking up the Autobots, but they were shot down over Dinobot Island. During the subsequent battle, Bulkhead brought down Lugnut. The zealous Decepticon was stronger than Bulkhead, but as he activated [[Punch of Kill Everything|his punch]], Bulkhead used his wrecking ball to detonate it, sending Lugnut flying. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

While repairing a damaged overpass, Bulkhead became stuck in some cement, but hid it to avoid being embarrassed. He was nearly destroyed when he used outdated, unstable fixative, but was saved by two newly sentient machines named [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] and [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]]. Once they helped him finish the repair work he'd been doing, Bulkhead reluctantly went with them for an oil break, though he wasn't sure it was okay to take it straight from a tanker ship. He WAS sure the rest of the Autobots would like his new friends. The crass construction workers did not impress the other Autobots, however, and things only got worse when a game of flattened-oil-can frisbee severed Sari's pigtails (and nearly her head), leading Prime to evict the two. The next day, Bulkhead went looking for his friends, discovering that they had stolen parts for something Megatron was building. When Bulkhead told them that the Decepticons were the scum of the universe, the two went to challenge the Decepticons, without telling Bulkhead where to find them. The other Autobots were concerned that Scrapper and Mixmaster would sell them out, but Bulkhead still defended them. Unfortunately, the newly dubbed [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]] ''did'' side with the Decepticons, taking Bumblebee hostage and demanding the AllSpark fragments the Autobots had. Bulkhead gave them the fragments and a cup of oil for the road, but he had spiked the oil with the outdated fixative from the other day. The subsequent explosion scrambled their memory circuits, and Bulkhead drove the amnesiac Transformers away, admitting that he had been wrong to trust them. {{storylink|Rise of the Constructicons}}

After [[Wasp]] escaped, Bulkhead tagged along with Bumblebee in an attempt to track a leaked signal, but 'Bee's attitude became unbearable, and Bulkhead stormed off. The kindhearted bot couldn't stay away, however, and helped Bumblebee out of a minor scrape. Bumblebee apologised, but Bulkhead shook it off; their friendship had rock-solid foundations. Reconciled, the two headed back to base, having missed a rather conspicuous mine shaft entrance. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Bulkhead Sumdac.JPG|thumb|left|Merry Christmas!]]
Bulkhead later made an abstract painting of Sari in the style of Picasso, but the other Autobots' suggestions ended up ruining the painting. He and Sari took a walk to clear his head, and Bumblebee came and genuinely tried to apologize. This went rather poorly, and got even worse when Megatron arrived. He kidnapped Bulkhead and took him to his base. Megatron revealed that [[Shockwave (Animated)|his double agent]] had learned that Bulkhead was Cybertron's top space bridge technician, and forced Bulkhead to help the Decepticons repair a space bridge they had reverse engineered. If Bulkhead refused, Megatron would use a Headmaster unit to steal his body and kill all of Bulkhead's friends, starting with Professor Sumdac. Bulkhead agreed to help, but Professor Sumdac believed that Bulkhead was trying to sabotage the device, and told Bulkhead to let him give the instructions to avoid sounding preposterous. Furious at everyone doubting his skill, Bulkhead actually ''fixed'' the space bridge, allowing Megatron to teleport the Decepticons to an underdefended Cybertron. See Bulkhead, this is why people don't take you seriously. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}

During a three-way battle between the Autobots, the Decepticons, and Starscream's [[Starscream clone (Animated)|clones]], Bulkhead tried to shut down the space bridge, but was locked with [[stasis cuffs]] by a [[Slipstream (Animated)|female clone]]. After Megatron explained his plans and how Bulkhead had helped. the other Autobots expressed confusion at his skills, and Bulkhead explained that he had read all the space bridge schematics on the energon farm. Unfortunately, power problems arose, which Megatron tried to fix with by adding Starscream's AllSpark powered head into the power core. Unfortunately, this caused an overload which Bulkhead theorized would suck up all of Michigan. Fortunately, [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] arrived and allowed himself to be sucked into the portal. When the Autobots escaped, Bulkhead theorized that Omega was merely transported to another section of space, and had hope that he was still alive. Unfortunately, any effort to locate Omega was put on hold when Sari noticed that the skin of her arm had been torn...revealing robotic circuitry underneath! {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

While Bumblebee and Bulkhead were surprised and concerned about Sari's revealed techno-organic nature, they remained focused on the more imminent problem; namely that their old friend Longarm was really a Decepticon spy. However, because Omega Supreme was transwarped to another part of the galaxy, they no longer had Teletran-1 and thus had no way to contact Cybertron. A suggestion from Optimus gave Bulkhead the idea of building their own Space Bridge, seeing as Bulkhead was the Space Bridge genius (a title Bumblebee claimed he'd never get used to). Bulkhead theorized that he might be able to put something together if they salvaged enough parts. The two of them quickly left to dig any useful parts out of the ruins of the mine, namely the [[plasma dynamic thruster]] (the component that generates the transwarp field) and the recon beacon generator (the component that allows one to lock on a specific area to transwarp to). Bulkhead found the recon beacon generator (after Bumblebee nearly tossed it away) and Bumblebee was about to give him the plasma dynamic thruster when it caught a stray transwarp signal (presumably from Omega Supreme's earlier transwarp) and was sent to another part of the galaxy. When Bulkhead turned around, Bumblebee was gone. Hearing a noise, he investigated, thinking it was his little buddy. But it was actually Henry Masterson who had found both his lost [[Headmaster unit]] and Starscream's discarded body (definitely not little and not Bulkhead's buddy). Masterson then soundly trashed Bulkhead and left him buried under a pile of rocks.

Later, Ratchet found him and brought him back to the plant. Ratchet was about to work on repairing Bulkhead when Sari beat him to it, much to Ratchet's annoyance. When Bumblebee's energy signature could not be found on Earth, Bulkhead realized that he wasn't on Earth. The plasma dynamic thruster must have caught a stray transwarp field and sent Bumblebee to another part of the galaxy. In theory, Bulkhead could retrieve him with the recon beacon generator, provided he could get it working. Ratchet was about to attempt to do so when Sari beat him to the punch again. A little while later, Bulkhead detected a stray transwarp field. Using the recon beacon generator, Bulkhead managed to reel Bumblebee back to Earth, inside the belly of a [[Rock Lord|giant rock alien]]. The alien, noticeably ticked about being exposed to the bright light of the [[sun]], went on a rampage in Detroit. Of course, Bulkhead couldn't just smash the alien with his wrecking balls since Bumblebee was inside it. However, Sari once again provided assistance with her new upgraded form and neatly disposed of the rock alien and rescued Bumblebee. But then her body became overloaded with Allspark energy and she started going on an uncontrollable rampage, causing every electronic device she touched to explode. When Bumblebee was stabbed by Sari in an attempt to stop her, Bulkhead, Prowl, and Optimus worked together to remove the Key from her system. However, its energy had been completely drained into Sari, making both the Key useless and Sari still unable to control herself. Bulkhead suggested that she tried to hold it in like when she had to go to the 'sleep-room'. Sari attempted this, but this only caused the initiation of a self-destruct sequence. Fortunately, Ratchet was able to temporarily shut her down with his EMP generator.

Later, the group was at the plant, mulling over the events of the day, including Optimus revealing the Autobots' secret base to Professor Sumdac. When Bumblebee threatened to transwarp again, Bulkhead took the plasma dynamic thruster from Bumblebee's backpack and turned it off. But then Omega Supreme appeared, under the control of Megatron. The group headed for the river to keep Megatron from damaging more of the city. Bulkhead and Bumblebee acted as decoys while Prowl and Optimus worked on freeing Omega from Megatron's control. Their plan worked, only for Starscream's head, which Megatron was using as a battery, to take over Omega's body and toss out Prowl and Optimus. With them unable to get back in and Starscream threatening to transwarp to Cybertron and use Omega to take it over, Bumblebee and Bulkead got the idea of using the plasma dynamic thruster on Omega Supreme. With a little teamwork from them and Optimus Prime, they attached the plasma dynamic thruster to Omega Supreme, causing him to go on an endless and random transwarp cycle throughout the galaxy. However, they still needed to find a way to contact Cybertron about Shockwave. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

[[Image:TFAni Threes a Crowd Stop Hitting Yourself.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself!]]
Soon afterwards, Bulkhead teamed with Prof. Sumdac to build a space bridge at Sumdac Tower. Sumdac was willing to make up to the Autobots for unwillingly helping the Decepticons during his long captivity, though he kept slowing down work by continuously mentioning Megatron and insisting the confiscated Headmaster Unit was staring at him. Eventually, the two of them got the power core assembled and loaded on a green and purple forklift. Bulkhead inserted an Allspark fragment into the power core for a source of energy. Prof. Sumdac warned Bulkhead that it might [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|overload it]]. Bulkhead reassured the Professor that he knew what he was doing when it came to space bridges. Unfortunately, his leaning on the forklift caused too much pressure, and the floor gave out. Bulkhead managed to save the Professor, but the forklift, the power core, and the Headmaster Unit fell down through three floors. While Sumdac went to rest from his near brush with death, Bulkhead went to find some structural experts. Fortunately, he knew just the bots for the job.

Bulkhead found Mixmaster and Scrapper at an automobile disassembly factory, drinking motor oil and hooting at the stripping vehicles. The two Constructicons were less than pleased to see Bulkhead, as evidenced when Scrapper pinned him against the wall. Bulkhead managed to talk them into helping him, seeing as how the other Decepticons weren't going to turn up for them any time soon. The two construction bots agreed, since there wasn't any rule against moonlighting, but Megatron could never know about this. Bulkhead reassured them Megatron would never hear of it. After all, it wasn't like the two of them would be talking any time soon.

When they returned to Sumdac Tower, the Constructicons went to work, mentioning this was going to cost some serious overtime. Bulkhead told them to take all the time they needed. He was almost able to persuade them to switch to the Autobots when Scrapper pulled up the forklift from before, surprisingly in good condition despite its crashing through three floors. However, the materials that had fallen down before had been fused together by the Allspark, creating a grumpy new Constructicon named [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|Dirt Boss]]. Dirt Boss quickly took command and cowed Scrapper and Mixmaster into submission, using a cerebro-shell to force Scrapper to hit himself. Bulkhead tried to contact Prime about this new problem, but Optimus and the other Autobots were busy with Lugnut. Brought back into the lab by the commotion, Prof. Sumdac was upset to see the Constructicons, due to his unhappy dealings with them, and demanded that they leave at once. Dirt Boss didn't take too kindly to that and was about to squish the Professor, so Bulkhead quickly told Dirt Boss that Sumdac worked for him. Bulkhead then feigned anger at Sumdac, ordering him to build the plasma dynamic thruster or else. However, Sumdac didn't notice Bulkhead's conspiratorial winks and thought his ire was real.

Dirt Boss then took Mixmaster and Scrapper out into the city, where they started stealing oil so they could hold the city for ransom. Bulkhead tried to talk Mixmaster and Scrapper out of following Dirt Boss, but the two of them were too interested in gaining oil to listen. Mixmaster even stuck Bulkhead's feet to the ground with his cement. Later, Captain Fanzone inquired whether the "rude, 30-foot robots" were friends of Bulkhead's. Bulkhead tried to convince the Captain that Mix and Scrap were good bots, just misprogrammed, but Fanzone was only concerned about machines acting up his town.

Bulkhead followed the Constructicons back to the disassembly factory, where Dirt Boss was chewing out the other two about "drinking the profits". Prof. Sumdac then found Bulkhead and handed over the plasma dynamic thruster that the Autobot had so firmly demanded. Bulkhead told the Professor that he'd just been acting so the other bots wouldn't hurt Isaac. When said bots appeared behind him, Bulkhead had to put on his act once again, but now Sumdac was in on it. Dirt Boss then told of his plan to destroy the fossil-fuel refinery so they would have the only source of oil in Detroit. Bulkhead finally decided this had gone too far and tried to stop them. Unfortunately, his plan wasn't very well thought-out, and he got his wrecking ball stuck in Mixmaster's cement-cannon. The Constructicons simply dragged him along, with Bulkhead protesting all the way.

When the Constructicons got to the refinery, Bulkhead nearly won Mixmaster and Scrapper over by reminding them that if they destroyed the place, they wouldn't be able to get more oil. But Dirt Boss, having had enough of Bulkhead's mouth, used a cerebro-shell to order Mixmaster to take Bulkhead offline. As the two were still stuck together, this led to a rather awkward battle. Bulkhead managed to open his comm-link so the other Autobots would hear him in trouble. When Scrapper noticed this, he took the cerebro-shell out of Mixmaster and plugged into Bulkhead. Dirt Boss then ordered Bulkhead to light the oil tank and blow up the refinery, even though this would also destroy Mixmaster, who was stuck to Bulkhead. But when the other Autobots came, Dirt Boss had Bulkhead attack them instead, using Mixmaster as a wrecking ball. Eventually, Ratchet was able to remove the cerebro-shell. Bulkhead then separated himself from Mixmaster by using the spilled oil as a lubricant. One swing from his wrecking ball sent Mixmaster flying, but Mix fell onto Scrapper, and the sparks from their collision lit the oil. When the fire proved impossible to contain, Prof. Sumdac came up with the idea of transporting it with the plasma dynamic thruster. Bulkhead reprogrammed the thruster for a shorter distance and tossed it on top of the oil tank. The tank, as well as the Constructicons who were on top of it, as transwarped over Lake Erie near Dinobot Island, where it exploded harmlessly. The Autobots still needed to cart away Lugnut, but discovered that he had been freed by [[Ramjet (Animated)|someone]]. {{storylink|Three's a Crowd}}

When Wasp came to Earth, he attack Bumblebee and switched identities with him, via an [[electronic paint job]] concealed in the switched helmets that also altered their voice synthesizers. Even Bulkhead was confused by the clever disguising and nearly smashed Bumblebee with his wrecking ball, presumably to get even for Wasp's bullying at boot camp. Fortunately, Bumblebee was able to make Bulkhead realize who he really was by reminding how he took the fall for knocking that building on top of Sentinel Prime. Bulkhead realized the truth at the last second and bounced (yes, you read that right, ''bounced'', accompanied with squeaky footsteps too) over and hugged Bumblebee. But then they were attacked by a [[Jetfire (Animated)|new]] [[Jetstorm (Animated)|pair]] of flying Autobots, who thought that Bumblebee was Wasp and, since they also thought Wasp was a traitor, Bulkhead and Prowl were too. The minor misunderstanding was quickly settled when Optimus Prime, Jazz, Ratchet, and Sentinel Prime appeared and Bulkhead explained how he knew Wasp is really Bumblebee (with a squeaky bouncing dance thrown in too). When they went back to the plant, Wasp had already boned up on everything regarding Bumblebee on the computer files and thus an information quiz was therefore useless. However, Bulkhead knew one way to prove who was the real Bumblebee: a death match of [[Ninja Gladiator]] between the two suspected Autobots, on account that Bumblebee is "the best player around". Wasp, not knowing any fighting moves from his long time in the Stockades, panicked and threatened to slag Bumblebee. When Wasp claimed he used to be a good bot before Bumblebee ruined him, Bulkhead countered that he was always mean to him and Bumblebee, thus while not being a traitor, Wasp was never a good bot. Wasp then shot the lights out and made a break for it. Bulkhead found him outside lying on the ground and jumped on top of him, punching him repeatedly. Only to find that Wasp had switched identities again and Bulkhead had pounded Bumblebee. Oops. {{storylink|Where Is Thy Sting?}}

Bulkhead later witnessed Optimus Prime tell Jetfire & Jetstorm to stop taunting Sentinel behind his back, but later was instructed by Ratchet to roll on home along with Bumblebee and Prowl so Optimus & Sentinel could speak in private. {{storylink|Predacons Rising}}

On Christmas Eve, Bulkhead & Bumblebee were trying to figure out what they'd gotten for Christmas, but Sari told them that if they peeked, they would end up on Santa's naughty list. Later, Bulkhead joined the other Autobots in sampling some oil nog that Sari had made. However, it had been altered by one of Soundwave's toys), so Bulkhead and the rest suddenly felt very tired and decided to take a stasis nap. When Bulkhead and the other Autobots woke up the next morning, they had mysteriously been turned into humans. Prime decided that the Autobots needed to get to Sumdac Tower, as they believed Professor Sumdac could figure out what happened. On the way there, Bulkhead's stomach began to growl, so Optimus decided that their human bodies needed some refueling. They settled on a nearby Burger-bot, where Bulkhead proceeded to stuff his face with hamburgers. Bulkhead soon experienced abdominal discomfort, which he took for a malfunction, and headed off for the bathroom, only to discover a Decepticon attack as he returned. Attempting to punch Starscream in the leg, Bulkhead ended up severely injuring his hand. He was still able to help transport Optimus, whose leg Starscream had broken, to a paramedic. The Autobots then resumed their journey to Sumdac Tower...on a city bus, which Bulkhead discovered he actually kind of liked. When the Autobots arrived at the stop near Sumdac Tower, he shared their shock at the sight of Cybertron hovering overhead! Once it had destroyed the tower and unleashed a swarm of Decepticons, it seemed that all hope was lost. However, the whole experience was just a virtual reality illusion. Realizing this, Bulkhead was now strong enough to help defeat the virtual Decepticons, though he still needed a little coaching to restore himself to his robotic form. Just after he succeeded, he and the other Autobots were caught up in the hand of a titanic Soundwave and attacked by a surge of electricity. {{storylink|Human Error, Part I}}

Bulkhead later tried to use his wrecking-ball arm to avoid being reprogrammed by the virtual Soundwave, but was freed when Sari damaged Soundwave's system. However, Soundwave recovered and managed to fix his machine, forcing the Autobots to becom human again. Bulkhead then proceeded to use a traffic light he found to trash the virtual city in hopes of escaping the virtual reality, but Ratchet explained that it didn't work that way, and that they needed to find Soundwave's interface with the system. They then spotted an avatar of Soundwave's vehicle mode and took off in pursuit, driving some conveniently placed vehicles. Bulkhead, along with the rest of the Autobots, was horrible at driving and succeeded in ramming several other vehicles. They eventually cornered Soundwave in a drive-in movie theater parking lot, but Soundwave had actually trapped them there, and he succeeded in reprogramming the Autobots. Under Soundwave's control, Bulkhead later fought against Scrapper, who froze him with a fire hydrant. Once freed from Soundwave's control, Bulkhead joined the rest of the Autobots in watching the Disposal Droids (and [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]]) clean up the city. {{storylink|Human Error, Part II}}

Bulkhead and Sumdac eventually finished building a space bridge in record time, but soon got into an argument over whose fault it was that the bridge wasn't already operational. After Sari settled the matter by getting the bridge running,, Optimus received a call for help from Sentinel. Bulkhead located a transwarp field on the Elite Guard flagship that they could use to transwarp Prime to the ship, though it took Sari's skill to lock the space bridge onto the field. Bulkhead was unsure if they'd be able to transwarp Optimus back to Earth, but his leader insisted on going. Before long, the transwarp field separated from the ship, and Bulkhead seriously began to doubt he could transwarp Optimus back—but Sentinel gave Optimus a direct lift back to Earth, so it wasn't necessary. {{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

Bulkhead eventually helped Bumblebee transwarp to the Moon in order to spy on the Decepticons. 'Bee learned of their ultimate plans for Omega Supreme and managed to open Arcee's com-link, allowing them to listen in on the Decepticons from Earth. Bulkhead and his buddy discovered that the Decepticons were almost ready and warned the others. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

When the [[Lugnut Supreme]]s attacked Detroit, Prime ordered Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Ratchet to go to the Moon and sever Lugnut's connection to the clones, and Sari came with them. On the Moon, Bulkhead and Bumblebee took on Shockwave, while Ratchet and Sari got Arcee inside of the real Omega Supreme. Once they defeated and captured Shockwave, Bulkhead and Bumblebee took Sari to the part of the ''Nemesis'' so she could see the protoforms there for herself and better understand her origins. Bulkhead rode back to Earth on Omega Supreme to battle the Starscream Supremes, and was later stunned to hear that Prowl had sacrificed himself in order to save the city. After witnessing Optimus ultimately defeat and arrest Megatron, Bulkhead joined the Autobots when they went back to Cybertron, and he helped carry Prowl's coffin in their return victory/funeral parade. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

===Animated shorts===
[[Image:BulkheadandGrimlock.gif|thumb|right|300px|Where did that tree disappear to anyway?]]
[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] attempted to jump over him and the other Autobots as part of a stunt. {{storylink|Evel Knievel Jump}}

Bulkhead saw a mime performance along with Sari and Bumblebee. Sari had to explain to the two confused Autobots what a mime was. After Bumblebee successfully upstaged said mime, the audience applauded. Bulkhead decided to join them... and clapped with such force the shockwaves and wind blew most of the crowd away, prompting Bumblebee and Sari to sneak away in the chaos. {{storylink|Mime Time}}

He played fetch with Grimlock once, using a tree. Grimlock liked that.{{storylink|Catch}}

Bulkhead was the subject of some less-than-delicate surgery at Ratchet's hands once, with Sari playing nurse. Rather declared the operation a success, though Bulkhead wondered just what all those ''other internal parts'' lying around were all about. After a brief pause, Ratchet quickly scooped them up and stuffed them into Bulkhead's mouth, forcing him to swallow, then strolled away, whistling nonchalantly. {{storylink|Operating Table}}

===''Be the Hero'' books===
{{Note|As the following stories are [[multipath adventure]]s, details will vary depending on the path taken. See individual pages for information on alternate paths.}}
====''Prime Suspect''====
Bulkhead met the rest of the Autobots outside [[HomeTech]]'s laboratory, after [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] was caught on camera breaking in the night before. He knocked a hole in the side of the building to allow [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and [[You|another kid]] to venture inside in search of the footage. When that line of inquiry turned up a sample of oil, the Autobots headed for HomeTech's main warehouse, where they encountered [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]], the actual perpetrator behind the crime. Bulkhead helped defeat him. {{storylink|Prime Suspect}}
====''Quest for the AllSpark''====
Bulkhead's favorite places in [[Detroit]] were the [[City Art Gallery]] and [[Detroit Sculpture Park]]. When [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] made an attempt to obtain the [[AllSpark]] by taking control of Detroit's robot workforce, the Autobots came up with a plan to hide useless copies of the AllSpark, and Bulkhead opted to head for one of those locations to hide it. [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] managed to find him at the Sculpture Park, trapped in a force field dome created by the AllSpark and, with [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]'s help, extracted him. {{storylink|Quest for the AllSpark}}
====''Web of Deception''====
When Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Prowl found the Autobot ship inactive, Bulkhead briefly considered using his wrecking ball to "nudge" a power conduit — an idea swiftly shot down by [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]]. After they discovered Optimus was missing, Bulkhead set out with Bumblebee, Prowl, Sari and a friend to investigate the presence of [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]'s ship on the lake bed nearby. While fighting the bounty hunter, they discovered the involvement of [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]], who wanted revenge on Prime. They hunted for Blackarachnia, but Bulkhead took a moment to admire an engraving on a cave wall, which inadvertently led to them finding their foe and her downfall. {{storylink|Web of Deception}}

====''Time-Quake''====
After strange time disturbances began appearing across Detroit, the Autobots searched the city using special scanners. Bulkhead finally struck pay dirt when he encountered a time-displaced ''Tyrannosaurus rex''. After dealing with the beast, he and a [[You|human]] tracked the signal back to the [[Lions Tower]] in Detroit's financial district where they met up with Bumblebee. On the top floor, the trio found an unstable time machine, that sent Bulkhead and his human friend hurtling back through time. The pair encountered several historical figures, retrieving the time machine's two missing control spheres before returning to the twenty-second century. The culprit behind the time machine's activity turned out to be the Decepticon [[Blast-X]], whom Bulkhead subsequently defeated with a good solid punch. {{storylink|Time-Quake}}

===Titan Magazines===
[[Hasbro|Toy companies]] have made an action figure of him! {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 3|Crossroads!}}

The Dinobots saved him and the others from [[Starscream clone (Animated)|Starscream clones]], which was good. They then didn't leave and Bulkhead's sleeping space was taken up by Grimlock, which was not good. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 17|Dino-MIGHT!}}

Later, the Autobots were buried by the villain [[Quake-Maker]]. Bulkhead's great strength freed them from the ground, and then he ''vanished completely'' from the battle. {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 1|Burnout}}

On his day off, Bulkhead was dragged to a basketball game by Sari, Prowl and [[Afterburn]]. Bulkhead didn't see the point of the game and was being mistaken for a litter bin by the humans. Luckily a demented supervillain attacked Detroit and they had to leave the game—but as a diversionary tactic, the evil [[Crossroads]] blackmailed Detroit into trying to destroy the Autobots! The Autobots saw through this and intercepted the villain at [[Sumdac Tower]], with Bulkhead taking down reprogrammed security drones. After beating the villain, Bulkhead now enjoyed basketball and happily watched the game ''for no reason''. {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 3|Crossroads!}}

When the Decepticons raided the Autobot base, Bulkhead joined the gang in successfully driving them back out. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|Megatron's Revenge}}

When Prowl and Bumblebee decided to have a race to see who was fastest, Bulkhead was eager to join in, much to Bumblebee's mockery. Nevertheless, off Bulkhead went... and, thanks to the other two being distracted by Decepticons, he ''won'' and was officially King of Speed. Optimus and Ratchet lifted him up in a display of victory (their shoulders hurt!). {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|The Race}}

===''The Cool'' comic===

Witnessing the mysterious Allspark being uncovered, Bulkhead along with the rest of Optimus Prime's crew fled through a space bridge gate in order to keep the artifact out of Decepticon clutches. Unfortunately, Megatron was able to board their ship and left Bulkhead defeated on the floor, leaving Optimus to deal with the Decepticon leader by himself. {{storylink|The Cool Extra issue 3}}

Bulkhead was among the Autobots who traveled to the [[Earth]] city of [[Detroit]] in order to protect the [[AllSpark#Animated|AllSpark]] from the Decepticons. When [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] and [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] attcked, Bulkhead joined in the fray. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 1}}

[[Image:The CoolAutobotsRevivePrime01.jpg|thumb|200px|left| Somethings wrong here...]]

Bulkhead proved unable to prevent Starscream from seizing the AllSpark (the Decepticon snatching right out of his hands) and was subsequently helpless to defend himself from Starscream's AllSpark-powered aerial attacks. When [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] died stopping Starscream, and was quickly revived by the power of [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]]'s [[AllSpark Key|key]], Bulkhead was there to greet him. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 2}}

Bulkhead later took part in defending [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]] from a Decepticon raid. He was unable to counter [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]]'s aerial bombardments, however, and proved little more than a rather large target. Once the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobot]]s saved the day, however, Bulkhead saw them off along with the rest of the Autobots. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 3}}

After [[Blackout (Animated)|Blackout]] buried Optimus under tons of rubble during a Detroit battle, Bulkhead aided Bumblebee in digging their leader out. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 4}}

Bulkhead was present at [[Sumdac Systems]] headquarters when Megatron was resurrected in a new body. Megatron made short work of Bulkhead, grabbing his mace weapon and yanking him to the ground. Bulkhead survived the altercation and later joined Optimus Prime in greeting the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]]. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 5}}

Bulkhead later joined the Autobots in a battle against [[Clone number 2716057|Clone #2716057]]. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 6}}

Bulkhead joined in the battle for the Decepticon [[space bridge#Animated cartoon|Space Bridge]]. When Megatron attempted to power it with Starscream's [[AllSpark#Animated|AllSpark]] fragment, Bulkhead warned him not to, as the power would cause an overload. Bulkhead's prediction came to and he was powerless to stop the Space Bridge, which was sucking everything and everyone into itself. Luckily, [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] arrived and sacrificed himself to save the day. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 8}}

When Starscream attacked Detroit in Omega Supreme's body, Bulkhead was the first to wonder where Optimus Prime had gone to. Prowl informed him that Prime would be back soon, but until then, it was up to them to fend off the villain. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 9}}

When Optimus returned with the Magnus Hammer and his flight pack, Bulkhead stood heroicly beside him, along with the rest of the Autobot crew, ready to face off against the Decepticon threat. {{storylink|The Cool Extra issue 1}}

Upon Megatron's defeat, Bulkhead accompanied the rest of the Autobots back to planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], where they were all hailed as heroes by the citizenry and even [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]]. {{storylink|The Cool Episode Final}}

==Games==
===Transformers Animated: The Game===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Bill Fagerbakke]] (English)
[[Image:TFAnimated Game Bulkhead.jpg|thumb|right|136px]]
After [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] decided some more training was in order, [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] set up the factory as an obstacle course and Prime, [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and Bulkhead tackled it. No sooner had they finished than word arrived that the robots at a [[Sumdac Systems]] factory had gone haywire. They traveled there with [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and blasted their way through the rogue robots until they found the problem — an [[AllSpark]] fragment lodged in a control console. Some of the drones escaped, so Prime left to take care of them while Bumblebee and Bulkhead continued at the plant. It turned out [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] was planning to assault [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], so the three Autobots scoured the plant for more AllSpark fragments before tracking a [[Decepticon Transmitter Drone]] to the Decepticon lair.

After fighting their way into the mine, Optimus, Bumblebee and Bulkhead confronted Megatron, who TransWarped out after they managed to defeat him. The Autobots used the AllSpark fragments they'd gathered to power up Megatron's Space Bridge and step through, however on arrival, Optimus and Bulkhead realized that Bumblebee had been left behind when the Space Bridge closed. They searched fruitlessly for Megatron until Bumblebee arrived, having found a way to repower the bridge. Bulkhead intercepted a Decepticon transmission indicating that the Decepticons had captured a bunch of Space Bridges, and the trio made their way to the Space Bridge Nexus, where they used Cybertron's defense system against him. Megatron was again forced to flee. The Autobots returned to Earth, where Bulkhead announced that he needed a nice long stasis nap. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The Game}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
[[Image:TFAnimated Voyager Bulkhead toy.jpg|300px|thumb|right|And the world wants his kibble to turn into a chair.]]
[[Image:AnimatedVoyagerBulkheadJapan.jpg|thumb|300px|Then new villains came along, and blew away his powers! Bulkhead was in a fix, and now has gone Metallix!]]
* '''Bulkhead''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-03'''
:Bulkhead transforms from an armored, six-wheeled military-type van into a robot mode that is a bit on the short side for a Voyager, due to the stout, stocky nature of the character. The toy features two "[[automorph]]"-style gimmicks in its transformation: after flipping down the back doors, pulling down on them retracts a pair of black tabs holding his arms into pace, allowing them to spring forward into position; and moving his chest into place automatically causes a panel to flip over, exposing his head.

:The figure's left arm contains the character's signature gimmick, his wrecking ball. A concealed lever activates a pressure-launch system that fires the ball, which is attached to Bulkhead's arm by a sturdy string. Bulkhead's right arm, meanwhile, features a rather strange gimmick: after straightening the arm at the elbow, pressing the black lever on the upper arm causes Bulkhead's forearm to flip upwards. It ''might'' be an uppercut or some other sort of punch attack, but whatever this feature is supposed to be, it is not mentioned in either the toy's instructions, or on its packaging.

:No, his kibble can't transform into a chair. ''Aww''.

:The [[TakaraTomy]] version of Bulkhead replaces all his matte green with a blueish green, coats the majority of it with ''very'' shiny metallic green paint, and replaces his silver Autobot symbol with a more traditional red and white one.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/Bulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Voyager Bulkhead at TFU.info]

{{-}}{{anchor|RockinBattle}}
*'''Rockin'On Battle: Ironhide VS Soundwave''' (Voyager-Deluxe two-pack, 2010)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''VS-D'''

: This Japanese-[[exclusive]] two-pack contains unchanged toys of the TakaraTomy versions of Voyager Class "Ironhide" and Deluxe Class [[Soundwave (Animated)#RockinBattle|Soundwave]] (with [[Laserbeak (Animated)#RockinBattle|Laserbeak]].)

{{-}}{{anchor|Mudbuster}}
[[Image:AnimatedVoyMudbusterBulkhead.jpg|thumb|300px|Bulkhead, el Hijo del Acero. LUUUCHAAARAAAAN!]]
* '''Mudbuster Bulkhead''' (Voyager)

: A [[redeco]] of the original Bulkhead in green and black, with caution stripes on the sides of the vehicle.

{{canceledtoy}}

{{-}}{{anchor|Leader}}
[[Image:TFAnimated Leader Bulkhead toy.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Tired of being known as "the big guy with a gentle heart", Bulkhead became more trigger happy than [[Triggerhappy]].]]
[[Image:TFAnimated Leader Bulkhead toy TakaraTomy.jpg|300px|thumb|right|]]
* '''Bulkhead''' (Leader, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-43'''
**''Accessories'': Four "air torpedoes", [[Headmaster unit]]

: This version of Bulkhead is decidedly more heavily armed than others, sporting several rather uncharacteristic weapons over his body; designer [[Eric Siebenaler]] envisioned them as alterations the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] would have made if he had possessed Bulkhead's body longer.<ref>[http://community.livejournal.com/tf_animated/271043.html Derrick Wyat Q&A] on tf_animated LJ community.</ref> Additions to his arsenal include a double-barreled turret for his vehicle mode, two missile racks (one per arm, each holding two removable "air torpedoes"), and a buzzsaw in his right hand which spins when a black tab on his forearm is pressed. He ''doesn't'' have a wrecking ball, but his other hand does feature a "grabby" action, allowing you to clench and open his fingers by sliding a tab in his arm.

: Bulkhead is outfitted with a significant array of electronic light and sound gimmicks. Pressing the Autobot insignia on his chest in robot mode causes his head to turn and his mouth to open as he speaks one of three sound clips—"Sorry, my bad," "You can do it, buddy!", and "Time for the big guns!"—accompanied by flashing yellow lights in his chest, shoulders and eyes. During transformation, when the vehicle mode turret is snapped into or out of place, the classic transformation sound effect plays as his lights flash. In vehicle mode, pressing the Autobot insignia activates a siren noise, which lasts as long as the button is held down and is accompanied by flashing red LEDs that illuminate his vehicle's light bar. Bulkhead also comes packaged with the Headmaster unit, which can fit over the figure's head, altering his sound and changing his yellow lights to red. Once in place, the Headmaster will scream "Ownage! Total ownage!", and all of Bulkhead's lights flash, illuminating the villain's translucent horns. This is the Headmaster's only phrase; pressing Bulkhead's insignia repeats the effects. The Headmaster accessory fits over all other Leader class figures, but only changes the lights and speech of Bulkhead.

: The packaging photography and lineart indicate that Bulkhead's electronic lights shine a more [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] blue (well, accurate for his eyes, anyway). The final produced toy has yellow lights instead, because blue LEDs are apparently really expensive.

: ''This'' version of Bulkhead ''can'' transform his kibble into a chair! Hooray!

: The TakaraTomy version of the toy features "dirt-wash" [[paint application]]s on his green parts, as well as painted mud on his feet.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/LeaderBulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Leader Bulkhead at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Activator}}
[[Image:TFAnimated Activators Bulkhead.jpg|300px|thumb|right|"Whoa, I thought I was super-deformed ''before''..."]]
* '''Bulkhead''' (Activator, 2008)

: [[Activators]] Bulkhead can autotransform from a compressed version of a SWAT military van into his robot form when the middle siren bar is pressed. The vehicle mode lacks the back section's doors and bumper to better accommodate the gimmick, which leaves his robot mode's hands sticking out.

: His kibble is unable to become a chair as well. '''''Awww'''''. Unless you take the back-piece and switch it round and have him sit on it in a kind of... warped way.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/ActBulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Activators Bulkhead at TFU.info]

{{-}}{{anchor|AnimatedSuperCollection}}
[[Image:AnimatedSuperCollectionVol2Bulkhead.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
*'''Animated Super Collection Vol. 2''' (multipack, 2010)

: Released on [[October 2]]nd in Japan, the "Animated Super Collection Vol. 2" giftset contained slight redecos of Activators Bulkhead, [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] and [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]. Bulkhead's insignia went from silver to a more traditional red and white.

:While the stock photography of the individual toys showed Animated Super Collection Bulkhead as being a darker green than its American counterpart, this seems to have been a trick of the lighting, as the released toy remained its standard color.

{{-}}{{anchor|BumperBattler}}
[[Image:BumperBattlers Bulkhead toy.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Bulkhead now knows how [[Han Solo]] feels.]]

* '''Bulkhead''' (Bumper Battler, 2008)

: Bulkhead is part of the second wave of [[Bumper Battlers]]. Pressing on the vehicle mode's front bumper activates electronic noises and pops up the roof, revealing a relief of Bulkhead's robot form. Pressing on the Autobot [[faction symbol]] on the hood activates a randomly-assembled collection of sound effects and voice samples.

: His face is disturbingly goofy.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/BBBulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Bumper Battlers Bulkhead at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
[[Image:AniBumperBattlersWorkzoneBulkhead.jpg|thumb|]]
* '''Workzone Bulkhead''' (Bumper Battler, 2009)

: A [[redeco]] of Bumper Battlers Bulkhead. Alongside [[Jazz (Animated)|Stealth Ninja Jazz]], it saw release in Australian stores, and has seen some limited release in North America (Canada and the US) in 2010. <ref> http://www.unicron.com/sightings/item_view.php?itemID=1409 </ref>

{{-}}

==Notes==
[[Image:RedBulkhead.jpg|thumb|right|Bulkred. Redhead? [[Big Red]]! Wyatt totally got paid for this.]]

* Bulkhead's design and demeanor likely owe themselves to Crunch from ''[[wikipedia:Mighty Orbots|Mighty Orbots]]'', a series [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] has admitted as being an inspiration.

* [[wikipedia:Patrick Star|Another]] big lug with a [[Bill Fagerbakke|similar]] voice, Bulkhead is best friends with a [[wikipedia:SpongeBob SquarePants (character)|little]] [[Bumblebee (Animated)|yellow guy]]. Obviously this analogy [[Tom Kenny|only goes]] [[Starscream (Animated)|so far]].

* Upon seeing a red [[Prototype|test shot]] of Bulkhead's ''Voyager''-class toy, Derrick J. Wyatt recolored a Bulkhead character model in the test shot's colors—on company time!<ref>http://derrickjwyatt.blogspot.com/2007/09/bulkhead-toy.html</ref>

* After his reformatting into his APC mode, Bulkhead's robot mode [[kibble]] changes from the ''front'' of his vehicle mode (where it forms the scoop of the bulldozer) to the ''back'', where it forms the doors of the truck.
[[Image:Bulkheadchair.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The next step in Transformers evolution is here!]]

* Bulkhead can form his [[kibble]] into a chair. This is awesome.

* Bulkhead has a storage place in his chest which opens in at least two ways, like a drawer or like a door.

* Bulkhead's eyes can extend from his face and act as a microscope, as shown in "[[Rise of the Constructicons]]". This is slightly strange, but also awesome.

* In spite of the visual differences, it would appear that rather than simply swapping out his hands for his signature wrecking balls, Bulkhead's hands actually transform to ''become'' the wrecking balls. Although most episodes show his hand simply retract and then be replaced by the ball, a few instances show it actually stay in place, blur and change into the ball. Furthermore, in cases where Bulkhead has had the tether-line of his wrecking ball severed, he remains conspicuously handless until the ball is re-attached, such as in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]" and "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]".

* Bulkhead's vehicle mode design was used as the basis for [[Blurr (G1)|Generation 1 Blurr]]'s personal transport in [[Spotlight: Blurr]].

* Of all the vehicles that Teletran 1 scanned, the SWAT vehicle Bulkhead was reformatted into was the only one that didn't match his color scheme.

* Bulkhead's vehicle form strongly resembles a futuristic version of the real world: "2007 DURO IIIP 6x6 (Protected Military Tactical Vehicle)" made by General Dynamics: European Land Systems (MOWAG). This mode also has some design traits from the "Unimog" by Volvo.

*For the Japanese release of ''Animated'', Bulkhead was renamed "Ironhide" to keep the names of the primary ''Animated'' Autobots consistent with the names of the primary ''[[Transformers (film)|Movie]]'' Autobots. ''Animated'' [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] was in turn renamed "Armorhide" to escape confusion.

*[[TakaraTomy]] marketing director [[Masahiko Yamazaki]] has stated that Bulkhead actually ''is'' [[Ironhide (Movie)|Movie Ironhide]], as Animated was supposed to be reworked in order to take place within Movie continuity, and Bulkhead would have his "world view" modified appropriately. The actual ''dub'' of the series seems to contradict Yamazaki's statements, as Bulkhead remains a big dumb lug as opposed to a psychotic gun enthusiast. In fact, he's played off as even ''dumber'' than in the English version, being prone to screaming things such as "Mommy!" when frightened. Thus far, the only change to his "world view" to make him more similar to Movie Ironhide has been a brief statement in his [http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/TF/products/animated/ta03.html TakaraTomy online bio], which says that he is "something of a weapons specialist".

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Ironhide''' (アイアンハイド ''Aianhaido'')
*''Russian:'' '''Tverdoloby''' (Твердолобый, "Hard Head")

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Artists]]
[[Category:Animated Autobots]]
[[Category:Demolitions specialists]]
[[Category:Engineers]]

Darkest Hour (episode)

2012-12-27T05:08:43Z

Onicron:

{{disambig3|Darkest Hour}}

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 52
|prev=Regeneration (Prime)
|next=
|image=PrimeDarkestHourOPArm.jpg
|caption=WISE FWOM YOUR GWAVE
|title="Darkest Hour"
|airdate=[[November 2]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Vinton Heuck]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}
'''When Megatron turns the power of the Omega Lock on Earth, Optimus is forced into making a risky decision that could have inescapable consequences for the entire Autobot team.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:DarkestHour-captives.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Jack: It's all because of us. Miko: We're so fragged. Raf: Can I go to the bathroom?]]

The two groups stand on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], locked in a face-off. While the [[Autobot]]s have the [[Omega Key]]s, the [[Decepticon]]s have [[Jack Darby|Jack]], [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] and [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]]. [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] orders [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] to get ready to expose Jack to Cybertron's toxic atmosphere. Though the kids are ready to sacrifice themselves to save the planet, [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] isn't, and the Autobots throw down their weapons. [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] hands over his key in exchange for Miko, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] hands over his for Raf, and Megatron insists that as someone who was entrusted with the [[Matrix of Leadership]], Jack is surely worth ''two'' keys, so Arcee and Smokescreen are compelled to hand over theirs. The exchange done, a [[space bridge]] opens and the Autobots are quickly surrounded by [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]].

On [[Earth]], [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] gets a call from [[June Darby]], worried as she can't get in touch with Jack. Ratchet, unable to get in touch with Optimus and unaware that the kids are on Cybertron, is more concerned with keeping the comm lines clear, and quickly ends the call.

Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave and Knock Out each hold a key, and activate the [[Omega Lock]]. At a touch from Megatron, the lock sends out a beam of energy that recreates a nearby ruin, turning it into a pristine building. Though Optimus requests he be allowed to take the [[human]]s back to Earth, Megatron announces they'll be safer where they are. He has Starscream open up a space bridge portal over the Omega Lock site, and unleashes a mechaforming beam through it... to Earth, just outside of [[Jasper]], [[Nevada]]. A horrified June drops her phone, and the Autobot base's systems go haywire from the energy overload.

[[Image:DarkestHour-June.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"I've been watching far too many movies."]]

Miko wonders aloud if the beam will simply restore Earth, but Optimus says that this won't be the case; the beam will instead [[Eco-structuring|cyberform]] the planet, tuning it into another metallic world, and in the process destroy ''all'' indigenous life. Unable to let Earth die, Optimus leaps into action, slicing his way through the guards with his blade and lunging for the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]]. Though Megatron tries to respond with the [[Dark Star Saber]], Optimus neatly cleaves the purloined Prime arm off of the Decepticon leader and sends the Dark blade flying, charging the Lock. Starscream gets his face stamped on as he tries to stop Optimus, and the other two Decepticons dive for cover as the Star Saber finds its mark, resulting in a massive explosion.

The cyberforming beam dissipates, and Ratchet's equipment clears up in time to get a transmission from Optimus requesting a space bridge. As the Decepticons pick themselves out of the rubble, the Autobots retreat through back to Earth. [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] quips, earning a quick backhand from Starscream, snarling that he needs to attend to their wounded leader. Starscream's ranting at Optimus's actions is cut of by a burst of maniacal laughter from Megatron... "They can run, but they can never again run ''home''!"

[[Image:DarkestHour-NewKaon.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Welp. There goes the neighborhood.]]

Ratchet is aghast as the Autobots return carrying the children, and even more so when they tell him Optimus has destroyed the Omega Lock. He staggers, lamenting that the sheer depth of loss the war has brought has all come to naught, with Cybertron now doomed to forever be a lifeless husk. [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] snaps at Ratchet, claiming it's not his place to question Optimus's battlefield decisions, and Ratchet does not exactly react well to that. The discussion is cut short by a call from an absolutely furious [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]], suggesting they take a look outside. As the Autobots reach the mountaintop via elevator, they find a huge [[New Kaon (fortress)|Cybertronian fortress]] now stands right on their doorstep. Fowler, landing his helicopter next to them, wonders why they picked Jasper. As the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'' arrives, the answer becomes painfully clear: the Decepticons have found the [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|Autobot base]].

Megatron, still missing his arm, rallies his air troops with a speech damning Optimus for his actions, and Starscream launches his armada of silver-toned Jet Vehicons, followed by the [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]] horde. The Autobots retreat into the base, but Fowler jumps back into his helicopter and flies directly through the oncoming Decepticon formations. While he's soon outgunned and being chased by Vehicons, the ''[[Jackhammer (Prime)|Jackhammer]]'' streaks into view—[[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] has come to lend a hand, much to the surprise of the Autobots, since their last parting was not exactly on friendly terms.

[[Image:DarkestHour-thisistheplace.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[[Revenge of the Fallen: The Album|We're going 'til the world stops turning, while we burn it to the ground tonight!]]]]

Optimus orders the Autobots to abandon base via [[GroundBridge]], each departing to different locations in the [[United States of America|USA]] in the hopes that it will allow them to evade capture easier and regroup. Bumblebee and Raf head out first, then Bulkhead and Miko, then Arcee and Jack. Outside, Fowler avoids more Decepticons only to see the ''Nemesis'' moving into position over the Autobot base. At the same time, June is approaching the base by car in search of her son, but is stopped by a low-flying Vehicon. Fowler moves fast, gunning the Decepticon down and pulling June to safety. Though Wheeljack has bought the Autobots time, the numbers are against him, and a pair of seeking missiles from Starscream soon send the ''Jackhammer'' plummeting to Earth in a trail of smoke.

Smokescreen having departed on his own, Ratchet and Optimus are the last ones left in the base. Optimus tells Ratchet to go on, while he will make sure the Decepticons can't follow. Realizing the implications, Ratchet sadly takes his leave. Optimus moves to use the Star Saber to destroy the space bridge controls, but at that moment his task is rendered moot as the ''Nemesis'' fires a colossal cannon, destroying the Autobot base in a huge explosion.

Megatron and Starscream fly down to the remains, landing on the Autobot [[insignia]]. The two gloat over their victory... and not far, all that can be seen of Optimus is his hand sticking out from the burning rubble...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (1)
* [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] (2)
* [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (3)
* [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (4)
* [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
* [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (14)
* [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] (18)
|c2=
* [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] (6)
* [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (9)
* [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (10)
* [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (12)
* [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (13)
* [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticons]] (17)
|c3=
* [[Jack Darby]] (7)
* [[Raf Esquivel]] (8)
* [[Miko Nakadai]] (11)
* [[June Darby]] (15)
* [[William Fowler]] (16)
}}

==Quotes==
"I guess we should cancel the welcome home party."
:—'''Knock Out''' makes an ill-timed quip.

"Optimus... ''we needed that''."
:—'''Ratchet''' expresses his dismay over Optimus's actions.

"Our opportunity to revive Cybertron has been lost, due to the treachery of Optimus Prime. But from our fortress of New Kaon, we will instead seize control of THIS world! '''Decepticons! Transform and rise up!'''"
:—'''Megatron''' gives his army a motivational speech as the onslaught begins.

"We're still on the same team Doc. Always have been, always will be."
:—'''Wheeljack'''

"And that's how you wreck a Wrecker!"
:—'''Starscream''' bragging as he shoots down Wheeljack's ship.

"I... never imagined it would end like this." 
''[Heads through the GroundBridge]'' 
"Neither did I, old friend."
:—'''Ratchet''' and '''Optimus Prime''' on the breaking of [[Team Prime]].

"This is the place, all right." 
"This was the place." 
"United we stand, divided they fall."
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Megatron''' continue to gloat at what is left of the Autobot base.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* As in previous episodes, Megatron's jet mode retains the fusion cannon even though he no longer has it.
* During Ratchet's last scene before he enters the ground bridge, you can clearly see part of his helmet going through his chest.
*When Optimus transforms his arm into his regular sword, the Vehicons behind him are suddenly ground units.

===Continuity notes===
* Megatron remembers that Jack was entrusted with the [[Matrix of Leadership]] back in "[[Orion Pax, Part 3]]". Technically, Jack was entrusted with the [[Key to Vector Sigma]], but the end result is the same.
* Ratchet vaguely references the events of "[[Hurt]]" when expressing surprise at Wheeljack's arrival. This also seems to be the reason why no one enlisted his aid for the events of the previous episode.
* Optimus cuts off Megatron's Prime arm, which he acquired in "[[Alpha/Omega]]".
* Soundwave began narrowing down the location of the Autobots' base through knowledge of their human allies residence within [[Jasper]] in "[[Hard Knocks]]".

===Transformers references===
[[Image:Sentinel prime dw.jpg|right|thumb|180px|[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Mikado/The_criminal_cried_as_he_dropped_him_down ''With a frightful, frantic, fearful frown, I bared my big right arm'']]]
* "[[Darkest hour]]", yet again.
* Megatron commands his troops to "Transform and rise up!", a phrase coined by the ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]'' [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] in "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]"
* The red panel Megatron activates on the Omega Lock resembles an [[energon star]].
* Megatron plans to [[Cyberforming|cyberform]] Earth.
* The final shot of Optimus Prime's arm looks [[The War Within issue 1|oddly familiar]].

===Real-world references===
* Optimus Prime explains that the Omega Lock will "cyberform your planet in favor of its new matrix, destroying all indigenous life in the process," a reference to the Genesis Device in ''[[wikipedia:Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan|Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]''. [[Spock]], describing the effect of the Device on an inhabited world, explains that it "would destroy such life, in favor of its new matrix."

===Trivia===
[[Image:PrimeDarkestHourStarscreamsArmadaSingle.jpg|thumb|250px|ARE YOU SARAH CONNOR?]]
* A new type of Decepticon flyer debuts, sporting a silver and grey paint job. Just where these new awesome-looking Vehicons came from has not yet been explained.
* June Darby makes an appearance after a 23-episode absence.
* This is the first time we see a space bridge portal open facing downward and the second time we see a portal open North-South.
* June bought a new car after her old one was destroyed in "[[One Shall Rise, Part 1]]".
* [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] was still being held in that stasis pod when the Autobot Base blew up, leaving open the question of her fate. The various Iacon relics are also left unaccounted for. The [[Forge of Solus Prime]] was in the Autobot base, same as Airachnid. The [[phase shifter]], [[Immobilizer]], [[Apex Armor (Prime)|Apex Armor]], and [[polarity gauntlet]] were all last seen on Cybertron, and the Autobots made no apparent effort to retrieve them. Finally, it's never shown if Megatron retrieved his Dark Star Saber and Prime arm.
* Optimus makes use of his integrated sword for the first time since the arrival of the Star Saber.
* Megatron goes almost the entire episode without a right arm.
* Fowler manages to kill four Decepticons in this episode, two of which he shoots down with the gun on his helicopter. He must have gotten an upgrade after its lackluster performances in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 3]]" and "[[Crisscross]]".
[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Dylan Gould

2012-12-27T03:26:29Z

Onicron:

{{factions|decepticon}}
:''Dylan Gould is a [[human]] from the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Dylangould.jpg|right|thumb|300px|McCreepy]]

'''Dylan Gould''' is the CEO of [[Hotchkiss Gould Investments]].<ref name="dotmset">[http://www.flickr.com/photos/johndecember/4788376088/ Dark of the Moon set photo], July 2010</ref> He managed to snag the young [[Carly Spencer]] to help run his collection of exotic cars, a hobby which helps "keep him sane". He's inordinately fond of his new recruit, calling her "my duchess", giving her cars, and hooking up her boyfriend with career opportunities using his amazing connections because he's so hot and rich. That's not threatening to [[Sam Witwicky|said boyfriend]] at all, no.

{{quote|Not the couch! It's [[Ralph Lauren]]!|Dylan knows his priorities|[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (novel)|''Dark of the Moon'' novelization]]}}

==Fiction==
===IDW ''Dark of the Moon'' prequel comics===

Dylan's father was a [[NASA]] accountant, who was approached by [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] in the early 1970s to manipulate the NASA budget and make further [[moon (moon)|moon]] landings financially infeasible, thereby preventing humanity from discovering the wreck of the [[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]] on the lunar surface. Soundwave provided the money Gould desired by tapping the stock market, and so the man went to work, ensuring that the [[1972]] landing would be the last. Years later, in [[1979]], believing matters on Earth to be secure for the time being, Soundwave called another meeting with Gould to announce that he would be leaving the planet for a time. Gould brought Dylan to this meeting, as he intended for his son to take over his position as Decepticon liaison in the future. Soundwave was impressed with the child's tenacity, and could see in him greater desires than the base riches sought by his father.

Dylan had inherited his father's responsibilities when Soundwave return to Earth in [[2007]], now running the family company and continuing to maintain the veil of secrecy around the moon, with the help of Soundwave's numerous other human pawns. Summoning Dylan upon his return, Soundwave could see that his desires had blossomed: not content purely with money as his father had been, Dylan wanted ''power''. {{storylink|Convergence chapter 4}}

Dylan poached administrative assistant [[Carly Spencer]] from the British Embassy some time after 2009 to serve as his personal assistant. According to her, fighting robots was kids' stuff compared to working for him. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 4}}

===''Dark of the Moon'' film===
:''Actor:'' [[Patrick Dempsey]], [[Yasuhiko Nemoto]] (Japanese dub), [[Sergio Gutiérrez Coto]] (Spanish dub), [[Daniel García]] (Spain-Spanish dub)

[[Image:DOTM Dylan meets Sam.jpg|thumb|left|300px|''"Can't you get me off the hook, Tom? For old times sake?"'']]
Seeking to exploit Carly's boyfriend [[Sam Witwicky]]'s connection to the [[Autobot]]s for the Decepticons' own evil ends, Dylan arranged a job interview for him at [[Accuretta Systems]], on whose board of directors he had a seat. Visiting Carly at work to tell her the good news, Sam took an immediate dislike to the smarmy Dylan and the closeness he and Carly displayed, feeling further emasculated when he discovered Dylan had set up the interview for him. Dylan even gifted Carly a [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG]], and invited the young couple to a party at his estate, but Sam refused to go as he had begun to unravel the lunar conspiracy, though he had no idea Dylan was at the heart of it.

[[Image:DOTM Dylan at party.jpg|thumb|right|300px|]]
Soon after, when the recently-revived Autobot leader [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] revealed his treachery and joined with the Decepticons in using his [[space bridge]] to attack [[Washington, D.C.]], Sam raced to Dylan's estate to get Carly to safety. There, Dylan finally showed his true colors: The "Mercedes" was revealed to be a disguised Soundwave, who held Carly hostage while Dylan attached a [[Watch-bot|Decepticon watch]] to Sam's arm, instructing him to learn all he could about the Autobots' plans to fight back. With Carly Dylan's hostage and his nervous system tortured by the watch, Sam was forced to comply. But before leaving, he vowed to kill Dylan. Sam learned that the Autobots were planning to leave Earth with no retaliation due to being exiled at the demands of Sentinel Prime. Content with this information, Dylan gave the signal to [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], who blew the Autobots' [[Xantium (DOTM)|spacecraft]] out of the sky, apparently destroying them. Dylan then said "We all work for the Decepticons now".

[[Image:DOTM Dylan suggests killing prisoners.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"Make their deaths painful, especially the Camaro!"]]
As the Decepticons set about razing [[Chicago]], turning the city into a fortress, Dylan took Carly to his penthouse and explained that the evil robots were planning to teleport [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] into the solar system, and put humanity to work rebuilding the planet: he had secured his and Carly's freedom by selling out his own race. When he tried to watch he was ordered to leave by Megatron ("I hate that guy, he's such a dick"). Dylan was visibly disturbed by the Decepticons' invasion and massacre of Chicago, but when questioned by Carly, all the traitor had to say was that everything was alright, as long as he was safe.

Chicago soon became a battleground, however, when the Autobots' seeming deaths were revealed as a deception, and they helped Sam break into Dylan's penthouse. Sam had Dylan at gunpoint, but Laserbeak entered the room, grabbed Sam and threw him off the side, but he was saved by Bumblebee's commandeered fighter and saved Carly. Dylan later reported the Autobots survival to Megatron himself. As the fighting grew more intense, several Autobots were captured by the Decepticons; formerly having viewed everything as "just business", Dylan urged Soundwave to execute them all for making things personal. Fortunately, the intervention of [[Brains]] and [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] saved most of the Autobots, and in the renewed fighting that followed, the control pillar for Sentinel's space bridge was shot from its perch and knocked offline.

[[Image:DOTM Dylan's death.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''SAM USED ELECTRICAL SHOCK! IT WAS SUPER-EFFECTIVE!'']]

With the Decepticon ships firing on Optimus, the Autobots battling Sentinel, and the Wreckers handling all ground-bound Decepticons, despite Sentinel's orders, the task fell to Dylan to reactivate the Control Pillar. Dylan made his way to the pillar but Sam tried to interfere, but Dylan pointed Sam's own gun at him. Sam tried to plead with Dylan to not go through with the Decepticons, but Dylan disagreed, stating that now there was no turning back from the future he had helped prepare for himself for years. However a piece of newspaper was caught on his face, providing a distraction and Dylan was forced to fight off Sam to reactivate the pillar. Dylan mockingly asked Sam if he thought he was a hero compared to himself, who had saved all of Cybertron. Sam refused, and struck him with a rebar. Toppling backward into the reactivated pillar, Dylan was fatally electrocuted by its energies.

It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}

==Toys==
===Dark of the Moon===
[[Image:DOTMtoy-DylanGould.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The Laserbeak Cycle not being in ''Dark of the Moon'' is perhaps Michael Bay's greatest crime.]]
*'''Soundwave / Mr. Gould''' with '''Laserbeak''' (Human Alliance, 2011)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''DD09'''

: ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'' [[Human Alliance#Dark of the Moon|Human Alliance]] Dylan Gould is partnered with [[Soundwave (ROTF)#Human Alliance|Soundwave]] and [[Laserbeak (DOTM)#Human Alliance|Laserbeak]]. Like other Human Alliance humans, he can fit inside the drivers compartment of Soundwave or other Human Alliance vehicle. He can also ride Laserbeak in his transformed mode, either separately or plugged into Soundwave's shoulder.

:As with many late-wave ''Dark of the Moon'' products, this toy had no US release.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2011/Decepticon/MrGould/mrgould.htm More information on Mr. Gould at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Footnotes==
<references />

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gould, Dylan}}
[[Category:Dark of the Moon humans]]
[[Category:Human Alliance]]

Insecticon (disambiguation)

2012-12-07T23:28:33Z

Onicron:

The name '''Insecticon''' has been applied to several Transformers characters or groups.

{{disamb|y=1984|The [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], the [[Decepticon]] subgroup from [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]].}}
{{disamb|y=1996|[[Insecticon (BW)|Insecticon]] the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] stag beetle from ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]''.}}
{{disamb|y=2002|[[Insecticon (RID)|Insecticons]], occasionally-referenced beings from ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]''.}}
{{disamb|y=2004|[[Insecticon (Energon)|Insecticon]] the Decepticon [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]] rhinoceros beetle from the ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' portion of the [[Unicron Trilogy]].}}
{{disamb|y=2008|The [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticons]], Decepticon insects from the [[Transformers (film)|Transformers live-action movie]] continuity family.}}
{{disamb|y=2009|The [[Insecticon (ROTF)|Insecticons]], the Decepticon drone units from [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)| Revenge of the Fallen]] that don't appear onscreen.}}
{{disamb|y=2010|[[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticons]], the Decepticon drone units from [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)| Revenge of the Fallen]] that ''do'' appear onscreen.}}
{{disamb|y=2010|The [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]]s, mindless mechanical insects that often serve as Shockwave's lab rats from ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]''.}}

The Generation 1 Insecticon [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] has also been packaged under the name "Insecticon" for [[trademark]] reasons.

"Insecticon" should not be confused with...

*The [[Insectron]] [[Maximal]] subgroup from ''[[Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars II]]''.

{{disambig}}