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Hot Rod (G1)

2010-05-31T19:13:36Z

Willowrib: /* Kiss Players */

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{{disambig3|Rodimus}}
{{disambig3|Hot Rod}}

:''Hot Rod is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]]. He has also been known as '''Rodimus Prime''', '''Rodimus''', and '''Rodimus Major'''.''

[[Image:DVDbox3d1.jpg|right|301px|thumb|And yet he still gets carded.]]

'''Hot Rod''' is brash and headstrong, with an overwhelming self-confidence that borders on arrogance. [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] has assumed the role of mentor and advisor to the impetuous young Hot Rod, offering him wisdom and advice when he needs it (though Hot Rod rarely feels that he does, much to Kup's annoyance). [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] also serves as a calming influence on Hot Rod, and tends to either worry about him when he is not around, or deride and tease him when he is. Their relationship is antagonistic, but friendly. Exactly how deep Hot Rod's feelings for Arcee might run is unknown, whether they be friendly, [[Transformer romance|romantic]], or otherwise.

In contrast, his '''Rodimus Prime''' persona—while still headstrong and stubborn—seems to suffer from a severe lack of confidence, often doubting his own decisions and expressing distress over his position as an [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]]. Of course, much of this comes from having immediately succeeded [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] as commander—and let's face it, shoes-to-be-filled just don't ''get'' much bigger than that.

One thing that both sides of this Autobot's identity have in common is their impatience—neither Hot Rod nor Rodimus Prime can stand to wait around when they could be doing something instead. He is also very self-reliant, rarely sending others to do anything when he could be doing it himself. His [[Targetmaster]] partner is [[Firebolt]]. As Rodimus Prime, his vehicle sometimes splits between his robot and [[Mobile Defense Bay]].

{{bigquote|I ''knew'' you had potential, lad.|[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] on Hot Rod's transformation into Rodimus Prime|''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

:''Japanese name (Hot Rod):'' '''Hot Rodimus''', except for "The Rebirth"
:''Japanese name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimus Convoy'''
:''French-Canadian name (Hot Rod):'' '''Météorite''' ("Meteorite")
:''French-Canadian name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimus Primo''' ("Rodimus First", official toy name)
:''French-Canadian name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimus Primus''' (official dub name)
:''Italian name:'' '''Folgore''', '''Captain''' 
:''Hungarian name (Hot Rod):'' '''Nagyágyú''' ("Hot Shot")
:''Hungarian name (Hot Rod, The Movie):'' '''Peca''' ("[[:Image:HotRodFishing1.jpg|Fisher]]"?) in the first dub of the film, 'cause he deals with marine life throughout the film, you see.
:''Hungarian name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimusz Fővezér''' ("Prime Commander Rodimus")
:''Chinese name (Taiwan, Hot Rod):'' '''Rod''' / '''Rhode''' (羅德 ''Lúo Dé'')
:''Chinese name (Taiwan, Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rhodie Jr-tsūn''' (羅迪至尊, "Rodimus Prime")
:''Chinese name (China, Hot Rod):'' '''Re Po''' (热破, "Hot Break")
:''Chinese name (China, Rodimus Prime):'' '''Bu Tian Shi''' (补天士, "Soldier who [[Wikipedia:Nüwa|repairs the sky]]")
:''English-Malay Headmasters name (Hot Rod):'' '''Roadimus Prime''' (yes. ROAD-imus.)
:''Russian TV dub name (Hot Rod):'' '''Patron''' ("Cartridge")
:''Russian TV dub name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodomes Prime'''
:''Portuguese name (Portugal Comic):'' (Hot Rod) '''Roda Quente''' (Rodimus Prime) '''Rodimus Supremo'''

==Fiction==
{{picsneeded|Cartoon, G2 comic, DW comic, a few other minor continuities.}}
===Cartoon continuity===
====Madman ''The Transformers'' comic====
[[Image:Madman comic HotRod sigh.jpg|left|150px|thumb|"You're gonna be the death of that guy, you know?"]]

In the year 2001, Hot Rod was on guard duty at the construction site of [[Autobot City]] on [[Earth]] while the main Autobot forces were evacuating from the Decepticon-conquered [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. As he was complained about his boring assignment to [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], the Decepticon [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] struck, intent on stealing the [[Matrix of Leadership|Autobot Matrix of Leadership]] which Optimus Prime had secreted in a bunker at the building site. When he reclaimed the Matrix, Hot Rod received a vision of the future where he fought [[Galvatron (G1)|a powerful Decepticon]]. After returning the Matrix to Optimus Prime, the Autobot leader considered that perhaps Hot Rod's destiny was greater than any of them realized. Kup thought differently, however. {{storylink|The Transformers (Madman)|The Transformers}}
{{-}}

====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
:''Voice actors:'' [[Judd Nelson]] → [[Ted Schwartz]] → [[Dick Gautier]] (English), [[Hiroya Ishimaru]] (Japanese, ''Transformers 2010''), [[Takase Akimitsu]] (Japanese, ''The Rebirth''), [[Daniel Gall]] (French, Movie)

[[Image:HotRodFishing1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"I'm tellin' you, Daniel, you HAD to kiss me to activate my fishing rod. STOP crying! And, uh, don't tell your dad or Optimus."]]
In 2005, Hot Rod was one of the many Autobots based in the completed Autobot City. He was close friends with the young human [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] and seemed to have a reputation for being something of a troublemaker, judging from a few of Kup's comments to him at the time. Realizing that the Decepticons were invading, Hot Rod opened fire on their stolen shuttle and exposed their ruse before Megatron could enter the city. Although this did give the rest of the Autobots time to begin transforming Autobot City and raising their defenses, it also left Hot Rod trapped outside with Kup and Daniel. After defeating the Decepticons [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] with some help from Kup, Hot Rod managed to find a way inside the fortress city and took part in its defense. During [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime's]] battle with [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], Hot Rod intervened in an attempt to help, but succeeded only in giving Megatron the chance he needed to wound the Autobot leader mortally.

After Prime's death, Autobot City was attacked again—by [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. While escaping, Hot Rod and Kup (and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]) were separated from the rest of the Autobots and crashed on the planet [[Quintessa]]. There, Hot Rod met the Quintessons, an enemy who would haunt him for some time to come. After escaping their sadistic trial and attempted execution (as well as meeting [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]]), Hot Rod went on to the planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]], where he was just in time to stop [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] from destroying the rest of the Autobot City refugees with a timely use of the [[Universal greeting]]. Together, they all traveled to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to stop [[Unicron]] before he could eat more than just its moons.

[[Image:RodimusPrimeMovie1.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Stop putting in captions that are just blatantly not funny!"]]
Inside of Unicron, Hot Rod was separated from the rest of his team when their ship crashed (something which happens to Hot Rod a lot). Alone, he found himself facing Galvatron in a battle to the death over the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. Claiming the Matrix, Hot Rod [[Renaming|evolved into]] "Rodimus Prime", an older, larger, and more powerful version of himself. After overpowering Galvatron and hurling him through Unicron's hide into the void of space, he opened the Matrix and destroyed Unicron from within. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

Peace reigned on Cybertron for at least long enough to put up some of the more important buildings, and Rodimus Prime began to ease into his role as the new Autobot leader. He even opened the first [[Galactic Olympics]], although the event was disrupted by mysterious assailants who kidnapped [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], Kup and Spike Witwicky. In an attempt to discover if the Decepticons were responsible, Rodimus took [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] to spy on them, but the pair were discovered and attacked. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}} The two Autobots were rescued by Arcee and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], but Rodimus had been injured in the attack, and his spirit entered the Matrix. The experience revealed to him that the Quintessons were behind the kidnapping. With this knowledge, the Autobots rescued their fellows from Quintessa, just as the Quintessons destroyed the planet. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2}}

[[Image:FFOD3 Rodimus in light.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Using the matrix gives you wrinkles.]]
The Autobots were flung through space, eventually crashing down on the planet [[Goo]]. After Springer's dismemberment at the hands of a giant machine, Rodimus faced the machine alone, clogging its intakes and causing it to crash. Their troubles weren't over, as the Quintesson-led Decepticon army soon showed up to renew hostilities. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3}} Rescued by the Junkions, the Autobots were taken to Junk, where Rodimus short-circuited himself in order to consult the Matrix once again. The knowledge of [[Transformer]] history and their creation at the hands of the Quintessons was revealed to him, leading him to realise that Cybertron was in deadly danger. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}

Returning to Cybertron, Rodimus lead the defence of the planet against Galvatron's strike force. It wasn't until [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]'s warning that the true nature of the threat was revealed: a [[large switch|switch]] deep under the planet's surface which controlled the life force of every Transformer in existence. Although Rodimus headed off the contingent of Sharkticons who aimed to pull the switch, Galvatron himself pulled it, disabling all of the Transformers. Fortunately, Spike was on hand to turn them all back on again. After Galvatron was sent into retreat, Rodimus gave a speech to the Autobots about how they had won...for now. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

[[Image:RodimusMatrix.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Here's the Matrix, Optimus. I mean, it's not like this is a trap or anything!]]
Throughout 2006, Rodimus Prime's greatest achievements revolved around his predecessor, Optimus Prime. While fleeing from a Decepticon attack, Rodimus and several other Autobots took refuge in a massive [[Autobot Mausoleum]] and discovered that their former leader seemed to have returned to life. Perhaps a little too trusting of Optimus (and possibly eager to relieve himself of the burden of leadership), Rodimus quickly passed the Matrix back to Optimus and, much to his glee, reverted back into Hot Rod. His happiness was short-lived, however, as Optimus was quickly revealed to be nothing more than a puppet of the Quintessons, sent to trick the Autobots into an ambush from which none of them would escape. With no other choice, Hot Rod was forced to do battle with Optimus Prime for the fate of the Autobots. Although their duel was clearly in the favor of the more powerful Optimus, Hot Rod was able to re-awaken the true spirit of his leader. Returning the Matrix to Rodimus, Optimus then piloted his ship into the heart of the ambush and sacrificed himself to save them all. {{storylink|Dark Awakening}}

Soon after Perceptor left on a standard research mission to a nearby asteroid belt, Rodimus Prime and the Autobots received a distress call from the survey group. They arrived to find the asteroid infested with Quintessons, but managed to drive off the tentacled freaks and their Sharkticon shock troops. Perceptor was near deactivation due to injuries, however, and the rest of the Autobots were nowhere to be seen. The Quints attempted to retake the asteroid but, after failing, were soon desperate enough to tell the truth: Their technology on the rock was a [[Time Window]], and leaving it open was risking the fates of all time and space. With the help of the Quintesson scientist and a [[Alpha Trion (G1)|mysterious stranger with a devilish moustache]], Rodimus Prime retrieved his lost Autobots and shut down the time window. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}

[[Image:Fightorflee Rodimus explosion.jpg|right|thumb|250px|He just needs a cigarette.]]

The Autobots learned of a lost Cybertronian colony known as [[Paradron]] after one of its citizens, [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]], arrived on Cybertron begging for help. It seemed that Galvatron and the Decepticons had seized control over the planet and its vast energon reserves. Rodimus Prime and the Autobots staged a tactical infiltration, but the escalation of violence between the two forces led to total devastation. Rodimus gave the pacifistic Autobots of Paradron his impassioned "Move it or lose it!" speech before hustling them off-world so that Ultra Magnus could blow up their home. As Sandstorm sat there mourning the loss of his world, Rodimus Prime gave him some solemn advice.
{{bigquote|Well, no need to get all mushy. Cybertron's a better place anyway—not so...perfect.|}}
{{storylink|Fight or Flee}}

Rodimus and the Autobots were stumped when someone carried off [[Fort Knox]] in the middle of the night. They detected [[Dinosaur transform static]] at the scene (seriously), found a small pile of [[Energon cube|energon cubes]], and had just been informed by [[Teletraan II]] that Trypticon was still alive. It was a head-scratcher, all right. They eventually figured it out, though, and sieged the occupied nation of [[Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya|Carbombya]] to chase the Decepticons away, then recovered Fort Knox and the other monuments Trypticon had stolen. {{storylink|Thief in the Night}}

When the freelance agent named [[Octane]] was being kidnapped right off of Cybertron's surface by Cyclonus and the Sweeps, Rodimus Prime and the Autobots stormed out to save their associate. Things were more complicated than they looked, however, as when Rodimus confronted Cyclonus, the Decepticon lieutenant spoke with [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s voice! For some reason, learning Starscream was involved made Rodimus willing to let the Decepticons go. Crazy as it sounds, though, it worked—Starscream and Octane managed to lure Galvatron into an Autobot ambush. Rodimus Prime gave a friendly wave to Starscream for a job well done as he departed. ''Zuh''? {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}}

While preparing for the first annual Cybertron peace conference, Rodimus Prime got together with [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] to prepare a surprise party for Danny. They were interrupted by a [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticon]] attack, as the Decepticons wanted to prevent the conference from occurring. The Combaticons were driven off, however, and only minor damage was done. {{storylink|Surprise Party}}

During a diplomatic function, Rodimus Prime was forced to play statesman and deal with Ambassador [[Ynara]] and the other delegates. Curiously, when Daniel Witwicky went missing and Rodimus had an excuse to duck out of the "festivities", he chose to delegate the search mission to Ultra Magnus and Blaster. Perhaps the normally action-hungry Rodimus Prime was actually becoming more accepting of his leadership duties. {{storylink|Madman's Paradise}}

When Daniel Witwicky began experiencing recurring nightmares, Rodimus never dreamed he would have to face those nightmares personally. The Quintessons' latest experiment was to turn the young boy's imagination against his Autobot friends. Danny's own subconscious fought against the Quintessons' manipulations, though, and helped the Autobots save themselves. After that experience, Rodimus Prime stayed by Danny's bedside until he conquered his fears and ended the nightmares. {{storylink|Nightmare Planet}}

Cybertron was put on high alert after [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] broke into Metroplex on Earth, stealing his eyes and blowing up a bomb in his brain. Rodimus and the Autobots were eventually able to suss out that Scourge was working with the ghost of Starscream, and they in turn were acquiring those eyes for Unicron. Rodimus put together a strike team and sent Ultra Magnus, Springer, [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] and [[Groove (G1)|Groove]] to Unicron to investigate, but they were repulsed by the Chaos-Bringer's defenses. Their second mission was more successful, detonating a series of explosives underneath Unicron once he came down to Cybertron, intent on connecting himself to the planet and turning it into his new body. After Unicron was successfully blasted back into orbit, Rodimus congratulated his men on a job well done. As a joke, he told Magnus and the others their next mission would be to return to the head of their Living Devil and retrieve his stolen eyes. That Roddy—he's hilarious. {{storylink|Ghost in the Machine}}

Rodimus was dutifully overseeing some reconstruction work on Cybertron when [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] and [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] reported odd activity over the planet of Junk and among the Junkions themselves. He assembled a task force aboard [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] to take a look firsthand. [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] managed to neutralize the hypnotic signals influencing the Junkions, but the Autobots were unable to learn the cause of the whole situation. {{storylink|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (episode)|The Big Broadcast of 2006}}

At a galactic peace conference, Rodimus and Ultra Magnus attempted to end the centuries of war between the planets of [[Xetaxxis]] and [[Lanarq]]. They might as well have asked Galvatron, "Why you so ''crazy''?" Every attempt at straight talk and reasonable discourse broke out into a brawl, fist-fighting and eventually laser fire. The two worlds only reached an accord once Blaster and Sky Lynx arrived with a Quintesson journal, detailing how the entire war between the two planets was a "case study" in escalation manipulated by the Quints to sell bigger and better armaments to both sides. {{storylink|The Quintesson Journal}}

One day, Rodimus Prime orchestrated the insertion of a new [[power core]] on Cybertron, designed by Perceptor to give the Autobots limitless free energy. Unfortunately, Perceptor also installed an emergency level to jettison the power core into space in the statistically impossible scenario that they would ever need to do such a wild, crazy thing. Sure enough, mere hours later, the power core was floating through space with a [[Trans-Organic]] [[Dweller|monster]] of Lovecraftian proportions latched to the outside of it. Rule of thumb: Installing any form of self-destruct switch increases the likelihood of needing said switch a billion percent. Encasing it behind glass adds another billion. {{storylink|The Dweller in the Depths}}

Rodimus Prime and the Autobots joined forces with the human police to help stop a domestic terrorist named [[Victor Drath]]. They grossly underestimated their opponent and were easily captured by Drath after he lured them to his residence with an anonymous phone call. Using some <strike>Cobra</strike> mysterious technology, Drath siphoned the consciousnesses of Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, Springer and Arcee out of their bodies, inadvertently casting them into synthetic human forms. While trying to get back into Drath's headquarters, Rodimus and Springer were separated. Drath's girlfriend [[Michelle]] was intrigued enough by Rodimus's human form that she hid him from Drath's men. At least until after coffee...THEN she handed him over to Drath. Rodimus managed to overpower Drath and his men, and the villain's scheme was undone. Perceptor managed to reverse the process and restore the Autobots to their true forms. With one regretful look cast towards Michelle as she was led away by the police, Rodimus Prime rolled for home with the other Autobots. {{storylink|Only Human}}

Rodimus Prime began to struggle with the burden of leadership again during a skirmish in Europe, where the Decepticons were working in conjunction with human terrorists. The pacifistic [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] chose to leave the Autobots after his refusal to fight cost Metroplex his transforming cog, and Rodimus chided himself for not having the words to convince the medic to stay. He was also unsettled by Galvatron's crowing about a new "[[Ultimate Weapon]]" which would bring the Autobots to their knees. Regardless of his internal strife, Rodimus continued the fight. He came up with a plan in which Spike and Daniel Witwicky posed as part of the (evil?) human repair crews working on Trypticon and liberated the Decepticon city-bot's transforming cog just as the 'Cons had taken Metroplex's. Rodimus and Ultra Magnus had to fight off Galvatron and the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticon]] in order to stall for time so that the Witwickys could complete their mission. Fortunately, the Stunticons had been off <strike>the shelves</strike> the field for a while by this point, and so were utterly demolished by the two Autobots. Eventually, First Aid returned to the Autobots to finish repair work on the cog, and Rodimus ultimately called Galvatron's bluff and uncovered his "Ultimate Weapon" as the sham it was. These victories renewed Rodimus's confidence in his leadership abilities...until next time. {{storylink|The Ultimate Weapon}}

Rodimus and the Autobots arrived at the scene of a Quintesson quadrant lock as Galvatron was trying to claim it for himself. The Quintessons attempted to stop further investigation of the quadrant lock by casting the Transformers through a warp. Their encounter with the native [[Zamojin (species)|Zamojin]]s inside the lock was less than cordial, but the Autobots eventually managed to disable the quadrant lock and return starlight to the Zamojin people. {{storylink|The Face of the Nijika}}

At the unveiling of a new power generator, Rodimus Prime got frustrated at Grimlock's gross stupidity. Things only got worse when the Autobots discovered [[Anti-electron|anti-electrons]] being beamed out of the power generator and needed to negotiate the tunnels beneath Cybertron to reach the generator core...and Grimlock broke their only map. Luckily for Rodimus's sanity, Grimlock spontaneously developed super-intelligence after biting through the cables connecting the anti-electrons to the power generator. The Autobots then went on a mission to Unicron's head to prevent the Decepticons from recovering any more anti-electrons to use against them. They were nearly overwhelmed by the animalistic [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]], but Grimlock constructed [[Computron (G1)|Computron]] and the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]] as a counter-force against the bestial Decepticons. Rodimus and the others drove off the remaining Decepticons and restabilized the power generator for Cybertron's use. {{storylink|Grimlock's New Brain}}

On Earth's [[Moon (moon)|Moon]], Rodimus Prime and the Autobots were engaged in trench warfare with the Decepticon for some vague but no doubt important reason. Rodimus demonstrated his keen tactical brilliance when the Decepticons attacked, suggesting the Autobots do the unexpected...and counter-attack. No, really—Galvatron seemed utterly amazed when they did that. However, the non-bestial Transformers on both sides were rendered lifeless when the energy-draining creature known as [[Tornedron]] attacked them while en route to Earth. When the threat was eliminated by Grimlock, Rodimus and the others came back to life without realising that anything had happened. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}}

After a particularly strenuous series of Decepticon attacks on Japan, Rodimus Prime was in no mood to be chewed out by the Japanese government for "not helping enough". When [[Marissa Faireborn]] stopped by at just the wrong time with yet another problem, Rodimus blew her off and went racing on the back roads to let off some exhaust. Unfortunately, he was spotted by the Stunticons [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] and [[Wildrider]], who knocked him for a loop and (surprisingly) shook the Matrix of Leadership loose from his chest cavity. After the Stunticons made off with the Matrix, Rodimus woke up as Hot Rod. Shockingly to Springer and Ultra Magnus, Roddy was in no hurry to go after the thieves and recover the Matrix. His ''giri'' had become too burdensome, and Hot Rod was hardly interested in reclaiming the burden so soon. He returned to a dojo that had been upset by [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] during the earlier attacks and observed the sensei and his pupils. After finding his center again, Hot Rod returned to the city, where the huntsman known as Scourge had been misusing the Matrix as a source of raw power to destroy everything around him. After a brief fight, Hot Rod reclaimed the Matrix from Scourge and became Rodimus Prime once more, accepting his path in life. Oh, and Kup was nodding sagely on the sidelines the entire time. Apparently, that helped somehow. {{storylink|The Burden Hardest to Bear}}

[[Image:HotRodReturnOfOptimusPrime1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Does my thumb look infected to you?"]]

As it turned out, far from being destroyed, Optimus Prime had been retrieved by a team of human scientists who were hoping to use him (again) as a weapon against the Autobots—this time as the bearer of a malignant "[[Hate Plague]]" that would cause them to destroy one another. When he learned of this, Rodimus swiftly formed a rescue party and led them to retrieve Optimus's body so that their former leader could rest in peace. When all of the rest of the Autobots with him were exposed to the Hate Plague, only Rodimus was able to escape unharmed—and with the still-uninfected body of Optimus. Returning to Autobot City, Rodimus ordered [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky-Lynx]] to find a Quintesson to repair Optimus, then risked his life to shut down [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] before the Plague could spread to the titanic Autobot. Attacked by Ultra Magnus and Wreck-Gar in the process, he succumbed to the plague and became infected with hate. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}} In order to stop the Plague, the resurrected Optimus had to defeat the crazed Rodimus and forcibly extract the Matrix from him, changing him back into Hot Rod once more. This time, as Optimus had decided to stick around, the change was a permanent one. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}

Even after losing his position as Autobot leader, Hot Rod was not the sort to rest on his laurels. In 2007, he was among a group of Autobots who were caught in a blast from the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]] and shot across the galaxy to the planet [[Nebulos]]. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}} There, the Autobots fell in with a group of native rebels and aided them in opposing the tyrannical rule of the dictatorial [[Hive (G1)|Hive]]—a partnership that ultimately evolved into [[binary bonding]], the fusion of Transformer and Nebulan into [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] and [[Targetmaster|Targetmasters]]. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}} Hot Rod was linked to the Nebulan sharpshooter Firebolt and went on to aid in the defence of Cybertron as Galvatron attempted to use the Plasma Energy Chamber to destroy it. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
{{note|The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in Japanese animated continuity as described above, except without the events of "The Rebirth". Additionally, this continuity moves the events of 2006 forward to 2010 and inserts several additional events into the newly created intervening years.}}

=====''Kiss Players''=====
:''Voice actors:'' [[Ryōtarō Okiayu]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Kp3_toy_accurate_hotrod.jpg|left|200px|thumb]]

When Rodimus Prime hurled Galvatron into space at the conclusion of their battle within Unicron, he could not have predicted the tragic result of this action. Galvatron crash-landed on Earth, on top of [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]], devastating the city and sparking off a massive anti-Transformer movement spearheaded by the [[Earth Defense Command]]. Horrified by what his actions had wrought, Rodimus gave up the Matrix to Ultra Magnus and reverted to Hot Rod once more, seeking a way to redeem himself for his unintentional misdeeds. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|A Big Catch Tonight?!}}

[[Image:Kissplay3 hot rod tentacled.jpg|right|200px|thumb Just stop it, Japan]]

Hot Rod returned to Earth in the year 2006, by which stage the planet had been scoured clean of Transformers by the E.D.C.. He was badly damaged by the [[anti-electron]] field that the E.D.C. had set up around the planet, and wound up falling out of the sky and crashing into the E.D.C.'s headquarters, plunging through its levels into the subterranean chamber known as the [[Genital System]]. His explosive arrival interrupted a grotesque experiment involving former E.D.C. operative [[Shaoshao Li]] and the severed heads of several [[Legion]] (monstrous creatures created when Galvatron's cells, scattered by his impact, fused with Earthly creatures and machines). {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 2|Kiss Players #2}} The Legion attacked Hot Rod and began to [[ParasiTech|fuse]] with him, but a [[kiss]] from Shaoshao—one of the E.D.C.'s [[Kiss Player]]s, also given fusing powers by Galvatron's cells—saved him, reformatting him into a Ford GT body. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 3|Kiss Players #3}}

Together with Shaoshao, Hot Rod went on the run, battling the E.D.C. and the Legion, while working to expose the evil intentions behind of Shaoshao's former employers. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #2}} Shaoshao, a longtime robot-hater, was not pleased about the partnership, disgusted by both the fact that she had to kiss Hot Rod {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #5}} and the Autobot's own smug self-confidence in his speed and sharpshooting skills. She insisted that he work hard on his martial arts training, but Rodimus preferred to simply use Shaoshao's own skills by fusing with her. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #8}} As part of his training, he learned to wield his tonfa weapons as guns, and embarked on a long-distance drive as a test of endurance. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #11}}

Drawn to the E.D.C. headquarters by a massive Legion attack on the facility, Hot Rod and Shaoshao were shocked to see Optimus Prime at the head of the Legion swarm! Given that Prime had died the previous year, Hot Rod assumed he was facing an imposter and attacked, unaware that this was actually the genuine article, who had been brought back to life by the Kiss Player powers of Shaoshao's old friend, [[Marissa Faireborn]]. The battle was broken up and the Legions turned away by the E.D.C.'s most powerful Kiss Player, [[Atari Hitotonari]], and Hot Rod and Shaoshao returned to their fugitive lifestyle. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 3|Kiss Players #3}}

[[Image:HotRodKP.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Flames on his arms and a naked girl in his tummy.]]

Despite being on the lam, Hot Rod still had time for a little fishing now and then, (even though Shaoshao hated the fishy stench he would invariably return covered in) {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #17}} and even built himself a fishing pole that could transform into a set of blasters, dubbed the "Exhaust Rod". {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #20}} While Hot Rod was putting his new pole to use on a fishing trip to Tokyo Bay, he and Shaoshao were attacked by a mass of Legion and fused to fight back. It was during this latest fusion that Shaoshao glimpsed Hot Rod's memories and discovered that he was responsible for throwing Galvatron into space, and her fury caused the fusion to end quite violently. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|A Big Catch Tonight?!}} Despite Hot Rod's peace offering of new underwear (actually stolen from Marissa), {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #29}} Shaoshao concluded that she really didn't care about his guilt, and was just using him to win Marissa back from Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #26}}

[[Image:KP002.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]

Investigating a large number of Legion that seemed to be converging on Tokyo, Hot Rod and Shaoshao spotted a dark-haired girl riding on the shoulder of one of the creatures. As they watched, she disappeared into the Legion, and they believed she may have been a Kiss Player, until Hot Rod realised that his scanners had not picked up any body heat from the girl. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #32}} As if this haunting experience was not bad enough, Hot Rod then began to suffer from nightmares, filled with images of Megatron, caused by the Galvatron cells that the Legion had added to his system when they had tried to fuse with him. Shaoshao exploited the increase in Rodimus's violent tendencies that these nightmares caused by whispering in the Autobot's ear as he slept, telling him that he had to kill the impostor Optimus Prime so she could have Marissa back. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #35}}

When Marissa and Prime led another army of Legions in another attack on the E.D.C. headquarters, Shaoshao and Hot Rod were again there to face them. The two Autobots were overcome by the destructive impulses of their Galvatron cells and began viciously fighting, but as they did so, Marissa and Shaoshao were able to settle their own differences and bring the battle to an end, vowing to discover the dark secret at the heart of the E.D.C.. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #37}} Together with Atari, the group ventured down into the Genital System, where they discovered a secret plot by E.D.C. commander [[Hitoshizuku Amaō]] to resurrect her dead daughter (the ghost girl Hot Rod and Shaoshao had seen) in Atari's body. Atari thwarted Amaō's fusion process, however, and instead caused all of the scattered Galvatron cells to be re-absorbed into the Decepticon leader's comatose body. Hot Rod destroyed the anti-electron field generator, and was then reverted back to normal as his Galvatron cells were drawn out of him and reconstituted within Galvatron's body, which Atari then flung into space. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|You, I, and the Spinning Earth}}

Hot Rod went on his way, but did not take back the Matrix and leadership of the Autobots until the year 2010. It is unknown whether he ever discovered that the true instigators of the Tokyo incident were Unicron's minions, the [[Sparkbot]]s, who had altered Galvatron's trajectory.

=====''The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers''=====
{{note|The events of this manga occur concurrently with the events of Generation 1 cartoon, as described above.}}

[[Image:Ep14.jpg|right|200px|thumb|He's so dreeeaaaaamyyyy.]]

Rodimus Prime faced numerous bizarre challenges in the year 2010, one of which involved Galvatron attempting to seize spaceships with his ''own'' spaceship that ate ''other'' spaceships. Rodimus infiltrated the toothy craft in order to plant a bomb to destroy it. Unfortunately, Galvatron trapped him inside and beat him senseless. Rodimus was about to give up when the spirit of Optimus Prime spoke to him through the Matrix, urging him to fight on. Rodimus snapped out of it and escaped through a hole created by Galvatron's cannon. Before leaving, though, he dropped the bomb off in Cyclonus' hands, detonating the ship.{{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 1}}

During another adventure, Rodimus and his troops were taken under siege by a horde of Megatron clones calling themselves the [[Megatron Corps]]. The Megatron Corps made short work of Rodimus, leaving him to wonder how he could defeat a whole horde of the baddie, when Optimus Prime could barely deal with ''one''. Rodimus eventually realized that Galvatron was secretly controlling the clones and singled him out. With Galvatron defeated, the Megatron Corps ceased to function. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 2}}

Not long after that, Galvatron attacked [[Autobot City]] on Earth with the power of [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. Though Trypticon was defeated by [[Six-Gun]], of all Autobots, Rodimus did not arrive on the scene until after the battle had ended. Young blonde [[human]] girls squeeled at his hunkiness, though. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 3}}

During another battle, he was forced to team with his arch-nemesis, Galvatron, to defeat the all-powerful [[Guiltaur]]. Guiltaur was a creation built by the [[Quintesson|Quintessons]] utilizing the powers of both Optimus Prime and Megatron. Together, Rodimus and Galvatron defeated their foe (who it turned out was being controlled by the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]) and called off the truce. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 4}}

After that, Rodimus lead the Autobots to the planet [[Feminia]] to protect it's [[Prime Energy Tower]] from Galvatron and the Decepticons. The Autobots proved ineffectual against the might of [[Predaking]]...at least until the [[Omnibot (G1)|Omnibot]]s showed up to win the day. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 5}}

=====''The Great Transformer War'' comic=====

After the [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobot]]s rescued the scientist [[Doctor Dalton]] from the clutches of the Decepticons, Rodimus met with him to discuss upgrading the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]]s. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 1}}

Rodimus then watched on in horror as the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s made short work of the upgraded Technobots and nearly turned them into Decepticons with [[Cohesive Control Liquid]]. [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] managed to save the Technobots and send the Decepticons into retreat, swearing vengeance. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 2}}

Early in 2011, after having given up the Matrix of Leadership and reverted back to Hot Rod, he accompanied the newly resurrected Optimus Prime in a space battle against Galvatron and the Decepticons. The Decepticons fled, and though Hot Rod wished to pursue them, Optimus ordered him the return to base, as the entire battle seemed fishy. Indeed, it was all a distraction so that Galvatron could begin his ultimate invasion of Cybertron. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 3}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====
[[Image:DoubleConvoy1.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Race ya to the Matrix!" "Yer on!"]]
One year after the Hate Plague affair and the resurrection of Optimus Prime, Hot Rod maintained a high-level position among the Autobots as well as a new sense of duty and responsibility. Hot Rod was stationed on [[Athenia]] when the Decepticons, bolstered with the addition of new Headmaster warriors, attacked Cybertron in an attempt to take control of [[Vector Sigma]], which had become destabilized as a result of the Matrix's energy being released. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}}

When a group of Autobot Headmasters arrived to help, Optimus Prime broke off from the battle and ventured into Cybertron's depths, hoping to find a way to stabilize Vector Sigma. This, however, would require the sacrifice of his own life if attempted without the Matrix, which was hidden somewhere on Earth, recharging. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}} Hot Rod and the Autobot Headmasters searched the Matrix out and returned to Cybertron with it, where the spirit of [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] recharged its empty shell, transforming Hot Rod back into Rodimus Prime. Optimus and Rodimus defeated the Decepticons together, but Optimus still wound up sacrificing himself to stabilize Vector Sigma, leaving Rodimus Prime in command of the Autobots once again. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}}

Rodimus Prime chose to oversee Autobot operations largely from Athenia, leaving Earth as Ultra Magnus and Metroplex's jurisdiction, and maintaining a relatively minor presence on Cybertron itself. One of his actions as returning leader was to oversee the resurrection of [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], who gave his life during the recent search for the Matrix. He had [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]] employ [[Master (planet)|Master]] technology to revive the communications expert in a new body as [[Twincast]]. {{storylink|The Great Cassette Operation}} After Fortress and the Headmasters ran into trouble on the planet [[Beest]], Rodimus Prime brought the [[Trainbot]]s and [[Monsterbot]]s with him as reinforcements to foil Galvatron's plans. {{storylink|Rebellion on Planet Beest}} He also oversaw the Autobots' efforts to defeat a [[Metamorpho|gravity-warping meteorite]], and encouraged Daniel to be courageous enough to help the Autobots against the metal-sensitive menace. {{storylink|Approach of the Demon Meteorite}}

One day, Rodimus Prime accompanied Ultra Magnus to an energy research laboratory, where a new power source had supposedly been discovered. Upon arrival, however, they discovered the research team had been killed and no new power source existed. Reviewing the tape announcing the discovery, Rodimus realized the broadcasting scientist was actually under the control of [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]], and the whole trip was to get him out of the way so that Scorponok could set a trap for the Headmasters on [[Praum]]. Taking the Trainbots, Rodimus Prime arrived on Praum in time to help the Headmasters chase off Galvatron and their evil counterparts. {{storylink|The Four-Million-Year-Old Veil of Mystery}} Rodimus Prime soon supervised the Autobots during a series of terrorist threats around the globe. He allowed [[Shoki]] and the Trainbots to take first crack at the robot threatening their homeland of Japan. {{storylink|Terror! The Six Shadows}}

When Vector Sigma created a new kind of super-metal known as [[Cybertonuron]], Rodimus Prime realized it would be a tempting target for the Decepticons. Sure enough, Galvatron soon launched an all-out attack on Cybertron to capture Vector Sigma and the Cybertonuron. Rodimus assembled a massive counterstrike force to transport to Cybertron, but Fortress cautioned that the whole ordeal thus far might be a trap. Rodimus recognized the possibility, but stated the idea of Galvatron controlling the Cybertonuron was too dangerous to risk. Rodimus Prime traveled to Cybertron himself aboard the [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Battleship Maximus]], and engaged Galvatron in hand-to-hand combat. Tragically, Rodimus was soundly defeated by his old foe, and would have been helplessly executed by Galvatron if [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundblaster]] hadn't insisted on giving his leader an office memo Right. That. Minute. TPS reports wait for no 'bot. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1}} As the fighting continued to escalate, [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] decided it was too dangerous to risk the Autobots keeping control of the Cybertonuron. He had Mindwipe and the Headmasters plant a series of bombs at Cybertron core, resulting in a massive planetary explosion, leaving Cybertron a burnt-out husk. Deciding that his time was over, and that newer, younger Transformers should take over, Rodimus passed leadership of the Autobots to [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]], and departed for space with Kup and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] to search for a new planet that the Transformers could make their own. Arcee asked if she could go, too, but Rodimus instructed her to stay behind to look after Daniel and Wheelie. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2}}

=====''The Headmasters'' comic=====

With Optimus Prime dead yet again, Hot Rod returned to being Rodimus Prime and erected a statue of his fallen commander on Cybertron. During the dedication, the Decepticons were spotted approaching the planet. Rodimus dispatched the [[Headmasters of Justice]] to deal with the threat. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 1}}

Later, the Decepticons made a second attempt to seize planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]] while the Autobot [[Beastformer]] leader, [[White Leo]], was away. Rodimus Prime sent the Headmasters of Justice to Beast in order to drive back the invading Decepticons. {{storylink|Great Decisive Battle of Planet Beast!}}

During his journey through space in search of a replacement homeworld for the Autobots, Rodimus faced many dangers and hardships, but was supported by the wisdom of the Matrix and the energy of the Earth that now coursed within it. Learning a new admiration for the human race and the planet Earth, he returned to Earth in the wake of the defeat of Scorponok, and reunited with the Autobots. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 8|The Headmasters issue 8}}

=====''The Battlestars''=====
It would be many years before Rodimus resurfaced. He eventually returned at the same time as Optimus Prime was resurrected as [[Optimus Prime (G1)#The Battlestars story pages and comic|Star Convoy]], and was shown to have reverted back into Hot Rod, and been converted into a [[Micromaster]]. As a Micromaster, Hot Rod took up residence in Star Convoy's chest, boosting his Supreme Commander's power.

=====''15 Go! Go!''=====
[[Image:Hotrod-micro.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Well, at least this girl has clothes on.]]
During her travels through time and space, [[Teletraan 15]] encountered Micromaster Hot Rod, who rescued her from a strange mechanical monster, a [[Novaroid]]. Teletraan 15 noted that Hot Rod was considerably smaller than she remembered him.

Hot Rod asked if she was the one responsible for all the [[Transwarp]] travel and blamed her for the wormholes that were opening everywhere. Spotting a large wormhole opening, he transformed to vehicle mode and told her to climb inside, saying that something big was coming.

[[Optimus Prime (G1)#The Battlestars story pages and comic|Star Convoy]] appeared and requested Hot Rod's assistance, telling him that [[Megatron (G1)|Ultra Megatron]] was fusing with [[Dark Nova]].

As Hot Rod said his farewells to Teletraan 15, he was suddenly struck by an immense blast from the wormhole overhead. The shadowy form of [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] descended from the rip in the sky.

15 leaped in front of Hot Rod to protect him, and was rewarded for her heroism by seeing her right arm torn off by the Decepticon's power. The severed arm gripped in his teeth, Galvatron throttled the much smaller Hot Rod. As [[Safety]] and [[Fly-Up]] of the [[Guard City]] team raced toward her, Teletraan 15 faded into unconsciousness, leaving Hot Rod's fate and the outcome of the battle unknown. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{noteukonly}}
''Several hundred years ago, [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] dispatched Hot Rod and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] to search for habitable worlds. During this mission, the pair ran afoul of the [[Tyroxian]]s—unpleasant [[alien]]s who captured Blurr and pursued Hot Rod through space. While fleeing, Hot Rod crossed paths with the Autobot war veteran, Kup, living a nomadic existence wandering through space at the time, and the youth's bravado in attacking [[Tyroxia]] single-handed re-ignited Kup's fighting spirit. After saving Hot Rod and helping him to rescue Blurr, Kup joined the pair in returning to Cybertron.'' {{storylink|Kup's Story!}}

[[Image:BrothersinArmor-Targetmasters.jpg|left|thumb|350px|I'm important! Just not right now.]]

Hot Rod was among the contingent of Transformers who ultimately accompanied Fortress Maximus in abandoning the war on Cybertron for a new world, [[Nebulos]]. The Autobots' arrival on the planet immediately stirred civil unrest, however, which led to the Decepticons being brought to the planet, and the war continuing on a smaller scale. Technological advancements developed during the conflict saw Nebulans being bio-engineered into [[Binary bonding|partnerships]] with the Transformers. Hot Rod became a Targetmaster, and was bonded to the Nebulan sharpshooter, Firebolt (aka Sparks), who transformed into his gun. Eventually, the Autobots determined to move their war away from Nebulos, and followed a signal sent by [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]], received by Hot Rod, to the planet [[Earth]]. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!!}}

Hot Rod and the other Autobots of Nebulos were soon incorporated into the larger Autobot force on Earth, under the command of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]. On one occasion, Hot Rod and several Autobots accompanied Prime on what appeared to be a simple mission to stop some Decepticon [[Micromaster]]s from attacking MacDill Air Force Base. {{storylink|Back from the Dead}} In fact, the attack was part of a much larger scheme by the deposed Decepticon leader [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], luring Prime and his forces away from the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and setting them against his rival for Decepticon leadership, the mighty [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. Once Prime realized the greater threat at issue, he ordered his troops to immediately take the [[Ark shuttlecraft|shuttle]] back to the Ark, but Hot Rod recklessly chose to stay behind at Optimus's side to face the Decepticons. {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} He was therefore on-hand when the newly resurrected [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] arrived, and began tearing through all Transformers present, in the name of Megatron. He managed to take a shot at Starscream's new [[Pretender]] shell, causing enough neural feedback to temporarily weaken the Decepticon, and give Scorponok time to strike and end the threat. {{storylink|Skin Deep}}

The cost was still high, though, as Optimus Prime returned to the Ark and learned that his good friend, [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], had sacrificed himself to help stop Megatron's schemes. This sent the Autobot leader into a depression, and Hot Rod took it upon himself to snap Optimus out of it. He had the crazy scheme of creating a mock threat with a [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian Mark V battle droid]], with predictable results. The robot proceeded to ''actually'' malfunction and endanger the Autobots, but Hot Rod's plan worked when Prime eventually snapped out of his funk and defeated the droid to save the day. Hot Rod needed to find a replacement hand after the Guardian snapped it off, but hey, all's well that ends well. {{storylink|Yesterday's Heroes!}}

[[Image:Hoverscooter.jpg|right|thumb|250px|whoopeee]]

Hot Rod continued to operate with Earth's Autobot forces aboard the Ark, and was present during [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]'s rampage through the shuttle bay. He took some damage, but remained functional enough to continue on, and was later seen speeding into the battle with Unicron himself on a [[hoverscooter]], {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} He was also one of many Autobots destroyed by the Decepticons on [[Klo]], only to be revived by the [[Last Autobot]]. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!}}

At some unspecified point in time, Rodimus Prime defeated [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] in a battle inside [[Unicron]].

In an alternate future of 2006, Rodimus Prime was the leader of the Autobots, who were in control of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] reported suspicious activity on [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]], so Rodimus sent the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbot]]s to investigate. [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] was defeated in battle but was able to send back an SOS before going offline. Sky Lynx was dispatched to retrieve him, and Rodimus decided to investigate himself. He took [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] in [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]].

Once there, the Autobots discovered a chaotic scene where aliens from many worlds, including the Decepticons, had arrived and were all engaged in a deadly battle with one another. Rodimus was immediately attacked by a hypnotized [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], and the two battled to a standstill. The other Autobots were able to disrupt a hypnotic signal that was causing everyone to fight one another. The [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]] then added their strength against the Decepticons, causing the latter to retreat. Rodimus didn't care where the hypnosis signal had been coming from, as long as it was off for good. He never discovered that it was the work of the [[Quintesson]]s. {{storylink|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (issue)|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (US)}}

{{note|In the UK version of the story, the events of "The Big Broadcast of 2006" are a fabrication invented by [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]].}}

[[Image:GalvatrondeadrodimusUS67.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr Prime, I expect you to die!"]]
In an alternate future timeline, Hot Rod arose to become Rodimus Prime. However, the planet-eater known as Unicron managed to destroy Cybertron, leaving Rodimus to lead a failed Autobot/human defense of Earth when [[Galvatron II|that timeline's Galvatron]] attacked and eventually conquered it. Rodimus perished during the conflict, and his body was strung up between the ruined towers of the World Trade Center. In the year 2009, Galvatron returned to Manhattan to survey its devastated landscape, and fired upon Rodimus's corpse, demanding to know how many times he would have to kill him to erase his legacy. {{storylink|Rhythms of Darkness!}}

{{-}}
=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
[[Image:M1988 rodimusprime runlikehell.jpg|right|250px|thumb|I'M KID FRIENDLY, DAMN IT!]]
''Hot Rod rose to greater prominence in the alternate future timeline of [[Earth-120185]]. In 1990, he, Kup and Blurr were captured by Megatron; although rescued by a double-agent named [[Warmonger]], Hot Rod was recaptured and bore witness first hand to Megatron's mercilessness when he executed Warmonger. Then, in 1991, he was part of a unit that escorted the captive [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], only to lose the Decepticon leader when forced to defend a human settlement against an attack by the [[Air Strike Patrol]].'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}} ''On another occasion in 1995, Hot Rod was present when Optimus Prime first unveiled the female Autobot, Arcee, to [[Feminist mob|a dubious crowd of human feminists]]. Hot Rod was more than a little flustered by Arcee's presence on the battlefield.'' {{storylink|Prime's Rib!}} ''In 2003, he and Blurr were given "Ark duty," assigned to stand guard over the [[Ark (G1)|Autobots' spaceship]] while construction on [[Autobot City]] began. Kup was apparently instructed to deliver the plans of the city to the American government, and when Hot Rod saw him being jumped by the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]], he disobeyed orders and sped out to the rescue. The Stunticons brutally beat on Hot Rod and took the plans, but Hot Rod learned a hard lesson when Kup informed him that it was meant to happen that way because the plans were a fake.'' {{storylink|Ark Duty}} ''When the city was completed in 2004, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] attacked it on its opening day, and Hot Rod repelled him by attacking in a wildly illogical manner, tackling him down a mountain repeatedly.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}} ''Also, at some unknown point in the past, Hot Rod's Targetmaster partner Firebolt was killed in action. {{storylink|Headhunt}}''

''In the year 2006, when the new Decepticon leader [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] travelled back in time to 1986 as part of a plan to free himself from the control of Unicron, the chaos-bringer used his mental powers to plant knowledge of Galvatron's plan into the minds of Hot Rod, Kup and Blurr and transported them to Cybertron, where they used Galvatron's equipment to follow him into the past. There, with help from the present-day incarnation of Ultra Magnus, they were able to convince Galvatron that he had, in fact, traveled back in time to a parallel universe, where his actions would have no effect on the future. Believing this, Galvatron returned to his own time, and after setting any remaining wrongs to rights, the trio of Autobots also returned to 2006.'' {{storylink|Target: 2006}} ''Back in his native timeline, Hot Rod was subsequently involved in a battle with Galvatron inside Unicron's body, during which he opened the sacred Autobot talisman, the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]], and was transformed into Rodimus Prime. With this new strength, he hurled Galvatron through Unicron's hide and opened the Matrix, destroying the planet-eater.'' {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

''It's believed that [[Primus]] ''deliberately'' caused Hot Rod's Prime form to resemble him. What an ego!'' {{storylink|Salvage!|#160's Grim Grams}}

[[Image:Rodimusprimerequestdenied.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Rodimus learned the wrong lesson from Optimus's death.]]
''As the new Autobot leader, Rodimus became paranoid about Galvatron's eventual return, since no body was ever recovered from space. He led the Autobot forces high and low searching the universe for the Decepticon leader, neglecting Cybertron in the process. As a result, Shockwave arose as the new Decepticon leader, and total war broke out on Cybertron once again. Unable to take the time to find Galvatron himself anymore, Rodimus rashly placed a bounty on the Decepticon's head. What Rodimus did not realize, however, was that Galvatron had time-jumped again, traveling back to 1987.'' {{storylink|Wanted:Galvatron — Dead or Alive!}} ''In 2007, when the freelance peace-keeping agent [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]] pursued Galvatron back to the '80s, Rodimus was informed of this fact by an Autobot double-agent named [[Nautilus]], and, dismayed at the danger he had unleashed on the past, promptly headed back in time himself to stop the dual threats.'' {{storylink|Burning Sky!}} ''Once again teaming up with the present-day Ultra Magnus, Rodimus and his team of Kup, Blurr and [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] tracked Galvatron down to [[Mount Verona]], where he was attempting to harness the volcano's molten energy. While arguing with Death's Head, Rodimus and the bounty hunter were both attacked, but when Ultra Magnus opened fire on his [[power siphon]], Galvatron was distracted long enough for Rodimus to escape.'' {{storylink|Hunters}} ''Rodimus then arranged a plan that saw the Autobots capture Galvatron's time-jump mechanism, in order to have Wreck-Gar re-engineer it to return all the time-travelers to their point of origin. Rodimus engaged Galvatron in a protracted battle to buy Wreck-Gar time, but when the device was activated, Rodimus, Death's Head and the other Autobots were returned to 2007. Galvatron was left behind.'' {{storylink|Fire on High!}}

''Some time later, a disgruntled Death's Head accepted a contract from the Decepticons on Rodimus Prime's head, and ambushed him while he was inspecting Autobot lines. Their battle subsequently went underground, where [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] intervened, downing Death's Head in hopes of being the ones to defeat Rodimus, in order to reclaim their lost standing in the Decepticons' ranks. Rodimus was able to lead Death's Head through the underground tunnels, right into the heart of the Autobot camp, where he offered him advance payment for a different contract—on Cyclonus and Scourge.'' {{storylink|Headhunt}} ''Death's Head proceeded to track the two Decepticons for the remainder of the year, until the three of them fell under the mental control of Unicron when they discovered his disembodied head on the planet of [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]] in the early days of 2008. Under his control, they assassinated Decepticon leader Shockwave and reignited the stalemated Cybertronian civil war in order to keep the Autobots busy while Unicron worked on rebuilding his body. Rodimus, however, learned of the situation thanks to [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]], and led a small Autobot force to Junk, where Death's Head fought against Unicron's control long enough to project Rodimus's mind into a battle with the demi-god on the astral plane. During the battle, explosives planted by Wreck-Gar destroyed Unicron's head, and his mind was sealed within the Matrix.'' {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}

[[Image:Targetmaster-nomore.jpg|right|180px|thumb|"I'm not being melodramatic, you're being insensitive!"]]
''Later in 2008, the alien Quintessons targeted Cybertron for colonization, and attacked the Autobots with a two-pronged assault on both Cybertron and Earth. When [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] shirked her guard duty at Autobot City, the Quintessons were given an opening that allowed them to take over the city, and when she returned, they gunned her down as bait for a trap for Rodimus Prime. Arriving at the city, Rodimus discovered the injured Arcee and opened his chest compartment to heal her with the Matrix, only to have it yanked from his grasp by the Quintesson general, [[General Ghyrik|Ghyrik]], causing him to revert to Hot Rod. Liberating [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]'s cassettes for back-up, Hot Rod and Arcee proceeded to fight their way through the Quintessons to Autobot City's control room, where Hot Rod activated [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] to smash the alien threat. In battle with Ghyrik, Hot Rod duped the Quintessons with a bit of amateur ventriloquism and reclaimed the Matrix; transformed back into Rodimus Prime again, he routed the Quintessons.'' {{storylink|Space Pirates!}}

''Unbeknownst to Rodimus, the Quintessons had sought to colonize Cybertron because their own homeworld was being destroyed by a rift in space and time caused by the Transformers' repeated time-travel. The rift continued to grow in size until it threatened both Earth and Cybertron at the beginning of both 2009 and 1989. To put an end to the threat, Rodimus and a squad of Autobots traveled back to 1989, only to wind up mass-displacing Optimus Prime (since the Matrix could not exist in two time periods at once) and a group of other Autobots to [[limbo]], leading to a brief but violent misunderstanding with the present-day Autobots. Optimus Prime was able to stabilize the situation by communicating with all involved through the power of the Matrix. Subsequently, Autobots and Decepticons from both the present and future teamed up to battle Galvatron and [[Straxus (G1)|Megatron]], but one by one they fell, until Optimus Prime used the Matrix to return himself to reality for a final showdown. After absorbing Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge, however, the rift was sealed by Shockwave, and Rodimus and the other future Autobots returned to 2009, vowing to destroy their time machines to prevent this from ever happening again.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}}

''As it transpired, however, things would not be that easy. In the wake of the massive chronal damage caused by the rift, time had attempted to heal its wounds, but reality was no longer as it had been. The future that Rodimus and the other Autobots came from no longer existed—in its place was a world where Galvatron had never traveled back in time, and had conquered Cybertron after Unicron's destruction. Rodimus quickly established a rebellion, but when Galvatron tracked down their headquarters, he killed Blurr and all others present, goading Rodimus into a ferocious battle in hopes of corrupting the Matrix within him. Rodimus realized what he was doing, however, and ended the fight before more damage could be done.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}}

''Rodimus and the Autobots escaped to Earth via hyperspace, only to find that their craft's guidance systems had been damaged. During the flight, Rodimus Prime vanished'' {{storylink|The Void! (UK)|The Void!}}, ''and Kup discovered that he was the saboteur,'' {{storylink|Edge of Impact}} ''deducing that he had been corrupted by an evil force from within the Matrix.'' {{storylink|Shadow of Evil}} ''Inside the Matrix, Rodimus battled with the essence of Unicron, trapped there since the events of 2008, until Kup wrenched the Matrix from his chest, freeing him from the chaos-bringer's influence. But now, Rodimus knew that the evil of Unicron would be waiting for him within it...'' {{storylink|White Fire}} ''...and in 2010, Unicron's essence succeeded in taking over Rodimus's body, transforming it into a duplicate of his own and attacking Cybertron once more, until Rodimus was able to defeat him from within and re-seal him within the Matrix.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}}

''Centuries later, in the year 2356, Rodimus, his body withered and weakened from the continuous harmful influence of Unicron from within the Matrix, lectured a young Autobot [[student]] on the nature of evil, unwittingly setting the youth on the path towards villainy himself.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}}

''In an unidentified timeline in the year 2510, a healthy Rodimus Prime was overjoyed to announce that the Cybertronian war was finally over, and planned to step down as leader to allow [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] to take over. The sole remaining Decepticon, a double-agent named [[Triton]], spoke out against the decision to cause dissension, and succeeded—as Rodimus could only watch in dismay, arguments escalated into conflict, and the war was born again as [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]] fought [[Wrecker]], and the Autobot Civil War began.'' {{storylink|Peace}}

====Generation 2====
[[Image:HotrodG2Marvelcomic.jpg|100px|thumb|left|]]After the defeat of the Decepticons on [[Klo]], the Autobots' forces scattered throughout the galaxy as virtually independent splinter cells. A small group under Optimus Prime's command encountered Bludgeon and his soldiers on a desolate world, both sides looking for new weapons or technology, and were in danger of being overrun. Prime sent Hot Rod into a nearby mausoleum building in the hopes that he could conjure up some form of "graven image" to distract the superstitious Decepticon leader. Hot Rod emerged empty-handed from the ruins, only to find that just [[Guardian (G2)|such a graven image]] had conjured ''itself'', chased off the trespassing Decepticons, and was now prepared to do the same to the Autobots. They managed a dignified, if rushed, scramble to safety. {{storylink|All or Nothing!|Ghosts}}

Sometime after, Hot Rod was operating somewhere in the universe with Optimus Prime and Kup when Grimlock summoned them to deal with the threat of [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] and his Cybertronians. Together, they formed the initial Autobot resistance to the Liege Centuro. {{storylink|War Without End!}} Once Optimus's visions convinced him there was a much greater threat at work in the universe, however, he took the Autobots into hiding until they were ready to deal with the bigger picture. Stuck on a distant asteroid base, Hot Rod amused himself by running training with the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], and other soldiers as the army slowly regrouped and reorganized, but chafed at the lack of real action. {{storylink|The Power and the Glory}} Luckily, the Autobots soon joined forces with the old Decepticons, the fight ramped up to epic proportions... and Hot Rod proceeded to do nothing of import for the rest of the war.
{{-}}
{{charstubfiction}}

===S.T.A.R.S. pack-in flyers===
Rodimus Prime remembered the Transformers' [[Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction|greatest battle on Earth]]. {{storylink|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.}}

===Ladybird Books continuity===
Hot Rod was one of several troops stationed on Earth when [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] was in charge and the Transformers' war was still a secret one. He got along well with [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], the two spending their downtime looking at car magazines together, and was quite pleased to receive some snazzy gold wheel-trims from the boy. {{storylink|Decepticon Hideout|Decepticon Hideout}}

In the time following this campaign, Hot Rod would mature into a more sensible warrior and even a team leader. During the early stages of the war on [[Nebulos]], Hot Rod was Autobot commander against [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus']] Decepticons before the return of Optimus Prime. At one point, he prevented the Decepticons causing Nebulos' destruction via cosmic radiation. {{storylink|Decepticons at the Pole|Decepticons at the Pole}}

===''Transformer PD Type'' comic===
Clutching a [[Blackball]], Rodimus Prime found himself being attacked by Galvatron. As the Decepticon leader attempted to throttle him, a light shone from Rodimus's chest, making Galvatron think it was the power of the Blackball. After Galvatron had fled, Rodimus revealed it was just a torch, and reflected on what an idiot his foe was. {{storylink|Transformer PD Type##11 "Take a Stand! Rodimus Prime!"|Take a Stand! Rodimus Prime!}} As Fortress Maximus and Mega Zarak clashed violently, Rodimus reminds Optimus that he had said never to let those two fight. {{storylink|Transformer PD Type##14 "Watch Out! Mega Zarak!"|Watch Out! Mega Zarak!}} Ultra Magnus and Rodimus Prime enjoyed many victories against the Decepticons, but [[Greatshot|who was that in the background?]] {{storylink|Transformer PD Type##15 "No One Knows When he's Come or Gone. Greatshot..."|No One Knows When he's Come or Gone. Greatshot...}}

===''Transformers in 3-D''===
As Ultra Magnus left for a mission to find an Energon source, Hot Rod assured him that everything would be fine on Cybertron, and if there was any hint of trouble "Rodimus" would pop up and save the day. When Magnus later checked in, Hot Rod reported that they'd made some process on Headmaster technology. Though Magnus was more concerned about the threat of war, Hot Rod told him not to worry, unaware that [[Sixshot]] was planning to throw him a surprise. {{storylink|The Test (issue)|The Test}}

Hot Rod was pleased to have [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] back. Then [[Monitorus]] arrived with the news that [[Tau-Ursa]] had been attacked and leveled by Decepticons, and Hot Rod got to point out that the Tau-Ursans had refused the Autobots permission to build a defense base there. He shortly took part in an attempt to repel a Decepticon attack on Cybertron, finding himself fighting against Sixshot, who seemed more interested in goading him than fighting. This turned out to be a diversion, while [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] used his new [[Nullification Cannon]] on the planet's Energon supplies.

Hot Rod and Blurr next visited Tau-Ursa to check for Decepticons, and encountered [[Apeface|Ape Face]], who had found a [[Logicon]] warning beacon. The two Autobots wrestled it from him and returned to Cybertron, where the beacon was found to hold the coordinates to [[Metascan Alpha]], a major Energon storehouse. Prime placed Hot Rod in charge of one of two teams to search for the planet, though the operation was hampered slightly by the discovery of the two Decepticon [[Clone (subgroup)|Clone]]s spying on them. {{storylink|The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3}}

{{Note|At this point [[Blackthorne Publishing]] went bankrupt and the storyline was never completed}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
[[Image:Hotroddreamwave.jpg|150px|right|thumb|]]Hot Rod joined an underground Autobot cell led by [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] after [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave's]] takeover of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Among the members of the cell was [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], who Hot Rod became attached to. From the [[Wastelands]], Hot Rod, [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]], and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] observed an incoming Decepticon shuttle carrying the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. {{storylink|Cold War|Cold War}} Shortly afterward, the cell rescued [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] from [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] and [[Runabout]], and took him to their base. After awakening, Prime attacked [[Gnaw]], Blurr, and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], forcing Hot Rod (who didn't recognize him) to hold the Autobot leader at gunpoint. After being <strike>bitch slapped</strike> admonished by Kup, Hot Rod apologized. {{storylink|Passive Aggression|Passive Aggression}}

After Shockwave unleashed the [[Guardian robot]]s on [[Iacon]], Prime organized the resistance cell and other Autobot forces on the planet in an assault on Shockwave's citadel. Fighting alongside the Autobot leader, Hot Rod was amazed that the stories Kup had told him about Prime's courage and heroism had all been true. As an injured Prime breached the citadel, Hot Rod, Ironhide and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] provided cover fire, taking down a number of Guardians in the process. Along with the rest of Iacon, they witnessed the divine light of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Autobot Matrix of Leadership]] when Shockwave activated it. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (issue)|Countdown to Extinction}}

As Prime and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] battled Shockwave within the citadel, Hot Rod and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] took down [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] and [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]. Immediately afterward, they were confronted with the looming threat of a remaining Guardian robot—a threat that was soon neutralized by the arrival of the [[Wrecker|Wreckers]], the [[Autobot High Council]], and [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]]. The unified Autobot group soon breached the citadel. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

Some time later, Hot Rod ran a simulation combat scenario against Kup, and won using tactics that, in Kup's opinion, would have killed them both had it been real. Only after his victory did Hot Rod remember that he'd promised to take Arcee to see an [[Earth]]-bound shuttle launch—a duty Springer was happy to relieve him of. {{storylink|Lost and Found (issue)|Lost and Found}} Soon afterward, he was assigned to perimeter guard duty at [[Autobase (G1)|Autobase]] with Gnaw and Wheelie, separating him from Arcee. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil|The Route of All Evil}}

===''Universe: Featuring the Wreckers''===
[[Image:Skidswreckers2.jpg|left|250px|thumb|It's funny because Rodimus sucked at everything.]]

A few months after the destruction of [[Unicron]] in 2005, Rodimus Prime spearheaded an effort to establish multiple recon posts to watch for advancing threats... even though some of his scientists said he shouldn't. When only two of the five launched ships were ever heard from again, Rodimus felt like a schmuck. Guy can't catch a break. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

After the Great Wars ended and the [[Pax Cybertronia]] was signed, he changed his name to simply "Rodimus" and decided to check out the new "[[Maximal Upgrade]]". His relationship with [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] effectively ended shortly after, as the latter went through dark gripping emo depression over the death of [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] and vanished.

Rodimus joined the [[Wrecker|Wreckers]] at some undetermined point afterward. After [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] took over Cybertron with his [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon drones]], Wrecker leader [[Apelinq]] got stranded on prehistoric [[Earth]], leaving Rodimus in charge. True to form, he ditched leadership duties to [[Primal Prime]] as soon as possible.

After Primal Prime got his marching orders from the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], he met Rodimus deep inside Cybertron's caverns, where an even more gothy-emo Arcee—in a new Maximal body—lurked and stewed in her depression. Realizing he couldn't convince her to give a damn about anything, he left, rejoining the main Wrecker force in battle. Making it onto an ancient Autobot shuttle, the Wreckers blasted off... with late-arrival Arcee. {{storylink|Departure}}

[[Image:Arceedisclosure.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Except you're the size of my arm now.]]

Rodimus recognized the homing beacon emitting from [[Akalo|Archa Nine]] as one of those missing exploration parties mentioned before. When the shuttle landed, Rodimus stayed behind to help repair the damage the ship had suffered. The entire Wrecker team later gathered in an [[Akalouthan]] village, where Rodimus was reunited with [[Glyph (G1)|Glyph]], who took them to see the artifact known as the [[Divine Light]]. The Wreckers' analysis of the item was cut short, as it was stolen by the traitor [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]. Rodimus saw the back-in-his-old-body [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]] off, who was sent to chase after Cyclonus, while the Wreckers made for their next destination... even though several of them were now leery of the visions Primal Prime had been getting. Because they'd really done ''so well'' by the Wreckers so far. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

Upon landing on the frozen planet, Rodimus was part of the search party immediately dispatched to look for... something. Primal Prime wasn't too specific. They came across [[Al-Badur]], an exiled [[Quintesson]], who gave them a little history lesson. They were then promptly attacked by a school of [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]], but the Wreckers made short work of them. They made their way back to the ship, with Al-Badur in tow, and made for their next destination... {{storylink|Disclosure}}

[[Image:Sentinelcryotekwreckersfinale.jpg|left|thumb|300px|If Optimus can die, so can I!]]

...Cybertron. As Primal Prime took some Wreckers after their true foe, [[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]], Rodimus tried to get their injured to a safe place. Unfortunately, the planet was under a full scale Quintesson invasion, and some anti-aircraft fire inevitably clipped the ship and sent them plummeting downwards. After they made it to safe ground, Rodimus and the crew hooked up with his fellow [[Matrix Templar]], [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], and followed his insight to the battle. They confronted Cryotek's underling, Cyclonus, and his purloined squad of [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]]s. With casualties mounting on both sides, Cyclonus beat a safe retreat, collapsing the tunnel behind him to prevent pursuit. Rodimus was quick enough to dive through the falling debris, however, leaving the two old enemies alone to do battle. Centuries of bad blood carried them through the conflict, until both drew their weapons at point blank range, and fired.

Horribly damaged by this last attack, Rodimus struggled to keep up with the other Wreckers and the running conflict between [[Sentinel Maximus]] and Cryotek. The fighting came to an end at a Quintesson banishing chamber, where the treacherous Al-Badur had attempted to toss Sentinel and Cryotek into a formless void. The two warriors were trapped behind an energy dome, barely able to fight off the portal's pull using their flight systems. Once [[Fractyl]] pointed out that Cryotek was empowered by the Divine Light, a fraction of Primus's own power, Rodimus realized that as Matrix Templars he and Cheetor could drain that power away from the Predacon. They managed to extract most of it before Cryotek cut off their siphoning effect. In the end, Sentinel Maximus sacrificed himself to pull Cryotek into the void with him. Rodimus finally expired from his wounds from fighting Cyclonus, quietly passing on into the Matrix. {{storylink|Wreckers: Finale Part II}}
{{-}}

===Devil's Due ''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers'' comics===
[[Image:GIJoeTFHotRod70s.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"That bumperchest really doesn't feel right. How do Prowl and Jazz live with it?"]]
Hot Rod was one of [[Teletran 3]]'s unfortunate victims when the computer malfunctioned and transported a random number of Transformers to random points in Earth's timeline. Along with [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], Hot Rod ended up in mid-1970's [[San Francisco]], where he was locked into the form of a Ford Mustang muscle car. The dormant Autobot was soon stolen by a car thief, but was chased down by a group of [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joes]] and [[Cobra]] members sent to retrieve the Transformers. Discovering [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] in the process, the humans equipped both vehicles with [[disruption unit]] that awakened the Transformers and sent them back to present-day Cybertron seconds after Hot Rod commented about feeling "really weird." {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 1|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1}} Back on Cybertron, they were stuck waiting inside the force field Ultra Magnus had erected to prevent [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] from capturing Teletran 3. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 2|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #2}}

Some time after his time travel adventure, Hot Rod reported to Optimus Prime that [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]'s team on Earth had been sidetracked by a Cobra attack. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 2|The Art of War #2}} When said team ended up disappearing in Cybertron's [[Gladiator Zone]], Hot Rod convinced Optimus to stay behind and take care of an Autobot peace ceremony instead of going out and searching for them. Hot Rod then assembled his own search party, but they failed to find the missing Autobots. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}} Unfortunately, [[Serpent O.R.]]'s forces attacked the peace ceremony and captured Optimus Prime, leading to Hot Rod assembling a new team intent on rescuing him. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 4|The Art of War #4}} They fought Serpent O.R.'s Decepticon army together with reinforcements from G.I. Joe, and during the battle, Hot Rod paused in horror as he saw the light of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] being opened inside the Decepticon base. The Decepticon army eventually defeated, and by the time Hot Rod reached inside their base, Serpent O.R. had been killed as well. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5|The Art of War #6}}

A few months later, Hot Rod questioned Optimus Prime's choice to go to Earth again, accusing his leader of feeling guilty about [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]'s death at Serpent O.R.'s hands and doing everything by himself just to prevent more people from dying. Prime just looked at him sadly before leaving, causing Ultra Magnus to tell Hot Rod that he really needed to learn when to stop talking. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2|Black Horizon, Part 1}}

{{-}}
===IDW comics continuity===
{{ongoing}}
[[Image:SpotlightHotRod rush.jpg|right|180px|thumb|WHEEEEEEE! AWESOME! TUBULAR! COWABUNGA! REAGANOMICS!]]
Years ago, Hot Rod was put in charge of a mission to the planet Ki-Aleta to obtain a powerful artifact named the [[Magnificence]] so as to keep it out of the hands of the Decepticons. The mission started off smoothly enough, with [[Gizmo]] using a [[holomatter]] generator to distract the defense systems while the rest of the team went after the Magnificence. Unfortunately, after that everything that could go wrong did go wrong. First, the generator malfunctioned, then [[Download]] tripped the security lasers around the Magnificence itself. Gizmo, Download, and [[Backbeat]] were destroyed by the security systems while Hot Rod and [[Doubledealer|Dealer]] fled. Hot Rod, nearing the exit tunnels they had previously drilled, got a call from Dealer—he had been ambushed by a Decepticon attack squad and needed help. Unfortunately, Hot Rod had been given his own, top secret orders: the Magnificence was to be the top priority of the mission, and placed before all else. With a heavy heart, Hot Rod abandoned Dealer to his fate as he left Ki-Aleta with the Magnificence.

Years later, Hot Rod learned that Dealer had not died that day; he was being held prisoner at the Decepticon penal colony known as [[Styx]]. Hot Rod stealthily infiltrated the prison complex, using a holomatter generator to disguise himself as a guard and then short-circuiting the power grid to cause all the cell doors to unlock. During the chaos he snuck in, extracted Dealer, and took off while the Decepticons were busy getting the prisoners under control. {{storylink|Spotlight: Hot Rod}}

[[Image:Escalation6 HotRod Koska.jpg|left|170px|thumb|Mine!]]
Recently, Hot Rod was called to [[Earth]] to aid the crew of the ''[[Ark-19]]'' in procuring a Decepticon [[Facsimile Construct]] from [[Brasnya]], a former Soviet state in eastern Europe. {{storylink|Escalation issue 3|Escalation #3}} He and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] went down to Earth from the ''[[Ark-32]]'' against [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]]'s wishes, and proceeded to join the battle unannounced. As Hardhead went to support the main battle, Hot Rod went after the facsimile... which led to him colliding with [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] as they both tried to stop the [[Georgi Koska]] facsimile from letting himself get gunned down by Soviet soldiers. {{storylink|Escalation issue 4|Escalation #4}} Prowl and Hot Rod managed to defuse the situation and secure the facsimile in the end {{storylink|Escalation issue 5|Escalation #5}}, but before he could return to his ship he was attacked by [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], unable to defend himself because he had to keep the facsimile alive. After returning to the ''Ark-32'', he had to be put in a [[CR chamber]] to recover. His injuries were for nothing, as the facsimile melted during the bounce. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6|Escalation #6}}

[[Image:Devastation6 HotRod Hardhead.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Hardhead, I'm with Arcee now. Let it go.]]
After Hot Rod was repaired and reformatted into a Dodge Viper, his "friend" Dealer tried to convince him to pull some strings to get him to Earth, but Hot Rod and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] had the more important task of rescuing [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} They ran into a bit of trouble with the [[Machination]]'s [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]]. {{storylink|Devastation issue 2|Devastation #2}} They managed to escape temporarily, but were found and Wheeljack was incapacitated. Hot Rod easily held his own with the Headmasters {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}}, and noted that for [[Sunstreaker (G1)|some]] [[Hunter O'Nion|reason]] they had lost their "edge". He received a little help from Hardhead, who was mainly there to take Hot Rod and the others back to the ''Ark-32'' for evacuation to [[Garrus-9]]. Hot Rod refused to go, wanting to see the Headmaster mystery through to the end. Hardhead reluctantly let him go. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}

[[Image:SPDHotRodM.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Oh, Magic 8-Ball, will I ever be Prime in this continuity?]]
Hot Rod's search was interrupted by Dealer's arrival on Earth, with orders for Hot Rod: find the Magnificence and use it to learn what they could about the Expansion. Hot Rod took Dealer to his hiding spot, which turned out to be the planet where they first found the device. As Dealer and Hot Rod closed on the Magnificence, he went over his first visit to the planet in his mind, and how things could have gone so wrong. Eventually he began to have suspicions, and upon locating the Magnificence, asked it the question that haunted him: had Dealer betrayed him? Sadly, it revealed the truth, and Hot Rod was forced to kill Dealer as the traitor attacked. Looking down on his remains, Hot Rod realized the truth had been staring him in the face, he just hadn't wanted to accept it. He then used the Magnificence to find out all he could about the Expansion, and relayed the information to the Autobots. {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}}

[[Image:HotRodMaxDino02.jpg|right|200px|thumb|You're not fooling anyone, [[Judd Nelson| Bender]]. The next screw that falls out will be YOU.]]

Returning to Earth to continue his search, Hot Rod arrived at the gates of the Machination's complex, and Scorponok prepared himself to deal with the intruder. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 1|Maximum Dinobots #1}} Unfortunately, Hot Rod found himself fighting well out of his weight class as he was man handled by Scorponok, who cheerfully bashed his face in, put out one of his optics and snapped his leg. The Headmasters dragged him into Scorponok's control room where, with absolutely no prompting, the big man explained his entire plan for the Dynobots, Skywatch and the Machination. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 2|Maximum Dinobots #2}}

Hot Rod seemed less than impressed with this rather mundane approach, which ticked Scorponok off enough for him to point out that it was obviously just the first stage in his master plan. He was also warned to remained awed or he'd be of no further interest. When the Dynobots and newly-arrived [[Monsterbot]]s seemed to turn Scorponok's plan on its head, Hot Rod burst out laughing, at which point, Scorponok ordered him taken out and shot. In the lift to the surface, Hot Rod suddenly erupted in flames, killing his captors, but draining his power supply. Weakened and with a crippled leg, he collapsed on the floor. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 3|Maximum Dinobots #3}}

He made it out of the building and ran into the real Sunstreaker, who blasted the 2 clones following Hot Rod. Sunstreaker ignored Hot Rod's warning about Scorponok's army and stormed into the building so Hot Rod painfully wired himself to send a distress signal. When Sunstreaker's real head was later disabled by Hunter, the Headmaster clones shut down, which Hot Rod explained to [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]. The group was surprised by the arrival of [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], but [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] had heard Hot Rod's distress call and was on his way to Earth. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 4|Maximum Dinobots #4}}

After Scorponok knocked out [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] and Grimlock tended to him, the remaining Dynobots offered Hot Rod a lift aboard the Monsterbots' ship. He refused though, and made it back into Machination HQ to take care of something "personal". He eventually found Scorponok's real head (and remarked how ugly it was). Hunter also showed up and let Hot Rod know how to disable it, but before he could do so, Scorponok grabbed him. Before Scorponok could crush Hot Rod's head, the Dynobots showed up and began to battle Scorponok. Hot Rod told [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] which wires to sever, and he did just that, reducing Scorponok to a catatonic state. Ultra Magnus arrived took everyone back aboard his ship, which later docked with the ''Ark-32''. Within 3 days, Hot Rod was fully repaired, with a new body form design. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 5|Maximum Dinobots #5}}

Some time later, while traveling through space by himself, Hot Rod found himself under attack by the ''[[Torment]]'', a Decepticon warship crewed by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and the [[Pretender Monster]]s. He was shot down, but managed to transmit a distress call to the Autobot starship ''[[Trion]]'', which came to his rescue. After the Decepticons were chased off, Hot Rod joined the crew of the ''Trion''. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 15|Lost & Found}}

[[Image:Ironhide punches Hot Rod.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Ironhide has waited twenty-two years to pay Hot Rod back for [[The Transformers: The Movie|shooting down his shuttle]].]]
When the Decepticons' galaxy-wide assault hit, the ''Trion'' was shot down over Cybertron. Hot Rod sent out a distress signal and was ecstatic when he ran into some other Autobots. They must've come specifically to save his team and... wait, why do you all look surprised about my signal and appear beaten up and resourceless and... ''oh arsebiscuits''! {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}}

Hot Rod was taken back to base and relayed the story of how he and his other crew-mates from the ''Trion'' arrived on Cybertron, having been diverted there by Decepticon ships and forced to crash land. Once on the surface, Hot Rod sent out his distress signal and was ''so'' sure someone heard it. Kup arrived with the rest of the ''Trion'''s crew at that point, just in time to tell Hot Rod ''of course'' no one heard his message. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}}

After the Autobots narrowly avoided the [[Insecticon swarm]] and Sunstreaker sacrificed himself, Hot Rod jumped to [[Drift (G1)|Drift]]'s defense when he was being insulted by [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}} When the Autobots were later rescued by [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], Hot Rod was glad that he sent out the distress call. He was then ferried to Earth with the other Autobots aboard Omega. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}}

[[Image:Ongoing issue 1-Hot Rod has had enough.jpg|right|thumb|150px|"Don't talk to me about stuck, Hot Rod, you're the one with that horrible sneer stuck on your face!"]]
For the next two years, the Autobots would remain on Earth as Prime feared the return of the Decepticons. Unfortunately, this lead to the capture of a number of Autobots by Skywatch, including [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]], [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] and Prowl. Hot Rod, already frustrated, lashed out at Optimus, accusing him of keeping the Autobots on the planet because he needed someone to protect and demanding he be allowed lead a team to rescue Prowl. An admonished Prime agreed to a covert operation, but with Ironhide along to watch over things. While Prowl was freed, it turned out the humans had used him as bait to draw the other Autobots in. However Wheeljack's new shielding protected Hot Rod's team from Skywatch's inhibitors and in a panic the soldiers switched to lethal measures. Hot Rod was targeted and Ironhide was killed protecting him. An enraged Hot Rod turned on the humans, damaging their equipment and machinery.

After returning with Ironhide's body, Hot Rod was shocked as Optimus Prime resigned his position as leader. {{storylink|...For All Mankind}}
{{-}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|New Arrivals, Old Encounters}}
{{storylink|A Rude Awakening}}
{{storylink|Seasons in Flight}}
{{storylink|Enemies of the System}}
{{storylink|Earthworks}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!'' pack-in comic===

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 2}} {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 3}} {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 4}} {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 9}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!'' Bun Bun manga===

{{storylink|To the Sea of Stars}}

===3D Battle-Card Game===
Hot Rod was one of [[Optimus Primal]]'s many Autobot allies in a fight against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s Decepticon forces. {{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game#Energon Wars expansion|Energon Wars Expansion Set}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
{{main|Hot Rod (G1)/toys}}

==Notes==
[[Image:Hotrodface.jpg|right|thumb|100px|Hot Rod]]
[[Image:FFOD3 Rodimus in light.jpg|right|thumb|100px|Rodimus Prime]]
*Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime look very similar in fiction, but there are ways to distinguish them by sight.
**Rodimus Prime's [[character model]] has extra lines on his face that go from the bottom of his nose and connect to another line forming a triangle shape. Hot Rod's cheeks are more clear and youthful.
**Despite their toys being the same color of red, the cartoon series rendered Hot Rod as magenta, and Rodimus a dark shade of burgundy (the movie, however, made Rodimus the same color as Hot Rod).
**In the comics, Hot Rod was also colored magenta (almost ''entirely'' so), while Rodimus was colored in the reds, oranges and yellows of his toy. Future comics and toys would ignore any differences in color between the character's two forms, presenting them both in the original toy colors (see the image at the head of the article for a good example).
**The Japanese ''[[The Headmasters (cartoon)|The Headmasters]]'' cartoon, in addition to featuring the coloration differences of the Generation 1 cartoon, also added some extra lines around the perimeter of Rodimus's eyes to further distinguish him from Hot Rod. These odd-looking lines appeared only intermittently, thankfully so—they made Rodimus look like he was wearing robo-mascara.

* In ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', Hot Rod does not transform the same way twice.

* Rodimus Prime's toy followed the model set by Optimus Prime before him by having a trailer that disconnected and transformed into a battle station (in this case, called the "[[Mobile Defense Bay]]"). Unlike Prime's [[Combat Deck]], however, Rodimus's Defense Bay failed to make the leap to fiction, with the cartoon simply depicting his trailer as somewhat unfeasibly folding up into his legs and body <ref>[http://www.allspark.com/content/stories/tfpulp/8704TVM/k.gif Image of Rodimus Prime's animated transformation scheme from TV Magazine]</ref> (barring a few animation errors that depicted it as a separate unit). This transformation scheme was realized in toy form with Rodimus's 6" ''[[Titanium Series]]'' action figure.

*Voice actor Ted Schwartz was originally cast to succeed Judd Nelson as the voice of Rodimus Prime for the third season of the animated series, but was subsequently replaced by [[Dick Gautier]]. Before his replacement, however, Schwartz recorded Rodimus's lines for several episodes (most likely all five parts of "[[Five Faces of Darkness]]"), and although Gautier re-recorded the dialogue, technical oversight led to some of Schwartz's readings making it into the finished episodes. He can be heard delivering all of Rodimus's lines in the recap for [[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1|part 1]] that plays at the beginning of [[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2|part 2]], and speaking one line during the scene on [[Goo]] in [[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3|part 3]].

* Hot Rod might be the ''Transformers'' character with the most names in the US. From "Hot Rod" to "Rodimus Prime", to "Rodimus Major" to just plain "Rodimus". Varieties of "Rodimus" appear to be how he will be for a while, as Hasbro appears to be unable to secure the [[trademark]] on "Hot Rod".

* [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]]'s powered up form has a color scheme which resembles Hot Rod's.

* Aside from the ''[[Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' [[Rodimus (Energon)|namesake character]], Hot Rod has also been [[Homage|homaged]] twice (or possibly thrice depending on how you look at it) in the [[Unicron Trilogy]]. For ''[[Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'', the "[[Powerlinx]]" upgrade of [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] was given a very Hot-Rod-inspired deco. In ''[[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'', [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] made a redeco of Hot Shot (well, "Exillion"), who already had some Hot Rod homage elements in his toy design, with Hot Rod deco as a DVD-pack-in [[exclusive]]. [[Hasbro]] then took this deco, altered it, and released it in the US line at mass retail as the new character [[Excellion]].

* One of the first concepts for Classics Rodimus was based around the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagani_Zonda Pagani Zonda] super car, before the [http://www.supercarnet.jp/File/File-Japan/File-Dome.htm Dome Zero] design was decided upon.

* At [[BotCon 2002]], Dick Gautier "confirmed", jokingly, that Rodimus Prime is gay.

* This Rodimus Prime, along with the original [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], and [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] makes a cameo appearance as one of the four elders who began the [[Space Bridge]] project in the ''[[Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]'' episode [[Balance]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/HotRod/hotrod.htm Hot Rod at TFU.info]

* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Hot_Rod Hot Rod's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Rodimus_Prime Rodimus Prime's profile at NTFA.net]

[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Classics characters]]
[[Category:Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category:Generation 2 characters]]
[[Category:Headmasters characters]]
[[Category: Henkei! Henkei! characters]]
[[Category:Kiss Players characters]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Micromasters]]
[[Category:Return of Convoy characters]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Targetmasters]]
[[Category:Universe characters]]
[[Category:Wreckers]]
[[Category:Primus]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]

Starscream (Movie)

2010-05-31T04:09:54Z

Willowrib: /* Trivia */

{{disambig3|Starscream}}
{{factions|decepticonfilm}}

:''Starscream is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[live-action film series]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:RevengeOfTheFallenStarscream.jpg|right|350px|thumb|I got yer AllSpark, ''right here''.]]
'''Starscream''' is a hero on the wrong side. Over the centuries he's come to believe both [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus]] and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] have lost sight of what is best for the Cybertronian race, and simply pursue their own agendas. At some point, he came to the decision that, for the good of the species, a new leader must emerge, and he would be that leader. However, over time, he became as corrupt in his own way as Megatron, although he prefers subtlety and deception to Megatron's brute force. Now, what may once have been noble goals are buried under layers of self interest, transforming Starscream into that which he supposedly despised.

{{quote|Truly the universe favors those who persist.|Starscream on himself, [[Ghosts of Yesterday]]}}
{{quote|In your absence, someone had to take command.|Starscream thinks the boss' death means instant promotion|[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]}}

:''Hungarian name'': '''Üstökös''' ("Comet")
:''Hungarian name ([[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|Titan Magazine]] only):'' '''Csillagsikoly''' ("Starscream")
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Tīen-wáng Hsīng''' (天王星, "Planet Uranus")
:''Chinese name (China):'' '''Hong Zhi Zhu''' (紅蜘蛛, "Red Spider")
:''Ukrainian name'': '''Zorekryk''' (Зорекрик, "Starscream")
==Fiction==
===IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics===
[[Image:Defiance1_Starscream_Ratchet.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Someone is praising Starscream!? Stop the presses!]]

Many years before civil war broke out on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], commander Starscream was a member of the Cybertron defense forces. He was patrolling the [[Eshems Nebula]] when he encountered the fourth alien scout ship he had spotted in the same [[Units of time|cycle]]. As he related this to first officer [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] of the science division, this time the alien ship did not maintain a safe distance, forcing Starscream to attack, and he was damaged in the subsequent battle (and was late for a meeting with [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus]] and Protector [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]). Soon afterwards, these same aliens attacked Cybertron, and Starscream commanded the aerial forces in the defense of the [[Simfur]] temple near the city of [[Metrotitan (ROTF)|Metrotitan]]. After Megatron was injured in battle, Starscream rushed to his side to enquire about his condition and to ask for further orders. He was informed to keep Optimus's team out of the military's way. {{storylink|Defiance issue 1}}

Megatron was influenced by [[The Fallen|the mysterious relic]] found outside [[Simfur]] to wage a vengeful war against the aliens. Starscream attended a war rally at [[Trypticon (Movie)|Trypticon]] where Megatron assumed dictatorship of Cybertron and its armed forces. After destroying much of the enemy fleet and eliminating its leader, Megatron ordered Starscream and his fellow fliers to destroy the alien flagship and conquer the surrounding systems. {{Storylink|Defiance issue 2}} Underground opposition to the new regime came in the form of Optimus and his science division, something Lord Megatron would not stand for. While [[Prowl (Movie)|Prowl]] and security officers arrested Optimus on trumped-up charges of treason, Starscream's squadron was given orders to capture Optimus alive and leave no living witnesses. Unfortunately, Optimus ''Prime'' proved more than a match for Starscream's entire unit, bringing down the ruins of a city upon them. The group survived, and were used by Megatron as "proof" that there were enemies within Cybertron as well as without, to rally his army into a new faction: the Decepticons. {{Storylink|Defiance issue 4}}

During the subsequent civil war, Starscream blindly followed Megatron's orders, murdering those who did not bow to his Lord's will, even those who did not choose sides. {{Storylink|Defiance issue 4}} Some time later, Starscream was leading an assault on the Autobots at [[Tyger Pax]] when Blackout arrived to reinforce them. They witnessed the launch of the [[AllSpark (Movie)|AllSpark]] into space, a desperate gambit by the Autobots, and immediately Starscream and Blackout began to bicker over their next move. Seeing Megatron leave the planet in pursuit of the AllSpark, Starscream decided that so would they. {{storylink|Planetfall}}

[[Image:Planetfall Starscream yesweare.jpg|200px|thumb|"Hey, what's that?" "I'd call it a TARGET!"]]

Starscream was concerned over the Autobots who still posed a threat, but Megatron ordered him to gather a crew to pursue [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime's]] [[Ark (Movie)|ship]]. Unfortunately, [[Nemesis (Movie)|Starscream's ship]] was led into a trap and crippled by [[concussion pulse]] weapons, throwing them off the chase, for now. Humiliated, Starscream and his crew limped back home for repairs. Sometime later, they followed the AllSpark's trace energy pulse and the wake of Prime's ship to a solar system galaxies away. Landing on the [[Mars (planet)|fourth planet]], they destroyed [[Beagle 2 Rover|a primitive lifeform]] that seemed to have been created from the AllSpark, and felt the tag of the life-giving object on the third planet. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream Issue Number One|The Reign of Starscream issue 1}}

Starscream's team made planetfall on [[Earth]] in Afghanistan, quickly attracting the attention of a nearby US military base, which sent out an armoured personnel carrier to investigate. After it was destroyed, the Decepticons attacked the base itself. During the rather one-sided assault, a human agent of Sector Seven was impressed by the alien invaders' ability to adapt to Earth's finest weaponry. Starscream agreed that they were impressive, and killed the fleshling. After Blackout left the group for another nearby base, Starscream told his fellow Decepticons that their mission wouldn't always be this easy, as the Autobots were bound to turn up. {{storylink|Planetfall}}

{{note|The events of Planetfall are inconsistent with the events of IDW's own Prime Directive prequel comic. However, the depiction of the Decepticon arrival in Afghanistan was later used in [[The Reign of Starscream]].}}

In 2003, Starscream's infiltration team, consisting of [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and Blackout, touched down on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] and destroyed the [[Beagle 2 Rover]]. Starscream was disgusted with the rover, but Blackout and Barricade warned that there was an obviously intelligent species nearby, so they would need to be cautious. Starscream agreed, as long as they got to kill something. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 3|Prime Directive (IDW) issue 3}}

[[Image:MoviePrequel4 Starscream youcangonow.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Top this one, Samus.]]

Splitting up, they headed to Earth, where Starscream scanned an F-22 Raptor fighter jet being tested by the [[United States Air Force|US Air Force]] at [[United States Air Force#Facilities|Nellis Air Force Base]]. He destroyed it, then adopted the vehicle form for himself. Leaving the scene of destruction, he radioed his fellow Decepticons to report in on their hunt for new disguise forms, which they did. He reiterated that their mission was to find the AllSpark, to which Blackout responded with a reminder that the mission was also to find Megatron. Starscream dismissively replied, "Yeah, right... him too."

Later, Starscream and Blackout detected the unique radiation of the AllSpark and investigated, but Starscream soon realized it was a trap by Sector Seven. Starscream destroyed several AH-64 Apache helicopters while Blackout attacked Sector Seven's bunker and attempted to hack into their mainframe. When the humans severed the connection, the Decepticons broke off from the battle and linked up with Barricade, who was in pursuit of the Autobot [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 4|Prime Directive (IDW) issue 4}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers: Beginnings''===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Patrick Hallahan]]

Starscream led the Decepticons to Earth while following the beacon signal used by Bumblebee to call the Autobots. In typical Starscream fashion, he seemed more concerned about collecting the AllSpark to further his own goals than to rescue [[Megatron (Movie)|Lord High Protector Megatron]]. Attracting the attention of a nearby military installation, they were attacked, but easily overpowered the humans, after which he and Blackout took their [[alternate mode]]s from vehicles on base. Starscream, along with Blackout, followed Bumblebee as he fled from a losing battle against Barricade.

Later, when Sector Seven tried to use a false energy signature to attract Bumblebee to their location, the Decepticons picked up on it and followed. Realizing the signal was fake, Starscream pulled the troops out and waited for the Autobots to arrive and flush out the AllSpark for them. {{storylink|Transformers: Beginnings}}

{{note|Transformers: Beginnings is a condensed, flash-animated retelling of the [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] [[Movie Prequel (2007)|Prime Directive]] Movie Prequel that is detailed above this section.}}

====''Ghosts of Yesterday'' prequel novel====
Starscream had ascended to Decepticon leadership in the absence of their former lord, and though he had to ''seem'' to carry on the long search for the lost Megatron and the [[AllSpark (Movie)|AllSpark]] to keep his position as leader, his greatest hope was that Megatron would NEVER be found. Some loyal Decepticons, especially [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]], strongly suspected this and sought to frustrate Starscream's species-serving plans. [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] buddied up with him, but he did like to trick people. [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] hated him, but one shouldn't really read too much into that. [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] and [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]]'s opinions are unknown, but Frenzy's a complete lunatic and nobody cared what the pet thought.

During a search of an abandoned solar system, the ''[[Nemesis (Movie)|Nemesis]]'' came across ''[[Ghost 1|a vessel]]'' that bore a resemblance to Megatron's [[alternate mode]]. Starscream went to investigate it, intending to destroy it. After chasing off [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]], he communicated with the creatures aboard the vessel, who called themselves [[human]]s. Starscream claimed that his people once lived with the [[Autobot]]s, and that their treacherous leader, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], started a war for the AllSpark. The humans told him of a robotic creature that they had found on their world, and Starscream, recognizing it as Megatron, told them it was an Autobot scout. While communicating with them, he downloaded all the information on their computers, learning that the AllSpark was also located on Earth. He offered to help the humans to return to their world if they helped Starscream's group attack the Autobots, hoping that Prime would destroy them and be guilt-stricken in the process. The humans attacked Optimus and Bumblebee, but the two Autobots escaped. After their ship sank into a cavern, Starscream revealed his true nature and abandoned them. As a result, the humans concluded neither faction could be fully trusted. Way to make first contact there, Screamer.

Returning to the battle, he lied to his fellow Decepticons, claiming that the two Autobots were dead and that he'd been unable to communicate with the humans. Blackout, unconvinced by the story, challenged Starscream to single combat. Starscream won, and the Decepticons launched an attack on the ''[[Ark (Movie)|Ark]]''. Unfortunately for Starscream, Optimus, Bumblebee and the human vessel showed up. Starscream, fearful of the information that the ship contained, ordered the Decepticons to destroy it. Unfortunately, Starscream experienced a minor mutiny when Bonecrusher and Blackout demanded answers, and even Barricade wanted to know why. As the battle drew to a close, Starscream was in a position to terminate Prime but came under fire from the humans' weapons. Seriously damaged, Starscream finished them off with a single plasma blast, then ordered the Decepticons to retreat, despite the advantage they had over the Autobots. The Autobots figured that Starscream would not risk traveling to [[Earth]] for fear of losing power, but Prime figured that it was only a matter of time before the desire for vengeance and the lure of the AllSpark brought the Decepticons to that world. {{storylink|Ghosts of Yesterday}}

===''Transformers'' (2007 film)===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Charlie Adler]] (English), [[Tadashi Miyazawa]] (Japan), [[José Sant'anna]] (Brazil), [[Axel Lutter]] (German), [[Luigi Scribani]] (Italian)

[[Image:Movie2007_Starscream_HooverDam.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Starscream without the [[null-ray]]?! But... how can the fans possibly ''survive'' such a wanton desecration of their childhoods??]]

Starscream was lying in wait at a [[United States military|US]] air base when covert agent [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] reported that the [[AllSpark (Movie)|AllSpark]] had been located, along with Megatron, underneath [[Hoover Dam]]. Though he had long feared this day would come, Starscream ordered the rest of the Decepticons to mobilize. The others responded, with Blackout rallying in the name of Megatron.

[[Image:Starscreammovieheadshot.jpg|right|250px|thumb|It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... a bird-legged freak that transforms into a plane.]]

The first to arrive, Starscream attacked the hydroelectric power plant attached to the dam to cause havoc to [[Sector Seven|Sector Seven's]] operations and to speed the thawing of Megatron. With Frenzy's sabotage, Megatron quickly broke free of his icy restraints and escaped the facility. He almost immediately met with the waiting Starscream, who repledged his loyalty to Megatron. Demanding to know what had happened to the AllSpark, Megatron was told by his [[second-in-command]] that it was now in the possession of the humans. Furious, Megatron berated his lieutenant for yet another failure. What a warm reunion.

During the assault on a [[Mission City|nearby city]], Starscream fooled [[William Lennox|Captain Lennox's]] unit by posing as an [[wikipedia:F-22 Raptor|F-22 Raptor]] providing cover. Starscream launched an attack that crippled [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] as [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] realized too late who the fighter really was. As [[Sam Witwicky|ladiesman217]] ran with the AllSpark, Starscream swooped down, blocking his path, only to be attacked by both Ironhide and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]. After fighting without much effort, but still besting them, Starscream took to the skies again, instead of securing the AllSpark from the now-defenseless ladiesman217.

[[Image:Starscreammoviestillrobot.jpg|left|250px|thumb|How do you feel, mighty traffic? Yah!]]

While Megatron attempted to retrieve the AllSpark from ladiesman217, Starscream perched on nearby buildings and shot down an Army Blackhawk helicopter when it attempted to help the human evacuate the Cube. Eventually, real F-22 Raptors from the US Air Force arrived, and Starscream disguised himself. Pretending to be a part of their squadron, Starscream surprised the human pilots by transforming in mid-air and, performing the best display of [[jet judo]] in 20 years, destroyed three of the Raptors before he was fired upon. He transformed back into his disguise and fled, and was not seen in the closing moments of the battle between Optimus Prime and Megatron. (Or was he?)

[[Image:Starscream bails.JPG|right|250px|thumb|I will rule the sequel, Megatron! Even if I am the only one ''in'' the sequel!]]

Most of the Decepticons were defeated, and their bodies cast into the deepest part of the ocean. Ultimately, Starscream retreated from Earth to parts—and with intentions—unknown. {{storylink|Transformers (2007)}}
{{-}}

===Toy bios===
{{notemoviebio}}

Fleeing from the Mission City fiasco, Starscream repaired and reenergised himself from a nearby power plant, then fled into deep space to find Decepticon reinforcements. {{storylink|Starscream (Movie)/toys#Voyager Class toys|Deep Space Starscream}}

He eventually decided this was too time-consuming, and went back to Earth in a new stealthy form to wait for the Decepticons, alerted by the energy signature of the AllSpark's destruction, to come to ''him''. He succeeded in building a small army, and had them distract the Autobot forces while he launched a surprise attack on a lone Optimus. {{storylink|Starscream (Movie)/toys#Legends Class toys|Nightwatch Optimus Prime vs. Stealth Starscream}} The battle ended with Optimus still alive and the Decepticons beaten on Earth. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Fast Action Battlers|Fire Blast Optimus Prime}}

===Beast Wars Diorama Story===

At some point, Starscream and multiple Autobots and Decepticons traversed dimensions and found themselves on a different [[Earth]], in the distant past. They crossed paths with new Transformer factions, the [[Maximal]]s and the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, who were engaged in a conflict called the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]. A battle broke out between the four factions and Starscream found himself pitted against the Maximal [[Tigatron]]. He attempted to blast the Maximal from the high ground, only to get shot int he face, instead. [[Optimus Primal]] and [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] then double-teamed Starscream, defeating him. With the battle over, the Autobots and the Decepticons returned to their home dimension, leaving the Maximals and Predacons behind to settle the Beast Wars. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story}}

===Titan Magazines ''Transformers'' movie comics===
{{Note|The following event is unique to the Titan Magazines comic continuity and thus doesn't occur anywhere else.}}

Within seconds of Megatron's defeat, Starscream dubbed himself the new Decepticon leader, with the main problem being that he didn't actually have any troops to lead. To amend this slight impediment, he attacked several [[Allspark Mutation]]s and removed the energy from their bodies, which he then proceeded to implant into the corpses of [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]], [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and [[Brawl (Movie)|Devastator]]. With his former comrades reanimated in this [[Zombie|rudimentary manner]], he directed the shambling husks to attack the Autobots, who were still recovering from their battle that had just finished. While the Autobots eventually destroyed the zombies, Starscream had escaped with several AllSpark energy fragments still in his possession. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 7|Starscream's Militia}}

{{notetitantlg}}

[[Image:Tf mag 10 2008.JPG|left|150px|thumb|So evil, boats spontaneously explode rather than face him.]]
Starscream remained on Earth serving under Megatron—and taking orders from [[Dropkick]], who's got a higher rank. In secret, however, he was using [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticons]] to implant cerebro-strips in the heads of useful humans; at will, he could control their minds, paving the way for a more subtle conquest when he finally got Megatron out of the way. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 14|Aftermath Part 1}}

He became aware of the moon-based Autobots and while ordered to join [[Dreadwing (Movie)|Dreadwing]] in beating up [[NATO]], {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 9|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 1}} he got bored during the mission and left as soon as he could to attack the moon-based Autobots. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 10|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 2}} He beat them up and viciously taunted them, forcing them to take the initiative and go to Earth—just as he wanted. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 11|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 3}} As he hoped, the Autobots eventually won, killing Megatron, destroying the AllSpark and halting the cyberforming of Earth... leaving him free to take command of the Decepticons!

On top of that, he got his hands on the nanovirus the Autobots used on Megatron. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 13|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 5}} He also took the AllSpark interface module from Megatron's corpse and assimilated it. He started hearing Megatron's voice in his head some time after this... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 22|The Decepticon Who Haunted Himself}}

[[Image:InsecticonMovie.JPG|right|250px|thumb|Hey, Starscream's ''bugging'' us lolololololol]]

One of his first acts as leader was to begin a bombing campaign against any human attempt to rebuild infrastructure or regain a foothold in the United States. He then organised an attack that would get all the Autobots together so a NATO tank regiment (its commander under cerebro-strip control) could wipe them all out. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 14|Aftermath Part 1}} While this failed, Starscream has still ensured the new [[President of the United States]] is under cerebro control—and the Autobots have no idea he's in command... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 15|Aftermath Part 2}}

As well as secretly overseeing scorched-earth strategies and attempted Energon grabs {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 16|Dark Spark}}, he also gained [[Mikaela Banes]] as a cerebro-controlled slave. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 18|Return to Cybertron: Part 2}} When the bulk of the Autobots prepared to briefly leave Earth and had Mikaela watch over their [[Savannah]] base, Starscream just waited until they'd gone and effortlessly seized the place. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 19|Return to Cybertron: Part 3}} As a result, the six hundred square miles around the Autobot base were swiftly seized as an autonomous Decepticon nation, with all resistance smashed easily. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 20|Return to Cybertron: Part 4}} This means, shockingly, he actually ''is'' a better leader than Megatron. ''[[Jesus]]''.

[[Image:Starscream Titan22.JPG|left|210px|thumb|"Stop looking at me ''stop looking at me!''"]]
He sadistically taunted Mikaela, hoping there was part of her that was screaming for help, before dispatching [[Jazz (Movie)|the corrupted Jazz]] and [[Kullt]] to assassinate Optimus. It didn't work. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 21|Hard Target}}

While preparing an ambush for the Autobots who he knew would come for Mikaela, he ranted to the Megatron in his head how he'd been a ''far'' better leader and how he was about to kill all the Autobots. His ambush almost worked too, and he almost killed Prime himself—only for the Autobots to turn out to have had a better plan all along, and escape. Admitting to the voices that he had failed and demanding a strategy from then, he realised to his horror that Megatron's mind had wanted him to take the interface module and had downloaded his brain into it; the voice ''really was'' Megatron and he was demanding to be released! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 22|The Decepticon Who Haunted Himself}}

He didn't release him, though Megatron did feed Starscream a strategy—blackmailing America into booting the Autobots out, then having Allen nuke their ship. This plan was a success {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 23|Revolution Part 1}}, and a jubilant Starscream despatched his armies to seize the United States, all the while having his mind-controlled humans hamper ''any'' military counter-offensive. He was ''this'' close to total victory when [[Stockade (Movie)|''Stockade'']] turned up, turning a third of the drone armies and possibly two generals to his side, sparking a [[Decepticon Civil War]].

Watching everything collapse around him, a gibbering Starscream was visited by Megatron's voice again, telling him once again that the only way out was to release him and allow Megatron to live again... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|Revolution Part 2}}

[[Image:Starscreamseesthings_Titan25.jpg|right|350px|thumb|"I'm as sane as the [[Thunderwing (G1)|next]] leader!"]]

...and this time, desperate and pressured, Starscream ''did''. With his mind now his own again, he realised to his horror what he'd done... but it was too late, he was now a minion again, and tasked to strafe Stockade's forces while Megatron took on the rebel himself. It all was for naught, however: the Autobots (surprisingly ''not'' dead!) intervened and forcibly teleported all the Decepticons to Cybertron, leaving Starscream trapped there ''forever''. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|Revolution Part Three}}

====Star Screams====
{{Note|The following details Starscream's tenure as letter-answerer on the Star Screams letters page.}}

{{bigquote|You could mark [your letters] 'All Hail Starscream' so long as you make it clear this is in no way a reflection on our glorious leader or a prelude to some sort of coup. Just so that we're clear on that.|Star Screams}}

[[Image:Star Screams logo.JPG|left|150px|thumb|Hate mail!]]
As of issue 7, he runs the letters page (renamed Star Screams from the original Mech Mail). He hates the letters, the readers, the comic, the editorial team, and probably the baby [[Jesus]]—but he's still got nothing on ''[[Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream's]] [[Armada (Panini comic)|letter-answering stint]]. The source of his misanthropy appears to be that nobody ever sent in fan-art of him (#8). The few things he does like are recycling and environmental measures (#14), girls becoming Transformers fans (#19), and [[To sell toys|humans collecting his action figures]].

Autobot sympathisers are hunted down to be exterminated, especially those who dress up as Autobots (#8, #12 and #17), and even the Prime Minister isn't safe (#24). That said, Starscream appears to have a soft spot for his own fans—in #11, when a female reader complained her mum and aunt kept telling her she was too old for Transformers, he announced that the offending relatives had been shortlisted to spend forever polishing his armour with their own spit, bless.

In #8, he revealed he hates the movie because his best scenes and lines were cut out, and #13 confirmed the Decepticon army loathes [[Michael Bay]] for producing pro-Autobot propaganda. This still hasn't prevented him from shilling Bay's second documentary ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', as he believes it will depict a Decepticon victory (#10) and is going to ignore the script if it says otherwise (#18). Since then, however, he has come under the sway of an unknown higher power in regards to the film, one Starscream fears (#22)...

In #7, he expressed concern that this "[[Simon Furman|Fur-Man]]" was a [[Maximal]] agent, and warned that Titan Magazines would be destroyed if they continued to produce Autobot propaganda. By #13, the Decepticons appear to have taken over Titan and have imprisoned the staff and creators in cages, forcing them to work merely for food—it is surely no coincidence that during this period, Starscream became a successful leader of the Decepticons in the comic strip and that Starscream began wanting more issues brought out. This mistreatment is causing severe physical trauma to [[Steve White]] and [[Den Patrick]] (#19) though Fur-Man is still a free agent and is evading Decepticon capture (#21). Writer [[Robin Etherington]] appears to have angered him, as Starscream is believed to have deliberately miscredited one of his stories in #24. [http://www.studioblinktwice.com/announce.php?Year=2009]

He has incredible hate for [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], gleefully recounting the guy's horrible death and going berserk in #9 at the idea of Jazz answering the letters.

While he has said he talks to himself to get intelligent conversation and doesn't trust anyone (#9), he has shown some signs of wanting company: he hoped the [[Seeker (Movie)|Seeker]] jets would all be reunited in the next film (#9), is trying to convince [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] to be in it too (#15), and wishes Ironhide would join the Decepticons (#16). Despite wanting to re-unite with Thundercracker, he shows contempt for the guy's lack of drive (#11). He views [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] and Soundwave as potential successors if anything ever happens to him (#21). He also appreciates [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout's]] work (#23) and while he's annoyed the helicopter is more popular than him, he did go to the trouble of giving the guy a proper burial. (#25)

Starscream appears to have had several "off the record" adventures. He has revealed he once had an [[Starscream (G1)|F-15 mode]] and liked it (#9), openly confirming he was [[:Image:Starscream 1982.jpg|active in 1982]] and the impetus for the [[Hungry Dragon]] cover-up. He also refers to [[Thundercracker (Movie)|Thundercracker]] also being an F-15 (#11), implying both were active in 1982. He has also had some experience with and knowledge of [[Unicron]] (#12), something [[Transformers Comic issue 19|no other Transformer had]] and something that terrified him (#17), and in which he apparently witnessed Unicron trying to devour Cybertron (#19)...

He maintains that his voice is not [[Chris Latta|scratchy]] in any way.

Eventually, however, the constant stress of the letters drove him to a nervous breakdown, and he was sent to a very special home (or "on a mission of great importance", according to his cover story). He still produces a regular horrorscope. (Vol.2 #1) [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] has wondered about Starscream's ongoing absence, noting the home must have better security than the Decepticons first thought! (Vol.2 #12) He must be recovering, because he went on to insult ''every single member of this wiki''. ([[Transformers_Comic_issue_2.7#Starscream.27s_stars|Vol.2 #7]])

===IDW ''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie comics===
{{bigquote|My plan failed, or was it my troops that failed me? I can only process the situation and hope for a conclusion. There are allies on Earth, and more scattered across the Galaxy. I will seek them out. By my side they will join, and in time, I '''will''' have my kingdom... regardless of the location.|Starscream|[[The Reign of Starscream issue 5]]}}

Starscream assumed the role of [[Decepticon leader]] on Earth following Megatron's defeat and the destruction of the AllSpark. Though tempted to exact revenge on the humans, he realized he might be the last functional Decepticon on the planet, so he escaped Mission City to recover the badly-damaged Barricade. Starscream gave him orders to continue his reconnaissance of the Autobot once he was able, and headed for Hoover Dam to retrieve Frenzy. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream Issue Number One|The Reign of Starscream issue 1}}

Starscream made his way to Hoover Dam, taking out masses of human soldiers and a [[Landmine (Movie)|less-than-functional attack drone]]. Starscream took a [[Salazar|human captive]] along with Frenzy's body, but the fleshling didn't survive the Decepticon's trip to [[Mars (planet)|Mars]]. However, the trip, combined with the damage from the battle took its toll and upon finding his starship, he had to be helped inside by [[Thundercracker (Movie)|Thundercracker]]. The pair discussed Thundercracker's progress with the space bridge terminal, the physiology of humans and the abilities of Starscream's new form. While recharging, he ordered Thundercracker to download the information from Frenzy; however, an Autobot scouting party interrupted their efforts. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream Issue Number Two|The Reign of Starscream issue 2}}

[[Image:ROSWannabet.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Let's hope that Dreadwing isn't revived by Unicron.]]
Starscream ordered Thundercracker and the drones to deal with them while he prepared for take off. After recovering, he made short work of the Autobots and dragged a damaged Thundercracker inside the ship, before activating the terminal and warping to Cybertron. He handed Thundercracker over to [[Ramjet (Movie)|Ramjet]], and ordered construction of a [[replica Allspark|replica AllSpark]], based on Frenzy's data. Approaching Megatron's citadel, Starscream, still impressed by the power his new form gave him, destroyed the former leader's figurehead. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream issue 3}}

A [[Units of time|quartex]] later, Starscream ruminated about ruling over a Cybertron free of war or factions, as well as bringing certain [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|war criminals]] to justice. He arrived at the AllSpark construction yard, busted [[Crankcase (Movie)|Crankcase]]'s vocal processor for whining too much, and chained him up along with [[Elita-One (Movie)|four]] [[Warpath (Movie)|enslaved]] [[Signal Flare (Movie)|Autobot]] [[Grindcore (Movie)|prisoners]] on the new AllSpark, ready to offer up their lives in exchange for a new life for Cybertron. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream issue 4}}

[[Image:StarscreamandWreckageAlliance2.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Yes, it is!]]

Things sort of went downhill from there, though. First, the AllSpark replica didn't work; then [[Dreadwing (Movie)|Dreadwing]] rebelled. Then they saw that Arcee had snuck aboard Starscream's ship, led an Autobot attack on [[Simfur]] and destroyed the new AllSpark. In the ensuing chaos, Starscream, along with his few remaining loyal subjects, fought off the army of Dreadwing drones and assorted other traitors. Starscream tracked Dreadwing to the space bridge as he took a starship through it. By the time the ship arrived on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]], it was damaged by Starscream's attack, but Dreadwing survived. However, Starscream also survived, revealed himself, and ripped out Dreadwing's spark core. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream issue 5}}

After Dreadwing's betrayal, Starscream relocated to Earth, his aspirations for leadership and his faith in his fellow Decepticons shattered. As he brooded and carved AllSpark runes onto his exo-structure, he picked up a transmission from [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]], informing Starscream of Optimus Prime's forthcoming journey to a Sector Seven facility where Wreckage was held. {{storylink|Alliance issue 1}}

Starscream arrived on Earth not long after Wreckage escaped. The two engaged in a heated battle, each accusing the other of betrayal. Wreckage managed to gain the upper hand, but the timely arrival of Bumblebee gave Starscream the chance to kill Wreckage. He thanked Bumblebee by blasting him, but was contacted by [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] before he could finish the job. Shocked that Soundwave was still alive, Starscream left with renewed vigor, believing Soundwave held the key to making a new army. Rendezvousing on Mars, Starscream informed Soundwave of Megatron's death and the AllSpark's loss, and was pleased when he was told a number of troops were headed for Earth, with more in stasis. After receiving co-ordinates to Soundwave's ship, a more enthusiastic Starscream left for the ''Nemesis'', aiming to bring the troops aboard out of stasis while Soundwave carried out "[[solar harvester|other orders]]". {{storylink|Alliance issue 2}}
{{-}}

===''The Veiled Threat'' prequel novel===
{{Note|The events of ''The Veiled Threat'' take place during [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''[[Alliance (comic)|Alliance]]'' comic.}}
Starscream was in [[Zambia]] where he gained control of the rebel [[Human Accessory Force]] by synthesizing [[gold]] coins with his own body. He sent [[Macerator]], [[Dropkick]] and [[Payload (Movie)|Payload]] to blow up a series of dams along the Zambezi River. Although the three Decepticons were stopped by [[NEST]], Starscream intercepted them and killed [[Beachbreak]], who was hoisting [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] up Victoria Falls. He then oversaw the Decepticons attack on a dam along the Zambezi, but the action saw the loss of Macerator and Payload. With their plan in ruins, Starscream ordered Dropkick to retreat.

Little did Starscream know that not all of the troops Soundwave had brought were so eager to serve him for merely succeeding to the Decepticon throne. A number of Decepticons were working in secret to amass vast quantities of energy to locate Megatron and jump start his spark. Upon discovering the existence of this faction, Optimus surmised that Starscream would be hard pressed to withstand a coup, and the only way to secure his claim would be to destroy Optimus and the Autobots quickly.

Starscream flew to [[Italy]] where he allied with criminal mastermind [[Bruno Carrera]], promising him rule of Europe once Starscream ruled Earth if he helped kill Optimus Prime. [[Swindle (Movie)|Swindle]] and [[Jolt (Movie)|Deadend]] drew NEST to Rome, where Starscream challenged Optimus to one-on-one combat in the Coliseum: it was a trap, and Optimus fell through a hidden door into a set of restraints in an underground tunnel built by Carrera. The humans helped Optimus escape though, and Starscream flew off to pay Carrera back for his failure. {{storylink|The Veiled Threat}}

===Titan Magazines ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===

[[Image:Titan1_FallenStarscream.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Hey! C'mon on outa there you!]]

With Megatron dead, Starscream found himself as one of [[The Fallen]]'s proxies and was not too happy with the idea of working for another guy ''again''. He organised <strike>his</strike> the Fallen's Decepticon army and took them to Cybertron on the Fallen's orders. Unfortunately he was spied on by [[Mudflap (ROTF)|two]] [[Skids (ROTF)|Autobots]], and failed to exterminate them before they fled to Earth. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.1|Training Day}} News of this made the Fallen ''very unhappy'', who ordered Starscream to remain on Cybertron and ''not fail again''. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.2|Dogfight!}}

After the Twins' bumbling on Earth, they were suspected of being double agents and were to be sent into orbitary exile. [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] ordered Starscream to take out the Twins' military escort in an effort to make them defect. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}

[[Image:Titan8_Starscreamlastwords.jpg|left|150px|thumb|]]

Later, after the Decepticons had captured the lost [[Ransack (ROTF)|Ransack]], Starscream sat in on Soundwave's interrogation of the old fogey. However, Ransack refused to tell them, and Starscream had to step in to stop an angry Soundwave from killing the guy. He volunteered to interrogate the ancient Seeker himself, but Ransack found the whole thing laughable: he knew the Decepticons were operating their ''own'' agenda while the Fallen was incapacitated, but they'd soon learn their freedom was just an illusion.

A few seconds later, the twins arrived to bust the base up. Starscream and Soundwave soon put an end to ''that'', and Starscream gleefully prepared to exterminate Mudflap at long last... Whoops, that gave Ransack the chance to shoot Starscream in the back and leg it! Desperate to keep the Fallen from knowing they'd been up to anything, Starscream and the other 'Cons chased after the Seeker. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.8|Back-to-Back}}

{{-}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Charlie Adler]] (English), [[José Sant'anna]] (Portuguese), [[Tadashi Miyazawa]] (Japanese), [[Axel Lutter]] (German), [[Luigi Scribani]] (Italian)

[[Image:ROTF Megatron choke Starscream.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"We really shouldn't fight in front of the chil--" "SHUT UP!"]]
Starscream was unconcerned with reviving his leader Megatron, choosing to spend his time as acting commander on the ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]'' engineering a new army. His plan was failing miserably, as without [[energon (fuel)|energon]] the [[hatchling]]s were dying. After [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] successfully executed his plan to resurrect Megatron, Starscream (who may or may not have known of said plan) attempted to welcome his commander with open arms, only to be criticized for leaving him for dead. Starscream defended his actions by saying [[The Fallen]] decreed the spawning of a new army, and that in Megatron's absence, someone had to take command. This was a bad choice of words on Starscream's part, as Megatron slammed him into a hatchling sack and told him the simple truth: even in death, there is no command greater than Megatron's.

Megatron noted the plight of the hatchlings though, and sought the advice of the Fallen, whom Starscream had kept on life support, on another source of energon now that the [[AllSpark (Movie)|AllSpark]] was destroyed. The Fallen revealed there was another source, and that the key to attaining it was through the boy who had killed Megatron. But first, The Fallen commanded that they kill [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], the last of the [[Dynasty of Primes]], so that he would be safe. Since Optimus would come to protect Sam, it would be a simple matter to capture him. Starscream arrived and announced that they had [[Alice|an agent]] within sight of the boy. He was eager to get that energon, as the hatchlings would keep dying without it.

[[Image:ROTF Starscream Sam Mikaela.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Damn things are everywhere.]]
Starscream aided in [[Sam Witwicky]]'s capture by cutting open the car [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] had captured him in, and watched as Megatron and [[Scalpel]] threatened to dissect him for the information in his mind from the AllSpark regarding the energon source. Optimus and [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] arrived to rescue Sam: Starscream let Megatron do most of the fighting in the factory, before Optimus blasted him through the wall and drove off with Sam to a forest.

[[Image:ROTF Prime Starscream arm.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"MY ARM!" "Oh, you want it back? HERE!"]]
Starscream arrived, immediately going for the boy, but Prime ran interference, grabbing Starscream, suplexing him, and kicking off part of his mouth, leading the three Decepticons to gang up on him. Surprisingly, it went quite poorly for the Decepticons: Prime was able to take on all three, using Starscream as a shield and sending his artillery flying at Grindor. After stabbing Megatron multiple times, Optimus ripped off Starscream's arm. Starscream could only cry out in horror as Optimus then used it as a club against the Decepticon. Although Optimus managed to kill Grindor, Megatron eventually managed to kill Optimus, but before they could retrieve Sam, the rest of the Autobots arrived while Bumblebee spirited Sam away. Megatron and Starscream were forced to retreat.

[[Image:ROTF_movie_MegatronStarscream_roofchat.jpg|thumb|right|300px|25 years later and I'm still your punching bag!]]

Starscream and Megatron flew to the top of a [[New York City]] skyscraper, where Starscream revealed that they had lost track of the boy. Megatron berated Starscream and hit him with the detached arm he was trying to stick in, furious that he lost track of a single insect. Starscream countered that there were seven billion insects on the planet, and that he could be anywhere at this point. Megatron decided to reveal the Decepticons' presence to the world: Starscream stood openly atop a skyscraper during the rejuvenated Fallen's announcement to the world.

After Soundwave learned that the boy was in [[Egypt]], Starscream flew to investigate. Locating the boy, he fired upon Bumblebee, [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]], who had Sam, [[Mikaela Banes]], [[Leo Spitz]] and [[Seymour Simmons]] as their passengers, bombing them to no avail. Bumblebee, Simmons, Leo, and the Twins drew Starscream's fire while Sam and Mikaela fled to the NEST soldiers. During his flyby of the NEST team, he released an electromagnetic pulse that took out the humans' communications, but saw Prime's body. Meeting Megatron atop the pyramid which hid the harvester, Starscream informed Megatron of his discovery, and Megatron ordered the [[Operation: Firestorm|assault]] to begin.

[[Image:ROTF Starscream grab.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Ceiling Seeker is watching you masturbate. And he will no longer tolerate it.]]

As Sam and Mikaela tried to reach Optimus to revive him with the [[Matrix of Leadership]], Starscream led several [[Constructicon (ROTF)|Constructicons]] and [[Protoform]]s in a search for Sam. It wasn't going very well, to the point that Starscream literally started shooting the ground in anger. An [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticon]] managed to find them, and Starscream tore the roof off the building they were in, but the two humans managed to lose them again. Starscream then ordered [[Rampage (ROTF)|Rampage]] to hold Sam's parents [[Ron Witwicky|Ron]] and [[Judy Witwicky|Judy]] for ransom: Sam was ready to exchange the Matrix, but Bumblebee rescued them and killed Rampage. Starscream was soon drawn into the battle with [[NEST]], and was unable to search for Sam any longer.

[[Image:ROTF Starscream cowards survive.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"Not to call you a coward-Oh heck, you are a coward!"]]
Starscream watched from the sidelines as Optimus was resurrected by the Matrix, and combined with [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]]. Although the Fallen had obtained the Matrix and activated his Solar harvester, as he had predicted, the last of the Primes killed the Fallen and destroyed the harvester. Starscream stood next to Megatron, who had lost his right arm and had half his face blown off thanks to Optimus Prime, and advised that they should flee (cowards do survive after all), something that Megatron acknowledged. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)}}

==Games==
{{picsneeded|Game screen shots, cut scenes, whatever}}
===''Transformers'': The Game===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Daniel Ross]]

====Autobot campaign====

Starscream, Blackout, and a pair of [[Dreadwing (Movie)|Dreadwing]] drones took on [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] during the battle of [[Mission City]], but the smaller Autobot managed to beat all four of them. Guess he finally got to fight the big ones. {{storylink|Transformers The Game (console)}}

====Decepticon campaign====

Starscream coordinated the missions for Blackout and Barricade while hiding in a military base. After receiving information from Barricade that Megatron had been located, Starscream ordered him to proceed to Hoover Dam, while he himself went to locate [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] and [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]]. However, the humans were aware of the three Decepticons and used drones, weapon platforms, and fighters based on Cybertronian design. Starscream was forced to move back and forth between Bonecrusher and Brawl, rescuing them from human attackers, all to background music far too heroic for someone of Screamer's character. After taking a moment to enjoy the ruin he had made of the base, Starscream proceeded to Hoover Dam. Blackout informed him that the structure was blocking their scans, so Starscream ordered him to tear it down piece by piece to find Megatron and the AllSpark. When Megatron emerged, Starscream bowed before his [[Lord High Protector|Lord]].

At [[Mission City]], Starscream took a moment to [[Ramjet (G1)|ram]] Optimus Prime during the latter's duel with Megatron, and tried to go head to head with Optimus Prime but was knocked away. After Megatron absorbed the AllSpark and Earth was decimated, Starscream stood at his master's left side as the Decepticon leader declared their business on Earth was concluded.

There is an unlockable skin for Starscream that gives him a G1 paintjob. {{storylink|Transformers The Game (console)}}

===Transformers: Autobots (DS)===
:''Voice actor'': [[Daniel Ross]]

While on a mission in the Arctic to find and destroy Megatron and recover the AllSpark, [[Create-A-Bot (Autobot)|Create-A-Bot]] and Ironhide ran into the air commander during their escape. Making Create-A-Bot run for cover, Ironhide took on Starscream and his lackeys (despite mentioning he's "getting too old for this"). Once defeated, Starscream took off into the atmosphere, never to be seen again. {{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers: Autobots}}

{{Note|Starscream is the only Decepticon in this version of the game who is not definitively destroyed. (Bonecrusher isn't included, since Prime cut off his head on his way in. Bonecrusher hates this game because of that.) Starscream's body type appears as Skydive, unlockable with 2500 WiFi Tokens. In the US, this feature is also unlockable by downloading the ''Transformers'' preview movie from a Target DS Download Station.}}

===Transformers: Decepticons (DS)===
:''Voice actor'': [[Daniel Ross]]

After the disappearance of Megatron nearly a million years ago (yeah, we know), Starscream took over the Decepticons as their high commander. Arriving on Earth, he instructed [[Create-A-Bot (Decepticon)|Create-A-Bot]] to follow Barricade until he arrived. However, none of the other Decepticons would trust him, and he confided in Create-A-Bot a great number of secrets, including the location of the AllSpark and the identity of the lost Decepticon they were retrieving: [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]. Starscream reasoned that he hid these things because revealing them would lead to a power struggle, but no one bought it except the naive rookie.

Soon, though, the other Decepticons revealed the reason for their lack of faith (which Create-A-Bot found disturbing): Starscream was a morally ambiguous backstabber. Of course, Megatron wasn't much better, since he was a treacherous, black-hearted face-stabber, but at least he let you know where you stood with him. Once the Autobots returned the AllSpark to Tranquility, he gave chase after a now-AllSpark-empowered Bumblebee (in the single most frustrating level of the game), caught the "babbling fool", and destroyed a meddlesome Blackout, until Barricade got in the way.

After threat of execution for treason, Starscream proceeded to show the smaller Decepticon WHY Megatron picked him as his second-in-command: his brute strength and incredible battle strategy. After a severe thrashing, Create-A-Bot arrived with intent to kill. However, Starscream now had the AllSpark and was nearly unstoppable. They proceeded to battle over the Casino Strip, where Create-A-Bot took the AllSpark from him and smashed it into his chest. Create-A-Bot was knocked back and severely damaged by the blast, but Starscream remained as powerful as ever, perhaps more so now that the AllSpark had merged with his body. However, as was quickly proven, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscreams]] who receive [[Starscream (Armada)|ungodly power]] tend to explode, as Megatron found him and proceeded to chase and tear him apart. In his last breath, Starscream spat on Megatron's name, saying there would always be those who would question his power. Megatron simply replied by smashing his face in. {{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers: Decepticons}}

{{note|Starscream's body type is available in two forms, the regular Starscream playable in certain missions (unlocked by beating the game) and G1 Starscream, based on the Target exclusive retooling/redeco. The G1 body is unlocked by earning 2500 WiFi tokens, or by downloading the preview movie for the game from a Target DS Download Station.}}

===Transformers: The Game (PSP)===
Starscream attacked Hoover Dam to free Megatron from his "tomb". Afterwards, he battled [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] over the leadership of the Decepticons back on Cybertron. {{storylink|Transformers The Game (PSP)}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' - The Game===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Charlie Adler]]

====Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC====
=====Decepticon campaign=====
[[Image:ROTF_360PS3PC_Starscream_AerialbotScout1.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
Starscream served as the main aerial assault unit, utilizing his rapid-fire Gatling gun and his homing missiles. He could also activate a [[Null Reactor]], which slowed enemies down and increased the damage he dealt to them.

After the Decepticons lost possesion of Mikaela, Starscream decided to seek out [[Theodore Galloway|NSA chief Galloway]], and force the location of the other remaining AllSpark shard, and Megatron's location, from him. The fleshing was known to be visiting one of several buildings around the canals of Sam and Mikaela's hometown, and Starscream destroyed each in turn, looking to flush out his target. Galloway was soon located, and Starscream took him for extraction.

The information gained from Galloway lead to the Decepticons capturing an AllSpark shard, and armed with this artifact, a team was sent to revive Megatron. Whilst other Decepticons descended into the sea to attend to their leader, Starscream and several Constructicons attacked the carrier group on the ocean surface. Seeking to eliminate their defense, Starscream destroyed the AA guns mounted on the larger craft, and then sank the small control boats in the area. Before long, Megatron rose from the ocean, and the Decepticons left the area.

When Sam and Bumblebee travelled to an east coast museum to meet with Jetfire, Starscream was ordered by Megatron to destroy the building and retrieve the boy. Although, under heavy fire from Autobots, Starscream collapsed the museum, Sam, Bumblebee and Jetfire escape via space bridge.{{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)}}

=====Autobot campaign=====

Following Sam Witwicky's flight to Egypt with Jetfire, Starscream fled with his minions to the abandoned foundry where the Decepticons had previously held Sam. Locating him, Optimus Prime battled it out with Starscream, forcing the Air Commander to retreat.

Later, Starscream joined Megatron in attacking Optimus Prime and Jetfire in Egypt. As leader fought leader, [[Seeker (Movie)|Seeker]] fought [[Seeker (ROTF)|Seeker]], with Jetfire holding his own against Starscream until Optimus defeated Megatron and helped defeat Starscream. As Jetfire held the Air Commander at his mercy, Megatron snuck up and ran Jetfire through with his sword, allowing the Decepticons to retreat. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)}}

==Toys==
''See [[Starscream (Movie)/toys]].''

==Merchandise==
''See [[Starscream (Movie)/toys#Merchandise]].''

==Trivia==
* The card back of Protoform Starscream's packaging features a completely different, earlier head sculpt. What's more, this head design is featured on his protoform body in IDW's movie prequel comics. It's since become Starscream's standard "pre-Earth" face, likely out of consistency.

* His protoform was not the only design to get a new head. The earliest concepts of Starscream's head were more skull-like and oblong in shape. This was, of course, redesigned to look more "like a samurai helmet." Unlike the redesigned head of Megatron, Starscream's earlier face only shows up in ''one'' piece of media: the book [[Look and Find Transformers]].

* On-screen in the first live-action movie, Starscream has only one short conversation with Megatron and a total screen time of less than 10 minutes. The tie-in fictions are ''much'' kinder.

* It has been suggested that, following his attack on the F-22 squadron over the city, Starscream was able to hide among the survivors and take part in the attack on Megatron shortly thereafter. This theory is speculative; while it fits the character of the G1 Starscream from the '80s, there is nothing actually on the screen to suggest it. (Roberto Orci was asked, but refused to give a definite answer.)<ref>http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=387172&postcount=185 Roberto Orci refusing to comment on the possibility of Starscream attacking Megatron during the final battle</ref>

* His bio for his Deep Space figure mentions that he re-energized himself at a power plant after the [[Mission City]] battle. Whilst this was not seen in the film, it appears [[The Real Effing Deal|others]] caught notice of it; [http://www.therealeffingdeal.com/blog/“mission-city-update-exclusive”/].

* The Sector Seven online ARG used the "[[Masterpiece]]" version of [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] to represent the "real" Starscream who had infiltrated Earth. A lot of Generation 1 cameos were made in this manner. Make of that what you will.

* Even though Starscream had only two lines of English dialogue in the first film, José Sant'anna, who played the Generation 1 character in the Brazilian dub of the original cartoon, was re-cast to play the role in the movie. However, his voice was so heavily modulated that only someone with a really good ear could recognize him. Go figure.

*Speaking of dialogue, most of his lines are in Cybertronian. He begins his role with speaking Cybertronian ("This is Starscream. All Decepticons mobilize.") and ends with another Cybertronian line that isn't subtitled. Of course, he could have been talking to himself (as he does when he reaches Sector Seven) or even cursing. Considering ''The Reign of Starscream'' has a guy exploding inside him at this point, swearing seems appropriate.

*He's probably the only Starscream that hasn't died or suffered grievous bodily damage. ''Yet''.
** Although he loses an arm in ''RotF'', he eventually puts it back on (when Megatron stops slapping him with it). Must be a [[ball joint]].

*The new downloadable content for the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' game on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 gives Starscream [[Starscream (G1)|another form]] and a [[Sunstorm (G1)|repaint of it]]. Because of this, Starscream ends up with the most alternate skins of any character. Huh...that [[Seeker (body-type)|sounds]] [[Starscream clone (Animated)|familiar]] [[Starscream (Armada)|somehow...]]

*Charlie Adler was also a voice talent in another Hasbro production, 'My Little Pony: The Movie', but don't let Starscream know that.

{{-}}

== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/2007/Decepticon/ProtoformStarscream/starscream.htm Starscream at TFU.info]

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Letters page answerers]]
[[Category:Movie characters]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen characters]]
[[Category:Reassigned toys]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Seekers]]
[[Category:Transformers 2010 toyline characters]]

Talk:Strika (BM)

2010-05-27T02:33:14Z

Willowrib:

Do we REALLY need to make a separate page for Nemesis Strika? What evidence do we have that she's an alternate-universe Strika, and they didn't just give her the name to shore up that trademark just in case, like the "Dinobot Striker"? I mean, our common rules seem to go "that without direct fictional evidence, same body + same name = same dude... --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 04:30, 10 February 2007 (UTC)
:Well, I guess there's the Wal-Mart Dinobots... but... those are a bit special. For just Strika, tho... --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 04:32, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

:: But she's not another Strika. She's ''Nemesis'' Strika. Nemesis in every single other use implies a separate entity. We should err on the side of caution, give her her own page, and make a note of the ambiguity. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 04:47, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

== just thought this was funny ==
on that close up of her head, she looks alot like a grunt from halo, no?-willowRib
== She needs an image. ==
I have an image of her. Look and see.....[[User:Florky Man|Mr. Florky]] 18:49, 28 January 2008 (UTC)
[[Image:Strika2.PNG|left|thumb|200px|"I have a little head! And big arms!"]]
If there are no objections, then I'll just post it on her article. [[User:Florky Man|Mr. Florky]] 19:00, 28 January 2008 (UTC)
:Still nothing? Okay, then. Up she goes. [[User:Florky Man|Mr. Florky]] 19:12, 28 January 2008 (UTC)
::If you genuinely want replies to your comments on talk pages, try waiting a ''day'' or two, not ''half an hour.'' Very few people check for changes that often.
::Also, I'm not sure that image is good enough. It's hard to see any detail. [[User:JW|JW]] 19:55, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

:I posted an image for her, but it doesn't show up unless you click it. Is this just my computer acting weird, or am I missing something here? [[User:FanOfTransformers|TF's Biggest Fan EVER]] 14:50, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

[[Image:Strika Drones Spark War Strike.JPG|right|250px|thumb|What's the difference between Strika and Anna Wintour? One's a merciless machine with a legion of obedient drones at her command, and the other's a Transformer.]]Here's an image for the page for her drones, whenever that gets made. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 01:51, 9 January 2010 (EST)

== pronounciation ==

A stupid Q from a <strike>noob</strike> foreigner: is it "Strika" like "strike", or "Strika" like "string" (the latter explaining Japanese spelling of her name)? -- [[User:Silver|Silvery]] 07:03, 6 September 2009 (EDT)
:It's like "strike". --[[User:Abates|abates]] 07:09, 6 September 2009 (EDT)
:: Thanks. I feel less stupid now. Though Strika like ''"streekah"'' would sound cool. ;) -- [[User:Silver|Silvery]] 07:13, 6 September 2009 (EDT)
Where does the Japanese spelling come from, BTW? It's not romanized on her card. -[[User:Mazenoise|Mazenoise]] 07:21, 6 September 2009 (EDT)
:::[http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B6%85%E7%94%9F%E5%91%BD%E4%BD%93%E3%83%88%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B9%E3%83%95%E3%82%A9%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9E%E3%83%BC_%E3%83%93%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A9%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA%E3%83%AA%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%B3%E3%82%BA#.E3.83.B4.E3.82.A3.E3.83.BC.E3.82.B3.E3.83.B3.2FVehicons ストライカ]. 16:34, 6 September 2009 (EDT)

Lugnut (Animated)

2010-05-23T23:12:05Z

Willowrib:

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig2|the Animated-series Decepticon military plane|the Cybertron-series Decepticon motorcycle|Lugnutz}}

:''Lugnut is a glorious [[Decepticon]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:LugnutPromoModel.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The secret (GLORIOUS!) love child of Shockwave and Omega Supreme.]]
If mighty [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] were to command '''Lugnut''' to jump, the powerful Decepticon would be in the upper atmosphere long before his master could specify how high. In Lugnut's optics, bold, heroic Megatron embodies the Decepticon cause, and his devotion is total. It's easy to misinterpret Lugnut’s blind zeal for a lack of overall processing power, but this is not the case. Although he isn't much of a thinker or planner, Lugnut does not care, for wise Megatron is brilliant enough for a thousand Decepticons. His master makes the plans, and Lugnut carries them out. However, that blind loyalty is his weakness. Although innovative on the battle field, he does little thinking about anything else.

Besides his compulsion to serve Megatron, the only other driving force in his programming is to destroy the Autobots. Renowned throughout Cybertron as one of the most destructive fighters for the Decepticon cause, Lugnut has no time or patience for contemplation or strategy when he could just as easily level an entire Autobot battalion with a single [[Punch of Kill Everything|explosive punch]]. He knows that his unparalleled strength, endurance, and seemingly limitless missile payload is enough to serve glorious, bold, fresh-scented, bright and shiny MEGATRON! Autobots that know him know the only way to survive a fight with him is to stay clear of his path.

He will only keep company with Decepticons who are as loyal to the grand and imperious Megatron as he is. Traitors and disgraces such as [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] and [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] are not worthy of mention, let alone being in the presence of the glorious Megatron. Granted, even magnanimous Megatron himself can get a little tired of Lugnut's praises, but he keeps it to himself, lest Lugnut should lose faith in mighty Megatron.

He is also [[Strika (Animated)|Strika's]] "consort", whatever that means.
{{bigquote|I believe only two things: The Decepticons will rule Cybertron, and Megatron will rule the Decepticons!|Lugnut, Megatron loyalist|"[[Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found]]"}}

:''Japanese name:'' '''Lugnuts''' (ラグナッツ ''Ragunattsu'')

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
{{Idw-tfa}}
:''Voice actor:'' [[David Kaye]] (English), [[Kentarō Itō]] (Japanese), [[Uwe Jellinek]] (German), [[Pietro Ubaldi]] (Italian)

[[Image:LugnutsPrayer LostandFound.jpg|left|225px|thumb|In glorious Megatron's name we pray, AMEN!]]
At some point in the past, Lugnut got a call from [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]], who had infiltrated [[Autobot boot camp]], and allowed him to report to Megatron. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}} Many, many years later, Lugnut was on board the [[Nemesis (Animated)|''Nemesis'']] with [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] when they discovered the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]]. Doubting that it was near, Starscream insulted Megatron (out of the latter's presence, of course) as a fool who was chasing a ghost. Furious, Lugnut leapt in and roared at the "traitor" about how Megatron would lead the Decepticons to a new age. Blackarachnia mocked him, asking if the speech was memorized or just hardwired into his one-track processor. Blitzwing indirectly defended Lugnut by insulting Blackarachnia, but soon burst into song, prompting all the Decepticons to argue until the entry of Megatron silenced them. Later, when it became clear the ''Nemesis'' was going to crash into an exploding space bridge, Lugnut showed uncharacteristic intelligence by fleeing in an escape pod. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

''Lugnut and Blitzwing, upon leaving the warship, returned to [[New Kaon]]. Lugnut, refusing to believe that Megatron was offline, destroyed a statue Blitzwing had made in memory of their fallen leader. Blitzwing was not pleased.'' {{storylink|Dispatches}}

''After finding out Blitzwing had made arrangements with a [[Lockdown (Animated)|bounty hunter]] in order to locate and exact revenge on the Autobots, Lugnut was furious. His fury (along with Blitzwing's responding fury) were taken advantage of by an [[Swindle (Animated)|unscrupulous arms dealer]] seeking to make a profit off the two in a never-ending escalating arms race. Things ended poorly for said arms dealer, however, once Lugnut and Blitzwing caught on to the fact they were both being played. {{storylink|Everything Must Go}} (Although odds are, if Lugnut had known just [[Punch of Kill Everything|what Blitzwing had offered Lockdown]], he may not have been so forgiving).'' {{storylink|A Few Loose Strands}}

''When the Allspark gave off the radiation burst during Prime and Starscream's battle, the signal served as a beacon, the Decepticons on New Kaon picking up the signal. Lugnut took this as evidence his leader was still online.'' {{storylink|Dispatches|The Arrival issue 1}}

[[Image:Lugnutfist.JPG|right|175px|thumb|FALCON PUNCH!]]
After arriving on [[Earth|Earth's]] [[Moon (moon)|Moon]], Lugnut and Blitzwing discovered the ''Nemesis'', near where Blitzwing mentioned that [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] had last reported. Lugnut did not care for the bounty hunter or his mission, for he still believed that Megatron was alive. Heading to Earth, the two crash landed at a construction site, where Lugnut interrogated a crane on Megatron's whereabouts with little success. After randomly destroying everything in sight, Lugnut and Blitzwing had a battle with the Autobots. Utilizing his back-mounted missile arsenal, Lugnut easily outgunned the Autobots himself, and was able to throw [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] around like he was nothing. When he demanded to know where Megatron was, [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] mentioned that he was reduced to a "fireball somewhere over Cleveland". Screaming "Megatron lives", Lugnut knocked out the Autobots with his [[Punch of Kill Everything]] (at which Blitzwing said he had told Lugnut "a thousand times" to warn him before using), which convinced Megatron that Lugnut could be trusted. He contacted only Lugnut, who, in his eagerness, dragged a confused Blitzwing away from the fight. Blitzwing thought that Lugnut had finally overheated his motherboard and headbutted him, who responded in kind and sent Blitzwing plummeting straight smack dab in the middle of a military base. When they heard police cars approaching, Blitzwing suggested that they lay low to determine their strengths, but Lugnut planned to slaughter them ''en masse''. Annoyed Megatron told him to shut up and get a disguise.

That evening Megatron contacted Lugnut, uploading a sample of the [[AllSpark Key]]'s energy signature, and instructed him to use it to find the AllSpark itself, which would restore Megatron. Heading for [[Lake Erie]], the two Decepticons tracked down the [[Teletran-1|Autobots' ship]]. Once they'd followed the Autobots below its surface, Lugnut showed remarkable intelligence by being reluctant to enter the underwater smokescreen [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] had created, although he still entered to follow Blitzwing. Obscured by kicked-up dust, his targeting systems still found a body in the haze. Pleased that his targeting sensors had not failed him, he fired – on Blitzwing. The Autobots seemed to have the upper hand when Lugnut again displayed unexpected smarts by transforming and using his jet thrusters to blow away the obscuring dirt. Unfortunately for him and Blitzwing, just as they were going destroy the Autobots, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Sari Sumdac]] brought the weapon systems of the Autobots' ship online. The two Decepticons were blasted to the shores of Lake Erie in several pieces, severing Megatron's radio link with Lugnut and thus leaving the poor lunk to believe that his master had forsaken him. The next morning, Starscream appeared and promised to repair them – if they swore loyalty to him. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}

[[Image:Megatron Rising Starscream on Lugnut.JPG|left|175px|thumb|Keep trying, Lugnut. Keep trying.]]
For reasons beyond understanding, Lugnut agreed to Starscream's request, or at least paid lip service to him, but was quick to remind the upstart that they served him not by choice. However, when Megatron contacted him, Lugnut immediately repledged himself to Megatron. The Decepticon leader told Lugnut to locate the AllSpark Key and bring it to him. Taking it from Ratchet, they flew to [[Sumdac Tower]], where Lugnut blabbed the whole Decepticon thing to [[Isaac Sumdac]], forcing him to kneel to Megatron. Now that he knew Lugnut wasn't totally bonkers (like him), Blitzwing used the Key to help Megatron repair his body and restore him. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}

[[Image:TFA Megatron Rising Lugnut boom.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Looks like Team Decepticon is blasting off again!]]
As Megatron proceeded to beat up the Autobots, Blitzwing and Lugnut decided not to intervene, but to keep an eye on Professor Sumdac. When Megatron called his loyal troops to him, Lugnut prostrated himself before his master, where he briefly found himself humiliated by Starscream, but then got to look on as Megatron made an example of the schemer. The Decepticons took to the air, locating and attacking the Autobots' ship as it travelled from the lake to the Tower, then from the Tower to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], where it was shot down. Bulkhead leapt into the air and [[Jet judo|Jet-Judo'd]] Lugnut, and the two landed in the forest. Although Lugnut was the physically stronger of the pair and tossed Bulkhead around like a beach ball, his zeal let him down. He prepared to use his explosive punch...and Bulkhead slammed the ignition point with his wrecking ball, causing a powerful explosion that defeated the brute. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

After the battle with Bulkhead, Lugnut helped the Decepticons set up a base in a mine, even though his left arm kept falling off. Not realizing that the mine's carbon deposits shielded their energy signatures from Autobot detection, Lugnut did not understand why they had to hide. He was even more confused by Megatron's plan to conquer Cybertron, but this didn't prevent him from hitting a doubting Blitzwing. Things became clearer to Lugnut when Megatron said that they would use [[space bridge]] technology, one of the two reasons they lost the Great War, to reach and conquer Cybertron. First, they needed Isaac Sumdac, who had been captured by Megatron, in order to reverse-engineer the missing pieces of the space bridge data Megatron had copied. When a servant-bot in Sumdac's enclosure malfunctioned, Lugnut accused the professor of sabotaging Megatron's plans. However, he backed down at the behest of Megatron, who learned the servant-bot had acted as it did because it had a fragment of the AllSpark in its circuits. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}
[[Image:Lugnutkick.JPG|left|200px|thumb|The dancing lessons weren't going that well!]]
Lugnut and Blitzwing were sent by Megatron to steal a tachyon generator from the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]]'s ship. Lugnut was able to acquire the generator, when Starscream appeared and tried to destroy Megatron. After the Decepticon leader offlined him, Lugnut confirmed that Starscream was dead. After all, there was no spark in his spark chamber, so he had to be dead. Despite this, Starscream kept coming back and trying to kill Megatron, and Lugnut spent the rest of the night repeatedly throwing his corpse into a river. {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}}

[[Image:GarbageInGarbageOut-Wreck-GarandLugnutwithaxe.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Stop! Hammertime!]]
When Lugnut later detected an AllSpark fragment, Megatron sent him to retrieve it, partially to be rid of his sycophantic subject for a while. Discovering it in a garbage truck, Lugnut believed it was being transported by a human. He was thus surprised when the truck transformed into a robot named [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]]. The simple-minded robot soon confused poor Lugnut with his habit of mirroring what was being said to him, so Lugnut came to believe that Wreck-Gar was a Decepticon like him. Pleased that the new Transformer was a Decepticon, Lugnut celebrated the discovery with a resounding cry of "All hail Megatron!" Wreck-Gar followed suit...then asked who Megatron was.

When the Autobots arrived and verbally accosted Wreck-Gar, Lugnut came out of hiding and prepared to use his bomb punch on Ratchet. Wreck-Gar then responded to the threatened use of the Punch of Kill Everything with the [[universal greeting]]...and a high-five. Despite the premature detonation, Lugnut was left unharmed, but grew increasingly impatient with Wreck-Gar's lack of comprehension. Attempting to attack the Autobots, he took off in plane mode with Wreck-Gar still on his back. However, when Wreck-Gar caused his tail/mace to become infected with matter-eating microbots, Lugnut panicked and demanded that Wreck-Gar get the microbots off him. The obliging robot responded by simply unscrewing Lugnut's tail assembly, leaving Lugnut rather unsteady in the air. {{storylink|Garbage In, Garbage Out}}

Later on, Lugnut was sent with Blitzwing to recover parts for Megatron's new space bridge, and the two began stealing caches of construction materials. During one such raid, the Autobots became involved, and Lugnut's singlemindedness meant that he practically ignored Bumblebee's stinger attack, not even slowing down until a pipe fell in his path and sent him falling. He then departed in his bomber mode to unload the material. Sometime later, he and Blitzwing began moving two huge containers of heavy supplies, and Lugnut was most offended when Blitzwing noted how Megatron was curiously absent when they were moving such heavy equipment. Soon afterward, they encountered the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]]. Lugnut was suspicious of these newly created machines, but Blitzwing convinced him to allow them to do the heavy lifting until they reached base, at which point they would eliminate the two newcomers. At base, Blitzwing kept them distracted so Lugnut could activate his rocket punch, but at the last second, Megatron told him to stop. Unfortunately, this caused poor Lugnut to lose balance, fall into a cave and detonate his weapon in his own face. Ever the trooper, he tersely acknowledged he was still all right. {{storylink|Rise of the Constructicons}}

Soon after the space bridge was near completion, the Autobots found the Decepticons' hideout and attempted to stop them. Lugnut and Blitzwing attacked the Autobots invading their underground base, but they ended up getting stasis-cuffed by [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]]. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}

Lugnut was soon freed by the Constructicons and cheered when Megatron announced they'd be invading Cybertron via space bridge, but was interrupted by the invading Autobot ship. When given the task of stopping [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]], Lugnut remarked that the large Autobot's size was no match for their leader's glory. This inspired [[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] to attack Omega's legs. Lugnut attempted to stop Omega Supreme by firing his entire missile supply at the enormous Autobot. Instead, he was blown away by Omega's lasers. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

[[Image:Three'saCrowdLugnutPrime.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[wikipedia:I've fallen and I can't get up!|I've fallen and I can't get up!]]]]
Lugnut survived the battle, and later was found by the Autobots after Professor Sumdac disabled the Decepticon signal dampers. He attacked, demanding the whereabouts of Megatron and creating the world's biggest pothole in the road. After a brief battle, the Autobots managed to [[Stasis cuff|cuff]] him, but found he was too heavy for them to pull out. When Bulkhead sent a distress call, Prime decided Lugnut wasn't going anywhere and went to rescue Bulkhead. Upon returning, however, they found the pit empty and Lugnut out of scanner range. He had been freed by the [[Ramjet (Animated)|honest-as-the-day-is-long Starscream clone]], who wholeheartedly promised Lugnut he'd never reveal his humiliating defeat to Megatron. What a guy. {{storylink|Three's a Crowd}}

Later, Lugnut was captured by Lockdown and given to [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] in exchange for energon and parts, along with Blitzwing, [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] and the [[Ramjet (Animated)|lying]] and [[Sunstorm (Animated)|sycophantic]] Starscream clones.{{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

[[Image:TFAni Decepticon Air Lugnut Megatron.jpg|thumb|left|200px|It is an honor to serve as mighty Megatron's [[Wikipedia:Garfield|Garfield]] window sticker. Inside or outside of the ship.]]
Their capture did not last long, however, as Sentinel Prime steered the Elite Guard's ship into a stormy nebula, creating a chain reaction which freed Swindle from his transformation lock. When Lugnut ordered him to release the others in the name of the glorious Megatron, Swindle was happy to oblige on behalf of his best customer. The freed Decepticons then made short work of the "Elite" Autobots, but not before Sentinel had sent an SOS to Optimus Prime.

When Optimus arrived, he led the Decepticons on a run-around, eventually freeing the captured Autobots. Their attempt to escape led Lugnut to [[Punch of Kill Everything|POKE]] a hole in the ship, venting everyone in the room into space, where the Autobots were more limited than the flying Decepticons. Lugnut ordered his comrades to Transform and Rise Up, and they attacked, but ultimately Lugnut was thrown clear of the battle when Optimus used Sentinel as a bludgeon to knock him away...leading to Lugnut being picked up by the glorious Megatron in Omega Supreme. {{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

[[Image:TFA-ThisIsWhyIHateMachines-LugnutRagesStarscreamPlots.jpg|thumb|200px|Let the butt-kissing contest begin!]]
Brought inside Omega Supreme, Lugnut recovered a transwarp cell, allowing Megatron to regain control of the ship. Lugnut was quick to point Megatron's numerous achievements to a moaning Starscream, explaining how they now both had the freedom to come and go as they pleased and had regained the ability to transform Omega. However, Lugnut was annoyed when Shockwave joined their crew, which wasn't helped by Megatron referring to Shockwave as "my most loyal servant". Lugnut's inner rage was noted by an amused Starscream. {{storylink|This Is Why I Hate Machines}}

As Shockwave tried to recover the Omega activation codes from Arcee, Starscream egged Lugnut about Shockwave being Megatron's new lapdog. Lugnut easily fell for it, starting an epic butt-kissing, ego-pissing contest between the two purple giants while Starscream sneaked back to the ''Nemesis''. Megatron eventually got the two separated and sent them to start building three [[Lugnut Supreme|clones of Omega Supreme]]. Shockwave later tore the activation codes from Arcee, and when Starscream tried to interfere again, Lugnut loyally leapt to his master's aid—just as Megatron was planning. Lugnut became the template for the three new Decepticon war machines and almost wagged his tail at being chosen for such an honor. Shockwave then discovered that there was a missing security patch, requiring Lugnut to be wired into Omega Supreme for the "Lugnuts Supreme" to be operational, so Lugnut had to remain on the Moon while the purple ships themselves flew to Earth with Megatron aboard. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

Lugnut guided the Omega Supreme clones to Earth, where he continued to congratulate his great and glorious leader. Megatron was a little...impatient...with this and asked Shockwave if there was a way the Supremes could be controlled without Lugnut's worshipping. Shockwave took great pleasure in informing his commander there was no other way (showing that he still held his little rivalry with Luggy). After taking a pounding from Prime (armed with the Magnus Hammer), the Lugnut Supremes crash-landed on Dinobot Island. Megatron ordered Lugnut to return them back to the Moon, but Lugnut regretfully informed him the clones were too damaged to fly. The Autobots eventually managed to regain control of Omega Supreme, who then chucked Lugnut off his control chair and out the back of the giant robot, causing him to go bouncing away along the Moon's surface. The Autobots then captured Lugnut and took him back to Cybertron alongside Megatron and Shockwave so they could face justice for their crimes.
{{storylink| Endgame, Part II}}

===''Animated'' shorts===
As [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] heckled [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] during a rousing speech, Lugnut looked on in utter horror until Megatron eventually dispatched Starscream straight through a wall. The sight of such brutality caused Lugnut to wince. {{storylink|Starscream Heckles Megatron}}

Later, Lugnut used his [[Punch of Kill Everything|Punch of Kill Everything]] to create gigantic craters in a forest. As it turns out, he was helping [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] build a new Decepticon swimming pool, but the lunatic couldn't settle on where it should be located, forcing Lugnut to explode things over and over ''and over''. {{storylink|Explosive Punch}}

===Titan Magazines===
[[Image:Lugnut_stick.JPG|right|150px|thumb|A stick?! What happened to your mace?!]]

Lugnut was part of Megatron's assault on the Autobot base and got beaten very quickly off panel. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|Megatron's Revenge}}

He later went along with [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]]'s plan of isolating and terminating a lone Autobot. He was ''very'' eager to be the one who got to break the captive, including ''ripping a stalactite off a cave roof'' so he could use it as a stick to [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]'s pinata. (He did wonder if it was too small a stick, though.) Unfortunately for Lugnut, the tracer used to track [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] was whacked onto his "robo-butt" (no, really, Lugnut said that) and this, along with him mega-bombing a cave roof, led to the Decepticon's defeat.

[[Image:Lugnut robobutt.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Sometimes the captions write themselves.]]

Lugnut also admitted to Blitzwing that he's scared of the dark. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|The Race}}
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==Toys==
===Animated===
[[Image:Lugnut animated toy.JPG|right|350px|thumb|Made tiny in name of the glorious Hasbro toy race!]]
*'''Lugnut''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-15'''
**''Accessories'': Tail assembly/power mace

: Part of the third wave of ''Animated'' Voyager-class toys, Luggy transforms into a big ol' retro-futuristic bomber plane that includes features from many historic designs, including the B-25 Mitchell and the Heinkel He 111. He also suffers from [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] syndrome, as his robot mode is '''tiny''' compared to most Voyagers. A good portion of his vehicle mode transforms into his big-ass "power mace", almost as big as Lugnut himself. He features three [[Autotransformation|Autotransform]] [[gimmick]]s in his head, mace, and hands. The mace connects with a special tab into Lugnut's hand and activates its gimmick: tapping the bottom of the mace on the ground while he holds it causes the engine pods to pop open. Pushing down the area on his back where the mace is stored flips his head up and splits his cockpit halves to the sides of his chest. The small purple tabs on his lower arms open and close his claws in unison. Pushing the mace into one of the hands causes it to close around the mace.

: The mace can also be activated with any Mini-Con figure.

: The figure's paint deco shown in promotional photography and the boxart depicts Lugnut's teal areas with highly metallic, almost silver coloration and a slightly lighter shade of purple. The final figure, however, has a darker purple with an much more show-accurate flat teal with no trace of the metallic colouring.

: There have been reports of his cockpit halves not closing properly in vehicle mode due to an overly tightened screw inside his torso. It cannot be corrected without dismantling the figure. The head automorph area also tends to flop slightly, not staying in place in vehicle mode. It is unknown if future releases will remedy this.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/Lugnut/lugnut.htm More information on Lugnut at TFU.info]''

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[[Image:Ani-toy LugnutMcD.jpg|right|250px|thumb|He stands up straight to look good for his master.]]
*'''Lugnut''' (McDonald's Happy Meal Toy)
**''McNumber'': '''6'''

:A simple version of Lugnut with a very simple transformation sequence. You transform him by flipping his back to reveal the head, bringing down the missiles/arms and flipping the tail to reveal his legs. This makes him stand ''very'' tall. Like most of the McDonald's ''Animated'' toys, he gave up a show-accurate robot mode for a show-accurate vehicle mode.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/McLugnut/lugnut.htm More information on McDonald's Lugnut at TFU.info]''

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[[Image:Atomiclugnutvoyager.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Yeah, this'll come off real well in Japan.]]
*'''Atomic Lugnut''' (Voyager class, 2009)
**''Accessories'': Tail assembly/power mace

: Part of the sixth wave of ''Animated'' Voyagers, Atomic Lugnut is a [[Redeco]] of the Voyager-class Lugnut in a color scheme inspired by World War II era B-29s. He gonna bomb you. He retains all of his previous [[gimmick]]ry.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Decepticon/AtomicLugnut/lugnut.htm More information on Atomic Lugnut at TFU.info]''
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==Notes==
* Lugnut's name derives from an earlier stage in his development; at one point he was going to be more Frankenstein's Monster-esque, with giant bolts (or "nuts") sticking out from his neck. While this concept was effectively discarded, the character kept "Lugnut" for his final name... but it works well enough on its own, as he ''is'' a big lug and a bit of a nut.
* Of the five main ''Animated'' Decepticons, Lugnut is the only one without a G1/Beast Era counterpart.
* According to the Decepticon character descriptions sent out in the initial [[Cartoon Network]] press release for ''Transformers Animated'', Lugnut "carries a payload of mega-bombs and can spew liquid napalm with laser-like accuracy". Alas, his napalm-spewing ability hasn't shown up anywhere.
* [[Derrick J. Wyatt|Derrick Wyatt]] and [[Marty Isenberg]] admitted at [[BotCon 2008]] that they didn't know that Lugnut's toy had the battle mace, as it was a [[Hasbro]] creation. Once they learned of its existence, they slipped it into season 2, and it makes its only appearance in "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]".
* At Botcon 2008, Marty Isenberg took a liking to the term [[Punch of Kill Everything]] used in the fandom to refer to Lugnut's attack, and said he would find a way to work it in. Sure enough, in the the comic [[The Arrival issue 4|''The Arrival'' #4]] penned by Isenberg, Lugnut's attack was named as such.
* The four small red dots (two to either side) on Lugnut's head, according to the series' creators, are secondary optics. This means Lugnut actually has ''five'' eyes, rather than the one he appears to have at a casual glance.
* He is apparently known as the '[[Kaon]] Krusher'.
* Lugnuts alt. form seems to be an updated form of the WW2 B-29 Superfortress, the same model of plane as the famous Bockscar and the Enola Gay who dropped the atomic bombs on Japan: Ironically the Enola Gay is housed in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center; where some of the 2009 movie Revenge of the Fallen was filmed.

[[Category:Animated characters]]
[[Category:Decepticons]]