Kup (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

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"I got a funny story about that! Well it's not so much funny as it is long."

From soldier to mentor, to survivor and Wrecker, Kup was undoubtedly the oldest active member of the Autobots. After a series of mishaps involving zombies, time travel and parallel universes, Kup has become the oldest Cybertronian in history. As a result of his eons-long isolation, the cantankerous Kup has lost most his patience for hotheaded young punks, turbo-revving or otherwise.

But after a case of mistaken identity, wrongful imprisonment, and a daring escape, Kup has struck up a new friendship with the unlikeliest of candidates: wisecracking British super-spy Ian Noble, better known as the Action Man. This friendship would see them both drawn into an ancient conspiracy surrounding the Talisman and uncovering its surprising role in shaping the history of Earth, Cybertron, and beyond.

I've had worse than this. I've been spiked by Squadron X, dipped in the smeltin' pool, framed for treason, shot into the sun—and I was the only 'bot still trapped inside the Nightmare Engine when everyone else woke up. I've seen off every rinky-dink, two-bit, catchpenny Decepticon rust-poker, and I got the dents in my knuckles to prove it. End of the day? I'm ready for anything you can throw at me.{{#if:|{{{quote2}}}}}{{#if:KupBurning Bright|Kup{{#if:Burning Bright|, Burning Bright|}}|}}
First appearance: Spotlight: Kup

Fiction

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Joining the Autobots

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"That's my old ion blaster. If you're gonna play with it, be careful, 'cuz it's loaded."

Kup of Tesarus was extremely old; having fought in the First Cybertronian Civil War, he lived through the first Golden Age of Cybertron as a soldier in the Primal Vanguard. After Nova Prime disappeared aboard the first Ark, Kup temporarily retired from active service and took up a new role, training younger 'bots. Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #2 Kup eventually became a cop in Iacon's police force, giving the young Orion Pax his first gun and being amused at the rookie's naive outlook on law enforcement. Post Over the years, Kup trained dozens of Cybertronians, including Prowl, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Hot Rod, Spotlight: Kup and even the five-strong group of warriors who would eventually become known as the Predacons. The Iron Klaw

After the death of Sentinel Prime following his confrontation with Megatron, Kup was either leading or part of a squad sent to rescue Zeta Prime when they crossed paths with the famous former racer, Blurr. Kup was skeptical of Blurr's usefulness, but some words from a young Orion Pax were able to convince Blurr to alert Zeta Prime of the Decepticons' assassination attempt. Spotlight: Blurr As Orion Pax rose in the ranks of the Autobot army, Kup served as a key aide and introduced him to his troops. Old Ways

Eventually, Zeta was revealed to be kind of a ruthless dictator, so Kup and his comrades turned on him and helped the honorable Orion Pax and the Decepticons overthrow him. Kup assisted by teaching the other combatants about the weak spots on Zeta's giant Omega Destructors. Overthrown Once Zeta was dead, the Decepticons betrayed the Autobots and Kup was imprisoned, but he and some other captives escaped before too long. The Autobots sought out Orion Pax in Nyon, where they were shocked to learn that he had acquired the Matrix of Leadership and risen to become Optimus Prime. Rise Alongside many other Autobots, Kup rallied behind the new Prime, returned to Iacon and chased off the Decepticons. Endgame

"You're not gonna sacrifice me for the greater good, are you, Prowl?"
"We'll see, Kup. We'll see."

Some time afterwards, Prowl put Kup in charge of mentoring "Ostaros," an artificially-grown Cybertronian that he had liberated from Mesothulas's laboratory. Prowl ordered Kup to keep the young 'bot from ever finding out about his origins as a product of mad science, and Kup became "Springer"'s new mentor. Eventually, Springer was chosen to join the Wreckers; Kup escorted him to the meeting site, but was unable to properly say goodbye to his former student and drove off when Springer had his back turned. Requiem of the Wreckers

When Prime became aware of the curious case of the Dynobots, he wanted to hear their story from the perspective of a fellow soldier and had Kup tell him what he knew about the team. After telling him of the Dynobots' past in the Primal Vanguard, Kup advised Prime to capture them before they used their military expertise for something bad. Underworld Acting on this advice, Prime sent Kup himself to find the team and have them give themselves up, but he was unable to convince Grimlock of Prime's good intentions. Fortunately, the other Dynobots were less stubborn and agreed to come with Kup, causing Grimlock to relent. Prey On the way home, Kup got new orders to help put down a riot at Starsreach Spaceport, forcing him to bring the Dynobots along. He warned the volatile team against trying to help, but by the time they arrived Optimus Prime had already calmed the rioters down anyway. Massacre Unfortunately a Decepticon attack caused Grimlock to lose control and go on a rampage, causing the Dynobots to reconsider and choose to leave Cybertron. Kup tried to convince them that Autobot science could help, but had no success. Unleashed He was later present during the battle against Trypticon and witnessed Grimlock bring the beast down from inside. Belly of the Beast

Together with Ultra Magnus, Kup oversaw the process of curing Grimlock and the other Dynobots of their hyper-aggressiveness. Primacy #1 He was around to witness the duel between Trypticon and Metroplex, Primacy #3 and fought against the Decepticons during their follow-up attack on Iacon after Metroplex had fallen. Primacy #4 Years later, Kup was present at a victory celebration after the Autobots dealt a major blow to the Decepticon war effort. He encouraged Optimus Prime to say something to the troops, but Optimus was still uncomfortable with the role of public speaking. The Iron Age

"Let's sacrifice him to our god! C'mon, we did it all the time in the '30s."

Shortly after Thunderwing's first apocalyptic assault, the besieged Autobots prepared for the big push against their positions by the Decepticons. Kup was in a trench alongside Broadside, Huffer, and the injured Getaway, waiting for Blaster's morale-boosting broadcast to the Autobot forces, a transmission that never came. Spotlight: Blaster

Kup was part of a battle on Caldoon 4 when suddenly he and dozens of others were under attack by Overlord, one of Megatron's most formidable generals. After dispatching several of Kup's buddies and tossing Kup himself away, Overlord left them to attend a meeting that Megatron had called within the Decepticon battle camp. But Overlord wasn't gone for long. He returned to Kup's men and began what he'd started. Just before Kup was about to be finished, Overlord lifted his limp and battered body to his face and uttered, "Tell Megatron I've chosen Option 2." And, strangely, the Decepticon left the planet, sparing Kup's life. Last Stand of the Wreckers #2

Kup was later part of the 113th Battalion where the Phase Sixer Black Shadow fought against the 113th Battalion, singlehandedly defeating Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus and killing 3,003 others. Rules of Disengagement 500,000 years ago, Kup was present during the climactic battle over Metroplex that ended with the Titan leaving the planet. Hello Cruel World

"If you ever travel back in time, don't step on anything! Because even the tiniest change can alter the future in ways you can't imagine!"

At some point after Cybertron was abandoned, Kup and Outback crash-landed on Tsiehshi, which was covered with radioactive Ore-8 crystals. Over time, Kup was slowly driven insane from the radiation. He talked to the dead corpse of Outback as though he were still alive (and used his disembodied arm as a club) and believed that zombies were attacking him when he shut down for the night. In reality, these zombies were fellow Autobots sent to rescue him, and Kup killed several of them before Springer managed to get a specialist in to extract the aging Autobot. Unfortunately, due to the damage Kup sustained from the radiation, his incompatibility with modern Transformers tech due to his age and stubborn unwillingness to upgrade, and a near-meltdown of his spark, he was placed on life support upon arriving aboard Ark-17, and it was unknown if he would ever recover, physically or mentally. Spotlight: Kup

Springer eventually reported to Optimus Prime that Kup's physical injuries had been repaired, but the state of his mind was still in question. Spotlight: Optimus Prime

A crew of his own

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Kup finally returned to service when Perceptor and the scientists at the Kimia Facility built a new body for Kup—one that was better and stronger and based on the Pretender technology acquired from Jetfire. He was mostly healed of his madness, however, he required the use of a cy-gar, which produced a synthesized version of the crystals' radiation, to keep him sane in the event of a relapse. He also had some programming routines installed via Prowl to help lead the Autobots into winning the war: now he could be made to give the advice Prowl gave, which the strategist knew would be listened to if it came out of the mouth of such a charismatic figure. Everything in Its Right Place

Perceptor insisted on following Kup on his first few missions, hoping to spot any technical problems. Unfortunately, while Kup and the Wreckers were attempting to free Autobot prisoners from a docked Decepticon warship, Perceptor was caught in the crossfire. Kup found aid in a mysterious unaffiliated robot who had similar purposes. Kup quickly deduced that this Drift used to be a Decepticon named Deadlock. When Drift helped Kup blow the ship up and save Perceptor's life, Kup decided Drift was deserving of a second chance. Kup disbanded the Wreckers, formed a new unit, and asked Drift to join. Spotlight: Drift

"The metric system is the tool of the devil! My car gets forty rods to the hogshead and that's the way I likes it!"

Kup's unit, a hand-picked crew composed of heavy hitters, such as two former Wreckers and Drift, were operating from the battlecruiser Trion when a major Decepticon offensive caused Autobot communications to black out. Though initially confused by Perceptor's sudden decision to become a warrior instead of a scientist, Kup became proud of him after he single-handedly saved the entire team from Monstructor. Lost & Found In pursuit of the Decepticons' ship, Kup's team were baited into an ambush above Cybertron, where the ship was shot down and forced to crash-land on the assumed uninhabitable world. Banding together to survive, they eventually encountered Optimus Prime's unit, only to find him incapacitated, the Matrix having been seized by Megatron. Although Kup was at first dismissive of Jazz, who had stepped into a command position in the void left by Prime, he quickly learned to appreciate Jazz's steady, capable hand. All Hail Megatron #5

As Jazz and Kup stood on a balcony, Kup spoke of how the Autobots were betrayed by an outsider, someone who knew their codes. Autobot computer systems were shut down across the galaxy, and as shields and defenses were remotely shut down, countless Autobots died. It was a massacre. Kup decided to merge his unit with Jazz's, making Jazz his second-in-command. He also donated all his group's energon towards fixing Prime. Without Prime, they had no chance to rally their troops together as a cohesive unit. But a more immediate concern made itself known—the Insecticon swarm. Kup ordered everything packed up and ready to move. All Hail Megatron #6 And so they did. Jazz told Kup how the Autobots were defeated on Earth, how Prime was destroyed and the Matrix stolen, and spoke of a traitor among their ranks. Kup continued to be worried about a decline in morale. All Hail Megatron #7

"Eh, you never know what you're capable of. I never thought I could shoot down a German plane, but last year I proved myself wrong."

And he was right to be worried. Ironhide assaulted Mirage, who he believed to be the traitor. Kup took Ironhide aside and berated him for his conduct. Before their chat could be resolved, the Swarm found them. Kup gathered up the Autobots and began to take them to a previously agreed-on location across a lone bridge, where Perceptor would fire a shot that would detonate the bridge, separating them from the Swarm. Unfortunately, Perceptor was injured in the evacuation, and Kup had no plan B. Sunstreaker, who revealed he was the traitor, redeemed himself by blowing up the bridge and presumably himself. All Hail Megatron #8

Kup pushed Ratchet to finish the repairs on Prime, but Ratchet explained that it wouldn't be easy. Prime could die in the process. Despite all odds, Prime survived the operation and was able to boost the Autobots' morale, much to Kup's satisfaction. All Hail Megatron #9 But before long, the Swarm was upon them, having found a second bridge. Kup and the other Autobots, even with Optimus Prime beside them, faced insurmountable odds. Only the surprise arrival of Omega Supreme turned the tide. Optimus Prime ordered Kup and the others on board Omega Supreme, with designs to leave Cybertron and return to Earth. All Hail Megatron #10

Upon arrival at Earth, Kup joined the others in a massive attack on the Decepticons. All Hail Megatron #11 He lent Sideswipe a hand against Bombshell, then was snatched off the ground by Skywarp. Not caring for the Decepticon's cracks about his sanity and his age, Kup shot Skywarp in the gut, forcing the Seeker to drop him into the water. He resurfaced near a U.S. military group currently under attack from Dropshot. Kup was able to get the drop (ha!) on the Decepticon and defeat him. In the aftermath of the Autobots' victory, Kup and Colonel Witwicky shared a moment of rest atop Dropshot's remains. When the human asked Kup about his cigar, Kup responded "What's a cigar?" All Hail Megatron #12

The Wreckers

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"I'm trying to watch the Super Bowl! If people don't support this thing, it might not make it."

Following the war on Earth, Kup returned to space with Springer and Perceptor to renew associations with the Wreckers. Kup stepped down as commanding officer at this point, allowing his protege Springer to retake his leadership position. After re-inducting the Jumpstarters and a quartet of new recruits, their first chronicled mission was to make contact with Garrus-9. Hitching transport with Ultra Magnus, their mission began with an encounter in the void of space with Impactor, the Wreckers' founder and former prisoner at Garrus-9. Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 As the Wreckers planned for their assault on Garrus-9, Kup regaled them with stories about what a stone cold freak Overlord was. Very comforting. Last Stand of the Wreckers #2

After their crash-landing on Garrus-9, Kup and Springer's team was separated from Perceptor's unit, leaving their forces divided. With the sum total of the Decepticon prisoners bearing down on them, Springer ordered Kup and Guzzle to seek out some heavy-duty reinforcement: Grimlock. Last Stand of the Wreckers #3 When they arrived at his cell, however, they discovered the Dynobot commander was already gone. Impactor's Predator contact, Snare, met up with Kup and Guzzle at this point, and led them to where Springer and Impactor were being tortured by Overlord's protege, Stalker. They rescued the Wreckers' leaders, only to come face-to-face with Overlord himself. Last Stand of the Wreckers #4

Overlord bashed Kup in the head with the torn-in-two pieces of Guzzle and knocked him out, but the old codger survived the battle and helped tend to the wounds of Springer. Last Stand of the Wreckers #5 Sadly, despite the best efforts of medics, the Wrecker leader was left in a coma. After transferring Springer to Debris where Roadbuster could take care of him, Kup asked his old psychiatrist friend Rung for advice on how to wake him up. Zero Point

"Big deal! When I was a pup, we got spanked by Presidents 'til the cows came home. Grover Cleveland spanked me on two nonconsecutive occasions!"

Kup returned to Earth, where he was part of the team called in to investigate Galvatron's crash landing in Las Vegas. Not only was Galvatron's crew there, but a ship full of zombies too. During the skirmish, Kup lost his cy-gar and started having delusions, but it allowed him to see through Bayonet's disguise as Britt, leader of the zombies. Britt punched through Kup's torso and started to contaminate the other Cybertronians. Transformers: Infestation #1 Kup was able to blast free and break her will on the others, but eventually he succumbed to the infection. Britt read Kup's mind and decided rather than fight the well-armed team on Earth, to invade Cybertron of the past and opened a portal to lead her zombie army there. She also made an impenetrable shield to keep the others out with more information from Kup's mind. The Autobots were out of options until Prowl was able to hack into Kup's mind using the programming routines installed during the Pretender process. At a suggestion from Galvatron, Kup was instructed to change the coordinates of the portal to the very beginning of the Dead Universe, giving the zombies an eternity of nothing to feed on. Unfortunately, Kup was sent to the dark dimension along with them. Transformers: Infestation #2

New adventures

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"Kup, are you sitting on the pie?"
"I suuuuure hope so..."

During Shockwave's vision of the future, he saw Kup in chains. Dark Dawn Kup spent eons completely alone in the Dead Universe as its history played out, which was apparently long enough to successfully wean his body free of both the Zombie infection and his addiction to Ore-8 radiation. Hello Cruel World He was eventually discovered and captured by the ancient tyrant Nova Prime and modified into a space bridge, No Exit with Nova intending to use his connection to the living universe—a feature shared by all those claimed by the Dead Universe—as a gateway back home. Kup fought back, causing all attempts to fail and leading Nova to believe the decrepit old Autobot's body just couldn't handle the process on its own. When Optimus Prime (now Orion Pax again), Rodimus and Cyclonus arrived in the Dead Universe, Nova captured them to use the energy of their sparks to strengthen the space bridge. The Dead Are Not Enough Instead, Orion Pax and the others fought back and were able to free Kup from his bonds, and the tough old-timer was quick to get back on his feet Burning Bright and help fight off Nova Prime's Sweeps while Orion faced off with the ancient Prime and took back his title. Finis Temporis While they were able to defeat Nova, the portal through which Optimus's team had entered the Dead Universe was gone, leaving them trapped in the collapsing universe. Kup volunteered to send the others back through his internal portal, though his sacrifice was fortunately avoided as Optimus located another portal. The Becoming

Passing through this alternate gateway, caused by Brainstorm's connection to the Dead Universe, Kup and the others appeared out of Brainstorm's chest on Cybertron just in time to join the battle against Shockwave. Black Planet However, having been rendered undead by their exposure to the Dead Universe, Kup, Cyclonus, and Nightbeat could no longer survive in the real universe and collapsed. Brainstorm had them taken to his laboratory on the Lost Light, where he was able to cure them of their condition. ...And the Damage Done

"Son, you gotta help me! I hit three people on the way over here, and I don't have any insurance!"

Six months after the battle with Shockwave, Kup followed Optimus Prime back to Earth to investigate a lead left by Alpha Trion. They tracked down the last Transformer on the planet, Thundercracker, only to be ambushed by an alliance between Galvatron's Decepticons and Earth Defense Command. Hello Cruel World Kup took on Rumble and Frenzy during the battle, but Optimus Prime eventually broke it off out of an unwillingness to fight humans. Together with the others he retreated to the town of Poverty Flat, carrying Arcee on his truck bed as a gunner. Detonation Boulevard Once their robot modes had been revealed to the citizens, the Decepticons were teleported away by the EDC, giving the Autobots a chance to retreat back to the Ark-7. The Mind Bomb

"Some things never change..."
"Look everybody! An old man is talking!"

As the Autobots used Cosmos to investigate how Decepticons could have ambushed them, Kup poked some fun at the UFO-bot, who took it badly. He then participated in the assault on the EDC Marshall Islands base where Alpha Trion was being kept. Full Fathom Five He took a serious injury in battle with the Decepticons, but in the end, the Autobots were able to destroy the Decepticon ship, rescue Alpha Trion and return to lunar orbit. I Dream of Wires Kup was later seen in footage of this battle that Starscream and Wheeljack watched. The World of Tomorrow After that he remained on the Ark-7 to take reports from Cosmos during his recon mission to confirm the base's status. Signals, Calls, and Marches Kup then chewed out Sideswipe for letting Arcee take his jetpack to Earth, thinking of her as unhinged and Prowl's former personal assassin. Lamenting the days where it was much easier to tell who was good and who was bad, Kup wasn't any happier with Sky Lynx for taking Prowl and the Constructicons to Earth against the absent Optimus's orders. ONoffON Alongside Sky Lynx and Sideswipe, Kup went to help out in Wanmu where Arcee and the Decepticons were facing a berserk Devastator. The Obliterati

Kup was doing repair work on the outside of the Ark when he suddenly suffered an inexplicable blackout. After Arcee brought him round, he was extremely hesitant about accessing Prowl's old quarters. After some persuading, he managed to gain access with suspicious ease, where the two discovered that Prowl was being blackmailed by Verity Carlo. Some more probing activated an automatic message from Prowl, recorded in case the Autobot tactician was compromised. Prowl requested that Springer be the one to rescue him, and although Kup tried to contact the comatose Autobot, Arcee knocked him out. After recovering, Kup put in a call to the Debris, where he tried to wake up Springer with a motivational speech, recounting his own hardships. Although his plan didn't work at first, Springer made a recovery sometime afterwards. The new force of Wreckers- Impactor, Roadbuster, Hubcap, Guzzle, Stakeout, and Springer, headed to Nome, Alaska, where they met up with Arcee and Verity. Sins of the Wreckers #1

"And by the way, I never once washed my hands! That's your policy, not mine!"

While the other Wreckers began to take stock of the situation, Kup suddenly experienced another blackout. This time, however, Prowl managed to take control of Autobot's body. Speaking through the Autobot, he alerted the Wreckers to the fact that he had been kidnapped by an old associate of his, and that he had been held in an undersea facility. As Kup recovered from the shock, he suddenly began experiencing vivid memories of his time on Tsiehshi. Overtaken by his traumatic memories, he had to be reassured by his comrades. Sins of the Wreckers #2. As the Wreckers tangled with Mayhem's Chimeracon terrorists, Kup brought Impactor up to speed about Prowl's situation. At the mention of the Noisemaze, Impactor ordered a retreat back to the Debris. Back aboard, Kup watched Impactor dig a pre-emptive grave for himself as the old Wrecker leader told Kup about Mesothulas and the Noisemaze. Finally, Impactor unearths the secret weapon buried under his own grave: the original gate to the Noisemaze. Sins of the Wreckers #3

Kup used his mental link to Prowl to send a message, informing the disgraced Autobot that the Wreckers were on their way to save him—not because they cared about him, but because he was a valuable asset and nothing more. Kup, Impactor, and Guzzle warped the Debris right into the Noisemaze, prompting the furious Tidal Wave, the Transformer serving as the portal's host, to turn himself inside out and enter the fray, threatening to collapse the pocket dimension entirely. Sins of the Wreckers #4 As the Autobots reunited with Prowl, Kup took the opportunity to slug the Autobot strategist right in the jaw. Upon reaching the Debris, Guzzle, still bitter about the Tsiehshi incident, took both Prowl and Kup hostage at gunpoint, forcing Impactor to put down Guzzle for good. Arcee and Kup subsequently returned to Earth, their ties with Prowl finally severed. Sins of the Wreckers #5

"I'm an old man, I hate everything but Matlock. Ooh, it's on now."

Hot on the trail of the Onyx code, Kup and the other Autobots traced the signal to the remote island of Bouvetoya, where they were ambushed by a pair of monstrous Blackrock-built combiners. The Autobots were swiftly knocked offline and captured. The Nothing Man They were transported to a secret chamber beneath EDC headquarters, with Garrison Blackrock intending to break them down into raw lonsdaleite to fuel his future reverse-engineering endeavors. Aphelion The Autobots were rescued by D.0.C., who had befriended Thundercracker's dog Buster along the way. Kup was less than happy with the humans, although he quickly learned that Blackrock was a rogue agent who had gone behind the EDC's back. The escape was interrupted by Galvatron, who revealed that Blackrock wasn't even a human at all, but a forgotten agent of Onyx Prime. Helden When Optimus Prime annexed Earth into the Council of Worlds, Kup and the other abductees were too injured to fight against Galvatron's Decepticons, so they sat the battle out as they recuperated at EDC's base. Perihelion On returning, Kup was present when Optimus inducted Thundercracker into the Autobots. Once Upon a Time on Earth

As part of his efforts, Optimus had the Autobots help out in impoverished and troubled regions around the world. Kup and Thundercracker travelled to the Balkans, where they distributed free computers and provided internet access. Edge of the Earth He later settled in at the Autobot's new base of operations in Monument Valley, where he was seen relaxing with Pyra Magna. The Medium and the Message Kup was present when Soundwave and his Decepticons agreed to work with Optimus Prime to take down Galvatron's forces by directly assaulting the Nemesis. Kup took part in the initial attack, dropping from Sky Lynx into the Indian Ocean. The Autobots quickly found themselves outgunned when Galvatron revealed his newest weapon - the ability to use the Onyx code to channel the energies of the Enigma of Combination, forcibly creating Galvatronus and Sky Reign to attack the Autobots. It's Beginning To And Back Again As Victorion fell apart and Superion struggled to stay together, Kup suggested that Jetfire try and delete a portion of the code to nullify its effects—a fruitless effort, as the code was capable of "healing" itself. Instead, Superion copied a portion of the Onyx source code into his own brain, destroying the Nemesis and then de-combining to permanently negate the program's effects. As Above...So Below With the battle won, Kup watched as Cosmos took off to try and intercept Astrotrain. No Fair Fights The remaining ocean-bound Autobots mopped up the stragglers from the fight - a scuffle that saw Kup shoot down Blitzwing, who was trying to make a run for it.White Light When the Earth Defense Command launched a counter-attack on the Autobot force, Kup held the line but didn't fire on the humans as per Optimus Prime's orders. White Heat

Hero of the Revolution

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"The Swedish are coming! The Swedish are coming!"

Kup remained on Earth for several months as the Autobots continued their goodwill efforts; when the Ore-13 crisis kicked off, he was working with Aileron in Germany. Concorde Hymn The duo were sent to investigate the remains of Mount Olympus, which had recently been destroyed by a super-energon explosion. Kup realized that the "explosion" wasn't what it seemed—the missing Ore-13 had been transported to another dimension, detonating the remaining crystals. On their way back through the city streets, they were attacked by M.A.S.K., a disguised strike team wielding reverse-engineered Cybertronian technology. Taking on the human war machines, Kup shouted for Aileron to get clear and warn Prime while he bought time. The elderly Autobot was soon incapacitated by Miles Mayhem's Switchblade, with his human captor gloating that his Transformer captive was worth more alive than dead. The Divine Source of Liberty

"Call me mint jelly, 'cause I'm on the lam!"

M.A.S.K. returned their new prisoner to their base beneath Governor's Island, where they set to work vivisecting him to learn more about the living physiology of the aliens. Operatives Vanessa Warfield and Sly Rax laughed off his pleas to warn the Earth Defense Command of what he'd learned. O Ship of State What Kup didn't know was that the UK-based Action Man Programme had caught wind of his capture, and sent in their flagship agent Action Man to investigate. Action Man infiltrated the G.I. Joe base, fighting off M.A.S.K. agents along the way, before breaking into Kup's cell. Though the disgruntled Autobot was less than pleased by his predicament, Kup soon took a shine to the young human as they escaped the base and evaded M.A.S.K.'s mechanized forces. Once they had made a clean getaway – with a little assistance from Ian's inside contact Mainframe – the unlikely duo headed to Autobot City to rejoin Optimus Prime. The Modern World

The two made it to the Autobot base just in time to join the battle against Baron Karza, the extradimensional warlord who had masterminded the Ore-13 heist in the first place. Kup took part in the battle, and escaped aboard Metrotitan when Matt Trakker, Mainframe, Rom, and the Micronauts executed a daring plan to send Karza back to the dimension from whence he had came. In the aftermath, Kup noted that the battle reminded him of an old war story... before deciding that now wasn't the time to tell it. Valley Forge

In the aftermath, Kup decided to take a leave of absence from Optimus Prime's primary peacekeeping force on Earth to continue having adventures with his new friend Action Man. Now an independent contractor in the employ of the S.I.S., he worked closely with the agents of the AMP. Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #2 On one such mission, he battled Transit in the streets of London. After accepting some new upgrades from AMP quartermaster Bryce Chan, he succeeded in defeating the Decepticon. Upgrade He remained on good terms with Optimus Prime and routinely corresponded with the Autobot commander about his various escapades. The Iron Klaw

"That's the Wright Brothers' plane. At Kitty Hawk in 1903, Charles Lindbergh flew it fifteen miles on a thimbleful of corn oil. Singlehandedly won us the Civil War, it did."

Kup later accompanied Action Man to the European city of Schleteva on a mission to recover a mysterious Talisman that had been unwittingly activated by Blackrock. When the Oktober Guard arrived, intending to seize the artifact for themselves, Kup rammed into their transport and forced them off the road. With Action Man missing in action thanks to a strange teleportation mishap, Kup joined up with Blackrock and Mayday to find his friend. Crisis Intervention Blackrock, Mayday, and Kup tracked the Micronauts to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, where—having recently escaped human captivity—the tiny aliens interpreted the heroes as a threat. Kup managed to convince them to stand down by using the universal greeting to convey their good intentions, much to their incredulity. Using the Heliopolis's onboard sensors, they discovered the Talisman had been teleported all the way to Earth's moon, necessitating a trip to space. Kup was fitted with a set of booster rockets, which he used to great effect when the heroes stormed the moonbase and battled the forces of Doctor X, Baron Ironblood, and Storm Shadow. The heroes managed to save Ian and rescue the Talisman before the base's supplies of Ore-13 exploded; Kup protected the humans from the blast in his chest compartment. Enter the Shadow

Though the Talisman was now in their possession, the Revolutionaries still had no idea of the extent of its powers or its heritage. On Action Man's suggestion, the team headed off to Hollywood to meet with Richard "Bulletman" Ruby, who had been part of the Adventure Team that had recovered the artifact in the first place. They learned from Ruby's story that Garrison Kreiger had conducted experiments on the Talisman, and headed off to investigate Count van Rani, current CEO of I.R.O.N.. Kup was unimpressed by Ruby's film credentials and noted that he preferred Thundercracker's scripts. The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb

"Built a house out of corn. It was the worst home I ever owned. When it got really hot it smelled like Fritos."

Their investigation took them to the remote Eastern European republic of Kalistan, where they discovered that van Rani had been busy: not only had he created a perfect facsimile of the Talisman, but he had managed to recruit and forcibly brainwash the stranded Predacons. To infiltrate the base, the heroes formed an alliance with Snake Eyes; with Kup's help, the ninja impersonated Tomax Paoli to infiltrate and subvert the base's defenses. When his cover was blown, Kup and the team stormed the base... only to learn that the Predacons had learned to combine, forming the mighty Predaking. Kup and Action Man teamed up against the combiner, which was ultimately defeated after Snake Eyes smashed the console responsible for controlling them. Kup grappled with a newly freed Razorclaw until he managed to blow the Decepticon's head apart, then rescued the other humans as they teleported to safety. The Iron Klaw

"Ow, my glaucoma just got worse. The president is a Demmycrat. Hello? I can't unbuckle my seat belt. Hello?"

In pursuit of the real Tomax, the team headed to San Francisco to intercept Paoli. Kup clambered up the side of the I.R.O.N. headquarters to try and surprise the ex-terrorist, but was caught off-guard when Tomax's limousine revealed itself as a Transformer: Centurion, an amnesiac Maximal scout from Earth's Ice Age. The two Transformers grappled with one another while the humans tried to catch Tomax. Eventually, Blackrock, who had learned about Centurion's sad, strange history, managed to intervene and peacefully convince Centurion to stand down. Before departing for Brasnya, the team dropped Centurion off at an Onyx facility in Buenos Aires for safe keeping. Strange Visitors

On arriving in Brasnya, Kup complained about the cold as the team (temporarily joined by Matt Trakker and Gloria Baker) approached the crater left by Centurion's old starship, the Axalon. They discovered Kreiger's underground "Iceman" facility. Their presence triggered the deployment of anti-Cybertronian technology, and Kup and Blackrock were both knocked offline in the ensuing battle between the Revolutionaries and Kreiger's "I.R.O.N. Cybertronians". Power and Glory

The team's mission complete for the time being, the Revolutionaries brought their new prisoner, back to Buenos Aires to arrange for a G.I. Joe pickup. In the meantime, Kup took it upon himself to try and teach Centurion about his Cybertronian heritage, but was unaware that Centurion was still loyal to Kreiger, hacking into the base to fire on the G.I. Joe air unit to cause a diversion. Before Kup could stop him, Centurion deployed his arsenal. When Eagles Scream Kup and Centurion grappled with one another before a swarm of Dire Wraiths threatened to overrun the both of them; Kup quickly transformed to rescue Action Man from Storm Shadow. As the Iron Ring made off with the Talisman, it threatened to unleash another surge of mutative energy... a surge that Centurion blocked, seemingly dying, before returning to life to explain the circumstances behind his apparent death and rebirth: the spirit of the Atomic Man had somehow found purchase in the Eukarian's body, creating a new hybrid entity with the memories of both. Though the Iron Ring had made off with the Talisman, Kup and the other Revolutionaries were optimistic that they'd do better next time. Ghost in the Machine

Magical mayhem

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As Earth prepared to formally join the Council of Worlds, the Revolutionaries headed to the metallic planet to watch the grandiose ceremony commemorating the occasion. Kup and Action Man wound up watching from a rooftop alongside Arcee... just as Joe Colton's Iron Ring attacked, seeking to annihilate Cybertron. In the chaos, Kup and the others wound up facing off against more of the Red Shadows and Iron Grenadiers; separated from his human friend, Kup reconnected with Action Man in time to learn that Centurion, interred on Cybertron for psychiatric help, had absconded with the human villain Colditz, taking Blackrock as a hostage. Unification Day: Dawn

"Now I'll have more time to read things I find on the ground. La...tex... con...do... boy, I'd like to live in one of those!"

The Revolutionaries geared up to pursue the wayward Eukarian, pursuing him into the wilderness beyond Iacon and running afoul of more Red Shadows in the process. They finally managed to catch Centurion and Blackrock, prompting Colditz to detonate a stash of explosives and Kreiger to remotely transmit a surge of destructive Talisman energy through his former ally as part of a bid to deliberately goad the Revolutionaries into killing him. Losing a hand to Centurion's unchecked power, Kup and the others were able to convince him to stand down; knocked into stasis lock, the Revolutionaries returned him to Iacon too late to stop Colton and Kreiger's rampage. Unification Day: Dusk

"Aaaaaagh! There it is! DEATH!"
"It's only Wheelie."
"Heh heh, oh yeah. Ya know, at my age, the mind start's playing tricks, so--Aaaagh! Death!"
"That's only the cat."
"Oh--Aaaagh! Death!"
"That's Wheelie again, Kup."
"Oh. Where were we-Deeeaaath!"

The fracas on Cybertron ultimately ended when Kreiger's human disguise was shed: revealing himself as the magical Prysmosian Merklynn, the alien used the powers of the Talisman to raise the colony of New Prysmos in the bowels of Cybertron, a new home for his people. First Strike #6 With this uneasy new status quo upsetting the people of Cybertron, First Delegate Windblade sent Kup to make diplomatic overtures to the new arrival a few weeks after their turbulent arrival. Schismatic As Iacon tried to rebuild from the latest attack, Kup first attended Sideswipe's funeral before joining up with Ironhide to visit the underground city. The Dead Come Home, Part 2

Arriving underground, the two entered the city to meet with Leoric and Virulina to try and discuss a working agreement for the two species, but negotiations quickly went south when neither Ironhide or Virulina consented to any kind of agreement. Outside, the pair met with Wheeljack, who revealed that the Talisman was now slowly burrowing its way towards Vector Sigma; if unimpeded, it would eventually remake the entire planet into a copy of Prysmos.

Armed with this new knowledge, Kup and Ironhide met with the Visionaries once more to discuss this existential threat to their species. Though Kup tried to keep the peace, he was unable to stop Ironhide from leaping at the delegates when Virulina revealed that she was aware of the Talisman's terraforming potential. As Virulina deployed a magical spear, Kup threw himself into the path of the blade to save Ironhide. Exposed to the corrosive energies of raw Prysmosian magic, Kup's body swiftly crumbled into a heap of metal flakes. Schismatic

Cindarr held Kup's head aloft as Virulina addressed the crowds of New Prysmos, demonstrating the Cybertronian vulnerability to magic. Cybertron No More Eventually, peace between Cybertronians and Visionaries was achieved. Ironhide was happy that the dream that Kup died for came to be. The Curtain Some time afterwards, Soundwave glimpsed Kup's spirit while using the Enigma of Combination to assist Optimus Prime against Unicron. Ceremony

Notes

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References

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