Editing Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

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[[File:TheObliterati thundercracker and buster.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]]

A chance to be part of the exciting world of underground gladiator games turned into a life '''Thundercracker''' never wanted, but a belief in the rhetoric that founded his faction, and the sense of brotherhood and belonging he gained from being a Seeker saw him remain a loyal Decepticon for millions of years. Eventually, however, the Decepticons strayed too far from their original goals for Thundercracker to tolerate, and he threw his lot in with Earth, embracing the planet as a new home and celebrating the ability of its people to grow and change in ways that Transformers struggle to. Today, his love of humanity and their arts has evolved into a desire to become a screenwriter, but love for his dog [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] always comes first.
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==IDW Generation 1 continuity==
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===Becoming a Seeker===
[[File:MegatronOrigin4 Thundercracker Skywarp.jpg|left|upright=2.5|thumb|"When I joined this murderous terrorist group, I wasn't ever intending to shoot at anyone!"]]
Thundercracker, Skywarp, and [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] were approached by Soundwave with an offer from the [[gladiatorial combat|underground pit-fighter]] and revolutionary rhetorician [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]], who sought flight-capable Transformers to join his forces. The trio believed that they would be joining his gladiatorial team, but in actuality, Megatron intended them to be fully-fledged warriors as he transitioned his Decepticons from underground activists to fully-blown insurgents. After being given [[systems|weapons systems]] by [[Hook (G1)|Hook]], the Seekers kidnapped [[Decimus|Senator Decimus]], who was to be executed at Megatron's recruitment rally. However, [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] and the Autobots arrived and arrested everyone. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} After Starscream killed the [[Kaon Council]] and liberated them, Megatron launched an "Everything burns" offensive on Kaon, during which Thundercracker and Skywarp were sent to target a ship carrying the wealthy and elite. Thundercracker expressed reservations about attacking the ship, but Skywarp gave him some simple advice: "Don't think. Just do it." {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 4|Megatron Origin #4}}

[[File:SLOrionPax thundercracker I presume.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.75]]

As the Decepticon uprising spread across the planet, Thundercracker came under the command of [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and participated in his plan to capture [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]. He protested against Bludgeon's idea to strap a captive [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] to a shuttle and launch it at the nearest settlement, disturbed by the needless civilian casualties it would cause. {{storylink|Omega's Conundrum}} 

When Orion Pax turned against the demented Autobot leader [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]], Thundercracker was among the Decepticons that Megatron led to Orion's rescue. Megatron and Orion joined forces against Zeta, but Thundercracker didn't enjoy having to spend time with Orion's Autobots, and almost came to blows with [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]]. {{storylink|Choices}} He participated in their combined attack on Zeta Prime's [[Citadel]], working with [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] to take out the building's defensive [[vamparc ribbon|vamparc cannons]]. {{storylink|Overthrown}} After Zeta was dead, Megatron betrayed Orion, declared himself ruler of Cybertron and began capturing Autobots. During this time, Thundercracker brought [[Hot Rod/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]] to the Decepticon-controlled Citadel before going on to guard an Autobot detention cell, only to be punched out by Ironhide when Hot Rod broke the prisoners out. {{storylink|Rise}} Megatron ordered Thundercracker and other seekers to defend the Citadel from the assaulting Autobots—led by Orion, now [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]]—but they were intercepted by the newly recruited Aerialbots. {{storylink|Broadcast}}

[[File:Primacy2 thundercracker what is this.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.3]]

After Megatron's short-lived rule of Cybertron was ended, Thundercracker watched [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] take control of the Decepticons. {{storylink|Wreckage (issue)|Wreckage}} Scorponok's first move was to lead the Seekers in an attack on the [[Toraxxis mega-refinery]], {{storylink|Faces of Darkness}} which ended disastrously when the refinery exploded. {{storylink|Rage (IDW)|Rage}} Scorponok did not mourn those who lost their lives in the blast, however; Thundercracker silently watched as he praised the strong for surviving, and put a Decepticon who spoke out against him in his place. {{storylink|Fallout (issue)|Fallout}} Fortunately, Megatron soon returned to retake command of the Decepticons, and began putting his splintered faction back together. Thundercracker was sent to the planet [[Magmara Nine]] to bring the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] back into the fold, {{storylink|Primacy issue 2|Primacy #2}} so that the reunified Decepticon forces could launch a major attack on the Autobots. Unfortunately, a miscalculation during that great battled saw Thundercracker and his fellow fliers taken out of the fight early on, as the lingering fumes of acid rain unleashed against the Autobots corroded the Seekers' systems and caused them to drop out of the sky. {{storylink|Primacy issue 4|Primacy #4}}

[[File:SLThundercracker TC vs BB.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]]

Alongside Starscream and [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]], Thundercracker participated in an attack on the [[Institute|New Institute]],  {{storylink|Remembrance Day}} and in another battle, blew away [[Hot Shot (Henkei!)|a yellow Autobot]]. {{storylink|Drift issue 2|Drift #2}} Eventually, he fell under Bludgeon's command again, and became one of his [[Titan Hunter]]s, searching through space for the [[Metrotitan (body-type)|Titan]] [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], who had vanished from Cybertron some years prior. Thundercracker did not enjoy the work; the chase seemed futile, each stop proving fruitless, and his fellow hunters held no respect for him or his attempts to apply any kind of scientific deduction to their mission. As such, when Thundercracker discovered a chunk of Cybertronian metal during the Hunters' investigation of an asteroid, he kept it to himself. Examining the metal, Thundercracker deduced it was a piece of Metroplex, and used the quantum radiation it was saturated with to pinpoint the Titans' current location—but still, for reasons he could not even explain to himself, he kept the specifics of his findings to himself, providing the co-ordinates to Bludgeon with the justification that he had a "hunch". Unfortunately, it turned out there was an inhabited colony on the asteroid the co-ordinates led to; Thundercracker failed to talk Bludgeon out of attacking the [[Urtuskian|alien residents]], so instead, he took up position at the head of the attack unit and tried to scare the colonists away with a sonic boom, hoping they would get clear before his team-mates opened fire. He failed miserably, but pushed it from his mind, focusing intently on his greater mission. Headed into the asteroid's depths, Thundercracker discovered Metroplex soaking up the pseudo-energon reservoir within, whereupon he was attacked by [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]], part of an Autobot unit that had followed the Hunters to the asteroid. The pair battled until one of the aliens intervened, hurling himself at Thundercracker in an attempt to save Bumblebee's life. Thundercracker simply tossed the alien aside, but the creature's grand gesture allowed Thundercracker to come to a realization... just as the alien had acted selflessly, Thundercracker realized the lie he had told Bludgeon was not a self-serving one, but rather, a lie told out of a genuine desire not to see Metroplex fall into Decepticon hands. Thundercracker radioed his fellow Decepticons and lied once more, claiming Metroplex was nowhere to be found, and they all withdrew from the asteroid, believing that the whole affair had been an Autobot trick. Angry at Thundercracker for leading them into it, Bludgeon had him removed from his unit and sent back to Cybertron. {{storylink|The Hunting Party (IDW)|The Hunting Party}}

===Infiltration===

[[File:Infiltration0 Thundercracker.jpg|upright=1.75|left|thumb|Tha-Boom, I want you in my room...]]

In the present day, long after Cybertron had been rendered uninhabitable, Thundercracker served as part of Starscream's [[Infiltration protocol|insurgent unit]], operating covertly on Earth to destabilize governing organizations and create global anarchy. After four years of secrecy, the unit went off-mission with the discovery of [[Ore-13]], a super-powerful variant of energon, which Starscream planned to use to stage a coup. When their activities in [[Nebraska]] were discovered by the human [[Stoker]], an agent of the secret organization known as the [[Machination]], Thundercracker, [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] were sent to deal with the human and recover his [[SM-40]] palmtop PC, containing data on their operation. The team caught up with and killed Stoker outside Phoenix, AZ, but the SM-40 was missing, stolen by young runaway [[Verity Carlo]]. Thundercracker tracked her down, but before he could terminate her and her friend [[Hunter O'Nion]], he was driven off by [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]]. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 0|Infiltration #0}} Ratchet managed to temporarily shake Thundercracker and the two [[Battlecharger]]s, {{storylink|Infiltration issue 1|Infiltration #1}} but they picked up his trail again before long. This time, however, Thundercracker was shot down by [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]], [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and Ironhide. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 2|Infiltration #2}}

[[File:AvengersTF2 thundercracker mirror response mode.jpg|right|thumb]]

Soon, Megatron arrived on Earth to put down Starscream's attempted rebellion. Thundercracker, along with the other Decepticons, were unwilling to stand against him when the Decepticon leader ordered them to stand down. Megatron proceeded to take Starscream offline, {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} and Thundercracker and the others promptly submitted themselves to his command once again. {{storylink|Escalation issue 1|Escalation #1}} To get the infiltration protocol back on track, Megatron sent Thundercracker and Skywarp to destroy the El Jira power plant in the middle east to inflame global tensions and spark a global energy shortage, {{storylink|Escalation issue 2|Escalation #2}} then focused his efforts on the Eastern European country of [[Latveria]]. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part One}} There, Megatron activated the [[Psycho-Prism]] he had stolen from [[Doctor Doom]], which emitted an aggression wave that acted on humans, increasing international tensions in the area. Megatron sent Thundercracker and Skywarp to bomb the neighboring country of [[Symkaria]] so they would blame Latveria and start a war, but their actions drew the attention of both the Autobots and the human superhero team the [[Avengers]]. After capturing [[Spider-Man]], Thundercracker and the Decepticons powered themselves up using his super-powers as part of [[mirror response mode]], then took the fight to the Autobots and Avengers. Thundercracker shot and injured Optimus Prime {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Two}} and [[Ms. Marvel]], and engaged in a dogfight with [[Captain America]] in the [[Quinjet]], but was then taken down by a blast from [[Iron Man]]'s Transformer-sized armor {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Three}} and retreated with the other Decepticons via [[emergency warp-out]]. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Four}}

[[File:Devastation1 Ruining Everything.jpg|left|upright=1.75|thumb|Megatron's lost it! It must be a Tuesday.]]

During battle in [[Brasnya]], the sorely-pressed Skywarp teleported Thundercracker in to try and stop [[Hot Rod/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]] from escaping with [[Georgi Koska|one of their facsimile constructs]]. Hot Rod was able to [[orbital jump]] to safety, and Thundercracker then joined Skywarp in recovering the defeated Megatron and retreating. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6|Escalation #6}} Furious over his defeat, Megatron called in the destructive [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]]—a breach of protocol that alarmed Thundercracker and several other Decepticons. Together, they conspired to bring Starscream back online in hopes he could to talk some sense into their leader. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} They managed to get Starscream active again just in time for the Decepticon base to be attacked by the alien [[Reaper]]s, {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} and with a little help from [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|a mysterious ally]], Thundercracker and his comrades claimed victory over the extra-terrestrial invaders. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}
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===Dishonor to the Decepticons===

During the Decepticons' battle with the Reapers, the Autobots had left Earth to deal with the threat of an incursion by the [[Dead Universe]], and Megatron exploited their absence by taking his men to ground. The Decepticons returns to Cybertron, where a series of experiments were carried out to create [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]]. [[File:AHM7 thundercracker our own kind.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.75]] The misshapen [[Insecticon swarm|swarm]] of creatures that were created one after another in pursuit of a perfect specimen outraged Thundercracker, who demanded Megatron euthanize them rather than allow fellow Decepticons to endure such a torturous existence. Megatron, unsurprisingly, paid little heed to the Seekers words. After a trio of satisfactory Insecticons were created, the Decepticons returned to Earth and lured the Autobots into a trap, which saw Thundercracker and the other Decepticons successfully overpower their enemies and strand them on Cybertron via a [[space bridge]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}}

With Earth now unprotected, a year on from the Reaper battle, the Decepticons launched a huge attack on [[New York City]] in which Thundercracker participated. Though he followed orders obediently, engaging human jet fighters in the skies over the city, he shared little of his comrades' enthusiasm for mindless destruction, and was the only one among them to cast a backward glance at the devastation Megatron left in his wake. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} Thundercracker and his fellow Seekers helped cut off the city by blowing up the [[Brooklyn Bridge]], {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 2|All Hail Megatron #2}} then listened in silence as Megatron gave a victory speech. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}}

[[File:AHM12 thundercracker nuke.jpg|left|upright=1.75|thumb|]]
When Skywarp got into an argument with [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] that ended with weapons drawn, Thundercracker came to the aid of his brother Seeker and sent the Insecticons scuttling off. While Skywarp expressed his enjoyment at working with Thundercracker again, describing it as "like old times", Thundercracker immediately became sullen and withdrawn again, leaving Skywarp frustrated, unable to have any real ''fun'' in the destruction if he was doing it on his own. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}} Some time later, back in New York, when Starscream betrayed Megatron and sent the Insecticons and [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] to attack him, Thundercracker merely stood back and watched. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} This battle was interrupted by the arrival of human jets sent from [[Europe]], which Thundercracker helped engage. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}} The Autobots themselves then returned, but were abandoned in the city by the Decepticons to die in a nuclear bomb strike Megatron had arranged. After the other Decepticons had pulled out, however, Thundercracker returned, and offered to help the Autobots redirect the plummeting bomb. When questioned, he opined the Decepticons had lost their way, and the mass slaughter of unworthy foes was dishonorable. He succeeded in snatching the bomb out the air, flying it up to the fringes of the atmosphere, and detonating it safely, but was then confronted by a furious Skywarp, who was outraged at the idea of a Seeker "betrayer". Despite Thundercracker's attempts to explain his position, Skywarp blasted him point-blank in the head. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

===Evolution on Earth===

[[File:SeasonsInFlight thundercracker discovers tv.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]]

Thundercracker survived, but was left heavily injured and only partially functional. Painfully dragging himself inside a ruined New York skyscraper, which human cleanup crews likely wouldn't reach for months, he reflected on how life on Earth was always changing and always finding a way to survive. After weeks of scrounging, he eventually managed to construct a distress beacon, and as he waited for his fellow Decepticons to find him, he also got a [[television]] working. For the next one and a half years, Thundercracker spent his time watching human programs and growing increasingly fascinated with their ever-changing world and society. Eventually, he was found by a ragtag team of 'cons left behind on the planet, who repaired him and hoped that he, as an elite Seeker, would lead them. Thundercracker refused, as he saw no point in a warrior leading the team, since the war was over for them. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 3: "Seasons in Flight"|Seasons in Flight}}

[[File:Earthworks thundercracker saves bbee.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5]]

Instead, [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] took command, and led Thundercracker and the others in a revenge attack on [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. After some quick battlefield thinking by Swindle, the Decepticons changed their tunes and instead offered to help Hot Rod and his group leave Earth. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 1: "New Arrivals, Old Encounters"|New Arrivals, Old Encounters}} As Thundercracker helped them construct a ship, he thought about how Swindle had to be planning something, and how he felt remorse for the Autobots and how lost they were. His thoughts strayed back to the humans and their ever-changing world, comparing them to his own so-called "transforming" race that had remained the same for millions of years. While Thundercracker used to laugh at it, he now saw the beauty of Earth, where every act of destruction was also an act of creation. He knew that they had a lot to learn from the humans, but all his fellow Transformers wanted to do was to run away. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 3: "Seasons in Flight"|Seasons in Flight}} When [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] confronted Hot Rod's group, Thundercracker stood back and watched from the sidelines as Swindle unveiled his new creation, [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]]. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 4: "Enemies of the System"|Enemies of the System}} While the other Decepticons turned on their Autobot "comrades", Thundercracker remained true to his honor. He saved [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] during a scrap with [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]], and proceeded to help Rodimus as well. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 5: "Earthworks"|Earthworks}}

[[File:HawkAmongTheSparrows-Thundercracker.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5|"Get out of here, Bumblebee -- the Hallmark Channel is showing back-to-back episodes of ''The Waltons''."]]

Months later, Bumblebee contacted Thundercracker, asking him for help in getting the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] out of [[North Korea]]. {{storylink|International Incident Part 2: "Ranks of Bronze"|Ranks of Bronze}} While he had left the Decepticons, Thundercracker was uninterested in rejoining the war, having found a new hobby in studying humanity from a hideout filled with televisions. After Bumblebee's attempts to befriend him were rebuffed, the Autobot confronted him with the fact that despite his admirable attempts at changing, Thundercracker was a warrior at heart, and would get back in the action sooner or later. Realizing that he was right, Thundercracker agreed to aid Bumblebee's Autobots, and traveled to North Korea where he knocked [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]] out of the sky. {{storylink|International Incident Part 3: "Hawk Among the Sparrows"|Hawk Among the Sparrows}} The Combaticons were defeated, only for the Autobots to get attacked by the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] instead. Thundercracker faced off against [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]] before personally blowing up the [[energon]] plants in North Korea and [[China]], thus ending the Combaticons' and Predacons' alliances with those nations. {{storylink|International Incident Part 4: "All My Sins Remembered"|All My Sins Remembered}}

Returning home from Asia, Thundercracker found his hideout trashed—the humans had discovered it while he was away. And if that wasn't bad enough, ''Starscream'' was there, asking for his help. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}} He had recently been ousted from his position of Decepticon leader by Megatron, and tried to convince Thundercracker to return to the Decepticons and help him overthrow Megatron again. Thundercracker reacted with the same disinterest as he had shown Bumblebee's proposition, reminding Starscream that the Decepticons had left him to rot and that he couldn't care less about galactic conquest. His attitude only served to anger Starscream, who shot him in the back repeatedly. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies|Woken Furies}} [[File:WokenFuries thundercracker shot.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.75]] Thundercracker's life was saved by [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], sent by the Autobots to again request his help against the returning Decepticon army, who defeated Starscream and carried the injured Seeker to safety. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome|Burning Chrome}}

At the Autobot base, Thundercracker got medical attention from [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (and complained that he wasn't Ratchet). In exchange for his repairs, Optimus Prime wanted him to tell the Autobots where Megatron could have brought the recently injured Soundwave, but having had no contact with the main Decepticon force for years, Thundercracker couldn't tell him anything. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine|Enemy Mine}} With his repairs done, Thundercracker left the Autobots' base, calling them "sentimental" for wanting to return to Cybertron and electing not to come with them. Prowl tried to stop him, but he only warned the Autobot against provoking him before flying off. {{storylink|Police Action: Prologue}} 

He returned to his hideout to pack up his televisions and find a new place to live, only to be approached once again by Bumblebee, who was now looking for help with finding Decepticons currently on Earth. Thundercracker reminded the Autobot he had no contact with the other Decepticons anymore, wishing only to live in peace on Earth, and questioned his ability to lead the Autobots. When the subject of returning to Cybertron with a space bridge came up, he remembered that earlier Megatron had been grilling him about the time he and Bumblebee met Metroplex, suggesting that he was looking for a way to generate space bridges using his own body much like the titan. Thundercracker let Bumblebee have his records of Metroplex's space bridge radiation signature to follow up on this theory, but refused to get involved with the fight himself. {{storylink|The Question}}

[[File:HelloCruelWorld thundercracker screenwriter.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5]]

In time, Cybertron was restored and its scattered populace began returning home, but Thundercracker elected to continue living on Earth. His absence from Cybertron was pointed out by Wheeljack when Starscream expressed interest in getting the Seekers back together; mentioning Thundercracker's name gave Wheeljack a flash of inspiration, and helped him realize that a series of recent explosions on Cybertron were reminiscent of ball lightning. {{storylink|Stick Together}}

===A 'bot and his dog===

As the years rolled by, Thundercracker's interest in TV shows evolved into a desire to become a scriptwriter himself. He got to work writing a screenplay about a human female named "Susan Journeyer" and her love interest "Josh Boyfriend" which was heavily inspired by his favourite show ''[[Nurse Whitney]]'', but his attempts to write from a human perspective were... interesting. He came into contact with [[Earth Defense Command]], who recognized his neutrality and provided him with a new hideout, a source of energon and a friendly dog named [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]], but eventually, they required something from him in return: when a group of Autobots returned to Earth for the first time in years, Thundercracker was to serve as bait to lure them into an ambush. Noting that Bumblebee wasn't among them, Thundercracker was a bit bummed to learn the Autobot had died, but this was overridden by the shock of hearing the war was had ended with Megatron joining the Autobots. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 1: Hello Cruel World|Hello Cruel World}} As the EDC and their new Decepticon allies ambushed the Autobots, Thundercracker stayed out of the line of fire, worrying over Buster. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 2: Detonation Boulevard|Detonation Boulevard}} He then accompanied—and annoyed—his EDC liaison [[Marissa Faireborn]] as she cleaned up the mess after the battle. {{storylink|Earthfall Chapter 4: Full Fathom Five|Full Fathom Five}}

[[File:TheObliterati thundercracker and clones.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5]]

The EDC base on [[Bikini Atoll]] was next to be attacked by Autobots, so Thundercracker took Marissa there, though he refused to get too close to the battle out of worry for Buster. While escaping the destruction, he slipped and fell into a cavern where, to his horror, he discovered an EDC facility full of drone duplicates of his old comrades, Ramjet and [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]. {{storylink|Earthfall Chapter 5: I Dream of Wires|I Dream of Wires}} Alarmed, Thundercracker contacted Soundwave to learn more about the Decepticons' alliance with the EDC, but the meeting did not go very well; Soundwave inadvertently threatened Buster, getting things off on the wrong foot, and Thundercracker soon learned that he had no knowledge of the drones. Thundercracker agreed to think about Soundwave's offer to live on the new Decepticon commune the EDC was constructing for them around [[Jupiter]], and gave his old comrade a copy of his screenplay as a parting gift. {{storylink|Onyx Interface Part Two: Vs.|Vs.}}

Now aware that the EDC was secretly working towards their own ends, Thundercracker kept a vigil over their Bikini Atoll base, and did not have to wait long before the drone army was activated. {{storylink|Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|ONoffON}} Unable to stop the drones' flight, Thundercracker entrusted Buster's safety to EDC scientist [[Sanjay Bharwaney]] and took off after them, radioing Soundwave for assistance. Angry to learn of the EDC's deception, Soundwave weighed his options; Thundercracker was able to convince him that if the drones made it across the ocean and reached land, the re-ignition of war between humanity and Cybertronians was inevitable, and that they needed to act to save Earth not ''for'' the humans, but in ''spite'' of them, so that it could be a world for the Decepticons as well. Soundwave reluctantly agreed, and easily cracked the control signal for the drones, deactivating them and letting them fall out of the sky... but warned Thundercracker not to contact him again. Not that that bothered Thundercracker much, as he happily reunited with Buster on the beaches of Bikini Atoll. {{storylink|The Onyx Interface Conclusion: The Obliterati}}

Thundercracker was still hanging around Bikini Atoll when the captive [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] was brought in. Thundercracker felt he should be allowed to talk to the human, believing he could get him to open up since they had both acted heroically during Megatron's occupation of Earth years earlier, but Faireborn refused to allow it. Instead, Thundercracker passed the time by reading her, Bharwaney, and [[Ayana Jones|Jones]] his screenplay. {{storylink|The Nothing Man}}
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[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Decepticons]]