Editing Living metal

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[[File:Primag2.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.75|The [[Prima|first Transformer]] is born from the living metal of Cybertron, which immediately reconfigures to adopt its armored robotic shape.]]
The '''living metal''' from which [[Transformer]]s are constructed is known by many names, including '''protomatter''', '''technomatter''', '''sentio metallico''', '''birth metal''', '''cyber-matter''', '''Sparked metal''', '''elemental metal''', and '''Transformium'''. Usually depicted as the living stuff of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] itself, it is no ordinary metal, possessing a self-replicating cellular structure and a [[CNA|genetic code]]. Transformers are sometimes presented as having a "natural" [[alternate mode]] they take on at birth, defined by the hard-coded design schematics in their [[spark]], but their living metal is malleable and adaptable, and is capable of being programmed to reconfigure into new shapes, designs, and colors, allowing 'bots to change alternate mode as needed. Indeed, newborn living metal seems to ''desire'' a shape; if complications at birth prevent it from taking one, it is likely to die, and the spark of the Transformer to be extinguished with it. As with [[human]] flesh, when living metal dies, it is often shown to become drained of color; conversely, if infused with an excess of exotic energy, it has been known to unexpectedly [[spontaneous recoloration|take on new hues]] or even [[Transmetal|mutate into new shapes]].

At the base level, living metal is composed of [[Rarified Energon]].<ref>"[[Crossing Over: Part 6]]"</ref> As living matter, it is capable of being ravaged by [[:Category: Diseases|unique diseases]], but it can heal damage done it to it over time, its metallic cells regenerating and "growing" back. This healing process can be accelerated via medical means such as hands-on maintenance, [[CR chamber|external repair devices]], or [[energon]] infusions. Lost parts can be replaced with duplicates made from ordinary metals without difficulty; a Transformer's systems can absorb and break down conventional material, convert it into living metal, and re-integrate it into their bodies.<ref>''[[Transformers: The Movie Guide]]''</ref><ref>"[[Blitzwing Bop]]"</ref> However, major organs are exceptionally complex and replacements are virtually impossible to construct from normal materials, meaning that it ''is'' possible for a Transformer to suffer irreparable damage to parts of their body and lose the function of them.

It is entirely possible for a new Transformer body to be built from scratch without using living metal at all, and for a spark to then be implanted in it. The resultant being is no less of a "real" Cybertronian, but may face some social stigma in an unenlightened society. In some universes, the infusion of the spark will actually convert such a body into living metal. <ref>[[Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime 08/03/15]]</ref>


{{quote|This is the greatest advance in modern physics since the splitting of the atom. Programmable matter... We can turn ''anything'' into ''anything''.|[[Gill Wembley]]|''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction]]''}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 continuity family===
====Cartoon continuities====
[[File:TFTM optimus color fades.gif|left|thumb|upright=1.5|The color of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s metal drains away at the moment of his death.]]

The earliest Transformers' living metals were forged in the fires of the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]]. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}} It was this universe that popularized the idea that when a Transformer dies, their living metal becomes drained of color. Some of the most famous examples of this process took place here, including [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] himself, but accounts differ on whether a dead Transformer's remains turn various shades of grey {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}} {{storylink|Ginrai Dies!!}} or stark white. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}} {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}} The same is even true of the living metal of Cybertron, which originally shone a healthy gold but which faded to a lifeless grey as its energy drained away. {{storylink|War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn}} {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}}

[[File:KTVS2 matter into metal.gif|right|thumb|upright=1.25|The [[Key to Vector Sigma]] converts the organic matter of Earth into metal.]]

By one account, the [[Quintesson]]s used the [[Key to Vector Sigma]] to convert the matter of an organic world into the metal of Cybertron. {{storylink|Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|Kiss Players timeline}} In 1985, the [[Decepticon]]s discovered this power when, after stealing the key and bringing it to [[Earth]], [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] dropped it on the ground, and it converted the rock and soil around it into metal. [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] immediately set about turning Earth into a "new Cybertron" with the key's power, starting in the forests near [[Seattle]]. The Autobots were quick to react, and in the battle that followed, [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] knocked the Key from Megatron's hand and destroyed it, reverting the transformed metal back to its original organic state. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2}}

The [[Pretender]]s were able to convert their living metal into organic matter to disguise themselves as human beings. The [[Master-Brace]]s used by [[Headmaster Junior]]s and [[Godmaster (lifeform)|Godmasters]] were capable of achieving the opposite effect, temporarily converting the organic cells of human tissue into metal, thereby allowing the humans to transform and combine with [[Transtector]]s. {{storylink|Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|Super-God Masterforce}}

The Decepticon [[Emperor of Destruction]] [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] wielded the [[Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon]], a powerful weapon that fired energy blasts which killed the cells of living metal. {{storylink|Resurrection!? The Decepticon Fortress}} However, the cannon had no effect on [[gurunium]]. {{storylink|The Strongest Partners, the Combination of Victory!}}
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====Marvel Comics continuity====
[[File:Prima.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.75|The original depiction of the birth of the [[Prima|first Transformer]] featured several visual differences from the version in the ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]]'' comic (seen at the top of this article).]]
This universe was the first to show the Transformers being born from the fabric of Cybertron, as the [[Prima|first Transformer]] was depicted emerging fully alive straight out of the planet's surface, the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]] already installed within their chest. {{storylink|The Primal Scream}} That said, modern-day accounts of new Transformer creation involved them being manually assembled by their fellow 'bots, then brought to life with the Matrix. {{storylink|The Next Best Thing to Being There!}} {{storylink|Brainstorm!}} {{storylink|Command Performances!}} {{storylink|Aerialbots over America!}} {{storylink|Heavy Traffic!}}

When [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] was afforded a glimpse through time at the birth of the Transformer race, he watched the moment of the first Transformer's creation, as their raw body clawed its way out of a pool of primordial metal matter on Cybertron, a mass of liquid metal over an endoskeleton that promptly took shape and color once the robot had fully emerged, a crackle of light traversing its shifting surface. As the vision continued, Optimus saw how Cybertronians had once multiplied: the living metal of their bodies replicating and dividing like a cell, forming a huge liquid metal pustule on the robot's body, which then burst to release a new, raw Cybertronian body that quickly took form. {{storylink|The Power and the Glory}}
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====Beast Era====
[[File:TheSpark protoform metal.gif|right|thumb|upright=1.5|Outside of the stabilizing influence of [[stasis lock]], a protoform's liquid metal "protomatter" exists in a constant state of flux.]]
Several centuries after the end of the war between the [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s, a technological quantum leap known as the [[Great Upgrade]] bestowed new attributes on the Transformers' living metal. The bodies of those who underwent the upgrade process gained the ability to be reconfigured not just into metallic forms, but also organic ones such as beasts or plants. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search}} Such organic [[beast mode]] "skins" were used by the [[Maximal]]s of the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' and the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] of the ''[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]'' to shield themselves from harmful energon radiation on prehistoric [[Earth]], {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} but during their adventures there, exposure to a variety of energies including a [[quantum surge]] and the technology of the alien [[Vok]] caused [[Transmetal|further]] [[Transmetal 2|mutations]] to their bodies. {{storylink|Aftermath}}

[[File:Protoforms1.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5|The [[Autoroller]]s were able to safely walk around in a raw protomatter state.]]

Brand-new Transformer life created from this new, upgraded form of living metal begins as a featureless, inanimate body known as a [[protoform]] that lacks an alternate mode or conscious mind. {{storylink|The Spark}} In this "unformed" state, their living metal exists as a [[nanite|nanotechnological]] liquid metal referred to as '''protomatter'''. {{storylink|Beast Wars Universe}} {{storylink|The Gathering issue 1|The Gathering #1}} {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook}} It is also possible for the body of an active Transformer to be reduced down to a protoform state. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}} {{storylink|Dawn of the Predacus}} {{storylink|Baldigus Chapter, Part One}} Protoforms are stored in [[stasis pod]]s, which induce [[stasis lock]] to keep their protomatter inert, locked in a mannequin-like form. Outside of stasis, their protomatter exists in a state of flux, constantly rippling around the Transformer's endoskeleton, eager to adopt a shape. When the pod activates its scanning apparatus and identifies a suitable alternate mode, stasis ceases, the protomatter is sculpted into its new form, and the Transformer is brought online; however, should the pod malfunction and stasis cease before an alt mode is scanned, the destabilized living metal and the spark will perish within a matter of hours. {{storylink|The Spark}} A [[Quantum Cycle Upgrade]] mitigated this problem by installing internal scanners inside each individual Transformer's body, {{storylink|Survivor}} which were still in use tens of thousands of years later. {{storylink|The New Forces Arrive!}} At this time, protoforms were shown to be able to function as living, walking Transformers outside of stasis, their protomatter stable even without having taken on an alternate mode, suggesting further advancements to the technology over the millennia. {{storylink|White Lion, Run!}}

[[File:TheKey nightscream technomatter.gif|right|thumb|upright=1.5|[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]]'s [[technorganic]] body is converted into "technomatter" by the Key to Vector Sigma.]]

Upon the return of the crew of the ''Axalon'' to Cybertron, the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] began a plan to use the organic matter they brought back with them to convert all of Cybertron and its inhabitants from pure living metal into [[technorganic]]s. To stop this, [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] obtained the Key to Vector Sigma, intending to use its ability to convert organics into '''technomatter''' to ensure Cybertron remained a world of metallic purity. [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] was the first victim of the key, and the conversion of his technorganic body into technomatter left him delirious with pain. As the Maximals set about obtaining a [[Mole Drone]] so they could mine curative [[organic goo]] from Cybertron's [[organic core]], Nightscream's touch passed on his condition to [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], but the pair were later cured when the Maximals found sufficient quantities of goo. {{storylink|The Key}}

When [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] seized control of the key's power, he had his [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]] drones use it to turn a huge organic vine that the Maximals had grown into technomatter. As the conversion spread down the length of the vine, [[Optimus Primal]] had to outpace it and sever the vine before it could spread to, and eliminate, all the crops the Maximals had cultivated. {{storylink|The Catalyst}} Subsequently, during the Maximals' assault on the [[Council Citadel]], they were overcome and transformed into technomatter by Megatron's drones, while Optimus himself was converted by Tankor. {{storylink|End of the Line}} Fortunately, the conflicting energies of the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]] and the Key to Vector Sigma cured all of the Maximals. {{storylink|Fallout (episode)|Fallout}} Megatron was not through with the key, however, and eventually tried to use its power on Cybertron's organic core itself. The core began to convert into technomatter, but the process was halted when Primal dragged the pair of them into the core and reformatted the whole planet into a technorganic paradise. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}}
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====IDW Generation 1 comics====
[[File:LL4 sculpt the metal.jpg|left|thumb|upright=2|[[Anode]] attempts to sculpt the "sentio metallico" of a protoform.]]
A "natural" Transformer birth results from a spark igniting in a region of Cybertron (or one of its moons) known as a [[hot spot]]. The ignition of a natural-born spark is accompanied by the formation of a portion of '''birth metal'''—scientifically known as '''sentio metallico'''—around it, which is harvested from the planetary surface along with the spark in a specific quantity determined by an equation. {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}} {{storylink|Silent Light}} The sentio metallico will soon coalesce around the spark to form a protoform, beginning with a simple geometric shape, from which it will quickly grow and mature into a full-size Transformer. The process begins with the appearance of limbs and facial features, and soon after the manifestation of its natural alternate mode; a protoform will remain warm to the touch throughout these early stages, cooling once an alt mode has been taken. {{storylink|Silent Light}} Occasionally, however, the sentio metallico may have difficulty reading the genetic "instructions" of the spark, and struggle to assume its natural form. In such instances, a Cybertronian obstetrician known as a [[blacksmith]] will help nurture the protoform and sculpt it into its "god-given" shape. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 3: A World Misplaced|A World Misplaced}}

[[File:LL1 sentio metallico bloom.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5|Whoa! Dope fidget spinner, fam]]

If a spark is not harvested from its hot spot and left to fade out, the sentio metallico typically dies with it. In incredibly rare instances, however, it will survive as "widowed metal," re-patterning itself into a snowflake-shaped bloom of incredible value. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 3: A World Misplaced|A World Misplaced}}

Such naturally-born Transformers are called "[[Reproduction#IDW Generation 1 continuity|Forged]]." {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}} By contrast, "Constructed Cold" Transformers are ones whose bodies were built in factories from conventional materials and implanted with sparks, and were for a time considered "lesser" than Forged 'bots, resulting in social apartheid. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory, Part 1}} It is possible to use sentio metallico harvested from other sources to build a Constructed Cold body, however; this was the tack taken by the Decepticons at [[Grindcore (prison)|Grindcore Prison]], where they smelted down the bodies of prisoners to harvest raw materials to build a better class of [[M.T.O.]] {{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}} Other chemical compounds such as {{w|polyhydroxybutyrate}} can, given enough time, break down the basic structure of a Transformer. The dissolved remains can be subsequently treated and refined into mundane but useful substances such as {{w|Lonsdaleite|lonesdaleite}}. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|Aphelion}}

The remains of extremely old Transformers, such as [[Censere]], dissolve into inert sentio metallico—a reddish powder—shortly after their demise. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}} 
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===Unicron Trilogy===
[[File:Puppet spontaneous recoloration.gif|left|thumb|upright=1.25|An overdose of [[Mini-Con]] power [[spontaneous recoloration|spontaneously recolors]] and re-shapes [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]]'s armor.]]

Though not limited to this [[universal stream|universal cluster]], instances of a Transformer's living metal becoming discolored due to an infusion of energy are particularly prevalent here, be it through the power of [[Mini-Con]]s, {{storylink|Puppet}} {{storylink|Mortal Combat}} {{storylink|Worlds Collide, Part 4 of 4}} {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye: Transformers: Armada|MTMTE: Armada #3}} the unknowable attributes of Energon, {{storylink|Optimus Supreme}} {{storylink|Wishes}} or a [[Cyber Planet Key]]. {{storylink|Fury (Cybertron)|Fury}} Sufficient amounts of such "divine" power can even spontaneously generate more living metal, as when the partially-powered-up [[Omega Lock]] turned [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] into a towering colossus many times his normal size. {{storylink|Starscream (episode)}}

The regenerative effect of Energon on living metal was also seen often. Not only could immersion in, or ingestion of, the fuel heal gashes in a Transformer's armored skin almost instantly, their living metal replicating and "growing" back over the wound, but a big enough dose could help a Transformer—even one as huge as [[Unicron]] himself—regenerate entire lost body parts from scratch. {{storylink|Megatron Raid}} {{storylink|Energon Grid}}
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===Live-action film series===
[[File:AOE transformium formed.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.75|The Creators' [[seed]]s convert the organic matter of prehistoric Earth into elemental Transformer metal.]]
The '''"elemental metals"''' used to forge the bodies of the Transformers were created by an alien race known as the [[Creator (AOE)|Creators]]. These beings used [[eco-structuring|cyberforming]] "[[seed]]s" to convert the organic material of other planets into metal that they then harvested and took to Cybertron. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}} There, life was breathed into the metal by the [[AllSpark]]. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} This ultra-dense liquid metal makes up the protoform that serves as the core of every Transformer, and is capable of absorbing and integrating additional matter in order to generate the armored exoskeleton that surrounds it and forms the robot's outward appearance. {{storylink|Transformers: The Movie Guide|The Movie Guide}} When analyzed by humans, this "self-regenerating molecular armor" was noted to be capable of regenerating from received damage, but was vulnerable to the 6000 degree magnesium burn of a high-heat Sabot round. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} 

[[File:Transformium.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.25|Kre-O Bayformerized.]]

Prehistoric [[Earth]] was one of the worlds where the Creators generated their metals. The deployment of the seeds there triggered the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, wiping out the planet's [[dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaurs]] and even converting some of their remains into metallic skeletons. Small deposits of the metal were left on Earth which survived into the modern day, but humanity could find no use for the mysterious substance, unaware of the true power it held. It was the arrival of the [[Transformer]]s on Earth that allowed [[Kinetic Solutions Incorporated]] to make the connection between the mysterious metal and the physiology of the aliens. The [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Battle of Chicago]] gave the company the chance to obtain the remains of multiple deceased Transformers, and using their remains, KSI proceeded to crack the Transformer "genome", and learned how to program and manipulate the metal, to which they gave the focus-grouped, trademarked, and commercially-charged name "'''Transformium'''". Using Transformium, KSI began developing man-made Transformer prototypes, including the [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] "[[knockoff]]", [[Stinger (AOE)|Stinger]], and the centerpiece of their line, [[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]]—robots that exploited the reconfigurable properties of the metal to "transform" in their own unique way by exploding into a cloud of Transformium particles and reforming in alternate mode. This mastery of their molecular structure is apparently limited to conversion between pre-set forms, and doesn't make them any tougher than an ordinary Transformer, though; nail them with a killing strike and they go down like any other 'bot.
[[File:AOE stinger transforms.gif|right|thumb|upright=1.75|[[Stinger (AOE)|Stinger]] transforms by reconfiguring his transformium.]]
With Earth's limited supplies of Transformium dwindling in the face of their escalating production, KSI head [[Joshua Joyce]] wound up conspiring with CIA agent and anti-Transformer fanatic [[Harold Attinger]], who provided Joyce with an additional Transformium supply in the form of the dead bodies of Decepticons that his [[Cemetery Wind]] task force rounded up (though unbeknownst to KSI, many of those corpses were in fact Autobots). Even this was not enough, however, but Attinger's secret ally [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]] promised salvation in the form of a cyberforming seed that could provide them a vast quantity of Transformium for decades in exchange for assistance in capturing Optimus Prime for his own ends. They intended to safely detonate the seed in the Mongolian desert, creating enough Transformium to last for decades, but Galvatron—in actuality, [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] reborn through silent manipulation of the KSI and its Transformium—sought to obtain it for himself, and had no such compunctions about protecting humanity from its effects. He took control of KSI's small army of Transformium prototypes, but his plan was foiled by Optimus Prime's Autobots and their human allies. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}
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===''Animated''===
[[File:5ServosofDoom yoketron protoform.gif|left|thumb|upright=1.5|The hard-coded design schematics in [[Yoketron (Animated)|Yoketron]]'s spark reshape a protoform's protomatter into his image.]]
Cybertronian life begins with '''protomatter''', which is mined from Cybertron's [[Sonic Canyons]] and crafted into protoforms. The protoforms are then nurtured by the light of the [[Cyber-Ninja Corps]]' Matrix Chamber, before being brought to life by the infusion of a spark from the [[AllSpark]] or [[Vector Sigma]]. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}} Though typically only occurring as the result of an accident or a scientific experiment into the abnormal, it is possible to format protomatter into organic configurations, yielding a techno-organic being. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}} {{storylink|TransWarped}} {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Animated)|Predacons Rising}}

When Cyber-Ninja Corps master [[Yoketron (Animated)|Yoketron]] was fatally wounded by [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]], [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] attempted to save his life by transplanting his spark into one of the Corps' protoforms. The body's protomatter reconfigured itself to resemble Yoketron, but the old master was dismayed to learn Prowl had wasted a protoform trying to sustain "a piece of the past," and allowed his own spark to extinguish. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}
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===''Shattered Glass''===
Starscream referred to the metal and circuits of a Cybertronian body as '''technomatter''' when describing how they could break down and incorporate parts made with normal metals into their systems. {{storylink|Blitzwing Bop}} The [[Scraplet]]s of this mirror universe consume dead metal and regenerate it into fresh living metal. {{storylink|Dungeons & Dinobots}}
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===Aligned continuity===
[[File:Deadlock omegalock cybermatter.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5|Pure liquid cyber-matter is a glowing blue in color.]]
The "primordial soup" from which the living metal of the planet Cybertron was formed in ancient times was known as '''cyber-matter'''. Transformers emerged from the fabric of the planet within the [[Well of All Sparks]]; the matter of their bodies was called '''Sparked metal''' by metallurgist [[Alchemist Prime]] {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}} and noted by [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] to be made up of a [[Rarified Energon|"different form" of Energon]] which formed everything found on Cybertron. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus}} Medical officer [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] described the complex inner workings of a Transformer's living metal body as "biology" rather than "technology," and made clear that vital organs like a [[Transformation cog|T-cog]] could not be built from scratch out of ordinary materials. {{storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 1}}
[[File:Evolution shockwave cyberforms.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5|Shockwave examines the erratic metallic formations created by unstable cyber-matter.]]
When [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] poisoned the [[core]] of Cybertron with [[Dark Energon]], the planet lost the ability to support life. Million of years later, [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]]'s Autobots discovered and activated the legendary [[Omega Lock]], which generated a fresh supply of living cyber-matter that could be used to re-cyberform Cybertron. Unfortunately, when the Lock fell into Decepticon hands, [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] was forced to destroy it to prevent Megatron from using it to cyberform Earth. Before Prime destroyed the lock, Megatron managed to use the cyber-matter to create a [[Darkmount (Earth)|fortress]] for himself in [[Nevada]]. {{storylink|Darkest Hour (episode)|Darkest Hour}}

Salvation for Cybertron manifested from an unexpected source when the genetic material of some failed clone [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacons]] was inadvertently mixed with [[Synthetic Energon]] during an explosion in [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]'s [[Project Predacon]] laboratory. The blending of the two materials created an unstable form of cyber-matter, which Megatron tasked Shockwave with perfecting so that he could resume his earlier plan to cyberform Earth and Cybertron. [[File:Deadlock bee heals.gif|right|thumb|upright=1.5|Immersion in cyber-matter heals would-be fatal wounds to Bumblebee's living metal.]] To this end, the Decepticons kidnapped [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]], who held the Synthetic Energon formula, and coerced him into helping them in their work with the promise of restoring Cybertron. {{storylink|Minus One}} {{Storylink|Persuasion}} Ratchet's good judgement eventually prevailed and he attempted to sabotage the project, but his efforts failed and the formula was completed. The Decepticons recreated the Omega Lock aboard their [[Trypticon (WFC)|warship]] to use as a launch mechanism for the cyber-matter, and during the Autobots' attempt to stop them Bumblebee was fatally injured and fell into Lock. Immersion in the cyber-matter healed Bumblebee's wounds, including his long-damaged voicebox, which had been beyond the ability of science to restore, and he subsequently emerged to kill Megatron.

With the Decepticons defeated, Team Prime took possession of the warship, Lock, and cyber-matter. The quantity of cyber-matter was not enough to manually re-cyberform the entire surface of Cybertron, and as Ratchet did not know Shockwave's half of the formula, they were unable to create more, but Optimus Prime had the solution: he launched the cyber-matter into Well of All Sparks, where it revitalized the core itself, so that it in turn could restore life to the rest of Cybertron. {{Storylink|Deadlock}}
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===Ask Vector Prime===
When questioned on the subject, Vector Prime observed that the various names used across the [[multiverse]] to refer to the living metal of Transformers' bodies, including "protomatter", "cyber-matter", and "sentio metallico" were all different names for the same thing (but also noted that an expert might potentially distinguish subtle differences between them based on the differing physical laws of different universes). He was loathe to use the word "Transformium", to refer to it, but only because he feared legal reprisal for infringing on a KSI trademark. In response to further questioning, Vector also explained that, in some universes, the infusion of a spark into a body made with conventional materials could convert the substance of that body into living metal. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime 2015/08/03}}

==Notes==
*The word "protomatter" was first used in ''Transformers'' fiction to describe the watery-looking substance that makes up [[transwarp]] portals in the 2000 prose story "[[Herald, Covenant, Schism, Paradox|Schism]]." This usage would never be repeated, and its subsequent use as the name of the matter protoforms are made out of—in ''[[Transformers, Beast Wars: The Gathering|Beast Wars: The Gathering]]'', ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II]]'', and [[Ask Vector Prime]]—was not likely a deliberate repurposing of this word, but just a coincidence.
*"Technomatter" was first used in the ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' cartoon to describe pure mechanical substances that had been converted from organics by the Key to Vector Sigma (an effect previously seen in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]]). The ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' story "[[Blitzwing Bop]]" later used it to specifically refer to the living metal of a Transformer's body, drawing a distinction between "technomatter" and conventional metals and circuits.
*The term "sentio metallico" was created by writer [[James Roberts]] for his unofficial ''Transformers'' novel ''Eugenesis'', to refer to the living metallic stuff of Cybertron from which Transformers were birthed in the ''Generation 2'' comic. He would later introduce the term into canon through the IDW comic books, in which it was established to be the substance which makes up protoforms.

==See also==
Other named metals used in the construction of Transformers bodies, typically as armor, include:
*[[Cybernite]]
*[[Cybertitanium]]
*[[Cybertonium]]
*[[Durabyllium]]
*[[Tritanium]]
*[[Trithyllium]]
*[[Ununtrium]]

Humankind is known to have created a living metal of its own, "[[sentient metal]]," which was used to create the superhero Pepsiman, and loaned to the Autobots to create [[Pepsi Convoy]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category: Age of Extinction]]
[[Category: Animated]]
[[Category: Beast Wars]]
[[Category: Biology]]
[[Category: IDW Generation 1]]
[[Category: Marvel Generation 2]]
[[Category: Super-God Masterforce]]
[[Category: Metals]]
[[Category: Prime]]
[[Category: Transformer anatomy]]
[[Category: Unicron Trilogy]]
[[Category: Victory]]