Editing Depth Charge (BW)

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{{Picsneeded|better-transformed images of Universe toy}}

{{disambig3|Depth Charge}}

:''Depth Charge is a [[Maximal]] from the [[Beast Wars]] portion of the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]]. He is sometimes known as '''Depthcharge'''.''

[[Image:Depthchargebw.jpg|right|250px|thumb|I'm Batmanta.]]
'''Depth Charge''' was once an [[Imperial Peace Marshal]] whose territory was completely destroyed, and every robot under his protection slaughtered, by the malicious entity known as [[Rampage (BW)|Protoform X]]. Since that fateful day, Depth Charge has lived for no other purpose than to enact justice (or vengeance) on X. His single-mindedness makes him a relentless hunter, stopping at nothing to prevent X from taking any more lives. His quest has more than taken its toll on Depth Charge, though; whatever he was before, he is now a joyless, hollow shell of a being.  While he sometimes expresses sympathy for other beings and lends aid to his fellow Maximals, Depth Charge has clearly been consumed by his mission, and the destruction of Protoform X is now more important to him than the original reasons behind his quest.

{{quote|It's not revenge I'm looking for. It's justice.|Depth Charge quoting somebody else|"[[Deep Metal]]"}}

:''Brazilian name:'' '''Profundeza'''
:''French-Canadian name'': '''Torpille'''
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Mó-gǔei Yǘ''' (魔鬼魚, "Devil Fish")
:''Italian name:'' '''Mantas''' (toyline), '''Abysses''' (cartoon)
:''Polish name:'' '''Głębinobot''' ("Abyssalbot")
:''Spanish name:'' '''Manta Raya'''

==Fiction==
===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:''  [[David Sobolov]] (English), [[Kiyoyuki Yanada]] (Japanese), [[Afonso Amajones]] (Portuguese)

[[Image:DeepMetal DepthCharge transmetalisation.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Huh...suddenly, my hand smells like fish.]]
Depth Charge was a Peace Marshal stationed on [[Colony Omicron]] when Protoform X broke free and went on a rampage. As the colony's sole survivor, Depth Charge made hunting down "X" his only mission in life. Pursuing Protoform X to places throughout the Universe (including [[Starbase Rugby]]) Depth Charge successfully captured the fugitive and turned him over to the [[Maximal Elder]]s. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}} The Elders decided that Protoform X should be placed in stasis aboard the [[Axalon (BW)|''Axalon'']] and dumped on an uninhabited world.

Knowing that "[[Optimus Primal]] would screw it up", Depth Charge continued to monitor the universe for any trace of Protoform X. The sensors on his [[Starhopper]] picked up traces of X just as Depth Charge was pulled through a temporal anomaly. The strange radiation of the wormhole-like disturbance sucked in his ship and [[Transmetal]]ized his superstructure. The resulting crash left him on prehistoric [[Earth]] with a Transmetal manta ray body and put him right in the middle of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]]. His new body gave him a Cybershark drone, which he used to track down Protoform X, now known as [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]].

[[Image:DeepMetal DepthCharge manta.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The original Blu-Ray.]]
His first battle with Rampage did not end particularly well, as Depth Charge did not expect that Rampage had joined up with the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] trapped on this world. Rescued and repaired by Optimus Primal's Maximals, Depth Charge was shocked by the presence of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and acknowledged the grimness of their situation, but nonetheless disregarded Primal's request that he join them, so obsessive was his pursuit of Protoform X. In any case, Rampage decided Depth Charge's stay would be permanent by destroying the Starhopper.  {{storylink|Deep Metal}}

His single-minded obsession soon ended up costing the Maximals a major strategic advantage. Optimus Primal had sent [[Rattrap]] to the bottom of the lake where the wreck of the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' lay in an attempt to retrieve the [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]] defense system. Though Depth Charge initially helped Rattrap escape an attack from Rampage, he refused to help [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] when the latter asked for assistance in recovering Sentinel from the Predacons.  Depth Charge declared that it was their war, and he had his own war with Rampage to deal with. When he finally decided to help out, the lack of Maximal coordination led to Sentinel being seized for [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]].  Optimus Primal hauled Depth Charge into line for his unwitting interference, and they came to an agreement that the rogue Maximal would no longer operate purely as a free agent. {{storylink|Changing of the Guard}}

Depth Charge made good on his allegiance to Primal's crew when Megatron led an attack against the Ark while most of the Maximals were elsewhere. Just as the Predacon leader was about to secure his victory, Depth Charge burst into the volcano and almost single-handedly drove the attackers into retreat. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}} 

[[Image:CuttingEdge DepthCharge guns.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Where does he get those wonderful bath toys?]]
However, Depth Charge's obsessive nature resurfaced when he came across Cheetor trying to dig out a badly damaged Optimus Primal. Disobeying orders, he followed his scanners to the coordinates of Rampage's indestructible spark, not realizing that he was actually detecting the half of Rampage's spark that Megatron was using in his organic [[Transmetal 2]] experiment. Only when he faced [[Dinobot II]], a Transmetal clone of the original [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], did he learn that Rampage's spark inhabited two bodies. Cheetor and Depth Charge worked together to take the alien [[Transmetal driver]] from the organic Transmetal apparatus, but were blown away in a massive explosion when Cheetor was caught in the device's overload. Recovering only a small piece of Cheetor's chest plate, Depth Charge assumed his ally had been destroyed and reported to Optimus Primal that the young 'bot had "gone out fighting". Leaving Optimus to deal with his grief, Depth Charge had the alien transmetal driver scanned, then, determined to not allow Megatron to conduct his experiments again, threw it into the lava of the Ark's volcano. Soon afterward, the duality of Rampage's spark once again proved to be Depth Charge's downfall when he was lured into a trap by Dinobot II. Megatron demanded the Driver device back, but only received sarcasm for his trouble. Before the Predacons could make good on their threats to destroy Depth Charge, a strange, feral beast attacked and easily bested them all before being chased off by Optimus Primal's arrival.  {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 1}}

When Cheetor returned and Optimus Primal determined that the strange beast ''was'' Cheetor, changed somehow, the Maximal leader called Depth Charge in for a little chat, demanding to know what really happened on the mountaintop. As usual, Depth Charge told him where he could stick his questions, forcing Primal to resort to his impressive physical strength and size. Depth Charge finally relented when Primal threatened to extract the data personally from the former's core processor, and apologised that he had destroyed the alien device, not knowing what Cheetor had become.  {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}}

[[Image:GowiththeFlow DepthCharge flight.jpg|right|200px|thumb|]]
Later, Megatron and Tarantulas teamed up for their latest crazy scheme: a new disruptor ray cannon powered by a "bi-polar energon source", capable of destroying the Maximals in their base from afar without harming the ''Ark''. However, as the energy source was installed without adequate shielding, the Predacons couldn't get near the machine they had erected. In order to complete the weapon, Tarantulas suggested "recruiting" the two educated [[protohuman]]s on whom he happened to have been spying. Depth Charge arrived to assist Cheetor just as [[Una]] was captured by [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], and he was forced to go on a rescue mission with Rattrap to retrieve the protohuman girl. However, Depth Charge was blasted out of the sky by a low-power test of the disruptor array and had to sit out the rest of the mission on the side of a hill. After Rattrap returned with Una, Depth Charge still hadn't recovered from his damage and had to be pushed into the water so he could transform into beast mode and escape. When Megatron attempted to fire the disruptor cannon, Rattrap and Depth Charge discovered that Una had removed the stabilizer crystal from the cannon, thus rendering it dangerously unstable and causing the destruction of the weapon. In the aftermath, Depth Charge suggested going back to finish off the helpless Predacons, but Rattrap pointed out that they weren't in any condition to pick a fight. As they floated home, Rattrap jokingly pointed his gun at Depth Charge and asked Una if Cheetor ever showed her his recipe for "fried flounder", earning him a bonk on the head from Depth Charge's tail.  {{storylink|Go with the Flow}}

Depth Charge was on patrol when the Predacons attacked the Maximal base with a remote-controlled Optimus Primal. Megatron sent Dinobot II out to dispose of him.  {{storylink|Master Blaster}} Obviously, he failed.

[[Image:BWNemesisPt1 DepthCharge Rampage.jpg|left|250px|thumb|You've sung "Under the Sea" for the last time!]]
After the [[Darksyde|Predacon base]] was destroyed by [[Tigerhawk]]  {{storylink|Other Victories}}, Depth Charge spotted the Predacons skulking around the late [[Tarantulas]]'s lair. His lust for vengeance again came to the detriment of the Maximals when he disobeyed Optimus Primal's orders and opened a booby-trapped hatch, resulting in Silverbolt being severely damaged. However, when he was called forth to stop Megatron from launching the legendary [[Decepticon]] warship ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', he followed the order instantly, for even he knew how important it was to stop Megatron. Ironically, it was Rampage who found Depth Charge on this mission and forced him into battle. They fought, their battle intensified by nearby raw [[Energon crystal|Energon crystals]] throughout the terrain.

{{quote|Raw Energon! Right through your twisted spark! Take it! Take it straight to the Pit, you sickening piece of slag!|Depth Charge, to Rampage|"[[Nemesis Part 1]]"}}

As Depth Charge attempted to shove an energon shard into Rampage's spark, Rampage released Depth Charge's hands and laughed maniacally, allowing his rival to destroy the both of them.  {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
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===IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics===
Depth Charge was observed emerging from the water by [[Magmatron]] and [[Drill Bit (BW)|Drill Bit]].  Due to their [[Chronal phase|chronal displacement]], they could see him, but he could not see them. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 1|The Gathering #1}}

===''Universe'' comic===
[[Image:Homecoming-depthchargevsblackarachnia.jpg|right|300px|thumb|DO I LOOK LIKE A COP?!]]
When Optimus Primal was brought before [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] and [[Primus]] and told to select any Cybertronians, past or present, to form the foundations of a new army that would take the fight for the multiverse to [[Unicron]] himself, Depth Charge was chosen by Primal, along with Rhinox. Depth Charge was less than thrilled about being brought back to life, telling Primal that after his long years of torment, he had finally found peace within the Matrix, only to be dragged back into the fray.  He departed from the chamber of Primus, wanting nothing to do with the coming conflict.

Depth Charge was stunned to see the recently reformatted technorganic surface of Cybertron, which he reckoned was finally at peace with itself.  Of course, seconds later, he found [[Rattrap]] at the mercy of the Unicron-corrupted [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]. Depth Charge drove the spider off, but, now sickened by violence, refused to help any further, despite Rattrap pointing out that something big was clearly afoot. 

Retreating into the [[Rust Sea|Rust Sea]], Depth Charge found that he wasn't going to have much choice, as he found himself face-to-face with a legion of Blackarachnia's [[Piranacon (Universe)|Piranacons]]...  {{storylink|Homecoming}}

Depth Charge apparently changed his mind at some point and joined [[King Atlas]] in running a secret refugee network within Unicron's body.<ref>Depth Charge's ''Universe'' bio, published in [[Homecoming (issue)|''Universe'' #3]].</ref>

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
*'''Depth Charge''' (Ultra Transmetal, 1998/1999)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-46''' 
**''Accessories:'' Torpedo Launcher/Cybershark Drone, 7 "Shrapnel Grenades", 2 "Proton Torpedoes" and Manta Tail/Energon-Cutlass

[[Image:BW-toy Depthcharge.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Eh.  Still smells like fish.]]
: Depth Charge transforms into a robotic manta ray and a third "air skimmer" mode.  The very end of his tail detaches to form a sword/harpoon.  In all modes, his robot chest/manta mouth is a spring-loaded, gravity-fed disc launcher with 7 "Shrapnel Grenade" disks.  ("Power pizzas", as [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] calls them.)  He comes with a "cybershark" drone-unit that has two spring-loaded missile launchers in its mouth.  This drone can attach to Depth Charge's manta/skimmer modes or be used as a hand-held weapon in robot mode.

: As with all of the toys in [[Takara|Takara]]'s ''Beast Wars Metals'' line, the "DEPTH CHARGE" [[Tampograph|tampograph]] was changed to his faction ("CYBERTRON") and the faction sigil.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Maximal/DepthCharge/depthcharge.htm More information on Depth Charge at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

*'''Depth Charge Vs. Inferno''' (Multi-pack, 1999)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''VS-46'''
**''Accessories:'' Torpedo Launcher/Cybershark Drone, 7 "Shrapnel Grenades", 2 "Proton Torpedoes" and Manta Tail/Energon-Cutlass

: During ''Beast Wars Metals'', Depth Charge was available both individually and in a double-pack with Metals [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]].  Both toys were identical to their individual releases.

===Universe===
[[Image:Depthcharge-universe.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Boba Wett.]]
*'''Depthcharge''' (Ultra, 2004)
**''Accessories:'' Torpedo Launcher/Cybershark Drone, 5 discs, 2 missiles and Manta Tail/Energon-Cutlass

: Depthcharge was [[Redeco|redecoed]] for the ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' line into a series of dark drab greens, maroons, and black, with paint-wash effects on his wings.   The end result resembles the ''[[Star Wars]]'' character [[Boba Fett]] and his ship, the ''Slave 1''.  The toy had several small changes made for safety reasons.  On the main toy, the cephalic lobes (the front manta-ray-mouth thingies) were cast in a much more pliable plastic.  The tail of his cybershark drone was also changed to pop off as a separate piece; this also allows it to spin and makes it easier for Depthcharge to hold it in robot mode.  The discs were given a much thicker, rounder border as well, and their number was reduced from 7 to 5.
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==Notes==
*In the jovial Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars'', nearly all the characters were given bizarre quirks with the intention of inserting extra "comedy" elements. Depth Charge had a habit of singing "Ito Maki-maki", a Japanese folk song, while transforming. The words translate to "Wind the Thread". (It's a fishing song, ''get it''?)

*Depth Charge's severed head can be seen in the junkyard in the "[[Spark of Darkness|Spark of Darkness]]" episode of ''[[Beast Machines|Beast Machines]]'', precisely 5 minutes and 3 seconds into the episode.

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Beast Wars characters]]
[[Category:Maximals]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Triple Changers]]
[[Category:Universe characters]]