Editing Galvatron (G1)

{{disambig3|Galvatron}}

:''Galvatron is a [[Decepticon]] in the [[Generation 1]] continuity family.''

[[Image:Galvatrong1.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Bwaaaaah! Kneepad of Dooooom!]]

'''Galvatron''' is a force of nature.  Born from the machinations of [[Unicron]] himself, Galvatron is a focal point of power and madness given form.  He is blind to all but his lust for power; his whims and desires can be sacrificed in a moment's rage.  Not even his own subordinates are safe.  Though he is not beyond the capacity for long-term goals, it is his unpredictability and his casual disregard for any and all life that strike such horror in friend and foe alike. Truly, the [[Decepticon leader]] is without any sense of empathy.  

Galvatron was once [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], but was reborn from his death throes in a Faustian pact with Unicron. He retains the memories and spark of Megatron, but his personality was significantly altered after the near-death experience, massive physical upgrade, and reprogramming.  And all that was ''before'' he went insane.  The cause and extent of Galvatron's madness varies between different continuities, as does his physical power.  Sometimes he's depicted as almost invincible. 
{{quote|Come out, Autobot! We all must die sometime.|Galvatron hunting [[Hot Rod]]|''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

==Fiction==
===American cartoon continuity===
====Generation 1 cartoon====
:''Voice actors:'' [[Leonard Nimoy]], [[Frank Welker]] (US); [[Seizō Katō]] (Japan); [[Gert Wiedenhofen]], [[Manfred Erdmann]](Movie), [[Thomas Rauscher]](G2 Redub) (German)

[[Image:Tftm1986c.jpg|left|thumb|He's more machine now than ma&mdash;oh wait, he was a machine to begin with. Never mind.]]
In 2005, after being mortally wounded by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] during the [[Battle of Autobot City]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] was left to float aimlessly through space after being punted out of the overloaded Astrotrain by Starscream, who finally decided to take advantage of his near-death state to take command. He was summoned by [[Unicron]], who offered him a new body, a warship and new troops to command, so long as he destroyed the [[Autobot]] [[Matrix of Leadership]]. Megatron reluctantly accepted and was upgraded into '''Galvatron''', a more fearsome and powerful warrior.

Galvatron quickly retook command of the Decepticons after killing the traitorous [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] in the middle of his coronation as the Decepticons' new leader. He then went to Earth and attacked [[Autobot City]] full-force. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] led him away from Earth, and Galvatron chased him to the [[Junkion (planet)|Planet of Junk]], where he defeated Magnus and took the Matrix, intending to use it against Unicron.

Galvatron could not open the Matrix, however, and as punishment for his treachery, Unicron swallowed him whole. Inside Unicron's belly, he met up with [[Hot Rod]]. Though he initially suggested an alliance with the young Autobot against the mutual threat of his master, the Chaos Bringer mentally tortured Galvatron for his attempted treachery and then forced him to attack Hot Rod. Hot Rod eventually managed to wrest the Matrix away from Galvatron and open it, leading to his transformation into Rodimus Prime. Flush with new power, Rodimus hurled Galvatron from inside Unicron and into deep space. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

[[Image:GalvatronTVMag1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|He has a weird tendency to aim at his own troops.]]

But this would not be the end of Galvatron.

The weakened Decepticons were subsequently routed by the Autobots and forced off of Cybertron, relocating to the burned-out world of [[Chaar]]. After eking out a living there in energy-deprived squalor for some time, they were visited by [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], who'd finally decided to return the Decepticons to glory by seeking out the lost Galvatron.  They found him sunk in a lava pit on the distant planet [[Thrull]] and managed to free him. However, the effects of the "plasma bath" irrevocably altered Galvatron's sanity chips, rendering him omnicidally insane. Upon regaining his freedom, he thrashed Cyclonus and Scourge and sundered Thrull. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2}}

Galvatron led the Decepticons on many wacky adventures against the Autobots throughout 2006, though his insanity would usually lead to each mission ending in failure. (He loved shooting his own troops, for instance.) At one point, his derangement became so severe, the perpetually loyal Cyclonus was left little choice but to dupe Galvatron into taking therapy sessions (albeit by force) on [[Torkulon]], the therapy planet.  After nearly murdering an attendant during a word-association session and somehow building a gun in an arts and crafts class, Galvatron was deemed incurable by conventional methods. The doctors attempted to use living extensions of the planet to give him a lobotomy (much to Cyclonus's disapproval), but Galvatron broke free and murdered the sentient organic core of Torkulon. After that, he razed the entire planet's civilization, leaving them so broken it would take centuries to rebuild. {{storylink|Webworld}}

[[Image:ReturnOptimusPrime2 Prime Galvatron.JPG|left|thumb|150px|"Just like the old times, isn't it Prime?"<br>
"There were no good times, ya creep".<br>
"...huh?"]] However, despite his insanity, he teamed up with the resurrected Optimus Prime to stop the [[Hate Plague]]. Galvatron wound up becoming infected by the plague and attempted to kill an unconscious Optimus Prime with a axe.  Optimus woke up in the nick of time and opened the Matrix directly in Galvatron's face. The wisdom of the Matrix not only cured the universe of the Hate Plague, it cured Galvatron's madness as well. Grateful, Galvatron sanely declared, "There will be no war today, Optimus. You have earned Galvatron's respect," and called a brief truce. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}} 

In 2007, Galvatron called off the truce and led an assault on Autobot City, searching for the Key to the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]]. Although seemingly lucid during this period, he formulated what was perhaps his most genocidal and unbalanced scheme ever: Having converted Cybertron into a galactic dreadnought, Galvatron maneuvered it into Earth's orbit, planning to release the Plasma Energy Chamber's payload into Earth's sun, Sol. The resulting supernova would wipe both Earth and Cybertron off the face of the galaxy, presumably leaving Galvatron to gain mastery over everything left.  Grudgingly teamed with the Transformer-[[Nebulan]] hybrid [[Scorponok (G1)|Lord Zarak]], Galvatron was eventually defeated and sent tumbling through space, ushering Cybertron into a new Golden Age. After regaining control, Galvatron vowed to collect energy from disparate corners of the galaxy and return to Cybertron: "We will attack other planets, we will suck them dry! We will build a planet a hundred times more powerful than Cybertron, and I will rule the galaxy!" Scorponok made it clear he questioned Galvatron's leadership, however. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}

===Japanese cartoon continuity===

{{Note|The events of the American animated continuity occur in this timeline as above, except that the events following ''The Transformers: The Movie'' are pushed back to 2010 (creating a five-year gap between Galvatron's creation and his return), and the events of "The Rebirth" do not occur. The Japanese animated continuity subsequently adds several new adventures into the timeline, both during the Generation 1 cartoon and after it, as detailed below.}}

====''Kiss Players''====

After being hurled out of Unicron and into space by Rodimus Prime, Galvatron's flight path was disrupted by the [[Sparkbot]]s, a trio of Unicron's servants who were already working to resurrect their master. The Decepticon leader crash-landed on the planet [[Earth]], obliterating the city of [[Tokyo]]. This catastrophic loss of life destroyed [[human]]-[[Transformer]] relations and led to the formation of the [[Earth Defense Command]], a governmental organization which drove Transformers from the face of the planet. Appropriating Galvatron's remains, the EDC reverse-engineered a fleet of human-operated "[[Autrooper]]" Transformers to perform this task.

As 2006 settled in, Galvatron's impact was revealed to have had an even greater effect than anyone had expected: The blast caused by his impact had scattered his Unicron-empowered cells throughout the planet's atmosphere. When his cells came into contact with other objects and animals, they fused with them, creating an army of monstrous creatures referred to as "[[Legion]]". This disastrous event also created the means to defend the world against Legion, however: When Galvatron's cells came into contact with human beings, these humans gained the ability to fuse with other entities containing his cells. With their Autroopers being the perfect candidates for this "[[ParasiTech]]" fusion process, the EDC began recruiting and training these "[[Kiss Players]]" as combat squads to battle the Legion. 

Seeking to uncover the ulterior motives of EDC Commander [[Hitoshizuku Amaō]], Kiss Players [[Marissa Faireborne]], [[Shaoshao Li]] and [[Atari Hitotonari]] discovered the remains of Galvatron beneath the EDC headquarters. Amaō's plan to use the Legions to resurrect her daughter, who had died in Galvatron's impact, was foiled when all the Legions and Autroopers fused with Galvatron's corpse, restoring his cells and reconstituting his body. Galvatron's body was shot back into space, where it went on to crash on Thrull. {{storylink|Kiss Players (fiction)|Kiss Players}}

====''The Transformers'' manga====

Galvatron had plenty of devious schemes up his sleeve throughout 2010, opening with the nutty idea of a spaceship that ate other spaceships, which Rodimus Prime promptly blew up. {{storylink|The Transformers issue 1}}  Galvatron went back to his roots for his next scheme, creating a clone army of Megatrons that he dubbed the "[[Megatron Military]]". Galvatron disguised himself as one of the Megatrons and controlled them remotely, making them an effective fighting force that the Autobots had trouble dealing with, until his disguise was penetrated and his control over the robots broken. {{storylink|The Transformers issue 2}}

Other plans included an attack on Autobot City with [[Trypticon]] {{storylink|The Transformers issue 3}} and an attempt to steal the Prime Energy of the planet [[Feminia]] {{storylink|The Transformers issue 5}}. On one notable occasion, Galvatron challenged Rodimus Prime to a one-on-one duel in order to lure him into a trap set up in partnership with the Quintessons. In the middle of the fight, the Quintessons' newest creation, an Optimus Prime/Megatron hybrid robot known as [[Guiltor]], arrived to attack Rodimus, but Galvatron was shocked when Guiltor turned on him as well. Rodimus and Galvatron called a truce long enough for them to team up and destroy Guiltor, who, it was revealed, had been possessed by Starscream's ghost. {{storylink|The Transformers issue 4}}

====''Big War'' manga====

Later in 2010, Galvatron kidnapped [[Dalton]], a brilliant scientist from the planet [[Elan]], but Dalton refused to work with the Decepticons and lent his aid to the Autobots instead, upgrading the [[Technobot]]s so they could defeat the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]]. {{storylink|Big War issue 1}} {{storylink|Big War issue 2}}

After the resurrection of Optimus Prime and the curing of the Hate Plague, Galvatron hastily broke his vow that there would be no war, and he, Cyclonus and Scourge battled Prime, Hot Rod and [[Kup]] in space, only to be defeated. {{storylink|Big War issue 3}}

====''The Headmasters'' cartoon====

In 2011, a side effect of releasing the Matrix's energy to cure the Hate Plague was revealed when the mega-computer [[Vector Sigma]] began to destabilize. Seeking to exploit this imbalance, Galvatron attacked Cybertron, his forces now bolstered by the addition of new [[Headmaster]] warriors from the planet [[Master (Headmasters)|Master]]. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come Out Of The Sky}}  The arrival of a team of Autobot Headmasters repelled the invasion, but it was then revealed that the Matrix was hidden somewhere on Earth, recharging, and the race began to acquire it and use it to gain control over Vector Sigma. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}} Hot Rod ultimately succeeded in obtaining the Matrix and becoming Rodimus Prime again, and he and Optimus Prime joined forces to defeat Galvatron. Though beaten in battle, Galvatron did at least take solace in the fact that Optimus Prime once again met his end {{storylink|A Dream is Born, Double Prime}}

After several further schemes involving an [[Madmachine|electro-magnetic weapon]] and a [[Metamorpho|metal-warping meteorite]], Galvatron set his sights on [[Cybertonuron]], a powerful new alloy being developed by Vector Sigma. The Decepticon Headmaster leader, [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], advocated the destruction of the alloy to prevent the Autobots from obtaining it, but when Galvatron refused to consider the notion, Scorponok took matters into his own hands and had powerful bombs planted in Vector Sigma's chamber. {{storylink|Cybertron is in Grave Danger, Part 2}}  Scorponok told Galvatron what he had done, and the enraged Decepticon leader ran into the chamber to try and stop the explosion, only to be caught in the blast. Cybertron was reduced to a burnt-out husk, and Galvatron was left missing in action. {{storylink|Cybertron is in Grave Danger, Part 1}}

[[Image:Galvacron.jpg|thumb|left|Galvatron's been getting into the energon goodies jar. Fatty!!!]]
Galvatron was thought dead for some time, and during his absence, Scorponok proclaimed himself new Decepticon leader, only for Galvatron to turn up alive and well during his coronation. {{storylink|Return of the Immortal Emperor}}  Galvatron retook command of the Decepticons and began a devious plot, taking the Decepticons on an series of interplanetary raids that saw them steal energy from numerous different worlds. Returning to Earth with a massive stockpile of [[energon]], Galvatron confided to his most trusted warrior, [[Sixshot]], that he intended to use the energon as part of a process that would transform Earth into a new, all-powerful, Unicron-like body for him, dubbed "[[Grand Galvatron]]". Additionally, he explained that this process would require only the best components from his most powerful warriors, making it quite clear that he intended to sacrifice Sixshot and the other Decepticons for this insane ambition. Aghast, Sixshot betrayed Galvatron to Scorponok as quickly as possible, leaving the Decepticon leader alone to battle the Autobot Headmasters in Alaska. Thankfully for the Autobots, their double-agent [[Punch]] had eavesdropped on Galvatron and Sixshot's conversation, during which Galvatron had revealed that his head was his weakest point. With this information to aid them, the Headmasters entered [[Head Formation]] and laid Galvatron low, collapsing an iceberg on top of him and entombing him in ice. {{storylink|The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg}}

Galvatron would remain buried in the ice for over fifteen years, until he was resurrected by [[Dark Nova]] as the new and improved [[Megatron (G1)#Battlestars: Return of Convoy|Super Megatron]].

====''15 Go! Go!'' manga====
[[Image:TGGGalvatron.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Crazy AND toy-accurate.]]
At some point after 2025, when Optimus Prime had been restored to life once more as Star Convoy, the mobile computer [[Teletraan 15]] traveled forward in time from 2005 to this era as part of a mission gather data to rebuild [[Teletraan I]]'s damaged databanks. During her visit, as Star Convoy and Hot Rod prepared to battle Ultra Megatron, a [[transwarp]] wormhole suddenly opened above the combatants, and a massive blast shot emerged from it and struck Hot Rod. Badly damaged, Hot Rod could barely warn his commander as Galvatron, appearing from some unknown spot in space and time, descended through the portal. Tearing Teletraan 15's arm off, Galvatron gripped the limb in his [[teeth]] as he maniacally throttled Hot Rod. Teletraan 15 passed out and woke up some time later with the outcome of the battle unknown, though she remained haunted by images of the crazed Decepticon clutching her limp and helpless friend. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!}}

{{-}}

===Scramble City Toys===

{{note|This fifteen-minute, stop-motion, extended toy advert retells the story of the original ''[[Scramble City]]'' OVA with the addition of Galvatron. Created before the Japanese production staff were aware that Galvatron was a recreated Megatron, this OVA features the infamous gaffe that presents Galvatron and Megatron as separate characters. It ain't in continuity with jack, yo.}}

During a massive brawl between the Autobot and Decepticon [[combiner]]s, Megatron took the upper hand. To counter this, Optimus Prime ordered [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] to enter the fray. Metroplex rolled onto the scene and towered over his enemies, with City Commander Ultra Magnus in tow. Not to be outdone, Megatron ordered his ''own'' [[City Commander]] to enter battle. Beaming down from the sky on a ball of light, the silent and menacing Galvatron stormed the battle. Transforming into cannon mode, Galvatron fired a blast of energy at Ultra Magnus, who quickly transformed to robot mode and engaged his foe in hand-to-hand combat. As the fight seemed evenly matched, City Commander Galvatron's ''city'' finally arrived to tip the odds: [[Trypticon]]! {{storylink|Scramble City Toys}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===

{{noteukonly}}

''There were multiple Galvatrons from various alternate futures who often time-jumped to give the Autobots trouble. There are between 2 and 5 different Galvatrons; the exact number remaining inconclusive.''

====''Galvatron I''====

''After being scolded by [[Unicron]] in 2006, Galvatron was ordered to attack Earth and destroy the [[Matrix]]. He ordered "Decepticons, to Earth!" but what he REALLY meant was Earth...1986!''

''Time-jumping from the year 2006 and freeing himself from Unicron's control, Galvatron intended to create a device that would be powerful enough to destroy Unicron in 2006. Galvatron brought Cyclonus and Scourge with himself, and as an effect of time-travel, replaced three Autobots ([[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]) in the timeline. Galvatron deposed his own past self as leader of the Decepticons and began construction of a massive laser cannon which he would then hide on Earth and unleash on an unsuspecting Unicron when the time was right.''

''The Autobots and Megatron weren't having any of that and briefly formed an alliance to stop the three Decepticons of the future. The plan wasn't going very well until [[Hot Rod]], [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] and [[Kup]] came from the future to help. Present-day Ultra Magnus also arrived to help and heroically kept Galvatron occupied as the future Autobots set-up a trap.''

''Galvatron mopped the floor with [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and returned to his laser cannon only to find Cyclonus and Scourge unconscious and Starscream missing. The weapon was then destroyed in a huge explosion. Galvatron emerged from the wreckage to see what he thought was [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (but, in fact, was an unconscious [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] in disguise), and in a fit of anger, blew him up. After a second he realized that if he destroyed Starscream in the past, how could he have destroyed him in the future? Figuring that he was in an alternate past, and thus, no action taken then would affect his future, Galvatron and his troops returned to their proper time. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}''

''Sometime later, Galvatron returned from the future (again following the destruction of [[Unicron]]). This time, he planned to stay in the past. In an initial confrontation with the Autobots and Decepticons of the present-era, Galvatron mopped the floor with both sides, establishing himself as a severe threat to all Transformers on Earth. {{storylink|Fallen Angel}} In the coming weeks, Galvatron constructed a massive magma tap as a means of gaining power for himself. He intended to siphon the energy of an erupting volcano to become as powerful as a god. His plans were interrupted by Ultra Magnus, [[Goldbug]], and several Autobots who had travelled back from Galvatron's own era to capture him. [[Rodimus Prime]] attempted to manipulate Galvatron's time-jump device to send them all back to the future, but when he and the other Autobots slingshoted back to 2008, Galvatron inexplicably remained behind. It ultimately fell on Ultra Magnus to stop Galvatron alone. In a desperate move, the Autobot flung them into the volcano, and the two of them became trapped under molten lava. {{storylink|Vicious Circle!}}''

''Galvatron eventually escaped and planned to take control of the Decepticons away from [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. He opened his plan by menacingly approaching the Decepticon base, compeling Shockwave to attack and try to drive off the futuristic Decepticon. Instead, after easily wading through Shockwave's defenses, Galvatron cunningly announced that he had been coming in peace, but Shockwave's unprovoked assault had made an enemy out of him. He did this to sow discord among the Decepticon ranks, who now blamed Shockwave for gaining them a powerful new enemy. {{storylink|Enemy Action!}} This prompted Shockwave to concoct a plan to use [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] as a weapon against Galvatron. {{Storylink|Salvage!}}''

''Galvatron’s time-traveling (along with that of the other Autobots and Decepticons) eventually caused a rift in time and space that threatened both the present and the future, opening a timestorm at both ends of the timeline that consumed the planet [[Quintessa]] in 2008. {{Storylink|Space Pirates!}}''

''[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] unleashed his [[Straxus|brainwashed Megatron]] on Galvatron, in the hopes of eliminating one or both of his rivals. Unfortunately, Galvatron managed to appeal to the suppressed personality within Megatron, and the two joined forces. {{Storylink|Altered Image!}} Megatron and Galvatron forged an alliance and launched an assault against the combined forces of the present-day Autobot and Decepticons, the future Autobots and Decepticons, and the [[Wreckers]] and [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]. By this stage, Galvatron was consumed by madness and was able to overcome all resistance. Even severe injury and single combat with Powermaster Optimus Prime failed to stop him completely. His threat was only truly ended when the time rift itself lashed out at Galvatron ripping him apart.''

====''Galvatron II''====
''See [[Galvatron II]]''

====Other versions of Galvatron====

*''In an alternate future, a geriatric Rodimus Prime recounted tales of his exploits to a curious youth from his deathbed. He said that the Time Wars had changed the timeline so that Galvatron never went back in time, and had conquered Cybertron instead. He was last seen in a flashback to Unicron's third coming in the year 2010 (of that timeline).'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}}

*''In the [[Earthforce]] timeline, a Galvatron claiming to be a different Galvatron from the original one snuck into the Autobot crypt and implanted devices that would read the memories of various dead Autobots. He accidentally revived them from the dead, and Wheeljack was able to imprison him in a "sleep mode". Within this sleep mode, Galvatron was forced to forever relive his worst nightmare (being dismembered by [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]]) over and over and over again... {{storylink|Perchance to Dream}} It is unknown if this is meant to be [[Galvatron II]], the Aspects of Evil Galvatron, or a whole new version.''

===Dreamwave ''Armada'' comic===
An alternate version of Galvatron appeared briefly as one of [[Unicron]]'s heralds, along with [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]], [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]], and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]]. He rather impassively stated that he had killed "many" Megatrons in other alternate realities. However, he was ultimately destroyed by this timeline's native [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] with the power of the [[Dark Saber]].

===IDW comics continuity===
{{note|Uniquely, the IDWverse Galvatron is a completely, totally, honestly, (no kidding) entirely separate character from Megatron, and actually predates him.}}

{{ongoing}}
[[Image:SpotlightGalvatron_Galvytransforms.jpg|thumb|left|300px|My cannon knows where to go because IT FEARS ME!!!]]

Galvatron was a crew member on the first ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', launched during Cybertron's [[Golden Age]]. However, he and the ship were lost to an anomaly found in the [[Benzuli Expanse]], and he then became the herald for what he referred to as the [[Dead Universe]]. Galvatron is in fact ''undead'' [http://idwpublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3893], with [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] blowing off part of his head only for Galvatron to immediately get up again. Returning to Cybertron soon after [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]'s [[Stormbringer (comics)|resurrection and defeat]], Galvatron succeeded in seizing the huge [[Pretender]]'s remains. While on that mission, by merely ''touching'' [[Leadfoot]] he caused him to ''immediately die''. {{Storylink|Spotlight: Galvatron}} {{storylink|Devastation issue 6}}

After [[Sixshot]]'s deployment to [[Earth]], [[Nova Prime|Nemesis Prime]] sent Galvatron there as well to make sure nothing would forestall their second coming. {{Storylink|Devastation issue 3}} From a hidden vantage point, Galvatron observed the Decepticons' desperate fight against the powerful alien army known as the Reapers. As Nemesis Prime's plans required Earth to survive, at least for a while, Galvatron took steps to prevent the Reapers from taking over and laying waste to the planet. Approaching the Reapers' leader, Deathbringer, Galvatron unleashed the power of death that was his to command, turning the Reaper into living decay who spread death and disintegration to his fellow Reapers on contact. This turned the tide of battle considerably, and the Decepticons won the day. Galvatron then returned to the Dead Universe to await new orders. However, Nemesis Prime remarked to [[Jhiaxus]] that he suspects that Galvatron has his own plans... {{Storylink|Devastation issue 6}}

==Controversy over identity==
[[Image:MarvelUK-202.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Yeah, this'll ''really'' help with the whole insanity thing.]]
{{quote|Well, they were the same guy.|[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]'s thoughts on the subject|"[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1]]"}}
Some fans believe Galvatron is a psychologically distinct and discontinuous entity from Megatron, almost, or equally, as much as [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], who demonstrate no continuity of memory or personality with their former Decepticon selves. This remains a topic of heated debate in some circles, in spite of a fairly unambiguous canon.

===Generation 1 cartoon===

In the G1 animated continuity, Galvatron evidently still self-identifies as being the same person as Megatron, albeit with greater power and a new name. Although not making a point of revealing this former identity to his troops at large (perhaps to cast off the potential stigma of being a "defeated"/successfully deposed leader), Galvatron makes his sense of self clear when Starscream asks "Megatron? Is that you?" to which he replies, "Here's a hint," before obliterating him.<ref>Some fans claim the "Here's a hint" line is a point in favor of Galvatron ''not'' being Megatron, instead of the far more likely intended affirmation, since Megatron "would never kill Starscream." However most fans would probably agree that Starscream had simply never pissed off Megatron enough to actually kill him before.</ref>  Later in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie (1986)|The Transformers: The Movie]]'' when Galvatron is poised to crush [[Hot Rod]]'s neck, he boasts: "First Prime, then Ultra Magnus, and now you. It's a pity you Autobots die so easily, or I might have a sense of satisfaction." Again, Galvatron is obviously speaking with no sense of discontinuity of identity or personality as he refers to past and current acts as both Megatron and Galvatron without qualification or distinction.

While some might contrast this statement, however, with his earlier line, "I, Galvatron, shall crush you, just as Megatron crushed Prime,", interpreting that such a statement implies a disconnect from his former life, this too can easily be explained by Galvatron's apparent reluctance to allow his troops know that he used to be Megatron. While Galvatron would have fully expected the knowledge imparted in the later statement to Hot Rod to die with the callow youth, the declaration to Ultra Magnus was made in public, with his troops (and, potentially, other Autobots in earshot) present.

During season three, however, Galvatron makes little or no further references to his past life as Megatron, though this could be a side effect of lying in a pool of lava for several months and his increasing insanity. Upon meeting the resurrected Optimus Prime in ''The Return of Optimus Prime'', Galvatron behaves as though simply picking up where he left off with his old nemesis from his Megatron days, as does Prime, saying that he knows Galvatron "all too well." This indicates that the Autobot leader is capable of recognising his former adversary despite the change in name and appearance. Furthermore, in ''Five Faces of Darkness'', Astrotrain states that Megatron and Galvatron are "the same guy," implying that during Galvatron's absence, the other Decepticons (or, at the very least, Astrotrain) figured out what was going on.

Despite all that, a memorial of Megatron can be seen prominently in the [[Decepticon Crypt]], implying that the Decepticons who built it considered Megatron to be dead. This could possibly be explained by presuming the Decepticons built the marker before Galvatron returned and seized command, though their window of opportunity to do so was rather slim. {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}}

===Japanese fiction===

[[Image:EarlyGalvatronTVMagazine1.jpg|left|250px|thumb|I hope you enjoyed that jump-kick, Magnus, because it's a ''very'' long way down.]]

Early advertisements for the Galvatron toy presented the character as an altogether separate being from Megatron, and in some cases, even being Megatron's ''underling''. The second [[Scramble City]] OVA was a remake of the original animated version, albeit including the Galvatron toy for promotion. Galvatron appears to fight his nemesis, Ultra Magnus, as Megatron barks orders from the background. This is likely due to Takara wishing to advertise the toy as quickly as possible, without full knowledge of the character's history. To maintain Galvatron's mystique, he was given the function of "City Commander", with no indication that he was an upgraded Megatron. Continuing this trend of unintentional disassociation, very early promotional artwork featured in ''[[TV Magazine]]'' and ''[[Comic Bom Bom]]'' also presented Galvatron as a separate character.

However, this era was very short-lived. In all official Japanese fiction, including the [[manga]] and the Japanese-exclusive cartoons, Galvatron is locked in as an upgrade of Megatron.  A [[retcon]] was created by writer [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]] for [[E-Hobby]] in order to explain away the bizarreness of some of these early [[story page]]s, detailing that the Galvatron seen there was actually a dimension-traveling [[Galvatron II]].

===Marvel Comics===

In the US and UK Marvel comics, the various time-hopping Galvatrons all demonstrate an awareness of having previously been Megatron with no strong indicators of a break in psychological identification. Indeed, at one point, a Galvatron says outright, "Like Megatron? No—I AM Megatron!" The closest that these Galvatrons come to identity crisis are incidents in which a time-displaced Galvatron is confronted by Megatrons (or copies thereof) and does battle with his former self. Although in these instances Galvatron experiences trains of thought that suggest he sees Megatron as a separate being and/or the source of his madness that needs to be destroyed, it should be noted that these are not the musings of a calm, rational mind. In these instances, Galvatron is in the grips of a psychotic episode, which he generally snaps out of by realising that he and his opponent are indeed the same person.

A possible explanation for why (any version of) Galvatron retains psychological continuity with Megatron while his fellow Unicron-creations do not may be that [[Thundercracker]], et al. were apparently already dead or in total stasis lock at the time of their reformatting, and thus it is widely speculated that only their bodies were used to create Cyclonus and company. Whether this indicates that they retained their sparks and merely suffered total mind-wipes (either as the result of recent death or by Unicron's doing), or if Unicron actually infused their reformatted bodies with new life-forces is unknown. (On the other hand, none of the other Unicron-created Decepticons have faced their past selves or deeds the way Galvatron has.) Megatron, by comparison, was clearly alive and awake at the time of his reformatting and struck a bargain with Unicron for "a new body", a deal which implied that his mind would remain his own.

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
* '''Galvatron''' (Decepticon, 1986/1987)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-62'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser Rifle, Particle Cannon, Particle Cannon connector
[[Image:G1_Galvatron_toy.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Nobody minds '''his''' [[neon]] orange barrel.]]

: Galvatron transforms into a Cybertronic treaded field artillery unit with an alternate hand-held gun mode.  Using a 9-volt battery, he has a light-up barrel in cannon or gun mode, light-up eyes in robot mode, and variable electronic warbly noises in any mode. Galvatron is notable as one of the most well-articulated toys in the ''Generation 1'' line, with ratcheting shoulders and hips, as well as swivel waist, elbows, mid-biceps, knees, and ankle joints. He was also armed with a small, black laser rifle.

{{-}}

* '''Galvatron''' (Decepticon, 2005)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-62-S'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser Rifle, Particle Cannon, Particle Cannon connector
[[Image:G1_Reissue_Galvatron.jpg|thumb|left|150px|WHO CHANGED MY COLORS?! NGAAAAA!!!!]]

: The original Galvatron toy was much later [[redeco]]ed and re-released by [[Takara]] into a sort-of more show-like appearance, being primarily purple instead of gray. His face mold was also slightly [[retool]]ed, and he was given new sound effects, including speech clips (in Japanese, naturally). He also came with a Matrix on a chain to be worn around his neck, as in the movie.  It also used two AA batteries, rather than the previous 9-volt.

: This toy was later released as the [[e-Hobby]]-exclusive [[Galvatron II]].

{{-}}

===Titanium Series===
*'''Galvatron''' (3-inch Robot Masters, 2006)
[[Image:TitaniumGalvatron.jpg|thumb|right|100px|"This pose is too crazy, even for ME!!!"]]
: ''Titanium'' Galvatron is a 3-inch-tall, non-transforming, die-cast metal figurine. He is based heavily on his cartoon model and has articulation in his neck, waist, shoulders, and wrists. His orange cannon is also removable from his arm.

{{-}}

===Universe===
*'''Galvatron''' (Deluxe, 2008)
**''Accessories:'' Missile
[[Image:Galvatronuniversetoy.jpg|thumb|left|251px|A purple Galvatron in [[Classics (2006)|Marvel Comics continuity]]?!  Whaaa?]]
:Galvatron transforms into a tank reminiscent of the [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/israel/merkava.htm Israel Weapons Industries Merkava] main battle tank. The tank shows very little purple on its hull, presumably to keep it a reasonably realistic representation of a real-life tank. The tank likewise has a giant translucent orange laser cannon that can fire a translucent orange missile, also keeping in the spirit of realistic alt-modes. Upon transforming to robot mode, it looks much more like the violently insane Decepticon leader we all know and love, and shows larger areas of metallic purple.

{{comingsoontoy}}
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==Merchandise==
*A Galvatron watch was released in the 1980s in Japan.  It was subsequently rereleased in 1990s by Takara as merchandise for the [[Generation 2]] line in the USA.  The watch featured Galvatron's torso with a clock in his chest.  It included a mechanism whereby when a lever was pushed, the tiny Galvatron torso "transformed" into a full tiny Galvatron figure complete with legs, standing up on the watch band.  The figure cannot be removed from the watch, but the arms do rotate.
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[[Image:SHBMGalv1.jpg|left|150px|thumb|I can't transform?  This is YOUR fault, [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]!]] 
[[Image:SHBMGalv2.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Clearly crazy.]]
* [[Super Hybrid Model]] Galvatron was the exclusive toy for [[BotCon]] Japan 1997.  It is a vinyl figure about 8" tall, styled after his [[Studio OX]]-modified animation model; of the original intended SHBM roster, this is the only one to have ever been officially released.  This figure was initially available in two versions: "standard" purple and a translucent orange "lava bath" version limited to 100 pieces. In subsequent years, at least two more versions of this figure would be released for online sale: one that replaced the orange paint on the cannon barrel with an orange molded plastic piece, and another that replaced the entire purple body coloration with royal blue.   
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[[Image:PVCGalvyMetalChase.jpg|right|150px|thumb|PVC in this case means Probably Very Crazy.]]
* Galvatron was part of the second "Act" of Takara's [[Super Collection Figure]]s, a soft-plastic PVC of his cartoon model in both full-color and all-clear plastics, one each per case of twelve. A metallic-painted version of this figure was one of the chase items in act 6. The SCF Galvatron was later released as part of the [[Heroes of Cybertron]] series, cast entirely in clear-red plastic then painted over (giving it a lightpipe-like glowing eye effect).  He was only available in the third wave of the line.


[[Image:MycloneGalv.jpg|left|150px|thumb|He will kill you with adorability.]]
* [[MyClone]] Galvatron:  standard and lava "chase" versions in a superdeformed style.

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==Trivia==
* A Galvatron [[Action Master]] was planned at one point, but apparently went no further than a concept sketch. It is only vaguely similar to Galvatron's normal appearance and may possibly have been a "powered up" Galvatron of some sort.

[[Image:Megalvatron.jpg|right|thumb|150px|This toy IS a time paradox.]]
* A triple changer was proposed which would switch between a very awkward Galvatron, Megatron, and a Walther P-38 handgun with added futuristic silencer and laser sight. It is notable that the strange "Reverse Megatron" design has a mild resemblance to the also unproduced Galvatron Action Master, especially in the chest design.

* Galvatron's toy bio was apparently written with the intention of him being a new character who coexisted with Megatron; he has a rank of 9 and the function "City Commander," with no mention of him having once been Megatron. Given the omission of similar details from Rodimus Prime's bio, it is likely that this was done to avoid spoiling the surprise of Galvatron's origin in the movie.

* The Galvatron toy's gun mode's only fictional appearances were in the UK comics, which featured it as a shrunken, human-scaled weapon, and a form that he assumed merely so that he could easily be conveyed by other parties, but never wielded as a weapon. It was also referenced in Dreamwave's ''[[More Than Meets the Eye]]'' profile of Galvatron, which [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] describes as a weapon "none are worthy to wield."

* Galvatron's toy bio states that his cannon is a "laser which emits chemically produced direct-current electricity."  While this is a rather strange thing for a laser to do, it is a neat pun on his name. A ''galvanic cell'', named after Luigi Galvani, is a certain type of chemical voltage source. Though Galvatron's toy's batteries are not galvanic cells, they do produce DC electricity chemically, making his toy one of the more fiction-accurate in the Generation 1 line.

* In the Generation 1 [[manga]], [[Makoto|Makoto's watch]] has a transforming Galvatron wristwatch that was first available in Japan during the 1980s.  However, at the time of the story, Galvatron did not yet exist in-continuity.  The circumstances behind this are best not thought about.

* When asked about Galvatron's design in an interview, [[Floro Dery]]'s reply was, "But about Galvatron, my inspiration for him are those 'stupid people'."<ref>[http://transformersph.blogspot.com/2007/06/interview-with-floro-dery.html TransFormers Philippines: Interview With Floro Dery]</ref>  ...Ooookay.

* Galvatron's design went through at least seven versions, with the final version being a simplified version of one depicting Galvatron as having mostly exposed mechanical components.<ref>[http://hometown.aol.com/kuest12/grp.html The Making of the Transformers Visual Universe: Galvatron, Rodimus Prime]</ref>

* Just as Megatron's fusion cannon was sometimes shown in commercials to have a handle, Galvatron's cannon had a trigger on at least one occasion (during "[[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2]]").  Galvatron apparently doesn't need to ''use'' the trigger, however, several times in season three, he behaved as if he was, holding his cannon with his fist vertically, rather than horizontally, while having one finger in front of the others... go figure.

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/1986/Decepticon/Galvatron/galvatron.htm Galvatron at TFU.info]
* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Galvatron Galvatron's Universe profile at NTFA.net]
*[http://www.tf.to2k.co.uk/fiction/whogalvatron.html ''Who Was Galvatron?'' at Transformers Omniverse]

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}




[[Category: Classics characters]]
[[Category: Decepticons]]
[[Category: Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category: Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category: Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category: Headmasters characters]]
[[Category: Kiss Players characters]]
[[Category: MyClone]]
[[Category: Rulers of Cybertron]]
[[Category: Titanium Series]]
[[Category: Unicron-related characters]]
[[Category: Universe (2008)]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>