:''General Blitz is a [[human]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
:''Garrison Kreiger is an [[I.R.O.N.]]-aligned [[human]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:First Strike 0 - Kreiger and the Talisman.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"I.R.O.N. science sneers at Cybertronian life!"]]
[[File:First Strike 0 - Kreiger and the Talisman.jpg|thumb|right|"I promise to hurt you the right way, with cartoonish physical violence and elaborate traps made out of strange things I bought over the Internet."]]
[[Human]]s rarely pose much of a threat to the [[Transformer]]s, but '''Garrison Kreiger''', aka '''General Blitz''', has made overcoming that hurdle his life's work. Driven by his goal of personal power and glory, Kreiger has used his connections from his days as the CEO of [[I.R.O.N.]] to slowly amass a thorough knowledge of the Cybertronian race, gathering samples of their technology and biology to determine their strengths, weaknesses... and weapons capable of taking them down. Kreiger's self-made cybernetic implants speak to the efficiency of his reverse-engineering skills, having already prolonged his life by several decades.
'''Garrison Kreiger''', aka '''General Blitz''', is an Axis leader turned terrorist leader of the [[I.R.O.N.|I.R.O.N. Army]], making him two villains in one.
Though Kreiger's plans tend towards the grandiose, bombastic, and far-reaching, he is an intelligent, charismatic villain who thinks several steps ahead of the competition. He is just charismatic enough to convince even the most disparate individuals to stand with him, just as long as they're useful to him. The moment they're ''not'', however, they'll be left out to dry while Kreiger consolidates his gains and escapes.
==Fiction==
===Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''Story of Binaltech''====
In [[2004]], General Kreiger and [[Iron Klaw|Count von Rani]] together led the [[Concurrence]], a cabal of [[human]]s who planned to drive all [[Transformer]]s away from [[Earth]], turning the [[Solar System]] into a robot-free "resort". To accomplish this, the Concurrence began creating [[Decepticon]] [[Binaltech (technology)|Binaltech]]s to challenge the [[Autobot]] Binaltechs. {{storylink|Expose All of Evil's Designs!}}
==Fiction==
====''Legends'' comic====
===''Story of Binaltech''===
Kreiger was still part of the Concurrence in [[2021]] and sat in a meeting where they discussed using the Mutant [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmasters]] trapped in the [[Legends World]] to destroy the [[Autobot]]s and rule the galaxy. {{Storylink|Mutant Targetmaster Birth Chapter}} He was later part of the forces of the Concurrence that attempted to invade [[Tera-Kura Co.]] and use the company's resources to take over the [[Legends World]]. But thanks to [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s actions, the Concurrence were forced to flee the universe. {{Storylink|LG63 G2 Megatron}}
According to [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Agent Faireborne]]'s investigations, General Kreiger and [[Iron Klaw|Count von Rani]] together led the [[Concurrence]], a cabal of [[human]]s who planned to drive all [[Transformer]]s away from [[Earth]], turning the [[Solar System]] into a robot-free "resort". To accomplish this, the Concurrence began creating [[Decepticon]] [[Binaltech]]s to challenge the [[Autobot]] Binaltechs. {{storylink|Expose All of Evil's Designs!}}
===''TransTech''===
===''TransTech''===
During [[World War II]], Kreiger—under his ''nom de guerre'' General Blitz—led the I.R.O.N. Army, [[Kalistan]]'s elite force. Somehow he'd made contact with the Decepticons and was using their super-science to help the Axis-aligned Kalistan in the war, much to the interest of the Allies. 'Blitz' would experiment on that real American hero, [[Sgt. Savage]].
During [[World War II]], Kreiger—under his ''nom de guerre'' General Blitz—led the [[I.R.O.N.|I.R.O.N. Army]], [[Kalistan]]'s elite force. Somehow he'd made contact with the Decepticons and was using their super-science to help the Axis-aligned Kalistan in the war, much to the interest of the Allies. 'Blitz' would experiment on that real American hero, [[Sgt. Savage]].
It was he who named Kalistan's team the Invasion, Reconnaissance, Occupation, and Neutralization Army. [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|Hawk]] has to admit that guy has a flair for the dramatic! {{storylink|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter, 2016/05/01}}
It was he who named Kalistan's team the Invasion, Reconnaissance, Occupation, and Neutralization Army. [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|Hawk]] has to admit that guy has a flair for the dramatic! {{storylink|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter, 2016/05/01}}
===IDW Generation 1 Continuity===
===2005 IDW continuity===
[[File:SecretOfTheMummy'sTomb-WWII.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The guy on the left. Definitely not evil. No, definitely not.]]
{{main|Merklynn}}
Allegedly the son of [[Germany|German]] immigrants, Garrison Kreiger joined the United States military before 1939, driven by a desire to "prove himself" in the face of anti-German sentiment. In 1943, he had become a Second Lieutenant in the army and was assigned to the [[Screaming Eagles]], a special tactics unit led by daring do-gooder [[Sgt. Savage|Sergeant Robert Savage]]. {{storylink|Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook issue 2|Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #2}}
While on a mission in [[Kalistan]], the Screaming Eagles encountered mysterious [[IRON Trooper|robotic soldiers]] fighting for the Axis. One of these robots managed to land a hit on Kreiger, scarring his left eye. But the encounter inspired Kreiger... {{storylink|The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb}}
Late into the war, the Screaming Eagles wound up in Paris as part of the European resistence. While on a routine patrol, they encountered more of the strange mechanical soldiers, who had been drawn a pair of metal goliaths battling it out. After defeating his [[Eukarian Shockwave|opponent]], [[Centurion (IDW)|the victor]] asked the Screaming Eagles for help finding the [[Axalon (BW)|ship]] that had brought him to Earth, so that he could die in peace.
The trio tracked the ship to [[Brasnya]], where more robotic troops swarmed them. Savage held the machines off as Kreiger and their metallic associate investigated the ship's ruins. Kreiger found evidence of a mysterious "[[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]]" that he figured had been conjuring the soldiers; Centurion confirmed, explaining that it had once belonged to his master. Before Centurion could explain ''who'' [[Onyx Prime|that master was]], there was a loud sound from outside: the remains of Centurion's [[Domitius Major|commanding officer]], reanimated by the drones. As Kreiger watched the Eukarian brawl with the creatures, he determined the drones were being controlled by the Talisman. As he did, the drones did ''something'' that made the ship and the Sergeant himself vanish without a trace. As he saw a furious Centurion fell his former commander's remains, Kreiger was inspired. He knew the Talisman was on Earth, and he vowed to find it. Of course, with the sergeant gone, he needed a new ally. So he reached out to the devastated Eukarian, offering to help him... {{storylink|Strange Visitors}}
Over the next several decades, Krieger spent years hunting down what he called "Binaltech". In [[1984]], he finally found it in an [[Egypt]]ian pyramid with the help of Dr. [[Elliot March]], whom he promptly killed. In the ruins, Kreiger found the Talisman and began using it to animate and control a horde of robots before sending out a distress beacon. This attracted not only the attention of [[Joe Colton]] and his [[Adventure Team]], but also [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]]. A battle ensued between the team and Soundwave, until the Cybertronian decided to leave, having realized the Talisman wasn't his goal. In the aftermath, Kreiger took the device for himself without giving his "rescuers" so much as a "thank you". {{storylink|The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb}}
A few years later, a depressed [[Atomic Man|Mike "Atomic Man" Power]] came to him, seeking further upgrades to his cyborg prostheses. Though professing good intentions, Kreiger instead subjected Power to a battery of cruel experiments involving the Talisman and Power's augmented physiology. Though [[Bulletman|Richard Ruby]], believed that he had murdered Atomic Man, {{storylink|The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb}} he had actually set up a fortified laboratory in the crater left behind by the ''Axalon'', where he stored the Atomic Man's mangled but still-living body. {{storylink|Strange Visitors}} Krieger was dishonorably discharged for his crimes, though it didn't bother him much — he had far greater ambitions by this point. {{storylink|Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook issue 2|Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #2}}
"Garrison Kreiger", alias "Blitz", was the human guise of the alien wizard [[Merklynn]].
Kreiger continued to study the mysterious workings of the Talisman, analyzing its links to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Eukaris]], [[Microspace]], and the [[Dire Wraith]]s. Eventually, he was able to completely reverse-engineer its secret and create numerous replicas of the device. {{storylink|The Iron Klaw}} Bolstered by his discoveries, Kreiger established the "[[I.R.O.N.|International Robotics Operations Network]]". {{storylink|The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb}} As the decades passed, he began replacing his body parts with cybernetics derived from his study of the Talisman. {{storylink|Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook issue 2|Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #2}} He also managed to recover the bodies of "[[Domitius Major|Optimus Prime]]" and "[[Eukarian Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]" and studied them, eventually combining their bodies with several IRON troopers to turn them into an advanced security system for his lab. {{storylink|Power and Glory}}
By this point, more than a century old, Kreiger disappeared from the public eye a few years prior to [[2017]]. {{storylink|The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb}} Before his absence, however, he ceded control of I.R.O.N. to [[Tomax and Xamot|Tomax Paoli]], who became the interim CEO of the company. {{storylink|The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb}}
Unknown to the world, Kreiger had begun working with a consortium of villainous characters to study and utilize the Talisman for their own ends. Some time after his "disappearance", Kreiger found the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s. Using his knowledge of Cybertronian biology, he found a way to mind-control them, using a copy of the Talisman to improve on a previous failed [[combiner]] experiment and create [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]]. The brainwashed Predacons became private shock troops for [[Iron Klaw|Count von Rani]], a Kalistan native who was also the majority shareholder of I.R.O.N. and one of Kreiger's villainous acquaintances. {{storylink|The Iron Klaw}}
Shortly after Garrison Blackrock accidentally stumbled upon the Talisman, Kreiger was in von Rani's castle, when he received a visit from Tomax Paoli, Kreiger's choice to replace him as CEO of I.R.O.N., and his allies's choice of replacement Cobra Commander. The former Cobra leader had caught Blackrock, and brought him to Kreiger so the man could have a look at him, an opportunity Kreiger took, determined to find out ''why'' the Talisman reacted to Blackrock. Before he could get started, however, Baron Ironblood noticed [[Snake-Eyes|an intruder]] lurking in the shadows. On Ironblood's warning that the former Joe wasn't working alone, Kreiger unleashed the Predacons. With Snake Eyes apparently subdued, Kreiger questioned Paoli about his success working on "Project: Iceman" in San Francisco, at which point Paoli turned out to be the ''real'' Snake Eyes, the other being a robot duplicate. Thanks to Snake Eyes, and the actions of his allies, Kreiger lost both Blackrock and the Predacons.
In the aftermath, Baron Ironblood declared they had no choice but to scrub Centurion and Paoli. {{storylink|The Iron Klaw}} Visiting Paoli in person, Kreiger warned him of the incoming band of "Revolutionaries", telling him he was merely bait, and didn't care what Paoli told them when caught. After Paoli and Centurion were taken in by the team, Kreiger took part in a conference call with his allies, preparing to travel to Brasnya, stating his presence was "needed" to finish what they were planning. {{storylink|Strange Visitors}}
[[Image:SgtSavage-GeneralBlitz.jpg|thumb|250px|Doctor General Garrison Garrett "Blitz" Kreiger Stromm has almost as many looks as he does names!]]
[[Image:SgtSavage-GeneralBlitz.jpg|thumb|250px|''I've fooooooound a brand-new best friend and it's me!'']]
*General Garrison Kreiger AKA General Blitz, hails from ''Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles'', an early '90s attempt to rebrand the ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' toyline to stave off faltering sales. It presented Kreiger as an [[United States of America|American]] soldier in [[World War II]] who defected to the I.R.O.N. Army (the main [[Wikipedia:Axis powers|Axis power]] in that universe) and had become its leader by the modern day.<ref>[http://www.yojoe.com/filecard/95/genblitz.shtml General Blitz's filecard on YoJoe.com]</ref> This franchise had a short life, ending when [[Kenner]] took over [[Hasbro]]'s "boys' toys" brands and replaced it with ''G.I. Joe Extreme''. That series continued to feature the [[Sgt. Savage]] character, but against a new villain: Count von Rani, aka [[Iron Klaw]], and his paramilitary organization S.K.A.R. The I.R.O.N. Army was referred to in one episode, but not Blitz. It was the ''TransTech'' Facebook pages that finally brought more of his backstory into ''Transformers'' fiction, as well as inventing a tie between Sgt. Savage's two enemies (previously the I.R.O.N. Army and S.K.A.R. were unrelated).
*General Garrison Kreiger AKA General Blitz, hails from ''Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles'', an early '90s attempt to rebrand the ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' toyline to stave off faltering sales. It presented Kreiger as an [[United States of America|American]] soldier in [[World War II]] who defected to the [[I.R.O.N.]] Army (the main {{w|Axis powers|Axis power}} in that universe) and had become its leader by the modern day.<ref>[http://www.yojoe.com/filecard/95/genblitz.shtml General Blitz's filecard on YoJoe.com]</ref> This franchise had a short life, ending when [[Kenner]] took over [[Hasbro]]'s "boys' toys" brands and replaced it with ''G.I. Joe Extreme''. That series continued to feature the [[Sgt. Savage]] character, but against a new villain: Count von Rani, aka [[Iron Klaw]], and his paramilitary organization [[S.K.A.R.]] The I.R.O.N. Army was referred to in one episode, but not Blitz. It was the ''TransTech'' Facebook pages that finally brought more of his backstory into ''Transformers'' fiction, as well as inventing a tie between Sgt. Savage's two enemies (previously the I.R.O.N. Army and S.K.A.R. were unrelated).
*In the lone direct-to-video ''Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles'' episode, General Blitz is voiced by [[Transformers brand|''Transformers'']] alumnus [[Garry Chalk]].
*In the lone direct-to-video ''Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles'' episode, General Blitz is voiced by [[Transformers brand|''Transformers'']] alumnus [[Garry Chalk]].
{{--}}
*In real life, the German surname is spelled "{{w|Krieger_(surname)|Krieger}}". The ''Joe'' franchise spells it inauthentically but pronounced it correctly as "CREE-gurr" in the ''Sgt. Savage'' episode.
*Due to some funny continuity magic, the IDW continuity contains ''both'' the Iron Army (led by General Blitz) and the I.R.O.N. company (led by Garrison Kreiger).
Kreiger was still part of the Concurrence in 2021 and sat in a meeting where they discussed using the Mutant Targetmasters trapped in the Legends World to destroy the Autobots and rule the galaxy. Mutant Targetmaster Birth Chapter He was later part of the forces of the Concurrence that attempted to invade Tera-Kura Co. and use the company's resources to take over the Legends World. But thanks to Megatron's actions, the Concurrence were forced to flee the universe. LG63 G2 Megatron
During World War II, Kreiger—under his nom de guerre General Blitz—led the I.R.O.N. Army, Kalistan's elite force. Somehow he'd made contact with the Decepticons and was using their super-science to help the Axis-aligned Kalistan in the war, much to the interest of the Allies. 'Blitz' would experiment on that real American hero, Sgt. Savage.
I've fooooooound a brand-new best friend and it's me!
General Garrison Kreiger AKA General Blitz, hails from Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles, an early '90s attempt to rebrand the G.I. Joe toyline to stave off faltering sales. It presented Kreiger as an American soldier in World War II who defected to the I.R.O.N. Army (the main Axis power in that universe) and had become its leader by the modern day.[1] This franchise had a short life, ending when Kenner took over Hasbro's "boys' toys" brands and replaced it with G.I. Joe Extreme. That series continued to feature the Sgt. Savage character, but against a new villain: Count von Rani, aka Iron Klaw, and his paramilitary organization S.K.A.R. The I.R.O.N. Army was referred to in one episode, but not Blitz. It was the TransTech Facebook pages that finally brought more of his backstory into Transformers fiction, as well as inventing a tie between Sgt. Savage's two enemies (previously the I.R.O.N. Army and S.K.A.R. were unrelated).
In the lone direct-to-video Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles episode, General Blitz is voiced by Transformers alumnus Garry Chalk.
In real life, the German surname is spelled "Krieger". The Joe franchise spells it inauthentically but pronounced it correctly as "CREE-gurr" in the Sgt. Savage episode.
Due to some funny continuity magic, the IDW continuity contains both the Iron Army (led by General Blitz) and the I.R.O.N. company (led by Garrison Kreiger).
