Maccadam

This article is a featured article, and considered to be one of the most informative on this wiki.

The name or term "Maccadam" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Maccadam (disambiguation).

Old Maccadam had a bar, ee-eye ee-eye oh...

The little-seen Maccadam is the owner of Maccadam's Old Oil House, the most popular dive bar on Iacon's lower east side. The burly bot occasionally tends the bar himself, and keeps two ironclad rules: anyone who pays can drink, and NO FIGHTS.

Rumors swirl around Maccadam between his establishment's preternaturally pure oil and his deft ability to extricate he and his from the turmoil outside.

The mundane:

• That he's older than he looks.
• That no one has ever seen his alt mode.
• That he's the little brother of the high muckety-muck across town Alpha Trion.

The fantastical:

• That he was once a Prime.
• That his bar somehow straddles dimensions, maybe even the realm of the dead.
• That his signature spectacles have mysterious powers that let him see right through your spark.

The outlandish:

• That he's really Alchemist Prime, sixth of the primordial Thirteen, a demigod with dominion over the elements who was one of the few of the Cybertronian pantheon who chose to walk among mortals when the rest receded into myth.

How much of that is true? Some of it? All of it? Maybe sit down and buy a drink first before you start asking personal questions, pal.

Conceptual history

The earliest known concept exploration for Alchemist Prime, far bottom right.

The character that would become the Transformers' patron saint of pubs existed for thirty-odd years as little more than a name on a sign. Implicitly introduced with the first appearance of his titular bar in 1986 in the eighty-second issue of the United Kingdom's portion of the Generation 1 Marvel comic by Simon Furman and Ron Smith, who exactly the "Maccadam" in "Maccadam's Old Oil House" was went unexplored until the bar's appearance in 2004's The Ultimate Guide, again by Furman, established Maccadam as an unseen figure rumored by his sozzled patrons to be a member of the mythical Thirteen Original Transformers. This characterization was notably placed next to an image of the bar prominently featuring a mustachioed bartender first seen in issue #240 of the Marvel UK comic, leading to the real-life rumor that he was Maccadam, in defiance of the "unseen" bit. That same year, ibooks' Transformers Legends prose anthology (notably also including input by Furman) featured the first story to impart an overtly supernatural character to the bar and its management. In "Prime Spark" by Sean P. Fodera, a group of temporarily departed Optimuses find themselves cajoled into a team building exercise in a back room of the previously-ordinary Maccadams' before being shooed out for the next group of ghostly patrons by a bartender who, when pressed, simply said he had been instructed to reserve the room and keep them topped off.

Later and elsewhere, Hasbro's long-gestating "definitive" roster for the Thirteen developed by 2000s brand architect Aaron Archer for the 2010s' unified "Aligned continuity" project featured a character with power over "matter" that became the elemental master "Alchemist Prime" by the time of the pantheon's full debut in 2013's Covenant of Primus. At this point unrelated to Maccadam, Alchemist was nonetheless characterized as one of two Primes to remain on Cybertron following the group's dissolution along with mainstay of the Transformers' present day Alpha Trion. The next year, John Barber's slow burn introduction of the Thirteen to IDW Publishing's long-running Generation 1 continuity would characterize Alchemist himself as the source of drunken rumors of divinity in Cybertron's feudal era.

The Marvel bartender (middle left) appears among Fun Publications' Thirteen.

2015 would see BotCon purveyor Fun Publications seize on the commonality, as a contribution by brand historian Chris McFeely to the in-universe advice column Ask Vector Prime gave a nod to the old Ultimate Guide gag with another rumor that Alchemist remained on the Cybertron of the modern day as a "simple barkeep." Fun Publications would only ramp up from there, characterizing Alchemist Prime as an incarnation of the Greek god Dionysus before separately depicting a guy suspiciously similar to the Marvel bartender as a member of the Thirteen in the finale to their Thirteen storyline in a cameo referencing both Ultimate Guide rumors at once.

Maccadam's big break came in 2018 as he was finally explicitly depicted for the first time as a regular cast member in the Cyberverse cartoon, here characterized as a mysterious bartender sporting spectacles remarkably similar to Alchemist Prime's signature mystical doohickeys while offering cryptic advice to Bumblebee and pals. A fifteen year running gag subsequently ceased being a gag in the run-up to the show's season 3 finale when the capstone to Maccadam's arc saw him formally re-introduce himself to Optimus Prime as Alchemist Prime of the Thirteen and claim the traditional mantle of Optimus's spirit guide within the Matrix of Leadership. Alchemist subsequently cameoed in the creation myths of IDW's rebooted 2019 continuity doing his element-manipulation thing in a direct port of Cyberverse Maccadam's character model.

Following his silver screen debut standing around in some crowd scenes in 2024's Transformers One, the final noteworthy appearance of the maker of mixology as of this writing occurred in the Thirteen-themed Age of the Primes. Acting on that toyline's prime directive to create definitive versions of the definitive roster of the Thirteen Primes, designers Mark Maher and Tomoki Tatsumi blended all of the above, producing a figure heavily based on the Cyberverse Maccadam design with the colors and mustache of the Marvel bartender and the requisite accessories and gimmicks of the Alchemist Prime of the Covenant, with a bio referencing the Ultimate Guide to outright state "It is rumored that Maccadam, owner of the old bar Maccadam's, is Alchemist Prime."

Fiction

Marvel The Transformers comics

Spit and polish, that's the way.

This character appeared exclusively in the UK portion of the Marvel Comics continuity.

Maccadam was working the night Quickswitch was meant to meet his Decepticon contact to receive information vital to the Autobot resistance. Unfortunately the party was crashed by a pair of Mecannibals (on the trail of Dreadwind and Darkwing) who had eaten Rocky. Quickswitch fought off the Mecannibals, levelling the building in the process. Out to Lunch!

The Ultimate Guide

Accorded Neutral Territory.

Maccadam's secrecy led to rumors that he was one of the original Thirteen Transformers.

At one point, Maccadam was behind the bar and cleaning glasses, while Zarak Maximus was working on the door and throwing out an unruly patron. Transformers: The Ultimate Guide

Prime Spark

A blue-armored bartender was told by somebody to expect a group of four temporarily deceased Optimuses to arrive in one of the bar's backrooms. He provided a table with four chairs and pitchers of oil for their refreshment. The first arrival was Optimus Prime, whom the bartender reminded of the tab he had running. Three other Optimuses soon arrived to talk over the doubts the first Optimus was having about his leadership. After that, the bartender returned to inform them they needed the room for other purposes they had to leave through the back door, which they did, returning to life. Prime Spark

Aligned continuity family

The Covenant of Primus

Alchemist Prime was the sixth Prime created by Primus to defeat his arch-foe Unicron. These new Primes began strategizing for the upcoming conflict, and Alchemist was one of the Primes who believed that destroying Unicron would have negative repercussions for Primus. As one of the Thirteen's "Free Agents", Alchemist found himself working closely with Solus Prime, Nexus Prime, and Optimus Prime. Conversely, he also befriended the troubled Megatronus.

Fullmetal Alchemist.

As their battle against the chaos bringer drew closer, Alchemist and Nexus Prime developed a strategy to initiate Unicron's "cerebral shutdown", forcing the giant into hibernation. He and Nexus drew up a complicated battle plan for the other members of the Thirteen to follow; they would distract Unicron long enough for Optimus to breach Unicron's Spark chamber and trigger the shutdown. When the Primes took the fight to Unicron, Alchemist fulfilled his duty with aplomb. The triumphant Primes returned to Cybertron, seemingly unscathed, but what they didn't know was that close contact with Unicron had amplified some of their inner darkness.

The Thirteen turned their attention to building a settlement and laying the foundations for civilization and society on Cybertron, dividing themselves into like-minded cliques. Alchemist drifted freely from one group to another, never really gelling with one particular concept or ideal.

The end of the Thirteen came after Prima discovered that Megatronus, Quintus Prime, and Liege Maximo had worked on a secret "farm" of robotic creatures, which Alchemist found troubling. Suspecting a sinister motive, Prima forced the rest of the Thirteen into a vote on the matter, and Alchemist voted against letting the project continue. Furious with the results of the debate, Megatronus inadvertently killed Solus in a dispute that Liege Maximo had orchestrated. Drawn by the commotion, Alchemist arrived in time to see Solus's body return to the Core, its passage creating the Well of All Sparks.

Even after Megatronus offered his side of the story, accusations began to fly. The investigation degenerated into a free-for-all brawl between the remaining twelve siblings, which ended with Maximo getting killed by the Requiem Blaster through uncertain means. Alchemist was badly wounded in the fight, but made a recovery with time.

The survivors buried Liege Maximo's remains in a chasm and held a memorial to Solus Prime in deep space. Hoping to put their ugly past behind them, the Primes then turned their attention to Cybertron and their plans for the future. They decided to use Onyx Prime's Triptych Mask to create a new race of robotic beings, as Primus had created them, with Onyx, Micronus, and Optimus travelling into the Well. They created a wave of Cybertronian creatures which the surviving Primes oversaw.

Know this, I will return to this land! Rebuild where the ruins did stand!

The Primes retired from active life, but continued to guide the earliest Cybertronian civilizations from afar. When the Great Cataclysm threatened the primitive Cybertronians, Alchemist was one of the Primes who helped mitigate the damage wrought to the planet's surface, blasting apart smaller rocks and asteroids before they could impact the surface.

After the Great Cataclysm, the surviving Cybertronians soon forgot about the Thirteen, remembering them only as the heroes of ancient folklore. The Covenant of Primus

Aligned novels

The Aligned novels are a bit of a special case when it comes to the portrayal of Maccadam and Alchemist Prime. See Notes.

The Age of Origins

After Megatronus murdered Solus Prime and Liege Maximo made his bid for power, the Thirteen began to separate. Alchemist Prime and Alpha Trion remained behind on Cybertron and orchestrated the beginnings of Cybertronian civilization. Once the process was well underway, Alchemist headed off into space to hunt down the renegade Liege Maximo. Exiles

Before he left Cybertron, Alchemist Prime had one last conversation with his old friend Alpha Trion. Trion noted that he showed no interest in anything except bringing Liege Maximo to justice. Retribution

The Great War

Supposedly one of the oldest known Cybertronians, Maccadam was alive during the planet's Golden Age, and had operated his bar for almost that long; for whatever reasons, he chose to keep his identity a secret from the bar's patrons. While it was assumed that he was one of the staff, the mysterious Maccadam was, in fact, the bar's piano player, a squat and powerfully-built bot with purple and gold armor and a fancy goatee. Early into the Great War, Maccadam did business with Autobots, Decepticons, and neutrals alike, but when Optimus Prime and his Autobots departed Cybertron, Maccadam refused to keep doing open business with the Decepticons and closed his bar, finding work with Ultra Magnus as his new informant. Using his vast social network and steady supply of drinks to coerce information out of his Decepticon informants, Maccadam became one of the Autobots' chief spymasters, helping to undermine Shockwave's rule over Iacon. Retribution

Alpha Trion, meanwhile, found himself under Shockwave's tightening grip on the Hall of Records. Reflecting on the fates of his siblings as the Decepticons closed in, Trion recalled that "Alchemist Prime" had not been sighted since well before the Age of Wrath, though he chose to believe his brother had succeeded in detaining Maximo. Exiles

Eventually, Magnus and the Wreckers met with Maccadam during their mission to rescue Alpha Trion from Shockwave's custody, explaining the circumstances behind his impromptu career change to Wheeljack over the next hour. Maccadam helped the team lie low in his bar for some time, before eventually learning from his contacts that Shockwave had taken Alpha Trion prisoner so as to harness Vector Sigma, near the core of Cybertron, providing them with a map. Maccadam had been tailed by the Decepticons, however, and moments later his bar was surrounded by Ratbat's security forces — and so Magnus ordered Omega Supreme to cause a distraction by shelling Iacon from afar. While the Wreckers got to safety Maccadam was able to slip away to another one of his hideouts.

Shortly afterwards, a Quintesson invasion force arrived on Cybertron, prompting Maccadam to regroup with the Wreckers and Alpha Trion in his bar. Already aware of the malevolent aliens and their plans for the future of Cybertron, the bartender joined the Wreckers in their mission to destroy the Hall of Records so as to prevent the Sharkticons from seizing the building and harnessing the knowledge within. The group was soon cornered by Tyrannicon, but before the vicious general could foil their plan, he himself was killed by his troops when his Sharkticon soldiers turned on their master as their invasion fell apart. Retribution

Prime cartoon

According to legend, at the beginning of time, Unicron and Primus battled each other for eons, with neither side remaining victorious for long. Till, that is, Primus created the Thirteen. These Thirteen defeated Unicron and cast him into space. One Shall Rise, Part 1

2005 IDW continuity

First appearance: Transformers #35 (mentioned); Till All Are One #9 (obscured image); Optimus Prime #10 (full appearance)

I have plundered time itself, put the world inside it, I'm the mysteries, day and night, divide it.

In the primitive age following the departure of the Knights of Cybertron, Alchemist Prime was one of the many Primes who arose to lead a tribe of like-minded followers. The Crucible Fond of alcohol, Alchemist was rarely seen without a glass in his hand and was prone to frequent bouts of inebriation.

Twelve million years ago, Alchemist Prime joined four other Primes—Vector, Solus, Nexus, and Alpha Trion—and this quintet founded the humble energon-farming village that would one day become the Crystal City. Their fledgling peace was threatened by the advancing armies of Megatronus and his Darklanders, intent on conquering the region. Salvation arrived in the form of Onyx Prime, his army of beast mode Transformers, and Liege Maximo, who raised a fighting force from the villagers.

The next morning, the Primes watched as their forces battled the Darklanders, and were surprised when the battle prompted three Titans to rise from the ground. Origin Myths Unbeknownst to the other Primes, "Onyx Prime" was simply an alias assumed by a time-travelling Shockwave, who, using his historical knowledge, had deliberately engineered the battle to bring the Primes together against a common threat. His mission fulfilled, "Onyx" was able to reach his pupil Megatronus and convinced him and his forces to lay down arms, joining the other Primes in mutual cooperation. The First Who Was Named Origin Myths

In the ensuing celebration that commemorated this new alliance, Alchemist Prime got drunk after consuming rancid Engex while conversing with "Onyx Prime" — using his understanding of Cybertron's past to steer history along its preordained course, "Onyx" spoke to Alchemist Prime about a "Dark Cybertron prophecy" and a "chosen one," Origin Myths setting in motion the prophecies that Shockwave's younger self would one day learn about and harness. The First Who Was Named Alchemist would drunkenly recall what "Onyx Prime" had told him to Alpha Trion, who wondered if "Onyx" had begun spinning tales for his own personal gain. Origin Myths

"Actually, there is no Tipsy McStagger. He’s just a composite of other successful logos."

Over the next two million years, the founders of the Crystal City united with Prima and his northern alliance, becoming the Thirteen. The First Who Was Named Like the other Primes, Alchemist was affiliated in some fashion with one of the Titans; in his case, Metrobase The Lost Colonies of Cybertron The Thirteen ruled peacefully for a period of time, but "Onyx Prime," knowing that their civilization was doomed to fail, began sowing the seeds of dissent that would cause this collapse. The First Who Was Named The Primes grew increasingly arrogant, however, and sought to maintain their hold on power forever by spreading stories that only a Prime could kill a Prime — stories that, in time, even they came to believe. The Crucible Following a disastrous offworld expedition, Megatronus and Liege Maximo, secretly encouraged by "Onyx", staged a coup against Prima; though Prima survived, Solus Prime sacrificed herself to defend him and Alchemist was slashed by Megatronus' stolen Star Saber as the villain made his escape.

He recovered in time to watch as Liege Maximo was imprisoned and banished from Cybertron aboard the Titan Vigilem; following the deaths of both Prima and Megatronus, some years later, he joined the remaining Primes as they commemorated Prima's body by interring it within Prima's Titan Emissary. The First Who Was Named

When Nexus Prime perished at the hands of Galvatron during the subsequent First Cybertronian Civil War, the news that the Primes were not immortal quickly spread, and the surviving Primes chose to flee Cybertron entirely. Eons later, the younger Shockwave would send one of his Regenesis ores, Ore-6, to the planet Arduria, a world associated with Alchemist. The Crucible The First Who Was Named Ceremony

Millions of years later, Galvatron, while mocking Scoop's religion, recounted Alchemist Prime's inebriated state when he supposedly came up with the prophecy of "the Chosen One". Signals, Calls, and Marches

Elsewhere, a figure that may have been Maccadam appeared on the sign of Maccadam's New Oil House in Iacon. Post Hoc

Regeneration One

Following the effects of Scorponok's Gene Key on the populace of Cybertron, Maccadam was sweeping up debris outside his bar. Destiny, Part One

Kre-O online comic

First Aid and Hot Spot had a conversation at Maccadam's bar, where he was cleaning a mug. Bad at Fighting? Rescue Team Protectobots, Dispatch!

Fun Publications

I was the keeper of the books! I had the knowledge of the scrolls!

One of the more absurd rumors in Axiom Nexus about Galva Convoy was that he was Maccadam. BotCon 2015 Galva Convoy bio

In some of Vector Prime's memories during the Thirteen's time in Greece on ancient Earth, Alchemist Prime used a holomatter avatar which, combined with his fondness for the imbibing concoctions of all sorts, inspired the myth of Dionysus. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/20 Vector recalled how he had nothing but happy times with Alchemist in these days. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/08 At another time, Vector and Alchemist together defended the planet Karn against the Swarm. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/14 Vector Prime theorized that if Alchemist Prime wielded Rhisling, the weapon would take on properties based on transmutation while losing its power to manipulate time. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/20

According to Vector, some on Cybertron say Alchemist walks the planet still, pretending to be a simple publican whose pub is a place of peace in wartime. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/14

On the eve of the Unicron War, Maccadam learned of Sideways and Gong's plan to destabilize reality after the two rubbed shoulders at his bar. Using his powers, the bartender was able to seek out his brother Vector Prime and warn him of the threat that the mischievous duo posed to space and time. Echoes and Fragments

As Nexus Prime united the Terminus Blade and the Star Saber, he felt his siblings among the Thirteen being drawn to the event. Time and space were rewritten that day, as the walls between the multiverse grew stronger and less permeable. A consequence of strengthening the multiverse was that Alchemist Prime and the original Thirteen could no longer continue to exist as multiversal singularities, and so they were splintered and scattered throughout the multiverse. And so the one became many, sentient reoccurring themes each appearing in their own way, if at all, in all the worlds of the multiverse. Out of the One, Many

Power of the Primes marketing material

Alchemist Prime's Spark passed into the possession of one of the twelve Prime Masters; hidden within a suit of decoy armor, they safeguarded the abilities of the Primes until the present day. By uniting with a larger Transformer, the Prime Master could channel the powers of Alchemist's Spark and grant them unique abilities that varied with each new partner. Power of the Primes Submarauder / Alchemist Prime online bio

For a list of every permutation of Alchemist Prime's abilities, see this link.

War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon

Alchemist Prime, wearing his Submarauder decoy armor, floated around in the Dead Universe. Earthrise episode 5

Cyberverse cartoon

Voice actor: Dick Terhune (English), Yōji Ueda (Japanese), Robert Dubois (French), Sven Brieger (German), Róbert Bolla (Hungarian), Pietro Ubaldi (Italian), Luis Vicente Ivars (Castilian Spanish), Sergio Castillo (Latin-American Spanish. season 1 - 2), Pedro D'Aguillon Jr. (Latin-American Spanish, season 3), Nagib Akim (Brazilian Portuguese), Jun-seok Song (Korean)

"They called me Kid Gorgeous. Later on, it was Kid Presentable. Then Kid Gruesome. And finally, Kid Moe."

In days long past, the Cybertronian who would become known as Maccadam was born under the name Alchemist Prime, one of the Thirteen original Primes. Dweller In The Depths Alchemist possessed the ability to see into the future, sharing his knowledge with others via cryptic statements. Maccadam's

It is not known when precisely Alchemist concealed his true identity but he was active during the Age of Expansion, a golden age that saw the great War Titans dispatched to conquer and colonize distant regions of the galaxy. As a crew member aboard one such Titan, the mighty Iaconus, Maccadam took part in several campaigns across multiple alien worlds before the Age of Expansion came to an end. However, Iaconus was unable to adjust to peacetime; deprived of war, the Titan lashed out at Cybertron itself, and Maccadam was one of the many soldiers forced to take down the Titan. The toll that this battle incurred would be great, and Maccadam would be left as the only survivor of the massacre. Over the coming millennia, Iaconus's slumbering form would be covered by the city of Iacon; to keep watch over the Titan, Maccadam turned the head of the Titan into a bar, which he dubbed "Maccadam's Old Oil House". The Citizen Though welcoming to customers from all walks of life, Maccadam held a very strict "no fighting" policy in his bar, and enforced that policy through his power to transform into something so terrifying that no Cybertronian would ever cross him. Maccadam went on to cultivate a status of mystery within Cybertronian society with even some rumours of his status as a Prime leaking out to the citizenry. Maccadam's

In between serving customers from his "private stash" of Energon, Maccadam continued to safeguard Iaconus until the day he would be needed again. These included laying a psychic trap inside Iaconus's systems to prevent any cityspeakers from prematurely activating the Titan, and allowing Skullcruncher free roam of the Titan's lower systems to guard them from intruders. The Citizen

In the years prior to the Great War, Maccadam became close friends with Bumblebee and served him and his new friend Windblade drinks on the night of the Iacon-Polyhex Cube match. When war broke out, Maccadam retained his neutrality and welcomed both Autobots and Decepticons in spite of wartime tensions. One day, Bumblebee brought the Decepticon turncoat Deadlock to the bar only for Megatron to follow, threatening to start a firefight by killing the traitor. Before a firefight could break out, Maccadam loudly barged into the main room before assuming his monstrous alternate mode and declaring that there would be no fighting in his bar. Cowed, Megatron retreated with Maccadam telling Deadlock he was welcome to seek refuge in his bar for as long as he needed. Maccadam's

"You know what I blame this on the breakdown of? Society."

Shortly thereafter, Optimus Prime and Megatron met at the bar to negotiate peace terms, but could not come to an agreement. After Megatron stormed out, Maccadam offered Optimus a drink, explaining that it took 4233 attempts to find the perfect energon blend and to not let this failure discourage his further attempts. Parley When Soundwave defeated Soundblaster in a beatboxing match, Maccadam was tending the bar. The Immobilizers When the Ark was due to launch, Bumblebee and Windblade visited Maccadam one last time. Offering the two a drink of energon from his own private supply, Maccadam revealed he would be staying behind on Cybertron while reassuring the two that, despite being apart, their friendship would endure.

When the two Autobots found themselves on Earth, they realized that Maccadam's habit of saying random nonsensical statements had in fact been prophecies relating to their current adventure, and the barkeep's way of helping them. Maccadam's

Maccadam remained in his bar even as the Quintessons invaded Cybertron, protected from the Prosecutors by Iaconus' still active cloaking module. The Citizen During said invasion, he welcomed several escaped captives and allowed them refuge. The Dead End Continuing to enforce his no-fighting rule, Maccadam stopped a fight from breaking out between Hot Rod and Dead End before he stepped out, tactfully dodging Perceptor's query of why the bar was a safe haven. The Sleeper Aware of what was to come, Maccadam awaited his guests by the cloaking module and deterred them from taking it or reactivating Iaconus. The Citizen After she had been freed from the loop, Windblade tried to awaken the War Titan, managing to have his arm rise to the surface and scare off the Quintesson forces, only for Maccadam to pull her out before the strain became too much for her. The Alliance

After Starscream revealed himself as the new Judge, Maccadam would later be forced to serve energon to Lord Gnaw's Sharkticons and made an exception to his no-fighting rule when Windblade arrived to reawaken Iaconus. He helped her reach the cityspeaker chamber and gave her some advice before he left for the surface. The End Of The Universe II Having long foreseen this to be the day of his death, Maccadam marched to where Starscream had locked up their species and made short work of what remained of the Quintesson army, as the nearby Autobots and Decepticons cringed or gawked in silent horror at the power of Maccadam's true form. Though Hot Rod tried to have Maccadam come with them, the Prime stood tranquilly, knowing that his time was up. Pushing Hot Rod to safety, Maccadam was atomized by a blast from Iaconus (which had been deflected by the brainwashed Croaton), to the shock and grief of both Hot Rod and Iaconus. The End Of The Universe III

As a Prime, however, Maccadam's spirit would persist within the accumulated wisdom of the Matrix of Leadership. After Megatron had brought a Matrix from another reality into theirs, the Primes summoned Optimus into the Matrix where Maccadam spoke to Optimus on the Primes' behalf. After revealing his true identity, Maccadam gave Optimus a simple yet appalling mission: destroy Megatron's Matrix of Leadership. Dweller In The Depths

2019 IDW continuity

"Equivalent Exchange" can kiss my skid plate!

Alchemist Prime was one of the Thirteen. Sea of Rust I According to legend, at the dawn of the Age of the Firstforged, he sculpted the foundations of Crystal City by transmuting the ground into pure crystal. A Dust of Crystals

One film

Alchemist Prime was one of the original thirteen Primes created by Primus. When the Quintessons invaded Cybertron, Alchemist fought with his fellow Primes against them. He would join the Primes in a secret meeting with the Primes' aide Sentinel, unaware that it was a trap. Alchemist would be killed during the battle, with his brothers' and sisters' bodies resting in a hidden cave for fifty cycles before being rediscovered by miners Orion Pax, D-16, Elita, and B-127. A revived Alpha Trion would give Alchemist's transformation cog to one of the miners, unlocking their lost ability to transform into an alternate form and providing a new, improved robot form.

A vision of Alchemist Prime and the other Primes later appeared as Alpha Trion declared a damaged Orion Pax to be the next wielder of the Matrix of Leadership, Optimus Prime. Transformers One

Age of the Primes marketing material

Alchemist Prime was one of the original Thirteen Primes, and bearer of the Lenses. Unlike his siblings, he was said to have remained on Cybertron throughout the ages and rumored in particular to be the titular owner of Maccadam's Old Oil House. Age of the Primes Alchemist Prime bio

Energon Universe

After Optimus Prime found himself in the Hall of the Primes, he saw a statue of Alchemist Prime among the others. Transformers #22 Transformers #23

End of G1 Universe

Alchemist Prime was one of thirteen elected to become Prime Leaders to lead the unified Maximal population of Cybertron. He was part of the Prime Council that berated Leo Prime for allowing Predacons to invade their world from another universe, having used his Lenses to witness the entire situation. Age of Primes

Games

Transformers: Earth Wars

Alchemist Prime Core

Alchemist Prime Core
Information Abilities Bot Core The equipped bot gains lifesteal, healing themself based on the damage dealt. Building Core The equipped building and buildings nearby gains lifesteal, healing themselves based on the damage dealt. Meta information Date added April 12, 2018 (Bot Core) December 15, 2022 (Building Core)
Bot Prime Cores at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki Building Prime Cores at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki

Alchemist Prime's Prime Core (his "heart" as one of the primordial Thirteen Primes) fell to Earth under mysterious circumstances along with those of his siblings to become a hotly contested resource in the Earth Wars. Power of the Primes

Transformers Roleplaying Game

Alchemist Prime was a mystically-minded Prime who preferred drinking to fighting; with his Eldritch Lenses, he could understand properties of matter better than any other Cybertronians. When the Primes fell to fighting, he recused himself from the conflict, and it is rumored that he still walks Cybertron disguised as a humble bartender. The ancient Romans knew him as Bacchus. Transformers One Sourcebook

Toys

Power of the Primes

The bar's brief but disastrous foray into themed dining put people off the fish and chips for cycles.

• Alchemist Prime (Prime Master, 2018)
  • TakaraTomy ID number: PP-10
  • TakaraTomy release date: June 30, 2018
  • Accessories: Submarauder decoy armor, trident

• Known designers: John Warden (Hasbro)

Power of the Primes Alchemist Prime is a Prime Master with Submarauder decoy armor, visually based on the original Pretender's inner robot and shell.

This toy has identical features to the other Prime Masters in the line. The decoy armor has a weapon piece which can fold out to create a weapon mode, or detach and be held in the armor's 3 mm-compatible hand. The Titan Master-like robot can store inside the decoy armor or ride Legends Class figures in vehicle mode, and is fully compatible with toys from the previous Titans Return line. The "Power Swap" gimmick means its spark form can plug onto any decoy armor's weapon form (which has a 5 mm post to be held by larger figures), Deluxe Class figures' chest armor, Voyager Class figures' bucklers, Leader Class figures' Matrix (in place of their Matrix core), combiners' torsos (in place of their Enigma of Combination), or the Scepter of Sparks. With the power of your imagination, this bestows the Prime Master's unique power on the larger figure.

Alchemist Prime was retooled with a new Prime Master sigil as Nexus Prime.

Cyberverse

Takes after daddy right down to turning into nothing.

• Bumblebee (Deluxe Class, 2020)
• Optimus Prime (Deluxe Class, 2020)
• Decepticon Shockwave (Deluxe Class, 2020)
• Megatron (Deluxe Class, 2020)
• Hot Rod (Deluxe Class, 2020)
• Grimlock (Deluxe Class, 2020)
• Arcee (Deluxe Class, 2020)
• Thunderhowl (Deluxe Class, 2020)

This toy of Maccadam is a non-transforming "build-a-figure", the first to be released in the Transformers line since Beast Wars 10th Anniversary Transmutate in 2006. Maccadam can be built from the parts included with the eight figures released in the first two waves of Cyberverse Deluxe Class toys. Maccadam's legs come with Hot Rod and Shockwave, the waist with Bumblebee, the torso with Megatron, the forearms with Grimlock and Optimus, the shoulders and weapon with Arcee, and the head with Thunderhowl.

Maccadam's posability and quality are closer to a main line Warrior class figure than the Deluxes with his parts.

Age of the Primes

When you call me, you can call me Al(chemist Prime).

• The Thirteen Alchemist Prime (Deluxe Class, 2025)

• TakaraTomy name: Alchemist Prime (アルケミストプライム)
• TakaraTomy ID number: AOTP-11
• TakaraTomy release date: 2025 September 27
• Accessories: Lenses (2 pieces)
• Known designers: Mark Maher (Hasbro), Tomoki Tatsumi (TakaraTomy)

Age of the Primes Alchemist Prime is a Deluxe Class figure of the character that turns into an armored car in 17 steps. His sculpting pulls heavily from his Cyberverse incarnation but with the colors of his Marvel bartender look, and blends his Marvel, Covenant of Primus and Cyberverse designs together in the face to create a distinctive new mustachioed, goggled visage.

He is equipped with his Lenses, which can be wielded together as a massive pair of goggles or separately as a set of blades. One of the lenses bears his personal emblem and the Ancient Autobot symbol first seen in "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4," while the other has the insignia of Unicron as first seen on Beast Wars Neo's Blentrons.

Alchemist's instructions show his hands being folded into his forearms a full 90° for transformation. This is not actually possible on the figure, as the underside of the forearm's 5 mm port stops the fists from rotating after a certain point. Trying to follow the instructions is highly likely to create a stress mark where the hand connects to the forearm, and possibly cause the arms to crack. As such, caution should be taken when transforming and when doing anything else involving the hands, it does not take much force for the stress marks to appear. His hands can safely be folded down a little bit, just nowhere near as far as the instructions say. The result is that he has fists somewhat hanging out the back of his vehicle mode. The hinge joints that connect the arms can pop off if excessive force is applied.

Alchemist Prime was revealed at New York Toy Fair 2025.

• Designer commentary on Age of the Primes Alchemist Prime from Mark Maher on Instagram
• Machine translation of Alchemist Prime's TakaraTomy bio

Notes

"Isambard Kingdom Brunel! Wow! Check out my awesome steampunk altmode!"
"What does it do?"
"Check it! Gears!"

• A macadam is a type of pavement predating modern asphalt, made of crushed stone that's compacted into layers then bound with tar. Maccadam's name might have been derived from this, although it's spelled with an additional "c".
• The 2014 Aligned novel Transformers: Retribution features the first instance of another member of the Thirteen interacting with both Alchemist Prime and Maccadam, almost certainly written well before the plan to combine the characters was hatched. While it does not exactly depict a tearful reunion between the brothers when Alpha Trion encounters Maccadam after parting ways with Alchemist eons earlier, it conveniently declines to overtly establish them as strangers either.
• Like all non-toy Transformers in the Kre-O manga, Maccadam uses actual Kre-O parts, specifically the ever-popular Hound helmet piece. His appearance and coloration, as well as his pose, is based on a piece of artwork from Transformers: The Ultimate Guide. The homage is further compounded by Sixshot, Phoenix, and Lander being in the background.
• Maccadam's alternate mode was deliberately never shown on-screen in the Cyberverse cartoon, but we did receive several glimpses of the shadow it cast as part of the running gag (see right); it's apparently massive, towering over everyone in the bar, and covered in gears and weaponry. It also seems to deepen his voice when he's transformed.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Maccadam (マカダム Makadamu), Alchemist Prime (アルケミストプライム Arukemisuto Puraimu)
• Mandarin: Xié Tiān Cuì (撷天萃)

Gallery

• 
  Power of the Primes packaging art.
• 
  War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon.
• 
  One film.
• 
  Age of the Primes
  promotional art.

See also

• Thew Adams