Termagax

Termagax is an Ascenticon from the 2019 IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

Termagax used to be a major player in Cybertronian society. An accomplished bot-of-all-trades, the scientist, philosopher, teacher, engineer, and historian took a keen interest in the development of Cybertron, and its newest members, encouraging her students to forge their own future, regardless of fear.

That was a long time ago. Now, the once brilliant mind has become a bitter, anti-social recluse, quite content to ignore and be ignored by the outside world, unconcerned as to the world she helped shape, and the monsters she has unwittingly helped create.

“	Sometimes the price of progress is shattering the present.	”
—Scrapper quoting Termagax, Constructicons Rising, Part 4

Fiction

2019 IDW continuity

First appearance: Transformers #1 (mentioned), Transformers #8 (full appearance)

Termagax was among those who witnessed the rampage of the monstrous first combiner. Constructicons Rising, Part 3 A deep thinker and a believer in the right to self-determination, her early writings emphasized the importance of freedom and the right to control one's own destiny: by ignoring the traditions of the past, she opined, a 'bot could pave the way for a free and open future for the next generation. The World In Your Eyes Part One She was good friends with Wheeljack, although her unconventional ideas sometimes clashed with his traditional approach. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay During the Age of Expansion, Termagax took in at least one newly-forged Cybertronian; her convictions had a profound effect on the young Transformer Megatron, who came to embrace and champion the values of idealism and self-determination that she held dear. The Change In Your Nature Part Three

After the end of the War of the Threefold Spark, Termagax and Wheeljack helped supervise the rebuilding of Iacon, which had been ravaged by the conflict. Whereas some 'bots saw only devastation, Termagax saw an opportunity to do more than just rebuild what had stood before.' Iacon into something better. To this end, she recruited six visionary young builders, and allowed these "Constructicons" to take the lead on reshaping the city into something better—although these unorthodox ideas rattled the more conservative Wheeljack. Indeed, when the six builders discovered the Enigma of Combination beneath Rivets Field, Termagax saw this as an opportunity to push them to the next level, and gave them the opportunity to become a combiner, pooling their strengths and talents to become the ultimate builder. Constructicons Rising, Part 1 Mastering their combined form was a difficult process, but with Termagax's coaching the team soon mastered their new form and put it to good use, despite Wheeljack's own concerns. Constructicons Rising, Part 3 However, the ascension of NOminus Prime to the Senate and the ratification of the Nominus Edict quickly pushed Termagax into the political battleground to argue the Constructicons' case to the Senate after Wheeljack raised his concerns to the leader of Cybertron. Though Nominus allowed them to rebuild Iacon, he made it clear that, once their job was done, they were to leave the planet to work on the colonial refineries, a position that Termagax reluctantly agreed with. Before the team left for the planet Mayalx, she met them at Iacon's spaceport and cautioned them to be wary of those 'bots who Nominus Prime had previously exiled. Constructicons Rising, Part 3

Deprived of her promising students, Termagax made it her duty to become one of Nominus Prime's most ardent critics, decrying the increasing stultification of Cybertronian society under the Nominus Edict while pushing for a return to the days of Cybertronian conquest and colonization. The Change In Your Nature Part Three Despite considerable opposition from the Autobot-controlled Senate, Termagax was able to source the resources and manpower required to construct the Winged Moon, a re-engineered planetoid that distilled energon from the fabric of space-time, and the Tether that connectd it to Cybertron. The grandiose project did not make her popular with the Autobots, however, and some three hundred kilocycles before the Great War she informed Wheeljack that the Senate had requested she not embark on any large-scale engineering projects. During one shift with Wheeljack, Termagax informed him that she had a new plan—she would run for political office, in the hopes that she could reform the system from the inside and repeal the Nominus Edict. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay When the Winged Moon came online, Termagax, who had already begun laying the groundwork for her campaign, sent Megatron in her place to take in the sight of her masterpiece. Orion Pax: Free Fall

Termagax founded the Ascenticon party, a group that adhered to her writings and idolized her as the first of their number. The World In Your Eyes Part One Megatron was an early recruit to the cause, and the party's populist message of reform allowed it to gain mainstream appeal; The Change In Your Nature Part Three Despite some early political success, however, Termagax grew frustrated at the intransigence of the Senate and their reluctance to accept her ideas; her anger obfuscated her cause and further radicalised her supporters. Thirty kilocycles before the Great War, she abandoned the Ascenticon cause and left society altogether, believing that her species had become too encumbered by rules and law. In her last conversation with Wheeljack, she told him that she trusted her protege Megatron to keep the Ascenticon flame alive; if he was truly her friend, she told him, then he would help build up Megatron into the kind of leader he needed to be. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay

Termagax took up residence in a new tower far from civilization, busying herself with a bohemian lifestyle and many projects. Starscream was known to pop by every few kilocycles to see if the visionary would return to society, and she forced him away on one occasion by detonating a shock drone beside his head. The World In Your Eyes Part Four The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Two In time, Megatron himself would come to understand that Termagax had lacked conviction in her own ideas and a willingness to see them through; as the ex-miner grew more and more involved in the Ascenticon movement, he rationalized that only he had the strength to impose his will on Cybertron. The Change In Your Nature Part Three Thanks to Megatron's provocation tactics, the peaceful movement grew increasingly radicalized and violent. The World In Your Eyes Part One

At Brainstorm's funeral, Orion wondered how Termagax would view the recent surge in violent acts and if she might be open to giving a public statement denouncing the violence only for Megatron to remind him of the visionary's seclusion. The World In Your Eyes Part Four

After Rubble's death, Megatron went to visit Termagax to make an appraisal of her state and whether or not she would be coming out of seclusion anytime soon. Barely looking up from her work, Termagax saw her pupil out, dryly noting she'd been right in saying that the government would never change. Once he'd left, Megatron contacted Soundwave and informed him that Termagax could be expected not to interfere with their upcoming plans. The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Two

When Wheeljack learnt of the Rise's attack on the Winged Moon, he exasperatedly asked Enemy if they'd fallen so low that their spiritual founder's legacy now meant nothing to them. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay

Notes

• "Termagax" may be a play on "termagant", an English stage theatre term meaning either 'stock bully character' or 'pagan god'.
• Termagax's name is similar to that of a mentor to Megatron in another continuity: Terminus. Coincidence..?