Exarchon

Exarchon is a Transformer from the 2019 IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

Ex, Exx, n' Exxy

Once a leading figure in society, Exarchon was corrupted by forces unknown into the "Threefold Spark", one mind split across many bodies, unleashing the War of the Threefold Spark.

Fiction

2019 IDW continuity

First appearance: Transformers #7 (mentioned); Transformers issue #15 (full appearance)

At some point during the Age of Expansion, Exarchon left Cybertronian space and later returned as a mad warmonger intent on destroying Cybertron. The Change In Your Nature Part Three

The nature of this transformation is not clear, but many Cybertronians believed he'd been deliberately corrupted and unleashed upon his homeworld as a weapon to curtail Cybertron's rampant expansionism. {storylink|Lord of Misrule: Test Flight I|Test Flight I}} Sea of Rust I When Exarchon returned to Cybertron, he first allied with the amoral Shockwave, and the pair developed a revolutionary form of cloning that allowed Cybertronians to raise an army of copies from the planet's living metal—the earliest such experiments yielded Soundblaster, who later became a loyal servant of Shockwave's. Sea of Rust I Armed with advanced technology, Exarchon soon made his presence known to Cybertron, and the battle to stop him became known as the War of the Threefold Spark. The Change In Your Nature Part Three

In battle, Exarchon proved cautious; as his consciousness controlled multiple Cybertronians simultaneously, he rarely put himself in danger by exposing all three of his bodies into the field at any one time. The Change In Your Nature Part Three His prudence didn't prevent Arcee from assassinating at least one of his bodies, although this setback was ultimately temporary, as Exarchon was able to create another "iteration" of himself by usurping a Cybertronian to replace it. Arcee/Greenlight: Run At some point during the war, Exarchon attempted to usurp a Titan; he succeeded with Croaton, but this must have been short-lived, as the Titan Citadel obliterated Croaton with an imploder weapon. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay Titans Light/Star

Other Cybertronians fought for Exarchon voluntarily. The mercurial Skywarp was an early recruit; although Shockwave and Exarchon had hoped that cloning the Seeker would give them an army of teleporting warriors, they were disappointed to note that the Skywarp clones lacked this ability. Escape Part Three At some point, the cannibalistic Insecticons cut a deal with Exarchon and Shockwave, who promised them a clone army in due time. Escape Part Two Of all of Exarchon's soldiers, Turmoil established a reputation for himself as a cruel and ruthless warrior. We Are Not Meant To Be Darkness

At one point during the war, when Yuss was leveled, and Ultra Magnus's assault force had fallen back, Exarchon felt that the battle was over, and began inspecting the battlefield. He found a damaged Megatron, and noted that while the miner was his enemy, he could have been of use. Whatever Exarchon was planning, he didn't have a chance to implement it, as Strika's heavies attacked him and destroyed one of his bodies before Skywarp's clone army saved him. Eventually, Megatron would come to realize that it was Exarchon's will, not his weapons or deeds, that came to truly define his fearsome reputation. The Change In Your Nature Part Three

The final battle of the War of the Threefold Spark was fought approximately two megacycles before the rise of the [{Decepticon]]s, just beyond the city of Iacon. It is unclear if Exarchon hismelf participated in this battle in any way; although his forces were ultimately routed and his plans for interplanetary conquest foiled, Exarchon vanished from history. Most Cybertronians believed that Exarchon had perished, but some noted that they'd never found his body—he war veteran Cyclonus remained unconvinced that he was truly gone and maintained a solitary vigil at the Memorial Crater that marked Exarchon's final defeat. The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part One

When Senator Orion Pax wondered whether he could still trust Megatron, Orion's mentor Codexa told him that Cybertron had once trusted Exarchon before he'd led them to ruin. Orion Pax: Free Fall After accepting the Matrix of Leadership, its Mediator program informed Orion that Exarchon's spark had not yet joined the afterlife.

Alternate future

While experimenting with her teleportation abilities, Jumpstream found herself teleporting out of control, and somehow travelled through time into a future where Exarchon had returned from hiding, stolen the bodies of Megatron, Shockwave, and Onslaught, and conquered the planet. Lord of Misrule: Test Flight I As the de facto ruler of Cybertron, Exarchon held court in the ruined Senate building as his minions—Cybertronian, Thraal, and Voin alike— drained Cybertron's energon and sold Tansformers into slavery. When his Skywarp clones found Jumpstream, she was brought before the ruler of Cybertron; unaware that she'd travelled through time, Exarchon mistook her for a rebel guerilla and ordered his minions to give her to the Thraal mercenaries as a gift. Test Flight II

Notes

• The name "Exarchon" is a portmanteau of the Ancient Greek words "archon" (ἄρχων árchōn) and "exarch" (ἔξαρχος éxarchos). Both originally referred to rulers or other individuals in positions of authority, but in modern English usage have come to be used specifically for religious leaders within the Eastern Orthodox Church.
• In Transformers #15, one of Exarchon's seen bodies is based on Titans Return Deluxe Class Twin Twist. Another (the one destroyed by Strika's Heavies) resembles Prime Wheeljack. Whether this means anything remains to be seen.