Scourge (G1)

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

Scourge is a Decepticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.

File:Scourgeg1tm.jpg

Looks just like daddy.

Scourge is Galvatron's implacable tracker and leader of his own cadré of huntsmen, the deadly Sweeps. He was created by Unicron from the remains of a dead Decepticon. Immensely powerful like all the Unicronian Decepticons, arrogance is his only true weakness. Despite being quite powerful in his own right, Scourge generally acts as a near subordinate to Cyclonus, and, despite his leadership of the Sweeps, is generally content to take orders from others. Scourge tends to grumble and complain a bit (a habit sometimes shared by his Sweeps).

But then again, you'd also complain if your boss spent so much time beating you up, wouldn't you? His Targetmaster partner is Fracas.

What kind of Decepticon are you, ugly?

The ultimate kind!Kup and Scourge, "The Burden Hardest to Bear"

In most timelines Scourge is a creation of Unicron as described above, but there are exceptions where his origin is seemingly unconnected to Unicron, Galvatron, or Cyclonus.

French-Canadian name: Fléo (derived from fléau, meaning "Plague")

Italian name: Sheriff

Hungarian name: Ostor ("Scourge")

Hungarian: Korbács ("Scourge", first Movie dub)

Czech name: Bič ("Whip")

Fiction

Cartoon continuity

Generation 1 cartoon

Voice actors: Stan Jones (English); Shimaka Yutaka → Masaharu Satō (Japanese)

File:G1Scourge.jpg

Van-Dyck of destruction.

Following the Battle of Autobot City in 2005, Scourge was created from the remains of Thundercracker by Unicron. Scourge was designated commander of his legion of huntsmen, the Sweeps, and traveled with his new leader, Galvatron, back to Cybertron. Galvatron, Scourge and Cyclonus then returned to Autobot City and sent the remaining Autobots fleeing into outer space.

After blasting their ship, the Decepticons believed the Autobots dead. Unicron sent a painful message to Galvatron, informing him he was wrong. Galvatron argued the point until Scourge reminded his leader "we belong to him". The Decepticons then tracked the Autobots to the Planet of Junk where Scourge and the Sweeps dismembered Ultra Magnus and stole the Matrix of Leadership. Unicron learned of Galvatron's intended rebellion and attacked Cybertron. Whether Scourge, who was vocally loyal to Unicron, fought to protect Cybertron is unknown. The Transformers: The Movie

After the Decepticons were sent packing to Chaar, Cyclonus and Scourge went on an expedition to track down their lost leader, Galvatron, who hadn't been seen since Unicron went kablooey. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1 They found Galvatron soaking in a lava pit on Thrull, and much to their disappointment, discovered their leader had gone totally nuts. Galvatron was set to plow his way through his minions before Scourge took to bended knee and appealed to Galvatron's ego to stop. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2 Scourge and Cyclonus took their leader back to Chaar to command the Decepticon army, only to find the planet all but deserted. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3 It turned out that the other Decepticons had allied with the Quintessons, which after some negotiation led to a Decepticon-Quintesson joint attack on Cybertron. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4 Scourge participated in this attack, but the Decepticons were eventually driven away. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5

Scourge and his Sweeps were working with Galvatron and Cyclonus to hunt Rodimus Prime, when they came across the Autobot Mausoleum in deep space. Infiltrating the space barge, they continued their attack on the Autobots until Optimus Prime himself rose from the grave to fight back. Scourge and his huntsmen fled before the former Autobot leader, forcing Galvatron and Cyclonus to withdraw as well. Dark Awakening

Scourge and Cyclonus were hunting the Aerialbot called Air Raid for sport, but were caught in an ambush when the other Aerialbots jumped them in an asteroid field. The two Decepticons fled through a nearby vortex and crashed on the peaceful planet known as Paradron. Finding the world rich with energon resources, Scourge and Cyclonus immediately alerted Galvatron to their find and began to plunder the world of energy. Fight or Flee

When Octane took Trypticon to Carbombya without permission, Scourge came with Galvatron and the other Decepticons to chastise the fueler for disobedience. His discovery of super-energon made from Carbombyan oil temporarily assuaged Galvatron's anger, but once the Decepticons were forced out of Carbombya by the Autobots, Galvatron expelled Octane as a traitor to the cause. Thief in the Night Sometime later, Scourge was hunting Octane on Cybertron with Cyclonus and the Sweeps, when their prey fled underground into the Decepticon Crypt. Scourge would prove to be a very poor leader, with his followers, the Sweeps, refusing his order to follow Octane below (though they were scared to death of Cyclonus). Starscream's Ghost

Surprise Party

He was later possessed by the disembodied ghost of Starscream, though this eventually became a mutual partnership. Starscream intended to help Unicron turn Cybertron into his new body in exchange for a new body of his own. Scourge began to have second thoughts about this until Unicron reminded him that "what I have given you, I can also take away". Scourge eventually left Unicron and rejoined the Decepticons. Why Galvatron accepted his return instead of, oh...reducing him to composite particles is unknown. Ghost in the Machine

Webworld

The Big Broadcast of 2006

After Predaking detected a Quintesson transmission, Scourge joined a Decepticon party in attempting to retrieve the secrets of the Quintessons' journal, but ultimately lost out to the Autobots. The Quintesson Journal

The Dweller in the Depths

While searching for a new source of anti-electrons, the Decepticons attempted to raid Unicron's brain. Galvatron and the Terrorcons occupied the Autobots while Scourge and Cyclonus went after the prize. They found a flask of anti-electrons just waiting to be drained, but upset Unicron in the process and were blasted by his internal defenses. Grimlock's New Brain

If that's "the touch," you don't want to get it!

At one point, Autobot commander Rodimus Prime was separated from the Matrix of Leadership by Galvatron. Galvatron, who was haunted by the spirits within it, instructed Scourge to dispose of the Matrix. Scourge decided to use the power of the Matrix to his advantage and installed it within his chest. Very bad idea. The Matrix proved incompatible with Decepticon programming, causing Scourge to morph into a hideous freak with the power driving him mad. Scourge attempted to seize control of the Decepticons until Hot Rod took back the Matrix. Scourge was left at the mercy of a very unhappy Galvatron, but somehow beat the reaper yet again. The Burden Hardest to Bear

The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1 The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2

In 2007, the Decepticons stole the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber on Cybertron, and Scourge was set with infiltrating the chamber whilst the other Decepticons performed a full-scale assault on the planet as a diversion. He succeeded, but inserting the key into the chamber led to a plasma energy burst that very nearly killed him. He was saved by an energon infusion from Cyclonus, and was subsequently sent to find the Autobots who had taken the key back while Scourge was unconscious. Together with Cyclonus, Slugslinger, Triggerhappy and Misfire, Scourge tracked the Autobots to Nebulon. The Rebirth, Part 1

After clashing with the brand new Autobot Headmasters and losing badly, Scourge and the others were kidnapped by the Nebulon group known as the Hive, who offered to binary-bond with the Decepticons and increase their power. Scourge chose to become a Targetmaster, getting the loud Nebulan Fracas as his partner, and the Decepticon Headmasters and Targetmasters subsequently attacked and defeated the Autobots. Scourge got the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber back and voiced his desire to destroy the Autobots completely before moving on, only for Fracas to threaten to shoot him unless the Decepticons went back to the Hive as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the Autobots copied their Targetmaster technology and went back into battle, and Arcee managed to knock Scourge down and steal the key back. The Rebirth, Part 2 The Rebirth, Part 3

The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers

The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #1 The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #5

The Great Transformer War

The Great Transformer War #3

The Headmasters cartoon

Both Scourge's and Cyclonus' intelligence seemed to have evaporated by the year 2011, leaving Galvatron's once right-hand men nothing but a pair of bumbling oafs.

The Mystery of Planet Master Rebellion on Planet Beest Approach of the Demon Meteorite The Four-Million-Year-Old Veil of Mystery

At one point they attempted to prove their worth by stealing Trypticon and using him to hunt down a mysterious Six Changer. However, that plan failed miserably when that Six Changer turned out to be their own ally, Sixshot. Both Scourge and Cyclonus ditched Trypticon in battle, leading to the Decepticon city's destruction (though he was eventually repaired). Scourge and Cyclonus did little of anything noteworthy after this. Terror! The Six Shadows

The Shadow Emperor, Scorponok The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger Return of the Immortal Emperor SOS from Planet Sandra The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg

Marvel Comics continuity

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

"I CAN'T GET OUT OF THIS CONFOUNDED MAZE!!"

Following Unicron's consumption of Cybertron's moons, Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge traveled back in time from 2006 to 1986 as part of a plan to free themselves from Unicron's control by constructing a massive cannon that would destroy him upon their return to the future. The three Unicronian Decepticons proved themselves almost invincible in the face of the Autobots' attacks, though a lucky shot destroyed Scourge's weapon after he had incapacitated Trailbreaker, and Scourge was relatively weaponless (most of his weapons could only be used in vehicle mode). Though he also took down Grapple, Megatron managed to down Scourge and use him as a barganing chip. The future Decepticons were finally defeated when Galvatron was duped into believing he was trapped in a temporal paradox, and returned to his own time to live out the remaining events of 2006. Target: 2006

2006 was the original date for the movie, amended to 2005 after the production of a treatment which was the only available research when the comics were penned.

"Yeouch!! That's my secet weakness you're pulling at, Cyclonus!"

Following the destruction of Unicron at the hands of Rodimus Prime and the Matrix, Galvatron transported himself back in time to 1987, leaving Cyclonus and Scourge in the future, under Shockwave’s command. The duo were attacked by the freelance peace-keeping agent, Death's Head, who was seeking the bounty on Galvatron’s head, and Cyclonus revealed Galvatron’s whereabouts to him. Wanted:Galvatron — Dead or Alive! Later, Shockwave hired Death’s Head to kill Rodimus Prime, but Cyclonus and Scourge interfered with the job as they sought to kill Rodimus first, in order to reclaim their lost standing amongst the Decepticons. Headhunt This did not please Death’s Head, and consequently, he willingly accepted a contract from Rodimus to hunt down Cyclonus and Scourge, eventually tracking them down to the planet of Junk as 2008 dawned. Before he could finish the job, however, all three of them fell under the mind-controlling influence of Unicron, whose disembodied head had survived the destruction of his body and had landed on the planet, where he was having the native Junkions construct a new body for him.

Under Unicron's control, Cyclonus and Scourge killed Shockwave and became Decepticon leaders, reigniting the stalemated Cybertronian war to a furious degree to cover Unicron's actions. Death's Head, however, was able to fight the mind control and work with the Autobots long enough to stop the chaos-bringer's plan. As explosions destroyed Unicron, Death's Head tackled Cyclonus and Scourge, pushing them through a time portal Unicron had built, promising to kill them another time. The two Decepticons were hurled into the past of Cybertron by the portal, where they came under the command of Scorponok. The Legacy of Unicron!

Traveling to Nebulos with the rest of Scorponok's forces, they became Targetmasters and then traveled to present day (1988) Earth. Brothers in Armor!! Once there, they sought out Galvatron, and, no longer willing to serve him, instead demanded that he hand over his time travel device so that they could return to the future and their position as Decepticon leaders. The confrontation was disrupted by the sudden appearance of the Autobot commando squad, the Wreckers, who drew the ensuing battle away from the human settlement it was taking place in by professing to have stolen Galvatron's time jump mechanism, when in reality, the Decepticon no longer even had it for them to take. Wrecking Havoc

Having met with failure again, Cyclonus and Scourge decided to cut their losses and team up with Shockwave's present-day Earth-based Decepticon forces.

"Cyclonus, remember that thing that we absolutely, positively, definitely shouldn't say to Shockwave?""Yep.""You're sure?""Yep.""You're not going to mention it at all, are you?""Nope."

At this point in time, the comic book personalities of Scourge and Cyclonus had been well-established, and distinctly different from the cartoon—here, Scourge was the intelligent, scheming brains of the duo, while Cyclonus was the dull-witted brawn, and that personality trait remained as strong as ever.

Unfortunately, Cyclonus accidentally let slip that they would kill Shockwave in the future. Naturally wanting to ensure his continued existence, Shockwave unleashed a brainwashed Megatron clone upon the two. As Megatron killed Nightstick and grappled with Cyclonus, Scourge took aim at the clone...but stopped. He realized that killing Megatron in 1988 would likely prevent Galvatron's creation in 2006, and possibly his own as well. Unwilling to take the chance, he abandoned his comrade and fled. Dry Run!

"Oh no!! I've told Shockwave about me and Cyclonus killing him. Should I kill him? I... can't... resist..."

Cyclonus and Scourge’s displacement into the past had circumvented the normal mass-replacement method used by time-travel, and had hence unbalanced the space-time continuum, causing a rift to appear in the fabric of space and time. Cyclonus' death, eighteen years before he was even created, proved to be the final straw, accelerating the rift, which soon threatened to consume Earth and Cybertron. Realizing that the only way to stop it was to return himself, Galvatron and Cyclonus to their original time, Scourge attempted to recover Cyclonus’ body from Shockwave, only to be attacked by the deranged Decepticon, who had lost his mind due to the illogical nature of the situation, and had strung Cyclonus' remains up like a twisted trophy. Scourge staggered back to the time rift and allowed it to take him, hoping that that would have some effect on the situation. It didn't. Ravage, however, succeeded where Scourge had failed, and was able to bring Shockwave back sanity enough for him to deposit Cyclonus’ remains after Galvatron and Scourge, and then seal it with an x-ray blast. Scourge was not seen again after this, and it is unknown exactly what happened to Scourge after he entered the rift. Time Wars

The deadliest bathtub in the skies.

An alternate version of Scourge later made a brief appearance, inhabiting an alternate future world of 2009 where Cybertron had been destroyed and Galvatron ruled Earth. With only seven Autobots left alive, Scourge battled Getaway, Chainclaw and Guzzle during the Autobots' last desperate raid on the Decepticon Powerbase. He was killed off-panel by the combined might of these warriors. Rhythms of Darkness!

Dreamwave Generation One comics

Scourge, arriving on Cybertron, managed to reactivate Shockwave for the purpose of observing him, but Shockwave was soon attacked by Sharkticons. Scourge managed to destroy a number of Sharkticons and drive off the rest. As a way a saying thank you, Shockwave shot Scourge in the back, took him prisoner, dissected him, and rebuilt the Unicronian Transformer.

Shockwave has a very weird sense of gratitude. War and Peace

He later ended up being captured by the Earth Defence Command.

Dreamwave Armada comics

A version of Scourge served as one of Unicron's heralds, along with versions of Thunderwing, Bludgeon, Dirge, and Galvatron. Worlds Collide, Part 1 of 4 He was blown up when Jetfire detonated the Decepticon headquarters that they had taken over. Worlds Collide, Part 4 of 4

Hearts of Steel

Scourge appears as a blimp which drops bombs on the Autobot freight. Sideswipe (or possibly Ironhide) pops his airbag, and he crashes, then explodes. Hearts of Steel #4

There is no sign of Galvatron or Unicron in the story, and thus Scourge's origin may be quite different from that in mainstream G1 continuities.

IDW Comics continuity

Scourge... exists. All Hail Megatron #6

Toys

Generation 1

Where are my bat wings and my claws?

• Scourge (Decepticon Jet, 1986)
  • Japanese ID number: D-71
  • Accessories: "Disintegrator Ray", "Laser Blaster"

Scourge transforms into a Cybertronic hovercraft. On early releases, the blue on the center of Scourge's alt mode was paint. This was changed to two stickers for later releases. The stickers on his ankles tend to get damaged through normal transformation.

Some releases of Scourge came with a piece of a four-part The Transformers: The Movie poster with glow-in-the-dark elements.

• More information on Scourge at TFU.info

• Scourge (Targetmaster, 1987)
  • Accessories: "Fracas" Targetmaster "Incendiary Cannon", "Rocket Booster"

A retool of the original Scourge toy, Targetmaster Scourge's hand-holes and head hole were widened, as was the peg for his "Rocket Booster" (the same piece called a "Disintegrator Ray" in the previous version). His handgun was replaced with Fracas.

• More information on Targetmaster Scourge at TFU.info

Titanium Series

Accept no imitations.

• Scourge (6-inch Cybertron Heroes, 2006)

Scourge once again transforms into a retro-futuristic hovercraft, this time with a more accurate sculpt to his animation model (well, minus the head) and significantly improved articulation. While not 100% accurate, the wings in particular are now hinged in the middle to allow them to open wider, and the legs have a much more closely detailed design. But man does he have a big forehead.

• More information on Titanium Scourge at TFU.info

Timelines

Oh, all you Unicron agents look alike!

• Wings of Honor (multipack, 2009)
• Accessories: 2 wings/blades (left and right), red cyber key

A retool of Cybertron Sideways, Scourge is a blue and white alien spacefighter with Cyber Planet Key-activated pop-out blades built into his battle shield. He comes with a red Planet X style Cyber Planet Key with blue deco. The faction symbol-swapping gimmick seems to have been neglected.

The original version of this mold was also used for the Japanese DVD-exclusive Noisemaze Mass-Production Version and Universe Ratbat.

Notes

• It's not known how much (if any) communication there was between Marvel's US office and the UK offices where Simon Furman was churning out his behind-the-scenes stories, but regardless, Cyclonus and Scourge completely disappeared from the US book after Headmasters—leaving Furman free to send them off to find Galvatron. Wrecking Havoc
• For some reason, Scourge's head-mounted cannon was implied to not be a cannon in the comics, as the loss of a handgun in "Target: 2006" apparently left Scourge completely weaponless in robot mode, making transformation a complete necessity.

External links

• Scourge at TFU.info
• Scourge's Universe profile at NTFA.net