Lockdown (ROTF)

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

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

Lockdown is an unaligned Cybertronian mercenary, and is disgusted by, but sometimes aligned with the Decepticons, from the live-action movie continuity.

In 2007, we were all pretty sure there would be a fourth live-action Transformers movie with Lockdown as the main villain.

Even the Decepticons are afraid of this guy, because once Lockdown has been hired to track down a subject, nothing stops him from completing his transaction short of total deactivation! Answering only to his enigmatic "Creators", Lockdown holds himself above the Autobot/Decepticon war and sees both sides as squabbling children that he has to reign in personally. He doesn't think much higher of other civilized species across the galaxy (particularly humans), though isn't above working with them if it suits him.

Unfortunately for the Autobot medic, Ratchet is Lockdown's next target, and Lockdown, as always, has been paid handsomely for his destruction. He's also run afoul of Arcee previously, in some unspecified circumstance.

Using his Supercharger, he stores the kinetic energy from racing in his alternate form and uses it to boost his own speed for short bursts. This is his favorite device... because his favorite tactic is to catch up with targets and sink in his Capture Hook for the up-close-and-personal kill. His other great weapon is the exposed skeletal spinal cord down his back, which gives him a level of agility that the average Cybertronian does not have. Lockdown's also been known to loot weaponry from the foes he kills, so his armoury is constantly changing!

He trained Axor a long time ago, and the younger hunter has even rebuilt himself to better resemble Lockdown (though he denies it if you ask). He views his mentor as his closest comrade, which Lockdown has been willing to let him believe. His closest comrade is Megatron, cos that's who's currently paying him, in energon chips!

These days, a long scar runs down his face. There are many rumours about where it came from, some saying it was a run-in with Megatron, but nobody knows for sure...

Autobots, Decepticons, like little children. Always fighting, making a mess out of the universe. Then I've got to clean it up.Lockdown, Age of Extinction

Fiction

Cyber Missions

Voice actor: Bronco D. Jackson (English), Juan Carlos Tinoco (Latin American-Spanish)

Lockdown is bad at missions that involve cyber because he only has one hand.

Science will not win this war!Says the transforming giant robot, Cyber Missions #3

Lockdown was cruising the city streets when he was encountered by Ratchet, who had been alerted to Lockdown's presence by Optimus Prime due to their "violent history". For blocks, Lockdown fled Ratchet silently as the Autobot fired his EMP blaster until he transformed into robot mode and expressed his frustration. Finally, when Ratchet's EMP blaster failed him, Lockdown transformed as well. He mocked Ratchet for never being able to best him, knocked him around, and when the Autobot had had enough, the Decepticon bounty hunter stole Ratchet's EMP blaster as a memento. As Lockdown sped away, he wondered if he could fix Ratchet's faulty weapon. Cyber Missions #3

Later, Lockdown managed to evade Diego Garcia's security measures and sneak into Autobot Headquarters undetected. After cutting power to the facilities, he snuck up behind Sideswipe in the target practice range. Ratchet's EMP blaster, attached to Lockdown's arm, was now in proper working order, and the bounty hunter vowed to also take Sideswipe's new sidearms. Lockdown was shocked when the EMP blaster was shot off his arm and out of his reach by Ratchet. Wounded, the Decepticon fled. Unfortunately for Lockdown, he retreated to the medical bay, where Ratchet's surgical tools restrained and sedated him. Cyber Missions #7

Later, Lockdown and Barricade confronted Ironhide. Looking to steal one of Ironhide's weapons, Lockdown took a missile instead, which blew up in his face. The explosion damaged his optics, so he fled. Cyber Missions #11

Titan Comics Revenge of the Fallen comics

Lockdown had been captured by NEST under unknown circumstances... only to become part of Bludgeon's jailbreak! He joined Bludgeon's splinter cell of Decepticons and took great pleasure in talking out all his "hurting" on Smokescreen. Inside Out!

When the Autobots tracked down the Decepticon base in Russia, Lockdown was ordered to prepare an ambush for them. He loyally served Bludgeon in this until Megatron arrived Divided Loyalties, and then he not-so-loyally ran away. A Short, Sharp Lesson!

IDW Publishing Revenge of the Fallen comics

Is that you, Lockdown?

A partly-green robot with a hook in place of his right hand was among the Transformers captured by the Initiative and mind-controlled into doing their bidding. When Optimus Prime and the Autobots assaulted the Initiative's mobile headquarters, the brainwashed Lockdown, Thrust and another Transformer battled Bumblebee, Jolt, Dune Runner and Knock Out. Nefarious #5 They were eventually subdued. Nefarious #6

Unite for the Universe

Lockdown was part of Starscream's small group who planned to apply Project: Unite to Decepticons. After reporting to Starscream that Skystalker had found that some Autobots were approaching their base in Greece, he moved out to attack them and cut down Breacher. His victory was short-lived, though, as he was swiftly defeated and captured by Sea Spray and Sideswipe. Bludgeon's Revenge

How to Ride your Dinobot cartoon

Lockdown found himself cornered by the duo of Slug and Drift, but to the bounty hunter's luck, Drift was an inexperienced Dinobot rider indeed. Lockdown impatiently waited for Drift to get his act together and attack him already, but to Lockdown's amusement, Drift fried himself with Slug's weaponry. However, it turned out to be a bad day for all, since Lockdown got zapped too.

One must wonder why Lockdown didn't flee while Drift spent a long time trying to figure out Slug's weaponry...

How to Fight

Titan Comics Age of Extinction comics

In the grim darkness of the recent past, there is only war!

Five years before the Battle of Chicago, Lockdown was part of a three-Con team with Drift and Knucklehead on Cybertron. While Drift wanted to take an Autobot outpost with minimal bloodshed, Lockdown thought this was sissy hippy crap and they should just bomb everything (even though that would mean having no outpost to capture); when they sneaked instead, he disobeyed orders and decided to execute prisoners out of hand. Drift stopped him, giving a gleeful Lockdown the chance to claim the guy was a traitor and kill him off. Knucklehead and Drift sent him down into a molten moat, swearing revenge on them both. Of course, he couldn't actually kill them when Megatron was still in charge or the big boss would be unhappy.

As we saw further up the page, Lockdown had come to Earth and in 2011 he fell in with Megatron again. Soon after the big boss was killed at Chicago and Lockdown immediately murdered Knucklehead. Drift, now an Autobot, would find the corpse on the moon and knew the hunter had become more powerful than before. Adrift in Time and Space

You, the reader, are probably just now thinking "wait, Megatron wasn't in charge five years before DOTM because he was frozen". Uh, I guess Lockdown didn't know that...?

Lockdown took control of the remaining Decepticon forces but kept himself out of the limelight. He oversaw an ambush in Indonesia: three Decepticons would kill a few hundred humans, getting the predictable Autobots to give chase and be ambushed at an old Dutch fort. He watched as Crosshairs didn’t rush in head on and wiped out his team, but the Autobots remained unaware he was around so he was alright! Thousand Island Flight

Locked In!

Age of Extinction film

Voice actor: Mark Ryan (English), Tsutomu Isobe (Japanese), Carlos Segundo (Latin American Spanish)

We all work for someone.Lockdown to Optimus

I have a hook now, happy?

Tasked by the mysterious Creators with the capture and return of Optimus Prime, Lockdown travelled to Earth and joined forces with the human organization Cemetery Wind, who were in the process of hunting and killing the surviving Autobots on the planet. In exchange for the safe apprehension of Prime, he promised Harold Attinger a Seed, a device that could cyberform a massive area of land. Several years after the Battle of Chicago, Lockdown and Cemetery Wind located Optimus Prime in Mexico City and attacked; though Lockdown was able to grievously wound Prime, the human operatives failed to contain Prime, and he escaped and went into hiding.

Continuing to work with Cemetary Wind, Lockdown aided in the pursuit of Ratchet, lurking in nearby waters and disabling the Autobot medic from afar with his head-cannon after the humans had crippled him. When Ratchet refused to divulge Optimus's location, Lockdown ripped his spark from his chest. Soon after, he met with Attinger on the hull of his ship to discuss their arrangements, where the bounty hunter expressed his disgust with humans and mused that none of the species he had worked with in his travels had really understood their place in the universe.

An anonymous tip from a panicked civilian allowed Cemetery Wind to locate Optimus in at the home of Cade Yeager in Texas. After bombarding the Yeager homestead with a flurry of missiles from atop a nearby grain silo, Lockdown pursued Prime across the highway, and eventually engaged Prime in battle on the roof of an abandoned factory. Prime managed to momentarily disable Lockdown by tossing him into a crane cable, allowing the Autobot leader to escape once again with his human allies; Lockdown freed himself in time to try and stop them with a grenade, but the only victim of its blast was Lucas Flannery.

GIVE ME YOUR- Err.. face-gun!

Later, after the Autobots stormed KSI, Optimus was battling Galvatron when Lockdown ambushed Prime and took him and Tessa Yeager captive. After moving his ship over Chicago to deliver the promised Seed to Cementary Wind, Lockdown locked Prime up with the other Knights that he had captured, explaining to the defeated Autobot the origins of his ship and why the Creators wanted him. Unbeknownst to Lockdown, the other Autobots and humans had already boarded his ship in order to free Prime and Tessa; when Crosshairs fired the ship's anchors in order to prevent it from taking off, the bounty hunter merely assumed one of his prisoners had broken free, and dispatched a pack of Steeljaws to deal with the problem. The beasts detached the anchors, and Lockdown took off into space, unaware that the Autobots had rescued Prime and stolen the section of his ship containing his prize trophy case.

Half the hunter he used to be.

Discovering the truth part-way into his journey, the furious Lockdown ordered a return to Earth. Arriving in the midst of a battle between the Autobots and KSI drones in Hong Kong, Lockdown utilized a magnetic weapon on his ship to wreak havoc on the city, but it was soon destroyed by Optimus. Lockdown descended to Hong Kong to battle him in person, leading to a vicious fight that saw Lockdown take the upper hand after Optimus diverted his attention save Cade Yeager from Attinger. Lockdown impaled Prime on his own sword, mocking him for his choice to save the human, but before the bounty hunter could finish him, Bumblebee, Cade, Tessa and Shane Dyson all teamed up against him. Lockdown was able to dispatch Bumblebee, and then turned on Cade, but failed to notice that Shane and Tessa had freed Optimus. Optimus slew Lockdown by brutally bisecting him with his sword, and destroyed what remained on his body when he used one of Lockdown's grenades to finish of the remaining KSI drones.

And we thought Lockdown always fulfilled his contracts. Age of Extinction

Games

Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Autobots/Decepticons

Voice actor: Joey Camen

On Megatron's orders as relayed by Starscream, Lockdown broke into a NEST facility and stole information from the super-computer relating to NEST operations in the Pacific. When he had finished basking in his victory, he sent the data to Starscream, who ordered Lockdown to investigate a reactivated Sector 7 base, and the Decepticon ended up tangling with Mirage. He was later called on again to provide a diversion by destroying communication arrays in an Autobot base as part of Megatron's plan to reactivate Shockwave. Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Autobots/Decepticons

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark

Voice actor: Gregg Berger

Some time during his stay on Earth, Lockdown tracked down the Dark Spark as it made its way toward the planet. The Autobots realized the destruction the relic could cause and moved to retrieve it, only to be stopped by the bounty hunter. Intercepting the Autobots, Lockdown grabbed the Dark Spark first and took it for himself. Despite Optimus Prime's pleas, Lockdown was more interested in the profit he could make from its power. As Prime attempted to tackle Lockdown and take the artifact, Lockdown activated its power and froze the Autobots in place long enough to escape.

Later, the Autobots attempted to infiltrate Lockdown's base but were unsuccessful. Drift was captured while Bumblebee escaped, but only long enough to find an alternate path to retrieve his colleague. Lockdown sent a titan after them to prevent their escape, but the Autobots were able to slip out and regroup.

Finally breaking into Lockdown's base, they discovered he had been using the power of the Dark Spark to create a time bridge to go back in time and prevent the Autobot's victory at the Battle of Chicago. In doing so, he would revive the war and with it his main source of income. Optimus once again pleaded to rethink, citing the destruction that Earth would have to endure if the war were to continue, but as usual Lockdown didn't care. Optimus once again tried to tackle Lockdown, who activated the Dark Spark's power again to stop him in mid-air. In true super villain fashion, Lockdown monologued his plan rather than do something about Prime, who was able to break free of the Dark Spark's power. The two fought to a standstill until Drift was able to move in and cut the Dark Spark from Lockdown's chest. Fumbling to catch it, Lockdown instead knocked it into Drift's hand long enough for Optimus to activate the Matrix of Leadership and blast it into the time bridge. Lockdown took the opportunity to escape, swearing that "this isn't the end". Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark

Toys

Revenge of the Fallen

Almost identical.

• Lockdown (Deluxe, 2010)
  • Japanese ID number: RD-26
  • Accessories: Engine

Lockdown's design strongly homages his Transformers Animated counterpart, but with a completely different transformation. Once again, Lockdown transforms into an amalgam of a 1980s Corvette and a 1960s Cougar, with lots of spikes and a cow-catcher on his bumper. The toy's Mech Alive feature rotates cylinders inside his thighs as his lower legs rotate, and pneumatic cylinders extend as his Capture Hook is deployed.

Lockdown may have the most articulated neck ever for a Transformer, having two ball joints and a swivel joint. Craziness.

Similar to his Animated counterpart, Lockdown's arm-mounted hot rod engine weapon can be removed and can be replaced by Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Ratchet's weapon. Likewise, Ratchet can store Lockdown's engine on his roof; it cannot, however, attach to his arm. Interestingly, the plug for Lockdown's engine is the same general shape as the plug for Animated Lockdown's EMP blaster/engine, but smaller; as such, it isn't compatible with Animated Lockdown, or with Animated Ratchet or Ironhide, for that matter.

This mold was retooled to make 2010 Axor as well as Timelines Circuit. This toy was repurposed as Generation 1 Lockdown.

• More information on Lockdown at TFU.info

Age of Extinction

Generations

Finally a real gun-face, but no hook?

I'm a Japanese release and I still don't have a hook. What is wrong with you humans?

• Lockdown (Deluxe, 2014)
  • Japanese ID Number: AD-26
  • Accessories: Face-gun

Lockdown transforms into an officially licensed Lamborghini Aventador, and is decently articulated in robot mode, with only the waist lacking articulation. He comes with a missile-firing blaster that can either be held using his hands (via 5mm posts), or attached to his head (via a peg on the gun) to simulate his "face-gun" from the Age of Extinction film. The blaster can also peg onto the top of his vehicle mode via two additional pegs. His transformation shares similarities to Deluxe Roadbuster's.

The Takara Movie Advanced Series version of the figure replaces much of the robot mode's grey plastic with black, creating a more movie-accurate appearance.

• More information on Age of Extinction Deluxe Lockdown at TFU.info

Robots in Disguise

Having an adequate Leader-sized Lockdown comes at the cost of having a messed up Lambo.

• Lockdown (Flip & Change, 2014)

• Lockdown (One Step Changers, 2014)
  • Japanese ID number: LA09

Similar to an Activators toy, Lockdown can transform into a robot by pressing a button on his vehicle mode. This version of him does not have a licensed Lamborghini Aventador car mode (No licensing information is printed on his packaging, nor does the car have a Lamborghini symbol). Oddly enough, Lockdown's entire back is sculpted with great detail, despite this not being visible without taking the toy part.

The Japanese release of Lockdown does away with the blue paint on his robot mode and car rear, and features black and metallic blue paint detail on his robot parts.

Gun-shoulders.

• Lockdown (Power Battlers, 2014)

• Lockdown with Wolf (Dino Sparkers, 2014)

• Lockdown (Titan Heroes, 2014)

Titan Heroes Lockdown is an extremely simplified 12-inch tall action figures with a mere five points of articulation meant for younger audiences.

Kre-O

• See: Lockdown (Kre-O)

Construct-Bots

• See: Lockdown (CB)

Merchandise

Robot Powered Machines

It's a lockdown, baby, you drive me crazy.

• Lockdown (2010)
  • Series: Metal Heroes
  • Number: 08

Robot Powered Machines Mini-Vehicle Lockdown is a small, non-transforming, die-cast rendition of his vehicle mode. His robot mode is sculpted underneath the vehicle, and his wheels use through-axle construction that lets the toy zip around at high speeds on smooth surfaces.

The intended RPM release of "Metal Heroes" Lockdown never came out. Though it eventually saw release in Speed Stars, the RPM version had more paint operations, featuring a painted cowcatcher, engine and roof spikes. While only "Stunticon" Lockdown was officially listed during the run of the RPM series (on the back of the Asian market release of RPM "Stunticon" Bumblebee), images of the two were revealed by a downloadable poster on the official Transformers website of Turkey.

End of the road. This Robot Powered Machines/Speed Stars item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Lock me up and throw away the key.

• Lockdown (2010)
  • Series: Stunticon
  • Number: 03

"Stunticon" Lockdown was to have been a redeco of "Metal Heroes" Lockdown in black, purple and red. While "Stunticon" Lockdown was officially listed during the run of the RPM series (on the back of the Asian market release of RPM "Stunticon" Bumblebee), the only image of it was revealed by a downloadable poster on the official Transformers website of Turkey.

End of the road. This Robot Powered Machines/Speed Stars item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Speed Stars

He needs the bounty money to complete his dream of a solid gold butt tattoo.

Pimp my Bounty Hunter.

• Lockdown (2010)
  • Series: Metal Heroes
  • Number: 08

Speed Stars Lockdown is a small, non-transforming, die-cast rendition of his vehicle mode. His robot mode is sculpted underneath the vehicle, and his wheels use through-axle construction that lets the toy zip around at high speeds on smooth surfaces.

When shown at BotCon 2010, Lockdown had a completely different color scheme, being predominantly gold with blue flames on his hood, green hubcaps, a red engine, and a gray bumper and spoiler. Though this version of "Metal Heroes" Lockdown was also depicted on a downloadable poster on the Speed Stars website, the toy was eventually released using Lockdown's proper colors.

This mold was also used to make Speed Stars Stunticon Series Axel.

• More information on Speed Stars Lockdown at TFU.info

• Lockdown (2011?)
  • Series: Stunticon
  • Number: 03

"Stunticon" Lockdown is a redeco of his previous Speed Stars toy in black, purple and red - or was back when the line was Robot Powered Machines (see above). Though Lockdown is listed on the back of Speed Stars Stunticon Bumblebee's packaging, a Lockdown redeco named Axor was shown as part of the Stunticon series at BotCon 2010 (who was in turn named as Axel on the Speed Stars website). Given there were a few wholesale deco changes between RPMs and Speed Stars within series, it's possible that Lockdown's place in the Stunticons was taken by Axor/Axel... but considering that ALL of these items seem to be canceled, it's impossible to say for certain.

End of the road. This Robot Powered Machines/Speed Stars item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Dark of the Moon

Speed Stars

• Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Decepticons (2011)

An original redeco of the RPM/Speed Stars Lockdown mold was included as a free pack-in with certain editions of the Dark of the Moon: Decepticons Nintendo DS video game.

• Lockdown (2011)
  • Series: Beast Machines
  • Number: 03 of 03

"Beast Machines" Lockdown is a redeco of the Speed Stars Lockdown mold in light grey and green with silver, snake-themed markings.

End of the road. This Robot Powered Machines/Speed Stars item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Notes

• The head on Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Lockdown's instruction lineart is actually that of his retool, Axor. The head can be seen in much clearer detail on page 8 of the San Diego Comic-Con Hasbro Design Sketchbook, volume 2.
• Much like his namesake, Lockdown goes from having a relatively Deluxe-sized vehicle mode to a towering, Leader-sized robot mode.
• In an even bigger reference to his Animated counterpart, Lockdown's AOE incarnation has the ability to transform his hands into various weapons, such as the famous hook, a blaster, a spark extractor device, and even his chainsaw-hand. He can also turn his head into a sniper rifle-esque cannon, lending credence to the fact that he's probably been building on himself like his original incarnation. Some concept art also showed him characteristically taking and equipping Ratchets saw after he had terminated the Autobot.
• Early concept art for Lockdown indicates that at one point he would have hewed closer to his original Animated design; not only would he have sported a green-and-black color scheme and a tattered "poncho", he would also have transformed into a weatherbeaten muscle car with an exposed engine block. Presumably, his alternate mode and design were altered so that Lamborghini could advertise their new sports cars.

Foreign names

• Hungarian: Vesztegzár ("Quarantine")