Megadeath (G1)

Megadeath is a Decepticon in the Generation 1 continuity family.

"By what creeps, what crawls, by what does not, Let all that grows recede and rot!"

Megadeath is, even by Decepticon standards, quite mad. Rather than fighting for territory, Megadeath wants to sterilize whole regions of Cybertron with neutron bombs, then moves in to occupy them. This callous disregard for life horrifies even Decepticon High Command, who forbade the action and scuttled his chances of moving up in the ranks.

Megadeath has quietly recruited an elite cadre of troopers. He has cultivated and shaped these young Decepticons in his own image, to be loyal only to him on the day he may publicly challenge Megatron.

A master of psychological torture, Megadeath denies his victims respite or escape until they invariably bend to his will. He instills feelings of need, fear, helplessness and despair, then makes his victims reinforce those feelings via their own choices.

Megadeath's three closely-set eyes can fight powerful laser beams, and he has concussion cannons on each forearm. His is also equipped with missile launchers. He transforms into a bombing aircraft equipped for high-altitude observation. To power his exorbitantly energy-consumptive primary weapons, there is a nuclear power core burning behind plexiplastic inside his chest.

Long association has led Thunderwing to label Megadeath's mastery of psychological torture an 'unhealthy obsession.' Megadeath's need to prove he has bigger ball-bearings than the next 'bot will eventually get them chopped off.

Megadeath appears to be wearing a transforming Pretender shell. This is one of several examples of Pretender technology (including Thunderwing in the same story) predating Scorponok's alleged invention in 1987.

Associated Characters

Backfire

Chainsaw sword? Pwnt is Elvish!

Backfire served as Megadeath's torturer's assistant 4 million years ago. He helped hang Jazz over a vat of bubbling smelt for three days, applied the Hydraulic Probe to Wheeljack, and committed other unspeakable acts with Electro rods, a Rust Bore, the Mind Warp, vats of corrosive enzymes, and even just some chains and a pair of handy troopers in tank mode.

Backfire has an awesome sword and the smuggest grin imaginable. Presumably he transforms into a land-based vehicle. Backfire, like the rest of Megadeath's troops, evacuated Stanix well ahead of the neutron explosion. His final fate is unknown.

It is unclear whether Backfire was a member of the elite cadre or not. If he was, he would be one of the two footsoldiers.

From Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki, a Wikia wiki.