Mistress of Flame

The Mistress of Flame is a Camien leader from the IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

“Many called her beautiful. She was not beautiful. She was red, and terrible, and red.”

Though the Forgefire Parliament ostensibly governs the Cybetronian colony of Caminus, it's clear that the people of Caminus revere the Mistress of Flame. The high priestess of the Way of Flame, the Mistress and her adherents believe that the the original Thirteen Transformers were gods, and that each inhabitant of Caminus possesses a piece of the spark of Solus Prime; supported by an order of Torchbearers assembled to uphold the legacy of Solus Prime, the Mistress is an imposing figure who both commands and demands respect — and doesn't take blasphemers lightly.

While a devout practitioner of her faith, the latest Transformer to hold the title of Mistress is also a canny and adept manipulator when it comes to matters more secular. The arrival of Optimus Prime — supposedly the mythical "Thirteenth Prime" — proved a boon to her, and as the interstellar Council of Worlds takes shape, she's resolved to build Optimus into her idea of what a worthy Prime should represent... whether he wants to or not.

It is only the purest servant of Solus Prime who can keep forging until they reach the real miracle... the creation of a single true thing.The Mistress of Flame, "Your First Mistake"

Fiction

IDW Generation 1 continuity

• First Appearance: Transformers: Windblade vol. 2 #1

"For the night is dark and full of terrors.”

In the distant past, before the energon shortages made space travel impossible, Caminus detected a Cybertronian beacon from the planet Antilla. The linguist Magrada was sent along with Praesidia and the Matriarch of Incaendium. Upon arriving on the planet, the trio found an unnatural mechanical mountain. Despite Magrada's warnings, the Matriarch approached the mountain which split open to reveal an enormous optic and the ruler of the land: Onyx Prime. The bestial Prime beheaded Magrada while the other two Camiens escaped. Upon returning to Caminus, it was found that the Mistress of Flame had perished and the Matriarch ascended to the position. Her first act was to promote Praesidia to leadership of the Torchbearers. The experience would forever haunt the Mistress. Surfeit of Primes

Following a disastrous Torchbearer mission where both Praesidia Magna and Fastbreak were killed in action, the Mistress met with Pyra, who was experiencing recurring nightmares of her commander's death on Antilla. The Mistress recounted her discovery of Antilla, but accepted Praesidia's death as part of the will of the Primes. Though Pyra was still uneasy about the circumstances behind her commander's death, she remained a member of the Torchbearers, taking command of the group and becoming "Pyra Magna". Ghost Stories The Mistress would subsequently cover up this attack. Another Mine

When the Cybertronian explorer Thunderclash made contact with Caminus shortly after the end of the Great War, the Mistress of Flame chose Windblade, Chromia, and Nautica to join his crew in the hopes of reconnecting with their ancestral homeworld and gather aid for their dying planet. If I Know You

Contact with Cybertron would arrive some years later, though not in the way that the Camiens had anticipated; following the reintroduction of Cybertron to Caminus by way of a violent rampage by Menasor and his defeat by Superion, Windblade requested an audience with the Mistress of Flame. Presumably, the Cityspeaker explained that Optimus Prime, keeper of the Matrix of Leadership, was visiting, and all that that implied, as subsequently she arrived to greet the former Autobot commander. Upstaging Starscream's attempt at first contact with Caminus's ruling body, Optimus Prime displayed that he was a Matrix bearer as the Mistress of Flame and the others bowed before him. The Sum and Its Parts The Mistress became convinced that Optimus was none other than "The Arisen": the incarnation of the legendary Thirteenth Prime. The Medium and the Message

“There’s only one hell, Princess, the one we live in now.”

The wheels quickly came off when the sacred Prime showed up to a meeting with reporters, saying "the people" had a right to know what was going on. To the Mistress's appalled confusion, the Prime kept talking about democracy and the blasphemous idea of letting people choose instead of telling them what was best, as was his duty as the infallible divine font. He even went to risk his life on the surface! She was rebuked when she protested and was left angry. The Possible Light

After the messy first contact and the formation of the Council of Worlds, the Mistress of Flame called Windblade to a meeting. The Cityspeaker warned her that Starscream still had control over all the combiners and she was unsure why the Prime had asked her to accept Rattrap as Cybertron's council representative. In response, the Mistress advised her that a true servant of Solus Prime needed to keep going forward and working: "the forging is where impurities are removed ... and all that remains is the burning heart of truth itself." All That Remains

The Mistress of Flame believed she knew the true name of "The Arisen", one of the two anonymous members of the Thirteen Primes. One of her Torchbearer groups, under Pyra Magna, considered this blasphemous and abandoned her for it. Lagrange

“When I gaze into the flames, I can see through stone and earth, and find the truth within men's souls. I can speak to kings long dead and children not yet born, and watch the years and seasons flicker past, until the end of days.”

Optimus eventually asked the Mistress of Flame to tell her followers to stop worshipping him. Instead, she berated him for ignoring his legacy as a Prime and the legends of a Pax Cybertronia, that the ascension of Cybertron didn't have to mean tyranny. She pushed him into snarling that he defended Earth because all sentient beings defend freedom and then confronted him with how this was the word of Primus; his role was to bring freedom to all and he could surely bring more of it to Earth, provide it resources and topple its tyrants. To her, it seemed that Optimus had seen so much corruption and war that he could not believe "anyone would act altruistically". Optimus mulled this over and casually tried to see if Windblade could vouch for the Mistress as trustworthy. Aphelion

Her words led him down the path to annexing Earth into the Council as an Autobot protectorate. He was haunted by a vision of Aileron as a new Mistress of Flame Once Upon a Time on Earth and nightmares in which the incumbent decried him for sacrificing others for his ambition, and he decided to open up communications to the Mistress of Flame, Starscream, and Soundwave to discuss what to do. Edge of the Earth Optimus travelled to Caminus to meet with the Mistress, where she expounded on her theory that Earth was one of the thirteen lost colonies... and that Optimus Prime was the Arisen, destined to rule Earth as the ancient Primes had once governed their respective colony worlds. The Medium and the Message

"It is not those foes who curse you to your face that you must fear, but those who smile when you are looking and sharpen their knives when you turn your back. You would do well to keep your wolf close beside you. Ice, I see, and daggers in the dark. Blood frozen red and hard, and naked steel. It was very cold."

When a horde of undead Titans threatened Cybertron, the Mistress organized the evacuation efforts as the Transformers relocated their sick and wounded to Caminus. Ping Though the Titans were repelled, Windblade was gravely injured by her traumatic experience with Vigilem, and, as a result, the Mistress took her place on the Council. Behind My Bleeding Back In the wake of the crisis, Starscream — struggling to cope with the threat of a released Liege Maximo — mulled over his next moves with representatives from the colonies. The Mistress of Flame agreed with Elita One's belief that news of the Liege Maximo's escape should be concealed from the public for fear of inciting widespread panic, though ultimately Chancellor Starscream made the final decision. The Mistress stayed behind to discuss Chromia's recent exploits, requesting that she be released into Camien custody. After some soul-searching, Starscream did so, but on the condition that she be released to hunt down and kill the treacherous Prime. Heavy

The Council next convened when Optimus travelled to Cybertron to discuss sharing their technology with the recently-arrived Junkions on Earth. Though the Camien leader vouched for Optimus, noting that he'd divinely "proved" Earth's status as a Transformer world, Starscream ultimately shot down the proposal, citing a violation of the Tyrest Accord. Behind My Bleeding Back Optimus would eventually pull some political stunts of his own to force Earth to join the Council as an equal; when Earth officially joined the Council of Worlds, Baron Ironblood and his Iron Ring laid siege to Iacon. In the emergency meeting to discuss the fate of Scarlett and her team of humans, the Mistress vocally protested Elita's dismissive attitude towards Optimus Prime. First Strike #4

“Death is coming for everyone and everything ... a darkness that will swallow the dawn.”

When the humans had been defeated and Earth's spot secured on the Council, Windblade arrived to formally retake her place as a Council delegate; discovering that Starscream still hadn't told Cybertron about the Liege Maximo, she quickly turned on the Mistress of Flame for taking part in the deception, who, in turn, slapped Windblade when the Cityspeaker blasphemed against the Primes. Incensed, Windblade went to Circuit and Longtooth to tell them about the Liege Maximo, and as panic spread across Iacon the Mistress preemptively stripped Windblade of her status as a delegate and banished her from Caminus. The Chosen One

After Windblade had been elected as ruler of the Republic of Cybertron, the Mistress sought out The Trion and told the ancient Prime of her encounter on Antilla. After advising Scoop to take his grievances out on Starscream instead of the Primes, the Mistress made her way to the Space Bridge reflecting that all the myths and legends she'd grown up worshipping had let her down. When Optimus Prime came through with an Ore-13 shipment, the Mistress requested a private word before a shadow fell over the city and Onyx Prime returned to Cybertron atop his optic craft with Liege Maximo as his prisoner. Surfeit of Primes In the subsequent Council meeting, the Mistress vocally supported Optimus, continuing to believe he was the Arisen, being Cybertron's champion against Onyx bringing up the bestial Prime's attack on Caminus as proof of his sinister motives. After a mysterious explosion ripped through the Spire, and claimed the life of Alpha Trion, Another Mine the Mistress knelt by his corpse. The Ground When Unicron awoke and began to feast upon Caminus, the Mistress oversaw evacuation efforts through the space bridge to Cybertron. When the attacking Maximals broke through resistance and made planetfall, the Mistress took it upon herself to protect her people until all of them could evacuate, stepping in place of Pyra Magna. Entrusting her hammer to Pyra, the Mistress of Flame lived up to her title by projecting blasts of flame from her chest to incinerate the onslaught. Unfortunately, the enemy was too great in number, and the Mistress was soon overwhelmed by the Maximal horde. Her sacrifice allowed all the citizens of Caminus to evacuate to Cybertron safely, and Pyra Magna, still holding her sacred hammer, mourned her passing. Unicron #1

Prime Wars Trilogy cartoons

Voice actor: Lana McKissack (English)

In the name of Tom Petty.

In the aftermath of the Combiner Wars, the Mistress of Flame organized the reconstruction efforts on Cybertron. She apologized to Optimus Prime for distrusting him and offered him a seat on the Council, but Prime turned her down, suggesting Perceptor for the role to her chagrin. Aftermath and Rebirth Shortly thereafter, the Mistress was engaged in business at the Primal Basilica when Trypticon began rampaging through Metroplex City. Briefed on the situation by Windblade and Perceptor, the Mistress took charge and began ordering countermeasures, including calling on the Elite Air Resistance Squadron to attack Trypticon and sending the Combiners to find Fortress Maximus. Our Heroes Respond Eventually, she orders Perceptor to reboot the Basilica's defenses and heads to the prayer chamber to call upon the Thirteen for guidance. The Fight Begins While she prays for a miracle, Overlord arrives and attacks her. The Mistress attempts to defend herself, but Overlord proves too strong and overpowers her, demanding to know Megatron's whereabouts. When the Mistress doesn't respond, Overlord throws her into one of the lights, electrocuting her and leaving her for dead. Overlord and Emissary Megatron arrives a short time later, finding her at death's door. When asked who did this to her, the Mistress offers Overlord's name before finally succumbing to her wounds. At the Last Second A short time later, Perceptor and Optimus find the Mistress's corpse, though they are unable to find any evidence identifying her killer. The Combiners learn of the Mistress's death from Megatron and attack him, assuming him responsible, but he uses a recording of her last words to vindicate himself. Desperate Actions

Notes

• The Mistress of Flame isn't the first person to have a fire-themed religious connection to the Matrix of Leadership.