Prowl (G1)

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

Prowl is an Autobot and Maximal from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Prick.

Prowl is the Autobot military strategist. As such, Autobot Commander Optimus Prime keeps Prowl near at hand for his indispensable expertise. Prowl believes his dedication to logic and rational thought puts him next in line for Optimus Prime's job and dreams of making grand speeches — even though in reality he's stoic and uncharismatic.

He really doesn't tend to get along well with his fellow Autobots, many of whom find his strict adherence to military protocol stifling, and his uptight personality sure doesn't help matters. He does not react well to the unexpected and despises disorder. The Dinobot commander Grimlock, who is disorder made manifest, especially honks Prowl off, and Grimlock feels pretty much the same way in return, only with more swear words. He's very fond of his acid pellets, though.

French-Canadian name: Cervo, Rôdeur (as Action Master)

Hungarian name: Portyázó (meaning Prowler)

Italian name: Pantera

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Generation 1

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

Before Optimus became leader, Prowl was part of the self-styled Magnificent Six, a team of Autobot warriors who would be tortured and humiliated by the sadistic Megadeath. The Magnificent Six!

Prowl was one of the select Autobots chosen by Optimus Prime to travel aboard the Ark, and ended up in stasis lock for four million years at the base of Mount St. Hilary with the rest of the crew. Once the volcano exploded, Optimus chose Prowl to lead the first away mission into civilization. The Transformers Like most of the Autobots, though, he soon ran out of energy without any option of refueling on Earth, and suffered even greater injuries when the Ark and the deactivated Autobots aboard were taken over by Shockwave and the Decepticons. He was eventually revived when Ratchet and the Dinobots reclaimed control of the Ark from Shockwave's drone, the Guardian. The Wrath of Guardian!

With Optimus Prime's head still in Decepticon possession, Prowl took command of the Autobots until their true leader could be restored. At Jazz's suggestion, he forged an alliance with human fuel magnate, G.B. Blackrock, arranging an exchange of free gasoline for the Autobots for their help in protecting Blackrock's facilities from the Decepticons. The Autobots were eventually successful in recovering Prime's head, and restoring him to functionality, but Prowl suffered some injuries battling the Decepticons and a false Prime in the process. Prime Time!

Shortly thereafter, Prowl was the ringleader of a group of Autobots strongly requesting that Prime use his Creation Matrix to create Ultimate Autobot super-warriors to wipe out the Decepticons for them. The lethal efficiency of Prowl's stance was just as strong opposed by another faction who saw such action as a perversion of their sacred lifeforce, and the potential for laying waste to Earth. Prime's long absence and relative weakness after his recent ordeals left Prowl and the others less deferential than normal to his will, but after he singlehandedly fought through the Decepticons to rescue Bumblebee, Prowl and the other Ultimate Autobot proponents backed down and accepted Prime's final word on the subject. Crisis of Command! When the Dinobots were driven feral by their primitive circuitry, Prowl nearly sacrificed himself crashing a shuttlecraft straight into the feuding Grimlock and Sludge. Dinobot Hunt!

Prowl was displaced to limbo along with Optimus Prime and Ratchet when Galvatron and co timetravelled from the future. Target 2006 Joined later by Shockwave, Thundercracker and Frenzy they found themselves in the middle of a war between the peaceful cat-like Cloran and evil monkey-like invaders led by Zenag. Distant Thunder! When the time travellers returned to their own time Prowl was released from Limbo.

Prowl was next in action (and later deactivated by means unknown) during the Battlecharger's rampage, and attempted to bring them in despite the endangerment of human life. Perchance to Dream Ratchet did manage to briefly revive him in order to exploit Prowl's police car mode against a human thief named the Mechanic who had infiltrated the Ark. Funeral for a Friend! Prowl was fully revived in time for Grimlock and Blaster's grudge match on the moon, and fought alongside the combined crews of the Ark and Steelhaven against the Decepticon party-crashers. Totaled! Unfortunately, it wasn't too long afterwards that Prowl was once again knocked off-line, this time battling the Underbase-charged Starscream in New York. Dark Star!

He would remain in stasis for some time, until Grimlock acquired a large supply of super-energy known as Nucleon, and pumped it into all of the Ark's stasis chambers. Prowl found himself revived just in time to engage the Chaos-Bringer known as Unicron for the sake of all Cybertron, and then bury his longterm friend and leader, Optimus Prime, who sacrificed himself to destroy Unicron. On the Edge of Extinction! At Prime's last request, Prowl reluctantly supported Grimlock as new leader of the Autobots. While Grimlock pursued his own interests, though, Prowl found himself working almost alone trying to maintain the tenuous peace between the Autobots and Decepticons. He ended up overplaying his hand, and gave Decepticon leader Bludgeon a chance to betray the Autobots, leaving them trapped on the dying world of Cybertron, without transport, while the Decepticons fled to conquer new civilizations. Luckily for Prowl, Grimlock had anticipated the Decepticons' treachery (By Primus, how'd he manage that...?!?) and had secured alternate starships. The Autobots chased their foes to the planet of Klo and, thanks to the resurrection of Optimus Prime and the arrival of the Last Autobot, managed to drive off Bludgeon's forces, sending them into at least temporary exile. End of the Road!

Earthforce

These stories do not fit into the normal Marvel UK continuity. See Earthforce for details.

Prowl was reactivated by Galvatron's interference; he easily shook off an attempt at brainwashing him via his baser instints and shot Galvatron in the face. Along with Wheeljack, he lamented about the proliferation of newer types of Transformers, claiming these newcomers gave him a headache just thinking about them. Starting Over! He went on to risk his life to stop a Decepticon weapon, leading to both being lost; it turned out he'd survived and deactivated the weapon weeks ago, and was just taking it easy in Louisiana. Now part of Earthforce, he became second-in-command under Grimlock - and had much more success with it than in US #76-80! He also pursued Megatron back into the past when he used Flashback technology to try and alter the events of Dark Star!; possessing his own past body, Prowl thwarted Megatron and then had to let his past self be killed by Starscream. Flashback

Along with the surviving Magnificent Six and Silverbolt, Prowl once more faced Megadeath in 1990 and, encouraged by Silverbolt to overcome the past, helped beat Megadeath half to death.

Another Time and Place

Several months after the incident on Klo, Prowl caught wind of Grimlock running off on his own again, this time back to Hydrus Four. Prowl alerted Optimus Prime to the situation, but was surprised when his leader harshly rebuked him for bringing it to his attention. When Prime made it clear he didn't want anything to do with Prowl's report, the Autobot strategist stormed off to consider the problem himself. After some solitary computation, Prowl decided that the threat of Decepticons following Grimlock to Hydrus Four and acquiring Nucleon was too perilous to ignore. He was rushing out of his chambers, ready to throw together a squad of Autobots regardless of what Optimus Prime thought, when he ran smack into Optimus himself. Prime apologized to Prowl for "hiding his head in the sand"—he had wanted the war to be over so badly, for his fellow Autobots' sake and not his, that he was willing to ignore an obvious threat. The two old friends shook hands and proceeded to gather their strike team.

On Hydrus Four, Prowl joined a small group of commandos including Springer, Blaster, Nightbeat and Ironhide to scout the enemy position. They dispatched Fangry with little effort, and sent in Roadhandler and some Micromasters to free Grimlock and the Dinobots quietly before the main offensive began. Nothing ever goes quietly with the Dinobots, though, and so once the shooting started inside, the Aerialbots were sent in to bomb the facility and let the Decepticons know they were in for it. Prowl and his fellow Autobots assaulted the base and, in little time at all, Bludgeon and his crew were dismantled and the day was won yet again. Another Time and Place

Generation 2

When Optimus Prime and Grimlock discovered the threat of the Cybertronian Empire, they called in Autobots scattered across the galaxy, including Prowl. As one of Prime's most loyal supporters, Prowl did not participate in Grimlock's ill-advised strike on the Liege Centuro and his fleet. Devices and Desires! Still, Prowl would not completely ignore Grimlock's opinions: when Optimus Prime decreed that he be left alone to entreaty Megatron for peace, Grimlock convinced Prowl that Prime made a bad call, and they arrived with a rescue battalion just in time to keep Megatron from destroying his old nemesis. The Gathering Darkness Prowl continued serving the Autobot cause, and was present when they attempted to stop the genocide of the planet Ethos by the Cybertronian Empire. Escalation!

Animated continuity

Voice actor: Michael Bell (US), Toshirō Ishii (Japan)

It's like looking into a mirror...well, not really.

Prowl was part of the crew of the Ark, the Autobot starship that left Cyberton looking for alternate sources of energy only to crashland on Earth. Four million years later, the Transformers were reawakened by the eruption of the volcano the Ark had crashed in and reformatted by Teletraan-1. Despite being situated in the United States, Prowl was reformatted as a Japanese police car. No one seemed to notice. More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1

On Earth, Prowl continued to serve as Optimus Prime's right hand man, filling the role of military advisor and strategist. His precision thinking and by-the-books planning served as a valuable counterpoint to Jazz's more improvisational style, and it was up to Optimus Prime to weigh their views and come to a decision.

During an attack against the Decepticons, Prowl's battle computer was knocked offline by a particularly fierce blow. Crippled, Prowl extended his antenna to seek out an online computer that he could patch into. He found Chip Chase's desktop terminal, and the young human ally momentarily took control of Prowl, animating the massive Autobot warrior with his computer. Roll For It

I'm glad Skyfire's here Prime, but where's my face?

Skids and Prowl attempted to stop the mayhem caused by Blitzwing's Decepticons, but instead the two Autobots crashed into each other and were temporarily rebuilt into a throne by Scrapper. Triple Takeover

Prowl met his manufacturer in the year 2005, alongside fellow Autobots Ironhide, Brawn and Ratchet. During a Decepticon assault on a shuttle run to Earth from Moonbase One for energon. He very nearly shot Starscream's head off, but was felled by a single blast from Scavenger, which penetrated his armour, burned his innards horribly, and extinguished his spark. The Transformers: The Movie

Prowl's body was evidently recovered for interment, as his grave was housed in the interstellar Autobot mausoleum. Along with the mausoleum itself, Prowl's remains were later plunged into a red sun as a side-effect of a Quintesson plot. Dark Awakening

Headmasters cartoon

Prowl appears as an extra on Earth, even though he died in the movie five years or so previously.

(Note: Prowl's revival can be chalked up to error, especially since the Movie did not actually reach Japan until many years later. However, he was listed as deceased in Dark Awakening, which did air in Japan, so who knows? Maybe he got better like Wheeljack did?). Another possibility is that the robot identified as Prowl was in reality Bluestreak, mistakenly portrayed with Prowl's colour scheme.

Binaltech

When Prowl's laser core was lost to subspace in a GT Transfer accident, his longtime friend Chip Chase volunteered to sacrifice his very own soul in order to breathe life into the now-lifeless Prowl 2. With the help of Ratchet and Wheeljack, Chip's consciousness was transported into Prowl's frame. The new entity created in this fusion is virtually indistinguishable from Prowl's old persona, thanks to copies of the original Prowl's memory core and datatrax, while a separate neurocomputer handles Chip's thought processes.

Kid Stuff Talking Story Books

Voice actor: Unknown

"OUR MISSILES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!"

Prowl appears in this storyline as Optimus Prime's over-acting right-hand man.

Dreamwave comics continuity

Prowl was an Autobot from Praxus. After the death of Sentinel Prime, Grimlock called him, Jazz, and others to the ruins of Praxus, where he declared that if the new Prime was insufficient, they would take control of the Autobot military. Prowl was present at the ceremony when Optronix became Optimus Prime, and was restrained by Grimlock when Prime was attacked. Prowl became Optimus Prime's immediate subordinate and advisor. When Optimus ordered a planetary evacuation, Prowl told Prime that there were many voices raised in opposition against it. When Prime asked if Prowl's own voice was raised in opposition, Prowl looked away but did not reply. The planetary turbines were activated by Megatron, and Prime left to investigate. As Shockwave lead an assault on Iacon, Prowl and Jazz lead the defense, and Prowl sent out an order to all Autobots outside Iacon to regroup and dig in elsewhere. After Iacon was devastated by the mecha-forming process, Prime aborted the evacuation. The War Within

After Prime and Megatron disappeared in a space bridge test, the Autobots fractured, leading to the Lightning Strike Coalition and Wreckers leaving the main Autobot army. Prowl took over leadership of the Autobots. He worked with Shockwave, who had assumed command of the Decepticons, to prevent the Fallen's plans from coming to fruition. He and Shockwave agreed to let the Well of All Sparks remain sealed 'Til all are one, as Shockwave put it. Prowl thought the line was catchy. The War Within: The Dark Ages Eventually, however, Ultra Magnus took command of the Autobots, and reunited the three factions. The War Within: The Age of Wrath

Prowl was one of many Transformers under the control of rogue government engineer-turned-arms dealer Adam Rook. He, along with several Autobots and Decepticons, attacked the Smitco Oil Refinery Artic facilty during Rook's sales demonstration to several terrorist organizations. Unfortunately, the invasive program that controlled Prowl killed a helpless human refinery worker escaping from the destruction. Prime Directive, Part 2

Transformers Legends anthology

When Optimus Prime accidentally kills a fellow Autobot, Prowl - who never liked the dead guy anyway - covers it up so the rest of the team won't lose faith in their leader.

IDW Beast Wars comics

Prowl is a member of the Maximal counterpart to the Tripredacus Council, the Maximal Imperium, alongside former Autobot teammates Ironhide and Silverbolt. The Ascending #2

IDW comics continuity

This section covers fiction that is ongoing. It will be added to as the story progresses. If it isn't current, you can help by updating it.

Prowl has been serving the Autobots for a long time, dating back to the days of Sentinel Prime if not earlier. He was part of the team that attempted — and failed — to crack down on the illegal gladiatorial combat in Kaon. When Megatron defeated Sentinel and devastated the Security Team HQ, it was Prowl who took control and ordered the evacuation of security forces from Kaon. Megatron Origin

File:Prowl avatar.PNG

When he takes those sunglasses off, "Won't Get Fooled Again" starts playing out of NOWHERE.

In more recent times, he was the leader of a detachment of Autobots that operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, attempting to foil a Decepticon insurgency lead by Starscream, and blindly following the Autobot rules of counterinsurgency. He almost threw Ratchet in the brig for breaking cover to rescue three humans from the Decepticons, and subsequently refused to contact Optimus Prime until further evidence of enemy activities was uncovered. He did not willingly believe Ratchet when the medic tells him that the Decepticons had stepped up their presence by constructing a second base. However, Ironhide ended up sending a pulsewave transmission to Prime behind Prowl's back. Infiltration Once Optimus arrived, Prowl showed himself to be a trusted and loyal officer.

Like most Autobots operating on alien worlds, Prowl used a holomatter avatar to act as his "driver" while driving on the highway.Infiltration issue 6

When Springer ordered several Autobots on a lethal mission to rescue the damaged and deranged Kup from an alien world, Prowl evidently helped conceal Springer's efforts from Optimus. But he still felt it was a misguided effort, asking Springer if Kup would want other Autobots killed rescuing him. Spotlight: Kup

When everything kicked off in Brasnya, Prowl led Jazz and Wheeljack (and later Hot Rod and Hardhead) into battle, attempting to capture a Decepticon facsimile — he risked his life in the attempt (though Hot Rod mucked up the first try). When Optimus was temporarily offline and believed dead, Prowl assumed full command and came up with a strategy for fighting Megatron (shoot him, then run away). Escalation

Under orders from Optimus, Prowl oversaw the moving of Ark-19 to a more secure location; he turned to Prime rather than order the launch on his own discretion (Prime had to order him to use his own discretion). When Sixshot blew them out of the sky, Optimus took command of the situation until the Autobots were safe aboard the Ark-32.

Once on the Ark-32, Prowl found that, due to injuries and separate missions, he and Hardhead were the only active Autobots; he was annoyed about this, and mildly slagged off Optimus and Nightbeat for being elsewhere. He was then shocked when Optimus abruptly ordered their unit to withdraw from Earth to handle a situation at the Garrus-9 secure facility. Devastation

IDW Hearts of Steel continuity

With Optimus Prime in stasis lock, Prowl and Ratchet appeared to be the co-leaders of the Autobots in the 19th century. Hearts of Steel issue 1 Despite Bumblebee's pleading, he was reluctant to interfere with the humans, but nevertheless participated in the pursuit of the Astrotrain as it headed to New York. Hearts of Steel issue 4

His "Ice Age Wars" altmode is uncertain, but it is spiky, and possibly aquatic. His 19th century altmode is a small black-and-white locomotive with a glowing red smokestack.

Toys

Generation 1

• Prowl (Autobot Car, 1984/1985/1990/2002/2003)
  • Japanese ID number: 09, TFC-02
  • Accessories: Acid pellet gun, 2 x missile launchers (left & right), 3 x wire-guided missiles

I ain't fallin' for no banana in the tailpipe...

Prowl was part of the first series of Autobots released in 1984, reusing a mold originally developed for a Diaclone Datsun Fairlady Z (280 ZX) police car, with his decals altered to remove the "Diaclone" marks. (The European "Classic Heroes" re-release retained the Diaclone stickers, for unknown reasons).

In 1985, Mexico imported Transformers, but there were some notable changes on numerous toys. Prowl's helmet, arms, and boots turned black, plus his "POLICE" decals became "POLICIA". There was also a wide running change (or just factory error) that left out the black paint on his car hood.

Also known as 'El Pricko'.

In 2002, Prowl was re-released as part of the Transformers Collection series in Japan. This version has slightly-altered decals, and fully-functional spring-loaded missile launchers.

In 2003, Prowl was released as part of the Toys "R" Us exclusive "Commemorative Series" line in the US. This version of Prowl uses a softer , unchromed black plastic for his rifle and missiles owing to breakage issues, plus his launchers are completely non-firing. He uses the same decals as the Japanese "bookbox" release.

The same mold was used for Bluestreak and Smokescreen.

• Prowl (Action Master Blaster, 1990)
  • Accessories: Turbo Cycle, small cannon, 2 x missiles, 2 x engine covers (left & right), shield/gas tank cover

A non-transforming action figure, Action Master Prowl is modeled after his cartoon model with a few toy-based liberties taken. He came with his Turbo Cycle vehicle, though the main figure was compatible with all other Action Master vehicles and weapons.

Beast Wars

• Magnaboss (Ultra, 1997)
  • Accessories: Tail

Prowl transforms from a lion into a robot, with his cat-butt turning into a "cyber tail claw" weapon. He is able to combine with Ironhide and Silverbolt, his package buddies, into Magnaboss.

This mold was used to make Lio Junior.

The toy packaging gives no indication as to who the Magnaboss components are as characters. Their being Generation 1 characters was established by IDW.

Machine Wars

• Prowl (Basic, 1997)
  • Accessories: Gun (gun body & barrel)

File:Mwprowl.jpg

Do you have any idea how fast you were going?

Sharing a mold with Machine Wars Mirage, Prowl transforms into a Formula-1 race car, and converts to robot mode with a spring-loaded, one-step transformation. His rifle-halves store in his legs in car mode. He --and the entire Machine Wars line-- was available only at Kay-Bee stores.

Prowl's usual function is strategist, but, in an ironic twist, in this first non-police car form he's described as chief of security.

This mold was also used to make Robots in Disguise Skid-Z.

Smallest Transformers

• Prowl (2003)

Japanese ID number: GTF-09

Wee-woo-wee-woo-wee-woo.

Released in Wave 2 of Smallest Transformers, STF Prowl is the smallest possible transforming toy based upon the original Prowl toy. He faithfully repoduces the transformation sequence for the most part, but due to parts-cost limitations, he has little articulation, his legs cannot separate and his wheels do not roll.

Alternators

• Prowl (Alternator, 2005/2006)
  • Alternator ID number: 16
  • Japanese ID number: BT-15
  • Accessories: Engine/gun, traffic direction baton

You better get a lawyer, son...

Alternators Prowl transforms into a 1:24-scale Acura RSX with police lights, opening doors, hood and trunk. His engine becomes a (non-firing) gun, while a clear-plastic nightstick is hidden under his car-mode rear section. He was among the last of the "red box" Alternators, but was included in new "white box" assortments in 2006. The "white box" version of Prowl had additional Acura logos on the rear of the car that the "red box" version did not.

...you better get a real good one.

For his standard Japanese Binaltech release, Prowl got a different vehicle mode deco based on a real Japanese police car (the Hasbro version's deco being based more on the original Generation 1 toy), a different spoiler mold, different rims, right-side steering, a Japanese police cherry blossom emblem instead of an Acura logo, and gray plastic instead of stony-blue. He was also labeled as a "Honda Integra Type-R", the model's make in Japan.

• Prowl Vivid Blue Pearl Edition (Binaltech, 2005)
  • Japanese ID number: BT-15
  • Accessories: Engine/gun, traffic direction baton

Prowl on his day off...

Like Jazz, Prowl got two different Binaltech decos released in equal numbers. The second version, known as Vivid Blue Pearl Prowl, is a civilian version with no police lights, a mostly blue interior, a Honda logo (instead of the cherry blossom emblem) on the grill, and a solid blue car-shell. His robot-mode parts remained mostly the same color, however.

This mold (the Japanese blue Prowl variant, combined with parts from American police Prowl) was used to make Alternators Camshaft.

• Prowl Satellite Patrol Edition (Binaltech, 2005?)

The Hasbro version of Prowl, using the Hasbro red box packaging, was supposed to have been released in Japan as an exclusive to a satellite TV provider. The only notable difference from the Hasbro version was the "Satellite Patrol" markings on his doors. It is unknown if this toy was ever actually released, however.

Universe

• Prowl (Autobot, 2005)
• Accessories: Gun

A redeco of the Robots in Disguise Prowl 2 mold, Universe Prowl transforms into a Chevrolet Caprice police car with through-axle construction for super-speedy rolling on smooth surfaces. His gun hides as his car mode's tailpipe. Originally only available at Kay-Bee stores in packaging with no sub-line markings, his entire assortment was later repackaged under the Universe banner and sold through "dollar store" chains like Family Dollar.

Universe (2008)

• Prowl (Deluxe, 2008)
  • Accessories: Gun

Prowl transforms into a modified Nissan 350Z. Like previous Generation 1 Prowl toys, his paint job is based upon that of a Japanese police car. The pre-production versions of Universe Prowl featured an American-style rectangular light bar, but later versions features an swept-back Japanese-style light bar.

Attacktix

• Prowl (Booster, 2007)
  • Accessories: Missile

I got a big... gun.

Introduced in Series 2 of Attacktix, Prowl is a Captain class unit with the special ability to stun an opposing player unit. His sculpt is based upon his G1 cartoon model with some additional details. His weapon is a hugely oversized version of his rifle, capable of firing a large silver projectile.

Merchandise

3D Battle-Card Game

• Prowl (2007)

A 25-point "uncommon" character in the 3D Battle-Card Game's "Energon Wars" expansion, Prowl "transforms" into a black and white police car that vaguely resembles a Nissan Z. He uses the same parts layout as Movie Barricade and Bumblebee.

Trivia

• Prowl's Diaclone predecessor also came with additional, optional stickers that would identify him as being part of the police forces from existing Japanese cities, namely "Tokyo City", "Sapporo City", "Sendai City", "Osaka City" and "Fukuoka City".

• The original Transformers instruction booklet shows a visible Japanese label sheet, complete with the cherry blossom emblem found on Japanese police cars, which did not make it to final product.

• Machine Wars Prowl's card-art is actually an altered version of the art for the Generation 2 Laser Rod Jolt.

• Transmetal 2 Prowl may possibly be the same spark as the Generation 1 character reincarnated... though the IDW series makes this REALLY complicated.

• At OTFCC 2004, Hasbro stated that there was no Prowl Alternators toy in the works, but some other emergency vehicle (which got a chorus of boos). In fact, the Acura RSX Alternators mold was originally supposed to be Red Alert, as backed up by a placeholder listing found at Hasbro's website and a Takara color guide for the toy that used a control drawing which sports a head sculpt based on G1 Red Alert (but colored as Prowl). Eventually, however, it was decided to release the toy as Prowl instead.

• Instead of having a normal gunshot death, Prowl is shown having orange smoke coming from his mouth as he dies. Hardcore.

External links

• Prowl on TFU.info
  
  
  From Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki, a Wikia wiki.