Doubledealer

Doubledealer is an Autobot or Decepticon Powermaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.

"I've got something for you...the lowest-cost SR-22!"

Doubledealer (aka Double Dealer) is unique among Transformers as he holds a place in the Autobot, Decepticon, and even Mercenary armies. The truth, however, is that this ruthless mechanoid is a mercenary loyal only to whomever is paying him, and then only if no better offer catches his eye. At times, even his own partners are unaware of all of Doubledealer's duplicitous dealings. His skills and power make him a valuable asset to both sides, but both really only trust him as far as they could throw a Guardian robot.

Doubledealer is also almost unique among Powermasters in possessing two binary bonded partners, Knok and Skar.

“	The price of victory is never too high.	”
—Doubledealer's bio quote

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

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

Little does Roadhandler know that you can get faction symbols at reprolabels.com.

A Decepticon named Dealer escaped with both Chainclaw and the secret Autobot plans he was carrying, despite the Micromaster Race Car Patrol's efforts. A mysterious Autobot named Double immediately offered his services, explaining that it was his fault that Dealer got away with Chainclaw. After Roadhandler scanned his Autobrand for authenticity and Optimus Prime granted him energon cubes for the mission, Double left to redeem himself. Meanwhile, Dealer presented the Autobot plans to Scorponok and left.

Double arrived back to the Autobots with Chainclaw, but he appeared severely damaged. He told of how Dealer had taken both his energon and the plans, and pleaded for his forgiveness. Optimus Prime, the Race Car Patrol, and Chainclaw left, leaving Double alone. Surprise! The mystery figure was both Autobot and Decepticon, both Double and Dealer! Having conned each side from both the Energon cubes and the Autobot plans, he took to the air in triumph. (Double) Deal of the Century!

Transformers Comic-Magazin

The "Powermaster Spy" attended the celebration in New York held by Megatron where a statue of Snaptrap was gifted to the city. The Troy Principle Those events were recorded on a videotape that was later found and watched by Autobots on Cybertron after a nuclear disaster in Kalis. In Memory of Earth

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

Who wouldn't hire this guy?

Doubledealer carefully chose his partners to best represent him to each faction. Neither Knok nor Skar knows of the other's existence, nor of their master's double life. His two partners are loyal to the Autobots and Decepticons respectively.

Doubledealer appears only in "More than Meets the Eye" in the Dreamwave continuity. His partners are drawn to appear totally robotic. The profile seems to suggest that they are Cybertronians themselves, and not organic beings as all other Powermaster partners have been portrayed. How exactly the Powermaster process would operate between mechanoids is unknown.

2005 IDW continuity

Would a guy with red eyes betray you?

• First Appearance: Spotlight: Hot Rod

A part of Hot Rod's first command, the Autobot called Dealer was left to face a Decepticon ambush alone while Hot Rod, having already lost the rest of his team, escaped with the mission's objective, the Magnificence. Stricken with guilt, Hot Rod infiltrated the Decepticon Penal Colony Styx and evacuated Dealer. Though Hot Rod was at first uneasy around Dealer, considering their history, Dealer explained that he understood Hot Rod's need to complete the mission and leave without him and that he wished to become friends.

Unbeknownst to the young Autobot, however, Dealer was the true reason for the loss of Hot Rod's team. Dealer was an undercover agent working for the Decepticon mercenary Banzaitron and in that capacity had sabotaged Hot Rod's equipment and staged the ambush. With the Magnificence stored in a location known only by Hot Rod, he befriended the Autobot with designs to learn its hiding place. Banzaitron, learning of his hire's double cross, renamed him Doubledealer. Spotlight: Hot Rod

"Doubledealer" attempted to persuade Hot Rod into bribing or coercing others into getting the two-faced double agent reassigned to Earth, but Hot Rod responded noncommittally. Devastation #2 The traitor maintained contact with Banzaitron, selling him bits of information such as the existence of Transformer combiner warriors discovered by the Autobots, which the Decepticon used to track them to the penitentiary on Garrus-9, staging a full-scale assault to acquire this revolutionary technology. Spotlight: Arcee

He's a chicken, I tell you! A giant chicken!

When the Autobots were faced with the growing threat of Nemesis Prime and his expansion project, Dealer saw opportunity in the chaos. Using their lack of knowledge about the current situation as an excuse, Dealer contacted Optimus Prime and suggested that the Magnificence could be the solution to their problems. Spotlight: Hardhead Agreeing with Dealer's suggestion, Prime sent him to Earth to make contact with Hot Rod and retrieve the Magnificence from its secret location. The two "old friends" returned to Ki-Aleta, as apparently Hot Rod had never removed the device from the very planet on which they acquired it. Seeing the Omega Bunker and the site of his greatest failure, however, made Hot Rod start ruminating about how everything went so wrong so fast on that fateful mission. Dealer did his best to console Hot Rod while still pushing him towards revealing the Magnificence's location. However, he also started to waver under the stress of the memories of belonging to a group who thought of him as a friend - and whom he betrayed. They eventually made it to the rocky mountain peak where the device was hidden, beneath a constant storm of ionic energy to mask its presence. As Hot Rod pulled the Magnificence from its hiding place at the summit, Doubledealer was prepared to shoot his former commander in the back and claim his prize. Unfortunately for Dealer, Hot Rod had finally pieced together enough of the evidence to suspect Dealer of foul play. Once the Magnificence confirmed his suspicions, he spun and shot down the treacherous Autobot first, while Dealer hesitated to shoot his once friend in the back. Doubledealer's chest exploded under fire, and he fell the entire height of the mountain, only to smash into pieces at the base. Spotlight: Doubledealer

TransTech

In Primax 806.30 Gamma, Double Dealer and several Decepticons partnered up with the Kalistanian terrorist organization S.K.A.R. in a bid to conquer the world. Double Dealer himself was binary-bonded to S.K.A.R.'s leader, Count von Rani, and the duo would confuse their enemies by assuming an Autobot disguise whenever von Rani was in not in his costume as Iron Klaw. A globe-spanning confrontation ensued between S.K.A.R. and the Screaming Eagles, but ultimately, the Joes and Autobots emerged victorious. Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News, 2016/05/01

Commercial appearances

Piranacon we expect to fall for this. Hey, Prime...?

Various Autobots wondered amongst each other who the new Transformer with Powermaster Optimus Prime could be. Turns out, it was Doubledealer, the Powermaster Mercenary! And, uh, he was also talking to Piranacon! Well, lets hope that's addressed at some point. Doubledealer commercial

Games

Transformers: Battle Tactics

Doubledealer participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was a Rare character who could be recruited by collecting 150 units of Cybermetal, 90 units of Transmetal, and 55 hunter cores. Transformers: Battle Tactics

Doubledealer's appearance is similar to that of the Generations version. Rather than having an Autobot and Decepticon allegiance, Doubledealer is depicted as a pureblood Decepticon with the alternate forms of a plane and a tank. Remind you of someone?

Transformers: Earth Wars

Toys

The Transformers

Autobot, Decepticon, and evil imperialist military vehicle

• Doubledealer with Knok & Skar (Powermaster, 1988)
  • Accessories: Engine holder/chest plate, missile top, missile bottom/solid light blaster

Doubledealer's "default" mode is an ICBM missile launcher truck with no visible faction sigils. One engine can plug into the top of the truck, while the other can be stored in the chest plate/engine holder plugged into the back of the missile. By plugging Knok into the engine socket, his Autobot humanoid robot mode is unlocked. In this form, the ICBM splits up to form a handgun and shoulder-mounted (non-firing) launcher. Also, Skar can be stored by plugging him into the robot's butt. By plugging Skar into the socket in truck mode, his Decepticon "bird" mode is unlocked, and the missile splits into a pair of guns (one on his back and the other on his undercarriage). In bird mode, Knok can be stored in the chest plate/engine holder plugged into the back of the missile.

This mold was used to make Masterforce Doubleclouder.

• More information on Doubledealer at TFU.info
• Instruction booklet for Doubledealer at Botchthecrab.com

Generations

Thrilling 30

In robot mode, he's got an Autobot symbol on his butt and a Decepticon symbol on his mullet.

• Decepticon Doubledealer (Voyager Class, 2014)
  • Series / Number: 02 / 004
  • Accessories: Rifle, scimitar, missile

Part of the fifth wave of 2012–2013 Generations Voyager Class toys, Thrilling 30 Doubledealer is a redeco/retool of Blitzwing from the same line, and transforms into two vaguely futuristic vehicles: a jet with an opening cockpit and back-mounted rocket boosters, with teeth and eye nosecone decorations to evoke the original toy's Decepticon mode, as well as a tank with a rotating turret and a spring-loaded cannon that launches its missile when the barrel is compressed. The cannon can also be swung out and deployed for use in jet mode. He comes with a blaster and a sword, both of which mount/are held by 5 mm post. He features 5mm ports for his hands, shoulders/vehicle sides, cannon base, and wings, while both weapons have numerous additional posts and ports. His head is based off his original toy's head (and yes, therefore, no more face-swapping feature).

In keeping with the faction-switching part of the character concept, Doubledealer has no faction sigils on his robot mode, a Decepticon sigil on the jet mode, and an Autobot sigil on the tank mode. Unfortunately, the design flaw in the shoulder construction remains. Doubledealer's stock photography has him slightly mistransformed, depicting his shoulder wings folded inward in robot mode, and his waist flaps folded in tank mode.

This version of the mold was also used to make Cloud Starscream.

• More information on Generations Doubledealer at TFU.info

War for Cybertron: Earthrise

At least they had the courtesy of putting the missile on his bird mode back rather than letting it dangle below.

• Doubledealer (Leader Class, July 2020)

• ID number: WFC-E23
• Japanese ID number: ER-08
• Japanese release date: September 26, 2020
• Accessories: (non-firing) missile front and back sections, bird tail section with vehicle stabilizer legs, radar pod, two non-firing missile pods, machine gun

Earthrise Doubledealer is a brand-new mold, modernizing the original figure to a great extent. He is the first Leader class figure in the War for Cybertron Trilogy to be a fully Leader-sized figure rather than a Voyager-size figure with added parts. He still transforms into a missile carrier and a robot bird. This version officially has the whole missile on top, similar to his Dreamwave design. However, the end can be mounted underneath for a G1 accurate look. Doubledealer also features a new fourth mode, featuring fold-out stabilizer legs that pose the vehicle as though it were launching the missile. His chest has a compartment inside to store Siege 'cassette'-type Micromasters similarly to Soundwave - and cassette versions of Knok and Skar were released in the Generations Selects subline to accompany him.

Speaking of Knok: Leader Doubledealer's robot-mode abs are sculpted to look like he still has the G1 Knok Powermaster engine inserted. This faux Knok segment is actually removable and can be used by any toy with a 5mm post. Optimally, it would be placed on the flipped out peg on Knok's back.

Doubledealer features panels on his robot mode shoulders that can be flipped to display either Autobot or Decepticon insignias, referencing his duplicitous nature. He has no visible faction insignias in vehicle or bird modes.

Special care should be taken when transforming him into bird mode: it involves a "staircase" motion that pushes his double-jointed knees in one direction while pushing his lower legs in the opposite direction, and if excessive force is used the lower legs can pop out of the knee assembly and are subsequently very difficult to reattach. In addition, the friction joints in his elbows are rather weak and tend to droop when he's holding his gun, particularly the upper joint which can bend in either direction.

Originally shown as a Mercenary at New York Toy Fair 2020, Doubledealer was released in outwardly-Decepticon themed packaging, but with Mercenary symbols on the instructions and the cardboard backdrop. Also on that backdrop, like all Earthrise toys, is an exclusive clip-and-save piece of a larger star map, with a thin red piece of transparent plastic to read the star map. Doubledealer's piece of the map depicts an unknown planet that resembles Nebulos. Like most Earthrise figures from wave 2 onward, however, it is misprinted, and overlays the "decodable" red graphics from the map piece included with Earthrise Astrotrain on top of the details unique to Doubledealer's piece.

In an unusual approach for any Transformers toy, Doubledealer is packaged with his hands against his hips in a Superman-like power pose.

Notes

• Despite Doubledealer's packaging using the Decepticon color scheme and logo, contemporary fiction depicted him as a "whichever".
• Though his toy bio and all other material describe his Decepticon bird mode as a "falcon", the head of the toy actually looks like a vulture, which would seem more fitting given his mercenary nature.
• In the Super-God Masterforce cartoon, Doubleclouder is colored as if he was Doubledealer, rather than using the Doubleclouder toy's coloration. This isn't the only instance of the cartoon using Hasbro colorations over Takara's; the Decepticon Sparkdash use Hasbro colors as well, rather than their Takara-released toy colors.
• Thanks to the use of 5 mm ports, the rocket from the original Doubledealer figure can be used on the Thrilling 30 version. Even the over-the-shoulder rocket feature can be simulated by plugging the solid light blaster onto the back of Doubledealer's arm and then plugging the rocket front into the 5 mm port on the blaster's rear.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Doubledealer (ダブルディーラー Daburudīrā)