Steeljaw (IDW)

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

Steel Jaw is a Transformer from the Generation 1 continuity family.

You hear him howling around your kitchen door, you better not let him in.

Steel Jaw (aka Steeljaw) lacks the brute strength of Megatron, or the commanding presence of Optimus Prime. However, he compensates for these physical shortcomings with a silver tongue, a cunning mind, and a predator's killing instincts. He combines his natural charisma and the ability to put up a charming façade with unorthodox strategies that wrongfoot his enemies and keep them guessing long enough for him to find and ruthlessly exploit their weaknesses.

In exchange for all that he brings to the proverbial table, Steel Jaw demands nothing less than absolute loyalty from the soldiers he commands. Most of the Transformers who follow him—perhaps excepting his sister Sharpclaw—are more than happy to follow such an incredible 'bot... but those who question his pragmatic, amoral approach one time too many might find themselves hunted down with the same lack of compassion Steel Jaw affords his enemies.

Fiction

Beast Wars: Uprising

The Maximal Steel Jaw commanded the Pack in contested Tesarus during the Grand Uprising, hunkered down opposite the Micromaster 74th led by Erector. His unique leadership style had his troops mark their Maximal insignia with three slashes, identifying the Pack as loyal to him first, all other loyalties second. His second-in-command, Ramulus, had been with him since the earliest days of the revolution, before even Lio Convoy's proclamation.

All of which explains why he seriously considered disobeying Lio Convoy's orders to advance on Iacon without delay. Abandoning the slow, methodical push through Builder territory to charge the fortifications all at once would be a death sentence for many, if not most, of his men. Still, Steel Jaw accepted the intelligence reports of the Vehicon horde at the back, and decided to make his stand.

The Pack began an artillery bombardment of the Micromaster 74th to shake them up, and then ordered the frontal assault. In truth, a fifth of the Pack was killed in the first few cycles crossing the Builders' mine field. Nevertheless, enough remained for Steel Jaw to rally the Pack and take advantage of the surprise. They charged Erector's lines to break through the Micromasters trying to fortify the position.

In the end, the Pack won, but Steel Jaw was not around to see it, as he was felled by a stray shot. Two-thirds of the Maximals died in the advance, but the road to Iacon was open. Derailment

2005 IDW continuity

Steeljaw was one of Onyx Prime's Maximals. When this bestial horde invaded Cybertron, he was one of the many warriors who wound up battling Arcee. Endless Forever

Notes

• The Beast Wars: Uprising version of Steel Jaw has adopted a lupinoid beast mode by the time of "Derailment" although the narration notes that he used to be an off-road vehicle in reference to his Robots in Disguise counterpart. Given that all of the other Maximals who serve Liege Maximo and "Onyx Prime" possess beast modes, the same is presumably true for the Maximal Steeljaw who appeared in Optimus Prime, but Last Bot Standing dispenses with this concept and simply bases him off how he appeared in the Robots in Disguise cartoon.
• The Beast Wars: Uprising version of Steel Jaw is a Maximal, as per the Beast Wars cartoon's loose tradition of assigning mammal alt-modes to Maximals.
• Uprising Steel Jaw's defaced insignia references his Robots in Disguise incarnation, who slashed the Decepticon insignias of those under his command.