Aggressive depigmentation

50 Shades of Thunderclash

Aggressive depigmentation refers to the loss of colour that occurs in the living metal of a Cybertronian after suffering traumatic damage or losing one's natural Spark. In some instances, the natural color of a Transformer will fade, leaving the body various shades of gray.

Fiction

Generation 1 continuity family

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

After he succumbed to his wounds sustained during the Battle of Autobot City, Optimus Prime's body turned black and grey. When Galvatron killed Starscream for his treachery, the air commander's entire body turned black, then crumbled to ashes. The Transformers: The Movie

Japanese cartoon continuity

The Headmasters cartoon

After perishing from a mutual kill, Soundwave and Blaster's bodies both decolourized. What was left of Soundwave's exploded remains turned white, while Blaster turned the bog-standard gray. The Mystery of Planet Master

When he died again, this time sacrificing himself to reset Vector Sigma, Optimus' body turned grey in Rodimus's arms. Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime

Victory cartoon

In the final fight between Victory Leo and Liokaiser in front of Deathsaurus' Planet-Destroying Fortress, the Decepticon combiner was blasted into the fortress's main cannon, which drained him of all his energy, turning it grey and sending it flying off into the depths of space. Showdown! The Fortress vs the Victory Unification

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

When Grimlock took several shots for Ultra Magnus, his corpse began to desaturate within seconds of his death. The Age of Wrath

After being shot in the back by Shockwave, Ultra Magnus died in Optimus's arms, the colour immediately fading from his body, only for it to return when Magnus sprang back to life a few minutes later. Countdown to Extinction

Dreamwave Armada comic

An Optimus Prime from a doomed Cybertron was sent to another universe by Unicron as a perverse calling card. When found and brought to Autobase Earth, his colours had faded almost entirely before he died. Worlds Collide, Part 1 of 4

2005 IDW continuity

Aggressive depigmentation set in almost instantly after a spark expired. Rage, Rage Sardines

During World War II, Centurion slew "Shockwave", the latter's corpse turning grey upon his demise. Strange Visitors

After the initial Expansion, Nemesis Prime's body turned grey upon his essence returning to the Dead Universe. Black Planet Topspin's body underwent aggressive depigmentation after he voluntarily sacrificed his Spark to unlock Aequitas. Last Stand of the Wreckers #4

A NAIL protester who transformed himself to death demonstrated both aggressive depigmentation and rigor morphis. How to Say Goodbye and Mean It Aggressive depigmentation could sometimes set in prior to death; when fatally wounded by an infestation of personality ticks, a dying Thunderclash was drained of colour and also succumbed to rigor morphis until the ticks were defeated, restoring his health and palette. The Frail Gaze

After an accident had resulted in the Lost Light quantum duplicating itself, the Rodimus of one of the ships lost his life when he defeated the sparkeater, his body turning dark grey upon his demise. The Road Not Taken

Skids's body lost its colours upon his demise. Rage, Rage

While travelling back to the Lost Light aboard Skip, Ratchet inexplicably succumbed to aggressive depigmentation despite being alive. Sardines It was later revealed however that, as part of their master plan, the Omega Guardians were slowly teleporting Ratchet to make it seem as though he was dying. The Unremembering

While not all deceased Transformers necessarily experienced aggressive depigmentation on death, those Cybertronians exposed to the corrosive effects of magic were more prone to displaying the condition. Both Centurion Ghost in the Machine and Kup depigmented after death, while Breakdown's arm experienced similar effects immediately after coming into contact with magical energy. Schismatic Wheeljack's analysis of magic however allowed him to devise a counter-frequency that returned Breakdown's arm to normal. Temporarily at least. Desperate Measures

After being at ground zero in an explosion, Alpha Trion perished, his corpse succumbing to aggressive depigmentation. Another Mine

When Scorponok had been slain by the Grand Architect, Farsickness his corpse experienced a notable, though not total, desaturation of its colours. The Return of the King

In a confrontation between the Colonist Soldiers and G.I. Joe, Gimlet thoughtlessly crushed Mainframe's VAMP, killing the operator. In an equally thoughtless response, Slug cleaved the Eukarian in half, his corpse instantly turning grey. Time Will Rust

Beast Wars: Uprising

When he was shot dead by the otherdimensional cyborg Vamp, Overshoot's body quickly turned grey. Cultural Appropriation

On the final day of the Buzzclaw Memorial Games, Preditron noted fellow unwilling combatant Torque, who was suffering from an unknown ailment, was already beginning to show signs of color-fade before he was even dead. Safe Spaces

2019 IDW continuity

The Titans who had gone immersant to makeup the Cybertronian Mountains were all various shades of grey. The World In Your Eyes Part One Awakenings We Are Not Meant To Be Darkness

When Rubble discovered Brainstorm's corpse, the scientist's body had visibly desaturated. The World In Your Eyes Part One When Rubble passed not long afterwards, his own body lost its colours. The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part One

Sentinel Prime's body began to quickly desaturate when he died, Prime later losing all of its colours when he was laid to rest. Awakenings

Several desaturated Cybertronian body parts were visible when Ultra Magnus discovered a splice-thief den on Kworia. When Magnus later found a still living Cybertronian in the process of being vivisected, the unfortunate mechanoid's body had already turned grey. Storm Horizon Part 1

When Circuit died, his body instantly lost all of its colours. Tread & Circuits Part 4

Transformers vs. The Terminator

Following the Decepticons reactivating in 1984, they turned their weapons against the stasis-locked Autobots in the Ark, executing them. When the T-800 and Sarah Connor arrived, the bodies of several Autobots had turned grey. Enemy of My Enemy Part Two

War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon

When in the Dead Universe, Optimus Prime was shown a potential future by Sky Lynx where he had died, Prime's corpse being a solid grey. Earthrise episode 5

2021 Beast Wars comic

When Terrosaur killed Razorbeast, a furious Skold avenged her friend by ripping out the flyer's spark, his corpse turning quickly turning monochrome. Maximals Strike Back, Part 2

Transformers: Animated cartoon

Yoketron's body turned grey when he was slain by his treacherous pupil Lockdown. Prowl attempted to revive him by placing Yoketron's spark in a blank protoform, but the ancient Autobot refused to sacrifice an unborn life to save himself, and died permanently, his new body turning grey instantly. Five Servos of Doom

Optimus's body turned grey when he temporarily died (for a grand total of seventy-five seconds). Transform and Roll Out

Starscream's body did not turn grey when he was first killed by Megatron, Megatron Rising - Part 2 or in any of his subsequent deaths, Mission Accomplished until his absolutely final death, when the AllSpark fragment keeping him alive was removed from his head. Endgame, Part II

When he sacrificed himself to restore the AllSpark, Prowl's body went grey. Endgame, Part II

Cyberverse cartoon

When Starscream merged with the AllSpark, his first act was to drain the sparks of his Seeker loyalists, their bodies quickly turning grey. I Am The Allspark

By the time of Tarn's power play, Iaconus' corpse had turned grey. The Perfect Decepticon

Trivia

• Aggressive depigmentation is, of course, a fancy name for the long tradition of Transformers turning grey upon death, with the term first being given in the 2018 comic issue Transformers: Lost Light #13.