Transformers (2023) issue 20

« Transformers #20 »
Daddy's home.
Publisher	Image Comics Skybound Entertainment
First published	May 14, 2025
Cover date	May 2025
Written by	Daniel Warren Johnson
Art by	Jorge Corona
Colors by	Mike Spicer
Letters by	Rus Wooton
Editor	Ben Abernathy
Continuity	Energon Universe

The Autobots revive allies old and new following the return of Megatron, who has his own scores to settle.

Synopsis

In the ruins of Seattle, now reunited with the Decepticons, Megatron prepares to pursue the fleeing Autobots. However, he is interrupted by a challenge from Astrotrain, as the furious Triple Changer finally confronts the object of his hatred. Megatron welcomes the challenge and, even in his injured state, savagely beats Astrotrain and tosses him off a building, mocking him. Astrotrain begs Megatron to go ahead and kill him, but Megatron assures him he still has plans for him.

Elsewhere, Ultra Magnus has been taken to a secret United States military site to be studied, though progress is slow as they barely know what they're dealing with. Doc talks with a private about having recently seen action while the private mentions that he hasn't heard from his brother, who was serving onboard the USS Henry Harrison. He asks Doc if he'll pray for him, but Doc simply states that he doesn't do that anymore.

At the Ark, Spike convenes with Optimus Prime. Optimus is worried: their forces are spread too thin, and he knows that Megatron will be coming after them as soon as he's reunited the disparate factions of Decepticons. Spike asks Optimus more about the Matrix of Leadership, wondering if his dad might still be in there somewhere, but Prime confirms that he does not hear the voices of any of the Primes who now reside within it. Optimus confesses that he is worried about a darkness inside him that once overtook him at the start of the war, and fears that he won't be able to find the light; however, Spike reassures him that the light always comes back, just like a sunrise.

The pair's bonding moment is then interrupted by the arrival of Beachcomber and the newly-repaired Silverbolt, who have returned from their mission to recover Jetfire. Optimus thanks Silverbolt and welcomes him into the Ark, where the rest of the Aerialbots are finished being repaired. As they come online, the Aerialbots excitedly embrace Optimus. Wheeljack then informs Optimus that he's set up a diagnostic table to examine Prime's visions, as Thundercracker observes them from behind Teletraan-1.

Some things never change.

On Cybertron, Shredhead talks with Cliffjumper, who is worried about Carly. Cliffjumper asks Shredhead if they recognize him, and Shredhead says that while their memories are hazy, they do feel a connection from the sparks that made them. When Cliffjumper tells Shredhead about his concerns for the human that painted the mural on the side of Shredhead's alternate mode, they enthusiastically transform and suggest the pair go rescue her.

Meanwhile, the Decepticons have reconvened on the fragment of Cybertron that fell into the Pacific Ocean. Megatron reveals that this particular part of their world housed the Beacon of The Ancient, and that he hid raw materials here during the war. He orders Starscream brought before him and, using the technology available, fully restores the damaged Seeker. Starscream grovels before Megatron in thanks before Megatron proceeds to beat him once more within an inch of his life. He then orders Astrotrain be brought in and transforms into his gun mode. Though Starscream tries to resist, Megatron's will overpowers him and he blasts Astrotrain to smithereens, though this task requires Starscream to unload shot after shot, as Megatron's incomplete state means his gun mode lacks its usual firepower. After transforming back into robot mode, Megatron tells the Autobots to prepare themselves, because he's coming to make himself whole again...

Featured characters

Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans	Others
Ultra Magnus (8) Optimus Prime (10) Trailbreaker (11) Jazz (12) Beachcomber (13) Silverbolt (14) Jetfire (15) Skydive (16) Slingshot (17) Fireflight (18) Slingshot (19) Wheeljack (20) Shredhead (23) Cliffjumper (24)	Soundwave (1) Ravage (2) Megatron (3) Laserbeak (4) Astrotrain (5) Skywarp (21) Thundercracker (22) Onslaught (25) Scrapper (26) Starscream (28) Scavenger (29) Blast Off (30) Brawl (31) Swindle(?) (32)	Doc (6) Private (7) Spike Witwicky (9)	The Ancient (27)

Quotes

"You are weak, Astrotrain. Weak and naive. Naive to think that there is justice in this life. But there's no justice here. Only strength. And I am the definition of strength."
"Ungh..."
"You were pathetic then. You're pathetic now. A stain on what it means to be a Decepticon."
"Please... let it end. Just kill me now."
"Not yet. I still have use for you."

-Megatron gives Astrotrain a dressing-down.

"There is a darkness inside me, Spike. I can't quite tell what it is. No matter how dire our cause has gotten I have always been able to find...light. Where is it now?"
"Optimus, look. I know there's not organic life on your planet. But...there are suns all over the galaxy, aren't there? Cybertron must have a sunset. Just like Earth?"
"I...yes. You are correct."
"Then there's gotta be a sunrise at some point."

-Spike Witwicky lifts Optimus out of his funk.

"We must be our own saviors. We must look out for each other. Isn't that right Starscream?"

—Megatron to Starscream

Notes

Continuity notes

• Astrotrain has been on the warpath for Megatron ever since being freed from the brig of the Nemesis back in issue #8.
• Though it isn't officially stated, the military site where Ultra Magnus is being kept is most likely a G.I. Joe-run site given the presence of Doc. What relation this site has to the Pit and Duke's team is still unclear.
• The private states that he hasn't heard from his brother serving aboard the USS Henry Harrison, indicating that he doesn't know about the destruction of the aircraft carrier by the Decepticons in issue #8.
• Though it wasn't immediately clear when we last saw him in issue #18, Spike's appearance here confirms that he's more-or-less fully recovered from being shot in issue #3, as he's able to walk without any form of assistance.
• We've had winks and nods here and there, but this issue is the first to really broach the topic of the Primes that preceded Optimus. As Optimus doesn't go into much detail about them besides acknowledging their spirits' presence within the Matrix, however, the Energon Universe's incarnation of the Prime lineage remains an enigma.
• While Optimus may not hear the voices of the previous Primes in the Matrix, Sparky entering it has clearly had some effect, as he has been experiencing visions of Sparky's life since issue #8. Optimus also notes that he's having trouble "finding the light", just as Sparky admitted he couldn't in issue #4, furthering the strengthening connection between the two.
• Jetfire was believed lost after being blasted by the space bridge's energy in issue #9.
• The arrival of the Aerialbots has been long anticipated, as Daniel Warren Johnson regularly teased their then-forthcoming debut in the letters pages of previous issues.
• Skywarp has been fused with Teletraan-1 after being torn apart by Starscream and Soundwave since issue #5. Thundercracker, after abandoning the Decepticons in issue #16, arrived at the Ark to try and separate Skywarp from the Autobot computer in issue #17.
• The Ancient, which fans know to be Omega Supreme, was first seen in the flashbacks of issue #13. Prior to that, we had also seen a Guardian robot in a recording from Megatron in Cobra Commander #1.
• Off-panel, Starscream's torso has been separated from the H.I.S.S. tank it was grafted to in issue #14.
• We first saw Megatron's gun mode and his ability to impose his will on those who wield it in issues #13 and #14. Just last issue, we learned that these abilities were granted to Megatron by a dark counterpart to the Matrix bestowed upon him by a group of Quintessons.

Transformers references

• The concept of the Matrix containing the spirits of past Autobot leaders (or Primes, in this case) was first introduced in "Five Faces of Darkness", the five-part opening arc of the Sunbow cartoon's third season. Notably, Optimus' remark about not being able to commune with the Primes' contained spirits runs in direct contrast with the cartoon, where that was possible, indicating that the Matrix isn't as well-understood as Optimus thinks it is...
• Silverbolt's fear of flying is a trait that goes back to his original Bob Budiansky-penned tech specs.
• Just as in the Marvel Comics continuity, the Aerialbots were built as a direct counter to the Decepticons' air superiority.

G.I. Joe references

• This issue introduces G.I. Joe medic Carl “Doc” Greer to the Energon Universe. In addition to being a medical doctor, Doc's original filecard listed his secondary military specialty as "chaplain's assistant." Here, however, the private refers to him as "chaplain" (see "Errors" below).

Real life references

• Beachcomber quotes Pete "Maverick" Mitchell's iconic line from Top Gun. This is not the first time that line has appeared in Transformers fiction.

Errors

• While it is not uncommon for chaplains to also have some medical training, chaplains are specifically noncombatants, which clashes with Doc having been described as seeing action recently.

Other trivia

• The panel of Optimus comforting Spike is visually similar to Starscream and Thundercracker attacking Davey and the Harrison captain in issue 1 and issue 8, respectively.
• Starscream's new legs are consistently colored blue throughout this issue. Given colorist Mike Spicer's track record so far, for now we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume this is intentional.
• Daniel Warren Johnson and editor Ben Abernathy again take to the letters pages to tease what's to come and answer some pressing questions:
  • Both hint at the appearence of Motormaster in future issues.
  • When asked if Optimus' visions and violent outbursts are related to Megatron's fusion cannon arm and the mind-dominating ability of his pistol mode, Johnson responds with a smiling emoji. When that same reader asks if Shredhead will either stick around with Elita's team, form their own Autobot crew, or go it solo, Johnson responds with three.
  • One reader goes really deep and asks if Fusion, an incredibly obscure Autobot from the Transformers Annual 1985 story "And There Shall Come...a Leader!", might appear in the comic. Johnson, likely not knowledgeable about the U.K. comic, remarks that the reader's probably farther ahead in the Marvel run than he is, since he only made to roughly issue #40. This marker gives us a rough, but still helpful idea of how far Johnson's knowledge of classic Generation 1 lore extends, or that he potentially misinterpreted '85' as meaning issue #85.
  • Another reader brings up a salient point: if Megatron had the power to repair Ravage in issue #18, why didn't he just use that power to fix himself? Johnson states that Megatron, in addition to being the cold-and-calculating type, has a very particular code he abides by, one that puts the well-being of his troops over his own... to an extent, anyway.
  • When one reader finds it odd that Ratbat was able to talk in issue #17, despite Ravage and Laserbeak seemingly being unable to, Johnson responds, "who said Laserbeak and Ravage can't talk? ;)"

Covers

• Cover A: Megatron looms over Starscream, by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer.
• Cover B: The Aerialbots, by Jorge Corona and Mike Spicer.
• Cover C: Connecting cover by David Nakayama.
• Cover D: Megatron fights Astrotrain, by Howard Porter and Romulo Fajardo Jr..
• Cover E: Jazz, by Simon Parr.
• The 616 Comics Cover A: Connecting cover by Tiago da Silva.
• The 616 Comics Cover B: The other half of Tiago da Silva's connecting cover.
• Big Time Collectibles Cover: Chibi-fied versions of various Autobots and Decepticons pose in front of a silhouetted Cybertron, by Freely Abrigo.
• Clayton Crain Cover: The Autobots vs the Decepticons, by Clayton Crain.
• East Side Comics Cover: Optimus Prime, by Raymund Bermudez.

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• Energon Universe hardcovers (release dates on all three are a month early)
• Explore the Energon Universe in G.I. Joe #7, Void Rivals #19, and Transformers #21.
• Meet Your New Favorite Decepticon in Transformers: Worst Bot Ever
• Ghost Pepper

Reprints

• Transformers Volume 4: Conquer and Control (November 25, 2025) ISBN 1534332588 / ISBN 978-1534332584
  • Collects Transformers issues #19–24 and the Transformers story from Energon Universe 2025 Special.
  • Trade paperback format.

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  Volume 4: Conquer and Control – cover art by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer