Wheeljack (G1)

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

Wheeljack is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Optimus Prime! I built a machine that builds machines that builds catapults! Come see 'em!...Yeah, we can wait for Ratchet.

Wheeljack is his own worst enemy. Something of a crackpot inventor, a good half of his creations blow up in his face, and that's just if he's lucky. He's simultaneously one of the Autobots' greatest assets and problems; for every successful gadget he builds, there's one which requires Ratchet or Hoist to put him (and his lab) back together. But once in a while he strikes gold, which has won him respect from even the Decepticons.

He is, however, not a complete nerd. As good as he is in the lab, Wheeljack is just as amazing on the road: there are few stunts he can't pull off, and he loves to show off his driving skills as much as he does his inventions. He is, however, a little less confident when it comes to flying, which he accomplishes using solid-fuel rocket jets in his forearms.

“	It sure is nice when one of my inventions actually works!	”
—Wheeljack on his track record, Fire on the Mountain

French-Canadian name: Invento

French-Canadian name (Action Master): Cric ("Jack")

Hungarian name: Kerék ("Wheel"), sometimes Kormányos Jack ("Steering-wheel Jack", Yoho!)

Italian name: Saetta ("Bolt")

Portuguese name (Portugal comic): Auto-Roda ("Auto-Motor")

Portuguese name (Brazil comic): Motriz ("Wheel")

Russian TV dub name: Gonsheek ("Racer")

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Generation 1

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

Wheeljack was one of Optimus Prime's crew who crashed to Earth 4,000,000 years ago and laid dormant until 1984. The Transformers

Following the almost total defeat of the Autobots by Shockwave, Ratchet returned to the Ark and began to reactivate the fallen warriors. Wheeljack was the second Autobot after Prowl to be brought back on-line, so that he could aid Ratchet with his technical skills. He saved the Autobots from total destruction by remote-controlling Optimus Prime's deactivated body and using it to intervene in Grimlock's attempted execution of Guardian, who had been booby-trapped with a nuclear bomb. The Wrath of Guardian!

Don't worry! As long as you hit the wire with the connecting hook at precisely eighty-eight miles per hour, the instant the lightning strikes the tower... everything will be fine!

Wheeljack accompanied Jazz on a mission to secure a fuel supply for the Autobots. He stayed in the background while Jazz forged an alliance with the human G.B. Blackrock. But when Starscream and Frenzy showed up at the unveiling of Blackrock's new anti-robot cannon, Wheeljack couldn't just sit around. He transformed and blasted Frenzy with magnetic powder, which buried the Decepticon in an avalanche of ferrous materials. Wheeljack was saved from an attack by Starscream when Circuit Breaker brought the Decepticon crashing to the ground. The save was unintentional, however; when Wheeljack thanked the human for her help, she turned her fury on him, blasting him into unconsciousness. DIS-Integrated Circuits!

To help boost the Autobots' fallen forces, Wheeljack installed the minds of Grapple, Skids, Hoist, Smokescreen, and Tracks into bodies that were created by the Ark. The minds were stored on the Ark for such an occasion. Rock and Roll-Out!

Wheeljack was later an early casualty of a disastrous attack on Galvatron led by acting Autobot Commander Jetfire, though he was not seriously damaged. Target: 2006

To give the Autobots some air (and combiner) power, Wheeljack designed the Aerialbots, though all but Silverbolt's minds were incomplete and they almost killed a human. Aerialbots over America! Wheeljack later had to erase their minds and unfortunately, by this time, Bombshell had implanted a cerebro-shell in Optimus that, while not controlling him, allowed the Decepticons to tap into the Creation Matrix to create the Stunticons. Heavy Traffic! It was not directly referenced, but it is assumed that he helped build the Protectobots as well (which allowed Megatron to create the Combaticons).

Later, he aided Optimus Prime in a plan to temporarily fake his own death, in order to teach the Earth-bound Autobots to learn to cope without him. Wheeljack was the only Autobot Prime told of his plan, probably since Prime needed him to build a Facsimile Construct in his likeness to be destroyed. When Megatron did destroy the facsimile, even Wheeljack mistakenly believed Prime had been killed. Prey!

Throw open the switches on the sonic oscillator, and step up the reactor power THREE - MORE - TRIANGLES!

After Optimus Prime died, the Autobots chose Grimlock as their new leader. Like Prime before him, Grimlock relied heavily on Wheeljack's skills. Wheeljack tracked down the missing Power Booster Rod, Mechanical Difficulties! and supervised the construction of the Geothermal Generator. By the time the device was complete, Wheeljack was beginning to have serious doubts about Grimlock's leadership, noting to himself that their leader wasn't the brightest bulb in the box. Used Autobots By the time the Ark was repaired and ready for launching, Wheeljack was wondering if he shouldn't be helping Blaster out, rather than assisting Grimlock's efforts to capture him. Child's Play

These doubts soon grew into a covert rebellion, as he called in his old friend Sky Lynx to help deal with the situation. Wheeljack acted as the Ark's pilot, once it was spaceborne. He enabled the craft to overtake and capture the Decepticon Blast Off, who was under Blaster's control. When Blast-Off's passengers turned out to be nothing more than four human children, he advised the other Autobots that they could probably lower their weapons.

Welcome to my secret lair on Skullcrusher Mountain. I hope you've enjoyed your stay so far.

Wheeljack did his best to make the four humans welcome and comfortable, fitting them with customized space suits, but soon ran up against Grimlock's monomaniacal quest to bring Blaster to "justice". When Grimlock ordered the humans cast into space in hopes of drawing out Blaster, Wheeljack had Skylynx save them. Though the humans were safe, Grimlock captured Blaster anyway, and Wheeljack's attempt at subversion ultimately failed. Spacehikers!

Wheeljack was among the dozens of Autobots who gathered on the moon to watch Blaster and Grimlock battle for Autobot leadership, and subsequently came under Decepticon attack. Totaled!

Although it wasn't depicted, he was assumed destroyed by the Underbase-powered Starscream; like most of his compatriots, he was not seen in action until the battle with Unicron. Dark Star

Alive.... ALIVE... IT'S ALIIIIIIVE!!!

Grimlock eventually revived him with Nucleon, along with the rest of the Autobots' deactivated roster. Wheeljack questioned Grimlock on the wisdom of ramming Unicron with the Ark and of charging into battle so soon after being reactivated, but Grimlock just told him to be quiet and fight, before shoving him out the airlock. On the Edge of Extinction!

After the defeat of Unicron, Wheeljack was with a handful of Transformers who found Optimus Prime's dessicated remains. He theorized that the Matrix energy unleashed by Unicron's destruction was somehow, just barely, keeping him alive. He mourned Prime's death alongside Prowl, Kup and others. Still Life!

Mein Führer! I can walk!!

Wheeljack had a short altercation with Quake, which was symptomatic of the growing unrest between the two factions. He subsequently discovered the betrayal of the Decepticons, who had sabotaged the Autobot spacecraft before leaving the dying Cybertron. Exodus!

Grimlock saved the day again though, providing some stolen Decepticon cruisers. However, when they followed the Decepticons to Klo, the Autobots were ambushed and nearly wiped out. Bludgeon was about to dismember the crippled Wheeljack when he was saved by the timely arrival of the reborn Optimus Prime and the Neo-Knights. End of the Road!

Marvel UK future timelines

Wheeljack survived the battle of Autobot City in this timeline, but was later strung up by Quintessons there in 2008, anyway. He wasn't seen after that, though Blaster survived the same treatment, so Wheeljack may have survived. Space Pirates!

Earthforce

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

When Galvatron infiltrated the Ark to brainwash some new troops, Wheeljack was one of the deactivated Autobots he attempted to control. Wheeljack and the others turned the tables on Galvatron, subjecting him to his own dream bug technology. Perchance to Dream Back in action, Wheeljack felt somewhat out of place among the various Headmasters, Targetmasters and Powermasters wandering around the Ark now. On a scouting mission, he and Prowl grumbled to one another about how they just wanted some good ol' fashioned Decepticons to beat up on. Obligingly, the Constructicons Mixmaster and Long Haul showed up right then to stop the Autobots from finding out about their evil plans. Thrilled about fighting bad guys who weren't "MicroHeadTargetmasters with a Pretender shell", Wheeljack and Prowl tracked down the Constructicons' leader, Megatron, nearby, and learned of his plans to destroy Earth's atmosphere. Starting Over! While Wheeljack distracted Soundwave and the Stunticons, Prowl leapt aboard the "atmo rocket" and knocked it off course, saving the planet. Desert Island Risks!

Fresh from their adventure with old, familiar enemies, Wheeljack and Prowl both joined the new Earthforce team Optimus Prime set up under Grimlock's command. Operating out of a shuttle in the Canadian wilderness, the Autobots began constructing a larger Earthbase on site. Although the location of their base was unknown, the construction-in-progress was open to attack, and so a 24-hour guard watch was arranged. One dark and stormy night, Wheeljack was trying to keep warm on guard duty using a thermo-heating unit from the ship, but it overheated and started smoking on him. He knocked over a table and lamp while trying to shut off the device and attracted the attention of a polar bear, which ended up chasing him back towards the shuttle. To top it all off, he was jumped from behind by Skydive, who had seen all the mess and mistaken Wheeljack for an attacking Decepticon. It was not Wheeljack's best night ever. Mystery!

Bah. Warm, fuzzy nice-nice! What good is science if nobody gets hurt!?

When a new thought-activated set of nightlights called Sleepfast was released to human buyers, Wheeljack got suspicious and tested the little items. He found not only the presence of Cybertronian technology in the devices, but also evidence that the thought-sensitive nightlights would eventually turn on their owners, allowing them to manipulate the humans' minds as well as read them. Wheeljack took Snarl to investigate the Sleepfast warehouse, and they ran into the mastermind behind the scheme, Mindwipe. The Autobots used the thought-activation effect of the Sleepfasts to will all several hundred nightlights on at once, temporarily blinding Mindwipe. The Living Nightlights!

"Zhose are ze largest trousers in ze vorld!"

Finally, Autobot Earthbase was completed, and Wheeljack called the entire team outside to witness his defense grid in action. Prowl was dubious at the lack of obvious protection, and so Wheeljack handed him the activation remote. Once Prowl hit the button, Wheeljack tossed a rock towards the base, where it was instantly obliterated by the retractable laser cannons. When Prowl expressed concern that someone could knock the defense system offline, Wheeljack assured him that once the defense system was activated, it could only be deactivated from a console inside the base. Prowl paused for a minute, took a head count, then turned hesitantly to Wheeljack and asked, "So who's inside with the console NOW...?"

The response? "Oh..."

While Prowl and the other Autobots braved the defenses in order to reach the console and turn off the security system, Grimlock grabbed Wheeljack by the ankle and shook him out upside-down over the snow for good measure. The House that Wheeljack Built!

From the tempest's fury, the spark ignites - to sire new life! Transmet-- wait, we're getting a bit too meta here, aren't we.

When Optimus Prime returned to Earth for an inspection of the new operation, he also brought back Tracks's body for Wheeljack to reactivate in his Bodyshop. Grimlock was hardly impressed with the idea of bringing the vain and complaining Tracks back to life, and he tried to derail the process. Despite his efforts, though, Wheeljack not only revived Tracks, but Optimus Prime decreed that Tracks would remain with Earthforce instead of going back on the Ark with him. Makin' Tracks! Later, Wheeljack diagnosed Snarl with Corrodia Gravis, prompting the Autobots to seek out the only compatible Transformer who could give him a systems boost: Starscream. Assassins

Wheeljack was last seen during the Autobot chase of Motormaster, who had kidnapped their ally, Irwin Spoon. He abandoned the chase to check on Prowl after Motormaster ran him off the highway. End of the Road!

Generation 2

While investigating an apparent planet-wide genocide on J'asik, Wheeljack joined Perceptor and First Aid on a science team in attempting to find out just what had destroyed all life on the planet so utterly. Their findings were so surprising, the team double-checked 50 times before confirming the results: A Cybertronian biological by-product had somehow achieved quasi-sentience and motivation, and was prowling the galaxy as the entity known as the Swarm. The full impact of their discovery was cut short, however, by the arriving armada of Jhiaxus and his second generation Cybertronians, the accidental harbingers of the Swarm. Swarm The battle with Jhiaxus kept the Transformers occupied long enough for the Swarm to find them on Earth. Presenting a united front, the Autobots and Decepticons desperately attempted to drive back the creature. Wheeljack cooked up a method of dramatically augmenting Frenzy's sonic powers, but while the Decepticon was consumed by the excess power pumping through his system, it seemed to do little good against the Swarm. Wheeljack's final fate is unknown. A Rage in Heaven!

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Chris Latta (English), Osamu Saka (Japanese) Katsumi Suzuki (Attack of the Autobots and Day of the Machines only)

Boxy but safe.

Wheeljack was one of the original crew of Autobots aboard the Ark when it crashed into the Earth four million years ago. Originally a boxy-shaped transport affixed with retractable, bumper-mounted cutting blades, Wheeljack was reformatted in 1984 to be a speedy and rare Lancia Stratos Turbo custom racing car. More than Meets the Eye, Part 1

Wheeljack was part of the battle unit organized by Jazz to first challenge the re-awakened Decepticons on Earth. He was involved in the battle at an off-shore oil rig, where the Autobots would meet the Witwickys, human workers who would befriend the Autobots. Wheeljack developed an especially close friendship with Sparkplug Witwicky, as the two were both gifted mechanics. Wheeljack was next part of the team that attempted to stop the Decepticon plot to overload Sherman Dam. More than Meets the Eye, Part 2

Truly, a look can be deceiving, but a touch can be lethal.

A restless engineer, Wheeljack has developed all manner of contraptions and equipment for his personal use and for use by his fellow Autobots, often with catastrophic results. He designed the compact yet extremely powerful explosive that nearly trapped the Decepticons in the ruby crystal mines of Burma, a magnetic inducer device capable of stopping Transformers cold in their tracks, an immobilizing device that could solidify almost any type of matter, and a gyro-inhibitor shell that could incapacitate even Megatron for short spans.

More than Meets the Eye, Part 3 Roll for It Divide and Conquer

Upon discovery of dinosaur bones in caverns within the Ark's volcano, Wheeljack and Ratchet were inspired to construct robotic version of dinosaurs. The Dinobots were originally too dangerous and too primitive to control, leading to Optimus Prime commanding that the project be abandoned, but Wheeljack secretly persisted. He developed memory components that increased the Dinobots' intelligence, turning them into valuable, if sometimes unpredictable, members of the Autobot forces. S.O.S. Dinobots

Concealed in Wheeljack's left wrist is a fire suppression system, which no doubt came in handy when one of his devices would blow up in his face.

Fire on the Mountain War of the Dinobots The Ultimate Doom, Part 1 The Ultimate Doom, Part 2 The Ultimate Doom, Part 3 Countdown to Extinction A Plague of Insecticons Heavy Metal War Autobot Spike Changing Gears City of Steel The Immobilizer The Autobot Run Atlantis, Arise! Day of the Machines Enter the Nightbird A Prime Problem The Core The Insecticon Syndrome Dinobot Island, Part 1 Dinobot Island, Part 2 The Master Builders Auto Berserk Microbots Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1 Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2 Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1 Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2 Blaster Blues The Golden Lagoon Make Tracks Child's Play The Girl Who Loved Powerglide Hoist Goes Hollywood The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1 The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2 War Dawn Trans-Europe Express Cosmic Rust Masquerade B.O.T.

Wheeljack met his untimely end not from one of his own inventions, but from an overwhelming Decepticon attack on Autobot City. Arcee pulled his lifeless chassis away from the battle to prevent the Decepticons from desecrating it. What a nice girl. The Transformers: The Movie

Japanese cartoon continuity

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers comic

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #1 Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #4

Full Throttle Scramble Power!

Full Throttle Scramble Power!

The Stargate Battles

First Contact Divided Views

Binaltech

HEAVY METAL RULES!!!

When the Dinobots were injured in a Decepticon attack in the year 2005, Wheeljack headed to Earth to arrange the transplantation of Grimlock's mind into a new Binaltech body. On his return journey to the Autobots' moonbase, however, his shuttle was hijacked by time-tossed Decepticon Ravage, who had begun a plan to alter the course of history. Wheeljack was shown a brief glimpse of the near future—including the deaths of himself and many of his comrades—but managed to escape Ravage's clutches. Ravage himself promptly returned to Cybertron and exhumed the Kronosphere, using it to tip the balance of the decisive battle occurring at that time. Whereas the outcome would have originally favored the Decepticons, leading to their total conquest of Cybertron, Ravage ensured an Autobot victory, altering history and leaving the heroes to face the looming threat of Unicron alone.

Aware that history had been altered, Wheeljack was faced with a dilemma: Should he stop Ravage's plan and restore the timestream, even though it would mean the death of many Autobots, including himself? His salvation, he hoped, lay in the GT System, a device that allowed a singular spark to control many duplicate bodies simultaneously. Dubbing his original body the "Alpha Unit," he constructed the "Beta Unit" based on Grimlock's Ford Mustang body, as well as the mysterious third "Omega Unit," whose capabilities were kept a closely guarded secret.

The subsequent arrival of Unicron prompted the Autobots to initiate "Operation: Distant Thunder," which saw Skids use the chronal warp on Dinobot Island to send Wheeljack's memory data back in time, in hopes of alerting the Autobots in the past and preventing alteration to the timestream. The plan didn't go as expected, and reality started to go into a severe state of whack, until a mysterious black Optimus Prime appeared and sealed the time portals that had been created. Operation: Distant Thunder had succeeded in preventing the mainline timestream's alteration, but the Binaltech timeline, first destined to be replaced and erased, had been saved by the newcomer and was now its own distinct, divergent universe.

Alternate "BT World" timeline

In this new universe, Wheeljack and the Binaltech warriors began facing new threats as the Binaltech project was declassified, and derivative technlogy began showing up around the globe. The Autobots battled the human criminal organization called the Concurrence and the Binaltech Decepticon named Swindle, who had created a living electrum giant. Soon, Wheeljack helped bring an end to the Binaltech wars by unleashing his Omega Unit. The BT-14 Omega Unit functioned by connecting the laser-core of Wheeljack's spark to the power network of the entire globe, linking him to the living datastream of information running the planet. Through this link, Wheeljack tracked down all the splinter projects misusing Binaltech data, allowing Prowl and Earth Defense Command to seek them out and terminate the research programs.

Victory cartoon

Voice actor: Shinobu Satōchi (Japanese)

Um, that was my brother Jackwheel .

Wheeljack, Perceptor and Minerva were summoned by Star Saber to save the life of the fallen Ginrai. They succeeded, transforming the former transtector into the mighty Victory Leo. Ginrai Dies!! Fight!! Victory Leo Awaken! Victory Leo The Tide is Turned! The Ultimate Weapon, the Victory Unification

Wheeljack's not-being-deadness is never addressed. Though to Japanese viewers during the original airings, this was not a noticeable discrepancy, as the movie where he died had not been shown in Japan until after Victory had aired. However, the original Movie storyboards show Smokescreen as the dead Autobot next to Windcharger. It is also possible that if Skids was successful with Operation: Distant Thunder then Wheeljack could have survived his apparent demise in the movie via Project Bodyshop.

Generation 2 story pages

Umm... would you believe it was my identical cousin?

Wheeljack, along with Perceptor and Jetfire, discovered new properties of the Matrix which allowed Optimus Prime to revive himself as Laser-Rod Optimus Prime after a crushing defeat by Megatron. G-2 Part 4

eHobby Generation 2 storyline

To combat the Decepticons' increasingly aggressive energy raids, Wheeljack and Ga'mede worked together to examine Optimus Prime's new "blackbody" form, and duplicated it to create twenty-one new battle droids cast in the Autobot leader's image. These Eldedroids were placed under the remote control of Flip Sides and sent out onto the battlefield. Masterpiece Convoy Black Version

Dreamwave comics continuity

Events from the Keepers Trilogy novels are in italics.

Wheeljack calms a group of panicked humans by charging at them while brandishing a weapon.

Wheeljack suffers from a mild form of mode attachment, feeling more comfortable in his vehicle mode than robot mode. As a consequence he does his best thinking in vehicle mode, often while attempting something insanely dangerous.

Wheeljack was part of Grimlock's unit, along with Kup and Ironhide, at the time when Sentinel Prime died and Optimus Prime rose to command the Autobots. When the Decepticons placed Iacon under siege, Grimlock took his group to Kaon to look for Optimus Prime, who had gone seeking Megatron. While there, they discovered planetary engine turbines that were providing power to a mechaforming process that was destroying Iacon. Arriving, Prime instructed Wheeljack to shut down the engines in a... creative way (it blowed up real good). Wheeljack grumbled a bit that all his education and mechanical engineering skill had led up to just blowing things up. The group managed to return to Iacon, where Prime halted his order to abandon the planet. The War Within

When Prime and Megatron disappeared during a space bridge explosion, Grimlock broke off from the Autobot army and formed the Lightning Strike Coalition, taking his former squad members with him. While Kup and the Dynobots attacked the Predacons, Wheeljack and Ironhide hijacked some shuttles carrying raw Energon, making Starscream very angry. That's always a plus. The War Within: The Dark Ages

Wheeljack was one of the engineers that designed and constructed the Ark, and part of the ship's original crew. In 1986, Ironhide and Ratchet discovered Wheeljack in pieces but functional after an explosion while bug-testing his neutron detonator shell. At an unconfirmed point in time, he was also responsible for temporarily transferring the consciousness of Spike Witwicky into a Cybertronian body, though the full story remains untold. Hardwired

Wheeljack was among the Transformers involved in the Ark II disaster. He survived the explosion of their spacecraft, crashing back to Earth where he and several others lay deactivated and frozen within an iceberg until awakened by Optimus Prime in 2002. Prime Directive issue 2

Wheeljack participated in the assault on Lazarus's Canadian headquarters. When General Hallo's attempt to bomb the Autobots and the Decepticons out of existence instead caused a violent expansion of Megatron's cyber-virus, Wheeljack and Mirage were the first Autobots to free themselves. Prime Directive issue 4 While Prime took some of the Autobots after Megatron, Wheeljack diagnosed the nature of the cyber-virus, and created a set of anti-viral blasters that used the Autobots' energy to return the converted matter to normal. The intervention of Canada's military force scuttled that plan when they fired into the virus, expanding it beyond the point the Autobots could contain. Prime Directive issue 5 In response, Wheeljack converted a nearby satellite dish into a giant anti-viral weapon, channeling all of his remaining energy into it. He succeeded in destroying the virus, but was left in deep stasis lock as a result. Prime Directive issue 6

Several months later, Ratchet had successfully restored Wheeljack to operating status. He was one of the first Autobots Optimus Prime met back up with after escaping the Keepers' world and Las Vegas. While on patrol of the area, Wheeljack passed Soundwave travelling up the road towards the Autobots' location. He buzzed the Decepticon's position, and was surprised when Soundwave asked for a parlay. He claimed Megatron wanted a favor from Prime. Bemused, Wheeljack reported back to Optimus about the bizarre encounter, only to have his amusement turn to astonishment when Optimus Prime actually responded to Megatron's "summons." The two old enemies forged an alliance against the Keepers, and united their forces for battle in Las Vegas. During the fight, Wheeljack used his solid-fuel rockets to fly with the Decepticons Thundercracker and Laserbeak in the skies, acting as air support for the others. He returned to Prime's side in the final battle, when the Autobot leader used the power of the Matrix to divert the Keepers and the power of a nuclear explosion into another dimension. Annihilation

Later, when Shockwave and Ultra Magnus came to arrest the Autobots as war criminals, Wheeljack was one of the Autobots secretly left behind by Optimus Prime under Jazz's command. Brothers' Burden Like most of the rest of that group of Autobots, Wheeljack was beaten to the point of stasis lock by Bruticus some time later and dumped into a nearby swamp. Night of the Combaticons He was dredged out by an EDC task force and repaired, in time to rejoin the other Autobots when they started construction of Autobot City. Lost and Found

Devil's Due G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers comics

When the Ark crashed on Earth millions of years ago, Wheeljack and Bumblebee were sealed off from the other passengers, saving them from Cobra when they found the craft in 2003 and reprogrammed the dormant robots for their own needs. Cobra's break-in activated Teletran-One, who in turn brought back Wheeljack and Bumblebee. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4

Disguising themselves as cars, the two Autobots worked for months to find and rescue the other Autobots from Cobra. After noting several attacks on energy plants, Wheeljack figured that the humans were gathering ingredients for energon, and had an idea on where their next attack would take place. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2 During Cobra's subsequent assault on the SPS Research Facility, the Autobots intervened directly, with Wheeljack ramming the brainwashed duo of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker (and apologizing). He then confronted Soundwave, but the reprogrammed Decepticon fled as soon as Cobra had stolen what they came for. Having revealed themselves to G.I. Joe during the battle, Wheeljack and Bumblebee offered an alliance with the humans, who in return showed the Autobots an mysterious image of Soundwave they had found. Wheeljack recognized the text in the picture as Cybertronian, and that it contained directions to Cobra Island as well as instructions on how to free the Transformers. It took him only a few seconds to hack into Cobra's computers and undo their primitive human reprogramming. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3

Wheeljack and Bumblebee then boarded a plane to participate in G.I. Joe's attack on Cobra Island, but the humans' higher-ups disagreed, planning to nuke the island and send the two Autobots to Area 51 to be disassembled and studied instead. Duke regretfully incapacitated the robots with a magnetic pulse, but Wheeljack stayed conscious enough to overhear their plans and warn Duke that a nuclear impact on Cobra's energon stockpile would cause a chain reaction and send half the planet into a nuclear winter. With this revelation, Duke broke orders and went with the original strategy, taking Wheeljack and Bumblebee with him to Cobra Island. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4

Upon arriving at the island, Wheeljack witnessed Megatron using the SPS Satellite to create more energon, and was enraged when Devastator killed Hound. After helping take down the giant, Wheeljack patched through a message to all Autobots that the United States had decided to nuke Cobra Island despite having their own troops located there. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5 Wheeljack quickly improvised a plan to avoid a nuclear holocaust; using the SPS Satellite's solar-powered energy beams to shoot down the nuclear warheads before they arrived. After menacing Doctor Mindbender into overriding the satellite controls, Wheeljack helped G.I. Joe fight off a bunch of Cobra troops led by Storm Shadow. The plan was ultimately a success, and with the Decepticons defeated in the process, the Autobots returned to Cybertron aboard a new Ark. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6

Two years later, Wheeljack was zapped by a malfunctioning Teletran 3 and transported into a random point in Earth's timeline. He was never seen again. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1

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.

In the time preceding the war, Wheeljack was a mechanoid as touched by the sacrifice of others as one could expect from this kindly future Autobot. It comes as no surprise then that he was front row at the state funeral of Kaon Security Service officers Fastback and Bumper. Megatron Origin #3

Hollywood's latest spin on the buddy cop drama, Jazz & the 'Jack.

Wheeljack was part of a detachment of Autobots that has operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, attempting to foil a Decepticon insurgency. In his role as technical scientist and gadgeteer for the Autobot detachment, he built a device that could interface the SM-40 palmtop computer with the systems aboard the Autobots' Ark-19 spacecraft. Infiltration #3 Wheeljack, like his fellow Autobots, would come to watch the showdown between Megatron and the Ore-13-powered Starscream. Infiltration #6

Later, after the incident outside Lebanon, Illinois, he and Jazz were sent to investigate a Springfield police impound lot which supposedly held Sunstreaker's remains. Unfortunately, members of the Machination had already arrived with the same purpose in mind, and attacked the bots wielding advanced weaponry eerily similar to their own. Wheeljack escaped mostly unharmed, probably because Jazz took a direct hit from a mortar meant for him. Escalation #2 Wheeljack would get his first taste of real damage in Brasnya facing down Skywarp and Astrotrain, Escalation #4 and eventually the drained form of Megatron. Escalation #6

Wheeljack was assigned to work with Hot Rod in rescuing Ironhide, but yet again the Machination decided to interfere—this time in a confrontation with their army of experimental Headmaster clones. Devastation #2 Wheeljack's constant tinkering paid off when he was able to escape the Headmasters using a gyro-inhibitor shell. Devastation #3 The Headmasters eventually caught up with them, however, and incapacitated Wheeljack by knocking a pile of junk cars on him. Devastation #5 Hardhead arrived to retrieve Hot Rod and the others, blowing up a Headmaster that was attacking Hot Rod. Hot Rod refused to leave Earth though, wanting to see the Headmaster mystery to the end. Hardhead reluctantly let him go and took Wheeljack and Ironhide back with him. Devastation #6

Bumblejerk.

A year later, Wheeljack had returned to Earth and joined Optimus Prime's forces. After getting lured into a Decepticon trap and defeated, they were all dumped on the abandoned Cybertron to be finished off by the Insecticon swarm. All Hail Megatron #7 When Wheeljack and Bumblebee were sent to try and find energon, the pair discovered their Earth modes couldn't handle the terrain. Wheeljack came up with an idea for a polymer to solve the problem, but Bumblebee (rather rudely) pointed out he lacked any equipment. A moment later, Wheeljack spotted someone following them. In a desperate but sure-to-work attempt to call in back-up, Wheeljack signaled their base with a pulse that would last only 1/100th of a second. Confident help was on the way, he cautioned Bumblebee against going after the stranger on their own, but the young bot, lacking faith in Wheeljack's rather brilliant idea, ignored him. The scientist was proven right, however, when Ironhide and Cliffjumper arrived! All Hail Megatron #4 It turned out their follower was Hot Rod, who told Wheeljack and the others that he was part of an Autobot team that had recently crashlanded on the planet. All Hail Megatron #5

When the Autobots were organizing a defense line against the Insecticon swarm, Wheeljack removed a cannon from the other team's crashed spaceship and modified it to be used as a mounted turret. However, since the cannon wasn't meant to be used like that, he warned Roadbuster that its power relay would probably burn out after only a few shots. All Hail Megatron #10 After hitching a ride back to Earth on Omega Supreme, Wheeljack and the others battled Megatron's forces in New York City. All Hail Megatron #11

Commercial appearances

Wheeljack was among the Autobots gathered around Optimus Prime when Prime decided it would be a good idea to not transform anymore. Action Master commercial

Toys

Generation 1

• Wheeljack (1984, 1991)
  • Japanese ID number: C-03

    

    Do your arms hang low? Do they wobble to and fro?

  • Accessories: 2 shoulder cannons, 4 rockets, 2 wings

The original Wheeljack toy, released as part of the 1984 series of Autobots, was based on a Diaclone Lancia Stratos Turbo. He comes with two rocket launchers that can fire four projectiles and two clear wings. In robot mode, the rocket launchers and the wings mount onto his shoulder and back respectively. For some reason, Wheeljack's lower arms/hands cannot lock into his upper arms, leaving them hanging at an angle.

In 1986, he was made available as a mail-away item (as he was no longer shipping to retail shelves) in multiple offers, including Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction fliers packed with most boxed Transformers toys. He cost $8 and two Robot Points.

Unfortunately for many collectors, Wheeljack's mold has been damaged or destroyed, meaning his chances of future reissue looks bleak. The closest version of the figure to currency is the European Classics reissue.

A retooled and redecoed version of the Diaclone toy was the basis for the obscure Decepticon "Marlboor Wheeljack".

• More information on Wheeljack at TFU.info

At least I come with the Miami Vice car.

• Wheeljack (Action Master, 1990)
  • Accessories: 2 missiles

Action Master Wheeljack is a non-transforming action figure sculpted based upon his cartoon appearances. He comes with the Turbo Racer, a large red sports car based upon the Ferrari Testarossa that can seat two Action Master figures. The Turbo Racer has an 'attack mode' where it transforms into something vaguely resembling an aircraft made from car parts.

The Wheeljack figure was later repainted into Slicer.

• More information on Action Master Wheeljack at TFU.info

Universe (2003)

File:SpychangerWheeljack.jpg

Where's your head at, at?

• Wheeljack (Spychanger, 2004)
  • Accessories: Gun

This version of Wheeljack is a redeco of Spy Changer Daytonus, transforming into a Le Mans racing car. He is cast in white plastic with mostly black paint. The toy has several stickers to represent Wheeljack's earlier Lancia Stratos colours, including his racing number 539. He comes with a small black rifle that can be stored between his legs in vehicle mode.

• More information on Spychanger Wheeljack at TFU.info

Alternators

Mustang Wheeljack! You better slow your Mustang down!

• Wheeljack (2005)
  • Alternator ID number: 13
  • Japanese ID number: BT-14
  • Accessories: Engine/gun, energo sword

Alternators Wheeljack is a retool of Alternators Grimlock. He transforms into a 2005 (S197 chassis) model Ford Mustang GT, painted white with blue stripes. In vehicle mode, he features highly realistic styling, opening doors, hood and trunk, as well as a detailed car interior. In robot mode his removable engine becomes a double-barreled laser.

The Japanese Binaltech release of the figure has a slightly retooled head (see image inset), different paint applications, and is partially constructed of die-cast metal.

• More information on Alternators Wheeljack at TFU.info

Merchandise

Decoy

• Wheeljack (1987)
  • Decot number: 22

Decoy Wheeljack is a small, red, rubber figure that was randomly packed with Throttlebots and the smaller Aerialbots and Protectobots.

• More information on Decoy Wheeljack at TFU.info

Super Collection Figure

File:Wheeljack scf pvc.jpg

• Wheeljack (2002)

A three-inch tall PVC figurine of Wheeljack was available in the seventh Victory-centric wave of Takara's Super Collection Figure line. Like all the figures in the wave, it was available as both a standard full color figure and a metallic silver "pewter" version, one of each of which was available in a standard case of twelve blindpacked figures. Additionally, the pewter version of Wheeljack came packaged with right "boot" piece needed to transform the wave's Star Saber figure into Victory Saber.

Heroes of Cybertron

• Wheeljack (2003)

Wheeljack's Super Collection Figure PVC was released the following year by Hasbro as part of their Heroes of Cybertron line. Like all the figures in the series, Wheeljack was given a light-piping gimmick by being cast entirely in translucent blue plastic then painted everywhere except on his eyes and the back of his head. Unlike the Japanese version, he was sold separate on a blister card and came packaged with the right arm of the Fortress Maximus "build-a-figure".

Hard Hero

Optimus Prime! I built a machine that removes legs and replaces them with small pedestals! Come see!

• Wheeljack (Hard Hero, 2003)

Hard Hero released a polystone bust of Wheeljack, based upon his appearance in the Generation 1 television series. The tenth bust in their main Transformers series, Wheeljack is some six inches tall and was limited to 2500 normal copies and an additional 100 exclusively signed by the sculptor.

Palisades

Small, expensive, and puffy.

• Wheeljack (Palisades, 2004)

Palisades released a 6-inch polystone statue of Wheeljack, based upon Pat Lee's rendition of him in the Dreamwave comics.

Trivia

• Wheeljack has the distinction of being the first Transformer to appear in the original Generation 1 cartoon.
• The retool of Alternators Grimlock was originally planned to be Windcharger (presumably in red), but ultimately ended up as Wheeljack instead, with a new head sculpt. Meanwhile, the head sculpt originally intended for Ford-Windcharger ended up being used for the retool of Windcharger (the Honda S2000 mold) instead, now named "Decepticharge".
• Wheeljack was given an homage in the form of Energon Downshift. Downshift has Wheeljack's colors, face, and even feet modeled after the Lancia grill.
• According to the Japanese Transformers: Call of the Future, Wheeljack is significantly older than Jazz, old enough to tell him to "respect your elders".

External links

• Wheeljack's Universe profile at NTFA.net