Cyclonus (G1)

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

Cyclonus is a Decepticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Darling one, read my words and hear my heart speak of a love soft and undying: a love that will be with you always.

Among the Decepticons, finding a genuinely loyal and competent second-in-command is a near impossibility. Cyclonus is the exception to that rule. Created by Unicron, Cyclonus is a being whose loyalty to Galvatron and the Decepticon cause is so intense as to exclude most other emotions and interests from his mind. He is dedicated to destruction in his leader's name.

He also has brains to back up that dedication, power to enforce Galvatron's will, and the initiative to form plans and get them done. Cyclonus could easily rule the Decepticons himself if he so desired, either as a power behind the throne or directly overthrowing his psychotic master. His responses to any suggestions that he do so? "All hail Galvatron!"

It's really amazing that he's so loyal, when one considers that he alternates with Ultra Magnus as Galvatron's personal punching bag. His Targetmaster partner is Nightstick.

Italian name: Ciclone ("Cyclone")

Chinese name (Taiwan): Hsúan-fēng (旋風, "Cyclone")

Chinese name (China): Kuáng Biāo （狂飙, "Rampage"）

Fiction

Cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Roger C. Carmel → Jack Angel (English), Minoru Inaba (Japanese), Fumihiko Tachiki (Japanese, The Rebirth only) , Hans-Rainer Müller (German)

Carmel's performance as the voice of Cyclonus was notoriously inconsistent--varying in pitch, emphasis, and speed from episode to episode. Following his death, Jack Angel took up the role for the final five episodes of the series.

In the year 2005, after an abortive attack on Autobot City, the evil Decepticons found it necessary to jettison excess weight from their craft to make it back to their homeworld of Cybertron. The injured and dying Decepticons were chosen to be ejected into the void of space, including the commander, Megatron, but when their bodies were recovered by the world-eater, Unicron, they were reborn as deadly new warriors in the service of the recreated Megatron, now known as Galvatron. Immediately following his creation, Cyclonus served as little more than Galvatron’s personal ship and attack dog, carrying his leader to Starscream's coronation, into the battle in Autobot City and to the planet of Junk. He was also involved in attacking and crippling the shuttle of Hot Rod and Kup over Quintessa. The Transformers: The Movie

An actually loyal soldier.

By 2006, Galvatron was believed dead and the Decepticons had retreated to the barren world of Chaar. Although Cyclonus and the Sweeps' Unicronian physiology kept them in relatively good condition, the other Decepticons degenerated quickly in the absence of regular energon. Disgusted with how far the leaderless Decepticons had fallen as they eked out this miserable existence, Cyclonus resolved to locate Galvatron, daring even to enter Unicron’s deactivated, disembodied head. By replaying the planet-eater's memory banks, Cyclonus traced Galvatron to the world of Thrull. Scourge's accelerated sight peeled back light-years of space and confirmed their fallen leader's presence. Returning to Chaar, Cyclonus asked his fellow Decepticons to give of their meager energon supplies in support of a quest to retrieve and revive Galvatron. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1

The Decepticons' need for a strong leader was driven home when two Autobots invaded Chaar, and the entire Decepticon army couldn't muster up enough energon or firepower to put up a decent fight. Cyclonus and the Sweeps made their way to Thrull after that to retrieve Galvatron. Unfortunately, once extricated from a pool of the planet’s plasma-lava, Galvatron proved to have been driven insane from exposure to it and brutalized Cyclonus and the Sweeps before being talked down and returned to his position as leader. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2 Despite his lunacy, Galvatron was effective enough to destroy an entire space platform for Earth's defense system. Cyclonus brought him back to Chaar, only to find the Decepticons were missing, having forged an alliance with the Quintessons in their absence. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3 With Galvatron's permission, the alliance continued, and the Decepticons and Quintessons launched an all-out assault on Cybertron and Earth both. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4 The assault failed, and Cyclonus and the Decepticon were driven back to Chaar. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5

Never realized he'd sprung a leak.

As 2006 settled in, Cyclonus was captured by a Quintesson scientist for study, along with Ultra Magnus, Wreck-Gar and Marissa Faireborn, but when the entire group was sucked through a black hole into a negative universe, they were forced to work together to escape; Cyclonus and Magnus developed a grudging respect for each other as warriors, but vowed that when they met again on the battlefield, it would be as enemies. The Killing Jar

Chasing the Autobots through space, Cyclonus and his great leader ran them down on an abandoned funeral barge floating in the void. The Decepticons pursued the Autobots into the vessel, but were taken completely by surprise by the sudden appearance of the dead Autobot leader, Optimus Prime. Galvatron was injured in battle, and Cyclonus had to provide him with support. The loyal lieutenant was willing to fight on against Prime, but when the Sweeps abandoned the barge in fear, Cyclonus was forced to choose the better part of valor and leave as well, carrying Galvatron with him. Dark Awakening

Some time later, outnumbered and fleeing from the Aerialbots, Cyclonus and Scourge took refuge inside a vortex, which transported them to the pacifistic, energy-rich planet of Paradron, which had been settled by Cybertronian refugees. Naturally, the duo immediately conquered the planet and summoned Galvatron and the other Decepticons there; the plan was ultimately foiled by the Autobots, but at the cost of Paradron itself, which was destroyed. Fight or Flee

File:Cyclonus alt.jpg

Cyclonus' alternate robot mode design, as seen in "Starscream's Ghost". Compare to the previous robot mode pic, above.

Cyclonus and Galvatron met up with Octane in Carbombya, where they briefly adapted the local oil into a more powerful form of energon before the Autobots chased them out of the country. Thief in the Night After Octane fled the Decepticons and started working as a free trader with the Junkions and even the Autobots, Cyclonus and the Sweeps infiltrated Cybertronian air space to deal with the traitor. They chased him into the abandoned Decepticon mausoleum below the planet's surface. Cyclonus marveled at Scourge's pathetic leadership ability when he couldn't even order ONE Sweep to enter the mausoleum ahead of them. He borrowed half a page from Galvatron's book and only threatened to kill a Sweep if they didn't get moving. Cyclonus's hunt was interrupted by the arrival of Starscream's ghost, who possessed the Decepticon saboteur for his own ends. The next thing Cyclonus knew, it was hours later and he was at the base of Galvatron's throne, having just been blasted by his leader. Starscream's Ghost

On another occasion, Cyclonus clashed with Ultra Magnus aboard the Autobot records asteroid with the fate of Daniel Witwicky in the balance. Surprise Party

Sometime later, Starscream's ghost returned and possessed Scourge, causing him to fire wildly. Cyclonus tried to convince Galvatron his fellow warrior was not a traitor, but only malfunctioning. Then Scourge/Starscream shot Galvatron dead center in the chest, and chaos ensued. The Decepticons were a step behind Starscream over the next few hours as he stole one of Trypticon's (invisible) eyes, then Astrotrain, then finally Trypticon himself in a mad scavenger hunt orchestrated by Unicron. Their weapons temporarily neutralized after trying to recover Trypticon, Cyclonus and the Decepticons began limping away from Cybertron when they saw Starscream tumbling uncontrollably through space. Cyclonus rightly questioned how a ghost could tumble uncontrollably anywhere, but Galvatron was just glad his particle cannon was working again, and he started taking potshots at the flying figure. Ghost in the Machine

When Astrotrain reported to Galvatron that the Junkions were shooting at anyone in their airspace, even Autobots, Cyclonus saw opportunity. Although Galvatron couldn't care less about Junkions, Cyclonus investigated further for the good of the Decepticon cause, for the Autobots would lose a valuable ally if the Junkions had indeed turned against them. His personal analysis, however, did nothing to raise Galvatron's interest, only his rage. Cyclonus followed orders and ceased bothering his leader with the details, but still chose to pursue the matter with the Sweeps. The Big Broadcast of 2006

Cyclonus was alerted to a mysterious Quintesson signal by Predaking. He and the Sweeps rendezvoused with Predaking at the source, only to find Sky Lynx and the Autobots competing with them in their pursuit. They managed to recover the Quintesson journal that was the source of the signal, and they learned it had key information that would be beneficial to peace talks the Autobots were overseeing. Cyclonus and the Decepticons tried to stop the Autobots from orchestrating a cease fire between the warring worlds, but failed. The Quintesson Journal

Later, Cyclonus was among the Transformers turned into an energy vampire by the Trans-Organic Dweller, thrown to the beast by Galvatron to delay his own fate—though at least with Cyclonus he hesitated for a moment before fleeing, almost repentant for his action. Hours later, after the Autobots saved him from an eternal unlife as an energy vampire, Cyclonus reconnected with Galvatron. Out of all the Decepticons in history, only Cyclonus could deliver his relief at Galvatron's safety with such genuine feeling and without a trace of sarcasm. The Dweller in the Depths

Cyclonus misses the days when Galvatron would be inside him.

When a group of Decepticons, tired of being beaten and abused by the deranged Galvatron, confronted Cyclonus and demanded that he do something about the situation, Cyclonus was so short on options that he accepted the advice of a Quintesson and tricked Galvatron into accompanying him to the therapeutic mental institution on planet Torkulon. It pained Cyclonus to see his leader so demented as each attempted therapy met with failure, but when the Torkuli attempted to cure Galvatron by removing the damaged part of his mind, thereby leaving him a vegetable, Cyclonus sprang into action, only to be restrained. Patched into the sentient network of the planet, rather than be cured, Galvatron infected the world itself with his madness and freed himself, decimating the planet, and decided to turn his attention back to fighting the Autobots, rather than dwell on Cyclonus's deception. Webworld

While in Europe, Cyclonus and the Decepticons made contact with several human terrorists and unscrupulous mercenaries. They even hired out human mechanics to work on Trypticon and oversee his repairs. Okay, fine. But when Cyclonus ran across Spike and Daniel Witwicky wandering around inside Trypticon, shouldn't he have recognized them?! Apparently, all flesh-creatures DO look alike to the Decepticons. The Ultimate Weapon

In a scheme to utilize anti-electrons against the Autobots, the Decepticons were forced to raid Unicron's head for an additional supply of the substance. Scourge and Cyclonus performed the recovery operation while Galvatron and the Terrorcons kept their Autobot pursuers busy. They had only just returned with the flask, however, when Scattershot and the new Technobots arrived, destroying the anti-electrons and routing the Decepticon invaders. Grimlock's New Brain

I'm big because Galvatron rides me.

Cyclonus and Soundwave were at Galvatron's side during a heavy battle with the Autobots, along with Trypticon, the Sweeps, and an assortment of Predacons and Terrorcons. The battle was going relatively well until more than half of Galvatron's forces suddenly responded to a mysterious call that only Primitives could hear. Enraged at Trypticon and the others for abandoning the field of battle, Galvatron took off after them with Cyclonus and Soundwave in tow. They didn't get far, however, before the energy-absorbing Tornedron struck them down in the middle of space. Only after the Primitives defeated Tornedron's creator were Cyclonus and the others restored to life. Call of the Primitives

Later still, he, along with a group of Autobots and Quintessons, was transported into a region of space cordoned off by the Quintessons, landing on the planet Zamojin. There, Cyclonus aided the Quintessons in acquiring Perceptor's universal emulator in order to repair their systems and return to normal space. He demonstrated a working knowledge of psychology and mob mentality when he prodded the Zamojins into trying to execute their prisoner, the Autobot Blurr. The Face of the Nijika

Cyclonus participated in a major Decepticon attack on Japan. When they were repulsed by the Autobots, he returned to Chaar with Galvatron. The rear guard, Stunticons Wildrider and Dead End, miraculously managed to steal the Matrix of Leadership from an unconscious Rodimus Prime. After Galvatron was unable to unleash its power himself, he tossed the bauble away as if it were nothing. Scourge seized the opportunity to take the Matrix's power for himself and attempted to take over the Decepticons. Cyclonus refused to bow to anyone but Galvatron, and so was blasted down along with his leader. They eventually recovered and traveled to Earth after Scourge and the Decepticon army. They found Scourge shortly after Hot Rod reclaimed the Matrix from him. Galvatron was...not happy. The Burden Hardest to Bear

When the Hate Plague swept the universe, Cyclonus was infected and took leadership of the afflicted Decepticons, hunting down Galvatron, tracking him and a group of Autobots into the depths of Chaar and infecting scientist Jessica Morgan. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1 The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2

See this? This...is my NIGHTSTICK!

In 2007, Cyclonus participated in the massive Decepticon attack on Autobot City, which culminated in the theft of the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber. When the chamber was then opened, the energy released blasted the key and a group of Autobots across the galaxy to the planet Nebulos, and Cyclonus and Scourge led a team of Decepticons in pursuit, attacking and capturing several of the Autobots. The Rebirth, Part 1 To battle them, the remaining Autobots combined with a group of Nebulan rebels into "Headmasters" and bested them in combat. Having learned of this fusion of Transformer and Nebulan, the Hive, the evil ruling council of Nebulos, approached the Decepticons to repeat the process, but Cyclonus argued them down to taking the heads of only the animal-mode Decepticons, and merely the weapons of the others.

Consequently, Cyclonus became a Targetmaster, as his handgun was converted into an exo-suit for the Hive member Nightstick, giving them enhanced targeting abilities and firepower. The Rebirth, Part 2 Reclaiming the chamber key with their superior powers, the Decepticons headed back to Cybertron aboard the giant robot Scorponok, where Cyclonus attempted to convince the disgusted Galvatron of the benefits of being bonded to the Nebulans. The Autobots soon arrived back on Cybertron and invaded Scorponok, only to be captured by the Decepticons and almost executed by Cyclonus before being saved by Spike Witwicky and Fortress Maximus. The Decepticons’ plan was subsequently thwarted by Spike and the Nebulans, and they were sent spiraling off through space aboard Scorponok by a tendril of plasma energy. The Rebirth, Part 3

Who is Cyclonus?

“	Even when you were a bug, I hated your stinkin’ circuits.	”
—Skywarp on Cyclonus's origins, Wreckers: Finale Part II

File:Cyclonus tf1.jpg

Bombshell and Skywarp, who the hell am I?

When the injured Decepticons are transformed by Unicron, two identical Cyclonus robots are simultaneously created—in the foreground, the Insecticon Bombshell, becomes one, while in the background, Decepticon jet Skywarp becomes another. The dialogue which accompanies this scene claims that we are seeing "Cyclonus... and his armada." But, clearly, one warrior does not make an armada (at least three are required) – the line is, in fact, a carry over from the original script, in which Cyclonus was intended to have multiple identical duplicates, in the same way that Scourge had the Sweeps. However, the idea was apparently abandoned right after this scene—as the group boards the Revenge moments later, the second Cyclonus has disappeared and been replaced with a third Sweep. And while the number of Sweeps would fluctuate constantly throughout the film and the rest of the series, Cyclonus was consistently depicted as a unique individual, barring some animation errors in "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5" and "The Quintesson Journal" that depicted multiple Cyclonuses. It was, essentially, as if the armada had never existed in the first place.

File:Cyclonus tf2.jpg

Cyclonus "and his armada"

After all of this to-ing and fro-ing, the question is left: if there is actually only one Cyclonus, then which robot became him? Bombshell or Skywarp?

Outside of the questionable nature of the armada's actual existence, the question mainly exists due to certain fans' dissatisfaction with the asymmetry of the fates of Skywarp and Thundercracker. While many fans are happy to simply follow what is shown in the film and take it that Bombshell became Cyclonus, others point their fingers at Skywarp, offering the rationalization that since Thundercracker the blue jet from 1984 became Galvatron's blue spaceship lieutenant, it simply should be that Skywarp the purple(-accented) jet from 1984 would become Galvatron's purple spaceship lieutenant (the cross-sell catalogs included with 1986 toys even replaced Thundercracker and Skywarp with Cyclonus and Scourge in the Decepticon Jets section). It is not uncommon, however, for fans to then tack on to this rationalization that if Skywarp became Cyclonus, then Bombshell must have become the armada, unhelpfully overlooking the nebulous existence of the armada which caused the whole argument in the first place.

There are any number of other niggly little arguments that can be made for either party, regarding the personalities of the characters or the roles that they had prior to their reconstruction, but it's all very circular and self-defeating. Then, there are those who feel that it does not matter who became Cyclonus, holding that both candidates were dead at the time, and, ultimately, arguments on the matter seem irrelevant, as Cyclonus never displays any inklings of a past life, whatever life that might have been. This group of people probably sleep better at night.

The only extant written statement on the matter from the time of the movie's production and release comes, originally, from Cyclonus' Transformers Universe bio, which states that he is made from the "parts of dead Decepticons" (note plural), which would be echoed in his much later Heroes of Cybertron bio and his 2008 Universe bio. However, as noted above, the visuals in the scene as-animated certainly imply that it was one old body per new body, without mixing and matching, and favoring "Bombshell" as the answer because of the blocking of the shot.

What are you going to believe: fanfic or your lying eyes?

The movie script is silent, or rather, completely apathetic on the matter: it states that after Megatron's transformation, the "other Decepticons" are turned into Scourge and Cyclonus and their minions, with no statements about particular bodies. The storyboards, however, are fairly unambiguous. They show Bombshell, pre-reformatting, and Cyclonus (with some other robots in the shot), post-reformatting. This may at least offer some insight into the authorial intent. It's worth noting that this version of the Storyboard omits any reference to Cyclonus' Armada.

Not to be confused with Armada Cyclonus.

For what it's worth in terms of retroactive canon-making, IDW's 20th anniversary adaptation, Transformers: The Animated Movie, presented the scene precisely as animated in the movie, with Bombshell in the foreground declared as Cyclonus through a caption box, and Skywarp in the background marked as his armada. On the other hand, the lenticular cover to the 20th Anniversary DVD edition places Skywarp and Cyclonus in the same location, and a set of character bios written by Australian fans for the 2003 Madman Entertainment DVD release of the movie—later used on several UK Metrodome DVDs—state with complete unambiguity that Skywarp become Cyclonus. Tangentially, Cyclonus and Skywarp are two separate, concurrently-existing characters in the arguably post-movie setting of the Wreckers comics. "Wreckers: Finale Part II" addressed the issue directly, adhering to the scene as animated by specifically stating that Skywarp had once been Cyclonus's armada, and having Skywarp call Cyclonus a former "bug." Meanwhile, the 2007 Masterpiece Skywarp toy includes an 'Armada Decepticon' sticker, seemingly putting that toy in the "Bombshell was Cyclonus" pile, but Masterpiece Thundercracker comes with the same sticker, only recolored.

However, none of these things, many coming two decades after the fact, are exactly "evidence" for what happened in the film.

The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers manga

The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in Japanese continuity as noted above, except that season 3, which takes place across 2005 and 2006 in America, is set in 2010 in Japan, and "The Rebirth" does not occur. Japanese continuity inserts several new stories into the timeline, as described below.

Silly robot! Trix are for kids!

Cyclonus took part in many of Galvatron's wacky schemes, including one involving a giant toothy spaceship that ate other spaceships and stole their energy. When Rodimus Prime infiltrated the ship, Cyclonus, Scourge and Galvatron swiftly ganged up on him. Rodimus, however, was clever enough to trick Galvatron into blasting a hole in the side of the ship, providing him with an escape. As Rodimus left, he dropped off a little "gift" for Cyclonus. Cyclonus was unable to recognize it as a bomb until it was too late. The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 1

He was also involved in the Decepticon siege on Feminia. He was forced to retreat with the rest of the Decepticons after Predaking was defeated by the Omnibots. The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 5

The Great Transformer War comic

Cyclonus stood by Galvatron's side as he commanded the captive scientist Doctor Dalton to improve Trypticon and their combiner warriors. However, he was unable to prevent Blades of the Protectobots from freeing the doctor The Great Transformer War issue 1 After the resurrection of Optimus Prime, Cyclonus was seen getting trounced by Hot Rod. The Great Transformer War issue 3

The Headmasters cartoon

Voice actor: Tomomichi Nishimura (Japanese)

The Headmasters cartoon and Japanese continuity thereafter ignores the events of The Rebirth. Cyclonus and Scourge's roles were reduced to comedy relief, with their intelligence being markedly decreased until they were little more than cackling, bumbling henchmen.

Omega Supreme gets smaller and we get dumber!

Cyclonus and Scourge continued to make token appearances when the new Headmaster warriors arrived to dominate the Cybertronian war. Cyclonus fought alongside Galvatron on Cybertron against Optimus Prime, Jazz, and the Dinobots. The Mystery of Planet Master Cyclonus seemed rather threatened by the arrival of Galvatron's new lieutenant, Sixshot. Cyclonus and Scourge somehow managed to beat Optimus Prime to the Vector Sigma supercomputer, and battled him at the planet's core. Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime

His credentials for the position of Second in Command were impeccable.

During the attack on the planet Beast, Cyclonus attempted to drop a rock on Rodimus Prime, but accidentally clobbered Galvatron instead, and ran away yelping in fear. Rebellion on Planet Beast

Cyclonus felt discouraged when Galvatron declared all his troops were bumbling incompetents, without making a special exception for Cyclonus. The Four-Million-Year-Old Veil of Mystery Later, when Sixshot attempted to extort energy from six countries using each of his six modes, Scourge and Cyclonus completely botched his scheme when they failed to realize that he was behind it and attacked him with Trypticon. Terror! The Six Shadows After Galvatron vanished during Cybertron's destruction, and the unfamiliar Scorponok took over as Emperor of Destruction, Cyclonus and Scourge felt even less secure in their positions. When Soundblaster proudly sucked up to Scorponok, reporting on a new energy-absorbing satellite named Solar 1 set for launch, Cyclonus vowed to steal the satellite in order to gain favor in Scorponok's eyes. Joined by Scourge and Predaking, he attacked the launch pad, but was repelled by Raiden and the Headmasters. Brainstorm did some aerial dogfighting with Cyclonus, and the Decepticons were forced to leave empty-handed. The Shadow Emperor, Scorponok

Scourge and Cyclonus were concerned that Scorponok's latest series of attacks on Earth were more likely to destroy the planet than allow the Decepticons to gather energy. Scorponok told to them that the awe-inspiring plasma energy was released from Cybertron in its destruction. The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts In his next scheme, Scorponok explained to the duo that he planned to detonate a series of bombs to destroy the planet Mars, and harvest the plasma energy its destruction would surely generate. Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger Cyclonus was present for the unveiling of Scorponok's new super Transtector on Mars. Explosion on Mars!! MegaZarak Appears

Later, Cyclonus and Scourge made arrangements for Scorponok's official society debut as leader of the Decepticons. The Autobots attacked during the proceedings on Earth's moon, but all combatants were interrupted by the triumphant return of Galvatron. Cyclonus was quick to redirect his boot-licking towards his old commander, as Scorponok's leadership was immediately overruled. Return of the Immortal Emperor Cyclonus and Scourge would later field an SOS call from the planet Sandra, and reported their findings to Galvatron. SOS from Planet Sandra

Presumably left behind on Earth while Galvatron plundered the cosmos for energon, Cyclonus and Scourge were not seen for many months. After he returned, Galvatron heaped praise on Sixshot, telling Cyclonus and Scourge that they could learn a thing or two from the Ninja Commander. Grumbling to themselves, the duo noticed Counterpunch acting shifty, but were too caught up in their own problems to think too much about it. The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg

Marvel Comics continuity

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

What once had been a misread movie script was now dumb-sounding canon!

In a future timeline similar but different to that depicted in the animated continuity, set in 2006, rather than 2005, (2006 being the original date for the movie, amended to 2005 after the production of a treatment from which the comics were penned) Cyclonus was also a creation of Unicron, remade from the body of the dispatched Decepticon Life Spark. Following Unicron's consumption of Cybertron's moons, Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge traveled back in time to 1986 as part of a plan to free themselves from Unicron's control by constructing a massive cannon that would destroy him upon their return to the future. The three Unicronian Decepticons proved themselves almost invincible in the face of the Autobots' attacks, but were finally defeated when Galvatron was duped into believing he was trapped in a temporal paradox, and returned to his own time to live out the remaining events 2006. Target: 2006

Sure, yanking Scourge's beard is funny, but wait till you see what they do with Cyclonus's ears.

Following the destruction of Unicron at the hands of Rodimus Prime and the Matrix, Galvatron transported himself back in time to 1987, leaving Cyclonus and Scourge in the future, under Shockwave’s command. The duo were attacked by the freelance peace-keeping agent, Death's Head, who was seeking the bounty on Galvatron’s head, and Cyclonus revealed Galvatron’s whereabouts to him. Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive! Later, Shockwave hired Death’s Head to kill Rodimus Prime, but Cyclonus and Scourge interfered with the job as they sought to kill Rodimus first, in order to reclaim their lost standing amongst the Decepticons. Headhunt This did not please Death’s Head, and consequently, he willingly accepted a contract from Rodimus to hunt down Cyclonus and Scourge, eventually tracking them down to the planet of Junk as 2008 dawned. Before he could finish the job, however, all three of them fell under the mind-controlling influence of Unicron, whose disembodied head had survived the destruction of his body and had landed on the planet, where he was having the native Junkions construct a new body for him.

Under Unicron's control, Cyclonus and Scourge killed Shockwave and became Decepticon leaders, reigniting the stalemated Cybertronian war to a furious degree to cover Unicron's actions. Death's Head, however, was able to fight the mind control and work with the Autobots long enough to stop the chaos-bringer's plan. As explosions destroyed Unicron, Death's Head tackled Cyclonus and Scourge, pushing them through a time portal Unicron had built, promising to kill them another time. Cyclonus and Scourge were hurled into the past of Cybertron by the portal, where they came under the command of Scorponok. The Legacy of Unicron!

He's from the future and knows a lot about history.

Cyclonus and Scourge traveled with Scorponok and several other Decepticons to the peaceful planet Nebulos in pursuit of Fortress Maximus's Autobots. Broken Glass! After Scorponok and the Terrorcons were defeated by the new Autobot Targetmasters, the Nebulan Vorath attempted to duplicate the technology on the Decepticons. Cyclonus was partnered with Nightstick, a Nebulan recruit who had been bio-mechanically engineered to be able to transform into his weapon. Cyclonus was soon presented with an opportunity to test his new Targetmaster abilities when some Autobot Headmaster prisoners escaped. The fury of the battle destroyed the city of Koraja, culminating in Fortress Maximus knocking down Cyclonus and the other Decepticon Targetmasters with part of a beloved fountain. Ultimately, Cyclonus and Scorponok's Decepticons followed the Autobots off Nebulos to Earth. Brothers in Armor!!

Back-seat driver!

Once there, Cyclonus and Scourge sought out Galvatron, and, no longer willing to serve him, instead demanded that he hand over his time travel device so that they could return to the future and their position as Decepticon leaders. The confrontation was disrupted by the sudden appearance of the Autobot commando squad, the Wreckers, who drew the ensuing battle away from the human settlement it was taking place in by professing to have stolen Galvatron's time jump mechanism, when in reality, the Decepticon no longer even had it for them to take. Wrecking Havoc Having met with failure again, Cyclonus and Scourge decided to cut their losses and team up with Shockwave's present-day Earth-based Decepticon forces.

"Handles on your head are the latest thing," Unicron says to me. "You'll look so trendy with head-handles."

Unfortunately, Cyclonus accidentally let slip that they would kill Shockwave in the future. Naturally wanting to ensure his continued existence, Shockwave unleashed a brainwashed Megatron clone upon the two. Seized by the clone, Cyclonus’s Targetmaster partner, Nightstick, was crushed, and as Cyclonus begged Scourge for help, his companion fled to save his own life and Cyclonus’s head was torn from his body, killing him outright. Dry Run!

Cyclonus and Scourge’s displacement into the past had circumvented the normal mass-replacement method used by time-travel, and had hence unbalanced the space-time continuum, causing a rift to appear in the fabric of space and time. Cyclonus’s death, twenty years before he was even created, proved to be the final straw, accelerating the rift, which soon threatened to consume Earth and Cybertron. Realizing that the only way to stop it was to return himself, Galvatron and Cyclonus to their original time, Scourge attempted to recover Cyclonus’s body from Shockwave, only to be attacked by the deranged Decepticon, who had lost his mind due to the illogical nature of the situation, and had strung Cyclonus’s remains up like a twisted trophy. Ravage, however, was able to bring Shockwave back to sanity enough for him to deposit Cyclonus’s remains after Galvatron and Scourge, and then seal it with an x-ray blast. Time Wars

In an alternate future of 2006, Cyclonus was on the Decepticon planet Chaar when Astrotrain arrived and gave a report to Galvatron about the Junkions being hypnotized by a television. Galvatron angrily declared he didn't care anything about the news. Cyclonus pleaded with him to reconsider how the information could be used against the Autobots, but Galvatron would not change his mind. On his own initiative, Cyclonus took Scourge along to investigate and discovered the Quintessons were involved.

Back on Chaar, a hypnotized Galvatron suddenly took off without telling Cyclonus where he was going, so Cyclonus and Scourge followed him to Junkion. They were soon met there by a group of Autobots where they engaged them in battle. When the Autobots succeeded in disrupting the Quintessons' hypnosis signal the Junkions added their strength to the Autobots' which caused Galvatron to retreat so fast he nearly left Cyclonus behind. Cyclonus decided to ask Galvatron to make Junkion off-limits to Decepticons. The Big Broadcast of 2006 (US)

In the UK version of the story, the events of "The Big Broadcast of 2006" are a fabrication invented by Wreck-Gar.

Those ears are never not useful and/or hilarious in these death scenes.

An alternate version of Cyclonus later made a brief appearance, inhabiting an alternate future world of 2009 where Cybertron had been destroyed and Galvatron ruled Earth. In this future world, Cyclonus failed to stop an Autobot/human rebel invasion of the main Decepticon base, and was destroyed by an enraged Galvatron for his failure. Rhythms of Darkness!

Ladybird Books continuity

Cyclonus worked for Starscream during the 1980s. Galvatron's Air Attack Later, he rose to leadership of the Decepticons at a time when the war was entrenched on Nebulos. Now a very evil and gloat-happy chap, he matched wits against Hot Rod, his opposite number in the Autobots. His schemes included trying to absorb a burst of cosmic radiation, unconcerned that it could kill the rest of the planet, Decepticons at the Pole and a substantially less evil plot of trying to stop the Autobots lubricating their joints. Autobots Strike Oil

At some point, the Decepticon base Scorponok became a sentient Transformer and leader of the Decepticons, and Cyclonus was never seen again...

Transformers in 3-D

Cyclonus grew increasingly discontent with Galvatron after the Decepticon leader took to talking to Ratbat more than him, and began openly discussing mutiny with Scourge. He was sent out on a mission to locate a new Energon source which had been detected on an asteroid, and found that the source was a strange small alien. Following more abuse heaped on him by Galvatron, Cyclonus was able to study the creature, and discovered that it regurgitated its food in the form of Energon. Galvatron was pleased, but while Ratbat was out searching for more of the creatures, an Autobot was detected spying on the Decepticons, and the situation soon escalated into a pitched battle. The Test

Along with Scorponok and Octane, Cyclonus intercepted Cosmos, as the Autobot was heading for Andellor. Though Cyclonus initially disbelieved Cosmos's story, he insisted that Cosmos lead them to his destination. It was there that Cyclonus was able to recall the history of Andellor and the existence of the Prism of Power. Down on the planet, the three Decepticons ventured into a cave and were attacked, first by some tentacles from a pool, and finally by Ironhide, who defeated them. Transformers in 3-D #2

Cyclonus took part in the attack on Tau-Ursa which saw Galvatron acquire a component for his latest weapon. Galvatron ordered the city destroyed. Cyclonus subsequently took part in a diversionary attack led by Sixshot while Galvatron used his new weapon, the Nullification Cannon, to destroy Cybertron's Energon stocks. The Autobots began searching for the planet Metascan Alpha, location of a vast store of energy, and Cyclonus took the Terrorcons to find them, eventually encountering Ultra Magnus on a desolate moon. The Autobots quickly retreated, preferring to concentrate on their goal, but inadvertently ended up leading the Destructons to the moon. Cyclonus and the Terrorcons were outmatched against this new foe, and Cyclonus reluctantly agreed to cooperate with the Autobots against the Destructons. The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3

Unfortunately at this point Blackthorne Publishing went bankrupt, so the outcome of this alliance may never be known.

3H comics

But I grew up! You're still kissing the skidplate of a 'con with more vision than you! Only now it's a two-bit crime boss with delusions of grandeur instead of the psychotic leftovers of Megatron's legacy!Rodimus trash talks Cyclonus in "Wreckers: Finale Part II"

Cryotek looks like a Megatron and hits Cyclonus only about half as much.

When Bombshell was reformatted by Unicron into Cyclonus, and Skywarp into Cyclonus's Armada, Cyclonus was given a mental link to his Armada that gave him control over him. This link persisted even when Skywarp's personality resurfaced years later. When Galvatron failed the Decepticons and the Great War ended, Cyclonus turned his allegiance towards the gangster Cryotek. Wreckers: Finale Part II

Centuries later, Cyclonus was caught up in the Predacon Megatron's attack on all Cybertron. Despite Megatron's attempts to implant his spark within a Vehicon body, Cyclonus retained his own mind and managed to escape. Wishing to restore the glorious Decepticon empire, Cyclonus had already been seduced by Cryotek's ambitions when he, alongside other renegade "bad guys" Skywarp and Rotorbolt, joined the Wreckers. In the aftermath of Megatron's Transformation lock virus, the Wreckers and a few other small groups were the only Transformers left active on Cybertron.

Looks like Cyclonus was Bombshell after all!

Soon, the legendary entity called the Oracle gathered these groups together and gave them each a task. The Wreckers were summoned to a far-off planet, and so the team fought their way through scores of Vehicons to secure a shuttle. Cyclonus and Skywarp's arrival helped seal the Wreckers' victory, and the group managed to leave Cybertron towards their destination. Departure

After some difficulties with Devcon, a stowaway, Cyclonus and the other Wreckers landed on Archa Nine, where they learned of a mysterious energy-generating crystal named the "Divine Light". Cyclonus killed the Maximal Packrat, nearly killed Rotorbolt, and stole the Divine Light, and after taunting his deceived "comrades," fled home to deliver the artifact to his true master, Cryotek. Betrayal

As Cryotek siphoned the power of Primus by using the Divine Light, his ascension to borrowed godhood was guarded by Cyclonus. At first, Cyclonus seemed to have the upper hand when he appeared to be able to command Skywarp, who had been rebuilt as his armada during the Great War. Skywarp's complicity was just a ruse, however, and Cyclonus found himself doublecrossed. With the rest of the Wreckers busy, Cyclonus faced his old rival, Rodimus, in a very personal battle. After trading barbs both physical and verbal, the two ended their duel in a messy, violent stalemate. This stalemate lasted until Rotorbolt arrived and ended Cyclonus, avenging his near-deadly encounter on Archa Nine. Cryotek briefly resurrected him as one of many zombies, but his subsequent defeat at the hands of Rodimus, Cheetor, Sentinel Maximus, Al-Badur, and Ramulus ended Cyclonus's life again. Wreckers: Finale Part II

Dreamwave comics continuity

Neither Skywarp nor Bombshell? This is madness!

After Unicron consumed the planet Lithone in the wake of his reactivation, the Cyclonus series of drone was built within pods inside the chaos-bringer's body, constructed from the remnants Lithone's matter and captured inhabitants. The second in a series of Unicron's drone fleets, the Cyclonus model was considered by the Quintessons to be more powerful, more efficient and more of a threat. One of these drones broke out of his incubation pod as Scourge was having some difficulties on Cybertron and Earth. Generation One issue 0

Future stories would have brought Cyclonus to the fore as he attacked the base of the Earth Defense Command in order to retrieve Scourge, who was being held there. Due to Dreamwave's plunge into insolvency, these stories were never published.

G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers

Cyclonus was serving Shockwave when the latter was running the Cybertronian Decepticons in Megatron's absence. After failing to capture a group of energon cube-stealing Autobots, he was part of a unit standing by to seize several Autobots and Joes as they used Teletran 3 to prevent damage to the time-stream. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 1 When Ultra Magnus put up a force field around the computer, Cyclonus reported to Shockwave that the field would soon fall, and was pleased when Shockwave told him his life was ensured for another cycle. When the field came down, Cyclonus helped capture the Autobots and shoot Ratchet in the back when he arrived from the future. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 3

Following their victory, Cyclonus listened to Shockwave's intentions of dissecting the humans, only for the Dinobots to arrive from the past and attack the Decepticons. It is unknown if Cyclonus survived the battle. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 4

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.

Just press the damn button!

Cyclonus was a crewman on the original Ark which plunged into the Benzuli Expanse millions of meta-cycles ago and hence continued to serve Nemesis Prime (who he keeps forgetting is no longer called Nova Prime). He has a fierce love of Cybertron and wants to see it bring about an ordered universe, bringing structure to a chaotic universe. Ironically he's absolutely mental, prone to unpredictable, violent actions; he tries to submerge this behind a fiction of being an ordered intellectual, and hopes ordering the universe might order him.

Get the Holy Hand Grenade!

In the present, he was sent out of the Dead Universe to arm the Nega-Core and put up Thunderwing as its guardian, but he made a divergence to see first hand the devastation of his beloved Cybertron. Pissed off, he decided to take his anger out on the nearest Transformer and so assaulted the Ark-12, helmed by Hound's crew en route to Garrus-9. He was blown to bits, only to reform and keep on coming until Ultra Magnus arrived and Cyclonus realized he was blowing his mission—too long outside of the Dead Universe can kill its inhabitants.

Arriving on Corata-Vaz, he armed the Nega-Core but balked at activating Thunderwing, due to the destruction he caused Cybertron. Unfortunately Hound's crew and Magnus arrived, and Sideswipe goaded Cyclonus into attacking and in the process made Cyclonus realize he truly was a chaotic loony and just what Nemesis Prime wanted to erase. He was brought down, only to detach his hand, which flew off to activate Thunderwing. Using the distraction, Cyclonus escaped but Magnus sent another tracker after him. Spotlight: Cyclonus

Cyclonus made it back to the Dead Universe on time and was later patrolling the Benzuli Expanse with Galvatron to look for those who would disturb the Expansion. Upon spotting Cloudburst's ship, Cyclonus called "dibs" and Galvatron happily let Cyclonus attack the vessel. Spotlight: Doubledealer

After some time, Cyclonus finally destroyed the Mirror-Manifold just as its crew were beamed out by the Technobots, who had brand new Pretender shells waiting for them. Designed to survive the Dead Universe, they were more than a match for Cyclonus and he was defeated. Spotlight: Sideswipe

After recovering, Cyclonus made his way back to Gorlam Prime, where he gathered the bodies of his former crewmates to recycle them with honor. One of them, Scourge, was still barely alive, and Cyclonus told him that he would put an end to his miserable existence. He was interrupted by Galvatron, who was now infused with the Darkness. Galvatron blasted the bodies of the dead warriors, prompting Cyclonus to ask if he had gone binary. Galvatron revived Scourge, and created an army of Sweeps, which angered Cyclonus, who said they were sparkless slaves and refused to let this happen to him. Galvatron assured Cyclonus that he had plans and would need a lieutenant to join him. Using the Darkness, Galvatron repaired Cyclonus's spark and although he was unsure of their mission, Cyclonus told Scourge that as Seekers, their new mission is to follow Galvatron. Rebirth

Universe cartoon

Red Eyes Insanity!

Cyclonus was helping Megatron mine Energon from a gas station, mostly by taking pot-shots at bunnies. This ended shortly after he was El Kabong'd by Bumblebee and axed by Prime. Fight for Energon

Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic

Henkei! Henkei! #9

Henkei! Henkei! #12

Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga

Time of Resurrection Creation! The New Emperor of Destruction!! The Threat of Galvatron Revenge A Nightmare, Once Again To the Sea of Stars

Timelines: Wings of Honor continuity

Wings of Honor Generation 2: Redux

Toys

Generation 1

Shoulders by Mondrian.

• Cyclonus (Decepticon Jet, 1986)
  • Japanese ID number: D-70
  • Accessories: "Oxidating Laser"

Cyclonus transforms into a purple Cybertronian fighter craft. Early releases of Cyclonus had his belt and part of his "ears" painted blue. Later releases had those areas unpainted.

Cyclonus, like the other new characters created for The Transformers: The Movie, was designed for animation first, and had his toy based on these designs. However, as with the other characters, the toy was based on an earlier design, most notably featuring folded back wings, while his animation model underwent further modifications before being finalized. The earlier design was the basis for the Marvel Comics version of the character, and also erroneously appeared in a few instances in the cartoon series. For some odd reason, his wings detach as an official feature. For some even more odd reason, you have to open his ass which is referred to as "trap doors" in the instructions.

• More information on Cyclonus at TFU.info

• Targetmaster Cyclonus (1987)
  • Accessories: Nightstick Targetmaster partner/"Black Beam Gun"

Still lacking the blue paint, Targetmaster Cyclonus's fist holes were widened to accommodate his Nebulan partner, Nightstick, who replaced his previous handgun. This version of the toy was not released in Japan.

• More information on Targetmaster Cyclonus at TFU.info

Expanded Universe

With Galvatron gone, things went kind of screwy for the poor guy...

• Cyclonus (Ultra, 2002)
  • Accessories: 2 missiles, 2 drone-missiles

Expanded Universe Cyclonus is a redeco of Beast Machines Ultra Jetstorm, replacing blue with lavender, purple and gray, and the yellows with red. His spark crystal was tampographed with a Decepticon sigil. He transforms into a Cybertronic fighter jet. His jet mode cockpit/neck is geared up with the pop-up gun turret on his back so that both turn in the same direction when moved. This turret has a light-up feature plus two spring-loaded missiles. Cyclonus has both a "normal" bipedal robot mode and a "flight robot mode" with pop-out thruster engines.

Cyclonus was available exclusively at BotCon 2002.

• More information on BotCon Cyclonus at TFU.info

Universe (2008)

Generation 1 Series

...and now that Galvatron is back, he is happy.

• Cyclonus (Deluxe, 2008)

Universe Cyclonus is the first new-mold toy of the character in over 20 years. This version is a better match for Cyclonus's main character model whereas the Generaton 1 version was designed from an early alternate model. The transformation scheme is reminiscent of the old toy, with a few new twists to allow for greater articulation and a more satisfying robot mode. As before, the toy transforms into a grey and purple Cybertronian jet-fighter. Most notably, the toy release includes his Targetmaster partner Nightstick, similarly featuring far greater detail and articulation than the original. Oddly, only his right hand has a hole to hold Nightstick in, a very rare feature amongst two-handed Transformers toys. An undocumented feature (in both the Hasbro and Takara versions) is that Nightstick can also mount to Cyclonus' wrists by leaving the hands folded in, exposing a tab-slot, a la The Headmasters... in which Cyclonus wasn't a Targetmaster. Tsk.

Dodged a bullet!

Early Hasbro photos showed Cyclonus and Nightstick with considerably more beige than the final retail release. This was a factory mistake that was corrected before any toys hit stores, but it did create some fandom angst in its wake. Though no retail versions feature this factory mistake, some prerelease samples did.

This mold was also used to make "Gentei" Strafe and "Shattered Glass" Cyclonus.

• More information on Universe (and Henkei) Cyclonus at TFU.info

As you scroll down, watch this toy slowly become the Easter bunny.

• Challenge at Cybertron (Deluxe Class figure 3-pack, 2010)

A redeco of Universe Cyclonus was released in the "Challenge at Cybertron" multi-pack along with redecoes of Rodimus and Galvatron. This version of Cyclonus, like the Henkei! figure, is intended to be accurate to the cartoon's colors, though it attempts the idea much differently.

So far the set has only been released in Southeast Asian markets by Hasbro Malaysia, and there are currently no details about a release elsewhere.

Henkei! Henkei!

Also available in pastels.

• Cyclonus (Deluxe, 2009)
  • Japanese ID number: D-07

Unlike the Hasbro Universe Cyclonus's toy-based colour scheme, TakaraTomy's Henkei! Henkei! Cyclonus has a mostly cartoon-based colour scheme, and casts much of the toy in a lavender plastic balancing between the toy's purple and cartoon's purple-blue, and includes a painted face. Like all Henkei toys, he features vac-metalized plastic, specifically his purple wings and much of the Nightstick Targetmaster weapon.

Merchandise

Super Collection Figure

• Cyclonus (2002)

File:SCFCyclonus colour.jpg

His head comes off, too!

A PVC figurine of Cyclonus was part of the eighth act of Takara's Super Collection Figure series in 2002. Each case of 12 PVCs had two Cyclonuses; one in full-color, the other pewter-finish. It was later released as part of the third wave of Hasbro's Heroes of Cybertron line in 2003, with its pointed edges rounded off for safety.

Hard Hero

Galvatron needs my legs? Then I shall GIIIIIVE till it HUUUUUURTS!

• Cyclonus (2005)

In May 2005, Hard Hero released a Cyclonus polystone bust based upon his cartoon appearances. It is roughly six inches tall and was limited to 1000 pieces.

• Cyclonus (2005)

Hard Hero also made a limited run of 100 Cyclonus busts painted metallic purple as an exclusive for the Canadian TransformersCon convention.

Notes

• When asked about Cyclonus' design in an online interview, Floro Dery's reply was, "Cyclonus was a small time demon."

• In two scenes in the US edition of Headmasters #2, where Cyclonus was supposed to appear, artist Frank Springer accidentally drew a giant-sized version of Nightstick (though it's actually Fracas, but those two's character models got swapped and... oy), who was then colored like Cyclonus. For the UK printing of the story, since audiences were already very familiar with Cyclonus from exclusive stories in that comic, the giant Nightstick was renamed "Krunix".

He's big!

• During The Transformers: The Movie, Cyclonus is shown to be huge in vehicle form, serving as a personal attack ship for Galvatron, despite being a normal-sized robot. In the cartoon's subsequent third season, however, Galvatron uses the Revenge and his own flight capabilities as his primary means of transport, and Cyclonus never shows such size-changing abilities again.

• Cyclonus's unique origin in the UK comics is a result of Simon Furman's misinterpretation of the movie summary he had read (having not yet actually seen the feature), which referenced the fading "life spark" of a Decepticon. This led to Cyclonus actually claiming he had been rebuilt from a Decepticon named "Life Spark".

External links

• Cyclonus' Universe entry at NTFA.net