Bulkhead (Prime)

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

Bulkhead is an Autobot from the Prime portion of the Aligned continuity family.

Miss me?

Bulkhead looks huge and menacing, but he's only the former. Once you get to know him, he has a gentle soul. He's afraid of hurting things smaller and more fragile than him, but his new human friend, Miko Nakadai, has helped him grow past that. He has a low tolerance for jerks and bullies, and is quite happy to let people like that stew in the trouble they've made for themselves, but his better impulses—or at least, needling from those around him—always sway him into helping in the end.

Fiction

Prime comic

Transformers: Prime

Prime cartoon

Voice actor: Kevin Michael Richardson (English), Salvador Serrano (Spain-Spanish)

Back on Cybertron, before he became a warrior, Bulkhead was a laborer, working in construction. He saw himself as an uneducated simpleton who could only build or break stuff. Deus ex Machina Later Bulkhead was a member of the Wreckers, along with his buddy Wheeljack. He also had rivalry with Breakdown. Deus ex Machina He left early on in the war to join Team Prime however. Con Job Soon after the Autobots arrived on Earth, Bulkhead accidentally stepped into some power lines. Arcee was impressed with the dance he did as a consequence. Scrapheap

And then Takara's engineers get a headache.

Bulkhead was cruising around a woodland area when Optimus ordered everyone to return to base so they could take the GroundBridge to back up Cliffjumper. Unfortunately by the time they got to the battle site, Cliffjumper and the Decepticons were gone.

Sometime later, when Arcee and Bumblebee were fighting some Decepticons, Bulkhead came to their assistance, albeit late due to "traffic". One look at the three Autobots sent the Decepticons scurrying away. Bulkhead returned to base, and was there when three humans were brought in. Miko questioned him at length about how cool he was. Darkness Rising, Part 1 During a subsequent visit by Agent Fowler, Bulkhead asserted that the Autobots had the utmost ability in the use of force, while graphically crushing one of Ratchet's tools in his fist, much to his comrade's annoyance.

Bulkhead was part of the ultimately unsuccessful mission to retrieve Cliffjumper from the Decepticons, and smashed his way through a large number of the Decepticons in the energon mine. After they returned to base empty-handed, Optimus assigned Bulkhead to watch over Miko. Darkness Rising, Part 2

No, Bulky, the slogan is get some nuts!

Miko managed to persuade Bulkhead to do some off-roading on the way back to base. Once there, Optimus and Ratchet left on a mission, placing Arcee in charge. Arcee promptly left to go patrolling with Bumblebee, leaving Bulkhead in charge. Miko's suggestion that they start a rock band was mercifully interrupted by the appearance of Fowler, who was looking to complain about the recent energon mine explosion to Optimus. He wasn't pleased to discover that the Autobots had let kids become involved in the war, but Bulkhead prevented him from taking the kids into custody. After Fowler left, the base computer picked up a distress signal from his helicopter. Bulkhead was glad to be rid of the man, but the kids pointed out that if the Decepticons had him, he could give away the location of the Autobot base. Bulkhead reluctantly let Raf track where the agent was, and went to the Decepticon ship by GroundBridge. He only discovered that Miko had followed him when she accidentally attracted the attention of a Decepticon, and he was forced to disembowel it. Unfortunately Jack and Raf subsequently arrived, and they too attracted the attention of the Decepticons guarding the ship. Darkness Rising, Part 3

Be thankful she didn't do more than heave on your car parts.

Bulkhead snatched the pair out of the line of fire and dropped them off behind some cover. He then proceeded to drive under the Decepticon ship, scale a nearby cliff, jump on board, and trash a bunch of Decepticons before realizing Miko wasn't with the other two kids. She turned out to have stowed away inside his chest compartment, and she became a distinct liability as Bulkhead continued to fight the Decepticons. Inside the ship, they eventually ran into Arcee and Bumblebee, who'd rescued Jack and Raf from some more guards. The Autobots cleared out a room for the kids to hide in before proceeding to the brig where Fowler was being held, and Bumblebee and Bulkhead burst through the main door while Arcee slipped in through a top vent. A standoff ensued, until Fowler distracted Starscream long enough for the Autobots to start firing. Starscream thusly chased off, the Autobots took off with Fowler and rescued the kids on the way out. Bulkhead carried Fowler and Miko back to base, where he was told off by Optimus for getting the kids involved, though Miko stood up for him. After Jack decided he was better off without the Autobots in his life, Bulkhead took Miko to visit him. Darkness Rising, Part 4

D'awwww.

Once the Autobots pinpointed the location of the Decepticon space bridge in orbit, Optimus, Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead traveled there by GroundBridge, though the height made Bulkhead nervous. They soon found themselves battling the hordes of flying Decepticons that came their way from the nearby Decepticon ship. Ratchet figured out a way to destroy the space bridge, so while Optimus held Megatron off, Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead went to do that. No sooner had they finished than they were fired on by Megatron, who'd finally twigged to what they were doing. The four Autobots subsequently jumped back through the GroundBridge mere moments before the space bridge exploded, and returned to the Autobot base. Miko was overjoyed to see Bulkhead back safe and sound. Darkness Rising, Part 5

Bulkhead assisted Miko with her science project, holding up her model of the solar system so she could paint it. Unfortunately Ratchet decided to take over the project, relegating Bulkhead to the role of transport. Masters & Students

Bulkhead and Bumblebee discovered a strange pod in the Arctic which they brought back to base. Bulkhead was disgruntled by Ratchet's insistence at post-mission medical checks. He and Bumblebee later went and picked up the kids, but after the GroundBridge broke, the two Autobots were pressed into service assisting Ratchet in an attempt to fix it. The cause of the problem became apparent when Raf found a Scraplet. Bulkhead was particularly terrified of Scraplets, as he'd seen bots devoured by them, and was even prepared to abandon the base as a result, but Ratchet pointed out that would mean Optimus and Arcee would perish in the Arctic. Bulkhead went Scraplet-hunting with Miko, but mainly succeeded in embarrassing himself by screaming like a little girl whenever anything happened. Eventually they found a swarm of them and retreated back to the main control room, where another swarm descended on the three Autobots. They were rescued by the three kids, who went to repair an energon fuel line so the GroundBridge could be used to expel the Scraplets into the Arctic. Once the repair was done and the GroundBridge opened, Bulkhead offered himself up as bait, luring the Scraplet swarm to the Arctic, where they froze in seconds. Bulkhead returned to base for repairs, and was amused when Miko became terrified by a tiny spider. Scrapheap

"Guy love, that's all it is, Guy love, He's mine, I'm his, there's nothing gay about it in our eyes."

After he and Miko finished their chores, Bulkhead attempted to deflect her suggestion of dune bashing by bringing up the monster truck rally. They were distracted from any further plans by the news that Wheeljack was on his way to Earth, much to Bulkhead's joy. He, Arcee and Bumblebee arrived at the landing site to find Wheeljack trashing some Vehicons and he gave Wheeljack a bear hug before they returned to base and partied. Bulkhead started telling war stories, but began to grow suspicious when Wheeljack was uncharacteristically quiet. He challenged the newcomer to relate the story of the Battle of Darkmount Pass. Wheeljack got an important detail wrong: Bulkhead wasn't at that battle. The Decepticon impostor grabbed Miko as a hostage and revealed that the real Wheeljack was a prisoner of the Decepticons. After the real Wheeljack turned up and kicked the fake one's skidplate, Bulkhead took great pleasure in throwing the impostor out via the GroundBridge. Sadly Wheeljack didn't stay long, but offered to take Bulkhead with him. Bulkhead turned him down, having become too attached to Miko and the rest of his friends on Earth. Con Job

"You go on, Bulk, we'll cover the rear."

Bulkhead took part in a convoy when Fowler needed transport for a hi-tech Dynamic Nuclear Generation System device, though he wasn't happy with Optimus's order to stay in vehicle mode to conceal their presence on Earth. He warned the other Autobots about the incoming MECH cars and later helped move the D.N.G.S. to a train while the convoy passed through a rail tunnel. It was shortly after this that they were attacked by flying Vehicons, and forced to use their robot modes in the open to fight back. He, Arcee and Bumblebee spent the rest of the time fighting the Decepticons, while Optimus saved the D.N.G.S. Convoy

Miko's detention was cut short when Bulkhead arrived to pick her up and she decided to cut out early. He chastised her, and when Ratchet discovered an energon trace in Greece, Bulkhead attempted to use the mission to get Miko to learn about ancient Greece. He spotted a depiction of an Energon Harvester on an ancient fresco, shortly before his old enemy Breakdown arrived. Bulkhead protected Miko from a pillar Breakdown tossed at her, but the 'Con then tackled him into the fresco, breaking it. Back at base, Bulkhead alerted the others to the Harvester and before long they had surrounded the museum it was in while the kids worked to steal it. When Knock Out and Breakdown attacked, Bulkhead charged at Breakdown and was knocked flying by a punch. The Decepticons managed to steal the Harvester, and Bulkhead was left at base while the other Autobots searched for them. While he was trying to work out how to rescue Miko from the museum, Bulkhead realized that the Decepticons would probably go after the energon deposit in Greece, so he went there to confront them himself. After dealing with Knock Out and Breakdown, Bulkhead found Starscream and the Harvester a tougher proposition, but he managed to fight against the device's power long enough to reach Starscream and destroy it, while proudly noting that breaking stuff was what he did best. He and Fowler later retrieved Miko from the museum. Deus ex Machina

Bulkhead was hanging around base when Jack asked Raf if he could borrow Bumblebee. Arcee later wondered where Jack had gone, and Bulkhead unsuccessfully attempted to act like he had no idea. He accompanied Arcee to find Jack and Bumblebee, arriving in time to find out that Knock Out had abducted a human. The three Autobots tracked Knock Out to a storage facility, where Bulkhead and Bumblebee were ambushed by Breakdown. The fight ended when Bulkhead managed to flatten Breakdown with a lamp post. They caught up with Knock Out shortly after the 'Con had been defeated by Optimus, and his hostage recovered. Speed Metal

Wheeljack is gonna be so jealous.

Bumblebee and Bulkhead played basketball together in the base, though Bumblebee's behavior was very odd. When Fowler contacted them later to report that the Decepticons had stolen a lens from a telescope in Hawaii, Bulkhead, Arcee and Optimus traveled to the Arctic to find it. While Optimus scaled a cliff face, the other two Autobots fought Breakdown as a diversion, successfully keeping the Decepticons busy until Optimus got on board the Decepticon ship and destroyed the heat ray. In the aftermath of the battle, they discovered that Megatron had been resurrected, as the Decepticon leader snatched Starscream out of the air. Out of His Head

When Ratchet detected a fast-moving Dark Energon reading, Optimus took Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Ratchet to investigate. Instead of the expected Megatron, they found Starscream attempting to resurrect Skyquake. During the brief fight, the Autobots discovered that the kids had followed them through the GroundBridge and attempted to send them back, only for a Decepticon Groundbridge to interfere. Bulkhead tried to rescue the kids, but was blown back by the exploding GroundBridge portal. When it transpired that the kids had vanished, Bulkhead attempted to ring Miko, only to discover she'd dropped her phone at base. It meant, however, that Jack could send a text message from the other dimension the kids were trapped in, and Bulkhead read it on Miko's phone. When Ratchet engineered a way to get the kids back, Optimus, Bulkhead and Arcee rendezvoused with them to protect them from Starscream. Afterwards, Bulkhead returned Miko's phone, though he regretted she didn't get any photos of zombies. Shadowzone

Out scouting an energon signature on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Bulkhead was ambushed by Breakdown. Though he fought back, he was overcome and later came around to find Breakdown gone and Miko calling to him over the comm. After returning to base, they established that Breakdown had been captured by MECH, and Bulkhead was happy for it to stay that way. Optimus, however, launched a mission to rescue the Decepticon, and Bulkhead was surprised when Prime accepted his wish to stay off the rescue team. Bulkhead remained at base with Fowler and Miko, the latter of whom was firm in her belief that Bulkhead should have gone along, and managed to persuade him to go and try to rescue Breakdown himself. In Russia, Bulkhead followed a MECH car to a disused railway tunnel and broke in to find Breakdown. Though the 'Con was surprised to see him, the pair emerged from the tunnel together to face the MECH forces, and Breakdown even saved Bulkhead from being blasted by Silas's energy weapon. When Starscream turned up with Vehicons, Breakdown was instructed to destroy Bulkhead, but the Autobot easily pummeled the 'Cons until Optimus turned up. Prime was impressed that Bulkhead had put aside his differences to rescue Breakdown, but Bulkhead was merely happy to have gotten the opportunity to hit Breakdown some more. Operation: Breakdown

Bulkhead was at the Autobot base when Jack and Arcee brought Jack's mom in to introduce her to everyone. Crisscross

Ratchet assigned Bulkhead to investigate a magnetic disturbance, and Arcee, irritated by Jack's mom's questioning, decided to come along too. Also Miko somehow sneaked through the GroundBridge after them and talked them into letting her tag along. When they came across Breakdown and Airachnid fighting over a weapon, Bulkhead got Miko to stay put, and the two Autobots joined in the fight. After Breakdown blasted them both with the weapon, a polarity gauntlet, Arcee ended up magnetically fused to Bulkhead's back. With no other alternative, Bulkhead followed the 'Cons on foot, finding them at an abandoned gas station. During the ensuing battle, Breakdown dropped an oil derrick on Bulkhead, temporarily knocking him out, but also demagnetizing him. Airachnid tried to escape in her helicopter form, but Bulkhead grabbed her and threw her at Breakdown. He and Arcee returned to base triumphantly with the gauntlet. Metal Attraction

Arcee and Bulkhead were sent to investigate an old energon mine, but found it was abandoned. When Miko decided to explore, Bulkhead chased her in. While he was taking some samples for Ratchet, a cave in occurred. Bulkhead did his best to protect Miko, but ended up supporting the ceiling so it wouldn't fall on them. With the air likely to run out and his arms failing, he instructed Miko to bang a rock on his foot to make noise and they were eventually found... by Starscream. When the Decepticon threatened Miko, Bulkhead gave him a swift kick, and Jack arrived on a Decepticon mining drill to rescue Miko. Alone with Starscream, things looked grim for Bulkhead until Arcee came to his rescue. The two Autobots found the kids and left the mine, though they did briefly consider finishing the Decepticons. Rock Bottom

Bulkhead joined the others in investigating a wrecked Decepticon ship. When they found Starscream all webbed up and wanting to switch sides, Bulkhead thought it was a bad idea. The Decepticon pointed them towards the other half of the crashed ship, where Airachnid had gone. Prime took Bumblebee and Bulkhead to check out the rear section of the ship, and they were attacked by Airachnid, wielding an experimental Decepticon weapon that froze Bulkhead in his tracks. Bulkhead was locked in position until the Autobots retrieved the weapon and Ratchet used it to unfreeze him. Partners

File:TFP 21 Bulkhead Miko jog memories.jpg

Miko and Bulkhead sneaked into a monster truck rally together. A week or so later, they were reviewing the footage Miko had taken on her phone when Bulkhead was called into the field to help secure a Cybertronian data cylinder. He was, of course, followed by Miko, and during the battle she inadvertently activated the cylinder, discharging it into Bulkhead's brain. Though at first Bulkhead seemed fine, he began writing complex equations for synthetic energon, and it rapidly became clear that the cylinder's energy was overwriting his mind. While the other Autobots attempted to secure the cylinder, Miko tried to help Bulkhead retain his memories by taking him to the monster truck track. They were found there by Knock Out and Breakdown, who tried to take Bulkhead's head, but during the attempt, Miko again triggered the energy to discharge from Bulkhead into the sky. Bulkhead was left in a comatose state until Miko managed to wake him with her guitar playing. T.M.I.

Toys

Prime

Voyager Class toys

Let's hope those aren't truck nutz.

• Bulkhead (Voyager, 2012)
  • Accessories: Wrecking ball

Notes

It's really weird the longer you look at it.

• Bulkhead is of course a reference to Animated Bulkhead.

• He also uses a wrecking ball-like melee weapon similar to his Animated counterpart's, only he uses it more like a boxing glove or a mace.

• Derrick J. Wyatt confirmed that, when he was briefly brought in early in the design process of Prime, Bulkhead was originally intended to be Ironhide. However, as the show evolved, the writers realised that they were essentially writing a new Bulkhead, and the character was brought in.
• For such a big guy, he runs really fast.
• Bulkhead's chin piece is actually a cover for his lower lip, as is evident whenever he smiles.
• Twice Bulkhead has suggested leaving a human to the Decepticons simply because he didn't like them. What a jerk!

External links

• Bulkhead's character page @ Hubworld.com