Ultra Magnus (G1)

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

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Ultra Magnus is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.

He can't deal with you now!

Ultra Magnus feels he is a soldier and nothing more. He very much prefers taking orders to giving them, and even avoids opportunities for higher responsibility. But when he is forced into those opportunities, he betrays his real talent for the job. He's strong, resolute, dependable, selfless, and courageous. Sadly, Ultra Magnus is the only Autobot who doesn't realize this.

Believing he is nothing but a soldier, Ultra Magnus is perfectly willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good if need be. He knows he's more powerful than the average Autobot, and will throw himself at larger threats accordingly. He is respected by both the Autobots and Decepticons, due to his courage and self-sacrifice. There is a special enmity between him and Galvatron for this reason, for Galvatron may be the most deadly foe of all. (Also, Galvatron, given his mental state, probably doesn't approve of people he's had blown up getting back up afterward. This can be seen as a sore point for Magnus, too.)

He is sometimes Optimus Prime's brother.

But Prime, I'm—I'm just a soldier. I—I'm not worthy.Ultra Magnus receiving the Matrix, The Transformers: The Movie

Fiction

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Ultra Magnus was appointed Commander of Autobot City some time before 2005. During the Battle of Autobot City, he could not prevent many of his troops and the reinforcements being slaughtered, including Optimus Prime. Still, honoring Ultra Magnus for his efforts, Optimus handed him the Matrix of Leadership and command of the Autobots. The Matrix had other ideas though, choosing Rodimus Prime as its bearer instead. Ultra Magnus was okay with that and became Rodimus Prime's trustworthy second-in-command.

Despite not being the Prime, Ultra Magnus became a second archenemy to the Decepticon leader Galvatron. The two had many, many fights, and in between, Ultra Magnus also had to deal with the archrival he found in Galvatron's second-in-command Cyclonus.

During the Hate Plague outbreak in 2006, Ultra Magnus was one of the infected. He was cured when a revived Optimus Prime unleashed the energy of the Matix. With everything back to normal and leadership passed back from Rodimus to Optimus, Ultra Magnus became somewhat of a second-in-command to the latter. He was taken out of commission by a grand scale Decepticon assault on Cybertron, but survived to see the next Cybertronian Golden Age.

Ladybird books continuity

Following the mysterious disappearance of Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus travelled to Earth from Cybertron to take over leadership of the Autobots. Under his leadership, the Autobots established Metroplex as a city to live in, and yet were still able to keep their existence a secret from humanity at large. Nice work, Magnus!

With the Autoots' supply of cybernite running low, Ultra Magnus organized a salvage operation to potentially recover a supply of the material from wreckage strewn about an old battlefield that Kup would lead them to. Magnus's concerns grew when the Decepticons attacked the salvage team, apparently having known of their movements in advance, and the Autobots soon deduced that the villains had a network of spy satellites in orbit, watching them. Following Kup's advice, Magnus had Huffer and Wheeljack build a power generator that beamed false messages to the satellites, tricking them into colliding with each other and exploding. Magnus congratulated the Autobots on their team effort, declaring that teamwork was the only way to ultimately triumph over the Decepticons. Galvatron's Air Attack

When a small Decepticon attack force was able to penetrate Metroplex's security perimeter, Ultra Magnus had Bumblebee follow them upon their retreat in hopes of learning how the breach occurred. Bumblebee discovered that the Decepticons had been able to progressively sneak through the Autobots' spy screen and set up a base within a nearby industrial estate. Magnus led the Autobots in an attack on the Decepticon hideout, during which he faced off with Galvatron himself. Magnus stumbled and fell before the Decepticon leader, but Spike Witwicky saved him by downing Galvatron with a wrecking ball. Decepticon Hideout

Marvel Comics US continuity

This is a time of great sorrow, fellow Autobots. But it is also a time to sense our purpose and with it—seize the future.Magnus receives the Autobot Leadership Matrix

Oh, Prime, you shouldn't have. No, really.

In an alternate 2005, Ultra Magnus served as commander of Autobot City and directed the Autobots’ counter-offensive when the city came under attack from Megatron and the Decepticons. He directed Springer and Arcee to transform the city into battle station mode, and after a strenuous battle, Optimus Prime was mortally wounded. On his deathbed, Optimus passed the Autobot Leadership Matrix on to Ultra Magnus. Despite his own misgivings, Magnus took possession of Matrix and became the new leader of the Autobots. The Planet-Eater!

Magnus’s leadership did not get off to an easy start, when reports came in from the Autobots stationed on Cybertron’s moons of Unicron, a monster planet that was in the process of consuming them. Magnus quickly arranged for the Autobots to head to Cybertron aboard two shuttles, but en route to Cybertron, they were attacked by Decepticon forces led by Galvatron, the upgraded form of Megatron. In a last-ditch effort to lose the Decepticons, Magnus ordered an emergency separation of the shuttle. After Galvatron destroyed the jettisoned portion of the vessel (and declared the Matrix destroyed), Magnus and his crew landed their craft on the Planet of Junk for repairs. Judgment Day! Facing Galvatron solo, Magnus attempted to open the Matrix, but the talisman did not respond, and Magnus was torn to pieces by the Sweeps. Thankfully, Ultra Magnus was soon repaired by the native Junkions after they befriended the Autobots. Magnus joined the other Autobots in the battle with Unicron on Cybertron, which resulted in the young Autobot Hot Rod opening the Matrix to destroy Unicron, becoming Rodimus Prime. The Final Battle!

The Decepticons confuse Magnus for Stretch Armstrong.

In 2006, Ultra Magnus, Rodimus Prime, and Blaster traveled in Omega Supreme to Junkion to investigate some strange goings-on there. Once there, the Autobots discover a chaotic scene where aliens from many worlds, including the Decepticons, had arrived and were all engaged in a deadly battle with one another while also attacking them. Blaster discovered a signal coming from space that seemed to be hypnotizing everyone. Ultra Magnus and Blaster hatched a plan which involved Blaster playing soothing music, while Omega Supreme carried him into the air. The music calmed the combatants and cleared Galvatron's mind long enough for him to blast the Junkions' television, which he recognized had influenced his mind. This broke the spell on everybody. The Junkions turned on the Decepticons, which caused them to retreat.

Ultra Magnus then expressed curiosity as to the source of the hypnotic messages, but Rodimus didn't care as long as they had ended for good. They never discovered that it was the work of the Quintessons. 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.

Marvel Comics UK continuity

And this time...it's introductory!

“	Does your pathetic Autobot code demand sacrifices? Must I destroy you to stop you?!	”
—Galvatron

“	Yes.	”
—Ultra Magnus

The remaining Autobot elders spent years designing Ultra Magnus, a leader to lift the resistance out of a deep darkness. He was finally given life in or shortly before 1986 for Operation: Volcano. His role was to act as the crucial back-up needed for the Wreckers to successfully destroy their Decepticon targets and then escape in one piece. A serious complication arose when the Matrix Flame, the sacred and eternal blaze linked directly to the Creation Matrix itself, suddenly extinguished. Fearing that something catastrophic had occurred on Earth to the Matrix and its bearer, Optimus Prime, Emirate Xaaron made the decision to send Ultra Magnus to that planet to investigate, even though Operation Volcano was unstoppably set to begin in ten cycles. Magnus traveled to Earth by way of space bridge, and found the Ark's crew engaged in a deadly conflict with three new, yet unspeakably powerful, Decepticon warriors just as their leaders Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Ratchet vanished before their optic sensors. Initially concerned only with his investigation of Prime's sudden disappearance, Ultra Magnus ignored the plight of his fellow Autobots until he learned the two situations were linked; Galvatron and his lieutenants were time-travelers from 2006, having employed a mass-substitution mechanism that sent the three Autobots into limbo in order to accommodate their presence at this point in the timeline. This connection was revealed to him by three Autobots from 2006, who had traveled back in time themselves in order to stop Galvatron. They had a plan; they had the means; all they needed was for Ultra Magnus to keep him busy for, oh... an hour or two.

Easier said than done.

Magnus' battle with Galvatron carried them out of the isolated wilderness and onto a human freeway system. It ended when Ultra Magnus threw a tanker truck full of fuel into the path of Galvatron's particle cannon. Galvatron walked away from the blast — Magnus didn't. Still, the future Autobots succeeded in tricking Galvatron into returning to the future with his plan incomplete, and the timeline more-or-less preserved. Unfortunately, Magnus was out of time: Operation Volcano proceeded without him, with disastrous results. Only one Decepticon was taken out, and the Wreckers' leader Impactor was killed protecting Xaaron. Target: 2006

Gatorade. Is it in you?

Ultra Magnus would not meet his counterpart, Optimus Prime, until Prime was inadvertently transported back to Cybertron in battle with Megatron. Hooking up with Lord Straxus at Polyhex, Megatron quickly disseminated false information about a new Decepticon made over to look exactly like Optimus Prime, planning to infiltrate the Autobot forces. Having temporarily assumed control of the Wreckers until their new leader, Springer, was ready for command, Ultra Magnus led them in hunting down the "impostor". This Prime's behavior led Magnus to be suspicious of his information and, after summoning Emirate Xaaron, confirmed his suspicions and welcomed the true Optimus Prime back to Cybertron. Distant Thunder!

Prime wasted no time leading Magnus and the others on a series of successful raids and strike missions against Decepticon-controlled territory. When Optimus decided to return home to Earth, however, Ultra Magnus was caught up in the space bridge's energy discharge as well, arriving on Earth but some considerable distance away from where Prime materialized. Having been frustrated ever since Impactor's death, Magnus welcomed the "vacation" this trip to Earth would provide him, and he took his time trying to track down the Ark's location. Resurrection!

Holy hell.

For months, Ultra Magnus enjoyed a peaceful life in the American forests and wilderness, alone with his thoughts. A sudden seismic disturbance brought him back to reality, though, and into contact with three human females whose vehicle had been overturned by the tremor. One in particular, Cindy, took quite a liking to Magnus. As they traveled together to explore a nearby volcano and its connection to the tremors, Magnus was forced back into combat thanks to the arrival of his old sparring partner, the future Decepticon known as Galvatron. Burning Sky! Galvatron had constructed a power siphon atop the volcano's peak, and planned to convert the raw power of a volcanic eruption into enough energy to transform him into a god. Ultra Magnus teamed up with several Autobots from the future, who were trying to bring Galvatron back with them to face justice. Once again, Magnus was used as a "distraction" (read: living punching bag) while the future Autobots set up their plan to override Galvatron's time-jump mechanism and send them all back where they came from. Despite Ultra Magnus successfully getting the slag beat out of him, the override proved unsuccessful, sending only the Autobots back to 2007 and leaving Magnus virtually alone to deal with the fighting-mad Galvatron. Fire on High! Barely managing to rally his courage, Ultra Magnus threw himself into combat with Galvatron one more time, keeping him busy until the volcano exploded, destroying the power siphon and encasing both warriors in molten lava. Vicious Circle!

Kick the baby!

Several months later, Ultra Magnus was dug out of the volcano by the Sparkler Mini-Bots. They had been sent to Earth by Springer to monitor the volcano in case Galvatron ever got free. When Galvatron DID free himself several days earlier, though, they found themselves hopelessly outmatched, and hoped Magnus would have better luck. Sadly, the severe beatings Galvatron had routinely handed out to Ultra Magnus, combined with the final excruciating submergence in molten lava, had nearly unhinged the Autobot's mind, leaving him with a pathological fear of his tormentor. Confronted with Galvatron, Magnus would probably have gone fetal if that pose had any meaning for his people. As the Sparklers heroically tried to stand up to Galvatron anyway, Ultra Magnus saw his rescuers in grave danger and finally managed to push his fear aside and reclaim enough confidence to batter the Decepticon into a temporary retreat. Salvage!

Having renewed his fighting spirit, Ultra Magnus arranged to return to Cybertron with his companions in order to report on Galvatron's activities and hopefully gather the Wreckers for a counter-offensive. Instead, they found the Autobot base in Kalis full of battle signs, and the entire surrounding city-state a virtual "ghost-town". City of Fear! After confronting a legion of robot zombies, the Autobots eventually learned that a crazed scientist named Flame was trying to re-engineer the entire planet as a giant spacecraft, setting off an unstable fusion reactor beneath the planet's surface as a power source. With the help of the Wreckers and the Decepticons Flywheels and Trypticon, Ultra Magnus and his team managed to put an end to Flame's maniacal scheme. Meltdown!

Ultra Magnus and the Wreckers then began preparations to return to Earth and confront the threat of Galvatron, finally, once and for all, and then... *poof*. The Wreckers went to Earth alone, and Ultra Magnus was never seen nor heard from again. Deadly Games!

Simon Furman did have a rematch planned for Magnus and Galvatron, "but the imminent change to black & white 5-page stories meant that Time Wars pretty much had to wrap up everything, (and with two Primes in the mix, Ultra Magnus kind of got sidelined)".

Marvel UK future timelines

In 2003, Ultra Magnus began plans for the construction of Autobot City on Earth, a transforming fortress that would better defend the Autobot secrets than the old Ark. In order to accomplish the construction, Magnus made agreements with the various Earth governments to acquire materials for the building and fortification of the city. To collect these materials, he assembled a massive convoy of Autobots to ride out to all corners of the world and acquire the necessary parts. In order to secure the secrecy of the city's plans, he had Blurr secretly transmit the necessary data to the Earth governments on a hyper-speeded signal, while Kup carried a dummy disk on a decoy mission. The Stunticons attacked Kup and stole the disk, thereby fooling the Decepticons into thinking they had access to the true specifications. Ark Duty A year later, Autobot City opened its doors and invited a delegation of human visitors to the ceremony. Despite a brief attack by Shockwave and the Decepticons, the opening went rather smoothly, and Autobot City became the new base of operations on Earth. Aspects of Evil!

One look at Magnus is all Soundwave needs to prolong the Civil War for another 4 million years.

After the destruction of Unicron in 2006, Ultra Magnus became a top adviser to the Autobots' new commander, Rodimus Prime. As the war for territory on Cybertron continued, Magnus was seen leading Jazz, Bumblebee and Cliffjumper as a fighting unit during a Decepticon air strike. Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive! In 2008, he fought alongside the Autobots when a major Decepticon counter-offensive was initiated by Scourge and Cyclonus in the name of their master, Unicron. He and Kup continued to spearhead the Autobot battle effort on Cybertron when Rodimus Prime traveled to the Planet of Junk to confront Unicron, and the Decepticons were ultimately driven off. The Legacy of Unicron! Sometime later, Eject relayed a distress signal to Ultra Magnus at Autobase, requesting aid at certain coordinates against an alien attack. With Autobot City: Earth off-line and Rodimus out with a sizable portion of their troops to check on it, Magnus was reluctant to jump into such a potential trap. Still, his better nature ultimately won out, and Ultra Magnus led an Autobot troop assortment out to answer the call. Surprisingly, he found Soundwave and the Decepticons under heavy fire from the Quintessons, and ended up fighting side-by-side with his arch-rival for the good of the entire planet. Despite some signs of wavering by Soundwave, the peace ultimately didn't last, though, and the war would continue. Space Pirates!

"Finally, I can get my closure with Galvatro—okay, what the hell is this?"

In 2009, the long running loose-end of Galvatron being active in the past came back to haunt the Autobots, as a timestorm began raging at both 1989 and 2009, threatening all of existence. To deal with the problem, Ultra Magnus accompanied Rodimus Prime and several other Autobots back to 1989 to retrieve Galvatron...one way or another. Their mass-displacement caused confusion upon arrival, though, and led to a brief battle with their own 1989 Autobot counterparts. Ultra Magnus managed to fight off both Slag and Sludge of the Dinobots before he found someone willing to listen—1989's Goldbug, who had seen the mass-displacement effect before. Some late-coming Decepticons attempted to silence Goldbug before he could bring peace to the Autobot factions, but in the end the sight of Ultra Magnus carrying Goldbug's wounded body made an even MORE poignant appeal for peace. This ultimately led to an alliance between all four factions involved: the 1989 and 2009 Autobot and Decepticon factions. They were going to need it, as Galvatron had joined forces with his own "past self", Megatron. During the battle, Ultra Magnus traded fire with both Megatron and Galvatron, but Galvatron then used the oh-so-tenuous alliance against Magnus by tricking him into firing on Scorponok, leader of the 1989 Decepticons. Scorponok's henchmen (Mindwipe, Snapdragon and Triggerhappy) quickly forgot the alliance after seeing that, and tore into Ultra Magnus without any regards for the more serious consequences at stake. The damage Magnus suffered from their attack was severe and, after the battle was over and the timestorm abated, his deactivated body was seen being carried by his future Autobot comrades. Magnus's final fate is unknown. Time Wars

In an alternate future of 2510, the Decepticons were at last defeated, and Rodimus Prime planned to step down as Autobot leader. He announced Springer as his replacement, but an Autobot named Triton jumped in to contradict the decision, saying that Ultra Magnus was a much better choice to lead the Autobots in times of peace, not to mention the fact that he had already been chosen to carry the Matrix once before. Springer's combat unit, the Wreckers, didn't take kindly to Triton's comments, but then the Technobots jumped to the defense of Ultra Magnus and, as one thing led to another, shots were fired and fighting broke out among the Autobots. As the first bodies hit the floor, it became clear that a new war was beginning, and none of the Autobots were the wiser that Triton (the instigator of it all and one of the first casualties) had actually been a Decepticon deep-cover agent in disguise. Peace

Fun Publications Classics Comic

God, you can't get away from the perverts anywhere can you?

Ultra Magnus commanded the crew of the Graviton, coming to Earth on the hunt for Bug Bite, one of Bludgeon's soldiers. Tracking the treacherous mechanoid, they assaulted the Ark, which Megatron was using as a base, and basically did nothing but show up in time to see Megatron take care of their quarry for them. The crew then left for space again, this time with Grimlock along for the ride. Games of Deception

Grimlock likes to call him "Little Prime". How professionally embarrassing.

S.T.A.R.S. pack-in flyers

From the less-popular "Your Adventure Has Been Chosen For You" series.

Ultra Magnus personally chose a new S.T.A.R.S. Commander, to whom he sent a message inviting him or her to take up the role. This message guided the recipient through an exercise using "the special power you humans call 'imagination'" to visualize what it would be like to be several different Transformers, Autobots and Decepticons included. After that, the recipient was given the opportunity to "requisition" those Transformers for his or her "Command" via a form marked with the following address:

ULTRA MAGNUS
P.O. Box 7050, Dept. T10
North Hollywood, CA 91609

You Have Been Chosen.

Transformers in 3-D

Ultra Magnus left Hot Rod in charge of Cybertron while he took off in Fortress Maximus to check out a strange Energon reading they'd detected on an asteroid. When Lightspeed discovered a small alien, Magnus reminded him that they were Autobots and sworn to protect all life. Lightspeed's tests determined that the creature converted its food into Energon, leading Magnus to send Searchlight out in search of more of the creatures. Not long after, the Autobots were found by Ratbat, and they pursued the small Decepticon until they ran into more Decepticons, resulting in a pitched battle. The Test

Following Galvatron's destruction of Cybertron's Energon supply, Optimus Prime contacted Ultra Magnus in Metroplex and ordered him to take a team to find Metascan Alpha. Magnus took Kup, Doublecross, Grotusque, and Repugnus with him, using Sky Lynx as transport. They eventually reached a desolate moon, on which they were attacked by Cyclonus and the Terrorcons, but Magnus insisted they ignore the Decepticons and continue with their mission. Retreating to Sky Lynx, they flew down to the planet to find a rapidly-evacuating city under attack from the Destructons.

The Autobots engaged the enemy, only to find themselves outclassed. Ultra Magnus was blasted by Lord Imperious Delirious and fought the confusion the Delirious Fire brought to his mind in order to sound a retreat. Kup sacrificed himself to allow the rest of the Autobots to escape, but Sky Lynx only had enough energy to reach the moon, and the Destructons were able to catch up. Faced with a superior foe, Ultra Magnus was forced to consider the unthinkable, and made an alliance with Cyclonus to attempt a combined attack. The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3

And then Blackthorne Publishing went bankrupt, so the outcome of the alliance may never be known.

Transformers PD Type

Ultra Magnus and Optimus attempted to trick Starscream into thinking a bomb was a Blackball, and succeeded, much to their surprise. Don't Cry! Megatron!! Ultra Magnus later reported that the Autobots had run out of ammo, and as a result, they were forced to throw rocks at Deathsaurus instead. Good Job! Deathsaurus!! He also pointed out that God Ginrai's "Chōkon Fire Guts" attack was just a normal punch, and was asked to keep quiet because the Decepticons hadn't realised that yet and were still rolling around in agony. Now! Deliver the Finishing Blow! God Ginrai!! Magnus and Rodimus Prime enjoyed many victories against the Decepticons, but who was that in the background? No One Knows When he's Come or Gone. Greatshot...

At one point, the Blackball was left in the safekeeping of Ultra Magnus. Galvatron, catching Magnus by surprise, managed to blow him up with a powerful energy blast from his fusion cannon. Recovering the Blackball, Galvatron began to gloat about his victory. That's when Magnus' body hurled his head at Galvatron like a bowling ball, causing the Emperor of Destruction to fall over like a set of pins and drop the Blackball. That's using your head, Magnus! *sigh* Improve Yourself! Ultra Magnus!

Dreamwave comics continuity

6.5 million years ago, when his brother Optimus Prime and the Decepticon leader Megatron vanished in a space bridge incident, the Autobots looked to Ultra Magnus for leadership. Magnus fled and exiled himself, believing he wasn't ready.

It's funny because Magnus thinks Grimlock can die.

But half a million years later, Magnus re-emerged, finding the Autobots had fragmented themselves into different camps. Despite his fears about his inadequacy, Magnus managed to reunite the Autobots and retake Cybertron city by city, until finally, the Autobots were all but assured victory. Shockwave's Decepticons and Ratbat's Ultracons were ready to surrender. The moments before a peace treaty was to be signed at Tyger Pax, Ultra Magnus brooded in his chambers, alone, cursing Optimus Prime for his "heroic" sacrifice that nonetheless left his race to carry the torch themselves. Starscream and his Predacons, however, wouldn't go so quietly, and they staged an insurrection. Though, regrettably, Starscream assassinated the surviving members of the Council of Ancients, Ultra Magnus was able to lead his Autobots, the Ultracons, and the Decepticons successfully against the Predacon insurrection. As the Predacons were arrested, Grimlock took an assassin's bullet meant for Ultra Magnus, apparently killing the Dynobot. Magnus, overcome with grief, cradled Grimlock's body in his arms and audibly mourned.

This would not be the day's only setback, to say the least. Amid the chaos of Grimlock's death, Megatron had somehow returned, backed up by the Aerospace Extermination Squadron. The Age of Wrath The peace Magnus had struggled for immediately crumbled. Ultra Magnus and the other Autobots were put to work as slaves, deep below Cybertron's surface. The Age of Wrath Pt.2

Don't mind me, I'm just frozen in this weird other body.

Fewer than four million years ago, after Optimus Prime and Megatron disappeared once again, this time with dozens of their best warriors on board the Ark and the Nemesis, Ultra Magnus and Shockwave worked together to replenish their armies in the Little Iacon incident. Many of the Micromasters created resented Ultra Magnus and Shockwave for bringing them into their war. Transformers: Micromasters

In the present day, Ultra Magnus was reactivated following the Great Shutdown, Revelation and begrudgingly took the role of security officer under Shockwave, who had ushered in a new peace. Though Magnus suspected Shockwave had some shady personal projects, he thought the threat of these were minimal compared to the greater promise of peace, and willingly helped Shockwave.

Ultimately, in 2003, Optimus Prime and the rest of the missing Autobots were discovered on a planet called Earth, where Prime and Megatron had awakened and rekindled the Transformer Civil War there. Ultra Magnus and a team of Decepticons traveled to Earth and approached Prime's Autobots, asking for their understanding and their surrender, lest they disrupt Cybertron's new peace. New World Order Though a few were willing to give in to Magnus, most were not. Optimus Prime sent a team of Autobots secretly out the back door, while the rest of his troops approached Magnus and submitted to his demands. Prime still harbored ill feelings towards his brother, and in moment of weakness, Prime punched Magnus to the floor, calling him a traitor.

When it comes to group shots, Magnus isn't a team player.

Ultra Magnus transported his captives to Cybertron, where Shockwave announced that for the good of Cybertron, Prime and the others would be deactivated. Brothers' Burden Magnus, of course, disapproved, and he angrily confronted Shockwave. Shockwave showed Magnus footage of Optimus Prime and Megatron in a recent, heated battle in San Francisco, and this did not flatter the mental state of the combatants. Still, Magnus was not convinced, and he went to the High Council to address his fears of giving Shockwave too much control. His audience with the council was interrupted by grave news: the Stunticons had been unleashed from prison, and Menasor was tearing apart Iacon. In response, Ultra Magnus assembled the Wreckers. Cold War

Though casualties were high, Ultra Magnus was able to take down Menasor by turning his components against its team leader, Motormaster. While Menasor was confused, Magnus rammed into him in vehicle mode, separating the combiner. Suspecting Shockwave was somehow behind all this, Magnus left to confront him. On his way there, Magnus put a missile in Grimlock's head, quelling the Dinobots' own little rampage. Passive Aggression Magnus ordered Perceptor to put them into the CR chambers immediately.

And then Takara saw this and were all like, "Oh, crap, that's right, we can do redecoes, can't we?"

Finally, Ultra Magnus arrived in Shockwave's throne room and ordered the former Decepticon to stand down. Shockwave had a different idea and shot him in the back. As Magnus staggered out, he met Prime, who was also on his way to tussle with Shockwave, and he apologized to his brother for going astray. Magnus collapsed. Countdown to Extinction A short time later, he got up to his feet and slowly made his way back into the throne room, though he was crumbling as he went. When he reached his destination, Magnus had shed his super robot form, leaving only his smaller inner robot. Seeing Prime had been defeated, Magnus attacked Shockwave. Though Ultra Magnus lost his arm to Shockwave's ruthlessness, Magnus was ultimately able to toss Shockwave into the pit in the center of the room. Grimlock carried both Prime and Magnus's heavily-damaged forms out of the throne room, but not without insulting them constantly. Magnus, like Prime, suspected that despite Shockwave's defeat, their hardships were only just beginning. Revelation

Optimus Prime was kept in stasis due to his minor injuries, while despite the complete destruction of his armor and the removal of his arm, Ultra Magnus was quickly reassembled and back on duty. Meanwhile, reports of a strange disturbance in a hidden Decepticon laboratory caught Magnus's attentions, but no one thought it was very significant. Black Sunshine In the wake of Shockwave's dethroning, Prowl was having trouble addressing public concerns, but Ultra Magnus was able to speak to the crowd empathetically. Skyfire Later, Magnus checked in on Prowl to see if he had any leads on the lab disturbance, and advised the overworked security officer to rest more. The Omega Effect Prowl and a team of Autobots soon left to construct an Autobot City on Earth, leaving Magnus to coordinate Autobot affairs on Cybertron. The Route of All Evil

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

Ultra Magnus was among the Autobot forces resisting Shockwave's rule of Cybertron, and was shocked when he witnessed Wheeljack get zapped by energy and vanishing. Investigating the disappearance along with Perceptor, Magnus found that the powerful Teletran 3 computer had malfunctioned and sent various Cybertronians dispersed throughout various points in Earth's timeline. After erecting a force field around Teletran 3 to prevent Shockwave and his forces from taking control of it, Ultra Magnus made a plan together with the G.I. Joes and Cobra members whom had been transported to Cybertron by the computer. As he was feeding the force field with his own power and Perceptor was operating Teletran 3, it was up to the humans to travel back in time and retrieve the lost Transformers, or else time travel "feedback" would lead to the destruction of Earth. Unfortunately, his force field could only stay up for twelve hours at best. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1 Six hours later, only one of four teams had returned. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #2 By the time the third team returned, Ultra Magnus's force field had dissipated and the Autobot had been gunned down by Shockwave's troops. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #3

Fortunately his wounds weren't lethal, and some time later, Ultra Magnus joined a team of Autobots preparing to rescue Optimus Prime from Serpent O.R.'s imprisonment. The Art of War #4 After receiving reinforcements from G.I. Joe, they attacked, they attacked the Decepticon base and fought against Serpent O.R.'s army. While urging his comrades to never give up, Ultra Magnus helped with a barrage of weaponsfire against Trypticon's throat. After the defeat of Serpent O.R., he attended Bumblebee's funeral alongside Hot Rod and Arcee. The Art of War #5

A few months later, Ultra Magnus was put in control of Cybertron while Optimus Prime left for Earth to investigate a mysterious signal from outer space. When Hot Rod hurt Prime's feelings by accusing him of doing things himself because he felt guilty about Bumblebee's death, Magnus told the young Autobot that he really needed to learn when to stay quiet. Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2

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.

A brother from another motherboard.

Just before the War, Ultra Magnus attended the funeral of Bumper and Fastback. Megatron Origin #3

Countless years later, in the present day, Magnus was an agent of the Tyrest Accord, upholding the Code of Interplanetary Conflict, a treaty between Autobots, Decepticons and other alien races. As an enforcer of the Accord, Magnus hunted down any Transformers, Autobots and Decepticons alike, who illegally sell or distribute Cybertronian technology, handing them over to their superiors for prosecution.

One such violation saw Ultra Magnus pursue the Autobot Arcee, who was pursuing a paranoid vendetta against Jhiaxus, the scientist who allegedly transformed her into her current state against her will. When he caught up with Arcee, it took a combination of holographic trickery and shock grenades to put her down. Magnus shipped her off to Fortress Maximus's care at the Garrus-9 penitentiary. Spotlight: Arcee

See? See what you did? You made me deal with you now!

On another mission, Ultra Magnus tracked the Decepticon Swindle to the planet Zull. After arresting the criminal, Magnus reluctantly released Swindle in exchange for the current whereabouts of an even greater offender: Scorponok. Magnus had a personal grudge against Scorponok, who was the Autobot's polar opposite; while Magnus set great stock in rules, Scorponok flouted them. Ultra Magnus followed Swindle's lead to the planet Nebulos, and although he disrupted Scorponok's operations, the Decepticon was able to escape. Spotlight: Ultra Magnus

Years later, Magnus arrested Swindle for yet another violation, and once again, Swindle offered a deal, leaving Magnus to wonder whether it's necessary to break the rules to catch those who've been caught breaking them. Escalation issue 1 Exactly what Magnus did with Swindle is unclear, but he soon made another report to Optimus Prime, claiming to have picked up a new "lead" on Scorponok, suggesting that yet another deal had been made with Swindle. Spotlight: Optimus Prime

After the break-in on Garrus-9, Ultra Magnus told Optimus Prime that he was heading there to follow up on the escaped prisoners, but received a distress call from Hound and changes course to assist their crew. Magnus arrived in time to help drive off Cyclonus and together, they tracked him to Corata-Vaz. After Cyclonus activated the Nega-Core, he hesitated activating the guardian, Thunderwing, due to the destruction he caused Cybertron. Cyclonus walked out of the cave and was ambushed by Hound's crew and Magnus. After a skirmish, Cyclonus was brought down by Warpath and Magnus held a gun to his head. As a last resort, Cyclonus detached his hand, which rocketed to the cave and activated Thunderwing. Using the distraction, Cyclonus escaped but Magnus sent another tracker after him. Spotlight: Cyclonus

Ultra Magnus would later work out the identities of Cyclonus and Galvatron Spotlight: Hardhead and receive intell on the Dead Universe's plot. Spotlight: Doubledealer With Optimus otherwise engaged, Ultra Magnus informed the various Autobot teams of the situation, helped direct their strategy, and came up with the idea sending Arcee to deal with Jhiaxus. Man can deal with a lot. Spotlight: Sideswipe

It's now my job to jail all the interesting guys.

Sometime after the Expansion, Ultra Magnus received a signal from a battered Hot Rod, requesting some backup for Sunstreaker, who had gone into Scorponok's Machination headquarters building to reclaim his head. Ultra Magnus decided to put an end to Scorponok, once and for all. Maximum Dinobots issue 4 By the time Ultra Magnus arrived at Machination HQ, the long missing Dynobots had already defeated Scorponok, but Ultra Magnus stopped them from killing him, saying that he would be punished under Intergalactic law, and ordered the Machination stripped of all Cybertronian technology. After rendezvousing with Optimus Prime's crew, Ultra Magnus relayed the events to Optimus, who felt they were well and truly compromised on Earth. Once business was concluded, Ultra Magnus left with Grimlock, Scorponok, and Shockwave as his prisoners, telling Grimlock that his assistance would help reduce his sentence and that the warrants on the other Dynobots had been rescinded. Maximum Dinobots issue 5

Ultra Magnus uses sarcasm quotes to remind you he doesn't find anything hilarious.

Several years later, after the fall of many Autobot strongholds and the subsequent defeat of Megatron on Earth, Ultra Magnus and his human stowaway Verity Carlo transported the Wreckers to Garrus-9, the Autobot penal colony which had been overrun by the Decepticons. En-route, they encountered a battered Decepticon dropshop emitting a distress signal that failed to acknowledge any hailing frequencies, which then subsequently exploded. Magnus was shocked to discover that a survivor had successfully escaped the ship's destruction, and even more shocked that it was the notorious former commander of the Wreckers, Impactor. Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 1 Magnus watched as Perceptor tinkered with Impactor's head, noting that the former Wrecker probably had an explosive deterrence chip embedded into his cranium from his imprisonment at Garrus-9. When Impactor told the story of his escape and what had occurred at the prison, even the usually taciturn Ultra Magnus was disturbed by the revelation that the powerful phase-six Decepticon Overlord was now in charge of G-9, and suggested that perhaps they should delay the mission. After Springer and Impactor got into an argument over who was in charge and what the latter did that got him sent to G-9 in the first place, Ultra Magnus managed to convince Springer that Impactor had been through an awful lot, and that he was a valuable aspect that was needed for this mission. However, Magnus declined to personally involve himself with the mission, so he could to turn a blind eye to the Wreckers' often-brutal methods, and because Prowl had requested his presence back on Earth. Also, Prowl gave him a name, something that would be of importance to both Springer and Magnus: Aequitas. During the mission briefing, Magnus revealed to the other Wreckers it wasn't Skyquake that was up against them, but the infamous Overlord, prompting Kup to tell Verity of the time he faced Overlord on Caldoon 4 and barely survived. With the younger Wreckers clearly rattled by the tale, Ultra Magnus reminded Kup that they had talked about the elder Autobot's perchant for "talking up the enemy". Twenty minutes before launch, Magnus discussed Ironfist's strange blackouts with Springer, though the Wrecker was inclined to give his subordinate the benefit of doubt. As the Wreckers (and unbeknownst to them, Verity) launched their drop pods to Garrus-9, Ultra Magnus wished them luck and intoned an old Cybertonian proverb: "May your wires never cross and your luster never dull". Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 2

Arriving on Earth, Ultra Magnus reiterated his position as an enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, and demanded to know which of the local Autobots was in charge. New Arrivals, Old Encounters With the remaining Autobots left at the caves before him, Ultra Magnus tried to allay their concerns by attempting to use the local Earth slang and idioms related to criminal investigations, with only served to cause confusion. However, with a case as serious as Ironhide's death and Optimus Prime's surrender to Skywatch, he asked for help from the Autobots and failing that, demanded full cooperation. Unfortunately, Magnus was unusually obstinate and obtuse in his investigation, questioning Bumblebee's authority as leader (after being told that Hot Rod had left the Bumblebee's group), and refusing to help the Earth-based Autobots deal with their problems. After witnessing Hoist lead away yet another group of Autobots, Magnus left the caves to search for Hot Rod. A Rude Awakening

WOOKIEE RAGE!

After tracking the Autobot splinter group down, Ultra Magnus laid out a series of legal quibbles that would make it impossible for the self-styled "Rodimus Prime" to leave Earth and demanded the dismantling of the rocket they were building. The situation turned ugly when Magnus spotted Swindle among the Decepticons in Rodimus' group, and attempted to arrest him. Citing Rodimus' violations of the law and collusion with the Decepticons, Magnus threatened to arrest him under charges of treason if he failed to cooperate. However, Magnus was disappointed when Prowl defended Rodimus' decisions and wondered why Prowl had summoned him to Earth in the first place if he was going to break the law himself. Sticking to the rigid letter of the law got Magnus nowhere, as Rodimus correctly pointed out that he couldn't arrest them all. Furious, Ultra Magnus returned to Bumblebee's cave. Seasons in Flight

Sometime after Bumblebee had been rebuilt into a new, more powerful body, Ultra Magnus rdered several of the Autobots to form a team to arrest Rodimus' group. He seriously got the Autobots offside by demanding Blurr's participation despite his recent trauma at the hands of Skywatch and overrode Bumblebee's command authority. Returning to the launch site, Magnus officially declared his intent to arrest Rodimus under order 00101001 of the Tyrest Accord, which majorly honked off Rodimus as he felt there was no factions any longer, the war was over and that "his" group only wanted to get off Earth. However, Magnus' distrust of the Decepticons was proven correct when Swindle interrupted the argument to unveil his new creation: the Stunticon combiner Menasor, who was ordered to kill Magnus first. Enemies of the System During the battle, Ultra Magnus exhausted his arsenal of firepower and was about to be killed by the titanic Decepticon when Optimus Prime arrived on the scene courtesy of Skywatch. The Autobots rallied and defeated the Decepticons, forcing Swindle and the Constructicons to retreat. Shortly after being repaired, Magnus was furious to learn that Swindle had escaped his grasp once again, and took out his frustrations on Rodimus, charging him with treason for all of his actions. When Bumblebee stepped in to diffuse the situation, Magnus attempted to cite his greater authority of his legal jurisdiction, but was put in his place when the younger Autobot pointed out that on Earth, he was in charge, and that no Autobot would be arrested, regardless of their mistakes. However, as this was going on, Rodimus took off in Ultra Magnus' shuttle. Earthworks

Evidently after regaining his sense of perspective, Ultra Magnus rescued the surviving Wreckers from Garrus-9. In his debriefing to Prowl, Magnus discussed the reasons for even sanctioning the mission given what it cost the Wreckers, and despite his disgust at the horrific crimes perpetrated by some of the Autobots who faced the infallible Aequitas, he argued the need for revealing the contents of the supercomputer's data to the Autobot rank-and-file. After handing over a data slug containing the Aequitas data, Magnus stated that he hoped Prowl was true to his word and would hand it over to Bumblebee, because he knew Prowl would have hoped the data in the slug was corrupted so he could maintain the cover up. As he left, he said that perhaps he should have checked the data for corruption after all, but considered it would be a disservice to the both of them for not trusting Prowl and going behind his back. Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5

With his ship stolen, Ultra Magnus was stranded on Earth alongside the other Autobots, and was none too happy about it. He had little patience for Brawn raging about an attempted assassination of Bumblebee, and threatened to have the angry little guy restrained if he didn't shut up. He was interrupted by the news that the plane carrying Optimus Prime's team back from North Korea had been blown out of the sky, but before he and Pennington could get any real information about the attack, an explosion rocked the Autobot-Skywatch base. The Decepticons had returned to Earth to rescue their captured comrades, and Ultra Magnus found himself incapacitated by Frenzy's mind-scramblingly loud battle cry. Revenge of the Decepticons Part 1: The Demolished Man

The attacking Decepticons quickly left with the freed captives, leaving Ultra Magnus to wonder why they neglected to finish him and the other Autobots off. There were more important things to worry about, though: the base was in ruins, Bumblebee and Pennington were both in critical condition, and Optimus Prime and his team were still missing in action. Ultra Magnus took command and had the base evacuated, moving the personnel to Omega Supreme's location, but not before leaving Brawn with a mission to find a special somebody. Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon As the Autobot convoy moved towards Omega, they found themselves under attack from humans who didn't want them on their planet. Ultra Magnus was initially prepared to defend himself, but Pennington convinced him that killing humans would only make things worse for them, and the convoy continued. Unfortunately, things got worse for them anyway when Megatron himself showed up and easily dispatched Ultra Magnus and his troops. Assuming that he was out to destroy the Autobots as usual, Magnus tried to distract Megatron from killing the Skywatch soldiers, but the Decepticon made it clear that the humans were just as important targets for his revenge. Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies

Injured, Ultra Magnus was held hostage by Megatron and Soundwave, who used him as leverage to get Optimus Prime to meet with them. This meeting ended with Megatron retreating with a stasis locked Soundwave, and Ultra Magnus was brought to safety. Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome As he awaited repairs, Magnus told Prime that he had managed to place a tracking chip on Soundwave, allowing the Autobots to find Megatron's hideout. Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine

Six weeks later, Ultra Magnus watched as Rodimus returned to Earth with the Matrix of Leadership and several lost Autobots in tow. He brought news that Galvatron had built an army and taken control of Cybertron, prompting Optimus Prime to lead his Autobots back to their home planet. On Bumblebee's orders, Ultra Magnus remained on Earth with him, Prowl and a few others. Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix He still participated in talks of what would be done with Megatron, whom had surrendered himself and been taken into space with Prime's Autobots. When Xaaron explained that they needed a neutral third party to judge the Decepticon leader for his crimes, Magnus suggested Chief Justice Tyrest, and opined that they should aim for a death sentence. Chaos Theory Part 1

Ultra Magnus was involved with the investigation on Spike Witwicky's supposed murder of Scrapper. He chewed out Prowl and Streetwise after the latter had broken protocol and transformed into robot mode during a mission to spy on Witwicky. Prowl brought up his suspicions of anti-Transformer pundit Ben Simpson and of a deeper Decepticon conspiracy, but Magnus ordered him to stick to the case at hand. Police Action: Part 1

Alternity

The Ultra Magnuses of various universal streams had different roles to play in the mind-bending cross-dimensional war between the hyper-evolved future Autobots known as the Alternity and the Megatron Aggregate.

When the universal stream of Primax 1286.3 Kappa was chosen by Diamond Black Megatron to play host to a "game full of death and suffering" of his own devising, Megatron's opponent, Ultimate Silver Optimus Prime, was allowed to pick one inhabitant of this universe to be his champion, and to battle the horde of Decepticons Megatron would empower. Loathe as he was to use him like a chess piece, Prime selected Ultra Magnus and imbued him with a portion of his power. Even with this added strength, though, Prime knew that Magnus's resilience and determination were truly his greatest weapons. To Die Game!

This story incorporates the events of the video game "Transformers: Mystery of Convoy". See Games, below, for more.

The Magnus of another, unknown universal stream also found himself pulled into the Alternity's war when the Megatron of his world joined the Aggregate and began razing his Cybertron with his increased power, forcing the Autobots to step up their efforts to protect the planet's citizens. While patrolling Sector 51, Administrative Official Magnus entered City #14, which had recently been freed from Decepticon occupation. Walking amidst the disheveled and displaced citizens, Magnus burned a huge Autobot brand into the ground, marking the city as Autobot territory.

Suddenly, a dazzling being of light appeared to him, referring to him by the military rank of "Ultra"; a rank he did not yet possess. Then, another Ultra Magnus who had joined the Alternity, sporting an auto-avatar looking very much like Optimus Prime, stepped through a glowing portal, asking Magnus to join him. Magnus then shook hands with Prime, joining the Alternity collective and sharing the consciousness of every Magnus across the multiverse. Magnus then vowed to use his newfound power to bring peace to Cybertron... as Ultra Magnus! Nissan GT-R / Ultra Magnus (Brilliant Pearl White)

Wings Universe

Can't we just let Magnus be Magnus?

Nine million years ago, following the destruction of the Autobots Dion and Magnum, only one of the two were able to be saved from death. The lucky survivor was rebuilt and renamed "Ultra Magnus" by Alpha Trion, and the unlucky one perished. Optimus Prime greeted his old friend and congratulated him on his increase in size. Battle Lines, Part 6

Ultra Magnus also appeared on the Botcon-exclusive cover to "Generation 2: Redux," in which he is being pushed aside by the newer generation of Transformers.

Games

Mystery of Convoy

File:Moc magnus sprites.jpg

When Optimus Prime disappeared under mysterious circumstances in the year 2005, Ultra Magnus set out to find him. Magnus fought his way through a seemingly endless horde of Decepticon antagonists, including the Devilstar, the Double Devilstar, Bruticus, and Menasor, as well as attempting to recover seven energon cubes the Decepticons had stolen from Rodimus Prime. Finally, Magnus unveiled the truth—everything had been Megatron's doing all along! Besting the Decepticon leader, Magnus was then faced with a seemingly endless series of tunnels and time loops, leading him into a climactic battle with Trypticon. After Magnus dispatched the city-bot in a hard-fought battle, a new challenge rose its head, but with his energon cubes recovered through Magnus's heroism, Rodimus Prime was able to take up the fight in his stead. Transformers: Mystery of Convoy

Famicom How-to Manga: Transformers: Mystery of Convoy

Famicom How-to Manga: Transformers: Mystery of Convoy

Transformers (Mystery of Convoy)

Transformers (Mystery of Convoy) strategy guide comic

The Transformers (PS2)

When Shockwave threatened the universe using Zel Quartz in 2010, Ultra Magnus was one of the Autobots warriors who travelled back in time to 2003 to prevent Zel Quartz from ever being cultivated for use by Cybertronians. Separated from the rest of his team in the crash, he rejoined the present and future Autobots in their campaign after the third false lead for the quartz on Zel Samine. The Transformers (PS2)

Notes

"Do you guys think my hair would look better in blue?"

• It has been speculated by some fans that, in the animated continuity, Ultra Magnus may have been created from Orion Pax's friend Dion, the same way and at the same time Prime and Elita One were rebuilt by Alpha Trion.

For further elaboration, see Who is Dion?.

• Ultra Magnus is Optimus Prime's brother in the Dreamwave continuity, and possibly also in IDW continuity. Additionally, Optimus Prime also was described as treating Ultra Magnus as his "kid brother" in TV Magazine's issue #4 of Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers manga.

• In the early promotional trailer/test footage for "The Transformers: The Movie", Ultra Magnus can be seen in alternate Autobot City sequences in his toy's original Diaclone color scheme, indicating the final coloration may have been a late change to the toy. This footage has appeared in various Transformers DVDs over the years.

• In the Beast Era future, the Predacon Killer Punch (a bit of a paranoid conspiracy nut) believes that Ultra Magnus was secretly a Decepticon agent. This is, shall we say... unlikely.

• This Ultra Magnus, along with the original Optimus Prime, Rodimus Prime, and Jazz makes a cameo appearance as one of the four elders who began the space bridge project in the Cybertron episode "Balance".

• Ultra Magnus has the honor of being the first transformer to be quoted in scientific literature

Foreign names

• Japanese: Ultra Magnus (ウルトラマグナス Urutora Magunasu)
• French: Ultramag (Canada)
• Italian: Convoy
• Mandarin: Mags (Taiwan, 馬格斯 Mǎ Gè Sz), Magnum (Taiwan Omni Productions dub, 麥農 Mài Núng), Tong Tian Xiao (China, 通天曉, "The One Who Knows Everything")
• Portuguese: Ultra Magnum (Portugal comic)

External links

• Ultra Magnus at TFU.info
• Ultra Magnus's Universe profile at NTFA.net
• Diaclone Powered Convoy at Diaclone.net (Japanese-language site)