Mindwipe (G1)

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

Mindwipe is a Decepticon Headmaster from the Generation 1 continuity family. Blah!

"You're feeling very sleepy..."

No one knows the dead quite as well as the Decepticon hypnotist, Mindwipe. A mysterious and mystical one, Mindwipe claims to have the powers to commune with Transformers who have long since left this plane of existence. From Black Sabbaths to seances to super-conductive antennae, Mindwipe knows of many methods to reach those who now rest in peace.

Well... not really. He desperately wants to speak with the departed sparks of dead Decepticons, but all his labors to create antennae and receivers for the departed have had... "limited" success. In reality, all he's picking up are radio broadcasts of old Earth sitcoms, which he's actually become quite fond of. Still, some day, Mindwipe hopes to finally bridge the gap between the realm of the living and the realm of the dead. Despite those shortcomings, Mindwipe is a formidable opponent, able to hypnotize and control both organic and mechanical lifeforms just by making eye contact, and with an eerie and potent precognitive "sixth sense". But sometimes he forgets this and, when the odds look stacked against him, Mindwipe's more than happy to turn tail and get while the getting's good. His loyalty lasts exactly as long as his bravery.

He is binary bonded to the Nebulan Vorath, a scientist. Yes, a scientist. They disagree on pretty much everything.

“	The powers of darkness are a more powerful weapon than all the toys your science can muster.	”
—Mindwipe, talking all spooky to Vorath, "The Rebirth, Part 2"

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Generation 1

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

This is the only way Mindwipe can score a date.

Mindwipe was one of Scorponok's soldiers on Cybertron. After Fortress Maximus's unit abandoned Cybertron, Scorponok received word they had come to the planet called Nebulos, and brought a strike team to that world in order to exact revenge. After kidnapping the Nebulans who called them to this world, Scorponok gave them to Mindwipe to use for his experiments. Mindwipe removed Monzo from his cage and placed him in front of a machine that enclosed the Nebulan in a polymer alloy bubble. After a shot from Skullcruncher's anti-gravity gun, Monzo went floating up through an opening in the roof, but the bubble popped, prompting Mindwipe to catch Monzo so as to not waste a "good laboratory animal".

But before further experiments could be performed, Lord Zarak, one of their Nebulan prisoners, suggested that the Decepticons binary bond with them to become Headmasters, so that they could match the power of the Autobots who had recently gone under this process themselves. When the Decepticons next met the Autobots in battle, Mindwipe was now bonded with Vorath, and the two sides were evenly matched. To tip the odds, Mindwipe hypnotized members of the Council of Peers and Zarak's daughter, Llyra, into getting enclosed in the same polymer bubbles that Monzo had previously. After the Autobots saved the Nebulans, Mindwipe and the other Headmaster Decepticons shot the Autobots in the backs. Lord Zarak presented himself, Mindwipe, and the others are Nebulos's true heroes. Love and Steel!

Surprise, Mindwipe hypnotizes a lot.

The Decepticon Headmasters struck next at the Mercury Gardens of Melanossus, where they faced the Monsterbots. Once the Nebulan partners combined with their Decepticon bodies, the Monsterbots were overwhelmed and forced to retreat. Vorath detached from Mindwipe again when the media arrived, while Zarak explained that even though the Gardens were destroyed in the process, this was a victory for Nebulos. Brothers in Armor!!

At some point during their stay on Nebulos, the Autobot and Decepticon Headmasters fought each other. Mindwipe hypnotized Brainstorm, causing him to crash into Hardhead. When Mindwipe found the defeated bodies of his peers, however, Mindwipe staged a panicked retreat. Worlds Apart!

However, Zarak didn't believe his own lies and ultimately led Mindwipe and the other Decepticons offworld to follow the Autobots to Earth. Brothers in Armor!!

Well, that's randomly toyetic.

Mindwipe detected the signal that the Autobots were drawn to on Earth, and found that it originated from an abandoned Autobot headquarters inside a volcano cavern. But Fortress Maximus's Autobots weren't far, and the Decepticons fought them once again. Mindwipe and the others were stampeded out of the volcano when Fortress Maximus picked up a new Headmaster partner, the Earth human Spike Witwicky. Trial by Fire!

While his scientifically inclined partner Vorath helped Scorponok create Pretender technology, Mindwipe watched silently in bat mode, probably muttering to himself about how magic is totally better. Pretender to the Throne!

Scorponok put Mindwipe's hypnotic powers to use setting a trap for Highbrow, by having him mesmerize some humans who then led the Autobot Headmaster into a deep wood. The trap sprung, Highbrow attempted to flee, but Mindwipe pursued and used his powers to give him a severe case of amnesia. Scorponok tried to convince the brainwashed Highbrow that he was really a Decepticon, but Highbrow remained ill at ease, so the Decepticons tried to defuse the tense atmosphere by transforming their heads into Nebulan mode. Unfortunately, it was at this point that they discovered Mindwipe's fatal mistake: He had neglected to also blank the mind of Highbrow's partner, Gort. Gort knocked out Vorath, taking Mindwipe out of the fight, and then recombined with Highbrow, restoring his memory. He proceeded to rip Scorponok's head from his shoulders, the mental shock knocking the Decepticon leader offline. All in the Minds! Not long thereafter, amidst a time storm that threatened to end all reality, Mindwipe helped hunt down Highbrow in order to reclaim Scorponok's stolen head. Once Mindwipe retrieved the head and restored it to Scorponok's shoulders, the rest of his team was shunted to Limbo and replaced by a group of Decepticons from 2009 led by Soundwave. After some misunderstandings were ironed out, Mindwipe and the two other Decepticons not limboed away formed a temporary alliance with the Autobots, the future Autobots, and the future Decepticons against the time-traveling Galvatron. But the alliance was short-lived; when the future Ultra Magnus accidentally shot Scorponok, Mindwipe joined his fellow present-day Decepticons in tearing Ultra Magnus apart. They retreated with Scorponok's wounded body just before Galvatron was thrown into the time storm, sating it and saving the universe. Time Wars

And then I conveniently disappear for that whole Underbase massacre.

Inevitably, Scorponok's band of Earthbound Decepticons met with Ratbat's band of Earthbound Decepticons, and a group including Mindwipe was given a really boring tour by Starscream of Ratbat's island headquarters. When the tour's star attraction, the kidnapped Buster Witwicky, unwittingly let slip that Ratbat was searching for a powerful artifact called the Underbase, Scorponok was enraged. Scorponok took Mindwipe and the others to confront Ratbat for hording such information, and a civil war broke out between the two Decepticon camps. Cold War! Soon the Autobots as well were drawn to the island base, and the Decepticons put aside their differences to fight the surprised Autobots. Mindwipe was quick to maul the hapless Beachcomber. Dark Star

In the wake of the Underbase Saga, Scorponok took command of the remnants of the Decepticon army and established a headquarters under a garbage dump in New Jersey, across the river from New York City. He had Mindwipe engineer an energy conversion machine to convert power into Energon, and all he needed was for a cable to be laid across the river, connected to an electrostator placed at the top of the Empire State Building. Unfortunately, Iguanus failed at this and seemingly perished. King Con!

The Decepticons scrambled once again when the Micromaster Air Strike Patrol summoned them to MacDill Air Force Base after the wayward new recruits, facing Optimus Prime and the entire Autobot army, were seemingly over their heads. Though both Optimus Prime and Scorponok privately suspected someone had arranged for this altercation, a fight broke out regardless. Mindwipe got punched in the batface by Blurr, while the Air Strike Patrol made their quiet retreat. The Resurrection Gambit! Mindwipe recuperated and joined Scorponok in advancing on the Autobots, just as Optimus Prime, strangely, called all his troops other than himself to return to the Ark. Scorponok was suspicious, and Mindwipe suggested that some powerful weapon was hidden inside the Autobots' shuttlecraft. Mindwipe and the others rushed Optimus Prime as he tried to stop Scorponok from firing on the shuttlecraft, but Prime, who was quickly becoming frustrated with the day's events, was able to overpower all of them. As Optimus pleaded to Scorponok to stop fighting and determine the mastermind who was pulling their strings, they were interrupted by a huge hint: Starscream had arrived, reborn as a Pretender. All the Familiar Faces! Curiouser still, Mindwipe was shocked as Starscream claimed he had been sent by Megatron, also believed to be dead! As Starscream's Pretender shell trounced Optimus Prime, Scorponok half-heartedly ordered Mindwipe and Weirdwolf to help him. Mindwipe learned the hard way that his hypnotic power had no effect on the new Starscream, just before Starscream suddenly reverted to his classic cowardly self and begged for mercy. Skin Deep

And though you can't see the bottom, believe me it's a long way down.

Scorponok reluctantly allowed Starscream back into their ranks, a decision that began to turn his troops against him. Mindwipe was one of the most vocal members of this retaliation, and pointed to the hole Starscream had put in his chest. He reminded Scorponok that Starscream was a chronic traitor, but Scorponok rebuked him, noting that Starscream was a powerful warrior needed to bolster their ranks, and was better kept close so they could monitor his actions. Primal Scream But when Starscream went missing, Mindwipe and Triggerhappy decided they'd had enough and left Scorponok's command. Ironically enough, they ran into Starscream himself and joined his small band of Decepticons against Scorponok. Eye of the Storm Mindwipe and Triggerhappy returned with Starscream, Shockwave, and Ravage to Shockwave's underwater headquarters, where they learned that their forces also included the Battlechargers. With only seven on their team, Mindwipe was not impressed and expressed doubts, but when Starscream told him that they'd either fight for them or be executed, he quickly changed his mind.

How much more hypnotism can we cram into this page?

Immediately, the seven flew to Scorponok's base and fired into it from the air, collapsing it on an Autobot/Decepticon alliance that had been forming. Surrender! Once again, Mindwipe was the designated worrier. Though the collapsed base showed no signs of life, if Scorponok had survived, he said their best bet was to get while the getting was good. Triggerhappy agreed, and Starscream silently pitied their cowardice. Unfortunately for Starscream, Mindwipe was right, and Scorponok burst out of the ground to deal with them. Shockwave ordered Mindwipe and the others to rush Scorponok, an idea that was not popular with Mindwipe, and for good reason. Scorponok shrugged off their attacks. Mindwipe and Starscream subsequently concerned themselves with Scorponok's troops while Scorponok battled his equal, Shockwave. ...All This and Civil War 2

Mindwipe put his magic powers to good use and hypnotized Field Commander Soundwave with the intention of controlling the troops through him. It was a good plan! And Kup agreed! At gunpoint, Mindwipe told Soundwave to tell all the other Decepticons to lay down their arms in service of the Autobot/Decepticon alliance against Unicron — just in time for every Transformer on Earth to be warped to Cybertron by their creator, Primus. Out of Time! Mindwipe watched with the other warped Transformers as Primus explained to them the history between himself and Unicron, and that the Transformers' destiny was to defeat him. The Void!

He doesn't look that bad, he's — oh, he's not in bat mode? Oh. Oh.

Once the massive planet-sized Unicron arrived, Mindwipe and the other Transformers froze in terror. After watching Brainstorm get eaten by the Chaos Bringer, Mindwipe regained enough of his faculties to be able to run away. The Transformers did eventually come around and face their destined adversary, but it did not end well for Mindwipe. As Unicron tore an avatar of the Creation Matrix to pieces, the resulting shockwave sent what was left of Mindwipe's body flying. On the Edge of Extinction!

Earthforce

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

After having been thrown out of the Decepticon army for trying to hypnotize Scorponok into making him leader, Mindwipe devised a master scheme of his own. He manufactured thousands of thought-sensitive Sleepfast™ night lights, selling them to humans on the novelty that they actually turned on or off just by thinking at them. Little did the humans know, however, that repetitive use of the night lights had a subliminal mind-control effect. Over time, Mindwipe would have gained an army of human slaves! Luckily for Humanity, the Autobots Wheeljack and Snarl came to investigate, and they confronted Mindwipe in his storage facility. He was beaten by his own night lights when the Autobots suddenly thought "Lights on!" in a darkened room, turning on thousands of Sleepfasts™ at once and temporarily blinding the Decepticon.

Mindwipe was, to coin a phrase, bat-sh*t nuts. The Living Nightlights!

Generation 2

Mindwipe: All magic, no balls.

Mindwipe was still a part of the Decepticons after Megatron took back control of the army from Bludgeon. He was involved in the disastrous first encounter between Megatron's troops and Jhiaxus's Cybertronians. After Megatron was literally knocked out of orbit by Jhiaxus and plummeted to the planet below, Mindwipe joined Soundwave, Drag Strip and Weirdwolf in looking for their fallen leader. He was in the midst of voicing the selfish but sensible idea of abandoning Megatron to his fate and gettin' the slag outta there when Drag Strip found their commander. New Dawn

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Stephen Keener (English), Eiji Itō (Japanese), Hans-Rainer Müller (German, The Rebirth, Part 2)

I'd do anything this picture told me to.

After an all-too-brief period of peace following the resurrection of Optimus Prime, Mindwipe was one of the many Decepticons who attacked Autobot City in 2007, creating a huge distraction to cover for Pounce and Wingspan's theft of the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber. During the battle, Mindwipe used his hypnotic powers to seize control of Lightspeed's mind, forcing him to back away, over the edge of a nearby cliff and into the lake below. The Autobots were able to steal back the key, but not before it was used to briefly open the Plasma Energy Chamber, releasing a bolt of energy that hurled a group of Autobots, and the key, across the galaxy to the planet Nebulos. Mindwipe was among the Decepticons sent to Nebulos in pursuit of the key, and he participated in the first battle on the planet. When the Decepticons were forced to retreat, Scourge instructed them to gather the fallen Autobots so they could torture them for information on the key's location, but Mindwipe went one better, seizing the not-fallen-at-all Crosshairs and dragging him off. The Rebirth, Part 1

And we wonder why he hates science.

In order to rescue their allies, the Autobots became binary bonded to a group of Nebulan rebels as powerful "Headmasters". Defeated in battle by this new breed of Autobot, Mindwipe and the Decepticons were sent fleeing into the Nebulan wilderness, where they were then accosted by the mentally-controlled machines of Nebulos's evil ruling council, the Hive. The Decepticons were brought to the Hive's underground city, where their ruler, Lord Zarak, proposed that they join to become Headmasters as well. Naturally, the Decepticons were not responsive, until Zarak forced them to agree by attacking them with more of their machine servants. Mindwipe's head was subsequently removed and re-engineered to become an exo-suit for the Hive scientist Vorath, but the partnership had immediate teething troubles when Vorath bemoaned that fact that someone of his rank had been paired with a "mangy night-scavenger". Warning him that his mystic powers could trump anything science had to offer, Mindwipe mesmerized Vorath and forced him to combine with him.

Sure, make fun of Vorath's tiny guns, but, unlike magic, at least they're real.

The newly-empowered Decepticons proceeded to attack the Autobots, and in the midst of the fighting, Mindwipe used his extra-sensory powers to deduce that the Autobot Brainstorm was carrying the Plasma Energy Chamber key. Mindwipe tried asking forcefully, but when that did work, he just let Vorath shoot the Autobot so they could steal the key from his fallen body. The Rebirth, Part 2

With the key recovered, the Decepticons and their new Hive allies all returned to Cybertron to help Galvatron overcome the Autobots on the planet. Mindwipe personally took down Ultra Magnus in the fight, with a little help from Weirdwolf and Apeface. Galvatron then used the key to open the chamber with the intention of destroy Cybertron and Earth; although his plan was foiled, as Mindwipe and the Decepticons were escaping aboard Scorponok, a stray tendril of plasma energy sent them hurtling off into the depths of space. The Rebirth, Part 3

Japanese cartoon continuity

In Japan, Mindwipe is a small robot who transforms into a head and controls a larger, lifeless transtector body. The Headmasters toyline referred to the small robot as "Vorath", with "Wipe" (the character's Japanese name) being the name of the combined small robot/transtector form, though this distinction of nomenclature is very rarely made in fiction.

The Great Transformer War

In the closing days of 2010, while significant Transformer battles were being waged on Earth and across space, Mindwipe and the other Decepticon Headmasters were running from their Autobot counterparts on the planet Master. The Decepticons appeared to flee by leaping into a chasm, but moments later, they burst up through the ground to catch their pursuers unaware. Unfortunately for the villains, the Autobots were able to sneak away under cover of the dust cloud their emergence created, leaving Weirdwolf and Skullcruncher to mistakenly beat up Mindwipe. The Decepticons soon realized their error, but the Autobots then crashed into them in vehicle mode, ending the fight. At that point, the Decepticon ninja Sixshot arrived and instructed them to follow him back to Chaar. The Decepticons fled into space, but the Autobot Headmasters quickly gave chase aboard the battleship Maximus, heading for Cybertron rejoin the larger Transformer war. The Great Transformer War #3

The Headmasters cartoon

Voice actor: Naoki Tatsuta (Japanese)

"Blah! Try my new chocolatey cereal! Blah!"

Four million years ago, Mindwipe was among a group of diminutive Cybertronians who departed Cybertron under the leadership of Fortress, seeking to escape the eternal war that had consumed the planet. The Mystery of Planet Master Alas, engine trouble caused their craft to crash land on the planet Master, an inhospitable world whose murderous environments and wildly changeable atmospheric conditions threatened the lives of the Cybertronians. Fighting against the odds, the Cybertronians made several technological quantum leaps to survive on Master, including the creation of larger, lifeless Transformer bodies called transtectors. Mindwipe and many of his comrades underwent rigorous physical and mental training to master the art of transformation, learning to transform into heads that connected to the transtectors and placed them under their control. The Four-Million-Year-Old Veil of Mystery Mindwipe was one of ten warriors who became one of these "Headmasters", but he and several other warriors soon began to chafe under Fortress's leadership, and ultimately rebelled against him, siding with a traitor named Scorponok. Via the Decepticon ninja Sixshot, Scorponok soon forged an alliance with the Decepticon leader, Galvatron. The Mystery of Planet Master

The events of the Great Transformer War manga occur at this point.

"Kōmori amamori oritatande WIPE!"

In the year 2011, Mindwipe and his fellow Headmasters Weirdwolf and Skullcruncher joined Galvatron's Decepticons in a massive attack on Cybertron, seeking to seize control of the destabilized Vector Sigma and establish a Decepticon hold over the planet through the computer. Mindwipe's hypnotic powers proved instrumental in the battle, as he put Grimlock to sleep, but Galvatron was less than impressed, since he also accidentally knocked out Skullcruncher with the technique. Undeterred, Mindwipe put his powers into play again a short time later, taking out Grimlock (again!), Slag and the Throttlebots, and leaving the entrance to the computer base wide open. Before the villains could enter, however, Fortress's Autobot Headmasters arrived on Cybertron to stop them. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky In ensuing battle, Mindwipe tried using his powers on Chromedome and Brainstorm, but the Decepticons were soon forced to retreat when faced with the power of Fortress's Battleship Maximus. The Mystery of Planet Master

Soon after, Mindwipe accompanied Galvatron to Earth to help interfere in the Autobots' search for the missing Matrix of Leadership, which could restore balance to Vector Sigma. The villains caught up to Hot Rod just as he located the Matrix, and Mindwipe tried using his hypnotism to stop him, only to be beaten down by Hardhead. Hot Rod and the Autobot Headmasters quickly pulled out, heading for Cybertron with the Matrix, and Mindwipe and the Decepticons gave chase, leading to a showdown in Vector Sigma's chamber. When Hot Rod used the Matrix to become Rodimus Prime again, he and Optimus Prime proceeded to double-team Galvatron, and Mindwipe and his fellow Decepticons fled rather than face the combined might of the two Primes. Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime

Bring him...DOWN TO EARTH!

Mindwipe and his fellow Headmasters accompanied the Decepticons' newest weapon, the Madmachine, when it was unleashed upon Cybertron, and used his hypnosis to make Wide Load and Rollbar fight each other. Goldbug helped his team-mates over come the effect, and he and Rollbar tried to haul Mindwipe out of the sky. The Decepticon Headmasters retreated when the Madmachine was destroyed by the Autobot Headmasters. The Great Cassette Operation After helping the Decepticons enslave planet Beast, Rebellion on Planet Beast Mindwipe again clashed with the Throttlebots, this time on Earth, as the Decepticons kept the Autobots busy there while their newest evil creation, Metamorphose, headed towards Athenia. Approach of the Demon Meteorite

Why talk funny I do now?

Under the orders of Scorponok, Mindwipe and the Decepticon Headmasters attacked an Autobot energy outpost on Earth and killed all those stationed there. Before slaying the last one, Mindwipe hypnotised him into sending a message to Rodimus Prime, summoning him and Ultra Magnus there with news of a new energy discovery. The two Autobots discovered the deception immediately upon arrival, but it was too late: Mindwipe and his partners in crime had already departed to the planet Praum, where they watched as Scorponok sprang a trap on the Autobot Headmasters. The Autobots overcame the trap by switching heads to boost their power, so the Decepticons tried doing the same (with Mindwipe taking over Weirdwolf's transtector), but they still got thrashed. The Four-Million-Year-Old Veil of Mystery After this defeat, Mindwipe and his chums decided to sit out the next mission, and played cards instead. Terror! The Six Shadows

I did it! I programmed a VCR!

When Vector Sigma developed a powerful new alloy named cybertonuron, Mindwipe was among the Decepticons who invaded the planet seeking to take possession of it for Galvatron. Scorponok, however, disliked the idea of seeing the alloy in Galvatron's hands, and so resolved instead to destroy Cybertron, and the cybertonuron with it. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1 Mindwipe was given the unenviable task of transporting a clutch of bombs into Cybertron's depths, but even with the Autobot Headmaster nipping at his heels, he succeeded in his task, setting up the explosives in Vector Sigma's chamber and activating their timers. He taunted Chromedome with the fact that the bombs could not be deactivated, then transformed to bat mode and made himself scarce with all due speed. The Transformers all abandoned Cybertron with minutes to spare, save for Galvatron, who attempted to remove the bombs, and was caught at ground-zero of the planet-shattering explosion. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2

For the last time, you little brat, Stop peeing on my roses!

With Galvatron apparently destroyed, Scorponok seized command of the Decepticons, and as his first order of business, had Mindwipe, Weirdwolf and Skullcruncher steal the Sol 1 satellite. The Shadow Emperor, Scorponok As part of Scorponok's plan to keep the Autobots' attentions focused on Earth, Mindwipe and his fellow Headmasters accompanied the Predacons in menacing a small Peruvian village. To defeat the Autobots, Mindwipe threatened the life of a local boy named Pipiro, but was thwarted by the heroic actions of his sister Alyssa's pet donkey Dodo. Embarrassing. The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts A little later, still distracting the Autobots from Scorponok's bigger scheme with attacks on Earth, Mindwipe joined in a Decepticon attack on San Francisco with a giant carnivorous plant. Head On!! Fortress Maximus

Scorponok's plans came to a head when he plotted to destroy Mars, and sent the Decepticon Headmasters to the planet to place a series of plasma energy bombs beneath its crust. After doing so, the villainous trio engaged the Autobot Headmasters on Mars's surface, and fooled the heroes with an elaborate trick: during the fight, Hardhead managed to get Mindwipe to "accidentally" hypnotize Skullcruncher, so that he would reveal the location of the bombs. Following Skullcruncher's co-ordinates, the Autobots were actually caught in a pre-prepared trap, and when Fortress arrived to save them, Mindwipe and his fellows got particularly crafty, blasting him with a plasma energy bomb in mid-transformation! Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger Mindwipe and the Decepticons then withdrew to the planet Zarak, where Scorponok unveiled his secret project: a giant transtector of his own! The Headmasters boarded Scorponok's giant new body and returned with him to Mars, putting the finishing touches to the bombing set-up while he battled Fortress. Mindwipe and his pals completed their task quickly, and withdrew with Scorponok as Mars was destroyed. Explosion on Mars!! MegaZarak Appears

Ooooh, right in the belfry!

Mindwipe subsequently attended the coronation of Scorponok on Earth's moon, but during the event, Galvatron abruptly returned, alive and well, and retook leadership. Return of the Immortal Emperor Soon after, when Galvatron had him try to interfere with an Autobot energy run to the planet Sandra, Mindwipe got kicked around by the Autobots pretty badly. Literally. SOS from Planet Sandra

The appearance of two unknown robots in the vicinity of Chaar set off alarm bells for Mindwipe and the Decepticon Headmasters, and they immediately attacked the newcomers. Mindwipe tried hypnotizing the one with a dragon alternate mode, but was promptly swatted out of the sky by its tail, at which point Galvatron arrived to inform them that these were actually their old allies from Master, Apeface and Snapdragon. Mindwipe, Weirdwolf and Skullcruncher subsequently went to Earth with the two new arrivals to serve as bodyguards for Galvatron while he negotiated a potential peace with Spike Witwicky. When the negotiation was discovered to be a Decepticon ruse to cover their preparations for an interplanetary energy raid, a fight broke out, and Mindwipe got smacked around by Kaen. The Decepticons were able to escape and join up with their fellows to carry out the planned raid, destroying the space bridge to delay the Autobots' pursuit. Daniel Faces His Biggest Crisis Ever!!

The Decepticons' started their energy gathering by attacking the planets Hive Fight to the Death on Planet Hive!! and Twin Star for energy, but Mindwipe didn't really have much to get up to, and entertained himself on the journey between planets by watching asteroids fly by. Battle for Defense of the False Planet When the Decepticons set down on the planet Daros, however, Mindwipe and the Headmasters were given a special task by Scorponok: hunt down the Beastformer Tekna, who had helped build his transtector and who was currently imprisoned in a penal colony on the planet, and kill him. Mindwipe and his foul fellows took pleasure in massacring every inmate in the prison, but Tekna managed to escape their wrath long enough to give the Autobots information on the secret weak spot of Scorponok's transtector. Find MegaZarak's Weak Spot!!

On the Decepticons' next target planet, Paradise, Mindwipe was able to get the drop on Highbrow and tried to subdue him with his hypnotic powers. Highbrow fought off the effect long enough to take to the air, so Mindwipe simply shot him down and allowed Weirdwolf and Skullcruncher to beat him into submission. When Highbrow's fellow Autobots came to rescue him, Skullcruncher seized Brainstorm so Mindwipe could punch him, but of course, Brainstorm ducked, and Mindwipe wound up clocking Skullcrunching instead. Head Formation of Friendship Mindwipe then participated in the battle on Pirate Planet. Mystery of the Space Pirate Ship

Upon returning to Earth, Mindwipe and the Decepticon Headmasters were assigned a secret mission by Scorponok, sneaking into an Autobot outpost in their small robot mode and planting explosives that wiped out the base personnel. With the base now in their clutches, the trio planet one of a series of explosives beneath it. Ultra Magnus Dies!! They then helped Scorponok plant another explosive in Alaska, though their activities were briefly interrupted by a wide-ranging battle between Galvatron and the Autobot Headmasters that concluded with the Decepticon leader's destruction. The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg This allowed Scorponok to take control of the Decepticons once again, and he dispatched Mindwipe and the Headmasters to plant the final explosive on the Kamchatka Peninsula. When detonated, this string of explosives would trigger every volcano on the Pacific Ring of Fire and tear the Earth apart. Luckily, before the bombs could be triggered, Chromedome deduced the location of Scorponok's weak spot, and Fortress Maximus exploited it to critically damage the Decepticon leader. Scorponok withdrew, and Mindwipe and all the other Decepticons fled Earth with him. I Risk My Life for Earth

Mindwipe and the Decepticons withdrew with Scorponok to their old home of planet Master, where they terrorized the locals until the Autobots arrived to stop them. Mindwipe tried hitting Highbrow with his hypnotic waves again, but Brainstorm stepped in to take him down. The Decepticons sought revenge by capturing Chromedome's friend Jack, planting a bomb in him, and having Mindwipe hypnotize him into walking into the heart of the Autobot camp. Chromedome was able to break Mindwipe's control over his friend, but alas, it did not save Jack's life. Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2)

Mindwipe, Weirdwolf and Skullcruncher observed as Scorponok processed G-Metal from ore found beneath Master's surface, which he would use to forge a weapon to counter Fortress's Master Sword. The three Headmasters then captured Wheelie and ransomed for information on the Master Sword, allowing Scorponok to counter its powers. The Master Sword Is in Danger!!

"Upff...hot dog burp."

With this data in their hands, the Decepticons briefly withdrew from Master to throw the Autobots off their tail, hiding in a field of space debris where Mindwipe and Weirdwolf teased Skullcruncher for confusing the space rocks with aliens. Their trail suitably cold, they then returned to Master and headed underground so Scorponok could build his "Zarak Shield". The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide A mighty battle against the Decepticons followed, with the Autobots backed up by the young warriors of Master, during which Mindwipe took a shot at hypnotizing Chromedome, only to once again accidentally put Skullcruncher to sleep. Luckily, Mindwipe's mistake did not adversely affect the fight, and with the battle won, the Decepticons quickly departed Master, heading back to Earth. Operation: Destroy the Decepticons On the way, they were separated from Sixshot My Friend Sixshot! and when they set down on the asteroid Pallas for repairs, Mindwipe opined that they wouldn't be seeing the ninja again. No sooner had he voiced this opinion, of course, than Sixshot returned. Duel on the Asteroid

The Brementown Mutations

Once back on Earth, Scorponok immediately had the Decepticons begin setting up "Death Towers" at strategic points around the globe, forged from the crysmagnetal of the lost continent of Lemuria. Attempting to defend the tower set up in Egypt, Mindwipe, Weirdwolf and Skullcruncher unveiled their newest technique: the "Trio Formation", an odd move that involved them stacking on top of each other like a totem pole. The mode was not exactly a success, as Apeface and Snapdragon thought to get in on the action and wound up toppling it over. The Headmasters' tomfoolery notwithstanding, the Egyptian Death Tower was successfully raised, creating an energy-channelling circuit of towers around the Earth that threatened to rip the planet apart. To stop the Decepticons' plan, the Autobots faced their whole army down in a massive final battle at the North Pole, during which Mindwipe turned his hypnotic powers on Chromedome and Hardhead, but was stopped by Twincast and his cassettes. The conflict came to a close when the Autobots all channeled their energy into Fortress Maximus, enabling him to destroy Scorponok's transtector and the circuit, saving the planet and forcing Mindwipe and all the other Decepticons to flee Earth for good. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)

The Headmasters comic

That's some real nice work, there, Mindwipe.

Shortly after their failure to seize control of Vector Sigma, Galvatron led Mindwipe and the Decepticon Headmasters in a rather direct plan to destroy Battleship Maximus: They would lure it into space, and then Mindwipe would, uh, just throw a bomb inside. Unsurprisingly, this plan met with failure when the speedy Chromedome was able to snatch the bomb right out of Mindwipe's hands before he even had the chance to hurl it. The Headmasters #1

Mindwipe and the Decepticons later made a return to planet Beast, where they were able to capture Highbrow and Brainstorm. Mindwipe and his partners wanted to take the two Autobots' transtectors for themselves, but their evil scheme was foiled by the Beastformers' human ally Kane, who threw rocks at them and got them to chase him, thereby giving the Autobots time to escape. During his flight, Kane tripped, and Mindwipe swooped into finish him off, but the Decepticon was abruptly blasted out of the sky by Hardhead. Great Decisive Battle of Planet Beast!

After attacking an Alaskan power plant, Mindwipe, Weirdwolf and Skullcruncher were prepared for the arrival of the Autobot Headmasters. Catching their heroic foes unawares, the three villains were able to stop them from combining with their transtectors, leaving them seemingly helpless before the vicious animal modes of the trio's own bestial transtectors. Mindwipe and his allies proceeded to hunt the Headmasters through the Alaskan wilderness, until they were tricked into making a pounce that allowed the Autobots to leap over them and rejoin with their transtectors. Mindwipe and company could only watch and hug each other for support as the four Autobots blasted the everlovin' bejeezus out of the Decepticons' unmanned transtectors. The Headmasters #2

In addition to all their other faults, Mindwipe and the Decepticon Headmasters proved themselves to be a bunch of Scrooges when they attacked a Christmas party the Autobots were attending at a Japanese childrens' hospital. Mindwipe viciously blasted Highbrow as the Autobot was attempting to protect a crippled boy named Masato, and while he did injure Highbrow, his evil deed did have a good side-effect: Masato was so consumed with emotion at the sight of Highbrow's wounding, he found the strength of will to walk again! This didn't mean anything to Mindwipe, who came zeroing back in to finish the fleshie off, but Chromedome quickly leapt into action and shot Mindwipe down. The three Decepticons were then sent packing, hurled off into the snow-flecked night by the united power of the Autobot Headmasters' "Hell's Great Wheel" technique. The Headmasters #6

Super-God Masterforce comic

Several years after the Decepticons' departure from Earth, Mindwipe appeared on Athenia with the other Decepticon Headmasters, working with the new Decepticon Godmasters to disrupt the coronation of Ginrai as Supreme Commander at the behest of their new secret ruler, Devil Z. The Battle Begins! The United Earth-Space Troops

Dreamwave comics continuity

Turns out Mindwipe doesn't actually have any hypnotic powers. First Aid's pacifism had finally gotten on Streetwise's nerves.

During the Dark Ages, when Optimus Prime and Megatron were believed to have been killed in a space bridge test, Mindwipe was part of the Chaos Trinity that attempted to use dark science to manipulate events in their favor. When the mysterious, frighteningly-powerful being known as The Fallen arrived and offered them dark powers in exchange for their services, they agreed. Fragmentation The three managed to initiate a serious surge in factional engagements, in an attempt to isolate the Angles of Dissolution that the Fallen needed. During their attempt to secure Jetfire, Mindwipe managed to put the Autobot scientist into a trance, while Bludgeon and Bugly put Shockwave out of commission. When Grimlock, another target, surprised them, Mindwipe was confident he could do the same to Grimlock.

He got thrown into a wall for his troubles. The Fallen had to pull their exhaust ports out of the fire. Revelation

When they went to secure Hot Spot, Mindwipe turned several of the Protectobots against their teammates. Confrontation However, Shockwave tracked the Chaos Trinity down, bringing Soundwave, Ravage, the Insecticons, the Seekers, and Trypticon as well. Mindwipe believed that it was time to retreat, but found that Bludgeon had already fled. Mindwipe was then slagged by Shockwave. Conflagration

IDW comics continuity

Plot details for The Autonomy Lesson follow. Spoilers have expired, you may remove this tag

Mindwipe appeared among the Decepticons imprisoned on Cybertron after the war with D-Void. The Autonomy Lesson

Games

The Transformers (PS2)

Voice actor: Jon Umaki

Autobot story

Mindwipe ambushed Optimus Prime and his crew at the Mount Jaad wind power plant. He appeared in his alternate mode and taunted them about going through so much trouble to reach their destination. He then transformed to robot mode, expressed annoyance at the Autobots' constant meddling in the Decepticons' activities, and threatened them with imminent death now that he was there to deal with them. Optimus Prime brushed off this attempt at intimidation, telling Mindwipe to get out of his way. This resulted in a battle between Mindwipe and Optimus Prime's entire team, which resulted in a sound thrashing for Mindwipe. Thoroughly beaten, Mindwipe reverted to bat form and fled. Much later, Mindwipe fought the Autobots again in the Atalstan gem mine. Despite fighting with the home field advantage (a dark cave), Mindwipe still lost.

Decepticon story

Mindwipe was available as a playable character in the Decepticon campaign during the second playthrough.

The Transformers

Toys

Generation 1

File:G1mindwipe toy.jpg

Went to the same hypnotism class as Blood and Hellbat.

• Mindwipe with Vorath (Headmaster, 1987)
  • Japanese ID number: D-86
  • Accessories: "Vorath" Headmaster trainer, "Viper Pistol"

Mindwipe transforms into a robotic bat. In this mode, Vorath fits into his chest compartment. The tail gets in the way and prevents the bat from standing in an upright position, unless one swings the tail to the front (as seen in the picture), which, while hilarious looking, isn't the correct orientation. One solution is to unscrew the toy and flip the tail over so it angles upwards. Doing this doubly benefits the beast mode in that the tail now acts as a sort of third leg for stability.

In robot mode, Vorath forms his head; attaching him activates a tumbler mechanism that displays an abbreviated set of Tech Specs behind the robot-mode chest panel. Mindwipe and Vorath are both cross-compatible with any other Generation 1 Headmaster body/head.

• More information on Mindwipe at TFU.info

Merchandise

Transformers Caramel

• Wipe (1987)

A soft-rubber figurine of a wingless Mindwipe was available as part of Kabaya's Transformers Milk Caramel line of "candy toys" in yellow, red or blue. Like all the figures from the Headmasters assortment, the figure was permanently attached to a flat base that had a rubber stamp of Mindwipe's face and name on its underside.

Transformers Gum

What is a Transformer?! A miserable little pile of secrets!

• Wipe (1987)
  • Accessories: Headmaster unit, "Viper Pistol"

Released in the sixth wave of Kabaya's Transformers Gum line of candy toys, this simplified incarnation of Mindwipe is a snap-together model kit constructed of black, red and cream plastic. Standing at about four inches tall, Mindwipe features no paint applications, but has some stickers for decoration. He retains most of the features of his larger toy, including his transforming Headmaster unit, opening cockpit, and Tech Spec meter. As a Transformers Gum kit, he came with a plank of rock-hard sugar-wood.

• More information on Transformers Gum Wipe at Transformers @ The Moon

Notes

I loved it. It was much better than Cats. I'm going to see it again and again.

• In the television commercial for Marvel Comics' Headmasters limited series, the Autobot and Decepticon Headmasters are shown having different head designs than the ones their Nebulan partners would later turn into. These designs were seemingly never used in any other piece of Transformers media. The models for most of them, however, turned up in the excellent Transformers Generations guidebook... except for Mindwipe's. Damn it.

• Throughout Mindwipe's Bob Budiansky-penned appearances, he was Scorponok's indispensable and loyal right-hand man. Once Simon Furman took the reigns, Mindwipe became a rambling coward who'd run if the wind blew the wrong way.

• The most distinguishing elements of Mindwipe's silhouette are the bat-mode wings arcing out from his back, but on Mindwipe's toy, they actually wind up upside-down in robot mode, and folded back. As upside-down wings would look fairly rubbish when spread out, his package art and American character model fudge the details on them just enough to make them seem as if they fan out in both directions from the middle of his back. His Japanese character model, however, just renders the wings right-side up, as in bat mode, fanning out over his shoulders. To accomplish this little real-world toy impossibility, his in-show transformation has his wings detach from his body, then reconnect, staying right-side up all the way through.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Wipe (ワイプ Waipu), Vorath (ボラス Borasu, see above)
• French: Amnésiak (Canada)
• Hungarian: Agymosó
• Italian: Pipistrello
• Russian: Durman (Дурман, "Drug" )
• Ukrainian: Obduriy (Обдурій, "Deceiver" ) (ICTV)

External links

• Mindwipe's Universe profile at NTFA.net