Marvel Comics timeline: Difference between revisions
| Line 98: | Line 98: | ||
===1987=== | ===1987=== | ||
RAAT continues to hunt down Autobots while Megatron enlists the Battlechargers to Earth. {{storylink|Decepticon Graffiti!}} | RAAT continues to hunt down Autobots while Megatron enlists the Battlechargers to Earth. {{storylink|Decepticon Graffiti!}} ''Optimus Prime works with Wheeljack to boost the Autobot morale. However Megatron becomes increasingly paranoid about Optimus Prime and enlists the Predacons to Earth to help him finish off the Autobot Leader. Little does Megatron know, the Predacons are working with Shockwave and Soundwave to finish off both leaders.''{{storylink|Prey!}} | ||
===1988=== | ===1988=== | ||
Revision as of 22:35, 13 April 2012
A timeline for the events of the Generation 1 Marvel Comics universe(s).
The Dawn of Time
The universe is created. According to one source, it was born from the remains of the old universe which some greedy bugger had eaten. The Void!
Prehistory
Life gradually evolved throughout the cosmos, eventually and miraculously bringing forth sentient beings. Organic life evolved through carbon-bonding while mechanical life (including Transformers and Quintessons) evolved through the interaction of naturally occurring gears, levers, and pulleys. The Transformers The Big Broadcast of 2006 (US)
At some point, the beings Primus and Unicron have a punch-up.
Accounts differ on the background and the entities involved. One account is they were leaders of the Light Gods and the Dark Gods respectively, leading their forces into battle with each other; The Legacy of Unicron! another that they were the last of their pantheons (Unicron's being the Lords of Chaos[1]) and Primus needed to beat Unicron to join the Omniversal Matrix; Primal Scream another that Primus was called forth by the universe itself as a unique entity to prevent Unicron from destroying it. The Void!
In any case, Primus could only win by tricking Unicron into trapping his spirit in a barren asteroid—Primus was trapped in a second. Unicron turned his into a new body, while Primus turned his into the planet Cybertron and birthed the Transformers to battle Unicron in his place. The Transformers were led by Prima, the first bearer of the Primus-born Creation Matrix.
At some point, Demons inhabited Cybertron, but they were eventually imprisoned by Primus in the planet's depths.
Overlords
From an unknown point of time, Cybertron was ruled by the Overlords, a governing council of absolute rulers. Over time, their power and number dwindled, until Cybertron was composed of multiple city-states who were constantly clashing with each other; the key three powers were Vos, Tarn and Iacon.
State Games
In an attempt to lessen growing hostilities caused by the splintering governments and the dwindling resources on Cybertron, the last Overlord started the State Games: an inter-city athletics tournament. This allowed the population to exorcise their hostilities, and soon the vicious athlete Megatron had a cult of personality based around him and his feats.
Vos — ruled by a Starscream-headed criminal syndicate — sent its athletic team to bomb Tarn (ruled by Shockwave) and finger Iacon as the culprit. As with all plans by Starscream, this cocked up — Tarn realised Vos had attacked it, and war broke out that devastated both cities. Iacon happily let its rivals beat on each other. During the conflict, Megatron ensured the death of the Overlord; once it was over, he used his fame and charisma to convince the war's survivors that Iacon was at fault for not stepping in to prevent the war, and that Iacon was the enemy. This angry mass became the first Decepticons. State Games
War on the Horizon
The Decepticons were considered harmless cranks to be humored, but ultimately ignored. Megatron crafted the malcontent group into a more formidable organization Legion of the Lost!, and they soon had bases in Autobot cities. In secret, the Decepticons armed themselves and were given the ability to transform into war machines — and then hit an unprepared Cybertron without warning! The Transformers (comic issue)
Early Great War
Megatron leads the Decepticons, gaining more and more ground while the Autobots continue to fall; simultaneously, his opposite number Optimus Prime rises in the ranks from squad leader to Elite Flying Corps head to a general, and the two first clash in battle over the powerful Underbase.
Eventually Megatron has pushed the Autobots to Iacon itself, and Optimus Prime leads a successful defensive that turns him back. During that battle, Emirate Xaaron has the Iacon government grant Optimus full control of the armed forces and the ability to do what he wants without needing to go to them — which he was doing anyway! And There Shall Come...a Leader!
The war becomes a battle between two evenly matched sides. Megatron, desiring to turn Cybertron into a cosmic dreadnought, builds planet-engines and triggers one that sends the planet off its orbit. Legion of the Lost!
1st Cycle 931 (Cybertronian dating)[3]
This eventually takes it far too close to an asteroid belt, which will destroy it utterly; Optimus leads a team of the Autobots' finest in the Ark to clear the path of rocks. Following this, he intends to make peace gestures to the Decepticons... who then attack in force and board the Ark, causing Optimus to crash the ship into some uninhabited planet to end Megatron's threat. The Transformers
Post-Arklaunch
The Autobots are left distraught and leaderless by the loss of the Ark, and send Navigator to find it (he gets lost). Man of Iron The Decepticons quickly gain a new leader in the brutal Trannis, and the war begins going their way once again. Eventually Trannis just gets bored and has Iacon bombed to slag. The Autobots only survive due to Emirate Xaaron having prepared for the army to go underground, and a long-lasting insurgency begins. The commando group the Wreckers kill Trannis, but this just leaves Straxus in charge Cybertron: The Middle Years! to start chucking all Autobots, neutrals, empties, failed Decepticons and the postman into the Smelting pool. The Smelting Pool!
Meanwhile, a bunch of Decepticons unlock the key to biomorphic reproduction, a pre-Matrix way of reproducing. The Power and the Glory This new second generation of Decepticons, including Jhiaxus, happily throw themselves into the war but eventually become bored with it; they leave Cybertron behind to colonise space (exterminating any organic life on said colony worlds in the process) under the aegis of the Cybertronian Empire. Neither the Autobots nor Straxus's Decepticons notice this, carrying on a war Jhiaxus and Co believe is irrelevant. War Without End!
The Quintessons rule Cybertron. They were driven off "centuries ago". The Big Broadcast of 2006 (US)
Current era
1984/5
A volcanic eruption reactivates Teletraan I, the internal computer of the Ark. The Autobots and the Decepticons awaken, and restart the Great War. The Transformers
The Decepticons kidnap the mechanic Sparkplug Witwicky, and force him to adapt their systems to earthen fuel. Prisoner of War!
After some battles, Man of Iron The Enemy Within! Raiders of the Last Ark the Decepticons launch a final attack on the Autobots. When the Decepticons have the upper hand, they fall due to Witwicky making the fuel poisonous for them. However, the Autobots' victory is short-lived, because of the arrival of Shockwave, who defeats the remaining Autobots. The Last Stand
Shockwave assumes command of the Decepticons (beating the snot out of Megatron to cement this) and deactivates all of the Autobots except Ratchet, who was absent at the time of the attack, and Optimus Prime, who is kept alive as a disembodied head. Prime secretly passes the Creation Matrix, a life-giving power, onto human ally Buster Witwicky. The New Order The Worse of Two Evils!
Ratchet retrieves the Dinobots from the Savage Land and, with their help, takes down Megatron. Repeat Performance! With their help, the Ark is secured and the Autobots reactivated (sans Prime who's a prison of Shockwave), but at the seeming cost of Swoop's life. The Dinobots go AWOL. The Wrath of Guardian! The Wrath of Grimlock!
Jazz secures a mutual-benefit alliance with G.B. Blackrock, solving the Autobot fuel concerns. DIS-Integrated Circuits! Shockwave uses Optimus's Creation Matrix to give life to the Constructicons, The Next Best Thing to Being There! but later the Autobots recover their commander despite severe injuries. Shockwave is left MIA, and the Matrix returned to Optimus; he uses it to bring life to Decepticon construct Jetfire, who joins the Autobots. Prime Time!
Buster Witwicky introduces the recovering Autobots to the concept of Christmas, which Prime takes a bit too far. Christmas Breaker!
1986
Optimus briefly suffers from doubts and second-guessing due his ordeal, recovering in time to end Autobot divisions. Soundwave assumes Decepticon command. Crisis of Command! Swoop is recovered and reactivated by disgruntled scientist Professor Morris, leading to the discovery that the Dinobots are suffering mental deterioration. The Icarus Theory The Autobots begin a Dinobot Hunt, in which Jetfire proves himself as an Autobot, but Soundwave's interference leads to multiple Autobots being injured and an unopposed fuel raid—a major Decepticon victory. Dinobot Hunt! Wheeljack almost makes a deal with Ravage out of desperation over the wounded, ...Perchance to Dream and the Dinobots remain offline even when repaired. Victory! Meanwhile, small-time criminal Joey Slick finds Megatron (locked in gun-mode) and briefly becomes a notorious super-criminal. Megatron is reactivated. Shooting Star!
Shockwave returns and retakes command. The Autobots, desperate to bolster troop numbers due to the mass of injuries, activate five new warriors. Rock and Roll-Out! Government agency Intelligence and Information Institute attempts to calm public fears by creating a "Robot-Master" figure who they pretend really controls the Transformers. Megatron, now backed by Soundwave and his cassettes, captures the Robot Master (Donny Finkleberg) and uses him to spread anti-Autobot propaganda. I, Robot-Master! Soon after, Shockwave attempts (and fails) to capture Bumblebee. Plight of the Bumblebee!
Buster Witwicky tries to prove his worth to the Autobots by trying to fight the Decepticons in robot armour, and is nearly killed by Shockwave. Robot Buster! Shockwave determines that affection for Buster is an Autobot weakness to exploit, but an attack on Buster is called off when it becomes clear the lad is having visions from the Matrix he once carried. Devastation Derby! The Autobots try to decipher the visions, with the Decepticons tapping in; both sides see the Matrix's vision of Special Teams. This prompts Megatron to make a play for Decepticon command again; Soundwave is forced to step in, getting Megatron and Shockwave to share command. A new Decepticon base is established in Wyoming. The Dinobots are reactivated. Second Generation!
On Cybertron, both an Autobot resistance cell and Decepticon leader Straxus pick up a signal from Earth, becoming aware of the war there. Straxus builds the space bridge to link the two planets, using information taken from scientist Spanner, but the Autobots prevent the Decepticons crossing in force and destroy Straxus's body, at the cost of being stuck on Earth. The Smelting Pool! The Bridge to Nowhere! They are rapidly captured by RAAT, and Circuit Breaker. Heavy Traffic!
Meanwhile, the Earth Autobots and Decepticons deal with the effects of the PARD device. To a Power Unknown! Deciding to go on the offensive, Optimus has Omega Supreme built and steals combiner technology from the Decepticons; the Decepticons suffer heavy losses, though Megatron regains full command, while the Autobots lose Skids. Command Performances! He is tempted to remain AWOL and avoid the war, but eventually rejoins—taking Finkleberg with him to inform the Autobots about the arrivals from Cybertron. Showdown! The Dinobots, bored from lack of action, assist journalist Joy Meadows in blowing open the Robot Master hoax; both Triple-I and the Decepticons attempt to prevent this. While the Dinobots are helped by Centurion (really controlled by Professor Morris), the Decepticons still succeed. In the National Interest The Dinobots go AWOL with Centurion.
The Cybertron resistance, led by Emirate Xaaron, plan Operation: Volcano—a major strike on the Decepticon. But the arrival of time-travelling Decepticons Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge, which causes Optimus, Ratchet and Prowl to be sent to Limbo and Megatron to be offlined, throws the Autobots into a command crisis and has Volcano upset as Xaaron sends Ultra Magnus to Earth to investigate. The confused Autobots suffer a humiliating defeat and turn to Megatron and Soundwave for leadership. Despite this, they lose again and Ultra Magnus has to step in to assist. Galvatron is eventually tricked into returning to the future by other time travellers, and Magnus goes home; a number of Autobots remain wounded. Volcano is called off when the Insecticons are seconded to Earth under Megatron's orders, ruining Volcano's first strike; Autobot Wreckers leader Impactor is killed, however. Target: 2006 The six Transformers stuck in Limbo, fall prey to the native parasites. They eventually escape them. Distant Thunder!
Optimus oversees the creation of the Aerialbot Special Team, who battle the Insecticons and new Decepticon jets over the Hoover Dam; it's a near failure due to failures with Superion Aerialbots over America!, so Optimus kills and remakes their minds (bloody hell!) to fix them. Bombshell lands a cerebro-shell in Prime's wound, and channels Matrix energy from him to make the Stunticon Special Team. Skids and Finkleberg are sent to investigate the lost "Cybertron Seven", getting caught in an Aerialbot-Stunticon-RAAT battle. Finkleberg betrays Skids to RAAT for money. Heavy Traffic! The Aerialbots are sent on another mission to test them once more—their phobias and flaws cause disaster, but Jetfire didn't witness this and so they're forced to struggle with their problems on their own. The Return of the Transformers
After two tricky missions over the Christmas holidays, Jetfire visits Buster for some advice. The Gift
1987
RAAT continues to hunt down Autobots while Megatron enlists the Battlechargers to Earth. Decepticon Graffiti! Optimus Prime works with Wheeljack to boost the Autobot morale. However Megatron becomes increasingly paranoid about Optimus Prime and enlists the Predacons to Earth to help him finish off the Autobot Leader. Little does Megatron know, the Predacons are working with Shockwave and Soundwave to finish off both leaders.Prey!
1988
1989
1990
1991
With the help of the Last Autobot, the Autobots force the Decepticons into exile. End of the Road!
2006
The Autobots, under the command of Rodimus Prime have made their base on Cybertron. The Decepticons are now under the leadership of Galvatron have a base on Chaar. The Big Broadcast of 2006 (US)
Marvel UK future timelines
Original future
1990
Megatron was in command of a large number of Decepticons. He undercovered and executed Autobot deep-cover agent Warmonger. Aspects of Evil!
A Decepticon Civil War - between Megatron, Shockwave and Scorponok - kicks off here. Aspects of Evil!
1991
The Civil War raged on before ending with Megatron victorious. While Shockwave would be absorbed into Megatron's army, Scorponok was left wounded, alone and hunted; he only survived by forcing the Autobots to intervene against his pursuers. Aspects of Evil!
1995
To improve relations with human feminists, Optimus Prime creates Arcee, the first Female Transformer. It... doesn't work very well. Prime's Rib!
2003
Plans are drawn up for an Autobot City on Earth, funded with help from Earth's governments. Ultra Magnus is commanding the Ark at this point. Ark Duty
2004
Autobot City is completed. Shockwave attacks the opening ceremony, intending to shatter Autobot-human relations and use this victory to usurp control from Megatron. It fails badly. Aspects of Evil!
2006
By this point, the Decepticons rule Cybertron; the Autobots reside in moon bases and Autobot City. Time travel technology is possessed by both factions. Earth has weather control systems.
Megatron starts the Battle of Autobot City. As a result, Optimus Prime is killed and Ultra Magnus becomes the new Autobot Commander; the monstrous Unicron turns up, reformatting a dying Megatron into Galvatron. The Transformers: The Movie
Deciding he doesn't want to work for Unicron, Galvatron and his mates time-travel to 1986; Unicron mentally steers Hot Rod, Kup and Blurr to bring him back, and tortures Galvatron back into obedience when they have. Target: 2006
Unicron attacks Cybertron. Hot Rod opens the Matrix and becomes Rodimus Prime, who hurls Galvatron into space, destroys Unicron, and leads the Autobots in reclaiming Cybertron. The Transformers: The Movie Shockwave takes command of the shattered Decepticons, while Galvatron is missing (he time-jumped to 1987 at the moment of defeat). Rodimus, concerned about Galvatron, sends the Autobots searching across space to find the guy. Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!
Unicron's severed head goes on to crash on Junk, where he mind-controls the Junkions into building him a new body... The Legacy of Unicron!
2007
With the Autobot army stretched, Shockwave was able to re-organise the Decepticon army and retake half of Cybertron. Stalemate ensured; Rodimus, out of desperation, puts a dead-or-alive bounty on Galvatron's head, something that backfires when it causes Death's Head to time-jump to 1987 looking for the bounty. Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive! Rodimus, Kup, Blurr and (accidentally) Wreck-Gar went after him Burning Sky! and brought him back, but failed to secure Galvatron.
Shockwave, wanting to cement his power, set it up so Death's Head would kill Rodimus, Cyclonus and Scourge. All three lived, but the latter two would be fleeing Death's Head for the rest of the year. Headhunt
2008
Death's Head catches up with Cyclonus and Scourge on Junk in the New Year, but all three end up mentally enslaved by Unicron. He has them kill Shockwave and send the entire Decepticon army at the Autobots, a pointless battle that'll decimate both sides in advance of his arrival. Rodimus, however, has been alerted of Unicron's presence, and leads a strike-team to stop him. Thanks to Rodimus, Wreck-Gar, and Death's Head, Unicron's head is destroyed and his mind trapped in the Matrix, while Scourge and Cyclonus end up sent back in time. Soundwave takes command of the Decepticons and ends the battle. The Legacy of Unicron!
A time rift appears in 2008, causing the destruction of the Quintesson homeworld. They investigate many mechanical planets for emergency colonisation, eventually settling on Cybertron; Wreck-Gar comes into possession of these plans. The Quintessons launch a devastating attack on Autobot City on Earth, drawing out Rodimus so they can steal the Matrix; simultaneously, they trick the Decepticons on Cybertron into heading into an ambush. The Earth forces are slaughtered by Metroplex and the Cybertron force undone by Soundwave calling in the Autobots to help. Wreck-Gar broadcasts the Quintessons plans to every planet on their list, forewarning them and ensuring the surviving Quintessons will be hunted fugitives. Space Pirates!
The rift gets worse, now threatening Earth and Cybertron. Time Wars
2009
On New Year's Day, the Terrorcons attack Earth with the intention of draining its energy before it was destroyed; the Autobots wrecked that plan. The Autobots also became aware that the source of the time rift was 1989, and a small team was sent back to that year to end the crisis. Time Wars
Post-Time Wars future
1989
Megatron - well, his Straxus clone - seizes control of a large number of Decepticons. Knowing he will become Galvatron, he decides to work more patiently. The Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire.
A Decepticon Civil War - between Megatron, Shockwave and Scorponok - kicks off, with all factions having an Earth-bound presence. Megatron is actively working with his future-as-Galvatron in mind. Trigger-Happy!
1992
Snarl has contracted the wasting disease Corrodia Gravis at some point. The Dinobots head for the Savage Land, where (due to no other option) they have to transfer Snarl's mind into a real Stegosaurus. Destiny of the Dinobots!
2006
Megatron starts the Battle of Autobot City. As a result, Optimus Prime is killed and Ultra Magnus becomes the new Autobot Commander; the monstrous Unicron turns up, and Megatron reaches his destiny of being Galvatron. The Transformers: The Movie
This time, Galvatron doesn't go back in time but sticks around to remain being Decepticon Commander after Unicron's destruction. He leads a conquest of Cybertron. Aspects of Evil!
2009
Rodimus Prime and his team return home from the Time Wars to find the present day is altered. They either join or establish a resistance group on Cybertron, which is quickly defeated; Galvatron uses Rodimus's rage to give the Matrix-trapped Unicron an opening. Aspects of Evil! The Autobot forces - numbering 430 - flee Cybertron to the stronghold of Autobot City on Earth, with a goodwill gesture of Energon. The Void! Edge of Impact
2010
On New Year's Day, as the Autobots are in transit to Earth, Unicron uses the Matrix to possess Rodimus's body. The possessed Rodimus first sabotages the ship and then tries to kill all the Autobots; Prime is able to defeat Unicron within the Matrix, but it is taken from him before he can exorcise the being. The Void! Edge of Impact Shadow of Evil White Fire As a result, Unicron later possesses Rodimus again-this time he recreates his old body and tears through Cybertron (seemingly killing Galvatron) before being stopped. Aspects of Evil!
2356
The war is over, but Rodimus and the Matrix still contain Unicron. Rodimus has physically decayed and is kept in a medbay in Autobot City. Rodimus is visited by a student, whom Unicron's presence is able to corrupt towards evil; Prime realises the Chaos-Bringer is making another bid for freedom. Aspects of Evil!
Peace
2510
The war continues into the early 26th Century, when the penultimate Decepticon is finally killed. Rodimus Prime is in charge of a much reduced Autobot force (only the Wreckers, Ultra Magnus, and the Technobots are in evidence). When Prime tries to stand down, the actions of a Decepticon double agent and underlying tensions & friction among the Autobots spark off an Autobot civil war. Peace
Earthforce timeline
1989 and early 1990
Following the Underbase debacle, Megatron makes his big play involving the Classic Pretenders but is somehow beaten. He's still hanging around afterwards and eventually ends up on Earth, forming a splinter group of Decepticons; Shockwave makes his move as well, also on Earth. Scorponok at some point leaves the planet. Carnivac's comrade Catilla is killed by the Mayhem Attack Squad. A Savage Place! Grimlock does something to bring the Dinobots back from the dead, and Shockwave and Megatron rebuild some Decepticons, while the Constructicons lose the power to combine. Something causes the Primal Scream that alerts Unicron to Cybertron's whereabouts.
1990
The Ark is deserted for reasons unknown; a Galvatron breaks in to find a number of Underbase-killed Autobots that he can rejuvenate and turn evil. Prowl, Ironhide, Sunstreaker, Wheeljack, and Silverbolt are awakened, and go on to take him down. ...Perchance to Dream Sometime after this, the other Aerialbots are also brought back online.
Shockwave attempts but fails to force Grimlock to reveal how he brought the Dinobots back. A disagreement between Optimus and Grimlock Two Steps Back! cause Grimlock to threaten to leave the Autobots, believing Optimus (concerned with Unicron) is not doing enough for Earth. It's decided to put Grimlock in charge of a separate Earthforce (numbering the revived Autobots, the Dinobots, and the Classic Pretenders) to handle the Decepticons here. Break-Away! Meanwhile, Megatron attempts to deploy a satellite that will alter Earth's temperature, but Prowl and Wheeljack interveneStarting Over!, calling for back-up from the other Autobots. Break-Away! After an initial pep talk to his new troops, Grimlock orders them into battle. Once upon a Time...
Prowl is left MIA after personally trying to bring the satellite down. Life in the Slow Lane Bumblebee and Ironhide, while looking for him, destroy the Decepticon's new Devastator. Desert Island Risks! The Autobots and Megatron and Shockwave's two Decepticon groups eventually find the satellite, and a battle over it starts a Decepticon Civil War; Prowl, alive, has in fact disarmed the satellite ages ago though. Life in the Slow Lane Prowl goes on to become Grimlock's second-in-command.
At some point, Wheeljack sets up a Body Shop based around an Automated Construction Unit: a top-of-the-line facility for repairing Autobots. Makin' Tracks!
Various minor incidents occur: The Dinobots inflict April Fools' Day on Grimlock, while Shockwave's Decepticons fail to find the Autobot base. Snow Fun! Prowl prevents Megatron from bolstering his forces by using time travel to alter the events of the Underbase battle. Flashback! The Aerialbots are brought back online somehow, and both Wheeljack and Skydive act really dumb. Mystery! The warring Decepticon groups call an Enclave to stop the struggle, but the Autobots sabotage it by faking that Shockwave tried to kill Megatron. The Bad Guy's Ball! The Decepticon Mindwipe, gone rogue from Scorponok's crew, is prevented from conquering the Earth by two Earthforce members. The Living Nightlights!
Carnivac gets brutal revenge on the Mayhem Attack Squad for killing Catilla, taking down three of them. The Survivors, trying to rescue Carnivac, unify with Earthforce in return for aid; as a result, Bludgeon, Octopunch, and Stranglehold are taken prisoner. Cry Wolf! Wolf in the Fold! Where Wolf?
Meanwhile, Soundwave is playing both sides of the civil war against each other, and frames Wildrider for it so as to avoid detection. Secrets Starscream finds out and uses that to get Soundwave to help him in a master plan: get both Shockwave and Megatron to fight each other and sic Earthforce on them, then seize command of the two Decepticon factions themselves, and unite them. (Both, of course, plan to backstab the other and seize sole command) Bugged! Internal Affairs! The Autobots complete their new base, but are forced to deactivate its security system The House that Wheeljack Built!, at which point the full Decepticon army attacks. Starscream carries out the second objective of seizing an oil tanker while the Autobots are occupied, but Prowl had the Survivors out on patrol and Starscream is driven off. Soundwave uses the defeat to rally support for him being sole commander. Divide and Conquer!
Optimus inspects Earthforce, unfortunately at the same time Slag has gone insane; the Dinobots barely cover it up. The 4,000,000 Year Itch! During Prime's stay, he oversees the rebuilding of Tracks, not knowing Grimlock is desperately trying to keep him from being rebuilt; of course, Grimlock fails and Tracks is placed under his command. Makin' Tracks! The remaining Mayhems escape from their cells. Shut Up! Jazz takes action to stop Octane endangering humans for fun. Manoeuvres!
Megatron and Shockwave try to regain control of their armies by putting hits out on Starscream and Shockwave. Their attempt is defeated by Earthforce, who are forced to keep Starscream alive after Snarl contracts Corrodia Gravis and only the Seeker is a suitable transplant donor. Starscream agrees to donate, but only if Earthforce keep Megatron and Shockwave off his back. Assassins External Forces! The Lesser Evil!
Soon after that, the Decepticons take control of Superion and send him on a rampage; he's only stopped thanks to human journalist Irwin Spoon. Inside Story! In exchange, the Autobots let Irwin do a big report on the Earthforce. In order to prevent the Autobots being seen as human allies, the Decepticons abduct Iriwn Front Line!; the Autobots rescue him, but don't realise Irwin has had a cerebro-shell planted in his mind and will now only write smears about them. End of the Road!
During all this, the main Autobot force tries to retrieve the Matrix and form alliances with the Decepticons. The Magnificent Six!
With the Matrix irrecoverable and alliance impossible, Optimus sends six of the Earthforce - Prowl, Jazz, Sunstreaker, Wheeljack, Inferno, and Siverbolt - to Yuss to locate the former Underbase site, hoping to use it as a weapon as a last-ditch defence against Unicron. There, they came into conflict with the mad Decepticon known as Megadeath, who tortured and humiliated all bar Silverbolt in times past. Facing up to personal demons, they defeated him and continue on to the Underbase site. The Magnificent Six!
Rhythms of Darkness
2005
Megatron starts the Battle of Autobot City. As a result, Optimus Prime is killed and Ultra Magnus becomes the new Autobot Commander; the monstrous Unicron turns up, reformatting a dying Megatron into Galvatron. The Transformers: The Movie
Hot Rod gains the Matrix and becomes Rodimus Prime, but not in time to stop Unicron from devouring Cybertron. Unicron grants Galvatron freedom to command the Decepticons and conquer Earth. Rhythms of Darkness!
2009
By this point, the Americas are under Decepticon control and much of them have been wiped out; the Autobots are mostly extinct, reduced to a mere handful, and Rodimus is dead. The European Crisis Coalition almost launch a nuclear assault (not realising the Decepticons will absorb the resulting energy) but the American human-Autobot resistance make a defiant public gesture, getting the attack called off. Galvatron is abducted by three unknown figures. Rhythms of Darkness!
References
