William Fowler

William Fowler is a human from the Prime portion of the Aligned continuity family.

Someone buy him a longer tie.

Special Agent William "Bill" Fowler is the type of guy that Theodore Galloway wishes he could be. A former US Army Ranger, he's the tough-talking, robot-dissing designated liaison between the United States government and the Autobots, who's got the guts to face down the Decepticons himself. And he doesn't need any military escort! He can pilot his own damn helicopter! And his own damn jet plane!

Fowler is leery about trusting the Autobots to handle the Decepticons by themselves and believes that Earth can handle its own mess, but for now, while he chews them out and slags them off, he's willing to let them have a chance.

“	Pretty big bearings... for a human.	”
—Bulkhead, "Darkness Rising, Part 2"

Fiction

Prime cartoon

Voice actor: Ernie Hudson (English), Kenji Nomura (Japanese), Jin-uk Hong (Korean), Dario Oppido (Italian), Oliver Siebeck (German), Mario Filio (Latin American Spanish), Guilherme Lopes (Portuguese)

Fowler was once a member of the Army Rangers. Nemesis Prime

Agent Fowler visited Autobot Outpost Omega One to chew the Autobots off over mass traffic accidents caused by several odd vehicles, and then demanded to know if this meant the Decepticons were back. When Optimus Prime confirmed this, Fowler stated it was time to "wake up" the Pentagon; he was notably unimpressed by Optimus's claim that only the Autobots could stop the Decepticons, clearly not believing it, but to avoid mass human casualties he agreed to give them a shot at sorting it out.

Bulkhead angrily told Fowler that the Autobots knew how to use appropriate force, but when the agent was gone he noted with respect that Fowler had bearings. Prime noted that Fowler's attitude was due to being afraid for his planet. Darkness Rising, Part 2

"This is some nice steel. How about telling me who gave them to you?"
"Yo mama."

Another explosion had Fowler returning to the Autobot base, but he found only Bulkhead there. When Miko's guitar gave away the presence of her and her two classmates, he announced he was going to take them into federal custody, but Bulkhead prevented him from phoning his superiors. He stormed out and took off in his helicopter, making a report by radio. Unfortunately, the transmission was intercepted by the Decepticons, who captured him and strung him up by chains. Fowler proved difficult to interrogate, so Starscream got out an Energon prod to soften him up. Darkness Rising, Part 3

Fowler was on the verge of breaking and telling Starscream where the Autobot base was, when weapons fire became audible outside the brig. Sensing rescue was near, he became awkward again, provoking Starscream into shocking him into unconsciousness. When he awoke, he was in a dazed, rambling state. The Autobots finally reached his location, only to become locked in a standoff with Starscream, until a random outburst from Fowler caused a distraction, and the Autobots chased Starscream off. Fowler rode back to base in Bulkhead, though his dazed state persisted and he became fixated on pie. Once they reached the base, he was given rudimentary medical attention. Darkness Rising, Part 4

When the Autobots discovered that the Decepticons were using a radio telescope array in Texas, Optimus suggested getting Fowler to put the installation on high alert, but Fowler was still too out of it to comply. He had recovered enough to cheer the Autobots on as they destroyed Megatron's space bridge, and later thanked them for saving him from the Decepticons, and for saving the world, before he left the base. Darkness Rising, Part 5

Wronski Feint his ass!

Responding to reports of strange transmissions, Fowler warned other pilots away from the area as he sped there in a new top-secret jet. He came upon the scene of a battle between Optimus, Bumblebee and the Decepticon Skyquake, the latter of whom seized the opportunity to scan Fowler's jet. Fowler retaliated by firing on Skyquake, but the Decepticon launched a number of heat-seeking missiles that Fowler was forced to use evasive maneuvers to avoid. He later came to Bumblebee's aid, picking up the small Autobot who had just disabled Skyquake in mid-air and was plunging toward the ground as a result. Masters & Students

Why didn't Optimus just turn it off?

While transporting the Dynamic Nuclear Generation System in his jet, Fowler was shot down by what he assumed was a Decepticon. He angrily contacted the Autobots for help in shifting the D.N.G.S. and it was loaded into Optimus's trailer to get transported across country. When the convoy was attacked, it turned out not to be the Decepticons after all, but a human organization known as MECH. A MECH goon climbed onto Optimus's back to try and unhitch the trailer, and Fowler climbed out to grab the guy, but was unable to get any answers before the man was knocked out of his hand by a passing tree branch. Fowler was then contacted by the MECH operative Silas who explained they were taking the D.N.G.S. The Autobots passed the device safely off to a train, but a short time later were confronted by Vehicons. Optimus apologetically informed Fowler they'd have to break cover to fight, before placing Fowler on a rock. After Silas informed Fowler by radio that he'd worked out the D.N.G.S. was on the train, Fowler tried to warn Optimus, who was promptly clocked by a tree trunk. Fowler had to hang out on the rock for the rest of the mission, but was able to observe Optimus saving the train from where he was. Convoy

Fowler was away when the Autobots attempted to obtain his help in retrieving an Energon Harvester from a museum. His answer phone claimed he was an intensive training retreat, though Bulkhead was unconvinced and believed him to be lounging at a poolside cabana. They eventually managed to get through to him, and he helped them slip a replica of the Harvester into the museum to replace the original, and also to retrieve Miko, who'd been detained by the museum's security guard. Deus ex Machina

After the Decepticons broke into the Kauai Naval Observatory in Hawaii, Fowler contacted the Autobots to ask if they'd encountered any Decepticons wearing hula skirts. He was able to tell them that the lens stolen by the Decepticons had a tracking device on it, leading the Autobots to find it in the Arctic. Out of His Head

Fowler was at the Autobot base when they learned that Breakdown had gone missing in the middle of a fight with Bulkhead. He relayed intel that MECH had been spotted on the Kamchatka Peninsula where the fight had taken place. Optimus immediate took a team to mount a rescue, leaving Fowler at base with Bulkhead and Miko. Bulkhead suggested they watch a film, which Fowler was heartily in favor of, but he subsequently fell asleep while they were watching Dinolizard vs. Five-Headed Ape. Operation: Breakdown

Jack called in Fowler to fend off Airachnid and MECH, and he easily forced Airachnid into retreat with some troops. However, Airachnid was able to scan Fowler's assault chopper, much to Fowler's annoyance that his vehicle had been used for a Decepticon's alternate mode again. When Airachnid and MECH fled, he wasn't surprised to hear MECH had vanished without a trace, and began briefing June Darby on the situation with the Cybertronians, only for Jack to convince him to drop it for tonight. Crisscross

Fowler reported on a number of high-tech component thefts by the Decepticons. When he informed the Autobots that the Decepticons were attacking a military laboratory, Optimus told him to have the base evacuated to avoid any loss of human life. One Shall Fall

The first thing he did when a number of earthquakes struck simultaneously around the world was call the Autobots and let them know. By the time he arrived at their base, Ratchet had traced the tremors to the Earth's core, and they quickly realized that Unicron, whom Optimus explained was a dark entity from Cybertron's past, was at the center of the planet. Fowler suggested sticking explosives down the hole Unicron originally crawled into, but Optimus believed Earth had formed around Unicron's slumbering form. Fowler stuck around as the Autobots investigated the tremors. One Shall Rise, Part 1

The humans listened as the Autobots battled giant stone Unicrons, and as Megatron arrived to offer to help the Autobots defeat Unicron. Fowler wondered what would stop Megatron calling in an air strike once he knew where the Autobot base was, but Prime was confident that GroundBridging Megatron in would conceal their position sufficiently. The humans hid when Megatron turned up, but when Raf ran out to confront their foe, Fowler found himself having to drag away Miko after she started yelling at the Decepticon leader. The humans all watched the Autobots and Megatron step through the GroundBridge into Earth's core. One Shall Rise, Part 2

"I love this town!"

Frustrated at not being able to do anything, Fowler almost left the base to go get assistance from the Pentagon, but was distracted by Ratchet's tale of pre-Earth Optimus. When it turned out that Prime's team were all OK, Fowler was compelled to hug a startled June Darby. He and June were waiting at the GroundBridge with the kids, as the Autobots returned to report that Optimus had developed amnesia. One Shall Rise, Part 3

Fowler wondered if they couldn't just locate Prime the same way the US government located Fowler, via a subcutaneous microchip, but was told Optimus's signal hadn't reappeared. Some time later, when the Decepticons attacked a military base, Fowler alerted the Autobots, but to his frustration they were unable to prevent human injuries or the theft of a power source. Later, it became apparent that in order to bring back Optimus, Jack would have to travel to Cybertron via the Decepticon space bridge. Orion Pax, Part 1

Fowler hooked Jack up with NASA to get him a space suit to wear on Cybertron. Not long after Jack and Arcee were sent, Breakdown called Space Bridge Control, demanding a status report. Because two of the Autobots there had voices that the Decepticon would recognize, and the third was mute, the task fell to Agent Fowler to imitate the Vehicon stationed there and say that everything was okay, which went surprisingly well, even when he accidentally asked Breakdown how he was doing! Orion Pax, Part 2 He and the other humans monitored Jack's progress on Cybertron until the Autobots returned with their restored leader. Orion Pax, Part 3

Grr.

After obtaining the possible coordinates of the MECH base, Fowler attempted to alert Prime, only to find Bumblebee was the only one available to take his call. He later yelled at Ratchet as well. Operation Bumblebee, Part 2 Detecting two Transformers fighting near Omaha, Fowler alerted Prime to the situation with his usual subtlety. The Autobots helped newcomer Wheeljack chase off Dreadwing, though Fowler's jet was scanned by the Decepticon in the process. Fowler followed them back to the Autobot base to yell at them some more. Loose Cannons

Driving out of a military base, Fowler found himself under attack by what appeared to be Optimus Prime. He was only saved from being killed by the arrival of Bumblebee and Bulkhead, the latter of whom caught his car. Back at the Autobot base, it was quickly established the real Prime wasn't behind the attack, and Fowler fielded calls from the military as the imposter attacked Alden Military Base. Once they established Nemesis Prime was controlled by MECH, Fowler took part in an assault on the MECH base and kept Silas busy while Optimus finished off their experiment. Nemesis Prime

Plot details for Grill follow. Spoilers have expired, you may remove this tag

Fowler was called to a debriefing by General Bryce regarding recent Autobot activities. He did his best to explain what was going on, though he eventually had to resort to getting Optimus to speak to the general in person before his superior's worries were allayed. Grill

Titan Magazines Prime comics

After a bunch of alarms went off indicating that a nuclear warhead had just become live, Fowler scrambled with a team of scientists and government agents. They quickly arrived at the Autobot base, where Optimus asked how the missile had come to be left in the base. Fowler admitted it looked like a military failsafe in case the Autobots ever turned on the humans, and Prime firmly asked him to take the bomb with him when he left. The Safe and the Failsafe

Fowler was having a bad day—he was suffering from trapped wind, his car was under a snowdrift, his wife received a chicken instead of a turkey from the butcher, and the Decepticons had taken control of a nuclear ship near Antarctica. Naturally, he took his problems to the Autobots. They could only help with the last one. Ice Breaker After the disappearance of Air Force One, Fowler took the recovered black box to the Autobot base and played the ransom message on it to Optimus. To Fowler's relief, Optimus knew exactly where Starscream had taken the President. All the President's 'Bots!

Commercial appearances

Fowler had summoned the Autobots for a vague special mission. When Ratchet inquired as to backup for this mission, Fowler announced that Batman had agreed to join the mission. Mission: Impossibly Awesome Marathon

Notes

Half the time he's like this, and the other half he's a true badass.

• Michael Bell auditioning for "General Fowler" and Ratchet was the first piece of news the fandom received about Prime, even before the title was revealed. Apparently Fowler transitioned from "General" to "Agent" at some point after that in production.
• Which agency Fowler's a Special Agent for isn't stated; since he specifically refers to the Pentagon as who he'd talk to and later calls his work "the agency", he's presumably with the Department of Defense's Defense Intelligence Agency.
• The Autobots refer to him as their liaison with "the outside world", though he appears to just represent the United States.
• Fowler must have one awesome rank if he can decide on his own whether or not the Pentagon is to go on full alert!
• Agent Fowler spouts his own brand of colorful idioms infused with references to Americana when he is surprised or in a tight spot, including:
  • "Well I'll be a bald eagle!" in "Masters & Students".
  • "Sure thing buddy, right after you eat my star-spangled shorts." in "Darkness Rising, Part 3".
  • "What in Uncle Sam's beard?" in "Darkness Rising, Part 3".
  • "I don't care if Abraham Lincoln is back!" in "Loose Cannons".
• When asked about Fowler's mouth and eyebrows "not animating right", panelists at BotCon 2011 responded that he's "usually hungover".
• His vehicles have been scanned by the Decepticons three times now.

Foreign names

• Japanese: William Fowler (ウィリアム・ファウラー Wiriamu Faurā)