Superion (G1)

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

Superion is an Autobot combiner from the Generation 1 continuity family.

I MUST SUCCEED!

As the first of the Autobot combiners, Superion is an imperfect warrior at best. In other gestalt Transformers, the mental aspect of combination has famously resulted in instability and insanity, as disparate personalities have been meshed into one mismatched whole. Superion aims to overcome this not by achieving a more thorough melding of the minds, but rather, by shutting out all the different, conflicting personalities of the Aerialbots who compose him. He suppresses absolutely everything save for his dedication to the destruction of the Decepticons, and his rival Menasor in particular—something that he is especially good at, despite the fact that his castrated thought processes leave him struggling to innovate or adapt to new tactics in battle. Other Autobots mistakenly interpret this single-mindedness and inability to engage on a social level as aloofness, as if Superion considered himself to be above his teammates, but he is truly physically and mentally incapable of giving any more of himself.

Superion is made up of the five Aerialbots:

• Silverbolt (torso)
• Air Raid (left leg)
• Fireflight (right arm)
• Skydive (right leg)
• Slingshot (left arm)

In at least one universe, Airazor replaces Slingshot on the team.

You lack the killer instinct!You're wrong, Menasor! For you I have nothing else!Menasor and Superion, "Heavy Traffic!"

Fiction

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Frank Welker (English, "The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2" only), Ed Gilbert (English), Tomomichi Nishimura (Japanese), Roberto Alexander (Latin American)

When the five Aerialbots were created on Cybertron and brought to life by Vector Sigma—reactivated through the sacrifice of Alpha Trion—Optimus Prime slyly alluded to Superion's existence by noting that six Autobots had been born that day. The other Autobots soon learned the true meaning of their leader's words when, during a battle back on Earth, the Aerialbots merged to become Superion for the first time to counter the threat posed by Menasor. At first, Superion was able to match Menasor, but the Decepticon combiner's sheer aggression soon turned the tide. Struck by a building and trapped by a landslide, Superion was nearly run through by a factory smokestack until, at the last moment, Omega Supreme appeared to intercept Menasor's attack. Helped free by Omega, Superion joined him in defeating Menasor, sending the Decepticons into retreat. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2

Weeks later, back on Cybertron, Superion engaged a damaged guardian robot in battle, and found himself tossed around like a rag doll by the giant's immense strength. Summoning up all his power, Superion delivered a punch so explosive that the guardian was hurled up into the air, out of the building they were fighting it, and then shattered into pieces when it crashed back down. War Dawn

During a battle in the Middle East against Bruticus and the Decepticons' new flying fortress, the Aerialbots were at a disadvantage, unable to combine into Superion thanks to the unexplained absence of Fireflight. Fortunately, their missing member soon turned up, and they formed Superion and promptly kicked the fortress out of the air. Turning his attention to Bruticus, Superion found himself flung to the ground, but as Bruticus lunged towards him, he quickly separated into his component parts to get out of the way, sending the Combaticon combiner sprawling. Aerial Assault Soon after, Superion got another crack at defeating Menasor while helping in the Autobot effort to defend the Statue of Liberty. This battle went a lot better for him than their last, as he singlehandedly defeated Menasor and destroyed Megatron's Lightning Bug weapon. Cosmic Rust

In the year 2006, Superion accompanied Rodimus Prime in investigating reports of Quintesson activity on an asteroid. Superion brought his prodigious power to bear against the aliens' starships and forced them into retreat, but this meant the aliens were unable to close the Time Window they had constructed on the asteroid. A robot named A-3 emerged through the window, who was then hurled into space by an explosion caused by the attack of the returning Quintesson force. Superion managed to follow and grab him, but was then pinned down by Quintesson fire, and believe that he was doomed. As time began to unravel thanks to chronal energy leaking from the unclosed time window, A-3 transformed in Superion's very hands into his future self, revealing that he was actually Alpha Trion, whose life Superion had to save, so that his own could come to pass. The effect of the chronal energy then struck Superion himself, causing him to exist in two places at once, giving him double the firepower to repel the Quintessons once again. The duplicate Superion then faded away, and the Autobots soon returned A-3 to his proper place in time and closed the window. Forever Is a Long Time Coming

Hounding Scourge and Cyclonus through an asteroid field, the Aerialbots formed Superion to really bring the pain. The two Decepticons rushed the getalt at the moment of his combination and were able to knock him aside long enough to escape through a nearby vortex. Fight or Flee Later, Superion was part of a team led by Ultra Magnus that prevented the Decepticons from using a comet to destroy Metroplex. After the group was shot down over Eurythma, Superion continued to fight the Decepticons until Soundwave incapacitated all of the Autobots using a harmonic weapon he'd obtained from the natives. Carnage in C-Minor

The Aerialbots were sent to investigate strange activities by the Junkions, and formed Superion after coming under fire from both the Junkions and the Quintessons. Superion shrugged off the Quintesson fire, rammed their ship with his fists and shot through the ship's protective shield, hurting himself in the resulting explosion.

The giant Autobot managed to send a distress call to Cybertron and was carried back to the planet with help from Sky Lynx. Just before passing out, Superion warned Rodimus Prime of the Quintesson interference. The Big Broadcast of 2006 Some time later, Superion joined in the Autobot effort to defend Japan against Decepticon attack, separating into his component Aerialbots to blast Astrotrain before he collided with a speeding passenger train. The Burden Hardest to Bear

When attempting to recover Optimus Prime's body, the Aerialbots were infected with the Hate Plague. While infected, they combined into Superion, who smashed a hole through the roof of the lab they had entered. Kup led a team of Autobots to attempt to subdue Superion, but they were shot down by the raging gestalt. Later, Defensor was helping evacuate a bridge when Superion attacked. Defensor was able to knock Superion away, but he bounced off the bridge cables, making contact with Defensor and spreading the infection further. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1 Superion was cured when the resurrected Optimus Prime unleashed the power of the Matrix to neutralize the plague. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2

IDW Transformers: The Animated Movie adaptation

During the Battle of Autobot City in 2005, Superion was unable to come to the aid of the stricken city, as he was defending Autobot Headquarters alongside Omega Supreme and Defensor against an attack by Menasor and Bruticus. The Animated Movie trade paperback

Japanese cartoon continuity

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers story pages

Around the time the Autobots initiated their "Scramble City" initiative to construct a mobile battle fortress, Superion battled Astrotrain and Blitzwing, easily overpowering the two Triple Changers with his massive hands. Story page #7 The combiner did not fare so well in his next battle, against Menasor, but managed to achieve victory by dividing into the Aerialbots and binding the Stunticon gestalt, allowing him to be bombarded by Scramble City's arsenal. Story page #8

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers manga

When the Stunticons and Combaticons began tearing up a baseball stadium, Kenji, the Autobots' young human ally, used his Superion wrist-communicator to call for help from the airborne combiner himself, as well as the Protectobots. The Protectobots were first on the scene, but Superion soon came swooping in to back them up, only for Bruticus to join the fight as well. On Kenji's advisement, Superion blew the leg combination joints out from under the Decepticon combiners with his rifle, allowing the Protectobots to forcibly link up with them as new legs, flying the evil gestalts off and dropping them in the ocean. Issue #5

The Aerialbots' powers of flight made them the ideal choice to speed to the aid a group of Autobots in need of reinforcement on an island the Decepticons were using as a staging base for the launch of their counter to Scramble City, Trypticon. Charged predominantly with protecting the local wildlife, the Aerialbots were joined in the mission by Protectobot medic First Aid (replacing a miffed Slingshot), who took up position as Superion's left leg to fly to the island. The combiner was nearly crushed by Trypticon, but the saurian city was distracted by the sudden appearance of Metroplex, Scramble CIty's robot form. Superion detached Air Raid, who buzzed Trypticon and taunted him into attacking Metroplex... who turned out to be a giant hologram courtesy of Hound and Perceptor, through which Trypticon fell into the ocean. Issue #6

Scramble City: Mobilization

Voice actor: Tomomichi Nishimura (Japanese)

As the Autobots' Scramble City project was nearing completion, the location of the secret cavern in which they were finishing the battle station's construction was discovered by the Decepticons. The Aerialbots repelled the Constructicons with an aerial barrage, but when the Stunticons came rolling onto the scene, they merged into Superion to deal with their old foes. A single kick from Superion tore up the ground beneath them and briefly buried the Stunticons, but they soon extricated themselves and formed Menasor to fight back. Tackled to the ground by the Stunticon combiner, Superion deftly separated into his component 'bots to avoid being stomped, then re-combined in an alternate configuration for more power. Menasor seized Superion out of the air as he attempted a flying kick and hurled him aside, so the Aerialbots tried switching configurations again, only for Fireflight to forget which limb he was supposed to be forming and fall off. Menasor exploited the opportunity to have Wildrider forcibly combine with Superion as the Autobot's missing leg, crippling him with great pain. A timely blast from Optimus Prime removed the Stunticon, allowing Fireflight to rejoin Superion, but the arrival of the Combaticons proceeded to tip the battle in the Decepticons' favor. Restrained by Menasor and pummelled by Bruticus, Superion had to eventually give up and split back into the Aerialbots to escape, but thankfully, Defensor and Metroplex soon showed up to win the day. Scramble City: Mobilization

Full Throttle Scramble Power!

The Aerialbots formed Superion to stop Menasor from stealing energy from a power plant, but the Decepticons had an extra trick up their sleeves: their new Omega Whip cannon, which threatened to shut down the Autobot combiner's whole body with its deadly electromagnetic beams. Though by all rights the two direct hits he took from the weapon should have knocked him offline, Superion's components redistributed their power to keep on fighting, hitting Menasor with a full-power blow. Unfortunately, the damage done by the Omega Whip had weakened Superion enough that Menasor was able to withstand his attack, and worse still, he was unable to change his limb configuration to counter Menasor's follow-up attack. Fortunately, Metroplex and the other Autobots soon arrived, and the sight of the giant city-bot left Menasor momentarily stunned, allowing Superion to get the upper hand. Disengaging Slingshot, Superion had him knock Wildrider loose from Menasor and take his place, immobilizing the Decepticon combiner so that Superion could stomp him into defeat. Full Throttle Scramble Power!

Transformers 2010 story pages

Superion and Defensor did not fare well against the Decepticons' newest combiner, Predaking. Story page #2 They probably would have preferred to enact a hypothetical scenario that proposed what would happen if the Autobot combiners could make peace with the Decepticons; in this "imaginary tale", Superion sported Blades for a right arm, Drag Strip as his left arm, Wildrider as his right leg, and Brawl for his left leg. Story page #5

The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers comic

Superion joined Defensor and Omega Supreme in battling Menasor, Bruticus and Devastator on the planet Feminia, but were powerless before the Decepticons' trump card, Predaking. Issue #5

The Great Transformer War comic

The Aerialbots were deployed to rescue the alien scientist Dalton from captivity within Trypticon, forming Superion on approach. Unfortunately for them, the battle-station modes that Onslaught and Motormaster had adopted to hook up to Trypticon's city mode allowed them to launch the Stunticons and Combaticons into battle so rapidly that Superion was torn limb from limb mere moments after his combination. Issue #1

The Headmasters cartoon

Voice actor: Ken Yamaguchi (Japanese)

During the Decepticon invasion of Cybertron in the year 2011, the Aerialbots assembled as Superion to defend the planet against Galvatron's forces. Superion fought fiercely against Abominus, and was almost shot in the back by the underhanded Devastator, but luckily, Optimus Prime was watching out for the giant warrior and Abominus wound up on the receiving end of the shot instead. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky As the battle continued, Superion, Defensor and Raiden came under heavy fire from the Decepticon combiners until the Battleship Maximus dropped from the skies to rain down terror and artillery fire on the Decepticons. The battle proceeded to spread to Earth as the Decepticons endeavored to stop Hot Rod from recovering the missing Matrix of Leadership; Superion engaged Menasor in the Arctic to keep him from interfering with the young Autobot's quest. The Mystery of Planet Master

Sometime later, Superion fought with Bruticus outside Trypticon, staging a distraction so that Twincast could break into the Decepticon base and retrieve vital information. The Great Cassette Operation

He was formed again, on Cybertron, during the Decepticon raid for the new super-metal cybertonuron, this time scattering the Stunticons like tenpins. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1 During the fight, he again clashed with Abominus (again) until Devastator accidentally shot his comrade (again). Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2

When Scorponok attempted to usurp command of the Decepticons following the disappearance of Galvatron, the Aerialbots were among the Autobot forces who attacked his leadership rally on Earth's moon. They formed Superion to enter the fight, but the tide turned when Galvatron made an unexpected return and galvanized his troops to strike back, resulting in Superion getting zapped hard and fleeing with the other Autobots. Return of the Immortal Emperor

Superion joined the entire Autobot army in journeying to the North Pole for a climactic battle with Scorponok. He fought against the evil combiners as the battle raged. Along with all the other Autobots present, Superion lent his energies to the Headmasters' Head Formation to revitalize Fortress Maximus at the critical moment. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)

Metrowars

Superion was stationed at Scramble City while it was under reconstruction after an attack from Metrotitan. When Metrotitan and the Decepticons attacked again, the reborn Metroplex transformed and Superion manned one of Metroplex's cannons with First Aid's help. With Metroplex's firepower, the Decepticons were sent retreating. Metrowars

Marvel Comics continuity

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

I feel so sketchy.

Superion was first depicted in a series of visions experienced by Buster Witwicky, the Autobots' human friend who had once contained the Creation Matrix itself within his brain. After a particularly serious nightmare, Buster subconsciously drew the image of a five-jet combiner robot, a design far more sophisticated than what had been achieved by Cybertronian science up 'til that point. Devastation Derby! Another series of surreal dream images from Buster's mind saw the jet combiner in action, first destroying the Decepticon commander Shockwave who had recently bedeviled Buster, and then fighting against a new car-robot combiner. Realizing these dreams were in fact unfocused visions from the Creation Matrix itself, Optimus Prime decided to mind-link with Buster during his next bout of REM sleep, guiding the visions into a more coherent stream of information. The link was successful, and Prime and Buster observed Superion fighting alongside his fellow combiner Defensor against their Decepticon opposite numbers, Menasor and Bruticus at the Pullen Power Plant. Relating this information to Wheeljack, Optimus and his chief engineer began planning on how to make these dreams into reality. Second Generation!/The Special Teams Have Arrived

Using information recorded on the combination sequence of the Decepticons' Devastator, Wheeljack reverse-engineered and refined the process to create the Aerialbots. Unfortunately, the team was called into action at Hoover Dam before any of its members, save Silverbolt, had their personality programming completed. When the Aerialbots were forced to combine in order to destroy a massive energy drill sent over by the space bridge, Superion was confronted with a human pawn named Ricky Vasquez carrying Megatron in gun mode, infused with a cerebro-shell that forced him to obey the Decepticons' will. Still, Vasquez had begun to fight the Decepticons' control over him, and he tried to resist Megatron's order to shoot Superion. Seeing the human as a danger to his mission, Superion attempted to crush Vasquez and end the threat, but Silverbolt loudly cried out against that course of action inside his head. Strangely, Vasquez and Superion ended up not fighting each other, but themselves, frozen in mid-action as they fought against their own inner drives. Ultimately, Silverbolt forcibly disengaged Superion rather than risk harming an innocent life. Aerialbots over America!

I'm fading, I'm fading!

Following the near fatality at Hoover Dam, the Autobots erased the Aerialbots' programming and memories, reconstructing their minds from scratch and giving them an infusion of Matrix energy to start over again. Superion next saw action against the Decepticon combiner known as Menasor, fighting to protect his comrade Skids and their human ally, Donny Finkleberg. Their fight was cut short, however, when the monomaniacal RAAT agent named Circuit Breaker used her powers to overload Superion's circuitry, leaving him open to a blast from Menasor's cyclone rifle. The RAAT agents managed to dismantle the combiner into his separate Aerialbot bodies and took them all captive along with several other Autobots. Heavy Traffic! The Autobots were only released after Circuit Breaker was forced to make a deal with them in order to end the threat of the rampaging Battlechargers. Decepticon Graffiti!

Later, the Aerialbots confronted Menasor again, only this time their fusion into Superion let slip Silverbolt's secret shame: the mental merging allowed the other Aerialbots to learn of their leader's fear of heights. Horrified at being found out, Silverbolt caused Superion to lash out at Menasor with such savagery that they very nearly harmed the very humans they had come to save. ...Perchance to Dream

Still doubting the Aerialbots because of their Superion issues, Optimus placed Jetfire in temporary command of the unit and had him test them. When Jetfire was gunned down by Decepticons, they formed Superion: once again, he was left crippled by the combination of personality flaws and could only concentrate on combat, tearing into the enemy in a crowded, urban area. When a bystander screamed at him to realise what he was doing, the giant proved incapable. However, because Jetfire had been offline at the time, he remained unaware of the issues with Superion. The Return of the Transformers

We are here to attack other Hasbro properties.

When Optimus Prime determined that a new human construction named Power Station Alpha might tempt the Decepticons into action, he sent Bumblebee to attend the unveiling as a precautionary surveillance measure. Sure enough, Bombshell made an appearance, and so Optimus sent Silverbolt and the Aerialbots as back-up. They arrived just in time to see Bumblebee being blown away by the G.I. Joe team guarding Power Station Alpha. Assuming their Superion form, the Aerialbots attempted to threaten the humans into allowing them to retrieve Bumblebee's body. Blood on the Tracks An intense but one-sided conflict raged between Superion and the Joes until he received a signal from Blaster, conveying the horrific news that Optimus Prime had died in battle while the Aerialbots were on their mission. Superion immediately disengaged and returned to the Ark. Power Struggle

A short time later, the Autobots joined forces with both G.I. Joe and Cobra against the Decepticons, who planned to use Power Station Alpha to destroy the world. The Aerialbots entered the battle and became Superion to pit their strength against the mighty Devastator. Superion eventually scored the winning shot when his stress fracture cannon caused a malfunction in Devastator's coupling links, forcing him back into his individual Constructicon modes. ...All Fall Down!

Earthforce

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

At one point after the Aerialbots joined Earthforce, Superion was struck with a cerebro-shell, courtesy of the Insecticon named Bombshell, and he began to run amok, crashing through sparsely populated areas on a beeline towards major human population centers. The Autobots were unable to stop him through sheer force, so they enlisted the help of a human reporter named Irwin Spoon, giving him instructions on how to infiltrate Superion's exo-structure and manually pull the cerebro-shell out of his circuitry. Spoon succeeded in the nick of time, freeing Superion's thought processes right as he reached a local township. Inside Story!

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

Events from The Transformers Trilogy novels are in italics.

The Aerialbots were among the Transformers on the Ark II when it crashed in 1999 thanks to the machinations of Robert Hallo and Adam Rook, but were not among those unfortunates that Rook subsequently rounded up and reprogrammed. Having apparently merged into Superion prior to the craft's impact, they and a handful of other Autobots lay deactivated at the bottom of the ocean until 2002, when they were reawakened by Optimus Prime, emerging from the waters in their combined form. Prime Directive #2

Superion assured Prime he would be part of the coming battle. Soon after, while Superion and the other Autobots engaged the Decepticons in battle in the frozen wilderness of Canada, the US government dropped a bomb on both factions. Prime Directive #3 Ironically enough, it was a metallic cyber-virus unleashed by Megatron's virus that saved them, solidifying around the dome of the explosion; Wheeljack was concerned about the amount of effort it would take to extricate Superion from the metal dome, but the combiner put his worries to rest by punching his way out with sheer force.

Superion proceeded to fly the Autobots to San Francisco on his back, for a final showdown with Megatron's forces. Superion took on Devastator during the city-shaking battle, but was forced back into his component robots by an airstrike courtesy of the Seekers and their unstoppable triangle formation. Prime Directive #4

"They couldn't hit an elephant from this dist—"

The conflict came to an end when Hallo launched a nuclear missile at the city in an attempt to destroy all the Transformers; seeing no other recourse, the Aerialbots assembled into Superion and sacrificed their lives by flying straight into the missile, detonating it over the Pacific Ocean. Prime Directive #6

Superion's faceplate was recovered from the ocean depths and incorporated into Hugo Fortuna's private collection of Cybertronian and Cybertronian-derived technology. Fortuna's collection was uncovered by Spike Witwicky and Franklin Townsend while they were investigating the mysterious disappearance of several Transformers. Hardwired Like Devastator, Superion's remains were later taken in by the Earth Defense Command for study. Generation 1 #0

Transformers/G.I. Joe

Superion in WWII-era guise

After the Aerialbots awoke in 1939, they formed Superion during the battle against Cobra and the Decepticons on the Fera Islands. The giant saved Grimlock and Roadblock from falling off a cliff to their doom, before being sent onwards to the front lines. Wolves Superion waded towards the Terrordrome, but was ordered to halt when Optimus Prime noticed that Cobra were using their slaves as a human shield. Cobra used this opportunity to open fire on Superion with Shockwave's massive cannon mode. Trenches However, Superion stood strong, shielding his allies against enemy fire for as long as he could. He was eventually destroyed, but his sacrifice gave G.I. Joe a chance to rescue the slaves and get into the Terrordrome. The Iron Fist

IDW Generation 1 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.

Dissatisfied with Bumblebee's governance of the rebuilt Iacon following the reformatting of Cybertron, the Aerialbots ceded from his ranks and left the city, venturing out into the untamed wilderness the rest of the planet had become. Stick Together There, they were found by Megatron, who elected to use them as test subjects, exposing them to the mysterious energies that had previously been responsible for creating the "Deceptigod" combiner. Before the Dawn The Aerialbots first succumbed to rage and madness, but then, the four smaller 'bots began to unify in purpose, hunting down Silverbolt, who resisted the process for longer. Night and the City To cope, the Aerialbots' minds and bodies—like those who combined into the Deceptigod before them—spontaneously reconfigured of their own accord, fusing the five Autobots together into "The Superion". Second Exodus Dismissing the newborn combiner as insane, Megatron left Superion in the wilderness, using the data he had gained from the experiment to perfect the combination process and create a new version of Devastator. Before the Dawn

When Ironhide and the Dinobots came looking for the missing Aerialbots, the prehistoric Autobots soon succumbed to the energy's effects as well. Ironhide fled, following a recording message from Silverbolt that led him to Superion, who rescued him from his pursuers. Night and the City With a sufficiently large number of Transformers now in one place, the energies Megatron was broadcasting became too diluted to have any effect, restoring everyone to their right minds, Second Exodus and Ironhide then led them all back to Iacon to help save the city from Megatron. Before the Dawn Superion grappled with the new Devastator and was able to bring him down after the death of Bombshell, who was controlling him from afar, caused his mind to shut down. However, as Superion turned his attention elsewhere, the Decepticon combiner rose again under the control of himself and attacked the Aerialbot combiner from behind, tearing him in half. Plan for Everything

After Megatron's defeat, Starscream seized control of Iacon and exiled those who would not renounce their factions from the city. The injured Superion was allowed to remain in the city until he was repaired enough to make a decision for himself. Second Exodus

Commercial appearances

Generation 1

The Aerialbots formed Superion to engage Menasor in battle on a rocky landscape, exchanging a ferocious volley of laser blasts before closing for hand-to-hand combat. Menasor flipped Superion, but as he moved in to finish him off, the Aerialbot combiner quickly countered with a blow that sent the Decepticon crashing backward into a cliff-face. As Menasor was buried beneath the rocks, Superion roared in triumph. Aerialbots and Stunticons commercial

Generation 2

Voice actor: Garry Chalk (English)

Attacked by Bruticus in a suburban area, the Aerialbots merged into Superion and opened fire on the enemy combiner, downing him only long enough to give himself time to move the unnamed human cheering him on back to safety. As Bruticus launched back into action, Superion shoved him away, and the pair exchanged some explosive punches. Aerialbots and Combaticons commercial

Toys

Generation 1

Guaranteed to break within 10 minutes of play.

• Superion (1986–87, 1990, 1991)
  • Japanese ID number: C-55
  • Accessories: Head, left & right fists, left & right feet, "blast shield" chest plate, "blast deflector" waist plate, Silverbolt's "electrostatic discharger rifle", ramp, small Aerialbots' individual guns

Superion is formed out of all five Aerialbot toys, with Silverbolt serving as the central body component, and the four smaller team members as limbs, using additional attachments for Superion's hands and feet. A helmet covers Silverbolt's head and a red waist plate attaches onto his chest piece. He carries Silverbolt's electrostatic discharger rifle, though his own bio describes his weapon as a "stress fracture cannon". As a "Scramble City"-style combiner, Superion's limbs are fully interchangeable; any of his limb-components, or any members of the other compatible combiner teams, are able to form either an arm or leg for the giant.

Due to Silverbolt forming his torso, his design weaknesses are carried over to Superion. Additionally, as Silverbolt has rather thin legs, this leads to Superion having very thin thighs. His height coupled with the weight of his limbs can make Superion lean back, putting stress upon Silverbolt's weak and flimsy waist hinges.

Along with Metroplex, Menasor, Bruticus and Defensor, Superion was designed for an aborted Diaclone line that would have been called Jizai Gattai ("Free-Combination"), which was shelved to make way for the Transformers line. Based on the extent to which the combination process detailed in Superion's patent design differs from the finished toy (to say nothing of the fact that Silverbolt appears as a fighter jet like the other Aerialbots, rather than a passenger plane), it is fair to assume that he was the first "Scramble City"-style combiner to be designed.

In his original release year of 1986, Superion's five Aerialbot components could be purchased either individually, or in a giftset. The individual Aerialbots were later reissued in Europe as part of the Classics series in 1990, and were offered as mail-in promotional figures in Japan during 1991's Return of Convoy line.

• More information on G1 Superion at TFU.info

• Superion (Action Master, unproduced)
  • Accessories: Gun, jetpack

Artwork for an unmade Superion Action Master was featured in Transformers Generations. As with all Action Masters, this non-transforming figurine of Superion was based on a combination of his animation model and his toy, and would have been armed with a gun and a winged jetpack. Superion would have been included with a motorcycle based on Prowl's Turbo Cycle that combined with Superion's accessories to form a gun emplacement he could have manned.

Your bargaining posture is highly dubious. Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Generation 2

Guaranteed to break within 10 seconds of play... DAMN YOU SLINGSHOT!

• Superion (1994)
  • Accessories: Head, left & right fists, left & right feet, "blast shield" chest plate, "deflector shield" waist plate, Silverbolt's "electrostatic discharger rifle", 2 missile launchers, 3 missiles, ramp, small Aerialbots' individual guns

As part of Generation 2, Superion was redecoed in colours deemed popular in products of the time, or something like that. Silverbolt's white is replaced by light blue, Slingshot is gold, Fireflight a much darker red, Sky Dive silver and Air Raid blue. In addition to still wielding Silverbolt's handgun, Superion was now armed with two spring-loaded missile launchers that came with Silverbolt, which he could either carry in his fists, or could mount jauntily on his hips by plugging into ports on Silverbolt's wings.

Because Slingshot is so notorious for Gold Plastic Syndrome you might be better off not merging this guy at all. Or throw Afterburner in there as a limb. That might work better, yeah.

Unlike his original release, Generation 2 Superion was only available by purchasing all five Aerialbots separately.

• More information on G2 Superion at TFUinfo

Universe (2008)

After 14 years, I can finally play with you for 11 seconds.

• Superion (Multi-pack, 2008)
  • Accessories: Four energon stars, four energon weapons

Universe Superion is a redeco of Energon Superion Maximus, formed from his components in the classic "Scramble City" manner, with individual multi-configuration energon weapons forming a hand or foot for each of his limbs. Although most of the original Aerialbot characters return in this set, Airazor replaces Slingshot; while the brief character description on the back of the box fits Slingshot, Hasbro stated in a Q&A session that Airazor is a new character designed "in memorium" [sic]. Superion's components suffer some mostly safety-related mold changes, including the severe blunting of Air Raid and Airazor's nosecones.

Like the simultaneously released Bruticus Maximus, Superion was initially intended as a Universe Target exclusive, but these plans were cancelled in favor of releasing the toy in the Revenge of the Fallen toyline instead, now representing the separate character of Revenge of the Fallen Superion. A few non-American markets such as Australia and Singapore did receive the toy in Universe packaging, however, so it manages to make it onto this article.

• More information on Universe Superion at TFU.info

Generations (2015)

You can just feel your wallet lightening from looking at this picture.

• Superion

Generations Superion is an entirely new mold Scramble City-style combiner made up of four Deluxe figures (Alpha Bravo (aka Slingshot), Firefly, Skydive and Air Raid) as limbs, with a Voyager figure (Silverbolt) as the torso, as part of the Combiner Wars subline. He was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2014, along with fellow new-mold combiner Menasor, and was displayed using Generations Legends class Powerglide as a weapon.

Merchandise

Watch

• Superion (1986, 1993)

Superion was one of three Transformers characters who lent their likenesses to digital watches released in Japan by Takara in 1986 to tie in with their Scramble City toyline (the others being Ultra Magnus & Galvatron). Cross-promoted in TV Magazine's manga as a wrist-communicator (see above), the watch featured Superion's torso with a clock in his chest, which with the push of a lever "transformed" into a full tiny figure complete with legs, standing up on the watch band. The figure cannot be removed from the watch, but the arms do rotate.

Superion and the other watches were later re-released in 1993 as part of an expanded line of Transformers watches that was sold directly in North America by Takara as Generation 2 merchandise.

Transformers Ramune

• Superion (1986)
  • ID number: 1

An unpainted figurine of Superion was available as part of the second range of Kabaya's line of Transformers Ramune candy toys, tying in with the Scramble City toyline. Like all figures in the series, Superion was sold in a blindpacked box with fizzy "ramune" candy, and featured a main body was made of hard red plastic, with soft grey PVC limbs articulated at the hips and shoulders.

Ramune figure on the left, Forms Robo on the right.

• Superion (1986)

Later in 1986, in the third Ramune wave, Superion was among the characters immortalized as a soft rubber figurine, known as a keshigomu in Japan. He was available in either red, blue or yellow colors, and as before, came blindpacked with ramune candy. While similar to the separate range of keshigomu figures released by Takara that would later be imported by Hasbro as part of their Decoy promotion, Superion and his wave-mates saw no American release.

Forms Robo

• Superion (1986)

Superion was also part of the small Forms Robo collection of larger keshigomu, with this chunkier version of the character standing at around twice the height of his Ramune figure. Like the other figures in this series, Superion was packaged in an individual baggie and was available in red, blue, green and yellow.

Collegeville Costumes

• Superion Halloween costume (1986)

However odd his selection to receive the honor may seem, Superion was one of a small number of Transformers characters upon whom Collegeville Costumes based a Halloween costume. This two-piece affair adhered to the crappy time-worn tradition of consisting of a sculpted thin plastic mask held over the wearer's face with elastic, and a smock with a picture of Superion and his name on it.

• Superion mask (1986)

Collegeville also immortalized Superion in their line of Transformers masks. Made from flat styrofoam, the mask featured a hinge that allowed the wearer to lift it up and down, transforming from kid to robot in the blink of an eye!

Gaia Scramble/Transformers Gum

• Superion (2013)

This incarnation of Superion is formed by combining the separate Aerialbots available in two of Kabaya's lines of candy toys: Slingshot, Air Raid, Fireflight and Skydive were available as part of the Gaia Scramble line, while Silverbolt was released through the Transformers Gum line. All five figures are snap-together model kits that use stickers for details and come with a stick of gum; Fireflight and Slingshot share a mold, as do Air Raid and Skydive, each kit affecting slightly minor differences in how they are assembled to differentiate the figures beyond color.

Notes

Everyone remembers Silverbolt, but does anyone remember that jet dude, the other jet dude, that jet guy, and Aerialbot #5? I think not!

• 'Superion' is a partial Latinization of Hyperion, the name of a Titan in Greek mythology associated with the sun. The fully Latinized form would be 'Superio'. If following classical pronunciation, the last syllable of 'Superion' should be pronounced 'own', not 'on'.
• Being made up of very similar-looking planes did not help Superion when it came to firmly establishing which member of the team formed which of his limbs. Unlike the other combiner teams, with their unique modes and shapes, when simplified down for Superion's character model, the Aerialbots' limb forms are essentially identical, differentiated only by color, which in turn made errors very easy to make as well (as you can see from our sampling of Marvel Comics images). Broadly speaking, most depictions of Superion—the Generation 1 cartoon paramount among them—replicate his appearance as seen in his box art, which is the arrangement we have listed for the members at the top of this article. In an odd quirk, however, the team's combination sequence in the cartoon would often show the individual members moving into position in accordance with the toy's instructions—Fireflight and Slingshot as the legs, and Air Raid and Skydive as the arms—only for them to change colors to match the "box art" layout at the moment of linking up, as shown in the sequence from "War Dawn" illustrated at right.
  • Japanese media was a little more thorough on this, with Scramble City animating the combination in much more detail that clearly showed the correct Aerialbots moving into place, and a diagram in issue #5 of the TV Magazine manga labeling the limbs as such. However, that did not stop Studio OX from creating a mix-and-match Superion model that made Slingshot and Air Raid the arms, and Fireflight and Skydive the legs which they used through their works, and which you see at the head of this article.
• Superion was rendered differently between his Marvel Comic and animated series appearances. Whereas in the figure, his "head"/"helmet" included a molded mouth which was absent in the media he was portrayed in, Studio Ox illustrated him with the mouth plus a painted face plate.
• Marvel UK is notable in how it really ran with Superion's tech spec, and its description of him having limited, "kill the enemy" mentality and being a "fierce and frightful machine". Of the four times he appeared in UK strips, three times have him turning out to be an uncontrollable threat (and the other time was a dream sequence!).

Foreign names

• Japanese: Superion (スペリオン)
• Italian: Pentajet (toy line and season 3)
• Mandarin: Superion (Taiwan, 速伯利昂 Sù Bó Lì Áng), Dà Wú​Wèi​ (China, 大无畏, "Great Dreadnought")
• Portuguese: Superior (Brazil comic)

External links

• Superion's Universe profile at NFTA.net