Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

This article is about Prowl the existentially-cross table-flipping pragmatist. For Prowl the Predabot, see Dent.

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My prickitude fluctuates wildly between writers.

Pragmatist. Calculating and cold. Rule-bound. Prickly. Just some of the words used to describe Prowl.

We're not winning this war, and I'm tired of it. Tired of crunching stat after stat, formulating workable strategies for achievable victory. Prime listens--to a point--then gets restless and changes tack on a whim. The average Autobot default setting is daredevil maverick. That's not us, Perceptor. We can subdivide this war into its purest mathematical form and generate solutions all we want, but unless we happen to be surfing on a meteoroid at the time, no one will pay attention.Prowl, "Everything in Its Right Place"

IDW Generation 1 comics

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.

Prowl learned to appreciate rules and discipline during his formative years in Petrex, a strictly functionist town where saying anything bad about your alternate mode could get you thrown in jail. He eventually made it into the Iaconian Mechaforensic Division, where he became famous for his tendency to order a full body autopsy during practically every investigation. This is exactly what he did when he and his partner Tumbler were assigned to investigate the assassination of Senator Sherma, seemingly killed by Decepticons, leading to the discovery of cerulean glass on the victim's body. Following the trail to Translucentica Heights, the duo ran straight into another body: that of Senator Momus. Post Hoc

"Shut up."
"I didn't say anything."
You were thinking it's annoying."

As Tumbler went after the killer, Prowl investigated the crime scene and found that Momus had in fact been a Decepticon himself... and also that there was a second killer, who promptly attacked them. Inexperienced in combat, Prowl could do little to fight back, but the two were rescued by a fellow cop named Orion Pax who believed the Senate to be targeting Decepticons. Pax suggested that they avoid reporting their findings to their superiors, but Prowl ignored him in favor of regular police procedure, which much to his chagrin led to his preliminary report being quoted as fact on the news. Sent by Pax to investigate a nearby Relinquishment Clinic, he and Tumbler not only found proof that the killers had been using borrowed bodies, but also a complex dedicated to researching brain modules and a list of known Decepticons. While Tumbler, Orion Pax and several others believed that the clinic was the Institute and that the Senate was planning to use it to brainwash the Decepticons, Prowl rejected this as a far-fetched conspiracy theory. Patternism He refused to have any part in Pax's plan to stop the Senate's evil plot, but worried about his partner's choice to join in. He asked Pax to keep Tumbler out of danger, and in exchange he wouldn't tell anyone what they were planning. An Intimate Beheading

And remember to fill out those TPS reports.

Following the rise of Sentinel Prime, Prowl joined the Autobot Security Services in Kaon, working right under Sentinel. Megatron Origin #1 Megatron's rise as the most popular and violent pit fighter in videos of Kaon's illegal gladiatorial combat attracted Prowl's attention, and he formed an Autobot Security Services team to crack down on them, though to the chagrin of his fellow officers, he tended to blather on about his theories about how somebody was making a fortune distributing on these inexpensive to produce videos. Megatron Origin #2

After the murder of Bumper and Fastback, Sentinel and Prowl led a security forces deployment that arrested many of Megatron's pit fighters and those that they were attempting to recruit. Prowl personally attached the inhibitor claw to Megatron once he was overwhelmed by security forces. While processing the prisoners, he delivered the galling news that due to senate orders, the one known as Soundwave was to be freed without charge. Megatron Origin #3 Unfortunately, it was all part of Megatron's mad plans. He allowed himself and his men to be captured so Starscream could feign turning coat and murder the senate members who questioned him. During the ensuing jail break that devastated the Security Team HQ and following street battle, Prowl lost his usual cool composure in the face of such onslaught and looked to Sentinel Prime for directions. When Prime left to face Megatron personally and was brutally defeated, it was Prowl who took control and ordered the evacuation of security forces from Kaon. Megatron Origin #4

As the Decepticon movement began to spread across Cybertron and Zeta Prime took command, Prowl became a member of Orion Pax's Autobot counter-insurgency unit. He participated in a mission to arrest Swindle as he was selling weapons to terrorists in Nyon. Law and Disorder Not long afterwards he helped hunt down Decepticon spy Soundwave, but was dealt with by Rumble who collapsed the Neurospan Bridge on him. The Hunt for Soundwave When Bumblebee was held hostage by Decepticons to convince Orion to come to Kaon and talk to Megatron, Prowl and the rest of the team came to their rescue. Cause and Effect

On a mission from Zeta Prime to arrest the insurgent Hot Rod, Orion Pax's team traveled to Nyon's Acropolex, where Prowl noted that their target seemingly wasn't trying to kill them and also mentioned being a believer in the Matrix of Leadership unlike some people. At the heart of the Acropolex, the Autobots found that Hot Rod just wanted to show them multiple tanks full of energon drained from Nyon's populace to power Zeta Prime's war machines. He asked Orion Pax to join him against Prime's tyranny, though Prowl voiced his disapproval of officers joining the insurgents against their own government. Ruins He seemingly changed his mind as soon as Zeta Prime began directly assaulting Nyon. To distract Zeta's Omega Destructors while Hot Rod evacuated the city, Orion Pax and Prowl acted as bait and drew one of the Destructors into a trap, but failed to harm it and were defeated by Zeta Prime himself. Purge The Autobots' lives were saved by Megatron, who took them to Kaon for repairs and negotiated an alliance with Orion. Choices

This is my "up to something" face.

Together with their new allies, Prowl and the others attacked Zeta Prime's Citadel and put an end to his rule. Unsurprisingly, the Decepticons then betrayed them. Overthrown Prowl was among those captured under Megatron's new rule, but escaped alongside his cellmates Hound, Springer and Kup. They followed Orion Pax's ID signal to the ruins of Nyon, where they were shocked to learn that he had acquired the Matrix and become Optimus Prime. Rise When Optimus had to make a rallying call for more allies for their cause, Prowl cut the news-feed for the message to get carried out. He then participated in the assault against the Citadel. Broadcast After the battle, Prowl showed Optimus the armory that Zeta Prime had hidden in the Undergrid, suggesting that they could use the weapons within against the Decepticons. Optimus refused this and ordered them destroyed. Knowing Prowl, however, he may not have followed orders... Endgame

Not long after Optimus's rise to leadership, Prowl aided him in responding to an attack on the Toraxxis mega-refinery. Rage During the Exodus, his security unit was in charge of upholding order at Iacon's Starsreach Spaceport, but growing tensions led to rioting among those who couldn't afford their way off the planet. Prowl called in Optimus Prime to calm the rioters, only to be pulled into combat when the Decepticons attacked the spaceport. Massacre After Grimlock had chased off the attackers, Prowl watched him and the other Dynobots leave Cybertron. Unleashed He later participated in the Autobot defensive strategy against a rampaging Trypticon. Annihilation

Four million years ago, Prowl was working directly under Optimus Prime as the Autobots fought to prevent the Decepticons from bringing fresh energon supplies to the war effort. While Optimus went after the energon convoy himself, Prowl held the line with Hound and the others to prevent the Decepticons from getting hold of the latest city they had targeted. In the aftermath, Prowl congratulated Prime for capturing the convoy without having to fire a shot. The Iron Age

At some point during the war, Prowl tried to desert and escape the war on board the Peaceful Resolution. It was shot down before reaching orbit, and he realized he had to help win the war instead of running from it. The Death of Optimus Prime

After the Garrus-9 detention facility had been established, Prowl was among the law enforcement Autobots who endured the trials of Autobot criminals who inflicted unspeakable horrors on civilians and other non-combatants. Prowl and other luminaries such as Chief Justice Tyrest, Xaaron and Nightbeat agreed that the trials would remain a secret until the final verdict was cast, then it would be full disclosure, regardless of the damage to morale and the Autobots' political standing. Last Stand of the Wreckers #5

Talk to the hand, the prick ain't listening.

Millions of years later, Prowl was the leader of a detachment of Autobots that had operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, attempting to foil a Decepticon insurgency led by Starscream and blindly following the Autobot rules of counterinsurgency. He almost threw Ratchet in the brig for breaking cover to rescue three humans from the Decepticons, and subsequently refused to contact Optimus Prime until further evidence of enemy activities was uncovered. He did not willingly believe Ratchet when the medic told him that the Decepticons had stepped up their presence by constructing a second base. However, Ironhide ended up sending a pulsewave transmission to Optimus Prime behind Prowl's back. Infiltration #3 Prowl was forced to face reality when Megatron arrived on Earth to confront Starscream, and he finally agreed to call in Optimus Prime. Thing was, Prime had already arrived. Infiltration #6

When Springer ordered several Autobots on a lethal mission to rescue the damaged and deranged Kup from Tsiehshi, Prowl evidently helped conceal Springer's efforts from Optimus. However, he still felt it was a misguided effort, asking Springer if Kup would want other Autobots killed rescuing him. Spotlight: Kup

Prowl went with the Autobots to investigate Decepticon activity in the country of Latveria. There they discovered a heavily shielded "array" that the Decepticons were using as a base. Man and Machine #1 After a skirmish with the humans that were present there, they teamed up with them to shut down the Psycho-Prism human mind altering device the Decepticons had fortified inside the array. The Decepticons attacked. Man and Machine #2 During the fight, Luke Cage and Ratchet discovered a weak spot in the array's defenses and went in. Prowl followed to make sure Ratchet didn't put human interests ahead of Autobot interests, but the human Spider-Man was held captive inside, so Prowl gave in and let Ratchet and Luke Cage attempt a rescue.

Prowl found the Psycho-Prism guarded by Ramjet and Doctor Doom. Doctor Doom zapped him into unconsciousness. Man and Machine #3 He awoke next to Ratchet to find Spider-Man had been freed by Doctor Doom, who had switched sides. Prowl and Ratchet decided to use the Decepticons' mirror response mode equipment to boost their power with Spider-Man's superhuman abilities. Wolverine arrived with Jazz and Bumblebee and suggested they use his abilities instead. They did, then orbital bounced with Spider-Man back to the battle outside, where their added strength helped defeat Megatron. Wolverine, Jazz, and Bumblebee stayed to destroy the Psycho-Prism. Man and Machine #4

Yeah, let the irresponsible loner look after the MacGuffin. Good call.

After Sunstreaker was kidnapped by a mysterious group of humans, Escalation #1 Prowl was still obsessed with the rules of the counterinsurgency war and thus did not understand why Optimus Prime requested reinforcements to Earth. Prowl was furious when Ironhide dared to go around him and volunteer himself to track down clues on Sunstreaker's disappearance, and subsequently forced him to stay behind while the Autobots not on his grievance list left for Brasnya to confront the Decepticons. Escalation #3 When everything kicked off in the former Soviet nation, Prowl led Jazz and Wheeljack (and later Hot Rod and Hardhead) into battle, attempting to capture Georgi Koska, a Decepticon facsimile. Escalation #4 He clashed with Hot Rod over the capture of Koska as both of them were of equal rank, but when Optimus Prime was temporarily offline and believed dead, Prowl assumed full command and came up with a strategy for fighting Megatron (shoot him, then run away). Escalation #6

Under orders from Optimus, Prowl oversaw the moving of Ark-19 to a more secure location. He turned to Prime rather than order the launch on his own discretion. (Prime had to order him to use his own discretion.) Devastation #1 When Sixshot blew them out of the sky, Optimus took command of the situation until the Ark-19 was destroyed. Devastation #2

Once on the Ark-32, Prowl found that, due to injuries from the battle with Sixshot Devastation #4 and separate missions, he and Hardhead were the only active Autobots. He was mildly annoyed that Optimus Prime and Nightbeat were otherwise preoccupied during this crisis. He was then shocked when Optimus abruptly ordered their unit to withdraw from Earth to handle a situation at the Garrus-9 secure facility. Devastation #5

Optimus Prime and Prowl met with Fortress Maximus and Jetfire on Garrus-9 to discuss the prisoners' breakout and how a surviving Decepticon had been tortured. Prime left Maximus in charge and said that he and Prowl had unfinished business aboard the Ark-32. When Thunderwing was reported guarding a cave on Corata-Vaz, Optimus Prime recognized this had something to do with his infraspace encounter in Brasnya. He ordered Prowl to summon the Wreckers to find out what Thunderwing was guarding. Spotlight: Cyclonus He judged the subsequent battle between the Wreckers and Thunderwing as suicidal, and felt that they were wasting their time given everything seemed to be coming at them at once. Spotlight: Hardhead

According to my calcula- OHGODMYFACE!

Prowl became increasingly frustrated with the tendency of the Autobots in general and Optimus specifically to lionise and listen to charismatic warriors and mavericks. Realising nobody would listen to the more logical tactical advice that he or Perceptor gave, he had Kup sent to the Kimia Facility to be rebuilt... with some personality sub-routines added in, which would ensure that the iconic elder could be controlled and made to act as a proxy for him. Prowl didn't want attention or glory, he only wanted to do his job, and he had absolutely no ethical qualms about ensuring that "when [Kup] speaks, you won't even see my lips move"...

He really didn't like Springer either, and was annoyed that the Decepticons seem to be a more unified body than the Autobots. All Hail Megatron #15

After the Expansion incident, Optimus Prime reassigned more Autobots to Earth. The Decepticons had been laying low for months, and everyone was starting to get restless. While Prowl recommended a "wait and see" approach to Optimus Prime, Ironhide's calls for action soon drowned out Prowl's reasoning. When Mirage handed them solid intelligence about a possible opportunity to wipe out Starscream and a small group of Decepticons, the Autobots acted on it. It turned out to be an ambush, and the Autobots were soundly defeated by the Decepticons with the aid of Devastator. Informed that the Decepticons were launching simultaneous attacks across the galaxy on Autobot installations and also that there was a traitor among them, the Autobots' morale was dealt a heavy blow. Through use of a space bridge portal, Megatron planned to send the Autobots to Cybertron to have them devoured by the Swarm. Optimus Prime managed to sabotage the portal and strand the Autobots on Cybertron before the Decepticons could follow, albeit nearly at the cost of his life. All Hail Megatron #7

I'm sensing a pattern emerging.

In this unprecedented situation, Jazz's authority superseded Prowl's, and he took overall command of the battered and demoralized Autobots. All Hail Megatron #1 Jazz also proved necessary to shore up Prowl's own authority, which was severely disregarded by his men. Jazz's reputation helped keep them in line, particularly the recalcitrant Ironhide, who had taken to striking superior officers, including Prowl himself. After the situation with Ironhide was defused, Prowl got Jazz to admit the energon searches he'd been sending troops out on were just to keep the men busy. Prowl worried that Prime would soon die, and about the details of their commander's condition that they had kept from the troops at large. All Hail Megatron #4

In particular, what Jazz and Prowl were withholding was the fact that the Matrix of Leadership was not within Prime anymore, but had been absconded with by Megatron. All Hail Megatron #5

Kup arrived on Cybertron shortly thereafter with his own team, and things took a turn for the worse, with the Swarm encroaching on their position. All Hail Megatron #6 Sunstreaker was revealed to be the traitor, having made a bargain with Starscream to kill Megatron. He sacrificed his life to buy the other Autobots time to put some distance between them and the Swarm. All Hail Megatron #8

Prick and nerd.

Thankfully, Ratchet finally managed to repair and revive Optimus Prime, and Autobot morale went on the upswing despite their situation. All Hail Megatron #9 Under Prime's direction, they immediately began building a defense against the oncoming Swarm horde in a new temporary base. Once everything was nearly in place, Prowl calculated the odds of them succeeding and wound up with quite a dire forecast. Jazz urged him to keep it to himself, which Prowl quickly agreed to do. When the Swarm surged against them, the Autobots fought as hard as they could, but were eventually on the verge of being overwhelmed. Fortunately, Omega Supreme arrived to tilt the odds squarely in the Autobots' favor. Prowl asked Omega how he had survived the galaxy-wide Decepticon attack, speculating that they had probably sent an army against him. Omega simply replied, "I am Omega Supreme". All Hail Megatron #10

The Autobots eventually boarded Omega's rocket mode and headed for Earth. There, they engaged the Decepticon forces in a fierce battle which ended with Megatron's defeat and Starscream ordering a withdrawal from the planet. All Hail Megatron #12

"But Prowl, look...teddy bear."

Over the next three years, the Autobots remained on Earth at the insistence of Optimus Prime. Optimus believed they could not leave in good conscience while human society was still in disarray from their war and rogue Decepticons still wandered the planet. The humans were not interested in having protectors, however, and soon learned to take care of themselves. Skywatch reverse-engineered Cybertronian technology to hunt and capture Autobots AND Decepticons left on the planet.

As part of Optimus Prime's belief that the Autobots must help humanity rebuild in whatever way possible, Prowl was assigned to assist the local police whilst in disguise as one of their squad cars. Over the next eight months, Prowl saw humanity at its lowest ebb. Desperate, angry people who would never forgive the Transformers for bringing their war to humanity's homeworld. He watched as some of his driver's fellow police officers set fire to the building that the Decepticon Thrust was trapped in, a cold execution of what Prowl considered an enemy combatant. He protested to Optimus Prime that humanity was dangerous, they were now killing Transformers, and that there was no strategic purpose for the Autobots to be on this planet or for he to continue this masquerade of being a police car. Prime asked his officer to trust him in his belief to the value of this activity, and that all the Autobots were on a personal journey.

Prowl finally realizes that math is useless.

And so Prowl continued to patrol the streets, and while he did so, he calculated. The humans numbered in their swarming billions versus less than ten thousand Cybertronians. Humanity lived brief, petty, frantic lives of comparatively little consequence, their world and its infrastructure inefficient, ramshackle and incompetent. Prowl concluded that not a single human life was worth that of a Cybertronian. However, when he and his police officer driver were overseeing the removable of volatile Cybertronian wreckage from a building, some workers accidentally triggered an abandoned weapon to fire, destroying a damaged building. Without thinking, Prowl transformed and pushed a young girl out of the way, saving her life, but in the process, was trapped under the rubble that would have crushed her. His driver expressed disbelief that the Autobot had been in disguise as his car for the past eight months, and that he had broken cover to save one girl. Prowl confessed that for eight months he had been watching, planning, but unable to do anything. There were so many times he could have assisted if he were able to break cover. He had run the numbers, made calculations on Earth and on humanity, his math was flawless, but they weren't right. And when push came to shove, he couldn't rely on what he thought might happen, he had to act on instinct and do the right thing. The policeman, impressed, remarked that Prowl spoke like a true beat cop, and stated that while he was obligated to call this incident in, it wasn't an emergency and suggested that Prowl had an hour to extricate himself before Skywatch arrived. Spotlight: Prowl

Woman makes prick staticky. Hilarity ensues.

The Autobots moved west, where Prowl was joined in his undercover police work with new arrival Streetwise. They were present at a power installation in New Mexico, which was being ransacked by the ravenous Stunticon Breakdown. Skywatch deployed its robot-hunting crash-suits and brought down the Decepticon before leveling lethal particle cannons at him. Despite himself, Prowl broke cover to prevent the execution of a helpless Transformer. This left his backside open to the second Skywatch team on site, who used mode lock inhibitors to capture him as well as the "bait", Breakdown.

Prowl's capture was reported back to Autobase by Streetwise, and Hot Rod assembled a strike team to infiltrate Skywatch and rescue him. These Autobots were outfitted with Wheeljack's new counter-inhibitors to prevent the mode lock from working. Unfortunately, this sudden change in tactical efficiency only caused Skywatch to panic, drawing out their lethal ordnance to protect themselves. Prowl was rescued...but Ironhide died in the assault. Grieving for his friend, Optimus Prime then stepped down as Autobot leader and turned himself over to Skywatch. ...For All Mankind

With Optimus gone, Hot Rod advocated abandoning his plan and this planet, and Prowl was one of the first to sign up for Hot Rod's splinter group. They failed to convince Omega Supreme to fly them off-world, but then encountered a group of Decepticons led by Swindle. After a brief scuffle, Hot Rod and Swindle entered into negotiations for a truce. Prowl was uncomfortable with the idea of collaboration, despite his earlier effort on Breakdown's behalf. Ultimately, however, he went along with it. New Arrivals, Old Encounters

Prowl always narcs on the cool kids.

The united Autobots and Decepticons attempted to construct a space cruiser in order to leave the planet. Their efforts reached a hurdle with the arrival of Ultra Magnus, duly appointed enforcer of the Tyrest Accord. Prowl had summoned Ultra Magnus to Earth as part of standard operating procedure after Ironhide's death, before Prime abdicated his leadership and the faction had split. Things became difficult as Magnus attempted to confiscate Hot Rod's "unlicensed interstellar vehicle". Prowl attempted to weigh in with legalese of his own, citing the line of procedural succession and emergency powers, but it became moot when Magnus discovered their collaboration. Seasons in Flight

Eventually the collaboration ended when the Decepticons betrayed Hot Rod. Prowl and the others survived thanks to the intervention of Optimus Prime and Skywatch leading Bumblebee to form an alliance with humans. Things Fall Apart, Part 5: "Earthworks"

To prick...or not to prick...

Sometime after things settled down on Earth, Prowl formed a plan to recapture the Garrus-9 detention facility, which had fallen during Megatron's push three years earlier. Prowl's primary objective on this mission was for the Wreckers to retrieve the data stored on Aequitas, as he feared that if the Decepticons managed to get their hands on politically-damaging information about Autobot war criminals, it would be disastrous to the Autobot cause. When selections for the new Wreckers squad were being made, Prowl learned that Ironfist (a weapons researcher at Kimia Facility who had an obsessive fascination with the Wreckers) had recently suffered a lab accident involving cerebro-centric bullets and only had months to live. Applying pressure on psy-ops specialist Rung (who had judged the researcher unfit for Wreckers duty), Prowl arranged for Ironfist to be placed in Springer's squad on the condition that he would be the one to sacrifice his life to unlock Aequitas. Last Stand of the Wreckers #4 After the surviving Wreckers defeated Overlord and liberated G-9, Prowl was given a data slug containing the Aequitas' data, the legacy of Ironfist, who had finally succumbed to his lab accident injury. Prowl explained to Ultra Magnus how he regretted using Ironfist in this manner, and he would prefer if the information about trials were never made public, despite what he had agreed to millions of years ago, for fear of what it would do to Autobot morale. As Ultra Magnus left, Prowl started to apply pressure on the data slug... Last Stand of the Wreckers #5

IM IN UR HEAD DRIVING U CRAZY...ER.

When Galvatron crash-landed a spaceship full of zombies in Las Vegas, Autobot and Skywatch troops were ready to defend the city. After a brief battle, they learned that the zombies were not on Galvatron's side, but rather a threat to the entire planet, and Prowl had the area quarantined before interrogating Galvatron on what he knew about the creatures. The Transformers: Infestation #1 The leader of the zombies, an interdimensional vampire in disguise named Britt, soon revealed herself and attacked the Autobots and Decepticons, infecting Kup with the zombie plague and creating a space-time portal to Cybertron's distant past, intending to infect the planet while it was still teeming with life. Prowl, however, had a way to sabotage her plan: using his previously established mind link with Kup, he removed the virus's control over the old warrior and had him change the portal's coordinates, trapping Kup, Britt and the zombie army in the Dead Universe. The Transformers: Infestation #2

Prowl was one of the Autobots who participated in the covert mission to take out the Combaticons, who were working with North Korea in exchange for energon. Ranks of Bronze In order to keep the battle a secret from the world at large, they hacked all spy satellites watch the area, after which Prowl helped defeat Brawl. Hawk Among the Sparrows Then the Predacons joined the fray. Since Bumblebee and Pennington back at base were unable to see what was going on, Prowl had to keep them informed, all while calculating the best strategies to avoid casualties. The Autobots were eventually victorious, but at the cost of humanity learning about their alliance with Skywatch. All My Sins Remembered

As the Autobots flew home from Korea, the Decepticons returned to Earth with a vengeance and had their plane shot down. Prowl and the others survived, however, and made it to shore. Woken Furies After their attacker was revealed to be none other than a returning Megatron, they confronted him and learned that he had defeated most of their troops in America and left them to the mercy of armed and angry humans. Prowl sent Jazz to save them, but against his direct orders to not resort to violence, Jazz ended up breaking cover and killing one of the men. Burning Chrome The Autobots regrouped at Omega Supreme, and were soon joined by Megatron, having given himself up just to taunt them. Prowl was contemplating how short-sighted it had been to have both their mechanics on the Korea team when Optimus Prime approached him, asking him to investigate Megatron's claims that Spike Witwicky had executed a surrendered combatant. Enemy Mine

Not to prick, apparently.

In order to finish his investigation, Prowl remained on Earth with Bumblebee, Ultra Magnus and some other Autobots while the rest of them left to drive Galvatron off of Cybertron. After a last-minute questioning of Megatron revealed nothing new, he tried unsuccessfully to get Decepticon deserter Thundercracker to stay with the Autobots, and lied to Bumblebee and Spike that he would keep them updated on what was going on. Police Action: Prologue Appearing via hologram on board Omega Supreme, Prowl participated in the talks on what the Autobots would do with Megatron. He agreed with Xaaron that they needed a third party to judge the Decepticon leader's trial, but admitted that personally he'd rather just execute the scumbag. Chaos Theory #1

When Spike let slip that he'd be gone from base for 36 hours for secret reasons, Prowl decided to spy on his activities. This proved uninformative as Spike just met with higher-ups and assorted women, but things got heated when Breakdown suddenly showed up for revenge against the human. Prowl defeated him with help from Streetwise, but was forced to break off the mission and was chewed out by Ultra Magnus for the attention attracted by the battle. He mentioned wanting to look into anti-Transformer spokesman Ben Simpson, whom he suspected was providing people with guns made from Megatron's parts, but was ordered to focus on Spike. Searching the site of Scrapper's death, Prowl was sampling some odd chemical residue when he suddenly came under attack. Police Action #1

The assailant was Brawl, though Prowl noticed he had a spotter that got away. Together with Streetwise he defeated the Decepticon and took him in for questioning, but a failsafe in his body caused him to shut down during interrogation. Continuing with the investigation on Spike, Prowl had former Skywatch member Sandra brought in while he looked into the sample he had found. Just as he figured out that Scrapper had been attacked by a human with a chemical weapon rather than another Decepticon as previously assumed, Spike approached him and shamelessly admitted that it was all true. Only Forward

While Spike argued that it was a strategical operation to rid the world of Devastator, Prowl saw it as murder with vengeance for Spike's friend Tim Simmons as the motive. Spike didn't care for being lectured, calling Prowl out on making his own tough decisions and keeping secrets from his allies for their own sake. Before he could think of what to do next, Prowl got word from Bumblebee that Ultra Magnus had agreed to go after Ben Simpson, and rolled out alongside him and Streetwise. Simpson turned out to be a facsimile construct created by Swindle to boost anti-Transformer sentiment among humanity for profit. When captured, Swindle not only admitted to being responsible for the situation in North Korea, but also for helping Skywatch by selling Cybertronian technology to... Spike Witwicky. Before the Autobots could do much, Spike had fled while Jazz went off on his own and announced to the world that the Autobots were cutting all ties with Skywatch and humanity. A Second Chance at Eden

Emo prick.

The few Autobots on Earth returned to Cybertron in the wake of Galvatron and D-Void's defeat. Though the war was over, Autobot High Command found themselves stuck with the thankless job of governing the many neutral Cybertronians returning home. Prowl coined the term Non-Aligned Indigenous Life-forms, or NAILs, for them, and they didn't like being ruled by the people who had ruined their world through war. When a riot took place, the Autobots were outnumbered 20-to-1 and Prowl had no choice but to release the captive Decepticons and have them lend a hand, though inhibitor/deterrence chips kept from using lethal force. Things got worse when Rodimus and Ultra Magnus announced that they were leaving Cybertron in search of the Knights of Cybertron when he needed them to deal with the neutrals. This caused Prowl to blow up in anger towards the neutrals, calling them arrogant and ungrateful cowards who did nothing during the war but now acted like they owned the planet. The Death of Optimus Prime

Contrary to Prowl's belief that nobody would willingly come with Rodimus, he managed to gather over 200 Autobots for his quest, including Chromedome. Prowl tried to convince him to stay as he truly needed his special abilities, but Chromedome refused as he'd rather leave his past behind. After a brief fit of anger, Prowl resorted to plan B, contacting his agents on board Rodimus's ship. How to Say Goodbye and Mean It He ordered them to place a tracker on its engines, though unfortunate events would lead to them to fail and be killed. The Chaos of Warm Things Prowl and Bumblebee watched the launch of the Lost Light be cut short when the ship disappeared in a sudden explosion. How to Say Goodbye and Mean It

Prick talking about how he hasn't gone soft.

Prowl was left handling the Decepticons, who were very harsh law enforcers and very unhappy about their imprisonment. After arresting Needlenose and Horri-Bull for assaulting a NAIL (and then arresting the NAIL for disturbing the peace), he took them back to the Decepticon pen and was confronted by Decepticon spokesman Ratbat, who demanded his faction be treated as equals. Believing him to have some sort of plan, Prowl reported his suspicions to Bumblebee and suggested they cancel the memorial service dedicated to Rodimus's crew, what with the large NAIL population being indifferent to the fate of their friends. He later discussed the matter of Ratbat with his secret weapon, Arcee, telling her that he was going to preserve the peace even if he had to do things he didn't want to do. The Autonomy Lesson He learned the truth soon enough when Starscream came to the Autobots and sold out Ratbat, telling Prowl that he planned to assassinate Bumblebee during the memorial service then stage a coup. Acting on this info, Prowl managed to stop Skywarp from sniping Bumblebee and leaving a NAIL to take the blame, and in the meantime sent Arcee to deal with Ratbat. Even though she mercilessly murdered the Decepticon, the two agreed afterwards that she had acted in self-defense and had no other choice. The World & Everything in It Prowl later addressed to the Decepticons in the wake of Ratbat's death, claiming that evidence suggested suicide. Starscream stepped in and backed the cover story, much to Prowl's discomfort. Very shortly thereafter, mysterious explosions began striking Cybertron, leading Prowl to believe the Decepticons were responsible. Metalhawk questioned this, adding in some cutting remarks about the war not being over for Prowl yet. Eventually Wheeljack figured out the origin of the explosions and that all parties were innocent in the matter. Much to Prowl's displeasure, Starscream came up with a plan to protect the civilians while Wheeljack ended the threat. When Starscream was granted a place in the new government thanks to his actions, Silverbolt became enraged and struck Prowl, who had tried to calm him down. Stick Together

Reports of this headshot may have been greatly exaggerated.

Starscream immediately began undermining Bumblebee's position in the new government, adding to Prowl's growing frustration. When the Decepticon Skydive was found murdered, Prowl saw to the investigation. While interrogating the only witness, Dirge, Prowl found a cerebro-shell implanted on the Decepticon, leading him to the conclusion that Bombshell was the murderer. Prowl and Arcee used the entranced Dirge to track Bombshell down, finding the Insecticon ensnaring another victim. After a scuffle where Prowl found out that Bombshell's I/D chip wasn't functioning, he ordered Blurr to pursue the fleeing suspect. Prowl and Arcee soon caught up and found Blurr being accosted by the Constructicons. While Arcee was ordered to save Blurr, Prowl kept on with his pursuit of Bombshell, eventually cornering him. When Bombshell refused to give him any information or the identity of any possible collaborators, a fed-up Prowl coldly executed the deranged Insecticon. The cerebro-shell fell off Dirge, and he witnessed the aftermath of Prowl's actions. Dirge managed to escape and Prowl ordered Arcee to pursue him while he dealt with the Constructicons. Utilizing a hidden override code on the I/D chips to overcome whatever was blocking the signal, Prowl activated their chips and disabled all five Constructicons at once. Later, an injured Blurr gave Prowl a piece of his mind for being ordered after Bombshell without backup, calling him "crazy" and "paranoid". Prowl ignored Blurr's concerns, and pointed out that there was something larger at play with the Decepticons, telling Bumblebee that they had to "take control" of this new era. Devisive

When the NAIL Sky-Byte arrived, Prowl kept close tabs with him along with Sideswipe. Later on, he was informed that Sky-Byte was having a secret meeting with the Decepticons and broke into their hiding place with Streetwise and Sideswipe and after a brief fight, managed to capture Sky-Byte and Needlenose. They were about to lynch them in public when Ironhide stopped Prowl after saying that it was a way to have a better future of equality for Autobot and Decepticon. When questioned the next day at Maccadam's Old Oil House of his new attitude, Ironhide said he had a vision that he and Alpha Trion were telling war stories on Gorlam Prime and that every Autobot and Decepticon by that time, were dead along with their old grudges. A Better Tomorrow

When the Decepticon captain Turmoil landed his ship on Cybertron, Prowl and his security forces were ordered in by Bumblebee to attack if necessary. When the order was given by Metalhawk, the Autobot forces stormed in to capture the Decepticons. Interference Patterns He was present when a Metrotitan appeared beneath Cybertron's surface and declared Starscream as the Cybertronian conqueror who would unite the planet. Primus: All Good Things

<---o The Verge

A short while later, Omega Supreme was bombed in a terror attack, and Prowl used the opportunity as pretense to arrest the Decepticons still working under Soundwave and Shockwave. To allow him to spirit the Decepticons away to secret captivity, Prowl had Arcee infiltrate their hideout, disable them with a special stasis bomb, and then planet explosives throughout the pen. Prowl then lead his public arrest force to the pen, where he purposely tripped the explosives to present the appearance that the Decepticons had booby-trapped their own base and had perished in the blast. The End of the Beginning of the World The blast left Prowl in a serious, although stable, condition, but he soon mysteriously disappeared from his CR chamber. A short while later, when Decepticons had begun rioting in response to Megatron's return, Prowl reappeared in an upgraded body, and shot Staxx to save Wheeljack, who had been corned by the angry mob. City on Fire He subsequently led the Autobot engineer to the Black Room, where the Decepticons Prowl had previously 'killed' were waiting, repaired and upgraded. Wheeljack was taken hostage, and soon the escaped Megatron arrived, with a stunned Starscream in tow. The Verge

Deva-prick? Prick-astator?

When a group of Autobots, joined by Metalhawk, Dirge and Swindle arrived at the Black Room, Prowl was holding Starscream and Wheeljack at gunpoint. The engineer tried to remind Bumblebee of what was "most important", but was shot through the head by his captor. Bombshell and Prowl revealed to their audience that the Autobot law enforcer had been taken by one of the Insecticon's mind control devices as he attempted to execute him, and had been a pawn of the Decepticons ever since. Bombshell also noted that Prowl had been easily controlled due to his memories already being damaged in some manner. With that concluded, Megatron declared that the Autobot had outlived his usefulness as a secret pawn, and announced that he would now become part of the next generation of Decepticon warrior. Briefly freed from Bombshell's influence, Prowl collapsed to the ground, aghast that his friends had never suspected his being controlled, but was suddenly wracked with pain as his body transformed against his will... into the head and shoulders of a reborn Devastator! The behemoth proceeded to attack the Autobot command center and snatch Sky High out of the air, before proceeding, under Bombshell's influence, to the med-center, where the highest concentration of Autobots was. Before the Dawn

The Prowl-Devastator remained conscious under Bombshell's control, but unable to direct his own actions. He was confronted by Ironhide's newly arrived Autobot gestalt, the former Aerialbots known as Superion, and battled the giant. Prowl-Devastator's mind temporarily shut down when Arcee revealed her true colors and executed Bombshell. The gestalt soon started back up again, however, as Prowl's mind interfaced with the Devastator gestalt and began willingly causing vast amounts of destruction. The Devastator-Prowl started rampaging again, completely out of Decepticon control, and tore his way through Superion. Plan for Everything

Ironhide managed to get through to Prowl inside Devastator's psyche, convincing him to stop the devastation. Prowl re-exerted control over himself and Devastator long enough to rip the gestalt's head from its shoulders, separating Prowl and the Constructicons back into their component parts. Undeterred, Megatron prepared to enter the Devastator gestalt personally with his new body. Luckily, Bumblebee deciphered Wheeljack's last words in time, and he, Prowl and Ironhide spoke the access code for Wheeljack's system bypass, reactivating the force field bubble the engineer had secretly implanted in Megatron's spark casing. Unfortunately for the Autobot government, however, the NAILs had had enough after this latest outbreak of warfare. Led by Starscream, they cast both Autobots and Decepticons out of new Iacon. Heavy Is the Head

Second Exodus Dark Dawn Black Metal

Notes

• James Roberts has said that pre-war Prowl and Chromedome had a, ah, "stronger bond" that just being partners. This would put their tension in the present day as more personal than we thought (and Rewind's constant insults against Prowl as being the new boyfriend having a go at the crappy ex).
• According to IDW story editor Andy Schmidt, Spotlight: Prowl was originally going to be told in the ongoing series . But when fans reacted badly to Prowl's characterization in the first issue of that series, IDW decided to jump the gun and publish the story early as a Spotlight. It is intended to reconcile his new, rashly self-sacrificial portrayal with the methodical, vehemently anti-hotheaded-maverick personality he had exhibited previously. But that reconciliation doesn't actually address the core concern of many of those upset fans, who wanted not just explanation, but reversion to the subversive schemer that Prowl had recently developed into. John Barber eventually saw fit to explain this snapback in "Devisive."
• Prowl's design in the first portion of Robots In Disguise is based on a concept drawing of War for Cybertron Bluestreak that never saw its way in to the game.