Thundercracker (G1)
| The name or term "Thundercracker" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Thundercracker (disambiguation). |
- Thundercracker is a Decepticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Thundercracker claims the skies as his arena. He looks down in contempt on those who cannot leave the ground — he considers them lesser beings. He will often attack the flightless beings below him for no other reason than to satisfy his scorn.
His superiority in this realm is the only thing he is sure of. Thundercracker is not entirely committed to the Decepticon cause, and even has some seemingly contradictory sympathy for the humans they terrorize. Fear of retribution from Megatron and the influence of his peers is usually enough to bury these doubts. Regardless, he needs constant reassurance from Skywarp and Starscream (which occasionally take the form of threats) that he's where he needs to be. Sometimes, his heart's just not in the job.
| “ | These creatures were never worthy adversaries. The Decepticons are forged through combat, not slaughter. | ” |
—Thundercracker, All Hail Megatron #12 | ||
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Marvel The Transformers comics
Thundercracker was one of Megatron's troops who attacked the Ark during its mission to clear a path for Cybertron through an asteroid field. Deactivated when the ark crashed on Earth, Thundercracker lay dormant for four million years until the Transformers awoke in 1984, at which point he was given the new alternate mode of an Earth jet. Soon after their revival, Thundercracker joined his fellow Decepticon fliers in battling the Autobots at a drive-in movie theater, but he and Starscream were sent packing when they got a taste of Cliffjumper's glass gas. The Transformers Thundercracker then participated in the Decepticon strike on the Harrison Nuclear Power Plant, heralding the assault with one of his ear-splitting sonic booms. After the villains constructed a base of operations from stolen portions of the power plant, they learned that the Autobots' new human ally Sparkplug Witwicky had developed a conversion process that would allow Earth fuels to be used by the Transformers. Thundercracker took part in the attack on Sparkplug's auto repair shop, and although he didn't fare too well in the battle, being blinded by one of Sideswipe's flares, the skirmish ended with the successful abduction of the human. Power Play!
While Sparkplug was put to work brewing his conversion formula for the Decepticons, Thundercracker, Starscream, and Skywarp were dispatched to England to investigate a Cybertronian signal that they soon discovered was emanating from an spaceship that had crashed there centuries before. Reports of this mission are contradictory; one account had Thundercracker seriously wounded by a bomb from Bluestreak during an early attack on the Autobots, but another stated that Thundercracker crashed to the ground after his sensors were scrambled by the Autobot Mirage, and still another identified him as the killer of the craft's occupant, the Man of Iron. Man of Iron Returning to America, the three jets were then unleashed upon the human military forces who attempted a hopeless attack on the Decepticons' base. The Autobots soon joined the fray, but while Thundercracker and his comrades took potshots at them, they failed to realise that Gears and Spider-Man were using the battle as cover to sneak through and rescue Sparkplug. Prisoner of War!
When Starscream fired upon his teammate Ravage for eavesdropping on his plot to overthrow Megatron, Thundercracker teamed up with Skywarp to capture the Decepticon Air Commander. Starscream argued for a trial by a combat, and subsequently manipulated the proceedings to suggest treachery by the Autobots, prompting the Decepticons to forget his misdoings and launch a vengeful attack on the Ark. The Enemy Within! That battle was ended prematurely when Auntie, the Ark's computer system, magnetized the walls, immobilizing both factions. Raiders of the Last Ark Also around this time, Thundercracker helped transport energy gathered from a Decepticon raid on Boulder Dam Decepticon Dam-Busters! and joined Skywarp in making a strafing run on Autobot spies Jazz and Sunstreaker as they attempted to scout the Decepticons' base. Jazz was deafened and blasted off the road, but Sunstreaker led them into the human military encampment around the base, prompting Megatron to call them off, not wanting the humans' to interfere with his operations just yet. ...Perchance to Dream
Refuelled with fuel created through Sparkplug's conversion formula, Thundercracker was one of the first Decepticons to enter what promised to be the final battle with the Autobots, jetting into their volcano headquarters and using his sonic booms to bring parts of the mountain down around them. Little did Thundercracker and his fellows know, Sparkplug had poisoned the formula, causing them all to collapse at the climax of fight. The Last Stand Decepticon logician Shockwave then took command of the crippled Decepticon forces and the Ark shortly thereafter and nursed Thundercracker and his comrades back to full health. The New Order They all swore loyalty to Shockwave after he defeated Megatron in combat. The Worse of Two Evils!
Following the disappearance of both Megatron and Shockwave, the Decepticons fell under Soundwave's leadership, and Thundercracker aided in his plan to capture Bumblebee for use as bait in a trap for Optimus Prime. Though Thundercracker's initial sonic attack disoriented Prime, Autobot leader soon overpowered all three Decepticon jets. Crisis of Command! Breaking away from Soundwave, Thundercracker and his fellow jets returned to the Blackrock oil rig, but soon found their makeshift base surrounded by government forces, leaving them trapped for weeks. Shockwave returned to help them make their getaway, then charged the trio with using a power siphon to convert sound energy from a Brick Springhorn concert into more cubes. They were bested in the attempt by the Autobots. Rock and Roll-Out! Later, Thundercracker may have helped Shockwave attempt to capture and brainwash Bumblebee into a Decepticon, or it might have been Skywarp. It's hard to tell. Plight of the Bumblebee!
The scattered Decepticon forces were then re-integrated when Thundercracker, his fellow jets, and Shockwave were brought to the new base the returned Megatron had established in Wyoming. The Bridge to Nowhere! Back together, they all staged a petty attack on a human settlement, during which they found their circuits affected by the personality-reversing PARD. To a Power Unknown! At Megatron's command, Thundercracker was part of a Decepticon unit who headed out to welcome new troops who had crossed the space bridge from Cybertron. No sooner had they discovered that the new arrivals were actually Autobots than they were alerted by Shockwave to a full-scale Autobot attack on their base. Believing that this meant the Ark was undefended, Megatron had his unit attack it instead, only for them to run afoul of the Ark's powerful new guardian, Omega Supreme. The mighty Omega deactivated most of the Decepticons, Thundercracker included, and their bodies were imprisoned in stasis by the Autobots. Command Performances! Thundercracker's imprisonment did not last too long, however; a malfunction in Starscream's stasis capsule allow him to escape, and before fleeing the Ark, he set Thundercracker and Frenzy's capsules to revive them. Awakening to find themselves in a nearly-empty Ark, the confused pair wandered back to the Decepticon base, which they found to be just as deserted, save for an ill-tempered Shockwave. Before the three could take stock of the situation, they were temporarily mass-displaced to the interdimensional realm of Limbo when Hot Rod, Kup and Blurr time-jumped from 2006. Target: 2006 During their brief stay in this strange twilight realm, the three Decepticons—along with Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Ratchet— were drawn into a conflict between the peaceful Cloran and the forces of the evil Zenag, which was ultimately revealed to be only an illusion created by Limbo's native parasites. Distant Thunder!
Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Starscream took over a power station near the Charlton hotel on the East Coast, imprisoning the plant's workers and converting its output into energon cubes with a power siphon. They were interrupted in this endeavour by Danny Phillips, who had encountered Transformers before and believed that they were all as good as the Autobots. Danny was disabused of this notion when Skywarp seized him and was about to put him in the energy cage with the others when he was interrupted by the arrival of Jetfire and the Aerialbots. Firing into the stack of energon cubes before teleporting out of the power plant, Thundercracker and Skywarp escaped back to the Decepticon fortress in the confusion caused by the ensuing explosion. The Return of the Transformers
Years later, Thundercracker was serving under the new leader of the Earth-based Decepticons, Ratbat. He was part of the large platoon of Decepticons that assumed battle stations in response to the approach of rival Decepticon leader Scorponok's faction upon their iceberg base. Cold War! Ratbat and Scorponok soon had to put their difference aside and join their forces with the Autobots to combat the Underbase-powered Starscream; Thundercracker and Skywarp confronted Starscream in Tokyo, but their former flying partner destroyed them with a wave of his cosmically-empowered hand. Dark Star
Marvel Generation 2 comic
Thundercracker had been reactivated by the time Megatron returned to resume leadership of the Decepticons, and participated in a major offensive against Earth's human population, destroying military jets with his sonic booms and putting up with Starscream's chattering. Tales of Earth, Part Three The Decepticons subsequently raided the planet Tykos, where Megatron ordered Starscream and Thundercracker to begin loading stolen canisters of the planets Rheanimum gas. Thundercracker was happy to oblige, but Starscream silently mocked his obsequence. New Dawn
The Autobots and the Decepticons later forged an alliance against the Cybertronian Empire, but the Deceptions initially declined to help when the Autobots went to the planet Ethos to battle a Cybertronian raiding party there. The Autobots were almost defeated, until Thudercracker and the rest of the Decepticon army arrrived to help. For Thundercracker's part, he and the rest of the Decepticons' fliers aided the Aerialbots in the skies above the battlefield. Escalation!
As the united Autobots and Decepticons gathered on Earth to face the approaching Swarm, a Seeker that may or may not have been Thundercracker appeared among the throng of 'bots. A Rage in Heaven!
Classics
His body recovered from Tokyo by Megatron, Thundercracker was restored to life and upgraded Seeker schematics designed by Shockwave. Unable to bring himself to serve among Megatron's Earth-based Decepticons alongside Starscream, the bot who had killed him, Thundercracker contemplated abandoning the war all together, but ultimately decided to join Bludgeon's space-based Decepticon faction, along with his fellow fliers Dirge and Thrust. Though the hatred he bore Starscream was without question, against his better nature, Thundercracker did occasionally find himself feeling nostlagic for the old days when he, Starscream, and Skywarp fought side-by-side. Classics Thundercracker's bio
Thundercracker soon fell victim to a mind-controlling cerebro-shell, which placed him under the control of Bug Bite alongside several other unfortunate Decepticons (including Weirdwolf, whose odd manner of speech Thundercracker found extremely frustrating). Bug Bite brought his thralls to Earth, deliberately allowing Megatron's Decepticons to detect their arrival; when Starscream, Skywarp, and Ramjet approached them, Thundercracker and the others were puppeteered into firing more cerebro-shells at them, allowing Bug Bite to take control of them as well. Bug Bite used his small army in an attempt to control Megatron, but interference courtesy of a team of Autobots led by Ultra Magnus resulted in Thundercracker and the others all being freed him from his influence. Games of Deception
Subsequently, Thundercracker was apparently willing to put aside his animosity towards Starscream in order to serve under his glorious leader once more. When Megatron staged an attack on Bludgeon, he placed Thundercracker in command of one of the three warships. At Fight's End
Regeneration One
Following his demise at Starscream's hands Thundercracker was resurrected as part of Megatron's zombie army of "Ex-Bots" and put to work conquering the Earth. As Buster and Jessie attempted to escape the slaughter, Thundercracker hunted them down; they evaded his fire and took cover in a car wash, where Ratbat found and exterminated them. Less Than Zero
In 2012, when the Wreckers Sandstorm, Springer and Whirl attempted to rescue the captive Kup from Megatron, Skywarp teleported himself and Thundercracker onto the scene to ambush the Autobots. Loose Ends, Part 4 After Megatron's defeat, all of the deactivated zombies were piled into a large pit by the Autobots and obliterated from orbit. Natural Selection, Part One
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: John Stephenson (English), Wally Burr (English, "War Dawn"), Yutaka Shimaka (Japanese), Minoru Inaba (Japanese, The Movie), Liu Qin (Chinese), Jacques Ferrière (French), Isidro Olace (American Spanish), Peter Musäus (German, Season 1), Imo Heite (German, Season 2), Thomas Albus (German, Generation 2 Season 1), Willy Schäfer (German, Generation 2, "Atlantis, Arise!"), Ulf Jürgen Söhmisch (German, Generation 2, "Roll for It")
In the early days of the Decepticon rebellion, Thundercracker and Skywarp both faced the powerful protectors of Cybertron's cities, the Guardian robots. According to Thundercracker, he was often not very successful. War Dawn
Thundercracker was one of Megatron's elite warriors, participating in the attack on the Autobot spacecraft and joining the rest of the Earth-bound Transformers in their several-million-year nap under an inactive volcano. He awoke when the rest of the Decepticons did, and took part in their attempts to gather energon and escape the planet Earth, which he loathed for being too "flat". It was he and Reflector who spotted the first "potential Autobot", when in fact they had discovered the planet's native inhabitants, two humans, in a non-sentient vehicle. More than Meets the Eye, Part 1
Megatron took the Decepticons to Sherman Dam, a major source of energy. The Autobots, upon discovering their plot, soon arrived to prevent their ambition from becoming reality. Thundercracker and Skywarp fought off Mirage and Cliffjumper, only for Mirage to make a recovery and send the two Seekers off the bridge they were standing on. They were at least able to recover in time to escape with the rest of the group once Megatron had knocked Optimus Prime into the rushing river nearby. Though Thundercracker assisted in filling the energon cubes, Starscream wasted a huge amount of energon testing it with a cannon. The Decepticons were then forced to make two stops: one at the ruby crystal mines of Burma, and another hunting for rocket fuel. Thundercracker and a handful of generics painted like him were among the strike force headed for the Crystal Mines. While there, he pushed a cart of these gems with Skywarp, talking to Skywarp about his dislike for Earth, something Skywarp agreed with. They just barely avoided noticing Bumblebee and his ally Sparkplug Witwicky, who had come to investigate. The two set a bomb, but ran into the two Seekers on their way back out. Thundercracker attacked them until they were on the ground, Skywarp proposing that they give them as a present to Megatron. The bomb went off almost immediately afterward, burying the Decepticons and their enemies, so this did not come to be. More than Meets the Eye, Part 2
"The same thing we do every day, Skywarp... try to take over the world!"
Both parties managed to escape safely, and Thundercracker went with the other Decepticons (save for Megatron) to a rocket fuel base, where Thundercracker made his mark by destroying a couple of tanks. The Autobots arrived to stop them, with Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Laserbeak unleashing an aerial assault upon Cliffjumper and Wheeljack. During the brawl, Megatron called Thundercracker and the other troops to the space cruiser to return to Cybertron. However, a surprise attack from Mirage grounded their plans, literally and metaphorically. More than Meets the Eye, Part 3
This would not be the end of the Decepticons, however. The crashed Victory was rebuilt into a fortress, from which they made another assault looking for energon. Thundercracker participated in many other attacks following this, also witnessing Megatron's disappearance in a space bridge accident, Transport to Oblivion and being part of the attack on a hydroelectric power generator along with Soundwave and Starscream, who declared himself leader in Megatron's absence. Though a group of Autobots came to stop them, Thundercracker bashed the charging Cliffjumper with a pillar from the building. The energon cubes they were making were destroyed, and Soundwave suggested that the squad should retreat. As they escaped, Thundercracker criticized Starscream's leader capabilities, going on to praise Megatron when he revealed himself to have survived. Starscream took his squad (and Skywarp) to an airplane factory for spare parts, but while Thundercracker was having his wings reattached, Bluestreak and Prowl crashed the party. The Seekers shot at the Autobots, but Chip Chase took control of the injured Prowl and had him unleash a spectacular assault forcing Starscream's squad to escape. However, they made a quick stop at Chip's house and abducted him, taking him to Dr. Alcazar's lab where the other Decepticons were. They extracted the antimatter formula from his brain, making them stronger. Thundercracker was unable to kill the now-useless Chip, as Autobots interrupted and took him back. The next morning, after leaving the lab, Sunstreaker used his jet judo on the antimatter-powered Thundercracker, but Starscream thwarted this plan. Thundercracker was then ordered to give Megatron the antimatter cubes, transforming him into "the most powerful weapon of all". This plan was a failure, and the Decepticons had no choice but to get away. Roll for It
Thundercracker again joined his fellow Seekers in raiding a factory for energy and heavily damaging Optimus Prime, who had been called in by Chip. When more Autobots showed up, Megatron ordered the Seekers to escape with the energon cubes rather than fighting them. At the end of the day, Thundercracker participated in a battle in front of Autobot Headquarters, where he was punched down by Huffer immediately as he landed. When Megatron suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of a recovered Optimus Prime, Starscream smugly instructed everybody to take Megatron back for repairs. Divide and Conquer Following this, Thundercracker witnessed the rebirth of Starscream's former colleague Skyfire Fire in the Sky and was shot down by Slag during a mission at the Great Falls. S.O.S. Dinobots
One of the few things he seemed to loathe even more than the world he was stranded on was the attitude of his commander, Starscream. Thundercracker often started fights with the Air Commander, usually over whether or not Megatron's latest plan was a waste of time (Thundercracker took Megatron's side). At one point, Thundercracker's distaste for "that geeky Starscream" became so strong that he was willing to let Skyfire destroy one of the Decepticons' greatest weapons, just in the hopes that Starscream would get blamed for it! Fire on the Mountain Despite these brushes with treachery, however, Thundercracker just never had it in him to do anything more than complain about his fellow Decepticons.
Thundercracker and the other Seekers helped haul an unstable meteor back for the Decepticons, War of the Dinobots and the Seekers next attacked a solar plant located in India as a diversion so Megatron could continue his plan. When Skywarp and Starscream began arguing over the effectiveness of the plan, Thundercracker merely kept his mouth shut. The Autobots came to rescue Sparkplug, going to the underwater base to do so. During this underwater battle, Thundercracker sent a missile at Bumblebee, only for Bumblebee to direct it back at him. He was next doing some work on a large space bridge for Megatron, one that would bring Cybertron into Earth's orbit and create devastating weather. The Ultimate Doom, Part 1 Starscream ordered Thundercracker to use his flamethrower against the Autobots, and despite Thundercracker's protests saying that the wind is too strong, Starscream wouldn't give in. Thundercracker turned out to be correct, and his fire ended up scorching to two Seekers instead, something Jazz and Trailbreaker found humorous. The Ultimate Doom, Part 2 When the other Decepticons noticed that Megatron had left for Cybertron by himself, Thundercracker was in hot pursuit. The Ultimate Doom, Part 3 Thundercracker was the straight man when Skywarp, Rumble, and Frenzy were bickering when they should have been working. Though he was as surprised as everybody else when Megatron arrived, perfectly healthy, to shut everybody up, Thundercracker was willing to go with Megatron when he discovered Starscream and Dr. Arkeville's plot. Countdown to Extinction
Megatron took Soundwave and Thundercracker to Bali after giant insects were reported in the area. When Ravage showed them to a Decepticon escape pod disguised as a hollow rock, Thundercracker deduced that the giant insects were Decepticons who came to Earth and scanned insects as alternate modes. This group met up with the Insecticons, and Shrapnel requested that they help defeat the group of Autobots challenging them, to which they agreed. When reinforcement Autobots came in, Megatron ordered the Decepticons (Insecticons included) to head for the oil refinery to rest up. The Insecticons separated, with the rest going to the refinery, where Thundercracker poured oil from the pipes into Soundwave's energon cubes, and brought more cubes when Rumble requested them. A visitor soon showed up, and Thundercracker joined in giving him a "warm welcome". Other Autobots arrived, with Brawn, Wheeljack and Optimus Prime being forced to dive into the water to avoid a "Shrapnel grenade". Thundercracker used his flamethrower on the trio of Autobots, who avoided it and retaliated by swimming underwater and then pushing up the dock Thundercracker was standing on, throwing him into his own inferno. He retreated with the rest of his group to follow the fleeing Insecticons. A Plague of Insecticons
Megatron used the power chip rectifiers taken from the other Decepticons in his one-on-one battle against Optimus Prime. Thundercracker contributed his, allowing Megatron to use ear-splitting sonic booms. After the battle, the Autobots went back to base so Optimus could recover, where they discovered the Decepticons' plan. After distracting and threatening them with a hologram, the Autobots shot at their enemies until they fell down the crevice, into the lava below. Heavy Metal War
Thundercracker obviously survived his fall with the rest of his group, as he was around for attacks on Air Force rocket bases, and on the hunt for Autobot X, Autobot Spike and was with the other Decepticons in Africa, but at the end of the day, he was sent flying into a tree by Ratchet. When the solar needle situation became dire, causing the sun to come close to self-destruction, Thundercracker was smart enough to fly away, the first Decepticon to do so. Changing Gears He was also part of an aerial strike force bombarding the Autobots as they attempted to recover Optimus Prime's right arm from the Decepticons' fortress in New Cybertron. City of Steel
Along with the other Seekers, Thundercracker attacked Autobot Headquarters as a diversion so Megatron could insert a device into the base's recharging chamber that would turn the Autobots evil. Notably, Thundercracker's blasts created a landslide that stopped Prowl in his tracks. He was later boarding a rocket that would hopefully take the Decepticons back to Cybertron, but the Autobots, who had become good again, damaged the fuel tanks and forced the Decepticons to jump ship. Attack of the Autobots Thundercracker was seen with the other Decepticons, shooting at Optimus Prime when he came for their electro-cells, Traitor and was among those who came to steal Wheeljack's Immobilizer. The Immobilizer
When the Autobots became trapped in their vehicle modes thanks to the transfixatron, Thundercracker blasted Optimus Prime and Ironhide and overheated them. He also helped Starscream bring out the Decepticon body shell, and then attempted (and failed) to kill an Earthcrawler with an overdue termination. The Autobot Run
After Soundwave's discovery of an underwater city, Thundercracker and the other Decepticons went to go plunder it for energy. When they discovered a new ally, Thundercracker worked on some technology that would hopefully raise his submerged city. Although he was skeptical about working with them, he had to go along anyway as part of a larger plan. He was then among the Seekers who menaced a squad of Autobots when they came to check out the situation. When Sub-Atlantica had risen to the water's surface and floated towards Washington, D.C., Thundercracker entered the city with his fellow Decepticons. Though he and Skywarp threatened Hound and Prowl from above, Brawn held Thundercracker with a hooked rope so Optimus Prime could blast him out of the sky. Atlantis, Arise!
The three Seekers tore the roof off the building where Dr. Fujiyama, the famous scientist unveiled his new robot Nightbird, with Thundercracker and Starscream promptly transporting Nightbird to the Decepticons' temporary base. Later, Megatron considered replacing Starscream with the now-reprogrammed Nightbird. Starscream threw a fit and Megatron told Thundercracker and Skywarp to hold him back before Soundwave and Bombshell trapped him in a force field. Megatron led the Decepticons (minus Starscream) to retrieve Nightbird's World Energy Chip, but Starscream escaped and shot her with his null-ray in yet another act of treachery. Megatron sent the other Decepticons to catch the traitor, allowing the Autobots to collect it. Enter the Nightbird
When the Autobots were investigating a mysterious source of energy in a crevice, the Seekers attacked Optimus Prime. Thundercracker charged at Optimus, only to be grabbed and thrown to the ground. Much later, as part of a ploy by Megatron, Thundercracker was surprised to hear "Starscream" announce for everybody to hold their fire, as he had an Autobot in his very hands and could kill him. Starscream shut him up by repeating the order. But when Starscream explained his plan to fight "Optimus Prime", Thundercracker went along with it and was the one who announced the start of the match. A Prime Problem On a later mission, he ambushed the Autobots from above, only to be swatted away by an Autobot-controlled Devastator. The Core He was subsequently around at the mission to Nova Power Plant, firing at the Autobots and a group of helicopter-piloting humans. At Iron Mountain, the Insecticons managed to enslave Thundercracker and the other Seekers. However, when the now enormous-sized Shrapnel exploded, it also deactivated the cerebro-shells that had taken over the Seekers, and they were returned to normal. The Insecticon Syndrome When Laserbeak reported a strange, prehistoric island chock-full of energon sources to Megatron, he brought a team of Decepticons with him, Thundercracker helping to fill up the energon cubes. Dinobot Island, Part 1 Thundercracker also assisted in repelling both Autobots on the island and the island's monsters, only to be run over by a stampede. Dinobot Island, Part 2 Next, he and the other jets came to a ravine to get a few shots in at the Autobots. This failed when Smokescreen used his eponymous ability to blind them. Auto Berserk
He was also around to assist the Decepticons in recovering the wreck of the Nemesis, which had crashed in South America. He also got completely smashed when the Decepticons went on an energon binge. Microbots He also disguised himself as an Autobot as part of a Decepticon plan to frame the Autobots. When the plan worked, he and the others witnessed the Autobots' banishment from Earth. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1 Thundercracker and Skywarp supervised the humans filling up energon cubes at a power plant, and he later took part in attacking a squad of fighter jets that had come for the Decepticons, only for them to be overwhelmed by the Autobots, who had returned from their banishment. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2
When Spike, Carly, and Bumblebee went to the airport to pick up Sparkplug, Spike thought it was suspicious that brightly coloured military jets were at a commercial location such as theirs. Surely enough, they turned out to be Thundercracker and Thrust, and the hangar that they flew into was a new Decepticon base. However, the Dinobots showed up to stop them, and Snarl dispatched the Seekers by tripping them with barrels. Next, Swoop bombed Thundercracker and Thrust, causing them to crash into the base and destroy it. Slag then sent the two of them flying into an airplane, Thundercracker cushioning Thrust's fall. He got better, and later helped fill energon cubes, and by shooting Mirage, asserted to him that he was not, in fact, invisible. However, Thundercracker did not laugh for long, as his Cybertonium deteriorated and rendered him incapable of transformation. Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1
Thundercracker, Starscream, and Megatron went to go steal Professor Haley's Voltronic Galaxer, after which they then boarded Astrotrain with the device and headed to the moon. After capturing a pair of intruders, Megatron ordered Starscream and Thundercracker to return to Earth while the galaxer did its work interrupting Earth's radiowaves. As Optimus Prime was directing traffic at an airport, Thundercracker and Starscream unleashed a surprise assault that damaged Powerglide and Prime. Blaster Blues When Starscream tackled Megatron after returning from Camelot, Thundercracker arrived to see what was going on. A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court
Thundercracker and Skywarp also worked as guards for the Decepticons, ensuring that Perceptor and Seaspray didn't attempt to attack those who had captured them. When a lagoon full of electrum was discovered, Thundercracker and the other Decepticons took a dive and became invulnerable, showing off their power against the Autobots. He also came on the quest to topple Omega Supreme, but when he and Skywarp went to go retrieve a prisoner at the base, he was defeated. The Decepticons attempted to attack the now electrum-powered Autobots at the lagoon, but their electrum began to wear off and Thundercracker was shot down and they were forced to retreat. The Golden Lagoon Thundercracker assisted in guarding the Decepticons' base in the Pine Barrens, Make Tracks and came to a valley that was full of Morphobots. He went into hiding when an Autobot convoy arrived, and didn't do much else except retreat. Quest for Survival
When Astrotrain declared himself leader of the Decepticons, Thundercracker snarked at the idea, and it certainly didn't help when Astrotrain's "troops" got themselves in a mess. He barely escaped with his fellow jets when one of the troops accidentally created a flood. He later made a bet with Thrust and Ramjet (four energon cubes!) over whether or not Megatron will prevail over the rebellious Triple Changers and Devastator. Triple Takeover
Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker had held several humans hostage, so it was only natural they would find the Aerialbots on their tails. Thundercracker got in a dogfight with Fireflight and Slingshot, and he emerged as the loser, returning to Cybertron for repairs. On Cybertron, the three Seekers caught up with the Aerialbots again, but they were calmed when Air Raid announced that he simply wanted to talk. Starscream saw this as an opportunity to trick the Aerialbots, but the remaining Autobots discovered their plan. The Seekers tried to ward them off, but Ironhide crashed into them. Eventually, the Decepticons discovered a guardian robot from Cybertron's past, which Thundercracker recalled as "giving them a pounding in the old days". When the Autobots repaired the time machine that had sent the Aerialbots to the past, the Decepticons attacked them with a guardian robot. When it was destroyed by Superion, they retreated. War Dawn Thundercracker and Skywarp were guarding a space bridge when Starscream flew in and requested to go to Cybertron. The two of them refused to let anybody through without proper authorization, leading Starscream to aim his gun directly in Skywarp's face. They reluctantly let him through. Thundercracker took part in the assault on the traitorous Starscream and his warriors, the Combaticons. Starscream's Brigade
He and Dirge were instructed by Megatron to transport some energon cubes to the space bridge. He was then sent to Cybertron via space bridge with the other Decepticons and the Autobots, who had temporarily made an alliance in order to stop Starscream. The Revenge of Bruticus Finally, he took part attacking Autobot Headquarters and Defensor. B.O.T.
Thundercracker was present for the Decepticon assault on Autobot City in 2005, and was among the Decepticons gunned down by Optimus Prime. After the battle, Astrotrain transported the Decepticons away, but requested that some dead weight should be jettisoned. The injured Thundercracker, along with Skywarp and the Insecticons, were tossed out of Astrotrain following a decidedly stacked vote.
That was not, however, entirely the end of Thundercracker's story. Unicron was waiting in space for a chance like this, and when the newly reborn Galvatron needed some new troops to command, Thundercracker was among the old Decepticons used as raw materials. His body was used to create Scourge. The Transformers: The Movie
Later Octane would show concern when he ran into a Decepticon Crypt to hide from Cyclonus, the Sweeps, and Scourge and found a statue of Thundercracker there. After apologizing for the intrusion, Octane decided it would be better to hide behind someone else's statue. 
Starscream's Ghost
Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity
Cloud
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers story pages
Thundercracker was one of the Decepticons who attacked New York City in the early days of their war on Earth. When the Autobots arrived, the jets took on Jazz while Inferno and Ratchet tried to fight the fire they had started. Broadcasting on TV! Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers
When Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Reflector raided a human space center to steal energy from a shuttle launch, their efforts were impeded by Sideswipe, Red Alert and Inferno. While Reflector made off with a few cubes, Thundercracker and buddy engaged the two Lamborghini Autobots in mid-air combat. Story page #3 Thundercracker and the other Decepticons jets later battled Optimus Prime and the Aerialbots in Egypt. Story page #10
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers story pages
Under orders from Megatron, Thundercracker accompanied Starscream and Skywarp in an energy raid on Tokyo. They succeeded in bombing pedestrians and children until Optimus Prime and a unit of Autobot vehicles arrived. Though a Decepticon victory seemed assured when they unleashed Menasor on their foes, their strategy was undone when the Autobots drove up a ramp at top speed, transformed to vehicle mode and punched everybody in the face. Thundercracker was forced to retreat. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #1
Thundercracker later took part in an all-out assault on Autobot Headquarters in Arizona. The attack was nothing more than a diversion so Soundwave could go do unspecified stuff in Japan and the Decepticons were eventually defeated and driven off. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #2
Scramble City: Mobilization
When the Decepticons succeeded in locating the construction site of the Autobots' Scramble City project, Thundercracker joined Starscream, Skywarp and the Constructicons in an attack on the hidden facility. They were met by an Autobot contingent led by Optimus Prime and a firefight ensued. The Aerialbots soon arrived to back up Prime's team, and a barrage of fire from them sent Thundercracker and the rest into retreat. Scramble City: Mobilization
Full Throttle Scramble Power!
When Megatron held the world hostage with his Omega Whip cannon, Thundercracker joined numerous other Decepticons in raiding the Earth's various energy resources. Full Throttle Scramble Power!
The Battle of the Star Gate
Thundercracker was amongst the Decepticons who attacked the Trigger as it neared completion. They took it over easily, thanks in part to the human collaborator, Trov. One human, Makoto, had been overlooked by the Decepticons however, and managed to pin down Thundercracker and the rest of the group under Megatron’s command in the Trigger's rail room with a powerful electromagnetic field. Thundercracker was almost sent hurdling to the farthest side of the galaxy by the Trigger, but a blast from Megatron's fusion cannon disabled the portal. Then the Autobots showed up, and the two factions began their battle aboard the space station. The Decepticons lost the fight and fled. First Contact
Thundercracker was amongst the Decepticons Megatron brought to the Trigger to confront two Starscreams, one from the present, one from the future, who were in the middle of conspiring against the Decepticon leader. When Starscream combined himself with the Trigger to create a powerful new body for himself, Thundercracker had to contend with the volley of asteroids thrown towards both Autobots and Decepticons from Starscream’s star gate. He was then almost sucked into a portal to a black hole when Starscream neared defeat, but was instead sent plummeting down to Earth when Optimus and Megatron worked together to defeat Starscream. The Battle of the Star Gate
Robotmasters online comic
When a variety of time-displaced Autobots and Decepticons arrived on Earth in 2004, Thundercracker took part in the three-day final battle at Autobot Headquarters over the last of the solitarium on the planet. He, Skywarp, and Starscream took on Lio Convoy during the fight, but the Autobots ultimately triumphed. And Then
The Headmasters cartoon
In a flashback to the early days of the Transformers' war on Earth, Thundercracker could be seen joining his comrades in an attack on the Autobots that resulted in the death of Optimus Prime. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky
Macrocosmic Seekers
In 2010, Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge were captured by the alien Seeker, who used his powers over space and time to revert them to the moment of their transformation by Unicron, intending to freeze them in this transitional state and study their recreation. Inadvertently liberated by the Junkion Scrapheap, the Decepticons' remained in this flux-state for a period of time; in Scourge's case, his mind and body had partially reverted to being Thundercracker. Time to Move
