Predacon (Prime)
| The name or term "Predacon" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Predacon (disambiguation). |
- The Predacons are an ancient Cybertronian race from the Aligned continuity family.
The Predacons are a race of ancient Cybertronian beasts. Originally led by the one called "the Predaking", the ancient Predacons were the largest Cybertronians to be born from the Well of All Sparks, emerging from its depths on the final day of the genesis of Cybertron's biosphere. Enormous, savage, and draconic in form, these creatures were once among the mightiest beings on Cybertron, second only to the last surviving members of the Thirteen. While other inhabitants of prehistoric Cybertron learned to extract Energon from the ground, the Predacons hunted other Cybertronians for their energon, draining their prey's Energon and cycling the metallic remains out of their system. However, tragedy struck their kind during a disaster known as the Great Cataclysm, in which dire circumstances rendered the entire race extinct.
In more recent times, however, the Decepticon scientist Shockwave has discovered the trick to cloning the ancient beasts from preserved CNA samples found in fossilized Predacon remains. Finding successful results, Shockwave's efforts have given birth to new iterations of these ancient beasts—such as the new Predaking—who have evolved beyond the originals, learning even how to transform! Furthermore, Shockwave's experiments have even extended to splicing the CNA samples into normal Cybertronians, leading to hybrids like his devout disciple Ser-Ket.
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Members of the original race include:
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Present day members/clones include: |
Transformers Go! Predacons: |
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Kre-O Predacons: |
Bot Shots Predacons:
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Fiction
The Covenant of Primus
Several days after the ignition of the Well, Predaking emerged, the first and most powerful Predacon. He was followed shortly afterwards by Twinstrike and Lazerback. The Well continued creating new Predacons every so often, and soon they had assumed a niche at the very top of the primitive Cybertronian food web. Although they were intelligent and capable of speech, they adhered to primitive lifestyles; they competed with one another for food and territory in savage duels, and fed off other life forms indiscriminately. They even terrorized the young Transformer race until Prima intervened.
When the Great Cataclysm struck Cybertron, the Predacons were among the first groups to succumb to the maddening electromagnetic radiation. Most of them fell into an irradiated frenzy, blindly attacking one another until they expired. Predaking, Lazerback, and Twinstrike managed to ride out the worst of the disaster by entering stasis lock, but never managed to re-awaken after the Cataclysm.
Millions of years later, after the Great Exodus, Shockwave studied schematics of the Pedacons and incorporated some of their traits into the Dinobots, such as the ability to breathe fire. The Covenant of Primus
IDW Aligned comics
The Predacons had been extinct for eons, but in the period after the Ark and Nemesis left Cybertron, Shockwave learned how to clone the creatures. One such clone was Backbite, who was subsequently put at the disposal of Shockwave's disciples, the Forged. When Ultra Magnus had his craft shot down during the final Autobot evacuation of the planet, the Forged leader Ser-Ket dispatched Backbite and a number of soldiers to retrieve the enemy commander. They were successful, and Backbite even managed to return with an extra prisoner in the form of the Dinobot Swoop, whose team had also been investigating the crash. Rage of the Dinobots #1
Prime cartoon
The Predacons once ruled Cybertron but became extinct at the beginning of Cybertronian history, in an apocalyptic wipe-out known as the Great Cataclysm. Evolution During the Great War, Shockwave cloned a small army of Predacons which Megatron of the Decepticons sent to Earth to destroy Autobots and look for energon. After eliminating the Autobot presence on the planet, the Predacons stood a long vigil on Earth where they awaited the arrival of Megatron but ultimately perished where their fossilized bodies were buried at various points around the world. In time, the Predacons entered in human legends as various mythological monsters though the true nature of the creatures remained a mystery to the inhabitants of Earth, and was eventually forgotten. Project Predacon Many years later, Shockwave discovered more fossilized remains from which he was able to extract cybernucleic acid and begin the process of cloning the ancient beasts once again. Prey
After suffering a setback with his space bridge work, leaving him stranded on Cybertron, Shockwave restarted his experiments and cloned a new Predacon. He activated it after rejoining Megatron's forces on Earth. Scattered The new Predacon proved formidable in battle against the Autobots Prey though it proved susceptible to the cold of the Arctic. Rebellion. Following the destruction of Darkmount, the Decepticons began searching for the remains of Shockwave's earlier batch of clones, aided by the fact that the scientist had micro-chipped them. Bombshock obtained a Predacon bone in a cave while Shockwave and Soundwave succeeded in retrieving another bone in New Mexico. Project Predacon
The original Predacon eventually broke free of his icy slumber and returned to the Decepticon warship. However he immediately become the source of abuse from Starscream, even when the Predacon tried to kill him numerous times. The Predacon was later assigned to find another bone and proved very efficient in hunting the bone as well as engaging the Wreckers. Chain of Command Despite their track record, the Decepticons eventually lost a Predacon spinal cord bone to Wheeljack and Arcee, though Knock Out was able to obtain one to make up. Later on the Nemesis hull the Predacon was further abused by Starscream and showed have an increasing intelligence level, accessing a computer to research about itself. Plus One
"No. This is how you play God."
When Shockwave's cloning process neared fruition, the existing Predacon revealed that he had developed intelligence and discovered the ability to transform. Nominating himself leader of the future Predacons, the Predacon, renaming himself "Predaking", affirmed his loyalty to Megatron. The Decepticons however were suspicious that the Predacons would turn on them, so they arranged for the Autobots to find and destroy the cloning facility, knowing that it would strengthen their alliance with Predaking. Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack indeed found the lab and destroyed the lab, killing the awakening Predacons and enraging Predaking. As a robot Predaking appeared to be slightly weaker but still proved a very capable warrior, able to crush Magnus's hand. After the battle, Shockwave reported that none of the Predacon clones survived the blast, much to the anger of Predaking. Evolution
Predaking still believed Megatron would uphold his promise to clone more Predacons once Cybertron was destroyed and continued to serve the Decepticons, assisting in their plan to rebuild the Omega Lock. He also proved formidable against Optimus Prime himself. Minus One It wasn't until Ratchet revealed Megatron's treachery that Predaking realized the truth and confronted his former leader. Megatron, with help from Starscream, managed to defeat him and force him out of a Nemesis airlock. Synthesis Surviving, Predaking clung to the ship's hull and hopped off at Cybertron following the planet's rebirth. Deadlock
Following his return to Cybertron, Shockwave succeeded in bringing two new clones, Skylynx and Darksteel, online while a third Predacon was being cloned. The two were put to use by searching for other Predacon remains to clone more of their kind. On a search in the Sea of Rust, they met Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen. They proceeded to attack, Skylynx leaving Ultra Magnus heavily damaged and Darksteel attacked Smokescreen merely shaking him up thanks to his phase shifter. Victorious, the two Predacons returned to Shockwave's lab, where they were scolded by Starscream for revealing themselves to the Autobots.
Utilizing Bumblebee's tracking skills, the Autobots found Predaking, who seemed to have made a home of a Predacon burial ground that was uncovered by Cybertron's revitalization. The Autobots tried to make peace with Predaking stating that more than one race could peacefully co-exist on the planet, but he refused to forget the Autobot's part in the destruction of his army. Later, Predaking acted on the words of the Autobots, and found evidence of Skylynx and Darksteel's existence. He fired a flaming beacon into the air in hopes that his brethren would find him, only to be responded by Unicron in possession of Megatron's body. However, Predaking fought the dark god, believing it to still be his former master. Megatron planned this, hoping for his body to be too broken by the Predacon for Unicron to use and thus be freed of his influence. However, Unicron was soon able to defeat the juggernaut and learns of the burial ground by entering his mind.
Skylynx and Darksteel struck gold for Shockwave's fossil hunt when they discovered the same Predacon burial ground. While they were collecting the bones, Unicron arrived to raise an army of undead Predacons. Skylynx and Darksteel attacked him, only to fare no better than anyone else. The undead Predacons first action was to trample Shockwave before marching towards the Well of AllSparks. Skylynx and Darksteel were later found there by Predaking, who swiftly asserted his leadership after defeating them in combat. After some advice from Shockwave, Predaking then led his Predacons into battle to assist the Autobots in fighting Unicron's horde of undead Predacons. However, when the three Predacons engaged the Terrorcon Predacons they were trampled and dragged into the well by the Terrorcons. They were successful in slowing the horde down long enough for Optimus Prime to defeat Unicron, causing the Terrorcons to disintegrate. The trio later tracked down Starscream, intending to exact some revenge for his abuse. Predacons Rising
Tales of the Beast Hunters
Shockwave cloned the Predacons using Hyperevolution Chambers, Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 3 the first one activated being Predaking. Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 1 Following Lazerback's activation, the Predacon went rogue Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 3 and made an apparently-successful assassination attempt on Megatron. Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 6 He also approached Ripclaw when she was activated, in an attempt to turn her against the Decepticons. Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 8 The rebelliousness of the Predacons resulted in Shockwave making an attempt to shut down and destroy the laboratory. Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 11
Further Predacons escaped from the lab, including Skystalker Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 12 and Grimwing. Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 15 Shockwave and Knock Out fled the chaos to Cybertron, taking the last two Predacons with them Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 22 and waking Vertebreak on arrival. Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 21
Go! cartoon
At some point, the Demon Emperor Dragotron was buried in Mount Fuji, while his four attendants were buried in the land surrounding the volcano. Dragotron awoke when a child kicked a small stone into the dormant caldera, inadvertently causing a rockslide that unburied his head. He called out for his four servants and their minions to reactivate and retrieve the Legendiscs, but when they located the disc held by Isami Tatewaki, they were foiled by the by the Swordbot Samurai Team that the Legendisc summoned. Triple Combination! Swordbot - Samurai! Likewise the Oni failed to retrieve the disc held by Tobio Fūma, who was aided by the Swordbot Shinobi Team. Triple Combination! Swordbot - Ninja! While Dragotron continued to slumber, the Oni made a number of attempts to go back in time using the Legendisc he possessed, hoping to retrieve the two Legendiscs lost in history. Despite all their efforts and the less-than-capable help of the Jaki, they were foiled each time by the Swordbots and their human companions. Dragotron eventually woke and aided his men against the Autobots. Depart! Optimus Exprime! Enter! The New Warrior! Taking the Legendiscs and the two boys, Dragotron absorbed the Four Oni and began using the Legendiscs' power to Cyberform the planet. The two boys had copied the power of the Legendiscs into their own hearts, and enabled the Autobots to eventually defeat Dragotron, with a little help from Optimus Exprime. The Autobots then sealed Dragotron away once more. Final Battle! Link-Up Triple Combination DaiKenzan! Final Battle! Link-Up Triple Combination DaiGekisou!
Renegade Rhetoric
A group of Predacons led by Fright Face found themselves in Axiom Nexus, and took up residence in the Heap. They bit off more than they could chew when they attacked Cy-Kill and Warpath as the Renegades went about their illicit business; Cy-Kill dodged South Claw’s freeze ray, clogged up Gore Jaw’s maw, and dodged Heart Attack’s fire while deducing his weak spot, while Warpath took out Weird Wing in a brutal dogfight (and found where Fang was hiding).
Though Warpath wanted to destroy them, Cy-Kill had another idea. He challenged Fright Face to single combat, with the winner to pledge allegiance to the loser. Cy-Kill prevailed, and Fright Face honored the terms of the deal. They were upgraded with combiner technology, allowing them to form the mighty Monsterous. Renegade Rhetoric (1), 2015/10/16 They helped bail out their new leader after Cheetor caught wind of Cy-Kill's criminal activity, and accompanied Cy-Kill and the other new Renegade recruits to the Gargent cluster. Renegade Rhetoric (1), 2015/10/21
Toys
Prime: Beast Hunters
- Twinstrike (Cyberverse Legion, 2013)
- Hun-Gurrr (Cyberverse Legion, 2013)
- Blight (Cyberverse Legion, 2013)
- Rippersnapper (Cyberverse Legion, 2013)
- Windrazor (Cyberverse Legion, 2013)
- Abominus Combiner 5-pack:
- Consists of translucent redecoes of all five Legions
- Predaking (Cyberverse Commander, 2013)
- Lazerback (Deluxe, 2013)
- Ripclaw (Deluxe, 2013)
- Skystalker (Deluxe, 2013)
- Vertebreak (Deluxe, 2013)
- Skylynx (Deluxe, 2013)
- Grimwing (Voyager, 2013)
- Includes Blackbeak
- Predaking (Voyager, 2013)
- Darksteel (Voyager, 2013)
- Beast Fire Predaking (Ultimate, 2013)
Bot Shots
- Buzzclaw (cancelled)
- Hun-Gurrr (cancelled)
- Hydrax (cancelled)
- Scourge
- Skystalker
- Twinstrike
Kre-O
- Battle Net Bumblebee (2013)
- Includes Stormrazor.
- Dragon Assault (2013)
- Includes Kreon-scale Grimwing.
- Mech Venom Strike (2013)
- Includes Kreon-scale Corhada.
- Ripclaw Strike (2013)
- Includes Ripclaw and Ripclaw Kreon.
- Beast Blade Optimus Prime
- Includes Lazerback
- Autobot Command Center
- Includes Rippersnapper
Go!
- G04 Gaidora
- G07 Bakudora
- G08 Budora
- G09 Goradora Set
- G12 Dragotron
- G21 Judora
- G23 Guren Dragotron
Notes
- A very different faction insignia appeared on early promotional images of Lazerback and Twinstrike. The reason for the change is unknown. This insignia can also be found on a minor redeco of Voyager Class Predaking available in a (thus far) Europe-only two-pack with a minor redeco of Voyager Class Optimus Prime and at least some specimens of Kre-O Corhada.
