Headstrong (G1)
| This article is about the Generation 1 Decepticon Predacon. For the Aligned Decepticon, see Headstrong (Prime). |
- Headstrong is a Decepticon Predacon from the Generation 1 continuity family.
You can tell Headstrong that a three-foot-thick steel tank is full of dangerously radioactive waste, but it won't do a lick of good if he thinks you've hidden the energon goodies in it. He'll attack it with his unbreakable ramming head and acid-dripping horn until he's conclusively proven wrong, then retreat with his well-earned wounds to suck his thumb, still convinced deep in his tiny brain that somebody had tricked him.
Despite such mishaps, Headstrong still plugs away. He believes that tenacity can compensate those minor qualities in which he's lacking, such as strength, intelligence, or courage. To his credit, not a few of his allies seem to subscribe to this philosophy, and Headstrong isn't dead yet.
Best and brightest he may not be, but he's always ready to grab his diffraction sword and start waving it around. It affects his opponent's optics, so that where they see Headstrong, that's where he ain't. It's unfortunate that his own eyesight isn't much better. A distant foe must beware Headstrong's glowing plasma spheres, which explode on contact. Woe to the one who touches Headstrong's balls!
Headstrong and his fellow Predacons can combine to form Predaking, but he'll only do it when he wants to do it.
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Marvel The Transformers comics
Seeking an edge over his rival Optimus Prime, Megatron followed Soundwave's suggestion that they enlist the help of the Predacons from Cybertron. However, unbeknownst to Megatron, the Predacons had additional orders from Shockwave to turn on Megatron at a crucial moment and they did, right after hunting down Prime. Prey! Headstrong and Tantrum tackled down Megatron together, allowing Divebomb to swoop in and snatch away the Decepticon leader's Fusion cannon. With their target disarmed, the Predacons then fled the scene to allow Prime to finish off his adversary. Megatron summoned a space bridge to escape and Optimus threw them both through it, leaving the Predacons on Earth. ...The Harder They Die!
Fortunately for Headstrong and the other Predacons, Megatron lost his memory of this incident when Straxus attempted to take over his body. The Predacons were coincidentally sent back to Cybertron by Shockwave just as Optimus and Megatron were warped back to Earth, allowing the whole matter to be easily swept under the rug. Resurrection!
On returning to Cybertron, the Predacons were surprised when Shockwave contacted Razorclaw with orders to travel to Earth and kill Megatron again. Disguised as Autobots, they attacked Megatron when he was alone and Headstrong impaled Megatron's groin on his horn. Ouch. Nevertheless, despite his injuries and their ability to merge into Predaking, Megatron sent them packing. Gone but Not Forgotten!
Bored of life on Earth, the Predacons destroyed a human circus for fun, but were interrupted by the Dinobot Swoop, who started to beat up on Divebomb. Headstrong and the others leapt to their comrade's defence, but were attacked in turn by the rest of Grimlock's Dinobots; Headstrong was seen fighting Slag and Snarl. Although the Dinobots were nominally victorious, Swoop convinced Grimlock to let the Predacons go. Grudge Match!
Under Ratbat's command, the Predacons raided liquid oxygen from a chemical storage facility near Huntsville, Alabama. As retaliation for this aggression, the human organisation Triple-I declared it would execute the captive Throttlebots if there was another giant robot attack. Predictably, the Decepticons attacked again, though Walter Barnett rescued the Autobots' brain modules before their bodies were destroyed. Attacking Triple-I's Oregon headquarters to verify the kill, Ratbat and the Predacons tracked the Autobots' scent to Sparkplug Witwicky's garage, and when he refused to help them they destroyed the building with him inside it. They ultimately caught up with the Throttlebots at a nearby mall, but Headstrong and the Predacons proved utterly ineffectual at capturing them. Toy Soldiers! Still, Ratbat successfully captured Buster Witwicky, and so ordered the Predacons to withdraw. The Desert Island of Space!
When the Decepticons caught wind of a major Autobot gathering on the moon, Ratbat initiated an all-out attack to take advantage of the opportunity and eliminate their enemies in an efficient manner. Headstrong was part of the strike force led by Onslaught. The Decepticons were driven back when Blaster and Grimlock, then squabbling over leadership of the Autobots, managed to put aside their differences long enough to rally their troops into a counterattack. Totaled!
After the Club Con debacle, the Decepticons relocated to the Arctic, where they were approached by a seemingly hostile ship. Although it was revealed that the ship contained Scorponok's faction of Decepticons, relations between the two groups soon turned sour and when the Headmaster commander kicked Headstrong up in the air, it led to an all-out battle on the frozen wasteland. This time, Headstrong was seen to impale Bomb-Burst on his horn.[1] Cold War!
The two forces of Decepticons united with the Autobots when it was discovered that the whole situation had been engineered by Starscream to acquire the power of the Underbase for himself. Falling under the joint command of Grimlock and Scorponok, Headstrong engaged Starscream in Tokyo, but stood little chance and was killed along with the rest of the Predacons by a wave of the Seeker's hand. Dark Star
Earthforce
Headstrong was one of Shockwave's minions when the Decepticon army split into two factions led by ol' one-eye and Megatron. When their fight for power and control grew too critical, they called an Enclave to discuss reuniting against the Autobots. Headstrong hardly cared about the politics — he was just so happy to see the hor d'oeuvres table! The happy little rhino spent most of the night stuffing his face and getting blitzed on the punch. The Autobots came by to ruin his party, however, as they couldn't allow a unified Decepticon army to stand against them. So... Jazz cold-conked the already tipsy Headstrong and dragged him away into the shadows. Then, the Autobots staged "sniper fire" against Megatron and, when he and his Decepticons fired back, they tossed the unconscious Headstrong and his weapon down as if he'd been hit. Thinking Shockwave had sent the Predacon as an assassin, Megatron called a quick and violent end to the truce, and the two factions returned to open warfare with each other. Primus only knows how Headstrong explained himself when he came to. The Bad Guy's Ball!
Some time later, Headstrong was seen charging the Autobot Earthbase with his fellow Decepticons during a siege. The attack didn't amount to much, and the Decepticons were driven back in short order. Divide and Conquer!
Marvel Generation 2 comic
Having recovered from his apparent death in the battle against the Underbase-powered Starscream, Headstrong rejoined the rest of the Decepticons serving under Bludgeon and latterly Megatron. During the Autobot/Decepticon alliance's battle against the Cybertronian Empire he, Weirdwolf, and the Dinobots had lots of fun counting kills and munching metal. Total War!
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Ron Feinberg (English), Takurō Kitagawa (Japanese), Imo Heite (German, Chaos), Bernd Simon (German, Fight or Flee), Ulrich Bernsdorff (German, Nightmare Planet), Reinhard Brock (German, The Quintesson Journal), Thomas Rau (German, Call of the Primitives)
Headstrong was dispatched to Io with the other Predacons to steal Metroplex's transformation cog. During the battle, the Predacons combined into Predaking, only to be defeated by Sky Lynx. Razorclaw retreated, despite Headstrong's objections. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5
Headstrong and the Predacons were next seen guarding Galvatron's death crystal cannon on the planet Dread. When the Autobots arrived, Headstrong and Tantrum almost managed to shut Blurr up permanently by knocking him into quickmud, but Sky Lynx pulled him to safety. Chaos
On a mission to drain the planet Paradron of its rich energy resources, the Decepticons managed to conquer its peaceful population with ease. One Paradronian named Sandstorm got away and brought back an Autobot strike force, however. Once they were spotted, Galvatron ordered Headstrong and Brawl to man the molecular cannon and blow them away. Both warriors were probably real eager to fire, but once Brawl said it was time to take the shot, Headstrong just had to be difficult and stall a few moments more until he was "good and ready". Decepticons and their personality problems... Fight or Flee
When the Predacons later attempted to ambush Rodimus Prime and his soldiers on Cybertron, their battle was interrupted by a Quintesson dream machine that surrounded the Transformers with a fog-filled landscape and subjected them to nightmarish torments plucked from the subconscious of Daniel Witwicky. After Springer and Razorclaw were carried off by a dragon, the Predacons reluctantly stopped fighting the Autobots long enough to deal with their lost leader. Headstrong was particularly edgy around the Autobots, and warned Rodimus Prime to stay out of his way. Headstrong thought the worst was over when "Galvatron" showed up in a House of Mirrors, not recognizing the unusual size and behavior of his commander. Even after "Galvatron" spontaneously grew several stories taller and began to crush Rodimus and Headstrong in his hands, Headstrong was still pulling the "It's me, Galvatron! Don't you recognize me?!" routine. Pure instinct; no brains. Headstrong's leg was seriously injured by the crushing vise of the false Galvatron's grip, and his damage prevented the Predacons from forming Predaking and continuing the fight with the Autobots after the Quintesson machine was destroyed. Nightmare Planet
Later, Headstrong and the Predacons were battling the Dinobots on a lifeless planetoid. Headstrong was tripped up by Grimlock in battle, flipping over onto his back. Give how he kept bouncing after the impact, you'd think he was made of jello. Headstrong and the other Primitives were then summoned to fight Tornedron. During the trip to meet Primacron's Assistant, Headstrong, being a wise and intelligent construct, picked another fight with the Dinobots, saying "Grimlock don't know nothing." Snarl objected to the opinion of the "stupid Decepticon rhino," and a brawl among the Primitives ensued. It was ended when Trypticon shook himself to throw the Primitives around. After Sky Lynx and Trypticon had their energy drained, the Primitives split up, fleeing for their lives. Detesting their cowardice, Headstrong declared that he should die fighting, and Razorclaw ordered the Predacons to form Predaking. However, their energy was sucked away, only to be restored when Grimlock destroyed Tornedron. Call of the Primitives
Japanese cartoon continuity
The Headmasters cartoon
Headstrong and the Predacons were part of Galvatron's strike force on Cybertron in 2011, seeking to wrest control of Vector Sigma from the Autobots. Along with the Headmasters and Stunticons, the Predacons outmaneuvered the Dinobots and Throttlebots into the bottom of a canyon, and began firing down upon them. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky Later, the Predacons traveled to Earth in order to stymie Hot Rod's attempt to locate the Matrix of Leadership. Headstrong's unit found the former Autobot leader in the Arctic, but were held off by Blaster, his Mini-Cassettes, and Superion. Headstrong fought his fellow rhinoceros, Ramhorn, before cheating and turning into robot mode. The Mystery of Planet Master Headstrong and the Predacons were among the Decepticons Galvatron brought with him to the planet Beest, although they were absent during the Autobot attack that drove the Decepticons off. Rebellion on Planet Beest
When the Autobots created a new kind of metal on Cybertron called Cybertonuron, Galvatron wanted to claim it for himself. He sent Headstrong and the Predacons to Cybertron as an advance guard to pave the way for his forces. Headstrong spotted the Autobots' civilian soldiers and opened fire, quickly joined by his fellow Predacons. They mowed down Cybertron's standing guardians and began to wreak havoc on the planet. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1 Headstrong and the Predacons assembled as Predaking to help Scourge and Cyclonus steal the Sol 1 satellite, but they were driven off by Raiden and the Headmasters. The Shadow Emperor, Scorponok Next, Headstrong and the Predacons helped Scorponok stage a crisis to keep the Autobots distracted, by setting off a volcano in Peru. On-scene to keep the Autobots from rescuing innocent villagers, Headstrong's group first clashed with the Trainbots before joining forces as Predaking and once again fighting Raiden and the Headmasters. The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts
As Scorponok began his plan to capture the plasma energy of Mars by blowing it up, Headstrong and the Predacons stood guard on Mars as the Terrorcons began planting the necessary bombs. When the Trainbots stumbled across the plot, the Predacons started up a firefight to dispose of the meddling Autobots. With Daniel Witwicky and Wheelie missing, the Trainbots tagged out with the Autobot Headmasters to go looking for them. Razorclaw gave the order and Predaking was formed. Unfortunately, even Predaking was no match for Transtector power, and he was felled by a quadruple jump kick by the Headmasters. Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger Regrouping on Chaar, Headstrong and the Predacons bore witness to the unveiling on MegaZarak, Scorponok's new super weapon Transtector. Explosion on Mars!! MegaZarak Appears
Headstrong and the Predacons attended Scorponok's ceremony on the moon. They were scattered by the Autobot attack, but rallied around Galvatron's late arrival and drove off their heroic opponents. Return of the Immortal Emperor
As Scorponok abandoned Earth in favor of conquering Master, Headstrong was one of his many troops seen attacking the planet's fortifications. Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2) He also helped retrofit the Zarak Shield out of indestructible G-Metal so that it could stand up to the Master Sword. The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide
Zone cartoon, manga, and story pages
Seeking to create a Decepticon Zone to counter the Autobot Zone, Decepticon Emperor Violen Jiger gathered together the Nine Great Demon Generals, upgrading them with powerful new armor and weaponry, then sent them forth to conquer planets. Headstrong was among the selected, but only as a part of Predaking. Zone Part 1 Transformers: Zone Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
Soon after Optimus Prime had been selected as leader of the Autobots, the Decepticons launched a massive assault on the Autobot stronghold in Iacon. Headstrong battled Guardian robots during the assault on the Decagon, led by Shockwave. The War Within #4
Headstrong and the rest of the Predacons at some point exiled from the planet under circumstances unknown. It is believed that Starscream named his Dark Ages faction in their honor.
Landing on the planet Beest, the Predacons devolved into feral beasts over the years, until Megatron arrived on the planet in recent times and tamed them. He repaired their damaged circuitry, gave the Predacons the combined form of Predaking and, most importantly, programmed them to be loyal only to him. Welcome to the Jungle He then used Headstrong and the others to help him reclaim control of the Decepticons, first by overthrowing Shockwave on Cybertron Lost and Found, and later putting the beat down on Starscream and his brigade on Earth. The Route of All Evil
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
Headstrong and the other Predacons battled the Seacons over their portion of the Gladiator Zone when they were suddenly approached by Serpent O.R., who convinced both teams to join his reformed Decepticon army. The Art of War #2 After helping to capture a team of Autobots and G.I. Joes, Headstrong was seen at a Decepticon meeting. For some reason, he took grave offense to Hun-Grrr insulting Tantrum and tried to attack the Terrorcon, but was stopped by Serpent O.R.'s tentacles. As part of Predaking, he later helped attack an Autobot peace ceremony. The Art of War #3 He was later seen among the Decepticon forces preparing to defend their base against a combined Autobot/G.I. Joe assault. The Art of War #4
The Beast Within
Headstrong participated in an all-out Decepticon offensive, beating down on Cliffjumper during an early stage of the battle. Headstrong then moved on to join his fellow Predacons in beating down the Dinobots, and took on Slag. Then, when the Dinobots combined into The Beast, Headstrong joined his fellow Predacons into forming Predaking. The Beast Within
IDW Generation 1 continuity
Before the war began, the Predacons, including Headstrong, were respondents to Megatron's open casting call for gladiatorial combatants. Although the Predacons were contemptuous of some of the amateurs, they appeared to change their minds after seeing Grimlock. Megatron Origin #3
At one point during the subsequent war between the Autobots and Decepticons, the Predacons killed a squad of Autobots, leaving only one survivor in Tracks. When Jazz came to evacuate him, they shot down his transport and attacked the two Autobots, but Rampage and Headstrong were quickly defeated when they fell victim to a bomb planted by Tracks. Spotlight: Jazz
After the first defeat of Thunderwing in a cataclysm during the war that followed, Headstrong and the other Predacons led the attack against the beleaguered Autobot positions soon after the Autobot morale-booster Blaster was taken out by his assassin. Spotlight: Blaster
In the modern era, Headstrong, in a bizarrely horned tank mode, was among the Decepticon forces that helped the Autobots assault the reborn Thunderwing. That is, until he ran away. A few starblitz torpedoes, and he suddenly chickened out. WUSS! Stormbringer #4
Several years later, Headstrong and his teammates (except Razorclaw) ended up stranded on Earth. With no source of energy, they were forced to form an alliance with China, who would provide the Predacons with energon in exchange for them protecting the nation's borders. Led by Rampage, they intervened when a battle between the Autobots (allied with Skywatch) and the Combaticons (allied with North Korea) got too close for comfort. International Incident Part 3: "Hawk Among the Sparrows"
At first, Headstrong and the others were willing to leave without a fight, but after Onslaught shot Rampage in the back, they assumed the Autobots were to blame and threw themselves into the fray. They ultimately fled after learning that Russia had launched a nuke to take out all the Transformers, and later abandoned China after Thundercracker took out the humans' energon factories. International Incident Part 4: "All My Sins Remembered"
Dawn of Future's Past
After the end of the Great War, the Predacons (or those of them surviving) founded the new Predacon faction. Years later, now in a reformatted technorganic body, Headstrong was once again plotting with his old team mates. Dawn of Future's Past
IDW Beast Wars comics
On Cybertron, a group of five symbols appeared on the walls of a room containing a transwarp shunt device. The five symbols seemed to represent a lion, a bird, a bull, a rhinoceros, and a tiger. The Gathering #2
Commercial appearances
Headstrong and the rest of the Predacons came to the aid of a trio of Seekers who found themselves unable to handle the Dinobots. The Predacons barreled over Sludge before combining into Predaking and pushing the advantage. Predacons commercial
Games
The Transformers (PS2)
Transformers Legends
When an Autobot team led by Jazz launched a mission to deliver energon to a hidden Autobot base, Headstrong, Rampage, and Tantrum were only too happy to stop them. Road to Ruin Following a battle in which the Autobots and Decepticons fought side-by-side, the Predacons turned on their allies. Headstrong attacked the Autobots head on, but was stopped by a team led by Bumblebee. Call of the Primitives Headstrong was among the Decepticons who attacked Cybertron during an alliance with the Quintessons. Five Faces of Darkness: Part 3
Transformers: Earth Wars
Smug, arrogant to the point of insufferable, nothing can dissuade Headstrong once he's decided on a course of action. His commitment to his own plan of attack is total and unwavering, and everyone else can take their opinion and stuff it.
- Class: Warrior
- Lowest Star Rating: 1 star
- Weapons: Headstrong uses a standard issue gold sword.
- Ability: Defensive Rush - Put a protective shield that blocks 80% damage for 6 seconds (level 1), then charge the target.
Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki Headstrong Page
Toys
Generation 1
- Headstrong (1986)
- Team ID number: 3
- Japanese ID number: D-77
- Accessories: Plasma sphere shooter, diffraction sword, Predaking foot/back cannon
- Headstrong transforms into a robotic rhinoceros. He can form either leg of Predaking, but his nominal placement is as the left leg. His double-barreled cannon can attach to his back in beast mode and doubles as Predaking's foot. As with the rest of the Predacons, the initial release of Headstrong had die-cast metal parts which were later replaced by plastic.
- Predaking (1986)
- Japanese ID number: D-78
- In Japan, all five Predacons were also made available as a very large gift-set. This huge box was reissued in 2004, using the die-cast construction of the initial releases.
- Predaking (Gift set, 2010)
- Reissued along side the other Predacons for the 2010 Celebration line, Headstrong features significant differences from the prior versions. His yellow plastic is replaced with gold plastic painted over with gold paint. His red, gray, and black plastic is also altered to a metal fleck equivalent color. All of his label stickers were redesigned, with the exception of his faction symbol, and he now features a cartoon accurate golden eyes instead of red. Also included are optional labels for Headstrong's eyes to make them red in both modes.
- This version of Headstrong features die-cast metal parts.
Merchandise
Titanium Series
- Predaking (3" Robot Masters, 2006)
- Accessories: Display stand, sword
- Predaking's left leg is technically Headstrong.
Robot Heroes
- Ricochet & Predaking (Robot Heroes, 2009)
- Predaking's left leg is also technically Headstrong. Packaged with Ricochet, this versus set saw only limited release in some parts of Europe and Australia.
Notes
- Much like his Predacon buddy Tantrum, Headstrong's alt mode is not a predator; rhinos feed upon any leafy material they come across. That means 2 out of 5 of Predaking's parts are truly vegetarian.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Headstrong (ヘッドストロング Heddosutorongu)
- French: Tête Forte (Canada, "Head Strong")
- Italian: Rinox
- Mandarin: Tiě Tóu (China, 铁头, "Iron Head')
- Russian: Prjamolob (Прямолоб, "Right-Forehead")
