Garrison Kreiger
- Garrison Kreiger is a human from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Humans rarely pose much of a threat to the Transformers, but Garrison Kreiger (aka Blitz or General Blitz) has made overcoming that hurdle his life's work. Driven by his goal of personal power and glory, Kreiger has used his connections from his days as the CEO of I.R.O.N. to slowly amass a thorough knowledge of the Cybertronian race, gathering samples of their technology and biology to determine their strengths, weaknesses... and weapons capable of taking them down. Kreiger's self-made cybernetic implants speak to the efficiency of his reverse-engineering skills, having already prolonged his life by several decades.
Though Kreiger's plans tend towards the grandiose, bombastic, and far-reaching, he is an intelligent, persuasive villain who's usually thinking several steps ahead of the competition. He is just charismatic enough to convince even the most disparate individuals to stand with him... just as long as they're useful. The moment they're not, however, they'll be left out to dry while Kreiger consolidates his gains and escapes.
Fiction
Story of Binaltech
According to Agent Faireborne's investigations, General Kreiger and Count von Rani together led the Concurrence, a cabal of humans who planned to drive all Transformers away from Earth, turning the Solar System into a robot-free "resort". To accomplish this, the Concurrence began creating Decepticon Binaltechs to challenge the Autobot Binaltechs. Expose All of Evil's Designs!
TransTech
During World War II, Kreiger—under his nom de guerre General Blitz—led the I.R.O.N. Army, Kalistan's elite force. Somehow he'd made contact with the Decepticons and was using their super-science to help the Axis-aligned Kalistan in the war, much to the interest of the Allies. 'Blitz' would experiment on that real American hero, Sgt. Savage.
It was he who named Kalistan's team the Invasion, Reconnaissance, Occupation, and Neutralization Army. Hawk has to admit that guy has a flair for the dramatic! Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter, 2016/05/01
IDW Generation 1 continuity
The wealthy son of German immigrants, a lonely and isolated Garrison Kreiger joined the United States military before 1939, driven by the desire to prove himself in the face of anti-German sentiment and hoping to plot a new course in a world facing imminent war. Though his wealth landed him a spot on the officer track, it didn't keep him off the front lines as he had hoped. By 1943, he had become a Second Lieutenant in the army and was assigned to the Screaming Eagles, a special tactics unit led by daring do-gooder Sergeant Robert Savage. One Unholy Machine Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #2 Kreiger would remember Savage for his willingness to look past Kreiger's German heritage and see him as a fellow American fighting for his country, opening his eyes to the necessity of war. One Unholy Machine
While on a mission in Kalistan, the Screaming Eagles encountered mysterious robotic soldiers fighting for the Axis. One of these robots managed to land a hit on Kreiger, scarring his left eye. The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb The encounter was Kreiger's first hint that humanity was not alone in the cosmos. One Unholy Machine
Kreiger's early suspicions were confirmed around 1945, when the Screaming Eagles were deployed to Paris to work with the resistance. While on a routine patrol, they encountered more of the strange mechanical soldiers, who had been drawn a pair of metal goliaths battling it out. After defeating his opponent, the victor asked the Screaming Eagles for help finding the ship that had brought him to Earth so that he could die in peace.
"I dunno, why are raspberry icicle pops blue?"
Centurion, Savage, and Kreiger tracked the ship to Brasnya, where more robotic troops swarmed them. Savage held the machines off as Kreiger and their metallic associate investigated the ship's ruins. Kreiger found evidence that the ship had once carried a mysterious "Talisman" that he figured had been conjuring the soldiers; Centurion confirmed, explaining that it had once belonged to his master. Before Centurion could explain who that master was, there was a loud sound from outside: the remains of Centurion's commanding officer, reanimated by the drones. As Kreiger watched the Eukarian brawl with the creatures, he determined the drones were being controlled by the Talisman. As he did, the drones did something that made the ship and the Sergeant himself vanish without a trace. As he saw a furious Centurion fell his former commander's remains, Kreiger was inspired. He knew the Talisman was on Earth, and he vowed to find it. Strange Visitors
Of course, with the sergeant gone, he needed a new ally. So he reached out to the devastated Eukarian, offering to help him... Over the next several decades, Krieger and Centurion spent years hunting down what Kreiger called "Binaltech", using whatever scraps of alien technology he could find to replicate the original Talisman. His efforts eventually produced a collection of duplicate Talismans. The Iron Klaw His search for Cybertronian relics allowed him to recover the bodies of "Optimus Prime" and "Shockwave," which were relocated to a top secret government facility constructed in the Brasnyan crater where the Axalon had once rested. When Eagles Scream Power and Glory
In 1984, Kreiger enlisted the help of Dr. Elliot March in his search for the genuine Talisman. The two discovered the artifact in the Tomb of Amtoltec in Dahshur. Kreiger promptly killed his guide and began experimenting with the Talisman, using it to animate and control a horde of Iron Troopers. The unusual energy this produced attracted not only the attention of Joe Colton and his Adventure Team, but also Soundwave. A battle ensued between the team and Soundwave, until the Cybertronian decided to leave, having realized the Talisman wasn't his goal. In the aftermath, Kreiger took the device for himself without giving his "rescuers" so much as a "thank you". The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb
Kreiger was sanctioned by the government to study the Talisman, which was relocated to the Ice Man facility with the rest of his growing collection of artifacts. When Eagles Scream In the early 1990s, a depressed Mike "Atomic Man" Power came to him, seeking further upgrades to his cyborg prostheses after a chance encounter with the Talisman during their earlier clash in Egypt. Power and Glory The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb
"Aren't you a little old to be building a fort?"
"No. No, I'm not. Shut up."
Though professing good intentions, Kreiger instead used Power as a test subject in what would be called "Project: Ice Man," subjecting Power to a battery of cruel experiments involving the Talisman and Power's increasingly augmented physiology. In 1994, Kreiger and Centurion watched on as Mike Power interfaced with the Talisman once more, which had the unexpected side effect of returning the lost Axalon and its passenger to normal space-time. Seconds later, Colton's "Adventure Force" confronted Kreiger to stop his experiments, though they arrived just in time to see an Atomic Man with no heartbeat, mistakenly concluding that Kreiger had murdered Atomic Man. Power and Glory Kreiger was dishonorably discharged for his crimes, though it didn't bother him much — he had far greater ambitions by this point. Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #2 Kreiger continued his work in the Ice Man bunker, experimenting on the Atomic Man's mangled but still-living body and eventually turning him into the main nerve center of his base. Strange Visitors Power and Glory
To cover up and secure funding for his less-than-ethical experiments, Kreiger founded I.R.O.N. the "International Robotics Operation Network", where, as CEO, he developed a working relationship with Count van Rani, dictator of Kalistan and part-time supervillain. The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb As the decades passed, he began replacing his body parts with cybernetics derived from his study of the Talisman. Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #2
In the early 21st century, the Talisman was relocated to Skywatch's "Project: Hot House" facility in Oregon. There, Kreiger—now working under Colton himself—began a new battery of experiments with the Talisman using supplies of Ore-13 in the hopes that its energies could be weaponized to counter the surge of increasing Transformer activity on Earth. Circa 2006, to reactivate the Talisman, Kreiger and Colton lured Sgt. Savage to the base and forced him into contact with it. His body saturated with its power thanks to his trip through time, Savage's touch brought the Talisman back to life; its energies hurled Savage further into the future once more, and killed Kreiger and Colton's Decepticon guinea pig Bugly outright, proving that it was the weapon they needed to fight the Cybertronian threat. When Eagles Scream
By this point, more than a century old, Kreiger disappeared from the public eye a few years prior to 2017. The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb Before he vanished, he ceded control of I.R.O.N. to van Rani, his main shareholder, who, in turn, appointed Tomax Paoli, as the interim CEO of the company. The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb In the meantime, Kreiger worked with Miles Mayhem to test the effects of the Talisman on Mayhem's Decepticon prisoner Blitzwing. First Strike #0
In the chaotic months that followed Optimus Prime's annexation of Earth into the Council of Worlds, Joe Colton was targeted by the Dire Wraiths for assimilation. Forced to amputate his own hand to survive and infected with Wraith bio-matter, Colton contacted Kreiger for assistance. The two met in Paris, and Kreiger brought Colton to the Brasnyan Ice Man facility for assistance. Kreiger treated Colton's wounds as they chatted about recent events and the apparent magic of the Talisman; knowing that he would have to go outside the law to deal with the alien threats, Colton decided that he would have to assemble a team of supervillains to recover the Talisman and launch a retaliatory first strike on Cybertron itself. Kreiger fitted Colton with a new mechanical hand derived from the Talisman, and in turn Colton adopted a new persona: that of the masked villain "Baron Ironblood." First Strike #0 Colton and Kreiger continued to gather allies from across the world; working with Doctor X and the Iron Klaw, Kreiger had the Talisman transferred to an I.R.O.N. facility operated by the SIS in Schleteva. Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #2 Using his knowledge of alien technology, Kreiger helped hybridize Storm Shadow's Red Shadows with extraterrestrial biomatter. Ghost in the Machine
Shortly afterwards, Kreiger found the Predacons, who had been marooned on Earth following Galvatron's failed invasion some months back. Using his knowledge of Cybertronian biology, he found a way to mind-control them, using one of his Talisman copies to improve on a previous failed combiner experiment and create Predaking. The brainwashed Predacons became private shock troops for van Rani. The Iron Klaw Colton was less than enthusiastic about the idea, but the meetinw as cut short after Colton received a message warning that G.B. Blackrock had accidentally stumbled on the Talisman. Ghost in the Machine
While Colton and several other operatives used an abandoned Cobra moonbase as a secondary headquarters, Kreiger remained in van Rani's Iron Castle. When Ironblood's alliance went off in search of Tomax Paoli, Kreiger's choice to replace him as CEO of I.R.O.N., Kreiger sent Centurion along as a bodyguard for the former commander of Cobra as the villains moved onto the next stage of their plan. The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb Shortly afterwards, Kreiger received a visit from Tomax Paoli, who had caught Blackrock and brought him to Kreiger so the man could have a look at him. Kreiger relished the opportunity, determined to find out why the Talisman reacted to Blackrock. Before he could get started, however, Baron Ironblood noticed an intruder lurking in the shadows. On Ironblood's warning that the former Joe wasn't working alone, Kreiger unleashed the Predacons. With Snake Eyes apparently subdued, Kreiger questioned Paoli about his success working on "Project: Iceman" in San Francisco, at which point Paoli turned out to be the real Snake Eyes, the other being a robot duplicate. Thanks to Snake Eyes, and the actions of his allies, Kreiger lost both Blackrock and the Predacons.
In the aftermath, Baron Ironblood declared they had no choice but to scrub Centurion and Paoli. The Iron Klaw Visiting Paoli in person, Kreiger warned him of the incoming band of "Revolutionaries", telling him he was merely bait, and didn't care what Paoli told them when caught. After Paoli and Centurion were taken in by the team, Kreiger took part in a conference call with his allies as he prepared to travel the Ice Man facility, stating his presence was "needed" to finish what they were planning. Strange Visitors The "Revolutionaries," joined by the forces of M.A.S.K., caught up with Kreiger in Brasnya. Kreiger turned the full fury of his inventions against the intruders: deploying a suite of anti-Cybertronian technology to take out Blackrock and Kup and unleashing the reanimated bodies of Domitius and "Shockwave" against Action Man. Action Man, Mayday, and M.A.S.K. fought their way into the nexus of the facility, whereupon Kreiger infused Atomic Man with a sample of Ore-13 as his ultimate weapon: the Talisman "made flesh." Kreiger's ultimate gambit failed when the grief-stricken cyborg realized his mistakes and chose to commit suicide, and in the aftermath he was arrested and taken into G.I. Joe custody. Power and Glory
Awaiting a pickup in Buenos Aires, Kreiger tried to appeal to a time-displaced Sergeant Savage, but the soldier had little patience for his treacherous comrade. Salvation came for the villain when Centurion — still loyal to his old friend — remotely hacked Blackrock's Onyx tower so that its defenses would fire on the incoming GI Joe air division. When Eagles Scream In the ensuing fight, Kreiger was able to break his restraints, gloating that Centurion couldn't be turned. As Metrotitan joined the fight and disgorged Optius Prime, Kreiger was able to shoot Savage in the back. With Metrotitan bearing down on the group, Kreiger took command and ordered everyone to teleport out using the M.A.S.S. Device. Though Centurion was lost in the scuffle, the rest of Ironblood's team regrouped back in Kalistan, where, Talisman in hand, Colton told his operatives that it was time to strike. Ghost in the Machine As Colton's alliance made their final preparations, Kreiger recounted his motivations to his leader, pleased at the notion of using the Talisman as a weapon of conquest — the ultimate realization of the ideals Sgt. Savage had once imparted upon him. One Unholy Machine
Piggybacking off Metrotitan's space bridge signal using the M.A.S.S. Device, Kreiger accompanied Ironblood and his cabal of villains to Cybertron as part of Colton's plan to wipe out the species. Carrying the Talisman aboard Miles Mayhem's "Outlaw" the team deployed Shazraella to Enerchange with a Cybertronian and unleash the Talisman in Cybertron's core. First Strike #2 On the way, Kreiger stopped to install sound-dampeners to prevent Soundwave finding them, then had to get between Manheim and Shazraella as they bickered. Kreiger openly expressed his belief the Microspace native would inevitably betray them, which prompted her to set some security drones on the squad, as warning against further signs of disrespect. First Strike #3 The group was momentarily waylaid by the need to set a booby trap to delay Scarlett's forces, which allowed Metroplex to pinpoint them and begin reconfiguring his internal architecture to pin them down. As they reached the access hatch that would take them into the core of the planet, Colton successfully dropped Sunstreaker, leaving them with no further obstacles to their objective. First Strike #4
Notes
- General Garrison Kreiger AKA General Blitz, hails from Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles, an early '90s attempt to rebrand the G.I. Joe toyline to stave off faltering sales. It presented Kreiger as an American soldier in World War II who defected to the I.R.O.N. Army (the main Axis power in that universe) and had become its leader by the modern day.[1] This franchise had a short life, ending when Kenner took over Hasbro's "boys' toys" brands and replaced it with G.I. Joe Extreme. That series continued to feature the Sgt. Savage character, but against a new villain: Count von Rani, aka Iron Klaw, and his paramilitary organization S.K.A.R. The I.R.O.N. Army was referred to in one episode, but not Blitz. It was the TransTech Facebook pages that finally brought more of his backstory into Transformers fiction, as well as inventing a tie between Sgt. Savage's two enemies (previously the I.R.O.N. Army and S.K.A.R. were unrelated).
- In the lone direct-to-video Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles episode, General Blitz is voiced by Transformers alumnus Garry Chalk.
- Due to some funny continuity magic, the IDW continuity contains both the Iron Army (led by General Blitz) and the I.R.O.N. company (led by Garrison Kreiger).
References
External links
- Garrison Kreiger at the IDW Hasbro Wiki
- General Blitz at the IDW Hasbro Wiki
