Fusion cannon
The fusion cannon is Megatron's signature weapon. It is attached to his right arm and is devastatingly powerful, as demonstrated by its sudden removal of Ironhide's head. (It's at least as powerful as Fortress Maximus's hands in comparison.) It strikes fear into the sparks of both the Autobots and the Decepticons, though this description and its actual destructive capacity seems strangely uneven.
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Marvel The Transformers comics
While on a hunt for Optimus Prime, the Predacons betrayed Megatron. Divebomb stole Megatron's fusion cannon and the Predacons left Megatron to fight Optimus Prime with only his small backup gun. Megatron opened a space bridge which pulled both him and Prime to Cybertron where Megatron got a new fusion cannon. ...The Harder They Die! It is unknown what Divebomb did with the original.
Marvel G.I. Joe comic
As part of an agreement with Cobra, Megatron's body was rebuilt to resemble an Earth-design tank with his fusion cannon replaced by a rail gun. Realignments
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
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Megatron's fusion cannon from the Generation 1 cartoon. — 14 KB
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During a battle with the Autobots and Decepticons Megatron's fusion cannon was fired twice, destroying an oil rig and trapping various Autobots and humans. It was then fired once more to ignite the oil and create an enormous conflagration More than Meets the Eye, Part 1
When the Decepticons invaded Sherman Dam the fusion cannon appeared again, and was fired into the roof. When the Autobots showed up, it was fired at Optimus Prime and the Autobots, but unlike the ceiling, they dodged the blast. A battle then ensued between Optimus Prime and Megatron on top of the dam, but the fusion cannon was missing at this point (Prime tackled Megatron, so maybe that's why), and Megatron was forced to use his energon mace, instead. Fortunately, he got the cannon back by the time he returned to his base. More than Meets the Eye, Part 2
The fusion cannon once more came in handy when Megatron fired it to escape a collapsed ruby crystal mine in Burma. After the debacle at the mine, Starscream got a little bit rebellious and tried to shoot Megatron. But deflected the blast with a force field projected from the fusion cannon, then blasted Starscream in the shoulder (causing no visible damage) to punish him.
All this nonsense was leading to the Decepticons trying to escape Earth. They needed some rocket fuel, so the Autobots tried to trap them with a fake rocket base—but Megatron knew better and double-bluffed them. The fusion cannon was fired once at the Autobots' fake rocket base to make the double-bluff more convincing. It reappeared at the final battle outside the Decepticon space ship. Despite trying to blast Optimus Prime the fusion cannon was shot off Megatron's arm by Prime's combat deck. Megatron (seemingly) retrieved it before boarding his space cruiser. Starscream played up again, and Megatron put the cannon down to give Starscream a chance to prove himself, a chance that was foiled by Mirage—so Megatron picked up the fusion cannon once more and used it to punish Starscream again before the space cruiser crashed. More than Meets the Eye, Part 3
So after that defeat the Decepticons didn't show up for a few months, when they did Megatron used his fusion cannon again in a battle against Optimus Prime at a solar energy plant, firing several times before being flipped by the fusion cannon by Prime! Megatron retaliated by punching Prime in the... uhh... gut, with the cannon. The Decepticons then took the energon they stole from the plant to the space bridge. Bumblebee was spotted spying on them, and Megatron fired four times, missing on all four. He racked up even more misses in a later battle inside a cave where he fired no less than nine times and missed every single time. The cannon did manage to destroy a nice rock formation, though. Transport to Oblivion
When the Decepticons invaded a science lab to steal an antimatter formula the Autobots tried to stop them and Megatron fired at the Autobots (and their holograms) about six times, managing to destroy a floor and a wall, but no Autobots. The anti-matter formula was then used to power-up Megatron's gun mode, but not his fusion cannon. Roll for It
After Optimus Prime was injured the Decepticons pressed an attack on the Ark. Megatron fired his cannon six times during the battle, even managing to actually hit Sideswipe, blasting him out of the air. Optimus Prime (now repaired!) then showed up and the cannon shot him, rather ineffectually. It was then knocked off Megatron's arm and was useless for the rest of the battle. Divide and Conquer
At the North Pole (or thereabouts), during another battle with Optimus Prime where the fusion cannon was used to shoot Optimus in the back it was once again knocked off. This time it was knocked off by a shard of crystal thrown by Prime. Fire in the Sky
Another day, another fight at a dam. This time Megatron hooked up his fusion cannon directly to the dam as a power source. He proclaimed that the Autobots would now witness the power of his fusion cannon (actually mentioning it by name) and blasted the side of a cliff face (which was weakened by Rumble's earthquake powers), collapsing it and dumping the Autobots into the river. S.O.S. Dinobots
The fusion cannon's next job was blasting another hole, this time to create an entrance to a Mayan pyramid. It was then used at a battle to collect some gun-building materials where it became something of a football. First Megatron shot Brawn in the chest, knocking the Autobot over. Then Brawn knocked the cannon off Megatron's arm and fired it himself hitting Megatron and knocking him over, but the kickback from the blast knocked Brawn over (again). Finally Laserbeak retrieved the gun for Megatron and another shot was fired at Brawn, but no one had to fall down this time because the shot missed.
Back at the Mayan pyramid Megatron used the fusion cannon to cause a distraction for the Autobots by blasting a mountainside twice and causing an avalanche. Fire on the Mountain
Then there was the time Megatron tried to bring Cybertron to earth. Remember that? The fusion cannon was present throughout Megatron's machinations. But its most notable actions were during an Autobot invasion where a single underwater blast from the cannon enveloped Optimus Prime, Jazz, Ironhide, Prowl, Wheeljack and Bumblebee (but didn't kill any of them), repeated (about six) shots fired during a Decepticon attack on the Ark (one of which hit Prime in the back) and a single shot at the battle at Megatron's giant space bridge. The Ultimate Doom, Part 1
Megatron's environment-destroying plan saw the Decepticons getting trapped in their own base, so used the fusion cannon to blast yet another hole in a wall to escape. The Ultimate Doom, Part 2 The subsequent fight at Megatron's energon transport ship also saw the fusion cannon fired, this time twice (didn't hit anything, though.)The Ultimate Doom, Part 3 Despite the energon ship exploding, neither Megatron nor the fusion cannon were destroyed and Megatron employed his signature gun again in a battle outside Archeville's lab. (This is the same battle where Megatron says, "I always hit what I aim for," which one has to assume at this stage is slight hyperbole.) Countdown to Extinction
During an incident with the Insecticons Megatron fired twice at the Autobots, then took his fusion cannon with him to an oil refinery where the Decepticons were collecting some energon. For whatever reason, Megatron took his cannon off and propped it against a wall while he was there, but fortunately he put it back on when the Autobots showed up. Fortunately because, without it, he couldn't have fired off two (unsuccessful) shots, then covered his retreat by using the fusion cannon to set fire to an oil tanker. A Plague of Insecticons
As we know, all Transformers (or at least Decepticons) get their special powers from power chip rectifiers, so when Megatron was preparing for a one-on-one duel with Optimus Prime he took the chips from all his fellow Decepticons into himself. During the duel this allowed him to fire cluster bombs from his fusion cannon; but Megatron still used what appeared to be three normal fusion cannon blasts to finish off Prime during the battle.Heavy Metal War
An attempted coup from Devastator is another matter. The shots continuously bounced off his armor and Megatron had to resort to a 5-way fistfight with Starscream, Astrotrain, and Blitzwing as an alternative. Triple Takeover By 2005, Megatron's fusion cannon was far more powerful than it was twenty years earlier in that was able to kill a ship-load of Autobots, including Ironhide. Megatron lost his fusion cannon in his final battle with Optimus Prime, and upon being reformatted by Unicron into Galvatron, his fusion cannon was replaced by an arguably far more effective particle cannon, which he promptly used to kill Starscream. The Transformers: The Movie
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers manga
The Megatron Corps (メガトロン軍団 Megatron Gundan) are a horde of six Megatron clones created by Galvatron to overwhelm the Autobots. Each clone is gifted with a unique Fusion Cannon and they are capable of combining their blasts into a single devastating attack, called the self-explanatory "Combined Fusion Cannon attack." No member of the Megatron Corps is gifted with sentient intelligence, however, as they are all controlled by the will of Galvatron who was, in reality, the original Megatron before his upgrade from Unicron. Galvatron would keep this hidden by also posing as a Megatron Clone... using a Particle Cannon instead of a Fusion Cannon.
As soon as Galvatron lost control over the Megatron Corps in a fight with Rodimus Prime, the clones lost all their power and were easily disposed of. The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #2
Wings Universe
Megatron clone Megaplex brandished a fusion cannon as a secondary weapon. Termination
Squadron X survivors Ferak and Tornado escaped Torax Prime aboard a modified escape pod, refitting it with warp thrusters, proton bombs, and a small fusion cannon. The pod, however, was no match for the firepower of an Autobot Vanguard class fighter. Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur
Earthquake
Megatron's nuclear-charged fusion cannon was, as usual, the Decepticon leader's weapon of choice. In one notable scenario, Megatron turned the weapon on Soundwave and Starscream when he discovered that they were plotting to overthrow him. Earthquake
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
Having defeated Megatron, Optimus Prime ripped the fusion cannon from his arm and used it to destroy the SPS Satellite. It supposedly was the only thing the G.I. Joe, Cobra, Autobot, and Decepticon troops gathered at Cobra Island had that could reach something in space. Thereafter, the fusion cannon was brought to Area 52. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6
IDW Generation 1 continuity
Megatron's first fusion cannon was a gift from Starscream. Megatron Origin #4 It's ironic how Megatron decided to pay him back a few million years later by blowing a huge hole in his torso. Infiltration #6 Whenever they met in combat, Optimus Prime would always go for Megatron's cannon arm. Chaos Theory Part 1 During their battle in Brasnya, a well-aimed shot from Optimus destroyed Megatron's cannon. Escalation #5 During a showdown in New York City, Optimus Prime ripped the fusion cannon off Megatron's arm and beat him with it until it broke. All Hail Megatron #12
When he returned in a new body, Megatron had replaced his trademark cannon with a rail gun. Enemy Mine The change didn't last long, as he went back to the trusty ol' fusion cannon for his next body. Before the Dawn After Megatron surrendered and joined the Autobots, Optimus Prime had him destroy his fusion cannon as a symbol of giving up on the war by dissolving it in acid. slaughterhouse When he was presented with a new one in preparation for a last stand on Necroworld, he rejected it. At Close of Day Upon learning that Fool's Energon was nothing more than a placebo and that he had been acting with subconscious self-imposed restraint, Megatron attached the weapon to his arm and entered the battlefield mowing down a large number of Decepticons but ordering his teammates to take the wounded Ravage back to Ratchet. Megatron demanded Tarn come face him in battle but a well-placed shot by Nickel and Vos destroyed the cannon leaving him defenseless. Rage, Rage Despite this, Megatron kept the weapon attached to his arm even after the battle was over. When Ravage died, Megatron flew into a rage refusing to part with the destroyed cannon and even trying to use it to murder the Autobots. When Terminus showed up however, Megatron detached the cannon without hesitation. Do Not Go Gentle
The fusion cannon had been made from the the Necrobot's teleport chamber. Following its destruction, Brainstorm turned it back into a teleport chamber. Some Other Cybertron
As leader of the Decepticon Justice Division, Tarn sported a double fusion cannon. Rules of Disengagement In their final confrontation on Necroworld, Megatron ripped the weapon off with ease, mocking Tarn for having two cannons. Do Not Go Gentle
Galvatron also possessed a fusion cannon while on Earth. He regarded it as superior to Sunstreaker's pistol when the Autobot tried to arrest him. As Above...So Below Arcee subsequently overloaded the weapon during a confrontation in the atmosphere of Jupiter, the resulting explosion managing to grievously damage Galvatron's right side. No Fair Fights
Beast Wars cartoon continuity
Beast Wars cartoon
Megatron loved his fusion cannon so much, he had another fusion cannon installed on the Nemesis. The blast radius from this weapon is massive. Most kickass, though this one requires a power up time to fire again which is less kickass. Nemesis Part 2 Although not Megatron's, according to Beast Wars, the Ark's cannon was also a generic fusion cannon. The Agenda (Part III)
Beast Machines
Megatron's personal chariot, Mechatron, comes equipped with a fusion cannon to nullify any accursed Maximal that comes across.
Live-action film series continuity
Megatron's fusion cannon is one of the most powerful weapons known to Transformers. Drawing energy from an unknown interdimensional source, the fusion cannon fires gamma-irradiated plasma at a target.[1] It is also mentioned on Ironhide's toy packaging that he also carries a fusion cannon; presumably it is the blue glowing laser weapon on his left arm, though it is obviously much smaller than Megatron's.
Megatron's cannon is presumably telescopic, as he keeps a pair of smaller, pistol-like cannons in each arm when not in use that combine to form one larger cannon. Its powerful blast is enough to send another transformer flying back three city blocks. Megatron used it on several occasions, most notably to injure Jazz and to knock Optimus Prime into a building. Transformers
After his resurrection, Megatron still possessed his fusion cannon, but in a more compact form from which he could now access with his Death-lock pincer, a lobster-like blade. A point blank shot can still send another transformer flying back several yards. During his battle with Optimus Prime in a forest, Megatron used the fusion cannon to knock the Autobot leader backward after shattering his mouthplate. Later, after impaling Optimus with the bladed pincer, Megatron finished the job by firing the fusion cannon right through Optimus. During the final battle in Egypt, Megatron used the fusion cannon to shoot down a military helicopter. Following his resurrection, Optimus turned the fusion cannon against Megatron by blowing off half of his face and then severing it and Megatron's arm off with his Energon sword. Revenge of the Fallen
Megatron later adopted a hand held fusion cannon that resembled a fusion shotgun. He used it to cripple Sentinel Prime before he was decapitated and Optimus used the weapon to slay the ancient Prime. The deed done, Optimus threw it down in disgust. Dark of the Moon Despite this, Optimus later reclaimed it as a replacement for his lost ion blaster. When Optimus changed his paint schemes while going into and coming out of hiding, the cannon changed colour with him. Considering he never used it after being captured by Lockdown, it is likely that the bounty hunter claimed the weapon. Age of Extinction
When Galvatron resumed his identity as Megatron, his new body possessed a new fusion cannon mounted on his right forearm. In addition to powerful energy bolts, the cannon could also act as flamethrower. It was separated from Megatron when Optimus Prime severed his right arm...again. The Last Knight
Animated cartoon
Megatron's iconic cannon served admirably as a cutting torch when Megatron sought to gain access to the Autobots' ship.[2] Transform and Roll Out After Megatron's revival, his newly rebuilt fusion cannon proved even more effective against the Autobot ship by knocking it clean out of the sky in under a minute with some help from Lugnut and Blitzwing. It also has an optical targeting lens... sometimes. Megatron Rising - Part 2 It was instrumental in repeatedly killing the newly-immortal Starscream, Mission Accomplished and was effectively used in the capture of Bulkhead. A Bridge Too Close, Part I
Eventually, it and his other miscellaneous weapons were removed when he was captured by Omega Supreme's internal defenses. Optimus Prime discovered painfully that Megatron was not as weak without it as he had hoped. TransWarped Megatron later restored it to its rightful place on his arm, and used it as his primary weapon when he fought Optimus in the air. It survived the explosion of a Lugnut Supreme, despite being damaged. Megatron shot Optimus Prime with it again, but this time it was ineffective, and Optimus Prime destroyed it with Ultra Magnus's Magnus Hammer. Endgame, Part II
Notably Megatron, despite always precisely hitting Starscream, rarely manages to aim correctly when facing the Autobots. The writers were likely reluctant to have half the cast atomized in the space of five seconds, but to be fair, Starscream was unsurprisingly at point blank range for nearly every shot.
TransTech
High Commander Megatron's main weapon was his Tetra-Singularity Fusion cannon, a weapon that harnessed a small black hole as its power source and had no equal in Axiom Nexus. Rook - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/05/13 It has only been fired at full power once. TransTech Megatron's profile
Shattered Glass
Rumbler was the heroic Megatron's loyal sidearm. He was a semi-sentient drone in the shape of a fusion cannon. Do Over
Optimus Prime later gained a Quantum Fusion cannon upon his transformation into Nova Prime. Timelines Nova Prime profile card
Aligned continuity family
The Fusion Cannon could tap into interdimensional power sources to blast through almost any armor. Megatron had one, Megatron's Battle Bio and so did The Fallen when he was Megatronus.[3]
Prime cartoon
Megatron's fortress of Darkmount was armed with several fusion cannons. When a human army military force arrived at the fortress to wage a counterattack on the Decepticons, Megatron had one of the cannons fired at them, annihilating the humans and destroying the nearby abandoned city of Jasper in the process. Megatron warned Fowler that further human interference would result in the fusion cannons being turned on several major cities, including Washington, D.C. Darkmount, NV When Ultra Magnus arrived on Earth and reunited the majority of Team Prime, Prey he and Fowler resolved to disable the fusion cannons before destroying Darkmount with the help of Earth's military. While Bulkhead and Wheeljack created a distraction at the base of the fortress, Arcee and Bumblebee attempted to sneak into the fortress to disable the cannons, but when met with heavy resistance, Magnus took matters into his own hands and mounted a one-bot assault on the cannons. He was stopped by Megatron, and though the Autobots were all captured, Optimus Prime's arrival quickly resulted in the fusion cannons being crippled, and then destroyed by Fowler's Skystrikers. Rebellion
Megatron himself also had a fusion cannon[4] on his right arm, which seemed to be a standard arm-mounted energon cannon simply enhanced by Dark Energon, but he promptly abandoned it when he got a dead Prime's arm to replace his own in order to activate the Forge of Solus Prime to create the arguably more effective Dark Star Saber. Alpha/Omega Later, however, he lost that arm Darkest Hour and got his original arm back along with his fusion cannon. Darkmount, NV He was still able to use the Dark Star Saber with his fusion cannon arm in a final battle with the Autobots. Deadlock After being killed, he lost it again upon being resurrected by Unicron, though he was able to access two Dark Energon cannons that were also extremely effective. Predacons Rising
Games
War for Cybertron
Megatron's precious cannon fired explosive charges into the faces of his enemies. Oddly enough, Optimus Prime could also use one.
Carried by: Leaders, Megatron
- Damage: 10
- Range: 9
- Accuracy: 7
- Rate of Fire: 4
Transformers Devastation
The Fusion Cannon is a Grenade Launcher class weapon that can be unlocked by beating the game on any difficulty. When aiming, it will create a shield that blocks damage from the front. It can be equipped by Optimus Prime, Grimlock, and Wheeljack.
Megatron, of course, uses the Fusion Cannon as his primary weapon. He's also able to use the Fusion Cannon to create a forceful but harmless energy waves to fling his enemies away from him.
Another variant, "Fusion Cannon (Mod)", instead works like a shotgun; as one can guess, this variant is based on movieverse Megatron's fusion shotgun, down to it's appearance. This weapon lacks the aforementioned shield function.
Toys
Megatrons with Fusion Cannons
- As the Fusion Cannon is Megatron's signature weapon, we at the wiki quickly realized that posting every instance of a Megatron with a Fusion Cannon would be perhaps a bit much. Not to mention, it would be shorter to list those who didn't have one. For brevity, and sanity, the following Megatrons (Megatronii?) are commonly known to carry Fusion Cannons into combat on their toys and merchandise:
- The Generation 1 incarnation, which covers the Megatron found in Marvel Comics, the original cartoon, and IDW's line of comics, among others.
- The live-action film incarnation, featured in four out of the five major movies.
- The Animated incarnation.
- The Aligned incarnation, featured in several video games, novels and Transformers Prime.
- Megatronus, while not a Megatron, always has a Fusion Cannon in the 2015 Robots in Disguise franchise.
- Meanwhile, the following toys either feature one-shot (continuity wise) Megatrons with Fusion Cannons, or other characters with toys who have been issued Fusion Cannons:
Beast Machines
- Mechatron (Beast Rider, 2000)
- Accessories: 2 missiles
- Mechatron features a central fusion cannon.
- Mechatron (Beast Rider, 2001)
- Accessories: 2 missiles
- Later on, Mechatron was given a running change redeco into a shocking purple, yellow, and copper coloration, though the packaging was not changed in any way to reflect this.
Timelines
- Nova Prime (Deluxe, 2015)
- While he didn't have one as Optimus Prime, the redeemed former leader of the evil Autobots wound up receiving a Quantum Fusion Cannon from his benefactor Unicron. It does look a lot like the Ion Blaster his heroic counterpart has, though.
United
- Darkside Optimus Prime & Darkside Megatron (Deluxe Class two-pack, 2011)
- Accessories: Cannon/missile launcher, energy-blast missile
- Part of a Tokyo Toy Show 2011-exclusive United two-pack with Darkside Optimus Prime, Darkside Megatron is a black redeco of Generations: War for Cybertron Megatron. Megatron's spring-loaded Fusion Cannon can still attach to either arm.
Age of Extinction
- Evasion Mode Optimus Prime (Voyager, 2014)
- Evolution 2-Pack Optimus Prime (Voyager Two-Pack, 2014)
- Optimus Prime & Grimlock (Platinum Edition Voyager 2-pack, 2014)
- Optimus Prime Battle Damage Color (Milk Magazine exclusive, 2014)
- Rusty Ver. Optimus Prime (Voyager, 2014)
- Gold Classic Optimus Prime (Battle Command Campaign, 2014)
- Autobots United (Platinum Edition 5-pack, 2014)
- Breakout Battle (Platinum Edition, 2014)
- A weapon based on Megatron's hand held Fusion Shotgun (named Ion Cannon) is available with this Optimus Prime and his redecoes. The said weapon can also attach to Dark of the Moon Voyager Class Megatron's hands.
- See also: Movie The Best Optimus Prime
Knights of Unicron
- Megatron (Knights of Unicron Reunion Tour Set, 2014)
- Accessories: clear purple missile, Fusion Cannon
- Knights of Unicron Megatron is a redeco of Thrilling 30 Deluxe Class Megatron, transforming from a rocker-themed Cybertronian self-propelled gun into a rocker-themed robot. Yes, he still has the Fusion Cannon.
Notes
- Generation 1 Megatron's on-package bio refers his weapon as a "particle beam cannon".[5]
- His Generation 1 on-package bio also mentioned he can "link up interdimensionally to a black hole and use anti-matter from it for use as a weapon," without elaborating further.[5] This, however, is a truncated version of the full bio provided to Transformers writers and later published in The Transformers Universe, which explains that his cannon draws on the antimatter as a power source.[6] Apparently working from the shortened version, Simon Furman wrote two stories in the Marvel UK comics where Megatron channeled the antimatter through his body, unleashing it through his hands the first time and through his eyes the second time. It manifested as a black, starry cloud that caused explosions. A similar situation occurred in the cartoon. Megatron was never shown to possess antimatter-channeling abilities, but he was shown to possess an anti-matter blaster in "Enter the Nightbird". Like every Decepticon weapon in the cartoon, it produced a purple laserbeam, though one that "absorbed" energy. The fusion cannon-power-source interpretation has never featured in a story.
- The deep percussive note at the beginning of the iconic fusion cannon sound effect (used throughout Generation 1 and Animated) is an old "stock" sound used frequently in American animation, most notably within Hanna-Barbera's Scooby Doo where it was used to signify cast members or objects falling on the ground, running into walls, etc.
- According to the Transformers: Mystery of Convoy strategy guide, Megatron's fusion cannon functions as a flame thrower. No wonder he got defeated easily.
- Megatron's cannon in The Last Knight functioned as a flamethrower in one scene, possibly alluding to this...or following the "rule of cool".
Foreign names
- Japanese: Yūgō Kanon Hō (融合カノン砲 "Fusion Cannon Gun")
See also
References
- ↑ Battle Bios at Hasbro.com
- ↑ Use of sound-effects from the original cartoon only served to enhance the weapon's coolness.
- ↑ AllSpark.com description of BotCon 2010 Hasbro designers' panel
- ↑ Though unnamed in the series, it was named as such in the toyline.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Generation 1 Megatron's original on-package bio (scan at BotchTheCrab.com)
- ↑ Generation 1 Megatron's extended bio (transcription at NTFA.net)
