Magnificence
- The Magnificence is an artifact from the IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family
The Magnificence is nothing less than a complete database and map of the known universe, and every exploitable resource within it. This coveted artifact is the ultimate Magic 8-Ball; any question posed to it will be granted an immediate and accurate answer. Just how this works remains a bit of a mystery.
It is sometimes known as the Resus Cradle.
Fiction
IDW Generation 1 continuity
 Plot details for The Ties That Bind follow. |
Sometime after becoming on speaking terms with the Omega Guardians, Senator Shockwave became convinced the Magnificence was in actuality one of the legendary Knights of Cybertron, one that had such an insatiable quest for knowledge that they had relinquished their body. Whether or not this theory was correct, there were markings on the Magnificence tying it to Cybertron. When the Omega Guardians "ascended", the Magnificence was left behind in the Omega Bunker on Ki-Aleta, guarded by fearsome drones. The Ties That Bind
During the Great War, a team of Autobots led by Hot Rod sought out the Magnificence to keep it out of Decepticon hands. The team managed to decoy the Omega Guardians successfully with holograms and automated gun systems. However, sabotage from the Autobot known as Dealer led to the decoy system failing and the majority of the team being slaughtered by the Guardians. Dealer was unable to procure the Magnificence, though, as Hot Rod made good his escape and hid the artifact in parts unknown. Spotlight: Hot Rod
After extended urging from Dealer, Hot Rod sought out the Magnificence from where he had hidden it. This turned out to be Ki-Aleta, much to Dealer's surprise. High atop a rock formation surrounded by ionized clouds, it was inaccessible to mechanical life forms save by making the treacherous climb up the rock face itself. Upon retrieving it, Hot Rod demonstrated that it was not only a chronicle of old information, but new information as well. After using it to reveal Dealer's treachery (and dealing with him accordingly), he then queried it as to the details of the Expansion. Spotlight: Doubledealer
Hot Rod then sent the Magnificence to Garrus-9 where it was entombed beneath the Aequitas supercomputer. When Grimlock was arrested however, the Autobots decided his chest was a more secure place and installed a tamper proof brace within the Dinobot so that the Magnificence could only be surrendered if Grimlock wished it so.
After Scorponok escaped Garrus-9, he manipulated the Warren to bring Grimlock to him where he tortured the Dinobot to the point of brain damage and was able to claim the Magnificence. The Ties That Bind
The Magnificence then fell into the possession of the Catharsian Mengel, who used it to learn how to revive the dead. Chasing the Infinite She advertised it as the "Resus Cradle", boasting that it could resurrect mechanical lifeforms. Seeking to revive the recently departed Skids, Nautica came to Howling Town to try and bargain with the Catharsian for use of the artifact. An Axe to Break the Ice Flame was also in Howling Town, and after the Infinite had perished at the hands of the Black Block Consortia, the ex-Autobot came to Mengel and demanded the relic, ordering his men to ransack the compound when she refused to hand it over. His men found it and they brought it back to their Worldsweeper with the self-revived Infinite, presenting both to the Grand Architect, who noted that "The Resus Cradle" was a stupid name, preferring to refer to it solely as the Magnificence. Chasing the Infinite
In the aftermath, Mengel fled to Agonizer, where the two compared notes on the artifact. Realizing the Cybertronian history behind the Magnificence, Agonizer summoned the Scavengers to him via teleportal and, after a some exposition for Nickel's benefit, sent them after the relic with the promise of making them fabulously wealthy. After they had been captured by Scorponok, the ex-Decepticon explained the relic's history to the group before he had Grimlock brutally dismember them. The Ties That Bind
Notes
- The Magnificence has a superficial resemblance (including coloration) to the Pearl of Bahoudin from the 1985 The Transformers episode "Trans-Europe Express".
- In a Q&A, Simon Furman said he originally intended to show that using the Magnificence had a price: "the information or what information precipitates mostly turns out to be a poisoned chalice... there was going to be a Hot Rod payoff, in which he goes well and truly through the wringer as a consequence of his mining of the Magnificence". Due to the revised (and shorter) nature of Revelation, this subplot was dropped, though Hot Rod did go through the wringer in Maximum Dinobots, but for different reasons.
- In the same Q&A, he said he considered making the Magnificence a Quintesson artifact but changed his mind.
