Grotusque

From MediaWiki
Revision as of 19:22, 2 June 2019 by Nom (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Grotusque is an Autobot Monsterbot (and sometimes a former Decepticon) from the Generation 1 continuity family.
If only Wildman had gotten to draw these guys in action... sigh. Nick Roche is drawing me WOOOOO!

Grotusque laughs at life and everything in it. Why shouldn't he when nothing out there could ever be as frightening as his own reflection in the mirror? Still, Grotusque gamely laughs off even his own hideous appearance and alternate mode with a joke about Primus having had a little too much high-grade energon that day.

He's jovial, upbeat, and irreverent by nature despite his frightening exterior. To the frequent amusement (and sometimes annoyance) of his comrades, Grotusque can be counted on to fill the air with laughter and lighthearted jokes in even the darkest or least appropriate of situations. To their dismay he's simply incapable of taking anything totally seriously. Yet they have little other reason to complain, even if there are rumors he was once on the other side of the war; Grotusque's courage is legendary and he's a top-notch fighter. He's also quite brilliant at his function as strategist, with a sharp and analytical mind that's perfect for planning masterful campaigns (and witty quips). Fighting is fun, in Grotusque's opinion, or he simply wouldn't do it, and, in the end, death is as much a joke as life, so smile and laugh a little, and enjoy yourself while you're here.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

Not nearly as strange as making planetfall with a guy hanging from your tail.

Grotusque and the Monsterbots joined Fortress Maximus in abandoning Cybertron, hoping to find a new life for themselves on the planet of Nebulos. Grotusque's flight abilities proved handy as the Autobots awkwardly made their way down to the surface from their orbiting ship; he arrived with a fellow Autobot hitching a ride by hanging on to his tail, Trial by Fire! noting as he did that the organic planet before them looked quite strange. Ring of Hate!

Conflicts with the locals made the Autobots' lives on Nebulos difficult, and those conflicts were only exacerbated by the Decepticons' arrival and subsequent binary bonding with a deceitful group of local Nebulans, including the pairing of Decepticon leader Scorponok with high-ranking official Lord Zarak. Zarak turned the Nebulan people against the Autobots, portraying the Decepticons as public heroes even as they raided Nebulos's resources to serve the lust for power of both Zarak and Scorponok. When the Decepticons attempted to take control of the Mercury Gardens of Melanossus, the Monsterbots and several comrades attempted to stop them. They failed—not only did the Decepticon Headmasters kill every Autobot but the escaping Monsterbots, they also successfully proclaimed their heroism to the media for driving off the Autobot "attackers". Grotusque was the one who had to break the news to Blurr upon returning to base that no other Autobot had survived their mission. Brothers in Armor!!

"Stop talking over me, Goldbug!"

The Autobots eventually quit Nebulos and traveled to Earth, where Grotusque continued to serve as one of Fortress Maximus's top advisors. He was part of a select greeting party involved in the first meeting with the Ark's crew. Grimlock was less than impressed with the new arrivals, and wound up challenging Maximus to a duel in order to maintain control of the Autobot forces. Blaster was ultimately the one who battled the Dinobot on Earth's moon for leadership supremacy. The proceedings were interrupted by a Decepticon attack, and the duelists were forced to put their differences aside to lead their troops together against the attackers. Totaled!

Regeneration One

Regeneration One continues from the Marvel US series, and does not include the UK stories or any subsequently published stories.

Grotusque was offlined during the Underbase fiasco and stored aboard the Ark. Reanimated by Megatron as part of his zombie army of "Ex-Bots", he was used to devastate the Earth until the Decepticon tyrant was defeated by Optimus Prime. With the signal reanimating his body gone, Grotusque's remains were gathered up by Red Alert and Smokescreen, thrown into a huge pit with the rest of the zombies, and then vaporized from orbit. Natural Selection, Part One

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Headmasters cartoon

Voice actor: Masaharu Satō (Japanese){{#if: Alejandro Abdalah (Latin-American Spanish)|, Alejandro Abdalah (Latin-American Spanish)}}

Grotusque and his Monsterbot comrades were called in by Rodimus Prime to help liberate the enslaved natives on planet Beast. Their mission was a success, and the Monsterbots subsequently stayed on Beast in order to protect it from future Decepticon attacks. Rebellion on Planet Beast There was apparently a change of plans some time later, as the Monsterbots were ordered to help the Autobots with a battle against the Decepticons on the planet Paradise. During the fight, Grotusque used his flaming breath to help topple Abominus and destroy the Decepticons' energon cubes. Head Formation of Friendship

Legends comic

The Monsterbots were created by Wheeljack in 2011 and programmed with low intelligence to keep them from rampaging like some other beast-type Transformers. Their strange personalities made them unsuitable to be placed on the frontlines, leading to their being stationed on Beast where they were treated as equals by the Beastformers and eventually developed more advanced intelligence. The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 3

The Monsterbots returned to Beast to aid the Beastformers in their war against the Laser Beasts, but were defeated and had their heads torn off when the Laser Beasts took control of the Head Hunters. LG51 Doublecross Prologue After Grotusque's head was saved from destruction by Platinum Tiger, he attempted to halt the growing corruption in the Beastformer's heart by using the Three Wise Ones' gems to merge with him into a robotic Headmaster body. His efforts were in vain and Platinum Tiger ended up sealing their shared body in another dimension, though Grotusque assured him he didn't mind this fate as he'd hated his ugly body anyway. Platinum Tiger found it dangerous to keep sharing a body, however, and as soon as Grotusque's body was retrieved from the Laser Beasts, he returned the Monsterbot's consciousness to it. After helping end the war with the Laser Beasts, Grotusque remained in contact with the exiled Platinum Tiger through the Holography Mirror, which in turn helped him overcome his aversion of mirrors and accept his appearance. The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 1 The Monsterbots remained on Beast and ran into Rattrap of the Legends World fifteen years later, though as the only Monsterbot who never visited that world, Grotusque didn't recognize him. Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part Two

When Galvatron II attacked Beast, the combined form of Tigerburn and Lione lent their head mode to Grotusque so that he could fight in robot mode, though the Monsterbots were nevertheless defeated and left at Galvatron's mercy. Unwilling to let their friends die along with them, they tossed their Headmasters to safety only to be saved by the arrival of the Three Wise Ones, who merged with the Monsterbots to grant them the power of "true evolution". The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 3

Transformers in 3-D

The three Monsterbots and Kup composed Ultra Magnus's team during the search for Metascan Alpha. The group ended up on a desolate moon, confronted by Cyclonus and the Terrorcons. Ultra Magnus insisted they ignore the Decepticons and continue with their mission. They flew down to the planet below, only to find it under attack by the Destructons. Grotusque commented that the foe was "really ugly", shortly before being struck by Bruton's Confusion Club. The Autobots beat a hasty retreat back to the moon, where the Destructons began beating on the Decepticons, and Magnus was able to engineer an Autobot/Decepticon truce. The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

In one of the extras in The Dark Ages trade paperback, Grotusque is listed as a member of Starscream's evil Predacon faction. This seems at odds with what we know of his personality, plus he never actually appeared in the comic at Starscream's side. It's possible this is a mistake, and it was meant to be his more unstable Monsterbot colleague, Repugnus.

3H comics

Less than 3 deca-cycles after the reformatting of Cybertron into a technorganic wonderland, Grotusque and his fellow Monsterbots (apparently all having undergone the Great Upgrade downsizing) were seen exiting a bar on the CSSB-16 Spaceport soused out of their minds on some high quality energon. The Wreckers: Finale Part 1

2005 IDW continuity

In the era of Zeta Prime, Grotusque was seen among the crowd of protesters rallying against the Autobot cop who reportedly killed an unarmed Decepticon agitator. To Walk Among the Chosen

After the war began, Grotusque was part of the mercenary Monsterbots team, who did violent work not for fun but for money (and also fun). The Monsterbots were called in to assist Grimlock, who was having Machination problems. Maximum Dinobots #2 Grotusque helped by eating Headmasters, god damn. Maximum Dinobots #3

Holy &#$%!

After the initial bout of Headmaster slaughter, the Monsterbots agreed to drop the Dynobots off at Machination headquarters for a final reckoning. Aboard their ship, Grotusque and Doublecross observed quietly (and slightly menacingly) as Repugnus negotiated a fee with Grimlock. The Monsterbots dropped the Dynobots off at their destination, while taking some anti-air fire. Luckily, the Monsterbots' ship was well-armed and they were able to easily destroy all ground defenses with a blanket dispersal of firepower. Maximum Dinobots #4

Their agreement with the Dynobots called for evac as well, and Slag, Snarl, and Swoop eventually showed up to be pulled out. Repugnus even offered up membership in the Monsterbots to the trio. But the three Dynobots eventually decided that they would stay behind to fight after all. The Monsterbots presumably left the planet shortly thereafter. Maximum Dinobots #5

A few years later, Grotusque had apparently rejoined the Autobot cause. Together with Cloudburst, he was performing a routine security inspection of Kimia Facility when Cyclonus blasted straight through said security with a huge number of Sweeps in tow. Grotusque and Cloudburst rushed to Kimia's armories only to find them already infested with Sweeps.Lamentations Grotusque managed to survive Kimia's destruction and later participated in a battle on Cybertron against the invading 70-billion-strong Ammonite army. Black Planet

Well, at least it's not prison.

He would then join the crew of the Lost Light under the command of the reformed Megatron and helped bring on board a strange coffin they had found floating in space, alongside Mirage, Hot Spot, and Broadside. Words Hang in the Air

At Swerve's, Grotusque decided Ten would look better with pictures of flowers on his chestplate. Some high-grade energon may have been involved in this decision. The Lopsided Triangle He was hanging at the bar again at a later point, drinking with Mainframe. No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases

Wings Universe

During the Machine Wars, Grotusque served under City Commander Backstreet in defense of Uraya against Jhiaxus's clone soldiers. Termination

Commercial appearances

Grotusque and the Monsterbots were created accidentally during an attempt to create new Autobots. Kup raced to warn Rodimus Prime and Blurr of the accident, as the wild Monsterbots trashed the lab where they were born. Thankfully the Decepticons attacked just then and the Monsterbots burst out of the building through the wall to fight them. In the ensuing battle, Grotusque traded fire with Scourge. Rodimus expressed relief that, though they were monsters, at least they were Autobot monsters. Monsterbots commercial

Games

The Transformers (PS2)

Voice actor: Jack Merluzzi (English){{#if: |, {{{2}}}}}

Autobot story

Grotusque was a bonus character available for use in the Autobot campaign during the second runthrough.

Decepticon story

As Megatron's forces infiltrated the Ranpas Geothermal Power Plant, Grotusque confronted them in the underground caverns. After a brief discussion about which one was uglier, Grotusque fought the Decepticons. He was defeated and retreated to undergo repairs. The Transformers

Toys

Generation 1

Real monsters wear pink.
  • Grotusque (Monsterbot, 1987)
  • Japanese ID number: C-99
  • Accessories: "Vaporator" double-barreled blaster, left and right wings
Grotusque transforms into a robotic, bipedal winged saber-toothed cat-like monster (see "Notes"). Pressing a button on the back of his beast mode neck makes "cold" sparks shoot from his mouth, which opens and closes. His "Vaporator" weapon can also mount on his beast mode back.
In his original catalog photograph, Grotusque is mistransformed; his robot mode legs are not folded up all the way, turning his alternate mode into a four-legged monster. He's also missing his wings.


Generations

In case you missed Combiner Wars Streetwise.
  • Grotusque (Special Edition, 2017)
    • Accessories: Fengul Titan Master, left and right guns, Scorponok Titan Master
Titans Return Grotusque is a heavy retool of Titans Return Deluxe Class Twinferno, transforming into robotic winged saber-toothed cat-like monster. His twin guns can combine into a super-gun with a seating compartment for Titan Master (and compatible) figures, notably his pack-in partner Fengul. He also comes with an additional Titan Master Scorponok.
First revealed at New York Comic Con 2017 on October 5, he was made immediately available on HasbroToyShop.com without warning, selling out in about 3 hours. He was later made available on the ToysЯUs website beginning January 6, 2018.
He was later rereleased in Legends without Scorponok.


Legends

  • Repug & Grotes (Repugnus & Grotusque) (2-pack, January 26, 2019)
    • ID number: LG-EX
    • Accessories: Repug's two swords, Hedgehog Headmaster, Grotes's left and right guns, Platinum Tiger Headmaster
Legends Grotes is a re-release of the Titans Return figure (see above), sans die-cast Titan Master. Grotes comes in a two-pack with Repug. The Takara release is very slightly different, utilizing a matte paint finish and black screws in contrast to a glossy finish and silver screws on the Hasbro release.


Notes

  • Grotusque's name is obviously a play on "grotesque", which works on the most obvious level as a description of how ugly and awful this Monsterbot is; similar wordplay was used with fellow Monsterbot Repugnus. However, Grotusque's twisted, many-different-animals-mashed-together alternate mode actually matches another definition of "grotesque"—that of the [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Grotesque#In architecture|{{#if:same sort of fanciful monstrosities that were carved into gothic structures|same sort of fanciful monstrosities that were carved into gothic structures|Grotesque#In architecture}}]] for centuries. See, parents, this stuff is educational too!
He's the team's wisecracking strategist, obviously.
  • The patent application for Grotusque describes him as a "reconfigurable toy tiger", which is certainly one interpretation of his alt mode. Grotusque's patent application
  • One of Grotusque's more...bizarre appearances is in the IDW issues "The Possible Light" and "Mistakes and Mayhem", both of which are part of the Combiner Wars arc. In a hilarious error in both issues, Grotusque was drawn amongst the soon-to-be combined Protectobots, replacing Streetwise, alongside fellow not-Protectobot Mainframe, who replaced Blades in the same panels Grotusque replaced Streetwise! This was fixed for the trade paperback version, but it's still utterly hilarious.

Foreign names

  • Japanese: Grotes (グロテス Gurotesu), Grotusque (グロタスク Gurotasuku)<ref>Japanese reprint of The Transformers: Chaos.</ref>
  • Mandarin: Jiànchǐhǔ (China, 剑齿虎, "Smilodon")
  • Italian: Tigerbot

References

<references />
Retrieved from "https://tfwiki.duckdns.org/index.php?title=Grotusque&oldid=1352502"