Buster (IDW)
| The name or term "Buster" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Buster (disambiguation). |
- Buster is Thundercracker's pet dog from the 2005 IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Buster is Thundercracker's dog, given to him by Marissa Faireborn of the EDC in return for him turning against the Decepticons...and possibly to make sure he has someone to talk to other than Marissa. Buster now serves as best friend, co-writer and sidekick all rolled into one while also forming an unusual friendship with fellow Cybertronian companions Bob and D.0.C. But she'll always have eyes for TC first, and if there's one thing guaranteed to turn the former seeker's temper against you it's bad mouthing his little girl.
Fiction
2005 IDW continuity
Buster was born in New Jersey to a male pug and a female beagle, making her and her litter-mates puggles. Marissa Faireborn presented her as a gift to Thundercracker in the hopes of providing the lonely and isolated Cybertronian refugee with a friend. Buster, Bob, and D.0.C. profiles
Buster managed to get out of Thundercracker's home due to Marissa Faireborn visiting him to ask for his services in helping Earth. Thundercracker was worried by this; Buster could have gotten eaten by bears or Sharkticons... maybe not Sharkticons. She was later with Marissa Faireborn when she threatened the Autobots, interrupting the flow of Marissa's speech with an adorable bark. Hello Cruel World
Buster remained with Marissa as the EDC director continued to threaten the Autobots. When the Autobots and Decepticons started to fight Buster was driven mad by Frenzy's sonic waves. She later returned to Thundercracker when the battle was taken elsewhere. Detonation Boulevard
She had a snooze on Thundercracker's wing. Full Fathom Five Thundercracker then brought her along when he flew Marissa to the Autobot-Decepticon battle on Bikini Atoll, staying out of the line of fire out of concern for the dog. After falling down a crevice he feared he may have crushed Buster, but she appeared safe and sound to lick his face. I Dream of Wires
Thundercracker was telling Buster about his latest screenplay when Soundwave arrived to meet with him, agitating the dog. Soundwave's offer to "silence" the barking animal sent Thundercracker into a defensive rage until he clarified he could feel Buster's emotions and hadn't meant it like that. Vs. Thundercracker left Buster in Sanjay Bharwaney's care before he left to battle the EDC's army of Ramjet and Thrust clones, and upon returning got another face-licking as a reward. The Obliterati
Buster later accompanied Thundercracker back to Bikini Atoll, as Blackrock was interviewing the EDC's prisoner, Spike Witwicky. The Nothing Man She encountered the Autobot drone, D.0.C., who had infiltrated the base. Lagrange She then played a crucial role in helping D.0.C rescue the captive Autobots by leading him to a data terminal and later freeing him from a drone transport truck.Helden Buster and D.0.C. rested with Jetfire while everyone compared notes. Perihelion
At one point, Thundercracker read a Christmas-based "children's story" he wrote to his friends at the E.D.C. Jones and Buster soon made tracks once T.C. and Faireborn got into another argument over his "writing". The Thirteenth Day of Christmas
When additional Autobots arrived at Bikini Atoll, Buster growled at Sunstreaker's Cybertronian pet, Bob, but hid behind Thundercracker when Bob growled back with a scariness several magnitudes higher. Once Upon a Time on Earth Undaunted, she continued to try to establish domination over Bob after Thundercracker joined the Autobots in helping humans across the globe. Edge of the Earth Buster came with Thundercracker and Optimus Prime when they visited Sanctuary Station, where she got to wear a tiny dog spacesuit. The Medium and the Message
After returning to Earth, she confronted Bob once more, and this time she was backed up by D.0.C until Thundercracker and Sunstreaker broke their pets up. When humans attacked and Bob got in trouble, however, Buster and D.0.C. both defended him from the People's Liberation Army Mecha Force. It's Beginning To And Back Again Their intervention forced Marissa to give specific orders not to harm the dog. As Above...So Below
When the very much alive Sentinel Prime showed up in Autobot City and destroyed their space bridge she joined Bob and D.0.C. in greeting him. The Last Autobot As a Titan Master, the Prime simply detached from his Transtector body and left it to fight the trio. They had very limited success before Arcee took over. White Light Once that was sorted out, she reunited with Thundercracker as Soundwave gave an inspirational speech.White Heat
A few months later, she was in Pittsburgh with Thundercracker, Bob and D.0.C. helping to evacuate people from a burning building before they got a call from Marissa Faireborn that the White House had been overrun by Dire Wraith. When they arrived, Buster proved able to sniff out who was a Wraith and who was a human. The Wraith tried to kill her only for Thundercracker to atomize it. Buster was then praised by Faireborn before she was ordered to guard the President. When Thundercracker and Marissa managed to kill all the Wraiths, she reunited with the Seeker who announced they were going on a road trip. Thundercracker & Buster Save the World
Buster came along with Thundercracker and Marissa on a sightseeing tour in Egypt. A Lonely Pillar on the Plain She chowed down on a bowl of asparagus while Marissa met with her father Flint and got rather possessive over it when Chameleon got too close. After his talk with Marissa was done, Flint shooed a friendly Buster away and called her a "creature", the mean old crank. Behind My Bleeding Back
Thundercracker, Marissa, and Buster continued their tour of Egypt by visiting a Cairo marketplace, where Buster found all sorts of interesting knick-knacks on the ground to chew on. Marissa decided to give her father another chance and they flew in Thundercracker to catch up with Flint and Chameleon in Sicily. As father and daughter tried to talk again, Buster let Chameleon pet her. Dance Among the Shadows When the group was attacked by Sharkticons, Thundercracker fended them off and Buster gnawed on some remains. They next flew to the Matterhorn so Marissa could offer a solution to the situation currently unfolding with the Junkions, and soon Thundercracker and Buster found themselves helping to build a Junkion settlement on Earth. Feel Safe Without Regrets Buster found she would rather play with a big stuffed toy of D.0.C. than doing boring construction work, and Thundercracker got in trouble with Pyra Magna when he joined in. Thankfully, Marissa showed up to cover for her friends' slacking-off. The Next Day, and the Next
When the President of the United States called Cybertron to unveil Earth's new representative on the Council of Worlds, Buster popped up first on the holographic feed, before Marissa quickly showed herself and clarified that it was HER, not the dog. Origin Myths Buster and Thundercracker were there to see Marissa off as she entered the space bridge to attend an inauguration ceremony on Cybertron. Primeless, Part 1 After contact with Cybertron was lost, Aileron had Buster and Thundercracker fly to Sanctuary Station and make sure no Decepticons were behind the problem. Buster needed to use the little doggie's room once they arrived, and Cosmos said that she could just go in a corner and someone would clean it up later. Primeless, Part 2
Notes
- Buster is inspired by John Barber's real-life dog, Charlie. [1]
