John Henry
- John Henry is a human in the Hearts of Steel portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Thought he was mighty fine;
John Henry sunk a fo'teen foot,
The steam drill only made nine,
The steam drill only made nine.TraditionalJohn Henry was a steel-driving man around the year 1867, noted for being one of the best in the country (if not the world), and highly respected by his fellow railmen. His hammering awoke Bumblebee from millenia of stasis lock, and Bumblebee was inspired by him to take the form of a steel-driving locomotive. Henry initially resented the automated "steam drill" as a piece of job-stealing automation. Bumblebee then appeared to him in robot mode, and explained that he merely wanted to perform a useful function. Now that Henry saw Bumblebee as a person, he respected his work ethic, and they became close friends. Henry taught Bumblebee about the 19th century world, and participated in the high-speed battle against the New York-bound Astrotrain (G1), playing a key role in the Autobots' victory.
The John Henry myth
The John Henry of real-world folklore did not have the good fortune to encounter intelligent, friendly machinery. He competed with a mechanical steam drill, and though he won the contest, he fell dead of a heart attack afterwards. His story is considered a cautionary tale about the implacability of uncaring mechanical progress. The contrast of the myth with the Hearts of Steel story of his bonding with Bumblebee is thus high irony, though not unwelcome.
