Exarchon
- Exarchon is a Transformer from the 2019 IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Once a leading figure in society, Exarchon was corrupted by forces unknown into the "Threefold Spark", one mind split across many bodies, unleashing the War of the Threefold Spark.
Fiction
2019 IDW continuity
- First appearance: Transformers #7 (mentioned); Transformers issue #15 (full appearance)
At some point during the Age of Expansion, Exarchon left Cybertronian space, returning as a mad warmonger intent on destroying Cybertron. The Change In Your Nature Part Three
The nature of and reason for this transformation is not clear, but many Cybertronians believed he'd been deliberately corrupted and unleashed upon his homeworld as a weapon to curtail Cybertron's rampant expansionism. Test Flight I Sea of Rust I The alteration changed Exarchon's spark, making it akin to a biological virus, capable of "usurping" another Cybertronian's body, consuming their sparks and minds. The only mercy was that Exarchon was unable to maintain more than three bodies at any one time. However, this proved barely an obstacle to him, as he swapped bodies repeatedly. In addition to this mutation, he was given exotic weapons and technology to turn loose on his home planet. Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part One
When Exarchon returned to Cybertron, he first allied with the amoral Shockwave, and the pair developed a revolutionary form of cloning that allowed Cybertronians to raise an army of copies from the planet's living metal—the earliest such experiments yielded Soundblaster, who later became a loyal servant of Shockwave's. Sea of Rust I Armed with advanced technology, Exarchon soon made his presence known to Cybertron, and the battle to stop him became known as the War of the Threefold Spark. The Change In Your Nature Part Three
In battle, Exarchon proved cautious; he rarely put himself in danger by exposing all three of his bodies on the field at any one time. The Change In Your Nature Part Three His prudence didn't prevent Arcee from assassinating at least one of his bodies, although this setback was ultimately temporary. Arcee/Greenlight: Run At some point during the war, Exarchon attempted to usurp the Titans; he succeeded with Croaton, but this was short-lived, as the Titan Citadel obliterated Croaton with an imploder weapon. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay Titans Light/Star Cybertron as a whole would not learn the truth of Exarchon's changed nature until towards the end of the war. Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part One
Other Cybertronians fought for Exarchon voluntarily. The mercurial Skywarp was an early recruit; although Shockwave and Exarchon had hoped that cloning the Seeker would give them an army of teleporting warriors, they were disappointed to note that the Skywarp clones lacked this ability. Escape Part Three At some point, the cannibalistic Insecticons cut a deal with Exarchon and Shockwave, who promised them a clone army in due time. Escape Part Two Of all of Exarchon's soldiers, Turmoil established a reputation for himself as a cruel and ruthless warrior. We Are Not Meant To Be Darkness
At one point during the war, when Yuss was leveled, and Ultra Magnus's assault force had fallen back, Exarchon felt that the battle was over, and began inspecting the battlefield. He found a damaged Megatron, and noted that while the miner was his enemy, he could have been of use. Whatever Exarchon was planning, he didn't have a chance to implement it, as Strika's heavies attacked him and destroyed one of his bodies before Skywarp's clone army saved him. Eventually, Megatron would come to realize that it was Exarchon's will, not his weapons or deeds, that came to truly define his fearsome reputation. The Change In Your Nature Part Three
The final battle of the War of the Threefold Spark was fought approximately two megacycles before the rise of the Decepticons, just beyond the city of Iacon. By that time, much of Exarchon's forces had been defeated, captured or killed, leaving only the fanatics. Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part One It is unclear if Exarchon himself participated in this battle in any way; although his forces were ultimately routed and his plans for interplanetary conquest foiled, Exarchon vanished from history. Most Cybertronians believed that Exarchon had perished, but some noted that they'd never found his body—the war veteran Cyclonus remained unconvinced that he was truly gone and maintained a solitary vigil at the Memorial Crater that marked Exarchon's final defeat. The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part One Cyclonus' concern proved correct, as unknown to all Exarchon endured inside the body of Provoke, buried beneath the memorial itself. Titans
When Senator Orion Pax wondered whether he could still trust Megatron, Orion's mentor Codexa told him that Cybertron had once trusted Exarchon before he'd led them to ruin. Orion Pax: Free Fall After accepting the Matrix of Leadership, its Mediator program informed Orion that Exarchon's spark had not yet joined the afterlife. Prime
During Megatron's attempted military takeover, he had the Titan Cargohold crash into the memorial crater. In the aftermath, the rubble was explored by Gutcruncher and Roadtrap, who found Exarchon in Provoke's body. Titans They brought 'her' to the Iacon medical center, where Flatline attended to Provoke while Cyclonus held vigil. The medic felt that it was unlikely 'Provoke' would ever wake up. Test Flight I However, this prognosis proved incorrect. Test Flight II In the guise of Provoke, Exarchon began studying what had happened in his absence, brushing off Cyclonus's attempts to reconnect with his supposed friend. Meanwhile, he usurped the body of Ruckus, and tried to pass the otherwise completely dead mechanoid's revival as a miracle. When Flatline became curious, a frustrated Exarchon - feeling the need to be three once more - usurped him as well. Enigmatic The Decepticons took no notice of Ruckus's revival, or his strange behaviour, with Swindle shooing Cyclonus off when he tried asking him. Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part One
When brought before Megatron, Ultra Magnus tried to warn Megatron about Exarchon's threat while Exarchon himself consulted the archives regarding what he had missed in Provoke's body. His failure to completely mimic Provoke's mannerisms further roused Cyclonus' suspicions. Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part Two
In Provoke's body, Exarchon continued to consult the archives before Cyclonus confronted him again. Unable to put off Cyclonus any longer, Exarchon attacked with the intent to usurp him only for Cyclonus to cut out Provoke's spark chamber, though not before the warlord had confirmed his identity to Cyclonus. In Flatline's body, Exarchon approached Shockwave and Skywarp, eager to conclude their old work. In Ruckus' body, Exarchon discovered the multiworld simulation chambers beneath Swindle's and a sleeping Deathsaurus. Opening the chamber, Exarchon abandoned Ruckus' form and usurped Deathsaurus' body, dramatically erupting out of the building in dragon mode. Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part Three
Alternate future
While experimenting with her teleportation abilities, Jumpstream found herself teleporting out of control, and somehow travelled through time into a future where Exarchon had returned from hiding, stolen the bodies of Megatron, Shockwave, and Onslaught, and conquered the planet. Lord of Misrule: Test Flight I As the de facto ruler of Cybertron, Exarchon held court in the ruined Senate building as his minions—Cybertronian, Thraal, and Voin alike— drained Cybertron's energon and sold Transformers into slavery. When his Skywarp clones found Jumpstream, she was brought before the ruler of Cybertron; unaware that she'd travelled through time, Exarchon mistook her for a rebel guerilla and ordered his minions to give her to the Thraal mercenaries as a gift. Test Flight II
Notes
- The name "Exarchon" is a portmanteau of the Ancient Greek words "archon" (ἄρχων árchōn) and "exarch" (ἔξαρχος éxarchos).[1] Both originally referred to rulers or other individuals in positions of authority, but in modern English usage have come to be used specifically for religious leaders within the Eastern Orthodox Church.
- Exarchon's original form is based on a recolored version of the 1981 Diaclone Dia-Attacker (ダイアアタッカー) toy (also released by Grandstand in the United Kingdom in the Convertors toyline as "Zetanoid"), albeit with some artistic license taken — most notably the chestplate, which is considerably simpler and less impressive on Exarchon than it was on Dia-Attacker. Meanwhile, Exarchon's controlled bodies as seen in Transformers #15 include designs based on Titans Return Twin Twist and Prime Wheeljack.
References
- ↑ Tweets by @Brian_Ruckley, 29 May 2019
"And, not that I imagine anyone actually wantss this much info (!), later an Exarch was an official in Byzantine empire - so I mashed exarch and archon together. And that's the story of how Exarchon, the Threefold Spark, got his name ..."
