Jetfire (Movie)
| The name or term "Jetfire" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Jetfire (disambiguation). |
This article is a featured article, and considered to be one of the most informative on this wiki.
- Jetfire is a Decepticon and Autobot from the Revenge of the Fallen franchise in the live-action film continuity family.
In his day, Jetfire was a living legend both in the air and on the battlefield. Sadly, his day has long since passed. His body went south years back. His bunny is dead on the wheel. He's got rust in places he didn't even know he had. Basically, Jetfire's old! An ancient Decepticon Seeker, Jetfire was around long before the war broke out, and unlike many, came to see his "comrades" for what they were. This caused him to defect to the Autobots, something virtually unheard of. As a consequence, Jetfire never managed to fully obtain the trust of the others back in the day[1].
He's still a fine asset, powerful and able to activate a space bridge to teleport across great distances. This is slightly offset by the fact he's so old. After years without a proper source of energon, he's practically falling apart. His processor gave up the ghost millennia ago. These days he has a hard enough time remembering his name, and he's lucky if his teleporting puts him on the right planet. It makes him a bit crotchety and also leaves him with the nagging feeling he's forgotten something important.
Fiction
IDW Transformers movie comics
In the distant past, the All Spark Cube created a race of powerful, trans-dimensional beings as the first inhabitants of Cybertron. The Cube gave these beings mighty powers, as well as terraforming their world, but it was not limitless, and gradually became depleted. The first beings learned that the All Spark's power could be replenished by harvesting the energy of stars, but they were unable to locate new stars to suit their purposes, despite their amazing ability to travel between dimensions. Once again, the Cube came to the rescue, creating a race of workers who had the ability to change their shape.
Jetfire was among the very first of these new beings, a "Seeker" with the ability to travel across the vastness of space in search of new suns. Once located, he would lead others and his masters back to it so a harvester could be constructed to drain the energy of these stars, thus replenishing the All Spark. Defiance #4
Jetfire served directly under the Prime who would become The Fallen, finding for him various stars to harvest, believing he was serving the Dynasty of Primes as a whole, rather than The Fallen's machinations in specific. Over time, The Fallen began to open up to Jetfire, his most loyal and capable Seeker, and told him that the Dynasty no longer served Cybertron's best interests. Jetfire had unwittingly sacrificed a populated star system under The Fallen's misdirection, and became confused.
Still, Jetfire continued to work with The Fallen, despite his doubts. His master and a small army of Constructicon drones had fashioned a new, secret faction called the Decepticons with the intention of eventually subverting the Dynasty. Jetfire followed them to a desert on a small blue planet to build another solar harvester when primitive life made itself known. The Dynasty arrived soon thereafter to put an end to The Fallen's betrayal. Jetfire realized too late that he was on the wrong side, and so The Fallen warped Jetfire and the other "underlings" into orbit so that the Primes could face each other alone. As they fell planetward, Jetfire fought the Constructicons, and was eventually victorious, but with a price. He crashed from orbit into the Earth and laid dormant for thousands of years.
After he awoke, he wandered across the desert until an experimental craft hit him, exploding. Amidst the chaos, he took its form. Tales of the Fallen issue 3
Revenge of the Fallen film
- Voice actor: Mark Ryan (English), Hisao Egawa (Japanese), Engelbert von Nordhausen (German)
Jetfire was one of the Seekers dispatched by The Fallen to locate the Matrix of Leadership after the Dynasty of Primes hid it on Earth. However, Jetfire and the other Seekers were unable to locate the Tomb that the Primes had forged. The only clue they could find was a riddle: "When dawn alights the Dagger's tip, Three Kings will reveal the Doorway". Eventually, the Fallen abandoned the Seekers and they were forced to go into stasis lock out of a lack of energon.
For many years, a dormant Jetfire had hidden in his alternate mode at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, until Seymour Simmons, Sam Witwicky, Mikaela Banes, Leo Spitz and Wheelie broke in with a small fragment of the All Spark. It was only after the All Spark shard hit Jetfire that they bothered to check which side he was on. The sight of the Decepticon insignia sent the humans scrambling for cover, but the surge of energy awoke him. Confused at the "hideous mausoleum" he was held in, Jetfire decided to head outside to get a better handle on where he was. After his attempts at overriding and shooting the doors failed, Jetfire smashed them aside, then wandered about the planes outside, damaging a few. When the humans tried to talk to them, he initially claimed that he couldn't deal with them, as he had a mission, but did ask what planet he was (he wasn't too fond of the name "Earth", feeling it might as well be called "Dirt"). Jetfire inquired on the state of the civil war, and revealed that he had defected to the Autobots (it's an intensely personal decision). This led the smaller Wheelie to defect to a human female he dubbed "Warrior Goddess". After the human Sam asked what he was saying, Jetfire, still confused, pounded the ground and shouted that he had a lot of issues regarding his mother, and that his father was the first wheel, who did not transform but performed his functions with honor and dignity. At which point a parachute stored in him suddenly popped open, bringing him down. Sam then tried to explain what was going on.
When Sam was finished carving Cybertronian symbols on the ground, he mentioned Megatron and The Fallen. Jetfire ranted that The Fallen was the original Decepticon and had left him on Earth to rust. The symbols were a part of Jetfire's mission, and they jogged his memory banks enough to convince him to open a space bridge, teleporting the entire group (including Bumblebee, the twins, and Wheelie) to Egypt. Thankful that he had managed to stay on the planet, Jetfire then told them the story of the Dynasty of Primes and The Fallen, Cybertron's first contact with Earth, the solar harvester which could destroy a Sun and convert it to energon, and the Matrix of Leadership needed to activate it, hidden on Earth. He revealed that only a Prime could kill The Fallen, but he believed that none were left. Sam told him of Optimus Prime; this caught the ancient Seeker's interest, and he was distraught to hear of Prime's death. Sam then wondered if the Matrix could restore Optimus to life. Jetfire said it was not the Matrix's intended use, but that the power within was unlike any known. Sadly, this was all Jetfire could do for the group, and after telling them of the riddle, he urged them to hurry off and find the Tomb of the Primes.
During the final battle around the Great Pyramid of Giza (which contained the Solar Harvester), Jetfire arrived and attempted to "stick" the landing, which didn't go quite as he planned. He immediately decided to "show how they brought the pain in my day", using his axe to slice Mixmaster across the chest and decapitate the Constructicon. He was critically wounded by a surprise attack from Scorponok and although he managed to kill the Decepticon, the injury was fatal. Fortunately, Jetfire was treated to one last wonder, as Sam Witwicky used the Matrix to resurrect Optimus, and Jetfire could hardly believe that he was seeing a living Prime. Unfortunately, The Fallen teleported in and attacked, damaging Optimus and stealing the Matrix, placing it in the harvester. As he lay dying, Jetfire, who felt that during his entire life he'd never done a thing worth doing, offered his parts to Optimus Prime, saying that they would give him "a power like you've never known". Telling Optimus to fulfill his destiny, Jetfire ripped out his spark core and died.
Jetfire's sacrifice was not in vain: within moments of his death, Ratchet instructed Jolt to begin a full transplant of the afterburners and weapons systems onto Optimus. Now equipped with Jetfire's powerful weapons and engines, Optimus broke through a blockade of debris The Fallen had telekinetically erected around the Pyramid and destroyed the Solar Harvester before it could be used against the Earth's Sun. Prime then faced the Fallen and Megatron, using his afterburners to send Megatron flying through some ruins. During the battle, The Fallen pulled off the left wing and afterburner, using them to strike Prime in the face, but Optimus ultimately triumphed and ripped out the Fallen's spark core, killing the treacherous Prime. After the battle, Optimus quickly detached Jetfire's parts. Revenge of the Fallen
Revenge of the Fallen novel adaptation
Immediately after arriving in Egypt, Jetfire was attacked by Ransack. Calling Jetfire a traitor, the smaller Seeker fired a few shots, but they were ineffective, and Jetfire promptly stomped him to death, muttering how he'd never liked that guy. Revenge of the Fallen (novel)
Toy bios
Sickened by the war, the Decepticon Jetfire left Cybertron and went into hiding on Earth. When the war came to Earth and woke him up, Jetfire he decided to rejoin the fight on the side of the Autobots and use his might to bring his former comrades to justice. Photon Missile Jetfire
Titan Magazines
Jetfire harkens from a time when warriors stood by a code of honour. He was first sent to Earth by the Fallen, and believed he was working in the best interests of Cybertron, and so was a little upset to find the Fallen was actually an evil bastard. After seeing the Fallen imprison the other Primes, Jetfire went into hiding. In 1998, he took advantage of the SR-71 being retired to hole up in the National Air and Space Museum as a permanent resident.
At some point, he found himself at odds with the Decepticons' credo and switched sides. When is not clear. Jetfire profile
Games
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - The Game
- Voice actor: Clive Revill
Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC
Autobot campaign
Jetfire had been dormant for years in the Smithsonian Museum, but that changed after Sam Witwicky got a tip from Agent Simmons about his location, and that he would know where the Tomb of the Twelve was. Sam woke Jetfire up, and got the sort-of-cryptic clue "When dawn alights the Dagger's tip, Three Kings will reveal the Doorway". After that, Jetfire transported Sam to Cairo via space bridge to look for the Tomb, and the Autobots followed.
In Cairo, Jetfire assisted Optimus Prime in battle against Starscream and Megatron. The battle went in the Autobots' favor, but Megatron was able to stab Jetfire to death. A while later, Optimus was wearing a new Jetfire suit. Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)
Decepticon campaign
Starscream was sent to destroy the Smithsonian Museum, where Jetfire laid dormant. He succeeded, but it was too late: both Jetfire and Sam Witwicky had already left for Cairo through a space bridge.
In Cairo, Jetfire battled Megatron alongside Bumblebee. He was killed. Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)
Toys
Revenge of the Fallen
Legends Class toys
- Jetfire (Legends, 2009)
- Japanese ID number: EZ-05
- Legends class Revenge of the Fallen Jetfire transforms from a tiny SR-71 Blackbird spy plane to a sort of hunchback robot. In a bit of character design accuracy, his left arm has a cane.
- The upper fuselage of the plane mode has a thin rectangular peg to slot into the back of Legends class Optimus Prime to recreate the powered up mode at the end of the movie. There are no instructions on the packaging making mention of this, but they're hardly needed, as it's as simple as plugging him on and folding his wings backwards.
- War for the Skies (Legends multipack, 2009)
- Available only as part of the Kmart-exclusive "War for the Skies" Legends battlepack, this release of Legends class Jetfire is a grey and black redeco - essentially inverting the colors of the regular toy, give or take a few paint operations.
- He comes with the Legends-class figures Autobot Blades, Thundercracker and Spinister.
Leader Class toys
- Jetfire (Leader, 2009)
- Japanese ID number: RA-13
- Accessories: Front landing gear/walking stick, rotary cannon missile launcher, projectile
- Jetfire converts into an SR-71 Blackbird spy plane, quite possibly the largest alternate mode yet for the Leader class price point.
- Jetfire features several electronic lights and sounds; in jet mode, pushing the button on his back activates a "swooshing" noise, while in robot mode, a new button is revealed on his rear that triggers mechanical stomping sounds. Pressing the tab on Jetfire's chest activates his moving Mech Alive gears and head, accompanied by Jetfire announcing: "Jetfire's mah name!". The European version just says "Jetfire", but unlike previous ROTF Leader Class toys, this is not the version sold in the UK. In contrast to the film, where the character speaks with actor Mark Ryan's natural Yorkshire accent, the toy is positively Scottish. Despite the back of the package showing two lights within Jetfire's torso, he only has one light, on his left side, while the other slot that would normally house the light is replaced with a button that emits Jetfire's transformation noise when the toy is transformed.
- As seen in the movie, he can combine with Leader Class Optimus Prime to form Prime's powered-up mode, albeit at the cost of Optimus Prime's leg articulation. A few inaccuracies are present in the combination instructions: for instance, while the instructions say to position the cockpit halves behind Prime's shoulders, they actually are meant to sit on top of them (as seen to the left), and feature small grooves into which the small silver triangular prongs lock. In addition, while Optimus' rear cab sections are shown as being folded out like rectangular wings in the instructions, it appears they are intended to sit flat against the sides of the portion of Jetfire that connects to Prime's back. Jetfire has two tabs that sit directly above the panels when folded back which better support the weight of Jetfire. The struts on which Jetfire's engines are mounted also pivot back to allow exactly enough space for the folded cab panels to fit. The remarkably small text written under the cockpit windows is: LT. COL. BRAWLEY WARNING THIS AIRCRAFT CONTAINS A SEAT CONTAINING AN EXPLOSIVE CHARGE SEE MAINTENANCE MANUAL BEFORE REMOVING.
- Amusingly, the figure's kibble likes to fall off during transformation. It makes him a little more screen accurate, after all...
- Jetfire / Buster Optimus Prime (Leader 2-pack, 2009)
- Accessories: Front landing gear/walking stick, rotary cannon missile launcher, projectile
- This TakaraTomy Asian market exclusive Leader class two pack consists of a redecoed Jetfire and an altered Buster Optimus Prime. Jetfire has a more subtle, more movie-accurate colour scheme. Buster Optimus Prime is identical to the single pack Japanese release of the toy, but has the head of the first release of Revenge of the Fallen Leader class Optimus Prime, instead of the new head sculpted for Buster Optimus Prime and more accurate blue pin striping instead of white.
Fast Action Battlers
- Photon Missile Jetfire (Fast Action Battler, 2009)
- Accessories: "Photon Missile" projectile
- Fast Action Battler Jetfire is a simplified, roughly Deluxe-sized toy of Jetfire. In vehicle mode, he transforms into a sort of cute, super-deformed SR-71 Blackbird jet. As with most Transformers toy jets, he has a fair bit of undercarriage junk from his robot mode, though not to the extent of the Leader class toy. In robot mode he has a reasonably accurate depiction of Jetfire's design, though his right arm ends in a spring-loaded projectile launcher shaped like a rotary cannon.
Robot Replicas
- Jetfire (Robot Replica, 2009)
- Accessories: Cane
- Robot Replicas Jetfire is a non-transformable, intended-to-be-accurate representation of his CGI model from the film. He is highly posable, and not much else. Due to his unusually large head and shortened neck, he appears based on the promotional art seen at the very top of this page, whose head and neck are severely foreshortened.
Merchandise
Robot Heroes
- Battle for the Fallen (box set, 2009)
- This Robot Heroes box set of figures comes with The Fallen, Megatron (tank mode), Optimus Prime and Jetfire combined, and Ironhide (truck mode).
R.P.M.s - Robot Powered Machines
Metal Heroes Series
- Jetfire (R.P.M. Mini-Vehicle, 2010)
- Number: 02 of 08
- Jetfire is a die-cast Blackbird that can stand up to reveal a sculpted image of Jetfire's robot mode.
Notes
- While all the fictions agree that Jetfire was a Decepticon Seeker who defected and has been stuck on Earth for a long time, none agree on when and why he came to Earth, when and why he defected, or how long he snoozed. Random, confused mythos divergence? Now that's 80s nostalgia!
- Jetfire's head was redesigned so Industrial Light & Magic could animate a smirk on the character. This early, mouthless head was still used for the toy designs and promotional art though.[2]
- Jetfire's ancient Cybertronian vehicle mode as seen in IDW Publishing's Defiance #4 bears more than a passing similarity with the starship Axalon from Beast Wars.
