Blackarachnia (BW)
| The name or term "Blackarachnia" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Blackarachnia (disambiguation). |
- Blackarachnia is a Predacon who changes allegiances with alarming frequency from the Beast Era portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
A sultry femme fatale, Blackarachnia is smart, sexy, and dangerous. She's got eight legs, and she knows how to use them. Of the several rebellious Predacons under Megatron's command, she's one of the very few who can, on occasion, outguile him. Always looking out for Number One, Blackarachnia values her independence and freedom above all else. She would rather be deactivated than be a slave.
Blackarachnia's greatest weakness, other than her overconfidence, is her feelings for the Maximal Silverbolt. Something about his heroic demeanor and the kindness he shows her makes her uneasy. She hasn't experienced unconditional love before, and it scares her, though she'll never admit it.
- Japanese name: Blackwidow
- French-Canadian name (original toy): Mygale
- French-Canadian name (cartoon): La Veuve Noire (The Black Widow")[1]
- Chinese name (Taiwan): Hēi Jr-jū (黑蜘蛛, "Black Spider") / Jr-jū (蜘蛛, "Spider", used in Beast Machines sometimes)
- Cantonese name: Alaina (雅麗娜 Aa Lai Naa)
- Polish name: Arachna
- Portuguese name: Aracniana
- Brazilian name (Beast Wars only): Viúva Negra
- Spanish name: Araña Negra ("Black Spider")[1]
- Italian name: Arachnia
Fiction
First wave toy bios
Working by moonlight, Blackarachnia poses as a double agent. In reality, this is merely a ruse she utilizes in order to lure unwitting Maximals into her darkened den, where she first paralyzes her victim with a poisonous missile. She then proceeds to restrain her victim with her powerful legs, and subsequently sucks their life force dry... kinky. She is capable of converting thermal energy into cyber venom. Blackarachnia bio
Cartoon continuity
Beast Wars cartoon
- Voice actor: Venus Terzo (English), Ryōka Yuzuki (Japanese), Fátima Noya (Portuguese), Françoise Vallon (French), Luigi Alfieri (Italian), Uta Dahlbridge (German), Olga Hnidey (Latin American Spanish), Marisa Marco (Castilian Spanish)
Blackarachnia was born from one of the Maximals' fallen stasis pods. Tarantulas, watching a black widow fight and devour another spider, was inspired. Megatron, observing the slim and attractive Blackarachnia transform and strike a few poses, suggested that he had "ulterior motives behind her beast form selection" but she was a Predacon, and that was what was important. In the battle with the Maximals that followed, she easily defeated Cheetor with a few well-placed kicks. She was later reported as "missing," though the reasons why and how were never addressed. Double Jeopardy
She was soon assigned to a mission with Terrorsaur and Waspinator to dig under the Maximal base and use a sonic emitter she had invented to blow a hole into the bottom. She didn't get on well with either of them, but they managed to eventually get to the point where they were ready to trigger the emitter... only for Tigatron to steal it. By the time they caught up with the Maximal, the emitter was ready to explode, and they could only flee the blast area. A Better Mousetrap When Scorponok's virus turned Optimus Primal into a berserker and he invaded the Predacon base, Blackarachnia and Terrorsaur battled the other Maximals as they also tried to gain entry. Unfortunately Cheetor slipped past them and was able to rescue Primal, however at least the other Maximals were held off. Gorilla Warfare
Blackarachnia was present during the interrogation of Cheetor when the Predacons discovered that a Maximal probe was flying past the planet, and took part in the battle to destroy the signal array which the Maximals were building. Once Dinobot was locked into his dino-mode by Tarantualas's transformation lock lens, Blackarachnia delivered the coup de grâce, only to be subsequently blasted off a cliff by Rattrap. The Probe The Predacons staged a deception, faking their own destruction and using signal dampeners invented by Blackarachnia to hide while the Maximals use parts from their ship to repair the Axalon. After being discovered by Dinobot, they pursued him. During an attempt to rush the Axalon, Blackarachnia was blasted by the ship's defenses. Victory
After Megatron turned Rhinox into a Predacon using a Transmuter, Blackarachnia and Megatron were startled by Waspinator's impression of Shrapnel. Dark Designs Blackarachnia and Scorponok were dispatched to retrieve the latest crashed stasis pod. They encountered Tigatron, who disabled Scorponok, but was himself paralyzed by Blackarachnia's venom. At the pod, she fought Cheetor at length, but he caught her venom dart and used it to knock her out. The Spark
The discovery of a mysterious flying island led to Megatron dispatching Blackarachnia and Scorponok to investigate it. Blackarachnia, when she saw the power wielded by the island, resolved to herself that she would take control of it. The Trigger, Part 1 As the pair reached the obelisk in the center of the island, Waspinator and Terrorsaur arrived, and Blackarachnia tricked them into using their weapons, causing the island defenses to blast them. She then got rid of Scorponok using one of the island's traps, and took control of the island's power herself. Though she started piloting the island toward the Axalon, Tigatron was able to destroy its energy supply, and the whole thing crashed to the ground. The Trigger, Part 2
She soon attempted to forge an alliance with Tarantulas, flattering him and accompanying him on a mission to secure the latest stasis pod to crash. Unfortunately they were too late to ensure the protoform obtained an arachnid beast mode, and Inferno was born. While Blackarachnia was trying to get the new Predacon under control, Tarantulas made off with the real prize — the stasis pod itself. After the pod was destroyed, Tarantulas revealed to her that the planet was doomed, and she realised he'd intended to use the pod to build an escape ship, but he rebuffed her offer of further help and threw her out of his lair. Spider's Game
A Predacon plan to steal the rectifier coil from the Axalon resulted in the Maximals going feral, and Blackarachnia was part of the hunting party which pursued them into the jungle. She was defeated by Dinobot after the Maximals overcame their little problem. Call of the Wild When Starscream took control of Waspinator's body and the Predacons were able to conquer the Axalon, the Decepticon took Blackarachnia under his wing as a student and revealed his true intent to overthrow Megatron. After he abandoned her in the Maximal base, leaving her to escape Primal and Dinobot on her own, she took that as a hint to return the favour, and later shot a cluster of energon crystals, blasting Starscream free from Waspinator. She then engaged in some quick talking to get herself out of trouble with Megatron. Possession
Tarantulas infected Rhinox with an energon discharge virus, and was later himself incapacitated, leading the Predacons to investigate his lair to see if they could dig up any more of the virus. Blackarachnia was able to find a counter-virus, but while Megatron was attempting a brilliant gambit against the attacking Maximals, Rhinox countered with an almighty fart which left the Predacon forces hanging from a tree. The Low Road Some time later, Megatron called a truce when signs pointed to the aliens returning. Tarantulas stole a transwarp cell from the Darksyde, leading Megatron to assign Blackarachnia to keep an eye on him. The two spiders attempted to stop Tigatron escaping the Predacon base, but were tricked into being flattened by a boulder by Dinobot. They were the least damaged, however, and dragged the rest of the Predacons back to base. Before the Storm
Blackarachnia offered to help Tarantulas break into the Maximal base to steal a stasis pod. They were able to use one of Blackarachnia's inventions to penetrate the Axalon shields and overcome Rhinox and Dinobot. Other Voices, Part 1 As Tarantulas worked to turn the stasis pod into an escape ship, Blackarachnia turned on him, intending to use the pod herself. They were interrupted by Inferno, who slagged Tarantulas, but Blackarachnia was easily able to defeat him in return. She linked to Tarantulas's mind to obtain the necessary information, and successfully completed modifying the pod... only to be captured by the Maximals. Optimus forced her to change the control codes to respond to him, so he could pilot the pod himself and destroy the Planet Buster weapon threatening the planet. As it happened, Megatron had sabotaged the transwarp cell, and Optimus was unable to eject before impact. Other Voices, Part 2
While attempting to escape from the Maximal base, Blackarachnia was shocked to discover that her earlier interfacing with Taratulas had resulted in a permanent mind-link between the two of them. Tarantulas was able to force her to take his body with her as she left the base. Though she was intercepted by Tigatron and Airazor, Megatron happened to turn up at that point. He threatened to terminate Blackarachnia, but she talked her way out of it by pointing out the simple fact that Megatron's stock of troops was sorely depleted. Of course, during the inevitable battle, Tarantulas forced Blackarachnia to retreat with his body. Aftermath
Returning to the Predacon base, Blackarachnia interrupted Dinobot stealing the Golden Disks, but refused Tarantulas's order that she should try to get them back. Instead she repaired him, but discovered that the mind link persisted. Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1) While Tarantulas went to help Megatron's latest battle, Blackarachnia dug through the base's computer for information on the Golden Disks and discovered important data, including the access codes to the Ark. she was able to download it while Tarantulas was unconscious, and destroyed the computer. She later told Megatron and Tarantulas that Dinobot had destroyed the computer and the data lost. Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)
The two spiders were later sent with new recruit Quickstrike to build a refueling station in a cave full of energon. Tarantulas schemed to take over the cave himself and attempted to persuade Blackarachnia to join him, but soon realised she was hiding something from him. When he tried to rip the information from her mind, she cracked an energon cube, the radiation causing them both pain and forcing him to sever the mental link. He threatened to tear her apart, but was interrupted when Rattrap and Silverbolt arrived to fight. Silverbolt, much to Rattrap's annoyance, refused to strike Blackarachnia because she was female. In the end, Tarantulas used the battle as cover to fake the destruction of the cave, and the trio had to report their failure to Megatron. Tangled Web
When Dinobot attempted to defect back to the Predacons, Blackarachnia suggested he prove himself by fighting with Quickstrike. Maximal, No More During another alien incursion, Megatron took Blackarachnia and Inferno to the Maximal base, where they were able to overcome Rhinox, the sole Maximal there. Blackarachnia grabbed the alien Golden Disk. Megatron and Tarantulas colluded to work against the aliens, and when Megatron questioned why, Blackarachnia revealed that she had learned from the mind link that Tarantulas hated the aliens and wanted to destroy them. Other Visits (Part 1) Though Blackarachnia was rendered unconscious by a blast from the alien construct that appeared, she was reactivated when Megatron took control of the construct and brought the other Predacons aboard. She was one of the Predacons sent out to defend the construct against the Maximals, but Tarantulas managed to infiltrate and destroy it anyway. Other Visits (Part 2)
When an energon blast sent her and Silverbolt into the middle of the dense jungles, they were forced to work together. Though attracted to the Fuzor, Blackarachnia was endlessly frustrated by his seemingly idiotic chivalry and need to treat her specially. Megatron, listening in via a synch-pulse transmitter he'd planted on her, was disgusted by the obvious romance going on. Still Silverbolt and Blackarachnia worked together surprisingly well, saving each other's life in turns, and eventually defeating Rampage with the help of Optimus and Cheetor. Bad Spark
When the Predacons attacked the valley of proto-humans, Blackarachnia was teamed with Inferno. She did considerable damage to Dinobot before being blasted herself. Code of Hero
Blackarachnia took advantage of Silverbolt's obvious interest in her, meeting the Maximal at a secluded location to obtain a graviton generator. She used the generator to convert a stasis pod into a makeship hoversled, and later overheard Megatron giving a mission to Waspinator. As the Maximals fought their way into the Predacon base, Blackarachnia emerged on her sled to encounter Silverbolt. Silverbolt refused a direct order from Optimus to shoot her, allowing her to leave and tail Waspinator instead. The Agenda (Part 1) Silverbolt eventually caught up with Blackarachnia, who resorted to shooting him in order to try to get the point across that he should leave her alone. It didn't really work, and when the hoversled she was on hit Waspinator, Silverbolt saved her from plummeting to the ground. He subsequently joined her in digging into the side of the mountain they had been heading towards. The Agenda (Part 2)
Finally they broke through into a huge cavern containing the Ark, and Blackarachnia explained the ship's significance to her companion. While she was keen to take the power for herself, Megatron arrived and knocked Silverbolt offline before caving in the tunnel they'd dug. Having always intended for her to reach the Ark as he knew she had the access codes, Megatron threatened to vape Silverbolt unless she did what he said. Bitterly, she agreed to his demands, reluctantly opening the ship and, while Megatron went on, using the Ark's security system to hold off the Maximals. Megatron took the opportunity to attempt to assassinate Optimus Prime, potentially erasing the Maximals from history. The Agenda (Part III)
Unfortunately for Megatron, Blackarachnia had originally been a Maximal protoform, and certainly wasn't willing to die for his cause. She activated Teletraan I's security nets to force Megatron off the ship. With Silverbolt's help, she got the dying Autobot leader under life support and began the repairs. The Maximals were forced to accept her help, but while the Maximals were occupied with Megatron, Blackarachnia slipped out... only to be trapped by falling rocks, and slagged by Megatron during his escape. Silverbolt cradled her to her chest as she shut down, swearing vengeance until the other Maximals suggested he stop messing around and get her to a repair chamber. With no much other choice, Blackarachnia joined the Maximal ranks. Optimal Situation She even spent time on guard duty outside the base with Silverbolt. Deep Metal
Blackarachnia quickly showed her usefulness to the Maximals, building a hand-powered subaquatic stealth vessel that could retrieve Sentinel from the Axalon's underwater resting place. Rattrap was less than thrilled about having to use the "Predacon beach ball". Changing of the Guard
She was even less thrilled when she ended up having to escort two human children back to their tribe along with Cheetor, who was exhibiting a boyish crush on her, much to Silverbolt's annoyance. Rattrap was also rather distrusting of her, as earlier he had spied Blackarachnia sneaking some parts from a classified area. But when Megatron's new cyber raptors attacked, Blackarachnia showed her good side by defending the children, even taking a hit from Tarantulas for them, which she immediately denied to an impressed Silverbolt by saying she slipped. With the cyber raptors defeated, she informed Cheetor that he was a nice kid - which were two strikes against him, so don't go looking for strike three. Cutting Edge
Depth Charge returned from a mission reporting that Cheetor had been destroyed trying to interfere with Megatron's experiment, however the Maximal had secretly brought back the Transmetal driver, a component of Megatron's experiment. Though he tossed it into a pool of lava, Blackarachnia was able to grab it before it was destroyed. Feral Scream Part 1 She took part in the search for Cheetor, leading Silverbolt to develop jealousy at her apparent concern for their comrade. He later turned up with, it transpired, a new Transmetal 2 body, which Blackarachnia took particular interest in. Feral Scream Part 2
After Rhinox scanned her and found the shell program that made her a Predacon, Blackarachnia finally got fed up with Rattrap's attitude and Cheetor's crush, and would have choked/blasted them both if Optimus hadn't intervened. Weary that apparently she hadn't proven herself to the Maximals and thinking that Optimus and Rhinox were planning to force her to remove the shell, Blackarachnia decided to split... which turned out to be a bad decision, as Dinobot II had been waiting for this moment. Taking turns hunting each other, Blackarachnia got the upper hand but was caught off-guard by Dinobot's power and durability. Fleeing to a mesa, she was found by Silverbolt, who got in a fight with Dinobot and was about to be slagged. Blackarachnia shot him out of the way, then tried to make a deal with Dinobot to take over the Ark and the Predacons, which backfired and allowed Dinobot to stun her, but he was distracted by Silverbolt long enough for the two Maximals to finally defeat him. After an argument between the pair, Optimus arrived to point out that the decision to remove the program had always been up to her. Proving Grounds
When Megatron attempted to fire his new disruptor cannon on the Maximal base, the Maximals prepared for the worst, but the cannon blew up instead. Go with the Flow
Seeking more power, Blackarachnia attempted to use the Transmetal driver on herself. Silverbolt, not realizing what she was planning, bailed her out of the contraption. Like every good girlfriend, she began to chew him out, but was cut off as an energy surge made her lose control of her circuits. A security system Tarantulas installed had been triggered by her tampering with her core, and the only way to fix it was to cut the Predacon shell program loose. Reluctantly, she agreed, especially since this was a very difficult procedure that could lead to her death. With time running out, she passed the Ark's access codes on to Primal in case she didn't make it and shut herself down, leaving herself in Rhinox's care. Rhinox began the operation, but his tinkering tripped an alert in Tarantulas's lair. The Predacons got wind of what he was doing and mounted an attack on the Maximal base. The Maximals countered their attack, but the power was disrupted by a shot fired by Tarantulas at a critical stage. This apparently killed Blackarachnia.
Distraught, Silverbolt took off to avenge her death, blinded by rage. However, in Silverbolt's absence, Blackarachnia's body attracted the attention of the Transmetal driver, and she was resurrected in a new Transmetal 2 form. She arrived just in time to save Silverbolt from Rampage. Rampage admitted that he liked her new look, but tried to kill her just the same. Surprisingly, Blackarachnia was able to disarm and stun the titanic Rampage, ultimately throwing him over the horizon using her webs. Silverbolt was, of course, overjoyed to see his beloved alive, but Blackarachnia told him to knock off the vengeful hero stuff so she wouldn't have to keep endangering herself with inevitable rescue attempts. Crossing the Rubicon
Some time later, Blackarachnia returned to base to find the doors open. It was the result of Megatron's latest plan as it turned out, which involved Quickstrike taking control of Optimus Primal's body, rendering the other Maximals unconscious and placing them in a cage. Left in Rampage's "care", Blackarachnia was able to use some sort of telekinesis to make a girder fly through the air and disable the Predacon. After dealing with Inferno, she went to release the other Maximals, only to run into Quickstrike and Primal. She freed Primal by disabling Quickstrike's control suit, and subsequently managed to stop the Ark's destruct sequence, which Tarantulas had set in motion, before rescuing the other Maximals and helping fight Megatron off. Master Blaster
When an object from space destroyed the Predacon base, Blackarachnia realised that the aliens had returned — in this case in the form of the Vok emissary Tigerhawk. She cut short Rattrap's celebrations by pointing out that when Tigerhawk had finished with the Predacons, he'd probably come for them. Other Victories Tigerhawk, in fact, joined the Maximals. When Silverbolt was injured looking for the Predacons, Blackarachnia rode to his aid on Cheetor's back, and the pair took him back to base for repairs. Nemesis Part 1 After Megatron raised the Nemesis from the depths of the ocean, the Maximals struggled to prepare the Ark for moving. In search of something to make a power link, Blackarachnia grabbed Rattrap's tail-whip, snipping off the end and repurposing it as a power cable. Though the attempt to shift the Ark failed, Rhinox used a shuttle to defeat Megatron. The Maximals subsequently blasted off for Cybertron in the shuttle. Nemesis Part 2
Fast Action Battlers toyline
Blackarachnia eventually met up with several Autobots and Decepticons from another dimension. A battle broke out between the Maximals, Predacons, Autobots and Decepticons. The other-dimensional Transformers eventually returned to their place of origin and the Beast Wars continued as they were. Japanese Fast Action Battler packaging
IDW Beast Wars comics
While the Maximals attempted to remove her Predacon shell program, an alternate Transmetal "Vok" body was somehow automatically created (by someone, somehow) in subspace just in case it was needed. It wasn't, and so it was "sidelined". Beast Wars Sourcebook
Transmetal 2 Toy Bio
The new body Blackarachnia acquired from Megatron's mysterious new technology has the power to cast illusions altering her physical appearance and position for up to five minutes thanks to the electro disruptor housed in her... rear segment. Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia toy bio
Tales of the Beast Wars
Blackarachnia made a brief appearance in her Transmetal 2 form at Omega Point, being eviscerated by Shokaract's firepower. Clearly, she got better as space/time rebooted itself with the destruction of the Dark Essence. Terminus
Transformers Legends anthology
Not long after Megatron took the original Megatron's spark into himself, he had Quickstrike deliver a device to the Maximal base which amplified the Maximals' aggression. Blackarachnia was attacked by Rhinox before escaping while Silverbolt distracted him. Once Optimus Primal was able to overcome the device's effects and free the other Maximals, they attempted unsuccessfully to capture Megatron in one of Blackarachnia's webs. A Meeting of Minds
Blackarachia was trying to persuade Silverbolt that it was all right for them to resume their romance after Megatron's apparent death, when they were attacked by a strange zombie-like creature. After it zapped Silverbolt, she unsuccessfully tried to attack it in retaliation. Singularity Ablyss
Binaltech (unused)
As the victorious Maximals travelled forward in time from prehistoric Earth to far-future Cybertron, their shuttle was suddenly struck by a powerful force of darkness. Hurled into the early 21st century, Blackarachnia was forced by Unicron to aid him in his efforts to destroy the Matrix of Leadership. Her spark was placed inside the silver Beta Unit Honda S-2000 Aero Style body intended for the Autobot warrior Windcharger, and her mind was overwhelmed by an evil essence that forced her to do Unicron's bidding.
Still possessing her extrasensory Transmetal 2 powers including telekinesis, Blackarachnia gained several additional weapons courtesy of her new form: a long-range Venom Sniper Gun that fired system-disrupting energy bullets, a defensive riot shield that projected an electromagnetic field from its edge, and the ability to fire strong artificial webs from her grill, exhaust pipe and hands in robot mode.
Blackarachnia was partnered with the newly-created Decepticharge and dispatched to confront Shockwave's forces on Earth. Finding them in the middle of a Starscream-led uprising, the pair put down the rebellion and ordered the Decepticons to defeat Optimus Prime and destroy the Matrix.
While forced to act as a Decepticon, Blackarachnia's true self remained intact but submerged, struggling to overcome Unicron's control and desperate to correct the warped Binaltech timeline.
Beast Machines cartoon
- Voice actor: Venus Terzo (English), Ryōka Yuzuki (Japanese), Márcia Moreli (Portuguese), Rossella Acerbo (Italian)
When the Autobot shuttle crashed on Cybertron and the Maximal team was gassed, Blackarachnia's Transmetal 2 powers were stripped away from her, as were her memories. As such, the amnesiac Maximal decided to head underground, distraught and confused. Locked out of her robot mode, she awaited her imminent deactivation...until the other three survivors—an equally disoriented Optimus Primal, Rattrap and Cheetor—plunged into her web. Primal made the decision to head underground, and Blackarachnia complied, using her webs to grant them safe passage. However, in her weakened state her webbing was limited, and so the foursome plummeted most of the way down into the chamber of the Oracle. She watched as Optimus emerged in his technorganic form, and she was the fourth and last Maximal to be reformatted, emerging as a pink black widow spider with green markings. When attacked by a squadron of Cycle Drones, she put her technorganic mode to good use, trapping one of the Vehicons in a tangle of web. The Reformatting
Under Primal's tutelage, Cheetor and Blackarachnia relearned the ability to transform, and the Maximals set about finding a new base. Blackarachnia managed to goad Cheetor into accompanying her aboveground to find out what had happened to the residents of Cybertron. They accessed the Cybertron InfoCore, only to find it had been wiped. The Maximals visited the Council Citadel, allowing Blackarachnia to test her new powers in combat, including an ability to fire electrical "stings" through the ground. To her shock, they discovered that the mastermind behind the cleansing of Cybertron was none other than Megatron. Master of the House During an attempt to access the Cybertron Archives, she received a vision of prehistoric Earth and Silverbolt. She sneaked off to the spaceport to consult the records of their arrival and was followed by Rattrap. As well as encountering Megatron's new, sentient Vehicon generals, they discovered that there had been six occupants in the shuttle. Seeking more information, Blackarachnia attempted to access the logs from the shuttle itself, only for Megatron to attempt to access her own mind, and she was only prevented from revealing the location of the Maximal base by Rattrap severing the link. The pair were subsequently rescued by Primal and Cheetor, but Blackarachnia's information reawakened memories of Rhinox and Silverbolt in them all. Fires of the Past
Rattrap's use of a transformation enhancer got the Maximals captured by Megatron for a short time, but during their escape, Optimus reported that Tankor's spark seemed familiar. Mercenary Pursuits Blackarachnia and crew later discovered the bat-creature Nightscream, who led them to a strange, organic fruit tree. Upon eating the fruit, Blackarachnia began to revert to her instinctual "animal" mind, and it was only thanks to Cheetor that her feral mind returned to normal, and thanks to Primal that the bat's life was saved and reformatted into a technorganic body. Forbidden Fruit After another mission was fouled up by Rattrap's antics during Optimus's convalescence from reformatting Nightscream, the remaining Maximals discussed what they needed to do about Rattrap. Blackarachnia was irritated by Rattrap's uselessness, but Cheetor asserted that they had to cover for their friend. They were shocked to find a while later that Rattrap had overheard them and taken up with Megatron in exchange for weapons. Primal talked Rattrap around, scolding the other Maximals that they undervalued their teammate. The Weak Component
Later, the group stumbled across one of Megatron's many Transformer junkyards, where the lifeless, sparkless bodies of the city's inhabitants were disposed of. When Thrust and Blackarachnia were split up from the battle, the two made an unofficial truce, but when Thrust saved her life and her spark, having strange recollections of doing so before, her mind was set: He was Silverbolt, mutated and made evil by Megatron. She resolved to get her lover back, but didn't reveal to the other Maximals that she believed Thrust was Silverbolt. Revelations Part I: Discovery When Cheetor enacted a subsequent plan to try to hack into Tankor, Blackarachnia volunteered to keep Thrust busy. She made numerous appeals to Thrust to try to bring out his Maximal nature, but Thrust was hesitant and was soon bullied into extracting her spark by Jetstorm. Revelations Part II: Descent As her spark rocketed into the darkness, Nightscream fought Jetstorm for it. At the same time, on another plane of existence, Blackarachnia encountered Primal, who calmed her astral spirit down, at the same time allowing Nightscream to restore it and bring her back. She and Nightscream were able to come to Cheetor and Rattrap's aid, but they had found that Tankor was really Rhinox, and their old friend was now siding with Megatron's view of a technological Cybertron. Revelations Part III: Apocalypse
After Nightscream was snatched away by the Vehicons, the other Maximals gave pursuit. Blackarachnia's hesitation in attacking Thrust allowed the Vehicon to pursue Primal and Nightscream, who had discovered a cave full of fossils, proving Cybertron was once organic. Survivor When Tankor gained control of the Key to Vector Sigma and "infected" Nightscream and the new orchard with the Key, Blackarachnia quickly found that the organic goo they'd just discovered was a cure to the technomatter. While the other Maximals went to get a mole drone, Blackarachnia stayed behind to look after Nightscream, only to be infected by him and temporarily lose her own sanity. The other Maximals eventually returned with a drone and were able to cure her. The Key
Taking a vial of the goo, Blackarachnia kidnapped Thrust, trapping him in a web and using the goo to force out his inner personality, in the expectation that Silverbolt would emerge. Instead, she discovered that Thrust was Waspinator, who'd flown to Cybertron from prehistoric Earth. When Jetstorm attacked, another mishap with the organic goop occurred, and for a moment Silverbolt's true personality emerged, sweeping Blackarachnia in his arms. However, as he and Waspinator fought over Blackarachnia, the goo vanished from the both of them, and the Vehicons' minds both returned. Blackarachnia was swiftly rescued by the other Maximals, riding a giant vine created by a catalyst which Rattrap had found. The Catalyst
Blackarachnia was involved in the battle in Megatron's Citadel, holding off the Vehicons as Primal confronted Megatron within, though she, along with the others, were all overwhelmed by the Key to Vector Sigma and became comatose. End of the Line The clashing energies of the Key and the Plasma Energy Chamber restored the four Maximals to life. Entering the Council Citadel, they found that the battle had claimed Primal, Megatron and Tankor. They headed for the Oracle in search of guidance, where they found Optimus Primal floating within, and they convinced him to return to real-space and continue his leadership.
The Maximals returned to the surface to find a giant floating head in the likeness of Megatron. Fallout Blackarachnia and Nightscream tried unsuccessfully to infiltrate the head. Leaving Optimus to try and contact Megatron's spark, the other Maximals went to find the two remaining Vehicon generals and encountered a strange, organic Transformer named Noble, who changed from a wolf into the dragon-like Savage. Savage Noble The Maximals later infiltrated the Council Citadel, looking for information, only to discover that Noble was actually Megatron, trapped in his own organic half. Megatron used spark extractors to remove his spark, taking over the huge, flying head and reactivating the Vehicon drone army, which forced the Maximals back underground. Prometheus Unbound
When Rattrap revealed he's created a device he hoped could be used to restore the stolen sparks into new bodies, Blackarachnia "borrowed" it. She managed to force Jetstorm into a large pool of the organic goo, and his body began to change. Scanning a nearby condor skeleton, he awoke in a new form, a purple technorganic bird of prey. Blackarachnia was startled by the change in him. Instead of the lovable, chivalrous knight in shining armor, he was a brittle, haunted bot, tormented by the images of the evil deeds he had done...done by choice. Though he gave up on himself, she never did, urging Silverbolt to forgive his past, prompting him to head to the Grand Mal to confront his old master and rescue Primal and Cheetor. In Darkest Knight
Blackarachnia continued to assure Silverbolt that things would get better. After Silverbolt inadvertently spread a new, Megatron-enhanced version of the old Hate Plague, causing dissension in the ranks, he blamed himself, but she and the other Maximals were supportive. A Wolf in the Fold Later, when a Maximal spaceship crashed, the Maximals split up to reach it in time. As they did, Blackarachnia confided to Rattrap that she'd found Silverbolt increasingly cold towards her. At the ship, they encountered a strange, alien plant monster, which Primal reformatted, revealing it to be Botanica, a fellow Maximal. Home Soil
The Maximals would soon encounter two new Vehicon generals, Obsidian and Strika, whose gambit almost defeated them until Botanica stepped in. Sparkwar Pt. I: The Strike Blackarachnia and Silverbolt were teamed up with Cheetor during a search for the missing sparks. Though Silverbolt was uncomfortable about following someone he still regarded as a kid, Blackarachnia defended Cheetor. Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search The Maximals attempted to infiltrate the Grand Mal to find the missing sparks, only to discover that Megatron was using them to fuel his great ascension. Nightscream's intercession appeared to dispel the Vehicon leader's spark. Sparkwar Pt. III: The Siege
Once the Maximals had celebrated, Blackarachnia tried to talk to Silverbolt, believing now was the time for them to renew their romance. Silverbolt was not convinced of Megatron's demise, and in fact, he was right: Megatron still lived as a disembodied and depolarized spark. The pair found themselves being attacked by a zombie of pieced-together Vehicon parts, animated by the power of Megatron's spark. Megatron was later trapped in a Diagnostic Drone by Rattrap. Spark of Darkness
Silverbolt, Blackarachnia and Nightscream attacked the Vehicons while the others attempted to secure the sparks in the Grand Mal. They were subsequently able to put Megatron's Vehicon factory out of commission, but the Grand Mal itself was brought down. Endgame Pt. I: The Downward Spiral Blackarachnia and Silverbolt were able to share a quiet moment before the final battle, and they received a spark power-up from the collective population of Cybertron. However, they were both felled during battle by Obsidian and Thrust, respectively. Their sparks were then torn from them by cycle drones. Endgame Pt. II: When Legends Fall Though unable to assist physically, Blackarachnia and the other Maximals were able to give moral support to Primal during his final battle against Megatron, which resulted in the sacrifice of both leaders and the reformatting of Cybertron into a technorganic paradise. With harmony restored, Silverbolt and Blackarachnia were finally able to be together. Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future
Universe
Shortly after the planet underwent the Great Reformatting, the Quintessons seized the opportunity to attack, believing that the revolutionary change would have rendered the planets' inhabitants confused and docile. Suffice to say, the Transformers were greatly underestimated. Silverbolt and Blackarachnia were successfully able to fend Cybertropolis from Quintesson invaders. Wreckers: Finale Part II
One year later, Silverbolt and Blackarachnia were chosen to greet a ship of returning Autobot heroes from the Great War. Their welcomes were ignored by the crew, which included Sideswipe, Trailbreaker, Roulette, and Shadow Striker, when they realized that their home had been transformed into a strange technorganic paradise. Only Sunstreaker was unphased, choosing to talk up Blackarachnia and Silverbolt so that he could mug for Rook's cameras.
Their greeting was interrupted by a series of what appeared to be fireworks. Instead, they were beams of energy sent by Unicron to capture the returning crew, Blackarachnia, and Silverbolt, and bring them to him. When they arrived, a booming voice welcomed them to the Pit, a dimension inside Unicron. Blackarachnia and her fellow captives were painfully smelted down and reformed; only Trailbreaker emerged unchanged. Since she arrived, Blackarachnia had begun to feel a growing anger that she couldn't control. And in this new Unicron-tainted form, she more than welcomed the swarm of creatures that began swarming her group. Overwhelmed, Blackarachnia and the others were herded into the Cauldron and filed into prison cells. As Blackarachnia protested, she was silenced by Tankor, one of their hosts.
It was revealed to them by the master of ceremonies, Razorclaw, that they would be forced to fight fellow abducted Transformers. The loser's spark would fuel and empower Unicron, whose form had fallen into disrepair. Blackarachnia's uncontrollable rage welcomed this bloodsport, as Silverbolt watched helplessly as she fell under Unicron's evil spell. Abduction
Optimus Primal, resurrected by Primus, arrived to rescue the prisoners of the Cauldron, and with help from Silverbolt and Trailbreaker, its captives were set free. But Unicron's grip on Blackarachnia was too strong. She began lashing out madly, even at Silverbolt, and the Fuzor took tight hold of her so that he might swiftly remove her from Unicron's grip. But as the others began jumping through a portal that would lead them to their respective homes across the multiverse, Blackarachnia had a moment of clarity. Sadly, she told Silverbolt that Unicron had awakened her true nature, then bid him farewell and threw him through the portal.
Soon, she was escorted by Tankor and Obsidian to the center of Unicron, where she was repulsed to meet a familiar face: Tarantulas! Escape
Blackarachnia was dispatched to Cybertron's Undercity, where she observed Rattrap for a while. Finally, she made her presence known, stinging him with her cybervenom. She never had liked the vermin, after all. Suddenly, Rattrap was saved by Depth Charge, back from the dead. Blackarachnia was knocked out, and Depth Charge left the weakened Rattrap to fend for himself. As Depth Charge departed, he found himself surrounded by Blackarachnia's Piranacons. Homecoming
Much later, Optimus Primal waged one last desperate assault against Unicron, and his Children of Primus were able to defeat the Minions of Unicron. As Unicron himself seemed to dissolve below them, Silverbolt carried Blackarachnia with him, saving her from sharing the gruesome fate of her evil peers. Revelations Part 2
Beast Wars Metals comic
Following the Quantum surge, Blackarachnia was one of the few Transformers not to be upgraded into a Transmetal. As Quickstrike and his armies laid seige to the weakened Maximal base, Blackarachnia waited in secret for an opening. When Rhinox was forced to shut Sentinel down to let an injured Airazor in, Blackarachnia saw her chance and entered the base. Knocking out Airazor and ripping Rattrap's arm off, Blackarachnia confronted Rhinox. Rhinox proceeded to pull out a "gun", but instead of shooting her with it, he blasted himself in the head (the "gun" actually being a machine allowing him to enter Transwarp space). Confused, but seeing no further use for the Maximals, Blackarachnia left the base. As the base collapsed behind her, she was approached by Quickstrike, who didn't like her "interfering" with his business. Not in the mood, she immediately kicked his head off. Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!
Universe CD-ROM
Blackarachnia followed Reptillion[sic] in battle against Optimus Primal and his Autobot forces. She teamed up with Razorclaw to fight Striker before being abducted by Unicron. Universe CD-ROM
TransTech
Though she may appear to be a native of Axiom Nexus, Blackarachnia was brought online in a far different universe. On a Cybertron where the Autobots and Decepticons had grown too decrepit to carry on the Great War, they constructed proxy armies in the form of the Maximals and Predacons. As a result from her first moments Blackarachnia knew only strife and combat. Increasingly questioning the orders of her Autobot masters, the breaking point came with the death of her colleagues Silverbolt and Rhinox. She conspired with Nightscream and together they killed their commander, Optimus Primal.
Joined by the malcontent Predacons Immorticon and Scavenger, they fled and activated an experimental transwarp device, hoping to escape Cybertron. Instead, they found themselves in Axiom Nexus. After processing, they were placed in the care of Alpha Trion. He convinced her that the Transcendent Technomorphs who ruled the city were little different from the Autobots under whose yoke she had chafed. Under his tender ministrations, her spark was transferred from her Lowtech body into that of her Transcendent Technomorph counterpart, with the authorities of Axiom Nexus none the wiser. "TransTech" Blackarachnia's profile in Club magazine #25
Thus upgraded, she joined Alpha Trion's insurrectionist organization, and was part of the raid on Shockwave's laboratory in the hopes of rescuing Breakaway. Blackarachnia and her comrades successfully stormed into Shockwave's inner sanctum, where they came face-to-face with the formidable Megatron. Transcendent: Part 5 Despite that rather severe obstacle, Blackarachnia and the Alpha Trion's minions managed to secure the transit room and transwarp to the Old One's original universal stream. Transcendent: Part 6
On the other side of the transwarp portal, Alpha Trion ordered Blackarachnia to prepare the cloaking device in order to keep his return a secret. Reunification: Part 1
Games
Beast Wars: Transformers video game
Transformers Beast Wars: Transmetals video game
- Voice actor: ? (English), ? (Japanese)
Transmetal Blackarachnia joins her fellow Predacons in distributing various one-on-one beat downs to the Maximals. Eventually, Silverbolt convinces her to defect to the Maximals but she never truly reforms. It is her betrayal at a key moment that eventually assures the Maximals victory in the Beast Wars. Once back on Cybertron, she works as a double-agent between the Maximal and Tripredacus Council with no loyalty to either side. She often ponders what would have happened if she had remained on the Predacon's team throughout the war. Beast Wars: Transmetals
Toys
Beast Wars
- Blackarachnia (Deluxe, 1996/1997)
- Japanese ID number: D-8
- Accessories: Launcher, 4 leg-missiles
- Blackarachnia's original toy is a redeco of the Tarantulas mold, transforming into a rather generic-looking organic spider. It features a removable spring-loaded launcher hidden in its beast-mode abdomen. It nominally fires the "grappling hook" attached to its abdomen by a string, but its front four beast-mode legs can also be removed and used as ammunition. Like all first-year Beast Wars Deluxes, the robot-mode head has both a "robot" face and a "mutant" face; Blackarachnia is always depicted in fiction using the "robot" one (or a rough approximation thereof).
- The Takara release of the toy has numerous color differences from the Hasbro version, but they are of dubious merit as far as making her more "show-accurate" go. The bright green of the Hasbro version's forearms is replaced with dull silver, while the brighter purple is replaced with a darker, more desaturated purple. Her dark copper paint is replaced with a brighter gold. Her robot-mode facemask is painted gold, which is closer to the show model... but her face beneath is black with gold eyes (instead of gold with black eyes), and she inexplicably gains a new painted-black forehead crest, where the show model has gold.
- This mold was later used to make the "Beast Wars 10th Anniversary" version of Tarantulas, and the Beast Wars Telemocha version of Blackarachnia. It was intended to be used to make a second Universe version of Blackarachnia, but that toy set was canceled.
- Deep Forest Showdown: Tigatron VS Blackwidow (VS set, 1997)
- Japanese ID number: VS-8
- Accessories: Launcher, 4 leg-missiles
- In Japan, "Blackwidow" was available both as an individual and in a "VS" pack with Tigatron. Both toys were identical to their individual releases.
- Blackarachnia (Happy Meal, 1997)
- McNumber: ??
- Part of the second McDonald's Beast Wars Happy Meal pack-in, Blackarachnia's "Transmetal" form rather resembles some sort of dust mite more than a spider, and the robot mode appears to have fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. It has a very similar transformation to the earlier promotional figure Beetle.
- Like the other two Transmetal Happy Meal figures, Blackarachnia has some metallic-sheened plastic intended to resemble the colored chromed finish of the retail Transmetals toys.
- Blackarachnia (Transmetal 2, 1999)
- Japanese ID number: C-48
- Accessories: Mandible grapnel-line
- The Transmetal 2 version of Blackarachnia transforms into a large, organic/mechanical, monstrous spider, featuring a grappling hook, switching faction symbols activated by rotating her spark crystal around, and a spring-loaded spin-kick action feature. She also has a half-assed "defense mode", bringing the chromed abdomen bits down to cover her chest. Like all larger Transmetal 2s, Blackarachnia has hints of an abandoned "transport" mode, mainly the free-spinning wheels and concealed rockets in the spider-mode abdomen.
- This toy was initially hard to find at retail, as one of the toy's features, a piece of removable chest armor (no, really), was altered slightly, delaying later shipments.
- This mold was used to make the BotCon 2000 exclusive Arcee.
Beast Machines
- Blackarachnia (Deluxe, 2000)
- An early toy in the Beast Machines line, Blackarachnia transforms into a technorganic spider. In spider mode, squeezing its pedipalps together raises its central fangs; they were spring-loaded to release and lower, respectively. In keeping with the early Beast Machines "articulated features" motif, her robot mode head has a multi-piece articulated brow, which can slide up to reveal two extra sets of eyes, as she does on the cartoon.
- This mold was later redecoed to make the Universe version of Blackarachnia, as well as Crystal Widow.
- Blackarachnia (Happy Meal, 2000)
- McNumber: ??
- As one of ten toys in the third Transformers McDonald's Happy Meal promotion, Blackarachnia is a super-simplified version of her retail toy, with a coloration closer to the Mainframe CG model, though more shockingly pink rather than maroon. This toy is designed for the younger set, with softer plastic and no removable parts.
- She is the only Beast Era character to get two McDonald's Happy Meal toys.
- Blackwidow (Deluxe, 2005)
- Japanese ID number: BR-04
- Part of the Japanese Toys "R" Us-exclusive Beast Wars Returns series, this toy is a redeco of the original Beast Machines Blackarachnia in a more show-like maroon coloration. Reportedly, this toy was limited to 3000 pieces, a full thousand less than the others in the original assortment. Since she was also the most changed from the US release in the initial batch of toys, this made her considerably harder to get.
Universe (2003)
- Blackarachnia (Deluxe, 2003)
- Part of the second wave of Universe Deluxes, Blackarachnia returned as a Decepticon and as a redeco of the original Beast Machines figure. However, her forearms were mistakenly swapped, leaving her forearm "spikes" pointing up towards her biceps rather than down near her elbows. She received a Decepticon faction symbol over her spark crystal as well.
- This mold (with the same swapped-forearms error) was used to make Crystal Widow.
- Leatherhide Vs. Blackarachnia (Halloween Horrorcon value pack, unreleased)
- Accessories: Launcher, 4 leg-missiles
- In 2004, a group of test-shots made their way onto eBay, among them a redeco of the original Beast Wars Tarantulas/Blackarachnia mold in black with silver spider-legs and salmon-colored robot parts. Later, Hasbro's official website checklist featured listings for two Universe "Halloween Horrorcon Value Packs" that were to be Wal-Mart exclusives... which also likely explains why they were canceled. (Wal*Mart had taken a good half-dozen exclusives and released them more-or-less simultaneously, leading to a huge glut. A lot of other Transformers exclusives were canceled during the Universe era.) One of the sets was "Leatherhide Vs. Blackarachnia"... and thus, the mystery spider was confirmed, as the other test-shots in that group lined up with the name listings given in the sets.
 Proceed on your way to oblivion. |
Beast Wars Telemocha Series
- Blackwidow (Deluxe, 2007)
- Japanese ID number: TM-06
- Accessories: Launcher, 4 leg-missiles
- As part of the Beast Wars Telemocha line, the original Blackarachnia toy was extensively redecoed with a ridiculous number of gold paint operations, making her closer to show-accurate in coloration than the other versions of the mold, but still not quite there. (Her biceps are silver in the show.) All of the gimmicks of the original toy were retained, though her alternate head didn't receive any paint that wasn't intended to make her nominal head look more show-accurate.
- She came with a DVD containing "The Assassin Virus", the Japanese dubbing of Beast Wars episode 10, "Gorilla Warfare".
Binaltech
- Blackwidow (Binaltech, unreleased)
- Japanese ID number: BT16
- Accessories: Engine-rifle, roof-shield
- In 2005, the mold used for Alternators Decepticharge was presented as an upcoming release for the Japanese Binaltech line. They decided to give the toy an entirely new deco, as the Hasbro toy's deco didn't appeal to their ideal of "real-life accuracy". In robot mode, the toy was given a color scheme based on Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia, with the toy's name being changed to "Blackwidow", Takara's name for the character. Though a bio and story chapter were written to accommodate it into the Binaltech fiction, and photoshopped images released through an online retailer revealed the intended color scheme, Takara ultimately decided to cancel the toy altogether, as they were fearing that another redeco (in addition to the upcoming Binaltech Asterisk toys) would be too repetitive. Plans to release this toy as part of a different line were never picked up again.
- This mold was ultimately released in Japan as part of an unexpected Binaltech continuation, this time as Arcee. The original version of the mold was used to make Alternators Windcharger and Binaltech Overdrive. It was also planned to become a new toy of the Paradron Medic, but that also got canceled.
Proceed on your way to oblivion. |
Merchandise
- Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game (1997)
- Blackarachnia was one of the 24 beast warriors to receive a battle card representation for the Beast Wars card game.
Robot Heroes
- Cheetor vs. Blackarachnia (2-pack, 2008)
- Part of the first wave of Universe-branded Robot Heroes, Blackarachnia is a simple, yet well-detailed two-inch tall figurine with exaggerated, cartoony proportions. She was only available in a two-pack with Cheetor.
Notes
- Blackarachnia's original Beast Wars card art has her wearing a spike-studded collar... while her chest seems to be leopard-spotted. Kinky.
- Reportedly, Blackarachnia's show model was created after some Mainframe folks had taken the design modeler to a strip club only a few days prior for, um... inspiration. [2]
- Much like her fellow spider Tarantulas, her original beast mode is depicted with nine eyes rather then eight.
- In the "jovial" Japanese dub of Beast Wars, Blackarachnia's character underwent a few small (depending on your point of view) changes. Firstly, she had a voice that can only be described as "bipolar". She would switch between her usual sultry, flirtatious voice to a screaming blood-thirsty maniac at the drop of a hat. Another notable change is that, while still a strong female character, she was made less independent and was occasionally prone to begging for mercy from her enemies, something she never did in the English version. However, this isn't the first time the Japanese have done their best to "improve" upon a female character.
- The artwork advertising the Transmetal Blackarachnia toy on Happy Meal Bags was rendered with the toy transformed incorrectly. Her beast mode head isn't flipped down, leaving her organic-looking robot mode chest exposed.
- Even though Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia's toy has a unique faction-switching spark crystal, the feature doesn't make sense in a fictional context. By that point in the Beast Wars television series, the Transmetal Driver had destroyed her Predacon shell program, making her fully Maximal. (Though, to be fair, it had happened mere moments previously.)
- Blackarachnia exhibited what appears to be telekinesis not long after gaining her Transmetal 2 form, levitating a steel girder to stop Rampage in "Master Blaster". The ability only appeared once and was never explained, though it resembles the other strange, almost supernatural powers wielded by Transmetals 2 in the cartoon. Following her reformatting in Beast Machines, Blackarachnia no longer possessed this ability.
- Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia's removable cheast armour had two pegg holes which pegged into two separate holes on her breast. The two holes looked like "nipples" which some parents noticed and took the toy away from their children. Hasbro eventually noticed the problemm and removed chest armour from the toy and filled in the holes. The Arcee redeco exclusive had no holes.
- Character and fiction information for the cancelled BT-16 "Blackwidow" toy finally emerged in late 2007 with the release of The Transformers Binaltech Stories: Profiles and Technical Specifications, an unofficial publication by Binaltech story writer Hirofumi Ichikawa that compiled all then-current Binaltech information as well as that of the unreleased Blackarachnia and Ginrai toys. As it was never officially released, this information can be considered pseudocanonical at best.
- Blackarachnia is (strangely) depicted solely using a golden orange version of her Transmetal II body in her IDW Beast Wars Sourcebook profile entry. She received properly colored coverage of all her modes in the trade paperback version.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Whether Transmetal II Blackarachnia had different French and Spanish names is uncertain at this point.
- ↑ Why Blackarachnia Looks Asian on alt.toys.transformers.
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