Dead End (G1)

The name or term "Dead End" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Dead End (disambiguation).

Dead End is a Decepticon Stunticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Life! Don't talk to me about life.

Dead End knows that his having an entry in some database somewhere hardly matters. The page will be vandalized. The computers will eventually fail. The data will be lost. The species that made it will go extinct. Their planet will become barren. The sun will die out. All suns will die out. The universe will implode again, or expand into nothingness, or be eaten by a giant evil space-god. So what's the point?

Despite this deep knowledge of the dark, inevitable pointlessness of existence, he spends an inordinate amount of time polishing and primping himself. This is something the other Decepticons are sure to tease him about whenever they get the chance, which only depresses him more. If you can actually motivate him to fight, he's a fearless warrior and actually cheers up a little, since trying to save his own life can momentarily distract him from how ultimately brief and pointless it is; the hard trick is getting him motivated in the first place, since in the end we're all doomed. Sigh. Fortunatly his depression is slightly less bad then Dreadwind's so he's more likable.

Dead End combines with his fellow Stunticons to form Menasor, though he doesn't know why he bothers.

Face it: we're doomed.Dead End at any given minute, "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1"

French-Canadian name: Impasse

Italian name: Cobra

Russian name: Toupik (Тупик, "Deadlock"), also Chyort (Чёрт, "Devil")

Fiction

Cartoon continuity

Voice actor: Phillip Clarke (English), Masashi Ebara (Japanese)

'Con Day Afternoon

Dead End, along with the other Stunticons, was given life by Vector Sigma in an attempt by Megatron to form a ground based unit. Seeing little choice in the matter, Dead End decided to do what Megatron said. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1 The Decepticons returned to Earth with the newly awakened Stunticons who began wreaking havoc and damaging the Autobots' good name by attacking the US military base containing the experimental rocket fuel. Eventually, the Autobots returned with the newly built Aerialbots whose combined form Superion defeated the Stunticon combiner Menasor. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2

"The Heat Death of the universe is coming, I tell you! COMING!"

Despite this defeat, the Stunticons were the key component in Megatron's elaborate scheme to hold a fake charity race from Paris to Istanbul so he could steal US driver Auggie Cahnay's car which would be melted down to house the the powerful Pearl of Bahoudin. Megatron ordered the Stunticons to eliminate the Autobots protecting Cahnay. While his fellow Stunticons surrounded the brothers Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, Dead End leapt ahead of the racers and transformed, blasting the boxed-in Autobots off the road. They disabled several more racers, but when Dead End set a trap for Bluestreak, the wily gunner managed to escape his attackers. Together, Auggie Cahnay, Bumblebee, Tracks and Bluestreak defeated Menasor and destroyed the Pearl of Bahoudin. Trans-Europe Express

When Megatron was infected with Cosmic Rust after a trip to the lost Autobot colony of Antilla, the Stunticons were assigned to capture the Autobot scientist Perceptor, who had developed the powerful anti-corrosion Corrostop. After Megatron cured himself and infected the Autobots with the Cosmic Rust, Menasor attacked the Statue of Liberty in New York City with the ancient Lightning Bug heat ray, intent on stopping the Autobots from matter-duplicating more Corrostop from the layer they sprayed on the statue. Superion defeated Menasor and destroyed the Lightning Bug. Cosmic Rust

Caught up in a demolition derby, the Stunticons missed most of the "civil war" between the Decepticons and Starscream's Combaticons. They arrived at the battle site just as Starscream was declaring victory over Megatron. Dead End didn't particularly care either way, until Motormaster pointed out that Starscream was insufferable enough already without being in charge, and Dead End quickly conceded that point. The Stunticons formed Menasor and, one Batman *POW* later, Bruticus was in pieces. Starscream's Brigade

On another occasion, Megatron instructed the Stunticons to bring him a series of scientific components for his latest Unbeatable Super Weapon. Dead End and Drag Strip were assigned to acquire an experimental generator from the U.S. military. The retrieval was successful, but they encountered the Autobots Tracks and Warpath on the drive to their rendezvous with Megatron. Dead End was disabled by a blast of Tracks' black beam gun, followed by Warpath putting his fist through the Stunticon's roof. Disabled and collected as prisoners of war, the Stunticons were brought back to the Ark and held in captivity while Optimus Prime and a strike team of Autobots used camouflage paint to mimic the Stunticons and infiltrate Megatron's camp. Special operations agent Jazz, a cheerful and easy-going robot, assumed Dead End's appearance, which undoubtedly made Dead End feel even worse. The real Stunticons managed to break free, however, and confronted their dopplegangers as Menasor. Ultimately, the Super Weapon was destroyed, and the Decepticons were forced into a retreat. Masquerade

Only Swindle would be cagey enough to choose a nihilist as his official taste tester.

After the Decepticons were driven off Cybertron in the aftermath of Unicron's attack, they fled to Chaar. Suffering constant energon shortages, they were reduced to fighting among themselves. The Stunticons stuck together, but things were dire. So dire, in fact, that the Decepticons offered up their energon when it was learned that Galvatron was alive. Dead End warned that they were doomed if they gave up their energon, but Wildrider countered that if they didn't, they were doomed anyway. Either way, they were doomed. Oh, for God's sake... Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1 When the Quintessons arrived on Chaar, the other Decepticons cowered in fear. Dead End, however, had had enough. If he was going to die, he would just get it over with. He asked the Quintessons to just make it quick, but they offered energon instead. He deferred to Swindle's negotiating skills, and when Swindle said to test some of the energon, he agreed. What the heck, poison would probably be quicker than fuel exhaustion. Fortunately, the energon was untainted, and Dead End agreed to help the Quintessons destroy the Autobots on Goo. Might as well take a few Autobots with them before they go offline. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3 When they arrived, Galvatron showed up and fired upon the "traitors". Dead End could care less: whether from in front or behind, death was death. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4 After Galvatron seized control of the Decepticons and struck up an alliance with the Quintessons, the Stunticons were part of the Decepticon team attacking the Autobots on Earth. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5

The Matrix is of no use to someone with 24 darkest hours a day.

Dead End and the Stunticons fought alongside Galvatron during a scheme to steal Metroplex's transforming cog, leaving him vulnerable to Trypticon. When Rodimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Spike and Daniel infiltrated Trypticon to steal his transforming cog, the Stunticons were soundly defeated by the two Autobots. The Ultimate Weapon Later, after a series of assaults on Japan, Dead End and Wildrider were left behind on Earth to watch for Autobot activity while the others returned to Chaar. Seeing Rodimus Prime driving on a secluded stretch of highway, the two Stunticons went after him, and eventually knocked the Autobot leader off the side of a cliff. This jarred loose the Matrix of Leadership from Rodimus' chest cavity, and so Dead End and Wildrider took their prize back to Galvatron. The Burden Hardest to Bear

A short while later, the Stunticons were part of a task force led by Galvatron to stop Rodimus Prime from recovering the body of Optimus Prime from two humans. Upon arrival, however, they were met with several Hate Plague-infected Autobots, and before Dead End could react to the situation, he was tackled and infected by Ultra Magnus. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1

Japanese cartoon continuity

The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in this continuity as detailed above, except the events of 2006 are pushed back to 2010. Japanese continuity inserts several new stories into the resultant gaps in the timeline.

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers comic

Dead End and the Stunticons decided to have a little fun and tear up a baseball stadium in Japan. Luckily, the Autobots' plucky young ally Kenji was present to radio for assistance. All the combiner teams assembled, and it was Menasor and Bruticus against Superion and Defensor! Defensor was forced to break apart by the combined Decepticon attack, but Superion and Kenji got the idea to shoot out the Decepticons' legs. Groove and Blades took advantage of the empty combiner ports and took over as Menasor's legs, launching him into the ocean. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 5

While posing as Autobots, Dead End, Onslaught and the Stunticons rampaged through the city streets, smearing the good name of their adversaries. Later, Frenzy and Rumble posed as humans to rally people against the Autobots, and Motormaster's brigade staged an attack on the rally to drive the point home. The Autobot fire engines Hot Spot and Inferno arrived, however, and used their water hoses to wash off the Decepticons' fake insignia. Enraged, Motormaster planned to combine into Menasor...only to see Dead End and the others were already retreating into the distance. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 7

Scramble City cartoon

Dead End and the Stunticons were summoned by Megatron to put an end to the Scramble City project, and succeed where Starscream had failed. Their first strike was impressive, holding back Optimus Prime and a cadre of Autobots and shooting the Aerialbots out of the skies. When the Aerialbots formed Superion, Dead End and his teammates followed suit and merged into Menasor. Scramble City

Story of Binaltech

In the early 21st century, the Decepticons gained a temporary advantage by unleashing the Cosmic Rust virus on the Autobots. Their hated foes turned defeat into victory, however, by creating the revolutionary Binaltech Project to transfer the sparks of the infected Autobots into powerful new forms. Story of Binaltech, Chapter 1 In order to gain Binaltech power for themselves, the Decepticons and their human allies the Concurrence used mind control technology to infiltrate the Binaltech Project, implanting Decepticons into bodies meant for Autobots. Thanks to Swindle and the Concurrence, Dead End became the first Decepticon Binaltech warrior, stealing a new frame meant for the injured Autobot Sunstreaker. Arise! Evil Binaltechs

The Great Transformer War comic

Galvatron kidnapped Doctor Dalton of Eran to upgrade the might of his combiner warriors. When the Autobot combiners arrived to save Dalton, Dead End and his teammates were deployed at high speeds from Motormaster's launcher mode. They met Superion in mid-air, and the force of their deployment enabled the combiner teams to tear him apart. The Stunticons then merged into Menasor to move in for the kill. They were ultimately outwitted by the Autobots, however, who rescued Dalton and safely returned to Metroplex. The Great Transformer War issue 1

The Headmasters cartoon

Dead End and the Stunticons participated in Galvatron's siege on Cybertron. They managed to gain the high ground against the Dinobots and Throttlebots, and rained laser fire down on their opponents. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky Dead End and his team formed Menasor to fight their Autobot counterparts, but were steamrolled by the might and firepower of the Battleship Maximus. Transporting back to Earth, they attempted to interfere with Hot Rod's quest for the Matrix. Dead End and the Stunticons were confronted by the Aerialbots in the desert, but the battle of their combiner forms eventually led them to the Arctic. The Mystery of Planet Master

When Vector Sigma began perfecting the new super-metal Cybertonuron on Cybertron, Galvatron ordered another all-out attack on the planet to seize the metal for the Decepticons before the Autobots could make use of it. Dead End and the Stunticons journeyed to Cybertron with the strike force, and confronted their old enemies, the Aerialbots. The Aerialbots got the drop on Dead End's group by forming Superion and lashing out before the Stunticons could form Menasor as well. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1 Dead End and the Stunticons were still in a firefight sometime later, as Chromedome passed by looking for Mindwipe and the Decepticon Headmasters. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2 In San Francisco, Dead End and the Stunticons assisted Bruticus in using a carnivorous plant to distract the Autobots from Scorponok's plans on Zarak. They fought against the Technobots and Computron. Head On!! Fortress Maximus

Sometime later, Dead End and the Stunticons gathered in the desert as their Ninja Commander Sixshot began issuing orders. They assembled as Menasor, and took part in the escalating Decepticon war effort as five separate Autobot outposts were attacked simultaneously at Sixshot's command. The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg Dead End was also among the Decepticons who assembled to welcome Scorponok as their new Emperor of Terror following Galvatron's fall. I Risk My Life for Earth

Zone OVA, manga and story pages

Seeking to create a Decepticon Zone to counter the Autobot Zone, Decepticon Emperor Violen Jiger gathered together the Nine Great Demon Generals, upgrading them with powerful new armor and weaponry, then sent them forth to conquer planets. Dead End was among those summoned, but only as a part of Menasor. Zone Part 1 Transformers: Zone Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!

Marvel Comics continuity

Generation 1

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

When Buster Witwicky began experiencing strange dreams about new Transformers, Optimus Prime joined him in his dreamscape, and together the two observed a vision brought on by Buster's brief connection to the Creation Matrix. Dead End and his fellow Stunticons were seen transforming into Menasor, and battling the Autobots alongside Bruticus. Unfortunately, Soundwave intercepted the signals for Prime and Buster's shared dream, giving the Decepticons just as much knowledge about these future Special Teams as the Autobots. Second Generation!

The Insecticon known as Bombshell managed to infiltrate the Ark and plant one of his shells inside Optimus Prime. Thanks to this espionage, Megatron and Soundwave were able to harness the digital energy of the Creation Matrix when Prime unleashed it. Thus, as the Autobots were bringing life to the new Aerialbots Special Team, so too were the Decepticons bringing their new Stunticons on-line. Megatron wasted no time in sending his newly-minted minions out to ruin the Autobots' good name. Dead End and his teammates started an ad hoc demolition derby on a highway, cornering the Autobot Skids while pretending to defend him against the human robot-hunters, Circuit Breaker and RAAT. Dead End didn't see much point in even acknowledging the fleshlings, but he was pushed into combat by his leader, Motormaster. After a combination battle with the Aerialbots, the Stunticons returned to Megatron, their mission to smear the Autobots' reputation with the humans complete. Heavy Traffic!

Megatron became more and more unstable over time, especially after Optimus Prime died, but not by his own hands. While the Decepticons traveled convoy to a Space bridge nexus in the Florida Keys, Megatron rode in gun mode inside of Dead End. He stopped long enough to totally demolish a passing truck that resembled Optimus Prime. Dead End pointed out Megatron's mistake, but his great leader seemed satisfied by the thought that if the truck HAD been Prime, then Prime would certainly be dead now. Even though he already was. Even Dead End's obsession with death wasn't enough to understand Megatron in this state. Once they reached the rendezvous point, Dead End rather eagerly left with Vortex while Megatron waited behind for an ambush by Optimus Prime that he was sure was coming. Megatron ended up blowing himself up shortly thereafter, and certainly Dead End and the other Decepticons were none too broken up by that turn of events. Gone but Not Forgotten!

With Megatron gone, Dead End and the Stunticons began working for Shockwave and Ratbat, at a tropical island base which was actually a disguised space cruiser. The Desert Island of Space! They staged a daring attack against the Autobots on the moon, but were ultimately driven off by Grimlock and Blaster. Totaled!

Earthforce

These stories do not fit into the normal Marvel continuity. See Earthforce for details.

Back in action on Earth, Dead End and his Stunticon partner Drag Strip began working for a faction of Decepticons led by Megatron. Megatron had created an ozone-warping rocket, designed to trap heat in the atmosphere which could be tapped for a new source of energy, even though it would virtually destroy all life on Earth. Their plan was interrupted by two Autobots, Wheeljack and Prowl. Starting Over! While Wheeljack kept the Stunticons busy, Prowl leapt onto the rocket itself, his weight knocking it off course and causing it to crash before it reached the apex point in the atmosphere it was meant to travel to. Dead End and Drag Strip raced to the crashsite, hoping to retrieve the atmospheric poisons Megatron had loaded it with. At the fallen rocket, however, they ran into Runabout and Runamuck, who were interested in securing the equipment for their commander, Shockwave. The four Decepticons began to tussle, little realizing Prowl had already snuck away and neutralized the cannisters. How droll. Life in the Slow Lane

At the Enclave, Dead End was seen talking to Octane early on. Later, after the party descended into violence, he was seen punching out Astrotrain while fighting back-to-back with Tantrum, both of them little realizing they were supposed to be on opposite sides. Probably. The Bad Guy's Ball! During the attack on Autobot Earthbase, Dead End and Breakdown joined the Battlechargers in racing in through the wall of laser fire, trying to reach the base and the Autobot soldiers inside defending it. None of them made it, though, so it was all rather pointless in the end. Divide and Conquer! When the Decepticons needed to kidnap the Autobots' human ally, Irwin Spoon, Dead End and the Stunticons ran interference for Motormaster so that he could get away with the human stored inside his cab. After Breakdown took himself out of action, though, only Dead End and Drag Strip were left to stop Bumblebee and Tracks from catching up with their leader. The two Stunticons raced up onto the rear bumpers of their foes, only to be caught off guard when the Autobots suddenly broke away, sending the Decepticon cars hurtling into the back wheels of their own boss, Motormaster, knocking all of them off the road. End of the Road!

Drag Strip and Dead End are mistakenly named as Shockwave's troops in "Life in the Slow Lane", just as the Battlechargers are mistakenly identified as working for Megatron.

Marvel UK future timelines

Dead End and the Stunticons attacked Kup on the road in 2003, making an attempt to steal the plans for the upcoming Autobot City. They were successful, but the plans were a set of fakes, so they ultimately didn't gain anything. An exhausting exercise in futility — bet Dead End droned on about that for days. Ark Duty

In 2008, Scourge, Cyclonus and Death's Head were compelled by Unicron to make an assassination attempt on the Decepticon leader, Shockwave. They sealed the door to the audience chamber during the attack, and so Soundwave summoned the Stunticons as Menasor to break through the door. They eventually did so, and Breakdown and Dead End were about to execute the Decepticon traitors when Death's Head returned with news of Shockwave's demise. Using a series of explosives built into his hover platform as an incentive, the bounty hunter forced Soundwave and the other Decepticons to submit to their leadership. The Legacy of Unicron!

Generation 2

After Skullgrin was killed on a survey mission by the Cybertronian Empire, Dead End was seen among the Decepticons Megatron was pumping up into a killing fury. (There was, however, a speech bubble near Dead End's head calling for "Death to the pretenders!" Maybe he meant the G2 Decepticons, or maybe he just didn't like Skullgrin). New Dawn

Dreamwave comics continuity

At one point during the Great War, Dead End was linked with the Stunticons to become a super-combiner known as Menasor. After the Crisis Intervention Accords, though, the Stunticons were forced to disband as a unit to prevent major devastation. To that end, Dead End and Motormaster joined Starscream's Predacons separate from their teammates. War Within: The Age of Wrath

At some point in Cybertron's recent history, the Stunticons were deemed psychotic and too dangerous to function in society, and as a result were placed into perpetual stasis lock inside of a prison facility. Later, in an attempt to create a diversion while he set his final plans in motion, Shockwave arranged for the release of the Stunticons. They formed into Menasor and ran amuck for awhile, until Ultra Magnus arrived and began insulting them. Unable to reconcile with this, the five Stunticons began to bicker with each other over whose fault it was that they were failing, temporarily stopping Menasor and allowing Ultra Magnus to ram the combiner in the chest, forcing him to separate into his component parts and disabling the Stunticons. Passive Aggression

Devil's Due G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers comics

Along with his Stunticon comrades, Dead End was sent into 1930's Chicago when Teletran 3 went haywire. After being reformatted and locked into the shapes of old human cars, they were found and used by a gang of organized criminals for three days. The Stunticons, aside from Motormaster, were then found by a group of members from G.I. Joe and Cobra, sent from the future to retrieve the Cybertronians and avoid a temporal holocaust. Dead End was awoken when Breakdown snagged the humans' disruption units and shared them with the others, and the Stunticons promptly attacked their saviors and their Autobot ally, Optimus Prime. After following them in a car chase that led halfway across Chicago, the Stunticons stumbled into Motormaster, at which point everyone was sent back to present-day Cybertron. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 2

Some time later, Dead End and the other Stunticons joined Serpent O.R.'s new Decepticon army, and helped capture a team of Autobots and G.I. Joes that followed him to Cybertron. The Art of War issue 3 They later combined into Menasor for an attack on an Autobot peace ceremony. The Art of War issue 4

IDW comics continuity

This section covers fiction that is ongoing. It will be added to as the story progresses. If it isn't current, you can help by updating it.

Strangely optimistic for a pessimist.

Dead End was one of dozens of Cybertronians who answered the call to join Megatron in Kaon's underground pit-fighting ring, and later participated in the first street battle against Autobot forces. He was also...unnervingly optimistic about his chances of making the team.

Seriously, it was creepy. Megatron Origin issue 3

Soon afterwards, Megatron launched his rebellion, and Dead End fought alongside Drag Strip in the ensuing battle. Megatron Origin issue 4

Several million years later, Dead End was among the Decepticons left behind on Earth following a failed invasion. In search of fuel, he assaulted a human gas station and guzzled its precious liquid. Seasons in Flight Along with Motormaster and Wildrider, he was then captured and deactivated by Skywatch. The three Stunticons were eventually rescued by Hot Rod, who needed all the help he could get in getting off the planet. A Rude Awakening With Drag Strip already onboard the team, the four Stunticons began helping construct a starship. However, the team still wanted their last member back, and Dead End and Motormaster claimed to know where to find him. Seasons in Flight

After Breakdown was recovered, Dead End and the others revealed that they didn't just want him back so they could be a big, happy Stunticon family—Swindle had modified the team into combiners, allowing them to merge into Menasor, kill the Autobots and take the ship for themselves! Enemies of the System

However, the Autobots soon figured out Menasor's weakness: his components could barely agree on anything. They focused their attacks on Dead End, which confused and angered the other components, opening Menasor up to be defeated by Optimus Prime. The Stunticons were subsequently captured by Skywatch. Earthworks

Toys

Generation 1

I think you ought to know I'm feeling very depressed.

• Dead End (1986)
  • Team ID number: S1
  • Japanese ID number: D-54
  • Accessories: Gun, double cannon, cannon connector

The original Dead End toy transformed into a maroon Porsche 928. He comes with a black double-barreled laser cannon that attaches to the back of his vehicle mode.

In robot mode, Dead End's legs transform similarly to Breakdown's, flipping and inverting. He is armed with a small black laser pistol. As he was designed with the Scramble City-style combination, he can form the arm or leg to any similarly-constructed robot combination. Although the 1986 G1 Menasor toy giftset shows Dead End as Menasor's right leg, Dead End's nominal placement is as Menasor's left arm.

• More information on Dead End at TFU.info

• Menasor (Giftset, 1986)
  • Japanese ID number: D-55

Dead End was also available as part of the Menasor giftset.

Generation 2

'This paint job was doomed from the start.'

• Dead End (Stunticon)
  • Team ID number: S2

For the Generation 2 line, Hasbro intended to release redecoes of the Stunticons in 1994, with Dead End being cast primarily in red plastic, with black and blue accents. Ultimately, however, the toys never went into mass production and remained officially unreleased. Only the four limbs are known to have made it to the sample packaging stage, having turned up in very limited numbers over the years (with the exception of G2 Breakdown, who was available at BotCon 1994 in somewhat larger quantities). All the G2 Stunticons are known to catch high prices on the secondary market.

Your bargaining posture is highly dubious. Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Alternators

I've got this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left side.

• Dead End (2004)
  • Alternator ID number: 6
  • Japanese ID number: BT-05
  • Accessories: Engine/gun

Alternators Dead End transforms into a fully-painted black Dodge Viper Competition Coupe with silver stripes, red windows and headlights.

In robot mode he transforms similarly to Alternators Side Swipe, and has Sunstreaker's head, as his tooling was originally designed as the latter Autobot. As a retool of Side Swipe, several of his parts are different, including the hood, wheels, roof, the entire rear end of the car, chest and head. He is armed with a vacuum-metalized silver gun formed out of his engine.

The main difference between the US Alternators release of this toy and the Japanese Binaltech version is that the Binaltech version is constructed partially out of die-cast metal.

• More information on Alternators Dead End at TFU.info

External links

• Dead End's Universe profile at NTFA.net