Dead End (ROTF)
| 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 from the Revenge of the Fallen franchise in the live-action film continuity family.
Dead End is as creepy as they come. He crawls on all fours and keeps to the shadows so his optics will glow creepily. He isn't really capable of carrying on an ordinary conversation, and when he has something to say at all, it is something strange or gloomy. And when he wants to recharge, he siphons off the fuel from other Transformers.
As a result, he's not very popular among his fellow Decepticons. They know that if there's no Autobots to feed on, Dead End will sneak over while they're recharging and start feeding on them...
- Alternate European market name: Detour
| “ | NEED... PARTS... | ” |
—Dead End, "Spare Parts!" | ||
Fiction
Toy bios
If Dead End and Cliffjumper weren't on opposite sides, they would get along swimmingly—because they're both dysfunctional jerks. As it happens, the extent of their interpersonal relationship involves Dead End trying to creep Cliffjumper out, which typically ends with Dead End getting punched in the face. Dead End and Cliffjumper
Titan Magazines Revenge of the Fallen comics
Dead End was used as a guinea pig for the test run of an experimental regeneration circuit, designed to automatically repair damage he sustained in combat. Unfortunately for Dead End, the unit malfunctioned and began eating away at the molecular cohesion of his body, driving him mad and leaving him a shambling half-'bot, wandering the wastes of Death Valley, California, mindlessly searching for spare parts to try and repair his crumbling frame.
When the Autobot rookies Jolt, Dune Runner and Rollbar were sent to Death Valley on a survival exercise, Dead End caught their scent and followed them to a deserted gold mining town. Unaware they were being stalked, the trio split up to search the town for the recharge pack that had been placed there for them to find. Jolt found the pack, but was attacked by Dead End, who tore his arm off, then turned on the other two Autobots when they arrived in response to their comrade's cry of alarm.
After ripping Dune Runner's arm off, Dead End turned on Rollbar and punched him so hard that his own desiccated arm crumbled away. Dead End paused long enough to try welding Dune Runner's arm on in place of his own, giving Jolt enough time to seize the recharge pack, using it to super-charge his electro-whips. Howling that he "must obey Megatron", Dead End was downed by a massive electrical shock from Jolt's whips and was rendered unconscious.
Dune Runner advocated putting the Decepticon out of his misery, but Rollbar disagreed. The Autobots brought Dead End back to Diego Garcia, where Ratchet was able to remove his regeneration circuit and save his life, complimenting the true Autobot spirit the three rookies had shown. Spare Parts!
Apparently Ratchet is a crap doctor, because by Christmas Eve poor Dead End was decaying again and running across America, looking for more SPARE PARTS. He located Bumblebee at Sam Witwicky's house and made an attack, also trying to eat Sam until the Autobot stepped in. A quick and brutal fight happened, with Dead End managing to eat one of Bumblebee's parts, but the Decepticon was eventually taken down. (Whether Bumblebee showed mercy or if he lacks Autobot spirit was not specified) The Nightmare Bee-4 Christmas
Dead End joined Bludgeon's Decepticon faction, and was at the Arkhangelskaya Oblast, Russia base when the Autobots tracked it down... and now he was fixed and capable of normal speech! He and Lockdown were told to prepare a suitable reception for their 'guests'. Unfortunately for him, he took damage in the fight Divided Loyalties and that left him in need of SPARE PARTS once more. The traitor Wheelie had just enough time to wonder what was wrong with Dead End before he was ripped apart and his vitals eaten. When everyone else had departed from Russia, Dead End remained and began to track Bumblebeee... A Short, Sharp Lesson!
Games
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - The Game (Sony PSP)
Decepticon campaign
Toys
Revenge of the Fallen
- Dead End or Detour (Scout Class, 2009)
- Japanese ID number: RD-07
- Dead End converts from a modified red and black Peugeot 9009 concept car to a robot with a bird-like head vaguely resembling Hawkman's mask/helmet. Interestingly, while Dead End has no neck articulation, he does have a movable jaw; the entire top of his head hinges backward, revealing a lower jaw and teeth. However, added plastic (most likely for safety reasons) makes his chest-plate unable to fold down all the way. As a result, many owners don't even see Dead End's lower jaw, and assume the upper jaw to be the entire head. It is possible to hinge the full head upwards by pulling on the lower jaw's cheek detailing.
- Dead End (Deluxe, 2009)
- Deluxe class Dead End is a retool and redeco of Revenge of the Fallen Sideways with a color scheme resembling Generation 1 Wildrider. His head resembles Wildrider's animated model and maiev shadowsong from world of warcraft a bit as well.
- Dead End features Automorph action during the conversion from car to robot mode. When the front bumper is pressed, his front pair of wheels automatically flip underneath the hood. There is also some Mech Alive: you can see internal gears moving in his fore-arms when moving his arms, as well as a turning disk on each of his elbows. On his right arm is a spinning "saw" blade.
- He's also wearing Generation 1 Dead End's vehicle mode hood as a hat!
- In Japan, Dead End was only available as a Toy Hobby Market exclusive, with a pre-order window of August 13th through September 25th, 2009.
- During part of 2010, Hasbro did a promotion wherein US fans could receive three free Deluxes in exchange for receipts showing the purchase of $25 or more of select Transformers product. As noted in this thread over at Allspark.com, and later confirmed by this listing here, Deluxe-class Dead End was one of a pool of eight figures (all from the same wave) from which the free Deluxes were drawn, with several people having noted receiving him.
Merchandise
Titanium Series
- Cliffjumper & Dead End (Two-pack, 2009)
- Accessories: Decepticon symbol display stand
- A black and red redeco of Jazz, Titanium Series Dead End is a non-transforming plastic figurine made of plastic and die-cast metal. He is sculpted holding a small handgun, and has articulation in his shoulders, neck and waist. Oh, and he comes with a movie-style Decepticon logo base to stand on.
- He was only available in a ToysЯUs-exclusive two-pack with Cliffjumper.
Notes
- Before solid information regarding the name of the Revenge of the Fallen Scout Class toy became available, sellers of stolen prototypes alternatively referred to him as "Detour" and "Dead End". Eventually the latter name won out... but ultimately it turned out the name "Detour" hadn't come out of thin air either: Early shipments of the European release of the toy feature the name "Detour" on the cardboard insert on the packaging's front (the cardback and the instruction sheet still call him "Dead End", however), with later shipments featuring the correct "Dead End" insert. At least one sample has even been found at US retail, with a misapplied European insert.[1]
- He is also the only Transformer to have three distinctly different looking toys...in the same toyline.
- Concept artist Ken Christiansen worked on the Dead End art featured at the top of this article using some very poor supplied images of Dead End some considerable time before the toy was released, so it is missing some details seen on the toy, such as Dead End's scary-ass lower jaw. For more information, see the external links below.
External links
- Dead End Revenge of the Fallen PSP game art concept, greyscale and final rendering, by artist Ken Christiansen.
