Ironhide (Energon)
| The name or term "Ironhide" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Ironhide (disambiguation). |
- Ironhide is an Autobot from the Energon portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.
Ironhide is a young Autobot who has stars in his eyes and a boundless desire to prove himself. Sadly, he's just a dork. Sometimes, he's a technically clever dork, but a dork nonetheless.
He has a penchant for saying the wrong things at the wrong times. Like when a friend dies.
Fiction
Toy pack-in comics
Ironhide, with Inferno and Prowl, built an energon tower. Energon Volume 2
Later, Ironhide was there to witness Optimus Prime welcome Wing Saber to the Autobots. Energon Volume 4
Energon cartoon
Voice actor: Matt Hill (English), Mitsuo Iwata (Japanese), Andreas Werling (Swedish)
Ironhide was a rookie soldier on Cybertron, training to become a full-fledged Autobot after the Unicron Battles. When the Terrorcon invasion began, he was at a sparring session with Optimus Prime, and volunteered to come along on the investigation of Mars City. Optimus agreed to bring him along, and the mission led to a full-scale assault in progress on Earth at Ocean City. It was there that Ironhide first met the energon-sensitive human named Kicker Jones. It was Kicker who alerted the Autobots to the Terrorcons' arrival, but he also nearly got himself killed by recklessly engaging them in battle. Optimus Prime told Ironhide to watch out for Kicker on the battlefield, and the two were soon paired up in a permanent partnership...one that neither of them approved of. Cybertron City
When the Terrorcons struck again at Lunar City, Ironhide was eager to jump into battle, but Kicker left him behind by flying to the moon with Jetfire. When Optimus Prime and Ironhide eventually followed, Ironhide rushed into battle alone and pounded his way through a number of Terrorcon drones. He got too cocky, however, and thoughtlessly reached for some raw energon, momentarily forgetting how volatile the substance was before an Omnicon refined it. The resulting energy backlash damaged Ironhide, and allowed several Terrorcons to escape unmolested with their stolen energon. Back on Ocean City, Ironhide blamed himself for the loss of the energon, but Optimus Prime pointed out that if Kicker had been backing up his partner like he had been ordered to, Ironhide wouldn't have been off alone. Chagrined, Kicker apologized to Ironhide by kicking him in the head. Energon Stars
Next, the Autobots prepared to reinforce their defenses at the remaining active energon mines on Earth: Ocean City, Desert City, and Plains City. Kicker correctly predicted the next Terrorcon attack would come at Desert City, and Ironhide and Kicker bridged there to rescue Hot Shot and Kicker's friend,Misha. Hot Shot was injured battling the new Terrorcon general, Scorponok, but Misha's Omnicon research team created a new refined energon star to revive him. As Ironhide and the group exited the mine to reach the wounded Hot Shot, they were confronted by Scorponok. Ironhide threw himself into battle with Scorponok -- the first of many struggles between the two warriors -- but was hopelessly outmatched. The Omnicons tossed him the star meant for Hot Shot, despite his protests, and with its power Ironhide succeeded in holding off Scorponok long enough for their escape. In the aftermath, Hot Shot was revived and Optimus decided to reward Ironhide for his valor on the battlefield. Ironhide received a Combination Spark, and was officially named a member of Team Prime. Scorpinok
Having a Combination Spark didn't necessarily mean knowing how to use it, however, as Jetfire repeatedly discovered while trying to train Ironhide to combine properly. Despite his difficulties, Ironhide was beamng about his promotion. When he heard about a light guard detachment on Mars City overseeing some newly found energon, he graciously volunteered to go up there and show "those rookies" how to do things. Ironhide soon managed to back up his boasting during another battle on Earth, where he and Jetfire managed to successfully sync their Combination Sparks and save Optimus Prime's life in a fight with Scorponok. Megatron's Sword
Ironhide accompanied Kicker and Hot Shot on a winter mission to find new energon, but had trouble working with the former Decepticon, Demolishor. Even after ten years, Demolishor still had little regard for Autobots, especially Autobot rookies. The fact that two of his fellow Decepticons, Cyclonus and Tidal Wave, had recently defected to the Terrorcons made Ironhide even more leery of relying on Demolishor in the field. The New Cybertron City
As the Autobots became more accustomed to the Terrorcon raids, the defense became easier. Multiple energon-powered gun turrets defended each city, and the Autobots were all veterans at Terrorcon-smashing by this point. On one raid, Ironhide and Inferno arrived only to find the Autobots on scene had already eliminated the opposition. Things didn't stay easy for very long, however: Megatron resurrected himself in the bowels of Unicron, and assumed control of the Chaos-Bringer, driving out Alpha Q and commandeering the Terrorcons. In a Decepticon-led attack on Plains City, Megatron obliterated the installation and ripped Hot Shot apart, triumphantly displaying his body as Ironhide, Kicker and the other reinforcements arrived. Megatron Resurrected Ironhide was furious over Hot Shot's injuries, and vowed to take vengeance on Megatron for his friend. When Megatron attacked Ocean City next, Ironhide jumped in-between Megatron and Demolishor, demanding satisfaction on behalf of Hot Shot. Unfortunately for Ironhide, Demolishor chose to return to his former loyalties, and struck down the young Autobot before he could attack Megatron. Ironhide begged Demolishor to remain with the Autobots, but the once and former Decepticon departed with Megatron and the Terrorcons as the raid came to an end. Megatron Raid
When Optimus Prime was being stalked by Alpha Q's new agent, Starscream, Ironhide backed up Kicker's intuition, as the boy sensed something was wrong before anyone else noticed Starscream had infiltrated Ocean City. Ironhide and the other Autobots worked together to shadow Prime for his own protection, despite his protests. Starscream the Mysterious Mercenary Soon thereafter, Ironhide and the others journeyed into the asteroid belt and confronted a massive ship resembling Unicron. They fought through Scorponok and the ship's defenses and managed to destroy it, but the threat of Unicron lingered on everyone's minds. Battle of the Asteroid Belt As the plan for energon towers was unveiled, Ironhide successfully defended Ocean City until Doctor Jones' prototype was off the ground and basted away all the Decepticons. He confronted Demolishor on the battlefield, and grappled with his former ally under Megatron's watchful eye. Energon Tower
During an energon expedition at Blizzard City, Kicker's fear of the dark was affecting their progress in the mines. Ironhide broguht him out into the open air for a break, and was surprised to learn that Kicker had never heard of the great Autobot hero, Rodimus. Ironhide told Kicker the tale of how Rodimus left behind the civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons to pursue greater levels of justice in the universe at large. When Kicker continued to struggle in the mines, Ironhide left him alone to force Kicker to work through his issues instead of avoiding them. Still, Ironhide secretly remained right behind Kicker in the dark, and congratulated Kicker when he found the energon and conquered his fear. The Legend of Rodimus
When the Terrorcons invaded Jungle City, Ironhide and Inferno worked together to defend the energon mines. Ironhide just fired away blindly at the enemy, hoping to catch as many Terrorcons as possible in his barrage, but Inferno counselled Ironhide about the value of aiming, and picking your shot to conserve energy and achieve maximum efficiency. As the Autobots were forced to abandon Jungle City, they planned to destroy the installation in their wake by setting off a chain reaction in the energon deposits. Ironhide took Inferno's lessons to heart and volunteered to make the single, long-range shot that triggered the base's destruction. Crisis in Jungle City
On an expedition to Lunar City, Ironhide helped Kicker search for an inconsistent energon signal somewhere on the moon's surface. They met up with Demolishor, who tried to trade on their old friendship to lure Kicker into Megatron's clutches. Ironhide didn't trust Demolishor, and chided him about his conflicting loyalties. Kicker Beware! As the energon grid neared completion on Earth, Ironhide and Kicker investigated a faulty tower at Desert City. During their search inside, Ironhide asked Kicker what it was like to be human, with such a brief lifespan compared to a Cybertronian. He couldn't understand how beings could be so vulnerable and still push onwards. Kicker explained that their mortality was what made them human, and their life experiences were that much more precious because they knew how limited their time was on earth. Energon Grid
With the Earth secured against any threat, the Autobots prepared to venture back out into space and deal with Unicron one and for all. Kicker was still uncomfortable with being out in the vacuum, so Ironhide tried to cheer him up by being an insensitive prick...apparently. Next, they followed Hot Shot to Mars, where he met the lost Autobot hero, Rodimus. Rodimus had formed an alliance with Alpha Q for his own reasons, and tried to get Hot Shot to keep the Autobots away from Alpha Q's plans. When he refused, Rodimus fired on Hot Shot, and Ironhide lept to his defense. Ironhide was hopelessly outmatched against Rodimus and his highly-trained soldiers, Prowl and Landmine, and was left in the dust on Mars as the trio sped away. Once he calmed down, Ironhide was distraught over his actions, as Rodimus was still technically his superior officer and he had violated Autobot military protocol by attacking him. Kicker reassured Ironhide that he was backing up his teammate, which no one could ever fault him for doing. Rodimus: Friend or Foe?
Ironhide was chosen for the inaugural crew of the Miranda II, the starship that would carry Optimus Prime's team on their quest against Unicron. As they left Earth and prepared their mobile Space Bridge array for transit, however, the Autobots were attacked by the Decepticons. The Omnicons attempted to repair the damaged portion of the array, but were injured in battle and Ironhide had to cover the helpless warriors. With no one else available, Ironhide called upon Kicker to face his fear of space and come out to fix the array. He talked his partner through the space-walk and gave him constant encouragement, and with Ironhide cheering him on Kicker managed to prep the Bridge. Meanwhile, Ironhide also watched Demolishor fall in battle, sacrificing himself to protect Megatron from an energon wave. This concluded any efforts Ironhide would make to redeem Demolishor, for once the Decepticon soldier was repaired by Megatron, his memory and personality had been altered to leave no lingering loyalty to his former Autobot comrades. Go for Unicron! On a distant planet, Jetfire was injured during a search for energon. Ironhide and Kicker worked together to pull him to safety aboard the Miranda II. The Return of Demolishor
When Rodimus arrived to discuss Alpha Q with Optimus, they were unable to come to terms over the fate of Unicron. Rodimus was willing to reactivate the entity in the hopes that his power could be used for good, but Optimus found it far to dangerous. As Rodimus's ship prepared to depart, Ironhide decided to take matters into his own hands. With Kicker's blessing, he stowed away aboard Rodimus's ship to follow him back to Alpha Q. Once inside Uncron's head, Ironhide went exploring, but was spotted by Alpha Q. Despite Rodimus's protests, Alpha Q sent out Scorponok and the Terrorcons to test the intruder. Ironhide battled a nest of Cruellock drones, until his energon booster star got ripped off his shoulder. He fired at the fleeing Terrorcon, detonating the star in a powerful explosion. The Cruellocks were destroyed, and an injured Ironhide stumbled free from the nest to face Scorponok. He fought fiercely, but in his damaged condition Ironhide was certainly no match for Scorponok. Still, he continued to fight right up until the moment he passed out on top of his foe. Scorponok brought the fallen warrior before Rodimus and Alpha Q, and declared him...worthy. A Tale of Two Heros As Alpha Q and Scorponok began to repair Ironhide, he groggily called out for Kicker, who somehow heard him across the depths of space, and left the Autobots to come rescue his partner. Battle Stations
Kicker found Ironhide in Alpha Q's throne room and demanded his release. Ironhide stood by as Kicker and Alpha Q argued over the use of Unicron, and the renewed war between the Autobots and Decepticons. Kicker made a strong impression on Alpha Q, and the entity allowed Ironhide and his friends to go free. Alpha Q: Identity As Kicker convinced Alpha Q to consider an alliance with the Autobots, he and Ironhide traveled on Unicron's head to Cybertron for the historic meeting. Shockblast: Rampage When Unicron started to act out of control, Ironhide joined a crew of Autobots and Omnicons to bring extra energon down to his core to satiate him. Survival Instincts Later, he fought alongside the other Autobots in defense of Cybertron's energon towers. Each One Fights... A highly-successfuly Terrorcon raid delivered enough energon to Megatron to transform Unicron and directly threaten Cybertron. Ironhide and the Autobots made an effort to breach Unicron's defenses and attack Megatron within. Unicron Unleashed
Ironhide split off from Jetfire in the Divebomb firefight over Unicron to join Optimus and his troop inside of Unicron. Open Fire! In the chaos that followed inside, Ironhide was separated from the other Autobots, but met with Scorponok and began to track Megatron's position once more. The two warriors confronted Megatron, despite being horribly outmatched, and fell hard while trying to stop the Decepticon leader. As the conflicting energon charges being tossed around during the battle ripped open a hole in space, Megatron and the Decepticons fled through it, taking Unicron with them. Optimus gathered his soldiers to follow them, but ordered Ironhide to remain behind and provide an update to Cybertron, in case they did not return. Ironhide joined forces with the Omnicons, and Kicker and Misha on board the Miranda II, to prepare a rescue party to go after Optimus and the others. Ripped Up Space They traveled through the rift in the Miranda II, and eventually emerged from the other side. Team Optimus Prime
Ironhide eagerly reconnected with Optimus and the other Autobots in the new solar system Alpha Q created using the energon power from Unicron's head. On Iron Planet, he joined the Autobots in capturing the lone Decepticon, Shockblast. When Scorponok arrived with a group of Terrorcons, Ironhide innocently waved over his comrade-in-arms. Unfortunately, Scorponok had been captured and reprogrammed by Megatron after he passed through the rift, making him fanatically loyal to the Decepticons and once again an enemy to the Autobots. Despite the Terrorcons attacking all around him, Ironhide naively approached Scorponok and asked him what was wrong, only to be battered aside by the imposing general. Protection Ironhide briefly battled Scorponok again when the Decepticon returned to Iron Planet to free Shockblast. Imprisoned Inferno As the Miranda II made berth on Jungle Planet, the Decepticons soon tracked the Autobots there in search of energon. Ironhide once again confronted Scorponok, attempting to force through Megatron's brainwashing and remind him of his loyalties to Alpha Q, but to no avail. Jungle Planet
Ironhide underwent character growth due to the changes taking place in Scorponok, whom he looked up to initially. He would eventually lead a rookie team to their deaths against Scorponok, and nearly kill Scorponok in retaliation. In the end, he and Scorponok fought each other into a stasis. His life was saved when Scorponok carried his damaged body to Optimus Prime on Jungle Planet, in order to merge Ironhide's spark with Optimus Prime. He was restored to life afterward and was last seen with Kicker on Ocean Planet.
Energon comic
During the war, Ironhide was a prisoner, forced to use his technical skills to construct doomsday devices for the Decepticons. Unbeknownst to them, he designed failsafes into the devices, effectively neutralizing them automatically should they ever be activated. Aftershock
Much later, ten years following Unicron's defeat, Ironhide was added to Optimus' team. He served as chief architect during the construction of the armed cities built for Earth, and successfully managed to avoid being killed by both Scorponok and Megatron.
Force of Habit
During the Unicron Singularity crisis, Ironhide served aboard the Autobot flagship Iron Hope. He was a member of Ultra Magnus' bridge crew, and briefly questioned Magnus' decision to leave the imperiled crew of the Spanner to their own devices. He was called into action during a Decepticon attack on the ship, and battled a number of Divebomb- and Insecticon-type Terrorcons alongside RipTide, Smokescreen and the Land Military Mini-Con Team. Force of Habit
Toys
Energon
- Ironhide (Mega, 2004)
- Japanese ID number: SC-04
- Accessries: Missile
- Ironhide transforms into a blue Mazda Tribute, with distinctly penny-racer-ish proportions. He has a rather oversized red speaker/gun turret/high beam lights/thingamajig setup mounted on top. In robot mode, he is able to combine with most Autobot Deluxe and Mega size class toys, forming the top or bottom half of a super robot. In both modes, his turret fires a spring-loaded missile.
- The Japanese release, named Roadbuster, had some minor deco and colour differences; most significantly, the tan plastic parts were replaced by grey, even though they remained tan in the Energon cartoon. The major functional difference between the two toys is that the Japanese version does not have electronics, while the US release does, with sound effects activated by launching the missile.
- Ironhide became a major shelfwarmer during the Energon toyline's run, with some areas still having unsold Ironhides into 2006. His toy was often bundled together with Jetfire or Mirage.
- One undocumented feature is that one can flip his helmet over his face to hide it in vehicle mode. While it does not cover his entire face, it at least hides the top portion of his head.
- Energon Ironhide (Mega, 2004)
- Japanese ID number: SC-24
- Accessories: Missile, energon axe (crane & split-tire, Japanese release only)
- This redeco of Ironhide was intended to be an homage to G1 Hound, with green replacing the blue and blue replacing the red. He also features an army star logo similar to Hound's.
- The Japanese release, named "Roadbuster Wild", included an orange version of Strongarm's Energon Axe and, again, has no electronics.
- Ironhide (Happy Meal, 2004)
- This toy was exclusive to the McDonald's restaurant chain in the Netherlands, Australia, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom. He is a highly simplified version of the larger toy, with little to no articulation.
- His torso is hollow and stores a translucent energon cube. When a button is pushed, his energon cube activates the coolest siren and laser sounds. His Energon cube is interchangeable with the cubes from the other McDonald's Energon toys.
- Ironhide (Built to Rule, 2004)
Notes
- In Japan, Ironhide's Bio and Tech Spec function was listed as "Martial Artist" (武闘家). Uh... huh?
Foreign names
- Japanese: Roadbuster (ロードバスター Rōdobasutā), Roadbuster Wild (Energon Ironhide, ロードバスターW Rōdobasutā Wairudo)
- Hungarian: Vasököl ("Ironfist")[1]
References
- ↑ Acélfej ("Steelhead") in "Optimus Prime vs Megatron: The Ultimate Battle", but that translation is only used once from the three times his name is spoken.
