Runamuck (G1)
| The name or term "Runamuck" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Runamuck (disambiguation). |
- Runamuck is a Decepticon Battlecharger from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Runamuck and Runabout are the Battlechargers, a nearly inseparable pair of hooligans. Runamuck in particular likes to make things explode, heh heh, and loves a good wreck. He has been known to wander around junkyards, fascinated by the carnage of twisted metal and shattered glass. This only makes him want to blow more enemies into heaps of slag. Heh heh, slag. He does not consider it beneath him to indulge in petty acts of vandalism, and thinks a good insult sprayed on a clean wall is a Decepticon victory, heh heh.
As a Battlecharger, he's well-equipped to do it. He'll speed up crowded highways at his 180 MPH top speed (at which he can go up to 600 miles), smashing everything in his path, without regard to his fenders. Then he transforms into robot mode (in less than half a second) to use his prized tool of wholesale destruction—a friction rifle.
This terrible weapon does little damage, but it leaves a field around his target that enhances molecular heating from friction. With the slightest move, a catastrophic buildup of thermal energy bursts his foe asunder in a shower of burned metal fragments and smoke. The field wears off in five minutes, if the target is able to stay absolutely still for that long. Usually they just end up as a big mess. Runamuck loves a big mess, heh heh.
Runamuck is also equipped with short-range rocket boosters to help him jump over obstacles, but strangely enough, he is terrified of heights.
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Marvel Generation 1 comics
The Battlechargers were summoned to Earth from Cybertron by Megatron, who wanted a dramatic way to announce his challenge to Optimus Prime for a fight to the death. The two immediately ignored their orders, and began to raise a bit of random highway havoc. Encountering Prowl, the two dropped firetraps and wrecked piles of cars behind them. Unable to stop them quietly on his own terms, Prowl grew angry and... was halted by Optimus Prime, who was dismayed with his recklessness.[1] ...Perchance to Dream During a break in the mayhem, they rested in a parking lot and saw a defiant youngster expressing his disgust of family vacations through graffiti. His dad angrily escorted him back to the station wagon, and their holiday trip resumed. The Battlechargers, impressed by the boy's disregard for authority, began following the family on a road trip through the U.S., defacing any monuments they happened upon (such as Mt. Rushmore, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and the Washington Monument). They wrote insults and jokes in a Cybertronian language, thus attracting the attention of RAAT, which had already captured thirteen Autobots.
RAAT caught up with them in Philadelphia, where Circuit Breaker engaged them in a battle that nearly killed the graffiti-inclined boy. Because of her disregard for civilian safety, Circuit Breaker was temporarily stripped of her command and ordered to stay out of action. Itching for revenge, she found her only allies to be the partially-disassembled Autobots in her RAAT lab. She didn't have time to rebuild them all properly, but she knew she could jury-rig them together into a single form which she could partially control. However, she needed the Autobots' consent, and they only agreed to do it if she would release them afterward. She agreed, and she soon fought an aerial battle with the two Decepticons at the Statue of Liberty (where, incidentally, they had written "humans are wimps" in poor English). The two hooligans met quick defeat at the hands of her makeshift gestalt, their charred bodies sent plunging into the harbor. Decepticon Graffiti!
When Shockwave wanted to wrest control of the Earth-based Decepticons from Scorponok, the Battlechargers joined his motley band of rebels. Surrender! They attacked Scorponok's New Jersey base, and a battle ensued. ...All This and Civil War 2 Just as the battle ended, the combatants were transported to Cybertron by Primus, who was gathering his Transformer children to stand against the demigod Unicron. The pair were in attendance as Primus spoke to the assembled Transformers through the body of Emirate Xaaron, though Runamuck was more concerned about some Autobots they'd recently angered as Runabout screwed his kibble back on. The Void! Runamuck died in the ensuing planet-wide battle, his wrecked vehicle mode (oddly emblazoned with an Autobot symbol) was shown amongst the dead. Still Life!
In an alternate future in 2009, Runamuck was among the warriors defending the Decepticon Powerbase against the last Autobot assault. He was shot down by a charging Inferno. Rhythms of Darkness!
Earthforce
During the Decepticon Civil War, Runamuck sided against Megatron and joined Shockwave's team. When Shockwave heard the Dinobots had been revived without the Creation Matrix, he and his men attacked Grimlock's crew in an attempt to beat the secret of their resurrection out of them. Runamuck managed to set Swoop's wing on fire with his friction rifle, but just a second later Grimlock decked him with a thunder-lizard punch, taking him out of the fight. Two Steps Back!
When Megatron lost a global warming satellite to the Autobots, along with its poison gas canisters, Shockwave sent the Battlechargers out to retrieve it for his own purposes. They ran into Dead End and Drag Strip at the crash site, and got into a fight over who would take possession of the rocket and it's contents. Little did they know the Autobot Prowl had already removed and neutralized the rocket's contents, making their tussle utterly pointless. Life in the Slow Lane Later, after the Decepticon factions unified, Runabout and Runamuck are seen attacking the Autobot Earthbase with the full Decepticon force, but they ultimately failed to gain any ground and retreated. Divide and Conquer!
Marvel Generation 2 comic
Despite his apparent death, Runamuck was with the other Decepticons when they ran into Jhiaxus's Cybertronians. He was among the first casualties of a battle that nearly cost even the new-and-improved Megatron his life. New Dawn
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Roger Behr (English), Tomomichi Nishimura (Japanese), Héctor Vieyra (Latin American)
Runamuck first appeared attacking Kup and some other Autobots investigating a decimated Earth Defense Command station that had crashed on Goo 8739B. Riding Blast Off, Runamuck strafed the Autobots with a death crystal shooter. (The station had been destroyed by death crystals, so it's possible that was Runamuck's work as well.) The Autobots engaged the duo in a short space battle that ended when Runamuck blew up a comet with the death crystals, delaying the Autobots long enough to get away. Chaos
He was next seen guarding Trypticon's city mode on Chaar with Runabout. They were attacked by Scourge and the ghost of Starscream, who wanted to steal one of Trypticon's eyes for Unicron. Starscream possessed Runabout, shot Runamuck, then ran into a wall, knocking Runabout unconscious. Runamuck, however, was able to sound an alarm, and Dirge, Thrust, and Astrotrain arrived to help. Scourge got Trypticon's eye, and Starscream possessed Astrotrain and escaped. Later, under Unicron's orders, Starscream returned to Chaar and took control of Trypticon, not knowing that Dirge, Thrust, and the Battlechargers were inside. Starscream used Trypticon to bring Unicron's head down Cybertron's surface, but Thrust sabotaged Trypticon from within before Starscream could connect Unicron to the planet. Starscream came out of Trypticon and demanded that Unicron give him a corporeal form so he could complete the connections. Just as Unicron did so, Autobot-planted explosives detonated and sent Unicron's head back into orbit. Starscream was also flung into outer space, where Galvatron began pursuing him. Trypticon (and the Decepticons inside him) were probably thrown into space as well. Although the Battlechargers were not seen again, Trypticon and the others were, so they most likely did survive. Ghost in the Machine
Young Corgi continuity
One day, the Battlecharger duo was sent to destroy the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, but Runamuck's fear of heights prevented him from even driving onto it. Runabout was taken out of by Hot Rod, Slingshot and Skydive, who soon came bearing down on Runamuck. The battle was televised on the news and recorded by Jeff Grey, who later discussed it with Hot Rod during a chance meeting. Battle Beneath the Ice
Dreamwave Generation 1 comics
At the dawn of Optimus Prime's era as Autobot leader, Runamuck and his partner Runabout were soldiers in the Decepticon army. When Optimus and Megatron got caught up in their first battle, the Battlechargers joined Motormaster and Swindle in disabling Laserbeak and helping Starscream assume control over Megatron's plans. The War Within #4 Runamuck continued to follow Starscream when, roughly a million years later, Megatron was lost in a space bridge accident and the Decepticons split into several factions. Runamuck and Runabout joined up with Starscream's new group of Predacons. They remained defiant even when the other Decepticon factions were prepared to sign a peace treaty with the Autobots, and staged an attack on the ceremony at Tyger Pax. They were repulsed. Violently. The Age of Wrath
In the modern era, Runamuck and Runabout were serving Shockwave "under the table" as assassins. When the Triple Changer Sandstorm removed Optimus Prime from his cell, the Battlechargers followed them into the Old Slave Trails and made an attempt on Prime's life. Sandstorm was killed, but Runamuck was captured and held prisoner by Hot Rod and Kup's resistance movement. Passive Aggression He apparently broke free and joined back up with Runabout after the Autobots resumed control of Cybertron. The two of them were scrounging around for fresh energon and a hideout to avoid Autobot patrols when they stumbled upon one of Shockwave's hidden bases. While Runamuck amused himself by lighting Mini-spies on fire, Runabout accidentally activated one of Shockwave's cloning experiments, Sunstorm, whose massive energon radiation overloaded the Battlechargers' circuitry, frying them reeeaaal good. Night of the Combaticons
When last seen, Runamuck and Runabout had been found by the Protectobots, and First Aid was tending to their damaged bodies as they were taken into custody. Black Sunshine
IDW Generation 1 comics
Early in the war, Runamuck was present as Drift was accepted into the ranks of the Decepticons. Drift #2
Runamuck was part of the Decepticon insurgent cell that has operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, working to destabilise Earth's governing organisations and create global anarchy. He, Runabout and Thundercracker were assigned by Starscream to intercept the human Stoker and retrieve his SM-40 palmtop PC, containing data on their Nebraska operation. Infiltration #0 The team caught up with and killed Stoker outside Phoenix, AZ, by which time Verity Carlo had already stolen the SM-40. Their attempts to retrieve it from Verity and Ratchet disregard their cover: they appeared in full public view both in primary mode Infiltration #1 and in a secondary alternate mode, where the panels of their sports-car disguises split apart to reveal weapons and ram-plates. While pursuing Ratchet, both Battlechargers were run off the road by a semi-trailer. Infiltration #2
Runamuck moved to Latveria with the rest of the Decepticons to spark a war between the nations of Latveria and Symkaria using the Psycho-Prism. He was the first of Megatron's warriors to be turbocharged by Spider-Man's radioactive blood, and subsequently attacked the allied Autobots and Avengers in mirror response mode with the rest of his teammates. Man and Machine, Part Two Runamuck was taken out of the fight in short order, after he was blasted by the newly-arrived Iron Man and sliced up by Wolverine. Man and Machine, Part Three The badly-damaged Runamuck subsequently fled via an emergency warp-out. Man and Machine, Part Four
Unfortunately, Runamuck was brutally off-lined when the Reapers attacked the Decepticon command bunker in Oregon. Upset after Runabout was electrocuted until he exploded, Runamuck was soon decapitated and then had his errant head crushed by a large boulder. Devastation #6
G.I. Joe vs the Transformers
As part of Serpent O.R.'s forces, Runamuck tried (and failed) to prevent the escape of a group of Autobots and Joes from the New Decepticon Army's headquarters. When Runamuck refused to surrender the captive Optimus Prime's location, Grimlock tore off his arm and promised that his head would be next. Runamuck became more cooperative. The Art of War #5
Wings Universe
Runabout and Runamuck were present during the battle that led to the destruction of Menasor and Defensor. Generation 2: Redux At some other time, the pair were hanging out with the equally-delinquent pair of Jetstorm and Deluge when a giant Autobot and his Quintesson cohort wandered into their territory. While Jetstorm and Deluge jumped the Autobot, Runabout and Runamuck tortured the Quintesson. But as Runamuck was pressing his foot down on the Quintesson's head, he surprised to learn just how strong his would-be victim's tentacles were. A short moment later, all four Decepticons were defeated, left brutally embarrassed. The Coming Storm: Part 1
After having been absent from Cybertron for a very long time, Jhiaxus made a secret return. He enlisted Runabout and Runamuck in filling him in on what he had missed, and the pair gave him a very amusing, yet sufficiently informative, recollection of the events of the Battle of Autobot City and The Rebirth. The information convinced Jhiaxus that this would be the perfect time to rebuild his Cybertronian Empire.A Flash Forward
Toys
Generation 1
- Runamuck (Battlecharger, 1986)
- Accessories: Friction rifle
- Runamuck transforms into a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am sports car. An autotransformer, he uses a pull-back motor to propel him forward in both car and robot modes, though starting in car mode triggers his transformation to robot after he rolls forward a short distance. His mold is very similar to his partner Runabout, but it is highly unlikely one is actually a retool of the other since they had simultaneous production.
Timelines
- Runamuck (Deluxe, 2012)
- Accessories: Pistol, 2 side-pipes/shoulder-cannons
- Runamuck is a new-head retooling of Generations Wheeljack (itself a retool of Turbo Tracks), transforming into a sports car of made-up model, though it kind of resembles a Chevy Corvette with a heavily-modified front end. He can also assume a third "flying car" mode by folding down the car doors and flipping out wing extensions. His pistol can be hand-held, or become a shoulder-mounted gun through the use of the c joint clip on its back. His two side-pipes can attach to the c joint bars on his upper body as well to form shoulder-mounted cannons, or be held in his hands by the barrels as wrenches.
- Runamuck is the 2012 Transformers Collectors' Club free figure, mailed to new or returning club members who got their registration in before March 16, 2012. This date, however, was extended to March 21, 2012 due to the setup of their new payment system.
- This mold (with the new head) was also used to make the Club-exclusive Over-Run.
Note
- In the 1986 Hasbro Pre-Toy Fair catalog, Runamuck's car mode had a dark grey exterior. However, Runamuck's robot mode is represented by...another Runabout!
- Runamuck's The Transformers Universe picture shows him holding Runabout's weapon.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Runamuck (ラナマック Ranamakku)
- French: Furioso (Canada)
- Italian: Velenix
- Russian: Dynamic (Динамик)
References
- ↑ This story may not have happened in the Marvel continuity proper, as it occurs in a dream sequence within a story that leads into the incompatible Earthforce storyline.
