Thundercracker (G1)
| The name or term "Thundercracker" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Thundercracker (disambiguation). |
- Thundercracker is a Decepticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Thundercracker claims the skies as his arena. He looks down in contempt on those who cannot leave the ground — he considers them lesser beings. He will often attack the flightless beings below him for no other reason than to satisfy his scorn.
His superiority in this realm is the only thing he is sure of. Thundercracker is not entirely committed to the Decepticon cause, and even has some seemingly contradictory sympathy for the humans they terrorize. Fear of retribution from Megatron and the influence of his peers is usually enough to bury these doubts. Regardless, he needs constant reassurance from Skywarp and Starscream (which occasionally take the form of threats) that he's where he needs to be. Sometimes, his heart's just not in the job.
| “ | These creatures were never worthy adversaries. The Decepticons are forged through combat, not slaughter. | ” |
—Thundercracker, All Hail Megatron #12 | ||
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Generation 1
Thundercracker was one of Megatron's troops who attacked the Ark during its mission to clear a path for Cybertron through an asteroid field. He was deactivated when it crashed on Earth, and he lay dormant for four million years. When he and his fellow Decepticons awoke, Thundercracker was given a new alternate mode, that of an Earth jet. The Transformers He aided the Decepticons in their building of their new base constructed of parts from Harrison Nuclear Power Plant and joined in their attack on Sparkplug Witwicky's auto repair shop. After the successful abduction of Sparkplug Witwicky, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Starscream defended their base from Autobots, though Gears and Spider-Man were able to sneak through and rescue Sparkplug. Prisoner of War!
When Starscream fired upon his teammate Ravage for eavesdropping on his plot to overthrow Megatron, Skywarp and the other Decepticons sought deadly revenge on the Decepticon Air Commander. The Enemy Within! Though Starscream escaped, the Decepticons soon regrouped to attack the Ark, but their battle was ended prematurely when Auntie, the Ark's computer system, magnetized the walls, immobilizing both factions. Raiders of the Last Ark On another occasion, he and Skywarp made a strafing run on two Autobot spies, Jazz and Sunstreaker. Jazz was deafened and blasted off the road, but Sunstreaker led them into a human military zone, prompting Megatron to call them back to base. ...Perchance to Dream
Thundercracker also traveled with the Decepticons to the United Kingdom, where he and his teammates attempted to learn about a mysterious Autobot rescue ship buried under a castle. Thundercracker successfully attacked Trailbreaker, leaving him a burning wreck on the roads. Man of Iron
Though Sparkplug Witwicky was able to devise a way for the Decepticons to convert Earth fuel into a usable substance, he also poisoned the result, so Thundercracker and his fellow Decepticons were immobilized at the climax of their would-be final battle with the Autobots. The Last Stand The Decepticon Shockwave took command of the Decepticons and the Ark shortly thereafter, and nursed Thundercracker and his comrades back to full health. Thundercracker may have helped Shockwave attempt to capture and brainwash Bumblebee into a Decepticon, or it may have been Skywarp. It's hard to tell. Plight of the Bumblebee!
He served the Decepticon cause up until he was deactivated while battling Omega Supreme and placed in prison stasis at Autobot headquarters. Command Performances!
Like Starscream and Frenzy, he revived early and soon quickly escaped from the Ark. He, Frenzy and Shockwave were then temporarily displaced to Limbo when Hot Rod, Kup and Blurr time-jumped from 2006. Target: 2006 There, they were drawn into a conflict between Zenag's and the Cloran that was ultimately revealed to be an illusion created by the Limbo parasites. Distant Thunder!
During a massive battle between the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth's moon, Thundercracker and the other Decepticons held in stasis aboard the Ark were liberated by the Constructicons and subsequently brought back on-line. Totaled! Much later, Thundercracker manned the battle stations with his fellow Decepticons when Ratbat reported an intruder. Cold War! He next attacked an Underbase-powered Starscream in Tokyo, but both he and Skywarp were destroyed by their former flying partner. Dark Star
Generation 2
Thundercracker was active on Earth during the Decepticons' major offensive against the human population, and was present when Megatron stole the Creation Matrix from Optimus Prime. The Gathering Darkness He later served in the Tykos raid, albeit in a menial role.
Starscream thinks he's a moron. New Dawn
Classics
After being revived from a state of near death, Thundercracker couldn't bring himself to serve with Starscream, the bot who killed him, and so he joined Bludgeon's Decepticon faction instead of his old leader Megatron's group. Of course, he ended up unable to control himself due to the cerebro-shells of his latest maniacal boss, Bug Bite, so... tough break. To make matters worse, he had to listen to Weirdwolf. Even under Bug Bite's control, he threatened bodily harm if Weirdwolf didn't shut up.
Under Bug Bite's control, he fired a cerebro-shell at Skywarp, and was forced to help enslave Megatron and his forces. He was liberated by the interference of Grimlock and Ultra Magnus. Games of Deception
Thundercracker was repaired and brought back on-line by Megatron. He was apparently willing to put aside his animosity towards Starscream at this point in order to serve under his glorious leader once more. When Megatron staged an attack on Bludgeon, he placed Thundercracker in command of one of the three warships. At Fight's End
Regeneration One
Template:Noterg1 Following his demise at Starscream's hands Thundercracker was resurrected as part of Megatron's zombie army of "Ex-Bots" and put to work conquering the Earth. When the Wreckers Sandstorm, Springer and Whirl attempted to rescue the captive Kup from Megatron, Skywarp and Thundercracker were the first to ambush them through a warp hole. Loose Ends, Part 4
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: John Stephenson, Wally Burr ("War Dawn" only) (English), Yutaka Shimaka (Japanese), Jacques Ferrière (French), Isidro Olace (Spanish), Peter Musäus (German, Season 1), Imo Heite (German, Season 2), Thomas Albus (German, Generation 2 Season 1), Willy Schäfer (German, Generation 2, "Atlantis, Arise!"), Ulf Jürgen Söhmisch (German, Generation 2, "Roll for It")
In the early days of the Decepticon rebellion, Thundercracker and Skywarp both faced the powerful protectors of Cybertron's cities, the Guardian robots. According to Thundercracker, he was often not very successful. War Dawn
Thundercracker was one of Megatron's elite warriors, participating in the attack on the Ark and joining the rest of the Earth-bound Transformers in their several-million-year nap under an inactive volcano. He awoke when the rest of the Decepticons did, and took part in their attempts to gather energon and escape the planet Earth, which he loathed for being too "flat". It was he and Reflector who spotted the first "potential Autobot", when in fact they had discovered the planet's native inhabitants, two humans, in a non-sentient vehicle. More than Meets the Eye, Part 1
Megatron took the Decepticons to Sherman Dam, a major source of energy. The Autobots, upon discovering their plot, soon arrived to prevent their ambition from becoming reality. Thundercracker and Skywarp fought off Mirage and Cliffjumper, only for Mirage to make a recovery and send the two Seekers off the bridge they were standing on. They were at least able to recover in time to escape with the rest of the group once Megatron had knocked Optimus Prime into the rushing river nearby. Though Thundercracker assisted in filling the energon cubes, Starscream wasted a huge amount of energon testing it with a cannon. The Decepticons were then forced to make two stops: one at the ruby crystal mines of Burma, and another hunting for rocket fuel. Thundercracker and a handful of generics painted like him were among the strike force headed for the Crystal Mines. While there, he pushed a cart of these gems with Skywarp, talking to Skywarp about his dislike for Earth, something Skywarp agreed with. They just barely avoided noticing Bumblebee and his ally Sparkplug Witwicky, who had come to investigate. The two set a bomb, but ran into the two Seekers on their way back out. Thundercracker attacked them until they were on the ground, Skywarp proposing that they give them as a present to Megatron. The bomb went off almost immediately afterward, burying the Decepticons and their enemies, so this did not come to be. More than Meets the Eye, Part 2
"The same thing we do every day, Skywarp... try to take over the world!"
Both parties managed to escape safely, and Thundercracker went with the other Decepticons (save for Megatron) to a rocket fuel base, where Thundercracker made his mark by destroying a couple of tanks. The Autobots arrived to stop them, with Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Laserbeak unleashing an aerial assault upon Cliffjumper and Wheeljack. During the brawl, Megatron called Thundercracker and the other troops to the space cruiser to return to Cybertron. However, a surprise attack from Mirage grounded their plans, literally and metaphorically. More than Meets the Eye, Part 3
This would not be the end of the Decepticons, however. The crashed Victory was rebuilt into a fortress, from which they made another assault looking for energon. Thundercracker participated in many other attacks following this, also witnessing Megatron's disappearance in a space bridge accident, Transport to Oblivion and being part of the attack on a hydroelectric power generator along with Soundwave and Starscream, who declared himself leader in Megatron's absence. Though a group of Autobots came to stop them, Thundercracker bashed the charging Cliffjumper with a pillar from the building. The energon cubes they were making were destroyed, and Soundwave suggested that the squad should retreat. As they escaped, Thundercracker criticized Starscream's leader capabilities, going on to praise Megatron when he revealed himself to have survived. Starscream took his squad (and Skywarp) to an airplane factory for spare parts, but while Thundercracker was having his wings reattached, Bluestreak and Prowl crashed the party. The Seekers shot at the Autobots, but Chip Chase took control of the injured Prowl and had him unleash a spectacular assault forcing Starscream's squad to escape. However, they made a quick stop at Chip's house and abducted him, taking him to Dr. Alcazar's lab where the other Decepticons were. They extracted the antimatter formula from his brain, making them stronger. Thundercracker was unable to kill the now-useless Chip, as Autobots interrupted and took him back. The next morning, after leaving the lab, Sunstreaker used his jet judo on the antimatter-powered Thundercracker, but Starscream thwarted this plan. Thundercracker was then ordered to give Megatron the antimatter cubes, transforming him into "the most powerful weapon of all". This plan was a failure, and the Decepticons had no choice but to get away. Roll for It
Thundercracker again joined his fellow Seekers in raiding a factory for energy and heavily damaging Optimus Prime, who had been called in by Chip. When more Autobots showed up, Megatron ordered the Seekers to escape with the energon cubes rather than fighting them. At the end of the day, Thundercracker participated in a battle in front of the Ark, where he was punched down by Huffer immediately as he landed. When Megatron suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of a recovered Optimus Prime, Starscream smugly instructed everybody to take Megatron back for repairs. Divide and Conquer Following this, Thundercracker witnessed the rebirth of Starscream's former colleague Skyfire Fire in the Sky and was shot down by Slag during a mission at the Great Falls. S.O.S. Dinobots
One of the few things he seemed to loathe even more than the world he was stranded on was the attitude of his commander, Starscream. Thundercracker often started fights with the Air Commander, usually over whether or not Megatron's latest plan was a waste of time (Thundercracker took Megatron's side). At one point, Thundercracker's distaste for "that geeky Starscream" became so strong that he was willing to let Skyfire destroy one of the Decepticons' greatest weapons, just in the hopes that Starscream would get blamed for it! Fire on the Mountain Despite these brushes with treachery, however, Thundercracker just never had it in him to do anything more than complain about his fellow Decepticons.
Thundercracker and the other Seekers helped haul an unstable meteor back for the Decepticons, War of the Dinobots and the Seekers next attacked a solar plant located in India as a diversion so Megatron could continue his plan. When Skywarp and Starscream began arguing over the effectiveness of the plan, Thundercracker merely kept his mouth shut. The Autobots came to rescue Sparkplug, going to the underwater base to do so. During this underwater battle, Thundercracker sent a missile at Bumblebee, only for Bumblebee to direct it back at him. He was next doing some work on a large space bridge for Megatron, one that would bring Cybertron into Earth's orbit and create devastating weather. The Ultimate Doom, Part 1 Starscream ordered Thundercracker to use his flamethrower against the Autobots, and despite Thundercracker's protests saying that the wind is too strong, Starscream wouldn't give in. Thundercracker turned out to be correct, and his fire ended up scorching to two Seekers instead, something Jazz and Trailbreaker found humourous. The Ultimate Doom, Part 2 When the other Decepticons noticed that Megatron had left for Cybertron by himself, Thundercracker was in hot pursuit. The Ultimate Doom, Part 3 Thundercracker was the straight man when Skywarp, Rumble, and Frenzy were bickering when they should have been working. Though he was as surprised as everybody else when Megatron arrived, perfectly healthy, to shut everybody up, Thundercracker was willing to go with Megatron when he discovered Starscream and Dr. Arkeville's plot. Countdown to Extinction
Megatron took Soundwave and Thundercracker to Bali after giant insects were reported in the area. When Ravage showed them to a Decepticon escape pod disguised as a hollow rock, Thundercracker deduced that the giant insects were Decepticons who came to Earth and scanned insects as alternate modes. This group met up with the Insecticons, and Shrapnel requested that they help defeat the group of Autobots challenging them, to which they agreed. When reinforcement Autobots came in, Megatron ordered the Decepticons (Insecticons included) to head for the oil refinery to rest up. The Insecticons separated, with the rest going to the refinery, where Thundercracker poured oil from the pipes into Soundwave's energon cubes, and brought more cubes when Rumble requested them. A visitor soon showed up, and Thundercracker joined in giving him a "warm welcome". Other Autobots arrived, with Brawn, Wheeljack and Optimus Prime being forced to dive into the water to avoid a "Shrapnel grenade". Thundercracker used his flamethrower on the trio of Autobots, who avoided it and retaliated by swimming underwater and then pushing up the dock Thundercracker was standing on, throwing him into his own inferno. He retreated with the rest of his group to follow the fleeing Insecticons. A Plague of Insecticons
Megatron used the power chip rectifiers taken from the other Decepticons in his one-on-one battle against Optimus Prime. Thundercracker contributed his, allowing Megatron to use ear-splitting sonic booms. After the battle, the Autobots went back to base so Optimus could recover, where they discovered the Decepticons' plan. After distracting and threatening them with a hologram, the Autobots shot at their enemies until they fell down the crevice, into the lava below. Heavy Metal War
Thundercracker obviously survived his fall with the rest of his group, as he was around for attacks on Air Force rocket bases, and on the hunt for Autobot X, Autobot Spike and was with the other Decepticons in Africa, but at the end of the day, he was sent flying into a tree by Ratchet. When the solar needle situation became dire, causing the sun to come close to self-destruction, Thundercracker was smart enough to fly away, the first Decepticon to do so. Changing Gears He was also part of an aerial strike force bombarding the Autobots as they attempted to recover Optimus Prime's right arm from the Decepticons' fortress in New Cybertron. City of Steel Along with the other Seekers, Thundercracker attacked the outside of the Ark as a diversion so Megatron could insert a device in the Ark's recharging chamber that would turn the Autobots evil. Notably, Thundercracker's blasts created a landslide that stopped Prowl in his tracks. He was later boarding a rocket that would hopefully take the Decepticons back to Cybertron, but the Autobots, who had become good again, damaged the fuel tanks and forced the Decepticons to jump ship. Attack of the Autobots Thundercracker was seen with the other Decepticons, shooting at Optimus Prime when he came for their electro-cells, Traitor and was among those who came to steal Wheeljack's Immobilizer. The Immobilizer When the Autobots became trapped in their vehicle modes thanks to the transfixatron, Thundercracker blasted Optimus Prime and Ironhide and overheated them. He also helped Starscream bring out the Decepticon body shell, and then attempted (and failed) to kill an Earthcrawler with an overdue termination. The Autobot Run After Soundwave's discovery of an underwater city, Thundercracker and the other Decepticons went to go plunder it for energy. When they discovered a new ally, Thundercracker worked on some technology that would hopefully raise his submerged city. Although he was skeptical about working with them, he had to go along anyway as part of a larger plan. He was then among the Seekers who menaced a squad of Autobots when they came to check out the situation. When Sub-Atlantica had risen to the water's surface and floated towards Washington, D.C., Thundercracker entered the city with his fellow Decepticons. Though he and Skywarp threatened Hound and Prowl from above, Brawn held Thundercracker with a hooked rope so Optimus Prime could blast him out of the sky. Atlantis, Arise!
The three Seekers tore the roof off the building where Dr. Fujiyama, the famous scientist unveiled his new robot Nightbird, with Thundercracker and Starscream promptly transporting Nightbird to the Decepticons' temporary base. Later, Megatron considered replacing Starscream with the now-reprogrammed Nightbird. Starscream threw a fit and Megatron told Thundercracker and Skywarp to hold him back before Soundwave and Bombshell trapped him in a force field. Megatron led the Decepticons (minus Starscream) to retrieve Nightbird's World Energy Chip, but Starscream escaped and shot her with his null-ray in yet another act of treachery. Megatron sent the other Decepticons to catch the traitor, allowing the Autobots to collect it. Enter the Nightbird
When the Autobots were investigating a mysterious source of energy in a crevice, the Seekers attacked Optimus Prime. Thundercracker charged at Optimus, only to be grabbed and thrown to the ground. Much later, as part of a ploy by Megatron, Thundercracker was surprised to hear "Starscream" announce for everybody to hold their fire, as he had an Autobot in his very hands and could kill him. Starscream shut him up by repeating the order. But when Starscream explained his plan to fight "Optimus Prime", Thundercracker went along with it and was the one who announced the start of the match. A Prime Problem On a later mission, he ambushed the Autobots from above, only to be swatted away by an Autobot-controlled Devastator. The Core He was subsequently around at the mission to Nova Power Plant, firing at the Autobots and a group of helicopter-piloting humans. At Iron Mountain, the Insecticons managed to enslave Thundercracker and the other Seekers. However, when the now enormous-sized Shrapnel exploded, it also deactivated the cerebro-shells that had taken over the Seekers, and they were returned to normal. The Insecticon Syndrome When Laserbeak reported a strange, prehistoric island chock-full of energon sources to Megatron, he brought a team of Decepticons with him, Thundercracker helping to fill up the energon cubes. Dinobot Island, Part 1 Thundercracker also assisted in repelling both Autobots on the island and the island's monsters, only to be run over by a stampede. Dinobot Island, Part 2 Next, he and the other jets came to a ravine to get a few shots in at the Autobots. This failed when Smokescreen used his eponymous ability to blind them. Auto Berserk
He was also around to assist the Decepticons in recovering the wreck of the Nemesis, which had crashed in South America. He also got completely smashed when the Decepticons went on an energon binge. Microbots He also disguised himself as an Autobot as part of a Decepticon plan to frame the Autobots. When the plan worked, he and the others witnessed the Autobots' banishment from Earth. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1 Thundercracker and Skywarp supervised the humans filling up energon cubes at a power plant, and he later took part in attacking a squad of fighter jets that had come for the Decepticons, only for them to be overwhelmed by the Autobots, who had returned from their banishment. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2
When Spike, Carly, and Bumblebee went to the airport to pick up Sparkplug, Spike thought it was suspicious that brightly coloured military jets were at a commercial location such as theirs. Surely enough, they turned out to be Thundercracker and Thrust, and the hangar that they flew into was a new Decepticon base. However, the Dinobots showed up to stop them, and Snarl dispatched the Seekers by tripping them with barrels. Next, Swoop bombed Thundercracker and Thrust, causing them to crash into the base and destroy it. Slag then sent the two of them flying into an airplane, Thundercracker cushioning Thrust's fall. He got better, and later helped fill energon cubes, and by shooting Mirage, asserted to him that he was not, in fact, invisible. However, Thundercracker did not laugh for long, as his Cybertonium deteriorated and rendered him incapable of transformation. Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1
Thundercracker, Starscream, and Megatron went to go steal Professor Haley's Voltronic Galaxer, after which they then boarded Astrotrain with the device and headed to the moon. After capturing a pair of intruders, Megatron ordered Starscream and Thundercracker to return to Earth while the galaxer did its work interrupting Earth's radiowaves. As Optimus Prime was directing traffic at an airport, Thundercracker and Starscream unleashed a surprise assault that damaged Powerglide and Prime. Blaster Blues When Starscream tackled Megatron after returning from Camelot, Thundercracker arrived to see what was going on. A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court
Thundercracker and Skywarp also worked as guards for the Decepticons, ensuring that Perceptor and Seaspray didn't attempt to attack those who had captured them. When a lagoon full of electrum was discovered, Thundercracker and the other Decepticons took a dive and became invulnerable, showing off their power against the Autobots. He also came on the quest to topple Omega Supreme, but when he and Skywarp went to go retrieve a prisoner at the base, he was defeated. The Decepticons attempted to attack the now electrum-powered Autobots at the lagoon, but their electrum began to wear off and Thundercracker was shot down and they were forced to retreat. The Golden Lagoon Thundercracker assisted in guarding the Decepticons' base in the Pine Barrens, Make Tracks and came to a valley that was full of Morphobots. He went into hiding when an Autobot convoy arrived, and didn't do much else except retreat. Quest for Survival
When Astrotrain declared himself leader of the Decepticons, Thundercracker snarked at the idea, and it certainly didn't help when Astrotrain's "troops" got themselves in a mess. He barely escaped with his fellow jets when one of the troops accidentally created a flood. He later made a bet with Thrust and Ramjet (four energon cubes!) over whether or not Megatron will prevail over the rebellious Triple Changers and Devastator. Triple Takeover
Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker had held several humans hostage, so it was only natural they would find the Aerialbots on their tails. Thundercracker got in a dogfight with Fireflight and Slingshot, and he emerged as the loser, returning to Cybertron for repairs. On Cybertron, the three Seekers caught up with the Aerialbots again, but they were calmed when Air Raid announced that he simply wanted to talk. Starscream saw this as an opportunity to trick the Aerialbots, but the remaining Autobots discovered their plan. The Seekers tried to ward them off, but Ironhide crashed into them. Eventually, the Decepticons discovered a guardian robot from Cybertron's past, which Thundercracker recalled as "giving them a pounding in the old days". When the Autobots repaired the time machine that had sent the Aerialbots to the past, the Decepticons attacked them with a guardian robot. When it was destroyed by Superion, they retreated. War Dawn Thundercracker and Skywarp were guarding a space bridge when Starscream flew in and requested to go to Cybertron. The two of them refused to let anybody through without proper authorization, leading Starscream to aim his gun directly in Skywarp's face. They reluctantly let him through. Thundercracker took part in the assault on the traitorous Starscream and his warriors, the Combaticons. Starscream's Brigade
He and Dirge were instructed by Megatron to transport some energon cubes to the space bridge. He was then sent to Cybertron via space bridge with the other Decepticons and the Autobots, who had temporarily made an alliance in order to stop Starscream. The Revenge of Bruticus Finally, he took part attacking the Ark and Defensor. B.O.T.
Thundercracker was present for the Decepticon assault on Autobot City in 2005, and was among the Decepticons gunned down by Optimus Prime. After the battle, Astrotrain transported the Decepticons away, but requested that some dead weight should be jettisoned. The injured Thundercracker, along with Skywarp and the Insecticons, were tossed out of Astrotrain following a decidedly stacked vote.
That was not, however, entirely the end of Thundercracker's story. Unicron was waiting in space for a chance like this, and when the newly reborn Galvatron needed some new troops to command, Thundercracker was among the old Decepticons used as raw materials. His body was used to create Scourge. The Transformers: The Movie
Later Octane would show concern when he ran into a Decepticon Crypt to hide from Cyclonus, the Sweeps and Scourge and found a statue of Thundercracker there. After apologizing for the intrusion, Octane decided it would be better to hide behind someone else's statue. Starscream's Ghost
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers comic
Under orders from Megatron, Thundercracker accompanied Starscream and Skywarp in an energy raid on Tokyo. They succeeded in bombing pedestrians and children until Optimus Prime and a unit of Autobot vehicles arrived. Though a Decepticon victory seemed assured when they unleashed Menasor on their foes, their strategy was undone when the Autobots drove up a ramp at top speed, transformed to vehicle mode and punched everybody in the face. Thundercracker was forced to retreat. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #1
Thundercracker later took part in an all-out assault on Autobot Headquarters in Arizona. The attack was nothing more than a diversion so Soundwave could go do unspecified stuff in Japan and the Decepticons were eventually defeated and driven off. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #2
Robot Masters online comic
S.T.A.R.S. pack-in flyers
A series of recruitment messages sent by the Autobots to human allies featured Thundercracker as a recurrent bogeyman. He first appeared in the story of Johnny, a member of S.T.A.R.S. who spotted Thundercracker draining the energy from the boy's town. Despite all other power being knocked out, Johnny was able to activate his Command Center and summon an Autobot squad. Have the Decepticons defeated us once and for all? However, even they were somewhat affected by Thundercracker's siphoning, and just as Johnny was preparing to issue orders, his Command Center went dead and the walls around him began to shake. Can one boy, alone, hold back the evil Decepticons?
The Autobot messages ended that story there, leaving the outcome unknown. But in later messages, Rodimus Prime would recall what he considered the Transformers' greatest battle on Earth, in which the only enemy combatants were Megatron and Thundercracker. The two Decepticons set up an ambush for an Autobot convoy searching for a site on which to build Autobot City. As the battle erupted, Thundercracker again employed his energy-draining attack (described here as a "force field"). Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth. Optimus Prime ordered Cliffjumper, Cosmos, and Warpath to retreat out of the weapon's range and get help, but as they left, Thundercracker pursued. Transformers Combat Data
Again, the story was cut short, but it would not be the last time Thundercracker was said to tangle with that particular group of Autobots. The final S.T.A.R.S. recruitment message told of Reflector discovering that the squad was out scouting for new energy sources, and Thundercracker was sent on a sneak-attack run. The message warned that if the recipient failed to help out by joining S.T.A.R.S., the Autobots might be destroyed. The Autobots Are Under Attack!
Colorforms audiobooks continuity
- Voice actor: ???
Under Starscream's leadership, Thundercracker and Skywarp attacked a solar plant. After Starscream was hit by Optimus, Thundercracker asked if he was still functional. The trio retreated after Megatron furiously ordered them to withdraw lest they damage the solar reactor. They rendezvoused with the rest of Megatron's forces a mile away, and Thundercracker admitted they had been wrong to follow Starscream's orders. Megatron let him and Skywarp take part in the subsequent attack on the solar plant. Sun Raid
Machine Wars toy bio
The mysterious Machine Wars were a tumultuous time for Thundercracker. At long last he was convinced of and committed to the truth of the Decepticon cause, but Thundercracker now ironically found himself in open rebellion against Megatron's leadership of the faction. It is unknown what events lead to his reversal of heart about the Decepticons and his being branded a "Rebel Warrior."
Dreamwave Generation One comics
One of the first Decepticons recruited by Megatron. Early in Megatron's scheming, Thundercracker was sent to Sector Zero-Six with Skywarp and Starscream. On the way, Starscream unintelligently leaked the plan to Grimlock. DW Preview Special 2002 During the war, Thundercracker served under Shockwave during the Dark Ages, when Megatron was missing and believed dead. War Within: The Dark Ages
Thundercracker was one of several Decepticon invaders on-board the Ark when it crashed into Earth four million years ago while the Autobot ship was clearing an asteroid in the path of Cybertron. He was reactivated in 1984 with the rest of the Transformers, and fought at Megatron's side until the Decepticons were ultimately defeated. In 2002, he was captured and reprogrammed by arms dealer Adam 'Lazarus' Rook alongside many other Cybertronians. Lazarus intended to rent out the services of the enslaved robots to various terrorist groups. In a demonstration of their power to a group of prospective clients, Thundercracker participated in an attack on the Arctic division of the Smitco Oil Refinery by blowing something up. Prime Directive #2
After Megatron reactivated himself, he freed his Decepticon subordinates in order to put forward his plans to infect Earth with a metallic virus of doom. To pass the time while this happened, Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp busied themselves by tearing apart the Autobot Mini Vehicle team. Prime Directive #3 Thundercracker later participated in Megatron's attack on San Francisco, where he followed Starscream's orders to maintain formation and drop cluster bombs on the Autobot giant Superion, forcing the Aerialbots to split into their separate component robots. Prime Directive #4 Thundercracker stood watch over the defeated Autobots while Megatron tried to persuade Optimus Prime to help the Decepticons conquer Earth. After some human firefighters distracted the Decepticons long enough for Optimus Prime to free the Autobots, Thundercracker was presumably beaten up and escaped when Superion sacrificed himself to stop a nuclear missile launched by rogue US General Robert Hallo. Prime Directive #6
Oddly enough, Thundercracker turned to weapons smuggling after Megatron vanished and the Decepticons were left leaderless, working with Mexican arms dealers south of the border. He was moored at Atahulpa Aeropuerto de Mesa Verde, getting his cargo hold loaded with guns, when Prowl and Bumblebee sieged the tiny airport. As his human allies scattered, Thundercracker transformed and engaged the Autobots with his drone missile launchers. One of the guided projectiles nearly blasted Prowl in the back, but Bumblebee knocked it off course... right into a tanker filled with jet fuel. The resulting explosion was catastrophic, and threw the Autobots for a loop. Thundercracker was prepared to finish off Prowl when the renegade Dinobot Grimlock arrived on the scene. Fresh for battle, Grimlock easily defeated Thundercracker, battering him from head to toe before knocking him into the airport terminal. Hardwired
Recovering from his injuries, Thundercracker joined up with Starscream and his forces in "New Centurion" (formerly Las Vegas) some time before Megatron returned to Earth with the nigh-invincible aliens known as the Keepers in tow. He got another chance at Prowl and Bumblebee while fighting on the Strip, but the Autobots were better prepared this time and Thundercracker was brought down by Prowl's wire-guided missiles and crashed in front of Caesar's Palace. He revived in time to join Soundwave in double-teaming Grimlock, who had also come in the assault on Las Vegas. Unfortunately, Thundercracker once again fell before the Dinobot's superior might after only a few blows. He stayed under Starscream's command after Megatron returned, remaining in Las Vegas while the former Decepticon leader and those loyal to him quit the city. This only led to Thundercracker being captured with the rest of Starscream's Decepticons when their leader was killed by the Keepers and reanimated as a host body for their awesome power. Thundercracker, Skywarp and the others were trapped beneath a massive energy field, like mice in a cage to the god-like aliens.
The Constructicons eventually dug a tunnel to freedom, and Thundercracker's group of Decepticons reunited with Megatron, working with the Autobots against the Keepers. Thundercracker joined Laserbeak and the Autobot Wheeljack on air patrol during the fight with the Keepers, strafing the aliens and their puppets, Bluestreak and Starscream. He survived the battle with the Keepers (not to mention the nuclear missile launched by the American government) thanks to Optimus Prime super-charging the Matrix with a pool of newly discovered energon. Annihilation
Thundercracker began working for Megatron again, and was present in the Nevada desert when the Autobots and Decepticons confronted the United States military. Thanks to their airborne tactics, Thundercracker and Skywarp did significant injury to the troops and survived the deconstructionite assault virtually unscathed. Fusion
After Shockwave had defeated Megatron and brought the Decepticons back to Cybertron, Thundercracker and Skywarp spent their time relaxing and bathing, though Thundercracker was skeptical of Shockwave's new order, and compared its promised benefits to the benefits originally promised by Megatron. Cold War
Starscream eventually brought the Nemesis crew back to Earth and led them in a battle against the Autobots who had stayed behind there. Night of the Combaticons Thundercracker was among those captured by the Autobots, but was eventually freed in exchange for Starscream's assistance in fighting against Sunstorm. They were only given half-power, though, and had to stumble out of the Autobot camp in an extremely weakened condition. Skyfire Hardly the sort of leadership they had in mind, Thundercracker and the other Decepticons eagerly re-accepted Megatron as their leader when he returned to Earth and chastised Starscream for his incompetence and treachery. The Route of All Evil
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
Thundercracker was one of the many Transformers found dormant aboard the Ark by Cobra, who reprogrammed the alien robots to serve them. After rebuilding Thundercracker and Skywarp into Rattler planes, Cobra sent them to attack a peace ceremony at Washington, D.C., where one of the Seekers was the first of the attackers to reveal their transformation ability before punching Ace out of the sky. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #1
Eventually, the Decepticons were freed from Cobra's control, and Thundercracker and Skywarp started fighting against the newly freed Autobots. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5 When the SPS Satellite went out of control and sent energy beams raining down on Cobra Island, the two Seekers were caught in its blasts and deactivated. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6
Redemption Center
Thundercracker and Skywarp were getting bawled out by Megatron when the news came in that Starscream had injured himself. When they went to retrieve Starscream, the Seeker was gone, and Thundercracker pointed out the Autobot tire-marks leading away from the area. He later totally bought Starscream's story that he'd been feigning amnesia to gain access to the Autobot base. Redemption Center
IDW Generation 1 comics
Thundercracker and his fellow Seekers were recruited into Megatron's underground fights when Soundwave was sent to recruit flight capable warriors. However, Megatron did not intend for them to be pit fighters, but his new warriors. After being given weapons systems by Hook, the Seekers went and kidnapped Senator Decimus, who was to be executed at Megatron's recruitment rally. However, Sentinel Prime and the Autobots arrived and arrested the whole of them. Megatron Origin #3 After Starscream killed the Kaon Council and liberated them, Megatron launched his new "Decepticons" in an "Everything burns" offensive on Kaon. Thundercracker and Skywarp were sent to target a ship carrying the wealthy and elite. Thundercracker expressed some reservations about attacking the ship, but Skywarp gave him simple advice: "Don't think. Just do it." Megatron Origin #4
Led by Megatron, Thundercracker and several other Decepticons saved Orion Pax from Zeta Prime so that they could join forces with him against Zeta. He didn't enjoy having to spend time with Orion's Autobots, and almost came to blows with Ironhide. Choices He participated in their combined attack on Zeta Prime's Citadel, working with Blitzwing to take out the building's defensive vamparc cannons. Overthrown After Zeta was dead, Megatron betrayed Orion, declared himself ruler and began capturing Autobots. During this time, Thundercracker brought Hot Rod to the Decepticon-controlled Citadel before going on to guard an Autobot detention cell, only to be punched out by Ironhide when Hot Rod broke the prisoners out. Rise Megatron ordered Starscream and the other Seekers, including Thundercracker to defend the Citadel from the assaulting Autobots but they were intercepted by the newly recruited Aerialbots. Broadcast
Millions of years later, Thundercracker operated as part of a Decepticon insurgent cell that had operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, working to destabilize Earth's governing organizations and create global anarchy. He was known to the Autobots as a professional soldier, in contrast to the likes of the Battlechargers.
He, Runabout and Runamuck were assigned by Starscream to intercept the human Stoker and retrieve his SM-40 palmtop PC, containing data on their Nebraska operation. The team caught up with and killed Stoker outside Phoenix, AZ, but the SM-40 was missing. Thundercracker tracked the device to Hunter O'Nion and Verity Carlo, but was driven off by Ratchet, Infiltration #0 who managed to temporarily lose him and the two Battlechargers. After picking Ratchet up again, Thundercracker was later shot down by Prowl, Sunstreaker and Ironhide. Infiltration #2 When Megatron arrived on Earth to take command of Starscream's infiltration team, Thundercracker, along with the other Decepticons, were unwilling to stand against him when the Decepticon leader ordered them to stand down. Infiltration #6
After Megatron trashed Starscream, Thundercracker and the other Decepticons were only all too willing to accept Megatron's leadership once again. The Decepticons took up temporary residence in an array structure in Latveria. There, Megatron activated the Psycho-Prism he had stolen from Doctor Doom. The Psycho-Prism emitted an aggression wave that acted on humans, increasing international tensions in the area. Megatron sent Thundercracker an Skywarp to bomb the neighboring country of Symkaria so they would blame Latveria and start a war. After their return the Decepticon array was being besieged by Autobots and Avengers. Along with the other Decepticons (except Ramjet), Thundercracker powered-up with the captured Spider-Man's super powers as part of mirror response mode. Thundercracker, Runabout, and Runamuck left the array to confront the Autobots and Avengers outside. Thundercracker shot and injured Optimus Prime. Man and Machine, Part Two
After shooting Ms. Marvel and getting chased by Captain America in the Quinjet, Thundercracker was brought down by a blast from Iron Man in Transformer-sized armor. Man and Machine, Part Three He laid there until Megatron called for a retreat via emergency warp-out. Man and Machine, Part Four
Thundercracker and Skywarp were sent to destroy the El Jira power plant in the middle east to inflame global tensions and spark a global energy shortage. Escalation #2 During the battle of Brasnya, the sorely-pressed Skywarp teleported Thundercracker in to try and stop Hot Rod from escaping with the Georgi Koska facimile. Escalation #6
Thundercracker was among the concerned Decepticons who feared that Megatron had made a serious error in judgement by bringing the destructive Sixshot to Earth, and so conspired to bring Starscream back into the fold to talk some sense into their leader. Devastation #1 Though outnumbered and outgunned, the Decepticons fought valiantly when the Reapers attacked, and with a little help from a mysterious combatant, they managed to defeat the alien invaders. Devastation #6
Sometime after that (we think), Thundercracker was on Cybertron watching the experiments to create Insecticons. He was outraged by the existence of the swarm, freakish monsters created as a side-effect, and demanded Megatron euthanise them rather than allow fellow Decepticons to endure such torturous existence. Megatron, shockingly, didn't give a toss. A while later, Thundercracker helped defeat the Autobots staying on Earth. All Hail Megatron #7
A year on from the Reaper battle, Thundercracker was part of the Decepticon attack on New York City. Unlike his comrades, he showed no enthusiasm for mindless slaughter and could be seen staring at the devastation Megatron left in his wake. All Hail Megatron #1 When Megatron later made his propaganda speech, Thundercracker looked unimpressed. (Having to stand outside when it was pissing down probably didn't help.) All Hail Megatron #4
Thundercracker came to the aid of Skywarp when the latter was being threatened by Bombshell. While Skywarp enjoyed working with his pal Thundercracker again, he also noted that Thundercracker hadn't actually participated in any of the fighting since the initial strike. Thundercracker for his part looked about as depressed as a robot CAN look, suggesting he was unhappy about the invasion plan, or at least the gratuitous death and destruction some of the others had caused. All Hail Megatron #6 When Starscream betrayed Megatron and sent the Insecticons and Constructicons to attack him, Thundercracker merely stood back and watched. All Hail Megatron #10 He was later seen fighting back against human jets sent from Europe. All Hail Megatron #11
When Megatron ordered Tankor to destroy New York City using a nuclear bomb, Thundercracker volunteered himself to redirect it. When questioned, he said that in his opinion, the Decepticons had lost their way, and the mass slaughter of unworthy foes was dishonorable. He succeeded in redirecting the bomb, but was then confronted by a furious Skywarp, who was outraged at the idea of a Seeker "betrayer" and, despite Thundercracker's attempts to explain his position, blasted him point-blank in the head. All Hail Megatron #12
Thundercracker survived, albeit heavily injured and incapable of traveling far. As he made his way to a ruined New York skyscraper which human cleanup crews likely wouldn't reach for months, he reflected on how life on Earth was always changing and always finding a way to survive. He eventually managed to construct a distress beacon, and as he waited for his fellow Decepticons to find him, he also got a television working. For the next two and a half years, Thundercracker spent his time watching human programs and growing increasingly fascinated with their ever-changing world and society. Eventually, he was found by a ragtag team of 'cons left behind on the planet, who repaired him and hoped that he, as an elite Seeker, would lead them. Thundercracker refused, as he saw no point in a warrior leading the team, since the war was over for them. Seasons in Flight
Instead, Swindle took command, and led Thundercracker and the others for a revenge attack on Omega Supreme. After some quick battlefield thinking by Swindle, the Decepticons changed their tunes and instead offered to help Hot Rod and his group leave Earth. New Arrivals, Old Encounters As Thundercracker helped them construct a ship, he thought about how Swindle had to be planning something, and how he felt remorse for the Autobots and how lost they were. His thoughts strayed back to the humans and their ever-changing world, comparing them to his own so-called "transforming" race that had remained the same for millions of years. While Thundercracker used to laugh at it, he now saw the beauty of Earth, where every act of destruction was also an act of creation. He knew that they had a lot to learn from the humans, but all his fellow Transformers wanted to do was to run away. Seasons in Flight
Thundercracker watched from the sidelines as Ultra Magnus confronted Hot Rod's group for a second time, and witnessed Swindle's unveiling of Menasor. Enemies of the System While the other Decepticons turned on their Autobot "comrades", Thundercracker remained true to his honor. He saved Bumblebee during a scrap with Scrapper, and proceeded to help Rodimus as well. Earthworks
Months later, Bumblebee contacted Thundercracker, asking him for help in getting the Combaticons out of North Korea. International Incident Part 2: "Ranks of Bronze" While he had left the Decepticons, Thundercracker was uninterested in rejoining the war, having found a new hobby in studying humanity from a hideout filled with televisions. After Bumblebee's attempts to befriend him were rebuffed, the Autobot confronted him with the fact that despite his admirable attempts at changing, Thundercracker was a warrior at heart, and would get back in the action sooner or later. Realizing that he was right, Thundercracker agreed to aid Bumblebee's Autobots, and traveled to North Korea where he knocked Vortex out of the sky. International Incident Part 3: "Hawk Among the Sparrows" The Combaticons were defeated, only for the Autobots to get attacked by the Predacons instead. Thundercracker faced off against Divebomb before personally blowing up the energon plants in North Korea and China, thus ending the Combaticons' and Predacons' alliances with those nations. International Incident Part 4: "All My Sins Remembered"
Returning home from Asia, Thundercracker found his hideout trashed—the humans had discovered it while he was away. And if that wasn't bad enough, Starscream was there, asking for his help. Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon He had recently been ousted from his position of Decepticon leader by Megatron, and tried to convince Thundercracker to return to the Decepticons and help him overthrow Megatron again. Thundercracker reacted with the same disinterest as he had shown Bumblebee's proposition, reminding Starscream that the Decepticons had left him to rot and that he couldn't care less about galactic conquest. His attitude only served to anger Starscream, who shot him in the back repeatedly. Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies Thundercracker's life was saved by Brawn, sent by the Autobots to again request his help against the returning Decepticon army, who defeated Starscream and carried the injured Seeker to safety. Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome
At the Autobot base, Thundercracker got medical attention from Wheeljack (and complained that he wasn't Ratchet). In exchange for his repairs, Optimus Prime wanted him to tell the Autobots where Megatron could have the recently injured Soundwave, but Thundercracker had no helpful information for him. Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine With his repairs done, Thundercracker left the Autobot base, electing not to follow the "sentimental" Autobots back to Cybertron. Prowl tried to stop him, but he only warned the Autobot against provoking him before flying off to places unknown. Police Action: Prologue
Later, when Starscream was expressing interest in getting the Seekers back together, Wheeljack responded by listing off dead, arrested, or MIA members of the squad and noted that nobody knew where Thundercracker was. Mentioning Thundercracker's name caused him to have a flash of genius as he realized that the recent explosions on Cybertron were reminiscent of ball lightning. Stick Together
Alternity
Wings Universe
At the dawn of the war, as Devastator breached Iacon's walls, Thundercracker was there with the rest of Megatron's forces. Battle Lines, Part 5
Nine million years later, after the civil war had been renewed on Earth, Thundercracker became the only Decepticon to be simultaneously dosed with both forestonite and nucleon. This allowed him the best of both worlds, with both the retention of his alt-mode and amazing Action Master powers. He's understandably sheepish about his new colors, and would leave the war to become an Earth civilian if he weren't wanted by human authorities. Wings of Honor Thundercracker profile card
Commercial appearances
Thundercracker snuck his way into several bits of original commercial animation:
- He appears in the first Transformers animation, a 1984 commercial advertising the Marvel comic. He is animated with an early model featuring a black face.
- He appears alongside Starscream in a commercial for Jetfire, strafing three Autobot cars. Later Jetfire shoots him down, forcing him and Starscream to transform and land.
- Thundercracker and the other two jets get beat up by the Dinobots in a commercial for the Predacons.
- A commercial for Transformers reflective iron-on patches advertised the "Prizes in Disguise" competition. When the iron-on patch was used, it was possible to find instead an instant win ticket for a Transformers voice changer (of the Enemy variety)—or to have a party with "life-size" Transformers! Among the "life-size" Transformers shown were Jazz and Thundercracker. In all likelihood, you did not party with them.
Games
Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons
When Optimus embarked on his mission to rescue the Autobots' Minicar troops from the Decepticons, Thundercracker could hinder Optimus Prime's progress, by attacking him, temporarilly breaking down the Autobots' leader. Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons packaging blurb and game
The Transformers (PS2)
Transformers G1: Awakening
Toys
Notes
Foreign names
- Japanese: Thundercracker (サンダークラッカー Sandākurakkā)
- French: Coup de Tonnerre (Canada, "Thunderclap")
- Hebrew: Méfatsé'ach Raám (מפצח רעם, "Thunder Cracker")
- Hungarian: Villámcsapás ("Lightning strike")
- Italian: Vampiro ("Vampire")
- Mandarin: Lìeh Léi (Taiwan, 裂雷, "Cracking Thunder"), Léi-gōng (Taiwan, 雷公, "Duke of Thunder"), Jing Tian Léi (China, 驚天雷, "Sky-shocking Thunder")
- Portuguese: Grande Trovão (Portugal comics, "Big Thunder"), Arrasador (Brazil comics, "Destroyer")
- Russian: Gromoverzhec (Громовержец, "Thunderer")
External links
- Pages with image sizes containing extra px
- Articles in need of images
- Pages with broken file links
- Character stubs missing fiction
- Action Masters
- Alternity Decepticons
- Beast Wars Decepticons
- Classics Decepticons
- Generation 1 Decepticons
- Generation 2 Decepticons
- Henkei! Henkei! Decepticons
- Machine Wars Decepticons
- Robot Masters Decepticons
- Seekers
- Wings Universe Decepticons
- Zombies
