Mirage (G1)
| The name or term "Mirage" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Mirage (disambiguation). |
- Mirage is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Mirage is what humans call "old money." Before the war, he was a member of affluent Cybertronian society, with his own large estate and high-priced friends. He enjoyed the finer things in life: vintage energon, swank evening events, and turbofox hunts on the grounds. But when the war started, he was forced to choose sides and found himself banded with a group of commoners he didn't really understand.
Some of the other Autobots don't trust Mirage. He feels the war, even after all these millions of years, is beneath him. War is not, after all, how civilized, erudite beings conduct themselves. He often questions the Autobots' violent means, and not-so-secretly hopes they and the Decepticons can get along. Because of this, he has been labelled by a few others as a Decepticon sympathizer. Still, he sided with the Autobots for a reason, and he is there for the Autobots when they need him.
Although the details vary by continuity, Mirage has the ability to create illusions which typically either render him invisible or make him appear to be somewhere he isn't.
He sounds like Dean Martin.
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Generation 1
Mirage was one of the Autobots on board the Ark when it crashed, and was subsequently reactivated in 1984. The Transformers At first, Mirage was reluctant to full-on attack his Decepticon opponents, and in his first foray into battle, when he was pounced upon by Ravage, rather than fight back, he tried reasoning with the Decepticon. When this proved useless, Brawn came to Mirage's rescue, prompting Mirage to express his gratitude to his "powerful friend". Power Play! After this Mirage was sent on a mission to the UK. While there, he accidentally scared a small boy in the middle of the night while taking a manuscript of the Man of Iron from his room. He was later part of a convoy consisting of himself, Jazz, and Trailbreaker. They were attacked by Thundercracker and Skywarp. Mirage used his abilities to screw with Skywarp's sensors, causing the seeker to crash to the ground. Man of Iron Mirage was later one of the five Autobots left to stand against the Decepticons. After a battle with the relentless Ravage, Mirage learned that sometimes diplomacy is not an option. He then rejoined the main battle where Buzzsaw tore open his face. Despite this, he was miraculously seen with his arm back, and his face was completely healed. This did not last, as Mirage and the other Autobots were suddenly blasted into oblivion by Shockwave. The Last Stand
During an accident on the Ark, Brawn suffered an extreme neuro-shock, causing him to rebel and turn against his teammates. Mirage helped the Autobots hunt him down and tranquilize him. This same accident also amplified Mirage's ability to create illusions, which he later used to trick the Decepticons into believing that a duel between Brawn and Starscream ended with Brawn's death. The Decepticons felt totally stupid. The Enemy Within!
In the wake of a disastrous mission to rescue Optimus Prime's captive head from the Decepticons, most of the Autobots were rendered inoperative. Prime Time! Mirage was one of a handful of Autobots who remained active, accompanying Optimus and various newer Autobots on subsequent missions. Rock and Roll-Out!
Mirage lucked out during the Dinobot Hunt—he was assigned to B-Team, whose quarry, Snarl, was knocked out by the destruction of a human military base in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, leaving him inert and easy to capture. Dinobot Hunt!
Long after, he was blown to pieces by Octane during an Arctic battle arranged by Starscream. He recovered in time to be destroyed again in New York City by Starscream himself (empowered by the Underbase). Dark Star
Generation 2
Disobeying Optimus Prime's orders, Grimlock led a covert team (which included Mirage) onto the Cybertronian Empire ship Twilight to defeat Jhiaxus and his army of "evolved Decepticons". Grimlock's plan was an utter failure, ending in Red Alert's death and the Autobots' capture. Mirage was destroyed by enemy fire during the following prison break. Devices and Desires!
Classics
Having been revived (presumably by Nucleon), Mirage was the happiest of them all, until he saw just how badly his way of life was affected by warfare. Mirage found that ages of warfare had made him bitter. Eventually, he decided to join Optimus Prime in returning to Earth, and war with Megatron. Mirage's extended Classics profile
His actions include evacuating RUNTs and their pilots, holding Soundwave at gunpoint, and revealing that his illusion powers (in this continuity) now include invisibility. Crossing Over
He later secretly followed Grimlock to a meeting from his crew of the Graviton. Unfortunately, he tried to crash Starscream's meeting with Bug Bite. Dreadwind's infra-red sensors, and Weirdwolf's keen nose allowed the Decepticons to find him, and he was gift-wrapped for Megatron. When the Gravitron crew led by Grimlock and Ultra Magnus attacked the Decepticon base, Mirage was rescued by Strongarm, Swoop, Snarl, and Elita One. Games of Deception
Regeneration One
Template:Noterg1 In 2012, Mirage was one of a group of Autobot warriors selected by Optimus Prime to travel to Earth and confront Megatron. While Prime grappled with the insane tyrant, the others battled his undead army of "Ex-Bots" and Mirage was charged by a zombie Tantrum. Loose Ends, Part 5 He was injured badly enough during the fight for First Aid to put him on the critical list in his report to Prime afterwards. Natural Selection, Part One
After returning to Cybertron aboard the Valiant, Mirage had recovered by the time Bludgeon's Blitz Engines invaded the planet. He led Huffer, Hound, Siren, Chromedome and a squad of generic Autobots in a counterattack but the Decepticon war machines' response devastated the Autobot lines. Destiny, Part Four
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Frank Welker (English), Takurō Kitagawa (Japanese), Kenyū Horiuchi (Japanese, "Traitor", "Enter the Nightbird", "The Golden Lagoon", "The Core", "The Ultimate Doom, Part 3"), Juan Carralero (Latin American)
Mirage was part of the bridge crew of the Ark when it crash-landed on Earth four million years ago. A volcanic eruption in 1984 awakened the Ark's inhabitants, including Mirage, who was reformatted by Teletraan I to have a terrestrial alternate mode of a Formula-1 racer. His first mission came when the Autobots rolled out to stop the Decepticons attacking an oil rig. More than Meets the Eye, Part 1 After the battle, he got to show off his invisibility power to Spike Witwicky. Following another failed battle at Sherman Dam, he suggested they simply leave Earth to the Decepticons and return to Cybertron, a suggestion soundly rejected by Optimus Prime. More than Meets the Eye, Part 2
At the ruby crystal mines of Burma, when Optimus was caught in an explosion, Mirage helped right him. He expressed hope that with the Decepticons perished in the explosion, they'd be able to return to Cybertron, but his optimism was quashed a few moments later when their foe emerged, functional and with more energy to fuel their new star cruiser. While guarding Ravage, Mirage gave Hound the idea to spring a trap on the Decepticons using a holographic rocket base. Unfortunately the Decepticons saw through the plan and raided the real rocket base, attaining the rest of the energy they needed. During the final Autobot operation to try and prevent the launch of the Decepticon cruiser, Mirage used his cloaking ability to sneak aboard. While the Decepticons were squabbling, he uncloaked and opened fire, blasting away at the ship's controls. He then bailed from the doomed cruiser, floating back to Earth's surface on a parasail as the Decepticons crashed into the ocean. More than Meets the Eye, Part 3
After Chip Chase was kidnapped by the Decepticons who were after the antimatter formula the boy had memorised, Hound and Mirage utilised their respective powers to sneak into the antimatter laboratory. They were able to rescue Chip, but the Decepticons had managed to get the formula and use it to create Energon. Mirage subsequently helped defend Autobot Headquarters. Roll for It Mirage rolled out to protect Autobot Headerquarters while Wheeljack and Ratchet worked to save Prime's life, after the Autobot leader was badly damaged in a Decepticon attack. Divide and Conquer He took part in the construction of the Dinobots... and then had to try to stop them when they ran wild. He, Bluestreak and Jazz sealed the three Dinobots in a cave, but were mighty grateful when, after almost all of the Autobots were captured by the Decepticons, the Dinobots were released to come to the rescue. S.O.S. Dinobots
When Megatron was using hypno-chipped humans to load Energon onto their shuttle for transport to Cybertron, Mirage used his invisibility to sneak on board and order the humans to start unloading the Energon again. He was blasted in the back a short time later by Rumble. The Ultimate Doom, Part 3 When the Autobots were caught in quicksand while pursuing the Decepticons, Mirage used his shoulder missile to shoot down Laserbeak. Countdown to Extinction Mirage turned out with the other Autobots to watch Optimus and Megatron engage in single combat as per Cybertronian law. To their horror, Optimus lost, but they later discovered that Megatron had cheated, so the results were nullified. Heavy Metal War
Mirage rolled out to attack Megatron's Solar Needle and rescue Gears, but didn't play much role in the battle. Changing Gears He was on Ratchet's team, entering the sewers of New York City in an attempt to rescue Optimus. After tangling with an Alligatorcon, they found Prime... in pieces. The Alligatorcon had been built from Optimus's parts, and Mirage, Ratchet and Hound had to capture it so Ratchet could rebuild their leader. Once Optimus had been put back together, they proceeded to the surface and battled Decepticons, battle taxis and Prime's own severed arm. City of Steel
The spotlight shone on Mirage again when Cliffjumper suspected him of disloyalty. The discovery of a Decepticon installation in a sector Mirage had recently scouted caused Cliffjumper to leap the incorrect conclusion that Mirage had concealed the information and was a traitor to the Autobots. During a battle with the Decepticons at the site, Mirage was injured, but managed to rip a Decepticon seal off Skywarp. Mirage risked the trust of his comrades by sneaking away to perform a plan of his own, framing the Decepticons for stealing Energon cubes from the Insecticons. Spotted carrying the cubes by Cliffjumper, Mirage's guilt seemed all but confirmed, and before he could reveal his innocence, he was captured and brainwashed by one of Bombshell's mind-controlling cerebro-shells. Under Bombshell's control, Mirage led the Autobots into an ambush, but at the battle’s end, the assorted manipulations were revealed and Cliffjumper apologized to Mirage. Traitor
Mirage took part in a charity race organised by the Autobots. While they raced and performed stunts, the Autobots were affected by Megatron's latest invention, the Transfixatron, which locked them in their vehicle modes. They were herded by the Decepticons to a ghost town, where the Constructicons had created a machine to destroy them. It was only through an intervention of Ratchet and Wheeljack's counter invention that they were saved. The Autobot Run
Mirage came with the other Autobots when they were hired by Doctor Fujiyama the Famous Scientist to protect his latest invention when it was being unveiled. When Decepticons attacked, Mirage became invisible and attacked Soundwave. Megatron offered to make Mirage disappear for good, but Optimus Prime saw to it that it wouldn't come true. After the Decepticons made off with Nightbird, Mirage and Ratchet insisted that Brawn stay behind at Autobot base for repairs. As Brawn and Ironhide were being repaired, Optimus detected an intruder. Mirage went to investigate, only to be beaten up by a Decepticon-reprogrammed Nightbird. Mirage pursued her with the other Autobots. When they caught up with her, Mirage became invisible in order to return Optimus Prime's laser rifle undetected, giving him the advantage. Enter the Nightbird
When Mirage and the other Autobots found they mysteriously had two Optimus Primes, the duo were subjected to a series of inconclusive tests. Before any further testing could be done, they had to roll out to a crevasse filled with korlonium crystals to investigate strange readings. During the battle with the Decepticons that followed, the real Prime's identity was soon revealed. A Prime Problem Mirage was part of Sunstreaker's team when they stumbled on the Decepticons' drilling operation. As Devastator blasted him off a cliff, Mirage became invisible so the Decepticons would "never find [his] pieces". Of course, he survived and he and Sunstreaker used his grappling hook to take down Devastator. Back at Headquarters, a plan was hatched to plant dominator discs on the Constructicons. Mirage took part, planting two of the discs at once, and Devastator was soon under Autobot control. Alas, it didn't last long — while they were trying to stop the Decepticons drilling to the Earth's core, Megatron retook control of the combiner. The Core
Mirage was at Headquarters when Powerglide and Bumblebee reported the discovery of Dinobot Island. Dinobot Island, Part 1 Through a cunning plan on Megatron's part, the Autobots were found guilty of stealing energy and forced to leave Earth in a spaceship supplied by Shawn Berger. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1 They soon discovered that the spacecraft was locked on course to the Sun. Through the heroic efforts of Chip Chase and bungling of Thrust, as well as the use of Cosmos and Trailbreaker's force fields, the Autobots returned to Earth, where the Decepticons had already revealed their true nature. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2
During an attempt by the Decepticons to steal the plans to the Ultra Plane, Mirage used his invisibility to steal Megatron's fusion cannon right off the Decepticon leader's arm. A brief tug-of-war ensued over the weapon, which Mirage lost, but Megatron retreated in the end anyhow. Later, as the Dinobots were being repaired after another battle, Mirage reminisced about how great Cybertron was. When cybertonium depletion started affecting all of the Transformers, Mirage's invisibility power went on the fritz — instead of making him invisible, it merely altered his color scheme slightly. Unfortunately he didn't find this out until after he tried to sneak up on Thundercracker and was promptly blasted into a wall. Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1 The Autobots' condition worsened, until they were unable to move. They remained this way until the Dinobots, Spike and Carly managed to retrieve more Cybertonium from Cybertron. Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2
Mirage rolled out for Haley Observatory when Megatron stole the Voltronic Galaxer, but went missing somewhere along the way, and didn't arrive with the rest of the group. Blaster Blues He was part of an Autobot team who faced electrum-plated Decepticons with little success. He had to retreat back to Omega Supreme's position for reinforcements. When even Omega fell before the Decepticons, Mirage returned to Headquarters to break the news, and Teletraan I soon worked out how the Decepticons had become invincible. Soon the Autobots had found the electrum pool and, coating themselves, were able to defeat the Decepticons. The Golden Lagoon After a number of Autobots were abducted by big game hunter Lord Chumley, Mirage was present at Headquarters when Cosmos finally located the missing Autobots. Prime Target He also helped coat the Statue of Liberty with corrostop, Perceptor's latest invention. Cosmic Rust
Mirage was among the team of five Autobots who disguised themselves as the Stunticons, with Mirage's alternate mode making him the perfect choice to masquerade as Drag Strip. Penetrating the Decepticon camp, the Autobots ran into trouble when the real Stunticons arrived, trying to prove their identities by forming Menasor. With a combination of Windcharger's magnetic powers and Mirage’s illusion-creating ability, the Autobots were able to appear as Menasor too. Though the deception was soon revealed, they were still able to thwart the Decepticons’ plans. Masquerade
Japanese cartoon continuity
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers manga
Mirage was active on Cybertron before the war broke out between Autobots and Decepticons. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers Prologue
Mirage was among the Autobots stationed at Autobot headquarters in Arizona when Megatron and the Decepticons attacked. Though the Autobots were ultimately victorious, the entire attack was actually just a distraction so that Soundwave could go perform evil somewhere in Japan. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #2
Mirage later appeared at the Autobots' newly constructed Japanese base, welcoming the small human boy, Kenji. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #4
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers story pages
Mirage was a participant in a battle in New York City, early in the Autobot/Decepticon war taking place on Earth. The Autobots were victorious that day. Broadcasting on TV! Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers
Full Throttle Scramble Power! manga
Robotmasters
Pack-in comics
Online comics
Story of Binaltech
Mirage volunteered for an experimental new Binaltech upgrade that boosted the power chip rectifier in his revamped body to the Nth degree, making him permanently invisible thanks to his electro-disruptor. This proved to be key in a special mission conceived of by Optimus Prime and Prowl. Having uncovered several secrets from the files of the time-traveling Ravage, the Autobots learned of a mysterious switch hidden away on Cybertron which, when pulled, would instantaneously immobilize all Transformers throughout the universe. Having lost Cybertron to Megatron's tyrannical rule and facing considerable odds in the Sol System as well, Prime decided it was necessary to activate the switch in order to end the war.
With Tracks and several Smokescreen GTs awaiting his signal as back-up, Mirage invisibly infiltrated Decepticon-controlled Cybertron and made his way to the switch. After throwing the switch, though, Mirage was surprised to find that he was still mobile. It seemed the Binaltech warriors (both Autobot and Decepticon) were significantly different enough from regular Transformers to be unaffected by the immobilization wave. With the Autobots now vastly outnumbering the Decepticons still in operation, the tide of the war had irreparably shifted. Kill Switch
The Headmasters cartoon
Some time before the Transformers' war left Cybertron, Mirage engaged the Decepticons in battle with his comrades. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky
The Battle of the Star Gate
Wings Universe
Marvel Storybooks continuity
Mirage was one of the survivors of the Ark's crash who was rebuilt as an Earth vehicle. During the Global building fiasco, Mirage was among the Autobots who tried and failed to scratch Devastator's paint. Still, he managed to teleport into Megatron's war room and reverse the effects of the Devastator Button, freeing the Decepticons' hostages. Battle for Earth
Marvel coloring books
Big Looker storybooks continuity
The Great Car Rally Decepticon Hijack
Ladybird Books continuity
Mirage was one of the Autobots attending to Huffer's lightning collector. Autobots' Lightning Strike
Mirage assisted his fellow Autobots in the construction of their space cruiser. Megatron's Fight for Power
When the Decepticons attacked Autobot City without any early warning, it was Mirage who suggested they may have already constructed a hideout nearby, allowing them to appear without warning. Decepticon Hideout
Find Your Fate Junior
Dinobots Strike Back
When Bombshell used his cerebro-shells to gain control of all the Dinobots except Swoop, one path found Mirage among several Autobots in the war room listening to Prowl's warning that the rampaging quartet was approaching Bandit's Bluff, dangerously close to a human city. This gave Mirage the idea to cast an illusion of Optimus Prime, whom Bombshell had surely ordered his new minions to attack, on the edge of the cliff to trick them into charging over it and into the ocean. If Optimus selected this plan over Windcharger's, it went off without a hitch, plunging the Dinobots into the sea, where Autobots aboard Seaspray's massive destroyer mode were able to salvage them and return to base where Windcharger could safely remove the shells. Dinobots Strike Back
Attack of the Insecticons
Mirage was one of many Autobots involved in a plot where the Sun-Pak, a device invented by Sparkplug to solve the Autobots' energy problems, is stolen by the Decepticons.
In one possible adventure, where Sparkplug has been kidnapped by Starscream and injected by a Cerebro-Shell by Bombshell in order to force the human into building more of the device for the Decepticons, Mirage is the one to discover Sparkplug wandering away from the Decepticon base some time later. After returning with Sparkplug from his espionage mission, Mirage and the rest of the Autobots find out that Sparkplug had his memory damaged when injected with the Cerebro-Shell, and was only capable of producing a laser-toothbrush for the Decepticons in-lieu of the Sun-Pak.
In an alternate path, where the Autobots escape from the Decepticons initial attempt at stealing the Sun-Pak, but lose the device to the Decepticons anyways, Mirage can be sent as an advance scout to discover the whereabouts of the Insecticons and their newly-acquired Sun-Pak. With Buster tagging along, the both of them are made to swear to Optimus that they will not engage the enemy, and contact the rest of the Autobots once they have located the Sun-Pak. Following the ultra-sonic vibrations of the Insecticons' wings, Mirage tracks down the trio to a rotting forest. As they spy on the Insecticons, Shrapnel gloats he we will the device he stole to overpower Megatron himself. Mirage spots Ravage darting away from the scene, and realizing that the Decepticon mini-cassette will inform Megatron of what is happening, making time of the essence, he contemplates breaking his promise to Optimus.
If Mirage does decide to break his promise to Optimus, he uses his Electro-Scrambler to produce holograms of himself, confusing the three Insecticons, while Buster snatches the Sun-Pak. Congratulating each other on successfully outwitting the Insecticons, Buster and Mirage make their way back to Autobot base.
If, alternatively, Mirage decides to not break his promise to Optimus and contact the rest of the Autobots as he agreed to before, Megatron does indeed arrive first on the scene. But while the Decepticons squabble, the Autobots in turn arrive on the scene, and Megatron decides to stay in the forest to ambush his adversaries. Unbeknownst to him, Mirage and Buster still spy on the Decepticons' activities, and forewarn Optimus of Megatron's ploy. Optimus decides to have Ironhide pour acid on the concealed Decepticons, winning the day at the expense of the easilly-replaceable Sun-Pak. Attack of the Insecticons
Earthquake
Decepticon Poison
Autobot Alert!
The Official Transformers: Generation 2 Annual
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
Despite his misgiving about the war effort, Mirage's tenure with the Autobot cause dates back to the time of Sentinel Prime. When Shockwave staged a disastrous offensive against Iacon, Mirage was there defending the Decagon alongside Prowl and the other Autobot soldiers. The War Within #5 During the Dark Ages, he continued serving under Prowl as part of the main Autobot faction at Virtue's Forum, in the remains of Iacon. Alongside Jazz and Sunstreaker, he tried defending their prisoner, Experiment D-43, against the intruder known as The Fallen, but failed miserably in the process. War Within: The Dark Ages
Four million years ago, Mirage crash-landed on the planet Earth aboard the shuttle known as the Ark, with more than two dozen of his fellow Autobots and Decepticons. They remained inactive in stasis lock at the base of a volcano until 1984, when volcanic activity shook them back on-line. The war began again, but without reinforcements or connection to Cybertron, Megatron and his Decepticons were eventually defeated and taken prisoner by the Autobots. Mirage and the rest of the Transformers were prepared to fly back to Cybertron in a new spacecraft, the Ark II, when it exploded on its maiden voyage, leaving them all believed dead.
Not so. Most of the Transformers had been salvaged by a mercenary named Lazarus, who spent the next few years repairing and reprogramming the Cybertronians to use as weapons of mass destruction at his command. Optimus Prime was reactivated by the United States military to oppose Lazarus, and he in turn used the power of the Matrix to revive several other Autobots who had escaped Lazarus' salvage crews, including Mirage. After rescuing some of their number from the human mercenaries, Mirage and the Autobots had to race against time putting their friends back together after the Decepticons escaped to wreak havoc. What's worse, a mechanizing virus had been released by Megatron, turning organic life into inanimate mechanical matter. Mirage exhausted a good percentage of his energon reserves fighting back the tide of the virus, but the Autobots were eventually successful. Prime Directive
Mirage was remarkably unhelpful during the war with the Keepers. After Optimus Prime was forced to give the Matrix over to Megatron as a debt of honor, Mirage sniped about the decision worse than any of the Autobots. His criticisms only got louder after a news report from Washington, D.C. made it clear that Megatron had found one of his warriors, the already mighty Omega Sentinel, who could actually wield the power of the Matrix directly. Now that Prime had actually strengthened their enemies as well as weakening the Autobots, Mirage just wouldn't shut up about it. The final straw was when Franklin Townsend, a crazed augment working for the Keepers, idly strolled into the Ark, took over control of Bluestreak's mind, and made his getaway. Mirage was ready to brazenly disobey Prime's orders and charge right after Bluestreak, until Optimus physically slammed him into a wall and forced him to obey his commanding officer.
When you're being so much of a dick that the legendary patience of Optimus Prime runs out, it's time to rein it in, Mirage. Fusion
When Shockwave came to Earth and announced that the Autobot/Decepticon wars were over and that the two factions had been united, Mirage was one of the first to fall in with the new regime. The rest of the Autobots were wary of this development, and so a few (especially Cliffjumper) considered Mirage a traitor. Brothers' Burden Mirage quickly realigned himself with the Autobot cause when Shockwave's true plan was revealed, and Cliffjumper seemed to forgive him, as Mirage had saved Cliffjumper from Dirge by sneaking up on him invisibly. Revelation
Unfortunately for Mirage, the Autobots' acting commander Prowl soon came to the conclusion that they needed to return to Earth and establish a more significant beach-head there for the future. Mirage tried to argue against the idea, as he was more than thrilled to finally be back home on Cybertron, but then Trailbreaker cut in and reminded Mirage that Shockwave's united government had sold off his riches and property while he was gone. Ooooh—burn. Atonement The Autobots readied themselves for the return mission on a new shuttle, and began construction of Autobot City upon their arrival on Earth. The Route of All Evil
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers continuity
Wheeljack found Mirage's holo-projector aboard the Ark, and used it to make a better holographic driver for himself than Bumblebee could. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2
Meanwhile, Mirage was among the dormant Transformers discovered by Cobra, reprogrammed for nefarious purposes, and given new alternate modes (Mirage now transformed into a Cobra Ferret). Upon being freed from Cobra's control by Wheeljack, Mirage's group located Optimus Prime and helped fight back against the newly freed Decepticons. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4 He later stood watch as the damaged Prime was formulating a plan to defeat Megatron. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5
Transformers/G.I. Joe
Mirage was apparently among the Autobots awakened on the Fera Islands in 1939, as Optimus Prime mentioned that he had been killed in the battle against Cobra. The Iron Fist
The Beast Within
IDW Generation 1 continuity
Early in the war, Mirage was a guard at the New Institute, a place known to use brainwashing to keep Autobots with wavering loyalties in line. Hmm. Remembrance Day
Mirage was a suspect in the assassination attempts on Blaster, as he was one of only four Autobots present on the Hub during both attacks. He and two of the other Autobots were cleared when it was discovered that a mind-controlled Beachcomber was the true culprit. Spotlight: Blaster
A year later, he delivered information to the Autobots that there was a power-struggle among the Decepticons, information that turned out to be false and drew Optimus Prime and an Autobot team (including the former Ark-19 crew) into a hideous ambush that left them trapped on Cybertron. Before dumping them on Cybertron, Megatron revealed that there had been a willing traitor collaborator involved in his trap, and Mirage was the prime suspect All Hail Megatron #7 with everyone but Jazz and Prowl believing he'd betrayed them to the Decepticons. All Hail Megatron #4
It wasn't all bad, though; he got to use his invisibility trick to sneak up on Kup's crew when Jazz was trying to prove his command skills. All Hail Megatron #5 Not long after, a raging Ironhide dragged the "traitor" into a corner and blamed him for the trap, which had nearly killed Optimus Prime. Mirage could only protest weakly as Ironhide beat him half to death and ripped off his Autobot badge. All Hail Megatron #7
It was eventually revealed that Sunstreaker had been the real traitor, and Ironhide tried to apologize to Mirage. Mirage wouldn't accept his apology, however, leaving his badge off out of spite and warning Ironhide against ever talking to him again. All Hail Megatron #9 However, despite his harsh words, Mirage came to Ironhide's rescue during a swarm attack, urging his comrade to save himself. Ironhide refused, and instead proved that he trusted Mirage again by staying behind to help him fight the monstrosities. All Hail Megatron #10 After the Autobots were saved by Omega Supreme, they returned to Earth and fought against the Decepticons in New York City. All Hail Megatron #11
Three years later, the Autobots were still squatting on Earth at Optimus Prime's insistence, keeping the humans "safe" from the Decepticons while being hunted by those very same humans. Mirage was present when Hot Rod finally went stir-crazy and demanded some action. That "action" led to Ironhide's death and Prime surrendering himself to the human robot-hunters, Skywatch. ...For All Mankind Along with Prowl, Red Alert, and several others, Mirage joined Hot Rod in breaking off from what remained of the Autobot forces to leave the planet of mud and water behind. At first, they tried convincing Omega Supreme to leave with them, but Hot Rod's speeches failed to overcome Omega's loyalty to Optimus Prime. Instead, they found unlikely allies in a pack of roving Decepticons led by Swindle. New Arrivals, Old Encounters With the additional manpower, they began construction of a new space cruiser to leave Earth forever, despite the unease the new allies had for one another. A Rude Awakening Mirage busied himself checking a datapad for the new flight control systems. Seasons in Flight
Unsurprisingly, the Decepticons eventually betrayed Hot Rod's team and attempted to take the space cruiser for themselves. Mirage and the others fought against their new creation, Menasor, and eventually brought him down. Mirage was one of several Autobots who were injured in the battle, and was repaired by Skywatch technicians. Earthworks
Looking to make up for his mistake of trusting the Decepticons, Hot Rod (or "Rodimus") left Earth for some time, returning months later with a previously-presumed-dead Sunstreaker in tow. Mirage initially had trouble facing Sunstreaker, what with having been blamed for his betrayal years earlier, but his anger was soon overcome by the joy of being reunited with old friends. The Autobots then left Earth to return to Cybertron, which according to Rodimus had been restored but conquered by Galvatron. Orphans of the Helix Once back home, they fought against both Galvatron's Sweeps and Megatron's Decepticons. Kings
After the battle ended with Cybertron restored to a primordial state and most Decepticons in captivity, Mirage witnessed the disastrous launch of Rodimus's Lost Light. How to Say Goodbye and Mean It Some time later he was walking around in a crowd of unaligned Cybertronians who had returned home following the end of the war. The Autonomy Lesson When the Decepticons rebelled and tried to conquer Cybertron again, Mirage was injured trying to sneak up on them and had to be carried to the local med-center by Jazz. Plan for Everything Following the attack and defeat of the Necrotitan, Mirage celebrated with Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, seemingly having forgiven the former. The Becoming
Mirage joined the Lost Light on its second departure from Cybertron. Like many, he was curious about why their captain was Megatron, and tried to eavesdrop on Rung's psychiatric examination of the former Decepticon. Towards Peace When the ship encountered a coffin floating in outer space, Mirage helped bring it in. Words Hang in the Air
Spotlight: Mirage
Mirage was haunted repeatedly by dreams of being a Decepticon. Or actually is a Decepticon from another universe who, after helping kill the last Autobots, got blown back through time and space to the main universe. Or via Zodiac energy has gained flashbacks of an alternate Decepticon Mirage. God knows what's going on there. Spotlight: Mirage
Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic
While invisible, Mirage managed to sneak up on Octane and blast him off-line with his electro-disrupter, saving Ironhide from a nasty beating. Both Autobots were surprised, then, when Octane got back up despite his circuits being completely shorted out. The ghost of Starscream revealed himself to Mirage and Ironhide, and floated menacingly before them while they tried to work out if he was real or a hologram. Mirage's Rebirth
Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga
Enter! The Transformers The Emperor of Destruction Appears! Kingdom of Giants The Enemy from the Arctic Wataru's Power Time of Resurrection The Threat of Galvatron Revenge A Nightmare, Once Again To the Sea of Stars
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe
Transformers: All Spark
To Earth Great Aspirations Conclusion
Games
Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons
When Optimus embarked on his mission to rescue the Autobots' Minicar troops from the Decepticons, Mirage could involve himself in the quest through the Decepticons' maze-like base. Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons packaging blurb and game
The Transformers (1985)
Mirage was among the few remaining Autobots in the wake of the Decepticon creation of ROBO-CLONING technology. With his energy-starved comrades, he desperately sought pieces of the Autobot Energon Cube before the Decepticons could get their hands on them. The Transformers
Transformers Legends
A (probably time-displaced) Mirage was present on Cybertron during Nova Prime's peaceful reign. Prime Evil
Mirage participated in a battle against the Insecticons. Harvest of the Insecticons Following a Decepticon attack on New York City, Mirage led a team of infiltrators including Blurr, Cliffjumper and Trailcutter on a hunt for Decepticons. They were thwarted by three of the Combaticons. War Dawn Mirage was talked into taking part in a charity race, during which the Constructicons fused everyone in their vehicle modes using the Transfixatron. The Autobots managed to keep the Decepticons at bay, even trapped as cars, until the process could be reversed. Autobot Run
After Optimus Prime's defeat at the hand of Megatron, Mirage was involved in the skirmishes in Autobot city that ensued. The Omega Corps
Mirage was part of Drift's team which had to speed a vital component to a power station to prevent it from exploding. They made it, despite interference from Breakdown and Wildrider. Rushdown Road
Toys
Generation 1
- Mirage (Autobot Car, 1984/1986/1991)
- Japanese ID number: 07
- Accessories: "Rocket-Dart Hunting Rifle", missile launcher, 3 missiles
- Mirage was part of the original 1984 Autobot car assortment. His mold was originally used for a Diaclone F-1 Ligier JS11 racer. The toy was specifically designed to work with the launcher mechanism contained in the Optimus Prime / Battle Convoy trailer. This toy is easily broken at the waist pivot. The labels on the toy are references to several real-world companies. The largest name, Citanes, is a deliberate corruption of Gitanes, a French cigarette company. (Quite unusual for a child's toy, but not the only cigarette reference in Diaclone.) The toy included Gitanes' logo of a dancing gypsy woman on what ends up as Mirage's belt in robot form. "Ligier" is the name of the company that manufactured the JS-11 chassis and fielded the team, traditionally wearing 25 and 26 on the F1 grid, while "elf" is a reference to a French oil company that has since merged with TotalFina to become TotalFinaElf.
- In 1986, he was made available as a mail-away item (as he was no longer shipping to retail shelves) in multiple offers, including a Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction flier packed with most boxed Transformers toys. He cost $8 and two Robot Points. In Japan Mirage was also included in the 1986 Goodbye Convoy giftset. This was the final release of the mold, making Mirage the only one of the original Autobots not to have been reissued in some form.
- Hasbro and/or Takara have announced that the mold for Mirage is either lost or damaged, so a reissue is unlikely. This presumably excludes the molds obtained by certain Chinese companies to produce several Mirage "perfect" bootlegs in a variety of flavors including original, clear, smoke, and red, based on the ultra-rare version from the Diaclone Powered Convoy giftset.
Generation 2
- Mirage was released in 1995 as a black and yellow recolor of the Go-Bot Double Clutch, transforming into a 1:64-scale Lola T94 Indy car with through-axle construction, making him compatible with racing sets from the "Hot Wheels" and "Matchbox" toylines.
- This mold was also used to make 2001 Robots in Disguise Mirage. The toy was later repurposed to be a "next-generation" clone of Mirage.
Machine Wars
- Mirage (Basic, 1997)
- Accessories: 2-part rifle
- Mirage's form in Machine Wars transforms into a blue and white Penske PC-18 Indycar. Like the other Machine Wars basics, the toy is a flipchanger (having a one-step, spring-loaded transformation), and his weapons are hidden in his alt mode. Unlike most of the Machine Wars toys, the head looks very similar to his Generation 1 form. This is because the mold was originally designed as Mirage for Generation 2.
- This mold was also used to make Machine Wars Prowl and 2001 Robots in Disguise Skid-Z.
Robotmasters
- Rijie (Basic, 2004)
- Japanese ID number: RM-03
- Accessories: 2-part "Molecular Bonding Gun", "JS Laser Gun"
- Robotmasters "Rijie" used the Machine Wars Mirage mold, but in a much more Generation 1-based coloration and deco. He also came with an extra chrome-silver "JS Laser Gun" (like the other bonus weapons of Robotmasters, it is suspected to be a mold originally developed yet ultimately unused by the cut-short Microman LED Powers line).
- Because of legal reasons, "Ligier" could not be used for the name of the Robotmasters toy, so "Rijie", which has the same pronunciation in Japan, was used instead. Curiously, the toy's instructions still identify it as "Ligier".
Alternators
- Mirage (Alternator, 2006)
- Alternator ID number: 22
- Accessories: Engine/tonfa weapons
- Alternators Mirage transforms into a finely detailed 1:24 scale replica of a Ford GT, featuring opening doors, engine bay and trunk, with a realistic interior. As with most Alternators, his car body is mostly unpainted, but the metallic-flake deep blue plastic makes this hard to see.
- Featuring an innovative, different robot mode, Mirage is not a straight re-interpretation of the original Mirage's robot mode, due to the completely different types of vehicles. But coincidentally the Ford GT's hood features a shape that echoes a F1-type racing car's nose and front spoiler. His engine's supercharger forms two separate tonfa weapons that can also be interpreted as guns.
- Mirage was retooled into Hot Rodimus for the Kiss Players line, which was further redecoed into Alternators Rodimus. Later in 2007, he was redecoed in clear plastic colours to represent his 'invisibility mode' as an e-HOBBY exclusive in the Binaltech line.
Universe
- Mirage (Spy Changer, 2006)
- Accessories: Gun
- For Universe, Mirage is identical to the last KB Toys exclusive redeco of 2001 Robots in Disguise Mirage, transforming into a translucent green Lola Indy car. He was available only on an individual card from discount chains like The Dollar Store.
Classics
- Mirage (Classics Deluxe, 2006)
- Accessories: Gun/front spoiler
- Classics Mirage was released in November 2006 in wave 2, along with the shortpacked Grimlock. He transforms into a closed-canopy Formula racer concept car. Mirage's paint details contain a few Transformers in-jokes in the form of sponsor logos such as "Witwicky Sparkplugs" and "Lithonian Drivetrain." Additionally, his racing number is still 26, as it was on the original toy. Other logos, which include "Plasma Injection Energy" and "F.P. Racing," refer to "pie" and the initials of the deco artist's super-secret non-gay friendship cult, respectively.
- The front detaches to become a handheld electro-disruptor weapon which is said to be able to create illusions and allow him to appear invisible. (This is a reconciliation of Mirage's illusion-creation ability from his original tech spec profile and his invisibility power from the animated series.) According to some of his production art, the weapon was partially styled after a crossbow. He is extremely poseable for his time, featuring double-jointed elbows and knees, ball-jointed spoiler "toes", and waist articulation, among others.
- This mold was also used to make Movie Fracture and Universe Drag Strip.
Timelines
- Hologram Mirage (BotCon, 2007)
- Accessories: Gun/front spoiler
- A redeco of Classics Mirage in translucent and opaque blue, Mirage was available only as a "freebie" gift to attendees at BotCon 2007.
- Mirage / Thundercracker (souvenir pack, BotCon 2013)
Binaltech
- Rijie (e-Hobby exclusive, 2007)
- Japanese ID number: BT-18
- Accessories: Engine/tonfa weapons
- Rijie is a redeco of Alternators Mirage using mostly transparent plastic. The toy was exclusively available from e-HOBBY in September 2007.
- Even though Takara had briefly contemplated releasing a Hot Rodimus (Hot Rod) retool of Alternators Mirage as the next Binaltech toy after Ginrai (both toys would ultimately come out as part of the Kiss Players line instead), they apparently never created any die-cast molds for the Ford GT sculpt. To justify the absence of diecast parts from a Binaltech toy, Takara decided to use clear plastic parts to represent an "invisible" mode, officially called an "Electro-Disrupter" [sic] mode on the packaging.
Henkei! Henkei!
- Ligier (Deluxe, 2008)
- Japanese ID number: C-04
- Accessories: Gun/front spoiler
- Henkei! Henkei! Transformers Ligier is a redeco of Classics Mirage. In an effort to make him appear more accurate to Mirage's cartoon appearances, Ligier lacks most of the sponsorship tampographs that appeared on Classics Mirage. As with all Henkei toys, he lacks the heat-sensitive rubsign seen on the Classics version, but features vacuum-metallized parts: his rear spoiler and his front spoiler.
- Electro Disruptor Ligier (Deluxe, 2009)
- Electro Disruptor Ligier is a translucent plastic version of Henkei Ligier offered as a mail-away exclusive to those who have bought the book Transformers Generations 2009 Volume 1.
- This toy was repurposed as "Shattered Glass" Mirage.
Merchandise
Decoy
- The figurine was later brought over to Hasbro markets as part of the Decoy promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded Throttlebots, Aerialbots, Protectobots and Technobots.
Choro-Q
- Ligier (2000)
- Choro-Q Ligier is a mostly translucent redeco of the Honda Jordan F1 toy from Takara's Choro-Q toyline of non-transforming super-deformed vehicles. He was an exclusive at BotCon Japan 2000, and features a pull-back motor and a rear license plate that reads "BotCon Japan 2000".
- Along with Choro-Q Convoy and Megatron, Ligier was given out randomly to convention attendees. Each toy was limited to 1000 pieces.
Attacktix
- Mirage (Booster,
2007)
- Mirage was likely to have been one of several Transformers Attacktix Booster pieces. He was to be a 20-point Specialist-class piece. Though displayed as part of the Attacktix display at the Star Wars "Celebration IV" convention, Mirage was ultimately never released as the Attacktix line was put on ice.
 Game over. |
Robot Heroes
- Mirage Vs Starscream (2007)
- Packaged with Starscream, Mirage is a two-inch-high robot sculpted in super deformed style with articulation at the head and shoulders. The toy has a sculpted missile launcher, like the original character, but oddly it is resting on the figure's back instead of the shoulder. This mold was later redecoed into Hologram Mirage.
- Decepticon Sneak Attack (2007)
- Hologram Mirage is a recolor of the two-pack Mirage cast in transparent blue with slightly different paint details. Most notably, the Autobot symbols on his arms have been replaced with part of the word "Citanes", to evoke the original toy. Mirage was packed with Metallic Finish Optimus Prime, Metallic Finish Megatron, Cliffjumper, and Skywarp. This pack was sold exclusively in Walmart, and Walmart.com.
Notes
- Mirage is absent from the fictional events of 2005 and 2006 without explanation; a storyboarded scene from The Transformers: The Movie featuring Mirage was cut from the finished film. Amidst the transformation of Autobot City, Mirage was to ambush the Insecticon Bombshell and then be fired upon by Megatron. Whether or not this would have killed Mirage is not made clear, but given the film's casual body count, it seems highly probable.
- Someone at Hasbro in the '90s must have had Mirage on the brain. Aside from the released Go-Bot and the Flipchanger created in his image, concept art for a green and pink redeco of Mirage's original toy (with alligator decals!) meant for the Generation 2 toyline surfaced in the Transformers Vault collector's book. In an unusual coincidence, Transformers fan and rarities-hunter Maziar "Maz" Shahsafdari unveiled a pictorial review of the mock-up done for this redeco on his website TF-1.com shortly after the book came out, entirely unaware of its inclusion in the tome.
- Mirage has been a traitor/suspected traitor in nearly every continuity he's popped up in. You just can't trust those coastal elite.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Ligier or Rijie (リジェ Rije)
- Hungarian: Délibáb ("Mirage")
- Italian: Mistero ("Mystery")
- Mandarin: Hǎi-shr-shèn-lóu (Taiwan, 海市蜃樓, "Mirage"), Hàun-yǐng (Taiwan, 幻影, "Phantom")
- Portuguese: Miragem ("Mirage")
External links
- Pages with image sizes containing extra px
- Articles in need of images
- Character stubs missing fiction
- Pages with broken file links
- Character stubs missing toys
- Unreleased Attacktix
- Alternators Autobots
- Attacktix
- BotCon exclusives
- Classics Autobots
- Decoys
- Generation 1 Autobots
- Generation 1 Decepticons
- Generation 2 Autobots
- Generation 2 Go-Bots
- The Headmasters Autobots
- Henkei! Henkei! Autobots
- KB Toys exclusives
- Ladybird Books Autobots
- Machine Wars Autobots
- Mail order items
- Regeneration One Autobots
- Robot Heroes
- Robotmasters Autobots
- Saboteurs
- Spies
- Timelines characters
- Wings Universe Autobots
- Lost Light crew
