Roller (IDW)

This article is about the pre-war policeman Autobot. For G1 Optimus Prime's drone unit, see Roller (G1). For a list of other meanings, see Roller (disambiguation).

Roller is a Transformer from the IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

Roller was a good friend to Orion Pax and Ratchet in the pre-war days. He served alongside Pax in the police force until... something happened to him.

He's known for being one chatty chappy! Despite his friendly nature and his incredible strength (he's one of the mighty Point One Percenters), he's not that confident in his abilities. He'll focus on what others can do that he can't, rather than what he can.

Fiction

IDW Generation 1 continuity

This section covers fiction that is ongoing. It will be added to as the story progresses. If it isn't current, you can help by updating it.

Ehhh, I'll do it later.

Roller was one of Orion Pax's fellow officers at Rodion, a gifted investigator and a trusted ally with a fondness for TV. Following Orion's defeat of Sonic and Boom in the Dead End, he had Roller send in a containment trailer to arrest them. Post Hoc Roller later let helped Orion by locating the Relinquishment Clinic closest to his location and bringing Senator Shockwave into protective custody. Patternism

He was a bit worried about Orion's attachment to Shockwave, having investigated the Senator and found that he had befriended and modified other people besides him, but only got Orion angry at him by sharing this information. Roller remained at the police station to protect Shockwave while Orion was breaking into the Primal Basilica, but was defeated by Kroma's cronies when they broke into the place in search for the Senator. Orion tried to save them both, but Kroma convinced Shockwave to surrender himself by holding Roller hostage. An Intimate Beheading

Ratchet recalled these events as "the last time the three of us [himself, Pax and Roller] were together", implying that Roller was taken out of the picture soon afterwards. Spotlight: Wheelie Pax, Roller, and the Outliers did indeed have to go on the run after that, fighting Sentinel Prime's Elite Guard. The incredible abilities of the outliers made Roller feel useless, despite his considerable power: he knew Orion Pax kept him on the team because they were friends and didn't think that was enough. To give himself an edge, he began taking the circuit speeder C32.

In 1st cycle 502, Roller and the gang were fighting to protect a spark hot spot in Alyon from being taken or exterminated by Sentinel. They were joined by members of the Lost Light crew of four million years later, who claimed that Zeta had sent them to help. From this group, Rung tested Roller's carton of Kremzeek and realised it contained C32, questioning about his habit. Roller admitted to his insecurity, saying "not everyone is born special"—even though, as Rung noted, he had been. In the final battle to save the sparks, as the Elite Guard bombarded them, Roller refused to let Orion Pax risk his life to harvest sparks and did it himself, saying he needed this. Roller was badly wounded in the process, driving Pax to a rage.

Afterwards, Roller was MIA and Pax ordered him to be looked for.

Then, after the visitors altered the short term memories of Pax's crew, everyone forgot he was missing... All Our Parlous Yesterdays

He may have survived to the early stages of the war, as a Roller was considered for an exploring mission that went to Wheelie. Spotlight: Wheelie

Optimus likely named his drone module after his old friend.

Notes

• James Roberts confirmed that Roller was a separate person from the other Roller in an interview. This was partly to mess with us by having someone so different from the Roller we knew, partly to suggest that Optimus named his drone after someone, and partly to give Orion Pax a friend who's no longer around so we'll wonder "whatever happened to Roller?!". (Ratchet's mention of "the last time" was to make us think Roller was going to die, to build tension; Roberts laments he now can't have Roller, Ratchet, and Pax hang out post-"Shadowplay")
• In the same interview, Roberts and Milne say Roller was drawn so big because he transforms into a Cybertronian police paddy wagon.
• A popular theory is that Roller became Tarn later in life: several incidents support this claim.
  • Roller is a Point One Percenter, Tarn was implied to be one in issue #14
  • Roller is seen crushing an Elite Guardman's head with a look of virtual disinterest, Tarn did the same to the alternate Swerve in issue #32
  • Roller has an addictive personality, Tarn is addicted to transforming
  • Roller feels outclassed by the Outliers, a good reason for him to undergo the upgrades that put him on the level of Phase Sixers, as noted in issue #14
  • Orion encourages Roller to read Megatron's works in issue #36, Tarn is intimately familiar with Megatron's writings
  • Roller is familiar with Megatron's slogan "You are being deceived" which Tarn later quotes when confronted with the Scavengers' "coffin"
  • The left side of Roller's face is noticeably damaged this issue, Tarn has scarring around his left eye visible through his mask in closeups in issue #7 and #8
  • Roller is left "abandoned" by his friend as a result of the mind-wipe, a reason he may fall in with the opposite side
  • In the flashback of Tarn's life in issue #39, a young Skids with Matrix tattoo is shown from the upper left, facing Tarn. Roller looked down at Skids from exactly the same angle when they met back in issue #10 (who, by the way, was wearing the exact same expression), and it is revealed that Skids had the tattoo at the time in issue #11.