Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity
Ironhide. Punches. Everybody.
IDW Generation 1 comics
In Principio
Back before the war, Ironhide was part of the Security Services. Megatron Origin #2 He performed both public and private security work, keeping the streets safe while also overseeing specific businesses and events. Ironhide was working the crowds at the Cybertronian raceway when a small 'bot burst through the line and attempted to shoot Drag Strip, one of the star racers. Ironhide stopped the shooting and turned the little guy over to the authorities, paying little heed to his warnings about Megatron and the growing Decepticon movement. Iron in the Blood
Ironhide attended the funeral of Bumper and Fastback with a familiar fembot, and listened to Sentinel Prime's eulogy/rally call. Megatron Origin #3 He was on the streets with Sentinel Prime and Prowl during the Battle of Kaon, when the security forces tried to halt the rebel Decepticons. Ironhide was dishing out justice the old fashioned way—with his fists. He was with the security officers that contacted Iacon when Sentinel's body was deposited in front of them, and Prowl ordered an evacuation. Megatron Origin #4
Experienced from once serving in the Cybertronian Civil Militia, Ironhide joined the Autobot army formed by Zeta Prime to combat the Decepticon insurgency. Placed under the command of Orion Pax, he was skeptical of the former police officer's ability to fight a war, but Orion proved willing to take advice from the more experienced soldier. Old Ways During a mission to prevent an assassination attempt on Zeta Prime, Ironhide was part of an Autobot unit led by Kup and saved the confused racer Blurr from wandering right into their crossfire. Spotlight: Blurr
Some time after that, Ironhide became a member of Orion Pax's counter-terrorism team and helped stop Swindle from selling weapons to insurgents in Nyon. Law and Disorder He and Bumblebee were doing target practice when Orion ordered them to get ready to roll out. Parasites Minutes later, Zeta Prime sent the team to hunt down the Decepticon spy Soundwave, but Ironhide and Prowl's attempt to arrest him only resulted in Rumble dropping a bridge on them. The Hunt for Soundwave The mission ended with Orion Pax and Bumblebee taken to Kaon for a talk with Megatron, but Ironhide and the rest of the team busted into the meeting place and rescued them. Cause and Effect
Zeta Prime's next mission for Orion Pax's team was to capture the insurgent Hot Rod, whom they tracked to the Acropolex in Nyon. Ironhide didn't at all care for the spiritual theme of the building, doubting inscriptions claiming that all would be one and calling the Matrix of Leadership "superstitious mumbo-jumbo" and propaganda to make the Primes look big. In the end, the Autobots found that Hot Rod only wanted to enlighten them to Zeta Prime's horrible treatment of civilians. Ruins With this revelation, they turned on the Prime and tried to protect Nyon from his Omega Destructors, but even Ironhide's cyclone launcher failed to scratch the giants. Orion's team was soon defeated by Zeta himself and his vamparc ribbon. Purge Surprisingly, the Autobots were saved from certain death by Megatron, who wanted them to join forces with him against Zeta Prime's tyranny. Ironhide didn't get along with Thundercracker. Choices
While Orion and Megatron confronted Zeta himself, Ironhide led the attack on his Citadel and joined up with Ultra Magnus's unit when they also turned on the Prime. Overthrown As soon as Zeta Prime was dead, however, Megatron betrayed the Autobots and Ironhide was forced to go into hiding in Ultrix with Bumblebee and Ultra Magnus. He wanted to get out there and fight back against Megatron's rule, but before they could do much the Decepticons found the Autobots' safe-house and captured them. Transformation They were taken to the Citadel and prepared for execution, but fortunately Hot Rod decided to become an Autobot around that time and bailed them out of prison. Ironhide and the others then followed Orion's ID signal to Nyon, where they learned of his transformation into Optimus Prime and the awakening of the city robot Metroplex who had been the Acropolex the entire time. Rise Led by the new Prime, the Autobots marched on Megatron's Citadel where they would fight for control of Cybertron. Broadcast Though they won, driving the Decepticons out of Iacon, Ironhide knew they'd be back soon enough. Endgame
During the early days of Optimus's leadership, Ironhide aided him in the defense of the Toraxxis mega-refinery. Rage After the battle ended with the destruction of the refinery, he attended a memorial service dedicated to the lost lives. Fallout During the battle with Trypticon, he led a heavy weapons unit charged with distracting the monster with a fusion-borer assault. The Illusion of Control However, once he moved in to confirm that their target was down, Ironhide was attacked by Trypticon's dragon-like minions and trapped beneath rubble. Annihilation When the beast was finally brought down, Ironhide was not happy that the Autobots happy had to leave it in the hands of Megatron, but they had little choice and returned home to repair an injured Optimus Prime. Belly of the Beast
Ironhide accompanied Optimus Prime on his sabbatical journey to the Grav-Haraan glacier, where they encountered the long lost Omega Supreme and brought him back to civilization. Primacy #1 After then bearing witness to the battle between Metroplex and a returned Trypticon, he stood in defense of Iacon against a massive Decepticon attack. Primacy #3 The Autobots came out victorious, and Ironhide watched as Prime held a speech asking the Decepticons to stand down and look at the chaos they'd wrought. Primacy #4
Over the course of the war, the student-and-teacher relationship between Optimus Prime and Ironhide evolved. Prime grew willing to go against Ironhide's counsel, once doing so to save the Autobots from Trypticon waiting in ambush, while also learning the benefit of sticking to your guns like the stubborn old soldier did, once insisting on saving Ironhide's life after a booby-trap left them badly damaging and hanging over a cliff-edge. Old Ways
Early during the war, Ironhide participated in a battle on Varas Centralus where he began a rivalry with Sky-Byte. A Better Tomorrow At another point he led a rescue team to extract Jazz and Tracks, whom Jazz was originally assigned to evacuate. They arrived just in the nick of time to ward off the Predacons and save their comrades. On the trip back to Iacon, Jazz told Ironhide what had happened and what to tell the blinded Tracks. After Jazz had left, Tracks asked Ironhide who had saved him. Ironhide said simply that he was just an Autobot like Tracks was, and that he should never forget what that meant. Spotlight: Jazz
In one of the war's countless battles, Ironhide witnessed a yellow Autobot get destroyed in a Decepticon-Autobot crossfire. Drift #2
Four million years ago, Ironhide and Prime were defending a city from the Decepticon advance. They broke off from the other Autobots to intercept a Decepticon fuel convoy headed for Megatron's troops. Through grit and determination, the duo managed to capture the entire convoy without firing a single shot. The Autobots won the day and were eager to celebrate their victory that night by over-energizing a tad. Ironhide remained resolute, however, constantly scanning the crowd for trouble even amidst the festivities. Lucky that he did, because a Decepticon assassin named Axer had infiltrated the party, and pulled a concealed blaster to execute Optimus Prime from behind. True to his duty, Ironhide flung himself into the path of Axer's shot, taking the full blast for his friend and commander. Although he eventually recovered from his injuries, this incident would have long term consequences for Ironhide. The Iron Age 500,000 years ago Ironhide helped defend Metroplex during the city-bot's last stand, a battle that ended with Metroplex leaving Cybertron. Hello Cruel World
Et In Terra
In the modern era, Ironhide was second-in-command (under Prowl) of a detachment of Autobots that had operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, attempting to foil a Decepticon insurgency. Infiltration #2 Although more bound to the regulations than Ratchet, he was still willing to bend the chain of command for the right reasons, and sent a pulsewave to Optimus Prime behind Prowl's back. Infiltration #3 When Ratchet and Bumblebee's unauthorized recce uncovered evidence of the Decepticons' previous operations and reported Megatron's appearance, Prowl turned to the experienced Ironhide for tactical advice. Infiltration #5 Infiltration #6
After Optimus Prime arrived on Earth, Ironhide was assigned the task of escorting a trio of humans back from the Autobots to their homes alongside Sunstreaker who was carrying Hunter, while he transported Jimmy and Verity. He became separated from Sunstreaker, who was immobilized and seemingly destroyed in an ambush by the a mysterious human organization. Escalation #1 Once it was revealed that the debris recovered from the Machination was not that of Sunstreaker, Escalation #2
Ironhide suggested himself for the search mission to find Sunstreaker's whereabouts, as he felt he owed it to him, but his wishes were dismissed by Optimus Prime. Prowl was mondo-pissed that Ironhide went around the chain of command and banished him to base duty while the other Autobots who had not (yet) pissed Prowl off left for Brasnya to confront the Decepticons. Escalation #3 Proving his willingness to break the rules if needed, Ironhide disobeyed his orders to remain and monitor Decepticon activity, joining Ratchet, Verity and Jimmy in their attempts to uncover the fate of Sunstreaker and Hunter. Escalation #4 Escalation #5 However, while removing Verity and Jimmy from a building that was due to explode, Ironhide was caught in the explosion and went M.I.A. Escalation #6
After Optimus Prime returned from his meeting with Omega Supreme, Wheeljack and Hot Rod learned that Ironhide was due to be crushed and compacted at a human dump and went to rescue him. Devastation #1 They ran into some problems on the way there, however. Devastation #3 They prevailed, and after Optimus Prime received word of the incident on Garrus-9, he ordered Hardhead to retrieve Hot Rod and the others. Hot Rod refused to go though, wanting to see the Headmaster mystery to the end. Hardhead reluctantly let him go and took Wheeljack and Ironhide back with him. Devastation #6
Over the next year, the Decepticons went quiet and intel dried up. Prowl advised to do nothing, but Ironhide, able to speak more to the warrior inside of Optimus, advised action. Everything in its Right Place Whoops, action led the Autobots into a Decepticon trap! All Hail Megatron #5 All Hail Megatron #7 As a result, Ironhide was among the battered Autobots trapped on Cybertron. All Hail Megatron #1 As frustrations boiled over in the Autobot camp, Tracks attempted to lift their spirits by telling the story of the time he was saved by a mysterious Autobot. Though Ironhide knew it was Jazz who had saved Tracks that day, the old story gave them hope, and he thanked him for it. Spotlight: Jazz
Ironhide was aboard the Ark-32 when he witnessed Hunter O'Nion being reunited with Jimmy Pink and Verity once their part in the Machination plot had come to an end. Maximum Dinobots #5
Holding a deep suspicion that Mirage had sold them out to the Decepticons and knowing that Prowl and Jazz were shutting him out All Hail Megatron #8, Ironhide came to blows (or really, blow) with Prowl over the issue before Jazz told him to walk it off. Later, Jazz talked to Ironhide about it, and the latter revealed his deep regret at Optimus Prime's current condition. Cliffjumper soon asked Ironhide to accompany him to check out an emergency message from Wheeljack and Bumblebee, who were out on a scouting patrol. The two ran across Hot Rod, (well really, Ironhide's fist ran across Hot Rod's face), who seemed delighted to find other Autobots on Cybertron, having thought the planet was deserted. All Hail Megatron #4
Not long after Kup and his Autobot squad joined up with Prime's battered unit, Ironhide met with Roadbuster and tried to attempt to tell him the truth about why they got here, but the appearance of the Insecticon swarm rendered it moot. All Hail Megatron #6 After getting Energon from the Trion and taking a rest, Ironhide noticed Sunstreaker storming out of a building. When Sunstreaker told him about his brother complaining about being a jerk toward Mirage along with, Ironhide couldn't take it anymore. Cornering Mirage, Ironhide proceeded to beat him senseless, leaving him in serious condition. All Hail Megatron #7 After being chewed out by Kup and being reminded of his past troubles, the conversation ended when the Swarm caught up to them. When the Autobots drove to a bridge to lure the Swarm there, so that they could blow it up and prevent them from advancing, Ironhide noticed Sunstreaker standing on the bridge. When Ironhide asked him what he was doing, Sunstreaker revealed to him that he was the real traitor, having made a deal with Starscream that would supposedly have resulted in Megatron's demise. Before more could be said, both were taken down by the Swarm. Drift came and rescued Ironhide just as Sunstreaker blew up the bridge, killing himself and taking a large portion of the Swarm with him. Upset, Ironhide went to rest and recover. All Hail Megatron #8
Feeling like a complete prat, Ironhide attempted to apologize to Mirage, but was angrily rebuffed. All Hail Megatron #9 Once Optimus Prime was back on his feet, Ironhide asked him why the others hadn't told him that Megatron had stolen the Matrix, but was told not to hold it against them. After thinking about this, Ironhide called Prime the "greatest bot I've ever known," which Prime found amusing, considering how they clashed when they first met. When the Swarm assaulted the Autobot base, Ironhide found himself side by side with Mirage at the front line defenses. Mirage told Ironhide to run for it while he distracted the enemy, but Ironhide threw himself into the fray, refusing to let his comrade sacrifice himself. All Hail Megatron #10 When Omega Supreme saved them and took them to Earth, Ironhide participated in the battle against the Decepticons. However he worried that Devastator and the others would be on the Autobots in seconds. His worry, fortunately, was unfounded, as Omega subsequently stepped in and slagged Devastator. All Hail Megatron #11 Later, after Spike sniped Megatron, Ironhide called Starscream a coward because he and the Decepticons were leaving. All Hail Megatron #12
In the aftermath of the Decepticons' retreat, Ironhide admitted to Optimus Prime that he was tired of the neverending war and was considering retiring from the Autobot army. He changed his mind following some reminiscing over the many bonds he and Prime had forged over the years. Old Ways When Bumblebee went missing in one of the human disaster areas in a ruined New York, Ironhide was part of an Autobot squad who managed to retrieve him. Hidden
Two years later, the Autobots were still on Earth. Optimus Prime's guilt over the devastation their war brought to the world prevented the Autobot army from leaving the humans behind. Even worse, the humans weren't at all interested in Prime's guilt, but were actively hunting Autobot and Decepticon alike. Several Autobots were taken prisoner by Skywatch, the American robot-hunting organization. Events reached an apex when Prowl was captured while trying to prevent the execution of a wandering Decepticon. Optimus Prime finally relented on his hands-off policy, and sent Hot Rod and a squad into the Skywatch holding facility to rescue Prowl. Ironhide went with him to keep an eye on the kid, and promised Optimus nothing would happen to Hot Rod. The situation escalated horribly, however, and the humans began responding with lethal force against the Autobots during the breakout. Ironhide spotted a particle cannon turret being leveled against Hot Rod and Prowl, and threw himself into the weapon's path, taking a fatal shot through the chest to protect his field leader and keep his promise to Prime. Prowl brought Ironhide's body back to the Autobots' hidden base after the battle.
Optimus blamed himself for his old friend's demise, which served as a catalyst for his resignation from the Autobots. ...For All Mankind A Rude Awakening
Fighting the Swarm
But Ironhide wasn't dead at all. At least...not completely. One year later, he awoke on Cybertron fully repaired, yet unable to recall anything from after his ill-fated confrontation with Axer four million years before. The Iron Age Unaware of how Cybertron had fallen into ruin since Thunderhead Pass, Ironhide wandered Iacon in shock, unable to comprehend why the whole planet seemed to be abandoned and in disrepair. He also wasn't familiar with the three thousand strong Insecticon swarm that now inhabited the planet, but that quickly changed. The bugs got in his face, so Ironhide smashed in theirs, enjoying the chance to vent his frustrations. On the verge of succumbing to grief and isolation, Ironhide was finally found by a small drone who asked him to simply "Follow." With nothing better to do, Ironhide accompanied the little robot until he reached their destination — a brightly lit and functioning complex, the only signs of life and power on the whole planet. Iron in the Blood
Inside, Ironhide met the legendary sage Alpha Trion... whom he had never heard of before. While Trion's self-important attitude got on his nerves, he was able to learn that Cybertron had been abandoned for the four million years he had been "dead". An incredulous Ironhide accepted these facts, but soon turned his attention towards a nearby screen, which was detecting Sunstreaker's life signal on the planet. Having no memory of Sunstreaker's betrayal, Ironhide ignored Alpha Trion's warnings and headed out to save his friend. He found the heavily damaged Sunstreaker in a pile of swarm corpses and couldn't understand what he kept apologizing about, then fought his way through even more swarm members to bring him back to Alpha Trion. Upon arriving, Ironhide demanded to know what Sunstreaker just was talking about, and Trion explained to him how he had actually kept living after Axer's attack and only died just recently. Alpha Trion himself had managed to revive Ironhide, though with only a few of his memories intact, so that he could exterminate the Insecticon swarm and make Cybertron habitable again. Ironing Out the Details
Ironhide accepted the task given to him, strapping himself with as many weapons as he could carry and going head-to-head with hundreds of swarm members. He also stumbled upon the wreckage of the starship Trion and managed to use its guns to destroy a portion of the swarm, though he was forced to self-destruct it when the monsters got too close for comfort. In the end, he was fighting an estimated 200 of the creatures with his bare hands, and was forced to call Alpha Trion for help. His call was heeded, and Trion revealed that his base of operations was actually the gigantic Autobot Metroplex, who smashed the remaining members of the swarm with one hand. This got Ironhide rather angry, as Metroplex could've done the work instead of him, and it didn't help that Alpha Trion just dismissed his worries and prepared to leave him on the planet to exterminate the last few swarm monsters. He finally snapped and socked the old guy in the face. Though surprised, Alpha Trion shrugged off his act of assault and explained that he was only a small piece in a large game, and he didn't need to know everything. Before Trion left into space, Ironhide faced him with one last question: how did he know Ironhide was going to die? The answer gave him something to think about: he was going to sacrifice himself sooner or later, it was just in his nature. Soon, Ironhide and Sunstreaker were left as the only Autobots on Cybertron, with a lot of stuff to catch up on and a lot of things to think about... Any Old Iron
As time passed, Ironhide and Sunstreaker exterminated what was left of the swarm, even managing to domesticate one, only for another threat to reach Cybertron: an army led by Galvatron. After a first wave of attacks, a ship landed nearby, and Ironhide smashed his way into it, assuming it to be a Decepticon vessel he could use. As a pleasant surprise, he instead found it crewed by Hot Rod (now going by "Rodimus") and Wheelie (plus an alien who mistakenly attacked him). After some catching-up, they were attacked by Sweeps, but managed to escape on Rodimus's ship and head to Earth for reinforcements. Out of the Silent Planet
Upon arriving on Earth for the "first time", Ironhide commented that it smelled bad. Needless to say, the Autobots there were confused to see him alive, but their new leader, Bumblebee, had them refrain from asking him questions. Ironhide himself was mostly confused as to how Bumblebee managed to become leader and why they had stayed on Earth for so long, but Bumblebee couldn't respond to that very well. Led by Optimus Prime, Ironhide and most of the other Autobots boarded Omega Supreme and left for Cybertron the next day. Orphans of the Helix During the journey, Ironhide talked to Prime about Megatron's boggling decision to surrender himself, and suggested he sit down and talk to the captured Decepticon leader. Chaos Theory #1 After several interrogations of Megatron failed to shed any light on his decision, Ironhide warned Optimus Prime against letting it get to him. Appreciating the sentiment, Prime told him it was nice to see him so young again, but Ironhide only responded that he didn't feel young.
Ironhide was telling his fellow Autobots of his time with Alpha Trion when Omega Supreme arrived at Cybertron, at which point he and several other Autobots went down to the planet and met with Galvatron. When they refused to join his army, Galvatron decided to destroy them, but Ironhide stopped him from shooting Optimus Prime and beat on him until he retreated. Lamentations Alongside the rest of the Autobots, he then fought in a huge battle with Galvatron's army of Sweeps. Numbers Optimus Prime took Ironhide, Rodimus and Drift and broke away from battle to chase Galvatron himself as he moved towards the core of Cybertron, but halted when Drift stabbed himself in order to not be brainwashed by the Heart of Darkness. Kings When ordered to bring the injured Autobot to safety, Ironhide protested that Optimus needed him as a bodyguard, but relented when Rodimus asked him to save one more life. Genesis
The New Cybertron
Following Optimus Prime's defeat of Galvatron in Vector Sigma's chamber, Cybertron was reborn in a flash of white light. Ironhide had a vision of the distant future in which he found himself the last veteran on a prosperous and peaceful Gorlam Prime. As the last remnant of a bygone era, he was revered by the young Transformers, but he struggled with finding his place in the new civilization. He was accompanied by Alpha Trion, who would comfort his friend with his importance to the history of the race. Pax Cybertronia A Better Tomorrow
After Ironhide awoke from his vision, Megatron's Decepticons were captured, and neutral Cybertronians began returning home. Unfortunately they didn't like having the Autobots in charge and started a riot which Ironhide had to help beat down. The Death of Optimus Prime The mysterious rebirth of Cybertron had also made the planet's terrain alive and very hostile, so Ironhide spent his time testing how far from civilization he could get before being forced to turn back. The Autonomy Lesson He was present during the memorial service for the crew of the Lost Light, a ship captained by Rodimus which seemingly exploded on launch. The World & Everything in It
Ironhide and Wheeljack later constructed a rocket to lead a mysterious explosion to detonate harmlessly off planet. Stick Together Ironhide greeted Sky-Byte back to Cybertron and learned of his old rival's defection from Decepticons and departure from the Great War. During Ironhide's tour, the Autobot filled Sky-Byte in on recent events, resulting in Sky-Byte becoming suspicious of the Autobots' motives. Ironhide suggested he go see if the Decepticons were any better, but when that resulted in Sky-Byte being captured with Needlenose and in danger of being lynched by an angry mob, Ironhide calmed the crowd by telling them they needed to pursue a peaceful future of equality between Autobot and Decepticon and. The next day, Prowl questioned Ironhide about how his actions had led to Bumblebee's deactivation of the I/D chips, so Ironhide told him of his vision of the future on Gorlam Prime where the war was long over and every other Autobot and Decepticon were dead. A Better Tomorrow
Realizing that everyone thought his circuits were a bit sizzled from that vision story, Ironhide decided he needed to get out of Iacon for a while and accepted a mission to search for the missing Aerialbots. Together with the Dinobots he traveled into the Cybertronian wilderness, where they discovered signs of battle and a strange signal that was messing with their minds, causing them to suspect Megatron was out there. He also told the Dinobots of his vision, which to his surprise they believed in, but expressed worry that the "Pax Cybertronia" he had witnessed was still made up of a universe conquered by the Cybertronians just like Megatron or Nova Prime had wanted. After they set up camp for the night, the Dinobots were driven crazy by the signal and turned on each other, with Ironhide caught in the middle. Dinobot Hunt While escaping, he discovered a recorded message left by Silverbolt, who revealed that the same thing had happened to the Aerialbots and warned that Ironhide's comrades would soon team up against him. Ironhide tracked down the source of the transmission, all the while fending off the combined attacks of the Dinobots, but what he found at the end wasn't the Aerialbots, but a combination of them calling itself Superion. Night and the City
With Ironhide, Superion and the Dinobots all in the same place, the mind-bending signal ceased to affect them and the Dinobots calmed down. Second Exodus As they made their way back to Iacon, Ironhide caught a news transmission in which Metalhawk tried to suppress the Decepticon riots breaking out in the city. The Verge They arrived just in time to witness Megatron gather his army and unleash Devastator in an attempt to conquer the planet once more. Before the Dawn While Superion challenged Devastator, Ironhide and the Dinobots took to the streets to do lead their fellow Autobots in the battle with the Decepticon forces. Plan for Everything After Superion failed, Ironhide took it upon himself to take down Devastator, whose head was now made up of a brainwashed Prowl. He belted the giant straight in the face and told him that his time in the wilderness had made him realize the future wasn't as set as his vision has made it seem—they could change themselves and change the future, and so could Prowl. His words reached his fellow Autobot, enabling him to remove himself from Devastator. The Autobots were able to defeat Megatron once again, but the NAILs had had enough of their war and, under Starscream's leadership, banished both factions from the city. Heavy Is the Head
Knowing the dangers of the wilderness, Ironhide questioned Starscream's decision, but like most Autobots he relented with the knowledge that staying would only cause more conflicts. Soon after they set up camp, he had to break up a fight between Arcee and their surprising new allies, the Constructicons. Worried that the signal that drove the Dinobots into their frenzy and created Superion might still be active and able to affect lone Transformers during the night, he then tried talk Arcee into being more of a team player. Second Exodus As a light lit up on the horizon, the Autobots went to investigate and got front row seats to witness the arrival of Shockwave's Necrotitan. Dark Dawn Confused, Ironhide and the others could do little but point their guns at the giant at the mysterious, immobile giant and wait for something to happen. Black Metal The standoff was interrupted by the arrival of Decepticons, but the ensuing battle was short as the Necrotitan unleashed a deadly energy wave, Winners & Losers causing damage on both sides but leaving a fortunate Ironhide unscathed. Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4
Putting their differences aside, the Autobots and Decepticons joined forces to stop Shockwave's plan to summon Nova Prime and Galvatron from the Dead Universe. Ironhide was charged with preventing the ancient Transformers' transition through a portal in Megatron's chest, and was able to beat Nova back into the Dead Universe before the Necrotitan struck. Injured in the attack, he was carried to safety by Megatron before the Decepticon leader got ambushed by Galvatron. Finest Hour The Autobots returned to Iacon to defend the city from the advancing Necrotitan, but their efforts had no effect and Ironhide and Arcee ended up caught in an explosion. Burning Bright They turned out to be fine and met up with the rest of the Cybertronians, including the returning crew of the Lost Light, to celebrate the Necrotitan's defeat at the hands of Metroplex. The Becoming Their troubles didn't end there though, as Shockwave summoned an army of Ammonites to keep Autobots and Decepticons from interfering with his master plan, forcing Ironhide and his comrades back into battle. Black Planet Once Shockwave was finally defeated, Ironhide witnessed the emergence of Megatron as an Autobot. ...And the Damage Done
Ironhide attended the trial for the surrendered Megatron at Raskol Arena, Towards Peace where he witnessed a group of Decepticons unsuccessfully attempt to free their leader. Predestination: A Beginner's Guide After the trial was over, Ironhide remained on Cybertron to keep an eye on Starscream and aid Cityspeaker Windblade in taking care of Metroplex. Hello Cruel World
As it turned out, Shockwave's machinations had led to the destruction of Gorlam Prime, contradicting Ironhide's vision of the future and shaking the conviction he had in it. He spent the next six months wandering the insides of the ancient Metroplex in hopes of finding answers to what it all meant. Because of his intimate knowledge of the city-bot's layout, Windblade went to him for help as she searched for the location of junction T134. A 'Bot and Her City Ironhide also assisted her by protecting Metroplex's brain in her absence and helping Chromia investigate an attempt at the Cityspeaker's life. Windblade #2 When Wheeljack recovered from injuries sustained during the battle of Iacon, Ironhide met him in the remains of the Crystal City and confided in him about feeling lost and uncertain about everything ever since his vision was proven untrue. Wheeljack tried to cheer him up by telling him no one knows what the future holds: that sense of uncertainty is just called "being alive". The World of Tomorrow
Notes
- The fact that the recovery of Ironhide was not actually shown in Devastation #6 was a bone of contention at the time. As a result, Nick Roche drew the sketch to the right as an "insert" for Spotlight: Cyclonus to "fix" it.[1]
- Guido Guidi would later cite the sketch as an "unintentional" influence for the way he drew Ironhide on Cover A of All Hail Megatron #4.[2]
