An Amateur’s Analysis Blog About Fiction

Of the three modern Alien movies post Resurrection, Alien Romulus is probably my favorite. That’s not to say I didn’t really like Prometheus or Covenant, both being very effective sci-fi horror films while taking the Alien story in a different direction. And I won’t say that Alien Romulus is a perfect movie, where I’m not sure where director Fede Álvarez’s love for the franchise begins and the corporate grown nostalgia bait ends. (The comparisons to Force Awakens and Rogue One, while blunt, are not inaccurate) But I think Romulus manages to apply the central themes of the original alien movies in a way we haven’t seen before in a very well executed way. The result is a film that deals with being forced to mature in a brutal world and the consequences of that sudden maturity.

These main characters are the youngest that the franchise has given us, save for Newt. Each one is forced to work in the mines of a Weyland Yutani owned world, which drives them to risk breaking the law and stealing from an abandoned ship. Andy goes from a kind, dad-joke cracking little brother to a cold and priority focused android out of necessity. And then, of course, there’s the offspring. The final obsical our protagonist must overcome is a mutated creature that grows from an infant to a full sized adult in minutes.

Haven’t seen much analysis/review about this wonderful show, so I’m gonna do my best to highlight one of its best qualities.

The premise is a familiar one. Teenager Jentry Chau has supernatural fire powers that attracts demons from the underworld, her family members have secret pasts, all the while she just wants a normal life. Typical action/adventure/comedy stuff. That’s not what I’m here to talk about. Don’t get me wrong, the action sequences are top notch, the art and animation is gorgeous, and the comedy gets a lot of chuckles out of me. But its greatest achievement to me is the emotional theming and characters. The core meaning and lessons about complicated family dynamics.

I won’t go into spoilers here but these are messy, messy characters. They lie and tell half truths once caught in the lie. They try their best, and their best isn’t always good. They bicker, they take advantage of, and fail eachother. But the source of all that turmoil is a herculean love for their friends and family. I’m reminded of when I was told I was lactose intolerant by my amazing mom when I was young, only for her to say that she kept dairy away from me because of a (probably outdated) study that said autistic people get night terrors from dairy. A relatively harmless lie for me to have a better childhood, but some parental guardians tell more drastic lies. Many of us do what we think is best for our friends, our family, and ourselves despite the risks.

This is a continuation of a previous post I did involving the building block traits of what I think is an ideal hero. This one is about villains, obviously. Let’s get straight into it! Here’s a link to the related post https://www.tumblr.com/clean-casual-analysis/763960909856210944/building-my-ideal-hero)

Trait One: Evil Morality

The foundation of any villain is, of course, a villainous set of beliefs. We’re not just talking about the typical mustache twirling antics you see on cartoons. These are abhorrent, self-serving ideologies that the villain forces onto others, either out of sadistic joy or believing their own lies. This is Homeworld gems and the Diamonds from Steven Universe, upholding a rigid status quo just because that’s how it’s always been. It’s the Prophit of Truth from Halo, orchestrating the glassing of human worlds and the civil war against the elites just to stay on top of a religion he knows is false. For this section, I’m going with the tyrannical leader of the decepticons, Megatron.

There have been many different interpretations of Megatron with varying degrees of villainy. The more complex and even reformed/heroic depictions of him are certainly welcomed and appreciated, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have preference to the more black hearted versions of the warmongering gladiator. It’s that simple core philosophy he holds, peace through tyranny, that makes him so effective and enduring. He crushes weaker lifeforms, abuses and neglects his own soldiers, and despises weakness simply because he believes might makes right. Megatron believes that he’s owed total supremacy over everything simply because he’s the strongest. It’s that selfish belief that many Megatron’s have that makes him a good starting point for this list.

Trait Two: Nearly Unstoppable

Any good villain needs to be a formidable opponent to the hero. Conflict in a story is pointless is if the obstacles are easy to overcome, after all. So, let’s add a layer of toughness to our villain. These guys are those seemingly unstoppable foes that can’t seem to go down no matter what you throw at them. This categorizes most slasher movie villains that are nearly invincible to physical harm. But this is also army builders with both intimidating strength and dangerous levels of intellect, like Atriox from Halo and Sauron from Lord of the Rings. I wanted a singular entity and not an overlord to fill this slot, and I think this spot goes the galactic hunter knowns to most as the Predator.

While I think xenomorphs are the much scarier alien horror, their animalistic nature disqualified them from this villain list. But the Predator species definitely deserves it’s time in the spotlight. These hulking masters of technological poaching treat trophy hunting like a religion, pursuing the most dangerous prey they can find. Even without all the weapons and lethal gadgets at their disposal, their superhuman bodies make fighting them an impossible challenge. The protagonists of the Predator franchise need to outsmart these hunters, lay traps and take advantage of their over specializations, because taking them on with guns and muscle is just the fastest way possible to becoming another head on their wall.

Trait Three: Hatred

The next topping on our villain pizza is a healthy does of hatred. This ties back to the first trait of evil morality, but raw anger towards the big bad can help in getting the audience to root for the hero. A scummy personality and unpleasant attitude can go a long way. Kevin from Steven Universe is certainly not as big a bad guy as the main antagonists of the show, but his arrogance and girl chasing make him just about the most unlikable. Lord of the Rings gave us the slimy and corrupted likes of Dethenor and Wormtongue. Borderlands hit gold with Handsome Jack, a full-blown narcissist who heroic delusions and immature nature make him just the worst. But if there’s one entity that deserves to take this trait, It’s Weyland Yutani from the Alien franchise.

If I couldn’t put the xenomorph in this list, you can bet big that I’m putting in the sister antagonist of the Alien film series. It’s somewhat cheating for me to include a whole mega corporation in a single slot, but anyo one of Weyland Yutani’s representatives could fit the bill. These people don’t care who or what gets in their way, or that the whole of humanity is at risk when it comes to the Xenomorphs, they just care about how much money these planet dominating animals can make. With a cold and unfeeling desire to expand their corporate empire as well as an infuriating banality to their evil, it’s no wonder why Ellen Ripley can’t decide which group of monsters is worse.

Trait Four: Fear

So Far, we have a morally bankrupt villain whose easy to hate and nearly unstoppable. The next trait I’m looking for in my villain is fear. Fighting against something bigger and badder than you can be a terrifying prospect for anyone, but an unhinged personality or unique form of villainous action can amplify that terror tenfold. This is the Flood from Halo, a galaxy spanning zombie plague that is not only intelligent but poetic while it’s violently consuming all life. This is the various Ghostfaces of Scream, violent serial killers who stalk and taunt their victims. Heck, this is pretty much every horror themed bad guy worth their salt. The one that gives me the most chills is the 2020 version of the Invisible Man.

The modern interpretation of one of HG Wells’ many sci-fi stories, the Invisible Man is probably one of the best ways to remix a classic monster. While the original book and movie are about the selfish acts of using scientific advancement for yourself and the dangers of corrupting power respectfully, the 2020 movie taps in to a different fear all together. This Invisible Man brings on all the previous traits and wears them with pride; An abusive control freak who uses his wealth and knowledge to torment the one woman he couldn’t control. The way he goes about ruining this woman’s life and nearly gets away with it is so scary because there’s a level of uncanny realness to it. There are plenty of “invisible men out there who get away with way more than they should simply because they have more power than those that they torment. It’s that symbolic horror of a societal problem that makes this Invisible Man an outstanding villain.

Trait Five: Manipulation

The final trait the ideal villain needs is, in my opinion, the worst one of them all. That’s the willingness and expertise to manipulate others. One can argue that the trope of a secret villain reveal is overused in animated movies, but I think many can agree that nothing hurts more than misplaced faith. Seeing someone you trust and maybe even someone you like betray you and the ideals you thought they stood for can be devastating, and those that abuse that trust are at the top of the list of scumbag people. Some iterations of Megatron fit this bill, as well as the Invisible Man to an extent. Koba from the Planet of the Apes movies, The Beast from Over the Garden Wall, the list goes on. But if there’s one villain that best exemplifies all the traits that I listed, It’s Frank Fontaine from Bioshock.

Cinefix on YouTube had a unique form of top ten movie heroes/villains videos where, instead of typical ranking, they layer traits on top of one another until they get a character that exemplifies all those traits at once. Speaking from experience, it’s actually a fun way to analyze and determine what I view as heroic or villainous. It’s also a convenient way for me to put out a bunch of What A Character! posts at once. So, to start off, I’ll be going through five of my favorite fictional heroes.

Trait One: Good Morality

The first trait my ideal hero needs is a good sense of morals, to do the right thing even when it’s hard. On the one hand, this seems an obvious trait for a hero to have. On the other hand, more comedic/selfish anti heroes have gotten the spotlight a lot of the time too. I wanted a more archetypal character to lend us this trait and almost considered my favorite ninja turtle Leonardo. But if we’re going for a rock-solid foundation of heroic morality, there are few that can match Sonic the Hedgehog.

The world’s fastest freedom fighter and menace to dark gods and mustached mad scientists everywhere, Sonic is a great starting point for this list. He might be a little cocky and impulsive, but his core dedication to goodness characteristically speeds past those flaws. He fights against Doctor Robotnik, not just for thrills, but because he hates bad people ruling over innocents. A loyal friend to many and protector of those who can’t defend themselves, the blue blur rushes into impossible odds with a smirk on his face.

Second trait: Skills and Strength

Now that my ideal hero has a good moral compass, let’s give them the skills to fight for what’s right. This isn’t strictly combat skills, plenty of heroes don’t need to throw punch to save the day. Maybe It’s through miraculous dimension altering like Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite. Perhaps it’s the dozens of talents Bruce Wayne learned to be Batman. For this list, I’d be doing little kid me a disservice if I picked anyone else but Master Chief.

John-117 is the sci fi super soldier to end all super soldiers. He matches his genetically enhanced reflexes and strength with unparalleled skills in military combat. Hijacking vehicles, adapting to alien weaponry without fail, making a pistol look like a god gun, the legendary Spartan almost makes fighting off alien armies look easy. Add that to his character’s loyalty, his willingness to sacrifice for the greater good, and knack for inspiring others, and it’s clear why he’s a beloved icon.

Third trait: Forced into Heroism

Of course, not everyone has superhuman abilities or even want to be heroes in the first place. The next trait for my ideal hero belongs to the Everyman underdogs whose forced into heroism by forces beyond their control. This is the calamity trio of Amphibia, or most of the human characters in Transformers media. Horror movie protagonists are very often average people going up against unspeakable terrors, and no horror protagonist is quite better than my next pick, Ellen Ripley.

One of the many great details that made the first Alien movie stand out from other sci-fi greats was the working-class nature of its characters. This wasn’t a motley crew of misfits against a galactic empire or scientific explorers, this was a group of space truckers hauling fuel from one end of outer space to another. Even before they encounter the xenomorph, you get the sense that the corporation they’re working for is grinding them down. Ellen Ripley best represents that feeling, a no-nonsense blue-collar woman whose cautious fear turns into dire heroism when the perfect organism rears its head. When the human antagonists of the story talk about the benefits that the potentially world ending species could have for humanity, she gives exactly zero fucks. And despite her anger and fear, she’s still a kind person willing to put her life at risk for others.

Fourth trait: Tragedy

So far, we have a morally good character who’s forced into action but has the skills necessary to overcome the obstacles in their way. The next trait will add a layer of hardship to them. Tragedy isn’t a necessary trait for a hero to have, but the best ones are often the heroes who help because they know what it’s like to be helpless. The classic example is Peter Parker indirectly causing the death of his uncle, but I’m personally more another comic tragedy, Bruce Banner.

Exposed to gamma rays and turned into a rampaging monster known as the Hulk, Bruce Banner steers his alter ego into evil and hopes for the best. Intelligently good hearted as Bruce but unstably powerful as Hulk, the scientist’s struggle to control his emotions and heal from his trauma bring about the tragedy. The man’s own existence has the risk of spreading mass destruction at the rising of his heartbeat. Bruce’s determination to control his inner demons and conquer the tragedy that altered his life makes it clear why he’s the strongest there is.

Final trait: Empathy

Four traits down and we have a pretty solid hero in our midst. The last trait is arguably most important trait to me, the ability to empathize. These heroes don’t just settle for sending the bad guy to jail, they’re the ones who want a better future for everyone. This is iconic heroes like Optimus or Superman when they’re written at their best, but my choice for this this and all other traits discussed above is an obvious one. Steven Quartz Universe.

After reading @pricklythepear posts about the the classic seeker trio, I got inspired to write how I’d write Thundercracker. Consider him replacing Thunderblast’s position in my hypothetical TF series.

Before war broke out, Thundercracker had desired to become a writer. This humble ambition was put aside when he was inspired by Megatron’s words of might making right and that cybertronians should be the dominant force in the galaxy. Believing that his works of fiction would be admired by the many different races under decepticon rule, Thundercracker quickly joined up. Not long after, he discovered that he had the outlier ability to generate deafening sonic booms. With this ability, Thundercracker rose through the ranks as an intimidating and serious force to be reckoned with.

But as the war with the autobots dragged on and the decepticon atrocities started piling up, Thundercracker started losing faith in his cause. It’s here where Starscream took him under his command and promised that Megatron and those like him would face justice once he was in command. While he isn’t a fan of the air commander’s ego, Thundercracker does see him as a more competent leader and even a good friend.

When you think of the word antagonist, the first thing that comes to mind is a villain. This is completely natural, given that stories of good vs evil tend to follow a heroic protagonist fighting against an evil antagonist. But once you get into the definition of the word, a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something, moral alignment doesn’t dictate whether a character should be a protagonist or an antagonist. The most recognizable examples of this would be the likes of Invader Zim and Megamind, characters that are villainous in nature but are still the protagonists of their respective stories.

But villain protagonists and hero antagonists aren’t what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about the antagonists that aren’t entirely focused on, at least in the traditional sense. Antagonists that, despite being the source of conflict in the narrative, don’t actually show up a lot of the time. These antagonists, while characters in their own right, are more symbolic in nature. The protagonists of these stories aren’t just trying to defeat the antagonists, but the rotten philosophies that these antagonists have. The beliefs that push the antagonists to do their villainous acts.

White Diamond: Uniformity and the Status Quo

In the entirety of the original Steven Universe series, not counting the movie or SU Future, White Diamond appears in three episodes out of one hundred and sixty episodes. (Two if we don’t count White Pearl/Volleyball) That’s not even one percent of the series. In most series involving a good vs evil plot line, we usually switch perspectives between our heroes and villains to understand how they’re reacting to the events of the story. But SU is entirely told from Steven’s perspective. The audience only gets new information about gems, homeworld, Rose Quartz, etcetera, when Steven himself learns it. Because of this perspective, we don’t see the final antagonist of the series until the very end of the show.

But even though White Diamond is not present throughout the majority of the show, her homeworld subordinates and beliefs fill in the place of the hurdles that the protagonists must pass. Think about what the show is about and what lessons it teaches. Relationships are intricate and need mutual respect, being proud of who and what you are, and (most importantly) societal roles do not define you. The development of the main characters each involve acceptance of the self and bucking of what’s expected of them. Pearl fully moving on from Rose, Garnet improving her self-love, Amethyst fully accepting herself for what she is, Peridot’s disillusionment with Homeworld and growing appreciation for earth, Connie disobeying her mother’s strict rules, Steven slowly becoming someone better than even his own mother, I could go on. It’s honestly surprising, looking back, how most of the characters’ core issues stem from the lack of self-assurance and how homeworld views their flaws.

White Diamond and her Homeworld regime ultimately represent how systems put limits and stigma onto people for the sake of uniformity. The consequence of living inside your own head. A fusion cannot happen between two different gems, Pearls must be servants, Quartz gems must be big and strong, and Diamonds must be the perfect leaders. Why? Because that’s just what gems do. Because that’s how the system works. Homeworld’s status quo is one of creating an ever-expanding empire at the cost of independence, self-expression, unique lifeforms, and healthy relationships. The system can’t be wrong, White Diamond can’t be flawed, it’s how things have always been so why change what isn’t broken.

Sauron: Dominance and Corruption

While he has more screen presence and is a much more a significant part of the story of Lord of the Rings than White Diamond is to SU, the dark lord Sauron is similarly one small part of a larger tale. Heck, he doesn’t even have dialogue in the book trilogy. Also, like White Diamond, Sauron is best represented by his many underlings. Ruthless orcs with crude but effective weaponry, colossal beasts to crush his enemies underfoot, massive armies dedicated to the dark lord’s cause of dominating all life in Midde Earth. But what’s most notable about Sauron isn’t the great power he possesses or the armies he commands, it’s the way he corrupts and deceives those that stand against him.

The betrayal of Saruman the White, the nine Nazgûl once being great kings of men who were turned into terrible ringwraiths, and most notoriously, the enticing power of the one ring. Boromir, believing that Gondor can use this evil weapon for good. Smeagol, utterly degraded into a deceitful cave dwelling throttler named Gollum. Frodo, forced to carry a heavy burden that weighs him down both physically and mentally. To Sauron, the corruption of good is a weapon he wields with unmatched lethality.

The insidious nature of his villainy is what makes Sauron the great representative of dominance and corruption that he is. The promises of more enticing good people to do evil for the “right” reasons and the ruthless conquest for dominion over all is all too real an evil to ignore.

The Martians: Colonialism and Warfare

I debated with myself on whether or not the martians from War of the Worlds should be included here. Unlike Sauron or White Diamond, the martians are clear and present throughout the story. On the other hand, there isn’t a named martian general or a big bad that’s shown to lead the alien invaders into combat. In the end, the fact that the martians are made to purely represent the darkest parts of humanity outweighs the secondary theme of this essay.

One of, if not THE first alien invasion story, War of the Worlds messaging is clear and easy to understand. The tentacled beings from Mars are coldly intelligent, remorseless, and regard our world with envious eyes. They use human blood as sustenance when they aren’t vaporizing us by the hundreds, their tripods are horrific machines of mass destruction, and their invasion is one of slaughter and destruction. But the book is quick to remind us that humanity isn’t so morally innocent compared to the martians. The consumption of our blood seems horrific, but humans have also killed animals and each other for food and resources. Their tripods are colossal and terrifying, but humanity has made countless destructive war machines. The invaders are dead set on wiping out humanity, but humanity not only brought extinction to animals like the dodo bird but to entire groups of our own kind. The martians are not simply an alien invasion to fight back against, it’s a cautious look into our worst future. A humanity that prioritizes ruthless colonization and military might is a humanity doomed to be parasitic and heartless.

War of the Worlds also takes a critical view towards solving problems through warfare. Violence is sometimes needed to fight evil, but that does make violence a good thing. The action and battles in War of the Worlds are not thrilling or glorious, they are horrific and even bumbling to an extent. Much like the early British imperials that they represent, the martians are arrogant and only win because they have the better technology. Even the destruction of a tripod has severe consequences, a flaming wreckage falling into a lake and boiling the humans hiding there alive. There is nothing pride or goodness to found in destruction and death. Warfare and violence should be the last resort of those trying to survive, yet humanity and martians brandish their weapons without care or empathy for those beneath them.

The Truth, In-Fighting, and the Seemingly Insignificant

These antagonists all represent a morally dangerous part of humanity. The stubborn refusal to change a flawed status quo, the desire to dominate and corrupt those who don’t, needless conquest and bloody war. But despite all their power and influence, these philosophies that the villains believe in fail them in the end.

For White Diamond, her ultimate failure stems from the mortal enemy of all tyrannical systems: the truth. In the last episode of Steven Universe, White Diamond removes the gemstone from our protagonist’s body. Believing that the mischievous Pink Diamond is merely hiding in this human body, White seeks to end this silly game once and for all. But once the gemstone is removed, it does form into Pink Diamond or even Rose Quartz. It forms a bright pink Steven. In the final act of Change Your Mind, White Diamond is faced with reality and all its implications. This gemstone is Steven, it’s always been Steven. This half human is not the irrational or childish person, it’s White. The leader of Homeworld, the one who’s supposed to know all and make things better, is wrong. But in order to do that, she needs to leave her own head. One of the hardest things for a person to do is admit when they’re wrong, that their foundational beliefs holding up a status quo is deeply flawed and objectively false. But accepting that you were wrong, learning from and fixing your mistakes, and becoming something better than what you were before is the greatest reward anyone genuinely looking for redemption can ask for.

For Sauron, his victory over Middle Earth comes so close. Minas Tirith has been ravaged, the army of man outside the black gates are crumbling before his might, and the ring bearer has been corrupted. However, just when all hope is burned to ash, something unexpected happens. Gollum, the epitome of the corruptive power that the one ring possesses, attacks Frodo to get back his precious. Whether it’s through struggling with Frodo like in the movie or not paying attention like in the book, Gollum falls into the fires of Mount Doom with the ring in tow. In the movies, we’re told that the eye of Sauron can pierce through cloud and stone. Because of this detail, I personally wonder what was going through the dark lord’s mind as he watched Gollum plummet to his death. The one ring’s defense, Sauron’s greatest strength, corrupting others into fighting amongst each other, was what led to his ultimate downfall. This is not the first time something like this has happened. Think back to the orcs fighting amongst themselves, or when Wormtongue stabs Saruman in the back. Not to mention that the mercy of both Frodo and Bilbo is what led to Gollum reaching Mount Doom in the first place. Even with all his armies and power, Sauron underestimated the petty infighting amongst his followers and the little acts of kindness of his enemies. Even when the forces of darkness seemingly succeed, all they’ll have left is each other to destroy. As Frodo himself said in the Two Towers book, they can’t conquer forever.

For the martians, their demise comes outwardly from nowhere. Their Tripods fall silent and they all die due to sickness. The book states that the martians either never encountered bacteria like earth’s or they had wiped out all disease on Mars. In both scenarios, the martian’s belief in their untouchable superiority over earth led their death. As soon as their invasion started, they were doomed. War of the Worlds isn’t just a hard look at what humanity could become, but also a love letter to all types of life. Bacteria, the seemingly most insignificant part of our world, is our savior here. It is so, so easy to despise germs and how they make mankind ill. But they also decompose dead flesh, helps the human body digest food, and are just as vital to our world as so many other creatures’ humanity takes for granted. All forms of life has a place in this world and to undervalue, let alone actively want to eliminate, all of it is foolhardy and black-hearted.

For the final phase of my hypothetical Transformers series, the autobots and ascenticons have joined forces to stop the Unicron empowered decepticon empire. With a nearly bottomless supply of combat drones and an unquenchable thirst for conquest, the enemy will prove tough to defeat. The only hope for victory is gathering lost artifacts and weapons from the age of primes. And maybe the a few of the original thirteen as well. The majority of the story will focus on this galactic scavenger hunt, encountering factions and cybertronians of all shapes and sizes. All culminating in a final battle for Cybertron. I’d also include an epilogue miniseries of this hypothetical series to tie up any loose ends, like what happens to the Unicron Matrix and who’ll lead this new era of peace.

Here is the previous part:

The first act of phase two starts with the autobots having the advantage over the decepticons for the first time in years. Many top decepticons were killed by Nemesis, the lifeguard squadron is succeeding in its mission to save lives, and the ascenticons are wondering if an alliance with the autobots is needed to overthrow Megatron. But then, seemingly from nowhere, a group of highly skilled and unnaturally powerful cybertronians come to aid the decepticons. They’re secretive and seem to have an agenda of their own, but Megatron only cares that they choose to help him. It would be revealed that this group, who call themselves terracons, are servants of Unicron from the possible future known as the Age of Beast Machines. (See my lore post about that) The terrorcons have gone back in time to ensure that their fallen master has total victory in the past. But their plans are foiled by an unexpected arrival.

The second act is the arrival of the two groups Maximals and Predacons from the Age of Beast Machines. (The Axalon and the Darksyde) The two allied forces wish to stop the terrorcons before they alter history to the point of destruction of their timeline. Little do the bots and cons know, the two leaders of the maximals and predacons secretly plan on depowering/eliminating Unicron while he still slumbers, despite that potentially destroying their timeline. Once that deed is done, it wouldn’t be long before the predacons led by their Megatron betrayed the maximals and joined the decepticons. Using a secretly stolen data disk of history, the predacons try to prevent autobot victories before they happen. The maximals, led by Optimus Primal, aid the autobots in stopping the traitorous predacons.

The third act brings the entrance of a group of ancient cybertronians that once worked with Nova Prime. Their leader, Jhiaxus, presents a copy of the matrix. This copy has the capability of trapping and harnessing the full power of Unicron. Phase two ends on a cliffhanger, with Beast Megatron using this matrix to turn his namesake into Galvatron, create a vehicon army by the billions, and reformate the entirety of Cybertron into a mobile battleship for galactic conquest. The autobots and ascenticons must join forces if they hope to succeed.

The maximals that join the Lifeguard squadron: Given that most maximals on the Axalon are scientists and explorers, there isn’t much military might to go around. But at the request of Jazz, Optimus Primal offered what he could to what he believed to be a good cause.

Espianoge specialist and Axalon chef: Rattrap. The young chef turned spy in training isn’t a coward, he just doesn’t want to die. The only reason he joined the maximals is brecause his girlfriend, a scientist named Botanica, insisted that he use his skills to help others. As chef, he cooks meals for both cybertronians and organics alike. As an espionage specialist, his small size and talent with explosives make him indispensable. Cynical and disrespectful, Rattrap’s smart mouth attitude makes him hard to like. But when the chips are down, he shows dedication to the maximal cause of helping others.

Alt mode: Bio mechanical rat.

Inspiration: Beast Wars/Machines Rattrap

Notes: I love Rise of the Beasts, but Rattrap not being in it was a crime.

Bodyguard and warrior: Transmutate. Born among a group of unique warriors known as the fossilizers, Transmutate is a deadly combatant despite her timid nature. This is mostly due to her hypersonic scream ability, but she’s also handy with a club as well. Curious and kindhearted, the maximals were a perfect fit for Transmutate. While she has trouble socializing with her peers, her boundless cheer and surprising power are invaluable.

Alt mode: T-rex skeleton. (ala her Kingdom toy)

Inspiration: Beast Wars and Kingdom

Notes: Autism coding from collector’s club stories included!

Scout and tracker: Cybershark. While he has a reputation for being a lone wolf, this stems from his Cybershark’s love of thrill seeking than his willingness to be a team player. Brave, adventurous and good-humored, the swashbuckling shark has fought for freedom across hundreds of alien oceans. Cybershark’s greatest flaw is his lack of foresight, his love of adventure and battle often leading him to bite off more than he can chew. While he still has trouble working with a team, he values his crewmates more than anything.

Alt mode: Bio mechanical hammerhead shark.

Inspiration: Beast Wars toy bio.

Notes: Cybershark would have a pirate accent as well.

The predacons that join the ascenticons: The predacons of the Darksyde, radicalized or handpicked by (Beast) Megatron, are some of the most sadistic and cruel cybertronians from the age of beast machines. But a select few have not been completely swayed by their captain. Sensing an opportunity to better understand this new potential threat, Starscream quickly recruits these three into the ascenticons.

Pyro and warrior: Inferno. Born with a unique immunity to pain, Inferno is a cackling pyromaniac with no ambitions beyond serving a cause he sees as worthy. While he was initially thrilled to serve Beast Megatron on the darksyde, he’s not the blindly loyal peon most make him out to be. He’s critical of those that command him and his comrades and sees Megatron’s plans as self-serving and at the detriment of the whole of cybertronian kind. Finding new purpose and comradery in Starscream’s acenticons, Inferno is eager to burn and melt his enemies with a wicked grin on his face.

Alt mode: Bio mechanical ant.

Inspiration: Beast wars Inferno

Notes: Inferno has a verbal tick of calling his superiors Queen, no matter their gender.

Mechanic and reluctant warrior: Waspinator. The sulking and somewhat child-like predacon absolutely hates fighting, not because of any morale quandaries, but because of his rotten luck. Despite only signing on as a mechanic for the darksyde, he’s forced onto the battlefield at almost every opportunity due to his uniquely durable spark chamber. He’s been blown to bits and torn apart more times than he can count. Thoroughly sick of being a punching bag, he was all too grateful for a chance to join the ascenticons. While he much prefers repairing broken equipment, Waspinator is still a good shot with his stinger pistol.

Alt mode: Bio mechanical Wasp.

Inspiration: Beast Wars and 2021 comic Waspinator

Notes: I just wanna give this boy a happy ending where he isn’t constantly blown up or embarrassed.

Demolitions expert: Retrax. Joining the predacons was the biggest mistake of Retrax’s life. Although he came into the faction with wide eyes and a patriotic sense of duty, the sadistic and megalomaniacal crew of the darksyde turned him into an anxious and cowardly mess. Despite becoming a faint-hearted neurotic, he’s tries and succeeds greatly at his job. An expert in explosives, combined with a hardy shell and ability to dig tunnels, makes Retrax a force to be reckoned with once he works up the courage.

Alt mode: Bio mechanical pill bug.

Inspiration: Beast Wars Toy

Notes: I just think he’s neat.

Terrorcons: Heralds and worshipers of Unicron.

Leader and hunter: Darklaw. Equal parts menacing and mysterious, Darklaw is a fearsome hunter and leader of the terrorcons. His body is covered in the insignia badges of all that he’s killed, but his skills in combat prove his ferocity more then the badges ever could. Oozing with confidence, everyone who doesn’t know who he serves get the impression that he’s laughing at a punchline that the rest of them don’t get. Darklaw knows the power of Unicron makes him untouchable, and he’s willing to do whatever the chaos killer commands him to do.

Alt mode: Truck

Inspiration: Rise of the Beasts Scourge

Notes: We’d find out that this is future Scourge from the Beast Machines timeline where Unicron wipes out most of the galaxy. One of the climatic battles is between our Scourge and Darklaw.

Sabotage expert and warrior: Battletrap. Unrelenting and bloodthirsty, Battletrap relishes any opportunity to fight for his dark master. Once an unassuming Junkion, this heavily armored enforcer uses every dirty trick and morally bankrupt tactic to get the upper hand on his enemies. He especially loves to spread mines and trip wires across the battlefield. Whoever Battletrap was before becoming a herald for Unicron is long dead inside, replaced with a simple-minded and hate filled soldier.

Alt mode: Tow truck

Inspiration: Rise of the Beasts Battletrap

Notes: I’d add a bit of tragedy to him, showing what happens to an average guy when he succumbs to corruption and warfare.

Ninja Assassin: Nightbird. Before becoming one of Unicron’s heralds, Nightbird was a prototype robot built by an unknown alien race for the purpose of fighting cybertronians. Slightly haughty but usually silent, the assassin wastes no time when she sets her sights on her opponents. Deadly with a blade and as quiet as a whisper, most don’t see her attacks coming until it’s too late. With no previous life before Unicron claimed her, Nightbird’s loyalty and worship of the chaos killer is absolute.

Alt mode: Sports car

Inspiration: Rise of the Beast and G1 Nightbird

Notes: After Beast Megatron gets Unicron into a Matrix created by Jhiaxus, Nightbird has a crisis of faith. How could the dark god be contained and controlled like this? She eventually learns to think for herself and forge her own path.

Former underlings of Nova Prime: Infected by dark energon, Nova and some of his crew went into self-exile. These three scientists are all that remain. They resist the temptations of the chaos killer and work to subdue him once and for all.

Weapons engineer and commander: Jhiaxus. Once considered a close friend of Nova Prime and a passionate mind, dark energon has left Jhiaxus cold and stoic. Through sheer will and the aid of his assistant, Cloudcover, Jhiaxus is able to resist the dark urges that Unicron forces onto his team. With a raw hatred for the chaos killer and an unmatched sense of cybertronian pride, Jhiaxus plans on containing Unicron and focusing the chaos killer’s godlike power into a matrix of unimaginable power. Due to his belief the cybertronians were the most superior species in the galaxy, he chose to ally himself with both Megatrons.

Alt mode: Cybertronian Jet

Inspiration: G2 and bits of IDW Jhiaxus

Notes: A combination of amoral scientist Jhiaxus and stoic warrior holding back anger Jhiaxus. He’s also the creator of Battle Master technology, where minicons can upgrade themselves into weapons for larger bots to wield.

Chemist: Cloudcover. A medical and chemical expert of great renown, Cloudcover discovered how to best resist the whispers of Unicron and the right components to create a matrix. These discoveries caused the already arrogant bot to become a full-blown narcissist with a penchant for wise cracking. Despite his overconfidence, his skills in chemical warfare are subpar at best. The primary source of inspiration for the decepticon squad known as the rainmakers, Cloudcover relies heavily on long distance fighting and altering the terrain to his advantage with his concoctions.

Alt mode: Combat jet (retool of Starscream)

Inspiration: G2 Cloudcoveer and Beast Machines Jetstorm (personality wise)

Notes: I just like the legacy toy’s color scheme and to give Jhiaxus a main scientist to work with.

Mutation and Warrior: Toxitron. Born with a mutated body that leaks deadly acid, Toxitron was a lonely and self-hating nomad until a chance encounter with Nova Prime changed things. Through the guidance of the Prime and his friends, the acidic warrior learned to control his destructive power and use it for good. He owes Jhiaxus and Cloudcover everything, but he disagrees with their philosophy of cybertronian dominance over all life. While he struggles to control his anger and comes off as simple-minded, he’s a soft-hearted soul who wants to share the empathy that was given to him so long ago.

Alt Mode: Truck (retool of Optimus)

Inspiration: Most incarnations of Toxitron

The second part of this hypothetical TF series will be going over the various plots and characters. There’s nothing harder than picking a handful of transformers characters for your own personal continuity, but I hope I managed to get a good cast. First up is phase one. Also, here’s a link to the first part of this:

Phase One: Roll Out and Rise Up

The first phase of this TF series focuses on the battle for earth. After a devastating offensive by the decepticons (inspired by All Hail Megatron), cybertronians are a known presence to humanity and have sided with the autobots in protecting their world. But there’s more going on than simple good vs evil. The commanding lieutenants of both factions have created unique squadrons for their occupation on earth. The autobot squad’s primary goal is to defend and save as many lives on the battlefield as possible. The decepticon squad isn’t actually allied with Megatron but is secretly a breakaway faction that wants to end the war quickly and not sadistically draw it out. As the fight for earth goes on, (and character development happens) a third unknown group seems to be working behind the scenes. At the end of phase one, Optimus and Megatron appear for the first time and the intentions of the third group are revealed.

The Autobot Lifeguard Squadron: Created at the request of Optimus Prime himself, this squad is focused on saving autobot rather than killing decepticons. While the group does have its fair share of skilled warriors, their duty is one of strong defense and frontline aid.

Field Commander: Kup. One of the first cybertronians to emerge from the well of all sparks, Kup has seen nearly every conflict that Cybertron has gone through. Old age has definitely slowed him down and dulled his edges, but he’s still a seasoned veteran and expert strategist. After a recent traumatic event on a desolate planet, the usually cantankerous robot has taken a different approach to commanding. He’s much more forgiving to those turbo revving youngsters that always seem to get into trouble, even joking that he used to be the same way. Still an old coot in many ways, it isn’t long until the friendly bot starts rambling about an old war story or complains about an aching joint.

Alt mode: Old fashioned pickup truck

Inspiration: All preexisting Kups

Notes: This version of Kup would be more akin to a kindly grampa than a typical cranky old man.

Warrior and close combat specialist: Sunstreaker. Once a severe egotist with mild sociopathic tendencies, Sunstreaker had the audacity to challenge Megatron to a one-on-one duel. His resulting capture and subsequent torture had him reveal autobot intelligence that led to the invasion of earth. Humbled and deeply regretful, the soldier is now solely focused on fighting decepticons. While his close quarters combat skills are unmatched and driving skills are top tier, his depressive disposition takes a different kind of getting used to. Perhaps being assigned to a new squad will brighten his darkened spark.

Alt Mode: Sports car

Inspiration: G1 and IDW Sunsreaker

Notes: All Hail Megatron made Sunstreaker one of my favorite tragic characters, so I’d love to use him here.

Field Medic: Lifeline. A cool headed and mild-mannered medic. Autobots have no shortage of pacifists, but Lifeline just might be the staunchest in her beliefs. Her desire to preserve life is so great, she has given aid to decepticons on the battlefield. Such actions caused her dishonorable discharge, but she was reenlisted several years later due to deception high command putting a premium on killing autobot medics. While she doesn’t force her beliefs onto others, Lifeline will defend her right to save any and all those injured on the battlefield to the point of stubbornness.

Alt mode: Cybertronian rescue car

Inspiration: G1 Lifeline

Notes: With plenty of main character autobots eager to fight, here’s one who’s eager to heal and willing to look pass allegiances.

Weapons supervisor: Crosshairs. It’s Crosshairs job to maintain and provide basic weaponry to autobot soldiers, and it’s a job he does well. During the war for Cybertron, his old battalion ran out of ammo in the prolonged mission. Although the resulting failure and the deaths of his comrades affected him greatly, he still strives to be amiable and hard working. Meticulous and careful to a fault, he refuses to fire his weapon unless he’s absolutely sure that he’ll hit his target and not waste ammo. While this can make him somewhat of a liability on the battlefield, it also resulted in becoming a remarkable sharpshooter.

Alt mode: Delivery truck

Inspiration: G1 Crosshairs

Notes: Crosshairs isn’t an inventor like Wheeljack or Brainstorm, he just knows a lot about weapons and how they work.

Battle Master and engineer: Pinpointer. Because of the energon shortage and many of his friends needing to be put into stasis pods, Pinpointer has become irrationally afraid of wasting energy. From how often he transforms to how many words he says in a sentence, each action is calculated to use as little energy as possible. His stoic and business-like attitude can come off as rude, but Crosshairs does understand where the minicon’s coming from.

Alt mode: Blaster with grenade launcher attachment.

Inspiration: G1 Pinpointer

Notes: Something about tiny transformers becoming weapons for other transformers to wield is a fun gimmick to me.

Warrior and explosives expert: Warpath. Despite his relatively young age, Warpath has made a name for himself as a gifted and deadly soldier. Boastful and confident, this noisy tank loves to drive headfirst into the action and has taken to warfare with seemingly unnatural gusto. While his bragging can get on his teammate’s nerves, his raw skill and good-natured attitude are admired for good reason. Before the war, Warpath tried out for the gladiatorial pits of Kaon. The pits needed a new heel and forced the persona of an abusive jail warden onto him. Left unsatisfied with the mean-spirited role he was given, Warpath vowed to live life truthfully and live it loudly.

Alt mode: Tank

Inspiration: G1 and WFC Warpath (While taking a jab at Animated Warpath)

Notes: I just really like Warpath.

Autobot Lieutenants of earth: The ones in charge of defending earth.

Spec ops commander: Jazz. Talented spy, closest friend to Optimus Prime, and just about the coolest bot you’ve ever met. Upbeat and outgoing, it’s borderline impossible not to like Jazz after meeting him. While spec ops require tough decisions to be made and dirty deeds to be done, he takes to it with style and grace. He’s always eager to learn about organics and has taken a particular liking to human cultures.

Alt mode: Race car

Inspiration: Most incarnations of Jazz

Notes: While I won’t list human characters, they’d definitely be part of my continuity. Jazz would be the main cybertronian that they would interact with.

Communications officer and war broadcaster: Blaster. On the galactic airwaves, Blaster is a loud and proud autobot with a love of all things musical. His radio show is all about trumpeting patriotic victories against the decepticons and providing unique beats from across the stars. This hip and happening bot, however, is an exaggerated persona to boost soldier morale. Blaster’s still a friendly guy with a deep passion for music, but he also takes the war very seriously. When forced into fighting alongside his minicon partners, he’s as stoic and grim as any hardened soldier dedicated to stopping insurmountable evil.

Alt mode: Boombox

Inspiration: G1 and IDW/Marvel comics

Notes: Really liked the idea in IDW where Blaster’s over the top personality in G1 is a persona put on to conceal a more serious person like in the Marvel comic.

Military commander: Elita One. Once a manual laborer by the name of Ariel, temporarily holding the matrix of leadership for a damaged Optimus Prime made herself into a prime. Whether it’s through combat exercises or a friendly game of cube, the adrenaline hungry Elita strives to be the best in everything she takes part in. While this drive to push herself and others can make her seem needlessly competitive at best and snobbishly perfectionistic at worst, her dedication and belief in the autobot cause makes her an inspirational leader. Of course, being Optimus’ girlfriend helps your social standing as well.

Alt Mode: Muscle Car

Inspiration: Earthspark and G1

Notes: I’m a vanilla oplita shipper and there was no way I wasn’t going to include her.

Starscream’s Ascenticons: After realizing that the decepticon cause was more about killing autobots rather than creating a new cybertronian empire, Starscream got to work on creating a secret sub faction. The underground ascenticons are dedicated to the original vision of their movement, cybertronian pride and militaristic cooperation with other species. Focused and determined, the future uprising against Megatron and other cruel decepticons is steadily growing in number.

Field commander: Hailstorm. Unlike most heavy hitting decepticons, Hailstorm has a a good deal of brains to go with his brawn. The surprisingly humble and no-nonsense sergeant has an optic for detail and adaptability to changing circumstances that rivals the best tacticians Cybertron has to offer. The thing stopping him from rising through the decepticon ranks? He’s a lousy fighter. His aim with a blaster is nonexistent and his hand-to-hand fighting skills substandard at best. His only effective attack is long range strikes using homing missles. Thankfully, Starscream doesn’t care if Hailstorm can’t win a fight personally just as long as his squad does it for him.

Alt mode: Anti-aircraft rocket vehicle

Inspiration: Hunt the Deceptions toyline Hailstorm

Notes: Hailstorm was one of the first toys I bought with my own money, so this obscure toy-only character has a soft spot for me.

Medical officer and biologist: Scalpel. Expert medics for the decepticons are few in number, and decepticon scientists that aren’t cruel experimenters are even fewer. Because of this, you’ll find the egotistical Scalpel often ranting about how under-appreciated he is. Since there’s not many decepticons with genuine medical training, he’s invented small drones of himself to simultaneously repair allies and sabotage autobots on the battlefield. The most unsettling part of his behavior is that he collects small scraps and paint chips of those that he and his drones have healed, but that’s mostly just to show off how he saved the lives of legendary decepticon warriors. While Scalpel’s high-strung and prone to anger, the minicon’s medical knowledge of both mechanical and organic beings is unparalleled.

Alt Mode: Microscope

Inspiration: Bayverse and TFA

Notes: Scalpel would show off how little the decepticons care for medically treating their soldiers and how most decepticon scientists are mad doctors. He finds scientists that just create bioweapons and war machines to be an insult to his true medical genius.

Political negotiator and assassin: Shatter. Before the war, Shatter was an upper class cybertronian who owned a chain of high society clubs called ‘Crimson Delight’. Most of these clubs were situated in Crystal City before it was decimated by years of conflict. Shatter was already a member of the decepticons during this time, acting as both negotiator and soldier. Once Cybertron went dark and the war started to spread across the galaxy, Shatter really began to flex her smooth-talking and charismatic personality. She takes great delight in manipulating politicians and mercenaries, both cybertronian and organic alike, into distrusting the autobots. But that job’s getting harder to do with organic life forms, all thanks to Megatron’s contempt for any being not made of metal becoming more visible as time goes on. While she enjoys twisting the knife in her enemies and verbally teasing her flawed allies, she knows when to separate business from pleasure.

Alt mode: Combat jet

Inspiration: Bumblebee movie

Notes: Shatter and Dropkick would not be triple changers in this continuity, mostly out of simplifying the visual designs.

Warrior and air combat specialist: Dropkick. At first glance, Dropkick seems like the typical deception goon eager for a fight. This thirst for battle doesn’t stem from sadism or a desire for glory, but from a melancholy mood and quickness to boredom. Physical activity, from combat to sports, seems to be the only stimulant that can bring joy and excitement out of him. Outside of these activities, he’s sullen and broody. A dirty brawler and a vicious aerialist, Dropkick is a pure and uncomplicated soldier in an army of reckless and unstable warriors.

Alt mode: Attack helicopter

Inspiration: Bumblebee movie

Notes: Dropkick would form a friendship with Shatter as she shows him different hobbies outside of hitting things.

Warrior and sword specialist: Bludgeon. Former Mayhem Attack Squadron member and practitioner cybertronian mystic arts, Bludgeon’s reputation as a merciless and bloodthirsty swordsman made him the furthest thing from a potential ascenticon member. Thousands of years ago, however, he deserted from the decepticons and went into deep space. His self-exile was to look for a way to destroy entire worlds, believing that planetary sacrifices would mystically revive Cybertron after the allspark was lost. When Bludgeon returned from this quest, he was almost a completely different bot. Why not a socialite before, he was more aloof and meditative than ever before. When asked about his former quest, he solemnly replied that the destruction of worlds would bring more harm than good. The swordsman also took up the ancient art of Metallikato, focusing the raw power of one’s spark into increasing the natural speed of the user to deliver devastatingly fast blows. Metallikato also comes with a strict code of honor; never strike down those who cannot or refuse to defend themselves. Given that most decepticons flatten defenseless species under their boot heels, Bludgeon’s recruitment to the ascenticons was inevitable. Though he has mellowed, he’s still a vicious warrior whose skill seems to defy what’s natural.

Alt mode: Tank

Inspiration: IDW and Cyberverse

Notes: We’d find out that during his mad quest for planetary destruction, Bludgeon would get infected with dark energon. A slumbering Unicron whispers in his ear promises of becoming one of his great heralds and plagues his thoughts with visions of the destruction that the chaos killer will bring once he returns to full power. Knowing Unicron is a corruptive being that feeds off of the hatred and conflict of cybertronians, Bludgeon vowed to resist his dark desires and replace his bloodlust with the honor bound fighting style of metallikato.

Scout and tracker: Scourge. An ancient cybertronian of great renown, Scourge has seen a good number of great leaders fall to corruption and pride. He knows not to speak ill of the decepticon leader, but he knows that Megatron is going down a similar path. He tried to explain his doubts to his partner, Cyclonus,but the warrior’s cybertronian pride blinded him to the decepticon cause’s faults. His wavering loyalty thankfully hasn’t dulled his skills as a scout and sniper. Scourge is an expert tracker and gifted huntsman, relentless in taking down fleeing autobots. Outside of combat, he’s surprisingly well-mannered and studious. He’s got a great interest in studying history, cybertronian or otherwise, especially about the rise and fall of civilizations or empires. If necessity hadn’t made him a Hunter throughout Cybertron’s many conflicts, he’d be a historian.

Alt mode: Cybertronian hovercraft

Inspiration: G1 and IDW comic

Notes: Outside of him sharing the name of Rise of the Beasts main antagonist (who we’ll also be getting to in phase two), the original Scourge hasn’t had a time in the spotlight like Cyclonus had with IDW. He’d have the personality of an old timey british hunter.

Leaders of the Acenticons: The main decepticons in charge of the breakaway faction who plot to overthrow Megatron.

Air commander and Ascenticon leader: Starscream. Once the assistant to scientist Jetfire turned lead senator of Vos, Starscream fully agreed with the ascenticon cause. But once Megatron took command and rebranded them as decepticons, his distaste for his new master and his love of violence grew. Now, the air commander plots to backstab the tyrant and reestablish the ascenticons into a better empire. Despite his “noble” pursuit of changing the decepticon cause from a genocidal dictatorship to militaristic one, Starscream is far from perfect. Egomaniacal and insecure, he’s often prone to outbursts of rage when he isn’t given respect. While the millions of years as second in command have honed his tactical skills, he’s still a coward at heart and will often call for retreat when he and his forces are out matched.

Alt Mode: Fighter Jet

Inspiration: Aligned/IDW/Earthspark

Notes: Starscream’s character development has him realize that his ego and angry outbursts towards failing subordinates makes him more like Megatron than he cares to admit.

Seeker drone commander: Skywarp. Because of his amazing ability of natural teleportation, Skywarp doesn’t seem to take anything seriously. Whether it’s a deadly combat situation or a serious debate over the ethics of warfare, the mean-spirited prankster will always give a smirk and a quip before teleporting away. The only reason he agreed to join Starscream’s sub faction is because he thinks pranking organics is more fun than obliterating them. While he’s not the brightest commander around, he directs his seeker armada with adequate efficiency with surprise ambushes and relentless attacks.

Alt mode: Fighter jet (recolor of Starscream)

Inspiration: IDW2

Notes: I was never attached to Skywarp as a character, but IDW2 made me really like the chaotic teleporter.

Ground drone commander: Thunderblast. The former naval commander craves power and fortune more than anything. Since Thunderblast lacks the raw strength and skills required to usurp others, she instead fawns and flirts over whoever’s the highest ranked bot in her vicinity. When this strategy sent her straight to the CR chamber when attempted on Megatron, Starscream was the obvious next choice. While the air commander finds her gold digging and flirtatious demeanor obnoxious, he sees that she isn’t an airheaded fool like others claim she is. She knows how to use autobot morality to her advantage, pretending to be unskilled as a tactition and helpless until the moment is right to strike. She’s an effective warior on land, but unrivaled when it comes to naval combat.

Alt mode: Cybertronian boat (retool of Scourge)

Inspiration: Unicron trilogy Thunderblast and G1 Starscream

Notes: While I never watched the unicron trilogy, I was introduced to this fun character through fan works. I just think she’s neat.

The third group: As phase one goes on, a third squadron is operating in the shadows with ominous intentions of creating a “secret weapon”. This third group is revealed to be a breakaway faction of autobots lead by the morally dubious Prowl, who’s willing to end the war no matter the cost.

Former Spec ops specialist: Prowl. Once a stern military advisor for Sentinel Prime and morally dubious Spec Ops commander of the autobots, Prowl was dishonorably discharged and sentenced to prison when it was found out that he was going to alter the mind of a well-respected commander (later revealed to be Kup) to tell dare devil mavericks to keep in line. After a surprise escape from his prison, Prowl has a new plan to end the war once and for all. A calculating and cold pragmatist that was once captured and tortured for hundreds of years during the war on cybertron, Prowl’s seen firsthand the cruelty that the decepticons have caused and believes Optimus’s restraint is a weakness. There’s no deed too rotten and no sacrifice he isn’t willing to commit if it means stopping the decepticons from winning.

Alt Mode: Police Car

Inspiration: IDW Prowl

Notes: The prime example of “not all autobots are good”, Prowl is a perfect character for morally grey depictions of the autobot/decepticon war.

Escape artist: Getaway. One of Prowl’s few loyal soldiers, Getaway fully agrees that the ends justify the means when it comes to defeating the decepticons. Unlike his cold and anti-social commander, however, he’s a smooth talker and uses his natural charisma to manipulate others into getting what he wants. A coolheaded escapologist without an equal, Getaway’s growing ego and delusions of grandeur are only matched by his satisfaction at a dirty job well done.

Alt Mode: Sports car

Inspiration: IDW and G1 Getaway

Notes: Unlike Prowl, who shows shreads of guilt over what he’s done, Getaway doesn’t care and even takes delight over manipulating people.

Former leader of the Wreckers: Impactor. Decepticon soldier, autobot wrecker, merciless killer. All titles have been applied to Impactor. One thing many don’t know about him is that he actually does feel guilty over the hard calls he’s made and amoral actions he had to do. After his most brutal crime, executing unarmed prisoners, he was content to rust in jailcell for the remainder of the war. Prowl, needing a capable bodyguard for his exploits, broke him out with Getaway’s aid. The two negotiated and manipulated Impactor into joining their team. While imbittered and reluctant about the situation, the harpoon handed autobot still hates decepticons more than anything.

Alt Mode: Cybertronian tank

Inspiration: IDW Impactor

Notes: Wreckers would be included in this story, but I already got my hands full writing a bunch of other stuff so that team will need to wait their turn.

Warrior and instructor: Arcee. Beloved by the autobots for her sharp wit and feared by decepticons for her ferocity in combat, former teacher Arcee is a hard bot to miss. The reasons for her dedication to her comrades and intensity towards her enemies is simple, the parental bot cares deeply towards those she’s attached to and hates seeing them in pain. Prowl knows how to take advantage of her need to protect her friends and has recruited her to be her primary eyes on the inside. The most morally upright of Prowl’s renegade autobots, Arcee naturally has her outraged objections towards him. But threats to her partner Greenlight and mentee Gauge quickly put her back in line.

Alt mode: Cybertronian rescue car (recolor of Lifeline)

Inspiration: Most incarnations of Arcee

Notes: Arcee’s complicated partnership with Prowl was interesting to me, so I wanted to include it here. We’d learn that Arcee knew Prowl before the decepticon war to an extent and understands that he’s doing the wrong things for the right reasons.

Scavenger and Battlemaster: Pteraxodon. Prowl’s oldest partner and only genuine friend, the astute Pteraxodon is a bot of few words. While his physical body prevents him from being an engineer, he has an eye for powerful tech and scavenges cybertronian bodies for useful tech. An equally cold autobot who believes in absolute punishment towards decepticons, the battlemaster fully agrees with Prowl and is willing to be the execution axe of all decepticons he encounters.

Alt mode: triple changing Blaster/Axe

Inspiration: Siege Pteraxodon and Prowl’s pet pterodactyl in IDW2

Notes: Prowl’s teammates thematically serves as extensions of himself. Getaway is his manipulation of others, Impactor is his willingness to do terrible things despite his guilt, Arcee is his inherent goodness ang genuine belief in the autobot cause for freedom, and Pteraxodon is his cold and unflexing desire to stop the decepticons.

Leaders of the autobots and decepticons. Also included here is Prowl’s secret weapon: Self-explanatory.

Autobot leader: Optimus Prime. If he wasn’t forced into the position of a military commander, Optimus Prime would happily go back to being an archivist/librarian for the Iacon hall of records. The latest and greatest matrix bearer (often described as the one prime to match the heroics of the original thirteen), Optimus prefers negotiating for peace rather than fighting for it. But when fighting must be done, few can match him. Above all other things, he prioritizes saving lives and defending the innocent. He is patient, a remarkable listener despite his social inelegance, and always kind. There are some who believe that he’s not using the matrix’s ability to call upon the experiences and knowledge of the previous primes to its full potential. If he were to cut loose and unleash his full might, the decepticons would be defeated in no time. But if that were to happen, he wouldn’t be Optimus Prime any more.

Alt Mode: Truck

Inspiration: Aligned, original bio and bits of Cyberverse Optimus

Notes: I never got around to finishing Cyberverse, but the episode where Optimus is nervous and unsure during a normal party and steps out to enjoy peace and quiet made me relate/love that version of the character. Sorry, Basketball-playing-G1-Optimus lovers, It’s full introverted and quiet Optimus for me.

Decepticon leader: Megatron. Gladiatorial champion turned warmongering “slag-maker”, the mighty Megatron is one of the cruelest warlords that Cybertron has ever known. A prideful tyrant with little regard for those beneath him, he believes that all things not cybertronian are fodder for his empire. As with many deceitful dictators, his lies are sprinkled with truths. Protoformed into the age of rust as another mining slave for the quintessons, Megatron’s belief that his kind must conquer the galaxy and assert dominance over all is a belief born out of fear. The fear that he will lose his freedom and the power he gained from fighting in the gladiator pits of Kaon. This insatiable hunger for power is reflected in his poor battle strategies, which include full frontal assaults and ramming battleships into space stations. It doesn’t matter how many of his soldiers die, so long as he is standing triumphant on top a mountain of corpses.

Alt mode: Cybertronian tank (ala the Siege toy)

Inspiration: Aligned (especially the wfc/foc games) and original bio Megatron

Notes: Starscream would be the main decepticon going through redemption here. Megatron, while having moments of sympathy, is the villain through and through.

Prowl’s secret weapon: Nemesis Prime. A clone of the autobot leader, commissioned by Prowl and created by a quintesson scientist named Deseeus. Using a copy of Optimus’s brain module, Prowl removed everything that he believed was holding the prime back from ending the war. The result is more devastating and horrific than he could’ve imagined. Nemesis is all the dark urges, angry thoughts, and built-up frustrations Optimus has gained from fighting a four-million-year war rolled into an unstable killing machine. Sadistic decepticons, amoral autobots, organic dictators, everyone and anyone Optimus privately hated will be given no mercy or empathy.

Alt mode: Truck (recolor of Optimus)

Inspiration: Most Nemesis Primes and Bayverse Optimus

Notes: The final arc of phase one will by a slasher story of Nemesis killing villainous people one by one across the galaxy. The rampage ends with Optimus slaying his dark counterpart and Prowl being taken prisoner, but there’s unease in the air. This monster was not an Optimus turned evil, but An Optimus who wasn’t strong enough to be gentle. The autobots who viewed their leader’s kindness and willingness to forgive as weaknesses are silent, and decepticons/ascenticons now see just how deadly the prime can be when it’s absolutely needed. Despite their disadvantages, the autobots are going to win this war because of Optimus.

One more thing to note. The drone soldiers: Reversed engineered from quintesson technology, clone drones are mass produced soldiers made of cheap metals and basic combat programing. Because of their lack of resources, autobot drones are few and far between while decepticon drones are boundless. While not nearly as skilled in fighting as regular cybertronians, the sparkless bots can still overwhelm their enemies and get the job done. Primarily inspired by the vehicons of Beast Machines and generic troops you fight in transformers video games.

Inspired by Tyrantisterror and his “how I’d ruin it” series, I’m doing one for Transformers. I’m gonna take this one step at a time, because I’m crazy about transformers and I got a lot of thoughts on what I would do if I had three phases of a comic book.

Part One: Lore