ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
SUB-GROUP: PRETENDER
FUNCTION: SIEGE WARRIOR

FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 40

“Those who stand against me shall soon fall before me!”

Profile: When Skullgrin dons his synthoplasmic outer shell, he becomes
a monster in more than just appearance alone! Where the robot Skullgrin is cold
and logical in his approach to warfare, the Pretender Skullgrin is a brutal,
uncontrollable engine of destruction who won’t stop attacking until everything
is destroyed (or someone manages to stop him). How and why is still a mystery,
but the theory is that his outer shell has a personality of its own, and when
Skullgrin is inside, he loses himself in it. The other Decepticons aren’t complaining,
though. It’s well known that Skullgrin tends to get somewhat distracted when
he’s on a mission or even in the middle of a pitched battle. Earth fascinates
him and he’s eager to sample the planet’s delights, even if it means neglecting
his duty. He’s also quite vain, liking attention. The Pretender Skullgrin is
usually quite the opposite. He won’t be stopped, won’t be frightened off, and
can’t be bargained with. When the job’s done, when all that remains of his foe
is a few metal scraps, that’s when he will stop. Because his intelligence is
somewhat limited in Pretender mode, Skullgrin is always eager to lead the charge
into battle – and he never, ever retreats. Needless to say, none of his fellow
Decepticons ever try to dissuade him from this course of action. After all,
as they say, there’s gotta be someone dumb enough to do it! At times, the Pretender
Skullgrin’s behavior becomes quite erratic, even for him, possibly as a result
of the two disparate personalities trying to interface on the same level. This
could account for the uncharacteristic lack of hostility and extreme vanity
he displayed when he briefly became a movie star. At times, there can be something
of a communication problem. When he’s in Pretender mode, Skullgrin often tends
to communicate in a series of snorts and snarls.

Abilities: In Pretender mode, Skullgrin wields a terrorizing slagmaker
carbine – its heat beam capable of melting metal up to four inches thick – and
a metal-rending vibro sword. The constantly changing energy field around the
sword means it can both cut and scramble circuits at the same time. His outer
shell is very strong, able to resist artillery hits, and it enhances his strength
tenfold. Out of his shell, Skullgrin transforms into a shrapnel-blasting assault
tank. He can fire energy beams or shells that explode in midair, firing deadly
shrapnel in all directions. As with all Pretenders, Skullgrin is able to mentally
control his outer shell when he is not in it, literally splitting himself into
two warriors.

Weaknesses: Skullgrin has hardly any weak points when he’s in his outer
shell. His only real weaknesses stem from his lack of intelligence. Not only
is it sometimes hard for him to make himself understood, but he sometimes gets
so carried away in the heat of the battle that he’s as much a danger to his
fellow Decepticons as he is to his enemies.