ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
FUNCTION: CITY COMMANDER
FIRST APPEARANCE: THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE # 1

“Consistency is victory.”

Profile: Ultra Magnus is all soldier. He is most comfortable
when he is carrying out Optimus Prime’s orders – giving it all of his magnificent
fighting skills, courage and gift for battlefield improvisation. And he is uncomfortable
when the mantle of leadership is placed over his broad shoulders. He sees himself
as a follower, not a commander, and is reluctant to assume authority until it
is clear that he has no choice but to lead. And when he does finally lead, he
is resolute, fair and courageous beyond reproach. He is ever-ready to sacrifice
himself for the good of his companions and mission, and unstinting in his preparedness
so that his “people” will be as protected as possible.

Abilities: Ultra Magnus carries missile launchers capable
of hitting a target 30 miles away.

ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
FUNCTION: DECEPTICON AEROSPACE COMMANDER
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 1

“Conquest is made of the ashes of one’s enemies.”

Profile: Starscream makes no secret of his ambition to overthrow
Megatron as Decepticon Leader. He is ruthless, cold-blooded and cruel. In that
sense the two rivals are very much alike. But he has a vain side that clearly
distinguishes him. He considers himself the most sophisticated and handsome
of the Decepticons. He exudes a high-class, urbane air that provides a certain
irony to his murderous tendencies. He looks down at Megatron for being antiquated
in his military strategy. Starscream believes the Decepticons should rely more
on guile and speed rather than brute, destructive force to defeat the Autobots.
Megatron overlooks the potential threat Starscream represents for one very good
reason: Starscream is very good at his job.

Abilities: Starscream is one of the fastest flyers of the
Decepticons, reaching speeds up to Mach 2.8. He can climb to sub-orbital altitudes
of 52 miles and nose-dive down to near ground level in mere minutes. This makes
him particularly effective in surprise attacks and hit-and-run actions. He can
shoot cluster bombs a distance of 40 miles, each of which can level an area
10,000 feet square. His null-ray rifle can interrupt the flow of electricity
in any circuitry it hits for periods of up to two minutes, effectively preventing
the operation of many machines dependent on those circuits during that period.

Weaknesses: Starscream overrates himself sometimes, and finds
himself in situations that are more than he can handle. His nose-dives often
overload his gyro-circuitry leaving him disoriented briefly. But, overall, he
is a very tough nut to crack.

ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
SUB-GROUP: STUNTICON
FUNCTION: SCOUT

FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 22

“Keep your optical sensor to yourself.”

Profile: When Breakdown is in his car mode, he thinks everyone else
is staring at him. Not just living creatures such as other Transformers and
humans, but humans’ cars, stoplights… anything mechanical. Heavy traffic can
be a particularly nerve-wrecking experience for him. His circuits sometimes
get so overloaded with worry that he even stalls out. The root of his concerns
is that someone will see him for what he really is – an alien on a strange world.
Despite his earthly disguise, Breakdown is constantly aware that underneath
the hood he is different, and the thought haunts him. He’d be happier if he
were a human – that way he feels he could just anonymously fit in anywhere and
be in a better position to help conquer the Earth!

Abilities: The rumbling vibration produced by Breakdown’s engine while
he’s in car mode can cause mechanical failures in other vehicles. He can travel
at speeds of up to 220 mph. In robot mode, he uses a weapon of a similar nature
– a concussion cannon – to get the same results, except with the cannon he’s
better able to target his prey, and the effects are more devastating. He combines
with his fellow Stunticons to form the giant robot, Menasor.

Weaknesses: Often Breakdown’s extreme self-consciousness negatively
affects his performance, particularly in his role as a scout in which he must
venture into numerous tension-producing situations. He also suffers from his
own mechanical problems – a sometimes leaky fuel pump in both car and robot
modes that can grind him to a halt.

ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
SUB-GROUP: TARGETMASTER
HUMAN COMPONENT: PEACEMAKER

FUNCTION: TARGETMASTER LEADER
FIRST APPEARANCE: HEADMASTERS # 1 (Pointblank), HEADMASTERS # 4 (Peacemaker)

“Be brief of speech and long on action.”

Profile: Pointblank knows the horrors of war all too well. He’s fought
in one for millions of years. Whatever romance or glory it once held for him
has long since vanished… as has the cheerful adventurer he once was. Today,
Pointblank is a somber, no-nonsense soldier whose every utterance creaks with
weariness. He joined Fortress Maximus’s recent expedition to the planet Nebulos
hoping to find peace. Instead, the war followed him and his fellow Autobots
to their sanctuary. Pointblank came to the bitter realization that he could
not hope to escape the war, he could only help to end it. Now he fights on,
more determined than ever to defeat the Decepticons… and more convinced that
an end to the war is nowhere in sight. But he’s fairly quiet about his pessimistic
outlook. “Words are what got us into this mess in the first place,”
he grumbles. “They do more harm than weapons.”

Pointblank’s disposition improved a bit when he was paired with Peacemaker,
a Nebulan law enforcement officer whose optimistic attitude is almost contagious.
But so far Pointblank has displayed immunity to the Nebulan’s best efforts to
cheer him. Pointblank appreciates the attempt, but disapproves of the source.
Although he understands the reasons behind the Autobot-Nebulan alliance, he
does not accept them. The thought of spreading the war to another planet and
people is anathema to the dour Autobot. Despite this, Peacemaker enjoys the
challenge of loosening up his partner. He is a very patient man who believes
that a positive outlook ultimately leads to success. And, as the partner of
the sullen Pointblank, he’s learned that patience is more than a virtue… it’s
a necessity.

Abilities: Peacemaker is bio-engineered to transform into a stereophonic
sonic blaster. His maximum power output is an audio module-shattering 160 decibels,
enough to splinter a cubic yard of solid steel into shrapnel. Pointblank can
transform into a rocket-powered ground vehicle, with a maximum speed of 320
mph and a range of 800 miles. In both robot and vehicle modes, Pointblank can
wield weapon mode Peacemaker.

Weaknesses: Pointblank is prone to tire blow outs at high speeds in
vehicle mode. In weapon mode, Peacemaker sometimes comes loose from his moorings
on vehicle mode Pointblank.

ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
SUB-GROUP: INSECTICON
FUNCTION: PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 17

“The mind is my playpen!”

Profile: Whether it refers to a robot’s or a human’s, Bombshell’s credo carries the same awful meaning – once he sinks his stinger into someone’s head, it’s unlikely that that someone will ever think for himself again. His ability to turn foes into helpless accomplices makes this Insecticon one of Decepticon Leader Megatron’s favorites. And Bombshell’s interest in his victim doesn’t end with mere control of his mind: Given his cruel sense or humor, Bombshell finds nothing more entertaining than to have his unwilling followers perform embarrassing and debasing acts, an amusement he eagerly shares with his evil comrades.

Abilities: In his insect form, Bombshell is particularly adept at using his tiny size to infiltrate human populations. He then uses his stinger to inject a tiny “cerebro-shell” into a human’s head. The micro-circuited device travels through the blood until it reaches the brain, whereupon it opens up and releases tens of thousands of connecting wires. The wires coil around nearby neural dendrites until the brain’s conscious functions are effectively rerouted through the cerebro-shell, which puts the mind of the victim under the remote control of Bombshell. He has a flying range of 5.7 miles in this form. In his larger robot form, Bombshell’s stinger is used in much the same way against other robots’ high-function mental circuitry. The major difference is that once the stinger is pressed against the metal casing of a victim’s head, the small laser torches on the side of the stinger rotate rapidly to carve a small hole in the casing, allowing the stinger to inject a cerebro-shell. He also carries a head-mounted mortar that can throw a 50-pound explosive shell 8 miles with very good accuracy.

Weaknesses: Successful removal of one of Bombshell’s cerebro-shells allows its possessor to use it against him by sending false signals back to him. Some tougher metals are impervious to his laser torches. Often, Bombshell will make the mistake of playing with his victim rather than paying more attention to more important matters, such as an Autobot assault.

ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
FUNCTION: WARRIOR
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 1

“Strike first, strike fast, strike hard.”

Profile: “Let me at ’em” is Cliffjumper’s usual response when
the Autobots embark on a mission. His eagerness and daring have no equal among
the Autobots. Optimus Prime knows this gung-ho trait is an expression of Cliffjumper’s
burning desire for vengeance on the Decepticons. Although he takes his work
very seriously, Cliffjumper is full of good-natured bravado while he’s doing
it. He doesn’t actively dislike Earth, but he considers its rough, uneven terrain
a hindrance to his effectiveness, and too often is carelessly destructive. Often
he is on the receiving end of a lecture from Optimus on caution and the protection
of Earthen property.

Abilities: Cliffjumper is one of the fastest of the Autobots, in his
automobile mode, and he makes a particularly effective target for drawing fire
away from other Autobots, a job he relishes and seldom gets hurt doing. He can
fire projectiles filled with what he calls “glass gas.” On impact,
this gas disrupts the microscopic crystalline structure of most metals, temporarily
making the metal as brittle as common glass.

Weaknesses: Cliffjumper is prone to literal blow-outs in his automobile
mode. He accelerates so quickly and recklessly that he is sometimes disabled
before he goes 50 yards. His overeagerness can often lead him into dangerous
situations that he’s not prepared to handle. And sometimes, if the wind is blowing
toward him, he can fall victim to his own glass gas.

ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
FUNCTION: DECEPTICON LEADER
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 1

“Everything is fodder.”

Profile: Love, compassion, mercy are words that have no meaning for Megatron. He has risen to the leadership of the Decepticons by a combination of brute strength, military cunning, ruthlessness, and terror. On Cybertron he was commanding general in charge of all military operations against the Autobots,
who referred to him as “The Slag-Maker.” It was a title of fear. A title of respect. A title Megatron relished. His banishment to Earth has only made him more bitter and more evil-minded, if that is possible. He aches to return to Cybertron and complete his mission of eradicating the Autobots. But while on Earth he is dedicated to eliminating those Autobots marooned here with him – and his plans go far beyond that. He realizes the Earth is one huge stockpile of metal and fuel resources and means to possess it all, with the aid of his fellow Decepticons. But his plans go even further, plans so grandiose even his fellow Decepticons are unaware: Megatron intends to enslave the entire human race. He allows no exceptions to his motto.

Abilities: Megatron is incredibly powerful and intelligent, the equal of Autobot Leader Optimus Prime. His fusion cannon can convert any small amount of matter into large quantities of explosive nuclear energy. The cannon can fire a blast up to 12 miles and release enough energy to flatten a small town. Megatron can use his internal circuitry to connect the cannon interdimensionally with a black hole, where it can draw on anti-matter as its power source. The blast from this is far greater, but it creates a tremendous strain on Megatron to do this for even one blast.

Weaknesses: Megatron has no known weaknesses.