Decepticon

Related Topics:
Decepticons

The Decepticons (known as Destrons or on occasion Deathtrons in Japan) are the enemies of the Autobots, and the villains in the fictional universe of the Transformers toyline and related spin-off comics and cartoons. Their best known leader is Megatron.

Other terms for the Decepticons are Décepticons (in France), Distructors (in Italy), and Bedragarna (in Sweden).

Cartoon

In the original animated series continuity, the Decepticons owe their warlike ways to their faction's origin as military hardware robots, created by the five-faced aliens, the Quintessons, while the Autobots were designed as consumer goods. Following the rebellion that forced the Quintessons off the planet, the Decepticons - as they named themselves - lusting for power, began a civil war. The Autobots could not hope to match the superior firepower and battlefield powers of the Decepticons, and instead turned to stealth, developing the art of transformation, modifying their bodies so that they could assume other forms. With this additional power, the Autobots were able to win - the conflict, and a period of peace began, known as the Golden Age of Cybertron, when energy was plentiful and the planet shone with a golden hue.

However, a viper lurked within this paradise. Working in secret, the Decepticons also developed transformation technology, along with new robot-mode flight powers, and, under the command of one of the first of this new breed, Megatron, they attacked one of the capital's outer cities, killing the current Autobot leader. This act was not made public knowledge, however, and younger robots continued to idolise these powerful new flying robots - until one such young robot, Orion Pax, was duped by Megatron into allowing him access to an energy storage facility. Megatron turned on Pax and fatally injured him, but the ancient Autobot, Alpha Trion, then rebuilt Pax into the first of a new, battle-hardy breed of Autobot - now, he was Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, who led them against Megatron and the Decepticons as the civil war erupted once more.

By the Earth year 2005, however, the Decepticons had succeeded in completely conquering Cybertron, but the attack by Unicron, coupled with the temporary loss of Galvatron (a reconstructed Megatron) in that same year shattered their forces, allowing the Autobots to reclaim their home planet and rout their foes. The Decepticons fled to the planet Chaar, a world of ash and ruin, where they struggled to survive until Galvatron returned to them and reorganised them into a fighting force, battling to take back Cybertron.

The Decepticon faction logo as seen in the cartoon series is slightly different than its appearance in every other incarnation of the Transformers. There is an extra spire on the "forehead" of the symbol (resulting in the "forehead" having three spires instead of the usual two).

Marvel comic continuity

In the Marvel comic continuity, it was established that the Decepticons came out of the gladiator pits on Cybertron. Early on, the Decepticons had numerous leaders as its leadership was constantly changing due to Decepticons constantly killing their leaders so that they could replace them. It would not be until a lowly Decepticon affiliated gladiator named Megatron assumed the throne that the Decepticons became a true threat to the rest of the population of Cybertron.

While Megatron was the primary leader, other Decepticons had prominent roles as leaders of the group. Shockwave, Scorponok, Bludgeon, and Ratbat all led the Decepticons, often overthrowing Megatron in the process or taking over the group during the period when Megatron was believed dead.

In the G2 Marvel series (which continues from the G1 Marvel series), it is stated that the Decepticon forces on Cybertron underwent a massive split in the wake of Megatron's disappearance when Megatron, Optimus Prime, and their respective troops crashed on Earth. The smartest, strongest, and most intelligent Decepticons left Cybertron to colonize nearby galaxies, leaving a token leadership of overly cruel and duplicitous Decepticons to control Cybertron. These Decepticons who left their homeworld became "The Second Generation" Decepticons, who were led by the villainous Liege Maximo.

Dreamwave comic continuity

While keeping with the Marvel continuity that states that the Transformers evolve from the will of Primus (a godlike figure whose material body is Cybertron itself), Dreamwave has the Decepticons be more of a militia-type group that ultimately gains control over Cybertron through a coup staged against the ruling body of Transformers. Dreamwave has Megatron as the true founder and leader of the Decepticons, with his army consisting of fellow like-minded Transformers and gladiator-type Transformers who were modified against their will to serve as Megatron's army of minions.

Megatron is at the center of the Decepticon movement, leading with an iron fist and the use of violence against any Decepticon who dares to question Megatron's leadership. However, not all Decepticons follow Megatron. One of which, Shockwave, ultimately takes over when Megatron is presumed dead. Shockwave attempts to make peace with the Autobots but is stopped by a combination of Starscream and Megatron, who upon his return to Cybertron goes about enslaving the entire Autobot population of Cybertron as slave labor with help from an army of mindless "Seeker" drones. The details of this massive victory were to be the plot of "The War Within III" but due to Dreamwave Comics going out of business, the series ended as a small group of Autobots lead by Blaster escaped enslavement and began a rebellion against the Decepticons.

Ultimately, Megatron is overthown and is stranded on Earth with Optimus Prime and a small selection of Autobots. Shockwave resumes control over Cybertron as the entire planet and Transformers population entered the "Great Shutdown". Shockwave was the first to awaken after this lengthy period of deactivation and discovered shocking information about the Transformers species. Ultimately the rest of the Decepticons and Autobots woke up and with Shockwave's help, the two sides reconciled. However this was all a part of Shockwave's plans to turn the entire Transformers race into a war-mongering species. Shockwave revealed that Primus specifically built Transformers for two different purposes: warriors and domestic forces. The Decepticons, in Shockwave's mind, were built with the purpose of conquering worlds while the Autobots were built to defend conquered territories. Shockwave was defeated and left for dead when he sought to destroy Megatron and Optimus Prime. Since then, Megatron has reclaimed control over Cybertron's Decepticon forces.

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Decepticon

Cartoon

Marvel comic continuity

Dreamwave comic continuity

See also