Monster Pretenders
Encyclopedia
The Monster Pretenders are a group of fictional Decepticon
s in the Transformers franchise. The team is the last of the traditional combiners from the Generation 1 series and is one of the few non-Micromaster combiner teams to have six members (the others being the Breastforce, Constructicons
, Multiforce
, Seacons
, and the Trainbots).
Outside of their Pretender shells
, the team combines
to form Monstructor.
appearance in issue #67 of the US comic, appearing as soldiers of Galvatron
in a nightmare alternate future where Unicron
had destroyed Cybertron and Galvatron had conquered Earth. While they believed the ranting Galvatron was insane, they were unwilling to confront his power. While searching the ruins of New York City
for surviving Autobots, Icepick was destroyed by a human booby trap. They did not appear again in the main storyline.
's Ultracons
faction in the third War Within series from Dreamwave Productions
.
. Coming to Earth with Bludgeon
to take it for themselves, they were shot down and made a deal with the serpent cult Cobra-La
to save their own lives, receiving their shells in the process. Cobra-La used them to attack the ship containing the Autobots on Earth, slipping past their defenses because of their shells and disabling Prowl
, Skids
and Sideswipe. Recalled to Tibet
to deal with a G.I. Joe incursion, the team formed Monstructor, beating the Joes back because of its life-draining field. However, having battled Decepticons before, the Joes were able to call on the Laser squad, who destroyed Monstructor by focusing fire on his head. The Monster Pretenders were last seen plummeting into the snow unconscious. With the eventual defeat of Cobra-La and Unicron
their fate beyond this is unknown.
's The Transformers: Spotlight issue featuring Optimus Prime
. The story explains that they are the first combiner, an experiment of Jhiaxus
from the distant past. The combination process was flawed however, and turned the group evil. When Nova Prime
and Jhiaxus disappeared, Omega Supreme
put them in a dimensionally displaced prison. They eventually escaped and sought revenge against Omega. As Monstructor, they nearly destroyed him, along with Optimus Prime until Prime took advantage of a weak connection point, separating Monstructor and knocking the group out. Prime put the group in the care of Jetfire to try and cure their condition.
In the follow-up Spotlight issue on Arcee
Jetfire
's efforts to rehabilitate them had proven unsuccessful. The penal facility in which they were imprisoned was then attacked by the Combaticons
, acting on behalf of Banzai-Tron, who successfully took the six Monstructor components for the Decepticons. Banzai-Tron did not have long to enjoy his success, as his facility was attacked by the forces of the Dead Universe, who freed Monstructor. His creator then installed a neural implant which made him little more than a drone, defending the Nega-Core on Rotan. He was last seen being attacked by Banzai-Tron's forces shortly before Arcee severed his control (The Transformers: Revelation
).
His fate is unknown, but in The Transformers: All Hail Megatron, set a year after the events of Revelation
, the Constructicons
are able to combine into Devastator, implying that the Monstructor Six again fell into Decepticon hands and were studied in order to reproduce the combiner technology.
Note: the group does not have Pretender shells in this continuity, nor are they Decepticons, having been imprisoned before the Great War.
, appeared in the Japan-exclusive series Transformers: Victory.
Decepticon
The Decepticons are usually depicted as the antagonists in the fictional universes of the Transformers stoyline and related comics and cartoons, and the enemies of the Autobots and the University of California Davis Aggies...
s in the Transformers franchise. The team is the last of the traditional combiners from the Generation 1 series and is one of the few non-Micromaster combiner teams to have six members (the others being the Breastforce, Constructicons
Constructicons
right|thumb|Scavenger, Bonecrusher, Longhaul, Scrapper & Mixmaster - five of the original six Constructicons The Constructicons are a group of fictional characters from the various Transformers continuities...
, Multiforce
Multiforce
-Transformers: Generation 1:It is composed of:* Dash - Sun Power* Mach - Space Assault - Moon Power* Tacker - Fire Power* Tackle - Situation Analyst - Earth Power* Waver - Water Power...
, Seacons
Seacons
This article is about the Transformers characters the Seacons. For the shopping mall, see Seacon Square. For the 1961 Worldcon in Seattle, Washington, Seacon, see 19th World Science Fiction Convention...
, and the Trainbots).
Transformers: Generation 1
Members
- Birdbrain: the team's aerial specialist, with advanced scanning equipment to pick up his prey.
- Bristleback: a bitter, twisted Decepticon. He only has his shell as he rusts in Earth's atmosphere, and lost his agility because of it. This means he will take out his frustrations on anything at hand.
- IcepickIcepick (Transformers)Icepick is the name of three fictional characters from the Transformers universe; all of which are Decepticons.-Transformers: Generation 1:Icepick is Decepticon Monster Pretender. He forms a leg of the combiner Monstructor...
: the team leader. Enjoys destroying things to make way for even more spectacular constructs in the future. - Scowl: armed with a lethal array of sonic weapons, he took on his shell primarily to create a more intimidating appearance.
- Slog: an artist, he views the AutobotAutobotAutobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...
wrecks he makes as combat art in action. - Wildfly: utterly sadistic and destruction orientated, he will destroy anything to amuse himself, and will always go for the most base, violent course of action in any situation.
Outside of their Pretender shells
Pretenders (Transformers)
Pretenders is a subline within the Transformers toy line, introduced in 1988. The concept behind the toy was that the Transformers were capable of disguising their robotic forms through the use of synthetic organic outer shells.-Cloudburst:...
, the team combines
Transformers technology
The Transformers have several technology beyond the ability to transform between two or three forms, the Transformers series have introduced additional forms of technology.-Combiner Technology:...
to form Monstructor.
Marvel Comics
The Monster Pretenders made their only Marvel ComicsMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
appearance in issue #67 of the US comic, appearing as soldiers of Galvatron
Galvatron
Galvatron is the name of several fictional Transformers, most often the recreated version of Megatron, the Decepticon leader. He was voiced by Leonard Nimoy in the 1986 Transformers movie, and then by Frank Welker in season 3 and 4 of the animated television series. Since then, other Transformers...
in a nightmare alternate future where Unicron
Unicron
Unicron is a fictional character from the Transformers universe and toyline. Created by Floro Dery, he was introduced in the 1986 animated film The Transformers: The Movie as the film's main antagonist. Unicron is a prodigiously large robot whose scale reaches planetary proportions, and he is also...
had destroyed Cybertron and Galvatron had conquered Earth. While they believed the ranting Galvatron was insane, they were unwilling to confront his power. While searching the ruins of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for surviving Autobots, Icepick was destroyed by a human booby trap. They did not appear again in the main storyline.
Dreamwave Productions
Birdbrain was a member of RatbatRatbat
Ratbat is the name of several fictional characters who appeared in various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:As is the case with many Transformers characters, the various continuities in which Ratbat has appeared have portrayed him widely differently in terms of size, personality,...
's Ultracons
Ultracons
right|thumb|Ratbat and his Ultracons Ransack and Venom.The Ultracons are a fictional subfaction of Decepticon Transformers commanded by Ratbat in the Dreamwave comics.-History:...
faction in the third War Within series from Dreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions was a Canadian art design studio and comic book publisher founded in 1996 and is best known for their multiple Transformers comic book series...
.
Devil's Due Publishing
The Monster Pretenders appeared again in the fourth G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers crossover from Devil's Due PublishingDevil's Due Publishing
Devil's Due Publishing is an independent comic book publishers in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned properties that populate its monthly comic book series and graphic novels.Though...
. Coming to Earth with Bludgeon
Bludgeon (Transformers)
Bludgeon is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. For trademark reasons, he is now marketed by Hasbro as Decepticon Bludgeon. They are all Decepticon warriors who turn into tanks.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
to take it for themselves, they were shot down and made a deal with the serpent cult Cobra-La
Cobra-La
Cobra-La is a fictional civilization created by Hasbro for the military-themed toyline and TV series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. Introduced to the public in G.I. Joe: The Movie and the 1987 series of action figures, Cobra-La was created as a reference to James Hilton's Lost Horizon, and the...
to save their own lives, receiving their shells in the process. Cobra-La used them to attack the ship containing the Autobots on Earth, slipping past their defenses because of their shells and disabling Prowl
Prowl (Transformers)
Prowl is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers series. "Prowl" is one of the most re-used American names in the assorted Transformers series, and its use has become almost synonymous with Autobots who possess a police car alternate mode...
, Skids
Skids (Transformers)
Skids is the name used for four characters in the Transformers Universes. Due to trademark reasons, the name was modified to "Skid-Z" for it to be used on new characters and an "Autobot" prefix was added when the original Skids toy was reissued and when he became an Alternator.-Transformers:...
and Sideswipe. Recalled to Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
to deal with a G.I. Joe incursion, the team formed Monstructor, beating the Joes back because of its life-draining field. However, having battled Decepticons before, the Joes were able to call on the Laser squad, who destroyed Monstructor by focusing fire on his head. The Monster Pretenders were last seen plummeting into the snow unconscious. With the eventual defeat of Cobra-La and Unicron
Unicron
Unicron is a fictional character from the Transformers universe and toyline. Created by Floro Dery, he was introduced in the 1986 animated film The Transformers: The Movie as the film's main antagonist. Unicron is a prodigiously large robot whose scale reaches planetary proportions, and he is also...
their fate beyond this is unknown.
IDW Publishing
The Monster Pretenders made their debut in IDW PublishingIDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
's The Transformers: Spotlight issue featuring Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
. The story explains that they are the first combiner, an experiment of Jhiaxus
Jhiaxus
Jhiaxus is a fictional character in the Transformers universes. He is an evil Decepticon jet.-Transformers: Generation 2:Unlike most of the notable characters in the Transformers comics, Jhiaxus is not based on a toy...
from the distant past. The combination process was flawed however, and turned the group evil. When Nova Prime
Nemesis Prime
Nemesis Prime is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers storyline. He is often depicted as an evil incarnation of Optimus Prime.-Transformers: Armada:...
and Jhiaxus disappeared, Omega Supreme
Omega Supreme
Omega Supreme is the name of a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. He is always an Autobot and is often depicted as a gigantic transformer with vast strength and/or overwhelming firepower.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
put them in a dimensionally displaced prison. They eventually escaped and sought revenge against Omega. As Monstructor, they nearly destroyed him, along with Optimus Prime until Prime took advantage of a weak connection point, separating Monstructor and knocking the group out. Prime put the group in the care of Jetfire to try and cure their condition.
In the follow-up Spotlight issue on Arcee
Arcee
Arcee is the name of a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. She is a female Autobot, usually pink in color. Being the most famous of the Female Transformers, she has two primary forms...
Jetfire
Jetfire
Jetfire is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers universes. He is nearly always depicted as an Autobot with jet or space shuttle alternate mode.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
's efforts to rehabilitate them had proven unsuccessful. The penal facility in which they were imprisoned was then attacked by the Combaticons
Combaticons
The Combaticons are a group of Decepticon military vehicles in the assorted fictional universes of the Transformers.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
, acting on behalf of Banzai-Tron, who successfully took the six Monstructor components for the Decepticons. Banzai-Tron did not have long to enjoy his success, as his facility was attacked by the forces of the Dead Universe, who freed Monstructor. His creator then installed a neural implant which made him little more than a drone, defending the Nega-Core on Rotan. He was last seen being attacked by Banzai-Tron's forces shortly before Arcee severed his control (The Transformers: Revelation
The Transformers: Revelation
The Transformers: Revelation is a comic book miniseries, published by IDW Publishing, based on the Generation One Transformers and following on from The Transformers: Devastation...
).
His fate is unknown, but in The Transformers: All Hail Megatron, set a year after the events of Revelation
The Transformers: Revelation
The Transformers: Revelation is a comic book miniseries, published by IDW Publishing, based on the Generation One Transformers and following on from The Transformers: Devastation...
, the Constructicons
Constructicons
right|thumb|Scavenger, Bonecrusher, Longhaul, Scrapper & Mixmaster - five of the original six Constructicons The Constructicons are a group of fictional characters from the various Transformers continuities...
are able to combine into Devastator, implying that the Monstructor Six again fell into Decepticon hands and were studied in order to reproduce the combiner technology.
Note: the group does not have Pretender shells in this continuity, nor are they Decepticons, having been imprisoned before the Great War.
Transformers: Victory
While the Monster Pretenders never appeared in any of the animated series, the remolded versions of their toys, known as DinoforceDinoforce
The Dinoforce, also known as kyoryu sentai in Japan, was a group of Decepticon Pretenders under the command of Deszaras. Unique to the Dinoforce is their Pretender shells sentience; when the members of the Dinoforce are not merged with their Pretender shells, the shells can think and act on their...
, appeared in the Japan-exclusive series Transformers: Victory.