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Rumble (Transformers)
Encyclopedia
Rumble is a fictional character
in the Transformers universes
. In order to trademark the name, Hasbro
referred to the Alternators character as Decepticon Rumble.
toy line called Microman
. In cassette mode, the toy was able to fit inside the body of Cassetteman (who would later become Soundwave
). When the line was imported to the U.S. as Transformers, the toy was released in two different colors as different characters—Rumble and Frenzy
.
Rumble's colors changed over the course of Generation one, originally being red (leading to confusion as Frenzy was blue) in the original toyline and Marvel comics. The cartoon made Rumble the blue robot instead. Dreamwave comics, IDW comics, and even the recently-released Alternators toy all represented Rumble as a red robot. The Japanese dub of the original Transformers series switched Rumble and Frenzy's names around so that their cartoon appearances would match the colors of their toys.
His personality in both Marvel Comics and in the animated series was described as being a basic street punk. He was always ready for action and eagerly carried out Megatron's orders. He can cause earthquakes with his piston-like arms.
appearance would use Rumble's red color scheme. Because black coloring in those days usually involved darker inking and dark blues, Rumble ended up looking like a blue robot with red limbs. The same problem happened to Skywarp
, who looked almost identical to his cohort Thundercracker
because of it.
According Marvel's Transformers comics, Rumble and Frenzy are brothers. Rumble was one of the Decepticons that originally attacked the Ark
and subsequently crashed to Earth. Reconfigured into the Earth mode of a microcassette
, he participated in many of the early battles against the Autobots (even being defeated by a robo-suited Buster Witwicky at one point in the U.K. comics). Unfortunately, he accompanied Megatron in his raid against the Autobot base, summarily getting deactivated by Omega Supreme
along with Starscream
, Skywarp
, Thundercracker
, Frenzy
and Buzzsaw. It would be a while before Rumble was seen again, being freed in U.S. issue #41.
Although he was seen being deactivated by the Underbase-powered Starscream, Rumble would not appear again until the Transformers: Generation 2
series, where he, along with many of the original Decepticons, would be restored to prominence by Megatron's return. He would battle both the Autobots (taking out Hot Rod at one point) and Jhiaxus
' second generation Cybertronians. As he was not seen to be killed, it is assumed he survived.
, along with other cassette Decepticons Ravage
and Laserbeak
. Because of his coloration on the original cartoon, he is sometimes identified as Frenzy
, as the color schemes for Frenzy and Rumble were actually transposed.
Throughout the animated series Rumble was perceived as tough and full of firepower, but his fellow Decepticons, being much larger, were significantly more powerful. He gave the weaker Autobots, such as Hound
, Mirage
and Bumblebee
hard times on the battlefield, due to their lack of warrior-like capabilities, although in one episode, Hound beat the tar out of Rumble during a huge Autobots/Decepticons battle. Due to his small size and average intelligence, he displayed a Napoleon complex
and often tried to prove his loyalty to Soundwave and Megatron through tough talk and destructive tendencies.
Rumble debuted in the series opener "More Than Meets the Eye part 1", being used by Soundwave and Starscream
to destroy a power station with his piledriver arms, and later to cause a large wave that would allow the Decepticons to create energon cubes at a nearby dam. He battled and defeated Hound underwater, although the Autobot would get his revenge later on. Rumble appeared regularly throughout the series, although he rarely had major roles, and was usually called on to create tremors with his arms (such as in "Enter the Nightbird" or "Attack of the Autobots").
He was defeated by Sludge in "S.O.S. Dinobots" when his attempt at generating an earthquake was thwarted by Sludge's own.
One of Rumble's missiles damaged Red Alert
in "Auto-Berserk", plunging the Autobot into a paranoid stupor.
In the episode "Sea Change", Rumble was humiliatingly turned into a tree through magic.
He was sent by Megatron to steal the cars that would become the Stunticons in "The Key to Vector Sigma part 1".
One of Rumble's most prominent appearances was in the episode "A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court". Warpath, Hoist
and Spike were battling Starscream
, Ramjet
, Rumble and Ravage
in England
. Low on power, the Autobots and Decepticons discovered a magical stone formation called the Dragon Mound and were transported back to the year 543 AD. Although Starscream attempted to take over a castle and build a new empire with himself as lord, the help of local knights and a wizard refueled the Autobots, who defeated the Decepticons. After defeating a dragon who nested in the Dragon Mound the Autobots and Decepticons and returned to their own time where they rejoined the fight in modern day England. Here, Rumble ended up in a jousting
contest atop his "steed" Ramjet.
Rumble appeared in The Transformers: The Movie
, cutting off the Autobot communications alongside Frenzy, Ravage and Ratbat
, before battling their Autobot counterparts. During the leadership debate aboard Astrotrain
(after Megatron had been unceremoniously set adrift in space) Rumble and Frenzy were deployed when the Constructicons
insulted Soundwave's leadership ability (Rumble: "Hey! Nobody calls Soundwave un-crasamatic!" (uncharismatic)). When they tried to form into Devastator, Rumble and Frenzy used their piledriver arms to shake the giant into his component pieces.
Rumble also appeared during the beginning of the third season in "Five Faces of Darkness," but disappeared shortly thereafter.
Rumble was featured in the 1985 Find Your Fate Junior book called Dinobots Strike Back by Casey Todd.
Rumble was featured in the 1985 Transformers audio books Autobots' Lightning Strike and Laserbeak's Fury. In both these books illustrations he was depicted in toy accurate red and black colors.
Rumble appeared in the 1986 story and coloring book The Lost Treasure of Cybertron by Marvel Books.
and the Constructicons
.
In the third series, he and Frenzy inadvertently wrecked Shockwave's attempts to study the Seeker
clones that Megatron had used to conquer Cybertron.
When the Ark crashed to Earth in 1984, Rumble was among the Decepticons on board. Battling the Autobots repeatedly, they were eventually defeated by a combined human-Autobot alliance. They were to be taken back to Cybertron, but were sabotaged by rogue elements of the U.S. military, who wanted to build weapons using Transformers technology. Unable to do this, they began to control the Transformers themselves. Rumble was among the Transformers who briefly fell under the control of the terrorist, Lazarus.
Rumble would not appear until the second miniseries, War and Peace, when both sides were lured to the wilderness in Alaska
by a mysterious beacon. Both sides battled until the arrival of a force led by Shockwave
and Ultra Magnus
, who defeated Megatron and arrested all present as war criminals. Desperate to save their own necks, Frenzy and Rumble both joined up with Shockwave and were assigned by him to guard the badly damaged Megatron. They failed as Starscream was able to dump Megatron's body in space (reminiscent of his fate in the 1986 movie). They were then sent by Shockwave on a critical mission—reviving the Stunticons.
They were later co-opted by Starscream and headed to Earth with him, along with Soundwave, Skywarp
, Thundercracker
and the Combaticons
. They defeated most of the Autobots still on Earth, but were themselves attacked by Sunstorm
. After Starscream defeated him (with aid from the Autobots) he returned to his base to find Soundwave, Rumble and Frenzy acting oddly. The reason why would soon become clear—Megatron had returned, backed by the Predacons, and Soundwave had been taking orders from him all along. Any further tales of Rumble would never be told, as Dreamwave went bankrupt.
series, as one of the Decepticons allied with Cobra. Reconfigured with the alternate mode of a hand grenade, he was sent to help Cobra forces losing to Grimlock
and Roadblock
, quickly turning the tide of battle with his piledriver arms. He was defeated when Bumblebee
and Scarlett
were able to destroy his piledrivers with a hand grenade. Rumble was subsequently helpless when the ground around him, weakened by his earthquakes, collapsed into the sea. Not only does Rumble have an intense hatred of humans, calling them "meat", but he and Frenzy are described as brothers in this continuity as well.
, Rumble was one of the Decepticons discovered by Cobra in the Ark
, although they were reactivated later than the others. Frenzy was reprogrammed by Cobra Commander
to follow his orders. Destro
used a newly purchased Soundwave, Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, Laserbeak
and Ratbat
along with stolen Cybertronian technology to attack a military base—only to be ambushed by the newly formed G.I. Joe.
There is an interesting art error here. Rumble appears to get shot through the eye and killed while under Destro's command, yet he is among the Decepticons who break free next issue (and is clearly identified as Rumble by Soundwave). This leads to the possibility that it was intended to be Frenzy, not Rumble, who was killed, and an art error led to their color schemes being mixed up. In any case, Rumble would soon be killed, crushed by Storm Shadow
's S.N.A.K.E battlesuit while chasing Destro.
miniseries, introduced as an energon miner; he already has his piledriver arms here, presumably for mining. Captured by the guard of the Senator after Megatron's riot at the energon mine, Rumble and Frenzy convinced the unwilling Megatron to help them escape. Breaking free (as the guards didn't know about his piledrivers) and incapacitating the guards, the three fugitives took the ship underground, unaware they had attracted the attention of Sentinel Prime
. After getting involved in underground bloodsports in Kaon, Rumble and Frenzy have become awed by Megatron's violence and charisma, and have been shown as loyal acolytes staying by his side. After Soundwave
offered Megatron the use of advanced weaponry, Rumble and Frenzy were modified to be able to work with him.
, A sketch is shown involving two meteorologists stumbling upon Soundwave, but they cannot take the obsolete stereo serious as they take Rumble (in cassette mode) and mess around the film, killing Rumble.
did instead.
, Rumble appears in the Autobot campaign, where Optimus Prime and his team must defeat Soundwave to save Zeta Prime. Rumble is one of Soundwave's minions alongside Laserbeak and Frenzy. As a reference to the original G1 incarnation, he uses the catch phrase, "First we crack the shell, then we crack the nuts inside!" once ejected into battle.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Transformers universes
Transformers universes
is an entertainment franchise. It began with the Hasbro Transformers toy line, centered on two factions of warring alien robots which are called the Autobots and the Decepticons...
. In order to trademark the name, Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
referred to the Alternators character as Decepticon Rumble.
Transformers: Generation 1
The first toy for Rumble was originally released in an earlier TakaraTakara
Takara Co., Ltd. was a Japanese toy company founded in 1955, that merged with another prominent Japanese toy company, Tomy Co., Ltd., on March 1, 2006 to form Takara Tomy, also known in English as TOMY Company Ltd....
toy line called Microman
Microman
is a line of toys manufactured by Takara from 1974 to the present. Microman toys were originally imported to the United States by Mego Corporation as Micronauts until the company went bankrupt in 1982...
. In cassette mode, the toy was able to fit inside the body of Cassetteman (who would later become Soundwave
Soundwave (Transformers)
Soundwave is the name of several characters in the various series Transformers series. His most famous disguise is that of a microcassette recorder and has an iconic voice done by a vocoder.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
). When the line was imported to the U.S. as Transformers, the toy was released in two different colors as different characters—Rumble and Frenzy
Frenzy (Transformers)
Frenzy is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. Wired Magazine once nominated him as one 12 most ridiculous Transformers of all time.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
.
Rumble's colors changed over the course of Generation one, originally being red (leading to confusion as Frenzy was blue) in the original toyline and Marvel comics. The cartoon made Rumble the blue robot instead. Dreamwave comics, IDW comics, and even the recently-released Alternators toy all represented Rumble as a red robot. The Japanese dub of the original Transformers series switched Rumble and Frenzy's names around so that their cartoon appearances would match the colors of their toys.
His personality in both Marvel Comics and in the animated series was described as being a basic street punk. He was always ready for action and eagerly carried out Megatron's orders. He can cause earthquakes with his piston-like arms.
Reception
According to X-Entertainment Rumble was one of the cult icons Transformers cartoon, but often people confused his toy with that of Frenzy.Marvel Comics
Rumble's 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 would use Rumble's red color scheme. Because black coloring in those days usually involved darker inking and dark blues, Rumble ended up looking like a blue robot with red limbs. The same problem happened to Skywarp
Skywarp
Skywarp is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers toy line. He is usually depicted as a black or purple Decepticon jet with teleportation powers.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, who looked almost identical to his cohort Thundercracker
Thundercracker
Thundercracker is the name given to multiple fictional characters in the Transformers universes. Thundercracker is almost always depicted as a blue color Decepticon who turns into a jet fighter.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
because of it.
Ark (Transformers)
The Ark is an Autobot spacecraft in the Transformers Universe. It has appeared as a central fixture of the Transformers storyline ever since its creation, as the Autobots main method of transport to Earth and as a base once they arrive....
and subsequently crashed to Earth. Reconfigured into the Earth mode of a microcassette
Microcassette
A Microcassette is an audio storage medium introduced by Olympus in 1969. It uses the same width of magnetic tape as the Compact Cassette but in a much smaller container. By using thinner tape and half or a quarter the tape speed, microcassettes can offer comparable recording time to the compact...
, he participated in many of the early battles against the Autobots (even being defeated by a robo-suited Buster Witwicky at one point in the U.K. comics). Unfortunately, he accompanied Megatron in his raid against the Autobot base, summarily getting deactivated by 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:...
along with Starscream
Starscream (Transformers)
Starscream is a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. He is one of the most prolific characters in the Transformers fictional work, appearing in almost all incarnations of the story. Starscream is usually portrayed with the same characterization...
, Skywarp
Skywarp
Skywarp is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers toy line. He is usually depicted as a black or purple Decepticon jet with teleportation powers.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, Thundercracker
Thundercracker
Thundercracker is the name given to multiple fictional characters in the Transformers universes. Thundercracker is almost always depicted as a blue color Decepticon who turns into a jet fighter.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, Frenzy
Frenzy (Transformers)
Frenzy is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. Wired Magazine once nominated him as one 12 most ridiculous Transformers of all time.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and Buzzsaw. It would be a while before Rumble was seen again, being freed in U.S. issue #41.
Although he was seen being deactivated by the Underbase-powered Starscream, Rumble would not appear again until the Transformers: Generation 2
Transformers: Generation 2
Transformers: Generation 2 is the name used to refer to a Transformers toy line, television series and comic book series which ran from 1993-1995...
series, where he, along with many of the original Decepticons, would be restored to prominence by Megatron's return. He would battle both the Autobots (taking out Hot Rod at one point) and 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...
' second generation Cybertronians. As he was not seen to be killed, it is assumed he survived.
Animated series
Rumble is often partnered with SoundwaveSoundwave (Transformers)
Soundwave is the name of several characters in the various series Transformers series. His most famous disguise is that of a microcassette recorder and has an iconic voice done by a vocoder.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, along with other cassette Decepticons Ravage
Ravage (Transformers)
Ravage is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. Due to the inability to trademark the common word "ravage", he is sometimes called Battle Ravage, Command Ravage or Tripredacus Agent...
and Laserbeak
Laserbeak
Laserbeak is the name given to several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. He is almost always a mechanical bird, and is partnered with Soundwave.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
. Because of his coloration on the original cartoon, he is sometimes identified as Frenzy
Frenzy (Transformers)
Frenzy is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. Wired Magazine once nominated him as one 12 most ridiculous Transformers of all time.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, as the color schemes for Frenzy and Rumble were actually transposed.
Throughout the animated series Rumble was perceived as tough and full of firepower, but his fellow Decepticons, being much larger, were significantly more powerful. He gave the weaker Autobots, such as Hound
Hound (Transformers)
Hound is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. He is sometimes referred to as Autobot Hound for trademark purposes.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, Mirage
Mirage (Transformers)
Mirage is any of several distinct fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Mirage is one of the single most re-used names in the Transformers series, and is almost entirely synonymous with characters possessing Formula One racing car alternate modes.-Transformers Generation 1:Some...
and Bumblebee
Bumblebee (Transformers)
Bumblebee is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. In most incarnations, Bumblebee is a small, yellow Autobot with the altmode of a compact car.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
hard times on the battlefield, due to their lack of warrior-like capabilities, although in one episode, Hound beat the tar out of Rumble during a huge Autobots/Decepticons battle. Due to his small size and average intelligence, he displayed a Napoleon complex
Napoleon complex
Napoleon complex is an informal term describing an alleged type of inferiority complex which is said to affect some people, especially men, who are short in stature. The term is also used more generally to describe people who are driven by a perceived handicap to overcompensate in other aspects of...
and often tried to prove his loyalty to Soundwave and Megatron through tough talk and destructive tendencies.
Rumble debuted in the series opener "More Than Meets the Eye part 1", being used by Soundwave and Starscream
Starscream (Transformers)
Starscream is a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. He is one of the most prolific characters in the Transformers fictional work, appearing in almost all incarnations of the story. Starscream is usually portrayed with the same characterization...
to destroy a power station with his piledriver arms, and later to cause a large wave that would allow the Decepticons to create energon cubes at a nearby dam. He battled and defeated Hound underwater, although the Autobot would get his revenge later on. Rumble appeared regularly throughout the series, although he rarely had major roles, and was usually called on to create tremors with his arms (such as in "Enter the Nightbird" or "Attack of the Autobots").
He was defeated by Sludge in "S.O.S. Dinobots" when his attempt at generating an earthquake was thwarted by Sludge's own.
One of Rumble's missiles damaged Red Alert
Red Alert (Transformers)
Red Alert is the name of several characters in the various fictional Transformers universes.- Transformers Generation 1:Red Alert is the Autobot security director. He has enhanced senses and is usually depicted as a friend of the Autobot Inferno.- Marvel Comics :Red Alert did not appear in the U.S...
in "Auto-Berserk", plunging the Autobot into a paranoid stupor.
In the episode "Sea Change", Rumble was humiliatingly turned into a tree through magic.
He was sent by Megatron to steal the cars that would become the Stunticons in "The Key to Vector Sigma part 1".
One of Rumble's most prominent appearances was in the episode "A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court". Warpath, Hoist
Hoist (Transformers)
-Transformers: Generation 1:In the original Transformers toy line, Hoist is an Autobot who functions as a repairman for the team, keeping them to a tight maintenance schedule. Hoist is confident and sometimes rash, brave, tough and loyal. He transforms into a green tow truck...
and Spike were battling Starscream
Starscream (Transformers)
Starscream is a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. He is one of the most prolific characters in the Transformers fictional work, appearing in almost all incarnations of the story. Starscream is usually portrayed with the same characterization...
, Ramjet
Ramjet (Transformers)
Ramjet is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. All have been Decepticon aligned characters who turn into jets, usually white.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, Rumble and Ravage
Ravage (Transformers)
Ravage is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. Due to the inability to trademark the common word "ravage", he is sometimes called Battle Ravage, Command Ravage or Tripredacus Agent...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Low on power, the Autobots and Decepticons discovered a magical stone formation called the Dragon Mound and were transported back to the year 543 AD. Although Starscream attempted to take over a castle and build a new empire with himself as lord, the help of local knights and a wizard refueled the Autobots, who defeated the Decepticons. After defeating a dragon who nested in the Dragon Mound the Autobots and Decepticons and returned to their own time where they rejoined the fight in modern day England. Here, Rumble ended up in a jousting
Jousting
Jousting is a martial game or hastilude between two knights mounted on horses and using lances, often as part of a tournament.Jousting emerged in the High Middle Ages based on the military use of the lance by heavy cavalry. The first camels tournament was staged in 1066, but jousting itself did not...
contest atop his "steed" Ramjet.
Rumble appeared in The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986....
, cutting off the Autobot communications alongside Frenzy, Ravage and Ratbat
Ratbat
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,...
, before battling their Autobot counterparts. During the leadership debate aboard Astrotrain
Astrotrain
Astrotrain is the name of three fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. All are Decepticons who can assume the form of a space shuttle.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
(after Megatron had been unceremoniously set adrift in space) Rumble and Frenzy were deployed when 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...
insulted Soundwave's leadership ability (Rumble: "Hey! Nobody calls Soundwave un-crasamatic!" (uncharismatic)). When they tried to form into Devastator, Rumble and Frenzy used their piledriver arms to shake the giant into his component pieces.
Rumble also appeared during the beginning of the third season in "Five Faces of Darkness," but disappeared shortly thereafter.
Headmasters
In the Japanese anime Transformers Headmasters, Rumble made sporadic appearances along other cassettes. He was first seen in the fourth episode of Headmasters, just after Soundwave is re-built as Soundblaster.Books
Rumble was featured in the 1984 storybook The Great Car Rally by Dwight Jon Zimmerman.Rumble was featured in the 1985 Find Your Fate Junior book called Dinobots Strike Back by Casey Todd.
Rumble was featured in the 1985 Transformers audio books Autobots' Lightning Strike and Laserbeak's Fury. In both these books illustrations he was depicted in toy accurate red and black colors.
Rumble appeared in the 1986 story and coloring book The Lost Treasure of Cybertron by Marvel Books.
Dreamwave Productions
Rumble would first be seen in The War Within prequel series, defending Cybertron's planetary engines alongside ThrustThrust (Transformers)
Thrust is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. The original character was an evil red Decepticon jet, with most of the following character using the name Thrust being a variation on that concept...
and 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...
.
In the third series, he and Frenzy inadvertently wrecked Shockwave's attempts to study the Seeker
Seekers (Transformers)
Seekers is a term in the Transformers universe usually used to describe certain Decepticon warriors with jet transformations. For the character named Seeker see Seeker .-Origin of the term:...
clones that Megatron had used to conquer Cybertron.
When the Ark crashed to Earth in 1984, Rumble was among the Decepticons on board. Battling the Autobots repeatedly, they were eventually defeated by a combined human-Autobot alliance. They were to be taken back to Cybertron, but were sabotaged by rogue elements of the U.S. military, who wanted to build weapons using Transformers technology. Unable to do this, they began to control the Transformers themselves. Rumble was among the Transformers who briefly fell under the control of the terrorist, Lazarus.
Rumble would not appear until the second miniseries, War and Peace, when both sides were lured to the wilderness in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
by a mysterious beacon. Both sides battled until the arrival of a force led by Shockwave
Shockwave (Transformers)
Shockwave is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Throughout his incarnations, he is usually distinguished by a laser cannon in lieu of one of his hands and his distinctive face, which is featureless save a single robotic eye...
and Ultra Magnus
Ultra Magnus
Ultra Magnus is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers storylines.-Transformers: Generation 1:The greatest Transformer of them all. A commander could want no finer a soldier than Ultra Magnus...
, who defeated Megatron and arrested all present as war criminals. Desperate to save their own necks, Frenzy and Rumble both joined up with Shockwave and were assigned by him to guard the badly damaged Megatron. They failed as Starscream was able to dump Megatron's body in space (reminiscent of his fate in the 1986 movie). They were then sent by Shockwave on a critical mission—reviving the Stunticons.
They were later co-opted by Starscream and headed to Earth with him, along with Soundwave, Skywarp
Skywarp
Skywarp is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers toy line. He is usually depicted as a black or purple Decepticon jet with teleportation powers.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, Thundercracker
Thundercracker
Thundercracker is the name given to multiple fictional characters in the Transformers universes. Thundercracker is almost always depicted as a blue color Decepticon who turns into a jet fighter.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and the Combaticons
Combaticons
The Combaticons are a group of Decepticon military vehicles in the assorted fictional universes of the Transformers.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
. They defeated most of the Autobots still on Earth, but were themselves attacked by Sunstorm
Sunstorm (Transformers)
Sunstorm is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers universes. Sunstorm is always a Decepticon allied jet who is yellow or orange in color.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
. After Starscream defeated him (with aid from the Autobots) he returned to his base to find Soundwave, Rumble and Frenzy acting oddly. The reason why would soon become clear—Megatron had returned, backed by the Predacons, and Soundwave had been taking orders from him all along. Any further tales of Rumble would never be told, as Dreamwave went bankrupt.
Transformers/G.I. Joe
Rumble also appeared in Dreamwave's Transformers/G.I. JoeG.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
series, as one of the Decepticons allied with Cobra. Reconfigured with the alternate mode of a hand grenade, he was sent to help Cobra forces losing to Grimlock
Grimlock
Grimlock is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a tough leader who turns into a mechanical dinosaur...
and Roadblock
Roadblock (G.I. Joe)
Roadblock is a character from Hasbro's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series of toys, comics and cartoons. He is one of the most prominent African-Americans in the series. His primary function in G.I. Joe is as a heavy machine gunner and a secondary function as a cook.-Fictional character...
, quickly turning the tide of battle with his piledriver arms. He was defeated when Bumblebee
Bumblebee (Transformers)
Bumblebee is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. In most incarnations, Bumblebee is a small, yellow Autobot with the altmode of a compact car.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
and Scarlett
Scarlett (G.I. Joe)
Scarlett is a fictional character from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, a line of military-themed toys created by Hasbro. The character is one of the original members of the fictional team and toy line. She is a major character of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic book series and the...
were able to destroy his piledrivers with a hand grenade. Rumble was subsequently helpless when the ground around him, weakened by his earthquakes, collapsed into the sea. Not only does Rumble have an intense hatred of humans, calling them "meat", but he and Frenzy are described as brothers in this continuity as well.
Devil's Due Publishing
In the G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers comics printed by 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...
, Rumble was one of the Decepticons discovered by Cobra in the Ark
Ark (Transformers)
The Ark is an Autobot spacecraft in the Transformers Universe. It has appeared as a central fixture of the Transformers storyline ever since its creation, as the Autobots main method of transport to Earth and as a base once they arrive....
, although they were reactivated later than the others. Frenzy was reprogrammed by Cobra Commander
Cobra Commander
Cobra Commander is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe franchise. He appears in the toyline, animated series , comic books, video games, and movie as the usual principal antagonist. He is the supreme leader of the terrorist organization Cobra, and archnemesis of the Joes...
to follow his orders. Destro
Destro
Laird James McCullen Destro XXIV, usually referred to simply as Destro, is a fictional villain from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line of military-themed toys from Hasbro. He is portrayed by Christopher Eccleston in the 2009 live-action film, G.I...
used a newly purchased Soundwave, Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, Laserbeak
Laserbeak
Laserbeak is the name given to several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. He is almost always a mechanical bird, and is partnered with Soundwave.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and Ratbat
Ratbat
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,...
along with stolen Cybertronian technology to attack a military base—only to be ambushed by the newly formed G.I. Joe.
There is an interesting art error here. Rumble appears to get shot through the eye and killed while under Destro's command, yet he is among the Decepticons who break free next issue (and is clearly identified as Rumble by Soundwave). This leads to the possibility that it was intended to be Frenzy, not Rumble, who was killed, and an art error led to their color schemes being mixed up. In any case, Rumble would soon be killed, crushed by Storm Shadow
Storm Shadow (G.I. Joe)
Storm Shadow is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic book series and television shows. The character is best known for his history with fellow ninja Snake Eyes...
's S.N.A.K.E battlesuit while chasing Destro.
IDW Publishing
Rumble made his first appearance in the main IDW continuity in issue 1 of The Transformers: Megatron OriginThe Transformers: Megatron Origin
The Transformers: Megatron Origin is a comic book limited series by IDW Publishing exploring the origin of Megatron in its rebooted G1 universe...
miniseries, introduced as an energon miner; he already has his piledriver arms here, presumably for mining. Captured by the guard of the Senator after Megatron's riot at the energon mine, Rumble and Frenzy convinced the unwilling Megatron to help them escape. Breaking free (as the guards didn't know about his piledrivers) and incapacitating the guards, the three fugitives took the ship underground, unaware they had attracted the attention of Sentinel Prime
Sentinel Prime
Sentinel Prime is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. First mention of Sentinel Prime was in issue #65 of the US Marvel Comics Transformers series, where he was mentioned to hold the Autobot Matrix of Leadership before Optimus Prime. Sentinel Prime has since...
. After getting involved in underground bloodsports in Kaon, Rumble and Frenzy have become awed by Megatron's violence and charisma, and have been shown as loyal acolytes staying by his side. After Soundwave
Soundwave (Transformers)
Soundwave is the name of several characters in the various series Transformers series. His most famous disguise is that of a microcassette recorder and has an iconic voice done by a vocoder.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
offered Megatron the use of advanced weaponry, Rumble and Frenzy were modified to be able to work with him.
Manga
Rumble appears in the Generations 2011 issue #2 "The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos" where he is among the Decepticon forces who ambush the Autobots on Nebulos.Other appearances
In the show Robot ChickenRobot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
, A sketch is shown involving two meteorologists stumbling upon Soundwave, but they cannot take the obsolete stereo serious as they take Rumble (in cassette mode) and mess around the film, killing Rumble.
Toys
- Generation 1 Rumble (1984)
- A cassette robot based on a Microman toy. Bundled with Ravage.
- Generation 2 Gobot Rumble (unreleased)
- An unreleased Go-Bot toy. This mold was later redecoed into Robots in Disguise Side Swipe and Universe SilverstreakSilverstreakBluestreak is a character in the Transformers mythos. For trademark reasons his name had to be changed to Silverstreak in 2003. Trademark was returned to Hasbro again in 2010.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
.- Alternators Rumble (2006)
- The first AlternatorTransformers: Alternatorsis a toyline of the Transformers series produced by Hasbro in North America, Europe and Takara in Japan, the primary selling point of which is the use of 1:24 scale, accurate real-world vehicle modes officially licensed from car manufacturers...
to be initially created as a Decepticon, Rumble now transforms into a Honda Civic SiHonda Civic SiThe Honda Civic Si is a sport compact / hot hatch version of the Civic built by the Japanese automaker Honda. The Si trim, which stands for "Sport Injected," was introduced for the third generation of Honda Civics in both Japan and North America...
. He retains his piledrivers in robot mode, and retains his original toy colors of red and black.- Music Label Rumble & Frenzy (2008)
- Rumble and Frenzy transform into functional headphones that work with Music Label Soundwave or any portable media device.
- Reveal the Shield Scout Rumble (not yet released)
- An all-new mold of Rumble, which transforms into a tank.
- United UN-20 Scout Rumble & Frenzy (Takara Tomy) (2011)
- The Japanese version of the Reveal the Shield Rumble & Frenzy figures by Takara TomyTakara Tomyis a Japanese toy, children's merchandise and entertainment company created from the March 2006 merger of two companies: Tomy and long-time rival, Takara...
bundled in one package.
Transformers: Cybertron
The Japanese name for the Decepticon Scrapmetal is Ramble, the Japanese name for Generation 1 Rumble. When the human Coby converts one of the Rambles into a mech body, he goes by the name Coby-Ramble, or Cobybot in the U.S.Transformers
According to an interview with producer Tom DeSanto published in issue #15 of the Transformers Collectors Club magazine, the original lineup pitched for the Decepticons in the live-action Transformers film was Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Ravage, Laserbeak, Rumble, Skywarp and Shockwave. Rumble did not make it to the final list; FrenzyFrenzy (Transformers)
Frenzy is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. Wired Magazine once nominated him as one 12 most ridiculous Transformers of all time.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
did instead.
IDW Publishing
Rumble appears in Transformers: Nefarious #1, set months after the events of the 2009 film. He is depicted a blue robotic rhino minion of Soundwave.Transformers: Timelines
This Rumble is an alternate good version of the Generation 1 character from the BotCon exclusive "Shattered Glass" comic, in which the Decepticons are on the side of good and the Autobots on the side of evil. Presumably like all Decepticons of his world, he is heroic and opposed to the evil Autobots.Fun Publications
Rumble appeared as a member of Megatron's forces in the "Shattered Glass" story. He was captured and set to be executed by the Autobots.Transformers: Prime
Video games
In the 2010 video game Transformers: War for CybertronTransformers: War for Cybertron
Transformers: War for Cybertron is a third-person shooter video game developed by High Moon Studios and published by Activision. It was released in North America on June 22, 2010 and in PAL regions on June 25, 2010 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Two portable versions were released for the...
, Rumble appears in the Autobot campaign, where Optimus Prime and his team must defeat Soundwave to save Zeta Prime. Rumble is one of Soundwave's minions alongside Laserbeak and Frenzy. As a reference to the original G1 incarnation, he uses the catch phrase, "First we crack the shell, then we crack the nuts inside!" once ejected into battle.