Razorclaw (G1)


 * Razorclaw is a Decepticon and Predacon in the Generation 1 continuity family.



When the Predacons are on the hunt, their leader Razorclaw is all business. Every drop of fuel in his system and every thought in his processor are dedicated to the task at hand, and he often lies in wait, completely motionless, for long stretches of time. Fools confuse this for laziness.

He and his fellow Predacons can combine to form Predaking.

Generation 1

 * (Note: Events from UK-only stories are in italics.)

''As Megatron's paranoia reached its peak, Soundwave suggested that they enlist the help of the Predacons to flush out Optimus Prime, allowing Megatron to finally defeat him. However, Shockwave called them from Cybertron, and gave Razorclaw secret orders to turn on Megatron at a crucial moment. The Predacons successfully hunted down Optimus, and when Megatron arrived, as Shockwave ordered, they turned on him. After learning of Shockwave and the Predacons' betrayal, Megatron threw both himself and Optimus through a space bridge to Cybertron before the Predacons could destroy them both. Fortunately for Razorclaw and the other Predacons, Megatron lost his memory of this incident when Straxus attempted to take over his body. ''

Suspecting Megatron was unstable, Shockwave contacted Razorclaw on Cybertron and enlisted the aid of a mercenary-like band of Decepticons, the Predacons. Equipping them with Autobot insigna panels, he sent them to Earth via a Space Bridge in the Florida Everglades. There, Razorclaw led the Predacons against Megatron, who had been led to believe Optimus Prime still lived and assumed he sent the Predacons against him thanks to the Autobot insignia. Despite the prowess of the Predacons and fighting Megatron as Predaking, Megatron still defeated the Predacons.

Razorclaw returned later, leading the Predacons under the flag of Ratbat, leading raids for fuel. RAAT had in their possession at the time the six Autobot Throttlebots and had disassembled and reassembled them several times over in an effort to understand them. The RAAT Head refused to accept that the Autobots and Decepticons were different and issued an ultimatum; after one more attack, the Throttlebots would be put to death. The Predacons were more than happy to oblige. Walter Barnett, head of the project that worked on the Throttlebots, saved the brain modules from destruction and stowed them away in toy cars and fled, searching for the Witwickys. Razorclaw and the Predacons stormed the facility and demanded to be able to inspect the compressed corpses of the Throttlebots and was satisfied they were the real deal, until Ratbat noticed the absence of the brain modules. The Predacons then chased the "fuel scent" of the brain modules across the area, chasing Barnett and Buster Witwicky through a suburban mall. The Predacons were outrun by the Autobots in their remote control toy bodies and were about as effective as Tantrum was at making it through the mall's china shop.

Generation 2
Despite his misgivings, Razorclaw took part in the Autobot/Decepticon alliance against the Cybertronian empire. During the battle, he began to suspect the Decepticons' newest recruits were insufficiently committed to the Decepticon cause, particularly Manta Ray. A true Decepticon, Razorclaw swore to rip out Manta Ray's primary fuel pump and devour his tasty, tasty courage if the new kid didn't shape up.

The Predacon got his chance when the Swarm arrived, decimating the Cybertronian armada before turning on Earth. As the Swarm approached their makeshift fortification, Razorclaw ordered Manta Ray to activate the perimeter defenses. Manta Ray ignored him in favor of Grimlock, and Razorclaw lost his head. Preparing to attack the "traitor", the Predacon was himself ambushed by Leadfoot, and Razorclaw lost his head.

Animated continuity

 * Voice actor: Joe Leahy (US), Tomomichi Nishimura (Japan)

The Predacons were dispatched to Jupiter's moon, Io, to stop a marooned Autobot team from reaching Earth with Metroplex's transformation cog. Arriving on the moon, Razorclaw ordered his fellow Predacons to attack before charging himself. Chasing after Blurr in beast mode, Razorclaw nearly fell into a ravine when the Autobot shot him in the face as he attempted the jump. Grabbing hold of the side with his foreleg, he dragged himself up and rejoined his teamates to merge into their combined form, Predaking. Unfortunately, the mighty Sky Lynx soundly defeated the giant, scattering him into the Predacon component members. Razorclaw ran off, to the protests of Headstrong, when Sky Lynx fired upon him.

Razorclaw was among the Primitives who were summoned by Primacron's assistant to fight Tornadron, greatly objecting to Sky Lynx's leadership of the group. While fleeing Tornadron, Headstrong declared that it would be better to die fighting. Razorclaw agreed, and ordered the Predacons to form Predaking. They got their energy sucked from them for their troubles.

IDW comics continuity
After Thunderwing's reactivation and subsequent return to Cybertron, Megatron dispatched the Predacons to ensure that his defeat is final this time, giving Razorclaw explicit instructions: if Cybertron must be destroyed, then so be it. Razorclaw starts a countdown on an orbital bombardment powerful enough to destroy Cybertron, but stands at the console with his finger on the button, ready to cancel it in the event that Thunderwing is defeated. He remarks that he's hesitant to destroy Cybertron unless it's absolutely necessary, but is willing to do it rather than defy Megs. However, he dispatches a team under Divebomb to assist the Autobots in fighting Thunderwing, but orders them to return at the five cycle mark. He cancels the countdown with one second remaining, after Optimus Prime defeats Thunderwing.

Timelines
Razorclaw, after apparently being gone for some time, returned to lead the Predacons and vowed to defeat the Maximals. Get in line.

Beast Wars: The Gathering
On Cybertron, a group of five symbols appeared on the walls of a room containing a transwarp shunt device. The five symbols seemed to represent a lion, a bird, a bull, a rhinoceros, and another feline of some variety.

Generation 1

 * Razorclaw (1986)
 * Japanese ID number: D-73

Titanium Series

 * Predaking (2006?)
 * The torso of this 3" die-cast figurine is technically Razorclaw.