Straxus (G1)


 * Straxus is a Decepticon in the Marvel Comics portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.



A ruthless, fearmongering dictator, Lord High Governor Straxus is a threat to all under his rule - including his own inner circle. From his throne in Darkmount, there are none in Polyhex who don't feel his crushing influence. Straxus' word is law, unbound by reason or facts, and can and will change from thought to thought. A brutal powerhouse, he is more than able to enforce his policies, usually with a deadly blow from his battle axe. Do not try to appeal to his sense of pity; he has none.

"Mercy is not dispensed here, fools... only death!"

- Straxus, The Smelting Pool!

Generation 1
Following the assassination of the Decepticon warlord Trannis by the Autobot commando unit, the Wreckers, Straxus assumed his position as Decepticon leader on Cybertron.

When a Decepticon transmission beamed from the planet Earth circa the Earth year 1985 reached Cybertron, Straxus immediately arranged for the capture of the scientist Spanner so that a space bridge between the worlds could be constructed. Attempting to locate Spanner, the Autobot spy Scrounge learned of this plot, but was captured by Shrapnel and brought before Straxus, who maliciously destroyed his unique recording-device arm before consigning him to death in the smelting pools. In turn, Blaster came searching for Scrounge (against orders), was captured and brought before Straxus, and sentenced to the pools. There he discovered the dying Scrounge, was given the information he had acquired, and escaped with the aid of his Autobot friends who had come looking for him (against orders).

The space bridge was subsequently completed, but its earliest tests reduced Straxus to rage when a malfunction caused the death of Crosscut, and he sent another unfortunate to instant death in an attempt to figure out what had gone wrong. As the tests went on, an Autobot raiding party planted explosives within Darkmount, destroying it, and sending an enraged Straxus after their heads. With the bridge unattended, Blaster intended to destroy it, but was confronted by Straxus in a one-on-one duel. Crippling Blaster with his axe, Straxus was duped into accidentally severing the bridge's fuel line, destabilizing its teleporting arch, through which Blaster then kicked Straxus, destroying him.

''However, while Straxus's body was reduced to ash, his head was salvaged and placed in a life-support pod that allowed him to continue on in his position as leader. Soon after, when Megatron arrived on Cybertron, Straxus immediately set in motion a scheme to restore himself to life, calmly following Megatron's directions to hunt down Optimus Prime, who had arrived on the planet with him. After Prime carried out several successful raids alongside the Wreckers, Megatron began to grow more and more unstable, and Straxus more and more impatient with his deranged houseguest. Despite the warnings of his technicians as to the "unpredictability" of the machinery involved, Straxus made the final step, activating a device that would exchange his and Megatron's minds, giving him a body once more. Megatron resisted the transfer, however, leaving the two minds within Megatron's body, fighting for dominance, each one in control at a different moment. In battle with Prime and Ultra Magnus, Megatron prepared to unleash his destructive anti-matter powers, but in order to stop him, Ratbat activated the space bridge, teleporting the three Transformers back to Earth.''

''Before this could occur, having failed to oust Megatron's mind, Straxus activated his contingency plan, "Project Re-Birth," and his consciousness fled into a body he had specially prepared - a duplicate of Megatron created from a "hapless trooper," complete with a copy of his brain patterns, beneath which Straxus's personality lay dormant. Upon hearing of the true Megatron's seeming death aboard the space bridge a short time later, the project technicians activated the clone, sending it to the sewers beneath London where it came into conflict with a small group of Autobots, Action Force and Centurion. Straxus's mind had yet to take over the clone at this point, and it genuinely believed itself to be the true Megatron, but it was soon dealt with when an oil tank explosion sent it and Centurion tumbling into the Thames river.''

''Some time later, seeking a weapon to use against the deranged future Decepticon Galvatron, Shockwave recovered the Megatron clone, also believing it to be the genuine article, only to find that "Megatron"'s mind had retreated into itself. Shockwave subjected the clone to the psycho probe, intending to force "Megatron" to face his fears - but instead, Straxus emerged, intending to fight Megatron's fears for him and finally take control of the body. Megatron fought back, however, ripping the mental image of Straxus to pieces and finally taking over their shared mind.''



''This Megatron proceeded to battle Galvatron, and then sided with him to battle Autobots of the present and future in the "Time Wars". Faced with destruction on all sides, the Megatron clone opted instead to return to Cybertron, where he dethroned the decadent ruling Triumvirate and took control of the Decepticons on the planet once more. Soon, however, he began to suffer from nightmarish visions of the lives lived by both the trooper whose body became his, and of Straxus, just as the true Megatron - having recovered his memories after a period of wandering amensia in the Dead End - attacked his base. The two Megatrons battled, with the true one revealed the clone's nature to him, and all at once, everything made sense to the clone. Along with this revelation, another immediately arose - Straxus's mental defeat was a sham, and he had been dwelling within the clone's mind all along, steadily growing in power as the clone weakened. Straxus made one final attempt to seize control of their mind, and the clone committed suicide, blowing his own head off with his fusion cannon, rather than allow Straxus to win.''

It is possible that in the original un-altered pre-Time Wars timeline, the Straxus-Megatron clone may have been the Megatron transformed into Galvatron, but the shifting nature of the timelines makes this open to debate at best.

All very simple, isn't it?

Generation 2
Jhiaxus referred to Straxus as one of the petty, small-minded dictators he left in charge of Cybertron when he left to start the Cybertronian Empire.

IDW comics continuity
At the beginning of the war, as the Decepticon menace was just beginning to reveal its true menace, Straxus worked security at the Kaon Security Headquarters. When the Decepticon Starscream was brought to trial before an emergency session of the Kaon Council, he started a prisoner revolt. Though Straxus was initially present, his fate was not depicted.

Somehow, Straxus was also part of the crew of the first Ark, which left Cybertron long before Megatron's uprising. After Cyclonus secured the Nega-Core and activated its guardian, Straxus initiated the Expansion with Nemesis Prime and the rest of the Dead Universe crew.

Trivia

 * For some reason, Straxus' colors changed drastically between the two sole issues he was in for the US comic. Also, sometimes between panels.