Dead End (G1)


 * Dead End is a Decepticon and a Stunticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.



Dead End knows that his having an entry in some database somewhere hardly matters. The page will be vandalized. The computers will eventually fail. The data will be lost. The species that made it will go extinct. Their planet will become barren. The sun will die out. All suns will die out. The universe will implode again, or expand into nothingness, or be eaten by a giant evil space-god. So what's the point?

Despite this deep knowledge of the dark, inevitable pointlessness of existence, he spends an inordinate amount of time polishing and primping himself. This is something the other Decepticons are sure to tease him about whenever they get the chance, which only depresses him more. If you can actually motivate him to fight, he's a fearless warrior and actually cheers up a little, since trying to save his own life can momentarily distract him from how ultimately brief and pointless it is, the hard trick is getting him motivated in the first place, since in the end we're all doomed. Sigh.

Dead End combines with his fellow Stunticons to form Menasor, though he doesn't know why he bothers.

"Face it: we're doomed."

- Dead End at any given minute


 * French-Canadian name: Impasse
 * Italian name: Cobra

Generation 2
After Skullgrin was killed on a survey mission by the Cybertronian Empire, Dead End was seen among the Decepticons Megatron was pumping up into a killing fury. (There was, however, a speech bubble near Dead End's head calling for "Death to the pretenders!" Maybe he meant the G2 Decepticons, or maybe he just didn't like Skullgrin).

Animated Continuity

 * Voice actor: Phillip Clarke (US), Masashi Ebara (Japan)

Dead End, along with the other Stunticons, was given life by Vector Sigma in an attempt by Megatron to form a ground based unit. Seeing little choice in the matter, Dead End decided to do what Megatron said.

While Megatron was attempting to recover the infamous Pearl of Bahoudin in Turkey, he ordered the Stunticons to dispose of several Autobots who were nearby participating the Europa 2000 charity race. While his fellow Stunticons surrounded the brothers Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, Dead End lept ahead of the racers and transformed, blasting the boxed-in Autobots off the road. They disabled several more racers, but when Dead End set a trap for Bluestreak, the wily gunner managed to escape his attackers.

On another occasion, Megatron instructed the Stunticons to bring him a series of scientific components for his latest Unbeatable Super Weapon. Dead End and Drag Strip were assigned to acquire an experimental generator from the U.S. military. The retrieval was successful, but they encountered the Autobots Tracks and Warpath on the drive to their rendez-vous with Megatron. Dead End was disabled by a blast of Tracks' black beam gun, followed by Warpath putting his fist through the Stunticon's roof. Disabled and collected as prisoners of war, the Stunticons were brought back to the Ark and held in captivity while Optimus Prime and strike team of Autobots used camouflage paint to mimic the Stunticons and infiltrate Megatron's camp. Special operations agent Jazz, a cheerful and easy going robot, assumed Dead End's appearance, which undoubtedly made Dead End feel even worse. The real Stunticons managed to break free, however, and confronted their dopplegangers as Menasor. Ultimately, the Super Weapon was destroyed, and the Decepticons were forced into a retreat.

Caught up in a demolition derby, the Stunticons missed most of the "civil war" between the Decepticons and Starscream's Combaticons. They arrived at the battle site just as Starscream was declaring victory over Megatron. Dead End didn't particularly care either way, until Motormaster pointed out that Starscream was insufferable enough already without being in charge, and Dead End quickly conceded that point. The Stunticons formed Menasor and, one Batman *POW* later, Bruticus was in pieces.

After the Decepticons were driven off Cybertron in the aftermath of Unicron's attack, they fled to Chaar. Suffering constant energon shortages, they were reduced to fighting among themselves. The Stunticons sutck together, but things were dire. So dire in fact, that the Decepticons offered up their energon when it was learned that Galvatron was alive. Dead End warned that they were doomed if they gave up their energon, but Wildrider countered that if they didn't, they were doomed anyway. Either way, they were doomed. Oh, for God's sake... When the Quintessons arrived on Chaar, the other Decepticons cowered in fear. Dead End, however, had had enough. If he was going to die, he would just get it over with. He asked the Quintessons to just make it quick, but they offered energon instead. He differed to Swindle's negotiating skills, and when Swindle said to test some of the energon, he agreed. What the heck, poison would probably be quicker than fuel exhaustion. Fortunately, the energon was untainted, and Dead End agreed to help the Quintessons destroy the Autobots on Goo. Might as well take a few Autobots with them before they go offline. When they arrived, Galvatron showed up and fired upon the "traitors". Dead End could care less: whether from in front or behind, death was death.

Dreamwave Comics continuity
At some point in Cybertron's recent history, the Stunticons were deemed psychotic and too dangerous to function in society, and as a result were placed into perpetual stasis lock inside of a prison facility. Later, in an attempt to create a diversion while he set his final plans in motion, Shockwave arranged for the release of the Stunticons. They formed into Menasor and ran amuck for awhile, until Ultra Magnus arrived and began insulting them. Unable to reconcile with this, the five Stunticons began to bicker with each other over whose fault it was that they were failing, temporarily stopping Menasor and allowing Ultra Magnus to ram the combiner in the chest, forcing him to separate into his component parts and disabling the Stunticons.

IDW Comics continuity
Dead End was one of dozens of Cybertronians who answered the call to join Megatron in Kaon's underground pit-fighting ring, and later participated in the first street battle against Autobot forces. He was also...unnervingly optimistic about his chances of making the team.

Seriously, it was creepy.

Generation 1

 * Dead End (1986)
 * Team ID number: S1
 * Japanese ID number: D-54




 * The original Dead End toy transformed into a maroon Porsche 928. He comes with a black double-barreled laser cannon that attaches to the back of his vehicle mode.


 * In robot mode, Dead End's legs transformers similarly to Breakdown's, flipping and inverting. He is armed with a small black laser pistol. As he was designed with the Scramble City-style combination, he can form the arm or leg to any similarly-constructed robot combination, though his nominal placement is as the left arm to Menasor.

Generation 2

 * Dead End (Stunticon, Unreleased)
 * Team ID number: S2
 * For the Generation 2 line, Hasbro intended to release redecoes of the Stunticons in 1994, with Dead End being cast primarily in red plastic, with black and blue accents. Ultimately, however, the toys never went into mass poduction and remained officially unreleased. Only the four limbs are known to have made it to the sample packaging stage, having turned up in very limited numbers over the years (with the exception of G2 Breakdown, who was available at BotCon 1994 in somewhat larger quantities). All the G2 Stunticons are known to catch high prices on the secondary market.

Alternators

 * Dead End (2004)
 * Alternator ID number: 6
 * Japanese ID number: BT-05




 * Alternators Dead End transforms into a fully-painted black Dodge Viper Competition Coupe with silver stripes, red windows and headlights.


 * In robot mode he transforms similarly to Alternators Side Swipe, and has Sunstreaker's head, as his tooling was originally designed as the latter Autobot. As a retool of Side Swipe, several of his parts are different, including the hood, wheels, roof, the entire rear end of the car, chest and head. He is armed with a vacuum-metalized silver gun formed out of his engine.


 * The main difference between the US Alternators release of this toy and the Japanese Binaltech version is that the Binaltech version is constructed partially out of die-cast metal.