Smokescreen

"And to think that Optimus almost passed the Matrix down to me. Yeah I said it, but right place, right time, doesn't mean right bot. I know that now."

- Smokescreen to Bumblebee.

Smokescreen is an Autobot warrior and was the youngest member of Team Prime. When Smokescreen first arrived on Earth, he was subject to too much suspicion as the other more-experienced Autobots believed him to have a nefarious purpose in mind. However, after Optimus Prime gave him the condolences to jointhe group's efforts, Smokescreen succeeded in winning the trust of his fellow Autobots. Smokescreen hoped to become a great warrior someday, like his idol Optimus Prime. When Optimus was close to dying, Smokescreen was to become the next Prime. This however all changed when Smokescreen used the Forge of Solus Prime to revive his leader. Optimus was revived by what's left of the power in the Forge of Solus Prime and Smokescreen remained a rookie; something he can be a little resentful of sometimes. Smokescreen is also part of Team Prime's Stealth Team.

When Cybertron was reborn once more, Smokescreen abandoned his dreams of becoming a great warrior, partly due to Bumblebee taking charge and it being impossible to pass on the Matrix of Leadership, something he never really wanted to begin with. However, Smokescreen has looked up to Bumblebee and works on the team against anything that comes in their way.

Background
On Cybertron, Smokescreen aspired to become a soldier and serve the Autobot cause, he was trained and became a member of the Cybertron Elite Guard while he described it as more of a boot camp environment, although he passed the training he failed to receive a proper graduation due to the ongoing war and became Alpha Trion's personal guard in the Hall of Records. Initially disappointed with his position he came to respect Alpha Trion whom taught him many things and came to view him as a great teacher as well as a friend.

During the war, Smokescreen was the last defense of Iacon, however, when the Decepticons stormed in, everything went black, without knowing the Autobot was rendered unconscious by Alpha Trion himself and was used as a method of keeping the last Omega Key from the Decepticons. Once Smokescreen regained consciousness, he found himself held prisoner on a Decepticon warship. Not knowing the whereabouts of Alpha Trion, He managed to give a guard the slip and stole an escape pod which knocked him into stasis once again.

Arrival on Earth
His pod eventually made its way to Earth, after escaping the pod he quickly aided the Autobots Ratchet, Bumblebee, and Arcee in fighting a group of Vehicons and Insecticons, however after unintentionally detonating an Energon leakage Smokescreen stood triumphant in the face of victory, only to be scolded by Arcee for his rash actions and endangerment of the team. He was soon happily addressed by Optimus Prime, whom praised him for his bravery and soon recognized the symbol on his shoulder as a sign of a member of the Elite Guard. Smokescreen soon confided about his past with the group with tales of his time as a member on Cybertron, though he expressed dismay in the group's failure to receive a proper graduation ceremony due to the war.

After Smokescreen mentioned his role as Alpha Trion's body guard in the Hall of Records, Optimus allowed the young bot entry to the base, much to the questioning of Arcee, with whom Optimus downplayed by stating that Smokescreen would have been considered a trusted ally by Alpha Trion. As the group entered the base, As he asked how hard the war could possibly be to end, a rather damaged Bulkhead came out and showcased his injuries, as a way of downplaying Smokescreen's thought of the war ending with ease.

Smokescreen was then given a tour of the base where during he recognized a few of the relics they had uncovered having served in the Hall of Records, afterwards he was eager to join the Team in searching for the Red Energon sighting however Optimus believed that he needed additional training as well as obtaining a vehicle form to which he complied. After scanning, he overheard Starscream's presence and wanted to join the battle only to be refused by Ratchet who reminded him of further training required. However Smokescreen ultimately managed to persuade Ratchet in using the Phase shifter, upon arriving through the Groundbridge he confronted Starscream who nearly came close to destroying the Autobot's, with the device in hand he phased through the Decepticon's Apex Armour and stopped him in his tracks. After returning to the base Ratchet again explained about the protocol to the young bot with Optimus agreeing yet Optimus praised Smokescreen for his quick learning and formally inducted him as a member of Team Prime.

Helping Bulkhead
Smokescreen tried to cheer Bulkhead up, who believed he was trying to take his place. He told him that he could use the armor that he got off of Starscream, referring to it as an "instant muscle suit". Bulkhead felt as though the armor was instead a crutch for him, as he knocked the Apex Armor out of Smokescreen's hands. As Bulkhead became angered, he started to depart. Smokescreen was pushed aside by the former, in amazement, he uttered out Bulkhead's ability to walk being regained. As Bulkhead started to train by lifting the lobbing ball, Smokescreen believed Bulkhead was ready to go back in the battlefield and again confront Decepticons.

When the Decepticons got hold of a Project Damocles satellite, Optimus led a team including Smokescreen to a military base in Colorado to protect the satellite's control codes. They ended up tangling with Decepticons, and Smokescreen was almost hit by the laser from the orbiting satellite. Smokescreen tried a solo attempt to get to Soundwave's location but was almost hit again before being called to join Bulkhead in fighting Silas.

Despite the two's best efforts, Smokescreen and his fellow Autobot failed to defeat the Decepticon, who escaped from their grasp via GroundBridge. The two however, did bear witness to a comet. As it passed, Bulkhead concluded that Silas' plan had failed and the two high-fived each other on their success. After doing this, Smokescreen admitted to Bulkhead that he had previously studied every one of the Wreckers' battles. This assured Bulkhead, whom at this point ended his jealousy of the new Autobot taking his place and became a friend to Smokescreen.

Getting Used to Humans
Smokescreen was speeding on a street and accidentally damaged a truck. The Truck Driver then came out with a crowbar and threatened Smokescreen, under the impression he was a human driver. Smokescreen's next move proved foolish, as he transformed into robot mode and threatened the human. As the human stared at him, Bumblebee pushed Smokescreen and tried to restrain him before the latter revealed he was playing around. The driver then took a picture of him and Bumblebee and posted online. The image was later deleted by Raf Esquivel, but, Smokescreen was still subject to scolding by Ratchet, who questioned if Alpha Trion had taught him such irrational and foolish behavior.

His berating didn't end there, as Arcee followed up on him by stating that blowing his cover wasn't allowed within the group. As Smokescreen apologized, Optimus believed the group should share the blame for Smokescreen's reckless behavior. Optimus went on to explain that the group had spent most of their time trying to avoid crisises on Earth, that they instead forgot to teach their newest member on how to function properly on the planet and adapt to its customs. Optimus selected Jack Darby to instruct Smokescreen on Earth's culture.

Thrilled with the human instructing him, Smokescreen transformed to vehicle mode and went for a drive with Jack. As the two drove, Smokescreen and Jack encountered Vince, a bully of Jack's. Initially ignoring the boy, the two swiftly changed their minds when he threw a burger he had bought on Smokescreen's window. As a revenge plan, the two tossed several burgers on his car and Jack took a photograph of his dirty car, with the intention of posting the image later that day. As the two arrived at the base, they laughed hysterically and showed Arcee their picture of his car. As Arcee began to complain about Jack's decision, Smokescreen and Jack defended their actions with the fact that Smokescreen had passed Jack's driving test and no humans were harmed during their assault on Vince's car. As the two later arrived at the base, Ratchet told them he had another crisis involving a relic, but, hadn't heard back from Optimus and the other Autobots. Smokescreen opted to go, stating the group had no better options after having his actions questioned by Ratchet. He would not be alone, however, as he convinced Jack to accompany him with his finding of the relic. As Smokescreen got closer, he was pinned down by several Vehicons before being aided by Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee and Bulkhead as they arrived on the scene. He bore witness to Optimus' showcase of his blade's strength and upon arriving at the base, received scolding from the other Autobots, primarily Arcee.

Alpha Trion's Message
As Optimus fell out of the trance he was put in during his hearing of Alpha Trion's message to him, Smokescreen asked the worn out Autobot if Alpha Trion had asked about him before being pushed aside by Bulkhead. As the Autobots became joyful over the chance of Cybertron being regenerated, Smokescreen expressed concern, as he had just arrived on the planet. As Optimus continued to his decoding, Smokescreen asked if the Omega Keys could really restore the entirety of Cybertron.

Optimus admitted that Alpha Trion knew many secrets and Cybertron's modern science had lost the more advanced technology of the ancients. Following Arcee's suggestion that the group not get their hopes up as the Autobots still had to locate the Omega Keys, Smokescreen vented that Optimus would be able to do so, seeing as how he was currently in possession of the Star Saber. He continued to state that Megatron would soon be defeated.

As Optimus announced he had decoded the first four sets of coordinates, Smokescreen abruptly stated that he was on the first group and continued by asking who would be accompanying him, to which Arcee choose to go. As the latter went through the GroundBridge, Smokescreen mistakenly referred to her as sir before continually correcting himself with a referral to her as ma'am and even commander. As the two arrived, Smokescreen tried to apologize for previously endangering Jack Darby, as he finally realized that humans weren't as physically strong as Cybertronians. He then preceded to question her once she admitted she had lost two partners. As the two ventured together, they encountered Megatron. Smokescreen suggested the two face him, until the Decepticon leader revealed his blade. With the weapon, the two were easily dusted off by Megatron. As Smokescreen prepared to strike him after firing several blasts, he was hit and seemingly killed by a blast from the sword. Later, he entered a battle between Optimus Prime and Megatron. He was able to save Prime's life once again with the use of the Phase Shifter and quickly ran to a Ground Bridge portal after Optimus contacted Ratchet at their base. At the base, he explained that he was saved by the use of the Phase Shifter after being stuck with the blast and showed off the group's first obtained Omega Key, which he had snagged earlier. The other Autobot's were happy to see him alive, after much grief.

Meeting Dreadwing
As Optimus continued to decode, Smokescreen walked up and announced his plans to become a great warrior like him someday. Bulkhead told him if he trained hard, it would happen. Smokescreen believed so as well, stating that it was his destiny. Following being questioned by Arcee, Smokescreen told the two that once being a Data clerk and then becoming an ally of Optimus Prime ensured a potential great future for him. Smokescreen concluded that he had come a long way, also stating it was one opportunity he didn't plan on screwing up. After Optimus announced another Iacon coordinate had been decoded and Ratchet readied the GroundBridge, Smokescreen told the group that whomever made it last to the Omega Key had to scrub the Energon tanks for a week before running off. He was disappointed when Optimus announced that Arcee and Bumblebee would go. After Smokescreen asked why he and Bulkhead had to stay, Optimus concluded that the two would stay behind at the chance he was able to decode another set of coordinates before Arcee and Bumblebee returned to the base. After Arcee and Bumblebee returned to the base after facing defeat at the hands of Knock Out, Smokescreen concluded that he would be ready for the next Omega Key. After moving out of the way of a rather damaged Arcee, Bulkhead talked to Smokescreen. Smokescreen had the chance to prove himself when he and Bulkhead embarked to get the next Omega Key. As the two arrived on the scene, Smokescreen and Bulkhead readied their guns and walked next to each other. As they moved, the two started to hear suspicious ticking sounds near their location. Smokescreen confusingly asked what it was, to which a Decepticon came out of the bushes of the forest and proclaimed it would be the last sound he would ever hear. The Decepticon was identified as Dreadwing by Bulkhead and soon enough, the two faced another difficulty in dodging his bombs.

While Bulkhead faced Dreadwing in a one-on-one match and defeated him, Smokescreen went to retrieve another Omega Key. As he opened the pod of which it was contained in, he grabbed it by its handle and continued to usher his belief in his destiny. However, the key was quickly snatched out of his hands as an individual struck him from the back and made off with the key. As he was awoken by Bulkhead, he concluded that something struck him and was disappointed to not have retrieved the key, reminding Bulkhead of his promise to Optimus. Bulkhead reassured him, by reminding him the group still had a key and without it, Cybertron wouldn't be resurrected. Smokescreen felt sad over his loss, before Arcee berated him for being so focused on himself and expressed her disdain that he was so determined about himself, rather than the team. As she continued to talk about him, Smokescreen deduced that he wasn't good enough for the team and drove out of the base. After he left, the Autobots discovered that he was the last Omega Key. As he returned to the base, he was attacked and defeated by Soundwave.

Imprisonment on Nemesis
Upon regaining consciousness, Smokescreen found himself imprisoned on the Nemesis. Megatron demanded Smokescreen to give the final relic, which Smokescreen insisted he had nothing to do with the final Omega Key, even insinuating that Megatron had captured the wrong Autobot. After viewing himself aboard Soundwave's visual decoding of the final Omega Key, Smokescreen looked on in disbelief as Knock Out concluded he had the Omega Key stored within his own body.

After Knock Out extracted the Omega Key stored within him with the use of the Phase Shifter that he took possession of, Megatron asked what was there intended function, which Smokescreen refused to reveal any information. After Megatron left the room, Smokescreen managed to successfully trap Knock Out within the walls of the ship and reclaimed his signature weapon back. As Smokescreen sneaked around the ship, he eventually caught up to Megatron with the Omega key in hand. He snatched the Key out of Megatron's hand and quickly proceed to take the second key from the storage room. As Megatron ventured further, he made his way to the top of the warship where he was immediately confronted by the Decepticon leader and his Vehicons. With no alternative option, Smokescreen boldly jumped off the ship. While in free fall, Smolescreen came into contact with the other Autobots. He was perused by a Vehicon of whom he defeated by phasing through and shooting from above. Smokescreen was directed to a Groundbrige that Ratchet opened for him only for him to be struck by Megatron. Smokescreen hesitantly activated the Phase Shifter to phase through the ground. Once smokescreen communicated to the team, they were relived to hear he had survived.

Back at the base, the Autobots congratulated Smokescreen for obtaining the two Omega keys. Soon, they received a message from Starscream where it was at that moment Smokescreen realized that the latter knocking him out to get the Omega Key. Smokescreen remained behind at base alongside with BumbleBee and Arcee. However, Starscream managed to infiltrate the base unnoticed, due to the Red Energon he used, to steal the three Omega keys. Starscream escaped before Smokescreen and the others, who were left puzzled, could see him.

Final battle on Cybertron
After losing their Omega Keys, Smokescreen and the other Autobots tried to uncover what Starscream would do with them. While brainstorming, he concluded that the rogue Cybertronian may try to rejoin the Decepticons. After receiving a meeting request by Dreadwing, Smokescreen and the other Autobots arrived at the coordinates sent by the Decepticon. As it turned out, Dreadwing merely wanted to give the group the Forge of Solus Prime, something the Decepticon only wanted the Autobots to use wisely in return for the weapon's trade. Later that day, as Optimus held the Forge of Solus Prime, Smokescreen concluded that it's power would match that of Megatron's own blade and damage him severely before being gazed upon questionably by Arcee and told by her that the hammer was of a different type of technology than of what he had thought.

Destruction of Autobot Base
As the group deciphered their next course of action, Smokescreen and the other Autobots obliged by Optimus' decision to trade their Omega Keys for their human allies. Both Smokescreen and Arcee would give their keys for Jack Darby, whom Megatron stated was worth two Omega Keys since he was trusted enough to be given the Key to Vector Sigma. After retrieving the humans, Smokescreen retreated to Earth after Optimus destroyed the Omega Lock. During the confusion Smokescreen recovered the Phase Shifter without anyone knowing. As he and the others arrived in the base, Ratchet questioned what had happened on Cybertron. After Ratchet expressed his sorrowful disdain in Optimus' decision, Smokescreen noted Ratchet's absence during their fight and continued to state Ratchet was not responsible for battle decisions being made before being lashed at by the latter, who expressed his belief that the group had to have had another choice. He would bear witness to New Kaon, a Decepticon fortress in front of their base deploying swarms of Vehicons. When Decepticons attacked the base, Smokescreen participated in cutting down waves of them with his arm cannons. After Optimus ordered a retreat, Smokescreen and the other Autobots followed him inside. As Optimus ordered to abandon base, Smokescreen was the fourth Autobot to leave, giving a farewell salute to Prime and left through the GroundBridge. However, Smokescreen was unable to leave Optimus behind and snuck back as the base was destroyed.

Rescuing and reviving Optimus Prime
In the aftermath of the destruction, Smokescreen did not go through the GroundBridge as intended but he returned to the Autobot base, shortly after it's destruction by the hands of the Decepticons. There, Smokescreen found a wounded Optimus, whom had taken a direct hit from the base as it collapsed. He took his wounded leader to an underground cavern. As Optimus started to awake, Smokescreen told him to simply relax and not use any of his energy, citing that he had his leader's back. As Optimus laid gravely damaged, Smokescreen revealed to him how he had managed to end up in his care before concluding that of the Autobots, Ratchet was the most likely candidate to possibly be able to repair his leader. In addition to the explanation of his new location, Smokescreen also revealed to his leader that he had taken the Phase Shifter during their standoff with the Decepticons on Cybertron. As Smokescreen prepared to dispatch to find Ratchet, Optimus staggered to tell him to not go and uttered no hope. Smokescreen was confused, citing that Ratchet was the only one able to fix him before showing concern over his unresponsive leader.

He searched fruitlessly through the ruins of the base for medical supplies. Optimus asked after the Forge of Solus Prime, giving Smokescreen the idea to look for it in Darkmount. Using the phase shifter, Smokescreen boarded the Decepticon warship and found both Airachnid in her stasis pod and the Forge. On his return to the cavern, Optimus believed its power should be conserved to repair the Omega Lock and not for his life. Optimus told Smokescreen that he would succeed him as the Autobot leader, as a new Prime. Smokescreen was overwhelmed at the idea and was in deep thought about this.



After a while of thinking, Smokescreen told Optimus that he wasn't ready to take that responsibility of being a Prime. Optimus told Smokescreen it wasn't a choice for both of them and when it was time, the Matrix of Leadership would present itself to one who's spark was worthy.

Smokescreen was confused when Optimus seemed to be talking to someone else. Optimus was between life and death and was seeing the ghost of Alpha Trion. Optimus died shorthly after and the Matrix of Leadership presented itself to Smokescreen. Smokescreen refused to let Prime die and used the Forge to revive his leader. The pair headed for Darkmount, but Smokescreen was left behind by Optimus' new flight-capable form, and by the time he arrived, the battle was already over. The Autobots reassembled at a human military base, where Ratchet reassured Smokescreen he'd done the right thing.

Project Predacon
"I was nearly a prime but somehow I'm still a rookie.'" Smokescreen received a new paint job, which he happily dubbed as 'War paint' however when he returned to base, he was vilified by Ultra Magnus, who then assigned him to stack empty Energon cubes. As he did this, Smokescreen quietly complained about how he had nearly been a Prime but he pretended to have said something else when Ratchet overheard.

Upon hearing an Decepticon signal Optimus took him and BumbleBee to Texas in order to retrieve a Predacon bone, alone together Smokescreen asked Bumble Bee if ever considered becoming a prime, when learning of Bumblebees aspiration of only becoming a warrior he agreed as such a position was more appealing. Seconds later he and Bumblebee engaged a few vehicons whom Smokescreen managed to easily dispatch, the two later found themselves facing off against Shockwave and despite their best efforts Soundwave sent the broken piece of the Predacon fossil to the Nemisis via an expertly timed Groundbridge.

Omega Lock 2.0
"Ratchet it may not be with the Forge or the Omega Lock, but were gonna find a way to get our planet repaired." After returning from his mission Smokescreen and the rest of the Autobots took a break with Smokescreen typing his field report, When the Autobots detected an Energon Source, Smokescreen accompanied them and during the battle he managed to cleverly trap a vehicon in a rock, he eagerly joined the Wreckers in the searching the mine with Smokescreen being paired with Bulkhead, the two searched but found nothing. When Ultra Magnus got his new "claw" fitted Smokescreen attempted to lighten the mood by stating it would become signature weapon which he compared it to Bumblebee's voicebox, accidentally insulting him in the process. The next mission to stop a raid failed but Smokescreen witnessed Soundwave shot down. He and Bulkhead were assigned to guard Soundwave who was rather cautious of his look. After Ratchet informed Optimus, Smokescreen assured him that they would find a way to restore Cybertron. Suddenly Laserbeak burst in and opened fire on the Autobots, Only Smokescreen showed common sense and returned fire, where he managed to damage Laserbeak's wing before Soundwave rebooted and knocked him offline.

Upon regaining consciousness Smokescreen found out Ratchet's disappearance. Smokescreen was disappointed where he noted that he could have saved Ratchet, if his shot had been more accurate. This was proven wrong as Wheeljack found out that the part he shot off Laserbeak was his transponder which would prove useful in finding the Nemesis, later Arcee and Wheeljack complimented him for his aim.

They launched the probe carrying Laserbeak's transponder and monitored it and Optimus's progress from the base. Although the probe was destroyed by Starscream, Ratchet was able to send them the coordinates to his location, immediately Smokescreen and the others geared up in preparation to storm the warship. Smokescreen brought his Phase Shifter as well as acquiring a new mechanical bow and then departed to the Nemesis Via Groundbridge with the others.



During the Final battle Stealth Team was assigned to secure the Omega lock. However, Smokescreen witnessed Megatron carrying the Dark Star Saber with him, but was detoured by Arcee. Concerned for Optimus, Smokescreen separated from his team in order to retrieve the Star saber with the intention of bringing it to his leader. He succeeded and swiftly rushed to the Omega Lock control room thanks to the Phase Shifter. Before he could pass the star saber to Optimus he was blasted by Shockwave. Like all, Smokescreen was dismayed at Bumblebee's death, shouting at his comrade's demise. When the Cyber Matter resurrected Bumblebee, the scout killed Megatron handing victory to the Autobots. Smokescreen was very surprised. Later Smokescreen was present at the activation of the Omega Lock to finally restore Cybertron.

Back at the base before departing, Smokescreen, Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus mutually saluted Fowler and then passed the Space Bridge to their brave new world.

Predacons Rising
"It doesn't matter where those Beasts came from, we gotta take'em down." During Bumblebee's ceremony Smokescreen congratulated him noting that he was a warrior now but in time he could become a prime When Optimus departed to retrieve the AllSpark, Ultra Magnus took Smokescreen along with him on the patrols to track down the missing Shockwave and Starscream. During their assignment Smokescreen conversed about how The Sea Of Rust should be renamed due to it being rust-free and the name itself.

They were immediately attacked by two new Predacons. Smokescreen's use of the Phase Shifter managed to save them both and he hastily carried his wounded comrade back to the Nemesis via GroundBridge. Smokescreen was keen to avenge his friend where then accompanied Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead to find the two Predacons, which he then questioned Bumblebee's tracking skills which then turned out to be Predaking whom there were looking for. After failing to convince the Predacon leader he and the team drove Darkmount with the hope of finding Shockwave's lab network.

He amused himself by sitting on the throne and dubbing himself "Lord Smokescreen, Emperor of Destruction". He promptly got of when Megatron returned only to discover it was actually Unicron. The four Autobots battled him until they were outmatched. They then descended to the lower levels but found themselves at a dead end. Smokescreen and Arcee nearly fell into the smelting pit only to be grabbed by Bulkhead. When Unicron's strike hit the ground, the structure around them crumbled, and the three fell into the pit only for a luckily timed Ground Bridge. Back on the Nemesis Smokescreen later earned Arcee's "look" by asking what the Unicron/Megatron hybrid should be called.

When Smokescreen ventured to ship's vault to collect the remaining weapons, Knock Out stuck him in a wall as an act of payback for what he had done to the latter. He was later freed and given his Phase Shifter back. When the Predacons came to their aid in the fight against the Terrorcons, Smokescreen confessed to Bumblebee about how he nearly became a Prime, but believed that Bumblebee was better suited and accepted that he had come to terms with it, only wanting to be an Autobot. He was present when Unicron was defeated and Optimus merged with Primus to reactivate the Well of AllSparks. Smokescreen was visibly sad at his leader's sacrifice however as the sparks flew from the Well, Smokescreen was overjoyed witnessing a new age for Cybertron.

Personality and Characteristics
Smokescreen is a young, fun-loving, optimistic Autobot. However, initially his aspiration of becoming a great warrior often got to his head and his ego increased which annoyed most of the other Autobots especially Arcee. Though he was willing to look out for his teammates by stating "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you guys". He use to think about himself more than others which he received a harsh scolding from Arcee, who told him that he needed to become more of a team player, even when he was beating himself up for failing to retrieve the third Omega key.

After escaping the Decepticon ship, Smokescreen appeared to have learned his lesson and appears much more selfless as he is seen as more caring and helpful to the other Autobots. When the Autobot base was destroyed, Smokescreen proved devotion and extreme loyalty to his team as he was the only one who came back to recover Optimus, who was wounded from being in the Autobot base when it was destroyed. Smokescreen took his damaged leader to a cave where Smokescreen stood and cared for Optimus. During this time Smokescreen appeared a bit more serious and didn't joke as much as he originally did. Because of his efforts to restore his leader, Optimus believed that Smokescreen should be the next Prime. Smokescreen, however, was overwhelmed as he believed that he was not ready to handle such responsibility.

When Optimus 'died', the Matrix was bestowed and Smokescreen was to become the next Prime, which was something he wanted to become, but Smokescreen placed the Forge into Optimus' hand and revived him. This act changed Smokescreen a great deal as he had the choice of becoming a Prime but chose not to, which proves that he has become more selfless and mature than he ever was.

In the aftermath, Smokescreen seems to have regained much of his keen spirit but when Ultra Magnus assigned him to stack Energon cubes, he felt like he was still treated like a rookie, slightly showing a desire to become the next Prime. Later, he asked Bumblebee if he ever wanted to become a Prime. After listening to Bumblebee, Smokescreen seems to have come to terms with almost becoming a Prime and has since become a more caring and responsible Autobot who looks out for all his teammates.

It is however possible that his initial behavior was meant to hide a fear of not being good enough to help the Autobots. Many insecure individuals boast to cover their fears. He also tends to be very hard on himself when he makes 'big' mistakes that let his teammates down.

Once Smokescreen learned he had been chosen by the Matrix to be the next Prime. he seemed to want the position less and less as time went on, (not that he wanted to be a Prime in the first place). He even went so far as to attempt and push the responsibility onto Bumblebee.

He is the least experienced Cybertronian member of Team Prime, and this can cause problems as he ignored protocols more than once like to save Optimus, and putting Jack in danger unintentionally.

His choice of an Indy 500 race car as a vehicle mode indicates a small amount of vanity. But it is very slight.

Above all, Smokescreen has proven himself to be a loyal and admirable Autobot on his team.

Robot Mode
Smokescreen is a medium-sized Autobot being the same size as Ratchet, and taller than Bumblebee but smaller than Bulkhead. His door wings are checkered red blue, and white with 38's on each side. He has 2 streaks of red on his head, he is also mainly white and blue. His insignia appears on his chest, however, his Elite Guard symbols appear on the sides after scanning a new v-mode. In Project Predacon, he sports a new paint job: blue and yellow with 7's on the door wings, two streaks of yellow on his head.

Vehicle Mode
Smokescreen's vehicle mode is an Indy 500 McLaren MP4-12C racecar with double 38's on the sides. He chose it with Jack while looking at random cars and vehicles passing by at the road in Nevada. It has blue and white stripes. The doors are checkered with red, blue and white. In Project Predacon, his vehicle has 7's on the sides and is yellow and blue.

Powers and Abilities
Despite his young age and limited experience, having been trained by the Elite Guard, Smokescreen is a serious threat on the battlefield being able to easily dispatch numerous Vehicons with his combat style which is shown in many of his battles, being able to take down opponents such as Knock Out, Starscream, a controlled Breakdown and has even held his own against Darksteel. Smokescreen has also shown to be highly intelligent regarding his use of the Phase Shifter where he has proven his skill as a stealth warrior, as he has managed to sneak through enemy territory several times undetected and defeat the supposedly undefeatable Apex Armor. He has also used the environment to his advantage such as luring his enemies to spots where they will be trapped. His vehicle mode is capable of reaching 150 mph and he has often used the speed to confuse his enemies. Having served under Alpha Trion, he is well informed of Cybertronian mythology and the power of the Primes.

Smokescreen once claimed that he is not a good shot, after he'd failed to shoot down Laserbeak before it revived Soundwave and kidnapped Ratchet. This was however proven incorrect, as he was one of the very few who'd ever damaged the drone by knocking off it's transponder.

Quotes

 * "Down in front!"


 * "Whoa!! Too hot for ya cons?"


 * "You're Optimus Prime! He's Optimus Prime."


 * "Kiss your armour goodbye!"-Smokescreen says to Starscream


 * "Assist. That's what the new guy for."


 * "And for the record, I studied everyone of the Wreckers' battles."


 * "Bring it!"


 * "Haha. Relax Bumblebee, I was just messing around."


 * "Did Alpha Trion ask about me?"


 * "I'm gonna be a great warrior like Optimus."


 * "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you guys" (Hard Knocks)


 * "You know what? Maybe I'm just not good enough." - Smokescreen before he leaves in a huff after Arcee's harsh lecture.


 * "You weren't there Doc and it's not your place to second-guess a battlefield decision."


 * "When we were evacuating the base just as the Cons opened fire. It was my turn to groundbridge away. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't let you face Megatron's army alone. So I snuck back. But that's when the blast hit and the whole joint came tumbling down. I managed to pull you out of the wreckage before the cons dove in using the phase shifter, which I snagged during the confusion back on Cybertron. I'm sorry I defied your orders. But we're safe here. We're down so deep no one can pick up our signals. I'll scout above ground in any hope of finding Ratchet."


 * "Wait, if you had the Forge you could fix yourself up. Power of the Primes. Optimus hang on for just a little longer. That hammer's gotta be somewhere in Megatron's fortress."


 * "You don't scare me ugly."


 * "Hello Beautiful."


 * "Optimus. I have the Forge. You can use it to repair yourself."


 * "So it's running low. Who cares? All we need is enough juice to get you back into fighting shape."


 * "Optimus, the Forge is a relic of the Primes. We can't use it to restore Cybertron. Not without a Prime, not without you."


 * "You can worry about that after we get you patched up and we take down Megatron."


 * "I can't do this. I mean sure who wouldn't want to be a Prime. But I'm not ready for that kind of responsibility."


 * "This isn't how the story supposed to end."


 * "Aww. I missed it."


 * "I... did what I felt was right."


 * "Hey Bee. You ever thought about being a Prime?"


 * "I always wanted to roll with the Wreckers. Uh....sir."


 * "Mess hall sure is a mess."


 * "So we're gonna let this dohickey fly back to con central..?"


 * "Special delivery. That way right?"


 * "Optimus catch!"


 * "Welcome to the club Bee. Warrior today. Who knows. Prime tomorrow?"


 * "Someone should rename the Sea of Rust. Just saying."


 * "Lord Smokescreen. Emperor of Destruction." - Smokescreen sitting on Megatron's throne having a little fun.


 * "Predacon allies. You called it Bee. And to think Optimus almost passed down the Matrix to me." - To Bumblebee in the Nemesis ship.


 * "Yeah I said it. But right place, right time doesn't mean right bot. I know that now." - To Bumblebee.


 * "You're subject to the law of magnetism."


 * "That's what you say when someone kicks the..." - Last words of the movie/show

Trivia

 * Most people were expecting Jazz or Ironhide when the New Recruit episode was announced.
 * In season 2, Smokescreen wore the Phase Shifter on his right arm. In season 3, however he wore it on his left arm. Smokescreen was originally thought to be left-handed but is now implied to ambidextrous (having no dominant hand).
 * Smokescreen's first paint job had 38s like his G1 counterpart.
 * Ultra Magnus, Wheeljack, Smokescreen, and Bumblebee never use built in melee weapons. Smokescreen never used melee weapons.
 * Smokescreen bears similarities to Superboy from Young Justice as both are young warriors originally dressed in white and later adopting a darker color scheme trying to impress a powerful hero dressed in red and blue. Though Superboy was more aggressive than Smokescreen. Coincidentally, Superboy and Smokescreen are both voiced by Nolan North.
 * Of all Autobots, Smokescreen interacts the least with the humans.
 * Smokescreen is the only (main) Autobot in Prime to have not appeared in any of the novels or games in the Aligned Continuity Family.
 * This version of Smokescreen is the most popular among the fans.
 * Smokescreen is the only individual to have defeated the Apex Armor.
 * Smokescreen was the last Autobot to see Predaking in the show.
 * Smokescreen has been addressed as 'Kid' by nearly all the Autobots except for Optimus and Ratchet. Bumblebee has been called 'kid' as well.
 * At the end of Predacons Rising when Optimus is about to sacrifice himself for Cybertron he states that every Autobot is worthy to be a Prime. However, before Optimus takes the plunge, he is seen looking at Smokescreen, implying that he still considers Smokescreen to still be the most worthy to be the next leader.
 * Many fans, consider Smokescreen similar to Hot Rod, due to him being of a young age, nearly being a Prime, admiring Optimus and being Optimus' protege. The name Hot Rod could not be used due to trademark issues.
 * Smokescreen's alt mode is an Indy 500 racecar with screaming double 38's on the side. Many fans have noted its similarity to a McLaren MP4-12C and Lotus Exige. His robot mode has also elements of this alt mode before he came to Earth.
 * Smokescreen's helm design implies he is a descendant, or related to Optimus Prime.
 * The name Smokescreen was originally given to a character from Season 1. However, the character was renamed Cliffjumper and was killed in the first episode.
 * Smokescreen is the only Autobot to have saved Optimus Prime in more than one occasions in the most severe situations. When he saved Optimus from being slayed by Megatron with the Dark Saber, he managed to pull Optimus out of the destroyed Autobot base from being captured, and when Optimus died from his wounds and Smokescreen chose to place the Forge on Optimus' hand to save him.
 * Of all the Autobots Smokescreen doesn't always follow protocol and does what he believes is right even going far as to save his comrades when he went back to the former Autobot base to save Optimus.
 * Smokescreen is the only Autobot to have saved a potentially dying Autobot.