Divebomb (G1)

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The name or term Divebomb refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Divebomb (disambiguation).

Divebomb
Continuity:	The Transformers, The Headmasters
Japanese Name:	Dimebomb
Affiliation:	Decepticons
Function:	Aerial Assault
Alternate Mode:	Robotic eagle
Weapons:	particle-beam rifles, sword

In the air, with targets arrayed below him like manna strewn from heaven, you wont find a robot happier than Divebomb. He's a cheery sort in general, almost always in a good mood, but nothing makes him downright giddy as a child on Christmas morning as having so many targets to pick and choose from that he doesn't know where to start destroying. Just about the only thing that ever puts him in a bad mood is having to give up his independence and combine with his teammates, whom he tolerates at best, to form Predaking. In his free time, Divebomb likes to use available scrap to build himself "mechanest" fortresses at the top of the highest available point. These plush private apartments are something of a point of pride for him. "I like to live comfortably," he explains with a smile.

"You're history, Autobot!"

―Divebomb preparing to bring the rain

Japanese name: Dimebomb (ダイムボム, da-i-mu-bo-mu)

Italian name: Falcon

French name (Canada): Gerfo

Hungarian name: Lecsapó

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Note: Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

Millions of years ago on Cybertron, the Decepticon now known as Divebomb was an aerial ace who thrilled in engaging Autobots from the Elite Flying Corps in mid-air duels to the death. He found a particularly enjoyable opponent in the Autobot named Divebomb and, after defeating him in combat, "stole" the bombardier's name and began calling himself Divebomb. The Autobot attempted to reclaim his honor and name in a second battle, but was once again defeated by the new Divebomb, and only survived because Optimus Prime intervened on his behalf. Comfortable with his new identity, the Predacon Divebomb continued in his aerial "adventures". What's in a Name?

In 1986, Divebomb and the Predacons were given a twin assignment by the Decepticon leaders on Earth. Megatron hired them to come help him hunt down his nemesis, Optimus Prime, and soften him up for the kill. Shockwave, in turn, had hired them to lead Megatron to his death on the same mission. After a delightful romp through the woods at Prime's heels, the Predacons turned on Megatron, stealing his fusion cannon and leaving him at Prime's mercy. Things didn't work out as planned, and both Optimus and Megatron survived, although a brain-blasting incident with the Cybertronian Decepticon leader Straxus left Megatron with short-term amnesia, unable to remember the Predacons' role in the incident. Prey!

Shockwave hired Divebomb and the Predacons again, a few months later to assassinate Megatron. He had the Predacons install themselves with rotating insignias, in order to disguise themselves as Autobot assassins. While Megatron was able to defeat the Predacons, even in their combined form as Predaking, he ended up eliminating himself by blowing up the Space Bridge while standing on it. (It just goes to show that paranoid, schizophrenic, psychopathic mechanoids with heavy artillery are their own worst enemies.) The Predacons then "moved in" with Shockwave and his warriors on Earth. Gone But Not Forgotten!

Divebomb, however, quickly grew bored with life on Earth. While he had enjoyed the thrilling hunts against worthy targets like Optimus Prime and Megatron, the simple day-to-day activity of stealing energy and scaring humans wasn't enough to keep his interest. Divebomb was weighing his personal interests against his duty to remain with his fellow Predacons when he ran into his old sparring partner, the Autobot Divebomb now known as Swoop. Divebomb was overjoyed at the reunion, and even though their fellow Predacons and Dinobots interrupted the fight, Divebomb's spirit was fully renewed: his playmate was back! Grudge Match!

The Predacons remained active on Earth under Shockwave and Ratbat's command, until Starscream absorbed the power of the Underbase and deactivated them along with several dozen other warriors he was confronted with. Dark Star

Earthforce

Note: These stories do not fit into the normal Marvel continuity. See Earthforce for details.

Divebomb was part of Shockwave's forces on Earth, working at odds with the Autobots and Megatron's own Decepticons. At the Enclave, Divebomb was hanging out near the buffet table when his fellow moocher, Headstrong, mysteriously disappeared. Not long after that, the entire party broke out into a furious melee. The Bad Guy's Ball! He was later seen hanging out at Shockwave's hidden base, and then joined the fight when Soundwave led the Decepticons into a massive strike on the Autobot Earthbase. Bugged! Divide and Conquer!

Cartoon continuity

Voice actor: Laurie Faso (US), Kenyu Horiuchi (Japan)

Divebomb, dropping his load.

Divebomb was created along with the rest of the Predacons in 2006. They were bestowed upon Galvatron by the Quintessons as a gesture of good faith at the start of the Decepticon/Quintesson alliance. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4

Apparently the Quints didn't install any loyalty programming or hidden failsafes in them, though, because while the Quintessons quickly betrayed Galvatron, the Predacons remained under Decepticon command from then on. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5, Chaos

When the Decepticons hostily occupied the lost colony world of Paradron, the Predacons came along for mission. One Autobot named Sandstorm was not as easily beaten down as the rest of the planet's pacifistic population, and had to be jailed. When he escaped, Divebomb performed aerial patrols until he spotted the Paradronian working on an old ship to escape. After radioing in to Galvatron for permission to terminate, Divebomb took the time to enjoy his kill. He swooped up in a wide arc, and then began screaming back down to the surface at terminal velocity, hoping to race his missiles towards the target. While the Predacon was doing all this, however, Sandstorm finished refueling his rocket and took off, narrowly missing the explosion when Divebomb finally fired at him. Poor Divebomb -- his showmanship cost him the kill. Fight or Flee

When Starscream's ghost possessed Trypticon and stole him out from under Galvatron's feet (literally), Divebomb was among the Decepticon warriors who engaged in pursuit of the thief. A full-scale battle took place in the air over Cybertron when Starscream-as-Trypticon stood against the Decepticons while protecting his bargaining partner, Unicron. Divebomb was blown to smithereens in the melee, but seemed okay a few seconds later. Ghost in the Machine

On what was supposed to be a routine assault on the Autobots, Divebomb and the Predacons got swept up in a Quintesson plot to destroy the Transformers, using a special machine to bring the nightmares of Daniel Witwicky to life. When a dream dragon carried off Springer and their leader Razorclaw, the Predacons entered into an uneasy truce with Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus to find their comrades in the ever-shifting mist-filled landscape. Divebomb was easily the least recalcitrant of the Predacons, and seemed to have no problem working alongside the Autobots, and even taking suggestions from Rodimus Prime during the occasional fights along the way. In fact, he seemed more concerned with defending his status as "ace of the air" against a fantasy bi-plane than anything else during the conflict. Which really begs the question of how he fell into a void when the Transformers went into an Earth funhouse. Nightmare Planet, The Quintesson Journal

Divebomb was also among the Primitives who were summoned to fight Tornedron by the former assistant of Primacron. However, other than taking part in a brawl with the Dinobots and forming Predaking in a last stand attempt, Divebomb proceeded to do nothing of importance during the adventure. Dude looked cool, though. Call of the Primitives, The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2

The Headmasters cartoon

Four Warriors Come out of the Sky, Rebellion on Planet Beast, Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1, Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2, The Shadow Emperor, Scorponok, The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts, Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger, Return of the Immortal Emperor, Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2), The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide

Note: The animators probably mistook him for actual cannon fodder: the Sweeps.

Dreamwave comics continuity

Divebomb and the Predacons were warlords on Cybertron at an undisclosed point in the past, before being exiled from their homeworld. Millions of years later, Megatron tracked them down on the planet Beest and reprogrammed the Predacons to serve him. Giving them an Awesome and Terrifying (TM) combined mode as Predaking, Megatron used the Predacons to reacquire his power base and gather Shockwave and Starscream's warriors back under his command. Welcome to the Jungle

IDW comics continuity

Before the war began, the Predacons, including Divebomb, were respondents to Megatron's open casting call for gladiatorial combatants. Divebomb remarked that many heard Megatron's call and came, to which Rampage expressed contempt at some of the amateurs. The Predacons appeared to change their minds after seeing Grimlock and the Dynobots, however. Megatron Origin, Part 3

During the war that followed the Decepticon rebellion, Divebomb participated in the Decepticons' big push against the weakened Autobot positions shortly after the end of the first Thunderwing cataclysm. Spotlight: Blaster

Divebomb and the Predacons hunted the survivors of an Autobot combat team, including the heroic Jazz who came to save them. While he was, apart from Razorclaw, the only team member still standing after Jazz's first attack, he suffered some problems with Tracks in his bowels. Spotlight: Jazz

He'd be happy to take down Thunderwing!

In the modern era, Divebomb and his fellow Predacons commanded the Decepticon battle cruiser Thanatos. Under orders from Megatron, they traveled to Cybertron to ensure Thunderwing never again threatened Decepticon interests. While preparing a planetary carpet-bombing, Razorclaw also dispatched his warriors to provide assistance to Optimus Prime and the Wreckers, in the hopes of defeating the crazed giant without destroying their homeworld. Divebomb personally led a squadron of flyers into battling, including Blast Off, Triggerhappy, Spinister, and Windsweeper. Divebomb didn't have a lot of targets, which is a bummer, but he did get his rematch with Thunderwing, so it all worked out in the end. Stormbringer issue 4

Beast Wars

Timelines

I stole Vector Prime's body.

After the end of the Great War, the Predacons (or those of them surviving) founded the new Predacon faction. Divebomb, long thought destroyed, contacted Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, and Ravage in secret and arranged for them to be rebuilt and join the faction. Though Ravage later left to serve the Tripredacus Council, Laserbeak and Buzzsaw remained loyal to Divebomb. (Until they died, anyway.) Years later, now in a reformatted technorganic body, Divebomb was seen in communication with his old comrade Razorclaw. Dawn of Future's Past

Beast Wars: The Gathering

Screw the sword! I'll just impale guys with my beak.

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 a tiger. The Gathering, Part 2

Toys

Generation One

• Divebomb (Predacon, 1986)
  • Team ID number: 4
  • Japanese ID number: D-75
  • Accessories: 2 "particle-beam rifles", "laser-guided sword", left Predaking fist

He is happy to have die-cast hips!

Divebomb transforms into a robotic eagle. His two "particle-beam rifles" can plug into holes in his wings. He can form either arm to Predaking, though his nominal placement is as the left arm. His wing-pack detaches to form Predaking's backpack, though it doesn't really attach to Razorclaw's back and will fall off with movement.

Early releases of the Predacons had die-cast metal parts; Divebomb's was his hips. Later releases replaced these with plastic. In the US, some releases of the Predacons also came with one of four parts to a The Transformers: The Movie poster with glow-in-the-dark elements.

• Predaking (Gift set, 1986, 2005)
  • Japanese ID number: D-78

All five Predacons were also available in Japan as a large box set. They were identical to their individual releases. This set was reissued by Takara in 2005, using the metal parts construction.

Titanium Series

• Predaking (3" Robot Masters, 2006)
  • Accessories: Display stand, sword

The right arm of this 3" die-cast figurine is technically Divebomb, following the cartoon/character model's layout of Predaking, rather than the original toy.

External links

• Divebomb at TFU.info

• Divebomb's Universe profile at NTFA.net