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- Rumble is a Decepticon in the Generation 1 continuity family.
Ready to shake, break, rattle and QUAKE!
The label "brat punk" isn't completely inaccurate. Rumble is your basic street punk. Small, but always acting tough as a cover. Not exactly the most subtle of Soundwave's spies, but what he lacks in discretion, he makes up for by being the brawler of the group. He talks tough because he is tough. Quick-tempered and of a generally mean disposition, he follows Megatron eagerly, as the Decepticon leader lets him indulge in destruction. Rumble has a tendency to toss out a taunting rhyme at his enemies and is, according to Brawn, a "jerk" (or at other times, a "sawed-off nerd").
As the Decepticon demolitions expert, Rumble loves nothing more than to break things apart. His arms can transform into powerful piledrivers that, when pounded against the ground, can cause earthquakes, usually with fissures. He can be easily overpowered in a one-on-one match, though the real challenge is actually getting to him first. Even if you do, you usually need to get through his brother Frenzy either before or after you get Rumble.
- "If on Decepticon turf you happen to tumble, look out, robot, 'cause here comes Rumble!"
- ―Rumble, thinking he's funny[["S.O.S. Dinobots"| [src]]]
Italian name: Tremor
Hungarian name: Görgető (Trundler)
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Generation 1
(Events in italics occur in UK-only stories.)
Rumble's achievements in the comic amounted to being unable to see humans because they were too small, and getting his chassis handed to him by Omega Supreme. It took him a very long time to get better.
Generation 2
Rumble was present for Megatron's throttling of Optimus Prime and the capture of the Creation Matrix from his chest. When the other Autobots arrived, Rumble used his piledrivers to toss Hot Rod for a loop. The Gathering Darkness Later, after the Decepticons joined forces with the Autobots, Rumble accompanied his leader to the planet Ethos, and was seen mopping up the Cybertronian resistance after the Cons saved the Autobots' tailpipes. Escalation! When Jhiaxus unleashed his full battalion against his ancestors, Rumble was manning the Warworld's bridge alongside Soundwave and Frenzy. Both of his fellow bridge officers apparently jettisoned to safety before Starscream took full command of the Warworld, and so Rumble may have done so as well. A Rage in Heaven!
Cartoon continuity
- Voice actor: Frank Welker (English), Keiichi Nanba (Japanese -- See note below.)
I thought it was supposed to be red or blue, Why AM I PURPLE?!?!
Rumble was one of the original Decepticon raiding party that crashed into Earth four million years ago aboard the Ark. Reawakened in 1984, he was reformatted into an audio cassette that fit snugly into Soundwave's chest compartment. Despite his small size (he was usually shown to be about the height of a tall human), he seemed to be on equal footing with most other Decepticons. No doubt this was due to his seismic power, which was used quite often (including once by Megatron when he had borrowed Rumble's power chip rectifier). Even without the use of his seismic attacks, Rumble would often go head-to-head with full-sized Autobots, even having a (short-lived, at least) rivalry with the Autobot Hound. A common Decepticon tactic was to get Rumble to use his earth-shaking abilities to agitate hydroelectric power sources, as the Decepticons did at Sherman Dam and Great Falls.
Alright, open wide...
Assisted by his diminutive stature, Rumble was also responsible for stealing some of the cars that would later become the Stunticons and for inspiring Megatron to name the group. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1
Rumble was effectively doubled by his bodytype-brother Frenzy. Both had identical voices, personalities and abilities, though Rumble appeared alone more often than not.
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Dreamwave comics continuity
Rumble, under his commanding officer Soundwave, was one of the earliest recruits Megatron made for his Decepticon faction millions of years ago. Rumble and his brother Frenzy remained loyal to the primary Decepticon faction under Shockwave's command during the Dark Ages, and remained part of the Decepticon hierarchy after Megatron returned from Quintessa with his new Aerospace Extermination Squadron. The punk brothers were seen naming off Autobot casualties for the fun of it after the Age of Internment began. The War Within: Age of Wrath
Four million years ago, Rumble was part of the crew of the Nemesis which crashed to Earth alongside the Autobots and the Ark. He was revived in 1984 along with the other Transformers for roughly a decade of renewed warfare, before the Autobots ultimately defeated the Decepticons and rendered them inoperative. Their triumphant return to Cybertron aboard the Ark II was sabotaged, however, and the Transformers were all believed destroyed in the resulting explosion. Instead, many of them were recovered by the mercenary named Lazarus, who took efforts to reprogram the Cybertronians into weapons for his disposal. Rumble was one of several Transformers unleashed by Lazarus as a test run in 2002. Megatron managed to override Lazarus's control, though, and freed his fellow Decepticons. Prime Directive
When Shockwave arrived from Cybertron, he managed to defeat Megatron and assume control of the Decepticons in the name of the greater Unified Cybertronian government. Rumble and Frenzy was placed in charge of guarding the deactivated Megatron on the flight back to Cybertron, but were tossed aside by Starscream so that he could jettison Megatron into space. New World Order Later, Shockwave commissioned them to create a distraction that would keep Ultra Magnus from fully realizing his plans, by unleashing the crazed Stunticons from a detention facility. Once again, Starscream intervened on their mission, retrieving five additional prisoners, the Combaticons, for his own purposes. Cold War
As Shockwave's government began to collapse around him, Starscream convinced his fellow comrades from Earth to follow him back to that planet and raid it for energon. Revelation However, his initial "battle plan" against the Autobots led to more than half his forces being captured, including Rumble and Frenzy. After the Autobots were forced into a deal with Starscream due to the threat of Sunstorm, Rumble and the other Decepticon captives were released, but charged to only 50% power. Black Sunshine At this point, Soundwave took steps to reunite the Decepticons with their true leader, Megatron, and shortly thereafter Megatron and the Predacons arrived on Earth and overthrew Starscream's command. The Route of All Evil
Devil's Due G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers comics continuity
Rumble was one of the many Transformers recovered from the crashed Ark by Cobra. He was repaired and retrofitted by Doctor Mindbender, who proudly displayed him, Soundwave, and his fellow Mini-Cassettes to Destro. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2 Rumble was released by Soundwave, along with Laserbeak, Frenzy, Ratbat, and Ravage, during an attack on the SPS Center. Rumble evaded the first wave of G.I. Joe defenders and used his piledrivers to damage the target building. Scaling the building, he menaced Flash and Sci-Fi until Bumblebee punched his lights out. His body was taken into custody by G.I. Joe. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3
IDW comics continuity
Rumble and Frenzy started out as "industrial equipment" at Mining Outpost C-12, until the Senate shut down the site in favor of automating the work involved. Once a furious Megatron kicked off a riot, Rumble and Frenzy joined in the fighting and were soon taken prisoner, destined for "The Rig" penal facility. They managed to break free aboard their prison transport, however, and took control of it with Megatron's help. The renegade miners then fled to Kaon, where they got lost in the underground fighting tournaments that ran rampant throughout that city-state.
As time passed, Megatron rose high in the ranks of the gladiators, and he brought up Rumble and Frenzy with him. And when Megatron's passions turned from arena combat to outright insurrection, so did theirs. When Megatron crafted his plan for infiltrating and destroying the Senate, Rumble and his brother underwent alterations so that they could hide inside Soundwave's chest compartment. Thanks to this subterfuge, the Senate was annihilated and the Security Services of Kaon split open from the inside. Rumble bore witness as Megatron personally beat down and humilitated the Autobot leader, Sentinel Prime. Megatron: Origin
Rumble's current whereabouts are unknown.
Toys
Generation 1
- Rumble
- Japanese ID number: 17, D-102
- Rumble was part of the first wave of Transformers toys released in 1984. Using the same mold as a Microchange Microcassette Robo Micross, he was packaged by Hasbro with Ravage in 1984-1986, by Takara with Soundwave from 1985-1986, and by himself in 1987. This mold was also used for Frenzy and Enemy.
Generation 2 (unreleased)
- "Rumble"
- Part of the canceled 4th wave of Go-Bots, Rumble would have been either a pizza delivery car or a race car with a pizza-oriented sponsor. Although he was never officially named in any known documents, his name is on the front bumper.
- This mold was redecoed into Robots in Disguise Side Swipe and Universe Silverstreak.
Alternators
- Rumble (Alternator, 2006)
- Alternator ID number: 24 (misprint, should be 25)
Nothing says "rebellious" like a Honda Civic!
- For Alternators, Rumble transforms into a 1:24-scale licensed 2006 Honda Civic Si, with opening doors, hood, etc. Additionally, instead of traditional hands, Rumble features spring-loaded piledrivers that release from his arms. Accessories include two back-mounted weapons, one of which doubles as his engine in car mode and the other which fits into his trunk.
- Originally intended for normal retail release in the US, he and wave-mate Ravage got relegated to being Wal-Mart exclusives, released in late March of 2007. Both were available at normal retail in various European markets. He and Ravage are notable for being the first Decepticon Alternators to be entirely new molds, rather than an Autobot mold reworked to be someone else. They are also notable for being the final Alternators toys to be sold at retail.
- Rumble's seats are mis-assembled, keeping them from reclining completely in car mode. To fix this, unscrew each seat from the bottom of the car, swap them, and then rescrew.
Attacktix
- Rumble
Merchandise
Robot Heroes
- Arcee vs. Rumble
 This item is currently scheduled for release, but is not yet available. |
Trivia
- On the G1 TV series, Rumble was represented with the colors of Frenzy's toy—that is, dark and medium blue, rather than red and black (and vice-versa). This led to some confusion (and later, controversy) amongst fans. (See RIBFIR.)
- In later years, toys sporting the name "Rumble" required an additional "Decepticon" prefix for trademark reasons, hence making the official name "Decepticon Rumble".