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|Alternate Name = |
|Alternate Name = |
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|Affiliation = [[Decepticon]]s |
|Affiliation = [[Decepticon]]s |
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| − | | |
+ | |Function = Warrior |
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+ | |Alternate Mode = F-15 Eagle |
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+ | |Weapons = Incendiary gun |
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+ | |Strength = 7 |
| − | | |
+ | |Intelligence = 7 |
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+ | |Speed = 9 |
| − | | |
+ | |Endurance = 7 |
| − | | |
+ | |Rank = 5 |
| − | | |
+ | |Courage = 5 |
| − | | |
+ | |Fireblast = 8 |
| − | | |
+ | |Skill = 7 |
| − | | |
+ | |Total = 55 |
}} |
}} |
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'''Thundercracker''' claims the skies as his arena. He looks down in contempt on those who cannot leave the ground -- he considers them lesser beings. He will often attack the flightless beings below him for no other reason than to satisfy his scorn. |
'''Thundercracker''' claims the skies as his arena. He looks down in contempt on those who cannot leave the ground -- he considers them lesser beings. He will often attack the flightless beings below him for no other reason than to satisfy his scorn. |
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| − | + | Though more intelligent than his close friend and partner [[Skywarp]], his superiority in this realm is the only thing he is sure of. Thundercracker is not entirely committed to the Decepticon cause, and even has some seemingly contradictory sympathy for the [[human]]s they terrorize. Fear of retribution from [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and the influence of his peers is usually enough to bury these doubts. Regardless, he needs constant reassurance that he's where he needs to be. Sometimes, his [[Spark|heart's]] just not in the job. |
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[[Microbots|He also can't hold his liquor...]] |
[[Microbots|He also can't hold his liquor...]] |
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===American cartoon continuity=== |
===American cartoon continuity=== |
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:''Voice actor:'' [[John Stephenson]], ''[[Wally Burr]]'' (English), [[Yutaka Shimaka]] (Japanese) |
:''Voice actor:'' [[John Stephenson]], ''[[Wally Burr]]'' (English), [[Yutaka Shimaka]] (Japanese) |
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| − | Both parties managed to escape safely, and Thundercracker went with the other Decepticons (save for Megatron) to a rocket fuel base, where Thundercracker made his mark by destroying a couple of tanks. The Autobots arrived to stop them, with Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Laserbeak unleashing an aerial assault upon Cliffjumper and Wheeljack. During the brawl, Megatron called Thundercracker and the other troops to the space cruiser to return to Cybertron. However, a surprise attack from Mirage grounded their plans, literally and metaphorically. More than Meets the Eye, Part 3 |
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| − | This would not be the end of the Decepticons, however. The crashed Victory was rebuilt into a fortress, from which they made another assault looking for energon. Thundercracker participated in many other attacks following this, also witnessing Megatron's disappearance in a space bridge accident, Transport to Oblivion and being part of the attack on a hydroelectric power generator along with Soundwave and Starscream, who declared himself leader in Megatron's absence. Though a group of Autobots came to stop them, Thundercracker bashed the charging Cliffjumper with a pillar from the building. The energon cubes they were making were destroyed, and Soundwave suggested that the squad should retreat. As they escaped, Thundercracker criticized Starscream's leader capabilities, going on to praise Megatron when he revealed himself to have survived. Starscream took his squad (and Skywarp) to an airplane factory for spare parts, but while Thundercracker was having his wings reattached, Bluestreak and Prowl crashed the party. The Seekers shot at the Autobots, but Chip Chase took control of the injured Prowl and had him unleash a spectacular assault forcing Starscream's squad to escape. However, they made a quick stop at Chip's house and abducted him, taking him to Dr. Alcazar's lab where the other Decepticons were. They extracted the antimatter formula from his brain, making them stronger. Thundercracker was unable to kill the now-useless Chip, as Autobots interrupted and took him back. The next morning, after leaving the lab, Sunstreaker used his jet judo on the antimatter-powered Thundercracker, but Starscream thwarted this plan. Thundercracker was then ordered to give Megatron the antimatter cubes, transforming him into "the most powerful weapon of all". This plan was a failure, and the Decepticons had no choice but to get away. Roll for It |
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| + | [[Image:Tetrajet seekers.jpg|thumb|Cybertron alt-mode (on the right). Out of all the pre-earth alt modes, these pyramid jets seem to be the only ones anyone really cares about.]] |
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| + | Thundercracker was one of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron's]] elite warriors, participating in the attack on the [[Ark]] and joining the rest of the Earth-bound Transformers in their several-million-year nap under an inactive volcano. He awoke when the rest of the Decepticons did, and took part in their attempts to gather [[energon]] and escape the planet [[Earth]], which he loathed for being too "flat". It was he and [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] who spotted the first "potential Autobot", when in fact they had discovered the planet's native inhabitants, two [[human]]s, in an unliving vehicle.{{storylink|More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} |
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| − | FLINTSTOOOOONE!!! |
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| − | Thundercracker again joined his fellow Seekers in raiding a factory for energy and heavily damaging Optimus Prime, who had been called in by Chip. When more Autobots showed up, Megatron ordered the Seekers to escape with the energon cubes rather than fighting them. At the end of the day, Thundercracker participated in a battle in front of the Ark, where he was punched down by Huffer immediately as he landed. When Megatron suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of a recovered Optimus Prime, Starscream smugly instructed everybody to take Megatron back for repairs. Divide and Conquer Following this, Thundercracker witnessed the rebirth of Starscream's former colleague Skyfire Fire in the Sky and was shot down by Slag during a mission at the Great Falls. S.O.S. Dinobots |
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| ⚫ | One of the few things he seemed to loathe even more than the world he was stranded on was the attitude of his commander, Starscream. Thundercracker often started fights with the Air Commander, usually over whether or not Megatron's latest plan was a waste of time (Thundercracker took Megatron's side). At one point, Thundercracker's distaste for "that geeky Starscream" became so strong that he was willing to let Skyfire destroy one of the Decepticons' greatest weapons, just in the hopes that Starscream would get blamed for it! |
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| − | Thundercracker and the other Seekers helped haul an unstable meteor back for the Decepticons, War of the Dinobots and the Seekers next attacked a solar plant located in India as a diversion so Megatron could continue his plan. When Skywarp and Starscream began arguing over the effectiveness of the plan, Thundercracker merely kept his mouth shut. The Autobots came to rescue Sparkplug, going to the underwater base to do so. During this underwater battle, Thundercracker sent a missile at Bumblebee, only for Bumblebee to direct it back at him. He was next doing some work on a large space bridge for Megatron, one that would bring Cybertron into Earth's orbit and create devastating weather. The Ultimate Doom, Part 1 Starscream ordered Thundercracker to use his flamethrower against the Autobots, and despite Thundercracker's protests saying that the wind is too strong, Starscream wouldn't give in. Thundercracker turned out to be correct, and his fire ended up scorching to two Seekers instead, something Jazz and Trailbreaker found humorous. The Ultimate Doom, Part 2 When the other Decepticons noticed that Megatron had left for Cybertron by himself, Thundercracker was in hot pursuit. The Ultimate Doom, Part 3 Thundercracker was the straight man when Skywarp, Rumble, and Frenzy were bickering when they should have been working. Though he was as surprised as everybody else when Megatron arrived, perfectly healthy, to shut everybody up, Thundercracker was willing to go with Megatron when he discovered Starscream and Dr. Arkeville's plot. Countdown to Extinction |
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| ⚫ | One of the few things he seemed to loathe even more than the world he was stranded on was the attitude of his commander, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]. Thundercracker often started fights with the [[Air Commander]], usually over whether or not Megatron's latest plan was a waste of time (Thundercracker took Megatron's side). At one point, Thundercracker's distaste for "that geeky Starscream" became so strong that he was willing to let [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] destroy one of the Decepticons' greatest weapons, just in the hopes that Starscream would get blamed for it!{{storylink|Fire on the Mountain}} Despite these brushes with treachery, however, Thundercracker just never had it in him to do anything more than complain about his fellow Decepticons. |
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| + | [[Image:Thundercrackerg1.jpg|thumb|left|JETSON, YOU'RE FIRED!!!]] |
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| − | Somebody must have forgotten to lock the gate at the petting zoo... |
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| + | <!--FLINTSTONE, YOU'RE FIRED!!!--> |
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| − | Megatron took Soundwave and Thundercracker to Bali after giant insects were reported in the area. When Ravage showed them to a Decepticon escape pod disguised as a hollow rock, Thundercracker deduced that the giant insects were Decepticons who came to Earth and scanned insects as alternate modes. This group met up with the Insecticons, and Shrapnel requested that they help defeat the group of Autobots challenging them, to which they agreed. When reinforcement Autobots came in, Megatron ordered the Decepticons (Insecticons included) to head for the oil refinery to rest up. The Insecticons separated, with the rest going to the refinery, where Thundercracker poured oil from the pipes into Soundwave's energon cubes, and brought more cubes when Rumble requested them. A visitor soon showed up, and Thundercracker joined in giving him a "warm welcome". Other Autobots arrived, with Brawn, Wheeljack and Optimus Prime being forced to dive into the water to avoid a "Shrapnel grenade". Thundercracker used his flamethrower on the trio of Autobots, who avoided it and retaliated by swimming underwater and then pushing up the dock Thundercracker was standing on, throwing him into his own inferno. He retreated with the rest of his group to follow the fleeing Insecticons. A Plague of Insecticons |
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| − | Megatron used the power chip rectifiers taken from the other Decepticons in his one-on-one battle against Optimus Prime. Thundercracker contributed his, allowing Megatron to use ear-splitting sonic booms. After the battle, the Autobots went back to base so Optimus could recover, where they discovered the Decepticons' plan. After distracting and threatening them with a hologram, the Autobots shot at their enemies until they fell down the crevice, into the lava below. Heavy Metal War |
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| + | Thundercracker was present for the Decepticon assault on [[Autobot City]] in 2005. After the battle, the injured Thundercracker was tossed out of [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] with the rest of the injured and weakened warriors, who were jettisoned for ballast in order to preserve fuel. |
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| − | Thundercracker obviously survived his fall with the rest of his group, as he was around for attacks on Air Force rocket bases, and on the hunt for Autobot X, Autobot Spike and was with the other Decepticons in Africa, but at the end of the day, he was sent flying into a tree by Ratchet. When the solar needle situation became dire, causing the sun to come close to self-destruction, Thundercracker was smart enough to fly away, the first Decepticon to do so. Changing Gears He was also part of an aerial strike force bombarding the Autobots as they attempted to recover Optimus Prime's right arm from the Decepticons' fortress in New Cybertron. City of Steel |
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| − | Along with the other Seekers, Thundercracker attacked the outside of the Ark as a diversion so Megatron could insert a device in the Ark's recharging chamber that would turn the Autobots evil. Notably, Thundercracker's blasts created a landslide that stopped Prowl in his tracks. He was later boarding a rocket that would hopefully take the Decepticons back to Cybertron, but the Autobots, who had become good again, damaged the fuel tanks and forced the Decepticons to jump ship. Attack of the Autobots Thundercracker was seen with the other Decepticons, shooting at Optimus Prime when he came for their electro-cells, Traitor and was among those who came to steal Wheeljack's Immobilizer. The Immobilizer |
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| − | When the Autobots became trapped in their vehicle modes thanks to the transfixatron, Thundercracker blasted Optimus Prime and Ironhide and overheated them. He also helped Starscream bring out the Decepticon body shell, and then attempted (and failed) to kill an Earthcrawler with an overdue termination. The Autobot Run |
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| − | After Soundwave's discovery of an underwater city, Thundercracker and the other Decepticons went to go plunder it for energy. When they discovered a new ally, Thundercracker worked on some technology that would hopefully raise his submerged city. Although he was skeptical about working with them, he had to go along anyway as part of a larger plan. He was then among the Seekers who menaced a squad of Autobots when they came to check out the situation. When Sub-Atlantica had risen to the water's surface and floated towards Washington, D.C., Thundercracker entered the city with his fellow Decepticons. Though he and Skywarp threatened Hound and Prowl from above, Brawn held Thundercracker with a hooked rope so Optimus Prime could blast him out of the sky. Atlantis, Arise! |
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| − | The three Seekers tore the roof off the building where Dr. Fujiyama, the famous scientist unveiled his new robot Nightbird, with Thundercracker and Starscream promptly transporting Nightbird to the Decepticons' temporary base. Later, Megatron considered replacing Starscream with the now-reprogrammed Nightbird. Starscream threw a fit and Megatron told Thundercracker and Skywarp to hold him back before Soundwave and Bombshell trapped him in a force field. Megatron led the Decepticons (minus Starscream) to retrieve Nightbird's World Energy Chip, but Starscream escaped and shot her with his null-ray in yet another act of treachery. Megatron sent the other Decepticons to catch the traitor, allowing the Autobots to collect it. Enter the Nightbird |
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| − | You'd think Gears would be more than mildly dismayed at the severing of his arm. |
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| − | When the Autobots were investigating a mysterious source of energy in a crevice, the Seekers attacked Optimus Prime. Thundercracker charged at Optimus, only to be grabbed and thrown to the ground. Much later, as part of a ploy by Megatron, Thundercracker was surprised to hear "Starscream" announce for everybody to hold their fire, as he had an Autobot in his very hands and could kill him. Starscream shut him up by repeating the order. But when Starscream explained his plan to fight "Optimus Prime", Thundercracker went along with it and was the one who announced the start of the match. A Prime Problem On a later mission, he ambushed the Autobots from above, only to be swatted away by an Autobot-controlled Devastator. The Core He was subsequently around at the mission to Nova Power Plant, firing at the Autobots and a group of helicopter-piloting humans. At Iron Mountain, the Insecticons managed to enslave Thundercracker and the other Seekers. However, when the now enormous-sized Shrapnel exploded, it also deactivated the cerebro-shells that had taken over the Seekers, and they were returned to normal. The Insecticon Syndrome When Laserbeak reported a strange, prehistoric island chock-full of energon sources to Megatron, he brought a team of Decepticons with him, Thundercracker helping to fill up the energon cubes. Dinobot Island, Part 1 Thundercracker also assisted in repelling both Autobots on the island and the island's monsters, only to be run over by a stampede. Dinobot Island, Part 2 Next, he and the other jets came to a ravine to get a few shots in at the Autobots. This failed when Smokescreen used his eponymous ability to blind them. Auto Berserk |
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| − | He was also around to assist the Decepticons in recovering the wreck of the Nemesis, which had crashed in South America. He also got completely smashed when the Decepticons went on an energon binge. Microbots He also disguised himself as an Autobot as part of a Decepticon plan to frame the Autobots. When the plan worked, he and the others witnessed the Autobots' banishment from Earth. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1 Thundercracker and Skywarp supervised the humans filling up energon cubes at a power plant, and he later took part in attacking a squad of fighter jets that had come for the Decepticons, only for them to be overwhelmed by the Autobots, who had returned from their banishment. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2 |
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| − | When Spike, Carly, and Bumblebee went to the airport to pick up Sparkplug, Spike thought it was suspicious that brightly coloured military jets were at a commercial location such as theirs. Surely enough, they turned out to be Thundercracker and Thrust, and the hangar that they flew into was a new Decepticon base. However, the Dinobots showed up to stop them, and Snarl dispatched the Seekers by tripping them with barrels. Next, Swoop bombed Thundercracker and Thrust, causing them to crash into the base and destroy it. Slag then sent the two of them flying into an airplane, Thundercracker cushioning Thrust's fall. He got better, and later helped fill energon cubes, and by shooting Mirage, asserted to him that he was not, in fact, invisible. However, Thundercracker did not laugh for long, as his Cybertonium deteriorated and rendered him incapable of transformation. Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1 |
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| − | Thundercracker, Starscream, and Megatron went to go steal Professor Haley's Voltronic Galaxer, after which they then boarded Astrotrain with the device and headed to the moon. After capturing a pair of intruders, Megatron ordered Starscream and Thundercracker to return to Earth while the galaxer did its work interrupting Earth's radiowaves. As Optimus Prime was directing traffic at an airport, Thundercracker and Starscream unleashed a surprise assault that damaged Powerglide and Prime. Blaster Blues When Starscream tackled Megatron after returning from Camelot, Thundercracker arrived to see what was going on. A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court |
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| − | Thundercracker and Skywarp also worked as guards for the Decepticons, ensuring that Perceptor and Seaspray didn't attempt to attack those who had captured them. When a lagoon full of electrum was discovered, Thundercracker and the other Decepticons took a dive and became invulnerable, showing off their power against the Autobots. He also came on the quest to topple Omega Supreme, but when he and Skywarp went to go retrieve a prisoner at the base, he was defeated. The Decepticons attempted to attack the now electrum-powered Autobots at the lagoon, but their electrum began to wear off and Thundercracker was shot down and they were forced to retreat. The Golden Lagoon Thundercracker assisted in guarding the Decepticons' base in the Pine Barrens, Make Tracks and came to a valley that was full of Morphobots. He went into hiding when an Autobot convoy arrived, and didn't do much else except retreat. Quest for Survival |
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| − | When Astrotrain declared himself leader of the Decepticons, Thundercracker snarked at the idea, and it certainly didn't help when Astrotrain's "troops" got themselves in a mess. He barely escaped with his fellow jets when one of the troops accidentally created a flood. He later made a bet with Thrust and Ramjet (four energon cubes!) over whether or not Megatron will prevail over the rebellious Triple Changers and Devastator. Triple Takeover |
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| − | They sure used to give us a pounding. By that, I mean we needed plastic surgery. |
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| − | Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker had held several humans hostage, so it was only natural they would find the Aerialbots on their tails. Thundercracker got in a dogfight with Fireflight and Slingshot, and he emerged as the loser, returning to Cybertron for repairs. On Cybertron, the three Seekers caught up with the Aerialbots again, but they were calmed when Air Raid announced that he simply wanted to talk. Starscream saw this as an opportunity to trick the Aerialbots, but the remaining Autobots discovered their plan. The Seekers tried to ward them off, but Ironhide crashed into them. Eventually, the Decepticons discovered a guardian robot from Cybertron's past, which Thundercracker recalled as "giving them a pounding in the old days". When the Autobots repaired the time machine that had sent the Aerialbots to the past, the Decepticons attacked them with a guardian robot. When it was destroyed by Superion, they retreated. War Dawn Thundercracker and Skywarp were guarding a space bridge when Starscream flew in and requested to go to Cybertron. The two of them refused to let anybody through without proper authorization, leading Starscream to aim his gun directly in Skywarp's face. They reluctantly let him through. Thundercracker took part in the assault on the traitorous Starscream and his warriors, the Combaticons. Starscream's Brigade |
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| − | He and Dirge were instructed by Megatron to transport some energon cubes to the space bridge. He was then sent to Cybertron via space bridge with the other Decepticons and the Autobots, who had temporarily made an alliance in order to stop Starscream. The Revenge of Bruticus Finally, he took part attacking the Ark and Defensor. B.O.T. |
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| − | Thundercracker was present for the Decepticon assault on Autobot City in 2005, and was among the Decepticons gunned down by Optimus Prime. After the battle, Astrotrain transported the Decepticons away, but requested that some dead weight should be jettisoned. The injured Thundercracker, along with Skywarp and the Insecticons, were tossed out of Astrotrain following a decidedly stacked vote. |
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| ⚫ | That was not, however, entirely the end of Thundercracker's story. Unicron was waiting in space for a chance like this, and when the newly reborn Galvatron needed some new troops to command, Thundercracker was among the old Decepticons |
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| ⚫ | That was not, however, entirely the end of Thundercracker's story. [[Unicron]] was waiting in space for a chance like this, and when the newly reborn [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] needed some new troops to command, Thundercracker was among the old Decepticons chosen to use as raw materials. His body was used to create [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], and was thus given a new lease on life.{{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie (1986)}} |
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Later [[Octane]] would show concern when he ran into a [[Decepticon Crypt]] to hide from some Cyclonus, the Sweeps and Scourge and found a statue of Thundercracker there. After paying his respects and apologizing for the intrusion, Octane decided it would be better to hide behind someone else's statue. It is funny to note he may have visited his own grave.{{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}} |
Later [[Octane]] would show concern when he ran into a [[Decepticon Crypt]] to hide from some Cyclonus, the Sweeps and Scourge and found a statue of Thundercracker there. After paying his respects and apologizing for the intrusion, Octane decided it would be better to hide behind someone else's statue. It is funny to note he may have visited his own grave.{{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}} |
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A year on from the Reaper battle, Thundercracker was part of the Decepticon attack on [[New York City]]. Unlike his comrades, he showed no enthusiasm for mindless slaughter and could be seen staring at the devastation Megatron left in his wake. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1}} |
A year on from the Reaper battle, Thundercracker was part of the Decepticon attack on [[New York City]]. Unlike his comrades, he showed no enthusiasm for mindless slaughter and could be seen staring at the devastation Megatron left in his wake. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1}} |
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| − | After the utter defeat of the Autobots, Thundercracker seemed to be quite listless, fighting when commanded or attacked directly, but otherwise avoiding the destructive pleasures of the other Decepticons, even those of his brother Seekers. When Starscream staged his takeover attempt at first it seemed that Thundercracker was with him, but it soon became evident that he was still loyal to Megatron and apparently had served as a spy. As the battlelines changed from Decepticon vs Decepticon, to Decepticon vs Human, to Human and Autobot vs Decepticon, Thundercracker took to the air but somehow missed the |
+ | After the utter defeat of the Autobots, Thundercracker seemed to be quite listless, fighting when commanded or attacked directly, but otherwise avoiding the destructive pleasures of the other Decepticons, even those of his brother Seekers. When Starscream staged his takeover attempt at first it seemed that Thundercracker was with him, but it soon became evident that he was still loyal to Megatron and apparently had served as a spy. As the battlelines changed from Decepticon vs Decepticon, to Decepticon vs Human, to Human and Autobot vs Decepticon, Thundercracker took to the air but somehow missed the skyscraper sized Omega Supreme coming in for a blow against Devestator. That's a heck of a blind spot. Going against orders, Thundercracker offered to stop the atomic weapon drop on New York. Not out of any feelings of compassion but because he was a warrior and couldn't stand the idea of pointless slaughter of a species that couldn't fight back, that it was a dishonor to the Decepticon name to have massacred so many humans instead of fighting a worthy foe. Unfortunately, Skywarp didn't quite agree and attacks his fellow Seeker after Thundercracker successfully stops the bomb. |
By some means, bad shooting, recovery, or reluctance on Skywarp's part, Thundercracker was still active on Earth two years later, and fought along with Scrapper and Swindle during their attack on Omega Supreme. |
By some means, bad shooting, recovery, or reluctance on Skywarp's part, Thundercracker was still active on Earth two years later, and fought along with Scrapper and Swindle during their attack on Omega Supreme. |
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[[Category:Timelines characters]] |
[[Category:Timelines characters]] |
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[[Category:Titanium Series]] |
[[Category:Titanium Series]] |
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| + | [[de:Thundercracker (G1)]] |
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Revision as of 10:06, 26 May 2019
Thundercracker claims the skies as his arena. He looks down in contempt on those who cannot leave the ground -- he considers them lesser beings. He will often attack the flightless beings below him for no other reason than to satisfy his scorn.
Though more intelligent than his close friend and partner Skywarp, his superiority in this realm is the only thing he is sure of. Thundercracker is not entirely committed to the Decepticon cause, and even has some seemingly contradictory sympathy for the humans they terrorize. Fear of retribution from Megatron and the influence of his peers is usually enough to bury these doubts. Regardless, he needs constant reassurance that he's where he needs to be. Sometimes, his heart's just not in the job.
He also can't hold his liquor...
- French name (Canada): Coup de Tonnerre (Thunderclap)
- Chinese name (Taiwan): Lìeh Léi (裂雷, "Cracking Thunder") / Léi-gōng (雷公, "Duke of Thunder")
- Hungarian name: Villámcsapás ("Lightning strike")
- Italian name: Vampiro
- Portuguese name (Portugal comics): Grande Trovão
- Portugese name (Brazil comics): Arrasador
- Russian name: Gromoverzhets (Громовержец, "Thunderplunger")
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Generation One
Thundercracker is the one that is not Skywarp.
Thundercracker was one of Megatron's troops who attacked the Ark during its mission to clear a path for Cybertron through an asteroid field. He was deactivated when it crashed on Earth, and he lay dormant for four million years. When he and his fellow Decepticons awoke, Thundercracker was given a new altmode, that of an Earth jet. The Transformers He aided the Decepticons in their building of their new base constructed of parts from Harrison Nuclear Power Plant and joined in their attack on Sparkplug Witwicky's auto repair shop. After the successful abduction of Sparkplug Witwicky, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Starscream defended their base from Autobots, though Gears and Spider-Man were able to sneak through and rescue Sparkplug. Prisoner of War!
On another occasion, he and Skywarp made a strafing run on two Autobot spies, Jazz and Sunstreaker. Jazz was deafened and blasted off the road, but Sunstreaker led them into a human military zone, prompting Megatron to call them back to base. Perchance to Dream
Though Sparkplug Witwicky was able to devise a way for the Decepticons to convert Earth fuel into a usable substance, he also poisoned the result, so Thundercracker and his fellow Decepticons were immobilized at the climax of their would-be final battle with the Autobots. The Last Stand The Decepticon Shockwave took command of the Decepticons and the Ark shortly thereafter, and nursed Thundercracker and his comrades back to full health. Thundercracker may have helped Shockwave attempt to capture and brainwash Bumblebee into a Decepticon, or it may have been Skywarp. It's hard to tell. Plight of the Bumblebee!
He served the Decepticon cause up until he was deactivated while battling Omega Supreme and placed in prison stasis at Autobot headquarters. Command Performances!
Like Starscream and Frenzy, he revived early and soon quickly escaped from the Ark. He, Frenzy and Shockwave were then temporarily displaced to Limbo when Hot Rod, Kup and Blurr time-jumped from 2006. Target 2006
During a massive battle between the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth's moon, Thundercracker and the other Decepticons held in stasis aboard the Ark were liberated by the Constructicons and subsequently brought back on-line. Totalled!
Much later, Thundercracker attacked an Underbase-powered Starscream in Tokyo, but both he and Skywarp were destroyed by their former flying partner. Dark Star!
Generation 2
Thundercracker was active on Earth during the Decepticons' major offensive against the human population, and was present when Megatron stole the Creation Matrix from Optimus Prime. The Gathering Darkness
Classics
After being revived from a state of near death, Thundercracker couldn't bring himself to serve with Starscream, the bot who killed him, and so he joined Bludgeon's Decepticon faction instead of his old leader Megatron's group. Of course, he ended up dead anyway at the hands of his latest maniacal boss, Bug Bite, so...tough break. Games of Deception
American cartoon continuity
- Voice actor: John Stephenson, Wally Burr (English), Yutaka Shimaka (Japanese)
Cybertron alt-mode (on the right). Out of all the pre-earth alt modes, these pyramid jets seem to be the only ones anyone really cares about.
Thundercracker was one of Megatron's elite warriors, participating in the attack on the Ark and joining the rest of the Earth-bound Transformers in their several-million-year nap under an inactive volcano. He awoke when the rest of the Decepticons did, and took part in their attempts to gather energon and escape the planet Earth, which he loathed for being too "flat". It was he and Reflector who spotted the first "potential Autobot", when in fact they had discovered the planet's native inhabitants, two humans, in an unliving vehicle. More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1
One of the few things he seemed to loathe even more than the world he was stranded on was the attitude of his commander, Starscream. Thundercracker often started fights with the Air Commander, usually over whether or not Megatron's latest plan was a waste of time (Thundercracker took Megatron's side). At one point, Thundercracker's distaste for "that geeky Starscream" became so strong that he was willing to let Skyfire destroy one of the Decepticons' greatest weapons, just in the hopes that Starscream would get blamed for it! Fire on the Mountain Despite these brushes with treachery, however, Thundercracker just never had it in him to do anything more than complain about his fellow Decepticons.
JETSON, YOU'RE FIRED!!!
Thundercracker was present for the Decepticon assault on Autobot City in 2005. After the battle, the injured Thundercracker was tossed out of Astrotrain with the rest of the injured and weakened warriors, who were jettisoned for ballast in order to preserve fuel.
That was not, however, entirely the end of Thundercracker's story. Unicron was waiting in space for a chance like this, and when the newly reborn Galvatron needed some new troops to command, Thundercracker was among the old Decepticons chosen to use as raw materials. His body was used to create Scourge, and was thus given a new lease on life. The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Later Octane would show concern when he ran into a Decepticon Crypt to hide from some Cyclonus, the Sweeps and Scourge and found a statue of Thundercracker there. After paying his respects and apologizing for the intrusion, Octane decided it would be better to hide behind someone else's statue. It is funny to note he may have visited his own grave. Starscream's Ghost
Japanese cartoon continuity
Robot Masters online mini-comics
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Machine Wars toy bio
The mysterious Machine Wars were a tumultuous time for Thundercracker. At long last he was convinced of and committed to the truth of the Decepticon cause, but Thundercracker now ironically found himself in open rebellion against Megatron's leadership of the faction. It is unknown what events lead to his reversal of heart about the Decepticons and his being branded a "Rebel Warrior."
Dreamwave comics continuity
One of the first Decepticons recruited by Megatron. Early in Megatron's scheming, Thundercracker was sent to Sector Zero-Six with Skywarp and Starscream. On the way, Starscream unintelligently leaked the plan to Grimlock. DW Preview Special 2002
Thundercracker was one of several Decepticon invaders on-board the Ark when it crashed into Earth four million years ago while the Autobot ship was clearing an asteroid in the path of Cybertron.
In 2002, he was one of several Transformers who survived the disastrous launch of the sabotaged Ark II, and was later captured and reprogrammed by arms dealer Adam 'Lazarus' Rook, who intended to rent out the services of the enslaved robots to various terrorist groups. In a demonstration of their power to a group of prospective clients, Thundercracker participated in an attack on the Arctic division of the Smitco Oil Refinery by blowing something up. Prime Directive issue 2
After Megatron reactivated himself, he freed his Decepticon subordinates in order to put forward his plans to infect Earth with a metallic virus of doom. To pass the time while this happened, Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp busied themselves by tearing apart the Autobot Mini Vehicle team. Prime Directive issue 3
Thundercracker later participated in Megatron's attack on San Francisco, where he followed Starscream's orders to maintain formation and drop cluster bombs on the Autobot giant Superion, forcing the Aerialbots to split into their separate component robots. Prime Directive issue 4
Thundercracker stood watch over the defeated Autobots while Megatron tried to persuade Optimus Prime to help the Decepticons conquer Earth. After some human firefighters distracted the Decepticons long enough for Optimus Prime to free the Autobots, Thundercracker was presumably beaten up and escaped when Superion sacrificed himself to stop a nuclear missile launched by rogue US General Robert Hallo. Prime Directive issue 6
After Shockwave had defeated Megatron and brought the Decepticons back to Cybertron, Thundercracker and Skywarp spent their time relaxing and bathing, though Thundercracker was skeptical of Shockwave's new order, and compared its promised benefits to the benefits originally promised by Megatron.
Starscream eventually brought several Decepticons back to Earth and led them in a battle against the Autobots who had stayed behind there. Thundercracker was among those captured by the Autobots, but was eventually freed in exchange for Starscream's assistance in fighting against Sunstorm.
Devil's Due G.I. Joe vs Transformers continuity
IDW comics continuity
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Thundercracker and his fellow Seekers were recruited into Megatron's underground fights when Soundwave was sent to recruit flight capable warriors. However, Megatron did not intend for them to be pit fighters, but his new warriors. After being given weapons systems by Hook, the Seekers went and kidnapped Senator Decimus, who was to be executed at Megatron's recruitment rally. However, Sentinel Prime and the Autobots arrived and arrested the whole of them. Megatron Origin issue 3. After Starscream killed the Kaon Council and liberated them, Megatron launched his new "Decepticons" in an "Everything burns" offensive on Kaon. Thundercracker and Skywarp were sent to target a ship carrying the wealthy and elite. Thundercracker expressed some reservations about attacking the ship, but Skywarp gave him simple advice: "Don't think. Just do it." Megatron Origin issue 4
Thundercracker operated as part of a Decepticon insurgent cell that had operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, working to destabilize Earth's governing organizations and create global anarchy. He was known to the Autobots as a professional soldier, in contrast to the likes of the Battlechargers.
He, Runabout and Runamuck were assigned by Starscream to intercept the human Stoker and retrieve his SM-40 palmtop PC, containing data on their Nebraska operation. The team caught up with and killed Stoker outside Phoenix, AZ, but the SM-40 was missing. Thundercracker tracked the device to Hunter O'Nion and Verity Carlo, but was driven off by Ratchet, Infiltration issue 0 who managed to temporarily lose him and the two Battlechargers. After picking Ratchet up again, Thundercracker was later shot down by Prowl, Sunstreaker and Ironhide. Infiltration issue 2 When Megatron arrived on Earth to take command of Starscream's infiltration team, Thundercracker, along with the other Decepticons, were unwilling to stand against him when the Decepticon leader ordered them to stand down. Infiltration issue 6
After Megatron trashed Starscream, Thundercracker and the other Decepticons were only all too willing to accept Megatron's leadership once again. Thundercracker and Skywarp were sent to destroy the El Jira power plant in the middle east to inflame global tensions and spark a global energy shortage. Escalation issue 2 During the battle of Brasnya, the sorely-pressed Skywarp teleported Thundercracker in to try and stop Hot Rod from escaping with the Georgi Koska facimile. Escalation issue 6
Thundercracker was among the concerned Decepticons who feared that Megatron had made a serious error in judgement by bringing the destructive Sixshot to Earth, and so conspired to bring Starscream back into the fold to talk some sense into their leader. Devastation issue 1 Though outnumbered and outgunned, the Decepticons fought valiantly when the Reapers attacked, and with a little help from a mysterious combatant, they managed to defeat the alien invaders. Devastation issue 6
A year on from the Reaper battle, Thundercracker was part of the Decepticon attack on New York City. Unlike his comrades, he showed no enthusiasm for mindless slaughter and could be seen staring at the devastation Megatron left in his wake. All Hail Megatron issue 1
After the utter defeat of the Autobots, Thundercracker seemed to be quite listless, fighting when commanded or attacked directly, but otherwise avoiding the destructive pleasures of the other Decepticons, even those of his brother Seekers. When Starscream staged his takeover attempt at first it seemed that Thundercracker was with him, but it soon became evident that he was still loyal to Megatron and apparently had served as a spy. As the battlelines changed from Decepticon vs Decepticon, to Decepticon vs Human, to Human and Autobot vs Decepticon, Thundercracker took to the air but somehow missed the skyscraper sized Omega Supreme coming in for a blow against Devestator. That's a heck of a blind spot. Going against orders, Thundercracker offered to stop the atomic weapon drop on New York. Not out of any feelings of compassion but because he was a warrior and couldn't stand the idea of pointless slaughter of a species that couldn't fight back, that it was a dishonor to the Decepticon name to have massacred so many humans instead of fighting a worthy foe. Unfortunately, Skywarp didn't quite agree and attacks his fellow Seeker after Thundercracker successfully stops the bomb.
By some means, bad shooting, recovery, or reluctance on Skywarp's part, Thundercracker was still active on Earth two years later, and fought along with Scrapper and Swindle during their attack on Omega Supreme.
Toys
Generation One
- Thundercracker (Decepticon Jet, 1984/1985/1986/2001/2003/2008)
- Japanese ID number: 24
- Accessories: Left & right fists, landing gear, 2 rocket launchers, 2 rockets, 2 "Incendiary Gun" missiles
Thundercracker is the cute blue one
- Originally a Diaclone "Jet Robo Acrobat-Type", Thundercracker transforms into an F-15 Eagle fighter jet, sharing his mold with his teammates Starscream and Skywarp. Many parts need to be removed completely from transformation from robot to jet and back, which nowadays is considered a major drawback of the toy. It is difficult to find it complete, as neither mode can hold all the pieces required. There are a few minor mold variations of this toy (common for the first two years of Transformers, really), the most immediately noticeable being that early versions did not have visible "clip-tabs" on the inner face of the gauntlets.
- In 1986, he was made available as a mail-away item (as he was no longer shipping to retail shelves) in the "Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction" flier packed with most boxed Transformers toys. He cost $10 and two robot points.
- In 2001, Thundercracker was given a short-run re-issue by Takara as a convention-exclusive item. The toy would later be more extensively released as part of the Hasbro Commemorative Series line, though due to US toy-safety regulations, his missiles were made extra-long.
- In August, 2008, Thundercracker was once more reissued with Skywarp as number 11 in Takara's Transformers Encore line.
- Thundercracker (Action Master) (Action Master Exo-Suit, 1991)
- Accessories: "Solo Mission Jet Plane", 2 missiles
Even Austin Powers was blinded by this psychadelic color scheme.
- Released only in European and Australasian markets, once again Thundercracker was a redeco of Starscream, a non-transforming action figure that combined elements of both the character's cartoon model and toy-form. Like all Action Masters, Thundercracker was a non-transformable action figure with a transformable accessory — in his case, a Solo Mission Jet Plane vehicle that converted into exo-suit battle armor. However, unlike most of Thundercracker's appearances, Action Master Thundercracker is not in his traditional blue and silver colors, but rather in magenta, purple, blue, gold, and two shades of green. (Oy.) Also the colors for this figure appears for the colors of Shattered Glass Thundercracker.
Machine Wars
- Thundercracker (Basic, 1996)
- Accessories: Two-part rifle
No, seriously, this guy is Thundercracker.
- Sharing a mold once again with Skywarp, Thundercracker transforms into a green Dassault Rafale fighter jet with spring-loaded one-step transformation from jet to robot. The two halves of his rifle store in his lower legs. Like all Machine Wars toys, Thundercracker was an exclusive to Kay-Bee stores and related stores like Toy Liquidators.
- This mold was also used to make Beast Wars II Dirge, Robots in Disguise Skyfire, Robot Masters Wing Stun, and the "Dawn of Future's Past" version of Waspinator.
Smallest Transforming Transformers
- Thundercracker (Smallest Transformers, 2004)
- Part of the third wave of Smallest Transforming Transformers product (dubbed wave "2.5" and available only at CVS stores in Japan), Thundercracker is again a redeco of Starscream. Like all toys in the line, Thundercracker is a tiny, even more simplified version of the original toy, transforming into an F-15 fighter jet. These toys were sold in "blind-packed" boxes, so you could not know which one you had until you actually opened the box. To complicate matters further, Thundercracker was a chase figure, one of two in his wave (the other was a cartoon-colored version of Optimus Prime's trailer).
- The same mold is used by Smallest Transforming Transformer Skywarp and Thrust.
Robot Masters
- Skywarp & Thundercracker (Multi-pack, 2005)
- Accessories: 2 rifles, 2 missile pods
Light blue? Totally neon.
- Robot Masters Thundercracker is a redeco of Starscream from the same series, a smaller yet more advanced version of the original toy, adding more articulation and reducing the amount of part-forming required. He was available only in a two-pack with Skywarp, which also came with a Decepticon sigil pin and chromed missile pods. This set was the very last product released in the Robot Masters line, and wasn't even strictly sold in a box from that series; instead, it used an e-Hobby Generation One reissue box, with a small "Robot Masters" sticker in the corner tab noting its origin from the front.
Titanium Series
- Thundercracker (6" Cybertron Heroes, 2006)
I don't think I have enough little wings on my shoulders.
- Titanium Series Thundercracker is based upon his appearance in Dreamwave's The War Within. He transforms into a Cybertronian 'tetrajet', as reimagined by Don Figueroa. As with all 6-inch Titanium Cybertron Heroes, he is constructed mostly of fully painted die-cast metal.
- This mold was redecoed into War Within Starscream, Sunstorm and Skywarp.
- Yes. Thundercracker was here first.
Timelines
- Games of Deception! (Multi-pack, 2007)
- Accessories: Left & right launchers, 2 missiles
You want me, but you can't have me!
- Thundercracker is part of the Classics-themed BotCon 2007 box set, along with Bugbite, Dirge, Dreadwind, and Thrust. Thundercracker is a redeco of the Classics Starscream toy using the modified version first seen with Skywarp.
- Classics Thundercracker is a faithful reproduction of his original toy, but with modern standards of toy engineering, transformation, sculpting detail and articulation. He transforms into an F-15 Eagle, but has the nose of an F-14 Tomcat fighter jet. His color scheme is inspired by the original figure released in 1984, but with a shade of blue closer to that of the original Diaclone version.
- In robot mode, Thundercracker is essentially a very detailed version of his cartoon robot mode. He is armed with two (overly large) null-ray missile launchers, which are so large that they restrict his arm movement due to them bumping into his wings.
- There were only 1500 Classics Thundercracker figures produced.
- This mold was used for Henkei! Thundercracker.
Henkei! Henkei!
- Thundercracker (Deluxe, 2008)
- Accessories: 2 missile launchers (left and right), 2 missiles
You can have me . . . but you might not want me.
Henkei Thundercracker is a redeco of Henkei Starscream. He features a metallic flake blue version of his cartoon colour scheme, rather than his darker blue Generation One toy colour scheme. Henkei Thundercracker and his fellow Seeker Henkei Skywarp was released in September 2008 as an exclusive through Ganbo Store.
Soon after release, there were numerous complaints from both Japanese and Western collectors about the poor quality control for both Thundercracker and Skywarp. Thundercracker in particular suffered from a widespread issue where his missile launchers did not fit into the holes in his shoulders, due to the holes being too big. This problem is most probably due to the shoulder pieces not fitting together tightly enough, and in some cases can be fixed by taking apart the shoulders with a screwdriver, supergluing the two halves of the upper arm back together tightly over the shoulder joint (taking care not to get any glue on the parts that are supposed to move), and re-securing them with the screw again. Some reported both toys suffering misassembly issues such as having two left or two right thighs.
Masterpiece
- Thundercracker (2008)
- Japanese ID number: MP-7
Of the three original Seekers, Thundercracker has been picked last for the Classics treatment, picked last for the Masterpiece treatment, and picked last for the Cyberball team. No wonder he turned to evil.
A redeco of Masterpiece Starscream, Thundercracker also got the Masterpiece treatment in November of 2008.
Apart from the exact same display stand done in the exact same black and clear plastic, he also has the exact same accessories as the other two Masterpiece Seekers (a clip for attaching the MP-1 Megatron accessory to the underside of his nosecone, two cannons, two racks of missiles, and a tiny Dr. Archeville), except these are cast in his own metallic-flake royal blue palette.
And, like the other Masterpiece Seekers, Thundercracker also has a face-change feature. His expression can go from the standardized neutral look seen on the other MP Seekers to a vicious grimace showing even more teeth than Skywarp's snarl. In his instruction manual / detail booklet, the reason for this grimace is shown as coming from a screenshot of the G1 cartoon series where Ratchet is giving him a flying karate kick to the nuts . . . and bolts. Poor guy can't even get any respect in his own pamphlet.
Oh, and to further annoy the "Bombshell vs. Skywarp: Who Is Cyclonus?" debaters, one pair of Masterpiece Thundercracker's optional squadron stickers is an "Armada" shield showing a prominent central Cyclonus and a couple of smaller, background Sweeps. Make of that what you will.
Merchandise
When you look this cute you can't possibly be evil ...
Robot Heroes
- Thundercracker (2007)
Thundercracker is a redeco of the mold used for Starscream and Skywarp. He was available in a two-pack with Jazz.
Palisades
- Thundercracker statue (2007)
Redeco of the Starscream statue
Diamond Select
- NYCC Exclusive Thundercracker Bust (2008)
Notes
- The mold for Machine Wars Thundercracker was originally developed for Generation 2, but was canceled when that line went under. It is unknown if it was intended to be a new character or a recurring one, though odds are it would have been later redecoed into a recurring character if the former was true.
- Despite his profile data, there are no documented cases of Thundercracker being sympathetic towards humans. Unless this counts.
- Thundercracker somehow appears at Starscream's coronation in The Transformers: The Movie.