Thundercracker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thundercracker is the name given to multiple fictional characters in the Transformers Universes. Thundercracker is almost always depicted as a blue color Decepticon who turns into a jet fighter. In many different incarnations, Thundercracker is classified as one of the Seekers.
Contents |
[edit] Transformers: Generation 1 (1984)
| Transformers character | |
 box artwork |
|
| Thundercracker | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Decepticon  |
| Sub-Group | Seekers Action Master Basic Vehicles |
| Rank | 5 |
| Function | Warrior Aerial Assault Rebel Warrior (Machine Wars) |
| Partner | Skywarp |
| Motto | "The deadliest weapon is terror." "The best weapon is terror!" (Machine Wars) |
| Alternate Modes | Cybertronian Jet F-15 Eagle Fighter Jet Saab Gripen Jet Cobra Rattler 19th Century Flying Machine |
| Series | Transformers: Generation 1 Transformers: Machine Wars Transformers: Robot Masters Transformers: Titanium |
| Voiced by | John Stephenson, Wally Burr (in the G1 episode War Dawn) (English) Yutaka Shimaka (Japanese) |
Thundercracker (Coup de Tonnerre in Canada, Vampiro in Italy, Grande Trovão in Portugal) is one of the original Decepticon Seekers from the first year of the series.
[edit] Animated series
Thundercracker was one of the first Decepticons to awaken on Earth in 1984. After laying dormant for four million years, he shared the same Earthen appearance as Starscream and Skywarp and is usually allied with them during attacks.
Often chafing under Starscream's self-importance and glory-seeking, he seemed to dislike Starscream and exploited reasons to undermine his authority, such as letting the Autobot Skyfire destroy one of their secret weapons merely so Starscream would get the blame.
Thundercracker had few prominent roles. In the episode War Dawn Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker kidnapped half of Earth's world leaders, but were persued by the Aerialbots. Unable to loose the Aerialbots, the Decepticons dumped the leaders out at high altitude, forcing the Autobots to break off and save the leaders.
In the year 2005, Thundercracker was present during the battle for Autobot City. With the defeat of their leader, Megatron, the Decepticons were forced to retreat. However, there were too many Decepticons aboard Astrotrain (who served as an impromptu escape vehicle), and Thundercracker was amongst those few Decepticons too weakened to put up a fight to stay on board. Being cast out into space, the damaged Decepticons drifted into the path of Unicron, and Thundercracker's body was used to create Scourge, one of Galvatron's new warriors. An interesting note to take in is that Thundercracker was never damaged during the Battle of Autobot City and is seen fully fuctional when Optimus Prime arrived. So it is possible that either Optimus Prime was the one who mortally wounded Thundercracker.
In the Season 3 episode, Starscream's Ghost, Thundercracker appears to have a grave--or at least a commemorative marker--in the Decepticon crypt.
[edit] Marvel Comics
In the Marvel comics series, Thundercracker was depicted as one of Starscream's lieutenants, along with fellow Seeker Skywarp. (This point was driven home by the fact that while Thundercracker's colors were noticeably different from both Starscream and Skywarp, in the comics he was colored a dark, almost black shade of blue with only the colors of their wing stripes -- when drawn in -- made the two look different.) Frequently in the early issues, Thundercracker is seen fighting alongside Skywarp, although Thundercracker was shown to be a smarter fighter.
One of the original ten Decepticons that fell to Earth in the Ark.Thundercracker was reactivated and given the Earth mode of an F-15 jet. He would participate in many of the early battles against the Autobots - until a disastrous raid by Megatron led to Thundercracker, along with Starscream, Skywarp, Buzzsaw, Rumble and Frenzy, getting deactivated by Omega Supreme. In the US continuity Thundercracker was eventually rescued along with the other captive Decepticons, by Ratbat's forces, although he returned much earlier in the UK comics, where he was displaced to a limbo dimension by the arrival of future Autobots alongside Frenzy and Shockwave, where they had to work with Optimus Prime, Prowl and Ratchet to survive. He would then participate in the battles against Scorponok's Decepticons and then against the Autobots using their united force. None realised, however, that it was all a ruse by Starscream to gain the power of the Underbase for himself. The Autobots and Decepticons would then unite to stop him, but Starscream's power was too great, and Thundercracker was one of those deactivated by his former wingmate. He was not seen again until the G2 comic, where he seemingly took command of the Decepticon aerial contingent against the forces of Jhiaxus.
According to his expanded Transformer's Universe biography, Thundercracker is unique among his fellow Decepticons in that he has a certain amount of pity for the humans they continually endanger or kill. He doesn't see the point of killing humans just to kill them as some of his fellows do, although he is very careful not to reveal this. No matter what small amount of sympathy Thundercracker feels for humans, his sense of self-preservation (and fear of what Megatron would do if he found out) outweighs it.
[edit] Dreamwave Productions
Thundercracker could always fly, even before joining the Decepticons. He was recruited as a Decepticon under the leadership of Megatron in his war against the Autobots on the planet Cybertron. Thundercracker became a member of the elite Seekers under Aerospace Commander Starscream. He often worked with fellow Seeker Skywarp.
Skywarp and Thundercracker launched an attack against the city of Altihex, where they killed the Autobot named Overhaul and routed Grimlock and his group of Autobots. Later, Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker attacked the city of Protihex under the orders of Megatron, but this time Grimlock launched a successful counterattack. If not for Skywarp's ability to teleport to safety, the Decepticons may have not escaped alive. After Megatron's disappearance, Thundercracker remained loyal to the Decepticons.
Because he was part of Megatron's loyal inner circle, Thundercracker was chosen as a member of the crew of the Nemesis when Megatron launched it to attack the Ark, an Autobot ship. Both ships fought, and after the Decepticons boarded the Ark, it crashed on the planet Earth. All on board were placed in emergency stasis lock for millions of years.
In the Earth year 1984, a volcanic explosion awakened the Ark. The Ark's computer, Teletran One, reformatted all on board to be able to assume the forms of Earth machines. Thundercracker, like Starscream and Skywarp, was given the form of an F-15 fighter jet. Eventually the combined forces of the Autobots on Earth, and their human allies were able to capture the Decepticons. A ship called the Ark II was built to take the Cybertonians back to Cybertron, along with some human companions, but the ship exploded shortly after takeoff. The human allies were killed, but the Cybertonians were lost in the ocean, again in stasis lock.
After being awoken again Thundercracker and the other Decepticons on Earth returned to Cybertron with Shockwave, but he later returned to Earth under the command of Starscream. He was captured along with Soundwave and Skywarp by the Autobots and locked in cells on board the Ark. They escaped when the Ark was attacked by Bruticus (Transformers: Generation One III #1).
[edit] Devil's Due Publishing
In this re-imagining of the Generation One story, the Ark was discovered by the terrorist Cobra organization, and all the Transformers inside were reformatted into Cobra vehicles remotely controlled by the Televipers. In this storyline Thundercracker turned into a Cobra Rattler jet (since both Skywarp and Thundercracker were blue Rattler jets, Thundercracker is supposed to be the blue-headed one).When the Transformers broke free Thundercracker would battle the Autobots. Thundercracker was not seen again, but it is likely he was deactivated with the rest of the Decepticons.
[edit] IDW Publishing
After Dreamwave's closure, the rights to the Transformers comics were taken up by IDW Publishing. They have begun to publish their own new material, including a miniseries called The Transformers: Infiltration featuring some of the Generation One Transformers. In Infiltration, Starscream is in command of a small group of Decepticons on Earth consisting of Skywarp, Thundercracker, Astrotrain, Blitzwing, and the Battlechargers Runabout and Runamuck. Starscream had discovered an ore on Earth that was the Transformer equivalent of steroids, making him bold enough to advance their infiltration phase ahead of schedule. However, it seems that humans have somehow obtained evidence of the Transformers' existence, which would derail Starscream's plans. Thundercracker has so far been seen chasing Ratchet to kill several humans who discovered the Decepticons' presence on Earth. When Megatron finally arrived at the Decepticons' base on Earth to destroy Starscream, Thundercracker was one of the four Decepticons (along with Runabout, Runamuck, and Astrotrain) who stood between Megatron and Starscream - and who promptly surrendered to him without a fight.
Thundercracker reappeared in The Transformers: Escalation, being warned by Megatron that no further treachery would not be tolerated. Thundercracker then accompanied a repaired Skywarp on a bombing mission to stir up trouble between the humans.
[edit] Evolutions: Hearts of Steel
Thundercracker and the other Seekers also appeared in the mini-series Evolution: Hearts of Steel. In this Thundercracker served as Starscream's right-hand man. He was presumably destroyed when Bumblebee and John Henry managed to send the entire Decepticon rail convoy into a chasm.[1]
[edit] Toys
- Generation 1 Thundercracker (1984)
- The original Thundercracker toy was originally part of the Japanese Diaclone toyline, and was imported to become part of the Transformers toyline by Hasbro in 1984. In jet mode, the toy is 21cm long (a scale of 1:93, suggesting that Thundercracker's 14cm robot mode would be about 13m tall). In what is considered to be a major drawback to the toy, the majority of its parts have to be removed for transformation, and it is rare to find a totally complete one, since no single mode can hold all the parts.
- Due to what appears to be a mistake in production, the tech spec ratings for Skywarp and Starscream were seemingly swapped, since Starscream is described as the leader and fastest of the three jets in the text, yet the numbers show Skywarp as faster and having a higher ranking. Most accounts indicate that Thundercracker's tech specs were correct, however.
- Action Masters Thundercracker (1991)
- A repaint of Action Master Starscream with new accessories, this toy was only released in Europe. The color scheme does not resemble the original, and is considered garish by some. Thundercracker comes with a jet which he can ride or wear as armor when it is transformed. This version of Thundercracker does not appear in any official Transformers fiction.His bio was much the same as the original toy bio, portraying him as a vicious flyer who enjoys taking his enemies apart by causing them to crash - either by shooting them down, or by nosediving and pulling up at the last second, letting his foes slam into the ground.
- Machine Wars Thundercracker (1997)
- A basic sized flip changer. Sharing the same mold as fellow Decepticon Skywarp, Thundercracker was a "flip-changer" jet where if the toy's nosecone was pressed down, the toy would automatically transform to robot mode. It is difficult to determine where the Machine Wars characters are placed within the overall Transformers storyline as there was no fictional material other than their tech specs. Machine Wars characters are usually considered future or alternate reality versions of the main G1/G2 characters which was never expanded upon.
- His tech spec was similar to his original G1 bio in that Thundercracker believed in the Decepticon cause, still possessed of a fierce independent streak. Believing himself superior to anything that can't fly Thundercracker uses terror-causing tactics and his traditional sonic boom attack to destroy his enemies.
- Smallest Transformers Thundercracker (2004)
- This redeco of Smallest Transformers Starscream was only released in limited numbers as a chase item in the blind packed Smallest Transformers line.
- Robot Masters Thundercracker (2005)
- Thundercracker is a repaint of Robot Masters Starscream and was released in a package with Robot Masters Skywarp. Apart from his new chest missiles, he is the exact same character as his original appearance, only with a red stripe in his abdomen and more black in jet mode. Thundercracker did not appear in any Robot Masters fiction.
- Transformers: Titanium Thundercracker 6 inch (2006)
- A new 6" Thundercracker toy based on his 'The War Within' design was unveiled on the 8th March by an internet store. A day later the pictures were taken down at the request of Hasbro. This version of Thundercracker seems to be based on his appearance in the Dreamwave War Within comics series.
- This toy was later repainted as a War Within Starscream.
- Transformers: Titanium Thundercracker 3 inch (2006)
- A second Titanium Thundercracker, a 3 inch one based on his Generation 1 form was released. This one is a repaint of the 3 inch Starscream.
- Classics Thundercracker (2007)
- A BotCon 2007 exclusive Thundercracker figure was announced. This figure will be a redeco or Classics Starscream and Skywarp. The release of this figure as a high-priced, limited edition convention exclusive instead of as a general store release caused fans wishing to complete their seeker set hard feelings.
[edit] Transformers: Armada (2003)
| Transformers character | |
 Starscream 'Super Mode' animated appearance |
|
| Thundercracker | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Decepticon |
| Sub-Group | Seekers |
| Partner | Zapmaster |
| Motto | "Taste the cruel bite of my vicious weaponry." |
| Alternate Modes | Cybertronian Jet |
| Series | Transformers: Armada |
Armada Thundercracker was used in the television show as Starscream's Super Mode, instead of as a separate character as originally intended. This began a trend which was prominent during Transformers: Energon where Hasbro released toys that were repainted from another as a separate character with a different name even though the show depicted the repaint as an upgrade to the original character. This was because the show's creators did not like to use repainted toys as separate characters. To cement the character of Starscream as being separate from the toy character he now looked like, the American version of the show added a line of dialogue where Starscream remarked that "he looked like Thundercracker", implying an off-screen character that Starscream somehow knew. Thundercracker's Mini-Con is called Zapmaster who is a grey repaint of Starscream's Mini-Con.
[edit] Dreamwave Productions
Thundercracker's only fictional appearance was in a flashback scene in the Transformers: Energon comic #30 and #31, as one of the Decepticons being led into battle by Scorponok.
While not much was known about Thundercracker, the Dreamwave Productions More Than Meets the Eye biography series filled in some of the gaps. It reveals that Thundercracker was one of Megatron's elite aerial troops, and was responsibe for training Starscream and Skywarp. Eventually he grew disenchanted with Megatron and disappeared. Resurfacing shortly before the battles on Earth, and now with a Mini-Con partner, he seemed to become a mercenary.
Like Starscream he can use one of his wings as an Energon blade and is a lethal martial fighter. However, in seeming reference to his original Marvel bio, his only weakness is his self-doubt.
[edit] Transformers: Cybertron (2005)
| Transformers character | |
 Thundercracker |
|
| Thundercracker | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Decepticon |
| Sub-Group | Deluxe Vehicles |
| Function | Airman |
| Partner | Downshift |
| Motto | "You see my strength?" |
| Alternate Modes | Su-27 Flanker |
| Series | Transformers: Cybertron |
| Voiced by | Mark Oliver (English) Kazunari Tanaka (Japanese) |
Thundercracker, only metioned off-screen in Transformers: Armada , finally made his appearance on screen in Transformers: Cybertron. Originally released alone, Thundercracker was later packaged with a Mini-Con partner as a Walmart exclusive but is unable to powerlinx with the Mini-Con. Although Armada Thundercracker did appear in the Dreamwave comics, he was portrayed very differently from the Cybertron character.
As a character, Thundercracker is a Deception highly distinguished for his love of battle. This excessive blood-lust affects the entire Deception group. What he lacks in skills, Megatron recognizes Thundercracker's talent for encouraging the troop's fighting spirit. He always has his sights on target in either robot or jet mode. He speaks with a distinctive Southern "Good Ol' Boy" accent.
Originally appearing as one of the Decepticons under Megatron, Thundercracker was paired with Starscream in searching for the Omega Lock on Earth, using his Earthen alternate mode to great advantage. He had a rivalry with the Autobot Jetfire over who was the superior flyer. However, he was unaware his wingmate harboured ambitions of his own. When Starscream gave Megatron a Planet Map to search for the remaining Cyber Planet Keys , the map turned out to be a fake and Thundercracker, along with Megatron, Ransack and Mudflap were trapped in a steel globe until they were freed by Scourge.
Subsequently Thundercracker was present for many more battles against both the Autobots and Starscream's ancient Decepticons. On one occasion, when Galvatron (a recreated Megatron) needed the Decepticons to distract the Autobots while he used the power of the Cyber Planet Keys to control the Grand Black Hole, he used the power of the keys to turn Dark Crumplezone, Ransack, Thunderblast and Thundercracker into giants, rivalling the size of the Giant Planet Transformers. Thundercracker even took on Optimus Prime himself but was jumped by Hot Shot and Jetfire, distracting him long enough for Prime to pursue Galvatron. After the fight the Decepticons returned to normal size.
After Galvatron's defeat and the closing of the black hole, his minions realised that Galvatron had never had any intentions of helping his minions escape the Black Hole disaster in the first place. Thundercracker and the remaining Decepticons abandoned their allegiance to Galvatron and considered themselves free.
When the Autobots attempted to use a gigantic rocket to move the Jungle Planet back into its orbit, Galvatron attacked and damaged the rocket. The Jungle Planet threatened to crash into Cybertron. Much to the Autobots' surprise, the four Decepticons helped Scourge and the Autobots to move the rocket boosters back into place.
After Galvatron's death, Thundercracker, in an attempt to continue being active, allied himself with the Autobots by taking part in construction work on Earth. He wanted to be an Autobot and never lose. He was forced back to the Decepticon ranks by Thunderblast, Dark Crumplezone and Ransack, who self-declared themselves as the new Decepticon army.
The deluxe sized toy of Thundercracker was sold by itself in 2005, as well as packaged with the Mini-Con Downshift and a Tiny-Tin as a promotion at Walmart stores, then again packaged with the Autobot Crosswise as a Target exclusive. In 2006 a Micro sized Thundercracker toy was sold. The original deluxe sized Thundercracker was recolored into Cybertron Skywarp.
Besides his original release as a Deluxe sized figure, a Micro class Thundercracker was released in wave 4 of the Legends of Cybertron line. This toy was later repainted as Micro class Jetfire.
Thundercracker's tech specs by both Hasbro and Takara revealed more about him. The Takara bio noted that he was excessively eager to go into battle, in turn inspiring the Decepticons who fought with him - which is why Megatron keeps him around. His Hasbro bio is indicates that, like the original G1 Thundercracker, his main power is his ability to create deafening sonic booms in combat. Rather oddly, the unlockable content on Hasbro's website indicates he is also somewhat of a practical joker.
[edit] Mini-Con Pack
The Mini-Con pack would explain how Thundercracker got his Mini-Con partner Downshift, snatching him from under the Autobot's noses in one of his trademark fear causing missions. What he didn't realise was that Downshift was as dedicated to creating chaos as him, and the two formed an alliance to terrorize the Autobots on Earth.
[edit] Ground To Air Blast Pack
In 2006 a Target store exclusive 2 pack called the Ground To Air Blast Pack included Cybertron Crosswise and Thundercracker. The toys were identical to their original ones, and the front included a brief mention of how the Autobot Bounty Hunter was hunting the Decepticon criminal Thundercracker. His tech spec indicates that his desire to blast Autobots isn't out of any sort of sadism - it simply keeps him out of Megatron's way when the Decepticon leader is looking for someone to take his frustration out on.
