History ComicBook / TransformersRobotsInDisguise

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/RID_3908.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The war is over. Now the hard part begins.]]
->"''Prime never '''had''' to deal with this. And he never '''wanted''' to. But this is '''my''' world and I have to '''defend''' it—even if it doesn't want us here. No... '''Especially''' if Cybertron doesn't want us here''."
-->--'''Bumblebee'''

When the TransformersOngoing ended with the [[MeaningfulName Chaos]] storyline, the long civil war between Autobots and Decepticons finally ended as well. IDW launched two new series to chronicle events in the aftermath of that war.

One was ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye chronicling a group of Autobots in space, while the other was this comic.

Optimus Prime has left Cybertron, Galvatron is presumed dead, and Megatron is MIA. Thousands of neutral transformers who left the world before and during the war have returned, lead by Metalhawk. The Autobots have triumphed over the Decepticons, who are now leaderless and directionless. The ongoing split many of the transformers into two groups. One group went into space to discover their history, the other stayed on Cybertron. ''Robots in Disguise'' covers the troops left behind, and delves into the political side, as the Autobots, Decepticons, and Non-Aligned Indigenous Life-forms ([[FunWithAcronyms NAILs]]) reach a tentative peace. Tempers are still high as everyone blames everyone else for the war, and some try to take advantage of the chaos to carve out a new position in the Post-War Cybertron.

It now has a [[Characters/TransformersRobotsInDisguise character sheet]]. Feel free to add to it.

From November, 2013 to March 2014, ''[[ComicBook/TransformersRobotsInDisguise Robots in Disguise]]'' was part of a 12-issue CrisisCrossover event with ''[[ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye More than Meets the Eye]]'' called ''ComicBook/TransformersDarkCybertron''. Being [[{{Understatement}} a bit of]] [[WhamEpisode a game changer for the series]], you might be well-advised to visit that page.

As-of issue 35, it drops the 'Robots in Disguise' subtitle and becomes just 'The Transformers',[[note]]Volume 2, where Transformers Ongoing was volume 1[[/note]] which is likely to make things... confusing in the short term (but as [[WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise the new show entitled ''Robots In Disguise'']] [[http://www.freecomicbookday.com/Home/1/1/27/1041?stockItemID=STK666880one has its own comic tie-in]], will probably be helpful in the long-term).

From March 2015 to May 2015 The Transformers was part of a 6 issue crossover with ComicBook/TransformersWindblade (which also launched the latter title as an Ongoing) titled ComicBook/TransformersCombinerWars. Tropes occurring in the crossover belong on that page.

!!This comic series provides examples of the following tropes:
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[[folder:A-M]]
* AboveGoodAndEvil: Shockwave doesn't believe in good or evil, just logic.
* AdaptationalHeroism: The Decepticons that pull a HeelFaceTurn have seldom done that in any of their appearances, bar [[spoiler:Tankor]] as [[spoiler:Octane]], who defected in the cartoon for less noble reasons. Similarly, Soundwave is made into a much more noble and sympathetic character than pretty much every previous interpretation.
** Used to be the case with Shockwave, but Proteus found his old self a little too troublesome.
** ''[[spoiler:Megatron himself]]'' is convinced to pull a HeelFaceTurn at the climax of ''Dark Cybertron''.
* AdaptationalVillainy: Prowl goes JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope like you would not believe. [[spoiler:Turns out much of this, including his apparent alliance with the Decepticons, is a result of being mind-controlled by Bombshell]], but he's still done a ''lot'' of nasty stuff in the name of peace.
** Downplayed with Rattrap. He's not really that bad, but he's clearly not good, instead being more evocative of his ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' counterpart, Rattletrap, though played without laughs.
* {{Adorkable}}: Thundercracker has become this during his stay on Earth.
* AfterTheEnd: Before the events of this series, Gorlam Prime was rendered dead by [[EldritchAbomination D-Void]] and its minions. By the time Orion and his team arrive, it looks like the planet itself is decaying.
* AgentPeacock: Starscream is vain and at times quite flamboyant, but he's ''definitely'' [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass not]] [[BitchInSheepsClothing some]][[TheStarscream one]] you want to underestimate.
* AmbiguousSituation: In issue 11 it's deliberately left ambiguous if Shockwave was responsible for blowing the crap out of Omega Supreme like everyone thinks. Eventually, [[spoiler:Prowl]] states that he did it [[spoiler:while under Bombshell's control.]]
* AmbitionIsEvil: DoubleSubverted with Starscream, who is really as ambitious as ever.
* AnachronicOrder: Syndromica (2). ''Holy crap''.
* AnArmAndALeg: Astrotrain runs Swindle over, knocking off his right arm and left leg.
* AnAxeToGrind: Apeface and Dreadwing manifest energon axes.
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Prowl was aware of everything he was being made to do while under Bombshell's control, but unable to do anything about it.]]
* {{Anticlimax}}: [[spoiler: Arcee's reaction after finding out other fembots post ''Dark Cybertron'']].
-->[[spoiler:'''Arcee''':''I always hoped there'd be someone like me... somewhere. And now that there is... I don't feel anything.'']]
* AntiVillain: Prowl becomes an increasingly extreme example of this throughout the first season. While it's revealed [[spoiler:he was being [[MindManipulation mind controlled]] for about half the story so far]], he's done many questionable things since the days of ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW and other series where he has made appearances.
* ArcWelding: It ''is'' a John Barber book, after all. Probably the best example is from issue 9 which deals with a longstanding IDW continuity error: the Reflector trio kept appearing alive despite having died in "Spotlight: Wheelie." The issue's end reveals that the Reflectors we saw die in "Spotlight Wheelie" were ''[[spoiler:[[OhCrap time travelers]].'']]
* ArcWords: ''"When I feel doubt creeping in, I think of..."''
** [[spoiler:''"Wheeljack Wheeljack Wheeljack''."]]
* ArmsDealer: One of the many arms of Garrison Blackrock's business empire, though it seems likely he deals exclusively with the EDC.
* ArtEvolution: Andy Griffith has polished his style a lot for season 2 compared to season 1 of [=RID=].
* AssimilationPlot / LossOfIdentity: [[spoiler:Prowl has his mind overpowered by the Constructicons when they form Devastator. He does manage to briefly incapacitate them by ripping himself out of the gestalt, though.]]
* TheAtoner: Needlenose as of issue 21.
* AxCrazy: Arcee, Bludgeon, and Monstructor. [[spoiler:Actually Defied by Arcee herself; she only pretended to be AxCrazy to get in with Megatron and his loyalists so that she could get into position to kill Bombshell and sever his control over Prowl/Devastator. Seems [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW killing Jhiaxus over and over for six years]] helped her straighten her head out.]]
* BackForTheDead: The last Mini-Constructicon, last seen in Spotlight: Ramjet, shows up again being tracked down and killed by Spike Witwicky and [[spoiler:Jimmy Pink.]]
* BackFromTheDead: The power of Ore-14.
* BadBoss: Turmoil made a group of aliens build him a [[spoiler:time machine]], then promptly murders them all. He's also a pretty big dick to his mooks.
* BaitTheDog: For a while, it seemed as though Starscream had begun to reflect, and was going to do good. Here, he shows why [[TheStarscream there's a trope named after him]].
* BerserkButton: Just thinking of Spike is enough to really drive Prowl mad.
** The Constructicons carry a grudge against the human as well (He killed Scrapper in the previous ongoing), and when [[spoiler:Prowl is used by Megatron as a new control unit for Devestator, the thought of Spike manages to unite all six transformers into a single personality, who then proceeds to go on a rampage.]]
* BeyondTheImpossible: It's been stated that [[TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen only a Prime can kill a Prime]], and would be impossible for anyone else. [[spoiler: It doesn't stop Galvatron of the Darklands from killing Nexus Prime in the distant past, because he doesn't ''believe'' in Primes.]]
* BigBad: The first "season" of the comic played around with this, with Prowl, Starscream, Metalhawk, Jhiaxus, and finally Megatron forming a BigBadEnsemble of sorts. As the story gears up into ''ComicBook/TransformersDarkCybertron'', Shockwave takes the spot as the definitive BigBad for the season.
** Season 2's BigBad appears to be [[spoiler:Galvatron, now leader of the Decepticons.]]
* BigBadWannabe: Ratbat tries to use his old position as senator to take control. It gets him killed.
** Spike Witwicky views himself as a super-badass revolutionary who's a major threat to Cybertronians and the government. In reality he's a brat who relied on his daddy's connections to get anywhere in life and those who even acknowledge his existence hate him or view him as a slightly annoying punk who needs to slapped around a bit so he shuts up. Prowl wants him dead or captured, but out of a personal grudge rather than any belief that Spike is dangerous.
* BigDamnHeroes: The Dinobots, Superion, and Ironhide ''try'' to do this in #15.
* BiggerBad: Shockwave is responsible for a good chunk of the problems in the IDW comics. His regeneration Experiment was the reason for the Ultra-Energon/Ore-13 which kicked off the conflict on Earth, as well as the resurrection of Thunderwing. This series establishes him as the one who seeded a particularly nasty Regenesis Ore on the planet Kup was trapped on in his spotlight, which lead to the death of many Autobots, and Guzzle's subplot in Wreckers, and his pods have driven the Syndromica arcs. He's also responsible for the events in Spotlight Wheelie, his pod having altered the time stream. He downgrades himself to BigBad in the Dark Cybertron Arc where he takes a direct role.
* BiggerStick: Starscream wants Superion to be this for Cybertron, to combat the other combiners that currently exist (Monstructor, Devastator, and Menasor) and asks Wheeljack to repair and rebuild him.
* BigNo: Ravage when Shockwave is about to shoot Soundwave, and Soundwave right after a LittleNo after Ravage [[TakingTheBullet leaps in front of him and is shot]].
* BittersweetEnding: The ending of ''Dark Cybertron'', which serves as the conclusion to season one. [[spoiler:Cybertron and the universe are saved, Nova Prime and Shockwave are dead, and Megatron finally decides to stop fighting and pulls a HeelFaceTurn, but New Iacon is in ruins, Bumblebee is dead, and Starscream is still ruler.]]
* BlatantLies: How Garrison Blackrock explains Spike's interruption of his Onyx platform to tell the world that there are still Cybertronians on Earth, and some of them are allied with the EDC, and that they need to examine what happened in Poverty Flat (scene of an earlier battle between the Autobots and Decepticons). Blackrock's explanation is that it's an early leaking of a video game trailer, but it remains to be seen if the lie is believed.
* BloodKnight: Arcee.
* BombThrowingAnarchists: The Decepticons prove that old habits die hard, using use torches and Molotov cocktails (Energon and oil are pretty flammable).
* BondOneLiner: Played with. Starscream was expecting Dirge to say a witty pun before the latter would punch the former.
* BoomHeadshot: Prowl "kills" Bombshell this way, and later does the same to [[spoiler:Wheeljack under Bombshell's control. Wheeljack barely survives.]]
** When the battle for the City wages on, Bluestreak is shot in the head (having part of his crest blown off) and left in a puddle of his blood, and Hipotank is fatally shot in the face with Turmoil's cannon.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler:Prowl's been this ever since he encountered Bombshell.]]
* BreakTheCutie: Poor Bumblebee just keeps getting pushed farther and farther by all the things happening around him...
* BreakTheHaughty: Prowl, during Issue 14 and 15.
* BullyingADragon: The [=NAILs=] hate and fear the Autobots and Decepticons after the Great War. Despite this, they seem to think that antagonizing them is very much a good idea. The Autobots have a strict moral code that keeps them from either beating the crap out of the [=NAILs=] to keep them in line or just leaving them to be slaughtered, but the Decepticons make clear that they're ''very much'' willing to break the [=NAILs=]' skulls open with their bare hands if they're provoked. In issue 1, Bumblebee actually has to kill Horri-Bull because Zetca felt the need to [[LethallyStupid antagonize and provoke the massive Decepticon mobster who's at least two times his size]].
** Dreadwing decides to attack Soundwave, assuming that Ssoundwave would have deployed his cassettes already if they were with him and that he can take Soundwave alone. Unfortunately for him, Soundwave is not having any of that shit and promptly shreds Dreadwing to bits with his shoulder cannon. [[EpicFail He's wrong about the cassettes, too.]]
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Arcee, having curbed her violent impulses and most of her insanity, has become more focused as an assassin (with violent and insane tendencies) rather than a berserker, contrasting Whirl, whose insanity and violence is [[CrazyAwesome intrinsic]] to his efficiency.
* TheBusCameBack:
** Dirge comes back here ever since he disappeared in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersAllHailMegatron''. Apparently he and Deluge were beaten up and left to themselves on the planet.
** The Dinobots (sans Grimlock) return after leaving Earth at the end of ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMaximumDinobots''.
* BusCrash: Dirge implies that Deluge was eaten by the Swarm.
* CainAndAbel: Autobot Tracks (the Abel) and his estranged Decepticon younger brother Needlenose (the Cain).
* {{Callback}}: Numerous. For example, Swindle occasionally mentions his time on Earth where he was the BigBad of the Police Action saga of the Ongoing. The "Syndromica" arc takes this up to the level of ContinuityPorn.
** A new arc starting in Issue #50 is called "All Hail Optimus", a nod to ''ComicBook/TheTransformersAllHailMegatron''.
* CallingTheOldManOut: Starscream does this to Megatron in issue 20.
-->'''Starscream''':''My people'' control Iacon, and more Cybertronians will come home and join us. We'll enter a new golden age. A '''real''' golden age. Not the corrupt lines of Primes, not... not ''you''. Because you were just as bad as them. At least they knew they were oppressing us. Might doesn't make right, Megatron. Not anymore.
* CallToAdventure: How season 2 starts. Optimus and company get a signal, seemingly from [[TheMentor Alpha Trion]], telling them to come to Earth.
* CanonImmigrant: Sky-Byte from the ''Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise'' cartoon. Metalhawk, a Japanese-only G1 character as well as far as the fact that this is the first time he's appeared in US Canon outside of Botcon and the Transformers Fan Club fiction.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: Bumblebee feels them, big time. Nominally in charge, he's constantly ignored by Prowl and anyone else who wants to take action. And he's well aware that he simply doesn't have Optimus Prime's natural leadership abilities, or the respect that Prime had from everyone.
** Optimus considers his decision to leave Cybertron to be an act of supreme selfishness, as opposed to the sacrifice everyone else believes he is making, because he was weary of TheChainsOfCommanding. He can finally stop being Optimus Prime and go back to being Orion Pax again.
** Starscream, for the wrong reasons. Dirge warns him with him being the leader, everyone will be scrutinizing all his moves, making it much harder to operate in the shadows as he is normally used to.
* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler: Thrust and Ramjet both died on Earth in previous series; Ramjet was dismembered by Megatron in his self-titled Spotlight issue ''seven years'' ago and Thrust was killed by humans burning him alive in the Ongoing. Issue #32 shows that their remains were collected by the EDC and used to build an army of transforming drones based on the two Coneheads.]]
* TheChewToy: Zetca, Dirge, and Waspinator have lots of bad things happen to them, most of which aren't their fault. Sky-Byte too.
* TheChosenOne: In the annual, the crashed Metrotitan reveals that [[spoiler:Starscream]] may become one in the future. [[spoiler: Possibly subverted when Galvatron contemptuously says that Alchemist Prime, who apparently first uttered the prophecy of the "Chosen One" was tripping on rancid Engex when he said it, which might mean it's a load of hogwash.]]
** Nova Prime is a subversion/deconstruction. Alpha Trion [[InvokedTrope intended him to be the chosen one]] who would bring peace to Cybertron but Nova wasn't able to handle the task, devolving into an egomaniac with a god complex.
* CityOfAdventure: New Iacon.
* ColdSniper: Arcee seems to rather enjoy having a group of unwitting Decepticons in her sights before whispering to them that she ''let'' them live.
* CombiningMecha: The concept is touched on more heavily here than any other point in the IDW storyline. Monstructor returns as Jhiaxus' lackey, the Aerialbots are found fused and insane in the woods, and the Constructicons return, although as Scrapper is dead they can't really do much combination-wise. [[spoiler:Turns out that Megatron's trying to rectify that. After seeing D-Void use the energies of Cybertron to form a massive combiner in the [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW previous ongoing]], he sets his sights on harnessing them, enlisting Bombshell and forcibly subjecting Prowl and the Aerialbots to the process before becoming a component of Devastator himself.]]
* ContinuityNod: Swerve mentions that he and Blurr were gonna open a bar once the war is over. [[ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye Swerve opens a bar aboard the Lost Light]], and Blurr opens one in Cybertron.
* ContinuityPorn: John Barber is famous for tackling messy continuities, so there's some of this to be expected. Probably the best example is the explanation of why the Reflector trio showed up again after they canonically died: [[spoiler:they're time travelers.]]
* TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch: Prowl tries to pass off Ratbat's death as a suicide. [[RealityEnsues It dosen't work]].
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Garrison Blackrock has shades of this. When Marrissa Faireborn and one of her soldiers shows up at his Tokyo offices after the Onyx launch is interrupted by Spike Witwicky, Blackrock isn't angry that Spike has potentially leaked the existence of the EDC/Decepticon alliance to the public, he's mad that only ''two'' EDC agents showed up to investigate since if there'd been more, it would have resulted in an ''even larger'' social media boom regarding the Onyx interface. He then warns Marrissa that the EDC wouldn't exist without his support, expecting them to fall in line to catch Spike.
* CreepySouvenir: Megatron emerges from the Cybertonian wilderness carrying a bunch of Sweeps' heads.
* CrossOver: Dark Cybertron, a 12-issue CrossOver miniseries with its sister series ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Has a more consistently somber tone than sister series ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye''. At least until ''ComicBook/TransformersDarkCybertron'', where this series got LighterAndSolfter at about the same time ''MoreThanMeetsTheEye'' became somewhat DarkerAndEdgier.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Most of the normal, frontline Decepticon soldiers aren't evil in any way, their simply fighting for a cause they believe in like the Autobots. Now that the war is over most of them just want to live in peace and stop fighting. The Autobots having trouble understanding this trope after so many years of war is what generates a lot of the conflict in the comic.
* DarkestHour: [[spoiler:Issue 14, fittingly named [[MeaningfulName "Before the Dawn"]]. Megatron is stronger than ever, leading the Decepticon forces and the new Devestator, with Prowl at its head, to destroy the last remaining Autobots, taking Cybertron for Decepticons, once and for all. And the only thing standing in his way are Ironhide, the damaged Dinobots, and an insane Superion.]]
** [[spoiler:Issue 16. The Autobots manage to stop Devastator and Megatron, but Starscream kills Metalhawk, gets the upper hand and casts the Autobots and even the other Decepticons into exile.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Soundwave has some pretty good moments.
-->'''Megatron''': Keep an optic on [[TheStarscream him]].
-->'''Soundwave''': Yes my lord. Only one?
* DefectorFromDecadence: Thundercracker went AWOL from the Decepticons in the previous ongoing and has been living on Earth ever since. Humanity believes that he's this for ''all'' Transformers, since the true FirstContact between humans and Transformers went... [[AlienInvasion pretty badly]]
* DefrostingIceQueen: Metalhawk, who has noticeably loosened up a bit as the series has progressed.
* DesperatelySeekingAPurposeInLife: Galvatron confides in Soundwave that ten million years ago he was "lost", until Alpha Trion provided him with a cause worth fighting for. In the aftermath of ''Dark Cybertron'' he now seeks another cause worth fighting for [[spoiler:and this leads him to taking up the Decepticon cause as his own as their new leader.]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: Galvatron threatens Sanjay Bharwaney with this if he ever activates the Mind Bomb again; not only will Galvatron kill Sanjay, he'll also kill everyone else in Sanjay's home state of New Mexico, as well as the entire population of ''Old'' Mexico as well.
* DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent: [[spoiler:Scavenger feigns being TheMole for the Decepticons on Prowl's orders as part of his gambit.]]
* TheDragon: Arcee to Prowl, Bludgeon to Jhiaxus.
* DragonAscendant: At the end of everything, Soundwave is the leader of the Decepticons. Starscream is different in that he's in control of everything except his original faction, and he hasn't been TheDragon for some time.
** With the death of Scrapper, normally the head, or at least spokes person of the Constructicons, Hook (normally the second in command), has taken his place at the forefront.
* DragonWithAnAgenda: [[spoiler: Shockwave, ever since his days as Jhiaxus' student!]].
* DrivingQuestion: In the season 2 comics, Ironhide's driving question is "how was Shockwave able to change the future during Dark Cybertron", since its events render the subject of Ironhide (and Jhiaxus') vision of Gorlam Prime and the Pax Cybertronia moot. Issue 34# reveals a few more: [[spoiler: Does Galvatron know the Enigma of Combination is on Earth, and if he does, what does he intend to do with it if he finds it? And finally, is it mere coincidence that Cybertronian history appears to be constantly repeating itself, or is there some kind of great pattern to it all?]].
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Issue 4 drops a bridge on the remaining Constructicons and Bombshell. In issue 11 Triggerhappy is killed by Arcee without fanfare, which comes off as bizarre considering she spares and captures the other Decepticons, and Arcee admitted that she did [[ForTheEvulz it for fun.]] In issue 12 Staxx is unceremoniously blown to bits by Prowl to show that Prowl has gone ''completely'' off the deep end. The end of issue #13 reveals that the Constructicons, and Bombshell at least, are still alive.
** During Devastator's Rampage, Sky High is crushed in the Combiners hand whilst calling for back up and Broadside is reporting from a communication tower before it's unceremoniously crushed with him still inside. Though this is subverted when both turn up alive later on.
* DynamicEntry: Lampshaded when Dreadwing tries and succeeds in pulling a sneak-attack on Soundwave.
-->'''Soundwave''': "'''Reveal yourself'''. I can '''hear''' you. In ways you cannot '''imagine,''' I can hear you."
-->'''Dreadwing''': "I '''know'''. I just wanted to make a '''Cool-Ass Entrance.'''"
* EasilyForgiven: Invoked and Zig-Zagged. There are numerous Decepticons who've caused all sorts of trouble during the war, and the Autobots hesitate to try them for fear of looking too oppressive to the neutral majority, something which Metalhawk uses to his advantage. Metalhawk is extremely slow to trust Turmoil, having first hand accounts to what he's done. Blanket amnesty is offered to many, and tensions flare because of it. [[ComicBook/TheTransformersAllHailMegatron Tankor, who tried to nuke all the Autobots in New York]], and [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW Swindle who orchestrated much of the conflict in the Ongoing]] have their deeds looked past because everyone needs to come together in the new world order.
* EldritchLocation: LV-117 became this as a result of Shockwave's Regensis project. Though the natives eventually managed to stabilize the planets position in the time stream.
* EliteMooks: The Constructicons, even in their individual modes. They take on Arcee, who took on the Combaticons and dropped two with ease, twice and are able to match her, and they can take on the Dinobots, sans Grimlock, who're established as one of the most powerful Autobot groups and hold their own.
* EndOfAnAge: Issue #34 shows us [[spoiler: the end of the era of the Thirteen Original Primes after most of them die or disappear from Cybertron, save one, Alpha Trion, who becomes TheMentor to Nova Major, [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter making him the first in a new line of Primes to usher in a "Golden Age" for Cybertron]].]]
* EnemyCivilWar: When they've been kicked out of Iacon, the Decepticons fracture. Shockwave and Dreadwing go off to initiate Shockwave's plan, and the Decepticons under Soundwave chafe, with Astrotrain and Blitzwing wanting to go after Starscream and fight Soundwave for leadership. Needlenose has to calm them down, but he points out that as a warrior force, they're all done.
* EnemyMine: Seems to be a common theme in this post-war Cybertron, with unlikely alliances propping often in order to advance all the agendas.
* ExplosiveLeash: Inhibitor/deterrence chips are in the heads of every Decepticon. They stop transformation, stop powers, and will blow up the Con's head if they get out of line. Bumblebee eventually deactivates them on Ironhide's advice.
* {{Expy}}: Garrison Blackrock has been reimagined as a Steve Jobs pastiche (in keeping with the trend from TransformersAgeOfExtinction).
* EvilPowerVacuum: With Megatron's defection, the Cons are left disenfranchised and stuck living in ghettos with the new Cybertronian ruler, Starscream, not caring about them. The cons are left leaderless, and when Needlenose's comes to recruit them for the new army on earth, many are willing to sign up under Soundwave and Galvatron's leadership.
* TheEvilsOfFreeWill: The Annual reveals that Nova Prime planned to free the galaxy from the tyranny of free will before he was lost to the Dead Universe.
* EldritchLocation: The wilderness surronding New Iacon. It's filled with mutated animals and gives off a signal that drives people crazy if they spend to long in it, [[spoiler:before making them combine together. Subverted in issue 14 where its strange properties are revealed to be caused by Megatron and his Decepticon loyalists.]]
* EmotionsVsStoicism: [[spoiler: Shockwave plays both sides, with the emotional Shockwave being the one before [[ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye Shadowplay]], and the stoic side being the one after]].
** The conflict between Shockwave and Soundwave is a variation on this. Both are TheStoic, but Shockwave is emotionless and considers emotion a weakness, while Soundwave both embraces and learned to control his emotions, finding strength in them.
* EtTuBrute: [[spoiler: Shockwave does this to Dai Atlas. Interestingly enough, it actually saved Dai Atlas' life]].
* EyePatchOfPower: Turmoil now has one after an encounter below. Garnak had one to help with the healing process of his eye.
* EyeScream: Blitzwing bashes half of Tappet's face with a rifle he found, smashing one of Tappet's eyes. Turmoil which he got when his optic got punched out by [[spoiler: Orion Pax who had gone back in time.]]
** Garnak loses an eye to Bludgeon, however WordOfGod states that his healing abilities [[https://twitter.com/TheJohnBarber/status/387331031251972096 allowed him to grow it back.]]
* ExtremeDoormat: Bumblebee has diffuculty standing up for himself and many people (especially Prowl) are perfectly willing to exploit that.
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Subverted with Prowl and Arcee. It's revealed the former was being mind-controlled by Bombshell, and the latter was merely playing the FakeDefector card in order to kill Bombshell and break said mind control.]]
** In the post-''Dark Cybertron'' comics, [[spoiler: Scoop]] has apparently defected to the Decepticons. Later on, on Earth, we discover [[spoiler: former Autobot human ally Jimmy Pink has developed a grudge against all Cybertronians for the death of Hunter O'Nion and then just up and abandoning him and has joined forces with Spike Witwicky to fight them.]]
* FakeDefector: [[spoiler:Arcee only went along with Megatron and his Decepticon loyalists in order to get close enough to kill Bombshell.]]
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler: At the very least, Bombshell and the Constructions.]]
* FallenHero: Nova Prime. The earliest points in the timeline show that he used to be a genuine NiceGuy who truly believed in helping others. Over time he devolved into egotism and a belief that he knew better than everyone else. When he arrived at the Benzuli Expanse, the Darkness exploited his egomania to corrupt him completely.
* FallGuy: [[spoiler: Rattrap]] sabotaged the Iacon Power Grid, and managed to get [[spoiler: Scoop arrested for it. Subverted, in that Starscream could tell Scoop was innocent, and recognized Rattrap right from the start as a liar and the true culprit, but played along because Scoop's altruism made him unpredictable, whereas Rattrap gets offered a government job.]]
* {{Fingore}}: Prowl crushes Needlenose's hand in the first issue. In issue 21 Ravage bites down on Astrotrain's fingers, but Astrotrain punches him off before any real damage can occur.
* FiveManBand: Nova Prime as TheLeader, The great military commander Galvatron as TheLancer, renowned scientist Jhiaxus as TheSmartGuy, Cyclonus the warrior was TheBigGuy, and Dai Atlas was the SixthRangerTraitor as he doesn't pull a FaceHeelTurn like the others. Scourge may have functioned as TheChick.
* {{Flanderization}}: Galvatron, to a degree. When the original IDW run started, he was a pretty intelligent tactician under Furman, as series progressed (Infestation, Heart of Darkness, et al), he's been losing that characteristic and replaced with bloodthirsty savage barbarian, to the point it got retconned to be that during the Prime Wars.
* FlatCharacter: The Monstructor Six don't have any character aside from be threatening and combine into big scary combiner. This can happen to many combining teams in fiction where their sole purpose is to turn into the CombiningMecha, but here it's explained as Jhiaxus had their minds destroyed for the combination process.
* ForcedToWatch: [[spoiler: Prowl, being controlled by the constructicons and Bombshell.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: ''Something'' destroyed LV-117, Jhiaxus makes mention of "true chaos" coming, and the Annual has Cyclonus making mention of Primus's opposite. Whatever this thing is (probably [[PlanetEater Unicron]]), it's coming and it can destroy entire planets with ease.
** One of the teaser pages for the release of the comic features Bombshell, with the subtitle ''Takes Control'', alluding to his ability to control the minds of others. [[spoiler:Not to mention his role controlling Prowl, and, by extension, the new Devastator.]]
** The Constructions' survival is foreshadowed when their heads are enveloped in flame as opposed to simply exploding, like Horri-Bull's.
** During the same issue, [[spoiler:Prowl's internal monologue stops after his confrontation with Bombshell.]]
** During Shockwave's flashbacks in Issue #17, one of the corpses hanging from the ceiling has [[spoiler:a black-and-yellow striped torso resembling a bumblebee. Guess who Shockwave kills at the climax of ''Dark Cybertron''?]]
* FreudianExcuse: Many characters have accused Prowl's outright fanatical hatred for the NAILS to be based upon the fact that he was all ready to bail on Cybertron and become a NAIL himself upon the rise of Zeta Prime, but was forced against his will to aid Optimus Prime in staging a coup against the evil Zeta Prime and was guilted by Optimus to become his second-in-command. Since Prowl was unable to cut and run like he wanted to, he wants to punish all of the Cybertronians who ''did'' for not having to endure millions of years of unending war like he did.
* GallowsHumor: Bluestreak jokes around when Megatron's smirk begins freaking Starscream out. Jetfire tells him it's not funny and Bluestreak name-drops the trope.
* GenderBender: Arcee.
* GoodIsDumb: Poor Scoop.
* GoodThingYouCanHeal: All who are under the effect of Ore-14. Dreadwing has the unfortunate distinction of demonstrating it the most.
* GreenEyedMonster: Rattrap describes Scoop as such to Starscream, being jealous of 'bots with bigger, more important jobs, and [[{{Greed}} how he always wanted more]]. He's actually describing himself, which leads him to frame Scoop for sabotaging the power grid.
* GreyAndGrayMorality: Not all Autobots are clean cut and good, and some Decepticons just want to get on with their lives. The [=NAILs=] blame the warriors for dooming the planet, and the Cons and Bots blame the [=NAILs=] for leaving when the planet was being fought over, and now they want to take it back when they haven't fought in the war. Metalhawk, leader of the [=NAILs=], is a massive prick, but he does have a point.
** Prowl lampshades this during an InnerMonologue [[spoiler: as he attacks Autobots as the head module of Devastator.]]
* GutPunch: [[spoiler:Bombshell making Prowl murder Wheeljack in cold blood. Subverted in that the scientist survives.]]
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Superion undergoes this at the hands of [[spoiler:Devastator]], but ultimately survives.
* HatesEveryoneEqually: Galvatron. Turns out he's a giant racist, specially hating on the lower classes, like cassettes and headmasters.
* HateSink: [[spoiler:Spike Witwicky]]. In a setting with the deranged murderous Galvatron, the morally questionable humans, the still quite evil Decepticons, and Prowl, [[spoiler:Spike]] is framed as just a loathsome Prick. His attempts at seeming badass and anti-heroic are undercut by his selfish smug "bad boy" nature, and him [[spoiler:bragging about his work for his country before executing the harmless Mini-Constructicon]]. The Decepticons, Constructicons, the humans and Prowl all despise him, and Blackrock's self-serving dismissal of him as a punk who's functioning as a thorn in everyone's side, is an accurate summation of his worth.
* HealingFactor: Ore-14 allows Cybertronians to recover from seemingly lethal injuries.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Dirge, Swindle, Tankor, and Squawkbox. Horrifically subverted with Starscream.]]
** [[spoiler:The Constructicons switch sides in issue 18, though they make it clear that they're only doing it because they like Prowl, ''not'' because they want to be Autobots.]]
* HeelRealization: [[spoiler: Needlenose]] comes to terms with the fact that, in-spite of living under the Autobots, they probably could have had peace and they blew their chances. He agrees with the NAIL thinking that all they do is destroy.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: [[spoiler: Alpha Trion]] describes the ancient Cybertronian soldier Eucryphia as one of these, while being important in other tales, not being one in the story he's telling Optimus [[spoiler: because this is the story where Eucryphia dies early on.]]
* HeroicLineage: GB Blackrock claims to have one. [[spoiler: Specifically that he's descended from Gilgamesh and that his surname comes from the walls of "black rock" that Gilgamesh erected around his city of Uruk.]]
* HijackedByGanon: [[spoiler: Prowl isn't actually becoming a villain, he's being mind controlled by Bombshell. Although he was quite the ass, and had a very questionable agenda, before being [[MindManipulation mind controlled]]]].
* HomelessPigeonPerson: [[spoiler: Soundwave's backstory. He was found, alone, suffering from SensoryOverload, and not knowing where he came from or even what his name was. Ravage, Buzzsaw and Laserbeak happen upon him, and Ravage's advice helps him to control his SuperSenses through focus. After that he lives with them on the streets, and they remain loyal to each other, even coming with him when he was employed by the state and later when he joined the Decepticons.]]
* HopeSpringsEternal[=/=]VillainousValor: Soundwave in issue 21 notes that Megatron has filled all of the lower classes with hope, and to him the Decepticon cause is the pinnacle of that hope. For that reason they'll stand against Shockwave.
* HostileTerraforming: Although unintentional, Shockwave's Regensis project completely altered the environments of some of the planets that were seeded. Ore-2 and Ore-6 deserve special mention for outright destroying the planets they were placed upon.
* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: In the past Waspinator was dragged along side a dying Metrotitan as it teleported to another location. He describes the experience as mind-bending and disturbing as if it is simply incomprehensible to mortal beings. He describes the place the Metrotitan landed after it's teleportation is described as "death itself".
* {{Hypocrite}}: Megatron's revolution started as him standing against the bigotry of the corrupt Senate, who discriminated against Cybertronians with certain alt modes and bots who were constructed cold. He apparently didn't see the parallels between this and the extreme bigotry towards organics that he gleefully endorses in the present...
** Prowl lashes out at [[spoiler: Chromedome for the botched and forced memory extraction that eventually led to Bombshell hijacking him, because to him it was personal. Never mind that the only reason Chromedome did that was because Prowl was trying to blackmail Chromedome with personal information. Or that he generally does things like that all the time (he actually caused problems over in MTMTE by ordering the Diplomatic Corps to try and brainwash Chief Justice Tyrest into retiring).]]
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: [[spoiler: Prowl and Arcee have this feeling regarding them killing Ratbat. Not many agree.]]
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Ironhide to [[spoiler:Prowl]]
** [[spoiler:Orion Pax to Shockwave, in the past, after the events of [[ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye Shadowplay]]]].
-->'''Pax''': "I know the '''real''' you - you can overcome what they '''did! I believe in you!'''
-->'''[[spoiler: Shockwave]] (narrating)''': "One day Orion Pax would '''stop''' believing..."
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: Ratbat, courtesy of Arcee]]. [[spoiler: Bludgeon does it to Wheelie, but non-fatally]]. [[spoiler: Ironhide gets impaled by Slag's horns through the back and Swoop's sword through the front]]. [[spoiler: Arcee again pins Sideswipe to a wall during her time aiding the Decepticon takeover... only to reveal it was carefully done to avoid vitals so he could provide surprise fire support for her]].
* InsistentTerminology: Orion Pax makes a point of stressing his new name, even when in the heat of battle.
* InsultBackfire: Prowl [[spoiler:insults the constructicons in Issue 18, they take it as a compliment]].
-->[[spoiler:'''Prowl''':''You're the '''worst''' of the '''worst'''. The cruelest, '''vilest decepticons''' I've '''ever''' encountered.'']]
-->[[spoiler:'''Hook''':''It's like poetry when you say it, Prowl!'']]
* {{Introdump}}: Gloriously done in flashback with Cyclonus, Galvatron, Dai Atlas, Jhiaxus, and Nova Prime. It's clunky, it's cheesy, and it, and much of the art in the flashbacks, is a homage to the old Marvel comics (which had huge introdumps pretty much whenever a new group of characters was introduced).
* ItsAllAboutMe: Both Bumblebee and Prowl get this both here and in the {{Backstory}} for this series and ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye''.
* IWillFightNoMoreForever: Optimus after he willingly exiles himself from Cybertron. He even casts aside the name "Optimus Prime" which he earned during the war and reclaims his civilian identity as "Orion Pax."
* {{Irony}}: Flatline states that the Aerielbots are considered heroes for decrying factionalism and stopping Devastator. While the latter is true, the Aerielbots left ''because'' of their factionalism, with Silverbolt accusing and trying to murder Dirge because of the explosions on the grounds that he was a Decepticon.
** Issue 21 reveals that Megatron never trusted Soundwave and was always suspicious of him, constantly suspecting that Soundwave was spying for the highest bidder. At the same time, we learn that Soundwave is easily the most loyal Decepticon in existence, and part of the issue involves Soundwave standing by Megatron's beliefs even when no one else does.
* {{Jerkass}}: "Peace Enforcers" Needlenose and Horri-bull.
* JerkassHasAPoint: Played with Metalhawk. In many ways, Metalhawk is similar to Dai Atlas, both are stuck up pricks who oppose the Autobot in authority. Both have reasons to distrust both factions, and both sew seeds of distrust. The difference is their goals, Dai Atlas wanted to abandon the planet, which would scatter their people, but would keep them safe from the war, and his distrust and criticism of Optimus were part of his desire to abandon the war, and separate. Metalhawk wants everyone to come together, but his distrust and insults at the Autobots is counterproductive to that goal.
** Similarly, Prowl has several valid points regarding the Decepticons and Nails, but he ends up taking it [[KnightTemplar way too far]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Metalhawk, Swindle, Needlenose, and to a much lesser degree Soundwave.
* KickTheDog: Arcee murdering Sunstorm, a hapless con who had been mind controlled. She had even subdued him by slicing off his legs. When he grabbed her leg, she casually stabbed him through the head.
** Starscream and Rattrap framing and falsely arresting Scoop.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Starscream killing [[spoiler:Turmoil.]]
* KillItWithFire: Needlenose tries with Streetwise, but it doesn't work.
* KilledOffForReal: Horri-bull, Ratbat, Barrel Roll, Sunstorm, [[spoiler:Bombshell]], and [[spoiler:Turmoil.]] ''Dark Cybertron'' adds [[spoiler:Hardhead, Nova Prime, Bumblebee, Jhiaxus, Metalhawk, and Shockwave]] to the list. The second season also reveals that the Slingshot component of Superion was killed when Devastator ripped Superion apart (and so [[MerchandiseDriven new character Alpha Bravo can take Slingshot's place.]])
** [[spoiler: Bombshell and the Constructicons, it seems were FakingTheDead...seemingly with Prowl's help.]]
* KnightInSourArmor / KnightTemplar: Prowl views himself as a KnightInSourArmor, whereas in reality he's more of a KnightTemplar. [[spoiler: Even before getting mind-controlled by Bombshell]].
* LackOfEmpathy: [[Invoked]] with the once-righteous Shockwave, who had his emotion centers forcibly removed at Proteus' behest.
* LeaderFormsTheHead: [[spoiler:Megatron's new body can serve as the head of the new reformatted Devastator, but he does not get the chance.]]
* LesserOfTwoEvils: Blurr pretty much quotes this word for word to Starscream, telling him that's the only reason why they tolerate him as their self-appointed leader.
* LossOfIdentity: Explained as being the fate of everyone "recruited" into Galvatron's army, save Cyclonus. They all turned into [[{{Mooks}} Sweeps]].
* MacGuffin: In season 2, it looks like [[spoiler: the Enigma of Nexus Prime, an ancient Cybertronian artifact that can apparently bestow stabilized combination on Cybertronians that was hidden on Earth at the dawn of man by Galvatron]] will be this for both sides.
* MadScientist: Shockwave, [[spoiler: Jhiaxus]], possibly Soundwave and Bombshell. Wheeljack counts to but in a far more benovelent way.
-->'''Wheeljack''': I was just messing around with science.
* MarkOfShame: Pretty much what both the Decepticon and Autobot badges are.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: PlayedWith for the 13. They're present here as in many other continuities, but their status as gods or servants of god have been changed (the creation stories featured in MTMTE being the myths). Now the thirteen are great warlords who united Cybertron and each leads a different faction that has different physiologies (beast modes, combiners, etc). They're closer to normal Transformers than another continuity, but there's a lot of ambiguity as to how they were able to diversify Cybertron and their abilities to do so. Galvatron says it's magic, Jhiaxus believes its science.
* TheMedic: Fixit, Flatline.
-->'''Scattershot''': "...48 injured '''Autobots'''. About 60 '''NAIL's'''. A few '''Decepticons''' too. Should I prioritize-"
-->'''Fixit''': "Prioritize by seriousness of injury."
* MerchandiseDriven: Transformers has always been this way. In this series the characters here are reworked to look like their aligned bodies partially to promote VideoGame/TransformersFallOfCybertron. In Universe the explanation given for the change could harken back to ''ComicBook/TheTransformersAllHailMegatron'', where the earth forms lacked the traction to cope on Cybertron's smooth surface, making the upgrades necessary.
* MexicanStandoff: Arcee has one with Blurr when she breaks into his bar, with Squawkbox, Tankor and Jazz also pointing guns at her, the situation is soon diffused.
* MidseasonUpgrade: Bumblebee out of necessity, after a thorough beating at the hands of [[spoiler:Megatron. He ends up looking like his Goldbug form. Starscream, as per Issue 23 cover, will receive one where he'll end up looking like his Anime/TransformersArmada self]].
* MindScrew: "Syndromica (2)"
* TheMole: [[spoiler: Scoop]] is Starscream's mole in the Decepticons, though the two still have a rather adversarial relationship.
* MoralDissonance: The Autobots don't have a problem with basically enslaving the Decepticons with ID chips and suppressing the Nails, despite having just fought a six-million year war to keep the Decepticons from doing things like that. Starscream actually calls Wheeljack out on this in issue 3, pointing out that the Autobots seem to have some pretty skewed priorities (for example, taking the time to put ID chips in any and all Decepticons but not bothering with actual public safety issues such as housing to keep people safe).
* MoralEventHorizon: InUniverse, Soundwave seems to view Shockwave's EvilPlan as this, ''especially'' after he refuses to let Soundwave heal Megatron with Ore-14.
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: [[spoiler:Shockwave. And this was even before becoming a Decepticon, but it was a lot more toned down.]]
* MythologyGag: Sky-byte recites a haiku to the head of a sweep (holding it in an AlasPoorYorick kind of way), and comments that it reminds him of someone. All the Sweeps resemble Scourge, and Sky-byte is reminded of him. In the ''Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise'' there was a character named Scourge as well, who was Sky-byte's rival (They look nothing alike, but the similar name and knowledge of Sky-byte function as the gag).
** In Syndromica (2), when Orion travels to LV-117 during the time of its destruction by an as of yet unknown force, the entire planet appears to be bathed in an ominous red light, and chunks of it appear to be flying upwards into the sky. This is very similar to what happened to [[spoiler:planets devoured by Unicron in the 1986 movie, which is probably another indicator that it's him.]]
** Ironhide's prediction of the future invokes the phrase "The Transformers are all dead".
** Bumblebee looks like his Goldbug form after the repairs from the beating he took.
** When the Decepticons turn on each other and fight for leadership, Blitzwing and Soundwave are the ones fighting, just like in the movie.
** The dog that Thundercracker adopted on Earth is named Buster, in reference to Buster Witwicky one of the Autobots' human allies from the Marvel comics.
** The last panel of issue #29 features [[Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise Kelly]], [[TransformersArmada Radd White and Carlos Lopez]] running away from Devastator. Also, weirdly, [[TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]].
** The Decepticon's new flagship bears a strong resemblance to the ''Revenge'', Galvatron's Unicron-gifted starship from the 1986 film.
** Furthermore, Galvatron's ancient "Barbarian" body greatly resembles his G1 toy, though his arm cannon is based on the blaster rifle accessory the toy came with and not the more familiar sleek orange barreled weapon.
** Ancient Cybertronian lore says that only a Prime can kill a Prime, which was first established in TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen [[spoiler: though it appears not to be true here.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:N-Z]]
* NamedByDemocracy: Bumblebee asks Wheeljack to stop calling him "King Bee" expressly to avoid this.
* {{Narm}}: InUniverse example. ''Nobody'' takes Bumblebee seriously as a leader and pretty much either go around him to do what they want or just browbeat him into submission. Even Bumblebee himself notes that it's kind of hard to take him seriously considering that just a few months ago he was just the TagAlongKid to the Autobots and his self esteem has been practically destroyed.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Chromedome, who managed to break things on two comics at once. [[spoiler: In this case, his hasty mnemosurgery on Prowl allowed Bombshell to mind control him.]]
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Shockwave thinks of this of Proteus, concerning the Shadowplay performed on him. In this case, a villain fixes someone else to become a bigger villain.
** While it served as a useful object lesson to the rest of the Earthbound Decepticons (especially after Starscream's attempted coup with Ore-13) seven years ago, [[spoiler: it turns out Megatron probably shouldn't have left the torn apart remains of Ramjet scattered around various human installations since the Earth Defense Command was able to get ahold of enough of those discarded remains to put together a whole drone army of Ramjet knockoffs along with their Thrust-based drones.]]
* NobleBigot: Nova Prime was an ''extreme'' racist who believed that Cybertronians were superior to all other life. He wasn't completely evil at first, he simply genuinely believed that the galaxy would be a better place under Cybertronian rule. Unfortunately, unlike most examples though he did ''not'' redeem himself. Instead he was taken by the Dead Universe which caused him to [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope jump off the slippery slope]] due to it's influence.
* NobleDemon: Soundwave.
* TheNoseKnows: Ravage can smell people and figure out how they feel from their scent. Soundwave can do it too, but with all of his other senses as well as smell. Neither can locate Shockwave with their powers, as he has no scent.
* NotGoodWithPeople: Arcee. The experiments performed on her by Jhiaxus, which included getting her sex changed against her will ''while she was [[AndIMustScream conscious]]'', have left her mentally unstable and having difficulty understanding how other people emote (she doesn't understand why Bumblebee is freaked out by her scrawling an Autobot symbol onto her shoulder with a sword for one thing).
* OffModel: In issue 19, the artist apparently doesn't know what Hardhead looks like. And it continues through into ''ComicBook/TransformersDarkCybertron''.
* OhCrap: In Issue 11, Starscream's reaction when, just as things were looking really good for his political future, Megatron comes back.
** [[spoiler: He has an even bigger one at the end of issue #13 when he finds out what's ''really'' in the Black Room.]] Notably, the first bullet in the "Notes" section of that issue on the [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_Verge#Notes TFWiki]] is simply [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "WHAT THE FFUUUUUUUUUUUU--"]]
** [[spoiler: Even more in issue 14.]]
** Astrotrain has a more downplayed moment when he points out the sorry state the cons are in, and what they'll do when the DJD come and find them like this.
** Thundercracker has this reaction at the end of issue #32 [[spoiler: when he discovers the EDC's army of Ramjet and Thrust drones]] so hard that he actually ends up running away.
* OneSteveLimit: There are two different Cybertronians named Skydive, an Autobot and a Decepticon respectively. The Decpeticon is murdered and when Prowl is called in to investigate he repeatedly confuses the two.
* OnlyFriend: [[spoiler: Starscream did consider Metalhawk his only friend, but he justifies killing him by claiming he's doing it [[TheNeedsOfTheMany the greater good]], using his death as a catalyst to unite all [=NAILs=] and exile both Autobots and Decepticons]].
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: [[spoiler: PlayedForDrama with Soundwave. "Soundwave" isn't his real name, it's the name he took after he got his powers under control. Because of his severe synesthesia he can't even remember his real name.]]
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Bumblebee remarks to Prowl that he's been anything but logical since they were exiled from New Iacon. [[spoiler:Ironically enough, Prowl was actually hurt/offended that Bumblebee couldn't SpotTheThread when he was being controlled by Bombshell]].
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Bumblebee. Lampshaded by himself when he says he has to do things 10 times better than Optimus Prime just because of whom he is.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: Prowl seems to have settled on this mindset regarding the Decepticons, which is kind of unfair as judging by the way things are going both here and in ''MTMTE'', a large number of the Decepticons aren't really all that evil.
* PetTheDog: Shockwave injured Dai Atlas in his home to make sure that he wouldn't attend the Senate meeting and be slaughtered with the other members of the corrupt regime. [[spoiler:It's our first hint that there might be some of his original personality intact.]]
* PlotArmor: Ironhide thinks he has this because of a vision he had of the future, in which he describes [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW "Pax Cybertronia"]]. He invokes it at one point to try and scare off an attacker.
* PoliceBrutality: Needlenose and Horri-Bull indulge in this while serving as [[BlatantLies enforcers of the peace]]. Then Prowl completely flips out and tries to murder Bombshell and the Constructicons in cold blood (though they all turn out to have been FakingTheDead later on).
* PinballProtagonist: Bumblebee is viewed as this by everyone in-universe. It's noted that his biggest flaw is that he doesn't know to take action until it's too late.
* PutOnABus: In issue #35, Optimus departs from Earth to attend to some matters on Cybertron that have cropped up (like the Acrolight bombing from the Windblade mini-series), which was covered in the Transformers Punishment motion comic released previously.
* PyrrhicVictory: [[spoiler: The Autobots stop Megatron, but end up losing the support of the population, with Starscream coming up as the overall winner.]]
* OurTimeTravelIsDifferent: For one thing, according to Wheeljack, it can't move you back and forth through time, it moves you ''sideways'' through time. It can also cause you to bounce randomly through various points in history (Orion ends up bouncing between various events over the course of fifty plus years before he can come to a stop). Oh and it can affect ''entire planets''.
* RealityEnsues: Issue 3 has mention of a mundane and not often explored problem in science fiction. People from different planets and star systems using different currencies, in a rather nice aversion of WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture.
* TheRemnant: Soundwave gathers up many of the A-lister cons, including the remaining members of the Earth Infiltration team, throwing their lot in with Galvatron, and heading to earth to ally with the humans and get in the Autobot's way. They claim to be the Decepticons, following their principles in the absence of their founder, even if their ranks only have a few dozen members.
* ReplacementScrappy: Galvatron is an in-universe example. An issue of MTMTE strongly suggests that he's just a figurehead for Soundwave, and that if Megatron were to come back, the Decepticons would instantly fall back under his command.
* TheResenter: Prowl due to the fact that he wanted nothing to do with the war, but was pretty much forced into it by Optimus Prime, since he's [[ManipulativeBastard good at whatever he does]]. It's pretty much the reason why he hates [=NAILs=], because he didn't get to be one of them and escape the war like them.
** Starscream suggest that [[spoiler: Rattrap]] is this as well, because he spent centuries, if not millions of years, stuck on an unimportant, dead-end backwater world fighting Decepticons, and as a result wasn't able to move up the command structure to become someone important, like one of Optimus Prime's inner circle. [[spoiler: So Starscream offers him a job in his government.]]
* TheReveal: Issue 9 ends with the reveal of [[spoiler: Superion. Oh and the Reflector components appear to have [[OhCrap time traveled away]].]]
** Issue 11 featured Starscream witnessing a heavily-damaged Megatron striding out of the wilderness towards New Iacon.
** Issue 13 ends with the revelation that [[spoiler: Megatron is apparently working with Prowl, and that they've gathered together a group of Decepticon heavy-hitters...including the previously thought-dead Bombshell and Constructicons.]]
** Issue 14 has [[spoiler: Prowl had been under Bombshell's mind control since Issue 4]].
** Issue 20 has [[spoiler: Starscream working to revive Wheeljack.]]
* SayingTooMuch: [[spoiler:Arcee, in issue 18, accidentally spills the beans on Prowl sending her to kill Ratbat ''before'' he got mind-controlled by Bombshell, which aggravates Prowls standing with the other Autobots. Oops!]]
** Galvatron did this during Nova Prime's reign when he argued against Nova allowing Jhiaxus to try and perfect combining [[spoiler: by attempting to re-create Nexus Prime's Engima of Combining. When Galvatron argues-in front of Alpha Trion, another member of the Thirteen like Nexus-that he searched Nexus' empty fortress and found no sign of the Enigma and that Nexus fled with it, Trion enquires why Galvatron would assume it was an ''object'' and not an ''idea'' as everyone else is. When Galvatron can only sputter that he meant the ''idea'' was lost with Nexus, Trion suddenly realizes that Galvatron has been hiding the Engima all this time, which is in fact an object, because he took it from Nexus after secretly killing him. (Un?)fortunately, Galvatron also realizes he's made Trion suspicious and soon rectifies that by firing the Engima into space, perhaps intentionally at Earth, or perhaps it merely landed there by accident.]]
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Thundercracker appears to do this when he flees Bikini Atoll with his pet dog [[spoiler: after discovering that the EDC has secretly built an army of transforming drones based on his dead wingmen Ramjet and Thrust.]]
* SelfDeprecation: Season 2 opens up with a deliberately terrible in-universe script that pokes fun at John Barber's own writing style (specifically his tendency for monologues and inner narration) and some of the BaseBreaker aspects of season 1 (characters acting [[{{Wangst}} pointlessly angsty]]).
* SeriesContinuityError: In the Annual. [[spoiler: When Omega reveals the existence of the Last Metrotitan on Cybertron to Dai Atlas. Yet Metroplex appeared at a later time during the events of ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersAutocracy Autocracy]]''.]]
* ShellShockedVeteran: Bumblebee. He even walks with a cane, and favors a leg, even though Ratchet says he is completely fine, not to mention he even got a panic attack when [[ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye Ratchet told him he was leaving]].
* ShutUpKirk: Starscream gives a speech about the old ways of violence are wrong, nobody seems to care, Acid Storm voices his distaste.
--->'''Starscream''': "Everyone, wait a minute. Think about what you're doing. This has been a terrible night... we have lost some of our best and brightest, but we can carry on... if we don't lose sight of what we fought for. Our cause was just. Our war was for equality. We fought for so long, and we stared defeat in the eye... and we didn't look away. Now we stand on the precipice of victory. We've lost allies, we've lost leaders... but change has always been our way. We must leave behind our destructive past. Violence is the old way—Megatron is the old way. I am the new—when I'm elected leader, this will be a victory for us, and for all Cybertronians—because we'll prove we were right. Not through the superiority of our firepower... but through the superiority of our ideas. A validation not for the methods that long tarnished the Decepticon dream, but for the dream itself. Victory is at hand—and it is ours to lose. Will you stand with me?"
--->'''Acid Storm''': "Blow it out your sprocket, 'Chosen One.'"
* ShownTheirWork: Issue 21 reveals that Soundwave has a form of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia Synesthesia]], a neurological condition that essentially causes one to display a "hidden sense" and perceive letters, numbers, smells, and other such things as colored. All in all, it's portrayed fairly realistically even with a moment where Soundwave has to step away from a group of Decepticons because their emotional behavior is causing him to suffer a sensory overlord.
* SlidingScaleOfPlotVersusCharacters: Definitivelly Plot driven, specially compared to its sister series, ''[[ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye More Than Meets the Eye]]''.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: Eucryphia, a minor soldier under Prima who falls fighting alongside Nova Prime in the flashback issue 34. While his importance is nil, MTMTE reveals that he wrote The Empyrean Suite, a haunting, mysterious song that's used as the leitmotif of the DJD. It recurs constantly; Skids has heard it, it's apparently Ultra Magnus's favorite song, and Rung whistled it before he was attacked; it's connections and mystery hang over the series.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Arcee is the only "female" cybertronian in the whole series, and for a [[JustifiedTrope good reason]]. [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW Jhiaxus' experiments with Arcee's CNA]] ended up introducing an alternate gender into what was previously a OneGenderRace.
* TheSnarkKnight: Shockwave, moreso than most portrayals.
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: Issue 33 takes us back to Cybertron [[spoiler: and Wheeljack waking from his [[YourHeadAsplode traumatic head injury]]]] after several issues of Optimus Prime and his team on Earth.
* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler:Wheeljack to Megatron.]]
* SpellMyNameWithAThe: The Superion.
* SpottingTheThread: Averted. [[spoiler:Prowl is actually hurt that Bumblebee never failed to notice he was under Bombshell's control.]] However, [[spoiler:Arcee]] ''did'' notice the change and set about working to free him.
* TheStarscream: [[TropeNamer Imagine]]!
* StartOfDarkness: Shockwave's concludes here. [[ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye Shadowplay]] showed how he came to think as he does now, and the issue "Shockwaves" showed how he fell in with the Decepticons.
* StealthPun: Garrison Blackrock's new Onyx social media interface. "Onyx" being a ''black rock''.
* StupidEvil: Starscream cites this as the reason he's willing to screw over Ratbat.
-->"Here's the thing about Ratbat's [[EvilPlan plan]]... it's '''terrible'''."
* StylisticSuck: Thundercracker's horrendous screenplay.
** The annual, where the flashback pages were deliberately written and drawn to resemble the old Marvel comic. Nova Prime even gives an {{Introdump}} where everyone stands around and says what they do. It actually works very well.
* SurpassedTheTeacher: Shockwave to Jhiaxus.
-->'''Shockwave''': I did not '''ask''', Jhiaxus... I '''commanded.'''
* [[SynchronousEpisodes Synchronous Issues]]: Issues 18, 20, and 21 all seem to take place at about the same time focusing on the Autobots, Decepticons, and [=NAILs=] in the aftermath of Starscream's seizure of Iacon.
* TakingTheBullet: Ravage jumps in front of Shockwave's blast to protect Soundwave. of course, since they're fighting in in Crystal City which is surrounded by Ore-14, he returns to life almost immediately.
* TalkingToTheDead: In the "Three Monologues," Starscream talks to the corpse of Metalhawk to thank him for all his support and justify his betrayal.
* TastesLikePurple: Soundwave has the Cyber he can hear the color of failure, and smell the emotions around him.
-->"I shut out the '''acrid''', grunting '''blue''' that comes with '''losing''' an Eons-Long War."
* TearsOfBlood: Issue 17's cover shows [[spoiler: Shockwave's]] old cranium, with it's forehead gone and eyes missing, dripping a SingleTear of Energon, while his current head looks on unmoved. The inside features something similar.
* ThatManIsDead: "Optimus Prime is dead...and Orion Pax is reborn."
** Shockwave's benevolent former persona.
-->"You should '''give up''' on me, Orion Pax. I am '''not''' he who '''befriended'' you."
* TheNeedsOfTheMany: Starscream claims that this is the reason he killed Metalhawk, but it's left ambiguous if he really believes it or is just trying to relieve his personal guilt.
* TheyKilledKenny: Averted. This is the series where Dirge, a character who repeatedly dies in numerous continuities so often, it's become a joke, gets character development and survives numerous deadly encounters.
** Played Straight with Dreadwing. Ore-14 keeps bringing him back.
* TimeSkip: The story resumes six months after the events of ''ComicBook/TransformersDarkCybertron''.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Swindle and Dirge seem to be developing into this.
* TimeyWimeyBall: Issue 10 gets like this. Reflector has taken a ship with time travel capabilities, Orion Pax's ship, Jhiaxus's ship converge on a planet. Time shifts all over the place, including a split second where Viewfinder has died (which he and the other Reflector bots say was weird), they arrive at the ship, then it cuts to them having left the ship, then Jhiaxus leaving the planet, then Monstructor attacking some giant creatures, then it was all a vision which soon comes true. Throughout it, Optimus get's flown to the past, then back with Turmoil, a slaver decepticon he meets, right up until Jhiaxus grabs a synthetic Energon Warhead and leaves.
* TrapIsTheOnlyOption: Orion Pax and his crew on Gorlam Prime, although as Orion Pax said...
-->'''Orion Pax''':It's not a trap if you know it's a trap.
* TookALevelInBadass: Monstructor had his pesky one-hit-defeat weakness fixed and is much harder to deal with. Devastator was rebuilt and able to shrug off enemy gunfire this time he actually wins his one on one fight.
* TookALevelInJerkass: [[spoiler:The Thirteen Primes, from what we've seen of them, don't seem like they were the paragons of Cybertronian virtues in other continuities. Alpha Trion is an arrogant manipulator, Nexus Prime seemed openly contemptuous of those he believed were below his station, and Alchemist Prime apparently liked to trip out on rancid Engex. Not to mention all of them save Trion and Nexus (who was killed by Galvatron) up and abandoned Cybertron millions of years ago, as well as all of their followers for reasons that have not yet been made clear.]]
* TortureCellar: Though not explicitly stated, the mysterious "Black Room" that Prowl mentions in issue 11 certainly seems to be this, which dosen't bode well for Shockwave and the other Decepticons. Subverted when it turns out the Black Room isn't a torture chamber at all, but it still serves a very sinister purpose.
* TwoFaced: Soundwave was shot in the head in the previous ongoing. He was rebuilt, but his visor and faceplate are still damaged, giving him this look. No longer true as of the end of issue 13, since it seems he's been repaired in the Black Room. His depiction in the flashback in Issue 21 only features a cracked faceplate though.
* TwoLinesNoWaiting: Throughout the series we switch back and forth between following Bumblebee's attempts to keep Cybertron at peace and Optimus Prime's hunt for [[spoiler: Jhiaxus, Bludgeon, and Monstructor.]]
** ThirdLineSomeWaiting: After ''Dark Cybertron'', it has now split between the Decepticons and the Earth Defense Force's storyline, Optimus and his team's storyline and Starscream and the others on Cybertron.
* {{Ubermensch}}: Shockwave, more so than any other continuity. Pre-war he was TheFettered, rejecting the belief that some were born better than others, and fully believed that everyone was equal. Post Empurata he's TheUnfettered. Morality has no place in his mind after its removal, and he rejects the ideals of the Decepticons in both conquest and equality. Through cold Science he's placed himself above all others, and with his experiments, he can alter the fabric of the universe. To him, life and death are just concepts that he can manipulate.
* UngratefulBastard: [[spoiler:Starscream to Metalhawk.]]
* UnreliableNarrator: [[spoiler:''Everything'' where Prowl is the narrator/point of view after Issue #4.]]
** Played with Starscream in issue 20. He expresses himself aloud, without being suspected, rebuked or second-guessed, but only by talking to the dead, the paralyzed, and the comatose. And since this is Starscream, you never know.
* UnwittingPawn: Orion Pax and his crew fall for Jhiaxus, except it was Orion Pax's plan to fall for Jhiaxus' plan in the first place.
* VillainDecay: Subverted with Spike Witwicky who, despite his delusions otherwise, was never a genuine threat on his own, simply a spoiled and childish brat who was given too much power. Without Skywatch or his influential father covering his ass or providing resources, he's nothing more than pathetic protestor who thinks he's being a total badass when he kills a robot that couldn't even hurt him if it tried.
* [[VillainEpisode Villain Issue]]: Issue 17, 20, and 21 focus on Shockwave, Starscream and Soundwave respectively.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Starscream, and how!
* VillainousFriendship: Soundwave's issue has a type 1 with his cassettes, they respect him and he treats them as equals, bar Ratbat. He also has a type 4 with Shockwave, respecting him, and both working together well, but never trusting each other and coming to blows in the present. He has a type 1/3 hybrid with Megatron, as he's completely devoted to Megatron and his ideals, and Megatron trusts him more than most bots, but, as Soundwave notes, not completely. [[spoiler:This changes when Megatron leaves the Decepticons.]]
** Needlenose and Horri-bull seemed to have a type 1.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Swindle and Dirge seem to have become this though the it comes mostly from Dirge.
* TheVoiceless: Soundwave's voice chip was damaged, so he doesn't speak until its repaired later on.
* WarIsHell: A major theme of the series.
* WarRefugees: [=NAILs=].
* WarpThatAesop: An InUniverse example, impressively enough. Nova Prime basically warps the Cybertronian belief of "Til all are one" into being a message against TheEvilsOfFreeWill.
** Bombshell and Jhiaxus share this warped view to justify combiner experimentation.
* WasItReallyWorthIt: Needlenose comes to this realization following the Decepticons takeover, their party is shattered, their superior officers are either dead or MIA, and they just lost the one chance for peace, even if it was under the Autobots. He tells Soundwave [[spoiler:the Decepticon movement is all out of soldiers.]]
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Barrel Roll.
* WeHaveBeenResearchingPhlebotinumForYears: [[spoiler:The Earth Defense Force, to the point they have mass-produced clones of Ramjet and Thrust and have kept it secret from all cybertronians.]]
* [[WhamEpisode Wham Issue]]: In Issue 4, Prowl goes off the deep end, murdering Bombshell and the Constructicons, and Dirge becomes the only witness and thus a fugitive.
** In Issue 11, Megatron returns...
** Issue 13 ...And is working with [[spoiler:Prowl]] to take over Cybertron.
** Issue 14 [[spoiler: ...And Bombshell was mind controlling Prowl... who now serves as the head module for Devastator!]]
** Issue 16 [[spoiler: Starscream kills Metalhawk, and then "wins", exiling both Autobots and Decepticons out of New Iacon]].
** Issue 28 [[spoiler: Galvatron is leading the Decepticons, and has struck an alliance with the Earth defense forces.]]
* WhamLine: From Issue 17:
-->'''Shockwave''': Ore 14: ''resurrection.''
** From Issue 28:
-->[[spoiler:'''Marissa Fairborn''':''In the name of the Earth/Decepticon Alliance, you are under arrest.'']]
** Issue 32: [[spoiler:The Revelation that the Earth Defense Force has an army of Ramjet and Thrust clones, oh, and that Trion was not the source of their technology, someone else predates him]].
** Alpha Trion gets a good in-universe one too in issue #34.
-->'''Alpha Trion''': They call me '''Alpha Trion'''. And I believe I am [[spoiler: the '''last Prime''' on this world]].
* WhamShot: The final issue of issue #32 when Thundercracker discovers [[spoiler: the EDC's army of Thrust and Ramjet drones.]]
* WideEyedIdealist: Metalhawk. He ends up needing a reminder in the annual.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: Waspinator pulls this on Orion Pax.
* XanatosSpeedChess: Orion Pax at Gorlam Prime.
* XMeetsY: ''Transformers'' meets ''[[Series/BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'' with a little ''Farscape'' mixed in.
* YouAreWhatYouHate: Played with. Prowl wanted to be a [=NAIL=] and couldn't.
* YouDirtyRat: Rattrap.
* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: The Constructicons [[spoiler:leave the Decepticons because they liked what they felt when they fused with Prowl.]] Prowl isn't happy about this.
* YourHeadAsplode: The Deceptions all have inhibitor/deterrence chips in their heads to prevent them from using their powers and transforming. If they get out of line, their heads will explode. When Horri-bull almost beats a neutral to death, Bumblebee detonates his chip. Ultimately subverted with the Constructicons in Issue #4: They show up alive and well later, despite Prowl detonating their chips, but it turns out they were FakingTheDead [[spoiler:With a little help from Prowl himself.]]
** [[spoiler:Wheeljack]] barely survives this in Issue 14.
[[/folder]]
----
->When I feel '''doubt''' creeping in...
->I think of...

* TheBusCameBack: Dirge comes back here ever since he disappeared in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersAllHailMegatron''. Apparently he and Deluge were beaten up and left to themselves on the planet.
** The Dinobots (sans Grimlock) return after leaving Earth at the end of ''ComicBook/TransformersMaximumDinobots''.

* TheBusCameBack: Dirge comes back here ever since he disappeared in ''ComicBook/TransformersAllHailMegatron''. Apparently he and Deluge were beaten up and left to themselves on the planet.

** A new arc starting in Issue #50 is called "All Hail Optimus", a nod to ComicBook/TransformersAllHailMegatron.

* EasilyForgiven: Invoked and Zig-Zagged. There are numerous Decepticons who've caused all sorts of trouble during the war, and the Autobots hesitate to try them for fear of looking too oppressive to the neutral majority, something which Metalhawk uses to his advantage. Metalhawk is extremely slow to trust Turmoil, having first hand accounts to what he's done. Blanket amnesty is offered to many, and tensions flare because of it. [[ComicBook/TransformersAllHailMegatron Tankor, who tried to nuke all the Autobots in New York]], and [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW Swindle who orchestrated much of the conflict in the Ongoing]] have their deeds looked past because everyone needs to come together in the new world order.

* MerchandiseDriven: Transformers has always been this way. In this series the characters here are reworked to look like their aligned bodies partially to promote VideoGame/TransformersFallOfCybertron. In Universe the explanation given for the change could harken back to ComicBook/TransformersAllHailMegatron, where the earth forms lacked the traction to cope on Cybertron's smooth surface, making the upgrades necessary.

** ''[[spoiler:Megatron himself]]'' is convinced to pull a HeelFaceTurn at the climax of ''DarkCybertron''.

* BigBad: The first "season" of the comic played around with this, with Prowl, Starscream, Metalhawk, Jhiaxus, and finally Megatron forming a BigBadEnsemble of sorts. As the story gears up into ''[[ComicBook/TransformersDarkCybertron Dark Cybertron]]'', Shockwave takes the spot as the definitive BigBad for the season.

* BittersweetEnding: The ending of ''DarkCybertron'', which serves as the conclusion to season one. [[spoiler:Cybertron and the universe are saved, Nova Prime and Shockwave are dead, and Megatron finally decides to stop fighting and pulls a HeelFaceTurn, but New Iacon is in ruins, Bumblebee is dead, and Starscream is still ruler.]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: Has a more consistently somber tone than sister series ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye''. At least until ''TransformersDarkCybertron'', where this series got LighterAndSolfter at about the same time ''MoreThanMeetsTheEye'' became somewhat DarkerAndEdgier.

** During Shockwave's flashbacks in Issue #17, one of the corpses hanging from the ceiling has [[spoiler:a black-and-yellow striped torso resembling a bumblebee. Guess who Shockwave kills at the climax of ''DarkCybertron''?]]

* KilledOffForReal: Horri-bull, Ratbat, Barrel Roll, Sunstorm, [[spoiler:Bombshell]], and [[spoiler:Turmoil.]] ''DarkCybertron'' adds [[spoiler:Hardhead, Nova Prime, Bumblebee, Jhiaxus, Metalhawk, and Shockwave]] to the list. The second season also reveals that the Slingshot component of Superion was killed when Devastator ripped Superion apart (and so [[MerchandiseDriven new character Alpha Bravo can take Slingshot's place.]])

* OffModel: In issue 19, the artist apparently doesn't know what Hardhead looks like. And it continues through into [[ComicBook/TransformersDarkCybertron Dark Cybertron]].

* TimeSkip: The story resumes six months after the events of ''[[ComicBook/TransformersDarkCybertron Dark Cybertron]]''.

* SeriesContinuityError: In the Annual. [[spoiler: When Omega reveals the existence of the Last Metrotitan on Cybertron to Dai Atlas. Yet Metroplex appeared at a later time during the events of ''[[ComicBook/TransformersAutocracy Autocracy]]''.]]

* GenreSavvy: Shockwave is smart enough to know by now that Megatron isn't going to be able to beat the good guys, so he just uses the chance to get out of dodge while the Autobots are distracted and deal with the ''really'' important things.

* ExecutiveMeddling: Will drop the ''Robots in Disguise'' subtitle starting in issue #35 in order not to be mistaken with the show of the same name.

* MoralDissonance: The Autobots don't have a problem with basically enslaving the Decepticons with ID chips and suppressing the Nails, despite having just fought a six-million year war to keep the Decepticons from doing things like that. Starscream actually calls Wheeljack out on this in issue 3, pointing out that the Autobots seem to have some pretty skewed priorities (for example, taking the time to put ID chips in any and all Decepticons but not bothering with actual public safety issues such as housing to keep people safe).

As-of issue 35, it drops the 'Robots in Disguise' subtitle and becomes just 'The Transformers',[[note]]Volume 2, where Transformers Ongoing was volume 1[[/note]] which is likely to make things... confusing.

As-of issue 35, it drops the 'Robots in Disguise' subtitle and becomes just 'The Transformers',[[note]]Volume 2, since IDW had previously published an ongoing Transformers comic.[[/note]] which is likely to make things... confusing.

As-of issue 35, it drops the 'Robots in Disguise' subtitle and becomes just 'The Transformers,' which is likely to make things... confusing.

** During Devastator's Rampage, Broadside is crushed in the Combiners hand whilst calling for back up and Broadside is reporting from a communication tower before it's unceremoniously crushed with him still inside. Though this is subverted when both turn up alive later on.

* WasItReallyWorthIt: Needlenose]comes to this realization following the Decepticons takeover, their party is shattered, their superior officers are either dead or MIA, and they just lost the one chance for peace, even if it was under the Autobots. He tells Soundwave [[spoiler:the Decepticon movement is all out of soldiers.]]