History ComicBook / TransformersRobotsInDisguise

-->[[spoiler: '''Megatron''':]] Keep an optic on [[TheStarscream him]].

* 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.]]

* DragonAscendant: At the end of everything, Soundwave is the leader of the Decepticons. [[spoiler: Starscream is different in that he's in control of everything except his original faction, and he hasn't been TheDragon for some time.]]

** Issue 32: [[spoiler:The Revelation that the Earth Defense Force has an army of Ramjet and Thrust clones]].

* DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent: [[spoiler:Scavenger is feigns being TheMole for the Decepticons on Prowl's orders as part of his gambit.]]

* [[spoiler: TheMole: Scavenger is feeding information to the Decepticons and the other Constructicons are none the wiser.]]

* 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.

* 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]].

* 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.]]

** The last panel of issue #29 features [[Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise Kelly]], [[TransformersArmada Radd White and Carlos Lopez]] [[spoiler: running away from Devastator.]] Also, weirdly, [[TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]].

* 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.

* OhCrap: In Issue 11, Starscream's reaction when, just as things were looking really good for his political future, [[spoiler: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 "WHAT THE FFUUUUUUUUUUUU--".

* PetTheDog: [[spoiler: In the past, Shockwave injures Dai Atlas in his home to make sure that he can't attend the Senate meeting and be slaughtered with the corrupt senate. Shockwave tries to brush it off and ignore it, but it's clearly a sign that some trace of the old Shockwave remains...]]

* PoliceBrutality: Needlenose and Horri-bull are enforcing the peace by order of the Autobots; they like to beat on people. Prowl is very "firm" on how to stop the two. In issue 4 Prowl [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope flies off the deep end]].

* BigDamnHeroes: The Dinobots, The Aerialbots as Superior and Ironhide ''try'' to do this in #15.

* 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. [[spoiler: Soundwave may have found a way around it, or maybe not. Either way, Bumblebee eventually deactivates them on Ironhide's advice.
* EvilPlan: [[spoiler: Megatron has alluded to one, in which Devastator is only a small part.]]
* TheEvilsOfFreeWill: [[spoiler: 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 it's strange properties are revealed to be caused by Megatron and his Decepticon loyalists.]]

* EtTuBrute: [[spoiler: Dai Atlas, at the hands of Shockwave]].

* FaceHeelTurn: Prowl. [[spoiler: Revealed he was being mind-controlled by Bombshell.]]
** Turns out [[spoiler:Arcee was acting as if she had done a FaceHeelTurn, in order to get closer to Bombshell]].
* FakeDefector: [[spoiler: Arcee only went along with Megatron and his Decepticon loyalists in order to get close enough to kill Bombshell.]]

* FallGuy: [[spoiler: Rattrap]] sabotaged the Iacon Power Grid, and managed to get [[spoiler: Scoop]] arrested for it. [[spoiler: 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}}: When Prowl crushes Needlenose's hand in the first issue his fingers are all sprayed out at unnatural angles. In issue 21 Ravage bites down on Astrotrain's fingers, but Astrotrain punches him off before any real damage can occur.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Metalhawk, Swindle, [[spoiler: Needlenose]], and to a much lesser degree Soundwave.
* KickTheDog: Arcee murdering [[spoiler: 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 [[spoiler: Rattrap]] framing and screwing over Scoop.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler: Starscream killing Turmoil seemed like the right thing to do to stop the war, but in the end Starscream just wants those who could stand against him removed.]]

* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Numerous; Horri-bull, Ratbat, Barrel Roll, Bombshell, Sunstorm, and Turmoil]].

* LackOfEmpathy: Shockwave [[spoiler: Empurata removed his emotions and empathy, now]] he can barely see anyone around him as anything less than disposable or a means to an end.
* LeaderFormsTheHead: [[spoiler: Megatron's new body can serve as the head of the new reformatted Devastator, but he does not get the chance.]]
* LesserOfTwoEvils: [[spoiler:Blurr pretty much quotes this word by word to Starscream, telling him that's the only reason why they tolerate him as their self-appointed leader]].

* MarkOfShame: Pretty much what both the decepticon and autobot badges are. You can get rid of it, if you completely renounce your old allegience, [[spoiler: under Starscream's command]]

* Used to be the case with Shockwave, but Proteus found his old self a little to troublesome.
* ''[[spoiler:Megatron himself]]'' is convinced to pull a HeelFaceTurn at the climax of ''DarkCybertron''.

* BombThrowingAnarchists: The Decepticons prove that old habits die hard, they use torches and Molotov cocktails (Energon and oil are pretty flammable).

* DecompressedComic: Inverted. Some critics have complained that stories that ''should'' be multiple issue arcs feel overly compressed to fit in a single issue (such as issue 4 involving a murder mystery or issue 7 involving a [[spoiler: TIME MACHINE]])

* TheDragon: Arcee to Prowl, [[spoiler: Bludgeon to Jhiaxus]].

* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Issue 4 drops a bridge on [[spoiler: The remaining Constructicons and Bombshell.]] In issue 11 [[spoiler: 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 [[spoiler: Staxx]] is unceremoniously blown to bits by Prowl to show that Prowl has gone ''completely'' off the deep end. [[spoiler: The end of issue #13 reveals that the Constructicons, and Bombshell at least, are still alive.]]

* DynamicEntry: Lampshaded when Dreadwing tries and succeeds in pulling a sneak-attack on Soundwave

* 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 for instance 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.

* 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.
* 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, Astrotrain and Blitzwing want to go after Starscream and fight Soundwave for leadership, [[spoiler: Needlenose]] has to calm them down, but he points out that as a warrior force, they're all done.

* 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. [[spoiler: Soundwave may have found a way around it, or maybe not. Either way, Bumblebee deactivated them on Ironhide's advice]].

* AssimilationPlot / LossOfIdentity: Prowl has his mind overpowered by [[spoiler:the Constructicons when they form Devastator. He does manage to briefly incapacitate them by ripping himself out of the gestalt, though.

* 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 who's insanity and violence is [[CrazyAwesome intrinsic]] to his efficiency.
* 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.

-->'''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.''

* SpottingTheThread: Averted. 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.

** Played Straight with Dreadwing [[spoiler: Ore-14 keeps bringing him back.]]

* 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.]]

* {{Ubermensch}}: Shockwave, more so than any other continuity. [[spoiler: 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 [[spoiler: 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.

* UnreliableNarrator: [[spoiler: Everything where Prowl is the narrator/point of view after Issue #4, specially the deaths of Bombshell and the Constructicons]].

** Dreadwing decides to attack Shockwave, assuming that Shockwave 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.]]

* Used to be the case with Shockwave, who was a right-hearted Senator that Proteus forcibly turned into a emotionless mastermind.
* ''[[spoiler:Megatron himself]]'' is convinced to pull a HeelFaceTurn at the climax of

* BoomHeadshot: Prowl "kills" Bombshell this way, and later does the same to Wheeljack under Bombshell's control. Wheeljack barely survives.

* 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]].

* {{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 issues especially take this up to the level of ContinuityPorn.

* CallToAdventure: How season 2 starts; Optimus and company get a signal, seemingly from [[TheMentor Alpha Trion]], telling them to come to Earth.

* 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.

** 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 the Chains of Commanding. He can finally stop being Optimus Prime and go back to being Orion Pax again.

* 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 ses his

** [[spoiler: Issue 16. The Autobots manage to stop Devastator and Megatron, but Starscream gets the upper hand and casts the Autobots and even the other Decepticons into exile.]]

* CombiningMecha: Megatron's EvilPlan revolves around perfecting the combining process, which ultimately produces a controllable Devestator and an insane, but heroic Superion.
** Much earlier, Nova Prime commissioned Jhiaxus to create Monstructor in his quest to combat TheEvilsOfFreeWill.

* AdaptationalVillainy:

* AndIMustScream: Prowl was aware of everything he was being made to do while under Bombshell's control, but unable to do anything about it.
* AntiVillain: Prowl becomes an increasingly extreme example of this throughout the first season. While it's revealed 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]].'']]

** One of the teaser pages for the release of the comic features [[spoiler:Bombshell, with the subtitle ''Takes Control'', alluding to his role controlling Prowl and the new Devastator]].
** The Constructions' faked deaths are foreshadowed when their heads are enveloped in flame as opposed to simply exploding, like Horri-Bull's.
** During Shockwave's flashbacks in Issue #17, one of the corpses hanging from the ceiling has a black-and-yellow striped torso resembling [[spoiler:a bumblebee. Guess who Shockwave kills at the climax of ''DarkCybertron''?]]
* FreudianExcuse: Many a character has 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 as Sentinel Prime's replacement 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. As such, since Prowl was unable to cut and run like he wanted to, all of the Cybertronians who DID get out while the getting was good are Prowl's mortal enemies that he wishes to punish for not having to endure millions of years of unending war like he did.
* GallowsHumor: Bluestreak's joking around when Starscream panics and Megatron's smiling. Jetfire tells him it's not funny and Bluestreak name-drops the trope.

* GenreSavvy: [[spoiler: 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.]]
* GoodIsDumb: Poor [[spoiler:Scoop]].
* GoodThingYouCanHeal: All who are under the effect of [[spoiler: Ore-14]]: Dreadwing demonstrates 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]]. [[spoiler: He's actually describing himself, which leads him to frame Scoop for sabotaging the power grid.]]

** 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.]]
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler: Superion]].
* HealingFactor: [[spoiler: Ore-14 allows Cybertronians to recover from seemingly lethal injuries]].

** [[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.

* UngratefulBastard: [[spoiler: Starscream to Metalhawk]]

* 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 with Megatron, he's completely devoted to Megatron and his ideals, and Megatron trusts him more than most bots, but, as Soundwave notes, not completely.

* WasItReallyWorthIt: [[spoiler: 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.]]

** Issue 13 [[spoiler: ...And is working with Prowl to take over Cybertron.]]

* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: [[spoiler:The Constructicons switch alliances 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. When the Constructicons reveal they have weapons, Prowl detonates all of their chips.
** Subverted in the case of the Constructicons. It seems they were either faked by Prowl, or somehow repaired afterwards.
** [[spoiler:Wheeljack barely survives this in Issue 14.]]