"Understand this. So long as you stand in my way- so long as anybody stands in my way, I will respond by killing. Murder on an industrial scale. Because in the final analysis, I would happily wade across a river of corpses, chest-deep in grease and engine oil just to crush the spark of the last Autobot standing. And I would do so not simply as a means to an end, no. I'd do it, Prime, because it would give me pleasure."
Note: Due to the controversial nature of this trope, any changes (additions, removals, edits) should be discussed here.
Examples
Beast Wars
Megatron. To sum it up in one other trope, he's had sucessful bouts with In Their Own Image. Knowing the death tolls to all sides.
Even Megatron's personality is nothing short of pure evil. Despite the Predacons supposedly being a team, all of them are expendable to him in order for him to achieve his goals of conquering all. In the Beast Wars finale, he uses the Nemesis battleship to successfully kill not only a Maximal (the most powerful one, too), but two of his own allies, including his absolutely most loyal ally who would have NEVER betrayed Megatron no matter what.The Other Wiki said it best:
"Megatron is a cool-headed schemer - a Machiavellian plotter, and a master in psychological warfare, yet also a skilled battlefield commander. Honor is a disgusting concept to Megatron (ironic since he would later develop a form of it himself); he manipulates, lies and bribes to get his way, and is often given to fits of ego, patting himself on the back for accomplishments or making a smooth quote. He often uses his over-confidence and presence as a scare-tactic to intimidate foes and to get his subordinates in rank."
On the other hand, at least until the final season, Megatron was probably closer to a Well-Intentioned Extremist, as his motivations for trying to locate Earth and, ultimately, to alter time so that the Decepticons won the war by killing Optimus Prime before he could awaken was because the Predacons were basically treated terribly by the Maximals all for being the descendents of the Decepticons. And he was actually somewhat reluctant to go through with killing Optimus Prime before he could awaken, and if the PlayStation Beast War's Game's Predacon ending is anything to go by, he had a very good reason for being reluctant to do this unless it was a last resort.
"Megatron: Now I enter these hallowed halls... a conquerer... yesss. Autobots and Decepticons, still frozen in emergency stasis, awaiting the moment, four million years hence, when they will awaken to start the Great War. Hmmm, a Great War, when the Autobots defeated the Decepticons, and thus their descendants the Maximals that rule we Predacons... archaic energon guzzlers! How dare they? Unwilling, though I was to follow my namesake's instructions, it has all come down to this: the ultimate risk, for the ultimate prize. A day of reckoning, with those who made us slaves!"
Beast Wars Megatron is usually considered more of a Magnificent Bastard by most of the fandom, though. He was, at the time, one of the first children's cartoon villains to be a genuine, credible, intelligent threat, and, even at his worst, he was incredibly entertaining to watch. Beast Machines Megatron is less fondly remembered, while also having lots to do with the series overall, which isn't as well-liked, undeniably, it's due to this trope in part.
Who said a Magnificent Bastard can't be a Complete Monster? Again, not mutually exclusive. Consider the fact that Megatron took an energy scalpel to a downed Rampage, cut out a part of his spark, and kept it in a small container on his person at all times. If Rampage attempts to act on his own or needs discipline as Megs sees fit, he gives that little container a squeeze to reassert his authority. Oh, and squeezing that isolated section of Rampage's spark causes Rampage searing, nearly unbearable pain. Though Rampage is abominable and almost completely uncontrollable otherwise, Megatron takes perverse pleasure in this act. The first time he does it? He laughs, all while Rampage is gasping and babbling in agony at his feet.
Then Tarantulas. Come on - a demented Mad Scientist who was planted as a mole in Megatron's operation, he spends his free time carrying out gruesome experiments and eating anything he catches in his giant webs - it doesn't matter whether it's organic or robotic, he admits to enjoying the act itself more than the meal. He reprogrammed some protoforms into Predacons, and when one of them (Blackarachnia) defected, he only showed himself caring when the Maximals tried to remove her shell program - by leading an attack on the base to ensure she's permanently offlined, proving the extent of his ego. He also plotted to destroy the entire Ark, which would ensure Unicron's devouring of Cybertron in the past/future. He's so twisted, even by Predacon standards, that even his allies are uneasy around him - a fact he is downright PROUD of.
Moreover, he's confirmed to be one of the spawn of Unicron, making him, quite possibly, one of the most evil beings in existence.
Transformers Animated
Most would say Megatron in Transformers Animated is a complete monster and manipulative bastard, but he never really seems to kill anyone in the show (except Starscream, who just keeps getting better). He's considered a boogeyman by Autobots, and rumor is that he eats protoforms. But the real monster of the show would be Lockdown: he killed his old master (as well as The Obi-Wan to Prowl and Jazz) to steal Transformer infants protoforms in order to sell them and tortures his bounty hunting victims by cutting off their specific upgrades and using them to make himself more powerful. He enjoys hunting more for the thrill of the chase and the chance to vivsect his victims than anything else, and thanks to the show being cut short, he is a Karma Houdini.
Another true monster is the human supervillain Meltdown. After being mutated by his OWN experiments, he tries to kill his rival, Isaac Sumdac, in a fit of rage. Later, he becomes so obsessed with creating a human transformer, he not only mutates AT LEAST two innocent humans into gruesome hybrids mishmashed with animal parts, he decides to kidnap Sumdac's innocent eight-year-old daughter as his newest test subject (deciding to experiment on CHILDREN in general now). When Blackarachnia breaks him out of jail in exchange for him eliminating her organic half, he double-crosses her and tries to destroy her transformer half - a deed which, if not destroying her soul completely, would have left her with a completely organic body she's disgusted with. It's very pleasing when his own device causes him to melt into a puddle in the climax and INFURIATING when he pulls himself back together at the end of the episode.
He also forces the Dinobots to work for him by painfully burning them with his acidic touch until they follow his commands. He hurt them so badly, they were willing to turn on Bulkhead and Prowl, their only friends among the main cast, just to stay in Meltdown's good graces.
No wonder Meltdown is the only human villain in Animated played as a deadly serious threat to the Transformers. Dancing aside.
But damn, can he dance.
Transformers Prime
Megatron and Starscream established themselves as holders of this trope very early into the series:
Megatron's zombie army pushed him beyond the edge. And then, even later into Season 1, when he nearly killed Raf with Dark Energon, then boasted about it in front of the Autobots. He didn't quite thinkthatthrough. That one was so bad that Optimus Prime revolved to, and quite nearly did, murder Megatron for his many crimes.
Starscream shows his monster credentials when he's torturing Agent Fowler for information by electrocuting him. Although, technically, Fowler didn't tell him what he wanted, Starscream still enjoyed the Cold-Blooded Torture he was dishing out. This interpretation of the character (usually a harmless Smug Snake) is easily one of the most frightening characters in the show.
Not to mention his cold-hearted murder of Cliffjumper. And then, when he's confronted by Cliff's partner, Arcee, instead of trying to calm the situation, he gloats about it even though doing so almost got him killed. While he's definitely a Dirty Coward (panicking when he thinks Arcee is about to kill him), the brutal beatdown that he gives her afterwards and the gloating sadism that he displays whenever he thinks he's in the control of the situation definitely earn him a place here.
Starscream's gotten a little iffy recently; while he is an evil spawn of a glitch, he's shown he isn't without a sense of gratitude when he stumbles upon a webbed-up Arcee and frees her.
Silas is another human villain in Transformers to earn this title. As a leader of the human terrorist supergroup MECH, he was prepared to destroy the government prototype DNGS (which, as previously established, would cause an explosion that would destroy at least three states if it blew up) when it became apparent that he wouldn't be nabbing it. Things got worse when he was willing to capture and torture a Cybertronian via dissection to find out how they work (though the Cybertronian in question WAS a Decepticon and his pain receptors were off), but his status as a Complete Monster was well and truly earned in Crisscross when he allied with Airachnid, a contender for Complete Monster status herself, to get his hands on another Cybertronian (this time, Arcee) and was perfectly willing to let Airachnid kill Jack Darby, a sixteen-year old teenager, and his mother to do it. He even states a few human lives are worth it for Arcee's tech. While it's true that he doesn't do it JUST For the Evulz, it isn't quite clear yet what MECH's intended 'newer world order' is, only that it requires cutting-edge tech to bring about. Judging from Silas' actions, it likely isn't benevolent.
Airachnid herself is by far the single most vile member of the current cast. She's a self-styled "ex-Decepticon" who spent her time in the Great War capturing, torturing, and slowly killing any Autobots she could find. For certain victims, like Arcee, she'd go out of her way to find people they cared for and murder them before their eyes as part of her fun. After the war left Cybertron, she struck out solo to pursue a new hobby: hunting endangered (and soon to be extinct) species for sport and collecting grisly "trophies" of her kills. Should she find an attractive species that isn't endangered, not to worry, she'll ensure that they are by the time she's done. After coming to Earth, she's decided to make humans her new toys, as Jack found out the hard way. Airachnid's not under orders or attempting any form of grand scheme, she just finds it fun. She's basically an unholy blend of Tarantulas, Beast Wars Rampage, and Lockdown pressed into a spider's shape and let loose on the universe. Though she has since been forcibly re-recruited into the Decepticons, limiting her opportunities for playtime by her boss forcing her to do evil that actually serves some purpose.
As of Crossfire, she defected by brutally murdering poor Breakdown, then tried launching an Insecticon attack to destroy the Nemesis afterwards. Fortunately (for now), she has been frozen in stasis.
Their version of Unicron surely counts. In this continuity, it's shown that the Earth formed around him. When told by Optimus that he owes the humans as they are his progeny, he simply declares that they are parasites and vows to kill them all.
The Unicron Trilogy
Megatron/Galvatron in this continuity - though a Noble Demon in "Armada" - eventually enters Complete Monster territory at about the time he uses the Super Energon in "Energon". In "Cybertron", he goes into full Omnicidal Maniac mode!
The point when he's absolutely soldified to be one is during the confrontation between him and the planet leaders in the black hole. When he reveals his A God I Am plan to destroy the universe then recreate it in his own image, he's asked how he plans to save his followers from the fate of the rest of the universe. He doesn't. As far as he's concerned, if they can't survive the end of the world, it's not his problem. At this point, every character present pretty much views him as this trope.
"It's over Galvatron. You don't care about anybody, and nobody cares about you."
Back to "Armada", we have Thrust. Sure, he was tempted by Sideways in the first place, but he eventually willingly joins Unicron and is ecstatic at the thought of the planet eater murdering his entire race. Also, in his "The Reason You Suck" Speech towards Galvatron, he basically says he's planned out his and Unicron's career of evil. Fortunately, it doesn't end well for Thrust.
Sideways, the chronic backstabber and hidden Unicron servant from Transformers Armada, is a definite example. Not only does he betray universe after universe to Unicron, he's a sadist to boot, who enjoys revealing himself as a traitor at the moment when it will not only help him, but cause the worst emotional wounds.
Unicron. He's pretty much the Devil in the Transformers mythos. More so in the comics and the Unicron Trilogy. He's a Planet Eater...but, according to most recent accounts, he doesn't need to eat planets to function. He just feels offended by the existence of anything that isn't a part of himself. Meet the metal edition of Darkseid and Dormammu. He also almost destroyed reality itself (as in, almost every multiverse), but thankfully missed a few spots and it formed back around him while he fell asleep.
The Marvel UK version of Galvatron was even worse. In his first appearance, he dares four Autobots to shoot him, shows their weapons aren't enough to stop him, then beats them all senseless anyway. Then lobotomises Jazz and gets him to beat them senseless. By the "Wanted: Galvatron" arc, he's planning to destroy half the coast just to gain a new power source. By "Time Wars", he seems to have declared war on the entire Transformers race, being practically the only opponent in a battle that leaves as many as a dozen dead (it's hard to get an accurate body count). Then he gets swallowed by a time rift and everyone cheers.
The Marvel US version (Galvatron II) got a pretty good introduction, where it turns out he let Unicron destroy Cybertron in return for having Earth, wiped out most of the Autobots, took over North America, and strung Rodimus Prime's body up from the Twin Towers just...because. Never quite that much of a monster again, but did wipe out an entire human military detachment as soon as he set foot on present day Earth. Then he gets defeated surprisingly easily when Fortress Maximus throws him ino a lake.
Overlord in the comics is probably the perfect example of the Complete Monster trope in Transformers fiction. He's one of the most powerful Decepticons but unlike the others he doesn't give a damn about the cause, or conquest, or even defeating the Autobots. He just wants to kill anything and everything he can, in as many sick and twisted ways as possible. He horrifies ALL Cybertronians, Autobot and Decepticon alike, and Megatron was so terrified of him that he had Shockwave alter his brain so that Overlord could never beat him. When he took over Garrus 9, he essentially turned it into a cross between a concentration camp and a gladiatorial arena, with torture, murder, and prisoners being forced to fight to the death for his own sick amusement. Nothing any other Transformers villain has done really compares to the pure evil that Overlord is guilty of.
We are, of course, talking about the IDW comics Overlord here; the character we see in Masterforce is his polar opposite, sporting traits like honour and loyalty, at least towards the end, when he discovers that his boss, Devil Z, fits this trope to a T.
There are two non-Cybertronian characters from G1 to earn this status. First is King Nergill, the ruler of an Atlantis-like city that wanted to wipe out the human race and almost did the same to the Autobots. When Nergill allied himself with the Decepticons, he ultimately tuned on them when he decided he didn't need them any more. The second is Lord Chumly, a hunter who became bored with regular game and decided to hunt Optimus Prime for sport. Not only that, but Chumly kidnapped several other Autobots and put them in death traps to lure Optimus to him!
From the Revenge of the Fallencomics, we have Flatline. The best way to sum him up is that he's Josef Mengele as a Decepticon. Oh, and before the war? He tended to hatchlings. During the war, he'd use protoforms (READ: "unborn" Transformers) as raw materials for his often-lethal experiments.
Not to mention the fact that he telepathically bonded Arcee to her sisters' corpses as an experiment and gave two children (Skids and Mudflap) brain damage...
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